Sony VAIO CA and CB pack the latest Core i5 power for those who can look past the neon
February 22, 2011 No Comment
We’re aware, the “exclusive” green and orange neon color of Sony’s VAIO CB and CA laptops can make your eyes bleed, but Sony’s pretty excited about the aesthetic and the way it radiates light around the edges of the laptop. Oh, and don’t forget how the touchpad “emits a beautiful glow.” It’s true, the rigs do have an interesting glow stick-like look to them — at least, we thought so when we saw them last month — however, we found their innards and features to be more enlightening. Starting at $800, the 14-inch CA10 and 15.5-inch CB10 will both be available with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 processors , AMD Radeon HD 6630 graphics, and Blu-ray drives. Select models will also pack Intel’s WiDi 2.0 , which lets you stream 1080p video to your TV. And remember Sony’s Remote Keyboard , which lets you navigate your PS3 or Bravia TV with the the laptop? Yep, the CA and CB both have that functionality baked in as well. What’s that? You’d be interested if they didn’t blind you? What if we also told you they will come in black and white? We thought that might change your mind, and according to the official press release below there will indeed be alternative color versions. You’ll be able to pre-order them both on March 13th, but until then you can always see if the neon grows on you with the photos below. Gallery: Sony VAIO CA and CB Series Continue reading Sony VAIO CA and CB pack the latest Core i5 power for those who can look past the neon Sony VAIO CA and CB pack the latest Core i5 power for those who can look past the neon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
You don’t need us to tell you what you already know in your gut to be true: Redmond is working hard on its tablet strategy. How embarrassing is it for Microsoft, the company that pioneered tablets and the 7-inch UMPC, to be completely absent from the conversation in 2010 and 2011? That could change in September. Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley recently shared the slide above which she believes to be 99.99 percent genuine. The timeline shows the major milestone dates for a Windows 8 (aka, ” Windows Next “) release — an OS that M. JoFo believes to be focused on tablets (aka, “Lap PCs” in Microsoft parlance) with its purpose-built touch-centric design. According to the slide, we’re looking at an M2 milestone this month followed by M3 in July or August. Foley says that would put Microsoft on track for a Windows 8 beta release right around Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference ( PDC ) event in September followed by a second beta in 2012 before being released to manufacturing around the summer of 2012 — just like we heard early last year and just in time for Dell’s Hancock tablet . There are still many open questions including Microsoft’s ARM vs. Intel priorities and how the company plans to scale across the enterprise and the “workhorse PC” and “Family Hub PC” in the home. Hit the ZDNet link below for a deeper read or better yet, head on over to TechRepublic where Mary Jo Foley put together an excellent webcast outlining Microsoft’s tablet strategy in much more detail. Windows 8 beta for tablets at September PDC? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Amazon launches Prime instant videos, unlimited streaming for Prime subscribers
February 22, 2011 No Comment
We heard it was coming and now here it is. Amazon has flipped the switch on its “free” video streaming for Prime members, the service we’ve been hearing about for the past month or so. If you’ve already been taking advantage of subscription-based two-day shipping so that your impulse buys get to your door a little quicker you can now enjoy streaming of 5,000 pieces of “prime eligible” content, including some recent movies and a lot of TV shows, much of which will look awfully familiar if you’re also a Netflix subscriber. However, on some foreign films (like The Girl who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest above) you have the choice of subtitles or dubbed, and much of this content is still available to “rent” or “buy” if you want to be able to download it to a mobile device. We’re just checking out the service now and will be back with some impressions a little later. [Thanks, Chris] Amazon launches Prime instant videos, unlimited streaming for Prime subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Verizon dropped 10,000 emergency calls during January snowstorm in Maryland, FCC finds it ‘alarming’
February 22, 2011 No Comment
Uh oh, Verizon’s got itself into a bit of hot water with the old FCC. An outage during a snowstorm last month has reportedly resulted in a whopping 10,000 calls to 911 not being connected by the big red carrier. That would be bad enough in itself, but the less-than-pleased Communications Commission also notes that the emergency services that missed out on these calls were not alerted to the connectivity failure — in fact, Maryland’s Montgomery County officers were the ones to inform Verizon of the fault it was having, which was then promptly repaired within 15 minutes. The FCC is now curtly asking the network to check its entire footprint for similar vulnerabilities — as the January events were apparently “not unique” — and to propose remedial actions and monitoring systems to prevent it happening again. Verizon dropped 10,000 emergency calls during January snowstorm in Maryland, FCC finds it ‘alarming’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Kiss Controller lets you play a bowling game with your tongue… while it’s in someone else’s mouth (video)
February 22, 2011 No Comment
Oh, this isn’t weird at all! The Kissing Controller, an experimental project by one Hye Yeon Nam, is designed so that players of a bowling game can impart power and direction to their spherical projectile by performing the timeless act of smooching one another. A customized headset is required for one of the participants, acting as the input receiver, while the other straps a magnet to his or her tongue and goes to town with some literal full motion controls. Thrust is added to the on-screen ball in accordance with how vigorously you move your tongue around, something we’re sure your partner will appreciate. Video after the break. Continue reading Kiss Controller lets you play a bowling game with your tongue… while it’s in someone else’s mouth (video) Kiss Controller lets you play a bowling game with your tongue… while it’s in someone else’s mouth (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …webOS 2.1 for the Pre Plus now available to download for O2 Germany users
February 22, 2011 No Comment
In spite of HP’s strong assurances to the contrary , the Palm Pre Plus is actually going to give users the option to ride into webOS 2.x territory. As we speculated yesterday , O2 Germany Pre Plus owners can now download a new firmware package for their slider handsets, which will work its magic and update them to version 2.1 of HP’s magnificent software. The company has been actively discouraging users and programmers from pairing the older hardware with the latest software, so we can’t promise it’ll be a bump-free ride for all upgraders, but having the option is all people have been asking for and now it’s there — and by “there” we mean the source link below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] webOS 2.1 for the Pre Plus now available to download for O2 Germany users originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
It’s the perfect rumor: the officially delayed and often rumored white iPhone 4 has reemerged as the white iPhone 5 riding a horned stallion through virgin rumor fields. According to the Economic Daily News , the previously unheard of white iPhone 5 will feature a touch panel supplied exclusively by Wintek. If true, then the white iPhone 4, officially scheduled for a spring 2011 launch, should be available just prior to the launch of the next generation white iPhone 5, anticipated for a summer launch in keeping with Apple’s typical launch cycle. Not exactly ideal, but hey, it’s only the first of many related rumors to come. P.S. Here’s a link to an Apple-free Engadget in anticipation of your needs. Forget the white iPhone 4, white iPhone 5 rumors begin! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung develops mobile DRAM capable of 12.8GB/sec data transfers, making all other memory jealous
February 22, 2011 No Comment
Much like clockwork , Samsung’s memory labs are cranking out yet another innovation in the mobile DRAM sector, with the goal being to make the next ( next ) generation Galaxy Tab — and any other mobile device relying on Samsung memory — faster than ever. This go ’round, the crew has developed a 1Gb mobile DRAM module with a wide I/O interface for smartphones and tablets, enabling it to transmit data at 12.8GB/sec. For those keeping count, that’s an eightfold increase in bandwidth compared to LPDDR2 DRAM chips, and the company has also managed to trim power consumption by 87 percent all the while. In order to boost the data transfer rate, Samsung’s new wide I/O DRAM uses 512 pins for input and output, dwarfing the 32 pins used in the previous generation. Following this, Sammy’s hoping to provide 20nm-class 4Gb wide I/O mobile DRAM sometime in 2013, but we’re hoping to see this particular development sashay into tablets that hit the market long before then. Sadly, there’s no specific word on when, but you know we’ll be handing that information over just as soon as we get it. Continue reading Samsung develops mobile DRAM capable of 12.8GB/sec data transfers, making all other memory jealous Samsung develops mobile DRAM capable of 12.8GB/sec data transfers, making all other memory jealous originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony VAIO S Series get an updated design, Core i5-2410M CPU and Radeon HD 6470M graphics
February 22, 2011 No Comment
Excuse us for a moment while we ponder Sony’s product naming scheme. The company’s VAIO S thin-and-light laptop range got upgraded specs at CES this January, which also happened to be the place and time that we first laid eyes on a set of “prototype” machines that seemed to target the same market segment. Lo and behold, after making some cameos at European online listings , the newly redesigned Sony 13-inchers are here, only they’re still called… the VAIO S Series. For the trouble of figuring out which is which, you’ll be rewarded with a 3.9-pound mobile computer with a 1366 x 768 screen, a 500GB hard drive, 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM, 802.11n WiFi, optional VAIO “everywair” 3G, a Radeon HD 6470M GPU with up to 1GB of dedicated memory, and what will presumably be a selection of Core i5 CPUs from Intel (at present we’re only seeing the i5-2410M listed). Windows 7 is the inevitable OS on board, though Sony’s enhanced it with a Fast Boot sequence that’s said to halve the usual bootup time. Launch is scheduled for the end of March and you’ll find a full spec sheet and release after the break. Continue reading Sony VAIO S Series get an updated design, Core i5-2410M CPU and Radeon HD 6470M graphics Sony VAIO S Series get an updated design, Core i5-2410M CPU and Radeon HD 6470M graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
We knew good and well that Fujitsu’s Stylistic Q550 was en route, but now we’re learning a few more dirty details as its official launch day draws ever nearer. Reportedly, the business-oriented slate will be fully revealed at CeBIT next month, with Fujitsu being one of the only outfits out there eager and willing to take a chance on both Oak Trail and Windows 7 Professional. Our experiences with existing Win7 tablets haven’t been stellar , but it’s possible that the added power in Oak Trail will cut down on the lag and make things a bit smoother to operate. We’re told to expect a 10-inch LED touchscreen, smartcard slot, fingerprint reader, trusted-platform module (TPM), front and rear cameras, a 32GB / 64GB solid state drive, USB socket and an optional 3G module. Most impressive, however, is the claimed eight hours of battery life, which we’ll quite honestly have to see to believe. If all goes well, it’ll start shipping this April to European nations, but there’s no word yet on how badly it’ll hurt your wallet (or when it’ll grab a passport and head to other continents). As you’d expect, we’ll be live from Germany digging for more just as soon as the show floor opens. A brief introductory vid is just past the break. Continue reading Fujitsu’s 10-inch Stylistic Q550 tablet to sport Oak Trail, Windows 7 Fujitsu’s 10-inch Stylistic Q550 tablet to sport Oak Trail, Windows 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 03:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …