Gadgetell

HTC plans to sell 2 million Diamonds this year

Robert Nelson — 2008-05-17T18:04:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

Well, HTC has already sold two million Touch handsets and it seems they believe they can do just the same with the newly announced Touch Diamond. Except with the Diamond they expect to hit that two million mark within the year and with the handset being released first in June that gives them just about six months to achieve their goal. Sounds a little lofty, but DigiTimes is reporting that Taiwanese mobile carrier CHT has already ordered about 20,000 to 30,000 units, that number combined with the other large carriers across the world it almost seems doable.

Via [IntoMobile]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Gigabyte M700 UMPC to come with IPTV

Mark Pascua — 2008-05-17T15:48:00-05:00

Section: Video, Portable Video, Computers, Mobile Computers

The Gigabyte M700, was announced back in March, but at the time not much else was known. The only features we were aware of at the time was its 1.2 GHz VIA processor, 7-inch touchscreen display (1024x600 resolution), 1GB RAM (2GB maximum), 40/60GB hard drive, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, front and rear web cams, and dual ExpressCard slots with Wi-Max support.

Fast forward to today and we now know that Gigabyte is pushing the M700 as a mobile entertainment center. The 1.43-pound device will be sporting a digital TV tuner with IPTV support in its base station, allowing it to stream TV content over a network similar to a Slingbox. The premise is to simply connect your TV source to the base station and watch streaming live TV on the tablet. The docking station will have various audio/video inputs, a SD card slot, IR port, and an optional optical drive. Gigabyte has chosen Windows Vista Home Premium as the OS and has equipped the M700 with a three hour battery life. The device is expected to go on sale Q3 2008, for a yet to be determined price tag. In the mean time, check out the video preview below.

Via [UMPCPortal]

Full Story » | Written by Mark Pascua for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

BlackBerry Thunder coming in September?

Robert Nelson — 2008-05-17T14:32:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

Just yesterday we learned that we could expect the BlackBerry Bold to be available with AT&T in July and Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile following in September, now it looks like RIM will not be satisfied with just one hot new handset hitting the market.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the upcoming and still un-pictured full touchscreen BlackBerry Thunder will be hitting the market in Q3 2008, which would mean that it would be September at the latest. Assuming this time frame is accurate it would seem as if RIM really wanted to make a big statement and lasting impression on the mobile community. Now if we could just get some more details and a real image of the Thunder, because while the Photoshop mock-up from BGR is nice, its just that, a mockup.

Read [Wall Street Journal] Via [Gizmodo]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Sprint posts Q1 loss of over $500 million

Sue Walsh — 2008-05-17T13:24:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile

Sprint posted a 1st quarter loss of over $500 million, prompting the company to announce they may seek changes to its credit agreements. The company expects to have enough cash to cover it’s operations and debt repayments through the end of 2009 but may ask its creditors for waivers or amendments.

“This is a nightmare game of whack-a-mole where new problems keep popping up faster than you can address,” said Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett. “The fact they’re now talking openly about their available liquidity makes it clear this is not a short-term turn around.”

Sprint reports a net debt of nearly $20 billion, much of it coming from its 2005 merger with Nextel, which many consider a failure. Standard & Poor dropped Sprint’s credit status to junk earlier this month. Rumored to be an acquisition target of Deutsche Telekom AG, the third ranked cellular provider promised to update shareholders in August. As a long time Sprint customer who has been very happy with the service, I can only hope for the best and wonder where Sprint would be today if they hadn’t made the mistake of merging with Nextel.

Read [Reuters]

Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

MyDVR? WD adds Dish DVR Storage Support to External Drive

Indraneel Purohit — 2008-05-17T12:11:00-05:00

Section: Video, Accessories, HDTV, Peripherals, Storage

Western Digital has just unleashed their My DVR Expander external hard drive. This WD drive is certified to work as an external storage device for Dish Network DVRs.

The hard drive line sports 500GB of storage, which in TV terms, is 300 hours of standard definition content and 60 hours of high definition content. The drive will definitely work with the Dish set top boxes. However, on top of the device’s $149.99 price, you will have to pay a fee to activate the USB port on your set top box.

Western Digital is hoping to expand the compatibility of such external drivers to other TV providers.

Via [CrunchGear]

Full Story » | Written by Indraneel Purohit for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Mozilla releases Firefox 3 Release Candidate 1

Robert Nelson — 2008-05-17T11:09:00-05:00

Section: Web, Web Browsers

As expected Mozilla has rolled out the first non-beta release of Firefox 3. For those who are currently running a beta version or just feeling adventurous Release Candidate 1 is now available for download. A final release is still expected to come in June, of course the beta version has been pretty stable for us, we could only imagine the same from Release Candidate 1.

According to the developer page, RC1 includes some updates to the look and feel, improved security and web compatibility as well as added some new features which include location bar auto-complete, bookmark backup and restore, full page zoom and more.

Those running a beta version of Firefox 3 can get the update by going to Help, then Check for Updates, or simply by visiting the download link below.

Download [Mozilla] Read [Mozilla Developer]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

BlackBerry Bold; Leaked pricing, availability

Robert Nelson — 2008-05-17T02:26:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

While we have already seen the BlackBerry Bold announced as a soon-to-be AT&T and Rogers handset, up till now we just knew that the Bold would be available “beginning this summer.” It seems the answer to the release date as well as some other interesting tidbits have just been leaked.

While the Rogers release date is still unclear, we can tell you that AT&T will make it available in July for $300. However, in a little more interesting news it seems that the Bold is also headed for T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint just a few months later. They are all set to offer up the Bold beginning in September. Verizon and Sprint customers will have to shell out the same $300 as AT&T customers, however T-Mobile seems to be a slight bit higher coming in at $350.

Of course, these have not been confirmed by any of the carriers, so these dates and prices are still subject to change. Lets at least hope that the T-Mobile price drops just a little, otherwise that seems quite unfair.

Read [InfoSync] Via [EngadgetMobile]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Ubanana intro’s the uCan; world’s smallest waterproof MP3 player

Arnold Zafra — 2008-05-17T01:12:00-05:00

Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle

Finally here’s something that actually does what it advertises. Ubanana’s uCan - a waterproof MP3 player that you can actually wear in up to 10 feet deep water. But the best thing about this uber-cool looking gadget is the fact that all the essential parts that you normally get from a normal MP3 player are actually integrated within the gadget itself. Yes folks, that means no dangling wires that connect the earphones to the body of the MP3 player, its all integrated into the player itself.

The uCan has 1GB of memory which can store around 250 MP3 or 500 WMA files and gives out up to 15 hours of battery life. But we wouldn’t advise you to go diving into the open sea and stay under water for 15 hours just to enjoy using the uCan MP3 player, your supply of oxygen might not last that long. You can snag the uCan for $150 once it hits the stores sometime in July 2008.

Product [Ubanana] Via [Switched]

Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Asus Eee PC 901 gets priced, official availability date

Robert Nelson — 2008-05-17T00:05:00-05:00

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops

It looks like June is going to be another big month for the ultra-mobile PC market. In addition to the MSI Wind dropping on June 3, we will also be getting the Eee PC 901.

The Eee PC 901 will retain most of the same styling and features as the 900, except the 901 will feature an Intel Atom processor, built-in Bluetooth and have some metal allow parts added to the keyboard and hinge. The touchpad will also receive a metallic border. It was also confirmed, as we noted from the last images that the 901 will loss the Asus logo in favor of an Eee logo.

DigiTimes is also reporting that the notebook will be “at a price below” $650. Which would mean its pretty safe to say that it will retail for $649.99.

Via [DigiTimes]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue notebooks now shipping in the US

Arnold Zafra — 2008-05-16T22:52:01-05:00

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops

Remember that awesome looking Acer Aspire Gemstone notebook we covered last March? Well, that baby finally arrived in Acer authorized resellers and retailers all over the US. If you already forgot about it, let us give you a little refresh, the Gemstone Blue boasts of 18.4 (Aspire 8920) and 16-inch (Aspire 6920) LCD displays with fully functional HD cinematic features. If you’re seriously considering getting The Aspire Gemstone Blue 8290 which retails for $1,299 or the 6920 which retails for $849, here’s a brief recap of their features.

Both notebooks boast of an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9500, Mobile Intel PM965 Express chipset, up to 320GB hard drive, integrated Blu-ray disc drive or 8x DVD Super Multi double-layer drive, 6-in-1 card reader, Express Card/54 slot, HDMI port with HDCP support, WLAN, Bluetooth and integrated webcam. For graphics, the 8920 gets a NVIDIA GeForce 9650M GS or NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS, while the 6920 gets a NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS.

Read [Business Wire]

Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Time for Gadgetells “Who’s on Crack” game

JG Mason — 2008-05-16T21:40:00-05:00

Section: News, Originals

Whoa. Hold it right there. Is everyone drinking fouled cool aid or just gone straight to the rock? What happened to our little cottage industry this week? Let’s play “Who’s on Crack” shall we:

Microsoft. Says they hope to earn a 40% marketshare in smartphone OS by 2012. They were at 13% in ‘07. Verdict? Crack.

Amazon. Analyst says the Kindle will sell like hotcakes, er iPods and be a $750 Million business by 2010. Um, the same Kindle I’ve been making fun of for a while now? Sorry. Crack.

CBS buys C|Net. Even forgetting the premium they paid for it, C|Net (contrary to what Om thinks) is a dead brand. Dead. Sure they have a big audience but who still goes there for real product info? I did back in the 90s. Not since. Dead. And yes, Crack.

Icahn to Yahoo: you’re fired. Kudos to Mr. Icahn for standing up what he believes in. Yangs personal battle with Microsoft seemed to figure into the play and did so at the expense of the talented folks at Yahoo. I give Jerry Yang the crack here. Icahn stays on the wagon. For now.

Apple rumor mill. Kicking into overdrive this week, you’ll see strung out bloggers right and left in the coming weeks ahead. Crazy Intel rumors, retracted or better yet: oh, that never happened...wha? Intel let the cat out of the bag, crackers.

Touch screen Blackberry. Ah Boy Genius, your photoshopping skills are fantabulous. If only the real deal looked half as good as your rendering. I am not sure who, but there is crack involved.

Note for the kids: Gadgetell does not endorse crack. As far as I know, we endorse nothing. Except maybe Unicorns. Doug, Adam, Robert: can I get a ruling on endorsing Unicorns?

Anything to add to this illustrious list?

Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Google celebrates invention of the first laser

David Gonzales — 2008-05-16T20:36:01-05:00

Section: Gadgets / Other, Miscellaneous, Web, Google

Contrary to popular belief, the first laser wasn’t really reverse-engineered from Megatron of the Transformers. It was actually created by a guy named Theodore Maiman by shining a high-power flash lamp on a ruby rod with silver-coated surfaces. And if he hadn’t made the first laser work on May 16, 1960 at the Hughes Research Laboratory in California, there wouldn’t be laser etched Nokia Prism phones, laser printers, or convenience in the laser-powered supermarket check-out counter. Just think how much we would have lost if not for that one great innovation. Today’s the day to be thankful for it, because it’s the laser’s 48th year anniversary. Here’s to many more years, and I hope they finish my laser death rays in time for the 50th anniversary!

Via [Google]

Full Story » | Written by David Gonzales for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Laptop traveling advice from a security legend

Renay San Miguel — 2008-05-16T19:23:01-05:00

Section: Computers, Laptops, Security, Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Transportation

The world of computer/network security and encryption owes a lot to Bruce Schneier. Not only was he a pioneer in designing some of the early algorithms for protecting data, he has also helped to shine a light on the arcane world of cryptography for a mainstream audience through his writings, media appearances and overall advocacy, which has included Congressional testimony.

So anyone who travels with a laptop would do well to heed the advice he offers in an op-ed piece in the Guardian. Schneier writes about a recent federal court ruling that allows customs agents to search all electronic devices, including laptops, when traveling to the U.S. Other countries like the UK are already doing this, so Schneier offers up some tips for locking off sections of your hard drive through extra encryption. (Encrypting the entire hard drive won’t work, he says, because you’re likely to be asked to type in your password during the search.) There are also reminders to delete, wipe out history trails and use other, easier approaches to protecting privacy.

Schneier acknowledges all this will take a lot more work than business travelers might be used to, but with more advanced devices and technologies for scanning data on hard drives on the way, he believes it will be worth it.

Read [Guardian]

Full Story » | Written by Renay San Miguel for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Six Apart brings mobile blogging to BlackBerry handsets

Arnold Zafra — 2008-05-16T18:19:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Websites

Typepad bloggers who use the BlackBerry Curve or the Pearl will have no more reason not to update their blogs a little more often, as Six Apart is bringing its native mobile blogging application to both BlackBerry handsets. This means that these bloggers can now upload photos, manage comments, as well as draft, edit and post to their Typepad blogs directly from their phone.

Whereas before, BlackBerry users were able to use post to their blogs using their phones’ mobile web browser or the email-to-blog feature, now with Typepad’s native application, they can just do the same task without opening their phones browser. The post-to-blog feature is now embedded as one of menus of the their BlackBerry Curve or Pearl.

With the addition of BlackBerry models into the list of mobile platforms that TypePad supports, including Symbian Series 60, Windows Mobile and Palm, what is now left for Six Apart is an iPhone supported application, which it promises to deliver soon.

The Six Apart mobile blogging application for BlackBerry Curve and Pearl is available for download at http://www.typepad.com/mobile.

Via [IntoMobile]

Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Google officially announces new features of Google Translate

David Gonzales — 2008-05-16T17:01:00-05:00

Section: Web, Websites, Google

One week ago, we reported about how Google added new features to its translation service, like new languages and language detection, but back then it still had not even been announced by Google yet. The day for that has come, though, and that day is today.

Google now officially announces the addition of 10 new languages to its translation service, including Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hindi, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian and Swedish. Also, as noted in our earlier post, there is a new feature called “Detect Language” that saves you from having to figure out the language of origin of the text or web page you’re translating. Certainly adds convenience to the service, much more than anything else.

Head on over to the official Google Blog for the details.

Read [Official Google Blog]

Full Story » | Written by David Gonzales for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

BlackBerry Bold to sync with iTunes soon via the Media Sync application

Arnold Zafra — 2008-05-16T15:54:00-05:00

Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile

For those who are caught between choosing an iPhone because of its musical features particularly its tie up with the iTunes music store and the BlackBerry Bold’s productivity features which are not supported by the iPhone, a new application might actually make them forget about the iPhone and get a BlackBerry Bold instead.

RIM is said to be developing a new application called the BlackBerry Media Sync that would allow synchronization of purchased music from iTunes to the BlackBerry Bold. This means that Bold users would have the luxury of listening to their iTunes purchased music via the BlackBerry’s excellent internal stereo speakers. You don’t usually get this kind of experience with the iPhone’s speakers.

Of course one must also take into consideration the upcoming 3G iPhone which just around the corner, when considering whether to get the BlackBerry Bold which is about to have the same iTunes synch features, or to wait up for the 3G iPhone or even contend with the current iPhone models for both their mobile application and mobile entertainment needs.

Read [CNET]

Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Sony Ericcson’s P5 Paris; specs, prototype images available

Robert Nelson — 2008-05-16T14:46:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Mobile

We have seen lots of leaked images for Sony Ericsson’s P5 Paris, ranging from some that were nothing more than a screenshot from a video and some that were true live pics, however this latest group is a nice and clear set of a prototype handset.

As for the specs, we can now confirm that the P5 will feature a 2.6-inch display, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 5-megapixel camera, a-GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a 960mAH battery and comes pre-installed with Google Maps as well as a newer UIQ version.

Keep reading to check out a few more images below…

Via [SlashPhone]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Samsung F400 music phone headed for France

Joe Roland — 2008-05-16T13:31:00-05:00

Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Communications, Cellphones, Mobile

We first laid our eyes on the F400 back at MWC this year amidst the F490 and Soul. Now, this music-oriented phone is all set to invade France later this month.

The Samsung F400 has all the makings of a good music phone including a very significant inclusion, a 3.5mm headphone jack. All the major manufacturers tend to ignore this vital feature on their “musicphones,” although there are a few exceptions. Along with the jack, the phone appears packed pretty good for the music lovers with Bang & Olufsen amplifier technology and DNSe 2.0 to enhance listening experience, which should be good either on a pair of headphones or its dual speakers.

The F400 is a dual-slider like the ever-loved N95 with similar placement of music keys. There is also Shazam, a feature similar to Sony Ericsson’s TrackID, which can provide more details about a particular song that has been recorded on its FM radio. Measuring in at just 16.9mm thick, the phone has a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash with a bundled 1GB microSD card, which can be bumped up to 8GB. The F400 also features full HSDPA network support with Bluetooth 2.0. Although the display is smallish at 2.2-inches, this shouldn’t deter a buyer looking for a music-centric device.

France is the lucky receiver of the F400 for now with plans for a release in other markets later this year. No information on pricing is revealed, but do not expect this to be come cheap.

Via [UnwiredView]

Full Story » | Written by Joe Roland for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

OLPC unveils Windows XP based XO laptop

Robert Nelson — 2008-05-16T12:24:00-05:00

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops

Microsoft and OLPC have issued the official word that the XO laptop will begin to become available with Windows XP, while we have heard the rumors, its now official. Currently the XO laptops running Windows XP are scheduled to begin their trial stage in June, however they are anticipated to be released as early as September.

Windows XP will not be replacing the original Sugar Linux, they will both be available, and there is even some talk of a model that is dual booting with both Sugar Linux and Windows XP.

Similar to the original release of the XO, these new XP-based models will be headed to developing nations and not the retail market. Keep reading to check out a nice vide demonstration…

Read [Microsoft] Via [Laptop Mag]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

New Fujitsu Handy Drive offers nearly half-terabyte of space

David Gonzales — 2008-05-16T11:12:00-05:00

Section: Computers, Hardware, Peripherals, Storage

Standing by their tag line, Fujitsu will truly “make your data portable” with its new Handy Drive 400, offering 400GB of space for any kind of digital contraption you can throw at it. The drive measures a convenient 3.23 x 5.57 x 0.87-inches and weighs 8.12-ounces. This 4200rpm hard drive will connect to your PC just fine over USB 2.0, although there’s no word whether this will support Firewire. Available now in Japan for 216€ or just a little over $330 USD. Yes, it’s pricey.

Via [Akihabara News]

Full Story » | Written by David Gonzales for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Palm Treo 800w shows its true face

Robert Nelson — 2008-05-16T10:01:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile

Just surfaced is what appears to be a live image of the upcoming Palm Treo 800w, which is nice because up to now we have had plenty of blurry and junky images of the Palm’s new Treo. Of course this image, while nice and clear is simply of the prototype and not an official model to be released, it still has the generic “carrier” name instead of an actual carrier.

What we have seen is that the Treo 800w will be CDMA and have a microUSB plug. The previous rumors also placed the handset with a 320 x 320 touchscreen, having EVDO Rev.0 support, Wi-Fi and is going to be running Windows Mobile 6.1. The rumored release date is currently looking at July 22, of course that is still subject to delay.

Via [Phone Mag]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

IBM cools solar farm

Elisabeth Young — 2008-05-16T04:20:00-05:00

Section: Gadgets / Other, Green

Heat has long been a major problem for semiconductors. Years of research produced technological leaps that have enabled computer chips to diminish in size, increase performance, and withstand the heat generated by packing circuits in impossibly cramped space. Now, IBM is applying years of experience in semiconductors to cooling solar cells.

IBM said that its liquid-metal cooling technique, adapted from high-powered computers’ chips, could relieve roughly 75% of the heat generated by a concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) system. Through the use of lenses and mirrors, CPV arrays magnify light onto solar cells to convert light to electricity. More light generates more electricity, and consequently – more heat.

As heat dissipation is vital for high-end processors, IBM has developed a cooling system where a thin layer of liquid metals circulates behind a chip to transfer the heat from the chip to a “cooling block.” This same technology will be used to build a prototype of the thermal interface layer on a CPV system. Initial tests have yielded promising results. IBM has no plans of manufacturing its own CPV devices but hopes to license its thermal interface layer to solar manufacturers.

Read [CNET]

Full Story » | Written by Elisabeth Young for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Verizon, AT&T seal network related contracts with the US Department Homeland Security

Arnold Zafra — 2008-05-16T03:14:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Web, Websites

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has sealed separate agreements with Verizon and AT&T for a combined contract price of $970.5 million.

Under the Department’s agreement with Verizon, Internet protocol (IP), security services and emergency communications services will be provided by Verizon to the Department of Homeland Security. This would greatly help the Department’s response time in a disaster situation. The deal would enable Verizon to assist the 22 agencies of the Department to combine their IP network.

This deal would add up to the previously won 10-year, $20 billion contract won by Verizon which would provide a full range of telecommunications and related network services to the whole organization of the U.S. government.

Meanwhile, the deal with AT&T calls for the company serving as the secondary network service provider in the Eastern and Western region of the U.S. Their deal will cost the Department of Homeland Security around $292 million.

Read [Reuters]

Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Samsung to quit laptop market?

Elisabeth Young — 2008-05-16T02:07:00-05:00

Section: Computers, Laptops

Apparently, it’s sink or swim time for Samsung’s laptop group. Sukyong Hong, Samsung’s senior manager of overseas sales and marketing said that the company would quit the laptop market within three years unless it can triple sales.

Hong says that the company needs to ship 11 million laptops in 2011 in order for its notebook division to meet its “minimum survival” volume. Samsung currently enjoys 1.7% of the global laptop market, but will need to more than triple that to 5.7% within three years. Fortunately, a move into the US market and an unnamed European country is expected to boost sales and bring substantial growth.

The shocking announcement came amidst the company’s major senior management overhaul. Samsung CEO Yun Jong-yong and Semiconductor business head Hwang Chang-gyu will be replaced. Last month, the company’s long-standing chairman, Lee Kun-hee, stepped down due to allegations of tax evasion.

Read [PCPro]

Full Story » | Written by Elisabeth Young for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Sony sees growth in TV, games despite quarter loss

Elisabeth Young — 2008-05-16T00:55:00-05:00

Section: News

Sony is predicting higher growth than their target for the rest of the year despite posting a surprising $45 million loss in January through March. The company’s performance was an improvement from a $1.08 billion loss from last year but still short of an average profit estimate of $260 million from five analysts. Sony’s shares at the New York Stock Exchange rose to $49.48, a 7.4% growth after the results were announced.

The electronics giant experienced strong sales of VAIO PCs, Cyber-shot digital cameras, and Handycam video cameras and sees its videogame and TV operations as their profit generators for the year. The company was also able to narrow PlayStation 3 losses by cutting production costs and expanding sales.

Sony Chief Executive Howard Stringer’s efforts to turnaround the company has been more aggressive over the past three years. The company has already streamlined its manpower requirements and even shed non-core assets. The company plans to disclose its new business strategy in June.

Read [Reuters]

Full Story » | Written by Elisabeth Young for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

MySpace wins $225 million judgement against spammer, good luck with collecting

Sue Walsh — 2008-05-15T23:44:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Email / IM, Computers, Security, Web, Web 2.0, Websites

According to a report on Information Week, infamous “Spam King” Sanford Wallace, and his phishing partner Walter Rines were slammed with a whopping $225 million judgment by a U.S. District Court on Monday.

“MySpace has zero tolerance for those who attempt to act illegally on our site,” said Hemanshu Nigam, chief security officer of MySpace, in an e-mailed statement. “The Federal District Court in Los Angeles awarded MySpace $223,777,500 under the federal CAN-SPAM Act and $1,500,000 under the California anti-phishing statute. User engagement is up 32 percent year over year while spam is significantly decreasing, proving efforts like this are working.”

In October of 2006 the pair began creating bogus MySpace accounts and hijacking over 300,000 others. They then used the compromised accounts to send tens of thousands of spam messages and bomb the comment section of thousands of MySpace pages with links to other spam sites. The popular social networking site sued in 2007. Wallace posted a response to the judgement on his website, claiming he had never been served and that “the check is in the mail.”

Since 1997 Wallace has been sued by many service providers including AOL, Earthlink, and CompuServe, and last year was fined $4 million by the FTC for deceptive advertising and distributing spyware.

Read [InformationWeek]

Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

AT&T announced plans to boost 3G speeds to 20Mbps by 2009

Robert Nelson — 2008-05-15T23:01:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Computers, Wireless

AT&T is currently working on a plan that will make their 3G wireless customers very happy. The recent announcement was a little but of a teaser, but one that should be worth the wait, as they are promising increased speed on their 3G network, offering up to 20Mbps by 2009.

Assuming the goal comes to light, this would mean the speeds would be about five times faster than what users are experiencing today. The plan would involve AT&T making the move to HSPA release 7 and according to statements from AT&T mobility chief Ralph de la Vega, this would require little hardware modifications and should make a smooth transition. Here’s hoping it all works out as planned, with potential 20Mbps speeds, mobile TV and over-the-air downloads may actually become enjoyable.

Via [Treo Central]

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EchoStar intro’s the SlingModem

Elisabeth Young — 2008-05-15T22:33:00-05:00

Section: Video, Accessories, Portable Video, Computers, Wireless, Web, Online Music/Video

EchoStar is set to launch its SlingModem – a product that combines a standard Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) cable modem and a Slingbox at a Cable Show trade event in New Orleans next week. The device incorporates the place-shifting capabilities of Sling’s popular Slingbox, which allows television content to be transmitted from a consumer’s TV set to any location with an Internet connection.

The SlingModem observes the DOCSIS 2.0 specification and can be used like a typical high-speed-data modem that connects to the Internet. Moreover, it also includes Sling Media’s proprietary video-encoding technology, which enhances traditional TV programming and makes it suitable for streaming to PCs and Internet-capable mobile devices – in one efficient housing.

EchoStar is said to be working on other products and services for cable operators and would probably launch them this year.

Via [Crave]

Full Story » | Written by Elisabeth Young for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Gates lifts a finger, demos new Touch Wall

Renay San Miguel — 2008-05-15T21:56:00-05:00

Section: Computers, Hardware, Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous

It’s his last time to host a Microsoft CEO Summit as company chairman before answering philanthropy’s call, so Bill Gates decided to use the opportunity for one more demonstration of Microsoft Research prowess. Gates allowed the high-profile executives attending the annual meeting of high-dollar minds to see Microsoft’s Touch Wall, which threatens the existence of whiteboards and Magic Markers in all those sterile conference rooms around the world.

So far it’s been a good year for touch-screen technology, big and small; besides the iPhone and all its competitors, there’s the touch technology on display during coverage of primary elections on CNN. Microsoft’s offering is basically its Surface computer mounted vertically and expanded out to a 50-inch screen. Gates showed off interactivity with documents, Tablet-style writing and easy access to applications like PowerPoint, and promised that the technology would not be all that expensive. Still, after the showing this week in Redmond for the business elite, you can expect corner offices in corporate headquarters across America to be the first places for the Touch Wall to show up.

Read [Seattle Times]

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Take phones, leave wallets, says survey

Elisabeth Young — 2008-05-15T21:20:00-05:00

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Mobile, Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle

Forget the cash, forget the credit cards, you can even forget the family pictures – mobile phones are now more important to people than their wallets. A recent survey found that more than 38% of workers would choose their mobile phones over other essentials – including their wallets, keys, laptops or digital music players if they had to leave the house for 24 hours and could take only one item.

The survey was sponsored by Nortel Networks Corp, market research firm IDC conducted the survey and found that more than 38% people chose their mobile phones first, while less than 30% picked their wallets as their essential of choice.

Nortel, who is North America’s biggest telephone gear maker was trying to determine how many workers can be defined as “hyperconnected,” or people who use at least seven devices for work and personal access, and at least nine applications like e-mail, chat or social networking sites. The answer was 16%, and that number, at least according to the survey, can be expected to rise up to 40% in the next five years.

Read [Reuters]

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Comcast to acquire Plaxo

Mark Pascua — 2008-05-15T20:16:00-05:00

Section: News, Communications, Computers, Networking, Web, Websites

Remember the rumor back in February that Google was buying Plaxo for $200 million? Well, for the most part, it turned out to be a trumor. However, instead of Google making the purchase, it turns out that Comcast is doing the buying. The cable company plans to utilize Plaxo to deliver upcoming social-networking features currently in the works for their TV, Internet, and phone service. Plaxo will be used to bridge all three Comcast services together, linking devices such as TVs, DVRs, and wireless devices. The terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but the two companies have already been working together in developing SmartZone, an online portal available to millions of Comcast broadband and phone customers that provides easy access to several communications tools (e.g., email and voicemail)—all in one place.

Plaxo was founded in 2001 with an original premise of keeping users’ address books updated by automatically sharing data among friends. With the emergence of social networking sites, the start up company now offers capabilities to keep in touch with family and friends by sharing photos, videos, and messages. According to the Plaxo blog:

“Joining forces with Comcast is a real win for our customers, our investors, and our employees. Comcast has an exciting vision to bring the social media experience to mainstream consumers. Together, we will be able to help users connect with all the people they care about, across all of the devices they use, with all the media they love to consume, create, and share. This is also great news for the Internet industry at large, where Plaxo has been - and will continue to be - a strong advocate for opening up the Social Web.

Plaxo will remain an independent operation in Silicon Valley, reporting into Comcast Interactive Media, which is a division of Comcast that develops and operates Internet businesses focused on entertainment, information and communication. All of our 50cmcsa1.png employees will continue to innovate on and grow both our networked address book service and our next-generation social network, Pulse.”

Read [Reuters UK] Via [Plaxo Blog]

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