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Comments: 119 +-   Five Top Publishers Plan Rival to Kindle Format on Wednesday December 09, @06:36PM

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday December 09, @06:36PM
from the new-media-readers dept.
books
eldavojohn writes "Time Inc., News Corp., Conde Nast, Hearst Corp., and Meredith Corp. are teaming up to create a digital newsstand and somewhat open format that 'can render our content beautifully on those devices that come to market' instead of the gray inked Kindle's energy conscious display. Devices are being made for the new format with the launch coming next year. The format will also target smart phones and tablet computers. Will this pose a threat at all to the Kindle?"
Read More... 119 comments story

Comments: 260 +-   Barnes & Noble's Nook, Reviewed on Monday December 07, @06:18AM

Posted by timothy on Monday December 07, @06:18AM
from the 2d-mover dept.
books
harrymcc writes "Barnes & Noble's Nook — the most significant e-reader since Amazon's original Kindle — hits B&N's retail stores today. I've published an extensive review of the device, which is also the first e-reader to run Google's Android OS: It's an interesting and capable gadget in many ways, but the interface — which is sluggish and somewhat quirky — isn't polished enough to render it a Kindle killer."
Read More... 260 comments story

Comments: 321 +-   Why Open Source Phones Still Fail on Friday December 04, @07:13PM

Posted by Soulskill on Friday December 04, @07:13PM
from the strange-and-spooky dept.
cellphones
adeelarshad82 writes "Truly open-development, open-source phones like the Nokia N900 will never hit the mainstream in the US because wireless carriers in the country hate the unexpected, writes PCMag's Sascha Segan. The open-source philosophy is all about unexpected, disruptive ideas bubbling upwards, and that drives network planners nuts. So, you get unsatisfactory hybrids like Google Android, which uses some open-source components but locks third-party developers into a crippled Java sandbox. The bottom line is that while Linux the OS, the kernel, and the memory manager are attractive to phone manufacturers, Linux the philosophy — and users banding together ad hoc to create new things — is anathema to wireless carriers."
Read More... 321 comments story

Comments: 63 +-   Archos Releases Dev Edition Firmware For Tablets on Sunday November 29, @01:23PM

Posted by Soulskill on Sunday November 29, @01:23PM
from the knock-yourselves-out dept.
handheld
Charbax writes "While Archos' current 'Archos 5 Internet Tablet with Android' is a 4.8" WVGA tablet that runs Android 1.5 (and perhaps 2.0 soon with the full Google Marketplace Experience), users of last year's 4.8" and 7" Archos Linux tablets have been complaining that Archos' firmware updates to its proprietary, embedded Linux OS were too infrequent, and added too little of the requested functionality. Under pressure from hackers demonstrating jailbreak methods, Archos has just now officially released (PDF) the open-source Special Developer Edition firmware based on Angstrom Linux, generated from a customized, open embedded build for last year's Archos 5 and 7 Internet Media tablets. If many talented developers join the community of Archos hackers to make software for this new Archos SDE firmware, then Android, Angstrom Linux, Maemo Mer, Qt and Ubuntu Linux could be expected to run smoothly on it soon. That could make it the ultimate pocket Linux Internet tablet for Linux hackers. Installing Archos' new SDE firmware permanently disables DRM playback and voids the warranty."
Read More... 63 comments story

Comments: 118 +-   Flexible, Color OLED Screens For E-Readers on Saturday November 28, @02:12AM

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday November 28, @02:12AM
from the still-waiting-on-a-kindle-killer dept.
handheld
nadiskafadi writes "Taiwanese researchers have shown off several flexible display technologies in an endeavor to promote e-readers and e-paper. One of the newest technologies from the Industrial Technology Research Institute was a flexible 4.1-inch color OLED (organic light emitting diode) display, which it claims is for the next era of portable devices."
Read More... 118 comments story

Comments: 203 +-   Apple Newton vs. Apple iPhone on Thursday November 26, @03:29PM

Posted by timothy on Thursday November 26, @03:29PM
from the you-have-been-on-my-lawn-for-10-years dept.
handheld
An anonymous reader writes "CNET UK has written a head-to-head piece entitled Apple Newton vs Apple iPhone. Despite the Newton being released some 10 years ago, and despite the iPhone being a phone, not a tablet, the site's editors believe the Newton is the more innovative of the two Apple products. The two devices were tied over four rounds, but in the 'Special Powers' element, where the iPhone was praised for its iPod capability, the Newton countered with its ability to play MP3s, connect to iTunes and 'its ability to work as a phone' because 'Blam! Not even the iPhone can do that.'"
Read More... 203 comments story

Comments: 85 +- Screenshot-sm   Writing For Video Game Genres on Monday November 23, @01:05PM

Posted by samzenpus on Monday November 23, @01:05PM
from the read-all-about-it dept.
books
Aeonite writes "The third book in a pseudo-trilogy, Writing for Video Game Genres: From FPS to RPG, offers advice from 21 experts in the field of video game writing, pulled from the ranks of the IGDA's Game Writers Special Interest Group and wrangled together by editor Wendy Despain. It follows in the footsteps of Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing and Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames, and in keeping with the trend, offers the most specific, targeted advice for how to write for an assortment of game genres." Read below for the rest of Michael's review.
Read 5746 More Bytes... 85 comments story

Comments: 75 +-   Modded UX490 UMPC Shows Off Years of Community Development on Monday November 23, @01:27AM

Posted by timothy on Monday November 23, @01:27AM
from the soldered-on-a-new-warranty-too dept.
handheld
An anonymous reader writes "The community at www.MicroPCTalk.com have spent the last few years devising all sorts of mods and tweaks for the Sony VAIO UX-series UMPC. Now they've thrown nearly all of their major breakthroughs into one machine. Using the latest UX model (UX490) as the base, the original SSD has been swapped for a speedy 128GB SSD, the CPU has been unsoldered from the mobo and replaced with a Core 2 Duo U7700 (making this probably the smallest computer to use said CPU). The original EDGE module has been removed, and carefully put in its place is an E169 Huawei terminal which provides up to 7.2mbps 3G (HSDPA), voice and texting. On top of this, the unit quad-boots Mac OS X, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP (and the Huawei terminal works under Mac OS X as well)."
Read More... 75 comments story

Comments: 778 +-   Ten Things Mobile Phones Will Make Obsolete on Saturday November 21, @07:02PM

Posted by timothy on Saturday November 21, @07:02PM
from the try-finding-a-payphone-now dept.
cellphones
An anonymous reader writes "recombu.com has an article examining ten things mobile phones will make obsolete, including phone booths, wristwatches and handheld games consoles. It's interesting to see how many devices have been absorbed into mobile phone technology, and it raises the question: are we better off having everything in one device? The author poignantly concludes that while it's great to have so much power at our fingertips, it does mean that some of us will rely on mobile phones for even basic mental tasks, which is great until the battery runs out." See also Isaac Asimov's The Feeling of Power.
Read More... 778 comments story

Comments: 198 +-   Major Electronics Firms Support Ending Use of "Conflict Minerals" on Saturday November 21, @08:12AM

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday November 21, @08:12AM
from the americans-just-want-their-fancy-phones dept.
handheld
tburton writes "The US House of Representatives yesterday released the Conflict Minerals Trade Act (HR 4128) to try and end the international trade of tungsten, tantalum and col-tan, the mining of which is accused of fueling violent rape and murder in eastern Congo. Since the very same minerals power the most popular consumer electronics from HP, Verizon, Nokia, RIM and Intel, the Information Technology Industry Council has quickly signed a statement of support. Advocacy groups are hopeful these commitments prove to be meaningful as consumers begin to question the end result of the supply chains powering their favorite gadget."
Read More... 198 comments story

Comments: 464 +-   The Jet Fighter Laser Cannon on Tuesday November 17, @05:11PM

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday November 17, @05:11PM
from the back-of-the-shark-calculation dept.
military
fahrbot-bot sends in a Register piece about DARPA issuing the penultimate contract for what is intended to be a jet-mounted laser cannon. The Reg outdoes itself in a BOTEC involving downsizing to shark scale. "The US military will shortly issue a brace of contracts for 'refrigerator sized' laser blaster cannons. One of the deals will see a full-power ground prototype built which will be the final stage prior to America's first raygun-equipped jet fighter. ... If it scales down far enough, this would seem to put handheld HELL-guns within an order of magnitude of the striking power offered by conventional small-arms. A 9mm pistol bullet has about 750 joules muzzle energy: a 5kg portable HELL-ray weapon would put out this much energy in a blast less than a second long. ... A dolphin can carry a human being weighing up to 100kg along for a ride. A thoroughbred shark in good training can surely match this. Thus, we seem to be looking at practicable head-[laser] output in the 20-kilowatt range."
Read More... 464 comments story

Comments: 103 +-   Alternative Mobile Browsers Tested For Speed, Usability, JavaScript Rendering on Tuesday November 17, @12:00PM

Posted by timothy on Tuesday November 17, @12:00PM
from the but-can-it-run-slashdot dept.
handheld
CNETNate writes "Do Opera Mobile, Skyfire, or Mozilla's Fennec have the power to take down the BlackBerry browser, IE on Windows Mobile, or Safari on the iPhone? This lengthy test aimed to find out. Speed, Acid3 compliance, JavaScript rendering capabilities, and general subjective usability were all tested and reviewed. So were Opera Mini and the default Symbian browser, but these two were unable to complete some of the tests and benchmarks."
Read More... 103 comments story

Comments: 110 +-   Free 3G Wireless For Nintendo's Next Handheld? on Monday November 02, @11:04AM

Posted by Soulskill on Monday November 02, @11:04AM
from the keeping-up-with-the-appses dept.
nintendo
itwbennett writes "'Nintendo is feeling the sting of competition from the iPhone,' writes Peter Smith in a recent post. 'At least, that's the feeling one gets when reading Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's thoughts on the future of Nintendo handhelds. According to a Financial Times piece, Iwata suggests the next Nintendo handheld (and to be clear, he isn't talking about the big screen DS launching in Japan next month) might include free 3G wireless, much like the Amazon Kindle does. The challenge is to offer the immediacy of downloading an inexpensive new game, anywhere, anytime, without forcing the user into some kind of monthly data plan.' From the FT piece: 'Only people who can pay thousands of yen a month [in mobile phone subscriptions] can be iPhone customers. That doesn't fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products,' Mr Iwata said."
Read More... 110 comments story

Comments: 96 +-   For September, Book-Related Apps Overtook Games On iPhone on Monday November 02, @05:00AM

Posted by timothy on Monday November 02, @05:00AM
from the fall's-good-contemplative-reading-weather dept.
books
ruphus13 writes "In a sign that ebooks are rising in popularity, a recent survey by mobile analytics company Flurry revealed that users may be using the iPhone for more intellectual pursuits, and not just the visual sizzle. The 'book-related' apps on the iPhone overtook games in terms of new apps released. According to the post, 'Book-related apps saw an upsurge in launches in September ... So much so that book-related applications overtook games in the App Store as a percentage of all released apps. The trend isn't an aberration. In October, one out of every five new applications launching on the iPhone was a book ... from August 2008 to the same month in 2009, more apps were released in the 'games' category than any other and, as a result, the iPhone (and iPod touch) became a new handheld gaming platform, one that impacted the Nintendo DS. '"
Read More... 96 comments story

Comments: 347 +-   Android 2.0 — Competition Against the iPhone and the Rest on Friday October 30, @09:05PM

Posted by Soulskill on Friday October 30, @09:05PM
from the just-stop-the-commercials dept.
cellphones
GMGruman writes "Every few months, it seems, there is a new 'iPhone killer.' Android 2.0, in the guise of the Motorola Droid, is the latest such 'killer.' But what will it really take to beat or match the iPhone (single page), and does Android or any other mobile OS have the right stuff? There's a lot more to the answer than is usually discussed. This article takes a look at the strengths that may allow Droid and Android 2.0 to provide strong competition to devices like the iPhone and the Blackberry, as well as the obstacles it continues to face that could inhibit adoption."
Read More... 347 comments story

Comments: 584 +-   No Hand-Held Devices In Ontario Cars on Wednesday October 28, @05:01AM

Posted by kdawson on Wednesday October 28, @05:01AM
from the hands-where-i-can-see-'em dept.
wireless
NIK282000 writes "To cut down on accidents caused by drivers who aren't paying attention, in Ontario it is now a ticketable offense to text, email, or navigate with your GPS while driving. But it seems to me that they have thrown the baby out with the bathwater, because it is now also a $500 fine to change your radio station, change songs on your MP3 player, or even drink your morning coffee. It can also be enforced to the point where changing the climate controls on your dash can get you fined because it requires you to take your hands off the wheel. Though this was a good idea, it seems to have been taken a little too far."
Read More... 584 comments story

Comments: 187 +-   Can Nintendo Really Be Planning Another DS Variant? on Wednesday October 28, @01:37AM

Posted by Soulskill on Wednesday October 28, @01:37AM
from the this-one-comes-with-a-shamwow dept.
nintendo
itwbennett writes "'There was a lot of talk yesterday about an article in the Japanese publication Nikkei which claimed that Nintendo was readying a new iteration of its DS line of handheld gaming systems,' writes blogger Peter Smith. 'The report claims the new unit will have 4" screens (the current unit has 3.25" screens) and is designed for older gamers who have trouble seeing the small screens of the current DSi. This new model is otherwise identical to the existing DSi and will ship by end of year in Japan.' As an 'older gamer' himself, Smith calls on Nintendo to stop this annual upgrade madness and do something truly innovative for a change, and he calls on gamers to put some pressure on Nintendo and not buy the new DS."
Read More... 187 comments story

Comments: 244 +-   Comparing the Freedoms Offered By Maemo and Android on Tuesday October 27, @08:49AM

Posted by timothy on Tuesday October 27, @08:49AM
from the they-canna-take-our dept.
handheld
An anonymous reader writes "Maemo 5 and Android have received a lot of publicity lately, despite the former not even shipping yet. Both have become famous partly for using the Linux kernel, but now that we have a choice, how do we pick one? Is the issue as mundane as choosing your favorite desktop distribution, or is there a more significant difference? This article compares the two from an end user and developer perspective, emphasizing root access and ease of sharing code."
Read More... 244 comments story

Comments: 103 +-   Android Phone Turned Into Virtual Reality Goggles on Monday October 26, @09:58PM

Posted by timothy on Monday October 26, @09:58PM
from the everything-has-a-secret-purpose dept.
displays
andylim writes "After years of hype surrounding virtual reality, including the classic '90s movie The Lawnmower Man, few of us can claim to have experienced virtual reality at home. But what if you could build your own virtual reality goggles without having to spend a fortune? Using an HTC Magic and Google Street View, Recombu.com made a simple pair of virtual reality goggles that let you immerse yourself in distant locations. As the article points out, you can also use these goggles with augmented reality apps — although you probably don't want to walk around with them all day long."
Read More... 103 comments story

Comments: 149 +-   Amazon Expands Kindle To the PC on Sunday October 25, @01:18PM

Posted by timothy on Sunday October 25, @01:18PM
from the begun-this-price-war-has dept.
books
An anonymous reader writes "Windows users will be able to use a new Kindle Books application to purchase, download and read e-book titles from Amazon's Kindle Store service. The PC application will be offered as a free download and will support Windows 7, Vista and XP systems. The news comes as Amazon is suddenly finding itself with a fresh crop of competitors in the e-book reader market. Earlier this week hardware vendor Spring Design entered the market with its Alex device, while publisher/retailer Barnes and Noble presented an even more serious challenge to Kindle when it unveiled its Nook reader device." Worth noting, if you're in the market for any such device: the base Kindle's price is now down to $259.
Read More... 149 comments story

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