Electronic Gadget

Sony Ultra slim Vaio X

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:11:00 +0000

Consumer Electronic Giant Sony introduced Sony Vaio X, professing to be the world's slimmest portable notebook marked at Rs. 65000,approx giving tough competition to Apple Macbook Air.The new product,Sony Vaio X is half an inch thick and weighs 600 grams.

Bollywood actress,Kareena Kapoor has been signed as the brand ambassador of the product because of the size zero figure she became famous for.This has been done to highlight the slimness of the notebook.

The company intends to invest 15 crores to market the product besides other investment which will go into marketing of other portfolios of the company. "We are planning to invest Rs 200 crore across all our portfolios in India in marketing this fiscal",said Masaru Tamagawa,Managing Director,Sony India.

Tamagawa commented,"The company, that also launched a new range of notebooks — Vaio CW, starting at Rs 37,000 and notebooks priced at Rs 27,000, plans to garner 20 per cent market share in the consumer notebook segment by launching newer products, expanding buyer channels and investing aggressively in marketing"

The new Sony Vaio X comes vested in softly brushed aluminium panel that covers the isolation keyboard and an area to rest palms.It comes with the new windows 7 which is an absolute treat and is decked with Silverthorne Intel Atom processor.

Sony Vaio exhibits two new models Vaio X priced at Rs. 64,990 and VPCX117LG priced at Rs. 84,990.Both come with one year international warranty.Currently Sony holds about 12 percent share in the market.

HTC Touch 2

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:46:00 +0000

HTC Touch 2 is one alluring smartphone device with good looks, style and unbelievable performance. It comes with compact touch screen design and the overall dimensions of the phone are 104 x 55 x 12.9 mm while the total weight is just 110 grams. Its casing as curved edges & a smooth finish which makes it feel good in the users hand when in use. The 2.8 inches TFT LCD touch screen can display up to sixty five thousand colours & provides 240 x 320 Pixels screen resolution.

HTC has added few unique features on HTC Touch 2 to make it different from the crowd and some of them are TouchFLO 3D finger swipe navigation, accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate, touch-sensitive zoom bar and handwriting recognition. HTC Touch 2 offers trouble free data sharing & connectivity as it supports 3G HSDPA & HSCSD technology which will enable the users to experience high speed connectivity as well as GPRS and EDGE technology provides fast data transfers when transferring data between the Touch 2 & other compatible devices.

Moreover, the smartphone supports Wi-Fi technology to connect to the Internet on the move via Wi-Fi connection and data can also be transferred by using either Bluetooth wireless or USB cabled connection between devices. Battery Backup & Memory Support is superb. You can save useful data on your HTC Touch 2 as it has 256 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM and also you can use microSD memory card slot option to expand the memory as per your requirement.

The 3.2 mega pixel camera comes supported by fixed focus and variety of camera and video settings. The camera produces good quality images and videos. The powerful battery is capable to provide talk time approximately 7.3 hours of GSM, 6 hours of 3G and standby time about 370 hours of GSM and 500 hours of 3G when properly charged. HTC Touch 2 has been packed with MP3 player so individuals can pass their leisure time simply by tuning into their favorite music tracks as well as you can watch videos by using video player in file formats like MPEG4, WMV, ASF, 3GP, 3G2, M4V & AVI.

Nokia 6233 Music Edition

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:58:00 +0000

If somebody is a looking for a smart electronic gadget, Nokia 6233 Music Edition (ME) phone is one to seek. The phone comes in a bar form and is very simple and easy to use. Nokia 6233 Music Edition comes with the dimensions of 108 x 46 x 18 mm and with the weight of 110 grams. It is one of the lightest phones available in the market. The phone is available in white color enhancing its visual quality which is a great added attraction.

Hence, you would love to use the phone for long hours especially as it has a a Standard battery, Li-Po 1100 mAh (BP-6M). It has the talk time of 4 hours and the standby time is 340 hours. It is almost similar to its predecessor Nokia 6233 which has 3G. When enabled with the 3G feature, you can user to catch up with the latest information on financial markets or the moments of sport which they missed recently.

The phone's key features include a 512 MB MicroSD memory and 70 MB of total memory. The call record system of the phone is very good. It shows 20 of each called, received and missed calls. The phone also supports a calendar and a scheduler to remind you of all your appointments and meetings without any delay. The phone differs from Nokia 6233 as there is presence of MMS function in Nokia 6233 Music Edition handset. In multimedia functions, it is well endowed too. It comes with MP3/AAC player.

Nokia 6233 Music Edition is having a 2 MP camera with a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. It also has an option of video recording. Now you need not carry a camera with you always. It also has some games to keep you busy. The phone has games like Nokia World Cup, 3D Street Racer, 3D Snake. You also have the option of downloading games of your choice.

The phone also has FM radio with visual radio. With visual radio, you can know who the singer and lyricist is and from which movie the song has been taken.
Nokia 6233 Music Edition also supports GPRS, EDGE, HSCDS, etc for easily transferring the data but lacks support for Word, Excel or Adobe documents. It also has Bluetooth and infrared options available. Other features include support for Java, WAP 2.0, polyphonic and MP3 ring tones with vibration alert, a clear and loud hands free speakerphone and SMS, MMS and email messaging with T9 predictive text input.

Sleek and stylish design, 2 megapixel camera, microSD storage slot w/ 512MB card, A2DP Bluetooth profile, included music stand are its plus point. No camera for 3G video calls, average battery life, no standard 3.5mm headphone jack are its negative points. Overall, it is one that will make others envy you...seriously.

Samsung Star S5233w

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:11:00 +0000

Famous mobile phone providers ‘Samsung’ is always wanted to increase its popularity by adding new features to its mobile phones. Now ‘Samsung’ has added an additional feature- Wi-Fi to its latest Star handsets known as ‘Samsung S5233W’.

The Samsung's new Star branded mobile phone, the Star S5233w, with Wi-Fi is no doubt, a step ahead as in the previous versions of the Star series were so popular, but they lacked Wi-Fi. Certainly, the new S5233w has resolved the pending demand of its users. The “just launched” S5233w resembles the previous Star phone - with just the Wi-Fi chip added.

Its sleek squared shape, 3 inch 240 x 400 pixels, 262K colors WQVGA intuitive touch screen navigation, make it easy to breeze to access the mobile's features including the 3.2 Megapixel camera and music player.

Plus, there is auto rotating display, 3.2 mega pixel camera with a Smile Shot feature, full browser support with easy access to Google Mail, Google Search and Google Maps, MP3 player with DNSe, handwriting recognition,FM radio, Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0 and 50MB memory and microSD card support, expandable to 8GB. This phone will be available in Black, Silver, White, and Pink at a competitive price of Rs 12000.

Nowadays, Samsung’s latest star touch screen mobile phones are very popular. The addition of Wi-Fi are sure to boost the sales of this popular handset.

Samsung Star 3G - Really a Star

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:27:00 +0000

The Samsung Star 3G is a 3G-enabled phone. Star 3G S5603's review reveals its success story.

The S5603 is the latest 3G touchscreen phone from Samsung. It has excellent features and comes with a large 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen with Samsung's TouchWiz User Interface (UI).The S5603's touchscreen responds well to the finger.

Viewing is possible in portrait and landscape modes. The UI is one of the best and makes the mobile experience a pleasure.

The front panel of the Samsung Star 3G has the earpiece just above the screen, the light sensor and the secondary video call camera on the right. The bottom of the screen has three buttons -- the calling keys, back button and the power on/off or exit key. The calling keys open the call log, while the back button simply takes users a step back from the present screen. The power/exit key directly brings users to the home screen. The back button looks like a D-pad and can be mistaken for the navigation key.The Samsung Star 3G has a very simple touch input and has got a standard keypad. They haven't included any QWERTY touchpad.

The S5603 doesn't have a navigation key, so users have to manually browse through the menu with their finger. On the top of the phone is the multifunction jack for USB connectivity, charging and handsfree. The multi-function port is a big disadvantage, as nothing else can be used while charging the phone. The left of the phone has the volume rocker that doubles up as the zooming rocker and for the text and the camera. On the right of the phone is the hold/screen lock key and below it is the camera key. The mic is at the bottom of the device.The back has the 3.0-megapixel camera with LED flash towards the top and a loudspeak¬er at the bottom left.

The phone is slim and lightweight, and is about 13mm thick, while weighing just over 90g. The phone is not too large and is very pocketable.

The phone comes out with a 2.8-inch screen with a resolution of 240x320 pixels only. The low resolution on a large screen results in a bit of pixilation.

It also puts a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash and speakers at the bottom left. However, the images that it captures seem to be below average. The S5603 has a slot for the MicroSD card (expandable upto 16 GB) behind the battery. In addition to that there is an Internal storage of 80 MB.

The phone comes with quite a good number of pre-installed applications. There is an Application to Share-pix on several online image portals like Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, Friendster,and MySpace.

The other applications include FM Tuner, Voice Recorder, Timer,Stopwatch, and RSS Reader.

15 Acoustic headphones from Bose

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:19:00 +0000

As the name itself is all to say, Quiet Comfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones are the latest headphones introduced by Bose in its Quiet Comfort headphone line.The Bose has been from last 30 years in continuous research in noise reduction technology, where there has been significant engineering advancements in active and passive noise reduction technologies into the QC15 headphones with which they could offer more attenuation in louder environments and also across a wider range of frequencies. Since audio quality has always been a major concern, and therefore this time they have ensured a comfortable fit that is worthy of the Quiet Comfort headphone line.

Being the proprietary electronics approach which is to introduce active noise reduction, this sophisticated feature aims to place within and without the ear cup. The new proprietary ear cushion technology helps in additional passive attenuation. Also the new mechanical design along with careful selection of materials for specific acoustic properties helps to prevent more noise from entering the ear cup.Thus this results in the ability to better sense sound in any environment, and also taking a some more effective measures so that it can instantly produce an opposing cancellation signal.

Adding to this,QC15 headphones most interesting feature is the detachment of a single earcup cable for untethered noise reduction. We just need to flip a switch on the right earcup as soon the cable is removed, so that it will activate the proprietary technology. As far as battery is concerned QC15 runs on a single AAA battery for up to 35 hours of non-stop playback. When there is around five hours of battery left the green on/off indicator light starts to flash thereby giving enough time to prepare a spare.

Nokia 5310 XpressMusic Phone

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:06:00 +0000

Nokia 5130 Xpress music is newly launched mobile phone in the market and specially designed for music lovers due to many reasons. XpressMusic bar-shape is amazingly thin and lightweight handset with serious sonic power.Packing a 16M color QVGA display, dedicated music keys, stereo Bluetooth and FM radio in a sleek thin body, this neat handset is sure to appeal to quite a lot of slim phone admirers.

The phone has basic organizer functions including a calendar, to-do list, and notes. All of these plus the phonebook can be synchronized with a desktop calendar such as iCal over Bluetooth. As a music-oriented phone, it comes with a dedicated audio chip, which delivers better audio quality, as well as 3 music buttons, Play, Next Track and Previous Track. These buttons can activate the music player on the phone during almost all other activities, such as sending text messages and changing settings.. The 5310 also has WAP 2.0/xHTML, as well as HTML capabilities.

Key features of 5130 XpressMusic

* 9.9 mm slim and lightweight
* 3.5 mm standard jack
* Lots of preloaded applications
* 2" 16M color display with QVGA resolution
* Ambient light sensor
* Decent keypad
* Bluetooth with A2DP
* S40 5th edition user interface
* Stereo FM radio with RDS
* Dedicated music keys
* microSD card slot (2GB memory card included)

Nokia 5130 Pros-

1. Very sleek body design
2. Very affordable
3. Standard 3.5mm audio jack
4. Stereo Bluetooth
5. Stereo FM radio with RDS
6. Memory card slot with up-to 16GB expandable
7. Dedicated music keys to easy access to the music
8. Class 32 Edge
9. 2 MP megapixels camera
10. Available in two attractive colors, blue and red

5130 Xpress Music Cons-

* Mediocre camera with no flash or auto focus, really slow
* Tri-band only
* No 3G
* Memory card slot under the battery cover
* Inadequate QCIF video recording
* Uneven backlighting

Its looks and music features are very reliable with SD card slot to save more and more songs to listen and use any type of headphone you like with 3.55mm headphone jack its possible.

Use Precision HSD for your iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:41:00 +0000

The Precision HSD product line will boast a special and some say, an ingenious case design which will merge both superior protection, quality construction and ease-of-use. This is keeping in mind the iPhone fever that is prevalent worldwide despite the smartphones making their way to the third generation as of now, introducing its Precision HSD case/carry solution for iPhone 3G and 3G S.

The Precision HSD for iPhone 3G and 3G S blends durability and style in a unique case and carry solution that safeguards both the front and back of the expensive gadget. The patented design will not let the surface get scratched because of its innovative, easy-to-use, one-handed latch system. The unique case design does not attach directly to the mobiles phone and provides superior protection without wear to the phone’s surface. It is available in custom finishes, all with a premium look and feel that is competitively priced.

Features of the versatile and very useful engineering innovation includes an engineered hinge to enhance use and durability, soft microfiber lining for added protection, an easy-to-open door to view calls or phone status and a patented AGF long-life 180-degree swivel belt clip.

You can buy one for $34.95 today.

Nokia 5610 Xpress Music

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:19:00 +0000

The Nokia 5610 XpressMusic is one of the most sought for XpressMusic series phones launched by Nokia in Q4 of 2008. It features state-of-the-art music technology that has earned it accolades from numerous quarters. The handsets are available in Red, Blue, White and Pink colors.

Pivotal Features

Steel body is its major highlight that ensures good construction
3G support with video calls
2.2" TFT-screen and QVGA Display
3 MP Camera with autofocus
Endowed with technologies like UMTS, EDGE, GPRS
Advanced music functions, radio with RDS
Stereo Bluetooth
Good keypad
MicroSD Memory card slot

Major Cons

Front panel susceptible to fingerprints
Camera LED unusable as a flashlight
Charging through USB is not possible
Easy to scratch lens glass protector
MicroUSB Port is not that popular

Nokia 7610 Supernova

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:52:00 +0000

The new Nokia Supernova 7610 mobile phones give people an option to truly personalize their look by matching the style of their phone to their ever-changing mood with a choice of exchangeable Xpress-On covers that comes in glazing colors and glamorous surfaces.

This kind of personalization through vibrantly hued exchangeable covers will make a statement for Nokia customers and that will be through Nokia 7610 Supernova mobile phone.

The Nokia 7610 Supernova is part of the new Nokia Supernova range, featuring a mix of bold colors and an of-the-moment design, aimed at style conscious men and women who want to stay connected, the new range delivers exceptional mobile functionality alongside a variety of music and internet experiences.

Additional features include a 3.2 MP camera with dual LED flash and 8x digital zoom, instant messaging and TV out for image sharing.

With the Nokia 7610 Supernova, consumers can also enjoy and manage music with a dedicated music key, FM-radio, an MP3 player and access to Nokia Music Store through the Nokia Music PC Client. The Nokia WidSets service gives access to enjoy and share content on favorite websites through the device.

Featuring a slide design and smooth curves, the Nokia 7610 Supernova offers Xpress-On covers in a choice of a set of 'steel blue' and 'red' covers offset by a muted gray front surface, or 'bright lilac' and 'steel blue' contrasted against a pristine white front surface.

The innovative Theme Colorizer feature lets people identify and capture any color and further tailor a look by applying captured colors to the phone's key illumination and wallpaper.

With the new Nokia 7610 Supernova, we set out to give people the ability to set themselves apart in the same way that they would with a traditional statement accessory.

The Nokia 7610 Supernova cell phone is available in the market at a good price tag of around Rs.6300.

First Music Phone from LG

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:05:00 +0000

LG KM500 is the first music phone of the company and the first product from their new “M” line. LG KM-500 is a nice mid-sized music phone with plastic case (except for the battery cover which is metallic).The KM 500 is supposed to possess superior sound quality and stand out from other similar devices.The music really sounds quite good; granted, it’s nothing amazing, but for an LG phone it could even be considered a breakthrough.

The player is easy to use and functional enough, but there are some drawbacks. For example, there is no equalizer – a pretty strange fact, especially considering that a fashion phone like LG Secret has it. There is, however, a sound enhancer called Natural Sound.

The 3.5 mm audio jack allows for connecting headphones without the need for any adapters. Regrettably,the location of the 3.5 mm audio jack is somewhat inconvenient. Another problem is that the memory card slot being located under the battery.

When talking about regular phone functions, the KM500 is nothing special – a typical LG device, really. The music capabilities of this phone are much more interesting, however.

The menu and default applications of KM500 will look familiar to the owners of other LG phones, except perhaps for the slightly improved player:

The navigational buttons can be used for controlling the player; they also show light effects when a track is playing. Album Arts is supported, but you will need to both put the image file into according folder and add a tag for the song.

When you first access the player after inserting a new memory card, the phone will require some time to update the playlist.

You can block the keyboard of the mobiles phone no matter which menu are you browsing currently – a nice and useful feature.

KM-500 will display some interesting light effects when you listen to music. The phone does look great when the keyboard backlight is on.

The quality of the sound it produces is on-par with gadgets from other companies. Even though, it doesn’t sound as good as Nokia’s N91 or Motorola’s ROKR E8, K 500 from LG is still a viable choice for your next music phone purchase.

Pentax W80

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:28:00 +0000

Sure, digital cameras are very common, and unless some company has a camera that really stands out in some way, there is very little that distinguishes one digital camera from the other.

I suppose the “standout” feature on Pentax’s Optio W80 is that is one bad mother…shut my mouth! I’m just talking about the Optio W80! Then you should dig it, because the W80 is “shockproof”.

How shockproof? Well, this 12 Megapixel camera can withstand a drop of 3.3 feet, and can go underwater for 16 feet for up to two hours. It can also work in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Motojewel phone

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:46:00 +0000

The Motorola Jewel is a luxurious & elegant mobile phone which is called a jewel due to the truly jewel like design. The phone comes with a crystal cut & jewel effect designed casing which has a distinctive mirror effect. The handset is available in a subtle silver coloured casing complete with a stylish purple coloured keypad. This fashionable handset will turn heads on its looks alone & the jewel cut design reflects the light which makes this handset truly dazzling. The Motorola Jewel is also known as the MOTOJEWEL™.

0 The Motorola Jewel has a flip action opening system which is easy to open to access the main screen & keypad. The user can view information including music information on the hidden external screen when the handset is in its flip closed position. The external screen is subtly hidden when not in use as it has a seamless design but when it use this external colour screen shines to allow the user to view their desired information.

When the user opens their handset they will find a good size colour screen on the back of the opening section of the handset & a keypad which in situated on the lower section of the handset. The Jewel will neatly fit in the users hand when in use at it measures approximately 90mm tall, 48mm wide & 16mm deep when in its flip closed position. The user will find it easy to carry as it weighs 95 grams which will not weigh the user down when carrying or when in use.

Muvi Micro Camcorder

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:03:00 +0000

It is nice to see the technology and wonders miniaturization of a device can do for us humans - check out the Muvi Micro Camcorder that is able to do more than what a high end analog camcorder is capable of more than a decade ago. Being super small, it measures a mere 5.5cm x 2cm x 2cm, making the manufacturers tout it as “the smallest camcorder in the world” - heck, you can even wear it around your neck and let it function like a webcam if you want to.

All recorded images and videos are stored on a microSD memory card, where it is expandable up to 8GB. Features include VGA resolution recording quality and the ability to record using voice commands. Heck, you can even let it be sound-activated, recording whenever it detects a sound of 65 decibels and above.

Steering Wheel Bluetooth Speakerphone

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:50:00 +0000

More and more states around the US and countries all over the world have already banned the use of cellphones while driving unless you’re using a hands-free kit of sorts. Of course, wireless versions are preferred in this day and age since there are no wires for you to get tangled with whenever you negotiate a treacherous mountain pass, making the Steering Wheel Bluetooth Speakerphone a suitable candidate for your hands-free woes.

This is the Bluetooth speakerphone that attaches to your steering wheel, placing the microphone and speakers closer to you for easier conversations without taking your hands off the wheel. The device uses two 2-watt speakers coupled with noise reduction and echo cancellation technologies for clear transmission and reception. Inbound calls appear on the device’s 9/16″ display as either numbers or names (depending upon how your cell phone is set up), allowing you to accept or reject calls with a press of a button. Volume, mute, and phone book buttons allow further control right from the steering wheel. The device can be paired with up to eight different cell phones and you can transfer up to 600 phone numbers to its 256MB memory. Its rechargeable battery provides five hours of continuous talk time from a three-hour charge using the included DC car adapter.

D-Link introduces router with “CAPTCHA”

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Security threats to your computer at home these days just aren’t limited to viruses being transmitted from floppies, they range from surfing less than desirable sites to downloading cracks and patches (basically, anything illegal is a prime suspect for malicious scripts and spyware to be installed on your machine without your knowledge). Apart from that, newer forms of Internet security attacks on home and small office computers include compromising networks at a place where users least expect it - their routers.

These once unheard of software invasions will involve a Trojan horse being downloaded without the user’s knowledge when running common tasks, and it will subsequently invade the router to detect wireless capabilities, changing the victim’s domain name system (DNS) records in the process so that every single bit of future traffic will be diverted via the attackers’ network first. D-Link being a well known name when it comes to routers have come up with a new range of these devices that have integrated CAPTCHA.

What is CAPTCHA? CAPTCHA is actually an acronym for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. Well, this is a system that was specially designed to detect if the responses generated are by humans or computers as an added measure of security.

You know that if you want to sign up for a new email account or even access your forgotten password, there often appears a small box of warped text and figures which you have to key in to prevent the computer from classifying you as a bot? That’s what CAPTCHA is all about, although it isn’t exactly a fool-proof plan since older folks more often than not have a hard time trying to decipher what the CAPTCHA is trying to say, resulting in more frustration. Guess this is where they need to call upon the help of their kids and put their college education (in IT) to good use.

This electronic device is sure a boon for those affected by security threats.

Pocket Retro Game Emulator

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Despite all the advancements made in the world of portable gaming to date, there is just something appealing about going retro, even more so when you can carry those classic games with you wherever you go to kill time during short breaks at work or on a long commute back. ThinkGeek understands this and has released the Pocket Retro Game Emulator to cater such needs.

The Pocket Retro Game Emulator looks a bit like the GameBoy Pocket but that’s where the similarities end. Load on NES, SNES, GBA, Sega Genesis, or Neo Geo roms and play your old favorites in the palm of your hand.

With 4GB of built-in storage and a mini SD slot for expansion you can bring every single game from the best classic consoles with you. Of course in typical all encompassing gadget style you can also play movie files, audio files, use the built-in FM radio, view jpg images, read E-books, do voice recording etc. The Pocket Retro Game Emulator will come with four control buttons on the right alongside two shoulder buttons - just nice for games up to the 16-bit era. You will need to transfer ROMs over to the Pocket Retro Game Emulator via USB from a computer, but we won’t tell you where to get those. No idea if you would want to fork out $99.99 for this when the PSP already comes with homebrew solutions to handle old school games.

Canon's 5D Mk

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:43:00 +0000

When Canon released the 21 MP 5D Mk. II complete with 1080p full frame video, serious videographers were drooling. And after seeing such shorts as “Reverie,” by professional photographers using the video feature to shoot some serious cinematic imagery, the chief complaint was that the 5D Mk. II’s video feature was purely automatic. That there was no ability to control manually the exposure or shutter settings for the video feature, was always a thorn in professional videographers side. No more. According to CNet, a firmware update for the $2500+ camera body is coming which will give photographers the keys to the video kingdom.

The basic reason why Canon left out manual control for video was simply because they considered video to be the “icing on the cake” to the core feature of the camera, which was obviously to shoot digital still images in high resolution. But they did such a great job with the quality of the full frame 1080p video that 5D users were screaming for Canon to release the manual hounds.

The ability to control the ISO, f stop and shutter settings for the 5D Mk. II will allow the camera to become a serious cinematic contender for budding filmmakers on a budget. The new firmware update will be available next month.

The Jewel Guitar Necklace USB drive

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:31:00 +0000

This is one of the rare USB drive necklaces that I didn’t envision some elderly secretary wearing around her neck. This one could almost appeal to the glam rocker type instead of the older crowd. Although it’s definitely not subtle, since it’s yet again covered in crystals, it does at least have a guitar shape to it. It’s yet again attached to a chain so that you can wear it as a necklace and always have it on hand.

One different thing about this is that the cap of the drive is attached to the chain. So you don’t have to take off the necklace to use it. My only issue with that is the concern that over time the drive would stop holding onto the necklace quite as well. Leaving the risk that you might lose the drive along with all the data stored on it. If you think it’s worth the risk though, you will be able to store 2GB of data on the drive.

Panasonic DMP-B15 portable blu ray player

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:18:00 +0000

Panasonic is proud to announce that they have released their first portable Blu-ray player from their stables, although it definitely isn’t the first in the world. Known as the Panasonic DMP-B15, this model aims to offer the definitive High Definition Blu-ray experience for those on the go, coming with a high quality 8.9″ WSVGA LCD display that will feature Panasonic’s very own VIERA CAST Internet accessibility and BD Live functionality, in addition to an SD memory card slot. More on the DMP-B15 in further detail right after the jump.

Don’t be fooled - just because it is portable doesn’t mean it is gimped in any way. The DMP-B15 will come with virtually all the technology found in its stand-alone counterparts, notably the DMP-BD60, DMP-BD80 and the VHS-Blu-ray dual player DMP-BD70V. You can expect top image quality courtesy of its PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus technology that was specially developed in collaboration with Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory. What is the PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus? This is but a high quality image-processing technology which is capable of processing each pixel of the Blu-ray Disc video signal in the vertical direction. This results in color data reproduction at twice the accuracy of conventional systems, giving your eyes the enjoyment of faithful and sharp colors.

Similar to the trio of stand-alone Blu-ray players from Panasonic, the DMP-B15 will come with VIERA CAST functionality. This special application allows users to access selected Web sites such as Amazon Video-on-Demand, where streaming video service like that will be able to be enjoyed instantly by offering consumers over 40,000 titles to choose from, YouTube; Google Picasa Web Album; Bloomberg and a weather channel. Expect the Amazon VOD to be rolled out later this month. Interestingly enough, the DMP-B15 is self-sufficient as there is no need for an external set-top box, and you won’t have to fork out an additional cent for it. Inside, you get a 2.5 hour rechargeable battery, HDMI connectivity and an optional headrest mounting bracket to complete the package.

BlackBerry 8830

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:28:00 +0000

As a cell-phone user who was eager for a smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard, I was eager to finally try out the BlackBerry 8830.

The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition is definitely designed for business people on the go. In fact, it claims to be “the first CDMA smartphone capable of roaming globally on GSM/GPRS networks”. This means you can pretty much travel the world without having to change your phone, your phone number, or your e-mail.

I had to admit that using a BlackBerry takes a little getting used to. The 8830 has this tiny track-ball mouse for interface that is reminiscent of Atari’s Centipede video game. However, once I used the Setup Wizard, the BlackBerry opened up to me.

In a matter of minutes, I had figured out how to view my email online, and could surf the web. As a newbie to smartphones, I have quickly discovered that there are some limitations to surfing the web online with a tiny screen.

The Sansa Fuze from SanDisk

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:18:00 +0000

The Sansa Fuze from SanDisk, is a cool little MP3/4 player along the same vein as the iPod Nano.
Aesthetically the Fuze is a cute little player.The physical UI consists of a rotating front dial which also acts as the 4 navigation buttons with the center button for selection. The display crisp with a resolution of 220 x 176, large enough for watching the odd music video but you wouldn’t want to watch a feature length film on it. Sound quality was good (though as with just about any MP3 player the supplied headphones aren’t the greatest). What most impressed me about the Fuze are the extra features that you don’t find on other (note iPod) players, including:
Built in microphone
FM radio
microSD Slot, a really cheap way to expand the capacity
Easy to transfer files (drag and drop) without the need of propriety software
Though there are a few downsides:
Propriety USB connection, it obviously comes the cable but a standard mini USB connection would be much more convenient especially for charging
You bookmark videos but not audio books

SolCHAT Bluetooth Speaker phone

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Sat, 23 May 2009 11:36:00 +0000

I think we all know that what the world needs now, is solar power, sweet solar power. Yeah, I probably shouldn’t be stealing old classic songs and adding green messages to them, but what the heck, it is quite true.

Scosche has recently unveiled a new solar-powered endeavor with the SolCHAT Bluetooth Speaker phone. It is designed to be used in the car, so you can chat and drive without breaking any new laws.

It has a built-in lithium ion rechargeable battery with a solar panel. I’m not certain how efficient this is, as many solar-powered gadgets that I have seen in the past have been historically inefficient.

Fortunately, if there is no sun out, you can recharge the SolCHAT via USB. Of course, a lot of cars don’t have USB ports in them, but times are changing all the time. After all, most new cars have responded to consumer needs and added an iPod dock, so why not a USB port as a new standard?

Perhaps a solar-powered Bluetooth Speaker Phone should be a new standard feature in this age where most chatting is done “on the road”. You should be able to get the solCHAT for about $99.99 which includes the USB charging cable and car adapter.

LG’s KU990

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Sat, 23 May 2009 10:07:00 +0000

The new LG’s KU990 is undeniably a slinky number in the world of mobiles phones. It’s a slim and good looking and doesn’t feel plasticky. In simple terms this is a camera that you can ring people on as well as watch TV, browse the web and listen to music. Its large 66 mm touch pad screen occupies most of the front making it look like a tiny plasma whilst on the reverse, a lens encircled by jog wheel used to control the zoom and navigate through menus and adjust volume, gives the familiar appearance of a camera!

Navigation is made straight forward and friendly by the large and sensible icon layout on the touch screen. Helpfully, you can also set the touchpad to vibrate when you touch it – confirming each selection. Although the icons and buttons on the touchpad are a good size, not having small fingers or long fingernails be a disadvantage, but if this is the case, the small extendable stylus on standby. The only slightly annoying thing is the storage of the stylus which dangles untidily from the top of the phone.

I found messaging slightly easier then on my usual phone – being able to swap swiftly from predictive text to alphabetical to numerical. There is also a clever little handwriting entry feature using the small extendable stylus, but disappointingly this led to errors in recognition and was slower than texting via the keypad. You can also text using a QWERTY keyboard if you wish.

The 5 megapixel camera is easy to access with dedicated camera buttons on the side which just as easily allows movie shooting and playback. As with many digital cameras there is an annoyingly long delay between button-press and shot resulting in missed moments when your subject moves – not great for taking pictures of children!

BlackBerry 8830

noreply@blogger.com (nivedita) — Thu, 21 May 2009 05:35:00 +0000