Hasta La Gadget!

Yeah, something is definitely up in Zuneland. Not only did images of the Zune HD leak out late last week, today AdWeek says that Microsoft’s auditioning three major ad agencies for the launch of a new mobile service called “Pink” — which is the project codename for Zune software on mobile phones. No, this doesn’t mean any of those Tegra-powered Zunephone rumors are coming true — it’s far more likely that Microsoft is finally gearing up to re-launch Zune as the preferred media software and service for Windows Mobile, a plan Steve Ballmer’s been hinting at for ages now. Remember, Microsoft has to keep its large stable of Windows Mobile hardware manufacturers happy, and launching a hyped new phone of its own with a Zune-based OS would basically be perceived as stabbing a billion-dollar business in the back — not something you want to do when most of your partners are also deep in the Android game. On the other hand, you don’t audition three huge ad agencies just to launch a Zune app on busted ol’ WinMo, so there could be something big cooking — if you forced us to throw caution to the wind and just guess, what we’d want to see is that $500m Danger acquisition pay off in the form of a reskinned consumer-oriented edition of Windows Mobile that integrates Zune services, running not only on a touchscreen Zune HD, but a variety of phones from third-party partners. Wishful thinking? You bet — probably even crazy thinking — but it would certainly shake things up, and that’s never a bad thing. We’ll see how it plays out — care to share your dream Zune strategy in the meantime?

[Via CNET]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Zune rumors heat up, MS getting ready to launch Zune software on phones? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Don’t know why the Motorola rumors are flying hot and heavy today, but right on top of that connected GPS whisper comes word that the struggling device manufacturer is being tapped to build a new version of KDDI’s multifaceted Au Box set-top unit that runs Android instead of the previous custom Linux build. The Au Box, if you’ll recall, is a trick little IPTV box with a DVD drive that can rip audio and video and transcode it for transfer or streaming to your cellphone — kind of like a more flexible Slingbox that costs $3/month for KDDI subscribers. Definitely interesting, especially since Android could make browsing and email extremely easy to implement as well — hey Moto, maybe you want to ditch your current garbage Stateside cable box lineup and start shipping these things at home?

[Via CNET]

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Motorola building Android-based cable boxes for Japan’s KDDI? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

With summer approaching, speculation about the third-generation iPhone is
becoming rampant as fans eagerly anticipate a new handset from Apple.

So far, the rumor mill has produced nothing substantial, but on Tuesday the Taiwanese publication DigiTimes published a chart purporting to reveal component suppliers for the next-generation iPhone, which has the Mac community buzzing about the configuration of the new handset.

However, the table has been dismissed as unsubstantiated and worse — uninformative. It contains nothing of value for iPhone watchers.

DigiTimes published the table (right), citing unnamed Taiwanese sources who claim to possess knowledge of the next iPhone’s components and their respective suppliers.

But the only listed component that potentially reveals a new feature is a 3.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor supplied by OmniVision.   

"The so-called ‘iPhone 3.0’ reportedly will be launched by mid-2009, the
sources claimed," the DigiTimes report stated. "Assembly suppliers will kick off shipments for the
upcoming model starting from May, with the first batch estimated to be
around 5 million units, the sources said."

Apple has not made any official announcements about the next-generation iPhone, but analysts, journalists and Apple enthusiasts unanimously agree an upgrade is likely due in the summer.

A summer launch would follow the product cycles of the current- and previous-generation iPhones, which were released July 2008 and June 2007, respectively.

But thanks to Apple’s legendary secrecy, nothing is known about the anticipated handset’s hardware, other than a few hints of a possible video recorder and a digital compass.

Unfortunately, DigiTimes’ chart is no more illuminating, according to iSuppli, a California-based component research company.

"Their table makes no sense to me," said Andrew Rassweiler, an iSuppli analyst. "It is in no particular order, and is a bit of a random walk through a bunch of components, many of which are relatively insignificant and not worth calling."

Rassweiler said the suppliers in the list could potentially be
accurate, but even so, this is not a thorough chart. Many of DigiTimes’
listed components are the types that come from multiple suppliers,
Rassweiler explained; manufacturers like Apple strategically work with
multiple suppliers to avoid being financially bullied by a single
supplier.

Also, many of the listed suppliers are Taiwanese — such as
Unimicron, Nanya and Largan Precision — and the publication is
Taiwanese as well. So even if the chart proves accurate, it’s an
incomplete sample from Taiwanese companies who are likely trying to get
press, Rassweiler said.

Rassweiler added that the component list is filled with safe bets on
what will appear in the next iPhone based on the components in the
current iPhone 3G. The listed 3.2-megapixel sensor is a conservative
guess that anyone could have predicted, Rassweiler said.

"I would expect Apple to move to at least a 3-megapixel camera," he said.

Also interesting to note is a major component missing from
DigiTimes’ chart — the touchscreen, which could simply suggest the
publication doesn’t have information about the supplier. Broadcom is
the supplier of the current iPhone’s touchscreen, according to iSuppli.

Finally, DigiTimes refers to the next-gen iPhone as "the so-called
iPhone 3.0" — which is unlikely the name of the new handset. The
iPhone’s upcoming operating system upgrade is called iPhone 3.0, and Apple would probably not give the next iPhone the same name, as it would cause major confusion.

For your reference, iSuppli provided its list of known component
suppliers for the current iPhone. Click on the link below to download
the fiile.

Have any additional observations? Add your comments below.

iSuppli’s iPhone Component Summary (.xls)

See Also:

• Easter Eggs Give Clues to Next-Gen iPhone
• iPhone 3.0 Wish List: Accessory-Powered Apps We Want
• Apple Bestows Cut-and-Paste, MMS on iPhone Users
• What Apple Needs to Fix to Keep the iPhone Competitive
• Apple’s Next iPhone Will Rule at Gaming

Photo: Jon Syder/Wired.com

(Credit: Maker Shed)

It takes a total geek from out of this world (think the nerds from “Big Bang Theory”) to cough up good money (about $45) for this, let alone wear it on a date. If this were April Fool’s, we’d have thumbed our noses at it …

Motorola’s navigation line certainly isn’t the firms most notable, but the Garmins and TomToms of the world are probably taking notice after an intriguing quote from product line manager Blake Bullock. According to TWICE, Mr. Bullock stated that Moto was “absolutely making a bigger play” in the PND arena. Specifically, he mentioned that it could “bring something new to the table with Motorola’s vast experience in wireless connectivity,” noting that it has “aspirations to combine the best aspects of 3G smartphones with PNDs [to] create optimized experiences for consumers.” ‘Course, we’ve no clue as to when, where and how the company will get its hands dirty with a web-savvy GPS unit, but considering its current state of affairs, we’d say yesterday would be a great time to get things rolling.

[Via GPS Tracklog, thanks Rich]

Filed under: GPS, Wireless

Motorola looking to produce a connected GPS unit? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments