Gadgets and Design

Motorola's dual-core Atrix 4G announced

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:28:00 +0000

We've got the Atrix 4G from Motorola featuring a whopping 1GB of RAM -- so it would seem this is the device we'd had rumored as the Olympus. Announced at AT&T's CES-based Developer Summit today, the phone is the first to be unveiled for the carrier's lineup with a dual-core processor, but the fun doesn't stop there: it's got a 960 x 540 display that gives the iPhone 4's pixel density a run for its money, a fingerprint reader, support for 802.11n on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, a ridiculous 1,930mAh battery that dwarfs the average 1,300 to 1,500mAh cell you see in most modern smartphones, HD video capture, and a wild set of peripherals -- HD Dock and Laptop Dock, primarily -- that allow you to use the Atrix in a "webtop mode" that bears a striking resemblance to a desktop operating system.

Motorola Droid Bionic announced

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:26:00 +0000

Things are getting real with Motorola -- it's just announced the LTE-equipped Droid Bionic which, like the Xoom tablet introduced alongside it, will be headed to Verizon. The phone packs a dual-core processor with each core humming along at 1GHz, a 4.3-inch QHD screen, 512MB of RAM, a front-facing VGA camera, an 8-megapixel on the rear, HDMI out, and a Mirror Mode that will let you do simultaneous streaming of video to the TV and on the device. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the link below for the product page.

Vizio Phone Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:18:00 +0000

The Vizio Phone is a sleek, lean, mostly black device which is handsomely and thoughtfully designed. The front is a dark, gloss black bezel, while the backside is covered in a soft touch material that almost feels like metal (though we think it's a harder plastic most likely). The display is a 4-inch LCD clocking in at 854 x 480 -- we're big fans of the slight resolution bump (think Droid), and even though this is an early, hand-built unit, the color balance and clarity seemed pretty top notch. Inside, the phone sports a 1GHz "plus" CPU, but just as with the tablet, Vizio reps wouldn't tell us who the maker was. Also as with the tablet, there's 4GB of storage onboard, a microSD slot, Micro USB port, and HDMI port. Continuing the trend, the phone will feature the same kind of IR setup, allowing you to use it out of the box as a universal remote. There's a VGA front-facing camera present, as well as a 5 megapixel shooter with flash on the backside.This device appears to be running Android 2.2 or 2.3 with the heavy Vizio skin, which is easily one of the most beautiful and useful variations that we've seen of Android.

Kodak intros Easyshare Touch, Mini and Sport cameras, Playfull and Playsport camcorders

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:48:00 +0000

Things are just getting underway here at CES in Las Vegas, and Kodak's on-hand in order to serve up its latest smorgasbord of optical treasures. Without further ado, allow us to present to you the Easyshare Touch -- a $149.95 offering with a three-inch capacitive touchpanel, a dedicated video record button, a 14 megapixel sensor, 5x Schneider-Kreuznach lens and an HDMI output.

Next up is the $99.95 Easyshare Mini, described as Kodak's smallest camera yet. It's "around the size of a credit card," offering a 3x wide-angle optical zoom lens, a built-in front mirror (you know, for those glorious self-portrait sessions), a ten megapixel sensor and a 2.5-inch rear LCD. Moving right along, there's the $79.95 Easyshare Sport, which is the outfit's first waterproof camera that can go up to ten feet underwater without any significant consequences. It'll also shrug off dirt and dust while snapping 12 megapixel shots and previewing them on the 2.4-inch LCD. Sashaying over to the video realm, there's the $149.95 Playfull camcorder, which touts an ultraslim design (it'll "fit in the pocket of your skinny jeans," according to Special K), a 1080p capture mode and an unmistakable 'Share' button to get your footage onto YouTube or a social network without any wasted time.

$179.95 model being waterproof up to ten feet, shockproof, dustproof and capable of logging clips at 1080p. You can also snap stills at five megapixels, and that previously mentioned 'Share' button is predictably tacked on here as well. Speaking of revisions, the Pulse digital photo frame is also seeing a gentle refresh, with this one available in 7-inch ($129.95) and 10-inch ($199.95) sizes.

Lenovo cranks out Y, V, and Z Series IdeaPads

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:42:00 +0000

Lenovo's flood of laptops continues with the Y, V, and Z Series IdeaPads with Intel's new Sandy Bridge CPUs. First on offer are the three Y Series laptops, the Y470, Y570 and Y570d. The Y470 is a 14-incher, while the Y570 and Y570d are nearly identically spec'd 15.6-inch (1366 x 768 resolution) LED paneled laptops. All three feature up to Intel Core i7 CPUs, a host of graphics options (including NVIDIA's GeForce 555M), up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, an up to 1TB HDDs. All three also boast Blu-ray drives, JBL-designed speakers, plus Mini-PCle, a six-in-one card reader, optional TV-out, HDMI, RJ45, three USB 2.0 ports, and a 2 megapixel webcam. A six-cell battery comes standard on all models. The Y570d -- you may have guessed -- packs 3D, and comes with a pair of 3D glasses. Computing never looked cooler! The Y Series laptops will be available in May (yes, May) for a base price of $899.99.

The V Series lineup includes the V370, V470 and V570, at 13.3-, 14-, and 15.6-inches, respectively. All three models feature up to Core i7 processors, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and up to 1TB HDD, plus Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Blu-ray drive, HD graphics support, HDMI out and stereo speakers. The V470 and V570 have NVIDIA GeForce 525M graphics options, while the V370 packs a weaker NVIDIA GeForce 315M GPU. All three models come standard with six-cell batteries and will be available starting in April for a base price of $599.99.

And that brings us to the Z Series IdeaPads, which includes the 13.3-inch Z370, 14-inch Z470, and 15.6-inch Z570. These bad boys also feature Core 2011 CPUs and up to 8GB of DDR3 memory. Other key specs include NVIDIA GeForce 410M graphics for the Z370, and NVIDIA GeForce 525M 2GB graphics for the Z470 and Z570. All three boast Blu-ray drives, 802.11a/g/n WiFi, optional Bluetooth, three USB ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, HDMI and VGA outs, and a webcam. There's no pricing or availability info for the Z Series laptops, but we'll let you know Lenovo finally decides to share those important details.

Spriiing Smile Android phone hits Thailand by way of Sweden with China's help

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:32:00 +0000

Did a Thai company we've never heard of just make the best-looking portrait QWERTY Android phone to date? We might not jump the gun that quickly -- but it's definitely up there. Spriiing Design (yes, three i's) is launching its Smile model in Bangkok on January 18th and the rest of Thailand thereafter, featuring a 3 megapixel camera, 512MB of ROM, 256MB of RAM, microSD expansion to 16GB, and a 2.6-inch QVGA display along with 3G support on the 900 and 2100MHz bands paired to a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 core atop Android 2.1.

In other words... yeah, this pretty low end fare. More interestingly, though, the handset was apparently designed in Sweden and manufactured by Huawei -- in fact, it's got "In connection with Ideos" silkscreened on the back, and Ideos is the brand that Huawei's been pushing this year for its Android-powered gear. Small world, ain't it? Follow the break for Spriiing's video teaser.

Update: Turns out this puppy is on sale in Australia, too, through Boost Mobile (yep, there's a Boost Mobile there). Thanks, Matt!

Vizio bringing 21:9 Cinema HDTV to CES with 2560 x 1080 resolution, all our hopes and dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:24:00 +0000

Vizio actually teased a 21:9 TV at last year's CES, and one year later it's ready to deliver: the Vizio Cinema HDTV LED LCD is here. The TV handles a 2560 x 1080 resolution in a 21:9 aspect ratio, just like that 21:9 Philips display we've been drooling over for the past couple of years, and comes in 50-inch and 58-inch flavors. Details are still pretty scarce, since all we have right now is a teaser page, but we doubt there's much more going on here. Basically, ultra-wide CinemaScope-style movies on a set that will likely be much cheaper than Philips' offering -- and more likely to show up at your local Costco. We look forward to the full announcement later this week.

HP unveils new Pavilion desktop lineup, packs new Intel and AMD chips

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:05:00 +0000

HP's playing its part with three new budget-friendly Pavilion desktop series: the p6700 (starting at $300), s5700 ($330), and HPE-500 ($600).

They all offer a wide range of configurations, with the standard-sized p6700 starting out at a Pentium E5700 proc and ranging up to an Athlon II 445 triple-core processor, the slim s5700 ranging from Athlon II 260 dual-core up to Phenom II 511 dual-core, and the HPE-500 blazing away with Phenom II 1045T six-core chips and discrete Radeon HD 6450 graphics, on up to Phenom II 1090T six-core and Radeon HD 6770 graphics. All of the desktops have "Beats Audio," an Envy feature that HP is spreading out across its product line. Other than that little perk, there are few surprises in any of these when it comes to specs and options: prepare to be generally nonplussed. Still, with these new (cheap!) chips from AMD and Intel, budget buyers should get a lot more power for their buck when these desktops land on January 9th... until the next round of procs comes out, of course.

KDDI crafts gorgeous see-thru designer phone with LED sub-display and dual-mode radios

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:53:00 +0000

KDDI launched a wave of new phones this morning, but this is the one we really want to hold -- it's called the X-RAY, and it's one of two new products in the company's iida designer brand. Crafted by Tokujin Yoshioka, it's a high-end Japanese clamshell with a 1-Seg TV tuner, NFC payments, and an 8 megapixel camera -- you know, the usual -- but with a translucent case (also available in blue and black) that leaves nothing to the imagination. There's a QSD8650 CDMA-ready Snapdragon in there, a GSM radio as well, a 7 x 102 pixel LED scrolling sub-display to display alerts and notifications, plus all the requisite chips and wires beautifully laid out. It'll be on display in Harajuku this Tuesday, but there's no word on availability or price quite yet. However, given that the prime accessory for the X-RAY is a solid crystal stand that makes the phone look like it's floating on air, we probably don't want to know.

Siemens pumps streaming audio to hearing aids with miniTek remote

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:43:00 +0000

See that tiny black box? It's a streaming audio hub, designed specifically for the hard of hearing who have Siemens earphones buried in their lobes. Connect special Tek transmitters to traditional TVs and stereos, or hook it up directly to a phone, audio player or PC over Bluetooth or 3.5mm jack, and the matchbox-sized, two-ounce remote will wirelessly stream stereo audio from two devices for up to five hours a time. (It's also apparently got an integrated coil for induction loop audio.) Just don't expect it to come cheap -- it's a medical product, you know.

Dell trots out eight new LED-backlit LCD monitors, promises 21.5-inch multitouch IPS model

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:30:00 +0000

We had a hunch that Dell's latest quartet of LCD monitors would be making the short trip from Asia to America in the not-too-distant future, and sure enough, Dell's delivering the four we saw in September (along with four more) to US consumers today. Kicking things off is a new trio in the Studio line, which is available in 22-inch (ST2220), 23-inch (ST2320) and 24-inch (ST2420) sizes. The whole lot boasts a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, five millisecond response time, a 16:9 aspect ratio, ST panels (read: not IPS) and touch controls on the bottom right panel. You'll also find VGA and DVI ports, with the ST2220L ($199.99) / ST2320L ($229.99) / ST2321L versions adding HDMI. Moving on, there's a new pair of budget-friendly 20-inchers, the IN2020 and IN2020M. These guys tout a 1600 x 900 screen resolution, five millisecond response time and a VGA socket; the latter steps it up with the addition of DVI. Hit the source link for further details, including a brief teaser on a forthcoming ("later this fall") 21.5-inch multitouch model with an IPS panel.

SteelSeries celebrating Cataclysm with new WoW MMO gaming mouse

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:26:00 +0000

SteelSeries has that very special distinction of building officially branded equipment for World of Warcraft, and now, two years after launching its original WoW mouse, the company is back with a "Cataclysm" mouse to celebrate the upcoming expansion to the world's biggest MMO. The mouse has the similar advantage of its predecessor of close software ties to WoW itself, with 14 programmable buttons that can handle 130+ preset commands, and the ability to store 10 character profiles in software and one in the mouse itself. Also, thankfully, the mouse is Mac friendly out of the gate this time, and the software also controls the LED lights running down the back and "four different pulsation levels" for an extra bit of flair. For those of you who care for the pro gaming pedigree of SteelSeries, you'll be interested to know that the original WoW mouse was actually mostly built by Ideazon before SteelSeries bought the company, so this is the first from the ground up to use SteelSeries technology and know-how. For everybody else: it has pretty lights! The mouse will retail for $100 in December, launching alongside World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

ADATA's S007 military spec USB flash drive is designed for the battlefield

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:24:00 +0000

It doesn't boast the eSATA / USB 3.0 capabilities of the N909, but ADATA's new S007 is easily the tougher of the two. Designed to be fully compliant with US MIL-SPEC standards, this new USB key is available in capacities up to 32GB and should provide careless handlers with "unrivaled digital data protection from both impacts and electric shocks." Both of 'em (it's available in green and red) are wrapped in a rubber coating, and transfer at USB 2.0 speeds (upwards of 30MB/sec on the read side and 8MB/sec on the write side), but sadly, there's no mention of a price or release date.

Viewsonic rolls out 24-inch V3D241wm-LED monitor with 3D glasses

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:22:00 +0000

We've yet to see the full wrath of Viewsonic's ambitious 3D plans, but the company has at least now rolled out one new device: the 24-inch V3D241wm-LED 3D monitor. That naturally comes complete with a pair of (active) 3D glasses, and Viewsonic insists that the monitor's 120Hz frame rate and 2ms response time make it ideal for both gaming and movies. You'll also get a pair of built-in two watt speakers, 300 nits of brightness, a supposed 20,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and the usual Eco mode to cut down on power consumption. Still no official word on a release over here, but you can now grab this one in the UK for £330, or about $527.

Stuart Hughes strikes again with world's most expensive, diamond covered iPhone 4

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:20:00 +0000

We've already established that if you're filthy rich, you probably don't want the same cell phone as common folk. No, if you're looking for something higher end, you'll probably end up talking to Stuart Hughes, who customizes electronics by plating them in gold and diamonds. We've already seen his work on a $20,000 iPhone 4, but his latest achievement is downright ridiculous. Called the "world's most expensive phone" (we'll see how long that lasts), Hughes made two identical models for an Australian client. Each handset includes over 500 diamonds and totals over 100 karats, and comes in its own special granite box. Its total cost is £5 million -- nearly 8 million dollars.

BlackBerry Style officially launches October 31st for $99

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:18:00 +0000

We've been catching glimpses of the BlackBerry Style for so long we're glad to see it finally hit the big time: reality. Yes, Sprint and RIM have just made the 9670 QWERTY flip phone official, so if you've been dying to grab one, well you're going to get your chance. This bad boy runs the all new BlackBerry OS6, boasts a 5 megapixel cam, and two high resolution displays (one external, one internal). Other than that. you'll find built-in GPS and WiFi, and a microsSDHC slot for up to 32GB of storage. You'll be able to preorder starting tomorrow with a ship date of October 31st, and it'll run you $99 on contract after a mail-in rebate.

Sony Ericsson brings 16 megapixel Cyber-shot S006 cellphone to KDDI

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:16:00 +0000

KDDI may have done its best to bury it amongst the few dozen other phones it announced today (including that eye-catching X-RAY clamshell), but we're not about to let the first phone using Sony's new 16.4 megapixel CMOS sensor slip by. That honor naturally goes to Sony Ericsson itself, which has stuffed the sensor into the otherwise ordinary looking Cyber-shot S006 cellphone. In addition to all those megapxiels, you'll also get ISO settings up to ISO 12800, and the rest of the camera's specs aren't too shabby either, including a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 3.3-inch screen (said to be VGA, though we're assuming it's actually HVGA or WVGA), and built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Unfortunately, all of that is paired with Sony's own proprietary non-smartphone OS and it's, of course, exclusive to KDDI in Japan for the time being (and only being released next spring).

JBL brings the twist to On Stage IV and On Stage Micro III iPod sound docks

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:53:00 +0000

The company has just unleashed a new pair of iPod / iPhone-compatible sound systems, the On Stage IV and On Stage Micro III. Strangely enough, they look fairly identical, but the latter just so happens to be the more portable of the two (shocker!). The new duo sports a unique twisted base, with the On Stage IV housing four Odyssey transducers and having the ability to operate on a six-pack of AA batteries; the smaller Micro III uses just two Odyssey transducers, but it can pump out the jams for 24 hours on just four AAA batteries. Each one ships with an IR remote, touch volume controls and a built-in stereo mini-jack input for connecting those other PMPs you've got sitting around. The On Stage IV is expected to ship soon for $179.95, while the little guy goes for $119.95.

Rugged Notebooks hatches Eagle series for 'demanding' work environments

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:50:00 +0000

The Eagle weighs in at a hefty five and a half pounds. Specwise, the 14.1-incher boasts a 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Dup CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, and HDMI out standard. Options include dual RAID 0/1 hard drives, 3G, GPS, touchscreen, a webcam, and Windows XP or Windows 7 operating systems. The Eagle Series is available now and prices start at $1,695

Facts about google

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:17:00 +0000

Samsung P2770FH dips down to 1ms response time, costs $400

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:50:00 +0000

Electronics manufacturers love to claim their product is entirely without precedent, but this 27-inch Samsung monitor has good reason to crow about its (relative) uniqueness. It's the second LCD to tout a blink-and-you'll-miss-it 1ms response time, halving the previous best in this category of 2ms. It's dubious whether you'll notice the difference in casual use, but that growing class of professional gamers will probably appreciate the extra, barely perceivable, responsiveness. Then again, those same pros might be slightly put off by the lack of stand adjustment and Samsung's Touch of Color enclosure -- neither seem to fit in with the performance-oriented panel within. The spec sheet is filled out with standard fare such as 1920 x 1080 resolution, 300 nits of brightness, HDMI input, and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Should that sound like your perfect recipe, you'll be able to pick up the Samsung P2770FH later this month for $400.

WD announces 3TB single-drive My Book Essential, two USB 3.0 Passport drives

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:41:00 +0000

The newest My Book Essential not only houses a 3TB drive, but also packs a USB 3.0 port on the rear and the same rounded black shell that you've come to know and love / hate. If that's far too much for you to swallow (or simply too large to haul around), the My Passport Essential and My Passport Essential SE lines are also being bumped to USB 3.0, with the former shipping in a 500GB version and the latter in 750GB / 1TB. Both of those guys are powered entirely over USB and ship in a variety of mind-bending hues, with pricing starting at $99.99 for the 500 gigger and running up to $249.99 for more space than you'll ever need.

Motorola's MT716 OPhone launched in China

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:37:00 +0000

This Motorola MT716 from China Mobile include an 8 megapixel camera (with dual-LED flash and 720p camcorder feature), an extra VGA front-facing camera, TD-SCDMA radio, WAPI connectivity (WiFi-compatible), and CMMB TV streaming; otherwise, you'll find the same weedy 600MHz TI OMAP3430 chip, 480 x 854 LCD, AGPS and Bluetooth 2.1 inside.

NVIDIA brings Fermi to the entry-level professionals with Quadro 600 and 2000 GPUs

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:35:00 +0000

NVIDIA's Fermi architecture has been around the block or two in the consumer universe, but it's touching the company's pro line today with the introduction of the entry-level Quadro 600 and mid-range Quadro 2000. Boasting 96 and 192 CUDA processor cores, respectively, these guys utilize the new Scalable Geometry Engine technology to "deliver dramatically higher performance across leading CAD and DCC applications such as SolidWorks and Autodesk 3ds Max." More interesting still, however, is the design of the Quadro 600 -- it touts a half-height form factor that can be crammed into just about anything. Oh, and both of these boards have 1GB of graphics memory and are compatible with 3D Vision Pro -- you know, in case you need a round of Avatar between research projects. The pair is available now in North America for $199 and $599 in order of mention.

Microsoft kicks out a pink mouse for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

noreply@blogger.com (Dawood) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 04:59:00 +0000

The Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000, which will retail from now until the end of September of next year for $40 and contribute a $4 donation per sale to the Komen for the Cure charitable fund. Hey, it's got BlueTrack if you need to feel manly while buying one