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- Official Google Voice app for iPhone hits the App Store
- Panasonic says it will start selling Android-based smartphones in Japan next year, overseas in 2012
- Creative hits 1080p with its Live! Cam Socialize HD webcam, launches 720p models too
- Optimus One is LG's fastest-selling phone ever: one million in 40 days
- Adobe CEO: Flash battery life depends on hardware acceleration, MacBook Air update in testing right now
- Mimo announces iMo eye9 USB touchscreen with built-in webcam
- iPad on sale at some Sam's Club stores, stuffed in between the treehouses and turkeys
- Viewsonic rolls out 3DV5 pocket camcorder, other gadgets of 2D and 3D varieties
- NVIDIA brings the Fermi-packing Quadro 4000 to the Mac Pro
- Mitsubishi MDT231WG monitor is 23 inches of 120Hz gaming goodness and movie magic (video)
- AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon announce Isis national mobile commerce network
- Samsung cuts Galaxy Tab prices in the UK, still more than AT&T
- The Beatles show up in iTunes
- BlackBerry PlayBook and iPad go head-to-head in a browsing showdown
- Evigroup Paddle tablet goes Pro, gets cursor-controlling, head-tracking webcam
- Nook Color review
- Nook Color now shipping to early birds, limited retail
- Data Robotics's Drobo S storage robot goes USB 3.0, starts at $800
- Samsung looks to get down with Google TV in 2011
- Nexus S teaser by Eric Schmidt now available on video
- Exclusive: LG's 4-inch Android phone with dual-core Tegra 2 and 1080p video coming in early 2011
- Walmart launches Black Friday barrage early, $69 Blu-ray player, $89 DS Lite
- Hitachi displays a capacitive screen capable of accepting stylus input (video)
- Dell Inspiron Duo tablet could be with us next week
- AMD's Bobcat APU benchmarked: the age of the Atom is at an end
- People of Lava launches Scandinavia Android TV, melts home theater hearts and wallets
- Olympus E-PL1S is a slightly improved PEN, world's lightest with interchangeable lenses
- Sprint's Palm Pre marked for End of Life?
- Altec Lansing's Octiv Stage iPad speaker dock is delightfully understated
- GE buying 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015, nearly half to be Chevy Volts
- Confirmed: Intel Sandy Bridge or 'second generation Core processors' to be introduced at CES
- Source London: network of 1,300 charging stations coming by end of 2013
- CHIP-8 emulation comes to Half-Life 2, you can finally retire your Telmac 1800 (video)
- RIM pulls Kik Messenger from App World, cites 'number of issues and customer concerns'
- The Nexus S: a closer look
- Microsoft sold one million Kinect sensors in 10 days, will be watching you sleep for a lifetime
- Eric Schmidt: Chrome OS aimed at keyboard based solutions, Android optimized for touch
- App Review: NetFront Life Browser for Android
- WSJ: Apple bringing Beatles to iTunes after a seven year wait
- Eric Schmidt shows off a Nexus S at the Web 2.0 summit, says Gingerbread coming in 'next few weeks'
| Official Google Voice app for iPhone hits the App Store Posted: 16 Nov 2010 09:59 AM PST  [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] |
| Panasonic says it will start selling Android-based smartphones in Japan next year, overseas in 2012 Posted: 16 Nov 2010 09:58 AM PST  Panasonic may not be new to cellphones, but it has sat out of the smartphone explosion of recent years -- an oversight that it's now apparently looking to correct. Speaking at a news conference today, the head of Panasonic's mobile division, Osamu Waki, said flatly that the compmany "misjudged the speed at which smartphones would be taken up in the Japanese market," and that "with the rapid shift to Android, we want to catch up quickly." Exact details on how it plans to catch up are expectedly still a bit light, but Panasonic's phones will indeed be based on Android, and it apparently hopes to differentiate them by emphasizing their networking capabilities with other Panasonic products. As for when the first ones will roll out, Panasonic plans to kick off sales in Japan sometime next year, with overseas markets set to follow in 2012. |
| Creative hits 1080p with its Live! Cam Socialize HD webcam, launches 720p models too Posted: 16 Nov 2010 09:35 AM PST 
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| Optimus One is LG's fastest-selling phone ever: one million in 40 days Posted: 16 Nov 2010 09:10 AM PST  |
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| Mimo announces iMo eye9 USB touchscreen with built-in webcam Posted: 16 Nov 2010 08:28 AM PST  Mimo Monitors isn't exactly short on small USB monitors these days, but that hasn't stopped it from rolling out yet another new model: the 9-inch iMo eye9. As with some of the company's recent models, this one is a touchscreen monitor (resistive, as you might expect), but it takes things one step further than the rest by adding a less-than-discreet 1.3 megapixel webcam. Otherwise, you'll get a basic 1,024 x 600 resolution, plus full Mac and PC compatibility, a detachable base that allows for both portrait and landscape viewing, and a built-in stylus that will also double as a stand. Look for this one to start shipping on November 20th, and you can get youpre-order in now for $229.99. The Perfect Holiday Accessory: MimoMonitors.com Introduces iMo eye9, 9" USB Touchscreen Mini Monitor with Rotating Webcam MimoMonitors' latest release unveils a suite of new features including touchscreen and webcam, just in time for the holidays; optional Flex-Arm Mount attaches the monitor to any surface PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- MimoMonitors.com, the leader in USB touchscreen displays, today announced the new iMo eye9 mini-monitor, the perfect, most unique gift for anyone on your list this holiday season. The iMo eye9 extends the viewing "real estate" of both PCs and Macs with touchscreen capability, offering an extra display to de-clutter the desktop and offload popular applications or open web browsers into a dedicated, always-visible window. The monitor features a dual-hinged stand for landscape and portrait viewing, and can be completely detached for tablet style usage. It also includes a rotating 1.3 megapixel webcam to keep users connected with friends and family for the holidays via Skype, Google Chat, and more. At just 9" wide and 1.5 pounds, iMo eye9 is easy to connect to desktops, laptops, and netbooks, working seamlessly with any PC or Mac application. As with all Mimo monitors, it requires only the included USB connection for full power and functionality. In addition to the dual-hinged stand, the iMo eye9 comes with a secondary easel stand that's perfect for displaying digital pictures during holiday parties and gatherings. The sleek, glossy design looks great on any desk or table, and is fully protected by a snap-on cover. The iMo eye9 is perfect for: * SHOPPING: use the extra display to keep online stores in a separate window, actively monitor online auctions for gift purchases, stay on top of holiday shopping sales, and more. * RETAIL/CORPORATE/INDUSTRIAL: mount anywhere to use as touchscreen controller, play marketing videos, and capture or display data. * CHATTING: pull IM, chat, and video windows onto the iMo monitor; use the rotating webcam to give long-distance buddies a 360-degree view of holiday celebrations. * TWEETING: update your Twitter and Facebook status and keep in touch with social media contacts, without cluttering your main screen. * ENTERTAINING: tap into eye9's sharp resolution and color display for gaming, watching videos, and more. * PRODUCTIVITY: offload spreadsheets, toolbars, email windows, and much more; touchscreen works with either included stylus or fingertip. Also available for the iMo eye9: the new iMo Flex-Arm Mount, offering added flexibility to securely mount your mini-monitor onto any horizontal or vertical surface, with the same convenient, dual-hinged design as the iMo eye9 stand. The iMo eye9 is available now on www.MimoMonitors.com for $229.99, with the Single Flex Mounting Arm can be purchased for $39.99. Available on November 20th; preorders now being taken. Reserve yours today! SOURCE MimoMonitors.com |
| iPad on sale at some Sam's Club stores, stuffed in between the treehouses and turkeys Posted: 16 Nov 2010 07:57 AM PST  |
| Viewsonic rolls out 3DV5 pocket camcorder, other gadgets of 2D and 3D varieties Posted: 16 Nov 2010 07:36 AM PST  Viewsonic has been touting a whole range of 3D gadgets since IFA this summer, and it's now finally brought a few of them to North America. That includes the $180 3DV5 pocket camcorder, which was already released in Europe and does 720p video along with 5 megapixel stills (in both 3D and 2D), and the also-$180 3DPF8 8-inch digital photo frame, which will let you view 3D videos and photos without the need for 3D glasses. Joining those are the $330 DVP5 pocket camcorder, which isn't 3D but does pack a built-in projector, and the $150 DPF8-CAM Digital Photo Copier, which is actually an 8-inch digital photo frame with a built-in scanner to let you easily convert your snapshots to digital copies. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the gallery below for a closer look at the whole lot. ViewSonic Puts 3D and Content Creation in the Hands of Customers Company Enables Consumers to Create and View Their Own Content With New Line of Media Devices Including the 3DV5, 3DPF8, DVP5 and DPF8-CAM WALNUT, CA--(Marketwire - November 15, 2010) - ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today announced the availability of four new media devices that enable consumers to create and connect to 3D and 2D content wherever they are -- including the 3DV5, 3DPF8, 3DVP5 and DPF8-CAM. "3D is without argument a growing trend," said Adam Hanin, vice president of marketing for ViewSonic Americas. "In order for 3D technologies to live up to their true potential, there must be an available offering of content, including self-created content. ViewSonic is providing several new offerings that put ViewSonic anywhere consumers want to create and enjoy 3D, as well as traditional 2D content." 3DV5 Pocket 3D HD Camcorder The 3DV5 Pocket 3D HD Camcorder puts consumers in charge of creating their own multi-dimensional entertainment. Capture 3D and standard 2D videos, while viewing the live 3D content on a 2.4" 3D LCD glasses-less panel. Then the user can play back the content instantly on a standard PC/notebook by wearing the red/cyan glasses that are included with the 3DV5. Additionally, consumers can also enjoy 3D content on NVIDIA® 3D monitors with NVIDIA's 3D Vision Kit and on 3D HDTVs with their specific glasses. With the 3DV5's two 5-megapixel fixed focus cameras, consumers can capture 3D still images as well as 3D 720p HD video. Intuitive built-in software is designed for easy uploading and sharing of videos on YouTube 3D and Facebook with one click. Plus a USB rechargeable Li-ion battery and flexible storage options make for content creation simple when on the move. The 3DV5 Pocket 3D HD Camcorder is now available for an ESP of $179.99. 3DPF8 3D Multimedia Digital Photo Frame This 8" 3DPF8 3D Multimedia Digital Photo Frame makes it easy to share life's memories with the excitement of full 3D. Not only does this device flawlessly display 3D photos and videos with no glasses needed, it also automatically converts standard 2D photos and videos to 3D. In addition to customized slideshows with music, this multifaceted device offers all the functionality of a compact digital display, including calendar, clock and alarm features. Additionally, a rechargeable built-in battery and hidden touch panel controls ensure this device is as easy to use as it is interactive. The 3DPF8 is now available for an ESP of $179.99. DVP5 Pocket Camcorder Projector The DVP5 Pocket Camcorder Projector enables consumers to take 720p HD video and 5-megapixel photos. Then this compact device can be used to instantly project content up to 65" for the easy sharing of memories with friends or displaying important presentations. In addition to the option of using a Micro SD card for up to 32GB of storage, consumers can use the DVP5 to project content from external devices using an AV jack, such as an iPod®, iPhone®, mobile phone, DVD player, camcorder, notebook/PC or game console. LED backlight lamp technology ensures true color and high contrast ratio, plus 20,000 hours of product use or more. Plus the rechargeable built-in battery offers up to two hours of recording time on a single charge for on-the-go convenience. The DVP5 is now available for an ESP of $329.99. DPF8-CAM Digital Photo Copier Ideal for consumers with endless boxes full of photos, the 8" DPF8-CAM Digital Photo Copier easily converts analog print photos to digital format, with an intuitive user interface for adjusting or cropping the digital image. The high-resolution 800x600 LED backlit screen and 5-megapixel built-in camera ensure crisp, sharp image quality, while a 4:3 aspect ratio minimizes image distortion. Save copies directly on the device with the 128MB of built-in internal storage, or insert a memory card for added capacity. In addition to digitization of analog prints, the DPF8-CAM functions as a digital display, supporting photo slideshows, as well as calendar, clock and alarm features. Teamed with an auto off feature for energy savings and remote control, this device is ideal for any age group. The DPF8-CAM is now available for an ESP of $149.99. Additionally, all of these products will be available at promotional prices at various points throughout the holiday gifting season. For further information on ViewSonic products, please visit ViewSonic.com or follow ViewSonic on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. About ViewSonic ViewSonic® Corporation is a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions. ViewSonic develops, markets and supports a broad range of innovative products, including LCD TVs, computers, LCD monitors, projectors, digital photo frames, digital signage displays and digital media players. For further information, please contact ViewSonic Corporation at 800.888.8583 or 909.444.8888; or visit ViewSonic.com. |
| NVIDIA brings the Fermi-packing Quadro 4000 to the Mac Pro Posted: 16 Nov 2010 07:14 AM PST  It's Here -- NVIDIA Quadro Delivers NVIDIA Fermi Architecture to the Mac Pro Award-Winning Professional Graphics Solution Delivers Blazing Fast Performance on Software From Adobe and Others SANTA CLARA, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/16/2010 -- NVIDIA announced today the expansion of its award-winning line of NVIDIA® Quadro® professional graphics solutions to the Mac platform, bringing the computational and visualization breakthroughs enabled by NVIDIA Fermi architecture to Mac Pro users. For professional users operating on Mac OS X Snow Leopard, this means the wait is over. The NVIDIA Quadro 4000 graphics processing unit (GPU) for Mac is optimized to accelerate workflows and drive a range of top professional applications. For example, the Adobe Mercury Playback Engine in Adobe® Premiere® Pro CS5 software leverages NVIDIA CUDA™ parallel processing technology to enable film and video professionals to work unconstrained. Other examples include visual effects and image processing applications from The Foundry, including NUKE and STORM, and MATLAB from MathWorks. "Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 and the Adobe Mercury Playback Engine, accelerated by NVIDIA Quadro GPUs, have redefined the non-linear editing workflow, delivering huge productivity gains," said Ginna Baldassarre, senior product manager at Adobe. "Adobe looks forward to working with NVIDIA to help more Mac users reap the benefits of real-time performance and the ability to create compelling, multi-layer projects with multiple HD or higher resolution video clips, all while instantly viewing results." The Foundry is a leading developer of visual effects software for film and broadcast. "The Foundry's software has been used to help create visual effects for many Hollywood blockbusters, including 'Avatar,' 'Alice in Wonderland,' 'Harry Potter,' 'Iron Man,' 'Star Trek,' 'District 9,' '2012,' and 'Transformers,'" said Bruno Nicoletti, Founder and CTO, The Foundry. "The Quadro 4000 is a powerful GPU blockbuster for the Mac." MathWorks MATLAB is a high-level technical computing language and interactive environment for algorithm development, numeric computation, data analysis, and data visualization, all of which benefit tremendously from fast double precision, a unique Quadro 4000 GPU for Mac feature. Graphics features, including 2-D and 3-D plotting functions, and 3-D volume functions required to visualize engineering and scientific data, are available in MATLAB. "The visualization features in the Quadro 4000, coupled with GPU-accelerated computation for algorithm development and deployment with MATLAB and Parallel Computing Toolbox, are a powerful combination of capabilities for the Mac platform," said Silvina Grad-Freilich, manager of parallel-computing marketing, MathWorks. "We are pleased that our Mac users will be able to leverage Fermi-grade computational performance in their applications." The high-end NVIDIA Quadro 4000 GPU for Mac, with 256 NVIDIA CUDA processing cores and 2GB of fast GDDR5 memory, delivers exceptional graphics performance across a broad range of design, animation and video applications. With new NVIDIA Scalable Geometry Engine technology, the Quadro 4000 for Mac can process up to 890 million triangles per second¹, enabling professionals to design, iterate and deliver higher quality results in less time. The Quadro 4000 GPU for Mac also provides additional display flexibility through a DisplayPort and a DVI-I (Dual Link) connector built into its bracket, and a 3D stereo bracket for optimal stereo connection to the system. A DisplayPort to mini-DisplayPort cable is also included to enable mini-DisplayPort only Apple displays. Additionally, users can enable up to four high resolution displays from a single Mac Pro using dual NVIDIA Quadro 4000 for Mac boards. The NVIDIA Quadro 4000 GPU for Mac enables dramatic increases in computing performance. Minimum system requirements include Mac OS X v10.6.5 or later with MacPro3,1 (early 2008), MacPro4,1 (early 2009), or MacPro5,1 (mid-2010). The Quadro 4000 processing unit for Mac is designed, built and supported by NVIDIA to provide best in class performance, reliability, compatibility and stability with professional Mac applications. NVIDIA and its ISV partners believe it's the right choice in providing the dependability that video production and graphics professionals require. Availability and Pricing The Quadro 4000 GPU for Mac ($1,199 MSRP, USD) is available this month at Apple.com, select Apple resellers and system integrators, and from authorized distribution partners including: PNY Technologies in the Americas and Europe, ELSA in Japan, and Leadtek in Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit: www.nvidia.com/quadro. Follow NVIDIA Quadro on YouTube and Twitter: @NVIDIAQuadro. About NVIDIA NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the GPU in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from tablets and portable media players to notebooks and workstations. NVIDIA's expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. The Company holds more than 1,600 patents worldwide, including ones covering designs and insights that are essential to modern computing. For more information, see www.nvidia.com. (1)Raw throughput number calculated by graphics processing clusters, GPU clock rate, and triangle throughput. |
| Mitsubishi MDT231WG monitor is 23 inches of 120Hz gaming goodness and movie magic (video) Posted: 16 Nov 2010 06:51 AM PST  |
| AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon announce Isis national mobile commerce network Posted: 16 Nov 2010 06:23 AM PST  Just in time for the total economic collapse of Europe and the rise of the cyber-nomadic tribes, the kids at Discover, Barclaycard, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have a name for their mobile phone-based payment system: Isis. Essentially it remains what we heard from Bloomberg a few months back: a system for using an app on your phone to send payments to a POS system using NFC technology. The Isis team thinks it has "the scope and scale necessary to introduce mobile commerce on a broad basis," and we wish them the best. But we know how it all ends anyways: with the lucky among us dead, and the rest of us living in caves, hiding from death-dealing robots, and bartering for what we can't scrounge from the ruins of our once-great cities. PR after the break. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless Announce Joint Venture to Build National Mobile Commerce Network Isis to Lead the U.S. Payments Industry from Cards to Mobile Phones; Available to All Merchants, Banks and Wireless Service Providers; Venture Led By Former GE Capital Financial Executive NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless today announced the formation of a joint venture chartered with building ISIS™, a national mobile commerce network that aims to fundamentally transform how people shop, pay and save. Isis' initial focus will be on building a mobile payment network that utilizes mobile phones to make point-of-sale purchases. By utilizing smartphone and near-field communication (NFC) technology to modernize the payments process, Isis intends to deliver new levels of competition and value to consumers and merchants. Isis expects to introduce its service in key geographic markets during the next 18 months. Michael Abbott has been named as Chief Executive Officer of Isis. Formerly with GE Capital, Abbott is a veteran financial services executive with extensive experience in the payment and technology industries. "Our mobile commerce network, through relationships with merchants, will provide an enhanced, more convenient, more personalized shopping experience for consumers," said Michael Abbott, Chief Executive Officer of Isis. "While mobile payments will be at the core of our offering, it is only the start. We plan to create a mobile wallet that ultimately eliminates the need for consumers to carry cash, credit and debit cards, reward cards, coupons, tickets and transit passes." Isis Brings Both Consumer and Merchant Scale Founding members, AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, collectively provide wireless services to more than 200 million consumers who will have access to the Isis service. Isis is working with Discover Financial Services' payment network, currently accepted at more than seven million merchant locations nationwide, to develop an extensive mobile payment infrastructure for the joint venture. Barclaycard US, part of Barclays PLC, is expected to be the first issuer on the network, offering multiple mobile payment products to meet the needs of every customer. "We believe the venture will have the scope and scale necessary to introduce mobile commerce on a broad basis. In the beginning, we intend to fully utilize Discover's national payment infrastructure as well as Barclaycard's expertise in contactless and mobile payments," said Abbott. "Moving forward, Isis will be available to all interested merchants, banks and mobile carriers." How It Works The new venture will enable contactless mobile payment and commerce services using near-field communication technology. NFC uses short-range, high frequency wireless technology to enable the encrypted exchange of information between devices at a short distance. The new system is being designed and built to include strong security and privacy safeguards. About Isis The joint venture is between AT&T Mobility LLC, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless and is based in New York City. The venture is chartered with building ISIS™, a national mobile commerce network that will fundamentally transform how people shop, pay and save. The Isis mobile commerce network will be available to all merchants, banks and mobile carriers. ISIS is a trademark of JVL Ventures, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos, product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. www.paywithisis.com Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this press release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially. The words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "may," "plan," "should" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, those set forth in the discussions of factors that may affect future results contained in AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG's (T-Mobile USA is the U.S. wireless arm of Deutsche Telekom AG), and Verizon Wireless' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T, T-Mobile USA, and Verizon Wireless disclaim any obligation to update and revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise. Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6513500⟨=en |
| Samsung cuts Galaxy Tab prices in the UK, still more than AT&T Posted: 16 Nov 2010 05:56 AM PST  |
| Posted: 16 Nov 2010 05:42 AM PST  Update: Yep, it's official -- the Beatles are on iTunes. No streaming announcement, no subscription service. Apple's given its entire front page over to a full-size shot of the boys, and as a bonus the "Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964" video will stream for free for the rest of the year. Ringo, can you sum this up for us? You were always our favorite, Rings. PR after the break, along with a screencap of Apple.com for posterity. The Beatles Now on iTunes All 13 Legendary Beatles Studio Albums & Special Digital Box Set LONDON and CUPERTINO, California-November 16, 2010-Apple Corps, EMI and Apple® today announced that the Beatles, the most influential and beloved rock band in music history, are now available for the first time on the iTunes Store® (www.itunes.com). Starting today, the group's 13 legendary remastered studio albums with iTunes LPs, the two-volume "Past Masters" compilation and the classic "Red" and "Blue" collections are available for purchase and download on iTunes® worldwide as either albums or individual songs. Fans can also get a special digital "Beatles Box Set" featuring the "Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964" concert film, a worldwide iTunes exclusive which captures the Beatles' very first US concert. "We're really excited to bring the Beatles' music to iTunes," said Sir Paul McCartney. "It's fantastic to see the songs we originally released on vinyl receive as much love in the digital world as they did the first time around." "I am particularly glad to no longer be asked when the Beatles are coming to iTunes," said Ringo Starr. "At last, if you want it-you can get it now-The Beatles from Liverpool to now! Peace and Love, Ringo." "We love the Beatles and are honored and thrilled to welcome them to iTunes," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "It has been a long and winding road to get here. Thanks to the Beatles and EMI, we are now realizing a dream we've had since we launched iTunes ten years ago." "In the joyful spirit of Give Peace A Chance, I think it is so appropriate that we are doing this on John's 70th birthday year," said Yoko Ono Lennon. "The Beatles on iTunes-Bravo!" said Olivia Harrison. "The Beatles and iTunes have both been true innovators in their fields," said EMI Group CEO Roger Faxon. "It's a privilege for everybody at EMI to work with Steve Jobs and with Apple Corps' Jeff Jones and their teams in marking a great milestone in the development of digital music." Each of the Beatles' 13 legendary remastered studio albums, including "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Revolver," "The Beatles [The White Album]" and "Abbey Road" include iTunes LPs, which create an immersive album experience with a beautiful design and expanded visual features including a unique mini-documentary about the creation of each album. The two-volume "Past Masters" compilation and the classic "Red" and "Blue" collections are also available. Single albums are available for purchase and download for $12.99 each, double albums for $19.99 each and individual songs for $1.29 each. The special digital "Beatles Box Set" ($149) contains the 13 remastered studio albums with iTunes LPs and all mini-documentaries, "Past Masters," and the "Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964" concert film, a worldwide iTunes exclusive which captures the Beatles' very first US concert in its entirety. In addition, Beatles fans can stream and view the "Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964" concert film from iTunes for free for the remainder of this calendar year. Apple Corps Ltd. was founded by The Beatles in 1968 to look after the group's own affairs. The London-based company has administered the catalogue of The Beatles releases of the 1960s that have sold to date more than 600 million records, tapes and CDs. Since the 1990s, Apple has piloted new Beatles projects that have become benchmarks for pioneering accomplishment and which have included The Beatles Anthology projects, the 29-million selling album The Beatles 1, The Beatles LOVE show and CD and the 09/09/09 release of The Beatles Remastered catalogue and The Beatles Rock Band game. Further information on The Beatles' projects can be found at www.thebeatles.com. EMI Music is one of the world's leading music companies, representing artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Latin, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Records Nashville, Manhattan, Parlophone and Virgin. Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.  |
| BlackBerry PlayBook and iPad go head-to-head in a browsing showdown Posted: 16 Nov 2010 05:30 AM PST  |
| Evigroup Paddle tablet goes Pro, gets cursor-controlling, head-tracking webcam Posted: 16 Nov 2010 05:06 AM PST  |
| Posted: 16 Nov 2010 04:31 AM PST  Hardware Even though the framing is built out of plastic, the unit feels durable and even rugged (we suspect that rubber backing helps with that perception. While we didn't do any drop tests, the Nook Color certainly feels like it can take something of a beating (but don't go throwing it against walls on our account). Inside, the system boasts a TI OMAP 3621 CPU clocked at 800MHz (or, "speeds up to 800MHz"). The device has 512MB of RAM, 8GB of flash storage, and a microSD slot for additional expansion (the slot allows use of cards up to 32GB). As we said, the screen is of the 7-inch LCD variety, and at the 1024 x 600 resolution, looks reasonably dense (from a pixel perspective) with a 178-degree viewing angle. Barnes & Noble is particularly proud of the screen, which the company says utilizes its "VividView" treatment to provide less glare. What that really means is that the screen coating is fully laminated against the display itself, making for less tiny, almost-imperceptible unglued areas which can catch light. Still, the display is pretty reflective, making reading in bright locations (like on a subway with stark fluorescent lighting) sometimes difficult. The Nook Color is equipped with 802.11b/g/n WiFi, but you won't find any 3G here. Additionally, there's a light sensor on the front of the device -- a nice touch which allows you to conserve a little bit more of that battery (which is rated at 8 hours a charge... with WiFi off). Overall, both inside and out, the Nook Color is surprisingly well designed. There are some performance issues (more on that in the software section below), but that seems likely to be a symptom of sloppy code rather than an underpowered chipset. In fact, we played around with a dev unit running Angry Birds, and it was just as smooth as the iPad or Galaxy Tab running the same game. Software When you first boot the device, you're greeted with the center screen of three homescreens where you can arrange books and periodicals you're currently reading, see recently downloaded content (presented as a scrollable list at the bottom of the display), and get quick access to a number of other features of the device, such as your most recent selections, and general settings. We like the idea of this landing page, and in execution it works really well, though there are some touch response and frame rate issues that make the experience a little uneven. One nice feature is that you're able to scale and freely move material you're reading around these pages, allowing you to prioritize your content in a visual manner. As far as general navigation goes, on every screen (not just your home base), you've got a small tab which pulls up a menu from the bottom of the page with familiar Nook selections: library, shop, search, extras, web, and settings. The library section is organized by books, magazines, and newspapers, but also gives options for creating your own sets of content ("my shelves"), working with PDFs and other docs, music, images, and video (M4V only) in "my files," and allows you to dive into the company's much-touted lending program. The lending options have been expanded in the Nook Color, and the company now provides a social network of sorts for friends of yours with Nook devices wherein you see the selections they're lending out, showcase what you have to lend, and request titles. Not every book is lendable, but the expansions to the service are thoughtful. Shopping is now a much more interactive and enjoyable experience, with clearly guided methods of search and discovery. We wish we could be as excited about file management, but it's kind of a mixed bag. We had no trouble playing MP3s and AAC files, but we had some issues figuring out just how to get our music into the player. We could play a single file, but found no option to add albums or create playlists. Finally, we figured out that a restart is required once you've added music (we're guessing it gives the device a chance to scan the content). That's all well and good, but the Color should rescan your collection after a USB sync. Another issue was getting back to the player itself. In the corner of the device you get a small music icon which gives you a pop-over notification -- you expect that it will transport you back to the player, but it does nothing. We also discovered while shooting our demo video that Pandora and the music app can actually end up playing over one another -- obviously there should be a call to kill one when another starts. Hopefully Barnes & Noble will have a quick fix for some of these minor issues early on. Videos were another issue -- we couldn't get anything besides M4Vs to play, and even then we had trouble with some HD trailers. Obviously this isn't a crucial task for this device, but having a strong set of codecs and some decent video support would be really nice (and should cost next to nothing for this platform). Dealing with galleries and PDFs, on the other hand, was a joy. We jumped into really large PDFs with no trouble whatsoever (though it is weird that you don't flip through them like books, rather swipe up and down). Galleries loaded up reasonably quickly and the included image viewer gives you a healthy amount of options (along with pinch zooming). The Nook Color also does Microsoft Office documents, and we were able to view DOCs and PPT files with a reasonable level of success. Just like most things on the device, it wasn't the fastest experience in the world, but it worked well.  As far as the web browser goes, the experience is pretty standard Android 2.1 fare, though as with the homescreen and general navigation on the Nook Color, the fun of using the device is hampered by touch response and refresh rates that seem way behind the curve. The team working on this software really needs to clear up some of these lag issues to make the Color a more viable choice for those considering this instead of a dedicated Android tablet. Of course, this price point helps to make a powerful argument. Web browsers and gaming aside, the main focus of the Nook Color is that it's an e-reader -- so how does it fare in that department? First let's get something out of the way. Obviously this isn't an E-Ink screen, so you have to decide if you're on board or not for reading on an LCD display. If you're entertaining an iPad or Galaxy Tab, we'll assume this screen technology is not going to deter you from using the device as a reader. For us, the display tech isn't a major hang-up -- in fact, lots of the staff have been using iPads as reading devices with little to no trouble. So as far as screen tech goes, the Nook Color looks gorgeous as an e-reader for standard books and goes one step beyond, delivering magazines and children's books the way they were meant to be viewed. For standard e-book reading, there are tons of options for formatting, fonts, and coloring -- even those with poor eyesight should be able to find settings that make the reading experience enjoyable. We really liked reading with the Color, and even though the device doesn't sport animated page turns (a la the iPad), it does offer great options for notation and word or phrase discovery (you can do dictionary, Google, and Wikipedia searches right from a contextual menu). We also loved that you're able to share quotes or info about what you're reading via email, Twitter, or Facebook.  The Nook Color also offers newspapers delivered daily, but we're not quite as psyched on the layout of the traditional dailies. We found the page ordering and design of these digital editions confusing and clunky. There's likely a hybrid of what Barnes & Noble is doing with magazines and what the company does with books for these publications -- but the current state of daily papers is a bit of a mess on the platform. The final piece of the puzzle is B&N's push into the kids' book market with its new formatting that not only allows children and their parents to page through full color versions of popular kids titles, but introduces a "read to me" function. The premise is rather simple: a professional voice actor reads the copy out loud through the Nook Color's speaker, and a child can follow along. We're sure this will be a quality addition to a parent's arsenal of options for keeping the kids happy. We did have a few issues with some audio skipping early on in one of the books we tested, but it went away quickly and didn't return. The kids books also offer a scrubber similar to the one found in the magazine section. One thing of note -- loading these volumes takes a little more time -- though overall the feature worked as advertised. Battery lifeWe didn't have much of a chance to gauge the Nook Color's long-term battery life (we've only had the device a few days), but in our testing, a full charge yielding more than a day of on and off use. This wasn't constant hammering, but an ebbing and flowing of reading, testing features, and keeping the device asleep. From the looks of things, a charge every couple of days should take care of battery issues for most people, but the most voracious readers may find that the Color pales in comparison to E-Ink devices, and in our testing the iPad still outclasses this in battery life by a long shot. In short: the battery life is good, but it's not going to blow you away. Expect to keep the charger handy -- you'll definitely need it on a regular basis. Wrap-up |
| Nook Color now shipping to early birds, limited retail Posted: 16 Nov 2010 04:30 AM PST 
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| Data Robotics's Drobo S storage robot goes USB 3.0, starts at $800 Posted: 16 Nov 2010 04:30 AM PST  |
| Samsung looks to get down with Google TV in 2011 Posted: 16 Nov 2010 03:35 AM PST  |
| Nexus S teaser by Eric Schmidt now available on video Posted: 16 Nov 2010 03:20 AM PST  [Thanks, Thomas] |
| Exclusive: LG's 4-inch Android phone with dual-core Tegra 2 and 1080p video coming in early 2011 Posted: 16 Nov 2010 02:33 AM PST  |
| Walmart launches Black Friday barrage early, $69 Blu-ray player, $89 DS Lite Posted: 16 Nov 2010 01:59 AM PST  Sick of waiting outside in the cold on the wee hours of Black Friday, only to get trampled on the way in to the store when the doors open? Walmart has a better solution: they'll open the doors at midnight. Yes, the sales start at the first minute of Black Friday, and the full list is after the break, but to get the really good stuff you'll have to hang around until 5:00am. That's when a Magnavox Blu-ray player (presumably the oft-discounted NB500) will go for $69, with $10 in VUDU credits thrown in for good measure. Or, you can get yourself a Nintendo DS Lite for $89, which is a very solid deal. Sure, it doesn't do 3D, but who says games need depth?
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| Hitachi displays a capacitive screen capable of accepting stylus input (video) Posted: 16 Nov 2010 01:14 AM PST  |
| Dell Inspiron Duo tablet could be with us next week Posted: 16 Nov 2010 12:29 AM PST  Update: And just to fan those flames of desire a little more, the Duo has shown up in Microsoft's latest cloud computing advert. See it after the break. |
| AMD's Bobcat APU benchmarked: the age of the Atom is at an end Posted: 15 Nov 2010 11:34 PM PST  Read - AnandTech Read - Tech Report Read - PC Perspective Read - Hot Hardware Read - Legit Reviews |
| People of Lava launches Scandinavia Android TV, melts home theater hearts and wallets Posted: 15 Nov 2010 10:49 PM PST  |
| Olympus E-PL1S is a slightly improved PEN, world's lightest with interchangeable lenses Posted: 15 Nov 2010 09:55 PM PST  |
| Sprint's Palm Pre marked for End of Life? Posted: 15 Nov 2010 08:51 PM PST  |
| Altec Lansing's Octiv Stage iPad speaker dock is delightfully understated Posted: 15 Nov 2010 08:00 PM PST 
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| GE buying 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015, nearly half to be Chevy Volts Posted: 15 Nov 2010 07:11 PM PST 
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| Confirmed: Intel Sandy Bridge or 'second generation Core processors' to be introduced at CES Posted: 15 Nov 2010 06:22 PM PST  |
| Source London: network of 1,300 charging stations coming by end of 2013 Posted: 15 Nov 2010 05:42 PM PST  |
| CHIP-8 emulation comes to Half-Life 2, you can finally retire your Telmac 1800 (video) Posted: 15 Nov 2010 04:46 PM PST  [Thanks, Jason] |
| RIM pulls Kik Messenger from App World, cites 'number of issues and customer concerns' Posted: 15 Nov 2010 04:02 PM PST  Kik Messenger -- the real-time mobile messaging service that's seemingly taken the world by storm over the past couple weeks -- has been pulled from RIM's App World, making it a bit trickier for BlackBerry users to get hold of the app. It's easy to formulate conspiracy theories here considering that Kik might provide the single most legitimate cross-platform threat to BBM at the moment, and frankly, RIM hasn't actually said much with its official statement on the matter:To be fair, Kik's contact farming -- a big contributor to its exponential growth -- is a totally valid privacy concern and probably plays a big role in RIM's decision here... but for the moment, we're only left to wonder. The company says it'll let us know "when further information is available," so we'll be sure to pass it on. |
| Posted: 15 Nov 2010 03:29 PM PST  |
| Microsoft sold one million Kinect sensors in 10 days, will be watching you sleep for a lifetime Posted: 15 Nov 2010 03:07 PM PST  Kinect for Xbox 360 Hits Million Mark in Just 10 Days Early customer demand for controller-free entertainment solidifies biggest year in Xbox history. REDMOND, Wash. - Nov. 15, 2010 - Microsoft Corp. today announced it has sold 1 million Kinect for Xbox 360 units worldwide in 10 days and is on pace to hit 5 million by the end of the year. The announcement comes a week before the biggest selling day of the year, Black Friday, and in the wake of increasing momentum for Xbox 360, which led U.S. video game console sales for the past four months.1 "We are appreciative of the response we have seen from consumers that has culminated in sales of more than 1 million units in the first 10 days on the market for Kinect for Xbox 360," said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. "This is a great start to the holiday season, and we will continue to work with our retailer partners to keep pace with high demand and deliver against our plan to sell more than 5 million Kinect sensors worldwide by the end of this year." Before the Kinect launch, Microsoft raised its worldwide sales forecast from 3 million to 5 million sensors sold by year-end. Kinect launched in North America on Nov. 4, followed by Europe on Nov. 10, and will land next in Asia (Nov. 18) and Japan (Nov. 20). By this holiday, controller-free games and entertainment will reach more than 60,000 retailers in 38 countries with up to 17 Kinect games available. "We have seen tremendous excitement from customers for Kinect for Xbox 360," said Chris Homeister, senior vice president and general manager of the home entertainment group at Best Buy. "There were lines of customers at our stores all over the country on the night of the Kinect launch, and thousands more are trying it for themselves in our stores every day. It's no surprise Microsoft has already surpassed 1 million units sold, and we expect Kinect to be one of the must-have gifts at Best Buy this holiday." For Xbox 360 consumers worldwide, Kinect provides a unique and exciting way to access and interact with entertainment. With just the wave of a hand or the sound of a voice, consumers can play games, stream music, watch HD movies and live ESPN sporting events, and engage in video chat.2 Microsoft also recently announced that the more than 25 million Xbox LIVE members have spent more than 1 billion hours on the service a month, an average of over 40 hours per member. In addition to Xbox 360 console momentum, and the ever-expanding service and content library of Xbox LIVE, Microsoft released franchise games such as "Halo: Reach" and "Fable III" to hordes of devoted fans this fall, as well as announcing that Xbox 360 will be the first console to launch add-on content for all "Call of Duty" titles through 2012, helping drive industry software sales. With Xbox 360, Kinect and Xbox LIVE, Microsoft is proving to be a leading gaming and social entertainment service in the living room and the industry this holiday. Kinect for Xbox 360 is an approachable, simple and affordable experience that the whole family can enjoy. No gadgets, gizmos or additional controllers are required. There are several opportunities for new and current consumers to literally jump into the action: • Kinect for Xbox 360 sensor. For consumers who already have an Xbox 360 console, the stand-alone Kinect for Xbox 360, at an estimated retail price (ERP) of $149.99 (U.S.), includes the Kinect sensor and "Kinect Adventures" and works with all of the 45 million Xbox 360 consoles currently in homes worldwide.3 • Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect. For new Xbox consumers, the Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect, priced at $299.99 ERP (U.S.), includes the new flat black Xbox 360 4GB console, Kinect sensor and "Kinect Adventures," which will have families off the couch and enjoying entertainment quickly and easily. • Xbox 360 250GB console with Kinect. For the serious entertainment experts in the family, the Xbox 360 250GB console with Kinect, priced at $399.99 ERP (U.S.), includes the glossy black Xbox 360 250GB console, Kinect sensor and "Kinect Adventures" and provides more memory to store movies, music and more. More information on Xbox 360 and Kinect for Xbox 360 is available at http://www.xbox.com/Kinect or http://www.facebook.com/xbox. About Xbox 360 Xbox 360 is a premier home entertainment and video game system. This November, with the addition of Kinect, Xbox 360 will forever transform social gaming and entertainment with a whole new way to play - no controller required. Xbox 360 is also home to the best and broadest games as well as the largest on-demand library of music, standard- and high-definition movies, TV shows and digital games, all in one place. The entertainment center of the living room, Xbox 360 blends unbeatable content with a network of 25 million Xbox LIVE members to create a limitless entertainment experience that can be shared at home or across the globe. More information about Xbox 360 can be found online at http://www.xbox.com. |
| Eric Schmidt: Chrome OS aimed at keyboard based solutions, Android optimized for touch Posted: 15 Nov 2010 02:53 PM PST  We'll be the first to admit that we've been slightly confused about where Google's Chrome OS will fit in with Android becoming the OS of choice for tablet manufacturers, so naturally we took the opportunity to ask Google CEO Eric Schmidt about the two operating systems while he was on stage at the Web 2.0 summit. Schmidt confirmed that Chrome OS will officially be out in the next few months in Intel and ARM-powered netbooks while also adding that the OS was primarily "designed around something with a keyboard." Of course, that doesn't mean Chrome OS couldn't pop up on tablets -- he added that because it's open source anything can happen, but he definitely stressed that Chrome is meant for clamshell devices with keyboards and Android tailored for those with touchscreens. Sounds good to us Schmidt, now we'll just be needing the details on those Chrome-books... |
| App Review: NetFront Life Browser for Android Posted: 15 Nov 2010 02:38 PM PST  Like the stock Android browser, NetFront's offering also comes with a search tool except it's tied to Yahoo. Still, Access has justified this odd move by throwing in quick filter buttons for Twitter, news, weather and Yahoo Answers. The only niggle we have here is that there's no way of entering a URL other than by toggling the search tool first, and then tap the truncated URL bar on the right. We were more puzzled by other issues: the aforementioned tilt mode -- which tilts web pages to a fixed angle rather than tilting freely -- is meant to provide an "optimal readability-lines ratio," but problem is it really doesn't. As you'll see in our video below, this browser doesn't do pinch-to-zooming, and while the zoom buttons -- detachable for centering your zoom -- are easily accessible in portrait and landscape mode, they disappear in tilt mode. Of course, you can always double tap to zoom into a block of text, but guess what? The browser doesn't zoom to the width of the block or wrap the text into the screen. Shame, although we can't imagine this being a difficult fix. Despite the flaws above, we were very pleased with NetFront Life Browser's stability, speed and intuitiveness. The only real bug we spotted was that Flash content overlays the bottom toolbar, but we'd be surprised if Access struggles to push out a fix within a short period. Wrap-upHaving spent some time using NetFront Life Browser, we're actually growing fond of its handy unique features, and it certainly doesn't feel bloated in any way, shape, or form. What's more, the app is free of charge! There's definitely a lot of potential here, but until pinch-to-zoom is implemented, we'll stick with the other choices for the time being -- there's only so much hair that we could tear out. By all means, have a go yourself if you've been longing for an alternative choice for your Android's browser. |
| WSJ: Apple bringing Beatles to iTunes after a seven year wait Posted: 15 Nov 2010 02:06 PM PST  |
| Eric Schmidt shows off a Nexus S at the Web 2.0 summit, says Gingerbread coming in 'next few weeks' Posted: 15 Nov 2010 01:44 PM PST  Update: We've added some more pics to the gallery, including some close-ups that show the carrier is indeed T-Mo. We'll let you know if Schmidt drops any more details on this thing. Update 2: Schmidt said Gingerbread would be out in the "next few weeks," so we're assuming this bad boy will come along with it. |
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