News Archive for 09/02/02

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Taber's 21st Ed. medical dictionary for web, mobile

02/02, 11:55pm

Taber's 21 encyclopedia

F.A. Davis Company has published the 21st Edition of Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, making it available in print, electronic, web and mobile formats. The encyclopedia defines the language and practice of health care to provide over 60,000 definitions, detailed illustrations, patient care statements, and appendices with nursing and allied health-specific resources. Taber’s Online gives users full access to all the information from any mobile phone, laptop or desktop.

Briefly: Flash Voyage Mini reveiw, Photoshop Awards

02/02, 11:40pm

RouteBuddy maps

In brief: Our reviewers have been working with the Corsair Flash Voyage Mini, 4 GB USB stick that is about a third of the size of other devices with similar storage. In other news the winners of the 4th annual Photoshop User Awards have been announced and the winning entries have been posted. Each of the winners received gift packages and the grand prize winner received an all expenses paid trip for two. Meanwhile, RouteBuddy has announced that it will be adding several new maps to its store that expand its coverage of South America and Asia.

CalDigit ships CalDigit VR storage system

02/02, 11:40pm

CalDigit VR storage system

CalDigit has announced that its CalDigit VR two drive RAID storage system is now shipping. Designed with a quadruple interface, the storage system supports USB 2, FireWire400, FireWire 800, and eSATA drives. CalDigit VR comes complete with two swappable drive modules for simpler replacement and expansion, along with the ability to replace the fan if necessary. The storage device offers speeds of up to 220MB/sec in RAID, and over 110MB/sec with RAID 1 protection.

Mobile BioShock session scheduled for GDC '09

02/02, 11:10pm

Mobile BioShock

IG FUN has scheduled a session at the 2009 Game Developers Conference (GDC) that will outline details from the project bringing BioShock to the iPhone and other mobile platforms, according to Touch Arcade. The developer early in the year had announced the idea to bring the popular Xbox 360 and PC game to mobile devices, although few additional details have been provided. IG FUN will build the latest version, based on the original title by 2K Games that was based on an alternative 1960 history set in a dystopian city.

AutoPrice updates prices for InDesign documents

02/02, 9:55pm

AutoPrice for Mac and PC

Meadows Publishing has released AutoPrice, a price updating application for QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign documents. The program is designed to perform price updates on catalogs or retail fliers, while offering additional tools to update phone lists, time tables, or other information that can be referenced by a key value. Users can process large projects using batch processing, while the program also supports special price styling, picture imports and ODBC for updating documents in flat-file format.

TapeLink USB transfers old cassette audio to computer

02/02, 9:10pm

TapeLink USB

Alesis has released the TapeLink USB, a dual-cassette deck designed to digitally archive audio. The device allows users to transfer cassette recordings onto a hard disk, flash memory, CD or iPod. Connection to a computer is provided via USB, with support for 16-bit, 44.1 kHz CD-quality recordings. Two different dubbing modes are available for either normal or high-speed dubbing. To protect tapes from damage, the deck also features full auto-stop capability. Users can extract audio from either metal or CrO2 tapes, while LEDs offer a visual reference to the sound levels.

InlineControl 2 adds song searching, setup utility

02/02, 8:50pm

InlineControl version 2

InlineControl has launched iTControl 2, the latest version of its iTunes-integration application for Mac. The program is designed for system integrators and control system programmers, enabling iTunes and FrontRow integration into a Crestron, AMX, or other control system. The update adds a song searching command and a new setup utility, while connection changes now allow the use of an IP or RS-232 port. Program reliability and memory usage have also been improved from previous versions.

iPhone tops Vitrue's 100 social brands list

02/02, 8:10pm

iPhone tops brand list

Apple has achieved several top spots in Vitrue's list of top social brands for 2008, with the iPhone holding the highest rank. The company related the social presence established by each brand, based on a daily analysis of over 2,000 unique entries. 'Apple' fell behind CNN to establish the third spot, while the iPod ranked seventh and 'Mac' established the 16th spot. In comparison, Dell carried the 10th spot on the list, Microsoft ranked 11th and BlackBerry finished off the top 20.

BenQ plans to release all-in-one PCs

02/02, 6:55pm

BenQ all in one PCs

BenQ plans to expand its range of electronics offerings to include all-in-one PCs sometime early this year, according to the Taiwan-area Economic Daily News. The company has set the PC launch as a high priority in 2009, possibly bringing its nScreen-series devices to the market sometime this month at the earliest. The manufacturer will continue to produce digital cameras, LCDs and netbooks, although there are no plans to release a new handset this year.

Gmail Tasks launched for iPhone, Android platforms

02/02, 5:30pm

Gmail Tasks on iPhone

Google has expanded the reach of Gmail Tasks to include the iPhone, Android or any other XHTML-enabled platform. The mobile version provides an interface that has been optimized for the lower resolution and size of smaller screens. Users can access the lists by navigating to gmail.com/tasks from the handset browser, where entries can then be added, edited or checked off. The service automatically syncs with the version of Tasks in Gmail Labs.

Nehalem-based Xeon chips due end of March?

02/02, 5:20pm

Nehalem Xeon Late March

Intel will release its Nehalem-based Xeons at the very end of the quarter, a late leak reveals. The semiconductor firm is believed to be readying the new Xeons for an unusual late March release that would see the first wave of processors announced on the 29th and available a day later. Pricing has also been corroborated for some chips and tops out at $1,557 for a 3.2GHz quad-core Xeon W5580, with a 2.93GHz parallel costing $1,349.

Samsung's 16GB Omnia i900 coming soon?

02/02, 5:20pm

Samsung 16GB Omnia i900

Rumor has it that Samsung will officially release a 16GB version of its i900 Omnia smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Spain in a couple of weeks. The pictured handset will double the current version's onboard storage space, though other specs and features sound identical. As such, the quad-band GSM phone will run on Windows Mobile 6.1 and connect to HSDPA networks for a maximum data transfer speed of 7.2Mbps. The same 3.2-inch, 240x400 pixel touchscreen remains, along with the familiar 5-megapixel camera with an integrated flash.

iPhone 'mega-patent' no defense against rivals?

02/02, 5:10pm

iPhone patent questioned

Apple may not have any legal ground to stand on when it comes to waging war against competing multi-touch devices, claims an analyst with Global Crown Capital. Multi-touch has traditionally been a distinguishing feature of the iPhone, as it is based on original technology, and most touchscreen devices can detect only one finger at a time. Apple has vowed to defend itself against illegal imitators, an issue prompted by the announcement of the Palm Pre.

Apple updates Keynote, Pages, Numbers

02/02, 5:00pm

iWork updates

Apple has released updates for the iWork suite of programs including Keynote, Pages and Numbers. The Keynote 4.0.4 download addresses compatibility issues with Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 and PowerPoint 2008, while fixing other general compatibility issues. The Pages 3.0.3 and Numbers 1.0.3 updates should also remedy general compatibility problems.

More specs leak of Motorola phones, iPhone adapter

02/02, 5:00pm

Motorola handset leak

A few photos and specifics on a couple of Motorola handsets unveiled last week have surfaced recently, specifically the ZN300 candybar cell phone. Apart from a leaked official image, the ZN300 is also believed to ship with a 3-megapixel camera and an LCD of unspecified size that has a 240x320-pixel resolution. Opera's mobile browser is expected to ship with the phone.

Sony intros Mofiria vein authentication tech

02/02, 4:40pm

Sony Mofiria security tech

Taking user authentication to the next level, Sony on Monday has introduced a new type of technology with its finger vein authentication called mofiria. Sony claims the new tech offers greater accuracy and resistance to forgery as it relies on finger vein patterns that are inside a user's body. Mofiria relies on a CMOS sensor that reads scattered light through the finger that originates from a near-infrared LED light. The mofiria sensor can be made small enough to fit on notebook computers and mobile devices.

Specs of upcoming i7-powered Clevo D900F leaked

02/02, 4:35pm

Clevo D900F specs revealed

The high-end Clevo D900F notebook first mentioned late last year and expected to launch early this year has been delayed until May, but specs for the Intel Core i7-powered notebook are now available. Clevo importer Eurocom has posted the specs on the high-performance 17-inch notebook, which is expected to be the world's first to offer the combination of a choice of the new chips, RAID 0/1/5 hard drive arrays and the as yet unannounced NVIDIA G280 graphics processor. The GPU will reportedly be released this summer.

Amex Digital debuts multi-role photo frames

02/02, 4:30pm

Amex intros photo frames

Amex Digital has recently unveiled a pair of its newest products, the SR-7 and SW-7. Both sport 7-inch, 800x480 resolution displays and can display digital photos and play back digital music or video files, with the former offering a radio-controlled clock and indoor thermometer. Both frames have an on-screen calendar that shows the day of the week and a dual-snooze alarm. The SW-7 is also a weather forecast station with barometric pressure trend indicator, humidity sensor, hygrometer and thermometer. It has five connections for wireless RF 433MHz remote sensors with auto scroll.

LaCie intros 8X Blu-ray burner for Macs, PCs

02/02, 4:20pm

LaCie d2 Blu-ray 8X

LaCie at midday has launched a new version of its d2 Blu-ray Drive. The updated version now records write-once versions of the HD disc format at 8X and can theoretically burn a two hour movie in 15 minutes. It also burns fully copy-protected, studio-grade movies at 2X and performs more like a traditional DVD burner with single-layer burning at 16X and dual-layer at 8X.

First Look: iPhoto ‘09, photo manager and editor

02/02, 3:55pm

First Look iPhoto '09

The flagship title in the iLife '09 suite is arguably iPhoto '09. The original 2002 version helped to shape the way people store and organize digital photos, and the newest version carries on the tradition of making it fun and easy to generate personal libraries.

New Rogers smartphone plans drop to $45

02/02, 3:40pm

Rogers Smartphone Plan Feb

A slip to BGR today hints that Canadian phone carrier Rogers is about to alter its smartphone plans with an emphasis on lowering the entry price. The company is poised to upgrade its core Smartphone Plans with a new $45 monthly plan that includes 250 minutes of call time per month, unlimited calling on evenings and weekends, and 500MB of data; the plan is both a better deal than the existing $50 plan's 150 minutes and potentially improved for starter iPhone owners that don't require Visual Voicemail or text messages.

Jobs' tense negotiating ended music industry standoff

02/02, 3:35pm

Jobs tense with labels

Although the recent changes to iTunes pricing policies and DRM protection would suggest that Apple and the record label giants have reconciled their differences, interactions still remain tense between the two entities, according to a New York Times report. Sony CEO Rolf Schmidt allegedly posed the final resistance to Apple's terms, disagreeing about the timing of pricing changes, although he finally folded after a heated phone call with Steve Jobs on Christmas Eve.

iPhone apps: StuffRadar, Next Read, b-Tax

02/02, 2:55pm

Post Offices, Conversions

StuffRadar ($9) is a media organization utility for iPhone and iPod touch. The application allows users to keep track of various personal possessions, such as books, movies, music and games. The software also allows users to monitor items that they have lent or borrowed so they never forget where their possessions are. StuffRadar is also able to import CSV-formatted files allowing users to move pre-existing databases from their Mac or PC onto their iPhone or iPod touch.

Google outs Earth 5 with ocean floor, more

02/02, 2:40pm

Google announces Earth 5.0

Google on Monday announced the immediate release of Google Earth 5.0, bumping it up from the previous 4.3 build. Among the biggest changes are the inclusion of a detailed 3D ocean floor, the ability to go up to 50 years back in time when looking at a particular location, record a virtual tour of locations, and a 3D rendition of Mars. The ocean feature was developed together with many partners, including National Geographic, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the US Navy, among others. The approximate two-thirds of the planet can now be viewed under water and includes videos and images of ocean life, along with details on surf spots, expedition logs and more.

Silicon Mountain intros TV PC with dual-core Atom

02/02, 2:35pm

Silicon Mount Allio Lite

Silicon Mountain this afternoon extended its home theater TV PC line downwards with the Allio Lite. The set continues to build in a computer behind a full HDTV but differs from normal models by a switch to a dual-core 1.6GHz Atom in place of desktop processors. The difference lets the company drop the price of the TV while still keeping enough performance for HD video and running Vista Home Premium.

Helio makes Ocean 2 official

02/02, 2:10pm

Helio Ocean 2 Official

Helio today formalized the launch of the Ocean 2. The handset closely fits its description from an early hands-on and adds 2GB of built-in storage, an optical navigation pad and improved messaging that involves Google Talk and threaded SMS. It continues to offer a 2-megapixel camera and built-in GPS for navigation and location-based social features. It can also serve as a media player with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Bell adds Palm Centro smartphone to lineup

02/02, 1:40pm

Bell adds Palm Centro

Bell announced on Monday it has added the Palm Centro smartphone to the range of phones on its network. Bell's edition of the PalmOS smartphone will be available in black and carry 128MB of onboard storage. The Centro will include Facebook for Palm and Google Maps with My Location feature that will approximate user's locations in areas with enough cellular coverage. Users will be able to access personal and work e-mail with Exchange support. Documents such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files can all be opened and edited on the Centro.

San Francisco transit to gain mobile Wi-Fi

02/02, 1:10pm

San Fran's BART gets Wi-Fi

San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) service should soon see the addition of permanent mobile Wi-Fi access, according to the technology's provider. WiFi Rail says it has a signed a 20-year deal to provide hotspots throughout BART's terminal network, and particularly on all commuter trains, where the only alternative has so far been cellular access. Routers and switches are being provided by Cisco, while servers are slated to run Mac OS X.

Intel scrapping all-in-one CPU/graphics chips?

02/02, 12:20pm

Intel May Scrap Havendale

A new leak indicates that Intel may be abandoning at least early plans for its first mainstream processors to include built-in graphics. Versions of the company's Auburndale and Havendale desktop and notebook processors with graphics cores on the chips themselves have reportedly been shelved due to economic concerns. As Intel can less afford to keep plants making 45 nanometer processors, the company allegedly hopes to shut down sooner by focusing only on 45nm Core 2 and Pentium parts for the low end and Core i7 for the high end.

Online Mac web share record inches closer to 10%

02/02, 12:05pm

Mac online share peaks

Macs achieved their highest-ever online representation in January, figures from Net Applications reveal. Browser access from Mac OS systems reached 9.93 percent last month, a slight increase over December's 9.63 percent. The numbers reflect a continuing upward trend since at least March of last year, when Mac share was only 7.48 percent. Occasional drops -- experienced in April, July and October -- are noted to have been marginal.

Motorola trials LTE-based 4G in the UK

02/02, 11:15am

Moto LTE Trial in UK

Motorola today said it has started up one of the first Long Term Evolution (LTE) phone networks in the UK with a trial setup in Swindon. The test network runs on the 2.6GHz frequency and is capable of providing voice while providing live high-speed data at 4G speeds. Motorola estimates between 29Mbps and 226Mbps for downloads depending on the amount of bandwidth available and the number of antennas the device can use.

New iMacs likely 'within a few weeks' - analyst

02/02, 10:55am

Kaufman on new iMacs

Updated iMacs may well ship within a matter of weeks, says Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu. Wu points to reports that Apple is deliberately reducing current iMac shipments, which if true, is believed to be a sign that the company is clearing out inventory in advance of new models. New products are typically announced just weeks after old models are drawn down, the analyst comments, which would be consistent with recent checks pointing to iMac refreshes in the second or third quarters of the year.

Korea to get 1Gbps wired Internet by 2012

02/02, 10:45am

Korea to get 1Gbps Web

Korea will have infrastructure in place and offer wired Internet services with speeds reaching 1Gbps by 2012, the country's communications commission said in a statement over the weekend, according to a Monday report. This, along with wireless broadband jumping to 10Mbps (or 4G speeds), will be a 10-fold increase on the respective services' current speeds. The project will involve an investment of the equivalent of $24.6 billion over the next five years, with the government chipping in $935 million and the remainder coming from private telecommunications operators. The undertaking will create 120,000 jobs.

Samsung to intro first 12MP cameraphone?

02/02, 10:25am

Samsung 12MP Cameraphone

Samsung will try to garner attention at this month's Mobile World Congress by launching the world's first cellphone with a 12-megapixel camera, according to claims (registration required) picked up by the Korean newspaper Money Today. While few details are available of the phone itself, the sensor would be about 50 percent denser than the 8-megapixel sensors on the company's best cameraphones, such as the Pixon (shown) and INNOV8. Samsung historically gives these phones autofocusing as well as flash.

Moto Stature i9 lands at Boost, Sprint

02/02, 9:35am

Moto Stature i9

Motorola has made an early start to its Mobile World Congress unveilings by launching the Stature i9 for both Sprint and its sub-brand Boost Mobile. The clamshell is said the thinnest to use iDEN push-to-talk networks at 0.59 inches thick and is also the most advanced media phone of the kind. A 3.1-megaxpixel camera is the sharpest available on Sprint's PTT network, while a ring of touch-sensitive buttons around the external display provide access both to music but also to GPS, video capture and other functions that normally need an open phone; they dynamically illuminate to indicate contextual choices.

Apple, public coping with iTunes Plus upgrade issues

02/02, 9:30am

iTunes Plus overcharges

Apple is still attempting to resolve problems with overcharging at the iTunes Store, anecdotes indicate. Following the introduction of selective iTunes Plus upgrades last week, some shoppers have reported that after choosing to upgrade an album, they have been charged the full price rather than just the cost to remove DRM restrictions. Upgrades are set at 30 percent of an album's normal cost; most albums cost approximately $10.

ASUS Eee PC 1000HE gets new Atom, 9.5hr battery

02/02, 9:05am

ASUS Eee PC 1000HE

ASUS on Monday hoped to claim supremacy in netbooks with the Eee PC 1000HE. The variant of ASUS' familiar 10-inch netbook is the company's first to use the new 1.66GHz Atom processor that gets both a faster 667MHz system bus and faster integrated graphics that ASUS claims is HD-capable. The new chip combined with an equally new high-density battery gives the system as much as 9.5 hours of runtime without using a bulky add-on.

Rambus demos 4.3Gbps smartphone memory

02/02, 8:20am

Rambus MMI

Rambus today will demo a new RAM technology that it believes could be needed for more advanced visuals on smartphones. Labeled the Mobile Memory Initiative, the approach uses a variant of the separate, flexible clock speeds used in XDR memory (found in the PlayStation 3) but with very low-power, low variance signaling that creates very high bandwidth without ramping up the power draw. MMI would allow 4.3 gigabits per second from a single chip but a typical voltage of just 100mV, providing about five times the headroom of the 800-megabit mobile memory available today

Apps: Troi File Plug-in, WebYep, PhotoUpLink

02/02, 8:10am

DiskLibrary, SkyBlueCanvas

Troi File Plug-in 4.6 ($89) is a tool for accessing information outside the FileMaker Pro database. Any files or folders stored on the computer can be accessed through the functions of the plug-in. The update has fixed several bugs and also is now compatible with FileMaker Server. The update also includes a new TrFile_VersionAutoUpdate function, which is becoming a standard for FileMaker plug-ins. [Download - 3.3MB]