October 30th, 2009

Trick or Treat: Five spooky gadgets and accessories for Halloween

Posted by Rachel King @ 5:59 am

Categories: Feature, Toybox Highlights, Uncategorized

Tags: Speaker, Accessory, Skull, USB Flash Drive, USB, Rachel King

If orange isn’t your favorite color, there are plenty of other quirky, spooky ways to spruce up your gadget collection this Halloween. Here are five gadgets and accessories that would otherwise be considered odd, if it weren’t time to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve.

1. Ideal Case iPhone covers: Ideal Case has released a special set of Halloween-appropriate iPhone protective covers called the Demon series. The pointy-eared cases, available in black, devilish red and another that glows in the dark, the 100% silicone cases are compatible with both the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, starting at $14.99.

2. Skull USB Drive: If you’re looking to scare your co-workers, just stick a human skull into the side of your computer. This 2-gigabyte USB stick is just plug-and-play with both Mac and Windows OS, and for only $20, it’s something you can at least use all year! Read the rest of this entry »

October 29th, 2009

Trick or Treat: Five fun orange gadgets

Posted by Rachel King @ 6:00 am

Categories: Feature, Toybox Highlights, Uncategorized

Tags: Hard Drive, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Apple iPod Nano, Camera, Gadget, Keyboards, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, Digital Music, Memory, Digital Media

With Halloween just a few days away, it doesn’t hurt to get in the mood a little with some pumpkin-colored gadgets for the Fall holiday. Here are five orange treats to go with your costume this weekend:

1. Sony Webbie HD MHS-PM1: If you either want to record your child’s first trick-or-treating experience or all of the best moments at a Halloween party or parade, this attractive Sony Webbie is a frugal option. Far cheaper than its competitors like the Flip UltraHD or the Kodak Zi8, the Webbie HD MHS-PM1 is typically available under $150. While its quality hasn’t been reviewed as highly as the other previously mentioned cameras, it does shoot HD footage at 720p and 1080p. Not to mention it also features a swiveling lens and a memory card expansion shot for more recording time. [Check Prices]

2. Samsung DualView TL225: Attracting a lot of hype in the last few months for its dual-screen design, this 12.2-megapixel, orange and black pocket camera is a innovative and perfect for any party or parade. On its touchscreen navigation menu, photographers can select between another of special preset functions, including night portrait, children, dawn and “perfect self-portrait.” [Check Prices]

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October 28th, 2009

With Motorola Droid, Verizon puts doubts about Google Android platform to rest [review]

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 10:48 pm

Categories: Mobile, Cell Phones and Smartphones, Motorola, Verizon Wireless

Tags: Apple iPhone, Google Inc., Google Android, Phone, Device, Smart Phone, Verizon Communications Inc., Motorola Inc., Motorola Droid, Smart Phones

Motorola is back in a big way.

Motorola’s Droid made a big splash two weeks ago when it debuted in a Verizon teaser ad during prime-time across the country and slammed America’s favorite smartphone, the Apple iPhone. Now that it’s finally been fully revealed, it’s clear that the Droid has become the yardstick by which all Android smartphones are to be measured.

Read the rest of this entry »

October 28th, 2009

Sprint to try hand at 3G netbooks; launch trial in 5 markets

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 1:23 pm

Categories: Mobile, Cell Phones and Smartphones, Sprint Nextel

Tags: Baltimore, Sprint Communications, Netbook, Netbooks, Nettops & MIDs, 3G, Wireless And Mobility, Hardware, Cellular Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

Sprint is preparing to launch a trial program to sell 3G netbooks through its stores in five U.S. markets, according to a report.

A reliable tipster tells TechVi that the program will launch Nov. 1 in San Francisco, Baltimore, Phoenix, Minneapolis and Indianapolis. As Randall Bennett points out, only Baltimore has WiMax 4G, so don’t get your hopes up too much.

Back in July, Sprint teamed up with Best Buy to offer a $0.99 netbook promotion. Perhaps the success of that pilot paved the way for a more broad — and thus lucrative — endeavor that cuts out the middleman.

October 28th, 2009

Motorola Droid vs. Apple iPhone 3GS vs. Palm Pre [spec shootout]

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 1:01 pm

Categories: AT&T, Mobile, Cell Phones and Smartphones, Motorola, Palm, Verizon Wireless

Tags: Apple iPhone, Palm Inc., Apple Inc., Motorola Inc., Billshrink.com, Palm Pre, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Andrew Nusca

Billshrink.com has compiled a table pitting the Apple iPhone 3GS against the new Motorola Droid against Palm’s Pre — the big three, as far as I’m concerned, in the smartphone race.

The complete showdown, after the jump:

Read the rest of this entry »

October 28th, 2009

Motorola Droid gets official on Verizon; arrives Nov. 6 for $199

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 7:39 am

Categories: Mobile, Cell Phones and Smartphones, Motorola, Verizon Wireless

Tags: Apple iPhone, Smart Phone, Verizon Communications Inc., Motorola Inc., Carrier, Motorola Droid, Smart Phones, Cellular Phones, Handhelds, Consumer Electronics

Verizon has officially announced the Motorola Droid smartphone, which will arrive on the carrier on Nov. 6 for $199.99 after $100 mail-in rebate.

Read the rest of this entry »

October 28th, 2009

E-book reader news and releases round-up

Posted by Rachel King @ 5:57 am

Categories: Amazon Kindle, E-book Readers, Sony Reader

Tags: Amazon.com Inc., E-book Reader, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Inc., E-books, Wireless And Mobility, Personal Technology, Rachel King

The last two weeks have been especially busy for the e-book reader industry (and probably pretty frightening for Amazon). Here’s a quick round-up of what’s been released and what we have to look forward to this holiday season:

1. Barnes & Noble Nook: The Nook has gained the most buzz lately, especially after some of the e-reader’s details were released by the Wall Street Journal the night before. With a price tag set at $260, some e-book lending abilities and running on the Google Android OS, BN.com’s Nook will surely provide some competition to Amazon. Furthermore, users will have availability to more than one million e-books online, twice that of what is available on Amazon.com. Also, after a bit of confusion over where exactly the Nook could access Wi-Fi (previously thought only in B&N stores after a mistake at a press conference last week), the Nook can work on Wi-Fi networks in stores and at home for downloading books. Read the rest of this entry »

October 28th, 2009

With BlackBerry Storm2, RIM wins the battle but loses the smartphone war [review]

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 2:31 am

Categories: Blackberry, Blackberry Storm, Mobile, Cell Phones and Smartphones, Verizon Wireless

Tags: Touch Screen, Research In Motion Ltd., Device, Smart Phone, RIM BlackBerry, BlackBerry Storm2, Storm, QWERTY, Keyboards, Smart Phones

On Monday, Research in Motion quietly announced the successor to the world’s first touchscreen BlackBerry handset: the BlackBerry Storm2. With consideration to the tall expectations that faced its innovative but maligned predecessor at launch, the bungled announcement was a strange move.

The mishap can probably be chalked up to miscommunication between the maker and carrier Verizon, but it’s an entrance that foreshadows the handset itself.

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October 26th, 2009

Dell unveils 12.1" rugged multitouch tablet PC, Latitude XT2 XFR; withstands drops, spills, sand, children

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 9:01 pm

Categories: Computers, Dell, Laptops

Tags: Dell Computer Corp., PC, Tablet PC, Dell Latitude, Latitude XT2 XFR, Notebooks, Tablets, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Andrew Nusca

Dell on Tuesday unveiled a 12.1-inch rugged convertible tablet PC, the Latitude XT2 XFR, the first multitouch tablet PC that can withstand ballistic shock, extreme temperatures, dust, sand and moisture.

The Latitude XT2 XFR joins the fully-rugged Latitude E6400 XFR and the semi-rugged Latitude E6400 ATG laptops in Dell’s extreme computing family.

If you’re wondering who needs a system like this, it’s probably not for you. (Answer: military, police, border patrol, field service organizations, factory fulfillment and first responders — pretty much anyone who works in a harsh environment.)

As you can imagine, the basic innards of the device are shared with Dell’s standard-issue Latitude XT2 tablet.

Ruggedized specs for the Latitude XT2 XFR, after the jump:

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October 26th, 2009

Lenovo reveals dazzling Windows 7 IdeaPad, IdeaCentre lineup

Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 7:31 pm

Categories: Computers, Desktops, Laptops, Lenovo

Tags: Lenovo Group Ltd., Microsoft Windows, Intel Core 2 Duo, Laptop Computer, Intel Corp., IdeaPad U550, IdeaCentre B500, IdeaCentre K300, Microsoft Windows 7, Processors

Lenovo on Monday officially unveiled its Windows 7-powered lineup of IdeaPad laptops and IdeaCentre desktops, and the company is clearly upping the ante in the visual department.

On the notebook front comes the ultraportable 11.6-inch IdeaPad U150, the 15.6-inch U550 and the performance-focused 15.6-inch IdeaPad Y550P.

[ZDNet Image Gallery: Lenovo's new Windows 7 lineup]

The IdeaPad Y550P is the most powerful laptop in Lenovo’s consumer portfolio and is its first notebook to offer new Intel Core i7 processors. In addition to that comes NVIDIA discrete graphics, a 15.6-inch HD widescreen display, Dolby Home Theater surround sound, and a “SlideNav” touch-sensitive bar above the keyboard for quick tasks. It will be available soon for $1,149.

More Windows 7 Lenovo love, after the jump:

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