Raphael
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AMD accidentally reveals its first Ryzen 7000 desktop processors
AMD has inadvertently revealed model numbers for the first Ryzen 7000 CPUs.
Second-generation air-powered robot hand gets more sensitive
Accordions and robots don't seem to have much in common -- although an accordion-playing robot would make for a killer Weird Al song. Nevertheless, the RAPHaEL hand showed that push-box tech can make for some impressively limber fingers. Now the Virginia Tech College of Engineering Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory has created its successor, the RAPHaEL 2, and it too has already won an award. This time it grabbed top honors at the ASME Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition with its air-powered digits, which now use a closed loop control mechanism and more advanced data acquisition hardware from National Instruments, enabling it to better sense what it's groping and to adjust pressure accordingly. It's also made of a more durable polycarbonate, but a carbon fiber version is said to be in the works, which should look totally awesome.
Robotic hand controlled by compressed air grasps the concept of delicacy
The Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (AKA the RoMeLa Project) at the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech has designed and built a prototype robotic hand that is controlled and operated by compressed air. Called RAPHaEL (Robotic Air Powered Hand with Elastic Ligaments), the robot can hold heavier, solid objects, as well as light or delicate ones such as a light bulb or an egg. The hand is powered by a compressor air tank at 60 psi and an accordion style tube actuator, with microcontroller commands operating and coordinating the movements of its fingers. It uses no other motors, and the strength of the grasp is controlled by a change in air pressure, making the hand quite dextrous. RAPHaEL -- which is part of a larger RoMeLa robot project named CHARLI -- has already won several awards, including grabbing first prize at the 2008-2009 Compressed Air and Gas Institute Innovation Award Contest. RoMeLa researchers envision CHARLI one day roaming the VT campus making friends with students and visitors. We look forward to that day, but until then, check out RAPHaEL holding some stuff after the break.
Verizon's Touch Pro caught on video
Any festering belief that Verizon's version of the HTC Touch Pro is nothing more than a figment of our collective imagination can probably be put to bed now that we have it strutting its stuff on video, yeah? It looks pretty much like what you'd expect it to, sporting an interface every bit as crimson as we've come to expect from a carrier lovingly (or not so lovingly) nicknamed "Big Red." It'll have 512MB of ROM, TV-out, microSD support up to a purely theoretical 32GB, and an integrated business card scanner to put the 3.2-megapixel autofocus cam to work -- enough to make the Windows Mobile faithful on Verizon drool and give pause before setting their sights on the Omnia, we figure. It's not clear exactly when it'll hit retail, but November 14 is sounding like a possible date for deliveries to begin; in the meanwhile, follow the break for the full video![Thanks, lwright84]
AT&T Fuze hitting on November 11 for $299.99?
We figured those dummies probably meant something good was about to happen, and sure enough, evidence is building that we're just days away from an official Fuze release. Boy Genius Report has been ever so graciously provided with documentation suggesting that we'll see HTC's latest WinMo greatness on AT&T shelves come November 11 (just a day after the Quickfire) for $299.99 after contract and rebate discounts have been applied -- or a solid $499.99 if you want to kick it commitment-free. That pricing is right in line with the Bold, making for an interesting, drama-rich showdown heading into the end of the year. Fight!
AT&T Fuze dummies popping up in stores
Sprint beat 'em with the Touch Pro, but that doesn't mean a throng of AT&T customers aren't going to be delighted to hear that the Fuze is now shipping to stores -- sort of. Retail locations are receiving dummy Fuzes now, which don't do much good if you're trying to store contacts, make appointments, or place calls, but at least give us a solid indication that retail availability ain't too far off. Sorry, Tilt -- you had a good run, but our lust definitely lies elsewhere at this point.
AT&T Fuze shows up again, this time courtesy of eBay
We can't help but wonder who these mysterious individuals are who get pre-release gear from carriers and manage -- somehow -- to sneak it onto ginormous, hugely visible auction sites without getting into any hot water. Not to say we're complaining; after all, how else would we have the opportunity to see the Fuze's retail box guide book (strangely devoid of AT&T branding) and get a second confirmation that there's going to be a big ol' AT&T logo slapped on the upper right corner of the face? Not to mention that this gives all us peasants the opportunity to scrape up and count the dimes that've collected underneath our couch, hoping beyond hope that we somehow have enough cash to place a bid. We never do, but we can dream.[Via wmpoweruser.com]
Alltel getting Touch Pro?
If history is destined to repeat itself, it stands to reason that Alltel would be getting ready to follow Sprint down HTC's golden road yet again, does it not? This time around, of course, the devices in question would be the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro -- and we just so happen to have been presented with a shot of what appears to be an Alltel-branded Touch Pro doing its thing on a tastefully contemporary laminate surface somewhere. Word is that it'll launch "soon" after the Diamond does, making Verizon look all that much sillier that we haven't heard an official peep out of 'em. Can't be shown up by your new acquisition, can you, guys?[Thanks, Brandon A.]Update: More pictures have popped up, so this thing's definitely looking legit. 'Grats, Alltel subscribers -- it's like winning the lottery! Thanks, Mills!
AT&T Fuze gets FCC approval?
It's always good news when some sort of Touch Pro garners approval from that lovable bureaucracy we call the FCC, but this one has an extra-special place in our hearts: we're pretty sure it's the Fuze. Digging a little deeper into the documentation for the HTC model with code "NM8RPLT" reveals that it's a Raphael, and it sports HSUPA 850 / 1900 -- and if that doesn't dovetail nicely with what we're expecting out of AT&T any day, week, month, or year now, we don't know what does. So tell us, FCC, how are AT&T's customizations to TouchFLO 3D? Tasteful? Annoying?
More details on HTC's Touch Diamond / Touch Pro for Verizon and Sprint
There's no doubt that both of HTC's forthcoming handsets (yeah, the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro) are coming to Sprint and Verizon. What we're still curious about, however, are the respective launch dates and the eventual names. phoneArena has it that the Touch Diamond will go by HTC Victor on Sprint and HTC Diamond on Verizon, with the former packing a slightly speedier CPU, an aluminum frame, accelerometer, 4GB of internal memory and EV-DO Rev. A support. As for Verizon's, expect it to boast half the RAM (128MB), a wimpier CPU, microSD expansion slot and a stainless steel frame. Moving on, we're told that the Touch Pro will be rechristined HTC Herman for Sprint and HTC Raphael (nice to re-meet you!) for The Network. Finally, we're clued in on a September 2nd release date for Sprint's Victor, while the Herman is expected a month later. As for Verizon? It'll probably be 30 or so days behind in both instances thanks to a presumed exclusivity agreement with its nemesis. Get all that?
HTC Touch Pro passes FCC in CDMA flavor
Among the many ducks that Sprint (and Verizon?) will need to get in a row in order to launch their own version of HTC's Touch Pro, FCC certification ranks pretty freakin' high on the list. No worries, though -- it's all good, because that just happened. An HTC device with model number "RAPH800" has now popped up in the filing system, featuring CDMA with EV-DO on the 850 and 1900MHz bands. Of course, certification is certainly no indication of when a product's actually going to launch, but if (heaven forbid) the glossy QWERTY WinMo slider gets delayed, at least we can call out anyone trying to slide the "we're waiting on FCC clearance" excuse past us.
More T-Mobile Vario IV specs only reinforce the X1 comparisons
Smartphone shoppers with an inclination for Windows Mobile are about to be faced with a really serious problem later this year -- our favorite kind of problem, in fact. In the QWERTY arena, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 and various incarnations of the HTC Raphael are setting up to go head-to-head in a battle royale (ironic, since both are made by HTC) that will pit VGA against WVGA, WinMo 6.1 with TouchFLO against WinMo 6.1 with Sony Ericsson's custom "panel" interface, and 7.2Mbps HSDPA against 7.2Mbps HSDPA. If that ain't an even fight, we don't know what is, and we think that it'll probably come down to carrier availability for a good number of folks that are hoping to score one on a contract discount. Anyway, the::unwired has unearthed a full spec sheet for the T-Mobile-branded version of the Raphael, the MDA Vario IV, and the hearty 256MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM are just two of the many line items worth drooling over. A little competition never hurt anyone, eh, Sony Ericsson?
HTC Raphael to show up in Europe as T-Mobile MDA Vario IV, specs listed
Without much ado, the HTC Raphael, now called the T-Mobile MDA Vario IV in Europe, will hit streets sometime in Q2 2008. As for specs, we're looking at 158 grams, 300 minutes of talk time, 480x640 pixel screen, tri-band GSM, a 528MHz processor, 256MB on-board RAM, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, FM radio, and a 3.2MP camera. Don't expect a stateside release -- at least in this incarnation -- given the tri-band action, so we'll continue to hold out for the Sprint version.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC's Raphael and Diamond: coming to Sprint and looking good
No one really knows whether HTC's May 6 gathering will usher in the age of Android (our guess is still "no"), but let's look a little beyond that, shall we? We've just laid eyes on a handful of documents detailing HTC's efforts to ready the Diamond and Raphael models -- already known to be valid HTC codenames -- for Sprint later this year, and things are definitely looking up in the post-Touch world. The Diamond turns out to be the successor to that very device, lacking a physical keyboard and relying almost exclusively on a large, glossy touchscreen for user input; the Raphael meanwhile (pictured) features a full QWERTY deal and is destined to replace the Mogul. The paperwork's pretty blurry, but it appears that both Windows Mobile devices will feature WiFi, 3 megapixel cameras, and -- get this -- VGA displays. Goodness! The Raphael is currently lined up to be the first out of the gate, hitting the streets in September if everything goes well, with the Diamond following on in November. Surprised that these devices are CDMA-based and Sprint bound? Us too, we admit -- but we'd be shocked if there weren't GSM twins of both of these hotties getting cooked in the lab at the same time.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]%Gallery-21297%
HTC actually readying Diamond / Raphael smartphones?
Rumors of a so-called HTC Diamond have been circulating since last year, but it seems legitimate evidence is beginning to mount in favor of the firm actually releasing one. According to placeholders on the Bluetooth SIG's official website, HTC has a Diamond and Raphael "PDA Phone" queued for release in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. Unfortunately, this database isn't nearly as telling as the one maintained by the FCC, so we're at a loss when it comes to specifications, pictures and practically anything worth noting. One thing's for sure, though: the wait for more details just got a lot shorter.[Via Cellpassion]Read - HTC DiamondRead - HTC Raphael
