iriver P8 player pops up on Russian site, packs prodigious battery life

It's been a while since iriver last updated its P series of large-screen portable media players, -- so long in fact, that we thought the series had simply been retired. Imagine our surprise, when this five-incher popped up on the company's Russian site, sporting a long list of supported file formats, and an even longer battery life (up to nine hours of video and 40 hours of audio). The P8 comes in 8GB and 16GB flavors, but also packs a microSD slot for tacking on additional storage. You're not limited to watching clips on the 800 x 480 touchscreen either, the player boasts an HDMI port for pushing HD content straight to a TV. Of course, whether or not this half-inch thick, half-pound device ever makes it to American shores or how much it will cost when it does remains to be seen. Check out the gallery of press shots below.

Gallery: iriver P8

iriver P8 player pops up on Russian site, packs prodigious battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Strange clues hint at a new Samsung Galaxy S II running Windows Phone 7

The image above is unfortunately just a Photoshop special, designed to sucker you in. But there is evidence to suggest that a WP7 version of the overwhelmingly popular Galaxy S II might be just around the corner. What type of evidence, you ask? The numerological type: if you take the Galaxy S II's model number, SGH-927, then add 10, you get 'SGH-937.' Now, a device bearing that name has just cropped up at the Bluetooth SIG, and it's reported to have exactly the same Bluetooth characteristics as a Mango Windows Phone 7 handset. Finally, we add some corroboration in the form of an obscure list of WP7 phones at Occasional Gamer, which also mentions the SHG-937. That leaves us just two possibilities: either WP7 is about be available on one of the best smartphones around, or it isn't. Luckily, the occult rules of numerology state that you can pick whichever one you like.

Strange clues hint at a new Samsung Galaxy S II running Windows Phone 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pocket-lint | WMPU, Occasional Gamer [Google Cache] | Email this | Comments"

Hasselblad acquired by Ventizz Capital Fund, will explore 'brand new markets'

Change may be afoot over at Hasselblad, now that the high-end camera maker has been acquired by Ventizz Capital Fund IV -- a private equity firm based in Switzerland and Germany. Neither party disclosed any financial details, but Ventizz said it will implement 'no major structural or key management changes' at its newly acquired company. It remains to be seen whether or not this acquisition brings about any changes at the strategic level, though Hasselblad CEO Larry Hansen said his company is looking forward to exploring 'brand new markets' -- including, we hope, the 'sub-$10,000' one. Full PR after the break.

[Thanks, Rene]

Continue reading Hasselblad acquired by Ventizz Capital Fund, will explore 'brand new markets'

Hasselblad acquired by Ventizz Capital Fund, will explore 'brand new markets' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes & Noble offers 30 free e-books to switch to Nook -- that's one expensive carrot

It seems dangling deals to lure consumers away from competitors is all the rage these days, and Barnes & Noble has jumped on the make-the-switch bandwagon, offering $315 worth of e-books to prospective buyers of its Nook e-reader. Starting today, when owners of those other devices tote their current e-readers into a Barnes & Noble store and buy themselves a new Nook or Nook Color, they'll get 30 free eBooks, with an apparent value of $315. Here's the catch -- because, you know there had to be one -- Barnes & Noble's won't let you pick the books for yourself. Those 30 free eBooks will come pre-loaded on a 2GB microSD card. If you've got the taste of a corporate marketing team, and have been waiting for a reason to get in on the Nook action, check out the source link for more details. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble offers 30 free e-books to switch to Nook -- that's one expensive carrot

Barnes & Noble offers 30 free e-books to switch to Nook -- that's one expensive carrot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET | Barnes & Noble | Email this | Comments"

Facebook to launch in-browser video chat powered by Skype?

Microsoft's $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype hasn't closed yet, but it looks like Redmond is already working behind the scenes to make the service even more ubiquitous. According to an anonymous source interviewed by TechCrunch, Facebook is going to introduce video chat next week, and that service will be powered by none other than Skype. And while the service will be browser-based, it's also said to include a desktop component. We'd say none of that sounds too fantastical -- video calls would be a logical extension of Facebook chat, and let's not forget about the $240 million Microsoft invested in the site back in 2007. What's more, Facebook sent out invites for an event next week, where Mark Zuckerberg was clear the outfit would unveil a new product from its Seattle team. That's in Microsoft's backyard, of course, the invites themselves have chat icons on 'em, and, most tellingly, that Seattle office has been snapping up engineers specializing in desktop software. All told, that adds up to a likely true story to us, but we won't know for sure until the long, beachy weekend is through.

Facebook to launch in-browser video chat powered by Skype? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jul 2011 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quadrocopters: blooper reel edition

We have a gut feeling this is the video that'll be playing when 'the hive' takes over -- a sentimental, 'look how far we've come' victory reel for the Quadrotor nation. But for now, let's just keep the focus on the softer side of our future nemesis' training-room foibles. Playing like an über-geek version of America's Funniest Home Videos, we admit we cracked a smile watching these insect-like bots from the University of Pennsylvania's GRASP Lab take a few hard knocks in the humility ring. Fear of the swarm aside, it's a humorous twist on an otherwise droning research project. The take away? Schadenfreude -- it's not just for humans.

[Thanks, Daniel]

Quadrocopters: blooper reel edition originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 11:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: webOS wherever

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

This week's release of the HP TouchPad, the first device other than a handset to feature webOS, aptly demonstrates the promise and perils of HP's adopted operating system. The 4:3 tablet provides the large canvas that webOS seemed born to cover. However, like the Xoom and PlayBook before it, the TouchPad suffers from an impoverished app library among other holes. To help share development costs of webOS and expand the market for its developers, HP has warmed to the idea of licensing the Palm-developed operating system.

HP's willingness to license webOS while continuing to make devices based on the operating system serves up a healthy helping of déjà vu for those who followed the history of Palm, Inc. The PDA pioneer sought to take advantage of its dominance in handhelds, and stave off rival Pocket PCs powered by Windows CE, by licensing the Palm operating system while continuing to use it.

The decision proved to be Palm's short-term salvation and long-term ruin. One of the first companies to license the Palm OS was Handspring, founded by former Palm executives. Handspring created the Treo, which became Palm's entry into smartphones when Palm acquired Handspring. A few other companies licensed the Palm OS for smartphones, including Kyocera and Samsung, but the inherent conflict created by competing with licensees forced Palm to spin Palm OS out into a company called PalmSource, which folded three years later.

Continue reading Switched On: webOS wherever

Switched On: webOS wherever originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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