Droid 2 manual leaks, teaches you everything you need to know about a phone you don't have
You know the drill: blurry shots of phone get leaked... user's manual gets leaked... excited would-be buyers voraciously consume manual's contents... phone finally gets released. Indeed, that's precisely the same well-trodden path the upcoming
Droid 2 is taking, so if you're looking at getting this thing in the next few weeks, you might want to start skimming the documentation so there aren't any embarrassing newbie missteps in your first few moments of ownership. As Droid Life notes, we've got more confirmation here that the phone will be running the same skin as the
Droid X, complete with the
Swype-enabled (and presumably multitouch-enabled) soft keyboard for those times when you're too lazy to pull out the physical keyboard. We can't imagine what else could possibly leak at this point -- so hey, Verizon, can we recommend you go ahead and get this show on the road?
Permalink |
Droid Life |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Think City electric car gets bigger American batteries for bigger American roads
The electric
Think City has been targeting an American release for well over two years now but, like many
EVs, those dates just kept on 'a slipping. Now the cars are finally starting to hit the colonies and, as a reward for the wait, we're receiving models with more powerful batteries. The cells are supplied by Indiana-based Ener1, a new lithium-manganese pack that offers 25kWh. Those cells are said to double the car's previous expected range, up to 100 miles from 50, yet still recharge in a scant four hours -- if you're using a 240v plug. The folks at
Green Car Advisor managed a maximum of 68mph in the two-seater and, driving in a decidedly non-eco-minded way, managed 43.5 miles with 38 percent left, giving an estimated 75 miles for those with leaden right foots. That, at least, is promising, and while a $28,000 MSRP is rather a bitter pill, it's a good bit cheaper (though smaller) than the
Nissan Leaf. And don't forget that Uncle Sam would be happy to knock at least a few grand off of that price, too.
Permalink 
Autoblog Green |
Green Car Advisor |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
T-Mobile's apparent myTouch 3G HD gets spied from the rear
So, how do you feel about the look of this
myTouch 3G HD we've been seeing this week? Haven't formed a complete opinion yet? Well, maybe this new shot -- seemingly of said phone's backside -- will help. As we've seen on past models, the rear features a tastefully-sized myTouch logo, lending a dose of credibility to the picture that seems to have been covertly snapped off a monitor where the render was being shown. In other words, we don't have much reason to doubt this thing -- and considering that the
Vibrant isn't a member of the myTouch line, T-Mobile's overdue for a refreshed non-QWERTY Android device in that segment of the market. Should be an interesting few months for these guys, no?
Permalink |
TmoNews |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
HomePlug Powerline Alliance reveals features of new HomePlug AV2 spec
After a few years of
teasing and
smoke blowing, the HomePlug Powerline Alliance has finally released the skinny on major enhancements we can expect to see integrated into the HomePlug AV2 powerline networking specification that's scheduled for finalization in Q1 of 2011. Chief among them is MIMO (Multiple-Inputs Multiple-Outputs), which will expand home coverage by increasing the throughput speeds, and transmission ranges, without additional signal power or requiring more spectrum -- but you knew already that didn't you, MacGyver? Compounding this efficiency gain will be the expansion of the operating spectrum by an order of magnitude. Tallied together with other upgrades, the end result for consumers will be a "
reported" 5x increase in performance, not to mention support for bigger, more reliable networks. Oh, and it'll also play nicely with original HomePlug AV technology, too. Frankly, that's jolly good news for our dreams of pushing 1080p HD video streams to every room in our house with an outlet -- including the pantry. Doing the same thing for 3D and 4K HD content... well, that's just brilliant! For more details peep the PR below the break.
Continue reading HomePlug Powerline Alliance reveals features of new HomePlug AV2 spec
Permalink |
Business Wire |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Ewee-PT is how you say 'Segway' in German (video)
Billed as "the
Segway's little sister," this self-balancing electro
scooter comes from a small German company called Ewee. The idea behind it is pretty simple: file down all the extraneous bits, keep the stuff that keeps you going, and presumably try to sell it to hardy macho types who like the barebones aesthetic. You accelerate by leaning forward and decelerate by doing the opposite, while steering is handled by a joystick (apparently "driving pleasure is guranteed"). We're not sure how much trust we're willing to invest in either the company or its product, but exclusive retailer fun-components does have it ready for pre-order today, so if you're feeling adventurous with your €799 ($1,039), feel free to pay their site a visit. The rest of us are going after the break to watch the video.
Continue reading Ewee-PT is how you say 'Segway' in German (video)
Permalink |
Ewee-PT, fun-components |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Some Windows CE-based ATMs especially generous (and vulnerable to hackers)
Speaking at the
Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, a fellow named Barnaby Jack (really!) used custom software to
hack Windows CE-based ATMs on stage. After using an industry standard key to gain entry to the machines (apparently many ATM owners are too lazy to install new locks) Jack was able to load a rootkit on the device using a USB thumb drive. From that point, it was just a matter of running another program that caused all the cash therein to shoot out in a comical manner. The machines used in the presentation were manufactured by Trannax and Triton, both of which have have had a chance to send a security patch to customers prior to the demonstration. However, there are four different machines in common use that are still vulnerable. And no, he won't tell us which ones.
|
Venture Beat |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
iMac's latest 27-inch iteration requires special parts for your own SSD in second drive bay
One of the few highlights of the
refreshed 27-inch iMac is the new
SSD option for its second drive bay. This sure is good news for performance addicts carrying some spare cash, but with the 256GB SSD addition costing from $750, some may prefer the DIY route to save a few pennies for that
gold iPad. Sadly, it won't be as straight forward as sliding in a new drive -- e-tailer
OWC noticed in its teardown that you'll be needing a mounting bracket and a couple of cables that are only supplied with
Apple's own SSD. That said, if you can find a way to secure the drive in the bay, all you'll need are a SATA male-to-two-female splitter plus a left-angled SATA connector cable, and then a way to partially remove the logic board to access the free port. Yup, it's as easy as really complicated pie.
Permalink Mac Rumors |
OWC |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Samsung refreshes X Series laptop lineup with Core i3 ULV chips
If you've got a hankering for some battery-sipping
Core i3 ULV processors and live south of a certain 38th parallel line, you'll probably want to take a close look at one of Samsung's new designs. We hear on good authority that Sammy's refreshed its
X Series laptops with the 1.2GHz Core i3-330M processor, including the 11.6-inch X180 (with the same 3GB of DDR3 memory, 320GB hard drive and most everything else included in the X170 that came before) and the 14-inch X430, which leapfrogs its predecessor the X420 with dedicated GeForce 310M graphics. Both actually report less battery life than their forbears, as the new laptops are rated closer to eight than nine hours, but in the X430 it's a small sum to pay to avoid integrated Intel video.
We're also hearing word of a AMD-powered 11.6-incher called the Samsung X125, which should be hitting Europe any minute now for €499 (roughly $647). It's got a 1.7GHz Athlon II Neo K125 chip, 3GB memory, ATI Radeon 4225 graphics, and a manufacturer-reported five hours of battery life, all of which honestly sounds
pretty unimpressive for the price. We know you can do better, Samsung. We believe.
Permalink Akihabara News, Gadget Mix |
Samsung X180, Samsung X430, Notebook Italia |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Anybots QB telepresence robot: nag employees remotely for $15,000
Anybots has a new telepresence robot, the QB -- and while it certainly seems to be an advance on
the QA, which we saw at CES 2009, we gotta admit that it's not nearly as cute as its predecessor. Marketed towards CEO-types, this bad boy can be controlled via your PC (or eventually your Mac), and it features WiFi b/g connectivity, 5 megapixel camera, speaker, microphone, and a max speed of 3.5 MPH. To be honest, having your boss follow you around the office with a webcam-on-wheels sounds more like a
NewsRadio plot than effective office management, but certainly there's someone rich and crazy enough to drop $15,000 on one of these. The first hundred to put down ten percent get membership in the prestigious 100 Club! For reals! Which reminds us, it's been awhile since we've listened to our
Sex Pistols Live At The 100 Club CD. PR, video after the break.
|
Anybots |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
BlackBerry Bold 9780 caught on video running OS 6
This new Bold 9780 is really looking like the real deal, isn't it? The phone, which includes some ultra-minor aesthetic tweaks over the 9700, along with 512MB of RAM to handle the new BlackBerry 6 OS, has been described on paper,
caught on camera, and now has gotten the requisite video walkthrough. The video, obtained by
Driphter.com, includes some nice
WebKit browsing, with fast page loads but some slightly sluggish scroll speeds. Of course, this is still pre-release software, so we'll see where we end up when BlackBerry 6 starts landing on these
RAM-bumped devices for reals. Video is after the break.
Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9780 caught on video running OS 6
Permalink Gizmodo |
Driphter.com |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Amazon sees e-book sales surpassing paper versions, has Mirasol technology in the Kindle labs
Following the launch of Amazon's
third-generation Kindle, company CEO Jeff Bezos sat down to discuss the e-reader business with
USA Today. We'd recommend giving the whole piece a look-see if you just can't get enough
Kindle in your life, but a few choice quotes caught our attention. For starters, Bezos predicted that Kindle e-book sales will "surpass paperback sales sometime in the next 9 to 12 months," and that "sometime after that, we'll surpass the combination of paperback and
hardcover." Considering that the Kindle platform is but 33 months old, and that books are just
a wee bit older, that's pretty impressive. In a separate sit-down with
Pocket-lint, Steve Kessel -- Amazon's senior vice president of Worldwide Digital Media -- teased us all with regard to a color version of the company's famed e-reader. 'Course, we've known that Bezos and Company
aren't too hopeful about such a thing in the near-term, but we've yet to actually hear the company confess to having specific color alternatives in the lab. If you'll recall, we found Qualcomm's
Mirasol demonstration
worthy of laud back at CES, and according to Kessel, "that's in the lab." We're also told that a slew of other color options are always in testing, though, so we're doing our darnedest to not get those hopes too high. It ain't working, but still...
Permalink All Things D |
Pocket-lint, USA Today |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Apple's Magic Trackpad gets the iFixit teardown treatment, nothing terribly magical found
Well, we knew it wouldn't take very long, and it didn't: iFixit's gotten its hands on Apple's
Magic Trackpad and ripped it to shreds. This is one operation they're not shy about calling delicate, folks -- this thing is seriously thin and its components packed in quite lovingly. So what's going on in there? Well, besides the magical dust, they found a Broadcom BCM2042 chip, which is the same one the Magic Mouse uses for Bluetooth connectivity, and a Broadcom BCM5974 touchscreen controller chip, which also powers the iPhone and iPod touch. There is plenty to be seen in the photos at the source, and there's one more below.
Continue reading Apple's Magic Trackpad gets the iFixit teardown treatment, nothing terribly magical found
Permalink |
iFixit |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
ASUS U33Jc-A1 Bamboo series review
Pandas, East Asia, wood. Nope, "laptop" hasn't ever been on the list of words we typically associate with "bamboo," but ASUS sure has us willing to tack it on with the introduction of its
U Bamboo Series. The company's newest 13-inch U33Jc is covered in one of the most durable and recyclable materials on earth, and its internals are made of equally strong parts. Sure, the laptop looks incredibly traditional, but the $999 machine actually packs an incredible amount of new technology, including a fresh Core i3 processor, NVIDIA Optimus enabled graphics, USB 3.0 and Intel's wireless display technology. It's truly one of the most impressive laptops we've heard about in the last few months, but a few gripes hold it back from being
the killer laptop it could be. Intrigued? Bamboozled? Hit the break for our full review.
Continue reading ASUS U33Jc-A1 Bamboo series review
Permalink |
Amazon |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Lookout's App Genome Project warns about sketchy apps you may have already downloaded
If you're an
iPhone user, the only privacy notice you'll see from an app regards your current location -- as much a warning about the associated battery hit from the GPS pinging as anything. If you're an
Android user, however, things are different, with a tap-through dialog showing you exactly what each app will access on your phone. But, do you read them? You should, with Lookout running a sort of survey across 300,000 apps on those two platforms, finding that many access personal information even though they seemingly don't need to. One particularly scary instance, an app called Jackeey Wallpaper on Android, aggregates your
browsing history, text messages, could get your voicemail password, and even your SIM ID and beams it all to a server in China. That this app has been downloaded
millions hundreds of thousands of times is a little disconcerting, but it's not just Android users that have to fear, as even more iPhone than Android apps take a look through your contact infos. What to do? Well, be careful what you download to start, on Android read those privacy warnings... and we're sure Lookout wouldn't mind if you took this opportunity to download its security app.
Update: We received a note from Jussi Nieminen, who indicated the data fields being retrieved, as reported by
VentureBeat, are incorrect. Texting and browser history are apparently not retrieved, but your phone number, phone ID, and voicemail fields
are. And, since it's not unheard of for voicemail entries to include a password when setup on a phone, it's possible they could wind up with that too. Also, the popularity of the app was apparently misstated, with actual downloads somewhere south of 250,000.
Permalink MobileBeat, Yahoo! News |
Lookout Blog |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Motorola manages $162 million Q2 profit, turns that frown upside down
It's a good day here, because rather than poor 'ol
Sad Moto we get to bust out Happy Moto, as Motorola has released some good news in its Q2 financial report. Earnings were $162 million, up from $26 million
this time last year. That sounds like a big jump, but compared to overall sales of $5.4 billion you can see things are still rather tight -- especially since those sales were down from $5.5 billion the year before and all-important mobile device sales figures dropped six percent to $1.7 billion. Also, these numbers were boosted by a "significant legal settlement" valued at $228 million. Maybe intellectual property wasn't the only thing
Moto got from RIM?
Permalink |
Motorola |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
NZXT Phantom proves there's still life in chunky desktop towers
Did the recent reappearance of the
Phantom console spark a tiny bit of nostalgia in you? If so, you'll be happy to hear that
NZXT has picked up the moniker for its latest full tower chassis, and it's a fittingly futuristic-looking beast of burden. The angular steel enclosure provides tool-free access to five 5.25-inch drive bays plus the room to fit in 7 HDDs, 7 fans (up to a mammoth 230mm size), and a dual radiator within its walls. A top-mounted mesh window is accessorized with a slightly more useful array of USB, E-SATA and audio ports, while the innards are specifically designed to accommodate the
bulkier graphics cards and CPU coolers out there. Sounds like a winner to us, and the $139.99 price seems about right for a flagship product that aims to tick all the boxes -- see the Phantom on video after the break and expect it to arrive, in all its glorious hues, this September.
Continue reading NZXT Phantom proves there's still life in chunky desktop towers
Permalink |
NZXT |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Panasonic to spend $9.4b on buying out Sanyo and PEW shares, posts robust quarterly profits
Clearly dissatisfied with what it sees in the mirror, Panasonic has today announced its decision to bulk up. A new share issue expected to raise ¥500 billion ($5.7 billion) will be enacted soon as part of raising the cash to
complete the buyout of Sanyo Electric and Panasonic Electric Works. Don't ask us why a company named Panasonic has to buy another company with Panasonic in its name, but them's the facts. The total outlay is expected to come in at around $9.4 billion and is justified by Panasonic as fundamental to its future strategy of expanding into environmentally friendly tech and developing a three-pronged operating paradigm by 2012. The Osaka-based company is also reporting a ¥43.7b ($498 million) profit for the last quarter -- a major upswing from a ¥53b loss in the same period last year -- though that's information the market seems to have ignored. Panasonic shares have plunged down 7.7% in the immediate aftermath of the acquisitions being announced, while Sanyo's have shot up. Click past the break for the novella-sized press release explaining the details of the deal.
Continue reading Panasonic to spend $9.4b on buying out Sanyo and PEW shares, posts robust quarterly profits
Permalink Reuters |
MarketWatch |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Nintendo issues a 3DS release date date
Find the headline confusing? Well, the explanation won't help to assuage the muddle much. A Nintendo spokesman told
Bloomberg Japan that Ninty plans to
announce the
Nintendo 3DS price and release date on September 29th. Thus far, we've only seen speculation about pricing (between $249 and $299) and release dates (between
October and
March, 2011). So yeah, we still don't know when or for how much but at least we know when we'll find out when and for how much. Make sense?
Permalink gi |
Boomberg Japan [translated] |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
PS3 and Bravia sales boost quarterly Sony profits above expectations
Earlier this summer, Sony closed another fiscal year of
being in the red, but it's starting the 2010/11 ledger with its quill dipped firmly in the black inkwell. For the quarter ending June 30, the Japanese megacorp clocked up ¥25.7 billion ($293 million) in pure, unadulterated profit off the back of a ¥67 billion operating income. When you compare that to the performance this time last year, a ¥37 billion loss, you have to agree that
the Stringer purse-tightening program seems to have delivered the desired effect. The primary drivers for the current resurgence are pinpointed as the
PlayStation 3 and
Bravia lines (frankly, we consider the two utterly
inseparable), and Sony's feeling so buoyant about it all that it's revising its projection for the coming year's revenues upwards today. The good news is tempered, however, by the threat of a rising Yen, which has already claimed
Nintendo's profits as its first victim.
Permalink Reuters |
Sony |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
A steampunk USB drive that could clean H. G. Wells' house
Site
ChipChick nailed it when noting the similarity between this 8GB
steampunk USB drive and Rosie the Robot of Jetsons yore. The drive's creator, however, says it was inspired by a "narrow bridge" sign seen on a old country road. Really? Just look at that barrel-shaped cap staring down at you from atop a frilly gear collar; hands on hips in a tempestuous pose that makes us feel like we've somehow wronged her. Regardless, for $300 she'll make a fine addition to your alternate-history abode.
Permalink ChipChick |
Etsy |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Nintendo posts Q1 loss on strong Yen and lower DS prices
Although
foreshadowed, it's hard to believe that the once mighty Ninty, a company with unshakable profits even during last year's global economic downturn, just recorded a Q1 net loss of ¥25.22 billion ($288 million) compared to a net profit of ¥42.32 billion during the same 3-month period a year earlier. Revenues dropped from ¥253.50 billion to ¥188.65 billion. Lower DS portable gaming machine prices coupled with a strong Yen (86.5 percent of its sales were outside of Japan) helped pull Nintendo into the red. Regardless, Nintendo continues to forecast a full year net profit of ¥200 billion on revenue of ¥1.4 trillion. We'll see.
Permalink gi |
Wall Street Journal |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Sky 3D channel comes home October 1 with Ryder Cup, EPL, movies and more
The
Sky 3D channel has so far been officially available
only in 1,500 or so UK pubs, but now its residential launch for all Sky+HD customers is slated for October 1. The 2010 Ryder Cup will serve as a launch event with three days of live coverage from Celtic Manor as the US and European teams do battle; the first ever in 3D, but the third such event it's covered in high definition. Golf fans won't be the only ones catered to,
Premier League football will be returning once the season starts and today's announcement coincided with a SkyArts 3D filming arranged by the English National Ballet. Hollywood's major studios have already agreed to provide 3D movies including
Bolt,
Monsters vs. Aliens,
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince and more, while Sky has commissioned its own original 3D flick,
Flying Monsters presented by Sir David Attenborough. Not quite ready for the 3D revolution? Feel free to put that on the backburner -- at least until the
2012 London Olympics -- as the network is also adding content from HBO, a large slate of new comedies, Anytime+ VOD, and a Sky Mobile TV iPad app. With an HD channel count of 43 and plans to reach 50 by year-end, there should be a little something there for everyone to enjoy.
Continue reading Sky 3D channel comes home October 1 with Ryder Cup, EPL, movies and more
Permalink |
Sky, (2), (3), (4), (5) |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
HTC will ship all Android phones in China with Froyo on board, fuels fire for immediate update closer to home
A wordy headline, to be sure, but a pleasing one nonetheless. We came across HTC's Chinese web portal listing the Desire as coming with
Android 2.2 (with Sense!) and simply had to ping the official source for confirmation. It turns out the info up there is no mistake:
all HTC Android handsets shipping to China -- which includes
the Wildfire and Tianyi -- will do so with Froyo preloaded, cutting down on your upgrade angst at least until the
Gingerbread man comes a'knocking. HTC has also
reiterated that a 2.2 update for its phones already on the market will be delivered "very soon," so if all goes well, we should be looking at a Froyo-dominated August in the land of High Tech Computers.
[Thanks, Christian]
Permalink |
HTC China |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Nokia N8 up for official €469 pre-order in Italy, available in September
Nokia's Symbian^3 flagship -- the 3.5-inch
N8 with 12 megapixel camera -- just went up for pre-order on Espoo's Italian storefront showing an end of September availabilty. Now before you get up in arms about the €469 price tag (about $610), remember, the
€370 estimated retail price announced was pre tax and pre carrier subsidy. That's just how Europe does things, deal with it. We're not seeing the preorder available elsewhere but we'll update you if that situation changes.
[Thanks, Faisal]
Permalink |
Nokia |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
BeagleBoard finds new purpose in DIY wearable computer
We've already seen the small and flexible
BeagleBoard used for a couple of different
DIY projects, but few quite as impressive as this wearable computer built by
Martin Magnusson. In addition to complementing any outfit, this rig runs Angstrom Linux, uses a modified pair of Myvu Crystal video glasses (and some stylish shades) for a display, and simply relies on a Bluetooth keyboard for input and a tethered iPhone for internet connectivity. Of course, if the shoulder strap isn't your thing, Martin has also demonstrated that the rig can discreetly fit in a standard CD case -- check it out after the break, and hit up the source link below for a look at the complete build process.
|
Becoming Cyborg |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Grace Digital's Tuner Wireless Radio & Media Player adds internet radio to existing stereos
So, we've two main issues here. One, who in their right mind would pay $219.99 for a device that still requires a dedicated stereo in order to play back the internet radio streams that Grace Digital's Tuner Wireless Radio & Media Player delivers? And secondly, who would want to put up with Grace Digital's
thoroughly lackluster UI? If you can't grok the grumbling, the aforementioned company now has a slender new component it'd love to stick on your shelf, with the device shown above able to stream WiFi radio content from 30,000 stations, Pandora, iheartradio, Sirius, Live365, MP3tunes and a smattering of other sources. It can be wired up via Ethernet or used over 802.11g, with composite, Toslink and coaxial digital audio outputs around back. There's a 4-line backlit LCD for displaying not nearly enough metadata at once, and there's even a remote thrown in for those looking to build out their collection. It's available now if you're feeling the itch, though we'd suggest you get that checked out before blindly indulging.
Continue reading Grace Digital's Tuner Wireless Radio & Media Player adds internet radio to existing stereos
Permalink |
Grace Digital Audio |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
New Kindles now available for pre-order
You might've heard about a
new Kindle model or two this evening, and good news if they tickled your fancy -- they're now on
Amazon and available for pre-order. Both the WiFi-only and WiFi / 3G models are shipping August 27th, the former in graphite and the latter in graphite and white options. Search your pocketbook, if you know it to be coveted.
P.S. - UK customers,
try here.
Permalink |
Amazon (WiFi), (WiFi + 3G) |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Evatran's Plugless Power gives your wheels a wireless proximity-based charge
Trading gas nozzles for electric sockets may be
the green thing to do -- in
more ways than one -- but wouldn't plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles be that much sweeter if you could just forget about the plug? That's what Evatran is trying to do with its
Plugless Power technology, shown off at Plug-In 2010 in San Jose, which charges your car automatically when you pull up to the company's specially-designed curb. The "station block" above is a wireless induction charger (yes, a car-sized
Powermat) that beams electricity to a shoebox-sized device you mount to the undercarriage of your vehicle, magnetically detecting and gravitating towards said shoebox even if you park somewhat crooked. The system presently works with 80 percent efficiency when firing electrons across a two-inch gap (engineers are shooting for 90 percent by the time it hits production) but of course the base station itself doesn't get power from the ether -- it requires one of the company's own Level 2 wired chargers (and
compatible wiring) to run. Should your residence or place of business be equipped, the 240 volt towers will set you back $3,245 this December, and the proximity charger will be available to early adopters in Q2 2011 (we're hearing April) for the bargain price of $800.
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Apple investigating issues with iOS 4 upgrade on iPhone 3G
19diggsdigg Back when we outlined the
iOS 4 features missing from iPhone 3G, we forgot one key bullet point: performance. As more and more two-year veterans of Apple's phones have taken the plunge and upgraded to the latest firmware, slowdown and battery drain issues have become a common complaint, which is even more irksome when you think of just how little the update really adds to the UI.
The Wall Street Journal reports speaking to an
Apple spokesperson who said the company is looking into the matter. That doesn't necessarily mean a fix is coming anytime soon, but hey, at least you can
hold the darn thing however you want.
Permalink |
WSJ |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Motorola takes another shot at the iPhone 4, says Droid X is 'no jacket required'
Well this is getting
good. Motorola was one of the first to
take a subtle swipe at Apple's iPhone 4 antenna dilemma with an ad saying you could hold the Droid X "any way you like," Apple came
right back with a video purportedly showing the Droid X suffering similar attenuation issues when held in the right hand, and now Moto's responded with this cheeky ad that plays off Apple's
free iPhone case solution by saying the Droid X can make calls "without a bulky phone jacket." Yeah, it's pretty good -- particularly because unlike most other phones, we haven't been able to death grip the Droid X with any noticeable effect on 3G reception. (Although, truth be told, we
can drop the WiFi signal by a few bars pretty easily.) Either way, we're certainly enjoying this little slice of swagger from Moto -- check a larger version after the break.
Continue reading Motorola takes another shot at the iPhone 4, says Droid X is 'no jacket required'
Permalink |
Droid-Life |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only version and $189 3G model available August 27th in the US and UK
46diggsdiggLet's be honest -- you saw this one coming, didn't you? Today Amazon is introducing a new reading device for e-book aficionados dubbed simply... the Kindle. The new handheld -- slated to be released on August 27th -- is 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the previous model, has a 20 percent faster refresh rate on its E Ink (yep,
still E Ink) screen, and will now come in two colors (graphite, like its big brother the
DX, and the original white). In addition to the color changes, there will be two radio configurations available: a $139 WiFi only version, and a $189 3G version (utilizing AT&T's network, just like the last model). The screen will remain the same 6-inch size as the last two Kindles, though the company claims page turns are faster and contrast is improved. The internal storage on the device has been cranked to 4GB, and the battery life is now rated at a month with no wireless, and 10 days with wireless switched on. The company also announced plans for a UK-localized version at £109 and £149, respectively, as well as a UK e-book store.
Along with the big changes, there have been minor tweaks as well -- the keyboard and five-way controls have been streamlined and altered slightly. The rocker is now more compact and flush with the device, and the side buttons have been modified in length to emphasize the forward paddles, while the back buttons have been downsized. Software wise, there are some interesting new features, the most notable being the inclusion of an "experimental" Webkit-based browser. If you're expecting future iterations to go even bolder with their multimedia capabilities, we kindly direct you to some choice quotes by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, care of
WSJ: "For the vast majority of books, adding video and animation is not going to be helpful. It is distracting rather than enhancing. You are not going to improve Hemingway by adding video snippets," adding later, "there are going to be 100 companies making LCD [screen] tablets... why would we want to be 101? I like building a purpose-built reading device. I think that is where we can make a real contribution."
We had a chance to play with the device for a short while during a meeting with the company, and we can report that the Kindle is still very much the reading device you know and love (or hate, depending on your preferences). The build quality and materials used did seem slightly more polished than the previous version, and we really liked the new, more subtle rocker. We can also attest to screen refreshes and overall navigation feeling noticeably more responsive and snappy compared with the previous generation. Amazon was showing off a jacket accessory which will be made available at launch that includes a small, pull-out light for late-night reading sessions. We're sure it will please a lot of folks eager to keep their partners undisturbed while they tear through
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. We'll have a full review as soon as we can get our hands on the device, but for now, check out all the details in the video and PR after the break, and feast your eyes on the handful of press shots in the gallery below.
Continue reading New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only version and $189 3G model available August 27th in the US and UK
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid headed for production
What once seemed to simply be a ridiculously extravagant concept for a plug-in hybrid has now become a ridiculously extravagant reality -- Porsche has just announced that it's putting the
918 Spyder into production. First unveiled at the
Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, the car (in concept form, at least) packs a 500-horsepower V8 and a pair of 109-horsepower electric motors that should let you get about 78 miles per gallon, or a total of 16 miles of driving straight from the lithium-ion battery back. The cost? That hasn't been officially announced yet, but estimates peg it around the $650,000 mark. Don't worry, though -- it'll be eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit. Head on past the break for the full (but brief) press release.
Continue reading Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid headed for production
Permalink |
Autoblog |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Rogers' budget-friendly chatr brand launches in Canada
We
knew it was coming, and now it's official:
Rogers Wireless has today launched its entry-level "chatr" wireless brand for Canadians everywhere -- and by "everywhere," we mean Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa (Montreal is coming soon, as is possibly elsewhere). Two plans are available: $45 monthly for unlimited talk-and-text and $35 for unlimited talk and 50 free texts. As of now, the official website's showing four devices to choose from, available at full price only (no subsidizing). On the low end, relatively speaking, there's the Nokia 1661 candybar for $60, followed by the LG GB125R flip for $75, the Nokia 2680 portrait QWERTY slider for $95, and
Samsung's Gravity landscape QWERTY slider sitting at the top of the chain for $130. Rogers -- whose name appears nowhere in Chatr's branding so far -- expects "hundreds" of chatr kiosks to be rolled out at Future Shops, Best Buys, Costcos, and other retail outlets.
The brand will compete with other budget-conscious options from the likes of
Wind Mobile and
Mobilicity, but this one's got the advantage of Rogers' more established, wider-reaching network. According to
The Globe and Mail and
CBC News, Wind will be offering a whopping $150 credit for those who switch to its network from Rogers / chatr. Mobilicity's chairman John Bitove has a different strategy altogether, threatening to complain to the Competition Bureau that Rogers' possible goal here is to drive other discount phone brands out of business before dissolving chatr and leaving the market with only a higher-priced segment. And if you were wondering where
Telus and
Bell Mobility stand, well, both companies are reportedly expected to follow suit with entry-level brands of their own. Data plan-averse Canadians should have quite the selection from which to choose.
Permalink |
chatr |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Sony's 360-degree RayModeler 3D display brings its glasses-free act to LA, plays Breakout (video)
Sony talked up its cylindrical no-glasses
3D 360-degree prototype display last fall, and now it's showing off the tech, dubbed RayModeler 3D, on US soil at SIGGRAPH 2010 through tomorrow. A major bonus of that showcase is an English language video -- embedded after the break, plus a hands on including a game of
Pong Breakout from
Core77 and our videos from the Japanese exhibition -- showing how it all works, including the eight-camera rig and turntable that capture objects in 45-degree separations before they are interpolated to create a continuous 360-degree motion image. Sony claims this is the first of its type capable of high quality images, full color and interactive live motion -- check it out and imagine keeping a tiny 3D pet or floating, disembodied head on your bedside table, where it can respond and react to your every gesture. We wouldn't want our blip-verts any other way.
Continue reading Sony's 360-degree RayModeler 3D display brings its glasses-free act to LA, plays Breakout (video)
Permalink Core77 |
SonyStyle Blog |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
RIM takes control of blackpad.com, laughter takes control of our minds
A quick WHOIS confirms that RIM's taken control of blackpad.com -- yes, it's long been rumored as a potential name for the
BlackBerry tablet, but we're certainly hoping Waterloo's just parking a domain name to keep squatters at bay, because, seriously, we
just got over the iPad jokes, you know?
P.S.- And might we see whatever this is at the
RIM / AT&T event on Tuesday? Consider our interest piqued.
Permalink MobileCrunch |
WHOIS |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
ZTE Peel for Sprint outed by FCC, another 3G-equipped iPod touch case
10diggsdigg What is it about the word peel that screams "throw on the back of an
iPod touch and grant it the power of mobile internet?" We spotted
Yosion's Apple Peel 520 just this morning bound for Chinese markets, and now the
FCC has unveiled ZTE's own Peel 3G router. Although the user manual and external photos don't explicitly state it, one look at the (slightly enhanced) image above removes all doubt that this is made to fit snugly around a certain finger-friendly iDevice with a headset jack
on the bottom right. Additionally, the user manual's setup screens are all sketched out in what appears to be a more mobile Safari-friendly size. The Qualcomm-powered CDMA2000 case is brandishing
Sprint logos on the front and back, which frankly
wouldn't be the first (
or even second) time the carrier's targeted the
Apple faithful. Only this time, there's no
WiMAX -- bummer. Crafty, wacky, zany? We're sure
Mr. Hesse is chortling, but perhaps he can catch a breath or two and disseminate out some proper release details post-haste.
[Thanks, The Kaiser]
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Sprint reports $760 million net loss for Q2, slightly less than expected
Well, it looks like Verizon has a bit of company at the
negative end of the
earnings spectrum -- Sprint has now also reported a loss for the second quarter, although it's a slightly smaller one than expected. Specifically, the company posted a $760 million net loss for the quarter that's just ended, or 15 cents a share, which isn't exactly great, but is better than the 17 cent loss analysts had predicted. That gain is at least partly attributed to strong sales of the
HTC EVO 4G, and by the company's best ever year-over-year improvement in net postpaid subscribers, which helped boost the number of wireless subscribers by 110,000 (for a total 48.2 million customers). Looking for some more hard numbers? There's plenty to keep you busy at the link below.
Permalink |
Sprint, SFGate |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
NVIDIA's refreshed Optimus interface sheds more light on what your GPU is doing
There's no question that NVIDIA's
Optimus system -- which enables a discrete
GPU to operate when a machine is taxed and a power-sipping IGP to function when you're involved in less strenuous tasks -- has changed the way the world looks at laptop graphics, but it hasn't been able to avoid a fair amount of criticism about the controlling interface. With the July release of the monthly
Verde drivers, the company has just rolled out a revised UI that provides "even more visibility into how Optimus is working and allows you even more control over how Optimus operates." The newest Optimus control panel, as well as a brief demonstration of what's been tweaked, is available for viewing just after the break, but it's on you to hunt down drivers for whatever rig you call your own.
Continue reading NVIDIA's refreshed Optimus interface sheds more light on what your GPU is doing
Permalink |
NVIDIA |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
HTC beginning Froyo rollout tomorrow? Maybe, maybe not
HTC Europe director Mark Moons caused quite a stir this morning when he tweeted that the company would begin rolling out
Android Froyo updates to devices tomorrow, starting with the
Desire, but we wouldn't get too excited yet -- HTC tells us that it's possible a rollout will begin tomorrow, but nothing's finalized yet pending some final testing. We've certainly got our fingers crossed -- and we're sure Desire owners the world over will be hitting that System Updates button nonstop for the next few days.
Continue reading HTC beginning Froyo rollout tomorrow? Maybe, maybe not
Permalink |
@markmoons (Twitter) |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
UK bans R4 cards, makes Nintendo DS pirating 'double illegal'
While us Yankees are celebrating the one small victory for all that's right and good represented by the recent
DMCA jailbreak exception, things are looking a little bleaker for UK gadget-heads this afternoon. London's High Court has ruled that
R4 cards, which are used by homebrewers and the occasional no-goodnik game pirate to circumvent security on the Nintendo DS, cannot be sold, advertised, or imported into the UK. According to
Joystiq, Nintendo claims they've seized over 100,000 R4 devices in the country since 2009. When asked for a comment, the
Queen was all like, "What?"
|
Develop |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
No comments:
Post a Comment