The one thing you’ll never see on a stock Nexus One is a skinned interface like Sense or TouchWiz — they’re just not Google enough for a phone commissioned and sold directly by Mountain View. Thing is, Sense on Android has plenty of fans, and the mere thought of running it on something with as much oomph as a 1GHz Snapdragon brings tears to our eyes. The solution? The Desire, of course, featuring virtually all of the original Nexus One’s mojo with a little less direct Google support, a little more Sense, and a trackpad in place of the old trackball. The 3.7-inch AMOLED display carries over, but things get interesting on the software side: not only do you get HTC’s freshly-updated Sense with Friend Stream, you also get Flash 10.1 compatibility, which means you need every clock cycle of that 1GHz more than you ever thought you would. Unfortunately, North Americans, you’re getting screwed on this one for the time being — HTC is only announcing that it’ll be “broadly available” throughout Europe and Asia in the early part of the second quarter, while it’ll come to Australia via Telstra. Supersonic, care to save us?
Apple may be bringing two heavy hitters to the market early this summer according to some rumors fresh from the pages of AppleInsider. First up is a potentially gorgeous 27 inch, 2560 by 1440 resolution LED-backlit Cinema display which will be a handsome upgrade from the current 24 inch model. The 27-incher has reportedly been gracing the halls of Apple for some time now, waiting for market prices to drop to an affordable level for launch. For those with a cash flow that seemingly has no end, there will also reportedly be a new Mac Pro on tap for June which will feature not one, but two Xenon 5600 hexacore chips from Intel. This dodeca-core monster machine will be accompanied by a single chip Mac Pro model which is expected to launch in 2.66GHz, 2.8GHz, 2.93GHz, and 3.33GHz configurations. Those rumored Core i7-980X Mac Pros are not off the table but that configuration is highly unlikely given the recent release of the Xenon 5600 processor line and the compatibility these processors offer with the current generation of Mac hardware.
Earlier this month we showed you the above picture and told you it was an unannounced handset from RIM that looked like a BlackBerry Slider. Well, not much has been said since then but Engadget has some juicy info.
According to them, the BlackBerry Slider is called the Talladega and will be released next month. News comes to them from a translated interview with a CEO of a RIM supplier who says the slider is coming next month.
We’ve been told there is also a GSM/HSPA version and that the model numbers are BlackBerry 9900 and BlackBerry 9930. Lastly, it looks like the HSPA version of the device will support 850/1900MHz UMTS bands which would make it compatible with both AT&T and Rogers’ 3G networks.
Is this to be believed? We’ll have to wait and see.
The entry-level model is the DMC-G10, while the fancier model is known as the DMC-G2. Both bring notable improvements to the G1 (which was the first Micro Four Thirds camera), including a new image processor, enhancements in image sharpening, easier access to the Intelligent Auto Mode, 720p video recording, and — in the case of the DMC-G2 — a touchscreen LCD display. Both cameras will be bundled with a new, lighter 14 - 42 mm kit lens.I’ll start with the entry-level DMC-G10, and then tell you about what makes the G2 different (and thus more expensive). Here we go:
Lumix DMC-G10
12.1 effective Megapixel Live MOS sensor
New Venus Engine HD II processor brings Intelligent Resolution (sharpening) feature
Uses Micro Four Thirds lens mount, with 2X focal length conversion ratio
Backward compatible with classic Four Thirds lenses via optional adapter; adapters for nearly every other lens format also available
3-inch LCD display with 460,000 pixels and 100% coverage
Electronic viewfinder with 202,000 pixels, 100% coverage, and a magnification of 1.04X
Live view with super-fast contrast detect AF
Full manual controls, with ISO range of 100 - 6400; RAW image format supported
Intelligent Auto mode (now easier to access with a backlit button on the top of the camera) selects a scene mode, detects and recognizes faces, reduces blur, tracks movement, brightens shadows, and more
Twenty-six scene modes to choose from
Continuous shooting at up to 3.2 frames/second
Dust reduction system
Hot shoe for external flash
Records movies at 1280 x 720 (30 fps) using M-JPEG codec
Camera can focus continuously with most Micro Four Thirds lenses
SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
HDMI output
Uses DMW-BLB13 lithium-ion battery; 380 shots per charge with kit lens
Ship date and price to be announced
Lumix DMC-G2 - changes:
Flip-out, rotating 3-inch touchscreen LCD display with 460,000 pixels
Touchscreen features include customizable on-screen menus, touch focus and shutter, and iPhone-style image playback; I had the chance to try it out at CES and while it’s well-implemented, it seems like more of a novelty than anything (thankfully, everything can still be operated with the four-way controller and command dial)
Electronic viewfinder has 1.44 million pixels and magnification of 1.4X (same as on the original G1); eye sensor detects when EVF is in use
Records movies at 1280 x 720 (files play at 60 fps, sensor outputs 30 fps) using AVCHD Lite codec
Unlimited recording time when using AVCHD Lite, except in Europe
Dedicated movie recording button
Records monaural sound, though an optional stereo mic is available
360 shots per charge
Available in black, blue, and red
Ship date, price TBA
As I mentioned, there’s a new kit lens that goes with both of these cameras. The new F3.5-5.6, 14 - 42 mm Lumix G Vario lens is lightweight, and is equivalent to 28 - 84 mm when attached to either of the cameras above. It also supports Panasonic’s MEGA OIS (optical image stabilization) to reduce the risk of blurry photos. No word on if this lens will be available separately.
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