News Archive for 08/11/12
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SanDisk has collaborated with Veoh Networks to offer the Veoh Web Player on Cruzer USB flash drives. Users can browse Veoh.com's TV shows, movies, or special content, from any computer. The player can be used to create a library of personal video collections that can be viewed while online or offline. Personal video files can be password protected, preventing access if the drive is stolen or lost.
Ecosol has unveiled an updated version of its portable USB charger, Powerstick V2. The device serves as a charger or external battery for a variety of devices, including mobile phones, iPods, digital cameras, or Bluetooth headsets. The company claims the Powerstick can be charged to 90 percent capacity in 90 minutes or less, by plugging it into any powered USB port. The circuitry goes into a sleep mode after the internal battery has been fully charged, avoiding unnecessary power consumption.
Optoma has announced that its Pico PK-101 projector will be sold through Amazon and BestBuy.com. The company will also offer the device through the Japanese Apple stores, as reported earlier this week. The projector uses Texas Instruments' Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology to deliver a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 at 480 pixel by 320 pixel resolution. All of the internal components fit into a case that measures two inches by 4.1 inches by 0.7 inches, with a weight of four ounces.
Line 6 has begun shipping the POD X3 Pro rack-mount signal processor. The device features a dual-tone processor that offers amp and effect models for guitar, bass, or vocals. Users can integrate the X3 Pro into a variety of systems, including live performance rigs, recording systems, or computer-based DAWs. Two dedicated signal paths, each with its own chain of amps and effects, can serve two instruments simultaneously.
Chip maker Intel does not expect to meet its fourth-quarter revenue targets, with anticipated revenue of $9 billion, falling short of the previous expectation of $10.1 billion to $10.9 billion. The company blamed the lackluster performance on "significantly weaker than expected demand in all geographies and market segments." The trend of component inventory reduction by PC manufacturers was also claimed to affect the earnings. The gross margin outlook as also been dropped, to 55 percent from 59 percent.
Callpod has introduced the Drone, a plug-and-play USB to Bluetooth 2.0 adapter. The Class 1 output is claimed to offer a range of up to 100-meters. If a user is listening to music when a VoIP call comes in, Drone will automatically switch to voice communication. The device supports A2DP and AVRCP profiles, allowing music from a variety of audio sources such as CDs, iTunes, or Windows Media Player, to be streamed in stereo and controlled remotely.
While the Animal Crossing: City Folk title for the Nintendo Wii gaming console will ship bundled with a microphone peripheral for use with the game, the Wii Speak channel that would allow Wii users to chat from the console's main interface will be delayed. The microphone, Wii Speak, was announced this summer, and is available as a standalone accessory for $30. Each WiiSpeak will come with a Wii Speak Channel download ticket number, though the same box advises buyers it will not be available until December.
Belkin on Wednesday announced the release of its Switch-to-Mac Cable, which automatically transfers files from a PC to a Mac. The product's embedded Migration Assistant moves users' music, movies, photos and Internet favorites and preferences on its own, not even requiring users to drag-and-drop the required files. The cable uses a USB 2.0 connection to transfer files and settings from default PC folders and applications to the respective Mac locations before providing a log of its operations.
Sony has recently introduced a $100 instant rebate on its Mylo COM-2 Internet Device, bringing the official price to just short of $200. The new price is valid until the end of January of 2009, leading many to suspect Sony may be trying to clear out stock to make room for a new model over the holidays. With CES scheduled for the first half of January, and the show serving as an unveiling spot for many new consumer electronics products, the expiration of the rebate is well-timed.
Qualcomm on Wednesday announced the Kayak PC alternative, designed to give users in emerging markets widespread and affordable access to high-speed wireless Internet. The Kayak PC alternative uses 3G wireless broadband to supply Internet access to markets in which wired Internet access is unaffordable or otherwise not available. Comprised of a reference design and a set of software specifications that can be made available to hardware builders, the Kayak PC alternative can be categorized in-between a desktop PC and portable, Internet-capable wireless devices.
Sanyo on Wednesday announced a new addition to its line-up of ultra-portable projectors with the PLC-XW57. Meant for business and classroom use, the 3LCD projector weighs less than seven pounds, and sports 1024x768-pixel resolution. Its 2,000 lumens brightness rating comes courtesy of a 200W bulb and lets the PLC-XW57 throw up images in bright rooms.
MSI Computer on Wednesday announced the release of its newest gaming notebook, the 15.4-inch, 1280x800 GX630-028US. It's powered by AMD'a Athlon X2 dual-core processor and is optimized for gaming with the inclusion of an NVIDIA GeForce 9600M graphics chipset with 4GB of dedicated video processing memory. The notebook's 250GB SATA drive is preloaded with Windows Vista.
The US Department of Justice on Wednesday announced that LG Display, Sharp Corp. and Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. plead guilty to criminal accusations of conspiring to fix prices in the sale of LCD panels and agreed to collectively pay $585 million in fines. LG will pay the majority of that amount, or $400 million, which is the second-highest criminal fine the DoJ's Antitrust Division has ever imposed. The charges were filed on Wednesday in the US District Court in San Francisco, with the three companies agreeing to cooperate with the investigation.
If accurate, a new leak floated by BGR has confirmed that Nokia is developing its first half-QWERTY device and with North American carriers in mind. The unnamed device known only under a "Wahoo" nickname appears a cross between Nokia's existing flip phones, such as the 6555, and RIM's recently launched Pearl Flip with the former's looks and the latter's SureType keyboard, which puts two letters on each key to strike a compromise between a number pad and a full keyboard.
iBuyPower on Wednesday announced the launch of a new line of gaming and entertainment PCs that will use Intel's upcoming Core i7 processor, which the chipmaker is touting as its fastest CPU yet. The three Paladin F-series PCs will also sport a Blu-ray drive, 7.1-channel surround sound support and include a Logitech gaming keyboard and mouse. The range-topping F970 PC will use Intel's 3.2GHz Core i7 965 Extreme Edition, which is claimed as the most powerful personal CPU to date. It will also include 12GB of DDR3 RAM, ATI's HD 4870X2 graphics card with 2GB of GDDR5 video memory and a dual-radiator liquid cooling system.
A leak today from Generation MP3 today reveals that Samsung's introductions early next year should include a sequel to the YP-P2. Expectedly called the P3, the media player should be an evolutionary update that adds haptic (vibration) feedback as well as widgets like those from the company's TouchWiz interface for cellphones. Users can at least add clocks and calendars to the front end.
HTC on Wednesday rounded out the last of its major touchscreen phone introductions with its highest-performing device yet. The MAX 4G is the production version of the T8290 and shares the 3.8-inch, 800x480 screen of the Touch HD but adds a WiMAX connection for 4G-level Internet access in the multi-megabit range. A GSM connection is still built in to make conventional phone calls.
AMD could introduce new proprietary mobile processors as soon as tomorrow, reports indicate. In July, CEO Dirk Meyer announced that a response to Intel's Atom processors -- aimed at netbooks and mobile Internet devices -- would be mentioned in a Q4 analysts conference, which is scheduled for Thursday. One possibility is the announcement of Bobcat, which was first hinted at 18 months ago and is rumored to have a 1GHz 64-bit core, an 800MHz HyperTransport link and a DDR2 memory controller, together consuming 8W of power or less.
3M on Wednesday announced the release of its first handheld digital projector, the MPro110, meant for use in business, entertainment and field applications. Capable of projecting images between 6 and 50 inches, the MPro110 is just 4.5 inches long but can still output a 1280x768 resolution. 3M points out its new mini projector is the only one on the market with an integrated VGA port. The Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) projector can display content from connected personal multimedia devices such as digital cameras and certain MP3 players.
Microsoft at its TechEd conference has confirmed the impending launch of Internet Explorer Mobile 6, the next major version of its cellphone browser. Originally announced in February, the significantly delayed update is available to test in emulator form and has also detailed all the major changes due with the web suite. The software aims to resolve many of the often-criticized features of the legacy browser from Windows Mobile 6 and starts with an accurate HTML renderer that displays websites the way they would appear on a desktop. Users can even change their user agent to force a desktop view instead of a mobile-optimized site.
Wal-Mart's other retail brand, Sam's Club, will rely on a Nintendo Wii bundle to get customers into the store on Black Friday, a flyer reveals. The Family Bundle should be one of most heavily discounted console deals in recent memory and will include a Wii system, three remotes with matching nunchuk controllers, the pack-in Wii Sports game and both King of Clubs Mini Golf as well as Mario Super Sluggers in a combined $224 package.
To mark the one-year anniversary of its first wireless SD memory card, the 2GB Eye-Fi SD card, Eye-Fi Inc. on Wednesday announced the release of its 4GB Anniversary Edition SD Card. Both products are meant to allow photographers to upload photos wirelessly to one of a choice of over 25 online photo sharing sites and to users' Macs and Windows PCs. The new card, apart from doubling capacity, also has faster memory speeds.
Microsoft is launching a two-pronged effort on Verizon to both lead the company's mobile searches but also its smartphone operating systems, say sources for the Wall Street Journal. In addition to an attempt to usurp Google's position as the default search engine and ad partner with a deal that would double Google's payout to between $550 million and $650 million, the Redmond, Washington developer is also said to be offering a financial incentive for Verizon to use more Windows Mobile devices.
Sony Ericsson today finally detailed the US release of the Xperia X1, its first full touchscreen smartphone and also its first Windows Mobile phone. Rather than tie the phone to AT&T, the cellphone maker instead says the X1 will sell through its Sony Style website as an unlocked device for $800. The move lets users pick AT&T to gain full access to the phone's HSPA-based 3G or T-Mobile if they prefer the carrier and are willing to limit their data to EDGE. It also allows unrestricted apps and the ability to use SIM cards from foreign carriers.
Startup Internet phone company ooma on Wednesday addressed a longstanding gap in its lineup with the introduction of the Telo. The company's first dedicated phone gives users both a cordless handset as well as a matching router that combined take advantage of the Internet nature of ooma's service: besides caller ID and ringtones, it can also talk to a PC to update contacts and play voicemail away from the phone. It will also send address information immediately in the event of a 911 emergency call.
Nokia today quickly chased its early press info with the formal launch of the E63 (link active soon). A budget alternative to the E71, the full QWERTY smartphone is geared towards the same audience as the BlackBerry Curve but also the growing audience of those who want a smartphone without the usual cost. It's for users who may be updating their social networks in addition to (or in place of) checking Exchange e-mail from work, the company argues.
RIM today chose to introduce the BlackBerry Curve 8900 through T-Mobile Germany, marking a rare non-North American debut for one of its phones. The device is closely related to the Bold and carries the same extremely sharp 2.4-inch 480x360 display, GPS mapping and Wi-Fi as its high-end cousin but drops 3G support in favor of slower EDGE. In exchange, the device is both smaller and carries a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocusing and flash.
Audiovox on Tuesday unveiled three new consumer electronics devices at CES: an iPod dock-able audio system, a wireless high-fidelity surround 5.1 system, and a new car-based DVD player system. CrunchGear observes that the AR5100 offers users a minimal interface, with a polished black appearance. Audiovox claims the device features "horn-loaded tweeters, a ported enclosure, and premium crossovers," while also sporting touch controls, and component video out, for $200 in December.
Pure Digital today launched its response to a recent wave of ultra-simple HD camcorders from newer rivals with the launch of the Flip Mino HD. The camera matches the 720p widescreen, fixed zoom capture of most of its opponents but opts for a built-in 4GB of flash memory rather than the SD cards of others. This gives it an hour of storage for HD out of the box in the Mino HD's native MPEG-4 format, which also makes most videos relatively portable both to web video and to video editing tools, including iMovie. Pure estimates about two hours of battery life with the extra demand from the improved footage.
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