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Nokia serves North American X6 up for pre-order: $455 unlocked
Nokia's downright seductive X6 just started shipping to those across the pond, and shortly after the company announced a Comes Without Music edition, along comes this: a NAM version for those who call North America home, sweet home. The pre-order page (which is live this very moment, by the way) makes no mention of a Comes With Music requirement, giving you complete freedom to shove whatever you darn well please onto what's left of that 16GB after the OS install and a hidden 'thank you' note from Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. So, is that $455 peeking out of your Fifth Pocket really that important to you?
LG's in-cell multitouch laptop displays get unveiled, certified with Windows 7 Touch Logo (video)
Want evidence for the old saying that there's always something next to wait around for with technology? We've only just reviewed the most bodacious X200 Tablet from Lenovo, yet already there's a capacitive multitouch display that promises to be that little bit better. LG's in-cell multitouch technology places the touchy-feely parts inside -- rather than as a film on top of -- the LCD panel, which we're told eliminates the loss of picture quality and brightness that regular multitouch results in. It only works with two fingers so far, but LG is still pretty pleased with itself for being the first to gain the Windows 7 Touch Logo sticker with this technology, which was previously limited to cellphone-sized displays. Mass production is set for the second half of this year, and we'll go ahead and assume that local nemesis Samsung will be using every moment until then to offer its own competing models. Bring on the marginally better touchscreens! We've now got a video for you as well, you know where to find it.
Apple granted patent on capacitive multitouch displays
It's not the mythical pinch-to-zoom patent, but the USPTO just granted a fairly broad Apple patent on capacitive multitouch displays. US Patent #7,663,607 describes a "transparent capacitive sensing medium configured to detect multiple touches" by way of two sandwiched layers of conductive lines hooked up to an appropriate circuit, and also covers a specific type of multitouch display with a similar two-layer capacitive sensor made of glass. Now, there are certainly other types of capacitive sensors out there, so this isn't a total lockdown, but it's certainly one more arrow in Apple's patent quiver, and at the very least it should spur some interesting developments as competitors try to design around it. We'll see how it shakes down.
Nokia N8-00: first Symbian^3 handset with 12 megapixel camera, 720p video, and HDMI leaked in summer roadmap?
Nokia's already tipped its hand for the year Twenty Ten by publicly stating its intent to deliver a sleeker, more attractive, and faster Symbian UI; fewer nags; and at least one Maemo handset before the year is done. What we've been missing though, are the details. While we still don't have the complete story, it is beginning to take shape according to alleged leaks received by Tom's Guide. First up is a new naming convention, something already telegraphed by Nokia's Xseries launch and Cseries trademark. According to the French language site, Nokia will end the use of monikers like XpressMusic or Classic as it simplifies around the following five ranges: C: voice-centric handsets. X: targeting youth, entertainment. E: business focused. N: high-end. S: limited editions. Tom's Guide claims to be privy to 14 new models, a few of which it spilled the beans on today. Click through for the gossip.
Displax film could turn nearly any surface into touchscreen, make your keyboard irate
Light Blue Optics already blew our minds up with its touchscreen-creating projector, but it looks like Displax will be the one to really turn the touchpanel into a modern day commodity. The Portugal-based company is trumpeting a new polymer film that can be stuck onto or just under glass, plastic or wood in order to transform a vanilla surface into one that responds to touch and airflow. Furthermore, the tech can be overlayed on curved panels, and it also plays nice with opaque and transparent surfaces. As the story goes, an array of nanowires embedded in the film recognizes your digits or pointed breath, and it then passes the information along to a microcontroller and software suite that transforms the inputs into reactions on your system. In its current form, the solution can detect up to 16 touch points on a 50-inch screen, and if all goes well, the first Displax-enabled wares will start shipping this July. Huzzah! [Thanks, Ben]
Cypress demos 14-inch TrueTouch capacitive multitouch screen
How big can tablets get? Pretty big, according to the folks at Cypress Semiconductor, who say their new new TrueTouch technology can be applied to capacitive screens ranging from seven to seventeen inches, all of which will have full multitouch support. To drive that point home, the company has now shown off a 14-inch "tablet-sized" prototype screen, which is able to recognize unlimited finger touches, and could potentially also find its way into laptops or convertible tablets (it's already Windows 7 certified). Of course, there's no word on any actual products using the screens just yet, but you can get an idea of what might be in store by checking out the video after the break.
Motorola Motoroi coming to USA in March
Well, isn't this a novelty? The well practiced skill of lusting after Korean gear from afar won't be necessary with Motorola's latest Android 2.0 handset, as we're hearing the Motoroi is headed to US shelves this March. Moto Korea head honcho Rick Wolochatiuk was on hand at the Korean launch to confirm that the new handset "will be launched in other markets around the world," with the US specifically confirmed for a March release. The Motoroi, if you recall, is a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen spliced atop hardware good enough to record 720p video and output it via HDMI. An 8 megapixel camera with Xenon flash should ensure you get pretty decent photos too. But what are we doing telling you about it when there are perfectly good promo videos after the break? Go get 'em!
HP brings out TouchSmart tm2 tablet, upgrades dv6t and dv7t with Core i5
And now, for the hopelessly devoted HP homeboy, we present a trio of lust items. The new hotness on the converitble tablet front -- the TouchSmart tm2 -- is ready for shipping in exchange for nearly $950, and will endow your life with a 12-inch capacitive multitouch display, a somewhat senescent SU7300 1.3GHz ULV processor, and 3GB of DDR3 memory. Should you dare to stray into higher price ranges, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4550 discrete graphics and an SU9600 CPU are also available. Alternatively, you can splash $929 on the 15.6-inch dv6t, which now comes with a 2.4GHz Core i5-520M as standard, as well as free upgrades to 3GB of RAM and 320GB in storage. Graphics options here range up to an NVIDIA GeForce GT 320M with 1GB of onboard memory. Finally, the dv7t matches its smaller sibling's upgrades but asks for $999 for the base spec, which includes a 17.3-inch display with a 1600 x 900 resolution. So there you have it, something for pretty much everyone.
Official HTC capacitive stylus for HD2 now shipping
As hard as the world has worked to get away from styli and toward fingers, HTC -- in all its quiet brilliance -- decided that it'd still make a poker available for its mighty, capacitive HD2; after all, how else are you going to pinch and zoom with those adorable mittens on? After some delays, at least one British retailer now has those official HTC-branded units in stock -- you won't have any place inside the phone to stow it, of course, but we're sure you'll figure something out. Heck, even if you do end up losing it, they'll be more than happy to charge you 17 quid (about $28) for another, so rest easy and keep those digits toasty.
Intel's Atom-powered home energy dashboard concept gets itself a website, no closer to retail reality
If you recall all the way back to last week -- yes, it's a bit of a blur to us, too -- Intel CEO Paul Otellini brought to his keynote an Atom-powered home monitor system, demonstrated by him and his rockstar compadre Craig. It was actually quite impressive, and thankfully Intel's gone ahead and launched an educational page for the Intelligent Home Energy Management Proof of Concept. The specs break down as follows: a gorgeous 11.5-inch capacitive OLED touch screen, Z530 processor, motion sensor and video camera support, stereo audio, WiFi, and Zigbee integration. Throw in an open API and we're pretty sold on this -- assuming it was real, of course, and at this point it's nothing more than a teaser of things to come. Hit up the source link and expect a notable uptick in your longing for the future.
MOTO gives straight advice on smartphone touchscreen quality (video)
Like simple and unsophisticated tests? Here's one sure to generate some heated discussion. MOTO, a group of super brains that assists companies from startups to Microsoft in their product development, has devised a dead-simple test to measure the accuracy of touchscreen devices. The test involves slowly drawing a few diagonal lines across the display using any drawing program on your device. Straight lines are good -- stair-stepping is bad. Now, assuming the app isn't doing some kind of smoothing algorithm then what you see above is symbolic of the accuracy of the iPhone, Droid Eris, Droid, and Nexus One (moving left to right). We met with Morgan Venable, Senior Project Lead / Electical Engineer at MOTO, and saw this test performed live here at CES. Compelling stuff. Video after the break. Update: Test under medium pressure after the break.
Notion Ink Adam stripped bare and our in-depth video hands-on
You have to have a pretty special product to get two Engadget posts discussing your wares during the maelstrom of CES, but this Adam thing just won't leave us alone with its Pixel Qi display, Tegra 2 innards and bona fide potential to blow the bloody doors off the homogeneous tablet market. We've gone back and grabbed video of the device in direct sunlight and it just kept on impressing us. The screen resolutely refused to be overpowered by the light, whether its backlight was on or off, but that was merely the tip of the iceberg as far as the happy impressions. Come past the break to find out more about buttery smooth 1080p playback (with a handy HDMI out), Notion Ink's plans for modifying the Android OS, and more on the likely pricing of the device which is set to land in quarter two of 2010. Oh, and yea -- we totally ripped it open and photographed the insides. Check that out below. Update: Check out SlashGear for some production artwork. %Gallery-82298%
Apple's latest patent probably isn't tablet related, but feel free to speculate anyway
Yeah, we're pretty sick of the iSlate talk too, so we'll completely refrain from predicting any possible future applications for Apple's latest patent, a new type of LCD circuitry that better integrates capacitive touch by somehow integrating touch sensitivity into the display pixels themselves. It's pretty obscure, techy stuff, but the result should be less circuitry within the display in theory boosting efficiency and, notably, reducing thickness. You know what that means: even thinner tablets. (Sorry, we couldn't resist.)
New Apple touch display patent
Patently Apple has the news that Apple has filed for another touchscreen display patent, but here's the catch: this one's probably not for a tablet! Or at least, not for the tablet we're expecting. The patent, which covers the idea of a thinner and brighter touchscreen display by combining the touch and pixel display elements (basically including the capacitive and pixel elements in the same hardware), could actually be used in any of Apple's devices, from the iPhone and iPod touch, to future versions of their laptops. And yes, it could be used in a potential tablet, but really, this is more of a way to create touchscreens anywhere rather than specifically a tablet-only function. Note that this is also different from the dynamic tactile display Apple patented a little while ago. Personally, I'd rather see the much more inventive tactile display used in the hopefully soon-to-be-unveiled tablet -- I'd love to finally get some touchable feedback from touchscreens. But of course Apple will use what they think is best. Having a quicker and brighter display to go along with a multitouch screen wouldn't be a bad thing, either. Thanks, Mitch Wagner!
Samsung's WiFi-enabled CL80 adds touch of AMOLED to 14MP sensor
Samsung's AMOLED obsession continues unabated as it has just taken the official wraps off the 3.7-inch touchscreen-equipped CL80. Already well detailed in an earlier leak, this shooter crams a 7x optical zoom lens plus WiFi and Bluetooth antennae inside one of those unreasonably thin enclosures that are all the rage these days. It's the twenty-teens now, so naturally you get a jumbo 14.2 megapixel sensor with optical image stabilization as well as a 720p movie mode. Coming out this spring, the CL80 has already garnered a 2010 CES Innovation Award, but if you can settle for a 3.5-inch conventional LCD and do without the wireless options, Samsung will sell you the otherwise identical TL240 at a presumably more affordable price point this February. Dive past the break for the full PR and specs. %Gallery-81298%
Spracht Aura EQ Bluetooth headset boasts dual mics, equalizer and capacitive volume control
Spracht. It's probably not a company name you're intimately familiar with, but as with Jawbone, we're fully expecting it to become a mainstay in the Bluetooth earpiece sector after this unveiling. The Aura EQ earset is one of the wildest BT devices we've seen to date, boasting a slick, almost futuristic design and a smattering of features that are startlingly unique. For starters, it ships with twin switchable, focusable microphones, and if its ability to pair with up to eight phones doesn't bowl you over, maybe the built-in six-band equalizer will. Essentially, this headset will amplify and equalize the voice of whoever is speaking, which compensates for volume loss in certain ranges when communicating on a windy day or over a lackluster connection. Finally, exterior touts a capacitive volume control: simply slide your finger up or down the base, and the volume increases or decreases. No knobs or minuscule rocker switches to fuddle with. You'll be able to check this out worldwide in March for around $79 (estimated street price).
Chunghwa Picture Tubes churns out 21.5-inch capacitive touch panel
Big screen touch panels aren't anything new (or fancy), but a 21.5-inch capacitive touch panel is definitely pushing "drool-worthy" territory. In a presumably dingy corner of some overseas show floor, it looks as if Chunghwa Picture Tubes (or CPT, as the cool kids call it) has one of those very displays out for public viewing. Reportedly, the 21.5-incher has yet to reach mass production, but it's currently shipping 10.1-inch versions to an undisclosed amount of customers. As of now, the big boy is being "validated by clients," which means it'll probably be ready for mass consumption between next year and next century.
Synaptics Fuse concept handset puts a new squeeze on touchphone interaction
In case you weren't aware, Synaptics dabbled in the touchscreen handset game way back in 2006 with the Onyx concept, before phones like the LG Prada and Apple's iPhone came along and proved the idea so convincingly. However, Synaptics thinks innovation has stagnated since, and has girded itself once again to attempt another trend-setting concept. This one's a bit more wild: the "Fuse" involves contributions from Alloy, TAT, Immersion and Texas Instruments, and includes squeeze, tilt and haptic interaction. The big idea is to approach single-handed and no-look operation on a touchscreen handset, no small feat to be sure. The result is a pure kitchen sink of sensors, including a touchpad on the back of the phone, touch and pressure sensitive strips along both sides of the phones, dual haptic feedback motors, a 3-axis accelerometer and of course a new-generation Synaptics touchscreen in front. The TI OMAP 3630 processor powers the TAT Cascades 3D UI Engine which attempts to contextualize UI interaction with perspective tilts and fancy motion, and the haptics feeds back to let you know where your finger is on the screen -- an attempt to emulate feeling out the correct nub for keypad orientation on a button phone. We'll have to play with it to find out if Synaptics is really on to something, but even if the Fuse isn't the next best thing, we could certainly see somebody using some of these sensors to improve existing handset interaction. Check out a quick video after the break.
Haier's Theater PMP sports a 3-inch touchscreen, recession-friendly price
There are PMPs in every shape and color, and while we've never been particularly fond of Haier's contributions to the segment, its latest might just find a home in that all-important lower-end of the spectrum. It packs a three-inch capacitive touchscreen of undisclosed resolution, an FM tuner, voice recorder, support for plenty of audio formats, a rather more spartan list of video formats (apparently just AVI and MPEG4), and comes in either four or eight GB sizes. Earth-shattering? No, but at prices of $89 and $99 it's a good value -- well, the bigger of the two is, anyway. Who wouldn't drop another $10 for twice the capacity?
HTC Bravo pictured more lucidly (Update: coming to US in January as HTC Passion)
We realize we might have overfed you a little with that plentiful leak of HTC's 2010 plans, so here's a chance to better ogle and digest HTC's "Performance" flagship to be: the Bravo. Pairing Android with Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon and presenting a 3.7-inch AMOLED facade, this certainly ticks the headline boxes, and the addition of a five megapixel AF cam capable of 720p video capture gives it an extra sheen of 2010 newness. The picture above is accompanied by less solid info indicating a 1,400mAh battery, which will be joined by the mandatory WiFi, Bluetooth and MicroUSB connectivity, plus MicroSD expansion, FM radio tuner, digital compass, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Then again, the source is the same bunch of heroes responsible for our extra early -- and accurate -- info on the HD2, so those specs may be considered pretty reliable. Oh, if you're wondering about the touchscreen, it's capacitive, like it should be. Update: If you were wondering about the difference between the Bravo and the recently leaked Passion, there is none other than the branding apparently. We're also hearing that the above handset will be available in the US in January, a cool three months ahead of the expected European release.
