GADGET ZONE!

LG Expo Review: A Compact Windows Mobile Phone

2010-05-16T23:14:00.002+05:30

The LG Expo looks more like a messaging phone than a full-featured Windows Mobile smartphone, but don't be fooled: this phone packs plenty of features into its relatively compact case. It boasts a high-speed processor, a decent-sized touch screen, and even the capability of connecting to an optional projector accessory. Alas, the Expo is somewhat hampered by its Windows Mobile operating system.

The Expo is a slider-style phone. When closed, all you see is the 3.2-inch display and the buttons that sit beneath it. You get talk, end, and back buttons, plus a fingerprint sensor that you can use to unlock the phone. This sensor also works as a navigation tool, but I found it a bit small to use for that purpose.

The 3.2-inch screen feels roomy for most tasks, and with a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels, it looks very sharp. I found the touch screen not quite as responsive as I would have liked, though the Expo does ship with a stylus, which makes using it a bit easier. Unfortunately, the Expo doesn't feature a slot for holding the stylus, though, so if you want to attach it to your phone, you're left with it dangling to the side. It's not the most elegant solution.

More appealing is the full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the left side of the display. The design makes the phone feel a bit thick when closed, but the tradeoff is easy typing, even though the keys themselves are a bit flat and slick.

Making Calls

Voice quality was very good on my test calls made over AT&T's network. I heard occasional crackling during some calls, but voices came through loud and clear on both ends of the line. The speakerphone performed very well, too, providing plenty of volume.

Software

The LG Expo's screen slides to the right, exposing a full QWERTY keyboard.
LG
The Expo features the latest version of Windows Mobile, 6.5. The operating system might be the phone's biggest weakness; it's outdated and in need of a major overhaul. Microsoft is working on an overhaul, which will arrive later this year in the form of Windows Phone 7. But that's of little help to people looking to pick up a Windows Mobile phone right now. For more information, read my complete review of Windows Mobile 6.5.

The Expo does offers a good selection of apps. It comes with the familiar Microsoft Office apps on board, which includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The Expo is compatible with a projector accessory -- available for $180 -- which should allow business travelers to project PowerPoint presentations right from the phone, no laptop needed.

The Expo also includes access to Microsoft's recently-launched Windows Marketplace for Mobile for adding more titles. The selection in Microsoft's store remains weak, but should grow with time.

Messaging

The Expo's e-mail client is a bit bland to look at, but is perfectly serviceable for reading and viewing messages. You can use it to check personal POP3 and IMAP accounts, and business users will also be able to sync e-mail, calendars, contacts, and tasks with their corporate Microsoft Exchange server.

AT&T also includes an instant messaging client on the Expo that works with AOL's AIM, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger.

Browsing the Web

The Expo supports both Wi-Fi and AT&T's 3G network for speedy Web browsing. As a Windows Mobile-based phone, the Expo comes with the mobile version of Microsoft Internet Explorer browser. IE Mobile delivers a decent browsing experience. Most sites looked good, and pages loaded quickly. But it can't compete with the experience of surfing the Web on an iPhone, or even a Palm Pre.

Camera

The Expo features a 5-megapixel camera that captures still images and videos. The camera includes some nice extras, such as a flash and a 3X digital zoom, and captured decent still photos. Colors did look a little dim in some photos, though.

Music and More

The Expo offers a decent range of music and video options. It comes with access to AT&T Mobile Music, which allows you to download songs directly to your phone. You also get access to XM satellite radio and CV, AT&T's mobile video service, which offers a selection of video clips and TV shows for viewing on your phone.

Price and Availability

AT&T Wireless is offering the Expo for $199.99 when you sign a two-year service contract.

Bottom Line

The Expo is a solid business phone that delivers a good selection of features to enjoy in your downtime, too. Its hampered a bit by its Windows Mobile software, but it will still appeal to business users.

Sprint: HTC EVO 4G Coming in June

2010-05-16T23:11:00.001+05:30

Can't wait to get your hands on the first 4G smartphone? You won't have to wait much longer: Sprint announced today that the HTC EVO 4G will be available starting on June 4 for $199.99.

The EVO 4G will be the first phone to run on Sprint's high-speed 4G WiMax network, which Sprint says can deliver download speeds that are up to 10 faster than those you'd get over a 3G network. The network will be available to 120 million Americans by the end of the year, Sprint says.

Even without its 4G capabilities, the HTC EVO 4G boasts an impressive list of features. It offers a 4.3-inch screen, version 2.1 of the Android operating system, an 8-megapixel camera, an HD-capable video camera, HDMI-out capability for viewing content on HDTVs, and the speedy 1-GHz Snapdragon processor that powers Google's Nexus One.

Sprint customers will be required to subscribe to a PDA/Smart Device service plan, such as the carrier's $69.99-per-month Everything Data plan. But the EVO 4G also will require a $10-per-month Premium Data add-on for its 4G service -- and that add-on plan is required whether you live in an area with 4G coverage or not.

Nokia X6 Review

2010-04-16T17:24:00.001+05:30

Nokia X6 gets its very own baby brother in the form of a new 16GB model. Unlike its 32GB sibling, the 16GB version doesn’t Come with Music but its sizable on board storage still boasts enough space for 5,500 tracks. Outside that substantial storage sits a lush 3.2-inch widescreen capacitive touchscreen and four new finishes: all black, all white, white with pink highlights and white with yellow highlights. Read on to find out what else is in store.

Running the latest version of Symbian^1 the Nokia X6 16GB boasts up to 18 days standby time, 11.5 hours talktime (GSM), 4.5 hours of video playback and a whopping 35 hours of music playback! That’s enough time to listen to roughly 12 per cent of the tracks stored on the device.

Images are taken care of with a 5-megapixel camera sporting Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash. Shooting videos is a joy, not just because of the camera but the TV-out function enables you to watch your masterpieces on the huge screen, too. And of course, you can edit your videos right there on the device.

The new Nokia X6 is compatible with the all-new Ovi Maps, offering free walk and drive navigation and tons of extras including Michelin and Lonely Planet guides.

Apple iPhone 3GS - 32GB

2010-04-06T20:52:00.000+05:30

Three years after the first rumors of an Apple cell phone began to make the rounds, the iPhone continues to garner huge buzz, long lines, and a growing share of the cell phone market. And as we approach the second anniversary of the first model's frenzied launch day, Apple drops the newest model in our laps. The iPhone 3GS, which will hit stores June 19, promises faster processing and network speeds, extended battery life, more memory, and additional features. It's enough to get our attention, but not enough to get us completely excited.

In many ways, the iPhone 3GS delivers on its promises. The battery, which could sometimes deplete in less than a day on the iPhone 3G, lasted longer in our preliminary tests, and the phone's software ran noticeably faster. Yet, we still have some concerns. A faster AT&T 3G network isn't going to happen overnight, and some features, like tethering and multimedia messaging, aren't scheduled until later in summer 2009. We also struggled to see any change in call quality, which, as any iPhone owner can tell you, remains far from perfect.

So should you buy it? That will depend on how much you'll have to pay for the privilege. If you don't own an iPhone yet, and you've been waiting for the right model, now is the time to go for it. The same goes for iPhone Classic owners who never made the jump to the iPhone 3G. But, if you're a current iPhone 3G owner, the answer isn't so clear. If you're eligible to upgrade at the cheapest prices ($199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model), we suggest doing so, as long as you don't mind the required two-year contract. If you own an iPhone 3G, but are not yet eligible for the upgrade, we recommend upgrading to the new iPhone OS 3.0 operating system, and then waiting. As much as the iPhone 3GS brings, it's not worth the extra $200 that the 16GB and 32GB models cost.

iPod Touch OS 3.0 media features

Design and interface
The iPhone 3GS looks exactly like the previous model. It shares the shape and the same external controls, but the iPhone 3GS is unique in a handful of ways. You can get both memory sizes in white or black, and the iPhone 3GS display sports a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating that is supposed to attract fewer fingerprints and smudges. The new model shares the same dimensions as its predecessor, but it's slightly heavier (4.76 ounces versus 4.7 ounces), a virtually unnoticeable difference.

The iPhone 3GS has the same external design as the iPhone 3G.

The menu interface is also the same, but in the past year, as we've added apps to the Home screen, something new has begun to bother us. As intuitive and simple as the interface is, it becomes unwieldy after you get above four menu pages. Swiping through multiple pages is tedious; and it's rather painful to drag applications from page to page if you're an organizational freak. We hate that there's no way to categorize related apps into folders, such as one for news, another for social networking, and so on. Not only would this cut down on menu pages, but you'd also be able to find your app faster. And while we're at it, how about letting us delete some of the native apps we never use?

Features
Since the iPhone 3GS inherits many of the features from the previous model, we'll concentrate on what's different on this device. If you need a refresher on such elements as the clock, YouTube, weather, iPod player, calculator, and e-mail, please see our iPhone 3G review. We'll start off with the new features that only the iPhone 3GS will offer.

Camera
Until now, the iPhone's camera has been good, but far from great, with decent photo quality, but no editing features. Apple didn't include options such as white balance, a digital zoom, or a self-timer that come standard on many basic VGA camera phones. The minimalist shooter bothered us so much that we began to worry if Apple was leading a new trend of "dumbing down" cell phone cameras.

The iPhone 3GS' camera still lacks a flash.

The iPhone 3GS puts some of those fears to rest. Apple boosted the camera's resolution to 3 megapixels and added a new "Tap to Focus" feature. As you point the lens toward your subject, a small box appears on the center of the display. Tapping that square focuses the camera automatically on that point and adjusts the white balance, color, contrast, and exposure accordingly. If you'd rather focus on the edge of your shot, just tap the display at your chosen point and the square moves with you. If you don't tap anywhere, the camera will focus the entire frame.

Photo gallery:
iPhone 3GS camera photos

Tap to Focus performs well. For example, if we photographed a book cover sitting on a desk, we were able to get a clear reading on the book's title. If we shifted the focus away from the book, the title became somewhat blurry. Alternatively, if we focused on the brightest part of an image, the entire picture would appear brighter. But if we focused on the darkest part of any image, the photo would darken accordingly. The iPhone still doesn't come with a flash, though, so don't expect miracles.

On the other hand, the new automatic macro setting didn't appear to make much of a difference. Close-up shots looked slightly better on the iPhone 3GS than they did on the iPhone 3G, but we couldn't tell when the macro focus was working and when it wasn't. As with the autofocus feature, the macro setting is a welcome addition, but we'd prefer to have more control over it. In other words, the iPhone 3GS' camera is smarter than those on the earlier iPhones, but the camera, rather than the user, still runs the show.

The iPhone 3GS' indoor shots were just average.

On the whole, the iPhone 3GS' photo quality looks better than the 3G camera's quality, but it depends on the shot. Outdoor shots and photos taken in natural light looked less blurry in our tests, with brighter colors. Photos taken during cloudy days were less likely to be blown out, and photos in low-light conditions looked brighter and had less of an orange tint. Indoor shots without natural light showed little change, however. The iPhone's camera is not optimized for fluorescent light. For a full gallery of shots taken with the camera, see our iPhone 3GS camera slideshow.

Video recording
The iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to offer video recording, another feature other phones have offered for years. Apple makes up for some lost time by offering an easy-to-use video-editing option right on the phone.

The video recorder has a simple interface and you can edit clips right on the display.

Controls for video shooting work just like the still camera's controls, and you can use the Tap to Focus feature here, as well. The quality is just VGA, but the camera shoots at 30 frames per second, so while colors look muted and some videos appear washed out, the iPhone 3GS did better at handling movement than most cell phone cameras. After you're done recording, you can send your clip in an e-mail or upload it directly to your YouTube account. We were able to upload to YouTube and send a video from our synced IMAP4 Exchange account, but when we tried to send a video from a synced Yahoo POP3 account, an error occurred. We're checking with Apple on the discrepancy and will report back.

Watch a video of the iPhone 3GS' video quality.

The phone's video-editing tool is utterly intuitive and fun to use. After loading a previously shot video, you'll see it displayed frame by frame in a linear format along the top of the touch screen. Using your finger, you can slide the cursor to any point in the video and start playing from there. If you care to edit, just touch either end of the border that surrounds your video. When the border turns yellow, you can shorten the clip by dragging either end toward your desired cutoff point (the image on the display will conveniently change as you move along). Once you've made your edits, just hit the "Trim" control.

We liked the video-editing feature a lot, but it's worth noting a couple of small complaints. First off, when you trim a clip, the edited version replaces your original video, rather than saves it as a new file. Also, you can trim only in a linear format--meaning you can't cut out something in the middle and stitch the remaining two ends of the video together.

We also like a new feature that allows you to quickly open a photo or video that you just shot. After taking your snap or video, a small thumbnail will appear on the bottom of the viewfinder next to the shutter control. Tapping that thumbnail takes you to the photo gallery page, from where you can view your work or send it on to a friend.

Voice Control
We've long berated Apple for not including voice dialing on previous iPhones, particularly in this age of hands-free driving laws. Overdue as it is, the new Voice Control feature goes far beyond just making calls. To activate it, hold down the home button until the Voice Control feature appears.

With the Voice Control feature, you can make calls and control the iPod player.

As with hundreds of other cell phones, Voice Control lets you make calls by speaking the contact's name or phone number into the receiver. After you say your command, you'll get audio confirmation and the name or number will show on the display. If the iPhone makes a mistake, you can press an "undo" touch control at the bottom of the screen. The feature is speaker-independent, so you won't need to train it to recognize your voice; you'll be ready to go the first time you turn on the phone.

In our tests, the voice dialing performed well. When using names, it understood us accurately most of the time. It made occasional mistakes--for example, it wanted to call "Siemens" instead of "Stephen"--but that's hardly unusual for a voice dialer. Voice Control performed better when using only numbers. We didn't have to speak loudly, except in noisy environments, but it was capable of filtering out most background noise.

If you call a contact with multiple numbers, but don't specify which number you prefer, it will prompt you with "home," "work," etc. If you ask for a name that has multiple listings in your phone book (we know multiple people named Tim, for instance), it will prompt you for your choice, while showing the options on the screen. Alternatively, you can call a contact using his or her company's name, but that company must be in the contact's electronic business card.

Voice Control also interacts with the iPhone's iPod player and the iTunes Genius list. You can ask it to play a song by artist name and album, and you can request an entire playlist. Once music is playing, you can pause, skip to the next song, and go back to the previous track, using your voice. Say "shuffle" and the player skips to a random song. The feature was accurate most of the time, but it occasionally confused some artist names.

Unsure which song is playing? You can find out by asking, "What song is this?" You'll then get audio confirmation of the track name and artist. Like what you're hearing? Say, "Play more songs like this," and the player will use your iTunes Genius list to play a related song. In either case, the music will dim while you speak. They're nifty features, to be sure, and we can't think of another MP3 player or cell phone that offers such capability.

On the other hand, we can't imagine that many people would use it outside of a car. And the iPod Voice Control isn't perfect. It read Pink's name as "P N K" in our tests (Pink spells her name as "P!nk" on her album covers), and it twice tried to call "Annette" when we asked what song was playing. Also, we're not sure how Gwen Stefani would feel about being related to Britney Spears in the Genius list, but there you have it.

Compass
You'll find the iPhone 3GS' digital compass option directly on the Home screen; just tap to open. The attractive interface shows a large compass with your bearing and your latitude and longitude. Similar to any other compass, it continues to point true or magnetic north as you turn around. Reception was spotty inside, so you'll need to stay clear of any interference. If it can't get a bearing, you'll be advised to move away from the interference and re-establish the compass' orientation by moving the iPhone in a figure-eight motion.

The compass application shows your location and sports an attractive interface.

The compass also interacts with Google Maps to point you in the right direction. To switch to the maps, just press the familiar bull's-eye icon in the bottom-left corner. You'll see your position on the map, and if you tap the bull's-eye again, the map will rotate to show the direction you are facing. It's a nice touch, and we like how the standard Google Maps view now shows the 3D outlines of buildings.

Accessibility features
The iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to offer a full set of accessibility features. Visually impaired people can use Apple's Voice Over to navigate the handset's menus and type messages and e-mails. As you drag your finger around the display and tap a button, the iPhone will read a description of that button. The phone will also read the text of dialog boxes, the time of day, the status and orientation of the display (locked or unlocked, portrait or landscape), and detail information, such as the battery level, Wi-Fi, and cellular network signals. What's more, it speaks each character as you type a message, and it will suggest autocorrection choices. Voice Over can read text messages, e-mails, and even Web pages.

You can change the display's contrast with the iPhone 3GS' new accessibility features.

To use Voice Over, you will need to learn a different set of gestures--for example, you'll have to double-tap to open an item--but the feature provides audible instruction. You can set the speaking rate and choose from 21 supported languages. Voice Over works with all of the phone's native applications, but support for third-party apps varies. Though we're sighted and our Voice Over user experience can't compare with someone who is visually impaired, we were impressed by the feature's capabilities. The iPhone 3GS also adds multitouch zoom support for the Home, Unlock, and Spotlight screens for all applications, both native and third-party. Previously, zoom only worked in the photo gallery, e-mail in-boxes, and the Safari browser. You can activate the enhanced zoom in the Settings menu, but you can't use it and Voice Over simultaneously.

You also can reverse the display's contrast to white on black. Menus will show white text on a black background, while the Home screen will change to a white background. Just be aware that the contrast change alters the appearance of photos in the gallery so that they look like negatives. It has a similar effect for app icons on the Home screen.

What else is new?
The iPhone 3GS includes support for Nike + iPod, which integrates your iPod with a sensor that fits inside Nike running shoes. You use it as a pedometer to track your distance traveled and your pace. When you turn on the app in the settings menu, an icon will appear on the Home screen. The headphones included with the iPhone 3GS also show changes. You'll find controls for using the Voice Control feature, adjusting the volume, answering calls, and controlling music and video playback.

iPhone OS 3.0
The iPhone 3GS will support the new iPhone OS 3.0 update from day one. The OS 3.0 is a significant update that promises 100 new features, including such long-awaited gems as multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, a voice recorder, and cut, copy, and paste. Apple has yet to release a fully detailed list--and we've barely scratched the surface in our testing--but we'll continue to report improvements as we find them. First announced in March 2009, it was released June 17, 2009, for the iPhone Classic and the iPhone 3G.

Multimedia messaging
We've ranted endlessly about why it took so long for Apple to achieve multimedia messaging (MMS), so we're glad that it's finally on its way. Besides photos, you'll also be able to send videos, audio files, and map locations. At long last, the iPhone can do something that almost every other cell phone can do, and has done for ages.

This is what MMS looked like in the beta version of iPhone OS 3.0.

But, and this is a big "but," AT&T doesn't have things ready on its end. We don't know the real reason for the annoying delay, nor do we have a timetable for deployment; we just know that AT&T will support MMS "later this summer." (Also, because it wasn't integrated with the proper radio, the iPhone Classic will not support MMS.)

When we first tested the beta version of iPhone OS 3.0, we were able to compose, but not send, a multimedia message in a few quick steps on our iPhone 3G. In subsequent OS 3.0 updates, Apple removed the process for doing this; presumably you'll get it back when MMS goes live.

On the upside, the messaging process was intuitive. When using the text-messaging app, a small camera icon appeared next to the writing area. After tapping it, we had the choice to take a new photo or send an existing shot. If we decided to shoot a new photo, we had the option of retaking it if we wished. Alternatively, we could initiate a picture message from the photo gallery. In either case, the photo appears in the typing area of the message application, and you can delete it if you change your mind.

Cut, copy, and paste
The cut, copy, and paste feature is long overdue. The interface is simple and easy to use, and it works across all applications, including notes, e-mails, messages, and text on Web pages. Developers will even get access to it in applications.

Cut, copy, and paste is easy to use.

To get started, just double-tap a selection of text and the cut, copy, and paste commands will appear. You then can change the highlighted area by dragging the blue grab points around the page. Once you get to your pasting area, just tap the screen again and select the paste button. If you make a mistake and paste in the incorrect place, you can shake the iPhone to undo your command. When in Notes and e-mail, you also can highlight with a long press (aka holding your finger down). You'll see two options: Select and Select All. The former command highlights just the word that you're touching, while the latter highlights the entire block of text.

Using the feature in the Safari browser takes some acclimation, but even then we needed only a few minutes to get the hang of the process. Because the double-tap motion is also used to zoom in on a Web page, you must use a long press to select text that you want to copy or cut. You then can drag the blue points as normal. Depending on how closely you're zoomed in, you can highlight just one word or an entire block of text.

Landscape keyboard
Formerly--and inexplicably--available only in the Safari browser, the landscape keyboard now works in e-mail, text messaging, and notes. After haranguing Apple over the past two years to get it, we have to admit that it took a second to get accustomed to it. Though the landscape keyboard is much wider, with larger buttons, it's also a lot shorter. It did take us a couple of days to get the hang of it. Don't think that we're complaining, though, as it's quite the opposite. We love being able to use two hands, but we had grown accustomed to the one-finger tap dance on the vertical keyboard.

The landscape keyboard is a welcome addition.

You can also now view your e-mail in-box, contacts, and text messages in landscape mode. The calendar remains in a portrait orientation, but the changes we received are welcome.

Spotlight
Until now, it's been rather painful to sift through the data to find e-mail or calendar entries on the iPhone. Luckily, iPhone OS 3.0 adds a Spotlight feature that makes the search process vastly easier. Similar to many of the OS 3.0 additions, it took way too long to get here, but we have few complaints about the final product. To get to the Spotlight feature, swipe your finger to the right from the first menu page. You'll then see a keyboard with a typing field above it (this keyboard only works in portrait mode). As you type in a search term, the results appear below the search bar, with results grouped together by category for easy navigation. You can search calendar entries, music, notes, apps, contacts, and e-mail, and you can search within an individual e-mail in-box. For IMAP4 and Exchange accounts, you'll also be able to search messages saved only on the server.

The Spotlight feature lets you search a variety of files on your iPhone 3GS.

Tethering
In March, we heard that tethering would be possible with the OS 3.0, but that it would be completely carrier-dependent. Here again, AT&T isn't on the ball. While other iPhone carriers around the world will be ready when the iPhone goes live, AT&T is saying that the carrier will support tethering later this summer. Unfortunately, we don't know the exact reason for the delay, when tethering will actually arrive, or whether AT&T will charge extra for it.

Text messaging
Deleting and forwarding individual messages in a texting thread works just like the e-mail app. When you select the edit button, small dots appear next to each message. Hit the dots for your desired messages before pressing the delete or forward options. Thanks, Apple, but this should have been on the first iPhone.

Stereo Bluetooth
We were very glad to see a stereo Bluetooth profile arrive with iPhone OS 3.0. We tested it with the LG HBS-250 stereo Bluetooth headset. The pairing process was easy and incident-free. In the music player, a small Bluetooth icon appears next to the player controls. Press it to route audio to the headset; you then can toggle back and forth between the speaker and the headset. Speaking of Bluetooth, the update also adds Bluetooth peer-to-peer networking for gaming. Yet, neither Bluetooth feature is available on the iPhone Classic, even with the OS 3.0 update installed. Apple has a chart with more information.

Turn-by-turn directions
iPhone OS 3.0 brings support for turn-by-turn directions, making the iPhone a fully functional GPS device. The bad news is that, along with MMS, we'll have to wait until later this summer for complete functionality. Directional services won't come from Apple, but will instead come from third-party apps. TomTom will be one of the first companies to offer an app; a TomTom executive demonstrated it at WWDC 2009. AT&T has built an app for its AT&T Navigator service and we expect that other companies will offer their own apps.

From what we could tell from the brief demo, TomTom's service looks promising. The interface was attractive and the audible directions were clear. TomTom will also offer a car kit that will secure your iPhone to your windshield or dashboard while charging it at the same time. That's good news for a device that sucks up juice quickly.

We're concerned with how much the app will cost. TomTom will offer a "range" of U.S. and international maps, but that's as much as we know. GPS maps are not cheap, so we'll be interested to see how TomTom will package and price the content to make it affordable for consumers and profitable for TomTom.

What's more, we're curious how much memory the maps will consume and how the app will integrate with the iPhone's other features. From what we understand, we'll be able to make hands-free calls and play music on our car's radio while getting directions. Unlike the Palm Pre, however, the iPhone doesn't multitask (we have more to say on that below). If the GPS feature has to suspend because you get a call--just as the iPod player suspends when you take a call--then things could get tricky. We suspect, though, that Apple and TomTom have this covered.

iTunes Store
With the software update, your iPhone's iTunes Store experience will change a bit. Now you'll be able to rent and purchase movies, download TV shows and audiobooks, and access iTunes U. You'll also be able to redeem iTunes gift cards on the phone in the iTunes App store. Previously, you could only redeem in the iTunes music store.

You can rent movies on your iPhone 3GS.

Also new is the capability to make purchases while inside apps. For example, you can renew a magazine subscription or buy additional levels of a game. This is a small win, at least for us. Sure, it's nice that you won't have to close the application and return to the iTunes Store, but this is almost one of those "problems I didn't know I had." Just remember to keep a limit on your impulse buying.

Apple promises that free apps will always be free, to avoid a bait-and-switch scenario. While that's great for consumers in that you'll never have to shell out money for an update, even now we see two versions of many apps cluttering the App store. The free app get you hooked, much like a demo version of a game, while the paid app offers the whole experience. As we see it, that's not much better than offering an app for free, but then charging later for an update.

Find My iPhone
If you're prone to losing your iPhone 3GS, OS 3.0 will give you some peace of mind. If your handset goes missing, you can use a computer to find its position on a map. You can then send it a message that instructs anyone who finds your phone to call you. It plays a tone to get a passerby's attention, and it even plays the tone when the sound is off. Presumably, however, it won't play the tone when the phone is off.

It sounds like a great service, but there are a couple of caveats. Find My iPhone is only available to MobileMe users. Also, it can be dislabled, and you'll need someone on the other end who is responsible enough to notify you that he or she has found your phone. Luckily, if the latter doesn't hold true, you can use a remote wipe option to swipe your iPhone clean of data. This is the first time remote wipe is available to consumers outside of an enterprise setting.

Voice recorder
Did we mention that iPhone OS 3.0 adds features that should have been on the first-generation device? Oh, that's right, we did. But, in any case, the new voice-recording app is another example of something being better late than ever. It has its own icon on the Home screen, and its interface is clean and easy to use. Tap the record button to start and tap it again to end; you can continue to record while you're using other applications, like the Web browser. When finished, you can e-mail your voice clips to a friend, or you can trim them in the same fashion as you would videos.

Stocks
You'll now see news headlines for the company tickers saved in your Stocks application. That would be a nice touch if we used the Stocks app more often. You'll also be able to see a chart in landscape mode, and you'll be able to get a stock price at any point on a chart.

Other additions
The remaining additions range from useful to trivial. Thanks to iPhone OS 3.0, you'll also get push notifications, expanded parental controls, a shake-to-shuffle feature for the iPod player, the capability to forward meeting invites and contacts, Notes syncing for Macs and PCs, autofill for Web fields and Wi-Fi auto-log-ins, the option to change the default destination for the home button, and additional wallpaper. Finally, if you tap and hold on a Web link in the Safari browser, a new menu will appear with choices to open the link, open it in another page, save an image, or copy the link.

What we're still waiting for
Fortunately, this list is getting shorter with each incarnation of the iPhone. Yet, the iPhone 3GS still lacks some important features. To begin with, it does not offer multitasking. We've been hung up on this for a while, but after seeing the Pre handle multitasking so elegantly, we think Apple can at least compete. And keep in mind that multitasking is hardly limited to Palm's showpiece. It is frustrating that on a phone that can do so many things well, we have to close an application and go back to the menu in order to open another one. But more than that, it's becoming unacceptable.

As mentioned earlier, you can't change the look and feel of the iPhone's interface. Though we like not having to root through multiple menu layers to access features, we'd still enjoy more customization. Similarly, Apple continues to lock down the iPhone's file structure. There's no file manager feature, and USB mass storage and transfer remain largely elusive. While you can access your iPhone's camera folder via a USB cable, you can only transfer photos and videos from the iPhone 3GS to your computer. To transfer photos, videos ,and other media files to your iPhone, you must rely on iTunes. And even then, iTunes restricts what kinds of files you can move and it tells you where to store them on the phone. A wide variety of cell phones, from simple candy bar handsets to high-end smartphones, offer USB mass storage. We think Apple should do the same.

Flash support for the Safari browser is also a must. Apple has skirted this issue, so there may be hope in the future. But in the meantime, we still expect Flash Lite to get a true Web experience. Apple has long boasted that the iPhone puts "the Internet in your pocket," but without Flash, it's not quite there.

We doubt we'll ever get the last few items on our list. But as long as we're complaining, we'd love to see an FM radio, a "mark as read" option in the e-mail app, an FM transmitter, and a user-replaceable battery. We still wonder what you're supposed to use as a cell phone when you send in your iPhone for a replacement battery. And don't forget: you'll have to pay for that service.

Internal performance
The "S" in iPhone 3GS stands for speed and the device promises to be quicker in two ways: not only will a new processor enable it to load apps faster, but it will utilize an upgraded AT&T 3G network for speedier Web browsing. We expected both of these improvements, so we're not surprised that they are the new 3GS' prime selling points.

We'll start with the processor: Apple doesn't provide details on the processor's capabilities, but a T-Mobile Netherlands' Web site briefly reported that the iPhone 3GS has a 600MHz processor--similar to the Pre's--and 256MB RAM. In contrast, the earlier iPhone 3G had a 412MHz processor and 128MB RAM. As our colleagues at CNET Asia said, twice the memory "should speed things up a fair bit."

The promised change surprised us, since we never thought the iPhone Classic or the iPhone 3G were that slow in the first place. But, whatever the reason for the improvement, we're certainly not going to refuse if Apple wants to dish it out. And from what we can tell, it's not an empty promise. We conducted side-by-side tests between an iPhone 3G and an iPhone 3GS. Both phones had identical contact lists, calendars, photos, apps, and music libraries.

For most native applications that don't depend on a cellular or Wi-Fi connection, the iPhone 3GS was consistently faster. For the photo gallery, camera, calculator, calendar, notes, clock, and contacts list, the iPhone 3G lagged about 2 seconds behind. No, that's not a huge difference, but it was a difference nonetheless. We noticed a similar change when using the Spotlight feature and opening the Settings menu.

We saw a bigger change in other areas. The iPhone 3GS opened the iPod player almost 5 seconds faster, and it was much quicker at loading some notoriously slow apps. For example, Bejewled 2, which can take up to 12 seconds to load on the iPhone 3G, started in just 5 seconds on the 3GS. Even better, Pocket God went from opening in almost 30 seconds to starting in just 11. The iPhone 3GS also started up much quicker than the iPhone 3G--we were up and running in 26 seconds instead of 50 seconds.

We realize that the above tests aren't very scientific or exact, but they do reflect everyday use. Indeed, the iPhone 3GS appears to delivers speedier internal performance; people should notice a difference.

Browser and data
On the other hand, we didn't notice any differences in data and browser speeds over AT&T's 3G network. We'd certainly welcome any improvements that should come from the carrier's forthcoming HSPA network upgrade to 7.2Mbps, but there's an important caveat for the moment: AT&T won't start rolling out the faster network until later this year. What's more, full deployment is scheduled for 2011. Though we expect urban areas will be first, coverage will vary widely for the next year, at least. As such, we don't predict any miracles soon. On the other hand, we noticed faster browser speeds when using CNET's Wi-Fi network. The New York Times loaded in about 30 seconds on the iPhone 3GS, but took up to a minute on the iPhone 3G.

Call quality and reception
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) iPhone 3GS world phone in San Francisco. Call quality was virtually unchanged from the iPhone 3G. When the calls could connect, and when they weren't dropping, the audio quality was decent. Voices sounded natural and we heard a satisfactorily low amount of "side noise," which is the sound of your own voice coming back through the phone. Wind noise was apparent in some instances, and the volume could be louder, but the 3GS lacks the sensitive sweet spot that we encountered on the first iPhone.

On their end, callers didn't report any differences from the caller experience on the iPhone 3G. They could hear us under most conditions, and, while they could tell that we were on a cell phone, that's not unusual. The only complaints mentioned occasional background noise. Automated calling systems could understand as well, but we had the best experiences when using the phone inside. We'll test the iPhone 3GS in more places over the next few weeks.

Speakerphone calls were good, but not great. The external speaker was rather soft, but voices weren't distorted, except at the highest volumes. Also, as long as we were in a quiet room, we didn't have to speak close to the phone if we wanted to be heard on the other end. We connected to the BlueAnt Q1 Bluetooth headset without any problems. Call quality was mostly satisfactory, though we noticed a slight amount of static. That could be from the headset, however.

Unfortunately, we saw no change in overall signal strength and reception. The hand off between EDGE and 3G remains shaky, and the iPhone still tries to latch onto the 3G signal even when it's barely detectable. As we found with the iPhone 3G, the reception jumped if we switched off the handset's 3G radio on the Settings menu. Constantly doing that, however, can be a pain.

While testing the iPhone 3GS with the iPhone 3G in areas of San Francisco with reliably poor AT&T coverage, we noticed no difference in the number of bars or in the capability of each to establish a connection and make a call. What's more, the iPhone 3GS dropped calls as frequently as its predecessor in the "semidead zones." We also used the iPhone's internal Field Test application, which is a more accurate test of signal strength than the number of bars on the display. In most cases the iPhone 3GS had a stronger signal, but not by much. Dial *3001#12345#* to run the test yourself. You'll see the signal strength in decibels in the upper-left corner of the display--the lower the number, the better the signal.

According to FCC radiation tests, the iPhone 3GS has a rating of 0.79 watt per kilogram. That is the highest at-ear SAR for voice calls. Data use and at-body use can result in different SARs.

Audio and video quality
Editors' note: Senior Editor Donald Bell contributed to this section.

For all the small tweaks and improvements made to the iPhone 3GS, music and video playback quality is indistinguishable from the 3G model. Fortunately, in this department, the iPhone can afford to rest on its laurels. Audio is crisp and full, with a suite of iPod EQ presets, ample volume, and minimum background hiss. A range of audio files and resolutions are supported, starting at basic MP3 and AAC, all the way up to CD-quality formats, such as AIFF, WAV, and Apple Lossless. Video playback quality is still the same bright, smooth experience we enjoyed on the 3G model. If there's a story to be told about video improvements, it's the fact that the 3GS is the first iPhone to both play and record video. Apple has also updated the mobile version of the iTunes store to include movie, television, and music video downloads, in addition to the music and podcast downloads offered prior to the OS 3.0 update. Music quality on the LG HBS-250 stereo Bluetooth headset was quite satisfactory--a big improvement over the iPhone's external speaker and better than the standard wired headset. Of course, your experience will vary depending on which stereo headset you choose.

Battery life
Battery life remains one of the iPhone 3G's biggest detractions. Indeed, you're lucky if your handset lasts longer than a day with heavy use. When Apple first introduced the iPhone in June, the company promised relief for beleaguered users. The 3GS' rated battery life is 9 hours of Wi-Fi battery life, 10 hours of video playback, 30 hours of audio playback, 12 hours of 2G talk time, and 5 hours of 3G talk time.

In our initial tests conducted just after this review posted, the iPhone 3GS' battery appeared to last longer than its predecessor's. We could go longer during a day of heavy use before having to recharge. Also, our first talk time test with EDGE delivered almost 11.5 hours of battery life, which is impressive considering the iPhone 3G lasted 8.75 hours on EDGE. We then sent the 3GS to CNET Labs for more rigorous testing. In those tests, the 3GS largely matched Apple's promised times. We'll start with voice calls first. CNET Labs managed 5.36 hours of 3G talk time and 13.4 hours of 2G talk time. While those results may seem surprising, remember that we leave the handset alone with the display dimmed during our talk time tests.

Battery life for multimedia use also was satisfactory. In Airplane Mode on with the cellular radio turned off, the 3GS delivered 36.7 hours of music playback and 10.03 hours of video playback. With the Airplane Mode off and 3G enabled, we got 35.4 hours of music time and 9.2 hours of video playback. In both cases, the screen was off during music playback.

It's important to remember that real-world use will be a better judge of the iPhone 3GS' endurance. The large color display, frequently switching between different applications, and heavy 3G or GPS use will drain the battery faster than just making a call. As it's difficult to develop an accurate benchmark for testing battery life while multitasking, your experience will vary widely depending on how you use your iPhone 3GS. There are quite a few things you can do to maximize battery life, but we recommend using Wi-Fi over 3G whenever possible, limiting GPS use, and dimming your display's brightness. The 3Gs is the first iPhone to show the percentage of battery charge on the Home screen.

Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless)

2010-04-06T20:51:00.000+05:30

You have to hand it to Verizon Wireless: though the Google Android operating system now extends to a handful of devices, the carrier was able to get the tech world "excited" about its first Android phone. First known as the Sholes, the Motorola Droid swirled into the gadget rumor mill this summer. And even as Verizon unveiled its television commercial attacking the iPhone, firm details on the Droid remained few and far between. That is, until now.

Officially announced on October 28 and set for a November 6 release, the Droid delivers on much of the hype. The display is gorgeous, the Android 2.0 updates are excellent, and the handset is lightning fast, particularly for an Android phone. We'll refrain from using the dreaded "iPhone killer" expression, but comparisons between the two devices are obvious, and we see the Droid as a real competitor to Apple's device. On the downside, we weren't crazy about the keyboard and dialpad accessibility, the calendars aren't fully integrated, and we'd prefer to see dual-mode (GSM/CDMA) capability. But for Verizon's first pass at Android, the Droid more than delivers. And even better, it's a clear departure from Verizon's locked-down past. At $199, the Droid is on par with T-Mobile's Android device, but it's slightly more expensive than Sprint's devices.

Design and display
At first glance, you might not think the Motorola Droid's design amounts to much. Its build is rather dull and the sharp angles result in a boxy look. But this is a smartphone with a lot of surprises, the biggest being the positively gorgeous WVGA display. At 3.7 inches, it surpasses even the iPhone and is firmly in the bounds of what we consider to be an acceptable size for a touch-screen display. Color support is generous (16 million hues) and the resolution (440x854 pixels) is some of the richest we've seen. We aren't kidding when we say that this display is bright and brilliant with vibrant colors and sharp graphics. It also lends itself well to the welcome Android 2.0 interface updates (more on that later).

As we said, the Droid's display is spectacular.

Of course, with such a large display, the Droid is rather big (4.56 inches tall by 2.36 inches wide by 0.54 inch thick), but that's a small price to pay for the top-notch display. You'll notice that the Droid is heavy (5.96 ounces) compared with other smartphones, but the trim design keeps it portable. We also welcome the solid feel in the hand, even if the slider mechanism is a bit quirky. The actual sliding motion is quite stiff, but the front face doesn't really lock into place on either end. Indeed, we noticed that even a gentle nudge can start to close the Droid. No, it's not a big deal, but it's something to consider.

The Droid is slightly larger than the iPhone.

The capacitive display's touch interface is quick and responsive and we love the added multitouch capability. As with previous Android phones, there's vibrating feedback only for certain functions (like a "long press"), though you can turn off the haptic feedback completely if you desire. When we selected items and scrolled through long lists, there was no lag time in performing the command (more on that later, as well). You also can customize the display's brightness, backlighting time, and animations. The accelerometer will adjust the display's orientation as you rotate the Droid in your hands, but you can turn this feature off.

Outside of the upgrades from Android 2.0 and the Droid-specific tweaks, the basic interface will be familiar to Android users. You get only three home screens--we prefer the five we got on the Motorola Cliq--but you can customize each pane with widgets. And, of course, the central pane has the Google search bar. The main menu is accessible via the pull tab at the bottom of the display. The menu's design is mostly unchanged. You can move icons around and add shortcuts and folders.

Keypad and controls
Below the Droid's display are four touch controls: Back, Home, Search, and Menu. They perform the same functions as on other Android phones, with the search and menu keys being the most useful. The former activates Google search with just one press, and the latter opens relevant menu commands for various handset modes and features. Though the touch controls are responsive, they're not very big. And at the end of the day, we'd prefer actual physical buttons. We know this all comes down to a personal preference, but that is ours.

The Droid has four touch controls below the display.

In a baffling change from previous devices, the Droid does not have a physical Talk control. Instead, you'll have to access the calling functions through a widget on the display. We're not in love with this change, mostly because we prefer to be able to call up the phone dialer without having to go through the home screen. For example, you have to close the browser if you want to make a call while viewing a Web page. The phone dialer interface is mostly the same. The buttons are square rather than round, but you get access to your call log, voice mail, contacts list, and favorites.

We don't love the Droid's keyboard just yet.

When you open the Droid to display the physical keyboard, the screen orientation will change automatically. Though many users will welcome a physical keyboard, we weren't particularly impressed. The keys are flush and squashed next to each other, which makes it difficult to text quickly or by feel. Also, though the buttons do give a slight downward "push," they're a bit slick and we were thrown off by the "dummy keys" on either end of the bottom row. On the whole it is a better experience than the T-Mobile G1, but typing is not nearly as comfortable as with the Cliq or even with the Samsung Moment. Sure, you'd probably get used to it eventually, but on the first pass we have our reservations.

The letters on the keys are large and backlit for dialing in the dark. Four rows of keys do mean that numbers and common punctuation and symbols double up with letters. That's common on smartphones, so we won't make a big deal and we like that the top row of keys isn't too close to the slider. Fortunately, there are a fair number of additional controls. We welcome the two Shift keys and the two Alt keys (they sit in pairs on either side of the keyboard), the large and convenient space bar, and the menu and search keys. You'll also find the usual back and delete buttons. Additional symbols, however, require a separate virtual keyboard.

Speaking of which, the Android virtual keyboard is largely the same, but Google says it revamped the keyboard layout for faster, more-accurate typing. We haven't noticed specific design changes just yet, but we'll explore a bit more. Also, as Google puts it, "the multitouch support ensures that key presses aren't missed while typing rapidly with two fingers." When using either keyboard, Android 2.0 offers a better dictionary that includes contacts names.

The toggle and central OK button next to the display is easy to use. It can help you browse through the menus and select items, but with the exception of games, we barely used it given the fantastic display. It's flush as well, but it's quite large and accessible. On the downside, however, it does shrink the width of the keyboard. Some users may not mind, but we noticed its impact.

The Droid has a 3.5-millimeter headset jack.

The remaining physical controls consist of a volume rocker and a camera shutter on the left spine. Both are almost flat, but we could find the rocker when on a call. The Micro-USB port is used for a USB cable and (thankfully) the charger. You also use it to connect the Droid with the multimedia dock. We're pleased with the 3.5 millimeter headset jack on the phone's top end. Not only can you use your own headset, but it's also in a convenient place. A stiff power control sits next to the port, while the camera lens, flash, and stereo speakers rest on the rear face. Unfortunately, you have to remove the battery to access the microSD card slot.

You must remove the Droid's battery to access its memory card slot.

Features
The Motorola Droid offers a number of the same core features as previous Android devices, such as the HTC Hero and the Samsung Moment. However, it's distinct in that the Droid is the first smartphone to run Android 2.0, which brings a crop of new features and interface enhancements. For this review, we'll concentrate more on the new rather than the old, but to learn more about some of Android's main functionalities, please check out reviews of other Android smartphones.

Android 2.0 updates
As we mentioned earlier, the home screen and main menu on Motorola Droid don't look terribly different from, say, the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G's at a glance. However, as you use the device, you'll notice subtle changes and enhancements that make the user interface a bit more refined and streamlined; the gorgeous display doesn't hurt, either.

Also, although it's a Motorola phone, the Droid does not use the MotoBlur software that we saw on the Motorola Cliq. Part of the reason is that the Droid is targeted for a bit of a different audience than the Cliq (read: older, more business-oriented) so it didn't really jibe with the experience that Moto and Verizon want to offer to its customers, and we think that was a good decision. In MotoBlur's place, there is a Facebook widget on the Droid that you can use to update your own status and scroll through your friends' updates. Other preloaded widgets and shortcuts include YouTube, a corporate calendar, and something called "Power Control" where you can turn on/off your wireless connections, adjust brightness, and so forth--quite handy.

Some other minor changes include the slightly revamped onscreen dialer mentioned in the Design section, as well a new lock screen that features a sliding curve that allows you to unlock the phone as well as adjust the its volume simply by dragging your finger from one side of the screen to the other.

E-mail, calendar, and contacts
Perhaps one of the top highlights of Android 2.0 is the expanded capabilities of the personal information management tools, including e-mail, calendar, and contacts.

The Droid now offers native Microsoft Exchange synchronization out of the box for e-mail, calendar, and contacts, in addition to support for Gmail and POP3 and IMAP accounts. Note that only Exchange and Gmail offer push delivery, while POP3 and IMAP messages are retrieved at user-specified time intervals, starting at every 5 minutes up to every hour. With Android 2.0, you can have messages from various accounts displayed in one unified in-box; messages are color-coded by account so you can visually differentiate them at a glance. Of course, you can also choose to separate them if you like to keep your personal and work lives separate.

Unfortunately (well, depending on your preference), it doesn't appear that you can combine work and personal calendars as you can on the Palm Pre. Instead, you'll find separate apps for your corporate calendar and your personal one. The corporate calendar is full featured in that you can send messages to meeting attendees, see who has RSVP'd to an event, and/or create your own invites and have it all synced back to your PC.

With the support for various accounts, contact management could get a bit dodgy, but the Droid offers a pretty smart contact management system. Similar to the Palm WebOS Synergy feature, the Droid merges contact information from various accounts, Exchange, Gmail, and Facebook, and combines them on a single contact card for an individual. When you pull up a contact, you'll then be able to see the contact's Facebook status, photos, various e-mail addresses, IM handles, and so forth.

There's also a handy Quick Contact feature: you simply tap on a contact's photo and a toolbar offers you the various ways to get in touch with that person. It's also smart in that you can choose to sync all your Facebook contacts or just those who are already in your contacts database.

Browser
Android 2.0 also brings some improvements to the Web browser, which now supports HTML5. You can add visual bookmarks and toggle between multiple windows through a simple list view. What's more, thanks to the aforementioned multitap support, you can now double-tap on the screen to zoom in and out of Web pages. It's certainly easier than tapping the magnifying glass numerous times, but we still like the simplicity and ease of use of the pinching gesture used on the iPhone or the Palm Pre.

Most importantly, though, the browser feels faster. With a cortex A8 processor and support for Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A network, CNET's full site loaded in 14 seconds while CNN's and ESPN's mobile sites came up in 8 seconds and 5 seconds, respectively. For comparison, we checked out the same sites on the Samsung Moment for Sprint and the Moment's browser results were 40 seconds, 9 seconds, and 8 seconds in the order listed above.

Finally, while the Droid's browser doesn't have Flash Lite support, it does have a plug-in that will support Adobe's Flash 10 player when it's available. We also like the refurbished browser interface that includes bookmark thumbnails.

Universal search
With all this information stored on the Droid and the World Wide Web in the palm of your hand, search is key and the Droid certainly delivers on that front. From the home screen, you can easily enter terms into the Google search box either by typing or using Google Voice search and the Droid will search the Web, your text and multimedia messages, your contacts, and your multimedia library for any relevant results. It can search through messages, but you must be in your in-box to do so.

Google Maps Navigation
The Motorola Droid is equipped with GPS/A-GPS, but what's different is the new Google Maps Navigation app. While still in beta, you can now get voice-guided, text-to-speech directions, instead of just text-based instructions, on Google Maps. And the best part? It's free. You don't have to sign up for a monthly subscription or pay a day-use fee for a location-based service, such as VZ Navigator, and in fact, VZ Navigator isn't even offered as an option.

Google Maps also offers layered maps with traffic data, satellite view, and Google Latitude. You can perform searches simply by typing a term, or you can use Google Voice search and speak a business name or general category right into the phone. Once done, Google Maps displays your search results; you can tap on a result, which will bring up numerous options, including navigation, call, or street view. While all of this is wonderful, there are some limitations. For example, you can't plan multidestination trips.

Even with its restrictions, we were very impressed with Google Maps Navigation. We used the Droid for several trips, including one from the Marina District of San Francisco to Oakland International Airport. The phone's GPS found our position in less than a minute and created a route just as quickly, and results were similar in subsequent tests. The maps were bright and clear on the Droid's gorgeous screen, and as you drive along the route, upcoming turns are displayed on top of the display while your current street is located on the bottom right. There's also an option to switch to satellite map view, which is very cool.

The voice-guided directions are loud and clear, but the voice sounds a bit more robotic than most and the text-to-speech pronunciation wasn't quite as good. That said, these minor issues didn't hinder us from understanding the instructions or getting to our destination. En route to the airport, we did briefly lose our GPS fix when we first got on the Bay Bridge, but the Droid was able to quickly get its lock back. It was just as fast with route recalculations. One note about the Google Maps Navigation: it requires a data connection to work so if you happen to wander out of a coverage zone, the maps won't update even though the GPS will continue to track your position. Also, should you happen to get a phone call while driving, the Droid will display a call screen as usual, and you can choose to accept or ignore the call. If you choose to take it, Google Maps Navigation will continue to run in the background but won't give you turn-by-turn instructions until you're off the phone.

Our biggest complaints with Google Maps Navigation right now is that it doesn't always come up with the most efficient routes. For example, after exiting the freeway for the Oakland airport, it told us to take a small side street to get to the main entrance. While this route certainly takes you to the airport, we could have just stayed on the road we were on for a more direct path to the airport. Also, on our way back from the airport to San Francisco, it randomly told us to make a U-turn while on the Bay Bridge. The capability to create multidestination trips would also be nice to see in a future update.

That said, Google Maps Navigation is an awesome application, especially since it's free. The voice search capabilities are especially cool and useful for finding points of interest and yielded fairly accurate results in our tests. We also like that the app shows a street view of your final destination, so you get a better visual of the building. With a few added features and enhancements to the interface, Google could certainly change the business of location-based services and navigation in general.

We should note that a separate car mount will be available for $30. Once docked to the car cradle, the Droid will automatically display a navigation menu from where you can plan a trip, view maps and directions, and search businesses. Undocked, there's an app called Car Home that shows the same options.

Multimedia
One area that remains relatively untouched by Android 2.0 is the built-in media player. There aren't any major enhancements to the player in terms of interface or functionality, which is too bad. You still get support for MP3, AAC, AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI (to name a few), and Windows Media Audio 9 formats and the player includes shuffle, repeat, and playlist creation. You can advance and revisit previous tracks by tapping the forward and back buttons or you can swipe the album covers using the touch screen. Unfortunately, there is no syncing software to help you manage and transfer your music. As it is right now, you have to use the old drag-and-drop method using the USB cable or sideload them using a microSD card.

Of course, you can also download songs via the Amazon MP3 store. The store allows you to browse by album, song, artist, or genre. You can download the DRM-free songs over Wi-Fi as well as Verizon's 3G network, though the Droid advises you switch to Wi-Fi when possible since it's faster. We downloaded several tracks from Amazon using the carrier's 3G network and it took an average of around 1 minute and 15 seconds from purchase to download.

Music quality was quite good. Thanks to the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, we plugged in our Bose On-ear Headphones and enjoyed rich-sounding songs. We listened to a variety of music, from punk rock to pop to classical, and found a nice balance between treble and bass. Songs even sounded decent coming from the phone's speakers. There was plenty of volume and while slightly harsh, the audio wasn't as tinny as it is on some other smartphones we've tested.

We like the Droid's multimedia dock.

Motorola offers a multimedia dock accessory, which also is sold separately for $30. When you slip in the Droid you get a nifty digital clock interface with instant access to local weather, the media player, the photo gallery, and the alarm clock. You can even change the backlighting color for a softer look. The dock is very handy as a stand for watching videos and you can connect the charger to power the phone while it's inserted. Unfortunately, a wired headset is not included in the Droid's box.

As with other Android devices, there's a dedicated YouTube app. You can comment on clips, favorite them, or share videos via e-mail and Facebook, as well as view them in high quality if available. Obviously, load times and quality depend on the video, but in general, we found that video playback was smoother and didn't require much rebuffering. One of the features that Motorola and Verizon highlighted when giving us a demo of the Droid was its multimedia capabilities, but we think that Google really has to step it up and make more moves, like expanding the video capabilities (for example, the capability to purchase videos from other services), in the near future to make the statement really ring true.

Camera
The 5-megapixel camera takes pictures in three resolutions and boasts a slick user interface. For example, it's now easier to switch to video mode. With previous Android phones, we've complained about the lack of camera editing options. Fortunately, Android fixes that problem by adding four white balance settings, several "scene" modes (night, landscape, sunset, and so on), three image quality choices, an autofocus, a macro setting, and seven color effects. The Droid also has a dual-LED flash.

The Droid's camera lens and flash are on its rear side.

Camcorder settings are fewer, but you can edit the video quality and the length allowed for each clip. You can film for 30 seconds if you're adding the video to a multimedia message, but you can go for up to 30 minutes in normal mode. When finished with your clips and shots, you can store them on the phone or transfer them off using e-mail, a multimedia message, Bluetooth, the memory card, or a USB cable. You even can upload shots directly to Facebook and Picasa with geotags.

The Droid's photos had a pinkish tone.

Photo quality was decent, but not spectacular. Though colors were bright, our images were a tad fuzzy and had a pinkish tone. The flash adds a decent amount of light, but still is a bit dim in completely dark situations. Video quality is actually fairly good--it could handle action better than its Android counterparts and there was little pixelation. Indeed, a closer look at the specs told us why. Not only do videos record at a 720x480 resolution, the Droid films at 24 frames per second (fps) (video playback can go up to 30fps). You can access the media gallery directly from the camera interface. Once there, the normal Android slideshow interface lets you view your work.

Android Market
You can download free and paid apps and games from the Android Market. The Market's interface received a much-needed upgrade with 1.6--we like the white background and the more intuitive search. Android 2.0 doesn't appear to offer any additional changes, which is fine in the short term. On the other hand, the quantity and quality of apps continues to grow every day. For updates and reviews of available Android apps, visit our Android Atlas blog. Of course, you must store apps on the handset's integrated memory, which is limited to 512MB ROM and 256MB RAM. The Droid's memory card slot is only for saving photos, music, and other attachment files. You get a 16GB card in the box, but the slot is compatible with cards up to 32GB.

Basic features
Essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a calculator, and an alarm clock. And though we've said it before, we want Android to offer additional organizer options like a world clock, a notepad, a file manager, and a to-do list. Beyond the basics, you'll have 802.11b Wi-Fi, USB mass storage, Google voice search, Google Talk, instant messaging, visual voice mail, PC syncing, and speaker-independent voice dialing. Stereo Bluetooth is also onboard, but Android 2.0 adds object push and phone book access profiles.

Internal performance
The Droid makes a big leap in internal performance. Compared with its rather sluggish Android predecessors, the Droid is lighting fast when opening applications and menus, scrolling through lists and switching display screens. The integrated 600Mhz processor no doubt helps, but we came away impressed and almost amazed with the Droid's internal performance and its capability to run multiple applications at once.

Call quality and performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO Rev. A) Motorola Droid in San Francisco using Verizon service and call quality was excellent. We enjoyed crisp-sounding audio on our end, with little-to-no background noise, so we had no problems hearing our callers or using an airline's voice-automated response system. The signal was strong and consistent in most locations.

Our friends also had good things to say about call quality, though they could hear a slight echo at the end of sentences when we activated the speakerphone. On our side, we had no problems with the speakerphone; volume was plenty loud, with no disruptions. The Droid has a Hearing Aid Compatibility rating of M3 and T3.

We didn't have any dropped calls during our testing period and had no problems pairing the smartphone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset or the Motorola S9 Active Bluetooth Headphones. Bluetooth headset call quality was satisfactory

Unfortunately, the Droid does not support Bluetooth voice dialing or commands. In order to use the Voice Dialer feature, you first must select the icon from the main menu (you can move on a shortcut to the home screen). After speaking your command, you then must confirm it via a prompt on the touch screen. Though we found the voice dialing feature to be quite accurate--it successfully picked up a command when we were a few feet away--it is not an ideal scenario for people who need to be completely hands-free. We hope this omission is corrected in a future software update.

We admit we're disappointed the Droid doesn't have dual-mode capability for domestic CDMA networks and GSM networks abroad. The Droid is a nice device and we would hate to leave it at home when we left the country. Such capability would also be of great benefit to business users, who are among the Droid's main target market.

The Droid has a rated battery life of 6.4 hours talk time and 11.25 days standby time. We beat the promised talk time in our tests for a total of 7 hours and 35 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the Motorola Droid has a digital SAR rating of 1.49 watts per kilogram.

HTC HD2 - black (T-Mobile)

2010-04-06T20:48:00.000+05:30

It's been a long wait but the HTC HD2 is now officially available from T-Mobile. Much like the unlocked version, which we reviewed in February, the smartphone offers awesome features, such as a luxurious 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and a 5-megapixel camera. But T-Mobile sweetens the deal by preloading the device with a ton of entertainment apps. However, the question is not so much whether the HD2 is awesome (because it is), but whether it's worth getting, now that Windows Phone 7 Series has been announced.

That's always the problem with tech though, isn't it? There's always something newer and better around the corner, but at the same time, by waiting and waiting for the next big thing, sometimes you miss out on some really great devices and that's sort of how we feel about the HD2. (Clearly, some of you feel the same way, as the HD2 sold out in many retail channels and were in short supply at T-Mobile stores on launch day.) Obviously, the size and older Windows Mobile 6.5 will turn off some people, but we think the HD2's power and the fact that it can legitimately double as a multimedia device makes it one of, if not, the best smartphone in T-Mobile's lineup. The T-Mobile HTC HD2 is available for $199.99 with a two-year contract or $449.99 with an Even More Plus Plan, which doesn't require an annual contract.

Design
Whether you have an allegiance to a particular brand or operating system, you have to admit that the HTC HD2's design is pretty impressive. At 4.74 inches tall by 2.64 inches wide and 5.54 ounces, the smartphone demands your attention and we don't deny it's a beast. In fact, we suspect its size will be a turnoff for some; it's not exactly the most pocketable device and it's quite a handful to hold while on a call. That said, we have to give credit where credit is due. For the HD2 to pack in a massive 4.3-inch touch screen and all of its features and remain just 0.43 inch thick is no small feat. In addition, the hardware feels solid with a mix of stainless steel and soft-touch finish.

The HTC HD2 has a luxurious screen but the trade-off is that the phone is large.

Of course, what really makes the HD2 stand apart from the sea of touch-screen smartphones is its display. The HD2's 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen is the largest we've seen on a smartphone to date. Couple the size with the sharp WVGA (480x800 pixels) resolution, and you have one gorgeous mug. It's vibrant, sharp, and readable in various lighting conditions. Photos, videos, Web sites, and messages are all that much easier to see, thanks to the extra real estate. Clearly, T-Mobile saw the benefits of such a display and thus packed the HD2 with a ton of entertainment features that would take full advantage of the screen (more on this later).

The virtual keyboard also benefits from the larger screen; both the portrait and landscape are spacious and quite easy to use. As a person who prefers physical keyboards and has a hard time adjusting to virtual ones, the HD2's roomy layout definitely made for an easier transition and allowed me to type faster compared with other onscreen keyboards. Even better, the T-Mobile HD2 offers Swype as an option.

Swype has quickly become one of our favorite options in terms of onscreen keyboards. It lets you input text by dragging your finger on the keyboard from letter to letter instead of pecking at each key individually. It also automatically enters a space after you complete a word and includes certain tricks, such as circling a key to input a letter twice. We know it sounds a bit crazy, and we were definitely skeptical but we've been pleasantly surprised by Swype's accuracy and efficiency every time we use it. It often takes less time to compose a message with Swype and the mistakes are minimal. It's a little tricky when you're spelling out longer words but overall, we're sold and even if you're not, you have your choice of other keyboard options.

The HD2 offers a traditional onscreen QWERTY keyboard as well as a Swype keyboard.

As you might have guessed from the aforementioned portrait and landscape modes, the display has a built-in accelerometer. It was fairly responsive during our review period, changing the screen orientation within a second or two of rotating the phone. It also has a proximity sensor so the display will be inactive when you're on a phone call to prevent any accidental "mispresses" from your cheek. One other feature of note is the HD2's multitouch support. Yes, you can use the coveted pinch-to-zoom gesture in various apps, including the browser, photos, and e-mail.

On the bottom of the device, you'll find a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Micro-USB port.

Below the screen, there are a handful of quick-access buttons, including Talk and End keys, a Home button, a Start menu shortcut, and a back button. You also get a volume rocker on the left side, and you'll find a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Micro-USB port on the bottom. The camera and flash are on back as one would expect, and the microSD expansion slot is located behind the battery door.

Features
Given the HTC HD2's screen and 1GHz processor, T-Mobile chose to play up the multimedia capabilities of the smartphone over anything else and packed it with extra entertainment apps. To start, the HD2 is the first handset to support Blockbuster's On Demand video download application, which lets you preview and download movies (for rent or to own) on the go. Once purchased, you can watch the video on another other connected device, such as a TV, a Blu-ray player, or a PC, using Blockbuster software.

However, you don't have to look far to experience movies on the smartphone. T-Mobile ships the HD2 with a 16GB memory card preloaded with the "Transformers" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" movies, both of which have been optimized for viewing on the smartphone's display. In addition, you get a complimentary 30-day trial to MobiTV, which provides access to live and on-demand TV from channels such as MTV, NBC, Comedy Central, ESPN, and CBS Sports. There's also a dedicated YouTube app and the standard Windows Media Player that supports WMV, MPEG4, AVI, and 3GP video codecs, as well as MP3, AAC, WAV, and WMA music files, among others.

For a little more intellectual stimulation, the smartphone includes Barnes & Noble's e-reader app with access to more than a million e-books, newspapers, magazines, as well as any content you've downloaded as a previous Barnes & Noble account holder. We downloaded a free copy of "Pride and Prejudice" and the reading experience was decent. The text was big enough to read in portrait mode, and you can swipe your finger across the screen to "turn the page." CNET editor Nicole Lee, who has written about and reviewed e-books apps like the Kindle for iPhone app, said the overall experience felt smoother on the HD2 than on the iPhone and the bigger display definitely made a difference in making the HD2 feel more like a small book.

Extras aside, the HD2 is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera and dual LED flash, autofocus, and editing options. The camera delivered great photo quality but what impressed us the most was the sharpness of images. The lines were incredibly crisp without any trace softness or haziness. For the most part, we were happy with the colors, though they could have been just a tad brighter for indoor shots. Recorded video looked better than on most camera phones with minimal blurriness, even during action shots.

The HD2's 5-megapixel camera took excellent photos.

The one downfall of the HD2 is that it runs Windows Mobile 6.5, an aging and clunky operating system, which is compounded by the fact that Windows Phone 7 Series devices are scheduled to hit store shelves by the holiday season and it's been confirmed that the HD2 won't be upgradeable to Microsoft's new mobile operating system. Clearly, this puts you in a predicament of deciding whether to just wait for WP7 or go with an older OS. Though we can't speak to WP7 just yet (since we haven't seen final product), we'll say that the HTC Sense user experience definitely makes a difference as far as Windows Mobile 6.5 is concerned. It brings various elements to the home screen that make it more customizable and easier to use, and it brings enhancements to other aspects of the phone, which you can read more about in our full review of the unlocked HTC HD2.

The HTC Sense does a lot to make Windows Mobile 6.5 more user-friendly and does a good job of it, but it's not a cure-all. You get all the core apps, such as the Microsoft Office Suite and Exchange support, but you still have to deal with some of the notorious usability issues, such as clunky menus and poor task management. Plus, with Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile 6.5 just seems like a dead end, though Microsoft has said that it will continue to support Windows Mobile 6.5 for years to come, so you won't be left high and dry should you decide to go with the HD2.

Phone features include quad-band world roaming, a speakerphone, speed dial, smart dialing, voice commands, conference calling, and text and multimedia messaging. The HD2 does a nice job of integrating the communication features. On a contact page, you can see all your interactions with that person, whether it be a phone call or text message, as well as any updates they've posted to social networking sites. From an e-mail, you can call the sender or recipient of the message with a single tap of the phone icon provided there is a number associated with that contact, and if there are multiple people in an e-mail thread, you can quickly make a conference call to all using a similar method.

The HD2 also offers Bluetooth, 3G support, and integrated Wi-Fi with a choice of both the Opera Web browser and Internet Explorer Mobile 6. Other extras include TeleNav GPS Navigator for turn-by-turn directions, HTC's Twitter app, Peep, six months free of in-flight Wi-Fi courtesy of Gogo Inflight Internet, Slacker Radio, and Activision's Guitar Hero 5.

Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) HTC HD2 in San Francisco using T-Mobile service and call quality was decent. On our end, there was a bit of background noise--some crackling and muffling--so the audio wasn't pristine, though we could still hear our callers. Our friends were really impressed with the sound quality on their side and said it's one of the better cell phones they've heard in a while. Speakerphone quality was good. There was plenty of volume and minimal voice distortion. We had no problems pairing the smartphone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active headphones.

The HD2 had no issues finding and connecting to our Wi-Fi network, but T-Mobile's 3G coverage was a bit spotty here in San Francisco. About half of the time, the phone could only connect to the carrier's EDGE network, which was frustrating, and there was one occasion where we couldn't get a data connection at all. Once connected, however, we got pretty decent speeds. Using the Opera browser, CNET's full site loaded in 27 seconds; CNN and ESPN's mobile sites loaded in 7 seconds and 8 seconds, respectively. Though we prefer the Opera browser in general, Internet Explorer Mobile 6 has the advantage of offering Flash Lite support, and of course, the large display and multitouch capabilities certainly make Web browsing a pleasant experience on the smartphone.

Of course, the screen also benefits the multimedia experience. The "Transformers" movies looked amazing on the HD2, and MP4 videos also played back beautifully. MobiTV and YouTube clips took a minute or so to buffer but the quality wasn't the best, so we could only watch those in short increments. Music playback sounded rich and balanced through our Bose On-Ear Headphones, though we wish the T-Mobile HD2 had the same enhanced music player found on the unlocked version instead of just the standard Windows Media player. All that said, the HD2 is most definitely a worthy travel companion, whether you need entertaining on a short commute or a long trip.

The HTC HD2 is equipped with the same 1GHz Snapdragon processor as the unlocked version, but we found the T-Mobile model to be slightly more sluggish, perhaps because of the extra apps on the device. We could navigate through the menus with ease and speed, but we noticed a few more delays on this phone when opening apps and such. Generally speaking, however, it's definitely one of the faster Windows Mobile phones we've seen.

The HTC HD2 features a 1230mAh lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 6.33 hours and up to 20 days of standby time. We are still conducting our battery drain tests but will update this section as soon as we have final results. According to FCC radiation tests, the HD2 has a digital SAR rating of 1.09 watts per kilogram.

Nintendo DS to get 3D upgrade

2010-03-27T20:02:00.003+05:30

Nintendo has been upgrading the DS incrementally by making it slimmer and giving it a couple of cameras, but now it is set to launch a completely new handheld that will jump on the 3D bandwagon.

This next DS is definitely coming, but for the moment the media is being forced to speculate as to how it will look, what technology will be inside and even what it will be called. Since Nintendo has never gone in for numbering its console sequels, many expect that it will be called the 3DS, although Nintendo will probably work on something catchier before it is released.

Nintendo plans to make the next DS far more powerful than its predecessor, which is sensible as the current DS is rather less capable than the PSP and completely outclassed by the majority of smartphones, including the iPhone.

You might assume that Nintendo will be forcing its customers to wear those silly dark shades in order to see the 3D effect, but it has confirmed that there will be no need for these as the 3DS will use alternate display technologies.

There are a few techniques for simulating 3D without the need for the polarising glasses, but experts predict that the mainstream market will not see televisions which ditch the specs completely for over five years.

It is believed that the next-gen DS will be on the shelves from March 2011, although Nintendo has not committed to any kind of launch schedule as yet. The 3DS will carry on the backwards-compatibility tradition and let you play original DS titles.

Blu Rays February 2010

2010-03-27T20:00:00.001+05:30

Award season is fast approaching and you can check out some of the winners, nominees and no-shows in the latest slew of high definition releases on Blu Ray.

Stardust: Special Edition
This fantasy-epic was a surprise hit, not only because critics were won over by its charms along with the viewing public. Fairies, magic, fallen stars and Robert De Niro as a flying pirate must surely add up to make fun and entertainment for all the family.

Surrogates
Despite being over 50, Bruce Willis proves that he has still got all of the right moves in this sci-fi thriller. Taking a lead from I, Robot, it finds Willis as a man living in a world where people live their lives through robot surrogates. When it turns out that these surrogates can be used to kill their operators remotely, he is forced to come back into the real world and fight for humanity’s freedom.

The Firm
Nick Love, who directed The Football Factory and Outlaw, is behind the camera once more for this homage to the hooligan. The period setting and the snappy, clever dialogue saves this from becoming too boorish, despite its glorification of mod violence.

Waterworld
Although Waterworld bombed at the box office and signalled Kevin Costner’s fall from grace, it is still an excellent blockbuster movie. So much money was pumped in to make sure that it really felt as if the world had been covered in water after the melting of the polar ice caps that you cannot help but become immersed in the setting and the admittedly silly storyline.

Halloween 2
This is not the original movie, but rather rock star/director Rob Zombie’s second stab at a remake. This time Zombie has been given even more creative power, for better or worse, which means buckets of blood, profanities aplenty and a little bit of nudity thrown in for good measure. Some will love it, whilst others will probably want to leave it alone.

The Invention of Lying
Ricky Gervais is in total control of this film as star, director and writer. What could have been nothing more than a romantic comedy (see Gervais’ Ghost Town) is in fact a deeper examination of faith, humanity and most importantly fame. Although not entirely successful, The Invention of Lying is a braver film than most other Hollywood releases.

Deep Impact
Back in the 90s it appeared that disaster movies about asteroids headed for earth were ten a penny. These days we find the genre with its finger pointed firmly at climate change and as such Deep Impact stands out. The special effects are still good despite its age and the high definition update has breathed new life into every aspect of the film.

Michael Clayton
This is a respected thriller starring George Clooney as a powerful man whose world is falling apart. An involving look at corporate America and the legal system that keeps it ticking over.

Up
Disney’s partnership with Pixar has produced some excellent kids films and Up is perhaps a new high point. It is remarkable in many ways for not shying away from more difficult and adult themes including death and old age, but for the most part it is a beautifully animated adventure that looses little by being reduced to the two dimensions on the home cinema screen.

Ong Bak 2
The original Ong Bak brought star Tony Jaa to the attention of western audiences and also proved that fight choreography could evolve with the times. The sequel is slightly more preposterous and actually unrelated to the plot of the original. However, it is fun and full of high flying martial arts action and over the top set pieces.

Adventureland
This is a fairly mature teen comedy that shies away from the low brow laughs of American Pie in favour of a subtler humour and a deeper plot that looks at the formative moments in a teenager’s life. Moments of poignancy are augmented by frequent laugh out loud moments, making this a very worthwhile film for people of all ages.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Terry Gilliam took Hunter S. Thompson’s chaotic classic from the page and turned it into a macabre and hilarious movie, with Johnny Depp fully committed to playing the role of Thompson’s alter ego on a drug fuelled binge into the heart of the American Dream.

Jennifer’s Body
Written by the Oscar-winning woman behind Juno, Jennifer’s Body is very different to the light coming of age comedy that came before. It is a satirical horror film that features the current toast of tinsel town Megan Fox taking on the titular role as a shape-shifting man eater in small town America. Both violent and funny, Jennifer’s Body is a great cerebral alternative to the average slasher films that emerge all too frequently from the US.

Toshiba unravels world’s first 512GB SSD embedded laptop

2009-05-22T15:49:00.000+05:30

Toshiba Dynabook SS-RX2 is a name we shouldn’t easily forget, for it is the world’s first laptop that comes embedded with a 512GB solid state drive. Imagine what a 512GB SSD would do to your start-up and the pace with which the random access would function. Understandably the price tagging is high at $4,400 but there should no complaining if you can comprehend the advantages of a 512GB SSD. Add the amazing battery time of 12 hours on a charge and a Core 2 Duo Processor to these specs and you are in for a treat. For the ones who are conscious about dimensions, the Toshiba Dynabook SS-RX2 is less than 25mm thick and weighs 2.5 pounds. Sadly, only the Japanese will get a chance to lay their hands on the first 512GB embedded laptop, which makes me envious to the core.

Introducing the world’s smallest PC, the fit-PC2

2009-05-22T15:46:00.000+05:30

We’ve come a long way into miniaturization, and pushing the scenario into much tinier slot, is the lately debuted fit-PC2, which the maker’s CompuLab tout as the smallest PC in the world. Giving up on the size with it fanless structure, made in all-aluminum case the fit-PC2 is ultra-efficient, consuming as little as 8W under load.

Measuring 4-inch x 4.5-inch x 1.05-inch in totality, the system features a Intel Atom Z530 1.6GHz or Z510 1.1GHz processor, Intel GMA500 graphics, 1GB RAM, a 2.5″ SATA HDD, a miniSD card slot, WiFi, 6 USB 2.0 ports. Full HD resolution with HDMI output, 1080p H.264 decoding, the fit-PC2 retails from $245 to $396 depending on the configuration.

Nokia 2730 classic, cheapest 3G cellphone coming in Q3

2009-05-22T15:44:00.000+05:30

World’s most coveted handset maker Nokia again makes a revelation, introducing three new phone models the Nokia 2730 classic, Nokia 7020 and Nokia 2720 fold. The flagship model Nokia 2730 classic is the cheapest 3G phone available, which’ll sell at about $107, without taxes, when it is made available in the third quarter of the year. Besides the 3G capability, the Nokia 2730 classic is ‘Internet-ready’ featuring Ovi Mail and Nokia Life Tools, 2-inch QVGA screen, a 3.5mm headset jack. Adorning a candybar design, the 2730 classic makes provision for extendable memory. The Nokia 7020 and Nokia 2720 fold will sell for $120 and $74 respectively, while the 2720 fold will be made available with the 2730 classic, the 7020 will hit the market sometime in the fourth quarter.

Panasonic develops world’s lightest full HD camcorders

2009-05-22T15:43:00.000+05:30

In pursuit of doing another best, Panasonic has delivered the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 camcorders, which owing to less than 230g weight have been touted as the lightest camcorders with full high-definition capabilities. With recording brilliance of 1080p video in AVCHD format, the palm-sized camcorders with 2.7-inch touchscreen LCD also feature an advanced Optical Image Stabilizer technology. Along with 16x optical zoom and recording to SD/SDHC cards, the camcorders also embed the latest functions in face detection, iA with AF tracking and Intelligent Contrast Control. Set for a UK release in June, the only difference in the two lies in the Panasonic HDC-TM10, which also comes with 8GB of built-in storage capacity.

LG rolls out world’s first TV with eyestrain-minimizing tact

2009-04-21T15:54:00.000+05:30

Eyestrain’s a common symptom with all us bloggers and social networking freaks. After those long days over the computer, it is still difficult to keep yourself away from the luring serials on TV, and thus leaving the eyes to only plead mercy. LG with a rescue venture for the eyes has rolled out the world’s first eyestrain-minimizing monitor.

Dubbed LG W53, the monitor with 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution, embeds an automatic brightness adjust technology, which alters itself according to the content on screen and room light. The TV series also features a timer, which sets your viewing into intermission after a set time frame, and a motion sensitive bezel that glows the buttons when the hand approaches towards it.

Zune HD nears reality, more info and specs revealed

2009-04-21T15:52:00.000+05:30

Microsoft seems to have got another stride closer to replicating the iPod Touch in its own way, with more images and info on the Zune HD. Last week when the initial photos of the Zune HD leaked, we quoted it as a rumor. And now from Neowin comes additional information and pictures to authenticate the hearsay. Creased in lovely metallic gray, with glass finish in the front for multi-touch, to allow users of the Microsoft backed Music Player to navigate between applications using novel technology at its best.

Major detailed specs include:

• 3.6 inchish OLED full touch screen
• Wireless connectivity
• NVIDIA Tegra powered
• HDMI output to connect the player directly to HDTV
• Buttonless interface
• Zune player software
• HD Video and Radio
• Multi-touch Web Browsing
• AV, car and charge packs included

Slated to ship sometime late this year, the Zune HD could be made available in 4, 8, 16 and 32GB models while camera inclusion is unconfirmed still. The company maybe silent on what price they’ll fetch in a Zune HD, the fidgety predictor in me says iPod could see a cheaper competitor.

Precise timekeeping: Atomic clock that remains correct for over 200 million years

2009-04-21T15:51:00.000+05:30

Time - the only thing that’s same with everybody but different for everybody; has been a big master for all. The only way humans have tamed it, has been on the time piece. Taking that human diligence of master-hood to a redefined timeline, physicists from the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics have created an atomic clock that’s accuracy personified. The newly developed atomic clock is so accurate that it’ll never gain nor lose a second for over 200 million years – enough time to be accurate in course of human existence, I guess.

The ploy behind keeping the clock in precision, as explained by designer Jun Ye, is to speed up the ticks of the clock (evident from 430 trillion ticks’ per second that the clock generates). This speed is produced with a ‘pendulum effect’ of atoms, consisting of a nucleus and electrons, held consistent by laser beams. The laser light falling on the electrons aid them to swing back and forth with exactness and rapidity, thus making a pendulum effect for the clock.

Impressive watch that displays time on the skin!

2009-04-21T15:50:00.000+05:30

Tao Ma has never failed in impressing us with his designs, and here we have watch from his collection. The Vain watch as he names it isn’t as accurately correct as the atomic clock, but with the aesthetics in design and the technological brilliance employed, it is a tangible illustration of a vivid style statement. Designed to show time on the skin, Vain Wrist Watch unlike the other watches presents time on the wrist itself, sans any tangible surface. The watch also reflects time with changing colors in different levels of brightness, and for the Chinese speaking lads, it has an option to show time in the native language.

Thankyou Tao Ma for the stunning watch design.

Interactive clipboard that’s Tablet PC and touchscreen camera-phone attached

2009-04-21T15:49:00.003+05:30

Multi-utility gadgets have a life of their own. Therefore, this unit which combines a tablet PC with a handheld communication equipment is in a genre of its own – enough to lure the geek in us however. If you guessed this for just another run of the mill gadget, take a breather. This interactive clipboard is a dual unit system comprising of a Tablet PC, a digital pen based clipboard, and a wireless communication device, which again is a combination of a Dictaphone and camera system.

Modern values blend in functions

The tablet PC uses a stylus for both navigation and input, while the detachable communication device adds for digital data transfer to the main unit. The clip-on device is also foldable and apart from a camera houses a touchscreen organizer on one side and a high-end video phone on the other. So, the easily portable add-on device accompanies you wherever you go, attend a meeting, or have a conference to conduct, the device is by you side and recording and capturing both audio and video.

Army designs radio communication system with GPS and e-maps

2009-04-21T15:49:00.002+05:30

Real bad things can happen on the battle field if communication breaks down. In an attempt to seamlessly connect every rifleman to the combat network, Joint Program Executive Office - Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JPEO-JTRS) is developing the Rifleman Radio. This low-cost, lightweight, rugged, handheld device integrates a hands-free headset and a GPS locator, which helps unit leaders locate the positions of their soldiers on an e-map.

With the Rifleman Radio, every soldier on the network is in communication with the others. Moreover, it also offers support or fast transmission of data, including maps and photos. The whole system is self-networked and will expand and contract, depending on the radios being added or subtracted from the net.

French intend to develop 90 meters long anti-piracy ship

2009-04-21T15:48:00.003+05:30

The French Navy Ship Design Bureau has announced the development of a new ship design to combat piracy. The new 90m long vessel will be equipped with the most advanced maritime surveillance system including comprehensive military and civilian facilities. The ship can not only combat with even the most dangerous pirates, but can also be used for additional tasks such as rescue of hostages.

The bureau stated that pirates including the ones in Somalia use motorboats, which are much faster and agile than the vessels currently used to track them. However, this new ship addresses the speed factor and can quickly close in on the pirate ship and destroy it, thereby saving shipping companies and nations millions of dollars and hundreds of lives.

Conversion Hub redefines a salesperson making him ‘virtual’

2009-04-21T15:48:00.001+05:30

Salesperson has been a virtual term in most cases than not, but just keeping him virtual by taking away the life factor sounds a tad interesting. Conversion Hub, Singapore, has succeeded in developing the world’s first live salesperson. Hailed as the most comprehensive online marketing firm in the country, Conversion Hub developed Salesperson is not just startling for its baffling virtual existence, it even assists a visitor in more than one aspect.

From greeting them to joint form filling or be it traffic analyzing, this virtual salesperson is there to help under all circumstances. The company believes that this efficient salesperson can assist in getting improved conversion rates for a marketing firm. This virtual salesperson can do a world of good for blog networks who otherwise fail to have a definite strategy when it comes to marketing their product smartly.

Loki homemade robot for your daily chores

2009-04-21T15:40:00.000+05:30

Robot design enthusiasts can bring into use the last possible doodad they have lying in their backpack and then when they get on with it, even a crazy name appeals sensible to them. Loki for instance in this case is the name of a DIY robot inspired by the Norse God of mischief. We are yet to figure out the notoriety of this Bot but, what we can reveal is the fact that it uses a laptop as a brain and as a display screen on its chest.

The body adores aluminum to take its form along with webcams that enable the stereo vision. The crank as they say is a PIC processor mounted atop a Mark III board using a USB serial converter. The intention as the name suggests is to create a witty robot and the designer has a fully fledged hardware design readied for the others to follow. Video and more images after the jump.

Dell Adamo, the world’s thinnest laptop unveiled

2009-03-19T16:23:00.001+05:30

Rumors have to die down some day, satiating the anticipating eyes of the hungry geeks. Portable computing today demands that which is lightweight, high on quality and elegant on looks – living to potential, Dell’s Adamo is a smart and powerful machine that’s sleek and inviting. As news has it, Dell’s long awaited notebook Adamo is out, and the frenzy are all drooling. Dell added high credentials to the window flair, when it actually made the Adamo official at the CES, and today it is out to give Apple’s MacBook a run for its money.

Adoring an edge-to-edge glass display, the 0.65-inch four pound Adamo is powered by a 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, has 2GB RAM, 128GB solid state drive. The ultimate pinnacle of craftsmanship, touted by the manufacturer as the thinnest laptop in the world, the Dell Adamo has a chassis made in single piece aluminum.

E-Pod, an iPod dock with speaker, projector and alarm clock

2009-03-19T16:21:00.000+05:30

Are you one of those iPod users who prefer enjoying music with a touch of difference, but have to connect all sorts of gadgetry to get the best unified system together for it? Take a break, away from those regular docks for the iPods and iPhones. Designer Eun Seok Huh has combined a speaker, movie projector and an alarm clock to formulate the E-Pod – a small little dock with great usability. Quite an idea, the E-Pod has that which would make the iPods and iPhones deliver out of their skins, would have been bigger though if we could know something on the speaker or what can be expected in the projection department.

Nurian X40Kris: an ultra-thin electronic dictionary

2009-03-14T23:44:00.002+05:30

Electronic dictionaries are becoming avidly popular; following the digital mania, Nurian has introduced the all new electronic dictionary, the X40Kris. Featuring a 4.3-inch LCD display, the ultra-thin dictionary only measures 21.3mm. Stuffed large with 4GB of internal memory, the X40Kris with a full QWERTY keyboard supports XviD, Flash, MP3 and PDF files. Also used as a premature gaming console, the electronic dictionary can be used to play pre-loaded games and can also be used as an e-book reader. Given the specs, how worthy this $253 is is totally your guess.

First Hi-Def digital photo frames from AgfaPhoto

2009-03-14T23:41:00.000+05:30

Are you game with everything going hi-def; if not then move on right away, else stick on. Delivered for all us HD buffs is the first HD digital photo frame from AgfaPhoto. Featuring a 13-inch HD display, the 2.2cm thick digital photo frame is apt in playing still images and videos, you still questioning the quality? Along with the 13-incher the makers have also revealed a 10-inch frame, this too flaunting all multimedia aspects of the former.

Storage maybe an aspect to suspect, with the frame housing only 256MB internal memory, but memory enhancement could help the 13-inch HD frame keep up with its competitors. The memory card could help get movies, music and images to the frame, quite evidently forming an initial doorstep to see HDTVs out of the fray. To be made accessible with interchangeable color frames, calendar and an alarm clock, did it miss the Wi-Fi somewhere? There isn’t a word on when and for how much we could lay our hands on these revolutionary digital photo frames, to say.

Inventec all set to get mirasol screen; LG seconds the move

2009-03-05T12:30:00.000+05:30

Qualcomm is newsy at this year’s Mobile World Congress as it intends to boost the Inventec V112 Windows smartphone with its ingenious mirasol screen, an IMOD (Interferometric MODulation) display with MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) structures. Mind you, mirasol screens are convincingly better than the LCD displays as far as the image quality is concerned. Also, it ensures blur-free video playback and doesn’t require power to display a static image. So, the idea is to cut on power-consumption by redirecting display content from the primary display to the low-power mirasol screen.

It will definitely add a new element to the features-rich V112 smartphone, already touting GPS, MP3, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3MP camera and messaging support. Taking a cue from Inventec’s initiative, LG also proposes to develop mirasol-based handsets soon.

Panasonic's 103-inch plasma morphs into air hockey table

2009-03-05T12:29:00.000+05:30

Panasonic enjoys a comfy status owing to its astute grip over the plasma market. No worries, whatsoever! So, sensing the need to do something different with 103-inch PDP, Panasonic along with UI centric not only fashioned a splendid, multi-itouch air hockey table, but demoed a live gaming session too. A great exhibition of the cutting-edge arcade application, indeed! All this was done at ISE 2009 in Amsterdam and it managed to gather a decent audience. Now, it makes me think that virtual gaming is expanding and to see it animated on a 103-inch blue turf is so very comforting an experience!

gScreen G400, a truly rugged dual screen notebook

2009-03-05T12:26:00.002+05:30

Lenovo acquainted us with the first dual screen laptop with slide out screen - the Thinkpad W700ds, and now the gScreen G400 has gone in for the dual lure. Built on a special specs appeal by the US Navy, the rugged notebook has two separate and identical 15.4 inch LED backlit displays, and features an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz or 2.26 GHz processor. To go on sale from February 25th through gScreen’s store on Amazon, the notebook stuffs quick NVIDIA GeForce or NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards supported with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 500GB of storage. Backed by 6 cell or 8 cell battery, we have no real word on what price this rugged beauty would retail for.

Dell offers the Wasabi PZ310, an ultra-mobile printer

2009-03-05T12:26:00.001+05:30

Having bagged accolades in all pre-performed ventures, Dell with the introduction of the Wasabi PZ310, has taken a leap into the production of portable printers. Doing away with the ink cartridges, the Wasabi PZ310 ultra-mobile printer uses ZINK Imaging’s Zink printing technology to print. Compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled devices, the printer allows the user to connect and print anywhere, anytime with utmost ease.

Using a specially made paper to print with the embedded Zink printing technology, the innovative Wasabi PZ310 prints all those digital images from your handheld in 2×3 inch prints in just under a minute. Available in three color variants, the black, blue and pink the 4.8 x 2.8 x 0.9 inches device that weighs a mere 7oz would sell at $99 as promotion and at $149 later.

IBM files patent for bionic body armor

2009-03-05T12:25:00.000+05:30

IBM has just filed a patent for bionic body armor. Will it, in fact, protect the wearer against bullets? No doubt, we appreciated when Neo dodged shotgun shells in The Matrix, but to do it, more often than not, may be a far-fetched dream. Got to think seriously about it! After scanning the area for incoming projectiles, the activated muscle simulators would move the person out of harm’s way. Now, how effective is the principle it would work on? Not always, necessarily, you get a reaction-time. So, taking an evasive action against an approaching bullet…is it possible?

Canova dual screen laptop inches closer to production

2009-03-05T12:08:00.000+05:30

The cool dual screen laptop concept from V12 designs may actually reach production soon. The hope comes from the fact that Estari and V12 Design have teamed to make this concept see the light of day. Estari has previously created a dual screen laptop, and its experience may come in handy. If they really are successful in creating a product that looks as good as the concept, it could very well be a revolution.

Discovery 640E Bluetooth headset connects with many audio devices at once

2009-03-05T12:07:00.001+05:30

Bluetooth headsets are a common site, therefore only the ones with a difference survive in the competitive battle. Bragging on the embedded multipoint technology, we have Plantronics deliver Discovery 640E Bluetooth headset. The technology here actually puts the 640E in the pioneering spree, assisting the headset to connect with different Bluetooth equipped audio devices simultaneously, so nerds like me with two phones can definitely have a single headset do double duty.

Weighing in at only 9 grams the headset can be worn for longer periods, more so, given the 15 hours of talk time that Discovery 640E offers. Accompanied by a pen-sized charger with AAA battery, the light-weight and easy to carry headset supports last number redial and voice-activated dialing.

ASUS N81Vg: world’s first notebook with NVIDIA GeForce GT 120M graphics processor

2009-03-05T12:06:00.001+05:30

The ASUS N81Vg, owing to its pioneering graphics technology, is another delivered novelty amid today’s notebooks. The first ever to be stuffed with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120M GPU featuring the NVIDIO CUDA Technology and 32 processor cores, the notebook is available with either of the Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad processors. Housing a 14-inch LED backlit display, playing videos at 1080p HD and a hard drive ranging from 160 to 500GB - this notebook with about 4 odd hours of battery backup and an optional Blu-ray player has already got the gamer in me lured for it.

SMELLIT lets you enjoy the smell of what’s cooking on TV

2009-03-05T11:42:00.000+05:30

Redefining the home theater experience with a sense of smell is the SMELLIT concept. Based on the idea of a DVD player, it attaches well with your home theater, and gives you the aroma of what’s cooking on the TV screen; in a literal sense, trust me there. The “smell CARD” of the SMELLIT decodes all the smelly information and gets your head turning every time a new dish appears. The device by Nuno Teixeira works like the inkjet printer, though in contrast, it houses 118 cartridges for purification instead of the ink cartridges. The SMELLIT releases the fragrance of the picture on the screen as concentrated “smell gel” that’s evenly distributed by a central fan. So, next time a chef’s cooking a meal on TV, you know how it smells if not how it tastes.

NU Dolphin TOUCH waterproof MP3 player with curved touchpad

2009-03-05T11:40:00.001+05:30

Carrying music to the shower or into the pool has just become routine. Adding itself to the thick of things is the NU Dolphin TOUCH, with absolute waterproof credentials and a curved touchpad. Now you can enjoy the depth of the waters, and the surfs over the waves, with the NU Dolphin TOUCH MP3 player, which comes with a guaranteed waterproof quality level certification by the International IPX7 water resistant standard. Stuffed with 4GB of internal flash memory, the NU Dolphin TOUCH comes with an FM tuner, waterproof earphones, USB cable, fastening bands and armband.

Dashboards of the future display info in 3D

2009-03-05T11:39:00.000+05:30

With cars going through makeovers and transitions in both exteriors and interiors, the dashboard’s only seen slight variations in carvings and style on the road to modernization. Now researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institute in Berlin have developed a new car dashboard that’ll function as a 3D display showing velocity, engine speed or warnings in three dimensions, that’s what’s modernization in actuality.

Offering a whole range of useful functionality, the 3D dashboard display has user-selectable features, whereby drivers can individually pick their own type. Permitting the user to choose the way he needs the information to be displayed, allowing him to save the preferences, the display with modular design shows only information most important, like low-fuel warning, tire pressure etc., to the driver when it is required.

Pugmo: World’s first pedaled scooter

2009-03-05T11:36:00.002+05:30

The world’s first pedaled scooter has been given a get-up and go by the medical fraternity. Called the Pumgo Scooter, this human-powered vehicle has two stair climber like pedals that drive it forward. Experts believe that pedaling on the Pumgo is a symmetrical exercise that gives all the benefits of a healthy workout. Pegged as “Fit for Fun,” this half bicycle and half skateboard medium doles out a one in all experience for all those who seek fun and play hand in hand. The Pumgo hits the road once it is introduced at the New York International Toy Fair on February 15-18. Catch the video after the break.

iDrive: the thinnest and lightest 2.5-inch portable USB drive

2009-03-05T11:36:00.001+05:30

When it comes to portable storage we have ample options on hand, but with the introduction of the iDrive we can expect that wee bit extra. An amalgamation of both hard drive and online backup, the iDrive is by far the thinnest and lightest 2.5-inch portable USB drive, measuring only 10mm yet affirming 320GB of storage space. Weighing only 0.3 pounds, the 5400RPM hard drive is Windows compatible and USB powered. The portable iDrive features web-based and automatic backup, so no worries of losing data when you have the $120 drive, but the backup features cost an additional $4.95 a month.

Custom made Eee PC is lighter with touchscreen

2009-03-05T11:34:00.002+05:30

Yet another game played with the Eee PC. Modded into a folding look like the Origami R2H, from which the modder draws inspiration, this custom made Eee PC does away with the buttons and adds a touchscreen to it. Accompanied with a stylus, the Japanese modder successfully dismembered the old Eee PC, giving it a creative fold and trimming it about two pounds lighter to 1.68 pounds. ASUS would definitely take a leaf from the modders’ creations, and therefore we have our fingers crossed to see this device hit production once the already showcased products are marketed by ASUS, but when? Relax, let ASUS figure that out, and for the while you check these eye luring images after the jump.

Yellow Motorcycle to be a superfast robot controlled vehicle

2009-03-05T11:34:00.001+05:30

The Yellow Motorcycle from Igarashi design is a concept controlled by high performance motorcycle robots. Powered by an electric motor, the concept is controlled by swinging the boom through hydraulic actuators. The robot bike will supposedly be a superfast machine, with speeds beating those at MotoGP. Since it’s batteries would be drained out rather quickly with all the high speed and robotic controls required, it probably won’t have a very long range. But all that can change with time, and we’re guessing that’s how Skynet gets this badass bike.

Panasonic Toughbook 52 with touchscreen and anti-glare upgrade

2009-03-05T11:32:00.000+05:30

Stuff it with the best peripherals, yet without touchscreen gadgetry now it is just an object of gag. Moving away from the laughing packs, Panasonic has made an update to the Toughbook 52. The semi-rugged notebook now comes with an optional 13.3-inch XGA touchscreen along with an integrated stylus. Capable of 1,000 nits on the anti-glare (AG) and anti-reflective (AR) screen, with four brightness levels and an red LED adjustable dual overhead keyboard light, the Panasonic Toughbook 52 fits well in the genre of the touchscreen notebooks, which have become the need of the nerds.

Offering long battery life, better connectivity and substantially finer portability and functionality, is also perfect for the mobile workers who have to work in bright sunlight, where screen viewing is difficult. Coming for a starting price of $1,699, and $2,549 for the touchscreen option, the improvised Toughbook 52 also has improved security features courtesy the Intel Centrino 2 vPro technology.

iPhone 4G concept is beyond what we’ve dreamt of?

2009-03-05T11:28:00.001+05:30

There is no stopping the iPhone cult, perhaps the biggest ever in handsets or even electronics for an extension. After the iPhone 3G, it’s coming of the iPhone 4G, which if is anything like what’s revealed as a concept image, could be a revelation we haven’t even guessed in the wildest of our fantasy. The concept is delivered in a titanium and glass finish, backed by an OLED screen, with 3G and GPS. Compromising on the camera still (only 3.2MP), the iPhone 4G concept could have a camera on the front for iChat and house a removable battery and 32GB capacity – is it an iPhone in the making or a MacBook? It’s got Jesus Diaz thinking too, perhaps a reason he puts it as a MacBook in a Phone.

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2009-02-23T15:51:00.000+05:30

LEDs combine with LCD for the SIM2 Solar Series

2009-02-17T15:13:00.000+05:30

SIM2 Media and Dolby Laboratories have come together to create the Solar Series. The major technology behind the series is the Dolby Vision that works for local dimming. The LCD displays on the Solar Series Televisions will be backed by a grid of 2,026 LEDs, each addressable individually. Display brightness on the screens can be controlled by manipulating the brightness of these LEDs, to the point of switching them off.

These 47-inch displays will be capable of handling 16-bit high dynamic range (HDR) signals, and display 65,536 shades per colors. Since the LEDs can be switched off completely for the dark areas, the contrast ratio can theoretically be infinite, practically it will be above 1000000:1. Given the resolution of the screens at 1920×1080 full HD, that’s going to be some great display.

Dual-core and quad-core iMacs, are you and Apple game?

2009-02-09T11:20:00.001+05:30

A new iMac release is around the corner. While Apple’s keeping us on the tenterhook all the while, there comes a new revelation that actually gives us an insight of what could be expected from Apple in the near future, if not just recently. Making no distinction between the dual-core or quad-core processors, Apple may have decided to use both processors in its future iMacs. If analyst Shaw Wu of Kaufman Brothers is believed then, this piece of information comes as a novel gesture originating a thought of Apple employing the quad-core processor for the first time in its line of consumer oriented desktops. Making way in two variants with dual-core and quad-core processor chips, 20-inch and 24-inch iMacs could further be sub-divided into two different configurations.

Extraordinary Timex Expedition WS4 is more than a watch

2009-02-09T11:19:00.000+05:30

Timex Expedition WS4 is extremely beyond the symmetric wristwatches that we have seen watchmaker deliver over period. Though, the Expedition WS4 is equally like all other Timex sport watches, but it distinguishes for the fact that it does more than the others we’ve seen. Besides the normal feature of telling time, the watch also features an altimeter, barometer, thermometer, chronograph, alarm and compass. Lit completely by Indiglo, the WS4 comes in rubber strap, which can be mounted to a fabric strap, is water resistant up to 50 meters and will be available in May for $200.

IBM’s new supercomputer to be superpowerful

2009-02-09T11:18:00.001+05:30

IBM has announced plans for a new supercomputer, which according to the company will be a powerhouse doing calculations at the unbelievably fast rate of 20 petaflops per second. And, the machine will be more powerful enough to (virtually) punch 2 million laptops straight in the face with its prowess.

Sequoia, as the new supercomputer is called, will be much faster than its predecessor, the Roadrunner (pictured), which went past the magnitude of petaflop calculations per second. Being built together with a less powerful supercomputer Dawn, the Sequoia will be primarily used for simulating nuclear tests, though it may be put to other uses like weather forecasting as well. The massive machine will take up an area of 3,422 square-feet.

New compact external storage SSDs from Transcend

2009-02-09T11:18:00.000+05:30

For crazy gigs we’ve always relied on the external hard drives, each manufacturer has tried to lure the consumers with the best possible offering from its backyard. Extending the same consumer oriented approach to another stride; Transcend would on Monday introduce us with a compact external storage device based on 1.8-inch Solid State Drives (SSDs), the SSD18M. Featuring both eSATA and USB2.0 interface options, for portability and otherwise alike, the SSD18M also boast a glossy finish with of up to 90Mbps of reading and 50Mbps writing speeds. Measuring 3.1 x 1.2 x .5 inches and weighing only 1.8 ounces, it would be available in 32GB ($99), 64GB ($169), and 128GB capacities.

Nikon announces a bunch of cameras to capture the spring

2009-02-09T11:17:00.000+05:30

Spring is, arguably the best time to take a camera and go “shooting.” Nikon will, probably be right on time with its collection of eight new COOLPIX Digicams. The new cameras are sprinkled across the range with the S-series getting four new members, three members for the L-series, and one new addition to the P-series.

The P90 is the costliest of the bunch, carrying a price tag of $399.95. For shelling that many bucks, you get 24x optical zoom, vari-angle LCD and 12.1 megapixels. The other end of the spectrum has the L19, priced at $109.95. This one operates on 2AA batteries and offers 8 megapixels, a 2.7-inch LCD, and 3.6x zoom.

Tobii communication device for disabled, turns text-to-speech

2009-02-09T11:14:00.001+05:30

We need communication devices that allow people with disabilities in communication to communicate more efficiently. Trying to make that difference is Tobii ATI introducing two communication devices especially designed for individuals with communication disabilities. Tobii C8 and Tobii C12, as the newly introduced devices are called, are tablet PC-type modularly designed dynamic devices that’ll turn text and symbol messages into speech.

Tobii C8, controlled by a switch, mouse or a keyboard, is an 8-inch touchscreen display with infrared remote control functionality for TV. While the Tobii C12 is a eye controlled 12-inch display, which is enabled by Tobii CEYE, allowing the user to control the mouse with eye movement and blinking, making the device useful for those who cannot use regular keyboards.

Asus patent: portable electronic device with slide up display

2009-02-09T11:14:00.000+05:30

The netbook market is vaguely flooded with endless creations lately. And ASUS, the initiator of the revolution, still sticks its neck out as the best. Living on its well-created image, Asus intends to better its current offerings, having applied for a patent for a portable electronic device, which features a full touchscreen display, and has a slider screen, displaying the keyboard hidden beneath when it’s propped out in an angular shape. This turns the entire device into a regular notebook type, but when packed back it’s nothing more than an attractive MID.

Asus could definitely have a device that’s based on the patent in the coming future, but are we ready for product like this, or will we fashion the non-transforming gadgetry still?

Acer Ferrari 1200 notebook displaying perfect alliance

2009-02-09T11:13:00.000+05:30

Combining the automobile world with high-tech computing yet again, Acer has revealed another notebook in collaboration with the supercar manufacturer Ferrari. Dubbed the Acer Ferrari 1200, the notebook is adorned in carbon fiber and has an efficient AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-core mobile processor resting within. With LED-backlit display, anodized-metal touchpad and webcam and Bluetooth-enabled VoIP, the 12.1-inch ultraportable has 4GB of DDR2 RAM with a large capacity SATA hard drive.

There is no word on the price of this beautiful collaborated creation, but courtesy the embedded fingerprint scanner entailing biometric security, the Acer Ferrari 1200 will be a highly-secured notebook when it is revealed later this year.

Xantech XIS100, first iPod dock for high-res TVs

2009-02-09T11:12:00.003+05:30

Every day there is a new docking station that’s revealed for the iPod. Few are uniquely crafted, while most just feature the ordinary, every time leaving scope for the introduction of that little innovation. Xantech’s stylish XIS100 iPod docking station fills the void in the high-res videos, given its innovative features, making it a perfect match to the modern high-end A/V systems.

The first dock station designed for high-resolution televisions, the XIS100 features industry-best component video output capability that allows the 480P video output iPods display their video in full native resolution on plasmas, LCDs or other compatible TV screens.

Rubik’s 360 is another frustrating challenge for all brains

2009-02-09T11:12:00.002+05:30

If you’re a master at solving the Rubik’s cube, then with the introduction of the Rubik’s 360, here’s a bar raised for your wit testing. Else, if you already spent 26 years figuring which way the same color would feature on the cube, then this new cube is nothing but trouble addition to keep you guessing for another 26. Gearing for an official unveiling at a toy industry fair in Germany on February 5, Professor Erno Rubik invented Rubik’s 360, guarantees to be a demanding and frustrating challenge for all, with six balls trapped inside the three transparent plastic spheres. Rubik’s 360 is more like a puzzle requiring the player to get the colored balls from the inner sphere in a matching solution on the outer sphere by shaking the sphere in the middle, that consists of only two openings.

GigaPan Epic, time giga-pixel images take center stage

2009-02-09T11:12:00.001+05:30

We were caught bewildered when an amazing 1,474 megapixel image from newly sworn-in President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech was made public. And even more alarming was the fact that the 220 images later put together were taken by David Bergman with a modest Canon G10 and a GigaPan Imager. To satiate the res hunger, the company GigaPan has announced Epic, with almost any point-and-shoot digital camera for commercial sale. Epic the small robotic mount automates the picture clicking process and is now available for $379. The Epic from GigaPan integrates well with the GigaPan Stitcher software, producing amazing giga-pixel panoramas.

Sony Mofiria: finger vein authentication technology for security and identification

2009-02-09T11:10:00.000+05:30

It was Hitachi in Japan that first introduced the high accuracy and foolproof finger vein authentication technology, and now the novel vein biometric system has traveled across to the European realms, and it’s time for the world to witness Sony’s revealed finger vein authentication system, dubbed Mofiria. Mofiria uses CMOS sensor to capture scattered light inside the finger veins, which is then read in order to proceed with the authentication procedure.

The finger vein ID includes biometric technology that offers quick and highly accurate identification, being perfect and highly sound for personal information and security, the technology offered in compact size can easily be mounted in mobile devices, identification and gateway security systems etc. Being the most secure biometric system, the Mofiria uses a unique algorithm for fast data processing and also supports an automatic finger position correction technology.

Leyio Personal Sharing Device adds fingerprint scanner

2009-02-01T21:13:00.001+05:30

The best possible feature that all personal communication devices can offer is security. When a gadget renders security on data sharing functionality it gets highly impeccable. They call it the PSD and it is a Personal Sharing Device from Leyio that boasts of a fingerprint scanner for added security on a 16GB flash drive. The PSD uses ultra-wideband radio technology to help the device run at low levels of energy, yet it is capable of transferring data at a relatively fast 10MB per second rate, and can be synced with a PC. Scheduled for a release in spring, the Leyio PSD is perfect for sharing all types of data @... even we are still guessing.

Virtual Pong-playing robot is brilliant for the real world

2009-02-01T21:12:00.001+05:30

Physical and virtual worlds are coming close faster than ever before. Everything has doubled in pace, and when no individual has time for the other, we need robots and machines to spend time with. Therefore, this virtual Pong-playing robot is a real thing to be with. Embedded with a webcam for eyes, the bot has solenoid fingers for typing, and a laptop installed for the brain. The bot here will be a better opponent than the computer itself, because you’ll never lose to this guy, blind him when he’s winning or remove his arm from the keyboards, and thus you could also keep your superior integrity intact. Hit the jump to see the bot in action against the maker.

miha bodytec: Revolutionary system for a personal trainer

2009-02-01T21:11:00.001+05:30

Revolutionary minds have created things-a-many to kill obesity, which is the biggest jeopardy many have dragged themselves into. Further still, survival of the fittest is a fact, adding reason for the market to be flooded with all sorts of personal physical training machines. Also an addition to which is this attractively created miha bodytec. A laptop-sized portable personal trainer combining innovative technology, it guarantees the best results and comfort. For added comfort, style and grip, the miha bodytec features an eye-luring design and has an easy-to-wear vest to grip you well with the trainer. Easy function controls with the console, all you have to do is to plug and play the miha bodytec, and then set the trainer in motion.

Pandora’s open-source handheld console has us waiting still

2009-02-01T21:10:00.001+05:30

It’s not finally here, yet miners at Ars Technica have managed to sneak into what’s actually cooking in the Pandora’s Box. Reporting therefore, the year 2009 as the year that sees the coming of an ultimate open-source gaming console, what’ll set the market leaders Play Station Portable and Nintendo DS into a competitive run for the money.

How far in actuality will the open-source console manage to market its value is far beyond comprehension yet, for a lot needs to be done before the unit is worth hitting the stores. Stuffed with an ARM Cortex-A8 600Mhz+ CPU running Linux, the handheld is a full keyboard with dual analog stick layout on a 4.3-inch touchscreen LCD.

Samsung develops world's Highest Density DRAM Chip

2009-02-01T21:09:00.000+05:30

DRAM chips have yet to find a niche for themselves in the market, but the fact hasn’t really played on the minds of the market players, and has perturbed them least. Samsung standing upright to back our claims, having announced the world’s highest density, 4Gb DDR3 chip, to deliver industry leading high density DRAM chip, and keep the world thinking again.

Using just 50 nanometer process technology, the 4Gb DDR3 DRAM chip runs at 1.6Gbps and is highly efficient consuming 40% less power, gulping only 1.35 volts to operate, in contrast to 1.5 volts consumed by the other DRAM chips. The 4Gb can be used in servers, desktop PCs, workstations and notebooks, given that it can be produced in chips in 16GB RDIMM, 8GB UDIMM and SODIMM modules.

GoPro Hero: vehicle-mounted camera for precise moving photography

2009-02-01T21:08:00.001+05:30

Clicking on the move in itself is difficult, and no appropriately matching cameras to complement in producing a good image only help in further deteriorating the quality. The GoPro Hero Motorsports Wide is, however, an addition in cameras that visions to minimize the flaws in mobile photography. It is a vehicle-mounted camera that lets you record video and take still photographs of a vehicle in motion in real time. Featuring a large suction cup, the GoPro Hero is shockproof and water resistant but consumes a set of AAA batteries in an hour. Good on looks and design, the camera with 5 megapixels resolution is small enough to be easily placed anywhere on the vehicle for awesome photography.

Homemade cube MP3 player is motion controlled

2009-02-01T21:06:00.000+05:30

There are so many new MP3 players hitting the market every now and then, that making any major improvisation in their crafting is utterly complicated. But this cube-shaped MP3 player is a master prototype from a Japanese engineer. It is a masterwork created out of scratch, and is an MP3 player that is entirely motion controlled. Not the first of its type in functionality, but the idea here is one out of the box that allows the user to tap in the direction in which he wants to move in within the player’s song playlist. The player efficiently does away with buttons and stuff, and therefore all the commands are executed by motion sensors replacing them. To shut it off completely, just put the cube face down and it will utter no music anymore. Check out the video below to know it better.

Western Digital’s Caviar Green is industry's first 2TB hard drive

2009-02-01T21:05:00.002+05:30

It may not have been unveiled on the due date, but the 2TB Caviar is finally here all clean. Touted as the world’s largest capacity, single standard 3.5-inch hard drive with 500GB per platter, Western Digital’s 2TB Caviar Green is an environmentally friendly drive and can also be considered the industry’s first.

Less bulky and more power efficient, the Caviar Green slots in 32MB of on-board cache, and has embedded WD’s technologies like the IntelliPower, for power savings, IntellSeek, to optimize seek times, and StableTrac, for reduced vibration. The Caviar Green is up as a vibrant solution to the woes of the consumers with hoarded gigs of files, music, pictures and more. Available at selected sellers and distributors, the 2TB Caviar Green will be sale for about $299.

Immaculate: Prosthetic limb based on neurological prosthesis

2009-02-01T21:05:00.001+05:30

Designing isn’t all about making different things ordinarily, but is about making different things extraordinarily, which comes with thinking new each time. Masters student at AHO Hans Alexander Huseklepp, has a novel design, dubbed the Immaculate that is designed to unravel the possibilities in prosthetic devices that remain untouched. The Immaculate is very artistically designed as an arm, for prosthetic assist, but unlike the normality of the arm is basically formed on the perspective of eyewear, and is connected to the wearer’s central nervous system.

The Immaculate uses neurological prosthetic technology which is perfectly integrated with the Corian plates that form the exterior of the prosthetic limb. The combo of the embedded tech with the textile generates a clear graphical identity, while the joints are globally designed so that the user can enjoys a larger degree of freedom in movement.

Digital signage player SMP-WEBDUO controls two screens

2009-02-01T21:04:00.000+05:30

It’s been a long time since we’ve witnessed something in the field of signage players. And if it was to come, then it definitely wouldn’t have been any better than CAYIN Technology delivering something novel in the genre onto us. Coming to the Integrated Systems Europe 2009, Amsterdam, this February is the advanced and powerful SMP-WEBDUO, which supports both HD video and dual displays together.

Out under the company’s SMP-WEB series, SMP-WEBDUO has the ability to control two screens displaying identical or separate contents on each screen. The web-based digital signage player is the most high-end entrant in the series and is designed on the Digital Out-of-Home applications, requiring advanced multimedia content presented by simple web based languages. The SMP-WEBDUO high quality presentation allows for scheduling web playlists on the player directly.

FlashBay’s hardwood USB flash drives with green capacities

2009-02-01T21:03:00.000+05:30

Earlier today we covered Western Digital’s Caviar Green first 2TB hard drive. Living up to the same eco-conscious claims, FlashBay has revealed it range of environmentally friendly USB flash drives. Made in European maple hardwood, the USB drives can be branded personally by the user by using laser engraving or screen printing. Available in 32MB to 8GB capacities, the Nature Series USB drives measure 58 x 22 x 11mm, and weigh in at about 11 grams. Compatible with Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X, the flash drives are a great introduction for the green-headed looking for something distinctive with a more tactile feel.

Sony patents touchscreen printer with wireless photo downloads

2009-02-01T21:02:00.000+05:30

Sony seems to be speeding fast into the most promising technology of the near future, having patented a photo printer that’ll have a touchscreen user interface and will download photos wirelessly from a digital camera. Based on Microsoft’s Surface concept, the image forming device, as the patent is titled, like the Surface itself, accesses photos from the camera or other compatible imaging devices placed on it.

The images from the camera on top are displayed as thumbnails on the inkjet-based printer, where on clicking the image is seen in its full size and thereby can be printed. The printer, however, allows the user to crop and ed

Ajoka’s lighter with built-in DVR and spy cam

2009-02-01T21:01:00.000+05:30

Using lighters and Zippos often, I never visualized them as multi-utility gadgets beyond the preview of a mere fire spitting device. Way ahead of my personal revelation is this perfect lighter in disguise, which is an extraordinary cigarette lighter with a Digital Video Recorder and a camera hiding in the build. Playing disguise as a normal lighter, Ajoka’s cigarette lighter video camera is perfect for the spy in you. The spy camera in the lighter supports a microSD/T-Flash card up to 8GB capacity and can record 640 x 480 QVGA in AVI format at 30 frames per second. Boasting of high quality digital voice recording, the spy cam has no internal memory but features an USB charged lithium ion battery with 6 hours of backup.

Essell’s white keyboard invites all nerdy touch typists

2009-02-01T21:00:00.000+05:30

Everyone isn’t actually well versed with those keys on the keyboard. I just very well remember what a bad time I would have typing on the keys as an early beginner. And still I cannot fathom typing on a plain keyboard. I still fumble at times, in spite of having letters and numbers printed on the keys. Yet for the likes of all prolific keyboard users, and Apple keyboard scunners, Essell spray painted white the entire white and silver Apple keyboard, bequeathing it in minimalist attire. Perhaps Essell’s the best typist around, that he wanted to see no keys on the board, or was he so scuffed with the monotonous Apple keyboard? Advisory, try this only if you are a nerdy touch typist.

Steampunk lamps to light up your steam world

2009-02-01T20:56:00.004+05:30

If you somehow missed the Steampunk guitar we featured here just yesterday, you have another chance to live upon the Steampunk mania with these Steampunk Lamps handcrafted to perfection by Etsy seller Curious Inventions. Each of these lamps are adorned in the Steampunk style, yet made recycled and scrap stuff. The lamps use antique radio tubes, barometer parts and pieces of antique radio sets in the making, and these also have an LED light in frosted glass attached to the side of the lamp. You can get these as sale for $90 over at Etsy and can have them as retro-themed addition to your steam dwellings.

Watch and music player concept for the wrist

2009-02-01T20:56:00.003+05:30

High-end music players have come upon as an emerging market buzz lately. From production houses to concept designers, all are fighting to initiate a tad of innovative inclusions to whatever they possibly envisage. Scaling the same route is Mac Funamizu, a designer who has created a Mobile Music concept, a transparent music player which the user can wear on the wrist. Along with a regular music playing tact, this concept doubles as a wristwatch, has headphones and also houses a sensor to detect the owner’s heartbeat. The user can play around with the color combo and paste pictures to the player’s background, to give it a v

Acer has 10-inch Aspire One officially confirmed

2009-02-01T20:56:00.001+05:30

Acer has finally made way for its new 10-inch Aspire One notebook, matching notch for notch with its market rivals. Having showcased the 8.9-inch Aspire earlier, Acer has officially confirmed replacing the lesser screen with a 10-incher. Packing a handsome 160GB hard drive with up to 2GB RAM, the 10-inch Aspire One scores high with the 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor and up to 7hrs of battery backup.

Supporting pixel resolutions of 1024 x 600, the notebook is also equipped with a LED-backlit display like most of them lately. Not just officially confirmed, just and for what deal the notebooks will be made available, yet it is evident that the 1.8kg notebook will hold up standard Wi-Fi b/g and Bluetooth, will have optional 3G and WiMAX, run on Windows XP OS and look sexy in different color ranges.

Gateway to roll out ZX2300, an 18.5-inch all-in-one PC

2009-02-01T20:55:00.002+05:30

Trying to keep pace with mobility stricken geeks, we’ve been seeing all-in-one PCs get real more often than not these days. Take this 18.5-inch all-in-one PC, the ZX2300 from Gateway for instance, which is scheduled to be made available in Taiwan soon. The system powered by AMD Athlon 2650e CPU runs on the Windows XP Home-based ZX2300, and supports 1GB RAM and a modest 160GB hard drive. LCD screen resolutions at 1366 x 768, the 18.5-inch display touts 16:9 aspect ratios, on the ZX2300 well equipped with Wi-Fi, webcam and a 16X LightScribe DVD burner. The 8kg PC will sell for about $530.

Electric blue Lin-Li PC-888s case is modification personified

2009-02-01T20:55:00.001+05:30

What’s the most unique thing about that PC case? A query most heard to classify what’s really grand about it. The system has to be stuffed with the most powerful components, should consume minimal energy, and to clip it high over the rest, it should be eye-luring. Yes, the oversized fans are becoming smaller with dull looking cases getting a brighter makeup, still there are only a few that look as exclusive as this blue Lin-Li PC-888s. This mammoth PC case, modded in blue anodized aluminum, employs a unique system for cooling within and would cost at about $500 apiece. Then I don’t think it is much for the beauty and style the PC-888s adorns, for a more detailed insight however, click here.

Olivier Seres develops iFrame, a tablet PC prototype

2009-02-01T20:54:00.002+05:30

In the race to deliver the best possible utility device into people’s hands, we have Olivier Seres developing a tablet PC prototype called the iFrame. If we have Michael Arrington’s CrunchPad (floating around the net) based on the same principle offering web surfing, video chat and flash on the handheld device, the iFrame from Olivier Seres is out there to match it steadily. Built on the Amtek T10L Slate PC, the iFrame with 1,024 x 600 pixel resolution on a 10.2-inch display runs a custom install of Ubuntu on an Intel Atom N270 processor. The iFrame also comes with 2GB RAM, an 80GB hard drive, a rechargeable Li-ion battery, 1.3MP camera, Wi-Fi and dual speakers. Check out the video for a clearer view, after the jump.

MacBook Mini concept from Isamu Sanada

2009-02-01T20:54:00.001+05:30

Apple may still be hiding its rumored netbook from us, but there are those who like revealing disguises before the actual thing surfaces. We surely don’t know what the new netbook would look like when it’s official, but if guesses are anything absolute, then perhaps it would look something like designer Isamu Sanada’s MacBook Mini concept. The MacBook Mini isn’t from the thinnest world, and measures 5.4-inches thick when folded. On opening, however, it is a full-fledged notebook, with a 10-inch LED display, keyboard and a trackpad that stretches out on an extra fold. The concept netbook here doesn’t seem to have an optical drive but it does have a 128GB SSD.

MSI rolls out the GT627, a well-made gaming notebook

2009-02-01T20:53:00.001+05:30

There is so much happening with notebooks, with avid gamers getting the best possible machines to keep them heated in gaming fervor down the mobile lanes, and professionals having their share to draw from the market as well. Targeting the former with yet another high-end notebook, it’s MSI announcing its latest gaming laptop, the MSI GT627.

The MSI GT627 runs on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and has a decent 15.4-inch LCD display, with 1680×1050 resolutions. MSI’s proprietary Turbo Drive Engine is fitted into the GT267, which overclocks the Intel processor on a touch of a button, when in AC mode.

Lisse S10, an OLED-screened media player

2009-02-01T20:52:00.000+05:30

Koreans have a new portable media player, the Lisse S10. Showcased by MyRacer, the Lisse S10 adorns a beautiful eye-luring design. The S10 is, however, a standard media device, but has an overall OLED screen with 128 x 64 pixel resolution to flaunt. Measuring 46×40x11mm in size, the player, supporting MP3, WMA and WAV files is very light, weighing only 22g. The S10 is available in 2GB or 4GB memory capacity models with a 4-way directional pad to navigate through the wide-ranging menu.

Portable scanner ScanU has a roll out OLED screen

2009-02-01T20:51:00.001+05:30

The great fact about conceptual designers is that they know which way the modular world is swinging. Therefore, as they scenario moves forward, they believe technological designs and inventions will make a difference and that’s what gets them into making device like ScanU, which intend to make life that easier in their own little way.

The ScanU by Ashish Chaudhary has an OLED screen and is a pocket scanner with roll out screen and dual side scanning for the pros on the go. Made in three units, the ScanU has a bigger central unit which has the control units and the display on a roll-out screen. The second small unit is power unit with rechargeable battery and USB interface while the third small is memory storage unit with USB interface again.

Portable scanner ScanU has a roll out OLED screen

2009-02-01T20:51:00.000+05:30

Tech helps bots and boats move sans engines or sails

2009-02-01T20:50:00.001+05:30

As a student of general sciences back in school, I kept the concept of surface tension to the text, only to realize this day the boon this little concept of physics could prove to be. How about boats and robots moving on water without the use of engines and sails? Sounds awkward, though we have minds at work that have designed a technology to affirm the aforementioned for the near future.

Taking surface tension of water as source for research, a team from the University of Pittsburgh has developed this technology based on the propelling skills of the insects that float on water. The technology is backed by a propulsion system using the water’s surface tension and electric pulse stimulation to move the boat or the robot. Successfully experiments have been carried out to exhibit the technology’s effectiveness, wherein the electric pulse to move the object has been generated by electrodes of minimal efficiency running on alternative sources of power.

Toshiba’s 16:9-inch Satellite A350 unwrapped

2009-02-01T20:49:00.004+05:30

With widescreens becoming mandatory, manufacturers are leaving no stone unturned to deliver a widescreen experience from their own little backyard. Coming to truce with the same, Toshiba has unveiled the Satellite A350, which to our surprise houses a 16:9-inch screen supporting a handsome 1366 x 768 pixel resolutions. The Satellite A350, with other regular facets, has HD playback and will play movies and videos with the same perfection as on TV screens. Toshiba’s first and only widescreen notebook, the Satellite A350 has a processor option between Intel’s Core2 Duo and AMD’s Turion. Equipped with an HDMI output, the 4GB lappy with 320GB hard disk is a novel way into mobile entertainment.

Soma MP3 player with two screens is a touch different in feel

2009-02-01T20:49:00.003+05:30

In the world of transitions, we still have everything served avidly on a square platter. An idea that instigates a change, yet living on the tactile touch is truly mesmerizing. In such a scenario, delivered from Andrew Seunghyun Kim’s hood is this unique, fluid shaped MP3 player, dubbed “Soma.” The concept device stuffs in a dual display, with a larger 3.5-inch LCD screen resting over a relatively smaller secondary screen with three buttons.

The 32GB concept boasts of an analog user interface, the applications are denoted with their features and can be seen hanging to a clothes line, calling for a revolution in the orthodox interfaces of the most high-ends available. Adorned in five different materials with uniqueness maintained, the music is displayed like physical record albums and the lyrics are displayed to enhance the experience. If Soma delivers in quality audio and battery backup, then we sure hope to see this transition go real someday.

The Burroughs Calculator with levers and gears just about calculates

2009-02-01T20:49:00.001+05:30

Not just any ordinary calculator, this inimitable find is a comptometer from yesteryear. Instantaneous in its display, the Burroughs Calculator as it‘s called has a set of number drums driven by the planetary gears stationed within. The drums are connected to the keys through levers and clutches, which are repositioned to zero using cams. Hailing from the 1920’s, the Burroughs Calculator just like any calculator does mathematical calculations to perfection with the dual numerical keys. The larger numbers assist in addition and multiplication, while the smaller numbers, using the “nines complement” method, help in subtraction and division.

Security robot T-34 neither shoots nor stabs, but tangles the crook

2009-02-01T20:48:00.002+05:30

Some may like it while the others may condemn the concept. In the violence-gripped world, when all other things are being stuffed with severest of arsenal, there is a modest robot prototype revealed that only has net as a violent tool, or to say, as a tool for defense. Developed in a joint effort by tmsuk Co Ltd with security company Alacom Co Ltd, the prototype T-34 is a net-throwing security robot operated remotely by mobile phone.

The vehicle shaped security bot doesn’t have a gun turret, but has a net which it shoots to capture the intruder or a suspicious entity in the surroundings. Rolling at a pace of 10km an hour, the bot is in constant vigil of the mobile phone user who sees the T-34 activities on the phone screen and therefore can guide him accordingly, thereby doing away with the perils of false security alarms.

Scientists create 5mm dolls in living cells

2009-02-01T20:48:00.001+05:30

Creating dolls with living cells is proportionate to giving life to the dead, a exaggerated statement though. However, the overhaul that sounds out of the depth has been given a beginning nudge – scientists at the University of Tokyo revealing a 5mm doll made in living cells. The demonstration that displays a whole new way of biofabricating three-dimensional living structures went into experimentation with researchers cultivating 100,000 0.1mm balls of collagen, coated in dozens of skin cells inside a doll-shaped mold for day, which was then dipped in culture solution and managed to survive there for over a day.

Professor Shoji Takeuchi led research team from University of Tokyo’s Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) also visions to merge several types of cells to create a complex system and then create bodily organs and tissues from these complex cellular structures, which could be beneficial for regenerative medicine and drug making.

Home RSS :: Send Tips :: Advertise :: Contact :: Hot Picks body image01 g 3wZEK miha bodytec: Revolutionary system for a personal trainer Jan 30 2009

2009-02-01T20:47:00.001+05:30

The foundations of tomorrow’s advanced communication systems seem solid, but with the rate technology changes, there isn’t a point denying the scope for improvement. Today we have Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) delivering a CMOS chip that’ll transmit 60GHz RF signals, which means we are looking at data transfer speeds at the multi-gigabit range. The single chip module has been tested to perfection with a wide range of configurations, and low power antenna supporting radio, which used only 100 milliwatts of power. Get set for a new rage in stationary and movable next generation of high-speed short-range communication, with Georgia Institute of Technology claiming the new high speed application helping stream uncompressed 720p or 1080i videos.

Fujitsu ACs: Energy-efficient, thanks to presence sensor!

2009-02-01T20:45:00.002+05:30

Fujitsu persists in introducing novel tech features in household products. This time also, it presents ACs with a difference! Dubbed nocria S, Z, J and R series, each has a presence sensor. The pyroelectric infrared sensor allows it to sense human presence and nonexistence turns it off. It’s indeed a great power-saving operation as this AC consumes nil electricity 10 minutes after the user exits the room. Nippon Ceramic Co Ltd has been so very instrumental in bringing out this attribute. Also, it has a horizontal sensitivity range of 120° (about 10m in linear distance). Well, you might see it coming on February 1st, 2009.

iPod Touch makes M110 Sniper Rifles evermore deadly!

2009-02-01T20:45:00.001+05:30

What’s the use of keeping a weapon if it doesn’t have precision? That’s why, maybe, modern warfare and sporty shooting practices are getting evermore techie. Yes, technology does play a vital role. The latest M110 iPod touch mount inclusion makes .62×51mm semi-automatic sniper rifles more deadly than before. This top-notch application, dubbed the BulletFlight mounting system, is based on the SR-25. The application demonstrates en suite profiles for three weapons – the M110 semi-automatic precision rifle, the KAC PDW and the 14.5in SR16 rifle – and adding more weapons into the app is feasible. Knight’s Armaments’ product attaches to an Otterbox protective case. What users need to do is enter weather conditions and distance. Capable enough to locate target accurately up to 2000 meters, the accelerometer works as a sextant. Thus, it lends one with accuracy. If interested, the BulletFlight is available for $12 only in the iTunes App Store now.

Zenstation Go PowerTrio Ultra Elite adds some inches to notebooks

2009-02-01T20:41:00.000+05:30

Large screen maniacs, in the form of the Zenstation Go PowerTrio Ultra Elite, have another large explanation to value. The monitor setup houses a fantastic 30-inch screen in the center, while the entire setup is a massive 53.2 inches. The central screen boasts of an amazing 2560×1600 pixel resolution, and the system is entirely powered by a laptop that’s done by simply inserting the Zenstation Go graphics modular into the express card slot. The setup requires no additional wiring of any sort but this big thing is equally big on price too. The Zenstation Go PowerTrio Ultra Elite will cost at about $4,299, while a few cheaper models would sell at $1,899, but then you never know what functionalities they may miss in the low-priced ones.

Mickey Mouse Transformer is a cool transforming bot

2009-01-27T09:15:00.001+05:30

These lads in the creative east (Japan) are in a habit of making things that we don’t even presume. When we are accustomed to seeing transformers of the weirdest kind, right from the Star Wars fictions to huge robotic ones, we never came upon the fact that a Mickey Mouse Transformer could become real. The new Mickey Mouse Transformer transforms into a vehicle wherein the Mouse can be seen peeping out from behind the wheel. The Mickey-bot was displayed at Tokyo Toy Forum 2009, and will be on sale from February for about $39, but when it is coming to the other side of the world is tough to say.

Myka torrent box ready for the market

2009-01-27T09:14:00.002+05:30

Big corporations may be fighting hard to curb P2P file sharing, but that thing only keeps getting popular! To make bit torrent “a bit” more accessible, the Myka bittorrent downloading TV Box is ready to be shipped. Available in 80, 160 or 500 GB units, the box connects to the internet and TV, to download/upload “videos” or play them on your TV.

The box has an in-built bittorrent protocol that aids in its connecting to torrent sites and downloading videos, that can finally be played on the TV. Since the box remains connected to the internet, you can access your box from any location. This TV Box begins shipping this summer, with prices ranging from $299 to $459.

Yu Type keyboard could rid many of their pain

2009-01-27T09:14:00.001+05:30

A lot many people face the keyboard with two fingers. As these “two-fingered typists” keep their eyes fixed on the keyboard while they type, the screen stays out of view and the person has to stop every few seconds to check the screen, and typing mistakes are a big-big pain. That’s where the Yu Type keyboard steps in as the savior, not with some hi-tech gadget, but with a simple solution.

The idea is to add a screen to the keyboard in the user’s eyeline so that the user can comfortably see the text being typed. This makes the work faster, and without giving the user trouble to check the screen every few seconds. But it’s not yet time to rejoice, the keyboard is only a concept design by Royal College of Art Student Yusuf Muhammad and still far off from reaching the market.

Fujitsu ACs: Energy-efficient, thanks to presence sensor!

2009-01-27T09:13:00.002+05:30

Troll Touch adds touchscreen to Apple’s 24-inch LED display

2009-01-27T09:13:00.001+05:30

It’s been a while since we first got familiar with Apple’s 24-inch LED display, touted as the next adaptation of Cinema Displays. It may still be a while, with the MacWorld just concluding, before Apple comes out with its own version of the touch tech for their display, but now we have Troll Touch announcing a touch panel integration kit to convert the 24-inch LED display into a touchscreen. Powered internally by a USB, the touchscreen enhancement for the display isn’t obvious unless the user starts manhandling the display. But then this touch is going to be a touch expensive, with new touch-enabled version available at $2,299, while you can get the older ones with touch graving at $1,399.

Another step towards a bionic man: robotic exoskeleton for arms

2009-01-27T09:12:00.005+05:30

Witty heads have been playing around with robotics in all possible ways. The latest developed fad being the exoskeletons here. Putting humans in direct stature with the machines itself, the exoskeletons have been a welcome assistant aid for the disabled and the paraplegics. Jacob Rosen, an engineer at the University of California, demonstrated a prototype of exoskeleton arms developed by him, to help the needy augment their arm’s muscular strength.

The wearable robotic arms made for a variety of therapeutic uses have noninvasive surface electromyography(EMG) system, which uses electrodes on the skin to establish an effective human-machine interface converting neural activity of muscles into signals for the robotic arms to exploit, allowing users to reach 95% natural range of motion of a human arm. This exoskeleton prototype by Rosen is developed with a grant received from the National Science Foundation.

Brainwave controlled Force Trainer requires concentration!

2009-01-27T09:12:00.003+05:30

Uncle Milton has designed a gaming device based on brainwave control. This Star Wars-themed tube called “The Force Trainer” requires a wireless analyzer to be worn around the head, now the brainwave control would need you to concentrate in order to raise the ping-pong ball up this 10-inch vertical tube. The more you concentrate, the fan underneath would spin faster and push the ball up. Well, if you’re really in for it, just wait until late this year, but be ready to shell around $100 anyway.

Klingon language keyboard is weirdly ingenious

2009-01-27T09:12:00.001+05:30

Having seen keyboards with varying utilities at the recently concluded CES 2009, we weren’t expecting anything really different in the peripheral any soon. But here contrary to our expectation we have an exclusive Klingon language keyboard. The keyboard from Cherry, inscribed with Klingon language is up to lure the star trek brigade. The limited edition keyboard comes with 105 keys, is recyclable with plug and play compatibility, and can be attached to the consoles through a available PS/2 connection.