Category Archives: Operating Systems

Computers, News, Operating Systems

Compaq Airlife 100 With 10.1-Inch Touchscreen and Android OS Platform Introduced

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We’ve already seen a glimpse of Compaq’s latest and greatest Airlife 100 netbook machine, last month at Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, but now it finally seems to get official with all the pride and glory involved. Within, you’ll find a nice 10.1-inch touchscreen display, which stunningly works in collaboration with the Android OS, preloaded inside the box. And to make things even better, under this tiny smartbook  lid you’ll find a strong Snapdragon chip, paired with Intel’s latest Atom processor, 16GB SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G connection mode – offered in partnership with Telefonica for an undetermined price as a subsidized mobile broadband deal, in Europe, Latin America and hopefully some other places across the world. Stay tuned.

Update1: Battery wise, this bad boy will boast a powerful package, which suppose to provide 12-hour of continuous work or up to 10 days in standby.

Update2: The good guys at Engadget have managed to catch up with HP for a video tour of this intriguing Snapdragon powered netbook. Check it out after the break.

Update3: Not much happened since we first met HP’s Android-powered Airlife 100 netbook, back at the MWC conference in Barcelona. That said, it seems the 10-incher netbook has now turned official on HP’s website, packed with a non-capacitive touchscreen, which hides underneath a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor along WiFi, 3G connectivity, 512MB of RAM, and 16GB of flash. We’re still waiting for price and availability details to finally show up.

Update4: Looks like the Android-powered Compaq Airlife 100 will be exclusively available through Telefonica Movistar this coming May with base price of 229 euros for the mini laptop itself, and another 48 euros for a monthly internet package. Expensive?

Continue reading Compaq Airlife 100 With 10.1-Inch Touchscreen and Android OS Platform Introduced →

Operating Systems, Phones, software

Google Nexus One Update Is Over-the-air, Brings Google Goggles, Maps And Multitouch Capabilities Into The Phone

[tweetmeme]

The mystery behind Nexus One’s multitouch disparity between Europe and the US is finally about to end, as Google reports in its blog, suggesting imminent roll out of a software update, specifically tailored for the Nexus One and which apparently boasts some major add-ons inside, amongst you’ll find Google Goggle app that lets you take pictures through the integrated webcam and then generate search results about them, improved version of Google Maps with a special night mode and useful suggestions, general fix of 3G connectivity and last but probably the most important one, multitouch support, that would likely offer “a new pinch-to-zoom mechanism in the phone’s Browser, Gallery and Maps applications”. In case you were wondering about the timing of this update, here’s Google official statement, given to ReadWriteWeb:

Looking around the mobile industry, from Apple to Palm to HTC and Motorola – it’s clear that pinch-to-zoom technology has become a standard and popular way for users to interact with their mobile phones. Likewise, Android users can now truly benefit from this capability with the availability of Android 2.1, which powers a new class of devices with larger touchscreens and more interactive features. Unlike past devices, these phones have the processing power to deliver pinch-to-zoom, while still providing a great user experience. Based on these new capabilities and numerous requests from Android users, we decided to provide pinch-to-zoom capabilities with this new over-the-air software update for Nexus One devices.

Update: We’ve added a video that shows Nexus One new features in action, check it out after the break.

[Google]

Continue reading Google Nexus One Update Is Over-the-air, Brings Google Goggles, Maps And Multitouch Capabilities Into The Phone →

Media Players, Operating Systems, Phones, software

iPhone OS 3.1.3 Goes Live

Apple just issued iPhone/iPod Touch OS 3.1.3, available on your iTunes right away, offering bug fixes to some of the few problems users were moaning about like improved battery level indicator, or third-party applications that failed to launch in some of the occasions. Other issues this update resolves include a Japanese Kana keyboard fix and security breaches related to CoreAudio, ImageIO, Recovery Mode and WebKit.

Update: And those of you, Mac OS X users, who’ve been patiently waiting for a hack ‘n crack to go out, it appears like Dev-Team‘s new Pwnage jailbreaking tool is now officially up and ready to grab. As usual, proceed with caution.

Applications, Mobile, News, Operating Systems, Phones

Google's Nexus One Officially Announced With Android 2.1 Preloaded Inside

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So Google has finally launched the most anticipated Nexus One, and if you happen to live in one of the following 4 countries – the US, UK, Singapore or Hong Kong – you can get it right away from Google’s website, priced at $529.99 without a contract or merely $179 including a T-Mobile two year plan (in the US). Other people will have to wait at least until Spring 2010, when it believes that Google will be adding more countries to its smartphone lineup. The phone itself is an HTC brand, coming with a 3.7-inch 800×480 AMOLED display, which regretfully doesn’t support multi-touch at the moment, although Google says it’s not an hardware issue but a software tweak and it’d consider adding screen gestures capabilities in the future. Besides that, you get a fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor,paired with a 5 megapixels camera including an integrated LED flash that can shoot MPEG-4 video and have it uploaded directly to Youtube. Additionally, this 11.5mm thick device has a built-in compass, GPS, WiFi, A2DP stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, a multicolored LED under the trackball, an accelerometer for landscape view and two mics, positioned on front, for complete noise cancellation. It runs all common frequencies and compatible with HSDPA 7.2Mbps, UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900), HSUPA 2Mbps and of course, GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). The 1400mAH battery inside is claimed to provide 5 hours of 3G browsing and 7 hours of 3G talk time, while storage wise, you receive only 512MB of internal flash along with a 4GB micro SD card, expandable up to 32GB. See the full specs here.

Moving forward with the details, the Nexus One packs Google’s “latest greatest” Android 2.1 platform – also known as Eclair – which crams some nifty stuff inside, like the voice recognition feature that works throughout the entire UI and activates almost any feature in the phone. That way, you can use your voice to write SMS messages and notes (speech-to-text), or tell the Google Earth search engine where should it go. Other than that, Google has implemented a Cooliris technology into the Nexus One gallery app, so you get 3D visualization whenever looking at images in landscape mode. It has a lot of widgets to offer, such as weather and news RSS, and the smartphone’s homescreen customization is interactive and houses 5 panels to store your apps and shortcuts. Stay tuned. Video is right after the break.

Update1: And looks like Adobe is now jumping on Google’s bandwagon by demoing its Flash 10.1 beta on a Nexus One superphone. Check it out after the break.

Update2: Well, what do you know, the European version of Nexus One, apparently supports multitouch capabilities out-of-the-box, while US devices don’t. We’re not so sure why, but as someone suggested, the trigger for the abyssal differences might be the fact that Apple has a US Patent on multitouch which doesn’t apply on European countries. Maybe. Google says it’s carefully reviewing this issue at the moment.

Update3: Different from what has been reported, Google’s Nexus One seems to be incompatible with “n” draft wireless connectivityand official specs state it supports only 802.11b/g WiFi frequencies. We’ll have more about this soon.

Update4: You knew it had to happen sooner or later, did you? No? then get this – iFixit guys have taken Google’s Nexus One on a mission and disassembled it into small pieces of technology craft. See the results here and after the break.

Update5: We’ve added two more stunning videos right after the break, in which you can watch Nexus One’s manufacturing process with stress tests such as bending, slamming, dropping, and cracking, all over the place. A must see creation!

Update6: Turns out Google now has live person phone support in case your Nexus One has problems that need to be solved. It’s 888-48NEXUS (63987) and said to work from 07:00am to 10:00pm PST. Right now the line will handle only status and shipping issues while tech problems can find answer via Google’s support forums, FAQs pages, email support and HTC/ T-Mobile customer care departments.

Continue reading Google's Nexus One Officially Announced With Android 2.1 Preloaded Inside →

Computers, News, Operating Systems

First Details About Google's Chrome OS Netbook Specs Unveiled

Truth is that holidays season can be very boring, tech wise, but here’s something that might catch your eye during this time of quiescency, as latest news apparently indicate the first netbook to include Google’s Chrome OS platform will presumably boast some nifty specs inside like NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset for graphics handling and Arm-based processor, instead of Intel’s popular Atom flavor. Other than that, the rumor suggests it would pack a 10.1-inch 1,280 x 720 resolution with multi-touch display(!), along 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth, an integrated webcam and 3G connectivity module. Battery is claimed to offer 4 or 6-cells versions while buyers will be able to pick an optional GPS system as part of the deal, which suppose to be very attractive and stand at somewhere below $300. Stay tuned for a lot more to come.

Update: We hear that Google will be selling those netbooks directly. More on that, hopefully soon. Still, no official confirmation from Mountain View to these rumors.

[via Netbook News]

Computers, News, Operating Systems

ICD's Android-Based Ultra Tablet Unveiled Before Its Time, With a Tegra T20 CPU And 4GB Drive

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For some reason, we have that strange feeling it would be hard convincing you to read new stuff about yet another tablet machine which suppose to come out “somewhere next month”. That said, we did find that whenever a magic word such as Android is being included in the draft, we tend to get high rates of inbound traffic, rather than sparse. In a hope that our beloved readers will always have enough, we’d like to introduce you one more tablet device that should be added to your holidays wish list raff. And looking into details, the new culprit carries the ICD brand and tagged as Ultra, but also features an ambient light sensor and a snappy android-based system – in fact, it’s an Android 2.0 prototype which performs impressively, considering its early stage, and responsible for that is the top-notch lineup that was stuffed under the 7-inch resistive touchscreen cage, amongst you can find a 1GHz Tegra T20 CPU, paired with an HDMI output, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage capacity, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 and 1.3MP camera on front of the hub, however for merely $249, you should expect receiving USB 2.0, microSD slot and even a built-in accelerometer for landscape image grab. Stay tuned.

Update: Looks like ICD’s Android tablet Vega (this is the name) just turned official and soon be offered by T-Mobile UK as what appears to be a kitchen tablet, sporting a 15-inch display which can easily handle your 1080p video stack . Not to mention that Android platform, running in the back and the batch of apps like media player, web browser, IM and contacts, included in the pack. PR message after the jump.

icd-vega-tablet_2

[via engadget; Recombu]

Continue reading ICD's Android-Based Ultra Tablet Unveiled Before Its Time, With a Tegra T20 CPU And 4GB Drive →

Applications, Computers, News, Operating Systems

Google's Chrome OS Officially Introduced (Update: Now Available On VMWare)

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So, Google has finally rolled out its highly expected Chrome OS, which was demoed live across the net by Mountain View’s engineers few hours ago, and practically suppose to go out somewhere towards next year’s holiday season. Regretfully, the system won’t be free and it seems you’ll have to buy it pre-installed on portable devices approved by Google, either it’s a netbook, tablet PCs, smartphones, MIDs, etc. The Chrome OS is said to include third-party applications, but won’t support, at this point, any Android materials. The system itself is based on Linux and the Chrome browser, both packed together to run on a web-based platform that will operate any outside content, coming from USB drives or other different sources. Basically, it’s a cloud system but that should not set you apart from it, unless you guys really afraid of taking new tech “adventures” and start new liabilities. Nevertheless, the operating system will run everything that was originally placed in the application panel – and we’re talking about features like Gmail, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Hulu, Google Talk and many more. Google Docs was also included in Google’s OS compatibility list, while drivers from other companies, such as Flash and Silverlight suppose to work as well (although Google wasn’t very clear about it and has chosen to say this: “We are working hard to integrate plugins closely”).

Hardware wise, details are scarce at the moment, and Google will not share those nitty gritty things until next year, but looking at the overall picture, Chrome OS will probably run in compatibility with both x86 and ARM processors, while regular hard-drives support seems to be excluded  – which means you’ll have to use SSDs instead. In general, booting time is set to load up in 7 seconds only, and login process will take 3 seconds more. That, in our opinion, should do best with any standard netbook available in the market, now and in the future (with SSD drives), and just in case you were wondering, Google itself was using an Eee PC machine to run the demo for the first time.

Update1: We’ve tossed some videos after the break, that will walk you through Google’s new system.

Update2: Looks like Google’s Chrome OS is now available free, in case you’re using a VMWare software on your desktop machine. The good part is that you don’t need to actually make it your primary bootable system at all, and by running any VirtualBox software, you can set any of your system folders to be used as a Chrome OS unit. If you think you’re qualified for using this pre Beta platform, you can download the image either from this torrent (we have no clue about this source background) or the build the guys at GDGT recently uploaded. TechCrunch team was all over it in passing hours as well, so you can read their step-by-step instructions in here, if you don’t feel safe to do it on your own.

Update3: Dell Mini 10V owners can now install the Chrome OS as their primary operating system, thanks to a Dell employee who’s managed to hack the USB-bootable edition via WiFi and make it available on Dell’s popular mini laptop, despite fussy restrictions from Mountain View’s direction. Truth is it’s not the perfect OS and in fact, many things are yet to be solved, but for early adopters who are willing to give it a try – it should probably be a great experience that’s worth a shot. Source code and explanations are now available on Direct2Dell‘s page. Enjoy the Chrome.

Update4: Mac and Linux users can finally use the Google Chrome Beta-version browser with their computing machines – as Mountain View’s searching giant officially announces in its blog. And although we face a lot of crashes while trying, you don’t really want to skip this experience, especially when Google has recently launched the extensions, do you? Checkout the video we’ve added after the break (3rd one).

google-chrome-os

Continue reading Google's Chrome OS Officially Introduced (Update: Now Available On VMWare) →

Computers, News, Operating Systems

Hikari's Android-based iFrame Tablet Will Make The Japanese Scene Somewhere Next Year

Android is the key word in here, no doubt, but the tablet issue is no less important, and as you can see, we see a lot of them lately, better with an Android OS loaded onboard (it’s good for the marketing). And Japanese company, Hikari, is no different in that scene, realizing it should implement Google’s magical platform with its new iFrame tablet, which boasts (besides that Android power) a 7-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen display (that can be used as a photo frame) along with an SD slot expansion, WiFi connection, a built in speaker and multiple widgets like weather, calendar, news and recipes on top. Price range is claimed to be at $220 and $330 when this thing comes out in 2010. Until then, you can watch the video after the break.

Update: The guys at Akihabara news have managed to put their hands on one of those Android-based iFrame Tablets, which suppose to go live in Japan somewhere around March 2010. Hit this link to catch the action.

hikari-iframe-tablet

[via CrunchGear]

Continue reading Hikari's Android-based iFrame Tablet Will Make The Japanese Scene Somewhere Next Year →

Audio, Media Players, Operating Systems, Video

Creative Zii EGG Prototype Finally Gets The Android Treatment

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Still in development, the Zii EGG prototype – which hopefully will go live somewhere next year – is one desirable media device we’d like to see floating around. With a 3.5-inch multi-touch display, WiFi, GPS, and 1080p HD support – it just can’t go wrong. In fact, it seems to be walking the right directions, with its mother company, Creative, choosing the Android 1.6 path, and making it look pretty promising on this new nifty portable bud. Too bad the entire UI is a bit sluggish and the integrated webcam is not exactly functional (not to mention the inaccurate signal marks at the top). Yet, it’d surely improve in the next build, we’re positive, very very positive. But ’till then, hit the jump and watch the video.

creative-zii-egg-android-

[via anythingbutipod]

Continue reading Creative Zii EGG Prototype Finally Gets The Android Treatment →

Mobile, Operating Systems, Phones

Apple's iPhone OS 3.1.2 Now Available

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Apple just issued iPhone OS 3.1.2, available on your iTunes app right now, offering some bug fixes to few of the problems you may have seen, including pesky sleep mode bugs that kept your iPhone device from waking up, network connection interruptions many has suffered from, or this video streaming crash, occasionally happened. Just click the update and make it work.

Update1: And just in case you were looking for a jailbreak app that will help you hack your iPhone 3GS 3.1.2 OS or iPod Touch 3G without activation, Geohot’s Blackra1n key just turned official, and will let you in right away, as long as you run a Windows platform. No unlock, only break. Proceed with caution.

Update2: But if you just want to stick with good old friends, Dev Team’s PwnageTool 3.1.4 is just around the corner. You can download it from here, in case you’re a Mac, and get your iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 2G devices hacked. iPod Touch 3G users, you’re out – this time – no support at the moment, but stick around for updates to come.

Update3: Looks like blackra1n RC3 just went live, offering full blacksn0w unlock for the latest 05.11.07 baseband. If you’re a Mac or a Window user – it really doesn’t matter – just grab your file and make it happen.

Applications, Operating Systems

iPhone 3.1 Jailbreak for MAC users has been released

Dev Team has just released a Pwnage jailbreaking tool for iPhone 3.1 OS, used with Mac systems. Mind you, this new JB version can only work with Apple’s older machines and won’t support new ones, such as iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch second-gen. To get it down and start the process, move with cautious over the link below.

Because of changes with Apple’s update techniques this will be a multipart release, starting with the initial release of PwnageTool for Mac OS X – this application supports the iPhone 1st Generation (2G), The iPhone 3G and the iPod touch 1G. NB: THIS DOES NOT SUPPORT THE 3GS OR 2ND or 3RD GEN IPOD TOUCH. redsn0w for Mac OS X and Windows will follow sometime in the near future, please don’t bug us about it – we’ll release when we have something ready.

*

[viaDev Team]

Applications, Media Players, Mobile, News, Operating Systems

iPhone And iPod Touch OS 3.1.1 Is Officially Out

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Apple has just released iPhone and iPod Touch OS 3.1.1 which is now officially up and available for downloading via iTunes, as iPhone users can easily get it for free, while iPod touch owners will need to shell out ONLY $4.95 this time. The latest upgrade seems to include a new ringtone store that offers over 30,000 ringtones, listed at $1.29 each, while the other app store, is now having a Genius recommendations system paired with new syncing features and a cool application managing support.

Update: New update is sized around 283MB. We keep hearing about wifi issues from several people who already installed the new OS. Apparently, their iPhone device has lost any connection with local wireless routers, after loading up the 3.1.1 version. Will keep you updated about this problem and others.

iphone-os-3-1-1-update

Mobile, Operating Systems, Phones

iPhone OS 3.0.1 Update Is Officially Available For Downloading, Solves SMS Hacking Issues

Apple has finally released iPhone OS 3.0.1, to handle those SMS vulnerability problems that allowed evil backdoor malwares to penetrate your machines and viciously attack them – Now it won’t happen, thanks to the new patch Cupertino has delivered. The new iPhone OS 3.0.1 update is up and available for downloading via your iTunes, sized at 280MB, so hit the app and get it now.

Update: Here’s what Apple’s speaker, Tom Neumayr, had to say about the issue:

“We appreciate the information provided to us about SMS vulnerabilities which affect several mobile phone platforms. This morning, less than 24 hours after a demonstration of this exploit, we’ve issued a free software update that eliminates the vulnerability from the iPhone. Contrary to what’s been reported, no one has been able to take control of the iPhone to gain access to personal information using this exploit.”

iphone-os-301

Audio, Internet, Media Players, Operating Systems, Video

Creative's Android-based Zii EGG Handheld Officially Introduced

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We’re not so sure what Creative is trying to do, and what is the final product we’re about to see in the following months, but one thing for sure, the latest Zii EGG handheld, the company has just introduced as an Android-based device, powered with the new “Plaszma” platform that was created for developers and OEMs, is really rocking our geeky brains with tons of high class features and updated specs that include a 3.5-inch 320×480 multi-touch display (Capacitive 10-point multi-gesture touch display), along with up to 32GB of internal flash memory, paired with SDHC slot (supports up to 32GB of external SDHC Card), 256MB Mobile DDR RAM (similar to the iPhone 3GS), dual cameras for video conferencing, as the front camera supports HD quality, 3-axis accelerometer, a built-in speaker, a mic, and of course, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR connectivity are also included in Creative’s “StemCell Computing” project, to let you connect with outbound entities. Other than that, this amazing machine (which you have to admit, looks exactly like an iPhone), packs X-Fi audio processing and supports OpenGL ES and HD playback with 1080p video output (via HD cable). Creative says the platform itself is “market-ready” for OEM manufacturers and can be bundled with different outfits for retail price of $400, but until we figure out whether it will be released as an mp3 player, mobile phone or other alternatives, checkout the video demo after the break.

Update1: With so much potential, stuffed into a one small device, it’s just a matter of time until we’re going to see more neat features, demonstrating the Zii EGG phenomenal specs to the world, and as for a start, hit the jump to checkout the other video, introducing the Zii, running a racing game demo, using both its accelerometer and OpenGL ES capabilities.

Update2: You know the drill, first comes the introduction, then it’s the traditional dissection, which in this case is up, courtesy of the FCC report (and not a cracking group), that every company has to pass through, to ge its productst into the US market. Hit the break to see the inside part of the Zii.

Update3: And if web surfing is something you find yourself using quite often while on the go, mind you that Creative has officially chosen Opera as the main browser inside the Zii Egg. Good or bad, it’d be up to you to decide, once the Zii gets available.

creative-zii-egg-official

[Via DAP Review]

Continue reading Creative's Android-based Zii EGG Handheld Officially Introduced →

Computers, News, Operating Systems

Google Chrome OS Announced, Will Be available In 2010

google-chrome_1

Google has just thrown a bomb to the IT world, announcing a new Chrom OS platform that suppose to give an open-source solution mainly for netbooks but also for full-size desktop systems, and is expected to go live somewhere on the second half of 2010. Additionally, the new OS from Mountain View, CA is claimed to smoothly run any x86 and ARM chips, while the company firmly says it already teamed up with manufacturers like Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments to bring you all the best and comprehensive UI you’d get, so stay tuned for a lot more to come. Here’s what Google’s blog had to say, in a nutshell:

“Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we’re already talking to partners about the project, and we’ll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don’t have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.”

[Google]

Computers, Computex, News, Operating Systems

Taiwan's ARM-Based Mtube II Crams Both Android Tablet and XP Netbook In One Device

The idea of having both Android tablet and XP netbook, packed in one small portable device is lighting our imagination for quite some time, and when Taiwan’s Institute for Information Industry was recently introducing the Mtube II netbook / tablet hybrid machine at the Computex show, we knew we’re on the right direction with this one. The interesting combination of HP Mini 1000, coming with Windows XP flavor, and an Android tablet platform that can easily pulled out of the main body and serve as an independent touch unit, will probably reach the markets in a year or two, but at the meantime, having the ability to watch this wonder in action right here, right now, directly from our armchair is truly exciting, despite the poor processors that were integrated inside – VIA C7-M for the netbook and unspecified ARM processor with the Android tablet – and the screen, which is connected by VNC, providing a medicore video quality at most. Nonetheless, the technology for itself is pretty fascinating, so if you’d like to see this enlightening video for yourself hit the break and start dreaming.

mtubeii-android-netbook-tablet

[via chinese engadget]

Continue reading Taiwan's ARM-Based Mtube II Crams Both Android Tablet and XP Netbook In One Device →

Events, Mobile, News, Operating Systems, Phones

Apple's WWDC 2009: New iPhone 3G-S Announced, $199 Price Tag And OS 3.0 Inside

Apple’s WWDC 2009 event is already behind and we were lucky to hear exactly what we’ve all been waiting for, as Cupertino unsurprisingly announced a new iPhone device, also known as the iPhone 3G-S, with the “S” referring to “Speed”, as for faster and stronger than previous iPhone 3G model. The event itself started with Apple’s staggering revelation, claiming there are over 50,000 apps in the App Store  and more than 1 billion application downloads in the last 9 months period – which is quite overwhelming, to say the least. Once ending with those astonishing details, Apple has proudly  introduced the official iPhone OS 3.0 platform, which suppose to go live on June 17th, free of charge, while  iPod Touch users, repeatedly deprived, with Apple asking them to pay $9.95 for getting the update. As for the Os 3.0 version, apparently it’ll bear inside most of the things we’ve been writing about for quite some time, including Copy/Paste, MMS, A2DP stereo Bluetooth, Peer-to-peer connectivity, 30 integrated languages , landscape keyboard, real turn-by-turn TomTom GPS navigation system, Autofill support,  Find My iPhone compatibility, internet tethering connection, “rent and purchase” online service (purchase movies directly from your iPhone), and other cool add-ons you can read about, in here (overall, over 100 new features).

Heading forward, after endless speculations and about one million rumors floating around, the star of the day, which is probably the fastest iPhone device ever made, was finally introduced with stronger processing elements and upgraded data speed – standing at 7.2Mbps HSDPA, instead of only 3.6Mbps on previous model. In terms of design, the new iPhone 3GS boasts the same sleeky rounded body, its 3G predecessor had, only this one has a lot more to offer, with a brand new 3 megapixels autofocus camera that can easily capture videos at 30fps in VGA mode, along with in-phone edit / adjustment capabilities. Another cool feature that Apple was kindly adding to this wonderful machine is the Voice Control function, that seamlessly brings up a whole different user interface that lets you do various things like making calls or handle your iTunes whenever holding down the Home button control. And if that wasn’t enough, a “revolutionary” battery that holds up to 12 hours of 2G talk, or 5 hours of 3G chat is part of this affordable package. Speaking about affordable, Apple has really gone wild this time with prices dropping down to $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB when it goes on sale on June 19th, in 80 countries across the world – with current 8GB 3G version remain in the market for ONLY $99 a piece. Hit the jump to checkout the comparison table together with a group of images from yesterday’s event.

Update1: Looks like T-Mobile Netherlands wasn’t told about the embargo that Apple was casting on specs or any other information related to the new iPhone 3G-S device (at least until official release, on June 19th).  According to the company’s website, Apple’s new wonder will presumably pack a 600MHz CPU with 256MB of RAM. That’s up from 412MHz and 128MB of RAM in both previous generations, which is roughly twice as fast as previous hardware. Check the specs image after the break.

Update2: In case you really can’t wait for the official release, take a look at the new video (in Portuguese) after the break, featuring the brand new iPhone 3GS with some of the new features inside.

apple-iphone3gs

[Apple]

Continue reading Apple's WWDC 2009: New iPhone 3G-S Announced, $199 Price Tag And OS 3.0 Inside →

Computers, Computex, News, Operating Systems

Acer To Implement Moblin Linux OS In Its Netbooks Lineup

Great news from Moblin Linux direction, as Intel’s free open-sourced platform will apparently receive a significant corroboration from Taiwanese corp Acer, who recently pledged on a computex conference to widely implement this phenomenal OS inside its desktop computers, laptop devices and Aspire One netbook machines, starting this year. And while anxiously waiting for self interaction, various editions of Moblin 2.0, including Suse, Xandros, Linpus, Red Flag, and Ubuntu were flauntingly demoed in that same press gathering, running on different portable netbook brands from HP, Asustek, MSI, and Hasee Computer, impressively raising our impatiemt feelings. But needless to say we’re constantly following, so just stay in touch for future updatings.

moblin_v2_netbook_beta

[via pcworld]

Applications, Computers, News, Operating Systems

Intel's Moblin 2.0 Beta System For Netbooks Gets a Video Introduction

Remember Moblin’s independent system, designed to run on your personal netbook? Well, here it is – Again! – This time even more impressive, with the 2.0 beta version going live, introducing a fascinating interface, visually rich and impeccably designed, housing tons of apps (divided into Zones), features and one taskbar manager to handle navigation between elements. Naturally, you get some widgets to play with, like calender, browser thumbnails, email client and the new kid on the block, Twitter. Overall, the system runs pretty smoothly, giving new hopes for those who justly avoided shelling out extra money on Windows XP inside their machines.  To learn even more, checkout the demo video after the break.

moblin_v2_netbook_beta

[Moblin.org]

Continue reading Intel's Moblin 2.0 Beta System For Netbooks Gets a Video Introduction →

Accessories, Applications, Audio, Events, Games, Hardware, Media Players, Mobile, Music, News, Operating Systems, Phones, Video

Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 To Have MMS Messaging, Copy And Paste, P2P Connectivity And a Lot More (Now: Jailbreak)

Apple’s OS 3.0 preview event in Cupertino, California was just ended with some interesting announcements concerning hardware accessories, firmware tweaks, App Store business model improvements and some new games/software developments – answering most of our long lasting expectations. Although it was more of a conference, targeting third party developers, some of the news are all about iPhone’s consumers usability. That includes:

  • Copy & Paste capabilities.
  • MMS messaging support.
  • Forward and delete for multiple messages.
  • Peer-to-peer connectivity over Bluetooth for gaming and info exchange.
  • A2DP stereo Bluetooth add-on
  • Voice Memos.
  • A new home screen page with Spotlight feature, allowing universal search on the phone (like Palm’s Pre).
  • Shake To Shuffle function.
  • Landscape keyboard, available in Mail, Notes and SMS.

First event without Steve Jobs around, and everyone in Apple talks about a complete return to CEO position somewhere around June 2009. But illness matters aside, we’ve learned that the company craves for extra revenues, specially from third-party applications. That is why developers will be able to include subscription fee inside paid apps, together with optional paid content that can be purchased directly from the app itself (like T-shirts and other stuff). Developers will also be able to build apps combined with Google Maps or connect with hardware accessories, such as computer speakers, keyboard and even a blood pressure monitor, through their applications. The new package will include 1,000 new APIs, allowing push notifications (at last), in-game voice use and built-in tethering functionality, that will hopefully work in the future. Other than that, users will get auto WiFi login around hotspots, full parental controls over TV shows/App Store apps and even Bluetooth functionality, in case you’re a 2G iPod touch owners.

OS 3.0 Beta version for developers is now available in here. The other 3.0 firmware update for consumers will be launched in the summer, free of charge. Those who hold iPod Touch devices in their hands will have to pay the usual annoying fee (which stands at $9.95), to get the new version.

Update1: checkout the video after the break.

Update2: iPhone OS 3.0 beta 2 was just released (for developers) and looks like we’re about to get the opportunity to use up to 11 home screens instead of the 9 screens limit on the current one. Additionally, Apple will finally add the push notifications feature in the upcoming version, so here’s a good reason to look forward for something.

Update3: You’ve guessed it right, the guys at QuickPwn have just kicked in with their latest release, which jailbreaks Apple’s OS 3.0 for free use. As always – at your risk – just to the following link, as download is available in here.

Update4: Looks like you’ll also get Voice Control (which stands for voice dialing), together with some other goodies like video recording, auto-focus camera, a compass and a digital battery indicator.

[Apple]

Continue reading Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 To Have MMS Messaging, Copy And Paste, P2P Connectivity And a Lot More (Now: Jailbreak) →

Applications, Computers, News, Operating Systems

Intel Officially Releases The Moblin 2 OS For Your Netbooks

We keep getting lots of news about independent systems, designed for your personal netbooks, but this new Fedora-based OS from Intel looks very interesting and already confirmed to be working with Acer Aspire One, Dell Mini and even some Asus Eee versions (without wireless support). Although it’s still in Alpha mode and plenty of water will flow in the river until perfection is achieved, this open-source system which carries the name Moblin 2, might be a good solution for early adopters who crave for a cheap and stable platform to replace their Windows XP. Those who wish to install it might find a good internet connection manager, fast booting performance, nice transparent  design and other Linux goodies inside. However, if you’re not a computer literate, you might find yourself in troubles, fighting pesky bugs that have a special affection for preliminary software stages.

Update: April 3, 2009 – Intel hands over this very promising OS to the Linux Foundation, to keep it as a neutral body, although Intel itself stays in charge of this project behind the scenes. Yes, tech world has its own small politics, you know.

[Via Ars Technica]

Audio, Internet, Media Players, News, Operating Systems, Video

Archos 5 Media Tablet Supports External Mouse & Keyboard

1 Comment

Archos aficionados, there are some great news coming ahead, as the French company has finally released firmware version 1.2.05, which brings external keyboard and mouse support to the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet devices, allowing users to connect them via USB port to the DVR Station or the Battery Dock, whenever they like. This long awaited move, will help Archos fanboys to improve their usability, specially within the typing or gaming areas and literally, will turn the small 5-inch PMP into a portable netbook hybrid – meaning, more options, more functionality and way more comfortable to handle. Checkout the rest of the firmware updates after the break.

[dailymotion]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7lsox_archos-3g-avec-clavier-souris-sur-l_tech[/dailymotion]

[via archoslounge]

Continue reading Archos 5 Media Tablet Supports External Mouse & Keyboard →

Applications, Mobile, News, Operating Systems, Phones

iPhone Gets Linux 2.6 Platform, Demonstrated On Video

We had a good feeling, this is going to happen, and we’re glad to see it live, as a group of developers has announced the release of the Linux 2.6 kernel, that was transformed into an iphone platform, allowing first and second generation iPhone users to load the alternative system to their devices. Truth to be told, it’s just the first stages, and many drivers are still missing, but if you’re a Linux avid, there’s nothing to stop you from doing so. Checkout the demo video, or head to the link below for more info.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/2373142?pg=embed&sec=2373142[/vimeo]

[via linuxoniphone]

Audio, Events, Internet, Mobile, News, Operating Systems, Phones

T-Mobile G1: First HTC Dream G1 Android Powered Phone Introduced

2 Comments

The T-Mobile G1 event was definitely a game changer, to how the mobile phone and the Internet have merged to bring us innovative solutions in one device, the kind that can provide Email, Maps, Calendar, instant messaging, Contacts, Search engine and Media player, all together in one strong Open Source platform that will be able to compete those lavish smartphone handsets, with a fair and affordable price. As the clock pointed at 10:30 AM (East time), a group of distinguish representatives from companies like Deutsche Telecom, T-Mobile, HTC and Google were gathered on one small New York stage, to announce the long-awaited HTC Dream, powered with Google’s Android operating system, to be available in T-Mobile stores and dealers on October 27th, for merely $179, subjunctive to a two year contract – $25/month deal, including unlimited internet access plus a certain amount of messaging package, or $35/month deal with unlimited internet access and unlimited messages to send.

The new phone, also known as the G1, is equipped with a quadband GSM HSDPA 1700/2100, a stunning flip-out 3-inch 320 x 480 HVGA touchscreen, a full QWERTY keyboard to make it easier when you type-in a web address or any other online form, a 3.2MP camera with auto focus, a microSD card extension (1GB microSD card included, supports up to 8GB card), GPS navigation system, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. The continuous collaboration with Mountain View brings a smooth multitasking UI, packed with many Google apps, such as Gmail, GTalk IM, Google Maps, digital compass, integrated Traffic view / Street View, Google calender and last but not least, Google’s search engine, assimilated inside the built-in browser. In addition, you get more applications pre-loaded, like Android Market, which is equivalent to Apple’s App Store, Amazon’s MP3 store, allowing to download from 6 million DRM-free tracks (starting at 89 cents), YouTube and many other third-party goodies onboard. The unit comes with a designated Search Button that lets you work across the entire interface and search any application you want. Thus, you can look for your friends in the contact list or search for a special occasion within your calender, etc. Regretfully, it doesn’t support the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, nor A2DP stereo Bluetooth, but you can expect to see them in future versions. Sized at 4.60” x 2.16” x 0.62”, the G1’s battery provides up to 5 hours of speech or 130 hours in standby mode and potential buyers will be able to choose between black, white or brown flavors, when the phone goes live, in early November.

Checkout the videos after the break. For more images you can click in here.

[via Android Community]

Continue reading T-Mobile G1: First HTC Dream G1 Android Powered Phone Introduced →

Applications, Mobile, Operating Systems, Phones

iPhone Firmware 2.1 Officially Goes Live

Following recent announcement, Apple has officially released firmware update 2.1, to fight those irritating bugs and unbearable crashes that took all over the place, leaving so many customers desperate and confused. The new 2.1 update is reported to be much stabilized than its predecessor, fixing so many bugs that made your applications crash and improving the flaky battery life, to work much longer than it used to. In addition, El Jobso has promised to minimize those failing drop calls and substantially improve iTunes’ backup speed, along with a better email usability, so lets hope he can keep his word.

To get version 2.1 installed, you can hook your iphone to iTunes 8, choosing “check for update”, to download the entire 237.8mb file and install it. You can download it RIGHT NOW from here.

[Apple]

Applications, Media Players, News, Operating Systems, Phones

iPhone Firmware 2.1 Announced, Will Fight The Bugs And The Crashes

Apple is desperately looking for new solutions to fix those pesky iphone/ipod touch bugs, crashes, call drops and bad reception, announcing new firmware update, to be available on Friday for a free download (regretfully, ipod touch owners will have to pay $10 for it). Also, the coming 2.1 version will apparantly improve battery life and backup synchronization, but won’t tackle with the copy & paste problem – hopefully it will – one day.

Update1: You can download it RIGHT NOW from here.

Update2: iPod Touch owners with firmware version 2.0 are entitled to download the new update for free.

Slashgear

[Image courtesy: Slashgear]

Applications, Mobile, Operating Systems, Phones

iPhone Firmware 2.0.2 Is Now Available Via iTunes

Apple has released firmware update 2.0.2 for iphone and ipod touch devices,  available for downloading via your iTunes, only two weeks after introducing the 2.0.1 version to the world. The new update weights around 250MB and presumably, fixes some of the bugs that have been reported by users. So far, no one can point out which of the bugs were fixed, but it seems to be targeting iPhone 3G phones. The overall feeling is that there’s sort of improvement, so stay tuned for more news and reports to come.


Applications, Mobile, Operating Systems, Phones

iPhone Firmware 2.0.1 Available Via iTunes

Apple has just released firmware version 2.0.1 for iphone and ipod touch devices, available for downloading through your iTunes, 3 weeks after introducing the 2.0 buggy edition. The new update weights 250MB(!) and presumabley, blocks your jailbroken handsets, but not for long, we’re still waiting for Dev-Team to officialy release their ultimate software solution. Meanwhile, if you like your unlocked applications, you should patiently wait, otherwise, in-plan users can update their phone without any problems. Stay tuned for more bug fixing updates and other related news.

Update1: it seems the 3G network browsing works much faster than previous version. Checkout the video after the break.

Update2: several iPhone 3G users are reporting carrier error on both Windows and Mac OS X versions. In this case, restore to the previous 2.0 firmware.

[via slashgear]

Continue reading iPhone Firmware 2.0.1 Available Via iTunes →

Applications, Media Players, Mobile, News, Operating Systems, Phones

iPhone 3G: Windows PC Jailbreak Goes Live

Windows OS users, this is your day, as Pwnage 2.0 version for your PC (AKA: WinPwn 2.0) has been released, allowing iPhone 1st Gen, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch users to jailbreak their devices and unlock their sim cards if necessary. Although it was already available, for early adopters, only 24 hours after the official Dev-Team Mac release, this one is much easier, especially with the ability to make your jailbroken handset – Sim Free – in one click. Mind you, this is only a preliminary version and it might have some bugs, so stay cautious while updating your device.

You can download the software from here or here or here.

read the instructions after the break.

Update: There are new versions available in here.

[via WinPwn]

Continue reading iPhone 3G: Windows PC Jailbreak Goes Live →

Applications, Mobile, Operating Systems, Phones, software

iPhone 3G: Pwnage 2.0 Jailbreak Goes Live

After days of expectations, Dev Team has finally released a software-based jailbreak for firmware update 2.0, installed on iPhone 3G, iPhone 1st Gen and iPod Touch devices. Although it is only Mac users compatible, Dev Team has promised to release PC friendly version in the near future, along with iphone 3G full unlocking version [You can download the jailbreaking software from here or here or here]. The new Pwnage 2.0 jailbreak can do the following:

iPhone 3G – Only activate and jailbreak, no unlock yet (no sim free).

iPhone 1st Gen (With firmware 2.0 installe.d) –  activate, jailbreak and unlock.

iPod Touch (With firmware 2.0 installed) – activate and jailbreak.

Mind you, there are plenty of people trying to get this one so be patient as you download those 19.7MB. Full instractions can be found in here.

Update1: that was fast! Jailbreak 2.0, now available for Windows OS users. You can get full instructions in here or here.

Update2: 24 hours later and there’s a new update that fixes some of the bugs from the first version. You can get it in here or here.

[via Dev-Team]

Applications, Media Players, Operating Systems, Phones

iPhone and iPod Touch Firmware 2.0 Is Available For Download

5 Comments

iPhone and iPod Touch owners, this is your moment, as Apple has officially released the latest firmware 2.0 version, available for download via iTunes. Mind you, there’s a load on the servers and it might be slow, but if you’re determined to get one, in order to access the new App Store, i guess nothing will stop you from upgrading your devices. Don’t forget, ipod touch users have to pay $9.95 to get firmware 2.0 update.

iPhone firmware 2.0 update is available in here.

ipod touch firmware 2.0 update is available via iTunes Store, in here.

iphone3G-firmware2

News, Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows 7 Multi-Touch Demonstration

Microsoft has revealed a very nice demonstration, at the All Things Digital conference, showing some snippets of the next windows 7 OS (coming up in 2009) with amazing multi-touch capabilities that were shifted from the Microsoft Surface to a Dell Latitude XT tablet PC. The images undoubtedly prove that Microsoft wants to change the user interface experience by assimilating finger gestures that let you move, rotate or shrink images, navigate maps, play the piano and a lot more, with a simple touch of a finger. Checkout the video to see the future:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/eFFMW13q3zc" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

[via windowsvistablog]

Applications, Media Players, Operating Systems

Archos Firmware 2.0.10 Brings Flash 9 To 5th Generation PMPs

2 Comments

archos-605-mini Today, after months of speculations, Archos has finally met the expectations and released firmware update 2.0.10 that includes:

  • WebTV and Radio (with optional Plug-in).
  • GPS (with optional car cradle).
  • Alarm Clock.
  • Flash 9 support.

There’s no doubt that among the new features above, the most juicy newsworthy one is the Flash 9, which places Archos PMPs at the top of the players and the only ones to support flash 9. The new release enables Archos users to surf the internet seamlessly, without having to miss any web details or applications, as the tendency points to built-in flash 8/9 web services. The new firmware is available to download here, check out the videos after the break.

[via Archos]

Continue reading Archos Firmware 2.0.10 Brings Flash 9 To 5th Generation PMPs →

Applications, Operating Systems, Phones

iSwish brings iPhone UI to Any Windows Mobile Device

Great news for those who own Windows Mobile Devices, but continue staring at iPhone users with jealousy, as Flick Software Research has announced the release of iSwish interface and iZoom pinch software applications that amazingly simulate Apple’s multi-touch user experience, along with some other cool features, including screen flicking, animated icons, fast scrolling and even the neat zoom in-out pinching mode. It seems to be working flawlessly on Dell Axim PDA and some other Windows Mobile units, so check out the demo and expect this applications to come out in few days.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/A77VD9nKGDw" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

[via engadget]

Computers, Operating Systems

Asus Eee PC Windows XP Version Goes Live At Best Buy For $399

If you prefer your Asus Eee Pc, loaded with Windows XP version, you can get it without delay from Best Buy for $399.99, same price as the Linux model. Mind you, the new 7-inch stock is probably going to be snatched before summer time, so you’d better be hurry to order yours either in black or white flavors.

 asus-eeepc-xp

[via Best Buy]

Mobile, Operating Systems, Phones

Samsung TouchWiz UI Looks Great And Works Smoothly

Samsung introduced the TouchWiz, a new OS interface, designed for its subsequent smartphones. The new UI supports touch features and will be embedded in the company’s upcoming finger-touch handsets. The following video from Phone Scoop, reveals a graphical interface with colorful icons and friendly menus, running fast and seamlessly. I guess the TouchWiz places Samsung in a good position, as the competition with Apple’s iphone becoming intensified.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZF9rcmX83yQ" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

[via engadget]

Mobile, News, Operating Systems

Google Has Launched A New Android SDK

Several months after the announcement of the revolutionary Android handset OS, Google releases an updated version of the Android SDK with major improvements and new applications, so you can download it and fiddle around, as long as you want. The latest update includes new user interface, layout animations, geo-coding, new media codecs and updated Eclipse plug-in. If you feel you can help in shaping the platform, let the Android team know.

Available for download here

android-new-sdk

[via Android]

Operating Systems, Phones

Google Announces The Android OS

16 Comments

Android Finally, after recurrent rumors about a new G-Phone, coming out, Google announced� on a new OS for mobile phones – The Android.� The new OS is a rendezvous of Google with the group of Open Handset Alliance. The OMH, is a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies who have come together to accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience. The major mobile companies in this group includes companies like LG, HTC, Motorola and Samsung. This mobile gigantic companies joining companies like Ebay, Google and some of the biggest cellular providers like Sprint, T-Mobile, China Mobile, KDDI and more. Not impressed yet? you can also add to this massive coalition,� hardware manufacturers mammoth like Intel, Nvidia, SiRF, Qualcomm, Marvel, and more (Nokia and Apple are excluded).
The new OS will be based on open source and Android’s Platform will provide a development Kit for developers, which will be available on November 12th.

We Can’t Wait To See The Results !!!