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Notion Ink renders show Adam II, accessories and EVE smartphone
Notion Ink's been teasing the Adam II for well over a year now, and while the first generation left us cold, we're curious to see what the second attempt brings to the table. A series of renders recently surfaced that allegedly show the Android tablet, its accessories / packaging and a companion smartphone concept named EVE. It's unclear if the images -- which have since been pulled -- are legitimate, but the design appears to match previous leaks. The accessories include a collapsible docking station, USB charger, stylus and dual-tone leather carrying case. What's most intriguing, however, is the EVE smartphone which also runs Android and features a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen along with a secondary display mounted on its spine, just like the Adam II. Check out the gallery below for the complete set of pictures. %Gallery-194143%
AT&T cuts smartphone prices in half, jumps on the discount bandwagon
If you're looking for a new smartphone, this is apparently the weekend to go shopping. Following Radio Shack's promise to chip in a $100 Google Play credit with purchase an HTC One and Walmart's deep iPhone discounts, AT&T has quietly tacked on a 50% discount for phones under $199. This puts devices like the HTC One, Samsung's Galaxy S4 (and the S4 Active), the Note II, both of BlackBerry's latest handsets and iPhone 5 at an enticing $100. Naturally, Ma Bell has attached the usual hooks: the deal necessitates a new 2-year agreement or contract renewal, and in-store purchases require a trade-in device to activate the discount. Not a bad deal if you're hankering for new hardware -- just make sure you don't walk away with buyer's remorse.
Jolla shows off Sailfish mobile OS in official video, pushes speed, multitasking
As promised, Jolla has shown off its newly launched Sailfish OS today, and said that UI will be all about speed and multitasking, while also cutting down on the finger dancing required to use it. The experience will start from the homescreen, where users will be able to control music playback or end a call using a "pulley" menu system without needing to open the respective apps. The Finnish startup also said that "many" Android apps would run on Sailfish handsets without modification, though a simple port would be required for best operation. Jolla foresees the software running not only smartphones from hardware players like new partner ST-Ericsson, but also tablets, smart TVs and in-car systems, for instance. To see it for yourself, check out the official video after the break. [Image credit: MTV3 Finland] %Gallery-171517%
Switched On: When the smartphone giveth, Part 1
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Part II of this article will be coming next week -- stay tuned! The rise of smartphones hasn't been kind to makers of devices such as digital cameras, digital music players and portable GPS devices. Handsets with a rich selection of apps have been increasingly cannibalizing sales of these products, leaving few ways for these once hot holiday gift items to compete. In some cases, though, they have enabled functionality that was once envisioned for standalone products that either failed in the market or never went much beyond a niche audience. Here are five examples of failed devices that never made much headway. The concepts behind them, though, ultimately found acceptance on smartphones.
Samsung's Ultra Messaging i600 gets official: "world's thinnest" 3G QWERTY Smartphone
Samsung just went and officially took the wraps off the i600 we already caught struttin' around Europe a few months ago. The WinMo 5.0 Smartphone picked up the Sammy "Ultra" branding as well as the angular QWERTY found on the i607 BlackJack and preferred by German Sprockets. However, unlike the Blackjack, the i600 packs in 802.11b/g WiFi and a second VGA cam up front. Fully packed, we're looking at GSM/EDGE UMTS/HSDPA, MS Push email, RSS reader, speakerphone, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP stereo audio support, and 64MB RAM / 128MB ROM on-board memory with microSD expansion. More importantly, it's quad-band GSM contrary to earlier reports and measures in at a qualified, "world's thinnest" 11.8-mm (0.46-inches) / 99-grams (3.5-ounces) which is slimmer than Cingular's lesser Blackjack yet weighs the same. Super. Now the rub: although FCC approved, the Ultra Messaging i600 is only announced for Asia Pacific and Europe thus far -- sometime in Q1, 2007.[Via AVING]
