News Archive for 09/07/17
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Amazon found itself in controversy on Friday when it deleted Kindle books on accounts based on the demands of publishers, according to an update from David Pogue. The New York Times journalist says that "hundreds" of users, who had ironically purchased Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm, noticed the removal this morning after the publisher MobileReference decided to back out of offering digital versions of the books and pressured Amazon into removing the titles. While MobileReference hasn't commented on the deletion, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has said the editions themselves were unofficial versions of work it has rights to publish itself and couldn't legally stay on the store.
The hierarchy at Nikon is hoping that it can catch lightning in a bottle with the D5000 introduced in the spring of this year. A 12.3 megapixel offering, it effectively becomes the bridge camera between the simpler compacts in the sub-$400 range and prosumer rigs in the above-$1,000 price point -- and also the least expensive DSLR to produce HD video at the same time. However, is it priced right or left wanting? We investigate in our full review of one of the more fiercely competitive cameras on the market.
Taiwan's MSI on Friday announced the last pair of notebook PCs that make up its newly-formed Classic series, with the 17.3-inch CX700 and CR700. These join the recently-introduced 16-inch CX600 and CR600 duo, which, in turn, followed the debut of the 14-inch CR400. While exterior styling is shared by all five notebooks, the CX700 and CR700 are meant for multimedia enthusiasts, with both sharing 2.1-channel speaker systems, an HDMI output and the same LED-backlit, 1600x900 resolution display.
In light of handset makers and wireless providers entering its space in the market, Peek is forced to lower prices of its portable e-mail fetching devices in order to turn a profit and grow its sales. According to a Friday WSJ report (sub required), Peek is not planning on releasing devices with voice capabilities, despite smartphone prices dropping rapidly and taking away from the company's target market.
Specs and photos for an upcoming handset from Philips, the Xenium X830, have surfaced on Friday, revealing a handsome, if entry-level device. It will support quad-band GSM voice networks and GPRS and EDGE data connections, but the phone's headline-grabbing feature is its battery's 1.5 months of standby time and 10 hours of talk time. A 3-inch, 320x240 color touchscreen acts as the interface, and there is a decent 5-megapixel camera with autofocus integrated into the device.
With the near launch of the HTC Touch Pro2 by Canadian wireless provider Telus, an earlier report of the handset manufacturer switching to 3.5mm audio jacks on its phones has been confirmed to be taking place early. The Canadian provider's version of the Touch Pro2 will be the first of a series of HTC phones making the switch, though Telus doesn't highlight this fact on its page for the handset. HTC ships the device with a 3.5mm headset with earbuds as well.
Verizon this afternoon added a rare two-in-one modem to its 3G adapters. Novatel's PC770 has a nested design that can either work as an ExpressCard/34 adapter for some modern notebooks or, with an adapter, fits into older systems with PC Card slots. It supports up to EVDO Revision A speeds and uses technology from Novatel that reportedly helps maintain speed during simultaneous two-way traffic.
LG has inadvertently provided early clues of its Android plans by posting a web user string for the phone on its own website. Known as the GW620, it should have a 480x320 display, 3G including HSPA and Wi-Fi. Mention is also made of a QWERTY keyboard, though it's unknown whether this means a hardware keyboard or else just the on-screen version already found in Android.
A Springville, IL tech company is hoping to make data loss on backed up DVDs a thing of the past, with its invention, dubbed the Millenial Disk. On September 1st, Millenniata promises to release an archival optical disc that is nearly identical to a run-of-the-mill DVD that is capable of holding corrupt-free data for 1,000 years, when stored at room temperature compared to modern DVDs being reliable for less than 10 years. The key to this longevity is the use of hard, persistent materials in the layers of the disc, the details of which are considered secret.
Amazon is now letting buyers pre-order the PSP Go portable gaming system well ahead of its official October 1st ship date. As promised, the system will cost $250 in white, with a black version costing $1 less, or $249. The Go will be sold alongside the current PSP system, which retails for about $170. Unlike the traditional PSP, there is no UMD drive in the PSP Go, as the device instead relies on content downloaded to its 16GB of internal flash memory or to Memory Stick Micro cards.
Verizon on Friday told US federal officials that it would voluntarily limit the duration of its exclusivity deals for phones to six months, albeit with limits. The terms will let any carrier with 500,000 or fewer subscribers pick up a phone regardless of the manufacturer. The carrier argues that it can't drop exclusivity altogether as this gives it a competitive edge and spurs on the phone manufacturers themselves.
Alienware late last night quietly added a new, special version of its M17x gaming notebook. The Nebula Red version switches to a bright, anodized red aluminum for the outer shell, including the bottom and sides. The backlit keyboard should also come with red illumination, although as with regular models the keys can be changed in software to one of many colors in the visible spectrum.
Android 2.0 may be ready before summer's end if a developer's clues reflect Google's intentions. In an interview with AndroidGuys, a representative of The Weather Channel says its next app release for Android will be based on 2.0 when it ships in that window. As apps written for the new software won't work on older operating systems, the statement suggests the new mobile OS will be ready by that point.
Nokia's replacement for its E71 business phone, the E72, has now passed FCC testing in North America Model (NAM) trim, indicating it will likely soon come to North American wireless providers with native 3G. Compared to the E71, the E72 is near identical in terms of dimensions, though the former's directional pad is replaced with an optical trackpad. It receives a new e-mail client from the E75 with a number of improvements as well as new instant messaging support.
TriGem added a fourth all-in-one to its US lineup today through the Averatec D1005. The first mid-sized system of the kind from the company has a 22-inch, 1680x1050 display and, in contrast to the two smaller models, uses fuller desktop-class parts. A 2.5GHz Pentium dual-core, 3GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and a DVD burner render it a complete system. It likewise has 802.11n Wi-Fi and a 2-megapixel webcam to keep the number of cables to a minimum.
Nokia today said that it would add the N86 8MP to its US roster of phones. The device should be the same as the European model with an absence of local 3G but support for both GSM and EDGE data. As with the original version, the slider pins its hopes on an 8-megapixel camera that overcomes weaknesses of most cameraphones with a mechanical shutter, variable aperture and dedicated controls.
LG Display's CEO on Friday said his company plans to build 32-inch organic light emitting diode (OLED) television panels in 2012. Products using the technology are becoming more common, as OLED products do not require a backlight, which means they can be much thinner than conventional LCD or plasma displays, while offering improved brightness and deeper black levels.
Intel's Developer Forum in late September should mark the formal debut for its Calpella notebook platform and should serve as an opportunity to showcase its upcoming ultra-mobile technology as well, a leak indicated today. As part of an updated product roadmap, the semiconductor firm should provide detailed specs of Calpella and, presumably, the mobile Core i5 and i7 processors it will use. The overall platform is believed to ship in the fall.
Olympus chose Friday to introduce a new generation of its hardened TOUGH-series compact cameras. The mju TOUGH-6010 (to be called the Stylus TOUGH-6010 in the US) is superficially a standard 12-megapixel camera with 3.6X zoom but is waterproof to a depth of 9.8 feet, withstands drops up to 4.9 feet and will avoid freezing at temperatures as low as 14F. Magic Filters are new to the 6010 and, like the Art Filters on the E-P1 and full DSLRs, can either simulate real effects like a pinhole camera's or else strictly artistic visuals like an Andy Warhol-style Pop Art filter.
Collins America today revamped its yet-to-be-released CinemaView displays built for newer Macs with Mini DisplayPort connectors as well as a TV add-on. The new display line is overall larger and will start with the 24-inch model; as before, the CinemaView 24 will bear similarity to Apple's LED Cinema Display but produce a 1080p resolution. The new screen moves from three to four USB ports and now has a 2ms pixel response time and a 1,000:1 static contrast ratio. Its pricing hasn't changed at $499, but its launch has been moved back two months to October.
Blockbuster on Friday unveiled an unusual deal that will see it carry the Archos 10 netbook in its store. The 10-inch portable is billed as a means of accessing Blockbuster's download and rental services on the road and will have a shortcut to the movie store's website. Its version of the system will also be less expensive than normally offered in the US, dropping down to $300.
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