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- HP contracts 5 or 6 new Palm devices for 2011?
- Sprint's Hesse commits to phasing out iDEN
- UI Centric cancels Macallan UI project for Windows 7 tablet
- Sennheiser expands gaming headset line, brings the top-shelf PC 360 Stateside
- HP Envy 17 3D laptop now available starting at $1599
- The PlayStation Phone is still real
- University of Chicago, Cornell researchers develop universal robotic gripper
- Adonit Writer adds one more option to the iPad folio + keyboard barrage
- ExoPC Slate review
- BlackBerry Bold 9780 finally official, hitting T-Mobile on November 17th for $130
- HTC Desire HD review
- Powercast and Microchip fire up interest at a distance with wireless power development kit
- Samsung Galaxy Tab hitting T-Mobile USA on November 10th, $400 on contract
- Bus that travels over traffic longs for US embrace, designer seeks stateside collaborators
- ASUS gets in on the touch mouse craze with the puck-shaped WX-DL
- Huawei S7 gets Best Buy listing for $299.99, not shipping until November 7th
- Elecom's rotating USB memory card reader tries not to block your ports
- Acer tablet PC line launching on November 23rd, priced from $299 to $699
- Navigon MobileNavigator finally hits American Androids, includes augmented reality POI view
- ASUS Eee Pad EP101TC getting Tegra 2 treatment ahead of March launch?
- Razer debuts Anansi MMO gaming keyboard, dares you to ever leave your basement
- OnLive MicroConsole TV Adapter clears FCC with ZigBee surprise
- MacBook Air upgrade kit bumps capacity to 256GB, turns old module into USB 3.0 SSD
- DBM Energy's electric Audi A2 completes record setting 372 mile drive on a single charge
- Actroid-F: the angel of death robot coming to a hospital near you (video)
- Garmin navigation to be an Android exclusive for ASUS, headed to Apple and RIM app stores
- The PlayStation Phone
- MacBook Air review (late 2010)
- Apple delays white iPhone 4 into spring 2011
- Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 sees public beta release
- Office 2011 for Mac is available today.docx
- T-Mobile launching data tethering / wireless hotspot plan on Nov. 3rd for $14.99?
- Nook Color first hands-on! (updated: with video)
- Barnes & Noble Nook Color revealed
- Live from Barnes & Noble's 'Very Special Event'
- iDOS emulator hits the App Store, gets pulled in record time
- Nokia's Savander: 'the Symbian Foundation will exist as an open source movement and we will use it'
- Screen Grabs: Chuck cowers in the HD-DVD graveyard
- Vimeo launches Couch Mode, full screen browsing for the TV
| HP contracts 5 or 6 new Palm devices for 2011? Posted: 27 Oct 2010 11:20 AM PDT  Underwhelmed by the feeling of sameness with the Pre 2? Well, you may or may not be in luck; Chinese-based CENS.com is reporting that manufacturers Foxconn and Compal now have contracts to manufacturer up to six new Palm devices for 2011. That boils down to one for Compal, and either four or five for Foxconn. We'd venture a guess that PalmPad's at least one of those, seeing as it's due early next year, but what about the others? Whatever (stackable) cards HP / Palm have in hand aren't exactly being laid out, and while we can't confirm this report ourselves, rest assured, we're hoping really hard that there'll be more webOS options with non-pebble form factors. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sprint's Hesse commits to phasing out iDEN Posted: 27 Oct 2010 10:49 AM PDT  Echoing sentiments of Sprint's senior VP of networks from last month, CEO Dan Hesse has said that the company will be saying goodnight to its aging push-to-talk network -- iDEN -- that it inherited from its Nextel acquisition several years ago, "just like 1G was shut down." Of course, the difference between 1G cellular and iDEN is that iDEN still holds a very unique position in the wireless marketplace: even though it sucks for data, it's really the only popular, successful way to route push-to-talk over a cell network of any kind. To that end, the company is actively soliciting bids to build out CDMA 1X Advanced right now, which may allow the company to have another go at moving its PTT services over to a CDMA-based technology (the first attempt, QChat, already failed). In the meantime, Hesse says that the company is putting most of its marketing efforts into attracting customers to its CDMA airwaves, not its iDEN ones, in the hopes that they'll be able to smooth out the transition and free up iDEN spectrum for other services. It's had a good run, hasn't it? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UI Centric cancels Macallan UI project for Windows 7 tablet Posted: 27 Oct 2010 10:27 AM PDT  [Thanks, Brian] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sennheiser expands gaming headset line, brings the top-shelf PC 360 Stateside Posted: 27 Oct 2010 09:42 AM PDT 
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| HP Envy 17 3D laptop now available starting at $1599 Posted: 27 Oct 2010 09:21 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The PlayStation Phone is still real Posted: 27 Oct 2010 08:58 AM PDT   | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University of Chicago, Cornell researchers develop universal robotic gripper Posted: 27 Oct 2010 08:37 AM PDT  Robotic hands are usually just that -- hands -- but some researchers from the University of Chicago and Cornell University (with a little help from iRobot) have taken a decidedly different approach for their so-called universal robotic gripper. As you can see above, the gripper is actually a balloon that can conform to and grip just about any small object, and hang onto it firmly enough to pick it up. What's the secret? After much testing, the researchers found that ground coffee was the best substance to fill the balloon with -- to grab an object, the gripper simply creates a vacuum in the balloon (much like a vacuum-sealed bag of coffee), and it's then able to let go of the object just by releasing the vacuum. Simple, but it works. Head on past the break to check it out in action. [Thanks, Jeremy] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adonit Writer adds one more option to the iPad folio + keyboard barrage Posted: 27 Oct 2010 08:16 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 27 Oct 2010 07:47 AM PDT  Hardware It should come as no surprise that the ExoPC's 11.6-inch screen gives it a bigger footprint than most of the other 8.9- and 10.1-inch tablets out there, and its wider size and heavier weight -- it tips the scales at 2.09-pounds -- are certainly noticeable in everyday use. Unlike 7-inch tablets like the Galaxy Tab or Archos 7, this is the sort of device that's best used with its included stand or propped up against your legs while using it on the couch or in bed. Actually that's exactly how ExoPC is billing the slate -- as a couch surfing device -- and while it may not be your go-with-you-everywhere gadget, we didn't think twice about popping it into a laptop sleeve and pulling it out on the train to watch some videos. The 0.5-inch tablet is relatively thin in comparison to the the other Atom-powered tablets out there, and shockingly it's just .02-inches thicker than the iPad. However, this tablet still makes room for two USB ports, a headphone jack, SD card slot and a mini-HDMI socket. There's also a SIM slot, though our unit didn't have a 3G module. Screen As for the viewing angles, we have to say it's been much improved since we saw it back in June, but it's still not an A+ -- colors are quick to fade when the screen is tilted off axis to about a 120-degree angle and vertical angles are narrower than we'd like. We were still able to share the screen with a friend while sitting in a small train seat, but clearly the iPad's IPS display has set the bar very high in terms of tablet screens. So, what about the touchscreen performance? We're happy to report we have no qualms about the responsiveness of the capacitive display. As you'd expect, light taps and swipes were all it took to make selections / scroll down pages. If you prefer to give your finger a rest, ExoPC does include a foam-tip capacitive stylus, but we didn't have much luck using it to accurately write in the Writing Pad panel -- like all of these styluses, it's better used for navigating tighter menus than for inking. Along the top bezel is an ambient light sensor, which we actually chose to disable (we're brightness control freaks, okay?), and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. Oddly, there's no included software for snapping pictures, but we downloaded Skype and enjoyed a lovely chat with a family member. The two speakers on the bottom edge of the tablet are surprisingly loud, but listening to Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" at full blast was annoyingly tinny. ExoPC layer ExoPC set out to design software that was extremely easy and intuitive to navigate with a finger, and it certainly accomplishes that task. The grid of icons / shortcuts is straddled by two columns of basic controls, which includes a home button, Windows icon to take you back to the desktop, application store, and power button to shut off the layer altogether. Launching one of the applications or folders on the grid doesn't only launch said app or folder on the center of the screen, but also displays a small circular icon on the right side. You can then toggle to different applications within the UI by hitting the little circles or close a specific program by sliding the icon off the right of the screen. It may seem a bit complicated, but it really becomes second nature and it's truly finger-friendly -- for instance, it's much easier to close apps by sliding a finger than by hitting a small X at the top of a windows.
Browser Media browser, player ExoPC apps and App Store As we mentioned in the video, a number of the Flash games are sluggish, but most of the doodling and art applications were quite responsive. The Silverlight demos did seem to run smoother, and the company tells us a number of apps are being developed on Microsoft's platform. Obviously, those are the big issue facing the ExoPC right now -- content, apps and development. And though the company is working with publishers and rolled out an SDK back in July, at this point there are no well known apps, games or books to be found. As it stands the ExoPC layer is an extremely nice looking and performing piece of software, but as we've repeated throughout this section, its just not done at this point and missing some badly-needed components that we'd require for day-to-day use. Performance and battery life We wish that the good news could continue, but those that have followed the Atom-powered tablet space with us know that we don't have much hope on the battery life front, at not until Intel's Oak Trail arrives in Q1 2011. The ExoPC slate, like the others, didn't last longer than four hours on our video rundown test. In fact, the unremoveable three-cell battery lasted only three hours and 26 minutes while looping the same standard definition video at 65 percent brightness. When we used the tablet just to surf the web and play some games we got closer to four hours of battery life, but no matter how you slice it, the ExoPC is another Win 7 tablet that's inseparable from its AC adapter. Wrap-up If it weren't for the promise of the ExoPC software layer, we'd probably write this tablet off like most of the other Win 7 slates we've seen. However, it's hard to overlook the totally unique interface and preloaded applications, as they significantly improve the Windows touch experience in a way that is unmatched by any other Windows tablet we've seen. With that said, $599 is a lot of money to bet on a platform that isn't ready and a piece of hardware that must be plugged into the wall for the better part of the day. The ExoPC may be a solid choice for developers and early adopters looking to tinker, but it's just not a mainstream consumer tablet... yet. Editor's note: We will continue to update this review as ExoPC rolls out software updates. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BlackBerry Bold 9780 finally official, hitting T-Mobile on November 17th for $130 Posted: 27 Oct 2010 07:25 AM PDT 
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| Posted: 27 Oct 2010 07:00 AM PDT  HardwareWe might as well start at the beginning, which in the Desire HD's case means... its case. Back in February of this year, HTC introduced a new aluminum unibody design -- wherein the chassis of the phone is carved out of a single slab of the lightweight metal -- with its Legend handset. The benefits of this unibody construction are that the outside shell also serves a structural role in making the device more rigid and durable, and thereby reduces the necessary bulk to make a phone that can be relied on over the long term. Fast forward to a few months later, and this bit of clever engineering has managed to trickle its way up into HTC's top-tier handsets, as exhibited on the recent 7 Mozart for Windows Phone 7 and the Desire HD we have before us. Upon picking HTC's new Android hotness up, you'll immediately recognize the benefit of moving to this more rigid, metallic construction. It simply feels like a solid, cohesive block of technology and there's little about the way it's put together to raise concerns about long-term durability. It might in fact be fair to say that the Desire HD may be one of the more resilient flagship devices we've handled this year. That's helped by the understated matte styling, which doesn't look like it'll scratch too easily, and the relatively uncomplicated external design. What little deviations there are from simplicity -- such as the three plastic elements breaking up the plain aluminum back -- are made to accommodate functional elements of the phone rather than to spice up your life with unnecessary flamboyancy. Much like the HD7 we reviewed quite recently, the Desire HD also has very good ergonomics, both in the hand and in the pocket, which really makes you question why you'd ever consider a smartphone with a smaller screen; there's almost no negative to moving to the 4.3-inch size in terms of daily portability.  We were also disheartened by a couple of other issues, which are perhaps even more significant than the foregoing. Firstly, as mentioned above, the aluminum casing fails to perfectly align with all the other external elements of the phone it comes into contact with, which is most unpleasantly apparent at the front, where it frames the display. The trouble is that the aluminum sticks out about a millimeter in front of the screen, generating a ridge that your finger flicks against when performing swipes on the phone. What results both feels and sounds like flicking paper at the end of (almost) every screen-transitioning gesture. The problem is apparent on both sides of the display and it's also something we noted in our 7 Mozart review, so it doesn't seem as though we got a uniquely poor Desire HD unit, it's just a failure on HTC's part, whether at the design or manufacturing stage. The second big problem we have here is with the camera on the back, which sticks out from the rest of the body, but is not protected from bumps or scratches in any meaningful way. When laid on its back, the Desire HD rests directly on the lens itself, which anyone serious about photography would both cringe and curse at. It's worth bearing in mind that although we've spent more time detailing the negatives to the Desire HD's curvy exterior, the positives of a robust construction, good ergonomics, and a svelte body (disregarding the camera extrusion) are more pronounced in day-to-day use. InternalsIf you really care about your smartphone performance, you'll already be familiar with the 1GHz QSD8255 chip (with Adreno 205 graphics) powering the Desire HD and its capabilities. It's a second-generation Snapdragon built under a 45nm process and promises to give you quite a bit more punch whatever you're doing. For us, it made using the Desire HD a legitimate pleasure and generated one of our smoothest Android experiences to date. It can also chug through 720p video (both recording and playback) and lends a hand in turning in some stellar browser performance from this Froyo-based handset. It comes supported by 768MB of RAM, which is as cutting as your smartphone edge can get at this moment in time. You might think that all these gloriously fresh innards would necessitate a cost-cutting exercise elsewhere and indeed they have. The Desire HD comes with a 1230mAh battery, which falls short of most current smartphones' standard equipment, and is especially low if you consider HTC managed to fit the EVO 4G with a 1500mAh unit. We took the new Android handset out to Portugal with us recently for our Nissan Leaf test drive and intentionally left the charger at home. Sadly, we can't say we were impressed by the result. Leaving the house with a fully juiced Desire HD at 11AM, we got to enjoy some very light browsing at the airport, a 30-minute round of Angry Birds while in the air, a few pictures taken en route to the hotel, and then some WiFi-based web exploration at our resting place before the battery gave up on us in the evening. Sure, it lasted "a whole day," but our use was minimal and the wireless radios were throttled by the phone being in airplane mode for half the time. Take that for what it is, it shows that you can squeeze a day's worth of frugal usage out of the Desire HD, but only if you're careful and plan it ahead of time. The overall vibe for us was that the Desire HD was power-hungry, and we never felt perfectly comfortable doing anything intensive with it while we were away from a tether of some kind -- which doesn't exactly cast a brilliant light upon this device's otherwise stellar variety of available functionality. Adding insult to the 1230mAh injury, the way the rear of the phone's designed looks set to make it difficult, if not impossible, for third-party case makers to provide extended batteries the likes of which you can get for the EVO and other heavy-duty smartphones. Display That sentiment can't be extended to screen technology, however, where the Desire -- whether in AMOLED or Super LCD form -- easily outdoes its HD counterpart. The Desire HD has a decent, but not altogether impressive LCD panel, which we're almost certain is identical to that found inside the HD7. To tell you the truth, unless you're a perfectionist or a purist when it comes to having the very latest screen tech in your device, you won't find yourself disappointed by this phone's display. It gets the job done for the vast majority of the time, though we might have appreciated it if HTC had put a less glossy coating on it -- you know, for the odd occasion when we step out of our underground lairs and into the sun. CameraThe 8 megapixel imager on the back of the Desire HD performed adequately to very well in our testing, but we were somewhat limited by adverse weather conditions, which lent us only overcast days and stormy skies to contend with. So, we can't tell you much about the best case scenarios with the Desire HD, but we can certainly tell you about some challenging ones we encountered along the way. Firstly, let's get the boilerplate warning out of the way that low light will not be a friend to your photographing experience with this phone. Harsh noise and chromatic aberration will invade your pictures if you turn down the lights too low, while focusing also takes a predictable hit and you often end up with some slight image blur as a result. Then again, we managed to luck our way into taking a pretty gorgeous sunset shot with the Desire HD, so perhaps those who dare to tweak the settings and commit some time to it could still extract some admirable imagery. The general point is that all cameras struggle when there's not enough light to feed their sensor with and the Desire HD is no different. Moving on to our dreary day in London, we were actually very impressed with what the Desire HD was able to produce. While there was some late afternoon daylight to be had, it was of the decidedly uninspired variety, and we'd expect even a pretty competent point and shoot camera to have had its difficulties. The Desire HD managed to collect some telling detail in its tour, which you can explore in the gallery below, and left us with a very positive impression. Noise-masking blur is distributed very well, in our opinion, and works especially well if can content yourself with downsizing the images from the max 8 megapixel size. All in all, a highly competent camera that dealt with what we threw at it admirably. Speaker / earpieceThere's nothing that really stands out about the Desire HD's loudspeaker and earpiece. Call quality was on par with any other handset that's come out lately, while ringtones and audio were conveyed reasonably well. The top volume of the speaker seemed a little lower than we'd prefer (we like the maximum to be too loud so that we always have that "turning it up to 11" option), but on the whole it did a decent job. HTC has added Dolby and SRS sound options for video playback, and while they generate tangibly different ouputs -- SRS makes the actors sound like they're breathing into their webcam mic and Dolby adds an extra layer of bass to proceedings, whether necessary or not -- our conclusion was that they were just poor in different ways. As ever, using the speaker on your phone for anything more than call and messaging alerts seems an ill-advised idea here. Software The browser stood out to us in particular, as it loaded content-heavy pages in a very snappy manner and responded to our touch in a pleasingly alert fashion. Scrolling has now simply been perfected, as has pinch-to-zoom, while portrait-to-landscape transitions are also nearly instantaneous. The list of good things about the web on this phone also includes some stellar rendering performance, as we weren't able to incite any aliasing or content issues out of it, including the playback of those hallowed Flash-based YouTube videos. Notably, Flash material took quite a bit longer to load than lighter stuff, but when it did, it played back reliably and smoothly. We imagine the roomy RAM apportionment and speedy processing chip are playing their part here in making the Desire HD look like a champ. An additional note should also be made regarding Android's multitasking methodology. Or, to be honest, the lack thereof. The OS basically doesn't kill anything you get going, which is stunningly handy when you only have brief moments where you're able to look at your phone and don't want to have to constantly restart an app, but it has its downsides too. Firstly, on the positive front, we love not having to worry whether our gaming session would lose its progress while we delve into the calendar or jump into the camera app to shoot some impromptu masterpieces. Having everything exactly as you left it makes the phone feel like a cozy and welcoming place -- unlike, say, Windows Phone 7, which tends to act like a neurotic housekeeper that'll tidy away your cup before you've finished enjoying your tea. Where the bad side of Android -- and yes, even two-dimensional caricatures can have a bad side -- comes in is in the fact that all those apps that are never fully closed tend to suck down resources. And with resource utilization comes the worst penalty of all: battery depletion. That's particularly unenticing on a handset like the Desire HD, which already exhibits the signs of a battery biting off more hardware duties than it can chew. So what's the solution? Well, we ended up downloading Quick Task Killer and were immediately struck by the sheer number of apps that were running without us even doing so much as glancing at them. Seriously, what was the Stocks app doing in the background when we hadn't even given it a cursory thought? The sheer number of alternatives to QTS that Android Market offers for managing your app load indicates that Google still has a way to go in perfecting its formula, but we should also say that once we had the app on our phone we felt much more confident that we weren't going to burn out battery out by leaving a horde of CPU-tapping programs running in the background. And just to add a note to this rapidly expanding note, the Desire HD itself actually acquitted itself sterlingly during our testing. Even with a bunch of apps queued up in its window shade, the phone kept on ticking without a sweat. We have absolutely no qualms about its performance, but the point about how efficient that performance is and what it does to your phone's autonomy still stands. New SenseThe first new feature you'll encounter on HTC's refreshed Sense phones is a significantly accelerated boot-up time. The Desire HD and Z, the two phones that mark the beginning of the latest version of Android-based Sense, are claimed to be able to boot within 10 seconds, but we had something of a rough time with that. We had some wildly divergent results at first and it took us some time to figure out what the causes were. On some occasions, the wait for the lock screen to appear was as long as 35 seconds (as you'll have seen in the video above), whereas at others the Desire HD showed us that welcoming graphic almost instantly. As it turns out, the longer boot times were owing to us taking the battery out, which in turn is leading to whatever background caching HTC is doing to be wiped out. Preloading content is only part of the story, however, as HTC is also being a bit cheeky and showing you the appearance of a phone ready for action before it's actually ready. Something Windows users will be pretty familiar with from the times they've seen their desktop about 20 seconds before the computer is finished loading. HTC has also given the phone's ringer an education, endowing it with the ability to ring louder when it senses it's in a pocket or a handbag, and throwing in a real favorite of ours: turning off the ringing sound entirely if you flip the phone over. It's a brilliant little evolution of some very basic and often-used functionality, and it keeps embarrassing moments down to their bare minimum. LocationsHTCSense.com This was the very definition of a mixed bag for us. Firstly, it merits noting that HTC exchanged our initial Desire HD with a second unit equipped with an updated, supposedly better, firmware on board. Funnily enough, our first handset worked perfectly with the company's new web interface whereas the "improved" version led to the amusingly dysfunctional demo video you'll find below. We'll tell you about what this service offers when it works and just assume that we happened upon a rare glitch in HTC's systems. HTCSense.com is the Taiwanese phone maker's play for getting itself into the cloud service conversation. The People and Messages sections let you tweak and review their eponymous content via the web, while HTC Hub offers an exhibition area for additional apps, ringtones, and other customizations for downloading onto your phone. The real attraction here, though, is the Dashboard area which throws up some very handy options for when your phone's absent without your leave. You can lock the phone and insert a message on its display for any finders you hope won't be selfish enough to become keepers. You can also completely wipe your personal data off the device remotely, and you can redirect incoming calls and messages to a separate number. All that and there's a map tracking your phone's current location (provided it's on, of course). In our earlier testing, we noticed almost no delay between enacting something on the site and having the phone react, while the phone-locking mechanism in particular struck us as a very well thought out and valuable tool to have. Accessing this bounty of cloud functionality is as easy as selecting a username and logging yourself in. You've got to tweak some well signposted settings on your phone to give the site permission to interact with it fully, but after all -- provided you're not dealing with our moody review unit -- you should be good to go. If there's one thing that might undermine HTCSense.com going forward, it's the fact that Google already does a pretty sterling job of backing up all settings, downloads and changes you make to your phone. The People hub here, for example, seems utterly superfluous now that Gmail finally has a Contacts section worth using, and we were impressed -- upon the arrival of our firmware-upgrade handset -- to find most of our tweaking didn't have to be repeated thanks to Google helpful (bordering on creepy, as ever) monitoring and backing up of our choices. Wrap-up | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Powercast and Microchip fire up interest at a distance with wireless power development kit Posted: 27 Oct 2010 06:39 AM PDT  Microchip and Powercast Debut World's First RF Energy Harvesting Kit That Enables Battery-Free, Perpetually Powered Wireless Applications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samsung Galaxy Tab hitting T-Mobile USA on November 10th, $400 on contract Posted: 27 Oct 2010 06:12 AM PDT  America's number four carrier just landed a launch date for Samsung's Froyo-based Galaxy Tab, and sure enough, it'll be trotting out into the spotlight a full 24 hours before Verizon Wireless and four whole days prior to Sprint. Trouble is, T-Mob's not being kind enough to dole out a price tag, so there's no reasonable way for you to compare its offering against the competition. But hey, being first out of the gate, they can't hold out on us too much longer, eh?Update: T-Mobile USA's official Galaxy Tab portal just went live, and guess what? You'll be shelling out $399.99 for this bad boy... on a two-year data contract. You'll also be responsible for a $35 activation fee and a $200 early termination charge should you soon realize just what you've gotten yourself into.
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| Bus that travels over traffic longs for US embrace, designer seeks stateside collaborators Posted: 27 Oct 2010 06:01 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ASUS gets in on the touch mouse craze with the puck-shaped WX-DL Posted: 27 Oct 2010 05:40 AM PDT   | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Huawei S7 gets Best Buy listing for $299.99, not shipping until November 7th Posted: 27 Oct 2010 05:16 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elecom's rotating USB memory card reader tries not to block your ports Posted: 27 Oct 2010 04:54 AM PDT  It's still not a substitute for a built-in memory card reader in a laptop, but Elecom's new MR-C25 Series USB memory card reader might just be the next best thing. In addition to reading both SD and microSD cards, it's able to rotate a full 180 degrees to give you access to ports on either side of the card reader. From the looks of things, you may still run into some problems with ports that are particularly close together (and with bulky plugs or devices), but it should definitely prevent at least some unwanted USB swapping. Unfortunately, there's no still word on a price or release over here just yet, but it does apparently come in both black and white to better match your laptop. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Acer tablet PC line launching on November 23rd, priced from $299 to $699 Posted: 27 Oct 2010 04:03 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Navigon MobileNavigator finally hits American Androids, includes augmented reality POI view Posted: 27 Oct 2010 03:30 AM PDT 
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| ASUS Eee Pad EP101TC getting Tegra 2 treatment ahead of March launch? Posted: 27 Oct 2010 02:55 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Razer debuts Anansi MMO gaming keyboard, dares you to ever leave your basement Posted: 27 Oct 2010 02:34 AM PDT 
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| OnLive MicroConsole TV Adapter clears FCC with ZigBee surprise Posted: 27 Oct 2010 01:39 AM PDT    | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MacBook Air upgrade kit bumps capacity to 256GB, turns old module into USB 3.0 SSD Posted: 27 Oct 2010 01:01 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DBM Energy's electric Audi A2 completes record setting 372 mile drive on a single charge Posted: 27 Oct 2010 12:15 AM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Actroid-F: the angel of death robot coming to a hospital near you (video) Posted: 26 Oct 2010 11:18 PM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Garmin navigation to be an Android exclusive for ASUS, headed to Apple and RIM app stores Posted: 26 Oct 2010 10:38 PM PDT  Details of the Garmin-ASUS breakup are slowly being revealed. We now know that ASUS has obtained exclusive rights to license Garmin navigation and location based services on its Android smartphones with a Garmin navigation trademark slapped on the back -- other Android handset makers need not apply. ASUS will go back to selling its own-brand handsets in January, including models equipped with 3D for gaming and connectivity with ASUS ebook readers and tablets, according to DigiTimes. For its part, Garmin's official blog says that it will be expanding its mobile application handset development by offering navigation and other applications through "certain consumer application stores." According to DigiTimes, that means Apple's iTunes App Store and RIM's App World. So, in other words, Garmin and ASUS are still friends but are now free to date anyone they want, you know, except for anyone in eachother's families. How mature. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 26 Oct 2010 06:09 PM PDT  The particular model in these shots is still in prototyping mode. As such, the unit doesn't have a custom skin (not even SE's Timescape design seen on the Xperia devices), and is said to be rather buggy. We're digging into more facts as we speak, but it's likely that much of what we reported earlier is still accurate, and though the device could still be headed for a 2010 release, 2011 is looking much more realistic. Still, there's a lot of time between now and the holidays... so keep your fingers crossed! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MacBook Air review (late 2010) Posted: 26 Oct 2010 04:49 PM PDT  Hardware A couple of things missing from the new Airs include an ambient light sensor and a backlit keyboard. The former might not be an annoyance (in fact, we prefer to dim the screen to our liking manually), but the latter can actually be a little problematic. When typing in dark settings, you now have almost no sense of which key is which, and even in low light (in front a TV, for instance), the lack of guidance on the keyboard is somewhat bothersome. It would be nice to see Apple give users a choice here, but especially on the 11 we're guessing that space, price, and battery requirements call for cuts from anywhere possible. On the other hand, it's more than a little disappointing to find that the 13-inch Air also doesn't have a backlit keyboard, especially since the previous models had them. Apple went out of its way to extoll the space-saving virtues of its new all-flash storage setup, and we find it extremely hard to believe that the older model had room for both a regular hard drive and a backlit keyboard in an extremely similar case but the new model doesn't. If you're thinking about switching from a MacBook Pro to a new Air, the lack of keyboard lighting is definitely something to think about. Besides those minor issues, there isn't a lot here that's changed from a standard unibody MacBook Pro, and anyone who's familiar with the company's line of laptops will feel right at home -- the keyboard and large glass trackpad feel almost identical to a regular MBP in day-to-day use. There's nothing terribly different or innovative about the industrial design of these devices (unless you count that intense taper), but they're still beautiful pieces of machinery. Apple really didn't have to go to great lengths to improve on an already great design... and they haven't. Internals / Display On the 13.3-incher, you've got two USB ports, a MagSafe connector, an SD card slot, and a Mini DisplayPort hookup, while the 11.6-inch model excises the SD slot (to our disappointment). Happily, the USB ports on both machines are on opposite sides, so you can use 3G adapters and other large USB peripherals at the same time without resorting to extenders; we can only hope this layout comes to Apple's other laptops soon. We also definitely missed the Ethernet port -- we use a wired connection whenever possible, and carrying around Apple's $29 adapter isn't wonderful, plus it takes up a valuable USB port. The batteries, hard drive, and RAM are all kept under lock and key -- nothing here is removable or user upgradable (at least not easily). In fact, the RAM is hardwired to the logic board and the flash storage is located on a custom Mini PCI Express board, meaning that tweaking the internals is not really on the table for most users. The display on the 13.3-inch is a 1440 x 900 glossy, LED-backlit affair, while the 11.6-incher sports a 1366 x 768 variation. If you're keeping track, that's the same resolution on the 13-inch as on the standard 15-inch MacBook Pro, and the extra real estate was just as usable on the smaller screen. The high pixel density of the 11 makes everything look a little smaller than usual, but it's not hard to get used to. Overall, both displays look stunning with wide viewing angles and excellent color reproduction, and we were pleasantly surprised to discover that even though Apple is still going glossy on these displays, the coating used for the new Airs isn't nearly as reflective as those on the MacBook Pros. In fact, the coating seems to have more in common with older MacBooks and Airs, sporting a purple tinge which seems to deaden reflections. We found ourselves far less distracted on these screens, and we're hoping this becomes a trend (or, resumes as a trend). The devices can also run a secondary display via the Mini DisplayPort adapter at up to 2560 x 1600, if you're the docking type. Performance / Battery life
(Obviously we didn't have numbers where they're omitted.) For users who aren't worried about HD video editing or the latest Quake, there's plenty of headroom on the Airs, and the tradeoff of power for battery life is probably worth it to many. Speaking of battery life, Apple makes some pretty lofty claims about the new MacBook Airs. As usual, the company is touting high numbers for life on a single charge (seven hours of use for the 13.3-inch, 5 hours with the 11.6), thanks in part to a new multi-cell battery arrangement that takes up most of the insides of the laptops. Not only that, but the company boasts that the Airs are capable of 30 DAYS of standby time, thanks to those cells coupled with new power management features. You've probably heard that the MacBook Airs now sport "instant on," though that's not entirely accurate. The laptops still have to boot just like a normal computer, though boot times are greatly reduced due to the flash storage in place of a hard drive. What the "instant on" refers to is a new super-deep sleep mode which the laptops enter after about an hour of standard sleeping. This is how Apple is garnering that 30 day sleep cycle. Still, battery life was excellent in our testing. On the 11.6-incher, we nabbed nearly six hours of life on a single charge in medium usage (mostly web browsing, flash video watching, screen at nearly full brightness). In heavier usage, we still reached nearly the advertised five hours (just a little under five, actually). Same with the 13 -- we hit about 7.5 hours of standard usage and just about six when we started adding some more video playback to the mix. Wrap-up Nilay Patel contributed to this review. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apple delays white iPhone 4 into spring 2011 Posted: 26 Oct 2010 04:32 PM PDT  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 sees public beta release Posted: 26 Oct 2010 03:48 PM PDT  We knew good and well it was coming, and here it is. Microsoft has today introduced the Release Candidate (RC) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to the public, and for those unaware of how these software rollouts "work," the RC release generally signals that a final build is just about ready. As previously announced, the only new features added to the SP1 are the Windows Server 2008 R2-related virtualization technologies, Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX, and while Windows 7 SP1 will enable PCs to take advantage of these server-based features to provide a more scalable and richer VDI experience for end users, there are no additional new features specific to Windows 7. If that's cool with you, there's a source link (and a download) waiting for you just below.[Thanks, Logan] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Office 2011 for Mac is available today.docx Posted: 26 Oct 2010 03:19 PM PDT   | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T-Mobile launching data tethering / wireless hotspot plan on Nov. 3rd for $14.99? Posted: 26 Oct 2010 02:48 PM PDT  T-Mobile said it was "working to deliver" hotspot support to T-Mobile G2 users, and now we might know the reason for the delay -- an allegedly leaked document details Magenta's scheme to offer a comprehensive data tethering plan for a $14.99 monthly fee. According to the convincingly worded internal memo, the new feature will let you tether over WiFi, Bluetooth or a physical USB cable at both 3G and HSPA+ speeds, though only on a $20 or higher unlimited data plan -- so if you've got just 200MB, you'll have to spend them on the small screen. The doc also says it's subject to T-Mobile's recent throttling efforts, so don't expect to enjoy HSPA+ on your tethered tablet for long: "Customers who purchase a T-Mobile mobile broadband product like the upcoming Galaxy Tab should activate with a webConnect plan to ensure the best experience," the document specifically suggests. The plan's apparently coming November 3rd, a date which is associated with another likely rumor, too -- TmoNews has a leaked email of its own suggesting the new myTouch will hit November 3rd as well. With Verizon, AT&T and Sprint all already charging for connection sharing, we suppose the writing was on the wall. The days of ambiguous wireless freedom are just about over, folks. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nook Color first hands-on! (updated: with video) Posted: 26 Oct 2010 01:43 PM PDT  Sure, the lighting's not great and its only a mock-up at this point, but that's Barnes & Noble's new Nook Color. We're being told there will be a chance to handle a real working unit soon, but in the meantime, enjoy the shots below! Update: We just got some more time with a functional unit, and while we aren't allowed to use it, we can say the build quality is sturdy, there's a good rubber backing, and the viewing angles are quite nice. It's crisp, too, the screen, although page turning is somewhat sluggish, the software perhaps not finished. Article view is a nice touch, being able to read just the piece formatting-free -- and you can skim through the articles alone by swiping to the left and right. You want some more shots of the UI in action? You know where to look. Update 2: Well, that was tough! We finally got some "alone time" with the Nook Color, although we still weren't allow to put our apparently grimy fingers on it. You can check it out in the video below, but we still seem to think there's some software tweaking going on as it's a bit sluggish to switch through menus. While we're still of the mind that this device should have had a PixelQi or Mirasol display, we can report that the LCD is responsive to finger swipes and the viewing angles are quite good (believe us, we were looking at this thing from all angles as book-loving journalists swarmed it.) We can't and won't make a final call on the Color until we get one into our hands, but the video below should give you a better idea of the UI and performance until then. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Barnes & Noble Nook Color revealed Posted: 26 Oct 2010 01:10 PM PDT  Build-wise, there's that striking corner handle we saw before (smacks of the XO-3, doesn't it?) and a microSD slot, with a 0.48-inch thick body and a 15.6 ounce overall weight. Battery life takes a notable hit, of course, with a rating of 8 hours of reading with the WiFi off. Of course, underneath it all is still Android, and Barnes & Noble is launching the Nook Developer program to allow third party apps on the device, and it even ships with a few favorites like Pandora and Lonely Planet. The color screen also enables a new library of "Nook Kids" children books, full-color magazine and newspaper subscriptions, and video playback if you're in the mood. The Nook Color ships on November 19th, pre-orders are available now. Looking for more? Check our hands-on video, photos, and impressions of the Nook Color! Barnes & Noble Introduces NOOKcolor™, The Ultimate Reading Experience First-Ever Reader's Tablet with Full-Color Touchscreen and Wireless Access, Enhanced Graphic Books, Magazines, Newspapers and Interactive Children's Books, Amazingly Thin and Portable The Most Social Reading Device Ever Built: Lend, Borrow and Share with Friends Pre-Order NOOKcolor for $249 at NOOKcolor.com and in Barnes & Noble Stores, Touch the Future of Reading™ Beginning in November New York, New York – October 26, 2010 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, today announced the launch of NOOKcolor by Barnes & Noble, the ultimate reading experience – the first full-color touch Reader's Tablet that delivers digital books, magazines, newspapers and children's books in immersive, gorgeous color, and all in one beautiful, thin and highly portable device. NOOKcolor is now available for $249 for pre-order at www.NOOKcolor.com and at Barnes & Noble stores tomorrow, and will begin shipping on or about November 19. Touch the future of reading at a NOOK™ Boutique or display at your favorite Barnes & Noble bookstore, as well as at Best Buy, Walmart and Books-A-Million starting late November. The first full-color touch device dedicated to reading everything and built on Android™, NOOKcolor opens up a whole new world of digital reading materials of all kinds, in addition to providing access to the largest bookstore with an unprecedented selection of over two million digital titles a single search away. Digital content – from bestsellers to favorite magazines in full color, and interactive children's picture books and enhanced cookbooks – has never looked better than on NOOKcolor's stunning 7-inch VividView™ Color Touchscreen. Building on Barnes & Noble's nearly 40 years of bookselling and publishing expertise, the company quickly became a leader in the digital arena following the introduction of its award-winning, bestselling NOOK devices, popular free software and expansive digital bookstore last year. This newest addition to the NOOK device family was designed for people who love to read every kind of content imaginable – and features 8GB of space, plus expandable memory, to store it all. NOOKcolor enables quick and easy shopping and book downloads in seconds over Wi-Fi®. NOOKcolor is also the most social reading device ever built – with Barnes & Noble's new NOOKfriends™ technology, you're only touches away from sharing with friends via Facebook®, Twitter® and email. "With NOOKcolor, we've combined the functionality and convenience of a 7-inch portable wireless tablet with the reader-centricity of a dedicated eReader, and employed a breakthrough color screen technology that will wow customers," said William Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble. Added Lynch, "NOOKcolor enables Web browsing over Wi-Fi, music, games and much more, but reading anything and everything in brilliant color is the killer app and squarely the product's focus. At $249, NOOKcolor offers a tremendous value, particularly in comparison to the many other 7-inch tablets coming to market at twice the cost and often requiring expensive data plans. Most importantly, NOOKcolor is designed for and differentiated by what Barnes & Noble knows best: reading." NOOKcolor's Vast Array of Digital Content NOOKcolor offers all the content you love, at your fingertips, experienced like never before, through Barnes & Noble's newly expanded NOOKbook™ Store. ï‚· Shop over two million titles: NOOKcolor provides access to the most expansive digital catalog available so you can browse more than two million books, enhanced books, newspapers and magazines, engaging children's books, and other interactive content in a single search. Find classics, new releases and bestsellers, including 194 of 205 current New York Times Bestsellers. Sample NOOKbook titles for free and download all content wirelessly in seconds. Since the launch of PubIt!™, Barnes & Noble has also added thousands of titles from independent publishers and self-publishing authors. ï‚· NOOKnewsstand™ – periodicals in vivid color: From The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA TODAY to Rolling Stone, Esquire, US Weekly, National Geographic, Martha Stewart Living, Cosmopolitan and Elle, NOOKcolor customers will find an impressive and growing list of the best daily, weekly and monthly periodicals, all optimized for the device in rich color. Magazine reading is easy and engaging with full-color pages and Barnes & Noble's exclusive ArticleView™ puts the focus on the content, customized to your favorite reading style. Periodicals, available by subscription and single copy, will continue to become even more interactive next year. ï‚· NOOK kids™ experience: For the first time ever, enjoy the largest collection of popular children's picture and chapter books in an engaging digital form through the new NOOK kids offering. Through exclusive AliveTouch™ technology, your child can interact with words and pictures, easily find a favorite story, and even have some read aloud to them. Enjoy a broad and growing selection of more than 130 digital picture books – an unprecedented offering that will double before year's end – and nearly 12,000 chapter books for children, plus exciting enhancements coming soon. Learn more at www.NOOKkids.com. ï‚· Enhanced and engaging titles: Coming soon, NOOKcolor customers will also enjoy a growing collection of multimedia titles offering instructive video and audio to learn about travel, cooking, music and more. ï‚· Great reads, great prices: The vast majority of titles in the Barnes & Noble NOOKbook Store are $9.99 or less, including most current New York Times Bestsellers. In any Barnes & Noble store, read NOOKbooks for free through the company's innovative Read In Store™ program. On any given day, peruse as many books as you wish, for one hour per title. And enjoy more than one million free classics and even more free reading by checking out additional titles from public libraries. eReading Gets (More) Social NOOKcolor makes it simple and reflexive to get social about reading. In another industry first for Barnes & Noble, the new LendMe™ App enables NOOKcolor users to view LendMe books in their friends' NOOKcolor digital libraries and request to borrow a title they've been meaning to read. Customers have the ability to easily lend their favorite NOOKbooks with friends through Facebook and email, even using their imported Google® Gmail™ contacts, and recommend a title, share reading status or a quote via Facebook, Twitter and email. Your Reading Experience, Your Way Barnes & Noble recognizes the uniquely personal nature of reading and designed NOOKcolor to be flexible and highly customizable, so each customer can truly make it his or her own. ï‚· Simply more than a touch of fun: Everything you want to do is simple and intuitive. Shopping for new content, finding and reading titles in your library and customizing the way you view your content are all a touch or two away. With a simple tap of the screen or swipe left or right, book pages turn in a flash. ï‚· Personalized reading experience: Experience the flexibility and fun of completely customizing your reading experience. Choose what titles will appear on your home page and Daily Shelf™, organize and view your library your way, find the right text type, size and color theme that's right for you, and read in portrait or landscape. ï‚· All your content at your fingertips: Your entire library is always a touch away with 8GB of memory. That's approximately 6,000 NOOKbooks or a combination that might include 1,000 books, 25 full-color magazines, 10 newspapers, 50 kids' books, 500 songs and 150 photos. Plus, NOOKcolor has expandable memory using a microSD™ card. And with Barnes & Noble's Lifetime Library™, existing customers of NOOK products and software-enabled devices will instantly be able to access their personal Barnes & Noble digital libraries on NOOKcolor. With this digital library advantage, Barnes & Noble ensures that your content always goes wherever you go and is always protected and accessible on a variety of devices, as well as BN.com. ï‚· NOOKbook Personal Shopping™: Barnes & Noble offers exclusive, personalized book recommendations from its expert booksellers, based on the genres, authors and subjects you like. ï‚· Continuous reading experience: Read NOOKbooks seamlessly across your NOOKcolor, NOOK 3G and Wi-Fi devices (following a NOOK firmware update in late November), third-party eBook Readers powered by the Barnes & Noble NOOKbook Store, and your favorite mobile and computing devices enabled with free NOOK software. These include iPad™, iPhone®, iPod touch®, Android™ smartphones, and Windows-based PCs, laptops or netbooks. NOOKcolor syncs last page read, highlights, notes and bookmarks. For more information on free NOOK software, please visit www.bn.com/NOOKapps. ï‚· View your personal files: Transfer and view personal PDF and ePub files to NOOKcolor, as well as JPG, PNG, GIF and BMP files, and use personal photos for wallpaper. With Quickoffice® software, view Microsoft® Office files including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. ï‚· Punctuate your style: Read in style with a full line of exclusive NOOKcolor accessories from Barnes & Noble, including covers with rich Italian leathers, European broad cloth and more from leading designers kate spade new york, JACK SPADE and Jonathan Adler coming soon. Attractive Design & Features To create the most exquisitely designed dedicated eReading device on the market, Barnes & Noble worked with award-winning industrial designer Yves Behar at fuseproject. NOOKcolor's elegantly simple design in classic graphite features an angled lower corner that evokes a turned page, along with a beaded border and lustrous, soft-touch back that make holding NOOKcolor comfortable and pleasurable. No other full-color touch reading device is thinner or more beautiful. ï‚· VividView Color Touchscreen: NOOKcolor features a best-in-class 7-inch color touch display like nothing you've ever seen before, particularly on a dedicated reading device. The screen displays more than 16 million colors and offers a wide viewing angle for personal or shared reading. The special design provides enhanced color tuning, gradation and reduction of glare to reduce distracting reflections. ï‚· Wi-Fi connectivity: Easily connect to personal and public Wi-Fi hotspots as well as free Wi-Fi in Barnes & Noble stores to shop the Barnes & Noble NOOKbook Store and download content in seconds, surf the Web, stream music and more. ï‚· Lightweight and portable: The compact device fits easily into your purse, jacket or bag at 8.1 inches (height) by 5 inches (width) by 0.48 inches (depth) and 15.8 ounces. And Even More Extras NOOKcolor offers many extras with fun and useful additions to the reading experience. ï‚· Game on: Enjoy fun and free games on NOOKcolor, including crossword puzzles, Sudoku, chess and many more to come. ï‚· Listen to music while reading: Stream tunes from your favorite artists over Wi-Fi with Pandora® internet radio's free, personalized music service. And load your MP3 and AAC songs to enjoy music while reading anywhere using the built in 3.5mm headphone jack or speakers. 5 ï‚· Surf the Web: Over Wi-Fi, use a full browser to visit your favorite Web sites, check email, and more. ï‚· Fun and free in-store features: In Barnes & Noble stores, connect to free Wi-Fi to browse and read the content of complete NOOKbooks for free through Read In Store, which features enhanced performance for NOOKcolor, including instantaneous page turns. And download exclusive content from bestselling authors and enjoy special promotions and discounts through the More In Store™ program. ï‚· More extras coming: Get ready to discover more engaging content and applications in the coming months. Barnes & Noble invites content providers and application developers to create innovative reading-centric experiences through the just-announced NOOKdeveloper™ program. More information is available at www.bn.com/NOOKdeveloper. NOOKcolor Availability NOOKcolor is available for pre-order for $249 and is expected to begin shipping on or about November 19, making it the perfect holiday gift for people who love to read everything. Experience NOOKcolor today at www.NOOKcolor.com or at the NOOK Boutiques and displays in one of Barnes & Noble's more than 700 bookstores beginning in late November. Barnes & Noble's 45,000 knowledgeable booksellers will provide walkthroughs of the entire family of NOOK eReading products and free software. NOOKcolor, along with NOOK 3G and NOOK Wi-Fi, will also be available at Best Buy, www.bestbuy.com, Walmart and www.walmart.com, and Books-A-Million in late November. Major NOOK 3G and Wi-Fi Firmware Update Next Month For book lovers who crave a paper-like reading experience, NOOK continues to be the most full-featured dedicated E-Ink® device on the market at a great value, starting at $149. Following the launch of NOOK 3G a year ago, and NOOK Wi-Fi last summer, Barnes & Noble continues to enhance the overall reading experience and performance of its award-winning, best-selling NOOK E-Ink devices. A major update coming in November will dramatically increase the page-turn speed, and deliver the most-requested features and performance enhancements from NOOK customers, including improved search functionality, customized Barnes & Noble Library organization, password protection and continuous reading across all NOOK devices and software. NOOK version 1.5 software will be available at no cost next month for all current and new NOOK owners via Wi-Fi or manual download at www.NOOK.com/support. "Our large installed base of more than a million NOOK customers will get our biggest enhancement release yet, all based on their most-requested features and inclusive of performance enhancements like even faster page turns," added Lynch. "With our software updates and product enhancements, we're continuing the Barnes & Noble commitment of relentless customer service to the legion of existing NOOK owners who have so faithfully contributed to our success and growth in digital reading." About NOOK™ from Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble's NOOK brand of eReading products makes it easy to read what you love, anywhere you like™ with a fun, easy-to-use and immersive digital reading experience. With NOOK, customers gain access to Barnes & Noble's expansive NOOKbook™ Store of more than two million digital titles, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices. NOOK products are the most full-featured, dedicated eReading devices on the market. NOOKcolor ($249), the first full-color touch Reader's Tablet, provides the ultimate reading experience with a stunning 7-inch VividView™ Color Touchscreen to read all of the content you love. For book lovers, NOOK 3G ($199) and NOOK Wi-Fi® ($149) offer a paper-like reading experience with a color touch screen for navigation. In Barnes & Noble stores, NOOK owners can access free Wi-Fi connectivity, enjoy the Read In Store™ feature to read NOOKbooks for free, and the More In Store™ program, which offers free, exclusive content and special promotions. Barnes & Noble was the first company to offer digital lending for a wide selection of books through its LendMe™ technology, available through NOOK eReading products. Find NOOK devices in Barnes & Noble stores and online at www.NOOK.com, as well as at Best Buy, Walmart and Books-A-Million. In addition to NOOK devices, Barnes & Noble makes it easy for customers to enjoy any book, anytime, anywhere with its free line of NOOK software, available at www.bn.com/NOOKapps. Customers can use Barnes & Noble's free eReading software to access and read books from their personal Barnes & Noble digital library on devices including iPad™, iPhone®, iPod touch®, Android™, BlackBerry® and other smartphones, PC, and Mac®. Lifetime Library™ helps ensure that Barnes & Noble customers will always be able to access their digital libraries on NOOK products and software-enabled devices and BN.com. Barnes & Noble also offers NOOKstudy™ (www.NOOKstudy.com), an innovative study platform and software solution for higher education and NOOK kids™ (www.NOOKkids.com), a collection of digital picture and chapter books for children. For more information on NOOK devices and eReading software, updates, new NOOKbook releases, Free Friday™ NOOKbooks and more, follow us on www.twitter.com/eBooksBN and www.facebook.com/NOOKBN. ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC. Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 717 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 633 college bookstores serving nearly 4 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble is the nation's top bookseller brand for the seventh year in a row, as determined by a combination of the brand's performance on familiarity, quality, and purchase intent; the top bookseller in quality for the second year in a row and the number two retailer in trust, according to the EquiTrend® Brand Study by Harris Interactive®. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web's largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than two million titles in its NOOKbook™ Store (www.bn.com/NOOKbooks). Through Barnes & Noble's NOOKTM eReading product offering, customers can buy and read NOOKbooks on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK eReaders, devices from partner companies, and hundreds of the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software. General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company's corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com. NOOK™, NOOKcolor™, NOOKbooks™, NOOKnewsstand™, VividView™, NOOKfriends™, AliveTouch™, LendMe™, ArticleView™, Daily Shelf™, NOOKfriends™, NOOK kids™, NOOKstudy™ , NOOKdeveloper™, ReadAloud™, NOOKbook Personal Shopping™, Read In Store™, More In Store™, Free Friday™, PubIt!™, Lifetime Library™, Read What You Love. Anywhere You Like™ and Touch the Future of Reading™ are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners. Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/BNStudio). # # # | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Live from Barnes & Noble's 'Very Special Event' Posted: 26 Oct 2010 12:40 PM PDT 4:51PM BN has its own SDK, the third-party developer optimizes for the Nook Color platform. "We never say [it'll never use Android Market apps]," but it's not happening now -- and from the sounds of it, we doubt it's really on the roadmap for anytime soon.  4:49PM Q: "Why no 3G on this device?" A: "WiFi is free, and free is good." A cost cutting measure for holidays. "That's not to say we won't launch [a 3G model] later down the line." 4:48PM "Will it access the Google Store? Does it support Flash? Will it support sideloading apps?" No (we want a "curated experience" and will add to its own store), no (but you can access the web), and yes (really?). 4:46PM Apologies for the absence -- go check out our hands-on for redemption. At launch, Barnes & Noble expects over 100 magazine titles available at launch. "Everything that we have is available for single copy or subscription." Everything has 14-day trial on newsstand. 4:39PM Developer program is "primarily" for Nook Color (vs. original Nook). 4:38PM 4,010mAh battery. 4:37PM Hey! Still here? It's Q&A time! 4:33PM "Thank you for coming." And that's a wrap! There's a Q&A in a little bit -- but for now, we're off to do hands-on. "Sweet Temptation" is blasting through the speakers. Man, do we want a Diet Coke.   4:31PM Will be shipping on or around November 19, pre-order now. 4:31PM The price? $249 -- but you already knew that. 4:30PM BN is "doubling down" with in-store Nook boutiques. They look very clean and fancy. It'll also be sold at Walmart (2500 stores), Best Buy (1100), and Bam! Books-a-Million (223).  4:28PM In November, original Nook owners will get "the biggest software enhancement yet," including faster page turns. The $149 progenitor doesn't seem to be going anywhere. 4:27PM Since Nook's launch, BN has managed to obtain 20 percent of the digital market. Any guesses who might claim the rest?  4:27PM Nook Developer, for Android programmers who want to make apps. Lonely Planet, Dictionary.com, and Pandora are among those already invested.  4:26PM Pandora, music, sudoku, and other apps.  4:25PM Nook kids. There's a read to me, and a read by myself function. One of them is for the parent with laryngitis -- pre-recorded audio narrates for you.  4:24PM And now onto magazines! There's brightness adjustment from the top menu. Article view brings up full content to read.  4:23PM Nook Book personal shopping, a nice way of saying recommendations. Can't say we trust Sessallee.    4:22PM The library is organized by books, magazines, newspapers. You can sort yourself as well, and view your own files (music, images). 4:21PM Along the bottom is the latest content -- newspaper, books you've purchased, and so on. We think he called it the Daily Chef.  4:20PM Will hold six thousand books out of the box. There's also a microSD slot and what looks to be its corner handle.  4:19PM 8.1 x 5.0 x 0.48 inches in dimension. 15.6 ounces weight. 4:19PM Time for the specs. The screen, "Vivid View" from LG. 16 million colors. "We invested in a full lamination screen film technology." Maximizes readability of backlit LCD while minimizing glare.  4:18PM Author Adriana Trigiani is here, quoting her own piece Brava, Valentine. "A handwritten letter carries a lot of risk. It's a one-sided conversation that reveals the truth of the writer." Nowhere does that give specs, we're afraid.   4:17PM Highlights, notes, sharing (with contacts, Facebook, Twitter), and a search option. The Facebook page we're seeing looks just like the browser version. 4:16PM (Psst, we just checked Barnes & Noble's own website. It's coming November 19th for $249.) 4:15PM First device to offer over 100 newspapers and magazines in full color.   4:14PM Designed with Yves Béhar 4:14PM Developed for well over a year -- which by our count would be when the Nook was officially unveiled. "Reading is the killer app." We're also seeing documents and Pandora apps. 0.5-inch thick. 4:13PM Random House, MacMillan, Hearst, Penguin, Conde Nast, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins are being thanked. In other words, they're all still content partners.  4:11PM A portable tablet and an e-reader in one! It's an "entirely new product category." ... Really, now? 4:11PM "Meet Nook Color, by Barnes & Noble." 4:11PM And that's the end of the presentation. Now onto the details! (We hope.)    4:10PM Share via contacts, Twitter, Facebook   4:09PM It's all one big color touchscreen, as we guessed. There's video, recipes, and now onto kids. yes, there's an actual kid on stage being comforted." Nook kids.  4:08PM "Starting the day with all the news that's fit to print, and so much more. The freshest story." There's some weird pantomiming going on here. But sure enough, that's a new Nook.  4:07PM "Imagine, everything you love about reading at your command. Your entire.. whenever you need it." 4:07PM Lights are down, here we go! 3:59PM If we're not mistaken, Patricia Heaton is sitting in the front row. And that's the most exciting thing going on so far. Just a little longer, promises the voice on the loudspeaker.  3:46PM A multitude of friendly staffers at each escalator level. Ominous suits with bothered faces. A handful of tables covered ominously covered in black. A series of white chairs we swear Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote about. Yep, we're seated and ready to go. T-minus 15 minutes.  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| iDOS emulator hits the App Store, gets pulled in record time Posted: 26 Oct 2010 12:39 PM PDT   | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nokia's Savander: 'the Symbian Foundation will exist as an open source movement and we will use it' Posted: 26 Oct 2010 12:36 PM PDT  The veracity of The Register's information regarding the Symbian Foundation's future remains to be seen -- but for what it's worth, Nokia's outspoken vice president of markets, Niklas Savander, seems to have some pretty strong language about the platform's future in a recent interview with CNET Asia. Here's the money quote in response to a question about whether Espoo will pull the Foundation's operations back in-house after having spun them off as an open-source operation in 2008:So Nokia's public-facing philosophy seems to be that they don't care who -- if anyone -- uses Symbian, they're going to continue to let the Foundation do its thing. Meanwhile, another part of the interview highlights the fact that they're still planning to continue to drive Symbian downmarket. Obviously, Nokia's internal roadmap could differ significantly from Savander's message, but so far, we don't have any hint from these guys that changes are afoot. That said, the Foundation's funding situation could force Nokia to take action if it wants the platform to continue to develop and evolve, but we suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Another interesting tidbit in the interview highlights the fact that one of new Nokia CEO Stephen Elop's edicts has been to significantly reduce the amount of time between a product's announcement and its release, which might be the driving force behind his decision to push the introduction of Nokia's first MeeGo products into 2011. As much as we hate waiting, we'd say that's a stellar direction for the company to take -- nothing builds animosity toward a product more than letting it waste away in a purgatory of unattainability (assuming your name isn't Eldar Murtazin) for six-plus months. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Screen Grabs: Chuck cowers in the HD-DVD graveyard Posted: 26 Oct 2010 12:11 PM PDT Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.  An eagle-eyed reader pointed this one out: Where do HD-DVD players go when they're no longer hot items? That's right: Hollywood, where they help make up the backdrop of Buy More's in-store Halloween display. Chuck was involved in some horrifying shenanigans, and then we were horrified by sitting through most of an episode of Chuck. And the circle is complete. [Thanks, Ryan] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vimeo launches Couch Mode, full screen browsing for the TV Posted: 26 Oct 2010 11:25 AM PDT  If you're the type who likes to regale your guests with silly viral video clips on the big screen in the living room -- and who doesn't? -- this next item is for you. Vimeo has just launched its "couch mode" full-screen viewing mode. Like YouTube's Leanback mode, it features a simplified UI with just the options you'd want while couch-surfing: in this case a More Info screen toggle and a Watch Later queue. Less clutter means more time to watch eight year old rappers and bad local comedians. Sounds like a winner to us! Currently only available to Chrome and Safari users, with support for other browsers on its way. Get a closer look at the info screen after the break.  |
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