News Archive for 09/10/23

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EU greenlights 3G on 900MHz, 1,800MHz bands

10/23, 6:30pm

More airwaves freed for Euro cell data

The European Union in a decision this week formally approved the use of 3G and eventually 4G data on the 900MHz and 1,800MHz GSM bands. The measure substantially improves the amount of bandwidth available for cellular Internet access in EU states and should render it less expensive as well. Besides reducing the need for more cell sites, allowing frequencies lower than 2,100MHz for 3G will also extend the range and coverage of existing service.

Elements+ 1.0 opens hidden features in Photoshop Elements 8

10/23, 6:05pm

Kit adds layers, masking, more tools to Elements 8

Andrei Doubrovski has released an enhancement patch, Elements+ 1.0, for Adobe's Photoshop Elements 8.0 software. The patch unlocks a number of advanced functions and makes them available in dedicated dialog boxes. The kit adds eight dialog boxes, including color and tone, selections, layers, masks, smart filters, paths, test and scripts. The scripts dialog box provides many features of the actions palate from the full Photoshop application.

EZQuest expands capacities of Cinema Pro, Thunder RAID

10/23, 6:00pm

New volumes support RAID 0, 5, more

EZQuest has launched higher capacity versions of its Cinema Pro rack-mountable RAID and Thunder RAID products. Both storage devices are geared towards video professionals with flexible RAID settings for fast data-transfer rates or a balance between speed and redundancy.

Droid preview: will "murder" non-iPhone devices

10/23, 5:50pm

Moto Droid previewed well

Although not due to be unveiled until next week, Motorola's Droid stands to be Verizon's best phone to date, a preview finds. The first look at BGR characterizes it as one of the best Android devices to date, with high build quality, a fast processor with PowerVR graphics, good call quality and a long-lasting battery that can run for an entire day. Android 2.0 is also significantly more polished and brings a much improved browser and e-mail.

Vuzix ships Wrap 310 video eyewear

10/23, 5:50pm

Wrap 310 video eyewear resembles sunglasses

Vuzix has begun shipping its latest video eyewear device, Wrap 310, that was initially announced in September. The new eyewear incorporates the same basic functionality as the company’s visor-style displays, but with an outer design that resembles traditional sunglasses. It features a maximum screen resolution of 428x240 for each of its widescreen displays, which is said to be comparable to viewing a 55-inch screen from approximately 10 feet away.

TUNEWEAR launches new VisualDock with 3D sound enhancement

10/23, 5:00pm

Outputs to TVs, stereos

TUNEWEAR has launched a new iPhone and iPod dock, the VisualDock. The unit is an AV-capable docking station with S-Video and line outputs. Special controls toggle simulated 3D sound, and alternating between charge or charge/sync modes when connected to a computer. The dock supports the iPhone 3G and 3GS, all iPod nanos, first- and second-generation Touches, the Classic and the older fifth-gen video iPod.

ITU approves standard cellphone charger

10/23, 4:45pm

UN approves UCS universal cellphone charger

A new Universal Charging Solution (UCS) has been approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a division in the United Nations, according to a Thursday report. The energy efficient charger will be compatible with all cellphones regardless of make and model, with certain unnamed manufacturers already incorporating the standard into their products, the ITU says. Other than the energy savings, the new charger will also help eliminate waste as the charger can be retained as new phones are upgraded and older ones are thrown out.

Nokia confirms N900 pushed back to November

10/23, 4:40pm

Nokia confirms delay of N900 handset

Nokia will delay the release of its flagship N900 smartphone to November, Peter Schneider, the head of Maemo marketing at Nokia indicated on Friday. This represents a near one month delay and is apparently due to a wait for the feedback of software developers who received 300 pre-production units. The device will be the first from the world's top phone maker to use an open-source Linux operating system.

FCP World debuts Blu-ray templates for Final Cut Studio

10/23, 4:35pm

60 templates in total

FCP World has announced new Blu-ray templates for the latest version of Final Cut Studio. The company's plug-in delivers 60 background templates, on top of the original five that come with FCS. All of them can be used for both Blu-ray and AVCHD discs; each is fully animated and looping, with room for customization in the form of personalized logos and titles.

Apple ceases efforts to bring ZFS support to Mac OS X

10/23, 4:25pm

Company may be working on its own alternative

Despite previous efforts to bring support for the ZFS file-system to Mac OS X, Apple has dropped the project. Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz several years ago publicly claimed Leopard would utilize ZFS instead of HFS+, although Apple only provided limited support for the new technology. Even the read-only functionality was dropped with the transition to Snow Leopard.

Walmart adds tech support staff

10/23, 4:25pm

Walmart begins offering tech support services

Retail chain Walmart on Thursday said it's now offering technical support staff at its locations. The staff will come from NEW Customer Service Companies, and will be available in all US Walmart stores, launching in October and in time for the holiday shopping season. With the offering, Wal-Mart is following in the footsteps of big box electronics retailer Best Buy's Geek Squad.

Verizon trying to bury Storm2 in favor of Droid?

10/23, 4:10pm

Storm2 launch timing gives Droid spotlight

Verizon may be timing the launch of its BlackBerry Storm2 to draw as much attention away from it as possible, a telling report may show. A seemingly final document given to Engadget has the Storm2 shipping on October 28th, the same day as the Motorola Droid is known to make its high-profile debut. The move would guarantee less attention paid to the updated BlackBerry and would be made all the more prominent by Verizon's decision to remain silent about the phone during its worldwide launch just two weeks earlier.

Miraizon intros Reframe AV standards converter

10/23, 4:10pm

Supports audio, video

Miraizon has released Reframe, an app for converting audio and video between standards. Users can for instance convert video from PAL to NTSC, SD to HD, and film to video. Advanced settings make it possible to alter video properties such as frame rate or size, as well as audio details like sampling rate. Other settings help fine-tune video conversion through scaling, resampling, and tweaks to the precision and dynamic range of decoding.

Motorola readying dual-SIM Android phone

10/23, 3:40pm

Moto Zeppelin would be touch-only

Motorola's third known Android phone may be its first touchscreen-only and first regionalized Android device. A leak Friday points to a device known as the Zeppelin that, unlike the Cliq or Droid, would depend only on its 3.1-inch, 480x320 touchscreen for input but would have advantages primarily for Chinese users; it would have two SIM slots both for regular GSM as well as for China-native CDMA services that can use the removable cards. A look at the side also reveals that it may be the first Android phone with HDMI video out and likely a powerful graphics chipset as a result.

Belkin issues TuneBase car dock recall

10/23, 3:30pm

Docks may pose unusual fire hazard

Accessory maker Belkin has issued a special product recall, addressing some of the company's TuneBase car docks. Specifically affected are the TuneBase FM with ClearScan, the TuneBase FM with Hands-Free, and the TuneBase Direct with Hands-Free. As a result of a problem with washers, versions of the docks bought on or after April 1st may produce smoke or fire when plugged into a car's power port.

BBC to launch global, paid iPlayer?

10/23, 3:05pm

BBC considering launching international iPlayer

BBC Worldwide, the parent company of BBC, is considering launching a premium version of its iPlayer online service that would be accessible by global audiences. Such a service would allow viewers from outside of the UK to watch popular BBC programs, such as Top Gear and Torchwood as well as listen to streaming BBC radio stations. BBC executives have yet to commit to pricing but suggest they could charge per episode, potentially as high as $10 depending on the content.

Dell's Adamo XPS to top at 1.9GHz?

10/23, 2:55pm

Adamo XPS may still be slow

New rumored hardware details for the Adamo XPS suggest the system will be only a mild upgrade to the existing Adamo 13 that trades larger speed gains for its extra dimensions. The ultra-thin model should sit in between the two upgraded current models with ultra-low voltage Core 2 Duo processors between 1.4GHz and 1.9GHz versus the minimum 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo S in a challenger like the MacBook Air. The Engadget tips also claim the built-in solid-state storage will be less than for current Adamos with either a 128GB or 180GB solid-state drive.

SOHO Notes 8, Organizer 8 get engine overhauls

10/23, 2:30pm

Titles gain voice, video, photo recording

Chronos has launched SOHO Notes 8 and Organizer 8, each with completely rewritten core engines. Notes is a notetaking app that can capture, organize, share and sync material such as text, images, PDFs, voice recordings and web archives. Organizer combines Notes and Print Essentials into a suite that also manages tasks, calendars and contacts.

Samsung readies first commercial LTE 4G modem

10/23, 2:00pm

Samsung shows first LTE 4G USB modem

As part of a just-announced partnership between Ericsson and Samsung, the latter has released the first USB modem fully compatible with the new Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G standard. The Samsung GT-B3710 modem will be sold commercially through provider TeliaSonera in 2010 in Norway and Sweden. It promises to bring peak speeds of 150Mbps downstream as well as 50Mbps uploads.

Lenovo launches 11.6-inch IdeaPad U150 in Japan

10/23, 1:10pm

Lenovo shipping 11.6-inch IdeaPad U150 in Japan

Lenovo has officially launched a new 11.6-inch IdeaPad notebook in Japan, the U150. The portable is one of Lenovo's first CULV systems and runs a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo processor with 2GB of RAM. Making the CPU upgrade gives it a faster GMA 4500 graphics core that can better handle the 1366x768 native output. A 250GB hard drive is standard fare, and the IdeaPad is one of Lenovo's first with Windows 7 to come stock.

Absoft Pro Fortran 11 uses 64-bit compilers

10/23, 1:00pm

Further adds Snow Leopard support

Absoft has launched Pro Fortran 11 for the Mac. Version 11 includes both 32- and 64-bit compilers, allowing developers to design code for Mac, Windows and Linux using a single code source. Similarly present is support for OpenMP multi-core parallel programming standards when using Nehalem-era Xeon processors.

Amazon readying Kindle software for Mac

10/23, 12:40pm

App synchronizes with standalone devices

Following Amazon's announcement of Kindle software for Windows users, the company has acknowledged that it is also working on a Mac version, according to Fast Company. Although the spokesperson did not provide specific details regarding the Mac app, the PC edition allows users to purchase, download, and read content from the Kindle store.

Dell confirms 22-inch touch LCD for US

10/23, 12:40pm

Dell SX2210T brings multi-touch, webcam

After a leak and Japanese details earlier this week, Dell on Friday brought its SX2210T display to the US. It represents Dell's first dedicated multi-touch display and supports one- or two-finger input in operating systems that recognize them, particularly Windows 7. Regardless of platform, the 21.5-inch LCD is relatively high quality for a TN-based panel with an 83 percent color gamut and a 50,000:1 contrast ratio.

Next version of Aperture to become Aperture X?

10/23, 12:25pm

Leak hints at product name change

The next version of Aperture may be named Aperture X, an Amazon leak suggests. A book called Aperture X: A Workflow Guide for Digital Photographers has appeared at the Amazon website, credited to Ken McMahon and Nik Rawlinson, who previously wrote a guide for Aperture 2. The book's listing includes the warning "UNDER NDA," suggesting that it was meant to be kept hidden in a database.

Netflix coming to major mystery device

10/23, 12:00pm

Netflix going international, to a new device?

During a Thursday third quarter earnings report, Netflix has revealed increased revenues thanks to a 22 percent increase of streaming video use, and this from a smaller subscriber base. At the same time, CEO Reed Hastings revealed Netflix will become available for streaming on another electronics device, though he did not offer any other specifics. Hastings did indicate game consoles are also key to the expansion of the service, which could spell an end to the exclusivity of Netflix on Microsoft's Xbox 360.

iPhone, iPod to overthrow Nintendo by 2014?

10/23, 11:40am

Analyst sees Apple winning mobile gaming

The iPhone platform could overtake rivals Nintendo and Sony for the lead in growing handheld gaming in as little as five years, a DFC Intelligence report says. The analyst group believes portable hardware from the Japanese companies is likely to still lead in terms of sheer units in the future but believes growth has "peaked" for devices like the DSi or PSP Go where Apple's platform is still climbing quickly. By 2014, the iPhone and iPod touch are expected to be the only major devices still seeing significant growth.

UBS speculates on hidden agenda in Nokia patent dispute

10/23, 11:15am

Move a preemptive strike?

Following news of Nokia's patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, UBS analyst Maynard Um suggests the possibility of a hidden agenda. The case -- involving Nokia patents on technology ranging from 3G to Wi-Fi and GSM -- could be a preemptive strike in order to avoid possible infringement issues with soon-to-be-released Nokia phones, many of which contain multi-touch capabilities similar to Apple's own.

Toshiba relaunches Satellite Pro in UK with Windows 7

10/23, 10:45am

Toshiba adds four new Windows 7 Satellite Pros

Toshiba UK on Friday launched four new business notebooks in its Satellite Pro series, all preloaded with Windows 7 Professional. The additions include the 13.3-inch U500, the 15.6-inch L500, the 17.3-inch L550, 15.6-inch L450 and the same-sized L450D. Each includes Toshiba's LifeSpace application suite just for Windows 7-powered Toshiba notebooks, which helps users to organize their appointments and help them find up to 5,000 recently accessed files visually.

Boston iPod ads lead to political controversy

10/23, 10:15am

Allegations of corruption by business

Giant banner ads for iPods have created political controversy in Boston, writes the Boston Globe. The ads are said to have first arrived in the fall of 2007, a few months before the opening of the city's flagship Apple Store. Covering a wall measuring 13,750 square feet, the banners immediately drew fire from the Outdoor Advertising Board, which called them illegal. They have nevertheless remained in place, though in June of this year the companies behind the ads were required to pay the state $110,000 and request a new permit from the city's government. The permit was approved within the same week by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Access launches own Linux touchscreen phone

10/23, 10:15am

Access unveils ELSE and ELSE INTUITION

Best known for having bought the rights to Palm OS, Access late on Tuesday entered phones itself by previewing the ELSE and a matching Linux phone operating system, the ELSE INTUITION. The 3.5-touchscren phone is co-designed by Emblaze and has a heavily upgraded version of Access' Linux Platform with a custom interface: it centers on a unique rotary-like home screen and menus that are easier to use with one hand as well a more intuitive multi-tasking interface that shows running all running apps at once. A side strip of buttons simplifies navigating through lists or back to higher levels.

Microsoft revenue drops 14% in summer

10/23, 9:20am

Microsoft faces third quarterly decline

Microsoft today reported its third consecutive decline in quarterly revenue. The company's total revenue during the summer dropped a sharp 14 percent year-over-year to $12.92 billion and is attributed almost exclusively to the Windows division, whose own revenue fell 38.76 percent to $2.62 billion. It also saw a decline in the overall health of its Business and Online Services groups.

Dell's first rugged tablet PC shows at FCC

10/23, 8:30am

Dell Latitude XT2 XFR surfaces with 3G

An FCC filing (PDF) from Novatel has revealed that Dell plans to apply its rugged XFR badge to a tablet PC for the first time. Titled the Latitude XT2 XFR, it would take the company's familiar 12-inch XT2 convertible tablet but harden the system for use outdoors or in more dangerous workplaces: the body would have extra shock-absorbing protection, particularly at the corners and the hinge. It would also have protected ports to guard against dust or water.

Acer releases desktop LCD with 8m:1 contrast

10/23, 7:50am

Acer S243HL uses white LED backlight

Acer wrapped up the week today by rolling out a new high-performance desktop LCD that appears first in Japan. The 24-inch S243HL uses a white LED backlight that provides it with an extremely high contrast ratio even when compared to typical LED-lit displays, jumping from 1,000:1 to 8,000,000:1 with dynamic contrast active. The thinner technology also contributes to a main panel that measures about 0.57 inches thick, although the base is thicker.