News Archive for 07/06/29
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Numerous cheers have erupted from the front of a line leading up to an AT&T store on Wall Street, signaling the beginning of Apple's iPhones falling into the hands of consumers there. Barron's Online reports that one individual waiting to purchase the device is now inching forward in what was previously a stagnate waiting line. Apple promised to deliver the device into the hands of eager shoppers this evening at 6:00 p.m. ET, and has apparently kept its word. Apple's iPhone has arrived.
The production version of Intel's many-core Larrabee CPU may actually be based on 1995 technology, according to some insiders near Intel. The processor will reportedly involve heavily modernized and modified versions of the Pentium MMX architecture, which saw its original introduction 12 years ago through the workstation-oriented Pentium Pro. The surprise reversion is due to the need for a design with in-order execution of commands, which changed after the Pentium II and later designs appeared.
ASUS has announced a new PDA device, the A696. Though appearing like a smartphone, it is in fact mainly a GPS device, equipped with a SiRFstar III receiver and a 416MHz Intel processor. Routing and maps are supplied by Destinator. The base operating system is Windows Mobile 5.0, which allows users to not only play music and movies, but read e-mail and browse the web, connecting through 802.11b/g. Bluetooth 2.0 allows the device to pair with numerous accessories.
The target business audience will appreciate the bundled software, which includes Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Files can be stored on 256MB of internal memory, or alternately on any number of SD cards. It should launch within the next two weeks at a price of approximately £200 ($400). [via Pocket-lint]
Movies on HD DVD will soon release discs with Internet-specific features, the film studios associated with the project have revealed today in tandem with Microsoft. Players connected to broadband-level Internet access will have the option of using their network link to download or submit content relating to the movie. Owners of 300 will have the choice of re-cutting the movie's sequences and submitting the changes online as well as viewing others' edits, the companies mentioned. Other examples include participating in online polls through copies of Blood Diamond or enabling extras for the movie itself, such as subtitles in new languages or watching more recent trailers.
The Japanese company MiniPC, already well-known for its compact computers, has today begun selling the SA800. Most notable about the system is its expandability, similar in concept to Apple's Mac mini -- if users decide they need to upgrade, whether to a DVD drive or an extra hard disk, "slices" can be added on top as desired. These are fixed firmly into the case, but should remain detachable.
Verizon continued its series of messages today by announcing that its entire Internet-capable network now supports EVDO Revision A, allowing the company's V740 data cards and future cellphones to connect at 3.5G speeds anywhere they can find an EVDO signal. The company has boosted its claimed speeds and estimates that downloads in real-world conditions average between 600Kbps and 1.4Mbps; uploads are nearly as quick at 500Kbps to 800Kbps. A 1MB attachment can take as little as eight seconds to download and 13 seconds to upload, Verizon says.
Motorola on Friday announced that its much-touted RIZR Z8 announced in February is now shipping and includes new surprises. Described by the company's CEO as a "media monster" ready to take on the iPhone, the ergonomic kick-slider design has enough performance to play full-resolution video either offline or from an HSDPA Internet connection; new is word that the device supports microSDHC, allowing it to handle at least 4GB of removable storage with as much as 32GB through future cards, Motorola says.
The iPhone is purely a reactionary device meant to keep AT&T on par, Verizon's operations chief Jack Plating said today in a note sent to many of the company's employees. Attempting to inject the message with humor with an "iWhatever" headline, the executive said that carrying Apple's device was only an attempt to "stay competive" with Verizon, which he said was superior through its faster EVDO cellular Internet access and its phone selection. AT&T is likely to focus on the hardware alone and ignore the importance of the network, he added.
The Free Software Foundation's just-posted GPL version 3 license may cause problems for Microsoft, according to clauses added to the agreement. The updated edition of the GNU Public License specifically includes terms that are likely meant to defend against Microsoft's recent practices of signing patent licensing deals with Novell and other firms that offer open-source software, many of which have done so in exchange for protection against lawsuits. Licensees are no longer able to impose license fees to modify or otherwise use the software the way the GPL specifies.
LG Mobile today unveiled a lower-cost alternative to the Chocolate slider that should offer most of the same features but with a lower price tag. The KG280 has the same stealthed buttons with a new directional pad, and shares key technical features such as Bluetooth; it also features a high-color screen and three hours of active talk time with 200 hours of standby.
Dell's just-released XPS M1330 is likely built to counter the MacBook, according to sources within Taiwan's notebook building industry. The Texas-based Windows PC maker is said to have chosen the 13.3-inch widescreen format in part as a response to Apple's mainstream notebook, which has helped the latter's notebook sales climb well above the industry average. The introduction of more energy-efficient Core 2 Duo chips may also have simplified Dell's choice by allowing the same level of performance as a larger system without the power consumption issues, the reports say.
A host of new HDTVs have been launched in France by LG. In the realm LCD displays, the premier sets are in the LY95 series, which not only supports 1080p but has a wider color gamut, and uses DCDi to deinterlace and anti-alias images. Contrast is rated at 5,000:1, with a brightness of 500cd/m2; the response time is just 8ms, and buyers have access to two HDMI ports as well as a digital tuner. There are 37-, 42- and 47-inch models available.
Specifications are nearly identical in the LF65 and LC45 lines, with some key differences. The LF65s drop DCDi and some color range, while the LC45s are limited to sizes between 26 and 42 inches, and lose 1080p. Brightness also drops to 450cd/m2.
The upgraded version of the BlackBerry Curve known as the 8320 is coming by the end of summer with a host of new features, according to a source with access to the device. Similar to the numberpad-only Pearl 2, the 8320 will gain Wi-Fi to let it browse the web and check BlackBerry mail without resorting to an EDGE connection; its camera will also see a major upgrade to a 3.2-megapixel sensor as well as a better flash and 6X digital zoom.
Apple today made one of the final introductions for the iPhone in advance of its 6PM launch, introducing the accessories that will be available in shops and through the online Apple Store later today. Most notable are previously unannounced accessories: the Bluetooth Travel Cable (pictured right, $29) is meant for travelers who need to charge the Apple-made Bluetooth headset and iPhone at the same time, while the now confirmed Dual Dock ($49, left) adds the same headset slot to the company's desktop cradle. A TTY Adapter ($9) lets the deaf attach Teletype into the phone to communicate with others.
Toshiba on Friday began shipping its larger Regza flat-panel TVs -- and previewed the company's biggest model to date. The 57-inch 57LX177 is one of the largest direct-view LCDs of any manufacturer and is a showcase for all of Toshiba's most recent developments, including a 120Hz panel to eliminate motion artifacts, a cold-cathode backlight with a wider color gamut, and "deep color" HDMI 1.3 which also supports controlling some devices through the TV. The set ships last of all the sets, arriving in July for $6,000.
AMD this morning revealed that its Opteron will be the first native quad-core x86 processor to reach shipping computers. A workstation version of the same architecture that will form the basis of the Phenom chip, the quad-core Opteron should be more efficient than the Xeon 5300 at the same speed; the Intel rival grafts two dual-core CPUs together and often suffers if information has to be shuttled between the processors, according to earlier claims.
AT&T's Operation Fine EDGE campaign appears to have been real, according to first-hand reports from users with existing service. Although multiple early reviews of the phone have frequently singled out slow EDGE mobile Internet speeds as the main drawback, anecdotes within the past day show a sudden increase in real-world speeds, with some reporting connections as quick as 270Kbps. The increase isn't yet known to be universal but has been tested in multiple New York City boroughs and other major cities.
Motorola today marked the formal launch of the RAZR2 by offering it first in Korea, jumping ahead of the official July release date. The designer flip-phone has all the features announced in May, including its extra-large 2-inch external LCD with touch controls, a refined interface, and the stainless steel body with aluminum hinge that toughens the phone despite being no thicker than the original RAZR. The decision to launch first in Korea is "in recognition of tech-savvy and fashion-aware Korean consumers," the company says.
Gateway's budget label eMachines today reworked its T-series desktops for the summer. Unlike previous Intel-based models this year, the new models rely on AMD's platform and NVIDIA's GeForce 6150 for relatively fast integrated graphics; they all also feature DVD burners, eMachines adds. The company keeps its base $350 (after rebate) price intact by shipping the entry T3616 with a 2GHz Sempron, 512MB of RAM, a 120GB disk, and Vista Home Basic for those who only need essentials.
Dell on Thursday introduced two new portable systems: the ultra-mobile Latitude D430 notebook and Dell Precision M4300 mobile workstation --both of which comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s newest Energy Star 4.0 standard. In addition, Dell said that it has added the Dell Precision 390, 490 and 690 to its list of industry-leading line of compliant systems. Confirming details in the early leak, 12-inch widescreen Latitude D430 weighs only three pounds; it features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor up to 1.2GHz, WXGA display resolution (1280x800), an integrated 802.11n network card, and a durable magnesium alloy construction without any moving parts.
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