2009 October - SlashGear

Archive for October, 2009

Google Maps Navigation beta for Android 2.0: turn-by-turn, Car UI, more [Video]

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

Google have announced the latest evolution of Google Maps for mobile, and life for standalone PND apps just got a whole lot harder. Android 2.0 devices - such as the Verizon Droid by Motorola - now have access to Google Maps Navigation Beta, a turn-by-turn navigation application that supports voice guidance, search-by-voice and automatic re-routing complete with traffic information. Video demo after the cut Read The Full Story

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Verizon DROID by Motorola official: $200 from November 6th [Video]

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

Motorola and Verizon Wireless have officially announced the Verizon DROID by Motorola, the first Android smartphone for the carrier and what’s promising to be one of the most interesting. The Verizon DROID has a 3.7-inch 854 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and EVDO Rev.A, and will arrive on shelves on November 6th priced at $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement and following a $100 mail-in rebate.

Update: Video overview of Verizon DROID by Motorola after the cut

DROID by Motorola Dyn L Horiz

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Nokia N97 mini goes on sale; N97 OS 2.0 released

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [1]

It's all go in Nokia N97 land this week, with the double news that not only have the Finnish company released the much-anticipated 2.0 firmware update for the original N97, but that the Nokia N97 mini would be arriving on shelves. The N97 mini - officially announced at Nokia World back in September - has a smaller chassis than the N97, but uses the same touchscreen-friendly S60 5th Edition OS. Read The Full Story

Samsung 14-inch AMOLED desktop/notebook hybrid [Video]

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

Samsung Mobile's 2-inch transparent OLED didn't exactly blow us away, but their other prototypes are far more impressive. The company has also been showing off a 14-inch AMOLED notebook prototype, with a whopping 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 300cd/m2 brightness. Despite that, the display is a mere 2.7mm thick. Video demo after the cut Read The Full Story

Magic Mouse update adds OS X Leopard support

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

Apple have released Magic Mouse drivers for Mac OS X 10.5.8, which will allow those still running OS X Leopard to use the multitouch functionality of the new peripheral. The update is accompanied by the 10.6.1 Snow Leopard driver; however, the imminent OS X 10.6.2 release is expected to add native support for Magic Mouse to the Mac platform, which would mean that users could simply pair their mouse and begin using its multitouch capabilities. Read The Full Story

Robo Garage Ropid running, jumping ‘bot [Video]

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

Japanese robot manufacturer Robo Garage have been demonstrating their latest 'bot, and what distinguishes the endearing 38cm tall Ropid is its ability to not only run but jump 8cm into the air. Ropid is intended to demonstrate a new leg design, which uses a double-jointed "linkage belt" - each point of which can be independently locked for stability in different movements - paired with four gyro-sensors. Read The Full Story

JVC throws new cheap XV-BP11 Blu-ray player to the wolves

Shane McGlaun, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [3]

This holiday season may well see the mass adoption of Blu-ray in many homes. We have the PS3 at a new bargain price sporting its Blu-ray capability and we are seeing new stand-alone Blu-ray players pop up at much more affordable prices. It wasn't so long ago that Blu-ray players were still well over $300. JVC has just announced a new Blu-ray player called the XV-BP11 that is available right now. Read The Full Story

Belkin issues recall on F9G930-10, F9G930v10, F9G930-10-W and F9G930-10-SN surge protectors

Shane McGlaun, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

Product recalls are no fun for the consumer or the company that issues the recall. Not too long ago Coby Electronics issued a recall on one of its portable DVD players because of a fire hazard. Today Belkin has announced a voluntary recall of several models of its SurgeMaster surge protectors. Read The Full Story

YoGen charger uses yo-yo action to charge gadgets

Shane McGlaun, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

I will readily admit that the thought of a charger for my gadgets that requires no plugging in to charge its internal battery or long waits while it sits in the sun for a charge is very appealing. The YoGen Handheld Charger promises just that by having the user pull on a rip cord to generate electricity. Read The Full Story

jetBook-Lite lays claim to “most affordable” eBook reader title

Shane McGlaun, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

eBook readers are quickly becoming the new gadget to have with lots of high profile offerings on the market like the new(ish) Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook coming soon. The common thing about many of these eBook readers is that the price is right at $250. If you are holding out for eReaders to come down another $100 before you buy, the time is here. Read The Full Story

Pace set to launch multiroom DVR solution with cable operators

Shane McGlaun, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

Earlier this week I talked a bit about the multiroom DVR solution that Pace had unveiled. The solution sounds very cool with a central storage service allowing playback of recorded programs anywhere in the home. Read The Full Story

Samsung unveils new 933HD+ and 2333HD monitors

Shane McGlaun, Oct 28th 2009 Discuss [0]

When it comes to PC monitors convergence is a good thing. A converged monitor allows you to use the screen as you would any other PC LCD while using the screen for entertainment like movie and TV watching when work is done. Samsung has unveiled a couple new HD LCDs today called the 933HD+ and the 2333HD that allow you to work and play with one screen. Read The Full Story