Mobilicity launches service in Toronto: all plans unlimited, no contracts to speak of

My, talk about a breath of fresh air. Canadian wireless subscribers have long since dealt with inhumane three-year contracts on mainstays like Rogers and Bell, signing over their cellular soul on a whim in order to get a marginally subsidized phone and a guaranteed bill for 36 months. We’ve heard for awhile now that Mobilicity was jonesing to change things up in the Great White North, and change it has. Shortly after receiving an all-important green light from the CRTC, the company has gone live with mobile service in Toronto, with a number of other large Canadian cities to follow in the months ahead. What’s most unique about the service, however, is that every single plan it sells is unlimited in nature, and there’s nary a contract to be found — you simply pick the phone you want, the plan you want, and then you pay upfront. It’s most akin to the various prepaid options here in the States (Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, etc.), but still — it’s a lovely alternative to have if you’re a Canuck. Unlimited calling and texting can be had for just $35 per month, while $65 per month nets you unlimited everything (including global texting, US long distance calling and data usage). The phone selection ain’t half bad either, with the only major “gotcha” being that extra roaming fees can apply if you use your mobile outside of metro Toronto (or in the future, away from the carrier’s specific coverage cities). Hit up the source link to get the facts straight from the horse’s moose’s mouth.

[Thanks, Endi]

Mobilicity launches service in Toronto: all plans unlimited, no contracts to speak of originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 May 2010 04:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Litl Webbook plummets from $699 to $399, still can’t catch an eye

It’s tough out there playing second (or third… or tenth) fiddle. Just ask Fusion Garage. Similar to the path we saw Celio’s REDFLY take, Litl’s Webbook is slowly (but surely, we’re afraid) creeping towards complete and utter irrelevance, boasting a design that’s too niche to gain traction in the mainstream, a hardware lineup that’s too last year and a price that’s still far higher than some of the more reputable netbooks on the market today. After just six short months on the market, the company’s easel-styled laptop has fallen from $699 to $399, but during that same window of time, Intel has launched all new Atoms, tablet PCs have begun their assimilation on Planet Earth and HP has purchased Palm. Yeah, that last tidbit has precisely zero pertinence to the discussion at hand, but we bet even the engineers at Litl would’ve laughed you out of town had you told ’em that would happen back in November of ’09.

Litl Webbook plummets from $699 to $399, still can’t catch an eye originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 May 2010 02:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP’s $950 TouchSmart tm2 surfaces at Amazon with Core i3-330M

Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? Just a week after hearing that HP would soon be refreshing its TouchSmart tm2 convertible tablet with Core i3 and Core i5 options, in flies this: an Amazon product page confirming as much. The 12.1-inch, 4.72-pound TouchSmart tm2-2050us is currently in pre-order status, rocking a 2.13GHz Core i3-330M processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 640GB hard drive (5400RPM), Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), a WXGA LED-backlit display, Intel’s integrated graphics set, Altec Lansing speakers, a 5-in-1 card reader and gigabit Ethernet. You’ll also get a brushed aluminum finish, inbuilt webcam and fingerprint reader, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, a trio of USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI / VGA outputs, audio in / out and a battery good for around four hours of use. You can get in line now in exchange for $949.99, and if we were the betting type, we’d surmise that a Core i5 version was just around the bend.

[Thanks, Daniel]

HP’s $950 TouchSmart tm2 surfaces at Amazon with Core i3-330M originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 May 2010 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Bamboo Collection laptops: now with Taiwanese pricing, more bamboo (update)

ASUS has been attaching bamboo to its laptops for some time now, but it was only ever really for show — though the wood itself was certainly biodegradable, adding veneer isn’t exactly the greenest statement in the world. This year, however, the company’s Bamboo Collection will be completely slightly more recyclable. With Core i5-450M processors, they should be reasonably good performers as well, and NVIDIA Optimus switchable graphics technology gives them a factory-estimated (read: unlikely) 11 hours of battery life. The panda fodder cases will be found in Taiwan for around $40,000 NTD (approximately $1,300) next month, though US availability is yet to be announced. Check out the gigantic ASUS PDF for additional specs while you wait, and feel free to blow Ma Earth kisses all the while.

Update: Our friends at Engadget Chinese inform us the new U series laptops aren’t 100 percent recyclable after all; they still have a sizable plastic substrate underneath those thicker bamboo panels. It seems ASUS still hasn’t managed to shake its wooden façade. Get specs and first-hand pics from the event at our more coverage link.

ASUS Bamboo Collection laptops: now with Taiwanese pricing, more bamboo (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 May 2010 22:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBit-tech, DigiTimes  | Email this | Comments

Writer’s Strike Over?

This article was written on February 08, 2008 by CyberNet.

writers strike CNBC and other media outlets are reporting that the writer’s strike is over.  They quote former Walt Disney Chief Executive Michael Eisner as saying, “It’s Over. A deal has been made and they’ll be back to work very soon.” Could it really be over? There’s been no official word from the Writers Guild of America on whether or not this is for real, but I’m sure we’ll be hearing one way or another, officially, very soon.

It’s hard to believe that the strike started back on November 5th, 2007. It’s already been three months since writers have been out of a job, and a Wikipedia article on the topic says that the strike has already cost the industry over $1 billion dollars in those three months. One of the biggest issues with the strike was that there was conflict on how the writers should be compensated for “new media,” or in other words, online content which most of us are all familiar with.

CNBC interviewed Eisner about the strike and he was quoted as saying “If there was going to be a strike I think it should have been 3 years from now when (the writers) really understood the definition of the online business and where the revenues are coming from.” That was a great point that he made because the online business for media is still developing. One example of this is NBC who is trying to see what they can do online with Hulu. At this point I think it’s still an experiment for them.  Who’s to say what the online business for media will be like in just three years from now.  At that point in time, I believe everybody will have a better idea of how the online business for TV shows and movies will work and how everybody should be compensated for their work.

Hopefully it is over because I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some of my favorite shows to return. I’ve been waiting patiently for too long now for 24 to start again…

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What the HTC EVO 4G packaging does — but hopefully won’t — look like

There are actually days when we envy those who are paid to hawk telephones. Today, for instance, we hear that certain Sprint employees have recently obtained an HTC EVO 4G. However, our jealousy is tempered by the fact that we’ve already spent considerable quality time with the superphone, and, quite frankly, by the ridiculous packaging you see immediately above. Pardon our French, but it looks like a microwavable food tub. See a pair of close-ups after the break.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Continue reading What the HTC EVO 4G packaging does — but hopefully won’t — look like

What the HTC EVO 4G packaging does — but hopefully won’t — look like originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 May 2010 20:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The laser turns 50, we hope to still be that cool at that age (video)

The Laser turns 50, we hope to still be that cool at that ageOn May 16, 1960, Theodore Maiman did something totally awesome at Hughes Lab: he fired the first functional laser and sent the future of arena rock and the rave scene well on its way. Hughes Lab has since moved on to become the military skunkworks Raytheon and the laser has moved into history as one of the coolest things to ever come out of a laboratory. Not a week goes by that we don’t see someone doing something amazing with the things, whether it’s blowing up ballistic missiles or just beaming your home movies on the wall. So, to everyone involved in the creation of the laser (including the great Albert Einstein himself), we salute you with this commemorative video embedded below.

Continue reading The laser turns 50, we hope to still be that cool at that age (video)

The laser turns 50, we hope to still be that cool at that age (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 May 2010 18:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: A new spin on external hard drives, part two

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.


Last week’s Switched On laid out the basics behind GoFlex, Seagate’s new system of interoperable connectors and docks that leverage a sturdier-than-stock SATA connector separate external storage from the connecting interface. With USB 2.0 nearly universal, Seagate has the burden of explaining why consumers should buy into GoFlex.

The system does have advantages. You can pick up a GoFlex drive assured that it will work with most computers via the bundled USB 2.0 connector cable, upgrade to eSATA or FireWire 800 for faster speed today, and then to USB 3.0 as you acquire a computer that uses that connector. Adapters start at about $20, which is what one might spend on a decent new enclosure for upgrading the old-fashioned way, and Seagate claims that separating the drive from the physical interface will enable it to sell less expensive external drives that come without any connector. Still, by the time most people spend between upgrading their PCs, they might want to simply start over with a higher-capacity drive that will be compatible with the latest and greatest connector anyway.

Continue reading Switched On: A new spin on external hard drives, part two

Switched On: A new spin on external hard drives, part two originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 May 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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webOS App Catalog, Palm Developer Center down leaving ‘install failed’ messages in their wake

Just a day before the Pre Plus launches on AT&T, current Palm owners are experiencing all kinds of problems related to the App Store and their Palm Profiles. Reports indicate the problems started last night, since then users haven’t been able to download new apps or update existing ones from the catalog, while those unlucky enough to have tried a reset have had trouble signing back into their Palm profile in the cloud, and have lost some information like call logs and had to resync their various accounts in webOS. The Palm Developer Website is also down, tossing a “back in a few hours” sign in the window and going out for a few afternoon mimosas. For now, PreCentral posters recommend taking the device off of network time and resetting it to any day prior to today which will allow apps to install and update without issue. A post on the official Palm blog indicates things should be back to normal “soon” so AT&T customers can hopefully avoid any date/time trickery just to get their Foursquare checkins going.

Update: Palm says everything should be back to normal. Phew. Thanks, Marcio!

[Thanks, William]

webOS App Catalog, Palm Developer Center down leaving ‘install failed’ messages in their wake originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 May 2010 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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44 Chinese workers sue Wintek over screen cleaner poisoning

If you’ve got an early Apple iPad, chances are its screen was cleaned with a banned substance called n-hexane, which releases a toxic nerve gas upon use. 2,000 workers at Wintek’s East China LCD plant went on strike in January, claiming the substance was poisoning them, and now 44 of those reportedly affected are planning to sue. According to reports, the screen cleaner was originally used because it performed better than alcohol, but Wintek has since fired the factory manager who suggested n-hexane and discontinued its use. That didn’t keep 62 workers from winding up in the hospital, however. The Guardian interviewed two hospitalized workers last week, and you’ll find their stories at our more coverage link below. We’re sure you’ll agree these Chinese labor violations are getting out of hand — let’s hope this lawsuit spurs government and industry to do something concrete about worker abuse.

44 Chinese workers sue Wintek over screen cleaner poisoning originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 May 2010 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Barron’s, Apple Insider  |  sourceStratfor Global Intelligence  | Email this | Comments