Eclectic Electronics

Posted: 21 Apr 2009 04:30 PM PDT

Nokia 8208 (Multimedia Slide Open)

The Nokia 8208 (CDMA) is originally intended for the Chinese and Indian market, but word has it that FCC has recently approved the device.

This means that the Nokia 8208 might be hitting Amreican soil soon.

The Nokia 8208 has the following features:

a smooth, dual-slide form factor (just like the N95)
MP3 music player
3 megapixel camera
dedicated music buttons (up to 20 continuous hours music playback)
external memory card slot supporting up to 16GB
3G connectivity

Nokia’s official press release can be found here.

[via Camera Phones Plaza]

Adobe Flash Player being developed for other home electronics

Posted: 21 Apr 2009 02:30 PM PDT

The move to develop Adobe Flash for other home electronics such as Blu-ray players, televisions and set top boxes, aims to allow access to Flash-based content through electronics other than desktop and laptop computers.

More and more electronics are having the option of internet connectivity. We’ve seen YouTube being integrated into the iPhone and Windows Mobile devices. Now it’s time for the big guys to play.

Adobe has partnered with major companies such as Netflix, Disney and the New York Times. Flash Platform for the Digital Home devices are expected to start appearing on the market on the second half of 2009.

[via Radio Netherlands Worldwide and FlashDen]

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Dell Studio 15 gets updated

Posted: 21 Apr 2009 01:30 PM PDT

Dell Studio 15 Laptop Computer

Dell is doing the smart thing to lengthen the selling span of their Studio series laptop/notebook computers. The Studio 15 has been around for almost a year. Dell is introducing upgrades that make the Studio 15 up to par with current generation notebook computers.

The Dell Studio 15 notebook gets updated with the following options:

Energy efficient and mercury-free 15.6-inch 16:9 LED display options in HD resolution (720p/900p/1080p). These backlit LED displays also support excellent color reproduction for photos and movies.
Optional 256 or 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics to take on the more graphics-intensive applications, like playing games, decoding video, video chats, etc.
5.1 channel audio with a 3-watt subwoofer
dual headphone jacks so you can share your movies and music with a friend
optional slot-load Blu-ray disc drive

With the Studio 15 from Dell, you don’t have to be stuck with a single color choice, you can choose from a wide array of colors: Ruby Red, Midnight Blue, Plum Purple, Spring Green, Promise Pink (generates a $5 donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.) and Black Chainlink. You can also custom design via a Design Studio option, which will allow you to select from a multitude of decal designs.

To start customizing a Dell Studio 15 laptop, click this! Prices start at $649.

[via Direct2Dell]

Blu-ray manufacturing outsourced to China, in an attempt lower prices?

Posted: 21 Apr 2009 12:30 PM PDT

In an attempt to lower Blu-ray player prices for the 2009 holiday season, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has reached out to Chinese manufacturers.

This means that we might possibly see Blu-ray players priced at $99 instead of the usual $200+ price point for a basic, well-branded player. Blu-ray players last year went for as low as $128 during Black Friday.

It might be quite a while before major brands (Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, etc.) enter the projected $99 price point for China-manufactured Blu-ray players.

Will this move by the BDA actually convince more people to migrate their DVD collections to Blu-ray? Possibly. Now bring down those Blu-ray media prices to DVD levels, pour out more catalog titles and we’re all set!

[via Blu-ray.com]

Sharp Mebius PC-NJ70A netbook with touchscreen touchpad

Posted: 21 Apr 2009 10:30 AM PDT

Sharp is revolutionizing the netbook industry by introducing the first-ever netbook with a touchscreen touchpad. Will developers adapt? We’ll see.

Housed inside the Sharp Mebius PC-NJ70A netbook are Intel's Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM (2GB maximum), a 160GB hard-drive and 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display utilizing Intel’s 945GSE Express chipset. Connectivity options include three USB 2.0 ports, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and memory card reader, plus an ethernet jack, VGA and audio inputs/outputs.

The touchscreen touchpad of the Sharp Mebius PC-NJ70A netbook has an astounding 854 x 480 screen resolution which could probably rival some first generation netbook displays.

The touchscreen can function as a game controller, though I’m not entirely sure if software has to be specifically designed for dual screens, I mean… How often do you see that being used today? Other than the Nintendo DS/DSi, not much. It also has an ambient light sensor and has a stylus included on the lefthand side of the netbook.

Besides functioning as a game controller, it can also serve as an area to play videos (but who would want to watch on a smaller screen?), or for handwriting recognition (now that makes sense!).

This one of a kind netbook (as of now, others might follow suit), will be available in Japan sometime in May 2009 for around ¥80,000 or approximately $815 USD.

Shown below are a number of videos show casing the Sharp Mebius PC-NJ70A:

[via TechTicker]

HTC Touch Pro now available on US Cellular

Posted: 21 Apr 2009 08:30 AM PDT

While the rest of the world is waiting for the HTC Touch Pro2, US Cellular is launching the HTC Touch Pro today. Talk about being late for the party!

Note that the image shown is the GSM version of the handset, I believe the CDMA version which US Cellular carries sports more curves on the corners. Functionality-wise, they’re pretty much the same.

The main selling point of the HTC Touch Pro compared to other Windows Mobile devices is its five-row QWERTY keyboard. Other handsets usually require a function key in order to be able to type numbers using the QWERTY, but the HTC Touch Pro has a dedicated row for that. Sweet!

The HTC Touch Pro is available on US Cellular for $249.99 (with a two-year contract) after a $70 mail-in rebate.

Don’t hold your breath about US Cellular releasing the HTC Touch Pro2 anytime soon!

[via PhoneArena]

T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 gets unboxed?

Posted: 21 Apr 2009 07:00 AM PDT

I wonder why T-Mobile entitled this video as Unboxing the new T-Mobile Sidekick LX, when in fact it shows almost nothing about the contents inside the box of the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009.

They even forgot to put 2009. Didn’t they realize they already released a Sidekick LX a few years back?

Gadget freaks, replace your car lighter with the Belkin Micro Auto Charger

Posted: 21 Apr 2009 05:30 AM PDT

Belkin has come up with something that can virtually replace your vehicle’s cigarette lighter (if you don’t use it).

Very useful, especially if you’re a non-smoker and would rather use it to charge your gadgets and electronics instead. A great alternative compared to using a bulky inverter.

The Belkin Micro Auto Charger features a 1A charging port (which means it charges things quite fast). The product looks aesthetically pleasing. It would undoubtedly blend nicely with any car and according to Belkin, the design is quite flush with the dashboard.

Priced at $14.99 (model #F8Z445, without the iPod charge/sync cable) or $19.99 (model #F8Z446 with the iPod charge/sync cable), the Belkin Micro Auto Charger is set to be available sometime next month.

Belkin already has one with dual ports, called the Belkin Dual Auto Charger, but it looks pretty unpleasant (see below) and retails for $29.99. The dual version is already available and features 1A and 500mA charging ports.

Both Belkin car USB charging products will work with USB devices other than the iPhone and iPod.

[via TechWhack]

Belkin employee paying off to write positive reviews on Amazon

Sony Ericsson loses huge amounts of money for the 1st quarter of 2009

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 06:00 PM PDT

Sony Ericsson is posting a huge 1st quarter 2009 loss of 36%.

Sony Ericsson is announcing its third straight quarterly loss. This time, in the amount of €358 million pre-tax (approximately $461 million USD). Analysts and Sony Ericsson itself predict that it will eventually be able to get out of its economic slump.

The company plans cutting down approximately €400 million (approximately $516 million USD) in expenses, which will also result in cutting 2,000 people from their jobs.

All is not lost (as of now), Sony Ericsson will be introducing the first of many Entertainment Unlimited phones this year, starting with the Idou which sports a 12 megapixel shooter. The Entertainment Unlimited lineup merges Cyber-Shot and Walkman features into a single device.

While Sony Ericsson lost around 36%, Nokia lost a huge 90%!

[via Sony Ericsson Fanboy and The Boy Genius Report]

Racing game running on Palm OS Classic emulator for Palm Pre

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 06:00 PM PDT

The video below shows how the Palm OS Classic emulator runs on the Palm Pre. When the emulator is run, the standard buttons of a Palm PDA appears onscreen. That certainly lessens the real estate of the screen but that’s how the original Palm PDA’s were made.

Instead of running a simple, non-graphically intensive game, the demo person decided to show off a 3D racing game and the Palm OS Classic emulator running on the Palm Pre seemed to have handled it without breaking a sweat.

Never mind how she played the game, what’s important is the Palm OS Classic emulator seems to be at a pretty good state right now. The Palm Pre, may very well be Palm’s ticket to redemption in the mobile phone industry.

As with the Palm Pre, no concrete date and pricing has been announced for the Palm OS Classic emulator.

For a detailed Q & A on the Palm OS Classic emulator, go here.

[via MotionApps and MobileCrunch]