News Archive for 09/10/16

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Android-based XPERIA X3 caught using Snapdragon

10/16, 5:55pm

Photo, detailed specs show for Sony Ericsson X3

Sony Ericsson's first known Android phone, the XPERIA X3, has finally been spotted and been given more detail. The phone is now thought to have a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon inside and would tie the Acer Liquid for the title of fastest Android phone. It should also have a slightly sharper than expected 4-inch, 852x480 touchscreen, GSMArena says.

Epson demos sharp electronic viewfinder for cameras

10/16, 5:20pm

Epson shows 0.47-inch, 800x600 EVF panel

Epson has began producing a small, high-temperature polysilicon LCD panel that is just 0.47 inches in diagonal size and has an extremely dense 800x600 resolution. The panel is meant for use in the electronic viewfinders (EVF) of some digital cameras and is crisp enough to replicate an actual optical eyepiece. Unlike competing products that display RGB colors in sequence, the new example doesn't produce color breakup. This is evident as an iridescence in the outlines of objects when panning or looking away from the screen at a certain speed.

Fujitsu launches CULV, Athlon Neo notebooks in US

10/16, 5:00pm

Fujitsu LifeBook P3010, P3110 ready

Fujitsu has opted for an unusual end-of-week introduction for a pair of new notebooks in its LifeBook mix. The P3010 and P3110 are the company's first netbook/notebook crossovers and have 11.6-inch screens as well as a long 6.7-hour battery life that can be pushed to 7.2 with an eco mode toggle. They also borrow a technique from Apple that will share a DVD drive on the local network to read or burn discs instead of having to use a physically attached USB optical drive.

Review: OWC Mercury On-The-Go 64GB SSD drive

10/16, 4:50pm

High speeds balance high cost-per-GB ratio

MacNN has reviewed OWC's Mercury On-The-Go Pro SSD drive. The unit is now available in three sizes: 64GB (reviewed), 128GB and 256GB. The drive utilizes FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 connections, and comes with cables and a carrying case -- an optional AC adapter is available, though the drive generally runs on bus power. Models have no moving parts, storing data in flash memory.

Apple Store undergoes Friday downtime [u]

10/16, 4:40pm

No new products expected

The online Apple Store has temporarily shut down, observers note. Anecdotes suggest it went offline shortly before 3:45PM Eastern on Friday, and as of 4:40PM the store is still inactive, only displaying a notice about updating content. The Apple Store frequently goes down shortly before a new product release; nothing is expected today however, as the company typically puts products on sale in the morning, and usually early or in the middle of the week.

Omnia II due at Verizon on November 1st?

10/16, 4:35pm

Omnia II smartphone gets rumored release date

The Samsung Omnia II demonstrated at CTIA will apparently be released by Verizon on November 1st, according to PhoneArena. While this is a rumor thus far, the source is said to be a reliable one. The handset will sport a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, along with a 5-megapixel camera that can record video at 720x480 pixels.

Intel's Pine Trail Atoms now due January 3?

10/16, 4:30pm

Intel Atom 400, 500 series pushed to 2010

In spite of claims of an on time release, Intel's Atom processors using its Pine Trail architecture now won't show until the very start of 2010, a string of leaks have shown Thursday. The 1.66GHz N450 and 1.86GHz N470 are said by Fudzilla to ship on January 3rd and won't necessarily save battery life. Instead, the primary gain will come from moving graphics to the main processor core, reducing the number of chips from three to two and creating more space.

Samsung debuts own memory cards

10/16, 4:20pm

Samsung intros SD, microSD, CF memory cards

Samsung has recently introduced its first self-branded memory cards with a release in Taiwan. The cards are meant for use in smartphones, digital cameras and other portable consumer electronics. Samsung claims it's entering the market as the market for mobile storage space is expected to grow exponentially in the near future, according to research.

Acer Liquid's interface, detailed specs leak

10/16, 4:05pm

Acer Liquid caught on video, new specs revealed

Specs and a video of the recently introduced Acer Liquid smartphone have been leaked, thanks to GPSandCo. The Android-powered device will be Acer's first with the Google-developed OS, and also its most powerful application, as the handset sports Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. The video reveals the Liquid will be available in black, red or white and that it sports a 5-megapixel camera.

Apple seeds third Mac OS X 10.6.2 beta

10/16, 3:45pm

Hints at rapid patch cycle

Apple is already distributing a third beta seed of Mac OS X 10.6.2 to developers, sources say. Called 10C527f, the build adds fixes for 13 different components of the OS. Of special emphasis are corrections for video errors, including several GraphicsDrivers problems which can cause screen flickering, crashes in OpenCL or stuttering while playing 1080p movies in QuickTime X. QuickTime itself has been fixed to allow some movies to play properly.

Microsoft makes two-color Xbox 360 controller for GameStop

10/16, 3:25pm

GameStop launches two-tone Xbox 360 gamepad

Video game retailer GameStop is now offering a specially made Xbox 360 controller. The limited-edition device is the first official multi-colored gamepad for the Xbox 360, and will begin shipping the week of October 19th. The controller includes a Play & Charge Kit and is covered in faux carbon fiber with red accents.

Adobe's new technologies coming to Photoshop CS5?

10/16, 3:05pm

Could arrive in Photoshop CS5

Adobe is experimenting with several new technologies which could appear in Photoshop CS5, a new video suggests. Among these is the concept of "wet" paint, which can be smeared across a surface like its real-world counterpart. The paint dries and tapers off after a certain distance, and can also be blended with other paint in order to create new colors.

Garmin launches nuvi 1450 nav device

10/16, 2:40pm

Garmin outs nuvi 1450 with 5-inch touchscreen

Garmin has recently quietly began offering its latest portable navigation device, the nuvi 1450. It uses the same 5-inch, 480x272 resolution touchscreen as the costlier 1490T. Unlike that device, however, there is no Bluetooth support or live traffic updates and consequently brings it down to a budget level.

Dell puts Android phone in US for 2010

10/16, 2:05pm

Dell sees mini 3i, other mobile platforms

Michael Dell today on Thursday said in a public talk on Thursday that the company plans to bring smartphones to the US. While unspecific on details, he claims that any devices that show will be "family members" of the mini 3i from China. At least one will be based on Android, but he stresses that other open platforms are candidates.

Origin outs 1TB external drive with hardware encryption

10/16, 1:15pm

Origin adds 750GB, 1TB external drives

Origin Storage has recently announced the addition of two new capacities to its Data Locker external hard drives, with reportedly industry first 1TB and 750GB versions. Like the existing 320GB and 500GB versions, the new drives feature AES hardware encryption and a six- to 18-digit PIN password. The drives have an LCD keypad for password input, and can dismount the drive, toggle keytones on or off or erase the drive.

Safari given prominent position in European Windows?

10/16, 1:00pm

Draws fire from Mozilla designer

Apple's Safari browser may occupy too central position in upcoming European versions of Windows, critics say. Users should soon be presented with a special browser ballot, explaining what web browsers are, and more crucially offering a choice of apps beyond Internet Explorer. The feature comes as a result of pressure from the European Commission, which has accused Microsoft of hampering competition by bundling IE with Windows, forcing developers to design for it and potentially limit their innovation.

Moto Droid footage shows Android 2.0

10/16, 12:55pm

Verizon's Droid to carry next-gen Android

Motorola's Droid as well as Google's Android 2.0 hav been given a more definitive confirmation today with both a video (available below) and photos showing the two in action. The Android slider is seen to have a custom boot sequence that validates the "Droid" name and, more importantly, provides some of the first public details of the next-generation smartphone OS.

Corsair upgrades Flash Voyager GT to 128GB

10/16, 11:50am

Corsair adds capacities to Flash Voyaget GT range

Memory maker Corsair recently upgraded its lineup of Flash Voyager GT USB memory sticks. The rugged drives now come in capacities up to 128GB without increasing in size and also come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants. They still center on a rubber housing that increases the resistance to shock damage and water.

Nokia reorganizes to help ailing smartphone sales

10/16, 11:35am

Nokia swaps phone execs, splits groups

Nokia took drastic action to improve its ailing smartphone business through a swap of executives as well as a reorganization of the company itself. Its Devices group has been split into a group for Smartphones, covering more advanced devices, as well as Mobile Phones, for its conventional Symbian S30 and S40 cellphones. The firm has also taken the unusual step of moving its chief financial officer, Rick Simonson, to head up the Mobile Phones group.

Briefly: Flickr integration with iPhoto causes issues

10/16, 11:35am

Comics by comiXology app now free on App Store

In brief: An issue with the integration of the iPhoto and Flickr libraries has developed, which can result in users being able to accidentally wipe out entire sets of photos on Flickr. comiXology has meanwhile announced a change in the price of its Comics by comiXology iPhone app, a consequence of Apple now allowing in-app purchases for free iPhone apps.

Samsung brings LD-series notebook LCDs to the US

10/16, 11:00am

Samsung LD monitors extend notebook displays

Samsung has finally brought its two LD-series notebook monitors to the US. Introduced in February for a release in Korea, the LD220 and LD190N are companion monitors and are meant to act as secondary displays for notebook PCs. The 22-inch LD220G sends its video signal over a USB port and sports a 1080p resolution. It otherwise acts as a USB hub, adding extra ports for adding more USB devices.

Tests: Snow Leopard overall faster than Windows 7

10/16, 10:45am

Snow Leopard and Windows 7 benchmarked

A comparison test today revealed that Mac OS X Snow Leopard is faster than Windows 7 in common tasks. Benchmarks run on a 2.53GHz MacBook Pro by CNET show that Apple's own operating system is about 38.5 percent faster in multitasking with media apps than Microsoft's platform and is also more responsive as a whole, taking less time to start up or shut down. iTunes audio encoding is also faster, though as an Apple program it's expected to run faster in its native operating system.

Disappointment coming in Apple Q4 results?

10/16, 10:30am

'Hiccups' may affect iPhone sales

Apple's fourth-quarter earnings could disappoint, says Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner. In spite of generally optimistic predictions elsewhere, the analyst is calling for "slightly disappointing" revenue, and urging investors to avoid buying shares until after Apple issues its report. The central issue is iPhone sales, which Reiner suggests may fall below his prediction of 6 million units, already lower than a consensus of just over 7 million.

ATSC's mobile TV approved, LG/Samsung chips ready

10/16, 10:00am

ATSC Mobile DTV gets matching chip

The TV standards group ATSC today said its members have approved Mobile DTV, its over-the-air format made just for portable devices in North America. The gesture should let notebooks, smartphones and in-car units tune into free, live broadcasts of H.264 video even while moving at high speed. Although not HD, the format can run on existing digital TV networks without significant complications and is built to consume little power on the viewer's end.

Canon intros dedicated iPhone photo-printing app

10/16, 9:20am

Supports PIXMA hardware

Canon has released Easy-PhotoPrint, a new dedicated printing app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Users can send photos to a nearby PIXMA printer when connected via local Wi-Fi. Several photos can be queued for printing at a time, with a maximum of 20 copies.

Acer AspireRevo reaches US with Windows 7

10/16, 9:20am

AspireRevo with Ion, Windows 7 now in the US

Acer on Friday announced it will soon offer the small form factor AspireRevo R3610-U9012 nettop PC in the US. First introduced in the summer, the PC is one of the first nettops to feature NVIDIA's Ion platform, which supports NVIDIA's CUDA general purpose computing and can also play back 1080p movies even on an Atom-based system.

Sony Ericsson moves only 14.1m phones

10/16, 8:55am

Sony Ericsson Q3 still negative

Sony Ericsson today reported largely poor results for its summer quarter. The cellphone maker shipped 14.1 million phones during the three-month span; the number is an increase from 13.8 million in the spring but a sharp 45.1 percent drop from summer a year earlier. It successfully reduced the rate at which it has bled money down to a $244.7 million loss versus $317.8 million in spring but also saw some of its lowest revenue in recent memory, dropping slightly season-to-season to $2.4 billion but still far from nearly $4.2 billion a year earlier.

Nokia's Comes With Music at just 107,227 users

10/16, 7:45am

Nokia CWM service has poor uptake

New figures provided to music labels show Nokia's Comes With Music unlimited music service has had a relatively poor uptake despite having a year to expand. Data from July obtained by Music Ally shows just 107,227 active users worldwide for the service, which lets buyers of specially-labeled phones get a year's worth of unlimited music downloads they can keep after the subscription ends. The news comes despite heavy promotion by Nokia and the support of all the major music labels.