FocuSoft Tech Blog

Right on schedule, the latest BlackBerry to grace the Verizon’s CDMA spectrum, the Curve 8530, is now on sale. A 2.5-inch display, OS 5.0, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and yes, WiFi — take that, Tour. Price is $199.99 on two-year contract, with an added $100 discount if you buy it online. Let’s be honest, what else were you gonna spend that money on tonight, hm?

Filed under: Cellphones

BlackBerry Curve 8530 now putting Verizon through the rounds originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Word on the street — and by that we mean Reuters — is that Tesla’s looking to go public with the company “any day.” The luxury electric car make, whose Roadster still goes for a cool $109,000, would be the first US auto company to offer an IPO since Ford way back in 1956, says MSNBC. Quite a notable event, indeed, but earlier comments by Tesla investors (via Autoblog Green) suggest “any day now” might be any time between now and September 2010.

Filed under: Transportation

Tesla Motors IPO coming ‘any day’ now, says report originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s latest professional-grade camcorder probably meets your needs and then some by quite a stretch, recording AVCHD up to 24Mbps and SD quality in MPEG-2 / 9Mbps. We’re also looking at a 20x zoom lens, 3 x 1/3-inch Exmor CMOS sensor, and storage options including Memory Stick Pro Duo and an optional 128GB flash memory drive. Don’t lie, you want this beast, even if it clearly falls in the “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” category. Look for more temptation sometime closer to its expected early 2010 launch.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

New Sony NXCAM is more camcorder than you ever need, but still you covet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Software

Dynamic Controls unveils integrated iPhone app for wheelchair controls originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boy, AT&T sure isn’t taking Verizon’s Map for That campaign too well. After losing a request for an injunction (for now), the company seems to have decided that the only thing to do in the short term is to start advertising right back at Verizon. Unfortunately, it looks like AT&T threw this one together in a hurry, grabbing a bucket of magnets and a board and sticking them into some abandoned warehouse with Luke Wilson and some Apple-ad-style music. Luke didn’t even have time to shave! As for the claims made by Luke’s magnetic board, it’s hard to take issue with them since they don’t really say lot. So AT&T’s present and accounted for in this newly minted ad war, but Verizon clearly still has the upper hand… though this is clearly just the beginning. Check out the 30 second spot after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading AT&T ‘hits’ back at Verizon’s Map for That campaign with an ‘ad’ of its own

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T ‘hits’ back at Verizon’s Map for That campaign with an ‘ad’ of its own originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in much simpler times, TomTom’s navigation app had claimed compatibility with all iPhone and iPod touch models. Then suddenly, somewhere along the primrose path to publication, original iPhone and iPod touch support evaporated. But no more. TomTom’s pushed an update that allows for turn-by-turn navigation, but of course, you’ll still need the car kit to work. Was this the missing link between your $100 and owning this app? [Warning: iTunes link]

[Thanks, Scott M]

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

TomTom updated to support iPod touch and original iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know what you’ll be doing in 2011? Everything that you’ve ever wanted, that’s what, ’cause the world as we know will unquestionably end in 2012. Amazingly enough, one of those bucket list items that you’ll be able to achieve is to change the channel on your tele without ever slipping a battery into your remote. A prototype clicker was recently shown over in Japan utilizing technologies from NEC and Soundpower; essentially, the remote turns the small vibrations from button presses into power, which it then uses to beam out signals to the nearby set. If all goes well, the two hope to have battery-less remotes shipping with televisions in just two years — a proposition that surely exasperate the likes of Duracell and Energizer (and enraptures us to no end).

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals

Battery-less remote gets power from button presses, aims for production in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like AT&T’s not getting its holiday wish after all — a federal judge just ruled against Ma Bell’s request to have Verizon’s Map For That ads pulled off the air. That doesn’t mean that this whole thing is over, though: the judge called the ads “sneaky” and said that it was possible people might misunderstand them because “most people who are watching TV are semi-catatonic.” Whether or not that’s enough to support a legal conclusion that the ads are misleading is a fight for another day — specifically December 16th, when AT&T will have a second chance to argue its case. Still, this is a big win for Verizon — everyone ready to be inundated with these ads for the next month?

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T loses request for injunction against Verizon’s Map for That ads originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mike Arrington’s following up yesterday’s rumor of the Google Phone with an interesting angle: That it may be VOIP and data only, having no traditional voice plan. Sounds like the telcos worst nightmare.

But Mike notes that AT&T is already ok with setting up Windows and Blackberry phones with data only plans (but not iPhones) and that a data/voip-only phone is what Google proposed to the FCC when bidding on wireless spectrum back in the day.

The initial post that there would be a Google phone—an in-house, top-to-bottom Google developed handset running android—was met with skepticism by the press. Most people quoted previous statements from Google’s Andy Rubin stating that they would not “compete with their own customers” by releasing a handset of their own. That mimes microsoft’s strategy with PCs and Phones, versus their in house designed Xbox and Zune hardware. But there is a difference here, despite the quote from Rubin: Google does not charge for Android, so are these people customers or beneficiaries of the only real modern mobile operating system that they can license. And Free. I mean, Win Mo is currently terrible and costs money and symbian is a joke. Blackberry isn’t up for grabs. And does Google care if they lose a few points of market share? I don’t think so. This isn’t even close to their core business, except that whenever someone gets on the internet, Google stands to make money. In this case, Google wins not by licensing more OSes to be used on phones, but in the very act of getting more phones in the world, no matter what the OS or platform. Now that’s scary power. [Techcrunch]

Originally posted here:
Screw the Voice Plan: The Rumored Google Phone May Be Data/Voip Only [Rumor]

“A family shouldn’t have to wait until Sunday to worship the Lord. Now you can go to church every day without leaving your home.”

Mass: We Pray is a video game parody that doesn’t outright admit to making fun of the Wii, but for some reason, that makes it only more endearing. Because I know a generic cross Wiimote and Balance Board kneeler when I see one.

But while I may have laughed, I could have tolerated a few more HEADSHOTS. And I can’t help but to admit, Wii Pray is the only third party developer opportunity to outsell the next Mario title. [We Pray Thanks Eric!]

Read more from the original source:
Wii Pray Producer Will Reach Bajillionaire Status (Before Descending Into Hell) [Wii]