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Pure bursts onto US scene with five internet radios
Pure's always had a knack for crafting elegant, oftentimes unorthodox looking radios. Problem is (at least for you Yanks), they've been marketed and sold exclusively across the pond. In our humble opinion, there's no better time to change that than here at the International Consumer Electronics Show, and sure enough, Pure is making itself known on the US radar with five distinct WiFi radios. Up first is the flagship product shown above (dubbed the Sensia), which boasts a 5.7-inch touchscreen, an oval enclosure and access to the Pure Lounge -- a nifty little portal that taps into internet radio stations, Twitter and Facebook. You'll also find an auxiliary input jack and a $349 price tag, which is only topped in this lineup by the $449 Sirocco 550. Said system is much like a mini boombox, complete with the typical WiFi radio capabilities, a USB socket, iPhone / iPod compatibility, a CD player and an SD expansion slot. Moving on, there's the $139 Siesta Flow alarm clock radio, the $249 Oasis Flow -- which just so happens to be both rugged and waterproof -- and the $229 Evoke Flow that originally surfaced back in 2008. Details on actual US availability is expected to come later, though the full press releases can be found after the break right this very moment. %Gallery-81290%
Nintendo bringing pink and blue Wiimotes to America on Valentine's Day
Hey, kids. We got your attention? Good. Remember those pink and blue Wii controllers that were quietly launched in the Land of the Rising Sun back in October? Yeah, well it seems that both of those gems are coming to the United States, but it'll be well after Christmas before you can get your hands on either (without a good importer, anyway). Starting on February 14, 2010, the blue and pink Wiimote will be on sale on US soil, and both devices will come bundled with Wii MotionPlus dongles. There's no word yet on pricing, but we're guessing a small premium is in order for those badly in need of some hue variation.
Nintendo DSi XL coming to America in Q1 2010
Since Europe and Japan can't have all the fun -- unless, of course, it's a black Nintendo Wii -- the super-sized DSi XL is also due out in the US sometime in Q1 2010, according to a spokesperson speaking with Joystiq. Still no word on price, but we wouldn't be surprised if it parallel the slight markup for the ¥20,000 / US $221 Japanese version. Looks like that smaller-screen version isn't looking so hot for Grandma's Christmas present anymore.
Samsung develops first chip for US mobile digital TV transmission, provides no release date
Mmm, nothing like a pinch of predictability to wake us in the morning. Just days after the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) finally announced that a North American mobile DTV standard was struck, Samsung has jumped in with what it's calling the planet's first single chip solution designed to handle those very transmissions. All we're told is that the solution combines RF and "digital chip components" into one 65 nanometer chip, making it ideal for smaller devices such as smartphones, car-mounted televisions and portable media players. Of course, Sammy doesn't even bother to mention a mass production date, so we're guessing we all just rise awkwardly and start a roaring slow clap to celebrate the accomplishment.
Novatel Wireless launches MiFi 2372 with North American-loving, 3G WiFi goodness
Novatel's just announced its North American-friendly MiFi 2372 router with GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA. The Mifi 2372 will offer 7.2Mbps HSDPA sharing for up to five connections via WiFi. If you recall, the European, 900/1900/2100MHz version launched back in June, so we're happy to see it make its way to our shores at long last. The 2372 also boasts a GPS receiver and microSD card slot, and while there's no word on pricing or definite date of availability, we can assume it'll be offered on subsidy from AT&T and Rogers, and we hope that happens soon. The full PR is after the break.
Acer Aspire Timeline found in the wild, chilling in Canada and up for pre-order in UK
Acer's been largely mum about its new Aspire Timeline laptop since its initial unveiling back in early April, but now it looks like the company's getting ready to roll out the portable to the customer base at large, if these spy shots from a from a Canadian-based Future Shop store are any indication. The list of specs is a bit hard to read, but from what we gather, the 14-inch Aspire 4810TZ-4129 is packing a 1.3GHz Intel Pentium SU2700, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, a DVD drive, WiFi, WAN, a touted 8 hour battery life, and Windows Vista Home Premium. No indication on the price or official street date, however, but if they're being sent to retail, we can't imagine we'll be waiting too much longer. Feast your own eyes on the specs sheet in the image after the break. Update: Reader Oleg has written in to let us know it's also up for pre-order at UK retail site PC World -- 14-inch for £550 and 15.6-inch for £600. [Thanks, waterboy99troop]
Nokia N97 NAM launching June 2nd?
The Nokia Blog's got it on good authority that the Finnish phone maker's giving its North America distributors the heads up to expect the N97 to arrive on June 2nd for $699, although that price might end up lower. We've been hearing an expected June launch for some time, so it's definitely not out of the question. This does, however, serve as both an exciting and somewhat painful reminder that, should a couple other rumors pan out, June's gonna be a busy month for smartphones. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Navigon withdraws from GPS business in North America
Man, talk about coming straight out of left field. After blowing it out at CeBIT just two months ago, Navigon has just announced its intentions to pull out of the navigation business here in North America. According to CEO Egon Minar: "Due to the difficult economic environment and the aggressive pricing we have decided to withdraw from the PND business in North America for the time being. We are however not closing down our Chicago office which will continue to serve our automotive and mobile phone businesses in North America." He did assert that the company would "continue to fulfill all obligations to its existing PND customers in terms of map updates, etc.," but nothing else on the subject was said. So long, Navigon -- we'll miss your "uber-premium" wares.[Via SlashGear]
Nokia throws up "pre-order soon" logo on US N97, drives the kids crazy
Thanks to the always revealing FCC, we knew good and well Nokia's painfully expensive N97 had Carolina (and probably the other states, to be fair) on its mind, but now we know the moment of truth is drawing near. As of right now, Nokia's US website has a teaser block informing us Yanks that we'll be able to pre-order this here smartphone "soon." Hitting the link only directs us the European legalese that we've digested before, but surely it'll lead to something meaningful in due time. Patience... it's a virtue.[Via phoneArena]
Nintendo DSi now available in North America
At long last, US and Canadian gamers can finally join their European and Japanese brethren in picking up Nintendo's latest portable, the DSi. Price of entry is $170 and if you're interested in a color more vibrant than blue and black, you'll probably be waiting a while. Anyone picking this up on day one?
Sony Ericsson's US president steps down
Quite honestly, we can't imagine now as being an awesome, jovial time to be heading up any division of Sony Ericsson. Thus, we're not too awfully shocked to hear that Najmi Jarwala, President of Sony Ericsson USA and Head of Region North America (comprising the US and Canada markets), has decided to leave his corner office at the end of March in order to "pursue other career opportunities." The announcement comes just a weekend after SE proclaimed that its Q1 sales were down some 50 percent, and with the outfit's somewhat lackluster showing at MWC (Idou notwithstanding), we can't imagine things magically turning around in the near future. At any rate, Anders Runevad (pictured), Executive VP and Head of Global Sales & Marketing will be taking over until a successor is named, and that's assuming anyone is willing to walk into such a severely precarious situation.[Via MobileBurn]
DisplaySearch shows slight LCD TV shipment decline in Q4 2008
Not that we didn't see it coming, but it's still somewhat deflating to watch the dream die. Preliminary DisplaySearch numbers are showing that LCD TV shipments slipped year-over-year for the first time since this style of tracking began, though on the bright side, the decline was but a meager two percent. More specifically, shipments slipped from 8.9 million units in Q4 2007 to 8.7 million units this past quarter. Things look a touch grimmer when viewing all TV shipments, as those fell seven percent in North America to 10.7 million units in the same period. The crazy part? Shipments of plasma TVs increased 28 percent quarter-over-quarter and 10 percent year-over-year, and all the while, we're seeing PDP makers jump ship like the end is near. Ah well, more statistics and figures await those that love 'em in the read link below.
Funai to acquire Philips' North American Blu-ray / DVD operations
We already saw the writing on the wall, but now the deed is purportedly done -- or close enough, anyway. Reuters has it that Japan's Funai Electric will take over Philips' North American DVD, Blu-ray and other audiovisual operations starting next month. It's anticipated that the deal will boost Funai's North American sales by around $332 million, and of course, maintaining that well-known Philips badge is sure to be of assistance in that department. The agreement lays out that Funai will make periodic royalty payments to use the Philips brand rather than just buying up the whole thing outrightly. First the TV division, now this -- is there anything left of Philips worth caring about in the US?
Wireless HDTV products backed with cash, still barely available
ABI Research definitely put its thinking cap on for this one, as it recently found that wireless HDTV vendors are still pouring cash into products, yet few are available for consumption in North America. It's a trend we've watched develop, and we cringe to think that it's not getting better. Chances are we'll see a new wave of cord-free HD products at CES 2009, all while we wait patiently for cord-free wares from CES 2008 to make it out of the testing phase. Sadly, the report doesn't actually mention anything we didn't already know -- companies are still out there trying to prove their format is superior, all while actual manufacturers dillydally around and miss one opportunity after another. And really, with prices like $1,499 for the Belkin FlyWire, we wonder if there's any mass market appeal even if the shipments do begin to flow.
Sony Ericsson C905a does its thang in the FCC
We had darn good reason to believe that a Sony Ericsson C905 was destined for US turf, but now we have reason to be completely and utterly enraged if SE doesn't make it happen. How so? Because the FCC just gave us permission. The C905a has indeed found itself a home in the deep, deep lairs of the agency's website, and while there's not much here to salivate over just yet, there is an 85-page User Manual attached for those eager to pre-learn keyboard shortcuts and the memory card insertion process. Oh, and would you check out that Lyra ruler? Sweet stuff, we tell ya.[Via CellPhoneSignal]
Nokia's North American N85 now shipping
Just days after Nokia's highly desirable North American N85 emerged for pre-order at Amazon (and Nokia, for that matter), we're now seeing reports that some of the earliest orders are beginning to ship out. The N85 NAM, of course, includes that lovely tri-band GSM support with NA 3G compatibility baked right in, and the US warranty doesn't hurt either. So, has your pre-order shipped out yet? No? Then get on the horn and find out why!
Nokia brings firmware update to North American E71
Although it's running a few days behind the European update, we suppose late always trumps never when it comes to refreshed firmware. As of now, Americans can suck down v110.07.127 for their E71-2 in order to take advantage of a smattering of bug fixes. Most notably, users should see Nokia Email updates as well as "a new update to Mail For Exchange and Nokia Maps, both of which are pre-installed." As always, we'd highly recommend backing everything up before doing the deed, but if you're feeling froggy, jump.[Via Symbian-Guru]
HANNspree's 28-inch 1080p HT09 LCD HDTV comes to America for $500
Just in time for brands like Vizio, Panasonic, Sony and Sanyo to undercut it on Black Friday, HANNspree has swooped in and delivered its bedroom-sized 1080p LCD HDTV to the great lands of North America. The set, which was made available a few months prior in the UK, claims to be the planet's first 28-inch "1080p" HDTV, with a native 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, two HDMI ports, a VGA socket, integrated ATSC / NTSC / Clear QAM tuner, 3-millisecond response time, 3,000:1 contrast ratio, stereo speakers (5-watts x 2), audio in / out ports and an Energy Star 3.0 sticker for good measure. Not too shabby for $499.99, and we'd count on finding it even cheaper given the current level of competition in the sector.
Analysts consult Captain Obvious, expect tough quarters ahead for mobile makers
Enough already, alright? After hearing analysts suggest that the current economic situation would likely hurt handset sales at large, we've now got yet another poll telling us more of the same. After contacting a number of so-called gurus for their input on the situation, 8 out of 22 expected the market to contract next year, meaning that the mobile market could shrink for the first time since the tech crash in 2001; a month ago, just 1 out of 23 analysts polled felt this way. Granted, most still expect Q4 to grow compared to Q3 as individuals splurge during the holiday season, but things may not be so pretty in the new year. Here's an idea: let's make every phone at least as costly as the Softbank 823SH Tiffany -- those seem to be selling like gangbusters.[Via mocoNews, image courtesy of CrashOnMyHead]
Nokia's N85 drops by the FCC, dips head, inquires about what's good
Not that we ever (okay, maybe there was a moment of weakness in there somewhere) doubted that Nokia's N85 was North America-bound, but the handset dubbed superior to the flagship N96 by one Italian reviewer is indeed coming to US soil. And we've found the FCC documentation to prove it. At this point though, there's little the User Guide, external / internal photos and SAR report can tell us that we don't already know, so again, the takeaway here is that we're one (huge) step closer to having an N85 to call our own. Now that's what's up.
