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The Treo and the Pocket PC Phone aren’t the only mobile communicators on the market these days, now that Samsung’s new i330 smartphone has finally gone on sale. The i330 runs Palm OS 3.5.3, has 16MB of RAM, a 256 color 160×240 pixel screen, and connects to Sprint’s new PCS Vision network. The price is…
Linn is planning to make a high-end combo-player that will play just about every disc that’s out there these days: DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, Super Audio CD, CD, etc. Expected retail price: about $8,000. Read
CNET review of ViewSonic’s new budget Pocket PC, the V35. Despite the recent furor over over how much RAM it actually has (ViewSonic lists it as having 64MB, but it was quickly discovered that only about 36MB of that is actually useable), CNET pronounces the V35 to be a pretty good deal. Read Amazon
It doesn’t get any more droolworthy than this: the world’s largest TFT LCD monitor, Samsung’s widescreen 24-inch SyncMaster 241MP. Can also double as a display for DVD or TV, and is HDTV ready. TweakNews has a glowing review, though they mention one downside to owning the 241MP: “You will need to get a bigger desk.”…
802.11 Planet review of D-Link’s DWL-810 Ethernet-to-Wireless Bridge, which can connect anything with an Ethernet port to an 802.11b network. It’s mainly targeted at game consoles like the Xbox and PS2, which come with Ethernet ports and have recently introduced networking gaming, but these Bridges can also work with a ReplayTV or a network printer.…
The DVD Forum, which oversees standards for the DVD format (or at least purports too), has adopted FireWire as the standard for digital transmission of DVD-Audio signals. Normally such an announcement isn’t particularly worthy of being blogged, but the move means that instead having to connect the six analog outputs on a DVD-Audio player to…
Toshiba’s new 2.2GHz Satellite Pro 6100 is the first laptop to come with integrated 802.11b and its speedier cousin, 802.11a. Integration comes at a price. The 6100 retails for about $2,799, but for your money you get a laptop with a 15-inch screen, 512MB of RAM, a 60GB hard drive, a DVD-R/RW drive, and 32MB…
Sonicblue has a new DVD player with an Ethernet port coming out that will let you access movies and music stored on your PC. It gets better though. The Go-Video D2730 also has a slot for adding a wireless card, so you can ditch the Ethernet cable and do it all over 802.11b. Read
Looks like the HipTop from Danger is about to get some competition – in the UK at least. The company behind the Pogo, a mobile communicator much like the HipTop, has reorganized and it looks the new version of the Pogo should be out next year. Read
Infomatics has the first head-to-head matchup between the two new technologies, comparing Viewsonic’s VP1100 Tablet PC with its Airpanel 100 Smartdisplay. It’s about time somebody did this. Smartdisplays and Tablet PCs are pretty similar to each other – they look about the same and both use a stylus as their main means of input –…
Sanyo is going to demo a new television that can connect to a wireless LAN and send and receive video at up to 30Mbps. I assume it uses 802.11a, though it doesn’t say in the article. But the really important question is, Will you be able to stream shows off a TV and directly on…
There are so many mini-digital cameras on the market now that they are going to cease being novelties soon. But in the meantime, it’s still ok to be wowed by tiny gadgets like the gSmart Mini2 from Mustek. The Mini2 takes 2.1 megapixel pictures, but only after “software enhancement,” which is a euphemism for just…
Wireless networking gear is on sale at Amazon: Netgear 802.11b PC cards are just $49.95 after rebate; D-Link’s AirPlus router is just $99.99 after rebate. Amazon
A solar powered battery charger from Violetta that, with a USB adapter, can temporarily power any gadget with a USB port. Only available in Japan, but they will ship overseas. Read
Word is that Apple will introduce updated versions of the eMac and iMac at Macworld San Francisco next month, with a bump in processor speed for both (up to 1Ghz) and a larger screen for the iMac. Read
A blurry picture has surfaced of a new Pocket PC Phone from Hitachi that connects to the Sprint PCS Vision network and has a built-in thumb keyboard and a digital camera. Looks a lot like the Treo to me. No word from Hitachi on when this might become available. Read
A new tablet PC from FreeHand for musicians. The MusicPad Pro is basically an electronic sheet music reader with a full-sized 12.1″ LCD screen with 64MB of RAM for storing sheet music. You can make notes right on it with a stylus and use a foot pedal to “turn” pages while playing. Read
CNET on the least expensive 20GB MP3 jukebox you can buy, RCA’s Lyra RD2820. The RD2820 isn’t as stylish or compact as either the Nomad Zen or the iPod, and lacks a FireWire or USB 2.0 connection for high-speed file transfer, but also costs half as much as an iPod with the same amount of…
With Internet radio gradually moving away from the PC and onto home stereos, your next hi-fi might be one that connects to the Internet. The Guardian has an article on new systems with built-in Ethernet ports for listening to audio streamed over the Web: the Streamium from Philips, the Simplefi from Motorola (pictured at right),…
CNN on the new new thing for displays: Organic Light Emitting Diodes or OLEDs. These have been just around the corner for a few years now, but are starting to pop up in cellphones, MP3 players, and car stereos, and are expected to eventually replace the LCD. Read