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- The Archos Android phone arrives at last….but it’s not what you think
- Apple multi-touch patent, Nokia Sea Ray, Droid Bionic: US Update
- Archos G9 tablets unveiled: Meet the world’s cheapest Honeycomb tablets
- HTC EVO 4G+ announced: loses third dimension and heads east
- L.A. Noire heads to the PC this fall, GTA 5 next?
- Motorola Droid Bionic lives on, promises to launch this summer with ‘some new updates’
- Opinion: Nokia Sea Ray “leak” is the nail in MeeGo’s coffin
- Nokia N9 availability checker: UK, US and India notably absent
- Did Stephen Elop just leak a Windows Phone-powered N9 codenamed Sea Ray?
- Apple scores a capacitive multi-touch patent: touchscreen monopoly incoming?
| The Archos Android phone arrives at last….but it’s not what you think Posted: 23 Jun 2011 09:51 AM PDT Several years ago, we broke the news that French portable media player peddler Archos was working on an Android smartphone. That never went on sale, but it has emerged in another form today: as a home phone running Google’s OS. Oh yeah, and there’s a mental web radio to go with it, that looks like a right Chumby basher.
The Archos Smart Phone will plug in like any regular home DECT phone, but just so happens to have a touchscreen you can muck around with, and Android for running apps. It’ll give you photo ID for when people call you, and will allow for video calls – Archos says the front facing camera can also be used for CCTV and baby monitoring. The Archos 35 Home Phone is on sale in September for £119, though it is unlikely to support Google’s own apps, such as the Android Market and Gmail. The same is true of the Archos 35 Home Connect,a Wi-Fi connected device that’s designed toi show web content, tune into internet radio stations, and also carry out video calls. Yes, it’s a French Chumby. It’s also on sale in September, priced at £119, though if it’s a choice between a small box and Archos’ impressive sounding Honeycomb tablets, we know which we’d choose. Related posts:
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| Apple multi-touch patent, Nokia Sea Ray, Droid Bionic: US Update Posted: 23 Jun 2011 09:45 AM PDT
A patent filed in 2007 by Apple has just given the Cupertino camp a possible capacitive multi-touch monopoly. According to several sources familiar with intellectual property law, the patent could make it difficult to build a competitive smartphone. A video is making its rounds across the web of Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop unveiling what looks to be a Nokia N9 smartphone running Windows Phone 7 Mango. The device in question is code named Sea Ray and features the same 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss lens as the N9. Speaking of the N9, Nokia's availability checker has 23 countries listed (as of now). Surprisingly that list does not include the US, UK or India. Is this more evidence the Windows Phone is the future of Nokia smartphones and MeeGo is a side project? Motorola has issued an update on the Droid Bionic via Twitter. The company has confirmed the phone will launch this summer, but the team is still "working on some new updates". With the severe delay, will the Droid Bionic live up to the hype? Last up this morning is the HTC EVO 4G+ headed to South Korea. This 3D-less version of the HTC EVO 3D coming to Sprint on Friday looks to have all the makings of an Android super smartphone. Will we see a UK or US launch? That wraps up the latest and greatest in the fine world of tech news. As always I'm Nick Marshall and I'll see you again tomorrow. Related posts:
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| Archos G9 tablets unveiled: Meet the world’s cheapest Honeycomb tablets Posted: 23 Jun 2011 09:32 AM PDT We knew the Archos G9 Honeycomb tablets would have to be a little bit special to stand out, and from the first official details, we weren’t wrong. The Archos G9 80 and 101 slates will be the world’s cheapest Honeycomb tablets when they go on sale – and the first with mechanical hard drives too. UPDATE: More images!
The 8-inch and 10.1 inch Archos G9 Android tablets will run Android 3.1 Honeycomb, and will be the first from the company to come with Google certification, meaning Android Market access. They’ll run on dual-core 1.5GHz processors from Texas Instruments, we understand, and will decode 1080p HD video, and play all the video formats Archos is known for supporting – HDMI-out will also be included. Unusually, both models will sport 250GB hard drives from Seagate. That’ll give them far more storage than rivals, but it’s likely it’ll make them rather chunky as well, in order to house all the moving parts. Archos has not revealed the dimensions. Best tablet review: Group test Even more unusually, there won’t be Archos G9 Android tablet options with 3G built-int – instead, you’ll be able to buy a separate 3G dongle for £49.99 that plugs into a USB port. Data will be charged on a Pay As You Go basis.
But the best bit? Prices start at £199 for the 8-inch model, and just £249 for the 10.1-inch number, drastically undercutting both the iPad 2 and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, which both hover just under £400. Sadly, the pair won’t be on show until IFA in September, and not on sale until several weeks after that, but don’t worry – we’ll be there live to check them out. Has Archos got what it takes to make it in the big leagues? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Related posts:
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| HTC EVO 4G+ announced: loses third dimension and heads east Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:50 AM PDT
The HTC EVO 4G+ packs a 4.3-inch qHD display, the new standard in high-end Android smartphones. A dual-core processor, 8-megapixel camera, HTC's Sense UI and Android Gingerbread round are also standard. To earn the 4G+ surname, the smartphone supports South Korea's 4G WiBRO network. So South Korea lands the HTC EVO 4G+, but what about the UK? If our memory serves us correct, the HTC EVO 4G remained stateside and in its place we received the HTC Desire. Additionally we have an Android super phone to call our own, the HTC Sensation. Given these facts we'd expect the EVO 4G+ to remain a South Korea only affair. There is however, a distinct possibility HTC would launch the EVO 4G+ in the US on Sprint for users who prefer a 3D-less smartphone. We'll give this one a 50/50 shot of a US release. Coming July 1st | HTC | TBD Related posts:
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| L.A. Noire heads to the PC this fall, GTA 5 next? Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:30 AM PDT
How do you take L.A. Noire to the next level? How about taking it to the next dimension. The PC version will add 3D gameplay, delivering "an even greater sense of interaction and immersion within a painstakingly detailed 1940s Los Angeles." Life as Detective Cole Phelps will never feel so real. Given the move from console to PC for L.A. Noire, we can only imagine a world where GTA 5 receives a similar port. As fun as console gaming can be, it's hard to beat a keyboard and mouse for precision gaming. If Rockstar Games announces GTA 5 for the PC who's ready for a pre-order? Coming Fall 2011 | Rockstar Games | TBD Related posts:
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| Motorola Droid Bionic lives on, promises to launch this summer with ‘some new updates’ Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:00 AM PDT
Internally Motorola scraped its original design and decided that it needed to reinvent the phone, presumably to live up to its superhuman name. Meanwhile the qHD 4.3-inch display, Tegra 2 processor, 8-megapixel camera (vga front-facing), and 4G LTE connectivity remain unscathed. Today we have the latest update in the Motorola Droid Bionic saga straight from the horse's mouth, "Droid Bionic is coming and slated for summer release. Our team is working on some new updates." There you have it. The Motorola Droid Bionic still exists and a summer release is confirmed. Though we'd love to see new product images, possibly even an updated press release, but this will have to hold us over. Now we need to know — after the extended delay is there anything Motorola could do to make the Bionic live up to the hype? via SlashPhone Related posts:
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| Opinion: Nokia Sea Ray “leak” is the nail in MeeGo’s coffin Posted: 23 Jun 2011 07:13 AM PDT
But those shaky clips hitting YouTube are exactly what Nokia intended to get out however – and they give you some idea of how cursory this week’s Nokia N9 MeeGo launch really was.
First, a few images. Then a video of Elop asking employees at an all-hands meeting to turn off their phones. The Nokia Sea Ray was revealed, a phone with the N9′s slick looks, and Windows Phone 7 Mango under the hood. Of course, Elop (looking remarkably tanned, we might add) knew exactly what he was doing when he asked people to turn off their phones. That’s like waving a red flag in front of the face of a bull/blogger. If you need any more convincing, a full recording of the 20 minute presentation complete with various cuts and angles is already available online. Look, here it is. Yeah, you’d think Elop would have noticed those cameras in the room if he really wanted to keep the Nokia Sea Ray confidential. But there are bigger things going on here than simple hype building with fake “leaks”, as many companies like to do – HTC, specifically. The timing of this Nokia Sea Ray reveal is surely no coincidence, just days after Nokia announced its N9 phone running MeeGo at the Nokia Connection 2011 event in Singapore. By all accounts, the Nokia N9 was well received: those who tested out prototypes lavished it with praise (“a damn fine smartphone”, said Engadget), and noted how Nokia has finally solved its user interface problems that it struggled with for so long on Symbian, But journalists have been quick to point out that all is not well. Nokia first made its plans to create a MeeGo phone public way back in February 2010, in partnership with Intel. Since then, a new CEO has been installed, and a bold new deal with Microsoft has been struck to make Windows Phone Nokia’s smartphone platform of choice. It’s quite clear that Nokia’s N9 is a token effort. Intel was reportedly not told of Espoo’s alliance with Microsoft until it was publicly announced. This week, Nokia showed the device to just a handful of UK journalists, eschewing a larger launch as it often favours. When asked, a Nokia representative would not say where the Nokia N9 would be sold, but an online availability checker suggests it won’t go on sale in the US or the UK. The real tragedy is that it appears to be such spectacular token effort. And yet, with this Nokia Sea Ray “leak”, Nokia is rubbing salt in the wound. First off, the timing is likely deliberate to turn internet chatter away from MeeGo, since it’s clear it doesn’t want to sell MeeGo handsets by the million (or the thousand?). Secondly, the phone’s hardware is almost identical to that of the Nokia N9. It’s as though Elop is saying, “Sure, the N9 is great, but look what we can do with Windows Phone.” Which makes sense, from a business perspective – although Microsoft’s complete disinterest in using Windows Phone on larger devices will stop Nokia from making money selling tablets on the side any time soon, especially since it’s so obviously binned MeeGo. Just don’t think this wasn’t an orchestrated attempt to stab MeeGo in the back. Et tu Brute? Related posts:
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| Nokia N9 availability checker: UK, US and India notably absent Posted: 23 Jun 2011 07:00 AM PDT
A Nokia smartphone launch without the UK is quite a shock. India has been sidelined before with Nokia device launches. Looking back at the Maemo-powered N900, it took ages for the device to launch. The US has also suffered similar setbacks since carrier support it limited and Nokia phones are sold almost exclusively SIM-free. We've got a ways to go before the Q3 2011 launch of the Nokia N9 and these are just a few of questions we'll be looking to answer. What are the odds Nokia would delay the launch of the N9 in the UK, US and India? via Symbian Blog Related posts:
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| Did Stephen Elop just leak a Windows Phone-powered N9 codenamed Sea Ray? Posted: 23 Jun 2011 06:30 AM PDT
Other than a slightly different LED placement on the back of 'Sea Ray', the device is almost a mirror image of the N9 — it even uses the same 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss lens. There is however, a hardware button, presumably for shutter release, along the side.
While we're certainly enthusiastic about the possibility a device similar to the N9 running Windows Phone 7, watching the 55 second clips raises some doubts. Namely, who's hand is holding the phone? Also, the video cuts from Stephen Elop directly to the hands-on demonstration without zooming or panning. We're not sold on the 'Sea Ray' just yet, but if the device is real go ahead and add us to the wait list. via technet.hu | engadget Related posts:
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| Apple scores a capacitive multi-touch patent: touchscreen monopoly incoming? Posted: 23 Jun 2011 05:40 AM PDT
U.S. patent number 7,966,578 reads, "[a] computer-implemented method, for use in conjunction with a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, [that] comprises displaying a portion of page content, including a frame displaying a portion of frame content and also including other content of the page, on the touch screen display.” Anyway you shake it Apple's legal team will have a field day with the newly acquired patent. Florian Mueller, an award-winning intellectual property activist, said "this patent covers a kind of functionality without which it will be hard to build a competitive smartphone. Unless this patent becomes invalidated, it would allow Apple to stifle innovation and bully competitors."
While a royalty to the patent is probable, Apple has another option with devastating implications — it could ban the import of all patent infringing smartphones and tablets in the U.S. If this were the case a court would need to find it in the public interest to void the patent to avoid the monopoly Apple's patent would create. via PCMag Related posts:
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