Latest Gear Live Videos
Amid a handful of other oddities that seem to be causing havok among the ranks of MacBook Pro owners, comes a new issue relating to the battery. As per Christopher Price, “Symptoms of battery failure include battery cutting off power to the system at very early stages, sporadic ampere hour reporting (coconutBattery), and the battery failing to respond when pressing the charging status button (after being charged and only slightly drained).” AppleCare has allegedly indicated that there is a known issue with early MacBook Pro batteries and are cross-shipping replacements to customers with afflicted laptops.
The problem is said to potentially effect only MacBook Pros shipped during the first two weeks or so of production, with serial numbers up through W8608. Keep in mind that Apple is quite mum on the subject, and there is no word on how widespread the problem may be. While other sites are happy to imply that a “silent recall” is in the works, the reality of the situation is, if you don’t currently have a problem there is no problem and Apple will disavow any knowledge of the aforementioned issue.
Read More 
| Christopher Price via ZDNet
Advertisement
Panasonic recently released its plans to sell a 103-inch Plasma TV. The new TV’s display measures 7.5 x 4.2 feet with the standard 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1920x1080 resolution. As is expected by today’s HDTV enthusiasts, the new TV will be a 1080p device. While most people don’t need the biggest plasma TV in the world, it would be nice to watch Firefly in 103-inch Plasma goodness, no? Nothing has been said about pricing, but we are sure this is one of those things where, if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it. Panasonic has hinted around at a December 2006 release date, but no date has been officially set.
Read More | Daily Tech
Counterfeit iPods
Posted by Jared Hislop Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Portable Audio / Video, Rumors
It seems that some companies are attempting to pass off counterfeit iPods to unsuspecting consumers. Apple warns that the two players that are most likely to be ripped off are the iPod nano and the iPod shuffle. It has been noted that several of the fakes are even stamped with legit serial numbers, one of which is 6U545TK2TJT. The fake iPods also lack a dock connector, and often have non standard headphone jacks. Apple said that the counterfeit nanos also ship without the standard USB cable, and have a screen that is slightly longer than that of the real thing.
One key mark to look out for is a play/pause symbol on the center select button. The players that are similar to the shuffle lack a battery or status indicator light, and have a power switch that lacks a repeat option. The counterfeit packaging is the same as Apple packaging except that the counterfeit package has the words “Digital Music Player” on the top of the box. Some of the counterfeit players have also known to have documentation included that asks the user to copy their music to a directory on the device rather than using iTunes. Apple is taking this matter very seriously and has released a bulletin to its service providers asking them to photograph the fake iPod, find out where the buyer purchased the fake iPod, document the serial number, and pass the information along to Apple’s technical support group.
Read More | Apple Insider
These days it seems like everyone and their mother is trying to rip off Motorola’s RAZR design, and LG is no different. The CU500 is a slim clamshell with an internal antenna. It is a quad-band GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900) and tri-band UMTS (WCDMA) (850/1900/2100) phone. Rumor has it that the only supported US bands are UTMS 850 and 1900 which means it is a perfect candidate for Cingular’s HSDPA high speed data network. The included 1.3 megapixel camera swivels and eliminates the need for a second camera for video calling. There are also external buttons to control music playback. The phone is expected to be officially announced by Cingular soon. We will keep you updated with details as more details about this handset become available.
Read More | Phone Arena via Gizmodo
Asus has released the details on its new Lamborghini notebook. Unfortunately the specs are disappointing, and do not justify the higher price tag. The VX1 sports a 2GHz T2500 processor, while most would think that a notebook of this caliber would feature one of Intel’s new Core Duos. Intel’s 945PM chipset and 3945ABG 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi adapter are onboard along with 1GB of 667MHz DDR 2 SDRAM, a 120GB hard drive, and a dual-layer DVD±R/RW optical drive. A 15-inch 1400x1050 display (powered an Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 with 256MB of dedicated graphics memory) rounds this one out. The notebook also has the ability to grab 256MB more from system memory thanks to Nvidia’s TurboCache system. The new price is expected to be $2,354.62 rather than the $1,935.75-$2,177.87 that was previously announced. Expect to see the new laptop around the end of April.
Read More | Reg Hardware
Averatec AHI UMPC Device With Keyboard
Posted by Jared Hislop Categories: Handhelds, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Rumors
If you have been keeping your eye out for a UMPC that doesn’t seem like it will suck, keep an eye on the Averatec AHI. While other manufacturers are designing UMPCs that look pretty much the same, Averatec is mixing it up a bit. Most other UMPCs have 7-inch touch screens, while the AHI has a smaller 5-inch touch screen. With a 7-inch screen, the complaint arises that the device is hard pressed to be considered “ultra-mobile.” Averatec’s approach solves that. In fact, it seems to solve a host of complaints that many have had with other UMPC devices. For example, located directly under the screen is a slide out keyboard. The device also boasts a SXGA 1280 X 1024 display. Connectivity will not be a problem, as it has integrated Bluetooth, Ethernet, 802.11g WiFi, and a dial-up modem. Even better, it should also have 3G functionality, and a GPS receiver as well. A 2 megapixel camera, 2 USB ports, and an SD/MMC slot add to the ultra-portable goodness.
For those that want to use their new UMPC for fun, the AHI boasts a dock that gives it DVD functionality. All these innovative features come at a cost - the Averatec UMPC will not be running the special version of Windows designed for UMPCs; it will be running the Tablet PC version of Windows instead. You can expect to see the AHI by Christmas. Pricing is not yet known, but it’s expected to be available in multiple configurations in the $600-1100 range.
Read More | The Register
For those car lovers in the audience comes the Aston Martin Nokia 8800. The handset features the Aston Martin logo laser etched on its stainless steel case. Included with the phone is a special ringtone of the Vantage’s V8 engine revving up. There are also several Aston Martin branded screen savers and wallpapers bundled with the phone. The handset is a tri-band GSM/GPRS supporting EDGE, and has a 208 x 208, 262,144 color display and a megapixel camera. Software is included that supports the playback of MP3s and AAC songs. With a 600mAh battery that is good for around three hours of talk time and eight days of stand-by. The phone is based on Nokia’s Series 40 UI, and is quite sleek. We doubt the $1640.00 price tag will attract too many customers.
Read More | Reg Hardware
Google Calendar has gone beta to the public.
Simplify. Organize. (And relax.) Organizing your schedule shouldn’t be a burden. That’s why we’ve created Google Calendar – our free online shareable calendar service. With Google Calendar, it’s easy to keep track of all your life’s important events – birthdays, reunions, little league games, doctor’s appointments – all in one place.
The feature set on this free service is quite impressive:
- XML/ICAL feeds for public and private calendars.
- Share your calendar
- Auto-add invitations.
- Notifications via email, SMS and Pop-up (No GTalk notification?).
- Import iCal or CSV (MS Outlook).
- Gmail Integration
- Mobile access
- Event publishing (share your organization’s events with the world).
It was only a matter of time before Google added a calendar feature to their impressive list of services. The fact that you can share a RSS feed of your calendar with the public seems to have a lot of potential.
Read More | Google Calendar
Special Edition FIFA Xbox 360 Blue
Posted by Jared Hislop Categories: Microsoft, Rumors, Video Games
Seems that Microsoft has caught soccer (or football to you non-Americans) fever. The special edition Xbox 360 Blue is set to be released in celebration of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The Xbox 360 Blue will have all of the same features and accessories as the Xbox 360 Premium, but will also include a sporty Adidas Japan blue faceplate, Adidas Japan blue bandana, and a copy of 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany. Microsoft is expected to ship 10,000 of these special edition units. Unfortunately it looks like these special Xbox 360s are only set to be released in Japan. This special edition Xbox 360 is set to hit stores on April 27th and is expected to cost around $430.00. I doubt Japanese electronics stores are ready for the flood of crazed soccer fans these units should create. Then again, we are talking about the Xbox 360 - in Japan.
Read More | Gamespot
New LG550 EV-DO Phone
Posted by Jared Hislop Categories: Broadband, Cell Phones, Rumors, Wireless / WiFi
LG’s new phone, the LG550, has a lot to get excited about. The new handset is an EV-DO capable 3G ready device. Some of the other features include music, video on demand, Bluetooth stereo support, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and a FM transmitter. The FM transmitter allows the handset to broadcast tunes to a nearby FM radio. A microSD/TransFlash slot is available for additional storage room. The screen is a 262,000 color, 176x220 TFT display. The phone also features an external 96x96 65,000 color TFT. Another interesting feature of this phone is that there are external music controls. While there are no official carrier plans, there have been rumors that Sprint will pick it up.
Read More | MobileBurn
Follow Gear Live!
Recent Galleries
Facebook Fans
Advertisement
© Gear Live Inc. – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.
