GEEKIESplanet

Soulra Solar-powered Sound System for the iPhone/iPod, also in XL form

2011-07-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

We have reported on the Soulra from Eton Corp before, and I got a chance to try it out for myself over the weekend.

I decided to test it out on my iPhone with a dead battery. The moment the Soulra’s flip-out panel was in the sun, the iPhone began to charge. It took a lot more juice before I could get it playing stereo sound, but it did play, and it played it loud.

What you might not be able to see in this image is that the Soulra comes with a plastic cover to make certain the iDevice is safe. This is good for protecting against splashes, and it is IPX-4 Splash proof from all angles.

Of course, if the sun is not out, you can always plug in the AC cord. You had better believe that the remote control comes in handy too.

All in all, the Soulra is a good for a day at the beach with your iDevice. Hopefully, you can get a crowd to join in your party. You should be able to get the Soulra for about $150.00 on the Eton Corp site.

Also available is the soulra XL, which has a larger solar panel, more speakers, and a place to store the remote control. This model costs about $250.00 and is available here.

T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide finally announced

2011-06-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

T-Mobile has at long last, announced their latest myTouch 4G Slide smartphone which will be part of T-Mobile’s exclusive line of myTouch devices. The myTouch 4G Slide is said to deliver the most advanced camera of any smartphone with zero shutter lag – now this is something that is surprising since Android-powered smartphones tend to fall behind the iPhone when it comes to camera technology.

Having said that, you can’t just waltz into any T-Mobile store at the moment to bring home a myTouch 4G Slide since it is expected to be available only in July – now, now, that isn’t too far away, is it? It is already the end of June, and you can sniff July out around the corner. The naming convention of the myTouch 4G Slide also gives the game away when it comes to 4G connectivity support, so you know what you’re getting with this smartphone right from the get go.

It is said that the myTouch 4G Slide will be accompanied by an 8-megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, coupled with a bunch of other advanced digital camera features such as improved low-light performance, zero shutter lag, SweepShot that lets you capture panoramic shots by sweeping across an entire scene in a single motion, ClearShot HDR to shoot objects in bright settings without being affected by high-contrast lighting, BurstShot to capture multiple photos in a quick burst, support for America’s largest 4G network, and a dedicated dedicated camera button and one-touch access amongst others.

Heck, you can even shoot full HD video if you want to, while all your videos can be edited straight from the device without having to hook up to a computer prior to that. This is a device that will roll off HTC’s production lines, sporting a 3.7″ WVGA super LCD touch-screen display, a slide-out full-QWERTY keyboard if a Swype-enhanced virtual keyboard is not your cup of tea, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HTC Sense 3.0. A 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor will run proceedings from within in the myTouch 4G Slide.

You can choose from black and khaki colors for the T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide when it finally arrives. Any takers?

Veebeam HD brings Internet to your TV

2011-06-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Smart TVs have been around for some years now, but it is safe to say that they haven’t really caught on just yet in the mass market. Well, for those who are sick and tired of watching videos as well as playing catchup on your TV programmes on a much smaller notebook display, here is the Veebeam HD to solve your woes. With this little puppy, you are able to effortlessly stream just about any content from your notebook to your home TV. You name it – live sports, streaming music, movie websites, home videos from your hard drive, the possibilities are more or less endless as long as you can view it on your computer.

Since the Veebeam HD works over the wireless spectrum, you have one less cable to worry about when it comes to keeping your home clutter-free and neat. All you need to do is plug in the USB receiver into the funky-looking £139.99 Veebeam HD unit, hook it up to your TV while plugging the separate USB antenna into your computer or notebook – it doesn’t matter whether it runs on the Mac OS X platform or Windows.

Archos tablets offer the best of both worlds

2011-06-27T12:46:00.001-07:00

French-based Archos has just announced their latest entries in the ever growing tablet market, where they intend to merge both speed and storage in the latest range of its tablets, carrying along with them an OMAP 4 processor with an ARM Cortex dual-core 1.5GHz A9 processor, in addition to Seagate’s 250GB hard drive to get you started right out of the box. There will be several screen sizes to choose from, where among them would be the 8” Archos 80 G9 and 10” Archos 101 G9.

Both models will run on the latest Android 3.1 Honeycomb operating system so that you can enjoy the latest version the moment you unwrap the packaging with your excited, bare hands. This sure as heck beats waiting for a new update to arrive Over The Air (OTA), as that might just take months after a device’s release to see that happen. Don’t believe us? Ask those who use Android-powered Sony Ericsson handsets…

The Archos G9 tablets will sihp with Google’s full suite of mobile applications and Android Market, instantly opening up the doorway for you to enjoy more than 200,000 applications including games, books, social media and news. The latest version of Honeycomb that is thrown into the mix will also see G9 tablets deliver a full web experience alongside Adobe Flash support for on-the-go web browsing, communication and applications.

Want to remain connected to the Internet? That’s a snap with its built-in 3G connectivity, doing away with the need for you to choose between a Wi-Fi and 3G model. Interestingly enough, the Archos G9 tablets too can decode 1080p H264 High Profile videos, which is superior to most of the other standard tablets in the market that lack even the processing firepower to play 720p videos smoothly.

Archos knows that times are hard as well, which is why they are offering an 8″ tablet from $279 and the 10.1″ model wil

Replicating Reality at the E3 2011: I feel dizzy

2011-06-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know, that guy sitting in the driver’s seat isn’t me, but I did get to go after him. Man, I am glad that I did.

This was the Fourth Dimensions Displays (ForthDD) booth at E3, and it took me for a ride. I would say literally for a ride, but it was only virtually. In my little Matrix, I was a race car driver. My viewer was in 3D, so objects in the virtual space like my steering wheel and the other cars seemed to be distant. I could turn my head, and it was like I was turning my head in actual reality.

What really sells it is I really felt like I was in motion. In the game, I kept crashing into the other cars, which thankfully resulted in undamaged nudges off the track. I kept going out of control, and I think I know why. Other cars were hitting me from behind. Too bad that I didn’t have any side or rear-view mirrors. That was my only limitation, but otherwise, I felt motion-sick afterward (this is a good thing).

In all honesty, I don’t really understand why we don’t have this type of technology in every home. Part of it has to do with the high cost of the equipment, as that headgear I am wearing costs a whopping $5,000. Still, I seem to recall the early nineties, and I felt like we were promised this virtual reality world that never did come to being. Instead, we got MMO games and social networking.

If you want to know more about Fourth Dimension Displays, check out their official website.

Defiance is an MMO and a TV show

2011-06-07T16:04:00.001-07:00

One of the challenges of franchises these days is to create a storyline that exists on multilple media. Some of you might remember how the Enter the Matrix game ties the last two Matrix movies together, but what if there was a game that worked with it’s related TV show.

This is the concept behind Syfy’s Defiance, which is both a game by Trion Worlds that will also be a TV show. As players play the game, their actions actually change the way the show will progress. The game itself is both an MMO and an FPS, which are two game genres that don’t really mix well.

I’m not certain how well Defiance will play out, but I will say that I am relieved. After all, most MMO games are all about characters going through missions to earn personal points, but most of the world that they can freely explore is completely immutable. For example, if there was a giant rock in front of them, and the player had some dynamite, they could not put a crack in the rock unless the game allowed it. Today’s games, especailly MMOs, are pretty expansive, but they have limits.

However, to have a player’s actions affect the show might give a good feeling to the gamer when they watch the Defiance television show. I can just see a scene where the characters are explaining that “such and such battle was a complete victory”. Then one of the players watching will turn to his friends and say, “hey, we were in that battle”.

And so the players can feel more immersed in their vicarious existence, more involved in a community, and all make a difference together. I’m looking forward to seeing both the Defiance game and TV show, but I hope it isn’t the nextCaptain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. Go ahead and enter a comment if you know what that is a reference to.

By the way, I am at E3 in LA for the next few days. Expect a lot of video game related posts.

2011-06-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

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Sony VAIO S Series laptops announced

2011-06-02T14:42:00.003-07:00

Sony’s VAIO laptops is a well established range over the years, and for good reason, too. They’ve proved to be stylish and technologically advanced, although some people might feel that when it comes to value for money, it isn’t quite there just yet. Well, this has not stopped the Japanese company from rolling out newer models, and one of their latest efforts would be the Sony VAIO S Series.

The VAIO S Series laptop will merge for the first time portability, performance and power in a thinner, lighter design that is perfect for everyone, never mind if you are a student or a business traveler. It intends to break down the previous perceived wall of being aloof by offering users more personalized options and flexibility in order to suit their lifestyle.

Some S Series models will boast elegant design in burnished brown, jet black or platinum silver with magnesium and aluminum materials, while toting a built-in lithium polymer battery which will work in tandem with the advanced large-capacity optional sheet battery, letting you remain mobile without the need for a power outlet for up to 16 hours – this applies to models without a hard drive inside, but rather, relying on a solid state drive configuration instead. Intelligent charging also lets you juice up the optional sheet battery separately, attaching it to the system without shutting down for maximum flexibility. Sounds neat, no?

This 13.3-inch S Series will measure a mere 0.95″ in thickness, tipping the scales with 3.8 pounds on a standard battery. It will be powered by the second generation Intel Core i7 processor, carry an AMD Radeon HD 6630 1GB Hybrid Graphics card on select models with 1GB VRAM, a dual channel solid state drive with RAID 0 technology option, one-touch VAIO, ASSIST and WEB buttons, an integrated webcam that works great even in low light conditions thanks to its Exmor sensor, an LED backlit keyboard so that you can work late into the night, and face tracking technology.

Prices start from $1,350 upwards depending on what you want to throw inside, while the optional sheet battery will cost you another $150.

Google Wallet introduced, and PayPal is upset

2011-05-30T10:41:00.001-07:00

Google has recently announced their new mobile payment system with Google Wallet. It is a free Android Android App that will arrive sometime this summer that will allow users to make payments for products and/or services.

Google Wallet, which is open platform software, was officially unveiled at a massive event a few days ago. This deal has been in the works for a while, and a lot of big companies like MasterCard, Citi, Sprint, and First Data have invested in it. In order to encourage more growth an usage of this unique program, Google Wallet is going to encourage a lot of deals like discounts, promotions, loyalty rewards, and the like.

It sounds like a terrific deal for consumers, but you know who isn’t happy about it? PayPal. Yeah, they are suing Google, accusing Google Wallet’s project leader, Osama Bedier, of “feeding confidential PayPal information to Google so that it can develop the NFC mobile payment system”.

Apparently, PayPal and Google were trying to make a deal so that users could pay the Android Market via PayPal. However, it Google has their own mobile payment system, that seems like that deal is off. Something tells me that we are going to hear a lot about this in the near and far future.

However, if you need some serious open payment payment system, you’ll need to wait. I wish I had a more exact date.

Sharp AQUOS smartphone doesn’t look like one

2011-05-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

When you talk about smartphones, most of us would think that they involve a rather generous touchscreen of sorts, not to mention a candybar form factor (with the exception of a rare few which comes with a slider QWERTY keyboard) as well as all the trappings like Wi-Fi connectivity, 3G support at the very least, and a microUSB memory card slot amidst others.

Well, Sharp has just introduced the AQUOS phone to folks living in the Land of the Rising Sun, where it intends to deliver plenty of enjoyment to users courtesy of a high-quality graphics engine and the ability to hook up to AQUOS LCD TVs. The latter is definitely a no-brainer – after all, why let your phone connect to TVs from your rivals when you can take advantage of this situation to sell more TVs of your own? Sharp will also leverage on their own proprietary technology to differentiate itself in the smartphone market, and intends to develop a ‘global smartphone’ which will also be sold in China.

The AQUOS phone will come with a high-quality graphics engine, and can connect to other AV equipment and wireless networks. When it is linked to an AQUOS LCD TV via HDMI, you will be able to share your favorite videos and games with others when it comes to viewing, not to mention Internet HD videos and additional content. Not only that, with the expected proliferation of equipment that have been certified for the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) home network standard, you are able to do much more – including watching content from AQUOS TVs or Blu-ray Disc recorders wirelessly on your AQUOS smartphone.

The entertainment bandwagon does not stop there, as another feature would be a high-quality graphics engine that incorporates the image-reproducing know-how Sharp has amassed via its AQUOS LCD TVs. This engine will boast of image sharpening technology that delivers extremely naturally renderings of the borders and contours of images, and color adjustment technology, which adjusts color intensity and brightness.

No idea on pricing as at press time though.

Samsung and Toshiba both have flexible screen displays on display

2011-05-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

I think that we all know that the future is going to be bendable displays, and two big companies, Samsung and Toshiba, have their screens in the spotlight recently.

I’ll start with the one from Toshiba, pictured here to the left. It measures at about 3 inches on the diagonal, and it is only 0.1 mm thin. It was made with an oxide semiconductor TFT to a plastic substrate at 200 degrees Celsius. This makes it light at one gram, and it can also retain image quality over a long period of time.

As for the Samsung foldable AMOLED display, there is a picture of that after the jump. It has two panels with a closing radius of about 1 mm which means that they “practically touch when closed, yet show no visible crease when opened”. In fact, the developers performed about 100,000 folding and unfolding motions, and it decreases in brightness of 6 percent, which was not that visible.

There is no word when either of these flexible displays will ever make it to the folding hands of the general consumer, but I would probably say in the “near future”. After all, don’t we want to live in an era where displays are as simple as overhead transparency sheets? I’ll let the future decide the answer to that one.

Scary Tech

2011-05-18T12:25:00.001-07:00

Some of you probably have those biometric readers on your laptops to scan your thumb, but some of you might want more security than that.

I suppose that Eye-dentification is the way to go, as no two irises are exactly alike. This particular Hoyos Eyelock Iris scanner hooks up to the computer via USB.

It looks like that this is designed to rest on the desktop, and I am guessing that you’ll probably have to lean over in order to get a reading. Hopefully, no one will use those contact lenses that you see in movies to trick eye scanners. I would imagine that these are harder to fool than fingerprint scanners.

There is another advantage to the Hoyos Eyelock USB Iris scanner in comparison to biometric scanners. The Hoyos makes it very difficult to get a false positive. Of course, you could just get a password, unless you are very forgetful.

For some reason, I don’t have a price on this guy, but you can check out their website if you want some more information. According to Hoyos, this will be a “paradigm shift” in personal identity protection. I don’t know about that, but I do know that I never see the word “paradigm” without seeing the word “shift”.

TubeTilla Pro HD v 4.2

2011-05-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

This is one of the coolest programs to hit the recent market. The
TubeTilla Pro HD v 4.2 is a very intriguing software when I first read about it I was kind of caught off guard by what it was claiming to do. You know "If it's too good to be true" things. It claimed that I could copy URL's of videos and music and convert them into any other format I wanted."FOR REAL???" So I checked it out. I paid the 40 bucks and downloaded it. My first thing I wanted to do was to see if I could actually copy the video URL's and convert them to MP3 format and then download them to my phone or iPod. My biggest issue concerning music now is that I moved to San Antonio last year from Houston. I found out that there are no Urban adult stations in this city. Translation: No soul music or Jazz. So to compensate for the lack of music I had to rely on MP3 Satellite or Just CD's. So I went to find my favorite Michael Jackson song on YouTube copied the URL and pasted it in TubeTilla. After a few minutes In had that song in an FLV file waiting to be converted. The next step was to convert the file. It gave me a choice of MP3, MP4, WMV, iPod (qqpe quick time MOV), PSP video, cell phone, or an Xvid format. I'm happy to say that not only was I able to convert the music to my Phone and iPod, but I was allso able to convert the files and burn them to regular CD format. Now I have a limitless supply of music and videos from YouTube that I can enjoy in any format for any media player. I thought that was real cool.
The only drawback that I have with this software is that in order to find, download, and then convert each file takes time and the process is a little lengthly. So make sure when you are composing your different files that you have a few hours to dedicate to this. But I Feel it's worth the trade off.

Check it out I highly recommend you do.

New HP Pavilion consumer desktop PCs announced

2011-05-17T10:45:00.001-07:00

HP, the world’s top PC manufacturer, is back with a brand new announcement concerning a newer range of consumer desktop computers that will come in sophisticated designs – after all, who would want to have boring rectangular looking machines on their desks that seems like a relic from the past? No sir, HP is beyond that, having invested time and money in decent design without sacrificing on the kind of technology within.

Offering clean lines, soft forms and contrasting materials, the redesigned HP Pavilion desktops are able to live up to today’s style and preferences, looking comfortable regardless of whether it is on a dorm-room desk or stashed away in a media cabinet somewhere. There is a glossy (can you say fingerprint magnet?) black front panel that has been layered over a metallic base, adding depth and dimension to the new towers, while sliding front panels will keep your ports and drives hidden away until required, giving off a polished, clean appearance.

There will be several models that offer a valet tray that has been integrated into the top of the PC and will come equipped with USB ports to make it easy to access, considering how so many modern day devices rely on USB ports as an alternative charging experience.

Among the new machines in the HP Pavilion consumer desktop family would be the HP Pavilion p7 series PCs that delivers generous hard drive space, premium graphics, and built-in support for multichannel surround sound. Touted to be out this Wednesday from $299.99 onwards, it will also arrive at select US retailers later this June.

As for the HP Pavilion Slimline s5 series PCs, those are less than 50% the size of conventional PC towers, albeit not losing any of their configurability in order to deliver maximum storage and processors so that it can support even the most demanding multitaskers. Out this June 15th from $329.99 onwards, we will now move on to the HP HPE h8 series PCs that come with up to three internal hard drives, a choice between AMD Phenom or Intel Core i7 processors, high-end NVIDIA or ATI graphics, and the ability to support multiple displays. Pricing will start from $599.99 upwards from this Wednesday onwards.

Time to make that upgrade, no?

Press Release

PowerSkin has battery charging cases for cell phones

2011-05-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

There will probably always be a market for any accessory that can give a mobile device more power, and the most prominent that I can think of is the Juice Pack from mophie.

PowerSkin is getting in on this battery case territory as they have cases for all sorts of models. I got a chance to try out the model for my Droid X, which is the model that you can see in the photo.

The boast is that the Powerskin can give you twice the power, and I believe that claim. They also claim that it is “lightweight”, and this is partially true. The one I received for the Droid X is 3.8 ounces, and, in comparison, the Droid X is 5.3 ounces. In short, the Powerskin nearly doubled the weight on my phone, which is a noticeable difference while talking.

In short, it turns my phone into a thin brick. However, if you are the type who is on the road, and needs the extra battery life, then the Powerskin is worth the extra weight.

You can go to the official Power-Skin site to see if there is a battery case for your model of cellular phone. If there isn’t, just leave a message at the picture of the crying baby, and they will send you an email if there is plans for your model.

iHome iA63 App-enhanced Alarm Clock FM Radio Stereo Speaker System

2011-05-10T18:08:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it feels that when you have seen one iPod/iPhone dock, you have seen them all. Well, despite their similarities, at least the iHome iA63 is different in some ways.

The iA63 is a “next generation app-enhanced alarm clock FM radio for the iPhone and iPod touch”. I got a chance to try it out, and the iA63 has one cool feature as it can spin the iPod/iPhone around so it can be viewed in portrait and landscape mode. Of course, I have seen a similar model from Sharper Image’s catalog.

This one also has a remote control, and a clock and alarm. The user can wake or sleep to an iPhone, iPod, or the FM radio. Nothing different there, but the iA63 is App-enhanced, which allows it to work with iHome+Radio and iHome+Sleep.

As for the sound, it has Reason8 speaker chambers, which are “specifically designed high-end drivers for astounding clarity, depth, and power”. I found that they worked quite well. Other features include an aux-in jack and six FM preset stations. It appears to be compatible with most iPods and iPhones.

If you are looking for a somewhat unique iPod or iPhone dock, then I can recommend this iHome iA63 App-enhanced alarm clock FM Radio Stereo Speaker System at the official site for about $99.99.

Motorola Titanium steels up Android line of smartphones

2011-05-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

The world of Android smartphones have certainly grown by a large number over the years, and it makes perfect sense, too – after all, the operating system is free, so why not as a handset manufacturer, you jump straight into the action and deliver better hardware compared to other smartphones that run on a different OS with the money saved in the first place? Well, there is a new Android handset to hit the market from Motorola, known as the Motorola Titanium.

The Motorola Titanium is touted to be a sleek, attractive and durable smartphone. It intends to continue where the hugely popular Motorola i1 left off, and is proud to be the first iDEN device that combines Sprint’s best-in-class Nextel Direct Connect. What we are puzzled is this – why is it running on Android 2.1 Éclair instead of Android 2.2 Froyo at the very least, considering how so many more new phones will come with Gingerbread (Android 2.3) soon?

That question ought to raise some eyebrows in the process, but it should not detract from the kind of hardware that Motorola has thrown into the mix. We are talking about Wi-Fi connectivity built right in, a full QWERTY keyboard and a 3.1″ touchscreen display that delivers a feature rich business-class experience.

Not only that, when we mentioned durable in the second paragraph, we meant it. Otherwise, why bother calling the phone the Motorola Titanium? It was specially designed to meet Military Specification 810G for dust, shock, vibration, low pressure, solar radiation, high temperature and low temperature. Apart from that, it also boasts of a 5-megapixel camera and camcorder with flash and 4x digital zoom, Stereo Bluetooth connectivity alongside the slew of high-end features that smartphone users have come to expect.

Offering Nextel Direct Connect, users will be able to experience instant, one-to-one Push-to-Talk communication nationwide with any other Nextel Direct Connect subscriber. As for Group Connect, it will help communicate or coordinate activities with up to 20 other Nextel Direct Connect subscribers simultaneously throughout the nation. Want to save money? No problems. International Direct Connect allows you to instantly connect from the US to users in other eligible countries, including Canada and Mexico, and lets you make and receive Push-to-Talk calls while traveling in those countries.

No idea on pricing, but it would be something worth looking out for if you’re in the market for an iDEN Android-powered handset, that’s for sure.

emWave2 launches this week

2011-05-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

We have reported on the emWave before, a personal stress reliever that I have tried out for myself. The user puts his or her finger on the emWave sensor, and a red light or a green light tells the user where he or she is relaxed. Even though most devices would have a second generation by now, the emWave2 by HeartMath is better late than never.

The emWave2 works in the same manner as its predecessor with the finger sensor, and the user must develop a breathing sequence based on heart rhythms and emotions. I’m not certain if this is new to the device, but it also features Quick Coherence, an emotion-refocusing technique, to help “increase coherence levels as well as sharpen one’s ability to transform stress on-demand”.

The emWave2 also has the option of computer interface, so that the user can track his or her progress through storing session information. You can store and review session information for comparing coherence levels over time to see if your stress levels go down.

The price of the original emWave was $199. Yes, that could be a source for stress, and I can’t help but wonder if the price of the emWave2′s $229 price tag can protect you from the greater stress on your wallet. You can pick it up on the HeartMath site now.

Bio Robot Fridge

2011-05-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Bio Robot Fridge keeps food cold in gelatin

Posted: 05 May 2011 02:26 PM PDT

Every year, Electrolux Design Lab has a a design contest where they challenge students to come up with new home appliances for a future era.
In keeping with this year’s theme, the Second Space Age, Yuriy Dmitriev submitted the Bio Robot Fridge. This Fridge really challenges the idea of a fridge as it doesn’t even look like a refrigerator, or any other household appliance for that matter. There is no motor, no door, only a layer of gel where you put things in and keep them fresh.
Don’t ask me how this keeps things cold, or how it keeps it in there. I have never seen this substance before, but I am told that the user can take stuff out without getting any excess residue on their edibles. I am told that this leaves a smaller carbon footprint than your average refrigerator.
As you can see in the photo, the Bio Robot Fridge can be mounted on a wall, but it can also be mounted on a ceiling. Yeah, the astronauts should love that. I guess that’s one way of keeping your food away from the kids.
This is still a concept for now, but it feels like the episode of The Office where Jim pranked Dwight by putting his supplies in Jello.

Source

Blackberry Playbook

2011-04-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

The BlackBerry Playbook could well be the tablet that changes the game. In a word, it's a triumph.

We've been talking about the Playbook for months now, but only now at CES in Las Vegas have we been able to have a proper play with it. And boy is it impressive.

Running a brand new BlackBerry Tablet OS and powered along by a 1GHz Cortex-A9 dual core processor and 1GB of RAM, it's without doubt the most impressive iPad rival we've seen. It's so stonkingly awesome, in fact, that we'd say it's the first tablet that genuinely has a shot at knocking the iPad off its best-in-class pedestal. Yes, it's that good

At first sight, the Playbook doesn't look particularly special. The bezel is quite wide and makes the 7-inch tablet look a bit bloaty. However, unlike all the other tablet devices out there, the Playbook's bezel packs hidden secrets.

While the touchscreen interface on most tablets extends only to the edge of the screen, the BlackBerry Playbook's touch features extend right across the bezel in all directions to the edge of the device. And this is integral to the navigation of the operating system.

Swiping your finger from the edge of the device, across the bezel and onto the screen will bring up all manner of options and features, depending on which side you choose to swipe from and which app you're using. For instance, in the web browser, a swipe from the top down will pull down the tab menu where you can either switch to another tab or open a new one.

The Playbook packs two cameras – a 3MP front-facing camera and a 5MP rear-facing one. Both produced surprisingly decent images. While we were unable to transfer the pics we took onto another device to have a proper look at them, they looked very good on the Playbook's own screen. Even the front-facing camera was producing some very sharp shots.

The screen itself is super sharp. The 1024 x 600 resolution is comparable to the 9.7-inch iPad, but because of the Playbook's 7-inch display, the increased pixel density makes all the difference. It's sharp and crisp, and HD video looks fabulous.

Talking of video, the Playbook can play Full HD 1080p videos without breaking a sweat. It can also output them via a mini-HDMI connection and, what's more, it can play more than one HD video at once.

Indeed, if you're watching an HD video clip, you can swipe the screen to pull up the media menu and switch to watch another video. If you don't stop or pause the original clip, it'll continue to play in the background. In the video menu you'll be able to see both clips' thumbnails playing side-by-side. Switching between them is quick as you like. There's no lag, there's no brief pause. It's just slick and easy.

We set a couple of HD video clips playing and then opened YouTube in a browser in order to play a Flash video at the same time. WOf course, the battery drain from this kind of intensive processing is likely to be catastrophic. All the samples at the show were plugged into the power so we were unable to test battery performance.

Even if RIM has put the best battery in the world in there, if you buy one you're going to have to be very careful with how you use the multitasking. It's so good that it's exceedingly easy to leave videos and music playing in the background without realizing.

Video aside, general multitasking on the Playbook really is fantastic. It makes the multitasking on Android 2.2 look mediocre, and needless to say it makes the 'sort of but not really' faux-multitasking on the iPad and iPhone 4 look utterly last-generation.

The interface is a joy to use and absolutely matches iOS in terms of ease of use. Unfortunately, RIM had disabled the settings menu on all the display samples so we were unable to take a look at that side of things. We'll have to wait for a proper review sample for that.

But in terms of being able to easily find and load apps, manage your music and videos, play games and browse the web, BlackBerry has an absolute gem on its hands.

The Playbook is due to go on sale in the US within the next few months and should be launching in the UK in the spring. We can't wait to take another look at it, and of course we'll bring you our full review as soon as RIM gives us a sample.

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What is GEEKIESplanet

2011-04-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

This Blog is dedicated to inform consumers of the latest and hottest technology products available on the market today.
As we all know, we live in a fast paced ever changing Hi-tech world. When a new product hits the market, and it claims to be the latest, fastest, smallest, most powerful, and most innovative must have product on the market, and a week later another products is released claiming the same thing.
That is where GEEKIESplanet comes in. Keeping consumers connected to the now.
Twice a week I will reveal the latest innovations in Hi-tech gadgets, gizmo's, and software, as well as things for fun and entertainment, and provide a concise but in depth review on each product, as well as provide links on where to get those products online.
Stay connected to the now.