HTC's Raphael and Diamond: coming to Sprint and looking good

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/275895252/

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

No one really knows whether HTC's May 6 gathering will usher in the age of Android (our guess is still "no"), but let's look a little beyond that, shall we? We've just laid eyes on a handful of documents detailing HTC's efforts to ready the Diamond and Raphael models -- already known to be valid HTC codenames -- for Sprint later this year, and things are definitely looking up in the post-Touch world. The Diamond turns out to be the successor to that very device, lacking a physical keyboard and relying almost exclusively on a large, glossy touchscreen for user input; the Raphael meanwhile (pictured) features a full QWERTY deal and is destined to replace the Mogul. The paperwork's pretty blurry, but it appears that both Windows Mobile devices will feature WiFi, 3 megapixel cameras, and -- get this -- VGA displays. Goodness! The Raphael is currently lined up to be the first out of the gate, hitting the streets in September if everything goes well, with the Diamond following on in November. Surprised that these devices are CDMA-based and Sprint bound? Us too, we admit -- but we'd be shocked if there weren't GSM twins of both of these hotties getting cooked in the lab at the same time.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Gallery: HTC's Raphael and Diamond: coming to Sprint and looking good

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Apple buys P.A. Semi chip designer, Intel says wha?

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/275923081/

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple loves 'em some Intel right? Sure, it was the Intel power-per-watt roadmap which Jobs cited as the reason to ditch IBM's PowerPC platform. Analysts have since been tripping over themselves with speculation about future generation iPhones and iPod touches going Intel -- especially since the arrival of Atom. So what will analysts make of Apple's $278 million in cash purchase of the 150 person P.A. Semi microprocessor design company? The company was founded by Dan Dobberpuhl, lead designer of DEC's doomed Alpha and StrongArm processors, and responsible for the introduction of a 2GHz, 64-bit dual-core microprocessor which in February 2007 was said to be 300% more efficient than comparable chips running at 5 to 13 watts. Forbes speculates that Apple will wrap its ARMs around the company's boutique processor in a bid for exclusivity -- a move meant to differentiate itself from competition based on Intel and other off-the-shelf processors. Interestingly, after a long courtship with P.A. Semi, the acquisition discussions only began in the last few weeks. Say what you want about Jobs, but he's nothing if no! t a man who knows what he wants and makes damn sure he gets it.

Update: Oh shazam! We just remembered that P.A. Semi and Apple had been this close to a deal just prior (as in minutes) to the announced Intel switch in 2006. Interesting, very interesting. Why now Apple?

Read -- P.A. Semi PWRficient processor announcement
Read -- Forbes

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Century's SATA adapter supports 3 CF cards: cheap SSDs for all

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/276008865/

Filed under: Storage

While we patiently wait 18 to 24 months for the CFast CompactFlash cards to arrive, there's always this: the DIY Century Compact Flash to SATA adatper. We've seen these adapters before of course, but this is the first we recall supporting 3x cards. That's a quickie 96GB SSD for about $450 (plus $192.57 for the adapter plus shipping) given current on-line prices. Not bad when you consider the $1,000+ price tag for a smaller 64GB SSD. Better yet, performance should be rock solid based on earlier reviews. In stock with RAID 0 / 5 support starting May 1st.

[Via Akihabara News]

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Samsung expects affordable medium to large OLED displays in 2009 / 2010

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/275280476/

Filed under: Displays

Remember Samsung's 14- and 31-inch OLED panels on display at CES? With any luck, we'll see them hitting assembly lines sometime in the next two years. Woo-Jong Lee, VP Marketing at Samsung SDI says that medium and large size displays like monitors, laptops, and TVs will get the OLED treatment in 2009 and 2010. Nothing we haven't heard before. Still, given the group's recent distractions it's good to hear it again. Samsung is expected to achieve a production capacity of 3 million OLED panels in 2009 (double the current capacity) before hitting 6 million or so in 2010. That type of output should allow Samsung to start pushing down costs in '09 thanks to economies of scale -- good news for consumers. They'd better hurry though; we're this close to dropping $2,500 for Sony's 11-inch XEL-1. Silly, we know, but you'd understand if you've ever seen the display.

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Spectec microSD WiFi card: loose in May, lose in July

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/274672119/

Filed under: Wireless

Announced way back in 2006, we've yet to see the production launch of Spectec's microSD card with built-in 802.11b/g WiFi. Although late, it's still a boon for those of us running WiFi-less HTC Touch Duals, for example. Unfortunately, without any mentioned storage in the specs, you'll be doing a lot of microSD card swapping (and losing) when it ships in May for sampling and then to consumers in July.

[Via PhoneNews]

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