What's new on SlashGear.com |
- Twitter Launches Push Notifications for @mentions
- JamBox by Jawbone Available Today at Best Buy and Apple Stores
- WarpDrive SSD Card Launched by LSI for $11,500
- Verbatim Announces home network box MediaShare Mini
- Phonekerchief Lets Your Date Know They’ve Got Your Full Attention
- Google Voice for iPhone Review
- Griffin Slap is the Newest iPod Nano Watch, Probably the Coolest
- Verizon’s Careers Twitter Account Hints at Upcoming iPhone, Maybe
- Samsung Making Google TV Related Announcement in January
- Intel and Riddel Team Up to Make Safer Football Helmets
- Google Voice for iPhone Launches
- iPad Now Being Sold at Sam’s Club, Offers Minor Discount
- Samsung Continuum Hands-On & Unboxing
- Nintendo Tells Developer High Voltage to Not Use WiiSpeak in Upcoming Game
- Casio GREEN SLIM XJ-A255V, XJ-A250, XJ-A155V & XJ-A150 Projectors Unveiled
- Advent’s Tegra 2 Vega Android tablet gets listed at retailer
- NVIDIA Quadro 4000 for Mac Pro harnesses CUDA in OS X
- MeeGo roadmap tips no CDMA or LTE support until Oct 2011
- SoundFreaq SFQ-01A Review
- SlashGear Morning Wrap-up: November 16 2010
- MeeGo 1.1 handset build gets new video demo
- Schmidt’s Nexus S tease video now online [Video]
- LG “Star” Tegra 2 Android phone leaks: 8MP, 1080p & HDMI
- BlackBerry PlayBook vs iPad in head-to-head browser test [Video]
- Beatles hit iTunes as Apple announce gets early reveal
- B&N NOOK Color on sale now; new firmware for original NOOK next week
- Hammacher Schlemmer outs cool sled that needs no snow
- Drobo S v.2 adds USB 3.0 support; DroboPro FS gets offsite Drobo Sync
- Cobra iRadar gets Android support in January
- Microsoft Kinect sells a million units in 10 days
| Twitter Launches Push Notifications for @mentions Posted: 16 Nov 2010 03:19 PM PST Twitter today rolls out a new feature for those who keep their phone in their purse or pocket – imagine that! – and want to make sure to get important tweets “even when [they're] not looking at Twitter at the moment. Stay sucked in! Now whenever someone on Twitter you follow mentions you, you’ll receive an instant notification. You know what that means? Conversations in real time. This feature will at first be available on SMS and on the latest version of Twitter for iPhone (available for download now.)
Notifications for Twitter Messages will also be available for Twitter for iPhone as it already is for SMS and Twitter for Blackberry. Soon this feature will also be available for Twitter for Android and Twitter for Windows Phone as well. To turn this all on, just go to twitter.com/devices and check the boxes under “text message notifications.” [Via Twitter Blog]
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| JamBox by Jawbone Available Today at Best Buy and Apple Stores Posted: 16 Nov 2010 02:50 PM PST Blasts of PR goodness and demos and reviews done by people around the web like our November 4th post seem to be paying off quite handsomely for the people over at Jawbone. The JAMBOX by Jawbone is currently for sale and selling OUT in Apple Stores, at Apple.com and in select BestBuy stores today. This lovely speakerbox is selling for $199, sitting right next to the iPads in the Apple store so you can get the full blast firsthand.
Be sure to check out our full review of the Jawbone JAMBOX from a little while ago. We not only take a look at it and crank it up, we take it apart a little bit too. Very sassy, very nice.
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| WarpDrive SSD Card Launched by LSI for $11,500 Posted: 16 Nov 2010 02:26 PM PST Quite the dollar amount. This is the new LSI SLP-300 acceleration card, intended for a different set of purchasers that me and… well probably you too. It’s a low-profile solid state storage card aimed directly at big companies hoping to keep performance but reduce clutter. This bad boy delivers data efficiency to the tune of hundreds of hard drives while consuming less than 25W of power, claims LSI. That sounds quite amazing, says we. Sounds quite amazing indeed.
By the numbers, you’d need 400+ mechanical hard drives and 36U of rack space, PLUS more than 300 times the power you’d usually use to achieve the same result. If you happen to get your hands on one of these, you can bet you’ll get up to 240,000 sustained IOPS and 300GB of SLC solid state storage capacity, all of this in a teeny tiny card (the one you see above.) You can plug it directly into your standard 8 lane PCI-Express Generation 2 server slot. Once plugged in, it can take up to 1,400MB/s of throughput with access latency of under 50 microseconds. That rocks. That rocks so very much. Read the entire press release below:
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| Verbatim Announces home network box MediaShare Mini Posted: 16 Nov 2010 02:00 PM PST This is what you’re going to want if you want to have Netflix streaming content to your television and you basically have no idea how to do that. This is Verbatim’s MediaShare Mini network box, and it’s made for basically just that: allowing users to connect TVs and/or computers to stream multimedia content OR use connected USB drives to play local files (if you’re a downloading sort of person.) You get a browser based interface to run the media hub, the box supporting as many as four connected drives.
Once connected, any computer on the home network can get to and access the files, as can remote Internet connected computers. Files can be uploaded, downloaded, viewed, and managed from any remote location. Connectors can also set up a sharing option (this is a right reserved for those connected directly) and sent albums to one another or post content on Facebook. Supported devices include Playstation 3, Xbox 360, DLNA compliant devices, plus iPad, iPhone, Blackberry devices, and webOS devices such as the Palm Pre. And what’s the best part of this whole situation? I bet you can guess: the price, at right around $90. Shipping now. [Via iPodNN]
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| Phonekerchief Lets Your Date Know They’ve Got Your Full Attention Posted: 16 Nov 2010 01:37 PM PST Ever have one of those dates (or playdates) where you’re vying for your partner’s attention, but they seem to be… oh.. I dunno… distracted by their phone? This sort of thing has been an epidemic ever since the first smartphone was released. Now there’s something for you, the nice man or lady, who wants to let their friend or lover know that they’re not one of “those people.” It’s the Phonekerchief, and it’s the perfect blend of sassy, ironic, and loveable.
This lovely piece of cloth is about to be put on sale (right in time for you know what) for the ultra cheap price of $15. And guess what? Not only does this cloth block your hands with it’s loud lettering, it blocks phone signals to and from your device as it’s made of a smart material that does such a thing. Wacky! Wonderful! Go buy it starting November 25th at Uncommon Goods.
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| Google Voice for iPhone Review Posted: 16 Nov 2010 01:07 PM PST Thanks to Google, we now have an official Google Voice application available in Apple’s App Store. The day that many thought would never come, finally has, and so we needed to find out if the wait was really worth it. After all, with something that has been longed for this long, it’s only right that we dig into it right off the bat, and find out if the official version was something we’ve really been wanting all along. So, does Google Voice for iPhone really stack up? Find out after the cut.
It didn’t take us long to find, download, and install the official Google Voice for iPhone application. We were happy to find out that the application runs natively on the iPhone, which is a big plus in our book. As you can imagine, there’s a few intricacies to the software that you’re either going to love, or hate. For example, like a few different iOS-based applications feature now, you’re able to just drag down the list of messages in your Inbox, and the application will immediately refresh, bringing any new messages you have waiting for you front and center. The messages between you and your contacts are threaded, just like they are in the full Web-based version of Google Voice. Threaded messaging makes it a lot simpler to keep up with the conversation, just as we’ve seen in plenty of other messaging formats over the years, so it’s good to see that the official application has this feature, too. If you want to get in touch with someone other than text message, clicking on your contact’s name will bring up a full list of other options, like calling them, or even removing them from your Quick Dial list, if that’s something you’d like to do. You have access to your main screen, which will show you a quick run down of new things happening, such as your Inbox and voicemails. You can also access starred messages, which are just messages that you’ve starred, so you can save for later. You can also read your history, so you can look back at what someone has said, or what you’ve said to someone else, as well as call information. Accessing your voicemail lets you read the transcription (if Google was able to make one), or listen to it, right form the iPhone. As for the dialer, it’s obviously present. You can make calls from the iPhone, using your Google Voice number (which will show up on the person your calling’s Caller ID as your Google Voice number, remember), as well as receive calls. You have a Settings menu as well, which will let you change some settings right there on the device, for the iPhone you’re using Google Voice on. Adding someone to your Quick Dial list is simple, just as everyone would imagine it would be. Just head into your contact list, find the contact you want to add, click on their name, and then select the right option after you select the phone number you want to add. As soon as they are added, they will appear in your Quick Dial list. Deleting someone from the list is just as easy, as you can simply hit Edit at the top-left, and the red delete marks will appear next to the contact’s name. Hit that, followed by Delete, and you’re good to go. The fact that the official application for Google Voice works so well, and natively, with the iPhone is a big plus. Things like making calls, or getting background notifications for incoming alerts, all work so well, that it’s a wonder why it has taken this long for the application to show up in the App Store (or not). However, we did find a bit of redundancy, in that the background notifications will show you the same notifications that you’ll get from a text at the same time. If you have it set up so you get text notifications, which many Google Voice users do, then the background notifications from Google Voice aren’t needed. Depending on how you want it set up, based on your personal preferences, you can either choose to skip text notifications, or as we did, turn off the background notifications. Especially considering you can still reply to Google Voice text messages right from within the native messaging application, we just didn’t find a need for it. In the end, the set up process is way too simple. If you’ve been using Google Voice already, then getting the official application set up on your device is as easy as any other phone. Just set up your phone number, which should be your iPhone’s number, and you’ll be good to go. Of course, you will need that Google Voice account, or you won’t be able to use the service at all. Google has come out with the official application, and yes, it was worth the wait. If you’ve been waiting for a free, official application, then here’s your chance to jump on it. Check out the full video below, to see the application in action. As well as the gallery, with plenty of pictures.               
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| Griffin Slap is the Newest iPod Nano Watch, Probably the Coolest Posted: 16 Nov 2010 12:34 PM PST As far as watches go, there’s usually just one main design element: it wraps around your wrist, gets secured in some fashion or another, and then you go about your day. But, way back in the day, there was this crazy thing called slap bracelets. No, they weren’t watches, but they were cool in their own right. So, why not put the two things together? In fact, why don’t we take this growing trend of making an iPod Nano into a watch, and combine it with a Slap bracelet? Someone at Griffin asked that very same question, and luckily enough, they’ve got the means to actually make it happen.
And that’s exactly what the company has done. They called the Slap, and it incorporates the best part of the Slap bracelet and the iPod Nano, and combines them into a beautiful gadget. Of course, Griffin is a pretty common name when it comes to Apple related accessories, so it’s good to see that a company like this is providing the product. And, as you should expect, there’s not just one color to choose from for the Slap bracelet — there’s many to choose form, including black, yellow, red, and green. What’s better, though, is that the Slap is actually available right now, and you can buy one for yourself, or for everyone you know, for only $24. [via DVICE]
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| Verizon’s Careers Twitter Account Hints at Upcoming iPhone, Maybe Posted: 16 Nov 2010 12:16 PM PST An iPhone on Verizon rumor? It’s about that time again, so here we go. This time, though, it’s not coming from some unknown source somewhere, but instead coming right from Verizon. At least, Verizon’s Careers Twitter account. And, what makes it interesting, or perhaps nothing at all, is the fact that Verizon hasn’t pulled the tweet (yet). It’s still there, ready for anyone to see and start their speculation. Does it mean, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that an iPhone is coming to Verizon? Well, you be the judge.
The person behind the Twitter account was replying to another Twitter user’s question. The question, was if the iPad’s recent release on Verizon, hinted at the iPhone’s launch for the carrier, too. Instead of saying something along the lines of, “Maybe,” or even “We don’t talk about rumors,” the person manning the Twitter account actually went out of their way and said, “Yes, that is the latest scoop.” We know that Verizon’s upper-management has been kind of evasive on the topic of an iPhone launching on Verizon. We’ve heard everything, from Verizon wanting the iPhone, to that it’s not going to happen at all. Of course, this could all be part of some elaborate game to keep people guessing, until Verizon ultimately launches, or doesn’t launch their own branded iPhone. What’s curious, is that the Twitter account doesn’t actually say that Verizon is getting the iPhone. Instead, the person says “that is the latest scoop.” Are they making some kind of sarcastic comment about how everyone is busy saying Verizon is getting the iPhone? Perhaps. It’s anyone’s guess at this point, but come January, 2011, everyone will be finding out one way or another (unless it’s sooner). [via Electronista]
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| Samsung Making Google TV Related Announcement in January Posted: 16 Nov 2010 11:51 AM PST Logitech and Sony have been getting all of the Google TV love over here in the States, as both companies have launched products with Google’s software installed in the last few weeks. While Logitech focused their attentions on a set-top box, Sony went all-out with a few options for integrated TVs, as well as a Blu-ray player. Samsung, not wanting to be left out of the party, has come forward and announced that, come this January, the company will make a formal announcement regarding their Google TV plans.
Details are scarce at this point. Yoon Boo Keun, head of Samsung’s TV business, said that all of the details haven’t been worked out, but that the company is “open” to utilizing Intel’s chips inside the TVs. From that, we can already imagine that Samsung would want to focus more on the smart TV movement, instead of trying to put their attention solely on a set-top box. Considering the push that Samsung has made for Internet-connected TVs recently here in the States, it wouldn’t be that big of a stretch to the imagination to think that Samsung would follow that same train of thought for Google TV-related products. Until the announcement in January, we’ll be left waiting. If the product itself can raise enough buzz, it’s possible that a few leaks could happen here and there, along with plenty of buzz inside the rumor mill. We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed that Samsung has something grand to show off this coming January. [via Bloomberg]
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| Intel and Riddel Team Up to Make Safer Football Helmets Posted: 16 Nov 2010 11:33 AM PST For football players, the helmet is one way to make sure that they stay safe. But, even the most advanced helmet out there is still just a barrier, and there’s always a chance that something could break through it. Football players are prone to suffering concussions during their career, if not more critical injuries, and companies are trying their best to figure out ways to make that happen less. Intel and Riddel, along with a plethora of Universities scattered across the United States, have been working on just that: safer football helmets.
Intel is utilizing their own supercomputers and workstations to simulate football hits from every imaginable angle, velocity, and other factors that would change the result of any particular hit. The simulations are meant to test the results of a collision in football, and how that hit affects the brain. The hope is that, when it’s all said and done, Riddel, and other football equipment manufacturers, will be able to make safer helmets. Riddel is using in-helmet technology to process and send the data to Intel’s Xeon-based workstations, where the information is run through several times. The real-time data is used to show the differences between impacts, where they are struck, and how fast the collision occurred. They are judging which hits cause concussions, and which ones don’t. In the end, Intel wants to install these new helmets with Atom processors, which would be able to send data from any particular hit to workstations and servers. That data, if it were needed, would be used to help the doctors, and anyone else that needed to know, figure out what exactly was wrong with the player. Hopefully, this would mean that the doctor, especially in light of a serious injury, would be able to start aiding the player faster, and potentially save their life. No word on when something like this could be ready for prime time, but both Intel and Riddel seem to be making a hard push for it, so it could be sooner than we think. [via CNET]
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| Google Voice for iPhone Launches Posted: 16 Nov 2010 11:11 AM PST We watched as, a few weeks ago, third party Google Voice applications started landing inside the Walled Garden that is Apple’s App Store. While there were murmurings of an ending world, other people rejoiced, and claimed the applications as their own, even with the cost of the app. But, those rumors that Google was working on an official application for the service turned out to be true, and now the application, all official and what not, is finally available.
Google, thanks to their official Google Voice blog, have announced that the application is available now, as long as you’re running on iOS 3.1 or later. You’ll also need yourself a valid Google Voice account, but that should go without saying. You’ll get features like cheap rates for international calls, the ability to display your Google Voice number as your number for Caller ID on other phones, and free text messaging to US-based numbers. Plus more. The app even works with push notifications, thankfully. The application is available right now, in the US only for starters, and it’s a free download. So, hit up the source link for more info, as well as links to get the application for yourself. [via Google Voice Blog]
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| iPad Now Being Sold at Sam’s Club, Offers Minor Discount Posted: 16 Nov 2010 11:05 AM PST While Apple’s tablet device, the iPad, has been available at Walmart for just over a month now, the iPad has begun popping up in Sam’s Club locations across the country. And despite the fact that Apple has been known to keep their prices locked in, no matter where they are being sold, it looks like Sam’s Club is able to offer up a slight discount, when it comes to the iPads available on their shelves. Of course, the discount isn’t much at all, but if you’re someone who hates paying full price for something, and any discount is a huge discount, then Sam’s Club could be the right fit for you.
While it’s great that the iPad is showing up in more retail locations, it’s probably even better that the device is being sold at a discount. Even if the discount, for the WiFi-only version, is $12 dollars. But, if you’re looking at a 3G model, then it looks like you’ll get $20 knocked off the original pricing. The 16GB WiFi-only model is being sold for $488. Discounts are always a good thing, but obviously we wouldn’t mind seeing more. Anyone heading to Sam’s Club to pick up their next Christmas present now? [via 9to5 Mac]
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| Samsung Continuum Hands-On & Unboxing Posted: 16 Nov 2010 10:36 AM PST Verizon’s latest Android smartphone, the Samsung Continuum, has landed on the SlashGear test bench, and though we’ve seen our fair share of cellphones in recent months, the Continuum’s dual-displays are still leaving us curious about usability. Another from Samsung’s growing range of Galaxy S family devices, the Continuum puts a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED primary screen on top and then a smaller, 1.8-inch “Ticker” display control bar and info panel underneath. Check out the unboxing and some first impressions after the cut.
The two panels aren’t actually separate screens; in fact, Samsung has used one large Super AMOLED and then segmented it with a printed button bar across the lower half. The display’s own backlighting is what illuminates the menu, home, back and search buttons, but thanks to the Super AMOLED technology Samsung can save energy by leaving the majority portion black while the Ticker is active. Altogether it’s a smaller device than previous Galaxy S handsets – Verizon expect it to be more popular with female users than earlier models – and fits nicely into the hand. The case still feels relatively plasticky, though, which makes for a lightweight phone but not one which feels as rugged as, say, HTC’s recent models. Samsung’s 1GHz Hummingbird processor makes another showing, and it keeps Android 2.1 running slickly. We’re disappointed to not see Froyo on the Continuum, and Samsung hasn’t said when we can expect a software update or, indeed, whether it might arrive before Gingerbread is on the scene. So far the Ticker is eye-catching but is yet to prove its worth; it’s too early to tell whether it will have a significant affect on battery life by reducing main-screen use. It’ll also depend in part on developer support, and that’s partly down to Samsung’s commitment to keep using the system. If only the Continuum gets a secondary display, then we can’t see third-party developers coming up with custom apps that cater to it. We’ll be putting the Continuum through its paces in preparation for the full SlashGear review, so until then enjoy the demo video and image gallery below.                     
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| Nintendo Tells Developer High Voltage to Not Use WiiSpeak in Upcoming Game Posted: 16 Nov 2010 10:36 AM PST One aspect of playing games online, is the ability to talk to people while you’re doing it. Using microphones, both wired and wireless, allows players all over the world to talk to complete strangers, catch up with old friends, or just make small talk with their best friend, all while playing their favorite games. But, while headphone/microphone combinations may still be the item of choice for communication online for most gamers, Nintendo (and more recently, Microosft) wanted people to be able to talk without the headset, so more people could communicate all at once. That’s why WiiSpeak was introduced with the Wii version of Animal Crossing, so you could sit and chat with a friend, without having to worry about a headset.
WiiSpeak is a device that sits on top of your TV, or anywhere else you want to put it (as long as it can still connect to your Wii), and you just talk. The WiiSpeak picks up all the sound in the room, and so you can speak normally to whoever you are playing with, or talking to, without the headset. But, it looks like if you want to play developer High Voltage’s Conduit 2 for the Wii, you’ll have to use a headset, anyway. According to the developer’s Chief Creative Officer Eric Nofsinger, Nintendo told High Voltage not to use WiiSpeak for their upcoming title, in which you’ll be able to access Rival mode, pitting you against friends and strangers alike in an online versus mode. According to Nofsinger, third party manufacturer PDP’s Headbanger headset, which is a traditional wired headset, will be what the developer suggests players use, and not WiiSpeak. It’s not often that you hear that a company tells a developer not to use a certain feature, especially one that Nintendo obviously thought would do well. The specifics behind the action are unknown, but obviously Nintendo doesn’t believe the peripheral is up to par. [via TG Daily]
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| Casio GREEN SLIM XJ-A255V, XJ-A250, XJ-A155V & XJ-A150 Projectors Unveiled Posted: 16 Nov 2010 10:07 AM PST Today, Casio quietly unveiled their brand new set of GREEN SLIM projectors. The new projectors are now being included within the “green” lineage of projectors, boosting the options for customers, as well as offering projectors in a variety of prices. Casio hopes to cover all of the general bases with these projectors, offering a little bit of everything they can, matching the features with the price. Four new models in all, Casio says that you should experience a far better projection experience with these new models.
The four new models all feature Casio’s Innovative Hybrid Light Source technology, which the company says will offer owners a better experience overall, between using the projector itself, and the image being displayed. Two of the models, the A255V and A250, feature native WXGA resolution, at 1280 x 800. The models all feature USB ports, but are also able to communicate wirelessly with your computer. Each of the projectors feature 3,000 lumens of brightness as well. As far as pricing goes, you can find the A150 for $1,299.99, the A155V for $1,499.99, the A250 for $1,399.99, and finally the A255V will cost you $1,599.99. [via Ubergizmo]
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| Advent’s Tegra 2 Vega Android tablet gets listed at retailer Posted: 16 Nov 2010 09:42 AM PST UK retailer PC World is now listing the Advent Vega tablet, a Tegra 2 based 10-inch slate running Android 2.2 Froyo. The Vega is priced at £249, though currently neither online orders nor in-store reservations are being taken; eventually, your money will get you WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, HDMI connectivity and a bundled 4GB microSD card.
There’s also USB, a webcam and microphone, together with a battery which Advent reckons is good for up to 16hrs of audio-only music playback, 6.5hrs of video playback, or four days of standby. The 10.1-inch WSVGA capacitive touchscreen supports multitouch gestures, and Advent have made some mild tweaks to the UI to suit the larger display. We grabbed some hands-on time with the Vega last month, and came away tentatively impressed with what you get for the price. More information in the video below. [via Android Community - Thanks Brett]
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| NVIDIA Quadro 4000 for Mac Pro harnesses CUDA in OS X Posted: 16 Nov 2010 09:11 AM PST NVIDIA has outed its latest graphics card, and the company has Apple Mac Pro users firmly in its sights. The NVIDIA Quadro 4000 for Mac packs 256 CUDA cores and 2GB of GDDR5 memory, which connectivity includes a DisplayPort and a DVI-I (Dual Link) connector built into its bracket, and an optional 3D stereo bracket; NVIDIA also throw in a DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort adapter.
The company reckons that, with its new NVIDIA Scalable Geometry Engine, the Quadro 4000 for Mac can process up to 890 million triangles per second. That’ll show its hand in supported apps like pple Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Autodesk Smoke, Mathworks Matlab and Adobe Creative Suite 5, for image and video processing. It’ll also work in Windows apps running under BootCamp, and if you have a pair of cards you can have four displays running simultaneously. Unsurprisingly, all this performance doesn’t come cheap. The NVIDIA Quadro 4000 GPU will be priced at $1,199 when it arrives later this month.    Press Release:
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| MeeGo roadmap tips no CDMA or LTE support until Oct 2011 Posted: 16 Nov 2010 08:58 AM PST If the current state of MeeGo 1.1 failed to impress you, perhaps something on the company’s roadmap will stand out more. Unwired View‘s Staska is at the MeeGo Conference 2010, where they’ve just shown a slide detailing timescales for future builds of the open-source OS. MeeGo 1.2, for instance, is due in April 2011, while v1.2 is targeted for October with LTE and CDMA support.
MeeGo 1.2 will tidy up a lot of the complaints from current builds, including adding support for device cameras. It’ll also add in Office viewers, a package manager, backup and restore functionality, platform security and firmware for sharing and policy. MeeGo’s 1.3 aims, though, would suggest that we won’t be seeing CDMA devices – such as for Verizon or Sprint – running the OS until Q4 2011 at the earliest, though it seems more likely that the first handsets would show up in early 2012. That leaves GSM as the initial playground for MeeGo – little surprise, given Nokia’s involvement and huge investment in GSM devices – though even then it’s unclear when, exactly, we can expect the first devices to launch.
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| Posted: 16 Nov 2010 08:29 AM PST We first came across SoundFreaq back at ShowStoppers at IFA 2010, where the company had brought their first iPod speaker-dock, the SFQ-01A, along to meet the crowded competition. Leaving nothing to chance, SoundFreaq have prepared a double-punch: the SFQ-01A itself, a monolithic block of a speaker system, and a companion Bluetooth app for the iPad that’s a free download from the App Store. Knock-out punch or freak of nature? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
There’s no missing the SFQ-01A, a slab-sided chunk of high-gloss black plastic with a narrow control pad and discrete orange side lighting. At £199.99/$199.99 it’s not an inexpensive dock, and we wish some of that had shown up in more expensive plastics; it’s not exactly lightweight, but then neither does it have the heft of some similarly-priced units. It’s also a dust and fingerprint magnet. In the box, SoundFreaq include the SFQ-01A itself, a small IR remote, two interchangeable dock adapters (for the original iPhone and iPhone 3G), an AC adapter (and, with our unit at least, both UK and Continental Europe power cables) and a 3.5mm stereo audio cable. There’s also some easy to follow documentation, printed on too-big-to-miss sheets of cardboard. Controls are limited to the lower front panel, with three silver knobs on the far left – for controlling treble, bass and SoundFreaq’s own UQ3 audio processing system. On the right, there’s an array of concave, touch-sensitive buttons for source, track skip, play/pause, volume, mute, power and Bluetooth pairing, underneath a small, orange LCD display. In-between there’s the dock itself, with a plastic cover if you’re not planning to actually slot in your iPhone or iPod touch. On the back there’s the power port and a 3.5mm aux-in input, while on the right side is a small door to hide the remote (a magnet keeps it in place). Hitting the source button cycles through the three options: iPod (for a docked model), Bluetooth (for wireless streaming, such as from an iPad) and Aux-In, for any other external source. The remote basically duplicates the panel buttons. SoundFreaq’s Bluetooth doesn’t just work with the iPad: any A2DP-compliant Bluetooth device – whether your notebook, smartphone or otherwise – should be able to pair with it and treat it as an external source, though since there’s no microphone it won’t work as a speakerphone. We’d have liked to have seen an FM radio, at least (WiFi radio would’ve been even better), as SoundFreaq said there would be back at IFA. When more than one device has paired via Bluetooth, it’s first-come, first-serve as to who gets to stream. There’s no multipoint support for simultaneous connections. The iPad’s standard music app will happily stream to the SFQ-01A wirelessly, though while the play/pause button on the dock’s control panel worked as expected, the track-skip buttons did not. However, there’s also the special SoundFreaq app in the App Store; this is a basic media player with full interaction between the SFQ-01A buttons and the app UI. You can queue up tracks from your music catalog into custom playlists, though the UI itself feels a little cramped: the navigation box shows just 7 tracks at a time, despite the amount of screen the iPad has to offer. Still, you can view tracks by artist, song and album, among other things, as well as import playlists from elsewhere. Audio quality is decent, particularly when the UQ3 system is turned off. Without it, even with some diligent treble/bass tweaking, audio sounded relatively anaemic, especially when streamed via Bluetooth. With it, music is fuller and more rounded, and the SFQ-01A can be cranked up to reasonable levels before distorting. With no separate subwoofer this obviously isn’t the speaker-dock for dedicated bass lovers, but it still manages to sound reasonably impressive. The SFQ-01A certainly does what it promises to, but we can’t help but feel that SoundFreaq has missed an opportunity with its custom iPad app. Some sort of internet radio streaming would’ve given it a real edge over rival speaker docks; as it stands, the only thing you gain over Apple’s own Music app is support for the SFQ-01A’s buttons, but you give up Genius playlists and background playback (exit the SoundFreaq app and the music stops, though we imagine the company will address that when iOS 4.2 arrives with its multitasking support). Still, given the more readily-modified nature of software, that’s something SoundFreaq could well add in future iterations of their app. The iPod speaker dock market is a crowded one, and while the SFQ-01A’s looks certainly help distinguish it, the unique selling points aren’t quite mature enough to push the SoundFreaq conclusively ahead of the pack. If the company can deliver on software updates then that would go a long way to differentiate the SFQ-01A and make it a recommended buy.                    
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| SlashGear Morning Wrap-up: November 16 2010 Posted: 16 Nov 2010 07:59 AM PST What’ll it be today? A big fat Beatles announcement by Apple? Yes! A brand new LG Android phone leak with 8MP photos, 1080p video, and HDMI? Yes! Perhaps devices with flippy screens – so many flippy screens? Yes! Any way you look at it, today is a real diverse day in tech news, everything from an app called Giftmeister to the world’s first Android TV. But wait, aren’t the holidays coming up rather soon? That’s it! The thread is releases for the gift giving season! Hooray for capitalism and the push for greater technology for the sake of spreading love!
R3 Media Network Android Community SlashGear To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]
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| MeeGo 1.1 handset build gets new video demo Posted: 16 Nov 2010 07:49 AM PST The MeeGo team has already promised that there won’t be any new devices running the open-source OS launched at the MeeGo Conference this week, but that hasn’t stopped them showing off the latest build of the OS. Carrypad shot some footage of a Moorestown-based AAVA smartphone running MeeGo 1.1, and while it’s still far from ready for the public, it’s certainly come on well from when we last saw it. Video demo after the cut
The notifications system and task-switcher both are strong, with MeeGo’s multitasking abilities showing already; you can have your device alert you via lights, sounds, haptics and on-screen dialogs. On the flip-side, Carrypad points out that there’s no active icons support at present – which means no useful “how many unread emails” indicators – and you only get a single homescreen with icons, not widgets. Still, the first MeeGo devices aren’t expected to show up until sometime in 2011, and so there’s plenty of time for the platform to further mature. More info in the video below.
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| Schmidt’s Nexus S tease video now online [Video] Posted: 16 Nov 2010 07:35 AM PST It wasn’t too great a surprise to see Google CEO Eric Schmidt take the stage at Web 2.0 complete with a new Google Nexus S in his hand, but it was still good to get official confirmation of the Samsung-made smartphone. Details are still scant, but it’s now possible to pore over Schmidt’s few words about the Nexus S over and over again, thanks to O’Reilly Media putting up the video.
It contains the classic line “I said there wouldn’t be a Nexus Two… I never said there wouldn’t be a Nexus S” as well as a few shots of the handset in action, but we’ll have to wait until the prototype is more ready for a public showing to find out all the details. More on Schmidt’s interview – including talk of Android 2.3 Gingerbread - here. [via Android Community]
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| LG “Star” Tegra 2 Android phone leaks: 8MP, 1080p & HDMI Posted: 16 Nov 2010 06:59 AM PST Initially we were more excited about LG’s promise of Tegra 2 based Android tablets, but having seen leaked details of a new LG Tegra 2 Optimus smartphone, we’re starting to reconsider. Engadget‘s tipster slipped them some shots of the new superphone, complete with an 8-megapixel camera, HDMI output and 1080p Full HD support.
According to the tipster, LG is internally referring to this particular handset as the LG Star, though it’s unlikely to be the final name by which the device launches. On the front is a second camera, for video calls, and then there’s a microSD card slot, microUSB port and a 1,500 mAh battery. Interestingly, LG are said to have left the Android build “nearly” stock, though the exact tweaks are unclear at this stage. It’s also unknown as to which version of Android will be loaded; we’re keeping our fingers crossed for 2.3 Gingerbread.
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| BlackBerry PlayBook vs iPad in head-to-head browser test [Video] Posted: 16 Nov 2010 06:52 AM PST With the BlackBerry PlayBook not expected in stores until sometime in early 2011, you can imagine our ears will prick up when RIM offers a head-to-head comparison between their 7-inch slate and Apple’s iPad. This particular video – which you can see after the cut – focuses on web abilities, more specifically browser speed, Adobe Flash support and HTML5 performance. Video demo after the cut
Now, obviously this is RIM’s demo, but on the face of it the PlayBook is doing a far slicker job when it comes to rendering webpages. It also seems capable of decent Flash playback, which some slates struggle with and, it has to be said, has been a contentious addition to certain tablets. Performance goes a long way to making up for any usability loss in going from a 10-inch to a 7-inch display, and we imagine the experience will only get better as RIM polish the PlayBook’s firmware closer to launch. Still, we’ll save final judgement until we can grab one ourselves.
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| Beatles hit iTunes as Apple announce gets early reveal Posted: 16 Nov 2010 06:43 AM PST It’s not quite 10am Eastern, as Apple promised, but it looks like the company’s big iTunes announcement has already come through. iTunes is now offering several Beatles albums, compilations and singles for download, with the UK iTunes store listing tracks at £0.99 each and the US iTunes store wanting $1.29.
As well as individual tracks, there are various Beatles albums on offer, including classics like Help, Let It Be and Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. On the UK iTunes store they’re priced at £10.99/$12.99 in the US store each, or roughly what you’d pay for a CD in a physical store. There’s also a Beatles Box Set, for a whopping £125/$149, and which comes with various iTunes LP features including mini-documentary features on each studio album, photos, notes, and a video of the first US Beatles concert from 1964.    Press Release:
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| B&N NOOK Color on sale now; new firmware for original NOOK next week Posted: 16 Nov 2010 06:35 AM PST Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Color has begun shipping, earlier than expected, meaning pre-order customers will be getting a premature treat as a 7-inch color touchscreen ereader drops on their doorstep. The Android-based slate will also start showing up in Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Walmart and Books-A-Million stores this week; if you order online today, you can apparently expect your NOOK Color sometime in the week of November 26.
Your $249 gets you WiFi for wireless ebook downloads and web browsing, though don’t expect the full Android experience. That won’t arrive until hackers get their hands on the NOOK Color; after all, a well-made Android slate with a decent sticker price is hard to argue with, and we’re guessing getting this rooted is top of many peoples’ agendas. Meanwhile B&N has promised an update to the e-paper based NOOK (both the 3G and WiFi-only versions) which will arrive next week. Press Release:
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| Hammacher Schlemmer outs cool sled that needs no snow Posted: 16 Nov 2010 05:45 AM PST Here in Texas we rarely get snow. That means we don't get to have snowball fights or go sledding. If you live in an area where snow is rare Hammacher Schlemmer has a new sled that will work in any environment. The sled is called the Year Round Sled and sells for $89.95.
The thing needs no snow because it has special trays that you freeze in the freezer that make blocks of ice that you fix to the bottom of the sled. Those blocks of ice let the thing scoot down grass hills. Short grass apparently works best with the thing. If you happen to get some snow, you can also remove those ice molds for some real sledding fun. The sled measures 38″ L x 20.5″ W x 6″ H and weighs 10.5 pounds. This would make for some nice winter fun as long as your ice holds out.
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| Drobo S v.2 adds USB 3.0 support; DroboPro FS gets offsite Drobo Sync Posted: 16 Nov 2010 05:30 AM PST Data Robotics has updated its Drobo S backup system, with Drobo S v.2 adding USB 3.0 support for high-speed external drives. As we reviewed back in April, the Drobo S has two FireWire ports and an eSATA connection, along with five 3.5-inch SATA I/II drive bays and the company’s BeyondRAID data protection system; the second-gen version keeps all that, but throws in USB 3.0.
Meanwhile there’s also Drobo Sync, included free with the DroboPro FS (i.e. the networked version of the DroboPro), which supports simple off-site backup. It’s worth remembering, though, that it seems to require another DroboPro FS at the other site, which could end up expensive. The new Drobo S v.2 will go on sale today, priced at $799 for the base unit (with no drives); alternatively it will be available with 5TB, 7.5TB or 10TB of storage pre-loaded, for $1,299, $1,549 or $1,799 respectively. It will also be available through HP from November 18. Press Release:
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| Cobra iRadar gets Android support in January Posted: 16 Nov 2010 05:20 AM PST There are tons of GPS devices on the market and some of the expensive ones have GPS inside that allows them to tell how fast the vehicle is going and provide warnings for speed cameras and driving hazards like speed traps. Cobra unveiled a cheap radar detector system for the iPhone not long ago called iRadar.
Cobra has announced that it will be bringing iRadar to Android devices at CES in January. The iRadar system is a Bluetooth enabled multi-band radar detector that used that Bluetooth connectivity to interface with an app on the Android device. The GPS capability of the smartphone allows the detector to warn about speed cameras and speed traps. The app also allows the user to change the settings of the detector and view alerts on the smartphone screen. The best part is that the iRadar system is cheaper than many of the stand-alone radar detectors with GPS at $169.95. Cobra will ship iRadar for Android in Q1 2011.
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| Microsoft Kinect sells a million units in 10 days Posted: 16 Nov 2010 04:54 AM PST Microsoft has been selling the Kinect for the Xbox 360 for about ten days now. The Kinect system is a control interface that talks the movement of the player and translates it to movement on the game without the player having to hold a controller.
Microsoft has announced that it has sold a million Kinect units in ten days since launch. That is a lot of Kinects sold and was undoubtedly helped by the flood of commercials for Kinectimals on every kid’s station airing on TV. My kids go nuts each time they see the commercial with the little tiger doing what the kid does. Microsoft expects to move between three and five million Kinects by the end of the year. “We are appreciative of the response we have seen from consumers that has culminated in sales of more than 1 million units in the first 10 days on the market for Kinect for Xbox 360,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “This is a great start to the holiday season, and we will continue to work with our retailer partners to keep pace with high demand and deliver against our plan to sell more than 5 million Kinect sensors worldwide by the end of this year.”
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