These first shots of the Motorola Rokr E8 from zol.com.cn shows the unique keypad that Moto went with. Instead of regular keys, they’ve got little nubs that need to be back-illuminated. When you’re dialing, all the keys are lit; but when you’re playing music, the numbers are dimmed and only the music controls are bright. This could be even greater if the keys’ backlit images could change in the background, but it doesn’t seem like the E8 is advanced enough to do that. [Zol.com via IDNES via Phonearena]

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Those manufacturers of multitouch devices of the high visual quality and resilience of the iPhone’s might have another option from Sharp. According to Impress, the LCD veterans have made a 3.5 inch, 480 x 320 screen, capable of multitouch. These can be made up to 12 inches in diagonal size. Perfect for a portable.

Sources of mine have speculated that the iPhone’s German-made Balda screens fail at anything much larger than iPhone sizes, potentially one roadblock in a multitouch display/tablet from Apple. Sharp LCDs are some of the best out there, with Samsung. But they have been known to have uneven backlighting. I wonder if they can keep the quality up once these start going into mass production. [Impress]

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The most startling thing about the new Bose SoundDock Portable is that it’s bigger than its forebear (though thankfully not heavier). The least startling thing about it is that it sounds better than the original.

If you look at the profile, especially, you can see that the SoundDock Portable stands about half an inch taller than the original. It has a slimmer look from the side, but there is a ridge down the back. I have to say, however much a lover or hater you are of Bose, the new machine is a vast improvement, even aside from portability:

• The old SoundDock hisses audibly when an iPod is docked, and gets louder when the volume is up. The new Portable has licked the problem almost completely. There’s a very faint hiss when you put your ear to it that won’t change regardless of the volume setting.

• The auxiliary input is key. For some apartment dwellers, this might be their whole sound system, and being able to plug in other stuff (satellite radio, CD/DVD player, etc.) really matters. I always assumed Bose avoided Aux In because it might mean lost sales opportunities. I suppose, now that the new SoundDock costs $100 more, Bose is willing to take that risk.

• The new remote is better built, with more substantial buttons, including two additional ones dedicated to skipping from one playlist to the next. As a playlist kind of guy, I like this.
• The sound comparison was the most telling. The previous SoundDock has notoriously suffered from a fairly weak stereo image, not enough midrange and a lack of sonic resolution. Bose has definitely read all of the commentary, because those are the three areas that have been improved. The bass levels are about the same, but at higher volumes you get a much richer sound with the Portable, a much more open stereo feel, and a sense of coherence and clarity that you just don’t get on the original. In fact, when I was doing side-by-side comparisons, it occasionally sounded like the original SoundDock was playing from the bottom of a well.

I will acknowledge here that I haven’t tested the SoundDock Portable against any docks from other makers, and it may be a while before Mark Wilson is up for another Sweet Sixteen. In the meantime, at the very least it’s good to know that the extra $100 isn’t just for the lithium-ion battery—which I probably wouldn’t make any use of—but for a much improved device overall. It really should be called, simply, SoundDock II. [Original Story]

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Here’s a tip. If you’re not really skilled at hardware hacks, don’t try to hardware unlock your iPhone. If you accidentally touch the wrong thing or screw up, this will happen.

The user says:

“We were so happy, all the software part was done, so we started opening the iPhone. The antenna cover was a bit tricky but eventually it came off. Then we started to open the metal cover (after taking out the 3 screws) and PUFF, up it went in smoke, I think my collegue must have touched something. It literally went up in black smoke. It was so hot that when I tried to pick it up I burned my fingers. So, this is for sure the most difficult part of the whole process. I don’t know what he did, as I had just stepped out of the room to fetch something when I heard a scream…they got such a fright.”

Just wait until the software unlock becomes available, and THEN unlock it. Or use the SIM method like we detailed here before. Or ask a buddy that you know has experience with these things. Just for Jesus’s (Diaz) sake, don’t open it up if you don’t know what you’re doing.

[Hackintosh via iPhone Atlas]

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Those manufacturers of multitouch devices of the high visual quality and resilience of the iPhone’s might have another option from Sharp. According to Impress, the LCD veterans have made a 3.5 inch, 480 x 320 screen, capable of multitouch. These can be made up to 12 inches in diagonal size. Perfect for a portable.

Sources of mine have speculated that the iPhone’s German-made Balda screens fail at anything much larger than iPhone sizes, potentially one roadblock in a multitouch display/tablet from Apple. Sharp LCDs are some of the best out there, with Samsung. But they have been known to have uneven backlighting. I wonder if they can keep the quality up once these start going into mass production. [Impress]

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While many of the wrist/arm based multimedia devices are improving, none of them can hold a candle to Danillo Mangini’s Lobster. This oddly named prototype involves an LCD base unit about the size of an iPod Shuffle (or presumably a lobster tail) that straps on to your arm or wrist, but what sets the Lobster apart is its modular ability.

Instead of being stuck with whatever capabilities the device came with, Mangini wanted the user to be able to customize the device to their liking by adding links such as GPS or a cardiometer. But to that same extent they could also go low profile and only snap on what they’ll need for the day. Coming from a group of people who on any given day will have no less then 3 gadgets, this sounds like a beautiful dream. [Design Wave via Yanko]

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Here’s a tip. If you’re not really skilled at hardware hacks, don’t try to hardware unlock your iPhone. If you accidentally touch the wrong thing or screw up, this will happen.

The user says:

“We were so happy, all the software part was done, so we started opening the iPhone. The antenna cover was a bit tricky but eventually it came off. Then we started to open the metal cover (after taking out the 3 screws) and PUFF, up it went in smoke, I think my collegue must have touched something. It literally went up in black smoke. It was so hot that when I tried to pick it up I burned my fingers. So, this is for sure the most difficult part of the whole process. I don’t know what he did, as I had just stepped out of the room to fetch something when I heard a scream…they got such a fright.”

Just wait until the software unlock becomes available, and THEN unlock it. Or use the SIM method like we detailed here before. Or ask a buddy that you know has experience with these things. Just for Jesus’s (Diaz) sake, don’t open it up if you don’t know what you’re doing.

[Hackintosh via iPhone Atlas]

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The Post says they’ve got confirmation that Apple will start selling ringtones to iPhone users using iTunes. Although they couldn’t confirm pricing, they could say that you will probably be able to make any song you buy from iTunes into a ringtone.

This means you can set each contact’s ringtone to a separate track from Linkin’ Park’s discography—that is, if you really want everyone to know that you’re an asshole. One possible scenario is to sell ringtones bundled with songs for an “enhanced” price, like how EMI’s DRM-less tracks come at $1.29 vs. $0.99. Of course, you can add your own ringtones already with iFuntastic for the Mac and iBrickr for Windows. [NYPost]

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While many of the wrist/arm based multimedia devices are improving, none of them can hold a candle to Danillo Mangini’s Lobster. This oddly named prototype involves an LCD base unit about the size of an iPod Shuffle (or presumably a lobster tail) that straps on to your arm or wrist, but what sets the Lobster apart is its modular ability.

Instead of being stuck with whatever capabilities the device came with, Mangini wanted the user to be able to customize the device to their liking by adding links such as GPS or a cardiometer. But to that same extent they could also go low profile and only snap on what they’ll need for the day. Coming from a group of people who on any given day will have no less then 3 gadgets, this sounds like a beautiful dream. [Design Wave via Yanko]

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FROM JALOPNIK—BMW is the first car manufacturer to offer Google local search straight from the in-dash navigation system. This supplements their “send to car” from PC to GPS setup. Oh, Germany only, for the time being. More at Jalop. [Jalopnik]

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