Sony VAIO GS series pops up in the FCC -- a cheap Sony ultraportable?

by Nilay Patel,

We don't have a lot to go on, but a machine called the VAIO GS just popped up in the FCC database, along with the usual nasty gub'ment photos. Doing some extremely rough back-of-the-napkin calculations, it looks like it's Sony's answer to the Dell Mini 12 -- 11 inches wide with a 12ish-inch 4:3 screen. We're also seeing an optional built-in optical drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, three USB ports, a PC Card slot (that's what it's marked -- let's hope it's really ExpressCard), a Memory Stick slot, Ethernet and modem ports, and VGA out. We're guessing the optical drive explains the netbook-ish hinge battery placement, but nothing explains how ugly this thing is -- let's hope the downgrade in style from the VAIO P comes with a corresponding downgrade in price. A few more shots after the break.

Update: As a few astute commenters have pointed out, this could be an updated US-bound version of the Japan-only VAIO G from 2006 -- if things haven't changed too much, you're looking at a two-pound machine with a 12.1-inch display. We'll see -- the exterior is definitely a little different, and we don't think the market is right for the VAIO G's original $2,000 pricetag.

engadget.com

Nokia N79 Active to come with heart rate monitor, guilt

by Chris Ziegler,

We knew something was up with these Bluetooth heart rate straps from Polar, and sure enough, Nokia has announced a partnership to get serious fitness monitoring integrated with its products. The first to take advantage will be a special version of the N79, creatively dubbed the N79 Active, which will include 4GB of onboard memory the requisite strap right in the box and sell for about €375 ($494) when it ships "soon" in "select territories." Of course, the new hardware isn't any good without new software, and it just so happens that the N79 Active will include a new version of Nokia's Sports Tracker app for keeping tabs on workouts. We'd heard that other Polar accessories like cadence sensors for biking fanatics were in the works, so this could end up developing into a whole franchise.

[Via All About Symbian]

engadget.com

Acer kicks out TravelMate 6593, 6493 laptops for the corporate set

by Donald Melanson, posted Jan 14th 2009 at 1:42PM

As you may or, more likely, may not, remember, Acer introduced a pair of TravelMate 6593 and 6493 laptops way back in July of last year, but it looks like the company isn't one to let a good model number go by the wayside, and it's now rolled out some new, seemingly updated models aimed specifically at corporate customers. From the looks of it, the new models will also only be available in some stock configurations, with the 15.4-inch TravelMate 6593 packing a Core 2 Duo T9500 processor, 4GB of RAM, the usual integrated Intel graphics, and a 250GB hard drive, while the 14.1-inch 6493 comes equipped with a Core 2 Duo T8300 processor and 3GB of RAM, along with mostly similar specs across the board. You''ll also be able to pair each with an ezDock II or ezDockII+ and, yes, you can get your hands on 'em right now (for between $1,099 and $1,499).

[Via PC Launches, thanks Vinit]

engadget.com

M&A Technology offering Intel's Classmate convertible online for $499

by Darren Murph,
Intel's latest and greatest Classmate convertible PC swung by the FCC in late November, and now it's time for the general populace to get their paws on one. M&A Technology has just announced that it is currently hosting the so-called Companion Touch up for sale to anyone who's interested, and packed within will be a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, 60GB hard drive, an 8.9-inch touchscreen, Windows XP Home, 1.3 megapixel camera, Ethernet, WiFi and a 4-cell battery that'll last for around 3.3 hours. Optionally, you can downgrade to a 30GB hard drive, add in a 6-cell Li-ion (good for 5 hours of life) and opt for Linux over WinXP. It's yours for the taking at $499.

engadget.com

Sony's VAIO P up for pre-order in all sorts of hues

by Darren Murph,
Sony's VAIO P netbook ultraportable isn't slated to start shipping until February here in the States, but those absolutely certain that they want one stuck in their coat and / or rear pants pocket can get in line starting today. The pre-orders are open for Sony's 1.4 pound VAIO, with $899.99 to $1,499.99 securing your spot on the launch list. They're available in a whole heap of colors (garnet red, emerald green, onyx black, crystal white and classic black), and there's even an engraving option if you're already thinking about a rather spectacular Valentine's Day gift. Hint, hint, gentlemen.

[Via thegadgetsite, thanks K.C. Kim]

engadget.com

Pandora's CTO talks about Pre, webOS development, gaming, and small children

by Tim Stevens,
While we were happy just to see pictures, Tom Conrad, CTO of Pandora, is one of the lucky few to have seen in action the innards of the software that keeps things moving on the Pre. He sat down with Palm Infocenter (on the wrong end of a zero-bar concall by the sounds) to talk details of webOS software development. Conrad clarified that, despite all apps being mixtures of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, webOS is more than just a big browser -- it has direct access to local files and UI elements. However, he echoed the fears of others that this web-friendly programming interface won't exactly be well suited for gaming, expressing hope that Palm will address this with integrated Flash support or some sort of a lower-level API to appease those who want to tap that OMAP processor directly. Hit the read link to hear the whole conversation yourself.

[Thanks, Jay]

engadget.com

Psystar's lawyers regroup, try another tactic against Apple

by Nilay Patel,
So it looks like wannabe cloner Psystar's supposedly hotshot law firm of Carr and Ferrell regrouped for a deep think after pumping out some fairly weak arguments in its case against Apple -- according to a new draft of Psystar's countersuit, the Florida-based computer reseller should be allowed to sell whitebox Mac OS X machines because it legally purchased copies of Leopard at retail. That's the first sale doctrine, if you're into copyright law -- it states that the purchaser of copyrighted materials (like a book) can sell or dispose of them however they want. Here's the thing though: a big part of Apple's case (but not all of it) is based around the fact that consumers license OS X under the terms of the EULA -- and courts are basically up in the air over whether the first sale doctrine should apply to software transactions. It's an interesting tactic with a ton of repercussions beyond Apple if it's successful, but we honestly can't see it working -- in the cases where first sale has been used to overcome a EULA, it's generally been for used software, not companies like Psystar, who are modifying and installing new copyrighted software sold by a first party. We'll see how Apple responds -- things just got interesting again.

Update: World Of Apple notes that this argument has been present from the outset, but it sounds like Psystar's really pushing it now. We'd say so -- we think it's the only plausible one we've heard so far.

[Thanks, iB3nji]

Disclaimer: Nilay's a lawyer and about to fall over from CES, but he's not your lawyer, and this isn't legal advice or analysis.

engadget.com

Nintendo DSi hitting the streets in early April?

by Joseph L. Flatley,
It was bound to happen sooner or later. We've seen it hacked and seen it cracked open, and now it looks like the Nintendo DSi might finally get that Stateside release. According to IGN, the device will be hitting the shelves here in early April for $179.99. If this is for real, for real -- as the site is quick to point out, Nintendo "doesn't comment on rumors and speculation," so there's been no official confirmation -- it looks like it's only a matter of time before the fun lovin' game console finds its way into our hands. Because it's already found its way into our hearts.

[Via Joystiq]

engadget.com

President Obama's official portrait: the first ever taken with a digital camera

by Laura June,
You're now gazing at President Barack Obama's just-released official portrait -- the first of a U.S. president ever taken with a digital camera. That means we can peek at the EXIF data -- this fine specimen of portraiture was snapped with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II on January 13th, 2009 at 5:38 pm with no flash, using a 105mm lens stopped to f/10 at a 1/125 exposure, with an ISO of 100 by newly crowned official White House photographer Pete Souza. Nice work, Souza -- but we think it could use a few lens flares.

[Thanks, Penny]

engadget.com

O2 launches HTC Advantage as Xda Flint, curiously aims at education sector

by Darren Murph,
How do you make a niche handheld that's been out for over a year relevant again? Why, aim it at the unsuspecting education market, of course! The Xda Flint, which we first saw emerge back in early December, is officially being introduced to the world today by O2. If the device looks at all familiar, it's because it is -- we're looking at a re-branded Advantage X7510, with 16GB of internal storage, a 5-inch VGA display, quad-band connectivity, WiFi, HSDPA, a 3 megapixel camera and Windows Mobile 6.1 running the show. The odd thing here isn't that the Advantage is getting a new life, it's that O2 is targeting youngsters with a yearning to learn; it's suggesting that this device is perfect for reading eBooks, taking electronic notes and accessing knowledge portals. Of course, we'd argue a netbook with a non-mobile OS would be far more suitable, but what do we know?

engadget.com

LG and SanDisk team up for memory card-based content protection scheme

by Donald Melanson,

It's not quite slotMusic, but it looks like SanDisk is intent on offering yet another option for memory card-bound content, and this time its enlisted the help of LG to make it happen. This setup is intended to let cellphone carriers offer content that would only be able to be used on "approved handsets" on their network, which is apparently made possible by allowing IP connectivity to the memory card in the phone, which in turn serves as a network node that is able to be remotely managed using the industry standard OMA Smart Card Web Server. That bit of magic has apparently already been demonstrated on an LG KC910 Renoir phone, but it doesn't look like there's any carriers that have signed on just yet, or at least any that are ready to announce it.

[Via Phone Scoop]

engadget.com

Samsung publishes NC20 user manual, new images surface

by Darren Murph,
Eager to get your digits onto an NC20 keyboard? Sadly, we can't help you there, but we can point out something to whet your appetite until shipment day dawns. Samsung's UK branch has hosted up the NC20 user manual, and while it doesn't really offer too many nuggets that we weren't already aware of, it still proves that this here netbook will arrive with the oh-so-promising 1.3GHz VIA Nano U225 CPU. Additionally, you'll find a 12.1-inch WXGA display (1,280 x 800), VIA Chrome 9 HC3 graphics, a multicard reader, Ethernet / USB 2.0 ports, optional WiFi / Bluetooth and your choice of HDD or SSD. Check out the links below for more on the hardware details and a new load of press shots, and start saving you pennies now, 'cause early estimates put this one at around $500 or so.

[Via NotebookItalia]

engadget.com

Motorola to lay off 4,000 starting immediately

by Chris Ziegler,

It's official: Moto's pulling out the axe. The beleaguered manufacturer is no stranger to financial struggles at this point -- nor layoffs, for that matter -- but the latest round cuts some 6 percent of employees from Moto's global operations, and 3,000 of the 4,000 will come directly from the handset division. The news comes along with a preliminary fourth quarter earnings estimate of a 7 to 8 cent per share loss (which isn't really "earnings" when you think about it), so yeah, it's business as usual out in Schaumburg: get lean and start making awesome products. Soon, Moto. Please.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

engadget.com

Man swipes prototype phones from Sony Ericsson, is caught

by Donald Melanson,
Details are still a bit fuzzy on this one, but reports out of Sweden say that a 35-year-old man swiped a batch of prototype phones from Sony Ericsson's Lund offices on Monday or Tuesday and was then promptly arrested on Wednesday after police discovered the prototypes, along with a hundred other phones, at his home. According to Sony Ericsson, the man was not an employee but had a "working relationship" with the company, and apparently used a pass card to gain entry to the building. Police also found a laptop with some unspecified contents at the man's home, and say that the total value of the theft was about 750,000 kronor, or roughly $90,000.

[Image courtesy Skånskan.se, thanks Örjan]

engadget.com

Archos 10 netbook sits down for a photo shoot

by Darren Murph,
The Archos 10 netbook was loosed into the crowds early this morning, and already Laptop has a hands-on up. Comically enough, this 10-inch machine is actually the largest product ever launched by the company, as it generally focuses on handheld PMPs and the like. Specs wise, it's about as vanilla as they come, and design wise, it's overwhelmingly simple. For those with a deep appreciation of matte black and a love for software geared towards multimedia freaks, head on down to the read link for a video and photo gallery.

engadget.com

Apple reveals 17-inch MacBook Pro battery replacement details

by Joseph L. Flatley,
Ever since the new 17-inch MacBook Pro was introduced, the million dollar question (make that $179 question) has been: what goes down when the battery fails? Sure, the machine is small -- and the alleged eight hours of charge is nothing to sneeze at -- but is all that worth the hassle of a non-removable battery? When the thing eventually goes kaput (and they always do), those of us in the States can expect to lay out $179 plus tax for a replacement. According to the site, if you drop the machine off at the Apple Store they can turn it around in a day (with appointment). If you mail it in, give it four days or so upon receipt. If you decide to do it yourself? Well, you probably shouldn't. But if you do, make sure you send us pictures.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

engadget.com

Sony sells its 50 millionth PlayStation 2 in North America

by Darren Murph,
Joining the all-important 50 million club today is Sony, which has just recently moved its 50 millionth PlayStation 2 game console here in North America. For those with short-term memories, the PS2 hit the scene in the year 2000, well before the iPod, Windows XP and America's current president took their rightful places. NPD numbers estimate that around 43 million of these 50 million units were sold here in the US of A, and if you're really looking for some staggering numbers, get a load of this: In November 2008, 206,000 PS2s were moved in America, while just 172 million more PS3s were sold in the same window. Talk about longevity / sluggish adoption, respectively.

engadget.com

Toshiba said to be nearing deal to buy Fujitsu's hard drive business

by Donald Melanson,

Hitachi may be out of the picture (if it was ever actually in the picture to begin with), but it looks like Toshiba is now very close to buying Fujitsu's hard drive business in a deal that's reported to be worth between 30 and 40 billion yen, or anywhere from $335 to $447 million. That would make Toshiba the world's largest supplier of hard drives for laptops and, according to Reuters, it could be all but a done deal by the end of the month, if a supposed meeting between company execs planned for this week goes as expected. The deal wouldn't include Fujitsu's plant in Nagano Prefecture, however, or the hard drive operations of its Yamagata Fujitsu subsidiary -- those would apparently be sold off separately for some extra cash if Fujitsu decides to exit the hard drive business altogether.

engadget.com

Sirtified throws up hand USB flash drives

by Darren Murph,
Let's face it -- it's hard to connect with kids these days, but Sirtified clearly knows what's up. The outfit's forthcoming line of Hand USB Sticks include 2GB of storage space and arrive in three street-approved models: Rock, West Side and a version that looks awfully similar to the Engadget logo. Hold the hand of your choice next month for $35.

[Thanks, Kyle]

engadget.com

Smart Cash Register Knows Who You Are and How Best to Empty Your Wallet

By Andi Wang,

Mixing real life shopping with the Internet's "up-selling" capabilities, Intel's cash register is able to recognize you and give Amazon-esque recommendations, based on things you've purchased in the past.

At the upcoming National Retail Federation show, Intel will unveil a prototype of a cash register that takes the traditional cash-box to a whole new level. This new register is designed somewhat like an ATM machine, but consists of three LCD screens. Upon swiping your credit (or rewards) card, you, the consumer, are able to view both your purchase history and recommendations of other products on which you might like to blow your cash. On the backside of the kiosk, images of what is in your basket and other related products show a salesperson which items they should try to up-sell to you that day.

Naturally, a smart cash register like this one doesn't come cheap, so in order to cut down on costs and energy, these kiosk will be made of energy efficient LCD screens and processors. Moreover, these cash registers will automatically put themselves to sleep when they are not in use, cutting down on 90% of energy usage.

However, you shouldn't expect them to be popping up in stores anytime soon. Intel created this smart cash machine as a way to demonstrate the future of retail terminals using Intel's innovative processors, so these cash register prototypes will not be put into production. You and your wallet can rest easy. [Wired via Yanko]

gizmodo.com

Palm Pre's App Store Christened the App Catalog

By Dan Nosowitz,

Palm's new developer site reveals the Pre's App Store/Marketplace challenger will be named the Palm App Catalog. It also notes that the SDK is only in private prerelease at the moment.

Despite the SDK only going out to a few select partners, Palm has launched its Developer Blog to help prospective developers stay informed about the state of the handset. The SDK won't be released to more developers until nearer release, but Palm seems very aware that a strong collection of apps will be essential to the Pre's success. Palm never asked me for any app store name suggestions, but I'll just throw a few out there that I really think might've taken off.

• Palm Apparama
• Palm Bodega
• Palm App Dépanneur
• The App Bazaar
• Palm's App Emporium

But the App Catalog is good too, I guess. [Palm via Engadget]

gizmodo.com

HP's Firebird with VoodooDNA 802 / 803 now available starting at $1,799

by Darren Murph,
We know it's a little easy to lose track of time with the world's craziest consumer electronics show steaming ahead, but today actually is January 9th. The meaning of that? HP's two Firebird gaming towers are go for purchase. Both the Firebird with VoodooDNA 802 and 803 are available for purchase right now, with starting prices pegged at $1,799 and $2,099, respectively. The primary difference between the stock configurations are the CPUs (a 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad versus 2.83GHz Core 2 Quad), the hard drives (2 x 250GB verses 2 x 320GB), the sound card (the 803 has a Creative X-Fi mini-PCI audio card) and the fact that the 803 comes packed with a slot-loading Blu-ray drive. Hit the read link to get your shopping on.

engadget.com

White Dell Adamo pictures leak out

by Nilay Patel,
While we got some early time with Dell's super-secret Adamo prototype, it looks like we weren't the only ones -- and it also looks like we didn't get the whole enchilada: there's a wicked-sexy white version hiding in the Palms as well. Still no more details than before, but bub.blicio.us was also allowed to boot the aluminum ultraportable, so at least we know that there's chips in that box. We're actually headed back to check out the Mini 10, so we'll dig for even more (and try to get pictures in a better-lit room), but for now check these latest Adamo pictures in the gallery.

Gallery: More Adamo Images

engadget.com

Xbox 360 IPTV dream not dead yet

by Richard Lawler,
Remember Xbox 360 IPTV rollout? Though the wonderful fantasy of replacing our stodgy cable DVRs with an all-in-one Left 4 Dead playing / channel surfing beast has dried up like a raisin in the sun, Dave Zatz confirmed with Microsoft booth reps that BT is (still) planning on deploying the service, and despite the NXE the UI will retain the look of the current Motorola boxes pictured above. Now that U-Verse has delivered Total Home DVR and upgraded beyond 1 HD stream at a time, maybe they can get to work on this deployment next?

engadget.com

Video: PQLabs iTable digits-on lets us touch orcs, movies, me-too branding

by Tim Stevens,
Multi-touch is where it's at, but what if you already have one of those lame, obsolete, big-screen, flat-panel displays that accept only smudges from your fingers? What you need is a Multi-Touch G2 from PQLabs, an overlay that attaches to your existing 32-inch (or larger) set with double-sided tape, adding the multi-touch sensitivity that your fingertips have been yearning for. The company has also announced its upcoming iTable, effectively a multi-touch panel with a built-in computer, having something in common with Microsoft's Surface, but nothing with Apple's iPhone (from which it dishearteningly takes a naming cue). We spent a few minutes with our fingers stroking both the iTable and the Multi-Touch G2 and were impressed by both; they initially seemed a bit unresponsive but, within a few seconds, we were browsing media, building grunts, and decimating forests in no time. Playing an RTS like Warcraft 3 with gestures is a fantastic experience no strategy gamer should miss, but, at $2,399, is one that only the richest of tacticians can put in their buy queue. No pricing for the iTable just yet, but expect it to be more.

engadget.com

Dell's 22-inch UltraSharp 2209WA LCD monitor surfaces

by Darren Murph,
Dell Canada is good for being the first to show off new LCDs, and yet again we're getting an early look at a forthcoming monitor courtesy of the Great White North. The 22-inch UltraSharp 2209WA will evidently arrive with a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 300 nits of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 178-degree viewing angles and a 5-millisecond response time. It also features VGA and DVI connectors, four USB 2.0 ports and an undisclosed price tag. It'll supposed ship in one to two weeks, but given that there's not even an image available yet, we're not so sure we'd bet the farm on that estimate being accurate.

[Via whirlpool, thanks Ed]

engadget.com

Video: ASUS AIRO laptop with amazing sliding keyboard

by Thomas Ricker,
ASUS was kind enough to take its beautiful AIRO laptop out from behind the glass at CES for an Engadget exclusive look at the functional sliding mechanism. The design raises the keyboard to cool the hot running components beneath allowing for a fan-less, convection-cooled design. Unfortunately, this prototype is just a chipset-less mechanical shell. Raise the lid and the keyboard slides back smoother than a greased-up Pete Rose. This allows for a larger, more comfortable wrist rest from which to slap those angled keys. Sexy? Oh yeah, with mojo to spare. Check the video after the break.

Gallery: ASUS AIRO prototype

engadget.com

Video: Gibson Dark Fire guitar hands-on

by Nilay Patel,
We'll be honest -- we're totally in love with Gibson's Dark Fire guitar. The $3,499 update to the Robot guitar we played with at CES last year is lighter, faster, easier to use and features new Chameleon Tone technology that actually reconfigures the individual pickups to deliver different sounds. The FireWire / MIDI breakout box enables you to record directly to a computer, but you can also tweak presets and control the guitar from the included Ableton Live / Guitar Rig bundle. It's seriously hot -- and it's even hotter when it's being demoed by German inventor Chris Adams, who might be the single coolest dude at CES. Check it out after the break!

Gallery: Gibson Dark Fire hands-on

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Video: Intel's convertible Classmate PC hands-on

by Ross Miller,
It's been five months since we first heard about the convertible Classmate PC, and now we've finally gotten a chance to get our hands on it at the Intel booth. It feels pretty durable -- especially that kind of important display swivel -- but we take issue with how lopsided the weight is towards the back. The Quick Launcher Windows XP shell lives up to the name and is indeed very fast and easy to navigate. When we rotated the tablet on its side, however, the interface awkwardly fills in only the top half. According to the rep, there's no US distributor yet for retail. Glamor shots in the gallery, or check out video after the break. Is it too much to ask for capacitive multitouch next time?

Gallery: Intel's convertible Classmate PC hands-on at CES 2009

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