Items tagged with passport
I’m all of a sudden having flashbacks to Seinfeld’s Uncle Leo, “Hello.” Microsoft is once again spilling the beans on upcoming features for its next generation Windows 10 operating system and the latest addition is Windows Hello. Windows Hello can scan your face, fingerprint, or iris to unlock your machine, negating the need to type in a password. While fingerprint recognition is old hat these days (even today’s flagship smartphones ship with fingerprint sensors), unlocking your desktop, laptop, or tablet by fixating on your face or iris is a bit more intriguing, and will no doubt raise security concerns. The first thought that comes to mind regarding security is if someone would simply be able...
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AT&T announced back in early January that it would bring the BlackBerry Passport and Classic to its network. Today, America’s second largest wireless carrier announced the official on-sale date for both devices: February 20. The BlackBerry Passport actually had to undergo a bit of plastic surgery before it was even allowed on the network. "AT&T wanted rounded corners. Some of us are more square,” explained BlackBerry CEO John Chen last month. “No other reason than that." Beneath the refreshed exterior, you’ll find all the same hardware as the original including the 4.5-inch 1440x1440 display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and the huge 3450...
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The Western Digital Passport Wireless is a member of a new class of storage devices that combine run-of-the-mill USB storage with wireless hotspot and media center functionality. These devices essentially marry what used to be two separate drives - an external USB device and a media device that can stream data wirelessly to connected devices. They also help address the relatively small amount of storage that is included with today's mobile devices, as they let you store and access terabytes of data on your smartphone or tablet without having to store it locally. It's an interesting combination, and very useful if you're the type of person who is constantly passing your external drive around to...
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Shares of BlackBerry (BBRY) were up nearly thirty percent as the closing bell sounded this afternoon. What could possibly be behind this sudden spike in interest in shares of a smartphone company whose glory days faded years ago? Well, it turns out that BlackBerry may be ripe for the picking, and according to Reuters, Samsung is ready to make an offer that John Chen and BlackBerry’s board may be reluctant to refuse. According to the Reuters report, Samsung is willing to pay roughly $7.5 billion for BlackBerry's assets (including its patent portfolio). Samsung’s sudden interest to “make a deal” comes just two months after the two companies entered a strategic partnership to bring BlackBerry’s...
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The BlackBerry Passport is one odd device. On the one hand, its hardware is fitting for a 2014-era flagship with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor (3GB RAM), 32GB of internal storage, 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, a 13MP rear camera with OIS, and a massive 3450 mAh battery. On the other hand, the device has an odd 4.5” 1440x1440 square display and squared off edges which doesn’t exactly make it very ergonomic. While the Passport officially launched back in late September, it is just now arriving on AT&T’s network. And wouldn’t you know it, AT&T is already cutting corners… really. AT&T apparently didn’t take too kindly to the original design of the Passport and ask BlackBerry to go back...
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If you’re ready to party like it’s 2008, BlackBerry has a smartphone that is right up your alley. We already brought you news earlier this week that pre-orders for the Classic went though the roof, with the initial North American allotment selling out, but BlackBerry today is officially launching the device. If the Passport was a whacky, unorthodox take on the modern smartphone, the BlackBerry Classic is simply a time machine to the past. “BlackBerry Classic is the powerful communications tool that many BlackBerry Bold and Curve users have been waiting for,” said BlackBerry CEO John Chen. “It’s the secure device that feels familiar in their hands, with the added performance and agility they need...
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Not only is BlackBerry getting back to its roots by releasing a Passport device that harkens back to the company's glory days, it's also willing to get in the trenches and fight aggressively to win back customers, especially those who may have flocked to Apple while it was busy experimenting with a name change and other questionable strategies. Heading in to the holiday season, the company formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM) has rolled out a trade-up program in which current iPhone users can receive up to $550 for switching to a Passport. The incentive includes up to $400 (USD or CAD) in cash back for trading in an iPhone device, plus an additional $150 USD ($200 CAD) from BlackBerry....
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On one hand, we have to give credit to BlackBerry for attempting to think outside the box as it struggles to find relevance in a crowded mobile market. However, we're not sure the Canadian handset maker's new Passport device with its large square screen and touch-sensitive tactile keyboard is the answer to the company's problems. BlackBerry certainly thinks fondly of the Passport. The company dedicated a blog post complete with sketches, rough schematics, and a video to the Passport's design. And in case you're wondering, the answer is yes, the device was inspired by (and named after) actual passports. "Inspired by actual passports, the universal symbol of mobility, the size and form factor of...
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Western Digital announced the next generation of its My Passport line of portable hard drives, complete with a new enclosure design and up to 2TB in capacity. The new My Passport is now available in five colors with capacities starting at 500GB. The new drives come with WD SmartWare automatic backup software and WD Security for password protection and hardware encryption. The new My Passport external drives feature USB 3.0 connectivity as well as USB 2.0 compatibility. My Passport drives are available in 500GB ($129.99), 750GB ($149.99), 1TB ($179.99), 1.5TB ($199.99), and 2TB ($249.99) capacities. WD® Ships First 2 TB Portable Hard Drive With Next-Gen My Passport® World's Top-Selling...
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Rugged is the name of the game these days, particularly when it comes to portable hard drives. It seems as if every major company is now looking to put out a rugged drive, with their stamp of approval to boot. Western Digital is no different, and this week they're introducing the WD Nomad. It's actually a rugged case, which protects the company's popular My Passport line of devices. It's angled at photographers and outdoorsy folk who tend to drop and dent their equipment more often than not, and providing a case (as opposed to a fully encapsulated HDD) is certainly a new and appreciated twist. The WD Nomad rugged case features a polycarbonate exterior and shock-absorbing elastomer cushion inside....
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WD Best-Selling Portable Drives Put Half a Terabyte of Storage In The Palm of Your Hand LAKE FOREST, Calif. - Sep. 15, 2008 - Catering to consumers on-the-go with the world's most popular portable storage offerings, WD (NYSE: WDC) today introduced its new 500 GB capacity My Passport Portable USB Drives which are designed to make it easy to store a half a terabyte of music, videos or photos and carry them in the palm of your hand. Available now at WD's online store (www.shopwd.com), the new 500 GB capacity is offered on the My Passport Elite and My Passport Essential portable drive models.A recent consumer study conducted by WD of 1,559 external hard drive users revealed that 54 percent...
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When your average thumb drive just doesn't have enough space for your data, you might be at a loss of what to do. Well if you're not interested in burnable media, or bulky portable hard drives, you might want to check out Western Digital's 6GB Passport Pocket Drive. It's slightly bigger than a flash stick, but houses a mini 6GB hard drive, and ensures compatibility with almost any computer through its USB interface. "Portable file storage is a field which is undergoing rapid advances every year. While burning information to DVD is still cheap and effective there are a number of other options which are viable, depending on the...
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