Tech Gadgets Reviews

AT&T rolls out a quartet of QWERTY phones for those who love text messaging more than holding conversations, among them the Pantech Matrix that slides both ways - a vertical slide will reveal the numeric keypad underneath, while a second side slider unveils the QWERTY keyboard for your thumbs to start typing. This 3G-enabled handset supports AT&T Navigation and Video Share, and will come with a 1.3 megapixel camera. It will retail for $79.99 with a 2-year contract and a rebate. As for the Samsung Propel, this 3G handset does not run on Windows Mobile despite sharing a similarity with the i620, and will also cost the same as the Pantech Matrix. The Pantech Slate is one of the thinnest QWERTY-enabled devices in the world, retailing for just $49.99 on contract but bear in mind this misses out on the 3G boat. Last but not least is the Quickfire, better known as The Knick, will come with a touch screen to augment the QWERTY keyboard. This 3G handset has a 1.3 megapixel camera and will retail for $99.99 once you’ve sold your soul to AT&T for a couple of years.

Over in Spain, I’m still waiting to get my hands on the new MacBooks. Our own Mark McClusky has already had a ride on them, and MacWorld’s Jason Snell got his hands on one for long enough to discover a few little extras Steve didn’t mention yesterday.

While the MacBook and the MacBook Pro now look very similar, they have both inherited features from their direct predecessors. The Pro has its speakers up on top, next to the keyboard, while the MacBook keeps its rear-firing design. The graphics remain similar, in that the MB still has integrated graphics, but the Pro has a discrete card, with the addition of an extra, battery saving, on-board chip. In fact, the control to choose which card you use is in OS X’s Energy Saver Preference Pane. Sadly, according to Snell, you need to log out to actually change between them.

And as we have already mentioned, the ports have changed somewhat. But it’s the features they share that are the most interesting.

First, they both get easy-access hard drives. The old MacBook let you pull out the HDD via the battery bay (after loosening a few screws), but now it is even easier: The hard drive is hidden under the same panel as the battery and is held in by a single Philips screw. It looks even easier than swapping out the drive on a Mac Pro.

The trackpads get four finger gestures, wired in to Exposé. Up shows the desktop, down shows all open windows, and the bottom corners can be assigned to a right-click.

Last is compatibility with the iphone earbuds. Both new MacBooks support click to pause, skip and rewind, along with volume. It’s neat but of limited utility.

All in, these are looking pretty sexy. I have an almost new MacBook Pro on my desk, and it’s actually starting to look a little tacky. It is, however, happily hooked up to a FireWire external drive.

First Look: MacBook and MacBook Pro [Macworld]

Photo: Jason Snell/Macworld

There has recently been a law passed where I live that says that all cell phone calls made in cars must be hands-free. I suppose this is designed to prevent accidents from inattentive drivers always on the phone, but I still see drivers with cell phones pressed to their ears in blatant violation of this law.

Maybe these drivers need an Ego Flash. The Ego Flash has nothing to do with a motivational talk in any way, but an advanced Bluetooth hands-free device for the automobile.

The Ego Flash has two components, one of them is the actual processor of the two, and the other is the device with a 1.6 inch OLED display. This display has caller ID, controls the phone, it can hang up, and even do redials.

It can also do text messaging, and it will even read them aloud. By the way, did I mention that the Ego Flash can hold 10,000 phone contacts? It is also able to play MP3s right from the phone itself.

The Ego Flash is able to pair up with ten phones, and it can accept A2DP stereo Bluetooth streaming and AVRCP remote control. If you feel that you need an Ego Flash, go ahead and head over to the official website, and it will tell you exactly where to buy it.

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FROM APPLETELL - Stick with us here at Appletell, as we’ll be providing ongoing coverage leading up to Apple’s MacBook Event, and will offer a live blog of the announcements from this very spot.
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Verizon has finally announced the Motorola Krave ZN4 handset after numerous image leaks, but unfortunately for Motorola the Krave ZN4 isn’t the messiah phone that will save Motorola from its current woes. Just to highlight its features once again, here they are :-

• 2.8″ touch screen display
• Supports multimedia services from Verizon
• Flip design for one-touch access
• microSDHC memory card slot
• 3.5mm headset hack
• Stereo Bluetooth connectivity
• 2 megapixel camera
• Built-in accelerometer

The Motorola Krave ZN4 will cost $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year customer agreement.

Toshiba is on a roll here where notebook releases are concerned, and the Portégé A600 is yet another model that will target the mainstream ultraportable notebook market. This 12.1″ notebook will feature the following specifications :-

• Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 processor
• 3GB RAM
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MH
• Built-in webcam and micropone
• 12.1″ LED backlit display
• ExpressCard slot
• Energy Star 4.0 compliant
• Fingerprint reader
• Spill-resistant keyboard
• EasyGuard Technology with PC Health Monitor
• Integrated optical drive

You will be able to squeeze out 7.5 hours of battery life from the Portégé A600, although I would take that figure with a grain of salt since test conditions are never really as accurate as real world situations. Prices of the Portégé A600 start from $1,399 upwards. [Press Release]

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 14th 2008 at 10:44AM

For whatever reason, Pure Digital’s Flip Mino has been a runaway hit. The video quality ain’t that great, and it’s downright bad in low-light scenarios, but there’s something about the convenience factor that keeps folks coming. Now, there’s one more reason to give this one a look over rivals: personalization. Thanks to a new partnership with CafePress, prospective buyers can customize their Flip Mino with a design of their own or choose one from thousands of professional designs, and contrary to what you’re expecting, the service is completely free. In other words, you can finally get that pocket camcorder you’ve been wanting with your 2-week old girlfriend (or you skateboarding) plastered on there for not a dime more — but who’ll be laughing when it comes time to sell and upgrade?

[Via Switched]

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

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Posted in Gizmo of the Day, Networking & Internet, Software

Mark McClusky just got to spend a bit of time playing with the new line of MacBooks. Here’s what he had to say about his experinces:

On his initial impression: They’re really beautiful pieces of hardware. The milling eliminates the plastic gasket around the front — this makes a huge difference. The MacBooks now feel sturdy and super-solid, much more polished than the plastic version.

On the Macbook Pro: It’s thinner, yes, but in actuality, just a hair wider than my old (one year old) MacBook Pro.

On the displays: They’re very bright. Colors are vibrant and pop more naturally. 

On the line-up as a whole: They’ve now got the same design language across their whole line…iMac, displays, and notebooks — all with that black bezel. This is a very solid update, and a lovely design tweak. But there are no huge game changers here. They’ve galvinized a lead, and let’s face it: no one can trigger object lust like Apple. 

[Editor’s note: Instead of waiting for review samples to become available from Apple we’re going to just purchase a top shelf MacBook and MacBook Pro. Expect a set of reviews in a few days, Labbers.]

(Photos by Jim Merithew for Wired.com)