Devices Site

The current economic conditions have begun to take its toll on US companies. Among them is AT&T, which is in the process of cutting 1.5-percent of their workforce. This news was revealed by a ruling filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

AT&T employees who will be hit by the layoffs are those who have no direct contact with AT&T customers and are said to include those in management. The plans for the layoff’s are part of AT&T’s ongoing streamlining of operational activity. Despite laying off a big chunk of their employees, AT&T is expecting to get a pre-tax charge of $374 million as a result of this layoffs. But don’t worry because AT&T is attempting to make sure that the remaining workforce after this layoff plan is carried out will still be able to manage and maintain the company’s stability.

Read [CNET]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

Intel updated its Price list this past Sunday. All prices are for 1,000 unit trays purchased directly from Intel. The new list shows a 50% decrease in Intel’s Q6700 quad-core (2.6 GHz, 8MB cache, 1,066 MHz FSB) from $530 as of April 2, to only $266 now. This would allow the system makers out there to put this slightly higher-end quad-core into the same systems the Q6600 quad-core (2.4 GHz, same) was going previously, which is believed to be the sub-$1,000 markets. The Q6600 price also dropped 16% to $224, down from $266, possibly pushing it either close or into the sub-$800 markets.

Intel is definitely moving quad-core into lower-end mainstream. A 2.4 or 2.6 GHz processor with 8MB cache and in excess of a 1 GHz FSB seems almost unreal if you happened to blink over the past couple of years. Still, here it is in all of its Core 2 prowess.

Intel also lowered the price on the following desktop chips, while everything else remained unchanged. Core 2 Duo E6850, drops 31% from $266 to $183. Core 2 Duo E4600 drops 15% from $133 to $113. Pentium Desktop Dual-cores E2200 and E2180 drop 12% and 14% respectively, from $84 and $74 to $74 and $64. Celeron Dual-Core E1200 drops 19% from $53 to $43. Celeron 440 and 430 drop 17% and 23% respectively, from $53 and $44 to $44 and $34. Celeron 560 and 550 drop 20% each, from $134 and $107 to $107 and $86.

The server side saw some nice impressive cuts, along with pricing alignment as older parts are phased out. Quad-core Xeon X3230 saw a 50% decrease from $530 to $266. The Quad-core Xeon X3220 saw a 16% decrease from $266 to $224. Dual-Core Xeon 3085 saw a 29% decrease, from $266 to $188.

Intel releases processor pricing updates fairly regularly. The last one was on April 2, 2008. This one was on April 20, 2008. The next one should come mid-late May. Visit Intel’s INTC stock symbol site for more information about Intel’s processors.

Judging by the number of GPS trackers we have in the market these days, it makes sense to come out with an Anti GPS Tracker. This device blocks all GPS signals within a 5 meter radius, making it virtually impossible for you to be tracked. It is plugged inside your vehicle’s cigarette lighter in order to draw its power from. One major drawback is this - your very own GPS navigation device will be out of commission, too, so make sure you’re familiar with the roads around you before you make use of this puppy. The Anti GPS Tracker retails for £149.

While Xohm, Sprint’s oft-delayed WiMax service, still hasn’t graduated from trials here in the U.S., a few details are starting to emerge about how the company might sell individual WiMax-enabled devices. During a news conference in Taipei on Monday, Acer said its new WiMax-equipped Aspire 5920 notebook will be sold through various providers (including Sprint) wrapped up in nice little service bundles, similar to the way mobile phones are sold.

Here’s where it gets interesting, though. According to a report from IDG News Service, pricing for the Aspire 5920 will vary, depending on the individual service plan a customer selects. Whether this means you’ll technically be getting a subsidized WiMax notebook from Sprint remains unclear.

At this year’s CES, Sprint reiterated that it would not force its Xohm customers to sign contracts or subject them to early termination fees. That makes sense since the network is supposed to be device agnostic. As such, Sprint says it will rely on tiered subscription models. In other words, the longer the subscription a customers buys, the cheaper the service will be. At the same time, the company said this model would require that WiMax subscribers pay full price for all their hardware, which seems to contradict Acer’s announcement.

Sprint did not immediately return our calls for clarification.

SEE UPDATE BELOW

Acer, of course, is one of several laptop manufacturers who have committed to using Intel’s embedded WiMax/WiFi module, Echo Peak, which is a part of the chipmaker’s new Centrino Pro platform. Lenovo, Panasonic and Toshiba are also slated to ship WiMax enabled laptops later this year, although no formal dates have been announced by any of these companies.

Earlier this month, Nokia unveiled one of its first WiMax-enabled devices at CTIA: the N810 tablet, which is scheduled for an early summer release. Similarly, Everex and Asus have both shown off WiMax-enabled versions of the Cloudbook and Eee PC.

Update: Okay. A Sprint representative just got back to us and it seems either there was an error with the IDG report or someone at Acer was misinformed.

Says Sprint spokesman John Polivka:

Acer and other manufacturers are developing access devices which will work on WiMax networks, such as Sprint’s Xohm. Their device is not being sold by Sprint, and it will not be tied to any Sprint service plan. The source may be referring to other providers and their service plans. Sprint Xohm will indeed have subscriptions, versus traditional contracts, based on the customer and not the device. In traditional telecom, each device is a customer. We will accomodate multiple devices under each customer, in home and away subscription packages, though details have yet to be announced.

So there you have it. No discounts on WiMax devices from Sprint. [IDG News Service]

So you’re part of the remnant on this earth that still owns video tapes but have run out of players to play them. Why not digitize these video tapes instead? At least you will be able to loop them infinitely on your PC, and best of all is there is no need to rewind those tapes once you’re done as everything can be done at the click of a button. ION Audio has just released its VCR 2 PC device that connects to your PC via USB 2.0, with an adjacent composite connection for camcorders, while RCA output is located on the back to playback previews on a TV. In the PAL version, you will find the SCART output as well. All digital conversion will be in the H.264 for ipod/PSP or MPEG-2 for DVD authoring formats. The ION VCR 2 PC will retail for $249 each.

Source: Everything USB

A spate of shootings followed by a MyFox Chicago TV news report questioning the appropriateness of GTA IV advertising has seen the adverts removed from certain locations across Chicago.

The MyFox report called into question advertising a violent game like GTA IV across the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) network of buses and locations. This is following a high level of recent shootings in the Chicago area and a link trying to be established between the two in some bizarre after-the-fact logic.

Ron Huberman, president of the CTA, seems to have given in to pressure and decided that the adverts were not appropriate, ordering their removal from CTA locations. The same thing happened in 2006 in Boston to GTA Vice City Stories advertising and in 2004 with GTA San Andreas again in Chicago.

From watching the MyFox report there is a single comment I agree with wholeheartedly when a member of the public states:

As a parent you should censor your child yourself, we shouldn’t block advertisement because you don’t know how to do your job as a parent.

The decision to remove GTA IV advertising does not seem to have a reason behind it other than certain people believe it leads to violence. It is just advertising for a game that carries an 18 rating that kids younger than that should not be playing.

If we are applying logic to this then any advertising for a violent 18-rated film should also have been taken down if it existed. The adverts in question are also not violent themselves, just showing the characters from the game next to the name and street date.

Read more at GamePolitics.com

You knew the Eee PC 900 was coming soon, but not even the most audacious rumormonger thought it would be this soon. We have received confirmation from ASUS that the next version of everyone’s favorite ultra portable notebook will come out on May 12th of this year. 

The new Eee will launch in the US with versions of the Windows XP and Linux operating systems, each for $550. That is about $100 less than the current price in Europe, but $150 more than the first Eee PC.

People in the blogosphere are already declaring that this particular sticker price is out of the bounds of the gadget’s original appeal: tiny, powerful, but also relatively affordable. At $550, the Eee PC 900 will not only compete with a few other more affordable mini options (including its predecessor), but also regular laptops that are more powerful, with regular-sized keyboards, and closer in price.

Below are the basic specs for the Eee PC 900 from the ASUS site, placed against those of the ‘old’ Eee PC. The main difference between the 900 and the old one is the size of the screen, the storage capacity, and the FingerGlide navigation. They both offer similar chipsets, a webcam, same operating systems, and have the same light weight.

I remember hearing this advice that said if you’re going to leave your dog at home, put a ticking clock in his or her bed. Apparently, the ticking reminds your pooch of his or her mother’s heart, and he or she will be comforted.

I saw a similar situation on MacGyver where he was taking care of a baby (yeah, he took on all kinds of missions). Mac ended up putting a small clock into a Teddy Bear, and Mac claimed that the ticking would help the baby feel less lonely for his mother.

Obviously, there is some sort of science in listening to a heartbeat for comfort. This is the theory behind My Beating Heart, a huggable heart pillow designed to simulate the sound of a human heartbeat.

Listen to what Perpetual kid, a site designed to entertain your inner child had to say about My Beating Heart: “Hold the Heart a moment and you’ll begin to sense your own heartbeat slowly syncing with My Beating Heart’s carefully designed rhythm. Our hearts naturally begin to dance and sync with the hearts of other we hold or hug. This is a phenomenon we have observed for ages. Hugging the Beating Heart a few minutes allows the calm and dreamy beat to relax the body, ease the mind, and cajoles the spirit.”

I don’t know about you, but I would have to see this heartbeat phenomenon work in order to believe it. If you’d like to give it a shot, feel free to pay $50.00 at the aforementioned Perpetual Kid website.

Source

The Italy iPhone launch might signal a change in policy at Apple. As of now, Apple chose one carrier per country to which it gave exclusive rights to commercialize the iphone. The idea is that carriers enter a bidding process during which they bid more royalties to Apple to get the coveted contract. Of course, there are many variables like the customer base and so on. So far AT&T has been fairly happy with the deal.

The Italian “La Repubblica” believes that this will come to an end soon and that Apple will switch to a more open model that involves several (or all) carriers. We can only speculate on this and our opinion is that the exclusivity tactic is a powerful demonstration for all carriers: they can make more money, even after sharing the subscription fees with Apple. However, this tactic has the drawback of locking out legions of customers trapped in their current contracts.

By becoming less exclusive, Apple will likely increase their total available market – which they need to continue to grow quickly.

From rumor to sale in about two months’ time — not bad. The Sanyo Katana LX is now available through Sprint, offering a worthy replacement to the aging Katana II at the same price point, $49.99 on contract after rebates. Fashion is the name of the game here, thanks to a trendy see-through front cover revealing an external display underneath and availability in three collect-’em-all colors: Liquid Graphite, Pacific Blue, and Elegant Pink. You’re also going to get GPS, Bluetooth, and a VGA cam — but one thing you aren’t going to get is EV-DO, so steer clear if you have a need for speedy bits.
[Source]