It works by recording a soundbite, uploading it to Google's servers, which will crunch the data and return an answer "within seconds on a fast wireless network". Saul compared the function to that offered on Yahoo's, and found Google's to be more accurate, but still return junk results sometimes. AT&T and Microsoft also have handset voice recognition beyond simple dialing that many other phones offer. The app will be free and might be available to download as soon as Friday. [NYT]
gizmodo.comNov 14, 2008
Breaking: Google Adding Free Voice Search to the iPhone
American Airlines getting in on that cellphone boarding pass fad
[Via Mobilitysite]
engadget.com
Microsoft debuts Microsoft Store in apparent attempt to sell stuff
*This isn't true.
[Via ZDnet]
engadget.com
ASRock's Instant Boot: 0 to Vista in 4 seconds
[Thanks, Daniel]
engadget.com
Activision Screws Up Their Own Guitar Hero Compatibility Charts
If Activision doesn't understand the compatibility issues regarding their own games and hardware, how are we as consumers EVER going to get it? If these guys don't figure their shit out soon, I'm so going to start a real band. [Activision via Kotaku]
Nov 12, 2008
BlackBerry Curve 8900 gets official for T-Mobile Germany
[Via IntoMobile]
engadget.com
Intel Core i7-equipped Falcon Northwest Mach V gaming desktop hands-on
Benchmarks and reviews of Intel's Core i7 processors are pouring in, and while mere mortals must wait till later this month to get their hands on the hardware, we spent much of our weekend working overtime with Crysis, Fallout 3, and Age of Conan on an $8,238 Core i7 965-equipped Mach V gaming desktop from boutique PC manufacturer Falcon Northwest. It's got the works and then some: liquid cooling, dual ATI Radeon 4870X2 graphics cards with 2GB of RAM on-board, 12 GB of DDR3 RAM, Blu-ray, HD-DVD (yes, you read that right), and over a terabyte of storage. Based on our dozen or so hours of grueling, utterly boring hands-on tests, all three games were plenty playable maxed out at 1920 x 1080 resolution with 4x anti-aliasing -- only Crysis ever dipped below 40 frames per second, and we never saw Fallout 3 under 60. We sincerely hope you appreciate the backbreaking, soulcrushingly hard work we do for you -- more photos and benchmarks (including Crysis) in the gallery.
engadget.com
This Robot Wants Your Money, Jerks
Using the robot is easy enough. You push the touchscreen on its chest to select, say, tickets for an amusement park. Then you wave your FeliCa-enabled wallet phone (RFID device) over the robot's right hand to, as we can only assume, pay for your tickets and deactivate the robot's deadly laser security system.
Apparently the system could also incorporate facial recognition to identify frequent visitors, or recommend services based upon their age/gender. And while we know that this terminal is just a kiosk shaped like a robot, we can't help but to admire the sincere technoanthropomorphism. [IT Media via Pink Tentacle]
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 To Drop Black Friday For $800
Sony's Win-Mo 6.1 Xperia X1 finally has a firm U.S. release date set: November 28, better known as Black Friday. Although unlike most things on sale on that fateful day of darkness, the Xperia will not be a particularly awesome deal at $800 for an unsubsidized, unlocked X1. It'll work on AT&T's 3G network here in the States, though, if you are so inclined. Pre-orders begin tomorrow, and general availability will be at Sony Style stores and authorized retailers. Full release after the jump.
Sony Ericsson Xperia(TM) X1 Available in U.S. for 2008 Holiday Season
November 12, 2008, 8:00 AMPre-orders for the premium converged device begin today at SonyStyle.Com
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Sony Ericsson North America announced the arrival of the highly anticipated Xperia(TM) X1 to the U.S. marketplace. The Xperia(TM) X1 delivers a range of multimedia and communication experiences that have long been coveted and in demand by consumers
The Xperia X1 will be available unlocked through Sony Electronics and its authorized retailers beginning on "Black Friday," November 28. Pre-orders of the Xperia X1 will be available through the Sony Style Web site at www.sonystyle.com beginning November 13. This premium device will be sold unlocked for the MSRP of $799.99, giving consumers the freedom to choose their own mobile operator and data plan.
"The Xperia X1 continues the Sony Ericsson tradition of delivering the highest quality experiences and the most advanced technology available today," said Karen Morris, vice president of marketing, Sony Ericsson North America. "The most exciting scenarios enabled by the Xperia X1 will be created by consumers - enabling them to customize and personalize their device and content to fit their lifestyle and personality."
The Xperia X1's unique panel user interface is at the heart of the device's ability to create and adapt consumers' personal choices. With up to 9 panels, it's easy to find and enjoy the information and entertainment content they want. Sony Ericsson is busy working with third-party developers to create a wealth of new applications and new panels that will soon be available for download.
By incorporating the Windows Mobile(R) 6.1 Professional operating system, the Xperia X1 frees consumers from their home and office, allowing them connectivity to their content wherever they are.
"Windows Mobile gives people the ability to easily navigate between their business and personal lives," said Todd Peters, vice president of marketing, Mobile Communications Business, Microsoft. "The panel user interface found only in the Xperia X1 is bringing unique experiences to consumers who want more from their converged devices."
As Sony Ericsson's most advanced phone to date, the Xperia X1 brings together a large, 3-inch wide VGA display touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard all wrapped into a sleek silver metal- finished arc slider handset. The Xperia X1 supports fast 3G networks, enabling audio and video streaming, high-speed internet surfing, multimedia messaging and email on the go. In addition to delivering 3G mobile broadband speeds, the Xperia X1 supports WiFi to meet the needs of consumers' always connected lifestyles.
In the tradition of Sony Ericsson, the Xperia X1 offers consumers the ultimate multimedia experience with a 3.2 megapixel camera, video streaming, video playback and video recording, and the ability to enjoy all their digital music.
"The Xperia X1 complements Sony Electronics' family of Windows-based devices and leverages the company's heritage of providing beautifully designed, highly functional, portable electronics," said John Kodera, vice president of product marketing, Sony Electronics. "The Xperia X1 delivers the highest quality entertainment, communication and personalization options for consumers."
Sony Ericsson Xperia(TM) X1 - At a Glance
Camera
• Auto focus
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• Photo light
• Video recording
Multimedia
• Bluetooth(TM) stereo (A2DP)4
• Media player
• Music tones
• Windows Media(R) Player Mobile
• 3D games
• FM radio
• Java(TM)
• Video streaming
• Video viewing
Internet7
• Internet Explorer(R) Mobile
• RSS feeds
• Opera(TM) 9.5
Communication and Messaging
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Speakerphone
• Vibrating alert
• Video calling3,8
• Picture messaging (MMS)9
• Predictive text input
• Text messaging (SMS)9
Design
• XPERIA(TM) panels
• Optical joystick navigation
• Navigation key
• Picture wallpaper
• Touch navigation
Organizer
• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Document editors
• Document readers
• Flight mode
• Handwriting recognition
• Notes
• Phone book
• Tasks
• Touchscreen
Connectivity
• aGPS
• Bluetooth(TM)4 technology
• Modem
• Synchronization
• USB support
• WLAN
Windows Mobile(R) Operating System
• Microsoft(R) Outlook(R) Mobile: email, contacts, calendar, tasks
• Microsoft(R) Office Mobile: Word Mobile, Excel(R) Mobile, PowerPoint(R) Mobile
• Windows Live(TM)
• Microsoft(R) ActiveSync(R)
• Voice control
• Utility Applications: file explorer, calculator, pictures & video, notes
Facts and Figures
Size: 110 x 53 x 16.7 mm (approx.)
Weight: 145 grams (approx.)
Available colors: Silver
Main screen: 65,536 color TFT
Resolution: 800 X 480 pixels
Size: 3 inches (approx.)
Phone memory5: up to 400 MB
microSD(TM) memory card support
Networks:
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 850/1900/2100 MHz
gizmodo.com
Spirit Mars Rover May Be Dead Too Now
This is a very dangerous time. If we don't hear from it on Thursday, we'll be extremely concerned.
The culprit, again: A sudden dust storm over the Martian equatorial plains. This storm has covered the solar panels during the last days and, as a result, the Mars Spirit only produced 89 watt-hours last weekend. This is half the amount it needs to keep functioning. Scientists at the JPL have turned off heating for many instruments in the hope that the rover's batteries won't be completely depleted.
In this case, however, the Mars Spirit rover is well passed its expiry date. With five years working in the planet, the mission has vastly exceeded even the wildest dreams of NASA's researchers. Also, keep in mind that Spirit's twin brother—Opportunity—is still working at the other side of the planet.
But still, seriously NASA, how can you send things that run on solar power to the dustiest planet in the Solar System and forget to include some kind of Windex cleaning device all the gear? Couldn't you guys add some kind of mini-Roomba to crawl the panels of the next one? [NASA and Daily Mail and Posts by Phoenix Mars Lander at Gizmodo]
Japan's Downsy Medical Bot Teaches Doctors How to Treat Patients
Nov 11, 2008
HTC Fuze (Touch Pro) Now Available on AT&T
Just yesterday the HTC Fuze was spotted for the first time in its AT&T retail packaging and we assumed that the launch was not far off. Fortunately, we only had to wait a few hours. AT&T has announced that the Fuze is now available at stores and online for $299.99 with a two-year contract and a mail-in rebate.
HTC FUZE FROM AT&T FUSES FUN AND FUNCTION WITH
THE ONE-TOUCH POWER OF TOUCHFLO 3DPowerful New Smartphone Epitomizes Choice With Touch-Screen and Slider Keyboard, Access to Nation’s Fastest 3G Network and Many More Connectivity Options
DALLAS, Texas, and BELLEVUE, Wash., Nov. 11, 2008 — AT&T customers now have the best of both worlds. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and HTC Corp. (TAIEX: 2498; “HTC”) have announced the availability beginning today of the new smartphone HTC FUZETM. The HTC FUZE provides users with a familiar QWERTY keyboard paired with HTC’s intuitive, graphic-rich TouchFLO™ 3D touch-screen user interface for easy one-touch access to a range of fun and powerful features.
TouchFLO 3D is designed for one-hand operation using simple, gesture-based navigation, allowing customers to simply touch, hold and slide along the screen tabs. A quick slide on the home screen quickly activates the most used features such as e-mail, text messaging, music player and camera. This instinctive interface extends to the powerful Web browser. A useful “zoom in, zoom out” feature makes it especially fun and easy to access the Web via the included Opera browser, which provides for desktop-like Web page renderings and user interactions.
Powered by AT&T’s 3G network — the nation’s fastest — and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the HTC FUZE is a compact yet powerful communications tool with a smooth gloss black finish and a distinctive and unique faceted backplate. The HTC FUZE features a sharp, 262K color 2.8-inch (480 x 640) VGA touch screen for touch-sensitive navigation control, complete with three-dimensional animated transitions. For e-mail, messaging and other data input, the HTC FUZE also comes equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard, which was designed specifically for AT&T and slides out from the smartphone’s side.
Connectivity Options
Beyond AT&T’s robust 3G network, the HTC FUZE provides AT&T customers with a host of other connectivity options. When abroad, AT&T customers can use the HTC FUZE to make or receive a phone call in more than 200 countries and check e-mail, browse the Web or perform other data functions in more than 150 countries, including in more than 60 — such as Japan and South Korea — that have deployed 3G networks. In addition, the HTC FUZE boasts:* Built-in aGPS — for use with AT&T Navigator powered by TeleNav and other location-based applications such as TeleNav TrackTM and Xora GPS TimeTrackTM.
* Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g) — to connect with home or campus networks or access more than 17,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots nationwide, including at thousands of participating Starbucks locations.
* Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) — for simultaneous connection of up to six Bluetooth-enabled devices, including hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits, network printers and other Bluetooth peripherals.
* AT&T Video ShareSM — the first service in the U.S. that allows users to share live video over wireless devices while participating in a voice call.
* Push To Talk (PTT) — via the nation’s largest PTT network.“The HTC FUZE is a great illustration of AT&T’s commitment to innovation and choice,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Smart Devices for AT&T’s wireless unit. “The HTC FUZE, with its array of connectivity features, provides our customers with the ability to choose the manner in which they communicate using the form factor they deem most appropriate at a given moment — all in a very attractive and sleek package. It’s a fantastic addition to AT&T’s industry-leading Windows Mobile smartphone portfolio.”
Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America, said: “By combining the power of Windows Mobile 6.1 with HTC’s innovative TouchFLO 3D interface, the HTC FUZE ensures that your most important information — from mail to music to images — is never more than a touch away. The HTC FUZE’s range of cutting-edge mobile features, like a desktop-quality mobile browser, paired with AT&T’s lightning-quick 3G network makes it an unbeatable choice for consumers.”
AT&T also offers customers a variety of choices in the types of services available to them when using the HTC FUZE, both during work and after-hours.
Business Use
For business use, AT&T customers will be able to choose from several popular platforms to access their corporate e-mail. The robust Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional platform offers seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook information including e-mail, contacts, calendar and to-do lists. Additionally, Good Mobile Messaging and BlackBerry® ConnectTM compatibility will be offered later this year, while personal e-mail can easily be taken mobile using AT&T’s popular Xpress Mail service. They can access and edit e-mail attachments using mobile versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint. Customers also can choose to tether the HTC FUZE to their notebook computer to wirelessly view e-mail or access the Web. A unique business card application allows users to quickly capture and save contact information with the built-in 3.2 megapixel camera.In addition, the HTC FUZE supports scores of industry-specific applications as well as Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager (MDM), an enterprise-grade mobile device management solution that also provides security, mobile Virtual Private Network (VPN) and software distribution for Windows Mobile devices enabled for Windows Mobile 6.1.
For both business and personal use, the HTC FUZE features AT&T Video Share. Business customers, particularly those in such fields as architecture and engineering, can use Video Share to monitor progress on a job site or review the day’s work without having to drive from an office or other site to do so. When not working, users can share moments with family and friends while the moments are happening — everything from weddings or a baby’s first steps to a Little League at-bat or a clearance-sale find.
Personal Time
The HTC FUZE offers many additional uses during personal time. Users have access to AT&T Mobile Music services, an integrated, on-the-go music experience that delivers “your music, your way” by providing simple access to a robust collection of music content, including access to online subscription music content from eMusic®, XM Radio Mobile™ and more. Using the TouchFLO 3D touchscreen navigation, HTC FUZE customers can browse their music with easily accessible tabs sorted by playing lists, artists, albums, songs and genre views. Music as well as favorite contacts and photos can be arranged on-screen with the dynamic TouchFLO 3D interface.For the visually oriented, CV (Cellular Video) from AT&T gives viewers access to thousands of video clips — news, sports, weather, entertainment, premium HBO MobileSM content and more — via streaming video. Those who prefer full-length streaming video programming can access MobiTV. Or they can use the HTC FUZE’s built-in camera to shoot their own video.
AT&T Video Share, AT&T Mobile Music services, CV, MobiTV and more than 90,000 additional choices are available through AT&T MEdia Mall directly from the HTC FUZE or online.
Backing the HTC FUZE is AT&T’s 3G BroadbandConnect network, which currently is available in more than 320 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. and, by year-end, AT&T expects to offer the service in nearly 350 leading U.S. markets. The network’s HSPA-based technology allows users to perform data functions and conduct a phone call simultaneously. In addition to 3G connectivity, the HTC FUZE is also designed to connect seamlessly with AT&T’s nationwide2 EDGE network, which is available in more than 13,000 cities and towns and along some 40,000 miles of major highways.
Pricing and Availability
The HTC FUZE is available now for as low as $299.991 at AT&T retail stores nationwide, online at www.att.com, at select national retailers and through AT&T’s enterprise and small business sales organizations. AT&T voice plans begin at $39.99 with monthly enterprise data plans priced at $45, and personal data plans at $30 per month. Small business customers also can subscribe to AT&T’s new, industry-first BusinessTalk voice plans, which start at $60 a month for five users and 700 Anytime Minutes and can be expanded for $9.99 a line to accommodate up to 40 users and 20,000 Anytime Minutes. AT&T Mobile Music services, AT&T Navigator, Video Share, Push To Talk and MobiTV all require separate monthly subscriptions.For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com.
1 With a two-year contract, mail-in rebate, and voice and data plans.
2 Not available in all areas.
iriver's wave touchphone hits Korea on March 9th
[Via Hallyu Tech]
engadget.com
Optoma teams with Apple to launch DLP Pico projector in Japan
engadget.com
Nov 10, 2008
Limited Edition Wall-E Roomba From Japan Sucks in More Ways Than One
Right, all we get here is a regular Roomba 530 with a movie decal slapped on. Cost? ¥84,500 ($850 USD)—about a $550 premium over what the standard 530 will set you back here in the states, sans decal emblazonment. Weeping. Weeping. [Impress Robot Watch (translated)]
Nvidia Quadro FX 5800 Claims Most Powerful Graphics Card Ever, Probably Handles Crysis OK
Nvidia has released what it describes as "the most powerful professional graphics card in graphics history"—the Quadro FX 5800, which packs up to 240 of Nvidia's CUDA independent graphics cores for shouldering some of the load normally handled by the main processor as well as 4GB of graphics memory, another claimed first. The 5800 is intended mostly for scientific and medical visualizations, as well as crazy complex 3D rendering. One might imagine it would also play most of your video games at a decent FPS. Price? $3500.
New NVIDIA Quadro FX 5800 Graphics Card Featuring CUDA Massively Parallel
Processing Architecture; Offers Most Robust Performance and Features to
Date for Oil and Gas Exploration, Medical Imaging, and Styling and Design
ApplicationsSANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ — Professionals searching
for oil, diagnosing illness or styling the next high-performance luxury
vehicle all have one thing in common, the need for advanced visual
computing solutions. NVIDIA Corporation, the world leader in visual
computing technologies, today unveiled the most powerful professional
graphics card in graphics history — the NVIDIA(R) Quadro(R) FX 5800."The size and complexity of data is growing at an exponential rate. The
challenge for today's professional is to make sense of the mountain of data
by distilling it into a form they can comprehend, analyze and use to make
impactful decisions," said Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional
Solutions, NVIDIA. "At stake can be billions of investment dollars, or even
people's lives. The Quadro FX 5800 has advanced features to allow massive
datasets to be viewed beyond traditional 3D enabling professionals to make
fast and accurate decisions."The Quadro FX 5800 graphics card offers unprecedented performance and
scalability to rapidly visualize and interpret massive datasets that until
now were unattainable on a workstation graphics board. Offering up to 240
CUDA(TM) programmable parallel cores and the industries first 4GB of
graphics memory, the Quadro FX 5800 graphics card is ideally suited for oil
and gas exploration, medical imaging, styling and design, and scientific
visualization. Other advanced features of the Quadro FX 5800 graphics card
include:— Interactive 4D modeling with time lapse capabilities
— Massive memory bandwidth of up to 102 GB per second
— Fill rates that exceed 52 billion texels per second and geometry
performance of 300 million triangles per second
— Support for next-generation OpenGL and Microsoft DirectX 10
applications
— Advanced multi-system and multi-device visualization environments with
Quadro G-Sync II"Landmark's recently launched GeoProbe(R) R5000 software empowers
geoscientists with an unprecedented ability to visualize large-scale
regional datasets at full resolution from a standard Linux(R) workstation,"
said Nicholas Purday, manager of Geophysical Technologies at Landmark. "The
NVIDIA Quadro FX 5800 graphics card has a more powerful GPU and superior
triangle performance, which make it possible for the GeoProbe application
to quickly render large surfaces, and allow us to move many
computing-intensive processes to the graphics card, significantly enhancing
the overall user experience." Landmark is an industry leading software and
technology services brand of Halliburton, one of the world's largest
providers of products and services to the energy industry."The advanced textured graphics capabilities of the Quadro FX 5800 are
enabling CyberHeart to provide 3D radiosurgical target visualization and
definition tools for the purpose of treating cardiac arrhythmias," said
Thilaka Sumanaweera, CTO, CyberHeart. "Our applications are processing very
large data sets acquired by the state-of-the-art 64-slice CT scanners using
respiratory- and cardiac-gating. The Quadro FX cards provide us with the
extreme bandwidth necessary to support our cutting-edge technology, and
essentially, save lives." CyberHeart, Inc., is a medical device company
developing a non-invasive radiosurgical system for cardiac applications.The Quadro FX 5800 GPU features true 10-bit color enabling billions
rather than millions of color variations for rich, vivid image quality with
the broadest dynamic range. Professionals now benefit from viewing their
models with higher degrees of precision and realism never before possible."Our customers are making important decisions about future products on
the basis of RTT-powered 3D real-time models," said Ludwig Fuchs, cofounder
and CEO of RTT. "The new Quadro FX 5800 will be the platform of choice to
bring that arena to the next level. Higher levels of realism, physical
correctness and large models are now made possible through a double number
of cores and a generous frame buffer." Realtime Technology AG, is a leading
supplier of real- time visualization technology and virtual prototyping
solutions to the automotive, aerospace, industrial and consumer goods
design industries.Pricing and Availability
NVIDIA Quadro solutions are widely available through leading PC
manufacturers and workstation system integrators and NVIDIA channel
partners PNY Technologies (US and EMEA), Leadtek (APAC) and Elsa (Japan).
The Quadro FX 5800 graphics board has an MSRP of $3499 USD. For more
information about the full lineup of NVIDIA professional solutions please
visit http://www.nvidia.com/quadro.
Navigon launches "uber-premium" 4.8-inch 8100T navigator
engadget.com
iPhone 3G overtakes the RAZR as best-selling domestic handset
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The NPD Group: iPhone 3G Leads U.S. Consumer Mobile Phone Purchases in the Third Quarter of 2008
Overall consumer mobile phone purchases declined 15 percent year-over-year
PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 10, 2008 – According to The NPD Group, the leader in market research for the wireless industry, Apple's iPhone 3G surpassed the Motorola RAZR as the leading handset purchased by adult consumers in the U.S. in the third quarter (Q3) of 2008. RAZR had been ranked by NPD as the top-selling consumer handset for the past 12 quarters.
Even with stronger consumer sales of iPhone, and the mobile phone market's normal seasonal uplift after Q2, domestic handset purchases by adult consumers declined 15 percent year over year in Q3 to 32 million units. Consumer handset sales revenue fell 10 percent to $2.9 billion, even as the average selling price (ASP) rose 6 percent to $88.
Top-selling handsets and mobile phone brands
"The displacement of the RAZR by the iPhone 3G represents a watershed shift in handset design from fashion to fashionable functionality," said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for NPD. "Four of the five best-selling handsets in the third quarter were optimized for messaging and other advanced Internet features."
The top handset models in rank order, based on unit sales in Q3, were as follows:
1. Apple iPhone 3G
2. Motorola RAZR V3 (all models)
3. RIM Blackberry Curve (all models)
4. LG Rumor
5. LG enV2
Popular features
When it comes to the specific features that motivated U.S. consumers to purchase their handsets, 43 percent of handset buyers cited the need for a camera and 36 percent noted the ability to send and receive text messages. Mobile phones with a QWERTY keyboard experienced the greatest year-over-year rise in sales; 30 percent of handsets were sold with this feature in Q3 2008, versus just 11 percent the year prior. Also this quarter 83 percent of phones purchased were Bluetooth enabled (versus 72 percent last year), and 68 percent of phones purchased in Q3 were music enabled (versus 49 percent last year).
"A growing data divide continues in cellular handsets," Rubin said. "Those who see the value in wireless Internet access are justifying the investment, whereas voice-centric users have little incentive to upgrade, which is obviously detrimental to operators who seek to sell data plans and media-access services to their subscribers."
Methodology: NPD compiles and analyzes mobile device sales data based on more than 150,000 completed online consumer research surveys each month. Surveys are based on a nationally balanced and demographically representative sample of U.S. adults. Results are projected to represent the entire population of U.S. consumers age 18 and older.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, visit http://www.npd.com/.
engadget.com
Seagate announces larger, faster AES-packing Momentus hard drives
engadget.com
Nov 9, 2008
Android Bug Reboots Phone Every Time You Type "Reboot"
(It'll do this with any other command too, so stay away from combinations of rm and rf.) The bug affects any phone with firmware version 1.0 TC4-RC29 or earlier. A lot of people should've had already gotten the RC30 update pushed to them (our phone has), but since they go out sorta haphazardly, you could be stuck with it for a little bit. The hilarity potential of rebooting your friend's phone over and over kinda makes this worth it though. [ZDNet]
gizmodo.comOnyx Online Could Turn iPhones Into Nifty Social Gaming Devices
Onyx Online, for the iPhone, is kind of like Xbox Live. Sort of. The ambitious service is the brainchild of Trism developer Steve Demeter, who hopes to add a slew of "social media" features to iPhone games, like leaderboards, achievements, forums, and the like. There's even a pissing contest feature, wherein Onyx-enabled games will allow players to view each other's profiles, scores, challenge friends, and see what games people are playing. Like we said, just add a headset and some 15-year-old boys screaming "your gay" and you have Xbox Live (and no, there's no typo there— even when they scream it, they use the wrong spelling, just like in the forums).
The thing is, Onxy was created more out of a sense of self-preservation amongst developers than it was keeping it real for people who game on the iPhone. As the App Store becomes cluttered with hundreds upon hundreds of throwaway games, Demeter told Wired the indie developer is in danger of being muscled out by big boys like Sega, who have the marketing budget to get their titles (for better or worse) to the top of the heap.
So by making games talk to one another, or by encouraging some competition among the players, a pack mentality begins to take shape with the smaller games. A rising tide raises all boats, or the saying goes.
"Right now games don't introduce the social aspect at all on the iPhone," Demeter told Wired. "If there is a social aspect it's an island. If these users are playing Trism, they're playing Trism; it's an island. How does that tie into other puzzle games? If players are still connected to a larger whole then they're more likely to keep playing other games."
Demter then claimed Onyx will "save" the App Store. For now, we'll agree that it could save something—Demeter's busines—but we'll be watching this one nevertheless. [Wired]
Standard Dell mouse gets GSR electrode implant
[Via MAKE]
angadget.com
Holux quietly introduces 5-inch GPSmile 62 navigator
[Via SlashGear]
engadget.com
Dell Inspiron Mini 12 reviewed: bigger, not necessarily better
engadget.com
MIG33 ID for SALE
081218923522
085694321568
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ID ANGKA:
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ID 3 DGT:
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* bv1 sampai bv30 tanpa
bv11 .Resend code semua (600rb)
* wt206 sampai wt260 aktif
semua 47 nik (300rb)
Nov 8, 2008
Pioneer Inno XMp3 reviewed: great, save for reception hiccups
engadget.com
AT&T Quickfire hits shelves a few days early
engadget.com
freehtc.com
T-Mobile G1 review
As we've really gone to great lengths to dissect the phone and OS, we're splitting the review into two, easy to digest parts. Enjoy!
engadget.com
Rambus takes aim at NVIDIA over alleged ,patent infringement again
engadget.com
Read - Rambus Press Release, "Rambus Files Complaint Against International Trade Commission"
Read - Rambus Litigation Update
[Via The Inquirer]
Judge Orders Apple's New iPod and iPhone Chief to Stop Work Immediately
Mark Papermaster, a former IBM executive who's replacing retiring iPod chief Tony Fadell, came to Apple with some heavy baggage—namely a one-year no-compete clause that IBM said he was violating by working at Apple. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karashas sided with IBM for the time being in their lawsuit, ordering Papermaster to "immediately cease his employment with Apple Inc. until further order of this court."
Papermaster's argument is that Apple actually doesn't compete with IBM, since "IBM focuses on high-performance business systems such as information technology infrastructure, servers and information storage products, and operating systems software," while "Apple, on the other hand, is in the business of designing, manufacturing and marketing consumer-oriented hardware and related products." More to the point, he says that "I do not recall a single instance of Apple being described as a competitor of IBM during my entire tenure at IBM."
Interestingly, he says he won't be directly involved with Apple's recently acquired chipmaker PA Semi (since running them would be a clear violation of the IBM agreement), though that seems like a bit of stretch, since they're supposedly making chips for the iPod and iPhone.
Apple is complying with the court order, but says they "are confident that Mark Papermaster will be able to ultimately join Apple when this dust settles." [Bloomberg, InfoWeek via AI, 9to5Mac]
Zune 120 Coming in Blue, Along with New Zune Originals Designs
gizmodo.com
How would you change the Voodoo Envy 133?
engadget.com
Walmart, Kmart announce Black Friday-esque deals for days other than Black Friday
[Via CNET, I4U News]
Read - Kmart
Read - Walmart Backs Main Street
engadget.com
LG's concept phone contest winners should please art house gadgetphiles
[Via Hallyu Tech]
engadget.com
Nov 6, 2008
Yamaha and Fiat to continue together for two more years
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd and Fiat Automobiles Spa have concluded an agreement to continue their partnership for a further two years.
The agreement will see Fiat continue as the title sponsor of Yamaha’s Factory MotoGP Team, which will continue to be known as the Fiat Yamaha Team, for 2009 and 2010.
Fiat joined Yamaha at the start of 2007 and their partnership has been a successful one with 14 grand prix wins to date, culminating in the capture of the 2008 Rider, Team and Manufacturer titles. 2009 will see the same team with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo contesting the championship for the Fiat Yamaha Team.
“I heartily welcome the extension of the agreement with Fiat as title sponsor of our MotoGP Factory Team for another two years” said Masao Furusawa, Executive Officer Engineering Operations of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. “We will be working to continue the great partnership that resulted in the Fiat Yamaha Team winning the triple crown in 2008”.
Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, commented, “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Fiat for a further two years. It remains a very interesting mix for an Italian car manufacturer to be partner of a Japanese motorcycle manufacturer in the world’s premier motorcycle racing series.
“After a tough first season in 2007 we were really happy to win the triple crown titles this year for Yamaha and for Fiat.
“Fiat’s decision to continue for a further two years is a sign of confidence in our activities and a strong confirmation of the value of being involved in the MotoGP championship. Our target for the future is clear: we want to continue with our winning ways and provide even more excitement for the fans of the Fiat Yamaha Team”.
Speedy USB 3.0 spec to be unveiled
The next-generation USB specification is slated to be introduced later this month.
On November 17 the SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) Developers Conference, hosted by the USB Implementers Forum in San Jose, Calif., will unveil the USB 3.0 specification to the industry, according to a statement Wednesday from the Implementers Forum.
The USB 3.0 specification, a next-generation high-speed connection standard due in 2009, is significant because all future PCs and devices will use connectors based on it. The spec is also expected to offer 10 times the speed of USB 2.0--used in virtually all PCs introduced in the last few years--or roughly 5 gigabits per second.
Hewlett-Packard, Intel, NEC, NXP Semiconductors, Microsoft, and Texas Instruments are all backers of SuperSpeed USB.
Speaking at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Los Angeles, USB-IF President Jeff Ravencraft said he expects the final specifications to be made public on November 17.
Intel and Nvidia had been skirmishing over the standard but resolved their differencesby : brooke clothers
news.cnet.com
Samsung introduces 23-inch 2342BWX LCD with QWXGA resolution
[Via AkihabaraNews]
www.engadget.com
Seagate Won't Do Flash SSDs, Waiting For Next-Gen Tech
Just last month we were reporting "Seagate to begin to switch to SSD" and now company CEO Bill Watkins has said that that's not quite the truth. Seagate will indeed be launching an enterprise-level SSD in 2009, but will not enter the "mobile SSD" market. Whyever not? Because there's no money to be made there: "Right now if you look at it whether it's Micron or Samsung or SanDisk - they're selling at a loss. To do the product is not a big deal but to make money at it - it's important to us." he notes. Instead the company is banking on post MLC technology, something like "a spin around magnetic RAM, it could be a phase shift type of process" says Watkins. Seagate hard drives might be around for a while longer. [Silicon via MRAM-info]
Windows 7 Will Only Have One 'Ready' Sticker, Down From Vista's Four
After receiving endless flak for their silly tiered Vista Compatibility scheme, Microsoft has decided to issue a single "Windows 7 Capable" sticker for hardware that works with the new OS. That means no more "Windows Home Basic", "Windows Ready", "Certified for Windows" and "Windows Ready When You Are, Asshole" labels slapped on every piece of hardware in the computer aisle at Best Buy.
During the same conference in which this was announced, Microsoft demonstrated Windows 7 on a modestly spec'd Eee netbook, so it looks like Windows 7 compatibility might be taken for granted with most new PCs. Microsoft did tell the Register that there would be different stickers for touchscreen and media center devices. While the touchscreen sticker will be a convenient indicator that a device is touch-capable, what will media center sticker mean? That a computer has an HDMI output? That marketing asked for it? Also, one=three, apparently. [The Register]
www.gizmodo.comi-Sobot Tiny Humanoid Robot Now Just Tiny $100
iSobot may no longer be the world's smallest bipedal humanoid robot, but it's still amazing, and it's had an amazing price cut too: Last year when it debuted it was over $300, now it's just $100. At that price you could practically afford a small army of them, give them a suitable evil make-over and re-enact the Orc battle scene from the end of Lord of the Rings on your dining table. Or something. [Hammacher via BotJunkie]
i-SOBOT, World's Smallest Humanoid Robot, Hits US Next Month
Takara Tomy's 6.5-inch, Guinness-certified "smallest humanoid robot in production," i-SOBOT, is finally making its way to our primitive shores next month. The English website and price are still "coming soon," but since this dancing, push-upping wunderbot runs about $300 in Japan, we can pretty safely guess it'll be thereabouts. Hopefully we'll have our meatpuppet mitts on one soon to tell you if it's worth it. [i-SOBOT]
Nov 4, 2008
BlackBerry Storm to Appear On November 14
I work for Verizon wireless. Your post was correct: We are putting in forced data packs on the 14th. The reason is that this is the Storm's release date from every memo that we have been given access to, it will be released that morning at all Verizon Corporate stores. Second tier resellers, like Wireless Zone, will get it at the end of the month.
gizmodo.com
Nov 1, 2008
China goes after tainted feed producers
Producers found dealing in tainted feed will lose their business licenses and face criminal prosecution, the China Daily newspaper reported Saturday.
Melamine-tainted eggs found last week in Hong Kong were produced in the northeastern port city of Dalian and the central Hubei province, RIA Novosti reported.
In the last two months, China has closed 238 animal feed companies for melamine-related violations and destroyed an estimated 3,682 tons of substandard feed, RIA Novosti reported.
The melamine scare began last year with tainted pet-food products and has since spread to animal feed and milk products. Several babies have died and thousands more have fallen ill from drinking melamine-tainted milk, say Chinese health officials.
Acer Netbook Shipments to Beat Asus's Eee PC
Acer, the world's third-largest PC vendor, said shipments of its Aspire one netbook could reach 6 million units this year, which would edge out Asustek Computer's popular Eee PC at the top of the market.
Asus has set a target for Eee PC shipments this year of 5 million, which would be a million shy of the lead if Acer meets its target.
The defeat may not be easy for Asus to accept since the company has largely been responsible for popularizing the netbook idea commercially with the Eee PC.
Asus launched the Eee PC late last year to great fanfare at its small size and price. The least expensive Eee PC at the time came with a 7-inch screen and an NT$7999 (US$240) price tag.
Acer is gaining ground fast with its Aspire one, which it announced in June this year.
Netbooks are mini-laptop PCs designed for mobility, typically sporting 7-inch to 10-inch screens and weighing less than 2 kilograms. Most netbook components, including the microprocessor, are less powerful than those of full-fledged laptops so batteries last longer. Netbooks aer designed for dealing with e-mail, browsing the Internet and working on word processor or spreadsheet documents, not for heavy duty gaming, video editing or other multimedia work.
On Thursday, Asus forecast fourth-quarter shipments of the Eee PC at between 1.6 million and 1.8 million units, compared to 1.7 million units in the third quarter. Acer, by comparison, said its Aspire one shipments reached 2.4 million units in the third quarter and it expects fourth quarter shipments to exceed that amount.
"The netbook segment is growing very nicely," said Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci during the company's third quarter investors' conference in Taipei on Friday.
Next year, Acer will ship 12 million to 15 million Aspire ones, he said. Asustek declined to comment on 2009 Eee PC shipments.
The main difference between the two Taiwanese companies is size. Acer's revenue in the third quarter was NT$159.2 billion, more than twice the NT$78.3 billion revenue at Asus. Acer ranks behind only Hewlett-Packard and Dell in the global PC market.
Acer's bigger size gives it the ability to launch products in most markets across the globe simultaneously, while Asustek has been building its marketing and sales channels throughout the year.
www.pcworld.com