News Archive for 09/05/06

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Microsoft 'Pink' handset project approaching failure?

05/06, 7:00pm

Microsoft Pink in trouble

Development delays have brought the unconfirmed Microsoft 'Pink' project to the brink of failure, according to ChannelWeb. The codename is said to represent a smartphone that is being developed in conjunction with Verizon to compete against devices such as the iPhone. Unnamed sources suggest the project originally aimed to integrate technology from Windows Mobile 7. Delays with Mobile 7 have allegedly put more workload on Pink developers to find alternative technology.

Briefly: 10.5.7 due Friday? 303,000 texts in 1 month

05/06, 6:00pm

OS X update, 300K SMS

In Brief: A rumor suggests Apple may be ready to release Mac OS X 10.5.7 as early as Friday. A California teen claims to have sent and received over 300,000 text messages on an iPhone in one month, while AdWhirl now serves over 200 million advertisements from App Store titles. seyDoggy has released a new Ultimate Theme for RapidWeaver, TW002 r4. Laserface Jones has won the uDevGames 2008 competition, while Pogo Stylus has announced the $500 Art Challenge for creations produced on the iPhone. CalDigit is offering discounts on its HDPro RAID storage systems, along with a price reduction for VR mini pre-orders. Meanwhile, TechForEducators has added Steve Wozniak to its board of advisors.

Multiple US iPhone carriers inevitable, says Citi

05/06, 5:35pm

Citigroup on iPhone telcos

Apple is virtually guaranteed to open up the iPhone to more US carriers within the next two years, say analysts with Citigroup. Richard Gardner and other members of Citi's research firm note that while the exclusive arrangement with AT&T has been beneficial for Apple, there are a number of reasons to believe the company will move to support other carriers, namely Verizon. Apple is in a position to force telcos to bend to demands, for instance, including generous data plans, a lack of co-branding and an absence of revenue sharing at the App Store.

Art.Suono intros stylish wireless audio transmitter

05/06, 5:20pm

Art.Suono dock introduced

David Wiener Ventures has, as part of its David Weiner Collection, introduced on Wednesday the Art.Suono. The iPod speaker dock and its transmitter are made of machined aircraft-grade aluminum and feature carbon fiber accents as well as fine detailing and finishes that gives it an industrial look. The transmitter can also accommodate a computer source, CD player, satellite radio or any other MP3 player via its auxiliary input jack. It uses 2.4GHz wireless technology to then send the signal to compatible wireless speakers, while also utilizing the Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum technique for a strong, drop-out-free connection that aims to maintain signal quality.

EU amendment lets surfers appeal Internet cutoffs

05/06, 5:00pm

EU web bill ammended

Despite European Union members approving a reform to EU telecoms rules, the European Parliament has ordered a revision to the proposed legislation, as it believes it restricts Internet users' rights to challenge accusations of piracy, a report says on Wednesday. The state governments and lawmakers will have two months starting in September to reach a new deal or the draft reform will not pass through to become law.

RIAA keeps suing individuals despite promises

05/06, 4:40pm

RIAA still filing lawsuits

Despite announcing back in December that it would stop suing individual file sharers and use ISP monitoring instead, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is still filing such lawsuits, says a Tuesday TechDirt article. Not only is it going against what it said before, but RIAA lawyers are claiming the Association never made such a statement in a letter to Congress.

SmartQ7 Internet touch tablet revealed

05/06, 4:35pm

SmartQ7 MID revealed

The SmartQ7 Mobile Internet Device (MID) was recently unveiled and is due to go on sale in the near future in China. Sporting a 7-inch, 800x480 resolution touchscreen display, the device is meant to bring the Internet to users' laps along with other entertainment features that include digital music and video playback. The Linux-based device relies solely on a Wi-Fi connection to connect to the Internet.

Android 1.5 to hit US T-Mobile G1s next week [U]

05/06, 4:20pm

Android 1.5 for US

(Update with official info) T-Mobile will officially put Google's Android 1.5 on G1 smartphones early next week, the company said today. In spite of having already pushed the update early to some users, T-Mobile USA hopes to have the update begin in earnest before the end of next week. The rollout will take place in phases to manage the load and will let every phone get the update by the end of May.

Flux 2 beta launches with faster rendering, more

05/06, 4:00pm

Flux 2 beta in the wild

The Escapers has released a public beta of Flux 2, an upcoming CSS-based web design tool. The upgrade boasts faster and more accurate rendering, and improved import of existing sites. It also offers more advanced CSS and XHTML features within its interface, and third-party plug-in support. A rewritten codebase should allow for easier and more frequent upgrades.

News Corp. rumored to offer its own e-ink reader

05/06, 3:50pm

News Corp. reader coming?

The all-encompassing News Corp. media company founded by Rupert Murdoch is said to be "looking at hardware" to bring the latest news and entertainment content from its many assets to users, according to a Wednesday report that is citing knowledgeable sources. Such a device would deliver content in a "user-friendly way," and though no specifics have been given to the Daily Beast about the device, Murdoch himself commented on the possibility of such a gadget last month.

Cellphone-only homes overtake landline-only homes

05/06, 3:45pm

Cellphone Homes Common

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday became the unusual source for a study which shows that cellphone-only homes now outnumber landline-only homes for the first time. About 20.2 percent of homes use only a handheld for calls in later 2008 versus 17.4 percent that only use a landline phone. The shift is credited mostly to a steep drop in the number of those relying only on hardwired connections, which fell from 34.4 percent in 2005. In contrast, cell-exclusive homes jumped from just 7.3 percent over the same time span.

iPresentee posts Keynote Motion Themes 6.0

05/06, 3:35pm

Keynote Motion Themes 6.0

iPresentee has released its sixth set of motion themes for Apple's Keynote software, simply titled Keynote Motion Themes 6.0. The five themes in v6.0 are Old Film, Flourish Glow, Atomic Motion, Intramolecular and TV Noise. Each theme has between 15 to 26 master slide layouts, moving background graphics sized at 1024x768, and coordinated fonts, colors, bullets and picture frames.

Boris FX releases free EPS Extrusion Filter for AE

05/06, 3:25pm

Free Boris FX EPS Filter

Boris FX has released a free EPS Extrusion Filter for Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE customers. The filter can be used to import and extrude Adobe Illustrator layered vector logos and graphics in Adobe After Effects. Users can take advantage of full integration with AE's 3D camera and lighting systems, with the same 3D material presets and free-form deformation properties found in other Boris filters.

iPhone apps: Top Gun, Land of the Lost, Bloons

05/06, 3:20pm

Alarm System, PS Tips+

TopGun ($2) is a flight combat game that puts players in the cockpit of either a F-22 Raptor or a B-2 Spirt Stealth Bomber. The game includes 10 different levels that span across varying environments including an ocean, a desert and a city. The game features some of the original tracks form the movie including the hit "Danger Zone" and includes several medals and achievements to be won.

Apple granted patents for Dashboard, iPod nano, more

05/06, 3:20pm

Apple gets 11 new patents

Apple has been granted 11 new patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office, all covering minor and/or existing technologies. These include the Mac OS X Dashboard, the design of the second-generation iPod nano, and an instant messaging-based file-sharing system. The Dashboard patent is dubbed User interface element with auxiliary function and was originally filed for in March 2006.

Sony fights Kindle with Danielle Steel edition Reader

05/06, 2:50pm

Sony Reader Danielle Steel

Possibly launching the device as a response to the Kindle DZ, Sony today quietly slipped out the Danielle Steel Limited Edition of its second-generation Reader. The e-paper device comes in red with a matching cover that features the author's logo; it also comes with a store code to download Bungalow 2, Echoes and Sisters from Sony's e-book store. A message from Steel herself is also included.

VirusBarrier X5 update focuses on improved logging

05/06, 2:45pm

VirusBarrier X5 update

Intego has expanded the functionality of program logs in a VirusBarrier X5 10.5.8 update. The Mac anti-virus software, which also handles iPhone and iPod touch scans, has additionally received improvements in malware detection and Word/Excel macro virus analysis, though extended log functions are the primary focus. Logs now record starts and stops for real-time scanning, virus definition updates and canceled archive scans.

Phoenix intros Bluetooth-based notebook security

05/06, 2:20pm

Phoenix Bluetooth security

Phoenix Technologies on Wednesday announced users can now download its Phoenix Freeze security solution for notebooks and netbooks, which uses Bluetooth technology to gauge the proximity of a user to a portable computer. Freeze pairs a Bluetooth-enabled cellphone with the notebook and locks the computer when the phone reaches a certain distance to prevent anyone else from accessing its files. When users come back into a pre-set range, the notebook will unlock again.

North Carolina anti-muni broadband bill on ice

05/06, 2:10pm

N Carolina Ices Anti-Muni

North Carolina's House of Representatives today said it has sent a controversial bill that would have restricted municipal broadband to a study committee. The move effectively shelves the bill for at least a year and comes after those opposing it put pressure on the House to reevaluate the measure, which would have banned cities from taking advantage of any Obama administration broadband stimulus money while still letting private carriers take advantage of the funds themselves. It would have also in many cases made it difficult for such services to continue.

Samsung Gravity 2, more for T-Mobile leaked

05/06, 1:15pm

Samsung phones leaked

Three new Samsung handsets are coming to wireless provider T-Mobile, according to a source that managed to snap and post these images. The source also corroborates an earlier report that had Samsung's first Android-powered device, the i7500, releasing at T-Mobile in the fall, or early in November to be more specific. The other three new handsets include the Gravity 2, an unnamed Blast replacement and another nameless handset. All are said to support 3G voice and data networks, with little other information known about the devices.

Dusty Tunes shares iTunes listings online

05/06, 1:15pm

Dusty Tunes web app

A new web app by the name of Dusty Tunes has launched, allowing users to upload iTunes listings from a computer to a dedicated personal webpage. Once sent, Dusty Tunes organizes the XML data into a list, and provides links that can be used to share music with friends from blogs, forums, websites and Facebook. In turn, the app can be used to browse other users’ collections and listen to samples of their music.

DealNN: hard drives, printers, cameras, more

05/06, 1:00pm

DealNN: hard drives

Featured deals from DealNN include hard drives, printers, cameras and more. First up is the re-designed SanDisk 8GB Cruzer USB flash drive for $24.99. That's $15 off the list price of $39.99 and includes FREE shipping. The newly re-designed SanDisk Cruzer USB flash drive features a retractable USB port and is backed by a lifetime limited warranty from SanDisk.

HTC working on Android netbook for T-Mobile?

05/06, 1:00pm

T-Mobile Android netbook

Taiwanese phone specialist HTC is collaborating with carrier T-Mobile on an Android-based netbook, a TMOToday source claims. Little is known about the computer, except that it should feature built-in 3G reception for T-Mobile's broadband network, and ship sometime before the end of the year. Such a timeframe could suggest a launch no later than early October, timed to coincide with the frequent influx of school computer sales.

Apps: NetMine, iPhoto Library Manager, SerialMailer

05/06, 12:10pm

AudioRefurb, Geotagalog

NetMine 1.1 ($30) is designed to intercept network traffic from every application, and can help protect computers from viruses, malware, Trojans, ping floods, port scans, privacy intrusion and simple unauthorized program activity. The software acts as a two-way firewall meaning it can help prevent malicious access to a computer from both internal and external network sources. The update has added several new notifications and a new set of rules for default applications. [Download - 3.1MB]

Dell Mini 9 to get Android with Adobe Flash?

05/06, 12:05pm

Dell Mini 9 Android Claim

Mobile software developer Bsquare has potentially spoiled Dell's release plans by saying it was porting Adobe's Flash Lite animation plugin for Dell netbooks running Google's Android platform. The company specifically references the Inspiron Mini 9 and suggests that the 8.9-inch portable is the likely main target for the OS. Whether Flash Lite would appear in-browser, or when Bsquare expects the port to ship on a production netbook, isn't mentioned.

BOH puzzle game comes to Mac

05/06, 12:05pm

BOH comes to Mac

Independent developer Simone Bevilacqua has launched a Mac version of the 2D action and exploration game BOH. Players must travel through trap-filled corridors, solving puzzles and defeating enemies in an attempt to find and conquer the Evil Masters. The game contains 25 missions divided into five levels of difficulty, plus a series of bonuses and power-ups scattered throughout the battlefield.

AstoundStereo aims to enhance stereo listening

05/06, 11:45am

AstoundStereo 2.0 released

GenAudio has released AstoundStereo 2.0. The program processes stereo audio from any applications running on a user's Mac, aiming to produce a significantly wider stereo image. It begins running whenever the computer is turned on, and uses an intensity slider to adjust the amount of stereo expansion.

Sprint firing staff for discussing Palm Pre

05/06, 11:25am

Sprint Fires Over Palm Pre

Sprint has started training its non-retail staff for the Palm Pre but has maintained such high secrecy that it's firing those in stores for discussing the device, according to a leak from inside the company. Those in its Business Unit have not only been in training for the past two weeks, according to preThinking, but have been able to use the Pre at home for their own testing purposes. However, "at least three" retail staffers have been fired for talking about the phone despite many of its details being publicly (if sometimes unofficially) available.

Twittelator Pro 2.2 adds automatic sending of tweets

05/06, 11:25am

Twittelator Pro 2.2

Stone Design has released an update to its higher-end Twitter client, Twittelator Pro 2.2. The newest version offers offline tweeting features, with the automatic queuing and sending of tweets and the ability to auto-save and restore any number of drafts. Users now have the option to disable landscape mode when tweeting, and to double-tap the shrink button to undo shortening. With the automatic send function, any unsent messages will be automatically delivered when a connection is restored or the app is restarted.

iPhone 3.0 firmware capable of better photos?

05/06, 11:05am

iPhone 3.0 camera software

Apple has tweaked the developer iPhone 3.0 camera software to produce better images, claim two different sources. iPhones.ru notes that it conducted a series of tests 30 times over, comparing photos of scenes shot using both the iPhone 3.0 and 2.2.1 camera apps. The clarity and overall quality of the v3.0 photos is better, the site suggests.

Amazon launches 9.7-inch Kindle DX

05/06, 10:50am

Amazon Kindle DX

Amazon as promised announced the Kindle DX, its extra-large version of its e-book reader. The device centers on a 9.7-inch, 824x1200 E Ink display that both provides a larger view of newspapers and other articles but is pitched as particularly well-suited for periodicals, textbooks and other large documents: a built-in accelerometer lets it tilt on its side to view charts and other information better-suited to a landscape view. Native PDF support is equally new and lets owners view many documents without having to convert them through Amazon's e-mail service.

Panasonic announces official Lumix GH1 pricing

05/06, 10:25am

Panasonic prices GH1

Panasonic on Wednesday officially confirmed the price for its second Micro Four Thirds digital camera, the Lumix GH1. The official price of nearly $1,500 for a bundled kit includes a 14-140mm, f4.0-5.8 lens and matches the unofficial pricing from electronics retailers J&R, revealed just yesterday. Panasonic adds that the camera will ship early in June.

Santa Barbara Apple Store to open Saturday

05/06, 10:10am

Santa Barbara Apple Store

A dedicated Santa Barbara, California Apple Store will open this Saturday, Apple has announced. The shop is located at 928 State Street near the Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center, and will host a grand opening event at 10AM. Regular store hours are scheduled for 10AM to 9PM between Monday and Saturday, and 11AM to 7PM on Sunday.

Intel, others form WiGig group for 60GHz wireless

05/06, 10:05am

WiGig Alliance

Efforts to solidify very high-speed, short-range wireless gained steam today with the creation of the WiGig Alliance (site active soon). The organization is meant to produce a common standard for sending data over a 60GHz link and to streamline developing computers, handheld devices and home theater equipment that can use the wireless link. The ultra wideband technology is fast enough to run about 10 times as quickly as an 802.11n connection -- effectively, 1Gbps -- and has the headroom to not just stream HD video but also to allow for previously impossible features like fast wireless displays and syncing entirely over the wireless connection.

First Look: Bento app leverages iPhone features

05/06, 9:25am

First Look: Bento iPhone

With its tiny keyboard, the iPhone might not seem like the best platform for building a database. But FileMaker says it has found a way to exploit the iPhone's interface, multi-touch gestures and Wi-Fi capabilities to make Bento for the iPhone as useful as its desktop counterpart. The result is an app that has many, but not all of the capabilities of its full-sized sibling.

Bell first to offer Palm Pre in Canada

05/06, 9:20am

Palm Pre for Bell Canada

Bell on Wednesday became the first Canadian carrier to say it would offer the Palm Pre. The phone is identical to the American version and has the same 3.1-inch multi-touch display, 3-megapixel camera, 3G over EVDO Revision A, GPS and Wi-Fi as the model destined for Sprint. No mention has been made as to whether the phone will include any special apps or other unique features for the carrier.

China's Baidu to work with music labels

05/06, 9:00am

Baidu to work with labels

The most popular search engine in China, Baidu, is mulling sharing its ad revenue from the music search service it offers or otherwise compensating record labels. This comes after competitor Google began offering a licensed music download search earlier this year in the market. For years, Baidu drew flak for copyright infringement and linking websites that offer downloads of pirated songs, but the practice did attract a record number of users.

Virgin tests 200Mbps cable Internet in UK

05/06, 8:55am

Virgin 200Mbps in UK

Virgin Media on Wednesday began an Ashford, UK trial of what it says is the fastest cable-based Internet service on Earth. Using a high-end implementation of the DOCSIS 3 cable modem standard, the carrier says it's offering 200Mbps downloads to 100 testers; the speed is faster than 160Mbps Japanese service and twice as fast as the 101Mbps Optimum Online service in the US. The bandwidth is said sustainably high enough that Virgin is testing streaming 3D and HD video online.

Dell adds WiMAX option to notebooks, vows LTE

05/06, 8:25am

Dell WiMAX Studio Notebook

Dell this morning said it had added a WiMAX choice for three of its higher-end home notebooks. The Studio 15, Studio 17 and Studio XPS 16 will all have a $60 or less upgrade that offers 4G speeds on either the Clearwire or Sprint 4G networks in Atlanta, Baltimore and Portland. In peak conditions, this lets the portables connect at up to 13Mbps downstream and 3Mbps upstream. Typical speeds are still faster than 3G with downloads between 2Mbps and 4Mbps.

LaCie ships Big Disk Network, d2 Network NAS

05/06, 8:00am

LaCie B Disk d2 Network

LaCie early today rolled out network-attached storage (NAS) versions of two of its most familiar external hard drives. The single-disk d2 Network and dual-disk Big Disk Network both get gigabit Ethernet connections that let them share their storage on a local network. They're officially compatible with Mac OS X Leopard's Time Machine backups and have built-in servers to work independently of computers, including their own BitTorrent managers, media streaming through DLNA- and UPnP-compatible devices, and iTunes hosting.

Nokia intros E52 with 8-hour talk, GPS

05/06, 7:25am

Nokia E52

Nokia today stepped out of its usual schedule to update its entry business smartphones with the E52. The handset replaces the E51 and has the familiar, extra-slim candybar design but much longer talk time: where the E51 officially managed 4.4 hours, the E52 can run for up to 8 hours of calls on GSM and a still-long 6 hours on 3G. It also gets an upgrade to a 3.2-megapixel camera and GPS while adding the e-mail UI and Ovi service access from the E75.

GEAR4 intros CD micro system with iPod dock

05/06, 7:05am

CDM-100 with iPod dock

GEAR4 has introduced the CDM-100, a CD micro system with dock for the iPod and FM/AM radio. The CDM-100 mixes a top-loading CD player, a universal dock for the iPod and a clock with an alarm and sleep mode. The built-in AM/FM radio provides 30 programmable preset stations, and 5 preset EQ settings such as flat, classic, rock, pop and jazz. The device also offers a line-in port for use with other music players, and a remote control.