Hasta La Gadget!

A new report is going around the claims AT&T approached BlackBerry maker RIM back in 2010 seeking a competitor to the iPhone. This is notable because in 2010 AT&T still had the iPhone exclusive. If the report is accurate, that would indicate that AT&T saw the writing on the wall and new it would be hard-pressed to be as successful as it had been in previous years once it lost iPhone exclusivity.

AT&T and RIM then collaborated on the BlackBerry Torch while Verizon and Vodafone worked with RIM on the first touchscreen BlackBerry smartphone call be Storm. As it turned out neither of those BlackBerry smartphones came anywhere close to competing with the iPhone. According to reports, AT&T and Verizon turned to RIM because they were concerned about the “wild popularity of the iPhone.”

The report also claims that both major carriers wanted to prevent Apple from gaining too much influence in the market. Some of the reason for RIMs financial woes and inability to compete is laid at the feet of former CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. Reports describe a “split personality in the executive suite” between the two former CEOs. Lazaridis reportedly wanted the company to focus on a next-generation BlackBerry with a new operating system while Balsillie wanted to license out proprietary RIM technology. RIM has continued the downward spiral even with the CEO Thorsten Heins at the helm.

[via AppleInsider]

AT&T approached RIM for an iPhone competitor in 2010 is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Olympus has been struggling recently, reporting massive losses while those within the company have been struggling to get the brand back to profitability. There have been rumors that Panasonic was a potential saviour for the company, with a plan to invest around $635 million in Olympus as part of a rescue package. Panasonic quickly denied the rumors, saying there were no plans to invest. Now an Olympus executive has said that even if it does acquire much-needed capital from another firm, the company will try to retain its brand.

Yasuo Takeuchi, a senior executive managing officer at Olympus, said: “We understand we need to consider an increase in capital as one of our key management issues. The main premise is to fully preserve our Olympus brand.” Reports indicate that the ailing camera maker is currently in talks with another company for a ¥50 billion yen (~$629 million) cash injection.

Sony is currently rumored to be that company, and if the deal moves ahead it would leave Sony as the top shareholder in Olympus, with a stake totalling more than 10%. Olympus has faced financial troubles ever since it was discovered that the company hid ¥117.7 billion (~$1.48 billion) in losses that date back all the way to the 90s.

[via City AM]

Olympus to suitors: We’ll take your cash but not your name is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Back in February, Nintendo confirmed that it had two new Pokémon video games that would be coming to portable gamers called Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2. These games are both follow-ups to Pokémon Black and Pokémon White. At the time, the games were announced, a launch date was set for June in Japan.

Nintendo didn’t give any indication of when the games would come to the United States. The launch date for both new Pokémon game sequels has now been set for October 7. Another Pokémon game called Pokémon Dream Radar will also be available for purchase in the Nintendo eShop for 3DS gamers on October 7.

Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 brings players back to the Unova region two years after the events in the original games and are direct sequels. Players will get many new areas to discover and exciting changes have been made to places visited in the previous titles. One interesting change is that in Virbank City, players will be able to visit Pokestar Studios and make a movie with their favorite Pokémon. That movie will debut at in game theaters where viewers will rate the film. The games will also bring new Pokémon to the mix.

Nintendo announces new Pokémon games to launch on October 7 is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Nettops have slipped a bit out of vogue, but Shuttle is keeping the flame alive for those who like their desktops tiny and hushed. The XS35V3 and XS35GTA V3 have moved on to more contemporary Cedar Trail-era, 2.13GHz Atom D2700 processors that keep the power draw to a fanless 27W, even when everything is churning at full bore. That limit might get tested with the GTA variant, which brings in Radeon HD 7410M graphics for a lift to 3D performance, but neither mini desktop will exactly make the power company beg for mercy. Either is a barebones kit with the laptop-sized hard drive, optical drive and OS left to the buyer — if you don’t get them at the same time, you’ll have only the HDMI, VGA, USB and card reader to keep you company. Europeans are currently the only ones getting a crack, where it costs €172 pre-tax ($214) for the XS35V3 and €233 ($290) to get its faster GTA cousin.

Shuttle takes quiet nettops down the Cedar Trail, intros XS35V3 and XS35GTA V3 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 06:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink FanlessTech  |  Shuttle (XS35V3), (XS35GTA V3)  | Email this | Comments

Previous details of the Samsung Galaxy Note II have indicated that the device would feature a larger screen and quad-core Exynos processor. The current Note is already a hefty device with a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED HD display, so it’s hard to imagine something even larger without crossing over into tablet territory. GSMArena has heard from a trusted source that the Note II will feature a 5.5-inch display.

That doesn’t sound like a drastic increase in size, and GSMArena says that the width of the phone will be reduced compared to the original Note. That could mean that Samsung is planning to a move to a 16:9 screen instead of the 16:10 ratio currently featured on the Note. GSMArena’s source also detailed how the Note II will feature a design reminiscent of the Galaxy S III, so we might be seeing an even curvier exterior.

Finally, Samsung will reportedly move the Note II’s launch up to September in order to get a head start on the next iPhone, which is expected to be released sometime in October. The original Galaxy Note was released in November, so it makes sense that Samsung would want some room to breathe and accumulate as many sales as possible before the next iPhone hits.

MK Business News previously reported that the Note II will feature a quad-core Exynos processor and an unbreakable plane display that would allow the device to be thinner. Other specs are said to include a 12-megapixel camera and improved build quality.

[via Phone Arena]

Samsung Galaxy Note II tipped for 5.5″ screen, September launch is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.