Dec/090
Blu-ray comes to iMac
Although it’s technically possible to use the gorgeous IPS display in the 27-inch iMac as a standalone monitor, the feature’s been pretty limited in practice, since it only works with other DisplayPort devices like the unibody MacBooks. That’s about to change thanks to Apogee, which just posted up a video demo of an as-yet-unnamed HDMI-to-DisplayPort adapter being used to play Xbox 360, PS3, and — yes, it’s true — Blu-ray movies on Apple’s latest all-in-one. Never thought you’d see the day, did you? Apogee hasn’t disclosed pricing or availability yet, but we’re told more info is coming soon –we’d guess sometime around CES.
Dec/090
Synaptics Unveiling Fuse Mobile Phone Concept
Synaptics Incorporated, one of the many other leading developers of human interface solutions, has just announced the introduction of Fuse, a collaborative mobile phone concept that is here to show customers what the future of user interaction for handsets will be.
Packing, for the first time, multiple interface technologies, included with multi-touch capacitive sensing, haptic feedback, 3-D graphics, and force, grip and proximity sensing, the Fuse mobile phone concept demonstrates impressive new mobile usage models. Additionally, the Fuse will testify to device manufacturers the value of an ecosystem collaboration, as in offering a model for designing multi-modal interfaces that will enhance and take the user experience to the next level, on next-gen handheld devices.
“Consumers have many options when it comes to choosing a smartphone, and though many phones are loaded with applications to simplify one’s life, they often accomplish just the opposite,” said William Stofega, research manager for mobile device technology and trends at IDC. “Synaptics partnering with innovative industry leaders to deliver an intelligent concept device that has the consumers’ lifestyles in mind will help showcase the true potential of the smartphone.”
This mobile phone is the result of a collaboration between Synaptics, TheAlloy, the Astonishing Tribe (TAT), Immersion and Texas Instruments (of course). With a human interface and the nowadays digital lifestyle in mind, the Fuse design team developed an amazing and functional user interface with completely innovative new modes of sensing input, and visual and haptic feedback.
Each of Synaptics’ four partners contributed noticeably to the project, namely, TheAlloy took care of the user experience and overall product design, TAT supplied the effective 3-D environment and lent its user interface skills, Immersion was in charge of the tactile feedback, while Texas Instruments’ OMAP 3630 processor provided the framework and platform for all the above.
Dec/090
LCD price fixing fines so far reaches $860 million, shame CONSUMER gets NOTHING
It’s not every day we get to cite an official US Department of Justice news release, so it’s with a certain glee that we can announce the US taxpayer was last week enriched by another $220 million courtesy of the not-so-fine folks who swindled him out of that money in the first place. Joining the ignominious ranks of LG, Sharp, Hitachi and Chungwa Picture Tube, Taiwanese manufacturer Chi Mei is refunding the US state for the pecuniary impact of its collusive practices, which were primarily related to keeping prices artificially high and profits proportionately inflated. US companies directly affected by these ignoble activities include HP, Dell and Apple, but don’t you worry, AT&T has already started the inter-corporation scuffle, with Nokia piling on for good measure. Man, it almost seems like crime doesn’t pay
Dec/090
M-Edge Accessories Printing New Yorker’s Iconic Covers on Jackets for Kindle
M-Edge Accessories, one of the many leading providers of eReader accessories, has announced today a series of Amazon Kindle jackets that will have a design sporting some of The New Yorker’s famous covers. These jackets will provide customers and the magazine’s readers with the unique and vivid way of protecting their precious Kindle, in impressive quality and functionality nevertheless.
“Our partnership with The New Yorker has resulted in three unique and timeless jacket options for Kindle owners and New Yorker subscribers alike,” commented Patrick Mish, CEO of M-Edge Accessories. “Similar to how The New Yorker can be judged by its cover, our branded New Yorker Kindle jackets provide another way for readers to personalize their devices with a statement of sophistication and distinctive visuals of American culture.”
Available will be the “Bookopolis” by Eric Drooker, “Book Lover” by Adrian Tomine, and “Sunday Afternoon in Central Park” by Bob Knox. The cover itself is made of 100% leather, while the pictures are printed using a photo sublimation process, with the best thing about it being that of the printed fabric on the front closely replicating the original cover art. As for inside the cover, M-Edge fitted the Kindle cover with a tan microfiber coating, as well as a hinge system compatible with the Amazon Kindle that hold your eBook reader firmly in place.
Versatility is assured to this by compatibility with the same company’s e-Luminator2 booklight to allow users to enjoy their favorite books at night, or in low-light environments. Last but not least, I would mention something about the New Yorker’s covers, namely the fact that since the very first issue in 1925, they have been a hallmark of the magazine.
Pricing for the M-Edge eReader Jackets with the iconic covers is at $49.99, while the subscribers of the magazine can purchase them at 20% discount.
Dec/090
Firewire : Keep Our Ports On HD Set-Tops
Opposes Intel’s Waiver Request to FCC Rule Mandating IEEE 1394 on Cable Boxes
The 1394 Trade Association opposes Intel’s request for a waiver to the Federal Communications Commission’s rules requiring an IEEE 1394 interface — also known as FireWire — on cable operators’ HD set-top boxes.
Intel in October requested a waiver to the FCC rule, which is intended to allow consumers to connect HDTVs and other devices to leased cable boxes, arguing that since it was adopted in 2005 “the marketplace has shifted away from little-used and very expensive 1394 technology to the widely-deployed IP technologies.” The chip giant called the regulation requiring 1394 “a technological ‘bridge to nowhere’” and suggested that HD cable boxes include an IP-based interface like Ethernet.
Without a waiver to the 1394 requirement, according to Intel, it would be “cost-prohibitive” to produce system-on-a-chip products for operator-sourced set-tops. According to Intel, a chip that supports IEEE 1394 costs more than $5 compared with “a few cents per device” for a chip that supports IP networks.
In a Dec. 9 filing, the 1394 trade group insisted that FireWire is “widely deployed and accepted by consumers.” It pointed out that, contrary to Intel’s implication, FireWire actually does support IP-based services and claimed Ethernet doesn’t offer any advantages over FireWire on that score. In April 2008, for example, the 1394 Trade Association announced its 1 billionth shipment of FireWire ports, of which 25 million are in set-top boxes.
However, the trade group did not in its opposition filing dispute Intel’s assertion that chips that support FireWire cost an order of magnitude more than Ethernet-based components.
Members of the 1394 Trade Association include Apple, Texas Instruments, Funai Electric, Hitachi, LSI, Microsoft, Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba.
The trade group also said Intel’s waiver request is too broad. Intel had cited the waiver the FCC granted to Cable One in May allowing the operator to deploy one-way, low-cost HD set-tops with integrated security in its Dyersburg, Tenn., system, under which the agency also waived the 1394 output requirement because the costs would “outweigh the potential benefits” to consumers. The 1394 Trade Association said the FCC’s decision in that case was much more narrow in scope than the latitude Intel’s waiver petition seeks.
Separately, TiVo also is seeking a waiver to the FireWire regulation from the FCC as it pertains to RCN’s plans to offer TiVo HD DVRs to its subscribers in early 2010.
“The 1394 interface is not widely used today,” TiVo said. “Adding a 1394 port to TiVo DVRs would add to their cost without significant consumer benefit.”
On another tangent, the FCC, as part of its national broadband plan, last Thursday issued a request for information on “video device innovation,” focused on how set-top boxes could help spur the viewing of video over the Internet.
Dec/090
Sungale Offers a FLO TV Alternative, the Kula
I don’t know if you remember the FLO TV, that portable television set I told you about a while ago, but mind you, if you’re one of the people that take cost effectiveness seriously, you soon realize that the FLO TV is quite not worth it. Still wanting to have a portable little TV and keep the Wi-Fi flowing around you? Problem solved thanks to Sungale’s latest product introduction, the Kula.
This is said to be the first IPTV capable of accessing over 500 local and international channels, all in the chassis and behind the features of a functional PMP. Users will be able to choose and select their favorite channels through sorting by country, language and topic, included with News, Sports and Finance, as well as adding parental control, all without the high monthly fees. Come to think about it, this might as well be just a portable media player that has been packed with Wi-Fi connectivity and pre-loaded with software to access web programming.
“We want to provide our customers with the flexibility and convenience to customize the channels they want to watch in a device that blends multiple functions and features to create a valuable experience,” said Gary Bennett, Sungale VP of Sales. “The Kula is the next big thing that will revolutionize the way people watch TV.”
With a 4.3-inch full color LCD monitor, the Kula will be offered by Sungale bundled with various channel packages at an affordable value for its customers, and even allow them to customize their program preferences, included with the Basic, Kid and Grand. First two of the packages will supply customers with about 100 channels for frees, whereas upgrading to the Grand Channel package, with over 500 programs, starts with a full-year trial of the service.
Dec/090
Vodafone – Ditching the HD2 for iPhone
Here’s an interesting one. Vodafone, which is one of the few carriers in the world right now with access to HTC’s HD2, is reportedly not going to stock the handset any longer once its current supply evaporates. The reason? Why, that’s a fantastic question! According to a company spokesperson, there has been a “massive amount of interest” in the big-screen mobile, with initial stock “selling out quickly and subsequent deliveries used to fulfill backorders.” Call us crazy, but it seems a wee bit foolish to can a product that’s selling well — unless, of course, Voda has a certain amount of iPhones that it’ll be required to sell just a few months from now (or else buy ‘em itself). Whatever the case, we’re told that the operator “will not [be] re-stocking the HTC HD2 for general consumer sales once current stock runs out,” so if you’re jonesing for one, ten minutes ago would’ve been a great time to buy.
Dec/090
Aluratek’s Libre eBook Reader Is Only $179
Aluratek Incorporated, one of the leading creators of sophisticated, but at the same time very user-friendly computer peripherals and consumer electronic devices, has just unveiled the Libre, a new eBook reader that takes advantage of a new and exclusive LCD technology. Libre comes as one of the most, if not the most, affordable eBook reading solution in its category, boasting superior battery life time, for up to 24 hours continuous reading (which is more than a natural born reader can take, I’m talking about a human).
Other features that I should mention before getting into more technical details include the page advance features, the MP3 player, because every scenery needs a background track, as well as photo support, even though the LCD screen is only monochromatic.
Speaking of the LCD, the Libre boasts the latest monochrome reflective light LCD display technology, providing a crisp black and white 5-inch screen with the exact same appearance and readability of printed paper. Especially because of the fact this has no backlighting, reading on the Libre is just as soft to the eyes as reading a regular book, besides preserving battery power.
“Unlike e-Ink displays which require multiple flashes for each page advance, I believe the reflective LCD technology the Libre offers will be a welcome change compared to other eBooks currently on the market” said John Wolikow, VP Sales and Marketing for Aluratek. “The ability to store thousands of your favorite books in the Libre is not only convenient but it’s also good for the environment by saving trees.”
With an MSRP of $179, the Libre is really the most cost-effective solution for any person that wants to notice the difference in the latest generation of digital technology regarding ebook readers, and can connect to any Mac or PC with an internet connection for easy book access to the latest releases, as well as coming pre-loaded with 100 free eBooks on the included 2GB SD memory card.
Dec/090
Introducing OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini
The OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro lineup is definitely one of the most successful series of storage slash backup devices for both Mac and Windows using computers. With very high performance, quite a good looking design and a lot of options, these have definitely made a name for themselves. But there are some of us that would rather get something with more… finesse instead of those big desktop-sized products.
Something like the new OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini. A new series that adds a very attractive form to a lineup of devices that definitely did not lack the function. I am pretty sure you’re curious what you can expect in terms of specifications from these new mini bundles of joy from Other World Computing. So, without further ado, how about we head straight towards the specification page?
The quad interface device features FireWire 800/400, USB 2.0 and also eSATA in order to allow you to connect your gadget to almost any type of pre-USB computer configuration. It supports bus powering via any type of interface and therefore requires no AC adapter or being plugged into something. As far as data transfer speeds are concerned, they go to a maximum of 300MB per second. The user also gets a choice of 7,200 RPM mechanical drives or the increased performance of a Solid State Drive. At an increased price, of course.
It has a brushed aluminum enclosure that is impact resistant and increases heat dissipation, as well as sporting a super quiet fan. Like I mentioned before, the devices are compatible with both Mac and Windows (including Windows 98SE) as long as the computer has one of the available connectivity options. Sizes range from 320GB to 750GB depending on RPM and, of course, pricing. Which varies between 139.99 USD to 249.99 USD, respectively. Opting for the 256GB SSD drive will cost you 819.99 USD.
Dec/090
Wireworld’s $1,000 HDMI cable
You idiot. Where did you buy those cables? Walmart? You probably think you’re getting the whole 1080p, don’t you! Boy, you couldn’t be more wrong. What the big box doesn’t want you to know, with their cheap-ass $150 cables is that there are, um, waves and some, uh… electromagnetic spectrats. And they eat your pixels! Yeah, that’s right! Pixel-eating EM spectrats! Not even making this stuff up. How much did you spend on that TV? $1,000? You did buy that $1,800 power cable from Furutech, right? Well, don’t you think you should spend at least that much on the all-important cables that are going to funnel the dynamic 1080p transmissions from your Blu-ray player to your TV? Here, try this Platinum Starlight HDMI cable from Wireworld. It has a patent-pending DNA Helix conductor design formed by the gods themselves out of 24 solid silver conductors. Hell, $1,000 is probably a bargain for one of these one meter cables. Your eyes are worth it, after all. You’re welcome.