Mary-Jo Foley of All About Microsoft blog got a look at the latest build of Windows 7. The latest build is called the Windows 7 Milestone 3 (Build 6780) and according to Foley, it’s already in the hands of testers outside the company. She was not allowed to take any screenshots of the OS, but she has posted information about the latest Windows OS from the quick glimpse she got.
The latest build is quite stable and Microsoft has adapted Ribbon user interface found in Office 2007 throughout the OS. Even though slight changes have been made to the user interface, Windows 7 does not look or feel like a major departure from Windows Vista. Microsoft has already said that Windows 7 is an improvement to Vista and not a completely new OS.
Foley says that Microsoft has no plans for Milestone 4, next up is preview build that may or may not be distributed to developers. The company plans to launch Beta 1, which should be feature-complete by mid-December. Mary believes that it’s not impossible for Microsoft to hit a 2009 release for Windows 7. It will be a pleasant surprise, if Microsoft can deliver something before the deadline it has set (2010 for Windows 7).

Trapeze Network has posted details about an upcoming WiFi standard that will “green up” wireless LANs. The work on the new IEEE 802.11v standard started in 2004 and is expected to be finished in 2010. The new standard will have features that will drive down the energy consumption of wireless networks. These features include:

According to Matthew Gast, Trapeze Networks’ principal engineer, the 802.11v will have more than just power saving features and will include station management features that will give network performance and new location features that will offer more accuracy for services like RFID and emergency.

Sony has released software update for PlayStation 3 that adds a new channel called Life with PlayStation. The new channel brings news feeds, weather forecasts and live webcams of various places via a world map. Sony has also updated the Folding@Home application for PS3. The new Life channel figures out where you are and automatically jumps to your city based on the clock settings and shows you news pulled from Google News feed and real time weather forecast pulled from Weather Channel. As you move around the globe, both new and weather changes according to what city you are on, and feeds are updated continuously.  In the video above all the new functions are explained. The Update is available for all PS3 owners via PS3 software update menu.

AT&T’s CTO John Donovan revealed at Goldman Sachs Communacopia that iPhone 3G users are using lower data than the carrier expected. Talking about the iPhone he said “we view that as the tip of tremendous customer change in how they consume their content and applications.” He further added that the carrier anticipated a 5X growth in data consumption over the 2G iPhone, but it’s been closer to a 3x jump.
According to John customers’ expectations are growing and AT&T has to increase bandwidth and network capabilities before demand outpaces reliable delivery. He explained that about three years ago video traffic was negligible on AT&T’s network, but today it is over 40 percent and is rising. Donovan mentioned that to meet and keep ahead of the ever rising network demands, AT&T has been updating and improving its 3G infrastructure in areas of high iPhone 3G concentration.
We think, the reason behind lower than expected data usage by iPhone 3G customers is that many new iPhone customers are buying the device because of the hype surrounding it, and are not using the device to its full extend. In fact, we know few people who have downloaded and installed less than 5 apps from the App store and rarely check email using their iPhone. They mostly use the iPhone for its phone and iPod capabilities.
[Via mocoNews]

Apple today announced the Apple Ultracompact USB Power Adapter Exchange program. Apple has determined that under certain conditions then new ultracompact Apple USB power adapters metal prongs can break off and remain in a power outlet, creating risk of electric shock. The power adapters sold in US Japan Canada, Mexico and several Latin American countries may have this problem and should be exchanged for new, redesigned ultracompact adapter.
 If your adapter matches the first adaptor in the image you will need to get it changed. If you have an adapter with a green dot on the bottom, you already have a new, redesigned adapter and do not need to participate in this exchange problem. Apple advises customers with old ultracompact adapter to stop using it immediately and till they exchange it for new redesigned model they should charge their iPhone 3G by connecting it to their computer with the USB cable.
Apple has provided two ways to exchange you current ultracompact Apple USB adapter for a new, redesigned adapter, by placing a replacement order online or exchanging your adapter at an Apple retail store starting on October 10th. You can get more information on Apple’s support website.

Penetration of DDR3 memory modules in laptop market has been relatively low. Nanya technologies wants to change that, and has debuted their new Elixir DDR3 1066 SODIMM memory to support Intel’s Centrino 2 Montevina mobile platform. The new memory modules will be available in 1GB and 2GB configurations. The Elixir DDR3 memory is aimed at notebook enthusiasts’ needing high performance and low power consumption. The module requires 1.5V power, which is 20 percent less than 1.8V required by DDR2 modules. The module uses Nanya’s 70nm DDR3 1Gbit components, which they developed in a joint venture with Qimonda AG. The Elixir DDR3 memory for notebook PCs utilizes WBGA packaging technology and an 8-bit pre-fetch design that supports module bandwidths up to 10.6GB/s. The higher bandwidth provided by new memory will improve notebook performance while keep the power requirement low. Nanya will start shipping the Elixir DD3 1066 SODIMM memory by end of this month.
[Via Digi Times]

Motorola has introduced two new Bluetooth handsets, noise-cancelling MOTOPURE H15 and stylish H780. The Motorola claims that MOTOPURE H15 has the best background noise cancellation performance among all dial-mic Bluetooth headsets. The H15 automatically adjusts volume and noise-cancelling levels as the ambient noise level rises.  The headset has a folding design for easy carrying. The flip design saves battery by switching off the device when the flip is closed. To answer a call you have to open the flip. We already don’t like the flip design because we don’t think it would be easy to use the flip when the headset is in your ear. Anyway we will find out when the headset is launched in October for around $100.
The second headset H780 also features Motorola’s CrystalTalk noise-cancelling technology, but it doesn’t come with the benefit of dual-mic system. The H780 has a small 0.35-inch speaker that fits comfortably into 90 percent of users’ ears. The battery life on the headset is rated for seven hours of talk time. It will also ship in October and Motorola has yet not announced the price.

Today, Apple announced that over 1 million NBC shows have be downloaded since the network came back to iTunes on September 9th. The NBC Universal returned to iTunes store after months of absence due to a dispute over variable pricing. Steve Jobs announced on 9th September in his “Let’s Rock” keynote that NBC is back on iTunes and within 10 days they have sold more than a million shows. According to various reports before NBC left iTunes last year, NBC accounted for around 30 percent of iTunes’ best-selling episodes and season passes. The top selling NBC shows on iTunes were Heroes, The Office and Saturday Night Live (Now also these are the top selling NBC shows). NBC universal accounted for around 40 percent of total revenue TV shows make on iTunes. The one million figure in ten days shows that NBC has again got a good start, we hope that they don’t become greedy and mess it up again.

Microsoft has started phase two or three of their $300 million ad campaign. The new ad starts with a poor imitation of John Hodgman that says, “Hello, I’m a PC, and I’ve been made into a stereotype.” After that various people from different walks of life announce, “I’m a PC”.  Microsoft has released three different versions of the ad online.
Microsoft has said since the ad campaign began last month that all ads are interconnected and one phase of the campaign will led to the other phase. I am not able to understand how the Mojave phase led to Bill Gates and Jerry phase and how that phase led to I’m a PC phase. I don’t see any connection, is Microsoft just throwing money and trying everything possible to get attention.

Palm on Thursday reported their summer quarter’s financial results, which ended in August. The company reported loss of $41.9 million. The year-over-year loss increased by $41 million, which was just $0.8 million for same period last year. Palm blamed more than half the loss ($24.4 million) on increasing stock prices and related compensation, the rest Palm blamed on performance related problems.
Loses have increased even though year-over-year sales have increased by 49% to 1.03 million. Palm’s revenue also climbed 10% to $333.8 million. Palm CEO Ed Colligan said that the company was in middle of a transformation that won’t near completion until the launch of its long-delayed, Linux-based phone in early 2009.
Palm is hoping that the financial results will improve, as the entry-level Centro handset continued to do well. The company has also launched two new Treo smartphones the 800W for Sprint and the HSDPA Treo Pro.
[Via MacNN]

Samsung announced two music centric handsets under Beat series, the first handset M3510 Beat b is candybar cell phone and the second handset M3200 Beat s is a slider phone. The M3510 features a new Motion Play motion sensing control system that allows users to silence the phone by simply turning it face down, or skip to next track by shaking it. The phone comes with 2-inch QVGA LCD screen, 2-megapixel camera, Tri-band GSM/Edge, Bluetooth with A2DP and microSD slot. The M3510 measures 4.3” x 1.8” x 0.4” and weighs 2.4 ounces. It will ship by end of September and the price is yet not known.
The M3200 Beat s comes with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower amplifier and stereo speakers. The specifications of the phone include 2-inch QVGA screen, 2-megapixel camera, tri-band GSM/EDGE, Bluetooth with A2DP and microSD card slot. The phone measures 3.8” x 1.8” x 0.7” and weighs 3.6 ounces. The M3200 also uses the Motion Play system. It will ship in October again with unknown price tag.
[Via MobileBurn]

Memorex has launched a new Blu-ray player MVBD-2510, which is the first Blu-ray player to break the $300 barrier, its just $296. Like most Blu-ray player the MVBD-2510 supports full HD 1080p resolution and DVD up-conversion up to 1080p. The audio formats supported by the player are Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. The disc formats supported by the player include BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD, DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL, CD AND CD-R/-RW.
Though the feature set is not that impressive, this unit can start the price war that is need to make Blu-ray mainstream. By forcing more established players in the Blu-ray market to introduce lower price models. The MVBD-2510 will ship in November, just in time for holiday shopping season. You can get more information about the player from Memorex’s website.

T-Mobile announced that it would expand its 3G network to 21 markets by mid-October. T-Mobile said that its 3G network already covers 13 areas including Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio and San Diego.
The company will add eight new markets to its 3G coverage by mid of October. Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle will benefit from this move. T-Mobile is planning to increase 3G Coverage to 27 markets by end of 2008. The increase in 3G implementation speed is a direct result of the Google Android phone that T-Mobile plans to announce on September 23rd. The new handset is going to compete against the iPhone and will need 3G networks to make use of all its capabilities to the fullest.
The six areas that will get 3G after mid-October are Birmingham, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis and Tampa. Cole Brodman, chief development officer, T-Mobile said, “With the faster data speeds delivered by our 3G network, T-Mobile looks forward to offering mobile products and services that place the full power of the web in our customers’’ hands.” Again pointing towards upcoming T-Mobile Android handset.

LG today revealed that it has started mass production of 17-inch notebook displays with RGB LED backlighting. LG claims that the new displays are truly color-accurate and they will reproduce up to 105 percent of color gamut. That’s 40 percent more than a typical notebook display with fluorescent backlight available today.  The new LCD will have WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution and will boast contrast ratio by at least 30 percent compared to a typical notebook LCD. This will give deeper blacks resulting in more vivid image quality.
The increased color accuracy and better contrast ratio will please AV professionals and gamers. The new display is not only better to look at but is environmentally friendly also. The LED backlight reduces power use and cuts out the use of toxic mercury used in fluorescent backlight. LG says that many customers have already placed order for the new display and LG will also use the display in its own notebooks. One of the customers that buy's 17-inch display from LG is Apple, and it is believed that Apple will introduce updated MacBook Pro very soon. It’s very likely that Apple might incorporate the new display in its professional laptop lineup.
[Via MacNN]

Toshiba today got official about their plans to venture in netbook market by announcing the new NB100 for UK. The NB100 will have 8.9-inch screen with 1024 x 600 resolution, 1.6GHz Atom processor, 0.3-megapixel webcam, 1GB RAM, 120GB hard drive and WiFi b/g. The netbook will come in both Ubuntu and Windows XP flavors. The battery life on both the models is rate at 3 hours 47 minutes. The NB100 will ship in October and will be offered in three colors Cosmic Black, Champagne Gold and Bright Silver. The starting price for the netbook will be £260 that’s around $475.
[Engadget]

DisplaySearch has released their latest report for notebook market share in Q2 2008. Dell continued to rule the North American market with 21.9% market share closely followed by HP with 21.4%. Both companies saw slight increase in year-over-year market share. In comparison Acer the third ranked company saw a drop of 4.2% in year-over-year market share. Acer’s market share went from 18.6% to 14.4% even though it bought Gateway this year. The fourth company on the list Apple rose from 6.6% to 10.6%, displacing last year’s fourth ranked Toshiba to fifth place. The year-over-year surge in market share for Apple was the largest jump for any of the top five companies. If Apple continues at this pace Acer is within striking distance for Apple.
In rest of the world HP continued to top notebook market share for 8th straight quarter. HP market share increased from 18.9% last year to 20.5% this year. Here also Acer, though it was ranked second, saw a drop from 20.9% in Q2 2007 to 17.9% in Q2 2008. Acer bought Gateway and Packard Bell to keep its market share high even though both Gateway and Packard were seeing drop in their market share for past two years. The data clearly shows that Acer might have been able to prevent competitors from getting more of a foothold in rapidly growing notebook market initially, but the acquisition has failed to reverse or even halt that trend. Dell was in the third place with 12.5% market share followed by Toshiba with 11.7% market share and Asus with 5.5% market share. The growth in notebook market came mostly from 13.3” to 16.0” size category.  The desktop replacement and the ultraportable market share continued to shrink.

Kodak today unveiled a high-end wireless OLED photo frame that has 30,000:1 contrast ratio and 180 degrees viewing angle. The 7.6-inch OLED screen has 800 x 480 resolution and supports video playback. The Music support is also built-in, but Kodak hasn’t provided any details about it.
The photo frame supports WiFi b/g that allows it to access images both locally and over the Internet. The frame can pull images from online sources such as Kodak Gallery, Flickr and FrameChannel. The Kodak frame comes with 2GB of onboard storage, which Kodak claims can store about 10,000 images. It can also pull images via memory card slot or USB devices.
The image quality on the screen is way better than any ordinary photo frame available today. As the OLED screen has higher contrast ratio and larger viewing angle the color accuracy of the frame is also very high. OLED is a premium technology that provides great image quality. But, with great quality comes higher price tag and it will set you back by $999. The wireless frame will be available online in November and should start shipping to retailers at the same time.

Canon completed its day of new camera launch with pair of Powershot cameras SD990 IS and SD880 IS. The SD990 IS is a 14.7-megapixel camera with 2.5” LCD screen, 3.7x optical zoom, optical image stabilizer, Digic IV image processor, face detection, motion detection, Servo auto focus and manual control. The camera will ship in October for $399. The second camera SD880 IS is a 10-megapixel camera with almost same features, except it has larger 4x wide-angel optical zoom, bigger 3.0” LCD Screen and doesn’t support manual control. It will also ship in October but will be priced $100 less at $299.

Along with 5D Mark II, Canon also announced three new prosumer digital cameras. The first camera is top of the line PowerShot G10 that comes with a 14.7-megapixel 1/1.7” CCD sensor and Digic IV image processor. Other features on the camera are 3” LCD screen, 5x wide-angle optical zoom, ISO sensitivity of 80 to 1600, image stabilization, motion detection, face recognition and 26 shooting modes. For storage the camera supports SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus and HC MMCplus. The camera allows movies to be captured in resolution up to 640 x 480 at 30 frames per second. The G10 like its predecessor provides full manual control with program AE, shutter priority AE and aperture priority AE. The camera measures 4.29” x 3.07” x 1.81” and weighs 12.34 ounces. The PowerShot G10 will ship in October for $499.

The two new ultra zoom digital cameras that canon added to its PowerShot lineup are SX10 IS and SX1 IS. Both the cameras feature 28-560mm 20X zoom lenses, DIGIC IV processors, improved image stabilization and 10-megapixel sensor. The only difference between the two cameras except the LCD screen size (2.5” for SX10 and 2.8” for SX1) is that the SX1 IS features a CMOS sensor. It’s the first camera in PowerShot line-up to use CMOS sensor allowing it to offer 4.0fps continuous shooting and true 1080p movie capture at 30fps. The SX10 IS will ship in October for $399. Shipping date and price for SX1 IS will be announced later.

German retailer T-Systems has posted an image of what it claims is the MacBook Pro on it website. The image shows a new model of MacBook Pro that Apple has not show or announced. The model has glossy screen with a black border just like the iMac. The surprising thing is that the configuration of the laptop is same as present generation MacBook Pro. The laptop uses the same 2.5GHz or 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM and NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics card. Right now it looks like someone has made a mistake by placing the wrong image for present generation MacBook Pro models. The interesting part of the mistake is that the image is very similar to the rumors that described the upcoming MacBook Pro design changes. The MacBook Pro shown in the image could very likely be the next generation Pro laptop that Apple will launch very soon. We will find out whether the above image is true or not, with in few weeks time, as it is rumored that Apple will launch their new MacBook and MacBook Pro models by mid of October 2008.

Well, after many rumors and Canon’s SLR teaser website (which now shows the complete camera), the company finally announced their successor to 5D today. The new Canon EOS 5D Mark II is based on 21-megapixel full frame CMOS sensor and features 1080p video mode. The specifications for the new camera include new 14-bit Digic IV image processor, 3-inch 920,000 high resolution LCD screen, UDMA memory card support, integrated cleaning system, 3.9 fps continuous shooting, ISO range of 100 to 6400, 9-point auto focus and 6-point assist auto focus.
On the software side canon has improved menu system including Quick Control Screen for more direct access to common settings. The camera also utilizes detailed EF lens information for optimization of JPEG images and automatic peripheral illumination correction. The body of the camera is made with magnesium alloy with additional environmental protection. The 5D Mark II will ship in November 2008 for $2699. DP Review has posted preview of the 5D Mark II with list of key feature and improvements go ahead and check it out.

It is not a secret that Apple’s new iPhone 3G is selling like hot cakes in UK. So, it’s no surprise, that when UK’s Stuff magazine asked its readers to vote for gadget of the year award, iPhone topped its competition, that included PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and B&W Zeppelin iPod speakers. The magazine describes the iPhone 3G as “ a faster, cleverer version of an already remarkable phone”.
“Having our readers vote for a number of the awards has been fascinating,” said Stuff’s Editor Fraser Macdonald. “They are the ones out there on the street buying gadgets and so they are a great barometer.”
The magazine’s editorial staff voted Asus Eee PC as the gadget of the year. The judges said it had made more of an impact than any other device and marked the start of a “laptop for everyone” era.
It has definitely started the laptop for everyone era and that’s very good, but we don’t think it’s a gadget of year kind of device. Basically, Eee PC is a laptop made cheaply with smaller screen. There are no design innovations or usability enhancements that the Eee PC provides. We hope that someday, one of the laptop makers will decide to not follow the suit of Eee PC, and design a new netbook that improves usability for devices that are Eee PC size.
The other winners announced by stuff were Nokia as International brand of the year,  Sony Reader as Innovation of the year, Apple MacBook Air as Design of the year, Grand Theft Auto IV as Game of the year, Ego Electric Street Scoota as Green Gadget of the year and Firebox as Retailer of the year.
[Via Reuters]

Canton, the well-known German speaker maker announced that it has started shipping its flagship reference series 3.2DC floor standing speakers. The speaker’s three-way bass reflex system produces outstanding deep bass response and ceramic dome tweeter manages the higher frequencies. This gives the speaker smooth high frequency response that is linear to 38.5KHz. The low frequency or bass is managed by two 8 and ½ inch aluminum woofers, where as the midrange is managed by 7-inch aluminum midrange driver.
Canton uses its high quality crossover network with its signature “DC” displacement control circuitry to limit uncontrolled driver excursions at infrasonic frequencies. The speaker measures 45.37” x 11.62” x 15.87” and weighs 99 pounds. It available in black, white, silver and cherry wood veneer with a rich piano finish. The speakers are priced $16,000 per pair.
[Via Slash Gear]

HTC today unveiled the HTC Touch 3G and HTC Touch Viva handsets based on it TouchFLO user interface. The OS on the handsets is Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. HTC’s CEO Peter Chou said “The HTC Touch 3G and Touch Viva embody our commitment to build a family of touch phones that are powerful and stylish but also offer something to everyone”.
The Touch 3G is an update to HTC’s original Touch smartphone. It features a 2.8-inch screen, 3.2 megapixel camera, 528MHz Qualcomm processor, 256MB onboard memory, microSD slot, Bluetooth, AGPS, quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band WCDMA/HSPA. The handset measures 4” x 2.1” x 0.57” and weighs 3.38 ounces.  Battery life on the Touch 3G is 360 minutes of talk time and 450 hours standby time on 3G network.
The HTC Touch Viva is aimed at the lower end of the smartphone market. It comes with 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, 2-megapixel camera, 256MB memory, microSD card slot, WiFi b/g, Bluetooth and quad-band GSM/EDGE. The phone weighs 3.88 ounces and measures 4.11” x 2.32” x 0.62”. The battery life on the phone is 480 minutes talk time and 270 hours stand by time. Both the handset will ship in October 2008 in various markets around the world. You can get more information about the handset on HTC’s website.

Crunch Gear is reporting that T-Mobile has sent out invitations for press conference to launch the new Google Android based phone on September 23rd. Today, Wall Street Journal reported that T-Mobile will launch the phone of 23rd September but will ship it in late October. The invite, which looks like mobile phone screen says:

Many details about the new android handset have already emerged through the leaked FCC filling done by HTC. We will find out more about the pricing, software and hardware on 23rd September, unless someone leaks it before the date.

Reuters is reporting that at an event on Monday to showcase recently developed technologies that are not yet being marketed, AT&T said that its consumers will be able to use the phone, computer and TV in more interesting ways. AT&T’s Chief Technology Office John Donovan said, “We’re looking at the whole landscape, of what people use, and what’s out there in the home,” and he further added that some of the services might be launched by end of the year.
Some of the examples that John gave were, consumers will be able to listen to their voice mails on their TV screens, download shows from their digital video recorders onto their iPhones and will be able to navigate channels by using the iPhone as normal remote control.
It is very clear that AT&T want to unit all its services into one package and iPhone might be the first device that would benefits from this approach.

Microsoft today released free Zune 3.0 software update that will allow Zune users to wirelessly stream and download music from Zune market place, tag and purchase songs directly from built-in FM radio and Tap into new, personalized music recommendations and programming. To take full advantage of the new features you will need to be connected to a WiFi hotspot and on the go that can be a problem. To change that Microsoft has partnered up with high-speed (WiFi) Internet access provider Wayport Inc. to deliver Zune users free, wireless access to Zune Marketplace from more than 9,800 participating McDonald’s restaurants across America.
The Zune software update is a free download for all existing Zune users. To use the new features such as Buy from FM, wireless downloads, Zune Channels, picks personal recommendations, games and more, Zune software update can be downloaded from Zune’s website.

HP today updated its TouchSmart all-in-one desktop line-up by adding IQ800, a 25.5-inch model with Blu-ray drive option. The 26-inch touchscreen has 1920 x 1200 resolution for true HD pleasure and the desktop comes with 1080p capable ATSC/NTSC TV tuners. The new desktop comes with ambient light sensor that illuminates the wireless keyboard and adjusts screen brightness based on surroundings.
HP has launched two models for the IQ800 series. The first model IQ804 comes with 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, DVD burner and GeForce 9300M GS graphics card. The second model IQ816 comes with 2.1GHz Penryn based Core 2 Duo processor, Blu-ray combo drive, 750GB hard drive and GeForce 9600M GS video card. Both the models will support WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth is optional. The starting price for the IQ800 series is $1,899 and the IQ804 will ship on 21st September. The higher end model IQ816 will be priced $2,099 and it will ship on 21st October.
[Via Electronista]

Casio has unveiled successor to its EXILIM Pro EX-F1 camera with a smaller body, 9.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, 20x optical zoom and lower price. With the increase in megapixel count the burst speed of the camera has decreased from 60 fps in EX-F1 to 40 fps in EX-FH20. Movie mode frame rate has also dropped from 1200 to 1000. But still it is a very fast camera for just £399 ($715). The other features on the camera include up to 720p video recording, YouTube capture mode, auto focus with contrast detection, 18 scenes modes, face detection, image stabilization, ISO sensitivity range of 64 to 1600, shutter speed of 1 to 1/2000 of a second, 3.0-inch LCD screen and SD/SDHC card slot. The EXILIM EX-FH20 will ship in October.
[Via Slash Gear]

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that T-Mobile’s phone based on Google Android software is coming out on schedule, even though other wireless companies working with Android have delayed their launch. The phone is manufactured by HTC and has been approved by FCC. T-Mobile is expected to announce the phone on September 23 and will ship the device by end of October 2008. There is no information available about the phone’s pricing, but we are sure it will be less the $199 with two-year contract.
Both T-Mobile and HTC expects the sales of the new device to be higher than analysts’ estimates. Most analysts have put the number around 300,000 to 500,000, but HTC expects to ship 600,000 to 700,000 units this year, of the smartphone, dubbed the Dream. Google Android based phone is one of the three most anticipated mobile phones this fall, along with BlackBerry Thunder/Storm and Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1. All three phones are aiming to slowdown iPhones march in the smart phone market. How successful these phones will be only time will tell.

HP today launched their new HDX line of media focused notebooks. HP has introduced two models, 16-inch HDX16 and 18.4-inch HDX18; both laptops will feature a 16:9 aspect ratio display suited for watching movies and gaming. The other features that are aimed towards multimedia are built-in subwoofer, a remote and HDMI port. Each laptop will at least have Intel’s 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo processor and NVIDIA's GeForce 9600M GT graphics card with 256MB video memory.
The 16-inch model will come with 1366 x 768 resolution display, DVD burner and 320GB hard drive. The bigger 18-inch model will come with true HD display with 1920 x 1200 resolution, Blu-ray combo drive option and 500GB of hard drive space through two hard drives. Both the laptops will have 4GB RAM, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth support.
The laptops will ship by September end and will come with a carrying sleeve. The HDX16 will start for $1,299 and the bigger HDX18 will start at $1,549.

Almost, ever notebook vendor today has either entered the netbook market or is planning to join the race. According to Digi Times, Toshiba and Samsung are both planning to enter netbook market in the fourth quarter this year before the holiday season starts.
Toshiba plans to launch an 8.9-inch netbook called Satellite NB105 in the fourth quarter this year. The netbook will be based on Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, 120GB hard drive and Windows XP. On the other hand Samsung will join the race with a 10.2-inch netbook based on Intel Atom processor, 1GB memory, 80GB or 120GB hard drive and Windows XP. Both companies will launch their product in October in Europe/Asia market.
After this launch, only two Apple and Sony, out of the top-10 notebook vendor are left without a netbook on the market. Almost all the netbook on the market are based on Intel Atom processor making the launch of Atom processor very successful for Intel.

New York Times’ Ashlee Vance is reporting that Wei-han Lien, a senior manager of Apple’s chip team has posted on his LinkedIn profile that he is busy at work crafting an ARM processor for the next generation iPhone. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has previously said in an interview that Apple bought PA Semi to work on designing processors for future iPhones and iPods. So, it’s no surprise that one of the top PA Semi engineer is working on ARM processor design for iPhone.
Current generation of the iPhones also use ARM processor made by Samsung. By designing the processor in house, Apple can have more control over features of the new processor and can tune it to work specifically well with the iPhone. PA Semi is known for designing processors with low power consumption and high performance. If their engineers can improve performance of ARM architecture while reducing or keeping the power envelop same, it will give Apple an advantage over its competitors.
Apple can also design chips that integrate various functions that are managed by different chips into one processor. This would result in faster performance, improved battery life and smaller size. Apple’s inception of ARM processor design is an indication that the company doesn’t want to depend on others for advancement of their iPhone lineup. Apple wants to keep innovating to maintain its lead, which it has gained in the past one year.

Inxperia has posted the second part of Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 webcast. The video shows some of the features that will be part of XPERIA X1. It includes XPERIA panel system and video playing ability of the phone. Sony’s product manger talks about how the phone fits both as a business device and an entertainment device by give example of well-tailored suit. Sony and Inxperia will release the complete video on 17th. Go head and watch the second part of the video for now, it is the most extensive coverage of the XPERIA X1 released till now.

Intel launched the latest Dunnington chips in six-core and quad-core models. The chips are designed to be used with high end severs with four or more processors. Intel says the new chips will offer up to 50% performance bump over its predecessor without increasing the power requirements. Much of the improvement is gained from the increased 16MB level 2 cache. The processors are designed to better handle virtual machines and databases.
The top of the line six-core processor will have 2.66GHz clock speed and 130W TDP. A 2.4GHz six-core processor with 90W TDP will have most of the performance of the top of the line processor. Intel will also have a low voltage six-core processor with 2.13GHz clock speed and 65W TDP, it will be suited for rack servers or other thin servers / workstations. All three six-core processors will have 16MB L2 cache.
Along with six-core processors, Intel will also launch four quad-core processors based on Dunnington architecture. The top of the line quad-core processor will have 2.4GHz clock speed, 90W TDP and 16MB L2 cache. There will be three quad-core models with 2.13GHz clock speed. The first will have 12MB L2 cache and 90W power requirement, second will have 8MB L2 cache with 90W power requirement and the last will be a low voltage processor with 12MB L2 cache but only 50W power requirement.
This will be the last batch of processors before Intel moves to Nehalem (Core i7) architecture in fourth quarter of this year. The price for the processors will range from $856 to $2,729 in batches of 1,000.

Apple today quietly released the latest update for its OS. The Mac OS X 10.5.5 update weighs in at 136MB and is available through software update feature.  In the release note Apple says “ The 10.5.5 update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac.”
The applications affected by 10.5.5 update are Address Book, Disk Utility, iCal, Mail, MobileMe and Time Machine. In general it improves power management, processor core idling, indexing performance, device syncing, active directory and graphics. You can get more information about the update and the improvements it brings on Apple’s Website.

Engadget has posted image of internal talking points provided by Verizon to its store reps. The document not only provides talking points but also details about the new device from Blackberry.  According to the document the new touchscreen phone from BlackBerry will be Verizon exclusive only (like the iPhone for AT&T).
It is BlackBerry’s first touch screen phone with highest resolution screen ever used on a RIM device. The phone will have both CDMA and GSM (quad-band) network antenna to support world roaming. It will support EVDO (3G), but there is no information about whether it will support UMTS, which is more prevalent 3G network around the world.
The phone will have an innovative “click” touch screen for smooth, precise text input. When using the keypad on touchscreen a physical feedback will be provided without using a vibration feedback system, giving the user same feel, which they get when pressing the keys on a physical keypad. Like the iPhone, the new Storm will have full HTML browser, media player and Visual Voice mail.  The camera on the phone will be 3.2-megapixel and it will have GPS with VZ Navigator.
Verizon didn’t provide pricing, but said in the document “Ongoing internal communications will provide details as they are made available.” It is believed that Verizon will announce the BlackBerry Storm this month in an effort to slowdown iPhone wave, but the device will ship in November.

In a research note issued today by Citigroup’s Richard Gardner, he said that based on his field checks the shipments of new MacBooks have begun; he says the most distinctive features of the new MacBooks are “very thin aluminum casing, an LED-backlit display and an aggressive entry-level price point.”
In the note he also said that the estimated revenue for September quarter for Apple would be 8.3 billion as a result of robust iPod and Mac shipments. He also estimated that iPhone shipments are running at 1.5x - 2x above consensus. It has been rumored that Apple will launch the completely redesigned MacBooks very soon and this further confirms those rumors. We will surely see the new MacBook before the mid of October 2008.
[Via Barrons]

Mobile Today revealed that Apple and O2 are selling more than 27,000 iPhone 3Gs per week in UK and will sell more than half million by the end of this year. Well that is not making other wireless carriers in UK happy and mobile carrier 3 has slammed Apple’s chosen iPhone carrier by saying that O2’s 3G network doesn’t do justice to the iPhone. As 9to5mac points out there is definitely an element of sour grapes to 3’s claim.
Bernie O’Beirne, 3’s indirect sales director said, “The iPhone is not on the right network, a handset is only as good as its operator.” He further claimed that O2 has the least developed 3G network and went on to question O2’s tariffs. 3 aims to double its UK business but not having iPhone in its arsenal could hamper its growth. Right now, it looks like both Apple and O2 are very happy in each others company and both company’s have already said that O2 will have iPhone exclusive right for coming year. So 3 can just complain about it but they won’t get the iPhone anytime soon.

Canon today launched a SLR teaser website with image of moon and a SLR in shadow. The SLR teaser site is gradually illuminating more of the new model as time passes. On the left side of the image the words “Destined EVOLUTION” are printed, pointing to the fact that the rumored mid-range digital SLR will use a full-frame image sensor. Though no other information is revealed through the website, but it is almost certain that the camera in the image is soon to be released EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR. From the image it looks like the new camera won’t have a pop-up flash, a constraint likely put by the size of a full-frame sensor. Assuming, Canon doesn’t want to let slip much more information about the new camera before official announcement, it can’t illuminate the image much further. This points to the likelihood that the rumors of September 17th launch of the new camera may be true.

HTC has posted the product page for their rumored Touch HD smartphone revealing complete details about the new phone. On the Overview page HTC says “Prepare yourself for the ultimate visual experience. Watch movies, surf the web and take hold of your communication in high-definition, widescreen for mobile. Prepare yourself for Touch in HD.”
The product page includes complete tour, photo gallery and specifications. The Touch HD will come with a 3.8-inch 800 x 480 touch screen (is anything below 720p HD), dual band HSDPA, WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, A-GPS and TouchFLO 3D interface. The phone will have a 5-megapixel autofocus camera in back and a VGA video camera in front. The on-board memory will be just 512MB, but you can use the microSD card slot to increase the memory capacity of the phone. The phone will have battery life of 390 minutes of 3G talktime or 450 hours 3G standby. It will measure 4.5” x 2.47” x 0.47” and weigh 5.164 ounces. You can visit the product page for HTC Touch HD here.

Update: As of now HTC has again removed the product page.

Best Buy and Napster announced on Monday a merger deal in which Best Buy will buy Napster in an all-cash deal. Best Buy will be paying $2.65 per share for full acquisition valued at $121 million. The total value represents $54 million net of approximately $67 million in cash and short-term investments in Napster as of June 30. Napster has 40 employees and for fiscal year that ended in March 2008, it reported a loss of $16.5 million on revenue of $127.5 million.
Napster's music subscription service has around 700,000 subscribers and Best Buy will use both Napster’s technology and its user based to gain traction against record labels, movie studios and hardware makers. Best Buy says that the deal will close in fourth quarter of 2008. Napster CEO Chris Gorog and other senior managers have signed deals with Best Buy that will allow them to retain their positions once the acquisition is completed.
It looks like Best Buy is buying a sinking ship (with the crew that was responsible for the disaster) to keep its online music business afloat. We hope Best Buy keeps it online music business healthy because only competition will bring innovation in online music store market.
[Via CNET]

Leica known for its high-end compact digital cameras today launched three new digital cameras M8.2 Digital Rangefinder, D-Lux 4 and C-Lux 3. The first camera is an update to Leica’s highly successful M8 line-up, the new M8.2 Digital Rangefinder uses the same 10.3 Megapixel CDD 18 x 27mm sensor but has more discreet and rugged design, intuitive features and support for up to 32GB SDHC memory card. The camera is the first ever digital camera to use an ultra scratch-resistant sapphire crystal as cover glass for the camera LCD monitor. It features a new low-vibration metal blade focal plane shutter for quieter and studier shutter operation. The only downside to the new shutter design is that it reduces highest shutter speed from 1/8000 to 1/4000 of a second. The M8.2 also has a new Snapshot mode with automatic shutter speed, auto-iso and auto-white balance. The new bright line frame used in the camera allows more precise framing of shoots at longer distances.
The D-Lux 4 is the second camera that Leica introduced. It comes with a 1/1.63-inch CCD image sensor, high-speed Leica DC Vario-Summicron 5.1-12.8 mm F/2.0-2.8 ASPH lens and a 3-inch LCD monitor with 460,000 pixels. The camera has ISO sensitivity range of 80 to 3200 and supports aspect ratios of 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9.
The last camera that Leica announced is C-Lux 3. It features 1/2.33-inch CCD sensor and a slower Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 4.4-22mm F/2.8-5.9 ASPH lens. The camera also has a smaller 2.5-inch LCD with 230,000 pixels and ISO Sensitivity range of 100 to 1600.
Both D-Lux 4 and C-Lux 3 will come with 10.1-megapixel sensor, 50MB of internal storage, support for SD/SDHC cards and video recording mode that supports 640 x 480, 848 x 480 and 1280 x 720 resolution (up to 720p). All three cameras will ship in October and Leica will announce the prices later.

Mobile Today is reporting that Apple and O2 are selling 27,000 iPhone per week, after a high of 50,000 per week in its first two weeks on sale. The number would give iPhone 4-6% market share of complete handset market not just smartphone market in UK.
To maintain high sales of the iPhone in run-up to Christmas, Apple and O2 will sell iPhone with prepay plans. O2 has announced £350 price tag for 8GB model and £400 for 16GB models along with prepay service. Mobile Today’s source added, “Prepay will undoubtedly give it a lift, but how much is difficult to say in the Christmas run-up.”
If prepay service for iPhone increases an already robust iPhone sales, Apple could capture around 10% of handset market for this Christmas shopping season in UK. This would result in Apple and O2 selling more than half million iPhone 3Gs in UK alone by end of this year.

Speaker designer L. Paul Hales has designed new SCR-12 speakers that will produce concert-level sound in your home. Professional Home Cinema, a company known for their excellent audio products, is manufacturing the speakers.  Each speaker comes with a 12-inch, 1400W woofer with 4-inch voice coil and a 1-inch compression driver on elliptical constant directivity horn (tweeter). The SCR-12 has ear deafening maximum output of greater than 130dB. The size of the speaker is relatively compact compared to amount of punch it produces at just 24” x 15” x 12” only. The new speaker will work perfectly with PHC’s amplifiers. You can see from the specs that these speakers won’t come cheap, each speaker will cost you $4,000. You can get the complete 5.1 system for around $30,000. To get more information about the SCR-12 speaker and amplifiers that will work great with these speakers visit Professional Home Cinema’s website. While, you are on their website you can see other very capable speakers that the company produces.

Toshiba announced two new 1.8-inch hard drives with capacities up to 240GB, making the new drives the highest capacity 1.8-inch hard drives available today. The MKxx31GAL series hard drives will be available in 120GB single platter configuration and 240GB dual-platter configuration. The drives will use Parallel ATA interface for data transfer. They are made using the fourth-generation of perpendicular magnetic recording technology, giving the drives unmatched data density. While, increasing the data capacity, Toshiba has also decreased energy requirements for the drives to run, making the new drive more environmentally friendly. Toshiba has started shipping the drives and they should appear in PMPs and netbooks by this holiday season.