Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, June 03, 2010

What is the next industry to go the way of typewriter repair stores? Is your industry about to be obsoleted?

Nokia E73 Mode brings a familiar form factor to T-Mobile US on the cheap

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/nokia-e73-mode-brings-a-familiar-form-factor-to-t-mobile-us-on-t/

Say what you will about Nokia's software, there's no faulting the E70-series of QWERTY candybars, which marry delectable keyboards with thin, classy, and surprisingly rugged design -- and of course top it off with an almost-just-too-small screen. The latest of these is the new Nokia E73 Mode for T-Mobile US (that's right, a Nokia phone on a US carrier!), which will start shipping on June 16th. The S60 handset has a 5 megapixel camera with flash and autofocus, WiFi, free turn by turn Ovi Maps, and not much more to speak of to set it apart from its predecessors, which is a good or bad thing depending upon what you want out of a phone. The best news, however, is that it's retailing for $69.99 on a two year contract. PR is after the break.

Gallery: Nokia E73 Mode press shots

Continue reading Nokia E73 Mode brings a familiar form factor to T-Mobile US on the cheap

Nokia E73 Mode brings a familiar form factor to T-Mobile US on the cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plextor gets all zen with PlexMedia: a modular, network-attached Blu-ray player

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/plextor-gets-all-zen-with-plexmedia-a-modular-network-attached/

It's not often we come across an external drive that looks like anything but a brick, so we were pleasantly surprised to see Plextor demoing something a little more svelte at Computex. We can tell the PlexMedia network attached media player (bottom) is a looker right off the bat, but it truly becomes useful when you plug in the PX-B120U (top) designed to go with it. The combination is a fully-functional Blu-ray disc player that apparently outputs to a TV, but the smaller box can also detach, slip into your bookbag and become an external Blu-ray drive for your PC. Since there's no specs or pics of the unit's rear, we honestly have no idea how it accomplishes either, but we imagine the info will spontaneously pop into our being if we stare long enough at those azure ripples, and thus complete our meditation. On the off-chance that doesn't work, we've also dispatched a carrier pigeon to Plextor HQ for the answers; in the meanwhile, you can peruse the presser after the break.

Continue reading Plextor gets all zen with PlexMedia: a modular, network-attached Blu-ray player

Plextor gets all zen with PlexMedia: a modular, network-attached Blu-ray player originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kazaa Creators Launch New Music Subscription Service [Music]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5554065/kazaa-creators-launch-new-music-subscription-service

The folks behind popular file-sharing program Kazaa are launching a new music subscription service called Rdio. From the sounds of things, it'll be similar to existing subscription services, but with a social element:

Rdio is betting in part on its social elements - the ability to follow friends on the site, see what they are listening to and see a list of the most popular music among people you know.

Beyond that feature, Rdio doesn't seem to be bringing anything terribly new to the table:

Rdio will charge $5 to $10 a month for unlimited access to a large music catalog, including songs from the major record labels. [...] Rdio customers paying the full amount will be able to stream and store songs on a range of mobile devices, beginning with the BlackBerry and iPhone, and soon, phones running the Android operating system from Google.

Worth the monthly fee? [NYT]

Photo by Jim Wilson/NYT

What the Next Apple TV Could and Should Be [Concepts]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5554017/the-new-apple-tv-could-be-big-hit

If the rumors are true, the next Apple TV will be a cloud-connected, iPhone-based device. Not only it makes sense, but it's the only way they can create a best-of-breed gadget that can best Google TV, and be truly successful.

In order for that to happen, this is what the new Apple TV should be:

It should be infinitely expandable and customizable using applications
Everyone is familiar with the applications model, which has become a natural way to add new functions to our gadgets. Of course, the Apple TV applications' user interface and controls would need to be tailored for the new device, but that's not hard to imagine, since Apple is already pushing two interface models with iPhone/iPod and iPad.

It will play any video file in any format in your network
Applications like Netflix, the ABC player, and Hulu (whenever it comes) would be there, providing with on-demand access to tons of content. Apple's own video library will be there too, and probably others—like Amazon's.

But the key for making this a completely successful device should be the ability to play any video format present in your network, from a DVD in your desktop PC to any ripped movie in a network disk. Thanks to applications like Air Video, this would be possible.

It will be a video game console
Given the amount of games available for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad, this is a given. The only problem here is the user interface, but Apple has already solved that. First, the existing developer tools support external controlling devices via Bluetooth. There have not been any of these out yet, but it's only logical to think that the new Apple TV would play games using external controllers, but also...

It should be completely integrated with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
The current iDevices will make perfect controlling surfaces. Developers should be able to use them in new ways. Like with the iPad, a family would be able to play a game like Risk or Scrabble, using their iPod touch or iPhones as controlling devices, with the main display on the TV. Or you could be able to play a racing or a space combat or a strategy or a role-playing game using an iPad or iPhone as your control device.

And of course, it only makes sense that you would be able to take total control of the Apple TV using the iPad or iPod touch, like you can take control of iTunes using the Apple Remote application. I can imagine browsing Netflix on my iPad, choose a movie, and have it play automatically in this new Apple TV. In fact, given its rumored $99 price, it's not hard to imagine people getting the Apple TV as a complement to their iPad.

Apple needs to do the above to have a successful presence in the living room before Google TV takes over it. They can't afford to have the crap they have right now. If they can nail the wishlist above for $99, they will have a winner.

Aava Virta Android reference platform will be the first shipping Moorestown smartphone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/02/aava-virta-android-moorestown-reference-platform-will-be-the-fir/

Sure, Intel might not be planning for Moorestown-based smartphones to hit the market for at least another six months, and the LG GW990 might have died a quiet death, but that's not stopping Aava from getting right in the game with its Virta Android, an Atom Z600-based reference smartphone designed for developer testing. Slated to ship in Q3, the Virta features a Moorestown processor, a 3.8-inch 864 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, quad-band EDGE radios with AT&T 3G support, WiFi, Bluetooth, a five megapixel video camera, and a microSD slot. We're assuming the shipping version will look a lot like the prototype Aava device we've been seeing for a while now, but Aava has some fancier renders up on its site, so we'll see what happens and how much this costs when this thing arrives.

Continue reading Aava Virta Android reference platform will be the first shipping Moorestown smartphone

Aava Virta Android reference platform will be the first shipping Moorestown smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our t erms for use of feeds.

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iPad Camera Connection Kit a commodity item, now fetches $100+ on eBay

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/02/ipad-camera-connection-kit-a-commodity-item-now-fetches-100-o/

Now that the USB-wielding cat's out of the bag, it's looking like supplies of the iPad Camera Connection Kit aren't keeping up with demand -- one Engadget reader tipped us off to the fact that the $30 attachments are worth up to $180 on eBay. A quick bit of sleuthing showed that Apple's actually still selling the things -- they're simply backordered, with a three to four week shipping delay -- but sure enough, niche e-tailers currently list the dongles for as much as $150, and eBay auctioneers are finding the kits sell for two to five times the original MSRP. If your external HDD experiments didn't work out the way you'd liked, at least you can be sure you'll get your money back.

[Thanks, Paul P.]

iPad Camera Connection Kit a commodity item, now fetches $100+ on eBay originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC EVO 4Gs flooding into Best Buys, some Radio Shacks opening at 6AM on Friday

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/02/htc-evo-4gs-flooding-into-best-buys-some-radio-shacks-opening-a/

EVO fever -- have you caught it? Things are seriously starting to ramp up in preparation for Friday's festivities, the day that Sprint's EVO 4G hits shelves (though most will likely be sold before they even touch a shelf, truth be told). Radio Shack hit us up with the knowledge earlier today that it'll be opening some locations as early as 6AM -- and what's more, they claim to have "specifically set aside" some units for folks who didn't pre-order, so that might be your best chance. We're also getting a bunch of shots from tipsters who say their Best Buy locations have started taking delivery of the retail units, so at least you'll know they'll be in stock on Friday -- but for how long is another question altogether.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in!]

Gallery: HTC EVO 4Gs flooding into Best Buys, some Radio Shacks opening at 6AM on Friday

HTC EVO 4Gs flooding into Best Buys, some Radio Shacks opening at 6AM on Friday originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ reveals consumer-level RevoDrive PCIe SSD, blazing fast HSDL data interface

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/02/ocz-reveals-consumer-level-revodrive-pcie-ssd-blazing-fast-hsdl/

OCZ has a penchant for doling out new kit at trade shows, and this year's Computex is no different. The star of the new-release show was the RevoDrive, a PCIe card with between 128GB and 480GB of SSD onboard. The unit we saw here in Taipei was near-final, with a pair of SandForce SF-1200 controllers, a daughter board expansion slot (for possibly combining two in a RAID scenario) and a promised starting price of around $400 to $600 (not to mention read / write times of nearly 540MB/sec). Obviously, this hits well below the multi-thousand dollar PCIe SSD options from Fusion-io and company, and it's the first time we've seen PCIe SSD become even remotely affordable. If all goes well, the RevoDrive will start shipping within a few months. In related news, the company also announced that the Vertex 2 line of solid state solutions will be slimmed down for the 1.8-inch form factor (like you'd find in an iPod classic), but details on pricing or availability were nowhere to be found. Lastly, and potentially most importantly, the company revealed a fresh-out-of-the-lab prototype that could significantly enhance transfer rates from PCIe devices. Codenamed HSDL (high speed data link; shown above), the solution combines an industry standard SAS connector with an OCZ-built PCIe board in order to enable transfer rates as high as 20Gbit/sec. The company said a final product is at least six months out, but it's already toying with the idea of selling a single and quad-slot card in due time. Peek the gallery below for more of what's to come.

Gallery: OCZ RevoDrive and HSDL data interface hands-on at Computex 2010

Continue reading OCZ reveals consumer-level RevoDrive PCIe SSD, blazing fast HSDL data interface

OCZ reveals consumer-level RevoDrive PCIe SSD, blazing fast HSDL data interface originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASRock AIWI turns your iPhone / iPod touch into HTPC motion controller (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/asrock-aiwi-turns-your-iphone-ipod-touch-into-htpc-motion-cont/

You may not think to look at ASRock when considering a new pre-fabricated HTPC, but the company had two new SFF boxes at Computex that could certainly suffice. The Vision 3D (available in black / silver and with or without a Blu-ray drive) was the sleeker of the two, with a minuscule form factor that could easily be tucked beneath your cable box and a Core i5-520M CPU at the helm. Other specs include NVIDIA GeForce 300 / 400 series graphics, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 2.5-inch 500GB hard drive, slot-loading optical drive, 7.1-channel audio (with a fancy THX certification logo, to boot), gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi and a bundled remote. The other guy (Core 100 / 200 series) looks an awful lot like the S330 that we spotted at CeBIT last year, offering a Core i3-330M CPU, integrated Intel graphics, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a Blu-ray combo drive and the same general port arrangement as the Vision 3D. Both units will ship with Windows 7 Home Premium, though no pricing or release date information was available.

In related news, the company was also showing off its newly released AIWI solution, which consists of an iPod touch / iPhone app and a lightweight application that runs on ASRock motherboards in order to allow for motion control gaming with an iDevice you already own. The demo that we saw here in Taiwan was perfectly seamless, and the responsiveness was on par with Nintendo's Wiimote. Apparently this is designed to be used exclusively with ASRock mobos (whereas similar alternatives from Sixense can work with any setup), but it's still a solid addition for those who tend to end up with ASRock-labeled gear. Enough yappin' -- head on past the break to catch the action yourself.

Gallery: ASRock HTPCs and AIWI motion control system at Computex 2010

Continue reading ASRock AIWI turns your iPhone / iPod touch into HTPC motion controller (video)

ASRock AIWI turns your iPhone / iPod touch into HTPC motion controller (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 tablet prototype preview

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/microsoft-windows-embedded-compact-7-tablet-prototype-hands-on/

So, there may never be a Windows 7 Phone tablet, but that device above looks pretty darn close to what one may have looked like. In actuality that's just the tablet that Microsoft has been using at Computex to demo its new Windows Embedded Compact 7 supporting Silverlight for Windows Embedded, Flash 10.1, and multitouch within the browser. We caught a few minutes with the NVIDIA Tegra 2-powered, 8.9-inch slate and found ourselves drooling over the Zune / Windows Phone 7-like interface that had been built by Microsoft. But before we tell you to jump past the break to check out the short demo, we want to break the news to you that this UI was created just to show off the capabilities of the new CE platform -- there's no plan to bring it to market as is on Microsoft's end at the moment. Instead manufacturers, like ASUS and others, have to do their own engineering with the preview release and then the RTM build that will come later this year. But we certainly wouldn't object to one of those companies creating something similar to what you are about to witness in the gallery and video below.

Gallery: Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 prototype tablet

Continue reading Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 tablet prototype preview

Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 tablet prototype preview originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S launches in Europe, hitting US 'later this year'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/samsung-galaxy-s-launches-in-europe-hitting-us-later-this-year/

So that simultaneous global launch isn't going to materialize quite as we were told, but Samsung is indeed bringing the Galaxy S to the widest possible audience. The Korean giant has made its 2010 flagship official in Europe today, meaning you should be able to sign your life away to your favorite carrier in exchange for it very soon indeed. We're told the 4-incher will be making its American debut later in the year, though a protracted delay appears unlikely. Pricing on the Galaxy S might not turn out to be all that democratic, but its comprehensive choice of more than 100 global carriers sure will be, and might suggest we'll get a choice of networks when the phone finally makes its way Stateside. Hang tight, gringos, not long to go now.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S launches in Europe, hitting US 'later this year'

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Galaxy S launches in Europe, hitting US 'later this year' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DoubleTwist adds some polish to Android with new media player app

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/android-upgrades-itself-with-doubletwist-media-player-app/

Peruse the Android Market this morrow and you might come across a hot new addition from the folks at DoubleTwist. That's right, the iTunes-aping desktop sync manager has gone native on the Android platform and early feedback on its media player implementation has been positive. The free music and video player app does that whole seamless thing quite well, apparently, interfacing directly with your Windows or Mac computerino and porting over relevant playlists, ratings and media. A widget and other features are coming soon, though you'll likely have to pay for them, given the "free for a limited time" note on the download page. Better get it while the gettin's good.

DoubleTwist adds some polish to Android with new media player app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 05:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zoom H1 Handy Recorder captures 24-bit, 96 kHz stereo for $99

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/zoom-h1-handy-recorder-captures-24-bit-96-khz-stereo-for-99/

Samson's attempt to break into the Flip-dominated portable video space didn't hit all the right notes, so the company's gone back to basics with a new handheld audio recorder -- as delightfully basic as it could go. The Zoom H1 doesn't have fancy 4-channel recording schemes or a triple-capsule mic; it's merely a twin X/Y stereo recorder that does 24-bit / 96-kHz audio at an unheard-of $99 price. With a reported 10 hours of battery life on a single AA cell, up to 32GB of removable microSDHC storage and loads of physical controls, it already feels like an obvious choice for students, journalists and the like, but of course all that's just on paper -- we'll be waiting till its July 30th debut to hear if the unit performs as positively in real life. PR after the break.

Continue reading Zoom H1 Handy Recorder captures 24-bit, 96 kHz stereo for $99

Zoom H1 Handy Recorder captures 24-bit, 96 kHz stereo for $99 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HomePipe streams your iTunes to Android, other files too

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/homepipe-streams-your-itunes-to-android-other-files-too/

Need another way to get your tunes (whether they be i-prefixed or not) onto your Android celly? HomePipe is the latest, a service offering easy access to files on your home computer via your cellphone. It's been available for Apple devices for some time now, but a recently added Android app extends the reach of its plumbing system. That mobile app works in conjunction with a desktop version acting as a server, pushing photos, documents, and lots of types of media -- including iTunes. HomePipe claims this makes it the "first to ever stream home iTunes music to Google's Android," but having played with Michael Robertson's MP3tunes service, which uploads your music library to the cloud and allows access from Android handsets, we're happy to assure the service that it is at least the second. Still, it sounds mighty handy, and for the bargain price of free it's definitely worth a shot. Video demo and full press release is just below.

Continue reading HomePipe streams your iTunes to Android, other files too

HomePipe streams your iTunes to Android, other files too originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 07:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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