May 16, 2006, 4:18 PM PDT
Motorola's Zander talks with CNET
Posted by: Kent German

In an interview today with CNET.com and CNET News.com, Motorola CEO Ed Zander divulged some juicy details about the upcoming Motorola Q. As Bonnie Cha reports, Zander said that the slim smart phone will make its formal debut next week. Though a firm release date is still under wraps, it's been rumored for several weeks that the Q will go on sale with Verizon on May 22.

CNET News.com reporter Michael Kanellos has a full story on the interview, but I'm happy to serve up other tidbits from the discussion.

• The Q in neither a cell phone nor a smart phone Zander said; rather, it's a multimedia device. Also, its complexity led to the development delays.
• There are no plans currently to release the Motorola Rokr E2 with a U.S. carrier (it's available in China now). Zander did say, however, that he wished the Rokr E2 was the first Rokr on the market instead of the widely panned Rokr E1.
• The Razr not only took the cell phone world by storm, it also had a huge effect on Motorola internally. As Zander put it, the trendy thin handset made Moto employees realize the company "could be cool again."
• Zander attributes Motorola's success in the last year to an emphasis on device design, aggressive marketing campaigns, and a common platform.
• He wouldn't speculate on rumors that Apple is designing its own cell phone.

So those are the highlights from our talk with Zander. We also got a sneak look at the sexy Motorola Ming. And in case you were wondering, he was carrying a gold Razr as his personal phone.

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May 16, 2006, 1:35 PM PDT
Motorola CEO says Q coming next week
Posted by: Bonnie Cha

In a meeting today with CNET News.com and CNET.com, Motorola CEO Ed Zander stated that the long, long-anticipated Motorola Q would finally make its public debut next week. The Q is widely believed to be available through Verizon Wireless, and Zander said the reason it's taken so long to release the phone is that it is a "complex" device and has needed to go through multiple iterations. Trust us when we say we'll be rushing to the front of the line to get our hands on the Q to see if it's worth all the hype. In the meantime, check out the full Q&A session with Ed Zander at CNET News.com.

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May 16, 2006, 1:35 PM PDT
The MacBook problem: it's the mouse, stupid
Posted by: Molly Wood

As we've discussed, Apple today transformed its aging iBook line into a spanking-new MacBook line. And the new MacBooks, which are a baby step below the MacBook Pro line, are actually pretty sweet. They're 13-inch laptops, just a touch bigger than the pocketbook-size 12-inch PowerBook, with Intel Core Duo processors running between 1.83GHz and 2.0GHz, with 60GB and 80GB hard drives. They're smaller than the iBooks (5.2 pounds and less than an inch thick); they're decently tricked out, connection-wise; and they come with built in iSight video cameras--and hey, they're reasonably priced, ranging from just $1,099 to $1,499. One model even comes in nice, shiny, Nano black. And of course, since the MacBooks have Intel inside, they'll run Windows under Boot Camp, no problem.

But I still can't buy one.

I can hear you asking it now. "But why?" (Except more rudely.) And I admit--Apple has removed almost every single barrier there is to switching to a Mac laptop. It looks good, it's decently fast, it's inexpensive, and if I wanted to, I could run nothing but Windows all the livelong day. What's the problem here?

Call me unreasonable if you will, but the problem is as tiny as a mouse. Neither the MacBook nor the MacBook Pro comes with--even as an option--a second mouse button. At this point, when Apple itself has made a weak nod toward those who want to right-click by releasing the Mighty Mouse, the lack of a second mouse button on these laptops is patently ridiculous. Here's just a short list of contextual menus that have been available in the Mac OS since version 8.5. They include spell-checking and correction in Microsoft Word, changing desktop options, making aliases, getting information, deleting, opening, and so on. In OS X, Apple built most of the powerful customization features of the Dock into contextual menus. Contextual menus are everywhere in OS X, and most Mac users--an astonishing number of whom don't even know about control-click, considering that it's Tip No. 1 in most books on using a Mac--are using painstaking, click-intensive techniques to accomplish the most basic of tasks.

Now, throw the Windows compatibility into the mix, and the lack of a second mouse button becomes a complete travesty. I know that Apple has no interest in formally supporting the use of Windows, and that its decision to let you dual-boot into Windows has nothing to do with encouraging you to use Windows full-time on a new Mac. But it's absolutely an attempt to create a more welcoming environment for would-be switchers, and what would do that better than that old standby, a two-button mouse?

When you add in the fact that Mac users themselves have been begging for a two-button mouse, deriding previous accessories like the "hockey puck" and buying either multibutton add-ons or simply new mice altogether for more than a decade, this continued stubbornness on the mouse issue looks less like an aesthetic or interface choice and more like a simple battle of wills. And at this point, it's time to give in. People like multibutton mice. That's just how it is. Control-clicking is awkward and unnecessary. Contextual menus are handy and powerful, they're the standard in third-party applications and Apple's own operating system, and, frankly, they can help prevent RSI-inducing multiple-menu mousing and clicking. Gamers flat out need more than one button. And I, personally, won't switch until I get one. Apple, I'm serious: it's time to build a better mouse.

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May 16, 2006, 12:46 PM PDT
We scope Sony's Blu-ray RC310 desktop
Posted by: Dan Ackerman

At last night's Sony VAIO 10th anniversary party in New York, we got a chance to hobnob with some of our fellow tech journalists and check out VAIOs past and present. At the West Chelsea lounge Guest House, we saw several classic systems, like the 1998 ultraslim 505 notebook, in museum-like glass display cases.

Sony used the event to unveil two new systems, the handheld VAIO UX180P Micro PC and the Blu-ray VAIO AR190G notebook. But what caught our eye was the RC310 desktop, Sony's long-promised Blu-ray Media Center PC. It wasn't on the official agenda last night, but we had a chance to look at it up close, and wedging our heads around the back, we saw that the display model had VGA and DVI outputs (but no HDMI, important for playing back Blu-ray movies with next-gen downscaling copy protection turned on) and a single TV tuner card.

Also on display was the recent VAIO Digital Living System XL2, the current iteration of Sony's Media-Center-meets-DVD-changer line. No mention of the previously high-profile XL3, which was supposed to be the summer 2006 Blu-ray version of this system--so perhaps my earlier prediction that the XL series was at the end of its line is correct. You can find more hints about the future of the RC series here and here.

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May 16, 2006, 11:57 AM PDT
Quad SLI arrives via Biohazard Computers
Posted by: Rich Brown

Finally, after five months of hype, roughly five weeks of "have you shipped it yet" phone calls and e-mail to various vendors, we finally got our hands on an Nvidia Quad SLI rig by way of the Biohazard Annihilation Quad SLI Edition. We have it paired with a giant 30-inch Dell LCD, so we'll be able to test at its intended resolutions, too. Quake 4 and F.E.A.R. at 2,560x1,600 is the plan, and we'll probably do a few others for good measure.

For comparison, we'll be running some extra high-resolution tests on the recently reviewed Cyberpower Gamer Ultra X1900 XT. This way we'll get to see how two representative systems featuring the current highest-end 3D graphics technologies stack up against each other. We'll have the first round of benchmarks ready soon, so stay tuned.

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May 16, 2006, 11:45 AM PDT
Your video audience: quantity vs. quality
Posted by: Rafe Needleman

Today, YouTube welcomes AOL's Uncut Video [story on TechCrunch] to the morass of sites that host user-created (or user-appropriated) videos. The product looks decent enough, and since it's part of the AOL mothership, it integrates with other AOL properties, such as AIM.

How's a potential online video mogul supposed to pick a site? Partly it depends on how you want people to find your content. If you have a general-interest video and you hope that users will stumble upon it, you want to post on a big site, such as YouTube, AOL, or Google, where huge numbers of drive-by visitors might be exposed to your work. But if your goal is to put up video that you're going to post on your own site or blog, the smaller sites have features that you may find much more useful. For example, Grouper allows users to download your videos to their iPod or PSP. VideoEgg has an especially simple upload utility. Revver can insert ads in your work. JumpCut has editing and remixing features.

If you're aiming to serve your own audience and not the world at large, the most important feature is the capability to embed your video wherever you want it--in your blog, on your MySpace page, on your business's site, and so on. All of the video sites offer this; most will generate embeddable HTML code with the click of one button. But you still have to muck around in your site to embed the player. VideoEgg, on the other hand, will do the lifting for you and post directly to popular blog sites (TypePad and Blogger), as well as to eBay, and it gets my nod as the best site for users who want to quickly post videos to their own site. (AOL, by contrast, will post directly to AOL Journal but not other blogs.)

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May 16, 2006, 10:17 AM PDT
T-Mobile gets Samsung SGH-T609
Posted by: Kent German

T-Mobile has picked up the Samsung SGH-T609, a relatively modest-looking but full-featured flip phone, which we first saw at CES in January. Inside, you'll find a 1.3-megapixel camera and camcorder, an MP3 player, Bluetooth, instant messaging, voice commands and dialing, EDGE compatibility, a speakerphone, and quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) world phone support. The SGH-T609 is $199 if you pay full price, but service rebates will knock off $50.

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May 16, 2006, 9:19 AM PDT
Nokia 770 adds VoIP and IM support
Posted by: Bonnie Cha

In a press conference today in Sweden, Nokia announced a new software upgrade to its Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. It adds support for Internet calls and instant messaging, including Google Talk. Other features include a full-screen virtual keyboard, improved memory performance, and a new interface. The update is expected to be available during Q2 2006, and existing 770 owners can download it for free here.

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May 16, 2006, 8:57 AM PDT
New MacBooks! Wait, what? Today?
Posted by: Molly Wood

Now that's weird. Apple's having a new store opening Friday in New York, preceded by an invitation-only press event Thursday. But they went ahead and announced new MacBooks today, anyway. Deets: The 13-inch laptops replace the iBooks and are on sale now, starting at $1,099 and ranging up to a top-of-the-line 2GHz model (Intel Core Duo, of course) that comes only in black. Whoa, a black laptop, no way! That's so...oh, wait. Sort of like a ThinkPad. But come on, admit it, you want it. It's way shinier. In related shiny news, the MacBook Pro gets a processor upgrade and a glossy new display.

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May 16, 2006, 8:39 AM PDT
Sprint to offer Treo 700p by end of May
Posted by: Bonnie Cha

Today, Sprint announced that it will be the first carrier to offer the new Palm Treo 700p, ahead of Verizon Wireless. Sprint says the upgraded Palm-based Treo will be available in stores and online by the end of May for $399.99. No word yet on when Verizon customers will be able to get their hands on the 700p, but stay tuned for updates and a full review.

Also, I'm curious--what do you think of the Treo 700p? Will you upgrade or purchase? Talk back to me below.

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