Sony VGN-TXN15P / B

The broadband-ready VGN-TXN15P/B is good for travel and a battery champ, but it performed poorly in tests and has a cramped keyboard.

The featherlight Sony VGN-TXN15P/B supports broadband and lasts a long time on one battery charge. Roving professionals who need to write short notes and answer e-mail in the field might enjoy this 2.9-pound unit with a built-in DVD drive and a gorgeous little LED-backlit screen. But mainstream users will find its snail-like performance and cramped keyboard a compromise.



The VGN-TXN15P/B is impressively feature-rich for a laptop that measures 10.7 by 7.7 by 1.2 inches (width by depth by height). It includes the standard connections--such as network and modem jacks, a monitor port, two USB ports, and a PC Card slot--plus welcome extras, such as a fingerprint reader and a FireWire port. Our test unit's instant-on AV button saved time and battery life by bypassing the Windows Vista Business operating system, allowing us to view thumbnails of photos on a Memory Stick or SD Card or to play a CD or DVD. For the latter activity, however, you'll need headphones, as the stereo speakers are shrill.



Icons are tiny on the 11.1-inch WXGA screen, but text and graphics are bright and easy to read and see, thanks to an antireflective coating. A combination keystroke lowers and raises screen brightness; unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to disable the annoying high-pitched beep that sounded each time I used it.

The VGN-TXN15P/B offers excellent battery life but slow speed. Our test unit's 7800-mAh battery lasted a little over 6.5 hours on one charge in our battery performance tests. Its 1.2-GHz Core Solo U1400 processor combined with 1GB of DDR2-400 SDRAM produced a relatively low WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 32. (That score, however, matched the mark of a Fujitsu LifeBook P7230 equipped with the same processor.) The VGN-TXN15P/B seemed zippy enough to handle e-mail, word processing, and surfing the Internet, but not much more.

A couple of design problems also prevent a wholehearted recommendation. The keyboard is very small, with Chiclets-size keys that are flat and slippery. My petite hands partially covered the touchpad, repositioning the cursor repeatedly as a result. The VGN-TXN15P/B might have the world's tiniest optical drive eject button, too: It's so small, I had to use my fingernail or the end of a pencil to press it.

While you might be able to overcome these annoyances with practice, the VGN-TXN15P/B should not be your first choice if you need to do heavy-duty word processing. For anyone looking for a no-wires, all-day-battery laptop, though, the freedom this $2300 unit (as of 6/6/07) offers is attractive.

(source: pcworld.com)

RIM Blackberry 8820

The exterior of the new BlackBerry 8820 may look familiar. After all, the device has the same sleek black design as the BlackBerry 8800, which was launched earlier this year. The new phone has one important upgrade under the hood, however: Wi-Fi.

This is the first BlackBerry with Wi-Fi support, and the addition is a welcome one, as it means the phone can provide wireless voice and data access over both cellular and Wi-Fi wireless networks.



Like the 8800 and the more consumer-oriented BlackBerry Curve, the 8820 will be available from AT&T. Starting tomorrow, you can get the 8820 for $300 with a two-year service contract. In addition to Wi-Fi, the quad-band GSM phone includes support for the carrier's EDGE network--but not its true 3G HSDPA service.

Easy Setup

The 8820 can connect to 802.11a/b/g networks; connecting to my 802.11g wireless network at home was a breeze. I simply launched the Wi-Fi Setup wizard, selected my network from the list of available choices (you can either scan for available networks or manually enter the name of the network to which you'd like to connect), typed in the WEP key, and was connected in seconds. You can choose to automatically connect to your favorite wireless networks when they're available, and also can store any login info that is needed to connect to public hotspots.



The device will default to a Wi-Fi connection when one is available; a small icon on the top of the screen tells you which network you're using. Surfing the Web and sending and receiving e-mail messages via Wi-Fi was speedy, especially where the EDGE network coverage was spotty--as it often is inside my house.

When the 8820 connected to my Wi-Fi network, I was able to send an e-mail message and surf the Web while on a phone call without a problem. You can't, however, make voice-over-Wi-Fi calls on the device just yet. RIM says that this feature will be offered at the discretion of the carrier; AT&T says that the Wi-Fi capabilities on the 8820 are "data only" at this time.

Other than the Wi-Fi support, the 8820 is almost identical to the 8800 (which will be replaced in AT&T 's lineup by the 8820). The phone includes built-in GPS functionality (no hardware add-ons required) and comes with access to the easy-to-use TeleNav GPS service from AT&T, which is available for an extra $10 per month.

E-Mail Is Easy

Also like the 8800--and all BlackBerry devices--the 8820 is a champ when it comes to e-mail. The phone supports up to ten e-mail accounts, including POP3, IMAP, and Web-based e-mail. Corporate e-mail access is available through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server; I tested the personal e-mail capability with the BlackBerry Internet Service and a POP3 account. I simply entered my e-mail user name and password; within minutes, mail from my personal account was arriving in my hand. The inbox is neatly organized and superbly easy to read.

The 320-by-240 display is gorgeous, and navigating the device via the small--but very usable--QWERTY keyboard and BlackBerry Pearl-like trackball is quite comfortable. At 4.5 inches tall by 2.6 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick and 4.7 ounces, the 8820 can feel slightly boxy when held next to your ear. Call quality was quite good, though, and the included speakerphone worked well. We are currently in the process of testing the phone's talk-time battery life; we'll add that information (and a PC World rating) to this review as soon as it is available.



While the 8820 lacks the camera found on the Curve, it does include a media player for playing back audio and video files and a microSD card slot for storage. In addition, it includes AT&T 's Mobile Music service, which lets you access subscription services such as eMusic and XM Satellite Radio.

The business-oriented 8820 lacks a camera and some of the other consumer-friendly applications (such as access to popular instant messaging clients) found on other BlackBerry devices. The support for Wi-Fi is an excellent tradeoff, however, and the result is a sleek cell phone that delivers speedy data service even when your cellular coverage is spotty.

(source: pcworld.com)

Nokia Unveils Dual-Mode E51

Nokia Corp. released on Tuesday the newest addition to its E-series lineup of mobile phones for businesses, revamping the user interface for easier navigation, executives said during a London product launch.

The E51 is a dual-mode model, working with GSM networks and Wi-Fi hotspots for businesses eyeing or already using so-called "converged" services -- VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) technology alongside traditional phone networks.




Nokia is hoping to spur businesses to adopt its E-series phones by convincing IT managers they'll save money over the long term by using the mobiles in combination with VOIP software. The unsubsidized price of the E51 will be ,350 (US$485) and should be available in the last three months of the year.

Cost savings through converged fixed line and mobile networks are a "door opener" for IT managers, said Mary McDowell, executive vice president and general manager of Nokia's Enterprise Solutions division.

Expensive data plans -- which increase the total bill for companies every time employees read e-mail -- remain a barrier, although Nokia has brought the issue up with operators, McDowell said.

Still, Nokia sees big opportunities, as 44 percent of businesses still lack plans for mobile usage by their employees, said Antti Vasara, senior vice president for the mobile devices unit of Enterprise Solutions.

Nokia simplified the E51's main navigation window and added setup wizards for functions such as e-mail to make it easier during the initial set-up, Vasara said.

Those improvements came to address user complaints that those functions were "more difficult" than on other models, Vasara said. Another improvement lets users access frequently used features, such as e-mail or their calendar, with the push of only one button, he said.

The E51, which runs the S60 series operating system, may be built for business, but it's shiny, slim and attractive, forgoing a fattening QWERTY keypad to keep its figure. It has a 2-megapixel camera and an FM radio.

The device will perhaps fill the void caused by Nokia's E70 mobile. Despite the full, fold-out keyboard that extended to the left and the right of the main screen, the E70 has not been very popular despite doing well in initial user trials, McDowell said.

The E51 is compatible with Nokia's Intellisync Call Connect software for businesses using equipment and software from Cisco Systems Inc. and Alcatel-Lucent SA. The Intellisync software enables desktop phone functions -- such as call forwarding, extension dialing, hold and conferences, among others -- for mobiles.

BT Group PLC will test a client version of its BT Corporate Fusion software next month on the E51, with expanded trials by the end of the year, said Rakesh Mahaja, global director of mobility for BT Global Services.

BT's Corporate Fusion software uses Wi-Fi to let mobile devices communicate with the fixed network, and runs applications and other calling management functions through an IP network.

(source: pcworld.com)

Halo 3 leaked online for modded Xbox 360

I don't think Microsoft's too happy about this: a pirated copy of Halo 3 has been leaked online for download.

Gameindustry.biz reports that various files-haring sites around the Internet are hosting the 6.14GB file; however, the file is only usable on modded 360s. So unless you're a t3h u1tim4t3 pirate, you're not saving yourself $60 if you're planning to play Bungie's latest masterpiece.

The pirate(s) who leaked this onto the net may have obtained a copy of Halo 3 when game retailer, Argos, accidentally began selling copies of Halo 3 early.

If you're looking to get the full unadulterated experience of Halo 3 with downloadable goodness and all, I wouldn't recommend going down this route as it can likely earn you a permanent ban from Xbox Live.

But if you can't resist, you can easily find it at the PirateBay or MiniNova, although, I warn you, this is quite illegal.

(source: gamer.blorge.com)

Watch out Wii, Sony outlines "astounding" PS3 rescue plan

Sony has outlined a plan to rescue the PlayStation 3 (PS3) from oblivion. Disappointingly, the plan has already received a thumbs down from a leading Japanese games expert.

Contrary to wide speculation, the plan does not include a price cut. Instead, Sony wants to work on relationships with third-party game publishers to improve the range of games available for the PS3.



"The most important thing for me at this point in time is to ensure that we have the breadth of software," the chief executive of Sony's video game unit, Kazuo Hirai, told the Wall Street Journal at the Tokyo Game Show industry conference.

"Price alone does not drive any product."

Hirai said that he would improve communications with publishers, so that they will have a better idea of what Sony was planning. Publishers would also have input into Sony's marketing strategy.

In an astounding move, Hirai also said that Sony will start marketing the PS3 as a games console, rather than as a super computer/home entertainment device. Apparently he's realized that gamers above everything want a games console first and foremost.

This is obviously something that Sony has painfully learnt from Nintendo, which from day one has marketed its popular Wii games console, as a games console.

The president of market-research firm Enterbrain, Hirokazu Hamamura, expressed doubts about the rescue plan, explaining that he was disappointed that there was no price cut. As he pointed out, many game developers want to see more PS3 sales before they start working on new games.

Clearly Sony is trying to fix at least some of the criticisms being leveled at the PS3, but is this latest rescue plan too little, too late?

Tokyo Game Show 2007: Square Enix Booth Insanity

Walking around the Tokyo Game Show this morning, I witnessed firsthand just how crazy Japanese gamers are about Square Enix.

The show officially opens at 10:00, but they start slowly letting people in at 9:00. I snapped this photo right before 10:00 to show you just how nuts it had gotten at the Square Enix booth within that time. This is the line to get into the Square Enix closed theater, where there were new trailers for such titles as Final Fantasy XIII and Kingdom Hearts. It stretched all around the entire booth -- several hundred people, easy. Yeah. Not going anywhere near this booth today.

(source: gametab.com)

The Gigabeat U201: Toshiba’s Latest Answer to the MP3 Player Market

The latest MP3 player from Toshiba, the Gigabeat U201, is loaded with features, comes in blue, white and pink and is 2GB. Not only can you listen to music, you can store photos as well, and do so much to fit your lifestyle. Its features include:



enhanced audio playback time of 20 hours
FM tuner with 10 stations
FM recording
Built-in equalizer with 6 modes
Line-in recording
10 minute charge that will allow users to enjoy 3 hours of constant music play
JPEG photo format for storing photos
Choice of automatic scan or manual scan
32 hours recording time
128 kbps bit rate
For an mp3 player that weighs only 36 grams, the U201 is heavy in functionality, without sacrificing design and practicality. Its ultra compact design allows users to enjoy music or photos on the go, and its sleekness makes it extra convenient to put in your shirt pocket, pant pocket, or hang from your neck. It has simple buttons, making it very user friendly, not to mention all the features for a friendly price of $199.Its impressive weight, design, and features capacity makes it a good bet for mp3 players of all generations. You can run, work, listen to it at a party, or even while in transportation.

Not only that, users can also directly transmit music to the U201 from a cd simply by using its line-in jack. Thus, being away from the computer poses no problem when it comes to adding music.

(source: mp3player.com.au)

Creative Zen Wav for your Ultimate All-MP3 needs

Exclusive music playing is what the new Zen Wav all about. Now, you can get away with those earphones for you to lessen your chances of incurring hearing problems. Zen Wav offers you decent audio quality through its loud built-in speaker. The best This MP3 player supports JPEG, WMA, MP3 (of course) and WAV formats.



This handy player can be left inside your room and can be turned on for a blast of 30 hours of continuous music playing. What’s more interesting is that Zen Wav has 2 GB of space for your favorite music albums and collections. Its additional features are the following:

five ergonomically designed control
you can directly record music from your CD player to Zen Wav and expect the crisp music sound still
32 present radio stations for your radio entertainment options
65,000 videos and picture quality TFT color display
Supports 20 hours of continuous music playback and 30 hours for audio playback
Rechargeable Li-Ion battery
USB connect
Strong, decent and built-in speaker, stereo quality
Zen Wav weighs only 49 grams
Supports JPEG picture quality
Supports AVI video
Wave sounds crisp, decent and quality sound for both music and acoustic
Once again, Creative Zen offers the brand most fans look forward to for convenient and decent MP3 sound quality. The best part on this Zen Wav deal is that you’ll get the 12 month warranty of this item. Priced at $149, you’ll get the chance to enjoy continuous music while doing your school work, outdoor for sports and just want to hear your favorite music played while alone in your room.

(source: mp3player.com.au)

$100 Rebate sets for release: Dial Now

Steve Jobs’ promise regarding the $100 rebate for the recent Apple iPhone’s price cut the previous week is now open for customers’ claims. As a compensation for the inconvenience, those who purchased Apple iPhones before August 22, 2007, are due to receive their $100 rebates and there involved simple 1-2-3 online steps in doing so.




During the announcement, Jobs made a promise that customers will be given the chance to claim for the $100 store credit in regards to the price cut. Buyers have to follow simple steps in claiming their $100 rebate on or before November 2007. However, it’s important for you to make sure that your iPhone is activated through AT & T before you submit your request for rebate claim. If not, you will be denied of your chance to claim the $100 rebate. To claim, the following 1-2-3 steps are needed:

Enter your iPhone serial number and your phone number in the box provided online. This is the first step in claiming your rebate.
After identifying your phone number, you will be sent an access code. You will use this access code in claiming your rebate.
You will need to enter this access code along with your phone number to generate the store credit. Store credits are only available through Apple Retail store or through the online store.
This announcement made in line with the recent price cut of $200 made for the Apple iPhones. Apple’s recent decision is claimed to be according to the way Apple responds to the market and consumer needs, a marketing strategy that pushed iPhones sale to the 1millionth sale in a span of 74 days since its initial release.

(source: mp3player.com.au)

Plus is always a top notch: Creative Zen Stone Plus review

Creative Zen Stone player has released its new and upgraded MP3 item, the Creative Zen Plus. The new player has the same size and glossy features as the previous Zen Stone. The distinguishing characteristic of the Plus however is its glossy blue OLED circular screen.



The Zen Plus has a 2GB storage best for your 1000 plus favorite songs. This means that you can enjoy your outdoor and all-day long music playing with the use of Creative Zen Plus. Not only that this player offer long-hour music playing but it also 32 FM preset stations which allows you to keep track on most played music on-air and news bits while on-the-go.

Creative Zen Stone Plus’ additional features are as follows:

Its battery sustains 9.5 hours long audio playback
Li-Ion polymer type rechargeable battery
Can hold 1000 music through WMA and 500 MP3 songs straight for 33 hours
Very handy and light for only 21 grams and has the same thickness of your finger
Voice recording capable
Supports WMA, MP3, WAV, Audible
2GB capacity
Built-in stopwatch and timer that can be used for your workout
The Zen Stone Plus is available in six colors similar to the earlier Stone version—green, blue, pink, red, white and black. This handy MP3 player is best for both outdoor and indoor activities. Priced at an awesome $69.99, Creative Zen Stone Plus is considered to be one of the best deals in the MP3 player list. This player is available at any MP3 player stores online and direct buy stores.

(source: mp3player.com.au)

iPod,iPhone: Two Players among the 10 Best gadgets

Both received four stars and up, iPod Touch and iPhone are Apple’s dearest innovative MP3 players dearly loved by the public. Yes, these two state-of-the-art gadgets are priced higher againsts their competitors but what do you know? These players are engaging and fascinating and you couldn’t ask for more when you’re using them.


Iphone

For one, the iPod Touch is Apple’s latest MP3 player release that hit the market almost the same week Apple made it’s $200 price cut on iPhone. It’s not a mere coincedence but while iPhone broke the silence of many Apple fanatics, iPod Touch on the other hand elevated the trust Apple fans have for their gadgets. iPod Touch is priced at around $400. This gadget is wifi ready, an experience of carrying your desktop whenever and wherever.

Meanwhile, iPhone’s breaking news the previous week regarding the $200 price cut didn’t break the legacy of this gadget at all. Standing against the test of financial speculators, iPhone stood to be one of the best MP3 players at all times. This multi-faceted gadget is a revolutionary mobile telephone and user-friendly that allows ultimate engagement with its features.


Ipod touch

So while many are speculating on what else Apple could offer the next months, you may want to try scouting for the best MP3 player this coming holiday seasons. Knowing which player carries the most benefits for your multimedia needs will help you determine which one you’ll purchase as a gift for yourself or for your loved ones this coming holidays.

(source: mp3player.com.au)

Google seeks EU approval to buy DoubleClick

Google filed with the European Union competition regulator on Friday for permission to buy rival DoubleClick for $3.1 billion, and the deal almost immediately became contentious.

The European Commission said it had set a review deadline of October 26, when it could approve the deal, give a two-week extension or open an in-depth, four-month investigation.

"We are asking the European Commission to look at the proposed acquisition. We believe this deal is positive for both users and advertisers, and fosters competition," Julia Holtz, Google's competition counsel, told Reuters.

But rival Yahoo immediately issued its own statement over the deal, seeking an in-depth review.

"The deal raises important questions about the future of Internet advertising. These questions warrant an in-depth debate and review by a broad range of Internet publishers, advertisers, service providers, and governments in Europe and elsewhere," said Toby Coppel, managing director of Yahoo Europe.

Others, including Microsoft and AT&T, have asked U.S. antitrust officials to look closely at the proposed takeover, saying Google could gain too much control over online advertising.

The Commission has already sent questionnaires asking competitors and customers what they think about the deal.

DoubleClick is in the business of online advertising, as is Web search provider Google. DoubleClick connects ad agencies, marketers and Web site publishers, and has more than 1,500 corporate clients.

Google has already filed with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and with the Australian competition regulator.

(source: news.com)

Palm struggles to shine again

Palm's death knell has been rung over and over — on Wall Street, in headlines, and by a growing number of discontented fans.
Whether on death watch or not, the smart phone pioneer is struggling. Palm has been pummeled by deep-pocketed rivals and maimed by missteps, and it remains shackled to an aging operating system.



The Palm OS has fallen behind others in user-friendly features, and the company's vital signs are taking a hit. Palm said Wednesday it expects to see a loss of 1 cent per share or break even for its fiscal quarter ending Aug. 31.

If the company is to succeed even as a small player in the fast-growing industry, analysts say it will have to act deftly.

"They can hang on for a while longer," Gartner vice president and analyst Ken Dulaney said. "But they really can't afford many more mistakes."

High profit margins and the growing popularity of phones that are Swiss Army knives of data, voice and Web capabilities have drawn intensifying interest from rivals ranging from phone giants like Nokia Corp. and Samsung Electronics, to tech titans like Apple and Hewlett-Packard.

As competitors trotted out sleek new smart phones over the past year, Palm veered little from the once-beloved but now-bulky design of the Treo 600, which debuted in 2003. Others adopted software platforms aimed at today's multimedia multitasking culture, but Palm has been relying mainly on an operating system that has seen only minor revisions over five years.

Officials at the Sunnyvale-based company acknowledge the Palm OS's underlying architecture isn't agile enough. The software, which languished amid ownership switches first from Palm to a spinoff and now to Access Co. Ltd., can't handle voice and data functions simultaneously, thus leaving some users wondering why their Treos, for instance, can't toggle seamlessly between a phone call and video playback.

Palm is building a new operating system based on Linux, but it's a huge undertaking and nobody knows yet how it will stack up. In fact, the company recently canceled its much maligned Foleo, a laptop-like gadget, to shift resources to the next-generation platform.

"They have a lot of work to catch up from being behind for 18 months," Dulaney said.

Meanwhile, Palm is banking on continued sales growth of its Microsoft Windows-based models, which debuted in 2006. But analysts say that operating system also has shortcomings, and Palm must differentiate its products from other smart phones using it.

Palm's profits plunged 43% to $15.4 million in its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended June 1, even though it posted record Treo sales of $344.2 million. In comparison, longtime rival Research in Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry, saw income surge 73% to $223.2 million for the same period.

Unless Palm delivers more compelling products and the brand regains its cachet, analysts predict the company will continue to get squeezed. The worldwide smart phone market grew 23% in the first quarter, but Palm's slice stayed at about 3% while RIM's increased from 3% to 5.7%, and Nokia's grew from 48% to 52.6%, according to Gartner.

"They had one great product — the Treo — and they've never been able to follow it up," said Jeff Embersits, analyst at Shareholder Value Management.

Palm first made its mark a decade ago in personal digital assistants, or handheld computers, before turning its focus to smart phones. But while Palm sifted through management changes, rivals like RIM only grew stronger and locked a foothold on the corporate market.

Competitors armed with large marketing budgets and manufacturing efficiencies then swarmed in, targeting consumer segments where Palm had a loyal following.

Motorola and Nokia were each rumored in the first half of this year to be interested in buying Palm.

"It has gotten a lot more competitive in the last 12 months, and we have to redouble our efforts," Brodie Keast, Palm's senior vice president of marketing, acknowledged.

In June, the company laid off about 8% of its workforce.

British cellular operator Vodafone Group PLC, Microsoft and Palm jointly spent $30 million this year marketing Treos in Europe. But sales so far have fallen short of Palm's expectations, and Lehman Bros. analyst Tim Long predicts Palm will lag farther behind rivals in Europe as well as at home.

Adding salt to Palm's wounds, Apple proclaimed last week it sold a million iPhones in its first 74 days in the smart phone market. Palm has yet to sell that many Treos in a quarter.

Seeking "a change in dynamics," the company signed a deal in June to sell a 25% stake to private equity firm Elevation Partners. An impetus, Palm President and CEO Ed Colligan said, was to get Jon Rubinstein, the former head of Apple's iPod division, to join Palm's ranks.

After the transaction closes, Rubinstein will become Palm's executive chair, and his associates at Elevation — former Apple chief financial officer Fred Anderson and veteran Silicon Valley investor Roger McNamee — will become board members.

It may take 18 months before the public sees results from the management changes, Colligan estimated. That's partly because Palm's product roadmap was set before the deal.

But, "we haven't been sitting on our hands," Colligan said, adding that "it's still early in the market."

Palm unveiled last week in Europe a slimmer Treo 500v — its first significant hardware revamp in five years.

A similarly thinner model dubbed the Centro is also expected to launch soon in the United States. Long echoed other observers in calling it an "evolutionary improvement ... rather than a major step forward."

"Palm really would have to knock it out of the park to succeed," said Hugues De La Vergne, analyst at Gartner.

(source: news)

HP board approves new executive pay policy

Hewlett-Packard's board of directors agreed with shareholders Thursday, passing a new policy tying executive pay closer to performance.

The company disclosed the new program, in which stock issued to executives will vest based on whether individuals meet their performance goals over a three-year period, in an SEC filing Friday.

The issue was first brought up at the annual shareholders' meeting in March. The proposal surfaced in response to shareholders' unhappiness regarding the compensation given to ex-CEO Carly Fiorina after she was removed by the board.

HP has not revealed any specifics about how performance will be measured, but will reveal more details at the next shareholder meeting next year, according to the SEC filing.

(source: news.com)

RIM intros the BlackBerry Curve Smartphone

Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry Curve(TM) smartphone - the smallest and lightest full QWERTY(1) BlackBerry smartphone. With its smooth and friendly design encompassing a large display, easy-to-use keyboard and intuitive trackball navigation system, this powerful new smartphone makes it easy to stay connected to the people and information that matter most.



"The BlackBerry Curve offers a unique blend of communications, multimedia and web features to provide people with an exceptional mobile companion for both work and leisure," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM. "The BlackBerry Curve delivers RIM's industry leading email and messaging capabilities in a highly approachable smartphone design that is packed with consumer-friendly features including a 2 megapixel camera, enhanced media player and high-performance browser."

SMOOTH DESIGN & EASY TO USE

The BlackBerry Curve features a liquid silver finish, chrome highlights, smooth edges and soft curves. It is a full-featured smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard and large display and yet it boasts an impressively small and lightweight design at 4.2'' x 2.4'' x 0.6'' and approximately 3.9 oz. The ultra-bright 320x240 display brings images and video to life and includes RIM's light sensing technology that automatically adjusts backlighting levels for indoor, outdoor and dark environments. The handset also features RIM's innovative trackball navigation system that makes scrolling and selecting fast and easy.



MULTIMEDIA TO GO

The BlackBerry Curve comes with a 2 megapixel camera, complete with 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full screen viewfinder. The camera can capture images in up to three picture quality and size resolutions that can be shared instantly by email, MMS or BlackBerry Messenger and transferred over Bluetooth or USB cable. Photos can also be immediately set as a unique caller ID or Home Screen image.

The audio system is crisp and clear, playing music and videos through the handset's integrated speaker or through the 3.5 mm stereo jack. The Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP) is supported, and dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset.

A powerful new desktop media manager is also included with the BlackBerry Curve. The Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry, which was developed with Sonic and based on the award-winning Roxio Easy Media Creator 9, introduces a new level of simplicity, allowing users to easily search for media files on their computer, view and organize them, create MP3 music files from CDs, add audio tags, create playlists and automatically copy or convert pictures, music and videos for optimal playback on the BlackBerry Curve.

The media manager also includes Roxio Photosuite 9 LE, a comprehensive tool that makes it easy to edit pictures and create photo albums. With PhotoSuite, pictures can be cropped, rotated and straightened, and flaws can be fixed by removing redeye or changing the brightness, contrast and saturation levels. Pictures can even be enhanced with color filters and special effects.

The media player on the BlackBerry Curve has been refined, allowing users to search for music by simply typing the title, genre, artist or album name. Videos can also be played in full screen mode.

MORE STORAGE FOR YOUR TUNES, FLICKS AND PICS

For added storage of music, videos and pictures, the BlackBerry Curve comes with a microSD expansion slot. It supports up to 2GB cards that are available today and will automatically support 4GB cards that are expected to become available later this year.

BRING THE WEB WITH YOU

The BlackBerry Curve features a high-performance browser that can download and display HTML web pages quickly and efficiently. Users can bookmark their favorite sites and set up RSS feeds to stay connected to the timely news and information that matters most during their day. The highly responsive browser, large and vivid screen and super-easy trackball navigation provides an exceptional mobile experience.



FULL FEATURED PHONE

The BlackBerry Curve offers many convenient phone features including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), Bluetooth 2.0 support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits and Bluetooth peripherals, quad-band operation for global roaming(2), dedicated 'send', 'end', and 'mute' keys, smart dialing, speed dialing, conference calling, call forwarding, noise cancellation technology to offset background noise, a low-distortion speakerphone for hands-free conversations and support for polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ring tones.

INDUSTRY LEADING EMAIL & MESSAGING

The BlackBerry Curve delivers all the renowned BlackBerry email and messaging capabilities and even features a new integrated spell checker with a user-customizable dictionary to help maintain spelling accuracy on the go. The BlackBerry Curve is supported on BlackBerry Internet Service, giving users access to up to 10 work or personal email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts), as well as BlackBerry Enterprise Server, enabling advanced security and IT administration within IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise environments.

ACCESSORIZE

The BlackBerry Curve also comes with a variety of accessories: a stereo headset, travel charger, carrying pouch and USB cable are all included in the box. Additional accessories for BlackBerry handsets, including premium leather holsters and totes, an automotive charger, and Bluetooth headsets are available through retail outlets or online at: www.shopblackberry.com.

AVAILABILITY

The BlackBerry Curve (model number: 8300) will be available through wireless carriers around the world, including AT&T in the U.S., beginning this spring.

(source: mobiletechnews.com)

BlackBerry 8830

Verizon Wireless and Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced the first Global CDMA/GSM BlackBerry. The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone will be available on May 14 through Verizon Wireless' business sales channels and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on May 28. In addition, Verizon Wireless announced the May 14 availability of its new Global BlackBerry service, an "always-on, always connected" wireless e-mail solution that provides quick, easy access to e-mail, contacts, calendar, organizer and the Web while on-the-go. With the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone and Global BlackBerry service from Verizon Wireless, customers get wireless e-mail and the convenience of one local number for domestic and international use in Australia, Europe, parts of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North America.



Verizon Wireless' new Global BlackBerry service allows customers to place and receive voice calls from more than 150 countries and send and receive e-mails in the United States, Canada and more than 60 countries worldwide. With Global BlackBerry service, Verizon Wireless customers receive the Global Support Pack, which includes a SIM card, a user reference guide and details on accessing the Global Help Desk for 24-hour customer support, seven days a week. Customers also receive a calling card for free support calls while traveling outside of the U.S. from any landline phone to technical support if the BlackBerry 8830 is lost, broken or stolen.

"The BlackBerry 8830 with Verizon Wireless' Global BlackBerry service will set a new standard for global wireless service," said Mike Lanman, vice president and chief marketing officer of Verizon Wireless. "Customers leave the U.S. with the ultimate productivity tool enhanced by a service and support package they won't find anywhere else in the industry. This is the gold standard for the international enterprise, and with its unique blend of form, function and value, we expect this device to quickly become our top selling BlackBerry for domestic use as well."

"The BlackBerry 8830 is built on an exciting new device platform that combines CDMA and GSM/GPRS roaming support with the latest in industrial design and functional innovations," said Mike Lazaridis, president and co- chief executive officer at Research In Motion. "This innovative and stylish smartphone includes all the benefits that users have come to love about the BlackBerry solution along with a compelling new global service from Verizon Wireless."



The BlackBerry 8830 provides an international option for enterprise customers of all Verizon Business groups. The Verizon branded companies offer customers a portfolio of wired and wireless solutions inclusive of the recently announced BroadbandAccess Router Service.

Features and Pricing for the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition Smartphone and Global BlackBerry Service

The new BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone packs the latest features into a stylish global device and offers the following capabilities and features:

- EV-DO/GPRS network connection for high-speed data transfer in more than 60 countries - GSM/GPRS (900/1800 MHz) for continued voice and e-mail while traveling internationally - Auto-selection of CDMA/GSM Mode

- Thin form factor of just 14mm for both style and easy handling

- New Trackball navigation system

- Media player

- Expandable memory option with microSD(TM) card (sold separately)

- Speakerphone

- Bluetooth capabilities for certain profiles inclusive of hands-free, dial-up networking and serial port

- Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD)

- Instant Messaging capabilities for quick and easy communication

The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone will be available in May for $299.99 after a $100 rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. An additional $100 credit toward the purchase of the device is available for customers who sign up for qualifying voice and data plans at the time of purchase.

Customers signing up for Global BlackBerry service will get unlimited e-mail in the United States, Canada and more than 60 countries worldwide for $64.99 monthly access with a qualifying voice plan, or for $69.99 monthly access without a voice plan. Customers can also add a "Pay As You Go" data feature to any qualifying voice plan for an additional $20 per Megabyte. Customers wanting to use the BlackBerry 8830 for e-mail solely in the U.S. may opt for an unlimited e-mail plan beginning at $49.99 monthly access.

(source: mobiletechnews.com)

HTC TyTN II - The Kaiser Cometh

Preview: HTC TyTN II (Kaiser)

In an exclusive media invite, we had a sneak peek of the much anticipated HTC TyTN II (pronounced Titan II) or more widely known by its "Kaiser" moniker.

For weeks, the tech world had been abuzz with news about the HTC TyTN II's arrival and from the photos that were leaked all over the web, the TyTN II looked very promising. Though touted as the direct successor to the Dopod 838 Pro (TyTN), the HTC TyTN II is not exactly a chip off the block. Even though it retains QWERTY input via a sliding keyboard, the way it does it is the exact opposite of what was done to the Dopod 838 Pro in that it now slides out in a right-to-left fashion, which is a more natural motion.



Weighing in at 190g (with battery), the HTC TyTN II is quite hefty but in a substantial way than being detrimental to portability. The screen is comfortably large at 2.8 inches while having the ability to tilt it means a more comfortable viewing angle.



In terms of specifications, the HTC TyTN II follows the Dopod 838 Pro's HSDPA, 3.5G connectivity, while getting an upgrade in the form of a 3-megapixel camera, an integrated GPS antenna and an advanced touch screen interface. Business support is the main focus for the HTC TyTN II and for that, it has push e-mail, a business card scanner and Pocket Office.

At first impression, the HTC TyTN II looks all set to give consumers much to consider for their next smartphone upgrade when it is finally released sometime in October. Until then, you might want to hold off your upgrade plan and to start saving up for its arrival.


(source: hardwarezone.com)

Biostar's 'New-and-Improved' P35-DDR3 Motherboard

Introduction

When Intel first released its P35 chipset, a few firms stepped forward seeking quick publicity through the review process. To make it fair we had to invite everyone else, but with a warning: Every board submitted would be held to the same standards as retail parts. We didn't have time to review each model independently, while we made it clear that we'd certainly do a later article if enough companies were willing to wait.

But none of participating brands could afford to miss the opportunity to show off their wares, and many took a great risk by submitting pre-release samples that were supposed to be identical to the retail units, save for a few external details, such as sinks, boxes and accessory kits. The risk paid off in early exposure for several models, but a few failed to meet expectations.

Make no mistake, this update isn't meant to favor a particular brand: The only reason this particular board was chosen for an update when so many others were not is because of its previous failure. Biostar's TP35D3-A7 Deluxe Revision 0.51 was unable to boot whenever any clock speed change was made in BIOS, and Revision 5.0 was released to address this issue.

Biostar had delivered its earlier TP35D3-A7 Deluxe Revision 0.51 prior to receiving its heatpipe assemblies, substituting two standard sinks instead. Because Intel's chipsets run moderately cool, the early board suffered no heat problems using the substitute parts, but still wouldn't overclock. The production sink found on this retail board revision covers the Northbridge, Southbridge and the transistors of all eight power phases.

Improvements

Before testing overclocking improvements, it's important to make sure that the changes between motherboard revisions haven't caused a significant decrease in performance. Hardware and software configurations were carried forward from our earlier P35-DDR3 motherboard comparison, but the board itself was updated to BIOS version P35AA615 (6/15/2007).



The new board suffered a net performance loss of less than a quarter of one percent. Let's see how much it gains in overclocking capability:



Revision 5.0 of Biostar's TP35D3-A7 Deluxe clocked an Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 normally capable of 3.46 GHz at 1.50 volts to only 3.33 GHz. Dropping the multiplier to 6x allowed the board to push a maximum stable FSB clock of 351 MHz (FSB1404), which is a relatively low result that only seems impressive when comparing the board to its previous revision.

Conclusion

Biostar has overcome a major limitation of its earlier TP35D3-A7 Deluxe by making Revision 5.0 overclockable, but it cannot surpass the faster clock speeds several competing boards offer. Buyers who aren't seeking a mobo for overclocking will want to consider the board based on its many other virtues, which we described in our earlier review.

(source: tomshardware.com)

GStor Secure Mobile Storage

Storage Security Goes Mobile

Imagine this - you have all your important documents stored in your personal external hard drive. The drive contains all your documents with financial transactions, things about your personal life, your next hit novel and highly classified work you have been doing with your company. You were traveling to another country and checked in your luggage (with your hard drive) at the airport but upon arriving at your destination, you discovered it was lost. The airline said that it was checked through properly and told you it must have been stolen at the baggage collection. You were offered compensation for the items in the luggage, but what was lost was more than the cost of the hardware (the amount that the airline compensates you). Although you had a backup stashed somewhere in your office, the loss is estimated to be in the region of tens of thousands of dollars if it falls into the wrong hands.

Although this is just a theoretical scenario, it could happen to anyone of us. Data theft is increasingly becoming a problem for a lot of companies and recent research shows that targeted laptop theft has increased by twofold over the past year. What worries companies and executives is the cost of data lost to corporate data thieves, not the cost of the laptop itself.

So, the question really boils down to how does one protect data from unwanted access. There are of course software solutions that could perform a full encryption of your files and emails, all the way down to an entire disk volume. However, these solutions can be costly as licenses are bound to the individual desktop. Not to mention that software based solutions can also take up significant processing resources as every file access would require the CPU to constantly perform encryption/decryption on the disk volume.

This is where ExcelStor Technology's new mobile storage device comes into the picture. It looks like just any other external hard disk drive available out there in the market, but it comes with a twist. It has built-in hardware encryption, which protects the data stored in the hard drive. Users without the decryption key will not be able to access the drive, let alone the data stored inside the drive.



(source: hardwarezone.com)

Sony VAIO VGN-TZ18GN (Centrino Duo)

Ultra Chic and Slim

It's been a decade since Sony introduced its first ultra portable notebook, the VAIO 505 in Japan. Expensive, classy but undeniably handy, this tiny notebook measured less than an inch thick, seemed to weigh even less and most of all, had an irresistible charm that has become a key requirement of the VAIO design philosophy. While its price and niche genre probably restricted it to a small audience, the notebook has its share of fans (there's even an old web ring for VAIO 505 owners with tips and information) and now, ten years from that moment, Sony has sought to commemorate this milestone with a new take on the ultra slim notebook.



The end result is the new VAIO TZ series, designed by some members of the original development team that came up with the VAIO 505 and others who have been inspired by it. Their goal was like most product refreshes - keeping with the style and elegance of the original while updating it with the latest technology. For the top model, the VGN-TZ18GN, this includes a cutting edge solid state drive (SSD) using flash memory, an ultra low voltage Core 2 Duo processor from Intel and the latest Microsoft Windows Vista OS. Meanwhile, the latest advances in material sciences and LCD technologies mean that this VAIO comes with a light but sturdy carbon fiber chassis and a vibrant, bright display that puts others into the shade, literally.

So yes, maybe we seem to be hyperventilating a bit now. But, don't take our words for granted, check out the ultra thin notebooks below and tell us honestly you don't fancy them. We received both the TZ17GN and the TZ18GN from Sony for this article, but we will only be focusing on the premium VGN-TZ18GN here. Hence, the specifications for the table are based on the TZ18GN. However, there is virtually no difference on paper between the two except for the SSD on the TZ18GN instead of the usual SATA hard drive (and the price tag of course).

Sony VAIO VGN TZ18GN Technical Specifications
Processor and Chipset Intel Core 2 Duo processor U7600 (1.2GHz)
Intel 945GMS Processor Bus - 533MHz
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Business

BIOS Supports DVD/CD-ROM and USB boot

System Memory 1GB DDR2-667 System Memory (upgradeable to 2GB)
1 x DDR2 SO-DIMM Slot (occupied)

Video & Display Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
256MB total available graphics memory (64MB dedicated)
11.1-inch widescreen TFT Color Display
Native resolution 1366 x 768

HDD 32GB Flash memory based, Solid State Drive (SSD)
Ultra ATA/66 Inteface
Option for recovery available (8GB reserved)

Optical Drive SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW/RAM Double Layer

Communication Integrated Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11 a/b/g
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection & Bluetooth 2.0

Audio Realtek High Definition Audio
DirectSound 3D support
Built-in stereo speakers
Built-in monaural microphone

Front & Side I/O Ports 2 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x RJ-45 (LAN)
1 x RJ-11 modem port
i.LINK (IEEE 1394)
VGA analog output
Integrated 4-in-1 card reader (SD//MS/MS Pro/MagicGate)
Headphone and microphone jacks
1 x ExpressCard/34

Miscellaneous Integrated VGA CMOS camera (effective pixels: 0.3MP)
Trusted Platform Module ver 1.2 security chip
Fingerprint sensor
VGP-BPL11 Lithium-Ion battery (up to 11.5 hours of use)
Optional battery: VGP-BPX11 Lithium-Ion battery (up to 18.0 hours of use)
1 year warranty

Dimension & Weight 277mm (L) x 198mm (W) x 22.5 - 29.8mm (H)
1.17kg (including the supplied battery)

(source: hardwarezone.com)

Acer buys Gateway to become World #3 PC Company

Acer Inc, one of the world?s leading branded PC vendors, has announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Gateway, Inc., the fourth largest PC company in the US and a leading retail PC provider. The combination will create a multi-branded PC-company with more than US$15 billion in revenues and shipments of more than 20 million PC units per year.



Under the terms of the agreement, Acer will commence a cash tender offer to purchase all the outstanding shares of Gateway for $1.90 per share, which represents total equity value consideration of approximately $710 million. The acquisition has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both Gateway and Acer. The acquisition is expected to close by December 2007.



?This strategic transaction is an important milestone in Acer?s long history? said J.T. Wang, Chairman of Acer. ?The acquisition of Gateway and its strong brand immediately completes Acer?s global footprint, by strengthening our US presence. This will be an excellent addition to Acer?s already strong positions in Europe and Asia. Upon acquiring Gateway, we will further solidify our position as number three PC vendor globally.?



Gianfranco Lanci, President of Acer, added, ?Both Acer?s and Gateway?s geographical presences and product positioning are highly complementary. We believe that our combined scale will lead to significant efficiencies. Gateway has built one of the industry?s most powerful and unique brands and with this acquisition, we will have the opportunity to implement an effective multi-brand strategy and cover all the major market segments. In time, we intend to actively manage our brand portfolio and differentiate our brands to address different consumer segments. We are also acquiring a world-class team and Gateway?s employees will be critical to our combined success.?



?We believe our complementary geographical and product mixes, and our mutual focus on the consumer market makes Acer an outstanding partner for Gateway.? explained Ed Coleman, CEO of Gateway. ?Joining with Acer will enable us to bring even more value to the consumer segments we serve and capitalize on Acer?s highly regarded supply chain operations and global reach to expand the scope of the Gateway and eMachines brands around the world. Acer has made impressive strides in the global PC market and the board and I welcome this merger.?



The combination of Acer and Gateway is expected to result in significant revenue and cost synergies. The considerable increase in scale will result in reductions in per unit procurement and component costs for both companies. This combination also creates a real opportunity for the cross-selling of product portfolios by leveraging the customer relationships of both Acer and Gateway. Significant savings are also expected through the increased efficiency of the combined back-office functions.

(source: gadget.co.za)

LG Rolls Out KS10 and KG290 in Taiwan

LG has just expanded its line of mobile phones in Taiwan with the release of two new handsets, both looking highly stylish. None of the two has something that users will not find in other devices, but they make a pretty good choice especially due to the appealing design.

KS10 and KG290 are both slider phones, a form factor which has proved to be highly popular until now, especially because it automatically brings a great amount of elegance, making the developers free of any concerns on how to bring this style through the phone's lines. There is one drawback in this design, as the number of handsets using it has proved to be overwhelming and even more are being added to the thick line of such devices.




The two phones look highly similar and even with devices coming from other handset producers. As compared to the two devices, the KS10 model looks slightly better and also brings some more evolved performances. The phone runs on Symbian S60 and also includes HSDPA technology, which brings data transfers of up to 1.8 Mbps. The phone might prove to be a little thick for some tastes, at 18.5 mm.

On the other hand, the 2.4 inch display screen can support a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels, which considerably adds to its good looks. Other specifications also include Bluetooth and USB connectivity as well as a 2 megapixel camera.

On the other hand, the LG KG290 is somewhat slimmer, but still thick, by many standards. The phone comes only with a 1.3 megapixel camera, but also packs an FM radio for entertainment. It lacks most of the evolved functions and can rely only on its good looks and lower price to appeal to customers.

The two slider phones will be available from now on in Taiwan too, although the prices that these two handsets will come at have not been revealed.

(source: softpedia.com)

A tiny player with a big sound- Sandisc Sansa Clip

SanDisk Corporation, the second largest seller of MP3 players in the United States, has introduced the colorful Sansa Clip, a tiny MP3 player that boasts an array of cool features, as well as distinctively big sound for its small size.

Perfect for the fitness buff or traveler, the compact Sansa Clip comes with a fashionable clip for wearing, FM radio with recorder, microphone, long-lasting rechargeable battery and a bright screen for exceptionally easy navigation of tunes. The Sansa Clip is expected to be available at manufacturer's suggested retail prices of R699.00 for a 1 GB player and R999.00 for the 2GB unit.



"Don't let the Sansa Clip's size fool you," said Keith Washo, SanDisk retail product marketing manager for the Sansa Clip. "This tiny player packs a powerful, feature-rich punch. We're excited to bring music lovers a new, cool-looking player with great sound and audio offerings in a body that's smaller than a match box."



Consumers can also show off their style by choosing from an array of colors. The Sansa Clip comes in sleek black, candy apple red, hot pink and ice blue.



The Sansa Clip is loaded with exceptional features:

Superior sound - one of the best sounding MP3 players on the market.
A fashionable wearable clip for hands-free portability and effortless enjoyment of digital music on the go.
Large, bright (OLED) screen with a simple user interface that makes it easy to choose playlists or songs sorted by title, artist, album, genre.
FM tuner and recorder with 40 presets for listening to sports, tuning in at the gym or your favorite music station.
Built-in microphone to record thoughts while exercising or on the go. Rechargeable battery with up to 15 hours of life2 - one of the most competitive battery performances for a MP3 player of its size on the market today.
Solid state flash memory for skip-free playback of music
The Sansa Clip supports many music download and subscription services, including Rhapsody, Napster, eMusic and others. It's designed to work seamlessly with a wide range of popular music formats such as MP3, WAV, Audible (for audio books) and Windows Media Audio (WMA) in both unprotected and protected files (such as those WMA files purchased from music stores). The Sansa Clip can also play "DRM-free" MP3 downloads.


The player is expected to be available from retailers in the U.S. and Europe in September 2007, with other regions to follow shortly thereafter.



* For more information, visit SanDisk's web site at http://www.sandisk.com

(source: gadget.co.za)

Sidekick LX Launches on October 24th

An advertising flyer recently spotted indicates the launch of the Sidekick LX on October 24. This comes after recent rumors taunted a possible release for the next Sidekick in the near future, at T-Mobile, with solid reasons to support this possibility.




The card clearly announces as a sure thing Sidekick LX's arrival on the 24th of October, just a week after the 16th of October concert that DJ AM will perform for T-Mobile. This artist has been present at the last two Sidekick announcements, which gives great reasons for the tradition to go on the same way this year too.

The flyer's content leaves no matter of a doubt on what people should expect at that date. It says that "The wait is almost over! On October 24 during store business hours, you can bring this card to the retail location where you received it and we’ll have a new Sidekick LX waiting for you to purchase. With fantastic features like access to MySpace 24/7, and a larger, sharper high res screen, you won’t be disappointed."

The leaked flier is nothing impossible to be created by anyone owning a printer. This still leaves the matter of a doubt over its authenticity. The Sidekick Slide has recently been approved by FCC, which brings it just one step away from a US release. Now, the LX handset seems to be the one selected by T-Mobile for a close launch. That's more than confusing, making it only natural to question any supposedly legit flyer that makes things too easy.

From all these rumors, one thing is clear. T-Mobile will surely bring the latest Sidekick model in its stores towards the end of October. The DJ AM gig is nothing to overlook, as some important unveiling will take place there. The only mystery remaining is whether it will really be Sidekick LX or not.

(source: softpedia.com)

Dell XPS M1330 (Intel Santa Rosa)

Introduction



Dell may be one of the top PC brands in the market today, but ask anyone about Dell notebooks and some of the most common replies you'll get will probably be "dull", "bland", "blocky" and "uninspiring". This has nothing to do with specifications or performance, but Dell has been using the same designs generation after generation and with the rise of lifestyle computing products from the likes of Apple, HP, Samsung and Sony, Dell's notebooks really do look archaic in comparison. Even Dell's acquisition of Alienware, a boutique PC brand, early last year did not seem to add any zest into their product line up. Instead, Dell has been experiencing a sluggish year, resulting in HP overtaking them in worldwide PC shipment numbers for the last quarter of 2006. Perhaps this has been a rude awakening for Dell, which has been languishing off their OEM-like approach to the consumer market for too long, but they've finally taken themselves to task with an overhaul of their Inspiron series into a younger, hipper and more attractive range.

However, if there is one notebook that will put a stop to critics, it will be the focus of this review - Dell's new XPS M1330 ultraportable. Combining stellar design and the performance oriented approach of the XPS line, the M1330 may very well be singularly responsible for lifting Dell out of their slump in the notebook market.

Among Dell's notebook products, their XPS lineup represents the performance segment and one of the most noteworthy to date has been the XPS M1210, a 12.1-inch ultraportable that boasted features you would not usually find in such a small notebook such as discreet graphics and integrated optical drive. The M1210 raised and set the bar on the performance that ultraportables are capable of and achieved a sort of cult status among its users. As the successor to the M1210, the new M1330 is the ultraportable re-envisioned - performance, style and form factor combined.

Dell XPS M1330 Technical Specifications
Processor and Chipset Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7700 (2.4GHz, 4MB L2)
Intel PM965 (ICH8)
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate

System Memory 2GB DDR2-667 System (2 x 1GB sticks) Memory
2 x DDR2 SO-DIMM Slots

Video & Display NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
256MB maximum supported graphics memory
128MB Dedicated
128MB TurboCache (shared system memory)
13.3-inch WXGA TrueLife LED widescreen display
Native resolution 1280 x 800

HDD 160GB SATA (Seagate Momentus 7200.2 - ST9160823AS)
7200RPM
8MB cache

Optical Drive Integrated Slot-load DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer drive

Communication Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection & Bluetooth 2.0

Audio SigmaTel?STAC9228 HD Audio CODEC

Front & Side I/O Ports 2?x USB 2.0 ports
1 x RJ-45 (Gigabit LAN)
1 x FireWire (IEEE 1394)
1 x VGA analog output
1 x HDMI output
Integrated 8-in-1?memory card reader
Headphone and microphone jacks
1 x ExpressCard slot

Miscellaneous Integrated 0.3-megapixel webcam
6-cell 56Wh Lithium-Ion battery

Dimension & Weight 337mm (L) x 248mm (W) x 26.6-38.7mm (H)
Approximately 2.0kg?with battery (6-cell)

(source: hardwarezone.com)

MSI RX2600XT Diamond (Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB GDDR4)

Introduction




For the longest time, getting updated drivers for computer hardware on Linux has been one of the major issues holding back its adoption rate on the desktop. While servers and enterprises have embraced the open source operating system early in its development, the barriers on the desktop arena are higher, due in part to the dominance of Microsoft's Windows. Newer and more user friendly distributions like Ubuntu have helped to increase the user base but even the tech savvy among us will be stumped if there are no drivers released in a timely fashion to support their hardware.

Therefore, it was a massive boost to the Linux community when AMD announced last week that it has plans to develop open source drivers for its Radeon graphics cards. True to its words, the GPU specifications for the RV630 has been released for download and possibly, open source drivers are set to follow soon. In the mean time, there's also a new proprietary driver available available for the Radeon HD series for Linux users. Hopefully, such a move will force NVIDIA to do the same for its own graphics chipsets so that Linux users can fully utilize their hardware and in a more timely fashion.

So perhaps it's fitting that today, we're looking at the RV630 core, in the form of a Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB GDDR4 card from MSI. It's a 'Diamond' edition card, which those familiar with MSI's products should know that it is not the standard issue version, but a premium one that usually has additional features. With higher clock speeds and a two-slot cooler, this Radeon HD card is already off to a decent start. Before we get to it, here are its specifications below:

MSI RX2600XT Diamond Technical Specifications

Graphics Engine ATI Radeon Radeon HD 2600 XT GPU (RV630)
390 million transistors on 65nm fabrication process
Core Clock: 850MHz
24 shader processors (120 stream processing units)
Ring Bus Memory Controller
Fully distributed design with 256-bit internal ring bus for memory reads and writes
Unified Superscalar Shader Architecture
120 stream processing units
Dynamic load balancing and resource allocation for vertex, geometry, and pixel shaders
Common instruction set and texture unit access supported for all types of shaders
Dedicated branch execution units and texture address processors
128-bit floating point precision for all operations
Command processor for reduced CPU overhead
Shader instruction and constant caches
Up to 40 texture fetches per clock cycle
Up to 128 textures per pixel
Fully associative multi-level texture cache design
DXTC and 3Dc+ texture compression
High resolution texture support (up to 8192 x 8192)
Fully associative texture Z/stencil cache designs
Double-sided hierarchical Z/stencil buffer
Early Z test, Re-Z, Z Range optimization, and Fast Z Clear
Lossless Z & stencil compression (up to 128:1)
Lossless color compression (up to 8:1)
8 render targets (MRTs) with anti-aliasing support
Physics processing support
Full support for Microsoft DirectX 10.0
Shader Model 4.0
Geometry Shaders
Stream Output
Integer and Bitwise Operations
Alpha to Coverage
Constant Buffers
State Objects
Texture Arrays
Dynamic Geometry Acceleration
High performance vertex cache
Programmable tessellation unit
Accelerated geometry shader path for geometry amplification
Memory read/write cache for improved stream output performance
Anti-aliasing features
Multi-sample anti-aliasing (up to 8 samples per pixel)
Up to 24x Custom Filter Anti-Aliasing (CFAA) for improved quality
Adaptive super-sampling and multi-sampling
Temporal anti-aliasing
Gamma correct
Super AA (CrossFire configurations only)
All anti-aliasing features compatible with HDR rendering
Texture filtering features
2x/4x/8x/16x high quality adaptive anisotropic filtering modes (up to 128 taps per pixel)
128-bit floating point HDR texture filtering
Bicubic filtering
sRGB filtering (gamma/degamma)
Percentage Closer Filtering (PCF)
Depth & stencil texture (DST) format support
Shared exponent HDR (RGBE 9:9:9:5) texture format support
CrossFire Multi-GPU Technology
Scale up rendering performance and image quality with 2 or more GPUs
Integrated compositing engine
High performance dual channel interconnect
ATI Avivo HD Video and Display Platform
Dedicated unified video decoder (UVD) for H.264/AVC and VC-1 video formats
High definition (HD) playback of both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats
Hardware MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4/DivX video decode acceleration
Motion compensation and iDCT (inverse discrete cosine transform)
Avivo Video Post Processor
Color space conversion
Chroma subsampling format conversion
Horizontal and vertical scaling
Gamma correction
High Quality Video Post Processing
Advanced vector adaptive per-pixel de-interlacing
De-blocking and noise reduction filtering
Detail enhancement
Inverse telecine (2:2 and 3:2 pull-down correction)
Bad edit correction
Two independent display controllers
Drive two displays simultaneously with independent resolutions, refresh rates, color controls and video overlays for each display
Full 30-bit display processing
Programmable piecewise linear gamma correction, color correction, and color space conversion
Spatial/temporal dithering provides 30-bit color quality on 24-bit and 18-bit displays
High quality pre- and post-scaling engines, with underscan support for all display outputs
Content-adaptive de-flicker filtering for interlaced displays
Fast, glitch-free mode switching
Hardware cursor
HDMI output support
Supports all display resolutions up to 1920x1080
Integrated HD audio controller with multi-channel (5.1) AC3 support, enabling a plug-and-play cable-less audio solution
Integrated AMD Xilleon HDTV encoder
Provides high quality analog TV output (component/S-video/composite)
Supports SDTV and HDTV resolutions
Underscan and overscan compensation
MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, WMV9, VC-1, and H.264/AVC encoding and transcoding
Seamless integration of pixel shaders with video in real time
VGA mode support on all display outputs
OpenGL 2.0 support

Graphics Memory 128-bit 8-channel GDDR4 memory interface
256MB DDR4 SDRAM
Memory Clock = 2300MHz DDR

RAMDAC Dual integrated dual-link DVI transmitters
Each supports 18-, 24-, and 30-bit digital displays at all resolutions up to 1920x1200 (single-link DVI) or 2560x1600 (dual-link DVI)
Each includes a dual-link HDCP encoder with on-chip key storage for high resolution playback of protected content
Dual integrated 30-bit per channel 400MHz RAMDACs
Each supports analog displays connected by VGA at all resolutions up to 2048x1536

I/O Faceplate Connectors 2 x DVI-I connectors
1 x mini-DIN connector

Drivers & Software Driver support for Windows XP/Vista
MSI Multimedia (Drivers & Utilities)

Other Information At least 400W PSU recommended
1GB of System memory recommended
Native PCI Express x16 bus interface

(source: hardwarezone.com)

Google's Gphone Says No to EDGE, Prefers 3G

If we were to listen to previous rumors on Google's Gphone, the device ought to have already been here. This is not the case and even more rumors pour in to keep the story hot. Latest information states that the Gphone will be a 3G enabled one.




Come to think of it, a 3G handset coming from Google sounds like the most plausible decision for the company to take. When a search engine rolls out its first mobile phone, it's only natural to have it equipped with the most evolved technology for reliable data transfers. Choosing 3G over EDGE is the best solution for making this possible, especially if the producer wants to bring out a truly impressive device and not one that features such drawbacks.

The lack of 3G was considered by many people to be one of the main problems that the iPhone presented on its release. The Gphone has high chances of reaching a similar amount of popularity, especially if the producer plays the market with the same amount of skill, boosting a great amount of publicity on this device's release.

Still, performances will be the main aspects to impress everyone. Market rumors previously stated that Google is likely to use an EDGE solution developed by Texas Instruments. Still, recent developments hint towards a 3G enabled Gphone, with high chances of using Qualcomm chipsets.

Other partnerships for bringing the Google phone out on the market also include High Tech Computer (HTC) as the manufacturing contractor for the Gphone. There are also high chances that the new handset will run on a new operating system that will take on the existing others. The device is expected to be unveiled in the first half of year 2008, although most of this information comes mostly from rumors. Google is keeping a low word on the development of their new mobile phone, although it's a clear thing now that such a device will surely be launched in the future.

(source: softpedia.com)

Vodafone Will “Absolutely” Distribute the iPhone

From the main "suspect" of carrying the iPhone on its European release, Vodafone has turned into a second option for Apple. Officials at this network have assured people that the "wonder phone" will come to their network too, despite the fact that it will not happen in the near future, but later on.




First information regarding the iPhone's European launch showed Vodafone as the main operator to carry the device. At that time, rumors showed this company to be the main one that Apple has chosen for a wider launch and not only in the UK. The handset has just been announced for its release in UK, Germany, while Orange has confirmed that it will carry the device in France. Still, no words on Vodafone.

Chief Executive Officer at Vodafone, Arun Sarin, said that their company will "absolutely" support the handset's release on other markets in the next months, as there are many other countries where the phone is to come. The statement has been recently made on the occasion of a visit in Mumbai. Moreover, the company plans to negotiate with Apple within the next six to 12 months.

The reason which made Vodafone reluctant when it came to supporting the iPhone's release in Europe was that of the phone's lack of 3G. Still, Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, has assured everybody that an iPhone equipped with this performance will surely arrive next year. This should solve Vodafone's problem and make it a favorite in the race of carrying this handset.

Vodafone's shares rose almost 50 percent over the past year. With all the rumors stating that this company would be involved in the European release for the iPhone, there is no wonder that it gained so much ground. The company is now negotiating the terms of their support for bringing the iPhone in even more countries during next year.

(source: softpedia.com)

T-Mobile and 3 Want to Share 3G Networks

T-Mobile and 3 are now negotiating in order to share their 3G networks and boost profits. This should considerably increase the coverage and also reduce costs for the two companies.

The two companies are now only in early stages of discussions for making the joint network possible. Rene Obermann, CEO of Deutsch Telekom (German T-Mobile), hinted at network consolidation last month, when it described it as "a perfectly logical and sensible move".

The partnership will considerably impact UK's telecom market, when it comes to operators and subscribers as well. This should help the two companies surpass all other competitors on the market and considerably expand their coverage. At this time, 3 and T-Mobile have 90 and 85 percent population coverage respectively. If the deal goes through, it would mean a reach of 98 percent for both of them. That should raise the two companies at a level way ahead of that of their competitors.

This is not the first time when UK networks express their intentions of working together. Back in February, Vodafone and Orange announced a similar plan, although it has failed to take shape even up to this point. All these intentions of partnering with other companies have left out O2, as this operator showed no efforts towards this possibility. They must have been too busy negotiating with Apple the terms of their iPhone support and missed on other opportunities.

With such a coverage, reaching almost all the UK handset users, the two companies can even consider further possibilities. This could mean the beginning of bringing HSDPA, also known as Superfast 3G or Turbo 3G in the UK. With this technology, the two companies would be able to offer their subscribers services that none of them could bring alone. The terms of this partnering are being discussed at this time, looking to settle on convenient terms for both companies.

(source: softpedia.com)

ExcelStor GStor Plus GP1080

Introduction

The new ExcelStor GStor Plus hard disk drive may look like just another storage product on the retail shelves, but its built-in features would, in many ways, be very attractive to even an average user. Essentially, the firmware of the drive has built-in capabilities that allows a user to configure multi-boot partitions, set hardware security encryption and even create a roll-back restore feature.




Although these features may seem unimportant to most, but if you stop to think about the various threats PC users face today, it may seem like a good idea to have them found in the hard drive. Now, the next question one would generally ask is, "How do these directly benefit me, an average user?"

Now, think about a situation at home, where your PC is frequently shared between you and your family members. Most users hate the thought of sharing the PC simply because it is a pain to undo the mess that your siblings may have inflicted upon the operating system. You do not know what applications were installed, or files that were accidentally deleted, or even worse, it may have picked up trojans, worms or viruses from the Internet. Sure, you may blame Microsoft's shabby Windows operating system, but there's little an average user can do to repair the damages except to reinstall everything and start anew. Sounds familiar?

How about the corporate environment where you, as an Executive Director or CEO, needs to have his PC replaced. Now, you don't want your sensitive documents left in the hard disk and although you might have emptied the trash can, you know that the documents are still found in the hard disk. You want your system protected and your data encrypted. How do you do that? How do you ensure that in your absence, no one could remove your hard disk and steal your data without your knowledge? Sounds familiar again?

Or, say you're a system administrator and you're tasked to install a server operating system with critical server applications. You're unsure of the correct procedures and you want to experiment with several installation methods and maybe even try out a couple of new applications which your peers suggested. But you know that once you make a mistake, you have to start again with a freshly installed operating system. As such, your boss tells you to image the hard drive at every step but it's going to take you a lot of time to backup your hard drive at every step. You feel it's a miserable task but you know that it's the right way to approach the problem. Sounds like a typical problem?

If you think about the scenarios above, you'll immediately recall experiencing either one or all of the situations above at one time or another. Now, wouldn't it be good if there's a device that could tackle all of the above problems? Well, thank the heavens above that there's such a solution today.

Before we proceed further, here's the technical specifications of the drive:-


ExcelStor GStor Plus GP1080 Technical Specifications
Model No. GP1080
Interface Ultra ATA-133
Capacity 80 Gigabytes
Rotational Speed 7200RPM
Buffer 2MB

(source: hardwarezone.com)

Wipeout HD Features Disclosed – Up on PSN for Grabs

One of the best currently available PlayStation Network downloadable titles, Wipeout HD has gotten its very own fact sheet. For those looking to know what they're getting before hitting the download button, the immense list of features below sheds some light on why Wipeout HD is a must have for your library of games.

Just so everyone's on the same level here, Wipeout HD is an improved version of Wipeout, featuring SIXAXIS motion sensing support, and online multiplayer modes for up to eight players. We don't need to mention the high-definition visuals anymore, do we? Right! Now prepare yourself for the game's most appealing features. As mentalgamers.com reveals...:

PS3 – Get ready to experience Wipeout in full-HD 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second on PS3, exclusively available for download from the PlayStation Store. Greater processing power of PS3 enables more immersive visuals and sound effects in Wipeout HD, heightening the speed within the stunningly beautiful tracks and environments.

Tracks – A selection of the best tracks taken from previous Wipeout titles, meticulously crafted and fully reworked from the ground-up to showcase the full-HD resolution. Tracks include the new Mag-Strips feature, which causes ships to be temporarily locked to the track surface, allowing greater variety and dynamism in track design and introducing track features such as loops, vertical drops and 90-degree angled sections.

Seven Race Modes – Wipeout HD features seven race modes, including: Single Race, Tournament, Time Trial, Speed Lap, Zone Mode, Elimination and Head-2-Head.

Race Rules Customization – Wipeout HD offers full customization of race rules, allowing the player to tailor their own race experience.

Weapons System – A refined weapons system includes three new weapons: The Repulser, Shuriken and Leach Beam.

Photo-Mode – The Photo-mode feature allows players to be able to pause the game both during a race and the post race parade lap so that they can take a snapshot which they can then save to their PS3 HDD. These Photos can then be uploaded to the Wipeout HD website and traded between players.

Online Multiplayer – Up to eight players will be able to compete against each other in a range of online races, across several game modes:
- Single Race
- Tournament
- Elimination
- Team vs. Team (Two-player team based multiplayer races)

Additional Content via Download – Extra game content will be made available to download and plug directly into the main game, including extra teams and ships, extra tracks and additional events for the race campaign mode.

What are you waiting for? Start up that PS3 and log on to PS Store right now!

(source: softpedia.com)

Nokia Helps Visa Mobile Payment Launch

A partnership of large proportions has been built to introduce the Visa mobile platform in Taiwan. Nokia has decided to cooperate with Visa International, as well as with Chunghwa Telecom, Chinatrust Commercial Bank (CTCB), for launching a landmark trial for the starters.

The trial will be conducted over a period of six months and involves 500 Chunghwa Telecom Call Call co-brand cardholders using NFC-enabled Nokia 6131i handsets to make contactless payments. This will be done at most of the 3,000 stores that accept Visa payWave contactless cards in Taiwan at this time.

"With more than 1.4 million Visa contactless cards in Taiwan, cardholders are aware of the speed, security and convenience that contactless payment delivers. This public trial is about extending our Visa payWave contactless payment feature to the mobile device and we are excited to be able to partner with Chunghwa Telecom, Chinatrust Commercial Bank and Nokia to make it happen in the tech-savvy Taiwanese market", said Gordon Cooper, regional head, mobile payment, Visa International, Asia Pacific.

The new service is supposed to have a considerable impact on the consumers' mobile lifestyles by making it easier to make purchases. Offers will be available by pre-registering the users' preferences to receive only special types of offers. They will have to hold the phone up to special posters located in several shopping areas in order to trigger on-demand download of specific offers.

Visa looks to test the potential of the mobile device to deliver value-added services that center around the use of their credit cards. Their mobile payment service has been released for some time now and seems to be doing pretty well, as they are now expanding it in Taiwan too.

Blockbuster will also release some special trial discount coupons at all its branches in the Taipei metropolitan area. There are over 10 other merchants that have signed up to offer smart poster tags as well for their restaurants, cafes, bars and cinemas.

(souce: softpedia)

ASUS P5K Deluxe/WiFi-AP (Intel P35)

Introduction

The Intel P35 may be one of the most well 'known-unknown' chipsets to have come from the Intel stable in a while. Yes, we know that's self-contradictory, but it is still true nonetheless. Anyone following the processor and chipset market would have heard of Intel's next generation desktop chipset and most probably awaiting its arrival. With new features like DDR3, 1333MHz FSB and 45nm processor support, you'd think that it would be a big deal, but like what we've pointed out in our MSI P35 Platinum review (and we'll say it again), if you went to Intel's website today (at press time), you will still not find any link or information on this new chipset.


The ASUS P5K Deluxe motherboard is a P35 chipset board supporting DDR2 memory.

This is quite unlike Intel not to be tooting its own horn on a brand new product, but that hasn't stopped manufacturers from embracing the P35 wholeheartedly. ASUS for one, surprised us once again by having an entire armada of P35 boards ready the moment Intel's supposed launch date on the 21st May drew to a close. ASUS has a total of seven P35 boards in production, including two workstation class boards with PCI-X support. ASUS has been on a roll the whole of 2006 and it doesn't seem like they're losing any steam churning out board after board with rapid succession. How well each series actually sells may be debatable, but the sheer choice that ASUS provides can only be a good thing for consumers.

We brought you a preview of the two flagship boards in the ASUS P5K series earlier this month and we can finally show you just what the P5K Deluxe can do. Like the MSI P35 Platinum review before, we will dive right into the heart of the board and get down with benchmarks in this review.

The following lists the bundled peripherals that come with the ASUS P5K Deluxe:-


2 x SATA data cables

1 x SATA power converter cables (dual plugs)

1 x 80-conductor Ultra ATA data cable

1 x floppy drive data cable

USB 2.0 (2 ports) and IEEE 1394a (1 port) bracket

ASUS Q-Connector set

ASUS WiFi-AP Solo Antenna

I/O shield

Driver CDs

User's manual



ASUS P5K Deluxe/WiFi-AP Technical Specifications
CPU Support Supports all 90nm/65nm Intel LGA775 processors
45nm ready (Wolfdale & Yorkfield)
Quad-Core Optimized

Chipset Northbridge: Intel P35
533 / 800 / 1066 / 1333MHz front side bus
PCI Express x16 for graphics
Southbridge: Intel ICH9R
Intel High Definition Audio
Supports six PCI Express x1 lanes
Supports up to twelve USB 2.0 ports
Supports six SATA 3.0Gbps ports (with Matrix Storage Technology)
Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps MAC

Memory Supports four unbuffered DIMM of 1.8 Volt DDR2 SDRAM
Supports 1066/800/677/533 dual channel DDR2?memory architecture

Storage Intel ICH9R Southbridge
6?x SATA 3.0Gbps interface
Intel Matrix Storage Technology
Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, RAID 10
JMicron JMB363
1?x?Ultra ATA 33/66/100/133 (data transfer rate up to 133MB/sec.)
2?x SATA 3.0Gbps interface (eSATA)
SATA RAID 0, RAID1 and JBOD

Audio Intel High Definition Audio (Azalia)
ADI AD1988B?HD Audio?CODEC
Optical and coaxial S/PDIF

Networking Marvell 88E8056 PCI Express Gigabit?Ethernet?
Realtek RTL8110S PCI Gigabit?Ethernet
ASUS WiFi-AP Solo 802.11g Wireless LAN?(Realtek RTL8187L)

IEEE 1394 (FireWire) agere FW3227 FireWire-400 controller
2?x 1394a ports @ 400 Mbps speed

I/O Interface 1 x Floppy connector
1?x Ultra ATA IDE connectors
8?x SATA connectors (6 x internal, 2 x eSATA)
12 x USB 2.0 ports (6 x rear, 4 x header, 2 x reserved)
2?x IEEE 1394a ports (1 x rear, 1 x header)
2?x RJ45 LAN port
1 x Optical S/PDIF Output?
1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Output?
8-Channel Audio I/O ports
1 x COM port (header)
1 x mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port

Expansion Slots 2?x PCIe x16 slots, PCI Express Bus specification v1.1 compliant
2?x PCIe x1 slots, PCI Express Bus specification v1.1 compliant
3?x 32-bit PCI slots, PCI 2.3 compliant

Special Features ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution
ASUS Super Memspeed Technology
All Solid Capacitors

PCB ATX Form Factor, 12"x 9.6"(30.5cm x 24.4cm)

(source: hardwarezone.com)