News Archive for 08/12/30

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Samsung phone sports AMOLED touchscreen, 8MP cam

12/30, 9:00pm

Samsung S8300 handset

A new, high-content sliding candybar handset from Samsung, the S8300, has been spotted on Monday. Despite its small footprint and ultra-svelte 12.8mm thickness (just over half an inch), the handset packs a 2.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen with WQVGA resolution and an 8-megapixel camera with autoflash, which is currently tops in the industry. The S8300's also has an integrated GPS sensor and supports the high-speed 7.2Mbps HSDPA mobile data network.

LG to unveil thin 24-inch LCD monitor at CES

12/30, 8:55pm

LG intros ultra-thin LCD

LG on Monday has announced it will unveil a new 24-inch LED-backlit monitor, the W2486L, at the CES expo next week. The monitor combines an industry-leading, ultra-thin design, at just 20mm or about 0.8 inches, and a very high contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. The highly advanced monitor also sports a very fast 2ms response rate, and has an automatic brightness control that lets it helps it consume a claimed 50 percent less power than conventional monitors lit up by cold cathode fluorescent lamps.

Panasonic to show Powerline Network concept at CES

12/30, 8:50pm

Panasonic powerline at CES

Electronics giant Panasonic will demonstrate a networking system at next week's CES expo in Las Vegas that will allow, among other things, owners of electric vehicles to check on the charge status via a home device using the existing electrical wiring to send and receive signals, according to a recent report. Such an interface and others like it fall under a Panasonic-developed technology called High-Definition Powerline Communications (HD-PLC) and will be displayed at the HD-PLC Alliance booth. Other applications showcased will include a security camera and an electrical monitoring system.

iPhone apps: Email Group, Flash Drive, iMNotes

12/30, 6:00pm

Quicktact, TextGuru

Email Group - Distribution List - Creator ($1) lets users create email groups for distribution of emails to multiple contacts. Groups can be created from existing contacts, while new entries can also be added manually. The lists can then be used in any e-mail application by adding the group to either the "to", "cc" or "bcc" line of a message.

DealNN: Cavalry SSD, VMware Fusion, flash drives

12/30, 5:25pm

DealNN: Cavalry SSD

Today's DealNN deals include a variety of products from solid state drives and printers to flash drives. First up is the 32GB Cavalry Pelican solid state drive priced at $79.99 at Buy.com. Get VMware Fusion 1.0 with free upgrade to version 2.0 at MacMall.com for $14.99 after mail in rebate. RadioShack.com is offering a buy-one-get-one deal on two different products, the 4GB SanDisk Cruzer micro and the Gigaware VGA PC webcam, both priced at $19.99. The Canon Pixma all in one color printer is priced at $64.99 at Newegg.com. CompUSA.com is offering the 32GB Patriot Xporter XT for $64.99 with a $20 mail in rebate offer that drops the price down to $44.99.

Apps: Album Artwork Assistant, iThief, Fiwi

12/30, 5:20pm

iArchiver, Search&Replace

Album Artwork Assistant 2.1 (Free) uses the internet to find album cover artwork and then adds the information to music files within iTunes. Version 2.1 adds an embedded web browser that can be used to select images directly from web pages. The application also now stores queue contents every time an item is added, deleted or processed and not just when the application quits. [Download - 3.6MB]

iLuv unveils iHD171 HD Radio with iPod/iPhone dock

12/30, 4:35pm

iHD171 iLuv HD radio dock

iLuv has unveiled its latest audio device, the iHD171 HD Radio that integrates a dock for an iPod or iPhone. The device features TV connection capabilities for watching videos and iTunes tagging that will save HD radio song information on the mobile device. Station, song title, band and frequency information is displayed on the front LCD panel. The clock automatically syncs to match the time on the docked device, while users can choose to wake or sleep to the iPod, iPhone, AM/FM radio or buzzer. Standard analog AM and FM signals are also supported and can be assigned to 30 available presets.

Apple refurbs: Apple TV, iMacs, aluminum MacBook

12/30, 4:30pm

Apple refurbs: Apple TV

Today at the Apple store there is a vast selection of refurbished products that include Apple TV, iMacs and the aluminum cased MacBook. Apple TV in both 40GB and 160GB configurations are available for $199 and $279 respectively. Two MacBook models are currently being offered: the white 2.4GHz MacBook with 2GB of memory and 160GB hard drive is $949 and the aluminum 2.4GHz MacBook with 2GB of memory and 250GB hard drive is priced at $1,399. Three iMac models are featured: the 20-inch, 2.66GHz model has 2GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive for $1,299; the 24-inch, 2.8GHz model has the same memory and storage specs as the first and is priced at $1,549; and the 24-inch, 3.06GHz model has a 500GB hard drive and 2GB of memory, priced at $1,899. Refurbished iPods include the 1GB iPod shuffle for $39, the 160GB Classic for $249, and the 32GB Touch for $319.

MSI intros first netbook with hybrid storage

12/30, 4:15pm

MSI intros U115 netbook

Taiwanese computer maker MSI has announced the U115 netbook, which, the company claims, will be the first to offer both a solid state drive along with a conventional hard disk. The 10-inch computer will be offered with an 8 or optional 16GB SSD, as well as a 120 or 160GB HDD. Processing power comes from a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 chip, aided by 1GB of RAM.

Clear iPhone 3G replacement case shows insides

12/30, 3:50pm

iCustom iPhone case

iCustom, a Russian manufacturer, has announced a clear iPhone 3G replacement case. The case displays all the inner workings of an iPhone via a see-through backing, although owners may have to sacrifice their camera lens. Along with the clear case, iCustom also offers a variety of color, wood or custom design cases, for different iPhones, iPods, and MacBooks.

Beta version of Windows 7 leaked to BitTorrent sites

12/30, 3:20pm

Windows 7 beta leaked

A beta version of the Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 7, has been leaked online and is available for download, according to a Tuesday report. Labeled "Build 7000," a 32-bit version of Windows 7 is currently being distributed via BitTorrent networks, with available copies numbering in the thousands. Those who have downloaded the illegal software are said to believe the build is the genuine article.

Briefly: New Year's promotions, iLuv i399, Macworld

12/30, 3:00pm

Promotions, iLuv i399

In brief: Several companies are still offering a few holiday promotions; Mariner Software is offering a 40 percent discount on all of its software until the year's end, and MacZOT has released a software bundle that is available until January 4th. MacNN has meanwhile posted a review of the iLuv i399, finding that the system looks good but its performance does not quite live up to expectations. A meet-and-greet party has also been announced, open to any Macworld goers in January.

LG set to unveil thinnest LED-lit LCD TV at CES

12/30, 2:45pm

LG to intro thin LED LCD

Korea's LG says it will unveil the world's slimmest LED-backlit LCD TV at next week's CES show in Las Vegas. While the screen size of the LH95 is unknown, the TV does not get any thicker than 24.8mm, or just under one inch. Also confirmed is that the set will feature an extremely high 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and LG's 240Hz TrueMotion Drive technology, used for better representation of motion.

iPhone browser use rises 35.7 percent Christmas week

12/30, 2:25pm

iPhone use during Xmas

Adding to recent iPod figures, new data suggests that the iPhone sold well throughout the Christmas shopping season as well. During the week of Christmas, iPhone browser share is said to have risen 35.7 percent over the week before, reaching 0.57 percent of all browser use. This figure is also more than 50 percent higher than the average iPhone share in November, which was 0.37 percent.

Rumor suggests Jobs' health lead to Macworld changes

12/30, 1:40pm

Jobs health rumors

Amid the speculation surrounding Apple's decision to leave Macworld and feature Phil Schiller for the keynote address, a source has indicated to Gizmodo that Steve Jobs' declining health was the real reason for the company switching its speaker. "Apple is choosing to remove the hype factor strategically vs letting the hype destroy Apple when the inevitable news comes later this spring," the source indicated.

Content filtering pulled from free broadband proposal

12/30, 12:30pm

Free wireless broadband

Kevin Martin, Chairman of the FCC, has dropped the content filtering provisions from the proposal for free wireless broadband service, according to an interview with Ars Technica. Previous drafts of the plan required protection methods to prevent users from accessing objectionable content such as pornography. "I'm saying if this is a problem for people, let's take it away," Martin said.

Numark intros HDMIX DJ computer

12/30, 12:30pm

Numark HDMIX DJ computer

DJ equipment and accessories maker Numark has unveiled its HDMIX DJ computer, which acts as a DJ mixer for files sourced from CD-RWs, DVD-RWs, a hard drive or any USB-connected device such as a flash drive. It comes with an 80GB hard disk that locks in place, and can be quickly swapped out for one with up to 1TB of capacity. Users browse files from a high-resolution color LCD, and can sort libraries by name, artist, album, genre or beats per minute (BPM). DJs can also create custom playlists, and have access to a bundled keyboard.

LG announces world's first 480Hz LCD TV display

12/30, 12:10pm

LG intros first 480Hz LCD

Korea's LG on Tuesday announced it will display the first LCD TV panel with a 480Hz refresh rate at January's CES show. The company is branding the display under the Trumotion 480Hz name, and promises it will deliver smooth, high-speed playback thanks to a 4ms response time. The refresh rate was accomplished through a new scanning backlight, integrated into the panel and able to double the performance of existing 240Hz sets.

Sony teases with image of new VAIO keyboard

12/30, 11:45am

Sony Japan VAIO P teaser

Sony Japan has posted a teaser page for what is believed to be the VAIO P, an upcoming netbook. Shown briefly in the page's Flash montage is a new keyboard, with raised keys similar to those on the VAIO TZ and TT. The updated keyboard has a trackball in the middle however, which may indicate that that the P is too small to fit a conventional trackpad.

Macworld to bring updated Apple TV, Time Capsule?

12/30, 10:50am

Kaufman on MW09 gear

People may be able to see a variety of new Apple products at this year's Macworld Expo, despite the company's diminishing emphasis on tradeshows, says Kaufman's Shaw Wu. The analyst notes that while the focus of Apple's keynote will likely be on new Macs -- and a preview of Mac OS X Snow Leopard -- sources indicate the possibility of a new "consumer device" being announced, even if its exact identity is unclear.

Intel launches cheaper mobile Core 2 Quad

12/30, 9:55am

New Intel quad-core chips

Intel has launched a new, low-cost quad-core mobile processor, as well as its latest mobile dual-core chipsets. The 2.53GHz Q9000 quad-core processor is significantly cheaper than the existing QX9300 and Q9100, but offers just 6MB of cache memory as opposed to the 12MB in its siblings. Acer has already announced a notebook with the new technology, the Aspire 8930G-7665. Designed for gaming, the system uses an 18.4-inch WUXGA screen and NVIDIA 9700M GT graphics.

Apple fills two spots in Fortune's 'Dumbest Moments'

12/30, 9:40am

Apple in 'Dumbest Moments'

Apple has managed to find its way into two positions in Fortune's Dumbest Moments in Business list for 2008, the magazine notes. While many of the moments are connected to the credit crisis and the subsequent fallout, the sixth choice was Apple's approval of the "I Am Rich" iPhone app. Although costing $1,000, the app did nothing except display a red jewel, scamming eight customers out of their money. Apple quickly pulled the app without any discussion.

ASUS S121 netbook emerges in early photos

12/30, 8:30am

ASUS S121 netbook leak

ASUS' S121 netbook has been spotted in an advance leak, though any information on specifications is scarce. What is known is that the new product will be based on the existing 10.2-inch S101, which means it will likely use the same 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU. Other specs of the S101 are expected to carry over, including its 1GB of RAM, a draft-N Wi-Fi module, Bluetooth 2.0 and a VGA webcam.