Archive for: February 6, 2009

We’re not going to shout it official yet, but a bunch of very real-looking Kindle 2 press images just hit the tubes, and we’ve got to say we’re pretty convinced. Although the device itself looks basically the same as in those previously-leaked shots we saw back in October, there are some surprises …

Gadgets

M:N threading, in which a individual kernel thread is multiplexed to run multiple logical user mode threads, has expanded been a feature of some Unix systems (Solaris and FreeBSD have had it for years). Even Windows NT has had “Fibers” for several releases, though they suffered from the same proble…

OS

Today Microsoft launched a Web site for their long-rumored Skybox service, which they are calling "My Phone." This service syncs Windows Mobile 6 phones to a Microsoft-run Web site.

The launch apparently happened before Microsoft expected, as we recounted this morning. By 6 PM ET today, Microsoft had recovered and decided to issue this statement:

Today, Microsoft's My Phone Web site went live prior to its scheduled debut. However, we are excited about the new Microsoft My Phone service, which will be available as a limited, invite-only beta. This is a significant milestone for Microsoft as it connects the phone to the PC and Web, making mobility a key pillar for the company's software+services strategy.

This new Microsoft cloud service syncs critical information (e.g., contacts, calendar appointments, tasks, text messages, photos, video, etc) on a user's mobile phone to a password protected Web site. Once synchronized, people can easily back-up and restore mobile phone data. My Phone provides an easy to use Web portal where people can access and manage content on the phone, and share that information with others.

My Phone helps people: Keep their information backed up if they lose or break their phones. Transition information if they switch to new phones. Access the same information from their phone or PC. Additional information about the service can be found here: www.windowsmobile.com/myphone We will have more details about My Phone and the limited invite only beta at Mobile World Congress.

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We don’t know precisely where that one came from… but these leaked photos seem to be of an Ocean-esque Samsung M7600. Here’s what we know about it, spec-wise: it’s an HSDPA phone which will have a 3 megapixel camera, GPS, a 2.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, and yes, a Bang & Olufsen amplif…

Gadgets

Say it ain’t so (again) Pioneer, Japan’s Nikkei is reporting that despite planning a return to profitability by sourcing Panasonic plasma panels, facing a consolidated loss of 100 billion yen ($1.08 billion U.S.) it will end TV development and production entirely. The DVD trade will be spun off into…

Gadgets

Guess LG UK apparently can’t wait to show the world the new Arena KM900 — it’s published a high-quality press photo on its corporate blog ten days before the official reveal at MWC. that is plus our first glimpse of that “S-Class 3D interface,” and it’s… definitely a spinning 3D dice with some i…

Gadgets

Dataviz, makers of the popular DocumentsToGo mobile Microsoft Office compatible suite, are promising two bombshells at the Mobile World Congress trade show. According to an email they sent to press, they'll be demoing DocumentsToGo for both iPhone and Android, as well as RoadSync for Android, an Exchange ActiveSync client that will connect Android phones to Microsoft Exchange servers.

This is big news. So far, there's no full Office-compatible suite for the iPhone or for Android phones; QuickOffice's MobileFiles Pro for the iPhone lets you edit Excel documents, but not Word documents. NitroDesk's TouchDown connects Android phones to Exchange, but Dataviz's products are usually considered among the finest in their fields.

We'll be at MWC and get more information there.

Looks like Intel is give some of its SSDs a more fair — yet still very exorbitant — price tag. The company has slashed the 2.5-inch 80GB X25-M from $595 in September to now $390. While a 34 percent cut is nothing to scoff at, that’s still $90 more expensive than Western Digital’s 2TB spinner, whi…

Gadgets

It’s not fairly as whimsical as some of Thanko’s other gadgets, but those looking for a barebones media player may actually want to consider the company’s new HDD Media Player 2, which looks like it should get the job done and do so on the cheap. Naturally, you’ll have to supply your own tough driv…

Gadgets

Friends — the Engadget Podcast is here for you once again. It’s day to kick off your shoes, twist your hat sideways, whip the tie across the room, and settle in for some good old, homespun tech punditry. Join Josh, a newly-healthy Paul, and Nilay as they whisk you absent to the promised land of g…

Gadgets

Upstairs at Slattery's Midtown Pub might not sound like the best place to host a demo of the latest and greatest games from Atari--well, as it turned out, it wasn't. Technical problems along with the fact I really couldn't hear anything from the games (and little enough from the presenters) made parts of some demos rough going.

Luckily, most of what I saw was plenty strong on eye candy. And frankly, I'm just happy that the company came and hosted an event at all, given the horror show that is the economy.

After the jump, game details and screengrabs from each.

Ghostbusters

There's been a lot of talk lately about a possible Ghostbusters reunion, but big-screen bustin' might be years off--who knows when Ray Parker Jr.'s schedule will open up? No need to hold your breath for the big-screen version, however--there's a console game written by Dan Ackroyd and Harold Ramis hitting the streets soon.

Atari showed off versions for the Xbox 360 and Wii. The little bit we saw of the Xbox version looked great (the Wii version looked fun, like the old Saturday morning cartoon). The amount of detail on the team's proton packs was hypnotic, the characters looked great, and the ghosts looked just right.

We couldn't hear much at the event, but Atari assured us that all the original cast members recorded a ton of new dialog for the movie, which is set two years after the events in Ghostbusters II. The game's coming out later this year, for pretty much every platform known to man.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

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It’s not precisely the level of technology that’ll cause Lucius Fox to storm out of a room, but that new so-called BEAM 3D mapping software developed by a pair of students from the Engineering College of Aarhus is still pretty impressive, and could be of real use to firefighters and others in an em…

Gadgets