Pioneer’s 32- / 37-inch KURO LCD HDTVs get hands-on treatment

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Just under a month ago, Pioneer finally came clean with its KURO LCD rollout in Europe. Now, we’re being treated to the first hands-on pictures of the 32- and 37-inch models, both of which are set to hit shelves next month. We’ll let the photos do the talking from here. (Psst… they’re in the read link.)

[Thanks, Chris]

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Samsung launches BlackJack III — in South Korea

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Sorry if we got your hopes up for a second there, AT&Ters; we’re still not sure if this one’s ever coming to the US, and today is most definitely not the day. Instead, the SCH-M480, which appears to be alternately known as the BlackJack III and Ultra Messaging 2, has been launched on Korea’s own SK Telecom for something in the range of 600,000 won (about $592). The Windows Mobile 6 Professional handset is a dead ringer for the i780 that’s been launched for a few months now, featuring a lovely 320 x 320 touchscreen, HSDPA, WiFi, and a 2 megapixel camera; not really a direct successor to the BlackJack II since the latter runs Standard, but we could still see a whole host of folks going for the upgrade — if it ever comes to AT&T, that is.

Separately, Boy Genius Report is claiming that AT&T will be getting its very own BlackJack III come October of this year, albeit with a 3 megapixel camera, up from the 2 megapixel sensor seen here. With these fancy new pink and blue versions of the BlackJack II, though, who the heck needs it? We kid, we kid.

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SelfSat’s H21D antenna morphs dish into a plate, spoon left bewildered

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Hey diddle diddle — ATSC antennas aren’t the only pieces of HD gear getting the steamroller treatment. If you’re dying to bring FreeSat programming into your UK abode, but can’t bear hanging a dish on the side of your home, you (and your neighbors) might like this. Zoning must be run with a tighter fist in the UK than here in the US, because according to the linked blurb, mounting a dish can be outright forbidden by local building codes. Either way, you can hang the H21D Flat Antenna on the side of the home and even paint over it. Then just sit back and enjoy the new HD programming so stealthily flowing into your digs! Your wallet will notice the £150 hit, but your neighbors will be none the wiser.

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HTC Rose mentioned by Bluetooth SIG, inspires daydreams of Android

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

So when the Bluetooth SIG leaks a new handset, it’s a leak of epically tiny proportions. Instead of the wealth of test reports we have the distinct pleasure of poring over when we get a juicy device via the FCC, the good ol’ SIG gives us a single table of mostly meaningless information — and that’s in a best-case scenario. The worst case is where we get a model name or codename, geographic availability, and manufacturer name, and that’s it. Such is the case with the HTC Rose, a phone we’ve never heard of before, and for all we know, may never hear about again. Our wild imaginations can easily concoct amazing Android-powered superphones with WVGA displays, 8-megapixel autofocus cameras, and 32GB of ROM until the cows come home, but this could just as easily be an EDGE-only Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard sleeper with all the design inspiration of an ‘82 Ford Escort. Or, you know, more likely something in between.

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Samsung BlackJack II now available in pink and blue

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Saying that Samsung’s new BlackJack IIs are pink and blue is really only telling part of the story. Unlike the originals, the stylish new models feature contrasting white fronts with color-coordinated keys and fancy designs on the back — perfect for that fashion-conscious Windows Mobile nerd in your life (if that’s not an oxymoron, we don’t know what is). Collect the whole set now for $99.99 a pop on contract.

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