Handhelds -- Engadget

LG to announce Snapdragon-boasting Android phone, Korea-bound in 2010

by Laura June posted Nov 6th 2009 at 11:58AM

It's looking like LG will be offering an Android phone boasting Qualcomm's hot Snapdragon chip -- which has recently squeezed its way into handsets such as the Xperia X10 and Acer's Liquid. The new LG mobile phone is expected for the Korean market in the second quarter of 2010. While the device is still unnamed and specs are still a mystery, LG is promising that the device will be "more mature" than the GW620 Eve, an Android device announced earlier this week for Rogers in Canada. There's no solid word on what availability of the device will be like, though LG says its considering possibilities outside of Korea.

[Via Slashgear]

Sensium wireless digital band-aid begins clinical trials

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 6th 2009 at 6:49AM

It hasn't been a year since it was first announced, and now clinical trials have begun for Sensium. Billed as a "digital plaster," the thin patch contains a power source and sensors for monitoring heart rate, temperature, and perspiration -- all of which can then be sent to your doctor via smartphone / PDA. Sure, it might not have the inherent drama of the rack of loud, blinking machines we're used to seeing in ICUs, but on the other hand it is cheap, disposable, and has a battery life of several days. The device is based on the company's AMx semiconductor IP platform for Body Area Networks, so if you work at a hospital or are a supplier for a large medical concern, hit the read link to see if you can get in on the clinical trials. If not, we're sure that Adafruit will figure out how to build one with an Arduino any day now. PR after the break.

[Via Popgadget]

Continue reading Sensium wireless digital band-aid begins clinical trials

NVIDIA Tegra 2 to double performance, arrive in 2010?

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 6th 2009 at 4:18AM

Word on the grapevine is that NVIDIA is preparing to mount a fresh assault on the mobile front, with a successor to Tegra that moves to a dual-core ARM9 CPU and adds improved graphical performance to produce what's said to be twice the power. This sort of aggressive roadmap meshes with earlier rumors of a Tegra platform powering the next generation of Nintendo's DS, and promises an equally tantalizing upgrade to the Zune HD specs. Keep in mind that the info comes from those highly anonymous and entirely unaccountable "industry sources," but given the time that will pass between the availability of the first Tegra chipset and the suggested 2010 release of Tegra 2, it makes sense to believe that the engineers have had sufficient opportunity to optimize and energize their platform. It's not like NVIDIA has been wasting its time setting up anti-Intel websites and putting together snarky cartoons about its competition, right?

[Via Electronista]

Cellphone inventor says they've become 'too complicated,' rock-n-roll too loud

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 6th 2009 at 3:37AM

You know that smartphone you love, that ultimate expression of handheld convergence that some would call a mobile computer? It's crap. Or so says octogenarian, Martin Cooper, former lead engineer at Motorola said to have invented the handheld cellphone -- really, his name is on the "Radio telephone system" patent and he's credited with making the very first private handheld cellphone call from a busy New York City street on April 3rd, 1973. Well Marty doesn't like those newfangled handsets. In fact, according to our sterling Mr. Cooper, "Our future I think is a number of specialist devices that focus on one thing that will improve our lives." Words uttered this week during a conference in Madrid. Imagine it: a future where we carry a portable radio, film camera, wind-up watch, Kaypro luggable computer, HP calculator, and Atari handheld... oh wait, that was the eighties.

Foxit's eSlick ereader now supports EPUB, puts Kindle to shame

by Richard Lai posted Nov 6th 2009 at 12:09AM

Foxit's eSlick isn't exactly the most exciting ereader of all time, but now things have changed slightly with the addition of EPUB support, making this $259.99 device a more affordable (although less pretty) alternative to the Sony Reader, and a more flexible option than the Kindle. We looked around and have yet to spot the new firmware's download link, but chances are devices shipped this month will come preloaded with the new code. Still, Barnes & Noble's identical price tag will easily overshadow this in a few weeks -- hello Nook, goodbye eSlick.

[Via Gearlog]

TwitterPeek review

by Laura June posted Nov 5th 2009 at 3:19PM

Peek is a company with ideas -- but they like to tackle them one at a time. Last year, amid snickering and cries of uselessness from the gadget world, the tiny company launched an email-only handheld that's attempted to bring the idea of email on the go to the smartphone fearing crowd... and we do know at least one avid user. Now the company has turned around and tried it again, this time with a seemingly even less essential device, the TwitterPeek.

The TwitterPeek works in conjunction with Twitter, and only with Twitter. It's that simple. There's nothing else to figure out or set up, so presumably, the idea is that the device, like the original Peek, is intended for the dumbphone lover who just can't go without a constant stream of Tweets. So, fair enough -- those of us who are more than a little tech savvy may find reason to smile at this, but supposedly this will be attractive to someone. Right?

So how did the TwitterPeek fare when we got our mitts on it? Read on to find out.

Gallery: TwitterPeek hands-on

Continue reading TwitterPeek review

Sungale's 7-inch Cyberus ID700WTA is neither a PMP nor an ereader, really

by Darren Murph posted Nov 5th 2009 at 9:21AM

Sungale isn't exactly the biggest, most well-known name in consumer electronics, but it's sure trying to make a run with the big boys. A few months after introducing its own WiFi digiframe, the company is hitting back with a hybrid ereader / PMP device that just seems to be caught somewhere in the middle. Boasting a 7-inch color LCD display (800 x 480), the Cyberus ID700WTA can handle most popular multimedia and ebook formats -- from PDF to DivX, it's (pretty much) all covered. It also touts integrated WiFi, support for streaming media from a home network and a built-in clock / calender. There's also the ability to fetch "online news, weather reports, stock prices and charts, maps and traffic routes, YouTube clips, internet radio, Picasa and Gmail," so we're going out on a limb here and suggesting that some sort of web browser or cadre of inbuilt apps are also included. It's available now around the web for $279, and yes, that snazzy leather case is bundled in.

Continue reading Sungale's 7-inch Cyberus ID700WTA is neither a PMP nor an ereader, really

Michael Arrington's CrunchPad still not available, maybe never will be?

by Tim Stevens posted Nov 5th 2009 at 6:48AM

Here's a report mixed with a cold hard fact and some wild speculation. We'll start with the factual bit: despite promises of an August unveil and November availability, and despite lots of leaks over the summertime, Michael Arrington's CrunchPad MID tablet thing still isn't upon us, and on top of that we haven't heard a thing about it in months. The wild speculation relates to the question of why, with Silicon Alley Insider conveying a string of possibilities ranging from the likely (wildly escalating hardware costs making the product unprofitable) to the somewhat less likely (it's waiting for Chrome OS). We wouldn't be the least surprised if the promised sub-$300 price-point just isn't feasible, but neither would it be a shock to learn that it's simply on hold until this whole economy thing finally picks up some steam. Or maybe it's the Illuminati; you never know just what they're up to.

Hyper Gear ereader encrypts files, keeps documents safe from prying eyes

by Darren Murph posted Nov 5th 2009 at 3:28AM

Haipagia's ¥39,800 ($437) Hyper Gear ereader may just be a rebadge on the surface, but the all-too-familiar exterior conceals a rather unique software package underneath. Boasting a 6-inch display with an 800 x 600 resolution, the reader includes an encryption function that can wrap your files in DRM and password protect whatever you like. If the device gets stolen, you can then rest easy knowing that files won't disclose themselves to evil eyes even if ripped from the unit's internal memory. Admittedly, something like this is well suited for enterprise and academic environments, but we're guessing the paranoid in attendance are also taking notice.

[Via Best Tablet Review]

Microsoft Courier interface explained in more detail

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 4th 2009 at 1:51PM

Steve Ballmer might have no idea what's going on with the Microsoft Courier tablet, but a new set of documents leaked to Gizmodo certainly suggests the product is more than just a couple videos the boss-man hasn't seen. The images detail the Courier's unique user interface, which draws on everything from multitouch gestures to pen-based handwriting recognition. The heart of the interface appears to be the Smart Agenda, pictured above, which pulls together all your disparate content like calendar entries, emails, and to-dos into one unified starting place, described as "Cliff Notes" to the Pagestream "novel." The journal itself appears to be searchable by all kinds of data, including time, location, and tags, and it's all accessed by a special multi-button pen. There's also a camera and an offhand mention of "boos and subscriptions," so it sounds like whoever was dreaming this all up considered using the Courier as an ebook reader as well -- which would be totally sweet, given the types of annotations you could do. Of course, none of this is real yet, but we're hoping against hope -- please, Mr. Steve, make our holiday dreams come true?

Apple tablet rumor roundup: future of media edition

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 4th 2009 at 1:33AM

The sketchy Apple tablet rumors have continued apace in the past few days, and rather than hit you with each bit of fluff as it comes in, we're going to be rounding them up from now on. Today's edition builds on earlier reports that Apple's trying to drag print media kicking and screaming into the future, with whispers that Apple execs recently met with Australian media execs to pitch them on new ways to distribute their content on a device "small enough to carry in a handbag but too big to fit in a pocket." Apparently the deal involves a 70/30 revenue split, just like the iPhone App Store -- and unlike the insane 30/70 split Amazon demands on the Kindle, which Apple executives called an "unattractive industry structure" during an investor event a few days later. Of course, Apple tends to say it's not interested in something right before it enters the market, so read that as you will. And finally, China OnTrade today posted up an "Apple iPhone 4 Generation Midboard," which would be a totally boring piece of plastic with no connection to anything... except these guys managed to score some iPhone 3GS parts way early as well. Is this just junk, or is it is really a new iPhone leaking months and months early? Or maybe just leftovers from a camera-equipped iPod touch that never was? Or... is this also some random part of a new tablet? No one really knows -- which is why we're sticking it all in this post and moving on with our lives.

Read - Apple pitches to Australian media
Read - Apple execs call online print media "unattractive"
Read - China OnTrade iPhone 4 Generation midboard

Spring Design Alex comes out to play and show off Marvell's Armada chip

by Ross Miller posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 9:47PM

You'd think a pending lawsuit and a grainy official video would be enough exposure for one little dual-screen e-book reader, but Marvell's decided to bring out Spring Design's Alex as a way of showing off their new Armada chip, which claims a faster three frames per second refresh rate along with the usual assorted reductions in cost and power consumption. Maximum PC got the opportunity to see the Alex first-hand at the meeting, and note that while it's definitely thicker than the kindle (blame goes to the larger battery and second screen, naturally), it's a smart little device. Hit up the read link for more pics.

Read - Alex hands-on
Read - Marvells Armada: custom designed ARM SoCs break 1GHz

Spring Design vs. Barnes & Noble: all the nooks and crannies

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 6:35PM

So we followed up with Spring Design to figure out what exactly its relationship with Barnes & Noble had been during the development of the Nook and why the company was suing, and, well, it's looking like B&N played some dirty pool here. You're looking at the actual NDA signed by Barnes & Noble and Spring Design, wherein each party agreed to keep their secrets... secret. After signing the agreement, Spring Design showed the Alex dual-screen ebook reader and associated marketing materials to B&N execs all the way up B&N CFO Kevin Frain and B&N.com president William Lynch, who said he was "looking forward" to a partnership. Soon after that, Spring implies that all contact stopped until Barnes & Noble announced the Nook. Lawsuit time!

Here's where it gets tricky, though -- the NDA contains pretty standard language specifically allowing both B&N and Spring Design to walk away from each other and develop competing products, so long as they don't use any of the confidential information they learned under NDA. Without knowing exactly what Spring Design showed to B&N and how much of that influenced or is included in the Nook (which Barnes & Noble currently won't let anyone touch), we can't say much about how this one's going to play out, but for right now we're looking at a huge corporation bringing out an Android-based ebook reader with dual electronic paper and touchscreen LCD displays just months after being shown the same concept by a three-year-old startup, and that's not exactly a warm and fuzzy bedtime story. We'll see what happens next -- Barnes & Noble, you have anything to say?

Gallery: Spring Design vs. Barnes & Noble complaint

Gallery: Spring Design vs. Barnes & Noble NDA and exhibits

Archos 9 up for pre-order in America for $50 more than anticipated

by Darren Murph posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 1:33PM

Uh, Archos? You do remember telling us that your Archos 9 media tablet would ship on October 22nd for $499 back in late September, right? 'Cause if our eyes are being truthful to us, that's not at all what's happening here. The outfit's official web store has the 8.9-inch device listed (complete with Windows 7 Starter, WiFi, Bluetooth and a 1.3 megapixel camera) for $549.99, and worse still, it's only up for "pre-order." You know what happens after the second strike, right guys?

[Thanks, Trini]

Marvell teams with E Ink for turnkey ereader processor

by Darren Murph posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 11:17AM

And so it begins. If you had any doubts whatsoever that the ereader battle was in full effect, let this introduction take all of that worry away. Marvell and E Ink have tag-teamed in order to announce a "highly integrated" ereader processor that'll be made available in "turnkey platforms" aimed at the booming ebook reader market. The ARMADA package includes a 166E application processor, WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G modem, and more broadly, the two have agreed to cross license epaper "timing controllers and system platforms," which may or may not be the cutest, sweetest thing we've ever heard. The goods are expected to be ready for readers in 2010, which means that buying a Kindle or Nook today is guaranteed to cause you all sorts of pain when the next best thing ships within twelve months.

[Via Internet News]