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New blue DS Lite confirmed [update]
Rumors surfaced earlier this month that a cobalt blue DS Lite might be in the works, and now a page at Circuit City has popped up confirming the new model. It's not quite as we expected, however; the new model is blue and black, much like the crimson and black Lite that got our blood boiling last year. Thoughts on the new color combo? If you're willing to shell out the cash for a new Lite, we want to know. It's a bit darker than we expected, put part of that is surely the reflection of the black backing. Overall, we're pleased. [Update: The Circuit City page has been removed.][Via GoNintendo]
Palm's Ed Colligan confirms: no new Palm OS till end of 2008
Just in case you missed the mention in our post about Palm's Q1 FY08 conference call, or the earlier report about the company's new OS getting more delays, take notice: Ed Colligan did indeed confirm that we won't be seeing a new operating system on Palm devices until the end of next year. Of course, with a track record like this crew has, we're not holding our breath, and would seriously suggest you follow suit.Read -- Palm admits new OS 18 months awayRead -- Colligan Talks About Next Generation Palm OS Progres
Palm's Ed Colligan hypes new OS to investors
Our main man Ed Colligan is on the scene once again, this time giving some serious lip service to investors on the future of Palm and its "upcoming" new OS. According to reports, Ed informed the the crew of dudes and dudettes (via the company's Q1 FY08 conference call) that the Centro systems team and Foleo engineers are "totally focused" on delivering the Linux-based OS (Palm's in-house work, not ACCESS's ALP), and announced that it will be available by the end of the next calendar year. Fleshing out his bold statements, Colligan noted that the new platform will retain the ease of use and developer support of the badly ailing current Palm OS, and that it will enable the company to deliver the UI across various products, including Foleo-like devices. The Palm honcho went on to say that development has gone, "As well as possibly could be expected," and added that the company has no plans to hand over the smartphone market to anyone else, telling investors that its next generation of products will be "revolutionary device types." Just like Fox Mulder, we want to believe -- but it's going to take a lot more than honeyed words to hold our interest, Ed. Hey -- feel free to invite us over to the pad for some hands-on.
Palm's new OS getting more delays?
The hits just don't seem to be stopping for Palm these days. In the last few weeks we've watched the Foleo debacle unravel, seen the underwhelming Treo 500v announcement, and gotten word that the Elevation Partners partial sale has gone through (a small ray of light, really) -- but it appears we're not done yet. According to a scathing report in The Guardian, Palm is now projecting a 12- to 18-month wait on the new, Linux-based version of its OS (Palm OS II to you and me), which is a considerable extension compared to the dates we heard back in July (which, of course, were just more delays in a long line of empty promises), and puts the oft-hindered software closer to a 2009 release. No offense guys, but you've been talking about this OS for about five years, all while Windows Mobile, RIM, and Symbian have lapped you... repeatedly. Maybe you can get the open source community to lend a hand? They're quite crafty.[Via Brighthand]
Not even a rumor: really bad PSP2 fake
Come one, come all ... let's look at the freakshow that is this PSP2 fake. If this were real, then we'd have to assume that Sony's fired all of their graphics designers because this is one of the worst Photoshop jobs I've seen. Heck, our own fan-created 'shop jobs were infinitely better than this. This horrifyingly uncomfortable-looking device is nicknamed the "Cobalt" and comes with these supposed specs:• All Metal & Ruggedized Rubber Build • 200% Brighter Screen • Dual Analog Controllers • Visual Battery Display • 8GB Flash Drive • Wifi (a,b,g) • Bluetooth V.2 (A2DP, AVRCP) • Firmware 4.07Whoever made this design has either: a) never used a PSP (firmware 4.07???) or b) plays his PSP upside-down. I'd make fun of it more ... but I'll leave that up to you guys.[Thanks, dondy! Via 1percent]
PSP2 "Cobalt" to feature dual analog, UMD, 8GB of flash? Don't count on it.
We're pretty sure PSP2 rumors won't die out until the last PSP fanboy utters his final gasp, "UMD rulez!" on his death bead, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun poking fun at them in the in-between time. From the outset, we're kind of liking the look here, and there seems to be plenty of room for that dual analog setup everyone's been clamoring for. Plus the metal and ruggedized rubber build seems likable enough. Unfortunately, the inclusion of UMD, Memory Stick and 8GB of flash seems pretty far fetched -- either Sony loses the UMD and goes for all-downloadable games, or it sticks with its tried and true method of milking consumers on Memory Stick purchases, it's hard to imagine an all-in approach. Other dubious specs include a "200% Brighter Screen," and the more likely a/b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and visual battery display. We're not banking on this one, and Sony's been pretty down on the topic in general, but hopefully these guys do actually pull something out before too terribly long.[Thanks, Dondy]
Developers chime in on PalmOS, ALP
While the whole Cobalt-that-never-was / Access buyout has all been sort of a blur over the past few years, the one thing that remained constant was the aging of Palm's current OS and the inability to sufficiently replace it. While we've seen ALP prototypes and more recently, Palm licensing Garnet source code from ACCESS, an interesting series of interviews over at PocketFactory asks developers to throw in their $.02 in regard to the debacle, and overall, responses weren't entirely shocking. The CEO of mobile game developer Astraware felt the need was still there to continue supporting Palm, if for nothing more than to take advantage of its relatively impressive installed user base, but it was no secret that he was more excited about a Linux-based possibility. Moreover, both the COO of iambic, Inc. and Stuart Dewar from Pimlico Software stressed that Palm's situation is nothing short of dire; with Windows Mobile 5 devices selling by the truckload (and not suffering OS battles all the while), it's giving developers less reason to focus their efforts on Palm applications. Additionally, building WinMo apps that could easily be ported to a Linux platform is becoming the most attractive option, which eventually leaves Palm trailing in the dust. Nevertheless, it's hard to deny to depth and breadth of Palm's marketshare, but be sure to hit the read link for the full skinny on just how developers feel about using their efforts to create Palm-friendly programs.
Koss introduces Cobalt Bluetooth headphones
Although Koss may not be a frequent name here at Engadget, it has hung around and delivered a few quality offerings, the latest of which has been dubbed Cobalt. These wireless streetstyle (i.e. wrap around your dome) stereo headphones aren't particularly elaborate in any one sense, but they do manage to fold away nicely for portable storage and, of course, sport Bluetooth. While there are quite a few alternatives out there tailored for iPod use, Koss is apparently marketing these as the end-all solution to your wireless earphone needs -- by thoughtfully including a USB Bluetooth dongle, a 3.5mm Bluetooth transmitter, a 3.5mm extension cable, and a USB charging cable, you're able to utilize the 'phones on pretty much anything. Touted as being right at home on your PC, CD / DVD player, DAP, media player, and basically everywhere you can jam a USB device or 3.5mm jack in, the Cobalt isn't lacking in the utility department. You'll get 8 hours of easy listening from the rechargeable battery, and Koss even flaunts its ability to "simultaneously pair" with cellphones in order to both hear callers and listen to music without a hitch (but how much good is this really without a built-in microphone?). If you're searching for a Bluetooth headset that can play nice with basically any music player, and you trust these things will actually sound halfway decent, the Koss Cobalt can be picked up now for $179.99.
