Sunday, February 08, 2009

New 3D software tracks peoples' location in buildings

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/06/new-3d-software-tracks-peoples-location-in-buildings/


It's not exactly the level of technology that'll cause Lucius Fox to storm out of a room, but this new so-called BEAM 3D mapping software developed by a pair of students from the Engineering College of Aarhus is still pretty impressive, and could be of real use to firefighters and others in an emergency. While complete details are a bit light, the software is apparently intended to be paired with a 3D sensor of some sort that's carried through a building by a firefighter or other individual, which relays information back to a handheld device that pinpoints the person's location. The downside, and a fairly big one at that, is that it only works if there's 3D plans of the building pre-loaded on the handheld. No word on a commercial version just yet, but the students did receive a bit of help from software firm Systematic, which is apparently "extremely pleased" with their efforts.

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New 3D software tracks peoples' location in buildings originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel 80GB SSD price cut by one-third, still very expensive

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/06/intel-80gb-ssd-price-cut-by-one-third-still-very-expensive/

Looks like Intel is giving some of its SSDs a more reasonable -- yet still very exorbitant -- price tag. The company has slashed the 2.5-inch 80GB X25-M from $595 in September to now $390. While a 34 percent cut is nothing to scoff at, that's still $90 more expensive than Western Digital's 2TB spinner, which offers 25 times the capacity. The company also recently discounted its 160GB variant 19 percent, from $945 to $765. No reason was given for the markdown, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize the economy isn't looking too kindly on solid state's dollar-to-data ratio.

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Intel 80GB SSD price cut by one-third, still very expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Arena KM900 press photo leaked... by LG

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/06/lg-arena-km900-press-photo-leaked-by-lg/


Guess LG UK apparently can't wait to show the world the new Arena KM900 -- it's published a high-quality press photo on its corporate blog ten days before the official reveal at MWC. This is also our first glimpse of that "S-Class 3D interface," and it's... definitely a spinning 3D cube with some icons on it. No further confirmation on those details we'd heard, but we'll see if this thing is more than just another touchscreen dumbphone wannabe when we get our hands on it.

[Via Unwired View; thanks, staska]

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LG Arena KM900 press photo leaked... by LG originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaked Samsung M7600 phone sports Bang & Olufsen sound, Helio looks

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/06/leaked-samsung-m7600-phone-sports-bang-and-olufsen-sound-helio-lo/


We don't know exactly where this one came from... but these leaked photos appear to be of an Ocean-esque Samsung M7600. Here's what we know about it, spec-wise: it's an HSDPA phone which will have a 3 megapixel camera, GPS, a 2.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, and yes, a Bang & Olufsen amplifier. We understand that it'll also sport some kind of of DJ scratching app -- which should make your nightlife way more interesting -- and that it's supposedly set to appear sometime in May of this year (though we'd be surprised if we don't see more of it at MWC). Check a few more shots after the break, and hit the read link to see the device in all its glory.

Continue reading Leaked Samsung M7600 phone sports Bang & Olufsen sound, Helio looks

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Leaked Samsung M7600 phone sports Bang & Olufsen sound, Helio looks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How would you change HP's TouchSmart tx2z?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/06/how-would-you-change-hps-touchsmart-tx2z/


The TouchSmart tx2z isn't the first multitouch laptop out, but HP's pretty adamant that it's the first multitouch "consumer" convertible tablet. Semantics aside, we're interested in finding out just how impressed you early adopters are with what the company has crafted. Are the multitouch capabilities as awesome as you had hoped? If not, what areas could be improved? Would you still recommend it to prospective buyers looking to give their digits a bit more work? We get the feeling we'll see loads of multitouch laptops gracing our presence over the next few months / years, so make sure you really unload on this one. It's what makes progress possible, people.

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How would you change HP's TouchSmart tx2z? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Kindle 2 launching on Monday -- we'll be there live!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/06/amazon-kindle-2-launching-on-monday-well-be-there-live/


There's not much of a surprise in store now, seeing as we've already seen official photos of Amazon's newest iteration of its e-book reader (and gotten a handful of info on price and release date). Still, we'll be there liveblogging and blowing it out Engadget style come 10AM ET Monday morning -- and who knows, maybe Bezos will announce some other colors.

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Amazon Kindle 2 launching on Monday -- we'll be there live! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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La Fonera 2.0 gets demoed on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/07/la-fonera-2-0-gets-demoed-on-video/


Developers have been able to get their hands on a Fonera 2.0 for some time now, but others haven't been able to do much more than stare at their current Fonera and imagine all the USB devices that'd be so much better connected to it. Now folks can at least get a pretty good idea of what's in store courtesy of a demo video from Fon CEO Martin Varsavsky himself (available after the break), which provides a decent overview of the device and includes a couple of new details. From the looks of it, the router delivers as promised, with it able to get along nicely with a whole host of USB devices including hard drives, printers, or a 3G modem, and make use of plug-ins for everything from Flickr to BitTorrent. What's more, while Varsavsky didn't offer too many specifics, he did throw out €50 or €60 as a possible price point, and said that it should be launching in the next 60 days or so.

[Thanks, estqwerty]

Continue reading La Fonera 2.0 gets demoed on video

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La Fonera 2.0 gets demoed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell's Mini 9 selling for just $249 -- who needs a subsidy?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/07/dells-mini-9-selling-for-just-249-who-needs-a-subsidy/

Dell's Mini 9 selling for just $249, who needs a subsidy?If you thought last month's $99 Mini 9 was just too cheap (unlikely), or were scared off by the two year contract that came along with the offer (rather more likely), check out Dell's latest deal. The company is selling its lowest-spec Mini 9n, offering 512MB of memory and Ubuntu installed on a 4GB SSD, for just $249. That's $100 less one went for for last September. Can't live without Windows? You'll still need to pony up another $50, but will at least get an extra 4GB of storage out of the deal. Surely one of these two bargain portables will fit into your budget and your lifestyle, but don't spend too long deciding which -- this deal expires on February 12.

[Thanks, Justin R.]

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Dell's Mini 9 selling for just $249 -- who needs a subsidy? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 14:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell XT2 specs and availability leaked, launching on Weds?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/07/dell-xt2-specs-and-availability-leaked-launching-on-weds/

Dell XT2 specs and availability leaked, launching on Weds?
It's been a long, long time since the first information about Dell's update to the venerable XT convertible tablet snuck out of Texas, and while we got some choice morsels of information last month, we were still missing any semblance of a release date (that original November 2008 target proved to be a bit optimistic). Now we have what could be the official spec sheet for the series and a date to boot, confirming much of what we'd heard before, like your choice of 1.2GHz SU9300 or 1.4GHz SU9400 Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs, a 12.1-inch multitouch display, up to 5GB of DDR3 memory, and either 80GB worth of platters or 64GB of SSD. Base weight is 3.62 pounds, just over the 3.5 pound target the company had been aiming for, and if this source is correct the machine will be getting an official unveiling on February 11 -- close enough that we'd advise holding off on any other tablet purchases for a few days.

[Thanks, Sam]

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Dell XT2 specs and availability leaked, launching on Weds? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic's HDC-HS300 HD camcorder reviewed, thoroughly enjoyed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/08/panasonics-hdc-hs300-hd-camcorder-reviewed-thoroughly-enjoyed/


Panasonic's HDC-HS300 was unleashed amidst a flurry of other camcorders at CES this year, but according to Trusted Reviews, it won't be hiding under the shadows of everyone else for long. Rather than bogging you down with details, we'll just get right to the punch -- critics didn't hesitate to suggest that this "could well be the best [consumer] camcorder released all year." The most important aspect (yes, we're talking about image quality) was said to be "nothing short of stunning in virtually all conditions," and low light performance was deemed "particularly amazing." There were plenty of outputs, a swank touchscreen LCD and a very impressive cross-shaped array of microphones that could record 5.1 audio. Add all that up, and you've got a real winner; in fact, these guys suggested that even Canon's stellar line of VIXIA camcorders should watch closely, 'cause the HS300 is stepping all up in that rarefied air.

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Panasonic's HDC-HS300 HD camcorder reviewed, thoroughly enjoyed originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Feb 2009 05:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, February 05, 2009

Verizon Buy One Get One Free BlackBerry Sale Starting Feb. 6th [Dealzmodo]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/H_3pWwMR_ZU/verizon-buy-one-get-one-free-blackberry-sale-starting-feb-6th

Whether you have a family plan, you want to give a BlackBerry gift or you're a douche that wants to use two Blackberrys at the same time, Verizon's BOGO sale has you covered.

Starting tomorrow, Verizon Wireless will be giving away free BlackBerrys (of equal or lesser value) with the purchase of a BlackBerry (including the Storm) and a two-year commitment. The promotion runs until March 31st. [BGR]



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JaJah App Now Turns Your iPod touch Into a VoIP Phone [Ipod Touch]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/j1k5OPXTvqg/jajah-app-now-turns-your-ipod-touch-into-a-voip-phone

JaJah is readying their VoIP calling app for the second-gen iPod touch, offering cellphone-esque functionality free of SIM cards and contracts, and provide mobile carriers the JaJah technology to use under their own brand.

To use JaJah on your iPod touch, all you need is a wi-fi connection, and a compatible headset so you can talk. Calls can be placed to any phone, anywhere, and you can even have a real number assigned to your iPod touch that let's you receive calls from any phone.

As for service, you can either purchase call minutes through JaJah, or soon enough, they'll make their service available to mobile carriers, letting them use the technology under their own name, letting customers deal with a company they already know. JaJah says pricing for the iPod touch service will be the same as the rest of their devices, which is to say about 3 cents/minute to other people in the US, and as low as 3.4 cents/minute in parts of Europe.

The App isn't out quite yet, but JaJah expects to have it ready as a free download in the coming weeks. [JaJah]

JAJAH Turns iPod Touch Into an iPhone
White Label Solution Enables Any Carrier to Provide High Quality Calls and text Messaging via the iPod Touch

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — February 5, 2009 — JAJAH, the leading IP telecommunications company, today announced a complete revamp of the iPod touch, turning the device into a fully functioning mobile phone for consumers. The new capability, available as a white label solution, enables carriers as well as non-carriers to launch th! e servic e under their own brand and provide their customers with the ability to make low-cost phone calls and send SMS text messages to any phone in the world from their iPod touch. To use the service, end users only require an iPod touch and a Wi-Fi connection, with no need for a SIM card or contract.

Move over, iPhone
The iPod touch is one of the most popular consumer devices in the world for music, entertainment, Web-browsing and now, making phone calls.

"Millions of people around the world already have an iPod touch in their pocket. With JAJAH's solution, any company can turn their customers' iPod touch into a fully functioning mobile phone," said Trevor Healy, CEO, JAJAH. "The device is particularly popular amongst students, who live in a world where Wi-Fi access is always available and, like everyone, they are looking to save costs, so this is a perfect solution."

JAJAH's next generation IP communications platform gives its partners everything they need to launch the service immediately. This includes the application itself, plus the entire suite of management services, from termination of the calls and quality control, right through to billing and processing payments in 200 countries around the world.

Given the economic downturn, consumers are seeking ways to make calls on any mobile device they own, as inexpensively as possible. "Offering a turnkey solution provides iPod touch users with added value," said Jon Arnold, principal analyst of J Arnold & Associates. "This is a prime example of how JAJAH's innovative platform helps carriers differentiate their services."

Connection made easy ...
Anyone with the latest version of the iPod touch will be able to download the service from the Apple App Store. With a microphone headset (available from Apple), users will immediately be able to make calls and send SMS messages from their device from any Wi-Fi network in the world. Calling costs will be up to 98 percent cheaper than existing rates on mobile networks, and ! in many cases could be free.

A platform for everyone (else)
JAJAH's plug-and-play IP platform is the only service that provides the full suite of services required to develop, deploy and monetize IP communication services anywhere in the world. The JAJAH platform is used by a number of the world's largest companies including Intel, Yahoo! and Comcast, and allows any company to offer value-added-services (VAS) to their customer base with no upfront payment or development work, saving millions for its customers and ensuring partners are prepared for the next generation of service provision.

JAJAH continues to develop innovative communications services. In the coming months the company will announce a range of new data communication services, applications and partnerships. For more information, please visit: www.jajah.com.



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Samsung's SyncMaster U70 is 7-inches of extra real estate

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/05/samsungs-syncmaster-u70-is-7-inches-of-extra-real-estate/


We can't get enough of these cute, fuzzy little add-on displays, and Samsung's chipping in with the new U70 SyncMaster unit which just hit Korea, and is already available in Europe. The 7-inch display runs at a fairly standard 800 x 480 resolution, and plugs into a single USB port for power and image. It's got 200 nits of brightness, a 400:1 contrast ratio and a 140 degree viewing angle, but like most of these displays is unfortunately Windows-only at the moment. You can pick one up for 99 Euro (about $127 US), but no word on whether or when this will make it Stateside.

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Samsung's SyncMaster U70 is 7-inches of extra real estate originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nine-year old writes iPhone app, hates vegetables

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/05/nine-year-old-writes-iphone-app-hates-vegetables/


We've seen plenty of remarkable kids -- the world is just bursting with them -- and Lim Ding Wen, a nine-year-old from Singapore is no exception. Like his father, Wen enjoys writing iPhone apps in his spare time. His application, called Doodle Kids, is a drawing application for children that he wrote for his two younger sisters, who enjoy drawing, and it's already been downloaded over 4,000 times (we just checked in the App Store and it does indeed appear to be quite popular) since its release on February 1st. Wen, who is fluent in six programming languages and enjoys reading books about -- you guessed it -- computer programming, is already hard at work on his next app, a game called "Invader Wars." We can't wait to see that one!

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Nine-year old writes iPhone app, hates vegetables originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujifilm FinePix F200 EXR's photos shown off

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/05/fujifilm-finepix-f200-exrs-photos-shown-off/


We were fairly hopeful that Fujifilm's recently revealed 12 megapixel FinePix F200 EXR point and shoot would produce some great looking shots. Well, the fine folks over at Impress Watch have gotten their hands on one and taken it for a spin. In case you've forgotten, the camera is Fuji's first offering to boast its new 1/1.6-inch Super CCD EXR sensor, and it's got a 3-inch LCD, a 28-mm wide-angle 5x zoom lens, and is capable of 640 x 480 AVI video recording. The photos we're seeing are very crisp and detailed, with excellent color and very low noise. Though we won't know until we see for ourselves (still no word on pricing or availability for this one), we're preliminarily impressed. Check a few more after the break -- hit the read for full comparison shots with explanations.

Update:
It looks like the cam's going to be available some time this month for about $400.

Continue reading Fujifilm FinePix F200 EXR's photos shown off

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Fujifilm FinePix F200 EXR's photos shown off originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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