OnPar's touchscreen GPS rangefinder could almost be a phone

If uPlay's uPro was the "iPhone of golf GPS technology," what then would you call this? Savant GPS has just come clean with what's likely to be the most sophisticated GPS rangefinder to date. The simply-titled OnPar measures in at 4.17- x 2.8- x 0.63-inches and features full touchscreen (3.5-inch) operation. It's also claiming to be the planet's first "GPS rangefinder with a dynamic hole layout display and GPS positioning that provides instant distances to anywhere and remaining distance to the green, personalized club averages, and simple score and shot tracking." The unit is designed to hold up to 300 golf courses with no membership fees or course map fees, and it'll be available for the taking (er, purchasing, we should say) early next month for an undisclosed price.

[Thanks, Scoopster]

Filed under: GPS, Handhelds

OnPar's touchscreen GPS rangefinder could almost be a phone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

Days to 1 million: the smartphone wars

In a fit of editorial sobriety, reader Noel just sent us this handy "1 million devices sold" graphic above. The image demonstrates the speed (in terms of days) at which each competing handset achieved the magic milestone. What it leaves out is the footprint at launch which of course, affects the total population able to purchase the device. For example, the iPhone 3G launched in 21 countries simultaneously whereas the G1 launched in the US only. It's also worth noting that the precision reflects that of the announcements made. For example, VZW announced that the Storm hit 1M "through January" which could be interpreted as January 31st or January 27th, the day of the announcement -- and that's just US sales. Still, the table is a valuable tool for the fanboy braggarts and budding marketeers amongst you. Data after the break.

[Thanks, Noel F.]

Continue reading Days to 1 million: the smartphone wars

Filed under: Cellphones

Days to 1 million: the smartphone wars originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

iSuppli: BlackBerry Storm costs $4 more than its purchase price to build

In a fiscal climate where profit margin reigns intensely supreme, we've got yet another dollop of bad news to heap upon the parfait of pain that is the $199 (after $50 mail in rebate) BlackBerry Storm. Research firm, iSuppli, estimates that the cost for the components and assembly of RIM's BlackBerry Storm are just shy of $203 -- an estimate that does not include software development and uh, bug fixing costs or those attributed to patent licensing, physical distribution, marketing or anything else in the product lifecycle. The most costly component is the $35 Qualcomm MSM7600 processor that gives the Storm its dual GSM / CDMA personality. Now, $203 isn't that big of a spread compared to the per unit cost of a $175 8GB iPhone 3G, $169 BlackBerry Bold, or $144 T-Mobile G1. However, the lost prophets profits add up quickly when you've moved over a million units globally.

P.S. We're not implying that RIM is losing money here (the price is obviously carrier subsidized), only that the Storm is likely less profitable than its peers. But without knowing what VZW pays on a per unit basis, we can't say for sure who's getting the fiscal-shaft.

Filed under: Cellphones

iSuppli: BlackBerry Storm costs $4 more than its purchase price to build originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

Next-gen iPhone evidence lurking in latest firmware?

Could Apple possibly be working on another iPhone? Well, yes, of course -- but Mac Rumors may have stumbled upon the first solid evidence that there's a major hardware revision in the works (and no, we're not necessarily talking about the nano). Seems that the latest firmware revisions have some juicy metadata buried deep within that refers to a product code of "iPhone2,1" -- a decidedly higher number than the "iPhone1,2" representing the current iPhone 3G. What's more, an ad network is reporting web hits from an iPhone2,1, so it looks like this is very much the real deal; only question is, just what the heck is it?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Next-gen iPhone evidence lurking in latest firmware? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

URC's PSX-2 iPod dock enables control via universal remote

These days, it's pretty tough to find an iPod dock that differentiates itself from the crowd. Then again, Universal Remote Control isn't your average iPod accessory maker. Designed specifically for the custom install crowd (but aimed at anyone who appreciates tight home integration) is the PSX-2 Personal Server. Put simply, this doodad enables users to control their iPod like never before by providing users a method of "exploiting all of the iPod's features, including some obscure and rarely-used ones," with any ole IR remote. The device provides "hundreds of discrete IR codes that cover virtually every iPod function, and even functions that aren't available on the iPod itself, such as commands for each of the iPod's EQ settings and the ability to perform alpha searches." Sure, it'll set you back $399, but that's a small price to pay for giving your universal remote one more reason to hang around.

Gallery: URC's PSX-2 iPod dock enables control via universal remote

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio, Portable Video

URC's PSX-2 iPod dock enables control via universal remote originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

Apple vs. Palm: the in-depth analysis

Apple and Palm kicked a lot of dirt at each other last week -- acting Apple CEO Tim Cook flatly told analysts that "We will not stand for people ripping off our IP" when asked specifically about competition like the Palm Pre, and Palm responded with a similarly-explicit "We have the tools necessary to defend ourselves." At issue, of course, is that the Pre employs a multitouch screen and gestures almost exactly like those made famous on the iPhone -- and if you'll recall, Steve Jobs introduced multitouch on the iPhone with a slide reading "Patented!" To top it all off, the past few days have seen a number of media outlets proclaim that Apple's been awarded a "multitouch patent" without so much as a shred of analysis, instead hyping up a supposed future conflict. That's just not how we play it, so we enlisted Mathew Gavronski, a patent attorney in the Chicago office of Michael Best & Friedrich, to help us clear up some of the confusion and misinformation that's out there -- read on for more.

Continue reading Apple vs. Palm: the in-depth analysis

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple vs. Palm: the in-depth analysis originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch

mobiBLU's A10 UFO player may lift off when playing Jefferson Airplane

Is it a portable media player, or just a media player? Should it be worn around the neck, or simply left on the living room table? These questions and more become yours to answer should you choose to invest in mobiBLU's A10 UFO. All we're told is that it's available in glossy red or glossy black and that it features Bluetooth, support for a multitude of file formats, a built-in battery, headphone jack and 2/4/8GB of internal storage. If you look carefully, you'll notice that the red version is actually already starting to float upwards upon the strumming of the first chords in "White Rabbit." Far out, man.

[Via AnythingButiPod]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

mobiBLU's A10 UFO player may lift off when playing Jefferson Airplane originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: iPhone watch