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- Acer Iconia Tab A500 Features Honeycomb, 1GHz Processor, $450 Price
- Thanko’s USB Video Necktie With Built-in Spy Camera
- Daily Crunch: Spar Edition
- Rumor: iPad 2 Mishandling Gets Best Buy Blacklisted By Apple
- Solus Spinal Fusion Device Looks Evil
- Giganews Creating Online Cloud Storage Service
- Porn Detection USB Stick – You Know, For Detecting Porn
- More Hints That Chrome OS Is Coming To Tablets
- Apple To Go Forward With Next Suit Against 3rd-Party Accessorizer
- Nikon D3 Powers Through Mud, Still Works Flawlessly
- “Folded Leaf” Phone Is Minimalist But Not Really Practical
- Toys R Us Soon To Be iPads R Us
- Study: Nearly A Quarter Of U.S. Students Say They’re Addicted To The Internet
- Psyko Expands Surround Sound Headphone Line With Carbon, Krypton
- Acer Reveals 10.1-inch Honeycomb Packard Bell Liberty Tab
- Xoom Too Expensive? Try These 5 Inexpensive Android Tablets Instead
- East And West Coast Writers Needed (Also Maybe Someone In Between?)
- Video: LA Noire’s Third Trailer. Hollywood Should Be Taking Notes.
- In Japan: Smartphones Outsell Feature Phones For The First Time
- Homeland Security Taps Twitter, Facebook For New Alert System
| Acer Iconia Tab A500 Features Honeycomb, 1GHz Processor, $450 Price Posted: 08 Apr 2011 05:00 AM PDT
Another day, another Honeycomb tablet. This one comes to us courtesy of Acer and looks nearly identical to its European cousin, the Acer-made Packard Bell Liberty Tab. The Iconia costs an acceptable $449.99 complete with 16GB memory and a microSD card reader. The 10.1-inch tablet runs Honeycomb out of the box and can display 1280×800 video thanks to a 1GHz Tegra 250 processor. The Iconia is DLNA complaint and Acer is offering video docks, keyboards, and cases to round out the offering. It weighs 1.69 lbs and is .52 inches thick. It will not support Flash out of the box but, like the Xoom, it will support it in a further update. You can pre-order the device on April 8 from Best Buy and it will ship on April 24. It will cost $449.99.
Acer Iconia Tab A500 Tablet Super-Charges Mobile HD Entertainment, Connectivity First Acer Tablet with Android 3.0 for North America Now Available Exclusively at Best Buy; Provides Superior Mobile Entertainment, Connection to Internet, Games, Movies, Social Networks SAN JOSE, Calif., April 8, 2011 – Acer America today debuts the Acer Iconia Tab A500 exclusively at Best Buy. The Acer Iconia Tab A500 is the company's first 10.1-inch tablet running Android 3.0 in the new Acer Iconia family of tablets for North America. The new Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablet gives customers a way to interact and enjoy technology in ways that are both truly natural and exciting. The 10.1-inch multi-touch screen provides accurate finger-tip control for personal access to applications, games and entertainment. The tablet provides an enhanced level of performance with its NVIDIA Tegra 250 1GHz dual-core processor and integrated GeForce™ GPU that lets customers enjoy HD gaming, 1080p video and faster browsing, as well as running multiple applications and digital media playback at the same time. Customers can take advantage of these capabilities with the tablet's Android 3.0 operating system, which gives them the flexibility to customize their experience to suit their interests. The Acer Iconia Tab A500 was built for usability on-the go. Its slim and modern aluminum design weighs only 1.69 pounds and measures only 0.52-inches thin. It also includes forward and rear-facing cameras for capturing videos and photos as well as video conferencing. The first model, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 with WiFi, is available now exclusively at Best Buy at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $449.99. "Staying connected and entertained are firmly embedded as a part of our everyday lives – and the Acer Iconia Tab A500 does this and so much more in a performance-minded, sleek and stylish design," said Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product marketing, Acer America. "This tablet absolutely delivers on the expectation that customers can be entertained, stay in touch with family, friends, colleagues and social networks, as well as keep up on the world around them in a way that is intuitive and fluid, and also incredibly enjoyable." Extraordinary Mobile Entertainment and Fun; Two Great Games Included Designed for HD entertainment, the high-color contrast 10.1-inch widescreen display allows customers to enjoy exhilarating HD 720p video in a 16:10 aspect ratio. Customers can also use the Acer Iconia Tab A500 as their media hub and share full 1080p Blu-ray-quality video via the built-in HDMI port with other devices, such as a high-definition big screen TV or monitor. Dolby Mobile technology completes the entertainment experience with heightened audio. One of the tablet's most impressive features is its ability to run and play premium HD arcade games and complex online 3D games. The 10-point touch display and six-axis motion sensing gyro meter control guarantees an entertainment experience on par with the best game consoles. Plus, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 comes with two full versions of leading games already on it. "Need for Speed: Shift" gives customers a sense of exhilarating speed and power as they "steer" the ultra-responsive tablet to maneuver through courses with dynamic HD graphics. In "Let’s Golf," customers choose their character and swing for a hole in one on a variety of courses from around the word in vibrant color and 3D. Taking along hundreds of books and magazines is easy with the Acer Iconia Tab A500. The tablet supports eReading and comes pre-installed with Acer LumiRead and Google Books eReading apps for enjoying eBooks, while Zinio is pre-installed for reading full-color digital magazines. The technology in the Acer Iconia Tab A500 delivers a thrilling level of performance. It features a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 250 Cortex A9 1GHz processor, supported by the ultra-low power GeForce graphics and 1GB of RAM for blazing mobile performance. It also supports flash and comes installed with Adobe Flash 10.1. The new tablet comes with an integrated 16GB of flash storage for programs and apps to give customers incredibly fast access while limiting weight and noise. The platform can support a larger storage capacity of 32GB, which is planned for future models. The Micro-SD card reader supports up to 32GB Micro-SD cards, so customers can access and download their own digital content, including videos, movies and eBooks. The Acer Iconia Tab A500 can be used in a range of environments thanks to its ambient light sensor. The integrated accelerometer provides auto-rotation between portrait and landscape modes for viewing movies, websites, games and more. Staying Connected and On-the-Go The two webcams boost customers' ability to stay in touch. The 5MP rear-facing camera has a flash and is auto-focusing, so it captures excellent video and images. The 2MP fixed-focused front-facing webcam is ideal for video conferencing and recording HD video and comments for YouTube and Facebook. Customers can utilize the built-in GPS with various apps to enjoy navigation and location-searches while traveling and driving. Plus, the integrated Bluetooth allows consumers to connect the tablet to a variety of other devices, such as headsets and printers. Customers will enjoy extra-long uptime with their Acer Iconia Tab A500. The system's two 3260 mAh Li-polymer batteries provide up to eight hours of playback for casual games, eight hours of HD video playback and 10 hours of WiFi Internet browsing. Superior Mobile Browsing Experience with Android 3.0 Plus, customers can get even more out of their Acer Iconia Tab A500 by customizing it with Android apps of their choice from the Android Market and other Android-based app sites. Innovative Design Boosts Usability The Acer Iconia Tab A500 is incredibly easy to use and enjoy. It easily fits in a purse, briefcase or book bag. It measures 10.24(w) x 6.97(d) x 0.52(h)-inches and weighs only 1.69 pounds. Customers have several options to further personalize their Acer Iconia Tab A500. They are: · The dock with IR remote securely holds the Acer Iconia Tab A500 into a secure position with two tilt angles. The dock charges the unit and includes a connection for an external speaker or headphone. MSRP is $79.99. · The sleek protective case guards the tablet without adding weight or bulk. It allows access to the connectors and ports, while also propping it up in two positions while on a desk or nightstand. MSRP is $39.99. · The Americas power adapter set comes with the four connectors used in North, Central and South America as well as the UK and Europe. MSRP is $29.99. clear.fi for Digital Media Sharing
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| Thanko’s USB Video Necktie With Built-in Spy Camera Posted: 08 Apr 2011 04:04 AM PDT
Thanko says video will be shot in 640×480 resolution at 30fps and stored on the 4GB internal flash memory (1GB is enough for 30 minutes of video, according to the company). The camera is powered by a button battery, and needless to say (this is a Thanko product, after all), there’s a USB port, too.
The gadget is already available in Thanko’s Japanese online store (for $120). Ask specialized shopping services like the Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U if you’re interested but live outside Japan.
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| Posted: 08 Apr 2011 12:00 AM PDT
"Folded Leaf" Phone Is Minimalist, But Not Necessarily Practical
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| Rumor: iPad 2 Mishandling Gets Best Buy Blacklisted By Apple Posted: 07 Apr 2011 06:46 PM PDT
Yeah, doesn’t seem like a smart strategy to me either, but this is Best Buy we’re talking about. Apple didn’t like it either, and has declined to sell any more iPads at the store for the time being. The tipster continues, saying that no less than Tim Cook is involved in this little snafu, and will be helping with the negotiations. He says the Apple Rep at his branch of Best Buy confirmed the story, though until we get proof in the form of a lack of iPads in-store, we’ll consider it a rumor. A very likely rumor, but still. I just don’t get why you would mess with Apple. Their retail roll-outs are very carefully planned for maximum splash effect, and selling them by the million on day one is a big part of that. Did Best Buy really think it was wise to tell customers to come back later?
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| Solus Spinal Fusion Device Looks Evil Posted: 07 Apr 2011 06:00 PM PDT
Utility aside, all I can keep looking at is the teeth on this thing. Gar.
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| Giganews Creating Online Cloud Storage Service Posted: 07 Apr 2011 05:19 PM PDT
No further information is available but they seem to be fairly far along with the service which will compete with cloud drives like Dropbox and Sugarsync.
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| Porn Detection USB Stick – You Know, For Detecting Porn Posted: 07 Apr 2011 05:16 PM PDT
Could this be used by over-inquisitive parents and the generally porn-intolerant? Sure. But it’s actually intended for professional use: in the workplace and in cases like sex offender probation where possession of porn is a crime. A tool like this would be really handy for a non-computer-savvy probation officer who needs to check 20 or 30 guys’ computers for porn. Forbes goes into the details, so head over there if you’re interested.
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| More Hints That Chrome OS Is Coming To Tablets Posted: 07 Apr 2011 04:35 PM PDT
Some hints, in the form of layout adjustments, virtual keyboard graphics, and so on, have been uncovered by Stephen Shankland over at CNET, but the import of these items isn’t really clear just yet. After all, Honeycomb is just at the very beginning of its life — but that doesn’t mean it’s Google’s only answer to the tablet question. For one thing, Chrome OS is potentially much more lightweight than Android, especially Honeycomb, which has strict hardware requirements. On the other hand, Chrome OS is designed to boot in seconds and run on anything that can handle a browser. What web apps and video decoding might require in a year or two is another question entirely. For now it’s just vague inklings of a future product. I’ll keep an eye out for more news like this; I like the idea of Chrome OS on tablets, though it doesn’t make a lot of sense commercially right now.
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| Apple To Go Forward With Next Suit Against 3rd-Party Accessorizer Posted: 07 Apr 2011 04:30 PM PDT
There’s a good discussion in the comments over at Ars Technica; the gist is that while it is of course restrictive and wrong for a company to say “you can’t make things without our permission,” the fact is that the 30-pin connector was designed and patented by Apple, and reverse-engineering for commercial purposes is illegal, plain and simple. Now, if you couldn’t make without Apple’s permission a USB cable that connected, say, an external hard drive to an Apple laptop, that’d be something worth making noise about. But in this case I think Apple is okay — if you want to do business within their proprietary ecosystem (and make a lot of money by sharing the Apple tax), you have to pay the price and sign up. Of course, that time may be coming, as Apple is now designing custom ports that combine USB and Thunderbolt functionality. I doubt they’ll lock out normal USB cables, but they are making things more their own every day.
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| Nikon D3 Powers Through Mud, Still Works Flawlessly Posted: 07 Apr 2011 04:00 PM PDT
This one was taken on a duck shoot (of the nonviolent kind, where you shoot them with cameras) where it needed to be dragged through mud and water all day long. The photographer, JP Carino, says he was pouring water onto the LCD to keep it clear. And true to its promises, the D3 and its (very expensive Nikkor 500 f/4 VR) lens survived just fine, and he reports there isn’t a speck of dirt on the internals, nor evidence of water leakage. I’m definitely getting a weather-sealed model for my next camera. Maybe when I see a 7D for under a grand… [via Nikon Rumors]
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| “Folded Leaf” Phone Is Minimalist But Not Really Practical Posted: 07 Apr 2011 03:30 PM PDT
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| Toys R Us Soon To Be iPads R Us Posted: 07 Apr 2011 02:00 PM PDT
The evidence is plain enough: training documents explaining the specs and selling points of the iPad 2. I’m more surprised they aren’t being trained to play up the kid-oriented titles in the book store, and the many games aimed at young’uns. No dates are mentioned, but I imagine we’ll have an official announcement from Toys R Us in our inboxes soon. [via Mac Observer and SlashGear]
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| Study: Nearly A Quarter Of U.S. Students Say They’re Addicted To The Internet Posted: 07 Apr 2011 01:30 PM PDT
Are the kids alright? Probably not, if you follow this study from the University of Maryland that says students today all but admit to being addicted to the Internet and media consumption. One student in the study likened prolonged separation from the Internet drug addiction, saying she was "itching like a crackhead" after not using the Internet for a bit. Not healthy, no. The study looked at 1,000 students from 10 countries, including the US, UK, and China, to see how they'd react to 24 hours without Internet access. Here's a few choice quotes from some of the students: "I am an addict. How could I survive 24 hours without it?" "I felt sad, lonely and depressed" "Sometimes I felt ‘dead’.” Incidentally, I did a quick and wildly informal poll in the CrunchGear chatroom, and while we're all pretty much connected to the Internet for every waking hour, none of us felt addicted to it, but perhaps for that very reason: if you're online all the time, then you become numb to it. The countries with the highest percentage of "addicted" students were the U.S. (23 percent) and China (22 percent). The study didn't only look at Internet addiction. Student also reported great difficulty with coping without access to mobile phones or media players like the iPod. (Though I guess since the portable media player and mobile phone have all but converged it won't be long before the two devices are indistinguishable from one another.) Another interesting bit was examining how students consume news nowadays. They don't really search for news per se anymore, but rather let it come to them via Twitter and Facebook. If you're into baseball odds are you follow on Twitter players and writers who cover the game, right? (A pretty high percentage of people I follow on Twitter are soccer writers and players. How else would I have learned about the launch of The Blizzard if Johnathan Wilson didn't tweet about it?) It's a topic that broached in Michio Kaku's latest book, Physics of the Future. The gist is that in the next 100 years we'll be "connected" all day long to the point where being "connected" 24 hours a day will be the new normal; not being "connected" will be the odd state of being. Whether that's with implants or high-tech contact lenses, for better or worse you'll always be plugged in.
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| Psyko Expands Surround Sound Headphone Line With Carbon, Krypton Posted: 07 Apr 2011 01:10 PM PDT
The Krypton will be the direct replacement for the old 5.1 set, and includes “market-based improvements,” which probably means things customers complained about. The Carbon, though, is the luxury version, with gold-plated connectors, a braided cord, more high-performance speakers, and better construction. They both come with a little amp/puck that lets you adjust the sound and even includes a helpful directional indicator. The Krypton is $150, the Carbon is $200, and both are available now. Yeah, kind of expensive, but those of use who’ve tried it here at CG think that the real surround sound thing is actually quite cool.
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| Acer Reveals 10.1-inch Honeycomb Packard Bell Liberty Tab Posted: 07 Apr 2011 12:56 PM PDT
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| Xoom Too Expensive? Try These 5 Inexpensive Android Tablets Instead Posted: 07 Apr 2011 11:50 AM PDT
The comments on yesterday’s post concerning the Xoom’s bungled launch stated loud and clear that people want inexpensive Android tablets — or at least that the high MSRP was the Xoom’s undoing. The thought is that if you’re going to spend over $500 on a tablet, the iPad is the only choice, which therefore makes the $800 Xoom a no-sale. I sort of agree with that even though I still feel the Xoom is a fantastic tablet. Still, I feel the poor marketing and product placement doomed the tablet rather than the price alone. Motorola never publicly justified the price. That said, the Xoom would be a similar, but still different fail whale even if it launched at $300. It wouldn’t be the same Xoom. The dual core CPU, lovely screen, and abundant amounts of memory would be the first options on the cutting board. From there Moto would have probably slash the build quality from solid to cheap along with opting for a weaker battery. A lower-priced Xoom tablet would not be a more successful tablet. The vertical iTunes ecosystem opens up a huge revenue stream that allows Apple to price products different than most Android tablet makers. It’s not fair, really. Still, it’s disingenuous to say companies are ignoring the low-end Android tablet market. It’s actually alive, well, and more than thriving. But please, don’t call the tablets after the jump iPad or even Xoom competitors. They’re not even in the same league. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth a look. Viewsonic G-Tablet
The Viewsonic G-Tablet is a fan favorite. It’s second only to the Nook Color in number of discussion threads over on XDA’s forums. Why? It’s relatively inexpensive and easily modded. Inside is a 1GHz Dual Core Tegra 2 chipset, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, and enough video juice to run 1080p video. The stock Android 2.2 build runs snappy enough, but it’s not exactly iPad 2 or Xoom smooth. That doesn’t matter. Don’t buy the gTab to run 2.2. Buy the Gtab to run the dozens of different custom builds on various dev forum sites. Wanna make it look like the Notion Ink Adam? Use this ROM.
Pros:
Cons:
Archos 101
Archos is flooding the market with low cost Android tablets. There’s the original 5 Internet Tablet that was released (and reviewed) back in 2009, which was followed up by the 48, 7, 10, and now the popular 101. The company even outed a new product line dubbed Arnova that hits with the bare minimum physical memory. But it’s the 101 that’s selling like, well, a cheap Android tablet. The 101 comes in both 8GB and 16GB flavors with the former carrying an Internet street price of $280~ and the latter hitting around $325. Both have the same 10.1-inch screen, Cortex-A8 CPU, and long-life lithium ion battery. Ports are plentiful with a full size USB 2.0 port, a handy USB 2.0 slave port, MicroSD card slot, and HDMI output. Plus, there’s a nifty kickstand. The 101 runs Android 2.2 out of the box, but like so many other of these tablets, modders and devs are currently cracking the system wide open for ROM fun. Once that happens, the 101 will likely become as popular as the Viewsonic gTab.
Pros:
Cons
eLocity A7
Confession: I’ve never touched the eLocity A7 tablet so I can’t comment on build quality or system response. However, from the specs and design and a conversation with an owner, the tablet seems on par with other products in the price point. It ships with Android 2.2 and in many ways, shares design cues with the Notion Ink Adam. Ports are plentiful with USB 2.0, HDMI, 3.5mm audio out, MicroSD slot, and a docking port. The major downside that I can see is the traditional size advantage that comes along with a 7-inch screen is effectively countered by a rather large bezel. In reality though, it’s just a touch larger than the Samsung Galaxy Tab that’s proven pocket-friendly.
Pros:
Cons:
Nook Color
The Nook Color is the Xbox of the Android Tablets. People are buying it in droves to mod it rather than using the stock system. It’s great. I have a CyanogenMod running on mine right now with a bootable Honeycomb MicroSD card somewhere on my desk. The modding community is so vibrant that even newbies shouldn’t feel intimidated ordering one just to run Android. NookDevs has fantastic DIY guides and XDA has a massive forum for the device. It is without a hint of question in my mind the best starter Android device on the market. There are downsides though. The Nook Color is underpowered for Honeycomb. It just doesn’t run well. Sure, it works, and it’s a fun device to explore the new platform, but I couldn’t live with it as a go-to tablet. Cyanogen 7 is the popular ROM and the 2.3 build works great on the device. It’s a tad quirky and probably isn’t for general consumption, but many of our readers should still find it satisfying. Best of all, unlike the rest of the inexpensive Android tablets, there are a fair amount of accessories built just for the Nook Color including a ton of cases, skins, and more. Modding not your thing? B&N just announced they’re accepting apps for the OEM system, which could turn into a big deal.
Pros:
Cons:
Samsung Galaxy Tab
The Samsung Galtab was 2010′s hot Android tablet even though it carried a high price and small screen. Not much has changed since it first debuted which makes me a little hesitant to recommend the tablet — especially with a two year commitment — however, the fact remains that it’s still a good entry level Android tablet. Verizon sells it on-contract for only $199. Honeycomb has already been unofficially ported to the tablet signaling that even if Samsung forgets about its first born, the Internet won’t. Just ask its biggest fan and my first online editor, @KevinCTofel. He ditched the iPad for the GalTab.
Pros:
Cons:
There are plenty of Android tablets to choose from right now but it might be wise to wait. A ton of Honeycomb tablets are going to flood the market over the coming months. Android tablets will likely become as ubiquitous, with each only looking just like all the rest. It’s going to be the little details that set them apart. Some will have digital pens, slightly different screen sizes, and wireless options. But this flood will likely only bring consumer confusion and help cement the iPad’s dominance in the marketplace — for the short term. Eventually the floodgates will give away and the Android tablet will become a true iPad competitor. At least that’s what I would like to believe.
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| East And West Coast Writers Needed (Also Maybe Someone In Between?) Posted: 07 Apr 2011 11:10 AM PDT
We’re looking for someone who can spend a few hours a day with us posting and covering breaking news. Ideal candidates would be in NYC or SF but some of the best minds of our generation have come from fly-over states and places like San Diego, so just let us know you’re interested.
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| Video: LA Noire’s Third Trailer. Hollywood Should Be Taking Notes. Posted: 07 Apr 2011 10:45 AM PDT We’re just a few weeks away from the release of LA Noire on May 17, and today Rockstar has released the game’s third trailer. What an indictment of Hollywood that Rocksta can produce a better drama than seemingly at will (see also GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption).
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| In Japan: Smartphones Outsell Feature Phones For The First Time Posted: 07 Apr 2011 09:53 AM PDT  Revolution in mobile-crazy Japan: Market research firm GFK Japan is reporting [JP, PDF] that more smartphones than feature phones have been sold in the country between March 28 and April 3. To be more concrete, 50.1% of all devices sold in Japan in that week were iOS, Android, Windows or BlackBerry phones (see chart). Read the rest on MobileCrunch.
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| Homeland Security Taps Twitter, Facebook For New Alert System Posted: 07 Apr 2011 09:35 AM PDT
The Department of Homeland Security plans to use Twitter and Facebook to warn citizens about threats with its new National Terrorism Advisory System. The new program will in part replace the old color-coded system, put in place following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, that’s being phased out. Please RT, etc. The new system, which the AP says is expected to launch on April 27, will post warnings to the social networks "when appropriate." In truth it’s probably not too far removed from the emergency broadcast system warnings and tests that go out over TV and radio. Might as well tap into Twitter an Facebook if people are on them all day long, right? And not necessarily related to the social network connection, it’s also said that Homeland Security is wavering as to how much information to release with the new warning system. The fear is that giving away too much information in the warnings will give the bad guys a heads-up, if you will, but not releasing enough information presents its own problems. You can’t win for losing, as they say.
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