The Apple iPhone, the most-anticipated gadget debut in years, went on sale Friday in the United States, with thousands of impatient buyers streaming into stores.
In the five months since Jobs announced Apple's move into the mobile phone business, the iPhone has become the most widely-anticipated product launch in recent memory.
The phones, which retail for USD 499 for 4 gigabytes of storage or USD 599 for 8 gigabytes of storage, meld a phone, Web browser and media player.
Apple, which was to begin selling the phone online late Friday, has said shoppers will be limited to two devices apiece. AT&T, the exclusive carrier, plans to sell one iPhone per customer and at company stores only.
Source :http://www.novinite.com
Saturday, June 30, 2007
iPhone Madness Hits US after Gadget Launch
Apple iPhone launch draws gadget geeks, hired help
Kristian Gundersen flew from Norway to New York to be among the first people to buy Apple's media-playing iPhone. He described the day as one of the best of his life.
"It's a dream come true. ... It's Christmas, birthday, New Year's all rolled into one," said the 23-year-old graphic designer who lined up for nearly 12 hours to buy the music and video playing phone.
"I'm a Mac addict," he said, referring to Apple Inc.'s trademark computers. "I got on a 10-hour line for the 'Lord of the Rings' (movie), but it is nothing compared to this. This is a historic event."
Gundersen was among several thousand people who lined up -- some for up to five days -- outside U.S. Apple stores and outlets of AT&T, the exclusive iPhone carrier for the next two years. Stores opened at 6 p.m. local time in each U.S. time zone.
The iPhone melds a phone, Web browser and media player and costs $500 or $600, depending on the amount of memory.
Technology gurus have praised the gadget as a "breakthrough", but questioned whether people would be put off by its use of a smooth touch-screen instead of a keyboard, and its relatively slow Internet connection.
Albert Livingstone's wife thought he was crazy for lining up overnight in Chicago outside the Apple store.
"It's the newest toy. I'm 62 -- I don't have much time left to buy toys," said Livingstone, who stood in line with his friend Mark Stevenson, 50. They rented a room across the street and took turns to sleep.
But not everyone could understand the excitement.
"It's just a phone!" a San Francisco construction worker, driving by the Apple store in his pick-up truck, yelled at the waiting crowd.
Despite a limit of two iPhones per person, Grant Johnson, 41, managed to get his hands on three when the doors opened at the Apple store on New York's Fifth Avenue. He had asked a girl in front of him to buy an extra one.
"I'm keeping one and selling the other two, I'm trying to get $1200 for them," said Johnson, who had queued up for 25 hours. "I haven't slept in a day and a half," he said. "I need a nice hot shower and a bath."
"WE STINK"
On a mild summer's day in Chicago, 50-year-old business consultant James Budd joined the line at dawn to buy an iPhone for himself and for his 95-year-old grandmother because he hoped it would be "simple enough" for her to use.
But other high-flying professionals who couldn't escape work paid others to do it for them.
A tongue-in-cheek Citigroup research note on Apple even gave tips on how "to obtain an iPhone ASAP on Friday," advising clients to "send whoever is the newest and most junior at your firm to stand in line."
Young entrepreneurs sought to make a quick buck.
In Walnut Creek, California, a group of college students arrived at the Apple store at dawn on Wednesday to nab the first 10 spots to sell on Web site www.iwait.org.
"We're exhausted, we're having trouble speaking -- and we stink," said 18-year-old organizer Josh May.
Terry Austin, a 23-year-old New Yorker, waited in line for 27 hours outside Apple in New York.
"I feel good, it was fun," he said when he walked out clutching his purchase. When asked if it was worth it, he answered: "We'll find out."
Source :http://in.today.reuters.com/
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Sony Ericsson's iPod nano nobbler?
Today's onslaught of slick Sony Ericsson phones continues, with this monster 8GB Walkman phone squaring up to Apple's top-end nano in the storage stakes.
A beast of a blower, the new W960 isn't holding back memory-wise, with enough space to crowbar in a serious portion of your digital music collection - you're looking at around 700 albums if you encode your tunes in the eAAC+ format. Plus, Sony Ericsson is ensuring it's a slick experience, by chucking in a big-boy 2.6-inch touchscreen, enabling you to use your finger or the stylus to flick through album art as well as perform more old fashioned searches.
3G equipped and Wi-Fi'd up to the eyeballs, the W960 is an online maestro, encouraging you to access music and media online. It's no slouch on the imaging and movie fronts either, boasting an impressive 3.2-megapixel shooter and able to playback video at a super smooth 30 frames per second.
Source : http://gadgetshow.five.tv
King of Cyber-shot callers
Sony Ericsson has unveiled its most striking and serious camera phone yet, in the form of the snaptastic K850 Cyber-shot mobile.
Set to shoot onto UK shelves in the Autumn, this smartly green-flecked Cyber-shot phone is packing a jumbo 5-megapixel digital camera. Like it's lesser-megapixelled sibling, the K810i, it's equipped with zippy auto-focus skills and a Xenon flash. Plus, it's packing all the old favourites functions-wise, including Sony Ericsson's slick BestPic talent, which cleverly starts taking shots before you hit the shutter (while you're auto-focussing, it's not magic), and takes a series of pics after you
hit the button, enabling you to select from a series of nine shots.
It promises to be fast on the draw too - tap the camera button and the lens cover automatically whips open, ready to shoot.
The K850 is HSDPA equipped, meaning faster online access verging on broadband speeds, so you can access your favourite photo sharing site in a blink. Uploading your pics straight to the web is simple too, and doesn't take too long via standard 3G upload speeds.
Stay tuned for the first review, coming soon.
Source :
Eyes wider open
Samsung has wheeled a whopping 70-inch high-def LCD into the frame, packing some enlightening telly talents.
This beast of a big-screen has just hit shops over in South Korea, making it one of the world's largest commercially available LCD goliaths. Word has it the 70-incher could be stomping its way onto UK shores, although no official announcement just yet. Here's hoping.
Sure, its super-size dimensions put it on the global map, but Samsung's titan telly promises to be equally as impressive in the picture quality stakes. Its guts are loaded with the latest image enhancement tech, including an LED backlight with a smart 'local dimming' feature that basically means it automatically turns off dark image areas to create an awesome amount of contrast to create a more realistic and dynamic picture. Stat fans, we're taking a contrast ratio of 500,000:1 - put that in context, the latest and greatest sets are pumping out around 20,000:1. Of course, it's not going to be (one sec, while we get the calculator), er, 25-times better by any means, as unfortunately it ain't that simple, but it should spit out a fantastically deep and vivid picture nonetheless. You just might need to get a flip-top house to fit it in your lounge.
Using an LED backlight also means its more energy efficient and eco friendly, so bravo to the big fella.
Source :http://gadgetshow.five.tv
Bluetooth b-boy headphones
Nokia has stepped into the circle with a jumbo pair of music-focussed wireless cans.
Not merely a dab-hand cooking up killer phones, Nokia has turned its talents to Hi-Fi headphones in the shape of these burly Bluetooth ear goggles. Designed for wireless music, the BH-604 headset encases your ears with padded cups for more immersive sonics, and lets you remotely control your mobile's built-in music player via its embedded media keys. Plus, just as with regular ear-clip headsets you can answer incoming calls with a single jab.
Design-wise they're not too shabby either, definitely borrowing some style cues from Nokia's chunky Xpress Music handsets, what with that robust over-the-head frame, simple lines and over-sized buttons.
We care because...
Bluetooth hi-fi headphones, that's slick for tunes or just answering calls.
We want one...
UK launch TBC
Source :
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Haptic Clock Tells You the Time via Vibrations
If you ditched your watch because you carry a phone around with a built-in clock, but are sick of pulling your phone out every time you want to check the time, you should check out this Haptic Clock. It's a small program for Java phones that tells you the time through a series of vibrations, allowing you to keep your phone in your pocket.
Simply reach in your pocket and hit the 5 key to get it to tell you the time. How does it tell it to you?
Source :
Sexy Lingerie Cellphone Strap
If there's one thing we never thought would be a cellphone strap, it would be lingerie. Well, never count out a horny Japanese businessman, we suppose.
For about $9, you can get your own bra or panties to attach to your cellphone. It's just a gimmick, and it's tiny, so it's probably the only lingerie your wife will permit you to have that doesn't belong to her. Unless, of course, you've been fucking a midget on the side
Transformers Plushies That Actually Transform
This is something we didn't expect. Unlike Optimus Prime, these Transformer gadgets and a crazy Hong Kong man, these transformers plushies don't cut you up when you rub your face on them. If the cartoons in the '80s taught us anything, it's that robot aliens from another galaxy enjoy being used to prop up a woman's ass during intercourse
USB Ass Cooler 2007 Edition
Thanko's usually known for their heating gadgets, but cooling's just heating in reverse. In the case of this USB ass cooler 2007 edition, Thanko's improved on the 2006 edition by making it black and, uh, we're not sure what else.
Still no clue whether they solved that fart potential blowing up into your face problem though
Wireless Gadget Charger Coming Next Month
Wireless technology sure is hot right now. As customers and companies realize how well WiFi and Bluetooth work, people start asking why we need pesky wires and cables at all. Well, until those MIT scientists figure that whole wireless electricity thing out, we've got to deal with interim solutions, like wireless gadget charging. At least this tech isn't years away; in fact, we don't even have to wait another month.
Arizona-based WildCharge says they'll begin selling their WildCharger on July 7, and if works as advertised, it'll be a must-have for most gadget lovers. Essentially, it's a small mat that plugs into an outlet and charges any WildCharge-enabled gadget that's placed on it, be it a phone, mp3 player or handheld gaming device. How do you make your devices WildCharge-enabled? Well, for now, you buy an adapter. But if this technology catches on, the hope is that companies will start selling gadgets with this capability built in. Imagine coming home at night and just dropping your phone and iPod on the table; when you rush out the door the next morning, just pick them up, and they're fully charged. You get the idea. It couldn't be much more convenient.
No details about price yet, and the website doesn't even have pictures of what the adapters look like, but stay tuned to Gearlog. When we know more, so will you.
Source :http://www.gearlog.com
ATI's Mid-tier Cards Bring HDMI and 1080p Support
ATI's new Radeon HD 2400 and HD 2600 cards are hitting the streets today, bringing DirectX 10 and 1080p support to your desktop. The cards, which are clocked from 525MHz to 800MHz, range in price from $99 to $199. They also pack ATI's Unified Video Decoder, which helps decode high-def 1080p video. The cards are out now and will soon be available on pre-configured systems. Price-wise, they're not a bad way to give your system's graphics a kick.
Source :
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Camera-phone pioneer considers gadget’s impact
The chilling sounds of gunfire on the Virginia Tech campus; the hateful taunts from Saddam Hussein’s execution; the racist tirade of comedian Michael Richards.
Those videos, all shot with cell-phone cameras and seen by millions, are just a few recent examples of the power now at the fingertips of the masses. Even the man widely credited with inventing the camera phone in 1997 is awed by the cultural revolution he helped launch.
“It’s had a massive impact because it’s just so convenient,” said Philippe Kahn, a tech industry maverick whose other pioneering efforts include the founding of software maker Borland, an early Microsoft Corp. antagonist.
“There’s always a way to capture memories and share it,” he said. “You go to a restaurant, and there’s a birthday and suddenly everyone is getting their camera phones out. It’s amazing.”
If Kahn feels a bit like a proud father when he sees people holding up their cell phones to snap pictures, there’s good reason: He jury-rigged the first camera phone while his wife was in labor with their daughter.
“We were going to have a baby, and I wanted to share the pictures with family and friends,” Kahn said, “and there was no easy way to do it.”
So as he sat in a maternity ward, he wrote a crude program on his laptop and sent an assistant to a RadioShack store to get a soldering iron, capacitors and other supplies to wire his digital camera to his cell phone. When Sophie was born, he sent her photo over a cellular connection to acquaintances around the globe.
A decade later, 41 percent of American households own a camera phone “and you can hardly find a phone without a camera anymore,” said Michael Cai, an industry analyst at Parks Associates.
Market researcher Gartner Inc. predicts that about 589 million cell phones will be sold with cameras in 2007, increasing to more than 1 billion worldwide by 2010.
Mix in the Internet’s vast reach and the growth of the YouTube generation, and the ubiquitous gadget’s influence only deepens and gets more complicated – so much so that the watchful eyes on all of us may no longer just be those of Big Brother.
For the past decade, we’ve been under surveillance under these big black-and-white cameras on buildings and at 7-Eleven stores. But the candid camera is wielded by individuals now,” said Fred Turner, an assistant professor of communications at Stanford University who specializes in digital media and culture.
The contraption Kahn assembled in a Santa Cruz labor-and-delivery room in 1997 has evolved into a pocket-friendly phenomenon that has empowered both citizen journalists and personal paparazzi.
It has prompted lawsuits – a student sued campus police at UCLA for alleged excessive force after officers were caught on cell-phone video using a stun gun during his arrest; and been a catalyst for change – a government inquiry into police practices ensued in Malaysia after a cell-phone video revealed a woman detainee being forced to do squats while naked.
On another scale, parents use cell-phone slideshows – not wallet photos – to show off pictures of their children, while adolescents document their rites of passage with cell-phone cameras and instantly share the images.
One of the recipients of Kahn’s seminal photo e-mail was veteran technology consultant Andy Seybold, who recalled being “blown away” by the picture.
“The fact that it got sent wirelessly on the networks those days – that was an amazing feat,” Seybold said.
Kahn’s makeshift photo-communications system formed the basis for a new company, LightSurf Technologies, which he later sold to VeriSign Inc. LightSurf built “PictureMail” software and worked with cell-phone makers to integrate the wireless photo technology.
Sharp Corp. was the first to sell a commercial cell phone with a camera in Japan in 2000. Camera phones didn’t debut in the U.S. until 2002, Kahn said.
Though Kahn’s work revolved around transmitting only digital still photographs – video-related developments were created by others in the imaging and chip industries – his groundbreaking implementation of the instant-sharing via a cell phone planted a seed.
“He facilitated people putting cameras in a phone, and he proved that you can take a photo and send it to someone with a cell phone,” Seybold said.
Kahn, 55, is well aware of how the camera phone has since been put to negative uses: sneaky shots up women’s skirts, or the violent trend of “happy slapping” in Europe where youths provoke a fight or assault, capture the incident on camera and then spread the images on the Web or between mobile phones.
But he likes to focus on the technology’s benefits. It’s been a handy tool that has led to vindication for victims or validation for vigilantes.
As Kahn heard the smattering of stories in recent years about assailants scared off by a camera phone or criminals who were nabbed later because their faces or their license plates were captured on the gadget, he said, “I started feeling it was better than carrying a gun.”
And though he found the camera-phone video of the former Iraqi dictator’s execution disturbing, Kahn said the gadget helped “get the truth out.” The unofficial footage surreptitiously taken by a guard was vastly different from the government-issued version and revealed a chaotic scene with angry exchanges depicting the ongoing problems between the nation’s factions.
Kahn also thinks the evolution of the camera phone has only just begun.
He wouldn’t discuss details of his newest startup, Fullpower Technologies Inc., which is in stealth mode working on the “convergence of life sciences and wireless,” according to its Web site.
But, Kahn said, it will, among other things, “help make camera phones better.”
Source :http://www.nashuatelegraph.com
The Wall Street Journal has confirmed that Amp'd Mobile filed for Chapter 11 late Friday night.
I'm not all that surprised, especially given the crazy amounts they've spent on advertising when compared to their relatively low 200,000 subscriber count. Was their mobile multimedia focus ahead of its time, or just not in line with consumer tastes?
Source :
Friday, June 1, 2007
Apple TV Getting AT&T IPTV? We're Skeptical
Engadget's got a tip from one of their sources that AT&T and Apple are working together to embed IPTV capabilities into the Apple TV by 2008. We're skeptical.
Apple TV? Not doing so hot. IPTV? Not doing so hot. Apple TV and IPTV together? What makes you think that this will be hot?
Source :
Xfan Xbox 360 Cooler Looks Crazier Than the Rest
Ever since the Xbox 360 Nyko Intercooler melted down consoles everywhere thanks to its siphoning off the Xbox 360's power, people have been wary of attaching any cooler at all. But as the failure rate shows, Microsoft's console could use a little help in the cooling department.
The Xfan from Titan Computer might be just the thing for you if you can get past the fact that it's convex—the 360 itself is famously concave—and the tacky looking green LEDs. Other than that, it's USB powered, which means it's a little safer to use, and will be released in the middle of June.
Sony Ericsson P1 Smartphone Gets FCC Approved
Those of you wanting a piece of the Sony Ericsson P1 smartphone will be happy to hear that it's one step closer to getting into your cheese-stained hands.
The FCC just approved the smartphone in a session—in our imaginations—that was filled with wigs, gavel banging and annoyed harrumphing.
Exclusive: More Details on Parallels Desktop 3.0
We had a chat with the Parallels guys earlier today, and got some new information that should be very interesting to people who are even the slightest bit interested in running Windows on your Mac.
We went over some of the stuff we covered yesterday, but there's lots of new stuff and even one major feature we didn't mention: Snapshots.
HUBO, the First Robot to "Ride" a Segway
Folks, we have moved one step closer to robot dominance. Before they couldn't get around very quickly or efficiently; just look at Asimo. But now we've made them mobile.
HUBO has become the first robot to successfully ride around on a Segway-like scooter. Which allows him (her?) to reach speeds over 10x his walking rate. For now HUBO is restricted to going where his scientist parents tell him by way of remote control, but they plan to allow HUBO to drive himself in the future.
Drive himself? Korea, do you know what you have unleashed? Next thing you know they'll be harvesting us like little human batteries.–
Blockbuster and Best Buy Opening Online Movie Stores
The online movie biz is about to get a pair of newcomers now that Blockbuster and Best Buy are joining in on the fun. Lionsgate CEO, Jon Feltheimer, let the news out a little early in a conference yesterday. Here's what to expect.
Source :
Steampunk Guitar Version 2: The Nautilus
Jeff from Thunder Eagle really outdid himself this time with this brand new home-made Steampunk Guitar. You may have seen (and ogled) his first creation here back in April, but this Nautilus looks amazing as well.
As the name implies, it's more of a sea-punk than a steam punk. Then again, steam punk can go under the water, like that new Xbox 360 game Bioshock. Either way, the guitar goes up on eBay on June 3. We'll post an update when it does. A++++++ Would Overthrow Dystopian Dictatorship Again!!!! – Jason Chen
Mac Chick of the Month is the iTunes/Pepsi Girl, Mandy Amano
Context: The Super Bowl iTunes/Pepsi ad from 2005 featured a cute girl by the name of Mandy Amano who set the internets ablaze with her dancing. Websites such as thatpepsigirl sprang up just to keep track of her comings and goings. Wired's Leander Kahney, whom Silicon Valley sister site Valleywag thought was Fake Steve Jobs for a couple hours, even called her the new Ellen Feiss. That's quite an Apple rep to live up to.
Where is she now? She's Macenstein's Mac Chick of the Month. Head over there for a couple more shots. Which means now you get to look at her without a shirt on.
Palm Foleo vs. DIY Palm Pilot Notebook
This week Palm announced the Foleo, an ultraportable Smartphone companion laptop. The January 2007 issue of Make shows you how to take a hardcover book and turn it into an ultraportable laptop by embedding a Palm Pilot and keyboard. The designer, Allen Wong, even powered it with AAA batteries that last for days. How does the Foleo stack up against Wong's Palm Notebook?
It's time for... Iron Gadget!
Sony Ericsson Shows Off its PSP Phone Design
If anyone's capable of making a gaming phone (worth buying), I'd put my money on Sony Ericsson. Their recent patent shows the blueprints for what looks like a PSP phone. What sets this phone apart from other attempts is that it packs game-friendly buttons (no more having to use your phone's tiny number pad) and a rotating screen (so games can be played in landscape mode as opposed to vertically). Make it compatible with all of today's PSP games and Sony Ericsson might give the Nintendo DS some competition. What do you guys think?
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