Gadgets,Gadgets and More Gadgets....

* Sony's T200 & T70 Point and ShootsTake Widescreen Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:18:00 +0000

Sony's T200 and T70 Point and Shoots Fit Snugly Into Pants, Take Widescreen Pictures

The two latest point and shoots from Sony, The T200 and T70, both have an 8-megapixel sensor and a smilar body, but differ on a couple other features. The T200 has a 3.5-inch LCD, 5x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens and comes in silver, black and red, whereas the the T70 has a 3.0-inch LCD, a 3x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens and comes in silver, black, white and pink. They can both shoot in 16:9 aspect ratio, have an ISO of up to 3200, and can hook up to Sony's Bravia HDTVs in the Photo TV HD mode to view pics. Pre-orders start August 23.

* NEC Intros Colourful New LaVie laptops

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:07:00 +0000

It looks like NEC has dialed things back somewhat after its experiment with 3D paint jobs, with its new L series LaVie laptops sporting some slightly more subdued color options. If you want one those new colors, however, it looks like you'll have to settle for the lower-end LL550KG model of the line, which comes loaded with a Sempron 3400+ (as opposed to a Turion 64 X2 TL-52) and drops the 1seg tuner of the higher end models. Otherwise, the various laptops appear to be identical, with them each boasting a 15.4-inch WXGA display, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and slots for ExpressCards and FeliCa cards, in addition to the usual array of memory cards.

NEC consecutively sells 15.4 type wide liquid crystal on-board standard note PC “LaVie L standard type” 3 type 7 models which adopt the new frame from August 23rd.

As for price all open prices. As for loading OS Windows Vista Home Premium.
　Adopting the new design which emphasizes scantness e.g., the frame of keyboard both sides draws the loose concave curve, designates the shape of the left and right side as opposite trapezoid. You say that the button of the touch pad became 4 buttons, by the fact that design of the bow knot wind which pinches the left and right button with the top and bottom scroll button is adopted, was compatible design characteristic and operativity.
　In addition, adjusting to the environment around, besides the fact that it loads the automatic brightness sensor which adjusts brightness, it changes to economical electrical mode, the “ECO button”, even at the time of power source OFF it can charge loading “power off USB charge” function in the USB equipment. Furthermore, the FeliCa port, the ExpressCard slot and the LED going out button etc were loaded. Office Personal 2007 is preinstalled each model.

Look for these to trickle out in Japan this month and next for between ¥160,000 and ¥175,000 (or roughly $1,400 to $1,530).

* My Blackberry

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:54:00 +0000

Many devices and gadgets change the way you behave. The iPod, for example, has changed the way many people listen to music, me included. Listening to an album is now just one of many ways to explore your music collection. Plenty of people never listen to complete albums at all these days.

My Blackberry has had a similarly striking effect on my habits, only this time it's not for the better. Since I got my Blackberry I've been failing to answer more emails than ever before. If you've emailed me in the last few months and not had a response, this is why:
I use my Blackberry to check email when I'm on the move. It's a perfect way to fill a few minutes waiting for a train or queuing for a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, I tend not to have time to reply in these situations, only to read.
If your email is urgent I'll tap out a reply straight away. If not, I tell myself I'll reply later and move on to the next message. Of course by the time I get to my desk your email is underneath a pile of other emails so I answer those and yours disappears deeper into the list.
The device has made part of my email task easier - reading the messages. Most of what I go through doesn't need a reply, so that means less time spend reading email at my desk. And, since I'm doing it in 'dead time', it's a timesaver. However, the other part of my email task - answering messages - has become more difficult. It doesn't fit into these small blocks of time and, when I do have time for it, my attention is diverted to newer messages.
Is this a flaw in my habits or the Blackberry itself? The Blackberry has exposed a weakness in my system. I need to get into the habit of moving emails that need an answer into a folder that I can look at later. This will require some effort - a previous experiment with a 'must reply' email folder simply resulted in lots of emails being moved to a folder that I never looked at.
However, the Blackberry could do more to help me out. At the moment, moving a message to a folder seems to be a three-click process. I'd like to be able to process my messages with one click. Then maybe, just maybe, you'd start getting replies from me again.

* What Next ? Motorola Trousers ?

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:47:00 +0000

Talking of phones, Levi's - the people who make jeans, have launched a mobile phone now. This seemed odd to me when I first heard about it. Not specifically because of the Levi's connection - I find the Prada phone a bit weird too - but because it seems strange to desire a piece of technology more because of the brand tie-in.

The Levi's phone comes with buttons, not zips

Obviously your phone has the manufacturer's name emblazoned across it but when the name is little more than an ad (the Levi's phone is actually made by the French company ModeLabs) should you be paying for the phone at all? Shouldn't they be paying you?
Marketing types who know more about this sort of thing than I do will be scoffing at my innocence. I realise that this kind of thing is hardly new. Of course people will pay a premium to associate themselves with certain brands, the fools.
So let's leave the marketers to it and talk about the phone.
It's available in September and will cost around £340 for the handset alone. It comes in brown copper (pictured), black or silver. The specs look ok, though nothing special: MP3 player, 2 mega pixel camera, SD memory card slot and so on.

It reminds me of a cigarette lighter with a camera in it

Oh, and the case has rivets in it, for that rugged denim-esque feel, and a big Levi's logo on the back.
What do you think? Is it a cheap advertising gimmick or a cool brand accessory?

* Apple Extends Its Desktop Design Lead

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:40:00 +0000

All of the major Windows PC vendors have improved their desktop designs lately, but after today's iMac redesign announcement, Apple has distanced itself even further from its competition. The trimmer, sleeker iMac, and especially its new keyboard, cut a cleaner profile than any of this year's new PCs from Dell, Gateway, HP, or Sony.

Apple's new iMac takes the lead in desktop design.

Looks matter of course, but so does value. And with this update, Apple appears to have shed its reputation for going beyond its competition in terms of price. If you compare component for component, you'll find that Dell and Gateway, in particular, offer competitive configs to Apple's new lineup. You lose an aesthetic step or two with those traditional Windows desktops, but worse, you also miss out on the iMac's strong iLife '08 software suite, which eliminates the PCs' price advantage.

Thanks to the various virtualization apps and Apple's own Boot Camp, you also can't really argue that by going with a Mac you're locked into the Apple ecosystem. The new iMacs and their all-in-one design don't solve the lack of upgradability, but we're willing to bet that doesn't effect that many mainstream computer buyers. Our bigger concern is the upgrade path to Leopard, Apple's OS X update later this Fall. Apple has not said whether it will charge new or existing Mac owners to upgrade to the new operating system. That would make us extracautious about purchasing a new Mac now, knowing that we might save $129 or so on an OS upgrade if we wait a few months.

* A Notebook PC In Miniature....

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:33:00 +0000

You'd be forgiven for classifying Fujitsu's U810 notebook as a slightly clunky ultramobile PC.
After all, it weighs a pound and a half, has the Intel A110 processor used in Samsung's UMPC, and allows for fairly easy and accurate thumb typing. But you'd be wrong. Fujitsu prefers to call it a mini-notebook, mostly because it's essentially a scaled-down version of its other convertible notebooks.
It opens like a notebook, but has a rotating screen, which can be swiveled and locked down like Fujitsu's other Lifebook products. The U810 has a lot of features--biometric security, Webcam, keyboard light, stylus and a touch-screen interface, and some decently sized keys for such a small keyboard. It's equipped with slots for SD cards, compact flash, USB, and has a port for an included Ethernet dongle and can connect to a docking station. It's 802.11 a/b/g and Bluetooth capable, with Wireless WAN (wide-area network) coming in February, courtesy of AT&T.

There's also not a lot of choice here. The tiny notebook will only be available in black, and will come with a standard 5.5-hour battery, 40GB hard drive and 1GB of memory. Buyers will have a choice of Windows Vista Home Premium, Vista Business or XP Tablet PC. The U810 starts at $999 and ships September 18.
Fujitsu has also updated its T series line of convertible notebooks. The T2010 is 3.5 pounds with a 12-inch, LED-backlit wide screen. It's designed specifically for tablet use, so the 9-hour battery stays in the front, but the latch is moved nearer to the notebook's swivel hinge.
Fujitsu has scrapped the optical drive so it weighs less. It includes an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, has PC and smart card slots, is Bluetooth-ready, and also will have Wireless WAN in February. The T2010 is slightly more customizable than the U810. Buyers can choose between a wireless chipset from Intel (802.11 a/b/g/n) or Atheros (802.11 a/b/g), and Vista or XP Tablet PC.
The T2010 goes on sale Tuesday, starting at $1,599

* Nokia's 6555 does the 3G flip With Style

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:29:00 +0000

Take a moment to welcome the new Nokia 6555. This 3G (WCDMA of unspecified band) clamshell goes quadband GSM with microSD expansion (30MB on-boad) and 240 x 320 QVGA display touting 16 million colors. If thin is your thing and 3G Nokia your game then this is about as good as it gets.

Adding to its attraction, the Nokia 6555 features a QVGA 16 million color internal display - twice as many colors as the human eye can see - for a brilliant, crisp resolution on a large 240x320 screen, making it perfect for viewing photos and videos. The camera featuring a 6x zoom gives even greater versatility and full screen portrait viewfinder so you can be sure you get the right picture every time. The self-portrait function on the camera and video sharing ability ensures that special moments are easily shared with family and friends.

"Mobile-savvy consumers expect superior quality and design. We understood that need, and so created the the Nokia 6555. The Nokia 6555 is a sophisticated accessory delivering the outstanding features that you expect from Nokia," said Markku Suomi, Product Group Director, Mobile Phones, Nokia.

From the thin, narrow form factor with smooth lines to the 30MB user memory (with capacity for microSD expandable memory) and Bluetooth wireless connectivity, the Nokia 6555 sets the standard in its class.

Key features:
- Original smooth-back design
- Elegant external analog timepiece display
- Brilliant 16 million color display
- Video sharing
- WCDMA and quadband GSM functionality

Available next month for about €200 pre-tax and pre-subsidy. Unfortunately, Nokia doesn't say where, but its forward-facing profile certainly matches up nicely with Nokia's FCC approved RM-276 handset operating in the 850 and 1900MHz bands.

* Apple, Vodafone discussing iPhone minutiae?

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:17:00 +0000

While the Apple-Vodafone rumors have been swirling for months, an unnamed "source" has apparently found that the two firms are now breaking down the minute details that are holding back a (potentially) forthcoming launch. Most importantly, it seems that Vodafone doesn't want to "give up as much control" as did AT&T here in the States, and below is a brief list of reported "iPhone enhancements [that] carriers are looking for:"

Vodafone wants the YouTube application to "work much more like the Internet version."
Improvements to Outlook and Exchange support .
Improved security and firewalls.
Tweaks to Apple's WEP and WPA security key requirements.
Web browser improvements, namely, the ability to simply "cut and paste".

So, there you have it -- now how's about we just start compromising and get a deal together for all the patient Europeans, yeah?

* World's Cheapest Car !!

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:06:00 +0000

Indian Company Releasing $2,400 Car, the World's Cheapest.
If you thought your Kia was a cheap car, you obviously didn't buy it in India. A country with an exploding population of drivers, India has a red-hot market for cheap autos. With that in mind, Indian company Tata Motors (oh, grow up) is selling a plastic car that'll run about $2,400 total. Yes, that makes it the cheapest car in the world. Hopefully it's safer than the cars they make in China.

The four-door car, which will be about as big as a VW Rabbit, will come with a less-than-impressive 30-horsepower engine. But hey, for that price, what do you expect? The car, which has yet to be named, is expected to drastically increase the rates of car ownership in India, which currently stand at about 8 people per 1,000. It's great for the mobility of the Indian people, but something tells me that a car that cheap doesn't have the most efficient or well-designed engine in the world. Here's hoping this doesn't result in a drastic uptick in greenhouse gas emissions.

* Touch-Screen iPod Coming?

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:51:00 +0000

With all the hype that led up to the release of the iPhone, paired with all the coverage once it was actually launched, one could almost believe we had seen the end of the wild Apple speculation for a while. I'm here to tell you--and if you're a longtime Apple fan you know this already--when it comes to Apple, the rumor mill never stops. You may have already heard the rumor about the iPhone Nano--a smaller, less expensive version of the iPhone. Though it sounded like an interesting concept and got plenty of coverage, it did indeed turn out to be only a rumor. Personally, I wouldn't want a smaller, cut-rate iPhone--I say let's keep it the way it is and bring the price down. I'm sure I'm not alone on that idea.

Though the iPhone Nano rumor was mostly discredited, there are a few insiders who say there's something else on the horizon for Apple. It's the item people were speculating about a couple of years ago when news of Apple-patented touch screens first hit the Web: the touch-screen iPod. It seemed to be the next logical step at the time, when iPods began supporting video. There hasn't been any major changes to the iPod since that same video iPod was released a couple of years ago, but Steve Jobs hinted at the next version recently.
If you believe the rumors, the new iPod will take some of its technology from the iPhone, with the aforementioned touch screen, a slimmed-down OS X system, and much the same type of interface. Some speculate that there will be a major increase in storage capacity too, but no one is willing to guess (except me--200 gigs or more?) how much. With OS X running the iPod, it's pretty easy to speculate that you'll be able to use iPod apps while you listen to music. Possibly the most exciting part of this rumor, however, is that these new iPods could be here as soon as August. Others say Steve Jobs will wait until Macworld in January, but as with ev erything in the land of Apple speculation, anything is possible.
What do you think? Do you think a smaller iPhone with less features is worth it? Knowing that there won't be phone capabilities and probably no Internet access, what should the touch-screen iPod offer? Are you tired of all the Apple rumors? Let me know in the comments!

* ASUS Sleek 13.3-inch Laptop

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:42:00 +0000

With a black piano finish and a leather wrist rest, the Asus U3 joins the Apple MacBook and the Sony VAIO SZ in the ranks of sleek-looking 13.3-inch laptops. Like the others, the U3's 13.3-inch display size definitely hits a sweet spot between portability and usability; its 3.9-pound weight (granted, that's with the tiny three-cell battery) straddles the line between ultraportable and thin-and-light. The screen is large enough for watching movies or to comfortably make it through a workday without squinting.

The Asus U3 incorporates a boatload of professional-level upgrades, including Intel Turbo Memory, 3G wireless, and integrated GPS options, plus a fingerprint scanner and Trusted Platform Module for security. It all runs on Intel's latest Core 2 Duo processors and the Intel GM965 chipset, plus a 128MB Nvidia GeForce 8400M graphics card and a single memory slot for up to 2560MB of RAM. There's even an HDMI-out port.

What it doesn't have: an integrated optical drive. To read and burn discs you'll have to use the (included) external drive. It also doesn't have an official price or availability date, though Laptoping.com, where we spotted this news, cites unofficial reports of a $2,000 price tag and a September ship date.

* Sirius-Stiletto-2 Moblie

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 19:10:00 +0000

Today, Sirius announced the launch of the Stiletto 2, the highly anticipated update to the Stiletto 100, a portable satellite radio that doubles as an MP3 player. The new Stiletto measures 4.3x1.9x0.6 inches and weighs 4.3 ounces, making it both smaller and lighter (by about 25%) than its predecessor--a definite plus, as one of our complaints about the 100 was its chunky build.

The new player also offers enhanced WiFi capability with support for commercial hot spots, and it has a microSD card slot for memory expansion--both features that were lacking in the Stiletto 100. Features the Stiletto 2 shares with its predecessor include the ability to record live satellite songs, support for MP3 and WMA tracks (including subscription tracks from the likes of Rhapsody and Yahoo Music), and 2GB of internal flash memory. More specs after the pic.

Schedule recording: record up to 100 hours of your favorite shows or programs .

One-touch recording: quickly store up to 10 hours of individual songs from SIRIUS commercial-free music channels.

Bookmark songs: tag favorite songs to buy using a compatible online music service.

SIRIUS Replay: pause, rewind and replay up to 60 minutes of live radio.

Easy navigation: surf channels or media files on the fly with large (2.2-inch), bright-color display and enhanced media dial.

Advanced audio processing: improved bass and customized listening environments.

Personalized Sports Ticker: real-time updates of your favorite sports.

User-replaceable battery: rated for 4 hours (live satellite), 10 hours (WiFi), and 20 hours (Non-live).

Complete kit includes radio, earbuds, headset antenna, battery, AC power adapter, PC cable and My SIRIUS Studio software.

A vehicle kit (MSRP $49.99), home kit (MSRP $49.99), executive system (MSRP $149.99), additional batteries and headphones, and other accessories will also be available.

* Microsoft Xbox 360 (20GB)

noreply@blogger.com (Venus) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:32:00 +0000

The good: All games for the Xbox 360 are in high-definition, as is the excellent, user-friendly Dashboard interface. There's built-in support for wireless controllers and excellent online gaming, content downloads, and communications via Xbox Live. The console is not only backward compatible with many (but not all) original Xbox titles, but it also doubles as a superior digital media hub and Windows Media extender. The system's online Marketplace allows easy purchases of mini-games, movies, and TV shows.

The bad: The list of truly impressive next-gen games remains small. The console has some design flaws: a noisy exhaust fan, a gigantic oversized power supply, no built-in wireless networking, only three USB ports, and no DVI or HDMI output. The DVD player is rather substandard, and support for next-gen HD-DVD movies requires a bulky external accessory. Additionally, the system's customary 20GB hard drive can't store a lot of high-definition downloadable content. Online gaming requires a paid subscription to Xbox Live.

The bottom line: The Xbox 360 delivers the power and performance of a high-end gaming PC, including impressive digital media and networking features.