Its Electronica

Posted Feb 12th 2008 11:13AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Don’t want to wait until March for Windows Vista SP1, but not feeling the whole torrent thing? Microsoft has posted a disc image to its OEM partner site with a full copy of SP1 on it, and the download is free — if a bit slow at the moment, thanks to all y’all grabbing a copy. The 1.2GB disc image requires you run it as a clean installation, so you’ve gotta ask yourself it’s just worth waiting a few more weeks for an easy peasy update courtesy of Windows Update. Decisions, decisions.

[Via Download Squad; read link is the disk image]

LGs KF700 has everything a cellphone needs these days: A camera (3.0MP), 3G (HSDPA) a web browser, video and music players and, of course, a touch screen.

The KF700 also has a second touchpad, which works much like a screen, swapping the displayed soft buttons depending on what you’re using the phone for. There’s also a shortcut dial on the back – a real, physical wheel which can be set to cycle between a set of your favorite functions.

In use, it’s a little frustrating. As you can see in the video, there is a noticeable lag between “swooshing” and icon and the screen’s reaction. In some cases, enough to make me try twice and end up doing the wrong thing. But it’s pretty and the camera works well. It even has image stabilization. We predict success.

i-mate is also at MWC ‘08, delivering a couple of units from its Ultimate range - the 9502 and 8502. The former would be the flagship model of the Ultimate range, making it an “all in one” Windows Mobile device that features 3.5G, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, a VGA display and built-in GPS functionality. As for the Ultimate 8502, it is a slim smartphone that comes with a QWERTY keyboard, a 2.6″ touch screen 65k color TFT display, integrated GPS and a Microsoft Office Mobile for those who can’t seem to stop checking out their spreadsheets even when out of the office. There is no word on pricing and availability for either handset as at press time.

Note: we did a “hands-on” with the i-mate 9502 and with the 8502 at CTIA 07, check them out! 

Polaroid recently mentioned that they will be halting their instant film market, but never mind that - the company just rolled out its Digital Instant Mobile Photo Printer that uses ZINK Zero Ink printing technology, capable of creating 2″ x 3″ full bleed prints in an instant, whether the source is from a digital camera or camera phone which is hooked up via USB or Bluetooth. Since the printer itself ships with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, you get to make use it wherever you go. There is no word on pricing as at press time.

Zune owners can now pick up the Zune Home AV Kit for a mere $19.99 - that’s a real bargain as it actually has a list price of $99.99. This kit allows you to hook up either first or second generation models to your TV or receiver, using the included remote to control all aspects of it from the comfort of your couch. Guess it is a no-brainer that this Home AV Kit allows you to enjoy your compressed (audiophiles would say “butchered”) songs over your home sound system or watch videos on your TV (too bad if you have a HDTV as the Zune Home AV Kit relays a maximum resolution of 640 x 480. Are all three of you Zune owners out there going to pick this up?

MWC ‘08 is the venue where ailing Motorola released its RAZR2 V8 Special Edition handset that comes adorned with 18K and 24K gold, with snake pattern leather rounding off its aesthetics. Measuring a mere 12.05mm thin, you get the following features :-

• 2.2″ 240 x 320 resolution internal display
• 2″ external display
• Linux OS
• 2GB memory
• 2 megapixel camera
• USB 2.0 and Bluetooth connectivity

HTC has introduced the P3470, which according to HTC “sets a new standard in affordable smartphone, GPS-based devices.” Overall it seems like the P3470 will offer a decent set of specs along with being a nice looking phone, much better than that spy shot image we first saw back in January. The HTC P3470 features a 2.8-inch QVGA display, 200MHz CPU, 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD card slot and a built-in GPS with TomTom Navigator 6.

Sadly even with the GPS its hard to notice the P3470 is not 3G capable and is limited to quad-band EDGE, not to mention an (albeit standard) but still disappointing a 2-megapixel camera. The HTC P3470 will be running Windows Mobile 6 Professional and also ships with a 1GB microSD card for additional storage.

Expect to see the P3470 become available later this month with a retail price of €449 (around $650). It should be available with Orange in the UK, France, Spain and the Netherlands.

Keep reading for a few more pictures of the HTC P3470…

Via [Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]

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Posted Feb 11th 2008 10:16PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Cellphones

Whew, it was quite a day for cellphones at the Mobile World Congress, and there’s more to come this week — but if you haven’t been watching Engadget Mobile (where the full coverage is being posted) or are just getting up to speed, here’s everything that’s gone down.

Sony Ericsson

• The Sony Ericsson W980
• Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 QWERTY with Windows Mobile and HSUPA
• Sony Ericsson’s G700 and G900: “touchscreen organizers”
• Two for the Cyber-shot crowd: Sony Ericsson intros C702 and C902
• The Sony Ericsson Z770: “your life in a clamshell”
• First live photo of Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1
• Video: Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 “Panel Interface”
• No wonder Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 is so good: HTC makes it
• Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 does a good job looking pretty at launch event
• Sony Ericsson ties up with Microsoft for Windows Mobile devices

HTC

• HTC P3470 is only EDGE, but has GPS
• HTC Advantage X7510: now upgraded with 16GB flash memory

Nokia

• The Nokia 6220 classic, all 5 megapixels of it
• The Nokia N78, in European and North American flavors
• The Nokia N96 redefines “high-end”
• The Nokia 6210 Navigator
• Nokia goes public with Maps 2.0 beta, plans Series 40 version
• Nokia CEO: No plans for Windows Mobile, S60 touch-screen launch in 2H 2008

Sad, lonely Moto

• Motorola’s pathetic MWC showing: Z6w, W161, and W181
• LG says it has no plans to buy Motorola’s cellphone biz

Everybody else

• Samsung’s F480 Armani (without the Armani), Dual Touch Chic G400 flip and F400 B&O slider
• NVIDIA shows off APX 2500 cellphone applications processor
• Hands-on with Sony Ericsson’s world-beating XPERIA X1
• Samsung hauls a load into Mobile World Congress
• First pics of CDMA BlackBerry Curve 8330 surface
• What’s an iPhone? 14.3m Windows Mobile phones sold in the past six months alone
• LG gets official with the KF700, KF600, and KF510
• Samsung’s HSDPA-equipped G810 slider gets official

More after the break.

Microsoft

• Microsoft buys Danger, Windows Mobile Sidekick imminent
• MSN Direct now on Windows Mobile
• Iris browser brings WebKit to Windows Mobile
• What’s an iPhone? 14.3m Windows Mobile phones sold in the past six months alone

Android and Linux

• Google attacks: Android at Mobile World Congress
• Samsung wants Android phone by next year
• LiMo Foundation plans SDK for mid 2008
• ACCESS Linux Platform gets integrated with MontaVista Mobilinux
• LiMo Foundation makes a splash; adds members, shows hardware

More announcements

• Bluetooth SIG looks at Bluetooth-WiFi to hasten transfers
• CSR shows off eGPS, says it’s superior to A-GPS
• SanDisk launches 16GB iNAND embedded flash for handhelds
• Starbucks brews up WiFi pact with AT&T, disconnects T-Mobile
• Dolby and SRS Labs bring surround sound to mobiles
• Qualcomm goes wild at MWC 2008, unveils slew of new chips
• LiMo Foundation makes a splash; adds members, shows hardware
• Samsung’s latest mobile processor integrates 3D graphics acceleration
• MusicStation Max offers unlimited free music downloads to your mobile
• Plantronics intros “military grade” Explorer 370 Bluetooth headset
• On2 Technologies reveals 1080p hardware video decoder for handsets
• TI touts chips for integrated pico projectors, HD recording on mobiles

If you’re constantly on-the-go then there’s a solution called the Kingston DataTraveler Micro Reader. It’s basically an all-in-one USB Flash drive and reader that can store, transfer and read data on mobile memory cards. The DataTraveler is compatible with microSD, microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro cards, and has a Windows ReadyBoost capability whenever you hook it up into any Vista-powered computer. Other features include: storage capacities of 1GB, 2GB, 4GB as well a 5-year warranty. The 1GB, 2GB and 4GB models will retail for $19.25, $28.25 and $42.
[Source]

Posted Feb 11th 2008 4:42PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Storage

There’s certainly no shortage of research going on into unconventional means of storage, but one of the most unusual has to be protein-based storage, which we haven’t heard much of in quite a while. That now looks to have changed, however, with some researchers in Japan boasting that they’ve made some considerable progress with the so-called “recordable proteins.” To that end, Tetsuro Majima and his team reportedly employed a special fluorescent protein to record an information pattern on a glass slide, along with what’s described only as a “novel combination of light and chemicals” to read and, most importantly, erase that information. While it’s obviously a long ways from replacing your hard drive, the researchers apparently see no shortage of potential applications for the technology, including using the proteins to improve biosensors and diagnostic tests.

[Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]