Most of the problems with yellowsn0w—the free iPhone 3G unlock program—have been worked out. I have Yellowsn0w 0.9.6 installed and it works like a charm, no problems whatsoever. Other people report the same. [Gizmodo Coverage]
In a few moments, we will see the fruits of the Palm team’s many months of labor, and the Palm fan’s answer to what the Post-Treo revolution looks like. Updates.
It’s a lot for them to live up to, but we’re resetting our expectations and approaching the lagging company’s new model line with an open mind.
We’re guessing we’ll see a brand new phone, perhaps running the new OS, but who knows. What we do know so far is that Palm is rumored to announce a touchscreen slider running the Nova operating system, that according to descriptions, is squarish in appearance.
Palm first announced plans to release a new operating system back in May 2007, but they’ve delayed it so many times, I’m halfway convinced this event is just to announce they’re delaying it again.
10:40 AM: This event has a more epic feel than the average CES press conference. I’ve already seen a lot of recognizable faces around here, including the omnipresent Robert Scoble. As someone said nearby, “it feels Apple-y.”
10:45 AM: I’m getting the feeling that Palm is trying to seduce us with the romantic mood lighting, mellow music, and abundance of Vitamin Water. Is this their attempt at a reality distortion field?
10:55 AM: Not a lot going on right now, but Palm’s product marketing manager is talking big game about the upcoming announcements (in vague terms, of course). She says we should be pleased.
11:01 AM: Event starting. Jon Rubenstein is talking about how he used to work at Apple. Then he packed up and moved to Mexico.
11:04 AM: Rubenstein says that mobile devices are the next wave of technology. This might be the obvious statement of the day.
11:06 AM: Jon Rubenstein has just brought Palm CEO Ed Colligan up to the stage.
11:07 AM: Colligan says lifestyle and usability is more important to Palm than raw features and “buttons”. Talking about the instant on capability of the original Palm Pilot as an example. He wants to try and make the technology “invisible”.
“Mobile is in our DNA. We don’t do computers, we don’t do refrigerators or set top boxes. We do mobile.”
11:08 AM: It’s interesting how Palm has to resell itself today, but is reaching back to its roots. In contrast, Jobs believes that looking back means being crushed.
11:10 AM: Colligan says he has a new twist on the same product. Talking about how we use so many websites and our data is all over the place. Smartphones let you browse that information, but they don’t make it easy to access it. Simplicity seems to be the overarching theme here.
Colligan suggests it would be cool if we could seamlessly have our images from Facebook show up in the same place as our email and calendars.
11:14 AM: The whole new Palm OS is built with developers in mind. Developing apps, Colligan claims, is so easy.
New device coming now!! It’s called the Palm Pre.
Palm Pre “will help you live your life more effectively.” The design looks like an oblong rounded rectangle.
It has a 3.1 inch 480×320 multitouch screen that slides vertically to reveal a keyboard. The slider action is curved, sort of like the SE Xperia X1. It also has 3MP Camera, LED Flash, EVDO rev.A, WiFi, bluetooth, a gesture area on the screen for navigation and use, a removable battery, micro USB, USB mass storage support,and a 3.5mm Headphone Jack.
There’s a gesture zone between the screen and button that lets you carry out pre-programmed actions with a few finger movements.
11:21 AM: The new UI is called Web OS, and it’s designed to be so simple, you only need to focus on the information and content you want, not the OS itself.
They’re demoing the Web OS UI right now. It looks a really responsive, aesthetically appealing design. It has alot of the same flick navigation as the iPhone and it looks really polished. The UI has a quick view that organizes data into “Cards” that can be rotated with your finger and it shuffles from card to card.
The phone itself reminds me of the Treo 680 in shape, except all there is on the front is a screen and a button. The main UI has a gesture zone, that lets you perform certain
One of the big new features is something called Synergy, which can pull contacts from all your sites (Facebook, Gmail, AIM, etc…), gather and organize them into one coherent list on the Palm Pre. It has dupe checking so you don’t have the same contacts listed multiple times. It does the same thing for calendar events.
Web OS has been designed to work with your finger. All the demos are being done without a keyboard and stylus. Synergy can easily go from checking email, to scheduling meetings in a calendar, to IMing someone in your contact list.
Threaded SMS is still in Web OS, and you can even send IMs from the same window.
You can use the keyboard to do more than send texts and emails. The Pre has a predictive text feature that will bring up menus and apps based on what you type. It will cross reference your input with what you have on your phone, and it presents the info almost like search results. You can even take your input string and look for google results. They call it Universal search.
The web browser has a big URL bar at the top that can also be used to enter a search query. It renders full pages. While demoing the web browser with SF Gate, the presenter became fixated with a link that read “The Joy of Vole Sex.” The crowd got a rise from that.
In other news, web pages render pretty quick, and navigation doesn’t seem choppy at all.
The music UI is now on display. he just went from one “card” to the music UI, selected a song, then quickly switched back to his email screen. The app switching looks really really fluid, and lets you keep all your data in front of you, so you don’t lose track of what you’re doing.
When you’re working in an app, the apps adapt when notifications (texts, emails, missed calls, etc.) pop on on the screen, so you dont get completely sidetracked. When writing a sticky note, for example, the sticky takes up the whole screen, but when you get a notification, the sticky morphs into half size, and the notification takes up the bottom half.
Rubenstein is back on stage, to introduce a wireless, inductive charger for the Palm Pre. It’s called Touchstone. It looks like a hockey puck.
Colligan is back on stage now and says its the “one phone you can use for your entire life and really enjoy it.”
Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint is now on stage. He says Sprint will carry the Pre, and says it will feel comfortable for first time users, and really likes how easily you can move between apps.
Hesse just gave us a shout out on stage! He’s talking about our big 3G Coast to Coast test. He was also sure to mention how well Sprint fared in that test. He then talked business nonsense for a few minutes and disappeared. But he did mention that the Pre will be a good fit on the Sprint network.
The Palm Pre will be available first half 2009, and will have partners such as Facebook, Pandora, Google and others providing content and apps for the phone.
They’re touting how easy app development for Web OS is. You basically just need to know JavaScript, HTML and CSS.
And that’s the end of the event. To recap, we saw the Palm Pre, Web OS, and a movement to integrate the internet seamlessly with these two new products.
The second real day of CES 2009 kicks off with Sony CEO Howard Stringer’s keynote speech. Sony said yesterday they saved BIG product announcements for the gadget emperor himself. What are they? (Besides Tom Hanks.)
Apparently, a trailer for Angels & Demons. Tom Hanks is here! He has Betamax regret! His first real gadget was a Sony Trinitron. Hilariously self-conscious, mocking the fact he’s shilling for Sony. All he ever sees is Sony, Sony, Sony. And uses Sony Sony Sony. Except the teleprompters! LG.
Here’s Sir Howard Stringer. Tom: “I’m whatever Sony wants me to be, Howard.” Tom is hilarious.
3D glasses, “unlike any other prototype before. They let you watch a movie while walking around. “Tom why don’t you try?” “Oh look, they’re so cool and hip…They’re going to get even better than they are now? I’ll be checking the Fedex.” “Will you take the hold off my paycheck for Angels and Demons now?”
Tom exits, being pulled into realm of Casio and Samsung. “Howard save me, you’re a knight!”
Howard: “I’m not recession proof.” He has seven principles for the industry: Fusion of industries, open technologies (Linux, consumers expect choice), social networking, squeezing more money out of consumers (he calls this a “value chain” and “good business,” go green, etc. Nothing unobvious or mindscrewingly revolutionary.
By 2011, 90 percent of Sony products will connect to Internet and each other.
Heeeeere’s the G3 Wi-Fi web browser camera. They’ve already uploaded photos of Tom and Howard using the camera to Picasa, and then sent it to a Bravia TV on stage. Available now for “an extraoridinarily reasonable price.”
Connected photo frame/alarm clock/screen thing with Chumby power—plays video, Big Ben alarm clock. Very cool. Quoting Letterman on weather from it: “It’s so cold in NY right now, Bernie Madoff is actually looking forward to burning in hell.””
Flex OLED protoype, eco-friendly. “How many people get a chance to squeeze Beyonce? I hope Jay-Z isn’t in the room.”
Sony sells more HD products than anyone else, they think they’ll benefit from DTV. We’ll see!
Pixar dude John Lasseter is here. “Sound check: Is my shirt loud enough in the back?” I want one. He’s here to pimp Blu-ray: “You can’t go back.” Showing Wall-E on Blu-ray. Man I love that movie.
He’s demoing Sleeping Beauty BD-Live content—menu represents real-life weather, kind of cool. His kids beat his ass at Cars Blu-ray game. Trailer for their upcoming movie Up. Looks awesome, and funny. More Tom Hanks talk: He’s working on Toy Story 3.
Talking PSP and PS3 and how they interact. Kaz Hirai coming up. Talking about PlayStation Network and how it’s expanding what you can do with PS3.
New free MMO called Free Realm for boys and girls, tweens and teens. Launching on PC first. Looks like medieval Second Life. MTV dumping 2000 hours of programming on PSN video. Hello, Real World Brooklyn! EA is now onboard PlayStation Home, bring more games and yay, contextual ads to “savvy consumers.” Overall though, no new PlayStation announcements. Where’s Netflix streaming? Seriously dude. Even my pants has that now.
America’s doctor, Dr. Oz is getting his own show thanks to Sony. Find out why your penis doesn’t work the way it used to, everyday. Oh, by the way, you’re a fatass. He just said Sir Howard is bulbous dude. He should be six foot six to match his weight. Drop your belly fat or DIE. Outside of a fried food convention, this has to be the most ironic place he could drop this speech. High fructose corn syrup is the devil, says Dr. Oz. I knew it!
Sony is all up in the new Yankees stadium. 550 Bravia LCDs. The whole park is on,e giant Sony commercial. Reggie Jackson is here. Says he can’t wait to see the new Sonyized Yankee Stadium. New candy bar: Reggie Bar. Tom Hanks loves it.
Talking up green products: Greenheart bio-plastic, Eco Bravias, etc.
Here we go; 3D announcement. We’re supposed to put on 3D glasses now. 3D Cars clip in Tokyo drag race. Gran Turismo in 3D. 3D footage from Virginia Tech at Orange Bowl.
Dreamworks Animation CEO Katezenberg up to talk about 3D. Two revolutionary events in the history of cinema: The arrival of sound, then the arrival of color. He thinks 3D will be the third. (How conveniently poetic.) “It’s not your father’s 3D.” It’s 3D that uses polarized lenses and dual projectors (so you do still need glasses, even though Sony insists that they’re different ’cause they is state of the art and less dumb looking, from Ray Ban.) Showing 3D clip of CGI flick Monsters and Aliens, with a giant robot fighting a giant girl and some monsters—pretty cool. 
Sir Howard’s back up with a Sony Ericsson phone, has Gracenote for identifying songs. And hey, our friend the Vaio P.
Hello, Usher. He’s in 3D too, but no glasses required. Usher: “Yeah I do…. know a lot about technology. *Pause* Sony technology.” He just had two sons, captured experience with… Sony. Howard asks if Usher misses the album. Usher says Sony Ericsson lets him make an album. Also mentions Sony sponsored his Broadway run on Chicago, which Tom Hanks’ wife was also in. Woooo, the incestuous commercialization—as entertainingly, ironically self-aware as they’re trying to make it (and it is)—is mud-pie thick.
Howard wrapping up, talking about how they make dreams, rainbows and economic revitalization happen.
And that’s it!
The Cybershot G3 is a camera so special Sony Sir Howard Stringer himself did the honors: It’s the world’s first Wi-Fi camera with a built-in browser.
GALLERY
END Besides stealing your neighbor’s Wi-Fi, it has free access to any AT&T hotspot until 2012, but then it won’t matter since we’re all going to die then anyway when the world ends. It’s worded so it might mean you can only use AT&T spots for free to hit Sony’s Easy Upload Home Page (which provides quick access to sites like Shutterfly, Picasa and YouTube), not furries.meetup.com. But we’ll find out. Oddly unmentioned in the list of supported services is Flickr.
Still, it doesn’t really matter if it has a web browser, if the browser can’t render itself out of ASCII paper bag—we’re hoping it’s a WebKit dealio ’cause that would make it a quick call from the sidelines. But we’re not holding our breath on that (we are talking Sony, after all), so we’ll have to grab some hands on time to see how well it handles the real internet. Sony’s seeing this more as a flexible, fast way to dump and check your photos and videos online, direct from your camera, not so much as a way to compulsively watch YouTube videos or read Gizmodo, even though that’s exactly what we want, and will try to do, practicalities aside.
Oh hey! I think there’s a camera somewhere in there too. 10 megapixel sensor with 4x optical zoom, but it’s got 4GB of storage built-in (optional expansion is Memory Stick only, grrr), with a 921,600-dot, 3.5-inch touchscreen and photo browsing software integrated. Otherwise, it’s got typical Sony features like Intelligent Scene Recognition (automatically picks the best automatic scene setting, automatically), Face Detection, Smile Shutter (it snaps when people smile) and Dynamic Range Optimizer, which automagically balances contrast and detail.
It’s available rightnowomg for $500.
SONY UNVEILS WORLD’S FIRST WI-FI DIGITAL CAMERA WITH WEB BROWSER
Cyber-Shot Camera Lets You Share Your Memories in the Moment
LAS VEGAS (CES Keynote), Jan. 8, 2009 – With a focus on making photo sharing easier and more convenient, Sony today introduced the world’s first Wi-Fi® enabled digital camera that uploads photos and videos to Web sites through any public hotspot due to its built-in Web browser.
The new Cyber-shot DSC-G3 digital still camera answers one of the most pressing needs for photo enthusiasts: how to share those amazing photos and video clips of family, friends and events as soon as you shoot. The Cyber-shot camera makes it easy to upload images and video directly to popular photo and video sharing sites wherever a Wi-Fi connection is available.
“Research shows that our customers greatly value sharing images and video clips, but they often forget or don’t have enough time if they wait to get home to upload images,” said Phil Lubell, director of digital camera marketing at Sony Electronics. “Our new Cyber-shot DSC-G3 camera provides the simplicity and convenience of sharing in the moment, while the impulse is still fresh in people’s minds.”
The camera can wirelessly connect to any public hotspot, including hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and airports. Like a computer, the camera can connect to free or fee-based hotspots, as well as to secure and unsecured access points.
The new DSC-G3 model comes with complimentary AT&T Wi-Fi access to Sony’s Easy Upload Home Page until Jan. 31, 2012. It includes Wi-Fi access at thousands of AT&T hotspots across the United States, including participating coffee shops, selected book stores and major quick-serve restaurant locations, as well as hundreds of upscale hotels and airports.
“By collaborating with Sony to launch the first digital still camera with a built in Web browser and embedded access across the entire AT&T Wi-Fi service network, we’re enabling consumers to gain quick and convenient access to Sony’s Easy Upload Homepage through thousands of AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots across the country,” said Glenn Lurie, president of AT&T’s emerging device organization. “The wireless capabilities and cutting-edge features of the G3 camera with the reliable coverage of AT&T’s Wi-Fi network offers a unique consumer experience.”
Uploads Made Easy
The new camera makes it easy to connect to the Internet and upload images. By pressing the WLAN button on the camera, you can open its embedded Web browser.After connecting to the Internet via wireless access points, the camera automatically navigates to the Sony Easy Upload Home Page, which includes direct links to photo sharing sites like Shutterfly™ and Picasa™ Web Albums; video sharing sites like YouTube™ and Dailymotion™; and a photo and video sharing site, such as Photobucket™. Also, the DSC-G3 camera allows you to access other sharing sites for uploading photos and videos through its Web browser.
Through the Sony Easy Upload Home Page, you can send e-mail notifications from the sharing Web sites to let friends and family know that you have posted new images and videos for viewing. This is perfect for sharing with loved ones that were not with you when you took the pictures or shot the videos.
When friends and family are nearby, you can use the camera to access photos you may have already uploaded to sharing sites and display them on its high resolution 3.5-inch LCD screen.The camera supports DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) guidelines. By connecting to such DLNA-compatible devices as Sony BRAVIA® televisions via access points, photos in the camera can be played back with high-definition quality. In addition to BRAVIA TVs, the camera can connect to other DLNA-compatible devices, such as Sony VAIO® PCs.
Smart Camera
In addition to its wireless sharing capabilities, the new camera is built for high-performance imaging. The 10-megapixel camera is about three-fourths of an inch thin and includes a 4X optical zoom Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar lens. Although compact enough to fit in the camera’s slim dimention, this lens provides excellent sharpness and color accuracy.The Intelligent Scene Recognition™ feature automatically identifies a total of eight types of scenes — backlight, backlight portrait, twilight, twilight portrait, twilight using a tripod, portrait, landscape and macro — and automatically optimizes camera settings for each challenging shooting situation, taking an additional shot in low and bright light scenarios.
With Sony’s Face Detection technology, the DSC-G3 camera detects faces in a scene and adjusts auto focus (AF), auto exposure (AE), flash and white balance accordingly. It can also distinguish between children and adults, allowing users to to prioritize faces according to their preference.
Combining the Intelligent Scene Recognition feature with Face Detection technology, the camera includes an anti-blink function that helps make closed-eye photos a thing of the past. The camera automatically takes two shots and then determines whether the subject(s) have closed eyes. It will record images with open-eyed subjects. If both pictures have subject(s) with closed eyes, the cameras will record one and display a warning so you can try again.
Sony’s Smile Shutter™ technology automatically captures a smile the moment it happens. You can use the adult or child priority setting when shooting scenes containing both adults and children, and the camera will distinguish one face from another.
The camera’s Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) determines the best exposure and contrast settings in almost any shooting environment, giving images a natural look with clearer details that match what you see with your naked eye. DRO also balances the contrast in scenes with strong highlight and shadow, recovering detail normally lost in shadow areas. Combining the benefits of Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization with high sensitivity mode, Sony’s Double Anti-blur feature helps reduce camera shake blur, especially when there is low light.
Photo Library
The Cyber-shot DSC-G3 model is also a “photo album in your pocket” and has 4GB of internal memory that can store nearly 1,000 full-resolution or 40,000 VGA-quality photos. The 3.5-inch (measured diagonally) wide touch panel Xtra Fine LCD™ screen is perfect for photo-like viewing with high contrast and wide-angle viewing. This Xtra Fine LCD screen delivers high resolution images (921,600 dots) that is approximately four times higher than conventional LCDs.The camera also makes it easy to sort thousands of images. While shooting, images are organized automatically in albums by date. All images in an album can be displayed simultaneously as thumbnails on the screen, and the desired image can quickly be selected.
There are four ways to view photos: standard folder view, date view, favorites and event view. Images can be stored and managed on both the camera’s 4GB internal memory and an optional Memory Stick® media card.
In addition to the in-camera organization and search functionality, bundled Picture Motion Browser (PMB) software allows you to quickly organize images on a compatible PC. The software lets you search and organize images by event or face, and you can display images in calendar or chronological views organized into folders.
Pricing and Availability
The Cyber-shot DSC-G3 camera is now available in black for about $500. The camera and a range of accessories can be purchased online at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail), at military base exchanges and at authorized dealers nationwide.
Dish Network has had Sling integrations before, but they just dropped a brand new HD-DVR with remote Sling capabilities built in along with a redesigned SlingGuide interface.
If you have Dish network (are they any of you out there?), the ViP 922 will let you schedule, manage and view your recordings (and plenty of ’em on the 1TB drive) from any web-connected machine; there’s also a nifty new touchpad remove for when you’re at home. Could have used that for Top Chef tonight—no Bravo at the Wynn. WTF??
It’s available via your friendly Dish service man come Spring 2009 for an undisclosed sum.
DISH NETWORK® INTRODUCES WORLD’S FIRST
“SLINGLOADED” HD DVR AT 2009 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
New 1 Terabyte High Definition DVR with Integrated Slingbox, Touchpad Remote Control and Tile-based User Interface
Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 8, 2009 – DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), the nation’s third largest pay-TV provider and the digital transition leader, today unveiled the world’s first
SlingLoaded™ HD DuoDVR™, the award-winning ViP® 922. The ViP® 922 is the first high definition digital video recorder that incorporates placeshifting technology.The ViP® 922 was built by EchoStar Technologies L.L.C., a wholly-owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), and developed for DISH Network as an entertainment centerpiece that – combined with the only 1080p Video on Demand and 100 percent, all-HD suite of programming packages available today – will revolutionize the way consumers watch and enjoy their favorite programming. DISH Network will offer the ViP® 922 to customers in Spring 2009.
“DISH Network is pleased to add another award-winning product to our suite of MPEG-4 HD DVR ViP receivers: a groundbreaking set top box that offers consumers the true experience of TV everywhere,” said DISH Network Chairman, CEO and President Charlie Ergen. “By integrating Sling Media’s Slingbox technology into our industry-leading HD DVR, DISH Network is providing even more ways for our subscribers to view their TV programming – through their television sets, their desktops at home, their laptops on the road, and their smartphones including Blackberrys, iPhones and more.”
The ViP® 922 allows TV enthusiasts to watch and control their favorite TV shows and sporting events from anywhere in the world via a broadband Internet connection on their laptop or mobile phone. With five video sources, including satellite, broadband and optional over-the-air tuners, viewers will never run out of shows to watch. The ViP® 922 also features a multi-tuner DVR with up to 1,000 hours of recording time and supports connecting external hard drives for even more storage capacity.
An innovative touchpad remote control accompanies the ViP® 922, which eliminates half the buttons of a standard remote control and provides cursor-like navigation on a TV screen. With a slide of the thumb, viewers experience scroll-over activation of the new user interface: on-screen widget-like tiles and pop-up menus. All features are selectable by an underside index finger trigger selection on the radio frequency-controlled remote, which offers two-way learning of codes from other AV equipment remote controls.
The ViP® 922 can also be controlled using SlingGuide™, a new way for consumers to control their TV viewing experience over the Internet. SlingGuide features a powerful search engine for the TV along with the ability to schedule the ViP® 922 DVR timers remotely.
Other ViP® 922 features include:
• News feeds located on the home screen, giving viewers instant access to national news, weather, sports, and stock quotes.
• Ability to organize channels by channel name or number.
• 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480i and 480p support.
• Internet-delivered DISH On Demand including 1080p content.
• Ability to move one day in the guide while browsing full screen EPG or partial EPG.
• Connections to home networks via Ethernet, HomePlug Turbo (the next generation of HomePlug that allows for faster in-home transfer of content using home power lines), or WiFi (with optional WiFi adapter).
• Powerful search capability across all available video sources, including IP, VOD, satellite or DVR.
• Intuitive timer creation and DVR management, allowing users to categorize programming by groups (video source, title, genres) or by content description (date, length, ratings and more).
• Ability to load photos, MP3s and selected Internet content.
• Future upgrades such as photo sharing, movie ticket purchases, family calendars, instant messaging, streaming audio, and the ability to transfer content within a home network.EchoStar’s new user interface and remote control for the ViP® 922 were selected as CES Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Award honorees. Demonstrations of the ViP® 922 will be available at DISH Network’s Booth No. 14438, located in the Central Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Jan. 8-11. For more information about DISH Network, visit www.dishnetwork.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474).
Here at CES 2009 in Las Vegas, Steve Ballmer has kicked off his speech wearing Bill Gates’ old shoes. Was TechCrunch right about the speech’s contents? Update: Here’s video of the keynote:
Or, if you want the quick and dirty, here’s what unfurled in front of me, give or take a few guest presenters and some marketingspeak:
Ballmer comes out—my guess is he’s smiling. He talks about the wonderful world of consumer electronics. He mentions this company called Microsoft. He also mentions the tough economic times we’re all going to suffer through together. He will be optimistic, however.
He’s going to talk about Windows 7. First, he’ll announce the availability the Windows 7 Beta tomorrow for registered Microsoft beta peeps, January 9th for everybody else. He’ll run through a lot of stuff we’ve already seen on Win 7, like DeviceStage, Homegroup networking, “Play To…” and other coolness like the Win 7 touch interface.
On the Windows Live front, he’ll tell us that Windows Live Essentials is no longer in beta, and that you can now post photos on Facebook directly from Windows Live Photo Gallery, and save photos from Facebook directly to your Win gallery too. He’ll also say that Windows Live Search and Essentials toolbar is gonna boot Google from Dell computers in February. Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless is going to implement Windows Live on VZW feature phones. IE8 is not out of beta yet, but it’s coming.
For Windows Mobile, the big news, as presumed, will be full Adobe Flash support in the browser. (Sounds good to me, if only the browser was as good as, well, others.)
Ballmer is going to call Robbie Bach to the stage to talk about connected entertainment. Bach will start with some good Xbox stats—28 million worldwide, with 17 million active Windows Live members, and over a billion dollars spent on the service since inception.
Bach will introduce a number of sweet products:
• Windows Mobile app for managing Netflix queue
• Xbox Live community game builder called Kodu (already buzzed about)
• Windows Media Extender functionality in Toshiba products (announced earlier today)
• The latest edition of Ford Sync, which you can read about here
• Go back and forth on shows you didn’t pre-record using Microsoft Media Room Anytime (I wonder what the advertiser stipulations are on that)
• Already known games Halo Wars and Halo 3: Orbital Drop Shock Trooper
• Xbox Live Primetime game 1 Vs 100 live gameshow coming in spring
What, no love for Zune? Almost everything’s going according to plan so far, but stay tuned, because anything could happen. You know, come to think of it, Robbie Bach got to talk about a lot of the fun stuff. Is this the kickoff of the Ballmer Years? Or is it really the kickoff to the Bach Years? Steve would probably win at arm wrestling, but seeing the two of them on stage, I’m starting to think Bach could maybe take the bossman in a Cool Hand Luke-style a fist fight. [Full CES 2009 Coverage]
The keyboard? It rocks. The screen? Beautiful. The trackball is just the right amount of gritty, so your finger sticks to it and doesn’t slide off onto the keyboard. The instant-on OS? Classy.
The keys are small, but just the perfect amount of small—you’ll only have a problem if you have fingers the size of fried carnival pastries. It took me about 15-30 seconds of mistyping to adjust and type just about perfectly, though your hands won’t feel as loose as they are on a full size keyboard by means. They’re really punchy, though shallow, too. Overall, good. The trackball is a little oversensitive, but adjustable too. What I do hate are the mouse buttons. They’re too small and not distinguished enough, so easy to miss. Oh, and it’s a smudge magnet.
The form factor looks weird in the press shots, but in person, it works—incredibly well. It’s very clearly a Porsche compared to the Chevy-esque standard netbook. In fact, Sony guys insist it’s not a netbook, which is true. It’s officially throw-it-in-your-bag-and-forget-it-sized, which netbooks are not.
I like the instant-on OS. It’s essentially a Sony XMB that gives you access to photos, internet and movies, much like other instant-on OSes, but the P’s seems exceptionally classy.
Every SKU has the same 1.33Ghz Atom inside (the Z series not the pokier N)—not incredibly speedy, and 2GB of RAM, which lets them all run Vista okay. Screen is, duh, gorgeous thanks to that incredible pixel density. The built-in 3G is Verizon only, and they wouldn’t comment on a GSM version. Oh, and that $900 pricepoint? That’s for Vista Home Basic—you’ve gotta drop a grand to get real Vista. Otherwise, the 4 different SKUs vary based mostly on storage—60GB starting up to a 128GB SSD in the $1500 model.
You’d almost think you could work on it, but we’re not so convinced yet—that’ll take some much more extensive hands on time, a couple days at least. At the very least, you’d have to widen and shrink your workflow. But we’re definitely curious to find out. Overall, it’s certainly an interesting machine—not a netbook, UMPC or laptop, but something in between all of those. What exactly that is, we’ll have to figure out in the longer haul.
Sony’s much-hyped Vaio P Netbook has finally come out from under wraps, weighing under 1.4 pounds, sitting under an inch thick, and packing in an 8-inch screen with a 2.08:1 aspect ratio (1600×768!).
The netbook also has Verizon WWAN 3G mobile broadband, has a keyboard that’s only 10% smaller than the Vaio TT and 802.11n wi-fi. It also comes with an instant start pseudo-OS that lets you access things like music, internet and email without having to fully boot Windows Vista (using the same Xross Bar UI as the PS3).
The Sony Vaio P will be offered in 5 colors (red, green, black, white and onyx), will sell for $900 (pre-orders beginning tomorrow) and will start shipping in February.
SONY UNVEILS WORLD’S LIGHTEST 8-INCH NOTEBOOK
Full-Featured VAIO PC Fuses Style, Mobility and Connectivity for Anytime, Anywhere ComputingLAS VEGAS (CES Booth #14200), Jan. 7, 2009 – Sony today took the wraps off the world’s lightest 8-inch notebook— the new VAIO® P Series Lifestyle PC.
About the size of a business envelope and roughly as thin as a cell phone, the VAIO Lifestyle PC weighs just 1.4 pounds and is small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or handbag while integrating full-PC features.
The model incorporates a high-resolution, 1600 x 768, LED backlit 8-inch ultra-wide display (diagonal), making it easy to view everything from entire spreadsheets to full web pages— no side-to-side scrolling necessary. It also incorporates Sony’s XBRITE-ECO™ LCD technology, producing images in brilliant detail for razor-sharp viewing on-the-go.
Stylish enough to take anywhere, the unit is available in an array of eye-catching colors, including garnet red, emerald green, onyx black, crystal white and classic black. Matching carrying cases and Bluetooth® color-coordinated mice are available to complete the look.
“The VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC is your portal to the world, delivering entertainment and computing in a head-turning device that’s small enough to put in your pocket,” said Mike Abary, senior vice president of VAIO product marketing at Sony Electronics. “Designed for the fashionista in all of us, it’s the ideal companion.”
Engineered to provide the feel of a larger notebook, the VAIO Lifestyle PC provides a convenient typing experience by extending the keyboard to the perimeters of the chassis maximizing the typing area. The spacing between keys has also been engineered to help reduce typing mistakes making it perfect for long fingernails.
The notebook incorporates built-in wireless WAN 3G Mobile Broadband, 802.11n wi-fi and Bluetooth technologies. Users can toggle among various wireless options for the most efficient connection – Wi-Fi for working at a coffee shop; Bluetooth for peripherals; and Mobile Broadband service on the Verizon Wireless nationwide network when traveling outside the reach of hotspots (subscription required).
The unit features up to four hours of battery life with the included standard capacity battery and eight hours with the large capacity battery (sold separate).
It also incorporates real-time GPS functionality, making it easy to find restaurants, hotels or special sites of interest. Destinations can be found by simply typing in an address or keyword and then following the turn-by-turn directions. The Lifestyle PC even includes estimated drive times to let you know how far you are from a destination. No Internet connection is required in the United States or Canada.
The unit also has an instant-mode option that launches directly into Sony’s Xross Media Bar™ interface, so you can rapidly boot up and access music, video, photos and the Web. A built-in webcam lets you video chat with family, friends and colleagues. A third-party service is required.
The PC comes with the Windows Vista® operating system, supporting office applications and all the software programs routinely found in full-size notebooks. A windows arrangement utility has been added to easily organize all open documents or websites with one touch, positioning them neatly along side each other on a single screen.
The VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC will retail for about $900. It will be available for pre-orders tomorrow online at www.sony.com/pr/pseries. It will also be sold at Sony Style® stores starting later this month and at other major retailers around the country beginning in February.
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The Samsung MBP200 has a limited 480×320 res, but has a built-in media player, LCD screen and includes a tiny stand that can turn a piece of paper into a screen. A baby screen!
The LCD is 2.2 inches across and 320×240 pixels, and the player itself is compatible with images, office docs and video codecs like DivX, Xvid, WMV9 and flavors of MPEG. It uses the Texas Instrument DLP for its projection.
Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced a new mobile phone accessory, the award-winning* MBP200 Pico Projector. The Samsung MBP200 is the ultimate wireless accessory, offering advanced features designed to enhance the mobile experience.
Compact and lightweight, the portable MBP200 can connect to mobile phones and laptops and by utilizing the DLP(R) pico chip from Texas Instruments it allows users to transform their traditional two inch screen to a 50-inch viewing screen allowing others to share in the video experience. In addition, users can easily transfer files and project content independent of an attached source via the microSD card slot. The MBP200 has a simple shape and design with touchpad controls on the right side of the device for easy navigation and a 2.2-inch QVGA LCD screen which allow users to view content privately.
Samsung’s MBP200 offers the latest entertainment features and independently supports standard Microsoft Office and PDF formats for display. With the MBP200, users can listen to music and create playlists, as well as view video, pictures or PDF, PowerPoint, Word or Excel files.
The Samsung pico projector delivers a superior picture from a mobile device and is powered by a miniaturized version of the same imaging technology found in DLP HDTVs, home theater projectors and large-scale cinema houses. The unit can accommodate a range of projected image sizes – from an 8 1/2 x 11 standard sheet of paper to a large 50-inch screen. For added convenience, the MBP200 comes with a small screen holder with a telescoping pole hidden inside, which can instantly turn a standard sheet of paper into a screen to view movies, document files or pictures. The 3.5mm standard jack allows users to enjoy their own headphones or speakers, or the built-in external speaker allows the MBP200 to play audio directly from the device.
Samsung MBP200 Pico Projector SpecificationsFeatures File viewer, picture viewer, music player, video player
Projection Panel HVGA (480*320)
LCD 2.2″ QVGA(320*240)
Audio Output 3.5 mm Standard Stereo Earphone Jack
Storage microSD slot (up to 16 GB)
Picture Viewer JPEG, GIF, Animated GIF, MBP
Music Player MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, WAV
Video Player Video CODEC: DivX, Xvid, WMV9 Simple Profile, MPEG-2, MPEG-4; Audio
CODEC: MP3, AAC, WMA
File Viewer Adobe PDF (.pdf)
MS PowerPoint (.ppt)
MS Word (.doc)
MS Excel (.xls)
Text (.txt)
Size/Weight 107.3 x 48.8 x 19 mm / 160 gThe MBP200 will be available later this year. For more information about the MBP200 and Samsung’s entire line of mobile phone accessories, please visit www.samsung.com/newsroom.
By Panasonic, this plasma just inches millimeters out Pioneer’s 9mm previous best. It’s 1/3 of an inch thick on the dot and it uses 33% power than veteran Panasonic plasma tech. Bonus shot:
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