GadgetNutz » Rumors

New Nokia slider with optical zoom: N98 or N96 maybe?

Devin — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 10:48:51 +0000

If the N93 would have a kid with the N95 this would probably be the result. Rather detailed drawings have popped up of a very interesting slider equipped with what looks like a lens barrel to house the optical zooming mechanism and just like the N90 the entire lens barrel is rotatable. On top of that there seems to be a retractable flash assembly, which is able to be hidden into the body of the phone. A mystery still is what this phone would be called if they would actually release it. Is it a 6, 7 or even an 8 Megapixel device? As the article states, I don’t think I have ever seen such a detailed drawing of a device: Up till now I have seen either pictures of the actual device or some drawing showing just the details of the patent. With Nokia World just around the corner this just might be something that sees the light this week. As always take these things with grain of salt. I hope the patent gods make this happen ASAP Source: Unwiredview

Written by Devin

No @# Sherlock

Gary — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:27:43 +0000

The first glimpse of a new product from Palm, Inc. has emerged. Well…Maybe.

Today, Engadget leaked what might be a roadmap for Sprint’s entire product line for 2007. There are model numbers from various manufacturers and not much else – but it does give some hints about upcoming models.
One thing that stuck out was a new offering from Palm called: ‘Palm Sherlock’. Unfortunately, beyond its listed release date of June, there’s no additional information.

Is This Jeff Hawkins’ secret Project?

Over the past year or so, Jeff Hawkins, Palm’s co-founder, has made several references to his company’s plans to create a mysterious third product category that’s neither a handheld or smartphone.

Not surprisingly, Engadget’s article has created speculation that the Sherlock will be this device. What it exactly is…we just don’t know.

Of course, it’s also entirely possible that this device, if real, will simply be an updated version of one of Palm’s current smartphones, especially as this information is supposedly coming from a wireless carrier.

Stay tuned and we will try to get the full @*#* on the Sherlock.

Hints and Suggestions

Last year, Hawkings had an interview with the Portland Business Journal, all Hawkins would say was:

‘I always think of mobile computing as personal computing. This long-term vision has led us through everything — first the organizers and now through the smart phone space. It’s like everything a personal computer is. Continue down that path. What are the implications of a world where everyone has a super high-speed Internet connection in their pocket and many gigabytes of storage, super-fast processors, audio, visual and multimedia? What are the consequences of that? How will that change computing when you have all that stuff available to you all the time? I try to think into the future. That’s how we come up with new products. So I’m not going to tell you what it is, but it’s following the consequences of mobile computing.’

Hopefully, we won’t have to wait until June to find out what ‘Sherlock‘ really is.

Link to Engadget

Written by Gary

Dismal PS3 Launch Forces Sony to Discard Blu Ray

Editor — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 12:56:28 +0000

GadgetNutz’s storybreaking reporter, The Bandito, has uncovered a developing story concerning Sony via his network of industry insiders around the Sony camp.

On the heels of various industry reports of the lackluster sales of Sony’s new Playstation 3 console up to, during, and beyond the Christmas season, it’s no wonder that Sony feels internal pressure to alter it’s course to more profitable waters Obviously, the number one deficit of the new electronic entertainment device is the sheer number of newly introduced technologies, each with it’s own seemingly continuous chain of production pitfalls This same collection of newly deployed technologies directly impacts the pricing, further straining the retail sales of the Playstation 3 Considering that HDDVD technology is moving towards a broader market of consumers, Blu Ray is taking a considerable hit regardless of the Playstation branding.
One doesn’t have to pay close attention, or even take a second glance, to see that Sony, as a large corporation, has dropped the ball in it’s own court It has been reported time and time again that Sony has been facing financial difficulties, having to lay off workers, close plants, and refocus parts of their business What only a few expected, Playstation 3 sales failed to match even the reduced supply during this holiday season The affect of this has rippled through the major electronics retailers, creating a need to ship stock from store to store, and further impacting what profit margins retailers expected to see from the launch of a major new platform The slick new Nintendo Wii and the powerhouse Microsoft XBox 360 managed to dominate the market, taking full advantage of the price differential, supply problems, and even the imagination of the consumer market The season, in reality, isn’t even over, and there is already a new captain at the helm, an almost unprecedented event indicating changes to come.

At a cost of over two hundred dollars per drive, the Blu Ray is the force behind the massive cost of the Sony Playstation 3. It is speculated that Sony is bleeding some three hundred bucks per unit, and continues the wild trend of manufacturers losing cash on the console in expectations to get their money back on the software. However, with a scant dozen titles or so, Sony holds little hope of a quick turn around in their fortunes From it’s core, the powerful Cell processor,with it’s poor production yields, has added pitfalls to it’s on rollout that is compounded by the difficulty in mass producing the Blu Ray in the Playstation 3 The tremendous cost of product, let alone support and delivery costs, may have been a factor in the recent executive level staff changes, but that change (of executives) has pushed the importance of other changes up the ladder of importance.

Sony is rumored to be making drastic changes to recapture the market before losing even more of it’s command share to the likes of Nintendo (the success story of the holiday season) or the XBox 360 (still suffering in the land of the rising sun, but gaining momentum everywhere else). In a move that one source says is ‘aimed at family pricing,’ Sony is rumored to be working on a Playstation 3 that does not include the Blu Ray drive Whether this will result in the current low-end model having a change, or a newer ‘entry level’ Playstation 3, remains to be seen However, this is in stark contrast to their previous, egocentric, statements regarding ‘what kind of consumer’* will be looking at the Playstation 3.

To further fuel the fire, Toshiba has been reported to be getting ready to announce at CES (The Consumer Electronics Show) a new HDDVD player in the sub-two hundred dollar range If these reports hold to be true, Sony’s Blu Ray hopes may be dashed in even more markets than just that of the video-game arena The steep pricing of Blu Ray players already make the Playstation 3 the entry level model, and Toshiba may have just put the nail in the coffin of this format This holiday season was Sony’s chance to leap ahead of the HDDVD format, establishing Blu Ray in the consumer market.

Supply problems alone would have likely created problems with Sony’s hopes about Blu Ray, but with lackluster sales it is nearly a forgone conclusion This puts Sony in a terrible position of not only trying to turn their ship around, but if they aren’t careful–it could very well sink A Playstation 3 without Blu Ray technology may save the Playstation from the fate previously seen by Sega’s Saturn, but it will be the death nail in the Blu Ray coffin.

*For original quote, see Previous Article

Written by Bandito

Nokia World 2006: Is the rumored E61i/62i here?

Devin — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 11:58:07 +0000

With the Nokia World 2006 event coming up, rumors and in this case even pictures have hit the net. The Nokia World 2006 event will be held on November 29-30 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We are expecting new models to the E-series including E90, E65 and the E61i/E62i. Other possible models are the rumored N76 (thin clam shell), N81 music phone and the revised N93i phone. The detail about these phones is still scarce, but some pictures have appeared in forums regarding the rumored E61i or E62i. It was rumored that the replacement for the popular E61/62 would include a built-in camera, and these pictures seem to prove this. We will have more on the upcoming Nokia World event and will report the info as it comes in. In the mean time have a look at these E6Xi pictures and judge for yourself.

Written by Devin

Wii Want More

Editor — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 12:30:11 +0000

As a precursor to launching a platform, one generally only has to look at the pre-order numbers from any given chain of game stores to get an indication of how successful that platform may become. How successful could the Nintendo Wii be when the pre-order totals amount to zero,at the biggest chain of said stores, only 44 days until launch? VERY. Considering that in the U.S., the gamestore chains live and breathe by pre-orders, the Wii should have been opened up for pre-orders nearly two months ago. They haven’t. So what happened?

The simple answer, Gamestop/EBGames is looking for a larger number of units. Preordering of the Nintendo Wii is on ‘hold’ until such time as they have finalized negotiations. While this is not an unprecidented act by any means; it is highly unusual so close to an official launch date.

I, The Great Bandito, have conferred with several undisclosed representatives of Gamestop/EBGames to learn that the number of units requested by this chain have increased several times. Unfortunately, those same sources refused, or did not know, the actual numbers. Fear not, our friends with Wii-Fever, Gamestop/EBGames promises to open their preorder lists as soon as their number of on-hand units have been finalized.

Considering the price differentation between Nintendo’s Wii and any other new console, it’s no wonder that Gamestop reps say, ‘Wii wanna stock up!’

Written by Bandito

Science to make a nano-shmata

Cecilia — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 17:26:56 +0000

Cornell University has a group called “Fiber Science and Apparel Design” and the people working there are busy developing what I refer to as a nano-shmata.

Imagine that you are about to fix up dinner and want to make sure the area is clean. Take a specially designed napkin that has been mixed with nanofibers. These super-nanos are sensitive to a specific substance. In this case, (in preparation for food), the napkin is looking for e-coli. Wipe the table with the napkin and if the nasty germs are on the preparation area the nanofibers will change color. This alerts you to blowtorch the affected area. Well, some disinfectant will probably do the job.

If you happen to work at the Post Office in America having some nano-shmatas that would locate anthrax sure might be nice. The user could be very thorough about clearing an area of a specific biohazard by rubbing it with a new napkin until no nasty stuff appears. It may be possible to make everyone’s home a “white room”. I KNOW my mother would love this!

Written by Cecilia

Philips messageboard concept – keepin In Touch

Cecilia — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 09:06:32 +0000

At the moment this is just a crazy idea over at Philips but it has some merit. They are selling this LCD message board for use by families, but I think it may be better for a large office, hospital or other work environments where people move around. To me it sounds like a really big communal phone. Shaped like a big flat screen on the wall.

Well, the way it’s supposed to work is that everyone in the family (or office) has their picture scattered around the screen. If you want to leave a message for person X, touch their thumbnail with your finger and speak your audio message. If you need to write or draw the message use a stylus. You can record a video message of yourself standing in front of the LCD. Now any message can be stored in the board for all and any to see when they visit the ‘In Touch’ board, or you can send it to any and all members. You can also send MMS or SMS messages. See, I was right, this is a really big flat phone used by everybody. Unless you are The Jetsons I don’t see most familes running out to get this. But I do think this could work very nicely in certain businesses.

Written by Cecilia

Telephone History and the Onyx Project

Cecilia — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 13:54:26 +0000

Over the last century the way people think about phones and how they use them in their daily life has gone through some very interesting changes. Even in my own lifetime I can see this. Before I was born in the early 1900′s when Telephones were just becoming a common device in peoples homes the user would lift the speaker from it’s hook and place this against their ear while talking into the part shaped like a curved tube. People would say they were, “Getting on the Horn” – an Idiom which seems about 100 years old as near as I can find. During the 1920′s and 30′s – and maybe earlier as it seems to be an expression from England later used in American gangster films – people would “Get on the Blower”. I love how terms for devices get inserted into daily vocabulary.

I grew up with a black telephone from the 50′s because that’s when my family bought that house. The phone was in the foyer hallway – in an honored place sitting on it’s own special little table. And the rotary dial was metal. I can still remember the sound as it spun around. It had a real solid, heavy metallic swoosh. Almost like a knife being sharpened with a stone. My Grandmother would “threaten” to call the police if I and my brother (upstairs in our bedroom) wouldn’t fall asleep like we were supposed to. I couldn’t see her, of course, but I knew she was holding down the buttons – preventing a call from being engaged as she turned the dial. I could hear that deadly swoosh. I knew she was getting pissed off and certainly much more dangerous than any police. So we stopped talking and went to sleep. Ah, the fond memories of my youth!

I don’t recall when a phone was installed upstairs but it was a wall phone and placed in the hallway. Imagine that. You actually had to GO to the phone to get calls. And I was a very boring teenager. I hardly ever used the phone. Some of that is probably because my Grandmother reminded us all that PHONES ARE FOR ADULT BUSINESS. Well, I was a bit inhibited about using phones for a long time, but I think I got over that. When I moved into my first apt I installed phone wiring all over the place in order to have phones in several of the rooms. Unlike the black phone I grew up with the phones in my apt had modular plugs and could be inserted in any room that had a plug.

And then came cell phones. Notice the progression here. You used to GO TO the phone to use it, now it COMES with you. And the differences are more subtle than that. Because phones do more than let you talk to people the design and GUI have evolved past a box with a “horn”. Everyone familiar with cell phones knows how to use it almost out of the box. At this point in cell phone history we all expect interfaces with menus, windows, key presses and so on. But even this is about to be surpassed.

The New Cell Phone Interface

Synaptics and Pilotfish have collaborated in developing what they call the “Next Generation Mobile Phone Concept”. Synaptics invented a “ClearPad” which is a high resolution capacitive touch screen. Because it’s thin and solid state, it can be curved. There’s the potential for some Very interesting designs!

Using this pad on a device means No Buttons necessary! The pad is sensitive enough for finger input, gestures (!), sensing shapes, and even text entry. I’ll have to see how THAT works. I like the idea that putting your cell phone against your face will Answer the phone or make a call. You’ll be able to assign gestures or finger taps to certain functions. What I like about this concept is that how you use your device becomes completely personal. The system responds to Your desires, your requirements, your needs. As I see it because this GUI is software you may be able to upgrade your device easily. No more complaining about the buttons being too small for big fingers. Software means scaling of any hot spots to accommodate any size finger or body part. The mind boggles!

Apparently the prototype phone can have more than one application open at once. This sounds very “Amiga-like” – for those of us who remember that clever multitasking machine. I love this idea because I’ll be able to copy info from one application into another easily. There’s been times when I wished I could copy a link found in OperaMini into my Contacts list, for example. Not being able to multitask feels clumsy and annoying, especially for those of us who have been spoiled. Cellphones are portable computers and should act like accordingly. This “ClearPad” is a step in the right direction.

Written by Cecilia

I spy with my little eye – Google Vision!

Cecilia — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 13:30:22 +0000

This idea isn’t out yet but UK designer Callum Peden thinks it’s swell and it certainly sounds very clever. Say you are walking around town and you spot a really interesting Art Deco building and want to know about it and what’s around it. The device has a camera and you take a picture of the building. This gets sent to Google in addition to your GPS location. You open the devices’ retractable flexible screen and Google sends you back info on the object you photographed. Google provides the info you want in the way that Google does best. This is a great way to have Google Maps and a large collection of information in one handy, portable device.

It’s an idea still in development – possibly a few years yet to go. But we already have devices that use GPS, WiFi, cameras, google access and even the flexible screen is being developed by various companies that are invested in cell phone technology.

Just imagine the possibilities! I can see groups of people taking virtual tours of each others’ cities at the same time. And that sounds like a story Larry Niven would write! Virtual tours while vacationing. Google Parties in which people play a kind of “where’s waldo” with each other. The mind boggles!

Written by Cecilia

Newest Treo rumors flying around web

Gary — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 09:28:14 +0000

The Internet rumor mill has been abuzz with rumors of two new Treos coming this fall.

By all accounts, Cingular will be the first carrier – meaning these babies will be GSM units and EDGE compatible.

The ‘Spy’ shots found are courtesy of www.palmforums.org The two new units are Codenamed ‘Nitro’ and ‘Lennon,’ (I kind of hope they change ‘Nitro’ to ‘Harrison’ for some dead Beatle symmetry.) These new Treos seem to be an evolution of the Treo formfactor – most significantly noted is that there is no external antenna.

According to the article on Engadget, the Treo Lennon is listed as having UMTS and Class 10 EDGE, a 1.3 megapixel digital camera, WiFi (built-in, one can only hope), and sports Windows Mobile 5.0 with MSFP. There are not quite as many details about the Treo Nitro, but it is listed as having a 1.3 megapixel digital camera and appears to be running the Palm OS.

So, we get a high end unit with Windows Mobile and Wi-fi and a low end unit with no Wi-fi and Palm OS. Which one are you waiting for? We will let you know as soon as we have more details. A review of the specs (as far as we know) are below:

Treo Lennon

* Windows Mobile 5.0
* Microsoft MSFP ‘Push’ Email
* GSM, UMTS, Class 10 EDGE
* Built-in Wi-Fi
* 1.3 MPx camera
* No external antenna

Treo Nitro (Hopefully changed to ‘Harrison’)

* Palm OS
* GSM,
* 1.3 MPx camera

Pictures are from www.palmforums.org

Written by Gary

Oh, Solar Mia!

Cecilia — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 10:56:16 +0000

I love singing the praises of using “alternative” energy. I love efficiency and clever use of natural resources. And, of course, I love gadgets. So, when my eyes fell on this “Solar Lampion” I was immediately fascinated. Damian O’Sullivan is a Dutch designer who makes all sorts of artistic furniture and household objects. Now, I think we’ve all seen various sorts of gadgets using solar power. Some of them are practical, some are toys, some are very silly. But I think this is the first time I’ve seen one that’s a work of art.

To make this Lampion Mr. O’Sullivan took 36 solar panels and arranged them into something inspired from Japanese origami. While the look is beautiful, the guts hold a rechargeable battery and each solar panel powers an LED bulb. Leave it outside while the sun makes its way across the sky. At the end of the day you have a lamp to light your way in and out of your domain. You’ll be walking around like Diogenes.

Check Damian O’Sullivan’s site for when this Lamp is available.

Written by Cecilia

The Treo 700 p is Here (we think)

Gary — Mon, 15 May 2006 06:52:25 +0000

Engadget broke the big story on their web site today – which seems to have originated as a Palm leak to a techworld reporter.

Sounds way too much like a soap opera – but the important thing is that the Palm 700p is to be announced later today. Here are the official details:The l the 700p (like the 700w) features EV-DO, 312MHz Xscale CPU, 128MB flash memory (60MB usable), 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and SDIO. Unlike the 700w, however, it works it with the same 320 x 320 resolution screen as the 650 (which Windows Mobile 5.0 can’t match) and runs on Palm’s OS without any major updates from the previous version.

No ‘official’ pricing or news on availability – we will let you know when we know more.

Just in….The 700 P is on the Palm website Here is the online brochure: Treo700p_ds.pdf and here is the flash demo.

Netiher Sprint or Verizon is showing the device on their websites.

Written by Gary

GadgetNutz » Rumors

New Nokia slider with optical zoom: N98 or N96 maybe?

No @*#* Sherlock

Dismal PS3 Launch Forces Sony to Discard Blu Ray

Nokia World 2006: Is the rumored E61i/62i here?

Wii Want More

Science to make a nano-shmata

Philips messageboard concept – keepin In Touch

Telephone History and the Onyx Project

I spy with my little eye – Google Vision!

Newest Treo rumors flying around web

Oh, Solar Mia!

The Treo 700 p is Here (we think)

No @# Sherlock