Contributed News
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BlackJack III reportedly called Samsung Epix, hitting AT&T soon
Leaked promotional material shows an October carrier training session for the Windows Mobile 6.1 handset.
Samsung's i780 smartphone (pictured above) will be rebadged as the Samsung Epix when it's released by AT&T, according to leaked documentation obtained by The Boy Genius Report, and not the BlackJack III, as previously thought. The authentic-looking image describes an AT&T sales representative training event for the 3G handset on October 23rd, making a fourth quarter release seem quite likely. With a 320 x 320 pixel screen (up from QVGA), GPS, and Windows Mobile Professional 6.1, the spiritual sucessor to the BlackJack II is decently equipped, although it certainly doesn't rival such flagship models as the high-resolution HTC Touch Pro or Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1. According to the Boy Genius, a price point of around $200 is expected, after the rebate associated with signing a contract.
[Via Brighthand]
Profile pages: Samsung, AT&T, Samsung BlackJack, Samsung Epix i907
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Zune software coming to Windows Mobile, hints Ballmer
Microsoft's CEO lists its mobile OS as a space where the music platform will be ported.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer casually revealed that the Zune multimedia platform will eventually be brought to the company's Window's Mobile software, further supporting earlier claims that Redmond would never enter the cellphone hardware business. At the end of an interview with the UK's CIO magazine (an IDF property), Bill Gates' notoriously-opinionated successor concluded his response to a question about the motive behind developing the iPod/iTunes rival by stating that "the Zune software will also be ported to and be more important not just with the hardware but on the PC, on Windows Mobile devices, etc." Indeed, ever since Apple launched its popular iPhone, there has been speculation that Microsoft would develop its own media-centric smartphone, but recent comments by the company in the wake of Google's Android launch suggest that it is content providing just the operating system to a growing ecosystem of handset manufacturing partners.[Via The Inquirer, image courtesy of Inside Microsoft]
Profile pages: Microsoft, Microsoft Zune, Microsoft Zune, Microsoft Windows Mobile
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Sirius XM's "Best of Both," a la carte packages launched
First new pricing structure since the two satellite radio companies merged gives listeners several new options.
Newly-merged satellite radio provider Sirius XM has announced its first pricing structure to not only include channels from both services, but provide a so-called "a la carte" option as well. According to the company, most newer receivers should be able to accommodate the $16.99 "Best of Both" options -- compared to the $12.95/month for a regular subscription -- which for XM listeners means the addition of "Best of Sirius" programming like Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, and NFL football, while Sirius subscribers get the likes of Opie & Anthony, Oprah & Friends, and NBA basketball with the "Best of XM"; however, an agreement has still not been made to bring MLB baseball to Sirius. The $6.99 and $14.99 a la carte options allow customers to select either 50 or 100 Sirius channels to receive, respectively -- no XM at this point -- although the only radio to support this package is the just-announced, $130 Sirius Starmate 5 (pictured). Radios that are capable of recieving the full channel lineup from both services will not be released until next year.
[Via Orbitcast and The Wall Street Journal]
Profile pages: Sirius XM Radio
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Pandora sells out pre-orders of fan-built gaming handheld [UPDATED]
Designed with the input of forum participants, the open-source device promises unrivaled portable console emulation.
Update 10.2.08: Pandora's developers have apparently been able to negotiate an increased first run, and they've now stated that anyone ordering before Sunday, October 5, 2008 will receive a unit from the initial batch.
In only the first 24 hours of pre-ordering availability, the Pandora open-source gaming handheld has completely sold out its initial 3,000-unit run, with organizers now trying to ramp up production for another 1,000 products. The Linux-powered device, retailing for $329, has a rather unique pedigree, in that it was developed based on feedback and suggestions from thousands of forum users -- who themselves had congregated to discuss yet another emulation-focused handheld, the GP2X from GamePark Holdings. Meant to play copies of games originally released for the PC plus a number of consoles from Nintendo, Sega, and several now-defunct manufacturers, Pandora has thus been built with powerful components such as a 600MHz+ ARM processor, dedicated media co-processor, and a 4.3-inch WVGA screen, the same resolution as the latest smartphones from HTC and Sony Ericsson. Unless changes are made to previously-announced plans, the next batch of machines won't be produced until 2009. Originally published on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 11:57AM.
[Via Engadget]
Profile pages: Pandora
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Vudu brings 1080p "HDX" films to its VBX100 internet movie player
Claims to be the first content provider delivering on-demand, full HD, but titles in the new format take hours to download.
Media streaming hardware manufacturer Vudu has begun offering a limited selection of downloadable movies in full 1080p resolution, reportedly making it the first content provider -- satellite, cable, and internet services included -- to give consumers this option. These so-called "HDX" films, of which there are 65 at launch, employ the company's proprietary TruFilm encoding to achieve an acceptable balance between resolution and bit-rate; although the format is said to produce a better picture than the 720p options from Apple's iTunes store or Microsoft's Xbox Marketplace, bandwidth restrictions make it impossible to match the quality of Blu-ray discs. Vudu plans to charge the same amount for HDX titles as it does for regular HD titles purchased on its VBX100 internet movie player, however, while previous films could be watched immediately, the new, higher-quality format requires a reported four-hour download time -- a hindrance that will be somewhat lessened when the company institutes browser-based, remotely-triggered purchases, as planned.
[Via cnet, image courtesy of cnet]
Profile pages: Vudu, Vudu Box BX100
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Sling Media begins rollout of new content portal, Sling.com
Besides offering premium content and video sharing features, the site will also enable in-browser Slingbox access.
Sling Media, manufacturer of the popular Slingbox placeshifting devices, has begun sending out invitations to the beta of its new content portal, Sling.com. Besides offering premium on-demand content such as television shows, movies, and sporting events from a claimed 60 partners -- along with user-shared TV clips -- the site will also feature a modified version of the company's desktop SlingPlayer client, meaning that browsers with the proper plug-in will be able to display video directly from any Slingbox (mockup pictured above). Currently only select US Slingbox customers have been invited to participate in the beta testing, although accessibility is expected to grow as the major bugs and issues are worked out during the initial dry run. SlingMedia currently sells three flavors of its Slingbox hardware, the single-input Solo, multi-input Pro, and 1080i-capable Pro HD.
[Via Techmeme]
Profile pages: Sling Media, placeshifting
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Paper says Western Digital to buy Fujitsu's hard drive division
Nikkei claims that the two companies are discussing a deal that could easily top $500 million.
Western Digital is in the midst of talks with Japanese manufacturer Fujitsu to purchase the latter company's entire hard disk drive business, according to business journal Nikkei. The paper reports that WD would pay between the equivalent of $661 million and $944 million for the division, with the stipulation that all 15,000 employees would retain their jobs. A combined WD-Fujitsu hard drive business would still not have enough market share on paper to overtake industry leader Seagate (which recently made its own acquisition in rival Maxtor), but it would leave third place Hitachi trailing even further behind number two, WD. Fujitsu's joint manufacturing venture with Siemens is also said to be looking for a buyer, with Lenovo reportedly having expressed interest.
[Via The New York Times]
Profile pages: Western Digital, Fujitsu
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HP debuts first 13.3-inch notebook for US, the Pavilion dv3500t
Widescreen, bronze laptop features a choice of Core 2 Duo processors and dedicated NVIDIA graphics.
HP has begun selling its first 13.3-inch notebook in the United States, the Windows Vista-powered Pavilion dv3500t. Coated in a bronze finish that the company likens to "liquid metal," the 4.1-pound machine features a WXGA display (with optional LED backlighting), a choice of Core 2 Duo processors, dedicated 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS graphics, between 2GB and 8GB of RAM, and 5,400 RPM hard drive capacities ranging from 160GB to 400GB. Since it's a Centrino 2-based model, the dv3500t supports 802.11n WiFi, and also includes a DVD burner and webcam/fingerprint reader package. Starting at $999 for a base configuration, this Pavilion costs nearly $400 more than Dell's 13.3-inch Inspiron 13 base model, although the HP is better equipped and offers more attractive high-end options.
[Via jkOnTheRun]
Profile pages: HP, HP Pavilion, LED Backlight technology, HP Pavilion dv3500t
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Matsushita finalizes global name change to Panasonic
By uniting its three brands, the 90-year-old company hopes to leverage its success in the consumer electronics space.
As announced back in June, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. has officially changed its name to the Panasonic Corporation, adopting the moniker of its most popular sub-brand. Founded in 1918, this is the third name change the Japanese conglomerate has undergone, and the first since establishing itself as a joint stock corporation in 1935. The firm, which is celebrating the change by ringing the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange (its symbol is now "PC") as well as giving the first public demonstration of its 150-inch plasma display, hopes to have completed the global branding change by 2010. According to information on the company's web site, "the Panasonic brand name was created in 1955 and was first used as a brand for audio speakers."
Profile pages: Panasonic, Matsushita
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Fujitsu releases LifeBook A1110 with swappable covers
Only three covers are currently available for the 15.4-inch model, which starts at $800.
Fujitsu Computer Systems has released a new 15.4-inch, WXGA notebook in its LifeBook A-series, the configurable A1110. Supposedly the main draw of this model is its interchangeable cover, although with only three varieties currently available -- priced at $20 apiece (only one ships with the device) -- the configurability seems to be less than Fujitsu would like the consumer to believe. Still, even the $800, 6.3-pound base model offers several top-notch features, including a 2.0GHz T5800 Core 2 Duo processor, 3GB of RAM, and a dual-layer DVD burner, along with a 250GB hard drive (only 5,400 RPM), three USB ports, and an ExpressCard slot. The only other member of the A-series, the LifeBook A6210, features the same screen but a faster processor, integrated Bluetooth, and several additional inputs such as a multi-card reader.
Profile pages: Fujitsu, Fujitsu LifeBook A1110
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