IBLOG SPACE

Dell has officially announced its latest range of notebooks, the Dell Inspiron R series , aimed at home users on something of a budget. Kicking off with the 14-inch Inspiron 14R at $479.99, before climbing through the 15.6-inch Inspiron 15R (at $449.99) and the 17.3-inch Inspiron 17R (at $529.99), the three machines offer Intel Core i3 and i5 processors, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and optional Intel Wireless Display support. There’s also up to 640GB of internal storage, an optional ATI Radeon HD5470 1GB GPU on certain Inspiron 17R models, and – on the two larger machines – a dedicated numeric keypad. OS is Windows 7, while connectivity includes the usual array of USB 2.0 and multi-format memory card readers along with HDMI and audio in/out. All three models are available to order now, with various degrees of customization on offer. More details in the press release below.

Dell executives have confirmed that the company is working with Google on putting Chrome OS , the search giant’s cloud-centric platform, on future netbooks. Speaking to Reuters, Amit Midha – Dell’s president for Greater China and South Asia – said that “with Chrome or Android or anything like that we want to be one of the leaders,” though declined to make any official announcements. “There are going to be unique innovations coming up in the marketplace in two, three years, with a new form of computing,” Midha explained, “[and] we want to be on that forefront.” Dell already works with Google in the smartphone space, offering Android-based handsets such as the Dell Mini 3 (aka the AT&T Dell Aero), while they are also tipped to be working on a range of tablets and netbooks according to a recent roadmap leak. As for Google Chrome OS, that’s expected to launch sometime this coming fall and bring machines roughly$300 to $400 in price. Acer has already committed to producing at least o

We found out late last month that Lenovo had killed off the interesting sounding Skylight smartbook in favor of devices running Android. Lenovo is showing off a new design for a smartbook that looks very interesting. The new device is being shown off by Freescale, who provides the hardware platform. The new device uses the Freescale i.MX515 platform. The i.MX515 platform features an ARM Cortex A8 CPU at 800MHz featuring 32KB of L1 cache dedicated to instructions and data with 256KB of L2 cache. The platform also has a DDR2-400 memory controller. One of the most interesting parts about the device is that the platform is so efficient Freescale says that it needs no fan and doesn’t even need a passive heat sink to stay cool. The fact that no fan or heat sink is needed makes the smartbook have a standby time comparable to mobile phones. Other features include a memory card reader, SIM card slot, and a pair of USB ports.

Back in April, we talked a bit about a rumored Nook Lite eReader from Barnes & Noble that would feature WiFi only. Since that rumor started, we haven’t heard much more about the device. That Nook Lite is now up for pre-order on BestBuy.com. The device will sell for $149.99 and has WiFi connectivity only. It has 2GB of internal storage. Storage can be expanded with a microSD card slot to hold more books. Other features of the machine include a 6-inch eInk screen and support for lots of media formats. The device has a 3.5mm headphone port and can last up to ten days of reading on a single charge. The device charged via USB and uses a lithium-polymer battery. The pre-order estimated delivery date according to Best Buy is June 28 through July 3.

You have to be a hardcore gamer to want to take your Xbox 360 with you on a vacation. I am sure there are a bunch of gamers out there who would want to do that though. For you the new Gaems Suitcase has been unveiled. The thing is designed to hold an Xbox 360 game console making it portable. To let you play while you are on the road a 15-inch LCD is stuffed into the lid of the suitcase along with speakers so you can hear what it going on. That screen has a 720p resolution. The suitcase design is not completed and how the thing works is still not completely decided. What we do know is that it has a power cord running to the outside of the case. Whether or not that cable is also able to provide power for the console is unknown. I hope it does considering there is only room enough inside the suitcase for the console itself. A separate bag will be offered to hold controllers. The suitcase price is pegged at $250 with launch set for Q4.

It should come as no great surprise – and you could probably make one yourself using a scrap of plastic – but Orange UK has confirmed that, with each iPhone 4 microSIM they supply, they’ll also be throwing in an adapter that converts it to the more commonly used miniSIM size. The adapter basically means that you can take your iPhone 4 microSIM and use it in another, SIM-unlocked handset, handy if you’re headed out to somewhere you wouldn’t want to risk your new Apple toy. Updated with O2 news after the cut If you’re not going with Orange – though we expect the other carriers to offer the iPhone 4 will follow in their footsteps and bundle an adapter – or you want to use an existing SIM with the new handset, there are numerous guides online. Meanwhile Expansys are selling an adapter plus a cutting tool for £5.49. Update: CoolSmartphones‘ Dan has seemingly acquired some similar adapters from O2, so we’re guessing Orange won’t be the only carrier supplying them to new iPhone 4 microSI

Nokia’s tablet ambitions have once again reared their head, with a little more grist for the rumor mill. According to DigiTimes‘ sources at component manufacturers, Nokia has apparently produced “about 100 engineering samples” of a tablet device which it will be using for testing; the tablet has a 7- or 9-inch touchscreen, they believe, and is manufactured by Foxconn. The rumors follow earlier talk of a “large screen” device with OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics for gaming. The Nokia tablet would be based on ARM processors, have integrated cellular wireless connectivity and, it’s suggested, likely run MeeGo, the collaboration between the Finnish company and Intel. We’ve already seen ademo of the MeeGo tablet UI earlier on today. DigiTimes reckon Nokia could launch the tablet as soon as Q4 2010.

Rumors regarding which graphics chipset might be powered the Nintendo 3DS have been circulating for some time – NVIDIA’s Tegra was one common suggestion – but the actual supplier has turned out to be a Japanese company with a somewhat lower profile. Digital Media Professionals has just announced that it supplies the 3D graphics core for the 3DS, in the shape of their DMP PICA 200 GPU. According to DMP, the PICA200 is capable of up to 15.3 million polygons per second despite only having a 200MHz core clock speed, together with the sort of antialiasing modern gamers are expecting. There’s more information here [5.1MB pdf link] Of course, we’re still not sure what else is lurking inside the 3DS’ chassis, and won’t for sure until Nintendo start releasing the units and we see the first teardown. That’s not tipped to happen until roughly the end of 2010.

Put the promo shots of the new Toshiba Libretto W100 next to the leaked renders of Microsoft’s Courier projectand you’d be forgiven for assuming one is the production version of the other. When I talked to Toshiba late last week at a preview for the new Libretto, however, they were keen to distance their new gadget from what was described by one team member as “only ever a design study”. Of course, two screens and a finger-friendly interface mean the product and the project will inevitably be compared, so just how well does the Libretto W100 live up to the Courier promise, and – more importantly perhaps – where does it most significantly fall short? A couple of months ago, in the aftermath of Microsoft announcing they had no plans to commercially produce a Courier device themselves, I mentioned Toshiba’s tipped double-display tablet as the potential hardware chassis around which a new, focused build of Windows 7 might make its debut. As it turns out, Toshiba has done the software w

Toshiba has unveiled their latest ultraportable, the Toshiba Portégé R700 , and while it may look like your average thin-and-light in some key ways it’s actually pretty unique. The 13.3-inch R700 – which will also go on sale as the consumer-focussed Satellite R630 – uses a new airflow cooling system that, by pulling in cool air over the hotter components, rather than pushing out hot air, means Toshiba can not only use regular Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors rather than their less-powerful ULV counterparts, but do so in a machine that stays cool to the touch. It’s also the thinnest and lightest ODD-equipped laptop in Europe, with a magnesium chassis, honeycomb palm-rest and a motherboard that, thanks to collaboration with Intel, is one-third the size of what you’d find in rival machines. 16.8mm thick at its narrowest point, it nonetheless fits in an optical drive and a battery good for up to nine hours with the 6-cell pack.

Toshiba’s first MID (Mobile Internet Device) has made its debut, in the shape of the Android-based Toshiba AC100 . Using a form-factor we’d more commonly describe as a netbook or smartbook – Toshiba say they picked the classic design over a more common slate-style MID because it’s more familiar for users and offers better ergonomics and text-entry – the AC100 runs NVIDIA’s second-generation Tegra 250 chipset making it 1080p HD capable. The 1GHz chip is paired with 512MB of RAM and 8GB of flash memory, while wireless connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and optional 3G/WWAN. There’s also GPS, a USB 2.0 port, miniUSB, HDMI, audio in/out and an SD card reader, together with a 1.3-megapixel webcam. The display is a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 glossy panel, though unlike on the Compaq Airlife 100 it’s not a touchscreen.

Dual-touchscreens, a clamshell book/netbook form-factor and a custom finger-friendly UI: the Toshiba Libretto W100 has broken the mold, and while the company concedes its resemblance to the Microsoft Courier renders, they’re insisting it’s a very different product. Based around two 7-inch capacitive touchscreen displays, a Pentium U5400 processor and a 62GB SSD, the Libretto W100 is the first such device to run Windows 7 and can be used either as a regular mini-notebook – complete with various on-screen keyboards – or as a digital book. The design may be unusual, but the specs are relatively mainstream. As well as the 1.2GHz processor there’s 2GB of DDR3 memory, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and optional mobile broadband. You also get a single USB 2.0 port, microSD card reader, 1-megapixel webcam and a battery good for just 3.5hrs of use. The Libretto W100 measures 202 x 123 x 30.7 mm and weighs 819g, and has a built-in accelerometer to flip screen orientation.

We do it in the street, in the office, in bed and even in the bathroom: whip out our phones and chew through some mobile data. Now, the carriers reckon, we’re doing it too much. Data caps have been making headlines over the past few weeks, as networks announce their pricing for – ostensibly – the new iPhone 4 but – in reality – a world in which mobile Internet appetite is exceeding supply. Out goes the promise of “unlimited” data and in come not just new, tighter caps but the “average use” statistics to justify them. So why, amid echoing reassurance that what’s on offer is comfortably more than we need, do I feel like I’m only hearing half of the story? Of course, as has rightly been pointed out, “unlimited” data packages were seldom truly so; instead the “fair use” limits and the penalty for exceeding such were buried in the terms & conditions. How often they were actually applied was more the stuff of urban legend then fact: I don’t know of anyone whose data service was actually

Back when Sony Ericsson first announced the Sony Ericsson Aspen smartphone, a Windows Mobile 6.5.3, in early February 2010, we wondered whether the QWERTY-equipped handset would have enough room to make its mark before Microsoft launched Windows Phone 7 by the end of the year. Now, five months later and even closer to the new platform’s debut, the window of opportunity for the Aspen is even smaller. Can this combination touchscreen/keyboard candybar convince buyers with its green aspirations? Check out the full review after the cut. Now, it’s worth pointing out that the Aspen we have in is a sales sample for retailers rather than the handset that will – eventually – go on sale. We’re hoping that means build quality will be improved by the time Sony Ericsson boxes and ships them, since the Aspen proved quite creaky and prone to battery door flexing. It’s also unduly tricky to remove the battery itself and access the SIM slot, perhaps not something most users will be doing every day, bu

Apple’s Mac mini was always the compact computer with a few frustrations. Perfectly scaled for doing duty as your HTPC, the absence of a native HDMI port meant hooking the Mac mini up in your living room was never quite as easy as we’d like to expect from Apple. Now, with a slick unibody refresh, more media-friendly specs and a reworked I/O selection, the new Mac mini looks set to take on SFF PCs for the home entertainment crown. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut. At first glance you could be mistaken for thinking the new Mac mini looks pretty much the same as its predecessor; in fact there are plenty of differences. Rather than the plastic shell of before, Apple have switched to CNC machined aluminum like their unibody MacBook Pro notebooks. It’s also lower and wider than the computer it replaces, but by shifting the power supply brick internally the overall footprint is less. Bar the Apple logo on the top and the slot-loading DVD drive up front, the unibody shell is

Options never hurt. That’s why we’re happy to hear that the Sony NEX line of mirrorless cameras is going to get a few options for themselves here shortly. Thanks to Rayqual, a manufacturer out of Japan, the pair of cameras is primed and ready to get Leica, Nikon, and Canon lenses attached to their faces. Something as simple as a lens adapter is the catalyst, making it possible for us to take even better shots than we could before. Unfortunately, as great as all that is, you do lose one key feature: autofocus. You obviously get autofocus is you stick to the standard Sony lens, but the moment you pop on that adapter and shove, say, that Leica lens on, you’ll just have to deal without it. As for pricing, you’re looking at spending between ¥19,950 and ¥25,200, depending on the lens adapter of your choice. That breaks down to between $220 and $275. You could be spending a lot more on a camera, sure, and if you like the body of the Sony NEX-3 or NEX-5, but you want a better lens, then this

The JooJoo is one of those tablets that may have been more suited for the past, instead of the present. While the CEO of Fusion Garage firmly believes that his tablet device, formerly known as the CrunchPad, is better than the competition, sales numbers, and reviews, would likely speak to the opposite effect. So, if you were one of the handful of people out there to actually order (and receive) your JooJoo, we’ve got some exciting news for you! You can now install OS X on it. There isn’t much information to go on here, but we don’t imagine that there necessarily should be, either. As you can see from the image, that’s definitely Mac OS X running on a JooJoo. So obviously if Windows 7 isn’t your thing, you now have some options. Thanks to the Fusion Garage tablet’s Atom processor, it makes it perfectly compatible with Apple’s Snow Leopard Operating System. We’re not exactly sure why anyone would do this, unless they were just really bored, but we do have to say: it makes the JooJoo a b

Bad news if you were waiting to pick up Acer’s Aspire One 532G , the NVIDIA Ion 2 toting 10.1-inch netbook the company quietly unveiled back at MWC in February. According to Blogeee, Acer has cancelled the netbook; they’re suggesting that “technical problems” left Acer and NVIDIA uncertain that the performance potential of the AO532G would be in keeping with expectations, and so they pulled the plug altogether. That doesn’t come as a complete surprise. While we didn’t have time to properly test the AO532G at MWC, welater saw benchmarks performed on the netbook that in fact suggested the Ion 2 was slower than its first-gen Ion predecessor. Subsequent testing of the Ion 2 GPU on other machines showed a performance improvement; at the time it was assumed that the Acer had merely been a poorly-showing prototype, but it now looks as though it could have been a more fundamental issue with the netbook. Acer had previously said the Aspire One 532G would be priced at €379, and indeed Blogeee

Sony’s second-generation VAIO P has now gone on sale through the company’s Sony Style online store, a week ahead of its expected debut. The VAIO P – which refits the original ultraportable with bright new casing choices, a new navigation system and some mildly fettled specs – had originally been tipped for a June 25th release, with preorders kicking off earlier this month. It also starts at $899.99, $100 less than the original model, complete with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. WiFI b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR are standard, while integrated Verizon WWAN is an option. The display is 8-inches and 1600 x 768, and Sony reckon you’ll see up to 4.5hrs of standard use at the default brightness.

Apple has refreshed their MobileMe system , including pushing out to all users the MobileMe Mail updatepreviously in beta, with a new navigation system consisting of iPad-styled icons. As part of the update, there’s a new Find My iPhone app available in the App Store which allows MobileMe users to track their other iOS devices. 9to5Mac has a good pictorial walk-through of the new UI, complete with relatively updates to the calendar and photo gallery apps, but it’s the Mail app which has seen the most changes. It gets widescreen and compact views, new organization rules, single-click archiving and improved junk mail filtering, together with support for external email addresses. Of course, you’ll need a subscription to MobileMe in order to use all the services, and contrary to the persistent rumors we’ve heard there’s still no sign of Apple making it free. MobileMe is $99 per year per person, or $149 for a family pack of five accounts.

We’ve already seen Nokia and Intel’s plans for the MeeGo UI for netbooks, but so far the smartphone UI has been something of a mystery. Now, thanks to a prematurely posted – and since yanked – document titled “MeeGo Handset Interaction Guidelines” (which is still available to view through Google’s cache), we know that the MeeGo team have been studying Android and webOS for some of their inspiration. For instance, there’s a task manager which blends both the icon-grid view of Android with moveable thumbnails like on webOS, switched between by using a pinch-zoom gesture: The default view of the switcher presents the latest accessed task in focus, with the other, different tasks running to the right. Thumbnails are presented in chronological order, as they are opened. It is possible to browse through the thumbnails, one by one, by slowly dragging them, or to use a quick swipe to rapidly pan from one side of the list to the other. Users can use a pinch multi-touch motion to change the sw

I was never that great at jump rope in grade school. Our coach could do all these crazy jump rope tricks he used to try and make us do, just so we would get tangled up and fall I think. A new design concept called the E-Rope can charge batteries inside the rope as you jump, and you don’t have to do any stunts. It looks like a normal jump rope with fat handles. Inside those handles sit chargers for a quartet of AA batteries. As you jump, the rope spins some sort of charging mechanism that puts power back into the batteries. The E-rope has a LED indicator on the side to show the charge state of the battery. After 20 minutes of jumping, the AA batteries will be fully charged.

A writer from the Financial Times was at the Googleplex in Mountain View yesterday and snapped a pic of what may be the coolest way to nap on the job ever. It’s sort of a pod that wraps around your head. Your legs are left sticking out of the pod, but at least your face is covered so if you are drooling no one will see. The pod itself is from Metronaps and it is called the EnergyPod . It’s designed to be ergonomic, private, and offers a music player jack. A timer is set into the arm of the thing to wake you so you don’t over nap. There is no word on how much this thing cots, but it doesn’t look cheap.

I just mentioned that Gioteck was getting set to offer its cool looking MX-1 remote control in the US for the PS3. I mentioned that you needed some sort of IR receiver to be able to control the PS3 using the remote and Gioteck has a very interesting In2Link module that is set to come to market that will work with the MX-1 and offers lots more. The device is designed to add back in some of the connectivity features that the PS3 lost when it went on its diet. The In2Link is a module that plugs into the two USB ports on the front of the slim console. It then provides three fully powered USB ports of its own. Those three ports are hid behind spring-loaded doors and it also has a wide-angle IR receiver for line of sight reception. Add-on modules for the system are also coming with one featuring a retractable mini USB cable for charging controllers. Later a module adding in a SD card reader and a CF reader are coming.

I had never heard of Gioteck until earlier this week when the company announced at E3 that its EX-01 Bluetooth headset for the PS3 was coming to America. Gioteck has now announced that a cool looking media remote called the MX-1 will be coming stateside as well. The remote control is made to control the PS3 with full function for Blu-ray and DVD movies. The remote also controls the Cross Media Bar. The remotes full functions are arrayed in a dual set of rings and the entire remote is only 4-inches long. The remote control is apparently an IR unit that needs an IR blaster or a coming product called In2Link form Gioteck to be able to control the PS3. Pricing is unknown at this time.

WWDC 2010 has come and gone and the biggest announcement from the show was certainly the iPhone 4. The device had been rumored for months and was finally made official at the show. The real reason for the show wasn’t solely to introduce the new iPhone 4, but to give developers some training. If you are registered as an Apple Developer, you can now download the session videos from WWDC 2010 free of charge in both HD and SD formats. The videos cover all the session that were given at WWDC. If you aren’t registered as a developer with Apple, you won’t be able to get the videos. I guess you could register as a developer just to get the videos. Registration is free for the developer program at Apple.

OCZ has been unveiling new SSDs with increasing frequency so far this year. The company has now announced that it has launched two new 1.8″ SSDs that are aimed at users of ultrathin notebooks, tablets, and nettops looking for a storage upgrade. The little 1.8″ SSDs are offered in the Vertex 2 and Onyx series. The Vertex 2 has the same performance as its full-size siblings with 285MB/s read speed and 275MB/s write speed. It can be had in 60GB, 120GB, and 240GB capacities and uses a SandForce controller. The Onyx SSD is offered in 32GB and 64GB capacities and offers data speeds up to 145MB/s with 64MB of cache. OCZ says that the Onyx SSD needs only a single watt of power to operate. Both SSDs use the SATA 3Gb/s interface.

AT&T’s 3G Microcell is prompting controversy, after it emerged that the carrier will be counting data use through the femtocell towards users’ monthly wireless data allowance, despite being routed via your own broadband connection. Therefore, if you use significant amounts of data when your phone is connected through the femtocell, you could find yourself falling foul of AT&T’s recent data caps without even using their regular wireless network. AT&T, for their part, claim that there is a cost incurred for them to handle the data once it goes beyond a user’s home broadband connection, though that seems a little disingenuous since it’s then on their fiber backbone rather than being herded through the crowded wireless spectrum. Of course, if you’re near your AT&T 3G Microcell then you’re probably also within range of a WiFi hotspot, so could always hop on that instead, but with the femtocell priced at $150 and being seen, in part, as a way for AT&T to use your own c

Acer has outed four new Aspire One netbooks, two running chips from AMD’s Athlon II Neo range and two getting Intel’s Atom N475. The Acer Aspire One AO721 and Aspire One AO521 have 11.6- and 10.1-inch displays respectively, and pair the Neo CPU with ATI Radeon HD4225 GPU with 384MB of memory. Meanwhile the Acer Aspire One AOD260 and Aspire One AO533 have the N475 with Intel graphics, and each uses a 10.1-inch display. All four machines have up to 250GB of storage, WiFi b/g/n and 10/100 ethernet, along with a webcam. The AO721 gets 2GB of RAM while the rest make do with 1GB; both the Radeon-toting machines have HDMI outputs, and the AO521 has Bluetooth, too. Full specs are in the press releases below, together with dimensions and details on the various finishes Acer are offering. The Aspire One AO721 and AO521 are available today from $429.99 and $349.99, respectively, while the Acer Aspire One AOD260 and AO533 will arrive later this month from $298.00 and $329.99 respectively.

We’ve brought you plenty of gadgets that ColorWare has splattered with their paints before, ranging from Nexus Ones to Macs, there’s nothing that they won’t color for you. And, after today, that statement has never been more true. They’ve finally added a whole new addition to their coloring options, going for something a bit more stationary, and in your home. Want to paint up that brand new HDTV you just bought? Good, because now you can. Starting this week, ColorWare is making it possible for those that really, really want to customize their TV, to add their customized paint job. Oddly enough, the company isn’t going out of their way to spout sample prices quite yet. Apparently that’s due to the absurd amount of HDTV options out there, and not because they want to give people pre-mature heart attacks, due to the assault on their wallet. Also, and this is a bit of bad news we know, you can’t send in your HDTV to them, like you can with the mobile gadgets. You’ll either have to order a

Dropcam has introduced its latest internet-connected security camera, the Dropcam Echo, which takes their first model and throws in streaming audio support. The Dropcam Echo hooks up via WiFi to your home or business router and automatically starts streaming video to the company’s site; you can log in via a regular desktop browser or via the iPhone or iPad apps. Meanwhile there’s basic DVR functionality for reviewing older recordings. Dropcom DVR – which is a subscription-based feature – allows users to look back through the past thirty days of footage, complete with a timeline navigation system. Meanwhile you can also share footage and still frames via the web interface. If the camera spots any movement then it will automatically send out an email or iPhone push-notification, together with a still image attached and a link to the stream. The Dropcam Echo will go on sale alongside the existing Dropcam ($199), priced at $279. Press Release:

US WiMAX provider Clearwire has outed its latest 4G modems and personal wireless hotspots, promising broadband-like speeds in areas with suitable 4G service. The new CLEAR 4G and CLEAR 4G+ personal WiFi hotspots (the latter being a rebadge of the Sprint Overdrive) each pull in a WiMAX signal and share it with up to eight nearby devices (the 4G+ also works with 3G connections). Meanwhile there’s a new dual-mode 3G/4G USB modem for Mac and Windows users. That modem, the CLEAR 4G+ Mobile USB (Series S), can automatically switch between 3G and 4G connections as available. Clearwire have had Mac-compatible USB modems before, but until now they’ve been WiMAX-only without being able to fall back onto 3G networks. The CLEAR 4G+ Mobile USB is available to buy for $114.99 plus tax, while the CLEAR 4G and CLEAR 4G+ are leased at $44.99 per month and $60.99 per month (again, plus tax) including Clearwire’s basic CLEAR Internet plan. The two hotspots are available from July 7th 2010.

Verizon has officially acknowledged the Motorola DROID X , with a new teaser page that suggests the touchscreen smartphone is “coming soon”. Accompanying the image – which suggests the DROID X will slot in-between the original DROID and DROID Incredible – are a few basic specifications: a 4.3-inch, 720p capable display and an HDMI output. Update: Verizon has updated their teaser site to replace “720p screen” to “captures 720p”. Beyond that we can only go on the leaks and rumors we’ve seen before now, which have tipped an 8-megapixel camera capable of 720p HD video recording, Android 2.1 and a new version of MOTOBLUR. There’s also talk of a multitouch keyboard and a boosted camera app; more details here. SlashGear has already been invited along to the Verizon DROID X launch event on June 23rd, and we’ll be liveblogging the whole event at http://live.slashgear.com/. Join us then to find out all the details as Verizon confirm them!

India picked up their first Asia Cup title in 15 years as four wickets from Ashish Nehra and a measured half-century from Dinesh Karthik helped them secure an emphatic 81-run win over Sri Lanka in Dambulla. Zaheer Khan and Ravindra Jadeja also chipped in with two wickets apiece as the bowlers capitalised on an impressive batting performance of 268 for six to see India over the line with ease. Needing 269 to win, the home side's top order crumbled in the face of strong Indian bowling and fielding. Despite a valiant unbeaten half-century from Chamara Kapugedera, the Lions were bundled out for 187 with 5.2 overs left. Sri Lanka were off to a disappointing start, losing Tillakaratne Dilshan in the first over, caught at mid on off Praveen Kumar . Their worries were compounded in the eighth over when Upul Tharanga was clean bowled by a fine in-swinger from Khan. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara kept things stable for a while, but the home side were rocked twice in the 14th over as Nehra prompt

Liow Yi Yang rates the players in Italy's 3-2 defeat to Slovakia which condemns the defending champions to an early exit from the tournament. Italy Federico Marchetti - 6 Was left exposed by a shambolic defence and could do little with the goals. Gianluca Zambrotta - 5 I did not see the real Zambrotta. Fabio Cannavaro - 4 He must be terribly disappointed with his performance tonight and his nation's early exit. Despite that, Cannavaro's a true legend. Giorgio Chiellini - 3 Shocking performance from Chiellini tonight, he was at fault for Vittek's goals and was caught out of position many times. He's an important player but was a letdown for his team. Domenico Criscito - 5 Criscito struggled to get forward and was replaced by Maggio at the break. Gennaro Gattuso - 6 Tenacious in the middle of the park in the first half before he was sacrificed for the more forward thinking Quagliarella. Daniele de Rossi - 5 Sat too deep in midfield and it was his sloppy pass that led

Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka has signed a new one-year extension to his current contract. Anelka verbally insulted coach Raymond Domenech during France's World Cup clash with Mexico and then missed training after reports of a row with the France coach during their 2-0 defeat. Anelka then refused to apologise when asked to by French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes. The striker subsequently left the squad as France bowed out of the competition at the group stage in disgrace. But Anelka was quick to put his international problems behind him by committing himself to Chelsea until 2012. Anelka's contract was due expire next year but France's early exit meant Chelsea could finally seal a contract extension that had been put on hold as the club concentrated on winning the League and FA Cup double. A spokesperson for the club confirmed: "Chelsea is delighted to announce that Nicolas Anelka has signed a one-year extension to his existing contract that wil

France winger Franck Ribery is to undergo surgery in Munich to correct a long-standing groin problem. The Bayern Munich midfielder was flown into the Bavarian city by private jet after returning from the World Cup, and no time has been wasted in arranging the operation before the player's summer holidays in a bid to get him back to full fitness as soon as possible. It was agreed at the end of last season that Ribery would undergo surgery, but it was not anticipated he would be back from South Africa so soon. He will spend a few days in a Munich clinic before being given a few weeks off and reporting for pre-season training with his team-mates in mid-July, according to the German champions' website. It is expected he will be fully fit for the start of the Bundesliga campaign on August 20.

New Zealand's fairytale came to an end after a goalless draw with Paraguay but they return home better for the experience. In the end it was not All White on the night for Ricki Herbert's side as Slovakia's win over Italy meant the Europeans sneaked into second spot. But New Zealand finished Group F unbeaten, having drawn with defending champions Italy and a talented Paraguay team who qualified ahead of Argentina in South America. And another resolute performance by a nation playing at only their second World Cup - the first coming in 1982 when they lost all three matches and conceded 12 goals - will have at least given the fans back home who stayed up for the 2am kick-off New Zealand time something to cheer. New Zealand's game-plan, as it had been all along, was to keep things locked down at the back. Their five-man defence, marshalled by Blackburn's Ryan Nelsen, was supplemented by holding midfielders Ivan Vicelich and Simon Elliot sitting just a few yards in fron

Champions Italy crashed out of the FIFA World Cup™ as first-time qualifiers Slovakia booked a surprising place in the last 16. However English referee Howard Webb and his assistants denied the Azzurri what looked like a valid equaliser. Robert Vittek's brace put Slovakia in control but Antonio Di Natale halved the deficit and Fabio Quagliarella looked like he had levelled it at 2-2, but an offside decision went against him. Substitute Kamil Kopunek made it 3-1 to Slovakia before Quagliarella's brilliant lob gave Italy fleeting hope, but they could not find a third to save their skins and joined fellow 2006 finalists France in bowing out of the tournament. Italy started positively enough with Di Natale's volley almost catching out Slovakia goalkeeper Jan Mucha inside the first 30 seconds. Vincenzo Iaquinta then dragged a shot well wide after good link-up play with Di Natale before Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik, Slovakia's star man and captain, miscued a volley after the

Portugal and Brazil battle it out on Friday for the right to enter the knockout stages as Group G winners. Both sides appear to have done enough to book their place in the last 16, with Brazil already guaranteed to grace the second round. The Samba stars have taken maximum points from their two fixtures so far, seeing off North Korea 2-1 and Ivory Coast 3-1. Portugal currently sit second, with four points to show for their efforts, and need just a point to confirm their safe passage. They could, however, lose and still go through as a 7-0 mauling of North Korea has ensured that their goal difference is far superior to Ivory Coast - the only side who can end their World Cup adventure. Carlos Queiroz will be confident, though, that his side can get the positive result they require to make absolutely sure, with Portugal unbeaten in their last 17 matches. They will also be looking to avenge the 6-2 defeat they suffered at the hands of Brazil the last time the two nations went head-to-head,

Ivory Coast need a mathematical miracle against North Korea if they are to advance to the last 16. Sven Goran Eriksson's side looked like they would be in contention to qualify for the next round after playing out a goalless draw with Portugal in their opening match. A 3-1 defeat to Brazil on Sunday hit their hopes but the main damage was done a day later when Portugal trounced North Korea 7-0. Ivory Coast must now beat North Korea and rely on Brazil to do them a favour and win against Portugal, but even then they are highly likely to miss out on goal difference, with the Portuguese currently on plus seven and the Ivorians on minus two. The Elephants have remained in positive mood ahead of the clash in Nelspruit and will believe they can record a convincing win. Eriksson will instruct his players to adopt a more attacking approach than in previous games and could make changes to his starting line-up. Gervinho is pushing for a recall after impressing off the substitutes' bench a