A chocolate Android phone that won’t melt in your pocket

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="253" mce_src="http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/8897/sh04d540x422.jpg" src="http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/8897/sh04d540x422.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="324" />Sharp’s upcoming Q-Pod Android phone is aimed right at the rich, delicious center of the novelty market. The golden-colored phone’s back, front and the user interface inside all look as if they’re covered in half-melted chocolate, for some reason. It even comes with its own “Chocobed”, a charging dock that looks like a fancy chocolate box.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"></span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Q-Pod is that it also has some pretty solid specs. Android 2.3 runs on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor (mmm, chocolate <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">and </span>Gingerbread!) with 512MB of RAM. Unlike its real-world sugary counterpart, the housing of the phone is water-resistant, and the 8-megapixel rear camera should satisfy the pickiest of shooters. The 3.7-inch screen has a sharp 960 x 540 resolution – considerably higher than similar screens on US and European phones.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Carrier NTT DoCoMo isn’t saying how much the Q-Pod will cost, but with a limited run of 3000 units it won’t be cheap – and that’s before you buy a plane ticket to Japan to pick one up. If your heart is set on this unique device, better call you travel agent quick – the Sharp Q-Pod goes on sale October 18th. Just don’t make any calls before dinner or you’ll spoil your appetite. For more strangely themed Japanese handsets, check out the official Disney Android phone.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> )</div> </div> </div>

A chocolate Android phone that won’t melt in your pocket

Sharp’s upcoming Q-Pod Android phone is aimed right at the rich, delicious center of the novelty market. The golden-colored phone’s back...

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Sony announces software dev kit for PlayStation Suite to land in November

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="243" mce_src="http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/1236/psphonesg.jpg" src="http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/1236/psphonesg.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="324" />Sony made an interesting announcement that will make a big difference in how many games are offered from developers for the Sony line of PlayStation gaming systems and Android devices. The announcement is of the new PlayStation Suite or PS Suite SDK and the SDK will hit for software devs in November. The kit will make developing games for multiple PlayStation devices a snap.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"></span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The SDK will let the developer create content for PS Certified devices, hardware certified through the PS Suite license program and the PS Vita. What that means is that the developer can use the SDK to create games that will be playable on the PlayStation, Sony Ericsson Android phones, Sony tablets, and the PS Vita.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Sony also says that it will accelerate the expansion of PS Certified devices to add new devices to the current line. Sony will provide content for the PS Certified devices starting at the end of October on the PS Store. The service will start in Japan, the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and others. The SDK supports the C# as the programming language and the code runs on a virtual machine on PS Certified devices and the PS Vita.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> )</div> </div> </div>

Sony announces software dev kit for PlayStation Suite to land in November

Sony made an interesting announcement that will make a big difference in how many games are offered from developers for the Sony line of...

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IFA 2011: First look: Mitsubishi Home Cinema Laser Display

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="IFA 2011: First look: Mitsubishi Home Cinema Laser Display" class="aligncenter" height="212" mce_src="http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/2874/mitsubishi147090.jpg" src="http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/2874/mitsubishi147090.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="282" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Would you pay £4,000+ for the best TV ever? Mitsubishi is hoping so, but just can't make up its mind whether to launch its Home Cinema Laser Display in Europe. We do hope it does.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Our extended demo with this very special display proved one thing: rear projection TVs are brilliant, and - thanks to lasers - approaching a position where the achievable size and, crucially, picture quality advantages over both plasma and LCD (and that includes LED backlit variants) are significant enough to attract the high rollers after a slice movie perfection.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> We knew this would happen. Just a few years ago the last rear-pro TVs disappeared almost entirely because we, as a nation, thought they were too chubby.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> And, if we're honest, they very well still might be. The Laser TV Mitsubishi had on show in Berlin was basically the same as the 75-incher it sells in the Japan and the US, and during our demo a lot of folk first stood in awe of the picture before diving behind it to measure-up its girth.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Some came away shaking their heads - it reaches around 32 cm - though no one after a home cinema screen for a spare room or loft should care a jot about that.</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Mitsubishi home cinema laser display" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/5386/mitsubishi142090.jpg" src="http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/5386/mitsubishi142090.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> This is a product that should be seen as a 24-hour alternative to a home cinema projector and screen (the latter of which has roughly the footprint as the L75-A94), and in that little battle it does well.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Mitsubishi's laser display also has some novel design attributes, not least of which is a slim bezel that measures little over a centimetre on its sides.</div> <h4 style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Easy on the eye</h4> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Mitsubishi's demo, which was more about gauging the reaction of consumers that it was a bona fide launch (that should come in 2012), proved one thing to us; laser light is impeccably easy on the eye. After a hard slog around the 3D-dominated IFA halls, watching the L75-A94 was a delight.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> And that was despite some frenetic, pacey video featuring lots of fast-moving sequences supplied in 2D by a Marantz Blu-ray player. All scenes were rendered without a hint of blur, flicker, image lag or stepping.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> This extraordinary fluidity isn't the only advantage of lasers. Detail is as high as on any high-end projection, while colour is very natural and never over-cooked. Contrast in a 2D image isn't overwhelmingly good, but neither is it a problem.</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Mitsubishi home cinema laser display" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/811/mitsubishi242090.jpg" src="http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/811/mitsubishi242090.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Put into 3D mode - and that's active shutter we're talking about here - the L75-A94 must be slipped into either the Brilliant or Super Brilliant brightness boost modes, largely to make up for the light the 3D specs take away. The results are decent, though watching action sequences and fast-moving objects wasn't nearly as pleasant as watching the L75-A94 display 2D hi-def footage from Blu-ray.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> During our test it wasn't possible to see the 2D-3D conversion, though we seriously doubt we missed anything special on this 70kg screen. If it ever gets launched in the UK, it could be a real home cinema heavyweight.</div> </div> </div>

IFA 2011: First look: Mitsubishi Home Cinema Laser Display

Would you pay £4,000+ for the best TV ever? Mitsubishi is hoping so, but just can't make up its mind whether to launch its Home Ci...

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Sony Ericsson Nozomi Flagship Phone may see worldwide launch

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="177" mce_src="http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/2131/sonyleak1.jpg" src="http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/2131/sonyleak1.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="SONY-LEAK" width="300" />The Sony Ericsson team is still alive and kicking and now some new details are claiming we might see the SE Nozomi (aka LT26i/LT26a) handset launch soon. What is even better is this new HD powerhouse smartphone may see a global release according to some leaked information. The SE Nozomi first leaked back a few weeks ago and even though it probably wont have a dual-core processor the rest of the hardware specs sure look impressive.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"></span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> If the leaked details are to be believed the Nozomi will have a 1.4 Ghz Qualcomm S2 single-core processor, Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, as well as a 4.3″ HD display with a 1280x720p resolution. We’ve seen that listed on a lot of devices over the past few weeks so most likely it’s coming, and soon.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The initial details on this phone were slating it for an early fall launch over in Japan but thanks to a few leaked tips, it is not said to be launching this fall in Japan but also will see a global release. The model numbers listed above (LT26i/LT26a) appear to be two different models that may end up launching in the U.S. with different frequencies and on two separate carriers. Sony hasn’t launched a lot of Android devices statewide but things may soon be changing.</div> </div> </div>

Sony Ericsson Nozomi Flagship Phone may see worldwide launch

The Sony Ericsson team is still alive and kicking and now some new details are claiming we might see the SE Nozomi (aka LT26i/LT26a) han...

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Sharp RW-T107 Android 2.3 Gingerbread Tablet with NFC

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="197" mce_src="http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8606/sharptablet.jpg" src="http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8606/sharptablet.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="Sharp tablet" width="288" />The folks over at Sharp have announced a new NFC enabled tablet headed for Japan. This will be a 7″ Android tablet but initial reports are claiming we will only have Android 2.3 Gingerbread on board here, no Honeycomb for now. A big part of the release is the full support for NFC interaction with support for Japanese FeliCa cards at the start, but we can expect additional cards in the near future.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"></span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> At first thought this appears to be the first NFC enabled tablet to the market. While I like the idea of having a tablet with the option for NFC it doesn’t seem all that practical if you ask me. It will come to market in the small 7″ form factor making it more portable, but if you are carrying it most likely the chances are you also have an Android smartphone somewhere on you that has the same NFC capabilities. Packing a tablet into a store just doesn’t make much sense but who am I to say what is practical right?</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Last we heard from Sharp they were prepping a 7″ Android 3.2 Galapagos tablet so why they’d choose to run with Gingerbread on this next tablet beats me. The NFC capabilities are all nicely there on Gingerbread so that could be the cause. So far the details regarding the RW-T107 and the rest of its hardware are still lacking so we will report back when we can. It is currently being prepped for a Japan only launch around September 5th, hopefully we hear about what is under the hood shortly.</div> </div> </div>

Sharp RW-T107 Android 2.3 Gingerbread Tablet with NFC

The folks over at Sharp have announced a new NFC enabled tablet headed for Japan. This will be a 7″ Android tablet but initial reports a...

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The Yahoo! Phone: Running on Google’s Android

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="161" mce_src="http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/2253/yahoophone.jpg" src="http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/2253/yahoophone.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="yahoo-phone" width="173" />Can you say Winning… Oh wait I must be confusing this with something else. Apparently Yahoo is planning to build a phone running on Google’s Android OS. Maybe I should say fail instead but then again Yahoo is the biggest search giant in Japan, not Google. What we have here are a few reports that over in Japan Yahoo is planning to release an Android phone with a nice custom user interface skin and geared at you guessed it — Yahoooo!</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"></span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The carrier SoftBank in Japan has introduced this “Yahoo Phone”, equipped on what appears to be just a re-branded Sharp AQUOS phone. It should feature a 1 Ghz processor, a 4.0″ qHD display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and snapping photos with a 8MP shooter. Like many phones in Japan it will also feature a TV tuner on board.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Looking at the image above I can see Google’s Android Market so it will probably be blessed with their specific apps like Gmail, Maps, Voice search, and the all important Market but everything else will most likely be all about Yahoo and you can bet the browser homepage wont be Google that is for sure. It also appears users who buy the phone will get access to Yahoo Premium for 2 years free with purchase.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Most likely this phone will never see the light of day outside of Japan but either way it’s pretty interesting, and I also felt like saying “winning”.</div> </div> </div>

The Yahoo! Phone: Running on Google’s Android

Can you say Winning… Oh wait I must be confusing this with something else. Apparently Yahoo is planning to build a phone running on Goog...

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Updated: Sony A77 / A800 rumours: what you need to know

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="133" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Camera%20Rumours/Sony%20A77%20A800/Sony%20A800%20A77%20release%20date-200-200.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Camera%20Rumours/Sony%20A77%20A800/Sony%20A800%20A77%20release%20date-200-200.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="200" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">This article is continually updated with news and information regarding the Sony A77 / A800.</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The Sony A77 was one of the worst-kept secrets until a release date was finally confirmed in March.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> We can now expect a Sony A700 replacement by mid-summer, Sony says, and company officials have been divulging the Sony A77 specs at trade shows for some time now. So while we all wait for the official release date, we have created this one-stop shop for everything you want to know about the Sony A77, with spec wishlists from our head of testing, all the latest news and more.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Sony A77 release date</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">UPDATE:</span> On the 14 February 2011, Sony announced a 'mid-year' release date for the new camera as well as released an image showing a prototype of it's long-rumoured Alpha 700 replacement in a translucent skeleton casing.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Thought to be called the Sony A77 to fall in line with last year's Sony A33 and A55 releases, the Alpha 700 replacement will feature translucent mirror technology, Sony said.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Other Sony A800 / A77 specs include Full HD video recording and Sony's newly developed Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor. The Sony Alpha 77 / Alpha 800 body will also feature a new battery grip and new flash, Sony said.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The company did not confirm a Sony A77 price upon its release, nor did it reveal other specs such as how many megapixels the Sony A77 release will offer. It is thought, however, that the Alpha 700 replacement will feature an 18-megapixel sensor. A Sony spokesperson told us that recent reports that the Sony Alpha 77 release would boast a 25-megapixel sensor are untrue.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The full Sony announcement, according to Google Translate, reads: "Adopted a semi-transparent mirror 'Translucent Mirror Technology' and the newly developed "Exmor" APS HD CMOS sensors will be installed in series A mid-mount machine concept model (skeleton model) on display.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The intermediate unit, will be available later this year and 2011, it works fast and accurate auto focus at all times, full HD video and still there was always the focus (AVCHD) delivers picture. The standard zoom lens suitable for intermediate unit, the flash will exhibit together with vertical grip."</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">UPDATE: </span>On 7 April 2011, Sony Alpha Rumors said its sources claim the earthquake and tsunami in Japan will not delay the Sony announcement of a Sony A77 release date, which it expects in July of this year.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">UPDATE:</span> On 12 August 2011, Sony Alpha Rumors has posted a video which apparently shows the a77.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The video, which comes from a brand new account on YouTube is labelled simply as 'sony alpha A77 ?' and apparently shows the new advertising campaign for the upcoming camera.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> In the advert, the camera is shown resting on the sand at a beach and being dusted off before use by a photographer, suggesting that the camera will be at the very least dustproof, if not waterproof also.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> If the advert turns out to be genuine, we could see an announcement and release date very soon.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Sony A77 specs</span></div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Sony a77 a800 release date and specs" class="aligncenter" height="176" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Camera%20Rumours/Sony%20A77%20A800/Sony%20A77%20A800%20release%20date%20-%20sensor-420-100.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Camera%20Rumours/Sony%20A77%20A800/Sony%20A77%20A800%20release%20date%20-%20sensor-420-100.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> [Originally posted 13 January 2011]</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Sony has revealed a a replacement to the high-end Alpha 700 DSLR, which it will release this year, according to a press report.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> A spokesperson for Sony tells us the company has shown a prototype for what could be the Sony A800 at CES 2011 in Las Vegas, but adds that this is the same Sony Alpha 77 prototype shown at Photokina last autumn despite other press reports claiming it is a new mock-up and not the final design.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The spokesperson also tells us that a Sony A77 release will use the translucent mirror technology introduced with last year's Sony Alpha 33 and Sony A55 cameras. The Sony Alpha 800 will also feature "an APS-C sensor, Exmor CMOS, HD video with AVCHD format, and be targeting the EOS 60D market segment," the spokesperson said.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> He added that reports that the Sony A700 replacement could boast 25 megapixels as well as high ISO settings in the hundreds of thousands, are untrue.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The Sony spokesperson could not confirm a Sony A77 release date, but indications are that a Sony Alpha 700 replacement will come this year.</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="Sony a77 a800 specs - translucent mirror technology" class="aligncenter" height="154" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Camera%20Rumours/Sony%20A77%20A800/Sony%20A77%20A800%20release%20date%20-%20translucent-mirror-technology-420-100.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Camera%20Rumours/Sony%20A77%20A800/Sony%20A77%20A800%20release%20date%20-%20translucent-mirror-technology-420-100.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">UPDATE - February 2011</span>: the Sony A77 specs got a little clearer after Sony officials revealed at an event in Spain that all future Sony Alpha cameras will feature the company's translucent mirror technology, introduced last year with the Sony A55 and A33 cameras.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">UPDATE - March 2011</span>: PhotoRadar's head of testing, Angela Nicholson, shares which 10 specs she would like to see on a Sony A77 release:</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> - Translucent mirror technology to allow faster phase detection AF when using live view to compose images<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />- Electronic viewfinder<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />- At least an 18 megapixel APS-C Exmore sensor (some reports have claimed 25 megapixels)<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />- 3in LCD screen with at least 920,000 dots, possibly more to beat the 1,040,000 dots of the EOS 60D<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />- Articulated screen, the Alpha 55's articulated joint movement is a little restricted, Sony may resolve this with the A77<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />- Full HD video with AVCHD format - a dead cert.<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />- Sensitivity expandable to at least ISO 25,600, but probably higher<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />- Sweep Panorama with 3D<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />- A digital level is a feature of all recent DSLRs and there's bound to be one in the A77<br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;" />- Built-in GPS to geotag images in-camera, in place of the Sony GPS-CS1 external unit</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Keep in mind, as well, that a spokesperson from Sony has already told us: "The [Sony A700 replacement] mock-up shown at CES was the same one used for Photkina, which I stated at the time was not a final design. It will be Translucent Mirror, APS-C, Exmor CMOS, HD video with AVCHD format, and be targeting the Canon EOS 60D market segment."</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">UPDATE – 4 March 2011</span>: Sony Alpha Rumors has posted a French photographer's analysis of the layout of the Sony A77 body. Is he correct?</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Sony A77 rumours</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Sony Alpha users have been eagerly awaiting a replacement for the Sony A700 for at least a year. Announced in 2007, the A700 was - and still is - Sony's most convincing prosumer APS-C DSLR, and the closest thing to the fondly remembered Konica-Minolta semi-pro film SLRs of yesteryear.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Three years on and the Sony faithful are feeling neglected. Three years, and two full-frame DSLRs (the Sony A900 and its near-clone, the Sony A850) plus a flurry of somewhat uninspiring entry-level and midrange Alpha-series models later, and the A700 is looking decidedly isolated. So will they or won't they?</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> All indications now are that Sony will replace the Alpha 700. Prototypes were on display at Photokina last autumn and CES in January. And just recently a Sony spokesperson confirmed to PhotoRadar that there will be a replacement to the Sony A700, and the Sony Alpha 800 (of possibly the Sony A77) will use the translucent mirror technology like that introduced with the Sony Alpha 33 and Sony A55 (read our Sony A55 review) cameras last year.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> We expect some more leaks, and then an announcement in the early part of this year. But don't hold your breath.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">2011 Sony A77 release date probability</span>: 90% - but Sony might still surprise us.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">UPDATE – 6 May 2011</span>: Photo Rumors has spotted the Sony A77 listed in Sony's latest consumer repair guide. While we've already known that a Sony A700 replacement is due for release this summer (see the post at the top of this page), what's significant about this is that until now there was still speculation as to whether the Sony A700 replacement would be called the Sony A800 or the Sony A77. This would appear to confirm we will see a Sony A77 release date before too long.</div> </div> </div>

Updated: Sony A77 / A800 rumours: what you need to know

This article is continually updated with news and information regarding the Sony A77 / A800. The Sony A77 was one of the worst-kept ...

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Pans Nudibranch Tablet solar powered charger

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-83853 aligncenter" height="200" mce_src="http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/5715/nudibranch.jpg" src="http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/5715/nudibranch.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="nudibranch" width="300" />Interested in harnessing the power of the sun to charge the various electronic gadgets that you own? If you are, Japanese company Pans might have a solution for you. Called the Nudibranch Tablet (names might have gotten lost in translation), it comes in two variants with the first that comes with a 5,500 mAh capacity and the other that comes in a 2,800 capacity.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=jw2Ne8G9drY:dxc3omIY4MA:yIl2AUoC8zA" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=jw2Ne8G9drY:dxc3omIY4MA:yIl2AUoC8zA" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3599/62453386.gif" src="http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3599/62453386.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=jw2Ne8G9drY:dxc3omIY4MA:qj6IDK7rITs" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=jw2Ne8G9drY:dxc3omIY4MA:qj6IDK7rITs" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/8049/17380707.gif" src="http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/8049/17380707.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=jw2Ne8G9drY:dxc3omIY4MA:gIN9vFwOqvQ" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=jw2Ne8G9drY:dxc3omIY4MA:gIN9vFwOqvQ" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/8417/67271798.gif" src="http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/8417/67271798.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=jw2Ne8G9drY:dxc3omIY4MA:-BTjWOF_DHI" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=jw2Ne8G9drY:dxc3omIY4MA:-BTjWOF_DHI" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5426/49728656.gif" src="http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5426/49728656.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a></div> </div> </div>

Pans Nudibranch Tablet solar powered charger

Interested in harnessing the power of the sun to charge the various electronic gadgets that you own? If you are, Japanese company Pans m...

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iPhone 4 gets upgraded for NFC payments the hard way

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;"> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="236" mce_src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/8301/iphone4nfccard.jpg" mce_style="margin-top: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;" src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/8301/iphone4nfccard.jpg" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 4px auto; max-width: 640px;" width="324" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Softbank customers in Japan can simply get an NFC sticker to add some contact-less payments to their iPhone 4, but most folks don't have it quite so easy just yet. There<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">are</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>some alternatives while you wait for Apple to hop on the NFC bandwagon, however, like this solution from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">Unplggd</span>'s Vivian Kim. It uses one of the smaller NFC-equipped credit cards now available from some banks, which is apparently just small enough to fit under the back cover of an iPhone 4 (a clear one, in this case, to show off your cleverness). And, yes, it apparently still works just fine under there -- even if you add a case on top of it.</div> </div> </span></div>

iPhone 4 gets upgraded for NFC payments the hard way

Softbank customers in Japan can simply get an NFC sticker to add some contact-less payments to their iPhone 4, but most folks don't...

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Developer: PS Vita has 'ten times' more RAM than PSP

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="150" mce_src="http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/7223/53918271890b29a78cdfo20.jpg" src="http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/7223/53918271890b29a78cdfo20.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="200" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> While Sony remains tight-lipped about the exact amount of RAM it plans to put in the forthcoming new PlayStation Vita handheld, one developer has revealed this week that the new console has "about ten times" the amount of RAM that was in the original PSP.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Developers have been privy to the Vita developer kits, but are supposed to have agreed not to discuss the details with anyone.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> However, developer Dani Sánchez-Crespo, the CEO of PSP games studio Novarama, spoke to Develop magazine this week, revealing that, "The first PSP had 32 MG of RAM and we have about ten times that now."</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Ten times more RAM</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The developer added that PS Vita will "have a whole lot of headroom in terms of GPU power, CPU power and indeed RAM."</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Sony is alleged to have cut back its original plans to include 512 MB of RAM in the PS Vita, but Sánchez-Crespo told Develop that the alleged RAM cut "won't affect us."</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> He added, "it's actually good for developers to work under constraint. Generally for Vita, we still have a whole lot of headroom in terms of GPU power, CPU power and indeed RAM.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> "And the system's battery life, by the way, is really good. You'd think with all the processing power that it would drain fast, but it's fantastic.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> "Remember, more hardware features means more costs for buying the handheld. Our main interest is for Sony to sell a lot of [PS Vita] units. Clearly the Sony guys in Japan have a tough job of what to leave in and what to leave out."</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Sony is clearly walking a fine line between squeezing the best and most-powerful tech into its latest handheld gaming console while ensuring that it keeps the launch price-point as low and competitive as possible.</div> </div> </span></div>

Developer: PS Vita has 'ten times' more RAM than PSP

While Sony remains tight-lipped about the exact amount of RAM it plans to put in the forthcoming new PlayStation Vita handheld, one dev...

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Sony in the red due to quake-hit production

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="90" mce_src="http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/9710/sonylogo200200.jpg" src="http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/9710/sonylogo200200.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="120" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Sony has reported that it made a net loss of 15.5 billion yen (£122 million) for the three months from April to June 2011, with sales declining by 18 per cent year on year.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> It blames the chasm in its finances on the earthquake that hit Japan earlier this year, which caused production delays and squeezed component supplies.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> It also reckons "unfavourable exchange rates" and "the deterioration of the electronics business environment" have had a negative impact.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">TVs down, gaming weird</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The worst hit department was Sony's TV unit, which has also revised its sales forecast for the rest of the year downwards.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Sony's computer entertainment division had some interesting news; PlayStation 3 sales are down, possibly due to the PSN hack that took the gaming network down for over a month earlier this year.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> However, the outdated PS2 has seen sales remain pretty steady, down by only a couple of hundred thousand compared to the same period last year.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Also weirdly, the PSP handheld console has had a bit of a boom with a 600,000 sales increase to 1.8 million, no doubt due to attractive price cuts and new bundles in advance of the launch of the PS Vita next year.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> With regards to the cyber attacks on the PSN, Sony notes, "Most recently, user logins to PlayStation Network in North America have returned to a similar level as before the cyber attacks."</div> </div> </span></div>

Sony in the red due to quake-hit production

Sony has reported that it made a net loss of 15.5 billion yen (£122 million) for the three months from April to June 2011, with sales d...

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iRobot, QinetiQ machines to assist in Japan relief effort

<P align=center><img alt="" border="1" hspace="4" src="fhttp://img862.imageshack.us/img862/1620/qinetiqnorthamericarobo.jpg" vspace="4"></P>A few weeks ago, it looked like robots would play a relatively small role in recovery efforts following the earthquake and subsequent nuclear crisis in Japan, but as concern grows over radiation leaks, robotics companies are positioning their mechanical offspring to do jobs deemed unsafe for humans. We've already heard of Aldebaran's plans for a fleet of rescue bots, and now QinetiQ and iRobot are lending automated assistance to the cause. QinetiQ plans to send in a set of Robotic Applique Kits -- used to convert Bobcat loaders into unmanned vehicles -- along with sensor machines like the TALON and Dragon. Meanwhile, iRobot's enlisted two each of its PackBots and Warriors to help aid in recovery -- the former is used by the US military for bomb disposal. Both companies have already deployed teams to Japan for training.iRobot, QinetiQ machines to assist in Japan relief effort <br /><P><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/01/irobot-qinetiq-machines-to-assist-in-japan-relief-effort/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">via</A></P>

iRobot, QinetiQ machines to assist in Japan relief effort

A few weeks ago, it looked like robots would play a relatively small role in recovery efforts following the earthquake and subsequent nuclea...

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Japanese researchers create palladium-like alloy using nanotechnology, 'present-day alchemy'

<img align="right" alt="" border="1" hspace="4" src="http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/6554/palladiumalloy123120101.jpg" vspace="16" />As you're no doubt aware, some of the precious metals used in consumer electronics -- like palladium -- can be both pricey and hard to come by, which has prompted some to harvest the materials from old electronics and reuse them, while others have been busily working on more readily available alternatives. Among that latter group are a team of researchers from Japan's Kyoto University, who have just announced that they've managed to create a palladium-like alloy using what's being described as "present-day alchemy." More specifically, they used nanotechnology to combine (and "nebulise") rhodium and silver, which don't ordinarily mix, into the new composite, which they say could eventually replace the real thing in a whole range of electronics and other products. Unfortunately, it's not clear when that might happen, but the researchers aren't just stopping at palladium -- they're apparently already looking at using a similar process to create other alloys.<br /> <br /> <h6></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/02/japanese-researchers-create-palladium-like-alloy-using-nanotechn/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>

Japanese researchers create palladium-like alloy using nanotechnology, 'present-day alchemy'

As you're no doubt aware, some of the precious metals used in consumer electronics -- like palladium -- can be both pricey and hard to c...

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Sleipnir Mobile browser 1.0 for iPhone released

<div><img align="right" alt="Sleipnir Browser for iPhone" border="o" hspace="8" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tuaw.com/media/2010/12/sleipnir-mobile-fenrir.png" vspace="8" />Here's an intriguing browser for the iPhone coming out of Japan just in time for Christmas. It comes to us courtesy of Fenrir Inc, the same company who brought us the <a href="http://www.fenrir-inc.com/global/">Sleipnir browser</a> for the Mac, which is currently on version 2.96 with 3.0 in development.</div><br /> <div></div><br /> <div>Billed as a "web browser with highly functional tab features," Sleipnir Mobile's tabbed browsing features a couple of fun characteristics. The "Flick Wipe" function allows users to very simply flick a tab (located along the bottom, not on top) off screen by pushing it down out of view. The browser's "Hold & Go" feature lets you touch and hold a link to open it up in the background. <br /> <br /> A representative with the company tells us that these are the browser's strong points that differentiate it from Safari and Opera. Of course, we don't expect Sleipnir to make any stunning grab of market share, but it's always pleasing to see more options for consumers. A homegrown choice will likely find at least a little support among Japanese users. <br /> <br /> For a clearer idea of how these tabbed features work, check out Sleipnir's demo video below.</div><h6></h6><a href="http://www.fenrir-inc.com/global/iphone/sleipnir-mobile.html">Source</a>

Sleipnir Mobile browser 1.0 for iPhone released

Here's an intriguing browser for the iPhone coming out of Japan just in time for Christmas. It comes to us courtesy of Fenrir Inc, the s...

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Flickr HD and Beer in Japan

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLidgYoDt3lfYV-i6tHMZKnfSfaQ1VZWy73xgFf9AgDlxP_2lrdN1_d5SmCQ08x7w5Hw67FNUqpBrUzshKfWSJmYYNYr3G0_hqBhrKQU4TshPStNh0GGEEFy-QW4PQLHV7rbopsCZvAgo/s1600/flickr-hd-for-iphone-ipod-touch-and-ipad-on-the-itunes-app-store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLidgYoDt3lfYV-i6tHMZKnfSfaQ1VZWy73xgFf9AgDlxP_2lrdN1_d5SmCQ08x7w5Hw67FNUqpBrUzshKfWSJmYYNYr3G0_hqBhrKQU4TshPStNh0GGEEFy-QW4PQLHV7rbopsCZvAgo/s1600/flickr-hd-for-iphone-ipod-touch-and-ipad-on-the-itunes-app-store.jpg"></a></div><br> <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=latesttecompu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B003XKEW5I&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>App giveaway time! Mike S. recently profiled flickr hd as one of our Daily Apps, and the latest version (v7) for iPad now includes the promised improvements of tag search, faster time intervals and continuous random mode. We've got 10 copies to give away to our US/Canadian readers (sorry international folk!), so just leave a comment below to enter.<br> <br>

Flickr HD and Beer in Japan

App giveaway time! Mike S. recently profiled flickr hd as one of our Daily Apps, and the latest version (v7) for iPad now includes the prom...

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How to Sign Into MSN With Japan Mobile

<P>Activate your Japanese mobile phone. You need one purchased at a Japanese store, or activated in Japan. If you aren't sure how to do this, speak to a phone retailer. Many of them can provide you with service in English to make it easier. Be sure to ask them if mobile web browsing is included with your phone. Also clarify whether you have a monthly plan or if you will be paying as you go for your phone.</P><P>Turn on your Japanese cellular phone. It should automatically find a signal from whichever carrier you have chosen.</P><P>Click on the menu for your phone, or touch the menu icon if your phone has a touch screen. Choose the web browsing icon. This may look different depending on the type of phone you have. When in doubt, consult the phone's manual to find out what your web browser looks like.</P><P>Navigate to MSN Japan (see Resources). You can now access MSN from your Japanese mobile phone.</P>

How to Sign Into MSN With Japan Mobile

Activate your Japanese mobile phone. You need one purchased at a Japanese store, or activated in Japan. If you aren't sure how to do th...

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Sharp 3D Android handsets readied for Japan launch

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/Mobile%20Phones/Sharp3d-handsets-200-200.jpg"/><p>Sharp has announced a brace of handsets for the Japanese market which boast 3D capabilities.</p><p>The snappily titled Galapagos 003SH and 005SH come equipped with a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, Android 2.2 as an OS, and a 3.8-inch 3D-capable display which has 800 x 480 pixel resolution.</p><p>One of the phones has been given a QWERTY keyboard (the 005SH), while the 003SH has camera bragging rights – it has a whopping 9.6MP camera attached.</p><p>It will be interesting to see if 3D on a small device will work. It's doubtful the UK will see any 3D handsets for a while, but we will get to try out the Nintendo 3DS in the near future.</p><p><strong>3D demo</strong></p><p>And that's particularly relevant because the Nintenfo 3DS uses the same screen technology as the Galapagos pair, this is due to Sharp making the screens.</p><p>Back in September, TechRadar was privy to a <a href="http://3dradar.techradar.com/3d-tech/ifa-2010-sharp-shows-glasses-free-3d-tablet-phone-and-camera-tech-02-09-2010">concept 3D camera, tablet and phone</a> by Sharp - the latter looking a whole lot like the 003SH. </p><p>It's clear to see that this glassessless 3D concept has now become a reality.</p><p>The 003SH will be out in Japan by Christmas, with the 005SH following in February next year.</p><img border="0" height="1" src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/9809/s/f58936b/mf.gif" width="1"/><div class='mf-related'><p>

Sharp 3D Android handsets readied for Japan launch

Sharp has announced a brace of handsets for the Japanese market which boast 3D capabilities. The snappily titled Galapagos 003SH and 005SH ...

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