I.T. News

[TheDude]

Speaking of HD video...


Do you guys know about RED? It's a company that was founded a few years ago buy the guy who started Oakley (sunglasses, etc...)

http://www.red.com

Their first camera, the RED "One" is now used in a myriad of feature film production, TV shows, and TV commercials. If it seems like TV is starting to look better, it's because of this camera. It captures 4K resolution (4000x3000). They have many new models coming that capture 5K and higher resolutions.

There is also a "pro-sumer" offering - the "Scarlet" that will capture 3K resolution and will sell for about $3750 in basic form.

The big deal here is that it captures RAW or "REDcode". So, like RAW capture in a digital still camera, you can manipulate all aspects of the final video - something you cannot do with anything even remotely comparable. Also, capturing 3K and outputting it as 1080p onto a burned Bluray disc will provide much more detail than anything you might otherwise produce for your home Bluray player.


This is one of the few available video clips from the Scarlet. It's flash video, and downrezzed for a web browser, but you get the idea of the level of detail it will provide.

http://redgrabs.com/izzy/

[elgatonegro]

Dell has announced the latest addition to its expanding line of Vostro laptops, the 12.1-inch Vostro 1220. This stylish, ultraportable laptop was designed exclusively for business travelers who are unwilling to comprise performance, battery life and security for a thin and lightweight design.

Available in Obsidian Black or Deep Cherry Red, the Vostro 1220 starts at a mere 3.36 lbs, is equipped with the latest Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processors and features up to 9 hours of battery life¹, making it an ideal travelling companion for on-the-go, global entrepreneurs.

According to IDC², worldwide commercial shipments of 12-inch widescreen laptops are expected to grow almost 35 percent from 2008 to 2009. “This trend supports what Dell has been hearing from our customers,” said Sam Burd, global vice president, Dell Small and Medium Business.

“Today’s globe-trotting entrepreneurs need a laptop that is powerful and long-lasting. That used to mean carrying around an ungainly device, the Vostro 1220 combines performance, built-in security and long battery life with useful features like videoconferencing to be the ideal weapon of choice for any road warrior.”

Vostro 1220: Productivity, Security and Connectivity

. Only Dell offers pre-installed videoconferencing software, Dell Video Chat, which along with the purchase of optional integrated webcam and microphone gives customers a complete videoconferencing solution.3

. More security options than similar Acer, HP and Lenovo small-business systems4 including mobility solid state drives for three times the reliability of traditional hard drives5, fingerprint readers with easy-to-use software, and multi-factor authentication and encrypted hard drives with Wave Systems software that can easily encrypt data without impacting system performance.

. 802.11 draft-n wireless LAN or optional Mobile Broadband external solution for optimal connectivity anywhere your business takes you.

Backed by dedicated and specially trained small-business sales and support experts, Dell Vostro laptops come with a 30-day worry-free return policy6, are available with Dell CompleteCare7 Accidental Damage Service and Dell ProSupport8services that give customers the ability to customize and tailor services to fit their technical expertise and business needs.

[TheDude]

My new BluRay player arrives today - my old Panny BD10A died. :(


It got this one - the Oppo BDP-83.

http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-83/



Some unique features:

SACD and DVD-Audio support
You can play media from a USB drive (so it's a media center too)
It's one of a very few number of players that correctly upscale DVD to 1080p/24


"Secrets" review:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/blu-r...ay-player.html

[elgatonegro]

Panasonic has announced that its new alkaline battery brand, the “EVOLTA,” has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the “World’s No.1 Long Lasting* AA Alkaline Battery.”

The Guinness World Records recognized the achievement based on the data obtained from discharge tests Panasonic conducted in accordance with the guidelines set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The EVOLTA AA batteries are the first to receive Guinness recognition in such category.

The EVOLTA batteries are suitable for any application, thus can meet the needs of today’s electric/electronic equipment as well as satisfy soaring consumer demand for long-lasting batteries. The EVOLTA comes in two different types, AA and AAA, and can be used for a wide variety of equipment that requires from low-drain to high-drain applications.

As the name EVOLTA suggests, deriving from the word “evolution” and “voltage,” the new batteries represent the progress and prowess of Panasonic’s battery technology. The EVOLTA batteries incorporate Panasonic’s know-how accumulated in developing its Oxyride batteries and innovations made in the battery structure, materials and manufacturing process.

The new structure of EVOLTA batteries provides more internal space allowing storage of extra active materials and increased sturdiness by using a new sealing technology for the cylindrical container.
Newly-developed active materials for cathode (new manganese dioxide and oxy-hydroxide titanium) and anode (zinc) facilitate a chemical reaction that delivers superior performance.

To maximize the chemical reaction within the batteries, Panasonic has improved the manufacturing process used for the Oxyride batteries to pack active materials more evenly and densely.

As a result, EVOLTA batteries deliver excellent performance in wide ranging equipment from low-current applications such as TV remotes to high-drain applications like digital cameras.

The EVOLTA batteries are Panasonic’s response to evolutions in battery-powered products and consumer demand. By continuously bringing these products to the market, the company is making the everyday lives of people across the world more comfortable and convenient.

[elgatonegro]

SAN FRANCISCO – (NYT) After a prolonged absence from the public eye, a thin but energetic Steve Jobs reappeared Wednesday at an Apple news conference and addressed his illness in personal terms for the first time.

"I feel great; I probably need to gain about 30 pounds, but I feel really good," said Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, in an interview after the event. "I’m eating like crazy. A lot of ice cream."

At the music-themed event, Apple introduced new iTunes software and a new line of iPod Nano music players with video cameras. But the product announcements were eclipsed by the public return of Jobs, five months after he received a liver transplant at a hospital in Tennessee. Jobs needed the operation after suffering from complications from a rare form of pancreatic cancer.

"I’m vertical, I’m back at Apple and I’m loving every day of it," he said on stage, after a standing ovation from the crowd, which included Apple employees and journalists gathered for the news conference.

The applause "was an endearing statement for someone who is clearly still recovering," said Gerry Purdy, a wireless analyst at Frost & Sullivan who has covered the mobile computing industry for 20 years. "You just feel like this is an opportunity to share in the greatness of someone who is an icon in the industry."

Jobs, who appeared as gaunt as he was when he went on a leave of absence in January, immediately addressed the matter of his health.

"I’m very happy to be here, and thank you all," he said. "As some of you know, five months ago I had a liver transplant. I now have the liver of a mid-20s person who died in a car crash and was generous enough to donate their organs. I wouldn’t be here without such generosity, so I hope all of us can be as generous and elect to be organ donors."

But after that gentle opening, Apple’s chief executive, who wore his characteristic outfit of jeans and a black turtleneck, was as tough as ever. He used the news conference to take jabs at competing products from Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Dell and Cisco Systems.

Jobs’ public return will reassure many Apple fans and shareholders, who view the charismatic co-founder of the company as crucial to Apple’s success.

"Apple users and investors think the world of Steve Jobs and the world of Apple products, and that he was here today is a statement that he is back in charge," said Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray. "The wizard of Oz is back in Oz."

The actual products announced Wednesday were not nearly as magical as recent hits like the iPhone.

Apple announced a new version of its iTunes software that will allow users to better organize their applications for the iPhone and the iPod Touch and to share music and videos among up to five computers in the home.

The company also introduced a line of iPod Nanos which have a video camera, microphone, speaker, FM radio tuner and pedometer and start at $149.

Jobs drew a sharp comparison between the Nanos, which are the size of a five-pack of chewing gum, and Cisco’s popular Flip video cameras, which are the size of a pack of playing cards. The new Nano is an effort to turn around sales of the iPod, which have been sluggish for the first time and which actually declined 7 percent in the last quarter from a year earlier.

"They need something to reinvigorate the line and give people another reason to have an iPod," said Charles S. Golvin, an analyst focusing on mobile and consumer electronics at Forrester Research.

Jonathan Kaplan, senior vice president for consumer products at Cisco, said his company was flattered by the attention from Jobs but said that the Flip camera records video in high definition, while the Nano represents "last generation’s technology."

"This will help consumers realize it’s not all about photography, that video can make a difference in the world," Kaplan said. "It’s nice that Apple is finally realizing that video is a place they need to be."

Apple also pitched a cheaper, $199 version of the iPod Touch with more memory but did not announce, as some had expected, a new version with a video camera.

In the interview, Jobs said that Apple had been originally unsure how to market the iPod Touch, but settled on selling it as a video game device that can take advantage of the many free or cheap games available in the company’s App Store. "We don’t need to add new stuff. We need to get the price down where everyone can afford it," he said.

Despite much speculation by Apple fans, the company made no announcements about a tablet-size computer or reading device.

But in the interview, Jobs said general-purpose devices are more appealing than specialized devices like Amazon.com’s Kindle e-book reader.

"I think people just probably aren’t willing to pay for a dedicated device," he said. "You notice Amazon never says how much they sell; usually if they sell a lot of something, you want to tell everybody."

Apple’s shares, which rose in the days leading up to the news conference, fell about 1 percent in Wednesday’s trading, closing at $171.14. (NYT)

[TheVTCGuy]

I saw some video with Steve's return... I'm really glad he's back and will pray for his continued recovery but MAN... he didn't look exactly healthy... SO thin. Well, I hope with time he continues to improve.

[elgatonegro]

Apple recently unveiled the fifth and latest version of the Nano wrapped in polished anodized aluminum case and a larger 2.2-inch color display. Although it has same size as its predecessor, this latest Nano packed new features that are considered as "astonishing engineering triumph" as Apple has successfully integrated into such small device a video camera, FM radio, microphone, speaker and even a pedometer. Unbelieveable.

New features:

Camera:

iPod nano now has a built-in video camera that lets you record fun as it happens. Then share it with friends on the Internet.

A built-in mic lets you capture audio, too. And when you play back your video on iPod nano, you’ll hear the recorded audio with it. Fifteen fun video effects let you add a little Hollywood to your video.

Genius:

Control your Genius. Or leave it to its own devices. Either way, Genius explores your library and finds songs that go great together.

Say you have one song you really love and want to hear other tracks that go great with it. A few clicks on iPod nano, and Genius uses that song to find other songs in your library and makes a Genius playlist for you.

Now there’s another great way to get a customized set of songs on iPod nano — have Genius do all the work. Introducing Genius Mixes. All you do is sync your iPod nano to iTunes, and Genius automatically searches your library and finds songs that sound great together to create up to 12 Genius Mixes.

Shake to shuffle your music

Hear songs in a totally random way. Just turn on Shake to Shuffle, then give iPod nano a shake and it shuffles to a different song in your music library. You never know what iPod nano will spin for you next.

FM Radio + Live Pause

The new FM tuner lets you see the names of songs and artists. And two amazing features — iTunes Tagging and Live Pause — make listening to the radio nothing like listening to the radio.

Say you need to take a quick break from listening to your favorite radio station. iPod nano lets you pause it with a click. Another click and you’re listening to your station again. You can even rewind as far back as 15 minutes, then fast-forward to catch up to the live broadcast.

It’s quite a dilemma: You’re listening to the radio and you hear a song you like, but when you go to iTunes, you can’t remember the name or even who sings it. Enter iTunes Tagging. Now, you can use the Click Wheel on iPod nano to tag the song. iTunes creates a list of all your tagged songs so you can easily preview or purchase them when you sync iPod nano to iTunes

VoiceOver:

VoiceOver tells you the title and artist of the songs you listen to. And does it so seamlessly, you’ll be surprised at how brilliant it is.

Fitness:

With the Nike + iPod Sport Kit and a built-in Pedometer to help keep you motivated and track your fitness progress, iPod nano makes working out less routine. iPod nano now doubles as a Pedometer. It uses the built-in accelerometer to keep track of your steps and help you meet your fitness goals.

All these, believe it or not, come in so small package that is the new iPod nano. We're enjoying them now through a unit sent by Power Mac Center, Inc. to the Technews lab.

[elgatonegro]

So pardon the pun on the title of this review but I’m not kidding, that is the “nickname” LG chose to give this unit and not just rely in its numerical model number.

But as we all know with cellphones these days, its not just about the looks, you gotta dig deep and look at what the whole package gives you.

At first look at the Viewty, well it is pretty. Its light and damn slim. I think its one of the slimmest touch screens around at 12.4mm with a 3 inch WVGA full touch screen.

In terms of connectivity, its got Bluetooth, WiFi, and A-GPS too. Getting deeper into the specs it boasts of multi-media functions such as DivX compatibility and Dolby Mobile, which honestly I have never heard of before. Apparently Dolby Mobile ensures more immersive experience for mobile entertainment users.

On the face of the phone you see four homescreens: Main, Phone, Contacts and Multimedia.

Reading SMS drops down ala gmail. Then has options of reply, quicky reply, and delete. Quick reply is actually a nice touch as it gives you set templates like: sorry I can’t answer, where you, and all other SMS essentials except for “hir na me…”

You can also view messages via a thread view similar to gmail.

Now when you even mention the thought of a touchscreen, the first thing, er first fear that comes to mind of most people is how to input text. Sure tapping away to activate apps, moving around pictures, and flipping thru pages sounds and actually is fun, but the horror of having to shift from a physical phone keypad to a touch screen? Yikes.

But you know what, surprisingly the text input on the Viewty is not that bad, at least when its on portrait mode. Here you can use the virtual keypad which is like using T9 predictive text on an ordinary keypad. But strangely you can only copy and paste when you use the landscape qwerty which is not as easy.

The strongest suit of the Viewty no doubt is its camera. At the time of its release sometime late 2008 I'm presuming it had just about the most powerful and most flexible camera on any touch screen phone, definitely better than the iPhone’s or iPhone 3G. The Viewty’s camera is a 5 Megapixel beauty and by no stretch of the imagination looks damn good. There is easy access with the camera button on the side of the phone. It loads pretty fast no matter what phone function or app you are coming from on the phone. You can zoom and it has auto focus.

You can adjust the exposure and play with scenes such as smile detection, portrait, art shot, panorama, and mutli-shot that takes 6 consecutive shots.

Add to that the digicam has basic nightshot and even sport shot settings. There’s also a macro setting for extreme close-ups on subjects. They also threw in image stabilization but it didn’t work so great when I challenged it and gave it minor shakes while shooting, it came out blurry.

You think that’s it? But wait there’s more! It has white balance settings and timer either for self portraits or… I guess you can place the phone on something? There are also color effects like Sepia, Mono, Negative, and Emboss. The flash is actually pretty good considering its not a real Xenon flash like the ones on Nokias and Sony Ericssons.

Oh, and if you don’t know what scene to apply for a shot, don’t worry. It has what it calls the Intelligent Shot scene recognition.

Once you take the pictures you can view them and pinch to zoom when viewing and have easily accessible options to send via email, bluethooth, MMS, or even direct to a blog. And for those who use iPhoto or Picasa, the camera even has Geo-tagging.

Oh and then there’s the video function that can shoot up to 120 frames per second. That is an awesome frame rate for a mobile phone. And you can shoot in night mode too and adjust colors as in a still shot.

But wait, am I reviewing a camera here? Yes it is still a phone. And lets get to some of the not so good things that fall under phone use.

One thing that is pretty standard now is a headphone jack. The Viewty opts to not have a standard 3.5mm jack and that catches your attention right away. And if you lose your headset that comes with it, you will worry about how not so easy it is yet to find LG mobile phone accessories.

All in all, this a nice take on a multi-media device.

[elgatonegro]

Christmas came early for us in the form of a new mobile phone with the look and feel of a flat black pebble, or—as it had been hyped following its much-applauded big reveal at a major 2009 electronics show in Las Vegas—a river stone whose rough edges have been smoothed out by running water over the ages.

We are, of course, talking about the Pre, the latest smart phone from the Sunnyvale, California-based Palm Inc. that is, however, unlike anything the venerable tech company has put out, which is saying a lot. After all, it was Palm that redefined the concept of mobile computing with its iconic Palm Pilot personal information manager, and, later, that of wireless communications with its revolutionary Treo smartphone.

With the 3G-packing, WiFi-toting Pre, Palm has chosen to break free from the past, abandoning its super-efficient but noticeably aging operating system to create a new paradigm in the way all the bits of personal information we have in the ethers are effortlessly pulled together, managed and perused by ourselves. The new paradigm is called webOS, a brand-new operating system based on Linux and fueled by a technology called Synergy, both of which drew universal acclaim when the Pre made its debut at CES.

It was a vision of the future that we readily embraced well before the Pre’s availability in the Asia-Pacific region could be announced. In fact, it hasn’t yet, although the popular conjecture among not a few Palm fans and those in the tech media here until recently has been that Palm’s “new-ness” goodness should be arriving in stores just in time for the busy holiday season.

Imagine our increasing anxiety then when in various news reports, Palm underscored its focus on opening and developing markets for the Pre in the Americas and everywhere in Europe, without even a cursory mention of the Asia-Pacific region. Add to that the fact that nobody from among local wireless communications purveyors here would confirm the Pre’s upcoming availability, and we began to seriously consider relocating to the U.S. or Europe to get our Pre fix.

But here we are now, midway into our second week with the Palm Pre, this courtesy of well-traveled gentleman who looked kindly on our mounting despair and acquired for our purchase an open line unit from Germany, and the honeymoon is far from over. Perhaps it never will.

Let us just say outright to Pinoys around these parts who have been tracking the journey of the Palm Pre: the widespread praise it has met in the tech media since its big reveal and US market debut in June, all that is true and not empty blandishments by writers who like to show off their word skills.

Weighing at a mere 135 grams and measuring 0.67 inches at its thickest point, its slider form factor wrapped in a handsome piano black finish, the Palm Pre is gorgeous to hold and behold, its lines kept clean and sleek as Palm CEO Jon Rubenstein and his designers apparently had a resolute eye toward exquisite minimalism. webOS, meanwhile, now at version 1.3.1, is the most visually stunning environment to come to mobile phones, smartphone or otherwise, in recent years, its gorgeous aesthetics rivaled only by the intelligent and sensible choices that were made in designing that particular environment, and by the smart technologies—notably Synergy—hidden underneath the OS’s glossy exterior but chugging along to provide the user an almost seamless experience.

Indeed, one can jump into the Palm Pre and webOS with just a cursory look at the manual and be up and running in about an hour or even less. Largely manipulated via finger gestures on the screen and on the gesture area just below the display, the platform provides all manner of discreet visual cues so that one will never be lost in the webOS environment. Want to go back to a previous application window? Just flick a finger to the left on the gesture area. Need to see more options to a particular application? Just press the header with the tiny arrow and voila! Need to close an application or two from the five you have running on this truly multitasking genius? Just flick the representative “cards”—webOS uses a deck-of-cards paradigm in its multitasking implementation—to the top of the screen and away they go. What’s with the ripple effect with touching an application icon on the launcher page? One quickly discovers that one can rearrange icons as one pleases by simply dragging. With webOS, there is no futzing with arcane configurations, which has been our experience with the Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 platforms.

The more complicated stuff—say, populating your calendar and addressbook with the data you have stored on Google, Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, LinkedIn and Microsoft Exchange—Synergy takes care off with the most minimal fuss (you only need to provide your user name and password). As soon as we keyed in the log-in details to our Google, Facebook and Yahoo accounts, the Pre promptly pulled in all the information from these various sources and collated them in such an incredibly intelligent fashion that it was almost like having a religious experience. Appointments in our Google and Yahoo calendars were entered correctly—and with their corresponding alarms already set. The few contacts with multiple entries that Synergy had missed to, well, synergize, we were able to easily link together. With webOS’s expert handling of your data residing in the so-called cloud, Palm has chosen to eschew desktop sync solution as it leverages cloud computing, including the company’s own Palm Profile cloud solution, in ways no other smartphone does. This way, just in case your beloved Pre gets lost or is stolen, you can simply get another Pre, sync with the cloud straight away and have all of your important data in a flash.

Of course, there will be users who will want a desktop sync solution as well, and third-party vendors have been stepping up the plate.

Another excellent webOS feature is how it treats messaging with similar cohesion, allowing us to communicate with friends, family and peers in a seamless single interface through various platforms (SMS, instant messaging, email) so that we can focus on the conversation and not jumping through a variety of applications to make ourselves heard. By the way, if you’re a huge fan of Google’s free email service, you would be pleased to know that the webOS does Gmail as good or, from where we sit, even better than Android, Google’s very own mobile device platform.

The three-megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field, for one, yields surprisingly good results for a camera phone, with no lag between the second you press the soft button to capture an image and that image is captured by the lens and displayed on the screen—and you even get the option to easily upload your snap, which should be typically usable even when taken in less than optimal lighting conditions, directly to Facebook, another one of webOS’s niceties.

But while the photo viewer benefits from the webOS’s built-in, smooth-as-butter accelerometer, allowing you to view images in either a portrait or horizontal orientation with just a flick of the wrist, the camera doesn’t capture video, although a future OS update is expected to enable that feature.

Meanwhile, both the music player, the video player on the Palm Pre also provide a similarly pleasurable multimedia experience, with the music player featuring support for album art and playlists, and the video playback defaulting to landscape mode to take advantage of the Pre’s gorgeously bright and vibrant 3.1 multitouch screen.

Yes, unlike most Android and Windows Mobile smartphones, and quite like that from a little tech company based in Cupertino, California, the Palm Pre features multitouch goodness, allowing you to zoom in and out of web pages (the webOS’s WebKit-based browser rivals the best of mobile browsers), photos and documents with a quick pinch or spread of those digits.

So, what’s the big catch—because, you will say, there’s always a catch or three, even with the distastefully dubbed “Jesus Phone”, right? And, yes, you would right, and with the Palm Pre there are a couple, although you would be wrong to think it is the QWERTY keyboard, which a few reviewers offshore have cited as being too cramped and too small. Sure, it may not be up to the standards of Palm’s venerable Treo smartphones, whose excellent keyboard set the benchmark for one-handed usability in smartphones, but the Pre’s is nonetheless perfectly usable.

You would be wrong, as well, to think it’s the lack of third-party applications, which iPhone fanboys like to crow about. While the iPhone went for a year without even a fart app in sight, there are already close to a thousand apps and games available to the webOS a mere six months after it was released, and the numbers can only increase as the Pre and the new Palm Pixi come into more carriers and, consequently, more users everywhere in the world.

No, the two issues that linger about the Palm Pre, from where we sit, are its slider form factor and the battery life. As with what some tech bloggers and users have reported in blogs and other online fora, the slider of our Pre feels a smite loose resulting in an ever-so-slight wobble that may or may not get a bit more loose down the road.

With regards to the Pre’s battery life—unlike with the Palm Treo 680, the smartphone that continue to serve us well some four years after our acquisition and which continues to power our mobile-oriented lifestyle for more than a full day of typical-to-heavy usage, we find ourselves having to charge the Pre by late afternoon to ensure that it would serve us through the night.

So, do these twin issues detract from our Pre experience?

Not in the least. Sure, with the wobble in mind, we are indeed a bit more careful in our handling of this gorgeous piece of technology, but ultimately the slight give is a flaw inherent in designs featuring moving parts.

As for the battery life, that is the tradeoff to having a smart operating system that routinely goes online to aggregate the various bits of your personal and professional life into a perfectly usable whole. It is also a sad reflection that even as technology has moved forward at a rapid pace, the batteries that power all kinds of technology have not kept apace.

[elgatonegro]

Sound Beyond Size. Warning: Unbelieveably Loud. The Best Just Got Better.

Hmn. Great one-liners, we must acknowlege, that we read on the box containing the X-mini Max II we just got recently.

And we must also add, they're pretty much consistent with the performance of this teeny-wheeny blasters.

Generation two of the X-mini Max will not make you think twice of shelling out quite a large sum for a miniscule pair of portable speakers.

Not that the original X-mini needed an improvement, it's just that in technology, good things can always get better. So the first-born which made a lot happy for being one of the best-sounding portable speaker systems in the market must bow to the new-born baby from XM-I Technology.

And here's our take on the X-mini Max II.

The drivers are angled at a slight 10 degrees toward the user, and we must note the absence of speaker grilles.

With cone-shaped speaker domes and the Alien-type shape of the speaker opening, the Max II should not stick out like a sore thumb in a space shuttle cabin.

Available in three colors: black (which we got), white and red, the Max II is quite easy to use. You split the speaker into two halves, and nothing could be easier than that. No clip, no twisting, since the two speakers held firmly together only by magnetic bases.

You then twist and extend each half to fully extend the accordian bass tube. Or you may choose to use these speakers in compact or extended modes.

In the Max II, like the original Max, you can use both speakers together for stereo output or each on its own for the same monaural effect. The USB cable with the volume control built-in provides the audio signal as well as power to recharge the built-in batteries in the Max II.

The Max II is really one heck of a blaster, and you can pump up the volume to some higher level without inducing distortion.

XM-I Pte. Ltd. is billed as the creator of the Capsule Speaker genre. The company hailed the arrival of their latest innovation, the X-Mini MAX II speakers, as the better X-mini with key aesthetic improvements.

Developed in Singapore, the X-Mini Max II is expertly designed to be ultraportable and precisely engineered to deliver a superior sound.

Just consider: with a simple twist and lift, the avant garde capsule-shaped design unveils a pair of mean blasters. These stylish speakers, which can also be used individually, pop open to reveal the patented accordion-like Bass Xpansion System (BXS) which successfully mimics the resonance of a sub woofer.

Defying the conventional notion that size does matter, the X-mini Max II is a moveable feast of sounds. Its new 40 mm driver, expanded BXS, extended playback time and modular “Buddy-Jack” design, enables it to effectively generate high-quality and extensive aural ranges, be it the rich timbres of a soprano or the pulsating electronic beats of the latest dance track.

New to the design aesthetics of the X-mini Max II is the open and angled drivers for a directional audio enhancement as well as a richer bass output. Promoting communal usage with friends who have any second generation Xmini speakers is the “Buddy-Jack” function that enables you to connect one Xmini to another, capable of forming an almost endless “daisy chain” of selfpowered, bass-enhanced portable speaker system.

The powerful yet compact X-Mini Max II produces high-fidelity sound at any pitch or volume and is perfect in all environments.

Sound Beyond Size. Warning: Unbelieveably Loud. The Best Just Got Better.

Hmn. Yup. We agree.





t

[Latrodectus]

Thank you...I will try it!

[elgatonegro]

Microsoft recently announced the Kin One and Kin Two, two brand new mobile phones that are aimed squarely at the social networking generation. It’s primarily designed to keep users in the know when it comes to their friends – where they are and what they’re up to.

Everything that you need to know is easily accessible through the home page called the “loop”, where the simple text, monochromatic elements and the design of interface look similar to Microsoft’s latest OS, Windows Phone 7.

The loop is akin to a social content aggregator, and reads status feeds from Twitter, Facebook and the like. Unlike your regular aggregator however, you are able to prioritize the people you want to follow closely, and as a result you will see more status updates from them, pushing low priority people deep in the background.

Derek Snyder, senior product manager for the Kin team describes it as “not just a grid of applications, it’s something that’s totally personal to me.” He also adds that “the loop is alive, and we have cloud infrastructure that’s pushing down updates from all my favorite social networks. It’s like its delivering to me a magazine of my life”. The loop also makes it easy to update your status message across multiple social networks.

An essential part of the Kin experience is the “Spot”, a little green dot the bottom of the screen. The spot allows you to share everything you want, from search results from Bing to a new website you just found. You just need to drag what you want to share to the spot, and select the people you want to share it to.

The Kin’s apparent reliance on cloud infrastructure is most apparent in the way it handles media. Like most phones, the Kin has a built-in camera and storage. Unlike most phones, however once you take a photo or video it’s automatically backed up through the cloud. So even if you do manage to lose your phone, you’ll still be able to access the pictures and videos you’ve taken.

To top off the already delicious cake that is Kin is the Kin Studio. In a nutshell, it allows you to do everything you can do on your phone (sans calling and texting, of course) like change your status, share photos and the like. It also gives you access to all your media (remember, the Kin backs up your media to the internet automatically) and allows you to share them to your contacts.

With the overhaul of Windows Mobile and the heavy focus of Kin on social networks, Microsoft is finally getting its groove back on. The year isn’t even halfway done, and I’m sure Microsoft still has a few more bombs to drop.

[elgatonegro]

The iPad is a new and wonderful plaything, but it’s also a mini-computer that holds large amounts of your personal and private information in e-mail messages, contact lists, photos and apps for social networks and other services. And so it’s wise to think about how to keep this private information private should you lose your iPad or leave it unattended for a spell, or if it gets stolen.

Malware is unknown to the device as of yet, but users should, as with any computer, avoid using unknown Wi-Fi networks, which miscreants could be “sniffing” to collect valuable data, and remain alert to common scams, like phishing, that try to trick users into providing sensitive personal information.Beyond that, here are security and privacy tips for iPad users:

Lock your iPad

This is basic security from prying eyes that’s free and easy. Tap the “Settings” icon on the home screen and then select “General” and “Passcode Lock.” Then set the four-digit code you want to use to unlock your iPad when you turn it on or wake it up.

You can choose among several intervals of time of inactivity before it will ask for the code again, though Mr. Rouse recommends choosing a short interval. He also recommends that users set their iPads to erase all data if someone enters the wrong code 10 times. If you cause the erasure accidentally, you can always restore your information by syncing your device with your computer. Note that a code won’t necessarily stop a determined thief from accessing content on your device by connecting it to a computer.

You could also buy a case with a physical lock on it to keep co-workers, classmates and family members out.


Find or disable a lost or stolen device

Apple’s MobileMe service has a feature called “Find My iPad” (or iPhone) that can help users locate a lost device.

Using your computer, sign up for MobileMe and activate the feature by logging into your account and following the on-screen instructions to see the approximate location of your lost property on a map.
If you discover that you left it at a bar, say, you can remotely set a four-digit passcode and lock it (if you haven’t already) by clicking “Remote Lock.” Then you can write a message that will be displayed on the screen to whoever may have found it — like, “Oops! Left my expensive, coveted iPad at your bar. Please call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Coming to pick it up now!” — even if it is locked.

If you go to the bar and get blank looks, have MobileMe override the ringer volume or silent setting and play a sound to help you locate the device.

[elgatonegro]

I’ve always wondered what having an eco-phone would feel like. Did it offer grounding technology, to help me mineralize and balance my positive ions with the negative ions of the soil? Would it keep me more in touch with the rhythms of nature, the pull of the tide? Would it warn me when the moon would be waxing full, and waning dark?

It was unimpressive and tiny; minimal packaging of course, is the trademark of all things eco-friendly. And inside, a sleek, handy, if not flimsy-looking phone. “It’s made of recycled material,” he said. “That’s why it’s called an eco-phone.”

That said, I set upon trying to get used to its interface. I’m a die hard Nokia user, see, and it would take a really remarkable device to tear me away from my E71 and N97.

For all its seeming lightness and unexciting appearance (the Sony Ericsson Elm wouldn’t turn heads the way a flashier smartphone would, for example), its features pack a punch: it’s got WiFi, 3G, email, and a host of applications (which includes Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter) I have yet to exhaust. The springy quality of its keyboard also made it easy for me to get used to the differences between Sony Ericsson and Nokia’s input. I even used it to play music during a drinking party at home, since we were all too drunk and lazy to properly set up a laptop and speakers. Its sound quality was a bit tinny, as expected, but powerful enough to have us appreciate The Cure even while cross-eyed with Tanduay. Before I knew it, I was using the Elm for four days straight. Until…until…

I found myself at my dermatologist’s clinic, lying on my back and waiting for the therapist to zap the fat out of my saddlebags. A-type personality that I am, I cannot keep still, and use times like these to check my email (and of course, Facebook).

This is where the Elm failed me. I could not for the life of me, get connected to the Internet, despite me choosing the free WiFi network available.

The Elm insisted that I use one of the Macau/Hong Kong-based accounts in its data. I tried and tried again. “Come on, my little, unobtrusive, environmentally-friendly friend, show me some Facebook!” but the Elm remained unresponsive. I whipped out my trusty E71 and surfed with ease.


Second chance

The Elm had its chance to prove itself once again to me when, smack in the middle of this particularly volatile mercury retrograde, my sim card died and I needed an extra line to keep connected. As they say, things happen for a reason.

So what did I discover about the Elm this second time around?

For one, the battery life is amazing.

I charged it Saturday morning, took it on a short holiday with me and the kids, made my usual work/family calls on it (overall, maybe an average of 10 minutes a day), and it’s still got a bit of spunk in it as I write this on a Thursday night. Almost empty, but not still in the green zone. I reckon it’ll last me another day.

Nitpicking aside, the call quality is clear, and so are the photos it delivers on its 5MP camera (which has an idiot-proof icon-oriented options menu on it, by the way).

I also especially like its “conversation” feature, which is a take-off from Blackberry. Very useful when tracking important text exchanges as a thread, and not as a single message in the inbox, and switching back to the sent folder.

So does the Elm still “have” me? Sure. Until I give it back to Art.


Elm Specifications

Network Technology:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
HSDPA 2100
HSDPA 900 / 2100
Dimensions: (mm) 110 x 45 x 14
Weight: (g) 90
Screen Size: 240 x 320 , 2.2 inch
Screen Color: TFT, 256K colors
Memory Slot: microSD (TransFlash), up to 8GB
Battery Type: Li-Po
Stand-by: (hrs) 430 H (2G) / 446 H (3G)
TalkTime: (min) 600 Min (2G) / 240 Min (3G)
Connectivity: HSDPA WIFI/WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
Other Application Noise cancellation with dedicated microphone, Splash resistant, SensMe, Track ID, Google Maps, Picture editor/blogging, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter applications, Widget Manager,
Eco friendly

[elgatonegro]

Apple’s new iPhone, its fourth in four years, reaches stores on Thursday. Ordinarily, this is where you’d expect to find a review of it. But honestly — what’s the point?

The iPhone 4 is already a hit. AT&T says that it received 10 times as many preorders as it did for the iPhone 3GS last year. On the first day of taking orders, Apple processed 600,000 requests — before its ordering system, and AT&T’s, descended into chaos.

In short, the public seems to be perfectly capable of sniffing out a winner without the help of tech critics.

On the other hand, the new model won’t do anything for people who detest the iPhone. It wouldn’t matter if the new iPhone could levitate, cure hepatitis and clean your gutters; the Cantankerous Committee would still avoid it.

Despite the strong initial, positive reaction, this must still be a nerve-racking time to be Apple; the iPhone is no longer the only worthy contender. Phones running Google’s Android software are gaining rave reviews and packing in features that iPhone owners can only envy. The Android app store is ballooning, multiple phone makers are competing, and Google updates the software several times a year. Apple releases only one new model a year, so the new iPhone had better be pretty amazing to compete.

It is.

The first thing you notice is the new shape. Despite a beefier battery (16 percent more likely to last a full day), a faster processor and upgraded everything, the new model is still noticeably thinner and narrower than before.

How is that possible? In part, the trick was squaring off the back. It’s no longer gracefully curved — a design that, if you think about it, created wasted space around the rectangular components. The new iPhone is two glass slabs, front and back, wrapped by a stainless-steel band.

The result is beautiful, and since there’s no more plastic, it feels solid and Lexus-like. But it no longer feels like a soothing worry stone, and it’s now impossible to tell by touch which way it’s facing in your pocket.

The new metal mute and volume buttons are much stiffer. Still, Apple says the iPhone 4 is the world’s thinnest smartphone, and most people will approve of the trade-offs.

The new phone uses the same custom chip that’s in the iPad; it’s really, really fast. It makes a difference every time you tap the touch screen.

It’s not the first phone with both a front and back camera. It’s not even the first one to make video calls. But the iPhone 4 is the first phone to make good video calls, reliably, with no sign-up or setup, with a single tap. The picture and audio are rock solid, with very little delay, and it works the first time and every time. This feature, called FaceTime, is pure Apple.

However, you can enjoy this classic “show Grandma the baby” fantasy only if you and Grandma both have the iPhone 4, and only when you’re both in strong Wi-Fi hot spots. Both limitations may change in time; other software companies are free to create FaceTime-compatible programs for other gadgets. And Apple implies that next year, you’ll be able to make such calls over the cellular airwaves. Clearly, Apple is giving its ball and chain, AT&T, time to get its network ready.

The new screen, with greater contrast, is excellent. It packs in four times as many pixels as before; at 326 dots an inch, it’s now the sharpest phone screen on the market. Now, “the screen isn’t sharp enough” wasn’t exactly a common iPhone complaint before.

[rr-nyc]

Those aren't pics of the iphone 4 although I think its better looking than the real thing

[elgatonegro]

Looks can be deceiving for this little beauty. At first glance, it can be mistaken for a simple MP4 player. Roughly half the size of its big brother, the X10 mini measures 83.0 x 50.0 x 16.0 mm. This pocket-sized handset is almost as small as a 3rd generation iPod nano.

Sony Ericsson has done an incredible job in maximizing the phone’s limited space. Except for the power/lock key, its physical buttons are small and thin, but fairly elevated, making them easy to press. Situated at the bottom part of the phone are the microUSB port and 3.5 mm audio jack.

The X10 mini’s thin back panel houses the speaker, 5-MP camera lens and LED flash bulb which are likely to be scratched when negligently used.

When the phone was handed to me, I swept my four fingers downwards through its back, thinking it is a slider phone. Its arched back was a bit odd for me at first as it looked like an unstable base when the phone is placed on a flat surface, but it made sense to me as soon as I held it. Considering the phone’s size, an arched back ensures a more firm and comfortable grip.

I think that a rubberized back panel would have been perfect because its sleek plastic surface makes it prone to slips, especially when the phone is passed from one person to another.

Nonetheless, the phone’s back panels are interchangeable and come in a variety of colors that fit any type of personality and make the phone vogue: black, pearl white, lime, red, pink and silver. Two extra panels are included in the package.

Removing the back panel can be quite tricky as it does not have a release button. That explains why no command keys can be found on the left side of phone. Beneath the phone’s rear cover lie both the SIM and microSD card slots. The phone has an internal memory of 128MB and can support up to 16GB of external memory. Since 128MB of internal memory is quite small, Sony Ericsson has provided a generous 2GB microSD card in the set.

The X10 mini’s functionality is just as fascinating as its portability. It may lack certain features that could have enabled it to perform up to par with high-tech smartphones, but it is pre- installed with a number of useful applications. Running Android 1.6, the X10 mini comes with the usual Android staples, such as Gmail, Google Talk, Maps, Facebook and Twitter. A dedicated YouTube app is also pre-installed, and it unbelievably buffered faster in the X10 mini than in my laptop. With the Android Market, I was able to download a wide range of mobile applications for free. It’s impressive that applications take no more than a minute to download.

Navigating through the phone’s features is remarkably smooth. The X10 mini’s incredibly responsive 2.55” capacitive QVGA touchscreen blazingly registers every touch. Had it not been for its excellent screen sensitivity, the very thin notification bar found on the topmost part of the screen would have been difficult to slide down. Opening different applications is quick and easy too, thanks to its large thumbable icons. Sony Ericsson’s “four-corner customization” feature made the phone even more convenient for me to use as I simply dragged and dropped my favorite applications in the four customizable touch corners of the homescreen.

Data transfer using WiFi, Bluetooth and USB is hassle-free and can be done in just a snap.Just like any Sony Ericsson handset, syncing the X10 mini with any PC was incredibly fast.

The X10 mini provides broadband-like web browsing experience over 3G with HSPA. This little Android does not support Flash formats, but its web browser performs pretty well.

The only issue I had with the web browser was the zoom. Zooming wasn't that easy as I had to click the zoom buttons everytime I open a new page. It’s a good thing that the phone is programmed with a magnifying glass mode that helped me quickly find the part I want to zoom.

I’m not fond of using Facebook and Twitter, but Timescape has surely made social networking a lot of fun for me. With Timescape, I was able to receive/view text messages and Facebook updates without switching homescreens. With Timescape, Facebook and Twitter updates, together with SMS and MMS messages, are chronologically tiled in one homescreen. This allows that user to access Facebook and Twitter at the same time. Though the tiles are easy to scroll and can be filtered according to events or contacts, reading tweets, status and SMS messages in white-colored texts posted against your friend’s profile picture can take quite some time to get used to.

I was satisfied with the phone’s GPS navigation capability using Google Maps.

[elgatonegro]

Inside every music-loving Pinoy is a rock star dying to come out.

It doesn't take much for a wannabe to release the pent-up music energy inside: strum an invisible guitar, play a few chords on an imaginary piano, or use a pair of chopsticks on the drums.

But not every Pinoy can rise as a rock god or a rock goddess. Thank God, there's Band Master.

Band Master is the latest online music game that lets you unleash the rock star in you. All you need is a few hours to spare and a trusty PC that has at least 512 MB of RAM so it won’t go bust when you start to bust some moves. A caveat though, the game is highly addictive.

With many game options and modes to choose from, Band Master can keep you busy for hours! You don't have to be a musical genius to get the game. Even tone-deaf players can play!

Finger dexterity, a fair amount of imagination and a whole lot of passion for music are all it takes to win the game. Band Master lets you unleash your inner rock star. That means no need for chopsticks to rock!

To play, you have to build your cool rock star image. Character creation lets you pick the gender, hair color, and facial features of your rock star alter ego. Female characters get to choose from a variety of fun and flirty outfits, while male characters have four cropped pants. (Maybe rock stars don’t wear long pants, eh?) Of course, don’t forget to enter your rocker nickname!



Once your character is set, you can start warming up by playing in the Practice game mode. There are six musical instruments – drums, guitar, bass, synthesizer, brass, and piano. Choose an instrument and practice solo ahead of other game modes.

Band Master provides an interesting array of song selections from classic rockers like Bon Jovi and Ozzy Osbourne to surprise finds like that of the Japanese band L`Arc-en-Ciel, pop group Black Eyed Peas, and R&B legend Stevie Wonder.



Unlike other similar music video games, the songs in this beta version of Band Master does not play automatically, so don’t forget to hit “play" when you’re ready to jam.

After your warm up session in Practice mode, choose from two other game modes that put your skills to test. The SOS mode lets you play your chosen instrument with other players.

Should you make many mistakes, your character would "retire" while the other band members play extra well to revive you. It's also your job to play well to revive other band members who fall behind in the session. Try to finish the song with your band mates intact!

The Concert mode lets you play with two other band mates. You get to pick all the instruments for the band, and the object is to finish the song while maintaining harmony. Choose your instruments well, making sure the output sounds great when played together.

The game lets you play against other Band Master players online. Choose between the Individual Versus and the Group Versus modes to challenge other rock star wannabes. Play well for the high scorer wins.



For a little twist, the Shutter Battle mode allows you to play one up against other players by attacking with notes invisible to your opponents. No guide means no melody, and soon you'll be playing in tune while your opponent goes out of tune.

Unlike other similar music video games, Band Master gives the player full control of the game. The game screen offers controls that allow the player to pause and scroll through the song, so you don't have to leave your game running if you need a quick bathroom break!