Archives for November 2010

Viewsonic ViewPad 7 & 10 Release Dates Revealed

ViewSonic has released details of the US launch of the ViewPad 7 and 10 models. ViewSonic confirmed that the 7 inch model will launch in the forth quarter of this year with a price tag of $479 while the larger 10 inch model will arrive early next year with a price tag of $629.

Each of the ViewSonic tablets is slightly different. The larger of the two devices is actually a dual booting machine that runs both Windows 7 Home Premium and Google Android 1.6. When switching it on you get to choose which OS boots up. For times when you quickly need to check email, you can boot in to Android and quickly grab those. For times when tasks are a little more demanding, you can then choose Windows. [Read more…]

Samsung Galaxy Tab gets Priced on Orange

Orange has announced the Samsung Galaxy Tab as being available as of now here in the UK.

The Galaxy Tab on the Orange network comes with various subsidised options which starts off at the most expensive price being £529 for the hardware and drops to £499 at the cheapest point. [Read more…]

TomTom Go 2045 TM and 2505 TM Announced

TomTom has announced a couple of new satnavs that bring new hardware as well as updated software to the units.

New features in the software include pinch-to-zoom and a swipe to screen function. The route calculation has also been upgraded. The new route planning section of TomTom is now able to calculate routes instantly as described below…

TomTom is committed to providing drivers with a world-class navigation experience and now has created a patented, high-speed algorithm that allows for instant route planning. The GO 2405 TM and GO 2505 TM utilize this innovative technology to conduct continuous routing. By regularly monitoring traffic information, these models will recommend the best current route to drivers.

[Read more…]

MacBook Air Graphical Glitch Surfaces

Some users seem to be having problems with their new MacBook Air laptops that launched just a few weeks ago. The problems are reported as effecting both the 11 and 13 inch models. The problems are described below…

The Air suddenly froze, cutting Bluetooth connection to my Magic Mouse (even after I restarted…I had to re-connect manually), and the screen started flickering like crazy. The only thing I was doing at the time was reading MacRumors forum threads and looking at MBA sleeves to buy – no YouTube or anything was open at the time. Only iTunes was open in the background.

You can’t see it well, but the flickering consisted of tiny green/red/maybe blue lines, kinda like when an old TV gets static.

A forced shutdown with the power button seemed to resolve it; closing the lid to make it sleep failed.

[Read more…]

Apple Patent Suggests Scratch Resistant Stainless Steel

Apple [AAPL] has filed another patent that reveals they have worked, or are working on, a new scratch resistant stainless steel. The patent was filed this April just gone and describes a method to protect stainless steel from regular wear and tear.

To make the metal scratch resistant, the process requires a high temperature nitrogen-based salt bath where it shots for an hour and a half. What this does is ads a coating to the metal that protects it from being scratched. The extra layer added measures about 15 – 30 microns in thickness. The outer appearance of the metal is left the same. [Read more…]

Apple iPad 2 Rumors Indicate Two Cameras

Although we are still several months away from Apple [AAPL] releasing the iPad 2, we continue to hear rumours about what will and will not be included. The latest rumour indicates that the second gen tablet will have a couple of cameras with one being 5 megapixels and the other being VGA, presumably for the front for FaceTime calls.

Although we could easily guess that the iPad 2 will have two cameras due to FaceTime and the call for it, there is a little bit of evidence to back this rumour up. The information comes from an investment firm that claims OmniVision will be supplying the CMOS image sensors. [Read more…]

Google Nexus Two Denied by Samsung

Last week, a number of details about the Google Nexus Two were leaked. The information said that rather than HTC making the Nexus Two, the responsibility this time would be Samsungs. A Nexus Two device was spotted and described as looking similar to the Galaxy S class smartphone.

Samsung has now stepped up to confirm that this rumour is actually untrue and that the rumours reported were actually a false alarm. [Read more…]

iOS 4.2 Jailbreak and Unlock to Follow 2 Days After 4.2 Release

MuscleNerd has announced on Twitter that the iOS 4.2 jailbreak and unlock will be about two days after iOS 4.2 is released by Apple [AAPL].

The Ultrasn0w unlock will be compatible with the iPhone 3GS and 3G on iOS 4.1 and iOS 4.2 running the 05.14.02 baseband. Before updating your iPhone 3G or 3GS to iOS 4.2 you would be wise checking to see if the baseband is getting updated in that release. If so, you’ll need to either leave your phone on iOS 4.1 to unlock it, or use a tool to upgrade to 4.2 while preserving the older baseband. [Read more…]

iPhone 3GS gets HD Video Recording – Needs Jailbreak

The iPhone 3GS is capable of capturing video in HD according to a guide over at Redmond Pie. The guide says that the camera is capable of recording 1080×800 pixels at a frame rate of 30fps by making a small tweak to a jailbroke iPhone 3GS running iOS 4.1

The method was performed using the Limera1n iOS 4.1 jailbreak and requires that you install OpenSSH to get access to the necessary file to modify it. [Read more…]

iPhone Alarm Clock Bug – DST Causes Alarms to Fail

When Australia switched clocks an hour a few weeks ago, a bug was spotted with the alarm clock that prevented alarms from sounding until an hour later. The bug is with recurring alarms which set of an hour later than the time set.

With Europe now switching clocks over the weekend, the bug is now here and it is expected that on November 7th the US will also see the bug in alarm clocks unless Apple [AAPL] push out a fix before hand. [Read more…]

Samsung Galaxy Tab Available for Pre-Order at Amazon

The Samsung Galaxy Tab will be launching in the US in a few weeks on November 10th.

The Tab will be launching on the T-Mobile network in the US. As well as launching on T-Mobile direct, Amazon will also be offering the Galaxy Tab on T-Mobile although the shipping date for Amazon is set at November 9th, a day earlier. Shipping is also free with Amazon on this product. [Read more…]

Samsung Galaxy Tab Release Date – Today

The Samsung Galaxy Tab release date has finally arrived here in the UK. Carphone Warehouse is now selling the new tablet with prices starting at £99.99 going up to £499.99 depending on what monthly commitment you are prepared to make.

To get the Galaxy Tab at £99.99 you need to commit to a 24 month contract paying £40/month. To get it at £499.99 the contract is just 1 month (rolling) and is £10/month if you keep the contract active. [Read more…]