The rumors of the basic cellphone’s death have been greatly exaggerated — it’s just finding niches to hide in while smartphones take over the mainstream. Witness today’s launch of the Kyocera DuraPro on US Cellular. Although it’s just a flip phone, it meets the US military’s 810G specs for dust, shock, temperature and water resistance, all of which help it survive a rough workplace or an accidental splash at the beach. That and a loud speakerphone are the real highlights, although you will get microSD support and a 3.2-megapixel camera for your trouble. Do the math before you pick up a DuraPro in-store on February 28th, though. At $ 100 on contract after a $ 50 rebate, it’s carrying smartphone-level pricing that could steer some buyers away from its retro rugged chic.
Filed under: Mobile
Source: US Cellular
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It’s been almost a year since the ridiculously expensive SCH-W999 launched on China Telecom, so it’s about time for Samsung to come up with yet another dual-screen flip phone to lure folks with too much money. Launched in conjunction with a big charity concert (again) earlier today is the SCH-W2013, a 1.4GHz quad-core (likely an Exynos 4412) device with Android 4.0 and dual-3.7-inch 800 x 480 Super AMOLED touchscreens. On top of that there’s 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, microSD expansion of up to 64GB, 1,850mAh of battery juice, an eight-megapixel main imager plus a whopping 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. As with many flagship devices on China Telecom, the W2013 comes with dual-SIM support: one for CDMA2000 800/1900 and the other for GSM 900/1800/1900. The damage? Well, there’s nothing official yet, but it’s believed to be somewhere between ¥18,000 ($ 2,900) and ¥20,000 ($ 3,210). After all, it ain’t cheap to hire Jackie Chan (and he was also given a W2013 at the concert).
Gallery: Samsung’s SCH-W2013 is a quad-core, dual-screen flip phone, designed for Jackie Chan
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung
Related Posts:To take full advantage of Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system, which integrates touch-screen functionality, a variety of PC manufacturers are offering new touch-enabled devices that are designed to run it.
I broke the machines down into four categories: traditional laptops with touch screens; laptops that convert into tablets by repositioning their screens; laptops that convert into tablets by detaching their screens; and slate-like tablets, including Microsoft’s much-anticipated Surface, which will challenge Apple’s iPad.
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You’ll still be able to use Windows 8 without a touch-enabled device. Touch-pad gestures and the traditional cursor will work, though not as easily across the entire operating system. The new environment of Windows 8′s Start-screen tiles are especially designed for touch. People can do things like swipe left from the right edge of a screen to display function icons, or swipe up from the bottom of a screen to display navigation icons.
The Touch ScreensIf you aren’t quite ready to make a dramatic change in your PC hardware, buying a laptop or desktop that has a touch screen is a more conservative solution than a convertible laptop-tablet device or a slate. Though reaching across the keyboard to tap on a screen may feel unnatural after a lifetime of using a mouse and keyboard, people who use touch-screen smartphones and tablets may already be touching their computer screens out of habit.
The keyboard of the Asus’s VivoTab RT detaches, turning the screen into a tablet
Acer will sell three categories of touch-capable laptops: the S7 starts at $ 1,200 and weighs as little as 2.29 pounds; the M5 series is exclusive to Best Buy and starts at $ 800; and the V5 series laptops start at $ 750 ($ 700 in Microsoft stores). Samsung will offer the Notebook Series 5 Ultra Touch line, which starts at $ 810.
Asus’s VivoBook S400 line will cost $ 700 for a 14.1-inch screen, and Hewlett-Packard’s TouchSmart Ultrabook series will include the Spectre XT, a $ 1,400 device with a 15.6-inch screen. Pricing for Dell’s Inspiron 15z Ultrabook is still to be determined, while Toshiba’s Satellite P845t will start at $ 796 with a 14-inch screen. Sony will extend touch displays to its T and E Series Vaio models, which will start at $ 670 and $ 450, respectively.
Dell’s Inspiron 15z Ultrabook has a screen that flips around, converting it from a laptop to a tablet.
The Screen ShiftersCan’t decide between the familiarity of a laptop and the flashy new feel of a Windows tablet? Instead of buying two devices or just settling for one, several manufacturers offer in-between options by way of hybrids, or convertibles. Each computer has its own way of transforming from laptop to tablet without disconnecting—though they all usually become relatively thick tablets compared with Apple’s iPad.
Take Dell’s XPS 12 Convertible Ultrabook, which starts at $ 1,200. This looks like a regular laptop, but from its opened clamshell position the touch screen pops out of the screen frame, flipping around to act as the tablet’s touch screen when the laptop is closed. The screen of Toshiba’s $ 1,150 Satellite U925t Ultrabook Convertible opens in a clamshell position and flips all the way back, so the keyboard and screen are both parallel. Then the screen slides over the top of the keyboard.
Lenovo’s Yoga 13 and Yoga 11 models, $ 1,100 and $ 800, respectively, might scare people the first time they see them because their screens open, bend all the way back and keep going until the laptop lid is touching the bottom of the keyboard.
Toshiba’s Satellite U925t Ultrabook Convertible flips all the way back, so the screen can slide over the keyboard.
Asus avoids flipping and sliding by offering two 11.6-inch touch screens on its Taichi 21 (starting at $ 1,300): One screen where you expect to see a screen and the other on the laptop lid, activated when the laptop closes.
The DetachablesPeople who don’t like the thick tablets that come from transformed convertible laptops may want to pull their laptop screens off altogether.
Many models offer touch screens that completely detach for ultimate tablet portability. Samsung’s $ 1,200 ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T has optional mobile broadband. The tablet half of H-P’s Envy x2 (pricing not yet available) offers an 11.6-inch display while the 10.1-inch Iconia W510 sells as a stand-alone tablet for $ 500 or with a keyboard dock and extra battery for $ 750.
The SlatesReady to toss out the laptop keyboard altogether? Asus’s $ 600 VivoTab RT, Lenovo’s ThinkPad Tablet 2 ($ 649) and Dell’s XPS 10 (pricing to be determined) offer some keyboard-less options.
But of course, Microsoft’s own Surface RT tablet, which will start at $ 499 for a 32-gigabyte version, is sure to get a lot of attention because it’s made by the company.
Some of these devices are radical new designs, made to match Microsoft’s dramatic, new Windows 8 operating system.
Consumers have a lot of choices to make about how they use Windows in this new era of computing.
Write to Katherine Boehret at katie.boehret@wsj.com
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The only upgrades available for our puny human hands are gaming controller calluses, but if you’re sporting an i-LIMB digits hand prosthesis, you can now grab a set of improved fingers. Touch Bionics’ “smaller, lighter and more anatomically accurate” appendages are now available worldwide, as well as a new wrist-band unit which houses all the necessary computing power and juice for their function. Best of all, these developments allow more people to adopt the tech than the previous generation, including those with more petite hands or finger amputations closer to the knuckle. We don’t know how much it’ll cost for a fresh set, but we’ll let health agencies and insurance companies deal with that part. With these upgrades and RSL Steeper’s latest offering, it won’t be long before our flesh-based variants are meager in comparison.
Continue reading Touch Bionics releases new prosthetic fingers, flip the old ones the bird
Filed under: Misc, Robots, Wearables
Touch Bionics releases new prosthetic fingers, flip the old ones the bird originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 03:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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