News Archive for 09/12/07

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Media publishers organize joint venture for next-gen devices

12/07, 11:50pm

Companies will establish a set of common standards

Several media companies, including four magazine publishers and News Corp., have organized a joint venture aimed at optimizing content for the upcoming generations of electronic devices, according to The Wall Street Journal. People familiar with the matter suggest the new entity will be announced sometime Tuesday.

Apple appeals loss in OPTi lawsuit

12/07, 10:55pm

Company fighting $21.7m judgment for infringement

Apple has decided to appeal its recent loss in an intellectual property lawsuit initially filed by OPTi. The court found Apple guilty of infringing technology involving "predictive snooping" of cache memory for communicating information between various computer components. OPTi was awarded a total of $21.7 million in damages and pre-judgment interest.

Dell teases $450, 0.65-inch ultraportable

12/07, 10:45pm

Dell Vostro V13 thinner than Air, 33% price

Dell tonight provided an early look at a potentially major addition to its Vostro work PCs. The V13 is meant as a budget alternative to an Adamo and measures just as thin at 0.65 inches, but actually weighs less at 3.5 pounds. Room is still available for one each of eSATA, Ethernet, USB and a card reader, though video output is VGA-only instead of the more luxurious system's DisplayPort.

Boxee Beta, D-Link Boxee Box unveiled [U]

12/07, 9:40pm

Boxee Box arrives ahead of CES

(Update with pricing) Boxee tonight revealed both the beta version of its software as well as Boxee Box, its first hardware dedicated to its custom TV interface. Both the device and independent software have a newly updated version of the front-end with a much more visual layout that focuses on the menu, the active media queue and a social networking feed for friends, Facebook and Twitter. While it's still available for Macs and 32-bit Linux PCs, the beta is also freshly optimized for Windows and uses DirectX on that platform as well as Flash 10.1 that gives it hardware acceleration of Flash video using modern NVIDIA graphics.

BlackBerry Essex now the 9650, surfaces on eBay

12/07, 8:55pm

Device brings Wi-Fi, optical trackpad to the Tour

The upcoming BlackBerry Tour revision, recently referred to as the Tour2 or Essex, has received its official labeling as the 9650. One of the devices has already surfaced on eBay, as an unlocked pre-release model loaded with BlackBerry OS v5.0. Bidding on the 9650 eventually escalated to nearly $1,400, although the retail price remains unknown.

Apple bans dev, removes 1,011 apps over shilled reviews

12/07, 7:35pm

Fake reviews resulted in inflated ratings

Apple has banned the iPhone developer Molinker and removed the company's entire app library from the App Store, according to MobileCrunch. The action is reportedly a result of fake reviews posted by shills presumably associated with the developer. Molinker had established a total of 1,011 titles on the App Store, all of which have been pulled.

Nintendo 64 emulator coming to iPhone?

12/07, 6:15pm

App likely limited to jailbroken devices

A Nintendo 64 emulator is allegedly being created for the iPhone and iPod touch, according to ModMyi. The app, known as 3G4, overlays many of the N64 controls directly on the screen, although the current beta reportedly lacks L, R, and Z buttons. The early version, claimed to be made by a 14-year-old developer, still shows several bugs such as duplicate button registers, delayed presses and crashes during gameplay.

Haier Theatre player reaches US with capacitive touch

12/07, 6:10pm

Haier enters touchscreen arena Stateside

Having been quiet in rolling out new players for months, Haier today quietly slipped out the Theatre (link may be broken) as its first-ever touchscreen media player for the US. Although treated as a budget player, it's advanced for the category as it uses capacitive touch that should be more sensitive to finger input. An accelerometer is equally in place to auto-rotate imagery, and it should carry both FM tuning and voice recording.

Wi-Fi to top 1Gbps by 2012

12/07, 5:45pm

802.11ac process underway

The IEEE has recently begun the first steps of voting on a major improvement to Wi-Fi standards due in two years. The 802.11ac standard should upgrade 802.11a to use 80MHz or even 160MHz channels that provide much more bandwidth than today. Combined with about a 10 percent increase in efficiency for modulating the actual frequencies, the speedup should improve the theoretical transfer speeds to as much as 1Gbps, or more than three times the 300Mbps 802.11n reaches for now.

Israeli iPhone to launch Wednesday morning

12/07, 5:00pm

Device long delayed

Beginning at midnight Wednesday local time, Israelis will at last be able to buy the iPhone, Reuters reports. Cellcom will be the first carrier with the device, though it is set to be followed by Orange and Pelephone on Thursday. In contrast with some earlier reports, each of the carriers is being required to buy just 80,000 iPhones for resale rather than 100,000.

VMware working on dual-OS smartphone virtualization

12/07, 4:50pm

VMware to out dual-OS virtualization for phones

VMware is developing virtualization software for smartphones that would see two profiles running on the same device at the same time. VMware sees a work and personal profile running on a phone at the same time, as opposed to giving users a choice of dual-booting into one or the other. The idea is to have users switch between the two quickly with the press of a button.

XPERIA X10 headed to T-Mobile as well as AT&T?

12/07, 4:45pm

Flagship XPERIA X10 coming to T-Mobile and AT&T

Sony Ericsson's flagship and one of the most advanced Android-powered smartphone, the XPERIA X10, will not only be available at AT&T, as suggested earlier, but will also be available to T-Mobile subscribers as well. This was indicated by two variants of the device being available, including one with support for the 1,700MHz UMTS HSPA band used by T-Mobile while another model will have support for AT&T's 850MHz UMTS HSPA band.

Moto Droid's Android 2.0.1 update goes live

12/07, 4:25pm

Verizon Droids get large fix over the air

Motorola Droid owners today began seeing a system update pushed over-the-air to their phones. The Android 2.0.1 update crucially fixes the slow autofocus issue but also improves a wide range of elements, including battery life, audio quality both on as well as off wired networks and a new more instant delivery of Visual Voice Mail messages. Overall stability, speed and a new unlock screen may also be part of the upgrade based on first-hand reports.

Ion-powered ASRock nettops up for pre-order on Amazon

12/07, 4:20pm

ASRock nettops with Ion GPUs now on Amazon

ASRock's ION 330Pro nettop PC is now available for pre-order on Amazon, along with a version that has a Wi-Fi connection and another that also adds a Blu-ray drive. All ION 330 systems are capable of playing back 1080p high-definition video content thanks to the Ion GPU from NVIDIA. For conventional processing power, the systems build in a 1.6GHz dual-core Atom chip.

Lala deal valued at $80 million, say sources

12/07, 4:10pm

Counters earlier 'fire-sale' rumors

Apple's Lala buyout was worth approximately $80 million, say sources contacted by AllThingsDigital. The value is less than half what the Lala was estimated to be worth in 2008, but considerably more than the company's $35 million raised to date. Apple has refused to comment, and investors Ignition Capital, Bain Capital Ventures and the Warner Music Group have not made any statements.

Camangi now offering WebStation Android tablet

12/07, 4:00pm

WebStation Android tablet now out for pre-order

Camangi is now offering its Android-powered tablet, the WebStation, for pre-order in Taiwan, the US and Japan. The device has a 7-inch glass touchscreen with a 800x480 resolution, while a 624MHz Marvell PXA303 CPU powers Android 1.5. There is also built-in Wi-Fi, as well as a GPS sensor.

EU said greenlighting Microsoft browser changes

12/07, 3:50pm

EU likes random browser ballot order

The European Commission has accepted a set of proposed browser ballot changes that would let Microsoft sell Windows 7 without penalty, a trio of sources said Monday. Officials at the European Union regulator are purportedly agreed on the previously leaked proposals, which include a random order for the choice of browsers and the absence of the Windows Explorer label, and barring complications could approve the measure as soon as next week. The implementation could be available soon afterwards.

Google unveils real-time, camera shot searching

12/07, 3:05pm

Google real-time and Goggles debut

Google today launched a pair of developments that promises to overhaul its core search business. The company has developed a real-time search display known as "latest" that shows new, live results alongside the original search hits. It can not only find news stories and other typical updates as they appear but also Twitter and other content that doesn't always get indexed elsewhere.

AMD to demo Blu-ray stereoscopic 3D at CES

12/07, 2:20pm

AMD, CyberLink to show off Blu-ray 3D at CES

Chipmaker AMD on Monday announced that it will demonstrate the future Blu-ray stereoscopic 3D standard at CES early in January. The technology is expected to be made available for sale during the latter half of 2010. AMD will join with software maker CyberLink to demonstrate the technology at its booth for the show.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II to get 60FPS 720p in spring

12/07, 2:05pm

Canon DSLRs getting 60FPS 720p video next year

Unofficial sources indicate Canon will release a firmware update for its EOS 5D Mark II DSLR that will endow it with 60FPS video recording. Like the 7D, it will shoot at a lower 720p resolution rather than 1080p, but should be smoother and show more detail than the 30FPS maximum on the 5D Mark II's current firmware.

Guam iPhone launch set for December 11th

12/07, 1:55pm

US territory finally gains native carrier

The remote American-owned territory of Guam will at last get the iPhone on December 11th, according to carrier GTA TeleGuam. Hardware prices mirror those of AT&T, with an 8GB iPhone 3G costing $100, and a 16GB iPhone 3GS costing $200. A 32GB 3GS will cost $300.

CrunchPad now called Joojoo; TechCrunch claims "ludicrous"

12/07, 1:15pm

Joojoo tablet designed only by Fusion Garage

As promised, Fusion Garage today responded to its legal battle with TechCrunch by formally announcing its results in the wake of the CrunchPad's "death." Now called the Joojoo based on an African term for magic, the device has the familiar 12-inch capacitive touchscreen and boots into its front end as little as 9 seconds. Its main menu has visual links to common websites like Hulu and Twitter and is now known to support the offline versions of some apps, like Gmail.

iPod touch a secret Apple weapon, says analytics firm

12/07, 1:00pm

Player serves as gateway to iPhone use

The iPod touch is more important to Apple than many people may think, claims analytics group Flurry. The firm says it tracks four platforms, and roughly 3,000 applications and 45 million people. Within this, the Touch is said to account for 35 percent of user sessions. Of the over 58 million devices with iPhone firmware sold worldwide, the Touch is estimated to represent a little over 40 percent, or at least 24 million units.

Amazon to upgrade Kindle with audible menus

12/07, 12:45pm

Kindles to get more blind-friendly features

Amazon on Monday announced it will bring new features to its Kindle 2 and Kindle DX e-book readers next year to make it more suitable for vision-impaired users. This will include an audible menu system that will let these users navigate to the books without assistance, which they can listen to thanks to the device's Read To Me text-to-speech feature. The company will also add a new font that's twice as big as the current largest font preloaded into the device.

Study: AT&T faster than Verizon when working

12/07, 12:30pm

HSPA gives AT&T faster average speed

A study from Root Wireless published this weekend claims that AT&T's network is faster overall than Verizon's. Testing across 7 cities, including well-known AT&T trouble spots like New York City and San Francisco, showed the average AT&T download speed ranging from 246Kbps to 428Kbps. By comparison, Verizon downloads varied between 195Kbps and 259Kbps.

New AT&T app prompts iPhone users for network feedback

12/07, 11:25am

May be in response to continual complaints

AT&T has launched a new iPhone application, Mark the Spot. The title is a free download for American iPhone owners, and lets users report when and where problems with AT&T's network have occurred, using GPS data if possible. In submitting reports, users can specify the frequency and nature of a given error; some categories include drops, bad audio, voice and data failures or a complete absence of network coverage.

Google intros store QR codes for phones

12/07, 11:20am

Google Favorite Places works with iPhone

Google today brought a taste of the Japanese market to the US through Favorite Places. The addition lets the most popular retail shops on Google Maps carry a QR code that can be scanned in by a camera-equipped phone. When read, the codes take the phone to the store's Place Page and give users an opportunity to read reviews, favorite the business or even get coupons.

Acer lining up NVIDIA Ion 2 systems?

12/07, 10:45am

Acer Pine Trail systems may get next-gen Ion

Acer will be one of the first to use NVIDIA's Ion 2 if PC builders' leaks are authentic. To complement a number of new nettops and netbooks based on Intel's new Pine Trail Atom platform, Acer has supposedly ordered the new NVIDIA chipset. The DigiTimes tipsters don't say which systems will get the faster video, but the AspireRevo and higher end Aspire Ones are the most likely candidates.

Analyst: Lala deal supports Apple plans for universal media

12/07, 10:40am

Could allow streaming iTunes content anywhere

Apple's acquisition of Lala has broad implications, claims UBS analyst Maynard Um. The service lets users link offline music with an online library of over 8 million tracks, enabling streaming from any computer with web access. Users can also browse friends' collections, receive updates on them, and create or listen to playlists. In some ways the service is said to be similar to the Genius technology employed by iTunes.

Bell to get Nokia N97, Samsung Galaxy this week

12/07, 9:55am

Bell adding Android, Symbian to HSPA mix

Bell is poised to add Android and Symbian to its stable of HSPA phones through a pair of leaks. Sources tell Electronista that the company should launch the Samsung Galaxy as its first-ever Android phone and will accompany this with the Nokia N97 to add Symbian S60 to the new network. Both should be available as of Thursday the 10th.

Nokia intros 2710 Navigation Edition with budget GPS

12/07, 9:45am

Nokia intros budget-priced navigation handset

Nokia on Monday announced the upcoming release of the 2710 Navigation Edition candybar handset, which it touts as being the most affordable handset with built-in navigation capability. The device sports a GPS sensor and has Nokia Maps preloaded. It is meant for use in both developed and developing nations, it has the ability to provide spoken turn-by-turn driving information.

Apple ousts ASUS as most reliable in new study

12/07, 9:35am

ASUS' netbook quality lets Apple take lead

Apple has taken the lead as the most reliable computer maker thanks to ASUS' over-dependence on netbooks, a new RESCUECOM study says. Where ASUS led the rankings in the third quarter of 2008 and in the spring this year, Apple has surged back to earn a reliability score of 374 for the third quarter this year, or more than twice ASUS' third-place 166 score. Much of ASUS' fall is attributed to first-wave Eee PC netbooks getting older and failing in relatively large numbers due to their poorer build quality.

Apple to open second Bristol store on Saturday

12/07, 9:20am

Takes over former HMV store

Apple will launch a second Bristol, UK store on December 12th at 9AM, the company has announced. The shop is located within the Upper Mall at Cribbs Causeway, in a storefront formerly owned by music and video retailer HMV. HMV has relocated downstairs to a site formerly owned by its rival, Zavvi. The latter company collapsed earlier this year, suffering from poor sales.

HTC Passion delayed to 2010, Espresso coming?

12/07, 8:50am

HTC Passion pushback matched by QWERTY Hero

HTC's long-rumored Passion phone may have been given a last-minute delay but will be compensated for through a second phone, according to a couple of new leaks. Sources said on Monday that the Android phone has been delayed from late 2009 to early 2010 to refine its software. The DigiTimes insiders also provide specs that have it as a flagship, with a 1GHz Snapdragon, a 3.5-inch OLED and multi-touch as the Passion's primary features.

Pixel Qi's first displays to support multi-touch

12/07, 8:45am

Pixel Qi announces ship date for first displays

As announced late in November, Pixel Qi will manufacture its first production displays for computers, but added that the displays will support multi-touch inputs. The first batch of these screens will be found in tablet devices which will be released during the first quarter of next year. Pixel Qi has not yet announced who it will partner with on these tablet devices, though it is believed the company will do so at or before CES.

Rumor: Apple passing on stock mobile Core i5, i7

12/07, 7:50am

Apple may want Intel mobile GPU disabled

Apple may be insisting on a custom spin of Intel's mobile Core i5 and i7 (Arrandale) processors before it can update its MacBooks and Mac minis, a rumor claims on Monday. Citing unnamed sources near the "heart of the matter," BSN says Apple wants Intel to disable the integrated graphics on the processor. It's not evident whether the request has been granted or what it would be replaced with.