G1 to get donut/future upgrades after all?

While the interwebs and myself included hopped on the fear wagon just a few short days ago when hearing of the bleak outlook for future G1 updates, I felt a piece of me died inside. Ok…not really. But it was disturbing and saddening none the less. Many assumed that the dev community would pull through for us and bring future updates to our beloved first gen devices. If you were an assuming foe, pat yourself on the back. According to those who are now seasoned Android veterans, compression techniques and a few other coding tricks will allow G1 users to continue receiving updates for at least a few more iterations. Of course, the official statements from the Android team within Google is that the G1 is perfectly fine and will still receive updates. Anyone feel slightly better about their 1st gen purchase?

Source: MobileCrunch

Gran Turismo 5 getting damage modeling!

Since the first Gran Turismo graced my TV set and infiltrated my eyes, I have been begging for damage modeling. Any true racing sim can’t go on without it yet somehow Gran Turismo managed to go years through 4 different games without it. I must admit, while I am a Playstation guy, Once Forza came out for Xbox it was a done deal as the added complexity, eye candy, and game involvement of damage modeling instantly catapulted Forza to the top of my list for racing sims. However, the Gran Turismo team appears to finally be getting all of the ducks in a row as the screenshot above shows some pretty good damage modeling on a car being flung around some track in GT5. According to Cnet, out of the 1,000 vehicles, 170 will be “premium” models that will have fully rendered interiors that will feel the full affects of the games new damage modeling engine. The other 830 lesser models will only have visible external damage. A fair trade off I suppose for years of neglect.

Perhaps one of the juiciest rumors is that due to the new physics engine, vehicle rollovers will now be possible making GT5 a lot more realistic and on par with the physics engine that powers Forza 3. I love carnage…what can I say? And finally, for the few of you who make frequent use of the PS Eye add-on, there are rumblings that the game will be able to track your head with said device making turning left and right to check your side view mirrors all the more realistic. The racing sim wars have just been re-ignited!

Source: Cnet

RIM adding full flash and silverlight to BB Browser. BB 9700 coming to AT&T in time for Black Friday!

Without any filler or hesitation, there are two big pieces of information that all of the CrackBerry addicts out in internet land need to know:

• First: RIM is planning on adding FULL Flash and SilverLight support into the BlackBerry browser. Now, re-read that…planned is the keyword. According to various BGR insiders with seeds planted inside of RIM, next summer appears to be the rough guestemation date of a possible release on said support. As has been mentioned before in regards to full mobile flash support, RIM is working on beefier BlackBerries with higher spec’d internals in order to pull off the mobile eye candy tango. A second crucial piece in the trek to full Flash/SilverLight is the need for not only beefier hardware but also the need for higher speed data services…(ahem) LTE/HSPA/4G…you may step forward now. The same insiders say RIM has already achieved successful tests with data speeds ranging in the 10Mbps range in RIM labs with lab equipment and test networks. Again, all they’re waiting on now is those same speedy networks to make their way outside. Whew! 10Mbps wireless data speeds…sweet!

• Second: The BlackBerry 9700/Bold/Onyx will debut just in time for Black Friday if internal AT&T testing goes as planned *fingers crossed*. For those of you looking to upgrade your less than new BlackBerry to the trackball-less, touch pad rockin’ new hotness don’t have too much longer to wait.

Hey, at least you know a time frame now right? Who can’t wait for the mercury to drop and the Berries to start flyin’?

Source: BGR

AT&T HTC Lancaster sent out to pasture before it even had a chance…?

In all reality, the HTC Lancaster never had a chance. News is coming in that the HTC Lancaster, which was to be AT&T’s first toe dipped into the Android market, has supposedly been shelved. Gasps! Now, if you were on the search for a lower to mid range Android device that would be a fairly decent texting device, you’re no doubt in tears and looking for the anti-depressants. However, the majority of you who are complete geeks aren’t too broken up as the HTC Lancaster was at best a low end phone evident by the substandard 320 x 240 QVGA display.

With rumors circulating of a possible Hero appearance somewhere down the line on the almight deathstar (AT&T) coupled with a spec sheet that shows North American 3G frequency support may save us yet. Having the Hero being the ice breaking Android device for AT&T might do them some good after the flood of negative publicity they seem to be attracting this summer. While the main differences between the Hero and the Lancaster was the fact that the former is pretty much amazing and the latter sucked, those looking for some sort of physical keyboard packin’ Android device may have to wait a little longer. Bittersweet news I guess.

Source: Engadget Mobile

Samsung InstinctQ packin’ Android gets spied!

Things for team Android are finally starting to pick up. What was a lackluster and slow moving year in 2008 is making strides in the right direction in 2009 as Android handsets from various manufacturers are starting to crop up. Sprint who had voiced interest in Android when it was originally released to the public on the G1 said that while it was interested, Android wasn’t yet mature enough. Well folks, we all know the HTC Hero is coming to Sprint packin’ Android and some mighty sweet features. However, a pleasant surprise and potential handset for those of you who aren’t looking for something as high end as the Hero have something new to lust over — The Samsung InstinctQ.

This apparently mid-range device features a slide out qwerty keyboard for the hardware loving texters out there who aren’t too keen on the whole soft keyboard scene. As far as any other specs go, for the time being you’re free to conjure up whatever your little heart desires to pass the time as the list of known specs as of current is zip. Well, ok, we know there’s a slide out qwerty…but that’s it. The rest is still behind a veiled curtain locked deep down inside Samsung HQ. One thing we can *hope* for however is a subsequent release alongside the HTC Hero rumored to be quickly approaching on October 11th. Wishful thinking?

Samsung InstinctQ photo gallery right inside…

Is a WinMo 6.5 “Touch Interface” going to usher in a two-tiered WinMo environment?

While Steve Ballmer aka “The Balms” may be steadfast on his belief and assertion that Windows Mobile will always be a single OS in the sense that their won’t be several tiers like the desktop variant, new information that is coming out seems to suggest otherwise. With the recent leak of the HTC Leo ROM which incorporates the new TouchFlo 3D 2.6, we can see that the interface appears to be moving more towards the finger users in the world and eschewing the trusty but old stylus. Further adding fuel to the good ‘ol rumor fire comes by way of DigiTimes with new information that an actual “Touch Interface” update to Windows Mobile 6.5 is due out sometime around February 2010. Now, this upgrade won’t be a new OS, merely an update to the October 1st release of Windows Mobile 6.5. Windows Mobile 7 on the other hand isn’t slated for public consumption until long into next year — Q4 of 2010 to be exact. So why bring a touch interface update to 6.5 later in the game?

Hot flashes got you down? Mr. Sun scorching your face? Solar powered hat fan here to save the day!

The human body is a walking scientific spectacle. Even though the DNA between you and me is virtually 99% the same, it’s that 1% sliver that differentiates all of us. Some like it hot. Some like it cold. Some can take the heat. Others simply drop like flies. For the ground thumpers out there, carrying a mini fan with you everywhere you go can be a nuisance and at times embarrassing. Thankfully there is the solar powered hat fan. Featuring two small solar panels and an actual miniaturized fan, this hat will keep your noggin nice and cool even when mother nature and Mr. Sun try their hardest to bring you down. The best part? It’s only $16 to be able to call this little wonder yours. Now will it actually work as advertised? At least you’ll pull of the geeky look. But such things are trivial when life, comfort, and just plain livability are concerned. Let us know how it goes!

[Product Page]

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