Digital Tech News - Digital Technology & Consumer Electronics

ARCHOS Internet Media Tablet gets Android Smartphone Functionality

The ARCHOS Internet Media Tablet will soon integrate voice capabilities by merging Google's Android telephony stack and ARCHOS' multimedia framework. The new ultra-thin Internet Media Tablet (IMT) will also incorporate the OMAP 3 platform from Texas Instruments, making this device a pretty powerful smartphone / tablet for mobile entertainment and web-browsing. The new Android-based IMT with voice functionality will be released in 3Q 2009.

Amazon Kindle 2 Wireless Book Reading Device Announced

Amazon.com has officially introduced the new Amazon Kindle 2 digital reading device, featuring a slimmer design, longer battery life, faster page turns, over seven times more storage, sharper images than Kindle 1, and a new "read-to-me" text-to-speech feature.

Boasting a high-resolution 6-inch electronic paper display, the Kindle 2 is not cheap at $359, but with over 230,000 books available in the Kindle Store, plus magazines, newspapers and more than 1,200 different blogs available on this thing, it is a good lightweight ebook reading solution. New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases are typically priced at $9.99.

Amazon Kindle 2 is available for pre-order today, and will ship on February 24th.

President Barack Obama Still Rolls with a BlackBerry, and a secure Sectera Edge PDA?

President Barack Obama does not have to give up his trusted Blackberry smartphone if he needs to connect with friends, but he will have to use a more secure device when dealing with government affairs. In this CNN video, it's suggested that the ultra-secure Sectera Edge PDA by General Dynamics could be the President's official gadget for communications. The new "BarackBerry" device is not available to the general public, and costs about $3,300.

OQO model 2+ Mobile Internet Device

The OQO model 2 has been updated with the slick new OQO model 2+ which now features a 1.86GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB RAM, Windows Vists OS, an OLED display, and worldwide 3G connectivity.  The pocketable OQO model 2+ with full QWERTY backlit thumb keboard weighs less than one pound and measures 5.6"(W) x 3.3"(H) x 1.0"(D). The device supports large external displays up to 1920x1200 with HDMI/DVI and VGA interfaces, and offers Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR.  The OQO model 2+ Mobile Internet Device (MID) starts at $999, and will be available sometime in the first half of 2009.

ASUS P565 Phone Boasts 800 MHz Processor and Glide Touch-Screen

The new ASUS P565 PDA phone is ready for business with a fast 800 MHz processor and a touch-screen user interface called Glide. With these two features, Asus promises that the handset will handle resource-intensive tasks and heavy multitasking exceptionally well. The 2.8" 480 x 640 pixels resolution touchscreen lets you quickly "Glide" between tasks with your fingertips. On the Asus P565 phone, those tasks may include business-oriented features and software like push mail, business card recognition, calendars, weather reports, online news, and Microsoft Office Mobile. 

You can also Glide your way to selecting, zooming, scrolling and flipping photos, and listen to music within a few finger taps. Asus' Multi-Home, Anytime Launcher, EziPhoto, and EziMusic applications are on board to get you going.

Oprah's Favorite New Gadget is the Amazon Kindle Reading Device

After being wowed by the Amazon Kindle digital book reading device, Oprah Winfrey named it her new favorite gadget on her show today. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has got to be the happiest man on the planet right about now, as millions of Oprah fans and followers will surely want to buy a Kindle, or receive a Kindle Christmas gift this Holiday season.

"I'm telling you, it is absolutely my new favorite thing in the world," Oprah said.

The Amazon Kindle wireless portable reading device gives users instant access to over 190,000 books, blogs, newspapers and magazines.

Shop -  Kindle: Amazon's Wireless Reading Device

The Complete User's Guide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle (Take advantage of this terrific price to get the most out of your Kindle now!)

HTC Touch Pro Phone Launched by Sprint

If you were impressed by the HTC Touch, and HTC Touch Diamond phone with its TouchFLO 3D interface, you'll love the new HTC Touch Pro which features a five-row sliding QWERTY keyboard, 2.8-inch display, a microSD card slot with a 1 GB card included, a built-in 3.2 MP camera / camcorder, and Windows Mobile 6.1 OS.

The HTC Touch Pro from Sprint uses the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, or EV-DO Rev. A, and is priced at $299.99 with a two-year subscriber agreement, after a $100 mail-in-rebate and a $25-or-higher data add-on or Everything plan with data. Select national retailers will offer the smartphone next week, and it hits Sprint Stores on Nov. 2.

"Sprint customers will have direct animated access to arrange their favorite contacts, photos, weather and music by using HTC's intuitive TouchFLO 3D interface. By combining a rich, dynamic presentation with integrated multi-media features, people have the ability to graphically personalize their device with 3D animated transitions." 

G1 Phone and Google Android Market Apps Now Available

The Google Android-powered T-Mobile G1 phone is now on sale, and can be purchased ($179.99 with a 2 year contract) in T-Mobile stores, select retail stores in the U.S., and online.  Read the latest T-Mobile G1 reviews and see why everyone's talking about this HTC designed 3G smartphone with touch-screen and QWERTY keyboard.  As you would expect, the G1 phone handles Google Maps Street View, Gmail, and YouTube videos much better than most cellphones, and a bunch of Android Market applications including games, social networking, shopping, and other apps are already available free-of-charge for T-Mobile G1 users.

Android Developers Blog writes:

"With Android Market, users can easily download apps to their Android-powered phone. Users can also rate the apps they've downloaded and leave comments. These users' ratings along with anonymous usage statistics help determine how apps are ranked and presented within Android Market."

MING A1600, MING A1800, and MOTO A810 - Motorola PDA Phones for China

Motorola has launched the MING A1600, MING A1800 and MOTO A810 PDA phones in China, with the next generation MING A1600 and A1800 featuring stand-alone touch-screen GPS and a 1GB MicroSD card pre-loaded with the latest electronic maps of the Chinese mainland. All of the new devices are equipped with Motorola's Chinese handwriting recognition and input technology, and support rapid cursive Chinese handwriting input. The MOTO A810 is an entry-level PDA targeting young professionals, but it also adds some entertainment with an integrated MP3 and video player, and FM radio.

Tony Hawk Limited Edition Sidekick LX from T-Mobile

Longtime Sidekick user and pro skateboarder Tony Hawk has his hands in all kinds of products these days, so why not his very own Sidekick LX?  T-Mobile is making it happen with the new Tony Hawk Limited Edition Sidekick LX device, plus sponsorship support and programming for Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam 2008 North American Tour, and events benefiting the Tony Hawk Foundation which helps to promote and finance public skate parks in low-income areas.   

The limited-edition Tony Hawk Sidekick LX will be available this summer from T-Mobile with a sporty skateboard themed design featuring Tony's popular hawk graphic and an exclusive video of Hawk performing skateboard tricks. In fact, this is the first Sidekick LX to ship with video record, play and share functions. Other enhancements include a better Web browsing experience, stereo Bluetooth, easier downloads, and more theme/background personalization options.

Current Sidekick owners can upgrade to the T-Mobile Sidekick LX Tony Hawk Edition in July through http://www.t-mobile.com. Pricing should be announced soon.