peak

First Firefox OS phones arrive Tuesday for developers

A small Spanish company called Geeksphone will begin selling two smartphones on Tuesday that are geared for developers who want to build apps for Firefox OS -- or for that matter, to build Mozilla's open-source browser-based operating system itself.

As previewed earlier this year, Geeksphone has two models, the Keon at 110 euros including VAT ($143) and the Peak at 179 euros ($234) including VAT.

That's a notch cheaper than high-end unlocked smartphones you'll find, like the $574.99 HTC One, an Android phone that just went on sale. But the low price is part of the … Read more

Preview BlackBerry 10 on your iPhone, Android device

There's been a lot of talk and attention regarding BlackBerry and its launch of BlackBerry 10. If all the hype has piqued your interest -- even the slightest bit -- you can catch a glimpse of the new operating system directly from your iPhone or Android browser.

To walk through some of BlackBerry 10's main features, point your mobile browser to BlackBerry.com/glimpse.

Once the page loads you'll be walked through basic gestures for navigating the OS, how to use the Hub, the predictive keyboard, BBM Video and Screen Share, and the camera's Time Shift … Read more

Geeksphone Peak: The best way to try Firefox OS (hands-on)

BARCELONA, Spain--If you're going to try Firefox OS, try it on the Geeksphone Peak.

This smartphone, with a 4.3-inch 960x540-pixel multitouch screen and a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, is the best way so far to experience Mozilla's browser-based operating system. Mozilla debuted Firefox OS today at Mobile World Congress, signing up an impressive array of mobile network partners and mainstream phone makers LG Electronics, ZTE, Alcatel, and Huawei.

But it's Spanish startup Geeksphone that had the nicest hardware with the Peak. It's for developers, not mainstream buyers, and it showed off Firefox … Read more

Mitsubishi builds i-Miev Evo electric car for Pikes Peak

Mitsubishi Evos, performance-modified versions of the Lancer model, became legendary on the offroad rally circuit for their exceptional handling. Now Mitsubishi takes the Evo designation into the future with the first i-Miev Evolution, a performance version of its pod-like i-Miev electric city car.

Mitsubishi built the i-Miev Evo for the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb, a race featuring 156 turns over 12.42 miles with a 4,700 foot ascent. The company says it started with a stock i-Miev, but the specs show heavy modification. Along with a completely new, carbon fiber body, the i-Miev Evo gets three 80 kilowatt … Read more

Sony Vaio Z renders MacBook Air less cool

The Sony Vaio Z not only bests the Air on portability but--perish the thought--may be showing Apple a thing or two about ultrathin laptop design.

Sony's latest Z series, based on published specifications, easily beats the current MacBook Air on raw specs (not surprising since the current Air was released last year). But that's not all. Depending on how far Apple goes with the impending Air update, Sony may have just slipped past Apple in avant-garde design.

First, a quick comparison between the Z and Air (including some projected Air updates).

13.3-inch Vaio Z:

Chassis: 0.66 … Read more

Sony Vaio Z 13-inch shows up in Europe

Following a few leaks, Sony's new high-end Vaio Z laptop has been announced by the European arm of the Sony Vaio group, a few weeks ahead of its expected American debut.

The 13.3-inch laptop is slim and light, under 17mm thick, but still manages to pack in a full-voltage Intel Core i7 processor (paired with an SSD hard drive). The screen has a 1,600x900-pixel resolution, which is higher than most 13-inch laptops.

But the real interesting part of the new Vaio Z is its docking station. The vertically mounted Power Media Dock not only includes an optical drive and a rarely seen Intel Light Peak port, but also a fully functioning AMD Radeon graphics card, which can be used by the laptop when connected to the dock. Sony, in its European press release, says: … Read more

5 Thunderbolt Mac peripherals we'd like to see

Speed matters. It's why faster 4G data networks are gaining in popularity; it's why we buy new computers with better processors. This is the appeal of Thunderbolt, the Intel-developed high-speed data port that's popping up on new Macs in 2011. So far, it's in 2011 MacBook Pros and iMacs.

Thunderbolt is lightning-quick, as the name suggests. Transfer speeds are 10Gbps--twice as fast as USB 3.0--and it works both ways, into and out of your computer. HD video and data can be carried back and forth over the same tiny cable, with a connection port that'… Read more

Friday Poll: How does Thunderbolt strike you?

This week, we got hit by Intel's Thunderbolt, a new high-speed data-connection technology that promises transfer speeds double those of current USB 3.0 and extends that swiftness across several devices simultaneously.

Formerly called Light Peak, the long-awaited technology is available now on Apple's new MacBook Pros, which are shipping with a Thunderbolt port as a standard feature. Yesterday, Intel also revealed more details about when we'll see Thunderbolt in other consumer devices.

Thunderbolt currently runs with a top speed of 10Gbps, though it promises to one day top 100Gbps in data throughput when it moves from copper wire to optical fiber. USB's ubiquity means it's not going anywhere just yet, and Intel has also said it plans to support USB 3.0 in future chipsets alongside Thunderbolt.

Still, all this talk of speed and port consolidation has us wondering just how electrified (if at all) you're feeling about Thunderbolt's official arrival. Will it affect your gadget-buying habits in the near future? Vote in our poll, and be sure to share any additional thoughts in the comments section. … Read more

Intel's Thunderbolt: What you need to know (FAQ)

Intel's long-awaited Light Peak technology, now known formally as Thunderbolt, is finally available on its first consumer device, and the company today unveiled more details about when we'll be seeing it in consumer PCs and gadgets.

First unveiled at the Intel Developer Forum back in 2009, the data transfer tech promises to replace a handful of ports with one that can do more things, and do them faster.

Its first inclusion in a computer is in Apple's MacBook Pro line, which refreshed earlier today with Thunderbolt ports across the line (see CNET's hands-on here). Intel followed … Read more