Samsung announces HD CMOS video sensor for computers...

Electronics company Samsung has announced the latest addition to its line of CMOS image sensors, the S5K4AW, a 1/4-inch 1.2-Megapixel HD system-on-chip (SoC) unit. The embedded component is designed for notebook or desktop computers, with a focus on video capture for conferencing, web-based video sharing, or biometrics and security functions. The company claims that the sensor supports 720P HD video at 30 frames per second, and captures VGA-resolution streams at 60 frames per second.

HP adds 3G to Mini 1000, ships Vivienne Tam edition...

HP on Thursday announced it is now offering the Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam edition netbook, which has been originally introduced as a concept. As the name implies, the 10.2-inch, 1024x600 LCD netbook's exterior was penned by clothing designer Vivienne Tam. Going on sale as promised earlier, the netbook sports Intel's 1.6GHz Atom CPU and 1GB of RAM. At the same time, buyers will have the option to outfit any Mini 1000 netbooks with a 3G broadband modules from HP, with the service provided by either AT&T or Verizon.

Faster Bluetooth 10x, 100x due out in mid-2009...

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has announced it will introduce two new Bluetooth standards, called 10x and 100x, by the middle of 2009, according to a Thursday report. The former, 10x, will work together with WLAN for faster data transfer rates, while Bluetooth 100x will have use USB-like speeds, although without wires. Currently, Bluetooth 2.0 is capable of a maximum of 3Mbps. The new 10x standard should increase that cap to 30Mbps, while the 100x, as the name implies, up to at least 300Mbps.

Coby to release 7-inch, sub-$100 Midget PC next year...

Coby Electronics is planning on introducing the first sub-$100 netbook by March of next year, according to a Tuesday report. The appropriately named Midget PC will initially include models with 7- and 9-inch screens and be capable of performing 90 percent of consumer applications and have pre-loaded drivers for all major brands of printers and other peripherals, says Bob Gee, Coby's marketing director.

Canadian BlackBerry Storm to miss holidays?...

The launch of the BlackBerry Storm for Bell and Telus may be delayed to where at least one of the Canadian providers misses the holidays, a set of BGR tips as well as information given to Electronista suggests. The former reports that Bell employees have been asked to remove promo material for the Storm from stores and are being asked to suggest alternative devices, with a delay possibly pushing the touchscreen BlackBerry far enough into the future that employees are being told to stop adding to wait lists and that they may have to offer interim solutions.

Sony Ericsson "Kate" due in two months?...

Sony Ericsson will start off 2009 with a new mid-range Cyber-shot phone, a new leak from SEMC says. Nicknamed the "Kate," the C510 should adopt the familiar candybar form factor but carry a 3.2-megapixel camera and the features of newer Sony Ericsson camera phones, including face and smile detection as well as a camera-friendly interface. Autofocusing and basic flash would also give it better image quality in less than ideal conditions.

SanDisk launches Mac-ready secure USB drive...

SanDisk today reached out to the smaller but growing base of Macs in business with an updated version of the Cruzer Enterprise. The USB drive's 256-bit AES encryption now works with Mac OS X Tiger or Leopard and lets these Mac owners access the locked-down portion of the storage and manage passwords without using a Windows PC. Adding support now lets Mac users bring their drives to Windows PCs, or vice versa, without having to either disable security or use insecure drives, SanDisk claims.

RIM renews patent license agreement with Nokia...

Nokia announced on Thursday that it has renewed its patent license agreement with Research In Motion (RIM). Under the multi-year patent deal, Nokia will receive money from RIM for the global use of patented technologies used in GSM, WCDMA (3G) and CDMA2000 voice networks. While no numbers were released, Nokia will receive an up-front payment as well as regularly-scheduled royalties from RIM.

AMD lowers fall outlook by 25 percent...

Chipmaker AMD on Thursday announced that it expects revenue for its fourth quarter of 2008, ending on December 27th, to be about 25 percent lower than those from the third quarter, or about $1.2 billion. The new forecast does not include revenue from AMD's process technology licenses and stems from lower than expected demand around the world, but particularly in the consumer business, according to the company.

Averatec preps Lluon Mobbit mobile Internet device...

Korea's TG Sambo, more commonly known in North America as Averatec, has announced what should be the first Atom-based mobile Internet device (MID) to be produced within the country. The Lluon Mobbit relies on a 1.33GHz Atom processor, paired with 1GB of 533MHz RAM and a choice of 30GB hard drive or 16GB solid-state drive. A 4.8-inch touchscreen on the device is said to support extremely high resolutions, possibly as sharp as 1024x6000.

iLuv launches iNT170 Internet radio ...

iLuv has recently introduced its iNT170 Internet radio with a built-in dual alarm clock. The iNT170 features a large LCD display for browsing more than 15,000 Internet radio stations and podcasts from around the world. The iNT170 presumably connects to the Internet via an Ethernet jack, and it is not specified whether or not a Wi-Fi module is included for a wireless connection option. Apart from web radio, an FM tuner adds to the iNT170's capabilities. Either tuner has 20 presets for saving favorite stations.

Nokia warns market share may drop again...

Nokia this morning sent notice that it was again issuing a warning and says that it will lower its estimates for both its own cellphone shipments as well as the larger industry for the fall. The company had previously recorded a drop to 38 percent share for its summer quarter but now says there is "insufficient visibility" for it to say whether its market share will increase or even remain flat over the three-month span between October and December, suggesting the possibility that its market share will drop again.

Boxee update adds Netflix, interface tweaks...

Boxee has released an updated alpha version of its media player software adding support for the Watch Instantly video streaming feature from Netflix as well as MTV music videos, the WB network and photos from the Boston Globe. The move comes two weeks after the startup secured its first round of venture capital funding, hoping to license the XBMC-based software for use in set-top boxes and other devices.

AT&T slashes 12,000 jobs, shifts to wireless...

AT&T today announced one of the larger job cuts in the midst of the US recession and said it would drop 12,000 employees, or about 4 percent of its total worker base. The effort is attributed both to the poor economy as well as to a "changing business mix" that has left its traditional landline service in decline. Much of that business is shifting towards cellphones and other wireless services, the company says. It also plans to reduce its overall capital spending at the same time but won't have details until January.

Sanyo R227 Internet radio coming to the US...

Sanyo's R227 Internet radio, announced to ship at the end of October in Canada, will soon be available for US customers, the company announced on Thursday. The R227 connects to the Internet via its Wi-Fi module or a wired Ethernet connection and allows users to search for Internet radio stations from around the world by country or genre. There are no fees associated with accessing the stations. The R227 can access secured wireless networks via a key entry interface.

Kogan launches second-ever Android phone line...

Relatively small-scale electronics maker Kogan today revealed it would be the second company after HTC to ship phones based on Google's Android platform. The Agora and Agora Pro both use the open-source operating system to give the phone a full HTML web browser, a media player, and access to Google-specific services like Google Maps and Gmail without the cost and performance overhead of rivals like Windows Mobile.

iPhone topples Windows Mobile in world sales...

Apple's lone cellphone product line is already outselling the entire range of Windows Mobile devices worldwide, according to new Gartner data. The launch of iPhone 3G in the summer was enough to push Apple to 12.9 percent market share and was enough to unseat Windows Mobile both within the US and internationally. The company now holds third place in the world and is reportedly helped by Windows Mobile's comparatively poor user interface, which has hurt not only sales of the Microsoft-driven hardware but also the library of third-party apps.

Haier tries Wi-Fi players again with Sport model...

Haier on Thursday has quietly released the second generation of its Internet-capable portable media players. The ibiza Rhapsody Sport is ruggedized compared to the original player and has both a more easily gripped, rounded body as well as a weather-resistant covering that partly protects against rain or snow. The player continues to center on an 802.11g Wi-Fi link that lets it download podcasts, download unlimited songs over Real's Rhapsody to Go service, stream videos from AOL and check specific news feeds.

Apple files patent for hover-ready touchscreen...

Apple has developed technology that would let an iPhone or similar device be controlled by hovering fingers nearby rather than just touches alone, a new US patent filing shows. The system would include the company's familiar capacitive touchscreen technology but would also introduce numerous infrared or similar sensors that can gauge the relative position of fingers, a whole hand or an outside object by measuring the differences in the light level at different points on the display.

WiebeTech releases ToughTech mini pocket drives ...

WiebeTech has released two ToughTech mini pocket drive enclosures, both designed to fit 2.5-inch SATA drives. The aluminum housing is a scaled-down version of the larger ToughTech devices for 3.5-inch drives. ToughMount anti-shock protection is used to absorb shock and reduce noise. The mini enclosures feature the Oxford-924 chipset that is claimed to optimize data transfer speeds using either FireWire or USB 2.0 connections.

Adtec intros palm-sized VGA projector...

Japan's Adtec recently introduced its AD-MP15A liquid-crystal on silicone (LCoS) mobile projector good for resolutions of either 640x480 or 800x600 and a native aspect ratio of 4:3. Meant for quick, on-the-go presentations, its battery life is rated at 40 minutes. Brightness is rated at 15 lumens, while the contrast ratio is set at 200:1.

Denon set to unveil first universal Blu-ray player...

Denon has recently shown off what it claims is the world's first truly high-end and universal Blu-ray player, the DVD-A1UD. Apart from the capability of playing Blu-ray and DVD video discs, the player also supports DVD Audio, SACD and standard DVDs and CDs. A built-in SDHC memory card will let users play files on the reusable media, with support for WMA, MP3 audio, DiVX 6 video and JPEG images. A built-in audio-restorer function improves the quality of compressed music. Denon's 4th-generaiton Link port promises integration with the company's amplifiers, including the AVP-A1HD and AVC-A1HD, as well as any future Denon products.

T-Mobile Shadow II makes FCC appearance...

The previously leaked HTC Shadow II slider handset is that much closer to being available for purchase as it has just undergone testing at the FCC. The Shadow successor introduces the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system along with a faster CPU and a softened up, more rounded design. The FCC papers reveal the quad-band handset has a separate battery rating for GSM and UMA, the latter of which is GSM-to-WiFi call bridging made possible via T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service.

Comcast to intro bandwidth use tracker in January...

Comcast will soon provide its subscribers with a tool to monitor how close they are to the 250GB cap imposed by the Internet service provider at the end of August. The online bandwidth meter will be available on January 5th, according to an anonymous tip, and will have a three-hour delay as opposed to real-time monitoring. The meter will retain up to three months of usage records and will allow users to monitor multiple MAC addresses.

Logitech ships its one billionth mouse ...

Logitech on Wednesday announced that is has shipped its one billionth mouse for personal computers, with the news coming, appropriately, one week ahead of the fortieth anniversary of the very first public demonstration of a computer mouse by Doug Engelbart. Logitech manufactured its first mouse prototype, the P4, back in 1982, and sold the first mouse in 1985. Back then, a mouse was mainly an interface device for CAD applications. The company believes its MX Air mouse and hybrid diNovo Mini keyboard are hints as to the type of products customers can expect from the company in the future.

MSI launches EX300 notebook in US...

MSI today added just its second E-series notebook to its US lineup through the EX300. The 13.3-inch system focuses on external design first with a colored, glossy outer shell and a lightweight alloy-based chassis that comes at just 4.5 pounds even with a larger capacity eight-cell battery. The system is also comparatively thin and measures less than 1.2 inches at its thickest point.

TiVo silences hopes of early Amazon HD video...

TiVo has quickly silenced claims of HD Amazon videos coming to its DVRs by issuing a response to SlashGear. The electronics company claims that the appearance of a menu for HD content from Video on Demand was simply an example of "testing" interface options and wasn't an indication of any near-term plans. The link should already have been pulled, a spokesperson says, though the company doesn't explicitly deny any plans.

NVIDIA in wait-and-see stance on netbooks...

NVIDIA is taking a cautious approach on netbooks and is unlikely to involve itself in that field anytime soon, company officials have said at the Credit Suisse technology conference. Company CFO Marv Burkett acknowledges that it could ultimately produce graphics chips and other hardware for the mini notebooks but is waiting for netbooks to "evolve" before taking any initial steps into the field, which was effectively born with the launch of the Eee PC 700 line late in 2007 and is just now gaining traction.

Monster intros Dr. Dre in-ear headphones...

While Monster Cable hasn't yet officially announced the in-ear version of its Beats by Dr. Dre, the rapper-influenced headphones have appeared at the Apple Store. The design makes use of a unique, nearly 4-foot long flat cable that features a Duraflex jacket claimed to be tangle- and knot-free. The headphones deliver sound with a low-mass, wide bandwidth driver and also include three pairs of eartips as well as two pairs of triple-layer flanged tips, dubbed Airlocks, for more customizable sound insulation.

T-Mobile UK drops prices on G1...

The UK division of T-Mobile has slashed prices on the Android-based G1 smartphone, an announcement reveals. People should now be able to get the phone for free when signing up for a £30-per-month contract; previously, the G1 could only be had for free with a £40 tariff plan. Though the company is not providing an automatic discount to earlier customers, it is offering to switch people over to the cheaper plan.

Battery-based charger powers iPod, iPhone, iPod touch...

QuickerTek has announced a new External Battery Charger for Apple products with 30-pin connectors. The charger works with iPods using the aforementioned connector, the iPhone 3G and iPod touch. It expands the iPod's runtimes with up to 30 additional hours of music, six hours of video or three hours of talk time on the iPhone. The battery gets a charge through a retractable USB cable and it can charge an iPod as it is charged.

Amazon quietly expands MP3 store to UK...

Amazon today in a low-key rollout introduced Amazon MP3 for UK, its first non-US version of its online download store. The British version follows the same approach as the US store and lets users buy unprotected songs and albums that can be used with any device and, through a sync app, can automatically transfer to iTunes or Windows Media Player.

Windows 7 already in beta by mid-January...

Despite only having been publicly unveiled in late October, Windows 7 should already be in its first readily available beta version just after the start of the year, Technet's Keith Combs has confirmed. Manufactured DVDs of Windows 7 Beta 1 should be available to attendees of Microsoft's Developers Conference from January 13th onwards, suggesting the company will have the test operating system completed even sooner into 2009. Attendees at the Chicago and Minneapolis conferences will be the first to receive a copy at the show, though visitors to the earlier events should also have copies as well.

Rogers first with GSM Diamond in North America...

Canada's Rogers wireless provider is now offering the HTC Touch Diamond to customers, becoming the first North American provider to carry a GSM version of the Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro handset. The Touch Diamond features HTC's signature TouchFLO 3D user interface for its 2.8-inch, 640x480 touchscreen, allowing users to personalize their main screen with commonly-used applications.

ASUS Eee Box gains dedicated GPU, HDMI...

ASUS today sought the edge in the burgeoning field of nettops by launching two new Eee Box models. Both the B204 and B206 are some of the first nettops to have dedicated graphics hardware and use a Radeon HD 3400 to offload most of the work of decoding HD video and turn the PC into a budget home theater. The new hardware also gives the Eee Box HDMI output to connect it to HDTVs and is preloaded with the same Eee Cinema software from the Eee Top to provide a media front end for the HD video now accessible through the mini desktops.

TiVo gaining first Amazon HD videos?...

TiVo users should soon have the option of watching Amazon's Video on Demand service in HD, according to early reports. Technology reporter Rich DeMuro has noted the existence of a currently inactive menu item that would let TiVo owners specifically browse parts of Amazon's catalog that are available in HD, revealing both the existence of Amazon HD video in any form as well as its spread to DVRs.

RIM warns of lower subs despite Storm...

Research in Motion late Tuesday warned that it expects the number of new subscribers to its BlackBerry push e-mail service to fall significantly below its original estimates. The Canadian smartphone company now expects to add just 2.6 million users instead of the originally predicted 2.9 million and also expects its earnings per share and gross margins to drop as a result. The company blames the dip both on the later launches of phones like the Bold for AT&T and the multi-carrier release of the Storm.

Hynix develops first 2Gb mobile RAM...

Hynix on Wednesday boosted its Mobile Memory line and said it has developed the world's first two gigabit (256 megabyte) mobile RAM chip. The use of a smaller 54 nanometer manufacturing process has let the company double its previous best capacity while also improving the performance over past chips. Bandwidth for the outside world has been stepped up to 400 megabits per second, while the chip can process 1.6 gigabytes per second internally.

HTC buys US designers to bolster phone look...

HTC today revealed that it will buy American design house One & Company for an undisclosed amount. The move makes permanent a collaboration that started with the Touch Diamond and should see One & Company become HTC's regular designer for its smartphones in the future. Most of HTC's newest Touch series phones already draw on the US firm's influence, including the MAX 4G and Touch HD.

Samsung: OLED too expensive, focus on LCD, plasma...

South Korea's Samsung will not bring OLED TVs to market anytime soon, says the company's Vice President in the Flat Panel Development division, HS Kim. The technology is currently considered too expensive, and customers would not pay the premium, as OLED sets would cost 10 times as much as equivalent LCD or plasma HDTVs, Kim says. As such, Samsung will hold off on releasing OLED TVs until the cost of the technology comes down to a level customers are willing to pay.

RED details EPIC X bundle, prices Scarlet 8X kit...

Camera-maker RED has detailed the specifications of its upcoming EPIC X bundle, and outlined pricing information for the basic Scarlet kit with an 8X optical lens. The EPIC X package, built on the 30mm by 15mm S35 sensor, will include a CF recording module, I/O module and battery module, bundled in a package that carries the same $28800 price tag as the sensor alone. As a bonus, the X package data-rates will be higher than the individually-purchased EPIC S35, featuring REDCODE 250 instead of REDCODE 225.