Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile If you navigate over to the Sprint online store and search for the HTC EVO 4G, you will be granted with a dismaying message: the HTC EVO 4G is sold out, but it actually does say “Sorry, this device is so hot we can’t keep it on our virtual shelves.” I guess it was only a matter of time the 4G smartphone would be temporarily out of stock, especially considering just yesterday Sprint announced the record sales for the HTC EVO 4G. In fact, most recent estimates indicate the HTC EVO 4G sold over 200,000 units in its debut weekend. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for Sprint to replenish its online stock. For the sake of Sprint, I hope HTC manages to increase production because the phone is definitely a coveted smartphone. Check it out [Sprint] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Laptops, Gaming The Alienware M11x is one of the best combinations of portability and power in a PC out there. At under $1000 with an 11-inch screen and specs capable of running some of the newest games it was impressive even when it packed a Core 2 Duo. Today Dell has upgraded the Alienware-branded netbook-sized gaming laptop. The first big addition to the M11x is the upgrade to an Intel Core i5 CPU in the higher-sec standard build. The Core i5 can be replaced with a Core i7, adding $150 to the $949 standard Core i5. The new Intel Core build also include Nvidia Optimus graphics, providing easy switching between an Intel integrated graphics chip or the 1GB Nvidia GeForceGT 335M graphics. To fit the new chips, Dell had to remove the VGA port on the M11x, though it’s a worthwhile sacrifice since the laptop still has a HDMI port for video output. The upgrade to the M11x makes it an interesting device for those who need a lot of power in an easily transported size. The price makes it even more attractive, though it obviously increases when upgraded. With the specs maxed out to a Core i7, 8GB of RAM, 256GD SSD, Gobi 3G radio, Bluetooth, an external DVD drive and Windows 7 Ultimate, the price comes to $2,393.99. That’s well above the $949, and gets into territory where it might just make sense to buy a larger laptop to have some extra screen with all the power. Product [Dell] Via [Gizmodo] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web Apps  Somewhat overshadowed by the Apple takeover on the web yesterday, the Windows Live blog announced the launch of the Office Live, Windows’ response to document storage, editing, and collaboration on the internet. Office Live actually has a lot of very cool features that will no doubt give Google Docs a run for its money. First and foremost, all of its features (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) are free with a Windows Live account. Second you can upload all of your Office Documents to the cloud where you can edit on any computer at any time. Third you can collaborate in real-time on documents. Fourth, if you visit Office.live.com on your smartphone you can view Word and PowerPoint documents on the go. While you might already have this on Google Docs, the OneNote features as well as the mobile support really makes this service a competitor in the cloud-based document space. Read [Windows Live Blog Via WebWorkerDaily] Full Story » | Written by Hunter Clarke for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Desktops  Sony has just announced one of the more attractive options in the Touchscreen All-In-One category, the Vaio J. The Vaio J sports a 1920x1080 21.5” touchscreen, 2.66 GHz Core i7 CPU, nVidia discrete graphics, and 8GB of RAM. It boots into Windows 7 from a 500GB hard drive with its very own touch-friendly Media Gallery that Sony has programmed. While the specifications might not turn any heads in the enthusiast department, the starting price of $900 will satisfy just about any consumers needs. You can go ahead pre-order the Vaio J today and it will be hitting stores next month Via [Engadget] Press Release: SONY UNVEILS NEW ENTRY-LEVEL PRICED TOUCH-SCREEN PC VAIO J
All-In-One Puts Music, Photos and Blu-ray Disc Movies One-Touch Away SAN DIEGO, June 8, 2010 – Sony today unveiled its new, affordable touch-enabled, multi-media machine- the VAIO® J Touch All-In-One PC. With the VAIO J Series’ multi-touch screen, easy access to your PC, HD movies- your entire entertainment hub- is readily at your fingertips. Equipped with a 21.5-inch (diagonal) 1920x1080 widescreen panel, the unit displays high-definition content in Full HD. Select models feature a Blu-ray Disc™ optical drive so you can enjoy movies in stunning 1080p high definition. “The J Series changes the way consumers interact with their PC enabling them to tap, drag, zoom, rotate and engage with their content and entertainment like never before,” said Mike Lucas, senior vice president of the VAIO business at Sony. “And with its attractive price point, this cutting-edge technology will reach a whole new audience.” The J Series comes with three unique hardware buttons-VAIO, ASSIST and DISPLAY OFF to get you to where you want to go with a touch of a button. Launch directly into Sony’s own Media Gallery software by pushing the designated VAIO button and simplify your music library. With Media Gallery you can automatically create 21 unique channels of music based on beat, tone, rhythm and other elements. It also enables you to rediscover forgotten favorites by recommending content you already own based on your unique listening and viewing habits. Facilitate simple do-it-yourself PC maintenance procedures by pressing the ASSIST button and launching the included VAIO Care™ software program. Finally a DISPLAY OFF button is included so you can turn off your screen for privacy or to perform nighttime applications without sending your PC into hibernation. By utilizing built-in wireless 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi technology and your wireless router (required, sold separately), you can position the model virtually anywhere in your home and access the Internet, email or home network. A built-in webcam with face-tracking technology and microphone let you video chat with colleagues. Included Webcam Message Board software makes it easy to create video messages or leave handwritten notes on the screen. A third-party internet service provider is required.
The unit packs a powerful 2010 Intel® Core™ processor (select models), loads of RAM, and an optional dedicated NVIDIA® GeForce ® series graphics for graphic-intense gaming and movies. It comes with Windows® 7 Home Premium or Professional 64-bit operating system. Featuring a stylish, compact design the PC comes with an adjustable stand to help you adjust it to meet your desired viewing or touch angle or simply to decrease the slant for space-saving. A wireless keyboard and mouse that can easily be stored under the unit’s display are included.
The VAIO® J Touch All-in-one PC will start at about $900. It is available for pre-orders today online at www.sonystyle.com/pr/jseries. It will also be sold at Sony Style® stores and select retailers around the country starting next month. ###
Editor’s Note: For complete specifications and digital images, members of the news media are invited to visit Sony Electronics’ news and information web site at www.sony.com/news. For all things VAIO visit www.sony.com/jseries. For information on BackstageSM, Sony’s in-store VAIO PC services and repairs division, log onto www.sonystyle.com/backstage.
Full Story » | Written by Hunter Clarke for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple, Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones  While giving his keynote address at WWDC yesterday, Steve Jobs mentioned that AT&T will relax its contract requirements for those wanting the new iPhone.
“Any existing iPhone customer eligible for an upgrade between today and the end of this year will be eligible for our best pricing for iPhone 4, $199 and $299, with a two-year term commitment,” AT&T said in a statement issued shortly after Jobs left the WWDC stage.
Not long after the news broke, AT&T's website crashed. The account management section became completely unreachable, presumably due to a rush of customers trying to check their eligibility. For several hours the site returned a variety of error messages from “Maintenance in Progress” to “No backend server available for connection: timed out after 100 seconds or idempotent set to OFF." Service resumed several hours later. One could speculate that AT&T decided to relax the upgrade rules in an effort to lessen the sting its earlier announcement regarding the end of unlimited data plans caused. Apparently they feel that discontinuing unlimited data will solve their network issues, but it seems much more likely that once Verizon starts offering the iPhone AT&T customers will leave in droves. Read [PCWorld] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile  Microsoft has announced new policies for its Windows Phone Marketplace in preparation for the upcoming Windows Phone 7. Developers will be required to pay a $99 a year fee, which will entitle them to submit up to 5 free apps. Additional free apps will cost them $19.99 each. For paid apps, Microsoft requires a 70/30 split.
Unlike Apple's App Store for the iPhone, Microsoft will allow developers to have trial apps and give them several business plan options including free, paid, ad supported and more. As far as prohibited apps go, Microsoft is following in Apple's footsteps and banning pornographic material and will also reject any app with material related to drug use, excessive violence, gun sales, and criminal activities. Hopefully they have learned from Apple's mistakes and won't end up mired in the same controversies. Stay tuned. Read [PCWorld] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Apple, Communications, Cellphones, Mobile Should your schedule not allowed you to view the meticulous live blogging events from 12:00pm CST to nearly 2:00pm, here are a few highlights and notes you should know before walking up to the water cooler this morning. iPad Updates The iPad has sold 2 million units in three months, despite only being on sale in 10 countries. The attempt to downplay “only 10” countries shows an effort of modesty but either way you look out at, the iPad is hot. A few updates will be rolling out later this month that will allow users to make bookmarks, add virtual post-it notes to what they are reading and finally PDF’s will be readable. Rejoice! For the Movie Junkie and Gamer Can’t get enough Facebook or more specifically FarmVille in your life? That void has now been filled. Farmville developer Zynga yesterday announced the iPhone app that will allow you to build and maintain your farm on the go. A mixed exuberance and groan will likely follow. Netflix is coming to the app store and surprisingly for free. Add to your queue and stream on your iPad or iPhone and the ability to switch back and forth. Finally, Tap Tap Revenge just got some serious competition with Activision releasing Guitar Hero for the iPhone. Ability to make custom rockers and post content directly to Facebook will be built in. iPhone 4 The new version is 24% thinner than original. Front and rear facing camera’s with LED flash. The new camera also shoots HD video in 720p at 30fps. Done recording? Edit the video you just shot with iMovie for the iPhone. Available for $4.99 in the app store. The new camera also supports video calls over a WiFi network. Functionality is built into every new iPhone. Thanks to the new A4 processor and bigger battery, iPhone 4 has a 40% increase in talk time to 7 hours, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music, 10 hours of wifi browsing, and 300 hours of standby time. Pricing will be $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB and available in black or white iPhone Software is now iOS4 The newest built has 1500 developer APIs and 100 new user features. Most notable features are multitasking, folders for grouping apps and new exchange capabilities that will now support multiple accounts. New Mobile Advertising Platform - iAds Keeps you in your app instead of navigation away. Idea is to allow developers to keep developing lost cost apps and remain profitable. Apple sells and hosts the ads. Read [thenextweb] Image courtesy of gdgt.com Full Story » | Written by Aaron Thacker for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, Portable Video, Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile 
Another keynote down, another time we’ve been jilted by Apple and AT&T. Where is our Verizon iPhone? Should we just give up and forget about it or did Steve Jobs try to tell us something in code? “We need to work a little bit with the carriers.” -Steve Jobs
How frustrating must it be for Apple, that their chosen partner isn’t ready for this “one of the chosen 9” features? Feeling more like a ball and chain? Did development not talk with AT&T? Or is this an attempt to keep somewhat current in Europe and Asia? Or is it something more? Is it Apple giving yet another example of why another carrier is needed in the US? Or was “this will be WiFi in 2010” a coded message letting us know that Verizon will be online and ready to go then? I don’t expect AT&T to suddenly be ready for FaceTime in 6 months, do you? Read: [Appletell] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other  A recent story in the New York Times suggests that not only is gadget addiction real, it is changing the way we think and focus. The constant stimulation from our iPads, BlackBerry phones, laptops and iPhones and other gadgets are affecting our brains and giving us a hit of dopamine that some become addicted to. The rise in accidents caused by drivers texting or emailing is heartbreaking proof. More and more people simply can't unplug.
Take a long honest look at yourself. Are you once of them? I admit, to a degree, I am. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is grab my BlackBerry and check my messages. I check my email regularly while working and spend more time than I should on my computer. I've noticed that since the advent of the web my attention span has changed and become shorter, something that dismays me greatly. However I'm proud to say that I can unplug. I can attend family gatherings and other events without having to be glued to my BlackBerry. I was away from my computer most of Saturday and I was fine. I never want find myself so addicted to gadgets that my family and friends fade into the background or look up from my Berry some day and realize that life has passed me by. Are you addicted to gadgets? Be honest! Read [NYTimes] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Google Google, by way of Labs, has recently begun offering previews of Google Maps in Gmail and Buzz. In other words, you can now see a preview of the map right inline with your email message. The new functionality does need to be enabled, however that is simple enough. In Gmail, just click on Settings -> Labs and then enable “Google Maps previews in mail” and then click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom. Once that is complete you will have a map preview for any address found in your email messages. The one catch here is that at the moment this will only work for a US based address. Read [Official Gmail Blog] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Laptops The Lenovo IdeaPad U160 is now available for purchase by those in the US market. The IdeaPad U160 is available in two standard configurations, the 08945JU for $1,049 and the 89455U for $1,149. Both models are available in dark brown and feature goodies such as an 11.6 inch display with a 1366 x 768 resolution, 4GB RAM, HM55 Intel graphics media accelerator, 6 cell battery, Wi-Fi 80.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and a multi-touch capable 2 button trackpad. In terms of the differences, the 08945JU for $1,049 includes a 1.06GHz Intel Core i5-520UM processor, 320GB hard drive and Windows 7 Home Premium (32 bit edition). The 089455U for $1,149 includes a 1.20GHz Intel Core i7-640UM processor, 500GB hard drive and Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit edition). Finally, both are currently noted as shipping within 13 business days. Product [Lenovo] Via [Netbooked] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, Content, Video Providers  Savings are always nice, especially when you are talking $25 off of a product that is starting at $129.99. Anyway, those interested in taking advantage can hit the ‘shop’ link below and go ahead with the purchase of a Roku HD-XR Player. The player is priced at $129.99, however using this coupon code “ready2roku” during checkout will bring the price down to a much nicer looking $104.99. This offer is available from now and running through June 20th. Of course, the other Roku players are also available for $79.99 and $99.99 depending on the model, however the coupon will only work with the top of the line HD-XR. Still, that model does add goodies such as extended range Wireless-N as well as the optical audio output for sound and HDMI connector.
Shop [Roku] Via [Zatz Not Funny!] and [Hacking Netflix] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Websites With everything going on with the BP disaster, there has been no more critical medium than the internet. Between the hilarity provided by @BPGlobalPR Twitter to consistently being blasted by bloggers around the world, even blogging platforms are making their message clear as well. Today Tumblr removed their traditional ocean blue background with “Heart-of-BP-Executive Black.” The message is quite clear and recommended by the staff.tumblr are groups like Save Our Gulf, the National Audubon Society and the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Those of you that log into your Tumblr will also notice a small donation sidebar. Click the box, donate $5 for a good cause and Tumblr will match your donation. After you donate, the limited edition background is unlocked in your account preferences. A pretty unique display of protest and an even easier means to help clean up. Read [Staff Tumblr] Full Story » | Written by Aaron Thacker for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web Browsers Amidst the fury of WWDC 2010 Apple news, there is one thing Apple did do quietly today and that was the release of Safari 5. The latest version touts improved performance, more powerful developer tools and greater HTML5 support—more specifically a new full screen playback mode enabled video captions. A few more hard specs, Apple notes that thanks to a new cleverly name Nitro JavaScript engine, Safari 5 will run JavaScript 30 percent faster than Safari 4. We’ll wait for the benchmark tests to full stand behind those numbers. Oh and before we forget, they added Bing as a search engine option. Do with that what you will. And finally with version 5, Safari was awarded with extensions. It feels like browser extensions have been around for years but predominantly associated with Firefox—Safari is now playing too. A little more trickery has been added with the newest version with the Safari Reader button. Should the browser detect an article, the button appears in the far right corner of your address bar, click the button and an uninterrupted scrollable text window displays the text. Long time users of Firefox may have trouble being coaxed from their den but Safari continues to develop new and innovative reasons for you to keep checking in. Read [Apple Press Release] Full Story » | Written by Aaron Thacker for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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