Computer and Technology Information

Acer Aspire AS8943G

2010-06-29T05:19:00.000+07:00

Acer is already part of the world’s second largest manufacturer of notebooks, and will aim to further augment their position with the introduction of the new Acer Aspire AS8943G. This notebook comes in a completely new modern and bold industrial design, where it aims to merge both form and function in a single design. Acer will throw in leading technologies and world-class entertainment and usability features as you will read all about it in the extended post, so without much further ado, let us get to the nitty gritty.

The exterior of the new Aspire notebooks sport an aluminium cover which isn’t there just for aesthetic purposes, but will also protect the seamless, frameless display. When you open the lid, you will find glossy and matte finishes as well as silver and black accents surrounding the new chiclet style keyboard, alongside a dedicated numeric keypad for those who love to crunch numbers. When it comes to portable entertainment, you will find a brilliant CineCrystal 18.4″ edge-to-edge glass LED back-lit display with full high-definition (1080p) resolution, capable of delivering stunningly rich lifelike audio and visuals. What’s visuals without great audio? The Dolby optimized Acer CineSurround sound system with five built-in speakers and a dedicated subwoofer handles the job perfectly, while a Blu-ray drive will make sure your eyes receive razor sharp visuals on the display’s 16:9 aspect ratio.
Processing power is also not forgotten as the Aspire AS8943G Series notebooks will run on the Intel Core i7 Quad Core Processor with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, while being aided by at least 4GB RAM, which is expandable to 16GB if you are looking for extraordinary speed. Not only that, graphically-speaking, the AS8943G will not disappoint at all with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD5850 Graphics card with 1GB of dedicated video memory full well capable of offering full DirectX 11 support in order to handle the latest 3D games with aplomb. Prices start from $1,549.99 upwards, so if you want a multimedia powerhouse for a notebook, this could very well fit the bill.

PlayStation Plus service package (new virmware 3.40)

2010-06-29T05:15:00.003+07:00

At last, the first post-E3 firmware update for the PlayStation 3, and as you might've suspected, this one's got PlayStation Plus packed into the mix.

We've talked about the service a bit so far, but to recap, $50 annual nets you a 50 percent discount on PSN titles, early access to betas, and one hour of demo time on select full titles (among other benefits). If you're not willing to shell out the Ulysses S Grant, however, however, there's a few other treats in the software patch, including five-star ratings for content purchased on the Store, video editor and uploader for Facebook and YouTube (note: not a video capture service, gotta use what the HDD already has), and expanded integration into Picasa and Facebook photo galleries. Speaking of Facebook, a new app will appear on the social site for showing off your PSN profile and befriending others. As usual, no exact date for the firmware is given, but if history's any indication, it won't be very long at all.

source: engadged.com

Sony's new PlayStation Plus subscription service is launching, officially, in North America on June 29. That means a new way to spend fifty bucks a year on your PlayStation 3 and a new firmware update will all-new features.

PlayStation Plus brings more than just a fee, mind you. Subscribers get early access to demos and betas, automatic downloads of patches and firmware, free* games, discounts... all kinds of stuff. It also means that firmware 3.40 for the PlayStation 3 will be coming to your console.

The latest firmware update adds more than just PlayStation Plus support. There's also a new video editor/uploader to the PS3's XMB, which lets you edit and upload movies directly to YouTube and Facebook. There's also a new photo gallery, exciting new power saving options and the option to rate content on the PlayStation Store. Additional details await thee at the North American PlayStation blog or at the end of your next firmware download.

Sony says it's coming "soon," which usually translates to the next 24 hours or by the time you're done reading this post.

source: kotaku.com

Hi everyone, once again we’re adding new features to the PlayStation 3 (PS3) system via firmware update to ensure we’re bringing you the best, most comprehensive entertainment experience possible. PS3 system software update (v3.40) will be available soon, adding the PlayStation Plus subscription, enhancements to the connection between your PlayStation Network and Facebook accounts and more. Additionally, we’ll be launching system software update (v6.30) for the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system simultaneously with PS3 system software update (v3.40), adding PlayStation Plus compatibility as well as other new features.
We’ve gone ahead and provided a few highlights from PS3 firmware update (v3.40) below:

PlayStation Plus: PlayStation Network users will be able to purchase membership to PlayStation Plus; a new subscription service on the PlayStation Network that provides you with new options to expand and enhance your gaming experience and enable you to gain an exclusive set of features and content. Friendly reminder, all of you PlayStation Network users will continue to have free access to PlayStation Network’s unmatched and expanding suite of new and exclusive features while PlayStation Plus subscribers will gain access to an exclusive and expanding set of gaming features, content and functionality.
Photo Gallery: A new network based photo sharing feature is now available on the Photo Gallery. The enhancement allows you to upload, browse and comment on photos on Facebook and Picasa Web Album. You can also opt to share your photos between your PlayStation Network friends as well as print photos from Photo Gallery.
Video Editor & Uploader: Video Editor and Uploader is a new function found on the XrossMediaBar (XMB), which enables you to edit, save and upload video files stored on the PS3 system to sites such as Facebook or YouTube.
Five Star Rating Support: Users can rate the PlayStation Store content they have purchased with one to five star ratings.
Power Save Settings: The default setting for PS3 System Auto-Off will be set at 2 hours, providing you with additional power save options and further improving power save features on the PS3 system.

In addition to the latest features introduced in PS3 system software update (v3.40), a separate, new PlayStation Network application on Facebook.com will be made available. This builds upon what was previously launched with Trophies and the ability to publish purchases from the PlayStation Store. Now you can further integrate your PlayStation Network and Facebook accounts with this new application. The application allows you to display your PlayStation Network profile on your Facebook account, find out which of your Facebook friends have a PSN account and send them a PlayStation Network friend request, view your PSN friends’ online status and add the PlayStation Network application tab to your Facebook user profile.

We’re very excited to be able to provide you with continued system software upgrades, which ensure your PS3 and PSP systems remain compelling offerings for years to come. For more details and instructions on how to update the system software for the PS3 and PSP systems, please visit http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Features/SystemUpdate and http://us.playstation.com/support/systemupdates/psp/.

source: blog.us.playstation

Acer Predator

2010-06-28T18:46:00.000+07:00

When launched back in 2008, Acer's Predator desktop was a mean gaming rig -- and we don't just mean because it had a tendency to actually set things on fire. We're pretty sure the new, just announced revision of the desktop won't suffer the same ailment, a non-customizable update that sports a 2.8GHz Core i7 930 CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 GPU, 1.5TB of storage, 12GB of DDR3 RAM, and an asking price of one buck under $2,000. That's a solid deal, and the new black and orange case design looks solid too, every bit as loud as old orange and black one. It's just perfect for showing your opponents just how serious you are about your gaming, though we're thinking it might have been even more popular if the Stanley Cup had gone the other way.
Acer Predator AG7750-U2222 Extreme Gaming Desktop (Black)

source: engadget

WarMouse 18-button with laser sensor

2010-06-28T06:32:00.000+07:00

This mouse like Razer Naga i guess but looks like this mouse not design for gaming purpose :D

WarMouse today announced that its revolutionary 18-button joystick mouse, rechristened the Meta, will ship with a high-resolution laser sensor instead of an optical sensor. With a patented design featuring 18 buttons, an analog joystick, and a 5600-cpi laser sensor, the Meta provides a radically efficient user interface that has been shown to increase mouse input speeds by an average of 30 percent in comparison with conventional two-button mice utilizing toolbar icons and pull-down menus. Formerly known as the OpenOfficeMouse, the WarMouse Meta will be black with dark gray buttons.

"We were frankly shocked by the overwhelming response to our original announcement of the mouse," said Theodore Beale, Lead Designer at WarMouse. "We sent out three emails and ended up getting three million hits on our website that weekend; no one seemed to believe that an 18-button mouse with a joystick could be anything but a joke. But it's real, it's brutal, and it's going to fundamentally change what people expect of their input devices. There are some of the opinion that the Meta is insane, but we believe there are many gamers and power users who want to be able to do more than stroke their mouse with two fingers."

The Meta is one of the first computer mice to incorporate an analog joystick and is the first mouse to permit the use of the joystick as a digital keyboard interface. In the three digital joystick modes, the user can assign up to sixteen different keys or macros to the joystick, which provides a very fast interface regardless of whether the user is flying through the cells of a large spreadsheet in Calc or on the back of an epic flying mount in World of Warcraft. In analog joystick mode, the player can select between having up to seven joystick buttons available or using all 18 buttons as keyboard and mouse commands instead.

The features of the WarMouse Meta include:

18 programmable mouse buttons with double-click functionality
High-resolution laser sensor with adjustable resolution from 100 to 5,600 DPI/CPI
Five assignable button modes: Key, Keypress, Macro, Mouse, and Mouse-Key Combo
Analog Xbox 360-style joystick with five analog and digital modes
Clickable scroll wheel
512k of flash memory
63 on-mouse application modes with hardware, software, and autoswitching capability
1024-character macro support
Meta Modeware for creating, managing, and customizing game and application modes
Import and export of custom modes in XML format
Optional audio notification of mode switching with customizable wave files
Taskbar display of active application mode
PDF export of application mode button assignments
Graphical pop-up map of application mode button assignments
25 default modes for popular games and applications, including Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, OpenOffice.org Writer, Calc, and Impress, 3D Studio Max, Autodesk AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, the Gnu Image Manipulation Program, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator

Chris Park, the lead designer of the popular independent strategy game AI War: Fleet Command, remarked: "I've been using a 5-button mouse for many years now, and there was once a time when I thought I'd never need more than two buttons -- I shudder at the thought, now. So I'm interested to see how the Meta handles in practice when I actually get my hands on one. The thing that most interests me is the analog stick on the side of it. For AI War, I imagine that this would make panning much simpler, and it could be really handy for panning in other applications, as well. It is a feature that seems to fit tidily on the side of the mouse and which I could see eventually becoming as indispensable as the fourth and fifth buttons on my current mouse."

The WarMouse Meta

The WarMouse Meta has been alternately described as "the most insane mouse ever", "a Photoshop gag", and "too much of a good thing".

It's almost the complete opposite of Apple's approach with their new mouse. The Magic Mouse has one giant button that can do 10 things, we have 18 buttons that can each do two or more things. And a scroll wheel. And a joystick. And 512k of memory.

Warmouse designed the Meta with the goal of creating the best and most useful mouse the digital world has seen to date. Initially inspired by the keyboards on the Treo smartphones, it was created by a game designer who was annoyed with the paltry number of buttons available on high-end gaming mice two years ago. Because gaming mice have historically been designed primarily for FPS games, not MMO and RTS games, they do not possess sufficient buttons for the dozens of commands, actions and spells that are required in games that make heavy use of icon bars and pull-down menus. After discovering that the World of Warcraft mice available at the time were nothing more than regular two-button mice decorated with orcs, dwarves, and Night elves, the Meta concept was born. After much experimentation, it was determined that 16 buttons divided into two 8-button halves were the maximum number of buttons that could be efficiently used by feel alone. And in the process of design and development, it quickly became apparent that many non-gaming applications would also benefit from having dozens of commands accessible directly from the mouse, especially applications with many functions utilizing nested pull-down menus and hotkey combinations.

Now, what can you do with 18 buttons, 52 commands, and an analog joystick? The answer is anything you like. The ability to assign application functions to both clicks and double-clicks, combined with the ability to use the joystick as an analog joystick or as the equivalent of 4,8, or 16 additional mouse buttons, significantly expands your options beyond the mere addition of more buttons. For example, you can use the joystick as arrow keys to move around the spreadsheet cells in Calc or Excel, then use it as a joystick to rotate 3D objects in 3D Studio Max. In Writer or other word processing programs, you can click a button once to Copy, double-click the same button to Cut, and click another button to Paste. In Adobe Reader, you can turn the page, switch between views and zoom levels, or search for text with single button clicks. In AutoCAD, you can assign a function that is nested four menus deep to a single button click. In Adobe Photoshop, you can rapidly switch between layers without ever taking your hand off the mouse or moving the pointer away from the pixels that you're painting. Macros can be recorded and assigned to button clicks, double-clicks, joystick movements, or scroll wheel positions. You can even use it as a number pad for fast data entry! The OOMouse puts 12x more functionality at your fingertips than the generic two-button office mouse and 4x more than the most expensive gaming mouse.

The autoswitching works so smoothly that it helps to have an easy reference telling you which mode the mouse is in. We're interested in knowing what color you think the L1/R1 buttons should be; so feel free to make your opinion known. Right now, the prototypes are dark blue and red, as shown below. They're going to start taking preorders on January 15th when they open the store.

For more detailed information about the Meta visit the Meta specifications page at WarMouse.com . The Meta is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Macintosh operating systems and will retail for $74.99 in the first quarter of 2010.

For more information, visit:
http://warmouse.com/

source: applelinks

iPhone 4G review

2010-06-28T05:32:00.001+07:00

We try to keep our Apple coverage to a minimum, as we know that it's not the favorite company of most of our readers. That’s why you generally won’t see a review of a new MacBook or iMac on this site even though these machines are, for all intents and purposes, personal computers.
All the same, we’ve always covered new iPhone releases, and we’re not about to stop with the release of the iPhone 4. It’s not that we’ve suddenly developed an affinity for the House That Steve Built. Nope, our motivation is based purely on comprehensiveness: It’s simply impossible to cover smartphones in any authoritative way while ignoring the biggest single player in the field. You can read about what the critics are saying about iPhone 4 here. That’s why we trundled out to the local mall in the black of night and lined up for the iPhone 4. Here’s everything you need to know about the device, and how it’s going to change the mobile landscape.

The Hardware

Even if you somehow managed to ignore the entire, ridiculous Grey Powell brouhaha, it would have been hard to avoid seeing pictures of the new phone online, thanks to Apple’s unstoppable marketing juggernaut. So it probably won’t be much of a revelation when we tell you that the iPhone 4 has a flat, glass-covered back surface instead of the domed plastic back of the previous two phones. The edges of the phone are similarly de-curvified, with a flat metal band connecting the front and back. The new model is a bit more functional-looking than the older versions, but is exquisitely designed all the same. There are plenty of reasons to dislike Apple, but you’d be very hard pressed to pick up the iPhone 4 and play with it without being impressed by its looks and build quality.

There are, however, two issues with the physical build of the iPhone 4. First, because both the front and back surfaces are flat panes of glass, setting the phone down means laying the glass flush on top of whatever surface you're dealing with -- wood, Formica, concrete, or whatever else your resting platform might be made of. Although glass doesn’t scratch anywhere near as easily as the old plastic backing, it’s still a little unsettling to just toss the phone onto a countertop.

Second, and more damning, is an easily replicated issue with the aforementioned metal band around the outside of the phone. That band is also the iPhone 4’s antenna, and there are widespread reports that if you hold the phone in a certain way, it loses its signal. We tested this ourselves, and sure enough the reports are correct. Every time we held the case with a finger touching the lower left-hand part of the band, the signal strength would drop by up to four bars. This is a huge issue. Simply holding the phone in a common, natural way is enough to cause slower browsing and dropped calls.

Fortunately, there’s a common solution for both problems: get a case. The official Apple bumper case, in particular, looks very nice, lets you access all the buttons on the side of the iPhone, and completely resolves the antenna issue. It also gives the front and back of the phone a slight lip, preventing the glass from scraping against surfaces. More than any other version of the iPhone, this one needs a case. Especially given the issue with dropped signals, Apple really should give out bumpers for free to anyone who buys an iPhone.

The Screen

With Android heavy-hitters like the Nexus One, the Incredible and the Evo 4G starting to make the iPhone 3GS look like a low-res toy, it’s no surprise that Apple included a screen upgrade in the iPhone 4. What is a surprise is how far they went. The iPhone 4 has—simply put—the nicest screen you can get it a smartphone right now. Its 3.5-inch so-called "retina display" manages to display a maximum resolution of 940 x 640 pixels, for a pixel density of 326 ppi. That handily beats the Droid Incredible’s (already fabulous looking) 252 ppi screen, and makes the iPhone 3GS’s 163 ppi screen look like garbage. To get an idea for how dense the iPhone 4 screen is, click on the following image to view the full screen one (assuming your browser window is large enough to view a 640 pixel-wide image) and notice how much screen space it takes up on your screen. Then, imagine all that display space shrunk down and packed into a screen that’s just a bit larger than a business card. Pretty wild.

To fully appreciate the screen quality of the iPhone 4 you don’t even have to go past the home screen. Certain app icons, like the contacts list, turn out to have details that weren’t visible before. What we had always thought were simply tiny dots running down the right side of the contacts list icon are actually fully formed letters, perfectly visible on the iPhone 4.

And an even more dramatic example is the web browser. You can load up nearly any page, maximally zoomed out, and read every word on the page. Of course, unless you enjoy reading nearly microscopic, ridiculously crisp letters, you’ll still want to zoom in, but the effect is still dramatic.

The only problem with the iPhone 4’s high-res screen is that developers are taking their time in upgrading apps to take advantage of it. As of today, only some 10 percent (if that) of the 3rd party apps we have on our iPhone have been updated for the iPhone 4. This is an easy calculation to make, as un-upgraded apps still have the old, low-resolution app icons, which looks positively ugly on the high-res desktop.

The Guts

The iPhone 4 comes with the same 1GHz A4 ARM Cortex chip found in the iPad, and 512 MB of RAM—double that of either the iPhone 3GS or the iPad. The hardware is pretty much the same as other top smartphones, like the Droid Incredible, but as before, Apple is the best at leveraging that hardware to provide a completely smooth experience when using the phone. The iPhone 3GS was already incredibly fast, smooth, and responsive to use, so it’s hard to see much of an improvement in the iPhone 4, but the fact that it keeps that same smoothness while quadrupling the total number of pixels being rendered is a big achievement.
A gyroscopic sensor has also been added to the iPhone, allowing for true 6-axis motion control. There are very few apps out that can take advantage of this new functionality yet, but the few there are (such as Ngmoco’s Eliminate: Gun Range, seen below) feel very precise.

Camera

The camera in the iPhone has received an upgrade, as well. The new 5 megapixel camera is complemented by a VGA-resolution frontward facing camera and an LCD flash. The main camera is capable of recording 720p HD video, using the same touch-to-focus functionality used when taking photos.
Although the iPhone 4’s camera doesn’t pack the sheer number of pixels found in, for instance, the Evo 4G’s 8 megapixel camera, it takes full advantage of the pixels it does have, capturing excellent photos in all lighting conditions. The flash is pretty decent (though of course it sometimes leaves photos blown-out or with an orange tint) but is rarely used, as the camera takes great pictures in even dim conditions.

This picture of one Dr. Pepper the cat was taken in very low light.

A final, greatly appreciated update to the camera is in its capture speed. Where on the 3GS there was a gap of more than a second between hitting the capture button and the phone being ready to take another picture, on the iPhone it’s almost instantaneous. If you’re the type that likes to take lots of pictures at once and hope that one turns out alright, the speed is a godsend.

FaceTime

Remember the VGA-quality front-facing camera we mentioned before? There’s a reason it’s there. The biggest entirely new feature in the iPhone 4 is FaceTime, a built-in video calling feature that lets you talk, face to face, with anyone else using an iPhone 4. The feature only works if both parties are on a Wi-Fi network, but when they are the quality is surprisingly good.

Most of the time the framerate stays above 10 fps while making a video call, and the lag isn’t very noticeable. The image is pretty clear, although there are some compression artifacts visible. Supposedly, Apple’s using all open standards in FaceTime, so other companies will be able to use it as well, but who knows if any will choose to do so. Video chatting isn’t really our thing, but if you’re the type that it appeals to, this could be a major selling point.

iOS 4

The iPhone 4 comes with the newest version of the iPhone OS, now called “iOS 4.” Most features of the operating system have been available to all iPhone (3G and 3GS) owners for a few days now, but they’re worth repeating here, as they address many of the issues people have had with the iPhone in the past.
Most significantly, iOS 4 now provides for a (limited) form of multitasking. If you’re using one app, and would like to switch to another without closing it, you just double-click the Home button. A switcher bar pops up at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to choose another app to switch to. Tapping the Home button once takes you back to the home screen, as usual, but now the app you were on is added to the background bar, not closed entirely. Some functions work while the app is in the background (music playback for instance) but most don’t. As such, the background bar is more frequently a sort of suspended animation that you can put apps into, so you can come back to them later. It’s not true multitasking, but it’s enough for most things you would want to do on a smartphone.

Other OS features include folders for organizing applications and customizable homescreen backgrounds. Nothing Earth-shattering there, but nice all the same.

The Bottom Line

With the iPhone 4, Apple has done what was necessary to retain its title as manufacturer of the most polished, most full-featured smartphone on the planet. They took care of most of the lingering criticisms about the iPhone (such as lack of multitasking) added a couple of features that people have been clamoring for (a front-facing camera for video chat, for instance) and wrapped it all up in a fantastic-looking and wide-ranging hardware upgrade.
The problem with dropped calls is a real one, and its surely something Apple knew about before the launch. But it’s easy to fix with a bumper or a case—something you should probably have anyway, to protect your investment. The right thing for Apple to do would be to offer a free bumper to everyone who buys an iPhone 4. Until they do that, consider the price of an iPhone 4 to be $30 above what it says on the price tag.
Apple’s oppressive app store policies are as much of an issue as ever (though the phone is already easy to jailbreak), as is the fact that the phone is tied to AT&T’s spotty coverage and stingy data plans. We’re not going to dwell on these issues here because we figure by this point you know whether they’re enough to keep you from picking up an iPhone. If you can get past those hurdles, the iPhone 4 is an incredible piece of hardware, and has set the bar high for the rest of the industry.

source: maximumpc

Alienware M17x-2857DSB

2010-06-28T04:45:00.004+07:00

The Alienware laptop with Intel Core2 Quad processor (model #: M17X-2857DSB) is a high performance laptop built for mobile gaming.

Alienware M17x-2857DSB 17-Inch Laptop
This notebook has the Intel Core 2 Quad process (Q9000 (Penryn)), which features 4 processing cores running at 2 GHz. It has 6 MB of L2 cache and a front side bus that operates at 1066 MHz. It’s a 64-bit processor built on a 45 nm die. For memory there is 4GB DDR3 SDRAM installed, with the capability to expand to 8 GB. With the cores and the memory, you’ll be a multi-tasking master.

A 17″ WXGA+ LCD widescreen display with 1440 x 900 resolution is your window to your Windows. It’s a dual CCFL back-lit LCD with higher brightness than a single CCFL unit and has 8 ms response times. Powering the display is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M graphics chip. It features 1GB dedicated video memory, so no shared-memory slowdowns. The chip has 112 CUDA cores and the chip runs at 1375 MHz. For maximum gaming compatibility it offers support for Microsoft DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1.
For storage this laptop comes with a 320GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive (7200 rpm). Plenty of size and speed for everything you want to throw at it. The optical drive is a Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support.
There is a built-in 2 megapixel webcam and microphone for easy video chatting or Skype chat around the world.
To get your digital pictures or other files onto the laptop, you can use the 8-in-1 digital media reader, which supports Secure Digital, Secure Digital IO, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD-Picture Card, High Speed Secure Digital and Secure Digital High Capacity formats. Or if your recording device needs firewire this laptop has a IEEE 1394 port and 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports. Also one eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port with PowerShare.
For online gaming you’re going to want a responsive Internet connection. On this system you can use either the 802.11b/g/n adapter for wireless connectivity or the built-in 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) for your wired connection. There’s also a built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR interface.
Other external ports include an HDMI port, VGA port, 2 headphone jacks, 1 microphone jack, an ExpressCard slot, and center speaker and subwoofer audio out.
The operating system is Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit for compatibility with all those games. Other software includes a 30-day trial of McAfee VirusScan Plus.
This is not a system you want to carry around very often. The dimensions are 15.98 x 12.65 x 2.11 inches. It weighs in at an impressive 11.68 lbs, so it could be used as a weapon if needed.
You can find this laptop for around $2400.

Iphone 3G Technical Specification

2009-06-30T23:57:00.006+07:00

Here is the technical specification for iphone 3G

Size and weight¹

Height:

4.5 inches (115.5 mm)

Width:

2.4 inches (62.1 mm)

Depth:

0.48 inch (12.3 mm)

Weight:

4.7 ounces (133 grams)

Color

8GB model: Black
16GB model: Black or white

Capacity²

8GB or 16GB flash drive

Cellular and wireless

UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

GPS

Assisted GPS

In the box

iPhone 3G
Stereo Headset with mic
Dock Connector to USB Cable
USB Power Adapter
Documentation
Cleaning/polishing cloth
SIM eject tool

Environmental Status Report

iPhone 3G embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

PVC-free handset
PVC-free headphones
PVC-free USB cable
Bromine-free printed circuit boards
Mercury-free LCD display
Majority of packaging made from post-consumer recycled fiberboard and biobased materials
Power adapter outperforms strictest global energy efficiency standards

Display

3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 ppi
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Audio

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
User-configurable maximum volume limit

Headphones

Stereo earphones with built-in microphone
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Impedance: 32 ohms

Video

Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Camera and photos

2.0 megapixels
Photo geotagging
iPhone and third-party application integration

Language support

Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish
International keyboard and dictionary support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), French (Canada), German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean (no dictionary), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish

Mail attachment support

Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Connectors and input/output

30-pin dock connector
3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
Built-in speaker
Microphone
SIM card tray

External buttons and controls

Sleep/wake
Ring/silent
Volume up/down
Home

Sensors

Accelerometer
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor

Power and battery

Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery³
Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
Talk time:⁴

Up to 5 hours on 3G

Up to 10 hours on 2G

Standby time: Up to 300 hours⁵
Internet use:

Up to 5 hours on 3G⁶

Up to 6 hours on Wi-Fi⁷

Video playback: Up to 7 hours⁸
Audio playback: Up to 24 hours⁹

Mac system requirements

Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later
iTunes 7.7 or later

Windows system requirements

PC with USB 2.0 port
Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later
iTunes 7.7 or later

Environmental requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F
(0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F
(-20° to 45° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Transcend Ultra Fast SSD 64MB DRAM

2009-06-30T23:46:00.004+07:00

Transcend release of its latest ultra-fast Solid State Drive, a 2.5-inch SATA II SSD equipped with 64 MB of DRAM integrated cache.
TRANSCEND INFORMATION : TRANSCEND 64GB SSD, 2.5 inch, 44pin

Transcend SSD25D has standard 2.5 inch hard drives, delivering exceptional sustained transfer speed of up to 230 MB/s read 180mb/s write speed to ensure the fast, fast, regardless of file size or type. Transcend DRAM new cache-equipped SSD25D has an industry-standard 3.0Gb / s SATA II interface 2.5 inch form factor to enable the user simple and easy installation in most notebook and desktop computers, much like a conventional hard drive.

The increase in the potential momentum of the use of an ultra-fast cache DRAM makes Transcend SSD25D upgrade ideal for high-end gaming systems and workstations, providing a more pleasant, without lag in the calculation of the experience, especially when used with the Next operating system Windows 7. It is available in capacities of 60 GB and 120 GB.

Sony Announces the Classy T715 Slider Phone

2009-06-26T19:20:00.003+07:00

Sony has just announced new mobile phone featuring an ultra-compact design, slider form factor, large keypad and font size which would certainly please those who loves sending SMS, MMS and email. the phone allows you to review conversation history as well. If that don't really get you excited how about if we tell you the this phone would also feature a smart desktop feature with direct reminder of appointments, notes and special animation.

The Sony Ericsson T715 also supports 3G network connectivity which would make mobile web browsing on its diminutive 2.2″ display a pleasant experience for you. It's 3.2 megapixel camera is good enough for taking snapshots that would be displayed on the high resolution screen in great detail. It even has a Photo light feature which enhances the quality of the image that you will be taking.

Other features of the Sony Ericsson T715 include Bluetooth, media player, music tones, video calling using the phone's front camera, IM support, Torch functionality, 3D games, FM Radio with RDS, video streaming and viewing, YouTube support, and other personal information management tool such as calendar, notes, phone book and more. In addition, the Sony Ericsson T712 also features a 90MB internal memory,

The Sony Ericsson T715 is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900- UMTS/HSPA 2100phone. Unfortunately no words yet on the phone's release date and pricing.

HP Mini 5101 and ProBook 4310s notebooks

2009-06-25T20:09:00.004+07:00

HP notebooks family has grown up. Now it is the Mini 5101 netbook and ProBook 4310s notebook for businessmen. Let’s look through HP novelties.

HP Mini 5101 FM955UT 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - Up to 4.5 Hours of Battery Life

The Mini 5101 has a 10.1-inch LED display that works at 1024x600 resolution. Also netbooks screen can work at 1366x768 resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio. The Mini 5101 has a built-in Intel 1.66Ghz Atom N280 processor and 945GSE chipset. Also 1GB of DDR2 RAM is included and it can be upgraded up to 2GB.

The Mini 5101s metal case is based on magnesium. It provides the weight down to 1.20 kg and makes the netbook stronger. And this is not all in protection system. HP has integrated 3D DriveGuard technology. It is based on a built-in three-axis accelerometer that protects the hard drive against physical harm.

Let’s look inside. Consumers can choose between Windows XP Home, SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 or FreeDos operating systems. Also there are few components that can be added for consumers’ choice. It is 802.11 a/b/g/í, EV-DO/HSPA mobile broadband module or Bluetooth. Hard drive option is wide. The capacity can be upgraded from 160 GB up to 320 GB.

The second HPs notebook is the ProBook 4310. It is done with 13.3-inch LED display. The resolution can be chosen between 1366x768, 1366x768 BrightView and 1280x720 BrightView. The ProBook 4310 can be powered by Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz or Celeron 2.2 GHz for consumers’ choice. Also consumers can choose between video cards. Intel GMA 4500MHD GPU or the discrete ATI Radeon HD 4330 512MB VRAM are given.

On the ProBook 4310 can be installed any operating system from the Windows family in contradistinction to the Mini 5101. The virtual memory of the notebook depends to the chipset. 4GB of DDR3 RAM can be installed on the GL40 chipset. The GM45 and PM45 chipsets supports 8GB of RAM. Also the ProBook 4310 has a 3D DriveGuard. The hard drive can be upgraded from 160GB up to 500GB.

The ProBook 4310 has an 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth and EV-DO/HSPA mobile broadband module. Also DVD burner or Blu-ray burner can be installed.

As it was said, the ProBook 4310 is an answer for businessmen. It is because of the Essential USB 2.0 Port Replicator. It works as an additional hub for non-standard connectors. With the help of the Essential USB 2.0 Port Replicator user have two always-powered USB ports, 10/100 LAN port. Also the replicator provides more three USB 2.0 ports and USB cable for audio.

HP has made a lot of useful accessories for its notebooks. It is Merlot optical mouse, Merlot Slip Case, USB 2.0 docking station and a 6-cell battery for the Mini 5101. Also consumers can order their new HP notebook with an external DVD burner.

Belkin's new mice

2009-06-25T20:07:00.003+07:00

Belkin is unleashing a range of three new computer mice right about this week. They say that the mice are designed to work best with notebooks, especially because summer is the time for a leave and a stylish mouse for your laptop is obligatory to have. Leaving jokes behind I should say I see no reason why not to use any of new Belkin's mice at home – they do really look nice, are very comfortable as we are told and do not cost quite as much as some drop-dead gaming exemplars.

The entry point is Retractable Comfort Mouse. For $19.99 you get stylish looks, choice of four colors: Pitch Black, Midnight Blue, Fuchsia and Candy Red; and compatibly with Macs.

Wireless Comfort Mouse has some more lively features like a USB dongle, 2 AAA batteries, power safe mode – it turns off most of the power after 8 minutes of standby. Wireless Comfort Mouse has same compatibility and color options as the previous one as well as they both have an all-terrain optical engine to mouse on any surface. Price is $29.99.

Bluetooth Comfort Mouse speaks for itself. The priciest one of three ($49.99), it sports vertical and horizontal scrolling and 2.4GHz Bluetooth. Only two colors are available for this one – black and white.

HTC Hero Third Google Android Phone

2009-06-25T19:47:00.004+07:00

So, after T-Mobile announced the second Google Android phone, the myTouch 3G it went ahead and revealed the third one - the HTC Hero. Interestingly, HTC Hero has a new feature which didn’t made it through with myTouch 3G, what HTC calls as the Sense. HTC Sense is a new approach to smartphone functionality - Make it Mine, Stay Close and Discover the UnexpectedMake it Mine is a facility for personalizing the HTC Hero’s menus and interface through widgets that would push online contents to the phone including personalization of contents on different phone profiles. Stay Close on the other hand would make it easier for you to stay in touch with friends and family through various communication channels including calls, photo sharing, social networking status updates and phone apps. And finally we have Discover would facilitate sharing of experiences through the mobile phones.

Design-wise, the HTC Hero is all sleek and dandy with bevelled edges and angled bottom. It was designed with contours that would fit comfortable in the palm of your hands. Other design features include anti-fingerprint screen coating and Teflon coating with durable white surface.

As for its technical features, the HTC Hero boasts of a 3.2-inch HVGA display, optimized web browsing, aGPS, digital compass, gravity sensor, 3.5mm stereo headset jack, 5MP autofocus camera, expandable microSD memory card slot, and a dedicated search button.

Key technical aspects are as follows:

Qualcomm MSM7200A, 528 MHz processor
Google Android Platform
512MB RAM
1.35g weight
3.2-inch TFT LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320×480 HVGA resolution
HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz network capability
up to 2Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps dowlink speeds
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz frequency
Bluetooth, WiFi, 3.5mm audio jack

Release will be in July for European mobile phone users. Asian release follows sometime in the summer, while the North American version won’t be out until late 2009.

Crystal Hard Rubberized BLACK Cover Case for HTC Hero (CDMA) Sprint [WCP128]

Toshiba Qosmio G50W/95JW

2009-06-24T20:26:00.001+07:00

Just in couple of weeks from now Toshiba is going to add a new model of notebook to its shelves. Named Qosmio G50W/95JW it is a very slight refinement of G50. Qosmio G50 was released quite a considerable time ago and since its very first days has already gone through variations with hardware and model name. The Qosmio GX was planed to be Christmas Time bestseller and now its turn of G50W/95JW to fancy customers.

In fact, there is not very much to fancy for the added price I shall say, but anyway here are the specs. And I start with what I expected to be changed but it wasn't. G50W/95JW has same international V.90 modem and Gigabit Ethernet LAN. Built-in 3G broadband antenna would be cool but no. The original Qosmio G50 still has a decent GPU (NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT) and enough RAM (2 x 2,048 MB DDR2) so they remained untouched. It appears so that manufacturers of the G50 were pushing things up a little bit because it was designed to run Genuine Windows Vista which always needed a bit more of everything over its required specifications. In future if you install Windows 7 on G50 or on G50W/95JW it will be even better.

So finally the changes are made to processor. The new Core 2 Duo T9600 runs at 2.8GHz which is 0.14GHz faster than the previous one and Intel PM45 Express Chipset is still there. HDD now has 500GB though you could have even a bigger one before. The price is about 3,175.00 USD. The rumors were that Qosmio G50W/95JW comes out in end of July but we heard that it will on July, 2.

ATI Radeon HD 4890

2009-06-23T19:48:00.005+07:00

Spring is in the air and that can only mean one thing - a new uber 3D chip from AMD's graphics subsidiary, the ATI Radeon HD 4890. Well, that or widespread rioting in old London town courtesy of our mate Barry from across the pond.

The Radeon HD 4890 was officially announced this morning – although its imminent arrival has been expected for a few weeks.

It's AMD's fastest single-GPU graphics card, but is more of a mild overhaul of an existing GPU than an all new architecture. The chip itself is new, but functionally it's identical to the existing Radeon HD 4870.

Of course, with no less than 800 shaders and 40 texture units, that's no bad thing. It also sports the same 1GB frame buffer and 256-bit bus as the top version of the 4870. Indeed, physically it's also very much a case of move along, nothing to see here.

However, the exciting news is that we managed to overclock the chip's core operating frequency from 850MHz to 965MHz.

It's still slightly behind the raw graphics grunt of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 then, but at around the £200 mark, the 4890 offers astounding value for money.

We've been testing the ATI Radeon HD 4890 for the last few days. To find out our verdict, and whether you should buy it

In addition, our friends at PC Format have been testing the 4890 inside Novatech's new Zu PC - Read their verdict over at PCF

Next CPU could be a GPU

2009-06-23T19:39:00.003+07:00

Everybody's talking about supercomputing on the desktop – and in particular, whether it will be GPUs that achieve that goal. We think that general-purpose computation on GPUs (an idea known as the GPGPU) might be the most important computing trend over the next 10 years.

As claims go, it's a biggie. But if you want proof of the industry's faith in the new concept, just take a look at the companies that want a slice of the GPGPU pie: Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Microsoft, IBM, Apple and Toshiba all want in. And it's not just speculation that's leading to such big interest: GPGPU systems are already outperforming CPU-only clusters in fields as diverse as molecular dynamics, ray tracing, medical imaging and sequence matching.

The combination of parallel CPU and GPU processing used to achieve these results is often dubbed 'heterogeneous computing'. The GPGPU concept enables the GPU to moonlight as a versatile co-processor. As Nvidia's David Luebke has suggested, computers are no longer getting faster; the move to multicore processors means that they're actually getting wider.

That's the idea that GPGPU computing cashes in on. By intelligently offloading data intensive tasks from the CPU to other processor cores (such as those in a graphics card), developers achieve improved application performance through parallelism.

The GPGPU is hardly a new idea, however. According to website www.gpgpu.org, GPU technology has been used for number crunching since 1978, when Ikonas developed a programmable raster display system for cockpit instrumentation.

From GPU to GPGPU

Modern GPUs make ideal co-processors. Not only are they cheap, they're also blisteringly fast, thanks to the presence of multiple processor cores. Most importantly, these multiple cores are programmable. While CPUs are designed to process threads sequentially, GPUs are designed to burn through data in parallel.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 280, for example, is built for speed. As a gaming component, it's capable of delivering smooth high-definition visuals with complex lighting effects, textures and realtime physics. Just take a look at Far Cry 2 in 1,920 x 1,200 pixels. With 1.4 billion transistors, the GeForce GTX 280 commands 240 programmable shader cores that can provide 993 gigalops of processing power.

AMD's graphics technology is equally potent. Its 4800 Series Radeon HD cards feature 800 programmable cores and GDDR5 memory to deliver 1.2 teralops of processing power. "Strict pipelining of GPU programs enables efficient access to data," says Shankar Krishnan at AT&T's Research Labs. "This obviates the need for the extensive cache architectures needed on traditional CPUs and allows for a much higher density of computational units."

Of course, if you're not playing Far Cry 2 or Fallout 3 then all this processing potential is just sitting about twiddling its thumbs. GPGPUs will allow us to see what will happen if other applications are able to make use of the processors in a graphics card.

Stream processing

This is why Nvidia and AMD are keen to harness the GPGPU potential of their graphics hardware. Nvidia's Tesla Personal Supercomputer, for example, combines a traditional quad-core workstation CPU with three or four Tesla C1060 processors.

A C1060 is effectively a GeForce GTX 280 with 4GB of GDDR3 memory and no video-out. Each C1060 is capable of 933 gigalops of single-precision floating point performance, so Nvidia's top-of-the range four-GPU S1070 system packs up to 4.14 teralops of processing power in each rack. The Tokyo Institute of Technology recently bought 170 of them to give its Tsubame supercomputer some extra kick.

GPUs make ideal number crunchers because they're designed to work with 'streams' of data and apply preprogrammed operations to each part. GPUs are at their best working with large datasets that require the same computation. Calgary-based company OpenGeoSolutions uses Nvidia's Tesla hardware to improve its seismic modelling via a technique called spectral decomposition. The process involves analysing low level electromagnetic frequencies (caused by variances in rock mass) to build a stratigraphic view of the earth's geology.

On a typical CPU based cluster, building sub-surface images took anywhere from two hours to several days. With a Tesla system, OpenGeoSolutions reported a performance increase that was "totally unprecedented".

Scientific research

AMD, meanwhile, has made a deal with Silicon Valley startup Aprius Inc to supply FireStream 9270 cards for the Aprius CA8000 Computational Acceleration System. Like the Radeon HD 4800 Series cards, the FireStream 9270 features 800 processor cores. The CA8000 combines eight of these cards into a 4U system that's capable of 9.6 teraflops of acceleration performance. And what's all this power used for? Aprius suggests that CAD/CAM, climate modelling, medical imaging and signal processing applications will all benefit.

Stanford University already uses Radeon GPUs to speed up its protein-folding simulations. The numbers being crunched by the Folding@home project have the potential to help cure diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in the future.

That's all great, you might say, but I'm unlikely to be solving shallow water equations or prospecting for oil beneath the Alaskan ice. What sort of impact will this have on a desktop PC beyond gaming applications?

Right now, not much. If you've got an average graphics card like an Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT, your GPU (which features 64 separate stream-processing cores) can already handle real-time physics effects. Nvidia ported Ageia's PhysX code libraries to its 8-Series GPUs after acquiring the company back in February 2008.

More recently, we've seen the potential for faster media encoding with the release of Badaboom. Ripping a DVD or converting a video file would typically monopolise a CPU-only system. Built with Nvidia's CUDA language, Badaboom allocates this data intensive workload to an Nvidia GPU so that the CPU can still be used for day-to-day tasks.

GPGPU and you

Adobe's Photoshop CS4 has been optimised to offload certain tasks to any Shader 3.0-compatible GPU. The filters in Photoshop aren't that different from pixel shaders. A traditional CPU will apply each filter sequentially so that images take several seconds to re-render. Using the parallel architecture of a GPU, filters can be applied to an image in real-time to provide instant results.

Photoshop CS4 uses OpenGL and GPU acceleration to improve zooming, rotation and transitions at all display levels. Colour matching has also been shunted to the graphics chip. You don't lose any features by not having a compatible GPU, but, as Adobe's Senior Vice President John Nack points out, a PC with a good graphics card "will blow away computers that don't have one."

Cyberlink's PowerDirector 7 software promises "up to five times faster video previewing and rendering performance" with the help of GPU resources. However, as with Photoshop CS4, this extra power only really comes into play when applied to advanced effects.

S3 Graphics, meanwhile, has announced the release of S3FotoPro, an imaging application that uses the GPGPU potential of its Chrome 400/500 chips. According to S3 Graphics, S3FotoPro uses smart image algorithms running on the GPU to "analyse and automatically adjust macro and micro details within a picture to enhance the picture quality".

Available picture enhancements include colour clarity and correction, de-fogging, skin smoothing, gradient blending and saturation and tonal balance adjustments and optimisations. "With support for the latest GPGPU applications and languages, S3FotoPro provides a highly useful and versatile tool for end-users and our partners," says Michael Shiuan, VP of Hardware Engineering at S3 Graphics. "Application processes that required days to complete can now be completed in seconds using a GPGPU product like ours."

The GPGPU problem

Though GPUs are extremely efficient at streaming and processing data, most PC apps are serial in nature. A GPU can't turbocharge your word processor, for example, or speed up your anti-virus package. "One of the reasons GPU designers can deliver huge peak performance numbers is that they've greatly constrained the architecture," says Anwar Ghuloum, a principal engineer with Intel's Microprocessor Technology Lab. "What this means is that they can design more efficient processors by not dealing with the messy, irregular patterns of computation that most applications inevitably deal with. These include looping conditions, unpredictable branches and irregular memory access patterns." Read more on Ghuloum's blog here.

GPUs excel at data parallelism because they have lots of maths units and fast access to onboard memory. They also achieve a high throughput on parallel tasks because programs can be executed on each shader core.

However, CPUs still rule the roost as far as task parallelism is concerned because their fast caches enable efficient data retention and they can handle branching. CPUs can achieve high performance on a single thread. In other words, the processors complement each other.

To get the most out of this CPU/GPU partnership in the future, developers will need to change the way that applications are coded. That's where programming languages such as CUDA and OpenCL come in.

We've yet to see the best of what GPGPU computation has to offer. The programmability of GPU cores could make real-time ray tracing a possibility, while the concept of GPU-accelerated storage could allow PCs to encrypt and compress files on the fly. And the GPGPU concept isn't restricted to desktop systems and workstations, either. There's scope for multiple processing on mobile devices too.

An alternative future

Another possible scenario is that current GPGPU initiatives are just a stopgap measure until CPU and GPU platforms converge. In a recent interview with website Ars Technica, Epic Games' co-founder Tim Sweeney suggested that: "In the next console generation, consoles could consist of a single non-commodity chip. It could be a general processor that has evolved from a past CPU architecture or GPU architecture, and it could potentially run everything – the graphics, the AI, the sound – in an entirely homogeneous manner. That's a very interesting prospect because it could dramatically simplify the toolset and the processes for creating software."

This sounds a little like Intel's Larrabee project, which is due for release in early 2010. So perhaps a dramatic change in processor architecture isn't as far away as some people might think. One thing's for sure, though: don't count the GPU out just yet.

SiRFatlasIV Multifunction Location System Processor

2009-06-22T23:45:00.003+07:00

Targeting an emerging class of location-centric devices for budget-conscious consumers, SiRF Technology Holdings has introduced the SiRFatlasIV multifunction location system processor, a versatile solution for creating high-volume, navigation and location-aware products.

With its high performance location engine and twice the memory bandwidth of current entry-level systems, the SiRFatlasIV platform - available now in production quantities - is designed to minimize bill of materials (BOM) and overall system cost while giving manufacturers the premium location and multimedia performance they need to create innovative, value-priced consumer products.

SiRFatlasIV complements the premium SiRFprima multifunction location system processor introduced last year, and combines the same advanced location engine of SiRFprima with a multifunction feature set more optimized for entry level systems.

Working closely with its key customers, SiRF designed the SiRFatlasIV architecture to reduce overall system BOM costs, including the integration of many high-cost peripheral functions onto the single chip, while giving customers flexibility to differentiate.

SiRFatlasIV is already in use by several leading original equipment and original device manufacturers, including ASUS International/Unihan Technology Corp., Binatone Electronics International Limited, CiRex Technology Corporation, Foxconn Technology Group, Globalsat Technology Corporation, Maylong and Maylong's GPS for Dummies, Navigon AG, NDrive Navigation Systems SA, Nextar Inc., Wistron Corporation and YF International.

"We believe multifunction, location-centric consumer devices are best served by multifunction location silicon and software platforms. The compelling cost/performance benefits of our SiRFatlasIV solution enable our customers to profitably address these high-volume consumer markets today without compromising the location performance consumers have come to expect from SiRF," said Kanwar Chadha, founder and vice president of marketing for SiRF.

"Together, our SiRFatlas and premium SiRFprima multifunction system platforms enable SiRF's customers to offer a complete range of location-centric products with industry leading location, visualization and multimedia performance across all tiers of the mainstream market."

By integrating the same advanced location engine as found in the SiRFprima platform, the SiRFatlasIV solution brings to value-priced products a level of location performance traditionally found only in high-end navigation systems.

This high-sensitivity, 64-channel, multi-satellite system location engine, with more than 1,000,000 correlators, improves time to first fix (TTFF) in tough environments, and provides true -161-dBm simultaneous tracking of both GPS and Galileo satellites. Also, due to its intelligent sharing of system memory, the location engine is able to use the vast system resources available to improve tracking accuracy and navigation and further reduce cost.

The SiRFatlasIV's high sensitivity GPS core also allows the use of lower cost patch antennas and less expensive 2.5 ppm crystal oscillators without impacting performance. These cost-driven innovations broaden the potential for a wide range of entry-level and mid-range navigation and location-aware consumer devices.

"When developing our 3300 max and 4300 max product lines, we were looking for a solution that would enable us to deliver a premium navigation experience at an entry-level price, one with the GPS performance and application and graphics horsepower to support our unique MyRoutes feature, which actually learns the driver's habits and tailors routes to fit the individual's driving style, as well as our Reality View Pro, which displays roads realistically," said Belhassen Jerbi, head of product management at Navigon AG.

"The SiRFatlasIV gives us industry-leading GPS performance, a powerful application processor, multimedia processor and other peripherals integrated in a cost-effective solution, which enables us to bring these products to market at an entry-level cost structure."

With ever increasing demands for faster route calculations, rich multimedia support, and a richer visualization experience, the SiRFatlasIV provides a 500-MHz ARM11 processor core with vector floating point unit complimented by a 64-bit system bus and an advanced, high-speed memory controller with DDR 400/Mobile-DDR 333 memory module support to provide plenty of horsepower and memory bandwidth for the most demanding application scenarios.

The built-in hardware video post processing accelerator handles video rendering and display, allowing popular mobile digital TV applications such as TDMB, DVB-H and CMMB to run with minimal impact on CPU performance.

"With consumers demanding top-of-the-line features at entry-level prices, we chose the SiRFatlasIV because it is an ideal platform for creating such products, offering superior GPS performance, powerful application and graphics processors and more integrated in a single, very cost-effective package," said Eddy Zheng, president and founder of Nextar, Inc.

"The Q4-MD is a fully featured portable navigation system we are able to offer at a price that our value-driven consumers expect, thanks in large part to the reduced chip count and cost savings we realize from employing the SiRFatlasIV."

The integrated NAND and SD controller design supports both single and multi-layer cell (SLC/MLC) flash memory, allowing system designers greater flexibility in selecting either a low cost or a robust NAND product.

By providing a full complement of embedded components and peripherals - including GPS/Galileo baseband, LCD touch-screen controller, 10-bit ADC, video input and high-speed USB 2.0 PHY - the SiRFatlasIV platform enables manufacturers to achieve extremely low overall system cost.

"We are committed to providing solutions that enable manufacturers to build budget-priced PNDs and other location-aware products at lower cost, without compromising location performance," said Conlan Ma, director of marketing for the PND market. "At the same time, we have normalized the design layout and unified our software development environment across our SiRFatlas and premium SiRFprima solutions to enable development of a full product range on a single platform."

Location Based Technologies - Laptop Locating Solution

2009-06-22T23:43:00.002+07:00

Location Based Technologies held its Annual Shareholder's meeting at its headquarters in Anaheim, CA. During the course of the meeting its new PocketFinder Laptop product was announced along with the first sale of the application.

PocketFinder Laptop allows laptop owners to download software that turns their laptop into a personal location device with many of the same features and functionality of a PocketFinder device. When a laptop is connected to the internet via a Wi-Fi or cable connection it can be located remotely.

The company re-stated that they have started shipping working PocketFinder and/or PetFinder units to strategic channel partners in the international market. These devices are personal location devices designed to optimize the lives of parents, guardians and pet owners.

In our ever-mobile society, it helps to know where loved ones are and how we can best coordinate our interactions. This is especially true in the case of families with dual earners, in single parent homes, and for owners of adventurous pets. As stated in previous filings, the Company will look to raise additional capital for manufacturing and market entry expenses.

The company also demonstrated its newly developed User Interface designed for the trucking and freight monitoring industry.

This opportunity represents a great way to leverage a vast vertical market by applying the company's cutting edge PocketFinder Network with its smartphone and hardware applications to enhance the way commerce is moved, contain costs, and facilitate the delivery of goods to stores throughout the U.S. Cheaper, Better, Faster!

LoadRack.com (LRT) is positioning to be the premier provider of truck and load matching, with an industry first real-time asset tracking application. Their advanced application allows shippers, carriers, and truck brokers to optimize resources and coordination by procuring available trucks and loads, while ensuring load integrity across the supply chain.

Accessed via Internet, cell phone, or landline, the system allows users to determine load location and status, designate safe and unsafe zones and lanes, monitor load temperatures, facilitate route changes, and effectively manage equipment problems and delays.

The Company assisted LRT in building a dynamic, real time, internet-based system that will increase the efficiency of moving produce and refrigerated items; ensure the safety of fresh and frozen foods during transport; and will increase on time deliveries of foods and perishable products.

LBAS' associated vehicle/asset tracking application uses similar advanced technology to help businesses optimize their mobile resources (vehicles, equipment, sales forces, etc.) by providing location information that enables enhanced coordination and leveraging of assets.

The smallest known single-board GSM/GPS device can also be accessed via the Internet, cell phone or landline to show its location in real time.

In addition, the devices include several advanced features, such as allowing users to designate customizable alert areas as electronic "fences" to notify them when a device leaves or enters a specified area where a partial load is waiting for pickup or to coordinate delivery by rerouting around traffic problems.

Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS Sport Watch

2009-06-22T23:37:00.002+07:00

The Garmin Forerunner 405 appears to be GPS-enabled sports replica which combines a high functionality and smooth design. For all of you who love wearing stylish watches and running at the same time here is Forerunner 405 available in two colors black or green.

This sport oriented time piece is capable of transmitting your personal data like distance covered, speed achieved, calories burned wirelessly to your PC while a touch bezel is able to change screens with a touch of button.

In addition to that, Forerunner 405 constantly observes your pace set and even heart rate. This fabulous time keeper seems to be responsible for your state of health, making it possible to facilitate your sporting activities.

Besides, this stunning wrist watch is also a perfect analyzer, as it is able to store your personal data so that you could analyze the data collected and learn of whether or not there were some record braking achievements.

The Forerunner 405 offers its unique high sensitivity GPS receiver which supports satellite reception whether you are running in the countryside or scaling some trackless mountains. However, Forerunner 405 can be had with or without heart rate monitor.

The Forerunner 405 boasts a water resistance and if your choice was to have a replica with digitally working heart rate monitor, you would be able to analyze your heart beating every minute. This time keeper is really aimed at your improved fitness.

Its state of the art touch bezel allows an easy navigation with you keeping track of your previous workouts to make your training more successful. Also the time keeper is compatible with ANT + Sport system thanks to which your recorded training data will be easily viewed on your PC with no needs for cables at all.

Additionally, you will be able to wirelessly transmit your workouts data from your PC to your digital wrist watch. So this feature could be useful if you need to share some data with other Forerunner 405 watch users. In order to track your running speed, you may connect your digital watch to a foot pod, if no GPS signal is available.

If you are a bike enthusiast, you find it helpful to additionally use the cadence bike sensor to finally record and analyze your speed and distance covered. If you are interested in more ride information available, you are advised to upload Garmin Training Center software.

In addition, you will be able to view a detailed map of where you were traveling, plan your workouts with the help of calendar, categorize your sport activities, make special workouts with certain goals and even have workout templates developed by well skilled experts.

The Forerunner 405 sport watch comes equipped with AC adapter, reference guide, user’s guide, charging clip and USB ANT stick. This appealing replica also features 124 X 95 pixel high readability display and could be your best friend on the run even if you are indoors.

T-Mobile 2nd Google Phone - myTouch 3G

2009-06-22T19:18:00.001+07:00

Finally, T-Mobile has unveiled its second Google Phone now to be known as the T-Mobile myTouch 3G. Just like its predecessor, the t-Mobile myTouch 3G will also run on the Android platform. Featuring a sleek design, myTouch 3G boasts features almost similar to the G1 phone, topped by a touch-screen display and virtual keyboard. Design-wise, myTouch 3G is slim, smooth, lightweight and sleeker looking than the G1.

Like the G1, myTouch 3G was also designed by HTC and boasts of a 3.2-inch HVGA touch screen display with portrait and landscape mode, a 3.2MP camera, music player, 4GB microSD memory card, enhanced video capabilities, Wi-Fi and T-Mobile’s 3G network.

myTouch 3G would also feature quick access to various Google services including direct video upload to YouTube and Picasa, easy access to Google Search by voice, and Google Maps with Street View. For its email features, myTouch 3G supports corporate e-mail running on Microsoft Exchange, Gmail, and other Pop3 and iMAP email client. Synchronization to Google Contacts and Calendars is also a breeze with myTouch 3G.

For its instant messaging feature, the phone supports Windows Live Messenger, AOL, Google Talk and Yahoo! Messenger.

myTouch 3G would also feature new applications including Sherpa which is a learning engine for customizing the phone based on user preferences - such as likes and dislikes, favorite retailes, restaurants and other attractions. The app also features a customization engine and location relevant information.

myTouch 3G will be available in on July 8, 2009 for $199.99 with a 2 year service agreement with T-Mobile. It will be available in three colors - red, white and black.

Valore ION 330 Desktop PC

2009-06-22T19:15:00.002+07:00

Valore release a new ION desktop PC with Intel Atom Dual Core 330. It’s Valore ION 330 with NVIDIA graphic card ION for compact desktop.

The Valore 330 only has 2.5-inch HDD with memory up to 4GB. You must buy operating system like Windows XP or try Linux for free. On Valore ION there are HDMI output port, six USB 2.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, DVD supermulti and S/PDIF. The price around 222 Euro and available on July next month.

Samsung Jet Smartphone

2009-06-20T00:19:00.003+07:00

Samsung has launched its latest smartphone - the Samsung Jet. This smartphone is smarter than a smartphone, Samsung claims. The Samsung Jet boasts not only of features common among smartphones available in the market today, but also of features that you would normally find in traditional non-smartphones.Among the many smartphone features supported by Samsung Jet is Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and Multi-Task manager. It also gives you user-friendly menu navigations as well as a sleek and compact form factor and design.

Another notable feature of the Samsung Jet is a 3.-1-inch WVGA AMOLED display that gives vivid and colorful full touch mobile features. This type of mobile phone display produces a resolution which is said to be four times higher than a WQVGA screen.

The Samsung Jet also features TouchWiz 2.0 user interface. This provides outstanding touch capability as well as powerful and responsive reaction.

In addition the Samsung Jet’s processor is noteworthy as well at 800MHZ which can provide faster speed and performance.

Other specs and features of the Samsung Jet include - 5.0MP Auto Focus camera plus dual power LED, face detection, smile shot, panorama shot, blink detection, geo-tagging, and photo editor, video playback and capture at 30fps, music player, Dolfin Browser, Wap 2.0, one-finger zoom, share pix and mobile widget, A-GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, 2GB/8GB microSD slot. The Samsung Jet gives you up to 300 minutes talk time and 406 hours standby time on 3G Connectivity.

Fujitsu Loox M Netbook Available in 4 Colors

2009-06-19T01:21:00.002+07:00

Fujitsu release Loox M netbook which available in 4 colors (previously only red and white color). In April Fujitsu release it and the additional color is black and silver.

The specification of the Fujitsu Loox M still the same. Processor using Intel Atom N270 or N280, 10.1-inch LED backlight LCD, 1GB of RAM, chipset Intel 945GSE express and 160GB of HDD.

Another features like 1.3M pixel webcam, wifi and bluetooth. The price is around 449 Euro and will be available in July 2009 in Japan.

Nokia 5530 XpressMusic Phone

2009-06-18T06:19:00.002+07:00

Nokia has just added a new model to its Xpress Music phone series - the Nokia 5530. Featuring a touch interface, the Nokia 5530 boasts of an efficient homescreen with a scrolling contacts bar that gives you access to 20 people and their latest conversation and media updates. Said homescreen also provides one touch shortcuts to content as well as popular social networks such as Facebook and MySpace.Design-wise, the Nokia 5530 follows the same steel frame finish and vivid colors of the 5800 XpressMusic phone. And like the 5800, the Nokia 5530 is also a music phone that gives you quick access to a huge selection of media. It features a music player with good audio quality. It also supports up to 4GB of memory card storage for music you purchased from the Nokia Music Store. It is also loaded with Nokia Music desktop application which allows you to sync the phone with your PC.

Other features and specs of the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic phone include 2.9-inch display, people carousel which lets you upload thumbnail images of 20 contacts. You can easily access information about these contacts including their emails, phone calls, photos and even their social media updates.

The Nokia 5530 features a 3.2 MP camera with autofocus and LED flash, proximity sensor, accelerometer, widescreen video playback, Bluetooth, WiFi, stereo speakers with surround sound and responsive touchscreen with tactile feedback.

The Nokia 5530 is a GSM/EDGE phone with integrated WIFI as well. It will be available in Q3 with an estimated price of around 199 EURO.

Gigabyte T1028M Tablet PC

2009-06-18T06:17:00.002+07:00

Gigabyte release the tablet PC with Intel Atom processor inside. The design of T1028M looks elegant with 10.1-inch touchscreen display using Windows XP Home OS without Microsoft Tablet input.

Well it’s doesn’t really matter because you can install Windows 7 and the Microsoft Tablet input will be available on Gigabyte T1028M. The specification is standard like netbook: Intel Atom N270, 1GB of RAM, Wifi b/g/n and 160Gb of HDD.

Nokia E72 Smartphone

2009-06-16T09:03:00.002+07:00

Following the success of its best-selling smartphone the E71, Nokia has just unveiled the new Nokia E72. Like its predecessor, the Nokia E72 boasts of rich mobile email and instant messaging features. It combines the great features of the E71 and the desktop like email features of the Nokia E75.Topping the long list of features of the Nokia E72 is a full QWERTY keyboard, a new optical navigation key for better scrolling through the phone’s menus, emails and images. The Nokia E72 also has upgraded 5MP camera and a standard 3.5mm audio jack for a nice listening pleasure.

But what makes the Nokia E72 stand out is its Instant Messaging support. The E72 will allow users to set up instant messaging accounts right on the phone’s homescreen. It will give users quick access to various IM platform including Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Ovi and others.

Adding to its IM feature is the Nokia E72’s powerful email features including Nokia’s mobile email service and various email protocol including Mail for Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes Traveller. Of course, it also gives quick access to Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail, Ovi Mail and more.

Other notable features of the Nokia E72 include A-GPS, compass with integrated maps, active noise cancellation, torch, and QuickOffice support.

The Nokia E72 is slated for a Q3 2009 release. It will have an estimated retail price of EUR 350.

Nokia N86 8MP - brand new 2 way slider

2009-06-13T21:47:00.002+07:00

A brand new Nokia N86 8MP is born. Measuring 103, 4 x 51, 4 x 16, 5-18, 5 millimeters and weighing 149 gram including its battery, this model worth seeing. This appears to be a 2-way slider with spring assistance mechanism.

Nokia N86 8MP has a smart display featuring a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA) coming with up to 16, 7 million colors, brightness control, ambient light detector, orientation sensor as well as its active matrix OLED.

Did I mention its power management? Its BL-5K 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery is capable to provide a talk time of up to 6, 9 hours for GSM, 4, 5 hours for WCDMA, 11 hours for VoIP over WLAN. Its stand by capacity is up to 363 hours for GSM with the same time needed for WCDMA.

Nokia’s browsing time amounts up to 7 hours including packet data. You will be able to enjoy having video playback time up to 7 hours for VGA 30fps while QCIF 15fps comes with up to 5, 5 hours. Nokia N86 8MP also boasts video recording time of up to 3 hours with video call time of 3, 2 hours.

Keep listening to your favorite music with Nokia N86 8MP offering up to 30 hours of music playback time or 18 hours if you listen to it through FM transmitter. However, the aforesaid operation times may be varying depending on usage, radio access as well as operator network configuration.

Nokia N86 8MP includes numeric keypad, covered keys, menu key, S60 keys, clear key as well as send/end keys. In addition this glamorous cell phone has media, zoom, game keys, short slide keys for media control, zoom and gaming, camera and volume keys, voice commands, keypad lock switch, breathing menu key as well as charging indicator LED.

Nokia N86 8MP incorporates flight mode, automatic switching between GSM bands as well as quad-band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900. Its memory is fascinating thanks to its micro SD memory card slot which is hot swappable permitting maximum of 16 GB while its internal memory is 8 GB. Its random access memory amount to 74, 7 while read only memory is 77.

This model features WLAN Security with WPA2-Enterprise, WPA2-Personal, WPA-Enterprise, WPA-Personal and WEP and is TCP/IP supported. Nokia N86 8MP is capable of serving as data modem while is MS Outlook supported with possible synchronization of your contacts, notes and calendar.

Its high speed circuit switched data allows maximum speed 43.2 kbps while GPRS class A, multi slot class 32 comes with maximum speed 107/64.2 kbps (DL/UL). Nokia N86 8MP includes WCDMA 900/2100 with maximum speed PS 384/384 kbps (UL/DL) and HSDPA of maximum speed 3.6 Mbps (DL). Its Bluetooth version 2.0 comes with enhanced data rate.

Among Bluetooth profiles, there is dial up networking profile (Gateway), phone book access profile (Server), headset profile (Audio Gateway), file transfer profile (Server), object push profile (Server and Client), device identification profile, basic imaging profile, hands free profile (Audio Gateway) as well as remote SIM access profile (Server).

This intelligent cell phone has micro USB connector coming with mass storage class support while 3.5 millimeter AV connector. Stereo audio streaming includes advanced audio distribution profile, audio/ video remote control profile as well as generic audio-video distribution profile.

In addition, this cell phone is digital home supported, including mobile transfer protocol support, UPnP support as well as local and remote SyncML synchronization support. Nokia N86 8MP is available in indigo black color. You will be able to use AMR, WMA, AAC, AAC plus 64-tone polyphonic, MP3 as well as video ring tones.

You will be able to customize your wallpapers, ring tones, screen savers and other options. Among supported applications you will find Nokia web browser coming with mini map, Quick office with Quickword, Quickpoint and Quicksheet, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Lite 3.1, zip manager, Nokia maps, Nokia pictures, Nokia download, Nokia mobile search, Nokia N-Gage.

Additional applications include Java APIs for Bluetooth (JSR 82), Java CLDC 1.1, MIDP 2.1, PDA (JSR 75), Scalable 2D Vector Graphics API for J2ME (JSR 226), Nokia UI API, Advanced Multimedia Supplements (JSR 234), Wireless Messaging API 2.0 (JSR 205), Location API for J2ME (JSR 179), J2ME 1.1 (JSR 184), J2ME Web Services Specification (JSR 172), Mobile 3D Graphics API for Security and Trust Services API for J2ME (JSR 177), Mobile Media API 1.1 (JSR 135), SIP API for J2ME (JSR 180).

This mobile phone is Windows Live supported but needs downloading of the Messenger application. You are able to download to your S60 device more applications using the download client by visiting www S60 com with a lot of free of charge applications. Its software platform is very intelligent with Symbian OS version 9.3, Automatic UI rotation, Voice commands, Active standby, S60 3rd edition, feature pack 2 and FOTA (firmware update over the Air).

Nokia N86 8MP also features fixed dialing number support, converter, calculator, reminder, written notes, to do list, clock: analog and digital, world clock, clock as a screensaver, support for contact groups, closed user group support, calendar with day, week and month and up to 1500 entries, contacts, personal information management, PIM information visible during call, support for assigning images to contacts, alarm clock with customizable ring tones or music files, advanced contacts database with different numbers and emails per contact even with images.

This Nokia will be capable of supporting such protocols as IMAP, POP3, SMTP, different email attachments with emails to include server side filtering. Nokia N86 8MP incorporates IMAP IDLE support, Text-to-speech message reader, memory storage, multiple SMS deletion option, MMS version 1.2. There is also OMA e-mail notification support, message capacity with up to 600kb, capacity to send concatenated SMS for informative messages and support for Nokia Mobile VPN.

You will be able to automatically resize your MMS images to your inbox for storing SMS and MMS messages with number screening capacity for your messages. There are also cell broadcast as well as distribution lists for messaging. To let you know about its call management, you should show that this model has call timer, voice dialing, mute and unmute options, automatic answer with car kit or head set, any key answer, side volume keys, automatic redial, speed dialing, voice dialing.

Other features include call waiting, call divert, call hold, registration of dialed, received and missed calls, video calling with up to QCIF 15 fps, conference calling with up to 6 partakers, contacts with images, fixed dialing number support as well as embedded hands-free stereo speakers. Markup languages are supported like HTML, XHTML MP, WML and CSS with supported protocols HTTP v1.1, WAP.

Nokia’s camera is perfect with 8 mega pixels (3280 x 2464), dual LED flash, macro focus of 10 50 cm, high speed shutter with its top speed of 1/1000 sec, focal length: 4, 61 mm, focus range of 10 cm to infinity, wide angle optics with 28mm, variable aperture: F2.4, F3.2, F4.8, image formats: JPEG, EXIF, automatic focus with assist light and two stage capture key, CMOS sensor, Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar lens and up to 20 x digital zoom.

You will be amazed at how good images can be taken with flash modes, red eyes reduction feature, flash operating range of up to 3, 5 m, white balance automatic, sunny, cloudy, fluorescent and incandescent modes. Among capture modes, there is a still, self timer, video, sequence or panorama. Nokia includes active toolbar, full screen viewfinder and scene modes with automatic, user defined, close up, portrait, landscape, sport and night.

This stunning cell phone also boasts color tone modes, with black and white, sepia, normal, negative and vivid, landscape orientation, slide cover and camera activation as well as light sensitivity modes with high, medium, low and automatic modes. Nokia N86 8MP comes with slideshow from gallery with automatic zoom and pan, 3D sound effects stereo speakers, TV out (PAL) with Nokia video connectivity cable (CA-75U) or WLAN/UPnP, photo editor and direct printing option.

Its camera is amazing with video recording at up to 640 x 480 (VGA) and up to 30 fps, 8x digital video zoom, video light with operating distance of 2 m while front its camera records video at up to 352 x 288 pixels (CIF) and up to 15 fps with 2 x digital video zoom. Video recording is possible with mp4, 3gp format while audio recording of AMR, AAC stereo formats.

You will be able to share video and have video ring tones while video calling at up to QCIF 15 fps. In addition, real time video can be shared to another compatible mobile device. Clip length reaches the mark of 1 hour 30 minutes. You will also have online album with photo or video uploading from your gallery.

If you are a music enthusiast, you will appreciate Nokia’s music features which include equalizer, play lists, Nokia Nseries digital music player skins, album graphics display, 3, 5 mm stereo headphone plug, music keys, UPnP music streaming, audio streaming, Nokia music player, Nokia music manager, Nokia music store support, Nokia podcasting support, FM transmitter with frequency of 88, 1 - 107, 9.

You will be capable to choose your music by album, artist, composer and genre or synchronize your music with Windows media player. Nokia N86 8MP comes with voice dialing, voice recorder with such audio recorders formats as AMR, AAC stereo and WAW while having FM radio 87, 5 -108 MHz with RDS support and text to speech option. Standard Nokia’s package will include Nokia Travel Charger (AC-10), Nokia Battery (BL-5K), user guide, Nokia wired headset, Ovi Suite DVD 1, 1 Nokia video connectivity cable (CA-75U) and Nokia connectivity cable (CA-101).

Nokia N86 8MP offers some car options with Nokia Bluetooth display Car Kit CK-600, Nokia retractable car charger DC-10 as well as Nokia Speakerphone HF-300 so you may start enjoying this new product.

Wireless Keyboard to include touchpad

2009-06-13T21:41:00.002+07:00

This is more than just a regular keyboard. Having powerful office function with 87 QWERTY keys, 18 hot keys including an embedded high precision multi touch pad which operates as both keyboard and touch pad. This means, if you want to switch your touchpad into a numeric keypad you will need just one press of a button.

This intelligent keyboard can be operated from a distance with operating distance of up to 10 meters. This wireless keyboard features click as well as right click buttons. Its frequency scope is 2479MHz while operating frequency is 2.4GHz ISM Band.

This brand new USB keyboard operates wirelessly which is very convenient for any user. Its touch pad is capable of operating as a numeric keypad. It can be easily used wherever you are as it is an ultra portable, slender and compact device.

Having a price tag of 69 USD, this smart keyboard also features a multi touch function with two and three finger touch capacity. Not that this keyboard is available, you will be able to scroll, zoom, window switching or whatever you might like at a track pad.

If you are the one who likes track pad and not the mouse, this smart touch pad is what you really need. This wireless keyboard measures about 425 x 153 x 18 mm and weighs 462 g. This slim keyboard has a fitted battery LOW LED while having its striking on/off switch design.

Its data rate is FSK/IMbps while device ID length is 32 Bits. Featuring FN which is a num lock change function, this whimsical keyboard supports Window XP/Vista. Once switched, you will have a 10 key number pad. That sounds fantastic for sure.

You will be able to launch miscellaneous programs by 18 hot keys available on this super keyboard. This mighty keyboard has an USB adapter, making your traveling as easy as possible. Released by Brando, this wireless miracle tries to change the future. This Brando keyboard guarantees a better interaction with your PC system.

Samsung E1107 Crest Solar Cell Phone

2009-06-13T20:55:00.003+07:00

Samsung Electronics release a solar mobile phone which named Crest Solar E1107. You will see on the back side the solar power battery which enable you to charge the batteries anywhere when the sun is shining.

The Samsung Crest Solar provide 5-10 minutes of talk time for 1-hour solar charging. With this feature you can save your money and energy consumption on electrical charging.

The Samsung powered by solar cells has compact design with features like FM radio, MP3 ringtones, embedded games and powerful torch light. Also you can see Mobile Tracker for your safety when the SIM card is change and send SOS message in emergency. Also it has fake call feature to pretend when you have incoming call to escape unsafe situations.

The Samsung E1107 Solar available in several countries: India, Europe, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and American Latin from June 2009.

Toshiba Dynabook UX Enhanced Battery Life

2009-06-13T20:54:00.001+07:00

Toshiba already release Dynabook UX netbook and now you can get enhanced battery with up to 10-hours. There’s no any new specification.

Dynabook UX come with Intel Atom N280 (1.66 GHz) processor, 10.1-inch LED backlight lcd screen, 1GB of RAM, and 160GB of HDD. For this enhancement you must paid around 440 Euro.

A Faster iPhone 3G S is Upon Us All

2009-06-11T23:10:00.002+07:00

By now, every mobile phone fans probably know about Apple’s announcement regarding the newest iPhone model that would hit the streets on June 17. Boasting of faster mobile processor, video capture, longer battery life and a plethora of new features, the iPhone 3G S will once again put Apple in the limelight come release date. If you have missed the news and buzz regarding the 3G S, here’s a quick review of what it has to offer us all iPhone users and fans.Design-wise, there will no major differences between the 3G S and its predecessor the iPhone 3G. It’s the same glossy finish, the same position of the essential connectors, speakers, microphone, 3.5mm stereo headphone, power button, volume control and sleep button.

The biggest new features of the iPhone 3G S is of course its faster processor which enables apps to run fast, video capture technology, and longer battery life. The iPhone 3G S supports video capture at 30fps in 640×480 pixels. It supports video formats such as MPEG-4, .mov, .m4v, and more.

Apple also announced that the iPhone will run third-party apps faster than its predecessor does. Likewise battery life has been extended up to 5 hours on 3G and 9 hours on WiFi.

Now here’s a quick rundown of the iPhone 3G S key Specs and Features:

16GB or 32GB Storage
3 MP camera with auto focus, tap to focus, photo and video tagging
3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Assisted GPS
UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

And the most important information of all - the iPhone 3G S will retail for $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB).

Windows Server 2008 SP2 Kills Virtual Machines Built with Beta Hyper-V

2009-06-11T23:01:00.001+07:00

Customers running virtual machines leveraging the Microsoft server hypervisor role that are looking to update their server OS to the latest service pack release available can effectively cut access to virtualized platforms. Microsoft explained that the problem was associated with virtual machines put together with the Beta version of Hyper-V that also feature the Beta variant of the integration components installed. Customers running VMs that fit this description should steer clear of deploying Service Pack 2 for the Windows Server 2008 host platform on the physical computer, until they will be able to take the necessary steps in order to ensure that the implementation of SP2 will run as smoothly as possible.

“We recently published KB2000048 which outlines that if you try to run a Windows Server 2008 virtual machine, with beta integration components, on a Windows Server 2008 SP2 system – the virtual machine will fail to boot,” explained Ben Armstrong, a program manager on the core virtualization team at Microsoft. “Ordinarily this would not be a big issue, but the real concern is that any virtual machine created with Windows Server 2008 RTM install media will automatically have the problematic beta integration components.”

Essentially the Redmond company indicated that customers would come across the following error message when booting virtual machines that matched the description at the top of this article: “Stop: 0x0000007B (0xFFFFFA60005B69C0, 0xFFFFFFFFC0000034, 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000).” Via KB2000048, Microsoft is providing customers with a workaround to resolve this issue.

In addition, Armstrong also delivered a solution: “the best way to avoid this problem is to ensure that you install the RTM version of the Hyper-V integration components in all virtual machines prior to installing SP2 on the physical computer, and after installing SP2 you should use installation media with SP2 integrated into it to create new virtual machines.”

Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 - Five Language Standalone DVD ISO (KB948465) is available for download here.

Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 - Five Language Standalone (KB948465) is available for download here.

Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 - Five Language Standalone for x64-based systems (KB948465) is available for download here.

Softpedia

Dell Releases Alienware M17X Gaming Laptop with Dual GTX 280

2009-06-07T23:19:00.003+07:00

Dell launched the Alienware M17X “All Powerful”, a 17-inch gaming laptop PC with Nvidia’s graphics, Intel CPU technology, and a new design.

The M17X features up to dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M 1GB video cards in SLI mode and the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, upgradeable to quad-core Core 2 Quad / Extreme. Other components include up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to 1TB of hard drive space or up to 512GB of solid state drive storage, a slot-load DVD burner or Blu-ray optical disc, and an additional integrated GPU that can be used to save battery when dedicated graphics is not needed.

Display resolution options include 1440-by-900 or 1920-by-1200.

The M17X also sports stereo speakers, 5.1 surround sound audio support, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA video outputs, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Gigabit LAN, Bluetooth, four USB connectors, an eSATA/USB combo port, an ExpressCard slot, an 8-in-1 media card reader, and a FireWire port.

Design features include an anodized aluminum chassis with black and silver color options, a personalized laser engraved nameplate, backlighting for the keyboard, number pad, and touchpad, and trim lights.

Alienware’s M17X starts at 11.7 pounds with its 9-cell battery.

The basic configuration, which includes a Core 2 Duo at 2.4GHz, a GeForce GTX 260 GPU, 4GB of RAM and a 250GB HDD, is priced at $1,799. The laptop can be purchased at Dell sites.

MIO Litepad N890 Lightweight Netbook

2009-06-07T22:01:00.004+07:00

MIO release a netbook called Litepad N890 which is only 880grams and 25mm slim design lightweight body for easy portability. It’s feature with GPS receiver and MioMaps for navigation adn location based services.

Another features of MIO N890 come with rotation sensor for comfortably reading documents on the e-book viewer, ecological power management system for enhanced battery life, splash and shock proof for the rigors of daily life.

The N890 netbook come with Windows XP which is claim only 20 second quick boot, built-in 3.5G broadband, Wifi, bluetooth wireless connectivity and also you can play movies, music and photo slideshow playback. The price for MIO Litepad N890 is not available yet.

Microsoft Bing

2009-06-07T02:53:00.003+07:00

Microsoft Bing has skyrocketed to the number two position in search on the US market, surpassing Yahoo. According to statistics provided by StatCounter, Bing has climbed higher on the cadaver of Live Search in just a week after the Redmond company started the rollout worldwide than the now defunct search engine has ever managed in its years of life. Stat Counter has Bing overtaking Yahoo with a market share of 16.28%. Yahoo, the traditional runner-up to Google, has slipped into third place with a share of 10.22%, while the Mountain View search giant still accounts for 71.47%. Globally Yahoo isn't faring all that better, with a share of just 5.13%, compared to Bing's 5.62% and Google's 87.62%.

The worldwide rollout of Bing started on May 28, 2009, and ended June 3rd. On June 1st, market analysis firm Net Applications indicated that within hours of the new Microsoft search engine going live it grabbed a market share of over 6%. Undoubtedly the hype associated with the launch of the new search engine is responsible for the Bing market share explosion. It will be interesting to see whether Bing can maintain the same growth momentum, which is highly unlikely, or at least whether it will be able to convert Yahoo and Google users.

In April 2009, ahead of the launch of Bing, comScore had Google at 64.2% of the US market, Yahoo at 20.4% and Live Search at just 8.2%. For the same month Nielsen Online credited Google with 64.0% of the search engine market in the US, Yahoo with 16.3% and Live Search with 9.9%. But fact is that Yahoo represents nothing more than a stepping stone for Microsoft. Leapfrogging past Yahoo is a bitter sweet victory for the Redmond company, as with the audiences from the two search engines combined the Yahoo-Bing(Live Search) Frankenstein would have been a force worthy to challenge Google.

Once the hype will be over and the dust will have had a chance to settle on Microsoft's new search engine, only then will Bing debut on its Sisyphean journey to catch up with Google. And Google has quite a head start, since it's nothing short of synonymous with Internet search. Still, Microsoft might have a panacea for this. It is slapping a label of Information overload on all internet search before Bing via marketing, and Google is bound to be the heaviest hit.

Global availability of Acer F900 touchscreen smartphone announced

2009-06-07T02:48:00.001+07:00

Acer has finally announced global availability of their top range F900 smartphone. We had to wait for quite a long time since the first day of MWC back in the middle of February 2009 when Acer has officially announced their future smartphone range including DX900, X960, M900 and, of course, the F900. At those times we were thinking of its software features (almost all hardware specifications were announced without delay), pricing and competitors. Now we can comment on mostly everything about it.

Apple iPhone 2G (1st Generation) and 3G (2nd Generation) Compared

2009-06-07T02:39:00.001+07:00

Whether you love or hate Apple, you must admit that the iPhone revolutionized cell phones as we know them today. Before the 1st generation iPhone hit the market, the top selling phone for the past three years was the Motorola RAZR. However, not too long ago, the iPhone and Apple enjoyed monumental achievement by becoming the best selling phone in the third-quarter of 2008. It’s been almost two years since the release of the original iPhone, and only a few months ago Apple released the iPhone 3G. Both phones are still missing some basic features, but there has been an improvement in the latter version. In this article, we will cover the differences between the iPhone 2G (or first generation) iPhone and it’s newer counterpart, the iPhone 3G.

Design and Dimensions

Even though there aren’t too many differences in the exterior of the models, we are going to point them out before we get to the hardware. The screen size is exactly the same at 3.5" on both models, which provides for an ultra-clear 480×320 screen resolution. The rear of the original iPhone has a smooth metal finish with a black strip at the bottom. The front of it has a shiny metal piece that surrounds the side of the phone and ends behind the screen. The iPhone 3G has a smooth piano black or white finish. It also has the shiny metal piece around the outside of the screen. The iPhone 3G features buttons that are made from a shiny metal, excluding the home button. This gives them a sturdier feel compared to its predecessor. The shape of the 3G phone is a major difference as the original iPhone is a little thicker and completely flat when set down. The 3G has more of a round feel to it that flattens out slightly around the edges. It has been said that the screen of the 3G heats to a warmer temperature than that of the original iPhone.

Features & Technical Specifications

Once we getunder the hood, we begin to see where the 3G separates itself from it’s older brother. The iPhone 2G only supported WiFi, GSM, and Bluetooth. This means its speed surfing the Internet were quite limited. The iPhone 3G introduced 3G speeds to Apple’s flagship model, and it also supports WiFi, GSM, and Bluetooth. This makes for a better experience surfing, watching Youtube videos, and downl

oading data onto the phone from the Internet. The first generation iPhone supported the following frequencies: GSM and Quad-Band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). The iPhone 3G supports all of those frequencies, but added to the list quite a few more to enable running at 3G speeds, including UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz). The iPhone 3G also supports GPS, which was not included in the original iPhone.

Both phones have a 2M

P camera, but do not feature a video recorder. The iPhone 3G weighs 4.7 ounces compared to the 2G’s weight of 4.8 ounces (not a notable difference). The only downside to 3G capabilities is that it eats into battery life. The iPhone 2G beats out the newer version in that regard by providing up to 8 hours of talk-time compared to 5 hours with the 3G.

Bottom Line

Comparing two great phones is always hard, but Apple made a great move by creating the 3G iPhone. The iPhone 2G is impressive, but with the features the 3G provides and the transition with new phones all moving to 3G, it’s a definite requirement if Apple wants to maintain its new status as the #1 selling phone in the US.

Genius ErgoMedia 823 Laser - universal controls set

2009-06-07T02:37:00.003+07:00

Genius launches new wireless complete set – ErgoMedia 823 Laser. It includes thin wireless keyboard, ergonomic mouse and a small device working on 2,4 GHz frequency. The keyboard has 36 quick access keys. It makes working on a PC easier and comfortable. Good news for Windows Vista users. The ErgoMedia 823 Laser provides quick access to the function Flip 3D.

NEC CRV43 - curved gamers dream monitor

2009-06-07T02:37:00.001+07:00

NEC launches its newest curved gamers dream monitor. It is called CRV43. The original name of the monitor is not so simple – Ostendo CRVD-42Dwx+. The CRV43 has 2880x900 high-quality resolution screen with 10,000:1 contrast ratio. There a lot to say about technical characteristics of the CRV43 screen. Can be allocated 2 ms response time and 200cd/m2 brightness.

ASUS VX5 Lamborghini notebook

2009-06-07T02:35:00.001+07:00

ASUS officially announced its newest notebook. It is called VX5 Lamborghini. The Lamborghini is a well known the most powerful car in the world. Let’s see why the notebook is named so. The VX5 Lamborghini is powered by Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 processor and 1 TB SSD. It is good enough to win the race. But this is not all.

Sony Ericsson C901 GreenHeart ? high tech sustainable cell phone

2009-06-07T02:34:00.001+07:00

Sony Ericsson C901 Green Heart mobile phone is a high tech cell phone which makes it possible for you to define how much CO2 you save when you take a walk instead of driving a car. Sony Ericsson released its brand new Green Heart product called Sony Ericsson C901 Green Heart which appears to be the greenest product worldwide.

BlackBerry 8230 Clamshell Phone

2009-06-07T02:28:00.001+07:00

Blackberry release a clamshell phone Pearl 8230 Flips via Verizon Network with 2.0M pixel camera.

The phone has 2 high resolution display and the external display can preview your incoming message without open the phone. The QWERTY keyboard is large so you can easy to type and dial the number or text.

For multimedia features you can get media player for music, videos and pictures. MicroSD/SDHC slot card support up to 16GB, support BlackBerry Internet Service and BlackBerry Enterprice Server.

The price around $129.99 after $70 mail-in rebate with 2-year deal.

AMD Phenom II X2 550 and Athlon II X2 250 Black Edition

2009-06-07T02:26:00.001+07:00

AMD announced two new processor - AMD Athlon X2-II-250 and AMD Phenom X2 Black Edition II 550 processors. These processors right to an excellent performance, efficiency and value for money.

This processor is specially designed for the Windows 7 operating system. These processor claim can be reduce electricity consumption by 50 percent, while the basic functions or in standby mode. On the other hand, energy consumption reduced by 40 percent during the heavy workload.

The AMD Phenom Black Edition II processors, including AMD Phenom X2 II 550 can use the setting of the performance of duties, for their potential. The overclocking of the CPU time can be increased by using the capabilities of the AMD OverDrive 3.0. The AMD OverDrive 3.0 provides fast and efficient computer. The double, triple and quad-core of this issue is to exceed all expectations.

The AMD Athlon X2 II 250 pairs with the AMD chipset, an AMD platform. This platform almost twice the graphics performance over the Intel integrated graphics card. The price for both AMD processor is not available yet.

Windows 7 Features and Performance

2009-06-07T02:20:00.000+07:00

There’s much anticipation for Microsoft’s next operating system release, Windows 7. Enthusiasts are still speculating on the official launch date, and as of writing, there is no official word from Microsoft. Below is a list of new features that enthusiasts can look forward to enjoying, most of which are confirmed in the current pre-release version that is nearly at a "feature-complete" state.

User interface Features

User interface features affect nearly every user. While it is not the most important part of an OS, user interface features often go a long way towards the impression of an OS, and will likely draw many comparisons to other Microsoft operating systems. Windows 7 comes with a stylish end-user interface. You can expect icons to respond with quick animated movements, which is done to enhance the user experience. So far, compliments for the speed and ease of use of the user interface have been dominant for the new OS.

The desktop is clearly much cleaner and better organized, and comes with docking options that are similar to the Mac’s OS. New applications and improvements to existing applications have been added as well. For example, you will find the calculator to be much improved and more powerful. It supports real life conversions and calculations, like weight and length converters.

If you are in the habit of placing sticky notes all over your monitor and work area, you will surely welcome the new stick notes application that comes with the desktop. You can stick as many virtual notes on your desktop, and delete them as you work. Now your workstation will certainly look cleaner and more organized. You are also saving trees by using less paper!

A new version of Windows Media Center will also launch with this release. New gadgets are being integrated into the Media Center and Windows Explorer. Gadgets are standalone applications that sit on the desktop (some are hosted on another server). There are web gadgets, sidebar gadgets, and sideshow gadgets (run on external displays).

System Performance Features

Windows 7 now offers support for virtual hard disks and boasts improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance, improved SSD support and performance, and improved kernel performance. Obviously, performance is a key goal for Windows 7. With the current pre-release version, even at an unfinished state, it appears that Microsoft is doing extremely well in achieving this goal. The pre-release version tested is remarkably stable and offers noticeably better performance than Windows XP with the latest hardware.

If you visit the control panel, you will find that many new items are added, including Accelerators, Display Calibration Wizard, Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, and more. Windows Security Center is now known as Windows Solution Center, and it is responsible for maintaining the security of the system.

Unique Features

The touch screen feature is a new and unique feature that enables many interesting touch applications. For instance, you can have a touch app that works exactly like a keyboard. This means you can type an entire document without the use of an additional piece of hardware. You can also use this feature to play the piano or do a painting. The feature is something that has not been previously available in earlier versions of the Microsoft OS.

Other unique features include speech and hand writing recognition. Hand writing recognition technology can help convert human handwriting into digital text.

Developer Features

Developers can look forward to using a new networking API to develop SOAP based web services in native (or machine) code. There are also new features that reduce application install times. Development of installation packages is simplified in the new OS as well.

Panasonic Toughbook F8 Released and Toughbook T8 and W8 Updated

2009-06-06T20:39:00.002+07:00

Panasonic has released a new Toughbook model as well as updated two of their existing products. The new product is the Toughbook F8, while the models updated include the Toughbook W8 ultra portable laptop and the stylish Toughbook T8 tablet PC. Taking design tips from what Panasonic likes to call the "walking worker", the Toughbook T8 is definitely a contender in the notebook market, with extras such as a stylus, touch screen, and screen rotating software. With a surprisingly convenient rubber hands strap and a 12.1" tough LCD screen, the T8 sports a power saving Intel Core 2 Duo processor, is expandable to 4GB of RAM, is capable of providing 7 hours of battery life, and offers a 120GB hard drive.

It’s sister model, the Toughbook W8, has an anti-glare LCD display that is also 12.1". The main difference between the two machines is that the W8 weighs in slightly less and that the Panasonic Toughbook T8 has the ergonomic hand strap missing from the Toughbook W8. Also, the T8 includes Display Image Rotation software the W8 does not. The T8 weighs about 3.3 pounds, and the Toughbook W8 weighs in at a light 3 pounds. Both machines have exceptional battery life because of the low voltage Intel Duo Core processors utilized.

Both models come with Windows Vista Business pre-installed, but they can also be downgraded to XP if preferred. Both models also come with complete wireless capabilities, including Bluetooth. Pricing on the Toughbook notebooks starts at $2,099. For the durability and power these machines can provide, it’s well worth the money for many users.

As for the Panasonic Toughbook F8, it is proudly branded as the world’s lightest 3G-ready notebook, wielding a 14.1" wide display and an internal optical drive. The Toughbook F8 took a page out of the book of its predecessor, the T8, by adding a handle. This gives it somewhat of a small briefcase appearance when shut. It comes with a DVD burner and a 160GB hard disk drive. Selling for $2,499, the laptop could be irresistible for businesses that require Panasonic’s expertise in designing solid, reliable, and highly durable portable computers.

Logitech Z-500 Wireless Speakers

2009-06-06T20:05:00.001+07:00

Most people use laptops to gain freedom from wires and portability. While it’s true that everything is packed into a small, self-contained machine with a notebook, once you start connecting other devices, your battery life runs low, requiring the power cable, etc., sometimes it feels like we’re back to square one. Logitech recently brought out its Z-500 speakers that help clear the clutter by providing wireless enhanced audio. The Z-500 uses high-performance wireless technology so that you can place the speaker just about anywhere in the vicinity and still enjoy quality music, movies, and other multimedia. Utilizing Stereo XL technology, the Z-500 speakers automatically optimize acoustic levels to provide you a fuller, richer sound. The speakers are connected to your PC in the exact same fashion that you connect a wireless mouse - basically all you’re doing is connecting the Z-500 speakers to the computer using the wireless USB dongle that came with in the package.

If you feel like wiring the speakers up, feel free to use the included USB cable. It also comes with an auxiliary input in the form of a 3.5mm stereo jack so you can connect your iPod or other favorite MP3 player to the device. Inside the speakers is a rechargeable battery that can provide up to 12 hours of playing time from a single charge. No software is required, which makes for a ready-to-go solution out of the box. The unit comes with a protective travel case to help keep the speakers safe, whether you’re walking over to a neighbor’s or on a business flight to France.

Lenovo Ideapad S10 10″ Netbook

2009-06-06T19:52:00.001+07:00

The Lenovo Ideapad S10 is a small, efficient, and affordable laptop with a 10" diagonal screen. Smaller laptops are increasingly popular, and Lenovo's great reputation for quality laptops makes the Ideapad of particular interest. The S10 goes to the market for just $399, making it an affordable option that could be the perfect gift this holiday season.

The Ideapad S10 will be available in five colors, but currently only black and white are available. Red, blue, and pink are the other choices that will be available in the near future. The system weighs around 2.65lbs, making it an ultra-portable well-suited for businessmen, college students, or anyone else on the go. Being priced at only $399, there are, of course, some downsides such as the lower-power processor and 3-cell battery that provides for only 3 hours of usage unplugged. The low-capacity battery is used because of its size/weight so that the overall weight of the Ideapad S10 is minimized. However, we feel that Lenovo should have still offered a higher capacity battery as an upgrade option. The Ideapad keyboard also does not live up to the ThinkPad standard.

As for the notebook's performance, it uses an Intel Atom N270 processor @ 1.6 GHZ and 1 GB of DDR2 memory. It's no Alienware, but it does the job for the average user. It can handle around 6 light-weight programs and one or two heavy applications at once. Hard-core programs like Maya, Photoshop, and After-Effects might be too much for the system to handle. The small size of this laptop is something that will catch the eyes of people who love to move around, and its pricing is a great option for this holiday season.

Gadget4All Roll-up All-in-One Mouse Pad with Speaker and USB Hub

2009-06-06T19:26:00.001+07:00

Are your desktop and/or work area cluttered with adapters, wires, and all sorts of junk? Even if the answer is no, the Gadget4All all-in-one mouse pad can improve organization and offer more functionality for anyone that currently uses a mouse pad. Combo gadgets are usually a good thing - they save space, offer more functionality, and when they're designed properly, can be an item of beauty. Similar to the SourcingMap All-in-One Music Mouse Pad, Gadget4All recently designed a new combo gadget disguised in the form of a mouse pad. Gadget4All's all-in-one mouse pad consists of built-in speakers, 4 USB ports, a 3.5mm audio port, and a speaker in port so that you can connect your iPod, Zune, or other MP3 player. The roll-up capability makes it perfect for use when traveling. As already mentioned, combo gadgets are great, but for only $22, this combo gadget should be of particular interest