The new My Book World Edition NAS server.
(Credit: Western Digital)
I’ve complained before that network-attached storage (NAS) devices are just not easy enough to use. Most NAS servers further complicate the matter by offering a lot more than just simple plug-and-play network storage, which is what novice home …
The entirety of civilization seems fairly well and dedicated to one-upping each other in the “green” department, and Samsung is looking to up the ante once again by stating that “blue is the new green” and putting out the new Blue Earth solar phone to prove it. Sadly, the Blue Earth isn’t quite ready to go — currently it’s only to be seen in non-working mockup form, though the hardware is certainly looking good. Samsung’s showing off its eco-packaging and built-in energy-saving functionality, including an “Eco Walk” function to let you know how many trees you save by walking places. The phone itself is built from castor bean extract and recycled plastic, and Samsung claims the integrated solar panel saves up to 34.6% of the battery’s energy. They’re also showing off a hand-crank generator, external solar chargers, and even a solar-charged stereo headset. It’s clear that Samsung isn’t just playing lip service to green (or blue, as the case may be) but at this point in time this technology is likely to act more as a gimmick and promise of things to come than a truly life-changing device.
Filed under: Cellphones
Samsung’s Blue Earth is saving the world from behind glass originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We just got a great look at the potential of Android on Texas Instruments’ new Zoom OMAP34x-II Mobile Development Platform, a sort of sexy cousin to Compulab’s exeda. The OMAP3430-powered unit is being built by Logic and is meant for software developers to work on the OMAP3 chipset, but it’s actually a pretty neat “device” in its own right, with a 4.1-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen LCD, HDMI out, all sorts of connectivity, 16GB of storage, an SD card slot, large QWERTY keypad and an 8 megapixel camera. There’s also a debug board with Ethernet, USB plugs and some other technical stuff. For $1150 developers can pick up a WiFi-only unit, and $1399 buys you a 3G unit — consumers can buy ’em too, and we can imagine certain enthusiasts wouldn’t mind the cost for what basically amounts to the ultimate Android device. The unit runs other flavors of Linux, but we’re really in it for the Android, especially thanks to that screen. Wind River has been doing development on Android for a while, contributing to the original source code as part of the OHA, and one of its developers even ported Android to OpenMoko. They’ve got a refined Android interface running on the Zoom, which includes a tabbed application browser, fancier widgets and a spruced up unlock screen. They wouldn’t consider what they’re doing a skin or a port, but it’s exactly the type of stuff that device manufacturers will be looking for to differentiate their Android-powered handset. Video of all the magic is after the break.
Continue reading Texas Instruments and Wind River do up Android right
Filed under: Handhelds
Texas Instruments and Wind River do up Android right originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Technically, i-mate’s only official announcement at MWC this year is the mega-rugged 810-F that’ll withstand 140 degrees of heat, 14 degrees of cold, water resistance, and shock resistance courtesy of a nasty rubber casing, but it’s certainly not going to appeal to the average consumer — especially consumers who aren’t wearing clown pants with one-liter pockets. So to that end, the company is also showing off a Windows Mobile Standard device codenamed “Centurion” — and we’re pretty sure this is the most compelling device i-mate has ever made. The version we saw was literally the first working prototype they’ve assembled, which meant it was creaky, wobbly, and felt like it could break at a moment’s notice, but we’re not taking too much stock in that; the more important thing to note is that it’s freakin’ tiny. The keyboard was too mushy from its overwhelming prototype-ness to take stock of whether it’ll actually be usable in production, but our quick impression gives us hope that it might be wide enough to get the job done. The battery is absolutely tiny, so i-mate will be throwing in a battery wallet (remember the Upstage?) to help mitigate the problem — they didn’t have a wallet ready to show, but even with such an accessory tacked on, you’re still looking at a smartphone leaps and bounds smaller than pretty much anything else you’ve used. There’s no date on the Centurion’s launch, but they’re targeting mid-year — and yes, both the 810-F and Centurion will get free Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrades. Cheers to that.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
i-mate’s 810F and Centurion handled with wild abandon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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There’s no doubt that the Omnia HD is striking.
(Credit: Samsung)
As Samsung made an impressive showing at the GSMA World Congress it’s difficult to pick one of its new phones as the most notable. Yet, the company’s Omnia HD certainly would be in the running. I …
Originally posted at 3GSM blog
Remember what LG did at CES last year? Those crafty sons of guns showed off a shockingly decent-looking concept watch phone that ended up seeing a production announcement exactly one year later. Not to be outdone by its crosstown rival, Samsung came to MWC this year with a timeline showing its nearly decade-long history of designing and selling watch phones — and interestingly, the rightmost entry in the timeline was dated “2009.” We couldn’t get any solid information on the GT-S1100, but like LG’s GD910, the device features a full touchscreen, Bluetooth, and a speakerphone (probably a good thing for a phone you can’t put up to your ear without getting a lot of odd looks). ‘Course, in all likelihood, this is just another chapter in the book of Samsung heartbreak — it’ll either never see production or get released by precisely one carrier in precisely one country, then promptly fade into oblivion — but it’s looking awfully production-friendly. Same time, same place next year, Sammy — just make sure you guys bring something more than a dummy behind a glass case this time, k?
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables
Samsung teases wrists with GT-S1100 watch at MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Freeplay‘s ZipCharge has already made its debut, but it’s showing itself once more at Mobile World Congress now that it has a definitive ship date and price. For those out of the loop, this here power stick can charge up in just ten minutes, and the supplied cable provides all sorts of tips to juice up whatever random gadget you have laying around (Palm’s Foleo notwithstanding). The device is expected to splash down on store shelves this April for around £60 ($85), and you can peek a few more hands-on shots in the read link below.
Filed under: Peripherals
Freeplay’s ZipCharge spotted, priced and dated originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Coral-200-Solar gets its power from above.
(Credit: ZTE)
Samsung wasn’t the only company showing a solar-powered cell phone at the GSMA World Congress. On Wednesday, Chinese manufacturer ZTE launched a green model of its own. Created with Digicel and Intivation, the Coral-200-Solar is designed for emerging markets where …
Originally posted at 3GSM blog
The Idou should be a media machine.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)
The Sony Ericsson Idou may just be a concept phone, but I had the opportunity to handle it while visiting the company’s booth at the GSMA World Congress. Indeed, a press pass has its benefits as other …
Originally posted at 3GSM blog
[Via Hack A Day]
Continue reading DIY multitouch 67-inch rear-projection TV
Filed under: Displays
DIY multitouch 67-inch rear-projection TV originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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