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I was on the phone with TMC’s Verizon representative to discuss changing our mobile phone plans. The Verizon rep told me it was bad timing since their entire intranet ordering system had completely crashed as a result of the Blackberry Storm launch. TMC’s business Verizon rep couldn’t even make changes to our account as a result. Well, it certainly looks like the Storm is having a tremendously successful launch. Should the iPhone be worried?

Heck, hundreds of people lined up at Verizon Wireless stores today across the U.S. to buy the BlackBerry Storm, the first touch-screen phone from Research In Motion.

According to Reuters, more than 200 people had waited at a Verizon store in mid-town Manhattan but were turned away after it ran out of the new phones less than an hour after opening. The angry customers were seen wielding pitchforks and torches until the police came to restore order. No really…

Tags: blackberry storm, crash, mobile phone, Storm, Verizon

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Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Ruh roh. Seems that swanky new LCD on Sony’s PSP-3000 could be garnering more complaints than anything else. If you’ll recall, the aforesaid system was touted as having a brighter, better screen than the PSP-2000, but now the PlayStation forums are filling up with irate PSP-3000 buyers who are experiencing unexplained scanlines and totally peculiar interlacing problems. As you can see above, the 3000’s screen looks noticeably worse than that of the 2000, and while we always hope that these issues are contained, we have at least one Engadget staffer and a Joystiq comrade who can attest to this being real. SCEA has been contacted and is currently “looking into″ the matter — we won’t dare say that r-word just yet, but this doesn’t look particularly good on the surface. We’ll keep you posted.

[Via Joystiq]

Update: A Japanese Sony Computer Entertainment representative has informed us that the interlacing-like lines are just “features” of the new LCD, and currently, there are no plans to fix it with a future software update since it is in the hardware.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Wow - I think strolling by Mark Gervais’ Hallowindow animation would definitely scare the heck out of me. Just watching the spiders in this clip was a lil′ trip to creep city (population: me).

He sells a DVD of the above sequence on his site for such decorative haunting, but one could do a lot with a projector hooked up to a video camera - perhaps a little face paint and a flashlight, and you could be host to a giant speaking head in your window, interacting realtime with incoming guests. freaky chic!

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Read more articles in Holiday projects |

Digg this!

Original post by Collin Cunningham

Many financial institutions have long promised the ability to bank via your mobile, well now it’s a reality, at least for LloydsTSB customers (so presumably also for HBOS customers soon following their recent acquisition).
The mobile banking app is a Java application that should run on most mobile phone, well ones that support Java.
The application […]

Original post by Steve Kennedy

Filed under: Displays, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Well, wouldn′t you know it? Just after we bash Qualcomm for talking up its second color mirasol-based design before shipping the first, along comes a little justification of our actions. Over in San Francisco, said company is trumpeting an item that we first heard about back in May, but regrettably, it doesn′t sound as if we’re any closer to getting a release date. What we are told is the device’s name: the Freestyle Audio Soundwave Ltd. Edition, or — more formally — the FA300. It’ll boast a 0.9-inch color mirasol display, a waterproof casing, built-in Bluetooth, and a whole host of other niceties that we’re sure to find out about before the next decade dawns. ‘Til then, we’d suggest a hearty helping of patience.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Displays, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Remember that Freestyle Audio player that was supposed to blow folks away with its integrated color mirasol display? Yeah, that one that still hasn’t shipped? Qualcomm is apparently uninterested in that tiny little factoid, as it’s proudly pumping the MFM Pro headphones as the “second color mirasol-enabled design for the US market.” According to Jim Cathey, vice president of business development for Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, the deal with Skullcandy is being made to “move mirasol displays into the hands of more consumers,” but considering just how long we’ve been waiting for the aforementioned DAP, we’d say the burden of proof is squarely in its court. Oh, and the ship date for these cans? There isn’t one.

[Via Slashgear]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Transportation

Toyota hasn’t made a huge secret of its plans to develop and sell a plug-in version of the Prius, and it the wheels are turning a little faster than we’ve heard — fleet testing of plug-in models has been pushed up to early 2009, with the goal of having “several hundred” on the road by the end of the year. Still no timetable for actual retail sales, so you’ll have to be a wheelman for a government or commercial fleet to get your hands on one — good thing all those modders have the rest of us covered.

[Via Autoblog Green]

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Transportation

General Motors has already gotten a bit of cash from the US Department of Energy to further the development of plug-in hybrids, and it now looks like it’s taking things one step further on another initiative, with it teaming up with the Electric Power Research Institute and 30 utilities in 37 states to produce a charging infrastructure for electric cars. Among other things, they’ll be working to develop an affordable, reliable electricity source that’s weather-proof and child-proof, which they say could be installed in places like public garages, curbside meters, or workplace parking lots. The utility companies, in particular, will also apparently be working to ensure that the grid doesn′t get overwhelmed during peak hours. All that, GM says, will be done by 2010, which just happens to coincide with the launch of its much-touted Volt hybrid.

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Now that you’ve had a little over a month to cram down popcorn while enjoying your shiny matte new Roku Netflix Player, we’re interested to find just how pleased (or displeased) you are with the $99 purchase. Has it lived up to your expectations? Is the quality sufficient for you? How does it look on your HDTV? Is wireless performance up to par, or were you practically forced to run an Ethernet cable all the way downstairs? We already know what the paid professionals said — we want the cold, hard facts straight from the users themselves. Let us have it comments below.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Well, would you look at that? After a mildly uncomfortable wait, the very first Netflix set-top-box has landed (the Xbox 360 with plug-ins notwithstanding). Thanks to Roku, users can finally tap into (a portion of) the Netflix library without having to wait for physical discs to arrive — and for just $99.99, no less (though unlimited access to online films still requires an $8.95 or higher monthly fee for the traditional service). Better still, the HDD-less Netflix Player can even utilize a wireless signal to pull in streams, though your miles may vary on actual performance. As for ports, you′ll find HDMI, component, composite, Ethernet, S-Video and a Toslink optical audio jack. Initial reports are looking pretty positive from here (save for the glaring lack of HD support), but feel free to dig into the reviews below to get a better feel of what this box really has to offer.

Read - Roku Netflix Player officially introduced
Read - PCMag review (4 out of 5)
Read - CNET review (7.7 out of 10)
Read - Wired review (”…just shy of totally amazing.”)

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

You know you’re in for a treat any time your favorite gargantuan Texas-based computer company claims to have captured the “downtown art scene” and “youth culture” on a laptop lid, but we’ve gotta give Dell credit for these new designs courtesy of Mike Ming. Unfortunately, the new “Bunch O Surfers” and “Sea Sky” (pictured) looks have been tacked onto Dell’s boring-as-could-be Inspiron 1525 budget laptop. But hey, not bad at all for $699, especially considering the 3GB of RAM that comes standard. Another shot after the break.

Continue reading Dell boils “hip” down to $699 Mike Ming Inspiron 1525 laptops

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Though not quite as impressive as the idea of toppling Intel and AMD within the next ten years, Hynix Semiconductor still has a decent reason to brag today. The South Korean chip producer has announced that it has just started mailing out the “fastest data transferring advanced dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chip for mobile devices.” Said chip is the one-gigabit LPDDR2 (low-power double-data-rate 2), which was crafted using 66-nanometer technology and features an 800-megabits per second operating speed at 1.2-volts. No word on exactly what devices will see the super-speedy chip packed within, but a company spokesperson did note that it plans on ramping up production during Q4 to meet “growing demand for flat-panel television sets and high-end handheld devices.”

[Via Physorg]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: GPS, Wireless

While Mio was busy propping up its Moov GPS lineup at CeBIT, it has smartly chosen CTIA to unveil a prototype PND that touts wireless connectivity. After teaming up with ATX, which is hailed as “the world’s largest independent telematics services provider to the automotive industry,” Mio has launched a connected navigator based on the Pinnacle platform. Unfortunately, it’s still somewhat unclear what extra features will be found on this linked-in unit — which may or may not have made an early cameo at CES (pictured) — but thankfully, we won’t be waiting long to find out. If all goes to plan, ATX-powered Mio devices will be hitting the streets in the second half of this year, but it better be mighty impressive (or just cheaper, really) if it plans on dethroning the Dash Express.

Read - Mio Technology / ATX partnership
Read - Pinnacle Platform

 

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

Not too long ago, we gave you loyal Cloudbook owners a chance to voice your opinion on how you’d change things. Fast forward a few weeks, and take a gander at what Everex has put together. Debuting today at CTIA 2008, the Cloudbook MAX not only boasts an 8.9-inch WVGA (1,024 x 600) display, Windows Vista, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, integrated GPS receiver, 2-megapixel webcam and a battery good for four hours, but it also features an 80GB HDD, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, audio in / out and an S-Video output. Beyond all that, this thing gets energized by a 1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV processor coupled with the VX800 digital media IGP chipset, which touts full DirectX 9 support and video acceleration for MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV9, VC1 and DivX video formats (plus a VMR-capable HD video processor, among other things). Lastly, the unit includes built-in support for Sprint’s XOHM WiMAX network. Brimming with excitement yet? Start stocking that piggy bank — this currently unpriced rig will be available in the latter half of this year across North America.

Read - VIA and Everex demonstrate Cloudbook MAX at CTIA
Read - VIA VX800 Series Chipset

 

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Tablet PCs, Wireless

Right on cue, Nokia’s WiMAX-enabled N810 Internet Tablet has surfaced at CTIA 2008, and yep, this critter is destined to go on sale here in the US of A this summer. Beyond that, you’ll notice the familiar 4.13-inch touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and even a built-in webcam for video calls, Mozilla-powered browser, integrated GPS / media player, 2GB of internal memory and a microSD expansion slot. Heck, Nokia even touts this thing’s ability to “access the Internet over WiFi or via conventional cellular data networks by pairing to a compatible mobile phone via Bluetooth technology.” Also announced today is the freshly updated O󋈈, which includes an enhanced e-mail client, support for Chinese character rendering in the browser and RSS feeds and “Seamless Software Update functionality″ to boot. Needless to say, said OS will come standard on the currently unpriced Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition — which is scheduled to land wherever WiMAX connectivity is available — but existing N810 / N800 owners will also get the OS upgrade free of charge in Q2.

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Original post by Darren Murph