IBLOG SPACE

Following the MOTOROI, Motorola is gearing up to launch its second Android phone in South Korea, the Motorola Titanium. If you think that the Motorola Titanium looks familiar, you’re right, as it’s really the Motorola XT800, which is available in China. There will be two versions of the phone released in Korea, the XT800C sporting 2G CDMA support, and the XT800W that offers UMTS. Apparently SK Telecom will be offering this phone, though there isn’t any official confirmation on that just yet. Specifications of the Motorola Titanium include: Android 2.0 480 x 854 pixel touchscreen display Wi-Fi 3.5mm headphone jack 5-megapixel autofocus camera

Folks over in Germany who are looking out for a new Android-powered phone will be happy to hear that Motorola has officially announced that the Motorola Backflip will be arriving in Germany this month. The Motorola Backflip is currently listed on Amazon.de for EUR439. Specifications of the Motorola Backflip should include: Android 1.5 (upgradeable to 2.1) A-GPS 3G 5-megapixel camera with LED flash Bluetooth 3.1-inch touchscreen microSD card expansion

The folks over at Computer Choppers have given Microsoft’s Xbox 360 the gold treatment, as can be seen on their website. If just being beautified with 24k gold isn’t enough for you, you can add a variety of plating and custom jewelry. While there isn’t any price listed at the moment, you can be sure that it’ll cost a pretty penny.

Logitec has released a new Bluetooth headset, the LBT-HS120C2C. This headset is currently available in Japan, though there isn’t any word on pricing just yet. The most notable feature of this headset will have to be its 10 hour talktime, which should be a boon for those of you who have your ears glued to the phone constantly. Other features of the headset include support for Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, 200 hours of standby time, black and white color options, as well as USB charging or the ability to be juiced up by your car’s cigarette lighter (via an adapter, of course).

What do you get when you marry an iPhone with your standard flip-phone? We’re not exactly sure, but you can bet that it’ll look something similar to the N933 smartphone pictured here. There isn’t any noticeable branding on the phone, but one look at it when the flip is open and you’ll notice that it has copied the user interface from Apple’s iPhone; when the flip is down, it’ll look very much like the budget phones that are on the market. In terms of features, the N933 also joins the ranks of budget phones, with nothing too hot. It’s currently going for $129.99, and for that price you’ll get a phone that sports: 320 x 240 display Up to 2GB of external storage VGA camera FM radio Dual SIM slots GSM 900/1800MHz bands

Fujitsu enhances their netbook range with yet another model - the LifeBook MH300 which comes in a 10.1" form factor, while tipping the scales at a mere 2.4lbs. With less than an inch in terms of thickness, you can be sure that the LifeBook MH330 ought to be able to fit into just about any bag without any problems of bulging out whatsoever. The 3-cell battery back doesn't look like it can do much though in terms of battery life, so it would be best to use this not for extended timespans. Specifications are available in the extended post. There is no word on pricing or availability, but it ought to be released pretty soon since it has already been announced.

Sony has introduced a new Palladium design as part of its VAIO Signature Collection Compact Series, measuring 7.5? in diameter while featuring “ground-breaking technologies such as integrated 4D, Mirror Mode, hologram webcam, and a breath-powered battery.” Hmmm, guess April Fool's isn't over just yet, so who are we kidding? Could this be the actual PS3 where Sony proudly claimed that they would usher us into the world of 4D?

The HTC Desire might have just been released in the UK (and news of it being rooted as well), but that doesn't mean manufacturer HTC cannot roll out the latest Android 2.1 update for it, right? This update will be available Over The Air (OTA), as your HTC Desire (if you own one, that is) will receive a notification of this update - all you need to do is press OK when that happens to accept the update over Wi-Fi or a GPRS/EDGE/3G connection. Once the update is installed, you can always double check by confirming the Software Number as 1.15.405.4 for an HTC phone. We would strongly recommend you to head towards a free Wi-Fi hotspot when this happens if you don't have an unlimited data plan, since the data charges could end up being pretty expensive. Anyone given this update a go yet?

Transcend has officially launched its JetFlash 500 retractable USB flash drive series. As we all hate losing the cap of our flash drives, Transcend has opted to do away with the cap in the JetFlash 500, deciding instead on a capless design. The capless design apparently helps to keep the dust and debris out of the drive too. The JetFlash 500 is available in five color options (orange, red, blue, green and purple), and will be offered in capacities ranging from 2GB to 32GB. There wasn’t any mention of a price, though.

Startech's SATDOCK22R Dual SATA hard drive dock is different from the rest, although it looks like any other USB 2.0 docking station from its exterior. What makes it stand out would be its ability to clone drives without the need for a PC to act as an intermediary. Apart from that, it will always have a master image drive ready without taxing your computer. Startech is offering the SATDOCK22R Dual SATA hard drive dock for $170, and seems to be a pretty useful tool to carry around if you're always on-the-go and have tons of data to transfer.

Now the Ezy X9 tablet is certainly something that we think you shouldn't splurge on, considering it is going for a whopping $899.99 - and this after a slashed price from the original $1,299.99! This 10.2" multitouch-capable tablet comes complete with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, and will be powered by an Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor. Storage-wise, you get a 250GB hard drive, 2GB RAM and a multi-memory card slot. The 2,100mAh battery wouldn't last you very long though, especially when you're running Windows Vista or Windows 7 as the operating system of choice. When it doesn't really add up and the calendar says April 1st, who are we to guess that this could very well be a prank?

Not all companies can pull off a trick where dousing their already popular device with different colors would result in marked up sales and repeat purchases, so some others rely on different gimmicks, with Mio trying out theKnight Rider GPS navigation system last year which relied on the actual voice of KITT. Well, that model didn't do too well, but the folks at Mio are taking another crack at it with a Lost version. This time round, the Mio Lost (ironically named, don't you think?) will come with a 4.3" display, a 10 million POI database, voice commands and Bluetooth connectivity. What sets it apart would be having your favorite character from Lost read out directions (limited to Jack, Kate, Sawyer or Locke only), while entering a string of mysterious numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42) into the map coordinates section will reveal an Easter Egg - the time travel mode that will see the display flash white sometimes when navigating, guiding you to a totally different destina

Acer expands its line of notebooks with the TimelineX - a step further from the Timeline series which was already thin and light. The 11.6" model does seem to be pretty interesting, as it will be the next logical upgrade to the existing line of Aspire 1810 notebooks. Underneath the hood, you will find an Intel Core i5 U50 1.07GHz processor in lieu of the Intel CULV chips, accompanied by an 11.6" display at 1,366 x 768 resolution, a touchpad, HDMI and VGA outputs, a trio of USB ports, Ethernet connectivity and a memory card reader. It measures somewhere between 22mm and 28.9mm in terms of thickness, and you can be sure that this puppy is super light. No idea on pricing or availability though.

The folks over at I-O Data have certainly employed some pretty good designers with the WM-G300DR Wireless N router, where it can offer up to 300Mbps transfer speed over a Wi-Fi connection - although we know that that particular figure is just in theory. Apart from being a regular 802.11n wireless router, this model also comes with its very own USB port that enables you to share other devices over the network in a jiffy, neat! No idea on whether this will hit the market Stateside or not as it is currently available in Japan.

Do you like to cycle, but often find yourself too lazy to pedal all the way home after you’re halfway into your trip? The CYCOOO electric foldable bike is looking for supporters like you. It manages to cram in an electric motor, rechargeable battery and some control electronics, allowing to it electrically assist your pedaling, which translates to less sweat from you. In case you happen to have a friend drive by and offer you (and the CYCOOO) a ride home, the bike can be folded to fit into his car, and your escape from exercise will be complete.

Just in case you had any doubts about Samsung's commitment to the physical keyboard, here's a slide of the Korean giant's Bada OS roadmap, filled with rubbery QWERTY buttons aplenty. At top left you can see theWave -- which Samsung places in its "premium image brand" together with the Galaxy S -- priced at 20,000 Rubles (just under $700), followed by its as yet nameless and spec-less Bada siblings. Our interest is piqued most by the QWERTY slider that's sat so perfectly atop the 10,000-Ruble line, we wouldn't mind seeing theSuper AMOLED screen tech trickling down to such a price point. We wouldn't mind that at all. All About Phones has also spotted two Windows Mobile and one Android handset during the presentation, though Sammy has been predictably recalcitrant about specs on those as well. All we're told is to wait for the autumn. Guess that will have to do.

This one needs very little explication indeed. Netflix has just officially confirmed that its currently iPad-only appwill be trickling down to the smaller iPhone OS devices. It's all very teasing and noncommittal as far as the timeframe goes, but who's not excited about getting the "dessert" to the iPad's main course?

There's really nothing in HTC's recently-posted video about the magnificent EVO 4G that we didn't already know from our time with it at CTIA, but we couldn't help but notice something very, very important: they're following yours truly using the phone's News widget. We might recommend that they refresh considering they're looking at news that's nearly a year old, but we think the old mantra applies here -- old Engadget news is better than no Engadget news at all

Regardless of how you feel about Microsoft's rejuvenated mobile push this year, hatred of the "Windows Phone 7 Series" moniker has been nearly universal -- it's too long, it trips you up every time you try to say it (seriously, just listen to any of our podcasts), and the "Series" bit doesn't make a whole lot of sense anyhow. Happily, Microsoft has heard the world loud and clear on this one, officially changing the name today to the simpler, happier, more logical "Windows Phone 7." The branding move doesn't have any technical or strategic significance, as far as we can tell -- it truly is just a name change, that's all -- so you can expect the same software to launch later this year that we've already been anticipating... you just won't have to deal with a tongue twister every time you're trying to tell a friend about it.

Data Robotics’ first Drobo model surprised a fair few people; the company billed their external storage array as an “intelligent data robot”, making RAID-style redundancy if not glamorous then at least appealing. When wereviewed the first-gen model all the way back on October 2008, we felt a few qualms at its relatively high price tag but had little doubt over the security of our data. Now, with their range much enlarged, we’ve one of Data Robotics newest ‘bots on the testbench, the Drobo S. Adding an extra drive bay to the original model, plus a few less obvious tweaks, is the Drobo S the droid you’re looking for? Overview and Features The original Drobo had four 3.5-inch drive bays and a single USB 2.0 port, and was subsequently updated to add a FireWire 800 port. In comparison, the Drobo S gets five 3.5-inch SATA I/II drive bays – which still don’t require any sort of drive caddy or rails – and throws in an eSATA port as well. Data Robotics have also changed the underlying ARM-based

Squatting like some carbon-fiber turtle, CineVERSUM’s latest projector promises the richest black levels from the company to date. The CineVERSUM BlackWing Four MK 2010 packs not one but three Full HD 1080p 0.7-inch LCoS panels together with a 70,000:1 contrast ratio and 900 ANSI lumens brightness. There’s also motorized zoom and lens shift, while inputs include two HDMI 1.3 ports, a composite video, component video, S-Video and VGA. System integrators get an RS232 serial port and a 12V trigger which could be used for automated blinds or a drop-down screen. If the BlackWing Four MK 2010 isn’t special enough for you, CineVERSUM will also be offering a limited edition “Carbon” model, with a casing crafted from carbon fiber. No word on pricing or availability for either model as yet.

Apple have just invited us to join them on Thursday April 8 2010 for a “sneak peek” at iPhone OS 4.0. The refresh of the OS, expected to arrive later on in 2010, is believed to include much-requested features like multitasking, and find a place on both the iPhone – including the fourth-gen model – and the newly-launchediPad. We’ll be running the usual SlashGear liveblog of the whole event at http://live.slashgear.com. While iPhone OS 4.0 won’t fix all of our complaints about the iPad in our recent review, it does stand the chance of squashing the biggest software drawback right now. Multitasking would take the iPad into another level of usability – you’d be able to run an IM and Twitter client in the background, work on your email and listen to a streaming music service like Pandora or Spotify, all at once – and it looks like the tablet’s 1GHz A4 processor is certainly powerful enough to handle it.

The ASUS U30jc was one of the more interesting models from ASUS’ notebook portfolio, and the company have now taken the wraps off the 13.3-inch machine officially. Packing an Intel Core i3 350M processor, paired with NVIDIA Optimus graphics – automatically switching between the integrated Intel GPU and the discrete GeForce GT 310M – and a battery apparently good for up to 9.5hrs of runtime, the U30jc comes in at a smudge under $900. That seems pretty reasonable, given the spec sheet as a whole. The U30jc gets 4GB of memory, WiFi b/g/n and gigabit ethernet, together with a 320GB 5,400rpm hard-drive and Altec Lansing speaker system. Connectivity includes VGA and HDMI, and there’s a fashionable chiclet keyboard too. While 9.5hrs of runtime sounds pretty ambitious, if the U30jc has enough juice to get through an average workday then we can see this becoming a popular machine with road warriors, even if the Core i3 CPU offers only Hyper Threading rather than Turbo Boost too. It’s on sal

Alright, so most of us would be served best by a humble Xacti rather than JVC’s stonking new GY-HM790 ProHD camcorder , but you’ll have to forgive us for drooling just a little. The latest flagship in the company’s performance range, the GY-HM790 squeezes in three 1/3-inch CCDs for up to 35Mbps 1920 x 1080 HD video recording, storing footage on twin SDHC Class 6/10 memory card slots. There’s a 4.3-inch LCD preview display, two XLR audio inputs and the ability to record in native Apple Final Cut .mov format for easier editing. Still, none of this comes cheap: expect to pay $11,995 for the JVC GY-HM790 ProHD (complete with a Canon 14x HD ENG lens) when it arrives this Summer, or more again for the upcoming low-light version.

Apple may describe the iPad as a new segment, but are they also carving out a new audience for the company? According to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, first-day sales of the new tablet don’t seem to suggest that’s the case. He interviewed 448 iPad early-adopters and discovered that 74-percent were existing Mac users and 66-percent had an iPhone. Just 4-percent expected the iPad to replace their existing computer, and only 1-percent thought it might replace their iPhone. In fact, going by Munster’s figures the real damage is being done to Amazon. Of the iPad buyers, 10-percent had considered picking up a Kindle instead, and of the 13-percent who already owned Kindles, 58-percent planned to replace the dedicated ereader with their new Apple tablet. Reading ebooks was the second most likely activity for iPad owners (38-percent), coming in behind web browsing which 74-percent said they planned to do with the device; meanwhile email came in at 34-percent, video consumption at 26-

Google are still apparently plugging away at their Google TV project – big name snubs notwithstanding – but a Swedish company reckons they’re already delivering Android-powered functionality in a standalone HDTV. People of Lava’s Scandinavia Android TV is a 42-inch Full HD 1080p set with three HDMI ports, a DVB-T digital TV tuner and USB connectivity, but more interestingly it runs Android 1.5 on an 833MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor. People of Lava have apparently done some Android customization of their own, in the shape of the unusually titled “Scandinavia Window to the World”; that allows for the usual YouTube, Google Maps, Weather, Time, Calendar and App Store access, along with multimedia playback. The company are also creating their own App Store, presumably for titles specifically tailored for an HD display. Control is via remote and a wireless keyboard, and you can use the USB port to plug in other peripherals too. The 42-inch Scandinavia will be followed by 47-inch and 55-inch

Last week I mentioned that Shuttle was shipping the new J1 gaming edition SFF PC. Shuttle has now announced that it is shipping two more SFF PCs, this time aimed at the professional office user. The new machines include the J1 4100P and the G2 7600P. The new workstations can be fitted with Intel Core 2 dual core and quad core processors or AMD Phenom II X4 CPUs. Graphics options include NVIDIA Quadro FX video cards or ATI FirePro video cards. Shuttle has also announced that in June it is set to launch a SFF PC using the Intel Gulftown processor. The SFF rig will pack in a 6-core CPU for the first time when the machine launches. The new J1 4100P an

Apple have announced that they sold in excess of 300,000 iPads on the first day the tablet computer went on sale. The figure – which is far greater than many analysts suggested might be the case – includes pre-order units delivered on Saturday April 3rd, sales in Apple’s own stores, and iPads sold through the company’s channel partners. Meanwhile App Store and iBookstore use also surged. In fact, iPad users apparently downloaded over 1m apps from the App Store, though it’s unclear how many of those were iPad-specific titles and how many were original iPhone apps. iBooks downloads, meanwhile, amounted to over 250,000 titles. The figures will undoubtedly be hailed as vindication for the iPad in some quarters, though of course early-adopter feedback is still coming through. As for our opinion, check out the full SlashGear review and Michael Gartenberg’s hands-on review for more details.

The coolest console news in a long time was that Nintendo is working on a new DS console that supports 3D called the 3DS. The coolest part is that the console will use some sort of tech that allows the gamer to view 3D content with no glasses. A design concept over at Yanko Design shows one artists idea of what the 3DS will be like when it hits the market. This isn’t the official concept for Nintendo, but I think maybe it should be. This thing is cool and has gigantic screens and a webcam. It also has a PSP -style thumb joystick on the right. The thing also has four buttons on the right and has a d-pad on the left. The concept reminds me of a small netbook and it is cool. I can’t wait to see the real design from Nintendo when it finally surfaces.

Late last month VIA dropped its new media system processor on us called the VX900 . The processor had some nice specs and offered lots of connectivity support and the ability to accelerate video locally and streamed from cloud-based storage. Reports are coming in that two major netbook makers are set to launch machines using the new processor soon. Lenovo and Samsung are reportedly getting machines running VX900 ready for the mainstream. The launch date for both companies is said to be June 2010, which is only a few months away now. The VX900 is expected to be on par with the Intel Atom processor line as far as power efficiency goes and will play 1080p HD video just as well. Reports also say that the netbooks using the VX900 chipset will use HD resolution screens, which would make sense to take advantage of the new platform.

Toshiba is one of the many companies in the electronics world that has its fingers into a myriad of categories within the tech segment. The company is known for making notebooks and TVs among other things. It is also big in the computer and memory hardware business. Late last month the company unveiled a new line of HDDs with up to 1TB of storage in a 2.5-inch drive. Toshiba is also set to start making flash memory using under 25nm construction process. The new construction line to make the flash memory is set to be built and tested this year. The company is already said to have ordered the required manufacturing equipment and will produce microchips using under 25nm technology. The smaller chips will allow for more storage capacity and circuits to be placed on a single chip. This will also for higher storage densities in the same given space.

Everything Monster makes is high-end in design and price tag. The company has some of the most expensive cables on the market for various uses and it also has a line of expensive headphones for audiophiles. Way back in 2008 we got our hands on the Monster Beats by Dre headphones and gave them a once over for you to peruse. Monster has offered up a new version of the Beats by Dre headphones that baseball lovers and fans of the Boston Red Sox will love. The new headphones are the same mechanically and technically as those Beats headphones we looked at years back. The only difference is that the Red Sox version is decked out in team colors and has team logos on the ear cups. The things will set you back $399.99.

I remember watching one of the Back to the Future sequels when I was a kid. When Michael J. Fox road that hover board around the town square I figured that by time I was “grown up” we would all be riding those things. Today the skateboards the kids ride around my neighborhood still have wheels just like they did when I was a kid. Researchers at the Shibaura Institute of Technology have developed a high-tech skateboard that is mechanically powered and reminds me more than a bit of a thrashers Segway. You stand on the device like you would any other skateboard and to move forward you press your front foot and to go backwards you press down with the back foot. Direction is controlled by leaning to the right or left. The thing looks like a carry-on suitcase right now and weighs in at 33 pounds. The researchers hope to cut the weight and have the thing on the market for consumers by 2013 at around $1000.

The Blu-ray Disc Association is the body that governs the Blu-Ray format and helps to push the format in the market as well as develop new specifications. The BDA has announced that two new format enhancements are coming over the next few months. The new enhancements include High Capacity Recordable and Rewritable discs known as BDXL and Intra-Hybrid Discs known as IH-BD. The BDXL discs are aimed at archiving large amounts of data for various reasons like medical imaging and broadcast. The format will have 100GB and 128GB capacity discs. The IH-BD is a disc format that features both a BR-ROM layer and a BD-RE layer. The BD-ROM Layer offers data that the user can view or read, but not change. The writable layer of the disc allows the user to add their own information to the disc without affecting the BD-ROM layer.

Sharp have declined to comment on speculation that its new 3D LCD displays will find their way into Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS games handheld, on the basis that “you could easily guess the name of a company.” Yoshisuke Hasegawa, general manager of the company’s LCD business, confirmed to press that Sharp are in talks with at least one mobile phone manufacturer. “We would like to avoid commenting on our users’ individual projects. We are now in talks with a mobile phone maker. But we cannot comment on businesses with game makers because, if we did, you could easily guess the name of a company.” Yoshisuke Hasegawa, general manager, LCDs, Sharp The executive also said that Sharp hope to eventually replace all of their small and medium sized LCD panels with 3D LCD displays, with the new panels taking 10 to 20-percent of the company’s small/medium LCD business in the 2010 fiscal year and 50-percent in 2011. Sharp also gave more details on how it bypassed issues of thickness and multiple-orie

Nokia’s N900 is already the device of choice for those who like to tinker with alternative software, but how about overclocking the 600MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor by 50-percent? That’s just what Maemo forum member Lehto has managed to do, releasing several new kernels that can drive the N900’s core clock speed from a mild 700MHz boost to 950MHz. In fact, he reckons he’s had his N900 going even faster. Lehto – perhaps sensibly – isn’t releasing the faster kernels until he’s sure there won’t be reports of bricked or burnt out N900s (and unhappy owners looking for his blood). Still, the end result is a device that works significantly faster, though at the expense of battery life and, potentially, machine lifetime. Actual performance can be dependent on climate, temperature and even whether you’ve got a “good” or “average” Cortex A8 chip in your phone. Interestingly, the N900 uses the same processor as the iPhone 3GS, though the Apple smartphone makes for a far less user friendly hack

What does over $7k’s worth of cellphone get you? If you’re looking at the Vertu Constellation Ayxta then the answer is plenty of stainless steel, leather, a 2.4-inch HVGA display and the sort of functionality you’d be able to find on a basic Nokia. That’s because the Constellation Ayxta falls under Nokia’s “luxury” wing, and now we know of at least one person who has bought one, Drew over at Gear Diary. Since most of us probably won’t ever get to experience Vertu ownership, he’s shared the unboxing too. Everything is packaged in multiple leatherette boxes, and since the Constellation Ayxta is a quadband WCDMA device there are a fair few different travel adapters in there too (though, strangely, no US plug, despite there being some US 3G support). Bizarrely, this isn’t even the most expensive version of the phone: you can also get it with black ceramic keys for a “quite substantial” price difference. The MRSP for the Vertu Constellation Ayxta is apparently AUD$8400 ($7,720), though

Apple were probably hoping to get through the first week of iPad availability without any embarrassing technical issues to contend with, but it looks like they’re out of luck. Multiple iPad early-adopters are reporting WiFi connection problems, where the tablet is either unable to connect or shows a very poor signal/range. Ok. I used speedtest.net app both on iPhone 3GS and the new iPad. I clearly see the difference. iPad download speed is 1.83 megabits/sec whereas iPhone 3GS download speed is 14.77 megabits/sec Upload speed seems comparable. Also iPad uses 802.11 n and iphone 3GS uses 802.11 g. Common apple send out a fix now. Disappointing. Those who are able to get a connection are reporting that throughput speeds are very low. At least one user hasperformed speed tests, finding his iPhone 3GS download speed was significantly higher than what the iPad could manage. Meanwhile other iPad owners are experiencing trouble getting their new tablet to remember router login details, and

EXPECTATIONS When a film arrives with a title like The Great Indian Butterfly , expectations are of an abstract soundtrack. However, with a name like Sanjay Gupta attached to it as a producer, one wonders what exactly would be in offing here. More intrigue sets in when names like Shibani Kashyap, Gourav Das Gupta and Vivek Philip are seen on the credits along with newcomer Deepak Pandit. MUSIC The Great Indian Butterfly is a loaded album with as many as 12 tracks in it. First to come is ' Thodi Thodi Saanjh ' which has a beginning that reminds one of ' Yaara Seeli Seeli ' [ Lekin ]. Boasting of a folk flavour to it, this Shibani Kashyap sung and composed has poetic lyrics by Jaideep Sahani who also incorporates English lyrics intermittently. A lounge track that has a haunting appeal to it, ' Thodi Thodi Saanjh ' gives a good classy beginning to the album. Similar mood continues with ' Kangana ', this time with Hindustani classical repla