Zhesty.NET - Gadgets and Technology

Literary changes may be afoot in Norway, where one bookstore is looking to drastically revamp the e-book medium. Last week, Norwegian retailer Norli Libris announced that it would begin selling books on small plastic memory cards that can be inserted into the backs of e-readers. Each card, known as the Digi Short, would contain a single file, allowing users to devour one publication at a time on their customized, Android 2.1-laced Kibano Digi Readers. Doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of an e-reader? It certainly seems like it, though Norli Libris' Caroline Heitmann says the idea is to simply convert e-books into physical commodities, like their ancestors. Because of this, these one-hitters would be exempt from VAT duties within Norway, though Norli Libris says they'll likely be priced on par with their downloadable counterparts, which won't help the consumer much. The company hopes that this system will be adopted as an industry standard, though it's only available at Norli Libris for the moment. Head past the break for a rather obvious demo video.

When leaked photos of the P'9981 first surfaced in September, most CrackBerry fans, myself included, didn't know what to think. With a look that is divergent from any other BlackBerry Smartphone to date, we couldn't help but question if it was an actual Research In Motion design, a prototype, or somebody's elaborate customization.

We soon figured out it was in fact a BlackBerry device, going by the codename "Knight," and the unique design was the result of a collaboration between RIM and Porsche Design. Fast forwarding to October 27th, RIM officially unveiled Knight in Dubai as the Porsche Design P'9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry.

Do you choo-choo-choose the Sprint Express, or does it choose you? The Now Network's mixing things up this holiday season by adding its own branded device -- in reality, a reworked Huawei Boulder that Sprint slapped its name on -- to the low end of its smartphone lineup. Known simply as the Express, it's a portrait QWERTY Android 2.3 handset that will set you back $20 with a two-year contract (after a $50 mail-in rebate). What you'll get in return for that hard-earned Jackson is a 2.6-inch QVGA (320 x 240) display, 3.2MP camera, 256MB of RAM, 512MB of internal storage (with expandable microSD slot), a 1,500mAh battery and a 3G mobile hotspot that supports up to five devices. We doubt it'll be the first stop on anybody's Black Friday shopping list, but we think it may actually get penciled into the schedule somewhere.

Just yesterday, Digitimes noted that Apple had reduced its fourth-quarter orders for iPad 2 display components in order to accommodate production of iPad 3 parts. Apple's strategy has apparently involved boosting production of iPad 2 parts during the third quarter and stockpiling them as it begins the transition to the iPad 3 this quarter.

Archos' new Arnova 9 G2 tablet looks to be the very definition of a mixed bag. It's part of the company's budget-minded Arnova line, so it will likely be relatively inexpensive (there's still no official word on a price), and it packs some specs that range from decent to high-end, including a 1GHz ARM A8 processor and a 9.7-inch IPS display with a 1,024 x 768 resolution (the same as the iPad). But it also runs the smartphone-minded Android 2.3 OS on that decidedly tablet-sized display and, as with other inexpensive Android tablets, you'll have to make do without official access to the Android Market (Archos offers the Appslib application store instead). Still curious? Details on everything but a price and release date can be found at the source link below.

Wouldn't you know it, but a full year after we originally reported the story, Dell has finally made good on that promise to replace its BlackBerry smartphones with the company's own Venue Pro handsets -- for the most part, anyway. You see, of the 30,000 BlackBerry units currently in deployment, Dell has swapped approximately 15,000 of them. Still, the glass appears to be half full in Round Rock, with the company's Chief Information Officer, Robin Johnson, touting the alleged cost-savings of the switcheroo. For its part, RIM has called the move a sheer publicity stunt.

Time to face the facts -- your tiny apartment just doesn't have room for a fancy wheel and pedal setup, but clunky gamepads aren't getting you any closer to the winners circle. What's a racing fanatic to do? SteelSeries has an idea: keep the wheel, kill the pedals. Boasting enough buttons to make an authentic F1 steering wheel blush, the SteelSeries Simraceway SRW-S1 steering wheel swaps the traditional foot petal peripheral for a quartet of finger ready paddles saddled on the controller's rear. A motion sensor gives the wheel a tinge of Mario Kart flair, and eliminates the bulky, mountable steering column. The SRW-S1 will set you back $120, and score you just enough room for that La-Z-Boy you always wanted. Check out the wheel's official press release and a demo video after the break.

Exerting energy goes against the very fiber of our 21st century ethos -- which is why SMK-Link has come out with the Wireless Ultra-Mini Touchpad Keyboard. Available in both Mac- and PC-compatible versions, this little handheld allows users to surf the web, send texts, or control their home entertainment systems from up to 30 feet away. Featuring both a raised QWERTY keyboard and capacitive touchpad, SMK-Link's latest battery-powered creation boasts 20 function keys, seven hot keys and a dedicated Windows Media Center Start button (on the PC version, naturally). And, since it doesn't require any software drivers, all you have to do is plug in the RF receiver, sit back, and marinate your afternoon away.

There seems little doubt that the Kindle Fire will prove one of the holiday season's biggest hits. At $200, the budget tablet will no doubt prove too good a deal to pass up for many consumers not ready to make the price commitment to the industry-leading iPad or a top-tier Android tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Of course, the Fire wasn't the only budget Android tablet to launch this week -- heck, it wasn't even the only budget Android tablet launched by an e-reader producer. Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet also, conveniently, hit stores earlier this week. The company took what it got right with the Nook Color, souped it up a bit internally and wound up with a solid competitor to the Fire.

Man, these hackers work fast. It was just earlier this week when Google released the source code for Ice Cream Sandwich, and a mere four days later the new OS has made its way onto Samsung's Galaxy S II. While ICS is looking good on the GSII's gorgeous AMOLED display, the port is still an alpha -- the Bluetooth, WiFi and other radios aren't functioning just yet, but work is ongoing, and future releases are coming soon. Sound good? Well, wait'll you get a load of the port in action in the video after the break.