Todays & Tomorrows Technology

While you’re waiting for iPhone OS 3.0 to download, sit back and watch AT&T backpedal. The carrier has announced new upgrade pricing for the iPhone 3G S, in response to complaints from iPhone 3G users. Now, iPhone 3G users who would be eligible to upgrade in July, August or September this year may now have access to AT&T’s “best upgrade pricing” from Thursday June 18th. They’ve also confirmed that the iPhone’s MMS functionality will arrive in late Summer, and they’ll be charging exactly the same per MMS message as they currently do for SMS text messages.

That basically means that, if you’re a high-spending customer (e.g. you give AT&T more than $99 per month) and would generally be allowed to upgrade 12 or 18 months into a contract, you may be allowed to buy the iPhone 3G S 16GB for $199 or the 32GB version for $299. That’s as opposed to paying $399 and $499 respectively, as is the “normal” early upgrade price.

If you’ve already pre-ordered the iPhone 3G S then AT&T will either reduce the price when you pick the handset up in store, or – if it’s shipped direct to you – they’ll email you with a credit code. You’ll be able to find out if you’re eligible for the new pricing from tomorrow, either by logging in to AT&T’s site or calling them up.

You wanted cut & paste, you wanted better search and you wanted landscape-mode QWERTY: Apple have delivered it all. iPhone OS 3.0 has been released, and you’re a 230MB download away from it.
The upgrade is free for iPhone and iPhone 3G users, and will come as standard on the new iPhone 3G S when that launches this Friday. It’s also available for iPod touch owners, but they’ll be charged $9.95 for the privilege.

As you might expect, Apple’s servers are currently under huge strain, and speeds are right down. To update, hook up your iPhone or iPod touch to iTunes and hit the update button; we’re doing the same, so let us know how you get on in the comments.

When Fujitsu-Siemens announced they’d be making a netbook, many ears pricked up. The company has a long history of ultraportable devices, and still makes one of the more appealing UMPCs; many hoped some of that innovation would follow through to the Amilo Mini Ui 3520. One landed on the SlashGear test bench recently, and we thought it only fair to put it through its paces.
Back when the first in-the-wild shots of the Amilo Mini emerged, we admired its Stormtrooper-esque design and compact size. In the plastic, it has a semi-gloss finish that does a reasonable job of avoiding fingerprint smudges, plus you can replace the lid cover for alternative colors. Fujitsu-Siemens pre-fit the white and include a burgundy red cover (and will sell you additional options) but we can’t seem most people swapping even semi-frequently, if at all.

Ports include two USB 2.0 sockets, audio in/out, VGA, a multiformat card-reader, ethernet and a 34mm ExpressCard slot. The latter may find favor with mobile users toting ExpressCard 3G modems, but the specs of the Amilo Mini undermine anything more serious such as high-quality sound cards or TV tuners. More disappointing is the keyboard and trackpad, neither of which is especially appealing. The trackpad is an okay size, if a little small, but the buttons not only flank it but have angled cut-outs at the bottom, presumably for stylistic reasons. In reality, though, it simply makes them harder to press.
As for the keyboard, that’s cramped and shows surprising quantities of flex. Considering this is an 8.9-inch netbook, the ‘board is more the size you might find on an original 7-inch Eee PC. It feels cheap, and that’s at odds with the rest of the chassis which is of reasonable quality. Above it, the screen has a sizable bezel, which has the end result of making the panel itself look smaller. Still, it’s relatively clear and bright, and lacks the gloss finish that many find frustrating. It runs at 1024 x 600 resolution.

Inside, there’s the usual Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, paired with 1GB of DDR2 RAM and a rather paltry 60GB PATA hard-drive. An 80GB drive is an option, but still only half the size of what’s available as standard on rival machines. Graphics are courtesy of Intel’s GMA 950M chipset, and the OS is Windows XP Home. Both WiFi b/g and Bluetooth are standard fit.

Performance from the Atom processor is never going to be something to write home about, but Fujitsu also allow you to underclock it some more. They call this “Silent Mode”, and it basically limits CPU and GPU speed so as to reduce the need for a noisy fan; in reality, we noticed little difference between the two either in performance or sound. Memory and CPU benchmarks proved roughly on a par with other N270/1GB machines, but the Amilo Mini’s PATA hard-drive let it down compared to SATA or SSD based rivals. Still, you’re unlikely to be asking too much performance from the netbook, and the payoff is a slightly cheaper sticker-price.
Battery life from the 2,200mAh Li-Ion pack was roughly three hours of video playback with the screen brightness at half; turning off the WiFi/Bluetooth extended that, and the display remains usable even notched down close to its minimum backlight. Alternatively, ramp it all the way up and ask some heavy crunching of the N270 and you’ll drain it after just a couple of hours.

The Fujitsu Amilo Mini Ui 3520 is certainly distinctive in its looks, and it’s reasonably compact and sturdy, but the tricky touchpad buttons and dire keyboard undermine its abilities. Standard Bluetooth and the ExpressCard slot will have appeal for some users, and the relatively small hard-drive may not, considering most usage scenarios for netbooks, actually be too much of an impediment, but there are other machines we’d reach for before the Fujitsu. The upside is, of course, the price: right now, you can pick up the Ui 3520 from around £245 ($398) online, though that’s still more expensive than the older (but similarly specified) 8.9-inch Acer Aspire One. If it were our money, we’d go for the Acer.

It doesn’t take much to differentiate your netbook, what with most sharing the same hardware, so Pegatron have managed to surprise and delight by slapping Yahoo!, Google, MSN and Skype keys on their Vivid prototype. To be honest, though, they didn’t need to bother: all they needed to highlight was the fact that this is one of the rare machines with NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset.


Spotted at Computex a few weeks back, the Vivid also has a matte-finish display and an integrated battery. The speakers are squeezed into a metal-mesh cylinder in the hinge, and there’s the usual array of audio in/out and USB ports.

The Vivid also runs a full version of FireFox and can play YouTube video. As well as having the long runtime promised by Tegra, it can also output 1080p through the HDMI port. Still no word on when we can see the Pegatron Vivid on shelves; we’re also hoping it’ll come in a few different colors.

ASRock have announced a new ultraportable, the Multibook G22, and while from the outside this might look like a standard netbook its specs make it something more unusual. Not only does the 12.1-inch 1366 x 768 G22 have an integrated DVD Supermulti drive, but it uses Intel’s dual-core Atom 330 processor paired with NVIDIA’s Ion graphics chipset.

Atom-aficionados will know that the 330 is more usually found in nettops, and that Intel never really intended it to be used in portables. Here, the 1.6GHz CPU is paired with 2GB of DDR2 RAM (up to 4GB is supported), a 320GB hard-drive (up to 500GB supported) and of course the 1080p-capable NVIDIA Ion. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n and gigabit ethernet, plus Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and there are VGA, HDMI, audio in/out, ethernet, modem and three USB 2.0 ports.

The trackpad recognizes multitouch gestures including pinch-zooming and chiral-rotating. Throw in a 10-in-1 memory card reader, 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo speakers and a microphone, and you’ve pretty much summed up the Multibook G22. No word on where it’ll launch, nor for how much, but it’s certainly unusual enough for us to keep an eye out for.

LG have announced a new QWERTY smartphone, and it looks as though they’ve been cribbing some design ideas from Nokia. The LG GW550 runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and has a 2.4-inch QVGA display, 3-megapixel camera and 7.2Mbps HSDPA / 2Mbps HSUPA with support for the 850/1900/2100MHz bands.

Otherwise there’s quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, stereo speakers and a 1,300mAh battery. Up front there’s a VGA-quality camera for video calls, and the whole thing measures 116.3 x 61.5 x 12 mm.

No word on when we could see the LG GW550, nor for how much, and nor indeed where – LG are keeping such details to themselves. However given the OS we’d presume it’ll be launching sometime soon, over the summer, before Microsoft release Windows Mobile 6.5.

Chalk this one up under the “big rumor” heading for the moment, but a moderator at the Vodafone View forums has claimed that the carrier will be releasing a “Nokia N97 Mini” in Ireland later this year. The phone is described as “competitively” priced, which the moderator suggests will “appeal to a wider segment of customers”; as such, the Nokia N97 will not be launched in Ireland.

No other details regarding the “N97 Mini” have been disclosed, but if authentic it is presumably a simpler version of the N97 which has just launched in the US. You can see our video unboxing and hands-on gallery of the Nokia N97 here.

The moderator goes on to confirm that Vodafone Ireland will not be be offering the Palm Pre, due to another carrier having exclusivity. It’s unstated, but previous rumors have tipped rival O2 as clinching the Pre. Finally, it’s confirmed that the BlackBerry Storm 2 is coming to Vodafone Ireland as well, though there’s no word on exactly when that might happen.

Shuttle have announced a new barebones mini-PC, the SA76G2, designed for AMD socket AM3 processors and capable of taking up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM. The 30 x 20 18.5 cm enclosure is backward compatible with AM2 and AM2+, and comes complete with ATI Radeon 3000 onboard graphics.
That graphics chipset is capable of driving two separate displays, and a PCI Express 2.0 slot can take a separate graphics card and – if it’s by ATI – use SurroundView. Six USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out, PS2, VGA and DVI are standard, plus there are mainboard connectors for a further four USB 2.0, two COM, one parallel and S/PDIF digital audio out.

The Shuttle SA76G2 comes with a 250W PSU and heatpipe cooling, and has all the necessary cabling pre-routed inside. It’s available now, priced at €191 ($265).

Say what you like about the Pre, Palm aren’t holding back when it comes to positioning their new smartphone in the best possible way. After Apple released a support note warning non-iPod users (e.g. Palm Pre owners) that their ability to sync with iTunes could be broken with future software updates, Palm have described such an action as “a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience.”
“Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and, because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players.” Apple

Indeed, Palm are of the opinion that locking the Pre out of iTunes would only damage Apple’s reputation. Their argument is the same as was suggested when the iTunes announcement was first made: that Apple will appear petty if they move to limit access to the software.

“Palm’s media sync works with the current version of iTunes. If Apple chooses to disable media sync in a future version of iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we could consider.” Lynn Fox, spokesperson, Palm

The Pre presents itself to iTunes as a basic iPod, not as some sort of third-party device; to prevent that, Apple would have to specifically identify the smartphone during the connection process and single it out. Whether they’re willing to do that to protect their software remains to be seen: while it would stop Palm from piggybacking on iTunes, it would also likely push users away from the iTunes Store altogether. Any third-party application Palm decided to implement would probably use Amazon’s MP3 download service, a client for which is already loaded on the Pre.

LG Display’s 15-inch OLED TV prototype will launch in Korea as early as December, according to Won Kim, the company’s VP of OLED sales and marketing. According to Kim the 15-inch TV, which was first shown back in January and tipped for a 2009 launch in April, will arrive in December or January, though it’s unclear which brand will be offering it.

A global launch will follow on from Korean availability, as LG Display’s manufacturing scales up. The company is already selling mobile-phone scale OLED panels to two unspecified brands in Korea; ironically, though, LG’s own cellphone arm have decided not to use OLED at present, citing high cost and sub-230ppi resolution as their main concerns.

Kim also revealed that the company has no current plans to move into OLED lighting, and that while their flexible-OLED project with UDC continues it’s targeted initially at military applications. As for the OLED TV, no confirmed specifications but the original prototype ran at 1366 x 768 resolution and offered 1,000,000:1 contrast; we’ll have to wait and see what price-tag it carries.

Windows 7’s native support for multitouch is well known, but if Microsoft thought that would be another knife into Linux then they should prepare for disappointment. A French development group at ENAC have developed native multitouch using Linux 2.6.30, supporting the usual swipe, flip, rotate and pinch-resize gestures.


While multitouch can be baked into Linux using the MPX system integrated into X.Org server v7.5, which offers multiple independent pointers at the windowing system level, the ENAC version actually sends events from the OS kernel. The ENAC code is also more flexible, using general libraries so as to be usable in more Linux versions: co-developer Mohamed-Ikbel Boulabiar expects it to be included in Google’s Android stack.

The upshot of this is that netbooks, nettops and notebooks that have multitouch-capable touchscreens won’t be limited to Windows 7 for their functionality. Linux’s market share is already down to a small minority of netbook/nettop implementations, and analysts suggested that Windows 7’s arrival could have squeezed that even further. With native multitouch support, Linux could well fight back against that prediction.

PopcornHour have revealed their latest media streamer, the C200, and compared to the previous-gen models it’s a significant step up. As well as a new 667MHz processor, the Sigma SMP8643, the PopcornHour C200 gets an HDMI 1.3 port, two SATA connectors, and a user-accessible drive bay for a HDD, DVD or Blu-ray drive.

Slotting in a Blu-ray drive either requires an internal hard-drive or 1GB USB drive be attached, but we imagine most owners will do the former anyway as it seems a shame not to use the C200 to its full extent. Connectivity includes four USB 2.0 (plus another inside), component/S-Video/composite video, stereo analog audio and S/PDIF optical and coaxial digital audio, gigabit ethernet and a miniPCI card slot that’s intended for an optional draft-n WiFi card.

The standard remote uses 2.4GHz RF, though an IR version is available, and the list of codecs the C200 supports is so long it’d probably be quicker to say what it doesn’t play. There’s also RSS and web video/audio/image support, including YouTube, Flickr and Veoh. No word on pricing or availability, but this is one very capable machine.

Update: According to the press release, below, the PopcornHour C200 will be available in July 2009, priced at $299.

If the thought of remotely controlling you Rovio robot webcam from a cellphone is appealing, but you don’t have a BlackBerry, then AndRovio may be the solution. Poignant Projects’ app runs on Android devices, and allows full control of Rovio including live webcam viewing, camera position control and snapshots.
As well as moving the Rovio around your home or office from wherever you have an internet connection, you’re also able to adjust the height of the webcam-neck, turn on or off the robot’s lights and set home points. There are also on-screen warnings should the WowWee robot’s IR obstacle detector spot anything in the way, plus you can capture snapshots from the camera and turn on a low-light mode.

A 3G connection is preferred, but AndRovio will work over EDGE if that’s all you’ve got. AndRovio is currently available to download through the Android Application Market, direct to your smartphone, priced at $0.99.

The iPhone Dev Team have released a video demo of their latest unlocking tools, including yellowsn0w, doing its magic on an iPhone 3G running OS 3.0 which is set to be released sometime in the next 24 hours. They’ve also revealed the development of a new tool, ultrasn0w, which they claim should be able to unlock any iPhone to-date, running any OS version.


yellowsn0w will get its release shortly after Apple push out iPhone OS 3.0 – the Dev Team are being cautious, so as not to give Cupertino’s engineers any time to scupper the jailbreak/unlock setup – but ultrasn0w won’t see daylight until Friday at the earliest. There’s no telling right now as to whether the iPhone 3G S can be jailbroken and then unlocked.

As ever, the tools to do all this will be free – if someone is trying to charge you, they’re not legit. In the video below, skip to around the two-minute mark to see the actual unlock demo.

The Acer Aspire One 531 range has finally reached the US, making its official appearance on the company’s regional website and even, we’re hearing, making it out to retailers. Several versions of the 10.1-inch netbook are available, including integrated 3G on two of the models.

Common to all versions is the Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, a 160GB hard-drive 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display, webcam and WiFi b/g. The Acer Aspire One Pro 531h-1791 throws 2GB of RAM and Windows XP Pro into the mix, while the Aspire One 531h-1440 and 531h-1766 get only 1GB of RAM and Windows XP home, but add integrated 3G. The only other difference between the two 3G-enabled models is the warranty: one year on the 1766 and two years on the 1440.

If bought with a two-year AT&T data plan, the 3G models can be had for as little as $150. Elsewhere, the AOP531h-1791 is listed at around $466.20 at PC Super Store, while the AO531h-1766 is listed at Amazon and Radioshack for around $449.99.

After mintpass’ English-language site was updated to include the mintpad ultra-portable MID earlier this week, speculation began that a launch in the US and/or Europe was imminent. SlashGear has been talking to mintpass as to the state of play, and it seems that while the mintpad hardware is basically ready for its English-language release, the thin-client UZard browser requires new server support.

To make browsing on the mintpad speedy, together with viewable on the device’s 2.86-inch display, it uses a server-based rendering engine that reformats pages to fit. According to our contact at mintpass, it’s reworking how the UZard server handles non-Korean websites that is causing part of the delays. The company is currently looking for regional partners for distribution and support.

Over at Pocketables, meanwhile, there’s news of 40 mintpad units available to bleeding-edge importers, priced at $169 plus shipping. These units don’t yet have an English-language browser, nor the Sapphire file manager (though you can mount the mintpad as an external drive) and Ad-hoc memo chatting isn’t supported, but Jenn claims all of these issues are expected to be resolved by June 30th.

Rumors that Microsoft were eying up the NVIDIA Tegra platform for an upcoming smartphone have circulated for some time now, but it seems the company’s new PMP may have beaten the cellphones to it. According to PC Perspective, NVIDIA have confirmed that the Zune HD will use the Tegra chipset for its 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen and 720p HDMI output.

In fact, they’ve been sitting on the news since Computex, seemingly unaware of how “news worthy” it was. There’s no official confirmation from either NVIDIA or Microsoft, and we’re not really expecting them to discuss it until closer to the Zune HD’s launch, but it would certainly make sense given Tegra’s graphics prowess and low-power demands.

The Zune HD has a 480 x 272 display, HD Radio receiver, WiFi and an internet browser based on Mobile Internet Explorer. According to the most recent rumors, it will arrive in the US on September 5th.

We’ve known Toshiba’s mini NB205 netbook was headed to the US since the beginning of the month, and the first units seem to be arriving. LaptopMag’s well-work test bench is one of the earliest recipients, and while the N280-based NB205 may be behind the curve when it comes to reaching the market, according to reviewer Joanna Stern it “rises above the competition”.
Singled out for particular praise are the “beautiful” design, “spacious keyboard” and “exemplary” battery life, which manages to reach an admirable 8.5hrs. There are also neat features such as the USB charging port which continues to supply power to peripherals even when the netbook is switched off.

Minor points of annoyance are the chunky screen bezel and the prolonged boot time. The 1.66GHz N280 Atom is never going to be a speed demon, but it puts in a decent performance overall. Considering the price – $399 for 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-drive, plus WiFi b/g – anybody desperate for a current-N-Series netbook should look at the NB205; those with room to wait, though, might want to see the first Atom N450 machines launching in Q4 2009.

Oh crippling disappointment, how we loathe you. According to Sony Ericsson’s Merran Wrigley, the imminent launch event in Singapore – which kicks off in around 30 minutes, at time of writing – is not, in fact, for the XPERIA X2’s triumphant reveal, but merely a regional recap to announce existing devices.

Those devices will include the Saito, the new brand for the Sony Ericsson Idou, together with the Aino and Yari devices announced at the same time in London. The company will also bring out their GreenHeart range, currently consisting of the C901 GreenHeart and Naite.

As for the new smartphone, Merran says “We’ll have some news on the X2 later in the year, but tomorrow’s event is not it.” That’s at least a roundabout suggestion that what we’ve been seeing so far is likely legitimate, but no comfort to anybody hoping for a launch in the next week or so.

Sony is showing off a new bluetooth mouse that’s super compact. It’s called the VGP-BMS10 and it’s made to go perfectly with the VAIO P ultraportable laptop. Now, apparently you can have the complete package.
The compact mouse has an aluminum cover that slides to switch it on and off. This also works to keep the scroll wheel protected when it’s not in use. Plus, buttons won’t be pressed and poked when the mouse is tucked away in your bag.

Other specs include an 800dpi laser with a 10-meter range, which is pretty good. You’ll be able to get the VGP-BMS10 in August for the equivalent of $67 in Japan. But it seems to work with Windows only.

Now this is pretty cool. The Scamander was built to go over anything and it truly lives up to its build promise. Peter Wheeler decided to make a car that could go anywhere and before he died, he saw his dream fulfilled.

It sports 35-inch tires, paddles on the rear wheels, individual braking systems, and a 2.0 litre Ford Zetec engine. He called it an “RRV” or a “rapid response vehicle” because it could change its function immediately for whatever you needed.

The body is constructed from foam plastic pods that are situated within the aluminum frame, making it aerodynamic and lightweight–perfect for those treks through the lake. It can hold four people and is really just about one of the coolest cars ever. Good on you Mr. Wheeler!

If you’ve been waiting around for a good pair of in-ear headphones to drop, then you might just be in luck with the latest from Altec Lansing. The Backbeat Pro earphones are now shipping and they look pretty slick, to boot.
Featuring neoprene ear tips, these headphones sport dual flanges for a comfortable fit that maximizes sound isolation. They work with just about any portable media player, so long as they have a 3.5mm audio jack.

The earpieces have an armature each. The company takes pride in the balance of these headphones, rather than over-the-top bass bumping. Available in gold and black you should be able to get your hands on the Backbeat Pro headphones shortly for $99.95.

Harmonix announced today that they will be releasing a new song update for their famous Rock Band game. The new addition is called the Rock Band Country Track Pack and it features 21 brand new songs to rock out to.

The new “Track Pack” will be available for all the major systems including PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the Wii. It features the hits from numerous country artists including Shania Twain and more.

You can get this song update starting on July 21 for $29.99. The complete track listing for the country-themed add-on follows:

1. Alan Jackson- “Good Time”
2. Brad Paisley- “Mud on the Tires”
3. Brooks & Dunn- “Hillbilly Deluxe”
4. Cross Canadian Ragwee- “Cry Lonely”
5. Dierks Bentley- “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)”
6. Dixie Chicks- “Sin Wagon ”
7. Drive-By Truckers- “3 Dimes Down”
8. Jason Aldean- “She’s Country”
9. Keith Urban- “I Told You So”
10. Kenny Chesney- “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy”
11. Kenny Rogers- “The Gambler”
12. Lucinda Williams- “Can’t Let Go”
13. Martina McBride - “This One’s For The Girls”
14. Miranda Lambert- “Gunpowder & Lead”
15. Montgomery Gentry- “Gone”
16. Rascal Flatts- “Me and My Gang”
17. Sara Evans- “Suds In The Bucket”
18. Shania Twain- “Any Man of Mine”
19. Steve Earle- “Satellite Radio”
20. Trace Adkins- “Swing”
21. Willie Nelson- “On the Road Again”

Garmin announced today new models for their Foretrex line, specifically the Foretrex 301 and the Foretrex 401. These models are wrist-mounted and offer a convenient GPS device on the go.
These devices are waterproof and meant for some serious wear and tear. They offer a USB interface, and can be used by the military, hikers or what have you. You can also save points on your trail using a feature called TracBack.

Other features include functions for military skydiving from planes as well as a barometric altimeter and electronic compass. We don’t know when these new Foretrex models will be released or how much they’ll cost, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Kingston announced a brand new flash drive series yesterday called the DataTraveler 200, which sports a 128GB capacity for the very first time. Other models are 32GB and 64GB, rounding out the line up nicely.
These flash drives feature added security by means of the Password Traveler software. Other specs include a capless design with a retractable USB connector. It’s also compatible with the ReadyBoost feature on Windows Vista.

These flash drives will work with both PCs and Macs. Available now, the 32GB, 64GB and 128GB DataTraveler 200 flash drives cost $120, $213 and $546, respectively.

Western Digital have announced their first range of self-branded solid-state drives (SSDs), the Western Digital SiliconDrive III series. Based on technology acquired in the company’s acquisition of SiliconSystems back in March, the new range consists of two 2.5-inch SSDs and a 1.8-inch model, boasting read speeds up to 100MBps and write speeds up to 80MBps.

The larger drives consist of SATA 3Gb/s and PATA ATA-7 versions, with capacities ranging from 30GB to 80GB. The former manages read/write rates of up to 100/85MB/s respectively, while the latter achieves 85/60MB/s respectively. As for the smaller, 1.8-inch drive, that too has a SATA 3Gb/s interface and read/write speeds of 100/80MB/s respectively; it’s available in capacities between 30GB and 60GB.

The drives also feature SiSMART technology, which monitors the SSD in real-time so as to alert the user of potential drive failure. No word on pricing or specific availability.

Sprint and Verizon may be keeping relatively quiet about the BlackBerry Tour 9630’s functionality, but unsurprisingly RIM themselves are pretty keen to get the news out there about exactly what their new “world phone” can do. The smartphone is primarily intended to use CDMA EVDO Rev.A connectivity, but it also packs UMTS/HSPA 2100MHz support and quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE for use when abroad.

Elsewhere there’s a 480 x 340 resolution display, 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and image stabilization, and 256MB of onboard storage with a microSD card to augment that. The Tour 9630 also has GPS with support for photo geotagging.

BlackBerry Maps is pre-installed, and there’s a mediaplayer with support for non-DRM iTunes synchronization. Bluetooth 2.0 including support for the A2DP stereo profile is there, plus a 3.5mm headphone socket, and there’s obviously the full QWERTY keyboard and trackball. RIM rate the battery life as good for up to 5hrs talktime or 14 days standby.

No specific release dates for the smartphone, but Sprint have suggested it will come “later this summer” priced at $199.99.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has reconfirmed his intention to put the retailers ebook titles on more devices, together with opening up the Kindle ebook reader range to more formats. The recently launched Kindle DX, which we reviewed last week, adds native PDF support; Bezos did not name specific file types, but it seems possible that future updates or new devices may be able to read other types of ebook file.

The move would be part of Bezos’ plan to treat the ebook and Kindle businesses as separate entities, rather than than have one subsidize the other as is the case with Apple’s iPod and iTunes store relationship. It would also see more flexibility in how users could read Amazon ebooks; currently there is a client for the iPhone and iPod touch, but that looks set to spread to other mobile devices.

Bezos also obliquely commented on one of our Kindle DX criticisms, the high sticker price. Talking about subsidized devices tied into a certain number of downloads or a monthly tariff, he said that he wasn’t opposed to such a scheme if enough customers requested it; however he prefers the “cognitive simplicity” of people buying a Kindle and then choosing to use it or not.

A new Samsung PMP has been leaked, courtesy of online retailer Play. The Samsung YP-R1 has a 2.7-inch WQVGA (400 x 240) touchscreen and 8GB of onboard storage, and supports not only standard headphones via a 3.5mm jack but Bluetooth cans thanks to the A2DP profile.

Update: The above Play link still works, but a new listing for a 16GB version of the YP-R1 has been added, with an MRSP of £179.99 ($296) and a sales price of £129.99 ($214) – thanks Sebastiano!

Other specifications include an FM radio and ebook reader, together with games support. There’s a fair chunk of codec support in there too, with the YP-R1 coping merrily with MP3, WMA, OGG, ACC, FLAC, WAV and ASF audio files and MPEG-4, WMV, H.264, RMVB, DivX and Xvid video files. It’ll also show JPEG, BMP, PNG and GIF images.

A TV output wraps up the main abilities, and transfers are via USB though there’s no word on whether the YP-R1 uses a proprietary port or a standard mini or microUSB connector. We’ll keep out fingers crossed for the latter. The Samsung YP-R1 8GB is set to arrive on July 30th, with an MRSP of £149.99 ($247); Play are listing it for £109.99 ($181), however.

Security researchers are claiming to have found a way to run non-approved code on iPhones that have not been jailbroken. Charles Miller, a principal analyst at Independent Security Evaluators, and Vincenzo Iozzo, a student at the University of Milan in Italy, have discovered “more than one” technique for loading an application into a factory iPhone as a non-executable chunk of data, which then flicks over to an executable and could potentially be used to monitor the smartphone, listen in on calls or harvest user data.

“If you want to attack iPhones, you have to be able to run code to do whatever it is you want to do. Maybe that is grabbing credentials, maybe it is listening into phone calls, maybe it is turning on the microphone. Who knows? But this all requires that you be able to run code” Charles Miller

Unlike jailbreaking an iPhone, which usually requires physical access to the handset, this new system will work remotely. Apple’s security software – which was bolstered for the launch of the App Store, to prevent copied or pirated apps from being used – usually prevents such exploits, but Miller and Iozzo found several loopholes.

The attack will be demonstrated at the Black Hat Conference in Las Vegas next month. At present it works with iPhone OS 2.0, which is the version Miller and Iozzo developed it on; they’re unclear whether Apple will have addressed the exploit in iPhone OS 3.0, which is set for release on June 17th.

Autonomous, intelligent robots are great, but when they look like classic Transformers characters they’re even better. The handiwork of Mellon University’s Tekkotsu lab, the Chiara Robot has six independent legs, a claw arm with six degrees of freedom, and a combination of webcam and IR rangefinder for spotting objects and obstacles. Even better, this is no simple lab project: the Chiara Robot will actually be manufactured and sold by RoPro Design.

The brain of the Chiara is a 1GHz Pico-ITX board, with 1GB of RAM and an 80GB hard-drive. It’s loaded with Ubuntu and has the usual USB, ethernet and WiFi b/g connectivity, meaning you can remotely monitor and control Chiara together with allow the robots to communicate between themselves.

Chiara will be supplied assembled, and the development framework is written in C++ with integrated vision and kinematics, teleoperation and monitoring support. No word on when exactly the commercial version will ship, nor for how much, but it’s listed as “coming soon”.

Sony Japan have announced a new range of B-series Walkman PMPs, in the shape of the NWZ-B142F(JE). Not a snappy title, but the PMP claims to make finding the track you want more straightforward courtesy of its ZAPPIN feature, that runs through your music playing a five-second snippet from the middle of the song.

That won’t take all that long, since the NWZ-B142F(JE) Walkman only has 2GB of onboard memory. If audio previews aren’t your thing, then there’s a three-line monochrome LCD display, together with an FM radio. The battery is rated for up to 18hrs of music playback, and a three-minute “quick charge” is good for 90 minutes of runtime.

Other features include an equalizer, 30 radio presets, voice and radio recording, bass enhancement and support for MP3 and WMA files. File transfer is drag-and-drop over USB 2.0, and the whole thing weighs just 26g. It’s listed as “coming soon” but there’s no pricing information.

Garmin-ASUS intend to launch the nuvifone G60 by the end of 2009, with some markets expected to see the GPS-centric handset as early as August. That’s the latest news from Garmin’s regional director for Southeast-Asia sales, Hektor Tung, who has also revealed that the partnership plan to ditch their home-grown Linux OS after the G60 and move instead to Android.
Such a move would leave Garmin-ASUS offering just two platforms, Windows Mobile on the nuvifone M20, and Android on their undisclosed open-OS smartphones. The pair have previously blamed the nuvifone G60’s delay on the complexities of new hardware and custom software, something which they’re obviously hoping to bypass in a switch from their own OS to Android.

Earlier rumors suggested that the first Android device would arrive in Q1 2010; however that schedule has apparently been moved up so that the handset would launch by the end of 2009. No further details regarding the device have been released.

In-the-wild photos of Dell’s upcoming Latitude Z600 notebook have emerged, and while there are no solid specifications known at present, it’s looking to be an interesting portable. The Z600 is tipped as having a 15-inch display, while the logos suggest Intel’s Centrino platform serves up the underlying grunt.

There’s also a fingerprint scanner, webcam and an oddly angled rear section that holds the ethernet port. Ports include USB 2.0 and DisplayPort; we’d expect there to be WiFi and Bluetooth inside, too.

No news on when we might see an official reveal from Dell for the Latitude Z600, but with units in the wild it seems only a matter of time until the spec sheet is confirmed. More photos of the notebook in the gallery below.