The dual screen technology lets every photographer get out from behind the lens and start self-shooting in style. In addition to the bright 1.5” front screens that allow you to perfectly frame your portrait, these two models also incorporate the Easy Self Shot feature which enables users to turn on only the front screen for added privacy.

Samsung first brought the 2View technology innovation to the market towards the end of 2009. Since then, additional models have strengthened Samsung’s presence in this field, while also rapidly expanding the company’s market share within compact cameras as a whole.

“The new Samsung 2View digital cameras combine simplicity of use and perfection; allowing consumers to directly recognize the value of what the dual LCD technology can do by ensuring the ability to take perfect profile shots even if they are not behind the camera,” said Justin Shaw, General Manager of AV division, Samsung Gulf Electronics. “2View is Samsung’s own proprietary and we’re the only provider of the technology until now. We look forward to these products improving our customers’ lives in the same way that they have helped us to grow our market share over the past two years, and we will continue to innovate to make sure we have complete ownership of this segment of the market.”

The two new models take on a sense of fun, which is a big part of the Samsung 2View photography experience – putting artistic, professional pictures within reach of even novice users. All models come equipped with a HD Movie recording feature, so you have the control to capture great videos alongside your still images. The Smart 2.0 filters, such as ‘soft focus’, ‘half-tone dot’ and ‘cinema’ sit alongside more common features such as ‘fish-eye’, ‘miniature’ and ‘sketch’ in the two new models, giving entertaining and professional finishes at the touch of a button. You can also deploy the newly added Magic Frame feature to instantly create formatted postcards or posters to share with your friends and family. By simply pre-selecting the template available on the camera and then taking your picture, the photo will automatically appear on selected template for original photo display. In addition, the PL170 feature an HDMI output feature which provides seamless connectivity to your TV, and also come in four great stylish colors. Making a poster or a fun post card of you with friends has never been easier with the Magic frame capability.

The Samsung 2View new models also include Samsung’s Smart Auto feature, which works for both still and video images. The system analyzes key elements of your shot like brightness, color and motion and automatically adjusts the camera’s settings to get the perfect shot. Smart Auto includes 16 different modes for images and four for video. Users also have the option of controlling advanced features by selecting manual control.

Reflecting Axiom Telecom’s focused customer service orientation, the product preview was held as part of the company’s long-term business strategy to partner with manufacturers in a way that enables the public to try new phones prior to their launch in the market. It also complements Axiom’s continuous initiatives to bring unique and value-added experiences to customers, under the ‘Axiom Promise’ umbrella of services.

Matthew Ramljak, Group Retail Manager at Axiom Telecom, said: “Our retail experience has shown the importance of customer guidance provided by knowledgeable staff. We are also aware of the value brought in by a dedicated space within our stores to allow customers to try-out products before purchase. This is particularly needed in the more sophisticated smartphone sector, which has grown significantly since last year.”

During the event, select Axiom Telecom customers got the opportunity to experience the new Xperia Arc first-hand and join discussions with representatives from both Sony Ericsson and Axiom Telecom about the latest smartphone.

The Xperia Arc, Sony Ericsson’s latest release in the Xperia series, incorporates cutting-edge Sony technology such as Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine and the Sony’s award-winning Exmor R for mobile sensor, and offers an exceptional multimedia experience is. It is launched on the latest version of the Android platform – Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system – providing access to Google Mobile Services and more than 100,000 free applications. Xperia smartphones add best in class entertainment on top of smartphone fundamentals such as maps, email and fast Internet to create the most entertaining smartphone experience.

Spyridon Gousetis, Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson, said: “We are looking forward to releasing the Xperia Arc in the region. Axiom’s first-to-market approach in bringing the latest products to consumers combined with their market insights make them one of the ideal partners to bring this special preview to the UAE. We have been working closely with Axiom for many years now and look forward to their continuous support and a rewarding partnership.”

The move comes as a response to growing consumer demand to experience new phones and gain authentic information before making a purchasing decision. The initiative also aims to help consumers make the very best choice for their individual requirements in an increasingly complex, rapidly-moving and cluttered marketplace. Recognizing this need, Axiom Telecom is the first telecom retailer to offer such a product preview and will continue to work with leading mobile phone brands in the future, to bring consumers the opportunity to experience tomorrow’s technology today.

Users of the Creative ZiiO tablets with Android 2.2 can look forward to enjoying these enhancements:
• Flexibility to install apps using either on-board memory or external storage media
• Flexibility of viewing pages in both desktop and mobile formats – which means that pages can now be seen in their original lay-out without truncation
• Improved security with the addition of numeric pin or alpha-numeric password options to unlock device
• Greater localised language support added
• Text-to-Speech Engine

For more information on the Creative ZiiO tablets, please visit www.creative.com/purewireless.

Product highlights
- New Ultimate GTX550 Ti DirectCU and GTX550 Ti DirectCU TOP graphics cards use top-grade cores and ship factory overclocked to 1015MHz and 975MHz, respectively, much faster than the 900MHz default.
- ASUS GTX550 Ti DirectCU cards apply award-winning DirectCU cooling with all-copper heat pipes touching the GPU core directly for improved heat transference-running up to 20% cooler than reference under full load.
- Super Alloy Power offers an exclusive ASUS development that injects a custom alloy mixture into critical power delivery components – offering a performance boost of 15% and running up to 35°C cooler than reference. Super Alloy Power graphics cards also average a 2.5 times longer product lifespan compared to generic designs.

From this perspective, the race has become much more focused.  One of the clear leaders is Samsung’s Galaxy Tab—the rave of many new generation users in the Middle East. In the fourth quarter of 2010, the strong smartphone growth powered by Samsung’s mobile business concluded with high year-end demand for the Galaxy Tab.

A well-planned marketing introduction has captured user enthusiasm and the company has consistently added to the overall experience by allowing users to stay connected, informed and entertained 24/7 through more useful applications. Google’s Android operating system, used in the Galaxy Tab, recently became the most popular operating system amongst users in the United States—one of the showdown markets for the global industry.

On a regional level, the Galaxy Tab is the fastest selling Android-based tablet in a market, where Samsung sees the unit becoming a staple in consumers’ lifestyles.  The device already comes fully loaded with a collection of entertaining and convenient applications.  These and other downloads are available from a variety of sources such as the Android Market and Samsung Apps.

According to Ashraf Fawakherji, Head of Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics, the Galaxy Tab’s noteworthy record is in large part because of the attention paid to the technological innovations being created everyday through these forums.

“When brainstorming and researching ideas for an app, our developers try to step back and consider the context in which the device will be used by everyday people,” comments Fawakherji. “How does the device fit into our lives and what are the situations in which we would prefer to use a tablet device versus a laptop or other mobile device?”

Galaxy Tab users have for example, access to the world’s largest digital newspaper kiosk that includes over 1,700 full-content publications in 48 languages. Middle East users can even subscribe to 30 Arabic newspapers in the region. The company’s partnership with leading game developer Gameloft, has also added significant value to the device from a gaming community hungry for on-the-go thrills.  Add to that mix, two cameras, Adobe Flash Software and a Sim-card slot—you have a combination with plenty of lasting endurance.

“We live in a world where portability and accessibility allow us to live our life with very few technological limits,” adds Fawakherji. “That being said, the only real limits are the ones we put on our own imagination. It is with this mindset that Samsung engages developers, tech analysts and everyday users in realizing how today’s platforms can support the kinds of services people will want tomorrow.”

With constant global and regional demand, it’s clear that the appeal of Tablets is no longer limited to early adopters or even to advanced economies. The tablet race has become a marathon, and with a solid footing already in place, the Galaxy Tab is clearly set to last.

According to Business Monitor International, Pakistan’s computer hardware market is expected to grow at 8% CAGR for the period of 2011- 2015. Whereas, the value of computer hardware sales for the year 2011 is expected to be US$312mn, up from US$292mn in 2010.

AOC, art of colors one of the leading monitor brands in the world continued its expansion in the region and added yet another feather in its cap by expanding with the appointment of Online Distribution as an authorized distributor to sell its wide range of LCD, LED, Ultra-thin monitors across Pakistan.

“We are happy to be associated with AOC a global brand which not only brings in international quality products but also offers real value for money. With our team of well experienced professionals, the in-depth knowledge of IT distribution trade and country wide reach, we are sure AOC will become a leading brand in Pakistan soon.” said, M. Ibrahim Ojha, CEO for Online Distribution-Pakistan.

AOC is an in-house brand of the US$ 11 billion conglomerate TPV Technology Limited, the world’s largest manufacturer of flat-screen monitors. Last year, despite the global downturn, the Taiwan-headquartered company, which manufactures monitors and LCD display units for major consumer electronics companies, shipped 57.174 million monitor units across the globe commanding a staggering 33% per cent of the worldwide monitor market.

Suchit Kumar, DGM Sales – MEA & CIS Central Asia, AOC says, “This is significant step forward for AOC as Pakistan is key to our growth overall growth in Asia and we see this as a great opportunity to enhance our offerings of high value display products in this region. We shall dedicate substantial marketing and

sales resources to the development of the brand. We are very happy to be associated with Online Distribution and see them as the right partner in expanding our footprint in this growing market.”

There’s good news and bad news regarding Cisco’s Linksys E3000 High Performance Wireless N Router. First, the good: the throughput performance of this router is amazing. It delivered off-the-chart performance in testing. The E3000 also offers some NAS capabilities by including a USB port and UPnP Media Server functionality. That’s what brings us to the bad news: it’s only a so-so when it comes to NAS functionality.

The E3000 features 6 internal 2×3 antennas. It doesn’t differ much in design from the E2000 except it’s got a dark, metallic blue edging around the top of the housing. The E3000 has a USB port and an additional LED to indicate when a USB device is connected—it supports only USB storage devices.

Managing storage devices is done by clicking Disk, which brings up a display showing information on the connected USB drive. I connected several different hard drives and flash drives, some in FAT and others in NTFS format, and the E3000 recognized all of them. “Media Server” is the area of the console where users can enable UPnP Media Server functionality.

I wanted to test the E3000’s NAS abilities, so I experimented with streaming video from a connected Western Digital USB drive connected to the E3000 to my laptop. Video showed a slight lag, but not enough to make the video unwatchable. Another way to test the device’s NAS capabilities is with large file-copy job. The speed at which the job runs gives some indication of how quickly or slowly an intensive backup job or streaming operation would be. I copied a large video file from a client on my network to the Western Digital attached to the E3000. A 1.5 GB file took half an hour to upload to the connected storage via the wireless connection. The same file, with the laptop wired to a LAN port on the E3000 took 4 minutes (about 6.25 Mb per second). Given those results, if you anticipate doing any large-copy jobs (such as backing up all the data on a laptop or desktop) you are going to want to take advantage of the router’s Gigabit Ethernet ports (provided that laptop or desktop also has Gigabit connectivity).

The E3000’s throughput test results were much more impressive—among the fastest seen in the lab in the last year. Throughput was tested using Ixia’s IxChariot utility. At 2.4 GHz in mixed mode, the E3000 managed a laudable throughput of 117 Mbps, and in 5 GHz mixed mode, 118 Mbps. This is superb throughput.

It almost seems a shame not to give the E3000 two scores, one for the NAS functionality and one as a Wi-Fi router. As a NAS, I would have to give the device 3 stars. It’s an average home NAS at best, fine for light multimedia, backup and storage needs. As a wireless router, on pure performance terms, the E3000 deserve five stars for the incredible throughput it delivered. If you’re in the market specifically for a fast router and you don’t mind spending the extra cash, you should definitely consider the Cisco Linksys E3000 High Performance Wireless-N Router—it’s a speed demon.

Contact Details: $195 | EROS | +971 4 3413141 | www.linksysbycisco.com/AE/en/home

Rating: 4/5

Pros: Router set up takes just minutes. Very fast throughput. Optimized for Wi-Fi performance
Cons: NAS capabilities are average. No print-server capabilities. Storage management setup awkward to navigate.
Bottomline: If you’re looking for a high-end consumer or small-business router, Cisco’s E3000 is a great choice. But if you are looking for a top-of-the line NAS, the E3000’s is average at best. The E3000 tries to be both things, and its NAS abilities drag it down to just shy of greatness.

Technical Specifications:
• Technology: 802.11 b/g/n
• Bands: Simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
•Transmit / Receive: 2x 3
• Antennas: 6 internal
• Ethernet ports: 4 Gigabit
• Form Factor: External
• Data Link Protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
• Network Transport Protocol: PPTP, L2TP, PPPoE
• Network Remote Management Protocol: HTTPS, HTTP
• Network Data Transfer Rate: 300 Megabits Per Second

Motion-sensing PC entertainment on big screen TV
WAVI Xtion integrates motion-sensing technology from PrimeSense  with the exclusive ASUS Xtion Portal user interface to bring consumers closer to technology through intuitive interaction with applications. Connections to both PCs and TVs via wireless HDMI(WHDI technology) deliver smooth transfers of high definition content such as movies, games and photos in 5GHz with a range of up to 25 meters.

Software products available on launch include MayaFit Cardio Lite, a motion-sensing fitness training game and BeatBooster , a multiplayer racing adventure game where users maneuver jet aircraft with their body movements. Enjoying PC games on the living room big screen TV is possible; the proprietary Xtion engine supports the remapping of keyboard controls into motion gestures for a variety of popular third party games.

Speaking on cooperation with ASUS when developing WAVI Xtion motion-sensing technology, PrimeSense CEO Inon Beracha said:

“Our collaboration with ASUS in providing a 3D sensing solution for WAVI Xtion proves to the industry that natural interaction technology is the ideal fit for living rooms, and that intuitive, gesture-based control will be the go-to route for operating all devices. We believe that PrimeSense solutions like the user interface used on ASUS’ WAVI Xtion represent the future of the way people interact with consumer electronics, and help break down barriers of use to allow people to sync with the electronic world around them.”

Online store offers diverse choice
WAVI Xtion enables a wide selection of multimedia content and entertainment applications, working seamlessly with the ASUS @vibe online store to deliver music, games and apps, all through the cloud.

Xtion Pro developer kit
Developers interested in creating gesture-based PC entertainment content can make use of the ASUS Xtion PRO developer pack, the world’s first professional PC motion-sensing toolset. It opens up new opportunities for cost and time-efficient development of various applications, including games of every genre. ASUS plans to launch the Xtion Pro Developer Challenge in March, with attractive prizes and publishing deals for winning developers. Selected apps will be placed on the ASUS @vibe online store. Further details available at www.asus.com.

Specially crafted for the PlayStation Move motion controller, these snack-sized games will keep the kids engaged and active this spring as they bowl, whip, shoot and fly their way through more than 50 challenges. PlayStation Move Heroes will stretch their imaginations as well as their legs in an active gaming adventure like no other.

Leading child development expert, Jacqueline Harding comments: “Through simultaneously targeting both mental and physical skills, PlayStation Move Heroes has a unique capacity to stimulate strategic thinking, problem solving and cooperation whilst ensuring that the child’s body remains active and involved – a far cry from the traditional view of a passive gaming experience. The game encourages the use of both gross and fine motor skills.”

The perfect game for the young at heart as well as the young, PlayStation Move Heroes is also a great way to get the family having fun together. From grannies to teens, anyone can join the mayhem as their favourite hero or a trusty sidekick in the Team Play mode. You can even combine your powers to unleash the Team Play Special Attack by touching the orbs of your motion controllers together!

“By playing with a friend and choosing Team Play, children can combine brainpower and physical agility to achieve joint goals and overcome obstacles – all vital future life skills. Playing a video game can be valued as a positive developmental experience for children,” Harding added.

Send your kids on a quest to become the ultimate hero this spring with PlayStation Move Heroes for PS3, available now for AED 199. A bundle is also offered at a competitive price of AED359! PlayStation Move Starter Pack with Heroes, which includes a PlayStation Move motion controller, PlayStation Eye camera and a Starter disc including nine playable demos.

Find out more at eu.playstation.com.

The ML-3310 and ML-3710 printers have been designed to be easy to use, with simple troubleshooting capabilities. This means that if anything does go wrong it can be corrected quickly. The frequency of breakdowns are a vital consideration to business customers when choosing a printing solution, a consideration central to the ML-3310/3710 series which has been designed explicitly to reduce paper jams.

Mr. Mehdi Heidari, Head of Department – Information Technology at Samsung Gulf Electronics, said “We are pleased to announce the ML-3310/3710 series of printers for business customers. With this new range, we aim to address our customers biggest needs, namely ease of use and efficient management without compromising on the overall quality of the printer.”

The paper handling capabilities have been improved significantly leading to a more efficient and user-friendly experience. The optional paper tray capacity has also been increased up to 520 sheets, meaning that the printer will need to be re-stocked with paper less often and consequently save time and effort.

An optional built-in wireless capability with one-touch set-up means less cabling, though alternatives are available in the form of a parallel port as well as a LAN functionality offering a faster LAN network speed for those offices without Wi-Fi capability.

Another user-friendly and local environmental consideration with the ML-3310/3710 series is the low noise output, with the printer generating just 52 decibels. These ensure a quieter office experience reducing irritation and therefore stress levels. The printer also comes with a one-touch Eco mode button – the opportunity for firms to be even more environmentally conscious, with the added bonus of saving money on paper and toner in the process. All of this makes for the ideal office printer, saving time and money while also providing none of the drawbacks of louder, less environmentally friendly printers.

Fast print speeds (up to 31ppm on the ML-3310 and 35ppm on the ML-3710 (A4)) and an innovative anti-jam mechanism (providing a lower jam rate) makes for an optimum printing solution in a busy office environment.