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FoxConn SZ901 Netbook Running Moblin OS

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Foxconn's latest netbook, the SZ901, has just been demoed running the Linux-based Moblin (v2) OS. The netbook has fairly regular specs, including: a 10.1-inch display, the 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, VGA output, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, and 3G. It loaded pretty fast, but not as fast as I was expecting it to. Just check out the video below, thanks to Engadget.



[Engadget]



Boy Genius Gets Their Hands On the HTC Touch Pro 2 and Touch Diamond 2

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Boy Genius is getting ready to dish out what they think of the HTC Touch Pro 2 and Touch Diamond 2, since they just got their hands on the 2 handsets. I've looked at the pictures and I actually don't like the back of each phone, especially the Touch Pro 2. Hit the link below for more photos of the devices.

[Boy Genius]

PS3 Slim By September Of This Year!

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The official PSP Go has already leaked out, so what about the PS3 Slim? According to Ars Technica, the slim PS3 is on the way, but it might not be officially announced at E3. It will be available as soon as August or September of this year - which is just in time for my birthday! The source appears to have a 100% track record, so this information is probably right.

[Ars Technica]

Microsoft Kumo Gets Name Changed to Bing, Launching On June 3

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Microsoft's new Kumo search engine has just been confirmed to be available starting on Wednesday of next week, June 3. Unfortunately, the "Kumo" name has been changed to "Bing." Personally, I think the Kumo name was better and I'm sad to see that they changed the name. I'll be sure to try it out though, even though it has an underwhelming name. This new search engine will be simultaneously battling with Google and Wolfram Alpha with their new features.

[Gizmodo]

PSP Go Leaks Out Before E3; Doesn't Have 2 Thumb Sticks

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The PSP Go has been "confirmed" to be announced at this year's E3 (in 2 or so days), but here's the first leaks. I really hope that this is not official because I was hoping that the next PSP would have 2 thumb sticks instead of one. It looks like it is official though, since it's dated as a June 2009 Qore video, which would be perfect for E3. The PSP Go! looks like it will have 16GB of internal memory, Bluetooth, and an undisclosed memory slot, but it could be the rumoured HG-Micro. Just in case you're still interested in the PSP-3000, no worries because they will both be on the shelves at the same time - at least for a little while. Look out for the official announcement in just a couple of days.

[Engadget]

Qualcomm Battles Netbooks and Smartphones With Their Own Smartbooks

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Qualcomm looks like they are going to try to take on everyone with their own Snapdragon-powered smartbooks - which is the result of a smartphone plus a netbook. To me, it looks like a larger version of the Sony Vaio P - although this looks like it is the Winston Pursebook we saw back in the beginning of April. These smartbooks will include Qualcomm's 1GHz CPUs, WWAN (possibly for voice calls), WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and an expected 10-hours of battery life. They are expected to have a 10 to 12-inch WXGA (1,280 x 768 resolution) display with HD video encoding thanks to their powerful Snapdragon processors. The OS looks like it will be Linux-based and will feature a "well-designed homescreen" as well as instant-on access.

It looks like this could be a worthy competitor at the moment, but the first models are expected by the end of the year. By the end of the year, we could see netbooks with a much more powerful 1.86GHz CPU, so we'll have to see how long the Snapdragon's 1GHz CPU can hold up.

[Slash Gear]

Verizon Says They Are Releasing the Pre In 6 Months; Sprint Responds With "No"

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Verizon Wireless recently stated that in about 6 months they will be releasing the Palm Pre and the BlackBerry Storm 2. The Palm Pre will be available on Sprint in about a week, and 6 months from June would be December. Sprint heard what Verizon said and responded by saying that that they have the Palm Pre exclusively throughout 2009. So, it looks like Verizon could be launching the Pre in early 2010, but the Storm 2 could still be on for the end of the year. Exciting news? Mehh, not really.

On a side note, Verizon also said that they would launch the "cousin" of the Palm Pre, which is probably the Palm Eos. Don't know when though.

[Engadget, Boy Genius]

Verizon Launching Rival A455 For $99; Casio Exilim C721 For $279

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A couple of days ago, we heard that Verizon would be launching the Motorola Rival A455 and the Casio Exilim C721 on June 10th. Well, the pricing details was just announced. Verizon Wireless will be releasing this QWERTY-packed phone on June 10 for $99 USD after a $50 mail-in rebate on a 2-year contract., $169 after a $50 mail-in rebate on a 1-year contract, and also $269 for a full retail of the handset.

The Casio Exilim C721's price details have also been outlined. It will be available on June 10 from Verizon Wireless for $279 after a $50 mail-in rebate on a 2-year contract, $349 after a $50 mail-in rebate on a 1-year contract, and also $449 for a full retail of the waterproof handset with a 5.1MP camera.

For more details, click on the two links below.

[Boy Genius (Rival A455), Boy Genius (Exilim C721)]

Dell Launches Studio 14z Notebook For $649

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Dell has just launched their latest notebook, the Studio 14z. The 14z is equipped with: a 14-inch display with a 16:9 HD aspect ratio, Nvidia 9400M graphics, up to 500GB of HDD storage, up to 5GB of DDR3 RAM, and also has options for a 6-cell or an 8-cell battery, and a couple of Core 2 Duo CPUs. Unfortunately, there are no options for a ULV CPU and the Studio 14z does not have an optical drive. Anyways, another other option that is also available is for the display, which lets you choose a (720p) 1,366 x 768 resolution or a (900p)1,600 x 900 resolution. The Dell Studio 14z is just 1.2-inches thick and it weighs just about as much as the Adamo. It is now available on Dell's official website for a base price of $649 USD.

Update: For some hands-on information about this notebook, check out this link to Engadget's website.

[Gizmodo]

HTC Touch Pro 2 Sells For $800 Unlocked in Europe; Telus Expects Touch Pro 2 By Christmas Time

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The HTC Touch Pro 2 - number 2 on my smartphone list - is now available on a couple of online European retailer websites. It's going for around $800 USD online and that's without 3G, since it is being sold in Europe and not here for the time being. On a side note, I love the Touch Pro 2's keyboard - compared to the N97's.

In addition to this news, I was also talking with a Telus employee 2 nights ago. We already know that Telus will be selling the HTC Touch Pro 2, so I was just looking out for any additional information I could dig out. The employee told me that they'd have the HTC Touch Pro 2 by Christmas time, so we'll see when it gets its initial release.

Update: New news about the HTC Touch Pro 2 popped up on July 5th. The HTC Touch Pro 2 will hit Telus on July 21st!

[Engadget]

Microsoft Silverlight 3 Launching on July 10

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The beta for Microsoft Silverlight 3 was back in March and now we've scooped up the details on the official release date. Just in case you care, Microsoft will release Silverlight 3 on July 10 at the Expression Studio 3 conference. Silverlight 3 has: 3D support, GPU acceleration, H.264 video support. The "out-of-the-browser capabilities" are said to compete with Adobe AIR, but we'll just have to see about that.

[ZDNet Blogs]

HTC Hero Running "Rosie" UI; Promo Video Leaked!

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This is interesting. The latest leaks from HTC has shown off the HTC Hero in a promo video (below). The one thing that stood out to me in the video was that the accelerometer was able to rotate the picture, even when the phone was upside down. I actually had to watch it twice to make sure that my eyes didn't deceive me. Anyways, enjoy the video below sporting the red HTC Hero - that gets accompanied by 6 other colours at the end.

Another thing also visible is the chin of the phone, which is stupid. A while ago, we heard that the chin was implemented to make the trackball more visible, but clearly that was BS, since the Hero does not have a trackball. They just want to stand out - that's all it is.



[Slash Gear]

Alienware's Allpowerful Laptop Gets Unveiled; Dubbed the M17x and Packs 2 Nvidia GTX 280M GPUs

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Even though the countdown is still taking place, the upcoming Alienware "Allpowerful" laptop has already been unveiled. It is the M71x and it is the ultimate gaming laptop of all time. I'm going to run through the specs, briefly, but they are amazing. The Alienware M71x has: 2 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M GPUs, up to 8GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 RAM, a Core 2 Extreme quad-core CPU, and up to 1TB of HDD storage / up to 512GB of SSD storage (definitely an expensive addition). Was that enough? Well, I'm not finished. It also has: a 9-cell battery, FireWire, 4 USB 2.0 slots, eSATA, an ExpressCard slot, 802.11n WiFi, an 8-in-1 card reader, dual-layer Blu-ray, a crisp 1,920 x 1,200 resolution (possibly 17-inches) LCD display with DisplayPort and HDMI outputs. The M71x will weigh a massive 11.68 pounds and is a solid 2.11-inches thick. Just in case you were deciding to save your battery, it also has GeForce 9400M G1 graphics with HybridPower technology as a backup. Suprisingly enough, the M71x has a base price of just $1,799 USD, which is much less than what I was expecting. Hopefully, we'll be able to see it at E3!! If I had the money, I'd definitely get one of these.

[Engadget]

MSI Announces Gaming GT729 and Multimedia EX723 Laptops

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Here's 2 more laptops from MSI, so who doesn't love this excitement. The GT729 is a gaming laptop and it comes with: a 17-inch display, 3GB of RAM, Intel's Core 2 Duo CPU, WiFi, ATI's 1GB Mobility Radeon HD 4850 graphics, a 2MP webcam, optional Bluetooth, VGA / HDMI output, 3 USB 2.0 slots, a 4-in-1 card reader, audio in / out, an ExpressCard slot, up to 500GB of HDD storage, a Blu-ray drive, and your choice of either a 6 or 9-cell battery. This gaming laptop also has a 4.1 channal audio system, which means that there's a subwoofer inside of this thing.

The EX723 is for multimedia people and it basically has the same specs as the above GT729 - except for in a couple of places. The graphics on the EX723 is a GeForce G110M and it only has up to 320GB of storage. It is also sporting a 17-inch display, but it looks like it doesn't have the same 16:9 aspect ratio that the MSI GT729 appears to have.

So far, there has been no word of a price or a release date for these 2 laptops.

[Engadget]

Sprint Could Remove the $100 Mail-In Rebate, Making the Pre a Solid $200

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Latest rumour has it that, just days before launch, Sprint is considering removing that oh so horrible $100 USD mail-in rebate on the Palm Pre. This is probably due to the fact that Best Buy and Radio Shack are selling their 4 devices at a solid $200 price tag. It's either that or they're just fed up with everyone complaining about the expensive price. All in all, it looks like they may have given in, but it's still just a rumour. We'll find out in about a week.

[Gizmodo]

Google Wave Gets Me Excited For the Future

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Google I/O started 2 days ago and the announcement that has made the biggest impact so far [hands down] is Google Wave. Everyone is talking about Google Wave and I'm not even exactly sure of what it is. Some sources are claiming that it will single-handedly change the web as we know it. Anyways, check out Mashable's complete guide of Google Wave because that's what I'm about to do. The video below is Google's big announcement and showing off of Google Wave at Google I/O. Beware, the video is 1 hour and 20 minutes long. Scooped up the video from Tech Crunch.



[Mashable, Tech Crunch]

Sony Ericsson Idou Gets An Official Name, Satio; Also Launch Yari and Aino

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Today, Sony Ericsson released a slew of information. One being that the Sony Ericsson Idou will be getting launched this October under the new and official name, the Sony Ericsson Satio. Just in case you forgot, the Satio has: a 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen with a 350 x 640 resolution, a 12.1MP camera, quad-band GSM / UMTS, GPS, WiFi, and will be running on S60 5th Edition. Check out some hands-on details at this link at Tech Radar.

Sony Ericsson wasn't going to stop with the Idou's name change. Next up is the news on the upcoming Sony Ericsson Yari and Aino handsets, left and right in the picture respectively. First up is the Yari, which is a slider handset. The Yari has: a 2.4-inch display, GPS, and support for the PlayNow services we heard about earlier this year. This phone will be available in Q4 of this year for around €400 ($558 USD) unlocked. The other announced handset is the Aino, which has: a 3-inch touchscreen, an 8.1MP camera, Sony Remote Play support, GPS, and HSPA support. This phone should also be available in Q4, but the price is still unknown.

[Engadget (Satio), Slash Gear (Satio)Engadget (Yari and Aino)]

Asus Shows Off Promo Video For Their U-Series Laptops

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Earlier this month, Asus released the specifications for their U and UX-Series laptops. It was quite a lengthy list, so just check out my earlier post about it here. It includes stuff like: CULV CPUs, 12.1 to 15.6-inch displays, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, up to 500GB of HDD storage, and a bunch of other interesting stuff. Check out the promo video below, courtesy of Slash Gear.



[Slash Gear]

MSI X-Slim X340 Notebook Now Available For $899

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The MSI X-Slim X340 notebook is now officially available on MSI's official website for a starting price of $899 USD. The basic X340 specs are as follows: a 13.4-inch display with a 1,366 x 768 resolution, Intel's Core 2 Solo SU3500 CULV 1.4GHz CPU, Intel GMA 4500MDH graphics, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 320GB HDD, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, a 2-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC), and a 1.3MP webcam. It also has 2 USB 2.0 ports, VGA / HDMI output, and a mic / headphone jack.

This notebook comes with a 4-cell battery as a standard, but it is upgradeable to an 8-cell, if you're interested. This notebook is thin, light, and will save power, since it is running on Intel's CULV CPU. Check it out here, if you're looking to purchase it.

[Slash Gear]

Motorola Rival A455 and Casio Exilim C721 Launching On VZW On June 10

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You thought that AT&T would get all the fun leaking handsets? Well, it looks like Verizon Wireless feels the need to show off just 2 of their future handsets. One being the Motorola Rival A455 and the other being the Casio Exilim C721.

First up is the Rival A455 from Motorola. It has: a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, EV-DO connectivity, GPS, Bluetooth, and a 2MP camera. Clearly, it's not a high-end phone, but then again it's a Motorola handset. Did you expect anything more? Next up is the Casio Exilim C721, which is that water resistant phone we heard about in early April. Remember, the ad with the girl in the shower? The Exilim C721 has: a 5.1MP camera, a swiveling WVGA display and, like I said, is water resistant. Both of these handsets will launch on June 10 on Verizon Wireless, but there has been no word on the pricing.

[Boy Genius]

1000th Post! I Expected Google To Release Extensions For Chrome Today

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Yes, I did. I marked it on my Google Calendar and everything. And I'm sad that they haven't announced it yet. I mean, yes, there are ways to make your own extensions, but Google hasn't launched an official extension platform for their browser, Google Chrome, yet. A couple of months ago, people guessed that May 27 would be the day that Google would announce extensions because it marked the start of their developer conference, Google I/O. Google has announced a bunch of juicy information at their conference so far, so I'm not upset. Maybe they'll announce extensions at tomorrow's keynote because people like me are still patiently waiting.

Anyways, I really hope Google announces extensions soon because I think it'll really increase their browser's market share. Speed + Flexibility is a great combination.

Picture Source: Tech Crunch

LG GD900 Available In The UK On July 1st; Gets Hands-On Footage

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Personally, I think this phone looks amazing, but it wouldn't be something I would get. The LG GD900 has a sexy transparent keypad that has several uses (trackpad, zooming in and out in camera mode), and it's also running LG's new 3D S-Class UI, so what's there not to love here. I just love the design on this phone, and it shows me that LG is really stepping their game up, following up a successful 2008. LG has announced that the GD900 will be available in the UK starting on July 1st. Slash Gear points out that they wouldn't be surprised if it launched for free with a mid to high-end contract, which isn't a bad deal at all. For now, you can drool over the hands-on footage below, courtesy of Slash Gear.

Update: If you pay attention to the video, it looks like the LG GD900 will be launching in the US on AT&T.



[Slash Gear]

Samsung Shows Off Largest Flexible OLED Display at SID 2009!

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OLED technology really gets me excited, especially when they're able to bend around in weird shapes and stuff like that. Luckily, for me, Samsung Mobile Display (SMD) showed off their latest AMOLED prototype at the SID 2009 conference in San Antonio. This is the world's largest flexible OLED display to date measuring in at 6.5-inches, so that's definitely something positive. Several claims are also saying that it's the most flexible OLED display to date. It's only a protoype, but SMD claims that the response time is 1,000 times faster than traditional LCD technology.

SMD expects these flexible displays to be implemented in future watches, cell phones, and also flexible eBook readers (Kindle with OLED displays in the future?). Just in case I haven't told you enough, I'm really excited for OLED technology to get their big break. I'll be there to scoop one up when they're cheap enough.

[Slash Gear]

More Future AT&T Handsets Leak Out; The LG Opera TV, GW600 Herald, CU720 Shine, and the Georgia

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Told you the AT&T landslide wasn't over yet, and now it's time for LG's 4 new handsets. The LG Opera TV, GW600 Herald, CU720 Shine, and the Georgia are all expected to be released on AT&T by the end of the year.

First up is the LG Opera TV, which looks a lot like the LG Arena. This handset has: a 3-inch WVGA touchscreen display, a 5MP camera with autofocus, a microSD slot, quad-band GSM / dual-band (7.2Mbps) HSDPA support, GPS, and Bluetooth + A2DP. This phone also has support for MediaFLO technology, "which is a mobile TV protocol for handhelds used in the US." The 3D S-Class UI is a possibility here as well. Unfortunately, the Opera TV does not have WiFi, which could be a disappointment for some consumers. The Opera TV is expected to be available in late August.

Next up is the LG GW600 Herald, which clearly has a QWERTY keypad. This smartphone has: a 2.4-inch QVGA display, EDGE / HSDPA support, a 2MP camera, USB 2.0 connectivity, aGPS, a microSD slot, and is running WinMo 6.1. The Herald is scheduled for an early July release date.

What you see above is the CU720 Shine, which could very well be the Shine2. The upgraded Shine has: a 2.2-inch QVGA display, EDGE / HSDPA support, a 2MP camera, USB 2.0 connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR / A2DP, a microSD slot, and aGPS. The price is still TBD, but it's expected to be available in early August.

And finally we have the LG Georgia, which is a touchscreen phone. The Georgia comes packing with: a 2.8-inch WQVGA (240 x 400) display, a 3MP camera, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR / A2DP, aGPS, USB 2.0 connectivity, a microSD slot, and MediaFLO technology, similar to the Opera TV. The LG Georgia is pegged for an early October release date.

[GSM Arena]

More AT&T Handsets; The Samsung S5050, Fluxus, Pilar and Scotney

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You thought the AT&T parade was over? Well, not yet. Today, marks 4 more future Samsung phones launching on AT&T later this year: the S5050, Fluxus, A247 Pilar, and the Scotney.

First up is the Samsung S5050 which has: a 3.2MP camera with an LED flash, a bunch of touch-sensitive buttons, a 2.2-inch QVGA AMOLED display, a microSD slot, FM radio, Bluetooth, and USB 2.0 connectivity. This handset is, supposedly, going to start shipping this Summer with an estimated 170 euro ($235 USD) price tag. No word on the subsidized contract prices for AT&T though.

Next up is the Samsung Fluxus. It's a pretty basic looking slider from Samsung. It has: a 2.6-inch WQVGA display, a 2MP camera, 3G, HSDPA support, GPS, a microSD slot, Bluetooth, and USB 2.0 connectivity as well. The price has not been announced yet, so look out for that at a later date.

Here is a [very] low end handset from Samsung, the A247 Pilar. It's actually been delayed for an unknown reason and could actually be a cancelled handset, but I might as well talk about it briefly. The Pilar has: a 2-inch display with a 160 x 128 resolution, a VGA camera, EDGE, and Bluetooth. It wouldn't be too surprising if they did cancel this phone because I don't really think anyone would care.

Last, but not least - thanks to the Pilar - is the Samsung Scotney. It has: a 2.2-inch QCIF display, a 2MP camera, dual-band 3G, aGPS, USB 2.0 connectivity, and Bluetooth capabilities. This handset should be available in mid-September, but the price is still TBD.

There is still more news from AT&T, so don't think it's over yet.

[GSM Arena]

3 New Samsung AT&T-Bound Handsets Outlined

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Lately, AT&T's been filling up the news with their future devices. Here's 3 more Samsung handsets to add to that list. The Samsung Infinity, Pivot, and Trinity

First up is the Samsung Infinity and I just talked about it over an hour ago. Since, I've already outlined the Infinity's specs, I'll just tell you that it's expected to be released on AT&T this July 2009.

Up next is the Samsung Pivot smartphone. It has: a 2.6-inch QVGA touchscreen WiFi, GPS, a QWERTY keypad, Bluetooth 2.1, a microSD slot, a 3MP camera, quad-band GSM / tri-band HSDPA support, and will run on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. This smartphone is expected this October.

Last, but not least, is the Samsung Trinity. It is a dual-slider phone, so it has a full QWERTY keyboard and a numeric keypad. It also has: quad-band GSM / dual-band HSDPA support, a 2.8-inch QVGA display, a 3MP camera, USB 2.0 connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, a microSD slot, and GPS. This phone is expected to hit AT&T shelves in August of this year.

[GSM Arena]

AT&T Getting the LG Monaco Running Windows Mobile 7 This Year!!

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According to this picture from AT&T, the LG Monaco running Windows Mobile 7 will be available this September! Don't get too excited though, because this slide looks to be outdated, seeing how WinMo 6.5 hasn't even rolled out yet - and Microsoft has already mentioned that WinMo 7 will be available next year. Nonetheless, this handset does look great. It has: a 3.2-inch WVGA (480 x 800) touchscreen display, WiFi, a 5MP camera with autofocus, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR / A2DP, USB 2.0 connectivity, aGPS, a microSD card slot (support for up to 16GB), and a Pico-projector to top things off. I don't know where the projector will be located, but it looks like a pretty thin and sleek design.

I just think that this handset is too simple for my liking. I want to get something that is so sexy, something that makes people jealous. Getting back on topic, if this LG Monaco does hit AT&T this September, don't expect it to run WinMo 7.

[Engadget]

Nokia Rover Internet Tablet Revealed?

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Could this be the successor of the Nokia N810 Internet tablet? Well, it's always a possibility. The so-called Nokia Rover is a tablet that could possibly rock the new Maemo OS. The Rover reportedly has a 3.5-inch WVGA touchscreen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Nothing else is known about the device, but I'll be sure to get that juicy information for you at a later date.

[Engadget]

Cheap Full-Touchscreen Handset, The Samsung Infitinity Headed To AT&T?

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According to this image above, that is the case. The Samsung Infinity has: quad-band GSM / EDGE and dual-band UMTS, a 3-inch touchscreen display, a 2MP camera, a microSD slot, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, and aGPS.This handset will be for those looking for a less expensive full touchscreen device to brag about. It's scheduled for an AT&T release in the second half of this year.

[Boy Genius]

NEC Versa Pro J UltraLite Type VS Netbook Costs a Ridiculous $1,800

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Yes, you read that title right, but I'll talk about that later. The NEC Versa Pro J UltraLite Type VS netbook has: a 10-inch display, an Atom 1.86GHz CPU, Intel's GMA500 graphics, a 64GB SSD, and will run Windows Vista - instead of the traditional Windows XP. It weighs just 1.65 pounds and measures in at 0.62-inches thick! If you look at the picture above though, there is no trackpad, so the little rubbery ball is going to have to do. This netbook is scheduled for a July release date in Japan. Apparently, it will launch with a $1,000 USD price tag, but it will spike up to $1,800 USD afterwards for just about no reason.

[Gizmodo]

Microsoft's Zune HD Is Official; Set For Fall Release Date

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I know you haven't forgot about the Zune HD yet. Well, yesterday Microsoft officially announced the Zune HD and it will be making its way to consumers this Fall - which could be a September release date, which we heard about before. The Zune HD has: a 3.3-inch OLED capacitive multi-touch display with a 480 x 272 resolution, a built-in HD radio receiver, and an HD output (via a dock, not the PMP itself). Unfortunately, the browser of choice here is Internet Explorer, of course. The Zune HD will also integrate with Xbox Live to create "a game-changing entertainment experience." Nothing else has been mentioned about the device, but you can check out what Microsoft had to say below, courtesy of Engadget.

Microsoft Announces the Expansion of the Zune Entertainment Service to New Platform and Markets; Confirms New Zune HD Portable Media Player

Premium Zune digital entertainment service to be available internationally on Xbox LIVE. 

REDMOND, Wash. - May 26, 2009 - Microsoft Corp. today announced the evolution of Zune, the company's end-to-end music and entertainment service, to a new platform and new markets. Zune will extend its video service to Xbox LIVE internationally this fall. This marks an important development in the Zune strategy and brings the Zune brand to more than 17 million international Xbox LIVE subscribers. In addition, Microsoft confirmed the next generation of the Zune portable media player, Zune HD. Available in the U.S. this fall, Zune HD is the first portable media player that combines a built-in HD Radio receiver, high-definition (HD) video output capabilities, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touch screen, Wi-Fi and an Internet browser.

"The Zune music player is an integral part of the overall Zune experience, and we're proud to be growing and extending our offering beyond the device," said Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president of the Microsoft TV, Video and Music Business Group. "Delivering on Microsoft's connected entertainment vision, this news marks a turning point for Zune as it brings cross-platform experiences and premium video content to living rooms around the world."

Zune Service Expands to New Platform

Zune will be a premium partner in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, bringing an exciting catalog of TV and film to the platform. Zune will occupy the first slot within the Xbox user interface in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, exposing the Zune brand experience to millions of new consumers for the first time. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week, attendees will see firsthand how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE to create a game-changing entertainment experience.

Introducing Zune HD

Zune HD is the next iteration of the Zune device family and brings a new level of listening and viewing experiences to the portable media player category.
  • Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don't like the song playing on your station's HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.
  • The bright OLED touch screen interface allows users to flip through music, movies and other content with ease, and the 16:9 widescreen format display (480x272 resolution) offers a premium viewing experience on the go.
  • The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.*
  • Zune HD will include a full-screen Internet browser optimized for multitouch functionality.
  • Zune HD is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.
More information on Zune and related images is available at http://www.zune.net/press and http://www.zune.net/ZuneHD.

About Zune

Zune is Microsoft's music and entertainment brand that provides an integrated digital entertainment experience. The Zune platform includes a line of portable digital media players, elegant software, the Zune Marketplace online store, Zune Pass music subscription service, and the Zune Social online music community, created to help people discover more music. Zune is part of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division and supports the company's software-based services vision to help drive innovation in the digital entertainment space. More information can be found online at http://www.zune.net/en-us/press.

About Xbox LIVE

Xbox LIVE connects more than 17 million members across 26 countries to each other and the entertainment they love. Home of more content from one remote than can be found from any device connected to the television, Xbox LIVE is also a unified online social network bringing friends together, no matter where they are - in the living room or across the world. More information and Xbox LIVE membership can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.

About Microsoft


Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Supported 720p HD video files play on the device, downscaled to fit the screen at 480 x 272 - not HD resolution. Zune HD and AV Dock, and an HDTV (all sold separately) are required to view video at HD resolution.

HD Radio™ and the HD Radio logo are proprietary trademarks of iBiquity Digital Corp.

[Engadget, Joystiq]

iPod Nano Gets Artist's Rendition and More Specs; Next iPhone To Have 6 Versions

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What you see above is an artist's rendition of the next iPod Nano. When held sideways (landscape mode), the screen will have a wider 1.5:1 aspect ratio for widescreen videos and stuff like that - in comparison to the old iPod Nano with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The scroll wheel is also more compact and is getting a small shift towards the bottom of the body, since the screen is getting a bit larger. As you can see, the back of the iPod Nano has a small camera, but the resolution is still unknown. I think it's a bad spot for the camera for portrait mode, but it would be useful when taking pictures in landscape mode. The fifth-generation iPod Nano is expected to make its debut somewhere between July and September, alongside a refreshed iPod Touch.

The next iPhone is most likely going to be announced at this year's WWDC, but that doesn't mean we can't have news about it. The next iPhone is said to have 6 different versions, which consists of three models with 2 different storages (most likely 16GB and 32GB). Reportedly, there will be an iPhone with "enhanced 3G", but for confirmation we'll have to see what Apple announces at WWDC.

[Slash Gear]

Lenovo IdeaPad S12, U350, G550, IdeaCentre C300 All Get Official

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Warning, this will be a fairly lengthy blog post, seeing how I have to talk about 4 new Lenovo products.

What you see above is the Lenovo S12 netbook which switches it up a bit. The S12 reportedly has: a 12.1-inch WUXGA (1,280 x 800 resolution) LED-backlit display, a full-sized keyboard, 1GB of RAM, Intel's Atom 1.6GHz N270 CPU, your choice of 160 / 250 / 320GB HDDs, a 6-cell battery option, an Ethernet port, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3 USB 2.0 sockets, an ExpressCard slot, a 4-in-1 card reader, and VGA / HDMI outputs. Thankfully, if will be running Windows XP and is the world's first netbook with Nvidia's Ion chipset, which should create some hype. The said netbook is capable of playing 1080p video playback and will be available next month for $449 USD.



Next up on the list is the IdeaPad U350 (pictured above) and it's barely a notebook with its 13.3-inch LED-backlit display with a 1,366 x 768 resolution. Other specs for this laptop include: up to 500GB of HDD storage, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, your choice of a 1.2GHz Celeron 723 or 1.3GHz SU2700 or 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500, GMA 4500M / 4500 MHD graphics, an integrated 1.3MP webcam, a multi-touch trackpad, and an optional 8-cell battery, which supposedly lasts 10 hours. It will run on Windows Vista, but I suggest just using the Windows 7 Beta to lengthen the battery life.

The fairly uninteresting G550 is next with its business targeted audience. The G550 has: a 15.6-inch display, WiFi, Bluetooth, a DVD burner, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 320GB of HDD storage, a Core 2 Duo CPU, your choice of GMA X4500 or GeForce G105M graphics, HDMI output, and a 6-cell battery that is said to last 5 hours.

Last, but not least, is a low end all-in-one PC. It has: a 20-inch display, Intel's Atom 230 CPU, up to just 2GB of DDR2 RAM, integrated Intel graphics, a 160GB HDD (up to 640GB), an Ethernet port, WiFi, a 1.3MP webcam, FireWire, 6 USB 2.0 slots, and a 6-in-1 multicard reader. This low-end IdeaCentre C300 will start at a low $449 USD price tag, so it's good for starters.

For more information on any of these PCs, check out the link below.

[Engadget (S12), Engadget]