T-Mobile and Google Introduce First Android Phone (G1)
T-Mobile and Google teamed up to bring the first Android-based mobile phone today. The T-Mobile G1 or simple G1 appears to be picking a fight against the popular Apple iPhone. The developers of G1 told the press during an online streaming yesterday that their new smartphone sports an open platform.
The phone sports a few features that are not available in other phones. The G1 will have an Amazon mobile music store preloaded. It has a built in QWERTY keyboard. It is incorporated with numerous online applications such as the Google Maps, Android Market and it is YouTube integrated.
As this is a joint project of T-Mobile and Google, the phone will be locked to T-Mobile. The phone can also read basic MS Office applications like Word and Excel. It can also open PDF files.
The G1 has a screen size of 480 x 320. It has a built-in 3.1MP camera. The battery allows up to 5 hours of continuous talk time. It has 1GB MicroSD card that is upgradeable up to 8GB, GPS and accelerometer. Connectivity will not be a problem since it is Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth ready.
Walt Mossberg a gadget enthusiast noted that the G1 phone is a “versatile device which will offer users a real alternative in the new handheld computing category the iPhone has occupied alone.”
The phone will be made available in October 22. It is tagged at $179 with a 2 year binding contract with T-Mobile.
Source: MacRumors
Apple Releases HP Printer Driver 1.1.1
Apple recently released the HP Printer Driver 1.1.1. The driver fixes a celebrated issue with LaserJet Printer Presets.
Earlier, Printing to a HP LaserJet printer may not work if you select a Printer Preset other than the “Standard” Printer Preset. This had caused problems in numerous offices and homes using the HP printers.
Apple users can now download a 405MB printer driver file. Mac OS X 10.5.3 or later is required to run the update. You need first to connect the printer and run the Software Update for the update to begin.
The update applies to Business Inkjet, CM8050 MFP, ColorLaserJet, DesignJet, LaserJet, Mopier, Officejet, and Photosmart printer series.
If you want to know whether or not you should update your driver, the complete list of HP printers that need the new driver can be found on Apple’s website.
Source: MacRumors
WD Offers 500GB My Passport Portable Drives
Western Digital released a new half a terabyte portable hard drive. The 500GB My Passport Portable USB hard disk is the company’s latest addition to its strong line of external storage devices.
The device is currently available in 11 colors. So no matter what the color of your laptop, netbook, computer or workstation is WD assures you that there is at least one HDD that can easily go with it.
The My Passport Portable is a standard external HDD. It uses USB 2.0 both as power source and data transfer interface. So there is no need to tangle your setup with an AC adapter and long cord. It is just about the size of your palm. According to WD, it tips the scale with less than seven ounces. There is a capacity gauge outside the device so you don’t have to check the drive’s details in your computer to know its current memory state.
The new My Passport comes in two configurations; both of these have 500GB capacity. My Passport Essential sports the standard configuration while the My Passport Elite comes with additional management software.
The My Passport Essential external drive costs $199.99 while My Passport Elite costs $219.99.
Source: MacWorld