Sep 22

Pioneer Unveils iPhone App for In-Dash Nav Units

Posted in: gps, iPhone, navigation, Today's Chili

Pioneer_AVIC-U310BT.jpg

Pioneer has unveiled an iPhone app designed to work with two of the company’s new in-dash navigation systems. The AVIC FEEDS app links an iPhone to the AVIC-U310BT (pictured) or AVIC-Z110BT head unit, letting iPhone owners find points of interest or search for destinations on the phone or access them via Bluetooth from the nav system.

The idea is to eliminate the need for finding something at home, or manually having to key in address information on the navigation screen. Another nifty touch: the app also grabs iPhone photos taken with the camera that are geotagged with geographical data and saves them as POI entries.

While the head unit provides voice-enabled, turn-by-turn directions, iPhone owners can do other things–like drive, I would hope. The AVIC-U310BT costs $599, while the flagship AVIC-Z110BT costs $1,599. The app is free, though it does nothing without one of the two head units.

Back in June, Pioneer announced three home theater A/V receivers with comprehensive iPhone and iPod touch integration.

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Sep 22

Samsung Unveils Two 1GHz CPUs for Mobile Devices

Posted in: netbook, samsung, Smart Devices, smartphone, Today's Chili

Samsung_Mobile_CPU.jpg

Samsung has unveiled two 1GHz ARM CORTEX-A8-based application processors for mobile devices. The SP5C110 is intended for small form factor gadgets like smartphones, while the S5PV210 is meant for netbooks.

Both low-power, 45-nanometer processors last longer on standard size batteries. Each one includes 32KB data and 32KB instruction caches along with a 512KB L2 cache, which the company said enables real-time Web browsing and smooth UI response.

Both chips also come with built-in 3D graphics engines for gaming, and 1080p HD codec engines for playing or recording high definition video at 30 frames per second. There’s also an on-board HDMI 1.3 interface for output to an external display.

The CPUs will be available in sample sizes for manufacturers in December 2009; expect to see actual consumer products using these chips sometime next year. (Via Phone Scoop)

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Sep 22

Apple Geniuses Threaten Walk Out Over Abusive Management

Posted in: Apple, retail, Today's Chili

Employees of the Lynnwood, Washington-based Alderwood Mall Apple store have threatened to stage a walk out early next month over what they’ve deemed “abuse” on the part of the store’s management. The walk out, planned for October 3rd at 1PM, would be help in protest of what the employees believe are violations of federal and state labor laws.

If the protest is indeed carried out, it would be the first such demonstration at an Apple Store, which, while an Apple-branded location, is subject to a more localize, store-based management.

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Sep 22

Samsung InstinctQ for Sprint passes by the FCC and turns a few heads

Posted in: cdma, cellphones, mobile, samsung, Sprint, Today's Chili

It’s been a little piece of time since we saw that photo of the G1-esque Samsung InstinctQ emerge, and we were starting to wonder what had become of our newest QWERTY cutie. Well — the M900, as it’s also known — has just ducked through the old FCC, and though we didn’t really learn anything we didn’t already know, it was just nice to see its face again. The Sprint-bound, CMDA / EV-DO-loving Android slider will pack Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and we have to say that it’s looking pretty fly to our eyes. We’re not sure when this bad boy’s going to hit reality, but the FCC appearance makes us think it won’t be too long now.

[via Unwired View, thanks Ryan]

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Samsung InstinctQ for Sprint passes by the FCC and turns a few heads originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 22

Get a Visioneer flatbed scanner for $20

Posted in: Today's Chili

This flatbed scanner can be yours for 20 bucks–if you don't mind a mail-in rebate.

(Credit: Visioneer)

Scanners are insanely handy. They can turn old snapshots into digital photos, archive paper documents electronically, turn any printer into a copier, and so on.

Alas, they’re still on the …

Originally posted at The Cheapskate

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Sep 22

Acer F1 Smartphone Coming Soon

Posted in: smartphone, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile

acer_f1_smartphone_01.jpg

Acer hasn’t spoken all that much about its upcoming smartphone since first announcing the device back in March. Now, with the device’s release nearing, the company announced that the F1 will be available in time for Windows Mobile 6.5’s October 6th release.

The company has yet to officially release specs for the device, but it did confirm the accuracy of those that appeared on the site for British retailer, Clove. According to that site, the F1 will feature a Qualcomm 8250 1GHz processor, an MicroSD memory slot, 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, quad-band GSM connectivity, an accelerometer, and a 5MP camera.

The smartphone will run $550 in the UK.

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Sep 22

Mac Portable gets a 20th anniversary vivisection

Posted in: Apple, portable, teardown, Today's Chili
In September 1989, Apple made its first stab at a portable Macintosh computer. The name? “Macintosh Portable.” Kind of has a ring to it, huh? This 16 pound behemoth packs a 10-inch (640 x 400) monochrome display, 16MHz Motorola CPU, 1MB RAM, 40MB HDD, 3.5-inch floppy drive, and a 2400 baud modem into a handsome clamshell design that features (and this is our favorite part) a modular design that allowed the user to position the trackball on either end of the keyboard. Lefties of the world unite! Originally yours for $6,500 – $7,300 (that’s $11,288 – $12,677 when adjusted for inflation), but we’re guessing you can find someone on eBay (or at Goodwill) to cut you a deal on one at this late date. Hit the read link to celebrate this momentous anniversary in the manner of a true gadget-head: by watching someone gut the thing and take pictures of it. You’ll be glad you did.

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Mac Portable gets a 20th anniversary vivisection originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 22

Microsoft Looks to Snag Apple Geniuses

Posted in: Apple, Microsoft, retail, Today's Chili

Microsoft, it seems, has been suffering a bit of a genius shortage as of late. The company is reportedly contacting Apple store managers in hopes of staffing its soon to be opening retail locations. According to a number of anonymous sources, Redmond has started offering some current Apple retail employees a significant raise and in some cases has agreed to pay moving expenses.

“Once hired,” explains Apple blog, The Loop, “the ex-Apple employees are then contacting some of the top sales people in the Apple retail organization offering them positions at Microsoft retail.”

Microsoft announced earlier in the year that it would be opening a number of retail locations across the country to help push the release of Windows 7. The stores have taken more than a few cues from Apple’s example, right down to the “Guru Bar.”

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Sep 22

Japan Foils Movie Pirates With Infrared

Posted in: Today's Chili

movie

It appears that Russian billionaires aren’t the only people using infrared light to foil sneaky photographers. Sharp, the electronics company, has teamed up with the Japanese National Institute of Informatics to protect cinema screens from piracy.

It works like this: Behind the screen sit IR lamps, which pulse ten times a second. The light makes its way through the perforations in the screen (there to let sound through from theater speakers). The light, which is invisible to human eyes, happily pollutes the images being recorded by nefarious, society-destroying pirates.

As you can see in the appropriately low-quality picture above, the lights make a pattern on the picture. This will not deter anyone, of course. People willing to sit through a screener (a movie grabbed with a snuck-in camera) already deal with shaky pictures, sound interrupted by popcorn munching and general poor quality. Adding a few dots will make little difference to the already poor experience.

This tech could join the equally ineffective watermarking of movies to track the “theft” to an individual theater. These measures will do nothing to combat the perceived billion dollar losses of the movie industry. We have a better idea. Quit whining and make downloads available day-and-date with theater releases. Because right now the only option is BitTorrent.

IR light from behind the cinema screen prevents pirates from recording films at movie theaters [Far East Gizmos via the Giz]


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Sep 22

PS3 Motion Controller launching in March?

Posted in: controller, leak, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, psp, rumor, Today's Chili

Is your name “harborneb?” It is? Then you might be out of a job. That’s the name attributed to the author of a Microsoft Word document sitting on SEGA America’s official FTP site at this very moment. The .doc file resides in SEGA’s otherwise benign “news” directory. Now, it’s very possible that the document could have been uploaded in jest as an Internet prank. But assuming it’s real, then these meeting minutes between SEGA and Sony on August 5th reveal quite a few tantalizing details. Chiefly, that Sony will be launching its PS3 motion controller in Japan in March of 2010, Spring elsewhere. There’s also discussion of PlayStation 2 emulation on the PS3 with a note that “SCEA wants to sell all PS2 titles on PSN (GTA Vice City/Sonic/etc).” Want more? Then hit up the read link and download the document yourself. Else, you’ll just have to hope for news from the Tokyo Game Show kicking off Thursday.

Update: The document has been pulled. We’ve added the full text after the break.

[Via Gamesindustry.biz, thanks DarKlar]

Read [Warning: FTP link]

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PS3 Motion Controller launching in March? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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