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Shocker! Jorno folding Bluetooth keyboard available for pre-order
Of all the Bluetooth keyboards that have been released for portable devices lately, this is certainly one of them. Cervantes Mobile's Jorno doesn't look particularly comfortable, but it does fold up into a tiny square, it's got a cradle that will fit most handsets, and it's compatible your favorite Bluetooth HID profile-enabled devices. It will be out early next year for $99, although if you pre-order it now you can get it for a smooth $79 -- which is probably the upper limits of what we'd pay for it. That is, if we were going on a modern day On The Road-type odyssey with nothing but a backpack and our dreams, and an iPad to keep a journal of our thoughts. Which we aren't. PR after the break.
Shocker: Verizon says Droid Eris won't get Froyo
Though the HTC Droid Eris soldiers on in user pockets in a variety of guises, Verizon has unsurprisingly decided to disavow future updates for the canceled device. Carrier spokespersons told Computerworld that the Eris won't see Android 2.2. "We have other options in Android devices, so this is part of the normal evolution of our portfolio," a spokeswoman reportedly said. While we didn't really expect Verizon to pull a T-Mobile and support phones that died even before the original G1, we have to imagine there'll be a few ruffled feathers at that particular choice of words. No one likes to be told to buy a new device in order to get a software update. On the plus side, we expect XDA-developers will get a few new members this week, the better to unleash the potential of future neglected devices for us all.
Shocker: Huawei Ideos may be headed to T-Mobile
Huawei wants to bring Android to the masses, and it sounds like one cellular carrier may already be on board -- the Wall Street Journal reports that T-Mobile is presently in talks to offer the 2.8-inch, Android 2.2 smartphone and could begin selling it by Yuletide. Of course, considering China-based Huawei expects the reasonably-attractive device could cost as little as $100 off-contract, it's not terribly surprising that any carrier you'd care to name would be champing at the bit to grab one. "It's safe to assuming we're talking to all of the major carriers," a Huawei spokeswoman said.
Shocker! Google's Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title 'Gauntlet: The Third Encounter'
Back in the early 90's whilst playing our Atari Lynx -- friendless and alone, of course -- we couldn't have imagined that a second-rate spinoff of the popular Gauntlet franchise would unlock the secrets behind the birth of Google's Android OS. But, lo and behold, what has one of our faithful tipsters found down here, amongst the ruins of Gauntlet: The Third Encounter? That's right, nearly irrefutable proof that the Android team (or at least its graphic designers) have plumbed the depths of Epyx's not-quite-masterpiece for the iconic droid logo we've come to know and love. Sure, the top-down scroller provided all kinds of new character classes like the "Nerd," "Punkrocker," and "Pirate," but only one of these fresh faces would provide the blueprint for Android's public face. It's hard to argue that there isn't some level of appropriation here, given the multiple similarities between the two pieces of art, right down to the antennae, dotted eyes, general size and shape, and even the strip which cuts across the midsection of the bot. Oh yeah, and the character is named Android. We personally would like to hear what Google has to say for themselves in regards to this blatant theft of intellectual property, and as for the Epyx artists who slaved over a hot Amiga to bring this image to life -- the taste of sweet justice is yours. %Gallery-101193% [Thanks, Davey]
Memory Shocker: keeping busy makes you too busy to remember things
The New York Times has picked up the scare-story baton again, this time citing two pieces of research that supposedly indicate we're spending too much time jacked into our electronic devices. The University of California, San Francisco, has come out with some data showing that the brain needs "downtime" to properly digest, learn, and memorize events. This is supported by the University of Michigan, which confirms that people remember much better after a walk through nature than after a walk through dense urban environments. Basically, crunching new data is preventing us from assimilating older, potentially more important, information. That's neatly (though somewhat dubiously) tied into electronics by reference to their ubiquitous presence and use in daily life. If you're constantly listening, watching, or checking something, you can't very well be packaging those precious memories of grandma's 85th birthday at the same time. Of course, the same could be said of a really good book you can't put down, but that doesn't make for a sexy headline, now does it?
Shocker! Most tweets pointless babble, existential angst a strong motivator
University College London's Jeremy Dean has compiled a handy guide to current research into the social media phenom (and conduit of @justinbieber fever) that is Twitter. Among the highlights: Most tweets (some 41%) can be characterized as "pointless babble," while only 4% can be considered actual news. Twitter trends rarely last longer than a week and almost always trend one time only The average (median) lifetime number of tweets for a single user is 1, while 10% of the users contribute 90% of the traffic A 2010 study ("Understanding the psychological motives behind microblogging") found that highly extroverted participants use Twitter "to relieve their existential anxiety" Pointless babble? Really? We would like to state for the record that we have derived hours of entertainment -- and education -- from our Twitter addiction. Which reminds us: it's been almost an hour since @JENNIWOWW has tried to sell us a diet formula supplement. We sure hope she's OK.
Shocker! MobiTV customers prefer larger, easy to see displays
MobiTV wants you to know that its ESPN Mobil TV offering had 100 percent uptime during the recent World Cup. Also, it's parsed some of the subscriber data that it accumulated during the tournament, and the analysis is in: subscribers with 5-inch displays watched an average of 118.2 minutes of soccer, while those with 2-inch displays watched almost half that (about 61.1 minutes on average). That's right: people with displays that are large enough to actually see what's goin' on will watch more TV than those with displays roughly the size of a postage stamp. Also presented here is viewing time-per-platform (Android wins at 125.7 average minutes / viewer, while WinMo takes up the rear at 62.7 minutes), and adoption markets (LA has the largest number of subscribers, followed by New York, Chicago, and San Francisco). It looks like all this is putting poor Norman to sleep here, but if you're interested in the specifics (and you want to learn the difference between a "sophisticated" tweenager and a regular ol' tweenager) check the PR after the break.
Shocker: Touchscreen smudge may give away your Android password pattern
Fast food connoisseurs should pay special attention here -- according to a recent paper by the University of Pennsylvania, Android users are inadvertently leaving their nine-dot lock patterns in the open, courtesy of their fingers' oily smear on the screen. Specifically, the study on potential "smudge attacks" found that partial or complete patterns could be easily retrieved -- even with added noise on the display or after incidental clothing contact -- by using various lighting and camera orientation settings for the smear analysis. Should we be surprised? No. But should our phones be getting Froyo sooner for the extra PIN and QWERTY password options? Hell yeah.
Home audio shocker! Onkyo aims new compact systems at 'audiophiles'
Onkyo, known in these parts for everything from digiframes to a rather wild selection of PCs, has announced a set of compact audio systems aimed at the audiophile (though to be fair, Onkyo's definition of "audiophile" might be different than our own). For the well-heeled consumer, the CS-1045DAB (pictured after the break) sports 70W (x2) output, three analog and both optical and coaxial SPDIF inputs, a front-mounted USB port, VLSC Vector Linear Shaping Circuit tech, and a 24-bit Burr-Brown DAC. Score! Available at the end of August for £600 ($925) or bundled with a pair of D-145 speakers for £700 ($1,080). If your budget's a little tighter (and we can't blame you if it is) the CS-545UK (pictured above) is a cute little guy that features a digital amp, 2 x 50W output, MP3 compatible, tray-loaded CD player (remember those?), both an iPod dock and USB input, video out (presumably composite) and sub woofer out. Ships with a pair of D-045 2-way bass reflex speakers for £349 ($537) or without for £249. Look for it in September, kids!
Shocker: Geeks more likely to be bullied
Sadly, a review of scientific literature shows things don't quite play out as per the picture above. Analyzing 153 studies, researchers at two universities noted that bullies and their victims actually have a few things in common -- namely, poor social coping skills and negative attitudes -- it was the children with poor academic performance who were more likely to beat up on their nerdy brethren down the road. Still, we suppose it never hurts to double-check your firewall, eh?
Microsoft says 74 percent of work PCs still use Windows XP, extends downgrade rights (update 2)
The latest Microsoft operating system may be selling seven copies a second, but it's no match for the behemoth Windows XP, still the most popular OS in the world despite recent nefarious attempts (we kid) to invoke spontaneous shutdowns, slow hard drives and trigger blue screens. In fact, a Microsoft exec admitted today that practically three-quarters of business computers still run the nine-year-old OS on hardware averaging 4.4 years old, and Computerworld's now reporting Microsoft will extend XP's lifespan through 2020 as a result. "Going forward, businesses can continue to purchase new PCs and utilize end user downgrade rights to Windows XP or Windows Vista until they are ready to use Windows 7," an official Windows blog post reads. We've heard the reluctance to upgrade is due to a reliance on older software and the cost of additional IT, but it probably doesn't hurt that Microsoft doggedly keeps distributing the OS despite the other choices on offer. Perhaps the futuristic Windows 8 will finally win the workplace over, but it seems Redmond's hedging its bets on this one. Look on the bright side: this way, when intelligent robots battle for control of the moon, at least the wrathful victors will still be vulnerable to the blue screen of doom. Update: So it seems as if that 2020 date is incorrect, according to Microsoft's PR team. We're presently waiting for an official update of some sort, and will let you know if / when we get it. Don't worry about the robots -- we've got top men working on Plan B. Update 2: The official Windows Team Blog has stepped forward to reduce the confusion, but they've only toned it down a tad. Microsoft won't commit to an exact date for Windows XP downgrade availability, saying instead that you can trade in your OEM copy of Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate until the company stops selling it... which is presently slated to be two years after Windows 8 ships... whenever that is. Find the complete non-committal statement at the more coverage link.
Shocker! Apple approves apps for using LED on iPhone 4 as flashlight
Nah, your sarcasm detector isn't busted -- we genuinely are surprised that Apple has lifted the iron fist and allowed a piece of hardware on its handset to be used for something other than Jobs himself intended. It may seem trivial to those who haven't witnessed Apple block the most sensible of programs in the past, but allowing applications that enable end-user control of the LED camera flash is a pretty big deal. It's one of those "sad, but true" moments, you know? As of now, the affordable (£0.59) Flashlight - For iPhone 4 and even more affordable (zilch) LED Light for iPhone 4 can be downloaded directly from the App Store and used to activate the LED whenever you darn well please, and for reasons that we needn't mention, we'd suggest you go ahead and grab one... pronto. Update: Another free option -- Power Light -- just splashed down into the App Store. Update 2: Lookie there, another free option with LED-Flashlight! Woo! Update 3: Apple even let an iPhone 4 LED Strobe application through (video after the break). Be still our hearts! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
MP3 Shocker! Apple Records makes Billy Preston and James Taylor available for download, the Beatles not so much
EMI and Apple Records have announced that a number of artists from the back catalog (and it's all back catalog at this point), including James Taylor, Badfinger, Mary Hopkins, and Billy Preston (pictured above, shooting time traveling lightning bolts from his fingers) will see their work remastered and re-released on CD and digital download on October 26. Authorized downloads are a first for the company, although the plans do exclude the one group that really matters. How about the four lads from Liverpool, then? Looks like for the time being you're either stuck with pre-loaded novelty USB drives or you're ripping all your legally purchased CDs (for personal archival use only). Billy Preston shows us how it's done after the break.
Suspended animation shocker: lack of oxygen could be the key to surviving a deep freeze
Researchers in Seattle are coming closer to discovering the secrets of suspended animation. Experimenting with yeast and worms, Dr. Mark Roth has been able to determine that a significant decrease in oxygen before the deep freeze of an organism makes surviving the thaw much, much easier, and may account for several cases where people have appeared to be frozen to death but were later revived. Dr. Roth's aim, he says, is not to be able to freeze people for long periods (such as is the case in the classic film Encino Man), but to help medical professionals "buy time" and advance their understanding of the effects of freezing on the human body. Sure, but if it means we might get to meet up with Pauly Shore in like, a thousand years, why don't we just shoot for the stars on this one? Video is below.
Mad Catz Xbox accessory shocker! Kinect, wireless controller get stands at E3
Mad Catz, our favorite provider of gaming accessories that happens to be named after mentally ill house pets, has announced a plethora of devices for the new Xbox 360. First off, if there is a Kinect in your future you are probably thinking: "where am I gonna put the damn thing?" Well, you can stop thinking right now! the Xbox 360 Kinect Floor Stand includes a weighted base, 2.5-foot mounting pole, and it costs $30. If you feel like saving a few bucks, a camera tripod adapter is available for $15. There also is something called the Controller Charge Stand, which -- for a mere $30 -- allows you to store two controllers and charge up to two Microsoft Rechargeable Battery Packs at the same time. Pretty great, huh? PR after the break.
Shanzai shocker! VIA processors in $100 Android tablets later this year
Brace for a storm of craptablets: this week, Taiwanese semiconductor firm VIA said its processors will appear in a new slate of cheap Android tablets destined for the US in the second half of this year. Speaking to Bloomberg, VIA marketing head Richard Brown said the company's Chinese customers will ship around five tablets, that they'll appear at $100 to $150 price points, and that "the tablet market has been legitimized by Apple" -- that last likely in an attempt to make Bloomberg utter the words "VIA" and "iPad" in the same breath. (It worked.) Mind you, the iPad certainly isn't the be-all, end-all of tablet computing, but we wouldn't expect to get a legitimate iPad killer for $100, either. We think we said it best in April: you get what you pay for.
E-Ink Shocker! Amazon CEO says color Kindle is 'still a long way out'
Well, if it isn't a surprise to end all surprises. Amazon's head honcho Jeff Bezos recently grabbed a mic at the outfit's annual shareholder meeting in Seattle, and when speaking about the "millions" of Kindle e-readers that he's sold, he pointed out the obvious when questioned about the possibility of a color version. In addressing concerns that LCD-based tablets may seem more attractive due to their ability to showcase color images and video, he noted that developing color electronic ink remains a challenge, and while he's seen things "in the laboratory," the prototypes are simply "not ready for prime-time production." He also stated that these lust-worthy, mythical displays were "a long way out," but that the Kindle would remain focused as a dedicated e-reader moving forward. Hear that, Mirasol? That's the ear-piecing sound of a market opportunity waiting to be exploited.
Android MID shocker! Eken M003 gets 8-inch display, $230 price tag (video)
Are you a fan of off-brand MIDs, the Android OS, and dangerous bezels? You're in luck! It looks like the M003, a slightly larger follow-up to Eken's very own M001 (which caught our attention a month or so ago, mostly on account of its price) has finally reached e-tailers at home and abroad, such as China Grabber who will sell you one for a not too shabby (yet not too awesome either) $230. Keeping the Android 1.6 OS, this bad boy has been bumped up to an 8-inch touchscreen while sporting a 600MHz VIA processor, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, 128MB RAM, and an SD card slot for up to 32GB storage. They're even throwing in a 2GB SD card because they're such good sports. Available in pink, white, or black. Hands-on video after the break.
Global Positioning Shocker: Magellan rolls out ten new RoadMates for Spring
Looks like Magellan isn't messing around with its new Spring lineup of RoadMate navigation units -- and by not messing around, we mean not changing things very much. Totaling ten units in all, the company's new lineup features models with 4.3-inch, 4.7-inch and 5-inch touchscreens, and seemingly similar specs across the board otherwise, with the biggest difference being the inclusion of lifetime maps, lifetime traffic, and Bluetooth on some models. Look for the whole lot to start trickling out to retail over the coming days and weeks, with about half of them already available on Amazon and directly from Magellan for between $169.99 and $299.99. [Thanks, Rich]
Tablet PC shocker! Fujitsu LifeBook T730 official, smaller version of T900
It's good to have options, right? And, bam! Just like that, Fujitsu announces a little something called the LifeBook T730. Sporting the same Intel Core i5-520M, i5-540M, or i7-620M CPU available on the LifeBook T900, this bad boy packs up to 8GB RAM, 320GB HDD (or 128GBSSD with encryption), Bluetooth, HDMI output, pen input (with optional capacitive multitouch), and a Super-Multi DVD writer into a comparatively svelte, 12.1-inch LED backlit package. Prices start at a Rockefeller-esque $1,869 and move skyward ever-so-quickly depending on your needs and budget.
