FROM GAMERTELL - NIntendo is rumored to release a DSi with a larger screen in Japan later this year. The larger screen is geared towards an older audience who would find the screen easier to read. MORE »
The biggest thing in CPU technology right now seems to be how many cores someone can fit on a chip, then how fast those cores will run. Intel right now looks to be leading the pack with its quad-core Core i7, and rightfully so, that chip is awesome. A new company spun out of M.I.T., Tilera, promises to multiply that number by 25, with 100 cores per chip.
Tilera is claiming that these chips will be available by early 2010, and should work with current x86 applications after a recompiling. If that sounds foreign, just know that it will work with current applications with some slight modifications. The chip manages to achieve 100 cores by assembling them in a grid on the chip surface, and connecting them via a mesh network. The result should end up with a chip that can easily turn off and on the cores as needed, and still work reasonably well with existing memory. The chips should provide enough processing power to do just about anything needed, like the Core i7.
The major downfall with Tilera’s chips is that they won’t be able to run Windows 7, or anything out right now. With a different architecture, the Tilera chips will not be capable of running anything until an OS of some sort supports it. Perhaps a Linux distribution (Ubuntu?) will at least get some code for the new CPUs. If the chips are as powerful as Tilera is promising, they should be able to handle anything Linux could throw at them. They would serve well for a server of some sort, or an ultra-powerful Linux desktop as of right now. If nothing else, hopefully this will push Intel into getting their 80-core prototype CPU out as soon as possible.
T-Mobile has announced it will begin offering Wi-Fi calling for its corporate BlackBerry users. The as of now un-named service would allow offices to make calls without using their plan minutes. Calls would automatically switch over to the T-Mobile network when leaving the office Wi-Fi connection. While T-Mobile is saying this service is designed to help companies save money, there is a catch. They will charge them a flat fee on top of their monthly plan to use it. That fee would vary depending on the amount of users.
Sprint, AT&T and Verizon offer a similar service but with the addition of hardware, known as a femtocell. Sprint, for example, offers unlimited calling on its Airave for a flat fee of $10 a month in addition to your plan and it doesn't use your minutes. However it will also drop the call when you leave its coverage and move onto the local tower. Aside from that, however, it is an excellent service.
VoIP is a useful and valuable tool but remember the call quality depends on your connection. VoIP calls were horrible when I had DSL. Calls were choppy and garbled. Now that I have a much faster broadband connection, calls are crystal clear.
FROM APPLETELL - Big HD screens are all the rage these days, but petite USB monitors such as the ones sold by DoubleSight are optimal for a number of different uses. MORE »
If you’ve been issued a laptop from your company, thoughts of how to turn this quasi-mobile device into a passable workstation immediately springs to mind. Logitech answers the call with their MK605 Notebook Kit. The kit includes some smart parts to make your in the office time a bit more bearable.
The Logitech kit includes a wireless keyboard, wireless mouse and notebook riser. The wireless keyboard features a number pad for banging through spreadsheets, the mouse is classic M505 and the riser helps put the laptop or keyboard at angle more suitable. The kit costs a manager-agreeable $99 and is available now.
FROM GAMERTELL - Very soon, PS3 owners will be able to watch streaming movies and tv shows thanks to a partnership between Sony and Netflix. PS3 owners can sign up now to receive a free instant streaming disc once they are available. MORE »
Retina-X Studios has announced the immediate release of their software, Mobile Spy. Mobile Spy will now be usable on RIM BlackBerry devices, after previously being launched for iPhone, Windows Mobile (pictured) and Symbian smartphones. Features of Mobile Spy include the ability to monitor GPS locations, text message history and call logs of children, employees and others. Mobile Spy works even if the history is cleared on a mobile device.
Once installed, Mobile Spy is in stealth mode and does not appear on the device. Mobile Spy records GPS locations every fifteen minutes and saves complete transcriptions of incoming and outgoing text messages. Phone numbers and durations of calls are also recorded. You won't need to access the phone again once installed, you simply check the saved data through an online account using your web or mobile browser.
The BlackBerry version is now for download available through the Mobile Spy website. Users will need to pay an annual fee of $99.97 to access the application.
FROM APPLETELL - Ping! is an iDevice to iDevice messaging application that makes use of Apple’s Push Notification service, and is said to be a replacement for SMS or other IM clients. MORE »
The wait for the follow up webOS handset has almost come to an end. Just this morning Palm and Sprint have officially announced that the Palm Pixi will be available as of November 15.
Price wise, the Pixi will be $99.99 with a two-year agreement. Sadly though that price comes AFTER a $50 instant and $100 mail-in-rebate, which means potential Pixi owners will have to pay $199.99 to get out the door. Otherwise there is not much in terms of surprises. Customers will be able to pick up a Palm Pixi at Sprint retail stores, Best Buy, Radio Shack, select Wal-Mart locations as well as by calling Sprint telesales.
Feature wise the Pixi has a 2.63-inch 320 x 400 touchscreen display, built-in GPS, a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash, accelerometer, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack and 8GB of internal storage. Additionally, the Pixi is 3G EvDO Rev A capable, but does not come with Wi-Fi.
In today’s world of launch events for new phones complete with anxious customers sleeping in the streets, it is very telling that Verizon has decided to push the BlackBerry Storm 2 out of the back door with very little fanfare, as Verizon announced today that the phone would be available October 28th for $179. Verizon’s dumped loads of cash to build interest in Droid, their forthcoming Android phone, but almost nothing on the Storm 2, a follow-up device that sold over a million units in the first go round. So what is wrong with this new phone?
Is it the screen that still clicks? A big sticking point for many reviewers was the oddity of the entire screen moving and clicking. While BlackBerry hung tight to the company line: BB users love positive click feedback, the rest of us were not so sure. Other issues remained making the phone cumbersome at best.
How is the Storm 2 different? The Storm 2 is faster and more responsive than the original, adds Wi-Fi and more memory. The display is gorgeous and is great for movies. The screen tapping feature is refined to allow faster typing than the original.
How is the 2 received by BB experts?
From Crackberry: “Picking up the BlackBerry Storm2, it’s clear that Research in Motion’s thought process here was simply to build a better BlackBerry Storm. They weren’t thinking about building an iPhone killer or worrying about what Palm is up to with their Web OS or what the next wave of Android phones might look like.”
From InfoSyncWorld: “Even with the improvements, and they are significant, using the BlackBerry Storm 2 was a real chore, as the extra pressure required to ‘click’ makes every action a bit harder compared to other touchscreens. The interface design was continually frustrating, even while newer phones, like the HTC Hero on Sprint, manage to surprise and delight with clever and adaptive touchscreen interface ideas”
From PCMag: ” The Storm2’s screen is much better than before, but the UI still lacks the intuitive response of a device designed with touch in mind from the very beginning.”
In any event, each review went on to end up with the same feeling, the Storm 2 is definitely an upgrade to the original but stops short of being best-in-class out there. For BB users, this may be as good as it gets, for others not hooked on BB servers, there are other choices, even on Verizon. Perhaps Verizon is gun-shy with the Storm 2, after getting a little embarrassed on the first one?
The best part about the show? Topics move quickly, but if you don't like a topic, just skip it. Keep an eye on that timer to help you along. Enjoy the show.
HTC has just recently begun a new ad campaign which deems them as “Quietly Brilliant” and is simply going by the name of “You.” While some may say that the quietly brilliant part is a bit self centered, the You campaign in general appears to be offering a welcomed push at showing consumers just how nice it can be to have a smartphone.
"'Quietly Brilliant' is doing great things in a humble way, with the belief that the best things in life can only be experienced, not explained," said John Wang, chief marketing officer, HTC Corporation. "The YOU campaign is the perfect embodiment of 'Quietly Brilliant' and is core to HTC as a company, innovator and partner."
This new campaign has taken the tagline of “You don’t need to get a phone. You need a phone that gets you.”
The tagline is pretty simple, but perhaps a little more important is that it also seems to make perfect sense, especially if you have been following along with even a few of HTC’s recent releases. Just to name a few we have seen the Android based Hero as well as the Windows Mobile based Tilt2.
Of course, that is just two of the most recent. HTC has also been know over the years for their Windows Mobile based smartphones, not to mention they are (or have been) perhaps the biggest push in Android. If you remember back, it was HTC that got that ball rolling with the G1 and a little later with the myTouch 3G.
Finally, speaking as someone who has been using the HTC Hero with the Sense UI, I can say that if nothing else this phone is very capable of becoming “You.”
The biggest thing in CPU technology right now seems to be how many cores someone can fit on a chip, then how fast those cores will run. Intel right now looks to be leading the pack with its quad-core Core i7, and rightfully so, that chip is awesome. A new company spun out of M.I.T., Tilera, promises to multiply that number by 25, with 100 cores per chip.
Retina-X Studios has announced the immediate release of their software, Mobile Spy. Mobile Spy will now be usable on RIM BlackBerry devices, after previously being launched for iPhone, Windows Mobile (pictured) and Symbian smartphones. Features of Mobile Spy include the ability to monitor GPS locations, text message history and call logs of children, employees and others. Mobile Spy works even if the history is cleared on a mobile device.
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