Gadget and Techno Updates
The Internet
IE9 beta leak shows finished look, accurate browsing
Sep 7th
Just over one week before the release of the public beta of Internet Explorer 9, a leak has shown what users can expect from the web browser. A short demo of the new browser is available in the video below by the source of the information, who says is in possession of the IE9 Beta installer. This follows an earlier leak of Microsoft Russia revealing a screenshot of the new browser.
The new IE9 graphical user interface can also be seen in the new video, though not much else is revealed other than the impressive graphics handling and a high More >
Microsoft posts Bing app for Android
Aug 31st
Microsoft today posted one of its rare contributions to Android today with word of Bing for Android. The search app closely mirrors the iPhone version and supports images, maps, movie showtimes and other specialties. It likewise uses spoken search for hands-free requests, even for complex searches such as flight schedules.
The app is free and available in Android Market but is currently restricted to Verizon phones. More networks are likely in the future but weren’t confirmed today.
Despite Microsoft’s clear competition with Google, it has said it plans to develop Android apps whenever cross-platform reach is important and earlier this year put More >
ExoPC to ship slate pre-orders late September
Aug 29th
ExoPC confirmed today that it will begin taking pre-orders for its anticipated ExoPC Slate in early September, with shipments later the same month. First announced in February and initially expected in March, the delayed iPad challenger will feature a heavily customized version of Windows 7 Home Premium running on a typical 1.6Ghz Atom CPU.
Originally expected ship with an 8.9-inch display, the production version will come with a larger 11.6-inch, capacitive- and pressure-sensitive, 1366×768 display. Also added to the production model is a Broadcom Crystal HD 1080p chipset that accelerates H.264, VC-1, WMV and MPEG-2 video files, and is energy More >
New ARM architecture (likely Eagle) better suited for OS virtualization
Aug 28th
Looks like that fake Pre with the iOS / BlackBerry OS split personality is a little ahead of its time, but ARM — supplier of the architecture that underpins most of the world’s smartphones — likes the idea. In a recent talk at Stanford, ARM program manager David Brash talked up some of the highlights of new “extensions” to the existing ARMv7-A platform, and though he apparently never mentioned Eagle by name, it seems safe to assume that he was referring to the capabilities that Eagle would bring to the table when it launches in the next couple years. Notably, More >
Commodore USA announces the PC64, an Atom-powered PC in a replica Commodore case
Aug 27th
We have a fondness for Commodore computers (as you’ve probably noticed by now) and we are psyched that Commodore USA is still flying the flag for the once-ubiquitous brand, but as they always are in this biz, things are a little… complicated. We were first contacted way back in March when the company shared the news that it had acquired the rights to sell PCs under the name. Then what happened? Turns out this was not exactly the case… although CEO Barry Altman assured us that they were on their way towards hammering out a deal. And here we are, More >
