Nokia working on laptops, ARM-powered MID?

If you were looking for proof that the line between smartphones and laptops is rapidly starting to blur, look no further — Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasuvo told Reuters today that the Finnish company is “looking very actively” at making a laptop, since “what we we know as a cellphone and what we know as a PC are in many ways converging.” Sounds about right to us — but even more interestingly, we’re also getting word from the generally-reliable Mobile-Review that Espoo’s working on a MID powered by the new multicore ARM Cortex A9 Sparrow chip. If M-R is to be believed, the new device will only somewhat resemble the current N-series Internet Tablets, instead featuring a slide-out keyboard with diamond-shaped keys and a new widget-based interface. That’s a mockup from Unwired View above, and we think it looks pretty nice — although we’re hoping Nokia’s moved well beyond this hybrid N97 / Internet Tablet design language by the time this thing launches in 2011. This sort of convergence is definitely the next big trend, so we’ve got to ask: smartphone, MID, netbook or laptop — what’s in your (potentially giant) pocket?

[Via Electronic Pulp]

Read – Unwired View on ARM-powered MID
Read – Reuters on Nokia laptops

Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

Nokia working on laptops, ARM-powered MID? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Red Xbox 360 Resident Evil Limited Edition "unboxed" by Major Nelson

Curious what’s in that hot new red Xbox 360 Resident Evil Limited Edition box? Well, Major Nelson’s got you covered — he just posted up this quick video going over the contents. You’re getting the red 360 with 120GB drive, a red controller, black headset, HDMI, component, and Ethernet cables, a download code for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, RE 5, and… the standard Xbox power supply. Yeah! We’ll hit you with a real unboxing when it all goes on sale — which just happens to be Friday the 13th, our favorite day in March.

Filed under: Gaming

Red Xbox 360 Resident Evil Limited Edition “unboxed” by Major Nelson originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte’s M1022, S1024, T1028 netbooks show themselves at CeBIT

Gigabyte said it’d be showing off a trio of new netbooks at CeBIT this week and, lo and behold, all three have now emerged from their less than secretive whereabouts and made their public debut, and the good folks from Engadget Chinese were on hand for an up close look. While all three pack more or less the same standard netbook specs, they do manage to differentiate themselves quite a bit from each other around the edges, with the M1022 “Booktop” in particular coming paired with a rather unique dock that holds the system vertically and lets you hook up a monitor and your choice of peripherals. The T1028 also takes things one step further by opting for a tablet form, as you can see above, while the ThinNote S1024 keeps things a bit more simple with a thin, more business-like design. Be sure to hit up the link below for plenty more pics, and the complete specs for each.

Filed under: Laptops

Gigabyte’s M1022, S1024, T1028 netbooks show themselves at CeBIT originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft files patent lawsuit against TomTom over Linux-based GPS systems

Microsoft has long maintained that Linux infringes at least 235 of its patents, and it looks like it’s reaching deep into the bin for some extra ammo in a new case filed against TomTom over nav systems — of the eight alleged patent infringements in the complaint, five are specifically about portable navigation devices , while the remaining three cover what look to be filesystem-management techniques inherent to the Linux kernel itself. It seems like the Linux issue is less important to Redmond than the GPS patents — deputy general counsel Horacio Gutierrez says there aren’t any broader plans to go after Linux vendors and that it “respects and appreciates” open source — but if Microsoft scores a victory here, it’ll have an incredible advantage should it decide to take on any other Linux-based products. We’ll be following this one very closely, we’ll keep you in the loop.

[Via Business Insider]

Read – Techflash
Read – Microsoft complaint [PDF]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Microsoft files patent lawsuit against TomTom over Linux-based GPS systems originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yamaha’s "hybrid" Avant Grand piano replicates the real thing, still ain’t cheap

Yamaha’s forthcoming “hybrid” Avant Grand may not set you back quite as far as, say, a Hamburg Steinway Model D-274, but it still ain’t priced for amateur budgets. The piece was engineered to be around half the size and a third of the weight of a real-deal nine foot acoustic grand piano, all while maintaining the same heralded feel and sound. Dubbed a “hybrid” grand, this thing not only has four speakers that envelope the player in audio, but even the keys trigger a hammer that strikes a bar in order to replicate the feel of slamming a chord on one of the world’s most prized instruments. The good news is that you can get 99 percent of a grand in your home for just $20,000. The bad news, coincidentally enough, is that you can get 99 percent of a grand in your home for a staggering $20,000. A video demonstration is in the read link.

[Via CNET]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Yamaha’s “hybrid” Avant Grand piano replicates the real thing, still ain’t cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaked Snow Leopard screenshots and video show new Stacks, install options

We haven’t seen too many Snow Leopard screenshots leak out, but it looks like a few more have finally surfaced, and they seem to show some interesting — if minor — interface enhancements. Most notably, Stacks now allows nested browsing, so if you click on a folder in the stack view, the old stack drops back and you can navigate the folder contents — the old way just opened a Finder window. Other improvements include a Put Back menu item for accidentally-trashed items, a redesigned Keyboard Shortcuts prefpane that might encourage people to actually use it, and what looks like a welcome new installer option to only install printer drivers for printers that have been used with your machine. That alone should cut down on Snow Leopard’s install size — now if Apple would just figure out that we don’t need 200 language packs by default, we’d be really getting somewhere. All the images in the gallery, and video of the new Stacks behavior after the break.

Update: Flickr user Stellarolla pinged us to share one more shot showing some preset HDTV modes, check it after the break!

[Via AppleInsider]

Continue reading Leaked Snow Leopard screenshots and video show new Stacks, install options

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Leaked Snow Leopard screenshots and video show new Stacks, install options originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buffalo intros SHD-NSUM series SSDs with USB and SATA-II interfaces

Internal SSD drives generally aren’t the most exciting devices out there, apart from the fact they’re SSDs, but Buffalo’s new SHD-NSUM series of drives look to bit a bit of an exception, with each packing a microUSB port for some data transfers in a pinch in addition to the standard SATA-II interface. Otherwise, the drives are expectedly pretty standard fare, with Buffalo promising that they’re 30% faster than a standard hard drive, and offering them in the usual 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities. No word on a ‘release round here just yet, but those in Japan should be able to pick ‘em up in March for between $120 and $390.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Storage

Buffalo intros SHD-NSUM series SSDs with USB and SATA-II interfaces originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SanDisk ships first ever multicard readers with style

Okay, so maybe you’ve seen a multicard reader or two in your day that wasn’t unsightly to the nth degree, but it’s a rarity, let us tell you. Furthermore, SanDisk’s latest bunch are amongst the first we’ve seen that we’d actually feel somewhat proud to have sitting on our desks, and considering that there’s only so much added functionality you can give these things, aiming for high fashion was probably a good move. The new line of ImageMate readers are currently shipping out to retailers in North America, with the All-In-One reader listing at $29.99 and the Multi-Card reader selling for $10 less.

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

SanDisk ships first ever multicard readers with style originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gateway intros four new gaming desktops

While Gateway’s been on the laptop bandwagon of late, it’s good to see the company doing its thang on the desktop front, too. Kicking things off is the bargain-priced LX6810-01, which houses 8GB of RAM, NVIDIA graphics, a built-in TV tuner and a $799.99 price tag. The even more affordable DX4200-11 gets going at just $609.99 and features an AMD quad-core CPU, ATI Radeon graphics, 6GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive. Stepping things up quite significantly is the FX6800-09, which sports a Core i7 CPU and a $1,649.99 sticker. Rounding out the bunch is the $1,299.99 FX6800-11 and the currently unpriced entry-level FX6800-01e. If any of these caught your fancy, head on past the break for a look at the full release.

Continue reading Gateway intros four new gaming desktops

Filed under: Desktops

Gateway intros four new gaming desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: The "phonetastic four" versus Windows Mobile

Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Barring any disruptive portfolio shifts prior to its introduction, the Palm Pre will complete a new competitive handset dynamic that began with the introduction of the iPhone. Each of the four major U.S. mobile operators will be emphasizing a capacitive touchscreen smartphone. Curiously, none come from any of the top five global phone manufacturers. And even more curiously, each will be powered by a different operating system as the Pre at Sprint jockeys with the iPhone at AT&T, the BlackBerry Storm at Verizon Wireless, and the T-Mobile G1.

These signature handsets go beyond exclusives or even strong identification with the service provider. They bear the burden of attracting consumers looking for the coolest phone experience or at least minimizing the impact of the other signature handsets. In return, carriers lavish marketing dollars on them. Their role exemplifies a transformation of the market from the days when the RAZR was every carrier’s “it” phone and operators competed on their particular shade of pink .

The carriers’ selection of their signature handsets must be disappointing to Microsoft, which cannot claim a Windows Mobile device among them. Indeed, the single mobile operator Microsoft highlighted at Mobile World Congress as being an exceptional partner was France’s Orange. It’s not as if an operating system must be exclusive to the device as there are other BlackBerrys out there (although, as Verizon Wireless tirelessly notes, the Storm is the first touchscreen BlackBerry). And it is only an accident in time that has made the G1 the exclusive Android handset. It certainly isn’t about application support as incredibly all of the current signature handsets will have debuted without extensive third-party programs available.

Regardless, though, and despite efforts by HTC, Sony Ericsson and Samsung to skin Windows Mobile as well as Microsoft’s own improvements in Windows Mobile 6.1, there is a perceived cachet to these four signature phones that the best Windows Mobile devices are not yet delivering.

Continue reading Switched On: The “phonetastic four” versus Windows Mobile

Filed under: Cellphones

Switched On: The “phonetastic four” versus Windows Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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