Archive for: October 8, 2009
October 8, 2009
In the race to create a notebook that has no weight at all, Sony has taken the lead. On Thursday, the electronics giant unveiled what it described as “the world’s lightest notebook,” the Vaio X. The model was first shown in September at a European trade show. Weighing in at a lithe 1.6 pounds — and that’s dressed, with a standard battery — the Vaio X is only a half-inch thin. There’s an 11.1-inch screen with a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and LED backlight technology, 3G mobile broadband, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a solid-state drive. The notebook, designed primarily for business users, will run Windows 7 Pro and will be available next month, with prices starting at $1,300. ‘A Game Changer’ Since gravity has been trumped, the next goal for a laptop is electricity. The standard battery lasts for up to 3.5 hours, but a super-extended-capacity battery can keep the Vaio X in juice for up to 14 hours. Sony Senior Vice President Mike Abary said that “it’s one thing to make a notebook thin,” but the inclusion of “industry-leading battery life and wireless WAN” means the X Series is “a game changer.” For Sony, the Vaio X’s extremely thin profile is an opportunity for elegance. The laptop’s body is built of seamless brushed aluminum and carbon fiber, with a perimeter featuring grooved edging. The model is offered in black or gold, and the keyboard is designed to offer a “comfortable typing experience,” he said. The X also offers a multi-touch touch pad, which allows the user to zoom in and out, rotate items, flip through photos, and scroll vertically or horizontally. Sony notes that the Vaio X’s touch pad is “commonly associated with touch-enabled smartphones.” Andrew Hanson, an analyst with industry research firm IDC, pointed out that, as “notebook computers ...
The Dell smartphone rumors have resurfaced, this time with a little more credibility. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Dell plans to introduce a smartphone based on Google’s Android operating system and running on the AT&T network. The Journal cited “people briefed on the plans” as revealing that a Dell smartphone could hit the market as early as next year. A Dell Android phone would be AT&T’s first to use the emerging mobile operating system and also would be Dell’s first smartphone. “It’s always hard to handicap mythical products, but the Android market is getting very crowded with some of the best-of-breed Android devices coming from companies like HTC,” said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. “If Dell plans to get into the market, they are going to have to find some significant way to differentiate their offering and leapfrog ahead of their competition.” Late To the Game To be sure, Dell is late to the smartphone game. What’s more, Dell hasn’t demonstrated the core competencies of smartphone manufacturing. For Dell to succeed in an already-crowded market dominated by less than a handful of players, the PC maker needs an aggressive, differentiated strategy, Gartenberg said. Dell’s strategy, as the Journal describes it, is to offer a device that is somewhat similar to Apple’s iPhone, with a touchscreen rather than a keypad, and a camera. Dell showcased a phone in China in August. The Journal reports that the new device is similar, but has different features. Dell is reportedly also talking to other wireless carriers, including T-Mobile, about offering the device. Dell does have some carrier relationships through which it sells netbooks, but analysts said getting into the smartphone market is a much different game. “As phones become more like little computers, the PC background can help, but it ...
This week, HP unveiled their new line of four wireless “Magic Frame” printers for the consumer market in Asia. In tandem with this, they’ve also released an iPhone application that allows you to directly print photos from your iPhone or iPod touch. Neat right? Well, the app was released in December of 2008 so it really has been a while! This is the perfect app (perfect as it is the ONLY app that will work in tandem with an HP wireless printer) for printing photos from your iPhone / iPod touch via WiFi. You can download the application here for free . [opens link to the iTunes store] Post from: Cellphone9
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HP iPrint Photo prints photos wirelessly
Earlier this week, Microsoft consolidated its mobile-phone initiatives under the Windows phone brand. The company also introduced three phones with the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system and announced an application store. The upgraded operating system is being used in three phones initially: The HTC Pure from AT&T, the HTC Imagio from Verizon Wireless, and the Samsung Intrepid from Sprint, which will be available on Oct. 11. Microsoft said there may be as many as 30 Windows phones — i.e., phones driven by Windows Mobile 6.5 — by the end of this year. The new operating system is seen by many observers as a stopgap before the release of Windows Mobile 7.0. With the upgrade from 6.1 to 6.5, the primary features of the Windows Mobile family remain intact, such as the ability to work seamlessly with Windows applications like Microsoft Office and Outlook, according to Sean Westcott, IT administrator for Fairfax, Va.-based construction engineering firm McDonough Bolyard Peck and author of the book Digitally Daunted. My Phone Adds Remote Capabilities The question is whether the new features will be enough. Westcott likes the My Phone feature, which provides some semblance of Microsoft Exchange functionality without requiring the investment. “The most intriguing thing is through the My Phone app you can track the phone,” Westcott said. “You can hit a button and log into a Web page and find out where in the world the phone is” — a very practical feature to have when that phone goes missing. “It also has the ability to blank the phone or to lock it,” he said. While such features may be useful, they aren’t likely to make headlines with consumers and enterprises in the age of Apple iPhones and Palm Pres. Roman Fichman, a technology attorney in New York City, said the new ...
Twitter is in late-stage talks with both Microsoft and Google about a content-sharing deal. The rivals appear eager to tap into Twitter’s strength for disseminating real-time information. All Things Digital, a blog owned by Dow Jones, cited “sources familiar with the situation” in a report that revealed Microsoft and Google are looking to strike a data-mining deal that would see Twitter feeds integrated into their search results. In July, Microsoft added Twitter search to its new Bing decision engine, but Bing only streams messages from a few Tweeters. Microsoft launched the service with well-known bloggers, including John Battelle, Danny Sullivan, and Kara Swisher. At the time, analysts said Microsoft’s service was ahead of the curve. Neutral Twitter Part of Twitter’s discussion with Microsoft and Google reportedly deals with payment structures. Figures such as “several million dollars” are being tossed around, as well as revenue-sharing agreements that would offer Twitter a piece of the search-revenue pie from Microsoft and Google. News reports suggest Twitter won’t make an exclusive deal with one or the other, but could remain neutral in the search wars by signing agreements with both companies if terms are agreeable. And although talks are reportedly in advanced stages, sources say it’s just as possible that Twitter won’t come to terms with either company. Twitter has yet to make large profits, yet the company continues to capture the interest of media, consumers and investors. Twitter raised $100 million in new funding last month. The company had already raised $55 million. Twitter’s Real-Time Advantage Twitter, Microsoft and Google couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. But as Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, sees it, the motives of all parties in these discussions is clear: Twitter wants the exposure that this deal could bring and the search engines want the ...
The photoshopped screen in this pic betrays its true nature. The real screen is glossy. REAL glossy. (Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET The LED revolution has truly begun. In the last month or so, I’ve reviewed three LED-based LCD computer monitors and I expect they won’t be the …
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Review: Another week, another LED-based monitor
By Andrew Liszewski I like the idea of an alarm clock with an iPod dock allowing you to listen to your own music in the morning, instead of what the local radio stations play. But I don’t like the idea of my iPod or iPhone having to stay perched on my dresser all night long. That’s not an issue with the Yamaha TSX-W80 alarm clock though since your iPod or iPhone sits in a portable cradle that uses the company’s AirWired technology to wirelessly transmit your tunes to the alarm. And besides a design that borders on retro, the TSX-W80 is pretty basic with an FM tuner, digital clock with alarms, remote control and 2.1 speakers. It’s expected to be available sometime in December, but pricing info hasn’t been announced. [ Yamaha TSX-W80 ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]
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Yamaha TSX-W80 Alarm Clock With Wireless iPod Cradle
TVs and mobile phones helped Samsung Electronics’ earnings soar earlier this year. Now, South Korea’s electronics giant is riding high as prices of memory chips and liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels gain in early signs of recovery in the information technology sector. Samsung, the world’s largest maker of memory chips and LCD panels, said on Oct. 6 that its operating profit almost tripled in the three months through September from a year earlier. In earnings guidance for the third quarter, Samsung said its operating profit would be between $3.3 billion and $3.7 billion. That’s up sharply from a profit of $2.2 billion from the previous quarter and $1.3 billion a year earlier. “It is likely to be the record quarterly profit,” says Michael Min, technology sector specialist at fund manager Tempis Capital Management. The previous high was set in the first quarter of 2004, when its profit was $3.4 billion, excluding financial results of its subsidiaries whose earnings contributions were negligible. (Samsung has since amended its accounting method, and the latest results reflect performances of subsidiaries.) The better-than-expected profit guidance indicates the Korean electronics company’s strategy of pulling away from rivals during an industry slump is beginning to pay off. Industry watchers reckoned Samsung would be the first beneficiary of a recovery, as it had kept investing in the latest production technologies and equipment while others cut back in spending. “Payoffs will continue in coming quarters,” says Min. Samsung’s share price closed slightly lower, in line with a 0.5 percent fall of the benchmark Kospi index on the Korea Exchange. The company’s stock has jumped 67 percent so far this year, against a 42 percent Kospi gain. Samsung, which is also the largest TV maker and the No. 2 mobile-phone maker, said its third-quarter sales rose about 11 percent, to $31 ...
Move over Apple and Research In Motion. Rivalry in the smartphone market has just heated up. For a while it seemed the bloodiest battle in smartphones would be fought between Apple, maker of the iPhone, and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. But an emerging alliance between Google and Verizon Wireless has the potential to create a potent alternative to the BlackBerry and iPhone in the U.S. smartphone market. On Oct. 6, Verizon Wireless and Google said they will collaborate on mobile devices, services, and software for the Android mobile operating system that’s being developed by a Google-led consortium. The pairing gives Android its largest-yet wireless industry backer and is likely to accelerate the development of Android-based devices and of applications tailored to the Android operating system. Thirty Android-Based Devices by Yearend? Analysts expect Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone and the largest U.S. wireless service provider, to unveil at least three Android-based phones from such makers as Motorola, Samsung, and HTC later this month. Backing from Verizon Wireless, which boasts 87.7 million users, could encourage other handset makers to build for Android, too. All told, device manufacturers may unveil 30 Android-based devices by yearend, says Stifel Nicolaus analyst George Askew. Last summer, Google’s top Android manager, Andy Rubin, said he expected up to 20 devices to debut in 2009. Depending on how aggressively Verizon Wireless begins marketing Android handsets, BlackBerrys and other smartphones could be forced to play second fiddle in Verizon Wireless stores, says Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu. An increasingly important selling point for smartphones is the availability of applications, such as games and productivity tools, often developed by third-party programmers. Android Market, which sells games and productivity apps for phones such as the T-Mobile G1 and myTouch 3G, currently offers about 10,000 apps. ...
Ten years after suffering one of tech’s most spectacular flameouts, satellite-calling provider Iridium Communications is staging a comeback. Its late-September public share sale has sparked hope for the larger satellite industry, long burdened by exorbitant startup costs and anemic demand. Iridium raised $200 million in a Sept. 29 initial public offering after reinventing itself and wringing $54 million in profit from $320 million in sales last year. Originally the company had planned to sell go-anywhere phones to globe-trotting executives and provide calling with signals beamed from a constellation of 66 orbiting satellites, plus spares. But after spending $5 billion to get the equipment off the ground — and failing to anticipate the threat from coast-to-coast wireless networks — Motorola-backed Iridium drew only a fraction of the customers it needed to stay in business. Setting a pattern repeated across the industry, Iridium filed for bankruptcy protection in 1999. Three years later, rival Globalstar followed suit, while Teledesic, founded by wireless impresario Craig McCaw and Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen, shut its doors. Covering Air, Sea, and Mountaintops The new Iridium still provides satellite calling but has a plan for tapping new markets and running its satellites more efficiently. It has 347,000 customers, up from about 50,000 when it filed for Chapter 11. “People understand much better what these things cost, how they work, and what they can and can’t do,” says Jonathan Atkin, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, which has provided investment banking services to Iridium in the past year. “There’s a much more realistic view across the industry.” For Iridium and other satellite companies, the challenge is to translate that realism into sustainable profits. Rather than position itself as an alternative to conventional wireless calling, the company wants to provide communication in parts of the world not ...
Hulu on Thursday launched a Linux version of Hulu Desktop and added several publisher tools. The additions are part of Hulu Labs, a section on the site launched in May that provides sneak peaks at upcoming material.
Publisher Tools is a section on Hulu intended to be a one-stop content shop for reporters, bloggers, Web site editors, and webmasters to find embeddable content.
"A section devoted to featured content highlights topical and popular videos on Hulu.com, while a comprehensive directory helps you find and preview videos from Hulu and other sites to embed on your website or blog," Hulu said. "Select multiple videos to create a custom playlist for an embeddable video panel, and preview it all before you post."
Hulu Desktop, which also launched in May, was initially available for Macs and PCs, but is now extending to Linux machines.
"Linux support has been the most requested addition to the original Hulu Desktop application since it launched," Hulu said in a release.
The Linux version also includes an interface that optimized for remote-control use, but can also be controlled via keyboard and mouse for those without a remote.
The download is available on Hulu now.
    
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