Bombing customers with the latest smartphone, frightening horses and destroying many seasons’ worth of precious forest loam – it’s all here in Verizon’s latest teaser commercial for the Verizon DROID by Motorola. Unlike their first attempt at publicity, which basically took pot-shots at the iPhone, this new “Stealth” ad instead hopes to drum up some interest with a sci-fi theme.
Video ad after the cut
Whether or not Barnes and Noble liked it enough to copy it, Spring Design’s Alex prototype dual-display ebook reader is certainly nifty enough to capture our interest. MaximumPC had a chance to go hands-on with the Alex, which has a 6-inch e-ink screen up top and a 3.5-inch color capacitive touchscreen underneath for control and navigation, as part of a Marvell demonstration for the company’s new ARMADA 166E SoC.
Given that most netbook press releases look like photocopies of each other, we’re particularly intrigued by the Litl Webbook. Spotted last week whipping through the FCC, the Webbook is described by Litl as “an internet computer for the home” and uses a home-grown always-on OS; it can be used as a standard netbook or, flipped round, as a more passive TV device with an optional remote control and “TV style” control knob.
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AMD are reportedly planning two new desktop platforms which will see a May 2010 launch, at least that's the latest rumor out of motherboard manufacturers. The AMD Dorado and Leo platforms will target the mainstream and high-end respectively, with each using ATI Radeon HD 5000 series video cards and processors from either the Athlon II or Phenom II ranges.
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eviGroup's new 10.2-inch tablet, the Pad, went on sale in its premium 3G-toting form a week ago, but if the €599 plus €30 shipping ($932) sticker price is too rich for your blood they've a cheaper model available from today. The entry-level eviGroup Pad has the same specifications as the premium model but lacks 3G; it's on sale from today for €549 (again with €30 shipping; $852).
AT&T’s occasionally janky 3G coverage has become a generally acknowledged thorn-in-the-side for iPhone users, but the carrier still isn’t pleased that arch-rival Verizon Wireless have called them on it. Verizon’s “There’s a map for that” adverts compare AT&T’s 3G network with their own, an act which the latter claims is “misleading” and – as you’d imagine was Verizon’s intention, really – has caused them to lose “incalculable market share”. While subscribers would be happy with AT&T deciding to fill in those gaps, the carrier has taken the easier option and filed a lawsuit against Verizon.
Gigabyte have always thought a little different with their ultraportables, and their latest model is no different. The Gigabyte Booktop M1305, like the Booktop M1022 we reviewed back in June, comes with a desktop docking station; however, the M1305 is a 13.3-inch 1,366 x 768 machine and uses Intel’s CULV processors, rather than the paltry Atom N270, and squeezes an NVIDIA GeForce GT220 GPU with 1GB of DDR3 memory into the dock for improved graphics performance.
No great surprise here – after all, HTC CEO Peter Chou already exclusively confirmed it to us back in October – but HTC have officially announced that the HTC HD2 Windows Phone will be headed to the US in early 2010. According to a new press release today, the HD2 “will be available with a major carrier in the US in early 2010″; previous leaks have suggested T-Mobile will be the lucky network to offer the smartphone.
We’re used to copyright and industrial espionage claims being more like cases of trademark squatting these days, so to find something ostensibly as straightforward as Barnes and Noble’s alleged “copying” of Spring Design’s Alex concept is almost refreshing. The startup claims B&N led them to believe that they were interested in producing the Alex dual-display Android ebook reader, before breaking off contact and then, shortly after, announcing the nook. Now Spring Design has shared their NDA agreements and details of the lawsuit with Engadget.
Like an ex-partner suddenly hitting the gym and prompting some relationship regrets (yes, we’re shallow here in the tech world), Symbian Foundation have caught our eye with a new demo video of what they’re suggesting might be a nifty future UI for the platform. Part of Lee Williams’ keynote at SEE 2009 last month, the video shows a device with lashings of augmented reality and location-based services, together with social networking integration.
Video demo after the cut
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