Archive for May 18th, 2009

Well, what do you know: it really does exist. Apple’s at last showing off push notifications outside the clutches of Cupertino, with registered iPhone developers getting a special version of the Associated Press app to test out on their super fine iPhones running the latest and greatest iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5. Devs are instructed to let Apple know if they don’t receive notifications from the app within 48 hours, and it sounds like this is an ideal setting to test out the server and make sure everything is humming along nicely before us proles start choking up the network with our inane Twitter noodlings.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Developers get first look at Apple Push Notification service on iPhone OS 3.0 beta originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS is just about ready to push its new thin and light Eee PC 1008HA Seashell netbook into the delicate hands of consumers, and a nice stack of retailers just got the thing for pre-order. There’s currently a $20 drop in the (fairly steep) $430 pricetag for folks who brave the pre-order, and ASUS expects retailers to deliver the white version by around the 27th, with the black version following on the 28th of this month.

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell up for pre-order, early adopters score a $20 discount originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 16:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/New_York_Times_Palm_Pre_to_launch_in_the_first_week_of_June’; Guys, guess what? The Palm Pre is really, seriously, totally coming out, like, super soon. How soon? Well the New York Times, one of the most respected newspapers of our age, claims The Smartphone That Saved Palm (despite their denials) is due in the first week of June, which means the countdown to destruction just got a little shorter. Unless the Times is making stuff up. And let’s be honest — at this point, maybe they are. We can say this, however, the Pre is due, and it’s due soon, and if we don’t see it before WWDC, we’ll be pretty surprised. Our call? We’ve got a sneaking suspicion that all this speculation will be over before you know it. Like, tomorrow.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

New York Times: Palm Pre to launch in the first week of June originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Slim_PS3_update_issues_a_cease_and_desist_to_Engadget’; You know, one of these days, someone at one of these big companies is going to get this right. If you send a cease and desist about “leaked” photos of a supposed device, you’re basically saying, “Hey guys, those pictures are real.” Now, we can’t tell you with 100 percent assurance that that’s the case when it comes to those factory pics of rubber-gloved hands all over an apparently-new PS3 hardware design, but it doesn’t help anyone’s case when a Chinese company sends your Japanese wing a takedown notice. Keep in mind, since this thing isn’t from Sony, we can’t really be sure that it’s the real deal, but we’ll be honest — things are starting to look mighty suspicious. Text of one of the charming messages after the break. We’ll pause for comment now.

Continue reading Slim PS3 update: mysterious Chinese firm issues a cease and desist… to Engadget

Filed under: Gaming

Slim PS3 update: mysterious Chinese firm issues a cease and desist… to Engadget originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We knew it was too good to be true, eternal curmudgeonly pessimists that we are — and sure enough, T-Mobile USA has put the kibosh on the start of its Android 1.5 rollout to G1 users. It seems that the build is still being “optimized” to “ensure optimal functionality and smooth delivery,” which doesn’t necessarily explain why T-Mobile UK users are already enjoying this stuff — but then again, we’re not the engineers and tech support folks that have to put up with the fallout from a failed launch. The carrier thinks everything will be delayed by about a week, which means that we’re now looking at early June before everyone gets it.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

T-Mobile USA delays Android 1.5 rollout by a few days originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Have you got that USB 3.0 cable on your hope chest, just killing time until your SuperSpeed dreams become a reality? Well, that day is almost at hand: NEC has just announced details for the first USB 3.0 controller. The µPD720200 chip is backwards compatible with USB 1.1 and USB 2.0, with the company making samples available this June at $15 a pop (including Windows drivers). Look forward to seeing peripherals hit the streets soon after. Until then? Like the rest of us, you’ll just have to keep on keepin’ on.

[Via Everything USB]

Filed under: Peripherals

NEC Japan announces its SuperSpeed USB 3.0 controller originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not exactly as impressive as a touch panel with unlimited points of input, but this new resistive touch panel with 9-point detection from Touchpanel Laboratories is still a cut above most and, better still, it seems to actually be ready to head into production. Unfortunately, details are otherwise a bit light, but the company does say that they’re able to make panels ranging in size from four to 15 inches. Touchpanel Labs didn’t stop there, however, and also took the opportunity to show off a touchpanel that can be installed on curved surfaces, as well as a touchpanel-based ordering system specifically designed for use in restaurants, which it intends to install in “bars located around the company.”

Filed under: Displays

Touchpanel Laboratories shows off touchscreen with 9-point detection originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been seeing black models of UMID’s mbook M1 since way back when — albeit with a rather eye-burning, white keyboard — though none of the non-white models have ever seemed to be available. Regardless, a black version, with a new, black keyboard has been spotted, and we have to say it’s much-improved, looks-wise. This new version is probably that revised casing we’d heard was on the way after some build-quality issues were reported back in February. There is still no word, sadly, on if or when the M1 will ever head over to the States, but there is one more shot after the break to peek at.

[Via Pocketables]

Continue reading UMID mbook M1 spotted in black, keyboard and all

Filed under: Handhelds

UMID mbook M1 spotted in black, keyboard and all originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re a Kondo KHR-2HV hobbyist and the usual choices for headgear all seem a little too safe, you might want to check out this next item. YouTube user ‘ogutti’ has posted a video of the robot he built using an iPod touch for its control unit and user interface. Details are skint, but apparently the device uses the Robochan app to program and play back the robot’s various movements. At the very least, this thing does have a rather cute animated visage — although it does seem a little too top heavy for any serious tournament fighting. See it in action for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Video: Kondo bot acquires iPod touch headgear

Filed under: Robots

Video: Kondo bot acquires iPod touch headgear originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We got our hands on the Verizon HP Mini 1000 (or, as it’s more properly known in this form, the 1151NR) recently, and we’ve taken the little guy — and its built-in 3G card — for a spin. The Mini itself has a standard enough spec sheet: a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, 1GB of RAM, an 80GB HDD, two USB 2.0 ports, 802.11b/g, SD slot, and Windows XP, and there’s no special Verizon branding to be found anywhere on the unit. We can’t really take issue with the choice of machine, which is a fairly well-loved netbook with generally pretty solid performance. The important thing here, of course, is the addition of the big V’s hardwired 3G. Did we fall in love with it? Does it make sense in the face of products like Verizon’s MiFi 2200 EV-DO router? Will it alter future events forever? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Verizon HP Mini 1151NR hands-on and impressions

Filed under: Laptops

Verizon HP Mini 1151NR hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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