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 Topic: HardwareThe new items published under this topic are as follows.
Hold the phone: New iPod has iPhone qualities
Posted by: Anonymous on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 06:48 PM
Hardware
| IPod Nanos that do video. Thin, traditional-style iPods — renamed iPod Classic and housed in silver and black — that can hold up to 40,000 songs. A brand-new iPod called Touch with the same multitouch widescreen display as the iPhone.
Apple (AAPL) didn't break lots of new ground last week. But as a whole, the revamping of the iPod lineup makes the first family of portable media devices even better.
PHOTO GALLERY: The new line of iPods
I'm most jazzed about the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, for iPhone and iPod Touch owners. And I'm infatuated with the custom ring-tones feature for the iPhone, even at 99 cents plus the cost of the original song. I've had early access to the Wi-Fi store and have been testing the new Nano and Touch devices. A closer look at my experiences:
•The Nano.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Apple | Wi | Music Store | Nano
To accommodate video and such preloaded games as the brick-bashing Vortex, the new Nano sports a dramatically different design. It won't please everybody. It is a wider (but still thin) rectangle, with a small click wheel below a bright and larger, 2-inch display. Previous Nanos — which were very popular and are now extinct — were taller and more stick-like. The hold switch has moved to the bottom of the new Nano, next to the standard iPod dock connector and headphone jack.
Prices range from $149 for a silver Nano with 4 gigabytes (about 1,000 songs) to $199 for 8-GB versions in several colors. The design grows on you.
Apple has also dressed up the user interface for Nano and iPod Classic. The main menu screen is split in half: On the left are items for music, videos, photos and such. On the right, random images are panned that pertain to the menu item you've selected. You'll see album covers if you've highlighted music or podcast images from podcasts, etc.
Quibble: Sometimes an album cover appeared that made me want to listen to that artist immediately. But you still had to drill down into the menus before being able to do so. You cannot click on the album cover from that main view.
On Nano, you do have the option of scrolling through your collection via the Cover Flow view. It shows album images for your entire library. But Cover Flow is tougher to maneuver using the Nano's click wheel than by flicking your finger on iPhone or Touch.
Songs sounded fine. Music videos looked good. But while watchable, theatrical films such as A Bug's Life made me long for the iPhone's larger display.
Apple says Nano can operate for up to 24 hours of audio playback or five hours of video playback off a single charge, both excellent.
Worth noting: As the independent iLounge website first reported, Apple "locked" a setting inside the new Nano and Classic that prevents you from watching video on a TV or some of the portable video docks popular among airplane travelers. For future video accessories to work, they must have an Apple-authenticated chip. Apple is also selling optional $49 cables that would let you connect the new iPods to a TV.
•Touch.
The top surface of iPod Touch is a near dead ringer for an iPhone; the rear shows the same smudge-prone mirrored finish of traditional iPods. It's thinner than the iPhone, but at 4.2 ounces — iPhone is 4.8 — it feels heavy.
Touch has no phone, camera, built-in speaker, Bluetooth, weather/stock widgets or e-mail.
Still, it shares many traits with iPhone. Pressing a button at the bottom of the lovely 3.5-inch display brings you to the home screen. Using Wi-Fi, you can surf the Web via the superb Safari browser. Photos look great. Rotate the device to its side, and sensors automatically switch from portrait to landscape mode. Pinch the screen to bring everything closer.
Inside the music section, you can access Cover Flow by rotating Touch to its side, another stunt borrowed from iPhone. Flick through to browse your collection.
Touch costs $299 for 8 GB (about 1,750 songs) and $399 for 16 GB. Apple says you'll get up to 22 hours of music playback and five hours of video off the battery.
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HP delays MediaSmart home server
Posted by: Anonymous on Sunday, September 02, 2007 - 11:19 AM
Hardware
| HP has delayed the release of its MediaSmart home server by 75 to 120 days, meaning that the product is now scheduled to appear late in the fourth quarter.
The vendor blamed the delay on a number of last-minute changes made by Microsoft to the Windows Home Server operating system, including software tweaks and bug repairs.
Microsoft said in an official statement that it had identified a number of ways to make the product even better since the initial release.
Upgrades to the operating system will include extra guidance during the setup process, improved remote server access and synchronisation features, additional firewall tools and automatic setup for the router.
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Sony has a Go! with new PSP features
Posted by: Anonymous on Friday, August 24, 2007 - 04:54 AM
Hardware
| Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has unveiled a range of services for its PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld console at the Games Convention in Leipzig, including voice and video chat, IM, video downloads, GPS and mapping features.
The Go!Video, Go!Explore and Go!Messenger services add to applications including web browsing, RSS feeds and a camera that Sony has added to the PSP since its launch in 2004.
Go!Video will be provided through Sony's recently announced joint venture with Sky to allow PSP owners in the UK and Ireland to watch video on demand and on the move.
"Sky and SCEE have complementary strengths in content, marketing and technology," said Sky chief executive James Murdoch.
The Go!Explore satellite navigation package is due for release in the new year and comes as part of a collaboration with TeleAtlas and NavNGo.
Go!Explore will provide in-car and pedestrian GPS navigation as well as standard GPS-device features such as points of interest, favourites, a home function and a turn-by-turn itinerary overview of the route.
"Bringing GPS navigation to the PSP is simply fantastic and shows again the unrivalled potential of the console," said Stephane Hareau, PSP European marketing manager at SCEE.
"With the ability to use 3D city maps and even 3D landmarks in certain key cities, GPS on PSP is a totally unique experience."
Sony developed its new Go!Messenger service in partnership with BT, and will rollout the service in January 2008 across Europe as part of a future firmware upgrade.
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Bedford beat bobbies blag BlackBerrys
Posted by: Anonymous on Friday, August 24, 2007 - 04:53 AM
Hardware
| Bedfordshire Police is trialling a new scheme that will see more than 1,000 officers on the beat equipped with BlackBerry communicators.
The scheme is designed to let bobbies do their paperwork on the move, allowing them to stay on the street rather than spend time in the station.
The devices will be linked to the Police National Computer so that suspects can be checked immediately.
"An officer spends half his time at the police station, and half of that time is spent using IT systems," said Inspector Jim Hitch, project manager at Bedfordshire Police.
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Linux-powered robots go global
Posted by: Anonymous on Thursday, May 03, 2007 - 09:57 AM
Hardware
| Researchers have unveiled internet-controlled wireless robots which are simple enough for "almost anyone" to build with off-the-shelf parts.
Created by boffins at Carnegie Mellon University, the robots can take many forms, from a three-wheeler with a mounted camera to a flower loaded with infrared sensors.
The customisable machines have the ability to link wirelessly to the internet, allowing users to control and monitor the robot's actions from any internet-connected computer in the world.
Hardware and a set of "recipes" that people follow to build the robots have been developed by the technicians.
Both are part of the Telepresence Robot Kit (TeRK) developed by associate professor of robotics Illah Nourbakhsh and members of his Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment (Create) lab.
The stated goal is to make highly capable robots accessible and affordable for college and pre-college students, as well as anyone interested in robots.
At the heart of each TeRK robot is a unique controller called Qwerk that combines a Linux computer with the software and electronics necessary to control the robot's motors, cameras and other devices.
Qwerk, developed by the Create lab and Charmed Labs of Austin, Texas, also connects the robot automatically and wirelessly to the internet so it can be controlled from anywhere.
"The internet connection means that the robots are much more global," said Nourbakhsh.
The robot can send photos or video, respond to RSS feeds, or access the internet to find information, opening a wide range of possibilities. "We are hoping that people notice that the sky's the limit," added Nourbakhsh.
Among the TeRK recipes already available is a small, wheeled robot with a video camera that people might use to keep an eye on their home or pet while at work or school.
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HP steps up gaming push
Posted by: trraju on Sunday, April 08, 2007 - 02:03 AM
Hardware
| In an attempt to build out its gaming business, HP is expanding its line of gaming PCs and is developing a series of new gaming concepts.
At a company event on Wednesday in San Francisco, the company showed off new mobile gaming platforms, as well as PC-controlled projection systems and a touch-screen system built into a table. HP said that the prototype products typify its strategy to explore new avenues in gaming, along with improving the ways existing games are developed and presented.
One such product was "Misto," a home computing device that looks like a coffee table with a built-in touch screen. Misto would be marketed as a gaming platform for families and social gatherings. Users sitting around the table are able to view photos and movies or play touch-screen games.
Showcasing another product that came out of HP Labs, the company demonstrated "Mscape," a mobile platform that uses multiple sensors to trigger events on a mobile device such as PDAs, cellphones or portable gaming consoles.
Mscape's sensors will be scattered throughout a large area. As gamers approach the sensors, they trigger an event in the game. A sensor for instance could function as a bonus object that provides additional power, or serve as an obstacle or activate a puzzle that the gamer has to solve.
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First iPod virus deemed completely harmless
Posted by: trraju on Sunday, April 08, 2007 - 02:02 AM
Hardware
| Security vendor Kaspersky Labs claims to have detected the first virus designed to infect iPod media players.
But the security vendor was quick to point out that malware only affects iPods where the user has replaced Apple's custom iPod operating system with Linux. One could therefore argue that the malware is a Linux virus rather than an iPod threat.
The lack of any risk to consumers is further emphasised by the virus' inability to actually infect the players. Consumers have to manually download and install the Trojan. Only then will it scan the iPod's hard drive and infect all executable files. When users launch an infected application, they will be presented with a message stating: "You are infected with the Oslo the first iPodLinux virus".
Kaspersky nonetheless refers to 'Podloso' as a proof of concept virus. Security researchers use such malware to demonstrate vulnerabilities and potential attack vectors, but lack any payload.
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D-Link offers 11-year wireless N warranty
Posted by: Anonymous on Monday, April 02, 2007 - 11:47 AM
Hardware
| Network hardware manufacturer D-Link is to offer an 11-year warranty for every product within its wireless N portfolio with immediate effect.
IEEE 802.11n, commonly referred to as wireless N, is the latest Wi-Fi connection standard which should be up to 10 times faster than current Wi-Fi with a top data speed of 540Mbps.
"We have every confidence in the high quality of our wireless N products and believe that extraordinary products deserve to be combined with extraordinary service levels," said Kevin Wen, president of D-Link Europe.
"Increasing our warranty terms and conditions from two to 11 years accentuates the confidence we have in our products and translates into a direct benefit for our customers."
The somewhat unusual 11-year life span of the warranty aims to demonstrate the company's commitment to this new wireless technology and give customers strong confidence in the product range.
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Hitachi closes hard drive plant in Mexico
Posted by: trraju on Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 09:17 AM
Hardware
| Hitachi has announced that it will be closing its Guadalajara manufacturing plant in Mexico.
The move will result in the loss of roughly 4,500 jobs from the company's hard drive manufacturing branch.
The closure is part of an effort to cut more than $300m from the budget for Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (GST) over the next five years. The cuts amount to roughly 11 per cent of Hitachi's total workforce.
The Guadalajara plant had been responsible for manufacturing the slider components of the company's hard drives, which carry the read/write heads that manipulate stored data.
Hitachi plans to shut the plant down completely by the middle of 2008.
"After more than a decade as part of the Guadalajara community we are extremely saddened to have to move our operations, but the challenges of our business are making this necessary for our survival," said Hiroaki Nakanishi, chief executive at Hitachi GST.
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Intel Conroe A Thing Of The Past
Posted by: Anonymous on Sunday, November 05, 2006 - 11:00 PM
Hardware
| Details on the new Intel quad-core "Kentsfield" chips will be released next Wednesday night, and systems will begin shipping soon after.
According to OEM sources, the first previews and most likely pricing of the new chips will be released on Nov. 1 at 9 PM Pacific time. OEMs will likely begin taking orders on or around that date, with shipments tentatively scheduled for Nov. 15.
Intel's Kentsfield is anticipated to help boost Intel's fortunes, which took a hit during the year's of AMD's dominance with its Athlon single- and dual-core chips. AMD's own "4x4" platform, two dual-core chips tied together with a HyperTransport connection, is expected to launch on or about Nov. 14.
However, the 4x4 platform and Kentsfield are similar in some respects. "You can think of the QX6700 Quad as a pair of Core 2 E6700 dies built into one CPU package," Loyd Case wrote in his initial evaluation of the chip. "The clock frequency and front-side-bus speed are the same. Both dies each have 4MB of L2 cache. The L2 cache is shared between the two cores on the same die, but not shared across dies. This really is very much a repeat of the original Intel Smithfield CPU, which paired two Pentium 4 dies into a single package and dubbed it a dual-core CPU."
Originally, the Kentsfield data was scheduled to be released on Nov. 15, which left OEMs scrambling to finalize both production and review systems, according to sources.
Intel has said previously that its chip will be referred to as Core 2 Extreme QX6700; ExtremeTech reviews of the chip concluded that while it's great for video, gaming performance will be dependent on how many application threads games include. Single-threaded games won't see little if any improvement from the multicore aspect, while multithreaded applications like video editing experience significant improvement.
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