Archives for June 2010

HTC Aria Leaked

Android Guys managed to get hold of some pictures of what is believed to be the HTC Aria smartphone.

The HTC Aria runs the Android 2.1 operating system and also has the usual HTC Sense UI coded in to the Android OS. On the back is a 5 megapixel camera. The tipster who contacted Android Guys with the images also commented saying it’s the smallest Android device they have seen yet.

It appears that the HTC Aria has either a 2.5 inch or 2.8 inch LCD screen, we assume capacitive as this is an Android device. [Read more…]

HTC EVO 4G Teardown

We literally just mentioned that the HTC EVO 4G was available off-contract for $549 direct from the HTC online store. We then come across iFixit who have done a complete teardown of the HTC EVO 4G to see exactly what’s inside and what makes it function the way it does.

iFixit are well known in the Gadget world for taking apart high end gadgets, often Apple [AAPL] products, but anything with a high price tag. The latest teardown was made possible because of Google [GOOG] handing out free HTC EVO 4G’s at the Google I/O event that was held recently. The iFixit team managed to get one of the EVO’s and take it home to carve it apart.

iFixit say that the EVO 4G was an easy phone to take apart. All that was required was removing the back cover and then unfastening 6 Torx screws to reveal the insides. [Read more…]

HTC EVO 4G Available off Contract for $549

HTC is selling the HTC EVO 4G direct from their website with a price tag of $549.99. The handset has no contract allowing you to get a cheaper plan due to not having a subsidised device to support.

As well as being able to buy the handset off contract, there is also an option to buy the phone with a Sprint contract which brings the price down to $199.99 although you’ll be locked in for two years on that contract.

The HTC EVO 4G is a high-end smartphone that has a lot of advanced features. The device has a large 4.3 inch TFT display that can display 480 x 800 pixels. The device is powered by a 1GHz snapdragon processor provided by Qualcomm. For storage it has 1GB of memory built in along with 512MB of RAM. [Read more…]

LG Town GT350 Unveiled

The LG Town GT530 has been designed for those who like to keep in contact either via text messages or via social networks. The device has a slide out QWERTY keyboard and includes social networking services such as Twitter and Facebook to let users easily keep in touch.

The LG Town uses a live social network feed that brings the contents of Facebook and Twitter together in to a single stream that can be easily viewed and interacted with when needed.

The LG Town has a 3 inch wide touchscreen display that allows for a single tap on the screens refresh button to update the social feed. [Read more…]

Waterproof your iPad with the Waterwear Case

If you want to make your iPad safe from water and other things that might damage it such as kitchen use then the Waterwear case will keep the device protected for you. The Waterwear case is created by Tunewear and completely seals the iPad from water in a plastic casing.

The Waterwear case is transparent and allows you to keep the iPad safe underwater for using in places such as the bath or perhaps in the kitchen where plenty of ingredients could hit the screen. [Read more…]

Apple iPhone 4G Parts Surface Again

After several leaks regarding the next generation iPhone 4G, we again see another leak has surfaced. This time it’s for a spare part which we haven’t seen before. The spare part is a sub-frame assembly that is basically the centre part of the iPhone 4G that holds the thing together.

The site, iPhone Portugal, managed to purchase the sub-frame from China and have the part(s) delivered to them. Confirmation of them being genuine will be hard to achieve. ZDNet point out that no Apple [AAPL] logo can be found on the subframe and that it potentially could be just a knock off although the quality does look to be of a premium product standard. [Read more…]

NEC 3D Projector Revealed

NEC Display Technologies has announced a new 3D enabled DLP projector. It is called the NP216J-3D and has a resolution of 1024×768 pixels.

Brightness is rated at 2500 lumens and a contrast ratio of 2000:1 is achieved. The 2500 lumens brightness is provided by a 180W lamp. A single mono speaker can also be found inside.

The new 3D projector is due to launch on July 20 over in Japan where it will be sold for $1100 which includes a pair of glasses. [Read more…]

Google Drop Microsoft Windows OS on Staff Computers

Back in January, Google [GOOG] had problems in China with hackers. The hackers cause problems because of loopholes in Internet Explorer, the Microsoft [MSFT] browser. We now hear that Google is dropping Microsoft operating systems from it’s staff PC’s. The move is a security effort said one anonymous employee and he went on to say that Google is now giving staff choices between Linux or OS X to use as an OS.

For the rare circumstances where employees want a Microsoft operating system PC, the installation apparently will now require CIO approval.

The move also is said to be a step in the direction of Google moving all staff to it’s own operating system ie, Google Chrome OS. [Read more…]

Hitachi 7mm Thick Laptop Hard Drive Unveiled

Hitachi has created a range of new hard drives that measure just 7mm thick. The new super slim drives are 2.5 inches in size.

Two versions have been launched called the TravelStar and the CinemaStar. The two versions are built for different tasks. The TravelStar drives were designed to function in laptops and other portable devices while the CinemaStar drives are optimised for media such as audio and video streaming.

Each model has low power consumption requirements as well as shock resistance, quiet acoustics and of course, they are just 7mm thick making them a good candidate for the new Intel Canoe Lake laptops that could potentially measure just 15mm thick in total. [Read more…]

Apple to Give Factory Workers 0.7% of iPad Profit

Apple [AAPL] appears to have responded to the problems found in factories where the Apple iPad is built. Recently there has been a number of suicides and although it’s difficult to judge the exact cause of the suicides, Apple has stepped up to offer 0.7% of iPad profits to those assembling the device. This will bring about a 20% raise to each worker on the line.

A small cut to Apple’s profit margin may make a big difference in workers’ lives

As well as cutting 0.7% of it’s profits for iPad assemblers, it is also believed that iPods and iPhones workers will also get a rise.

Apple has it’s products mainly built by Foxconn where other companies products are also built from the likes of HP, Dell, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft to name a small group of them. It isn’t clear if Apple will set a standard here for other companies to follow or if they will be the only company to do this. [Read more…]

Dell Streak Tablet Prices Revealed for UK

Carphone Warehouse in the UK has announced that they are to be the exclusive independent retailer of the Dell Streak Tablet that is launching on Friday June 4.

The Dell Streak is available on the O2 network when it launches although Carphone Warehouse are offering their own tariffs which will see the Streak Tablet being free if you sign up for a £25/month mobile broadband contract, and also free if you sign up for a £35/month voice and data contract. You can also pick up the device for £429 standalone.

It isn’t clear if these tariffs are cheaper, more expensive or the same as what O2 will offer, so before ordering make sure you check out the prices direct from O2. When O2 release those prices we’ll update you. [Read more…]

Intel Canoe Lake can Halve Netbook Thickness

Intel is working on a new generation of Atom chips, this time called Canoe Lake. The new CPU’s aim to halve the thickness of netbooks with possibilities of just half an inch being achievable.

The downside of the new Intel Canoe Lake is that there won’t be much more power than the current Intel Atom’s used although the slimmer design makes netbooks slightly thicker than an iPhone possible.

The new CPU platform uses thermal cooling rather than fans and this is what allows the netbook to be slimmer. What the thermal cooling also achieves is a netbook that also runs cooler than what we see today. [Read more…]