News Archive for 08/04/24
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.
Research in Motion's 3G-capable BlackBerry won't launch at the same time as its 3G iPhone counterpart and may have been intentionally delayed, claim sources speaking to Fortune. The handset, now said to be named the BlackBerry 8900 and nicknamed the Meteor, has allegedly had its AT&T release pushed back from June to as far as August. The official explanation is said to revolve around call quality concerns for the smartphone, which is likely to replace the top-end 8800.
LG will be rolling out its 8G television line at least half a year ahead of other Taiwanese rivals, including S-LCD, AU Optronics, and Chi Mei Optoelectronics. According to DIGITIMES, the Korean electronics manufacturer already completed its fabrication shells, and has scheduled production to begin by March 2009, and full-scale production of 32 inch OLED TVs to commence in 2011. LG's competitors will start production in late 2008.
An upgrade to the iMac desktop line could be available as early as next week, according to an apparent tip sent to Geeksugar. The woman-oriented technology site claims the refresh will keep similar price points but upgrade the processors and potentially hard drive space as well. The change would be the first since the aluminum design was first introduced in August of last year.
Microsoft today announced that its latest fiscal quarter earned the company approximately $14.5 billion, or 47 cents per share. The revenue is not a record for the company but is credited in part to the surprising success of the company's Entertainment and Devices Division. Strong sales of the Xbox 360 console helped jump the division's revenue by 68 percent versus the same period a year ago, according to the company. About 19 million examples game system and media hub have now shipped since it launched in November 2005, or about 74 percent more than in early 2007.
Last week saw video and game rental chain Blockbuster make a public $1 billion bid for electronics retailer Circuit City. At that time, Blockbuster accused Circuit City of not providing information the suitor requested to make a definitive proposal. Yesterday, investor group Wattles Capital Management, representing Blockbuster, sent a letter outlining the reasons for such disclosure to Blockbuster's board members. Circuit City's same-day response questioned Blockbuster's ability to finance such a deal in light of the rough economy.
Nokia today revealed to Ars Technica that it will soon add support for new apps and also a new version of Linux to its Nseries tablets, such as the N810. Following the company's acquisition earlier this year of Trolltech, the Finnish device maker now says the Linux-based Maemo operating system on the Nseries will support apps written for the Qt framework; this will permit not just apps written for Qt on other versions of Linux but also cross-platform apps. Eventually, a single program should work with both Symbian phones (such as Nokia's N95) and Maemo devices, the company explains.
AT&T will be the next in the US to offer femtocells as its solution to customers who want indoor calling, says a report from financial analysts at ThinkPanmure. The US carrier is believed to have tapped Britain-based ip.access for a five-year contract purchase of the portable routers worth a total of $500 million. As with other femtocells, the AT&T models would fill in coverage in homes and other areas where cellular signals often encounter interference, creating a small wireless base station for a home that in turn connects to the larger cellular network.
Kodak on Thursday announced its newest all-in-one printer, the ESP 5. The printer is able to scan, copy and print documents and images and do so without a connected computer thanks to its multi-format memory card slot and Bluetooth support. A 3-inch color LCD display allows users to preview and edit the content before printing.
iRiver's first update to the E100 jukebox will also be a major refresh of the design itself, if a leak from Crave proves accurate. The update is likely to be named the E150 or E200 and will scrap the metal-look plastic for real aluminum, similar to the iPod nano's front face or the Zune's back. iRiver will also address criticisms of the LCD by replacing it with a much brighter screen. However, the new body will also drop the speakers that define the player today.
Sky's upcoming on-demand TV service (now dubbed Go!View) for Sony's PSP will be available this summer, the British TV network said today. The service lets owners of the handheld game system use the Wi-Fi connection to watch shows offered on Sky independently of the satellite connection. Viewers will have the option of either paying per view or else paying a flat-rate subscription fee for watching many more shows. Shows can be downloaded first to the PC for transfer to the PSP later.
TomTom on Thursday launched its Rider 2nd Edition portable navigation system made for motorcycle riders. The systems utilize a Cardo scala-rider Bluetooth headset to relay instructions and allow for hands-free calling. The 2nd Edition was upgraded with more features from the company's in-car units, including Map Share that allows users to share voice messages, points of interest or even itineraries via Bluetooth. A new Help Me! button can either connect riders with or find the nearest emergency services and roadside assistance.
Microsoft has quietly shut down its MSN Direct services for SPOT (Smart Personal Object Technology) Smart Watches, effectively ending the concept, according to a statement from MSN Direct program manager Jon Canan. The company says it and companies making the watches, such as Fossil, no longer have plans to develop a new version of the Smart Watch platform and now intend only to support existing products and pushing data to the watches, which can display weather and other small data wirelessly without the bulk of a larger device.
DLO has updated its TransDock line of FM transmitters, which stream iPod audio through a car's stereo deck while keeping the player's battery charged. The focus of the lineup is on the standard TransDock, which cradles iPods while allowing repositioning through a flexible neck. Although the dock has been redesigned to match the aesthetics of newer iPods such as the Touch, the major new feature is "IntelliTune" technology, which automatically seeks the clearest frequency and prompts the listener to tune into it. Owners can additionally output video to an in-car display, or connect various other audio players via an auxiliary input jack. The TransDock costs $100, and is compatible with any iPod featuring a color screen.
Motorola's pseudo-upscale W755 has been confirmed and expanded upon today in press shots obtained by BGR. Replacing one or more basic devices at Verizon, the clamshell should up the relative feature set of such phones by offering subtle touch-sensitive music controls framed around the external LCD, use a 1.3-megapixel camera seldom seen in the class, and support stereo audio over Bluetooth. Storage hasn't been explained but is likely to include a microSD slot to support the digital media files that would require music controls.
Yahoo's Google AdSense trial has drawn an early investigation by the US Justice Department, a source reportedly tells Reuters. The government agency has allegedly begun determining whether or not the two-week-old web ad experiment will violate US antitrust laws by providing too much of a monopoly to Google for web ads. An unconfirmed call from Google's chief executive Eric Schmidt prompted the investigation, according to the insider.
T-Mobile USA expects to carry at least one phone based on Google's Android platform by the end of the year -- and may start with the HTC Dream, according to sources. Company broadband head Joe Sims says he has seen a prototype of one of the Linux-based phones and was "impressed" by the device. He notes that the phone is poised to ship in the fourth quarter of the year and that it will be part of a larger shift at T-Mobile towards open devices that should include more than one Android device.
German computer and consumer electronics maker Medion is set to unveil an ASUS EEE PC 900 competitor with its Akoya E1210, according to French sources. The 10-inch mini laptop is believed to utilize Intel's small Atom processor running at 1.6GHz or higher and at least 1GB of RAM. Unlike the Eee PC, there will not be an SSD drive offered, with Medion opting to use an iPod-like 1.8-inch HDD of unknown capacity.
Microsoft would be willing to keep Windows XP available for everyday computers past its June 30th cutoff date but doesn't see a demand for it, company CEO Steve Ballmer said at a Belgian media conference today. The executive acknowledges that enough feedback would have his company extend XP's on-sale period, but argues that "most consumers" are choosing to buy PCs with the newer Windows Vista operating system installed and that few retailers stock computers preloaded with its 2001 ancestor.
As promised, LG this morning took the covers from its next phone in the Black Label series. The Secret (KF750) follows in the steps of the Chocolate and Shine, but focuses as much on its craftsmanship as it does on specifications. The slider design is partly made of carbon fiber that increases the strength of the phone body without affecting weight; tempered glass protects the LCD while also reportedly improving its image quality. A touch-sensitive navigation pad both adds to the upscale feel and also prevents broken buttons.
Motorola today reported a $194 million loss for the first quarter of 2008. The drop primarily echoed late 2007 results and is chiefly attributed to the company's declining Mobile Devices business, which includes the company's cellphone designs. The group has seen its sales drop by about 39 percent versus the same quarter a year ago and was the only of three major divisions to post a significant operating loss, losing $418 million. The Home and Networks Mobility and Enterprise Mobility divisions turned slight losses and significant profits respectively.
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
