Archive for June, 2008
You know the drill: open wide and ingest some salt before proceeding further. All done? Alright. The above image is clearly pretending / hoping / wanting to be the supposedly forthcoming Nikon D10, but we’re not so sure what we’re seeing is the real deal. Granted, rumors have been flying that a so-called mid-range full frame DSLR would be surfacing from the company, but even if said unicorn is eventually dubbed the D10, will it really look like this? What say you, eagle-eyed readers?
[Via PhotographyBay]
Who makes a 160GB, 1.8-inch SATA disk spinning at 5400RPM? Nobody, until today. Toshiba just announced the industry’s largest-capacity / fastest 160GB MK1617GSG disk for ultra-portables and netbook-class machines. While others have hit the magical 160GB mark in an 8-mm thick form factor, this is the first 1.8-inch SATA to reach 5400RPM. Oh, and because you’re about to ask: no, it’s too chubby for an iPod classic (where that speed wouldn’t likely be noticed) or ultra-thin laptop like the MacBook Air or Envy 133. Thanks for asking though.
This angry-looking skinned beast is the BMW GINA Light Visionary Model. GINA, which stands for Geometry and Functions in ‘N’ Adaptations — whatever that means — is shelled in a textile fabric wrapped around a carbon fiber and metal frame. This means that the skin and skeleton can bend and contract like, well, real skin and skeleton. For instance, the doors bend up, the headlights are exposed like eyeballs under eyelids, and the hood opens from the center like some sort of gaping maw to expose the engine. Even the interior is skinned and modular: only the dash displays that you need at any item are available via openings. Don’t get too excited, though — this is purely a concept and nothing you’ll see in a showroom any time soon. We can dream, though, right?
Goodnight XT and XTi, hello EOS Rebel XS — we’ve been expecting you. Companion to the more recent XSi new DSLR has a larger 2.5-inch screen 10 megapixel sensor, live view display, 3fps burst shooting, DIGIC III image processor, seven point AF, and a bundled EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. Unfortunately this is only going live in Japan today — we’ll be stuck waiting until next month for the US launch, which will supposedly place it in the $600-800 price range (we know, it’s wide, we’ve got very little to go by right now). One more shot of the rear after the break.
Curvy huh? Obvious now that the iPhone EDGE and the pasty iPhone 3G manufacturing mold can be setup side by side. Injection molded thermoplastic for the win!
Like many, you were probably planning on hanging back, sipping on Bacardi 151, and waiting for your new iPhone 3G to arrive in the mail following a timely pre-order. Unfortunately for your foot-kicked-onto-desk plans, Apple and AT&T have something else in mind. Word on the street is that you will not be able to purchase and / or activate a new device via any other method than in-store, thus doing a full 180 on the way the dream team was doing business last time around. So not only has Apple’s revenue sharing gone into that good night, but it appears the innovative DIY activation that was such a big deal this time last year is shuffling off as well. So what gives guys? And more importantly, why are you making us leave the house? Hear what AT&T reps had to say about it after the break.
“There is no question that many enjoyed the convenience of at-home activation, but we also found that many others wanted to complete purchase and activation in one step so they could walk out of the AT&T store with their iPhone up and running. We have decided to take the latter approach and we think customers will like it. It will be especially helpful if any questions or issues arise during activation. They can be resolved on the spot and in-person.
This is the way our wireless phones have been activated for years and customers have been very happy with it.
And, activation should take just a few minutes.”
Acer’s really, really proud of its P224W. So proud, in fact, that it’s touting the unit as the “world’s first 24-inch Full HD / 16:9 ratio LCD monitor.” Never mind the fact that Gateway slung out a 24-incher with a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution way back in 2006 — we’ll let it think it’s special for awhile, anyway. Onto more specs, you’ll find a 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, touch-sensitive on-screen display and a 2-millisecond gray-to-gray response time. Regrettably, the outfit didn’t bother handing down a release date or price, but it’s not like those tidbits are really critical in the grand scheme of things, right?
[Via Computer Monger]
It has taken long enough, but the US Supreme Court has finally ruled in the patent royalties case between Quanta Computer and LG Electronics. Justice Clarence Thomas noted that “because the exhaustion doctrine applies to method patents and because the license authorizes the sale of components that substantially embody the patents in suit, the sale exhausted all patents,” essentially hammering down any of LG’s lingering hopes to extract additional royalties from Quanta (or anyone else tangled up in a similar situation). Put simply, the court ruled that LG couldn’t solicit more royalties from firms buying LG-provided Intel products, of which Intel had already paid patent royalties on. So much for double dipping in the royalties pool, huh?