Filed under: Cellphones

Ok, imagine this for a second. You’re Eric Schmidt — head of the most powerful internet company in the world, worth $4.8 billion dollars, member of Apple’s board of directors… and you don’t carry Apple’s new cellphone. So what’s a brother got to do to get a friggin iPhone? Check this:

Walt: “… Steve was flashing his iPhone around. I held it for 20 minutes.”
Eric mentions he hasn’t held it, and doesn’t have one.
Walt: “You’re a member of Apple’s board!
Eric: “No…I’m still waiting for mine.”

So either Eric still has his iPhone in pocket-stealth mode, or Steve’s totally stiffing his bud down in Mountain View — we’re bummed either way.

P.S. -Walt asked about the Google phone, which Eric non-denial denied exists. Instead Eric just talked about phones, platforms, application layers, partnerships with KDDI, LG, Samsung, etc.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: GPS

TomTom has already tussled with Garmin over alleged patent infringement, but it looks like the company has now drawn some ire from a slightly more unexpected source, with Encyclopaedia Britannica now suing it, along with Magellan and, somewhat curiously, American TV & Appliance (a retailer based in Wisconsin). So far, about the only thing that’s known about the lawsuit — which was filed May 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin — is that Encyclopaedia Britannica is claiming that the companies infringed on some of its patents for a “computerized map system.” Exactly how that applies to these three particular companies and not everyone else, we’re not sure, though we’re sure we’ll be hearing more about it soon enough.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Announcements

What’s that we hear? Could it be the gentle thumping of beautiful music pouring out of another Sprint UpStage? Why, yes, we think it just might be! Why not go try to make it your own?

Have a look at our other contests, too, before it’s too late: T-Mobile Wing, Sprint UpStage by Samsung (the first one), Nokia N75, Motorola T305, Samsung u620, (PRODUCT) RED MOTORAZR V3m for Sprint

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Maybe this shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise, but when AT&T execs talk about having a long and close relationship with Apple, they’re not just planning on putting out future iPhones. A well-connected source tells us that AT&T and Apple are working on adding IPTV capabilities to the Apple TV beginning sometime next year. (A launch window hasn’t yet been determined, our source says that plans are still being worked out.) We’re guessing that it’ll be something like AT&T’s U-verse TV service, but it’s still way too early to say whether this would be a blown-out offering a full package of channels aimed at replacing your current cable/satellite service, a more limited selection of on-demand programming, or whether it’d even be available to non-AT&T subscribers.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Storage

The MultiMediaCard Association (MMC) has set the stage for yet another memory card format to compete for your photos and other media, today announcing the specification for its new MiCard multiple-interface memory cards. That “multiple-interface” consists of the standard MMC interface, along with an integrated USB connector to eliminate the need for a separate card reader — something that’s already relatively common with SD cards. What’s more the MiCard will also be smaller than a standard MMC card, measuring 12mm x 21mm x 1.95mm, although it’ll still be compatible with existing MMC-based devices through the use of an adapter. According to EETimes BenQ, A-Data, Pretec, and a number of other companies have already signed on to support the new format, although it’s not clear when the first MiCards will actually be available.

[Via EETimes]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Networking

High-end audio manufacturer McIntosh Laboratory (they were around long before a couple kids named Steve started fooling around in their garage) is looking to take back some space on the audiophile shelf from all those wannabe-pro upstarts like the Slim Transporter with its new MS750 music server. The unit features a 750GB drive, CD burner, and a FLAC encoder that can be run in real time from the unit’s inputs, so purists can rip their precious vinyl at least without lossy encoding. In addition, the MS750 supports WMA, MP3, and AAC — perfect for those newly DRM-free “high-quality” iTunes Plus tracks. Music can be streamed to and from the rig via the built-in Ethernet and McIntosh’s Music Guide software, and the server can be network controlled or integrated into a home automation rig through the multiple RS-232 serial ports. All those connections don’t come cheap, though — McIntosh says the MS750 will set you back six large when it drops in June.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia’s newest and oft rumored “Luna” is finally getting its turn in the spotlight and oh, how it shines. This Series 40 phone features quadband GSM / EDGE, a 2 megapixel camera, translucent smoked glass slider over the keypad, and Nokia’s first use of a micro-USB port. Of course, this isn’t just any Series 40 handset — okay, well maybe it is, unless it’s rolling with the 5th gen release — this is top of the line stuff where price is concerned and you will be paying $700 for the luxury of picking one up. The 8600 handset is crafted from stainless steel and glass — and that glass bit, plus the price, is just the ticket for lakes of giant crybaby tears if one of these guys ever hits the pavement. No word on carrier availability yet, but with release planned for sometime in Q2, we have plenty of time to fill in those blanks. Oh yeah, check out Engadget Mobile for a full gallery!

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!