News Archive for 08/11/11
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T-Mobile USA is set to receive a new touchscreen phone – the Samsung T929 Leica – following closely of the release of the T919 Behold handset. Cell Phone Signal writes that a leak on Best Buy's website shows that the store already has access to part SKUs, including the phone itself and battery packs. The phone offers users an 8MP Leica camera with built-in video recording options, 3G connectivity, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, and a full HTML browser.
iHome has unveiled the iHM77, a stereo speaker system that can be connected to iPods, iPhones, notebooks, or any other device with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The speakers feature integrated amplifiers powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Both sides attach magnetically at the base for transportation, in the general form of a capsule, and can be extended for improved low-frequency response while in use.
Following up last month's leaked photos of the upcoming Samsung i770 smartphone, a late Monday leak revealed the smartphone will also be called the Saga and is coming to Verizon Wireless. According to a leaked image of a computer inventory screen, the handset will cost just under $200 after a $70 mail-in rebate for new subscribers when it launches in stores on December 1st. For business users and online sales, the handset will launch this coming Friday, November 14th.
Japanese company Kairen recently announced the ultra-portable and palm-sized X Pro920M projector, capable of throwing up images 640x480 pixels in resolution up to 25 inches in size from three feet away. Meant primarily as a business projector, it features a mirror function that allows it to be used behind screens yet still produce a legible image.
A team of South Korean researchers has found a way to make lithium batteries 90 percent more efficient than current batteries. A Tuesday report says an applied chemistry professor at Hanyang University, Cho Jae-phil, leads the team of researchers, and claims that the new technology will allow the batteries in notebook PCs and cellphones to last eight times longer than conventional batteries. The significant capacity boost was made possible thanks to using three-dimensional porous silicon particles made of silica and hydrogen fluoride instead of graphite in the negative electrode.
Westinghouse recently introduced its 32-inch LCD HDTV with a built-in DVD player, the SK-32H570D. The set will upconvert standard DVDs from its built-in, slot-loading DVD player or devices connected via one of the two HDMI inputs, while its ATSC/NTSC/ClearQAM tuner brings with it HD programming support. The SK-32H570D support 720p and 1080i resolutions with its 1366x768-pixel display, along with standard-definition 480i/p signals. Other specs include a viewing angle of 178 degrees, a pixel response time of 6.5ms and a contrast ratio of 1,200:1.
Samsung on Tuesday announced the upcoming release of four new Bluetooth accessories. The first of the new devices, the WEP460 mono headset, is a basic wireless device that provides up to eight hours of talk time. Available in a black finish, the WEP640 sports a clear ear hook that is detachable. The next device up, the Samsung SBH700, is a stereo Bluetooth headset that doubles as a pair of music headphones thanks to a foldable, behind-the-neck design. The SBH700 has noise reduction technology for clear sound delivery.
Electronics maker Philips, which is also one of the world's biggest hospital equipment providers, has announced the development of an intelligent pill that uses a tiny microprocessor, battery and wireless radio to control the also built-in medication reservoir, according to a Tuesday report. The purpose of the pill is to release the drug in a specific area of the body, with a sensor that gauges acidity in the stomach to determine its exact location.
Google today launched the surprise addition of Gmail video chat to its webmail interface. The feature lets contacts use Google Talk to start a two-way video or audio-only conversation with anyone currently online and can be started in the middle of a text chat. Like dedicated desktop apps, the web version carries a picture-in-picture view and can be stretched out or made full-screen.
Not satisfied with the three-pound weight of the almost exclusively aluminum MacBook Air, Apple is investigating the possibility of building some of the ultraportable out of carbon fiber, a reported source of AppleInsider claims. The contact, which has allegedly proven reliable on MacBook updates in the past, notes that Apple would use the ultra lightweight but very strong material to replace the underside of the notebook, which is the second-heaviest component of the system. No changes would be made to the unibody aluminum top shell or the lid.
A part of a recent leak, the Samsung a777 has surfaced on AT&T's website without a formal announcement. The quad-band slider phone includes 3G over the carrier's network as well as a 1.3-megapixel camera with 3X digital zoom and support for Bluetooth with stereo audio. An MP3 player app and microSD storage handle media playback.
Quickly following on the heels of an Epson launch the day before, ViewSonic today shipped the PJ359w as its own approach to relatively affordable 720p projectors. The 3LCD unit outputs at the same 2,000 lumens brightness of its recent competitor but has a shorter-throw lamp and lens combination that lets it output a 50-inch picture on a surface as close as 5.2 feet. It can also produce its smallest image at a distance of 2.9 feet and manages its extreme at 38 feet.
A new TomTom personal navigation device, the GO 630 GPS, is available exclusively at electronics retail chain Radio Shack. The device features complete map coverage of the US and Canada, along with compatibility with TomTom's MapShare software that lets users update or customize their own maps or download ones from other users via TomTom HOME. This access also lets users get traffic updates on their PCs.
Dell has taken the unusual step of announcing three new artwork options for its Studio notebooks, all under the aegis of (PRODUCT) Red. (PRODUCT) Red is a commercial initiative designed to trickle money to the Global Fund, an AIDS charity. For the purchase of each 15- or 17-inch Studio with (PRODUCT) Red artwork, Dell says it will send $20 of the money to the Global Fund.
T-Mobile's G1 phone costs the carrier and its build partner HTC significantly less to make than its Apple rival, researchers at iSuppli conclude. The firm estimates that the raw material cost of a G1 amounts to $143.89 and that the single largest cost is the $28.49 baseband hardware, which represents both the main CPU as well as the cellular link. The 3.2-inch touchscreen is next at $19.67 while the camera ($12.13) and the RF/power amp for the 3G connection ($9.84) stand at third and fourth place respectively.
V-MODA today broke cover to launch the Vibe II with Mic, the successor to its long-serving Vibe Duo. The iPhone-oriented but not exclusive in-canal earbuds carry a new, machined metal design which V-MODA calls eco-friendly and should also have improved audio. A new 8mm driver is said to have a more organic sound than most and is tuned in favor of the bass response needed for electronic, rock and urban music; the company estimates frequency response at the very low end between just 12Hz and 22Hz.
In a rare move, Nokia is already shipping out review samples of its E63 smartphone to bloggers ahead of any official announcement and has been captured in a set of photos made available online. The full-QWERTY device is being pitched as a budget alternative to the E71 and accomplishes this goal with a lower-resolution two-megapixel camera versus the earlier 3.2, the absence of 3G, as well as a body that uses more plastic in place of the metal that lines the flagship model.
Dell on Tuesday silently released the XPS 430, the latest incarnation of its mid-range media desktop. The new update to the glossy black tower system pushes it past 4GB of RAM for the first time and gives even the base XPS 430 a full 6GB of 1,066MHz DDR3 RAM (up from 800MHz DDR2) in stock trim. Also new are recent-generation Core 2 Quad processors at the baseline that trade some Level 2 cache for a faster 1,333MHz system bus.
Optoma today said it has struck a deal with Apple Japan to launch its version of Texas Instruments' DLP Pico projector in the country under the PK-101 name. The pocket-sized unit will support both the headphone jack-mounted video output of the fifth-generation iPod but will come with a Dock Connector kit that handles video from iPhones and all video-capable iPods that support TV out, creating a picture as large as 60 inches for Apple's mobile devices.
Kawasaki, Japan-based digital camera maker Sigma Corporation has purchased all stock of Foveon Inc., a company that developed the original three-layer image sensor for digital cameras. Prior to this Tuesday announcement, the two companies have worked together on the Foveon X3 sensors used in all Sigma digital cameras, including the recently introduced SD15 and DP2.
Fujitsu on Tuesday announced the upcoming release of its 2.5-inch MJA2 BH- and MJA2 CH-series hard disk drives, both 5400RPM, SATA units with 500GB of capacity. The MJA2 CH drives sport AES hardware-based full disk encryption (FDE) with a 256-bit key size. This hardware-based encryption offers greater security than software-based protection, as the user password is not obtainable when the drives are powered off.
SanDisk raised the stakes in its competition against the iPod shuffle and Creative ZEN Stone with a new, 8GB version of the Sansa Clip. The capacity gives it storage for up to 2,000 songs and doubles the capacity of Creative's best ultra-small models and quadruple that of Apple's. It continues to hold the same four-line OLED display that lets it have full control over music while still rendering it small enough to attach to a belt or clothes through its namesake hook.
Verizon's adaptation of the BlackBerry Storm could cost more than its Apple rival when it finally becomes available, a page (since pulled) on Verizon's test website has revealed. The first touchscreen phone from RIM will reportedly cost $220 with a two-year contract versus Apple's $199 iPhone 3G. The price represents a partly negative trade-off where the reduction in storage from the iPhone's 8GB to 1GB is compensated for by a sharper 3.2-megapixel camera, room for microSD cards and support for both CDMA/EVDO and GSM/HSPA in the same phone.
After repeated leaks, AT&T today finally but quietly launched the HTC Fuze. The carrier's adaptation of the Touch Pro brings a customized version of HTC's TouchFLO interface with an AT&T icon as well as support for several of AT&T's services over its tri-band HSPA Internet access, including HBO Mobile video as well as Napster Mobile and XM Radio for music purchases and Internet radio streams.
Logitech this morning rounded out its holiday lineup and announced a more Mac-friendly addition to its diNovo range. The simply-titled diNovo Keyboard Mac Edition is a lower-cost alternative to the conversion of the diNovo Edge and drops the touchpad controls but keeps the particularly thin profile (0.87in) and notebook-style keys with a slightly deeper, more comfortable travel. The new keyboard expands on Apple's own designs by including not just shortcuts for Dashboard, Expose and media playback but also Cover Flow, Spaces, and common apps like iChat, Mail and Safari.
Hitachi is releasing a new family of Travelstar 2.5-inch drives with improved security features, and reduced power use for longer battery life. The Travelstar 5K500.B line will be available in several sizes ranging from 160 to 500GB operating at 5400RPM with an 8MB cache. Hitachi says it expects the 5K500.B will be the first hard drive line to comply with the new Storage Security specification being finalized by the Trusted Security Group. The optional Bulk Data Encryption feature encrypts data as it is written to the drive and reverses this as information is retrieved, preventing casual data theft online.
The formerly ailing Virgin Mobile was able to present a profit on its recent financial quarter, mostly thanks due to its acquisition of US wireless carrier Helio, with operating revenues and net service revenues of $323.2 million and $305 million, respectively. CEO Dan Schulman was also happy to point out that, despite a "challenging economic environment," Virgin was able to increase its customer base by 8 percent from last year, while also increasing services.
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