Archive for November, 2010

Hanvon wants to take E Ink to a new level by adding some color

Posted in ebooks by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

Thanks to E-ink we can enjoy a near ‘book-like’ experience on an electronic medium that also saves on battery life. E Ink technology is evolving like anything else and now Hanvon is getting ready to announce a product that will feature a color E Ink device. This device will be the first with this new type of display. Don’t get your hopes up for videos though. It’ll be more like a first gen color display that can run animations but no video.

The device will come with a large 9.638-inch touchscreen display and be available with Wi-Fi and 3G. It’s due to hit shelves sometime in March of next year and would be priced at around $440.

HTC to launch their own App Store

Posted in HTC by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

HTC knows how to make cool and popular phone designs. So naturally they want to have their very own App Store. The cloud-based site that they propose seems to be a HD Desire 2 exclusive one. It will be called htcsense.com and very soon you will see that name in adverts all over the place.

Future high-end phones will have support for this feature. We can never have too many apps after all. It will be interesting to see how it goes.

Google offers free In-flight Wi-Fi for the holidays

Posted in Wi-Fi by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

Delta Airlines has just announced free in-flight Internet access on all of its Wi-Fi equipped flights during the upcoming holiday season. This free Internet access will begin on November 20, 2010 and last all the way through January 2, 2011.

It is offered with Gogo Inflight, Google and the Google Chrome Web browser, although you don’t need to stick to Google products to go online. You just need to join the gogoinflight wireless network and hit the airborne.gogoinflight.com Web site while in the air.

Isabella Fable rugged tablet for kids

Posted in Tablet PC by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

Isabella has announced their rugged Fable tablet for kids. Now your little tykes can access e-books and share photos via VizitMe.com. The tablet can store created drawings in the cloud, and of course allows parents to limit content access so they don’t find bad things.

Isabella already has a deal with global education publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to provide picture books and interactive content. Some other features include a mobile broadband connection and a camera which can snap photos to be colored later using the drawing app.

Nokia E7 starts shipping December 10th

Posted in Nokia by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

It’s been a hard wait for future E7 owners. You could have bought yourself an N8 instead, but you have stayed the course. And now your wait is almost over. Nokia has announced that the 4-inch tilting QWERTY handset will start shipping out on the 10th of next month.

Great news. Just hang in there. It won’t be long now. Resist the urge to get the N8, or not, it’s up to you. The excitement is palpable, but just take a deep breath.

Harrods adds some bling to the Samsung Galaxy Tab

Posted in Samsung by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

If you think that the Samsung Galaxy Tab is expensive already, Harrods has a version that raises the price to new levels. They are offering a custom Samsung Galaxy Tab that comes with 5700 Swarovski “crystals” which are already included into the final price point.

These “crystals” are all glued on by hand, and carefully placed around a Galaxy Tab logo in “Jet Hematite”. This all translates to a £2,699 price. We reckon you’ll leave a trail of crystals behind you if you use this thing.

iPad 2 commercials already shot by Apple?

Posted in iPad by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

Word is that Apple has already started to shoot ads for a new iPad 2 in New York with British photographer David Sims. Take this with a grain of salt for now as there is no evidence, not even a leaked document or a blurry image.

However, you can bet an iPad 2 is coming at some point, but we will likely have to wait until at least next year. Until then we can all guess at just what the next iPad will offer.

Soundfreaq SFQ-01 Bluetooth audio system

Posted in Bluetooth by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

Elegant form meets superb function with the Soundfreaq SFQ-01 Bluetooth audio system. It is basically compatible with any cell phone or portable media player available that accepts Bluetooth commands. The system features Kevlar-reinforced balanced drivers measuring 2.75-inches each, an acoustically tuned dual-port chamber and a UQ3 spatial enhancement processor. They all work together for the best audio quality possible.

There is also an integrated FM radio tuner and a 3.5mm auxiliary input. Target is selling the Soundfreaq SFQ-01 for $199.

Rocketfish debuts 4-Port WirelessHD HDMI Kit

Posted in HDMI by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

Rocketfish, Best Buy’s in-house brand, has rolled out their own four-port WirelessHD kit for those who hate wires. The kit consists of a couple of pieces which will work together to send 1080p content from up to four HDMI sources to a single HDMI-equipped display (Not at the same time though).

It supports 3D video, CEC remote functionality and surround sound, along with an auto-sense ability to figure out which HDMI socket is active, changing over automatically. It retails for $299.99.

Omnio WOWKeys Keyboard uses your iPhone as a Trackpad

Posted in iPhone Accessories by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

The WOWKeys keyboard merges the multi-touch capabilities of the iPhone with the PC. You can even use the keyboard to type on your iPhone. It allows you to do things like hit the switch and use the iPhone, via a App Store app, as a multi-touch touchpad.

If you are addicted to your iPhone, you will love this switching back and forth from your PC to your iPhone. The iPhone is sync’d and charged while in the slot in the WOWKeys. It has 15 function keys specifically for interacting with the iPhone. App designers can also craft new applications that further integrate your phone with your PC.

Motorola Droid Pro gets official on Verizon

Posted in Motorola by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2010

No surprises here. The Droid Pro will hit Verizon tomorrow, with pre-sales at selected Verizon Wireless stores and the carrier’s online store. It will hit the real store shelves on November 18th. The price is $179.99 on a two-year contract, with a $100 mail-in rebate.

The Droid Pro is great for business types with it’s unusual portrait QWERTY keyboard as well as a dual-mode CDMA/GSM wireless chip. Other features include a 3.1-inch display, 1GHz of processing power, and a 5 megapixel autofocus camera.

BlackBerry Torch now in red and white at AT&T stores

Posted in BlackBerry by Conner Flynn on November 7th, 2010

Just a day before Windows Phone 7 hits its stores, AT&T is announcing a pair of new BlackBerry Torch SKUs. These are just basic repaints called Sunset Red and Pure White. The Pure White includes a white keyboard but fails to be pure as it still has a dark optical pad.

Pricing is $499 or $99 if you can commit to a two-year contract. Both colors look pretty respectable. And you can always go for the regular version if these don’t do it for you.

November 8th launch date for Dell Venue Pro, Nov 15 on Dell website

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on November 7th, 2010

Of course you want the Dell Venue Pro, with it’s slide out QWERTY keyboard and it’s 4.1 inch touchscreen. You are drooling over it. It’s okay, wipe that chin. We understand. Thing is, you’ll only be able to purchase it at one of only seven Microsoft retail stores on November 8th or at the Dell.com website on November 15th.

Unless you work for Dell and want to trade in your Blackberry. While the information about the release is just a leak, it is looking to be spot on. You won’t have a very long wait either way.

Kinect selling out across the country

Posted in Xbox 360 by Conner Flynn on November 7th, 2010

It looks like Microsoft’s Kinect is really paying off. Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and GameStop are all reporting that they are selling out of the Kinect hardware, though there are still some 360 bundles available apparently.

Many gamers aren’t drawn in by the family-friendly advertising, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the sales. It just went on sale a few days ago. It brings back memories of Wii shortages all over again. Things are looking great right now, however look at how quickly “Wii fever” dropped. Will the same thing happen here after initial shortages? Time will tell. But for now, Microsoft is loving it.

World Series Champions San Francisco Giants iPhone 4 case

Posted in iPhone Accessories by Conner Flynn on November 7th, 2010

If you are still bragging about the Giants winning the world Series, then you’ll be happy to know that Hard Candy has a new case for your iPhone 4. Hard Candy is celebrating the World Series victory for the Giants with a Coveroo laser etching that features the San Francisco Giants team logo on their iPhone 4 shells and sliders.

For the losers? They have Texas Rangers customized cases for you too. Though you are probably still sore over the loss. These cases are now available for $39.95.