Archive for July, 2011

Sony Ericsson CK15a txt pro QWERTY slider hits the FCC

Posted in Sony Ericsson by Reuben Drake on July 6th, 2011

Sony Ericsson’s txt pro CK15a entry-level smartphone went through it’s paces at through the FCC today. The device has a sliding landscape QWERTY keypad and runs a proprietary Sony Ericsson OS. Like the name suggests, the txt pro is all about messaging, and features Gmail, Google Talk, Twitter, Facebook and txt apps.

Other features include a 3-inch screen with a 400 x 240 resolution, 64MB of RAM, up to 100MB of internal storage, microSD card support up to 32GB, a 3.2MP camera and up to 400 hours of standby time. Nothing on pricing or availability yet though.

iLuv ArtStation Pro Turns the iPad 2 into an iMac

Posted in iPad accessories by Reuben Drake on July 6th, 2011

Most docks look the same, but iLuv is offering something different with their new imm517 and imm514 ArtStation Pro speakers for the iPad 2. This speaker systems puts your iPad above the speakers and makes it look like an all-in-one PC.

The ArtStation Pro system will come in both white/silver, or black silver, and comes with a remote and optional matching bluetooth keyboard. A wireless keyboard even helps to turn your iPad 2 into a neat version of the iMac Mini.

Wii U coming after April 1st 2012

Posted in Wii U by Reuben Drake on July 5th, 2011

Reggie Fils-Aime, the president of Nintendo of America, says that the original Wii won’t be disappearing immediately. The two consoles will be sold together in stores for a short time. We already knew that games will be playable on the controller, but now we have learned that it is possible for the console to stream other media to the portable screen as well.

That’s good news for your Netflix account. Reggie says that the Wii U will arrive after April 1st 2012.

Picasa and Blogger to be renamed

Posted in Google by Reuben Drake on July 5th, 2011

Looks like Google is taking this social networking thing seriously. The company is reportedly trying to put all of its products under one brand. According to Mashable, Picasa and Blogger may become something like ‘Google Photos’ and ‘Google Blogs.’

Blogger will get a UI overhaul, but otherwise, both services should function exactly the same as they do now. The move may take place within the next six weeks and unify Google’s offerings. Youtube is safe however.

VEA Sportive mobile watch

Posted in Sports by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

When you go jogging, the less equipment that you take the better. VEA’s new Sportive mobile watch aims to lighten your load. It has some basic phone functionality, a camera, and an MP3 player. It’s also a clock, of course.

Some other features include a 1.5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, 8GB of storage, and an SOS button that sends out your location and other vital info. It’s available on July 14th for €399 ($578). Joggers should love this device.

Motorola Droid Bionic Coming August 4th?

Posted in Motorola by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

We knew that the Motorola Droid Bionic would go on sale some time this summer, even though we had no official date, and now according to Android Central it will launch on Verizon on the 4th of August, just a month away.

The Motorola Droid Bionic features a dual core 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, a 4.3 inch qHD display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, VGA camera for video chat and a rear facing 8 megapixel camera, as well as Bluetooth, WiFi and HDMI.

Playstation 4 May Feature Kinect Style Full-Body Motion Tracking

Posted in Sony by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

The Kinect for the Xbox 360 is a hit and opens possibilities up in gaming that weren’t there before. So it is only natural that Sony would want their own version. Sony’s next Playstation 4 console could have full-body motion tracking according to Digitimes.

Sony has already confirmed that a new Playstation 4 is in development. Launch of the new Sony Playstation 4 is expected in 2012 according to Taiwan-based component makers. We can’t wait to see what else the console has to offer.

Alternative Alarm Clock

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

Royal College of Art graduate Ki Hyun Kim must really like coffee. He designed the Alternative Alarm Clock, which allows you to wake up to the smell of coffee instead of beeping sounds that make you want to throw your clock.

The Alternative Alarm Clock is also a combination alarm/power strip, allowing you to plug in any electrical device you want like a lamp or a radio. When the alarm is activated, the electric outlet supplies power to the electrical devices.

7-inch ViewSonic 7x Honeycomb tablet to ship in Japan in August

Posted in Tablet PC by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

For awhile there it looked like the MediaPad would be the first 7″ Honeycomb tablet to be released later this year, but now Acer and ViewSonic both have their own tablets on the way: the Acer Iconia Tab A100 and the ViewSonic 7x. We now know that the 7x will arrive in mid-August, while the A100 is unknown.

Some specs include a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display with Gorilla Glass, Android 3.1, Nvidia Tegra 2 chip, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of flash storage, 2MP front / 5MP front (+flash) cameras, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 1600mAh battery, micro USB 2.0, microSD card slot, mini HDMI, and GPS / A-GPS.

AT&T offering iPhone insurance

Posted in iPhone by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

Soon AT&T will offer insurance for your iPhone. They will start covering the iPhone on July 17, the company’s existing mobile insurance policy will offer coverage against loss, theft, accidental physical or liquid damage, and mechanical and/or electrical failure after Apple’s warranty expires.

The plan already covers other phones and mobile devices. Insuring an iPhone will cost $4.99 a month for each mobile number and a $50 or $125 deductible will be applied for each claim, depending on the model of iPhone. AT&T will replace the phone within the next business day in most cases with either a new or remanufactured phone but is limiting the number of claims to two within 12 months.

HTC Marvel hits the FCC

Posted in HTC by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

The FCC’s database has yielded a mysterious HTC smartphone going by the PG76240 model name, with support for T-Mobile’s HSPA+ frequencies, which means that another HTC model might hit the carrier soon. There aren’t many details to go on, but it look like it will be the HTC Marvel.

The Marvel is just an HTC Wildfire S with support for T-Mobile’s network, and both devices share similar model numbers – PG76240 and PG76100. It’s just guesswork for now, but we should have confirmation soon.

Sprint Photon 4G announced

Posted in Sprint by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

When the Photon 4G was announced, Sprint said its first 4G Android device from Motorola would be coming “this summer.” Pretty unspecific. But now it looks like it’s been bumped up to “coming soon.” Still pretty unspecific, but better than nothing we guess.

Some specs of the Photon 4G from Motorola include a 4.3″ qHD display, a dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, a GSM-capable radio and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. We’ll let you know more when we know.

Google temporarily halts Realtime search

Posted in Google by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

You might have noticed that Google had no tweets in their Google search results yesterday. That is because the company has temporarily suspended the Realtime search feature, as part of its Google+ launch. Google explained that it needs time to integrate Google+ within its social network-based search tool.

And their deal with Twitter has expired. While Google will not have access to this special feed from Twitter, information on Twitter that’s publicly available to their crawlers will still be searchable and discoverable on Google.

Asus WX-Lamborghini wireless mouse

Posted in ASUS by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

If you own a Lamborghini, why not get the wireless WX-Lamborghini mouse to go along with it? It made it’s debut at the FCC last year, but is finally coming out of hiding and can be yours for about $55.

It comes in black and white and there’s also a limited edition yellow unit coming. Other features include 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity, a 2500 dpi laser sensor, four buttons, a scroll wheel resembling the rims of the sports car, and leather-like side grips.

2D Glasses

Posted in 3D by Conner Flynn on July 5th, 2011

3D is the latest gimmick to get you into theaters, but maybe you don’t want 3D. Maybe you are sick of it. Maybe it even makes you sick or gives you a headache. Not everything needs to be 3D. These 2d glasses can help.

3D movies show two overlapping images on the screen, with one image for the right eye and the other for the left eye. 3D glasses darken the eye that is not meant to see the image. 2D glasses takes the image for the right eye and shows both eyes. What you get is plain old 2D.