Hasta La Gadget!

Sadly, we’re still no closer to understanding when iriver will allow its striking P7 to escape the chains of “pre-order status” here in North America, but geeks in South Korea can now feel free to indulge. 4.3-inches of luscious screen real estate slapped onto an 8GB PMP will set you back just under ₩200,000 ($160), and we’re guessing the more capacious 16GB variant will cost just a wee bit more. So yeah, we’re going out on a limb here and assuming that a homeland launch foreshadows a splashdown on US soil — don’t let us down, iriver.

[Via PMP Today]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

iriver P7 ships in South Korea, Americans look longingly across the sea originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 21:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week’s Gadget Lab podcast zones in on multimedia players, starting with the new Cool-er e-book reader — a lighter, slimmer and cheaper alternative to Amazon’s Kindle. Then Danny Dumas weighs in on Sony’s new Series-X Walkman player. No, it doesn’t play cassette tapes; it’s actually an MP3 player with built-in FM and Slacker service.

Treading into the software world, we discuss the latest iPhone App Store drama. Apple rejected Me So Holy, an iPhone app that edits your mug to resemble a portrait of none other than Jesus Christ. Perhaps someone at Apple was offended? And in other App Store news, the new SlingPlayer iPhone app, which streams video from a Slingbox player plugged into your TV, can only work on Wi-Fi! Why? Because AT&T doesn’t want iPhone users hogging its 3G service watching TV.

Other than crippling SlingPlayer, AT&T neutered the Nokia E71x smartphone by removing a really cool button we loved in the phone’s predecessor: a toggle button. Danny tops off the podcast with an emo rant about the loss of this wonderful feature.

This week’s podcast features Dylan Tweney, Danny Dumas, Priya Ganapati and Brian Chen, with audio engineering by Fernando Cardoso.

If the embedded player above doesn’t work, you can download the Gadget Lab podcast #74 MP3 file.

Use iTunes? Subscribe to the Gadget Lab Audio Podcast in iTunes. Do it now!

Like video? Aim your browser at the Gadget Lab Video Podcast — available on iTunes and right here on the Gadget Lab blog.

Apple’s said no background apps on the iPhone forever, citing it destroys stability and system resources. Today, three reputable publications have independently claimed that Apple is having a change of mind. What the hell?

Techcrunch, Gruber and Alley Insider (Alley first) all claim to have sources that say Apple is working on and discussing just how they can run applications in the background. (An example of such an application and a potentially convenient use for background apps is an IM client that would alert you as soon as you got a message; Apple previously claimed their now late push data system could alert dormant applications of new events without needing those apps to be open. Open apps would take up resources.)

Part of this rumor is that Apple would require applications that run in the background to undergo a more thorough application process for the iTunes store. That makes sense and is the most likely scenario. Apps could be vetted (even more stringently than the current approval process) for processor and memory usage, then approved for being a background-capable app.

Why would they change their minds? Well the Palm Pre is certainly the main reason we can think of. Palm has, to many reporters, said that the Pre’s advantages lie in its faster hardware, light operating system designed specifically for a mobile environment, ability to run multiples programs at once—each referred to in the UI as a card—despite the potential battery drain. And the Pre, as we all know, is high up on the list of things we’re all excited for.

But what makes more sense is for all of this to be for the next hardware iteration of the iPhone, one that has more processing power and memory—two things that are in tight supply on the current versions. This would mean Apple could stick to their story of not being able to support background apps now, but still deliver on something just about everybody wants.

We’ll find out more at WWDC 2009, I’m sure. [Business Insider via Daring Fireball via Techcrunch]

We won’t go so far as to say that SE and LG are waiting for this here technology to go commercial — after all, we’re still years (at best) away from that — but considering that the ninth iteration of your favorite smartphone is likely destined to boast a 453 megapixel camera, we’re thrilled to see someone working to make those captures worth looking at. Over in Japan, Sammy is teasing a new MEMS shutter that measures just 2.2 millimeters in diameter and would essentially allow cameraphones to grab blur-free images even with ultra-high megapixel sensors. Feel free to dive into the read link if you’re into technobabble; otherwise, just be sure to pay attention in around a decade when this stuff actually has a bearing on your life.

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

Samsung’s MEMS shutter could massively improve high megapixel cameraphones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google’s mobile operating system, Android, has been confined to cellphones so far. But consumer electronics makers are looking to make the new OS part of other gadgets too, such as netbooks, digital photo frames and e-book readers.

“We have seen a lot of original design manufacturers in Asia show prototypes of products that run Android,” says Daniell Hebert, CEO of MOTO Group, a product development firm. “I expect to see a number of these come out this fall.”

Earlier this week, two Japanese companies, Macnica and Fujitsu Software Technologies, showed off a prototype of a digital photo frame running Android. Dell and Asus are reportedly working on netbooks that will use the operating system. And it won’t be long before e-book makers launch devices that run the Android OS, says Hebert. Dell declined to comment and Asus did not respond to a request for comment.

Though Google launched Android on the HTC/T-Mobile G1 and has focused largely on cellphones, analysts believe the operating system has enough potential to become a part of major consumer electronics devices.

“You could go through Best Buy and look at the various types of gadgets they have — home audio, boomboxes, picture frames, set top boxes, programmable remote controls, Blu-ray players — and all of them could potentially run Android,” says Hebert.

Consumer electronics companies are under pressure to create devices that offer more functionality at a lower and lower prices. To do this, manufacturers need an OS that can be multi-platform, open source and is not weighed down by a lot of legacy issues.

Android, based on a Linux kernel, meets some of those criteria, says Jim McGregor, chief technology strategist for research firm In-Stat. With Google at the helm for Android, device makers can get a open-source product that still has the backing of a big brand.

“If it has any sort of computing power in it, then there is the possibility for an OS, and Android becomes one way to get that on the device,” says McGregor.

Beyond cellphones, Android’s strongest support is likely to come from netbook manufacturers. Android can help launch a new generation of netbooks, says Laurent Lachal, open source research director for consulting firm Ovum.

Many netbook manufacturers offer Linux-based notebooks, but to date the rate of return for Linux netbooks has been almost four times higher than those running Windows OS. But the version of Windows that runs best on netbooks, Windows XP, is several years out of date and not exactly optimized for mobile needs. Android presents an appealing alternative.

“Some netbook makers want to go back to the roots with these devices and offer consumers a low-cost product that is easy to use and can offers plenty of features,” he says.  “Android can be that alternative OS that could make this possible.”

As with all things Android, separating what’s possible from what’s real is a challenge.  If Android can successfully go beyond its roots as a mobile phone OS, it will have achieved what Microsoft has been struggling to do for years. Needless to say, that’s a tall order.

“Microsoft hasn’t been able to come across a solution that scales across two platforms, so they have Windows CE and Windows Mobile OS,” says McGregor. “So we will have to wait and see Android can get there.”

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

Photo: (Silveira Neto/Flickr)