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Monday, May 25, 2009

AT&T prepping Option and Sierra Wireless modems for HSPA+ launch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/25/atandt-prepping-option-and-sierra-wireless-modems-for-hspa-launch/

We know that HSPA+ (also known as HSPA Evolution, depending on who you ask and which side of the bed they got up on that morning) is in the mix for AT&T ahead of LTE, and in order to make that launch a successful one, good data cards are a must. It looks like two of the cards coming out of the gate later this year will be the Option 393 -- an unassuming USB modem with a retractable plug and integrated microSD reader -- and the Sierra "Triple Lindy," a dual form factor ExpressCard in the same vein as the AirCard 402. The 393 will top out at 14.4Mbps down and 5.76Mbps up, while the Triple Lindy really burns rubber with 21.1Mbps down and 11.5Mbps up. Of course, all those speeds are purely theoretical -- but if we can even average 10 to 15 percent of that in real life, we're in good shape.

Filed under: Wireless

AT&T prepping Option and Sierra Wireless modems for HSPA+ launch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 15:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo's Ion-powered IdeaPad S12 shows HD prowess on video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/25/lenovos-ion-powered-ideapad-s12-shows-hd-prowess-on-video/

Lenovo did itself a solid by beating the likes of Acer and ASUS with its Ion-infused IdeaPad S12, and now we're beginning to see a few more details on what performance will be like. We still wish the machine had something a bit more powerful than a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, but despite the fact that it's hobbling along on an aged CPU, the machine seems to handle 3D gaming and 1080p content with poise. The crew over at Notebooks managed to spend a little quiet time with a pre-production version of the S12, and it even managed to host up a few videos while the machine was kicking out content that would make the typical netbook buckle. Feel free to hit the read link to have a look yourself, and be sure to mind the three American SKUs. Here's a preview: the Ion-powered version (read: the one you want) will run $499.99 and include 1GB of RAM, a 6-cell battery and a 160GB hard drive.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

Continue reading Lenovo's Ion-powered IdeaPad S12 shows HD prowess on video

Filed under: Laptops

Lenovo's Ion-powered IdeaPad S12 shows HD prowess on video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 10:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday scoops: Android on AT&T, Palm Eos details, BlackBerry Magnum, and more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/25/sunday-scoops-android-on-atandt-palm-eos-details-blackberry-mag/

Usually, Sundays don't get too crazy at Engadget -- after all, even super-nerds need to rest. That wasn't the case yesterday, however, as we found ourselves knee-deep in a handful of seriously sweet smartphone leaks. Most of the news centered around AT&T's upcoming devices (you know, like its first Android phones, brand new BlackBerry offerings, and... the Palm Eos), but we also saw a few new angles on the Pre. Do yourself a favor and hit all the links below -- you won't be sorry.

AT&T leaks

HTC Lancaster is a QWERTY slider with Android for AT&T
Palm Eos on track for AT&T release second half of 2009
HP triumphantly returns to AT&T with iPAQ K3 "Obsidian"
Blackberry Magnum, Onyx, Pearl 3G, and Gemini to harmonize on AT&T
HTC's Warhawk and Fortress are AT&T's Touch Diamond2 and Pro2
Nokia Grouper, Mako, Snapper, and Thresher rolling deep on AT&T

Pre leaks

Sprint's Pre business launch guide leaked in its entirety
Plethora of Palm Pre interface videos emerge from leaked emulator

Filed under: Cellphones

Sunday scoops: Android on AT&T, Palm Eos details, BlackBerry Magnum, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shuttle goes low-end with VIA-powered ES series nettops

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/25/shuttle-goes-low-end-with-via-powered-es-series-nettops/

Shuttle's small form factor PCs aren't generally the lowest-end options around, but the company looks to be getting down to the basics with its new ES (or Embedded Slim) series nettops, which are apparently set to make their official debut at Computex next week. That of course means that complete details are still a bit light at the moment, but word is the nettops will pack your choice of VIA L or U series processors, the former of which clock in at 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz with some not so great power consumption, while the latter drops down to 1GHz and 1.3GHz with a TDP rating of just 5W or 8W, which also eliminates the need for a fan. No word on a price just yet, unfortunately, but Shuttle should be clearing that up, along with the rest of the specs, soon enough.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Desktops

Shuttle goes low-end with VIA-powered ES series nettops originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 15:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PatchMateXP Creates a Windows Update CD [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/k3awp-dZ094/patchmatexp-creates-a-windows-update-cd

Windows only: Updating your Windows install over a slow connection, or as part of multiple installations, can be a time-consuming pain. PatchMateXP bundles all current updates onto an easy to use deployment disk.

We've covered methods of slipstreaming and creating your own custom Windows update disks before, with tools like Windows Update Maker, AutoPatcher, and nLite. PatchMateXP offers a radically simplified—albeit all or nothing—approach to updating your Windows installation. Updated monthly, PatchMateXP is meant to be burned onto a CD and run from within Windows. It applies every update release for Windows. If you need granular control over your updates to avoid known complications with your hardware, peripherals, or software and a particular Windows update you'll definitely want to skip PatchMateXP and check out the tools above for more selective installation. PatchMateXP is a free tool, Windows only.

PatchMateXP [via gHacks]

What Would You Do with a $40 Computer? [Ask The Readers]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/xJxgjRvKESo/what-would-you-do-with-a-40-computer

A handful of companies are making tiny computers, complete with USB and Ethernet jacks not much bigger than a hefty electrical plug. We're dying to hear how you'd put such a tiny computer to use.

What are these tiny computers we speak of? The chief executive of Marvell Technology Group, one of the companies manufacturing these tiny power-plug sized computers, told the New York Times.

What's in the plug? It's a tiny plastic box that you plug into an electric outlet. There's no display. But there is an Ethernet jack to connect to a home network and a USB socket for attaching a hard drive, camera or other device. Inside is a 1.2 gigahertz Marvell chip, called an application processor, running a version of the Linux operating system.

They envision a future of tiny ubiquitous computers that do everything from serve files to control home appliances. The plugs currently run $99, but they project prices will fall to $40 within the next two years. We're dying to hear what projects you'd cook up with access to cheap $40 wall wart sized computers.

Plugging In $40 Computers [The New York Times]

HTC Lancaster is a QWERTY slider with Android for AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/24/htc-lancaster-is-a-qwerty-slider-with-android-for-atandt/

AT&T's been extraordinarily coy about its Android plans, right up through our interview with Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega back in February -- but rest assured, the carrier does plan to get in the game, and it might just beat a number of T-Mobile's planned launches to market. Meet the HTC Lancaster, which kinda looks like a Magic when closed -- but open, it takes on more of a traditional Touch Pro-ish form factor for a QWERTY slider than the G1 / Dream. It's got triband EDGE and 850 / 1900MHz HSPA, AGPS, a 3 megapixel fixed-focus camera, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD expansion, and a "unique HTC social messaging user interface" that we'd assume takes cues from that Hero stuff we've been seeing recently. It's lined up for a full six months of AT&T exclusivity and -- according to our materials, anyway -- has a target availability date of August 3, meaning we could see this pretty shortly. Unfortunately, there's a note here that "Initial Lab Entry dates were based on Google Mobile Services (GMS) UI, AT&T standard UI has been requested, which puts schedule in question." In other words, AT&T wants its fingerprints all over the interface, which risks pushing out the launch -- and that's a double whammy of suck. Follow the break for a larger shot of the phone!

Continue! reading HTC Lancaster is a QWERTY slider with Android for AT&T

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

HTC Lancaster is a QWERTY slider with Android for AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 May 2009 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blackberry Magnum, Onyx, Pearl 3G, and Gemini to harmonize on AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/24/blackberry-magnum-onyx-pearl-3g-and-gemini-to-harmonize-on-at/

BlackBerry lovers, AT&T beckons. Looks like the just-reviewed Onyx is heading to AT&T and, as rumored before, so is the Magnum. We've got no pics of the latter device, but it's being touted here as the "BlackBerry Bold portfolio evolution" and uses the same processor as the Bold. It's also got a HVGA touchscreen, QWERTY pad, quad-band GSM / GRS / EDGE, GPS, and WiFi. Want more? How about an apparently non-flip Pearl 3G with 3.6 Mbps of HSDPA goodness, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headset jack, trackball, SureType, and aGPS. Rounding out this quartet is the Gemini, with a 512MHz processor, 256MB flash memory, 128MB RAM, Bluetooth, QVGA LCD, 2 megapixel sans flash, trackball, QWERTY keyboard, 3.5mm headset jack, a microSD slot, possibly GPS, and sadly, no 3G. There's no release date in sight, but hey, knowing they're on the way is half the battle, right?

Gallery: Blackberry Magnum, Onyx, Pearl 3G, and Gemini to harmonize on AT&T

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Blackberry Magnum, Onyx, Pearl 3G, and Gemini to harmonize on AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 May 2009 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia Grouper, Mako, Snapper, and Thresher rolling deep on AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/24/nokia-grouper-mako-snapper-and-thresher-rolling-deep-on-atandt/

Who said Nokia doesn't have a major commitment to North American carriers? We've landed news of a whole plethora of Espoo-sourced devices scheduled to hit AT&T over the coming months, and a few in particular caught our eye. Most notably, the Mako (pictured) is unlike anything we've ever seen Nokia make, mostly thanks to a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard that doesn't really resemble any existing hardware. It rides on the same S60 3.2-based platform as the 6650 and E71x, features dual-band HSDPA, a 2.4-inch QVGA display, AGPS, 2 megapixel camera, Video Share, and 128MB of internal storage with microSD expansion. Sadly -- this is going to be a dream killer for some folks, we think -- it's only got a 2.5mm headphone jack, which is a step back for multimedia support. This one was at one time targeted for June 5, but if we had to guess, it's been pushed back -- maybe we're crazy, but we feel like it hasn't leaked enough to meet that date at this point. Anyhow, looks like this one's a good foil for that QWERTY swivel allegedly due on Verizon.

Speaking of "this looks nothing like a Nokia," the Thresher is an ultra-glossy slider that doesn't quite resemble anything officially announced in other markets. It shares its Series 40 guts with Grouper, which was the codename assigned to the 6750 Mural flip we recently saw hit the FCC. Both devices do HSDPA and AGPS; the Grouper makes do with a 2 megapixel cam, though, while the Thresher steps up to 3.2 with an integrated flash. The Thresher's signed up for September and the Grouper for July, but as with all of these, it's anyone's guess whether those dates will hold.

Finally, the Snapper flip is a lower-end device that we could envision replacing the 6555, lacking the Grouper's style but still staying strong with triband HSDPA, Bluetooth 2.1, AGPS, and a 2 megapixel camera. This one's tentatively targeted for August.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Nokia Grouper, Mako, Snapper, and Thresher rolling deep on AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 May 2009 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo's ION-based S12 makes netbooks exciting again (update: less than $600)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/25/lenovos-ion-based-s12-makes-netbooks-exciting-again/

We don't have a lot of information at the moment, but CNET is reporting that Lenovo is getting ready to launch the world's first ION-based netbook. While CNET doesn't give it a model number, the filename used on the image reads "LenovoS12netbook" and is said to pack discrete graphics and NVIDIA's Ion ~~processor~~ chipset.Technically, the 12-inch laptop is too big for netbook classifaction and too chubby to be a CULV thin-and-light. Then again, those are classifactions of Intel's making which doesn't mean a whole lot to the boys from NVIDIA.

Update: PC Perspective has additional detail about the S12: 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, full-size keyboard, and what looks like an HDMI-out when it lands in July or August for less than $600.

Update 2: Interesting. Netbooknews.de has a proven record with insider-netbook news and claims that the S12 will eventually include a Via Nano processor option.

[Via PCPer]

Filed under: Laptops

Lenovo's ION-based S12 makes netbooks exciting again (update: less than $600) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 01:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's N810 successor coming later this year with 3G and Maemo 5?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/25/nokias-n810-successor-coming-later-this-year-with-3g-and-maemo/

MobileCrunch claims to have pictures (which it can't publish for security reasons, unfortunately) and complete specs for Nokia's next-gen internet tablet -- and although we don't have any corroborating evidence to back up the story, everything they've got makes perfect sense. We've known for the better part of a year now that Nokia has been planning an OMAP3-based N810 replacement with 3G that would run Maemo 5, and that's exactly what this new device seems to be with a 3.5-inch wide VGA display, WiFi, full HSPA, 32GB of onboard storage expandable to 48GB (presumably via microSD), and -- get this -- a 5 megapixel AF camera with dual LED flash. GSM voice and VoIP are both in the cards, making this the closest thing yet to a Maemo-powered phone -- and in a sick, twisted way, the 5 megapixel camera plus sliding keyboard almost put it in direct competition with the upcoming N97. Indeed, carriers are taking direct interest in this thing, with T-Mobile apparently interested both in Europe and the States; it seems we could expect a European release as soon as July, with T-Mobile USA nabbing it in an AWS 3G flavor closer to fall. Makes an eventual divorce from S60 all that much more plausible for Nokia, doesn't it?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Nokia's N810 successor coming later this year with 3G and Maemo 5? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 03:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BenQ GP1 LED pocket projector reviewed: loved, possibly lurved

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/25/benq-gp1-led-pocket-projector-reviewed-loved-possibly-lurved/

The universal acclaim for BenQ's GP1 LED projector is deafening. Naturally, some trade-offs were made in brightness, contrast, and resolution in order to squeeze things down to a palm-sized 5.4 x 4.7 x 2.1-inch footprint. But at just 1.4-pounds, it won't cause your bicep, atrophied by pantywaist netbooks, too much strain. Thanks to a LED light source with a 20,000 hour lifespan, this $499 DLP projector manages to spread 100 lumens across 858 x 600 pixels with a 2,000:1 contrast -- specs that give solid results when projecting a 40-inch image in a bright, shades-drawn room on up to 80-inches in near-black environments. Better yet, pop in a USB stick loaded with images (JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF) or videos (MPEG4, MJPEG, xvid, 3ivX) and the projector will automatically launch a media playback menu -- no laptop required. The lack of zoom, an ailment common in all these tiny projectors, will limit placement and a measured 38dB (from a distance of 30cm) operational hum will be distracting to home theater buffs or cubical monkeys forced into the sleepy corporate dens of PowerPoint. But all-in-all, BenQ's come up with a winner, and truth doesn't make a noise.

Read -- TrustedReviews
Read -- TrustedReviews (video)
Read -- SlashGear
Read -- iLounge

Filed under: Displays

BenQ GP1 LED pocket projector reviewed: loved, possibly lurved originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 05:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

BlackBerry Onyx: Closest to BlackBerry Perfection Yet? [BlackBerry Onyx]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/B7e-rezVApE/blackberry-onyx-closest-to-blackberry-perfection-yet

Here's why you should be excited about the BlackBerry Onyx: It's the first BlackBerry with 3G, Wi-Fi, a 3MP camera, the Bold's awesome keyboard and giant battery in a package the size of the tiny Curve. CrackBerry's actually got one, and they love all over it: [CrackBerry]

Travel Bag-buggy

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/9LftVfBNrMU/

I'm a veteran when it comes to traveling with kids and I know the nightmarish times I went through every time I ventured out. Cranky, jet lagged babies + luggage management is horrid combo. Try pushing a buggy and pulling your trolley bag at the same time! Dreadful! Good folks at Castiglione Morelli have an ingenious idea with their Samsonite Convertible Trolley Stroller Bag. A specialized compartment holds in a folded fabric, which when pulled out, stretches over the pull-out metallic frame; thus resulting in a child seat. Very Convenient.

Designer: Castiglione Morelli Design

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Pocket Projector Turns Mobile Into Remote

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/WzNm5lKkcOo/

Nokia Pulse Projector is a project aimed at expanding the mobile communication experience and finding new ways to interact. It's a device that has been designed to expand and strengthen mobile applications while working in conjunction with mobile phones. It combines a LED-projector and a NXT-speaker with Dolby sound processing in to a solid multimedia device. Using the accompanying Pulse software and Bluetooth, one can convert a mobile phone into an interactive remote that controls this unique multimedia player.

The Nokia Pulse relies on DLP Technology for high quality imagery when using the projector. Native resolution of 1280×768 and 1500:1 contrast ratio pimps out crisp image quality, with picture sizes ranging from 15 inches diagonally all the way up to 60 inches at 7.87 feet. It even sports LED light technology with 1000 lumens of brightness plus 16.7 million colors.

Designer: Miika Mahonen

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