Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, October 05, 2009

Motorola Sholes to launch by holidays, along with the BlackBerry Storm 2 and Nokia Booklet 3G

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/motorola-sholes-to-launch-by-holidays-along-with-the-blackberry/

Well well, it looks like the Android-powered Motorola Sholes will be out on Verizon by the holidays. That's at least the impression we're getting from a bunch of leaked Verizon retailer documents posted up by Boy Genius Report, which also indicate the BlackBerry Storm 2, Curve 2 and LG Chocolate Touch will hit Big Red in time for eggnog, along with an unspecified netbook -- we're guessing this Gateway number. Speaking of netbooks, a similar document from Best Buy Mobile also leaked over the weekend, and it looks like the Nokia Booklet 3G will be exclusive to Best Buy and compatible with AT&T 3G. Oh, and the Pixi is coming, but you already knew that. Here's the real mystery, though: "There are multiple Android launches across multiple carriers, along with some new technology that doesn't exist today." That's certainly open for interpretation, so we leave it to you -- is Best Buy Mobile about to start selling teleporters, or what?

Read - Sam's Club and Target Verizon docs
Read - Best Buy Mobile docs

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Sholes to launch by holidays, along with the BlackBerry Storm 2 and Nokia Booklet 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Research shows off multitouch mouse prototypes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/microsoft-research-shows-off-multitouch-mouse-prototypes/

Rather odd timing, given some recent developments in the Apple camp, but Microsoft Research has just surfaced some of its incredibly wild multitouch mouse prototypes. Each one uses a different touch detection method, and at first glance all five seem to fly in the face of regular ergonomics. The craziest two are probably "Arty," which has two articulated arms to cradle your thumb and index finger, with each pad housing its own optical sensor for mission-critical pinching gestures, and "Side Mouse" which is button free and actually detects finger touches in the table immediately in front of the palm rest. Of course, there's plenty of crazy in the FTIR, Orb Mouse and Cap Mouse (pictured), which rely on an internal camera, orb-housed IR camera and capacitive detection, respectively. Of course, there's no word on when these might actually see the light of day, but it should be quite obvious that Apple's not the only game in town thinking about this stuff. Check out the utterly enlightening video of these things in action after the break.

Gallery: Microsoft Research shows off multitouch mouse prototypes

FTIR (Frustrated Total Internal Reflection)

Orb Mouse

!

Arty

Side Mouse

Cap Mouse

Continue reading Microsoft Research shows off multitouch mouse prototypes

Filed under: Peripherals

Microsoft Research shows off multitouch mouse prototypes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's PlayStation Motion Controller now codenamed Sphere?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/sonys-playstation-motion-controller-now-codenamed-sphere/

Sony may still have officially been using the less-than-imaginative "Motion Controller" name for its, um, motion controller at the Tokyo Game Show last month, but it looks like some developers working with the technology weren't sticking as close to the script, and may have revealed the project's proper codename. As Joystiq notes, Sega producer Yasuhito Baba referred to the device as "Sphere" during an interview at the show, and Polyphony Digital's Kazunori Yamauchi also seemed to respond to the "Sphere" name without missing a beat when asked if Gran Turismo would support the peripheral. So, certainly less of a mouthful, and not exactly the worst of names if true -- in fact, it's such a good codename that none other than Microsoft has already adopted it for one of its projects.

Filed under: Gaming

Sony's PlayStation Motion Controller now codenamed Sphere? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Behold II Hits T-Mobile, Pairs Android with TouchWiz Interface [Cellphones]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/e24bFtdsJxk/samsung-behold-ii-hits-t+mobile-pairs-android-with-touchwiz-interface

Wow, another T-Mobile Android phone (Sprint's HTC Hero is the only Android-handset on another carrier). The Behold II has a 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, and TouchWiz UI (now with 3D cube menu for quick access to multimedia).

Those multimedia features include music, photos, videos, the Web, YouTube, and Amazon MP3 for music downloads. The phone's other key specs include 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, microSD card expandable memory (up to 16GB), and support for Google services and Exchange ActiveSync.

With a completely new OS compared to the original Behold (and even the upgraded Memoir), it's kind of strange that Samsung kept the Behold name. Especially when it resembles the Android powered Samsung Galaxy. Still, there you have it. T-Mobile hasn't gone into pricing, but did say the Behold II would arrive "before the start of the holidays."

Samsung Behold II Hits T-Mobile, Pairs Android with TouchWiz Interface [Cellphones]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/e24bFtdsJxk/samsung-behold-ii-hits-t+mobile-pairs-android-with-touchwiz-interface

Wow, another T-Mobile Android phone (Sprint's HTC Hero is the only Android-handset on another carrier). The Behold II has a 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, and TouchWiz UI (now with 3D cube menu for quick access to multimedia).

Those multimedia features include music, photos, videos, the Web, YouTube, and Amazon MP3 for music downloads. The phone's other key specs include 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, microSD card expandable memory (up to 16GB), and support for Google services and Exchange ActiveSync.

With a completely new OS compared to the original Behold (and even the upgraded Memoir), it's kind of strange that Samsung kept the Behold name. Especially when it resembles the Android powered Samsung Galaxy. Still, there you have it. T-Mobile hasn't gone into pricing, but did say the Behold II would arrive "before the start of the holidays."

Toshiba's Cell-Powered REGZA 55X1 LCD TV Can Record and Display 8 Channels At Once [HDTVs]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/pmYJ9mNh3lU/toshibas-cell+powered-regza-55x1-lcd-tv-can-record-and-display-8-channels-at-once

Toshiba's first TV with the PS3 Cell processor it helped develop has seriously kick-ass specs. For starters: The 55-incher's LED backlighting divides the 240Hz display into 512 individually controlled areas, and has a dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1.

The Cell processor also provides self-congruency for improved image quality at the edge of the picture, enhanced color and brightness balance, and a super-high luminance of 1250cd/m². A 7-speaker sound bar is attached underneath the display, and network functionality includes DLNA support, and an HD Web browser based on Opera.

The Cell chip is housed in an external box about the site of an older Blu-ray player. That's also where a 3TB hard disk is installed to allow the TV to time-shift up to 26 hours of programs from up to 8 channels simultaneously. (1TB of storage is reserved for longer-term recordings). Another neat visual trick: the 55X1 can show eight channels on screen at the same time—and step through each without the delay common with rival HDTVs.

The TV is on show at CEATEC (Japan's version of CES), and will go on sale there in December for 1 Million Yen (about $11,115). Toshiba hopes to sell about 1,000 models a month before the 55X1 arrives in the U.S sometime in 2010.

Toshiba also gave some insight into its future plans for CELL processor-based TVs. It talked about using the chip in a range of concepts, including a 3D TV, and a 4K x! 2K mode l that upconverts 1080p to 3840 x 2160. Holy crap. More please. [Toshiba via Impress AV Watch]

AT&T touts Opera-powered full web browsing with new phones from Samsung and Pantech

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/atandt-touts-opera-powered-full-web-browsing-with-new-models-from/

AT&T wants you to know that you don't need a smartphone just to get a rich, full web experience from your handset -- theoretically, anyway -- with the introduction of four new models from longtime partners Samsung and Pantech alongside a new featurephone browser. First up from Samsung comes the Flight (pictured left), billed as a "next-generation messaging device" on account of its full QWERTY portrait slide paired with a full touchscreen up top; it'll be available next month for $99.99 on contract after rebate -- that is, if you didn't buy it on Craigslist already. That silvery slate in the middle that's more likely to be catching your eye is the Mythic, rocking TouchWiz on a 3.3-inch display along with AT&T Mobile TV, making it a fitting successor to the Eternity and big brother to the Solstice; like the Flight, it swings onto retail next month, but you'll be paying a stiffer $199.99 on contract after $50 rebate.

Turning our attention to the Pantech side of the table, we've got the Reveal (pictured right) that lets you have it both ways with a numeric keypad up top twined with a QWERTY slider underneath. It's 3G-capable, AT&T Navigator-equipped, and available for your enjoyment on October 18 in red and blue. Finally, the Impact (not pictured) has an OLED touchscreen up front, but when the texting gets hot and heavy, the phone opens up to reveal a second display along with a QWERTY keyboard. It'll be available in pink and blue, though neither pricing nor availability are being announced just yet.

Gluing everything together is AT&T's new mobile browser, described as "a rich hybrid experience that gives you a HTML experience similar to your PC browser at home" that "works really well on a feature phone." Additionally, users visiting att.net from their PCs will be able to send bookmarks to their phones' mobile portals -- kind of a neat trick, especially when you're trying to minimize the number of URLs you have to mash out on an on-screen keyboard. Of course, featurephone browsers have a reputation for generally sucking, so considering that AT&T bills its new line of devices as "full web browsing phones," it'll be interesting to see how close they actually come to delivering on the claim; it's said the phones use "advanced data compression from Opera Software," which we're thinking is very likely some variation of Opera Turbo -- not a bad start.

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T touts Opera-powered full web browsing with new phones from Samsung and Pantech originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Pure and Tilt 2 bring Windows Mobile 6.5 to AT&T

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/htc-pure-and-tilt-2-bring-windows-mobile-6-5-to-atandt/

Long-rumored versions of HTC's ubiquitous Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 have finally been made official for AT&T -- but perhaps more notably, they mark AT&T's very first forays into the WinMo 6.5 arena as Microsoft officially unleashes the latest version of its mobile platform on the world this week. The Pure (pictured left) is a particularly heavy rework of the Diamond2's industrial design, shedding the square metal-adorned shell for a glossy black plastic one while carrying over the 3.2-inch WVGA display and 5 megapixel autofocus camera. Meanwhile, the Tilt 2 resurrects the Tilt name -- dormant since AT&T's version of the TyTN II made way for the Fuze last year -- bringing a 3.6-inch WVGA display, full QWERTY keyboard with tilt-up display (hence the name), full duplex speakerphone, and a 3.2 megapixel cam. The Pure will be the first on shelves, available already (ahead of Microsoft's official release on Tuesday, interestingly) for $149.99 on contract after a $50 rebate; the Tilt2 comes "in the following weeks" for $299.99 after $50 rebate.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

HTC Pure and Tilt 2 bring Windows Mobile 6.5 to AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms fo! r use of feeds.

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Samsung Behold II marries Android, TouchWiz for T-Mobile

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/samsung-behold-ii-marries-android-touchwiz-for-t-mobile/

The Behold is all grow'd up with its second rendition, moving up in the world from a mere featurephone to an authentic Android-powered contender. T-Mobile's latest Android set is a full-touch model backed by a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash, and video recording, a 3.2-inch AMOLED display, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and microSD expansion up to 16GB. Like virtually all Samsung smartphones (and many of its featurephones), the Behold II features an adaptation of the company's TouchWiz UI and has a 3D "cube menu" for rotating among common features like web browsing and YouTube access. Neither pricing nor availability are being announced right now, but we're being promised it'll be around "in time for the holidays."

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Samsung Behold II marries Android, TouchWiz for T-Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flash 10.1 announced for just about anything with a screen, webOS and WinMo betas this year (update: Pre video!)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/flash-10-1-announced-for-just-about-anything-with-a-screen-webo/

Flash 10 already supports HD video on the desktop, but 10.1 -- announced this week at Adobe's MAX conference in Los Angeles -- is being billed the first to really reap the full benefits of the Open Screen Project by unifying feature sets across a wide variety of platforms on the desktop, the laptop, and the pocket. As usual, Windows, Mac, and Linux will all get hooked up with the latest release, but public betas of 10.1 for Windows Mobile and webOS will be hitting before the end of the year as well followed by Android and Symbian in "early" 2010. RIM's also gotten official with its rumored membership in the Open Screen Project, though the lack of a timeline for 10.1 support in BlackBerry OS is a stark reminder of the long technical road that lies ahead for Waterloo as it tries to match the smartphone competition tit-for-tat in the multimedia space. At the end of the day, mobile Flash means nothing without the horsepower to properly drive it, so let's hope that Tegra, Snapdragon, and next-generation architectures like OMAP4 start to come on board en masse just as these builds come out of beta.

Speaking of fast chipsets, the other big news out of the show is that Flash 10.1 will take advantage of GPU acceleration on a number of key mobile platforms, including both nVidia's Tegra and Qualcomm's Snapdragon alongside ION for smooth (well, theoretically smooth) 720p and 1080p video on the latest generation of netbooks and smartbooks.

Update: Added video of the Palm Pre running t! hree ins tances of Flash in parallel after the break.

Read - Flash 10.1 announcement
Read - RIM joins the OSP

Continue reading Flash 10.1 announced for just about anything with a screen, webOS and WinMo betas this year (update: Pre video!)

Filed under: Software

Flash 10.1 announced for just about anything with a screen, webOS and WinMo betas this year (update: Pre video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba details Cell Regza LCD TV, coming December to Japan (update: video!)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/toshiba-details-cell-regza-lcd-tv-coming-december-to-japan/

It's a day before CEATEC officially kicks off, but Toshiba's getting a head start on the news, dishing out all the deets on its Cell-powered Cell Regza LCD TV, now officially due out in Japan in early December. The 55-inch, 240Hz display boasts a mighty impressive 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, self-congruency technology for improved picture detail on the edges, a peak luminance of 1250cd/m², and LED backlits dividing the screen into 512 distinct areas. A 7-speaker sound bar lies just below the display. Want more? How about eight-window simultaneous multi-display, an Opera-based web browser, DLNA, and a 3TB hard disk drive, 2TB for "time-shift" recording recording up to 26 hours of programs, up to eight channels simultaneously. There's a sizable box on display, too, which seems to be where the Cell hardware is being housed. Curious about price? If we heard correctly, the retail price is expected to be around 1,000,000 yen, or around US $11,140. We just heard their sales target is leaning on the conservative side, about 1,000 units pushed each month.

If that's not forward-thinking enough, Toshi's also outlining its future concepts, dubbed Cell Regza Next. Those four include a 3D set, a 4K2K version that upcoverts 1080p to 3840 x 2160 resolution, a 46-inch model integrating its Cell Box dedicated TV tuner and HDD, and a 37-inch that works as a home network server. It looks like we'll be getting some hands-on time with the 55X1 shortly, but in the meantime, one more pic and video after the break.

Gallery: Toshiba Cell Regza

Continue reading Toshiba details Cell Regza LCD TV, coming December to Japan (update: video!)

Filed under: Displays

Toshiba details Cell Regza LCD TV, coming December to Japan (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vonage Mobile iPhone and BlackBerry apps available for download

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/vonage-mobile-iphone-and-blackberry-apps-available-for-download/

You remember Vonage right? The trailblazing VoiP company is still around and appears at first glance to have instigated a bit of coup in the battle for VoiP calls over AT&T connections. Unfortunately they haven't, at least not yet. See, the free Vonage Mobile app just added to the iTunes App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch has been approved for making international calls over AT&T's cellular network (take that Skype) in addition to WiFi. Unfortunately, we're not talking about SIP calls over EDGE/HSDPA data. Like the rejected Google Voice app, if you're out of WiFi range but still have voice service then Vonage Mobile will redirect your international call (entered directly into the App or selected from your address book) to a local access number in the US -- you're then using your AT&T minutes while being charged Vonage Mobile's discounted worldwide calling rates. The app is strictly pay-as-you-go for the moment and will not give free global calling to those who subscribe to Vonage's $25 per month Vonage World plan -- Vonage says that will come before the end of the year. The Vonage Mobile app for BlackBerry only works over your carrier's voice network while the iPod touch app only works over WiFi, naturally. Also, BlackBerry users will revert to Vonage's lower rates anytime they make an international call whereas iPhone users must launch the Vonage application first.

[Thanks, Ricky B.]

Vonage Mobile iPhone and BlackBerry apps available for download originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, October 04, 2009

Google AdSense leaks Apple's refreshed iMac, Mac mini, Macbook?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/04/google-adsense-leaks-apples-refreshed-imac-mac-mini-macbook/

This one is for all you online tea leaf readers and Apple SKU / crystal ball aficionados: Further confirming our suspicion that something more affordable may be on the horizon, Google AdSense this weekend started serving users in the Netherlands with ads for new iMacs, MacBooks, and Mac minis. Pointing to a dead link at the country's Apple Store, the ads read (via Google Translate): "Apple's Newest MacBook. Thinner, lighter and faster! Free delivery. Order today," "The Brand new iMac. Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only €1099 (roughly $1,063). Apple Store," and "Apple's New Mac mini. Faster and more affordable than ever. From only € 499 ($723). Order immediately." (For a little perspective, that's €100 ($145) less than the cheapest Mac mini currently on the Netherlands online store.) Granted, whenever peeping purported translations from foreign tipsters we're always half-afraid that we're actually reading Celine Dion lyrics or dialogue from Caddyshack, but this one seems to be the real deal -- for whatever that's worth.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Google AdSense leaks Apple's refreshed iMac, Mac mini, Macbook? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T Pure now on sale -- with Windows Mobile 6.5

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/04/atandt-pure-now-on-sale-with-windows-mobile-6-5/

Well hey, look at that -- AT&T's riff on the HTC Touch Diamond2, the Pure, has quietly gone on sale, meaning Windows Mobile 6.5 just hit the world a couple days early. The glory won't last long, though: the nicer Imagio is hitting Verizon on the 6th, and the Leo's looming. Still -- WinMo 6.5 is here. Let's get crazy.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T Pure now on sale -- with Windows Mobile 6.5 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola CLIQ / DEXT exhaustively photographed, previewed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/04/motorola-cliq-dext-exhaustively-photographed-previewed/

The Motorola CLIQ hasn't gone on sale yet, but that hasn't stopped a few units from leaking out here and there -- Eldar at mobile-review just posted up one of the most thorough photo previews of the chunky slider we've seen yet. Interestingly, the keyboard continues to draw mixed reviews -- while we rather liked it when we tried it out, m-r says it's just "okay" and that the five-way rocker "wasn't very handy." We'll have to use this thing a while for ourselves before we make up our minds, but for now, we'd direct you to the read link for a ton more photos.

[Thanks, MrArgie]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola CLIQ / DEXT exhaustively photographed, previewed originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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