Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Back in August, it seemed pretty certain that the 700MHz spectrum auction would go down on January 16th of next year. Now, however, the FCC has officially delayed the auction by eight days to “provide interested parties with additional time after this announcement of competitive bidding procedures to develop business plans, assess market conditions and evaluate the availability of equipment for new 700MHz band services.” Reportedly, the aforementioned parties only have from November 19th to December 3rd to fill out a short-form license application, and if all goes as planned, a “mock auction” should commence on January 18th, 2008. If you’d like to get into all the reserve prices, upfront payment deadlines and top secret details about the hors d’oeuvres that will likely be served at the forthcoming event, feel free to hit the read link for all 122 mind-numbing pages. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via PhoneScoop]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Filed under: Cellphones

Don’t worry BlackJack fans, Samsung does indeed seem to have a true BlackJack II successor in the works for you, unlike that stylus-based i780 pretender to the throne. Turns out the i617 — which we saw pass the FCC yesterday — will be doing the honors, but unfortunately it’s not terribly clear what those honors will be. AT&T is a lock, thanks to the HSDPA 850 / 1900, and of course Windows Mobile 6 will be the main attraction, but there’s no confirmation of WiFi or any other notable hardware upgrades just yet other than a bump to 2 megapixels from the original’s 1.3. As for looks, we’ll let you make up your own mind, but the design isn’t much of a departure — there’s still a back hump — but everything is considerably more shiny this time around. No word on price or availability. There’s a shot of the back after the break.

[Via Mobile Phones Reviews and Tips]

Continue reading Samsung’s BlackJack II outed as the i617

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Handhelds

While the technology is still in preliminary stages, it’s not hard to imagine the kind of devices inside which a 3-inch WVGA (480 x 800) OLED display would find a home, and we want one yesterday. Samsung SDI is prepping just such a display, and claims to have overcome the manufacturing and performance barriers that have kept the technology stuck at QVGA in consumer devices. The new technology is being developed in conjunction with Clairvoyante, using Clairvoyante’s proprietary PenTile RGB tech, allowing for low battery consumption and high performance, to the tune of 1000:1 contrast and 200 nits of brightness. Sounds good to us, mass production starts Q3 2008.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

It looks like AT&T sure is serious about expanding its network, with the company now following up its recent purchase of Dobson Communications with an acquisition of a stash of spectrum from Providence, R.I.-based Aloha Partners LP, the largest owner of 700MHz spectrum in the US (and parent company of mobile TV firm HiWire). According to The Wall Street Journal, the deal totals some $2.5 billion, and includes spectrum covering 72 of the United States’ top 100 markets, covering about 196 million people in all. No word on how this will affect T-Mobile’s current arrangement with HiWire, or HiWire itself, for that matter, but we suspect there’ll be some rather, um, interesting discussions going on behind the scenes.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Sony offered details on their updated PC Blu-ray burner today, with 4x speeds that can write 50 GB in 45 minutes. The BWU-200S connects to the motherboard via SATA and will burn HD formats to standard DVD as well. The drive also burns to DVD at 16x (one of the first Blu-ray drives to do so), and uses Cyberlink BD for all its playback, editing and burning needs. The BWU-200S starts shipping next month for $600. [Electronista]

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According to AppleInsider sources, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard has been finalized and well on target to make its rumored October 26th ship date. However, MacRumors’ sources say that Gold Master hasn’t been declared yet and “builds are still progressing.” This comes in addition to the news that Apple has finished two new builds of Mac OS X 10.4.11–which are likely to be the final update to the Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger operating system. [Mac Rumors via AppleInsider]

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U.S. technology services company EDS has a shopping cart concept that promises to read each products UPC code and return information about calories, nutrition, ethical sourcing and the environment. It could also warn people if they are buying too much junk food–thereby reducing our need for nutrition fact labels. [Reuters]

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Remember Airwolf? Probably not. However, there are probably tens, if not dozens of Airwolf fans out there–and any one of them would love to get their hands on one of these 26 fully-functional helmet replicas up for sale on Ebay. Each helmet features a functional LED targeting bar, speed visor, electronic switches, and battery-powered electronic Power-Pack with Belt Clip. Truth be told, I was a big fan of Airwolf back in the day. Perhaps the publicity will spark a Jan Michael Vincent comeback. One could only hope. [Ebay via Uberreview]

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A reader just sent us in this tip about the music service/player Slacker, which coughs up music over Wi-Fi, Satellite, and the interwebberpipes. We saw this back in March, but until now there wasn’t a definitive release date. However, slacker support says: “The portable player is scheduled to be released within the next month or two. At this time it is the final steps of production.” Things are looking good for slackers. [Thanks Tipster!]

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The Honda CR-Z hybrid concept is designed to the nines. The reality check, even if this is just a concept, it’s a concept built around Honda’s current gen hybrid in this generation’s Civic Hybrid/Accord. No matter—the LED headlights, body lines, and dash are kind enough on the eyes:

[Full gallery at Jalopnik]

Honda Announces Automobiles to be Displayed at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007

TOKYO, Japan, October 9, 2007-Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it will exhibit production and concept automobiles and a number of technologies at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show (sponsored byJapan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc.), to be held from Saturday, October 27 to Sunday, November 11, 2007, at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

The theme for Honda’s automobile booth for this year is: “For the endless joy of mobility on our earth”. Based on this theme, Honda will display a variety of advanced environmental technologies that address environmental issues such as a reduction in CO2 emissions, together with the fun of mobility.

Two concept models will make their world premiere at the motor show. The CR-Z is a next-generation lightweight sports car equipped with Honda’s original gas-electric hybrid system which achieves both clean performance and a high level of torque. The PUYO is a fuel cell vehicle which was designed based on out-of-box thinking to provide fun for both the vehicle owner and people around them as well. Also on display will be a model of the i-DTEC next-generation diesel engine, first announced in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which delivers both outstanding environmental performance and engine performance characteristics.

CR-Z
‘CR-Z’ stands for ‘Compact Renaissance Zero’-an expression intended to capture the idea of a renaissance in the design of compact cars that begins anew from fundamentals.

This design research model of a lightweight hybrid sports car features advanced technologies that deliver enjoyable driving for all while reducing the vehicle’s environmental footprint.

Exterior design
Designed to be ‘Futuristic and Dynamic’, the CR-Z combines powerful performance in a compact form with a futuristic image. For its frontal view, an over-sized grill with a high-performance look is offset by openings on each side that lighten the overall feel. In the rear, tube-shaped rear combination lamps ensure better rearward visibility. Design details emphasizing the CR-Z’s advanced image include door mirrors that provide high visibility in a stylish form, LED headlights patterned after luminous bodies to convey a sharp impression, and jauntyfin-shaped

Interior design
The key words for the CR-Z’s interior design are ‘Hi-tech and Sporty’. The goal was to create an all-new sporty interior that fuses the liberating feel of airy spaciousness with an advanced interface that brings out the fun of the drive. Mesh material on a simple framework construction is used throughout the interior to convey a light, sophisticated image without being oppressive. In the cockpit, the meter unit conveys the image of advanced technology ensconced in a piece of glass artwork, offering the functionality of immediate recognition while enhancing the driving experience with a futuristic and exhilarating feeling.

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