Hasta La Gadget!

This week’s Gadget Lab podcast kicks off with a sad note about writer Brian Chen’s drowned iPhone, and his pathetic attempt to resurrect it by sprinkling rice on it. Then we jump right into a discussion of the consumer robotics industry, which is running into some hard times: Ugobe, the company that made the Pleo robot dinosaur, is going out of business. Even iRobot and WowWee have canceled plans for upcoming robot toys, as it appears U.S. consumers just aren’t interested in these expensive gizmos.

After that, we discuss Stanford University’s iPhone development class — it’s available for free through iTunes — and we review a THX-certified plasma TV from Panasonic, as well as a roundup of four inexpensive 15-inch laptops.

This week’s podcast features Danny Dumas, Brian Chen and editorial assistant Maren Jinnett, with audio engineering by Fernando Cardoso.

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They’re not exactly breaking down any barriers of style or function, but those looking for some straightforward Bluetooth headphones may want to consider one of Sony’s latest offerings, which come in both in-ear and over-the-ear varieties. On the in-ear front, Sony has the DR-BT100CX (pictured after the break), which includes some USB charging capabilities, a promised eight hours of playback time, and three different silicon ear buds to ensure a snug fit. Those looking for something a little less discreet can opt for the DR-BT101CX, which offers the same USB charging, a slightly better 12 hours of playback time and, most notably, a 30mm neodymium driver for a bit more oomph. No word on pricing just yet, but it looks like both should be available any day now — in Europe, at least.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Continue reading Sony rolls out new Bluetooth headphones for in-ear or out

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The I7500 is Samsung's first Android phone

Nearly six months after the first Google Android mobile operating system powered device made its debut, a second Android phone has been announced.

Samsung showed off an Android-based mobile device, the I7500.  The I7500, Samsung’s first Android phone, features a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen (ctive matrix organic light emitting diode screen known for its luminosity and lower power consumption), 7.2Mbps HSDPA and WiFi connectivity.  The device will also have a 5-megapixel camera, full keyboard and 8 GB of internal memory.

“Samsung seems to have put everything it could have into that phone,” says Brad Akyuz, senior analyst for mobile devices at research firm Current Analysis. “From Android’s perspective it is a major win to get a vendor like that behind it.”

Despite its big launch last year, Android has been in danger of losing its momentum. In the last few months several major handset makers have claimed they have Android devices in the works, but phones running the OS have been largely missing at wireless industry conferences.  Now Samung and HTC are the only two to have an Android phone in the market though analysts expect to see three more models in the market. The majority of  Android phones are expected to be available in 2010.

Meanwhile, with the I7500 release Samsung could help shine the spotlight again on Android. “Despite all the hype around Android so far we just have the G1, which is not as revolutionary as the Apple iPhone,” says Akyuz. “Samsung’s commitment with a high end device is a major step forward for the platform.”

Similar to the HTC T-Mobile G1 Android phone, the Samsung I7500 will include easy access to Google’s services such as search, maps, YouTube and email.

The Samsung I7500 is scheduled to be available in some European countries starting June.  For the U.S. market, Samsung will have to find a U.S. telecom carrier–T-Mobile or Sprint– to back the device, which it is yet to do.

As for success among consumers who do buy the I7500, much will depend on how well Samsung has been able to customize Android, says Akyuz. “It is going to all come down to usability,” he says.

See also:
Smartphone War Heats Up, Google Phones Still MIA

Photo: Samsung

GM took Pontiac off life-support Monday. Odds are this is just a waystation to an even smaller General Motors. The General Motors we’ll likely see, whether in 2010 or in 2015, may be GM’s two extremes: Chevrolet in the mass market, Cadillac at the high end. Everything else is a goner. The impact on the future of cars, particularly life-saving technologies such as OnStar, will be minimal. GM gets credit – lots of it – for pioneering OnStar and putting it in every vehicle, and for driving down the cost of driver safety aids to half the cost of what you may for the same thing in a European luxury sedan. GM’s action Monday seems to substantiate the whispers of the 1950s that grew to a crescendo by the 1990s: Chevrolet, Pontiac (gone by 2010), Oldsmobile (R.I.P. 2004), Buick, and Cadillac were more alike than different under the skin. Here’s my projection for the newer, leaner GM:

Buick is next to go. When imports were only a nuisance factor and many buyers remained GM people or Ford people all their lives, there was a progression: Start with a Chevrolet, then move up through Pontiac to Oldsmobile and Buick and finally at the pinnacle of your career, to Cadillac (so long as your boss hadn’t stopped at Buick). Buick is no longer an almost-Cadillac but another soft-riding brand with aging demographics and not much mindshare in the critical markets such as California. Industry analyst Maryann Keller says dropping Buick focuses GM’s attention where it should be: One mass market brand, one luxury brand. Just like Toyota and Lexus.

Quicker to install, more polished and customizable, and easier to use than earlier builds, the Windows 7 Release Candidate (build 7100) is a nice step towards finalization of the operating system. And you thought the Windows 7 Beta was good! The Release Candidate feels just a touch faster, both in app launches and boot and shutdown times. Enthusiasts eager to get their hands on the latest build–which Microsoft will deposit on TechNet on the 30th, and make publicly available on May 5th–will be happy to hear that it installed in no time, too–as little as 20 minutes in my experience. Compared to the hour it often took to install Windows Vista, this thing flies.

Microsoft supplied us with an advance copy of the operating system, direct from the Windows Burnlab in Redmond, Washington. For our walkthrough of the various changes I’ve noticed in Build 7100, from install to optimization, based on days of experimentation and installation on several computers, including desktops, laptops, and netbooks, see the full story on PCMag.com.