Its Electronica

With CTIA beginning on April 1 this year, its becoming difficult to judge whether we are seeing some April Fools jokes or good information. However in the case of the Motorola Z9 and the complete lack of secrecy up till this point I tend to believe when they say it will be launched on April 1.

So far we have seen a leaked pic, then the Z9 showed up with the FCC, some white papers were leaked, then a scanned ad showing the price, and finally the last piece of the puzzle—the release date.

In addition to the release date, which according to the BGR, it will indeed be launched with AT&T on April 1, the Z9 will also include AT&T Navigator support. The Navigator, which will be the new name for TeleNav is a GPS solution, but its still unclear if the Z9 will feature an A-GPS solution or true GPS support. Based on all the leaks up till this point it seems the next time we mention the Z9 should hopefully be the official announcement from AT&T.

Via [Boy Genius Report]

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Researchers who conducted focus-group discussions with teenagers from Netherlands have found a “shocking” discovery. Although most teens are aware of the damage that they are inflicting upon themselves by setting the volumes of their music players on high, they generally don’t care. That’s easy to understand, but what I don’t get is why many people are still puzzled as to why this is so. Shouldn’t it be general knowledge by now that most people really do prefer to listen to loud music? It’s the best way to really appreciate music anyway. And although I agree that this will have some bad “side-effects” to the listener in terms of his/her hearing abilities, I find it hard to believe that there is any other way to really feel your music, except through pumping up the volume and blocking out everything else around you.

Parents, doctors, and anyone else who thinks I’m a loose nut for saying they should leave the loud-music listening music lovers alone, consider this: what would you rather have, that your kids are a) locked up in their rooms inhaling toxic stuff and slitting their wrists or b) locked up in their rooms wearing noise-canceling headphones and the volume set to 11? It’s high time someone told you what blasting ourselves with hard rock really and truly means.

In case you didn’t know, listening to music at the loudest level possible is a very simple way to block out all the ambient noise. And isn’t that the reason why most people even care to listen to iPods anyway? To block out everything else around them? Or it could be that a listener wants to escape, and the only way to do that is to entrap themselves in the middle of symphony, to get high on music and aim for personal Nirvana. Who cares about decibels? A kid’s got problems. And decibels aren’t helping. Decibles don’t care about me. So why should I care about them?

And then, having loud music banging in your ears could quite possibly be the “best alternative” to inflicting wounds upon yourself just to “get away from your problems.” You know how those punk/rock emo kids cut up their arms just to show how much of a “rebel” they are? A lot of teenagers I know would’ve done the same, only they’ve found a worthy (and safer) alternative—which is, to just drown out the problems and hate with some music.

OK, maybe that was entirely off the point. But I’m done. You were saying?

Read [Reuters]

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If the Sanyo Xacti CG9 was just not right for you, check out the Vivitar DVR565HD—the company’s first camcorder to venture into the HD realm. Rocking a rather slim and compact form factor, the DVR565HD uses SD cards as its recording medium, capable of recording video in H.264/MPEG-4 in full 720p glory at 30 fps. Interestingly, the camera can “upscale” the video playback to 1080i if connected to a TV via an HDMI cable. Little else is known, but the camcorder will feature a 3-inch flip-out LCD display, digital still functionality, and a maximum SD card capacity of 4GB.

The Vivitar DVR565HD will be available in black and silver, hitting the masses sometime in April. Pricing information has not yet been revealed; however, Vivitar is known for its budget friendly devices, so don’t expect a bank-breaking price tag on this one.

Via [Pocket-Lint]

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Rumors are around that Microsoft will be releasing their latest update to Windows Mobile on April 1, 2008, which is also know as April Fools Day, so this may or may not be a lead-in to a huge disappointment. While the version 6.1 release is not a full new version, it is said to offer a lot of usability improvements over the current version 6.0.

Microsoft’s rumored Windows Mobile version 6.1 is expected to feature an improved web browser, copy and paste from IE, a Vista-like user interface, new fonts, a better task manager, Wi-Fi indicator and an some improvements to ActiveSync that will allow it to be auto-configured.

While this may be a big lead up for an April Fools joke, it does have good timing with CTIA, which will take place in Las Vegas beginning on none other than April 1. Luckily its only a short wait to see just how accurate this rumor is.

Via [Slash Gear]

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We first heard the news that Asus was planning a desktop model for their Eee series lineup a while back, and while details still remain a mystery, we now have what are claimed to be a leaked picture showing what the upcoming Eee Box could look like. According to Hot Hardware, the above pics are in fact the upcoming Eee Box from Asus, although they make it clear that these are not official pictures and cannot comment on the source.

Overall, at least since the introduction of the Wii, theses images look to be more like a game console than a desktop computer. Either way they are sharp looking, be certain that we will keep you updated as soon as we can find out some more details.

Via [Hot Hardware]

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Canadians are getting antsy about not having an iPhone yet. It’s a question with some history, wrapped up in local trademark concerns and Apple’s easy-does-it approach to internationalizing its iPodification of phones. What can you do about it, Canadians?

"PhoneWorld.ca and our friends from iPhoneInCanada.ca, the two largest Canadian iPhone news and information portals … bring you The Great Canadian iPhone Petition."

It’s a lovely thought, but the Fakesteve post kind of writes itself in your head the millisecond your "fan petition" neuron and your "Steve Jobs" neuron link up.

The Petition [Petitionsite]
The Great Canadian iphone Petition [iPhone World]

Original Photo: AP/Paul Akuma

Posted Mar 29th 2008 1:18PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: cellphones

Having some blackberry troubles? You’re not alone, we’ve been receiving some sporadic tips on the subject, and some forum users have reported outage trouble as well, though for other users it seems just fine. Let us know how your service is doing. Or don’t — this might be just the chance you were looking for to ditch work email and get a start on that spring tan. We won’t tell a soul.

With spring in full swing, who wouldn’t want to enjoy a little TV watching in their patios? With Pantel’s latest pair of weatherproof HDTVs, you can confidently mount them outside and not worry about the spring rain destroying your shiny new TV. In fact, you don’t need to mind the weather at all, as these new panels can withstand just about anything Mother Nature decides to throw at them. The 32-inch PAN320 and 42-inch PAN420 can withstand temperatures of -40 to 140 degrees fahrenheit. Pantel has equipped both TVs with a dual-flow ventilation and built-in heating system to keep them nice ‘n cool in the summer and warm ‘n toasty in the winter. Spec-wise, both models feature 1366 x 768 resolution, an anti-reflective glass, 1600:1 contrast ratio, waterproof remote control, and a wireless RF receiver—which allows users to broadcast HD video and audio to the TV from 150 feet away.

The Pantel PAN320 and PAN420 retail for $3,950 and $4,450. The company has teased that 52 and 60-inch models are in the works, but no details have been announced. We’ll have more information when Pantel decides to dish out.

Product [Pantel] Via [GearLog]

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Microsoft will soon be releasing Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. How soon is soon? Reports have it coming as early as April and will be released in two groups. Service Pack 3 (SP3) will come first for those users with the Simplified English, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Korean versions with any remaining versions to follow about 3-weeks later.

Microsoft has also confirmed that SP3 for Windows XP Media Center and Windows XP Tablet Edition will not be available as an integrated version, meaning those users will only be available to update to SP3 using Windows Update. Its also safe to say that this will be that last major update Microsoft will push out before they stop selling XP this June. Which hopefully becomes a point where users will finally feel comfortable enough to make the move to Vista.

Via [Gizmodo]

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Finally! Dell customers can now get a Blu-ray laptop for under a $1,000. Available today we can pick up the Inspiron 1525 with optional Blu-ray disc playback starting at $879.

As retailers and video rental companies expand their high-definition offerings, Blu-ray is the new “must-have” technology to help get the most out of your viewing experience.

The Inspiron 1525 laptop features a 15.4-inch high definition wide aspect display with 720p resolution. It also includes an HDMI port for easy connectivity to high resolution displays and HDTVs.

The Blu-ray player disc drive is fully backwards compatible, and will play as well as burn traditional DVDs and CDs. Consumers can also chose a Blu-ray burner drive, which is great for backing up and storing important files like digital photos, videos, financial records, etc. A Blu-ray disc will hold up to 50 GB of data, vs. 8.5 GB available on the typical DVD disc.

The lightweight Inspiron 1525 is all about self expression, allowing customers to complement their individual style with a laptop that offers designs like Chill, Blossom and Commotion, or a spectrum of vibrant colors, like Sunshine Yellow, Midnight Blue and Ruby Red.

Dell Inspiron 1525 laptops with Blu-ray disc drives incorporate Broadcom Media PC technology that allows PCs with integrated graphics to play high definition video. The high-definition video playback is enabled through a built-in dedicated accelerator located in a mini-card slot.

Inspiron 1525 features Dell MediaDirect technology which provides one button instant access to media files, even if the system is powered off or in hibernate. Optional accessories for a great movie watching experience include a slim travel power adapter ($80), Dell travel remote control (IR) that slips into the ExpressCard slot ($22), and Creative noise-isolation earphones ($25).

The Inspiron 1525 laptop with Blu-ray is available today in the U.S., Canada and Europe.