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Thursday, June 03, 2010

Nokia E73 Mode brings a familiar form factor to T-Mobile US on the cheap

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/nokia-e73-mode-brings-a-familiar-form-factor-to-t-mobile-us-on-t/

Say what you will about Nokia's software, there's no faulting the E70-series of QWERTY candybars, which marry delectable keyboards with thin, classy, and surprisingly rugged design -- and of course top it off with an almost-just-too-small screen. The latest of these is the new Nokia E73 Mode for T-Mobile US (that's right, a Nokia phone on a US carrier!), which will start shipping on June 16th. The S60 handset has a 5 megapixel camera with flash and autofocus, WiFi, free turn by turn Ovi Maps, and not much more to speak of to set it apart from its predecessors, which is a good or bad thing depending upon what you want out of a phone. The best news, however, is that it's retailing for $69.99 on a two year contract. PR is after the break.

Gallery: Nokia E73 Mode press shots

Continue reading Nokia E73 Mode brings a familiar form factor to T-Mobile US on the cheap

Nokia E73 Mode brings a familiar form factor to T-Mobile US on the cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plextor gets all zen with PlexMedia: a modular, network-attached Blu-ray player

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/plextor-gets-all-zen-with-plexmedia-a-modular-network-attached/

It's not often we come across an external drive that looks like anything but a brick, so we were pleasantly surprised to see Plextor demoing something a little more svelte at Computex. We can tell the PlexMedia network attached media player (bottom) is a looker right off the bat, but it truly becomes useful when you plug in the PX-B120U (top) designed to go with it. The combination is a fully-functional Blu-ray disc player that apparently outputs to a TV, but the smaller box can also detach, slip into your bookbag and become an external Blu-ray drive for your PC. Since there's no specs or pics of the unit's rear, we honestly have no idea how it accomplishes either, but we imagine the info will spontaneously pop into our being if we stare long enough at those azure ripples, and thus complete our meditation. On the off-chance that doesn't work, we've also dispatched a carrier pigeon to Plextor HQ for the answers; in the meanwhile, you can peruse the presser after the break.

Continue reading Plextor gets all zen with PlexMedia: a modular, network-attached Blu-ray player

Plextor gets all zen with PlexMedia: a modular, network-attached Blu-ray player originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kazaa Creators Launch New Music Subscription Service [Music]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5554065/kazaa-creators-launch-new-music-subscription-service

The folks behind popular file-sharing program Kazaa are launching a new music subscription service called Rdio. From the sounds of things, it'll be similar to existing subscription services, but with a social element:

Rdio is betting in part on its social elements - the ability to follow friends on the site, see what they are listening to and see a list of the most popular music among people you know.

Beyond that feature, Rdio doesn't seem to be bringing anything terribly new to the table:

Rdio will charge $5 to $10 a month for unlimited access to a large music catalog, including songs from the major record labels. [...] Rdio customers paying the full amount will be able to stream and store songs on a range of mobile devices, beginning with the BlackBerry and iPhone, and soon, phones running the Android operating system from Google.

Worth the monthly fee? [NYT]

Photo by Jim Wilson/NYT

What the Next Apple TV Could and Should Be [Concepts]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5554017/the-new-apple-tv-could-be-big-hit

If the rumors are true, the next Apple TV will be a cloud-connected, iPhone-based device. Not only it makes sense, but it's the only way they can create a best-of-breed gadget that can best Google TV, and be truly successful.

In order for that to happen, this is what the new Apple TV should be:

It should be infinitely expandable and customizable using applications
Everyone is familiar with the applications model, which has become a natural way to add new functions to our gadgets. Of course, the Apple TV applications' user interface and controls would need to be tailored for the new device, but that's not hard to imagine, since Apple is already pushing two interface models with iPhone/iPod and iPad.

It will play any video file in any format in your network
Applications like Netflix, the ABC player, and Hulu (whenever it comes) would be there, providing with on-demand access to tons of content. Apple's own video library will be there too, and probably others—like Amazon's.

But the key for making this a completely successful device should be the ability to play any video format present in your network, from a DVD in your desktop PC to any ripped movie in a network disk. Thanks to applications like Air Video, this would be possible.

It will be a video game console
Given the amount of games available for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad, this is a given. The only problem here is the user interface, but Apple has already solved that. First, the existing developer tools support external controlling devices via Bluetooth. There have not been any of these out yet, but it's only logical to think that the new Apple TV would play games using external controllers, but also...

It should be completely integrated with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
The current iDevices will make perfect controlling surfaces. Developers should be able to use them in new ways. Like with the iPad, a family would be able to play a game like Risk or Scrabble, using their iPod touch or iPhones as controlling devices, with the main display on the TV. Or you could be able to play a racing or a space combat or a strategy or a role-playing game using an iPad or iPhone as your control device.

And of course, it only makes sense that you would be able to take total control of the Apple TV using the iPad or iPod touch, like you can take control of iTunes using the Apple Remote application. I can imagine browsing Netflix on my iPad, choose a movie, and have it play automatically in this new Apple TV. In fact, given its rumored $99 price, it's not hard to imagine people getting the Apple TV as a complement to their iPad.

Apple needs to do the above to have a successful presence in the living room before Google TV takes over it. They can't afford to have the crap they have right now. If they can nail the wishlist above for $99, they will have a winner.

Aava Virta Android reference platform will be the first shipping Moorestown smartphone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/02/aava-virta-android-moorestown-reference-platform-will-be-the-fir/

Sure, Intel might not be planning for Moorestown-based smartphones to hit the market for at least another six months, and the LG GW990 might have died a quiet death, but that's not stopping Aava from getting right in the game with its Virta Android, an Atom Z600-based reference smartphone designed for developer testing. Slated to ship in Q3, the Virta features a Moorestown processor, a 3.8-inch 864 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, quad-band EDGE radios with AT&T 3G support, WiFi, Bluetooth, a five megapixel video camera, and a microSD slot. We're assuming the shipping version will look a lot like the prototype Aava device we've been seeing for a while now, but Aava has some fancier renders up on its site, so we'll see what happens and how much this costs when this thing arrives.

Continue reading Aava Virta Android reference platform will be the first shipping Moorestown smartphone

Aava Virta Android reference platform will be the first shipping Moorestown smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our t erms for use of feeds.

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