Sony PS3 Prices Slashed

Posted on July 9, 2007 by A.J.

PS3 ConsoleFrom the looks of my last few posts, you would have thought this was an iPhone blogging site. Sorry about that folks. Let’s get back into the groove with another subject shall we?

For those of us smart people who have stuck it out and waited for a price drop, this is our time to shine! Sony is dropping it’s price of it’s current 60 GB PlayStation 3 by $100 in the U.S.

PS3 still costs twice as much as the Nintendo Wii console which is around $250 at the current time.

To throw salt in the wounds of Sony, Microsoft is expected to respond by cutting for the first time, the price of the Xbox 360.

Sony is introducing a new version of the PS3 featuring an 80-gigabyte hard drive and a copy of “Motorstorm,” an off-road racing game that has already sold over a million copies. The new model will sell for $600 and is aimed at gamers who expect to download a lot of games and other content from Sony’s online network.

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IPhone Not Quite Living Up To The Hype

Posted on July 9, 2007 by A.J.

Okay, this is my third straight entry on the iPhone. I have to apologize for those of you who are sick and tired of hearing about the iPhone. Anyway, I stumbled upon an article this morning stating the issues (more like gripes) about this device.

According to CNET.com, the iPhone is considered an easy-to-use, sleek interface, top-notch music and video functions all in a nice pretty design, however they don’t consider it to be living up to the hype.

After all this is a phone we’re talking about and there are a host of missing features, sluggish EDGE network and variable call quality which left them wanting more from the iPhone.

To scroll through long lists, such as the phone book or music playlists CNET found it somewhat tedious. Flicking your finger up or down will move you part of the way through a list, but you cannot move directly to the bottom or top of the list. The lack of buttons requires a lot of tapping to move about the interface.

The keyboard is pretty much accurate, however it has a long way to go to achieve greatness. When typing an email or text message the keyboard is displayed only when you hold the iPhone vertically. As a result, the CNET reviewer could only type comfortably with one finger, which really cut down on typing speed. Plus basic punctuation such as periods and commas are on a secondary keyboard which was annoying.

There’s more to the CNET review in which you can check out here.

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IPhone Makes It’s Debut In Stores Today

Posted on June 29, 2007 by A.J.

Apple StoreHalleluiah, maybe Apple, Inc.‘s iPhone hype will start to fade a little now that some of us have gotten our hands on one. Gadget junkies lined up today to hopefully pick up one of the long awaited electronic device in years.

Apple stores in New York saw crowds of over 600 people and several dozen customers at AT&T stores — the phone’s exclusive wireless carrier for the next two years.

In San Francisco about 200 people stood outside an outlet. One customer mentioned that most of the phones out there today are garbage. He had been through several phones, even the expensive phones. He also claims that the iPhone is different and that it’s the latest toy so he had to get one.

For those of you who have been living under a rock the past 6 months or so, the iPhone melds a phone, Web browser and media player all in one device. Technology gurus say that the iPhone is a “breakthrough” device but are concerned about the smooth touch-screen interface instead of a keyboard.

In any case, if trends continue to go towards smart phones, I think the iPhone will be very successful seeing that it has just about everything users like (except the computing power of some smart phones that are already out there). All I have to say is to those who really want the iPhone — Good luck getting your hands on one and get ready to dig deep into your wallets for activation, monthly fees and oh yeah, the $499 sticker price on the 4GB model and the $599 price on the 8GB model. You’re looking at around $1400 for a two-year required service contract. IPhone away everyone!

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IPhone Requires iTunes For Activation

Posted on June 14, 2007 by A.J.

Consumers planning to buy the iPhone when it goes on sale in the U.S. later this month will need to have an iTunes Store account before they can activate the device, according to information on Apple’s Web site.

A Separate Deal from Cell

Apple will require customers to establish a separate account with its online media service in addition to one with AT&T Wireless Services, which has signed an exclusive U.S. distribution deal for the iPhone.

The move will allow Apple to create its own billing relationship with iPhone customers, rather than collecting payments for any iTunes purchases they make via the mobile operator.

The iPhone is due to go on sale in the U.S. on June 29. The company has announced plans for a European release in the fourth quarter of the year but has yet to provide details, such as whether the European version will operate on 3G (third-generation) networks.

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Kodak Claims New Low-Light Filter Will Capture Crisp Clear Images

Posted on June 14, 2007 by A.J.

Kodak employee holding up a next generation color filterDon’t get too excited, this new technology is not out for the mainstream market yet. However this is pretty good news for photographers and photo enthusiasts. Eastman Kodak Co. said it has developed a color-filter technology that at least doubles the sensitivity to light of the image sensor in every digital camera, enabling you shutterbugs out there to take better pictures in poor light.

Kodak expects to provide samples of its new technology to a variety of camera manufacturers in the first quarter of 2008. This new technology is likely to be incorporated first in mass-market point-and-shoot cameras and camera-equipped mobile phones beginning sometime next year.

Usually new technology like this goes into the high-end products then trickle down, however the low end cameras can benefit from this more and there’s a huge market for camera phones to have better sensitivity in low light.

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Alienware Introduces Ultimate HD Entertainment Center, Hangar18

Posted on June 8, 2007 by A.J.

Hangar18

I gleefully recently received an email from Alienware (I’m on their mailing list) and was floored when I saw the Hangar18. This is the ultimate in DVR/Computing technology? With Alienware’s Hangar18, you can watch, pause, and record your movies, TV shows, photos and internet videos on your widescreen TV in high definition. You’re probably saying to yourself, I’ve already have a DVR that does this. Wait, there’s more!

You can even listen to your favorite songs and artists with Hangar18′s onboard 5.1 surround sound amplifier, wirelessly stream all of your media to other PCs, mobile devices, and media extenders in your home. Plus, you can download content from all over the internet to one secure location to store and share with your home and others. Can your DVR do that? I know my current setup cannot.

Having options like 2 TB of storage space for your HD streams, 5.1 surround system pumping out amplified sound from this beast, and a standard Gyration remote control, eliminating the need for a mouse, you’ll be in full control of what you save, watch and share.

AMD LIVE! syncs up seamlessly with most of your current digital interface devices, which gives you convenient access to a wealth of automatic entertainment features. Hangar18 features Microsoft Media Center with Windows Home Premium which lets you do everything other Windows operating systems do, plus a whole lot more!

With all these features and power at your fingertips, new(e)gear definitely gives this powerful media system two-thumbs up! If you are wondering how much the Hangar18 will set you back, don’t bother. If you have to ask — it’s too much. Just kidding… Hangar18 starts at $1,999 at the time this article was published.

Hangar18

Hangar18

Technical Specifications:

Operating Systems

* Windows® Vista™ Home Premium

Processors, Chipset & Memory

* AMD® Athlon 64™X2 Dual core processors (Low wattage, 65 watts)
* AMD® AM2™ chipset
* Up to 4GB Low Latency DDR2 at 800MHz

Graphics & Video

* Standard: NVIDIA™ integrated graphics, HDMI out (720p)
* Optional: NVIDIA Dedicated Graphics, HDMI out (1080p)
* Connectivity
o 5.1 channel surround sound Audio Amplifier
o Analog Audio in
o Optical Audio out
o Subwoofer out

o Video out Standard:
+ HDMI Video
+ VGA
+ S-Video
+ Analog Video Out
o Dual TV Combo Tuners ( 1 analog, 1 High Definition )
o Up to 4 TV Tuners ( 2 analog, 2 High Definition )
Storage

* Standard 250GB HDD 7200RPM
* Up to 2 Terabytes at 7200RPM

Networking

* Wireless Connectivity
o Standard Internal Wireless 802.b/g
* Wired Connectivity
o Integrated Gigabit Ethernet

Audio

* Standard 5.1 channel Digital Surround Sound
* Direct Subwoofer connection

Peripheral Connections

* 4 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports
* IEEE 1394a (4-pin) port
* 4-in-1 Memory Card Reader
(SD / MS / MSPRO / MMC)

Case & Chassis

* Height: 4.2”
* Width: 18.4”
* Depth: 15.55”
* Weight: 18 lbs

Hangar18

Hangar18

It’s great to see home computers and entertainment systems continue to come together to do common tasks. You can watch, record, pause or whatever you want to with your favorite shows in HD, save your photos and listen to music with the comfort of your couch. Instead of your not so comfy office chair. You are probably wondering how are they making this system secure? Is there a security package? And, what if the Hangar18 crashes or your two-year-old presses the wrong button? I spoke with Alienware and asked these questions and found out that the security package is Vista’s built-in security package. In regards to backing up data, Alienware mentioned that I could hook up a external hard drive via USB for backing up your data stored on the Hangar18.

Posted in DVRs, Entertainment Systems, PC's | Leave a comment

Mobile Experts Say iPhone Will Promote All Smartphones

Posted on June 6, 2007 by A.J.

Apple iPhone

Warren East, CEO of ARM Holdings PLC, mentioned at Computex that the iPhone will promote all smartphones. Apple first put out the Newton personal digital assistant (PDA) in the early 1990s, in which U.S. Robotics followed with its Pilot (which later became Palm). Adding computing functionality to mobile phones to create smartphones happened soon after. Seeing that everyone wants to stay connected while on the move is another reason small computing devices are even more popular.

This is not very new news, in fact East said “this has been an emerging market for a long time.” East predicts that sales will end up close to 200 million units, or double last year’s figure. He also adds that within the next few years, smartphones will make up half f the mobile phone market.

Posted in General Electronics, iPhone, Mobile Devices | Leave a comment

Panisonic Announces First 12Mp Digital Camera

Posted on May 22, 2007 by A.J.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100

Panisonic is entering the 12 megapixel realm with it’s new DMC-FX100. Panisonic claims the Lumix DMC-FX100 is the world’s first 12.2Mp digital camera with a 28mm wide-angle lens. This of course comes after Casio’s announcement that they have come up with U.K.’s first 12Mp digital camera.

Panasonic’s DMC-FX100 is equipped with a 28mm wide-angle lens featuring f/2.8 brightness, a 3.6x optical zoom and a 12.2Mp CCD.

The 28mm wide-angle lens should allow photographers to easily capture a large group of people, or expansive architectural structures and landscapes with dynamic width and rich perspective. Panasonic squeezed the 28mm wide-angle lens and large CCD into a compact body.

The new lens unit comprises seven elements in six groups, including an EA (extra-high refractive index aspherical) lens and four lenses with five aspherical surfaces to generate high optical performance.

The zoom ratio can be extended up to 7x in 3Mp resolution mode with minimal deterioration thanks to the Extra Optical Zoom.

Panasonic has also squeezed an image stabiliser into the compact DMC-FX100. This minimises the jitter from shaky hands that causes photos to look blurred.

Like the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1200, the Panasonic contains intelligent ISO control comes in. This system detects whether the subject is moving and, as necessary raises the ISO setting and shutter speed according to how fast the subject is moving and the light conditions. This happens automatically and should reduce blurring from object motion.

Panasonic claims a 0.009 second shutter release time lag (the time between pressing the button on the camera and the photo being taken) and shutter interval as short as 0.9 seconds. Panasonic says the DMC-FX100′s burst shooting mode boosts the capability of sequential shots to a rate of two frames per second at full resolution.

The DMC-FX100 can shoot hi-definition 1,920×1,080 pixel photos that are ideal for full-screen viewing on a wide-screen (16:9) TV.

The DMC-FX100 will be available from July. Pricing details were not available at the time of writing.

Posted in Digital Cameras, Photo | Leave a comment

Motorola Revamps Popular Razr Cell Phone

Posted on May 22, 2007 by A.J.

Motorola Razr 2

Motorola Inc. is revamping the Razr cell phone that has defined the company’s seesaw fortunes, jamming more technological and user-friendly substance into a handset best known for its looks.

The Razr 2 was unveiled Tuesday as the centerpiece to a new phone lineup Motorola hopes will reverse a financial tailspin that’s led to the company’s first quarterly loss since 2004 and wiped away a third of its stock market value in just half a year.

Executives stressed that, rather than attempting to replicate the smash success of Razr with an entirely new device, the best path to success was to add features and improve performance with more robust software and hardware.

“The Razr was a double grand slam. These are home runs,” Ed Zander, Motorola’s chief executive, said in an interview. “If you look at consumer electronics, you don’t get to create a product like the Razr every five years.”

Zander, who recently fended off a proxy fight by Carl Icahn, said that with a franchise as strong as Razr, all that was needed was to ensure it can satisfy the emerging demand for multimedia and messaging.

To that end, the Razr 2 features big jumps in processor speed and screen brightness, both of which are 10 times greater than the original Razr. The company also has added a 2-inch display to the outside of the Razr 2, calling it the biggest external screen on a flip phone, so that it can be used more easily as a music player.

The user interface, an attribute often criticized with the original Razr, has been redesigned for easier access to the assorted multimedia functions. The company also is adding a newly developed technology called Crystal Talk to improve phone call quality, which Zander said remains the most basic function of a cell phone.

The Razr 2 will be introduced in Asia during July, and elsewhere later in the summer. The company did not name the cell phone companies that would be featuring the device, which will come in versions compatible with the two leading wireless technologies.

Despite all the focus on the Razr 2′s innards, the device is in fact 0.08 inches thinner than the original Razrs.

Motorola also announced the availability of a new handset, the Moto Z8, and a new version of the Q smart phone with a full keyboard. Both the Z8 and the Q9 were first unveiled in February at a trade show in Barcelona.

The Z8, which company executives refer to as the “media monster,” will launch in June in Europe. The handset, a slider, has generated some buzz with a unique design feature: When the screen slides up to reveal the keypad for a call, the phone bends slightly to sit more comfortably against the face — like a clamshell handset.

The Q9 is going on sale immediately in Italy and will reach other markets around the world over the summer.

Thanks to the popularity of the original Razr, Motorola until recently had been on a two-year hot streak. Then it aggressively cut prices of Razrs and other high-end phones, especially in emerging markets, to boost market share. Profits dropped steeply.

Source: Y! News / Image: Tech2.com

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Napster Music To Be Available On Motorola Phones

Posted on May 22, 2007 by A.J.

Napster Logo

 

Napster Inc. said it agreed to make its music subscription service available on Motorola Inc.’s mobile phones.

Napster and Motorola will develop promotional efforts for North America, the United Kingdom and Germany designed to let consumers listen to Napster’s music on many Motorola music-enabled handsets.

Posted in Mobile Devices, Software | Leave a comment