News Archive for 08/07/08
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| MacUpdate Weekend Sale | :This weekend MacUpdate has slashed prices on Painter 12 and Painter Lite. Painter 12 retails for $429, but has been reduced by 54% to $199. Painter Lite has seen a 58% price cut from $69 to $29. Hurry, because these deals are only available until May 19th 2013. |
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Samsung tonight said it has started mass production of 128GB solid-state drives based on multi-level cell (MLC) technology that should dramatically reduce the cost of switching to flash storage in notebooks. By using a new implementation of the format, the Korean firm says it has managed to provide inexpensive storage without hurting the relative speed that would otherwise need a faster but expensive single-level cell drive: any of the new drives can read at 90MB per second and write at 70MB per second, making them faster than most any notebook-class rotating hard drive and faster than earlier SSDs.
In anticipation of the coming iPhone 3G launch, Apple has updated several of its pages that prepare customers for a smooth purchase or transition to the new device. A page entitled "Get Ready" is geared towards new or inexperienced users, but also provides a small refresher on the newer commonly-used features of the iPhone 3G. The guide illustrates to users that through the iTunes synchronization, they can be ready "in minutes" with all of their music, contacts, and personal content on the device.
NotebookItalia.it unveiled five new laptops from Samsung today, with the Q210 and Q310 in the Eclipse range, the value-oriented Aura R510, the fashion-conscious R560, and desktop-replacement R710. All are powered by Intel Core 2 Duo chips, with the R710 sporting a 2.53GHz processor. The R710 sports a large 17-inch LCD with 1920x1080 (WUXGA) resolution and is meant for users who want all the functionality of a desktop PC but be able to take it with them. The R710 makes that possible with 4GB of DDR3 memory and optional NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics card with 512MB of onboard memory. The standard GPU will be the GeForce 9300M GS.
Monster Cable today revealed the newest addition to its Outlets To Go range of portable power strips with the Outlets To Go 3 USB. As the name implies, the power strip allows up to three devices to be plugged into a single outlet via AC power outlets, just like the company's Outlets To Go Power Strip 3, but adds a USB port for USB-powered accessories.
Low-cost Olevia LCD TV maker Syntax-Brillian yesterday filed for Chapter 11 reorganization and announced it will sell off its Vivitar digital camera business, reports say. The voluntary decision to enter bankruptcy protection also includes a proposed sale of the company's assets to Olevia International Group, which was newly created and co-owned by TCV Group, a supplier for Syntax. The sale would include Olevia International Group taking on $60 million of Syntax-Brillian's secured debt.
Nokia has inadvertently confirmed the existence of a future device today through an openly accessible product page. The 8208 will be the first non-Nseries phone from Nokia to sport a two-way slider that helps the new device's music-heavy focus: sliding the display downwards reveals controls for navigating tracks and will presumably switch the phone to its music interface from other menus. The phone also promises a native 3.5mm headphone jack, a three-megapixel camera, and either assisted GPS in China or stand-alone GPS elsewhere.
MSI this afternoon confirmed that it has finally begun shipping the Wind, its first mini notebook. Stores such as Amazon, Buy.com, Fry's, and Newegg are all receiving the 10-inch portables first and will initially receive basic versions with a three-cell battery and Windows XP Home. Versions with the longer-lived six-cell battery as well as those preloaded with Linux are due in September, the company says. The larger battery itself will be available separately at the same time.
Microsoft's anticipated $50 price drop on the Xbox 360 Pro should take effect this coming Sunday, a note leaked to Kotaku shows. GameStop stores in the US are being given new shelf art saying the 20GB version of the game console should sell for $300 but also notices that the information won't be made public until July 13th, a day ahead of the formal start of the E3 gaming expo. No other information appears to have accompanied the cut.
A soon-to-be concluded Canadian wireless auction is now likely to offer a new wireless service provider in the country, according to observations. More than $4.2 billion in bids have been made and are currently led by relative newcomer Globalive, which currently operates small-scale provider Yak Mobile but is now set to obtain 31 out of 292 regional licenses that will let the company operate a countrywide network for phones or data services on a future portion of wireless spectrum.
Intel expects to make notebook processors running at 25 watts an everyday occurrence, the company said today. The firm now expects most future systems based on its upcoming Centrino 2 mobile platform to consume less power, dropping significantly from the 35 watts of today's Core 2 Duo processors. The shift should both extend battery life as well as cool down the systems themselves, letting PC designers offer slimmer and potentially quieter notebooks without giving up performance.
Information has leaked on a new Nikon Coolpix camera, dubbed the P6000, reports say. A French-language product slide appears to depict not only the camera but features marking it as a high-end compact, such as a 13.5-megapixel sensor. It is also claimed to use a version of the EXPEED image processor found in the D3 and D300, and support ISO sensitivities has high as 6400, roughly equivalent to the D300 and four times greater than the sensitivity in most competing compacts.
Palm today revealed that AT&T will get a third color option for the Centro as well as promo to help push the entry smartphone. The handset will now come in a light blue to match the black and white versions already available at the carrier; the phone remains the same with a 1.3-megapixel camera, EDGE data, and microSD storage as its core features. AT&T starts carrying the new model Friday at the same $100 price with contract as existing models.
A man from Portugal has already managed to secure an 8GB iPhone 3G, photos and forum posts suggest. The poster claims to have got his hands on the device in advance of its official July 11th launch without having to pay; although refusing to say where the phone came from, one photo shows the device operating on Vodafone Portugal's network. Internet access speeds are "really good," according to the poster.
Mio today firmed up details of its Knight Rider GPS device for North America. In addition to a look that reflects the original Knight Rider series' KITT car, the normal navigation voice has been replaced by original KITT voice William Daniels; turning on the device gives a randomized greeting with Daniels speaking any one of 300 first names as well as turn-by-turn directions.
Apple Canada may be further punishing Rogers by refusing to sell the iPhone 3G at its own retail stores, according to an investigation by AppleInsider. A conference call purportedly held Monday evening will see Apple decline to sell iPhones at its own stores, instead showing them only as demo units. Customers will have no choice but to visit a Fido or Rogers store to buy the device, the report explains.
The American music industry may be pressuring Dell and other computer manufacturers to disable stereo recording support in an artificial attempt to discourage piracy, say accounts from users. Users of Dell systems with SigmaTel chips in particular claim to be only allowed single-channel recording out of the box and are told that an official solution that restores stereo input will cost $99; Gateway and (in Europe) Packard Bell systems with the audio hardware are also said to be affected.
Motorola on Tuesday sought to please both Americans and Chinese at once with three new touchscreen phones. The MOTOMING A1600 and A1800 both continue to share the touchscreen of the earlier A1200 both for handwriting in Cantonese and Mandarin as well as for navigating the interface, but add better media, navigation, and network support. Both have dedicated GPS with a data assist for mapping, a 1GB microSD card preloaded with mainland China maps, and upgraded cameras at either 3.0 megapixels (A1800) or 3.2 (A1600) with digital autofocus.
Canon this morning supplied US launch info for the Rebel XS. Already announced in detail, Canon's first truly entry-level digital SLR will sell primarily as a kit version with the image-stabilized 18-55mm, f/3.5-5.6 EF-S lens bundled with the camera for a total $700. The duo should be available in August, according to Canon.
Acer today gave the US a rare miniature addition to its Aspire desktop lineup. The X1200 is just over a foot long at its largest measurement but fits in desktop components and expansion that would normally be impractical in its size. Up to a 2.6GHz Athlon 64 X2 is complemented by a GeForce 8200 for integrated graphics as well as a PCI Express 2.0 slot that allows dedicated video or other peripherals. Every system also fits 4GB of memory.
Data Robotics today gave its Drobo storage robot an often-requested update with an upgraded model that adds dual FireWire 800 ports to the existing model. The extra bandwidth allows a Drobo with more than one drive to potentially transfer data far faster than the existing USB 2.0 connection (up to 50MB read, 35MB write) while providing a free port to daisy-chain other devices.
Elgato on Tuesday catered to its European audience through the EyeTV DTT Deluxe. The USB tuner gives viewers access to over-the-air digital broadcasts on DVB-T (Freeview in the UK) in as unintrusive a way as possible, according to the company: the thin stick shape can fit into the USB port of even a MacBook Air without crowding out other devices. A detachable antenna gives strong enough reception for a good signal in less than ideal areas.
Hasselblad today potentially set a new record for photography with the H3DII-50, its sharpest-ever camera. The medium format unit captures 50-megapixel images courtesy of a new 36x48mm Kodak sensor that measures twice as large as any full-frame sensor from a digital SLR and allows both better lens behavior as well as more detail: even very large shots can retain more detail and cut back on moire effects, according to the camera maker. In spite of the resolution, the device can still snap photos at a frame per second with fast-enough storage.
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