Michelle Maisto

With the approval of a third-party testing lab, Panasonic has announced that its Toughbook U1, 19 and 30 mobile computers now meet the MIL-STD-810G military specification, which was issued in October 2008 to upgrade and replace the MIL-STD-810F standard.Rugged devices undergo military standard certification testing and emerge with various numbers and letters that identify how […]

Authentec, a popular provider of smart fingerprint solutions, will be introducing a family of hardware and software solutions on Aug. 17. While biometric solutions have primarily focused on the enterprise, this new solution, which Authentec is currently shopping around to manufacturers, is intended for consumers and netbooks.“This significant portfolio expansion gives us a complete offering […]

For Dell, 10-inch screens are the sweet spot for netbooks, and so it is canceling its Inspiron Mini 12 netbook line. The Mini 9, which was retired for a time, is being brought back for a limited engagement.“So, should you read anything into this as far as Dell’s commitment to the netbook space?” Lionel Menchaca […]

Motorola is rumored to have two Google Android smartphones in development for release later in 2009. The Morrison, round-edged and trimmed in blue, is expected to debut on the T-Mobile network Oct. 21, according to PC World, while the slicker and darker Sholes is said to headed for the Verizon network.Android and Me claims to […]

USAA, a privately held bank and insurance company geared primarily toward military personnel and their families, will be updating its Apple iPhone application the week of Aug. 10 to enable account holders to deposit a check by simply photographing both sides with an iPhone, The New York Times is reporting.“We’re essentially taking an image of […]

PC sales may be slumping, but it’s a good time to be a memory supplier to high-end smartphone makers. This trend, according to research company iSuppli, has a lot to do with Apple and the company’s iPhone.iSuppli is expecting global sales of NAND-type flash memory to rise nearly sixfold from 2008 to 2013, as the […]

Demand for smartphones, video capabilities and China’s growing mobile phone market are expected to boost shipments of mobile phone displays, which slipped in the first quarter of 2009, according to a report from forecaster DisplaySearch. Quarter-to-quarter, mobile phone display shipments fell by 11 percent, to 263 million units, though they’re expected to rise to 306 […]

Netbooks have been a bright spot in the fading PC market, which analysts have attributed, in part, to carriers offering netbooks at subsidized prices in combination with service contracts.High-speed Internet provider Qwest Communications has joined these ranks, with the offer of a 10-inch Dell Inspiron Mini Netbook for $199-essentially, a $100 rebate-in combination with a […]

Who will buy an e-reader?In a July 29 report, Forrester Research addressed this question, looking at how, for the market to see considerable growth, who buys will have to evolve, as well as where they buy.Forrester also found that e-reader use is growing, “albeit from a very small base,” wrote report author Sarah Rotman. While […]

In the smartphone world, GPS and Wi-Fi are hot, and rich Internet application and widget frameworks are not, says a new study from researcher Ovum.Ovum identified 77 smartphone models released between the second quarter of 2008 and first quarter of 2009 and found that 59 had GPS capability and 49 had Wi-Fi, “indicating that these […]