Tech news, gadget reviews and how-tos on just about anything and everything.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Sony Unveils Walkman Video Players


Sony has just introduced two new Walkman players that not only supports audio but also video. These two new products are the Walkman NWZ-A810 and NWZ-S610. The players have QVGA screen that can display video at 30 frames per second. Supported formats for the device include Windows Media Audio (WMA), non-secure AAC and MP3 music formats, JPEG files for photos, and AVC (H.264/AVC) Baseline Profile and MPEG-4 video codecs.

The NWZ-A810 series has a 2 inch QVGA screen while the NWZ-S610 has a 1.8 inch QVGA display and also has an FM tuner. These Walkman video players will come in 8GB, 4GB, and 2GB models.

The NWZ-A810 series of Walkman video music players come in three different capacities and five colors. Prices for the NWZ-A810 series are:

* The NWZ-A815 2GB (white, pink, black, blue and silver)$140.
* The NWZ-A816 4GB (white, pink, black and silver) $180.
* The NWZ-A818 8GB (black and silver) $230.

The NWZ-S610 series of Walkman music players come in three different capacities and four colors. Prices for the NWZ-S610 series are:

* The NWZ-S615F 2GB (black, pink, red and silver)$120.
* The NWZ-S616F 4GB (black, pink, red and silver)$160.
* The NWZ-S618F 8GB (black) $210.

The Walkman Video Players will be available in September but Sony is already taking pre-orders at their Sonystyle stores. Specifications for the products are available at Sony's website.

SOURCE: Sony Press Release

Epson's Newest all-in-one ink jet printers


Epson America, Inc. has introduced last Wednesday, their newest line of all-in-one ink jet printers that has printing, scanning, copying, and other features. These new products include the CX7400, CX8400, and CX9400Fax. According to Epson, they have optimized their new line of ink jet printers to meet the demands of their customer's day-to-day printing needs.

According to Epson, the Epson CX7400 can print both black and color text at a speed of 28 ppm/cpm and can print 4 x 6 borderless photos in 27 seconds while the Epson CX8400 can print both black and color text at a speed of 32 ppm and can produce copies at speeds of 30 cpm. The CX8400 also has a 2.5 inch LCD for easy document and photo viewing, printing, and copying, sans the PC.

Aside from printing, copying, and scanning documents and photos, the Epson CX9400Fax also has the ability to fax colored documents and photos. The CX9400 has faxing speeds of 33.6 Kbps and includes a 60 number speed dial, up to 100 pages of memory, automatic redial, auto answer, and caller ID features. All three printers can connect via USB 2.0.

Epson is now shipping the CX7400 and CX8400 at a price of $69.99 and $99.99, respectively while the Epson CX9400Fax will ship out in October for an estimated price of $149.99.

SOURCE: Epson Press Release

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Nokia's New Accessories

Nokia has just recently introduced new accessories or enhancements for their Nokia NSeries collection.

The Nokia LD-4W is Nokia's lightweight GPS module that weighs 31 grams and has up to 10 hours of operating time. The LD-4W will cost 125 Euros.

The BH-903 is Nokia's Bluetooth Stereo Headset that supports A2DP, AVRCP, PBAP, HFP and HSP profiles and is also compatible with other music players. The BH-903 weighs 32 grams and can last up to 15 hours of talk or music time. The BH-903 will cost 200 Euros.






The BH-902 on the other hand, also has an OLED display and Digital Signal Processing. According to Nokia’s press release, the display can alert the user when they have received an MMS or SMS message. The BH-902 will come with a neck strap, clip and in-ear earplugs. The BH-902 weighs 18.2 grams and has an estimated talk time of 8 hours. The BH-902 will cost 115 Euros.







The MD-7W is Nokia’s Bluetooth speakers and features 3D stereo widening sound and dynamic bass control, magnetic attachments, and a LED indicator that alerts users of pairing mode and battery status. This Bluetooth speakers will cost 130 Euros.

Nokia Power Pack DC-1 provides users with reserve power and is equivalent to taking along 3 batteries. The DC-1 power pack is compatible with Nokia 2mm charging interfaces and has two charge output cables to enable users to charge two devices simultaneously. The DC-1 power pack will cost 105 Euros.

All of prices of Nokia's new enhancements are exclusive of applicable taxes and will be available during the fourth quarter of 2007.

SOURCE: Nokia Press Release

Monday, August 27, 2007

The VAIO LT HD: the all-in-one PC and TV device


Sony has announced the VAIO LT HD PC/TV, a device which fuses together the functionality of a PC and a TV into one. The VAIO LT HD PC/TV serves as a computer entertainment system which will allow users to watch and record analog, digital, cable, as well as HD TV programming.

Features and specifications of the VAIO LT HD PC/TV include: Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, built-in 1.3 mega pixel camera, microphone, cable TV Tuner, built-in 802.11 wireless LAN, and comes preloaded with Windows Vista Ultimate edition on the VGC-LT19U model and Windows Vista Home Premium edition on standard models. The VAIO LT HD PC/TV comes with a wireless mouse and wireless keyboard with a fold-up palm rest.

The VAIO LT HD PC/TV series will be available at Sony Style stores beginning October and will cost $1,900 for the standard model while the LT HD model with Blu-ray Disc optical drive will cost $2,900.

SOURCE: Sony Press Release

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Motorola Q music 9m will be Exclusively Distributed by Verizon Wireless


The Moto Q Music 9m is now available on the US through Verizon Wireless. The MOto Q 9m sports a thin design with red and black colors. It also has an ergonomically enhanced keyboard that allows for more accurate typing.

Full Specification of the phone from Motorola's website:


Caller ID
Photo Caller ID
Video
Playback
Capture
SMS
Yes
MMS
Yes
Email Support
Personal Email Support for Hotmail®, Gmail™, Yahoo®, AOL® and more
Alarm Clock
Yes
Advanced Speech Recognition
Yes
Bands
CDMA 800, 1900 Mhz, 1X and EVDO support
Instant Messaging
No
Calculator and Currency Converter
Yes
Form Factor
Tablet
Carrier
Verizon Wireless
Dimensions (H x W x D)
2.6 x 4.6 x .47 inches
Bluetooth Profiles
Hands-free
Stereo
Headset
Camera
1.3 Megapixel Camera with Full Screen Viewfinder
Removable Memory
Up to 4 GB Removable Memory
Speakerphone
Yes
Weight
4.76oz (135g)
Display
2.4-inch 320x240 65K TFT


The Moto Q Music 9m will run on Windows Mobile 6 and will also offer productivity applications such as Document-To-Go that can view and edit email attachments, MS Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint, and supports viewing of Acrobat PDF files. The Moto Q 9m’s two home screens include a Multimedia Home Screen which allows quick access to the V Cast Music Service, and a Standard Home Screen.

The Moto Q music 9m will be sold exclusively by Verizon Wireless for $299.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year contract. The Moto Q music 9m is already available online at Verizon Wireless and will be available in Verizon Wireless Stores on August 29.

SOURCE: Motorola Press Release

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Video Game Review: Delicious Deluxe 2


I really like the Diner Dash type of games and I've played all Diner Dash 1-3 including the Spongebob Diner dash version. This arcade type of game is really addicting so I'm always looking for new games down at BigFish Games, Reflexive and Gamehouse for similar type of interface. I came across Delicious Deluxe and I immediately loved the game. It has the similar gameplay as Diner Dash but with cuter graphics. When I found out that there was Delicious Deluxe 2, I immediately downloaded the game.

The difference from Delicious Deluxe 1 is that there's a story line wherein the characters talk to each other in a comic strip type of way. Also, unlike Delicious Deluxe 1 wherein you only get a table cleaner during the latter part of the game, in Delicious Deluxe 2, you have a table cleaner during the middle part of the first restaurant adventure.

Gameplay is pretty much the same, prepare the meals and deliver it to customers. The game phase of Delicious Deluxe 2 is slower than Diner Dash games, maybe its due to graphics rendering or something. I really love Delicious Deluxe 2, love the graphics, the story, the game play, everything. What I really hate is that the makers didn't make it harder. I have a harder time finishing the first Delicious Deluxe. I don't know if its just that I've played so much diner dash types of games that this kind of gameplay is just child's play for me or if it really is in the programming of the game. I mean, there were only two to three instances wherein I didn't get expert scores the first try and during the last part of the game, it only took me two tries to get the expert score.

All in all, Delicious Deluxe 2 is a great game to just kill the time or if you're a fanatic of the diner dash gameplay but don't expect to be challenged by the game coz you won't even break a sweat.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Sony Announces Satellite Navigation Software for PSP

Sony announced at its press conference at a Games Convention last Wednesday, Sony announced Go!Explore, a satellite navigation package for the PSP.

According to the Company's press release:

Go!Explore is a state of the art, combined In-car(*) and Pedestrian GPS navigation application for PSP. Incorporating a GPS receiver and the software UMD™ (Universal Media Disc) software containing your chosen maps, Go!Explore will offer a top quality Satellite Navigation system at an affordable price.“Bringing GPS navigation to PSP is simply fantastic and shows again the unrivalled potential of PSP,”

• Main Product Features:

– Multiple Languages 11 languages

– Find & Go Easy Search & Smart Keyboard

– Smart Zoom Automatic Zooming & Tilting

– Explore Map Search & Explore the map

– Points Of Interest 100 categories, with thousands of

locations

– My Data Favourites, Home, History

– Route Settings Fastest/Shortest; Day/Night Mode;

– Improved Graphics 3D city maps & 3D landmarks;

– Customizable settings Customizable Route Settings & Visuals

– Itinerary Mode Turn-by-turn overview

* 7 geographic versions confirmed (with country maps, hundreds of 3D landmarks and thousands of POIs available) :
UK/Ireland; Iberia; France; Germany/Austria/Switzerland; Italy; Benelux; Scandinavia

According to Sony, the GO!Explore package will be released in the New Year.

SOURCE: SONY press release

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Motorola's Razr 2 V8 and V9 phones



Motorola's revamped Razr line dubbed as MotoRazr 2 phones includes the Razr 2 V8, Razr 2 V9, and Razr 2 V9m phones which all feature a sleek and slim clamshell design.

The Razr 2 V8 is a Quadband GSM phone, the V9 is a 3G HSDPA phone, while the V9m is 3G EVDO CDMA compatible. All three phones features a touch sensitive music control located outside the phone's large, 2 inch external display that allows users to listen to their music or view SMS messages without flipping the phone open. The larger 2.2 inch internal display allows for better web surfing through the full HTML browser. Another new technology incorporated on the Razr 2 phones is Motorola's CrystalTalk technology that enhances voice quality during calls and stereo Bluetooth technology.

According to Motorola, the MotoRazr 2 will also be available from other wireless carriers like Alltel, T-Mobile USA, and US Cellular though these companies will still have to announce prices and availability dates

AT&T announced that they will also start selling the Razr 2 phone in September for $299 and customers will also have to sign a 2 year contract. Sprint on the other hand will sell the phones on September 4 but will start taking telephone orders on August 22 and will cost $249 with a 2 year contract.


Read Razr2 V9 review here.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Sony unveils new Cyber-shot digital cameras




Sony announced the latest addition to their line of Cyber-shot digital cameras. The DSC-T200 and DSC-T70 will join Sony's sleek, slim, and compact T-series line up while the DSC-H3 will join the H-Series, Sony's superzoom digital camera line-up.

The DSC-T200 and DSC-T70 offers 8 megapixels and Carl Zeiss optical Lens. The DSC-T200 has a 3.5 inch touch screen LCD display and 5x optical zoom and will be available in silver, black or red. The DSC-T70 offers a 3 inch touch screen LCD display, 3x optical zoom and will be available in silver, black, white or pink colors. New features in the Sony T-series includes a Photo TV HD mode which, according to Sony, can bring the look of actual printed photography to the TV and the smile shutter function. Sony's innovative smile shutter function automatically triggers the shutter when the photo subject smiles. A good way of always capturing a smile on every person's face.

The DSC-H3 on the other hand offers a whopping 10x optical zoom on a very compact body. It also has the Photo TV HD mode and includes a long range flash, face detection, an advanced sport shooting mode, optical image stabilization, ISO up to 3200, red eye correction and photo retouching effects and filters.

The Cyber-shot DSC-T200 and DSC-T70 will be available in September for $400 and $300, respectively. The Cyber-shot DSC-H3 will also ship out next month and has a tag price of $300.

Toshiba's 32GB and 16 GB SDHC memory cards

Yes, it's here! Something that would put the iPhone's 8GB storage into obsolescence. Toshiba corp. has announced their new line of high density memory cards which includes the world's first 32 gigabyte (GB) SDHC high density memory card, a 16GB SDHC, and an 8 GB microSDHC memory card. Toshiba's new line up meet the class 4 specification in the SD speed class. With a 32 GB memory card, other mobile phone users would be able to store every music and videos their hearts desire unto their devices, or digital camera owners can take a lot of high quality photos without ever having to worry about running out of space. The 16GB SDHC and 8GB micoSDHC will be available in October while the 32 GB SDHC will have a worldwide launch in January next year.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Nokia's new 3G phone, the Nokia 6555


Nokia has recently launched the Nokia 6555. The Nokia 6555 is probably the most elegant looking of Nokia's 3G phones. The Nokia 6555 has an external analog clock that screams elegance. The 6555 has a thin and narrow form factor and features an original smooth-back design, 16 million color display, video sharing, and WCDMA quadband GSM functions. Other specifications of the phone includes; 30 MB memory, 240 x 320 screen resolution, and 6x camera zoom.

According to Nokia, the 6555 will be available next month and will be priced at 200 euros before taxes and subsidies.


EXTERNAL LINKS:

Samsung SGH-P520 Review

The Nokia 7500 and 7900 Prism


Nokia, the leading mobile phone manufacturer, has just unveiled their Prism collection. Nokia's prism collection, according to the company's press release is aimed at the style-conscious consumers. The Prism collection has two new models, the 7500 Prism and the 7900 Prism. Both handsets combine style and the latest technology that Nokia is famous for.

Nokia's Prism collection features a diamond cut design which seems to be the signature design on the phones, hence the name Prism. The phone features sharp angled lines, geometric patterns, and graphic light-refracting colors. The phone's design is unique, and would surely make it stand out in the mobile phone market.

The Nokia 7900 Prism has a licorice-black color and the back cover is made up of anodized aluminum. The Nokia 7900 is the first of Nokia's phone to feature a 2 inch Organic LED display that has 16 million colors and displays light focused screensaver graphics. Another unique feature of the 7900 Prism is a living wallpaper that can change throughout the day depending on the time, battery, signal strength, ensuring that customers will always have a unique screen. The Nokia 7900 Prism also lets customers personalize their phone's light effect from 49 different colors. According to Nokia's press release, the Nokia 7900 Prism will be a Quadband GSM phone that supports dual band 3G technology, has 1 GB built-in memory, a music player that can play MP3, AAC, eAAC+, and WMA, a 2 megapixel camera with flash and 8x zoom, unified microUSB and Bluetooth connectivity.

On the other hand, the 7500 Prism is a slightly watered down version of the Nokia 7900. The Nokia 7500 Prism has a slick black interior with bright color accents that can be changed. Both phones feature the same diamond-shaped keys on the phone's front. The Nokia 7500 also has a 2 megapixel camera with flash and 8x zoom and a music player that has an exchangeable user interface with 5 music tracks already installed. The 7500 Prism, according to Nokia, will be a triband GSM phone, and will feature a FM radio, microSD card support, and comes pre-installed with Yahoo Go! Widsets and Opera Mini. Users can also personalize the Nokia 7500 with 3 accent colors that comes with the phone's package.

Nokia plans to release their Prism collection by the third quarter of this year. The Nokia 7900 Prism will cost EUR 400 while the 7500 Prism is priced at EUR 200, exclusive of taxes and subsidies.


RELATED POSTS:

Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism Edition

Monday, August 20, 2007

Epson's Ultra High Definition Printers




It seems that everything is in high definition nowadays. Every product out in the market has HD in their names, HD TV, HD radio, HD audio, HD camcorder, HD camera, and how HD printers. And it's not just high def, it's ULTRA high definition. Epson's new line of ultra hi-definition printers include; the Epson Stylus Photo R280, RX595, and RX680.

The Epson Photo R280 can print 4x6 photo in as fast ast 11 sec, text printing up to 38 ppm, and features direct CD/DVD printing. The Epson RX595 has Auto Photo Correction, direct CD/DVD printing, can restore old faded photos to original color, create & print Photo Greeting Cards, and can scan-to-PDF with or without a computer. The Epson RX680 also has auto Photo Correction with preview on LCD, 2 paper trays for up to 270 sheets, auto Duplexer for easy 2-sided printing, up to 40 ppm and 4x6 photo in as fast as 11 sec1 and direct CD/DVD Printing.

Prices for the three printers are: $99.99 for the Epson Stylus Photo R280, $149.99 for the Epson Stylus Photo RX595 and $199.99 for the Epson Stylus Photo RX680.


Sunday, August 19, 2007

Epson's fastest ink jet printer


Epson America, Inc. has just launched the Epson Stylus C120 printer. Epson claims, that the Stylus C120 is the world’s fastest laser-quality ink jet printer. The Epson Stylus C120 has a printing speed of 37 ppm for black text and 20 ppm for color prints when draft mode is used. According to Epson, the Stylus C120, compared with other ink jet printer under $160, has the fastest black text printing and almost two times faster compared with ink jet printers under $100.

Epson is already shipping the Epson Stylus C120 and will be available fro $89.99 in major computer stores, office and electronics stores nationwide.

Friday, August 17, 2007

The Sony Ericsson K770 Cyber-shot phone


Sony Ericsson has just unveiled the Sony Ericsson K770, the company's newest Cyber-shot phone model. Sporting a Truffle Brown color and just 14.5 mm thin, the K770 is the thinnest amongst Sony Ericsson's Cyber-shot phone line.

As a member of Sony's Cyber-shot phone line, the K770 has advanced camera features which includes a 3.2 megapixel camera, autofocus, 3x digital zoom, active integrated lens cover, and LED Photo light, photo fix, picture blogging, video recording, picture messaging, video viewing, and PictBridge technology that allows users to print directly from the mobile phone. According to Sony Ericsson, picture printing is possible at up to A4 size (297 mm x 210 mm).

Phone features and specifications include: UMTS 2100 and GSM 900, 800, 1900 Network support, 1.9 inch 262,144 TFT color screen, 16 MB phone memory expandable with Memory Stick Micro card support, built-in FM radio RDS, stereo Bluetooth support, and USB support. Since the Sony Ericsson K770 can run on UMTS networks, it also has the ability to video call if the recipient's phone also supports video calling. Software included in the Sony Ericsson K770 are, Media Player, Access Netfront web browser, Java MIDP 2.0, Alarm clock, calculator, calendar, notes, tasks, timer, and Modem.

SOURCE: JWhite



EXTERNAL LINKS:

Samsung P520 Review

The iPod Tube Amplifier System


People who just can't get enough of their iPods might want to invest iTPA-220 from Dice Electronics. The iTPA-220 is a high end iPod tube amplifier that fills your home with rich sounds. The iTPA-220 can also charge your iPod while on the docking tray and has a variety of auxiliary inputs for other MP3 players.

The iTPA-220 has a 2x20 Watt amplifiers, 4" mid bass driver, and 1" dome tweeter. The iTPA-220 will be available in September for $299.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Energizer's Energi To Go Portable Power for iPod

Heavy iPod users who find themselves always running out of battery when on the go, will be glad to hear that Energizer has released an iPod version of their famous Energizer Energi To Go cell phone charger.

Energizer is now making this portable charging technology available for iPod users by licensing an adjustable Apple iPod tip so that it can be compatible with most versions of the iPod like the iPod video and iPod Nano. The Energizer Energi To Go Portable Power for the iPod runs on two of Energizer's proprietary e2 Lithium AA batteries. The Energi To Go for the iPod has a one of a kind flip design so that users can use it as a stand while charging as well as provide easy storage. According to Energizer, the design of the Energi To Go complements the iPod since it is sleek, compact and lightweight. Energizer included a patented control chip on the Energi To Go for iPod so that it can maximize power transfer to the MP3 device.

The Energizer Energi To Go Portable Power for the iPod will be available this Fall at retail stores nationwide. The device will sell for $29.99 and will include the charger and two Energizer e2 Lithium AA batteries.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The LG VX9400 by Verizon Wireless: Best Phone to Experience Verizon's Mobile TV


By: JWhite

Verizon Wireless has recently launched its V Cast Mobile TV service which allows users to watch digital broadcast TV over-the-air on their compatible handset. Currently, only two Verizon phones support the V Cast Mobile TV service, the Samsung u620 and the LG VX9400. Now, if you're thinking of subscribing to this service and you're wondering which is the best phone for use with the V Cast, then the LG VX9400 is for you.

The Specifications


The LG VX9400 has a 2.2 inch screen that has a 320 x 240 screen resolution and 262k color screen, a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth that can support stereo headset, and an expandable microSD slot. The phone runs on 1.9 GHz and 800 MHz CDMA network and weighs about 4.06 oz. Built-in software included in the phone is a calculator, calendar, alarm clock, world clock, notepad, tip calculator, and a phone book that can support up to 500 contacts.

The Low-down

The LG VX9400 has a sleek design and at first glance, it would look like a slider phone but the screen actually can twist to a landscape mode for better TV viewing. The phone has a built-in antenna on the upper left side but it is not for getting better phone signals but is actually a TV antenna. When twisted sideways, the phone will have a T-design and will expose the phone pad. The keypad is flat and hard to use. Below the phone's screen is the navigation buttons, at the center of which is an OK button. Surrounding the navigation button are two soft keys, the talk and end buttons and the clear button. The LG VX9400 screen is large enough to make watching videos worthwhile. The phone's camera has a nice range of settings like light metering and white balance. The VX9400 has a self-timer and built-in flash. The flash is not really that useful when shooting in low light conditions but the camera delivers fairly decent images in daylight scenes.

Music playback on the phone is okay but don't turn the volume up to high or your songs will sound distorted. I still don't know whether I like the phone's swivel design or not. Some of my friends like the swivel design and thought it was cool, and I guess when you look at it, it is kinda cool since I have to see another phone with the same design but the really irritating thing about the swivel thingy is that it is hard to receive calls. When you swivel the screen, the microphone goes with it so the only solution is to swivel it back to the original position.

But let's go to the really great thing about this phone: mobile TV. Watching TV on this phone is the bomb. Verizon offers their V Cast service with two packages. For $25 per month, you will get 8 channels, Fox Mobile, CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, MTV, NBC, Nickelodeon, NBC News, and ESPN and Verizon's V Cast Pack, and the other package is for $15 a month in which case you will only get the 8 channels sans the V Cast pack.

I love the fact that I can watch TV anytime, anywhere-well, except when I travel to other cities that doesn't cover Verizon's V Cast. If a show is looking fuzzy, I just extend the antenna for better coverage. Video playback on the LG VX9400 is clear and sharp, thanks to the 2.2 inch screen. Just be sure that you have good coverage because like I said, the videos would tend to get fuzzy when you're in a not so covered area like in the basement of a building. I just wish that Verizon would add more channels but then, that's not the phone's fault.

Final Word

All in all, if you want to experience Verizon's V Cast service, then you can't go wrong with the LG VX9400. The phone's large screen compared with the Samsung u620 would make your mobile TV viewing very enjoyable.

Related Posts:

Sony Ericsson K850i Review

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Pharos GPS Phone 600 & 600e now 30% Cheaper


Good news for iPhone haters and Windows Mobile Fans, Pharos Science and Applications, Inc. has announced that the Pharos GPS Phone 600 and 600e will now be $200 cheaper when purchased with a new T-Mobile Plan.

The GPS Phone 600 runs on Windows Mobile Pocket PC edition and as the name suggests, it has a built-in GPS with Pharos Ostia Navigation Software preloaded with Maps of US and Canada. Other features of the Phars GPS Phone 600 includes, a 2 megapixel camera, FM radio, Windows Media player, and includes pre-loaded travel applications. The GPS Phone 600e has the same features as the GPS Phone 600 sans the preloaded applications, maps and car kit.

The GPS Phone 600 and 600e has a suggested retail price of $699.95 & $599.95, respectively. If customers purchase the phone through Pharos website, they can avail of the devices for a discount of $200 but customers would have to purchase the phone with a two year voice and data plan from T-Mobile.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Skype for the iPhone


Customers who are complaining about the iPhone's lack of instant messaging features can now put their complaints to rest. Shape Services, best known for its IM+ Mobile messenger for a variety of platforms, has announced the availability of Skype for iPhone users.

Users can access Skype for the iPhone by going to http://skypeforiphone.com using their phone's Safari Browser. iPhone owners can now call their Skype contacts or landlines or mobile phones in a less costly manner. IM+ for Skype iPhone version is especially designed for the iPhone's touchscreen. IM+ for Skype iPhone version is still in its beta phase so the company is offering it free of charge to iPhone users for a limited time.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Asus U3 and F8 Laptop Series


Asus introduced during the first week of August their newest line of laptops: The Asus U3 series and the Asus F8 Series. Both series caters to different laptop crowds, with the F8 series appealing more to gamers.

The Asus U3 is the latest of Asus line of laptops that features a 13.3 inch widescreen LCD and the latest Intel Centrino Duo Processor. The Asus U3 has a sleek design mainly due to its piano painted cover and stainless contour and magnesium housing. According to Asus, the magnesium-aluminum alloy used on the cover of the notebook is not only for aesthetic purposes but also provides 4H hardness to protect the notebook's screen.

The Asus U3's specifications includes: Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo Processor, Mobile Intel GM965 Chipset, nVIDIA GeForce 384M G Graphics card, 1 GB system memory, SATA Hard disk drive, and external USB optical disk drive, external GPS RF in connector, VGA Port/Mini D-sub, 3 USB 2.0 ports, Audio Jack, TV-out, WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n, and Bluetooth 2.0

The Asus F8 notebook series on the other hand comes with the revolutionary Infusion technology. Infusion technology is a manufacturing process that produces designs on laptop surfaces. The Infusion surface can resist scratches ensuring that the laptop would always look sleek.

The Asus F8 series will also have the latest Intel Centrino Duo Processors, ATI Mobility Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce8600M GS graphics card, DDR2 memory, SATA hard disk drive, Built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, 5 USB 2.0 ports, Bluetooth connectivity, and 14.1" widescreen color shine LCD.

Read more...

Saturday, August 11, 2007

The Motorola Razr 2 V9m


Good news for Motorola RAZR fans, the Motorola RAZR V9m, a new model in Motorola's revamped RAZR line, will soon be coming to a Verizon Wireless store near you. Verizon announced in their latest press release that the sleek RAZR V9m will be available to Verizon Wireless Customers in September.

The RAZR V9m features a sleek design coupled with the latest mobile phone technology. The Motorla RAZR V9m has the famous RAZR sleek, slim and streamlined flip design and weighs just under 117g. The phone's body has a vacuum metal finish with jewelry like accents. It has an external 2.0 inch QVGA display with touch sensitive music keys and an internal 2.2 inch QVGA screen. Users can now read incoming SMS through the phone's external display.

Some of Motorola's RAZR V9m specifications include a 2 megapixel digital camera that has the capability to digitally zoom in on the image up to 4x. The camera can capture videos and supports MPEG 4, H.263, and H.264. An integrated music player is included that can playback MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+ as well as other music formats. Customers can listen to their music through the phone's micro USB headset or through stereo Bluetooth headsets since the Motorola's V9m supports A2DP Bluetooth profile. The Motorola RAZR V9m can support up to 2 GB of optional removable memory. In Motorola's specification sheet for the RAZR V9m, the company claims that the phone has a talk time of 220 minutes or 290 hours of stand by time.

Read more...

EXTERNAL LINKS:

Samsung SGH-P520 Review

Friday, August 10, 2007

Sony's New Line of DVD Burner


Sony unveiled last Tuesday the company's next generation DVD/CD dual format recordable drives. Sony's new recordable drives come in three models: DRU-840A, DRX-840U, DRX-S70U, all with different designs. Sony claims that their new dvd drives delivers the industry's fastest recording speeds.

All three of Sony's new line of multi-format DVD recordable drives supports 20x DVD+R and DVD-R recording speeds which means a full 4.7 GB of DVD disc can be recorded with video, data, music or images in five minutes on a 16x DVD+R media. Sony's multi-format drives also supports recording on 8.5 GB DVD+R double/dual layer and 4.7GB DVD+RW discs at 12x speed.

The DRU-840A is an internal DVD drive that has an ATAPI interface so that it can be easily installed inside a CPU and can be replaced with a black bezel to match black colored CPUs. The DRU-840A supports 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD±R DL, 12x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, and 12x DVD-RAM, 48x CD-R and 32x CD-RW recording speeds and supports dual and double layer formats.

Read more...

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Apple reveals new iMac


Apple has unveiled their new line of iMac computers this Tuesday which features a 20 and 24 inch widescreen monitors encased in aluminum and glass enclosures. The iMac's new design features professional grade aluminum and scratch-resistant glass which is more recyclable than plastic, the previous material used for the old iMacs. The iMac is also power-efficient, meeting the new Energy Star 4.0 requirements.

The new iMac products has the latest Intel Core 2 Duo Processors, and includes the ultra-thin aluminum Apple Keyboard which is just .33 inches thin, built-in video camera and Apple's new iLife '08, an award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications. Also include in every iMac is the Mac OS X version 10.4.10 Tiger, Safari browser, Mail, iCal, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo Booth.

But more than just design, the new iMacs will be available in 3 powerful configurations: 20 inch 2.0 GHz iMac, 20 inch 2.4 GHz iMac, and 24 inch 2.4 GHz iMac.

Read more...

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

The Sony Mylo Pocket Communicator


With so many mobile phones out in the market that are already packed with online communication features, one wonders why Sony would release a communicator that looks so much like a mobile phone yet, without the mobile phone calling feature.

Sony dubbed their communicator "mylo" which stands for "my life online". The small device lets users instant message, browse the internet, listen to music, view photos or send emails. The communicator comes pre-installed with instant messaging services like Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, and Skype. Though the device cannot make calls through the mobile phone network, users through the use of Skype can make free internet calls to other Skype users worldwide. Mylo has a built-in 1 GB internal memory but supports expansion through the Sony's proprietary Memory Stick Duo Media.

Mylo will be available in September and will cost $350.

Every Apple iPhone application under one website


If you're tired of bookmarking sites on your Safari browser or searching google for Apple iPhone applications, then I would definitely recommend going to Applists.com. It's the only site you would ever want to visit if you're looking for iPhone applications.

Applists.com, lets iPhone users quickly and conveniently
locate the world's iPhone applications with just a few taps on their screen
and then store these apps in containers called application lists or
applists.

Applists.com has a variety of iPhone applications on their site ranging from games to educational apps and the site keeps growing as new applications are added everyday. What is great is that some of these apps can run on ordinary pocket internet explorer so Pocket PC users can also enjoy some good web content for their PDA.

Monday, August 6, 2007

Panasonic introduces new line of HD cameras


Panasonic announced last Monday the introduction of their two new camcorder line-up. Following the popularity and demand for High Definition videos, Panasonic's new camcorders is capable of full HD video recording that can best be viewed on a large screen, high definition TV. The HDC-SD5 and the HDC-SX5 camcorders will incorporate Panasonic's imaging technology that, according to the company, would let consumers capture clear and vibrant videos.

The primary difference between conventional HD video recording and full HD recording is that the former is capable of 1,440 pixels horizontally and has a total of 1.55 million pixels while full HD recording has 1,920 horizontal pixels and a total of 2.07 million pixels. Pixels of this amount on any camcorder would give users the highest detail and resolution.

Read more...

Sunday, August 5, 2007

A New Mobile Operating System Introduced

Windows Mobile, Symbian and Palm, the largest providers of operating systems for the mobile platform, are about to face tough competition as Chipnuts Technology, a Chinese based provider of systems solution, announced the launch of SmartNX Mobile operating system and NX200 platform. The operating system and the platform have already been adapted by some mobile phone design company and manufacturers.

The NX200 platform incorporates Chipnuts recent C7280 multi-core mobile application processor with the SmartNX Mobile operating system; the combination of the two allows easy smart phone development. Chipnuts' platform and mobile operating system provides mobile phone designers and manufacturers a total solution multimedia application processor, operating system, mainstream application software, product design reference, and testing, manufacturing as well as development related tools. These solutions can lower technical and business difficulties and shortens product developers' time to market, decreasing the total cost for owning smart phone devices.

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Saturday, August 4, 2007

Panasonic's New Line of Lumix Cameras


Panasonic announced last July 23rd its new addition to its line of Lumix digital cameras. The Lumix DMC-FZ18, is a top of the line camera with 8.1 megapixel and 18x optical zoom while the two new compact digital cameras are the DMC-FX55 and DMC-FX33, both digital cameras has 8.1 megapixel and 3.6x optical zoom. All three models have Panasonic's Intelligent Image Stabilization technologies and are the first amongst Panasonic's line of digital cameras to offer Intelligent Auto Mode.

The Intelligent Auto Mode features an Intelligent Scene Selector which can select the appropriate scene mode like Portrait, Scenery, Macro, or Night Mode, a Face detection System that lets the camera focus clearly and can detect and capture clearly and brightly about 15 human faces. The Intelligent Auto Mode also has a Continuous Auto-Focus that helps the camera focus on the subject without unnecessary pressing of the shutter button.

Panasonic's Intelligent Image Stabilization balances any effects of hand-shake and can adjust the ISO setting when the image subject is moving. This features allow users to capture clear and crisp images.

Read More...

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Friday, August 3, 2007

How to finish Level 40 in Belle's Beauty Boutique and have Expert Scores


I've finished Belle's Beauty Boutique for some time now and I'm proud to say that I finished both with Easy and Expert level with all expert scores including level 40. Though I have to admit, it took me a while to get an expert score in level 40. This is not a cheat or special code or hack on the game but just pure technique.

How to get past Level 40 and achieve all expert scores

Well the technique is flirt, flirt, flirt, and gossip, gossip, gossip. At first I thought to get all expert scores, the customers bars need to be full, I was wrong. I could actually get way beyond expert scores even if customers are on the verge of leaving, its all in just letting the elderly, chubby, gossip lady and elderly guy stay for a little while longer in their chairs than necessary so new customers can flirt or gossip with them. Gossip and flirt scores are like, $15 or $20 each, assuring that you would reach the expert score. And always use the makeover button when its full.

For getting past Level 40, all you need to do is always match the Dracula guy and gal and the Frankenstein couple. Also, the fairy and the mummy are like the gossip lady and the elderly guy in the previous levels, just make them stay a little longer though if the fairy's bar starts getting low, you should apply the spa treatment as a full bar would yield you about more than a hundred dollar payment.

Nissan unveils concept car that would help prevent drunk-driving accidents


Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is on a roll with their anti drunk-driving campaign. Just last June, the Motor company announced a drunk driving message alert system on their navigation system and just last July, they have began testing a breathalyzer system that can immobilize a car once a driver's breath has been detected to contain alcohol above a specified level. Now the company introduced their concept car that would further prevent drunk driving accidents.

The anti drunk-driving technology includes an alcohol odor sensor built into the transmission shift knob that can detect alcohol through the driver's perspiration. Several alcohol odor sensors are located throughout the car that detects the presence of alcohol inside the vehicle. Once alcohol is detected to be above a specified level, preventive measures are put into gear which includes immobilization of the car by locking the transmission and message alert voices.

Nissan's anti drunk-driving technology also has a facial recognition system that detects if the driver is drowsy through monitoring of the driver's blinking eyes. If a driver is detected to be sleepy, a message alert voice will sound and the seat-belt will tighten to jolt the driver back to a wakeful state.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

World's first Blu-ray disc camcorder


From the company that brought us the first DVD camcorder and the DVD and hard disc drive hybrid camcorder now comes the first Blu-Ray disc camcorder. Hitachi, a leading Global Electronics company has announced the launched of two new camcorders that features Blu-ray disc recording.

Hitachi's Blu-ray disc camcorders comes in two models, the DZ-BD7H, a hybrid camcorder that can record high definition videos onto a Blu-ray disc or a 30 GB Hard disc drive, and the DZ- BD70, a basic single drive Blu-ray disc camcorder. Both camcorders has a 10x zoom and a 2.7 inch wide screen LCD. The Blu-ray disc drive records to a 8cm BD disc or 8cm DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R or DVD+RW. The 8cm BD can record up to 1 hour of full HD video or two hours of standard HD video while the DZ-BD7H's 30 GB hard disc drive can record up to 4 hours of full HD.

Hitachi's Blu-ray disc camcorders will be available starting August 30, 2007 in Japan and the rest of the world will follow in October. No price is yet available at the company's website.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Sony's Latest Back to School Program


With the start of the Fall semester just a few weeks away, Sony has announced their latest promotion for college students dubbed as the Sony Style Campus. The Sony Style Campus is a series of promotions that would let college students enjoy a series of promos that would be very beneficial to them.

The Sony Style Campus lets college student own the latest VAIO CR series or N series models at a discounted price plus they get an extended 3 year service plan with accidental damage from Handling, a durable carrying case plus a mouse. Students would enjoy a $300 savings from this bundle.

Sony Style also offers flexible financing options, the Sony special financing promo lets you enjoy no interest and no payments for 90 days or 12 months depending on the qualified products available for the financing scheme.

Students can also trade-in their old notebook for credit to buy a new one. Just head on over to sonystyle.com and visit their trade-in calculator to know the trade-in value of your old notebook and then you can visit a Sony Style store to trade in your laptop for a discount or a gift card. The Sony Style Campus promo is available at the Sony Style website and their Sony Style retail stores throughout the US.

Introducing, the world's thinnest solar battery


First, it was the LCD screens that are getting thinner, with Sony's introduction of the flexible screen and other paper-thin screens currently being developed, what's next? Well, how about a paper thin and flexible battery to power up these screens?

Geomatec and Iwate University of Japan has developed a rechargeable solar battery that is only several nano meters thick. The paper thin battery is made of completely solid materials and doesn't have any liquid so there's no danger of explosion. It's so safe that you can even bend it (Partnership with Sony's flexible screen would be a good option for them right now). The rechargeable battery can resist temperatures of up to 120 degrees celsius and can be charged and discharge up to 10,000 times.