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How will Android affect the other mobile operating systems?
Like a number of my colleagues here at CNET, I had my ear pressed to the phone yesterday morning as the members of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), including Google, Motorola, and HTC, revealed their plans for Android, a new open platform for mobile devices. I'm not here to recap all the details of the event here--CNET News.com has a comprehensive story on that--but rather just to jot down some of my thoughts.
Looking at the big picture, I welcome today's news. I think it's a really interesting move for all the parties involved, and … Read more
Fire truck with MiG engine: insanity defined
And here we thought the 727 jet limo was insane. The vehicle pictured here might seem like an ordinary fire engine at first look--until it's turned around. From that angle, it's a work of insanity.
Not only is it modded with a turbine engine, but it's one from a Russian MiG fighter jet--making it "the largest turbine motor in a land vehicle anywhere in the world," according to LifeOnTop. The size alone would seem to lend credence to that claim, at 27 feet long and 5.5 feet in diameter.
If they add one of … Read more
Google's open-source mobile platform: the best of the blog chatter
There are so many good (and bad) things to say about Google's decision to open up the mobile market with an open-source mobile software platform that I'll just let others do the talking:
Sergey Brin (via OpenDotDot):
As I look at it I reflect, ten years ago I was sitting at a graduate student cubicle. We were able to build incredible things. There was a set of tools that allowed us to do that. It was all open technologies. It was based on Linux, GNU, Apache. All those pieces and many more allowed us to do great things and distribute it to the world. That is what we are doing today, to allow people to innovate on today's mobile devices. Today's mobile devices are more powerful than those computers I was working on just ten years ago. I cannot wait to see what today's innovators will build.And they will all build on open-source technologies, just as Google has. Why? Because reinventing the platform wheels, piece by piece, vendor by vendor, is inane and inefficient.
Gaming laptops: The bold and the beautiful
The Dell XPS M1730 we just reviewed took home an Editors' Choice award. This massive, 11-pound laptop is about as good as it gets for mobile gaming. It serves up a most powerful mix of components, from a Core 2 Extreme CPU to Nvidia SLI graphics. The M1730 even finds room for Ageia's PhysX processor. While we liked what we saw from the M1730 in our labs, what helped it score so highly was a number of new features absent from previous XPS models. There's a gamer-friendly, 10-key number pad, a useful status LCD above the keyboard, and … Read more
Review: 2008 Infiniti G37 Sport
How do you improve on a sexy, sporty, stylish coupe? Easy--make it sexier, sportier, and more stylish. With the G37 Coupe, Infiniti has built a very powerful and good-looking follow-up to the G35. In addition to its swooping lines and punchy power plant, the G37 comes armed to the teeth with cutting-edge cabin technology, including a hard-drive-based navigation system, music server, iPod integration, hands-free Bluetooth cell phone integration, and a solid Bose audio system. Check out our full review of 2008 Infiniti G37 Sport here.
HP to offer Sprint mobile broadband on business notebooks
Starting this month, five Hewlett-Packard business notebooks will be come packaged with Sprint's mobile broadband network.
The HP Compaq 2710p convertible notebook, 6510b, 6910p, 8510p notebooks and 8510w mobile work station, are the first offerings from HP to be eligible for embedded Sprint service. Prices for the five models range between $959 and $2,049. HP says to expect additional models to be added later this year.
The companies will jointly market the notebooks, which will have access to Sprint's 3G EV-DO network beginning sometime in October. Customers who sign up for a one- or two-year service agreement … Read more
Broadcom introduces 3G on chip
Chipmaker Broadcom said Monday that it has developed a new processor that integrates all key 3G cellular and mobile technologies onto a single chip.
The processor that operates at extremely low powers will enable cell phone makers to build new 3G phones in more compact form factors with very long battery lives at a fraction of what it costs today, the company said.
The new 3G "Phone on a Chip" supports the four next-generation cellular technologies used throughout the world: HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access), HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), and EDGE (… Read more
Samsung G600: 5 megapixels - but how are the pictures?
Okay, let's get to the most asked question about this Samsung G600 I just got: 5.0 megapixels is great, but does that mean you can leave your digital camera at home?
For me, yes, but it all boils down to how perfect you need your shots to be. There's no question the pictures are high quality. The built-in flash and auto-focus make you feel like Annie Liebowitz, but you won't quite be shooting at her level! However, it is better than any other cell phone's pictures I've every seen, so my Coolpix is done … Read more
