Developages - Development and Technology Blog

How appropriate: a BlackBerry Storm giveaway, in a storm!

If you live or work in NYC, you’ve got till 7 PM today to get over to Times Square (on 46th and Broadway) for a chance to win a BlackBerry Storm. But be prepared to get soaked and to wait for upwards of an hour. Here’s how it works:

• Contestants are locked in a wind tunnel booth with flying tickets redeemable for prizes .

• Contestants have 30 seconds to grab as many tickets as possible.
• Make it out with 7 black tickets = you get a BlackBerry Storm in the mail.
• Make it out with 6 red tickets = you win a Jabra Bluetooth headset.
• Make it out with none of the above, and you bring decades of shame to your family name.

If you just want some hands-on time with the smartphone, you can head over there too. After the jump, check out a video of the action and pictures of contestants in action!

Original post by Gearlog

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets

Esteemed lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss is breaking new ground by releasing the PhotoScope 85 T* FL, a spotting scope that also serves as a seven megapixel digital camera — just in case “super-zoom” wasn’t enough for you. With 15 - 45x magnification, a focal length of 600 - 1800 mm, a flip-out OLED display, and an IR remote for vibration-free release, it’s great for birdwatchers but perhaps even better for the paparazzi. Look for it in Spring or Summer 2009 if you’re planning to profit off the next Amy Winehouse meltdown.

[Via PhotographyBLOG]

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Original post by Samuel Axon

Filed under: Cellphones

Not that Motorola’s ᾯ comes as any big surprise, but it’s nice to see the Windows Mobile 6.1-packin’ smartphone get all official on us. Now boasting its very own dedicated page on Moto’s website, the Q11 comes to us with quad-band GPRS / EDGE (no 3G, for whatever reason), a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash, 64MB of RAM, microSD card slot, Bluetooth 2.1, a 320 x 240 resolution display, integrated GPS and a multimedia player with support for all sorts of file formats. You can also expect up to 450 minutes of talk time and up to 195 hours in standby, but you won’t be able to wrap your paws around it until December. As for carriers and pricing? Patience, friends, patience.

[Via UnwiredView]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets

We deeply apologize to all the vegetarians in the crowd, but this was just too grotesque to overlook. We’re not exactly sure of the whos, whats, whys, and whens behind all this, but apparently some butcher-to-be found enough spare time (and enough fresh meat) to create a wallet, a set of keys, a 3G-capable cellphone and a 4TB flash drive from raw, tender meat. We don′t know what’s sadder — the fact that this isn′t the first of its kind, or that there ever was a first of its kind.

[Via textually]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

Toshiba continues to tease us with its prototype liquid fuel cell-powered gadgets: last year it was a Gigabeat media player, and at this year’s CEATEC you can check out a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) that’s been crammed inside a cell phone, lending it a robust six hours of talk time (compared to the paltry three or four hours of a traditional battery). Toshiba won’t reveal the capacity of the DMFC, but they have said that a 50ml cartridge is good for about 15 refills. No release date yet, but the phone “might” be available “as early as next year.” In the meantime, enjoy this picture of a woman holding a flip phone with “DMFC” clearly visible on the display.

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Original post by Joseph L. Flatley

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

We must say, we didn’t really expect Samsung′s 𓦎 to get official in this manner, but we’ll take what we can get. Nanoradio has today unveiled that its “Always On WiFi” solution has been “commercially launched inside the world′s first 3G UMA phone.” The tech was already available in the 2.5G P250, but its inclusion in the 3G-capable P270 makes it a world’s first. For those unaware, this creates a dual-mode cellular / WiFi mobile which doesn’t require WiFi to be toggled on or off in order to save battery life. Sadly, that’s about it for details, but hopefully Sammy will come along soon and flesh things out.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

Not even two full months after Sagem fell into the obviously capable hands of Sofinnova, out pops the company’s return to the red carpet. Picking right up (numerically speaking, at least) where the P’9521 left off is the well-endowed P’9522, which was reportedly built with a little help from Porsche Design. The candybar features an aluminum chassis, 2.8-inch display, 5-megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi, fingerprint reader and a microSD card slot. Unfortunately, the fun and games end there, as there′s no 3G radio anywhere to be found; plus, you′ll be asked to lay down about &euro600 ($875) to acquire one when it ships next month. Loyalty has its price, we guess.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals

While Samsung′s latest cellphone-related release doesn’t pack quite the excitement as what T-Mobile unveiled yesterday, those obsessed with ultrathin lines packed together in the shape of a rectangle will be thrilled. Said mega-corp has landed an agreement with Scanbuy that will preload the ScanLife mobile 2D barcode application on an unspecified number of Samsung’s cameraphones. The program enables the handsets to easily read and digest EZcodes and other major 2D barcode formats, and while you’re probably envisioning some sort of warehouse scenario right now, the possibilities for on-the-go marketing are nearly endless. Expect Scanbuy-equipped Samsung cellies to go on sale in Spain, Italy, and Denmark as early as next month, with availability in other major markets to follow suit shortly.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Ask Engadget, Cellphones, Peripherals, Portable Audio

So you’ve got an awesome set of earbuds, but you’re looking for a pair just as astounding with an in-line microphone for chatting it up. Thanks to the growing popularity of such a request, there are a few options on the market. Question is, which is supreme?

“I have this new music phone (it’s a flush-jacked iPhone 3G) and I’m thinking about getting a new set of phones. I’ve used some high quality headphones before, but I’m currently using Apple’s included headset because of the mic / remote. I’ve been looking at the Shure MPA kits, but what do you readers recommended?”

Thanks for the inquiry, dandaman. Let’s hear what you’ve got, readers! Afterwards, feel free to send in a puzzler of your own to ask at engadget dawt com.

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Original post by Darren Murph

The Cult of Mac claims that the new iPod touch is VoIP-capable on the hardware side:

With 5 wires connected to the Touch headphone jack (instead of 4 on the previous model), the device now supports the external microphone included with some headsets, according to Kyle Wiens of iFixit, who fully dismantled an iPod Touch on Wednesday.

So who needs an AT&T-restricted iPhone? Course, you’ll need to be in range of a Wi-Fi network to use VoIP on the iPod touch.

It is worth pointing out that this is not the first time someone has run VoIP on the iPod touch. Touchmods added a microphone hack to the older iPod touch version. Another group enabled a SIP softphone client for the iPod touch to use with the “hacked-in″ microphone.

With the new iPod touch - no hacking required.

Tags: Apple, Cult of Mac, iPod touch, SIP, voip

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Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Portable Audio, Portable Video

There it is, Sony Ericsson just went live with its new G705 powerhouse, 3G slider. Just as we heard, it sports a 2.4-inch display with automatic screen rotation courtesy of an accelerometer, WiFi, aGPS with Google Maps for Mobile, 1GB included M2 memory, built-in FM radio, RSS reader, and full HTML browser. It also features a 3.2 megapixel cam that can capture video and then upload directly to YouTube under a new partnership with Google. Also announced in a UMA variant (G705u) — an SE first — built exclusive for Orange to bridge GSM and WiFi networks. Headed to the US in ̫ 2009.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

We tried to take OCZ’s Neural Impulse Actuator seriously, we really did. But unable to suppress those recurring images of Geordi La Forge, we simply couldn’t help ourselves from having a laugh at this thing’s expense. Nevertheless, the way-more-solemn dudes and dudettes over at HotHardware managed to give this brain-computer interface a fair shake, and overall, it was pretty impressed. Still, the bottom line is this: “the NIA is a very unique input device and possibly the first true brain-computer interface to hit the retail market,” but it’s not “a replacement for traditional input methods.” Granted, critics did point out that it would supplement current devices quite well, but only after “slogging through” hours upon hours of training. The hardcore among us may be willing to put in the time necessary to really get a lot out of this; for everyone else, just continue to point and laugh while masking your ignorance.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

AU Optronics (AUO) is tooting the “world’s first″ horn this morning with its new curved TFT-LCD process on glass substrate. They’ve also got the world’s slimmest — 0.63mm — TFT-LCD available in both 1.9-inch and relatively massive 8-inch versions, the latter boasting a 400cd/ф brightness and 2.1-gram weight. Not bad, but they can’t hold a candela to future generation OLEDs. Perhaps most interesting, though, are a pair of in-cell, multi-touch displays offered at 4.3- and 8-inches. The panels are said to offer superior anti-glare properties while manufacturing the multi-touch feature directly into the LCD cell without necessitating any additional glass. The 4.3-inch panel hits mass-production this quarter. Feel free to speculate on which MID devices might sport ‘em.

[Via DigiTimes]

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

According to a recent survey conducted by Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo on behalf of ad agency Prime Access and PlanetOut, Apple joins such companies as Bravo, Showtime, HBO, Absolut, and Levi’s as the most “gay-friendly″ brands. On the other end of the spectrum, Korean manufacturer Samsung joins WalMart, Dunkin Donuts, Cracker Barrel, and Exxon Mobil as the most “unfriendly″ companies.

2,259 adults aged 18-64 were interviewed for the survey, including 1,502 “general population” respondents and 757 gay and lesbian respondents. The study found that nearly 68 percent of the latter group are “likely to buy from a company they considered to be gay-friendly, a perception they base largely on a company’s advertising, followed by input from friends and the media.”

“The survey reveals that gays and lesbians are fiercely loyal customers to brands they perceive as reaching out to them,” said said Prime Access’s CEO, Howard Buford. “A marketing communications program directed at the gay and lesbian audience can be a significant opportunity for brands to build business.”

For more information on the study, check out Prime Access’s site.

Original post by Brian Heater

Beginning today, all passengers flying on Singapore Airlines A340-500 flights between Singapore and Newark, N.J., will get a little extra love for their iPods and iPhones.

The airline’s in-flight KrisWorld entertainment system offers an integrated 9-and 30-pin connection, letting passengers charge their Apple devices and connect them to the 15.4-inch widescreen LCD display and noise-canceling headphones. Docked iPods and iPhones will mute for cabin crew and pilot announcements, just like standard in-air entertainment.

The service will expand to those traveling between Singapore and Los Angeles in August.

Original post by Brian Heater