News Archive for 07/06/07
Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.
| Exclusive Deal | While supplies last, save 40% off over 40 iPhone 5 and iPhone 4/4S cases and chargers as well as Samsung S III cases at Kensington.com. Use coupon code 'SAVE40%' at checkout to receive this exclusive discount. |
Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.
Samsung on Thursday expanded its video cameras with the VM-X300. Billed as a sports camcorder, the one-hand camera uses fast flash-based SD card storage to both resist shocks and accelerate the startup time for spur-of-the-moment shots. Moving from a shutdown camera to full recording takes only three seconds, Samsung estimates. Videos are captured at a DVD-sized 720x480 widescreen resolution in MPEG-4 format and save space compared to DV. The rewritable nature of SD also enables a secondary MP3 playback feature.
More mystery was added to the iPhone's ad campaign on Thursday as part of an edit to its "How-To" ad. Beyond just removing contract terms, the company has also erased an apparent discrepancy in the second ad which suggested a 12th program. The edit zooms the shot closer to the phone and the user's finger, removing most of the bottom icons in the main menu from view. Apple has offered no explanation for the change.
LG at the Computex show has updated its Lluon series of desktops with the X820, a new mini desktop that takes advantage of Intel's Series 3 chipset to drop power consumption and potentially increase speed while remaining as small as an encyclopedia. In addition to the P35 Express chipset at its heart, the PC boasts the more recent 2.13GHz desktop Core 2 Duo with a faster 4MB of level 2 cache; it also has relatively quick budget dedicated graphics through a 512MB GeForce 7650 GS card.
Claims that Dell will drop its LCD TVs are untrue, a company spokeswoman said today. Representative Rachel Lyon refuted allegations that fierce competition and poor sales were forcing the company to return to its core computer business. The Texas PC maker is simply adding third-party TVs to offer larger screens alongside its own TVs, which will now only be offered in 37-inch or smaller models where it can best compete. This strategy has already been in place for months, according to Lyon.
Apple is prepared to saturate the market with iPhones, according to a new claim by BusinessWeek. The publication reports draws on two seperate sources that allege Apple will have 3 million iPhones ready to ship for the June 29th launch, ensuring a complete supply across both Apple and AT&T stores. The stated figure would also dwarf early expectations by analysts, many of whom expect Apple to sell that many units only by the end of 2007. Apple has so far declined comment on the claim, says BusinessWeek's Peter Burrows.
Sharp and Willcom today jointly revealed the WS011SH, also known as the Advanced WZERO 3, the phone is considered a showcase for Windows Mobile 6 and has the same narrow profile as a typical candybar phone but a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for browsing and messaging. Sharp's contribution also results in a very media-friendly device, the two companies claim: the 3-inch display achieves an exceptionally fine 800x480 resolution that displays more of websites, and images. Control is just as unique courtesy of XCrawl, a touch-sensitive directional pad that navigates menus without a bulkier and more fragile rocker mechanism.
Game PC specialist Falcon Northwest today updated its 20-inch FragBook DRX desktop replacement notebook to feature some of the fastest performance in its class. Likely based on the Clevo D900C, the system uses its extra-large body to include as much as a 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme for desktop CPU performance; the system also makes use of three hard drive bays to allow RAID stripes on at least two drives. Other desktop-like touches include as much as 4GB of RAM and dual GeForce Go 7950 GTX video chipsets paired together in SLI mode. A TV tuner is an option for those using the FragBook as a media center.
Consumers who are "definitely interested" in Apple's iPhone and who are likely to line up for the product launch on June 29th appear to consist mostly of middle-aged men with higher than average income, according to a new study from Solutions Research Group. The study, which profiled consumers looking to the iPhone its current $499 price tag, revealed that 72 percent of respondents were male with an average age of 31 years. Some 58 percent of participants had completed college vs. the 43 percent average, and 43 percent of total buyers live in New York or California for almost double the national average. What's more, 48 percent of respondents do not currently own an iPod, and earn 26 percent more money than the national average.
Sprint today introduced a new concept to its GPS-aware phones. Called Slifter, the technology made by GPSShopper uses the global positioning in some of Sprint's handsets to automatically find stores near the phone owner's location; the service lets owners search not only by the store's category but also by the actual product, using a continually updated list of 85 million items to find only retail outlets that carry a particular item. The search method allows for saved shopping lists that can either be kept on the phone for later use or shared with others using the service.
Small form factor PC maker Shuttle has chosen the Computex expo as the launch point for three new case designs. The D'VO (pictured) takes advantage of Intel's new Series 3 platform to create an enhanced home theater: the G33 Express chipset in particular gives native HDMI video output with 7.1-channel surround sound while depending only on X3100 integrated video. The chassis itself also picks up a front LCD for playing CDs, MP3s, and WMA tracks independently of Windows and comes with a remote control for steering music. The gold-accented system will work with any current and near-future Core 2 Duo desktop processors, including the 45nm Penryn variant.
In addition to its new Bravia sets, Sony is also launching major enhancements to its SXRD LCD rear projection TVs. Five new models being released today are at least 20 percent thinner than 2006 models, reducing the size and helping the large screens fit into areas previously reserved for direct-view LCDs. The two new XBR variants are 40 percent thinner than what came before, Sony boasts. Like the Bravia updates, the SXRD models have a faster 120Hz panel for improved motion response, HDMI 1.3 input for deeper x.v.Color images, an optional Bravia Internet Link adapter, and special Photo TV and Theater modes that calibrate the image for optimal viewing in certain conditions.
Seagate on Thursday released one of its most efficient hard drives yet. A new 250GB Barracuda 7200.10 variant stores 180 gigabits (22.5GB) per square inch, allowing the drive maker to store all the drive's information on a single platter. The advancement creates one of the fastest and most reliable hard drives yet, according to the company. Without having to switch between different platters to find information, average seek times are faster and the disk consumes less power, cooling it down and reducing the chances that overheating will trigger a failure.
Apple's fourth iPhone ad may allude to previously unexpected features of the iPhone and its service, careful studies show. A look at the new promotional piece shows that the embedded Flash video on the New York Times website, while unplayed in the commercial, is properly visible -- displaying its typical controls rather than the error message which typically appears on the site when a browser lacks the necessary Adobe plugin to handle the content. The news suggests that most or all sites enabled with Flash for animations and controls will work properly, broadening the iPhone's usefulness online.
Sony today aggressively reworked its larger Bravia LCD sets with three new model lines. The W3000, XBR4, and XBR5 all ship in sizes of 40, 46, and 52 inches and claim a native 1080p resolution ideal for Blu-Ray, HDTV, and the latest console gaming; each also has a connector for the Bravia Internet Link for reading RSS news feeds and streaming video from AOL, Grouper, Yahoo, or in-house content from Sony's movie and music labels. The XMB cross media bar interface borrowed from the PS3/PSP and introduced early this year also makes its appearance for a simple, full HD interface for managing settings and choosing sources. New to the line, however, are Theater and Photo modes: each automatically adjusts the picture quality for movie or still image viewing in typical viewing environments.
Nokia has just unveiled the N76 Signature Edition by Björn Weckström, a special version of the company's smartphone customized by the well-known Finnish artist. The customized version of the flip phone includes a miniature sculpture on the back handmade for the phone by the country's own Lapponia Jewelry; the phone itself is covered in deep black and chromed metal but can be accessorized by a set of attachments matching Weckström's work, Nokia says. Its on-screen visual interface is also directly inspired by the artist's efforts.
Network Headlines
Most Popular
Sponsor
Recent Reviews
MaxUpgrades MaxConnect for 2006-2008 Mac Pro
Nobody outside of Cupertino's privileged bunch knows the future of the Mac Pro line for sure. Despite Apple's reluctance to tell us wh ...
Brother HL-3170CDW LED Printer
We've mentioned before that we are far from a paperless society. For now, at least, there are tasks that require a piece of paper for ...
HTC One
It is hard to overstate just how critically important the HTC One is to the Taiwanese company’s fortunes. Despite its alarming decline ...
Sponsor
