Hasta La Gadget!

Computex is really starting to ramp up now, as ASUS has taken the covers off its brand new Eee Pads. Of most interest will be the 12-inch EP121, which sports Intel’s Core 2 Duo CULV processors, Windows 7, and a reputed 10-hour battery life. Sort of like a laptop sans the keyboard, you might say, which is probably why ASUS is also touting a “hybrid” dock/keyboard solution for those times when you want some more tactile feedback to your typing. The Eee Pad will also include an integrated webcam and at least one USB port. A 10-inch EP101TC is being announced today as well, though its specs are less detailed and it’s set to run Windows Embedded Compact 7 — you can see it after the break, along with the full PR. We’ll be doing our best to bring you hands-on pics and video shortly.

Update: ASUS has given us a $399 to $499 price range for the Eee Pads, but don’t start salivating just yet. We were also told that the Eee Pad won’t be out until the first quarter of 2011.

Update 2: As promised, we’ve now got a preview of both devices, which you’ll find right here.

Continue reading ASUS Eee Pad official: Intel CULV processors, Windows 7, and a 10-hour battery life

ASUS Eee Pad official: Intel CULV processors, Windows 7, and a 10-hour battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 03:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you thought that Apple’s foray into the world of home entertainment died with the last iteration of the Apple TV, you’re quite wrong. A tip we’ve received — which has been confirmed by a source very close to Apple — details the outlook for the next version of the Apple TV, and it’s a doozy. According to our sources, this project has been in the works long before Google announced its TV solution, and it ties much more closely into Apple’s mobile offerings. The new architecture of the device will be based directly on the iPhone 4, meaning it will get the same internals, down to that A4 CPU and a limited amount of flash storage — 16GB to be exact — though it will be capable of full 1080p HD (!). The device is said to be quite small with a scarce amount of ports (only the power socket and video out), and has been described to some as “an iPhone without a screen.” Are you ready for the real shocker? According to our sources, the price-point for the device will be $99. One more time — a hundred bucks.

Not only will this be priced to sell (like hotcakes), it seems that Apple is moving away from the model of local storage, and will be focusing the new ATV on cloud-based storage (not unlike Amazon’s streaming scheme, though we’re talking instant-on 1080p, a la Microsoft). For those still interested in keeping their content close, there will be an option to utilize a Time Capsule as an external storage component, but the main course will be all about streaming. The new ATV will do away with its current OS X-lite variation as a operating system, and will instead adopt the iPhone OS for the underlying experience. There’s no word at this point on whether apps and the App Store will be coming along for the ride, but it makes sense given the shared platform. Of course, scaling iPhone apps to that 52-inch plasma in your living room isn’t exactly a no-brainer. Perhaps not surprisingly, Apple won’t deliver the ATV news at the upcoming WWDC — that event will be focused on the capabilities of the new iPhone — but development on the product is most definitely full steam ahead. Is your TV screen the next battleground in the platform wars? Survey says: hell yes.

The next Apple TV revealed: cloud storage and iPhone OS on tap… and a $99 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 May 2010 10:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An analyst named Trip Chowdhry at Global Equities Research set off a firestorm of rumors last night after he claimed that Steve Ballmer would appear onstage with Steve Jobs at WWDC for exactly seven minutes to announce Visual Studio development for the iPhone — and the maelstrom of crazytalk quickly expanded to include everything from a Bing partnership to Silverlight for the iPhone. Turns out all that chatter was just as insane and untrue as you’d expect, though: Microsoft’s official Twitter account just clamped down on the speculation, saying that Ballmer isn’t speaking at WWDC, or appearing on Dancing with the Stars. Sorry kids — looks like we’ll have to just hold out hope for next season.

Debunk: Steve Ballmer not speaking at WWDC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 14:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to a report filed over at All Things D, Matias Duarte — the man considered to be the driving force behind the user interface of webOS — has left Palm, and may very well be headed to Google. Duarte held the title of Senior Director of Human Interface and User Experience, and before working his magic at Palm, was one of the hands that touched the Sidekick and Helio UIs. Although Palm has confirmed his departure from the company, they aren’t giving up the goods on where he’s headed next, though John Paczkowski over at D says “multiple sources” indicate he’s on his way to Google, presumably to work on Android.

While Matias was unquestionably a prime mover at Palm, we had heard rumblings that his rigid attitude toward design and control-freak nature sometimes caused conflict amongst the team. Of course, you don’t crank out something as groundbreaking as webOS without some hard boundaries. The news that he’s headed to Google could signal a major shift for Android towards dealing with the myriad UI issues the mobile OS has, particularly a lack of cohesion in the stock builds — something HTC has gone to great lengths to shore up with Sense.

Update: And it’s confirmed. Matias will be joining Sidekick pal Andy Rubin over at Google as Android’s User Experience Director. Watch out HTC… and everyone else for that matter.

webOS design mastermind Matias Duarte leaves Palm… and could be headed to Google originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well this can’t be tremendously surprising. Apparently American Beauty director Sam Mendes is in the process of putting together a series of commercials for Apple’s next iPhone, which according to a tipster is being referred to internally as the Mammoth / N90. Besides that tip (with a handful of juicy details), a trusted source has confirmed to us that the ads will feature at least one spot where a mother and daughter are having a video chat conversation using the new front-facing camera that’s been spied on the face of that iPhone floating around Vietnam and Northern California. Adding weight to this story, a cursory search on Twitter revealed that there’s at least one actress who is up for a role in the “f***ing apple commercial” in New York, and another fellow who is auditioning for spots in California. We don’t know much more than that, but we’re fairly confident that this confirms video chat is coming to the next iPhone, and that that said iPhone isn’t very far from our grasp. Remember folks, June 7th is just a kiss away.

Continue reading Confirmed: Apple’s next iPhone will have video chat, feature to be shown in ads directed by Sam Mendes

Confirmed: Apple’s next iPhone will have video chat, feature to be shown in ads directed by Sam Mendes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 22:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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