Dell Inspiron 13z goes on sale in Australia

We knew Dell was planning on a whole range of Inspiron Z-series machines way back in August when we previewed the line, and it looks like the 13-inch model is finally ready to join the already-launched 11, 14 and 15 — in Australia. Yep, the Z-series has gone live Down Under, and the Inspiron 13z is part of the lineup, starting at AU$1,199 (US$1,106). That’ll buy you a 1.3GHz SU7300 Core 2 Duo with Intel integrated 4500MHD graphics, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 320GB drive, and an LED-backlit screen, all in a four-pound chassis that’s 1.27 inches thick at its chubbiest. Not bad — we’ll see what official US pricing is like before we get any more excited, however.

Update: A number of readers from across the pond have wrote in to tell us that Inspiron 13z is also available in the UK.

[Thanks, Toby]

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Dell Inspiron 13z goes on sale in Australia originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shure Introduces Earphones with Apple Controls

shureSE115mp.jpgShure’s SE115  recently joined the realm of iPod and iPhone-friendly earphones. The SE115m+ incorporates Apple iPod and iPhone remote controls and a microphone into its cable. Fully compatible with the iPhone 3GS and the latest generations of iPods, the SE115m+ features three buttons for adjusting volume, audio and video playback, and menu navigation. The mic can be used for phone calls and recording voice memos, as well. Available later this month, the SE115m+ goes for $119.99–$20 more than the non-Apple version of the SE115.

Every Win 7 Tablet Is a Multitouch Color Kindle (With This App)

Nook better watch it. One of the “surprises” at the Windows 7 keynote: a multitouch Kindle app for Windows 7 from Amazon. Ebook reading with pinch text zooming, and yes, color photos. Looks great. A full-color shot:

Okay, so now we just saw the app running on an Acer tablet. Apparently it’ll use an accelerometer to rotate pages, depending on the orientation of the tablet. It’ll work on XP and Vista too.

Here’s the full press release (thanks Dan!).

With Kindle for PC, readers can take advantage of the following features:

* Purchase, download, and read hundreds of thousands of books available in the Kindle Store
* Access their entire library of previously purchased Kindle books stored on Amazon’s servers for free
* Choose from over 10 different font sizes and adjust words per line
* Add and automatically synchronize bookmarks and last page read
* View notes and highlights marked on Kindle and Kindle DX
* Zoom in and out of text with a pinch of the fingers (Windows 7 users only)
* Turn pages with a finger swipe (available in a future release for Windows 7 users)

Update: You can sign up here, to be notified when the download is ready.

Video: Dell Adamo XPS Can Only Be Opened By Rubbing It

The Dell Adamo XPS isn’t only ridiculously thin, but it opens like no laptop ever seen before. Its propped up keyboard can only be opened by sliding a finger on the lid’s heat sensing strip. See it to believe it…

Did your mouth drop? Because mine did. All I know is that rubbing that strip illuminates it and unlocks the aluminum lid. I also got to hold the system for a bit and it is really really sturdy. I thought it would be more flimsy, but it has strength.

I can’t tell you much more, other than it will be officially annouced in November and production is scheduled to ramp up soon. As for what is inside, I can sleep soundly now that I know that there isn’t an Intel Atom processor (like the Sony Vaio X), but rather will use an Intel ULV chip of some sort. Now back to your regularly scheduled Windows 7 programming. [Dell Adamo XPS]

Netgear’s EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live gets reviewed: decent, but lacking

Netgear’s EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live came packin’ a lot of promise for just $150, but according to a critique over at TrustedReviews, those into a thing dubbed “high-definition” may want to keep on saving and pass over this one. You see, the only 720p content it’s capable of playing back is MPEG-2; other than that, you’re stuck watching SD material or upscaled-to-720p SD material. To the box’s credit, it did manage to play back content satisfactorily, and the built-in PlayOn software was indeed a boon to the device’s overall utility. In the world of media streamers, though, you’ve got oodles of options, and it seems as if one from WD or ASUS just might be a better overall value. Tap the read link to decide for yourself.

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Netgear’s EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live gets reviewed: decent, but lacking originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clear WiMAX Launches in Philadelphia

clearmap.jpg

Philly is now the nation’s most advanced wireless city. Clearwire just soft-launched their “Clear” WiMAX service in the Philadelphia metro area, offering claimed speeds of 3-6 megabits/sec for PC modems and the Samsung Mondi handheld device across a chunk of Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. If you want the speedy service, though, you’ll have to subscribe to Clear, not to their partner Sprint 4G, who have not yet launched in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia has an unusual number of high-speed, wide-area wireless networks. Folks in northeast Philadelphia can zip along on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ test network, the fastest form of 3G in the nation. The city has also been blanketed for a few years by a free Wi-Fi network that was once run by Earthlink, but is now operated by local organizations.
The Philadelphia launch is especially important for Clearwire because it’s their first city in the heavily populated northeast quarter of the US. Previously, CLEAR had been available in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Portland, OR, and some smaller cities outside the Northeast. Sprint’s 4G is also available in Baltimore, MD.

Nokia Suing Apple for 10-Patent iPhone Infringement

Nokia is suing Apple for infringements on their GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN patents. $200 million UPDATE

From Nokia:

The ten patents in suit relate to technologies fundamental to making devices which are compatible with one or more of the GSM, UMTS (3G WCDMA) and wireless LAN standards. The patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption and are infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced in 2007.

Apparently, the wireless technologies in question mean that the iPod touch is off the hook.

Apple is no stranger to patent squabbles, even on the iPhone with their blanket claims on multitouch. [Nokia]

UPDATE: Gene Munster estimates that the patents add up to $6-$12 per phone, meaning that Apple would owe Nokia roughly $200-$400 million based upon the estimated 34 million iPhones sold to date.
[Business Insider]

Panasonic’s 1-inch thick Z1 plasma reviewed: playing with perfection

The plasma may be a dying breed, but the ones that are left are undoubtedly some of the best the world has ever seen. Take Panasonic‘s 54-inch TC-P54Z1 for example, which wowed audiences (us included) when it was first unveiled way back at CES. The HD Guru recently had an opportunity to take this very screen into his abode for review, and after a labor-intensive (around “one hour”) setup process, the gazing was officially on. Panny’s engineers were able to slim the set down to an inch by requiring that a dedicated (wireless) set-top-box be used for tuning OTA channels and managing connections, and the result was nothing less than elegant. If you’re wondering what north of five large really buys in an HDTV these days, wonder no more — the set was deemed darn near perfect, with “outstanding” color, contrast and deep black levels. Potentially best of all, there were no motion artifacts to speak of, and anyone with a 120Hz / 240Hz set can testify to just how annoying those things are. Hit the read link for a detailed unboxing, setup and review, but don’t even bother if you’re looking for someone to talk you out of what you’re about to do.

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Panasonic’s 1-inch thick Z1 plasma reviewed: playing with perfection originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC: We’re Going to Make Net Neutrality the Law

Well, that’s pretty decisive. Following weeks of hints, clues and noisy corporate whining, the FCC has laid out their plan: Following a public vetting process, they’re cracking down on all things not neutral.

The event is still happening, but they got right to the meat. Here are the proposed guidelines—the first four are old, drawn from a nonbinding policy statement the FCC made regarding net neutrality in 2005, and the latter two, the ones that matter, are new:

Under the draft rules, subject to reasonable network management, a provider of broadband Internet access service may not:

1) prevent any of its users from sending or receiving the lawful content of the user’s choice over the Internet;

2) prevent any of its users from running the lawful applications or using the lawful services of the user’s choice;

3) prevent any of its users from connecting to and using on its network the user’s choice of lawful devices that do not harm the network;

4) deprive any of its users of the user’s entitlement to competition among network providers, application providers, service providers, and content providers.

5) A provider of broadband Internet access service must treat lawful content, applications, and services in a nondiscriminatory manner.

6) A provider of broadband Internet access service must disclose such information concerning network management and other practices as is reasonably required for users and content, application, and service providers to enjoy the protections specified in this rulemaking

Now, this is just a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, so it’s not yet an actual, binding rule; this is the stage where the FCC seeks public comment on their proposal, after which they adjust (or not!) accordingly. The draft proposal, which Chairman Julius Genachowski and co. are universally expected to follow through on, would be open to scrutiny until January 14th. The biggest issue up for debate, aside from the core principles, is how to apply them.

The Notice will seek comment and input on these principles and their affect on internet services. With the tremendous growth of mobile and wireless broadband enabled devices, there will be a large question concerning the application of these principles to those devices.

That’s the literal billion dollar question, which, rest assured, armies of lobbyists have a ready answer for.

What’s important, though, is that this is what they intend to do, which is fantastic for net neutrality proponents, if not, you know, objectively fantastic—an open internet means no tiered service, sure, but the possible data caps and metered bandwith—two ways telcos and ISPs can recoup heavy users’ bandwidth costs in the near-term—probably wouldn’t be too popular either.

UPDATE: The five commissioners have now voted on the NPRM; here’s how it shook out:

FCC votes on Open Internet NPRM: Genachowski, Clyburn & Copps in favor. Baker & McDowell dissent in part, concur in part

If I’ve got my procedural rulemaking protocols right (this is the iffiest of ifs, by the way), that means the process is going forward. Mazel tov, FCC.

UPDATE 2: Ars has a skeptical piece up about the vagueness of some of the proposed rules, specifically the definition of “reasonable network management processes” as it concerns rule six. It’s fascinating, but presumably exactly the kind of thing that’ll be publicly discussed during the vetting process. [FCC]

Microsoft online store now featuring third party hardware and software

Disappointed that you can’t make it to Scottsdale for the opening of the big Microsoft retail store? Since you’ve given up on real life in lieu of a completely wired existence anyways, perhaps a more meaningful experience would be to mosey over to the company’s online shop and check out all the new PCs and third party software that’s been added to the catalog. No longer just the fine purveyors of Office products and “Bill Gates is my homeboy” t-shirts, this is your newest online destination for Sony netbooks and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing software — as well as that operating system you’ve been longing to get your hands on. One thing they don’t have? Manic Panic hair dye. Well, not yet anyways.

[Via CNET]

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Microsoft online store now featuring third party hardware and software originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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