Energizer promises new and improved zinc-air battery for summer 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/01/energizer-promises-new-and-improved-zinc-air-battery-for-summer/

Energizer has been working on zinc-air batteries for quite some time now (along with plenty of others), but it looks like its now finally set to deliver with a new "standard battery" that's said to be on track for a launch sometime in the summer of next year. What's more, while some of the company's previous attempts at zinc-air batteries have only been able to manage average run times of between one and three months, Energizer says it's recently been able to triple things in time for the batteries' big debut. That will first come in the form of some AAAA batteries from Energizer itself, which will apparently be priced similarly to "special lithium batteries," and will eventually be followed by zinc-air batteries in a range of different sizes. During the same time, we should also start to see some of the first products with integrated zinc-air batteries from some of the 30 odd OEMs now working with Energizer, who are working to put the batteries into everything from Bluetooth headsets to remote controls to portable audio players.

Energizer promises new and improved zinc-air battery for summer 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Mini 3iX shown off in Brazil, works on tan, leaves Android Market in the dust?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/01/dell-mini-3ix-shown-off-in-brazil-works-on-tan-leaves-android/

Hey, Dell: looking for the absolute quickest way to screw up your first entry into the dog-eat-dog smartphone industry? Well, removing the Market app from your Android load is a solid way to start. Yeah, you heard that right -- according to Brazilian site Zumo, the all-important Android Market was nowhere to be found on the Mini 3iX it had an opportunity to play with, rendering software discovery and installation about as easy as a WinMo device from three years ago. It seems that Dell's "strategy" here is to have users download apps directly from their sources -- a practice that typically needs to be manually enabled on an Android device as a security override -- and get the rest of their wares from proprietary stores, presumably operated by the carrier, Dell, or both. On the bright side, the 3iX includes the WiFi radio that its Chinese doppelganger lacks and features a generous 3.5-inch display, 3 megapixel camera, 3G support, and a completely button-free face that looks particularly sexy in this low-light shot. Dell's apparently commenting that Brazilians can expect the 3iX in shops in 2010 -- possibly in the first quarter -- which should give 'em just enough time to un-make that deal-breaking Market mistake prior to launch.

Dell Mini 3iX shown off in Brazil, works on tan, leaves Android Market in the dust? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flip Video FlipShare TV beams video to the big screen

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/01/flip-video-flipshare-tv-beams-video-to-the-big-screen/

We first saw the Cisco FlipShare TV hit the FCC just over a month ago, and now that's it's official (well, official in the sense that Walt Mossberg broke the embargo by two hours) we're still sort of underwhelmed and a little befuddled -- although it's made by Cisco, the Flip-focused media player doesn't actually connect to your home WiFi network. Instead, the FlipShare software transmits data from your computer using a proprietary USB dongle, which means the player itself is useless unless your computer is on with Flip's funky FlipShare software running and the dongle connected. Flip tells us the decision to go proprietary was made to make things easier for non-technical users to set up (like Flip's cameras, the FlipShare software is preloaded on the dongle) but we can't help but think it's actually a bit more complicated, since Gran won't be able to just turn the thing on and subscribe to your new Flip user channels enabled by FlipShare 5.0. Instead, she'll have to get out her laptop, plug in the dongle, launch the software (which pulls the content from the internet), and then start using the FlipShare TV's RF remote to get at your videos, which seems pretty complicated to us. Yeah, we're just not sure, especially at $149 -- we've actually got one here for review, we'll let you know how we feel in the next couple days.

Continue reading Flip Video FlipShare TV beams video to the big screen

Flip Video FlipShare TV beams video to the big screen originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer to launch first Chrome OS netbook, Android-based Aspire One sales disappoint

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/02/acer-to-launch-first-chrome-os-netbook-android-based-aspire-one/

Acer loves it some Google. And unless Google's trying to stamp out your revenue stream, who doesn't? Now Acer chairman, JT Wang, says that he expects to be first to market with an official Chrome OS netbook -- sometime in the second half of 2010 according to DigiTimes' sources. In fact, JT says that Acer's been working on a Chrome OS device since mid-2009. This despite admittedly weaker than expected demand for its dual-boot Android netbook, the Aspire One AOD250. Guess even the Google halo isn't enough to shoehorn its smartphone OS into a market dominating position on cheap ultra-portables. It's worth pointing out that DigiTimes' moles aren't saying anything new with the launch time-frame since Google's target for its gold Chrome OS build has been 2H of 2010 ever since the lightweight OS was announced. Not that the timing matters too much since we'll likely be seeing plenty of Chromium OS netbooks flooding the grey market long before the second half of 2010.

Acer to launch first Chrome OS netbook, Android-based Aspire One sales disappoint originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC Seashell 2 spotted with removable battery, pretty in pink styling

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/02/asus-eee-pc-seashell-2-spotted-with-removable-battery-pretty-in/

We've seen ASUS playing with various textures on its Seashell line before, but we haven't seen anything quite this... dramatic from the company before. It's the Eee PC 1008P, the Seashell 2 not due to be unveiled until CES, but these images captured by HardwareZone give us plenty of info to tide us over. Inside that charmingly garish exterior (designed by Karim Rashid) is Intel's Pine Trail architecture with an N450 processor, the standard 1GB of RAM, and 160GB of storage. There's now room for a removable battery, hidden behind a cover and sliding out the side, the VGA port is provided by what looks to be a mini-USB adapter nestled in the bottom, and all the other ports are tucked away behind little doors that look prone to snapping off given the slightest provocation. That's all we know for now, but we should be bringing you much, much more info about this one in about a month's time.

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 2 spotted with removable battery, pretty in pink styling originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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