Archive for November, 2009
Google that sours after 36 hours
A team of Dell engineers has released a very unofficial version of Google's Chrome OS for use on the PC manufacturer's Mini 10v netbooks.…
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ASUS Eee PC 1201HA now on sale in the US
A little later than mid-November, sure, but ASUS has finally unleashed to the US masses its 12.1-inch Eee PC 1201HA. Available at Best Buy for a penny under $330, it's got all the standard affairs: 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520, 1GB RAM upgradeable to 2GB, 160GB HDD, WiFi, and a touted 6 hour, 38 minute battery life. The catch here is Windows XP -- sorry 7 lovers, but if you're feeling particularly adventurous, there's always Chrome OS.ASUS Eee PC 1201HA now on sale in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov...Read More »
Smartbook AG launches absolutely gaudy $3,000 Swarovski-laden netbook
Taking a break from making headlines over infringement rights, Smartbook AG has found an entirely new way to get our attention. Introducing the Zenid GC Crystal, a "smartbook" that's, as Netbooknews.de points out, one of the most common Chinese ODM netbooks, the S40 -- 10.2-inch WXGA LED screen, 1.6GHz Intel Atom N280, 2GB DDR2 RAM, WiFi, and so on. You can get a non-crystal version for 299 euros, but really, we know you're wanting to go ridiculously lavish here, and that's precisely where the Crystal variant doesn't disappoint. Completely encrusted in Swarovski crystals, the asking price jumps...Read More »
Netronix looking to Android, 3G for its e-book readers
Google's little green man has been getting quite an education lately, popping up in a number of e-book readers (why hello there Nook, Alex, eDGe). Not to be left out, Netronix is reportedly also looking to work with Texas Instruments on assimilating Android into its product line, according to company chairman Arthur Lu (via DigiTimes). Neither are bad trends to follow in this still-infant industry, but the questions remains as to when and how it'll actually work. Also on the company to-do list? 3G and 3.5G capabilities, supposedly coming sometime in the middle of 2010....Read More »
HTC Hero caught running Android 2.1?
HTC promised the world an Android 2.0-based firmware for its Hero line once it figured out the nitty gritty details of porting Sense to Google's latest code, leapfrogging Donut altogether -- but now, it looks like they're gonna do one better. Screenshots found today show a Hero running Android 2.1, which would dovetail nicely with the fact that Google had teased a "minor update" to 2.0 before the end of 2009 back when it announced Eclair last month. The interface looks largely untouched from 1.5, proof that HTC was able to bring Sense...Read More »
Nokia N900 glitch leads to useful portrait mode, caught on video
File this under "it's not a bug, it's a feature" if true. According to Guyver at the maemo.org forums, some glitch in the OS caused his Nokia N900 to switch into portrait mode for everything, not just dialer and photo apps as previously allowed. We'd love to eliminate the need for two hands to run our favorite chunks of mobile software, but so far we haven't been able to recreate his trick. Try it at home if you'd like by tilting the device to launch the phone app, then sliding up the screen and closing the app. Perhaps...Read More »
Mysterious iPhone model found in app usage records?
O iPhone3,1, where art thou? Last time we spotted that signature, it was buried in lines of code as part of a beta OS 3.0 firmware build. Now according to data from analytics software inside iBART, the San Francisco-centric transportation app has been host to a new visitor with the aforementioned device identification number. As MacRumors points out, iPhone2,1 was originally spotted in October 2008 and later became the iPhone 3GS about eight months later. Not that it's necessarily the case Apple will keep to the same schedule -- nor should it come as a...Read More »
iriver Story up for sale in the UK, can be imported to the US for contrarian amount
Other than delightful-looking keyboard, it's a little tough to tell what sets the iriver Story apart from its E Ink brethren (other than its complete lack of wireless), but the little issue of a $400 US pricetag for import versions doesn't give us much reason to find out. Meanwhile, in the UK the somewhat more reasonable £230 tag has been affixed to the now-shipping e-reader, and while that's still a tad bit more than just shipping a Kindle to the UK, if you're still interested you can feel free to check out a few videos after the break that...Read More »
Japan’s ‘Helicopter Boyz’ turn the Nikon S1000pj into something much more disturbing
We're not going to chalk this one up to Japanese culture, the child rearing techniques of show-biz-addled parents, or the craze-inducing effects that come from the integration of a pico projector within a digital camera -- this video is too big to have such trite little lines drawn around it. Basically it answers the age-old question of what would happen if you strapped a couple dozen Nikon Coolpix S1000pj cameras to two excitable children and had them work through an incredibly awkward choreography in front of hundreds of their astonished peers. Video is after the break.Continue...Read More »
AirScript handheld device offers live translation of theatre performances
When in a foreign country, soaking up some of the culture is a must. Museums, galleries and historic landmarks are all fair game, but most wouldn’t think twice about hitting the theatre in a country that doesn’t speak their language.
That could change now with the invention and implementation of the AirScript personal theatre translation device. The handheld machine, currently in use at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London (where Hairspray is currently showing), costs foreign culture vultures £6 to rent for the evening, with up to 200 machines being able to run simultaneously over Wi-Fi.
David...Read More »


