Archives for June 2010

HP Not Interested in Smartphones with Palm Purchase

June 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

We suspected all along that the reason HP [HPQ] purchased Palm [PALM] was more to do with webOS than it was the Pre or Pixi although we had hoped to see a bit of a push in the webOS smartphone arena. HP has confirmed that smartphones are not the reason it purchased Palm though. The information comes from the HP CEO Mark Hurd who said…

We didn’t buy Palm to be in the smartphone business. And I tell people that, but it doesn’t seem to resonate well. We bought it for the IP. The WebOS is one of the two ground-up pieces of software that is built as a web operating environment¦We have tens of millions of HP small form factor web-connected devices¦Now imagine that being a web-connected environment where now you can get a common look and feel and a common set of services laid against that environment. That is a very value proposition.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tech News

Dell Streak Headed to US Unlocked

June 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) has released details of pricing and availability for the Dell Streak in the US. Right now it is preparing to launch on the O2 network in the UK, but soon after will see a launch in the US.

When launched in the US it will be made available for $500 and like the Apple iPad, it will be unlocked allowing it to work on other networks.

The tablet from Dell is about half the size (or quarter depending on how you count it) of the Apple iPad which puts it in a unique position to be easily carried around, yet have a fairly large 5 inch screen to allow users to work with it more easily than a smartphone. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tablets

Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 Trial Download Available

June 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Microsoft [MSFT] unveiled Windows Embedded Compact 7 earlier today. The new operating system is being designed to function on devices that sit between smartphones and desktop PC’s, ie Tablet computers and low powered netbooks/laptops.

It seems Microsoft has created Windows Embedded Compact 7 because Windows Phone 7 Series isn’t quite enough for a larger screened tablet, and that Windows 7 it’s self is just a bit too much for a tablet to need both in features and performance wise.

Microsoft has created a website explaining exactly what the new OS is and how it can be integrated in to the devices we use. The company is also offering a free trial download so you can see what it’s about yourself before they launch it in the near future. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tablets

LEGO Felt Tip 110 Printer Actually Works

June 2, 2010 by 1 Comment

Check out this cool printer. It is built of LEGO and uses a felt tip pen to print on standard paper.

The kit cannot be purchased in a standard kit, ie, it’s not LEGO mindstorms controlling the system. Instead the creator managed to design, build and code it all from scratch using analog motor electronics along with sensors and a printer driver. The LEGO printer connects up to a Mac using a USB interface.

When using the printer it looks to work like a standard printer on a Mac in that when you instruct a document to be printed, you can select the LEGO Felt Tip 110 printer from the drop down menu. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Hacked Gadgets

Apple iPad being Tested by Verizon Wireless

June 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

BGR is reporting that Verizon Wireless [VZ] is out and about testing Apple iPad devices on their network.

The Apple iPad being tested is a CDMA compatible device although LTE has also been mentioned by a source who informed BGR.

It isn’t clear if the CDMA and the LTA models are the same or different. [Read more…]

Filed Under: iPad

Samsung Wave S8500 in Germany Contains a Virus on Mem Card

June 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The Samsung Wave S8500 started shipping recently in Germany and those who purchased it could be in for a surprise as it is believed many of the devices have been infected with a virus. The virus is on the microSD memory card that ships with the smartphone and it contains the Win32/Heur virus that effects computers that use autorun.

It isn’t known how the virus got there although we suspect that it was put there in the factory when the memory cards were perhaps tested. Maybe one of the machines used to test cards contained a virus, or perhaps they were purposely planted on there by someone. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Google Android Updates Could Slow to One a Year

June 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

If you follow the progress Google [GOOG] has made with the Google Android OS, you will notice that they release updates quite often. Many smartphones are about to get an update to Android 2.1 although Android 2.2 is due out any week now. Also many are still on 1.5 and 1.6 with a few on 2.0. In total, eight releases were made in the first 18 months.

All this fragmentation has happened due to the quick updates that Google has made and now it seems that they are now beginning to slow down over the next few months.

Andy Rubin from Google said that the slow down would bring it down to about two updates per year and eventually on to just one update per year which basically follows in line with what Apple pretty much do. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Samsung NX5 Digital SLR Hybrid made Official

June 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Samsung has announced a new hybrid Digital SLR camera called the Samsung NX5. The NX5 is a lower spec model than the Samsung NX10 allowing it to have a lower price tag.

The AMOLED display on the NX10 is not used on the NX5 and instead, it uses a 3 inch LCD. The CMOS sensor can capture 14.6 megapixels and is an APC-C format sensor.

Also the camera is capable of using all NX-mount lenses that the NX10 can use. The price tag is $855 although surprisingly the so called more expensive NX10 can be found over in Germany for the equivalent of $619 at Amazon. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Camera Gadgets

HTC Legend AMOLED Screen Has Problems with Grayscale

June 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Some people have reported problems with their HTC Legend smartphones. The problem appears to be the way it shows grayscale colours in that it cannot show them properly.

The HTC Legend uses an AMOLED display which was criticised for the problems which prompted Tweakers to investigate further.

To do this the website used colour-testing equipment where the could test to see exactly what was happening under a microscope. The screen on the Legend did show problems with pink, grey, brown and green showing up rather than just grayscale (seen in the larger image below). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

BlackBerry Bold 9650 Available June 3 on Verizon

June 2, 2010 by 3 Comments

Verizon [VZ] has announced that the BlackBerry Bold 9650 will be launching on it’s network on June 3. The Bold 9650 can be ordered this Thursday with the device showing up in stores on June 10.

Features on the BlackBerry Bold 9650 include an optical trackpad, WiFi that can connect to 802.11b/g networks and Push to Talk functions.

The phone it’s self measures 4.4 x 2.44 x 0.55 inches and weighs 4.8oz. It has a glossy black finish with chrome highlights. As can be expected from all BlackBerry devices, there is mobile and messaging capabilities on this smartphone allowing users to easily have access to emails whilst on the move. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Motorola FLIPOUT Android Smartphone Announced

June 2, 2010 by 2 Comments

The Motorola FLIPOUT has been spotted a couple of times in the past. After a few months of details here and there, we now have official word from Motorola about the FLIPOUT and what it exactly is.

The Motorola FLIPOUT runs the Android 2.1 operating system. It has a smaller 2.8 inch QVGA touchscreen and a unique keyboard that flips out by rotating the device around the top corner.

Features include a three megapixel camera that is fixed focus. 3G connectivity is included. It has 512MB of memory built in and this can be expanded by a microSD card.

The device is square and measures 67mm by 67mm and is 17mm in thickness. It has an 1170mAh battery. For music playback, regular headphones can be used in the 3.5mm headphone connector. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Google Chrome OS Launching in Autumn

June 2, 2010 by 1 Comment

Google [GOOG] said today that it is planning on launching Google Chrome OS this year in the autumn. Chrome OS will be free to use.

“We are working on bringing the device later this fall,” said Google vice president of product management Sundar Pichai at CompuTex Taipei, Asia’s biggest IT trade show.

It is expected that millions of people will download the new operating system when it launches. The OS it’s self is based around the Chrome browser and is designed to function with web based applications such as Google Docs, GMail and other applications. All data is stored in the cloud allowing you to open up your computer session from any computer or tablet that runs the OS. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tech News