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VAIO TT disappears from Sony's US site (update: gone for good)
We've always loved the super-expensive VAIO TT with a passion, but apparently the netbook onslaught was just too much for the well-reviewed 11.1-inch machine to take: it's gone from Sony's US website, and we're guessing that it's not going to return. That's too bad, since we've always felt the TT was one of the more beautiful laptops ever made, and while we could never justify its fully kitted-out $4,450 price tag, we always had one on our want list. Hopefully Sony has some grander plans for this size point than the sadly-generic VAIO W -- in the meantime, light a candle and check our unboxing and hands-on gallery below. Update: We just heard back from Sony -- yep, the VAIO TT is gone, and it's not coming back. Shed a tear, will ya? %Gallery-34090%
RIM canning BlackBerry Unite! and BPS?
If we have any readers you use BlackBerry Unite! or BlackBerry Professional Software, we'll feel like we've won the lottery -- but yeah, to the two of you: get ready to make other arrangements. Word on the street is that RIM is getting ready to deep-six two of its light-use management packages in the next few months, likely a result of a killer combination of poor planning, poor execution, and poor uptake. Unite! is geared strictly toward families looking to exchange photos and calendars with one another (you know, the kinds of families where 9-year-old Julie has the Bold and daddy has the hand-me-down 8800) -- a good idea in theory, but few carriers have elected to roll it out. BPS, meanwhile, is designed for small offices where full-fledged BES might be overkill, but RIM's tendency to let the package stagnate after a BES release probably sealed its fate. BerryReview claims that Unite! will reach end-of-life status in July, while BPS will get cut out of the picture just as soon as BES 5.0 hits the streets. So long, guys; we hardly knew ye.[Via BlackBerryNews]
TiVo quietly removes Series3 from its webstore
Break out the tissues -- the rumors were true. Or, at least it sure looks that way. As of right now, the only two TiVo units available on the outfit's webstore are the TiVo HD and the Series2, and even if you do a bit of digging and find the still-active Series3 page, you'll notice a glaring Out of Stock notification. Of course, you can still find leftover inventory hanging around at various resellers, but all signs are pointing to this being the final hurrah for the S3. Any touching moments you'd like to share in comments as we all bid the device a fond farewell?[Thanks, Tim]
Sprint's Motorola Q9 / Q9c gone for good?
First things first: this isn't the first time (in the past quarter) that we've seen a handset vanish from Sprint's website, only to get fanboys riled up and it reappear days later when stock refreshed. That being said, quite a few Q9 / Q9c users are thinking the smartphone may be gone for good from The Now Network. For starters, neither phone is listed on Sprint's website. Furthermore, we're hearing reports that "discontinuation" has been confirmed by a number of Sprint representatives, though no official word seems to have leaked out just yet. Curiously enough, the carrier just posted the Windows Mobile 6.1 update for the Q9c earlier this month, giving us at least a reason to believe the lights aren't shut out entirely just yet.[Via GearDiary]
iPhone is good and done in the UK -- until the 3G version, anyway [updated]
The headline kind of says it all, but if you weren't already sure enough that the first gen iPhone's stint in the UK was coming to a close, O2's pushing to make things crystal clear. It's hard to imagine both companies are going to just stop selling such a high profile device for too long, but clearly we're all still in the dark as to when its 3G replacement will officially be out.[Thanks, Keith]Update: While European carriers are running out of stock left and right, it seems Apple Stores in the UK and elsewhere still have iPhones -- for now.Update 2: Okay, and now O2's page is showing that the iPhone is once again available. Temporary glitch or preparatory? Beats us, but if you want a 16GB device, it's apparently still up for grabs.
8GB iPhone and iPod touch reach end-of-life, at least in the UK
Conspiracy theorists and Mac rumor-mongerers, start your engines. According to an internal O2 memo we've received, stock of both the 8GB iPod touch and iPhone have run their courses, and have been EOL'd (at least in the UK). The brief letter sent out yesterday evening states that, "Due to the highly successful sales of the Apple 8GB I-Phone [sic], supply chain have today run out of stock & will not be replenishing stock of this product as it has now gone to end of life." Whether this is due to the recent price cuts, the rumored upcoming 2nd generation iPhone, or just a sign that Apple is moving towards higher capacity devices is anyone's guess. All we know is that soon the 8GB iPhone -- at least in the UK -- will become as rare and precious as the Pygmy Three-toed Sloth.[Via The Register; Thanks Callum M.]
Sony bids adieu to Trinitron CRT sets
Just months after Sony hauled its RPTV production business off to the graveyard, the firm is now bidding a fond farewell to the Trinitron CRT. Believe it or not, the first Trinitron became a reality in 1968, and here we are some 40 years later shedding a tear as LCDs and OLED displays steal the thunder. Reportedly, the firm has moved some 280 million units worldwide between televisions and computer monitors, but we suppose all good things must eventually come to an end. So long, Trinitron -- it's been a mighty impressive run. [Via Slashgear]
TiVo killing off the Series3, focusing on TiVo HD?
When we forced the TiVo HD and Series3 to go mano-a-mano back in October of last year, we had a sneaking suspicion that the latter was actually no longer being produced. Fast forward (har) three months, and sure enough, it seems that the end really is nigh for the Series3. According to TiVo Lovers (who heard directly from DVRupgrade), TiVo is accelerating the EOL (end of life) of the Series3 and "focusing all efforts on the recently launched, lower cost TiVo HD." Apparently, the firm managed to sell through oodles of Series3 boxes over the holidays (thanks in large part to a sizable rebate-based promotion), and rather than searching for creative ways to solve the "continued component shortage," TiVo is reportedly choosing to nudge potential customers in the direction of the TiVo HD. Granted, we'd still take this with a (light) dose of salt for the time being, but don't be shocked to see Series3 stock start dwindling in the coming weeks.[Via TVSquad, thanks Brad L.]
