Technknowledge

The "smartbook" aspires to put the smartphone into the laptop. Will it be able to elevate an Apple iPhone or Motorola Droid-like experience to a larger device, or is it just more marketing mumbo-jumbo?

Two companies are hoping that the smartbook will turn out to be more than just another quickly-forgotten device sales pitch. Qualcomm and Freescale, which are both supplying key silicon technology for the devices, are pushing to make smartbooks different enough from laptops--and Netbooks--that consumers will take notice.
Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs holds the Lenovo smartbook which will appear at CES

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs holds the Lenovo smartbook, which will appear at CES in January.
(Credit: Qualcomm)

The first tangible evidence of smartbooks to come will be seen at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, where Lenovo, among others, is expected to show, if not roll out, smartbook designs.

One pesky question won't go away, however. Why go out of the way to call it a smartbook? Doesn't Netbook suffice? (And it can potentially be very confusing for consumers since both terms have "book" in them.) On one level, the nomenclature choice is simply to counter the Microsoft-Intel Netbook juggernaut: Another Netbook among dozens already on the market won't draw much attention.

But at a deeper level, the two companies are trying to make the smartbook substantively different from a Netbook. Qualcomm sees it, in essence, as a large smartphone, which leaves the outdated Windows desktop experience in the dust. "A Netbook in our view is just a cheap laptop that runs Windows. We see the smartbook cannibalizing the Netbook. .

Update 2: Apple's U.S. Black Friday sale is up, and while not spectacular, there are some rare discounts to be found. To go back to the same examples we used for the U.K. and Australian Apple stores, the base model 13-inch MacBook Pro is $1,098, down from $1,199.

In fact, it looks like all MacBook Pro models are exactly $101 off, while the $999 white MacBook is not discounted at all. The 32GB iPod Touch is $268, down from $299.

This sale is good online and in Apple's retail stores and runs until 3 a.m. EST on November 28.

Update: Even though it's not quite Black Friday in the U.S. yet, it's past midnight in some other parts of the globe. Notably, Australia and the U.K. have both seen their respective Apple Web sites updated to reveal Apple's one-day sale. While we can't say yet that the deals in the U.S. will be exactly the same, there's no reason think they won't be.

On apple.com/uk, we saw a 13-inch MacBook Pro, originally £1,149, marked down to £1,078. On apple.com/au, the same unit was A$1,868, marked down from A$1,999.

Similarly, a 32GB iPod Touch is £208, marked down from £229 on the U.K. site, while while in Australia, it's A$358, down from A$399.

We've also examined some Black Friday deals from other retailers.

Our original post continues below:

According to purportedly leaked documents on the tech rumor site Boy Genius Report, Apple is gearing up to offer a series of post-Thanksgiving bargains on products from iPods to MacBooks.

The deal, allegedly good only on November 27, lists "up to" discounts of 30 percent on iPods (excluding the Shuffle and iPhone), 25 percent on Mac laptops and desktops, and 15 percent on accessories, software, and other hardware.

The Boy Genius Report Web site says: "One of our connects just hit us up with some intriguing Apple information. According to them, what you see detailed above is a shot of Apple's yearly Black Friday deals. It's reported to be something Apple will email out shortly."

Of course, with the vague use of "up to" and no specific products listed, we can't be sure if these will be good deals or not. But if you're interested in being the first in line to check them out, the leaked doc also says that select Apple stores will be opening at 6 a.m. on November 27.

(Credit: Boy Genius Report)

Real Tennis 2009 is one of eight games now on sale for 99 cents.
(Credit: Gameloft)
Remember a few weeks back when Konami cut its iPhone/iPod Touch game prices to 99 cents? (They're still available, FYI.)

Now Gameloft has followed suit, offering some (but not all) of its game titles for the appetizing price of a buck apiece--a significant savings in some cases. Here's the rundown (links are to CNET reviews where applicable, otherwise to the App Store):

* Blades of Fury (originally $6.99)
* Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes (originally $9.99)
* Castle of Magic (originally $4.99)
* Hero of Sparta (originally $5.99)
* NFL 2010 (originally $4.99)
* Real Tennis 2009 (originally $4.99)
* Shrek Kart (originally $4.99)
* Terminator Salvation (originally $9.99)

These prices are good until Sunday, November 29, so act fast if you want to stock up on some seriously good games for some seriously low prices.

Me, I'm grabbing NFL 2010, Terminator, and maybe Castle of Magic for the kiddos.
Originally posted at The Cheapskate

iFotoGuide has released its digital guide to on-location nature photography, a nature guide to select national parks. The first in a planned series to be released is iFotoGuide: Arches, about Arches National Park.

The iFotoGuide app allows you to look up travel information like hotels and weather, and park information like wildflower blooms and entrance fees. It enables you to find places to shoot; you can look for prime shooting locations to photograph a sunrise or a sunset. There are instructions for getting to the locations, as well as information on how to best shoot from them. It has a photo gallery of images from the park. You can just select the photo and the app provides the information to get there, and to photograph there.

"iFotoGuide: Arches" sells for $4.99 on the iTunes app store. It can be updated for free to allow new content such as additional locations in the park.

Another iPhone worm has been spotted in the wild.

Unlike the previous exploitation, which merely changed a jailbroken iPhone's wallpaper to a picture of Rick Astley of "Rickrolling" fame, this new threat allows hackers to steal sensitive information.

According to security firm Sophos, which wrote about the exploitation after a Dutch ISP spotted it late last week, the worm attacks jailbroken iPhone and iPod Touch devices only.

The worm "uses command-and-control, like a traditional PC botnet," Sophos wrote in a blog post on Saturday to warn users about the exploit. "It configures two startup scripts, one to execute the worm on boot-up, and the other to create a connection to a Lithuanian server to upload stolen data and cede control to the bot master."

Jailbreaking, which has been around for about two years, is a hack that enables iPhone and iPod Touch users to download applications unavailable through Apple's App Store.

Sophos wrote that the worm attacks users on several ISPs, including UPC in the Netherlands, Optus in Australia, and T-Mobile in several countries worldwide. Worse, the worm spreads faster on a Wi-Fi connection than a 3G connection. Users with affected devices might notice extremely short battery life while on Wi-Fi. According to Sophos, that's mainly due to the worm engaging in "so much network activity."

When a device is infected, it's assigned a unique number so that the attackers can easily pinpoint a single device. It also looks for authentication systems that use SMS, better known as mTANs. mTANs are frequently used by banks that send an SMS message with a password to mobile phones, allowing people to log in to their online accounts, Sophos wrote.

In essence, this threat is serious.

Sophos recommends that people with infected iPhones and iPod Touch devices restore them back to Apple's most recent firmware update. For now, there is no other way to fix the problem.
Originally posted at The Digital Home

If your iPhone was recently "Rickrolled" by a worm that targets jailbroken iPhones, the following six steps will show you how to change the root password--used to connect to your device via a Unix software secure shell--to protect yourself in the future.

Before starting, you will need to have MobileTerminal installed from the Cydia store. Then:

1. Tap the MobileTerminal icon to open a terminal window.

2. Enter su and press return.

3. Enter the current default root user password alpine and press return.

4. Type passwd and press return.

5. Enter a new password and press return.

6. Enter the new password again and press return.

The root password is now changed, and your jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch is now a bit more secure than it was before and less vulnerable to the first worm detected that targets the iPhone.

Is it a bird, is it a plane?

Certain sections of technology lend themselves to the concept of convergence, where the mad scientists in the world's biggest tech manufacturer mix together the coolest gadgets to make even cooler gadgets — think smartphones. But what would happen if you mixed together three seemingly boring gadgets, say an alarm clock, an iPod dock and a digital photo frame? Cue the Sony Dream Machine (and Corey Haim is nowhere in sight).

The result is surprisingly sexy, or at least as sexy as an alarm clock ought to be. The centrepiece of the Dream Machine is a 7-inch colour LCD display with a pretty standard WVGA. When viewing videos or photo slideshows the results are colourful and reasonably sharp, and seeing as it's to live on your bedside table it has four brightness settings to dim the screen when its time to sleep.
Rock around the clock, dock

The Dream Machine can play media from four main sources: from its 1GB of internal memory, a USB connection to a PC or portable storage, an SD or M2 memory card, or from the media stored on your Apple iPhone or iPod, though unfortunately there is no 3.5mm socket for connecting any other brand of MP3 player (even a Sony). Apple products connect via a slide-out dock located on the right-hand side of the Dream Machine, and there are two plastic cradles to secure your iPhone in the dock correctly.

While having an iPod dock is a huge bonus for a product of this kind it does come with the most inconsistencies. Firstly, you can't start video or image files using the Dream Machine's control panel, instead you have to set the player into iPod video mode then start playback from the handset itself. You can control the iPod player's music controls using the buttons on the dock and can set music on your iPod as your alarm clock music. You also can't transfer files from the iPhone/iPod to the internal memory, though considering how tightly Apple control these aspects of its products we really shouldn't be too surprised.

The speaker in the Dream Machine is adequate for the job, especially if you plan to watch videos or listen to music close to the unit, as in with your head on your pillow and the Dream Machine an arm's length away. It also features AM/FM radio tuner, which all good alarm clocks should. If you don't feel like being woken up to your heavy metal collection you can record a "Fun Wakeup" (which sounds like an oxymoron to us). You choose a photo from your collection and marry it with a voice recording and create your own custom wake-up call. The Dream Machine supports a range of media file types including MP3 and WMA audio and MPEG4, AVI and MOV video files.
Overall

We have a few nitpicks and grumblings, but overall the Dream Machine is a happy marriage of a few popular electronic appliances. There are features missing that you might expect if you bought one of these appliances as a stand-alone, like Bluetooth or internet connectivity in a digital photo frame, but we feel that the combination of functionality makes up for the shortcomings of each of its parts.

Logitech is no stranger to the world of iPod speakers, churning out both desktop and portable units since shortly after the time of the player's inception. The company hasn't varied sharply from its formula over the years, mainly making evolutionary changes to up the quality and functionality of the devices. The latest portable speaker, the S315i, offers iPhone shielding along with a power-saving feature to increase battery life. The AU$200 unit offers solid sound quality and a durable, compact design, making it a good fit for iPod owners who are constantly on the go.
Design and features

Style-wise, the flat-black Logitech S315i is not at all striking, which means it will likely appeal to most eyes. It's nearly a perfect rectangle, save the slight pinching in the middle that adds a bit of curve. At 10.5 inches wide, 5 inches tall, and an inch deep, the unit will fit nicely into any carry-on bag or purse, though we are a bit disappointed that Logitech didn't include a case in the package — we've come to expect it from speakers in this price range. That said, the unit seems quite durable, with a sturdy flip-out kickstand that covers the iPod dock when closed and a rubber flap to protect the ports on the back.

The back of the S315i houses all controls and features. There's a DC input for the included power adapter as well as a line-in jack that allows you to connect an iPod Shuffle or any non-iPod audio source, though you'll have to provide your own stereo patch cable. Two volume buttons — "up" curved out and "down" dented in for blind control — are housed on the right side, while a power switch sits just above the kickstand. The switch has three settings: off, on and power-save. When the unit is in power-save mode, it offers up to 20 hours of playback off of the battery, whereas standard mode will provide about 10 hours. A single LED beneath the front speaker grille indicates battery level: green glows when you have more than 40 per cent power, orange lights up for 5 to 40 per cent, and red indicates less than 5 per cent.
Performance

The main problem with the Logitech S315i's power-saving mode is that it noticeably decreases audio quality. When we switched the unit into this mode during testing, music sounded thin and weak, with little low-end response. It was barely tolerable. The good news is that the speakers actually sound quite good when running off of wall power or when in standard battery mode. Music comes through clear and open, with no background hiss or distortion, and there is some bass, though not as much as we'd like. Also, while high-end detail is decent, we think the S315i could stand a little more warmth in the mids. Overall, however, we're pleased with the audio response offered by the unit. It's not for audiophiles, but will satisfy the average listener looking to fill a hotel room with tunes. Oh, and it gets good and loud.