Hasta La Gadget!

(Credit: Nishizawa Electronic Measuring Instruments)

The blog you’re about to read is a page-turner. No, really, it is. It’s about the Book Time, a hands-free machine out of Japan that automatically turns pages for you. At first glance, this might seem like yet another gadget for the lazy. …

Well, here’s one rumor that’s looking destined to pan out: the S522, which we’d heard was being readied for availability on T-Mobile, just hit the FCC as the MAPL100 (that’s “Maple” for short, the device’s codename) bearing 3G on the AWS band. That would make it fully compatible with T-Mobile’s HSPA network — but what we still don’t know is whether the device’s new Inner Circle service will be stripped from the retail unit like we’ve been hearing. Either way, this is interesting in light of the fact that HTC has said an unbranded S522 would be made available in the States this summer, so it looks like T-Mob won’t have much — if any — North American exclusivity on this one.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

T-Mobile-bound HTC S522 throws open FCC’s oaken double doors, flexes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bell’O International thinks the furniture that holds your giant flat-panel TV should be just as beautiful and elegant as the TV itself. We got a sneak peek at its upcoming BWS-101 Component Wall System, which mounts just below the set to create an attractive minimal look. It’s not on the site yet, but will be in July, when it will retail for $299.99.

The BWS-101 is sturdier than it looks, as each shelf can hold up to 50 pounds. A built-in cable management system hides wires and cables, so they won’t ruin the appearance. I’m not sure where the electrical outlet is in the above picture. Post your guesses in the Comments section.

T-Mobile made a few pricing changes to its plans this week that further cement the carrier as one of the most affordable around. We’ve highlighted the changes below.

• The two most expensive Family myFaves plans now have an additional 500 anytime and a break of $10 per month on

…

Well, well, a new AMD roadmap promising a superior hybrid CPU/GPU chip sometime in the distant future. That doesn’t sound like the same old vaporware refrain we’ve been hearing about Fusion since 2006 at all, does it? Yep, everyone’s favorite underdog is back in the paperwork game, and this time we’ve got a sheaf of pointy-eared details on the company’s upcoming notebook plans, all culminating in the “Sabine” platform, which is wholly dependent on Sunnyvale actually shipping a mobile variant of the delayed Fusion APU in 2011 once it finds the Leprechaun City. In the meantime, look forward to a slew of forgettable laptops getting bumped to the “Danube” platform, which supports 45nm quad-core chips, DDR3-1066 memory, and an absolutely shocking 14 USB 2.0 ports. Ugh, seriously — does anyone else think AMD should suck it up, put out a cheap Atom-class processor paired with a low-end Radeon that can do reasonable HD video output, and actually take it to Intel in booming low-end market instead of goofing around with the expensive, underperforming Neo platform and a fantasy chip it’s been promising for three years now? Call us crazy.

[Via PC Authority; thanks Geller]

Filed under: Laptops

AMD releases another notebook roadmap, does not release Fusion chips originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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