Archive for May, 2008
Sony Ericsson W580i: The Royal Phone
Play Machines at War 1.2
Found under: Pocket PC, Games, Software, Smartphone,
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Fujitsu’s LifeBook U2010 up close
Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs
While yesterday’s minuscule shot of this Atom-based UMPC explained the form factor quite well, this here picture shows the unit in a much better light. Otherwise there’s little new info on this U2010 from Fujitsu, but that $1,300 pricepoint isn’t a great start. Was this whole “Atom is cheaper” thing just a cruel, cruel myth?
[Via Pocketables]
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HTC Advantage X7150 won’t be sold in US
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Even though we’ve seen a couple of US e-tailers offering HTC’s latest Advantage, the X7150, up for pre-order, it seems that the handheld won’t actually be sold here for at least awhile. According to jkOnTheRun, the X7510 possesses one of those hotly-debated Qualcomm chipsets that cannot be sold on American soil — presumably due to all those legal issues the firm is currently wading through. Of course, folks that just can’t fathom living another quarter without one can cough up the requisite dough to snag one from an importer, but otherwise, it looks like you USers are clean out of luck (at least for the moment).
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iPhone firmware 2.0 adds Chinese handwriting recognition, Newton sweats
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Screen shots posted on Chinese site wretch.cc allege that iPhone firmware 2.0 has added support for Chinese handwriting recognition in addition to a revamped (albeit non-recognition) Japanese interface. While that’s still light years from an Apple admission that not everyone is in love with the on-screen keyboard, it’s one small step toward functionality that seems to make boatloads of sense — in any language — given the phone’s generously proportioned touchscreen and its reluctant but unavoidable nomination as the Newton’s spiritual successor. What isn’t clear is how folks are expected to draw characters, seeing how there’s no provision for an on-board stylus, the entire interface is designed for finger use, and we don’t see many owner rushing out for a Pogo. However Apple intends for this feature to be used, the implementation looks pretty hot, capable of operating in both portrait and landscape modes. Sadly, it seems that Chinese is the one and only language supported at the moment; sure you don’t want to let everyone in on the Graffiti-esque retro fun here, guys?
[Via Mac Rumors]
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AlphaGrip Handheld Computer concept mimics Atari Jaguar controller
Filed under: Handhelds
You never really know what you’re going to get when peering through entries in Microsoft’s Next-Gen PC Design Competition, and the above pictured device is definitely evidence of that. The AlphaGrip Handheld Computer (or AlphaGrip HC, for short), boasts full-size rocker keys on the front along with a flip-up display and a keypad made specifically for thumb-typing. There’s also a trackball for mousing about and a slew of buttons to handle “sophisticated PC games” while standing on a crowded subway. Still, we can’t help but notice just how much this thing reminds us of our days tinkering with the defunct-from-birth Atari Jaguar, and we also can’t imagine anyone with a shred of dignity ever pulling this abomination out in public. Kudos for imagination, though.
[Via OhGizmo]
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WWDC to launch a 3G iPhone and Atom-based MID device?
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Honestly, we’re exhausted by the sheer magnitude of 3G iPhone chatter swamping the rumor channels (and our inbox). Nevertheless, it would be a disservice to you, dear reader, if we let this one slide without comment. The perennial Apple touchscreen tablet rumor was given a fresh polish yesterday by Intel’s chief German Burgermeister. Hannes Schwaderer stated unequivocally that Apple would be using the new Intel Atom processor in a “future iPhone” which is slightly larger than the existing model due to a larger display. Of course, this isn’t the first time that Intel has openly discussed Apple’s plans to develop products based on Intel’s Centrino Atom, Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform. And as MacRumors and AppleInsider point out, an older rumor calls for a new multi-touch Apple tablet to launch mid-year with a 720 x 480 display on a device said to be about 1.5x the size of the current iPhone. With Intel officially launching Atom in June and Jobs’ next keynote scheduled for June 9th… well, it wouldn’t surprise us to see Otellini riding a chocolate pony on stage with a multi-touch Newton in hand. Actually, that would be surprising.
P.S. That’s a pic of Intel’s concept MID from Mr. Blurry Cam.
[Via MacRumors and AppleInsider]
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HTC Diamond photos and specifications leaked
Found under: HTC, Devices, Pocket PC,
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Sony Ericsson W850i – Music for Everyone …Now !
BlackBerry Kickstart flip gets more details, T-Mobile branding included
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
If it weren’t for RIM’s “help, we’re stuck in 2006 and can’t get out!” approach of topping this thing out with EDGE data, we’d be all over its warm embrace of an all-new form factor — but yeah, seriously RIM, what’s up with that? Boy Genius Report has outed a few more alleged specs of Waterloo’s first foray into the clamshell market, the Kickstart – and it looks like we can expect a 2 megapixel cam, SureType (as though we couldn’t have figured that out ourselves), internal QVGA and external 160 x 128 displays, WiFi, and a true 3.5mm headphone jack. We’re also seeing some new shots with T-Mobile branding, which makes sense considering the carrier’s longstanding efforts to be on RIM’s bleeding edge. Oh, and just for the humor factor, RIM appears to be drawing parallels between the Kickstart and a few… uh, “objects,” such as the “anodized color” similar to that found on an “urban nomad tool.” So this is how product development goes down — explains a lot!
[Via phoneArena]
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First Intel Atom based MID gets priced — $1131!?
Filed under: Handhelds
Intel’s been making a lot of noise about MIDs for a while now, but we’re going to guarantee that the entire category flops if this first wave of pricing info is accurate. Australian importer Tegatech’s got the Gigabyte M528 up for pre-order, and while we’re intrigued by the 800MHz Atom processor, 512MB of RAM, and 8GB SSD, we’re certainly not willing to pay AU$1199 ($1131) to satisfy our curiosity — especially since the Linux build was so half-baked when we played with this thing at CeBIT. Of course, this isn’t official pricing (and it’s actually dropped from AU$1549 since we first saw the listing), but let’s hope this is even more inaccurate than usual, eh?
[Via UMPC Portal]
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Apple buys P.A. Semi chip designer, Intel says wha?
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Apple loves ‘em some Intel right? Sure, it was the Intel power-per-watt roadmap which Jobs cited as the reason to ditch IBM’s PowerPC platform. Analysts have since been tripping over themselves with speculation about future generation iPhones and iPod touches going Intel — especially since the arrival of Atom. So what will analysts make of Apple’s $278 million in cash purchase of the 150 person P.A. Semi microprocessor design company? The company was founded by Dan Dobberpuhl, lead designer of DEC’s doomed Alpha and StrongArm processors, and responsible for the introduction of a 2GHz, 64-bit dual-core microprocessor which in February 2007 was said to be 300% more efficient than comparable chips running at 5 to 13 watts. Forbes speculates that Apple will wrap its ARMs around the company’s boutique processor in a bid for exclusivity — a move meant to differentiate itself from competition using Intel and other off-the-shelf processors. Interestingly, after a long courtship with P.A. Semi, the acquisition discussions only began in the last few weeks. Say what you want about Jobs, but he’s nothing if not a man who knows what he wants and makes damn sure he gets it.
Update: Oh shazam! We just remembered that P.A. Semi and Apple had been this close to a deal just prior (as in minutes) to the announced Intel switch in 2006. Interesting, very interesting. Why now Apple?
Read — P.A. Semi PWRficient processor announcement
Read — Forbes
HTC’s Raphael and Diamond: coming to Sprint and looking good
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
No one really knows whether HTC’s May 6 gathering will usher in the age of Android (our guess is still “no”), but let’s look a little beyond that, shall we? We’ve just laid eyes on a handful of documents detailing HTC’s efforts to ready the Diamond and Raphael models — already known to be valid HTC codenames — for Sprint later this year, and things are definitely looking up in the post-Touch world. The Diamond turns out to be the successor to that very device, lacking a physical keyboard and relying almost exclusively on a large, glossy touchscreen for user input; the Raphael meanwhile (pictured) features a full QWERTY deal and is destined to replace the Mogul. The paperwork’s pretty blurry, but it appears that both Windows Mobile devices will feature WiFi, 3 megapixel cameras, and — get this — VGA displays. Goodness! The Raphael is currently lined up to be the first out of the gate, hitting the streets in September if everything goes well, with the Diamond following on in November. Surprised that these devices are CDMA-based and Sprint bound? Us too, we admit — but we’d be shocked if there weren’t GSM twins of both of these hotties getting cooked in the lab at the same time.
[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
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Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops
Look, we’re not saying that FlipStart is on the way out, but when you only sell one product, put it on fire sale, and then your “store” page tells people that the stock of your device has been “sold out” and then directs them to a third-party retailer for accessories, well, things might not be looking so good.
[Thanks, Marke]
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Google Search on Nokia
Found under: Google, Symbian, Nokia, ,
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