The new Kindle is 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the previous model, has a 20 percent faster refresh rate on its E Ink screen, and will now come in two colors (graphite and white).

Aside from the incremental changes, the WiFi-only Kindle is priced at just $139 while the WiFi + 3G model will sell for $189. The new Kindle is set to be released on August 27th.

You can preorder here.

Amazon has just announced the latest model of their 6-inch Kindle eBook Reader. It has now been divided into two — a WiFi-only and the WiFi+3G models.

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Post tags: Amazon, Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle Wifi

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It’s basically a larger version of the trackpad that is on Apple’s own MacBook Pro’s.

The Magic Trackpad sports 80% more surface area with full support for all the gestures that MacBook Pro users have long since been enjoying: two-finger scrolling, pinch to zoom, fingertip rotation, and three- and four-finger swipes.

The whole surface of the Magic Trackpad acts as a mouse button, but if you need the right click capability, you can easily enable it via System Preference (MacBook and MacBook Pro owners are should be familiar with this).  If you need to double click, just do a double tap.  It sounds convoluted but it’s actually pretty simple to use.

If you’re worried about aesthetics, the Magic Trackpad has you covered as it features the same design and angles as Apple’s wireless keyboard. With how good these two look together, you might wonder why in the world hasn’t Apple done this before.

The Magic Trackpad uses bluetooth to connect to your PC and Apple claims that you’ll be able to enjoy a stable bluetooth connection of up to 33 feet away.  The downside of course is that it uses batteries for power, just like the Apple Mighty Mouse so battery life might be an issue.

In tandem with the release of Apple’s second battery powered gadget, the company has also released an Apple branded battery charger.  Surprising?  Not really since it’s a good marketing strategy.

The Magic Trackpad goes on sale for $69.  Batteries and the charger are sold separately.

Any takers?

source Apple

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Post tags: Apple, Bluetooth, Magic Trackpad

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A company called iPhoneDSLR claims that you can do exactly as the claim with their product, an SLR lens mount for iPhones.

The”iPhone DSLR prototype” is a 1.1lb, solid piece of anodized billet aluminum that will fit an iPhone 3G, 3GS or 4 and a full-size Canon EF lens.

Does this turn your iPhone to an actual SLR? The answer is no (except maybe for the looks). Will it let you take better pictures? Maybe. But that’s only because the company has yet to provide any sample output from their product.

source Slash Gear, iPhoneDSLR

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Post tags: Camera, Canon, dSLR, iPhone

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Yes, let that sink in slowly.  An…. 18….-button… mouse!

The WarMouse promises a revolutionary approach to computing with a mouse that has 18 buttons, an analog joystick, scrollwheel, and up to 52 programmable commands.  Full feature list after the jump

According to WarMouse (the company), this 18-button wonder offers:

• 18 programmable mouse buttons with double-click functionality
• High-resolution laser sensor with resolution adjustable from 100 to 5,600 DPI/CPI
• Five assignable button modes: Key, Keypress, Macro, Mouse, and Mouse-Key Combo
• Analog Xbox 360-style joystick with six analog and digital settings
• Clickable scroll wheel
• 512k of flash memory
• 64 on-mouse application modes with hardware, software, and autoswitching capability
• 1024-character macro support
• Meta Modeware for creating, managing, and customizing game and application modes
• Import and export of custom modes in XML format
• Taskbar display of active application mode
• PDF export of application mode button assignments
• Graphical pop-up map of application mode button assignments
• 64 default modes for popular games and applications, including Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook, OpenOffice.org Writer, Calc, and Impress, 3D Studio Max, Autodesk AutoCAD, 3DS Max, Adobe Photoshop CS4, Adobe Reader, the Gnu Image Manipulation Program, Aion Online, World of Warcraft, Counter Strike, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator

Good heavens… and that’s not even the best part.  THIS MOUSE HAS 18 FRICKIN’ BUTTONS!  Oh wait I said that at the top… but it’s worth repeating.  The WarMouse has 18 programmable buttons!

What do I do with it?

Aside from bragging rights, the really best use I can think of is for people with handicap or lost limbs who can compensate their disabilities with a fully programmable thingamajig.  That however, isn’t how WarMouse is marketing the WarMouse (no pun intended).  It’s marketed as a do it all mouse….  Can you see yourself using this thing?  I can’t think of any practical use other than a prank   What about you guys?  Comments?

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Post tags: Gadgets, Hardware, Mouse, WarMouse

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Oh, and custom memory cards like the ones made by Datel are incompatible with the new XBox 360 model.  Full Specs after the jump.

• Touch Sensitive Buttons – turn the Xbox 360 on or off and eject a disc with the swipe of a finger
• Whisper Quiet – Whether you’re playing a DVD disc or from the hard drive or navigating the dashboard, with the all-new and much quieter Xbox 360, the only noise you’ll hear is your own laughing, cheering and playing
• Wi-Fi – Built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi for fast, easy connection to your friends and entertainment on Xbox LIVE.
• Hard Drive – 250GB internal, swappable hard drive for even more storage. To access, remove the bottom panel by pushing the small tab toward the front of the console.
• Kinect-ready – Custom Kinect port on the back of the console that directly hooks up to the Kinect sensor for controller-free fun.
• USB Slots – Five USB ports, three in the back and two in the front.
• Power Supply – Smaller and more efficient. Xbox 360 250GB and Xbox 360 Original power supplies are not interchangeable.
• Wireless Controller – The award-winning Xbox 360 Wireless Controller matches the console in all black with color-matched thumbsticks and directional pad with a touch of gloss and chrome to complete the look.
• Backward Compatible – Your favorite accessories and games will work with Xbox 360 250GB. Xbox 360 external hard drives and Memory Units are not compatible.

Full list available via this scan:

[via Atma Xplorer]

© sylv3rblade for Techie Xplorer, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 360, Microsoft, XBox

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Can you spot the Asus Eee Pad in this picture?

Instead of cooking up a typical netbook/smartbook without the keyboard tablet PC, Asus equips the Eee Pad EP121 with a Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage Core 2 Duo processor and a full version of Windows 7 Home Premium which means it should be powerful enough to run most of your typical netbook-eccentric applications.  The Eee Pad EP121 can be docked via a dedicated port and function as a regular notebook (with a physical keyboard of course) or to your PC.

Spec as listed below:

• 12″ screen
• Intel Core 2 Duo CULV processor
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Two keyboard options: embedded virtual keyboard and docking station keyboard
• Delivers more than 10 hours battery life (when docked)
• Multiple modes: notebook docking and desktop docking
• Webcam
• Support for Adobe Flash, USB port, SD memory card

• 10″ screen
• Windows Embedded Compact 7
• Weighs 675g (1.49lbs)
• Pocket friendly 12.2mm wide
• Delivers more than 10 hours battery life

If you’re thinking, Hey, the specs for the EP101TC isn’t complete, don’t panic.  Asus still hasn’t announced anymore details from the items you see above.  I’ll push an update once Asus releases their spec-sheets.

No official word for price nor release date but it’s expected that the 12″ EP121 should hit the sweet spot of just under $500, while the smaller EP101TC will fetch a lower price point.



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Post tags: Asus, Eee, EeePad, Tablet

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The company promises “fast Internet connectivity, a complete world of ready-to-use applications and easy access to books and photos, as well as magazines and newspapers from various publishers via the WeMagazine ePublishing Eco System.”  If you’re wondering, yep, WeMagazine does exist and it’s business is magazines.

The WePad unit has internals that you’d expect from a typical netbook.  A 11.6″ display (1366×768), a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, a webcam, two USB sockets, a flash card reader, integrated WWAN modem, GMA3150 graphics, built-in speakers, 16GB of NAND Flash (32GB optional), Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, optional GPS and a battery that the company says will last upto six hours.  Loaded isn’t it?

The WePad runs on the Android OS and comes with Flash/Adobe Support.  As for apps?  Well it’s equipped with access to the WePad AppStore and Google’s own Android Marketplace.

On paper, that looks like a good iPad contender right?  Here’s the spec by spec comparison with the WePad and the iPad courtesy of YugaTech

No word on pricing and availability so it may still be vaporware but hey, competition, even virtual, is good right?

[specsheet via YugaTech]

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Post tags: Tablet, Tablet PC, WePad

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If you’ve faced the scenario above, then you’ll probably love the new universal charger from IDAFT, one of the Spain’s Chief mobile technology companies, the i4.

You got to admit it looks pretty cool, not to mention functional as the i4 is capable of charging different mobiles and other portable entertainment devices totally up to 4 of them simultaneously.  Is your gadget compatible with the i4?  Probably.  IDAFT did it’s homework and ended up with a charging station that’s compatible with more than 4000 electronic gadgets, including iPhones, PS3 controllers, Blackberry, GPS Systems, mobile phones, digital cameras, Bluetooth products, Nintendo DS and so on. 

Users can also adjust and customize the interface accordingly to accommodate various shaped/sized gadgets. How? By adding customizable charging tips (see their catalog here). The charger itself comes with three standard charging ports and an additional USB outlet for charging. The charger device also features LED light indicators to let users know whether the gadget is fully charged up.

Too bad it’s not out yet but it will be come May 2010 in black or white for $59.99. The basic package comes with 6 of the most popular tips already included in the package (No idea how they ranked it though).  Too bad it’ll take longer to reach the Philippines

[via Wired]

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Post tags: Gadgets, i4 Charger, iDAFT

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The design is still on paper but I’m pretty sure you’ll be very pleased to see that the target price for this nifty gadget is the low price of $200 (around Php 9,000).  The Smartbook Tablet carries a 7″ touch panel with 1024 x 600 resolution and will be powered by an ARM-based core that will come from Freescale’s shelves.  This shaves quite a bit on the gadget’s expected price since, instead of buying processors from Intel or AMD or any other ARM manufacturer, Freescale will simply send their own and the savings go straight to the consumer

The Smartbook tablet is set to market with a custom Linux build that carries applications that a typical netbook would use (Internet browser, basic office suite, etc) and provide an “all day battery life” (that’ll prolly work out at 8 hours and up).

Now go back to the fact that the target price for this tablet is $200.  Appealing isn’t it?  Very appealing considering that upcoming tablet models (iSlate? Courier?) are expected to have a price point upwards of $700.

Tentatively release date for Freescale’s Smartbook Tablet is February along with the following specifications:

• Size: 200mm by 128mm by 14.9cm and weighing 376 grams; no need for fan or heat sink
• Processor: Freescale i.MX515 applications processor provides high performance and low power
• ARM Cortex-A8 1GHz
• OpenVG & OpenGL/ES graphics cores
• HD video decoder hardware
• Memory: 512 MB DDR2
• Display: 7-inch (1024 by 600) touch screen
• Storage: 4-64 GB internal storage; removable micro SD
• Connectivity: 3G modem (option) 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, RF4CE (option)
• Ports: USB 2.0 and USB mini (also for charging), audio in/audio out, SIM card
• Audio: speaker, microphone
• Camera: 3 Megapixel (video recording up to VGA @ 30fps)
• Battery: 1900mAh, USB charging
• Sensors: the MMA8450Q three-axis accelerometer and an ambient light sensor
• Power management IC

Smartbook reference design features

• Size: small/thin form factor (200mm x 128mm x 14.9cm and weighing 376 grams); no need for fan or heat sink
• Processor: Freescale i.MX515 applications processor provides high performance and low power
  • ARM Cortex-A8 core
  • OpenVG & OpenGL/ES graphics cores
  • HD video decoder hardware
• Power management IC:
  • Battery charging system for both USB and wall charging
  • Output buck converters for the processor core and memory
  • Boost converters for LCD backlighting
  • Serial backlight drivers for displays and keypad, plus RGB LED drivers
• Display: 7-inch (1024 x 600) touch screen
• Memory: 512 MB DDR2
• Storage: 4-64 GB internal storage; removable micro SD
• Connectivity: 3G modem (option) 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, RF4CE (option
• Ports: USB 2.0 and USB mini (also for charging), audio in/audio out, SIM card
• Audio: speaker, microphone
• Camera: 3 Mpixel (video recording up to VGA @ 30fps)
• Battery: 1900mAh, USB charging
• Sensors: MMA8450Q 3-axis accelerometer and an ambient light sensor

Partners

Freescale and its partners offer a range of support, including turnkey designs. Inventec Appliance Corporation (IAC) provides expertise in design and manufacturing services for handhelds and netbooks. Freescale has also partnered with Thundersoft for software integration customization and optimization. For companies wishing to manage their projects internally, Freescale offers design aids including block diagrams, schematics, lists of materials and a Linux board support package.

Availability

The smartbook reference design is expected to be available for evaluation beginning February 2010 through local Freescale sales representatives. Reference design details are available at www.freescale.com/smartbook.

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Post tags: Freescale, Smartbook, Tablet, Tablet PC

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Highlights Of JooJoo Tablet:

• Stunning 12.1-inch capacitive touch screen (1366 x 768 pixels) to navigate your favorite web sites
• Best-in class Internet experience with simply touch navigate, without windows or menus
• One physical button to switch the JooJoo on and off
• Ultra-fast 9 seconds boot-up time
• Watch full HD videos on youtube, hulu or more Internet video sites
• Read newspapers and magazines in portrait or landscape mode

The Joojoo runs a UNIX-based OS, boots straight to a web browser (one with flash support I might add), weighs about 2.4 pounds and features a 12.1-inch capacitive touchscreen. Aside from the sleek outer shell, the innards of the gadget is a geek haven as well with a 4GB SSD, WiFi (no 3G), an accelerometer and about 5 hours of battery life.

However, the deal breaker for most would likely be the price. The Crunchpad was dreamed and purported to be a tablet PC that will sell for $200. The Joojoo however, is available for pre-order at a MSRP of $499, a price that’s admittedly too steep for nearly everyone especially considering that it’s a glorified yet very crippled netbook.

What do you guys think?

If you need more info, you can check out the gadget’s official site.

© sylv3rblade for Techie Xplorer, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Crunchpad, Gadgets, Internet, Joojoo

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