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Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Acer unveils two new Aspire Ethos laptops for multimedia enthusiasts, street fighters

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/acer-unveils-two-new-aspire-ethos-laptops-for-multimedia-enthusi/

It's been more than a year since Acer first launched its Aspire Ethos line of laptops -- a family that got a bit bigger today, with the announcement of the 8951G and 5951G. These rambunctious little extroverts are powered by the latest generation of Intel's Core i processors, offering Turbo Boost speeds of up to 3.4GHz. Big bro 8951G boasts a 18.4-inch display that transmits images in Full HD, 1920 x 1080 resolution and 220-nit brightness, while spunky little 5951G struts around with a 15.6-inch HD 1366 x 768 screen of its own. They also support NVIDIA GeForce GT500 and DirectX 11 graphics and sport Dolby-approved surround sound, aluminum-magnesium alloy shells, glossy matte finishes and back-lit chiclet keyboards. Acer plans to unleash the pair sometime in mid-June, though they won't come for cheap, with prices starting at £1,000 (about $1,643). Aspiring owners can find more information in the full PR, after the break.

Continue reading Acer unveils two new Aspire Ethos laptops for multimedia enthusiasts, street fighters

Acer unveils two new Aspire Ethos laptops for multimedia enthusiasts, street fighters originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony announces NEX-C3 and Alpha A35 cameras, new macro lens

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/sony-announces-nex-c3-and-alpha-a35-cameras-new-macro-lens/

We've been (impatiently) waiting for Sony to update its NEX line of digital cameras since the NEX-3 was discontinued earlier this year, and it looks like a worthy successor has finally been named. Announced today, the NEX-C3 appears identical to the model leaked in April, and uses the same format APS-C image sensor as its predecessor, bumping resolution to 16.2 megapixels in a camera body smaller than the NEX-5. Sony says the new entry-level cam is designed to fill the gap between point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras, and is the smallest body to pack an APS-C sensor, offering DSLR-level image quality -- the same 16.2 MP chip is also included in its new full-size Alpha A35, which replaces the A33. Both cameras can shoot at up to 5.5 fps (the A35 adds a 7 fps mode at 8.4 megapixels), and include 3-inch LCDs, with the NEX keeping its hallmark tilt display, and the A35 adding Sony's Translucent Mirror live-view mode, and an electronic viewfinder. We have plenty more to share, including a new lens and flash, along with pricing and availability for all, so jump past the break for the juicy details.

Gallery: Sony NEX-C3 and Alpha A35 Gallery

Continue reading Sony announces NEX-C3 and Alpha A35 cameras, new macro lens

Sony announces NEX-C3 and Alpha A35 cameras, new macro lens originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung shows affection to CyanogenMod, gives its devs a free Galaxy S II

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/samsung-shows-affection-to-cyanogenmod-gives-its-devs-a-free-ga/

Let's see if we're grokking this: Samsung is not only telling the dev community it's okay to place custom ROMs on its flagship device, it's actually encouraging the practice by handing out free phones? Atinm, the developer responsible for prepping CyanogenMod on the Captivate and Vibrant, took to Twitter to praise the manufacturer for sending him a free Galaxy S II. From the looks of it, Samsung sent the phone to a select number of devs intent on building an official release of CM7 for the GSII. Unlocking bootloaders has already become the new fancy with manufacturers like HTC, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson jumping on the bandwagon, but this is the first time we've heard of a company doling out free devices to the custom ROM community. Does this mean that, instead of enforcing TouchWiz with an iron fist, Samsung is looking at how this practice could actually benefit consumers? We doubt this will be the case for all of the company's future Android phones, but wouldn't you love to live in a world where it was?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung shows affection to CyanogenMod, gives its devs a free Galaxy S II originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Central, PocketNow | source

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CHART OF THE DAY: Apple Just Pre-Announced Its Best Ever Quarter Of iPad Sales And Nobody Cares (AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ipad-sales-2011-6

Buried in Apple's big WWDC keynote yesterday was the revelation that the company is on track to sell 8 million iPads for the 2011 June quarter.

That would be Apple's best quarter of iPad sales yet and a 74% jump over what it did just last quarter. It would also beat analyst estimates for iPad units which were around 6.5 million-7 million.

And yet, no one seems to care. Apple's stock is actually down 1% for the day. Maybe investors are spooked by seeing a rail thin Steve Jobs, or they're disappointed about the lack of a new iPhone.

chart of the day ipad sales

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Tuesday, June 07, 2011

eWise Raises $14 Million For Online Payments Technology

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/07/ewise-raises-14-million-for-online-payments-technology/

Online payments company eWise has raised $14 million in new funding led by Wellington Partners with Balderton Capital, TTV Capital,, and Patagorang participating in the round. This brings eWise’s total funding to over $26 million.

eWise develops a payments technology, called Secure Vault Payment, that allows users to automatically deduct a payment from their bank account without disclosing their personal information to online businesses. Payments are processed via a login and password to the bank’s site.

eWise expects that this payments technology could reach 400 million uses within 5 years. Clients include Citibank and First Direct (part of HSBC) in the UK, Ping An in China, Westpac in Australia and USBank in the U.S. The company plans to use the funding to expand further to the U.S. as well as for the development of a new mobile payments technology.

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eWise

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