Hasta La Gadget!

There wasn’t much reason to doubt that September 9 date we’d been hearing for Apple’s annual fall iPod event, but now AppleInsider is saying it can independently confirm the date. Sure, it’s just a rumor backing up another rumor, but it’s more than Apple has to say on the topic so far. Meanwhile, AppleInsider also is backing up word that there won’t be a tablet at the event, that an iTunes “social networking” feature of some sort is in the cards, and that the iPods are getting cameras. Not a lot of controversy to be found here, but perhaps a modicum of assurance for folks desperately trying to pin down their iPod events schedule for the next couple of weeks.

September 9 iPod event gets some corroboration from AppleInsider, still no word from Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know those confidentiality agreements companies sign with the FCC to keep our prying eyes away? Well, Archos didn’t sign one. The result is a treasure trove of information about its new A5S (model 7501) Internet Media Tablet and a whisper of the A5H (model 7502) to come. The A5S looks very much like the 4.8-inch Archos 5 we already know and uh, know. However, there is a slight redesign resulting in a new location for the speaker and headphone jack as well as the inclusion of a microSD slot and what looks to be microUSB. Given the emergence of this new model so close to Archos’ Android launch event and the repeated mention of the 5-inch “Archos 5 Internet Tablet” in Archos’ own Android AppsLib store, we’re guessing this is the new Android device set for a September 15th announce. True, the single UI shot (pictured after the break) isn’t vanilla Android (it’s likely skinned a la HTC’s SenseUI) but it marks a radical departure from Archos’ current offering. The FCC tested 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and an FM transmitter and receiver on the A5S while a user manual briefly mentions 3G data, although the FCC didn’t test it. Perhaps that’s the secret sauce inside of the A5H model 7502?

Continue reading Archos’ Android-based A5S and A5H Internet Tablets outed by FCC?

Filed under: Handhelds

Archos’ Android-based A5S and A5H Internet Tablets outed by FCC? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It might seem like Apple’s been ignoring its non-Pro MacBook line lately — even doing hardware updates on the sly — but consumers haven’t, and they’ve been lapping up that solitary SKU with unabated enthusiasm. No surprise then that Cupertino would have bigger plans on the horizon, and AppleInsider claims Apple’s engineers are already hard at work on an “industrial design overhaul” for the humble 13-incher, with some configurations expected to come in under the current $999 price point. Great news if you’re lusting after a Mac, but still want to be able to buy groceries — right, Giampaulo?

Filed under: Laptops

Polycarbonate MacBook to live on, be redesigned? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While we knew that Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ had been working on the company’s tablet project, the WSJ says that Steve has already “killed the project twice in recent years.” That’s right. The Apple tablet. Dead. Twice. Why?

The first time, apparently, he killed it for crummy battery life, and then the second time because it had “insufficient memory.” Both of which seem like minor roadbumps, not fatal sins—isn’t that the iPhone 3G nowadays to a T? But it actually kind of makes us happy, that Jobs—and Apple—are being that disciplined about it. Death to the weak models. That’s promising.

The report also reveals that since Jobs came back from medical leave, he has been incredibly involved not just with the development of the “touch screen gadget,” but with the strategy for marketing and advertising as well. Which isn’t surprising, since it’s the tablet and Steve Jobs, but apparently this involvement has been “jarring for some Apple employees who had grown accustomed to a level of freedom over strategy and products” while he was gone, said the WSJ, basing comments on a source who specifically said, “People have had to readjust” to Jobs’ management.

Though the article is ridden with anonymous “people familiar with the situation,” Jobs himself was contacted and responded with a curt, “Much of your information is incorrect.” Hey, if he didn’t specifically deny the existence of an Apple tablet, that’s close enough for our dreams. [The Wall Street Journal]

Mike Rayfield, the general manager of NVIDIA’s mobile unit, sat down for a lengthy — if somewhat restrained — chat with Hexus recently, and he had some fairly interesting things to say about his company’s Tegra strategy. The discussion mostly consists of generalities about the roadmap for the high-power, low-weight chipset, but it takes a more interesting turn when Rayfield goes into detail on the types of devices we can expect to see in the near future. At about two minutes into the conversation, there’s mention of a “media pad,” which prompts some further inquiry from the interviewer. Rayfield goes on to describe the device as a “3G capable touchpad” ranging in size from 7- to 13-inches. Now what’s notable about the mention is that back in April reports were flying hot and heavy that Apple was working on a “media pad” device in partnership with Verizon which would “define the damn category.” We don’t like to wildly speculate, but since Apple and NVIDIA have a healthy history of teaming up on special projects, and since the rumored focus of the mythical Apple tablet is media playback and gaming, we wouldn’t rule out a possible connection here. If you want to do your own sleuthing, check out the full video for yourself after the break — and we recommend a frame-by-frame look at 2:23.

Continue reading Tegra to hit ‘media pads’ soon says company man Mike Rayfield

Filed under: Handhelds

Tegra to hit ‘media pads’ soon says company man Mike Rayfield originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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