HTC had their Shift UMPC on display here at CTIA, which packs Sprint EV-DO, an 800 MHz Celeron processor, 1 GB RAM and a 40 GB SSD into a tidy $1500 package. After getting touchy feely with it for a few minutes, I found it wasn’t half bad. I was especially impressed by the proprietary HTC SnapView interface that runs on top of Windows Vista, and provides quick access to weather, calendars and emails (similar to the Windows Mobile 6.1 homescreen that it’s based around).
I wouldn’t exactly call the Shift a mobile computing powerhouse, but I found that Vista more or less ran smoothly on the UMPC. While running Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer, I loaded a handful of webpages over EV-DO that weren’t too resource heavy, but had dynamic content and graphics. The webpages took about 20-30 seconds to load and suffered a bit of choppiness with Word running in the background. But they did format nicely and looked good, which should be expected since its running a full blown OS.
One of the better features was the SnapView interface created by HTC specifically for the EV-DO Shift. The interface is built around a stripped down Windows Mobile 6.1, and made use of the platform’s more attractive features to build a quick-launch screen. It looks a lot like the homescreen on the HTC Touch Dual and, as mentioned before, provides access to weather, calendars, emails in a quick and well-designed interface. The Shift has a dedicated button on its front bezel to access Snap View and it transitions between SnapView and Vista with smooth animations and no lag (Vista is put into a sleep mode while running SnapView).
The hardware felt sturdy, and the 7″ screen offered plenty of viewing space, but the keyboard was on the small side (it’s intended for standard touch typing) and the touchscreen could have been more responsive. And the carrying case/sleeve is permanently affixed to the UMPC, which is kind of lame. Not a bad outing at all from HTC, but it needs just a bit more horsepower.
Dell reported an $11.6B profit last year, but the company apparently isn’t satisfied — it just announced a plan to shave off $3B in costs over the next three years. As you’d expect, it’s going to take a little more than off-brand soda and thrift store uniforms to achieve the squeeze: 6,500 jobs are due to be eliminated (on top of 3,200 already cut) and a desktop manufacturing plant in Austin is scheduled to close as well. The big chunk, however, is going to come putting the squeeze on design, manufacturing, and logistics, as well as cutting component and material costs across all Dell product lines. That’s the part that has us a little worried, actually — we’re fans of new Dells like the XPS M1330, here’s hoping this doesn’t mean a return to beige boxes.
WiMax isn’t the only the live 4G game in town. Alcatel-Lucent is running an arguably much sexier demo of LTE (long-term evolution), the high-speed 4G network that Verizon and AT&T are going to deploy. Besides streaming video to a wall of TVs with over 100Mbps of throughput, they have two Wiis hooked up, one on Wi-Fi and one on LTE, battling each other in an online Mario Strikers Charged match. It’s totally lag-free, as frenzied and butter smooth as Striker gets. Full-fledged online gaming anywhere is so close it hurts.
One ultra-glossy phone plus a dozen or so overly ornate chandeliers is a recipe for video disaster, and indeed, we managed to capture the beautiful outline of said chandeliers in far more detail than we ever intended here. It’s the price we pay for demanding mirror-finish touchscreens, we guess, but we think we still managed to convey a fair bit about the Instinct’s distinctive user interface here. First of all, it wasn’t nearly as snappy as we’d have liked it to be, but the phone’s not hitting retail for a couple months yet so we’ll cut ‘em some slack while they’re ironing out the final kinks in the firmware. The web navigation gestures were a little choppy, too, though we appreciated the dedicated “birdseye” key that zooms out so the entire page can be seen at once; a red box indicated where you’ll be when you zoom back in. Bottom line? We get the impression that Samsung’s delivering form over function here, but hey, for a good number of us, that’s a sacrifice we’re willing to make.
Needless to say, if you have the cash to drop on a Pirates of the Caribbean themed home theater, getting booty probably isn’t your problem—financially or sexually. For owners Paul and Emily Konold, the motivation wasn’t to impress or even to pay homage to the movie franchise, it was all about recreating the fun they experienced on the original ride at Disneyland.
Still, the design incorporates scenes from both the ride and the movie, and it includes a significant amount of hand-made detail—like the arch murals that were painted by a 13-year old artist and former student of Emily’s. There is even a bar at the back of the theater decked out like a true pirate watering hole. As for the technical specs, the Konolds included a 16:9 screen with a custom masking system to make the setup 2.35:1 (the format of all Disney movies). For a closer look, hit the gallery at E-House. [Electronic House]
Yesterday, Brando chose not to release any new products. I wonder why—maybe they thought someone might not like it. It’s a four-way USB hub that also brings color to your desk. I say a pot of paint does just the same (give Brando five years and they’ll probably come up with USB paint). All this USB nonsense begs one question, though:
April Fool’s day joke? Could be, but we’re hearing it might be real: the long standing bastions of iPhone hacking, the iPhone Dev Team, posted a note to their site stating that “[today] the DevTeam was approached by an unnamed party to sell all of the intellectual property and related applications. After much consideration [What, hours? -Ed.] the offer was accepted and the [Dev Team] has ceased.” Seems a bit outlandish. For those not in the know, the Dev Team is the same group that posted jailbreaks to 2.0 (before it was out), 1.1.3, 1.1.1, developed the AnySIM unlock, and are thiiiis close to releasing the Pwnage tool (which promised total unsigned firmware control of the iPhone). So yeah, it may well be a prank, we wouldn’t put it past them. Funny thing about the hacker community though, one goes down and 10 more spring up.
Dell reported an $11.6B profit last year, but the company apparently isn’t satisfied — it just announced a plan to shave off $3B in costs over the next three years. As you’d expect, it’s going to take a little more than off-brand soda and thrift store uniforms to achieve the squeeze: 6,500 jobs are due to be eliminated (on top of 3,200 already cut) and a desktop manufacturing plant in Austin is scheduled to close as well. The big chunk, however, is going to come putting the squeeze on design, manufacturing, and logistics, as well as cutting component and material costs across all Dell product lines. That’s the part that has us a little worried, actually — we’re fans of new Dells like the XPS M1330, here’s hoping this doesn’t mean a return to beige boxes.
Sound ID has taken the lid off their new HD300 Bluetooth headset featuring proprietary NoiseNavigation technology that promises “pristine sound” by isolating speech and automatically reducing wind and background noise using dual microphones and DSP algorithms. A lot of companies make similar claims, but Sound ID’s word is backed with the nerdy credibility of a staff composed of “hearing specialists and top acoustic scientists.” We shall see if they live up to the hype when the HD300 is released in Q3 of 2008 for $119.99. Full details are available in the press release after the break.
Sound ID Announces Latest Bluetooth Headset Innovation - the HD300 Developed by acoustic scientists and engineers, the Sound ID HD300 offers exceptional Bluetooth connectivity, sound clarity and comfort Las Vegas, NV (CTIA) and PALO ALTO, CA, April 1, 2008 - Sound ID, the leader in personalized sound, today announced a breakthrough Bluetooth headset, the HD300. With NoiseNavigation™, providing pristine sound through the automatic reduction of wind and background noise, the HD300’s acoustic innovations are evenly matched by its narrow form and chic, high-gloss piano black finish. “Comprised of hearing specialists and top acoustic scientists, Sound ID brings an in-depth knowledge of the human ear to the Bluetooth arena,” said Michael Jones, President and CEO of Sound ID. “Engineered to complement the natural hearing process, the HD300 delivers great audio and a slim design for comfort and style - ensuring its place among the slickest gadgets on the market today.” The Sound ID HD300 Bluetooth Headset offers several unique technology features, including: · NoiseNavigation - A proprietary development, NoiseNavigation optimizes speech intelligibility at both ends of the conversation, as dual microphones isolate speech and DSP algorithms automatically reduce wind and background nose. · PersonalSound™ - HD300 users can choose from three listening modes - tuned to the most common hearing preferences - further enhancing speech clarity without raising the volume. · Automatic Volume Control - This feature eliminates the need for constant volume adjustment in variable noise situations such as driving. Created for extended wear, the lightweight HD300 includes scientifically designed RealComfort™ EarLoops. Available in three sizes, the EarLoops provide a secure and comfortable fit and are engineered to better channel sound into the ear for enhanced listening. Users will also appreciate the headset’s compatibility with standard micro USB chargers, which come with many of today’s popular mobile phones and may eliminate the need to carry multiple chargers. Sound ID has also created a free downloadable application that extends the HD300’s functionality and enables users to control the headset via their mobile phone. The application includes a sound level meter to monitor surrounding noise levels, volume control and a battery life indicator, among other features. HD300 Specifications · Weight: 8 grams (0.28 ounces) · Dimensions: 53.5 x 15.5 x 7.5 millimeters (2.1 x 0.6 x 0.3 inches) · Battery Life: Up to 6 hours talk time, 200 hours (8 days) standby · Latest Bluetooth Technology: Bluetooth version 2.1+EDR with eSCO improves the transmission sound quality and is compatible with earlier versions of Bluetooth. Pricing and Availability The Sound ID HD300 is expected to be available in Q3 2008 for $119.99. It will come with a Universal AC charger (100-240 VAC), three sizes of RealComfort EarLoops and an Ear Hook for an alternative over-the-ear wearing option.
HTC had their Shift UMPC on display here at CTIA, which packs Sprint EV-DO, an 800 MHz Celeron processor, 1 GB RAM and a 40 GB SSD into a tidy $1500 package. After getting touchy feely with it for a few minutes, I found it wasn’t half bad. I was especially impressed by the proprietary HTC SnapView interface that runs on top of Windows Vista, and provides quick access to weather, calendars and emails (similar to the Windows Mobile 6.1 homescreen that it’s based around).
WiMax isn’t the only the 
Needless to say, if you have the cash to drop on a Pirates of the Caribbean themed home theater, getting booty probably isn’t your problem—financially or sexually. For owners Paul and Emily Konold, the motivation wasn’t to impress or even to pay homage to the movie franchise, it was all about recreating the fun they experienced on the original ride at Disneyland.
Still, the design incorporates scenes from both the ride and the movie, and it includes a significant amount of hand-made detail—like the arch murals that were painted by a 13-year old artist and former student of Emily’s. There is even a bar at the back of the theater decked out like a true pirate watering hole. As for the technical specs, the Konolds included a 16:9 screen with a custom masking system to make the setup 2.35:1 (the format of all Disney movies). For a closer look, hit the gallery at E-House. [
Yesterday, Brando chose not to release any new products. I wonder why—maybe they thought 
Sound ID has taken the lid off their new HD300 Bluetooth headset featuring proprietary NoiseNavigation technology that promises “pristine sound” by isolating speech and automatically reducing wind and background noise using dual microphones and DSP algorithms. A lot of companies make similar claims, but Sound ID’s word is backed with the nerdy credibility of a staff composed of “hearing specialists and top acoustic scientists.” We shall see if they live up to the hype when the HD300 is released in Q3 of 2008 for $119.99. Full details are available in the press release after the break.
We hope Mr. T sees a Mr. Check from this thing. [
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