IT News & Technology Updates

Use Photo Gallery in MS Vista

2011-09-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista manage your media files even easier.Windows Photo Gallery is an improved way of looking at images and includes better organizational features. You can use the properties tools to add tags for additional references.

There are steps to open Windows Photo Gallery.

Go to Start.
Click all Programs.
Click Windows Photo Gallery.

iPhone 4S launch in October

2011-09-27T04:36:00.000-07:00

iPhone will be launching in October and will be available in markets around the world in October, It contains a several new features like 8MP Camera, a Dual core 1GHz inside and a second antena on the top.

Nokia E73

2011-09-27T04:26:00.000-07:00

Nokia E73 contains a lot of features:-

Nokia E73 consists of QWERTY keyboard.

It consisits of Optical trackpad.
It consists of 250MB Internal memory.
It consists of WiFi and Bluetooth.
Also facility of USB.
Other features are Stereo FM Radio, Games, GPS, Java and a lot of other features.

How to charge Mobile Phone without Charger

2011-09-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

I want to tell you that how can you charge your Moblile Phone without Charge.You can charge your mobile phone without a charger. You just need a green leaf of peepal tree and after some time your mobile phone does get charged. If your mobile has been discharged and you are in a forest and have no charger on you, do not worry. You Should take two peepal leaves and you will be able to charge your cell phone naturally.
It is very good concept and easy to charge your mobile. You just have to open your mobile battery and connect it with peepal leaf. After that without shaking mobile set, you should set the battery in your mobile set. After some time your mobile would be charged. Residents of Chitrakoot conducted an experiment on this and became successful at their venture. Now many people in jungle or forests charge their cell phone through peepal leaves.

There are steps to charge a mobile phone without charger.
1- Open the mobile cover
2- Remove the battery
3- Take two to three fresh leaves of peepal/pipal/ ashwattha tree
4- Make contact of he stub of these leaves on your mobile battery terminal for a minute
5- Clean the mobile battery terminal with soft cloth
6- Place the battery again in your mobile and switch it on
7- Now you can see the result.- If required repeat the process with fresh

Inpage Professional 2011 version 3.03

2011-09-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

There are al lot of changes in new version of Inpage. The Inpage Professional 2011 contains alot of enhancement.

The Inpage Professional 2011 contains a number of new Fonts.

There is also new feature available in Inpage Professional 2011 that you can easity convert Inpage to PDF Document.

Another feature available that is Unicode to Inpage.

There is a lot of Graphic Enhancement in Inpage Professional 2011 and also contains a lot of features.

Themes in Microsoft Word 2010

2011-09-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of themes in Microsoft Word 2010. A theme in Microsoft Word 2010 consists of colours, fonts and effects. Unlike individual styles that you can apply to each element (tables, charts, etc), a theme affects all the content in your document.

Themes make it easy to create stylish and matching documents, because the themes available in Microsoft Word 2010 are the same as those available in other Office 2010 programs. You can apply a theme with one click and the theme affects the style of the whole document, providing a consistent look and feel across all its elements. This means that the document’s tables and charts will look good together.

The themes gallery can be found on the Page Layout tab in the Themes group and Live Previews are available. If you click on the themes button you will see a gallery of thumbnail images representing the themes available for use. If you then hover your cursor over any theme, you will see a Live Preview applied to the whole document. Colours, fonts and effects will change to those used in the theme.

Themes have names such as Office, Apex, Aspect, Civic etc. If the built in themes that are provided with Word 2010 are not enough for you, you can always download more from Microsoft Office Online.

When you apply a theme to a Word 2010 document tables, charts, SmartArt graphics, shapes, and other objects are updated to complement one another. An object can be a table, chart, graphic, equation, or other form of information. Objects created in one application, for example spreadsheets, and linked or embedded in another application are OLE objects.

Some Windows Xp Tricks and Tips

2011-09-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Shutdown XP Faster
Like previous versions of windows, it takes long time to restart or shutdown windows XP when the "Exit Windows" sound is enabled. To solve this problem you must disable thisuseless sound.

Click Start button.

Go to settings > Control Panel > Sound, Speech and Audio devices > Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds. Then under program events and windows menu click on "Exit Windows" sub-menu and highlight it. Now from sounds you can select, choose "none" and then click Apply and OK. Now you should see some improvements when shutting down your system.

How to Turn On Automatic Updates

Click Start , click Control Panel , and then double-click System. Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click one of the following options:
Download the updates automatically and notify me when they are ready to be
installed. (This is the default setting.)Notify me before downloading any updates and notify me again before installing them on my computer.

Disable Error Reporting

Open Control Panel.

Click on Performance and Maintenance.

Click on System.

Then click on the Advanced tab.

Click on the error-reporting button on the bottom of the windows.

Select Disable error reporting.
Click OK. Click OK.

Change the Start Menu Style

Does the new Windows XP Start menu take up too much space on your desktop? You can easily change the look back to the Windows Classic Start menu by following these steps:

Right-click the Start button, and then click Properties.

Click Classic Start menu.

Click the Customize button to select items to display on the Start menu.

By default, selecting the Classic Start menu also adds the My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer icons to your desktop.

Super Utilities Pro 9.9.60

2011-09-25T03:48:00.000-07:00

After some time your computer gets overwhelmed with installed applications, internet browsing data and other files that are stored by system. Because of this you will notice dramatic decrease when it comes to you computer performance. It is very important to fix all this troubles and errors because they will slow down your computer and be a major threat to your system stability.

Super Utilities Pro will help you to keep your computer at highest maintenance level and to always get the best performance.
Super Utilities Pro offers every user set of 26 tools that are divided into four categories: System cleaner, system maintenance, privacy protector and special utilities.
Features of Super Utilities Pro:

- Disk cleaner will clean all files that are left over after uninstallation of an program, restart or crashes.

- Registry Cleaner will improve your PC performance by cleaning registry’s.

- StartUp Manager can disable, remove, add or enable any process that start’s with Windows or any other program after startup.

- Memory Turbo: No matter how much RAM you have, this smart memory management program will keep your computer running better and faster.

Android SDK Release 13

2011-09-25T03:46:00.000-07:00

Android is an operating system that is being used for mobile devices. This is the most popular OS when it comes to mobile phones, smartphones, tablet and other mobile devices. Because of it’s great popularity there are many developers that are interested in application development. Android SDK is used for this purpose and it is based on Java programing language. After you finish development you can test it using Dalvik that is virtual machine that runs on Linux.

Android SDK is essential tool if you wish to develop Android based applications. There is a vast amount of information about this topic that will certainly help you to learn more about Android SDK, Android OS and applications.

Features of Android SDK:

- Application framework enabling reuse and replacement of components

- Dalvik virtual machine optimized for mobile devices

- Integrated browser based on the open source WebKit engine

- Optimized graphics powered by a custom 2D graphics library; 3D graphics based on the OpenGL ES 1.0 specification (hardware acceleration optional)

- SQLite for structured data storage

- Media support for common audio, video, and still image formats (MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF)

- GSM Telephony (hardware dependent)

- Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G, and WiFi (hardware dependent)

- Camera, GPS, compass, and accelerometer (hardware dependent)

- Rich development environment including a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, and a plugin for the Eclipse IDE

Solid State Relay Board

2011-09-25T03:21:00.000-07:00

Just released, new Solid State Relay Board. This board is ideal for controlling lighting, valves etc, where high speed switching is required. This unit utilizes fast switching Triacs to control the load, with each channel suitable for switching up to 6A. Each output is easily controlled with a standard +5V TTL signal. This unit can be used with any of our control boards or with a computer control system.

The Solid State Relay Board features a high degree of isolation with the use of opto-isolators for isolation between control signals and output controls. Each channel includes an opto-isolator together with LED indication of channel state. Fuse protection is also provided to protect the triacs from overload. Heavy duty heatsinks are used, as well as high current pcb terminals for easy connection to external outputs.

Easily switch and control a wide range of mains devices with this inexpensive, fast switching Solid State Relay Board.

Part Code: SSRAC

Features

Opto-Isolated For Improved Satefy and Reliability
Heavy Duty, Fast Switching Triac Output, Suitable for up to 6A
LED Indication of each Output State
Fuse Protected Outputs
Heavy Duty PCB Power Terminal Connections
Standard +5V input for use with most microcontrollers and control systems
Ideal for use in Industrial and Commercial Systems
Board Dimensions: 155 x 125 mm

Electric sports car sees speedy development

2011-09-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

Creating a new car can take years of development, but Gordon Murray Design put together a running prototype electric sports car in just nine months. The Teewave AR.1 was commissioned by Toray Industries to show off its carbon fiber production.

Toray says that its process can make carbon fiber components in just 10 minutes. The Teewave AR.1 uses Toray carbon fiber for its chassis, crash structures, body, and interior. Other Toray materials make up interior surfaces and components of the car.

Those light carbon fiber elements make the overall weight of the Teewave AR.1 just 1,874 pounds. The lithium ion battery pack for the car makes up 530 pounds of that weight.

Gordon Murray Design did not specify the supplier of the electric power train, but its specifications are fairly standard for new electric cars hitting the market. Range is listed as 116 miles using the New European Driving Cycle test procedure, and charging time is 6 hours.

The Teewave AR.1 does not push the boundaries of electric car performance. Its electric motor, driving the rear wheels, only produces 63 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. That means acceleration of 11.4 seconds to 62 mph.

You won't be able to buy a Teewave AR.1 anytime soon. The car will be used by Toray to demonstrate its carbon fiber capabilities. But Toray says its carbon fiber components will scale from a car as small as the Teewave AR.1 to any other size of vehicle.

What this concept also demonstrates is how quickly a new car can, from sketches to a working prototype, can be built. Components such as the electric drive train and suspension are modular, while the carbon fiber can be formed from molds rather than the more time-consuming stamping process for steel, which involves more tooling.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10KEB-K DSLR

2011-09-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Lumix DMC-L10KEB-K can be purchased from the UK Panasonic eShop: shop.panasonic.co.uk, for £391.99.

Since I own a Lumix DMC FZ8, I can thoroughly recommend this range.

The DMC-L10 features:

10.1 Mega pixels
MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer
Free Angle 2.5 inch Diagonal LCD
Ergonomic Grip
2x, 4x Digital zoom
Advanced hybrid-type AF system
Dust reduction with a Supersonic Wave Filter system

It is equipped with a LEICA D VARIO-ELMAR 14-50mm / F3.8-5.6 / MEGA O.I.S. lens designed specifically for a digital SLR camera to be sold as a kit, the DMC-L10K.

The camera is especially designed for the consumer who is familiar with compact digital cameras and would like to experience digital SLR photography, but also for the ambitious photographer who wishes to take more impressive pictures.

BlackBerry Bold 9930

2011-09-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

It's been something of a long time coming, this emboldened Bold. We got our first glimpse of the thing in February, spent some quality time with it back in June, and since then have sat around eagerly awaiting its release. Now, here it is. From a distance, or at a quick glance, it looks little changed from 2008's Bold 9000. But get closer, pick it up, and the difference is astonishing.RIM has gone to great pains to talk up this device's high-end design, its luxurious stylings, its sophisticated aesthetic. We're far from Vertu territory here, but the first time this phone hits your palm you know a lot of people spent a lot of time making it feel just right -- even if it still looks just the same. Of course, it's what's inside that counts, so join us as we find out whether the soft and hard bits beneath the surface can do the business too.

HP TouchPad

2011-09-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

As things get older they tend to get bigger. It's the same for people, corporations, models of cars, budget deficits... and so it is for webOS. As Palm was in the process of being subsumed its great mobile operating system was being eyed for much broader things, far bigger than the little phones it had previously been flashed on. Things like printers and desktops and laptops, but for its first proper foray outside of a phone it has a tall task: compete in the brutally vicious tablet space.

Its weapon is the TouchPad, a 9.7-inch tablet from HP that got official back in February and will be available July 1st (if you don't manage to find it earlier) -- $499.99 for the 16GB model, $599.99 for 32GB. That's exactly on parity with the WiFi iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, current kings of the tablet court

Samsung opens 'most advanced' 20nm-class flash memory production line

2011-09-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

Samsung's "20nm-class" designations for flash memory production are frustratingly nonspecific, but smallest processes or not it's ready to crank out more chips than ever. Reuters reports the electronics giant just flipped the switch on its first new production line in five years, one that it's calling "the industry's largest and most advanced memory fabrication facility." It could take up to nine months to get fully up to speed, but the increased production and reduced costs should keep the competition coming Samsung's way for storage no matter what their current legal situation.

iOS-controlled iW500 RC

2011-09-23T07:30:00.001-07:00

Driving cars on the floor is so passe, which is exactly why you need iHelicoter's wall-scaling iW500. We've seen similar gravity-defying propositions in the past, but this is the first to be controlled by your iOS device. Belying its 90s toy looks, the car attaches itself to vertical surfaces with a sealed vacuum that even has enough suck to drive upside-down across your ceiling. As you'll see in the video after the break, controls are handled using the built-in accelerometer on your phone or tablet as well as the touchscreen interface on the dedicated app. It'll join a crowded starting grid of iPhone-friendly RC cars, helicopter sand monster trucks, priced at $59.99.

Satphones

2011-09-22T03:44:00.000-07:00

Looking for a satphone but not sure where you can get it from? You can now buy a satellite phone online! These futuristic devices help you stay connected no matter where in the world you are. In terms of connectivity, these phones are miles better than the ordinary devices.Some places on earth are just way out of the reach of the ordinary terrestrial networks. Even the best phones have a hard time connecting people in far off places. If you do not wish to compromise on connectivity then a Satellite Phone is what you need. With these devices, staying connected with the world is no longer a problem. You can be in the deepest ocean or at the top of the highest mountain and still be connected with the world.How exactly does a satellite phone do it?The answer to that question is simple enough and lies within the name of the phone per se. Rather than relying on the ordinary terrestrial cell sites, a satellite phone, as the name suggests, is connected with a satellite, which provides unassailable connectivity even in the most remote areas. With that kind of connectivity, it is no wonder why having a satellite phone is the best choice for reporters all around the globe. These satphones are widely used by journalists and professional reporters. But anybody can buy a satellite phone online or get one made for yourself on order.As you can tell that the facility offered by these phone sets are quite extra ordinary, so these phones are not for everyone in terms of prices as well. Apart from that, all satphones are custom-built for particular networks, and you cannot switch. As of today, there are over seventeen companies which provide satellite phone services. These services are not cheap, one minute call from your satellite phone may cost you up to $2, which is way too expensive as compared to the ordinary phones. But that price is not too high if staying connected is the thing that matters most to the user. An alternative of spending big on buying a satphone is to rent a satellite phone online and use it for as long as you need to, because for a majority of people, having a satphone is not a lifetime requirement.

Samsung ups its game with Galaxy Tab 7.7

2011-09-22T03:38:00.000-07:00

Before the year 2010, there was apparently no concept of tablet computer but Apple took everyone with surprise by unveiling its iPad. Within some time other manufacturers followed by launching their tablet PCs. The basic reason was that the people take iPad as the new mean of computing and started replacing their personal computers with iPad. Samsung was the first one after Apple to bring their tablet PC in the market in form of Galaxy Tab. However, Samsung’s 7 inch Tablet was not a true competitor of Apple’s iPad because of some reasons. First, it had 7 inch screen which make it smaller for Tablets. Secondly, the main reason was that its Operating System was not enough to compete Apple’s OS. At that time Honeycomb was in the completion process, so the Glaxay Tab used Froyo which is not as advanced as its competitors.

Now we are in almost the end of 2011 and we can easily see the shelves being filled by Tablets other than of Apple’s iPads. Main reason behind this is the Android’s Honeycomb, which can be called the real competitor of iPad. Among the new additions, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab line is in front of others, which includes 8.9, 10.1 and the most recent 7.7. Galaxy Tab 7.7 is now available in the markets.

Samsung has amazed the whole world by the launch of this Tab as it has whole new look with a lot of improved features. All previous models of Samsung were of plastic but this Galaxy Tab 7.7 is first time made up of pure stylish metal back cover. As its name suggests, it has 7.7-inch display with a super AMOLED plus panel. It has dual-core 1.4 GHz processor and runs on Android OS 3.2 (Honeycomb). It has 16 to 64 GB of internal storage and promising theoretical download speed of 21 Mbps. In nutshell, it can be stated that it is the Tablet we all were yearning for. Now Apple has to do a lot better in order to compete Samsung.

China's BYD to raise up to $939 mn in bond sale

2011-09-22T03:19:00.000-07:00

Chinese car maker BYD, which is backed by US investment titan Warren Buffett, said Friday it plans to sell up to six billion yuan ($938.8 million) in bonds to repay loans and boost its coffers.

The announcement comes after BYD reported this week that first-half net profit slumped 89 percent on year to 275.4 million yuan due to stiff competition and the cancellation of government subsidies for car purchases.

It said the bonds will have a maximum maturity of 10 years and the issuance is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, according to a statement filed to the stock exchange in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

The proceeds "will provide the company with a source of medium and long-term" funding and will be used to "repay bank loans and supplement the company's working capital," it said.

The firm, also listed in Hong Kong, began as a manufacturer of rechargeable lithium-ion and nickel batteries, and drew international attention when Buffett bought a 9.89 percent stake in it for $230 million in 2008.

The firm has since powered ahead in the development of clean-energy vehicles but an industry-wide slowdown in auto sales has hit it hard.

BYD said its first-half car sales dropped by 23.4 percent from a year earlier to 220,131 units.

It expects net profit for the first nine months to range from 121.6 million yuan to 364.9 million yuan, a slump of 85 to 95 percent from the 2.4 billion yuan recorded in the same period last year.

China's auto sector overtook the United States in 2009 to become the world's largest and last year sales rose more than 32 percent to a record 18.06 million units.

But the sector has since lost steam after Beijing phased out sales incentives such as tax breaks for small-engine vehicles, originally introduced to ward off the impact of the global financial crisis.

Shenzhen-listed shares in BYD rose one percent to 26.22 yuan while its Hong Kong shares were up 3.9 percent at HK$16.00 ($2.10) in weaker markets.

Latest Technology WiFi

2011-09-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

There are ample of reasons to stay on the move these days. It used to be to facilitate the individual inhabit who were concerned on the order of the atypical types of tools free absent at hand were persons who were on the road all of the instance. And while ample of wandering businesspeople still live to facilitate kind of lifestyle, it's more mutual these days to think about it inhabit who expend a allocation of instance on the move but who aren't the normal kind of wandering businessperson. From bands to facilitate are difficult to bake it opus by obtainable on tour to students who are route on long hauls in lieu of protests or exciting cultural trial, at hand are ample of reasons in lieu of inhabit to whack the road and still need a speck of tools to stay connected.

Hip reality, the entire state of affairs with weather and the inevitable particularly instance spent in airports is individual of the central reasons to facilitate inhabit understand on board with WiMax. Because airports offer up Wi-Fi, occasionally travelers think to facilitate agency to facilitate they will in reality be able to stay connected, even after inhabit are all crammed into the same small cosmos, relying on the exact same routers to keep them in drop. And in situations like to facilitate, it's trouble-free to very quickly realize to facilitate it makes a allocation more sensation to observe a superior method in lieu of between. Instead of gunfire absent a ton of money to duck into individual of the internet booths in lieu of a network cafe, very soon honest a laptop that's been upgraded and benefit from a resolute, solid connection while all and sundry besides stresses absent on the order of how they bear to keep reloading everything.With persons who are payments a allocation of instance on the road, it makes sensation to pick WiMax more than Wi-Fi. For individual, there's the count of in reality being nomadic. For a person who has been difficult to bake things opus communications-wise with a smartphone, it's very soon not probable to understand the same levels of assignments done from a handheld device as it is to understand things accomplished from an authentic CPU.

Nokia 700 Belle smartphone

2011-09-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

Virgin Media will release the Nokia 700 phone in the UK. Based on the Nokia UK Facebook account, you can buy a Nokia 700 smartphone from Virgin Media in October, and it will be donate £1 to Jeans for Genes in your name.Running on Symbian Belle OS, the Nokia 700 is boasts a 1GHz single-core processor, and a microSD card slot (up to 32GB).

Nokia 700 is packs a 3.2-inch ClearBlack touchscreen AMOLED display with 640 x 360 resolutions, a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, built-in NFC technology, and integrated GPS.In additional, the Nokia 700 smartphone is provides Bluetooth 3.0, HSDPA and WiFi connectivity. Dimensions of Nokia 700 are 110 x 50.7 x 9.7mm that claimed the most compact touch monoblock smartphone in the world.

HTC Sensation XE smartphone with Beats Audio

2011-09-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

HTC, the Taiwanese company, has just introduced its new Android multimedia superphone, the HTC Sensation XE. The new gadget is brings the Beats Audio technology, which has hardware and software-based Beats Audio processing, and comes with a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre in-ear headphones. It is obviously an upgraded the previous HTC Sensation smartphone.The heart of HTC Sensation XE smartphone is a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 dual-core processor paired with Adreno 220 GPU, 768MB of RAM, and 4GB flash storage that expandable through MicroSD card (8GB / 16GB card pre-installed) as well as and a 1,730mAh battery. The Beats-branded Sensation XE smartphone is runs Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 with the Sense 3.0 UI.

Sensation XE is packs a 4.3-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of qHD (540 x 960 pixels) resolution, a front-facing 0.3 megapixel camera, a rear 8MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and 1080p video recording, GPS, gyroscope, digital compass, proximity and light sensors, and 3.5mm headphone jack.

New HTC Sensation XE Android smartphone has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, and a USB port. Dimensions of Sensation XE are 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm and weigh about 150 g.

It works in GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz and HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz networks. The HTC Sensation XE smartphone will be released in the US or Canada later this month.

Test Drive Review: 2012 BMW 1 Series at Netherlands Official Launch

2011-09-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

September 6th 2011 marked the official launch of the 2012 BMW 1 Series in the Netherlands and BMWBLOG was on the scene to bring you fresh pictures and first driving impressions. We got the opportunity to test drive 2 of the 5 models that were on hand: specifically, the 118d and 116i.

BMW Netherlands setup what they called the BMW Pavilion next to the Institute for Sound and Vision in Hilversum, the Netherlands. For 2 weeks customers and fans of the brand could preview the new 1 Series. From this event alone, over 5,000 people have already indicated interest in the new model.

During its official unveiling in Berlin just a short while ago, the 2012 1 Series was received with mixed feelings, with most objections being directed towards the exterior styling. I have to admit, I was also a bit hesitant at first. The frontal area was a bit of a concern for me, however, upon arriving at the BMW Pavilion, that all changed.

LG Shurkien 18 Ivy Bridge Ultrabook demoed at IDF 2011

2011-09-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

Intel’s Ivy Bridge chips may have been delayed slightly, but that’s not preventing manufacturers from showing off next-gen hardware running the successor to Sandy Bridge. At IDF 2011, LG has one of its prototypes on display, the gloss-black Shuriken 18 Ultrabook.

Not much has been revealed about the Shurkien 18′s internals, but they’d likely change between now and launch date anyway. It’ll sport a processor from the Ivy Bridge range, at least 2GB of RAM, and both HDMI and mini DisplayPort hook-ups will provide video output. Unlike some of the Ultrabooks we’ve seen so far, this one sports a single physical button below the touchpad area — instead of opting for a buttonless clickpad. As for its display, the Shuriken 18 sports a 13.3″ panel (making me think that Shuriken 13 might be a more logical name for the Ultrabook).

The bezel is extremely thin, and makes the Shuriken 18 look a bit like Samsung’s Series 7 laptop — which packs a 14″ display into a 13″ bezel. It’s safe to say that future Ultrabooks won’t just be getting thinner and lighter, but they’ll also be shooting for nearly edge-to-edge displays. The trade-off, of course, is a very generous wrist rest and a touchpad that looks a wee bit undersized by comparison.

AT&T announces LTE launch for September 18

2011-09-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

AT&T’s CFO John Stephens chose an unusual place to announce that the company would be launching its LTE network this Sunday, Sept. 18. Stephens announced the news at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Entertainment & Communications conference (BAMLMEC?), which is a conference we’re hearing about for the first time. Where he dropped the bomb doesn’t actually matter. What really matters is that we now have a date for the launch of AT&T’s LTE network.

To start, AT&T will launch in only five markets with just 15 more going live by the end of the year to cover 70 million people. So who are the lucky AT&T customers to have first access to the carrier’s LTE network? Residents of Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas will get first dibs. Verizon’s LTE network is currently live in 143 markets and cover over 160 million people, so AT&T has a long way to go.

A little under a month ago, AT&T released two LTE devices, which we thought was a little odd seeing as there was no LTE network for the USBConnect Momentum 4G dongle and the Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G to run on . The devices still worked but used AT&T’s HSPA+ network, which is not quite 4G. Now the two products can run freely on the LTE network, and actually, that’s all that can work on the network. AT&T doesn’t actually have any LTE smartphones just yet.

AT&T has yet to release any official data on speeds, but AT&T did say its LTE 3G service would be “comparable to Verizon’s LTE 4G network.” Verizon’s network supposedly gets download speeds of 5-Mbps to 12-Mbps and 2-Mbps to 3-Mbps upload speeds.

In addition to the dongle and hotspot mentioned above, AT&T also released the LTE-capable HTC Jetstream tablet at the end of August. Starting at $699.99, the tablet is a little on the pricey side, but it comes with the option of a 3GB per month data plan for $35.

AT&T said it won’t offer any LTE smartphones until the end of 2011 at the earliest, which gives us more reason to believe that the iPhone 5 won’t be equipped for LTE. That being said, AT&T didn’t mention anything about LTE smartphone data pricing. However, it did say that it will charge $50 for 5 GB of data for its data-only LTE devices.