Right now we’re just starting to see products hitting the market with Cortex-A9 processors. However, a new generation of ARM powered devices will be just around the corner. ARM today is introducing its latest Cortex-A15 processor, which can provide up to 2.5Ghz speeds via a dynamic multicore architecture to devices while providing a low-power footprint. The new chips are intended for HD-ready smartphones, tablets, netbooks, and digital home entertainment set-top boxes that run or make use of Android, Symbian, Adobe Flash, Java, Linux, Windows Embedded, Ubuntu (related), and other ARM compatible platforms. It’s pretty exciting news — especially if you think about what kind of capabilities we’ll all soon be seeing products offering in the near future. MORE »

Wow, talk about a stunner! This Blu-ray packing, mini-PC you’re looking at here will be sold by ZOTAC in two configurations. The HD-ID33 is the barebones unit that leaves 2 x 200-pin DDR2-800 memory slots and a 2.5-inch SATA drive connection open for your configuration. The HD-ID34 comes loaded with 2GB of RAM and a 250GB 5400RPM hard drive out of the box. Both models share an Intel Atom D525 dual-core 1.8Ghz processor, NVIDIA ION 2 graphics (w/ 512MB DDR3 memory), Gigabit Ethernet/802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity, HDMI (w/ 7.1-channel audio), eSATA/USB 2.0 & 3.0 ports, 6-in-1 memory card reader, and a slot loading Blu-ray drive. Just bring your own OS to get things going (compatible with Windows and Linux). ZOTAC has also included a copy of Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 to allow users to play their Blu-ray discs using Windows 7 or Vista. Price and availability: TBA. MORE »

Huh, looks like the folks at Boxee are taking my advice from an earlier report I wrote for their strategy partner regarding the Boxee Box. (Of course, I’ll never get any credit or “the job.” BTW, the suggestion wasn’t well received at the time.) Boxee, according to NewTeeVee, is announcing that they’re replacing their anemic Boxee Browser with a full WebKit browser — the same rendering engine that powers Chrome and Safari — to tap the open web for TV optimized HTML5 web apps, which Google TV has been pushing. Good for them… particularly for its users who will also see the browser in the Boxee desktop client this November. No word if one will be able to actually surf the entire web with it, though, or how, if at all, it will be able to bookmark web apps. Maybe next up we’ll see unified search being integrated to find local and online media content — another idea I proposed.

TechRadar is reporting that Google’s Chrome OS (based on Chromium OS), according to a Google senior product manager for the project, will only be targeted to netbooks at this time — even though the OS supports touch capabilities. It makes sense, if you think about it. The tablet, as of late, has gained success as a media consumption and app driven device (perfect for Android), while the netbook is a productivity and web surfing tool for getting things done, which is what Chrome OS is all about. No doubt we’ll be seeing netbooks with and without touchscreens making the rounds at CES 2011. Unfortunately, we’ll most likely not be seeing any Chromium OS tablets like the concept we got a glimpse of earlier this year. Google Chrome OS is planned to have its public launch sometime by year end. MORE »

Intel wants your best ideas for a chance to help the engineers create the home phone of tomorrow. Intel is awarding prizes for the best submissions and they’ve posted a Facebook Page with all the details on getting started, including hardware specs one would base their ideas on. Attached below is an inspirational video Intel created for the contest. You can also track, vote, and comment on ideas via their Facebook App. MORE »

I don’t think too many sites noticed this. Microsoft on September 1st officially introduced the Arc Touch Mouse. We got an early glimpse of it in August, but they were mostly leaked pics with some supporting information. What we now know for a fact is that the device can work on just about any surface via BlueTrack Technology, it’s only 15mm thick at its widest point, it was designed to be portable and ergonomic (it can go “from curved to flat with one simple movement”), offers haptic/vibration feedback, and it includes touch sensing technologies with custom functions for scrolling (controlled, hyperfast fast-flick), page up/down, and 3-button controls. Two AAA batteries give the Arc Touch Mouse approximately 6 months of battery life. MSRP is $69.95 and it will ship this December. Below is great demo video, produced by Buy.com, with one of the industrial designers who helped create the Arc Touch Mouse at Microsoft. MORE »

This is a bit of a teaser…. The WSJ is reporting that Google TV will include voice control courtesy of Google’s speech recognition technology — the same that powers Android on handsets. No word on how far the integration will go, but a Google product manager says one will be able to change channels just using their voice. I’m guessing the process will work similarly to Voice Actions for Android (demo below). Now the big question is: Will there be any other input devices, other than an Android handset, that can take voice commands? MORE »

In the attached video from IFA 2010, you’ll see a demo of LG’s new Smart TV platform (aka NetCast) and the company’s new Magic Wand remote (which looks different than the pic we saw earlier). Our buddy Charbax does an excellent job of questioning the LG rep on how things work and the technologies involved. Interestingly, we learn that live TV can be shrunk down to allow one to navigate apps, stored media, and even interact with an app like Twitter while live TV continues to play. The platform also supports TV web apps written in HTML5 like Google TV, though that feature is still in development. As you’ll see the Magic Wand works pretty well for pointing the cursor, however, LG plans to also release TV remote apps for iPhone and Android that will allow users to input text more easily to their TV web browser and apps. So far it sounds like nothing is off the table for LG in this actively evolving space – I like that. Aside: the Plex on LG integration was HUGE… but Miro integration (you can see the app on the TV’s screen) is also a big deal, though it hasn’t been publicized. I’m curious if one will be able to download torrents to a USB drive for TV viewing? MORE »

Many folks were fans of the 1080p capable Acer Aspire Revo 3610 nettop powered by an Intel Atom 1.6Ghz processor, 2GB RAM, and NVIDIA ION graphics — it made for nice low power, low budget HTPC. Now the company has a new version coming out that takes things up notch… or two. The new 3700 boasts a dual-core Intel Atom D525 1.8Ghz processor, up to 4GB DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA ION 2 graphics (w/ DirectX 10, 3D support), and 500GB of storage. Like the previous model, the 3700 provides Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, HDMI, S/PDIF audio, multi-card reader, and an assortment of USB ports and a mini PCI express expansion slot. Retail price is expected to be around $580 when it launches later this year. MORE »

If you live in Europe and are able to access DVB-T freeview television, you’re going to want to see what PCTV Systems has in store for you in the coming months. The company is putting the finishing touches on a HDHomeRun-like device called the PCTV Broadway that is able to capture and broadcast dual TV streams over your LAN for playback on PCs (recording possible through PCTV’s DistanTV software) and mobile devices — specifically Apple’s iPad and iPhone — via an H.264 capable web browser. The brilliant thing here is that the device can stream the video via Ethernet or 802.11n Wi-Fi and it encodes all video to H.264 before broadcast without a PC. A demo of the product in action is attached below. I’m thinking a US version would be very much welcomed, if PCTV Systems decides to create one. [via] MORE »