Todays & Tomorrows Technology

Two Gartner analysts have lent their weight to ARM processors and the Google Android platform as potential players in netbooks and smartbooks, tipping the pairing as possibly headed for prime time. While they recognized that Android still needs fettling for the larger displays and broader usage patterns of a netbook-style device, Christian Heidarson and Ben Lee, analysts at Gartner, nonetheless praised its “snappy” performance on ARM-based sub-notebooks.

The various Android netbooks and smartbooks demonstrated at Computex 2009 are held up as examples of the development from smartphone to larger device for the platform. Of course, it’s not only ARM that Android can be adapted for; Acer have been working with a Linux developer in Taiwan to port Android to x86 processors, such as Intel’s Atom, for their upcoming netbook.

Of course, there’s a big leap from snappy performance to an appealing platform, and that’s something that Linux still needs to address for mainstream users. Sales figures of Windows and non-Android Linux netbooks suggest that buyers are willing to put up with slower performance in return for the familiarity and app-flexibility of Microsoft-based devices. Internet browsing, while perhaps the netbook’s primary purpose, is not all the budget ultraportables are used for; similarly, the absence of Flash support for ARM processors could prove a major stumbling block for an audience used to streaming video content.

You might not realize it, but you’re probably sleeping wrong. Thankfully Zeo are around to tell you the error of your ways, and since we won’t take anybody seriously unless we’re paying them a subscription and they’re offering us a wireless-enabled alarm with LCD display, that’s part of the deal too. Measurements are taken via a headband you wear during the night, which sends data to the alarm and rates your quality of sleep as a “ZQ” number.

ZQ is affected by how long you stay in REM phase sleep, deep sleep or light sleep. Those ZQ readings are stored on an SD card, which you can upload to Zeo’s website. The team there will then give you daily email guidance – or “personal sleep coaching” – suggesting ways in which you can improve your bedtime performance. Since the measurements are tracked and displayed every day, Zeo suggest you can use them to try out different relaxation techniques and instantly see what impact they have.

The Wall Street Journal’s Melinda Beck tried it out, and seemed impressed; however, she points out that Zeo have only apparently trialled the system on around 140 people so far. That means you’re basically paying to be a beta tester, and it doesn’t come cheap: the $399 sticker of the Zeo system includes six months of “coaching”; another six months is a further $99.

Olympus’ E-P1 Micro Four Thirds digital camera is expected to make its official debut on Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to hear about the appealing snapper today if we can. The E-P1 is, according to the latest spec-leak, expected to have a 13-megapixel sensor, 200-6400 ISO range and 60-1/4000 shutter speed, together with supporting 720p video recording.
According to the leak, the E-P1 will support up to 7 minutes of 720p recording or up to 14 minutes of 480p resolution recording. Stills can be captured in RAW, JPEG or RAW + JPEG formats, and there’s a Liveview LCD with electronic shake correction.

Eleven-area autofocus round out the leak. It’s expected to be priced at ¥90,000 ($917) for the kit, with a bundle including both 17mm and 14-42mm lenses coming in at ¥130,000 ($1,324). Alternatively the 17mm lens is believed to be priced at ¥10,000 ($101) while the 14-42mm version is ¥35,000 ($356).

The 11.6-inch netbook/CULV segment continues to look to be the next area of growth in budget ultraportables, as display panel manufacturer Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) are tipped to have secured orders with both Dell and Samsung. The company has been demonstrating the 11.6-inch panel along with a 13.3-inch version intended for CULV machines at the Display Taiwan 2009 expo.

Also on show have been 3D-capable panels and a multitouch display intended for netbooks. No word on whether they have been picked up by manufacturers yet.

The 11.6-inch CPT display, like most of its size, runs at 1366 x 768 resolution. It has a 220 cd/m2 brightness rating and 3.6W power consumption; CPT expect it to go into mass production come July 2009, though there’s no word on when we can expect to see the Samsung and Dell machines using it.

Hacking the Pre isn’t just about running Doom on the smartphone: it also promises to unlock currently forbidden functionality such as tethering. The Pre Dev Wiki had been one such team working on that, but after a “polite” warning from Palm themselves have ceased publicly discussing it: it seems Palm is concerned, not that webOS might be modified, but that Sprint may demand the manufacturer step in and prevent users overstepping their contracts.
Sprint do not currently offer a tethering option for the Pre, and as such attempting to use it as an external 3G modem for a laptop or other device would contravene a subscriber’s contract. If that happened, Palm obviously expect the carrier to turn up on their doorstep looking for the hackers responsible to be curtailed, something Palm doesn’t seem particularly concerned about doing themselves.

Of course, we’ve already seen one hack of the Sprint CDMA Pre which bypassed the carrier’s activation and turned it into a WiFi-only device. That can’t be something Sprint would find particularly appealing either, especially if it’s as easy as reported. This seems a fine line for Palm to be walking: they seem to recognize that supporting – or at least not hindering – fan community tinkering can in fact boost the profile and appeal of a new platform, as happened with the original iPhone, but they of course have to keep on the good side of their carrier partners.

Video game hating ex-attorney Jack Thompson has finally made himself useful, with a copy of his book “Out of Harm’s Way” providing the donor housing for a rather nifty PS2 case-mod. Mattigus of the Halflife2.net forums is the modder in question, who bought a copy of Thompson’s book on eBay and stuffed his working PS2 inside.

The book actually came from a library sale on the online auction site, and the library card inside suggests that nobody actually checked it out. Happily it also means that Thompson didn’t receive another royalty check for the sale, though going by the wealth of one star reviews on Amazon – “Jack Thompson writes as if English were a second language to him” – there are plenty of people who actually paid for the book who would like a refund.

A row of pennies stuck to the underside of the front cover provides it with enough weight to keep it closed. Mattigus’ first act on completing the mod was, ironically, playing Grand Theft Auto III.

D-Link have announced two new network webcams which promise plug-and-play remote viewing using the company’s online streaming portal. The D-Link Network Camera DCS-1100 launches today, while the DCS-1130 – with WiFi draft-n – arrives later in the month.

Both cameras can be accessed from any browser by going to D-Link’s mydlink.com portal. However they can also be used to stream live video to cellphones, with sound from the integrated microphone and remote control of 16x digital zoom and motion detection.

Setting up the cameras is reportedly as straightforward as entering its unique ID code into the web account. Streams can be shared, though at present only Internet Explorer is supported; D-Link claim other browsers will be added shortly.

The D-Link DCS-1100 is available now, with an MRSP of $179.99. Meanwhile the DCS-1130 is expected to ship at the end of June 2009 with an MRSP of $219.99.

MacBook Pro confusion this weekend, as some owners of the new unibody 13- and 15-inch notebooks are reporting that their machines are apparently limited to 1.5Gb/s SATA connections rather than the faster 3.0Gb/s SATA-II. Full details are unclear, but it seems that Apple have either switched to SATA hardware or used firmware for the newest MacBook Pros that limits hard-drive connections to the slower speed.

The move has the most impact on those who upgraded to the SSD option in their new MacBook Pro. Regular hard-drives, which the notebooks are both fitted with as standard, will prove unaffected, as the read/write speeds of the drive are slower than SATA. However SSDs, which can manage higher sustained read rates, are clocking in with lower speeds compared to previous-generation MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

Any impact on real-world performance, however, is unknown. Transferring files to external drives would be limited by the USB/Firewire connection rather than the choice of SATA or SATA-II. It’s possible that a new firmware update could “unlock” the faster connectivity, but so far Apple have not publicly commented.

Samsung have officially announced the Omnia Pro B7610 in Korea, alongside their I7500 Android smartphone (aka the Samsung Galaxy), the Omnia B7320 and the 12-megapixel Pixon 12 M8910. Full specifications are still yet to be confirmed, though we’ve previously heard that the Omnia Pro has a 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen running at WVGA resolution, HSPA and WiFi connectivity, and a 5.1-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash.

The phone is believed to run Windows Mobile 6.1, with an upgrade for Windows Mobile 6.5 when Microsoft release the new OS, and have Samsung’s own GUI overlay with switchable “Pro” and “Media” modes. There’s also Bluetooth, A-GPS, 1GB of onboard storage and a microSDHC slot content with up to 32GB cards.

Still unclear is availability and pricing, beyond a launch in the second half of 2009. Some rumors have suggested that the Omnia Pro B7610 could drop as early as August, however.

Intel’s upcoming CPU plans continue to leak out, with motherboard manufacturers apparently tipping a new entry-level Celeron range in Q3 2009 together with a new Core i7 processor in Q4. The Intel Celeron E3000 series will replace the existing E1000 series, and initially consist of 45nm 2.4GHz and 2.5GHz chips. As for the performance chip, that will be the 3.2GHz Core i7 960.

The E3000 Celeron processors will each have 1MB of L2 cache, an 800MHz FSB and 65W TDP. The E3200 will run at 2.4GHz while the E3300 will run at 2.5GHz, and both will support VT-x virtualization. That means Windows 7’s XP Mode will run.

According to the unspecified sources, Intel expect the new E3000 range to account for 10-percent of their entry-level CPU shipments in Q4 2009, rising to 21-percent in Q1 2010. Meanwhile the D410 nettop chip is predicted to capture 6-percent in the first-quarter next year, lagging behind the faster D510 with 25-percent.

As well as throwing WiMAX into select VAIO P models, Sony is also giving the Japanese version of their “don’t call it a netbook” a processor boost. Intel’s Atom Z550 - at 2.0GHz the fastest of the Z-range – is now an option, and going from the preliminary benchmarks it’s clear that this new iteration is the best VAIO P to date.

The Z550 VAIO P comes with a 64GB SSD – we’re expecting 128GB to be an option – and runs Windows Vista. Compared to the original VAIO P, the 1.33GHz 60GB HDD version still available in the US, it scores almost twice the CrystalMark points overall.

Even the SSD performs better in conjunction with the new chip, outperforming both the 64GB and 128GB solid-state drives in the 1.6GHz and 1.86GHz models. Unfortunately, the new VAIO P with the Z550 processor option is currently only available in Japan, and there’s no telling when it might cross over to the US or Europe.

Not exactly a huge surprise, given that it was spotted back at Computex earlier this month in both standard and integrated 3G forms, but ASUS have finally got official with their Eee PC 1101HA netbook. The 11.6-inch ultraportable shares the same “Seashell” stylings as the smaller Eee PC 1008HA and 1005HA, but uses Intel’s Atom Z520 1.33GHz processor and a WXGA 1366 x 768 display.

There’s also 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard-drive and both a full-size keyboard and trackpad. ASUS have also thrown in WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and the extra chassis-space has allowed them to squeeze in a full VGA port rather than the mini-version on the 1008HA. The whole thing measures 286 x 196 x 35.5 mm and weighs 1.38kg with its 6-cell battery.

Other ports include three USB 2.0, audio in/out and a multiformat memory card reader; OS is Windows XP Home. The ASUS Eee PC 1101HA will apparently go on sale in Europe from the end of June 2009, priced from €399 ($555); no word on when we can expect the 3G-enabled ASUS Eee PC 1101HGo, however.

If it feels like a long time since you first saw the Hillcrest Labs Loop Pointer, that’s because it has been. We first spotted the motion-sensitive ring controller back in November 2006, but the company has only now released it for direct consumer purchase. Your money gets you a wireless controller with four buttons and a scroll-wheel, that you tilt and gesture with to control your HTPC or presentation.


Initially intended as a concept device to showcase the company’s motion-sensing technology, the production Loop will support adaptive tremor removal which apparently monitors each user’s specific tremors and learns to ignore them. The controller is roughly the size of a DVD and weighs 4.9oz; it’s powered by two AA batteries, and has a range of up to 30 feet.

No specific drivers are required for PC or Mac, with the controller recognized as a standard mouse; all you need do is plug in the USB receiver. It’ll also work to navigate the PS3’s menus and control the Kodak Theatre HD Player. The Hillcrest Labs Loop Pointer is available now, with an MRSP of $99.

More on Samsung’s upcoming B7610 Louvre this morning, and the suggestion that in fact the handset is set to arrive as the Samsung Omnia Pro. New photos, including a live-shot of the smartphone, have emerged, together with specifications seemingly confirming the 3.5-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, HSDPA/HSUPA and WiFi connectivity, and a 5.1-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash.

While the Omnia Pro will run Windows Mobile 6.1 (with an upgrade to 6.5 once that’s released, unless Samsung postpone their launch until the new OS is available) it will also have different UIs to pick from: one “Pro” and one “Media” which presumably offers a more PMP-styled interface. There’ll also be a dedicated button to switch between them.

Other specifications include GPS, DLNA support, a TV-out connection, Bluetooth and FM radio, plus a microSDHC card slot (up to 32GB supported) and 1GB of onboard storage. The battery is tipped as a 1,500mAh pack, while the CPU is an unspecified 800MHz chip. DivX, WMV and H.264 acceleration is supported. There’s talk that the Samsung Omnia Pro will land in August 2009.

One blurry image does not a guaranteed product make, but according to the latest leak from Chinese forum PDAFans you’re looking at Dell’s upcoming Android smartphone. Looking like the bulk of a Palm Pre with the kick-out chin section of an HTC Magic, the unnamed smartphone is tipped to be launching by the end of 2009.

Other than the one picture, there are no details on possible specifications for the handset. However if authentic it’s likely to have a capacitive touchscreen and touch-sensitive controls in the lower-bezel to cover Android’s button requirements.

Dell’s imminent entrance to the smartphone market has been rumored for months, though the company themselves have been cagey about their plans. Back in March, Michael Dell confirmed that his company was working on “smaller screen” 3G devices, though declined to elaborate on whether that meant smartphones or WWAN-integrated netbooks.

Nokia have announced two new devices, the Nokia E72 messaging smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard, and the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, a touchscreen media-centric handset. The E72 succeeds the E71, and throws a 5-megapixel camera, 10.2Mbps HSDPA support, optical joystick and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack into the smartphone.
The E72 also gets the desktop-style email app from the E75 and homescreen IM access. There’s also a digital compass, A-GPS and integrated Nokia Maps, and if you find you’ve navigated yourself into a dark cupboard then there’s also a handy torch function. The E72 supports Exchange and various email and webmail providers, comes with Quickoffice (for Office 2007 support) and active noise cancellation.

As for the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, that’s a smaller derivative of the 5800 XpressMusic, with a 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash, WiFi, but no 3G support. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack, supplied 4GB memory card and new homescreen system that you can see demonstrated in the video below.

The Nokia E72 is expected to begin shipping late in Q3 2009, priced at €350 ($489); meanwhile the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic will also ship in Q3, priced at €199 ($278).