Wednesday, January 27, 2010

iPad has optional keyboard dock, camera connection kit and Apple-designed case

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/ipad-has-optional-keyboard-dock/

This whole time we've been wondering how we'll really get any typing done on Apple's new iPad, and at last we have the answer: an optional keyboard dock! No word on price yet, or whether this will be available at launch -- we'd say "eat your heart out, netbooks" but we won't, because they shouldn't. In even better news, however, the device will also work with standard Bluetooth keyboards like Apple's own wireless QWERTY slabs. Additionally, Apple will be selling a "camera connection kit" to allow you to plug your camera in over USB or use an SD card to import pictures. Finally, there's an Apple-built case for the device that protects the screen, but also doubles as a stand in two different orientations.

Not enough for you? We've got hands-on right here.

iPad has optional keyboard dock, camera connection kit and Apple-designed case originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:31 PM

Apple iPad first hands-on! (update: video!)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/apple-ipad-first-hands-on/

Here it is folks, the Apple iPad. The screen is gorgeous, tilting is responsive, and the thing is super thin. Still, if you've used the iPhone before -- and you can see the two devices side-by-side here -- there's not a lot of surprises here so far. Here are some initial thoughts on the iPad:
  • It's not light. It feels pretty weighty in your hand.
  • The screen is stunning, and it's 1024 x 768. Feels just like a huge iPhone in your hands.
  • The speed of the CPU is something to be marveled at. It is blazingly fast from what we can tell. Webpages loaded up super fast, and scrolling was without a hiccup. Moving into and out of apps was a breeze. Everything flew.
  • There's no multitasking at all. It's a real disappointment. All this power and very little you can do with it at once. No multitasking means no streaming Pandora when you're working in Pages... you can figure it out. It's a real setback for this device.
  • The ebook implementation is about as close as you can get to reading without a stack of bound paper in your hand. The visual stuff really helps flesh out the experience. It may be just for show, but it counts here.
  • No camera. None, nada. Zip. No video conferencing here folks. Hell, it doesn't have an SMS app!
  • It's running iPhone OS 3.2.
  • The keyboard is good, not great. Not quite as responsive as it looked in the demos.
  • No Flash confirmed. So Hulu is out for you, folks!
Update: We've got video, head after the break to check it out!

Continue reading Apple iPad first hands-on! (update: video!)

Apple iPad first hands-on! (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:30 PM

Apple iPad tech specs: rumor vs. reality scorecard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/apple-ipad-tech-specs-rumor-vs-reality-scorecard/


Remember that history of Apple tablet rumors we concocted for you just the other day? Well, we're here to take score now, folks. As you can see from the handy (and magical) chart below, Taiwan Economic News came pretty close to nailing the iPad's specs back September: built-in HSDPA, custom P.A. Semi system on a chip (with the fancy new name Apple A4), 9.6-inch size, February unveiling, and hey -- they were pretty close on that $799 - $999 pricing too. And while iLounge was wrong about some things, they certainly hit this one out of the park: "It's a big iPhone, but it's not a big iPhone." We're going to let you dig into the chart here for yourselves to see who got what right -- and who was terribly, terribly wrong.

Here are just a few of the no-shows today, however -- no camera, no multitasking, no phone, no Verizon, no iPhone OS 4.0, and no Flash anywhere to be seen. There were also no MacBook Pro spec bumps in sight, and no iLife to be found. Well, let's just try to be happy with what we did get, okay? The chart is after the break.

Continue reading Apple iPad tech specs: rumor vs. reality scorecard

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Apple iPad tech specs: rumor vs. reality scorecard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:30 PM

iPhone SDK calls out nonexistent iPad cam, confirms split views and popovers are iPad-specific

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/iphone-sdk-calls-out-nonexistent-ipad-cam-confirms-split-views/

iPhone owners holding out hope that OS 3.2 would bring some of these fancy new iPad spoils to their devices might be in for a disappointment, because two of the big ones -- split view and popovers -- are both referred to in Apple's updated human interface guidelines as "iPad-only." Realistically, this shouldn't come as a surprise; both of these UI elements were built to shine on larger displays, and it's hard to say how you could make either one of them work on HVGA -- but it's important for devs to note that heavily investing in these are definitely going to make it difficult to make their apps compatible across all iPhone OS-powered devices. Considering that iPhones will almost certainly continue to dominate iPads for sales volume, we know how we'd be developing.

In other news, running the updated iPhone simulator in iPad mode gives you the option to take photos, which doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense considering that it doesn't have a camera. There are plenty of plausible explanations for the muck-up, but our guess is that Apple's left the vestigial capability on-board since the framework's already in place for the iPhone and there could very well be iPads down the road that have a cam (or two). Follow the break for a shot of the iPad's Address Book imploring you to take a photo -- and savor it, since it's probably the closest you'll actually get to snapping a shot on the device any time soon.

[Thanks, iPhone Dev and Eric]

Continue reading iPhone SDK calls out nonexistent iPad cam, confirms split views and popovers are iPad-specific

iPhone SDK calls out nonexistent iPad cam, confirms split views and popovers are iPad-specific originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:30 PM

Sanyo bungs 23x optical zoom into Xacti DMX-SH11, Full HD into DMX-CG110

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/sanyo-bungs-23x-optical-zoom-into-xacti-dmx-sh11-full-hd-into-d/

Ever tried operating a handheld cam at 20x optical zoom? Without a tripod, your recordings tend to look like they were taken in the middle of an earthquake, so quite frankly, we ain't so wildly impressed with Sanyo's 23x-rated SH11 camcorder -- okay, we are, but we thought we'd inform you that that silly large number comes with limited use scenarios. Freshly announced, carrying 16GB of internal storage, and coming to Japan in late April, this is part of Sanyo's Dual Camera series, as its CMOS sensor is capable of 4 megapixel stills as well as 1080i / 30fps video in MPEG-4 format. It'll be joined there by the pistol grip-shaped CG110, which improves on the previous CGs by moving up to Full HD recording, adding 16GB of built-in storage, and even supporting SDXC cards. Check the source links for more.

Sanyo bungs 23x optical zoom into Xacti DMX-SH11, Full HD into DMX-CG110 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Akihabara News  |  sourceSanyo (SH11), (CG110)  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 11:48 AM

Hexagonal interactive OLED gaming tiles likely to cost a bundle, would sure spice up our Wednesday nights

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/hexagonal-interactive-oled-gaming-tiles-likely-to-cost-a-bundle/

We've seen plenty of ways for board games to be revitalized with large touchscreens, but a new concept from the Human Media Lab at Queen's University in Ontario puts the screens and interactivity onto the gaming pieces themselves. The idea would be to use slim, networked touchscreen hexagonal tiles with edge-to-edge OLED displays. The proximity of the tiles to one another, along with gestures performed with the tiles, provides the interactivity, and the occasional branching touchscreen menu selection keeps play humming. Unfortunately, that enabling tech isn't all there yet (at least in university-affordable forms), but the video demo after the break is pretty convincing in its presentation of these ideas in a top-down-projection simulation. Certainly promising, but we're sure not expecting to see this sort of gaming priced within reach of your average Sorry! board anytime soon.

Continue reading Hexagonal interactive OLED gaming tiles likely to cost a bundle, would sure spice up our Wednesday nights

Hexagonal interactive OLED gaming tiles likely to cost a bundle, would sure spice up our Wednesday nights originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Switched  |  sourceHuman Media Lab  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 7:02 AM

Is this the Apple tablet? (update: new image)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/is-this-the-apple-tablet/

Okay, we obviously can't confirm this, but we just got two very interesting images of what certainly looks like a prototype Apple tablet, or what could be the tablet bolted down to a table. It's big -- really big -- and it's running what clearly looks like an iPhone app, although we've never seen an iPhone app with that interface or at that resolution before. We also see a WiFi icon and a cell service indicator, although tragically there's no carrier listed. As far as fakes go, this is as convincing as it gets, so either this is the real deal or someone deserves a hearty congratulations.

On a totally separate note, we also received a tip claiming to have some specs -- we can't verify any of this either, but we're told that the device will have a 10-inch screen and look like a larger iPhone with a MacBook-like aluminum back, and that pricing will run $800 on contract with Verizon and $1000 without when it arrives in March. We're also told that the official name remains a secret and that Apple employees are still calling it by the codename of "K48" -- a name we last heard in May from the same source that pegged the iPhone 3GS exactly. This source also tells us that the iPhone will be coming to Verizon as well and that we'll see iLife '10 tomorrow, but there won't be any MacBook updates. A relatively safe set of predictions -- which is why we sort of believe them.

Just 13 hours to go -- we'll find out if any of this is the real deal soon enough.

Update: Based on some rough measurements, that screen does appear to be between 9- and 10-inches diagonal. Additionally, it looks as though there could be a front-facing camera on the opposite side of the home button (up top in these photos) due to that cutout section, though the images are really too grainy to know for certain.

Update 2: Our source has shared another photograph, this time showing an iPhone resting on the tablet for comparison. Check it out after the break (bigger image for inspection available in the gallery).

Continue reading Is this the Apple tablet? (update: new image)

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Is this the Apple tablet? (update: new image) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 7:02 AM

Pressure-sensitive touchscreens show up on the not too distant horizon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/pressure-sensitive-touchscreens-show-up-on-the-not-too-distant-h/

Ever heard of quantum tunneling? It's the basis for the latest approach to gather steam in the never-ending quest to endue touchscreens with force recognition, and its promises are as lofty as you'd expect. Developed by UK researchers Peratech, this new methodology revolves around a 75-micrometer (less than a tenth of a millimeter) quantum tunneling composite, which display makers can add to their screens relatively cheaply and painlessly. The pressure-sensing layer consumes no power when it isn't depressed and requires a miniscule two micrometers of movement to register a touch. Japanese display maker Nissha (who counts LG and Nintendo among its customers) has grabbed a license and we're even hearing devices could be coming out as soon as April. Check the Peratech site for more info.

Pressure-sensitive touchscreens show up on the not too distant horizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMIT Technology Review  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 7:01 AM

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Apple, the iPhone Company [Apple]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/9IJFaADoLr0/apple-the-iphone-company

Apple watchers can now see how truly huge the company's iPhone business has become, thanks to a new accounting method the company started using this past quarter.

In less than three years, the iPhone has grown to become Apple's biggest business—up from zero.

Specifically, during Apple's December quarter, the company reported $5.6 billion of iPhone-related revenue, up 90% year-over-year. That edged out the Mac business ($4.5 billion) and iPod business ($3.4 billion) for the second quarter in a row and the third time ever. It was the first time the iPhone has beat the Mac and iPod businesses by more than $1 billion each.

And this despite Apple missing Wall Street's expectations for iPhone sales, thanks to increased competition from Google Android and other smartphones.

Why the new visibility? During the quarter, Apple started taking advantage of new accounting rules that lets it report the vast majority of revenue from iPhones and Apple TV devices immediately. Previously, it had to spread the revenue over 24 months to account for free software updates it would offer those customers.



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Posted by Augustine at 9:07 PM

Active Media Products adds 128GB model to SaberTooth ZX 1.8-inch SSD series

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/active-media-products-adds-128gb-model-to-sabertooth-zx-1-8-inch/

You know, it's rather cute of Active Media Products to have a range of 1.8-inch PATA ZIF SSDs, and today it's added a precious 128GB model to its ferociously named SaberTooth ZX family. Like its 32GB and 64GB siblings, this new addition does sequential reading at up to 80MB/s and writing at up to 38MB/s -- nothing thrilling here, unless you're clinging onto an aging MacBook Air, Dell Latitude XT, Acer Aspire One or any PATA ZIF compatible rig. You can get the 128GB model on Amazon now for $379.95 (ouch), while 32GB and 64GB models are currently at $119.95 and $199.95, respectively.

Continue reading Active Media Products adds 128GB model to SaberTooth ZX 1.8-inch SSD series

Active Media Products adds 128GB model to SaberTooth ZX 1.8-inch SSD series originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourceActive Media Products  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 8:57 PM

Google Voice comes to iPhone and webOS, as a web app

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/google-voice-comes-to-iphone-and-webos-as-a-web-app/

FCC investigation be damned, Google has finally managed to bypass the App Store and release Google Voice to the iPhone (and webOS, too) the same way it pulled off Latitude, i.e. via a HTML5-based web app. According to Senior Product Manager Vincent Paquet, it should work with any HTML5-compliant device, although the formatting at this point has been tailored to Apple and Palm's platforms. So here's how it works: much like with its mobile Gmail site, the app caches your contacts list in a browser page. All the usual GV functionality is there, writing SMS messages, checking your inbox, and even listening to voicemails (although that latter functionality wasn't working for us yet in our trials). Placing phone calls is an interesting trick: as pictured above, after you choose the recipient, the app prompts you to call one of Google's local numbers via the native dialer -- even for international calls, hence the lower rates by paying through Google. The recipient will see your proper GV digits, and upside with this method is you'll still be able to utilize call waiting and background usage. The catch, of course, is a call history littered with random numbers. It's not a perfect solution by any means -- if anything, take solace in an assortment of home screen icons for each section of the app -- but it's probably the best we're gonna get for the time being. The page should be up and running later today, so if you're anxious, direct your mobile browser to voice.google.com and just keep hittin! g refres h.

Google Voice comes to iPhone and webOS, as a web app originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:57 PM

Nokia X6 16GB announced, Comes Without Music

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/nokia-x6-16gb-announced-comes-without-music/

Nokia's just announced a 16GB version of its crowd pleasing, capacitive touchscreen X6 to compliment the current 32GB model. As expected, the new handset offers many similarities to its sibling, including a 3.2-inch widescreen capacitive display and 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a dual LED flash. Unfortunately, this device is Comes with Music-deficient, meaning that you'll have to load tunes onto the device the old fashioned way (though it's not like that ever seemed like a big deal to begin with). In addition to EA's Spore, this bad boy includes Asphalt4 and DJ Mix Tour by Gameloft and an all-new Ovi Maps (with free walk and drive navigation, Michelin and Lonely Planet guides). Available in four colors, including black, white, white with yellow highlights, and white with pink highlights. Expect to see this one roll out sometime this quarter for a price to be announced.

Nokia X6 16GB announced, Comes Without Music originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:56 PM

Seagate teams with LSI to enter PCIe-based SSD game

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/seagate-teams-with-lsi-to-enter-pcie-based-ssd-game/

Seagate didn't bother serving up a gaggle of new wares at CES this year, but judging by its release shot out today, it's hoping to make a serious splash in the SSD market a bit later on. Thanks to collaboration from LSI, the outfit is expected to deliver its own line of PCI Express-based solid state storage solutions. We're guessing these devices will be similar in scope to the PCIe SSDs already outed by Fusion-io and OCZ Technology, but at least initially, they'll be aimed squarely at the enterprise market. We're hoping that's just a beta test (of sorts) and that performance-minded desktop users will be able to snap one up at their local Best Buy in short order -- too bad we've no assurance that these will be priced within the realm of feasibility, though.

Seagate teams with LSI to enter PCIe-based SSD game originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceHot Hardware  | Email this | Comments

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Posted by Augustine at 8:56 PM

MSI Wind U135 should be available for as low as $310

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/msi-wind-u135-officially-available-for-as-low-as-310/

You better watch it, Acer -- it looks like MSI is getting real close to undercutting your $299 Aspire One 532h netbook with its $309.99 Pine Trail-powered Wind U135. Taiwanese manufacturer disputes aside, not much has changed with the Wind U135 since we brought you our impressions, but we remind you that $305 buys you a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N450, 1GB of RAM, an 160GB hard drive and Windows 7 Starter. If you need a bit more storage, you can shell out an extra 20 bucks for the 250GB version. And the cheap netbook race continues... Check the full PR after the break.

Continue reading MSI Wind U135 should be available for as low as $310

MSI Wind U135 should be available for as low as $310 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 8:54 PM

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