Barnes & Noble provided most of the specs for the Nook Color when it launched on the device on Tuesday, but notably absent was any word on the processor that powers the e-reader. Thankfully, Texas Instruments has now come out confirmed that the Nook Color uses its ARM Cortex A8-based, 45nm OMAP3621 processor (still no word on the speed). What's more, the processor is actually part of TI's eBook Development Platform, which the Nook Color also relies on. That's particularly interesting considering that the processor and platform support a few features that the Nook Color does not, not the least of which is 3G connectivity. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean we'll see a future Nook Color that takes advantage of those features, but at least we know it's not too much of a stretch for Barnes & Noble to add them.
As sure as the sun, Amazon's just announced it'll be bringing Kindle to the Windows Phone 7 platform sometime "in the coming months." The app was shown briefly today at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference (PDC 2010) and, based both on that and the official screenshot from Amazon's teaser page (above), it's definitely wearing that stylish WP7 aesthetic quite well. Press release after the break, and check out More Coverage for a couple screenshots from its PDC presentation (care of istartedsomething's Long Zheng and his Flickr account). And while you wait for its inevitable release, we have full confidence you'll be able to find another platform to enjoy your Kindle books. Trust us.
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Amazon to Launch Kindle App for Windows Phone 7
Free Kindle application extends Amazon's Buy Once, Read Everywhere approach, bringing over 725,000 Kindle Books to Windows Phone 7 Microsoft PDC10
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that Kindle for Windows Phone 7 will be the first major eBook application available for Windows Phone 7. Kindle for Windows Phone 7 will be released later this year, and includes the features customers love about all of the Kindle apps, plus new features built into a Kindle app for the first time, such as personalized book recommendations on your Kindle app home screen and the ability to send a book suggestion to a friend from any book in your library without leaving the app. Like all Kindle apps, Kindle for Windows Phone 7 will let customers Buy Once, Read Everywhere--on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, Android-based devices and in the coming months, on Windows Phone 7-based devices. Customers can sign up to be notified when the Kindle for Windows Phone 7 is available later this year at www.amazon.com/kindleforwindowsphone.
"We are pleased to be working with Amazon to launch Kindle for Windows Phone 7"
"When you buy a Kindle book, we make it easy for you to get your books on all of the devices you want to read on – your iPhone, iPad, Android-based device, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, and of course your Kindle, Kindle 3G and Kindle DX," said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle. "Kindle for Windows Phone 7 extends our vision of 'Buy Once, Read Everywhere.' The app is optimized for the unique user interface of Windows Phone 7, and will include our Whispersync technology, so you always have your library with you and never lose your place in a book as you switch between devices."
With Kindle for Windows Phone 7, readers will take advantage of the following features:
* Access to over 725,000 books in the U.S. Kindle Store – the largest selection of the most popular books that people want to read – including New Releases and 108 of this week's 111 New York Times Bestsellers. * With Kindle Worry-Free Archive, books purchased from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in a customer's Kindle library on Amazon, where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly for free, anytime. * Buy Once, Read Everywhere with the Kindle apps and devices. Amazon's Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. * Integrated shopping experience that allows customers to shop without leaving the app. * The opportunity to send an email to a friend with a link to the book you're reading or to any book in your library without leaving the app. * Customized reading, choosing from five different font sizes and three background colors. * The ability to read in portrait or landscape mode, and to turn pages by tapping on either side of the screen or flicking. * The option to try the beginning of a book for free before buying and to receive personalized recommendations on the home screen of your app.
Microsoft demonstrated Kindle for Windows Phone 7 for the first time today, live from its Bellevue campus, during the annual Microsoft Professional Developers Conference. "We are pleased to be working with Amazon to launch Kindle for Windows Phone 7," said Achim Berg, Corporate Vice President of the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft Corp. "We designed Windows Phone 7 to bring together a host of services and content - from Microsoft and third parties - in a way that seamlessly integrates the things you care about most, from movies to shopping and reading, and Amazon is key to delivering that experience to customers." To view today's demo of Kindle for Windows Phone 7, visit Microsoft News Center.
About Amazon
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle, Kindle 3G and Kindle DX are the revolutionary portable readers that wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle 3G and Kindle DX utilize the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.amazon.cn. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
After going most of the year with very little noise on the Nexus One's successor -- a phone Google has never committed to making, by the way -- we've gotten a handful of conflicting rumors about this thing in the past few days. Let's take a swipe at the buzz that's circulating this week:
British publication City A.M. says the Nexus Two is a Carphone Warehouse exclusive, will be released in time for the holidays, and probably won't be made by Samsung.
Android and Me is convinced that the Nexus Two will in fact be a Samsung product, will be announced at its November 8th press conference, will ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread (assuming 3.0 is Honeycomb), and will be available on multiple carriers.
Meanwhile, a quote from Google CEO Eric Schmidt from back in July may suggest there will be no Nexus One successor at all:
"The idea a year and a half ago was to do the Nexus One to try to move the phone platform hardware business forward. It clearly did. It was so successful, we didn't have to do a second one."
Of course, he goes on to say that the Nexus One's sudden sunset was a shining example of Google's "nimbleness" -- and since the quote is from nearly four months ago, there's little reason to doubt that the company could've easily done a 180 since then, particularly since we're sure they'd like to have a clean, skin-free, and possibly carrier-free device to showcase Gingerbread. At any rate, time's running out to get a product advertised and available in time to catch holiday buyers... so this'll all have to shake out pretty quickly.
Hate moving your body? Sony's been selling a 320GB PS3 bundled with a Move controller, PlayStation Eye, and Sports Champions for $400, but for you layabouts the 320GB model will soon be available all by itself. The steep $350 pricetag underlines how strongly Sony is subsidizing its Move paraphernalia -- are you really sure the opportunity to get off the couch isn't worth $50 to you? -- but at least it's nice to have the option. Compared to the $300 160GB it makes more sense: $50 for double the storage. Sony says the console is shipping the new standalone SKU to stores as we speak, so keep an eye out for shelves straining under the sheer weight of gigabytes at your local retailer over the next few days.
It's still a long way from the more budget-friendly model you may have been hoping for, but Bang & Olufsen has now at least introduced a smaller BeoVision LCD TV. That comes in the form of the company's new 32-inch BeoVision 10-32, which hangs onto many of the features of the other BeoVision 10 series TVs, including edge LED-backlighting, a DVB-HD module, and a pair of built-in speakers that B&O says offers a sound quality that is "quite superior compared to the market level for TVs of this size" -- you can even add your choice of one of two motorized stands. Just how much will it cost you? Try €4,000, or roughly $5,500. Full press release is after the break.
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Bang & Olufsen adds a 32-inch version to the praised BeoVision 10 family
With the new 32-inch version of the successful BeoVision 10, Bang & Olufsen once again excels in fitting great experiences into a compact and elegant design, making this TV an excellent choice for those who prefer a smaller screen, or desire superior sound and picture quality in all rooms of the house.
The launch of BeoVision 10-32 actually marks a new record for Bang & Olufsen, as it is the first time that the company has managed to introduce three members of a TV family within a year. The BeoVision 10 series is characterized by the idea of 'adding life to your wallpaper', and with the new 32-inch version, this integrated TV solution also appeals to an audience that loves great design, but wants a screen size that does not dominate the room.
32 inches of power and beauty
BeoVision 10-32 is based on the same chassis as the 40" and the 46" versions, and design-wise it adopts the same principles as its two larger siblings, only on a smaller scale. This includes a removable front fabric in a range of colours, and the unique, high-gloss polished aluminium frame that makes the TV appear even thinner than it is. The rear part is available in either black or white.
The 32-inch version is a full HD TV with an edge-type LED backlight, and it offers both Master Link connectivity and DVB-HD module. BeoVision 10-32 offers great versatility, and where the larger TVs of the family are aimed at the main living room, the 32-inch version will also be the perfect choice for the kitchen, the bedroom or the office.
BeoVision 10-32 includes a genuinely active, two-way loudspeaker system, which offers a sound quality that is quite superior compared to the market level for TVs of this size. It is more than sufficient for listening to music in other rooms than where the main loudspeakers are placed, but if the desire for sound or bass is higher than the integrated solution can offer, it is also possible to connect two extra loudspeakers and a subwoofer.
To accommodate its versatility, BeoVision 10-32 will offer a wide range of placement options, including motorized stands for floor and table placement, two different brackets for placement close to the wall, and one wall bracket that allows for manual turn and tilt functionality.
With BeoVision 10-32, Bang & Olufsen is now able to offer an even wider range of sizes in the popular family of TVs that truly complement, rather than contradict the home interior.
The kids at Eking don't always take due credit for their handiwork (they're usually busy manufacturing devices that get badged by companies like Viliv) but this time around they seem pretty proud of their S700 E-notepad. "A notepad," the company states in its PR, "means 'a memorandum' in English. With the prefix E, e-notepad means electron memorandum, abbreviated as electron book. It's concise and easy to understand and can be accepted by consumers." You get all that? It sports a color 7-inch display with both resistive touch input and an electromagnetic stylus (just like your old Wacom tablet), integrated 3G, fingerprint scanner, three megapixel camera, and a plastic case that looks similar to the one that came with our old Day Runner knock-off. And it's apparently a color display, because "multi-purpose colored electronic notepads will certainly replace the black and white E-books of simple features. It's a trend the same as that of the color TV sets replacing the black and white ones." Took the words right out of our mouth, Shenzhen PR guy! Not entirely sure on a price or release date for this one, but you'll know as soon as we do. Promise.
Update: Our old friend (and enthusiastic contributor) snoop_snoop dug one up on youbaonet.com for 4,000 Yuan (something like $600). Who's going to be the first one to throw down their credit card?
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The World's First E-notepad, EKING S700 is Born in China
BEIJING, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The world's first e-notepad which is mainly designed for mobile officing, has been successfully developed in China and will be on the market soon. This world's first e-notepad, named EKING S700, was developed and launched by China Shenzhen Guangxuntong Communication Technology Co., Ltd. ("Guangxuntong"). The EKING S700 is the world's first e-notepad with dual-mode input technologies of resistance touch control and electromagnetic induction touch control with built-in 3G function.
Innovative E-notepad
The E-notepad is an innovative product. At present the market is flooded with various Pads. Besides the iPad, there's APad, EPad, GPad and XPad, among others. All these Pads have a common ground as factory private brands, but not as any public category.
Different to the various Pads mentioned above, e-notepad is a new public category, but not a private brand. The concept of e-notepad is proposed by Guangxuntong. A notepad means "a memorandum" in English. With the prefix E, e-notepad means electron memorandum, abbreviated as electron book. It's concise and easy to understand and can be accepted by consumers. Besides, e-notepad has lots of differences with the aforementioned "Pad" in technology and applications.
A Professional Assistant for Mobile Officing
The EKING S700 has a similar appearance as a paper notebook, but it has a 7-inch screen and built-in 3G and Wifi functions. It is convenient for people to carry and use because it is thin and lightweight.
The EKING e-notepad is mainly designed for mobile officing; it is able to help people work more efficiently. It has various functions such as wireless internet surfing, handling e-mails, mobile OA, meeting minutes, original handwritten signatures, long-distance documentary approval, handwritten mails, scanning and managing name cards, editing documents, stock trading, GPS Navigation, reading e-books, magazines, newspapers and others. Furthermore, its video display, music player, games, instant messages and other entertainment functions allow people to relax after intense work.
Guangxuntong spent more than two years to research and develop its proprietary handwriting technology. Older handwriting technology requires transforming information into standard font to save. The input speed for this method is slow. Guangxuntong's original handwriting technology can record writers' calligraphy completely, support original handwritings and original handwriting storage, and it can help people to write smoothly and record in their original handwriting style. The EKING e-notepad unifies original handwriting technology, computer technology and wireless Internet technology; it has widespread applications in mobile officing fields, including meeting minutes, original handwriting signature, outdoor officing, long-distance document approval, hand-written mails, free hand sketches and so on.
To protect political and business secrets, Guangxuntong's e-notepad has adopted dual advanced security methods. First, the EKING e-notepad has an advanced fingerprint recognition system, preventing others from peeping or guessing passwords to open e-notepad without authorization. Second, it uses a military-grade safety and privacy system in the interior, preventing hackers' and virus' invasions, preventing important documents from being stolen, distorted or destroyed and guarding user information's confidentiality, integrity and usability.
The EKING E-notebook has an advanced function of recognizing and managing business cards. Business people can completely abandon the traditional time-consuming way of searching for name cards from now on because of this advanced function. The EKING e-notepad has a 3-megapixel automatic focusing camera which can promptly distinguish and collect name card information, as well as massively memorize and manage data by category. What is more advanced, the EKING e-notepad can select the right name card needed from hundreds or thousands of name cards.
Starting An Era of Colored Digital Reading
The EKING S700 is the World's first colored e-notepad. The colored digital reading era is coming.
It is known that E-books on the market can only display black and white images at present, that they can generally support only 8 gray scales displaying, and even the newest one can support just 16 gray scales. Typefaces are not very clear, and pictures are particularly fuzzy and distorted. All of this lessens the reading experience. In addition, even if color problems can be solved in the future, simple functions still have unavoidable severe problems.
The EKING S700 is not only colorful, but also powerful. The EKING e-notebook has been built with many legal colored books. An online bookstore provides thousands of hot books for downloading. Users may also access the website to read daily newspapers and the latest magazines. The EKING e-notepad displays magazines with the same effect as paper printing does. It can maintain works as they originally are and can ensure a better reading experience. It can be foreseen that multi-purpose colored electronic notepads will certainly replace the black and white E-books of simple features. It's a trend the same as that of the color TV sets replacing the black and white ones.
About EKING
The brand, EKING, which is owned by Shenzhen Guangxuntong Communication Technology Co., Ltd., is the most famous brand of Mobile Internet Devices in China. Guangxuntong is one of the most professional high-tech enterprises specializing in Mobile Internet Device with development, production and marketing service. They have successfully launched the E-KING series MID products and achieved a very good market response. In 2010, they launched an eco-friendly, secure, practical and innovative product, the EKING e-notepad, which supplies people with mobile officing and entertainment at anytime and anywhere.
If you would like to learn more about EKING, please visit their official website: http://www.ekingumpc.com/en
SOURCE Guangxuntong Communication Technology Co., Ltd.
As a whole, Motorola is no stranger to profit... thing is, Moto won't be "whole" for much longer, and when the split happens, we're sure it'd like all of its divisions to be profitable. The mobile unit, of course, has been the struggling one, trying to pull out of a multi-year post-RAZR nosedive under the leadership of CEO Sanjay Jha -- and it looks like his all-in bet on Android is starting to pay off at the bank on today's news that they've posted a non-GAAP operating profit of $3 million. Yes, sure, that's razor-thin when you consider that they sold some $2 billion worth of phones -- but these guys haven't seen black ink in three years, so it's definitely cause for celebration. Looking at the bigger picture, the entirety of Motorola posted non-GAAP earnings per share of 16 cents -- handily beating the estimate of 10 to 12 cents -- on sales of $5.8 billion. Not out of the woods yet, but certainly rolling toward the end of the year on a high note, we'd say.
We can't all have heads as amazing as Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, but this holiday season we can have pumpkins that are every bit as blinky. Mike Szczys has posted a detailed walkthrough of how to create the above Jack-o-creation at Hack a Day, which features a 5 x 14 matrix of LEDs on the front that can be programmed to light up in various ways, like the Knight Rider sweep or to simply scroll the message "HAPPY HALLOWEEN." That's shown in the video below, but hopefully version 2.0 can manage the tricks displayed in the second embed that's also waiting for you after the break.
So, what's a company to do when turning the big one-oh? The same thing that it always has, of course! Tivoli Audio's classic styling has somehow found its way back around again on the 10th anniversary Model 10 AM/FM clock radio, a highly compact music maker with a 7.8-inch cabinet, a pair of independent alarms (which can be set to music or a tone), inbuilt LCD and a menu screen with an adjustable backlight. As you'd expect, the pizazz is coming mostly in the form of exterior color options, with "furniture grade wood" being offered in walnut, cherry, blue, black and red. For the true historians, a Celebration Collection is available in light and dark aluminum wood finishes, with the Superior Collection adding a high gloss Frost White and Chesnut Brown (along with the 'Lines' pattern shown here). The auxiliary input allows pretty much any source to be connected, with all functions dictated by a single top-mounted rotary control or a bundled remote. As for pricing? They're going for $199.99 to $379.99, or precisely 19.2 times more than you ever expected.
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TIVOLI AUDIO'S MODEL 10 DUAL ALARM CLOCK RADIO CELEBRATES TIVOLI'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY
In honor of their 10th anniversary, Tivoli Audio's newest radio is the Model 10 am/fm Clock Radio. The Model 10 delivers a rich, high fidelity sound in a compact 7.8" cabinet, features two independent alarms (which can be set to music or a tone), with sleep timers and snooze control, an easy to read LCD digital clock and a menu screen with an adjustable backlight.
The Model 10 is available in several colors and finishes of furniture grade wood. The Contemporary Collection comes in Walnut, Cherry, Ocean Blue, Midnight Black and Carmine Red. The commemorative Celebration Collection is available in light and dark aluminum wood finishes. The Superior Collection features high gloss Frost White and Chestnut Brown finishes and a Lines patterned design.
The Model 10 is expandable with input for a CD Player, iPhone, iPod or other MP3 players, as well as a mix audio input and record, headphone and subwoofer outputs. All functions are accessed by a single top-mounted rotary control or with a full function remote control. Matching companion speakers are available to create a stereo system. The Contemporary Collection and Celebration Edition sell for $199.99 (with stereo $299.99) and the Designer Collection sells for $249.99 (with stereo $379.99).
Milking this one for all it's worth, eh Samsung? In what's easily becoming the most drawn-out product launch in the history of product launches, Sammy is just now informing us of a fifth American carrier onboard to carry its Galaxy Tab: US Cellular. The regional CDMA operator has been chosen as the token 'little guy' to offer the 7-inch, Froyo-based tablet, but the company's not saying when it will be arriving nor for how much. We're guessing it'll cost between $400 and $600 depending on the contract situation, but considering that every other carrier is getting it within a fortnight or so, those minor points should be clarified in short order.
Samsung Mobile Announces Samsung Galaxy Tab™ with U.S. Cellular®
Mobile tablet will feature 7-inch touchscreen, Android 2.2™ platform, Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 and front and rear-facing cameras for video chat support
DALLAS – October 28, 2010 – Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile)1, the No.1 mobile phone provider in the U.S. today announced the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ with U.S. Cellular®. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is designed for people who want a premium mobile entertainment experience on the go, but don't want to be weighed down by a bulky device. Weighing only 13 ounces and 12 millimeters thin, the Galaxy Tab fits conveniently in a pocket or purse.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab features a brilliant 7-inch enhanced TFT display screen, 1GHz Hummingbird Application processor supporting 3D graphics and smooth Web browsing and 1.3 megapixel front and 3 megapixel rear-facing cameras and is powered by Android 2.2™, including full support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1.
Just like Samsung's Galaxy S™ smart phones, the Galaxy Tab includes Samsung's Social Hub application, which syncs a users Messaging and Contacts to initiate the sending and receiving of information, whether it is e-mail, instant messaging, social network updates or SMS messages. Additionally, calendar information from portal calendars, such as Google Calendar, and social networking services are displayed together in one calendar with two-way synchronization.
Services like Google Maps™ Navigation (Beta) and Google Goggles are available on Google's Android platform. With useful location-based services like Google Maps™, consumers can search in Standard English instead of entering an exact address. A search-by-voice function is just as intuitive, meaning searches can also be completed easily on the go.
Key features:
* 7-inch enhanced TFT display with WSVGA resolution – Offers brighter colors and clearer pictures and delivers 1024 x 600 resolution whether watching a movie or reading a book * Rear-facing, 3MP camera and camcorder – AutoFocus captures DVD quality video * Front-facing, 1.3-megapixel camera and camcorder – Enables video chat with other people who have video conferencing capabilities (applications available in Android Market™).
· Corporate Email – Supports Android 2.2 Exchange ActiveSync e-mail to synchronize corporate e-mail, contacts and calendars from office e-mail accounts
· Wi-Fi® connectivity (802.11 b/g/n) and Wireless Hotspot support
· Built-in 2 GB internal memory with 16 GB pre-installed microSD™ expandable to 32 GB
· 4,000 mAh Battery – Provides ample power to watch movies, share content and surf the Web
· Ultra thin at 12 millimeters and weighing 13 ounces – For users who don't want to be weighed down by adding a mobile tablet to their pocket or purse
* Samsung Social Hub – Built around messaging, contacts and calendar sync, which allows users to send and receive daily activities, whether it is e-mail, social network updates or SMS messages
· Customizable touch screen menu with drag-and-drop widgets
For additional information about the Samsung Galaxy Tab, visit www.samsungmobileusa.com.
Really, TSA? Are you honestly so stoked to disappoint? If you'll recall, the American Transportation Security Administration got up close and personal with a first-generation MacBook Air after wrongly assuming it was an Apocalypse-bringer, and even after adjusting rules so that iPads, netbooks and other smaller electronics could fly through carry-on screening equipment without being unpacked, we've still heard of (and personally experienced) occasions where agents have demanded that tablet PCs be ran through naked. If there's a lesson to learn here, it's that the TSA is consistently inconsistent, and you're probably better off putting everything you own in a separate grey bucket for the sake of covering your bases. The same applies to Apple's new 11.6-inch MacBook Air, which is cleared to undergo TSA scanning while packed under the aforesaid amended rules. In theory, you shouldn't have to remove it from your backpack as you struggle to reach your gate, but if we had to guess, we'd say you'll be ask to take it out and re-run it if you try. But hey, you're only being victimized and scrutinized in the name of security, so it's all good. Trust us.
We don't know how this one slipped past us, but somewhere in the past few weeks (on October 19th as far as we can tell), HP and Palm's logos got together to form what you see to the left: the HP Palm logo. The new, hybrid logo is on both Palm's website and Facebook page, so this should quell any fears that the world might lose Palm's branding all together. We don't know what you think of the new logo -- personally, we were a little partial to our own mock up.
Peter Dille -- Sony's Senior Vice President of marketing at SCEA -- sat down for a "fireside chat" with CNN, and made some interesting comments regarding the PlayStation Phone. Despite kinda / sorta sticking to the company's policy of refusing to discuss rumors, Dille allegedly said that the lack of a cellular data component in current PSP devices could be holding the line back. "The PSP is a Wi-Fi device," he said. "People are used to having always-connected devices." Dille also noted that current smartphone platforms don't give users a hardcore experience, instead providing "Time-killers," which "gamers aren't satisfied with."
While the CNN article certainly includes some healthy speculation, Dille (and a company spokeswoman who told the publication that Sony "has relationships with Google") was pretty talkative when it came to the PSP and more specifically the PlayStation Network. Apparently, Dille alluded to the fact that the current PSP doesn't fulfill Sony's goal for creating a content delivery hub that's always accessible, saying "I don't think we fully realize that vision with a Wi-Fi device... If it's not connected [to a cell network] then it does sort of limit people." Of course, we're not taking this as any kind of confirmation from the company, but Sony seems awfully talkative about a device that they won't comment on.
We're just weeks away from the Boxee Box bringing its pan-dimensional shape to your home entertainment center, but still the surprises keep rolling. VUDU has announced that it too will be making an appearance on the thing, offering streaming downloadable rentals of big hits with some, like Avatar, having special features to boot. Viewers will have 1080p on tap along with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround and the pleasure of knowing that their $2 per rental is going straight into Walmart's pocket. Who doesn't love Walmart?
Update: To be clear, VUDU will be available to users of the PC and Mac Boxee clients as well.
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VUDU Streaming to Boxee on Your Mac and PC
Users Can Now Watch the Latest Hollywood Blockbusters on PC, Mac and the upcoming Boxee Box by D-Link
San Francisco, CALIF (October 28, 2010) – VUDU is coming to the Boxee platform in November, bringing its best-in-class streaming movie experience to millions of PC and Mac users. Simply by installing Boxee's free media center software, users gain instant access to VUDU's massive movie collection anywhere they have a computer and an Internet connection. VUDU will be available on the Boxee platform downloadable on Mac, PC, and the Boxee Box by D-Link.
VUDU delivers the highest quality movie watching experience with a huge collection of titles, including the best indies and Hollywood hits, with new releases available to rent as soon as they hit the market and thousands of titles available for just $2 for 2 night rentals. Boxee's free media center software gives viewers access to VUDU's immense movie collection in standard definition. The Boxee Box by D-Link lets viewers experience the cinema-like quality of VUDU's full HD and HDX library delivered directly onto their televisions in 1080p with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound.
"We're thrilled to offer our existing customers a new way to enjoy the VUDU service and to bring VUDU to a whole new community of movie watchers. Boxee allows VUDU to deliver our best in class streaming movie experience to anyone with a Mac or PC, through a simple and free download. " said Edward Lichty, General Manager, VUDU. "VUDU is the best way to get high-definition Hollywood movies in full surround sound to the connected home and Boxee is a state-of-the-art multimedia platform with the power to play it."
Boxee lets users play most popular media file formats from a home network along with ad-supported and premium TV shows and movies, videos, and music from the Internet, with support for full 1080p and 5.1 surround sound. With tens of thousands of movies and TV shows, access to the most popular web series, and applications from MLB.TV, NHL GameCenter LIVETM, Pandora, and FunnyOrDie, Boxee is a great way to bring entertainment from different sources into one place. Additionally Boxee has been built from the ground up to be social so users can easily share recommendations about their favorite movies with one another via Facebook and Twitter on Boxee.
"Boxee is all about giving the user what they want, and that means everything from the most viral video on YouTube to the acclaimed international films, and VUDU gives Boxee a deep library of incredible movies," said Avner Ronen, CEO and co-founder of Boxee. "The fact that Boxee Box users will have access to the largest selection of HD content through Vudu in the highest quality available today really sets us apart from our set top box competitors."
VUDU will be available as a free download from boxee.tv for your PC, Mac and Linux computer, and on the Boxee Box by D-Link this November.
Important Links
http://www.vudu.com
http://www.vudu.com/boxee
http://www.boxee.tv
http://www.boxee.tv/box
http://www.boxee.tv/download
About Boxee
Boxee is changing the way people experience home entertainment by bringing TV shows, movies, videos, and music from the Internet to the TV. Boxee's software can be easily downloaded for free to any computer or embedded in living room devices. Boxee has quickly established itself as the best way to bring entertainment from different sources into one place - anything from a local collection of movies, TV shows, music, and photos, to streaming content from websites like MLB.TV, Pandora, Last.fm, and flickr. Users can also discover new entertainment from their friends and share recommendations with social networks like Facebook and Twitter. More than a million people use Boxee to enjoy their entertainment. Learn how you can join them at www.boxee.tv.
About VUDU
A leader in digital entertainment, VUDU offers the world's largest selection of streaming HD movies, including thousands of blockbusters, Hollywood classics, and indies available in stunning HDX 1080p with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound. Movies are available the same day they are released on DVD or Blu-Ray, and can be rented or purchased without a subscription. VUDU comes built in on select internet connectable HDTVs and Blu-Ray Disk Players from, LG, Mitsubishi, Samsung, SANYO, Sharp, Toshiba and Vizio. VUDU is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart, and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA. For more information, visit http://www.vudu.com/.
Pack a lob wedge or extra utility iron? Punch and run or flop and drop? Crush a five iron or hit a three-quarter four? These are just a few of the questions that amateur golfers wish they had to ponder as they instead devote their time to rummaging through the brush trying to find what could be their fourth lost ball in three holes. Maybe Garmin's new Approach S1 watch can help. It's loaded with every hole from over 14,000 golf courses and, from anywhere on the course, will give you precise yardage to the front, back, and middle of the next green -- meaning it won't help your lay-up but could be just the ticket for nailing that approach. Its integrated odometer will even track how many miles you covered through the course of the day and, we're presuming, not tell your significant other whether you spent those drinking in the cart or walking at a brisk pace. The Approach S1 is available now for $249 and is subtle enough that your buddies might not even notice your new wrist-borne advantage.
Update: As a few of you pointed out, the Suunto G9 watch from a few years back also offers GPS, meaning this is, indeed, not the first after all! That's a two-stroke penalty, Garmin.
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Garmin® Approach™ S1 Launches as First Golf GPS Watch, Showing Key Distances for Vast Database of Preloaded Courses
OLATHE, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced Approach S1, the first GPS wristwatch designed specifically for golf. At a glance, Approach S1 displays precise yardages to the front, back and middle of greens and comes preloaded with 14,000-plus courses.
"With the Approach S1 golf GPS watch, Garmin has once again created an entirely new category for fitness and outdoor recreation" "With the Approach S1 golf GPS watch, Garmin has once again created an entirely new category for fitness and outdoor recreation," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "Golfers who want their data and their device as streamlined as possible will find Approach S1 to be a sleek and simple hands-free solution to taking the guesswork out of their game."
Constantly updating based on a golfer's actual real-time location, Approach S1 can also measure individual shot distances – all while functioning as a high-quality, everyday watch. Approach S1 comes preloaded with 14,000-plus U.S. and Canadian courses so there's no need for subscriptions or downloads – simply select "Start Round," choose your course and you're ready to tee off. Rugged and waterproof, Approach S1 weighs only 1.8 ounces, has an ultra-thin backlit display, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that lasts up to eight hours in GPS mode and up to three weeks in watch mode – making it perfect for the boardroom, the bunkers and all points in between. In addition to the wide range of preloaded courses, Approach S1 features an easy-to-set alarm and automatic time and time zone detection, making it the perfect companion for travelers.
Once in golf mode, Approach S1 quickly acquires satellites and displays a list of nearby courses. Once a course is selected, three distances to each hole will always be provided – front, middle and back of the green – with those details being updated automatically and adjusted depending on the angle of approach. During the course of play, Approach S1 displays the hole number and par, and it automatically transitions from one hole to the next. Once golfers begin a round in golf mode, they can easily transition between time of day and distances to green, and they can access the menu to measure the distance of their last shot to improve their game or shore up bragging rights. Acting as a GPS-enabled odometer, Approach S1 helps golfers track the total ground they've covered on foot during each round (or even on a walk over lunch) so that they can see the true health benefits of leaving the cart in the clubhouse.
Golfers can go to www.garmin.com/golfcourses to check if their course is among those available for the Approach S1. At www.garmin.com/golf, golfers can also learn more about Garmin's Approach G5 and Approach G3 touchscreen handhelds that feature preloaded course coverage and detailed vector mapping unlike anything used before on a golf course.
Approach S1 represents the latest breakthrough from Garmin, which has spent more than 20 years developing technologies and innovations to enhance users' lives, making Garmin a household name in the automotive, aviation, marine, wireless, outdoor and fitness industries. For more about pricing and availability, as well as information about Garmin's other products and services, go to www.garmin.com, www.garmin.blogs.com and http://twitter.com/garmin.
About Garmin International Inc.
The global leader in satellite navigation, Garmin Ltd. and its subsidiaries have designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications since 1989 – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin's products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/newsroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin and Approach are registered trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
Notice on forward-looking statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 26, 2010, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-Q is available at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
The next generation of display technology is still that, next, but despite being a future away it continues to get better. Liquavista keeps wowing us with various demonstrations of its electrowetting technology offering full color, high refresh rates, visibility in all lighting conditions, and low power consumption to boot. Now they're bendy too, with the company releasing footage of a prototype that's flexible. It's also said to be "unbreakable," demonstrated by a person wearing latex gloves gently tapping on the screen -- because, you know, that's about as tough as it gets outside of the lab. Video is after the break, along with full PR, but in neither will you find any hope of seeing this tech for real before the second half of next year.
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First Liquavista Flexible Display Prototype – October 2010
Demonstrates true versatility of electrowetting display technology
26 October 2010 – Eindhoven – Today, Liquavista BV., announced the creation of the first flexible electrowetting displays. These prototypes demonstrate yet another dimension to the versatility of Liquavista's display technology, adding lower weight, robustness and conformability to the bright, colourful low power video capabilities.
"We're really excited to be able to demonstrate yet another significant benefit of electrowetting display technology with the development of these prototypes." Said Guy Demuynck, CEO Liquavista. "Bringing to market a unique display that can run video in color at low power and has the added advantage of an unbreakable screen which is lightweight, thin, flexible and robust will enable consumer electronics manufacturers to increase the durability of devices, reduce manufacturing costs and create new product designs to open up new markets.
"This new prototype is a first important step in paving the way for high volume manufacture of displays on flexible substrates" added Johan Feenstra, Liquavista's CTO and Founder, "This clearly demonstrates that electrowetting technology is not only compatible with standard glass substrates but can in fact be manufactured on any substrate. The pace at which we have been able to continue to show advanced technology features is further proof of the simplicity and versatility of our technology."
Liquavista's displays are based on the principles of electrowetting and bring bright and colourful images and video that ensures excellent indoor and outdoor readability but uses dramatically less battery power. The technology is uniquely suited for colour and video electronic paper displays because of its very high reflectivity and its intrinsically fast video-rate switching speed. It is ideal for manufacture on flexible substrates as it does not require high temperature processing, has no demanding encapsulation requirements and is independent on cell gap variations. In the future, consumers will want products that not only support full color and video but offer readability in all lighting conditions and gives them the freedom and portability of paper. Liquavista's displays possess all the features to fulfil this desire.
For a video of the display prototype, please visit: http://www.liquavista.com/downloads/lqv_demo_10.aspx
Yeah, we know. E-mail is like so 1999. Kids today are all about their tweets and their texts, but if grandma can decode a digital picture at all pretty much the only way she's going to get it is via e-mail, and Eye-Fi is making that easier. It's launched Eye-Fi View, an online sharing site not unlike your Picasas or your Flickrs, except that pictures are (nearly) instantly and automatically uploaded straight from the camera, where they can be shared (or not shared) with others. Users can also set up e-mail alerts so that grandma can get a private link to Gerard's graduation photos. Eye-Fi View is free if you don't mind your pictures disappearing after seven days, but if you want unlimited storage for an unlimited time you'll need to step up to the $4.99 monthly or $49.99 annual plans. The disembodied hand? We're pretty sure that's not included.
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View and Share Digital Memories Anywhere, Anytime with Eye-Fi View
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., October 27, 2010 - Eye-Fi Inc. (www.eye.fi), makers of the world's first wireless memory card, today launched Eye-Fi View, giving consumers a new way to access their photos and videos from virtually any computer or mobile device. Along with Eye-Fi View, Eye-Fi also introduced a new email-sharing feature, allowing direct, private sharing of full-resolution images without clogging inboxes or requiring viewers to login. "When we released the first Eye-Fi card three years ago, we solved the fundamental problem of getting pictures off the camera and onto computers and online sharing sites. As we enter the biggest photo-sharing season of the year – Halloween to Christmas – we're delivering an even easier way for people to view and share photos from any device, with more control than ever," said Jef Holove, President and CEO of Eye-Fi. "Photos and videos of the kids trick-or-treating can be easily emailed to grandma and shown off on dad's iPad"
When it comes to photography, viewing the images is the point, and more devices – from netbooks to smartphones to tablets – create more ways consumers want to view and show their memories. With Eye-Fi View, this content is now accessible from virtually any Internet connected device and can be viewed and shared at home, at the office, or on the road.
Whether selecting certain photos to share on public sites like Facebook or Flickr, or privately sharing several images or full albums with trusted email contacts, Eye-Fi makes it easy. By simply logging into their Eye-Fi account from any device, users can view photos, publish them on the web, or share them via email.
"There are many sites on which pictures and videos can be shared. But even in this age of social media, email remains the most popular method of sharing among consumers," added Holove. "With our unique approach to email sharing, Eye-Fi is extending its ease of use capabilities to customers who want to email their photos. Because, put simply, photos are created to view."
With Eye-Fi's email feature, users select contacts from their own address book, and recipients – whether Eye-Fi users or not – can easily download full-resolution images through a single link, without worrying about overwhelming their inbox.
Pricing and Availability With the latest Eye-Fi Center release, Eye-Fi X2 card users can automatically send content to their Eye-Fi View. Access to content uploaded within the last seven days is always free. Upgrade to Eye-Fi Premium to maintain access to an unlimited amount of content for only $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. All Eye-Fi users can take advantage of the new email sharing feature.
Eye-Fi products are now available at Wal-Mart stores nationwide. Wal-Mart is the latest national retailer to feature Eye-Fi, following the addition of Target earlier this year. Availability beyond electronics and photography outlets underscores the expanding consumer demand for Eye-Fi's unique solution. Additionally, Eye-Fi's international users can now subscribe to all Eye-Fi services including Eye-Fi Premium. For more information, visit www.eye.fi.
Struggling to decide how on Earth you'll fit a gargantuan 15-inch laptop into your life, while simultaneously trying to imagine using something as minuscule as a 14-incher? Great news, vaquero! HP's splitting the difference (and hairs, if we're being honest) with its 14.5-inch Pavilion dv5-2129wm Special Edition, a vivacious new machine that has just popped up at Wally World. Powered entirely by flora, this 'Garden Dreams' laptop packs a BrightView LED-backlit display, AMD's Turion II P540 CPU (2.4GHz), 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard drive, 8x SuperMulti DVD burner, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, ATI's Mobility Radeon HD 4250 graphics, an inbuilt webcam 5-in-1 card reader, three USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI / VGA outputs and a six-cell Li-ion battery. It's available there in the source link for $598, and somehow or another, we suspect Ma Earth is urging you to do the right thing.
You didn't forget did you? Today's the day that the WiFi-only iPad makes its inaugural appearance at Verizon. Whether it's the beginning of better days between the two US giants remains to be seen. As a reminder, Verizon's offer bundles a MiFi 2200 mobile hotspot with your choice of 16GB ($629), 32GB ($729), or 64GB ($829) iPads and 1GB ($20), 3GB ($35), or 5GB ($50) of data per month without contractual commitment.
Of lesser interest is the fact that AT&T will also begin selling the WiFi + 3G version of the iPad today in 16GB ($629), 32GB ($729), and 64GB ($829) with contract-free data plans for 250MB of data ($14.99) or 2GB of data ($25) per month with free access to AT&T's 23,000+ domestic WiFi hotspots. AT&T's also offering international plans ranging from 20MB for $24.99 per month on up to 200MB for a staggering $199.99 per month. Hit the appropriate source link below if either of these offers tickles your kraken.
We've receive a number of reports that a 2.3.20 software update for Verizon's Droid 2 is slowly making the rounds this morning. The OTA push promises a number of improvements and enhancements with the promise of better battery life, faster transitions between WiFi and 3G data connection, and quicker location tracking when using GPS being perhaps the most notable. Other enhancements include:
New ability to add pictures from your Gallery to a contact.
Export all your contacts to the SD card.
View details of Social Networking contacts.
VZ Navigator is now preloaded on device.
Click through the break for the full list of improvements.
[Thanks, Mark L.]
Improvements:
Improved battery life.
Heightened proximity sensor accuracy to enable faster screen response.
View the Weather widget in both landscape and portrait orientation.
Simpler setup, improved user interactions, and better notifications for Visual Voice Mail.
Background Email Sync during display inactivity for better user experience.
Support for email domain suffixes containing more than three characters.
Keep text messages organized with chronological in-box screen.
Edit text messages after you've inserted a video file.
Improved audio sound during recorded video playbacks.
Stream Guided Tour videos on device in Help Center application with ease.
Faster location tracking during GPS navigation.
Faster transitions between Wi-Fi and 3G in data connection.
Following hot on the heels of the PR 1.3 update for the N900 comes the official MeeGo v1.1 build for handsets with U-Boot support. For developers, or anyone who simply likes to hack around, that means that the Nokia N900 is now ready to dual-boot into your choice of Maemo or MeeGo environments. If that sounds like fun then boy do we have the image repository for you (Hint: it's in the source link below). We'll let everyone else know when the community has made the process idiot-proof. Until then, why not play an unmodified webOS game or catch a glimpse of the dual-boot process in action in the video after the break.
After three years of record earnings, the mighty house that Mario built is reporting a net loss of ¥2.01 billion ($25 million) in the fiscal first half ending 30 September versus a profit of ¥69.49 billion a year earlier. In addition to the adverse affects suffered under a strong yen, Nintendo's sales for the first half of its fiscal year were down 35 percent to ¥363.16 billion due to lower demand for its Wii console. According to the Wall Street Journal, this represents Nintendo's first net loss in the fiscal first half in the last seven years. The future outlook is pretty grim too with Nintendo forecasting an annual profit drop to the lowest level in six years as Wii console sales decline for the second year in a row. Ouch.
You're already sold on ATI's new Radeon HD 6800 series, but your existing motherboard and CPU just feel too aged to become home to such a shiny, fresh piece of silicon. We hear you. So does iBuyPower. Rather than forking out and upgrading just your GPU, these guys are hoping you'll ogle the newly revised Gamer Mage D295, Gamer Mage D355, and Gamer Paladin F820, all three of which are available with the HD 6870 and HD 6850. The Gamer Mage D295 gets housed in a Thermaltake V9 enclosure and ships with a liquid cooled Athlon II X4 640 quad-core CPU, 4GB of RAM, a Radeon HD 6850 (1GB), LG Blu-ray reader / DVD combo drive, 1TB of HDD space and a 700 watt power supply -- all for the low, low price of $899. The D335 (starts at $1,239) steps up to a liquid cool Phenom II X6 1055T, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a Radeon HD 6870 GPU, 64GB SSD and an 800 watt PSU, while the F280 (starts at $1,369) goes all-out with a liquid cooled Core i7 950, 6GB of DDR3 memory, an HD 6870 GPU and NZXT's Guardian 921 R case. Hit the links below to get your customization on.
iBUYPOWER Launches Three Systems with New AMD Radeon 6800 Series Graphics Cards
El Monte, CA – October 26, 2010 – iBUYPOWER, a leading innovator in gaming PCs, is excited to announce three systems featuring the powerful new AMD 6800 series graphic cards – Gamer Mage D295, Gamer Mage D355, and Gamer Paladin F820. The new DirectX11 compatible cards help create a truly immersive gaming experience by supporting up to 6 monitors with an external display-port hub and 3D video.
"We take pride in always being able to offer our customers the latest in graphics technology," said Darren Su, Vice President of iBUYPOWER. "That's why we are excited to be among the first to offer the gamer-friendly AMD Radeon 6000 series graphics cards."
Housed in the Thermaltake V9 gaming case, the Gamer Mage D295 features a liquid cooled AMD Athlon™ II X4 640 Quad-Core CPU, 4GB of DDR3 Memory, AMD Radeon 6850 1GB graphics card, LG Blu-ray reader/DVD combo drive, 700W power supply and a terabyte of storage space, all for just $899.
The more powerful Gamer Mage D335 sports a liquid cooled AMD Phenom™ II X6 1055T Six-Core CPU, 8GB of DDR3 Memory, the AMD Radeon 6870 graphics card, an 800W power supply, 1TB hard drive, a 64GB solid state drive, the PSI CyborgX and starts at $1,239.
iBUYPOWER armed the Gamer Paladin F820 with a liquid-cooled Intel® Core™ i7 950 processor, 6GB of DDR3 Memory, the AMD Radeon 6870 graphics card, 700W power supply, a 1TB hard drive, and the NZXT Guardian 921 R Gaming case for $1,369.
Customers with more specific gaming needs can configure a fully customizable gaming PC at iBUYPOWER.com. All iBUYPOWER systems come standard with 1 year limited warranty and lifetime technical support.
We've been hearing the hushed whispers of an HTC Mecha handset for a few months. Now we've got solid evidence of its existence thanks to the HTC's own HTC Sense web site that lists the Mecha along side the Desire HD and Desire Z when signing up for an account. Unfortunately, the image used for the Mecha (found after the break) appears to be the old Hero handset unless HTC is planning to resurrect that particular industrial design (which we doubt). Now get out of here and hit the source link to try it for yourselves.
You may not know what it's called but you've definitely seen it. The wobble or "jelly" effect seen in video captured by cameras with CMOS sensors relying upon rolling shutters instead of the global shutters found in cameras with CCDs. The issue stems from the way a CMOS acquires the image by recording each frame in horizontal bands, working from the top to the bottom. Since all parts of the image are not recorded at the same time, moving the camera, even slightly at telephoto settings, causes the image to skew and go all rubbery. Well, iMovie 11 can fix that, or at least smooth it out with options for Low, Medium, High, and Extra High distortion reduction. It's just one of many new additions including the often discussed Movie Trailers, support for 24p footage, vastly improved audio editing, and a People Finder feature that lets you search for family members in raw footage... but it might be our favorite. See a video demonstration after the break before hitting up the source for the full review over at MacWorld.
Think run-of-the-mill 3D specs just aren't cutting it? Need the sort of eyewear that ENCOM International would approve or? Here's perhaps a better question: got a infinitesimally-deep hole burning in your pocket? Oakley's recently-announced "optically-correct" 3D glasses are getting a special Tron: Legacy edition in honor of the upcoming internet documentary. Expect graphic art on the frames that, in some of the most amusing and illustrative words we've read in a press release for some time, "salute the cinematic story." Asking price is a steep $150, but fashion doesn't run cheap -- besides, how else are you going to stand out in a dark room filled with bespectacled people all facing the same direction?
Verizon's FiOS footprint may be on an expansion hiatus, but that's not to say the company's abandoning existing users. Nearly 3.5 years after boosting FiOS internet speeds with G-PON, the company is now out testing XG-PON2 -- a newfangled iteration that somehow enables 10Gbps upstream and downstream from its existing fiber network. If you'll recall, we heard just a few weeks back that the outfit was close to being able to serve GigE on its existing platform, and now that this field trial has been successful, we'd say the boundaries are stretched even further. In the test, technicians were able to suck down a 2.3GB movie in four ticks of the second hand, and if you're hoping to see the nerdiest video of the day, a highlight reel of the trial awaits you just past the break.
It happened. China just passed the US and the world with the reveal of the world's fastest supercomputer. The fully operational Tianhe-1A, located at the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin, scored 2.507 petaflops as measured by the LINPACK benchmark. That moves it past Cray's 2.3 petaflops Jaguar located at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee. Tianhe-1A achieved the record using 7,168 NVIDIA Tesla M2050 GPUs and 14,336 Intel Xeon CPUs consuming 4.04 megawatts. Knowing that 10 petaflops is within reach by 2012, we'll see if Tianhe-1A can maintain its title when the new Top500 supercomputers list is released next week.
2D to 3D conversion techniques -- whether cinematic or otherwise -- don't have us jumping for joy, but Nikon's new NF-300i display sounds like a concept we could get behind. It's a 7.2-inch digital photo frame running Android 2.1 on an autostereoscopic (glasses-less) screen, which sports a special double-density lenticular lens to display images at full WSVGA resolution (800 x 600) whether in 2D or 3D modes. It pulls down images from the cloud to 4GB of internal storage over wired ethernet and 802.11 b/g WiFi, or via USB port if you happen to have MPO files just sitting around for some reason. The notion is that Japanese users will sign up for Nikon's new My PictureTown 3D conversion and hosting service for ¥19,550 (about $244) a year or ¥1,995 ($24) a month and get all their JPEG vacation photos spirited to the device in glorious 3D, and that's also the only way you'll likely ever see one of these screens -- Nikon's loaning, not selling the NF-300i as part of those membership fees.
This one's still a bit mysterious, but what appears to be a Bluetooth module for Olympus' Micro Four Thirds cameras has just hit the FCC. Exactly what it does isn't clear, but it looks to be a match for the accessory port below the hot shoe on Olympus' PEN series cameras, which could open up a number of interesting possibilities -- a geotagging GPS module, perhaps, or even a file transfer device? Hopefully Olympus will clear things up getting official with this thing sooner rather than later. In the meantime, you can dive into the FCC reports at the link below.
When Google admitted its Street View cars had collected sensitive data after all, it sparked a new formal inquiry in the UK, but the very same apology was just what the Federal Trade Commission needed to drop an investigation in the USA. The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection wrote Google a formal letter today noting "concerns about the internal policies and procedures that gave rise to this data collection," but satisfaction that the company's agreed to change all that and appoint a director of privacy. "Because of these commitments, we are ending our inquiry into this matter at this time," the document reads. Does that mean we can stop using this picture of Ross' old apartment in our posts? Only time will tell.
You're a dude (or dudette) that likes to be prepared, right? It's the Boy Scout motto, after all. To that end, we're surmising that you're already gearing up for OS X 10.7, and while that new finger exercise regimen will definitely pay off in the long run, Bullet Train's Express Keyboard Platform is what you're really in need of. For all intents and purposes, this is a $99 slab of aluminum, precisely crafted to hold an Apple Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. Essentially, the trio creates the bottom portion of a MacBook Pro, albeit with a larger touchpad and a slate of keys that aren't nearly as dark. The outfit's charging quite a premium for this thing, but we're told that demand is through the roof -- in other words, if you want one, you should probably jump in line now. But really, are you having that much trouble using both in their own space?
It's easy to forget at this point, but Android wasn't a Google creation. Google bought the company in 2005 for an undisclosed sum (estimated to be around $50 million) and, well, let's just say things worked out pretty well for them. How well? Google's vice president of corporate development, David Lawee, told attendees at the Stanford Accel Symposium this week that the acquisition was quite simply Google's "best deal ever." Lawee further went on to note that he did have some initial skepticism about the deal, and recalls saying "I hope this guy does something" after seeing Andy Rubin around the building for two years. The fact that Rubin actually stayed after the acquisition eventually did inspire some confidence, however, with Lawee adding that it's obvious when a deal doesn't work out "because the people leave."
Microsoft might be late to the cameraphone-able barcode game, but it appears to be making up for lost time. Its multi-colored (and, frankly, rather attractive) Tag barcodes added a few important innovations on top of the general QR code concept, and apparently to good effect: 2 billion Tags have been printed since the January 2009 launch, and 1 billion of those Tags were printed in the past four months. Sounds like Microsoft has found some momentum, and they claim to have gained a lead in the publishing industry already. Obviously, the analytics, customization, and anti-fragmentation nature appeals to Big Barcode, but we'll have to wait and see if Tag is the ultimate choice of the everyman. Plus, won't ads be able to hack our brains and implant URLs at-will soon enough? We're holding out for that.
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Microsoft Tag Growth Accelerates Exponentially With More Than 2 Billion Tags Printed
Tag secures lead as the preferred 2-D barcode solution for publishers.
REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Tag today announced impressive trend data to demonstrate the exponential growth of its industry-leading 2-D barcode technology:
1 billion Tags have been printed in the past four months, bringing the total to 2 billion Tags printed since its January 2009 launch.
The number of Tag users increased by three fold since emerging from beta in May; the number of Tags scanned increased by four fold during the same time period.
To date, more than 100,000 Tag accounts have been set up to add interactive digital experiences to brand advertising and marketing campaigns.
Since August, Tag has been used in more than 100 million magazine issues.
In the largest known barcode campaign to date, Allure had 450,000 scans, using Microsoft Tag for its annual Free Stuff Giveaway issue in August.
"Consumers are rapidly embracing smartphones, which opens a new marketing channel for savvy businesses. Microsoft Tag gives brands and their agencies a powerful way to engage this growing set of connected consumers and create immersive experiences that connect the digital world to the physical world," said Aaron Getz, general manager of Microsoft Tag. "With Tag, businesses can build compelling customer scenarios to drive engagement and retention, easily measure the effectiveness of their campaigns, and explore new merchandising opportunities for their products."
A broad range of brands across a wide variety of industries have deployed Tag, including Canon Inc., HMS Host Corp., Jones Apparel Group Inc., Kellogg Co., Kraft Foods Inc., Proctor & Gamble, Razor USA, Simmons Bedding Company, Simon & Schuster Inc. and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. Originally launched in January 2009, Tag momentum has been growing since it emerged from beta in May, with brands and their agencies leveraging Tag across their online, print, outdoor, retail and broadcast efforts to deeply engage consumers with a range of digital content.
Publishing in particular has experienced great success with a wide variety of Tag uses in many different editorial and advertising scenarios. Nellymoser Inc., an industry leader in delivering turnkey interactive video and rich media marketing campaigns to mobile phone users, recently conducted a study of how magazine editors, publishers and advertisers have adopted 2-D barcodes. The study, to be released in early November, found that Microsoft Tags were used more than 80 percent of the time in more than 100 magazines that contained 2-D barcode campaigns in advertising or editorial content.
"Based on our research, Tag is currently the publishing industry's preferred 2-D barcode technology by a wide margin," said John Puterbaugh, founder and CEO of Nellymoser. "The lead is so significant in the publishing industry that Microsoft Tag is the clear front-runner as a next-generation QR code."
More information about how Microsoft Tag can power digital marketing is available at http://tag.microsoft.com. People can follow the Tag community on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/microsofttag or on Twitter athttp://www.twitter.com/microsofttag.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Sprint certainly isn't out of the woods yet, but at least it's picking up customers from somewhere. The company's Q3 2010 earnings were ushered out today, and while its stock fell around ten percent on the news, a few silver linings were present. The carrier saw postpaid subscriber losses of 107,000, but that's an 87 percent improvement compared to Q3 2009. The CDMA network added approximately 276,000 postpaid customers during the quarter, 471,000 (net) prepaid subscribers and 644,000 total wireless subscribers from a net perspective. It also landed its second best postpaid churn result ever, but the bottom line still looks battered -- the operator announced a net loss of nearly a billion dollars ($911 million, if you're scouting specifics). Of course, phasing out iDEN should probably help things in the long run, but even its 4G advantage could quickly fade if (or more likely, when) Verizon gets its LTE act together next year.
Ooh, Sprint's just going to love this. T-Mobile just announced the launch details for its latest HSDPA+ handset, with a November 3rd touchdown date (possibly to go along with new data plans?) and a $200 pricetag (after $50 mail-in rebate). But just to spice things up a little bit, T-Mobile also swapped names on the phone: what was previously known as the myTouch -- a back-to-basics follow-up to the original myTouch 3G and myTouch 3G Slide -- is now the myTouch 4G. In fact, it looks like T-Mobile has had this name for a little while, but was just waiting for the right moment to spring it on us. Wait, you didn't know HSPA+ was 4G? Ah, welcome to Sprint / Verizon / AT&T's branding nightmare.
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New T-Mobile myTouch Delivers High-Definition Video Connections and Lightning Fast 4G Speeds
New myTouch to Take Advantage of T-Mobile's New Super-Fast HSPA+ Network Now Reaching More Than 65 Markets
BELLEVUE, Wash. - October 4, 2010 - T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced a new addition to its exclusive line of AndroidTM-powered T-Mobile® myTouch® smartphones and the continued expansion of its new super-fast HSPA+ mobile broadband network. Built with families in mind, the newest T-Mobile myTouch helps solve the challenges of staying physically and emotionally connected by sharing photos and video with the HD Camcorder, spontaneous face-to-face conversations through Video Chat and the ability to reach 4G speeds on T-Mobile's new network, which is now available in more cities across the country.
Unlike other video-calling solutions on the market that only work through Wi-Fi, Video Chat on the new myTouch enables customers to connect with loved ones spontaneously from practically anywhere through T-Mobile's network or Wi-Fi. With the myTouch's front-facing camera paired with Video Chat through Yahoo! Messenger or QIK, customers can hold video conversations with friends and family who have a new T-Mobile myTouch, other compatible mobile device or PC. Customers can even see who is available to chat through presence information integrated into the myTouch's address book, and have the option to leave Video Mail using Qik when someone is unavailable.
"Taking advantage of the 4G speeds on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, the new myTouch delivers a faster and more compelling experience than most competing smartphones on the market," said Andrew Sherrard, vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. "Our continued focus to build innovative new features and personalized services truly makes myTouch unique." Designed specifically to deliver 4G speeds on T-Mobile's rapidly expanding HSPA+ network, the new myTouch will offer customers blazing fast access to websites, applications, videos, downloads and more. T-Mobile's HSPA+ network is the most pervasive mobile broadband network in the country, offering 4G speeds in more than 65 major metropolitan areas. With its latest expansion, T-Mobile's HSPA+ footprint now includes Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss.; Denver, Colo.; Huntsville, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Norfolk, Va.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and Sacramento, Calif.; and West Palm Beach, Fla. T-Mobile expects to reach 100 major metropolitan areas and 200 million people in 2010.
Families also can share moments in high-definition (HD) with the myTouch's high-quality HD Camcorder with Screen Share, which allows customers to share or broadcast HD video and pictures they've captured. With a few touches of the screen, customers can share their photo albums, videos and movies wirelessly with a compatible HDTV or other DLNA device. The new phone also includes three exclusive myTouch features: Genius ButtonTM, powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance, which lets customers call, text, e-mail or access the internet with a simple voice command; Faves GalleryTM, which offers shortcuts to one's most-contacted family and friends; and myModes, which creates customized home screens for work and home.
Designed by HTC exclusively for T-Mobile, the new myTouch features a brilliant 3.8-inch WVGA touch-screen display with virtual keyboard and Swype® for easy text input. The thin and sleek device also comes with a blazing fast second-generation Qualcomm® SnapdragonTM 1GHz MSM8255 processor optimized for speed and graphic performance, a 5-megapixel camera, a preinstalled 8 GB microSD memory card, and an integrated media player that brings together favorite music, video and internet radio under one set of controls.
Powered by Android 2.2, the myTouch offers a rich mobile Web experience and access to more than 80,000 applications on Android MarketTM from games to location-based social networks to on-the-go shopping and more. The new device also features preloaded HD games, including "Rock Band," "Asphalt 5" and "Monopoly."
The new T-Mobile myTouch is expected to be available in time for the holidays, exclusively from T-Mobile USA in four colors - white, black, plum or red. Customers can visit http://mytouch.t- mobile.com for more information.
T-Mobile now offers 4G speeds on the new myTouch and the T-Mobile G2TM, as well as the webConnect RocketTM 2.0 and Rocket laptop sticks. In addition, customers located in new HSPA+ locations can benefit from faster speeds on their existing 3G smartphones - including popular devices, such as the myTouch 3G Slide.
When we got our hands on the Vuzix Wrap 920AR at CES we saw a promising piece of gear without too many practical applications. And where do things stand, nearly a year later? Available now (aside from a "30 to 45 day delay" on all orders) the headset is strictly developers only. According to Pocket-lint, the company is only eighteen months away from clear AR glasses with heads-up displays -- and, believe us, we'd love to see that -- but in the meantime, your hard earned $2,000 will get you the glasses, a Vuzix VR Manager license, and access to the Vuzix SDK. So, who's going to be the first to pitch us a system for Augmented Reality comment moderation? We'd love to some new and novel ways to "downrank" a few of our favorite commenters, if you get our drift.
A bumper crop of circumstantial evidence surrounding the Android-based PlayStation Phone is starting to come together today -- when it rains, it pours, as they say -- and one particularly interesting thread suggests that the ecosystem surrounding the device might be called "Z-System." An astute tipster notes that the term appears in the upper left of one of our shots, which maps to a domain -- z-system.com, naturally -- that's owned by Sony Ericsson. Turns out the company also holds trademarks for Z-System in the US and Benelux trademark offices (among others, presumably) that were filed (and approved) this year, and the filing category includes "software for interacting or playing with electronic or video games," not hardware, so that strongly suggests we're looking at a platform here. We suppose it's possible that this specific device will be called Z-System, but we're going to float the theory that its actually underlying gaming platform that'll bear that name -- possibly a premium game store and set of software libraries that together will earn a device the Z-System badge. As we already saw with the BlackPad / SurfBook / PlayBook fiasco, trademarks don't mean much until a device is actually announced -- but it's something to keep an eye on.
Kmart may have been the first department store to get into the cheap Android tablet business, but it looks like Walgreens isn't about to stay out of this race to the bottom -- it's now offering the Maylong M-150 Android tablet for a mere $100. As you can see above, it's pretty much the tablet of your dreams. Not only does it run Android, but it boasts a familiar iPad design and interface, plus Internet Explorer for a web browser (icon), and access to the always useful "App Market." As for specs, it looks like you'll get a 7-inch resistive touchscreen with an 800 x 480 resolution, a 400MHz VIA VM8505+ processor, built-in WiFi, an unspecified amount of built-in flash memory, and a microSD card slot or expansion. Head on past the break for a video, and hit up the source link below if you're ready to place your order.
Moving from regular SIMs to micro SIMs for the iPad and iPhone 4 was a fairly user-hostile move on Apple's part, seeing how it made moving between an iPhone and virtually any other GSM device quite a bit more difficult; the official explanation (for the iPhone 4, anyway) was that there simply wasn't room for a regular SIM, but that seems unlikely considering that you're only saving 10mm of length, 3mm of width, and 0mm of thickness. A more plausible scenario is that Apple viewed micro SIMs as a way to get ahead of the industry curve a bit and make it unpleasant for users to try to share an iPhone line with other devices, a concept that gets at the core of Apple's mantra of owning the entire ecosystem from end to end.
But could they be trying to take that concept another step further? GigaOM is reporting a rumor today that Apple is working tightly with security firm Gemalto -- you know, the SIM guys -- to integrate software-reconfigurable SIMs right into European iPhones that would be activated on the carrier of your choice using an App Store download. Why European models? Multiple carriers offer the iPhone in a number of European countries, so distribution is a bit more complicated there than it is in the US, though it's a reasonable leap to suggest that the same integrated SIMs would be use on new North American iPhones as well. From Apple's perspective, it's a win-win: trying to use your iPhone line with another device would be akin to pulling teeth, and more importantly, Apple wouldn't need to worry about bundling carrier-specific SIMs with devices. In fact, the move would make Apple's (and the consumer's) interactions with the carrier entirely virtual, all the way from manufacture to activation. Seems like the plan would require an extraordinary amount of buy-in from carriers who've become increasingly suspicious of Apple's goals lately -- but then again, they managed to get carriers to suddenly and rapidly deploy micro SIMs en masse, and if anyone could pull this off, it'd be Steve's boys and girls.
After going most of the year with very little noise on the Nexus One's successor -- a phone Google has never committed to making, by the way -- we've gotten a handful of conflicting rumors about this thing in the past few days. Let's take a swipe at the buzz that's circulating this week: 
As a whole, Motorola is no stranger to profit... thing is, Moto won't be "whole" for much longer, and when the split happens, we're sure it'd like all of its divisions to be profitable. The mobile unit, of course, has been the struggling one, trying to pull out of a multi-year post-RAZR nosedive under the leadership of CEO Sanjay Jha -- and it looks like his all-in bet on Android is starting to pay off at the bank on today's news that they've posted a non-GAAP operating profit of $3 million. Yes, sure, that's razor-thin when you consider that they sold some $2 billion worth of phones -- but these guys haven't seen black ink in three years, so it's definitely cause for celebration. Looking at the bigger picture, the entirety of Motorola posted non-GAAP earnings per share of 16 cents -- handily beating the estimate of 10 to 12 cents -- on sales of $5.8 billion. Not out of the woods yet, but certainly rolling toward the end of the year on a high note, we'd say.
So, what's a company to do when turning the big one-oh? The same thing that it always has, of course! Tivoli Audio's classic styling has somehow found its way back around again on the 10th anniversary Model 10 AM/FM clock radio, a highly compact music maker with a 7.8-inch cabinet, a pair of independent alarms (which can be set to music or a tone), inbuilt LCD and a menu screen with an adjustable backlight. As you'd expect, the pizazz is coming mostly in the form of exterior color options, with "furniture grade wood" being offered in walnut, cherry, blue, black and red. For the true historians, a Celebration Collection is available in light and dark aluminum wood finishes, with the Superior Collection adding a high gloss Frost White and Chesnut Brown (along with the 'Lines' pattern shown here). The auxiliary input allows pretty much any source to be connected, with all functions dictated by a single top-mounted rotary control or a bundled remote. As for pricing? They're going for $199.99 to $379.99, or precisely 19.2 times more than you ever expected. 
Struggling to decide how on Earth you'll fit a gargantuan 15-inch laptop into your life, while simultaneously trying to imagine using something as minuscule as a 14-incher? Great news, vaquero! HP's splitting the difference (and hairs, if we're being honest) with its 14.5-inch Pavilion dv5-2129wm Special Edition, a vivacious new machine that has just popped up at Wally World. Powered entirely by flora, this 'Garden Dreams' laptop packs a BrightView LED-backlit display, AMD's Turion II P540 CPU (2.4GHz), 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard drive, 8x SuperMulti DVD burner, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, ATI's Mobility Radeon HD 4250 graphics, an inbuilt webcam 5-in-1 card reader, three USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI / VGA outputs and a six-cell Li-ion battery. It's available there in the source link for $598, and somehow or another, we suspect Ma Earth is urging you to do the right thing.
We've receive a number of reports that a 2.3.20 software update for Verizon's Droid 2 is slowly making the rounds this morning. The OTA push promises a number of improvements and enhancements with the promise of better battery life, faster transitions between WiFi and 3G data connection, and quicker location tracking when using GPS being perhaps the most notable. Other enhancements include:
You're already sold on ATI's new Radeon HD 6800 series, but your existing motherboard and CPU just feel too aged to become home to such a shiny, fresh piece of silicon. We hear you. So does iBuyPower. Rather than forking out and upgrading just your GPU, these guys are hoping you'll ogle the newly revised Gamer Mage D295, Gamer Mage D355, and Gamer Paladin F820, all three of which are available with the HD 6870 and HD 6850. The Gamer Mage D295 gets housed in a Thermaltake V9 enclosure and ships with a liquid cooled Athlon II X4 640 quad-core CPU, 4GB of RAM, a Radeon HD 6850 (1GB), LG Blu-ray reader / DVD combo drive, 1TB of HDD space and a 700 watt power supply -- all for the low, low price of $899. The D335 (starts at $1,239) steps up to a liquid cool Phenom II X6 1055T, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a Radeon HD 6870 GPU, 64GB SSD and an 800 watt PSU, while the F280 (starts at $1,369) goes all-out with a liquid cooled Core i7 950, 6GB of DDR3 memory, an HD 6870 GPU and NZXT's Guardian 921 R case. Hit the links below to get your customization on. 
Moving from regular SIMs to micro SIMs for the iPad and iPhone 4 was a fairly user-hostile move on Apple's part, seeing how it made moving between an iPhone and virtually any other GSM device quite a bit more difficult; the official explanation (for the iPhone 4, anyway) was that there simply wasn't room for a regular SIM, but that seems unlikely considering that you're only saving 10mm of length, 3mm of width, and 0mm of thickness. A more plausible scenario is that Apple viewed micro SIMs as a way to get ahead of the industry curve a bit and make it unpleasant for users to try to share an iPhone line with other devices, a concept that gets at the core of Apple's mantra of owning the entire ecosystem from end to end.
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