Thanks to Intel’s appeal, it looks as though the anti-competition case in which the chipmaker is accused of illegally attempting to block AMD business won’t be settled any time soon. To better illustrate just why they fined Intel a record $1.45bn, the European Commission have released a 500 page report [pdf link] complete with emails where big-name PC manufacturers discuss threats of withdrawn rebates should they adopt some of AMD’s chips.
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If there's one thing capitalism has taught us, it's that competition is usually good for prices. Newegg have just joined Dynamism in offering the Viliv X70 UMPC, the 7-inch Korean touchscreen tablet, which you'd expect to mean prices were pushed down. Unfortunately Newegg don't seem to have got that memo; their prices are actually a little more expensive than the existing offers.
After pretty much changing the face of online shopping, Amazon have given themselves a new challenge in the shape of AmazonBasics. A range of “essential accessories”, including A/V and computer cabling and blank media, AmazonBasics all come in the company’s “frustration-free packaging”.
Microsoft have attempted to clarify the widely-reported “kill switch” present in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, after reports earlier this week that the company would “automatically” remove applications from users’ smartphones should the apps be pulled from the official download store. According to a Microsoft spokesperson, that would only in fact occur should an application be found to exhibit “harmful behavior or [have] unforseen effects”.
Palm has been apparently been busy warning UK retailers that it is less than happy with pre-order pages for SIM-free versions of the Palm Pre, informing them that the webOS smartphone will only be available in locked form (presumably to O2, the company’s UK carrier partner). Our sibling site MyPre.com has been informed by one affected retailer that Palm’s legal team “requested” in no uncertain terms that they take down their listing, where the Pre had been tentatively offered for £450-500 ($737-819).
Nokia’s N86 NAM edition has finally shown up for sale in the US, offering S60-loving photography addicts what could be the perfect smartphone for their dual desires. Announced all the way back at Mobile World Congress in February, the N86 packs an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and Carl Zeiss optics, and is priced at $468.99.
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It's been some time coming, but mintpass have finally seen their mintpad 2.86-inch touchscreen PMP and WiFi internet tablet arrive for general release. The palm-sized mediaplayer boasts 4GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot, together with a 1.3-megapixel camera, audio, video and picture playback, and an ebook reader.
Microsoft have been spilling the beans on more Windows Marketplace for Mobile details at Tech.Ed New Zealand, including confirmation that the company will install a remote “kill switch” for removing software from users’ smartphones. The backdoor access will be used, apparently, should Microsoft approve and then later remove a title from the Marketplace; not only will it be stripped from the virtual store shelves, but automatically removed from any devices that have installed it.
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It's taken them a while to catch up, but HTC have finally added the new Hero firmware to their UK download page. The English 2.73.405.5 ROM brings with it a new lease of speed and general perkiness to the Android smartphone, together with adding touch-to-focus to the Hero's 5-megapixel camera.
Sony Ericsson’s Pureness cellphone has been confirmed for the UK, but the company is not going for the usual pile-’em-high strategy. Instead, when the handset – which has a translucent-display – arrives in November, would-be buyers will need to trek to Selfridges and design museum shops; that’s because, according to SE spokesperson Cathy Davies, the Pureness is an “iconic niche product, not mass market.”
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