Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, November 02, 2009

GSM Motorola Droid (aka Milestone) Gets Multi-Touch Support!? [Droid]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/iPHY8QtdQKs/gsm-motorola-droid-aka-milestone-gets-multi+touch-support

Talk about unfair: this video appears to show that the GSM version of the Motorola Droid will support multi-touch gestures like pinch-zoom. The U.S version doesn't do multi-touch, even though Android 2.0 supports it, so what gives?

Maybe it goes back to the whole multi-touch patent issue with Apple, I don't know. If it turns out the Milestone does indeed have multi-touch when it arrives on November 9, hopefully some sort of patch hack will make its way State-side. [Mobile-Review (translated) via SlashGear]

Is Apple Trying to Kill the Hackintosh Netbook? Snow Leopard 10.6.2 Ditches Atom CPU Support [Apple]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/PGvrDVc1tOc/is-apple-trying-to-kill-the-hackintosh-netbook-snow-leopard-1062-ditches-atom-cpu-support

Coders have confirmed that the developer build of OS X 10.6.2 kills support for netbook Atom processors. Nothing's final yet, of course, but given Apple's lame fight with Palm over iTunes compatibility, are hackintosh netbooks next in the firing line?

The current recommendation is to stick with 10.6.1 if you're running Snow Leopard, or 10.5.8 if your Hackintosh has Leopard. You could also try upgrading to 10.6.2 using an older or modified kernel.

If this is a conscious strike by Apple, it's likely the Hackintosh community will find a work around, but it's definitely something to watch before your next update. [OS X Daily]

Leaked docs show HTC's DROID Eris launching on November 6th for $99, running Android 1.5

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/31/leaked-docs-show-htcs-droid-eris-launching-on-november-6th-for/

Like it or not, we've got it on pretty reasonable authority that HTC's first "DROID" phone is nothing more than a rebadged, shape-shifted Hero (something we've been hearing for a while now), and that it'll be launching on Verizon on November 6th, the same day as Motorola's DROID. That means Android 1.5 "Cupcake," Sense UI, 3.2-inch screen, 528MHz processor and so forth. The Eris will retail for $199 but with a $100 mail-in rebate. It'll pack in an 8GB microSD card and the hopes and dreams of a generation of cheapskates that will be hopin' and prayin' that HTC manages to push Android 2.0 onto this thing so they don't look too bad in front of their DROID-toting buddies on Verizon.

[Thanks, anonymous]

Gallery: HTC's DROID Eris leaked docs

Filed under: Cellphones

Leaked docs show HTC's DROID Eris launching on November 6th for $99, running Android 1.5 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone and Windows 7 don't play nice, Intel P55 chipset to blame

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/31/iphone-and-windows-7-dont-play-nice-intel-p55-chipset-to-blame/

The iPhone is one of the most wildly popular phones the world has ever seen, while Windows 7 is well on its way to becoming the globe's most ubiquitous OS. So compatibility between the two would be kinda sorta important, right? Tell that to Intel's quality control team who seem to have somehow missed an issue between Apple's app carrier deluxe and the P55 Express chipset's USB controller. Consistent (and persistent) syncing issues have been reported on Apple's support forums, wherein iTunes on Windows 7 machines recognizes the iPhone, but spits out an "error 0xE8000065" message whenever the user attempts to sync. While some have found limited success with using PCI-based USB cards (and bypassing the chipset), this is clearly a major issue and something Apple would expect to be fixed before shipping its Core i5 / i7 iMacs, which are likely to sport the chipset. Hit the read link for the original thread of sorrow and regret, and do chime in with your own experience in the comments.

[Via The Register]

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops

iPhone and Windows 7 don't play nice, Intel P55 chipset to blame originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ATI's dual-GPU Radeon HD 5970 pictured in the wilderness

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/31/atis-dual-gpu-radeon-hd-5970-pictured-in-the-wilderness/

And now... fighting out of the red corner, weighing in with two Evergreen GPUs, and wearing black trunks and red trim, it's the Radeon HD 5970. ATI's latest challenger for the title of undisputed graphics champion has been snared in the wild, and its photo shoot reveals a suitably oversized beast. Measuring in at 13.5 inches and requiring both an eight- and six-pin power connector, the pre-production sample can fit inside only the roomiest and best-powered rigs around. It's named somewhat confusingly, with AMD dropping its X2 nomenclature for dual GPU setups, but it features two HD 5870 chips running in onboard Crossfire on the same PCB, and foreshadows a HD 5950, which will combine a pair of the more affordable HD 5850s. Performance figures available earlier have been pulled, at the behest of AMD, but we've got plenty of eye candy to admire, and there's also no price tag in sight to spoil our daydreaming pleasure.

[Via PC Perspective]

Gallery: ATI's dual-GPU Radeon HD 5970