Sunday, December 28, 2008

1000 Joost Invites




We’ve got our hands on over 1,000 Joost invites, and are giving them out to you. All you have to do is post in the comments that you want one, and as quickly as we can get to them, they will be sent out. If you aren’t familiar with Joost, it is a way to watch TV programming on your computer for free. It’s from the creators of Skype and Kazaa and uses peer-to-peer technology to distribute the content. Currently it is in beta, but it set to launch soon. It runs on both Windows XP/Vista and OS X (Intel) machines, but the only way to get it is to be invited by a friend. Luckily we consider you a friend.




Bang and Olufsen enters the “budget” TV market



It’s always interesting when a top-shelf manufacturer attempts to enter the consumer market. Most luxury companies at one point or another, realize that there’s way too much money to be made in the "general consumer" market, and attempt to design a relatively affordable device that makes consumers feel like they’re buying into a much more exclusive segment. The latest to make this shift is luxury component manufacturer Bang and Olufsen. The company is currently developing an "entry level" LCD television. This 26" TV will include a relatively anemic set of features, including a single HDMI input, no Digital TV tuner, and a maximum resolution of 1366×768 that falls well short of the industry standard 1080p. On the up side, it features B&O’s famous audio processing, with an integrated speaker system that includes two 2" tweeters and a 4" bass driver. Expect to pay about $3,600 for the TV, and another $400 for custom stand.


[Via Tech Digest]




BlackBerry Curve to be announced at WES 2007



Thanks to one of our great inside sources for confirming this story, it appears our witty sniffers were 100% correct.  You heard it first on BGR - the next BlackBerry device, set for a release in May, will be called the BlackBerry Curve.  I personally think it’s a rather rudimentary name with horrible branding abilities (insert countless jokes here), and how will this play out with the different model variations of this series remains uncertain.  The BlackBerry Curve will be announced at RIM’s Wireless Enterprise Symposium 2007, held May 8th through May 10th in Orlando, FL.  I’m sure everyone is already beyond the point of confusion with the BlackBerry 8300 and the BlackBerry 8320 and the BlackBerry 8330 and the BlackBerry 83xx, but one tidbit of knowledge that might help ease your mind and any confusion that has started to manifest from Waterloo is the release of this device will be on AT&T and T-Mobile in the May launch month, with Rogers on board north of the border.


P.S. RIM has removed the redirect on the BlackBerry8300.com website. It no longer points to www.BlackBerryCurve.com, atleast for now.




This just in: N75 coming to AT&T imminently



Getting that deja vu feeling? So are we. The botched launch of Nokia’s N75 flip phone last week n AT&T was a bit of a nightmare. As quickly as it appeared on the carrier’s site it was gone, leaving us wondering just what the hell was going on. Neither Nokia nor AT&T has publicly acknowledged the mistake, nor have they given any indication as to when we might expect a real product launch. A glimmer of hope emerged yesterday, as Nokia stated that the phone’s arrival was "imminent." While this doesn’t make up for the emotional pain and psychological turmoil caused by their actions last week, it does mean that some relief and 3G Series 60 goodness is on the horizon.


[Via Mobility Site]




Xbox 360 65nm GPU Shipping This Fall




The Xbox 360 CPU has been rumored to be shrinking from 90nm to 65nm in Q1 2007, but got pushed back earlier this year to "Mid-2007." This means the first batches of Xbox 360s Elites will still feature the old 90nm chip. It looks like the the CPU isn’t the only thing getting shrunk, the GPU is also shrinking down to 65nm Xenos GPU this fall, with production starting as early as May. Shrinking the chips means it will be cheaper to produce the Xbox 360, and right before the holidays is as good a time as any to release a price drop.



Read




Leaked document reveals Nokia’s touchscreen S60 plans



The Finns are up to something, and we like we’re seeing. A recently leaked document from a canceled Nokia presentation reveals that Nokia is planning to improve their S60 operating system by adding touchscreen capacity, as well as a number of other exciting enhancements. The slide is from a presentation that was to be called S60 UI Evolution, and clearly includes "Touch User Interface for new kinds of products." The document also alludes to "Sensorial User Interface for Feeling the UI" read: Vibration, and mentions further theme and UI ease-of-use developments. No specific handsets are mentioned, but the very mention of these significant changes to the already spectacular S60 has us foaming at the mouth for more info.


[Via Pocketpicks]




AT&T 8525 Firmware Available




The long awaited firmware update we told you about months ago, is finally here for the AT&T 8525. This ROM updates the phone to allow Push-To-Talk, Cingular Video, Blackberry Connect, and many bug fixes. It’s available as a free download, and takes about 25 minutes to install. As with any firmware upgrade, make sure to have constant power to the device, so you don’t brick the phone, and have everything backed up.


Download Here