FocuSoft Tech Blog |
- Design your own Kindle (and win it) with Engadget, Amazon, and Adafruit Industries!
- BlackBerry Storm 2 dummy unit appears in Verizon systems
- Microsoft confirms Windows 7 RC upgrade rules
- eMachines EZ1601-01 all-in-one: N270 in a desktop casing
- ioSafe Solo Review – Rugged Disaster Proof External Hard Drive
- Rock delivers BD / Core i7-equipped Xtreme 790 and Xtreme 840 gaming laptops
- Google Eases The Switch From Lotus Notes To Google Apps
- Samsung PL70 and PL55 bring 12 megapixels to the unwashed masses
- WooAudio WES Electrostatic AMP reviewed: superlative sound
- Fonera 2.0n available – adds media sharing, shared storage
| Design your own Kindle (and win it) with Engadget, Amazon, and Adafruit Industries! Posted: 14 Jul 2009 10:00 AM PDT
Here’s the deal: we’re asking you to think of a design that would look great on the Kindle’s brushed metal back — something that means a lot to you, something that’ll make passers-by drool with envy when you casually hold up your new toy while reading The Economist from the comfort of your train, plane, or bus seat. Draft up that design (seriously, make sure it’s awesome, because you’ll be facing some stiff competition) and send it to us. We’ll post some of our favorites and hand the reigns over to you — our dear readers — to select five finalists who will have their designs laser-etched into reality on the backs of their very own Kindles! The rules:
Filed under: Announcements, Handhelds Design your own Kindle (and win it) with Engadget, Amazon, and Adafruit Industries! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| BlackBerry Storm 2 dummy unit appears in Verizon systems Posted: 14 Jul 2009 09:44 AM PDT
 Looks like RIM and Verizon are getting things in place for the Storm 2 — this picture posted on CrackBerry purportedly shows an entry for retail mockup units of RIM touchscreen sequel in Verizon’s inventory system that seems to confirm the rumored 9550 model number is the real deal. Considering how leaky RIM’s been lately this doesn’t surprise us any too much, but we’re still waiting to see a Storm 2 that actually functions before we say an actual launch is imminent. [Via PhoneArena] Filed under: Cellphones BlackBerry Storm 2 dummy unit appears in Verizon systems originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Microsoft confirms Windows 7 RC upgrade rules Posted: 14 Jul 2009 09:23 AM PDT
As October 22nd hastily approaches, Microsoft is slowly but surely dropping all sorts of knowledge on to-be Windows 7 buyers. The latest tidbit about the forthcoming OS revolves around upgrades, with a company spokesperson reportedly confirming that users running an activated version of Windows 7 Release Candidate will not have to “reinstall an older version of Windows before using a Windows 7 upgrade disk.” Unfortunately, those who choose this path will see all of their files and such ushered into a folder labeled “Windows.old” when the final version of Win7 is installed, essentially putting a damper on what would’ve been an otherwise awesome experience. Interestingly, the fun doesn’t stop there; if you ever need to reinstall the final version of Win7 from scratch using the upgrade copy you purchased, you’ll first need to install (and activate) a copy of XP or Vista, which is different that Vista’s somewhat more lax upgrade policies. Check out the read link for the full spiel, and make sure you wrap your noodle around it good before you go off pre-ordering the wrong box. [Via HotHardware] Filed under: Software Microsoft confirms Windows 7 RC upgrade rules originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| eMachines EZ1601-01 all-in-one: N270 in a desktop casing Posted: 14 Jul 2009 09:08 AM PDT Acer subsidiary eMachines have released another all-in-one desktop PC, the EZ1601-01, promising "high-style" for a budget price of just $399.99. Stylish it may (arguably) be, but the EZ1601-01 isn't likely to set any desks aflame; inside the gloss-black casing lurks an Intel atom N270 1.6GHz processor, paired with 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-drive.
If you're thinking "hey, that sounds like a netbook" then you're right: the eMachines all-in-one is basically the guts of a netbook squeezed into an 18.5-inch 1366 x 768 display. There's also WiFi b/g, a matching keyboard and mouse, and five USB 2.0 ports. In fact the only thing - bar the extra screen inches – you'll find here that might be unusual on a netbook is the 8x DVD burner. Graphics are courtesy of the same GMA 950 you'll find in your Eee PC, and there's the usual multi-format card reader. One nice tweak is that it should be a quiet machine; there's no fan involved. The eMachines EZ1601-01 All-In-One Desktop PC is available now, priced at $399.99.
Press Release:
[via SlashGear.com]
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| ioSafe Solo Review – Rugged Disaster Proof External Hard Drive Posted: 14 Jul 2009 09:07 AM PDT We've covered numerous backup systems here on SlashGear, ranging from simple USB hard-drives through network-attached media boxes and full-on RAID arrays, but bar individual drive failure we've never really considered the impact of physical damage. That's exactly the sort of thing that ioSafe have in mind with their Solo drive, up to 1.5TB of fireproof, waterproof storage. SlashGear have been testing it out.
Going by appearances only, there's little to differentiate the ioSafe Solo from other external hard-drives. A metal-clad 11 x 7.1 x 5 inches, it's larger than most single-drive enclosures, but not dramatically so. Around the back there's a USB 2.0 port, power socket and hardware power switch; more unusually, there's also a hole through which you can bolt the Solo to the floor or desk, or thread with a security cable.
Even if it's not bolted down, picking up the ioSafe Solo isn't as simple as other drives. It weighs a full 15lbs, thanks to the thick metal plate and the various other protective features installed. ioSafe claim the Solo can withstand 30 minutes of 1,550 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, or submersion into 10 feet of fresh or sale water for up to three days, without experiencing data loss. While we were all ready to throw the ioSafe Solo onto the barbecue and give it a decent roasting, it turns out you can't merely brush off the soot and keep backing up. Should the unthinkable happen and you burn or flood your Solo, it needs to be returned to ioSafe for recovery; they'll extract the drive, rescue any data and send it back on a new Solo.
Buyers get one year's access to that service as standard, with an extension to three or five years costing $49.99 or $59.99 respectively. If ioSafe can't rescue all your data, then they'll pay up to $1,000 for a third-party company to attempt it. Beyond that five years you're on your own, but there's a good argument that you'd want to update the hard-drives themselves. In terms of improvements, we wish ioSafe had thrown a few more connection options onto the Solo. USB 2.0 is certainly generic enough to suit most users, but a Firewire 800 port and/or an eSATA port would have offered not only a speed boost but some extra flexibility too. We'd also like to see a drive refresh option from the company: keeping the expensive enclosure, but updating the hard-drives inside. That way you could keep apace of drive speed and capacity increases, without having to shell out for a complete new system. Still, as it stands the ioSafe Solo adds another degree of reassurance to your backup process that many users don't even consider: physical damage. True, the threat of real-world harm might be less likely than simple data corruption – whether from virus, spyware, crash or user-error – but realizing your precious backup drives have been toasted along with the originals is a feeling we'd very much like to avoid experiencing. Such reassurance isn't cheap – the 500GB Solo model starts at $149.99, while the 1.5TB model comes in at $299.99 with one year of data-recovery – compared to regular external hard-drives, but it's perhaps a small price for peace of mind. Quick Look Video Relevant Entries on SlashGear
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| Rock delivers BD / Core i7-equipped Xtreme 790 and Xtreme 840 gaming laptops Posted: 14 Jul 2009 09:02 AM PDT
Can you believe it? It’s been practically a year to the day since we’ve seen any new fragging machines from the lads over at Rock, but thankfully things are still moving after being rescued by a rolling Stone. The latest duo to take Europe by storm involves the Xtreme 790 and Xtreme 840, both of which can be outfitted with NVIDIA’s 1GB GeForce GTX 280M (or two of ‘em, if you’re feeling froggy), Blu-ray drives, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, WiFi, four USB 2.0 sockets, an HDMI port, Windows Vista (with a gratis upgrade to Win7 this October), a 7-in-1 card reader, 3TB of HDD space and a 3-year on-site warranty. Heck, you can even toss a Core i7 in there if you think your legs are calloused enough to handle it. Both machines can be ordered up right now, with the 790 range starting at £1,999 ($3,258) and the less extravagant 840 line picking up at £1,699 ($2,769). [via EnGadget.com]
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| Google Eases The Switch From Lotus Notes To Google Apps Posted: 14 Jul 2009 08:56 AM PDT
The new tool lets customers migrate mail, calendar and contacts from Notes to Google Apps. The syncing tool, which Google says is a native Notes application, can be installed and configured in less than 30 minutes, for multiple users at once. The tool has already been tested with 40 of Google's enterprise clients, including JohnsonDiversey (10K users) and Valeo (32K users). The tool is free for Google Apps Premier and Edu customers. Google says that the migration is easy to deploy, requires no downtime (users can continue to use Notes even during the migration process), gives customers the ability to migrate multiple offices simultaneously or separately, and allows for centralized event logging to manage and monitor migration across any number of Domino servers and sites. Currently there are 145 million licenses for Lotus Notes. Google pitches that the 17 percent of the business email market that's on Lotus Notes will save a considerable amount of money by switching to Google Apps. How much? Google says that the enterprise version of Gmail is a third of the cost of on-premise email solutions like Notes and Outlook/Exchange. One of the clients who has used the tool, Hamilton Beach, claims a projected savings of 60 percent over the next five years. As a whole, Google says that Google Apps is three to four times less expensive than traditional on-premise systems. There's no doubt that Google is making a big push to become a player in the enterprise space. Google currently has nearly two million businesses using Google Apps, which first launched in 2006, and hopes to grow that number. Google has been making a strong case for businesses to switch to Google Apps, especially focusing on convincing Microsoft enterprise customers. Google recently took the beta label off Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and GTalk, which is also part of its strategy to entice enterprise customers to switch to Google Apps.
Information provided by CrunchBase Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily. Here is the original post:
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| Samsung PL70 and PL55 bring 12 megapixels to the unwashed masses Posted: 14 Jul 2009 08:40 AM PDT
Promising to allow the differently rich consumer a chance to experience “the latest and most advanced digital imaging technology” (of 2008), Samsung has today announced two new entry-level cameras. While the headline features — 12.2 megapixel sensor and 5x optical zoom — are identical, the PL70 (SL720 here in the US) comes with a 3-inch LCD screen, 28mm wide-angle lens and an optical image stabilizer, whereas the PL55 (SL502 for us Yanks) makes do with 2.7-inches, 35mm and digital image stabilization. The senior model also records video at 720p ( 640 x 480 for the PL55) and boasts the nifty ability to search images by a person’s face. The usual scene, face, smile and blink detection is available on both cameras, while pricing is set at $229.99 and $149.99, respectively, for the August-bound shooters. Gallery: Samsung PL70 and PL55 digital cameras
Filed under: Digital Cameras Samsung PL70 and PL55 bring 12 megapixels to the unwashed masses originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WooAudio WES Electrostatic AMP reviewed: superlative sound Posted: 14 Jul 2009 08:35 AM PDT So far, most of the headphone amplifiers that have graced these pages have been portable, budget items; the same very definitely can't be said for this brushed-steel behemoth, the WooAudio WES Electrostatic Headphone Amp and, dangling insouciantly next to it, Stax's SR-008 Mk2 Electrostatic headphones. According to audiophile reviewer Steve Guttenberg, you're looking at "state of the art sound for a tiny fraction of the cost of a system built around speakers."
Electrostatic drivers are the key elements here, promising far lower distortion than standard dynamic drivers. Unfortunately you can't just plug them into your iPod; they require special electronics, such as the WES amp; the up-side is a system that can reveal unheard detail in even familiar tracks.
Of course, when an self-confessed audio-addict says "tiny fraction", that might not mean the same thing to budget-minded you and I. In fact, the WooAudio WES amp comes in at $4,990 (just $4,500 if you pre-order) and the Stax headphones at $2,410. WooAudio expect to begin shipping each hand-built WES from October this year. [via Crave] Relevant Entries on SlashGear
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| Fonera 2.0n available – adds media sharing, shared storage Posted: 14 Jul 2009 08:16 AM PDT
Remember that Fonera 2.0 wireless router that’s been blowing minds in Europe since way back in April? FON has announced today that it’s now available Stateside as the Fonera 2.0n. If that weren’t excitement enough for a Tuesday morning, the thing has received a slathering of new features, including storage (just supply your fave USB 2.0 drive), 802.11n, and the ability to sync your YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook files, as well as clients for managing your RapidShare, Megaupload, and bit.torrent addictions. Just make sure you’re not violating anyone’s copyrights, huh? The movie industry is struggling enough as it is. PR after the break. Continue reading Fonera 2.0n available – adds media sharing, shared storage Filed under: Networking Fonera 2.0n available – adds media sharing, shared storage originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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