FocuSoft Tech Blog

Dubious doesn’t even begin to cover it, but a listing for a silicone skin case for the “iPod touch 3G” has shown up on online store Uxsight. The anti-slip case has a large cut-out on the top left-hand corner, supposedly to accommodate the third-generation iPod touch’s integrated camera.

Now, a camera in the iPod touch would certainly fit in with previous rumors we’ve heard. Back in April, Apple were tipped to have placed orders for a number of new camera modules, including 3.2 and 5-megapixel units.

It’s not unusual for new iPod models to be tipped by online case merchants “accidentally” advertising new lines; however it’s also an easy matter for those merchants to attempt to drum up visitors by listing fake items. With Apple’s usual routine being new iPods every September, we’ve a couple of months – hopefully leak-filled months – before we find out whether the third-generation iPod touch has a camera of its own.

[via Macsimum News - thanks Jenny!]

• iPod Touch – A case of identity crisis
• Optimus Touch is an iPod Touch wannabe
• iPod nano & touch cases claim to be for new models
• Silicon iPod nano 4G case adds more weight to Apple rumors
• Unboxing – Apple iPod Touch

Read the original:
iPod touch 3G with camera revealed by new case?

The iPhone Dev Team may have held off on releasing their ultrasn0w iPhone 3GS jailbreaking and unlocking tool, but that hasn’t stopped long-time Apple hacker George Hotz.  He’s released a tool called purplera1n which, while not unlocking the iPhone 3GS, does at least jailbreak it so that unofficial third-party apps can be installed.

The tool, currently only available for Windows users, can be used to jailbreak iPhone 3GS models running OS 3.0 (users hoping to unlock or jailbreak their handsets are advised not to upgrade to 3.1) and seems a relatively straightforward process.  Still, it’s in beta and you’re advised to back up your handset before attempting it; Apple are unlikely to look kindly on any warranty repairs should they discover your iPhone 3GS was bricked during an unofficial mod.

Hotz also prompts some disagreement with the tactics that the iPhone Dev Team are using regarding their own ultrasn0w unlock/jailbreak.  They decided not to address the iPhone 3GS until OS 3.1 is generally released, so that Apple won’t have time to close off the loophole their app takes advantage of.  Hotz, though, feels differently about the “cat and mouse” chase that has been going on between Apple and hackers since the original iPhone was launched:

“Normally I don’t make tools for the general public, and rather wait for the dev team to do it. But guys, whats up with waiting until 3.1? That isn’t how the game is played. We release, Apple fixes, we find new holes. It isn’t worth waiting because you might have the “last” hole in the iPhone. What last hole…this isn’t golf. I’ll find a new one next week. Also your purplera1nyday files ensure that you can always get back to a jailbroken state, so if you have it it’s just a matter of tools.” George Hotz

[via TechCrunch]

• PWNAGE released by iPhone Dev Team – Hajime!
• Ultrasn0w iPhone 3G unlock tool released
• iPod touch 2G redsn0w beta released: easier jailbreaking
• iPhone 1.1.2 firmware released – Jailbreak no longer works
• iPhone 3GS jailbreak delayed: release date unknown

Read more here:
iPhone 3GS jailbreak “purplera1n” tool released

Itchy trigger-finger or wishful thinking: either way, it’s interesting to see that the Palm Pre has shown up on Dutch carrier Hi’s website.  A new support page isn’t necessarily big news, but given that Hi is a VMNO brand of KPN and they, in turn, are strongly associated with Telefonica, it makes sense given that O2 (owned by Telefonica – are you confused yet?) is a strong frontrunner for Pre exclusivity.

In fact Telefonica have been tipped as an exclusive Pre carrier since March this year, albeit in Spain, the UK and Latin America.  The recent rumors from The Guardian newspaper tip their subsidiary O2 as official Pre carrier in the UK, an announcement expected to be made on Tuesday July 7th.

Other rumors have suggested a roughly September launch for the Pre in Romania and other parts of Europe.  Next week’s announcement is unlikely to reveal much aside from Palm’s UK plans, but assuming Telefonica are the parent network behind distribution there it’s pretty safe to assume they’ve clinched the deal in other locations.

[via Engadget]

• Palm Pre: An early review
• Palm Ad Could Reveal Drop Date For Centro, And Score You One For Free
• Nokia Aeon gets suspicious Dutch listing: early April Fools likely
• Pre Community Q&A with Sprint and Palm
• BeBook Mini & BeBook 2 with 3G get video demo

Original post:
Palm Pre appears on Dutch carrier’s support site

More and more notebooks and netbooks are getting multitouch-capable touchpads, but if you’re chugging away with your existing machine and you want some straightforward multi-directional scrolling then you may need to take things into your own hands.  As you can see from the newly-acquired nubbin in the right palm-rest on this Eee PC 901, modder Dave Astolfo decided to extract the trackball from an Apple Mighty Mouse and implant it into his netbook.

Video demo after the cut

As you might expect given the compact internal dimensions of the 8.9-inch netbook, squeezing in not only the trackball itself but the main-board from the mouse proved a challenge.  The overall process apparently took around two hours, and involved de-soldering and re-soldering various parts to each other.

Frustratingly, the end result only actually scrolls vertically; the Windows XP drivers don’t support horizontal movement.  According to Dave, there are some third-party drivers (unfortunately not free) which enable this functionality.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via EEE-PC.de]

• Kensington SlimBlade Lifestyle Collection of peripherals
• The Waboba Ball – bounces on water
• The 8 Ball USB Hub
• Jupiter Mouse is a wooden wonder
• The SoundBall – for a bit of noisy fun

More:
Mighty Mouse donates ball to Eee PC 901 [Video]

LG have revealed their plans to launch a number of new luxury phones, including a new PRADA design, which they hope will help usurp Samsung from their number two cellphone maker in the world position.  According to LG’s mobile business president, Ahn Seung-kwon, the current number three is aiming to step up by 2012, and one of their first steps in doing so will be releasing a new “Black Label” series phone in Q4 2009 to take on Apple’s iPhone 3GS.

Seung-kwon has also confirmed that a new PRADA device is in the works.  The current PRADA phone – which added a slide-out QWERTY keyboard to the original handset’s capacitive touchscreen, and introduced a limited-edition matching Bluetooth watch - was launched back in November 2008, making it somewhat old in the tooth by now.

Finally, Seung-kwon revealed that LG are considering their own Nokia Vertu rival range, a series of “extreme premium” devices.  No release details on this, however, nor the new PRADA device.

[via Gizmodo]

• Nokia iPhone-rival concept
• LG Prada II launching Tuesday November 18th in UK
• Apple iPhone, the Prada Clone?
• SlashGear at CeBIT: LG Prada phone hands-on
• AT&T blocking iPhone SlingPlayer 3G in advance of own rival service?

Continued here:
LG planning iPhone rival in Q4; new PRADA and Vertu-rival after

If you’re going to watch a video about the Samsung Omnia II (i8000) then you may as well watch a long one, and thankfully Hdblog.it have just the thing.  Their 10 minute video review – which you can see after the cut – puts the 3.7-inch WVGA 800 x 480 touchscreen smartphone through its paces, and you can see that Samsung have done a pretty decent job covering up Windows Mobile.

Video demo after the cut

Samsung have obviously got Windows Mobile field-leader HTC in their sights, packing the Omnia II with a 5-megapixel camera and the usual WiFi and GPS.  Both UMTS/HSPA – supporting HSUPA 5.76Mbps and HSDPA 7.2Mbps – and CDMA/EVDO Rev.A versions will be on offer; Verizon are tipped to be launching the latter sometime this month.

We’ll have to wait for our own hands-on experience, but going by the images in the gallery below the Omnia II’s display manages to make even the iPhone 3G’s screen look dowdy.  Whether that’s enough to tempt people to Windows Mobile remains to be seen, however.

Click here to view the embedded video.

• Samsung Omnia HD i8910 reviewed: great HD, awful calls
• Samsung Omnia rumored to hit Bell in April
• Samsung in talks to bring T*Omnia smartphone to US?
• Samsung Omnia HD: high-def video demo
• Samsung Omnia II GT-I8000 preparing for June 15th launch? [Video]

Excerpt from:
Samsung Omnia II gets video review

Eagle-eyed nettop watchers will note that we’ve already seen EMTEC’s G-Box quite a few times here on SlashGear, albeit wearing different branding.  Based on Pegatron’s reference design, EMTEC say the the G-Box uses NVIDIA’s Ion graphics chipset, which would suggest it’s a version of the Cape 7, but the VGA rather than HDMI port is more like the lower-powered Ultra Slim.

Video overview after the cut

Either way, while the G-Box can hang nicely off the VESA mount on the back of your TV or monitor, there’s no HD output for media playback.  Other ports include six USB 2.0, ethernet and audio in/out, and there’s meant to be a 160GB hard-drive inside.

To be honest, it looks very much like the Ruvo Mini Cap 7 nettop that we saw unboxed back in June.  That would certainly fit with the pricing, too; according to Pocket-lint, EMTEC have said the G-Box will go on sale in the UK for around £179 ($293), with an HDMI version to follow.

Click here to view the embedded video.

• Emtec Gdium netbook hands-on at IFA 2008
• Emtec gdium EM-PC with removable OS key
• Acer Hornet 1080p Ion nettop specs leak
• CES 2009: ASUS Eee Keyboard with integrated touchscreen
• ASUS Eee Box 206 with HDMI gets official

View original here:
EMTEC G-Box nettop: Ion, they say, but no HDMI

This new Mushroom Kingdom Fusion clip “shows off a Contra-themed level in a future version of the game, called “The Energy Zone) — made by MKF development team member Obreck2.” Continue reading to watch.

View original here:
When Mario Enters the World of Contra

Available next week (July 9th) on the 360 / PS3 / PC, Battlefield 1943 takes place during World War 2 and has players siding with either the US Marines Corp or Imperial Japanese Navy. Continue reading to see the latest trailer.

Read the original here:
Battlefield 1943 Guadalcanal Trailer

With the abundance of gadgets people have these days, it’s no wonder you have more items than USB ports. That’s why the USB hub was invented. And if you’re going to get a USB hub, why not get one that’s in the shape of an octopus.

The Octopus USB Hub features four separate USB ports, one on the end of each of the hub’s “tentacles.” Really, this is pretty practical, and you don’t have to worry about your gizmos being cluttered all together on your desk.

The arms look to be pretty long and will keep your items at a decent distance from each other. You can get the Octopus USB Hub in black, white or purple for about $10.

• Octopus reinforces environmentalism in youngsters
• Turtle USB 2.0 Hub sports hidden compartment
• Vintage Tech Jewelry
• Octopuses love HDTV but lack personality, claims Australian researcher
• Motorola Cute Phone concept is only sort of cute

More here:
Octopus USB Hub is cute and practical