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Palm Treo 800w caught with its keys showing


This little bundle of plain-vanilla familiarity is seemingly the first live picture of Palm's upcoming Treo 800w for CDMA networks, known internally as the Zeppelin -- you know, the obsolete airships that had a tendency to spontaneously combust. Specs on this one are starting to shore up, with Windows Mobile 6.1, EV-DO Rev. A, GPS, a 320 x 320 touchscreen (still novel by classic WinMo standards) and a typical Treo look and feel that doesn't diverge terribly much from Palm's tried, true, and well-worn formula. Sprint's looking solid to pick it up come late July, but with those HTCs around the corner, just how much love at the register is this thing gonna get?

[Via PHONE Magazine]

Fujitsu showcases pricey Atom-based U2010 UMPC

Might as well get this right out in the open: Fujitsu's forthcoming U2010 UMPC is slated to cost just shy of $1,300 when it lands in Taiwan this July. Yeah, that's even more costly than the Gigabyte M528 that got priced earlier this week. Nevertheless, those with coin to chuck can look forward to a rotatable 5.6-inch 1,024 x 600 touchscreen, integrated 3.5G WWAN / GPS and a six-row keyboard. Sure, there's not much else at 1.34-pounds that we'd want in our left cargo pocket, but a family's got to eat, you know?

[Via jkkmobile]

DIYer becomes inundated with spare time, crams Wikipedia onto PDA


Portions of Wikipedia have been living on disconnected pocket-friendly gizmos for years now, but one particular DIYer just took the whole process to an absurd new level. For starters, you'll have to procure a relatively obscure Psion 5mx PDA, not to mention a CF card (and adapter), Linux-based PC, static HTML dump of Wikipedia and an enviable amount of unused vacation time. If you just can't stand to be too far from knowledge, and you're way too vintage to just pick up a WiFi-enabled UMPC or halfway decent smartphone with web access, load up the read link and prepare to get (really) busy.

WWDC to launch a 3G iPhone and Atom-based MID device? [updated]

Honestly, we're exhausted by the sheer magnitude of 3G iPhone chatter swamping the rumor channels (and our inbox). Nevertheless, it would be a disservice to you, dear reader, if we let this one slide without comment. The perennial Apple touchscreen tablet rumor was given a fresh polish yesterday by Intel's chief German Burgermeister. Hannes Schwaderer stated unequivocally that Apple would be using the new Intel Atom processor in a "future iPhone" which is slightly larger than the existing model due to a larger display. Of course, this isn't the first time that Intel has openly discussed Apple's plans to develop products based on Intel's Centrino Atom, Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform. And as MacRumors and AppleInsider point out, an older rumor calls for a new multi-touch Apple tablet to launch mid-year with a 720 x 480 display on a device said to be about 1.5x the size of the current iPhone. With Intel officially launching Atom in June and Jobs' next keynote scheduled for June 9th... well, it wouldn't surprise us to see Otellini riding a chocolate pony on stage with a multi-touch Newton in hand. Actually, that would be surprising.

P.S. That's a pic of Intel's concept MID from Mr. Blurry Cam.

Update: Er, ZDNET.de has printed a disclaimer from Intel saying that ZDNET got the whole thing wrong. Intel claims that Schwaderer's comments were generic and not based on specific knowledge about future iPhone models. Where's the damning video evidence when you need it?

[Via MacRumors and AppleInsider]

Raon Digital adds 32GB SSD option in Everun S32S Dic


Regardless of your views on the Everun's level of attractiveness, holding 32GB of SSD between your palms is enough to make any true nerd break out in a sweat. Raon Digital's looking to get quite a few of those kind hot and bothered in South Korea with its Everun S32S Dic. The handheld boasts a 568MHz AMD Geode LX900 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 32GB SSD, 4.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, USB connectivity and a built-in SayDic electronic dictionary with text-to-speech support. Apparently Raon's pretty proud of this puppy, as word on the street pegs it at a stiff ₩867,000 ($828).

[Via GizmoScene, thanks KC Kim]

Astak Mentor e-book reader comes in at under $200


E-book readers are becoming quickly becoming the new cheapo MP3 player, what with unusual designs, promises of salvation from paper, and now diving prices. Enter the Astak Mentor. This series of readers comes in three sizes -- 5-, 6-, and 9.7-inch -- and is based on either Linux or Windows CE. So what's new here? A sub-$200 price tag for the 5-inch version, touchscreens, Bluetooth, and WiFi. Those three latter features come standard on the 9.7-incher, and are optional on the smaller two. Look for them in October from less-than-$200 to $350, or until someone else comes out with a $99 reader.

[Via Crave]

ASUS P560 sports Windows Mobile 6.1, many acronyms


Buried underneath the hoopla surrounding the announcement of ASUS' Lamborghini-branded ZX1 at CeBIT, the more mellow P560 was also announced, featuring pretty much every spec the average WinMo buyer could want these days in a package that speaks far, far less about the car you're driving (or wish you were driving, anyway). HSDPA, WiFi, 3.2 megapixel autofocus cam, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, GPS, microSDHC slot, 256MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM, and Microsoft's freshest build of Windows Mobile Professional -- 6.1, that is -- all have managed to find their way into the P560's unassuming shell. Not bad, though the €500 (about $772) price tag could scare a few folks away when it launches next month.

[Via Navigadget]

New players team up with LiMo Foundation

Following a new round of partnership announcements back in February, LiMo Foundation today added 8 new members, bringing the grand total to 40 -- and perhaps most notably, Verizon Wireless becomes the first American carrier to team up with the group and the Foundation's final board member (in other words, they seem to be taking this initiative pretty seriously). Other new players include South Korea's SK Telecom, France's SFR, Sagem, chipmaker Infineon, and Mozilla, suggesting that there'll be plenty of mobile Firefox support for LiMo's nascent platform. LiMo represents the largest Linux-based threat to Android's plans for world domination, having announced its initiative some time before Google while collecting a veritable who's-who of world players from NTT DoCoMo to manufacturers like LG and Motorola -- and with the depth of Verizon's commitment to this, evident by its nabbing of an actual board seat, we wouldn't be surprised to see LiMo-based products actually go beyond its Any Apps, Any Device initiative and get real on the carrier's official lineup.

CyBook bumps Gen3 storage, revs firmware

CyBook's Gen3 e-book reader has been out for a while, and it looks like there's a slight spec bump in the making -- the Gen3 New Edition now features 512MB of storage, more stable firmware with better battery life and a more responsive interface, and a slightly revised housing. Owners of older Gen3 units will be able to download the new firmware, but sadly there's no word on whether the new rev comes with Bobby Brown or Johnny Gill.

First Intel Atom based MID gets priced -- $1131!?


Intel's been making a lot of noise about MIDs for a while now, but we're going to guarantee that the entire category flops if this first wave of pricing info is accurate. Australian importer Tegatech's got the Gigabyte M528 up for pre-order, and while we're intrigued by the 800MHz Atom processor, 512MB of RAM, and 8GB SSD, we're certainly not willing to pay AU$1199 ($1131) to satisfy our curiosity -- especially since the Linux build was so half-baked when we played with this thing at CeBIT. Of course, this isn't official pricing (and it's actually dropped from AU$1549 since we first saw the listing), but let's hope this is even more inaccurate than usual, eh?

[Via UMPC Portal]

BeBook e-book reader makes its debut, doesn't run BeOS

If you can get past the tinge of disappointment in learning that something named the BeBook isn't actually the BeOS-based laptop you've been waiting for all these years, you may be only slightly less disappointed to know that it's another fairly ordinary and somewhat overpriced e-book reader. Coming in at a hefty €330 (or $510), this one ditches newfangled features like built-in WiFi or EV-DO, with it choosing instead to focus on basic features like a six-inch E Ink display, 512MB of internal memory, and an SD card slot for expansion. You'll also get support for all the usual document and image formats, as well as some basic MP3 playback functionality. If that somehow sounds like the e-book reader you've been waiting for, you can order one now and get free worldwide shipping.

[Via Gadget Lab]

AT&T says "iPhone Black" means nothing, gunman acted alone


We've just received an official statement from AT&T regarding the presence of an "iPhone Black" on its model selector earlier today: "The reference to 'iPhone Black' was simply a temporary placeholder used over the weekend for a scheduled catalog update. It was meant to temporarily distinguish the various iPhone models-4GB, 8GB and 16GB-but was never reassigned. We're changing the site now." Makes total sense, right? Three models of iPhone, two placeholders: iPhone and iPhone Black. You know, because "Black" has so much to do with memory capacity, and is easier to remember than 4, 8, or 16GB -- never mind the fact that we have good intel suggesting that the next-gen device is glossy black.

Also, AT&T, we know those cigarettes are yours, so you can stop telling us you were "just carrying them for a friend." We're not stupid, you know.

AT&T's bringing free wifi to the iPhone -- once it finishes wigging out

Hey, do you guys want to hear our AT&T impression? It's pretty awesome. Okay, okay, here it goes: "Great news, we're offering free WiFi to iPhone users! Wait, no we're not. Yes we are! Oh, no, wait, cancel that." Pretty spot-on, right? Sadly, it looks like we might need something else to rag on shortly, since an AT&T spokesman started clearing the air with the New York Times late last week. The bottom line -- for the moment, anyway -- is that AT&T has "long planned" to offer up its WiFi hotspots as a free value-add for the iPhone and all of the other WiFi-equipped devices in its arsenal, but that the brief enabling of the feature thus far and the mention on AT&T's site were results of human error, and the company isn't prepared at this point to commit to an actual launch date or details on how the service will work. Hey, at least we know we're not just suffering from some brutal hallucinations now.

[Via TUAW]

Pandora prototype "demoed" -- screen turns on


For scale, the Pandora crew set up a semi-working unit next to a Nintendo DS and flipped the switch. As you'll see, the demo isn't too impressive, but there's clearly some promise here. Video after the break -- be prepared for the usual two minute preamble where nothing really happens.

[Thanks, Andri and Atomicthumbs]

Newsflash! Firmware 2.0 hints suggest Apple might be working on a 3G iPhone


You'll never believe this, but it looks like Cupertino might be getting ready to drop a bomb this summer -- a 3G bomb, in fact! The latest beta release of firmware 2.0 for the iPhone has apparently revealed a preference screen that allows users of the new model to disable the 3G radio and fall back to GPRS / EDGE because the faster service "decreases battery life." Gotta pay to play, as they say. The ability to disable 3G service in favor of improved standby performance is a pretty common one in modern phones, so we're not surprised to see it here -- just a little disappointed that Apple hasn't incorporated enough fairy dust to magically make the problem go away.



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