Exclusive: HP / Palm's webOS tablets -- pictures, plans, and more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/18/exclusive-hp-palms-webos-tablets-pictures-plans-and-mor/

Oh, hello. A trusted tipster just sent in these internal renders of HP / Palm's "Topaz" webOS tablet, which is one of two tablets currently being developed in Sunnyvale. That's right, two tablets: the 9-inch Topaz and a 7-inch model codnamed Opal -- a lineup that fits nicely into Palm's "Something big, Something small, Something beyond" tagline for its upcoming February 9th event. Looking at the render, we're seeing the no-button design we'd previously heard about (we're assuming the gesture area rotates with the display), a front-facing camera, a micro USB port on the bottom, and what appears to be a Vizio Tablet-style three speaker arrangement for stereo audio in both landscape and portrait modes -- that's two speakers along the left side and a third on the right. (That's just a guess, though.) We'd also note the back appears to be a glossy material, which might rule out a giant Touchstone for charging -- Touchstone backs have heretofore been soft-touch, but anything can change, we suppose.

We're told that units will start to arrive at Palm HQ in June as production ramps up for launch later this year -- a timeline backed up by an internal marketing slide we received that lists WiFi-only, AT&T 3G, and Verizon LTE versions of the Opal arriving in September 2011, and on AT&T LTE in July 2012. The slide also indicates the Opal will have a particular e-reading focus, which makes sense for a 7-inch device, and there's a mention of "premium audio," which nicely reinforces our speaker hypothesis. Unfortunately, we don't have any word on specs or pricing yet, but these things had better be packing some serious heat for cheap if Palm is really planning to wait until September to launch them -- they'll be going head-to-head with the Xoom, the PlayBook, and presumably the iPad 2. We're still digging for more, so keep an eye out -- things are going to get crazy leading up to February 9th.

Update: We're told that they both have unspecified 1.2GHz processors, and that Topaz may arrive before Opal. We'll let you know if we learn anything else.

Gallery: Exclusive: HP / Palm's webOS tablets -- pictures, plans, and more

Exclusive: HP / Palm's webOS tablets -- pictures, plans, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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$99 concept NoteSlate tablet does electronic ink in color, but only one at a time

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/18/99-concept-noteslate-tablet-does-electronic-ink-in-color-but-o/

E-readers could use a little color in their lives -- and getting a little cheaper wouldn't hurt either. The NoteSlate has color, but not certainly not all colors. It's a touchable slate with a 13-inch diagonal, 750 x 1080 display that's said to be "eInk" -- which may or may not mean "E Ink," the company behind the displays used in the Kindle, Sony Reader, and others. When it's produced, supposedly by June, you'll be able to select from the traditional white background and black foreground or go with a black background with white. Other colors, including green, blue, or red text, or a "4 colour edition" that does all of them at once, are due sometime down the road. The tablet works with touch or pen input, will offer 180 hours of battery life, and is to be fully open-source, with the initial software release supporting simple drawing, storing of notes, and MP3 playback. Version 1.5 will add PDF and text viewing, while version 2.0 will be rocking OCR handwriting recognition. The best news? It's said to be just $99, though surely the multi-color edition will cost more. Right now it exists only as renders but with, a release mere months away and a decidedly attractive price point, we're intrigued. Skeptical, but intrigued.

Gallery: NoteSlate

$99 concept NoteSlate tablet does electronic ink in color, but only one at a time originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bloodhound SuperSonic Car begins construction: 1,000mph on Intel Atom processors (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/18/bloodhound-supersonic-car-begins-construction-1-000mph-on-intel/

We saw the mockup back in July and, soon, we'll be seeing the real thing. Construction of the Bloodhound SSC is underway, with a planned top speed of over 1,000mph courtesy of a jet engine borrowed from a Typhoon jet fighter sitting in the back -- and a trio of Intel Atom processors in the cockpit that will run a number of onboard diagnostics and telemetry systems. Sure, they won't be adding to the overall thrust of the thing but neither will they be putting much of a drain on the electrical system. If all goes according to plan the car will be completed by the end of this year and will start speed runs by the beginning of 2012. Maybe by then Intel will have something a little quicker to slap in there.

Continue reading Bloodhound SuperSonic Car begins construction: 1,000mph on Intel Atom processors (video)

Bloodhound SuperSonic Car begins construction: 1,000mph on Intel Atom processors (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why Groupon could be BAD for local businesses, great analysis by @glenngabe - http://bit.ly/fMe7uV

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Samsung Vibrant 4G for T-Mobile in the wild? (Update)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/17/samsung-vibrant-4g-for-t-mobile-in-the-wild-and-full-of-gingerb/

Perhaps Samsung's Vibrant 4G won't be tied to Froyo, after all. Although the initial leak suggested Android 2.2, Boy Genius Report's managed to obtain what it suggests is an in-the-wild shot with a lock screen that looks remarkably reminiscent of the aesthetic touches from Android 2.3 Gingerbread. No TouchWiz UI here, but word on the street (i.e. from its source) is Sammy's hard at work to remedy that disconnect and make the skin jibe with the new version. And if that's not enough, TmoNews is claiming a leaked document that indicates Vibrant 4G will launch February 23rd. Back to the picture, though: if that timestamp is at all accurate, and this is really just hours fresh, perhaps that lucky right-handed gent can snap a few more convincing shots while it charges.

Update: As a number of readers have pointed out, there's some odd discrepancies between this image and the Gingerbread lock screen we all know, chief among them the inclusion of AM / PM in the top bar (that option doesn't exist in actual 2.3. we just checked to be sure). Brief Mobile's got a more nuanced breakdown, but the point is, this looks to be either a half-baked ROM or the work of a certain Robin Goodfellow.

Samsung Vibrant 4G for T-Mobile in the wild? (Update) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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