The Motorola RAZR 2

Posted May 15th 2007 10:05AM by Chris Ziegler Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola has today officially unveiled the successor to one of the most iconic mobiles ever made, the RAZR 2. Available in 3.6Mbps HSDPA, EV-DO, and GSM / EDGE variants as the V9, V9m, and V8 respectively, the GSM and CDMA versions of the device comes in 2 millimeters slimmer than its predecessor and -- on some versions, anyway -- will be the second to use Motorola's new Linux-based platform (the first being the Z6). It includes something Moto is calling "Crystal Talk" technology that automatically adjusts volume and tone based on ambient noise. Other features include external music controls, haptics (read: vibration) for tactile feedback when external touchscreen keys are pressed, a full HTML browser, 2 megapixel cam, the full suite of Bluetooth profiles, Windows Media Player sync, a 2-inch QVGA external display, 2.2-inch QVGA internal display, and twice the screen resolution of the original RAZR. GSM versions start shipping in early July, with CDMA following up later in the summer.

Read More...

Summary only...

Small LCDs with integrated backlight sensor use 30% less juice

Posted May 16th 2007 6:47AM by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Displays

We seem to have been draining our phone batteries even faster than usual this week, so we find TPO's power-saving display sensor tech to be pretty encouraging news for the future. The Taiwanese display manufacturer has figured out how to integrate ambient light sensors directly into a standard LCD screen, resulting in more accurate light readings than the usual external sensor setup. The system can also compensate for temperature with the addition of a black level sensor, which means the screen can detect light levels from 3 to 10,000 lux and adjust the backlight accordingly. The sensor tech is designed for small screens in mobile devices, and TPO estimates that the setup reduces overall power consumption around 30% under normal use, which would maybe let us get through a day without resorting to buying that enormous external battery pack we've been dreading. No word on when we'll see these screens hit the consumer level, but TPO says mass production won't start until 2008, so better keep that charger handy for a while.

Read More...

Summary only...

D-Link's Xtreme N Duo MediaBridge enables HD streaming

Posted May 16th 2007 8:34AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Wireless, Networking

It's not too tough these days to find a router with HD streaming in its arsenal, but D-Link is aiming for a slightly different set with its dual-band Xtreme N Duo MediaBridge. Essentially, this liaison connects to your existing router in order to add 5GHz 802.11n abilities to your setup, which purportedly "helps avoid interference by allowing the user to use the 5GHz frequency band to provide a stable high-performance wireless link for streaming HD video." Clearly designed with the DIR-655 in mind, this device also allows up to five Ethernet-enabled media devices to become attached on a separate unit for even more high-definition WiFi streaming. Notably, the DAP-1555 itself doesn't seem to double as an Ethernet router, and unfortunately, you'll have to wait until the thing ships in Q3 to find out how much it'll dent your wallet.

Read More...

Summary only...

Steinway & Sons, Peter Lyngdorf partner for high-end A/V equipment

Posted May 16th 2007 11:19AM by Ben Drawbaugh

Filed under: Home Entertainment

In the world of fine audio there aren't many names more prestigious than 154-year old piano maker Steinway & Sons, and now the renowned American manufacturer has partnered with Danish industry-vet and Lyngdorf Audio founder Peter Lyngdorf to release a new line of ultra-high end audio visual systems. Steinway Lyngdorf, as the joint venture is known, claims to be "offering unsurpassed performance, exceptional value and, most importantly, an extraordinary experience for discerning clientele the world over" -- though considering the company's first product has yet to be released, that statement may be a bit bold. The product in question is the so-called Model-D music system which will include a full set of speakers and receiver featuring Lyngdorf's RoomPerfect automatic acoustic calibration system. Sadly for big spenders, less than 100 Model-D's will be available when they hit undisclosed sales channels this fall, so you might want to put down your $150,000 in advance if you hope to grab one.

Read More...

Summary only...

enano's latest mini PCs tout Core 2 Duo, energy efficiency

Posted May 16th 2007 3:19PM by Darren Murph Filed under: Desktops

Joining Epson and a growing host of others in the miniscule PC arena, enano is throwing its own offerings in the hat while boasting about greenness all the while. The generation e2 lineup sports "book sized" enclosures, a sleek black paint job, and four different models to suit your fancy (and budget). All four units rely on one of Intel's Core 2 Duo processors, but apparently, none are sporting the Santa Rosa love just yet. The machines can be configured with up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 160GB of SATA hard drive space, an integrated TV tuner, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g, 7.1 surround sound audio, and feature Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics set, an SD / MS / MMC card reader, a total of four USB 2.0 ports, one 4-pin FireWire connector, DVI or VGA out via adapter, S-Video out, and audio in / out ports to finish things off. The box itself weighs in at just three pounds and measures 8.8- x 6.8- x 1.65-inches around, and while the company claims that you'll save a bundle on energy costs with this power sipper, the up front charges ranging from around $1,200 to near $2,000 probably makes up for it.

Read More...

Summary only...