Archives for March 2010

AT&T CEO – Apple iPad to be Wi-Fi Driven

March 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The Chief Executive of AT&T has said that those who buy the Apple iPad will probably not use a subscription service from AT&T due to not wanting to be tied in to any sort of monthly payment and that the iPad will be a Wi-Fi driven product. It isn’t clear if the CEO means that only the Wi-Fi model will be the popular one, or if iPad users will potentially buy a 3G model but not keep their subscriptions active (which are arranged on a month to month basis).

“My expectation is that there’s not going to be a lot of people out there looking for another subscription,” he said during a webcast of an investor conference, adding that the device would be a mainly “Wi-Fi driven product.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Laptops

Corsair 128GB USB Flash Drive Launched

March 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Corsair have announced a new range of USB flash drives that come in capacities of 32GB, 64GB and 128GB.

Each of the drives uses the USB 2.0 interface which on the surface seems like they are standing still. However, what Corsair have done here is use a new quad-channel architecture that brings speeds up to 34MB/s. This still isn’t as quick as what USB 3.0 can achieve but for those who want a huge capacity of 128GB at a USB 2.0 price that runs quicker than regular USB 2.0 devices then you aren’t going too far wrong. [Read more…]

Filed Under: USB Gadgets

9mm Solar Sensor – Self Powered Computer

March 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

This little device is a self powered computer. It is described as being the “Smallest commercial-class, solar-powered sensor”. It features an ARM processor, it has a solar panel built in and measures just 2.5 x 3.5mm making it 1,000 times smaller than similar products.

The company behind it have managed to get the device to be so efficient that it uses about 2,000 less power when in sleep mode than other similar types of devices. If exposed to light a few times a day the device can continue running without being shut down. The only restriction on how it performs is when the battery dies after a few years of usage.

When powered on the device spends most of it’s life in sleep mode and powers on when needed for just a few minutes to take measurements. The average power consumption is just 1 nanowatt (ie, not a lot of energy). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Computer Gadgets

Nokia Ovi Maps heads to Alpine Car System

March 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Alpine have announced plans to partner with Nokia to integrate Ovi Maps in to their in-car head units. The new “connected technology” is being called Terminal Mode and will bring navigation that uses NAVTEQ maps in to cars.

As well as bringing free satellite navigation in to vehicles the new systems also make use of widget-based services that also bring entertainment such as movies and MP3 audio to cars. Other features include weather reports as well as being able to use the phone within as an actual phone to make and receive calls.

The possibilities don’t end there either as the device will have a GPS for tracking purposes along with data connectivity the system will be able to keep track of fuel stations near by allowing you to quickly find the cheapest place to fill up. Also by interfacing the car with the computer the fuel levels and engine status can also be tracked allowing you to have all details of your car in the one location. Other features could see you receiving vouchers for discounts on local stores as you pass by them. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

ASUS DR-900 eBook Reader Launched

March 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

ASUS have launched their ASUS DR-900 eBook reader. The device has a fairly large 9 inch e-Paper screen that can display 1024 x 768 pixels.

Around the bezel of the device there are several buttons that can be found which control various menu’s on the UI as well as skip through pages of the book.

Connectivity wise it has WiFi built in and ASUS also have an optional 3G function that can be purchased if needed. As the eBook is an e-Paper device the battery lasts quite a while with ASUS giving a figure of about 10,000 page turns if reading a standard book (ie, not downloading using wifi or 3G). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Displays

ASUS N-Series Laptop Unveiled

March 3, 2010 by 1 Comment

ASUS have announced their latest laptop range called the ASUS N-Series. The N-Series comprises of three laptops named the N43, N63 and N73 (N73 pictured above).

Each laptop in the N-Series comes with USB 3.0, an Intel Core Processor as well as Bang and Olufsen ICEpower audio. Each of the laptops is capable of full HD on the video side as well as 3D playback.

The Bang and Olufsen side of things increases audio quality making the laptop a full entertainment machine. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Laptops

Apple iPad to go on Sale March 26 – Rumour

March 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

We are hearing rumours about the release date of the Apple iPad being March 26. No official data has been provided by Apple [AAPL] just yet although people close to sources have heard that it goes on sale at 6pm Friday evening (March 26). The rumour also goes on to say that those lining up for the iPad (ie, those who camp out) will also receive a special gift.

When the iPhone launched it followed a similar pattern in that it became available at 6pm on Friday June 29 in 2007 although no free gifts were handed out at this time.

The rumoured date is for the Wi-Fi version of the iPad as the 3G version won’t be shipping for another 30 days after March 26, so if you want the fully fledged model you’ll have to wait a little longer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Laptops

HTC Respond to Apple Patent Dispute

March 2, 2010 by 1 Comment

We mentioned earlier that Apple [AAPL] were suing HTC for 20 patent infringements. A statement has been made by HTC saying that they only caught wind of this through the media this morning and that they haven’t looked through the paperwork just yet but that they are… ‘committed to defending [their] own technology innovations.

‘HTC is a mobile technology innovator and patent holder that has been very focused over the past 13 years on creating many of the most innovative smartphones. HTC values patent rights and their enforcement but is also committed to defending its own technology innovations. HTC only learned of Apple’s actions this morning via media reports, and therefore we have not yet had the opportunity to investigate the filings. Until we have had this opportunity, we are unable to comment on the validity of the claims being made against HTC.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

HTC HD2 Pricing on T-Mobile Leaked

March 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

You are probably aware by now that T-Mobile in the US are launching the HTC HD2 this month. It seems like pricing has been leaked showing the phone as selling for $199.99 after a rebate. The rebate amount is unknown at the moment although expected to be either $50 or $100. The contract free phone is also listed as being sold at $449.99.

Other phones listed in the image above (larger version below) are the CLIQ XT that’s listed at $129.99 after a rebate with the contract free version selling for $329.99. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

AT&T Motorola Backflip Android Phone Ships With Yahoo Search

March 2, 2010 by 2 Comments

AT&T are about to launch the Motorola Backflip in the next few days. What we are now hearing is that AT&T are going to be dropping Google Search from the Android install replacing it with Yahoo Search. This is the first time we have heard of a Google [GOOG] Android handset not using Google Search by default.

The reason AT&T can do this is because Android is an open platform that allows them to make changes as needed to suit the phones launching on their network. We just didn’t expect that AT&T would drop a core search feature.

We don’t know the full reasons why they would switch the search to Yahoo! and perhaps they are trying to keep Apple [AAPL] happy by keeping google away from their Android phones, but anything right now is just pure speculation. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Averatec N1200 Netbook is Thinnest and Lightest

March 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Averatec have unveiled the Averatec N1200 netbook that claims to be the thinnest and lightest on the market.

The netbook weighs 2.2lbs and measures just less than an inch thick. The netbook has an Intel Atom N450 processor allowing it to be a little quicker than older netbooks and also have a better battery life thanks to the power efficiency of the N450 CPU although it must be a tiny battery as it only gets about 3 hours per charge for some reason on the smaller capacity battery. The extended battery doubles that to 6 hours.

For storage it has a 160GB hard drive. Memory wise it has 1GB of RAM built in that can be upgraded to 2GB. For connectivity it has WiFi that can connect up to 802.11n networks. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Laptops

Canon Rebel T2i vs Canon EOS 7D

March 2, 2010 by 5 Comments

CameraTown have put together an in-depth review of the Canon Rebel T2i versus the Canon EOS 7D.

When the Canon T2i was first announced it surprised many in that it had quite an extensive feature set that included an 18 megapixel CMOS sensor and full HD 1080p movie recording. A lot of the features on the Canon T2i have been handed down from the Canon EOS 7D. The T2i is around $850 cheaper which makes you wonder which of the two cameras you should choose… the more expensive Canon EOS 7D priced at $1,649.95, or the Canon Rebel T2i priced at $799.99 which would give you an extra $850 to spend on lenses. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Camera Gadgets