Firefox Home is a way for you to view your bookmarks, history, open tabs, and the Awesome Bar of your computer’s Firefox browser on your iPhone and iPod touch, albeit that Firefox Home isn’t actually a browser. The app has not been submitted to the App Store, but seems likely to pass (after all, Opera Mini did).

Source: Mozilla Blog

8 bit lovers and Apple fanboys can finally rejoice today, now that the Digital Music Synthesizer is now available for the Apple II. The device is a wavetable synthesizer designed solely for live performances and comes with ten voices including trumpet, bass, square wave, sine wave, and sawtooth wave. Not only that, but sequences can be recorded for later, and there’s no monitor required. The synthesizer also supports Apple IIe, IIc, IIgs, and IIc+ models, and is available for $20, a reasonable price for something that does so much (not that we’re endorsing it – we don’t have an Apple II).

Source: 8 Bit Weapon

Over at Geekbench, an interesting benchmark recently popped up for an unreleased MacBook Pro (model 6,1) running a dual core Core i7 humming along at 2.66Ghz. Interesting? So is the operating system, which isn’t the current build of Snow Leopard, 10C540. Other results worthy enough to mention are that it’s running 4GB RAM and a final score of 5260, which makes current generation MacBook Pros seem like slugs – ranging in scores from 3500 to 4200 on the Geekbench tests. But are these authentic?

Considering that the security over at the Apple campus is so tight, we doubt that these are genuine results, and could’ve been done with some intricate hackintosh or that someone would’ve been dumb enough to post their results online for the whole world to see. But until they’re released, you can dream into the stars with Apple rumors, no?

See that? That’s the invitation sent by Apple an hour ago to some in the press and for an event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco at 10AM. We can’t be there this time, but we’ll link to a liveblog for your reference the day before.

Most predict that it will finally be the launch of the rumored Apple tablet, but there’s a chance it might be 22″ touchscreen iMacs, or another iPhone – it’s all shrouded in mystery.

Update: Looking at this closer, the border looks kind of like a tablet, and the paint is not finger-painting, it’s spray-paint with an Apple logo at the center. It looks like it’s the back of the Apple tablet, which would be in several colors – meaning customizing it might be huge. Does that mean the end of jailbreaking?

The Notion Ink “Adam” tablet and e-reader is one of the biggest hypes here at CES, because it uses a Pixel QI transflective screen and the Tegra 2 platform. In short: it’s the best tablet at CES so far.

There have been a number of Windows and Android tablets at CES, but only some have Tegra 2, and none of them have a Pixel QI screen and the ability to switch from LCD to low power reflective mode. More information on this device will be at MWC next month, and the device does have caveats. It’s missing Android 2.1, and the reflective mode is kind of a let down with the glossy screen.

Images courtesy of Gizmodo

New York Times:

Another former Apple designer said a team at the company had “spent the past couple of years working on a multitouch version of iWork”

This is some big news. It either means that the iPhone is getting iWork, or the iSlate, Apple’s upcoming tablet will also be having iWork.

Source: New York Times

Office drones might be clung to their desk all day, taking phone calls, jotting notes, creating spreadsheets, stealing Coke machines, and a lot more. The Nimble can help cheer up their lives with Android.

The phone call part might get a little more enjoyable. The Touch Revolution Nimble will also probably never be yours, since it will be sold with different names by different manufactures. Also, it will be marketed to enterprises, not consumer – so unless you work in a cubicle for a enterprise, tough luck. But this is what CES is all about, no?

This laptop brings high end PCs a little lower price. Usually when you thought of Alienware, you thought of the highest end desktop or 17″ bulky desktop replacements notebooks. Not any more. Dell has just launched the M11x ultraportable gaming netbook. This little netbook can get up to 50FPS on Crysis, 30FPS on Call of Duty, 6.5 hours battery life (energy saver) or 2 hours maximum in gaming mode. There are 2 GPUs in this netbook, which allow you to toggle energy settings for gaming performance without logout or restart, unlike the MacBook Pros, which make you logout. 3DMark scores around 6K to 7K. Coming later this year.

AT CES DELL UNVEILS FIRST “ALL POWERFUL” ULTRA MOBILE GAMING SYSTEM

· The Alienware M11x, the most powerful 11-inch gaming laptop in the universe — as easy to carry as it is powerful, making high-performance gaming accessible to all.

Alienware M11x
· The Alienware M11x demonstrates the graphics power of a 15-inch laptop in an 11-inch form factor
· Play all of your games and media, whether at home or away, at HD 720p resolution
· With the Alienware M11x, gamers can enjoy the feel of the gaming without compromise anywhere they go.

HP just updated their Envy 13 and Envy 15 notebooks, and then drastically cut price. Hewlett Packard probably made the move in response to Intel’s Arrandale unveiling, but whatever the case, the refresh includes the 15″ Envy with a2.4Ghz Intel Core i5, 4GB DDR3, and a 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5830. The price has been lowered $400 to $1299. Meanwhile, the 13″ Envy has been refreshed with 1.6Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 cell battery, and a 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330.

Source: HP

Just after the announcement of the Tegra 2, NVIDIA has now teamed up with Verizon for a 1080p, LTE rocking tablet.  The Tegra 2 powered “Ultra” tablet also carrys onboard a Motorola 4G modem for use in range of Verizon’s LTE network. There is no mention of the launch date or price, but the former should be near the commerical rollout.

Source: Press Release – see below

NVIDIA, Verizon Wireless Demonstrate Full HD Internet Tablet for 4G Wireless Network

New Tablet Powered by NVIDIA Tegra Puts 1080p Web Experience Just One Touch Away

LAS VEGAS, NV–(Marketwire – January 7, 2010) – 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW (South Hall 4 – Booth #35912) — NVIDIA and the Verizon Wireless LTE Innovation Center said today they are demonstrating a full 1080p HD Internet experience on touchscreen tablets.

The demonstration — on an NVIDIA Tegra-powered Ultra tablet, designed by Innovative Converged Devices (ICD) utilizing the ultra-broad bandwidth of a Motorola 4G wireless modem, operating over a pre-commercial Verizon Wireless LTE network — brings to life the vision of high-speed Internet everywhere.

The collaboration was fostered at Verizon Wireless’ LTE Innovation Center, which provides an environment for diverse companies to work together in developing innovative products that leverage 4G LTE technology.

Highlights / Key Facts:

* NVIDIA® Tegra™ mobile processors enable an uncompromised full HD web experience, such as streaming YouTube HD, for hours on a single charge.
* Verizon Wireless has announced plans to build a 4G LTE network in the United States, with 25 to 30 markets rolling out in 2010. The LTE network will be able to support high-quality, high definition web experiences.
* Motorola provides the 4G wireless modem and data card to deliver visually rich HD content that consumers expect, away from home and hot-spots.
* ICD, a Seattle-based engineering and design firm, built the Ultra tablet, working in conjunction with NVIDIA, Verizon and Motorola.

Quotes:

* “We know consumers want full internet access and we are pleased to be working with NVIDIA in our LTE Innovation Center on a solution that can process full HD content with the battery life of a smartphone.” Brian Higgins, Executive Director, LTE Ecosystem Development at Verizon Wireless

* “Verizon Wireless’ planned LTE network will deliver what consumers demand — bandwidth for a full HD web experience. This coupled with our Tegra processor will deliver amazing streaming content, all on the go.” Michael Rayfield, GM of Mobile business, NVIDIA