Archive for January 24th, 2008

Adesso Cybertablet Z12 - works with Photoshop

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

Adesso has released a new graphics tablet named CybertabletZ12, which has an affordable price of $180 and a good set of features, like the inclusion of different software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0, and Power Presenter RE II.

One of the most important details - the writing area - measures 10 x 6.25, which seems to be good enough for the average computer artist. Since the Cybertablet Z12S can be used for a couple of various tasks, like drawing, sketching, and picture editing, the pen being used must be good, and that is why it features 1024 levels of pressure sensitive - to make it as precise as possible.

- No need for separate power adapter, completely USB powered.
- High resolution, supports up to 1000 lines per inch.

Product Page

Via SlipperyBrick

HammerHead Tac-Strobe Flashlight: for police, military, and emergency raves

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

Posted Jan 24th 2008 5:31PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
It’s not every day you see a company lead off a product feature list with “Intrinsically Safe = No,” but that’s just what the folks at FoxFury have done with their new HammerHead Tac-Strobe Flashlight, and that just about makes it impossible for us to ignore. If that’s not enough to sell you on it, however, you can rest assured that the flashlight also boasts a “highly stylized design,” to say nothing of 320 lumens of brightness (or 4,019 candle power) and a “Turbo-Strobe” feature that promises to be “very disturbing” for anyone looking into the light. All that can be yours right now just under $300, with a weapon mount set to follow for an unspecified price in June.

Western Digital intros 320GB-per-platter 3.5-inch hard drives

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

Posted Jan 24th 2008 3:04PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: StorageIt looks like Western Digital’s hard drives are about to get a good deal denser, with the company now rolling out its first 3.5-inch WD Caviar drives based on 320GB-per-platter technology. That, as the company points out, is the very same areal density seen recently in WD’s 160 GB-per-platter 2.5-inch Scorpio drives, which topped out with a total of 320GB of storage due to the obvious size constraints. While the 3.5-inch drives have plenty more room to grow than their smaller counterparts, Western Digital seems to be starting things out slow, with only a single-platter 320GB drive available at the moment. That’ll apparently be followed by upgrades across WD’s various product lines throughout the year, including drives at “additional capacity points.,” Unfortunately, the company doesn’t seem to be ready to specify exactly what those points may be just yet, although The Inquirer speculates that we should see three-platter 1TB drives from the company before everything is all said and done.

[Via The Inquirer]

Vudu to compete with AppleTV, lowers price 25-percent

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

In what seems like a move to better compete with the newly priced AppleTV, Vudu has just announced a price cut for their video-on-demand box. Originally priced at $399, the box will now be selling for just $295, which is pretty close to the $229 for the 40GB and the $329 for the 160GB AppleTV. Competition is always a good thing, at least this way if the Vudu fails it will not be because of the price.

Good news for those customers who have purchased a Vudu box within the past 30 days, you can get a $100 movie credit by calling 888-554-VUDU(8838) and speaking with a customer service representative.

Read [CNET]

AT&T hands out free hotspot access to broadband customers, ups its bandwidth

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

Posted Jan 24th 2008 2:35PM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Wireless, Networking
AT&T, continuing to be the open, giving, and free-wheeling loony that it is, has decided to bestow cost-free access to its 10,000+ WiFi hotspots (for its broadband subscribers, that is). Effective immediately, if you’re tossing money the company’s way for any high-speed access, you can hop onto wireless networks in retail shops, restaurants, and airports free of charge… provided they’re AT&T networks. We know its a lot to handle, but get this — the telco has also upped the speeds of its U-verse service to a whopping 10 Mbps downstream / 1.5 Mbps upstream configuration, undoubtedly warming the hearts of AT&T subscribers hankering for a little more bandwidth to sustain their ever-increasing ‘net needs. It’s like the holidays all over again.

Read - AT&T To Deliver Free Access To Nation’s Largest Wi-Fi Network
Read - AT&T Boosts Bandwidth Choices and Speed with 10 Mbps Offer for U-verse Customers

The FCC’s 700MHz auction: what you need to know

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

Posted Jan 24th 2008 8:37AM by Chris Ziegler
Filed under: Features, Wireless
We’ll admit, wireless spectrum auctions aren’t the most exciting thing in the world — but as wireless spectrum auctions go, the FCC’s 700MHz auction kicking off today is a doozy. What’s it all about and what does it mean to you? Head on over to Engadget Mobile to find out everything you need to know (and a few things you don’t) about the FCC’s multi-billion dollar spectacular!

More Palm 800w specs leak out, no change in ugliness

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

Posted Jan 24th 2008 10:35AM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Cellphones
For the handful of you left still getting stoked on Palm news, here’s some interesting tidbits for you. The folks over at Treonauts have gotten some “possible” specifications of the Sprint-bound Treo 800w (or as we like to call it, the Gatesnote Palm) and are sharing them with the world. According to the sources, the new Windows Mobile 6-based Palm phone will be Centro-thin, trade the old proprietary HotSync connector for a mini-USB jack, has a dedicated hardware switch for turning WiFi on and off, will sport EV-DO Rev. A, Bluetooth 2.0, as well as 802.11g, and utilizes microSD cards in addition to its 256MB of memory. The article also says that the 2-megapixel camera takes “decent” pictures, and there is an additional 128MB of memory for “something else.” More shocking (and possibly stupid) is that Palm has removed the headphone jack altogether, and users must employ some type of miniUSB contraption or go Bluetooth. Ed, if this is one of those breakthrough devices you mentioned, color us unimpressed.

Navigon 8110 coming soon in Germany

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

Navigon is getting ready to unveil their new GPS in the 8000 series, and it comes with a new version of the Navigon MobileNavigator software, which is version 7.

Version 6 of this software was released about 2 years ago, and version 7 will be featuring voice synthesis, and voice recognition, which whill allow you to save address information. The maps will be displayed in a better 3D reality view, and route calculations will be performed much faster.

Screenwise, the Navigon 8110 will be featuring a wide 4.8 inch touch screen, and it is encased in an aluminum design. Additionally, it comes with integrated Bluetooth for hands-free calling, an FM transmitter, a RDS/TMC receiver for live traffic updates, and a built-in car charger. The processor runs at 533MHz, utilises a graphic accelerator, and 128MB of memory.

A list of all the features are as follows:

  • 4.8-inch screen with 480 X 272 pixels (WQVGA) resolution
  • Integrated GPS receiver
  • 533 MHz processor
  • RDS/TMC receiver for premium traffic information
  • FM Transmitter
  • Hands Free Bluetooth Kit
  • 128 MB RAM
  • 512 MB ROM
  • Navigon MobileNavigator 7 with Navteq maps
  • Dimensions: 13.5×8.5×2.2 cm

The Navigon 8110 will be on sale in Europe for 499 Euros and it will be unveiled at at CeBIT in March in Germany.

Via [NaviGadget]

Israel developing autonomous “digital general”: run, John, run

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

Posted Jan 24th 2008 6:13AM by Evan Blass
Filed under: Misc. GadgetsIsrael is reportedly developing a sophisticated piece of software meant to help troops make quick decisions during battle and, under the right conditions, autonomously manipulate the nation’s defense systems. First reported in Defense News (subscription required), the unnamed system would primarily be used for tactical decisions during periods of heavy bombardment, although in a worst-case scenario, the complex algorithm would supposedly be capable of taking over total military control. Yes, we know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry: Israeli officials have already sworn up and down that “there’s no way we’re letting this thing go Terminator on us — no freakin’ way.”

[Via Danger Room]

Apple halving iPhone projections for quarter?

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

Posted Jan 24th 2008 6:49AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Take this for what it’s worth. After all, DigiTimes’ rumor record has been piss-poor of late. Nevertheless, the widely quoted Taiwanese-tattle rag says that projected iPhone shipments have been reduced from 2 million units to “around 1 - 1.2 million” for the current quarter ending March 2008. This according to Economic Daily News (EDN) sources at component suppliers. Nevertheless, Apple’s own CFO and COO team said on Tuesday that Apple “remains very confident” that they will ship 10 million handsets by the end of 2008 as originally stated — even while projecting a very low (even for Apple) EPS for the March quarter. So who ya going to believe?