Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

LG Secret viral ad aims for sexy, ends up squarely at creepy

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314426998/

Look, LG, it's all well and good the Secret has a touchscreen and that sweet DivX-capable 5 megapixel camera, but making a viral video that can only be described as early-90s softcore voodoo porn and ends with a sheepish phone call from the dude's mother is probably not the best way to highlight those qualities. Video after the break -- warning, it's just a hair on the NSFW side.

Continue reading LG Secret viral ad aims for sexy, ends up squarely at creepy

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Verizon pushing FiOS internet to 50Mbps throughout US

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314571404/

Filed under: Networking

With DOCSIS 3.0 (and the corresponding 50Mbps download speeds) being deploying in varying parts of America, Verizon understands what it's up against. Reportedly, the carrier is gearing up to push its 50Mbps FiOS internet -- which is currently only available in a few of its more favored states -- to its entire US footprint. Best of all, we're hearing that all 16 FiOS-enabled states could have access to the service as early as next week, and if you're anxious to sign up, just know that it'll run you $139.95 per month with an annual contract. Thankfully, Verizon is also planning to boost speeds in the basic and middle tiers as well, with the former going from 5Mbps to 10Mbps and the latter going from 15Mbps to 20Mbps. Yeah, we like where this is headed, but we've still got aways to go before we can even sniff Sigbritt Löthberg's connection.

[Via Reuters]

Update: Here's Verizon's official release.

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Samsung Instinct available June 20th for $129.99, strings attached

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314635549/

Filed under: Cellphones

In a move that Sprint clearly hopes will fuel the iPhone vs. Instinct fires, the company today announced that it would be selling its lauded touchscreen phone starting June 20th for a price point of just $129.99. Of course, that takes into account a new two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate, but it still comes in lower than the expected $199.99 price tag we'd been hearing about. Oddly, to activate the phone Sprint stipulates that you have to choose one of their unlimited data plans -- which start at a minimum of $69.99 per month (with 450 minutes of talk-time) -- so monthly costs hover right on level with AT&T's iPhone options... unsurprisingly.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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NEC kicks out 26-inch EA261WM LCD monitor with WUXGA resolution

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314644803/

Filed under: Displays

While Lenovo saw fit to stuff 1,920 x 1,200 pixels into a 22-inch panel, NEC is giving users a little more real estate to work with in its 26-inch EA261WM. The WUXGA LCD monitor is the first member of the newly launched MultiSync Enterprise Advanced (EA) Series and includes a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 400 cd/m2 brightness, 5-millisecond response time, 92% color gamut, 4-port USB hub, 4-way adjustable stand and on-screen display controls in the bezel. Furthermore, you'll find down-firing speakers with a headphone jack, a DVI-D input, cable management cover and an ECO mode for giving Mother Earth (and your power bill) a break. It'll be available this August with a three-year warranty for $679.99.

Gallery: NEC kicks out 26-inch EA261WM LCD monitor with WUXGA resolution

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HTC Touch Diamond surfaces at CompUSA

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314801351/

Filed under: Cellphones

Oh, snap. Just the other day we were bemoaning the fact that the Touch Diamond sent to us courtesy of HTC lacked both HSDPA 850 / 1900 and GSM 850, but according to the product page at CompUSA, the version it's selling has all of those. Yep, a purported quad-band Touch Diamond is seemingly in stock right now for Americans willing to part with $779.99, but remember, all those bills nets you a 2.8-inch VGA display, HSDPA 7.2, Windows Mobile 6.1 and oodles of sexy. Go on, help HTC get one closer to two million this year.

[Thanks, Tom]

Update: Hey look, UKers can get in too. Just £463.99 including VAT. Thanks Leigh!

Update 2: For shame! HTC just pinged us and said this thing is the same as every other Touch Diamond, meaning that North American 3G is not supported.

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Santech rolls out Centrino 2-based X46 laptop

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314829327/

Filed under: Laptops

While we've yet to see the expected flood of Centrino 2-based gear, things certainly seem to be picking up as we near the end of that little delay, with Santech only the latest to debut a laptop based on the platform once known as Montevina. Dubbed the X46, this one comes packing a 15.4-inch WXGA+ display, along with your choice of Core 2 Duo processor up to 2.8GHz, up to 4GB of RAM (plus 2GB of Intel Turbo Memory). a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics card, a max 320GB hard drive (or 200GB if you want to do 7,200 rpm), and your choice of a DVD burner or Blu-ray drive. Look for this one to start shipping in Europe by June 30th, with prices starting around the $1,000 mark for the default configuration.

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Aztech's WL850MS wireless HD media streamer gets detailed

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314894944/

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Believe it or not, Aztech's WL850MS was actually first mentioned way back at CES 2008, but it's just now finding the limelight at CommunicAsia. The well-spec'd unit supports 1080p media streaming over Ethernet or 802.11n WiFi, and you'll likely be thrilled to know that it boasts MIMO antennas for extended coverage and 2.4GHz / 5GHz dual-band capability. You'll also find four 10/100 Ethernet ports for multiple video recipients and a pretty swank enclosure, if we may say so ourselves. Word from Singapore has the unit retailing for around $263, but there's no telling how long we'll have to wait before seeing it on US soil.

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CherryPal announces two-watt, Freescale-based cloud computer

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314910605/

Filed under: Laptops

It looks like the current ranks of green PCs are soon going to have some pretty daunting competition for the low-power throne, with upstart CherryPal announcing that it's about to bust out a cloud computer that'll consume a mere two watts of power. To hit that mark, CherryPal opted for Freescale's new 400MHz MPC5121e mobileGT processor, and eliminated all the moving parts normally found in a PC, which means no optical drive and 4GB of NAND flash memory in place of a regular hard drive. Otherwise, you can expect to get 256MB of RAM, built-in 802.11b/g WiFi, two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, and a VGA port, with a "tweaked version" of Debian apparently serving as the OS. No word on a price just yet, but the company is boldly proclaiming that it'll be the "most affordable on the market."

[Via The Register]

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Pool Crashing in the UK Becomes Latest Google Earth Prank [Dipping]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/314535036/pool-crashing-in-the-uk-becomes-latest-google-earth-prank

The latest craze for teenagers with no place to go except Facebook is "dipping," or gatecrashing someone else's swimming pool. According to the Daily Mail (commenter djheath's favorite publication, if I recall correctly) putative trespassers select their swimming pool using Google Earth, and then notify their mates using social networking sites. The would-be revellers often turn up in fancy dress, and are advised to bring a bike (for a swift getaway). Owners only discover their pool has been dipped when they find a bunch of beer cans floating on the surface the next morning. [Daily Mail]