gadgetPhreak Gadget News Blog. Futuristic Gadgets and Portable Electronics

November 20, 2006

Confusing convergence: NEO BizFree card scanner / VoIP liaison

Filed under: NeoBizfree,SouthKorea,VoIP,business,card,duzon,korea,liaison,neo bizfree,office,phone,scanner,south korea — Darren Murph @ 2:12 pm

Filed under:

Sure, Konica Minolta’s “bizhub of the future” might posses a snazzy floral overlay and a built-in LCD panel, but aside from the fact that it’s not even real (yet), it definitely can’t even make VoIP calls and convert business cards to digital contacts. Well a company called DUZON C&T has unveiled a nifty (albeit unusual) piece of office machinery designed to scan business cards at a rate of “45 per minute,” and convert all pertinent contact information (in a bevy of languages) to Outlook contacts on the fly. Moreover, the NEO BizFree acts as a VoIP liaison by hooking up calls with just the click of your mouse over any requested listee. Of course the USB-powered device can also direct calls over standard telephone lines, but where’s the fun in that? If you’re overwhelmed with that looming stack of business cards (or just want another office toy to fiddle with), the NEO BizFree is available now for a budget-friendly 280,000 KRW ($299).

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

September 28, 2006

HP buying VoodooPC

Filed under: BreakingNews,Gaming,acquisitions,breaking news,business,hp,purchases,videogames,voodoopc — Evan Blass @ 8:15 pm

Filed under: ,

With its high-profile XPS line and recent purchase of boutique gaming house Alienware, for awhile it looked like Dell would be the only major PC manufacturer willing to cater to serious gamers. Not anymore. In a move that caught everyone, including us, completely by surprise (you’ll notice the lack of backlinks to any rumor posts about this), HP announced today that it will acquire Alienware rival VoodooPC for an undisclosed sum. After the deal closes — following the usual regulatory rigmarole — HP will form a new business unit dedicated to gaming in its Personal Systems Group, with Voodoo co-owners (and brothers) Rahul and Ravi Sood assuming the roles of Chief Technologist and Director of Strategy, respectively. As you’re probably aware, the acquisition comes at somewhat of a turbulent time for HP: not only is the company still reeling from the bruising merger with Compaq under former CEO Carly Fiorina, it’s currently undergoing unwanted public and governmental scrutiny over the so-called “pretexting” scandal that led to the recent resignation of chairwoman Patricia Dunn. Although we doubt that the Voodoo deal is going to make everyone forget about the alleged spying that has occurred, it’s nice to know that once HP finally puts this ugly mess behind it, consumers (especially gamers) can expect to benefit from some hot products and lower pricing that can only be realized now that Dell has some real competition on its hands. [Warning: PDF link]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

July 24, 2006

AMD buying ATI for $5.4 billion

Filed under: acquisition,amd,ati,business,merger — Evan Blass @ 9:05 am

Filed under: , ,


After months of speculation, including a period when it looked like the supposed deal was surely dead, AMD has now officially announced plans to buy graphics giant ATI for $5.4 billion. The sale, which is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter pending shareholder, regulatory, and court approval, will result in AMD paying $20.47 (in a mix of cash and stock) for each share of ATI. As you might expect, the news sent ATI's stock price skyrocketing, while shares of AMD dropped due to investor concern that the semiconductor manufacturer is overpaying for its purchase. AMD CEO Hector Ruiz cited his company's burgeoning relationship with Dell as one of the main reasons for the merger, as the newly-formed entity may now be able to snatch even more Dell business away from rival Intel. Some analysts, however, feel that the deal will have negative consequences in the short term, as it may distract both companies -- already struggling to compete on performance -- from pushing out innovative products in their respective categories. Still, the fact that AMD will now be able to offer integrated graphics solutions to PC manufacturers in the same manner as Intel should be enough to help it gain market share in the long run. Either way, we can't wait to see what the new company has in store for us...

[Thanks, Karl]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

July 13, 2006

Fujitsu’s C1410 laptop for business travelers on a budget

Filed under: 15.4-inch,Fujitsu,business,c1410,core duo,coreduo,travel — Stan Horaczek @ 10:27 am

Filed under:

Apparently Fujitsu understands that not all business travelers have burgeoning corporate expense accounts ready and willing to absorb the cost of the latest $3,000 ultra-portable business machine. Their new C1410 notebook offers up a Core Duo processor, a 15.4-inch XGA display, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.0 and up to 100GB of storage, with basic configurations starting at just $1,199. We understand that carrying around a 6.6-pound machine (.1-pound lighter than Lenovo’s widely praised and oft-copied ThinkPad Z61m) might be out of the question for some airport rats, but those willing to deal with the extra weight can also enjoy the 11-hours of battery life Fujitsu promises with the addition of an extra cell in a modular bay. Just make sure you get a laptop backpack with some extra padding in the straps to make the arduous walk from tarmac to taxi a little easier.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

June 22, 2006

NEC reportedly mulling offer for Packard Bell BV

Filed under: Deals,LapShunHui,PackardBell,Rumors,business,emachines,gateway,lap shun hui,nec,packard bell,sale — Evan Blass @ 6:30 pm

Filed under: ,

Some of our older readers may remember using Packard Bell gear all the way back when the consumer electronics industry consisted of just radios and TV sets, and even the younger crowd probably played on a PB or two after the name was sold to a budget computer manufacturer in the mid-80's. Well even though the company withdrew from the US market back in 2000 after being plagued with quality and compatibility issues, it has actually been quite successful overseas under the guidance of NEC as Packard Bell Europe, where it's consistently been one of the top-selling PC manufacturers and even begun branching out to other product lines. Still, NEC seems to think that the tide has turned on old Packard Bell once again, as sources in Asia indicate that the Japanese corporation is looking to sell the Dutch Packard Bell BV PC subsidiary, and that eMachines founder Lap Shun Hui is looking to buy. Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun is claiming that Hui offered around $87 million for the division, probably hoping that he can use his skills to transform the 'Bell into the same type of property that convinced Gateway to shell out over $200 million worth of cash and stock for eMachines a few years back.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

June 9, 2006

Avaya announces one-X Deskphone Edition IP phones

Filed under: 9610,9620,9630,9650,AvayaCommunicationsManager,InternetTelephony,One-xDeskphoneEdition,VoIP,avaya,avaya communications manager,business,g.722,internet telephony,one-X Deskphone Edition — Evan Blass @ 9:50 am

Filed under:

Four upcoming VoIP phones from Avaya are promising to meet the communications needs of nearly every type of employee at your company, from the receptionist on the phone all day to the salesperson always on the road to the executive who needs complete control over his/her conference calls. Falling under the general one-X Deskphone Edition brand, all members of the 9600 series — the 9610, 9620, 9630, and 9650 — feature high-quality audio with G.722 wideband audio support, Avaya’s Communication Manager software, and the ability to add new apps on-the-fly through the integrated Wireless Markup Language (WML). As you step up the model line, each phone adds more features and controls for advanced users, so the 9610 is a rather simple unit designed for ease-of-use by the general public in a lobby setting, while the 9650 is meant for people who are making and taking calls non-stop throughout the day. Although Avaya neglected to release any pricing information, we do know that the 9620 and 9630 will be available next month, while the 9610 and 9650 won’t show up until early next year.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

June 5, 2006

NEC’s 42-inch PX-42XM4J business plasma

Filed under: 1,024 x 768,1,024X768,42-inch,Displays,business,japan,nec,pdp,plasma,px-42xm4j — Evan Blass @ 8:55 am

Filed under:


Japan's NEC Corp. is offering a new 42-inch plasma display designed for corporate deployment whose 3,000:1 contrast ratio and 1,400-candela/square-meter brightness should make it a hit in keiretsu boardrooms nationwide. Which is a good thing, because at almost $4,500, the PX-42XM4J -- with its 1,024 x 768 resolution -- probably wouldn't attract today's consumer looking for that all important 1,080p designation. Interested Japanese IT directors can start filling out their requisition forms in triplicate right away, as NEC's new PDP is available immediately.

[Via Impress]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

May 21, 2006

All DoCoMo handsets to be GSM-capable within 2 years, sez paper

Filed under: NTT DoCoMo,NttDocomo,Yomiuri Shimbun,YomiuriShimbun,business,competition,gsm,handsets,i-mode,japan,reuters,softbank,standards,vodafone — Evan Blass @ 11:35 am

Filed under: , ,

Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun is reporting that NTT DoCoMo is working to make all of its handsets GSM-compatible in the next two years, which would allow them to work in over 130 countries. Furthermore, DoCoMo’s customers would have access to the popular i-mode Internet service in over 70 countries under the new plan, according to company sources quoted by the paper. Reuters reminds us that this move comes at a time when Japan’s wireless industry is preparing for increased competition this fall, and may also be a response to the attractive packages Softbank can now offer thanks to their recent purchase of Vodafone Japan.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

May 9, 2006

Five new Compaq business laptops from HP

Filed under: CoreSolo,DualCore,Laptops,MoreLaptops,ati,business,celeron,compaq,core duo,core solo,coreduo,dual core,hewlett-packard,hp,intel,more laptops,nc2400,nc4400,nc6400,nc8400,notebooks,nx7400,wifi — Evan Blass @ 1:15 pm

Filed under:

Because we know that you can never get tired of reading laptop specs, we have five more HP models to drop on you, including the waif-like 12-inch nc2400 (pictured) which weighs in at a mere 2.8-pounds. All five of these Compaq-branded notebooks are targeted at business users, and all but the 15.4-inch (WXGA or WXSGA+) nx7400 series — which can also be equipped with a Celeron M — sport one of several Core Duo or Solo flavors. Graphics here range from integrated (the 12.1-inch nc4400) to ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 (14.1-inch, WXGA or WXGA+ nc6400) to an ATI Mobility FireGL V5200 card available in certain configurations of the15.4-inch nw8440 series. All these machines offer WiFi and a minimum of 512MB RAM and a 40GB HDD out of the box, with some models sporting extras like a fingerprint reader, 7200RPM hard drive, and LightScribe dual-layer DVD burner. No prices are known for the nc2400 or the nc4400, which are coming on May 22nd, but the other models are available immediately with prices starting at $1,549 for the nc6400, $740 for the nx7400, and $1,599 for the nc8400 series.

Read- nc2400
Read- nc4400
Read- nc6400
Read- nx7400
Read- nc8440

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

May 5, 2006

Cox Communications mulling partnership with TiVo?

Filed under: CoxCommunications,Deals,DigitalCable,Home Entertainment,HomeEntertainment,Rumors,Tivo,thomasHawk,TivoCommunityForum,business,comcast,cox,cox communications,deathwatch,digital cable,directtv,dvr,echostar,partnership,survey,tivo community forum,tivo,thomas hawk — Evan Blass @ 10:10 am

Filed under: ,

It’s been over a year since we launched the TiVo Deathwatch, and not only is the company still alive and kicking, a new survey being conducted by Cox Communications may indicate that TiVo is about to enter into a partnership with the nation’s third largest cable company. Thomas Hawk reports that users on on the TiVo Community Forum are buzzing about a questionnaire that was sent to Cox Enterprises customers who currently subscribe to one or more of the company’s other services, but get their TV via satellite. Among a slew of questions about DVRs in general and TiVo specifically, is one which reads in part, “If Cox were to offer digital cable service with a TiVo branded DVR for about the same price as you are currently paying for satellite service each month, how likely would you be to switch from satellite TV to Cox cable that featured this TiVo branded DVR service?” Take this for what you will, but these questions would seem to indicate that the two companies are, at the very least, involved in backroom talks of some sort, and possibly even in the planning stages of building co-branded equipment. Combined with TiVo’s recent courtroom victory over EchoStar, their current partnership with Comcast, and a surprising renewal of their service contract with DirecTV, a deal with Cox may be just the ammo we need to put the Deathwatch down for good.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

May 4, 2006

T-Mobile’s BlackBerry 8700g reviewed

Filed under: 8700c,8700g,aim,blackberry,business,cingular,gtalk,handset,oz,pdf,review,rim,smartphone,t-mobile,yahoo — Evan Blass @ 9:46 am

Filed under: , , , , , ,

Despite Cingular's claim of being "the network with the least dropped calls," PC Mag's Sascha Segan finds that T-Mobile's version of the BlackBerry 8700 smartphone, the 8700g, actually outperforms its 8700c cousin in terms of call quality. Other improvements upon the Cingular model are T-Mobile's addition of two key software features: the OZ semi-universal IM client (no Gtalk, and AIM users are restricted to their small mobile buddy group) as well as the first implementation of the Yahoo!/RIM partnership we heard about last month, in the form of a handy Y! Mail icon pre-loaded in the launcher. Besides these small differences, however, Sascha finds the 8700g to perform almost exactly the same as the 8700c -- that is, very well. Email and texting are a pleasure, attachment support is good for all but PDF files, and the crisp screen delivers web pages cleanly (albeit at EDGE speeds), making this seem like the new go-to device for the Mob's business clientele.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

April 19, 2006

Moto to buy Siemens Communications?

Filed under: SiemensCommunications,acquisition,business,infrastructure,motorola,sale,siemens,siemens communications — Ryan Block @ 10:45 am

Filed under:

Siemens logoWe're not entirely sure how many more businesses Siemens has to churn through (by our count -- quite a few), but according to a report in German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Siemens may be looking to unload Siemens Communications, furthering an exit from the telecommunications industry after last year's sale of their handset business to BenQ. According to Frankfurter's sources, talks maybe ongoing with at least one prospective buyer of S-Com, Motorola; another German daily, Manager Magazin, reported in February that Siemens spoke with Nokia on the same topic. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for Siemens to drop their Communications division (which handles their money-making wireless infrastructure, and money-losing landline biz, among other things), but we'll have to keep an eye on this one.

[Via GigaOM]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

 
Built by WebNola New Orleans Web Design