Engadget appears to have information that Nokia has announced their WiMax-enabled N810 Internet Tablet device before the CTIA show. Of course, that also suggests Nokia will be announcing the pocketable wonder at the CTIA show. If true, the N810 could represent a form of competition in the offing for the iPhone. If you’ve never used one of Nokia’s Internet Tablets (the 770, N800, and N810) then imagine a pocket computer with an 800×480 display on which you can do just about anything internet related (i.e., email, web, IM, etc…). Now add WiMax and the ability to make broadband connections miles away from a tower. Now you’re getting the idea.

written by Tyler Regas

PDAs aren’t dead really, they’ve just withdrawn from the scene. The reality is that the concept of a PDA has become so ingrained in our daily lives we don’t even notice them any more. Some devices take the form of one of the abilities of PDAs and refine them, like the Apple iPod or Archos’ line of PMPs. It was, however, the convergence of the mobile phone with the PDA which really struck a cord. The Handspring Treo and the early RIM Blackberry devices started the inexorable move to the smartphone. There are, however, a few standard PDAs remaining.

The HP iPAQ 110 Classic is one of those devices. Its not a phone, but it might as well be. In fact, it runs Windows Mobile 6, which behaves just like the Professional versions of the same OS for mobile phones. The only things lacking are the phone-specific functions. On the other hand, it does feature both Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and 802.11b\g wireless capabilities, both of which can work at the same time. I, however, digress. I should be performing a formal review, so let that begin. Continue reading »

written by Tyler Regas

If you’ve been dreaming of the day when XM Radio and Sirius Satellite would climb into bed together and cuddle, it may be coming. The Department of Justice has approved the merger of the two. Now, however, its off to the FCC for approval. In case you didn’t know, the FCC holds more sway than the DOJ in these cases. Instead of a link, here’s the entire press release:

MERGER OF SIRIUS AND XM CLEARS DOJ

XM and SIRIUS Working with FCC to Secure Final Regulatory Approval

New York and Washington – March 24, 2008 – SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) and XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR) today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has informed the companies that it has ended its investigation into the pending merger of SIRIUS and XM without taking action to block the transaction. This decision means the DOJ has concluded that the merger is not anti-competitive and it will allow the transaction to proceed. SIRIUS and XM each obtained stockholder approval in November 2007. The pending merger is still subject to approval of the Federal Communications Commission.

written by Tyler Regas

Okay. If you’ve seen it on Engadget or Gizmodo you’ve most likely been told that it was an Intel Netbook, a concept device based on Intel’s own new Atom processors designed for MIDs (Mobile Internet Device). Well, apparently its not. Its actually a new CTL NetBook and its being pushed into educational markets (what isn’t). The small lappy is technology Circa 2002 with its Celeron CPU running at 900MHz, 512MBs of RAM (max. 1GB), and 40GB hard drive, but it does have an LED backlit 800×480 display, a webcam, integrated Wi-Fi with automatic mesh networking, an SD card slot, and two USB 2.0 ports. All this for US$400 and it weighs less than 3 pounds. CTL has indicated that it will be “on the shelves” within 60 days, so there is a suggestion that it will be available to consumers. Note that it has an integrated handle and what appears to be fake-ish leather coverings. No links just yet.

written by Tyler Regas

I’ll start by offering my apologies. The ModBook has been in play for some time now and I have failed to get one, despite the fact that their offices are located mere miles away from ours! So, at MacDayLA who else do I come across but Axiotron and their slick ModBook. I sat down and spent some time with the ModBook with Sigthor from Axiotron’s marketing department. One interesting tidbit, the founder and creator of the ModBook is Andreas Haas, the last director of operations for Apple Europe’s Newton division. Yeah. The guy has a thing for handhelds and handwriting recognition. Continue reading »

written by Tyler Regas

Well, I’ve arrived and I’m in the Features session where people in the audience are asking questions of some Mac gurus. I ducked out when they started a digital photography session. I take bad pictures and I’m proud of it. I don’t need my family history to look like a feature in Time Magazine. I moved over to the TableTalk sessions and sat down with Jim Lee of Tropical Software. They make the TopXNotes notepad application for Mac OS X. Jim gave me the demo and I’m impressed. I’ll wrap that up by saying you need to take a look at it. Its a very powerful tool and it has features I’ve never seen before. I’m going to get a copy, as well. Just with its functionality I can really start to organize things (and maybe get reviews out in a timely manner!). [Editor's Note: I've fixed the link, thanks to an observant reader! -Ed.]

written by Tyler Regas

I know, I know. There’s been very little to post about and we’re behind in our reviews. However, today is MacDayLA in Los Angeles and I will he heading out there to schmooze with fellow Mac heads, look at some new gear, and take in some information. For more details on the MacDayLA event, check it out here. I’ll be posting on the event later on. Oh, and no, I will not be posting about the FCC bandwidth auction until the embargo has been lifted and I can report on all of it.

written by Tyler Regas

On a whim, I Googled™ for what devices Microsoft’s SYNC technology supports. I guess I’m not all that surprised that the first thing they list is Apple’s iPod. Take a look at this snippet from Mercury’s FAQ page on their cars which feature SYNC technology:

“SYNC supports a variety of devices including iPods®,* the Zune™, PlaysForSure players and most USB drives. Supported audio formats include MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV and PCM.”

While I haven’t verified it yet, I’m betting that the SYNC interface supports an iPod cable. Now the idea of getting a car with SYNC in it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Take a look for yourself here at the Mercury page.

written by Tyler Regas

Its been very slow, so I thought I’d punch up the doldrums with some little bits of news. First up, right on the heels of the Novell rumor nee announcement comes Sybase announcing that its releasing an early, official version of its iAnywhere software for the iPhone. Only its not software. Its a web app and it will only do mail. Hmm. Is it just me, or does it look like a giant, chubby baby is giving the demo in the picture?

In other iPhone news, StatCounter.com has announced that the iPhone is number 2 for web usage in Europe, 2nd only to Nokia. In the US, iPhone web usage far outstrips Nokia usage. Of course, StatCounter is only measuring hits on the sites which they monitor, which they claim is about 2 million. They also mentioned desktop browser usage, seeing Firefox usage encroaching on Internet Explorer’s dominance. Statistics were gathered on 371 million page views from December 2007 to March 2008.

Electronista seems to think they have information that Dell will be getting back into the handheld market, only one year after they canceled the Axim product line. Apparently, Acer’s purchase of E-TEN has something to do with it.

written by Tyler Regas