Intel said teaming with ZTE to push way into smartphones

Intel is looking to push its way into the smartphone market through a deal with ZTE, a pair of sources claimed Monday. The phone was designed by Intel and would have an Atom chip but would be made by the Chinese firm for sale within its home country. Bloomberg didn't mention hardware or OS details, but it would likely use the Medfield platform.

Neither side was directly willing to confirm or deny the story. Intel spokeswoman Claudine Mangano said Intel had a "number of engagements" it couldn't talk about and didn't say whether they involved co-designed phones. ZTE's Margrete Ma said talks had happened but were currently just "discussion and cooperation on a technical basis."


Intel has tried to get a partner for a phone before and picked LG for the ill-fated ultramobile chief Chandrasekher left in what might have been a rift in philosophy between itself and its project lead. He had been a veteran of Intel but hadn't caught Intel up on phone or tablets after years of promises. It has lately taken to buying companies like Infineon and Silicon Hive to give it an artificial boost through teams experienced in areas Intel doesn't usually touch, like cellular data or mobile graphics.

Few companies have voluntarily signed up to make Intel-based phones and have largely been limited to small independents like Aava where most phone makers go elsewhere.

Without a sufficiently low-powered chip, Intel has almost always had to sit on the sidelines in the mobile market as its arch-rival ARM has a near complete monopoly on smartphones and tablets. It just on Monday shipped its first Atom for tablets roughly a year after confirming its existence.

by Electronista

Verizon slip backs HTC Droid Incredible 2 going dual-mode

The imminent HTC Droid Incredible 2 had its world roaming support backed up by a new staff memo detailing some of the new features. The Android 2.2 leader is now known to have "global capability" that will talk to GSM networks in North America and the world when not on Verizon's CDMA. Verizon's edition as seen by Android Central will also have a 16GB microSDHC card packed in rather than the 8GB on the Incredible S it's based on.

Most of the other descriptions refer to features new compared to the original Droid Incredible. The 1.3-megapixel front camera, eight-megapixel rear camera, DLNA media sharing, and Sync & Connect unified mail data are all familiar to the Incredible S but haven't been seen on Verizon yet. No mention has been made of the inductive, wireless charging seen during the phone's boot sequence.


Most roadmap details so far have pointed to the phone shipping on April 28. An unveiling would likely follow shortly before, and it's expected to cost the industry standard $200 on a contract.

by Electronista

Acer Iconia W500 tablet up for pre-orders, ships April 15

The Acer Iconia W500 tablet has now gone up for pre-order at B&H, revealing US pricing for the first time. The Windows 7 tablet will cost $549 and ships on April 15, according to the listing. This price includes the detachable keyboard dock and the Wi-Fi-only tablet itself.


It centers on a 1GHz AMD Fusion-based CPU and a 10.1-inch, 1280x800 touchscreen. There is 2GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD for storage. Graphics are handled by the Radeon HD 6250 inherent to the Fusion and can decode HD video along with provide relatively quick 3D for a tablet. Likewise onboard is 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an HDMI output, Etherne, two USB outputs and a three-cell battery rated at six hours of life.
by Electronista

Avid unveils Interplay Central Mobile, new storage at NAB

Avid has used the NAB show to unveil Interplay Central, its next-gen tools for media creation, distribution and management for on-the-go pros. To facilitate production when in the field, the platform is delivered through both web- and mobile-based apps. The platform allows production teams to collaborate with open, flexible workflows. Avid introduced two additional software suites, Avid InGame and Avid NewsVision 2.0 , both of which offer end-to-end solutions for video production. The company also took the opportunity to introduce a new storage solution for the small- to mid-sized content creation market, the ISIS 5000-16.


Interplay Central serves as a window into an organization�s content creation, management and distribution infrastructure and will first be available to users in both a lightweight web-based portal, as well as an app for mobile devices. Using a laptop or desktop computer connected to the web, a range of staff members including executive producers, technical directors, editors, graphic artists, loggers, writers, reporters, web producers and more can sign into the Interplay Central portal can collaborate on all aspects of a production.

They can also access self-contained persona �panes� that are designed for tasks associated with different parts of the media production process. The Interplay Central Mobile app allows users to browse, create and edit content directly from anywhere even when users are offline or out of network range. Content changes made by users who are working with Interplay Central Mobile in offline mode will be reflected in projects as soon as they have regained network connectivity.

Avid�s InGame is an all-new end-to-end video production solution helps sports marketing organizations deliver a more exciting game experience as well as generate higher fan attendance and advertising revenues by enabling them to quickly create and display content, such as video packages and promotions, on scoreboards and screens throughout a venue, on the Web, or in other promotions.

Avid�s NewsVision 2.0 is designed to offer local and regional broadcasters high levels of efficiency, allowing them to cost effectively improve their day-to-day operations with a tightly integrated workflow. It enables broadcasters to economically move to file-based HD production with limited personnel and ramp-up time by providing a proven solution and workflow, and the on-site preparation, installation, training, on-air coaching,

The ISIS 5000-16 offers the same offers the same performance as AVID�s ISIS 5000-32 range and offers full support for Apple�s Final Cut Pro editing software. It delivers real-time open shared storage and is scalable. Pricing starts at $37,500 which includes Force10 S25N 24-port switch, a one-year Priority Support (5x8), and 90 client licenses.

by Electronista

Lensbaby releases Composer Pro for SLRs

Lensbaby has released the Composer Pro for SLRs. Like the original Composer, the new lens is ball and socket-based optic that allows the user to focus each shot in the neutral position. The user can then move the focal point, or �sweet spot� anywhere in the frame that they choose. It improves the repeatability of shots, while also offering more precise control. The Pro version is also said to deliver improved build quality and function over the original version.


The new optic ships in two versions. One fitted with Lensbaby�s Double Glass Optic for $300 and the other fitted with Lensbaby�s Sweet 35 Optic for $400. The Double Glass Optic with its 50mm selective focus optic and drop-in aperture discs provide a sharp �sweet spot� with minimal diffusion at all aperture settings. The Sweet 35 gives a �sweet spot� that can be moved around by tilting the Composer Pro�s swiveling lens body. It incorporates a 35mm selective focus optic with a 12-blade internal

by Electronista

Cablevision rolls Optimum for iPad app with 300 TV channels

Cablevision lived up to its promises of a near-term launch of live iPad TV streaming by launching Optimum for iPad (free, App Store). Its approach is much more aggressive than Time Warner Cable's and gives access to as many as 300 live stations depending on the owner's cable package. Viewers also have access to 2,000 free and subscription on-demand videos.

The app can similarly handle DVR scheduling and has its own searchable program guide with filters, such as limiting results to HD-only content. Parental controls are also on tap.


Its much wider content comes from the cable service's infrastructure, according to Cablevision: since it uses a switched digital cable system that can tie directly into the local network, the broadcasting rights are the same as for the regular TV service. Viewers don't even need a working Internet connection, it said. Time Warner Cable's solution still needs users to be on one of its cable modem connections over Wi-Fi to work, but its requirement that users stream online has led to selective channel rights and pushback from companies who insist the didn't give permission for online streaming.

Other tablets and "display devices" should get Optimum in the future, though Cablevision didn't say which platforms or when. iPad owners have a more definite plan as they will get direct remote control functions sometime in the summer.

by Electronista

Hercules intros eCafe EX HD smartbook, boasts 13 hours use

Hercules has introduced its eCafe EX HD and eCafe Slim HD 10.1-inch smartbooks that deliver long battery life as well as mobility. The pair differs from netbooks in that they run ARM Cortex A8 processors as well as a lightweight customization of the Linux OS. This combination helps the eCafe EX HD to deliver up to 13 hours of battery life and a near-instant boot time from standby of only 4 seconds.

The eCafe EX HD is 1.1-inches thick and weighs 2.4-pounds. It centers on a 10.1-inch 1024x600 display capable of 720p playback. Its ARM Cortex A8 processor is fabricated by Freescale and is clocked at 800MHz and is paired with 512MB of RAM. Storage is provided by 16GB of iNAND flash memory. It includes 3 USB ports, an SD/SDHC card reader, HDMI output, and Wi-Fi 802.11n. A wide array of file formats is supported and the EX HD comes preinstalled with OpenOffice as well as Firefox.

The eCafe Slim HD, delivers 4.5 hours of battery life from a similar configuration to the EX HD, but has a smaller battery and 8GB of iNAND flash memory. However, it is comparatively much thinner at just 0.8-inches thick and weighs only 1.9-pounds. It also features always-on access to social networking sites and features the same pre-installed software and files support as the EX HD.

Both smartbooks can be synced with Windows, Linux and Mac OS X equipped PCs using the eCafe Sync software separately downloaded from the Hercules website.

The smartbooks are available this April with the eCafe EX HD retailing for $269 and the eCafe Slim HD is retailing for $229.

by Electronista