With what must be a strong candidate for the longest press release of 2009, Audi have launched their new flagship, the Audi A8. Since we usually save our interest in cars for only the most outlandishly technical or geekily endearing, the new A8 earns its place by bolstering its multimedia interface (MMI) with handwriting recognition, an optional 1,400W Bang & Olufsen audio system, twin 10.2-inch displays for the rear-seat passengers, and a 20GB hard-drive for digital media.
We’ve had two QWERTY Nokia smartphones on the SlashGear test-bench this past week, and the surprising thing is how differently the respective user experience is. Our Nokia E72 review went live earlier today; now we turn to the Nokia N97 mini, viewed by many – for better or for worse – as the Finnish company’s second attempt at the N97. Second-time lucky or still well short? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Twelve months ago HTC shook up the Windows Mobile world with the launch of the Touch HD, a smartphone that offered a vast touchscreen, lashings of connectivity and the latest version of their UI tweaking, TouchFLO 3D, to produce what was hitherto thought impossible: an alluring Windows Phone. Now, the company have attempted just such a revolution with Windows Mobile 6.5 in the shape of the HTC HD2. They’ve upped their game with a speedy Snapdragon processor, even vaster display and a fresh UI that’s been educated by their recent work on Android. Can the HTC HD2 again do the unthinkable, and give us a reason to love Windows Mobile?
Details on Sungale’s Cyberus Smart Info tablet are scarce, but to look at the product listing on Amazon you’d ask yourself what the darned thing couldn’t do. Centered around a 7-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, the Cyberus promises not only ebook access but – courtesy of WiFi – a web browser, YouTube viewer and internet radio streaming.
As well as their headline smartphone announcements this morning, Verizon have also officially confirmed a couple of featurephones that have each been rattling around the rumor mill for a while. The LG Chocolate Touch and Samsung Convoy – a touchscreen candybar and rugged flip, respectively – don’t have the Android magic or hardware QWERTY of the Verizon DROID Eris by HTC or the BlackBerry Curve 8530.
If you can predict a device’s success by site stats then we’d say the Verizon DROID by Motorola is going to be a hit. A week after launch and the DROID is still topping the charts for reader interest, and you’ve been peppering us with questions and comments about the Android 2.0 device. Set to hit shelves this coming Friday, the Verizon DROID is already being heralded as the device that will change Motorola’s fortunes; is that hyperbole, or is the DROID really that good? We’ve been putting the smartphone through its paces, so read on for the full SlashGear review.
Sony Ericsson have finally come clean on their latest smartphone, and as expected it’s an Android flagship. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 – previously known as the Rachael and the X3 – is a Snapdragon-based touchscreen candybar, with a huge display, 8.1-megapixel camera and some “special sauce” in the shape of two homegrown applications – for communication aggregation and media aggregation – with a custom UI. SlashGear caught up with Sony Ericsson in London yesterday to take a look at the new smartphone, and find out why the company reckons this is the launch not only of the Android X10 but of a new “user experience platform”.
After the cut: live XPERIA X10 gallery and video
If you have more than one dockable iPod or iPhone in use in your house, charging them up at the bedside can be a challenge without having two charging docks sitting around. If you want to dock the device in one of the cool alarm clock docks, available most lack enough room for two devices. iLuv has unveiled a new dual dock alarm clock called the iMM183 that promises Hi-Fi sound.
If you are the type who has a hard time waking up to a dark and cold room each morning, Philips may have a great alarm clock for you. The company has unveiled the HF3490 and HF3480 Wake-up Light alarm clocks. These clocks have music and wake you to a simulated natural sunrise as well.
I have seen more than a few weird clocks in my day and most of them had to do with waking people up who tend to oversleep. I had a clock when I was a kid that you had to throw to turn the alarm off. My mom took it away after I broke some pictures in my room and used my brother’s head as a target a few times. Ponoko has a line of clock like devices that you have to manually change the time on.
SlashGear Japan
