News Archive for 07/11/23
Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.
Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.
Microsoft's Windows SideShow development team recently unveiled a new beta of its Windows SideShow Device SDK for .Net Micro Framework 1.4, announcing several new supported features. Developers can now access a portrait-style QVGA interface designed for remote controls, and a new driver allows users to recognize devices over USB and Bluetooth connections, with new Bluetooth menu commands. The SDK now supports a user-swtiching UI for devices that operate in a particular user mode. Microsoft has also opened the kit up to Danish, Finnish, and Norwegian developers. Users interested in the beta are requested to contact the developer team through the supplied email address.
Art. Lebedev Studio has announced an official shipment date for its Optimus Maximus OLED-based keyboard, and an official box design has surfaced after just one model appeared on display at the Wired Store in SoHo, New York. The long-awaited custom-configurable keyboard obtained a spot on Wired's Vaporware '06 list – vaporware being a term applied to a much-anticipated product that never sees the light of day – but now, ironically, is on display at the publication's store in SoHo, New York. While the keyboard is designed for anyone, Art. Lebedev says that the keyboard will cost approximately $1600US when it is officially released, making it too expensive for most people to consider.
Iiyama today announced a new lineup of touch sensitive monitors for desktop computers. The offerings consist of the 15" ProLite T1530SR, the T1730SR, and the T1930SR, all of which connect either through VGA or DVI, and support USB and RS-232 for the touchscreen interface. The new ProLite screens use a 4:3 aspect ratio and come in either a black or white bezel. The 15-inch model supports a typical 1024x768, featuring a 16ms response time, while the 17- and 19-inch versions are rated at 5ms response, with a resolution of 1280x1024. Contrast ratio for the displays is measured at 500:1 for the 15-inch, and 800:1 for the larger models. Iiyama is selling the ProLite touch-based monitors starting at £330 (~$700US).
Google is making refinements to its Maps area of its website, allowing users to move the location indicators brought up by address searches. The Washington Post reports that Google account-holders will be able to do Wikipedia-style edits to inaccurate address information. In order to prevent malicious users from playing with the green address markers, several limitations will be imposed. Google will only allow a move of 200 yards without its approval, and users will not be allowed to move markers for essential services – such as police stations, hospitals, or schools – as well as any business that is registered with the company's Local Business Center.
Broadcom today announced that it will not be receiving double damages for Qualcomm's willful patent infringement, since a recent ruling in an unrelated case changed the definition for willful infringement. Reuters reports that Broadcom will be receiving $19.6 million from Qualcomm, and will not be seeking a second trial, but the company is seeking to disallow Qualcomm from manufacturing, using, selling, or otherwise developing the 3G WCDMA/EV-DO chips that spawned the lawsuit. Before the willful infringement clarification, Broadcom stood to receive almost $40 million from the ruling.
Although the retailer has held unofficial sales in the past, Amazon today began its first sale targeted at buyers shopping on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving which sees a flood of holiday customers. The event is highlighted by significant discounts on HDTVs such as Sony's rear-projection 60-inch Bravia SXRD A3000, which drops from $2,200 to $1,700 as a result of the sale. Three Samsung sets also see major discounts, ranging from a 32-inch LNT3252H that drops 30 percent to $700, the 42-inch HPT4264 plasma at $1,000 (down 50 percent), and the higher-end LNT4665F 46-inch, 1080p-capable LCD that Samsung claims offers a 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.
Nokia may be developing a touchscreen phone that still folds up to provide a smaller shape and more protection for the display, according to a newly-published patent filing. Acting like an enhanced Nintendo DS, the phone would include one top screen for visuals alone and a second that serves as a touchscreen. The phone would also be intelligent enough to change the display layout depending on the open angle. Most typical angles for the phone split the view into two separate windows; unfolding the device to 180 degrees automatically spans a single image across both displays.
Sprint matched AT&T's efforts on the day following Thanksgiving by releasing a trio of phones of its own. The Moto Q9c represents Sprint's flagship as the first CDMA-based version of the Q9 with 3G Internet provided over EVDO, a 1.3-megapixel camera with flash, and stronger media support with microSDHC support and direct music sync with Windows Media Player when used with a Windows PC. It can take advantage of Sprint's assisted GPS and will stream online video through the Sprint TV service, the carrier says. It sells today for $150 with a two-year plan or $450 without a contract.
AT&T today launched two of its higher-profile 3G phones, hoping to take advantage of the post-Thanksgiving rush. The BlackJack II is Samsung's promised sequel to the bar-shaped, QWERTY smartphone that has proven successful at the American carrier and packs true GPS as well as a 2-megapixel camera, the often-requested longer battery life, and more memory to improve performance with Windows Mobile 6. It roams on the 3G access of most GSM phone networks using tri-band HSPA, AT&T says. The BlackJack II ships for $150 in gray and red versions after subscribing to a new two-year plan.
Creative has quietly posted details of a 4GB ZEN Stone Plus, revealing the company's increased efforts in the budget- and sports-oriented music player business dominated in the US by the iPod shuffle. The new version unveiled by Creative's Singapore site will hold about 1,000 songs but occupy the same size as earlier ZEN Stone models. As a Plus version, it also includes a small OLED screen for basic track info and permits FM radio. No price has been given, though the 2GB version currently offered sells for about $70 US and may point to a $100 price for the 4GB model, which appears to come only in black.
Apple's decision to price the iPhone for UK residents at £269 may have reflected a serious misjudgment of the local cellphone market, according to a new survey of Christmas buyers conducted by the analyst group GfK NOP. Of the respondents, 46 percent simply refuse to consider the phone at its existing price; just over a quarter at 26 percent are interested in the phone but cannot justify the cost, the researchers say. This leaves only 2 percent actively considering the iPhone for the holidays; 5 percent are willing to consider other phones while 8 percent actively dislike the device. About 12 percent of the surveyed population does not even know the iPhone exists, GfK NOP says.
Network Headlines
Most Popular
Recent Reviews
iHome iW2 AirPlay speaker
iHome generally isn't known as a luxury brand when it comes to audio, but it is prolific -- the company's docks and speakers are every ...
Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover
One of the iPad's main weaknesses has always been productivity. It's not a question of apps; while it has taken a little time for a na ...
Logitech UE Air Speaker
If maybe a little more slowly than Apple would like, AirPlay is becoming a staple of the wireless speaker market for iOS devices. The ...
Most Commented
