News Archive for 08/03/05
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Mio on Tuesday released three automobile navigation systems at CeBIT. The three make up the Mio Moov series, which represents the first product since Mio merged with Navman. Main upgrades common to all include MioMore software that allows moving points of interest back and forth between a computer and the unit as well as SIRF’s InstantFixII GPS receiver for quicker finding of satellites.
The prices of European Xbox 360s will be cut substantially as of March 14th, a new report claims. The account cites a number of "well-placed games industry sources," along with a variety of UK retailers, who together suggest that the quoted date will see prices fall by €50 across the continent. The cut is also said to be applicable to all versions of the 360, including the Arcade, the standard model, and the high-end Elite. The latter two consoles should for example cost approximately £150 and £240 in the UK.
Microsoft's Surface technology, which currently enables multi-touch computing on a table-sized display, may soon develop into a new shape, sources claim. Microsoft is reportedly demonstrating a spherical prototype at the company's main campus, though for what purpose remains unclear; it may be a proof-of-concept device, illustrating the ability of Microsoft engineers to produce touchscreens in unusual shapes. Most touchscreens must remain flat due to the use of glass or hard plastic.
Although long expected, Intel has confirmed that its new notebook platform, codenamed Montevina, is officially being christened as Centrino 2. Systems built under the specification will use 45nm Penryn processors, with clock speeds up to 2.8GHz and normal thermal design power ratings between 25 and 35W. Some processors, though, will use a special compact design like that in the MacBook Air, producing an ultra-low power consumption of 5W.
(Update from Meizu on the raid) Meizu has been removed from the show floor at the CeBIT technology expo over copyright issues for its MiniOne smartphone, according to a new report by Germany's Heise. Local police on Wednesday morning declared the booth closed and insisted on the removal of virtually every item on display, including marketing pamphlets as well as demonstration models. Meizu has not commented on the action, which brings a premature end to its presence at the Hanover show.
Sierra Wireless has announced a new USB cellular modem, the Compass 597. The modem is meant for EVDO Revision A networks, and can theoretically hit download speeds of up to 3.1Mbps, or uploads as fast as 1.8Mbps. The modem is also said to be the smallest USB model Sierra produces, and despite this have a built-in GPS antenna, as well as enough room for memory expansion through a microSD slot.
Alienware today claimed to have one of the fastest gaming desktops yet with the ALX CrossFireX. The system is one of the first from a major PC builder to use AMD's CrossFireX technology to pair up two of its twin-chipset Radeon HD 3870 X2 cards in a single system. The four-GPU setup is enough to supply nearly four times the performance in ideal conditions and 2GB of total video memory. Users can also use official drivers to overclock the entire setup if they like, Alienware says.
Yahoo is extending the deadline for nominations to its board of directors, Reuters reports. While nominations were to have ended by March 14th, they will now take place 10 days after the company announces a date for its shareholders' meeting. The move is openly admitted by CEO Jerry Yang to be a delay tactic, preventing Microsoft from subverting Yahoo in order to ease its hostile takeover attempt. "Microsoft, of course, could still choose to name directors," says Yang in a letter filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, "but our objective here is to enable our board to continue to explore all of its strategic alternatives for maximizing value for stockholders without the distraction of a proxy contest."
Panasonic is developing an ultra-mobile PC in its Toughbook line based on Intel's new Atom platform, the company revealed today. The handheld will be designed for outdoor travelers and others who need an extremely shock- and weather-resistant device but who need something smaller than today's Toughbook portables. With a 5.6-inch touchscreen, the system will weigh less than 2.2 pounds even with the added protection, the company says. Besides the touch input, the handheld will also have a full QWERTY keyboard and shortcut buttons along the side for launching favorite programs or scrolling through menus.
Computer giant HP has announced the introduction of several new printers, all aimed at business use. At the forefront is the L7590 All-in-One, which as its name implies is also capable of faxing and flatbed copying or scanning. All operations can be performed in color, and it can print anywhere between 5 and 35 pages per minute, depending primarily on quality mode rather than which color mode is being used.
Olympus today took advantage of the relative quiet to revamp its EVOLT digital SLRs with the E-420. The 10-megapixel camera is claimed as the smallest and lightest ever in the category and weighs just 13.4 ounces, or at least 20 percent lighter than the next-best in the class. It also represents an improved ease of use over the earlier E-410, with both a shadow correction function and a new onscreen autofocus feature that uses the live preview LCD to mark out properly focused subjects. The combination is said by Olympus to produce a camera that can be used like a compact point-and-shoot while still offering all the control of a full SLR.
The PCMCIA group today outlined ExpressCard 2.0, the next major change to the removable card standard for notebooks. The format is now being reworked to take advantage of technologies that have been introduced since its initial release, including PCI Express 2.0 and USB 3.0. Depending on the connection, the right cards could transfer data between 2X (PCIe) and 10X (USB) faster than existing technology. The extra speed will be crucial for flash-based ExpressCard storage as well as SATA II external drives and streaming media adapters, the group says.
Facebook is investigating the possibility of its own music store, say reported insiders. While the social network recently launched its Music on Facebook service for following artists and buying their music through iTunes, the company is reportedly in talks with major labels to offer content of its own. While no aspects of the deal have been finalized, label officials reportedly say that a deal would most likely include free, ad-backed streaming audio similar to MySpace's profile pages but allow paid MP3 downloads usable on any operating system and portable player.
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