Hasta La Gadget!

Is the world ready for consumer-class 8 megapixel cameraphones? That’s a loaded question, but one way or another, T-Mobile’s about to find out now that its SGH-T929 Memoir from Samsung is in the marketplace. With a full touchscreen and support for that elusive 1700MHz HSDPA, the handset packs some serious heat at the top end of the featurephone heap, and we’ve now had a chance to put it through its paces. Read on for video, pictures, and — for the literate types out here — even a few words about Samsung’s mighty 3264 x 2448 worth of handset muscle.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Samsung Memoir hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on November 10, 2008 by CyberNet.

Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a special edition that focuses solely on recent news and tips regarding Windows 7 that we never got around to writing about. There’s been so much good Windows 7 stuff that we thought it deserves it’s very own WrapUp article!

Don’t forget to send in your own tips, or just leave a comment on this page if you think you’ve got something we should include.

–Windows 7 Coverage–

Windows 7 to Allow PC Backups to Network Share
Windows Vista will let you backup your entire PC to another hard drive or to a set of DVD’s, but what about to a network drive? In Windows 7 you’ll be able to do just that.

Enable the New Taskbar in Windows 7 Pre-Beta
Microsoft didn’t enable the new Taskbar in the Windows 7 builds that were handed out at PDC this year, but that didn’t stop someone from trying to figure out how to turn it on. With a little black magic you can get the new Taskbar up and running, but it won’t be sporting all of the cool features that were demoed at PDC.

Windows 7 to be Released in 2009
Microsoft has been a little secretive about when exactly they are going to release Windows 7, but in a private presentation they said that they are gunning to have it shipped in time for the 2009 holiday season.

Faster Boot Time and Better Battery Life
There has been a lot of focus on increasing performance and battery life for Windows 7 machines. This video demonstration at WinHEC shows that Windows 7 boots significantly faster than Vista does.

Windows 7 Aero Shake
It seems as though there are going to be several new ways to show the desktop in Windows 7, and one of them is called Aero Shake. By grabbing the titlebar of a window and “shaking” it all other windows on the screen will be hidden… thereby revealing the desktop. Shaking the window again will bring back the windows.

Snapping Windows to the Screen Edges
In Windows 7 when you drag a window to the left or right edge of the screen it will “snap” to it, and resize itself so that it occupies half of the desktop space available. If you drag a window to the top it will become maximized.

Small Icons are Available in the New Taskbar
Some of you may have noticed in the Windows 7 screenshots floating around that the icons in the new Taskbar are a bit oversized. It’s probably something that will take some getting used to, but if you prefer them to be more compact you’ll be happy to know that the icons can be shrunk down simply by checking a box.

Rotating Desktop Backgrounds
When choosing a background in Windows 7 you’ll actually be able to select multiple images to be used. You can then select the speed at which you want Windows to rotate through the images. To help keep things fresh you can even specify a photo feed that images can be grabbed from.

PC Safeguard Prevents OS Changes
Microsoft has taken the technology from Windows SteadyState and incorporated it into Windows 7. It’s since been renamed to PC Safeguard, and what you can do with it is have all personal files and changes erased after a user has logged off.

Windows 7 Media Center
If you saw a few screenshots of Media Center in Windows 7 you might not actually notice any differences. This article will, however, show you some things like the enhanced libraries and better navigation that have already been implemented. As a heavy Media Center user myself I can’t wait to get my hands on this!

Maximum Windows Experience Index Increased
In Vista the best score you can get in the Windows Experience Index (WEI) is a 5.9, but that appears to be changed in Windows 7. Some users are now reporting getting a score up to 7.9 for their graphics cards.

Manage What Programs Display Notification Balloons
In Paul Thurrott’s rather extensive Windows 7 review he covered a feature that some people have waited forever to get: notification management. Now in the same place that you control what System Tray icons are hidden you can also pick which icons are able to display the pesky notification balloons.

Ambient Light Sensors
Windows 7 will now be able to control any ambient light sensors that are installed in a PC, and applications will be able to directly tap into this feature. For example, a mapping program would be able to adjust the contrast of maps based upon whether the user is in a light or dark environment.

Windows Calculator Does More Than Simple Math
One of the applications that people probably use a lot in Windows, the calculator, has received a much desired overhaul. Not only does it look better, but it can also do things like conversions or date calculations. Smart move Microsoft!

User Account Control Slider
A new setting in the Control Panel for Windows 7 will let users drag a slider to determine how often they want to see pesky UAC prompts. By default, however, administrators will only see prompts that are caused by programs. That means changing a setting in the Control Panel, for example, won’t trigger a UAC prompt.

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Related Posts:

• Look for CyberNet WrapUp’s for More News & Tips
• CyberNet Update: Daily Downloads Merges with WrapUp’s
• Windows Vista 5384 Torrent Available
• Intelligent Windows Tint Themselves
• Your Week in Review with Sunday’s Summary

Mini projectors are growing so much in popularity that even a manufacturer best known for making niche toys is getting into the act.

Earlier today, Jakks Pacific announced its first mini projector, the EyeClops, following a year when it released the EyeClops Infrared Stealth goggles for night vision. The LED projector will come with built-in speakers and the company is promising up to ten hours of operation on an undetermined number of D batteries.

The black design definitely seems to follow the EyeClops aesthetic — make it durable, fun to look at, and easy to play with. Just like the LG mini projector that was released late last month, the EyeClops is palm-sized but looks thick and unpocketable.

No technical details were released but if it comes anywhere near the specs from the LG HS102 (800 x 600 resolution, 160 ANSI lumen-brightness, and a 2,000:1 contrast ratio) for the expected price ($100), I’ll be lining up to get one for my little cousins. For the money, that’s quite unlikely, so I’ll lower my expectations to 10-80 lumens, and an 800:1 ratio.

And that means I won’t be buying anyone anything, so stop begging, you crazy kids.

Like we noted previously, players at this size are allowing companies to increase their image quality to such an extent that they’re pushing out the need for regular projectors and might even squeeze out the burgeoning Pico projector market. I think most people would trade off a bit on size if they could get a projector with better picture quality.

We’ll see if this projector is one of them. The EyeClops will be available in the Fall.

Whoever put together GiPhone F5 seems to have done a pretty good job of mimicking the iPhone’s UI, but other than that the deets are rather sketchy. This bad boy seems to be a 3G handset with a capacitive 3.2-inch multitouch screen, Bluetooth, “kinds of games,” and up to 16GB internal memory. Sounds wonderful, sure, but don’t give up your HiPhone just yet — we’re still trying to figure out where this one is available, and at what price. Video after the break.

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXXXV: the world-renowned GiPhone F5

Filed under: Cellphones

Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXXXV: the world-renowned GiPhone F5 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As the economy continues to spiral downward, Apple customers are proving to be as unpredictable as Apple: The MacBook Pro has been the top-selling Mac at several Apple stores in the past week.

Ten out of 15 surveyed Apple retail stores reported the MacBook Pro as its top seller, according to The Channel Checkers. That’s surprising, because MacBook Pros range from $2,000 to $2,800.

What gives? My guess is that there was a sales spike because the 17-inch MacBook Pro just started shipping last week; I’d imagine many were eagerly awaiting that particular model.

Here’s what I find more interesting: The MacBook is typically Apple’s biggest seller. If the MacBook Pro was able to surpass the MacBook in sales, it suggests February is shaping up to be another slow month for Mac sales overall. In January, Mac sales were off 6 percent compared to a year ago.

Apple Computer Sales Slowing, No Discounting on Mac Books, Yet [ChannelCheckers via AppleInsider]

Photo: Jonathan Snyder/Wired.com