Sony VAIO Z Might Be The Most Insane Ultraportable Ever
Sony is underappreciated in the notebook business. There's just no two ways about it. The company's VAIO lineup is probably the most fashion-forward PC laptop range out there, and even though they're expensive, there's hardly a better choice when style is atop your priority list. The VAIO Z is a new machine with remarkable innards. Designed to shatter performance records and blow anyone away that looks at it, the Z series features a Core i7-620M processor, a quad-SSD setup (yes, four SSDs), NVIDIA's GeForce
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ESPN To Stream On Xbox 360--A Sign Of Things To Come?
The landscape of television is changing right in front of our eyes. Never before have we had so many content options and ways to consume that content, and it looks like the big media companies aren't shying away from the revolution.ESPN, which has already announced plans to introduce a 3D sports channel within the next year or so, could very well be making a serious play for online viewers. According to rumors in the New York Times, ESPN could "provide live streams of sporting events, similar to the ones available
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Apple Responsible For 99.4% Of All 2009 App Downloads
We knew Apple's App Store was popular, but wow. "Popular" doesn't even begin to accurately describe this news. After announcing over 3 billion choices in the App Store, Apple now has something else they can promote when pumping up the store over other alternatives: market share.With the amount of webOS, Maemo, S60 and Android devices growing by the day, one would think that the amount of applications downloaded in stores from those platforms would also be rising sharply. Obviously it's not sharply enough to
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Sony Plans To Launch TransferJet Devices
Sony will launch a laptop with the new TransferJet short-range wireless system on Saturday. As the first products to support TransferJet, Sony's Vaio F laptop and TX7 and HX5V digital cameras, will be launched in Japan on Jan. 23 and Feb. 5, respectively and will hit international markets sometime in February. TransferJet has been under development for over two years. The technology works over a distance of up to 3cm. The speed of the transfers is said to rival that of USB 2.0. Because of its limited range,
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Walking & Talking Leads To Injuries, Bruised Egos
While distracted driving has certainly received a lot of attention lately, other distractions could also be dangerous. Distracted walking, for instance, is becoming another growing problem. Distracted walking combines a pedestrian, an electronic device, and an unseen danger such as a crack in the sidewalk, toy on the floor, or a car (parked or moving). Although most of the injuries that result from distracted walking aren't near as serious as those that may result from distracted driving, the number of injuries
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$1,000 App Hits The App Store, Again
You may recall "I Am Rich," the somewhat bogus $1,000 iPhone app that made it into the App Store in mid-2008, then was dropped when Apple realized how silly it was. Despite that, six people actually purchased it before it was booted out. Now we have another $1,000 app, and this one might be worth it. "I Am Rich" simply showed a screenshot of some bling. Anyone who would waste their money on that app had to be rich to justify it. Meanwhile, the new $1,000 app, BarMax CA, so named because
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The Space Bar Covers Your Keyboard While Adding USB Ports
The Space Bar may look like an Apple accessory (we guess it's the brushed aluminum design), but in reality it's suitable for any desktop/notebook user that relies on a keyboard and has lots of accessories that can't seem to find a home. Developed and sold by Quirky community, the Space Bar shelf is a multi-use device. It can hold thumb drives, keys and any other accessory you have laying around up top, while it covers up a keyboard that's 18" long and 1.5" high when you're not using it. There's also six USB
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HP 23" TouchSmart 600 All-In-One HH Reviewed
With a claim of “nearly 30-years of touch innovation†under its belt, HP is no stranger to touch-input technology. The company has recently integrated touch input into a number of its consumer and business product lines, such as tablets, notebooks and perhaps the most well-known, its line of TouchSmart all-in-one desktop PCs.Taking advantage of a good thing when they see it, HP has produced a few major updates to the TouchSmart line, culminating in the latest release of the TouchSmart series, the 20-inch
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xpPhone Brings Windows XP To The Smartphone For Under $650
We've witnessed a stripped down version of OS X on a phone (thanks to the iPhone), and we've seen various editions of Linux ported over to the mobile side (Maemo, for instance), but a phone with Windows on it? Consider it a done deal. ITG has just announced new images and a final price point for a phone that has lived in vaporware status until now. The phone looks an awful lot like a MID, with a widescreen display, a sliding QWERTY keyboard and Windows XP onboard. Yes, that Windows XP. It's sort of crazy to
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HP TouchSmart 600 All-In-One PC Review
With a claim of “nearly 30-years of touch innovation†under its belt, HP is no stranger to touch-input technology. The company has recently integrated touch input into a number of its consumer and business product lines, such as tablets and displays and perhaps is most well-known for its line of TouchSmart all-in-one desktop PCs. In fact, when the TouchSmart first debuted in 2007, it was one of very first multi-touch desktop PCs to hit the market, though touch technology has come a long way since then, especially
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Case Pits Police Radar Against GPS in Teen's Car
GPS has many uses, and its use has been expanded to include tracking of teens by parents. Now it might just prove to get a teen out of trouble.The case represents the first time anyone has contested a speeding ticket in Sonoma County courts using a global positioning system, which pinpoints speed and location using lightning-fast calculations and satellites.
All GPS systems installed in vehicles calculate speed and location, but the tracking device in Malone's 2000 Toyota Celica GTS downloads the information to his parent's computer.
The family says, based on the data, that Malone was going the posted speed limit of 45 mph on Lakeville Highway the morning of July 4 at virtually the same time and location where a Petaluma motorcycle officer used radar to cite the teen for going 62 mph.
Interesting, but if we were jurors we'd want to know just how accurate that speed data generated by that specific GPS unit would be. If you were a juror, would you trust a GPS unit or a time-tested radar unit?
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Sony Plans To Launch TransferJet Devices
Sony will launch a laptop with the new TransferJet short-range wireless system on Saturday. As the first products to support TransferJet, Sony's Vaio F laptop and TX7 and HX5V digital cameras, will be launched in Japan on Jan. 23 and Feb. 5, respectively and will hit international markets sometime in February. TransferJet has been under development for over two years. The technology works over a distance of up to 3cm. The speed of the transfers is said to rival that of USB 2.0. Because of its limited range, developers have decided not to implement device pairing and security similar to what is required with Bluetooth. To use the TransferJet technology between a camera and a computer, the only thing a user has to do is initiate sending on the camera and bring it close to a computer with TransferJet. The rest happens automatically.
The first batch of products that will launch will suffer from a limitation: they're not quite up to speed. When Sony announced TransferJet in January 2008, it said the technology would support 560Mbps transfer speeds and that users would see actual transfer rates of up to 375Mbps after networking overheads. The first-generation products will be slower. For example, transfers from a Cybershot TX7 camera to a Vaio F laptop will run at about 40Mbps, Sony said. The slowdown is due to software overhead in the PC and data processing.
The first Cybershot cameras that will support the technology won't have a TransferJet chip in them. Instead, they'll need an optional 8GB Memory Stick card that has the embedded radio chip. This card will cost $100, or $30 more than a similar card without the TransferJet feature. Sony also plans to offer a TransferJet USB adapter for $150.
Sony hopes that the TransferJet technology will eventually replace cables for transferring data from one gadget to another. However, the technology's success will depend largely on availability and the number of products from big-name companies that choose to support TransferJet. Thus far, companies such as Samsung, Toshiba, Kodak, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Olympus, Pioneer and Sony Ericsson have been suggested as possible supporters. Toshiba has been the only other company to date that has demonstrated prototype TransferJet devices.
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xpPhone Brings Windows XP To The Smartphone For Under $650
We've witnessed a stripped down version of OS X on a phone (thanks to the iPhone), and we've seen various editions of Linux ported over to the mobile side (Maemo, for instance), but a phone with Windows on it? Consider it a done deal. ITG has just announced new images and a final price point for a phone that has lived in vaporware status until now.The phone looks an awful lot like a MID, with a widescreen display, a sliding QWERTY keyboard and Windows XP onboard. Yes, that Windows XP. It's sort of crazy to think that the operating system that was being loaded onto pretty much every netbook ever made early last year has now been shoved onto a phone, but evidently this one has the under-the-hood horsepower to handle such demands.
ITG is marketing the xpPhone has a pocketable, all-in-one PC. With GPS, a real-deal OS and a legitimate keyboard, it's easy to understand why. Users can actually install full-fledged Windows applications on this phone, such as the full version of Skype, and even Minesweeper! All jokes aside, the only thing left here is a release date, but the $400 to $650 price (depending on options) is probably enough to scare most folks away. But just remember--most modern day smartphones run upwards of $500 when you're talking non-contract prices, so these numbers really aren't all that incredible.
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The Space Bar Covers Your Keyboard While Adding USB Ports
The Space Bar may look like an Apple accessory (we guess it's the brushed aluminum design), but in reality it's suitable for any desktop/notebook user that relies on a keyboard and has lots of accessories that can't seem to find a home. Developed and sold by Quirky community, the Space Bar shelf is a multi-use device. It can hold thumb drives, keys and any other accessory you have laying around up top, while it covers up a keyboard that's 18" long and 1.5" high when you're not using it. There's also six USB ports on the front and a single USB socket on the rear, essentially providing you with a half dozen new ports to connect your peripherals without digging around the back of your tower.
It's half goofy, half useful, but it's incredibly hard to resist. You can purchase it now for $42.
The Space Bar, Desk Organizer with Built-In USB Ports, Hits quirky's Online Store
collaboratively developed in one week by quirky's community
New York, NY, January 19, 2010 -- Today marks the official release of The Space Bar - community developed office accessory to help you maximize the use ofyour desk space. The Space Bar is designed to house your desktopclutter while also providing additional USB ports for your gadgets. TheSpace Bar is simple and elegantly designed and provides you with More Space, More Ports, and Less Clutter.
Use The Space Bar shelf to store any desk items you like - keys,digital camera, iPod, Split Stick, Cable Caps, sticky notes and more.At the end of the day, simply slide your keyboard into the designatedspace below the shelf and return in the morning to a neat and organizedoffice space. This device can stow a keyboard up to 18" long by 1.5"high.آ In addition to the storage and tidy-ness benefits, The Space Bar alsohas 6 USB ports conveniently located in the front of the unit and 1 USBcable in the back to connect it to your computer. Now there's need toconserve your ports - you can have your camera, iPod, Split Stick, andmore hooked in all at once! The Space Bar is constructed of aluminumwith durable hard plastic accents.
The Space Bar is the twenty third product designed and developed by the quirky community since quirky’s launch on June 2nd. quirkygives everyone the chance to get product ideas out of their heads andonto shelves. Each week quirky’s community collaborates to select andproduce one new product idea. This week ends the development of TheSpace Bar and it is now available for sale in sets of three at quirky’s online store for $42.00.
You might remember other successful quirky products including the Split Stick, a double-sided USB drive, the DigiDude, a portable camera tripod and keychain, the Scratch-n-Scroll, a mousepad with a writing surface and the PowerCurl, a cord wrap for Apple's MagSafe power adapter.
quirkyengages participants to collaborate in every aspect of product creation- from ideation, design, naming, manufacturing, marketing, right onthrough to sales. Anyone can participate on quirky.com either by submitting their own product idea for $99, or by voting, rating, and influencing other people’s product ideas. Cooler still, 30آ¢ of every dollar generated from the sale of a quirky product goes back to these influencers.
Every week users post ideas on quirky to be rated by the quirkycommunity. The community surveys the submissions during the 7-dayevaluation period and selects one product to move forward to productdevelopment. quirky’s community then begins weighing in on everythingfrom naming to logo selection to packaging through to prototype.
The final product becomes available for pre-sale at the quirky online store (quirky.com/products).Once the product hits its pre-sale threshold, credit cards are charged,and the product goes into production and delivery. At this point, 30آ¢of every dollar made from the sale of these products goes back to thecommunity. “Community†in this case covers both the ideator as well asall people who voted, commented, and rated the project idea along theway.
For more information about The SpaceBar, quirky, or to request an interview with Ben Kaufman, quirky'sfounder, contact Tiffany Markofsky at tiffany@quirky.com / 917.975.3811.
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$1,000 App Hits The App Store, Again
You may recall "I Am Rich," the somewhat bogus $1,000 iPhone app that made it into the App Store in mid-2008, then was dropped when Apple realized how silly it was. آ Despite that, six people actually purchased it before it was booted out. آ Now we have another $1,000 app, and this one might be worth it. آ
Meanwhile, the new $1,000 app, BarMax CA, so named because it currently only covers California, is an app designed to help law students study for and pass the bar exam. Bar exams are notoriously difficult, and the classes offered to help study for them typically run into the thousands.For example, if you take a look at California pricing at BarBri, which also has an iPhone app, you'll see that the tuition is $3,600. The iPhone app is free, but you need to not just pay for tuition, but also a $750 upgrade to BarBri Mobile.
Take 50 pounds of books and condense them into the palm of your hand. With BarMax, you squeeze thousands of pages of bar exam course material and over 1,500 real multiple choice and essay practice questions into your iPhone or iPod Touch. In addition, once you purchase the app, we send you a complete Welcome Packet with hundreds of pages of supplemental material, on-screen outlines, practice exams, and suggested as well as optional hard copy printouts.Not only that, if you don't have your own iPhone or iPod touch, they'll send you one with the course materials. Of course, it's probably the lowest-priced iPod touch, but hey, it's something extra, at least, for your $1,000.
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Output to HDTV
I output from my laptop to my 20" 720p TV through a VGA cable. I have never been able to output at 1360x768 from my laptop by default, however recently on a trip back to visit my parents I used a different VGA cable and was able to do so. Now back at my apartment I still can't by default output at that resolution from my laptop with my original cable. Is this a problem of the cable I am using or something else? I am using Windows 7 and have an integrated ATI Radeon 3100 on my laptop's board. Anyone have any idea on how I can get that resolution to show? Thanks.
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ESPN To Stream On Xbox 360--A Sign Of Things To Come?
The landscape of television is changing right in front of our eyes. Never before have we had so many content options and ways to consume that content, and it looks like the big media companies aren't shying away from the revolution.ESPN, which has already announced plans to introduce a 3D sports channel within the next year or so, could very well be making a serious play for online viewers. According to rumors in the New York Times, ESPN could "provide live streams of sporting events, similar to the ones available through ESPN 360, a service that is available from some high-speed Internet providers." Did we mention that it would be providing that via Xbox Live?
Microsoft's console has been web-savvy for awhile now, as it was the first of the major consoles to support Netflix streaming, and the Xbox Live Video Store enables users to watch all sorts of video from within the UI. There's also the chance that Microsoft could create interactive games in a partnership with ESPN, but there's no sign of when the deal--if it's even real--will be unveiled to the public.
Despite the inconclusive nature, this all makes perfect sense. With more and more viewers shifting their TV viewing time to the Internet, ESPN would be helping itself out by being one of the pioneer networks to make a deliberate shift to offering content online. If the deal goes through, Xbox Live users would likely have to pay a fee to access to content, but if that means that they can rid themselves of a monthly cable bill that they pay primarily to get EPSN, the savings could be significant. Anyone think this is just a sign of things to come?
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Apple Responsible For 99.4% Of All 2009 App Downloads
We knew Apple's App Store was popular, but wow. "Popular" doesn't even begin to accurately describe this news. After announcing over 3 billion choices in the App Store, Apple now has something else they can promote when pumping up the store over other alternatives: market share.With the amount of webOS, Maemo, S60 and Android devices growing by the day, one would think that the amount of applications downloaded in stores from those platforms would also be rising sharply. Obviously it's not sharply enough to put a dent in Apple's domination, as new research figures from Gartner has found that in 2009, Apple had a 99.4% piece of the overall app store market.
You read that correctly. Nearly 100% of every app downloaded (free or otherwise) was downloaded from the App Store, leaving every other alternative store just 0.6% to split. With these numbers, it's easy to see why webOS and Android are having a tough time ramping up their "amount of available apps" figure. Just think--if you were a software developer, would you rather program for 99.4% of the market, or that lowly 0.6%? The amount of potential cash to be made is far greater when developing for the App Store, though we have heard that apps get lost easily in there since there are just so many options.
The report notes that Apple users downloaded around 2.5 billion apps in 2009 alone, and things don't look to be slowing down. Really, there's hardly anything else to say. It's rare that the numbers actually speak for themselves, but we're pretty sure the numbers speak for themselves. The App Store rules for now, and it'll take a miracle to knock it from its pedestal.
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Sony VAIO Z Might Be The Most Insane Ultraportable Ever
Sony is underappreciated in the notebook business. There's just no two ways about it. The company's VAIO lineup is probably the most fashion-forward PC laptop range out there, and even though they're expensive, there's hardly a better choice when style is atop your priority list.The VAIO Z is a new machine with remarkable innards. Designed to shatter performance records and blow anyone away that looks at it, the Z series features a Core i7-620M processor, a quad-SSD setup (yes, four SSDs), NVIDIA's GeForce GT 330M GPU (with Dynamic Hybrid Graphics system), a carbon fiber design and one of the highest resolution 13.3-inch displays that we've ever seen. There's an option for a 1920x1080 panel at just 13.3", which is crazy and awesome at the same time.
Other specifications include 6GB of RAM and a weight of just 1.45kg, and of course Windows 7 is the OS loaded on. No price is mentioned, but with specs like this, we're guessing it'll be one of the most expensive ultraportables to ship this year.
When only the very best will do, the breathtaking new VAIO ZSeries of ultra-mobile notebook computers from Sony is your ultimatetravel companion.The slim, exquisitely styled new Z Seriesdoesn’t compromise on mobility, looks, connectivity or stamina. What’smore, it delivers shattering performance to rip through your businesscomputing needs – saving precious time and boosting your personalproductivity.
Alongside up to 6GB of RAM to handle yourapplications, The Quad solid state drives can write data in parallel ona maximum of four SSDs, making process at incredible speeds. Smallerand lighter than conventional HDD arrays, it’s tearing through filetransfers up to 6.2x faster (compared with HDD 5400 rpm) to saveprecious time when every second counts.
Graphics performance isoften sacrificed on ultra-portable notebooks – but not with the newVAIO Z Series. The integrated NVIDIAآ® GeForceآ® GT330M graphics chipsetwith 1GB GDDR3 VRAM makes light work of media-rich documents,presentations, movie playback and more. A new Dynamic Hybrid GraphicsSystem intelligently optimises performance to match your workflow. Asan alternative to manually selecting graphics modes, AUTO mode detectsusage conditions, switching automatically between STAMINA and SPEEDmodes to suit the task at hand.
Weighing below 1.45kg, theall-new VAIO Z Series is crafted to the highest standards inweight-saving yet durable carbon fibre and aluminium for maximumportability and robustness. Enhancing the notebook’s beautiful design,the tough yet light palmrest is precision-machined from a single thickslab of aluminium.
Whether you’re fine-tuning a presentation orenjoying your personal media collection, you’ll get a better picturewith the Full HD 1920 x 1080 (model VPCZ11Z9E) VAIO Display Premium.Measuring 33.3cm (13.1â€), this high-efficiency screen with LEDbacklighting offers exceptional brightness, clarity and contrast. Anexceptionally wide colour gamut of 96% Adobe RGB coverage ensures rich,vibrant reproduction of Full HD video and still images.
Extremeperformance and mobility doesn’t come at the expense of business-classcomfort. A built-in ambient light sensor detects when ambientsurroundings are dark, automatically switching on keyboard backlightingfor accurate typing while dimming screen illumination to save power. آ
Forextra convenience and peace of mind, a front panel-mounted ASSISTbutton gives one-touch access to VAIO Care. This easy-to-use newprogramme helps maintain, diagnose and troubleshoot your VAIO with justa few clicks.
Productivity is expanded further with VAIOEverywair 3G mobile broadband, connecting you to high-speed networkswhile on the move.
Powered by the latest generation ofpower-efficient Intelآ® Coreâ„¢ processors, every new VAIO Z Series modelis shipped with Genuine Windowsآ® 7 Professional for best-ever businessproductivity.
A full range of add-ons includes a dedicateddocking station, leather cases, mice and extended batteries. You canpre-order the new VAIO Z Series from Sony Style (www.sonystyle.eu)and enjoy a range of exciting options including noise-cancelling in-earheadphones and 8GB of memory. There’s also a choice of exclusive casepatterns that add a luxuriously distinctive touch to your VAIO.
The new VAIO Z Series of high-performance ultra-mobile notebook computers by Sony is available from the end of March 2010.
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Walking & Talking Leads To Injuries, Bruised Egos
While distracted driving has certainly received a lot of attention lately, other distractions could also be dangerous. Distracted walking, for instance, is becoming another growing problem. Distracted walking combines a pedestrian, an electronic device, and an unseen danger such as a crack in the sidewalk, toy on the floor, or a car (parked or moving).Although most of the injuries that result from distracted walking aren't near as serious as those that may result from distracted driving, the number of injuries are on the rise. Most of the time, the mishaps for distracted walking are minor—a broken fingernail, bumped head, jammed finger, or a sprained ankle. Many distracted walkers also experienced a bruised ego.
According to a study conducted by Ohio State University, slightly more than 1,000 pedestrians visited emergency rooms in 2008 because they got distracted and tripped, fell, or ran into something while using a cellphone to talk or text. This statistic had nearly doubled from 2007.
“It’s the tip of the iceberg,†said Jack L. Nasar, a professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State. Nasar also mentioned that the number of mishaps is likely much higher since most injuries don't actually require a hospital visit.
In the study, Derek Troyer, one of Nasar's graduate students, looked at records of emergency room visits compiled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. During his research, Troyer found examples of a 16-year-old-boy who walked into a telephone pole while texting and suffered a concussion as well as a 28-year-old man who tripped and fractured a finger on the hand gripping his cellphone. About half of the visits Troyer studied involved people under 30, and a quarter of them were between 16 and 20 years old.
So what is it that prevents us from multitasking while talking on the phone? Adam Gazzaley, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, provides one possible explanation. He says a cellphone conversation taxes not just auditory resources in the brain but also visual functions. This combination prompts the listener to create visual imagery related to the conversation in a way that overrides the processing of real images. In addition, the cell phone gives people an opportunity to pursue goals that seem more important than walking down the street.
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HP 23" TouchSmart 600 All-In-One HH Reviewed
With a claim of “nearly 30-years of touch innovation†under its belt, HP is no stranger to touch-input technology. The company has recently integrated touch input into a number of its consumer and business product lines, such as tablets, notebooks and perhapsآ the most well-known, its line of TouchSmart all-in-one desktop PCs.Taking advantage of a good thing when they see it, HP has produced a few major updates to the TouchSmart line, culminating in the latest release of the TouchSmart series, the 20-inch TouchSmart 300 series and 23-inch TouchSmart 600 series. Other than screen size and specs, both the 300 and 600 series have much in common, including a relatively thin chassis, glossy 16:9 widescreen display, and a plethora of touch-enabled features and applications.آ Many of the touch features take advantage of the new and improved touch features built into Windows 7, but HP's new TouchSmart PCs also come with a bevy of custom touch-enabled apps as well.آ More on these in a quick video preview we have for you here and in the pages ahead...
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