Amazon have announced changes to the types of documents their Kindle ebook reader will support, including a shift in pricing structure that will see users paying more per upload and conversion. The Kindle’s Whispernet wireless connection can be used to load non-Amazon documents onto the device: previously files were charged at $0.10 each, but Amazon have switched this to $0.15 per megabyte, rounded up to the nearest MB.
CP Technologies announced their latest product, the LevelOne MobilSpot Portable Wireless Hotspot today, which is a 3G router that makes it easy to connect your broadband network to Wi-Fi.
Amimon have announced a pair of new wireless HD chip, the AMN 2120/2220, which are capable of carrying an uncompressed 1080p 60Hz high-definition video stream up to 100ft, even if there are walls in-between. The transmitter/receiver pair use the WHDI standard, rated up to an equivalent of 3Gbps.
BLAZE have announced their latest PS3 accessory, a Wireless Controller Keypad that promises to be a low-cost alternative to the official Sony attachment. Clipping to the PS3 controller without obscuring any of the buttons or sticks, the BLAZE ‘board has full QWERTY together with function keys.
KT, a Korean cellular provider, announced today their latest network device called the Egg, which works to move the company out of the phone and notebook adapter market and into an entirely new territory.
Verizon got the Samsung Smooth today without so much as a peep of lead up warning. This flip phone is pretty basic but if that’s all you need, then you might just be interested in what this handset has to offer.
Some of the Smooth’s features include Bluetooth, speakerphone, a VGA camera that sports a nighttime mode and more. It’s a dual-band CDMA and can be used to access Verizon’s services like the VZ Navigator service.
You can check your e-mail, text message and browse the web with this phone. It has a 5-hour battery life for talk time and a whopping 336 hour battery life while on standby. You can get the Samsung Smooth from Verizon now for $29.99 with a two-year contract and a $50 discount online.
Sometimes, all we need is the bare essentials and that’s precisely what Orange, the UK wireless provider, is offering with their Vegas phone. It’s small, inexpensive and provides a touchscreen on a device that normally wouldn’t have one.
The Vegas has a 2.4-inch touch display. There’s a standard 1.3-megapixel camera, a built-in speaker, a microSD memory card slot with 64MB of built-in storage, Bluetooth and support for MP3 files and FM radio.
It also has a headphone jack and GPRS networking, rather than 3G. You can get the Vegas phone from Orange now for just the equivalent of $72 in either pink or black color options. This phone is sold on a pay-as-you-go plan. There’s no doubt this phone is basic, but it offers some of that highly-coveted touch appeal for a fraction of the cost.
The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 was announced on Alltel Wireless today, making this flip smartphone available to a wider audience. While nothing is really different about this phone on this specific carrier, it’s still worth noting the device’s expanded availability.
In case you’ve forgotten, the Pearl Flip is a smartphone encased in a clamshell design with a small external display and an internal display with a 240 x 320 resolution. Other features include GPS mapping, a SureType keyboard, a 2-megapixel camera that’s capable of video, microSD or microSDHC card support and more.
This phone can play music and offers Bluetooth support. You can get the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 on Alltel for $79.99 with a two-year contract and a $70 rebate. The contract is for the carrier’s unlimited plan which costs $70/month.
After we wrote about the Tapescape robot yesterday, maker Michael Columbo and his co-creator Ilan Schifter flagged up an Instructable with directions to make your own tape-following machine. If you’ve ever wanted a bizarre looking ‘bot that plays glitchy movement, and a way to get rid of an old boombox, this is the project for you.
Video demo of the Tapescape robot after the cut
As expected, the Bluetooth SIG have officially announced the Bluetooth 3.0 + HS standard, which promises connections of up to 24Mbps. That’s possible thanks to the new inclusion of 802.11 support, the same WiFi technology as found in most laptops and cellphones. In addition, power efficiency is also said to be improved thanks to new power controls.
Video demo after the cut
SlashGear Japan
