by Darren Murph, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 1:17PMThough we expected Dell’s ruggedized Latitude E6400 ATG to have already launched by now, we suppose late is superior to never. As of this very moment, said laptop is available to order from the outfit’s Small & Medium Business division, and the baseline machine comes with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU, Vista Home Basic, a 3-year warranty, 14.1-inch WXGA LED-backlit (and outdoor viewable, too) display, Intel’s GMA 4500MHD graphics, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, an 80GB 5,400RPM hard drive, 802.11b/g and a built-in combo drive. The machine we just described can be ordered up for $2,399, but those with a higher spending limit can opt for integrated WWAN, a 64GB SSD, a respectable amount of memory and a 2.8GHz T9600 processor. (Read the full post about ‘Dell rugged Latitude E6400 ATG laptop now available to order’…)
by Chris Ziegler, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 2:35PM An all-too-brief, all-too-fuzzy video of a device alleging to be none other than HTC’s Dream has surfaced on YouTube, showing a white smartphone of healthy size running Android and sliding horizontally to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. From what little we can make out, we’ve got to say that it’s not the sexiest thing we’ve ever seen — and the Dream has been so built up in our minds at this point that we’re expecting to have our socks knocked off hard by the time it’s officially unveiled. The silver lining here might be that the phone in the video bears an uncanny resemblance to a “reference design” made by “a partner” of Google’s that was demonstrated by none other than Google’s own Andy Rubin back in February of this year. (Read the full post about ‘HTC Dream, or just some reference design, shown off on video’…)
by Paul Miller, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 7:10AMIt’s been a real roller coaster ride of emotions with SSD. The once lauded (at least in our hearts) savior of all things computing has, in real life, provided us with lackluster and even controversial performance gains, while battery improvements haven’t been revolutionary and the prices still aren’t exactly wallet-friendly. Most of that is unlikely to change in the next couple of years, but there’s still plenty to be fixed in the short term. Samsung is working with Microsoft to define optimum packet sizes and best practices for reading and writing files to SSD as a potential update for Windows Vista, which is particularly optimized to work best with traditional hard drives. (Read the full post about ‘Vista, OS X updates could bring significant SSD speed gains’…)
It looks like nothing but good news for BlackBerry loving T-Mobile users as there are a few new options coming available shortly. First up we will see an expansion of the current Pearl 8120 lineup. Not the most exciting of additions, but lets get them out of the way before we move on to the real goodies. The Pearl 8120’s features will remain the same, but it will also be available in Tahitian Green, Indigo and Light Blue in addition to the currently available Ruby, Gold and Titanium. Now that the 8120’s are out of the way, we can also tell you that the Kickstart (or possibly the Pearl 8220) will be available sometime in late September or early October and although the pricing has yet to be officially confirmed, the rumored $49.99 is still holding. (Read the full post about ‘T-Mobile’s upcoming BlackBerry lineup revealed’…)
Toyota announced The Winglet - Personal TransporterAug 09, 2008 Only a year after taking control of Sony’s robotics business, Toyota announced a mechanized vertical scooter. This personal transporter was intended to help people move about in public areas.
It was called the Winglet because of its fleet nature. It is the first gadget to duplicate the celebrated, navigation system of Dean Kamen’s Segway Transporter.
However, this scooter is not up to par to the Segway in speed or ruggedness. The new Segway model can go up to 12.5 miles/hour, and the slightness of the Winglet’s frame probably wouldn’t survive a Police chase.
According to Toyota, they will test three different models at Japanese airports later this year. (Read the full post about ‘Toyota announced The Winglet - Personal Transporter’…)
Verizon Wireless has just become the latest carrier to add some new pink BlackBerry models. The new additions to the Verizon lineup will be the Curve 8330 and the Pearl 8130. Features of both will be the same as their current silver counterparts and according to Verizon “the hip, pink colors give students added flair when they are at school or interviewing for an internship or job,” of course we would most likely suggest leaving your blackberry at home or in the car while interviewing, regardless of the color. Anyway the pink Curve 8330 and the pink Pearl 8130 are currently available for order online, and will be in retail stores beginning August 15. (Read the full post about ‘Verizon goes pink with the BlackBerry Curve 8330, Pearl 8130′…)
by Paul Miller, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 3:40AM Apparently that sexual harassment suit had a big payoff for Aiko: she’s getting a hand. The developers of the fembot have created a hand for her botness, with five movable fingers, 15 movable joints, feedback sensitivity, low power consumption and palatable material cost of $1800. Oddly enough, the appropriate testing grounds for such a hand is Aiko’s local neighborhood Starbucks, where she apparently regularly is required to grab straws, cups and cardboard sleeves for coffee she can’t drink. How cruel. On the bright side, this hand isn’t just for Aiko: it can also be attached to an amputee’s forearm muscles, allowing for particularly low cost replacement hand — though we’re guessing it’s going to need a bit more work before it’s ready for mass human consumption. (Read the full post about ‘Aiko gets a new, Starbucks-ready hand prototype’…)
