Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Nokia ships E72 and 5800 Navigation Edition to the US of A

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/08/nokia-ships-e72-and-5800-navigation-edition-to-the-us-of-a/

We know it's the N900 you're jonesing for, but if you're looking to let those "other guys" put Maemo 5 through the ringer while you continue to use an OS that's been around the block, Nokia's got two more for you to choose from starting today. Both the QWERTY-packin' E72 ($407) and eager-to-route 5800 Navigation Edition have started to ship to America (according to the company, anyway), with the former listed as "coming soon" on Nokia's webstore and as "in stock on December 10th" over at Amazon. The latter is available to order now for $299 sans contract, so good luck holding off for Google Maps Navigation to make this thing look dated.

Update: Seems this is the second time Nokia has stated that its E72 was available in the US, so we'd probably wait for at least another notification or two before pulling the trigger. Can't ever be too careful!

Gallery: Nokia ships E72 and 5800 Navigation Edition to the US of A

Nokia ships E72 and 5800 Navigation Edition to the US of A originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

E72, 5800 Navigation Edition | Email this | Comments

Google Chrome hits beta for Mac and Linux, extensions available for extra-smug Windows and Linux users

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/08/google-chrome-hits-beta-for-mac-and-linux-extensions-available/

At long last Mac and Linux users don't have to feel like second class citizens in Chrome land: they've got official beta versions of Google's browser to call their own. Of course, people have been running the open source Chromium version on both sides of the fence for ages, but beta brings with it a new level of stability and officialness. Google is also finally launching extensions for Chrome, which is available for the Windows and Linux versions of the browser, and with Mac compatibility on the way. There are already 300 extensions available, not a bad start, and hopefully a good indication of the sorts of added functionality we'll be able to stuff into Chrome OS with the help of a seemingly-excited developer community.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Google Chrome hits beta for Mac and Linux, extensions available for extra-smug Windows and Linux users originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

Official Google Blog | Email this | Comments

Android-based Archos 5 Internet Tablet surfaces in 8GB form for $250

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/08/android-based-archos-5-internet-tablet-surfaces-in-8gb-form-for/

The Archos 5 Internet Tablet hasn't had the smoothest ride into the commercial realm, but thanks to a few firmware updates, the Android-based player seems to finally be humming along just fine. That said, not everyone's interested in shelling out big bucks for a capacious version, which makes the latest edition perfect for those simply curious to see how Google's mobile OS fares on a portable media player. The 8GB model has surfaced over at Radio Shack, bringing with it all the goods on the larger siblings but with far less internal space. The best part? That $249.99 price tag (and that little "In Stock" icon beside it).

Android-based Archos 5 Internet Tablet surfaces in 8GB form for $250 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Pocketables | source

RadioShack | Email this | Comments

ZyXEL to debut 'world's first' LTE router at CES 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/08/zyxel-to-debut-worlds-first-lte-router-at-ces-2010/

If we're able to avert this looming "spectrum apocalypse" we've heard so much about, it looks like 2010 will be the year that many of you get to partake in LTE. What better way to indulge your lust for airborne data than ZyXEL's newest, the ZLR-2070S LTE CPE/SOHO router? Apparently "the world's first," this guy features two VoIP ports, a four port 802.11n wireless switch, a USB port for storage or printer sharing, and data rates up to 50Mbps. Not bad, eh? We expect to hear more about this one in short order -- it will make its society debut at next year's CES. In the meantime, peep the PR for more info -- it's after the break.

Continue reading ZyXEL to debut 'world's first' LTE router at CES 2010

ZyXEL to debut 'world's first' LTE router at CES 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Dell Vostro V13 hands-on impressions: 'yes'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/08/dell-vostro-v13-hands-on-impressions-yes/

What if you took an original Adamo, shaved a couple pounds off the weight and a grand off the price? You'd end up with something pretty close to the new Dell Vostro V13. We just got a quick look at the machine, and while some of the cheaper materials Dell is using here certainly came through, the total package is still quite impressive -- and the price unimpeachable. The anodized aluminum exterior is smooth to the touch and gives the frame of the entire laptop a great amount of stiffness; none of that bendy nonsense that can be found in some of the $500ish thin-and-light competition. We were also pleasantly surprised to find a antigloss (not quite matte) display under the hood. Unfortunately, the compromises begin with the keyboard, which is a bit bendy and "clacky" (the bad version of "clicky"), and the 6 volt battery gets 4.75 hours as quoted, so probably around three in real life. We're also a little disappointed ~~that the $450 base price rips out the SD card and ExpressCard slots, and~~ that you can't get a Windows 7 version for under $600 -- even though the Ubuntu default is mighty tempting. So, there are compromises, just like in life, but for the most part this is one of the least timid computers we've seen from Dell in a while: not afraid to step on the toes of its brandmates and make a name for itself. Check out a quick video hands-on after the break, and stand by for our review that should hopefully arrive later this month.

Update: We got some bad info, and it turns out that the ExpressCard and SD card slots do come standard with the laptop -- the mockup we saw didn't have them, but all shipping models will. Phew!

Gallery: Dell Vostro V13 hands-on