Willcom's D4 gets reviewed

Jenn from Pocketables has gotten her hands on the diminutive Willcom D4 and given it an ultra-thorough review -- and we've got the details. While she praises the general speed of the device, screen resolution and brightness, and comfort of holding the D4, her reactions to the touchpad and keyboard are less than enthusiastic. Adding insult to apparent injury, it seems that the battery life leaves quite a bit to be desired (unless you're employing the extended battery pack), the video playback is choppy with most codecs, and the non-standard headphone jack is deeply, deeply annoying. The conclusion? Willcom's miniature needs "Help to achieve its potential," which is probably not what most potential buyers of the $1500 device want to hear. Of course, you should explore the whole review -- and its handsome photos -- so hit the read link for more.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: atom,d4,intel,mid,mobile internet device,MobileInternetDevice,sharp,vista,willcom,willcom d4,WillcomD4 ]

Man inexplicably brings touchscreen to the PSP

A certain jube808 has launched a quixotic quest to add a myriad of features to the PSP that he believes should've been there from the start, including beefed up battery life, a better control pad, and touchscreen support. Think what you will of his aims, he certainly seems to have some hardware chops, as he's got a touchscreen up and running on the handheld. So far he's just got a proof of concept keyboard, which works with a finger or a stylus, but the hope is to provide full touchscreen support for homebrew gaming. Let us know how that goes, jube. Videos are after the break.

[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: hack,jube808,mod,psp,touchscreen ]

Fujitsu to launch FLEPia color e-ink e-books in the fall?

We first saw Fujitsu's FLEPia e-books with the company's color e-ink tech over a year ago, but rumor has it they're finally getting close to launch. That's the word according to Nikkei, which says that the A4-sized readers won't feature an integrated backlight, but still be able to run for up to 50 hours on a single charge. The WiFi-capable unit is said to cost ?100,000 ($941), but other specs are still up in the air -- hopefully they'll be changing the name as well.

[ Via: CrunchGear ]
[ Tag: color e-ink,ColorE-ink,e book,e book reader,e-book,e-book reader,E-bookReader,e-ink,EBook,EBookReader,fujitsu ]

BeBook e-book reader makes its debut, doesn't run BeOS

If you can get past the tinge of disappointment in learning that something named the BeBook isn't actually the BeOS-based laptop you've been waiting for all these years, you may be only slightly less disappointed to know that it's another fairly ordinary and somewhat overpriced e-book reader. Coming in at a hefty €330 (or $510), this one ditches newfangled features like built-in WiFi or EV-DO, with it choosing instead to focus on basic features like a six-inch E Ink display, 512MB of internal memory, and an SD card slot for expansion. You'll also get support for all the usual document and image formats, as well as some basic MP3 playback functionality. If that somehow sounds like the e-book reader you've been waiting for, you can order one now and get free worldwide shipping.



[ Via: Gadget Lab ]
[ Tag: bebook,e-book,e-book reader,E-bookReader,e-reader ]