>>>>>>>Latest Gadgets<<<<<<<

Ascom launches i75 WiFi Messenger Phone

2008-07-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

Ascom Wireless has launched its latest phone, named the i75 Messenger under its WiFi portfolio. The company has developed the handset to offer high-speed wireless connection for its corporate network.

Targeted at consumers who are working within hotels, retail industry as well as the office environments, the i75 claims to efficiently provide versatile telephony with advanced messaging functionality and push-to-talk feature.

The other specification of the Ascom i75 Messenger is the ability to communicate with a comprehensive range of external sources and be compliant with a professional Messaging.

“Ascom has a unique position on the WiFi market with the i75 Protector (launched 2006) and now we are very proud to release yet another handset; the i75 Messenger

Noise-Cancellation Headphones

2008-07-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

Escape the noisy world and enter a serene state of listening with a pair of technologically advanced, noise-cancellation headphones. Small microphones actively pick up surrounding lower-frequency noise and help emit anti-noise sound waves that can reduce ambient noise substantially. By using headphones that are designed to reduce background noise, silence will become stronger and the quality of sound will be significantly enhanced. The headphones are sleek, fashionable, and incredibly comfortable and can be used at home, in the office, on an airplane, etc. Memory foam ear cups are ergonomically shaped for maximum comfort and are flexible enough to fit heads of all shapes and sizes. The headphones can even fold up to fit in a durable, protective travel case. Other items included are an airline adapted plug and a five-foot power cord for recharging.

Microsoft Fingerprint Reader

2008-07-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

Model No.
New Microsoft Fingerprint Reader (Vista Compatible)
General
Now you can log on to your PC and your favorite Web sites with the touch of your finger, without having to remember all those passwordssimply place your finger on the receiver whenever a password or username is required.
Log On
Log On with your fingers. Say goodbye to passwords-now you can log on to your favorite Web sites with your fingerprint.
Connectivity
An available universal serial bus (USB) port
System Requirements
45 MB of available hard disk space
Warranty
One Year Manufacturers Warranty

Apple iPhone launched

2008-06-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

Music , Net access, email and a camera. This is the iPhone for you. Ending months of speculation, the iPhone has been unveiled by Apple finally. The iPhone, which is just 11.6 millimetres thick, and with no conventional buttons, uses a large touch-screen. According to Apple Chief Steve Jobs, the gadget is all set to reinvent telecommunications.

The tech major is all set to display the iPhone for sale in the US in June. It is expected to cost just under 250 pounds. Europe will see the iPhone on the racks late this year.

Termed as a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone, according to the Apple boss.He says that the iPhone uses the user’s fingers to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse.

Running on the Mac OS X operating system, it will display album artwork on its 3.5in screen when being used for music. Doubling up as a music and video iPod, it offers new services such as visual voicemail, which shows users a list of their messages so they can go straight to the ones they want to listen to most, said reports on the iPhone. A full touch keyboard is available for text messaging and there is a built in a two-megapixel camera.

We expect that you can pre-order Apple iPhone from amazon or other shopping websites by April-May 2007June.

Panasonic launched The World Smallest Camcorder

2008-06-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

When Camcorder joins our daily life, capture all our precious moments, even company us traveling around the world however because of the size of the oldies camcorder which was big, we got trouble in taking care of it. However now, Panasonic launched SDR-S10 “The World Smallest Camcorder” measures 1.2 x 2.5 x 4.5 inches, 10x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD. With the ability to record on SD/SDHC format, Panasonic reveal that a 4GB SDHC memory card will allows 100 minutes recording time whereas the 2GB SDHC memory card will allows 50 minutes recording time. SDR-S10 designed in a stylish look, easy shooting that allows you to shoot your precious moment comfortably in the palm of your hand. Watch the stunning pic of the smalles camcorder after the break.
Unfortunately no word on the price of SDR-S10 however it will be available on Europe around the beginning of this May.

Pillete-Bluetooth

2008-06-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

Pillete, the new concept of Bluetooth headset is so tiny, it’s almost invisible to the untrained eye when you are wearing it. So you don’t have to worry anymore about looking like Robocop when walking down the street with it, but you have to consider the possibility of people starting to think you’ve lost your marbles and you’re talking to yourself.

The downside is the fact that people have different sized ears and the device might be to small and slip out or to big and not fit. People who often use earphones will tell you I’m right. But once they’ll figure out a way to make the Pillete adjustable, this design will be the future of all headsets.

S3000, A6000 & M8000 Pavilion Slimline by HP

2008-06-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

Three new models of desktop PC series have been launched into the market by HP. The three models of the Pavilion Slimline series are s3000, a6000 and m8000. The first one comes with 1GB of RAM, and you can pick either a AMD CPU or an Intel CPU, but for the later you have to pay an extra 50$. If not you can buy it for 500$. The PC can be set with a low graphic card, maybe a TV tuner and a Pocket Media Drive.

You can buy the a6000 at a lower price then the s3000. It’s just 330$ but you would be throwing off some memory because it has only 512 MB of RAM. But the bright side is that it comes with an Intel CPU, a Pocket Media Drive and a graphics card. But the “jewel of the crown” is the m8000. And the price says so to. At 950$ it has a DVD drive and again you can pick between a dual core AMD or Intel processor. All three models have Windows Vista preinstalled.

Vibro Shape belt vibrates your fat off

2008-06-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

There is always some latest and greatest scam to help you lose weight, and some do work, they just rid you of every important nutrient your body needs. However, others you spend money on and they vibrate your fat and that’s where it ends. Over the years I swear there have been hundreds of these things under all different names and with all different looks. All claiming to just “melt” the fat right off of you. I’m sorry, I have never seen fat melt off, but I would most definitely pay to see it. Sadly, I don’t think vibrating your stomach is going to do the trick.

I hate the gym just as much as many do, but I’d rather pay for a gym membership than waste money on products with big promises that never work. Just in case you do want to try one out and make everyone else around you try it as well, you can buy these in bulk or individually from Chinavasion. If you buy 5 or more it will cost you $26.10 a piece or to just buy one it’s $27.19. It might work though, after all it is a “professional grade” belt.

APPLE NEW CREATION

2007-05-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

Apple has just announced the availability of its iPod Shuffle music player in five different colors. As pictured above, the small trendy clip player will be available in colors of green, pink, orange, blue and silver. The Shuffle has a storage capacity of 1GB and costs $79.

Philips Unveils iPod Dock Station

2007-05-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

Philips has introduced a new iPod-compatible multimedia player. According to the company the device was designed to be used in the kitchen and can be mounted under any cabinet.
The Philips DCD778 is a Docking Entertainment System. It's equipped with an 8.5-inch widescreen LCD display and is capable of playing audio and video from an iPod, DVD, (S) VCD, MP3-CD, CD (RW) and Picture CD. The system offers a built-in ATSC/NTSC TV tuner, digital AM/FM tuner, a pair of 2-inch speakers, cooking timer with a clock and it also has a wireless remote.

Philips claims the DCD778 Dock Station is compatible with fourth and fifth-generation iPods, iPod minis, and iPod nanos. It will be available in the US towards the end of the month and priced at $400.

Corsair Voyager 16GB PEN DRIVE

2007-05-07T02:50:00.000-07:00

From USB sticks to MP3 players to memory cards there’s flash memory everywhere. I still remember about 5 years ago, Buffalo had launched its 1GB pen drive in Japan for an Indian equivalent of Rs. 11,000. Now you get the same for 400 rupees! Such is the level of adoption and demand which has risen exponentially over past few years.

We have with us Corsair’s 16 GB pen drive. Corsair falls in to the top tier of memory manufacturers along with being one of the few manufacturers that offer enthusiast level system memory for desktops. 16GB of space on the Corsair drive is the highest available capacity for pen drives. The drive is not only high on storage but is also rugged and splash resistant. Let’s have a closer look.

Samsung Launches New S60 Smartphone

2007-05-07T02:41:00.000-07:00

Samsung has launched a new smartphone using Symbian Operating system at a summit in Madrid, Spain – The SGH-i400

The i400 is a slim slider phone with a large 2.3-inch 262K QVGA TFT display. Having a Symbian OS it's capable of supporting various third party applications like most S60 smartphones. It also offers various language support and multi-tasking features. The i400 also supports web 2.0 browsing and A2DP Bluetooth compatibility and is also equipped with a 2-megapixel camera, music player and dual stereo speakers. It also has a memory expansion slot for MicroSD. The i400 weighs in at 92 grams.S.P. Yoon, Vice President of Samsung’s Telecommunications Network Business said, "We are happy to introduce our new Symbian based smartphone SGH-i400 which follows the earlier release of SGH-i520, the first Symbian OS smartphone. We can provide a convenient mobile phone experience for our users by adopting Symbian S60." He added, "Samsung is excited to present new smartphones to our customers around the world, and we will continue to reveal new models to fit our customers' needs."

The i400 will be launched in Russia somewhere in July 2007 and then move on to European countries a bit later.

3GSM: Toshiba G900, E01 WinMo Smartphone

2007-05-07T02:27:00.000-07:00

As expected, Toshiba has dropped a couple of WinMo handsets here at 3GSM. They do run Windows Mobile 6, which didn't seem likely a week ago.

The G900 is a tri-band HSDPA handset with a K-JAM style slide out keypad. The phone rocks a 3-inch, 800x480 (WVGA) display, a 2 megapixel camera, a secondary camera for video calling, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB On-The-Go (interesting), around 64MB of internal memory with a miniSD memory card slot etc.

Motorola Technicolor Phones

2007-05-06T02:19:00.000-07:00

So, kind of out of the blue Motorola has launched some products at CommunicAsia2006 today. Included in the launch are the appealing W375 (pictured) and the W208. These small and low-end cameras weigh only 3 ounces and the W375 includes a VGA camera and FM radio, and the W208 has the FM radio, but no camera. Motorola is taking a page out of, uh, their own book and continuing with a smooth and slim design similar to the PEBL and RAZR. These two models of phones should be coming stateside later this year.

Motorola also unveiled quite a few other goodies, including a portable Bluetooth car kit, portable power pack, SoundPilot Bluetooth Stereo controller, more PEBL colors and some other average candybar phones. Hit the linkage for full details on all of the releases.

Sony Playstation 3

2007-05-06T01:34:00.000-07:00

Sony Computer Entertainment, the company that redefined the entertainment lifestyle with its release of the PlayStation2, is set to launch its long-awaited next-generation platform.
The media format the game is stored on is called the Blue-ray. A Blue-ray disc is five times more in storage capacity compared to the conventional DVDs, where a single-layer disc can hold up to 25 GB and 50 GB on a dual-layer disc. Also, its Blue-ray drive has backward compatibility with current CD and DVD formats. That means PlayStation and PlayStation2 titles can be played on this drive, as well as ordinary CDs and DVDs.

SPECIFICATIONS

CPU: Cell Broadband Engine
GPU: RSX

Memory: 256MB XDR
Main RAM 256M
GDDR3 VRAM

HDD: 2.5” Serial SATA 20 GB (or 60 GB – available only for $599 configuration)

I/O: USB 2.0 x 4
Memory Stick/SD/CompactFlash Slots (available only for $599 configuration)

COMMUNICATION:
Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)
IEEE 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi (available only for $599 configuration)
Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)
Wireless Controller Bluetooth (up to 7)

iRiver Clix

2007-05-06T01:04:00.000-07:00

The iRiver Clix is a fairly straightforward media player. Its physical dimensions are 2.7 x 1.8 x 0.6 inches and it weighs a feather-light 2.5 ounces. The chassis sports a sleek black front bezel with silver sides and back. The front face plate is actually a four-way rocker button, almost resembling a touch screen. Other controls are neatly laid out on the sides of the player. Connectors and interfaces are also found on the sides: the Clix has the standard issue USB 2.0 port, a proprietary connector for the optional Clix cradle, stereo headphones, and battery charger. The Clix utilizes flash storage to store data, music, and videos. The player is available in 512 Mb, 1 Gb, and 2 Gb options.

For audio file support, the Clix supports MP3 and Microsoft WMA up to a maximum of 320 Kbps bitrate, and Ogg Vorbis files up to Q10 encoding quality. For video, the Clix can play MPEG-4 SP (Simple Profile) files up to a maximum of 15 frames-per-second, and Macromedia Flash movies. For pictures, non-progressive JPEG files can be viewed. A handy additional feature is the built-in FM tuner with the standard frequency range of 87.5 – 108.0 Mhz. The unit uses the earphone cable was an antenna. Also, the Clix can play simple Flash-based programs, commonly games.

On the output side, the display on the Clix is a bright, little 2.2 inch LCD screen. For a low resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, it's surprisingly sharp, and it can display up to 262,000 vivid colors. The audio output features 10 built-in equalizer settings with the ability to store customized EQ settings. The Clix also supports SRS WOW surround sound.

The Clix also integrates support for an upcoming online music joint venture between Microsoft and MTV. Called the Urge service, it aims to provide similar services to the Apple iTunes Music Store. When playing a song that the user doesn't own yet, the Clix provides a way to mark a song for purchase, and the next time the Clix is hooked up to a PC with Internet access, it automatically downloads the necessary “rights” to own the song.

BLACKBERRY 71OO

2007-05-06T00:57:00.000-07:00

The Blackberry 7100 series of smartphones has a more phone-like form complete with their new 20-key QWERTY keypads. With these features and more, the Blackberries are now too much of a temptation even for the most adamant to stick to their mobile phones especially those who blacklisted the Blackberry because it was too boxy for a cellular-wireless handheld to their face.

But don’t be easily turned off by the 7100’s design, there’s a logic to every curve and line. For instance, its shrunken 20-key keyboard is equipped with a SureType software that allows you to type nearly as naturally as the QWERTY keyboard. The 7100 still has its traditional thumbwheel and Back button for navigation. However, this time, in this series, there is an addition of Send/End keys which are designed for more data. And this time, you are virtually accessible as all 7100s are now quad-band with 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS phones that functions worldwide for voice and data anywhere. With this, you can now do e-mails, SMS, and basically any Web-based operations with the handset. Like the other BlackBerries, the 7100 allows you to send and receive your e-mail from up to ten separate accounts and delivered promptly as soon as it hits your ISP or server. Along with this, you can also have usual serving of Blackberry applets like their crafty calendar, phone book, to-do’s and notebook.

For a complete functionality of the BlackBerry series, dig on a healthy serving below with the following features:

* Bluetooth hands-free headset and car kit support
* GPS-enabled for location-based services
* Large, bright, high resolution color LCD screen optimized for both indoor and outdoor use
* Access up to 10 supported business and/or personal email accounts
* Speakerphone
* SureType™ technology, which combines a traditional phone keypad and familiar QWERTY keyboard
* MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) allows you to combine text and images in a single message
* Polyphonic ring tones to give your handset a distinctive personality
* Integrated attachment viewing for popular file formats
* 64 MB of memory
* Dedicated send and end keys

Deal Of The Day: 37-Inch Sharp AQUOS HDTV

2007-05-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

Looking for a 1080p (1920×1080) HDTV? Here’s a nice deal for you, a stylish 37-inch Sharp AQUOS LC-37GP1U LCD HDTV at only US$1,429.99. Throw in the US$136 shipping charge and it becomes US$1,565.99. Still, a wee bit cheaper than Amazon’s US$1,799.

Features:

Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) Resolution.
Vyper Drive game mode eliminates perceptible lag between game console and display on the TV.
Side terminals enable easy access to game connections.
Custom remote control includes special Game button for quickly jumping to the side terminals and activating the Vyper Drive mode.
10,000:1 (32″) / 8500:1 (37″) Dynamic Contrast Ratio and 6ms response time.
Three HDMI Inputs and dual component. All are compatible with 1080p sources.
Wide Viewing Angles (176°H x 176°W).
OPC Function automatically alters brightness to adjust to changing room conditions.
High Brightness (450 cd/m2).
Built-in ATSC / QAM / NTSC Tuners provide access to DTV and analog TV channels.

Nikon Updates D40 With 10.2-Megapixel D40x

2007-05-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

It has only been about four months since Nikon introduced the entry-level D40 digital SLR. But Nikon’s updating it anyway with the new D40x.

Differences:

6-megapixel to 10.2-megapixel
Range of ISO setting starts at 100 instead of 200
2.5fps to 3fps
1/200 flash sync speed, down from 1/500

Looks like the slightly higher price than D40 won’t get you much of an upgrade. Forum discussions have shown that most people would rather pay a little more and get a D80 instead.

The D40x will be available next month for US$729.95 for the body only, or US$799.95 for the package including its 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S lens

Sony Ericsson W580: Walkman Phone With Pedometer

2007-05-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

Yet another new slider in Sony Ericsson’s line of Walkman phones. The W580 comes in two colors, Style White and Urban Grey. The most interesting feature of this phone is perhaps the built-in pedometer, which allows you to track your steps, calories, and monitor your running speed/distance/time.

Other features:

2.0-megapixel camera
2.0″ QVGA 262K TFT screen
Network: EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
Stunning light effects along the sides
Comes with a 512 MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™)
Weight: 94g (3.31oz)
Size: 99 x 47 x 14 mm (3.89 x 1.85 x 0.55 in)

Strangely, the W580 will hit States shores first instead of Europe’s. No word on the price, but availability will be Q3 this year.

LinkSys Wireless-N Broadband Router WRT 300N

2007-05-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Linksys.com has launched the magnificant Wireless-N Networking product which can connect you to the world more faster.The product name is WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband Router and it handles voice,Internet and entertainment upto 12 times faster, and 4 times more range than the Standard Wireless-G works.It best suits for larger homes and home offices making it totally a wireless zone.The MIMO technology creates robust signal and is a 3in1 product.
With a built in 4 Port 10/100 Switch you can share your high speed internet connection connected via DSL. All the data is also encoded to ensure maximum security upto 256bit Encryption levels combined with a inbuilt firewall to protect your computers from intruders and attacks. Now you can use this product to run applications like games, streaming video’s , VOIP etc on a wireless mode.

320GB USB 2.0 External Hard drive from lomega

2007-05-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

IOmega Silver series introduces the 320GB USB 2.0 based External Hard disk drive which is most affordable way to store upto 12,80,000 photo images, 5900 Hours long music or 500 hours of video. This external drive is pre formatted and is ready to use, you just need to plugin it via the USB and its plug and play so ready to use once connected via the USB which can also be used as a hot swappable disk.

The speed of the disk is 7200 RPM with a 2MB Cache and sleek design which makes it look more better.Its originally manufactured in China and shipped all over the world.

The market price of this 320GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive is in the range of 105$ to 160$ based on the sellers.

Nokia 888 - A new Concept Mobile

2007-05-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

his is a new concept mobile communication device which looks funny but is a serious thingy newly released in the mobile world. A new launch by Nokia, this slim paper-like phone has a lot of features which people just used to imagine about.
The piece is designed by “Tamer Nakisci”, who has already won “The Nokia Benelux Design Awards” and now is a jury member of Apple iCan 06.

The phone is completely flexible and can be carried any where and in any form. It can be bended in any shape, or can be rolled up round the wrist, or if at all you are not comfortable with this, then you can just use the phone as a clip for your shirt. Never ever was there a concept of this kind… and is already in huge demands prior to the release of this piece.

This phone can change it’s own shape whenever you need to talk like a normal phone. Talk without words, but with emotions which can be sent and recieved by other Nokia 888 users.
Things like liquid battery, speech recognition, flexible touch screen, touch sensitive body cover and extremely new ones into the world of Nokia Mobiles.
The color can be changed along with the shape of the phone. What else you need? Everything is unique and new… so you will really enjoy using it… not just a mobile, but it is Fun!

Nokia N 76 Review

2007-05-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

Nokia N 76 is the latest addition to the hugely popular Nokia N-series phones. This stylish phone comes with mind blowing features which are bound to capture the imagination of the die-hard Nokia users. It is an intelligently designed phone has all the ingredients to be accepted by the high-end mobile users. This sleek phone is bound to create some ripples among the high-end mobile enthusiasts worldwide.

Nokia N76 has unique features like quick cover keys which allow playing of music and taking pictures without opening the phone, ambient light detector for optimizing operating times etc. This phone retains all the features of the Nokia N-series phones plus a lot more. Like all other N-Series phones Nokia N76 too comes with entertaining functions. The large screen of Nokia N76 enables the users to browse the web world with that much ease. It has an inbuilt memory of up to 26 MB which can be expanded up to 2 GB with the use of Micro SD card.

Nokia N76 comes with an integrated 2 mega pixel camera with up to 20 X digital zoom and image resolution of up to 1600X1200 pixels. It also has an integrated Flash. Video calling and video sharing are two of the exciting features of Nokia N76. It can also be effectively used for video streaming, storing and downloading. Videos are captured in QVGA resolution camera and can playback up to 15 fps with up to 4X digital zoom. This makes taking videos a sheer pleasure.

Nokia N76 is also multimedia enabled with an integrated FM radio. It also has an integrated music player which has unique equalizer and play list feature and which supports the MP3 format with many other popular formats. The Real Player Media player of Nokia N76 has many features to excite the potential buyers. Multimedia files can be easily downloaded with this smart phone. The wide screen of the phone enables the users to view the downloaded and recorded video clips in larger size. This enhances the viewing pleasure of the users.

Nokia N 76 support various email protocols such as SMTP, IMAP4, and POP3. This is apart from the regular features such as Chatting, MMS, Picture messaging etc. Other common Nokia features include calculator, voice recorder, Bluetooth, integrated hands free speakers etc. With Nokia N76, it is also possible to video conference. It is also possible to use software like Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. Nokia N76 has a talk time of up to 2.75 hours and a standby time of up to 8.5 days. It comes with a standard Li-ion 700 mAh battery.

Nokia N76 is expected to maintain the popularity of the Nokia N Series mobile phones. It is stunning looking phone loaded with tremendous features.

Microsoft Role Complicates '$100 Laptop'

2007-05-05T03:41:00.000-07:00

One of the most ambitious aspects of the ''$100 laptop'' project for schoolchildren in developing countries is the machines' open-source software platform, designed to be intuitive for kids.

That's why many people were taken aback last week when the founder of the nonprofit laptop project, Nicholas Negroponte, announced that buyers of the machine will be able to add Windows, the ultimate in proprietary software.

However, Microsoft Corp. says it's uncertain whether it can fit Windows on the laptops. Will Poole, who heads Microsoft's emerging-markets group, says the limited storage space (recently upped to 1 gigabyte of flash memory) and other original elements on the One Laptop Per Child program's ''XO'' computer aren't welcoming for Windows.

''I don't know how to get the thing to run on less than 2 gigs,'' he said. Plus, at least 10 custom drivers—which tell an operating system how to interact with hardware—need to be designed, Poole said.

Why does this matter? Because One Laptop Per Child is still negotiating with several governments to finalize orders for at least 3 million of the machines, the level at which the project's mass-distribution plans kick in.

And with the computers' price now up to $175 ($100 is the long-term goal), some officials might want Windows as a potential backup if the machines' alternative interface doesn't capture children's fancy as envisioned.

''We have had requests from government officials who are looking at that device, to ask us if it can run Windows,'' Poole said.

Negroponte seemed to deliver a definitive yes to that question. ''We will run Windows,'' he said last week. Asked for elaboration, a spokesman for Negroponte wrote in an e-mail. ''He was stating a fact—not a hope or a desire.''

But Poole said the answer should have been maybe. ''I cannot make any promises,'' he said. ''There's work still to be done. People should not bank on having Windows.''

For his part, Negroponte wasn't touting Windows itself as much as user choice. He stressed the educational theories behind his project's original interface, which is open-source so as to let children tinker with it. He also said government ministers had not really been asking him about Windows on the machines, citing Egpyt as a rare exception. But he acknowledged that the potential to run Windows could reduce the risk for some buyers.

''He's playing to some purchasing minister somewhere,'' said Wayan Vota, who directs the Geekcorps international tech-development organization and follows the laptop project closely at his OLPCNews blog. Vota added that he hopes no XO buyers switch to Windows, because he believes Microsoft's software would be unable to utilize many of XO's innovations, including its radical power-saving capabilities and wireless networking functions.

MiniDV Camcorders Under Rs. 20,000

2007-05-05T02:54:00.000-07:00

With the vacation season just around the corner, now would be a good time to buy all the gear you need, including the camcorder. But at the same time you definitely don't want to go overboard and spend a bomb on a vacation camcorder and be low on the dough for the rest of your vacation now, do you?

That's why we've compiled a list of some great camcorders under Rs. 20,000 that will fit any budget size, even if its as low as Rs. 13,000. All the cameras in the category use the MiniDV medium, as its still the most economical medium in camcorders out there. So here goes...

Panasonic NV-GS27EThis entry level camcorder may not be too hot on features, but it can surely shoot a good home/vacation video. You may not find a lot of manual options in here, but considering the market segment its aimed at, a casual user probably wouldn't have used those features to begin with.

Though personally I would've appreciated the inclusion of a widescreen shooting mode, I guess its not that big a loss as widescreen displays are still a niche in comparison. Still, considering you're getting 30X optical zoom, a good amount of shooting presets, and good quality video recording, I'll say it's a steal at Rs. 13,000.

Sony Handycam DCR-HC36If its manual option you're looking for in an entry level camcorder, then the Handycam DCR-HC36 might just be the thing for you. It features a complete manual exposure mode, shooting presets like portrait and landscape as well as a NightShot plus mode that uses an infrared lamp to record in pitch black conditions. The touch-screen interface makes accessing all these options a lot easier.

On the downside, you may want to carry a spare battery with you, considering that the camera may give you around an hours worth of recording before running out of juice, and the still images are sized at a mere VGA (640x480) resolution. But then again, what more do you expect from a Rs. 15,000 camcorder?

CeBIT 2007: Sandisk Offers MicroSD Cards For Mobiles

2007-05-05T02:12:00.000-07:00

SanDisk has introduced SanDisk Mobile Premier, a new line of performance-oriented microSD memory cards aimed specifically at the mobile phone market.
The cards allow consumers to transfer content to and from their mobile phones as well as increase storage for videos, music, ring tones, digital images and other files. Also, SanDisk Mobile Premier cards feature SanDisk's TrustedFlash technology, which allows network operators to sell premium content that can be downloaded directly to mobile phones, stored on the cards and played on other TrustedFlash-enabled devices authorized by the network provider.

SanDisk Mobile Premier microSD cards will be offered in 1- and 2-gigabyte (GB) capacities, with suggested retail prices of $53.00 and $82.00, respectively. The fingernail-size cards, which come with an adapter to fit standard SD card slots, are slated to be available this spring at many of the more than 200,000 stores worldwide where SanDisk products are sold.

"This year, according to analysts' projections, nearly half of all mobile phones sold are expected to have card slots, and the microSD has become the preferred format for manufacturers." said Jeff Kost, vice president and general manager of the Mobile Consumer Solutions division at SanDisk.

Using a card reader or cable attached to a PC, consumers can side-load music tracks, images and videos to/from a SanDisk Mobile Premier card more rapidly than with a standard card. Read/write speeds are 10 and 9 megabytes (MB) per second, respectively.

All SanDisk Mobile Premier cards are based on the TrustedFlash platform, which can allow users to play back premium content on any TrustedFlash enabled device within the network. Mobile network operators and other content providers can use TrustedFlash technology to produce preloaded memory cards as well as store content, such as music and ring tones, that is purchased online.

The TrustedFlash platform can be used in flash memory cards, USB flash drives and mobile phone SIM cards. It provides security solutions for digital entertainment and e-commerce applications, as well as for enterprise and personal data.

Canvas M to Launch Coloured Notes in India

2007-05-05T02:08:00.000-07:00

Canvas M, a joint venture between Tech Mahindra Ltd. and Motorola Inc., said on Thursday it will launch colored notes, a mobile phone messaging application, in India in six months.

It said it was also working on mobile wallet application that allows payment of bills by passing handsets over scanners at cash registers, replacing plastic cards.

Coloured notes, which will enable senders to animate their text messages via emoticons that will read them out to receivers, may become Canvas M's first commercial application to be launched in India since its formation around six months back.

Canvas M declined to name the telecom players who will provide the service.

"I can't tell you the names of the customers as these are path breaking things by which they create brands for themselves," Tech Mahindra President C.P. Gurnani told reporters at the inauguration of its innovation centre in Noida.

Canvas M said it was also doing mobile phone content delivery trials in Europe, mobile TV trials in Hong Kong and the mobile phone commercial application trials in the United States.

Veritronix Offers Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Speakers

2007-05-05T01:57:00.000-07:00

Bluetooth has been making data transfer a really easy task for a long time now. But of course it's not merely used just for that purpose but as a form of connectivity as well with other devices that support it. Veritronix has recently announced the release of the VX-818 Bluetooth speakers that are only 0.5-inches thick.The VX-818 can connect to any and all Bluetooth enabled devices to be used as a speaker or hands-free for a mobile as it also has a built in microphone. Besides just being able to connect to the speakers via Bluetooth, Veritronix has also made provisions for the VX-818 to be utilized via miniUSB or standard 3.5mm audio jacks or even line-in and line-out jacks. The device is also equipped with touch sensitive controls and a 650mAH Li-ion battery. The three buttons on the device are for volume and connecting to devices or answering and ending calls.

The Veritronix Vx-818 is currently being displayed at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, but no prices or dates of availability have been disclosed yet.

Reliance Announces Ultra-Budget Handsets

2007-05-05T01:55:00.000-07:00

Reliance Communications has announced its Classic range of handsets with prices starting from Rs. 777.
The Classic 202 is available for Rs 777, Classic 203 and Classic 204 are available at Rs. 888 and Rs. 844 respectively. But this offer will be valid for a limited period and till stocks last.

S.P. Shukla, president, Personal Business, Reliance Communications said, "Through our new Classic range of feature rich handsets, we are confident of extending the benefits of mobility to an entirely new segment of population in metros, small cities as well as rural hinterland of India. Now first time cellular subscribers in India can straightaway go for Reliance Classic handsets rather than buying a second hand phone".

The Classic range of handsets includes Color-FM series, Color display and Black and White display handsets and are supported by a nationwide after sales service network. All Classic handsets are now SIM enabled which allow easy changeover from one model to another while retaining the Reliance SIM card.

Nokia Launches 7 New Phones For India

2007-05-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

Nokia has launched a total of 7 phones at an event held in Delhi. They claim the models are perfect for markets like India and that the phones cater to almost all the basic functions and features relevant to the consumers in these markets.

"India is very important to Nokia and to the global mobile communications industry as a whole," says Soren Petersen, Senior Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia. "One of the fastest growing markets in the world, India is also home to several Nokia facilities, including R&D and manufacturing. We're very proud to be part of their growth."

The new products announced today include:

Nokia 2505
The 2505 is another flip phone but it's specifically released for the CDMA market. It has a smooth back finish that makes it easy to hold and carry around. It has a 65K color display and comes with pre-loaded games, ringtones and wallpapers and you can also download new ones if you prefer. It also has the basic features like text messaging, speakerphone, calendar, a personalized voice reminder and an alarm clock. The 2505 also has a 300-contact phonebook and it claims to be capable of providing around 3 hours of talk time and 156 hours of stand-by time. The price has not been disclosed but the model should be available somewhere in the second quarter of 2007.