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Monday, December 6, 2010

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Software keyboard pops up in webOS 2.0, dreams of a Palm slate phone flourish

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 10:13 AM PST

A software keyboard may sound anathema to Palm, with its rich history of wonderful QWERTY keyboards, but you had to feel it was coming, what with the wild consumer adoption of slate devices and, you know, the economy these days. Well, after a short history of hints in webOS 2.0's code and a longer history of hacks, a full-on Palm-developed software keyboard has been found in shipping webOS 2.0 devices. It takes a little bit of a hack and a restart, and apparently it's buggy as well, oh and you have to use the physical keyboard to enter the Opt+Sym+K command that opens the virtual keys. Still, none of these shortcomings are going to stop us from sketching out slick, slim slate phones in our diaries, translating that understated elegance of the Pre 2 into a screen-dominated form factor with our unbridled imaginations, leaving the Pre's cramped hardware keyboard in the past as we sprint into a glorious future of tangible webOS 2.0 market share and maybe a threaded email app or something. Sorry, we're done. Check out a video of the keyboard in action while we wipe the drool off our chins.

Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: PMPs

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 09:41 AM PST

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season.
You tech savvy lot may think PMPs are a dying breed, but funnily enough, the market's still going strong with a handful of products. There are certainly some benefits from using a dedicated media device alongside your phone: more battery juice, greater range of supported file formats, better audio quality, more form factors to choose from, etc. Perhaps our list of gift recommendations will be more convincing -- check it out after the break.


Stocking stuffers


Sony Walkman NWZ-E350

So, you live a simple life, and you just want a simple PMP to cater your basic entertainment needs. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but even Sony's entry-level E350 packs a couple of surprises: its SensMe feature can find the right music to suit your mood, and there's also a karaoke mode that suppresses the vocal track to let you sing the on-screen lyrics. Yes, Susan Boyle will be proud of you.

Key specs: 2-inch QVGA LCD, 4GB or 8GB, FM radio, WMV video playback, battery does 50 hours of music or 10 hours of video

Price: $70-$80

Another option...

Sony Walkman NWZ-W252 - $60

It may only hold 2GB worth of music and lack a screen, but this water-resistant Walkman will keep trotting while you sweat away your Christmas feast. The battery lasts for 11 hours as well, which is enough to kill the old "the battery's dead" excuse. Be warned, couch potatoes!

And another...

Creative Zen Style 300 - $50 / $60 /$80

Much like the E350, this Zen Style packs a lesser 1.8-inch LCD, FM radio, and limited video playback functionality. What's new here, though, is that this device can also serve as a dictaphone with its microphone and speaker -- great for students. Of course, the latter can also be used for annoying your fellow bus passengers.


Oh, you shouldn't have


Cowon J3

PMP enthusiasts will no doubt recommend Cowon for its top notch audio quality and award-winning designs. This J3 is no exception: it'll happily handle your MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE, and WAV audio files, and its stunning AMOLED capacitive touchscreen also goes well with your pictures and DivX, Xvid or WMV videos. Man, if only Cowon makes smartphones as well...

Key specs: 3.3-inch 480 x 272 AMOLED, capacitive touchscreen, built-in speaker, microSD expansion, Bluetooth, FM radio, battery does 64 hours of music or 11 hours of video

Price: $189 / $220 / $270

Another option...


If you don't mind resistive touchscreens, then this silver GoGear Muse should be plenty to keep you going with its 3.2-inch LCD and microSD expansion. You can also utilize the HDMI port to blow up your 720p MPEG4, WMV, H.264 or RMVB clips. As for audio, you can throw in Real Audio, FLAC, and OGG along with the usual suspects.

And another...

iPod nano - $149-$179

The iPod nano's size may do little justice for its prices, but there's always someone somewhere who don't mind paying the Apple tax, especially for this unique form factor. It's both portable and wearable with its clip on the back, and if you really want to, you can certainly wear it as an oversized watch -- you might enjoy it more than we did.

We can't afford the rent now, can we?


Cowon X7

Here's another option for audiophiles on the move. Cowon's X7 may have a low-res display, but like its cousin J3, it still plays well with a wide range of supported media formats: MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE and WAV for audio; and DivX, Xvid plus WMV for video. Oh, and this capacious bad boy will keep you entertained for days on one charge -- perfect for road trips.

Key specs: 4.3-inch 480 x 272 LCD, resistive touchscreen, 160GB hard drive, FM radio, Bluetooth, battery does 103 hours of music or 10 hours of video

Price: $320

Another option...

iPod touch - $229 - $399

It needs no introduction. Apple's super slim iOS PMP has finally caught up with its cellular cousin with its sharp Retina display, two cameras, and A4 chip. The possibilities are endless with the built-in App Store and iTunes, unless FaceTime is all that you need.

And another....

iriver K1 Smart HD - $235-$283

If you're a fan of the MKV format and don't mind imported gadgets, then here's your PMP. This stylish K1 supports 720p playback with Xvid, MPEG4 and WMV codecs, whereas for audio it covers MP3, WMA, FLAC, OGG and many more.

Sprint phasing out Nextel's iDEN network, selects vendors for $5b network upgrade project

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 09:22 AM PST

Looks like the Motorola i1 Android set (not pictured above) will stand as the highest-end Nextel phone ever -- Sprint just announced that it's phasing out the iDEN network sometime in 2013 as it begins a new four to five billion dollar network enhancement project called "Network Vision." We've expected this for a while -- the Sprint / Nextel merger has been beset by subscriber losses and rumors of a breakup for years now -- but this is the first time we've gotten a date. Sprint's rolling out push-to-talk on its own network to support its 10.6 million Nextel customers, but we don't have a schedule for that yet. Sprint's also announcing vendors for Network Vision: Alcatel-Lucent, Samsung, and Ericsson will each handle a region and be tasked with expanding and fortifying Sprint's existing 1900MHz 3G network while buying 800MHz, 1900MHz, and 2.5GHz spectrum for future use. Interestingly, Sprint's definitely hedging its WiMAX bets a little -- it can upgrade its new gear to LTE with swapping in a baseband card and issuing a software patch, which certainly gives the company some 4G flexibility should Clearwire not pull things together. We'll see what happens -- the underdog's making some moves.

iOS 4.2 said to be blocking iPad Camera Kit from supporting some USB devices

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 08:59 AM PST

It seems that folks hoping for the Apple's Camera Connection Kit to solve all their USB-related iPad problems just can't catch a break. First the kit was nearly impossible to find, and now we're seeing a slew of user reports saying that iOS 4.2 has made the USB portion of the camera kit nearly useless for many USB devices that were previously supported. As 9 to 5 Mac reports, the problem seems to boil down to the amount of power that can be emitted from the iPad's 30-pin connector -- it used to be 100mA, but iOS 4.2 appears to have cut that down to just 20mA, presumably in an attempt to conserve battery life. The big issue there, of course, is that everything from USB keyboards to microphones and even some cameras no longer work, and there isn't much for users left to do other than to hope that Apple brings back support in a future update. Feel free to share your own tales of woe in comments, or let us know if you're having problems with the iPad camera kit.

Google eBooks is live: just in case Amazon, B&N, and Apple aren't enough

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 08:28 AM PST

You hear about this whole e-books thing? We hear it's gonna be a pretty big deal. Google, always with its finger on the pulse of our ever-evolving digital lifestyles, has decided to take a wild stab at this nascent market, and is launching Google eBooks today. Formerly known as Google Editions, the Google eBooks ecosystem is actually a pretty grand gesture, and seems to combine most of the positives of the primary e-book contenders (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple, naturally), while skimping on the UI flourishes, in traditional Google fashion. Books you buy are stored in the cloud, with your progress synced Whispersync-style, and can be read on your choice of native Android, iPhone, or iPad apps; from your browser; or on any device that supports the Adobe Digital Editions DRM for PDF and ePub files, which includes the B&N Nook and the Sony Reader (and plenty of other devices). Google is also trading on its vast repository of public domain books, with 3 million free eBooks on offer at its Google eBookstore, in addition to traditional paid fare. It's certainly a crowded market, full of sharp elbows, but it seems Google is having no trouble adjusting.

John's Phone review: 'the world's simplest cellphone'

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 07:59 AM PST

It's said to be "The world's simplest cellphone." That's a bold claim from anyone let alone a previously unknown (in gadget circles anyway) Dutch team of creatives over at John Doe Amsterdam who wanted to build a basic phone -- the most basic phone ever -- that wasn't as dull and boring as other affordable phones on the market. So is it? Well, it certainly is basic. In the age of smartphones and cheap featurephones, John's phone is more clearly defined by what it lacks than what it has: no fancy color touchscreen display; no camera; no 3G radio, WiFi, Bluetooth or even GPRS data; no FM radio; no user-accessible storage; and no music player or apps of any kind. It can't even send a text message. It's just a quad-band GSM phone with an ink pen and paper notepad tucked neatly into its capacious recesses. That's right, pen and paper. So, it's definitely basic, but is it simple to use? Read on to find out.
John's Phone review


To be honest, the John's Phone Business edition we reviewed looks and feels like a cheap child's toy. An €80 child's toy to be sure but a child's toy nonetheless. And that's ok, we guess, considering the unsophisticated audience it apparently targets including tweeners, the elderly, or twenty-somethings whose aim is to be conspicuously cynical when placing their cellphone on top of the bar. While John Doe claims that the phone is manufactured from high-quality plastic, it feels like the stuff you'd find liberally slathered around a Barbie Dream House. The rough seam that runs the circumference of the handset doesn't exactly elicit a sense of quality either. Even the trio of shiny silver switches seem to be made of the same plastic "chrome" found adorning the bumpers and headlights of Revell model car kits. The phone's also incredibly light at 3.35 ounces considering its plump 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.8 inch dimensions -- making it almost exactly the size and weight of a standard deck of playing cards.

The most notable design flare on the John's Phone is a clear plastic door on the back of the handset that hides a 32-page paper address book with a notepad and tongue-in-cheek "Games" page dedicated to tic-tac-toe. There's even an integrated ink pen that could easily be mistaken for a stylus. The company jests that it can be used even when the phone is switched off. Ha.

The black on white display at the top of the John's Phone is tall enough to present the user with two lines of recently dialed phone numbers (the volume slider controls the scrolling) or the signal strength, position of the precarious on / lock / off switch (more on that later), and the battery status. When the 1,200mAh battery is full, the display will show the word "JOHNS" along the right. The lower the battery the fewer the letters displayed. Cute. While the display location is certainly novel, it's also impractical to view when tapping out phone numbers on the keypad. So far we've only fully charged the device once... about two weeks ago! The company promises "more than three weeks" standby from the non-removable battery and we believe it.

John's Phone comes in a variety of adorable sounding colors like sweet (pink), tree (brown), business (black), snow (white), grass (green), and even a limited edition €100 "bar" (it's gold, get it?) for those looking to make the ultimate ironical statement. You'll also see variations in the begin and end call keys depending upon the model chosen. These vary between a pair or portly red (end call) or green (begin call) tots, "hello" and "bye" text, or a small dot and bomb with a lit fuse that would have made Mel Blanc proud once he overcame his confusion.

So, how did it work? Well, to make and receive calls it worked fine. The ringer was suitably loud and the vibration was strong enough to get noticed in a pocket. The audio quality during calls was also decent -- not spectacular but not awful either. There's no built in address book but you can easily assign speed dial numbers to each key on the dial pad making the phone dead simple to operate once configured. There's no speakerphone but this ultra-low-end handset surprisingly ships with an earphone / mic that plugs into the micro-USB jack for hands-free calling.

Now for the bad stuff. Along the left-hand side you'll find three switches. At the top is a volume switch for adjusting the earpiece sound and for navigating your recent calls list. It's not so much a switch as it is a spring-loaded dial that rotates about 90-degrees up and 90-degrees down by grabbing a small (very small) nub on the top of the arc. In practice adjusting the in-call volume or navigating through the call log is a needlessly difficult operation since the dial works best by grabbing the nub with a fingernail. That's ok (but far from ideal) when pulling the switch down as you can hook a fingernail over the nub. Moving it up one-handed, however, requires a frustrating push on the very smooth plastic dial with the pad of your finger or thumb. More often than not, the dial slips beneath the finger necessitating a repeat action. Ugh.

Moving down from the volume rocker you'll find a three-way switch to control the ringer (loud / normal / silent -- vibrate is always on) and a second matching three-way below that for on / lock / off. Both these switches deserve a special place in Gadget Hell for the very worst in industrial design. Not only do they require a fingernail to operate, they also don't work most of the time.

Here's the issue: the phone won't register moving either switch from the top position directly to the bottom position. The phone simply stares back at you in inanimate bemusement if you switch from loud to silent (skipping over normal) ringer operation, or from on to off (skipping lock). You have to deliberately move from the top position, to the middle, and then to the bottom. No problem you say? Well, to make matters worse, the switch consistently overshoots the middle position when moving from the top position. As such, you have to nudge the switch up gently so that the middle position registers and then slide it to the bottom. While this is annoying for the ringer volume, the fact that it affects the on / lock / off settings makes the phone nearly unusable in practice. See, the phone has to be in the lock position in order to carry it around in a pocket or bag due to those easy-hitting bulbous keys on the face of the phone. But because of the switch issue and our inability to reliably lock the keys, several times we found ourselves inadvertently dialing previously called numbers because the call button had been hit while walking around. Not good. Unfortunately, we're told by the company that the issue affects all John's Phones, not just our evaluation unit. It's supposed to be improved "in the next batches," whenever that might be.

Wrap up
So is the John's Phone "The world's simplest cellphone." No. The fact that all three of the device's switches are so frustrating to use is simply unforgivable on such a basic cellphone that's supposedly rooted in "great design." We wish that the company had spent as much time on the phone's industrial design as it did on its slick promotional materials and cutesy graphics. Even then, you'd better be sure that the simplicity is worth the €70 - €100 price tag (depending upon model) -- for that you could take home a fully-loaded 3G featurephone from Nokia. A nod, perhaps, as to why the John's Phone exists.

Google's Nexus S official, coming December 16th to US, 20th to UK (update: $199 on contract, $529 unlocked)

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 07:17 AM PST

This thing is all but official anyway, but for what it's worth, Google's now got its own product page live for the upcoming Nexus S from Samsung. Here's the rundown: 4-inch WVGA display, triband HSPA with AWS support (no HSPA+, seemingly), 5 megapixel camera, NFC, 16GB of onboard storage, 512MB of RAM, available on T-Mobile. It's also got a gyroscope -- as do the existing Galaxy S phones -- along with something being called the "contour display" (which matches up with rumors we've heard), integrated VoIP support, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Interestingly, the phone's quoted as having nothing more than a 1GHz Cortex A8-based Hummingbird processor, seemingly shooting down rumors that this thing would be rocking the Orion dual-core setup. Ah, well! Peep all the shots in the gallery below.

Update: And now it's official! According to the Official Google Blog, the Nexus S will be available for purchase after December 16th "online and in-store from all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores," either unlocked or with a T-Mobile plan. Across the pond, look for the Nexus S to hit December 20th at Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy UK. Videos after the break.

Update 2: Best Buy's let out the pricing details: $199 with a two-year T-Mobile contract or $529 unlocked. Also, be sure to check out our rundown of the Android 2.3 SDK!

[Thanks, Tony]
Google Nexus S




Show full PR text
SAMSUNG AND GOOGLE TO DELIVER NEXUS S, THE FIRST MOBILE PHONE IN THE WORLD POWERED BY ANDROID 2.3

Nexus S offers the latest version of the Android platform, Gingerbread, 4" Super AMOLED touch screen with curved design, Near Field Communication (NFC), front and rear-facing cameras and 1GHz application processor

SEOUL, Korea, and DALLAS, US December 6, 2010 - Samsung Electronics, a leading mobile phone provider and the No. 1 mobile phone provider1 in the U.S., and Google™ today announced Nexus S™, the world's first handset to feature the latest version of Google's Android™ platform. Powered by Android 2.3, Samsung and Google have packed Nexus S with powerful technology and the latest in hardware features.

JK Shin, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics, said, "Samsung and Google have worked together closely to deliver the best Android smart phone experience for consumers. It has been our ambition in working with Google to continue to push the Android platform forward and create a smart phone that has both superior functionality and a stunning user-experience. It is extremely satisfying to see this partnership again bear tremendous fruit."

"Samsung was thrilled to work with Google to create the first device featuring the much anticipated Android 2.3 OS. Nexus S is powerful proof of Samsung and Google's commitment to bringing technology firsts to market and launching products that utilize the open and innovative Android operating system," said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer of Samsung Telecommunications America. "Nexus S integrates Samsung's best-in-class hardware and technology with the exciting new features and upgrades of Android 2.3 Gingerbread to give consumers a breakthrough smartphone experience."

"Google is excited to co-develop Nexus S with Samsung, ensuring solid integration of hardware and software to deliver the lead device for the latest version of Android, Gingerbread," said Andy Rubin, Vice President of Engineering at Google.

Nexus S is designed with Samsung's brilliant Super AMOLED touch screen technology providing a premium viewing experience. The 4-inch Contour Display features a curved design for a more ergonomic style and feel when held to the user's face. Nexus S also features Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which allows you to read information off of everyday objects like stickers and posters that are embedded with NFC chips. Powered by a 1 GHz Samsung application processor, Nexus S produces rich 3D graphics, faster upload and download times and supports HD-like multimedia content.

Nexus S is equipped with a 5 megapixel rear facing camera and camcorder, as well as a VGA front facing camera. In addition, Nexus S features a gyroscope sensor to provide a smooth, fluid gaming experience when the user is tilting the device up or down or panning the phone to the left or right. Nexus S also comes with 16 GB of internal memory.

Android 2.3, Gingerbread, is the fastest version of Android yet. It features support for Near Field Communication (NFC), a new and improved keyboard with multi-touch support, Internet calling (VoIP/SIP support), and a clean new user interface. Nexus S also includes popular Android features such as portable Wi-Fi hotspot, true multitasking, access to Google mobile services such as Google Search™, Gmail™, Google Maps™ with Navigation, Voice Actions, Google Voice™ and YouTube™, and access to over 100,000 apps and widgets on Android Market™.

Nexus S can be purchased (unlocked) online and in-store from Best Buy retailers in the U.S. starting after December 16 and at Carphone Warehouse retailers in the U.K. after December 20.

Android 2.3 update now rolling out to Nexus One owners (update: not yet)

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 07:13 AM PST

Nexus One owners feeling a little Nexus S envy can breathe a little easier -- we're hearing that Android 2.3 Gingerbread is being pushed out to the N1 as we speak. We'd imagine that all the slick new features that don't require new hardware (like NFC support) will be there, and we're definitely interested in playing with this built-in WiFi calling stack. We'll let you know what we find -- won't you do the same?

Update: Looks like our flood of tips came from people who were seeing their N1s get a different, less-interesting update. Google tells us that Gingerbread isn't rolling out just yet, but is coming. Of course, we'll let you know when the actual 2.3 update hits the OG Nexus. Ah, the heady optimism of hope.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Android 2.3 SDK revealed, Gingerbread improvements called out

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 07:03 AM PST

And finally, here it is! Android 2.3 -- perhaps better known as Gingerbread -- is now official, bringing a host of tweaks that should get the Android faithful pretty stoked. Most notably, the new build is being called out as significantly better for game development, tying in nicely with all these Sony Ericsson rumors we've been hearing as of late. Also on deck is tightly-integrated VoIP support, video calling support via a front camera, better cut-and-paste, NFC integration, gyroscope support for more accurate orientation data, an improved download manager, a redesigned keyboard with multitouch support, and an integrated task manager. Follow the break for the platform's introductory video.

FBI charges 23-year old Russian in Mega-D spambot investigation

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 06:43 AM PST

If you recall, last year it was revealed that up to 35 percent of the world's spam could spring from one source: a bot known as Mega-D. According to FBI files acquired by The Smoking Gun, the bot infected over half a million computers and could sent ten billion pieces of spam per day. According to the files, an ongoing investigation targets a 23-year old Russian man named Oleg Nikolaenko, who is suspected of violating the anti-spam law. Two people have previously been charged with felony conspiracy for the spam assault -- which sold fake Rolexes and herbal stimulants -- both of whom seemingly pointed the finger at Nikolaenko as the actual transmitter. The Mega-D bot was shut down last year by FireEye network security after identifying it a a mega-source of spam. While it's back up and running today, it is only a shadow of its former self. Nikolaenko appeared in federal court in Wisconsin on Friday, was formally charged and entered a 'not guilty' plea.

[Image credit: M86 Security Labs]

EPFL's fly-inspired 3D camera takes omnipresence to the third dimension (video)

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 05:42 AM PST

Just in case you were concerned that the 3D revolution hadn't yet taken over the scientific research field, EPFL is here to convince you that all is well. Researchers from a pair of EPFL laboratories have recently invented a fly-inspired dome camera that's not only loaded down with cameras to snag views from (nearly) all angles, but also equipped with an output algorithm that constructs a bona fide 3D image. The trickeration lies within the hardware platform, which calculates depth on each camera image and then reconstructs a 3D visual based on how far away things truly are. That's a far more sophisticated approach than the stereoscopic one used on existing 3D televisions, as the depth would (theoretically) change as your angle of view changed. There's an outstanding patent application on the approach, and if the world at large latches on, we could see this thing used for "video surveillance, movie making, and creating backgrounds for video games." Among other things, of course. A demonstrative vid awaits you just after the break.

See more video at our hub!

Slow Down app slows down your tunes until you slow down your car (video)

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 05:09 AM PST

Slow Down app slows down your tunes until you slow down your car (video)
Speeding is easy to do, and like it or not having someone else in the car nagging you about it actually can help. What to do if your mother is unavailable? Check out Slow Down in the App Store. It's a product of the Belgian organization OVK, Parents of Children Killed in Road Accidents, and it has a very simple idea: if you drive too fast it slows down your music, as demonstrated below. Cross the limit and your thumping beats get run through molasses, but get back to a legal speed and Joanna Newsom's lilting highs stop sounding like a zombie's baleful lamentations. We're not entirely sure whether the app works outside of its native land at this point, and given how unreliable the indicated speed limits in navigation software tend to be we're not sure we want it to. But, if you have a bad habit you can't kick, this free app might just help.

BenQ DV S11 camcorder has a pico up in there

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 04:46 AM PST

BenQ DV S11 puts a pico all up in your camcorder
Sharing is caring, and imaging devices that pack pico projectors sure do make it easy to care -- assuming you're in a dimly-lit room with a flat, color-free surface at your disposal. BenQ's DV S11 is the latest, a 1080p zoomless camcorder that exists in the Flip style and can also capture five megapixel stills. No specs are listed for the projector itself, except that it's said to be able to push a 50-inch picture out its hole -- presumably only if you're at the bottom of a cave or in some similarly light-free environment. The combo is available now in Hong Kong priced at $2,399 HKD, which equates to about $300 American.

OmniVision releases OV6930, the 1.8mm square camera sensor, coming to an incision near you

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 04:16 AM PST

OV6930Usually we like writing about bigger camera sensors -- bigger meaning more light, better quality, and more machismo. But, when you're dealing with a camera that could very well find itself inserted inside your body, we're just fine with smaller, thanks and, at 1.8 x 1.8mm, OmniVision's new OV6930 is about as small as it gets. No, you won't be getting 1080p from that like you would from the company's (relatively) monstrous 3.5mm beast for cellphones, you'll have to deal with just 400 x 400. No word on whether this model will wind up in a pill like an earlier version from 2006, but give it a nice sugar coating and we'd take one -- for science.

Electronic neural bridge helps paralyzed mice walk again, human application might prove tricky

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 03:46 AM PST

It's only been a week since we heard about age reversal in mice, yet already we've got another big advancement in rodent medical care: a solution for ameliorating the devastating effects of spinal cord injuries. A UCLA research team has shown off a new system that can restore walking motion to a mouse's hind legs, but not only that, it also grants control to the little fella by responding to its front legs' actions. Electromyography sensors detect when a mouse starts to walk up front, triggering electronic signals to be sent to the functional lower portion of its spine, which in turn starts up the rear muscles for a steady walking gait. It's only been tested on a treadmill so far, but the result seems to be a seamless restoration of walking capacity in rodents that doesn't require any outside assistance. The same will be pretty hard to replicate in humans, bipeds that they are, but that's why it's called research and not reobvious.

ASUS E600 WP7 smartphone stops by the FCC, possibly destined for AT&T

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 03:11 AM PST

ASUS E600 WP7 slab stops by the FCC on its way to AT&T stores
ASUS was definitely one of the early players to get all excited about Windows Phone 7, yet as the OS release came and went all we were left with was a couple of blurrycam shots and a little video of a four-inch slab from the company. Now we have some further less than flattering pictures, but these come from a very solid source: the FCC. Curiously this filing dates back to April, and the inclusion of a Garmin Asus branding on the AC adapter is another indicator that this phone comes from an earlier time. We're hearing rumors at this point that this phone may actually never see a retail release, that it's now just a test bed for future models, but if it does pop up at retail it'll likely be nestled in at AT&T stores. If you all wish hard enough, maybe it'll finally find its way.

Twin camera concept floats in water, unites sea and sky

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 02:33 AM PST

Taking an underwater self-portrait isn't the easiest thing in the world -- even if you're fond of robot DIY -- but this concept camera won a Red Dot award for capturing more than typically meets the eye. The UNDERABOVE floats like a buoy thanks to a pair of watertight ballast compartments, takes images with twin cameras above and below, then stitches the result into a turquoise vertical panorama viewable on the inbuilt LCD screen. If and when this device actually gets produced (and gains some serious image stabilization) the worlds of fish and man will never be the same.

Google helps scholars mine 1.7 million Victorian era book titles for clues to our historical attitudes

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 01:52 AM PST

Whether we like, loathe, or never even considered the idea of it, quantitative literary analysis seems ready for its moment in the spotlight. Dan Cohen and Fred Gibbs, a pair of historians of science over at George Mason University, have been playing around with the titles of some nearly 1.7 million books -- accounting for all the known volumes published in Britain during the 19th century -- in a search for enlightenment about the Victorian era's cultural trends and developments. By looking at how often certain words appear in text titles over time, they can find corroboration or perhaps even refutation for the commonly held theories about that time -- although they themselves warn that correlation isn't always indicative of causation. Their research has been made possible by Google's Books venture, which is busily digitizing just about every instance of the written word ever, and the next stage will be to try and mine the actual texts themselves for further clues about what our older selves thought about the world. Any bets on when the word "fail" was first used as a noun?

Mac App Store launching on December 13th?

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 01:17 AM PST

It's no secret that the Mac App Store is launching soon. Jobs himself said that it would go live "within 90 days" back when the iOS-inspired App Store was announced on October 20th -- that's mid January, if the timeframe is carried to its fullest extent. Now we have AppleTell citing an "inside source" claiming that Apple is trying to launch the Mac App Store before Christmas, specifically targeting December 13th while telling developers to have their software ready by Monday, December 6th. Unfortunately, the Mac App Store also requires an OS update to end users to which MacRumors reminds us that the new OS X 10.6.6 has already been seeded to developers. So yeah, that's a pretty aggressive timeline if true and could possibly be kicked off by a press event that would also birth Apple's rumored recurring subscription billing model in support of Rupert Murdoch's The Daily digital newspaper.

Vizio and OnLive mulling subscription-based video services for next year

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 12:31 AM PST

As if we didn't already know that video on demand was the hot new ticket, the Wall Street Journal is today reporting that a couple more companies are ready to throw their hats into the ring. OnLive, the cloud gaming upstart, has confirmed its intention to offer up a subscription-based movie streaming service at some point next year, while HDTV vendor Vizio is said to also be looking at its options. What makes these new guys intriguing (aside from the fact that Vizio sells a lot of TVs in the US) is the general feeling among media companies that Netflix is growing uncomfortably big and should be diversified away from. Well, whatever happens, neither we nor content distributors should be strapped for VOD choice come 2011. Hit the source link for a more expansive look at the current situation.

Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 11:51 PM PST

Thinking of grabbing Looxcie's remarkable Bluetooth-based Borg-cam as a $200 stocking stuffer this year? Hold on a twirl, and make sure you're paying for the one that actually plays nice with your mark's favorite smartphone. You see, the company had to make a hardware modification this week to the original Looxcie to make it compatible with iOS devices, and while that's complete now, you'll want to buy the new Looxcie LX1 if your giftee owns an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Otherwise, you'll be buying a device that's Android-exclusive for the very same price. Got an Android phone to begin with? We expect the seething anger of Looxcie early adopters will soon afford you some deep discounts on the now-inferior original. PR after the break.
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No Hands Required: Looxcie Brings Social Video Platform to iPhone Users

Wearable Bluetooth Camcorder Frees Users to Go Back, Capture What's Happened and Share It Instantly

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Looxcie, Inc. announced today the availability of its iPhone-compatible wearable camcorder at www.bestbuy.com. Initially launched in September 2010, Looxcie™ (look-see) is the first small, light, easy-to-wear camcorder that videos everything the user sees. A Bluetooth-enabled headset, Looxcie fits comfortably on the ear and points where the user looks. Because it is always on, always videoing, users never have to worry about pressing a record button or missing a key event. When an unexpected event occurs, a press of the instant clip button captures the last 30 seconds of video and stores it as a video clip on the device. When paired with an iPhone, the phone becomes both a view-finder and an accessory that lets users share video clips by email, post to Facebook or upload to YouTube in real-time.

"Millions of iPhone users rely on their smartphones for daily utility, entertainment and connection with friends and family," said Looxcie CEO Romulus Pereira. "But until now, they have had to anticipate when something is going to happen that they want to capture and share. We're thrilled that as promised Looxcie for iPhone is now available and can give this audience a chance to record video and socialize it without having to be held hostage by the technology."

Looxcie for iPhone, compatible with any iPhone running i-OS 4.2, is available beginning today at Bestbuy.com and Amazon.com for a suggested retail price of $199. Looxcie also operates with the majority of Android 2.0 and higher smartphones, with support for additional smartphone operating systems forthcoming. A complete list of compatible phones is available at www.looxcie.com/looxcie-app.html.

Product Details:

Looxcie clips can be shared in the moment, or they can be uploaded to a Mac or PC via the USB connector for archiving, viewing, editing or additional sharing. Users can also pre-program an Instant Share recipient so that when they "long-press" the instant clip button, Looxcie automatically sends the clip to the pre-determined email address. Looxcie utilizes a dual processor system for video and Bluetooth communication so the headset can operate in video mode and talk mode at the same time, or separately. Looxcie uses a mini processor for Bluetooth that includes a digital signal processing system to process and optimize the audio. The camcorder's mini video processor includes software by Looxcie that optimizes power use, 1automatically corrects for light and color, and formats video for mobile devices. These processing systems operate concurrently so users can simultaneously handle calls and capture video.

Additional Product Features & Specs:

Fully adjustable fit for comfort and view refinement
Lightweight: less than 28g (1 oz.)
Always on battery life allows up to 4 hrs of continuous video use
6+ hours of continuous talk time when the video capability is not on
Clips are time stamped and stored in a clip register as MP4 files
On-board storage of up to 4 hrs of video and hundreds of instant clips (3 hrs of clips)
Stored video drops off on FIFO basis for any material unsaved as clips
15 FPS, HVGA resolution camera
Bluetooth Class 2 (2.5mW) for up to 10 meters range
480mAh Li Po battery for extended record and talk times
ROHS compliant manufacturer
DSP optimized for clear, crisp audio

NFC certification program announced just in time for Android 2.3 Gingerbread launch on Monday?

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

Call it coincidence if you want, but a December 7th press conference to launch the NFC Forum's new Certification Program likely has something to do with NFC read / write support built into Google's new Android 2.3 "Gingerbread." An OS that could be officially unveiled as early as today according to a cheeky blog post by Notion Ink that includes this bullet:
"6th December is another big day for Android and you will find out how fast Notion Ink can work. (Eden is extremely compatible with 2.3)."
Recall how gung-ho Eric Schmidt was on the topic of Near Field Communication while demonstrating it using a still unannounced Nexus S with an embedded NFC chip at the Web 2.0 Summit. That was way back on November 16th when Schmidt promised a Gingerbread release "in like the next few weeks." According to the NFC Forum, a device must be certified in order to display the official "N-Mark" (pictured) -- a symbol for NFC that tells you where to touch in order to initiate NFC services on your device. So, Google... anything you'd like to announce before Tuesday?

P.S. Almost forgot that Google's Andy Rubin will be kicking off the D: Dive into Mobile event later today. We'll be there live just in case Andy feels like introducing something pungent and tasty during the opening session scheduled for 6:30pm San Francisco time.
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NFC Forum Press Conference/Reception at Cartes in Paris, Dec. 7, to Launch the NFC Forum Certification Program

Visit the Near Field Communication (NFC) Forum in Cartes Booth 3C134
CARTES & IDentification 2010

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The NFC Forum:

WHAT:
A Press Conference at Cartes 2010 announcing the launch of the NFC Forum Certification Program, followed by a cocktail reception. The NFC Forum Certification Program gives device manufacturers a means of establishing their products' compliance with the NFC Forum's technical specifications. For service providers and consumers, the Certification Program offers increased assurance that NFC Forum-certified products are interoperable with NFC Forum-certified devices. Only companies whose products pass certification testing will be able to display the N-Mark, the universal symbol for NFC, which tells consumers where to touch to initiate NFC services on a device.

The NFC Forum is also celebrating the announcement of four newly published technical specifications. These specifications further define the modular architecture and interoperability parameters for NFC devices and protocols. They work hand-in-hand with the new program to clear the way for developers to bring more globally interoperable NFC solutions to market.

Join us as we officially unveil the next step in the evolution of NFC technology, and then celebrate this new path to global NFC deployment. Advance registration is required.



WHO:
Koichi Tagawa, NFC Forum Chairman; Mohamed Awad, NFC Forum Board member; Matt Ronning, NFC Forum Compliance Committee Chair; and Paula Berger, NFC Forum Executive Director


WHEN:
Tuesday, 7 December 2010, 16:00-18:00 CET


WHERE:
Cartes Paris-Nord Villipinte Exhibition Centre, Hall 6, Room 613


REGISTER:


http://www.regonline.com/nfc_forum_certification_launch_press_conference


MEDIA CONTACT:


Ruth Cassidy, NFC Forum; +1 617-957-8494; ruth.cassidy@nfc-forum.org

Inhabitat's Week in Green: pencil-tip generators, the Nissan Leaf, and the world's largest wind turbine

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 10:46 PM PST

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.
This week we saw renewable energy take the world by storm as Spain announced plans to construct the world's largest wind turbine and a team of engineers made waves with plans for an underwater turbine modeled after whale flippers. We also saw Boeing shine light on plans to produce a new breed of ultra-efficient solar panels that are suited for space, while researchers in Japan developed a potent new kinetic generator that's as tiny as a pencil tip.

Innovative eco transportation also picked up the pace as China rolled out plans to produce the first fuel cell powered light rail train and the world's largest solar-powered boat made its successful maiden voyage across the Atlantic. We also applauded the Nissan Leaf as it took first place as the European Car of the Year and we were wowed by Mercedes' next-generation concept car, which may one day be grown in a lab.

We also showcased several new ways that technology stands to wire our lives -- starting with an electronic smart wallet that curbs spending by clamping shut like a clam. We also looked at Harvard's plans for a laptop computer powered by biogas and we were impressed by Nike's next-gen design tools for producing environmentally efficient clothes. Finally, we wrapped up the week with two exciting advances in tablet tech - India is testing a solar-powered I-Slate tablet geared at children in need and Substrata rolled out a gorgeous wooden iPad case that goes light on the earth.

Kinect turned into a quadrocopter radar (video)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 09:47 PM PST

Every night we go to bed thinking that we've finally seen the best Kinect hack done and every morning we wake up to see something even crazier concocted with Microsoft's motion controller. Today, it's been mounted atop a quadrocopter -- yes, man's future worst enemy -- and utilized essentially as a 3D radar, facilitating the bot's autonomous maneuvering around a predetermined track. The random introduction of obstacles is also handled in stride, leaving us equal parts impressed, apprehensive, and eager for more. See the video after the break.

[Thanks, Glen]

Federal Wi-Net bill proposes a femtocell and WiFi hotspot in every federal building

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 09:26 PM PST

Here's one way to fix the spectrum crunch: set up wireless base stations and WiFi hotspots in every single one of the 9,000 buildings currently owned and operated by the US General Services Administration. That idea, along with the proposal that such installations be made mandatory in all future federal structures, was put before the US Senate this Friday. It's argued that installing femtocells at those locations would improve reception indoors, lighten network loads in busy areas, and expand accessibility for more rural locales. Ubiquitous WiFi routers, on the other hand, hardly require any justification beyond "common sense," but you should be aware that the Federal Wi-Net bill also asks for a $15 million budget for the performance of retrofitting and future installs. Full PR after the break.
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December 3, 2010

Senators Snowe, Warner Introduce Legislation to Increase Wireless Coverage

Bill would require federal buildings to install small wireless base stations to free up commercial network capacity

Contact: Kevin Hall - (202) 224-2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

John Gentzel (Snowe)
202.224.5344

Kevin Hall (Warner)
202.224.2023

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) introduced legislation requiring the installation of small wireless base stations in all publicly accessible federal buildings in order to increase wireless coverage and free up essential commercial network capacity. If enacted, the legislation will help prevent dropped calls that can occur indoors and in rural areas due to poor cell phone coverage, while at the same time improve wireless network capacity by more effectively utilizing broadband wireless networks. This will result in more reliable and faster service for wireless consumers.

"With over 276 million wireless subscribers across our nation and growing demand for wireless broadband, it is imperative that we take steps to improve wireless communication capacity and this legislation will make measurable progress towards that goal," said Senator Snowe. "Given that approximately 60 percent of mobile Internet use and 40 percent of cell phone calls are completed indoors, utilizing technologies such as wi-fi and femtocells will dramatically improve coverage."

"I see a great opportunity to leverage federal buildings in order to improve wireless broadband coverage at a very reasonable cost. By starting with the nearly 9,000 federal buildings owned or operated by the General Services Administration, we will be able to provide appreciable improvement in wireless coverage for consumers while also reducing some of the pressure on existing wireless broadband networks," said Senator Warner.

Specifically, the legislation requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to begin installing wireless voice and data base stations, such as wi-fi hotspots and femtocells, in all publicly accessible federal buildings. As the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan highlights, most smartphones sold today have Wi-Fi capabilities, so installing mini-base stations and Wi-Fi hotspots in federal buildings would not only help improve indoor cell phone coverage, but also increase wireless network capacity. The legislation also includes two recommendations of the FCC's National Broadband Plan to streamline Federal rights-of-ways and wireless transmitter sitings to expedite the expansion of wireless and broadband infrastructure, especially in rural areas. The bill would allocate $15 million of unobligated funds from the Federal Buildings Fund for the project.

NYU prof sticks camera on the back of his head, just as promised (video)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 08:23 PM PST

Remember when your parents told you they had eyes in the back of their heads, and part of you wanted to believe? Well, NYU professor and artist Wafaa Bilal recently had that done, though it's not as permanent as we'd hoped -- it's a removable dealie, affixed to a titanium plate implanted in the back of his skull. The resulting lifecast gets piped to to a satchel at his side, which will be used in his art project The 3rd I at the Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art on December 30th... but you should be able to get a sneak peek at the images at his website in just a little over a week. No word on whether he'll also hook up the whole kit to some sweet LCD goggles. Here's hoping. Video after the break.

NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M refreshes mobile graphics midrange (update: hands-on pics)

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 06:33 PM PST

Uh oh, just as we thought NVIDIA had moved beyond its penchant for rebadging hardware, here comes the vanguard of its 500M mobile GPU series -- which happens to be specced nearly identically to what's already on offer in the 400M family. The GT 540M chip maintains the same 96 CUDA cores and 128-bit memory interface as the GT 435M, but earns its new livery by cranking up graphics and processor clock speeds to 672MHz and 1344MHz, respectively, while also taking the onboard memory to a max speed of 900MHz. Power requirements have been kept unchanged, mind you, and NVIDIA itself admits it's exploiting the maturation of the production process to just throw out some speedier parts. China gets the GT 540M immediately, courtesy of Acer, while the rest of the world should be able to buy in at some point next month. Jump past the break for the full press release.

Update: We've managed to track down the particular Acer model that'll mark the GT 540M's debut, it's called the Aspire 4741G. The option we saw came equipped with a 2.66GHz Intel Core i5-480M processor, 4GB of RAM, a 640GB HDD, a Blu-ray disc drive, and a 14-inch screen up top. There's not much, aside from the new top cover design, to really distinguish this from the rest of Acer's Aspire line, with the keyboard in particular being the very same one that we've witnessed on Timeline series machines for over a year now -- comfortable, well spaced, but exhibiting quite a bit of flex around the Enter key. See more of it in the gallery below.
Acer Aspire 4741G with NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M hands-on

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NVIDIA GeForce 540M GPU launching in China

Today we introduced the GeForce GT 540M notebook GPU, the first GPU in our GeForce 500M family of notebook GPUs.

OEMs are launching these Optimized notebooks with GeForce GT 540M GPUs and dual-core "Arrandale" CPUs in order to hit mainstream price points sooner, ahead of Huron River dual-core platforms that will not be released until later in 2011. It is available immediately in China from Acer, and will be available worldwide next month.

With GeForce GT 540M, we are taking an already proven architecture and using the maturity of the manufacturing process to create GPUs with higher clock settings while staying in the same power envelope. As a result, the GeForce GT 540M delivers a significant increase in fill-rate and memory bandwidth, which ultimately translates to better overall performance.

GeForce GT 540M GPUs are DirectX 11 done right, and like all GeForce GPUs, they support the differentiating features that set our GPUs apart from the competition, including: NVIDIA Optimus technology, PhysX, 3D Vision, 3DTV Play, CUDA, and Verde drivers to keep your notebook optimized for tomorrow.

Comcast internet down in the midwest, DNS servers to blame again

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 06:10 PM PST

Deja vu all over again? Not quite -- this time it's Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois and and Indiana feeling the pain of no Comcast internet, according to a bevy of tipsters and a series of official ComcastCares tweets. As before, the fix is fairly simple, assuming you know how to manually switch your DNS -- just point your computer to a public domain name server (like Google's at 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, but there are plenty of others) and things should re-route themselves in seconds flat. Friends don't let friends go without a connection, so if you know someone who's likely affected but won't find out what's wrong until it's too late, why not shoot them a text message or something to share the fix?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

LimeWire the online store fades away, LimeWire the file-sharing service soldiers on

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 05:49 PM PST

Injunction orders Limewire to disable 'all functionality,' company pledges to keep operating... somehow
In what will no doubt be held up as an shining example of irony in the months and years to come, it seems the RIAA has succeeded in shutting down LimeWire... but only the legal part. The LimeWire Store, which legitimately sold online music, will reportedly close on December 31st, and the site itself states that it won't be taking new customers from now on. Where, oh where will folks get their digital tunes instead? Some might go right back to filching them using LimeWire's peer-to-peer application, which hasn't actually been squashed by the injunction. Yes, a rogue group released LimeWire Pirate Edition last month, a version of the original Gnutella P2P client with all the bloat stripped out and premium functionality turned on, which is apparently receiving so welcome a reception in the file-sharing community that the Lime Group felt the need to issue a cease-and-desist to those distributing the software. Yo ho, yo ho...

Shenzhen netvertible flips its lid, apes Dell Inspiron Duo with days to spare

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 03:57 PM PST

If you thought the Inspiron Duo would be the only netvertible to have a slick spinning screen, think again -- with less than three months since Dell's design debuted and ten days till it ships, that trap-door design's been copied by the gadget giants of Shenzhen. This time around, it's not an obvious KIRF, but it's also not a terribly powerful little PC -- where Dell at least attempted to push the envelope with a dual-core Atom N550 processor, 2GB of RAM and a Broadcom Crystal HD chip, here we're looking at a bargain-basement netbook with all the usual suspects (Atom N450, 1GB RAM, 120GB HDD, Intel GMA 3150) and what looks like a tiny optical trackpad. At least it's got a capacitive screen! No word on when or how much you can expect to pay if flipping bezels are your thing.

Micron embeds error correction in flash memory chips, calls it ClearNAND

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 02:07 PM PST

Solid state storage is fantastic stuff, durable and lightning-quick, but it's got its fair share of quirks -- bits fail, pages fill up, and cells deteriorate over time. Typically, the onus is on a beefy controller to take care of your drive and make sure it lasts a good long while (which is why brand names like SandForce can make or break an SSD) but it looks like Micron is planning to usurp some of that responsibility with its new ClearNAND chips. Simply put, each ClearNAND memory module has a built-in 24-bit error correction engine, so your drive's host controller doesn't have to shoulder that load, and can focus on the good stuff -- like getting your data delivered at speeds that would obliterate traditional hard drives. Micron says the new chips are available right now in 25nm sizes. Want a more technical rundown? Hit up our more coverage link to hear what this might mean for the error-prone future of the medium. PR after the break.
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Micron Unveils Innovative Flash Memory Devices That Extend the Life of NAND

New ClearNAND(TM) Products Incorporate NAND Error Correction Intelligence, Paving the Way for Further NAND Technology Scaling

BOISE, Idaho, Dec. 2, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Micron Technology, Inc. today introduced a portfolio of high-capacity flash memory products that will lengthen the life of NAND for years to come. By integrating the error management techniques in the same NAND package, the new Micron® ClearNAND™ devices alleviate the challenges traditionally found in NAND process shrinks. Micron's ClearNAND portfolio extends the opportunities for more advanced NAND process generations to be used in enterprise servers, tablet PCs, portable media players, and dozens of other consumer applications.

"The pace of NAND scaling is largely responsible for the incredible growth and success the industry has seen to date, and for helping to create new flash-based storage solutions," said Glen Hawk, vice president of Micron's NAND Solutions Group. "While the advantages in NAND scaling are evident, so are the challenges with the technology becoming increasingly more difficult to manage. Micron's ClearNAND products remove this management burden for our customers and extend the life of this all-important technology."

Micron's ClearNAND products utilize a traditional raw NAND interface, and include new features that are optimized for high-capacity and high-performance applications. As the industry progresses past 20-nanometer (nm), flash management gets more challenging because the amount of bit errors increases dramatically, impacting NAND performance and reliability. By tightly coupling the error management with the NAND devices in a single package, Micron's customers can continue to take advantage of the highest capacity and lowest cost-per-bit flash memory solution. Micron's ClearNAND products are first designed using its 25nm multi-level cell (MLC) process, and are available in two versions: Standard and Enhanced.

Micron's Standard ClearNAND products come in 8 to 32 gigabyte (GB) packages, and are intended to remove the error correction code (ECC) burden from the host processor with minimal protocol changes compared to raw NAND. The Standard ClearNAND portfolio is targeted for portable media players and other consumer electronic devices.

Micron's Enhanced ClearNAND products, in addition to removing the ECC burden from the host processor, also provide new enterprise specific features to enable high-capacity designs, delivering improved performance and reliability. Capacities are available in 16 to 64GB packages. The Enhanced ClearNAND products are targeted at enterprise and computing applications, and allows leading-edge 25nm MLC NAND to be used in these applications for the first time.

Both Micron Standard ClearNAND and Enhanced ClearNAND products are available now.

"As the industry continues to reduce costs by moving to smaller and smaller geometries, the challenge has been to maintain equivalent system performance and endurance as the previous process generation," said Greg Wong, founder and principal analyst at Forward Insights. "With its ClearNAND portfolio, Micron has developed a solution that overcomes these challenges, enabling customers to utilize the most advanced NAND technology in even the most demanding applications."

A Broad NAND Portfolio – From Raw Flash Memory to Fully Managed Solutions

With wireless, consumer, computing and enterprise manufacturers moving toward NAND flash as their primary storage medium, most designers require a broad selection of technology solutions to fit a vast array of end-product designs. From tablet PCs to flash-based notebooks, to high-end smartphones and data center servers, all of these applications are very distinct and call for a different type of NAND flash. The ClearNAND products strengthen Micron's NAND flash portfolio, providing the company with a broad offering of solid-state storage solutions.

Frontal Concepts' Infuse iPod nano watch strap wins imaginary design award, our hearts

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 12:18 PM PST

By now, you've decided if you're going to use Apple's iPod nano 6G as a watch. We obviously have our own feelings on the matter, but those who can't be bothered with actual functionality should definitely be looking in the direction of Frontal Concepts. This Australian outfit has just released its first product, and it's far and away the most sensibly designed iPod nano watch strap to date. Rather than just looping a band through the device's rear clip, the Infuse strap actually has a simple, one-click locking mechanism to keep your digital timepiece in position. It's also positioned to allow the audio cord to run upwards along the arm, and it's built from polycarbonate plastics and silicone -- plenty tough to withstand the occasional gym visit. Americans can get their pre-order in today for $24.95 (black, white and brown hues are available), with the first shipments expected to head out in around a fortnight. Time's ticking, Santa.
Frontal Concepts Infuse iPoad nano wristmount
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Frontal Concepts Launches the Infuse Wristlock™ solution for the iPod Nano 6G

Not just your average iPod Nano watchstrap - The Infuse allows users to mount their iPod Nano 6G in a minimalist and ergonomic manner via its unique "Wristlock" mechanism.

29/11/2010 – Frontal Concepts is pleased to introduce the Infuse wristmount, a sophisticated minimalist accessory for Apple's iPod Nano 6G. Infuse's uniquely designed mounting system, the Wristlock™ Mechanism, allows you to easily "snap" your iPod nano in or out of the wrist mount. The Infuse also orientates the iPod nano in an ergonomic fashion such that the earphone wire runs parallel to one's arm such that it will not be a hindrance to movement. Infuse's silicone straps are custom made from high quality material and finished with an anti dust coating. The Infuse has been designed to augment, not to obscure, the iPod nano's clean, modern look.

Features

1. Minimalist and polished design
2. Orientates the iPod nano in an ergonomic fashion, such that the audio wire is parallel to your arm
3. Does not require you to unmount your iPod nano for connection to the computer
4. Firmly and securely mounts your iPod nano
5. Constructed using high quality plastics, silicone and stainless steel

Availability
The Infuse comes in 3 strap colors, black, white and brown at an introductory price of $24.95 USD. It will be available for order on the Frontal Concepts site: www.frontalconcepts.com/infuse
at 11:59 AM

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