Monday, July 20, 2009
SpecsT-Mobile's myTouch has a 600Mhz TI processor, and 288MB RAM.
Keyboard
myTouch 3G's software keyboard is easy to get used to. The downside to it is that the "keys" are set too close together, making you more prone to typing errors, and generally make typing quite difficult.
Home Screen
This T-Mobile 3G smartphone, which features the Android OS 1.5 update, also has widgets on its homescreen. However, myTouch 3G has media-player, calendar, analog-clock, search and picture-frame widgets. You can even pull up the full menu from the home screen.
Multitasking
myTouch 3G, uses pop up notifications to alert you to app updates, IM, etc. All you have to do is simply tap and pull down these notifications menu.
Calendar
T-Mobile's 3G smartphone naturally supports Google Calendare and allows you to set up reminders that pop up on your status bar through the notification system.
Specs
From the company that started the "the mobile-computing revolution" comes its latest innovation. Palm Pre is equipped with a 900/2100MHz processor with 288MB of RAM.
Keyboard
It's fitted with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Unfortunately, its keys are too gummy, like you're using a simple old mobile phone instead of a smart phone. The top row is also just a tad too close to the slider screen; you'd have to slant your fingers when you type.
Homescreen
The Pre's homescreen has a Quick Launch bar along the bottom of the screen which allows for quick access to oft-used functions such as contacts, calendar, or any shortcut of your choice. Plus, you can also see your wall paper on your home screen as well.
Multitasking
Palm Pre makes multitasking easier with its deck-of-cards visualization. You can view each open app at once; shuffle them any way you want. The visualization drains the battery life, but not much more than on other smartphones like the iPhone.
SpecsForm the Nokia NSeries comes the Nokia N97. It is equipped with a 434MHz processor, and a 128MB RAM
Keyboard
The N97 is fitted with a horizontal hardware keyboard that is quite easy to use. However, the top row of buttons is a bit too close to screen which, unfortunately, cannot be adjusted.
Its keys are too flat to type comfortably, and the layout can be a bit disorienting, with the spacebar shoved down to the lower-right corner. Overall though, the N97's keyboard is better than other Smartphones with hardware keyboards.
Home screen
The N97's home screen features widgets that update you (in real time) right on your home screen so you won't have to open another app to retrieve them. The N97 features Facebook, MySpace, your personal e-mail, music player, favorite contacts, and date and time widgets. However, most aficionados agree that the Accuweather widget is the best. It utilizes the N97's built-in Assisted GPS and automatically updates the temperature on your home screen when you travel.
Multitasking
The N97 allows you to manage your open apps by pressing Options in the lower-left corner and selecting Show Open Apps, but doesn't have a notification system. Although some info such as your Facebook account, does get updated in real time via the widgets.
Specs
The new Apple iPhone 3G S has the Apple logo at the back, same with the iPhone 3G, though the label is more displayed.
When it comes to smartphones, naturally, the better processor and the bigger memory, the faster experience
Apple hasn't released the exact specs yet, but Aaron Vronko, CEO of Rapid Repair, reported that a rip down of the Apple Smartphone revealed an ARM Cortex A8 microprocessor running at 600Mhz, and an amped up 256MB RAM, putting it ahead of other sought-after Smartphones.
Keyboard
The iPhone 3G S's portrait-oriented is a little bigger than other touch keyboards. Although typing on it stills a bit difficult, it does have one important feature: it shows you the key you pressed which makes typing easier and more accurate. Another related plus is that the landscape keyboard can now be used in all text-heavy apps such as Mail, Notes and Messages.
Home screen
The 3G S has the standard home screen, with all the apps in a grid.
Multitasking
Multitasking has been the iPhone's weakness. When apple announced that multitasking is a drain on battery life (during the announcement of the iPhone OS 3.0), they responded by allowing third-party apps to use a push-notification system. This means that an app can alert you to an instant update without your having to close your current open app.
Calendar
The iPhone 3G S‘s calendar is pretty much the same as the OS 3.0. But, you now have more control over which calendars you can use. For instance, you can now add subscription calendars and those that support CalDAV servers like the Google Calendar.
While we deemed the HTC Touch Pro2’s hardware keyboard perhaps the best to be had on a Windows Mobile smartphone right now, we saved the usual ire for the handset’s lack of a 3.5mm headphones socket. That’s all changed, however, for the Canadian Telus version; going by MobileSyrup’s video, HTC have shuffled over the ExtUSB port and squeezed in a 3.5mm jack.Video after the cut
The CDMA version of the smartphone will therefore work with both HTC’s standard ExtUSB headset as well as any other 3.5mm hands-free headset or plain headphones. It’s seemingly part of HTC’s plan to put a 3.5mm audio socket on all of its upcoming devices, though we didn’t expect them to start with a phone already available in other markets.
Otherwise, aside from the CDMA radio, the smartphone is the same as the Touch Pro2 we reviewed earlier in the month. No word on specific release date in Canada as yet, nor when it might make it south to Verizon in the US.
After already committing to releasing a 15-inch OLED TV potentially as early as December 2009 in Korea, LG have now revealed their plans to have a 32-inch OLED display on the market in 2012. Suggesting that OLED would provide a new source of revenue, LG Display CEO Kwon Young-soo told press that the company’s focus is on larger panels rather than cellphone-sized versions.This, the executive claimed, is because “the larger the display, the more efficient the OLED technology.” It’s certainly given the company’s HR department a boost: LG Display have apparently taken on 1,700 new staff in research and development this year.
“The commercial success of OLEDs hinges on how it shows its superiority compared to existing liquid crystal display (LCD) technologies. We will focus on TV panels rather than cell phone panels because the larger the display, the more efficient the OLED technology” Kwon Young-soo, CEO, LG Display
LG Display are still investing into LCD, however. After reporting a profit in Q2 2009 after panel prices rose and demand outstripped supply, the company is investing the equivalent of $2.59bn into an eighth-generation production line, which will be operational by the second half of 2010.
Friday, July 17, 2009
A regular complaint over at Instructables is that not everybody can afford their own laser cutting rig. If DK Ahn has his way, however, precision cutting – of at least paper, wood and polypropylene under 2mm thick – would be available to the mainstream, thanks to his MOW microfactory.
The MOW is a tabletop cutting machine, that sits on a desktop and moves itself via four tethered anchors. Patterns would be downloaded and beamed over to the MOW via Bluetooth, which would then shuttle around slicing through the plastic or whatever material it was dealing with.
While the glossy device in the image above is merely a concept render, DK did put together a working prototype. Made from bits of remote-controlled cars, plotters and other recovered gadgets, you can see the prototype in action in the video below; if you want to skip to the action, start watching from around 8:35.
The MOW is a tabletop cutting machine, that sits on a desktop and moves itself via four tethered anchors. Patterns would be downloaded and beamed over to the MOW via Bluetooth, which would then shuttle around slicing through the plastic or whatever material it was dealing with.While the glossy device in the image above is merely a concept render, DK did put together a working prototype. Made from bits of remote-controlled cars, plotters and other recovered gadgets, you can see the prototype in action in the video below; if you want to skip to the action, start watching from around 8:35.
If the design of Samsung’s HMX-U10 camcorder is a little too outré for your tastes, the company has two more traditionally-shaped offerings today. The Samsung SMX-K40 and SMX-K45 both conform to the standard palmcorder format, but actually they’re not quite as technically capable as the U10; each can record up to 720 x 480 resolution, rather than their upright sibling’s 1080p.
Still, you get a 65x “Intelli-Zoom” (52x optical zoom) and optical image stabilization, together with an HDMI output for direct connection to a TV or display. There’s also Schneider Optics and the same Intelli-Studio onboard editing suite as the U10, that boots up whenever you connect to a PC via USB. From there you can make basic tweaks and upload to YouTube.
The K40 has an SDHC card slot while the K45 has a 32GB SSD, good for up to 20hrs and 40 minutes of recording. Both can shoot 800 x 600 stills and do time-lapse recording, and will hit the market in August 2009. The Samsung SMX-K40 will be priced at $329.99 while the SMX-K45 will be $499.99.
Still, you get a 65x “Intelli-Zoom” (52x optical zoom) and optical image stabilization, together with an HDMI output for direct connection to a TV or display. There’s also Schneider Optics and the same Intelli-Studio onboard editing suite as the U10, that boots up whenever you connect to a PC via USB. From there you can make basic tweaks and upload to YouTube.
The K40 has an SDHC card slot while the K45 has a 32GB SSD, good for up to 20hrs and 40 minutes of recording. Both can shoot 800 x 600 stills and do time-lapse recording, and will hit the market in August 2009. The Samsung SMX-K40 will be priced at $329.99 while the SMX-K45 will be $499.99.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
If you’ve been on the lookout for another solid-state drive option to satisfy your storage needs, you might just be in luck with the Vertex Turbo SSD announced by OCZ today, which is a 2.5-inch drive and meant to offer super high speeds.The new SSD features an increased clock speed for the host controller. It also has a 64MB of cache as well as a 270MB/s read speed and a 210MB/s write speed. It can be used in notebooks but with a bay adapter, desktops are compatible as well.
Other features include a SATA II interface, skip-proofing and low power consumption. The new Vertex Turbo models will be available in 30GB, 60GB, 120GB and 250GB variations. We don’t know pricing or a release date just yet, but we’ll keep you up to date.
Razer revealed a brand new headset yesterday called the Moray+. This headset is an in-ear model with noise isolating and canceling capabilities. It also features an inline microphone for added functionality.This device is intended to be the replacement for the Moray, which was designed to be used with a multitude of portable devices for gaming in particular. This gadget featres a 3.5mm audio jack and three adapters that allow you to use the mic with the Nintendo DS Lite, DSi and the Sony PSP 2000 and 3000.
Netbooks and notebooks can also be used with this device. The speakers themselves feature a 20Hz to 11kHz frequency response, 110dB sound pressure and uses only 1mW power. The microphone has a 300Hz to 3kHz frequency response. You can get the Razer Moray+ now for $59.99.
MSI is gearing up to add another notebook to their Entertainment series with the EX460. This notebook measures in at 14-inches and features an LED-backlit display along with the 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics card.
Other features include an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of RAM, up to 500GB hard drive, VGA, three USB ports, Ethernet, a 4-in-1 memory card and a DVD burner. You can add on a Blu-ray player and Bluetooth.
The keyboard is an MSI EDS ergonomic model. You can expect Wi-Fi, a mic and a 1.3-megapixel webcam to be included as well. Pricing and a release date are not yet known for the MSI EX360, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Sharp have announced a new range of AQUOS LED-backlit LCD TVs, the LE700 series, ranging in size from 32- to 52-inches. Each offering Full HD 1080p, they use Sharp’s X-Gen LCD panel with 10-bit processing and a dynamic contrast ratio in excess of 2,000,000:1.The 52-inch and 46-inch sets also have a dejudder function, while all four include 120Hz refresh and 4ms pixel response time. Viewing angles are supposedly 176-degrees, while LED lifespan is expected to be 100,000 hours.
Connectivity includes four HDMI v1.3 ports, two component inputs, integrated ATSC, QAM and NTSC tuners, PC input and RS-232C for custom installations. A USB port allows for photos and MP3s to be played, and there’s also AQUOS Net – aside from on the 32-incher – which brings weather, stock, gaming and news reports to the HDTVs.
All four new HDTVs will be available this month in the US. The 52-inch LC-52LE700UN is priced at $2,799.99; the 46-inch LC-46LE700UN is priced at $2,199.99; the 40-inch LC-40LE700UN is priced at $1,699.99; and the 32-inch LC-32LE700UN is priced at $1,099.99.
T-Mobile have thrown open the doors to pre-orders for their second Android device, the upcoming myTouch 3G. Priced at $199.99 with a new two-year contract, and set to hit shelves on August 5th, existing T-Mobile USA customers are able to preorder the device – also known as the HTC Magic - from today, with deliveries expected to arrive prior to the official launch.T-Mobile are concentrating heavily on customization of the myTouch 3G, and will be offering a variety of pre-designed shell patterns. Buyers will also be able to create their own shell from a photo, graphic or text, send off the design and have it made into a unique custom-printed shell.
Otherwise, the myTouch 3G has the same 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, virtual keyboard, Google Maps and Street View, and all the other usual Google Android software as the HTC Magic available through Vodafone Europe. Pre-orders will be accepted between today and July 28th; however not everybody will be eligible for the $199.99 price.
Panasonic have announced their latest HDD camcorder, the HCD-HS350. Packed with a 240GB hard-drive and using a 10.6-megapixel 3MOS sensor, the HCD-HS350 also sports an SDHC slot (content with up to 32GB cards) and 12x optical zoom; according to Panasonic, the HS350 can record more than 30 hours of Full HD video.
There’s also optical stabilization, which Panasonic claim is good enough to cut out shakes even at maximum zoom, and the HS350 can record at rates of up to 17Mbps in its highest quality mode. Alternatively, it can record over 40hrs or over 60hrs of 1920 x 1080 footage in 13Mbps or 9Mbps modes respectively.
Focusing uses the touchscreen preview display, tapping to select an object or person to be tracked, and there’s face and scene recognition, automatic low-light accommodation and 5.1 surround-sound recording. According to Panasonic, the HS350 will boot up in 1.9 seconds from powered-off, or 0.6 seconds from standby.
The Panasonic HDC-HS350 will arrive in Japan on July 25th; no word on pricing, nor when we might see it reach the US or Europe.
There’s also optical stabilization, which Panasonic claim is good enough to cut out shakes even at maximum zoom, and the HS350 can record at rates of up to 17Mbps in its highest quality mode. Alternatively, it can record over 40hrs or over 60hrs of 1920 x 1080 footage in 13Mbps or 9Mbps modes respectively.
Focusing uses the touchscreen preview display, tapping to select an object or person to be tracked, and there’s face and scene recognition, automatic low-light accommodation and 5.1 surround-sound recording. According to Panasonic, the HS350 will boot up in 1.9 seconds from powered-off, or 0.6 seconds from standby.
The Panasonic HDC-HS350 will arrive in Japan on July 25th; no word on pricing, nor when we might see it reach the US or Europe.
Stop the presses! Motorola in “frankly quite reasonable phone, actually” shocker! Fresh to the Korean market comes this, the Motorola ROKR ZN50, a full-touchscreen slider with 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS and a T-DMB2 digital TV tuner. The 3.2-inch 240 x 427 touchscreen cellphone has a new Panorama UI, which looks surprisingly Android-like in its general layout and feel.
Even the three-panels design Motorola are touting – which gives three homescreens that can be flicked between and filled up with different icons and shortcuts – sounds like Android’s homescreen. Elsewhere there’s triband 900/1800/1900 GSM and 2100MHz WCDMA for up to 7.2Mbps HSDPA, together with Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0 and a 3.5mm headphones jack.
Motorola have also thrown in the SRS WOW HD sound system and tweakable EQ settings, and a microSD slot good for up to 16GB cards. The ROKR ZN50 measures 108.9 x 54.0 x 14.34 mm, weighs 143g, and comes with a 950mAh battery. No word on whether it’ll see a release anywhere outside of Korea, however.
Even the three-panels design Motorola are touting – which gives three homescreens that can be flicked between and filled up with different icons and shortcuts – sounds like Android’s homescreen. Elsewhere there’s triband 900/1800/1900 GSM and 2100MHz WCDMA for up to 7.2Mbps HSDPA, together with Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0 and a 3.5mm headphones jack.Motorola have also thrown in the SRS WOW HD sound system and tweakable EQ settings, and a microSD slot good for up to 16GB cards. The ROKR ZN50 measures 108.9 x 54.0 x 14.34 mm, weighs 143g, and comes with a 950mAh battery. No word on whether it’ll see a release anywhere outside of Korea, however.
We’re still waiting for an official release for ASUS’ Eee Keyboard – the latest we hear is that it should drop sometime in August – but that hasn’t stopped French site Blogeee from getting their hands on one. Rather than cherish it for the rarity it is, they’ve decided to open the Keyboard up and find out what’s making it tick inside.
As you might expect, it’s basically a long, flat netbook, with a custom circuit-board to which ASUS have frustratingly soldered the 1GB of RAM. Cooling is via heat-pipes to the Atom N280 1.66GHz processor and accompanying chipset, leading back to a 40mm exhaust fan which, Blogeee report, makes little noise. Other components are more modular, such as the Bluetooth and WiFi adapters and the 16GB SSD.
The battery is a 1,880mAh pack that Blogeee estimate will be good for up to 1hr 40 minutes wireless runtime. The unit they’ve acquired also has a Silicon Image wireless HDMI transmitter which also takes care of up to 1080p graphics and HDCP certification, though we’ve previously heard that not all models will include it.
Blogeee end up a little confused about the point of the ASUS Eee Keyboard, suggesting that the storage is too little for a true HTPC while a regular netbook or nettop will provide just as good an internet machine. We’re still keen to try it out ourselves, but for now we’ll have to wait for the official release.
As you might expect, it’s basically a long, flat netbook, with a custom circuit-board to which ASUS have frustratingly soldered the 1GB of RAM. Cooling is via heat-pipes to the Atom N280 1.66GHz processor and accompanying chipset, leading back to a 40mm exhaust fan which, Blogeee report, makes little noise. Other components are more modular, such as the Bluetooth and WiFi adapters and the 16GB SSD.The battery is a 1,880mAh pack that Blogeee estimate will be good for up to 1hr 40 minutes wireless runtime. The unit they’ve acquired also has a Silicon Image wireless HDMI transmitter which also takes care of up to 1080p graphics and HDCP certification, though we’ve previously heard that not all models will include it.
Blogeee end up a little confused about the point of the ASUS Eee Keyboard, suggesting that the storage is too little for a true HTPC while a regular netbook or nettop will provide just as good an internet machine. We’re still keen to try it out ourselves, but for now we’ll have to wait for the official release.
ASUS Eee Keyboard feature demo:
Not, perhaps, the sort of thing most SlashGear readers will be able to try at home, but if you’ve ever wanted to see a 15 tonne hydraulic grapple controlled by a humble Wiimote then here’s the video for you. Simon Wittber of Australian firm Transmin is lucky enough to have not one but two remote-controlled grapple arms, each toting a vicious looking six-claw pincer, and so he and his team decided to link up Nintendo’s controller for some afternoon entertainment.
Each grapple can make roughly twelve revolutions per minute – that’s about 72kph or 45mph – and has a sixteen meter reach. The team used Python to link the Wiimote (via Bluetooth) into their normal grapple control system.
As an aside, Simon’s voice-over and the choice of music is perfect. He sounds like just the sort of calm, level-headed person you’d want wielding a 15 tonne grapple with the casual flick of a Wiimote.
Each grapple can make roughly twelve revolutions per minute – that’s about 72kph or 45mph – and has a sixteen meter reach. The team used Python to link the Wiimote (via Bluetooth) into their normal grapple control system.
As an aside, Simon’s voice-over and the choice of music is perfect. He sounds like just the sort of calm, level-headed person you’d want wielding a 15 tonne grapple with the casual flick of a Wiimote.
It seldom fails to impress me how quickly accessory manufacturers can knock together third-party gadgets for new devices, and Brando is certainly at the top of their game for flooding the market with “do I really need this?” trinkets. Their latest addition is a so-called “Flexible Mini Capsule Microphone” for the iPhone 3GS, intended to take advantage of the thousands of people now recording dreary YouTube videos on their new smartphone.
Unlike the handset’s integrated microphone, which is at the bottom of the handset, the Brando mic can be tilted, rotated and generally angled to point at whatever it is you’re filming. Alternatively you can twist it back to face yourself, ideal for catching every vocal nuance of your voice-over.
Both white and black versions will be on offer, and no battery is required. Gain is listed at 25+dB, but if you’re really looking for polished audio you’d still be better off sourcing a separate, powered microphone. It’ll also play nicely with the iPhone 3G, iPhone 2G and iPod nano 4G, and be priced at $14 when it lands at the end of July.
Unlike the handset’s integrated microphone, which is at the bottom of the handset, the Brando mic can be tilted, rotated and generally angled to point at whatever it is you’re filming. Alternatively you can twist it back to face yourself, ideal for catching every vocal nuance of your voice-over.Both white and black versions will be on offer, and no battery is required. Gain is listed at 25+dB, but if you’re really looking for polished audio you’d still be better off sourcing a separate, powered microphone. It’ll also play nicely with the iPhone 3G, iPhone 2G and iPod nano 4G, and be priced at $14 when it lands at the end of July.
If you’ve been holding off on picking up one of HP’s Mini 110 series netbooks because you’ve wanted it in pink or white (what, really?) then today is the day to flex your credit-card. HP have unleashed the two new color versions of their 110 XP Edition, meaning you can have the 10.1-inch Atom N270/N280 netbook in sober black, coquettish pink or lost-in-a-snowstorm white.
Update: HP have also added the Broadcom HD Video Accelerator option to the Mini 110, priced at $30 (Thanks Peter!)
They’re our names, I should point out, not HP’s official nomenclature, so expect to be laughed at if you ring up to place your order and use them. Picking the non-standard color schemes pushes the price of the 110-series machines up by $20 each; they’re only available for the XP Edition variants, too, not the Mi Edition.
Otherwise your money gets you a choice of 16GB or 32GB SSD, or 160GB 5,400rpm HDD, together with WiFi b/g, 1GB of RAM and a color-matched keyboard. Prices start at $349.99 for the black model.
Update: HP have also added the Broadcom HD Video Accelerator option to the Mini 110, priced at $30 (Thanks Peter!)
They’re our names, I should point out, not HP’s official nomenclature, so expect to be laughed at if you ring up to place your order and use them. Picking the non-standard color schemes pushes the price of the 110-series machines up by $20 each; they’re only available for the XP Edition variants, too, not the Mi Edition.
Otherwise your money gets you a choice of 16GB or 32GB SSD, or 160GB 5,400rpm HDD, together with WiFi b/g, 1GB of RAM and a color-matched keyboard. Prices start at $349.99 for the black model.
LG’s latest super-snapper cellphone has broken cover, and from the spec-sheet at least you’d think this was the handset to quash all point-and-shoot digicams. The LG GC990 Louvre is tipped (despite LG’s own denials; see after the cut) to launch later on in 2009, taking the place of the existing LG GC900 (aka the Viewty II), and brings with it a 12.1-megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach optics, Xenon flash and what the company suggests is ISO 3200 sensitivity.
Call us terrible skeptics, but we’re wondering exactly how much noise will be in images at those sort of ISO levels; this may be a case of “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Elsewhere the camera can be re-purposed as a camcorder, grabbing 720p HD video at 30fps. Like the iPhone 3GS it supports touchscreen-controlled focus and GPS geotagging, and LG are claiming zero shutter lag too.
Elsewhere there’s a 3.2-inch 16:9 aspect touchscreen with the company’s S-Class UI, WiFi and Bluetooth, together with DivX and Xvid playback plus TV output. It can also stream media to and from other DLNA compatible devices.
Call us terrible skeptics, but we’re wondering exactly how much noise will be in images at those sort of ISO levels; this may be a case of “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Elsewhere the camera can be re-purposed as a camcorder, grabbing 720p HD video at 30fps. Like the iPhone 3GS it supports touchscreen-controlled focus and GPS geotagging, and LG are claiming zero shutter lag too.
Elsewhere there’s a 3.2-inch 16:9 aspect touchscreen with the company’s S-Class UI, WiFi and Bluetooth, together with DivX and Xvid playback plus TV output. It can also stream media to and from other DLNA compatible devices.
It looks like the torrent of Atom N270 netbooks won’t be followed by a similar rush of Atom N450-based budget ultraportables, as several manufacturers have apparently revealed plans to delay mass production until netbook heavyweights Acer and ASUS show their hand. That could push bulk availability back until the first half of 2010, despite engineering samples of the new Intel N450 chip already being available.
According to DigiTimes, lower than expected demand for netbooks – in part through segment saturation – in the first half of 2009 has left many vendors with legacy stock and reduced profit. That has encouraged them to take a more wait-and-see attitude, slashing R&D budgets and instead monitoring the big names to better gage the market.
Acer and ASUS are expected to reveal their N450-based ranges in Q4 2009, with white-box manufacturers planning to begin their own mass production in Q1 2010. The end result for the consumer may be reduced choice in netbook models, though given that the combination of building-to-budget, fitting in with Intel and Microsoft’s licensing limitations, and segment naivety has left most current netbooks pretty much identical to each other, that may not be such a bad thing.
According to DigiTimes, lower than expected demand for netbooks – in part through segment saturation – in the first half of 2009 has left many vendors with legacy stock and reduced profit. That has encouraged them to take a more wait-and-see attitude, slashing R&D budgets and instead monitoring the big names to better gage the market.
Acer and ASUS are expected to reveal their N450-based ranges in Q4 2009, with white-box manufacturers planning to begin their own mass production in Q1 2010. The end result for the consumer may be reduced choice in netbook models, though given that the combination of building-to-budget, fitting in with Intel and Microsoft’s licensing limitations, and segment naivety has left most current netbooks pretty much identical to each other, that may not be such a bad thing.
The iPhone Dev Team have updated their redsn0w jailbreak and ultrasn0w carrier unlock tools to work with the iPhone 3GS, citing the release of rival app purplera1n as forcing their hand. The Team had originally intended to wait until iPhone 3GS adoption was more widespread before distributing their tools, in the hope that it would give Apple less time to close the security hole on which the unlock depends.
“We realize we upset some folks (e.g. existing 3GS owners) with our earlier announcement that we wanted to hold onto the 3GS iBoot-family hole until 3.1 was out. Our aim there was to get as many people as possible onboard (within reason of course) before revealing the hole, since Apple will fix it immediately. But all of that became moot when the purplera1n release was made, since it uses the same hole” iPhone Dev Team
Those wishing to unlock their iPhone – and keep it unlocked – are still being warned to avoid Apple’s official baseband updates. The Cupertino company has apparently stepped up its efforts to remove loopholes such as the one which enables this latest version of ultrasn0w.
Going by the comments over at the Dev Team blog, however, Apple retaliation is not the only problem some users are facing. Some iPhone 3GS owners are experiencing poor signal reception after unlocking, or an inability to connect to WiFi networks, while others claim their handsets have been left bricked or show significant battery drain. Now seems as good a time as any to warn that Apple are unlikely to perform warranty repairs on any iPhone they believe has been tampered with, so you attempt a jailbreak or carrier unlock at your own risk.
“We realize we upset some folks (e.g. existing 3GS owners) with our earlier announcement that we wanted to hold onto the 3GS iBoot-family hole until 3.1 was out. Our aim there was to get as many people as possible onboard (within reason of course) before revealing the hole, since Apple will fix it immediately. But all of that became moot when the purplera1n release was made, since it uses the same hole” iPhone Dev Team
Those wishing to unlock their iPhone – and keep it unlocked – are still being warned to avoid Apple’s official baseband updates. The Cupertino company has apparently stepped up its efforts to remove loopholes such as the one which enables this latest version of ultrasn0w.
Going by the comments over at the Dev Team blog, however, Apple retaliation is not the only problem some users are facing. Some iPhone 3GS owners are experiencing poor signal reception after unlocking, or an inability to connect to WiFi networks, while others claim their handsets have been left bricked or show significant battery drain. Now seems as good a time as any to warn that Apple are unlikely to perform warranty repairs on any iPhone they believe has been tampered with, so you attempt a jailbreak or carrier unlock at your own risk.
Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer has struck back at Activision chief Bobby Kotick, claiming his calls to cut PS3 prices are “a lot of noise” and that there’s no “logic” in discounting the console. Speaking to Reuters, Stringer suggested that “I (would) lose money on every PlayStation I make – how’s that for logic.”
The rebuff comes in response to Kotick’s well-publicized threats back in June that Activision might consider dropping PS3 and PSP game development if Sony failed to reduce the entry-price to their flagship console. Kotick, who is in charge of the biggest independent games developer in the world, suggested that Sony’s reluctance to cut the PS3’s cost meant that studios saw fewer games being bought for the console versus its Xbox 360 and Wii rivals.
Sony, meanwhile, are tipped to announce a new version of the PS3, with a slimmed-down casing, that would use cheaper components and, it’s suggested, allow the company to reduce prices without losing money. Rumors suggest the new console will be announced in August or September, allowing retailers to clear stocks of the existing model.
The rebuff comes in response to Kotick’s well-publicized threats back in June that Activision might consider dropping PS3 and PSP game development if Sony failed to reduce the entry-price to their flagship console. Kotick, who is in charge of the biggest independent games developer in the world, suggested that Sony’s reluctance to cut the PS3’s cost meant that studios saw fewer games being bought for the console versus its Xbox 360 and Wii rivals.Sony, meanwhile, are tipped to announce a new version of the PS3, with a slimmed-down casing, that would use cheaper components and, it’s suggested, allow the company to reduce prices without losing money. Rumors suggest the new console will be announced in August or September, allowing retailers to clear stocks of the existing model.
Monday, June 29, 2009
We can’t say we looked at the Sharp Mebius NJ70A netbook – with its nifty touchscreen trackpad – and thought “what this needs is a second touchscreen”, but then we’re not SKY at UMPC Fever. After unboxing the N270-based netbook, he loaded up Windows 7 and then installed a touchscreen layer so as to use handwriting recognition direct onto the 10-inch display.
Interestingly, while he had the NJ70A open, SKY discovered that the optical trackpad actually has its own processor and RAM, meaning it doesn’t rely on the netbook’s own Atom CPU. He’s now trying to identify exactly what those mysterious components are.
Other hardware details include two RAM slots inside, which makes upgrading from the standard 1GB straightforward. XP will only recognize a maximum of 2GB; Windows Vista will recognize 3GB; and Windows 7 will recognize 3GB but only allow you to use 2GB.
Interestingly, while he had the NJ70A open, SKY discovered that the optical trackpad actually has its own processor and RAM, meaning it doesn’t rely on the netbook’s own Atom CPU. He’s now trying to identify exactly what those mysterious components are.Other hardware details include two RAM slots inside, which makes upgrading from the standard 1GB straightforward. XP will only recognize a maximum of 2GB; Windows Vista will recognize 3GB; and Windows 7 will recognize 3GB but only allow you to use 2GB.
Toshiba’s TG01 Windows Mobile smartphone is almost ready to launch in Germany, and a few more details regarding the slimline handset are emerging. Not only have O2 and Toshiba partnered with Nimbuzz to put their cross-platform social networking app on the TG01, but USB Host support has been confirmed.
The latter means that, with an accessory cable, users will be able to plug peripherals like a keyboard and/or mouse into their TG01, converting it into a netbook-style laptop. Since the TG01 has a vast (for a smartphone) 4.1-inch 800 x 480 display and 1GHz NVIDIA Snapdragon chipset, that’s not such a laughable prospect for mobile workers.
As for Nimbuzz, that brings both IM and social networking sites together onto the smartphone, with a homescreen icon for easy access. It’s probably not as slick – or integrated – as HTC have managed with their latest UI developments (TouchFLO 3D Manila 2.5 and HTC Sense), but Windows Mobile needs all the help it can get.
The latter means that, with an accessory cable, users will be able to plug peripherals like a keyboard and/or mouse into their TG01, converting it into a netbook-style laptop. Since the TG01 has a vast (for a smartphone) 4.1-inch 800 x 480 display and 1GHz NVIDIA Snapdragon chipset, that’s not such a laughable prospect for mobile workers.As for Nimbuzz, that brings both IM and social networking sites together onto the smartphone, with a homescreen icon for easy access. It’s probably not as slick – or integrated – as HTC have managed with their latest UI developments (TouchFLO 3D Manila 2.5 and HTC Sense), but Windows Mobile needs all the help it can get.
Amazon UK have begun listing the HTC Hero, offering the latest Android smartphone in unlocked, SIM-free form. The dual-band HSPA (900/2100MHz) device is priced at £429.99 ($712) and expected to begin shipping on July 15th; SlashGear was at the Hero launch last week, and you can check out our hands-on video after the cut.
The Hero has a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with a fingerprint-resistant coating, a Teflon body and all the usual Android nicities. There’s also HTC Sense, the company’s latest UI advancement, which you can see demonstrated below. Other specs include WiFi b/g, Bluetooth, GPS, a 5-megapixel autofocus camera and digital compass.
Two UK carriers have already confirmed that they will be offering the Hero, Orange and T-Mobile (the latter as the G1Touch). Both will give new customers the smartphone free, but require a new two-year contract.
The Hero has a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with a fingerprint-resistant coating, a Teflon body and all the usual Android nicities. There’s also HTC Sense, the company’s latest UI advancement, which you can see demonstrated below. Other specs include WiFi b/g, Bluetooth, GPS, a 5-megapixel autofocus camera and digital compass.Two UK carriers have already confirmed that they will be offering the Hero, Orange and T-Mobile (the latter as the G1Touch). Both will give new customers the smartphone free, but require a new two-year contract.
Earlier in the month we heard that Atom N270 based netbooks and nettops would be unlikely candidates for inclusion in the Windows 7 Upgrade Program, and that’s looking to indeed be the case. ASUS have announced details of their program, including which models will be eligible, and only two of the company’s sprawling Eee PC netbook line are included: the 1101HA and the 1005HA.
Neither of these use the N270: the 1101HA adopts Intel’s Z520 CPU, while the 1005HA has the N280. You’ll also need to have a particular model in order to be eligible: the 1101HA must be running Vista Home Premium, while the 1005HA must be running either XP Pro or Vista Business. Considering most of these netbooks are bought with Windows XP Home, that doesn’t bode well for existing customers.
There are also a few Eee Top all-in-ones and the Eee Box EB1501 nettop, but it’s generally a poor showing for the company’s budget range.
Neither of these use the N270: the 1101HA adopts Intel’s Z520 CPU, while the 1005HA has the N280. You’ll also need to have a particular model in order to be eligible: the 1101HA must be running Vista Home Premium, while the 1005HA must be running either XP Pro or Vista Business. Considering most of these netbooks are bought with Windows XP Home, that doesn’t bode well for existing customers.There are also a few Eee Top all-in-ones and the Eee Box EB1501 nettop, but it’s generally a poor showing for the company’s budget range.
Created by Paul Fryer last year, this “Chess Set for Tesla” takes 32 working vacuum tubes and turns them into chess pieces. Each tube slots into a port on the custom board, lighting up to show their identity via a glowing icon on the top.
The pieces range in size from 10cm to 15cm, while the board itself measures 48 by 50 cm and is 17cm deep. There’s what looks to be a lid, which will hopefully prevent your cat from jumping up, knocking over the pieces and bending all the pins.
Seven copies of the set were produced, and presumably went on sale, but we doubt there are any left for purchase. Even if there had been, this beautiful game is unlikely to have been cheap.
The pieces range in size from 10cm to 15cm, while the board itself measures 48 by 50 cm and is 17cm deep. There’s what looks to be a lid, which will hopefully prevent your cat from jumping up, knocking over the pieces and bending all the pins.Seven copies of the set were produced, and presumably went on sale, but we doubt there are any left for purchase. Even if there had been, this beautiful game is unlikely to have been cheap.
In a move that’s been a long time coming, the major participants in the European cellphone market have backed a proposal to standardize microUSB as the generic charger port. The scheme was led by the European Commission, and has now received support from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Apple, Motorola, NEC, LG, RIM, Qualcomm, Samsung and Texas Instruments.
Together, those companies account for 90-percent of the European cellphone market. The EC have positioned the scheme as environmentally sound, suggesting that cellphone users will not have to throw away their old charger whenever they buy a new device.
The first devices using the standardized connector will arrive on the market in 2010, though of course many phones already use microUSB for charging and data connectivity. What will be interesting is how Apple respond to the move; the dock connector is not only a common feature among docks and accessories, but a source of licensing revenue from third-party manufacturers.
Together, those companies account for 90-percent of the European cellphone market. The EC have positioned the scheme as environmentally sound, suggesting that cellphone users will not have to throw away their old charger whenever they buy a new device.The first devices using the standardized connector will arrive on the market in 2010, though of course many phones already use microUSB for charging and data connectivity. What will be interesting is how Apple respond to the move; the dock connector is not only a common feature among docks and accessories, but a source of licensing revenue from third-party manufacturers.
AMD are planning to announce a new flagship processor, the 3.4GHz Phenom II, to take on Intel’s Core 2 Quad range, according to a number of sites. The so-called AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition has been spotted on the ASRock site, which seemingly confirms that it will have the same cache and 125W TDP as the Phenom II X4 955.
News of the unannounced chip has prompted speculation about pricing for AMD’s new flagship. Currently the X4 955 – the highest-spec CPU in AMD’s Phenom II range today – is priced at around $245; Intel’s highest-spec Core 2 Quad CPU meanwhile, the Q9650, is around $320.
AMD might choose to price the new 3.4GHz processor up near the Q9650, at least at first, before dropping it down so as to remain competitive when Intel begin delivering Lynnfield processors later in 2009. Lynnfield chips will slot into Intel’s i5 and i7 mid- and high-range processor lines.
News of the unannounced chip has prompted speculation about pricing for AMD’s new flagship. Currently the X4 955 – the highest-spec CPU in AMD’s Phenom II range today – is priced at around $245; Intel’s highest-spec Core 2 Quad CPU meanwhile, the Q9650, is around $320.AMD might choose to price the new 3.4GHz processor up near the Q9650, at least at first, before dropping it down so as to remain competitive when Intel begin delivering Lynnfield processors later in 2009. Lynnfield chips will slot into Intel’s i5 and i7 mid- and high-range processor lines.
How can you make your external USB Blu-ray drive better than everyone elses? Well, you could make it a Blu-ray burner, give it a range of connections and make it super-cheap, or you could go the ASUS way and put a great big light-up blue X on the side.
According to ASUS, the SBC-04B1S-U’s “elegant stand design and high glossy appearance represents its high feel of science and technology”, which is perhaps stretching the limits of what a basic USB Blu-ray reader can be described as. They also provide a dedicated app for adjusting the light-up X’s brightness, meaning you can have it set to different levels when reading or writing different media.
Baseline specs are 4.8x maximum Blu-ray disc reading, 8x DVD burning and 24x CD burning. It connects via USB 2.0 and is compatible with Windows but not OS X; no word on exactly how much that big flashing X will set you back, though.
According to ASUS, the SBC-04B1S-U’s “elegant stand design and high glossy appearance represents its high feel of science and technology”, which is perhaps stretching the limits of what a basic USB Blu-ray reader can be described as. They also provide a dedicated app for adjusting the light-up X’s brightness, meaning you can have it set to different levels when reading or writing different media.Baseline specs are 4.8x maximum Blu-ray disc reading, 8x DVD burning and 24x CD burning. It connects via USB 2.0 and is compatible with Windows but not OS X; no word on exactly how much that big flashing X will set you back, though.
Reminding us of Thermaltake’s monster Level 10 PC case, this is actually the Edelweiss PC, the handiwork of Pius Geiger and in fact initially constructed all the way back in 2006. Updated this year with a crisp new white color-scheme, the water-cooled Edelweiss separates out drives, graphics and power-supply, and then illuminates them with a discrete but effective lighting system.
Full hardware specifications of the PC are unknown, but the Edelweiss PC does have a FATAL1TY motherboard, dual graphics cards and a DVD burner. We’re assuming that along with the color update, Pius also slotted in some more impressive hardware to take advantage of the heavy-duty watercooling system, too.
Add in the excellent cable-routing, and you’ve got a mind-blowing case mod. No word on how much all this cost, nor how long it took, but we’re guessing the answer to those questions are something like “a lot” and “a long time”.
Full hardware specifications of the PC are unknown, but the Edelweiss PC does have a FATAL1TY motherboard, dual graphics cards and a DVD burner. We’re assuming that along with the color update, Pius also slotted in some more impressive hardware to take advantage of the heavy-duty watercooling system, too.Add in the excellent cable-routing, and you’ve got a mind-blowing case mod. No word on how much all this cost, nor how long it took, but we’re guessing the answer to those questions are something like “a lot” and “a long time”.
HTC’s TouchFLO 3D UI for Windows Mobile is arguably the best way to navigate Microsoft’s platform, but now that we’ve seen the latest Sense UI on the HTC Hero it’s losing some of its gloss. Happily HTC haven’t ceased all work on TouchFLO 3D, and screenshots and a video demo of version 2.5 have emerged to whet our appetites.
The most obvious improvement is that HTC have buried Windows Mobile even further underneath their home-grown UI. Looking at the video demo below, you have to really go looking for the underlying OS; general, day-to-day use won’t really unearth it.
There are also new shortcuts on the homepage, the introduction of Footprints – HTC’s geotagging system – and a freshly swollen settings dialog that covers even more options. Interestingly, TouchFLO 3D v2.5 is said to only work on WVGA devices like the HTC Touch HD, Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2; no word on when we can expect to see it released, nor if it will be offered as an upgrade to existing smartphone users.
The most obvious improvement is that HTC have buried Windows Mobile even further underneath their home-grown UI. Looking at the video demo below, you have to really go looking for the underlying OS; general, day-to-day use won’t really unearth it.There are also new shortcuts on the homepage, the introduction of Footprints – HTC’s geotagging system – and a freshly swollen settings dialog that covers even more options. Interestingly, TouchFLO 3D v2.5 is said to only work on WVGA devices like the HTC Touch HD, Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2; no word on when we can expect to see it released, nor if it will be offered as an upgrade to existing smartphone users.
Intel’s upcoming 32nm Clarkdale processor could be seeing a release sooner than expected, according to unnamed sources at motherboard manufacturers. The company has reportedly brought forward mass-production of the Clarkdale CPU to Q4 2009, compared to the original Q1 2010 date on their timetable.
Clarkdale will have two cores each capable of two threads, and include integrated graphics and a memory controller. It’s expected to be positioned as the company’s latest mainstream desktop processor, and account for 10-percent of OEM shipments in Q4 2009, rising to 20-percent in Q1 2010.
That’s still behind 45nm-process chips, which will still account for an expected 78-percent of OEM desktop shipments in the new year. Intel themselves have declined to comment on the report.
Clarkdale will have two cores each capable of two threads, and include integrated graphics and a memory controller. It’s expected to be positioned as the company’s latest mainstream desktop processor, and account for 10-percent of OEM shipments in Q4 2009, rising to 20-percent in Q1 2010.That’s still behind 45nm-process chips, which will still account for an expected 78-percent of OEM desktop shipments in the new year. Intel themselves have declined to comment on the report.
Over at our sibling site PhoneMag they’ve posted the full Nokia N97 review, and if you’ve been as eagerly-anticipating this smartphone as we have then you really need to read it. On paper, the N97 ticks just about every box you could hope for, but when it comes to usability and overall polish it seems that Nokia may have dropped the ball.
The QWERTY keyboard earns much of the N97 dismay, with poor tactile feedback, shallow travel and a frustrating layout, but S60 5th Edition, despite Nokia’s work to integrate touch-control, must share the blame. Compared to rival devices, it seems a lazy implementation, while the resistive touchscreen feels like old technology compared to the iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre or BlackBerry Storm.
There are positive points, including strong multimedia performance (though ugly, basic apps), the homescreen widgets and plenty of onboard storage, but the overall feeling is that the N97 simply arrived too late to capitalize on its potential.
The QWERTY keyboard earns much of the N97 dismay, with poor tactile feedback, shallow travel and a frustrating layout, but S60 5th Edition, despite Nokia’s work to integrate touch-control, must share the blame. Compared to rival devices, it seems a lazy implementation, while the resistive touchscreen feels like old technology compared to the iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre or BlackBerry Storm.There are positive points, including strong multimedia performance (though ugly, basic apps), the homescreen widgets and plenty of onboard storage, but the overall feeling is that the N97 simply arrived too late to capitalize on its potential.
MDI have been working on their air-powered engine for years now, and Edmunds Inside Line were lucky enough to take the 2010 AIRPod prototype for a spin. Distinctively designed, the AIRPod throws out internal combustion in favor of running from compressed-air, a full tank of which – refilled in just two minutes with the right infrastructure – is good for 90-125 miles with a single occupant.
Air compressed to 2,900psi sits in carbon-fiber tanks behind and underneath the driver, while steering is managed by a joystick and acceleration/braking by regular pedals. While the bubble-car design might suggest it can only accommodate one, in fact there’s a rear-facing bench in the back that’s enough for up to three to catch a ride. Maximum speed for the prototype is 30mph, but the commercial model – expected to go into production by the end of 2009 – will reach 50mph.
After climbing in through the lift-up front hatch, the driving experience is “like a hyperactive Jack Russell terrier” with dire acceleration made up for thanks to a tiny turning circle and nimble steering. Happily the production model will have softer suspension, as the prototype is unpleasantly bouncy, and hopefully some way of cooling things down inside as the expansive glass and lack of air-conditioning make for quite the mobile sauna.
Still, it’s set to reach France by the end of the year, priced at €6,000 ($8,380) which will be reduced by half thanks to eco-friendly subsidies. MDI are also working on a dual-power version, which will use the air engine together with a tiny “supercharger” which heats the air and thus boosts performance.
Air compressed to 2,900psi sits in carbon-fiber tanks behind and underneath the driver, while steering is managed by a joystick and acceleration/braking by regular pedals. While the bubble-car design might suggest it can only accommodate one, in fact there’s a rear-facing bench in the back that’s enough for up to three to catch a ride. Maximum speed for the prototype is 30mph, but the commercial model – expected to go into production by the end of 2009 – will reach 50mph.After climbing in through the lift-up front hatch, the driving experience is “like a hyperactive Jack Russell terrier” with dire acceleration made up for thanks to a tiny turning circle and nimble steering. Happily the production model will have softer suspension, as the prototype is unpleasantly bouncy, and hopefully some way of cooling things down inside as the expansive glass and lack of air-conditioning make for quite the mobile sauna.
Still, it’s set to reach France by the end of the year, priced at €6,000 ($8,380) which will be reduced by half thanks to eco-friendly subsidies. MDI are also working on a dual-power version, which will use the air engine together with a tiny “supercharger” which heats the air and thus boosts performance.
As well as their NVIDIA Ion-equipped version, Lenovo have revealed a VIA Nano based IdeaPad S12 netbook. The 12.1-inch WXGA machine uses VIA’s Nano ULV 2250 processor, running at 1.30GHz, together with the company’s integrated Chrome9 HC3 graphics chipset.
Like its Intel-based brethren (which are available in both integrated-graphics and Ion forms), the Nano IdeaPad S12 has 1GB of RAM, a 150GB 5,400rpm hard-drive and WiFi b/g. There’s also a standard 6-cell Li-Ion battery. We’d obviously expect graphics performance to lag behind the 1080p-capable version.
What you do get with the Nano S12 is a cheaper machine. Prices start at $449, compared to at least $50 more for the Intel models, and it’s listed as beginning shipping in “more than four weeks” time.
Like its Intel-based brethren (which are available in both integrated-graphics and Ion forms), the Nano IdeaPad S12 has 1GB of RAM, a 150GB 5,400rpm hard-drive and WiFi b/g. There’s also a standard 6-cell Li-Ion battery. We’d obviously expect graphics performance to lag behind the 1080p-capable version.What you do get with the Nano S12 is a cheaper machine. Prices start at $449, compared to at least $50 more for the Intel models, and it’s listed as beginning shipping in “more than four weeks” time.
Samsung are preparing to launch a new, 11.6-inch netbook, the N510, and rather than Intel’s Atom Z5xx series of processors they’ve picked the 1.66GHz N280. The N510 will also use NVIDIA’s Ion graphics chipset, paired with 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-drive.
The presence of Ion will make the N510 capable of high-definition video playback, which should make the WXGA 1,366 x 768 more usable. Rival machines such as the Acer Aspire One 751, which have similarly-sized displays but use Atom Z5xx series processors and standard netbook graphics, have proved woefully underpowered for HD content.
Other Samsung N510 specs include WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth and wired ethernet, together with an integrated webcam and microphone, multi-format memory card reader, 6-cell Li-Ion battery and Windows XP Home. It’ll apparently be priced at around €570 ($799), which is mighty-expensive for an Atom-based netbook.
The presence of Ion will make the N510 capable of high-definition video playback, which should make the WXGA 1,366 x 768 more usable. Rival machines such as the Acer Aspire One 751, which have similarly-sized displays but use Atom Z5xx series processors and standard netbook graphics, have proved woefully underpowered for HD content.Other Samsung N510 specs include WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth and wired ethernet, together with an integrated webcam and microphone, multi-format memory card reader, 6-cell Li-Ion battery and Windows XP Home. It’ll apparently be priced at around €570 ($799), which is mighty-expensive for an Atom-based netbook.
Silverlit Heli-Mission SWAT Truck: R/C car with hidden helicopter!
0 comments Posted by luna at 11:34 AMWhat’s better than a remote-controlled truck? Why, a remote-controlled truck with a hidden remote-controlled helicopter inside it, that’s what! The Silverlit Heli-Mission SWAT Truck is a full-function toy truck, the rear section of which flips open to reveal an indoor helicopter on a rising launch platform.
What’s not entirely clear is whether you have a separate controller for the helicopter or use the same one as for the truck. All we know is that it’s a 3-channel system and uses the same contra-rotating blades as other toy choppers that makes piloting them relatively simple. Still, we never see the helicopter land back on the truck launch-pad in the video below, so you likely need some skill to get it back into the transport solely on propeller-power.
Still, we won’t allow user-ineptitude to blind us to such a fantastic toy. The Silverlit Heli-Mission SWAT Truck is apparently “coming soon” priced at £59.95 in the UK ($99).
What’s not entirely clear is whether you have a separate controller for the helicopter or use the same one as for the truck. All we know is that it’s a 3-channel system and uses the same contra-rotating blades as other toy choppers that makes piloting them relatively simple. Still, we never see the helicopter land back on the truck launch-pad in the video below, so you likely need some skill to get it back into the transport solely on propeller-power.Still, we won’t allow user-ineptitude to blind us to such a fantastic toy. The Silverlit Heli-Mission SWAT Truck is apparently “coming soon” priced at £59.95 in the UK ($99).
Sony PSP Phone rumors resurface; team being formed next month?
0 comments Posted by luna at 11:33 AMRumors regarding a PSP phone have circulated for almost as long as the gaming handheld itself has been available, and despite Sony’s best efforts they refuse to die down. According to the Nikkei business daily this weekend, Sony is looking to set up a department that would explore gaming/phone hybrid devices; the team could be established as early as July, suggests the report.
While the Nikkei’s sources are unspecified, the Sony project is tipped to bring together their own gaming-device experience and the cellular functionality of Sony Ericsson handsets. That implies that the project may not be a Sony Ericsson device but solely bear Sony’s branding; previous rumors have suggested strong internal disagreement over Sony Ericsson handsets using the PlayStation name.
Sony themselves have declined to comment on the report, which does at least make a change from the usual “we have no plans” we tend to hear from them. Their most recent handheld, the PSP Go, has WiFi but no 3G connectivity; however as it relies on digital distribution for its gaming titles and content, it would be a likely candidate for the sort of anywhere-downloads integrated WWAN would permit.
While the Nikkei’s sources are unspecified, the Sony project is tipped to bring together their own gaming-device experience and the cellular functionality of Sony Ericsson handsets. That implies that the project may not be a Sony Ericsson device but solely bear Sony’s branding; previous rumors have suggested strong internal disagreement over Sony Ericsson handsets using the PlayStation name.Sony themselves have declined to comment on the report, which does at least make a change from the usual “we have no plans” we tend to hear from them. Their most recent handheld, the PSP Go, has WiFi but no 3G connectivity; however as it relies on digital distribution for its gaming titles and content, it would be a likely candidate for the sort of anywhere-downloads integrated WWAN would permit.
Amazon’s plans to roll out the Kindle ebook reader range in Europe has hit a snag, after talks with German carriers broke down over pricing disagreement. According to German WirtschaftsWoche, Amazon were unable to reach what they believed to be a fair price with local carriers such as Vodafone and T-Mobile.
One unnamed Amazon manager described the carriers’ price demands as “excessive”, according to the paper. Apparently Amazon’s German partners have confirmed that no deal has been made.
The nature of the Kindle/carrier partnership is unusual, because Amazon include lifetime wireless access for their ebook reader with the original purchase price of the device. Rather than requiring users to sign up to a data contract, Amazon negotiate access for the Kindle with the carriers themselves; in the US, that agreement is with Sprint. Only actions which might have significant cost – such as converting and wirelessly-delivering a user’s own documents over the network – are billable.
One unnamed Amazon manager described the carriers’ price demands as “excessive”, according to the paper. Apparently Amazon’s German partners have confirmed that no deal has been made.The nature of the Kindle/carrier partnership is unusual, because Amazon include lifetime wireless access for their ebook reader with the original purchase price of the device. Rather than requiring users to sign up to a data contract, Amazon negotiate access for the Kindle with the carriers themselves; in the US, that agreement is with Sprint. Only actions which might have significant cost – such as converting and wirelessly-delivering a user’s own documents over the network – are billable.
According to an internal Microsoft tipster, the upcoming Zune HD will be available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, and be priced from $249 to $280 for the entry-level model. The company is considering a 64GB Zune HD later on in the model year, but the first of the PMPs will arrive in September; that tallies with previous rumors that fingered September 5th.
The source – a software engineer within Microsoft who claims that, while he chose to leak independently, his actions are known and unofficially sanctioned by the company – also suggests that movies are finally coming to the Zune Marketplace, and that the team are working on the final licensing agreements with the major studios. That content will be available in HD.
If that starting price turns out to be accurate, it will position the Zune HD above Apple’s rival iPod touch PMPs. The Zune’s Tegra HD-capable chipset, HDMI output and AMOLED multitouch-capable display are likely culprits for pushing up prices; it remains to be seen whether Microsoft can sufficiently persuade consumers that their platform is finally better than Apple’s.
The source – a software engineer within Microsoft who claims that, while he chose to leak independently, his actions are known and unofficially sanctioned by the company – also suggests that movies are finally coming to the Zune Marketplace, and that the team are working on the final licensing agreements with the major studios. That content will be available in HD.If that starting price turns out to be accurate, it will position the Zune HD above Apple’s rival iPod touch PMPs. The Zune’s Tegra HD-capable chipset, HDMI output and AMOLED multitouch-capable display are likely culprits for pushing up prices; it remains to be seen whether Microsoft can sufficiently persuade consumers that their platform is finally better than Apple’s.
We’ve been quietly crushing on the Mobinnova élan Smartbook since its Computex debut, and this preview video from NetbookNews does little to dissuade that feeling. Based on NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset, the promise is both high-definition support and up to 24hrs of audio playback from the super-frugal platform.
The élan has an 8.9-inch display and a distinctly nifty hinged port panel on the back, which should do a decent job of keeping dust and other things out of the sockets. It weighs 1.84lbs and has integrated WiFi and 3G connectivity, plus it’s fanless.
We’re promised a second video with a walkthrough of the élan’s software soon, but we already know it has a custom 3D GUI and support for Office documents, YouTube and Hulu video. More on the hardware specs of the Mobinnova machine here; we’re not entirely sure of when it will arrive, but it could be the tipped model expected at $244 on Black Friday.
The élan has an 8.9-inch display and a distinctly nifty hinged port panel on the back, which should do a decent job of keeping dust and other things out of the sockets. It weighs 1.84lbs and has integrated WiFi and 3G connectivity, plus it’s fanless.We’re promised a second video with a walkthrough of the élan’s software soon, but we already know it has a custom 3D GUI and support for Office documents, YouTube and Hulu video. More on the hardware specs of the Mobinnova machine here; we’re not entirely sure of when it will arrive, but it could be the tipped model expected at $244 on Black Friday.
The iPhone Dev Team have announced that they are delaying the release of the updated ultrasn0w iPhone 3GS jailbreaking and unlocking tool. In a post on the Team’s blog, they detail the nature of the exploit used to jailbreak (and then unlock) the 3GS, a loophole which Apple could readily close once it was made public.
“Here’s the critical point, the reason why we’re delaying our version of the jailbreak: Once the jailbreak is out, Apple will fix the iBoot-family bug we use to accomplish it. They will simply stop signing the old iBoots and only sign the fixed ones. If you bought your phone after Apple has done this, there’s nothing you can do…the jailbreak isn’t going to work for you.” iPhone Dev Team blog
According to the Team, the exploit depends on an iBoot-family bug, which can only be addressed if users have a signed iBoot-family img3 from their own device. This contains their ECID, a unique chip identifier different on each iPhone 3GS. If Apple discover the loophole, they could update the smartphone and refuse to sign any old iBoots; then those users would not be able to jailbreak or unlock their handsets.
The Dev Team are counting on an imminent iPhone OS 3.01 update which addresses some of the platforms more buggier aspects, and are waiting until then to see the state of play. They’ve given no indication of when the iPhone 3GS jailbreak and unlock option might be released, a situation that’s prompting no small amount of revolt in their comments.
“Here’s the critical point, the reason why we’re delaying our version of the jailbreak: Once the jailbreak is out, Apple will fix the iBoot-family bug we use to accomplish it. They will simply stop signing the old iBoots and only sign the fixed ones. If you bought your phone after Apple has done this, there’s nothing you can do…the jailbreak isn’t going to work for you.” iPhone Dev Team blogAccording to the Team, the exploit depends on an iBoot-family bug, which can only be addressed if users have a signed iBoot-family img3 from their own device. This contains their ECID, a unique chip identifier different on each iPhone 3GS. If Apple discover the loophole, they could update the smartphone and refuse to sign any old iBoots; then those users would not be able to jailbreak or unlock their handsets.
The Dev Team are counting on an imminent iPhone OS 3.01 update which addresses some of the platforms more buggier aspects, and are waiting until then to see the state of play. They’ve given no indication of when the iPhone 3GS jailbreak and unlock option might be released, a situation that’s prompting no small amount of revolt in their comments.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Corsair have announced two new SSDs in its Performance Series range, bringing high read/write speeds to lower price points. The P128 and P64 – which unsurprisingly offer 128GB and 64GB respectively – slot in below the current flagship P256, with the P128 offering the same 220MB/sec read rate and 200MB/sec write rate.
Meanwhile the P64 promises 220MB/sec read and 120MB/sec write rates. Both drives use the same Samsung controller as their more-expensive sibling, together with 128MB of cache and NCQ support.
The Corsair P128 is available now, with an MRSP of $339; you can currently find it on Newegg with a $40 rebate. The Corsair P64 will follow on in July; prices are yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile the P64 promises 220MB/sec read and 120MB/sec write rates. Both drives use the same Samsung controller as their more-expensive sibling, together with 128MB of cache and NCQ support.
The Corsair P128 is available now, with an MRSP of $339; you can currently find it on Newegg with a $40 rebate. The Corsair P64 will follow on in July; prices are yet to be confirmed.
After telling us – and then telling us again – that the Eee Keyboard would arrive this month, ASUS are now promising their nettop-in-a-keyboard will actually drop in August 2009. Rather than blaming manufacturing delays or last-minute firmware tweaks, ASUS claim the Eee Keyboard – which squeezes in an HD capable nettop and 5-inch touchscreen – was in fact held back while they attempted to define a niche for it to sit in.
That’s surprising, given that back at CES in January the company seemed to have a pretty good idea of what the point of the Eee Keyboard was. Fitted with Wireless HDMI, it can stream HD content either stored on its 32GB SSD or from the internet to a nearby display, with controls and other apps shown on the compact touchscreen.
Still no final word on pricing, but the last we heard ASUS were planning for a $400 starting price – though that doesn’t get you Wireless HDMI, only wired – and two different models. Each will have a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and both WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0. Earlier this month ASUS demonstrated the Eee Keyboard running Moblin, rather than Windows XP as it has been seen using in the past.
That’s surprising, given that back at CES in January the company seemed to have a pretty good idea of what the point of the Eee Keyboard was. Fitted with Wireless HDMI, it can stream HD content either stored on its 32GB SSD or from the internet to a nearby display, with controls and other apps shown on the compact touchscreen.Still no final word on pricing, but the last we heard ASUS were planning for a $400 starting price – though that doesn’t get you Wireless HDMI, only wired – and two different models. Each will have a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and both WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0. Earlier this month ASUS demonstrated the Eee Keyboard running Moblin, rather than Windows XP as it has been seen using in the past.
We’re still harboring a soft-spot for mintpass‘ mintpad MID, so it’s relieving to hear that the first English-modified units are meeting with approval. Pocketables shared their unboxing earlier this week, and now it’s time for some first-impressions. The mintpad’s 1.3-megapixel camera is proving surprisingly capable, as is the browser (despite not being fully translated yet) and the QVGA screen may be small at 2.86-inches but it’s still highly readable.
Build-quality, responsiveness and file support continue to satisfy, while the mono speaker is loud and clear. Fans of Windows CE – and we’re sure there are some out there – will be pleased to hear that the mintpad is compatible with apps for the Microsoft platform, so there’s flexibility in what you can run. Flash support in the browser is a nice touch (especially when you look at the number of smartphones that can’t do this) and audio quality is decent.
On the downside, there are no hardware volume controls, the browser lacks an on-screen keyboard so far, and the rotation-sensor is underused. Still, these things might change when the final English firmware release arrives at the end of the month.
Build-quality, responsiveness and file support continue to satisfy, while the mono speaker is loud and clear. Fans of Windows CE – and we’re sure there are some out there – will be pleased to hear that the mintpad is compatible with apps for the Microsoft platform, so there’s flexibility in what you can run. Flash support in the browser is a nice touch (especially when you look at the number of smartphones that can’t do this) and audio quality is decent.On the downside, there are no hardware volume controls, the browser lacks an on-screen keyboard so far, and the rotation-sensor is underused. Still, these things might change when the final English firmware release arrives at the end of the month.
The recently-released MacBook Pro firmware that promises to enable 3.0Gbps SATA connectivity has ironically been causing problems in third-party drives. Apple released the upgrade earlier this week, after users of the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro models reported that the notebooks were limited to 1.5Gbps SATA; this did not affect the speed of standard-fit hard-drives, but may have limited future performance should the user upgrade to a faster HDD or SSD. Now, some users with third-party drives already installed are reporting frequent pauses, usage spikes and data errors with the new firmware.
Both traditional hard-drives and solid-state storage are presenting problems. One user found his Western Digital Scorpio Blue HDD now suffers intermittent data errors and that the whole machine freezes randomly. Meanwhile another user who has upgraded to an Intel X25-M SSD found his drive no longer works at all following the firmware update. Some have found that re-installing the original SATA 1.5Gbps drive supplied by Apple restores the machine to working order, while others have had no luck.
Apple distanced themselves from aftermarket upgrades when they first released the firmware, warning users that they had “not qualified or offered these drives for Mac notebooks” and that “their use is unsupported.” That seems to mean they won’t fix the issue under warranty: many who have contacted Apple Stores or technical support regarding the firmware issues have been told that “Apple is not responsible for maintaining compatibility with third-party aftermarket hardware with their firmware updates.” However there is also talk that Apple Store “Geniuses” can roll back the firmware if there was a problem during the upgrade itself, though not otherwise.
Both traditional hard-drives and solid-state storage are presenting problems. One user found his Western Digital Scorpio Blue HDD now suffers intermittent data errors and that the whole machine freezes randomly. Meanwhile another user who has upgraded to an Intel X25-M SSD found his drive no longer works at all following the firmware update. Some have found that re-installing the original SATA 1.5Gbps drive supplied by Apple restores the machine to working order, while others have had no luck.Apple distanced themselves from aftermarket upgrades when they first released the firmware, warning users that they had “not qualified or offered these drives for Mac notebooks” and that “their use is unsupported.” That seems to mean they won’t fix the issue under warranty: many who have contacted Apple Stores or technical support regarding the firmware issues have been told that “Apple is not responsible for maintaining compatibility with third-party aftermarket hardware with their firmware updates.” However there is also talk that Apple Store “Geniuses” can roll back the firmware if there was a problem during the upgrade itself, though not otherwise.
SlashGear stopped by the Pepcom Digital Experience in New York this week, and caught up with one of the more interesting netbooks on the horizon: Lenovo’s S12. While it may physically resemble one of the company’s previous models, albeit with a larger 12.1-inch display, what makes the S12 really special is the NVIDIA Ion chipset inside. The demonstration – which you can see after the cut – showed silky-smooth simultaneous HD encoding and playback.
In fact, the Lenovo S12 was using its HDMI port to output 1080p content onto a big-screen HDTV while also re-encoding a 1080p clip into an iPhone-friendly format. Both moved on at a fair clip, and the playback was completely smooth and unaffected by the encoding process.
When you consider that the S12 is otherwise pretty much identical to a mainstream netbook today, it’s all the more impressive. As well as Ion there’s a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM and up to 320GB hard-drive, together with WiFi, Bluetooth and an ExpressCard slot. Full specifications are here. The Lenovo S12 with NVIDIA Ion is expected to go on sale this month, priced at $499.99; cheaper models, lacking Ion, will start at $449.99.
In fact, the Lenovo S12 was using its HDMI port to output 1080p content onto a big-screen HDTV while also re-encoding a 1080p clip into an iPhone-friendly format. Both moved on at a fair clip, and the playback was completely smooth and unaffected by the encoding process.When you consider that the S12 is otherwise pretty much identical to a mainstream netbook today, it’s all the more impressive. As well as Ion there’s a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM and up to 320GB hard-drive, together with WiFi, Bluetooth and an ExpressCard slot. Full specifications are here. The Lenovo S12 with NVIDIA Ion is expected to go on sale this month, priced at $499.99; cheaper models, lacking Ion, will start at $449.99.
I’ve no doubt this video will be all over the place before long (if it isn’t already) but we’re suckers for transforming tech here at SlashGear. Apparently created for the French postal service, to publicize their new home printing service for shipping labels, it shows a MacBook option that, while cool, could get expensive after a while.
In the video, the user’s MacBook transforms into a Star Wars-esque spacecraft after he attempts to organize a shipment, complete with Transformers-style robotic noises. It’s not the first time we’ve seen such adverts – Citroen’s C4 commercials are a good prior example – but we still love them.
Perhaps even funnier are the discussions the video prompted in the 9to5Mac comments, about how this isn’t actually a real MacBook (pre-transformation, of course). It has the screen bezel of a pre-unibody model, but the keyboard of a newer machine.
In the video, the user’s MacBook transforms into a Star Wars-esque spacecraft after he attempts to organize a shipment, complete with Transformers-style robotic noises. It’s not the first time we’ve seen such adverts – Citroen’s C4 commercials are a good prior example – but we still love them.Perhaps even funnier are the discussions the video prompted in the 9to5Mac comments, about how this isn’t actually a real MacBook (pre-transformation, of course). It has the screen bezel of a pre-unibody model, but the keyboard of a newer machine.
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