PSP Go! The New UMD less PSP Coming This June

Rumours about the upcoming PSP may have come out earlier than Sony expected. According to 1UP, Sony will announce the new PSP called the PSP Go! (not PSP2 or PSP4000 as previously rumored) and will do away with UMD system. In place of UMDs, the PSP Go! will come in 8GB and 16GB models meaning downloadable games galore for everyone. The hardware redesign will include a d-pad, analog nub, and face buttons as part of a sliding unit sticking out below the screen (as seen in the mockup below). As for games, Sony is reportedly planning to have around 100 old and new games ready for launch time. Sadly those of you who were looking for a bit of dual-joystick action will be disappointed to note that no second analog stick will be added to the right-hand side. And no mention of touchscreen DSi like display either (I'm still hoping though, who knows). Word is Sony will make the PSP Go! official at E3 next month and will hit the Japanese market in September with a US launch in either late October or early November in time for a merry PSP Go! holiday.

Samsung Announces Dazzling Duo: SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 Camcorders

We were never mistaken when we wrote good things about the HMX-R10. And its bravura was carried through on the company's newest pair. The SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 which are both ergonomic camcorders boasting the similar Touch of Color finish and Samsung's iconic Active Angle Lens. Specifications include a 10x optical zoom, Hyper Image Stabilization and a 230k pixel swiveling 2.7-inch wide LCD display. The C14 comes with 16GB internal flash memory along with an SD/SDHC expansion slot, while the C10 comes only with the expansion slot. And lastly, both units are said to include one-touch YouTube uploads and with just under three hours of life on a single charge. But oddly enough, Samsung failed to mention anything about video capture resolution. The SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 will be available this July for an undisclosed amount.

Check out these gorgeous pics.






Official PR Link

ATI Radeon HD 4770 launched at a Bargain Price of $99

AMD recently launched the ATI Radeon HD 4770, the first desktop graphics card to use 40nm manufacturing processes. The Radeon HD 4770 is a PCI Express 2.0 x16 card that offers DirectX 10.1 support and uses GDDR5 memory, at an unbeatable price tag of roughly $100.



Other great features include AMD’s second-gen Unified Video Decoder (UVD 2.0) for hardware HD decoding, picture-in-picture support and HD audio. For connectivity, it includes twin DVI ports, with HDMI output supported, and more than one Radeon HD 4770 can be linked together via ATI CrossFireX. The HD 4770 card can also upscale beyond 1080p resolution, and supports dynamic contrast.

You can also check some of latest reviews of the ATI Radeon HD 4770 at TechSpot, Hardware Canucks, and Tom’s Hardware. Everyone would agree that the HD 4770 is a real budget performer in many areas. Even gamers find it at par with the more expensive HD 4850 model.

An overview video of the Radeon HD 4770:


Official Press Release:

April 28, 2009 12:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time
AMD Launches the ATI Radeon™ HD 4770, World’s First Desktop Graphics Card Utilizing Industry-Leading 40nm Process Technology

AMD Sets New Levels of Performance-Per-Dollar and Performance-Per-Watt Attained with the Move to the World’s Most Advanced Manufacturing Process

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AMD (NYSE:AMD) today launched the ATI Radeon™ HD 4770 graphics processor, a groundbreaking product that harnesses the state-of-the-art 40 nanometer manufacturing process for the desktop PC market, delivering best-in-class performance and energy efficiency at anticipated launch prices as low as $991. The ATI Radeon HD 4770 graphics card is the newest addition to the award-winning ATI RadeonTM HD 4000 series.

* The new card features third-generation hardware support for the latest DirectX® 10.1 games like Battleforge, HAWX, S.T.A.L.K.E.R Clear Sky and Stormrise, delivering higher game performance and improved visual quality when compared to DirectX® 10.
* The ATI Radeon HD 4770 continues the AMD tradition of bringing industry-leading technology to market that drives a superior user experience. The ATI Radeon HD 4770 makes use of the latest GDDR5 memory technology, providing incredibly high data rates for fast game performance.
* Gamers looking to get the most value out of their graphics hardware investment can scale their performance using ATI CrossFireX™ technology, allowing a second ATI Radeon HD 4770 card to be added for a near-linear increase in performance.2
* The ATI Radeon HD 4770 graphics card allows users to enjoy HD digital content3 with incredible visual fidelity. The new card helps enhance the definition and clarity of lower resolution media, and through the second generation AMD Unified Video Decoder (UVD 2.0) technology, users can be assured of smooth video playback, crisp images, and vibrant colors on all HD content including Blu-ray discs.4 With support for HDMI, picture-in-picture (PiP) and the latest HD audio technologies like 7.1 surround sound, the new graphics card enables an impressive cinema-quality home entertainment experience.
* Celebrating the company’s 40th Anniversary, AMD continues its heritage of focusing on the design and development of new products and platforms that deliver compelling user experiences at an exceptional value. By combining new AMD Athlon™ X2 7850 processors, AMD 7-Series chipsets and ATI Radeon™ HD 4770 series graphics cards, AMD enables a PC platform that can bring HD video to life while delivering massive performance headroom and video processing acceleration.3

“Consumer pressure in this economic downturn is shifting demand to lower prices and the price band around $100 has the highest demand and highest volume,” said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, Graphics Products Group, AMD.5 “AMD has responded with the launch of the ATI Radeon HD 4770, targeting this market with cutting-edge technologies like 40 nm processors, support for DirectX 10.1 gaming and GDDR5 memory. This strategy stands in stark contrast to the old 'trickle down' technology approach some still use to address this important segment.”

“As a leading source of cutting-edge game development tools, Emergent has a passion for delivering realistic, visually stunning game play as well as improved performance,” said Doug Kubel, vice president, Product Development, Emergent. “By supporting DirectX 10.1 in the Gamebryo LightSpeed development system, we are able to deliver improvements in both image quality and frame rates. DirectX 10.1 graphics hardware like the ATI Radeon HD 4770 makes it possible to fully unlock the experience delivered by the combined power of DirectX 10.1 and Gamebryo LightSpeed.”

G.E. Boasts of 500GB Holographic Storage Disc Breakthrough

While Blu-ray is beginning to gain popularity on a wider scale, G.E. is now showing off a physical disc storage breakthrough which can hold 10 to 20 times more data than a Blu-ray disc and a hundred times more data than a DVD. While DVDs and Blu-ray discs store information only on the surface of the disc, GE's micro-holographic technology uses three-dimensional holograms to increase the amount of storage capacity. In fact, the technology in its current lab state is said to allow for up to 500GB of data storage on a single disc. For comparison, a Blu-ray disc holds 25 or 50GB and a DVD holds 5GB of data.



The key to G.E.’s success with this technology of course, is making it affordable — other companies will be introducing holographic storage solutions as soon as this year. InPhase Technologies for example, will soon introduce a specialized holographic storage system geared towards the medical industry. InPhase’s solution however, requires expensive discs and readers that cost tens of thousands of dollars. G.E. plans to show off its work at a conference in Orlando in May, so perhaps some light will be shed on G.E.’s efforts in making the technology a bit more accessible. GE said its ultimate goal is to develop micro-holographic discs capable of storing more than one terabyte, or 1,000 gigabytes, of data.

Samsung I7500: Samsung's First Android Phone Out in June

Yes, you heard it right. It's not Samsung S8000 as previously rumored to be Sammy's first Android phone. It's the I7500 instead. Another full touchscreen handset from Samsung due to be out this June. The latest Android handset is definitely packing the best spec sheet any Android powered phone in the market has. Check out the stats:

* Android 1.5 OS
* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band UMTS/HSPA
* 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU
* 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive OLED touchscreen display
* 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
* Wi-Fi
* Bluetooth
* GPS
* 8GB internal flash memory
* microSD slot
* 3.5 mm stereo jack
* Metal case, 11.9 mm thick



The Samsung I7500 will be available exclusively from O2 in Germany from June 2009. Pricing for the handset itself has not been announced, but the carrier has confirmed that no specific tariffs or service plans will be required; buyers will be able to choose any from O2’s range.

Official press release:

The Company’s First Android-Powered Mobile Phone

Samsung sets its leading position in Android, the mobile industry’s emerging operating system

April 27, 2009, Seoul, Korea - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today unveiled the I7500, its first Android-powered mobile phone. With a launch of I7500, Samsung became the first company among the global top three mobile phone manufacturers to unveil an Android-powered phone.

“Samsung is among the earliest members of the Open Handset Alliance and has been actively moving forward to introduce the most innovative Android mobile phone,” said JK Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Mobile Communication Division in Samsung Electronics. “With Samsung’s accumulated technology leadership in mobile phone industry and our consistent strategy to support every existing operating system, I believe that Samsung provides the better choices and benefits to our consumers” he added.

The Samsung I7500 is a cutting-edge smartphone, featuring a 3.2” AMOLED full touch screen and 7.2Mbps HSDPA and WiFi connectivity, giving users access to Google™ Mobile services and full web browsing at blazing speeds.

The Samsung I7500 offers users access to the full suite of Google services, including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Calendar™, and Google Talk™. The integrated GPS receiver enables the comprehensive use of Google Maps features, such as My Location, Google Latitude, Street View, local search and detailed route description. Hundreds of other applications are available in Android Market. For example, the application Wikitude, a mobile travel guide, allows consumers to access details of unknown sights via location-based Wikipedia articles.

Based on Samsung’s proven product leadership, Samsung I7500 comes with latest multimedia features. The large and vivid 3.2“AMOLED display ensures the brilliant representation of multimedia content and enjoyable full touch mobile experience. Along with supporting a 5-megapixel camera and various multimedia codec formats, the I7500 also provides a long enough battery life (1500mAh) and generous memory capacity up to 40GB (Internal memory: 8GB, External memory: Up to 32GB) to enjoy all the applications and multimedia content. The phone also boasts its slim and compact design with mere 11.9mm thickness.

The Samsung I7500 will be available in major European countries from June, 2009.

Windows 7 Pro and Ultimate Users Will Have Virtual Win XP

SuperSite for Windows have revealed an intriguing and awesome Windows 7 feature: Dubbed Windows XP Mode (XPM), a virtualized copy of Windows XP with Service Pack 3. It will be a free download for Professional and Ultimate Edition users, too bad it won't be coming to all versions. Unlike many other Virtual PC options, the environment won't require a separate workspace so you can run the individual apps as you would alongside those native to 7.



In the screenshot example pictured above, you'll see Windows XP Mode running Word 2003 next to Word 2007 under Windows 7. It looks similar to the XP compatibility mode found in Vista, which means XPM should make legacy compatibility much less of a hassle. No reports of it being found in the leaked Release Candidate build, but if you want to have more of it, hit up this link to Supersite community for more.

Samsung Leaks Info on New 9 Series LCDs

Those waiting for the upcoming Samsung 9 Series LCDs are in luck. Leak out infos from Sammy indicate some new sets that are lined up replacing the A950 slot in their offering.



They are introducing this new variant named B9000 HDTVs in 46 and 55 inch. They will also feature the latest LED backlighting and dimming, which makes for improved contrast. This will replace the edge lighting seen on some other models.

They are also aimed to be part of the Touch of Color line and feature wireless connectivity to external media box, Yahoo Widgets and YouTube access options. DLNA support, and built-in USB port. Expected release date will be somewhere late this year in time for the holidays, and no official pricing is known yet.

Short Review: Canon IXUS 980 IS

Just when you tought you're never going to see a plitically correct sized pocket camera in this age of skinniness, Canon comes out with the Canon IXUS 980 IS. Compared to other cameras in the IXUS line, this one's a bit on the pudgy side, measuring 28mm thick and weighing 184 grams. It's still pocketable but not ultracompact slim, and frankly, I prefer it that way. It feels more natural. you have 14 million pixels, a 3.7x (36-133mm equivalent) lens, Canon's DIGIC 4 processor, and a host of other features, so it's quite understandable if this IXUS put on a bit of weight.





On the back of the camera is a too-tiny-for-my-fingers directional pad. Those with small hands shouldn't have a problem navigating though; a rotating ring makes zipping through options (such as flash and ISO) fast. Above the 3-inch LCD is an optical viewfinder. As with all point-and-shooters, the viewfuinder doesn't show the entire frame as the LCD does, but at least you have another option when it's impractical to use the LCD.

Marketed as the first IXUS with a Manual Mode, the 980 IS allows control of shutter speed and aperture. That is not to say it's particularly complicated as Canon has managed to retain the trademark intuitiveness of the IXUS range in this model. The addition of this dabble with more advanced photography but are too chicken to handle a prosumer camera. If you want nothing to do with settings, you can always switch to auto.

The 3.7x optical zoom is run-of-the-mill point and shoot though -- which is disappointing considering the camera's IXUS flagship status. It does, however, provide optical image stabilization to combat image blur. There's also the customary face detection (with Face Select & Track and FaceSelf-timer), as well as Motion Detection Technology and i-Contrast that boosts brightness in dark areas without that washed-out look. Sensitivity ranges from ISO 80 through 1600.

The massive resolution 14.7MP sensor performed well, capturing crisp and sharp shots. Colors are accurate and well-saturated, but image noise is a little more prominent than usual at ISO 400.

The IXUS 980 IS also supports movie capture, but only at 30fps VGA resolution, unlike the 720p HD video available from other manufacturers' similarly priced models.

Skytone Android Netbook: Cheapest Netbook at $100

Anroid on netbooks are slowly gaining grounds these days. The latest and cheapest among Google OS powered netbooks is the minimalistic Skytone Alpha 680, with 7-inch 800 x 480 display, 533Mhz ARM11 processor and 128MB of RAM (256MB max).



Other lightweight specs include 1GB of storage space (4GB max), WiFi, 10/100 ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports and an SD/SDHC/MMC card slot. There is also an optional 3G connectivity, though no word on whether it’s integrated or external. The display has a convertible hinge to rotate it around for slate type use. However, specs indicates that Alpha 680 has a "capacitive touchpad", which could mean that touchscreen function could only be limited to the trackpad beneath rather than the full display.

Skytone Alpha 680 Specifications


The low-end Android netbook from China-based Skytone, which is also famous for making Skype handsets and low cost children's computers, still looks justifiable by its price of around $100. Personally, I'm still hoping to see more exciting ARM Netbook Android powered products from major players to come out over the next few months.

Nokia 1100: Criminal's Most Sought After $32,000 Gadget

Old Nokia 1100 handsets that are manufactured in Germany are in high demand from criminal networks because of a software flaw that can apparently be exploited to intercept one-time passwords used to authorize online bank transactions.



Police contacted Ultrascan Advanced Global Investigations six months ago, reporting that a Nokia 1100, originally sold for €100, had been sold for €5,000 - and asked what was leading to the high demand. About ten days ago, investigators saw one of the exploitable handsets fetch €25,000 ($32,000).

Over 200 million Nokia 1100 handsets were sold since it launched late 2003. I actually owned one before and lost it somewhere but never really knew where it was made. So for those who owned one, hold your horses. Only handsets manufactured in a particular factory in Bochum, Germany contain the vulnerable Nokia software.

Criminals have thousands of usernames and passwords for online banking accounts in countries including Germany and Holland. These countries also require a transaction authentication number (TAN) to complete any online transactions. The TAN codes were previously distributed to customers on paper, many codes at a time, however successful phishing attacks led to the codes being issued one at a time via SMS messages, according to Frank Engelsman from Ultrascan.

An informant from Ulstrascan claims that the vulnerable 1100 handsets can be reprogrammed to spoof a phone number, and intercept the SMS containing the TAN. Ultrascan has yet to obtain the particular model of phone to verify the attack.

Source: Techworld

All-in-one Roll-up Mousepad with Speaker and USB Hub

Whether your desktop is cluttered with all sorts of peripheral widgets or not. the Gadget4All all-in-one mouse pad can be a good replacement to your standard mouse pad giving you more functionalities and helping you improve organization.





Combo gadgets are excellent space and budget savers, offering more useful functionalities when designed properly. Quite similar with the SourciMap All-in-one Music Mouse Pad, the Gadget4All new combo gadget mouse pad has built-in speakers, 4 USB ports, a 3.5mm audio port with speaker in port so that you can easily connect your iPod, Zune, or other MP3 player. The roll-up capability makes it perfect for use on mobile computing. As already mentioned, combo gadgets are great, and for only $22, this combo gadget could be more than your money's worth.

Toshiba Dynabook UX 10.1-inch Netbook Officially Announced

Toshiba officially announced their latest netbook today dubbed the Dynabook UX. This 10.1-inch netbook model features a LED-backlit display with 1,024 x 600 resolution, which is the same resolution of its 8.9-inch predecessor.




The keyboard features chicklet like keys generously spaced, making typing more comfortable. The usual specs included are 1.66GHz Atom N280 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. Additional features include three USB ports, MMC and SDHC card slots, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a 3-megapixel webcam.

The Dynabook UX also comes preloaded with Windows XP Home Edition. One cool feature this netbook has is that you can charge USB-powered devices even when the netbook is turned off. Ten variety of options will be available for this netbook including numerous battery options. The Dynabook UX will pre-sell in Japan starting on April 24th in either brown satin or snow white for about $607.

LG GC900 Viewty Smart Officially Released

Finally, it's more official than ever. After another spurt last week, LG has finally let loose an official press release announcing their latest stunner's second coming, the Viewty Smart GC900. Pretty much still on track with previous specs and improvement from the original Viewty, including 3.2-inch WVGA display with S-class 3D UI, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi, AGPS, with some minor twitch that its 8-megapixel camera will have ISO 1600 sensitivity and a 1.5GB onboard memory aside from microSD expansion of up to 32GB. All these goodies tucked in a small package just 12.4mm thick.



We will start seeing the real thing next month when it starts hitting the European market and elsewhere soon afterwards.

Source: LG Official Press Release

LED Backlighting or Good Old LCD: Which is Best?

I had the chance last week to match up an Apple Cinema Display LED backlighted monitor against Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM high-end 24-inch Kilimanjaro in a bare-kuckle backlighting brawl. And here's a short report on how the two monitor fared with each other. When it comes to tech battles, it seldom gets more exciting than this, but who'll have their lights punched out?

Apple has stuffed its new 24-inch Cinema Display full of LEDs, tossing out old-fashioned fluorescent lamps in favor of the fast-acting, eco-friendly, light-emitting diodes it claims are the future of display technology. Standard backlit LCD monitors aren't throwing in the towel yet, though Samsung believes, correctly it seems, that they're cheaper and, tahnks to years of R&D, perform brilliantly in their own right.



Apple LED Cinema Display

Price: $899

Features: This links to all the new MacBooks via a triple cable that turns the screen into desktop with USB ports and stereo speakers. Non-Apple inputs? Forget it pal.

Picture Quality: Apple makes more fanfare over LED's green credentials and start-up speed than it does its effect on picture quality, and you can see why - it's not a vast imrpovement over LCD.

Value for Money: There are wiser investment out there - 900-bucks for a 24-inch is mad - but the tasty design and MacBook integration make it worthwhile for Apple acolytes.

Love: Styling and build quality. It's a three-way USB hub as well. Easy Macbook integration.

Hate: No non-Apple video inputs. Pricey.

The Verdict: Looks good with your Apple MacBook, but the use of LEDs hasn't boosted image quality to the extent that it has in, say. Philips' 42PFL9803 LED-backlit TV.

Specs: 24 inches; 1920x1200 pixels, 14ms quoted response time, 1x Mini DisplayPort, 1x MagSafe (power), 3x USB 2.0



Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM Kilimanjaro

Price: $410

Features: A straightforward computer monitor, the Samsung comes with a full range of video inputs, so unlike the Apple display, you can connect almost any video source you like.

Picture Quality: The black levels aren't up to Apple standard, but clean colors and a speedy 5ms response time make it every bit as impressive for gaming and movie viewing.

Value for Money: Even at almost half the price of Apple's Cinema Display, it's still not cheap. It may not be as beautiful, but it works with a much wider range of multimedia gear.

Love: Wide range of connections. Excellent black levels and good response time.

Hate: Plasticky, flimsy feel. No built-in speakers.

The Verdict: Only slightly behind the Apple LED display in terms of performance and with better connectivity. The Samsung Kilimanjaro show that LCD still has plenty to offer.

Specs: 24-inches; 1920x1200 pixels; 5ms quoted response time; 1x DVI, 1x VGA, 1x HDMI, 2x USB 2.0

Viliv S5 MID US Debut on May 8 for $599

We've heard and seen plenty of Viliv S5 MID since early this year and the long-awaited US arrival of the latest GPS-enabled Yukyung ultramobile portable computer is finally over and is now available for pre-order on April 27 in the United States while shipping will be on May 8 for just $599, according to retailer Dynamism. Pre-order buyers will also get a spare battery, free car kit and leather pouch, which they say is a $135 value freebie. That is if you're able to hussle in and get in early. When it was launched in Korea, the first 1000 unit production run sold out in the first day. While its launch in Hong Kong last month saw 500 units sell in 90 minutes!



The XP-running MID has a Samsung made 4.8-inch touchscreen, a 60GB hard disk, an Intel Silverthorne-class 1.33GHz Z520 CPU, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, and 1GB of memory. Viliv S5 is also capable of decoding and playing at 1080p powered by a 6200 mAh battery which could run from 4.5 to 6 hours continuosly.

Samsung HMX-R10 HD Camcorder: A Fresh Perspective

From its looks alone, a fresh ergonomic form factor that allows users to hold the camcorder more comfortably, the Samsung HMX-R10 HD camcorder oozes with high-tech appeal, what with its unique 25-degree angled lens that makes shooting more fulfilling with CMOS-based image sensing technology and full HD capabilities, enabling the R10 to record both true Hi-Definition video and nine-megapixel stills.



It also features an HD Time Lapse recording mode that records a single image at an interval pre-selected by the user, either 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 30 seconds, and will save each image as one single movie file. Other features include a 5x optical zoom lens, a swivelling 2.7-inch touchscreen LCD with the proprietary Samsung Magic Touch UI, and a microSDHC memory slot with support for cards up to 32GB, enough to provide plenty of room for creative videography. The Samsung HMX-R10 HD camcorder will start selling in the U.S. on May 15th for about $499.99.

Much Anticipated White Leica M8 Special Edition Spotted

A anonymous tipster spotted this white beauty at the Audi Forum in Tokyo Japan. He was shooting some great car photos when he ran into this white stunner and was able to snap some quick shots.



Street word has it that the white Leica M8 will be available around end of May this year for roughly €7,000 (about $9,150) including lens, which is somewhat close to the expected price and less than the last safari green version which was about $10,000. Nothing official yet, but definitely worth a glimpse.

T-Mobile Sidekick LX Officially Announced

T-Mobile once again officially announced the 2009 edition of the Sidekick LX. The new Sidekick LX pretty much tacked-in previous Sidekick shortcomings including GPS, 3G, bigger 3.2-inch full wide 854 x 480 VGA display, and slick-tight integration with Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Plus a neat 3.2 megapixel AF camera with LED flash, microSD expansion with free 1GB card, video recording and playback (with YouTube access), stereo Bluetooth, quad band GSM EDGE, HSDPA for high-speed broadband coverage, and ActiveSync support.

The Sidekick LX is now available to current T-Mobile customers starting today, with everyone else waiting until the official launching date on May 13.



Specs at a glance:
* Dimensions: 5.20 x 2.40 x 0.64 inches
* Weight: 5.82 ounces
* External Display: 3.2" F-WVGA 854 x 480 pixels
* Frequency Bands: 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE
* 1700/2100/85/2100 UMTS
* 3.2 MP camera with auto focus and flash
* Talk time of 5.5 hours and standby time of 8 days
* M3 rated for hearing aids

Kyocera Reveals Foldable Kinetic OLED Cell Phone

Kyocera opens another door to the future of cell phone technology by unveiling a kinetic energy-powered phone that is capable of folding up like a clutch-purse or a wallet. The phone's designer, Industrial designer Susan McKinney explains:

The concept Eos envisions a future where we have a more humanistic relationship with our phones. Appealing to our haptic senses, a soft, semi-rigid polymer skin surrounds a flexible OLED display. The metaphor of a "living" skin was used for its notions of protection and constant evolution, providing a heightened user experience.

Shape memory allows keys to morph up from its surface when needed and fade away when not in use. The flexibility of the screen allows for greater adaptability of form and interaction as it maintains a compact shape (the size of a small wallet) for simple phone calls, and unfolds to reveal a large widescreen display. The device feeds off of our physical interaction with it, translating kinetic energy into an electric charge via an array of nano-scale piezoelectric generators. The more we interact with Eos, the more energy it creates - without using batteries.

Though the Kyocera future concepts are still in their early design stages, the design teams from San Diego and Bangalore are exploring many different ways and possibilities of infusing some of the concept ideas into their near future lineup of phones and devices.

Photos: Jeffrey Sass

Altec Lansing Expressionist Bass: A Short Review

Multimedia audio product developer Altec Lansing needs little introduction to the tech-savvy TECHNOMINDZ reader. The company has been churning out one fantastic product after another for the better part of 70 years. So when Altec Lansing presented a new solution to traditional woes, we just had to sit up and take note.

The FX3022 Expressionist BASS, attempts to do just this -- that is, by providing all the bass in half the space. The speaker system's unique offering lies in the integration of two 4-inch subwoofers to the bottom of the actual units -- a move that effectively eliminates the need for a separate subwoofer (hence the space saving argument). How successful is it in achieving its goal? Let's break it down, shall we?




First off, the actual unit isn't exactly compact. We attribute this to the fact that the Expressionist BASS aims to provide all the oomph in a single package, of course. Bottom line? Instead of giving up floor space, you might have to sacrifice a bit of desktop space instead (still less than a 2.1 system would, but it does eat up space where people can see). If that sits well with you, then this shouldn't be a problem at all.

Next, the speakers do deliver on its promise of providing the low-end thump a lot of us find ourselves addicted to. Nice. We do have beef with the amount of power, however. This is because the speakers do not have the requisite low-end level adjustment. At times, this leads to the crisp mids and highs being drowned out (depending on the recording). A shame, really, since the speakers would actually delivered the famed Altec Lansing balance of clarity and power were we provided with a little more instant control.

What's my take on it? The Altec Lansing FX3022 Expressionist BASS speakers are the perfect toys for people addicted to bass, which is what they had advertised in the first place. Gamers, we'd imagine, would knock themselves silly with them.

However, if you still feel the need to every now and then adjust the levels of balance between highs and lows, we suggest you stick to the traditional 2.1 setups. Now, if you are interested in those, we can talk about a lot of other Altec Lansing products that fit the bill.

Samsung M3510 Budget Music Phone

I was trying out my friend's new music phone the other day, the Samsung M3510 aka Beat b which is a low-cost music phone that targets the youth market. It's a basic phone with no 3G, and no WiFi. The Beat b is all about music as evidenced by the dedicated music keys. One look at it will remind you of its closest rival, the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic. The specs sheets of the two phones are uncannily similar.

As a music player it's quite fun to use. The loudspeaker, though not tinny, isn't as dynamic as a music phone's output should be, but it's good enough for a quiet room. Good thing the phone comes with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack then. It's hard to miss the next track and play/pause buttons that are prominently displayed at the bottom of the screen. And by "hard to miss" I mean that they can be easily pressed by mistake.

Tracks are organized into several categories, and there are several EQ options to suit your musical taste, just as with every other MP3 player. The color themes are vibrant, and the text, though small, is sharp and readable. The screen and the visuals make the M3510's player a joy to use.

As much as the term "music phone" is fast becoming redundant, the M3510 actually does justice to its kind. You can instantly tell that it was designed for a specific demographic, and the phone succeeds at what it tries to do, without trying to be a jack of all trades. For that alone it deserves a thumbs up. The claimed shake to the next track function is a definite plus making this budget music phone a great buy.



Specs at a glance:
2.5G GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity
240 x 320 pixels, 2.0 inches QVGA 262K color display
2 megapixel camera
FM Radio with RDS
20MB user memory
microSD memory card slot
USB 2.0 and Bluetooth connectivity
3.5 mm headphone jack
Stand-by of up to 250 h
Talk time of up to 5 h
Music play up to 19 h 30 min

LG Viewty: The Second Coming

We may have heard snippets about the LG Viewty II from here and there, and being officially featured on LG’s German blog. But still, no official announcement from LG camp about their latest stunner aside from being officially named "Viewty Smarty". Hmmm.. are LG officials watching too much beauty pageant these days? Sounds like beauty and brains. Nevertheless, the company did reveal some very nice photos of the device but very little information was remarked with regards to the specs. As for the specs, we already have the following set given as spotted by show attendees in a trade show a few months back.

* 12.4mm thin, 90g
* S-Class 3D UI
* 3-inch WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) touchscreen display
* Quad-band GSM, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, aGPS
* 8 megapixel Schneider-Kreuznach camera, Xenon flash
* 32GB storage
* DivX playback

Looking at the new photos, you will find it very similar to the LG Arena, most conspicuously its 3-inch touch-sensitive screen using the same 3D S-class interface.

The German blog promised to reveal more info soon. Perhaps more on pricing and release date of the second coming will be disclosed. We'll keep everyone updated. In the meantime, feast your eyes on these Viewtyful photos.






Source: PhoneArena

Samsung Propel Pro Now Available from AT&T

The latest QWERTY contender from Samsung is now officially available from AT&T. The Propel Pro though sharing attention with five other new AT&T flagships will certainly hold its own. Looking good as an upgraded version of the original Propel, there could be no stopping this pro from hooking every imaginable WinMo smartphone-using segment.



Samsung's Propel Pro AT&T offering is at $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate on a two-year contract. For those on a tight-crunching economic-slowdown budget, the original Propel can still be had at $49.99 while supply lasts.

Specs at a glance:
* Slider form factor with QWERTY keypad
* 2.5-inch TFT display, 320 x 320 pixels, 65K colors
* Quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)/GPRS/EDGE connectivity
* Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA connectivity (850/1900/2100 MHz)
* Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard OS
* 3 megapixel camera with autofocus
* Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0
* MicroSDHC support
* 4 x 2.5 x 0.6 inches, 4.8 ounces
* Talk time: up to 6 hours, Standby time: up to 12 days

More of the AT&T Samsung Propel Pro offering here.

Sony's X1000 OLED Walkman Officially Out on April 25 starting at $400

We featured the new Sony NWZ-X1000 series last month and now it's official, Sony X1000 is really crashing the iPod touch party on April 25 with an opening price of 40,000 yen (US$400) for the 16GB NWZ-X1050 and 50,000 yen (US$503) for the 32GB NWZ-X1060. Those prices may be a little steep for a touchscreen PMP but they might be priced differently in other places outside Japan sans the TV tuner and other softwares specific to Japanese network.



Here an introductory video in Japanese.


More about Sony NWZ-X1000 series here.

Source: PMP Today

Nokia 5630 XpressMusic Wants to Play

it's a phone. It's got N-Gage... and now for the good stuff. For starters, there are the dedicated music keys, and the excellent audio quality. Then there's the 3,000-song 4GB memory card (upgradeable to 16GB or whopping 12,000 tracks), multi-format support, and a universal 3.5mm audio jack.

But the best feature of all is "Say and Play" voice activation, which lets you play a song simply by saying the artist name or song title. It's like having a pocket-sized DJ slave.



Specs at a glance:
* 2.2 inches, 240×320 pixels
* 150MB shared memory
* up to 16GB via microSD (4GB included in package)
* ARM 11 600 MHz CPU
* 3G/HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps
* Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
* Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
* 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus, video, flash
* front-facing camera for video calls
* Stereo FM radio with RDS
* 3.5mm AV jack

Samsung Show W7900 Projector Phone: Show and Tell

It's almost as if when Samsung launched the cellphone-compatible MBP200 projector, someone said, "Why not put a phone inside?" and Samsung hastily whipped up the Show W7900. With an integrated ten-lumen micro-projector, the W7900 projects 40-inch, 480x320-pixel images. A five-megapixel camera ensures that any pictures you take can handle the enlargement, and an Omnia-like user interface makes it easy to get the hang of the W7900. Did we mention that it's also a phone?



Specs at a glance:
* 3.2-inch OLED display screen (240×400 pixels)
* 3G HSDPA up to 7.2Mbps, global roaming (900/1800/1900 MHz)
* 5-megapixel camera
* secondary front-facing camera for video calls

Sony DSC-H20: Nice Shot Cyber-shot

Sporting an impressive Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar wide-angle lens with 10x optical zoom, a 3-inch touchscreen display, and a bundle of impressive features, the Cyber-shot DSC-H20 aims to capture your precious moments with flawless detail. The 10.1 megapixel camera features Sony's BIONZ image processor and has the ability to shoot videos in 720p HD resolution.




The now standard face detection, scene recognition, anti-blink technology, and red-eye detection are present, along with a more unique feature of selected face memory that allows the camera to remember settings for particular faces when it encounters them again.

Specs at a glance:
Resolution: 10.1 megapixels, 3648 x 2736
Lens: 38mm - 380mm
Zoom: 10x optical zoom
Display: 3.0" LCD
Memory/storage: 11MB internal, MS Duo (pro) (HS)
NP-BG1 Li-ion
4.2x2.7x1.9 8.8oz.
Street price: $279