IBLOG SPACE

Samsung’s Galaxy Note has arguably been the product of the show here at IFA 2011, and so we couldn’t resist another stop by to check out some of the details of the smartphone/tablet hybrid. Much of the appeal is Samsung’s custom software, including surprisingly powerful video and photo editing apps together with digital notetaking that works hand-in-hand with the accurate stylus. Read on for a video demo and more. Getting quality digital ink is surprisingly hard; as we found with the HTC Flyer, if the virtual ink-flow isn’t smooth, tight or narrow enough, you can’t get as much on-screen to justify dumping your physical notepad in favor of a stylus-equipped tablet. It’s something Samsung’s customized digital S Pen technology looks to have got right, though: you can see the crisp lines and lack of bleed in the video below. Bear in mind we were writing while also holding a camera, since without that handicap we’d have been able to fit even more text on a single line. Samsung Galaxy Note i

Vodafone Germany has quietly brought along a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 packing LTE and an upgraded processor to IFA 2011 this week, adding 4G connectivity to the 8.9-inch Honeycomb slate. Rather than the 1GHz chip originally found in the Galaxy Tab 8.9, this German model has an unspecified 1.5GHz CPU according to the spec sheet, along with a Super AMOLED display. It’s unclear if those are mistakes on Vodafone’s part or an upgrade that Samsung has made for the European 4G model, but what we do know is that the 4G connectivity is fast. We ran Speedtest and got a 12.99 Mbps downlink and 8.06 Mbps uplink; obviously speeds are network-dependent, but it certainly leaves us eager for a broader launch of the 4G model. Otherwise it’s the same Galaxy Tab 8.9 we saw earlier in the year, now the mid-range model slotting in-between the Tab 10.1 and the freshly announced Galaxy Tab 7.7. It’s certainly a little more portable than the 10.1, but with the 7.7 offering the same resolution display in an even

What’s in a name? If you’re Samsung, and you’re trying to bide time until the more touchscreen-friendlyWindows 8 arrives, then you launch the Samsung Series 7 Slate PC. The absence of “tablet” in the title, and conversely the specific mention of a slate form-factor PC, says it all: this is no iPad rival but a work or enterprise machine that just so happens not to have a keyboard. We grabbed some playtime at IFA 2011. Of course, Samsung has no need of a Windows-based iPad alternative, because it already has its Android-powered Galaxy Tab series. The business customer, then, gets a solid slate computer with a decent 11.6-inch capacitive touchscreen display, bright and with broad viewing angles, served up in a reasonably slimline casing with HDMI, microSD and USB connectivity. If you want more ports, the docking station has a full-sized HDMI (versus the mini port on the Slate PC itself) as well as a USB, headphone socket, ethernet and power. Unfortunately it’s not adjustable for angle, th

Samsung’s recent line-up of notebooks has been impressing with its combination of slick metal chassis, solid performance and copious style, and the Samsung Series 7 Chronos announced here at IFA 2011 is little different. Using a so-called “Superior LCD” panel technology, Samsung has also managed to squeeze in bigger displays than you’d expect; the design those panels fit into, however, is decidedly more Apple-esque at first and second glance than earlier models. Homage, inspired or just plain pilfered; head on past the cut to see more. If Samsung had to pick a company to act as its muse, Apple is hardly a poor choice. Still, the chiclet keys – particularly the directional arrows – and labeling looks very similar to what you’d find on a MacBook Pro, while the compact webcam in the narrow bezel looks somewhat like that of the old-style Pro. We’re not saying Samsung threw Apple’s notebook into a photocopier, but given the design of other notebooks in the company’s range, which differ sign

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) has admitted that it did, in fact, accompany investigators from Apple in hunting down a missing iPhone 5 prototype, despite having previously claimed that it had no involvement with the search. After reports yesterday that a group identifying as SFPD visited the house of a man who was at the bar the device was lost at, questioned him on his family’s immigration status, and conducted a search of his home, car and computer – and which the police initially claimed ignorance over - department spokesperson Lt. Troy Dangerfield has now said that plain-clothes police did go with Apple’s team, SFWeekly reports. According to Dangerfield, the “three or four” SFPD officers “did not go inside the house” but instead left Apple’s investigators to conduct their search. Sergio Calderón, the man Apple apparently believed had possession of the missing device, has confirmed that only two people entered his home, but says that while they did not specifically clai

One of the two long-rumored Amazon tablets has been shown to TechCrunch for some hands-on time under the condition that no photos be revealed. This is the first time we’ve gotten more concrete details and specs on what the first Amazon tablet has to offer. Unfortunately, it’s sounding much less like an iPad-killer and more like a super-charged Kindle ready to take on the Nook Color. (Pictured above is a mockup, not the real thing.) TechCrunch’s MG Siegler exclaims that the Amazon tablet is very real, he’s seen it and he’s played with it. Not allowed to show photos of the tablet, Siegler is left to describing the device as best he can and he’s happily reporting it as a “big deal” with huge potential. The device he got to handle was the rumored “Coyote” 7-inch model and he confirms that is now set to launch by the end of November. The larger “Hollywood” 10-inch version has been delayed for release in 2012 hinging on the popularity of this first model. Siegler describes the form-factor as

Amazon may be testing a new service that gives you the option to have products you ordered delivered to your local 7-Eleven. Although a bit odd, the idea can offer convenience to those who don’t feel safe having products left outside their door while away at work. This could also benefit those that won’t be home to sign for a delivery or perhaps others who simply don’t want their spouses or housemates to know about a purchase. According to The Daily, a source familiar with the situation says that the service involves Amazon placing large computerized locker systems at various 7-Eleven stores across the country, with the first prototype already installed at a 7-Eleven store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The lockers will work like temporary PO Boxes for Amazon purchases. Once you place an order, you can select which local 7-Eleven to deliver to. After the package arrives, you will receive an email notification along with a bar code. With that you can head to the designated 7-El

Google+ may soon be getting a new “Suggested User” list feature similar to what’s been offered on Twitter. The company’s VP of Product, Bradley Horowitz, tweeted a message inviting select individuals to come participate in a pilot for what he calls a “suggested user-like mechanism” on Google+. But the only individuals they’re interested in for now are those with over 100k Twitter followers. The tweet from Horowitz reads: “We’re about to pilot a ‘suggested user’-like mechanism on Google+. If you’ve got more than 100k followers on Twitter, DM me – lets talk! As stated in the message, Horowitz is looking for users who have more than a 100,000 followers on Twitter.” Other than the tweet there are very few details on how the new feature would work or how suggested users would be selected on Google+. When Twitter first rolled out its suggested user list, it stirred some controversy as those who made it on the list would gain followers exponentially, leaving those who were excluded feeling th

This week at IFA 2011 we’ve been able to get our hands on more than a couple devices, taking lovely videos as we go – this particular device is certainly not like the others in that instead of a smartphone, tablet, Ultrabook , or pair of earbuds , we’ve got an odd little music player. This is the Creative Zen X-Fi3 , and as Creative shows us, it’s meant to be a competitor in the currently iPod-dominated portable music player market. It’s got a several features that are sure to turn your head including X-Fi Crystalizer audio enhancement and the ability to play FLAC files, but are they enough to get past the fact that this device does not have a touchscreen display? We’ve come to expect as much from basically every little portable device like this on the market – does it need to be in tact in order for us to love a product? Before we go on and decide how much we love or despise this little monster, you should know a few facts about it, starting with X-Fi. What Creative describes X-Fi as

The recently leaked iPhone N94 prototype that could be either the iPhone 5 or the rumored variant iPhone 4S, has been found to have already received an FCC ID, suggesting that it’s indeed on the path to launch. The FCC ID also hints that the phone could be dual-mode following rumors that the next-gen iPhone would be a world phone. The FCC ID was found in the files of the latest iOS 5 beta 7 release, where an image file named Regulatoryinfo-N94AP@2X~iphone.png can be found in the About>Regulatory menu under Settings. The file depicts the FCC label with only a single ID number of BCG-E2430A. In contrast, the iPhone 4 had two such ID numbers, one for its GSM version and another for the CDMA version. This could mean that this iPhone N94 may be a dual-mode variant of the iPhone 4. Perhaps, the iPhone 4S? The device has not shown up in the FCC database yet, but that’s not unusual for entries like these that can be held back as confidential until after a certain period of time or until lau

Investigators supposedly claiming to be from the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), but allegedly in fact private employees of Apple seeking a lost iPhone 5 prototype, have added a new dimension of intrigue to themissing fifth-gen smartphone saga. Sergio Calderón, who lives in Bernal Heights in San Francisco, told SFWeekly that six people wearing unspecified badges visited his home and said they were from the SFPD and had traced, using GPS, a lost iPhone to his home. Calderón claims his immigration status – and that of his family – was questioned in a threatening manner, leading to him agreeing to a search of his house, car and computer. After failing to locate the missing handset, the so-called officers apparently offered Calderón a deal. ”They made it seem like they were on the phone with the owner of the phone,” he told the paper, “they said, ‘The person’s not pressing charges, they just want it back, and they’ll give you $300.”" When he declined, the group left but not be

This week at IFA 2011 we’ve gotten a hands-on look at Acer’s newly announced Ultrabook , the Acer Aspire S3, an ultra portable thin and light super powerful laptop for the next generation of demanding consumers across the world. This device has a 13.3-inch LED display at 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, is a mere 0.51-inches thick, and features the latest second generation of Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processors at up to 1.7GHz, this with a choice of 240 GB SSD or 320/500 GB HDD with embedded SSD means you’ve got one powerful bit of computing on your hands. Walk with us through this brand new device and see if it’s going to replace your current fat-by-comparison laptop come the end of this year.

The new Sony Entertainment Network is now online following the company’s announcement at IFA 2011 that all of its music, video, and gaming offerings will now be under one big umbrella. That umbrella, Sony Entertainment Network or SEN, will encompass both the Qriocity music and video services as well as the PlayStation Network. This major rebranding will consolidate all the services into one portal and will also eliminate the Qriocity brand, although the PlayStation Network brand will remain intact. The original “Video On Demand powered by Qriocity” will now simply be called “Video Unlimited” and the same goes for its music on demand service, which will now be called “Music Unlimited.” The PlayStation Network online games will now be accessed through SEN with all the content providing partners remaining the same. SEN will be accessible across multiple channels, including PCs, Bravia TVs, the PS3, PSP, and Android devices, of which Sony has recently launched the Tablet S and Tablet P.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has revealed that the search giant and Android purveyor is buying Motorola Mobility for more than just its massive patent portfolio. The $12.5 billion bid for Motorola was originally portrayed as a way to secure patents to protect the Android platform and that Google would not be competing against its own platform partners. But according to Schmidt during a presentation at the Salesforce.com Dreamforce conference, Google’s bid is definitely more than just for patents. The company is apparently also seeking Motorola’s product business to help expand Android offerings to rival Apple. Below is what Schmidt said: We did it for more than just patents. We actually believe that the Motorola team has some amazing products coming….We’re excited to have the product line, to use the Motorola brand, the product architecture, the engineers. These guys invested the RAZR. We know them well because they’re Google Apps users….[We like] having at least one area where we ca

Barnes & Noble’s may be launching a second-generation Nook Color sometime in September, according to sources from the supply side. The Nook Color is one of the only e-readers to offer a simple lightweight e-reader experience as well as some tablet functionality with its color touchscreen LCD display and Android-powered interface capable of web-browsing, email, and apps. According to DigiTimes, industry sources in the supply chain say that Barnes & Noble has placed orders with TPK for the touch panels, while Inventec will take care of assembly with additional help from Pegatron. The two contract manufacturers could supply two to three million units of the Nook Color 2 by year-end. It’s said to feature a 7-inch full color touchscreen and have support for email, music, games, and apps. However, what throws some doubt into this report is the claim that “E Ink will continue to supply e-paper backplanes for Nook Color 2″ because the current Nook Color utilizes a full color LCD touchs

New images of iPhone 5 cases have leaked and the designs continue to suggest that the next-gen iPhone will indeed sport a larger footprint while having a thinner profile with a curved back. However, recently leaked images of a prototype N94 that could be either the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S, as Apple is rumored to possibly offer two handsets, have shown the next-gen design to look nearly unchanged. So which one is it? Considering the abundance of iPhone 5 cases that show the “radical” new design and the investment that third-party manufacturers in China make to retrieve early details on next-gen devices to get a head start on production and sales and just all the insider rumblings that have been going around, we will place our bets on the case designs. These latest images from Macitynet.it show the next-gen iPhone design differences most clearly and dramatically. They also fall in line with the other silicone cases spotted in July. The photos leaked of the iPhone prototype N94 shows a desi

This week at IFA 2011 we’ve gotten hands-on experiences with more than a couple awesome devices, but none of them is as strange and oddly enticing as this one: the Elgato EyeTV Mobile, aka the world’s first DTT/Freeview Tuner for the iPad 2. With this little bit of technology, you can turn your iPad 2 into a mobile television. Pause, rewind, and record at will. What we’ve got here is a quick look at this device as it exists at IFA 2011 this week – the real deal will be available sometime in late September in at least the UK and Germany, though will be sold through Elgato’s online store so you’ll be free to pick it up wherever you may live. What you get is this little piece of hardware that you see in the photos above and below. What this little piece of hardware does is connect to your iPad 2′s dock connector, receiving then television signals without the aid of an internet connection. You’ll be able to download the EyeTV Mobile app from your iTunes App Store for free to work with the

Sometimes weird things happen at Apple. Losing one iPhone at a bar is odd enough; losing a second, the same way is downright weird. The latest snafu at Apple is firmly on the weird side as well. Apparently, a guy took his malfunctioning Time Capsule back up drive into an Apple Store. When he left with the drive and got home the owner realized he had a bit of extra content on the old supposedly broken hard drive. Apparently, the Genius at the Apple Store gave the man back his repaired Time Capsule sporting a new drive and the old busted drive that was replaced. When the guy plugged the old drive in the thing worked and was full of confidential Apple documents going back to late 2009 up to May of this year. The files included all sorts of documents from store checklists to time schedules and vides that are only meant to be seen by store workers. It would appear that the person that fixed the man’s Time Capsule simply handed him back the wrong old disk. Gizmodo reports that the man offere

RadioShack has just begun clearing out T-Mobile Android phones under the guise of a “Back-to-School” sale. But we all know that it’s really needing to clear out all T-Mobile inventory by September 15, when the floundering carrier will get kicked out to usher in Verizon in its place. So, if you’ve been wanting to pick up a T-Mobile Sidekick 4G or a G2X, now’s the time. The deal offers all T-Mobile handsets for free with a qualifying 2-year contract. This includes the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, Samsung Gravity Smart, T-Mobile Sidekick 4G, and T-Mobile G2X. RadioShack is aiming to clear out all these handsets by September 14, so that its new partnership with Verizon would kick off the very next day. The RadioShack and T-Mobile exclusive partnership went south after the carrier’s smartphones didn’t perform competitively, causing RadioShack a major slump in sales. Getting dropped by RadioShack, which has over 4,300 store nationwide, could hurt T-Mobile enough to make a stronger case for the merge

The future of the open-source MeeGo OS platform for mobile devices, once a joint effort between Intel and Nokia, continues to look dreary. Nokia has already abandoned ship for Microsoft, leaving Intel the lone parent of MeeGo, which will really need the support of the community now that Intel is reportedly also backing off on development for the platform. According to a report by DigiTimes, Intel may temporarily discontinue development on MeeGo to focus on hardware products for Android and Windows Phone handsets in 2012. This decision is said to be due to the lack of enthusiasm for MeeGo from handset and PC vendors, with the only exciting device for the platform being theNokia N9. But even with that handset, distribution is being limited to very select markets to avoid competition with Nokia’s upcoming Windows Phone offering. MeeGo was first launched by Intel and Nokia in March 2010 as a combination of each company’s Linux-based OS platforms called Maemo and Moblin. Almost a year after

am not sure if I want to drive at to Cali, find George Lucas, and kick him in both of his testicles for changing the Star Wars films again or be pumped that the Blu-ray release is very close. These are after all some of the most iconic and memorable movies from my childhood. The reality is I am feeling a little of both right now. I mentioned a few weeks back that Lucas had said changes were coming. One of those changes is a big one for Star Wars purists. In Return of the Jedi when Vader finally turns away from the dark side and tosses the emperor off the balcony, he did it in silence in the original. I can remember vividly how surprised I was by that change given little warning when seeing the original. Now in the Blu-ray version Vader says, “No… Noooooo!” as he hurls the emperor to his blue flaming death. I’m not sure how I feel about it, it doesn’t really hurt anything, my kids will think nothing of it. They ask me what the originals were like on occasion when we watch the flicks on

Samsung CEO Choi Gee Sung has adamantly denied rumors that the South Korean company has any interest in purchasing HP’s WebOS. Speculation started brewing that Samsung would be one of the top contenders for the platform after HP announced that it would be discontinuing WebOS hardware to consider licensing the software instead. There was also the possibility that HP would sell the unit entirely. Samsung was seen as the company in the ultimate position for such a purchase because it had a flourishing hardware business with smartphones and tablets, but seemed alarmed by the Google-Motorola deal that could compromise its competitive position with the Android platform. Scooping up WebOS would give it a new software asset that had features that could differentiate enough from both Android and iOS. However, that is certainly not the case, according to Choi, who in an interview during IFA 2011 in Berlin, insisted that Samsung would “never” pursue such a deal. Instead, Samsung is quite heavily

There has been a number of new non-lethal items for police and military use that I have run across lately. When the rioting was at its strongest in London the Crowd Buster may have been just the thing the police needed to get the looters to leave. This device looks like some sort of flamethrower mated with a mosquito fogger. It’s actually a rig that is used to spray giant clouds of pepper spray tinted with blue dye. That dye won’t come off the people hosed with it for about three weeks apparently. The Crowd Buster comes in a backpack style that can be worn or carried and a larger style that can be mounted on a truck or ATV. Either version can shoot a micro pelletized fog or directed stream up to 150-feet from the user. The other canister with the fiber weave is for compressed air. The canister can be reloaded in a few seconds apparently. I guess this thing will work well as long as the users are downwind from the rioters otherwise they might be Crowd Busting themselves. If the crowd is