Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Sony’s new VAIO laptops were recently leaked out on the web on their own website, as well as Amazon.com. Sony was responsible for leaking the VAIO TZ2 to their own website and Amazon was responsible for leaking out the VAIO SZ7. The new VAIO SZ7 will be the upgrade of the current Sony VAIO SZ6, and the specs are as follows.

• Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 with 6MB L2 Cache
• Genuine Microsoft Windows Vista Business
• 13.3-inch widescreen display with XBRITE LCD technology
• 4GB RAM

Next, we have the new Sony VAIO SZ770NC, and the specs are as follows.

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Vonage seems to have so many patent disputes it has actually become hard to keep track of them all. We recently saw them settle the latest with AT&T and now have reports of them settling with Nortel.

The dispute with Nortel was involving patents dealing with 911 calls, 411 calls and click-to-call technology and originated from a lawsuit filed by Digital Packet Licensing back in 2004. It was settled without any payment or damages required to be payed.

“This is the last of them and we’re quite happy to put it behind us,” Vonage spokesman Charles Sahner said.

With this settlement coming just in time before the years end, maybe they can go into 2008 with a fresh start considering all the trouble is now behind them.

Via [Reuters]

This new PMP made by Gemei, is called the United States X900 and comes with a few cool features that are sure to come in handy wherever you are and whatever you are doing. As you can tell from the picture, you can see a gaming like design. At first glance, it looks more like a gaming controller rather than some sort of PMP. The gaming interface, is just one of the few cool features of this PMP.

Let’s begin with the PMP aspect of the United States X900. It comes with a nice 4.3-inch touch screen, and plays AVI, MPEG4, MP3, WMA, and FLAC. Now, regarding the gaming aspect, the cool thing here is that the game pad is attachable, so if you don’t need it for something, you can easily detach it. It uses an ADI chip, which should allow for NES and SFC gaming. Furthermore, it can even act as a GPS if you add on the GPS receiver. So far, with its audio and video capabilities, gaming, and GPS, it is sure to keep you entertained and keep you from getting lost. Lastly, it comes with an FM tuner, an e-book reader, and it can use SD cards for up to 4GB of memory. Unfortunately, no word on pricing or availability as of yet.

Via [PMP Today]

Many new and exciting GPS units will be making debuts at CES, all of which have cool new features. Raytel, is the American partner of the German company German Funkwerk. Now, one of the great features of the EGO Drive is that it comes with this remote controller knob which enables you to keep your eyes on the road, and in turn hopefully prevent accidents.

Additionally, the EGO Drive comes with 3D maps, Bluetooth for hands free calling, and a nice 4.3-inch touch screen display - with a stylus. A cool feature is the on board text-to-speech interface, which can read your text messages out loud for you. It even comes with a light sensor, which will automatically adjust the brightness of the screen to make sure you can always see it. Furthermore, it comes with an unspecified amount of internal memory, and it supports SD memory expansion up to 2GB.

Picture: EGO Drive

Finally, there are many features offered with Bluetooth:

• Voice recognition (speech-to-text, no training required).
• Complies with all hands-free laws.
• Integrates and mutes car’s stereo system.
• Supports all Bluetooth mobile phone voice commands.
• DSP technology for noise and echo suppression.
• Reads out text messages (SMS text-to-speech).
• Shows text and picture messages (SMS and MMS).
• Accommodates up to 10 different user profiles.
• Audio streaming (A2DP and AVRCP).

Unfortunately, no word on pricing or availability at this time.

Via [NaviGadget]

Is Palm getting ready to introduce a pink Centro? Well based on the image it looks legit, and we already have a red model so pink would not be that far off.

Of course as with all leaked images only time will tell just how real it will be. Supposed launch dates place this model as being available anywhere from early January to mid-February. No information has been announced from Palm, and until then its strictly rumor.

Via [Gadgets On The Go]

As if we needed another way to make spending money even easier, Shinhan Card has unveiled a new USB Credit Card that will work both in-stores and online. The credit card will be a contactless card in store allowing you to just swipe it over the payment system and for online purchases you can just put the card into the USB drive to have it automatically enter the card details. The new USB card will not be available, at least yet, in the US and sadly the USB credit card is just that, there is not any user storage on the device.

Via [The Raw Feed]

Award-winning sound combined with technology at its most advanced level is yours to behold with the Bose Lifestyle V30 home theater system. Audio and video benefits can also be heard and not seen (contrary to that old axiom about children) as you simply connect the high-definition components, gaming console and other A/V equipment to the media console and then hide it all away as a standalone display permits you to receive and control system information.

The Bose V30 is HD compatible and works with your existing DVD player. The Tiny Jewel Cube speakers (just 4-1/2”high), as part of the distinctive ADAPTIQ system, reproduce surround sound that is specifically customized to the room. The system is the best, boasting a video resolution of up to 1080p over High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). The V30 also features a horizontal center-channel speaker and an Acoustimass bass module. At the press of a single button on the universal remote, the correct audio and video is automatically synchronized.

The Bose Lifestyle V30 system is uniquely designed for performance, elegance and flexibility and will deliver a compelling, high quality performance every time. The exclusive technology is so intense that a user feels seated in the theater or concert hall, experiencing the rich and full sound of a unique audio and visual occasion.
Encore!

Read [Bose.com]

Some pics of the upcoming BlackBerry 9000 have surfaced, however the real question is whether or not they are real. While this pic does seem to be the real deal, it is lacking some of the coolness that we have seen in some of the previous 9000 mockups, such as the sweet touchscreen.

The silver bezel around the phone is rumored to be aluminum, and you can also clearly see the USB connection along with an external microSD card slot on the left side. Like other mystery images, only time will tell just how accurate they are, but its always fun to speculate.

Read [BlackBerry Forums] Via [Boy Genius Report]

For a company that puts their name as big as Daza did, they must like their product a lot. Funny thing is, though, Daza didn’t even give their PMP a name. The Daza PMP is a simple one, but nothing amazing.

It supports a variety of formats including MTV, DMV, ASF, AMV and WMV for videos. Meanwhile for audio, it supports MP3, WMA, WAV and DRM9. Lastly for photos, it can display JPEG, GIF and BMP pictures. It comes with a decent 1.8-inch TFT LCD screen. Additionally, it features USB connectivity, an FM radio, e-book reader, 7 EQ settings, and voice and audio recording in the formats of WAV and ACT. Finally, it measures out at 2.55-inches x 1.57-inches x .44-inches, and it weighs 1.12 ounces.

No word on pricing or availability at this time, but expect to be released in Chinese market.

Via [PMP Today]

LG Philips are ready to debut not one, but five new, interesting and hot panels at CES in a few weeks. Panels are always a big thing and there are many giant companies involved, one of the biggest is Sharp. LG Philips is looking to hold off the competition, and these five panels look to be pretty nice.

• 52-inch multi-touch LCD - full 1080p, two touch detection
• 84-inch multi-touch LCD - 2 x 4 array of 42-inch panels, totaling full 1080p resolution, 500cd/m2 brightness
• 47-inch triple-view LCD - full 1080p, 250cd/m2 brightness, three separate images, which is kind of like Sharp’s triple view
• 47-inch double sided LCD - 70mm thickness, 500cd/m2 brightness, displays images on both sides
• 42-inch transflective LCD - the 1,500cd/m2

Unfortunately, these TV’s aren’t going to be ready for a while, as they are just being unveiled at CES. These panels are produced for OEM’s that will then take them and incorporate them into their design. Yet another round of gadgets that are sure to make CES filled with hot, new gadgets.

Via [Engadget]