During a town hall meeting with Apple employees after the big iPad launch, Steve Jobs got quite a few big cheers from the crowd when he gave out some quote-worthy answers to questions about the competition. According to the Wired report (who apparently got the quotes from someone who was there but can’t be named), Jobs had this to say about Google:
“We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake, they want to kill the iPhone. We won’t let them,” he says. When the topic was about to go another direction, Jobs continued his rant. “I want to go back to that other question first and say one more thing, he says. This don’t be evil mantra, it’s bullshit.”
Mozilla has just announced that they’ve released a mobile version of their Firefox web browser. The good news is that we can get a mobile phone-based browser that we’re all (or at least those of us who use Firefox) familiar with. The bad news is that the first version of Firefox Mobile will be for Maemo-based mobiles only, so unless you own a Nokia N810 or N900 (Nokia’s “mobile computer”), you’re going to have to wait for another version.
Alienware has finally released the two new full-sized gaming laptops that they showed off during the CES show. They’re actually updates of existing systems, now running on Intel’s new Core-platform processors with the 15-inch M15x starting with an Intel Core i3 processor, while the M17x—“the most powerful 17-inch gaming laptop in the universe”—runs on top-end Core i7 chips.
A photo, along with some details of Samsung’s Galaxy 2 have turned up on AndroPhones.com, outlining a top-end Android-based model with specs that could give Google’s Nexus One a run for its money.
The details are unconfirmed, but if the specs hold true, then we’re looking at a serious performer here. According to the report, Samsung’s upcoming smartie will pack in a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 32GBs of internal memory, a 5MP camera, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and an Android 2.1 operating system on a frame that also holds a large 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen.
Official pricing and release dates are unknown, but we expect to learn more soon: an official unveiling is expected during the Mobile World Congress in March.
We can’t say we didn’t expect it, but French-based ExoPC just came out with the Slate (click here for the translated page), an 8.9-inch touchscreen tablet that looks like Apple’s iPad, but probably better if you’re looking for full operating system features. Now, it might not come with Apple’s slick interface, but it does run on Windows 7, giving you multi-tasking, full PC functionality, a full browser with Flash, and more flexibility regarding content and functions.
The Alienware M11x, a compact, almost-netbook-sized 11.6-inch gaming laptop that Dell rolled out during this year’s CES will sell for $799. Previously teased with a price that put it in the range of “below $1,000,” it’s described as the “most powerful sub-12-inch gaming laptop in the universe.” Now, we can’t vouch for what teenagers on other planets use for gaming (or how small martian gaming laptops are), but at $799, the M11x’s rare mix of gaming-class power, everyday portability and reasonable price tag is turning out to be a sweet deal we’d want to pick up. (more…)
Remember the Dell Adamo? Dell’s slim, stylish 13.4-inch laptop that was supposed to rival the MacBook Air? Apparently, they priced it just a little bit too high when they first launched it last year with a $1,999 starting price so they shaved off $500 from the price a few months later, because it appears no one wanted to pay that much for a notebook that ran on a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo. Now, it seems $1,499 for the whole slim-laptop-with-an-average-spec package was still a bit too pricey, because they just took off another $500, to bring the total price point down to three figures.
The peeps over at Amnesiablog did a comparative analysis that pitted Apple’s new iPad against Amazon’s Kindle and the “original do-it-all device”. Checklist fun (and the shocking result!) comes after the jump.
Are you having problems with your BlackBerry’s trackball? You’re not alone. Apparently, a lot of people have been complaining about the trackballs on their BlackBerry units not working the way they should. Way before the phone’s old enough to even sniff the end of their warranty periods too. T-Mobile is looking to help you out—or at least those of you who bought trackball-rocking Pearl 8100/8120 and Curve 8320 handsets—with free trackball replacements. The great BlackBerry trackball replace-a-thon will start on February 15th: just bring your faulty BlackBerry units to T-Mo’s retail outlets to get your balls replaced.
Major props to T-Mobile for offering the free service. This goes way up our tech-karma scale, somewhere just above McDonald’s offering free Wi-fi and below Nokia offering their Ovi Maps service for free. No such news from Sprint and Verizon though (apparently they think their Berry’s balls are doing just fine). But if there’s anything wrong with your BlackBerry, you can always send them back.
Looking for a new full-sized notebook? Lenovo has just released the IdeaPad G560, a full-sized 15.6-incher that’s powered by Intel’s 2.13GHz Core i3 processor. It’s not something you’d want to haul around in a backpack for long trips, but if you need a full-sized performer with a reasonable spec list for your desk, this might be what you’re looking for.