Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, August 01, 2008

Nokia dropping phone prices, going in for the kill

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/351700092/

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia's doing far better than rivals like Sony Ericsson and Motorola, but it's not going to let up while it's ahead -- the cellphone maker is reportedly cutting prices across the board in order to increase pressure on the competition. The biggest cuts are on the 5310 / 5610 music phones and the 8GB N81, but most other handsets have seen price decreases of up to 10 percent as well. The move is something of a surprise, with one analyst calling it a "Crazy Ivan," which is probably the first time The Hunt For Red October has ever been employed to describe the actions of a multinational corporation. So, Espoo -- does this mean the Tube is going to be crazy cheap, or what?

[Via Phone Scoop]

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Sylvania's G netbook gets some specs

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/351749613/

Filed under: Laptops

We weren't expecting much out of Sylvania's followup to its random Cloudbook rebrand, but some specs on the new netbook just hit the wires, and they're pretty respectable -- especially if this thing comes in at the $299 price target. Sure, it's still ugly, but you'll be getting a 1.6GHz Intel Atom, 1GB of RAM, an 80GB disk, and an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 screen with an integrated webcam with either XP or Ubuntu Netbook Remix, which is a pretty hot deal -- you listening, ASUS?

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KNGT offers up Windows XP-powered icom MK1 carputer

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/351812861/

Filed under: Desktops, Transportation

We genuinely hope you don't value your dash very much, because a great deal of it will vanish if you opt to install KNGT's icom MK1.The full-fledged car computer wows passengers and drivers alike with its 6.95-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, on-screen QWERTY keyboard, wireless connectivity and mobile TV (T-DMB) tuner. Furthermore, you'll find a 40GB / 80GB hard drive, upwards of 2GB of RAM, a few USB 2.0 ports, a 1.6GHz Intel CPU and Windows XP running the show. You know all those threats you made when you were younger about heading out and just living in your '79 Riviera? Following through just got a whole lot easier.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

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Tether your iPhone, wirelessly. Maybe. (updated with video)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/352113735/

Filed under: Cellphones

We're not sure how this one got past Apple's App Store censors, but the clever kids at Nullriver have released what appears to be the first tethering solution for the iPhone. The $10 NetShare app is just a SOCKS proxy that links an ad-hoc WiFi network to the iPhone's 3G or EDGE connection -- and if we could get it to work, we'd probably think it was a fine, if hacky, solution to a major limitation of Steve's baby. As it stands, though, the instructions are pretty sparse, and while we can get the app to recognize a connection, we're not able to actually load anything. We're not sure how long this one's going to last -- anyone else willing to give it a shot before it gets yanked?

[Thanks, Zoli; Warning, link opens iTunes]

Update: Aaaaand it's offline. Shocking.

Update 2: We've added our own video hands-on after the break.

Continue reading Tether your iPhone, wirelessly. Maybe. (updated with video)

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Leaf rolls out wide frame AFi 10 camera system

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/352246993/

Filed under: Digital Cameras

It looks like those that found Phase One's 60-megapixel P65+ camera a bit too much for them but Hasselblad's 50-megapixel H3DII-50 somehow lacking may now finally have the answer they've been looking for, as Leaf has just introduced its new 56-megapixel AFi 10 camera system. This one's main selling point is its 56mm true wide frame sensor that Leaf designed with DALSA, which promises to "take you to the edge of the medium-format frame." Apart from that, you can expect a one frame per second capture time, exposure times up to a minute, light sensitivity from ISO 50 to 800 and, of course, some 171MB file sizes to impress your friends with. No word on a price and, quite frankly, we're a little hesitant to ask.

[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]

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FujiFilm's 10 megapixel S2000HD with 15x wide angle zoom quietly introduced

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/352394790/

Filed under: Digital Cameras

FujiFilm Canada seems to have jumped the gun and outed a whole suite of cameras this morning. Starting with the headliner, we've got this 10 megapixel FinePix S2000HD with 15x wide angle zoom and 2.7-inch LCD. Listing for a thrifty CA$300, the S2000HD features a 1/2.3-inch CCD capable of capturing 3 megapixel images at 13.5fps and up to 6400 ISO at 5 megapixels with the help of FujiFilm's dual image stabilization. And "HD" in the name can mean only one thing: this cam also shoots HD video (720p Motion JPEG) in a pinch. No delivery date but we expect that to get sorted just as soon as this becomes officially official.

[Via 1001noisycameras and dpReview]

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ASUS loops all the way around with the Eee PC 701SD

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/352506449/

Filed under: Laptops

Hey, you remember the Eee PC 701, right? The original netbook, before the category even had a name? The machine we all just called the Eee PC before ASUS booted out an insane array of lightly-differentiated models with a somewhat random naming scheme? Yeah, well, it's still around, even if the 901 has taken over as the Eee of choice, and if those slides from earlier are to be believed, it's getting a spec bump. Laptop says the new 701SD will get an Atom processor to go along with a minor case redesign, and come in a few flavors (of course): 701, 701SD, 701SD(30GB HD), 701SD-4G. Sadly, there isn't any info about pricing available, but with cheap netbooks headed toward $299 and below, here's hoping ASUS gives us a reason to love the 701 once again.

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MotionPlus co-developer shows off with LiveMove 2 video

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/352536779/

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Nintendo may not have been totally forthcoming with third-party devs about its MotionPlus add-on, but no secrets (okay, maybe a few) were withheld from AiLive. As it turns out, said outfit actually collaborated with Nintendo in order to create the MotionPlus hardware, and it's extra kindly offering up LiveMove 2 "to help game developers take full advantage of its capabilities." According to the company, LiveMove 2 can slash up to half a year off of the time required to tie basic functionality of the device into a game, though we're obviously in no position to confirm / deny. For the small minority that cares more about how MotionPlus works rather than just accepting the fact that it does, check out the read link for a few geektastic vids.

[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]

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Thursday, July 31, 2008

Flickr Commons (Library of Congress Project)

Newser) – Flickr users are helping the Library of Congress identify photos in its historical archives, reports USA Today. So far, users have supplied information on 500 photos featured in Flickr's "The Commons" project, which drew 8.2 million views in just 6 months. Both partners are "stunned by the level of knowledge and also the generosity" of contributors, says one Flickr rep.

The LOC teamed with Flickr last year to publicize its collection of copyright-free, public-domain photos, uploading more than 4,000 dating from the 1900s to the 1940s, and adding 50 more each week. Flickr users have since posted more than 5,000 comments, helping to identify people, places, machines, and even airplanes.

Dell slots in 24-inch widescreen S2409W LCD monitor

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/349392494/

Filed under: Displays

Just over a month after Dell added in a new 27-incher to its (admittedly unwieldy) LCD monitor family, along comes a sibling with a few less pixels and a much smaller price tag. The 24-inch widescreen S2409W checks in with a 1,920 x 1,080 panel, 300 cd/m2 brightness, 5-millisecond response time, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, VGA / DVI / HDMI sockets, and 160- / 170-degree viewing angles. The best part(s)? It's available for just $379, and it's shipping within one to two days. Hooray!

[Via Electronista]

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WiBrain to offer Atom / SSD / HSDPA-packin' I1 UMPC

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/349427504/

Filed under: Handhelds

Say what you will about the attractiveness (or lack thereof) of WiBrain's line of -- shall we say, unique -- UMPCs, but hardware wise, they're hard to bang on. The B1 just recently saw an update that added in a succulent SSD, and the all new I1 looks to share in that joyousness while also including two more tidbits we've been longing for. According to early reports, the I1 will feature a tweaked B1 design with a mildly updated casing, but the real fun is within; we're talking a 1.1GHz / 1.3GHz Intel Atom CPU, SSD options as roomy as 64GB, Windows XP or Linux running the show, 6-hours of battery life when browsing and a drool-worthy HSDPA module. Pricing has yet to be disclosed, but we are told to expect a worldwide launch (yes, including North America) in October.

[Via Pocketables, thanks Jenn]

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India developing $10 laptop, Gartner says $100 laptop "at least three years away." We're confused.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/349484853/

Filed under: Laptops

A pair of Indian universities -- the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Technology -- have teamed up to produce a $10 laptop for "higher education applications." The Indian government is clearly involved in the project, and there's no telling if that price involves subsidies, but however and whenever they pull it off, a $10 laptop would certainly be landmark event for all parties involved. To supplement the project, the government is also working on a low-power, low-priced access device to help with internet proliferation. On the other side of the world, the folks at Gartner have tacked on an extra zero, and are saying that a $100 laptop "will not be a realistic target for the next three years," and that the pursuit of such a pricepoint could be detrimental to companies chasing the mini laptop market. While Sony's Mike Abary might agree with the conclusion, one little fact disagrees with the premise: Jointech's $99 laptop (pictured). We know, the truth hurts.

Read - India's $10 laptop
Read - Gartner says $100 laptop is three years away

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NVIDIA's sub-$100 GeForce 9500 GT gets introduced and reviewed

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/349533359/

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Peripherals

Should the GTX 280 be a bit too rich for your blood, NVIDIA's lookin' out. Introduced (and reviewed) today, the PCIe 2.0-compatible GeForce 9500 GT checks in a few bucks south of $100 depending on where you go and provides a 550MHz core clock, 1,400MHz shader clock, 32 stream processors, 800MHz memory clock, 256MB / 512MB of RAM and twin dual-link DVI ports. Assuming the specifications meet your standards, you're probably curious about performance. Based on the first reviews, it was found to be "measurably faster than the Radeon HD 3650, and pretty much on par with the GeForce 8600 GTS." For under a C-note, it's a solid buy for those okay with being a few steps behind, and HTPC builders will find the low power consumption, quiet operation and small size to be quite appealing. Check out the links below for pages upon pages of in-depth coverage.

Read - Introduction, benchmarks and review
Read - Benchmarks, images and another review

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VIA Nano and Intel's Atom benchmarked head-to-head

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/349644141/

Filed under: Laptops

Netbooks based on VIA's Nano mobile processor aren't nearly as common as those based on Intel's Atom, but based on the benchmarking that's been going on recently, that's a shame, since the Nano appears to be much faster than the Atom 230. PC Perspective, Eee PC News, and Hot Hardware all ran some tests recently, and a 1.8GHz Nano L2100 with Chrome9 graphics was usually able to outperform a 1.6GHz Atom 230 with GMA950 graphics at everything from MP3 ripping to 3D benchmarking. Of course, that's not without a tradeoff -- the Nano was a bit more power-hungry, and the Atom's memory and graphics systems were occasionally faster than the Nano's. Still, it seems like the Nano has more raw horsepower than the Atom -- and it's pin-compatible with VIA's popular C7M, so hopefully we'll be seeing machines like HP's Mini-Note make the jump relatively soon.

Read - PC Perspective results
Read - Hot Hardware results
Read - Eee PC News results

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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Samsung unveils latest Series 6 Touch of Color LCD HDTVs

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/349867648/

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Samsung treated us to a few new HDTV lineups just last week, but apparently one of the fresh families managed to slip through the cracks. The all new Series 6 -- not to be confused with the widely available 650 Series -- consists of the 40-inch LN40A630, 46-inch LN46A630, and the 52-inch LN52A630. Each set provides a 1080p panel, 120Hz technology, the outfit's Touch of Color bezel design, three HDMI 1.3 ports and a USB socket for accessing digital photos and the like. Expect the trifecta to ship sometime next month for $1,699.99, $2,099.99, and $2,699.99, respectively.

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