News Archive for 09/04/20
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Microsoft appears to be working on the next version of Windows to follow Windows 7, as indicated by a post on the company's careers site. A Lead Software Development Engineer in Test is sought to work on the existing projects for 7, such as cluster support and reworking the core engine. "We will also soon be starting major improvements for Windows 8," the listing reads. The operating system is said to "revolutionize file access in branch offices."
Alleged screenshots from an online TiVo survey appear to contain questions involving potential names and features for new hardware, according to Engadget. The tested names include TiVo eVO, TiVo OmniBox, TiVo Series4 and TiVo OnDemand. Most of the services on the survey are already available, except for on-demand video.
NetGear has begun shipping its latest network media streamer, the EVA9150 that was introduced at CES. The device features a 500GB hard drive that can be swapped with a higher-capacity component for additional storage. Users can play Blu-ray content up to 1080p resolution, H.264, MPEG-4, digital photos, MP3s and television shows. Along with the on-board drive, the EVA9150 can be connected to computers or other storage devices on the network.
Microsoft may extend its ongoing job cuts beyond the 5,000 positions already marked out, multiple sources said today. McAdams Wright Ragen analyst Sid Parakh relays to TechFlash that Microsoft may be cutting more jobs in the short term beyond those already outline in its plan. Few details are available, including whether it would just involve a minor change or else a substantial expansion of the original plans.
At the NAB show currently taking place in Las Vegas, Sony has introduced three professional camcorders meant to lower the price of entry into professional-grade HD video production, including the SRW-9000 HDCAM SR, PDW-F800 CineAlta and HSC-300. The one-piece design of the SRW-9000 makes it portable, and the camera is being touted as the next generation of digital 24P technology. The camcorder uses 2/3-inch CCDs with an 14-bit A/D converter and digital signal processing to capture images at up to 1080p60. It can perform 4:2:2 10-bit recording at several frame rates, including film-standard 24 or a more European-friendly 25.
The Nokia 8208 slider handset is coming to North America after all, if a recent FCC test is any indication. The 2.2-inch, 240x320 display slides up to reveal a keypad and slides down to show off the music controls. The FCC paperwork confirms the phone will support EVDO Rev. A data networks that are more likely within the US.
Professional video interface and conversion hardware maker AJA Video Systems on Monday at NAB show introduced the Ki Pro portable tapeless video device that records files to the Apple ProRes 422 codec directly from camera. The device has a large variety of analog and digital connections, allowing content from nearly any video and audio source to be recorded in the format. These recordings can then be edited without transcoding in Final Cut Studio 2. Media in 4:2:2 HD or SD format is recorded to a removable storage module via a FireWire 800 or 34mm ExpressCard Flash interface.
At the currently ongoing National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, Panasonic is showing off a new professional video camera from its AVCCAM lineup, the 3-megapixel AG-HMC40. Capable of capturing 10.6-megapixel still images, the camera uses 2-megapixel quarter-inch 3MOS imagers, a 12x optical zoom and a weight of less than 2.2lbs to both record better in low light while remaining easy to carry. It records to SDHC memory cards in AVCHD (H.264) format at up to 1080p for 30 or 60 frames per second and can also record at a film-speed 24 frames per second at 720p.
LG's Secret luxury slider is inbound for AT&T, as an FCC filing published today has confirmed the carrier's plans. Although images of the phone itself conspicuously black out the AT&T logo, the entries include a copy of the manual for the phone that clearly mentions AT&T as well as carrier-specific features like its music store, navigation and MEdia portals. It should also have native 850MHz 3G for AT&T's network.
Verizon today expanded its mobile FiOS DVR control to include a web version of its FiOS TV Central feature. Previously only available either as a desktop site or in a native app for certain LG phones like the enV 2 and Voyager, the feature lets any phone with a sufficiently advanced web browser, including non-Verizon devices like the iPhone, remotely program the IPTV recorder with all the same remote features. Owners can manage as many as three individual DVRs, add or delete shows (including Video On Demand) and browse media guides.
LaCie is expanding its Quadra line, offering three 4Big Quadra Bundles, grouping multiple volumes for up to 32TB of storage. The bundles are based on grouping individual 4Big Quadras, which are now available with up to 8TB of storage per unit. Used in conjunction with the LaCie eSATA II PCI Express Card 3Gb/s, up to four 4Big units can be attached and run in seven RAID options, including 0 (striping) and 5 (a balance between performance and redundancy)
PC maker MSI on Monday has officially announced specs, pricing and availability for its eco-friendly Wind Top AE1900 all-in-one PC for North America. The PC features a built-in 18.5-inch touchscreen with 1366x768 resolution, while processing power comes from a 1.6GHz Atom 230 CPU and 1GB of RAM. Graphics processing comes courtesy of an integrated GMA 950 chipset. The standard 2.5-inch, 160GB or optional 250GB hard drive is preloaded with Windows XP Home operating system. MSI claims the AE1900 consumes 80 percent less energy than a traditional desktop PC, and no more than 50W of power at full operation.
Microsoft today extended the reach of the Xbox 360 line with a new Xbox 360 Games of the Year pack. The console takes the black, 120GB Elite model and includes both Fable II and Halo 3 in the box. It also supplies a full year of Xbox Live Gold membership for playing online, vouchers for free downloads of Halo's Mythic Map Pack and Fable's Knothole Island, and a trial for Netflix movie streaming.
AT&T VP of technology realization Scott McElroy today reaffirmed plans for the carrier to double the theoretical peak speeds for its 3G service to 7.2Mbps this year. The update is still in a two-city trial but, the executive tells Telephony Online, and should roll out through a software upgrade to many of AT&T's existing 3G areas within the next few months. Expansion will also come with both more 850MHz 3G coverage as well as an infrastructure upgrade (mentioned to Electronista earlier this month) to bolster capacity in key areas.
Portable electronics accessories maker Belkin on Monday announced the instant availability of its Micro Auto Charger and the upcoming release of the Dual Auto Charger. Either device plugs into a car's dashboard DC power plug and provides one (Micro) or two (Dual) USB ports, allowing users to charge their electronics devices that are equipped with USB or mini USB ports. The Micro Auto Charger is compact, sitting nearly flush with a car's dashboard, and is capable of charging devices at 1 amp of power, making it suitable for charging certain GPS systems as well.
HTC's Magic smartphone, only the second device to be based on Google's Android platform, is now available for pre-order through Vodafone UK. The phone should ship on May 5th, and can be had for free when signing up for a subscription worth £30 per month. A £5 monthly discount applies to online purchases. Other Vodafone divisions are also expected to carry the phone soon, such as Vodafone Italy.
The outline the early launch plans for ATSC Mobile DTV, the first free over-the-air TV standard meant for portable devices in the US. Washington, DC will be the first city to get coverage and will be supported by 5 stations owned by CBS, Fox, Ion, NBC and PBS when service starts sometime in the late summer. About 39 percent of the US will be covered by the end of 2009 and should include major cities like Chicago, New York, San Francisco and several others.
China Mobile is due to release the Lenovo-made Ophone this May, beating Apple's iPhone to the market, which itself is rumored to go on sale in China in June through carrier Unicom, says a Monday DigiTimes report. The two touchscreen smartphones share similarities, including a similar look to the touch-enabled user interface on a large touchscreen, though the Ophone is already known to be based on China Mobile's customized version of Android known as the Open Mobile System (OMS).
LG on Monday officially took the wraps from the Viewty Smart. Unofficially known as the Viewty II, it has the same 480x800 capacitive touchscreen and iPhone-like S-Class 3D interface as other 2009 LG phones but centers on an 8-megapixel camera that can record video in widescreen 480p and can handle light sensitivity up to ISO 1,600. It carries an LED flash and supports modes often reserved for dedicated cameras, like continuous shooting and panorama stitching.
NB100 8.9-inch netbook with the 10.1-inch Dynabook UX. Its LED backlit's screen size is bumped up to 10.1 inches, though the native resolution remains the same at 1024x600; the key pitch is now 19mm and comes with a "chiclet" design that significantly improves the feel. Besides the much sleeker design, it also moves to the slightly faster 1.66GHZ Atom N280 and its improved system bus.
Adobe has devised a new version of its Flash animation standard which should allow TVs and other electronics to stream content directly, according to an announcement. Called the Flash Platform for the Digital Home, the technology is now being licensed to OEMs and should ship in products scheduled for the second half of 2009. Some companies which have agreed to support the platform include Broadcom, Comcast, Disney, Intel, Netflix, Atlantic Records and the New York Times.
NVIDIA this morning remedied the absence of a pro video card for the new Mac Pro by launching the Quadro FX 4800 for Mac. Very similar to the Windows version, the Apple-friendly model has 192 graphics cores and a large 1.5GB of onboard memory that helps it antialias 3D visuals even with high detail or at high resolution. Unique to the Mac version is native support both for the expected Mac side as well as Windows when in Boot Camp.
Apple is reported today as phasing out its video cables in what may be a sign of a broader move to HD video-capable iPhone and iPod touch devices. An unnamed source for PhoneNews claims that resellers are being told both the Apple Composite AV and Component AV cables are being scrapped in favor of a single cable pack that, like the Xbox 360's component cable, has both the component and composite (RCA) cables on a single line and would let users hook up to both HDTVs and standard-definition sets by purchasing one pack.
Oracle today said it would buy Sun for about $7.4 billion, or $9.50 per share. The move gives Oracle both a significantly stronger position in databases, letting it produce the servers that run its apps, as well as access to Sun's software. Oracle will have access to Java as well as Sun's Solaris operating system and promises to invest heavily in both.
Foxconn is hoping to land an order for an Apple device which is now described as a netbook, Taiwan's Commercial Times newspaper says. The company is already one of Apple's key manufacturers for MacBooks but is seen as "in the running" among other competing firms to build the new, smaller portable. Details of when the order would ship, or the system itself, aren't included with the claimed leak.
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