Posted on February 8th, 2010 by ElectroGeek
The Motorola Split may be one of the more innovative models of this year. This Android-based smartphone will boast a split keyboard that slides out from either side of the touchscreen. In addition, what’s displayed on the keys can vary as the device changes orientation.Living Up to Its Name
The MotoSplit will supposedly look a great deal like the Motorola Droid, but instead of the keyboard sliding down, it will be in two pieces that slide out from either side of the screen.
According to the latest information, when this model is in portrait mode, one side of the keyboard will slide out and act as a numberpad. For this to be possible, the keys will need to reconfigure themselves. This will reportedly be possible because the keyboard will actually be a touch-sensitive LCD with an overlay containing cut-outs for each key.
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Posted on February 8th, 2010 by ElectroGeek
It has been rumored for years that Microsoft is going to make its Zune media player into an iPhone competitor, and that will apparently come into being with the release of Windows Mobile 7. This will supposedly allow companies to make phones with an emphasis on music and video.Several unconfirmed reports have come out describing Microsoft’s plan to integrate Zune functionality into its smartphone operating system. And this will allegedly go far beyond a new version of the music player — it will be no less than a complete re-vamp.
According to sources who claim to have inside information on Microsoft’s plans, the next version will have a user interface that greatly resembles the one on the Microsoft Zune.
Because of its strong emphasis on music and video, it will use the Zune’s desktop application, not the Windows Mobile Device Center that is used now.
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Posted on January 30th, 2010 by ElectroGeek
Despite the availability of over 140,000 apps on iTunes, researchers have found that the average iPhone or iPod Touch owner uses only 5 to 10 regularly.
IF Caroline Cua’s iPhone looked anything like her closet, where she keeps her dozens of pairs of shoes, she would have screen after screen of applications.
But instead her iPhone is nearly empty. Since she bought it nearly a year ago, Ms. Cua, 27, who works for a transportation service in San Francisco, has downloaded precisely five programs. And though she uses four of those apps “religiously,” she says, the ones she favors - Pandora, the Internet radio service, and Shazam, the music identifier - are your basic black pumps.
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Posted on January 30th, 2010 by ElectroGeek
AT&T said Thursday that it will invest an additional $2 billion in its network in 2010 to make sure it keeps up with the growing demand from new smartphones and other 3G data devices, such as the Apple iPad, on its network.
During its fourth quarter 2009 conference call, Chief Operating Officer John Stankey said AT&T plans to spend between $18 billion and $19 billion in 2010 upgrading its wireless and backhaul networks to handle the onslaught of new traffic. This is roughly $2 billion more than the company had invested in the previous year.
Specifically, Stankey said AT&T will add 2,000 new cell sites and upgrade existing cell sites with three times more fiber links than it had in 2009. This will increase capacity for the backhaul network that connects the cell towers to AT&T’s main network. The backhaul portion of the network is a critical component to AT&T’s network; with these upgrades in place, Stankey said the company will be able to easily upgrade in the future to 4G wireless technology.
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Posted on January 30th, 2010 by ElectroGeek
The 1-series menu now includes a new engine, a new transmission, and—hooray!—free leather upholstery.
Give us leather upholstery any day. It’s easy to clean, is almost always paired with seat heaters, and we hate cows. (OK, we don’t really hate cows. Well, we hate the rude ones.) Nowadays, extended leather packages can be selected to cover the dashboard, infotainment controllers, and more, and Porsche buyers can even get their vent slats covered in the stuff. And so we welcome this minor bit of news: buyers of the BMW 1-series now will be able to opt for leather seats at no charge. It’s true, all 2011 1-series models can be fitted with the totally gratis Value package—previously offered on the 2009 5-series and 328i/xi—which not only adds cowhide seat coverings, but iPod integration, too.
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Posted on January 30th, 2010 by ElectroGeek
A device that’s almost certainly an AT&T-compatible version of the Google Nexus One has been approved by the FCC.
Currently, the only version of this very high-end Android OS-based smartphone available offers full support for just T-Mobile’s network. Versions for Verizon and Vodafone have been promised, but this leaves users of other carriers out in the cold.
However, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has signed off on a device that — with a bit of reading between the lines — appears to be an AT&T version of Google’s first handset.
Follow the Dots
Both the Nexus One and the newly-approved phone are being made by HTC. And while the name of the product in question isn’t given, its model number is: 99110. The model number for the current version of Google’s smartphone is 99100. These are so close its seems very likely they are from the same series.
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Posted on January 25th, 2010 by ElectroGeek
Midnight Launch for Mass Effect 2 at GameStop stores nationwide.
If you are picking up Mass Effect 2 (and you should be…) then you’ll have the chance to have it a few hours earlier than everyone else, courtesy of GameStop. The software retailer has announced that Mass Effect 2 will be available today for PC and Xbox 360, at midnight, at more than 2500 of their stores nationwide. Read more »
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Posted on January 25th, 2010 by ElectroGeek
AT&T may be getting a smartphone with an unusual design featuring a split keyboard that slides out from either side of the touchscreen.The Motorola Split will supposedly be one of the five smartphones running Google’s Android OS this carrier is prepping for release this year.
This is the first report on this smartphone to come to light, so details are very sketchy.
The majority of available information comes from a single image showing this device from the front and back (at left). This is of a device with a built-in keyboard that slides out of either side of the display.
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Posted on January 21st, 2010 by ElectroGeek
Chromium hacker Hexxeh has released a faster, USB-bootable build of Google’s Chrome OS called Chromium OS Zero. Meanwhile, ArsTechnica interviewed Google’s Engineering Director for Chrome OS, Matthew Papakipos, regarding the past and future of Chrome OS.
Hexxeh’s final build of Chromium OS Zero follows earlier, well-regarded releases of versions including Chromium OS Diet and Cherry. Based on the open source Linux Chromium code that Google began to release in late November, with the goal of releasing a final Chrome OS for netbooks later this year, Chromium OS Zero promises major speed improvements “for many users,” according to Hexxeh’s blog announcement.
The Zero release also offers a reduced, under-250MB download size, enabling storage on a 1GB USB drive. Other Zero features are said to include full extension support, the “beginnings” of multi-language input (no UI yet), new boot-process artwork, and reduced Broadcom delay (presumably for WiFi).
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