We just got our hands on some interesting photos of the upcoming ASUS N10 notebooks set to be released the third week of this month. For starters, they’re pretty tiny. You know, with them rocking 10.2″ screens and all… In terms of specs and features, here’s what we got from the leaked docs:

• 10.2″ LED 1024×600 screen
• Windows Vista / Windows XP
• 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 9300M GS 256MB graphics card
• 2GB RAM
• 250GB 5400rpm HD
• One ExpressCard slot
• One HDMI port
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Fingerprint reader
• 3.5 lbs

You also get around 6.5 hours of runtime with the included 6-cell battery, a switch to toggle either the built-in motherboard graphics, or the sexy NVIDIA chip, Altec Lansing speakers, and a totally cool face recgozition software that will enable you to securely unlock your PC. That sums up most of the specs, but what about price? Well, the specific model we listed above is the ASUS N10J-B1 and will retail for $849 in the next couple weeks, but look for the N10J-A1 to retail for $749, and the N10E-A1 to run you $649. Check out all the slides in our gallery, ok?

Click on over to our ASUS N10 notebook gallery!

What? You thought we were done giving away shiny new gear just because the Bold giveaway is over? Not a chance. We’re busy deliberating and getting ready to announce the winner but that doesn’t mean we can’t hand out some more free goodies in the mean time. How does a brand spanking new Dash Express GPS sound? That’s right people, the first internet-connected GPS navigation unit in the US can be yours for the low low price of absolutely nothing. We’ve talked about the Dash Express before and even gave you a walkthrough in our gallery. We showed you that it was the first GPS unit capable of being updated wirelessly and that Dash even provides an open API allowing for third-party app development. Tons of developers have answered the call so far and have issued great apps like the one by Trulia seen in the video above. So what else is left for us to do? Oh yeah, give one away. Lucky for you there’s no need to bash, smash, crush, shoot or blow anything up this time. Official rules as follows:

• The Dash Express GPS giveaway will run until Monday September 1st at 11:59PM EST.
• All you have to do to enter is post a comment below — no really, that’s it!
• Please enter once and only once. If you try to enter more than once we might have to smash you.

Good luck!

Another leaked Motorola handset? You bet! This time we’ve got the brother-in-law to the Motorola Alexander — no QWERTY keyboard — with a pretty decent spec sheet. This one is codenamed Atila, and if you haven’t caught on to Motorola’s code names for Windows Mobile devices, they are all named after great conquerors; Alexander, Atila, Ghenghis, etc. The Atila is actually the first Motorola device that will have tri-band UMTS/HSDPA. Finally, right? We’re not sure on a release date, but here’s an introduction of the specs, followed by the actual spec sheet:

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850MHz/1900MHz/2100MHz)
• 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 1.8Mbps HSUPA
• 1130mAh battery
• 2.8″ QVGA 240 x 320 screen
• Wi-Fi b/g
• Qualcomm 7201A chipset
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional

Full spec sheet after the jump!

Thanks, “Daddy Genius”!

Amongst the many processes that the Windows OS has a knack for making particularly annoying is the process of managing connections. Every time you arrive at a new location, be it a hotel, cafe, airport, conference room, public hotspot or otherwise, you need to search for available connections, maybe tweak some settings, add the connection to your approved list and so on. There are a few companies that currently offer solutions to simplify this process, but how many do you know of that offer said solution for free? Avanquest announced this morning that it’s Connection Manager software, typically carrying a $30 price of entry, is now available absolutely free of charge from its website. In a nutshell, Connection Manager does everything for you. It will find available connections (WiFi with WEP, WPA1 and WPA2 support, LAN,  ADSL and even WiMAX), connect and configure your security, printer, VPN and other applicable settings on the fly. It will then store the new connection profile for a near-instant reconnect if and when you return to the location. Avanquest offers a bunch of personal productivity, multimedia, business and educational applications that are worth checking out. In the meantime hit the read link to snag the Connection Manager software and make your travels far more tolerable by giving yourself one less thing to worry about.

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Really? No, wait. Ok now? Maybe. Ok how about now? Yeah, now. In a completely unexpected turn of events, AT&T has just announced that it has begun offering free WiFi connectivity to iPhone users at more than 17,000 hotspots around the country. And yes, by “unexpected” we mean completely expected and overdue. Since AT&T’s launch/pull/launch/pull stunt earlier this year, the future was a bit unclear for AT&T’s free WiFi offering for iPhones. Included in the 17,000 hotspot sum by the way, is each and every AT&T hotspot-equipped Starbucks location in the US. A week after the launch of the iPhone 3G and amidst accusations that AT&T and Apple are intentionally manufacturing handset shortages, now might be the perfect time to have announced the old new offering. The one oddity in all this, at least as to the timing of the announcement, is that AT&T and Apple just went to great lengths in pushing AT&T’s 3G network. Hell, the iPhone is even named “3G”. So if this new faster iPhone on AT&T’s high speed is so fantastic, why do we need free WiFi?

[Thanks Ron]

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Are you one of the 78 people out there that actually bought a Sony Mylo 2? Today is your (moderately) lucky day. Sony has just released a minor update to its diminutive little messenging/PMP/gaming gadget. The new firmware version brings video recording to the Mylo 2 by way of its rear-facing camera, which should allow you to share as many embarrassing moments with the outside world as you’d like, provided you’re in range of a Wi-Fi connection. Other enhancements include support for 16 GB Memory Sticks, as well as a variety of UI enhancements. 

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If you’re an Verizon Alltel customer with a longing for free Wi-Fi, your life just got a bit easier. The carrier has announced a partnership with Wireless Internet provider Alltel to bring Boingo Hotspot access to wireless customers. For $69.98/month Alltel customers can experience all-they-can-eat data on their wireless handsets in addition to unlimited Boingo Hotspot browsing by subscribing to the new Internet Anywhere Bundle. Sure, it’s not the cheapest solution in the world, but integrated services are all the rage these days, so you can’t blame ‘em for throwing their hat into the ring. The service is available immediately, so anyone looking to take advantage should hit the jump with the quickness. 

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Yeah, and you thought the current bumper crop of 5-megapixel camera phones was impressive. According to the Unoffical Sony Ericsson Blog, SE is getting ready to unleash this 8.1 megapixel beast on an unsuspecting public. The C905 is a Cybershot camera phone with a pretty impressive “trick” up its sleeve. In addition to the Herculean megapixel count, the new flagship SE Cybershot phone sports GPS, HSDPA, ActiveSync Exchange support, Wi-Fi, an accelerometer, 2.4″ QVGA screen, and much more. No word on pricing, but expect this bad boy to be announced on the 17th of June, alongside a host of other upcoming SE phones.

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If you managed to stay awake through the beginning of today’s WWDC Keynote, which was no small feat, you’re probably already aware of the big news. Apple has officially announced the next generation iPhone. The iPhone 3G sports many of the enhancements that have been rumored for months, including 3G data, GPS, updated design, better battery life, and much more. It will also be much cheaper, launching at $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB. The 8GB will be available in black, and the 16GB will launch in both black and white. The new phone will ship with iPhone firmware 2.0, which will include support for Apple’s new “exchange for the rest of us” dubbed MobileMe. The phone looks like a fantastic update to the existing model, but sadly won’t be available until July 11th. Honestly, this killed our morning. What good is a shiny new iPhone if we can’t get our hands on it? Seriously. Hit the link for the official Apple page. Thoughts? Disappointment? Anger? Excitement? Bewilderment? Let us know, as we’ve got plenty of time to discuss the thing before it actually launches in July. Did we mention that this killed our morning? Right.

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It’s here, it’s gone, it’s here, it’s gone, it’s here. It took a fair number of misfires and tweaks but AT&T and Starbucks have finally launched the free WiFi service we’ve been waiting for, well, for a long time. The catch? There are actually several. Truth be told, this free WiFi deal isn’t free at all. The two biggies:

• Only available to paying customers: In order to access free WiFi, you’ll need to purchase and use a Starbucks card. Also, free WiFi access is only available to those who have used their Starbucks cards in the past 30 days.
• Only available in 2-hour clips: Customers can only use WiFi for two consecutive hours each day. Want more? Get a paid AT&T plan.

So in its final released version, complimentary AT&T WiFi access is not being billed as “free”. Starbucks is calling it “a way to thank our loyal customers”. AT&T Laptop Connect customers with an applicable plan still have their own deal for free WiFi and we should be seeing something similar launch for smartphones this year as well. In the meantime you’ll need to keep sucking down that liquid crack to play without paying.

[Via Gear Diary]

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Here we go again! AT&T will be doing the free WiFi dance that we’ve all become familiar with, but this time it has nothing to do with iPhones. Starting tomorrow, Tuesday May 20th, all Laptop Connect customers will be able to enjoy free WiFi at each and every AT&T hotspot. AT&T’s internal correspondence on the matter:

Effective tomorrow, May 20th, the long-awaited FREE WiFi Access to over 17,000 WiFi locations throughout the U.S. launches for Laptop Connect Customers with plans $60 or higher. This exciting new feature will allow customers unlimited access to over 17,000 WiFi locations at no extra charge including locations in Starbucks and McDonalds. Customers will need three things for this free access:

• A laptop card. FREE WiFi for Smartphones is not available yet, but will be later in 2008.
• The latest version of Communication Manager (version 6.8). Once loaded this version will automatically log onto AT&T hotspots.
• A Laptop Connect plan of $60 or greater.

Note that first bullet: “FREE WiFi for Smartphones is not available yet, but will be later in 2008.” Does that mean all smartphone users will soon be able to enjoy free WiFi? All of the sudden our drawers full of unlocked smartphones aren’t looking so hot! In the meantime, AT&T Laptop Connect customers, enjoy. Let’s all hope it sticks this time…

[Thanks, Anonymous Tipster]

Trying to understand what AT&T’s plans are with regards to free WiFi for the iPhone is like trying to understand a Galvatron comment. Be sure you have a healthy dose of Tylenol on deck and expect to walk away perplexed. First it went live, then it was dropped - then it went up again, then back down - then a May 15 launch was scheduled, then it was missed. The following internal memo was circulated yesterday at AT&T:

The iPhone Wi-Fi offer that was scheduled to launch today has been canceled. Nothing has been announced by the company to our customers and will not impact existing customers. Additional communication will be provided if the status the project changes.

So at some point, AT&T will be offering free WiFi for iPhone users and inadvertently to anyone with a laptop and enough savvy to search Google and spoof their system with Safari and an active iPhone number. Then again, perhaps the latter half of that statement is the cause of the repeated delays.

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You didn’t think we’d actually leave you hangin’, did you? To follow up on on yesterday’s post of the BlackBerry KickStart photos, we’ve got here a couple more images of the phone with T-Mobile branding and some interesting details on the physical design attributes. It looks like the screen is monochromatic with a color glow. Whatever that means. We’re imagining the border around the screen to possibly "glow" different colors and when the outer display is off, it’s invisible. You just see the shiny black face. There’s a whole bunch of colors set to launch with the KickStart and they’ll be anodized. Additionally, the back battery cover will either be a soft-touch rubberized finish, or a low gloss finish. We’d imagine some sort of customization opportunities for the end user with the low gloss finish. Perhaps you could get the battery cover with personalized images and things. Sounds fun. Ready for the hard specaroonies? Who are we kidding — you know you are!

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• "Next Gen" SureType keyboard
• 2 Megapixel camera
• 16-bit color LCDs
• Internal LCD is 240×320, external one is 160×128
• Wi-Fi b,g
• 3.5mm headset jack
• OS is 4.6

We’re not going to flat out call it, but look for a release around September on T-Mobile! Hit the jump for the rest of the shots!

In a press event earlier today, Samsung officially unveiled their newest Windows Mobile smartphone. The SGH-i900 is a beast of a handset, sporting single-band HSDPA/UMTS, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11 b/g, GPS, and an onboard FM radio. That’s about all the connectivity you could reasonably expect to be crammed into device this size. It also sports a 5 megapixel camera, bringing it up to par with the current high-end offerings from Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Samsung indicated that the SGH-i900 will run Windows Mobile 6.1, with a gorgeous 240×400 screen. More importantly, perhaps, is that this baby will also be sporting 8 GB of internal memory. Not bad at all. No indication of when it might drop, and don’t expect to see this on our side of the water, but a little gadget lust never hurt anyone, right?

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There’s no way any of us saw this one coming. But to continue our super-duper-smack-ya-momma-its-so-good BlackBerry streak, we’re giving y’all shots of the BlackBerry 8120 which is, indeed, headed to good old T-Mobile USA. Why bother boring you with the specs. It’s the pictures you want to see, so check them out after the break!

As state laws continue to become more stringent with regards to safe driving practices, Chrysler appears to be going a different route. Sure, Chrysler’s upcoming wireless internet service offering is more geared towards passengers as opposed to the driver but you know as well as we do, plenty of people will want to take advantage of that high speed data while commuting. According to Frank Klegon, Chrysler’s head of product development, a new WiFi connectivity option will become installable on the automaker’s lineup at some point this year and will later be added to assembly line production. The new system will make use of high speed cellular data networks and as such, customers will need to subscribe in order to make use of the offering. We’re not yet sure which carrier(s) Chrysler will be dealing with for its in-car WiFi service. The connectivity service announcement comes on the same day Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli made it known that Chrysler will be stepping up its game as far as Mopar parts and accessories are concerned. Special editions and accessory packages will kick off the effort, such as a Wrangler sporting an off-road navigation system, chrome grill, heavy duty bumper and beefed up sound system. It looks like money in the car-manufacturing business isn’t what it used to be. Those of us already packing high speed connectivity solutions such as HSDPA laptop cards or JoikuSpot might not be running out to purchase a Chrysler as a result of WiFi integration, but it certainly is progressive in terms of opening up a host of new service options for the everyman.

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Huh - Apple issues new goodies on a Monday? Does tradition mean nothing? Oh well, we’ll take what we can get then. Just as we reported yesterday, Apple has indeed issued the updated version of the AirPort Express that the Swiss Apple store was kind enough to let everyone know about a day early. The new AirPort Express is just as compact, portable and convenient as the model it replaces, but we all know what sets it apart. Implementation of the 802.11n protocol makes transfer speeds up to five times faster than those supported by its predecessor (with twice the range!) and it won’t cost you a penny more. Yep, $99 gets you the rip-roaring wireless love that is 802.11n, making iTunes streaming, wireless printing and all the rest of your data transfers as fast as possible. Hit the read link to play.

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Last Tuesday was a bit of a let down after a flurry of new goodies arriving at the Apple Store on consecutive Tuesdays in 2008. According to what looks like a leak from the Swiss Apple Store, we can all get ready for a revival this week as it an updated Airport Express may be making its way to fruition. The local online Apple shop from the land of chocolate and other cheek-turning appears to have accidentally posted spec details for an Airport Express donning 802.11n! Not sure what 802.11n is? Too lazy to open a new tab and Google it? From Wikipedia:

802.11n is a proposed amendment which improves upon the previous 802.11 standards by adding multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and many other newer features. Though there are already many products on the market based on Draft 2.0 of this proposal, the TGn workgroup is not expected to finalize the amendment until November 2008.

With a range of about 230 feet and a max data rate of 300 Mbit/s (bi-directional), 802.11n is good stuff. The Swiss mishap has since been corrected but it was up long enough for the tipsters to have their way with it. Assuming the stars are aligned we could be streaming faster, surfing farther and jumping higher within the next few days. Also noteworthy, no price change was indicated so it looks like 802.11n is coming our way for a cool $99! Also, every Apple store and even Best Buys we called were out of stock on the Airport Express. We’d pretty much say this is a go!

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While AT&T has just announced two new HSUPA-compatible laptop cards, Sprint will actually be kicking it up a notch soon with a cool little device that works in tandem with their already-available EVDO cards and handsets. The PHS300 is a pocketable EVDO-to-WiFi router that should become available from Sprint on March 1 of this year. Simply connect your EVDO USB modem or EVDO-compatible handset to the PHS300, then plug in your PC or laptop via USB and you’re good to go. Already available for $179 directly from manufacturer Cradlepoint, the unit supports up to four simultaneous connections and packs a beefy 1800 mAh battery along with a DC-in to keep it juiced. It’s still not quite as cool as the freeware S60 application we told you about that lets you turn your Symbian handset into a WiFi router, but the PHS300 should make some Sprint customers happy and provide them with a cool piece of technology that isn’t quite in the mainstream yet. Cradlepoint’s pocket hotspot does have a leg up on JoikuSpot however, in that it features an integrated firewall and WEP/WPA support.

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We so know this isn’t a huge deal, but for those that are waiting for it, it might be nice to see some more confirmation. The BlackBerry 8820 will indeed be heading to T-Mobile on March 5th as we’ve previously reported. Nothing has changed since then, with the device sporting the Hotspot@Home Wi-Fi calling, GPS, and the usual BlackBerry 8800 features. Midnight blue is the color this time around (wasn’t that Cingular’s color?), but with the leaked slide highlighting "High-speed internet", we’ve got to wonder what T-Mobile has up its sleeve…Ah, never mind! They mean Wi-Fi is high speed! It would be silly to think their network was actually high-speed.

If some of our tipsters are to be believed, you very well might be able to mosey on down to your local T-Mobile shop and pickup a BlackBerry 8820 on March 5th. We’ve been told the unit will be identical to the AT&T version, but this time around it will support T-Mobile’s Hotspot@Home service (obviously!). We haven’t got our thumbs on the pricing info just yet, but believe you me, you’ll have it when we’ve got it!

Thanks, faithful tipsters!

[Via Cellular News]

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It might look like a Nokia 5700 that has been tortured on a medieval stretch rack, but the SR1500 from tvCompass is actually a Digital Media Remote. Short of a cellular antenna, this jack of all trades actually packs most of the functionality of a mid-level mobile phone into a universal remote. Powered by a Windows OS, the SR1500 touts a 2.2" VGA display, 802.11b/g WiFi, an xHTML microbrowser, a WAP browser, real-time internet information services, a music player with DRM support and plenty more. It’s even open to third party development with WAP, compact framework, RSS/XML, J2ME and Flash support. But can it can control your home theater equipment? Even the most avid gear enthusiasts should be satisfied with the SR1500’s ability to control over 24 devices. Macros, learning capabilities, and even motion sensor functionality also provide some pretty decent control flexibility. You can view the automatically updated electronic program guide right on the device’s display, so the days of shrinking your TV picture to make room for the bulky program guide are over. Pricing and availability details aren’t yet available, but if tvCompass can find a way to keep the price point within the realm of reason, sign us up. Man, it sure is ugly as sin though…

[Via Crave]

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The Nokia N95 8GB has a lot going for it as Nokia’s current flagship handset. Last week we saw that the N95 8GB became the first mobile handset to receive DLNA certification. The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is an international collaboration dedicated to making PCs, consumer electronics and mobile devices as interoperable as possible. Their goal is to push a framework where sharing digital content between devices on a home network is as seamless as possible. Sounds pretty nifty but what does that really mean? Nokia released a great video Monday morning detailing just how easy it is to share media files across a home network with the N95 8GB. Definitely worth a watch, the video displays the simple processes involved with sharing files wirelessly to a gaming console (PlayStation in this case) and a Media Center PC. All it takes is a wireless network and the N95 8GB can almost instantly become a media server capable of sharing photos, music and videos. We would love to see this functionality in the currently-available NAM version of the N95 (N95-3), but then again any firmware update would be welcome at this point. Things aren’t looking good for the N95-3; it has seemingly become the red-headed stepchild of Nokia’s high-end lineup.

[Via IntoMobile]

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Earlier this year, Last.fm and Logitech announced a partnership at CES that would enable users of certain Logitech internet radio receivers to scrobble tracks as they stream. In Logitech, Last.fm has found its first official hardware partner and seems to finally be making a concerted effort to free itself from the confines of the PC. For the time being however, users of the Squeezebox and Transporter internet radio players have the ability to scrobble, but the fun ends there. Personalized radio streaming, which is certainly Last.fm’s most attractive feature, was not covered in the announcement. Further development was obviously a safe bet, and now reports are coming in that simple software updates due out later this year will add Last.fm streaming to existing boxes. This of course won’t be the first method to break Last.fm free of the PC’s shackles; several third-party solutions exist for a variety of devices such as the Nokia N800 / N810 (Vagalume), iPhone / iPod Touch (MobileScrobbler) and devices running Windows Mobile 5 or later (Last.fm Mobile). This will be the first home-grown effort, though, and more importantly, it is an indication that Last.fm understands the need to go wireless. Giving users as many untethered options as possible to enjoy personalized radio is clearly in Last.fm’s best interest and most importantly, it’s in the best interest of Last.fm users. Satellite radio and internet radio are great but when it comes to music, there’s nothing quite like Last.fm’s personalization.

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Remember the new Sony Mylo 2 we told you about a couple of days ago? We got a chance to spend some quality time with the thing today, and have some pretty strong first-impressions. First off, it’s a lot bigger than the original device, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It feels balanced and well weighted, sitting comfortably in your hand. The screen is big and clear, and it does, in fact, sport 1GB of internal memory. It also has a 1.3 megapixel camera which is a nice touch, but the resolution seems subpar by today’s standards. Sony has added AIM support to its on-board IM client, joining the ranks of Google Chat and Jabber. This is no Sidekick killer, but it should work well for anyone looking to stay connected to their IM buddies while in range of a hotspot. The device does have some problems, however. The UI feels very sluggish, getting bogged down during basic tasks. The biggest issue is the keyboard. The keys, in a word, suck. A lot. The $299 price tag isn’t bad, but given the drawbacks we’re going to have to pass this time around. Hit the gallery!

Click on over to our Sony Mylo 2 hands on gallery!

While combing through our very special delivery one more time, we noticed something that looked a little out of place. There was a black rectangle box covering up something on the BlackBerry 8xxx slide. When we moved it, guess what was there? Yes, folks. The Rogers branding. While it isn’t the biggest news, this just confirmed something we already knew, and heck, who could resist posting an ultra-super-clear shot of the BlackBerry 8xxx? Enjoy!

We told you there are devices, as in plural, remember? The second exclusive Palm handset we’ve got the info on is codenamed the Palm Wanda. Think of it as a cross between the Palm Centro and the HTC Touch. No, like really, look at the backside on that thing! It looks to be a standard affair, running Windows 6.1, well, Standard. Hit that with a tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio (boo!) and some UMTS/HSDPA action, and you’ve got a Palm Wanda. A 2 megapixel camera, QWERTY keyboard, and GPS are also not left out of the equation. Vodafone said it themselves, this is the successor to the Treo 500v! You know we roll, after the jumpage!

Nope, we’re not talking about a tree here! It looks as if the HP Silver won’t be the only HP handset sporting some HSUPA action. You now have a pretty decent line, with the Standard version, and now the Professional one making the rounds. The HP Oak sports a nifty slide-out QWERTY keyboard with a traditional number pad on the front, in addition to integrated GPS and Wi-Fi. We’re not really judging here, but it looks like you might have some difficulty with that 1010mAh battery. Release date? Thought you’d never ask! September, guys. It’s a long way to go, and ₤260 couldn’t come soon enough. Whittle the HP Oak, so to speak, after the jump!

• title: hp oak

Ch-ch-check it out, y’all! The Nokia Dora in door numero uno! This bad beast is the successor to the Nokia E65. Improving on a bunch of missing features from the original version, you’ll now be able to enjoy things such as GPS and a 3.2 megapixel camera. You’ve also got a front-facing video call camera, Wi-Fi, a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio with UMTS/HSDPA (3G bands are not specified), and you got your standard Bluetooth. Last thing? How about a 320×320 display. Sound good? We’re all looking at a Q2 release, and you can expect to shell out ₤280 for it on Vodafone. As usual, the full goods are after the break!

• title: nokia dora