IBLOG SPACE

Having seemingly gained a name, HP’s PalmPad webOS based tablet is now gradually getting fleshed out with hardware capabilities, too. According to The Examiner, their source suggests HP will use a dual-mode touchscreen that combines a Wacom active digitizer with a finger-friendly multitouch capacitive layer. The pairing would mean PalmPad users could navigate with their fingers while also using a special pen stylus for accurate drawing and text entry. As their source points out, HP already make use of the dual-mode technology in their EliteBook 2740pconvertible notebook PC. Of course, the system would also add expense, and webOS apps designed to take advantage of the new input method would be required. Incidentally, The Examiner’s source suggests that the PalmPad name may not, in fact, be finalized within HP, and could still change.

Back when we got our first glimpse of the Toshiba Libretto W100 and the Android-based AC100, what we didn’t get to see was a prototype of the company’s new touchscreen slate. That’s been wheeled out over in Australia, with the company’s Managing Director for the country, Mark Whittard, whipping out the iPad-like tablet and suggesting it would hit the market before October 2010. Hardware specifications are in short supply, but Whittard said that on the prototype at least there was both HDMI and USB connectivity, a digitizer that could support multitouch, and either Android or Windows 7 as the OS. The so-called “smart pad” is still a work in progress, and Toshiba is yet to decide which of the OSes will make the cut – or, indeed, if both versions will launch. “This prototype as a HDMI slot; does that make sense? I think so. If you’re using it as a browsing tool for content sometimes you will want to connect it to your telly. Do you put in USB? I think so” Mark Whittard, Toshiba Austral

Bad news for Microsoft, with the word that ASUS have dropped Windows 7 Embedded Compact for their Eee Pac EP101TC touchscreen slate in favor of Google’s open-source Android OS. NetbookNews were told by ASUS that the decision had been made to switch to Android 3.0 and launch the EP101TC in its new form come January 2011 at CES. Hardware details for the EP101TC were always in short supply, with ASUS only saying that it had a 10-inch touchscreen, measures 12.2mm thick and weighs 675g. According to NetbookNews.de the company are currently using Android 2.2 Froyo for their prototypes, and will be shipping samples to carriers in December; that certainly indicates 3G-enabled models will be on the cards.

Lenovo plan to push out an Android tablet in China by the end of 2010, according to Liu Jun, senior vice president for Lenovo Group and president for Lenovo Product Group. Details on the so-called Lenovo LePad are scarce, beyond the fact that it will support email and browsing and likely include 3G connectivity, with Jun declining to comment on how the LePad fits in with the Skylight smartbook and U1 Hybrid. The Skylight and U1 had both been tipped as dead in the water earlier in the year, until Lenovo revealed that it had taken them back to the drawing board to replace their homegrown OS with Android. At the time the company said that, with their experience with Android smartphones, the transition process for the larger devices would be relatively short; however there’s still no public timescale for their release. The LePad will be the first of a number of mobile internet products, Lenovo has confirmed, to cater for growing demand in China. No word on international launch possibil

It looks like Sharp are playing the field when it comes to carrier partnerships for their IS01 Android-based MID. Having already been picked up by Japanese network KDDI, a strikingly similar looking model has just been announced for NTT DoCoMo. The DoCoMo LYNX SH-10B has a 5-inch touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard and dual digital cameras – 5.3-megapixels on the outside, 4.3-megapixels on the inside – and runs Android. There’s also WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, along with HSDPA/HSUPA which can apparently be used worldwide. GPS/A-GPS and a 1-Seg digital TV tuner round out the main hardware specs. Control is via a trackball just under the display. Access to both the Android Market and NTT DoCoMo’s own download store seems to be included, as does Documents To Go and a photo editing app. The whole thing measures in at 148 x 83 x 17.8 mm and there’s 3.4GB of user-accessible storage (with a microSD card slot to add more). It’ll arrive in Japan on July 23rd in either red or white; no word

We can’t imagine Apple is quite seeing the storming sales success that Kindle is right now, but the company has just pushed out a new version of iBooks – v1.1.1 – which should help take the iPad fight to the e-ink based ereader. That’s because iBooks v1.1.1 adds support for “books that include audio and video”, something currently beyond the existing Kindle. There are also improvements in how iBooks deals with zooming – double tapping the iPad’s display now automatically zooms into an image – and performance is boosted when working with PDFs. The Amazon option may still be the first port of call for purist readers, but Apple look to be making a significant play for everyone else.

Amazon may have been pushed into lowering the price of their Kindle ebook reader after Barnes & Noble laid down the gauntlet with their nook discount, but it sounds like the decision ended up doing them a significant favor. The Kindle sales growth rate has apparently tripled since the $70 reduction in June, while sales of ebooks have eclipsed sales of hardcover books. In fact, for every 100 hardcover books Amazon has sold in the US in the past three months, they’ve sold 143 ebooks. The numbers are even starker if you look at just the last 30 days: 180 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books. Amazon say the figures include the full range of hardcovers – even where no Kindle equivalent exists – and doesn’t take into account free Kindle titles. Three times as many ebooks were sold in the first half of 2010 as were in the same period in 2009.

At Apple’s event the other day, Steve Jobs went out of his way to tell the world, or at least everyone watching, why the iPhone 4 has been suffering from signal issues. And he did a good job of it, too. In fact, he did such a good job, that he actually managed to drag just about every phone manufacturer on the planet into the ring with him, and explain that it’s not just an iPhone, or an Apple problem, but an industry-wide situation that someone (like an engineer at Apple, for instance) needs to figure out, pronto. Of course, those manufacturers didn’t take this lightly, and we’ve heard from just about everyone that was called out by name by now. One of them, Research In Motion, was quick to say that they don’t suffer the same issues. But, apparently they spoke too soon. Unfortunately, the videos that showcase what we’re talking about here have been pulled from YouTube. Why? Because apparently they violate some kind of terms of use. So, we’ll just have to sit back and imagine the situa

AMOLED is one of the hottest display types out there, so much so that some handsets out there you can’t even buy because they’re selling faster than Samsung can manufacture them (you know, after they’ve already produced their own products). But, Samsung already has plans on making them better. How’s unbreakable sound? Oh, and more valuable for manufacturers, too. Samsung Mobile Display is in the planning stage of developing AMOLED displays that are unbreakable, and they’re planning on doing this by switching the AMOLED panels to plastic on the universal board. They’re doing this by placing the TFT (Thin Film Transistor) on the planstic panel, and then replace the existing vinyl protection sheet with polyimide film. This will hopefully reduce residue as the light is emitted. Of course, it’s just one more thing that the mobile industry will start craving, and demand more of, so hopefully Samsung’s plans to get this off the ground and running within 2 years means they’ll have enough to g

Microsoft is no stranger to having partners galore in the phone business, but its lineup of manufacturers for the upcoming, surprisingly promising Windows Phone 7 launch is no less impressive. After plenty of rumoring, Microsoft has confirmed that Dell and HTC will be making Windows Phone 7 phones, in addition to ASUS, LG, and Samsung who had already been confirmed. All of these companies should have their stamp on hardware by the end of the year, with the launch of the OS still vaguely slated for the "holidays." We have no doubt that all five manufacturers can build some compelling, sexy hardware, but we're particularly enthused to see Dell really getting into the game after the impressive Streak and that drool-worthy leak a little while back. It's a good time to be alive if you're a person who buys or uses phones.

Timely, no? In concert with its HSPA+ expansion, T-Mobile USA has decided to come clean with that webConnect Rocket 2.0 that we peeked a few weeks ago courtesy of a leaked presentation slide. Said device isn't drastically different than the original, offering a mildly overhauled design and "a new rotating swivel USB form factor." The bigger news is the expanded platform support, with this bugger now playing nice with Windows 7, XP, Vista and any version of OS X since 10.4. It's up for grabs right now via the source link if you're in the mood for those so-called "4G speeds," with an on-contract stick costing absolutely nothing and a no-strings-attached version running $199.99.

Well, what do you know? Turns out you don't actually need to invest in a Nook e-reader to enjoy the experience on your existing smartphone. And considering that the average Android smartphone will boast a display largerthan your face within 2 years (if current trends continue, anyway), we'd say we could be onto something good here. At any rate, B&N's own eBookstore app is now available for Google's dear mobile OS, landing just weeks after Amazon pushed its Kindle app out into the same marketplace. Of course, B&N's not shying away from the competition, dubbing its app "the only Android e-reader application to offer eBook lending." It's available to download now on devices rocking Android 1.6 or above, and yes, even Android users can pick up on another platform where you leave off on your phone. Fancy .

It's recently come to our attention that Birdman over at the AllDroid.org forums has rooted the Droid X . By all accounts (which, at the time of this writing, consists of two forum posts that exclaim "it works!") things are going beautifully, so what do you think? Ready to pierce the soft underbelly of your smartphone's OS? Been dying to get a hot session of ADB going? Hit the source link, and remember: if you brick your phone, you only have yourself to blame.

Been wondering why Verizon would seek to curb its unlimited data plans with bogus restrictions? Wonder no more. Jennifer Byrne, a business development executive director at Big Red, has shared with us the shocking stat that early data usage from Droid X owners is five times what other smartphones are suckling down. Clearly, the jumbo screen is being used to the fullest by those lucky enough to get an X when they wanted one, and Verizon is (outwardly, at least) really, really excited to see such keen use of its network. Enjoy it while it lasts, Droidsters!

Remember that episode of The Simpsons where Homer gets too fat to be able to dial a number? Well, he wouldn't have had that problem had BlindType been around. This soft keyboard is described by its makers as being extremely resilient to inaccurate input and looking at the demo video after the break, you kinda have to agree -- it seems to have a pretty kickass predictive algorithm. Aside from that, the keyboard also dynamically adjusts to wherever and however you choose to type, meaning its size and orientation track along to your input, which goes some way to justifying the somewhat odd name (it's meant for blind operation, not blind people). Text can be inserted without the keyboard even being on screen, while spaces are added by swiping to the right. BlindType should be coming to Android and iOS devices some time in the near future. [Thanks, Fadl] Update: We asked BlindType's makers whether implementing their software will require replacing Apple's default button s

It's funny to think, even after reviewing the device (thrice, at this point), that we still don't have a US release date for Dell's Streak . The company's been uncharacteristically coy, but the stateside product page does offer this tantalizing tidbit: "available for purchase in late July." That gives us a good 10-day window, so if you've been eyeballing that pre-sale button with intent to click, now might be the time jump on the list.

Pan-who? You know, the guys behind the long-forgotten Helio devices? Doesn't matter, because the Korean firm's back with a follow-up model to its Sirius Android handset. Dubbed the Vega (IM-A650S) , Pantech's latest 4.02-ounce offering -- a mere 0.14 ounces less than the Samsung Vibrant -- is pretty much just a lighter rehash of its predecessor: 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 3.7-inch 800 x 480 AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, Android 2.1, 5 megapixel camera, 500MB internal storage, and 8GB external memory to boot. If this phone's somehow tickling your fancy, then you're in luck -- Pantech claims to be "in talks with AT&T and Verizon" to bring this baby to US of A. They better hurry up though -- that Froyo ain't gonna stay frozen forever.

We hear so many iPhone-Verizon-tomorrow-OMG rumors that our nation's brave also-ran carriers hardly get a word in edgewise. While Sprint remains a total longshot, T-Mobile USA is an interesting proposition for the mere fact that it's a GSM network, though its 1700 / 2100 3G network remains ostensibly incompatible with the iPhone 4's existing radio. According to Cult of Mac , a "highly placed source" at T-Mobile let it slip that they've got an 80 percent chance of getting the iPhone in Q3. Now, that's an oddly specific number, and we have no idea what it's contingent on, or how much exactly this source knows. Basically, we don't know a lot here. Of course, the biggest evidence of this possible T-Mobile coup remains the statement from Deutsche Telekom's CEO in March, saying that the USA branch is hoping to get the iPhone later this year. We really don't know who or what to believe, but we do know one thing: if Apple decides to sell a T-Mobil

Well, it's about time. Touted back in March as one of the pillar apps to benefit from the new multitasking API,Skype has finally been updated to iOS 4 compatibility. We're seeing crisper, more retina display-friendly graphics and, more importantly, background VoIP (not for iPhone 3G, naturally). A notification window will pop up when you're called or messaged, and you can use other apps while on the line chatting to international friends at reduced rates. Even on the lock screen, if you receive a call, sliding to unlock will take you immediately into the call. Video chat still isn't here -- a darn shame given the lack of other options now -- but now you've got even more of a reason to rack up those rollover minutes on AT&T's voice plan. Download away! Update: Remember when Skype was talking about charging extra for calls over 3G starting this month? Straight from the horse's mouth: "we no longer have plans to charge a supplement to make calls over

While there's still no (official) word on when we'll get any BlackBerry OS 6 hardware, much less that 9800 Bold, RIM has seen fit to provide us another glimpse at the software front. This time round we're looking at multimedia features, including the photo gallery, a brand-new podcasts app and YouTube, alongside extra camera controls (including a face detection mode) and roundabout confirmation that at least some new BlackBerries will support pinch-to-zoom. Oddly enough, there's no video showing off the new multimedia functionality, just a set of stills, but we suppose RIM realizes it's all been done before and Crackberry addicts will take whatever they can get right now.

By almost all accounts, LG's dLite for T-Mobile is an unremarkable midrange clamshell that barely warrants mention, with two notable exceptions. First, it's just the third LG to ever launch on T-Mobile USA -- the others being theGS170 and the Sentio -- so if you're an LG fan, you should be doing a little victory dance right about now. Secondly, though, the dLite is about the closest North American phone we've seen to a traditional domestic South Korean device, thanks in no small part to its programmable "light effects" and concealed external dot matrix display. For reasons we can't fully explain, we find this awesome. If you do, too -- and you can imagine yourself using something that isn't running a smartphone OS -- you can grab this bad boy today in pink or blue for $50 on contract after rebate.

Google warned us that the Nexus One was approaching the end of its days, but we've gotta admit, we didn't realize just how quickly that moment would come. Sure enough, Google's official online store for the phone now just shows an ominous message that "the Nexus One is no longer available for purchase directly" from the company, which means you're going to have to go through Vodafone, KT in South Korea, or hold out for the units that they plan on selling directly to registered developers. Needless to say, for the bulk of potential customers, the phone is all but history. So, on that note, Nexus One: for your straight-shooting stock Android ways and your unlocked radio, you'll be dearly missed -- and we hope your legacy lives on, even though your retail model does not.

Nokia claims it always prioritizes antenna performance over physical design, and we'll take them at their word, but that apparently didn't exempt one Espoo handset from Apple's grip of doom. Here's the Nokia N97 Mini going down for the count, from a full seven bars to two. Of course, Apple doesn't mention whether calls or data drop when the handset's held this way

We've already seen what's purported to be the BlackBerry Curve 9300 out in the wild a few times, but Vietnamese site Mainguyen has now gotten its hands on a unit as well, and given us our most detailed look at the phone yet. That includes a better look at the slightly higher-end elements more reminiscent of the now-discontinued Curve 8900 than the Curve 8500 series it's apparently replacing, and confirmation of at least a few specs (including a 3.2-megapixel camera). Head on past the break for a video, and hit up the source link below

We're being told that Verizon has a pair of devices that it's identifying as " e-readers " on the roadmap for September of this year, but what's really interesting is that they're called "Entourage." It's possible there's no association to the company of the same name, but we're kind of thinking that the carrier has hooked up with the makers of the oddball Edge for these devices -- especially since we know they both share an affinity for Android. We don't know the specifics of the units other than the fact that they'll be 7- and 10-inch tablets -- presumably sans the Edge's crazy dual-display design, though we can't say for sure. Verizon has yet to play the e-reader game the same way Sprint and AT&T have with the Kindle and Nook -- and of course, we've no doubt they'd love a viable iPad competitor. Who's buying?

Oh, Steve -- you should've known better. You show up and remove a laptop from a manila envelope, and Earth's most creative go and create a case fashioned out of one. You go and suggest that Eminem could "come out with a band-aid that goes over the corner" of your controversial iPhone 4, and well... this happens . You could wait fora free case, or you could buy six of these Antenna-aids for five bucks. The choice is obvious.

We still don't know exactly when the beefy Streak will be hitting US store shelves, but Dell's finally ready to start teasing us about it by offering to take down names and keep interested parties in the loop. It's more than your average, run-of-the-mill reminder service, though: Dell will be giving these folks an "exclusive 24 hour pre-sale purchase window," which presumably means you'll get the phone a day early, and will offer you some model of Plantronics Bluetooth headset for 99 cents when you present a coupon during your Streak order. You'll also get free two-day shipping, but let's be honest -- we all know you'll be paying extra for overnight delivery anyhow.

It's been almost a year since RIM picked up Torch Mobile and locked its newly acquired division in a closet, telling those coders to not come out until BlackBerry had a world-class browser. Early tests from Salomondrin, the self-described "007 of the Phone World," indicates that those tired engineers can now finally go home and get some sleep. The new WebKit-based browser, a part of BlackBerry OS 6.0, managed a score of 208 on the Acid HTML5 tests, measuring browser compliance and performance. Meanwhile the iPhone 4 scored 185 andHTC's Incredible pulled down 151. Mind you, benchmark performance doesn't always equate to real-world browser responsiveness, but regardless this is good news for CrackBerry addicts. The only question now is: when will they get their fix? Update : The browsers were run through a suite of tests, and the above scores were actually from The HTML5 Test!

With tongue wedged firmly in cheek, Adobe has named its latest little bit of demo software Flash Time and given it a quick spin to whet our appetites. Built using the forthcoming Air 2.5, this peer-to-peer video chat client harnesses your smartphone's camera to get some direct visual communication going with your fellow Android lovers. Okay, so Android users already have other options for doing just this very thing, but the point being made here is that you can do just about anything with Flash, and since it's Flash it'll be easy to port around to other platforms. Skip past the break to see the demo, which has a multipeer chat session with a desktop Mac thrown in for good measure.

Shah Rukh Khan’s ambitious project ‘Ra.One’ is growing more and more striking and sophisticated. First, American singer Akon was roped in for to be part of the film’s music; now here’s a newly added international flavour. Latest update is that his banner Red Chillies Entertainment has signed in the noted Chinese-American actor and martial arts expert Tom Wu, who has done films like 'Revolver', 'Shanghai Knights', 'Batman Begins' and 'Tomb Raider II'. Excited about the new development, the star posted on his Twitter page thus, “...a big welcome to Tom Wu in the film cast. He is so humble and such a sport... really nice to have him on board.” Currently, the Badshah of B-town is shooting in London for the film and he seems to be bit under the weather. Wrote Shah Rukh, “Antibiotics have sucked all energy out of me. Throat feeling better now... can go on the sets and make some noise to feel important hopefully.” Ohh Shah Rukh, slow dow

Earlier we had mentioned that director Ram Gopal Varma is coming with a realistic film titled ‘Department’ – a project based on the relationship within police officials and about their fight against underworld. Now read on the updates… The film, which is on the lines of ‘Satya’ and ‘Company’ which have been dark and striking, will portray the forming of the encounter sqad and will follow the lives of the encounter cops and their friendship and rivalries. According to sources, the film is said to have signed on Sanjay Dutt and Abhishek Bachchan. ‘Department’ has been inspired from real-life encounter cops Daya Nayak and Pradeep Sawant. While the two stars will play these characters, another actor has to be finalized to play the character of D Sivanathan, the current DGP of Mumbai. Interestingly Sanjay and Abhishek have played the cop roles before, but this time with RGV as the helmer, let’s see how these actors perform…

Well its not clear what was exactly the reason behind the break up but the new Bollywood prince charming and the tall and the beautiful Deepika where a sweet little pair. Anyways, grannys say that people don’t forget their first love especially girls and maybe that’s the reason why Deepika is still having the tattoo that reads ‘RK’ meaning Ranbir Kapoor on her nape. She was recently spotted with a new one on her ankle but she was wearing sandals so this bee couldn’t see it properly so can’t describe what it was exactly. But the girl is not ready to get ‘RK’ out from her nape confirming what the old grannies say about first love. Pehla pyaar pehla gham……. No not really as the lass was in high spirit answering questions to the scribes. Hmmmmmm forgiven not forgotten Ranbir … ah… Deepika? 

She was the wannabe Bollywood kumari when she debuted with the sensational Hrithik Roshan with ‘Kaho Na Pyaar Hai; Hrithik became the talk of the nation but Amisha too got noticed and she did bagged a few films but unfortunately she couldn’t hold on as her contemporaries. The actress then started her chain of restaurants and everybody felt that Amisha had finally said goodbye to the tinsel town. Now suddenly the glamour bug has struck the B-town lovely once again and the girl is getting desperate it seems, this time Amisha is said to have gone topless for an international magazine. She has joined the dare bare club which includes Neha Dhupia, Riya Sen and Sherlyn Chopra. And this is not the first time for Amisha, previously she covered her assets with only a pillow for Daboo Ratnani calendar last year. We don’t know what Amisha wants to prove, whether she wants to gain attention or she is releasing her frustration. Sad for an actress who showed promise when she ma

The Masakali gal is slowly shedding her inhibitions…. After making a debut as a simple beauty in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Saawariya’, Sonam Kapoor gradually took up roles, simultaneously changing her avatar. From girl-next-door of ‘Delhi-6’ to chic art director of ‘I Hate Luv Storys’, Sonam has completely transformed herself in her home production ‘Aisha’. The beauty is portraying the character of modern, sophisticated urbanite. But the juicy khabhar is that the actress is said to have gone ahead to do her first liplock scene with Abhay Deol in this one! Well, our birdies reveal that the comfort level was well-maintained and any awkwardness was wiped out before the two did the scene. And also the birdies shared naughtily what Abhay said. They say he has stated that Sonam is a great kisser. Hmmm, but going now by her attitude, we can expect the chori to make a professional statement on this one… Over to you Sonam….

Sounds weird? But yeah, the ace filmmaker is setting the stage for his next venture, which is titled ‘Bullet Train’ and has an assembled star cast. ‘Bullet Train’ is said to include Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Kunal Kapoor, Sunil Shetty and Sameera Reddy. However the casting is yet to be finalized, as the news is making rounds that Kanagana Ranuat and Vidya Balan are also being considered for one more leading lady. Most part of the shooting is said to be taking place inside a train, from London to Glasgow. The film is expected to go on floors in September. Bannered under Eros, the film will be produced by Ratan Jain.

It is always a fun exercise to have Akshay talk at length when it comes to matters related to his movies. Reason being that you don't expect diplomatic and ready to serve answers that are so predictable that you can almost see them coming even before you are through with your question mark. The man too is enjoying this phase where quotable quotes have become the order of the day. In an exclusive two part conversation, Akshay Kumar gets talking to Joginder Tuteja on his latest outing with Priyadarshan, comparisons with men like Amol Palekar and Farooq Sheikh who excelled in roles that were written for 'a common man', his current leading lady Trisha and his 'most wanted on screen pairing' with Katrina Kaif. The film is titled Khatta Meetha . What's the relevance of this title here? It's a very sweet and sour movie!! What more can I say apart from - you will feel just about every emotion there is in this film - Guaranteed! Akshay Kumar as a c

Nicknamed as 'Sexy Sam', especially after the sizzling act that was put on display in films like Plan and Musafir years back, Sameera enjoyed a hat trick of successes ( Race, De Dana Dan, One Two Three ) in last few years. Still, even with her professional life rocking, what with films that she has done in languages all over (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali), Sameera isn't finding much time for love. Instead she is busy keeping herself happy with a life that is made of her family, friends, vacations, travel and other fun outings that don't quite make her miss the presence of that knight in the shining armour. Also, now she is willing to let out her true self and wants the world to know her for what she is in real life. You are no more being seen as someone who is diplomatic or politically correct. Whatever happened to the adage of an actor being prip, proper and righteous when it comes to her being written about? (Laughs) It was pretty plain and si