Category: News

Sometimes you write a post purely as an excuse to run a picture you’ve fallen in love with. This is one of those times.

That kid crawling out of the picture frame is from an 1874 trompe l’oiel painting by Pere Borell del Caso, and he lives at the Banco de Espana in Madrid. The title of the painting? Escaping Criticism. Seems Pere Borell had some issues with the nattering nabobs of the press, and he whipped up a pretty foolproof case for himself.

Escaping Criticism is part of the exhibit Genuine Illusions: The Art of Trompe-l’oiel, which opens Feb. 13 at the Bucerius Kunst Forum in Hamburg. Besides fooling the eye, trompe-l’oiel is about wit: It has fun fooling you, and you have fun back. Critics be damned, right, kid?

Read more about it at Art Knowledge News.

***************

A couple of weeks ago the Oregon Jewish Museum reopened in new, much bigger quarters on Northwest Kearney Street in Portland, and I wrote about it in last Friday’s A&E section of The Oregonian. You can read that story, which discusses the new space’s first big show, The Shape of Time, here.

One thing I didn’t mention in that story: The museum shares a parking lot with its neighbor ComedySportz. Culture is all about collaboration these days, so think of the possibilities. Jewish humor is vital to the American comedy scene — it’s almost as if Jews invented American comedy, especially the urban variety. What might the Jewish Museum and the improvimaniacs at ComedySportz cook up besides parking Priuses if they really got their heads together?

Just a thought.

We’re sure to see a ton of small portable media players this week at CES and these from Samsung are just two of them. The Samsung MyFit is aimed at fitness junkies, while trendy kids will probably opt for the IceTouch. They both are candybar-type devices and playback media, but that’s where the similarities end.

The MyFit is a fitness machine — well, not really a machine, more of a fitness gadget. It features monitors that measures stress and fat levels, along an accelerometer to track calorie burned during the workout. The device also comes equipped with a fitness manager and a calorie intake guide for those mid-day snack attacks.

The IceTouch, however, are for those that are already beautiful. These are the kids that will appreciate the sleek, glass look of the transparent AMOLED touchscreen and would never think of actually getting sweaty while holding it. This 16GB PMP can playback various video files, has an FM radio, and can even function as a portable storage device.

Too bad Samsung doesn’t care enough to release the pricing details for these models yet. The company wants to play the PR game and wet out taste buds with the specs and then issue another release later on to announces that info. Fun.

Samsung Introduces Award-Winning MP3 players with Innovative Transparent Touch AMOLED Display and Customized Wellness Applications

IceTouch features the world’s first transparent AMOLED touch-screen display, and MyFit features the world’s first wellness management technology with body fat and stress level measurements designed to help users get fit and stay in shape

LAS VEGAS – January 5, 2010 – Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today unveiled two MP3 players designed for the media savvy and those concerned with managing their personal well-being.

The IceTouch (YP-H1), featuring the world’s first 2-inch, full color, transparent Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) touch-screen display, functions as a DVD-quality video player, studio quality audio player, an ultra-portable photo album, an FM radio and even a portable storage device.  The MyFit (YP-W1), which features the first wellness-promoting technology, helps users monitor stress level, fat thickness, calorie intake and burn, and exercise effectiveness. Both players received a 2010 CES “Innovations Honoree” award and will be on display at the Samsung booth #11026 during the International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, January 7 – 10, 2010.

“In the world of MP3 players, companies need to continuously innovate and redefine the user experience, and we think we’ve done both of those things with the IceTouch and MyFit products,” said Reid Sullivan, senior vice president of Audio/Video and Digital Imaging Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “Whether a consumer is looking for a multimedia device that offers unprecedented video playback quality or a multipurpose player they can use to help them get into shape when they go to the gym, Samsung has a solution to meet the needs of the consumer.”

IceTouch 16GB Transparent AMOLED Touch-Screen MP3 Player

In addition to the full-color transparent AMOLED touch screen, the IceTouch features a high-performance CPU and Samsung’s own “TouchWiz Sweep” interface, which is designed to provide a comfortable grip and give users new options for interacting with their player.

Audio purists will appreciate the device’s new 5.1-channel sound enhancement technology and support for the MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AAC, M4A, WAV and MP3HD audio codecs, and video hounds will love being able to playback MPEG4, WMV, H.264, Xvid and Divx files. The player also continually analyzes and adjusts audio levels to reflect the producer’s intended sound.

The AMOLED screen casing is constructed using a dual-injection molding process and tempered glass and results in a smooth, durable and scratch-proof surface that is aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable to the touch. The IceTouch, which comes in white, can also be individually customized through separately sold color skins in pink, blue, purple and gray.

MyFit Wellness Promoting MP3 Player

As the world’s first portable media player to integrate wellness management tools, such as stress and body fat levels and customized workout guides, MyFit helps users achieve wellness while enjoying their favorite music tracks.  MyFit transcends basic playback of music and videos and enters the realm of wellness information and monitoring. Its unique features reflect the functional and stylistic nature of music enthusiasts while incorporating important applications and information for a fully-customizable device that encourages a healthy lifestyle.  Music can be collected into a jogging playlist and a simple Tapping Control Jogging mode makes it easy to change to the next song without interrupting a workout.

Breaking ground with the world’s first fat and stress sensors located on the top of the player, MyFit measures a user’s wellness indicators and contains an exercise management program to keep people on target with their fitness goals. A built-in accelerometer automatically tracks calories burned while jogging, and users can record their caloric consumption per meal with the included food calorie database. Additional wellness applications built into the MyFit include a water intake manager and smoking cessation utility.

But more than helping to make consumers healthier, MyFit is a full-featured portable music player that features an FM radio tuner and Samsung’s DNSe 3.0 sound enhancement technology, which helps to overcome the inefficiencies and limitations of compressed audio files and generate a more realistic stereo sound. Media playback includes high quality compressed and lossless audio formats, such as MP3, WMA, OGG, and AAC, as well as MPEG4 and WMV video formats.

The IceTouch and MyFit will be available in the first half of 2010 with 16GB and 8GB storage capacity, respectively.

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Lenovo already treated us to a slew of new ThinkPad machines, and now it’s time for the Idea line to get its due. Up first, we’ve got the IdeaCentre A300, which is hailed as the industry’s thinnest all-in-one desktop. Measuring just 18.5mm deep, the 21.5-inch machine sports a 1080p LED panel, Core 2 Duo CPU, WiFi and a bundled Bluetooth keyboard / mouse. The IdeaPad S10-3t (shown above) is the industry’s first multitouch capacitive netbook tablet, with Lenovo trumpeting the device’s ability to easily recognize fingertip input and plow through chores with an Atom N470 CPU and a 320GB hard drive. Moving right along, the 14-inch Y460 and 15.6-inch Y560 offer up respectable multimedia performance on a budget, while the 20-inch Lenovo C310 goes down as the company’s first multitouch all-in-one desktop. The Core i7-equipped IdeaCentre K320 caters to the gamers, and the G460 / G560 lappies are slated to suit those “mainstream” users who just need something basic to handle… well, the basics. Pricing, availability and detailed specifications await you just beyond the break.

Continue reading Lenovo busts out IdeaCentre A300, IdeaPad S10-3t and plenty of other solid Ideas

Lenovo busts out IdeaCentre A300, IdeaPad S10-3t and plenty of other solid Ideas originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that Snapdragon-powered Lenovo smartbook we peeked back in November of last year? No? Fret not, as the aforesaid outfit has just come clean with the details surrounding the previously elusive device. The Skylight is Lenovo’s first-ever smartbook, and while we’re still struggling to see what niche these things are designed to fill, we definitely can’t knock the internals. It’s the industry’s first ARM-based, Qualcomm smartbook, and it’s powered by a 1GHz processor. Other specs include a 10.1-inch display (1,280 x 720), a customized version of Linux, 20GB (total) of flash storage, 2GB of cloud storage, an 8GB miniSD card, twin USB ports, 1.3 megapixel camera, WiFi and a battery capable of humming along for ten hours on a full charge. The clamshell enclosure weighs under two pounds, and the integrated AT&T WWAN module ensures that you can get connected wherever a tower is available. The unit will ship this April with 18 preloaded web gadgets (including portals to Amazon MP3, Facebook, Gmail and YouTube), and pricing is set for $499 (MSRP). We’re told that AT&T will offer it up as well, but it’s unclear whether or not it’ll subsidize the Skylight should you commit to a two-year DataConnect contract. Rest assured that we’ll be getting some face time with this bugger in short order, but till then, you can peek the press release and a promo /hands-on video just after the break. Oh, and we should mention that we snapped an extremely brief hands-on with the machine a small bit ago, and we’re still flabbergasted by how thin it was. Expect a more thorough look tomorrow!

Continue reading Lenovo Skylight: its first ARM / Snapdragon-based smartbook, coming in April for $499

Lenovo Skylight: its first ARM / Snapdragon-based smartbook, coming in April for $499 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When we walked the sound-filled halls of Klipsch’s Indianapolis headquarters last month, the company insisted that it was always looking at possible expansions into new markets. Today at CES, it’s proving that those words aren’t being uttered carelessly. The all-new LightSpeaker is a unique and potentially game-changing device in the whole home audio market, as unlike similar contraptions, this one requires no external wiring or power. The device is designed to fit into normal 5- to 6-inch light recesses, which enables existing homeowners to easily retrofit these into their ceilings and walls. We were granted some hands-on time with the light, and put simply, you just screw it into a conventional fixture, dial up the desired zone on the bundled remote, and listen. A full-range driver sits just beneath the LED light, and it receives signals via a 2.4GHz base station that can be plugged into just about any source.

Klipsch plans to ship these soon in two main packages: a kit that includes a base station and two LightSpeakers for around $600 and a single LightSpeaker by its lonesome for around $250. The bundled controller allows users to control two zones and two sources, and you can also adjust lighting brightness and volume via the main station or the smaller remote. Each zone can easily support four LightSpeakers, and when we asked if these could withstand the elements, we were told that they’d do fine in a covered patio but probably not within an unshielded pool deck. In other words, some humidity shouldn’t be an issue, but you probably wouldn’t want ‘em to get rained on all night. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see a bundle in the future that includes a wireless subwoofer to really round out the audio, but don’t say you heard it from us. Peek the gallery for a closer look!

Continue reading Klipsch LightSpeaker makes whole home audio as simple as screwing in a light bulb (hands-on)

Klipsch LightSpeaker makes whole home audio as simple as screwing in a light bulb (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Nexus One. In the modern climate of hyped (and over-hyped) smartphone launches, Google’s official entry into the phone-sales game has excelled in a department where many find difficulty: generating legitimate excitement. Of course, long before the name Nexus One or the recent bounty of pictures and details existed, the very concept of a “Google Phone” had been ingrained in the public conscience, predating even the Open Handset Alliance and Android itself; the company dabbled in the concept of direct sales through its offering of the Android Dev Phones 1 and 2 (alias Ion), but this time, it’s a public retail ordeal, not a couple of one-off developer specials. The genuine-article Google Phone is finally here — for better or worse.

The device, a Snapdragon-powered, HTC-built phone looks — on paper, at least — like the ultimate Android handset, combining a newly tweaked and tightened user interface with killer industrial design. A sleek, streamlined phone that can easily go toe-to-toe with the iPhone 3GSs, Pres, and Droids of the world, powered by the latest version of Android (2.1 “Flan,” if you’re counting), and hand-retooled by Google. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Can the Nexus One possibly live up to the hype ascribed to it? And more importantly, is the appearance of the phone the death knell for the OHA and a sign of the coming Android autocracy? In our exclusive review of the Nexus One, we’ll answer all those pressing questions and more… so read on for the full scoop!

Note: The unit we have in hand is — by all appearances — a production model, save for the QR code imprint on the back, which is likely a employee-only Easter egg. However, Google is making its official announcement tomorrow, and there could always be differences. If anything changes with the device, or there are revelations about the marketing or sale of the phone, we’ll be sure to update the review with new info.

Continue reading Nexus One review

Nexus One review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that everyone and their mother’s got a smartphone, you’ve got a pile of sweaty capitalists pounding on the door trying to find every last conceivable way to turn the trend into cold, hard cash. One of the most obvious — quality apps from a central clearinghouse — is proving fruitful through countless official platform app stores, but targeted mobile advertising has to be a close second. Google saw the writing on the wall and snapped up AdMob not long ago; one of AdMob’s competitors, Quattro Wireless, is now rumored to be locked up for a purchase by Apple for a cool $275 million as early as tomorrow. While mobile ads (or ads of any sort, really) aren’t event remotely in Cupertino’s repertoire, it’s easy to see how this could give the company an opportunity to capitalize on the iPhone’s vibrant free app ecosystem, centralize revenue for devs (while stealing a nice little cut for itself), and take back a cottage industry that’s flourished since the App Store’s debut. At this point, it’s unclear what this means for iPhone users — or would-be tablet users, for that matter — but seeing how this jibes with recent Apple IP, this tie-up might actually make a frightening amount of sense.

Apple buying mobile ad network Quattro Wireless for $275M? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Année de stagnation pour le marché automobile italien qui, grâce notamment à un bon mois de décembre, finit pratiquement inchangé par rapport à 2008.

Une stagnation qui cache de grandes disparités d’une marque à l’autre et d’un mois sur l’autre, comme dans beaucoup de pays en cette année mouvementée. Ainsi en décembre, le marché a progressé de 15,54%, et les marques domestiques de 19,38%.

Ces marques nationales comprennent bien entendu les 5 du groupe Fiat (Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Ferrari et Maserati), Lamborghini, mais aussi DR Motor (Di Risio), qui assemble des chinoises Chery avec des moteurs Fiat et est considéré comme un constructeur local. La part de marché de l’ensemble de ces marques est passée de 32 à 33% sur un an, dont 25,45% pour Fiat. Alfa est en hausse de 4,58% malgré des derniers mois difficiles en raison du remplacement prochain de la 147. De son côté, Lancia s’est mieux comportée avec une hausse de 9,88% sur l’année.

Di Risio Motor DR5

Les éco-primes locales incitant à l’achat de véhicules fonctionnant avec un carburant alternatif (essentiellement gaz naturel et GPL) ont porté leurs fruits. La part de ces véhicules est en effet passée de 9,9% en janvier 2009 à 31% en décembre.

Du côté des étrangères, les fortunes sont diverses avec de belles progressions pour Chevrolet, Nissan, Ford (merci la nouvelle Fiesta) et Peugeot, mais surtout Hyundai (+91%). C’est beaucoup moins bon pour les spécialistes allemands, comme un peu partout, et même si Audi limite la casse. Toutes les autres grandes marques sont inchangées ou à la traine.

Le podium des modèles: (à gauche global, à droite diesel)

1- Fiat Punto                               Fiat Punto

2- Fiat Panda                              Ford Fiesta

3- Ford Fiesta                            Volkswagen Golf

4- Fiat 500                                  Ford Focus

5- Citroen C3                             Nissan Qashqai

6- Volkswagen Golf                  Fiat Bravo

7- Opel Corsa                             Fiat 500

8- Lancia Ypsilon                      Audi A4

9- Peugeot 207                          BMW Série 3

10- Toyota Yaris                        Lancia Delta

Nouveau: pour profiter facilement et rapidement des notifications de nouveautés sur le site, pensez à vous abonner via Twitter. Chaque modification, nouvel article ou nouvelle vidéo sur notre chaîne Youtube, fait l’objet d’un Tweet immédiat!

Gibson is pushing forward in its quest to build the most technologically advanced guitars on the planet, undeterred by many guitarists’ disdain for its Robot Guitar technology and recent design choices. The New Dusk Tiger is an evolution of the Dark Fire, and it maintains and expands upon the Dark Fire’s ability to tune itself in seconds and produce a huge range of tones. While it’s a fully analogue instrument, the Dusk Tiger can be plugged into a PC to change tone, EQ and tuning settings to provide a range of customisation and gig setup options that simply dwarf the capabilities of any guitar that’s come before it. Pity, then, that behind that glowing Master Control Knob it’s packing a face only a mother could love!..

Tags: Ableton Live,
Gibson,
Guitar,
Music,
Robot

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More consumers than ever are considering the purchase of an Android-powered smartphone according to ChangeWave Research, who surveyed 4,068 consumers in December. The research shows that 21% of consumers who plan on buying a smartphone in the next 90 days would prefer their smartphone to run Android, up from 6% in September 2009…

Tags: Android,
Apple,
Google,
iPhone 3G,
Mobile,
Motorola,
Palm,
Research,
Smartphone

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• The Android handset war begins in 2009

[Note: Last year I published this article and was fairly popular. I think it’s as relevant this year as it was last year, so I figured it’s worth a reminder.]

The Most Important Key to Success

• Do What You Love – You aren’t going to be successful at something you spend all day dreading. When I was excited about software engineering, I was good – perhaps even above average. When I got stuck on a project that didn’t interest me, I was honestly a poor software engineer.

Preparation and Planning

• Make a List of Short, Medium, and Long Term Goals – Each night before I go to sleep, I try to write down 5-10 things that I want to accomplish the next day. I make sure that at least 3-4 are things that I can complete that day and purge from my to-do list. I also make sure to add a couple of small parts of medium or long-term projects. Here’s an example. I’m looking to write an eBook. One day my goal was to create an outline of the book – 9-12 chapters and 3-5 things that I wanted to cover in each chapter. The next day one of my goals was to write at least one of those 3-5 things in one chapter. In 1-2 months, I’ll have my eBook written.
• Catalog Your Progress – I started this blog to keep me accountable. I can’t go out and buy a Ferrari on credit and then write about it here. Instead, I catalog my alternative income progress here. Each day, I think about how I’m going to grow that so that next month I don’t have to live up to my moniker.

Learn These Skills

• Sales / Marketing – Even if you don’t think you have a product to sell, you do… yourself. I’ve learned that sales and marketing are not easy skills to learn. You can’t shout “look at me!” or people will think you are obnoxious. You have to find people who might be genuinely interested in what you have to offer. I always find it best to be open and honest with what I have to sell. If the product is of value, you price it accordingly, and have the right buyer, it should sell itself. I’ve found that if you have to “sell” to hard, it’s probably going to be a sale you regret making.
• Public Speaking – I might be one of the most shy people on Earth. Talking to someone one-on-one often ties my stomach in knots. Imagine how I must feel about public speaking. I remember it was a required class in high school. I started off horrible, but by the end, I had earned an A. It’s really a case were practice means everything. I suggest an organization such as Toastmasters.
• Writing – Even if you are crafting a short e-mail, try to use proper grammar. You’d be surprised how many e-mails I receive where people make 6 mistakes in 6 sentences. Perhaps it shouldn’t, but poor writing skills on the first impression impacts my view of the person’s intelligence and/or professionalism – and not in a good way. A person who can write great commands my respect and my trust.
• Networking – Get out there and meet new people in your areas of interest. When you know a lot of people, opportunities multiply. To go back to my eBook example above, I found someone who already has a successful eBook. He’s in the process of getting it translated into an audio book now. He could definitely be a great resource for me to learn from. He’s newer to blogging and doesn’t have the number of readers that I have. I can probably give him a few tips and help him out. Now if I knew 100 people like this guy, I’d have a solution to almost every question I’d ever have at my fingertips.
• Read More and Faster – I have always been a very slow reader. I simply don’t scan text very well. Perhaps I’m afraid I’ll miss a critical word or something silly like that. This is one area that I’m going to work on in the new year. Much of my time is spent reading, you’d think I’d at least be good at it.

Take Action

• Help Someone with Something Everyday – This may sound like some kind of “Pay It Forward” hype. In some ways it is. I estimate that I’ve given guidance to around 50 or 100 bloggers who are just getting going that were looking for advice. Some of them became successful bloggers and some stopped blogging. The successful ones have returned the favor 100 times over or more. They link to my articles, they comment on my site, and fill me in with opportunities that I would have otherwise missed. This isn’t limited to blogging. If you mentor someone, you’ll be seen as a natural leader. I’ve always seen a strong correlation between leadership and success.
• Make Mistakes – When I just got out of college, I took a job with a top ten Internet company. It was a very high profile job as I managed the search engine myself. It was about 20% of this 2 billion dollar company’s traffic. The thought that I’d make a mistake scared me to death. I spent each day walking on eggshells until the day that I made a mistake. A strange thing happened. No one got upset with me, and we were able to recover pretty quickly. From that experience, I learned to always have a back-up plan. This allowed me to take some risks, experiment more, and eventually produce ideas that made the company millions. Just as importantly, I realized that I should tolerate other people’s mistakes.
• Surround Yourself with Like-Minded Individuals – There are studies that show an individual’s income will be somewhere around the average of your closest five friends. That formula works for me and my closest friends – or it did until I decided to build my career from websites. There are also studies that show your weight will reflect those who you hang around with. It makes sense if you think about it. If your circle of friends likes to bounce business ideas off each other while playing a game of pickup basketball, you’ll probably put yourself closer to the path of prosperity than if you tell fart jokes while eating Bon-Bons.
• Exercise – Whenever I work out, I am all pumped up with endorphins for hours. It feels like nothing can stop me – as if I could tackle a bear. Instead of tackling a bear, I focus that energy on my list of goals and churn through it like never before.
• Start a Website or Blog – It’s easy to talk the talk, but what matters is if you can walk the walk. A website or blog not only makes you accountable for the goals that you set, but can also help you network and gather useful information. For more inspiration read how personal finance blogging helped me.

Be More Productive

• Don’t Get Wrapped Up in Television – I love television. However, I try to watch shows that you don’t have to follow too closely. This way I can work while it’s on. You won’t see me watching a lot of Law and Order because it requires too much of my focus. However, having the Red Sox on the background doesn’t distract me from accomplishing what I’m trying to.
• Commute with Books on Tape (or Podcasts) – Most of the people I know have a 30-60 minute commute to work each day. You can listen to some morning talk show or a shock-jock DJ or you can learn some of the skills that I mentione above. I’m not saying that you should throw away all entertainment, but if you are looking to increase your productivity, utilizing this downtime is a great start.
• Declutter and Organize Your Home and Work Area – I used to waste a lot of time looking for stuff. The problem? I had stuff everywhere. I couldn’t find the stuff that I needed from the old stuff that was piled around it. It’s amazed me the number of things that I had around the home that I didn’t use. Finally I simply said “Stuff It!” and got rid of most of the stuff that I didn’t use and put other special stuff in a closet that I’ll probably ignore for another years. Just like in What About Bob, “baby steps…” I tell myself.

Think Your Way To Success

• Think Positively – I’m not going to get Stuart Smalley, Motivational Speaker on you, but making the conscious decision to focus on being financially successful is extremely helpful. Bringing finances to front of my mind, instead of the back has made a huge difference in my finances.
• Don’t Hate Money – Lose the thinking that money is the root of all evil. Start thinking about it as a key to freedom to do whatever interests you. Think of it as a way to help friends, family, and charities important to you. Think about how you could use money to make the world a better place.
• Appreciate What You Have – Schedule a day to just appreciate yourself. Appreciate the things that you do have. The fact that you are reading this likely means that you are much better off than others in the world.
• Be In A Good Mood – One of my favorite lines from Say Anything is when Lloyd Dobler (played by John Cusack) says to his sister, “Why can’t you be in a good mood? How hard is it to decide to be in a good mood and be in a good mood once in a while?”

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Smartbooks are rumored to be the next biggest thing since the netbook, unfortunately, they’ve been slow to arrive to market. However, it looks like Lenovo is beating others to the punch with the Lenovo Skylight. The Lenovo Skylight is Lenovo’s first smartbook. The system has enough battery power to keep going all day and it has has a Web optimized U/I. Skylight comes with a Qualcomm a 1GHz snapdragon arm processor that has both WiFi and 3G integrated, a full size keyboard and touchpad, 20GB of flash storage, a 10.1 inch screen and a full web browser. Pricing will begin at $499 and will be available to purchase from Lenovo, as well as AT&T.

 

•    Beauty and Brains – Thinner than many smartphones, Skylight’s sleek and lightweight design is a technological combination of beauty and function. Skylight is being introduced in two new vibrant colors, glossy lotus blue and earth red models. Skylight’s clamshell design opens to reveal a brilliant high definition 10.1 inch screen designed for watching high definition videos or viewing photos. Tote it in a purse, backpack or bag. Weighing less than two pounds, Skylight is extremely mobile and lightweight enough for the user to tote it in a purse, backpack or bag. Unlike many netbooks, Skylight’s full size keyboard makes typing easy.
•    No Power Cord? No Problem – Skylight has over 10 hours of active battery life,1 enough to allow the user to watch two movies or more back to back on the next plane flight.
•    Simply plug it in at night to charge like a mobile phone. On the next plane flight, enjoy watching two movies or more back to back.
•    Wireless Freedom – Skylight has built-in WiFi and 3G connectivity to give users a web connection nearly everywhere they go, and Skylight will seamlessly handoff between the WiFi and 3G. With the purchase of an AT&T DataConnect plan, users get 3G data but also access to AT&T’s nationwide Wi-Fi network, including more than 20,000 Hot Spots in the U.S. for fast and easy web access on the go.
•    Web Optimized Interface – Skylight’s unique custom interface lets the full capabilities of the web shine through with live web gadgets. Users can check Google Gmail™, update their Facebook™ status, see what’s new on YouTube™ or browse the Internet. simultaneously without having to continually refresh or log in.  There are more than 18 preloaded web gadgets including Amazon MP3 to download digital music favorites and Roxio CinemaNow to buy and download digital movies. Powered by the Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon chipset platform and featuring 20 GB of standard flash and 2 GB of cloud storage, Skylight delivers the performance needed for mobile users unwilling to compromise their mobile experience and the flexibility to store their data wherever they like – in the cloud or on the device.

We’re hearing that Apple is buying mobile advertising company Quattro Wireless for $275 million. This jives with reports earlier this evening of a deal between the two companies. Our source says that there was initially talk of a $400 million pricetag, but that has since come down. The news comes only two months after Quattro competitor AdMob was snatched away from an Apple acquisition at the eleventh hour by Google.

The move is at once unsurprising and strange for Apple. Unsurprising, because Apple has ventured into this territory before with its negotiations with AdMob and has made it clear that it wants a cut of the soon-to-explode mobile advertising sector. At the same time, this is wholly unfamiliar territory for Apple. The company has long focused on selling high quality devices and the polished software that accompanies it. Yes, it distributes a vast amount of media through iTunes, but it is almost never involved with actually creating this media. Nor does it typically have a sales force selling advertising.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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As opposed to their last report from September, which was somewhat ambiguous on Palm’s current fortunes, ChangeWave Research’s latest 90-day overview of the consumer smartphone space is decidedly more gloomy.

The survey of 4,068 consumers showed that in addition to Palm’s marketshare falling slightly by 1%, consumer preference for webOS has also dipped in the face of fierce competition from new Android handsets, dropping from 8% to 4% of planned future smartphone purchases. As the report’s authors note, Palm’s best chance to boost their slowing momentum is their upcoming launches on new carriers, finally freeing them of the Sprint exclusivity that many have blamed for webOS’s relatively unspectacular sales figures thus far.

It looks like we’re entering the age of the smartbook, a hybrid of a smartphone and a computer.

Lenovo is unveiling its entry into the smartbook market today with the Lenovo Skylight (pictured), an always-connected mobile device in a sleek package. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor based on the ARM architecture. In other words, there’s no Wintel inside.

The device, debuting with a bunch of other Lenovo laptops at the Consumer Electronics Show, has both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, a full size keyboard and touchpad, a 10.6 inch screen and a full web browser. It also runs for 10 on a battery charge, with active usage. It’s actually thinner than many smartphones and weighs less than two pounds. It’s the first of dozens that are hitting the market this year.

The distinctions between laptops, netbooks, and smartbooks is getting blurry, with everything getting smaller, lighter, cheaper and faster. The company decided to put a full-size keyboard into the Skylight because a lot of people have reacted negatively to smaller keyboards in netbooks. This device is meant to be charged overnight and then used without being tethered to a wall plug. It comes with 18 preloaded web gadgets such as Roxio Cinema Now for downloading movies. The device has 20 gigabytes of flash memory, two gigabytes of cloud storage, and a 1 gigahertz processor. It costs $499 at full price, but those who sign up for mobile phone service with AT&T can get it at a discount. It will be available in April.

Meanwhile, Lenovo is introducing a bunch of other products. The IdeaCentre A300 (pictured, $699) is billed as the industry’s thinnest all-in-one Windows 7 desktop computer, combining a monitor and computer in the same housing. It is just 18.5 millimeters thick and has a 21.5-inch high-definition flat-panel monitor. It comes with Intel Core 2 Duo processors and offers an entertainment-oriented experience. Other models include the C310 ($649), which has a 20-inch monitor and a multitouch screen, and K320, a gaming desktop for $599.

The company is also introducing a number of IdeaPad laptop computers: the Y460 ($849), Y560 ($749), G460 ($699), G560 ($699), V460 and V360. The laptops are distinguished by their faster performance and larger screens. The Y460 has a 14-inch screen, while the Y560 has a 15.6-inch screen. They both have Intel Core i7 processors. The G460 and G560 laptops are aimed at mainstream consumers, with 14-inch and 15.6-inch screens, respectively. They have a number of multimedia-oriented features. The V460 ($749)and V360 ($749) are aimed at small businesses. All are available at varying times between now and the spring.

And, if you’re not already confused with this kitchen-sink line-up, Lenovo is also introducing its own netbooks: the IdeaPad S10-3t and S10-3 (pictured). The S10-35 has a multitouch capacitive screen which responds to finger gestures. It has a 10.1-inch screen and an Intel Atom N470 microprocessor. It has a 320-gigabyte hard drive and runs on Windows 7. It has face recognition software for security. The S10-3 sells for $349.99, the S10-3t for $499.

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Lenovo’s S10-3t is not just a netbook, it’s the industry’s first convertible netbook tablet to feature a capacitive multitouch screen (meaning finger tip touch instead of pressure touch). This kind of technology has mostly been reserved for more expensive laptops, but it’s finally making its way down into notebooks. Otherwise, the system’s specs are pretty standard – the system is running on an Atom N470 processor, 2GB of ram, it has a 10.1 LCD and a 2.76lb weight. Other features include DirectShare to quickly and easily synchronize files with another laptop without connecting to the Internet, Maplife location-based mapping software, and Quick Start 2.0 with ‘instant on’ function to access a range of applications and the Web without starting Windows.