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Showing newest 18 of 28 posts from 3/1/08 - 4/1/08. Show older posts
Showing newest 18 of 28 posts from 3/1/08 - 4/1/08. Show older posts

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

HP iPAQ 312 (GPS)

HP's iPAQ 312 is a strange device. Fitting somewhere between a PDA, a GPS and a mobile phone accessory, this unit packs in GPS functionality with some entertainment tools and Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity to create what HP has dubbed as the 'Travel Companion'.

While it doesn't have a specific niche, some of its features are quite well implemented. It is clearly designed with GPS functionality as the primary purpose, and HP has done a great job here.

It is simple to create a route; you can navigate to a specific address, stored favourite, point of interest, specific point selected on the map or even via GPS co-ordinates. Furthermore if you synchronise your outlook contact list with the iPAQ 312, all your contacts will automatically be selectable too.

The maps come with 2D or 3D views and are colourful and easy to navigate. This unit uses HP's own mapping software along with a SiRF GPS sensor. It typically took 30 to 45 seconds to acquire a signal, and reception was fairly good once it was obtained. Featuring a full touch screen interface, everything is extremely easy to navigate.

You can switch between the two views seamlessly, although we found the 3D view lagged a little, especially when you zoom in. Meanwhile the voice commands are loud and clear. You have 10 English voices to choose from and a variety of foreign ones too.

Our two main complaints with the GPS functionality were that the 600MHz processor is at times too slow to handle the application and we experienced a bit of slowdown and several crashes. The other issue was that many of the icons on the map page are unlabelled and extremely unclear as to their purpose.

Aside from GPS, the unit's other key feature is Bluetooth connectivity with your phone. Acting as a standard handsfree kit, the iPAQ 312 allows you to accept and reject calls via the touch screen interface. During our tests, both incoming and outgoing audio presented a slight echo, but it was of perfectly serviceable quality for a telephone conversation.

The 4.3in display itself is also extremely noteworthy. With a resolution of 800x480 and 65k colours, it is a fantastic little LCD and the image quality is extremely high for such a device. We watched several videos on the unit and were very pleased with what we saw. The touch interface also operated flawlessly and even our big fingers had no trouble inputting addresses and numbers.

That said the slowdown experienced when using the GPS was much more obvious here. Multiple times during video playback the sound stuttered or cut out all together, making this feature largely useless in our books. On the other hand the audio player was fine for casual use; it offers basically no features, but the 3.5mm headphone jack ensures you can use whatever headphones you please. File transfer is a standard drag and drop affair, and the player supports all Windows Media Player formats including those with DRM.

Other minor features of the iPAQ 312 include a clock, calculator, games and the aforementioned contact synchronisation. The games are mildly entertaining but nothing noteworthy, but the contact book works well, allowing easy synchronisation with your Outlook contact list.

Battery life was definitely a concern. We barely got several hours use out of the device on a full charge, so an AC connection is basically a requirement. The iPAQ 312 comes with 128MB of memory onboard and an SD-HC card slot for further expansion.

Model

:

HP iPAQ 312

Dimensions

:

11.02 x 8.68 x 1.82 cm

Weight

:

187 gr

Screen

:

4.3”, TFT 65.536 colours, 800 x 480 pixel

Processor

:

Centrality Titan 600 MHz ARM11

Internal Memory

:

RAM 128 MB, ROM up to 2 GB

External Memory

:

SD card

Operating System

:

Microsoft Windows CE 5.0 with custom HP interface

Input Method

:

Touch screen with pen

Features

:

GPS receiver, USB, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, built-in speakers, text to speech, InstantFix, maps, RDS/TMC traffic data support

Battery

:

Li-Ion 1700 mAh

Price

:

IDR 3.900.000


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Canon Selphy ES20

Of the four major printer makers, only Canon has chosen not to use ink-jet technology for its standalone photo printers. It has made a considerable success of the thermal dye-sublimation technology it bases its Selphy range of printers around and one of the latest to join the range, the Selphy ES20, offers a wide range of features, built into its attractively styled case.

If you're used to photo printers being small squat boxes with large paper trays sticking out the front, the ES20 may come as some surprise. Its vertical design - it's as high as some all-in-one machines - means it has a very small footprint. The integrated paper and ink film cartridge slides in at the side in a simple, mess-free installation and provides enough of both consumables to produce 50 full-colour prints.

The photo blanks built into the cartridge are loaded in landscape orientation inside the printer, so you don't need to carry a pack of paper with you when travelling. That's fine, except that the ES20 must feed the paper back and forth four times in a portrait orientation to print each colour photo.

To achieve this, the printer uses the technique pioneered in Canon's earlier ES1 machine, which feeds the paper part-way out and then turns it through 90-degrees before starting to print. Virtually everyone who sees this manoeuvre is impressed and it's certainly a novel solution to keeping the paper protected when the printer is not in use.

The control panel of the Selphy ES20 includes a 76mm colour LCD and assorted buttons to handle not just simple printing but additional features like red-eye removal and adding simple frames and even speech bubbles to photos.

At the bottom of the front panel, behind a fold-down flap, are three separate memory card slots, which between them cater for all the main types. Around the side are similar sockets for USB 2.0 connection to a PC and PictBridge connection to a camera. The one method of connection missing, which was available in Canon's earlier ES1 model, is the pull-out, vacuum cleaner-style, PictBridge cable for direct camera connection.

There's a sprung carrying handle built into the top of the printer and a pop-up cover to the paper-out hopper. This cleverly pops open automatically, if you start printing without opening it manually, first.

If you want to use the printer with a PC or Mac, simply install the application software and driver and connect the cable. The driver works like any other, though options are limited to what's necessary for photo print.

Many people will use the printer in its standalone state, though, and some may add the optional lithium ion battery, good for 50 photo prints per charge, and the Bluetooth adapter which gives the ES20 wireless capabilities.

Each print has to make four passes through this printer, to build up the yellow, magenta and cyan colour layers and a clear overcoat to protect the image. Even so, we produced a print in 73 seconds using a PictBridge connection from a camera and slightly longer, 79 seconds, printing from a PC or memory card.

While these times aren't spectacular, with the Epson PictureMate PM290, for example, finishing in just 43 seconds, nearly twice as fast, it's not nearly as entertaining to watch as the Selphy. One visitor to our lab said it was like watching the photographs develop before your eyes.

As dye-sublimation print is a dry process, photos are usable as soon as they come out of the printer and the postcard blanks Canon provides are marked out with areas for a message, address and even a postage stamp on the back. Print quality is good, though by default colours are dark and shadowed areas almost completely black, losing quite a lot of detail.

One of the main advantages of dye-sublimation printing is that there are no visible dots in the image. Even under a magnifying glass, it appears like a traditional silver halide photograph, giving a smooth transition between colours and a fine level of detail.

Model

:

Canon Selphy ES20

Interface

:

Color monitor LCD TFT 2.5”

Dimensions

:

213,4 x 189,6 x 130,9 mm

Weight

:

1865 gr

Printing Method

:

Dye-sublimation thermal transfer printing system with DIGIC II processor

Printing max. resolution

:

300 x 600 dpi

Colour

:

3 ink colours with over coating, BW with over coating until 256 level/color

Connectivity

:

21 card memory, PictBridge, opt. Bluetooth unit BU-20 (printing from phone cell or PDA), USB cable

Operating System

:

Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 / XP SP2 / Vista, MacOS X v10.3 – 10.4

Price

:

US$ 175



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Monday, March 17, 2008

Yamaha YSP 3000



Measures 800×152×155mm and weight 11.5kg, The Yamaha YSP-3000 Digital Sound Projector features a digital amplifier that produced 82W (2W x 21 + 20W x 2) of total power. It’ll be available on the market starting from February at an MSRP of ¥150.000. Other cool features included a large range of optimum listening positions, 3 Cinema DSP programs (Movie, Music and Sports), a HDMI interface (1080p/24Hz and 60Hz compatible), a Multi-channel sound (5.1) from DVDs, digital broadcasting, satellite broadcasting and other digital sources, a Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS Neo:6 compatibility, and capability to compressed music enhancer. It also can be wall mounted/placed on a shelf or rack.


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Sony Cyber Shot W300


Sony bumps up its point-and-shoot cameras to a new height of resolution with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300, the company's first 13.6-megapixel snapshot camera. This follow-up to last year's 12-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-W200 bears some of the most impressive features found in Sony's W-series of compact cameras, along with one of the line's heftiest price tags yet.

The W300 includes an impressive set of features under its shiny, titanium-coated casing. Its 35 to 105mm-equivalent f/2.8-5.8 lens seems fairly standard, but its 2.7-inch LCD screen and optical viewfinder give it surprising flexibility compared with most snapshot cameras. Like other Cyber-shot W-series cameras, the W300 includes a face detection system that Sony claims can distinguish between adult and children's faces and--using the Smile Shutter mode--automatically take pictures when subjects smile. It also lets users share their photos with an on-board slide show with customizable MP3 soundtracks, includes in-camera photo search, and can output to HDTVs.

Besides the high resolution, the W300 packs one distinguishing feature that sets it apart. Unlike virtually every other point-and-shoot camera on the market, the W300 includes an adjustable noise reduction setting. Users will be able to choose whether the camera will use "low," "standard," or "high" noise reduction, determining how much it processes each shot to reduce noise. This feature is particularly useful with the W300's 13.6 megapixel, 1/1.7-inch sensor; noise tends to increase significantly when more and more pixels are crammed onto smaller and smaller sensors. If you have a lot of noise in a picture, like when you're shooting at high sensitivity levels, you might want a more zealous noise reduction process. On the other hand, if you're shooting at a low ISO setting, you might want to scale back the noise reduction so it doesn't hurt fine details. This new setting is a welcome addition to snapshot cameras, which generally restrict you to the camera's noise reduction whims.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300 ships in May, with a suggested retail price of $350.

(www.crave.cnet.com)

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Thursday, March 13, 2008

Acer Gemstone Blue










































see more detail....

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LEGO Toch

Now you can have thousand Lego bricks in your pocket. Check out the Lego-Touch for the iPhone. Very soon you can create virtual building with a large catalog of basic building blocks. With the multi-touch technology on the iPhone, you can easily grab blocks and assemble them into any shape from your imagination. A slick user interface lets you zoom in and rotate your structure, and a spectrum color can be apply to each of the blocks. Continue reading for more pictures and video.


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Sharp FOMA SH705ill

Sharp's new cell phone, the FOMA SH705iII looks like any other ordinary clamshell handset, but this one comes with a built-in TV tuner, allowing you to view just about any TV show no matter where you are on it, helping you keep up with the latest episodes. Some of the features include :

- 3G international roaming

- 2.8" 262k color display (400 x 240 resolution)

- 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus

- External monochromatic OLED display

- microSD memory card slotBattery life of 175 minutes for talk time, 2 hours for TV viewing

Unfortunately, this is a Japan-only product as at press time.



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SMU/SMK Band Contest 2008

requirement :

1. Band from one school

2. Form application including student identity card

3. Show with 1 own song and 1 free song

4. Show with school uniform

Information :

Technical Meeting March 20, 2008 at 14.00 in Sekretariat Pekan Pendidikan Tinggi Jakarta 2008, Salemba Tower 10th floor, Jl. Salemba Raya No. 5, Jakarta Pusat

CP :

- Nony : Sekretariat Pekan Pendidikan Tinggi Jakarta 2008, Salemba Tower 10th floor, Jl. Salemba Raya No. 5, Jakarta Pusat, phone : 021 - 398 42998

- Utit : Studio 107 Saharjo

Jl. Dr. Saharjo No. 107 Jakarta Selatan

Phone : 021 – 8316303 / 9968 7537 / 08158259779


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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Toshiba Ultramobile PC

Toshiba has been demonstrating a concept design for a new ultramobile PC. It doesn't actually have a name, and we shouldn't refer to it as a UMPC because it could end up using Windows, Linux or something else altogether, but we have to concede it's one of the most promising designs we've seen in this area.

We normally balk at anything without a physical keyboard, but the Toshiba ultramobile concept has some cool tricks up its proverbial sleeve. First of all there's a 127mm (5-inch) touch-sensitive screen, which is compatible with gesture controls. Stroking your finger in an upwards motion against the screen launches a Web browser; stroking right to left brings up an on-screen shortcut menu for launching common applications, and stroking right to left makes it disappear.

The ultramobile concept also features an accelerometer, so you can navigate through documents by tilting the device left, right, up or down. The system works surprisingly well, but if you don't fancy that, you can always bring up a virtual, on-screen representation of a keyboard or mouse trackpad. They're no substitute for the real thing, but we'd moan if they weren't part of the feature set.

Specs-wise, Toshiba plans to use an Intel ultra-low voltage CPUs, 1GB of RAM, and a solid-state disk drive. You also get an SD card slot for additional storage possibilities, Wi-Fi, a USB port and a charging dock. Here's hoping it gets a release at some point in the next year or so.

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ASUS R50A Ultramobile PC


We have some pics and the full specs from CES 2008 about ASUS’ latest UMPC, Asus R50A. We also had a chance to play with this GPS enabled UMPC and were quite pleased with its first impression it left on us. It felt like it was well built and we found it quite responsive considering it was running Windows Vista.

Here are the full specs:

  • The thinnest, lightest and all in one ultra Mobility with 5.6″ Touch panel WSVGA panel and only 520g
  • Consumer style design with two handheld size and weight
  • Complete Internet connection with in Vista experience in the pocket
  • WiMax, 3.5G with HSDPA, 802.11b/g
  • Realtime location
  • Internet GPS feed back the real time location and Photo navigation
  • Video conference and Picturing
  • Outward camera for picturing and inward camera for Video conference
  • Intel UMPC Menlow Technology
  • Intel Silverthrone Processor 1.33G, 512K L2 Cache, FSB 400/533Mhz
  • Intel Poulsbo Chipset
  • Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium/Business Edition
  • 802.11bg, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
  • Intel WiMAX/or 3.5G WWAN Network Connection/or DVB-T
  • GPS build in
  • Dual (2M/0.3M) Camera Design
  • 3 USB (Keyboard/Slave/STD)
  • 1 x microSD slot
  • 5.6″ WSVGA 1024×600 LED backlight panel with touch panel
  • 1.8″ SSD 32GB
  • DDRII-400, on board 1024MB
  • 199 x 97 x 284 mm, 520g

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NOW....See the movie from your watch..!!! with Home Theater Watch

Apparently, someone at Gadget Universe (an Alexander Innovation Wizard Company, the geniuses who previously brought you the Sun Visor Theater, the Pseudo-UFO and other potentially hazardous inventions) got the idea that watching movies on a 1.5" 128 x 128 pixel OLED screen mounted on a watch was a good idea. So good in fact, that they created the Home Theater Watch.

This is not your regular wrist watch. The Home Theater Watch was designed to give you the experience of a home theatre with the functionality of a watch. With it you can tell time and watch that movie from the Oscars or that latest Heroes episode anywhere. The screen is only 1.5”, but that’s not so bad, after all this is a watch we’re talking about, and according to Gadget Universe the movies will look the same as they would on your PC.

Maybe they decided to ignore those old failed '80s TV watches from Seiko. Maybe they thought their friends' advice, of the "Are you an idiot?" or "Who's the moron that is going to buy that?" kind, were absolutely misguided. Whatever was the case, I only have one thing to say: Alexander Innovation Wizard Company, we love you.

Measuring a mere 2" x 1.5" x 0.5", the Home Theater Watch not only would let you get blind, squinting to see whatever video you can fit in its 2GB memory, but you would also be able to use it as a defensive weapon. It can play MP3, WMA, JPEG and MP4 formats as well, so would it be iTunes-friendly? We can only hope so.

You can send the movies you want to your watch from your computer via USB, and the included software can convert your ASF, AVI, MPEG, WMV, DAT/VCD, and ASX files to a format that’s compatible with the watch. The best feature, however, goes to the sound system, which apparently has 5 EQ modes, 3D sound effects and a "Super Bass" guaranteed to rattle your wrist bones.

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Orbitor Electroning Listening Device


General Info

The Orbitor's ears and eyes are powerful enough to capture distant sounds (and voices) from 300 feet away. Viewfinder with 10x prism optical system lets you zoom in and see what you're hearing close up. Sounds and images impossible for the human ears and eyes to pick up will now seem as if you're only a couple of feet away. Imagine sitting in the upper deck of a baseball stadium and hearing and seeing players talking in the dugout. Are those men on the street corner dealing drugs? Now you can eavesdrop from a safe distance with the Orbitor Electronic Listening Device. Outdoorsmen and bird watchers can tap into Mother Nature's secrets like never before and be thrilled at the sound quality of this ingenious listening device. This top-of-the-line secret surveillance device is perfect for when you really need to know what's going on! Once you own the Orbitor, you'll discover thousands of uses for it. Find out what your kids and their friends are plotting in the garage. Listen to whales sounding on the open sea. Take it to a concert when you're too far away from the action. Opera lovers and theatergoers can sit in the back row and hear as well as those in the $300 front seats. In fact, the Orbitor Electronic Listening Device can go to all entertainment venues. To enhance your use of the Orbitor Electronic Listening Device, we've even added a playback system that records up to 120 seconds on a digital chip -- so you not only hear from afar, you have an electronic record of it. Includes a pair of comfortable padded full-size headphones. Requires one 9-volt battery (not included). Is someone talking about you? Now you'll know.

Specification

  • Dim: 11" x 7"
  • Diameter: 7"
  • Weight: 1.9 Lbs

  • Features

  • The Orbitor is the ultimate listening device
  • Listen to voices and sounds from up to 300 feet away
  • Utilizes advanced parabolic sound technology
  • See things up close with viewfinder and 10x prism optical system
  • Take it to the game to hear what the coach is saying in the huddle
  • Outdoorsman can tap into natures secrets like never before
  • Watch and Hear birds simultaneously
  • Find out what's really going on with your kids and their friends
  • Listen to whales sounding on the open sea
  • Take it to a concert or play when you're too far away from the stage
  • Digital recording system allows you to playback 120 second snippets
  • High-quality headphones cover the entire ear to reduce ambient noise

    Product Specifications:
  • Measures 11" x 7"
  • Weighs 1.9 Lbs
  • Requires 1 9V battery (not included)
  • Includes padded full-size high-quality headphones


  • Read more..!

    Sony Ericcson XPERIA X1


    Convergence of Communication and Entertainment
    XPERIA™ X1 lets you enjoy the convergence of communication and entertainment. Choose an experience by simply touching the XPERIA™ panel interface. The QWERTY keyboard makes writing fast and easy.

    On The Inside
    With Windows Mobile® inside, you can enjoy your favorite entertainment and work efficiently on the move. XPERIA™ X1 is a premium mobile experience.

    Distinctive Design
    Arc slider design, 3 inch Wide VGA display and premium metal body: with its sophisticated and distinctive design, XPERIA™ X1 redefines premiumness.




    Specification

    Size :
    • 110.0 x 17.0 x 53.0 mm
    • 4.3 x 0.7 x 2.1 inches
    Weight :
    • 145.0 gr
    • 5.1 oz
    Screen :
    • 800 X 480
    • 65,536 color TFT
    Memory :
    • Up to 400 MB Phone Memory
    • MicroSD support (Actual free memory may vary due to phone pre-configuration)
    Networks :
    • GSM 850
    • GSM 900
    • GSM 1800
    • GSM 1900
    • EDGE
    • HSDPA
    • HSUPA
    • UMTS 850
    • UMTS 900
    • UMTS 1700
    • UMTS 1900
    • UMTS 2100


    Read more..!

    READIUS

    The exclusive Readius® exploits the versatility of rollable displays to merge the 'reading friendly' strengths of ereaders with the 'high mobility' features of mobile phones. With a display larger than the device itself, and designed around ‘ease of use’ and mobility, Readius® is optimised for reading for 30 hours without battery charge.

    The 3G HSDPA tri-band phone allows worldwide calls and high speed instant updates from personally selected news sources, special services and email. The Micro SD High Capacity storage ensures easy access to other favorite information and eBooks. Readius® also features phone as well as audio capabilities (such as MP3) for podcasts, audio books and music.

    Key Features

    Display size

    :

    Twice the surface area of current largest phone display (5” diagonal, 16 greyscales)

    Device size

    :

    Equal to an average mobile phone when closed (115 x 57 x 21mm)

    Battery life

    :

    Up to six times longer than on mobile phones (30 hours continues reading)

    Connectivity

    :

    Greatest coverage of any e-reader (Tri Band/3G HSDPA) Supporting ActiveSync and USB mass storage (USB 2.0) Communication with accessories and other devices (Bluetooth 2.0)

    Processor

    :

    Powerful processing engine (ARM11 400MHz)

    Storage

    :

    Flexible, today commercially available up to 8GB (High Capacity Micro SD)

    User Interface

    :

    Just 8 buttons (SimpleTouch Buttons)


    Read more..!

    Monday, March 10, 2008

    Motorola EQ7 Wireless Hi-Fi Stereo Speaker

    World-class acoustic stereo sound goes wireless with the Motorola EQ7. Blast music in full, rich sound and take calls over the high-quality speakerphone with a powerful built-in microphone.

    Premium Wireless Sound
    Portable audio has never sounded this good. A tuned-ported enclosure, combined with four aluminium dome Odyssey® transducers driven by powerful neodymium magnets, provide deep rich bass and smooth response, clear out to 20kHz. The class 1 Bluetooth® wireless connection delivers up to 100m/330ft of range¹ for true wireless freedom.

    Don’t Miss the Call
    When using the speakerphone function, integrated controls make it easy to switch between music and calls with the touch of a button.

    True Music Flexibility
    Jazz up your dinner party or take your music with you. The EQ7 can be powered by the included AC power adapter or four AA-batteries. And while the EQ7 can easily connect wirelessly with an MP3 player, PC, or mobile phone using Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)¹, a 3.5mm standard audio jack also allows wired connection to almost any music source.

    The EQ7 is expected to become available in Q2 2008. For more information regarding pricing and product availability in your region, please contact your local Motorola representative.
    All features, functionality and other product specifications are subject to change without notice or obligation.

    ¹ This device supports Bluetooth Advanced Audio Delivery, Audio Video Remote Control, and Hands-free profiles. In order for Bluetooth devices to communicate with one another, they must utilize the same Bluetooth profile. To determine the profiles supported by other Motorola devices, visit www.hellomoto.com/bluetooth. For other devices, contact their respective manufacturer.
    Certain Bluetooth features including those listed may not be supported by all compatible Bluetooth-enabled devices, and/or the functionality of such features may be limited in certain devices, or by certain wireless carriers. Contact your wireless carrier about feature availability and functionality.

    MOTOROLA EQ7

    Power

    Included AC power adapter or Four AA batteries

    Bluetooth Wireless Technology

    Version 2.0, HF1.5, A2DP, AVRCP¹

    Weight

    440 g

    Dimensions

    169 x 154 x 42 mm

    Features

    • Class 1 Bluetooth® wireless technology range¹
    • Four aluminum-dome Odyssey transducers
    • Tuned-ported enclosure for an outstanding listening experience
    • Built-in microphone with noise reduction & echo cancellation
    • Intuitive, back-lit controls for easy operation
    • EasyPair technology for simplified connection to compatible Bluetooth enabled devices¹
    • 3.5mm audio jack for wired connection to other music devices



    Read more..!

    Sony Ericsson HCB-150

    Knowing whose calling you without having to pick up the phone itself to glance at the display is a boon when driving. The ability to do so, without engaging two minds at once can make driving trouble free. Sony Ericsson's latest hands-free kit sets out to solve this problem the HCB-150 features text-to-speech, so the Bluetooth unit simply tells you who is interrupting your commute. It has touch-sensitive controls and does talk, in case you're afraid of talking gadgets; feature an OLED display for visual Caller ID. Once paired with your cellphone (in fact, up to 5 different handsets) the speakerphone sucks out all the contacts, and there's a handy jog dial to scroll through them.


    Battery life is impressive too, with 700hrs standby and up to 25hrs talk time. The Sony Ericsson HCB-150 should be available globally from Q2 2008.

    Read more..!

    Sunday, March 9, 2008

    GPS Mio C230


    Design

    The Mio DigiWalker C230 is one heck of a small portable navigation system. At 4.2 inches wide by 3.2 inches high by 0.9 inch deep and 6.2 ounces, the C230 is more compact than most PDAs, and while the size is great for transporting between cars or for use on a bike or on foot, the C230 seems almost too petite for in-car use.

    However, Mio still manages to fit in a standard 3.5-inch touch screen that displays 65,000 colors at a 320x240-pixel resolution. Maps were bright and sharp, and thankfully, unlike the Mio C220 we didn't have any problems seeing the screen content even in bright sunlight so that was a relief. The main menu icons are large and easy to press, but the onscreen keyboard is a bit cramped to easily punch out addresses and when in map view, it can be difficult to accurately tap the different navigation options. Users with larger fingers will have problems, so the inclusion of a stylus would have been nice.

    The rest of the Mio C230 is as simple as its feature set. There's a lone power button on top, while an SD expansion card slot and a mini USB port are on the bottom. On the left spine, you'll find an external antenna jack, and on the back, the system's speaker and the master on/off switch. Though we like the minimalist design, we do wish there was an easier way to adjust the volume on the C230. You can mute the audio with a simple tap of the onscreen speaker icon, but you have to dig through several menus to change the volume.

    The Mio C230 comes packaged with a car charger, a vehicle mount (windshield and dash), a software DVD, and reference material.

    Features

    The Mio DigiWalker C230 is a basic, navigation-only device. It's equipped with a 20-channel SiRFstarIII, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and comes with TeleAtlas maps of the United States and Puerto Rico preloaded on the device. To start a trip, you can enter a specific address, select a destination from your My Favorites or recent destinations list, or tap a point on the map and hit the Route To option. The C230 can calculate directions by the shortest, fastest, or most economical route. Otherwise, if you don't have a specific destination or trip, you can use the Follow option to have the unit track you as you drive around.

    There is also a database of more than 3.5 million points of interest (POI) for making pit stops along the way, and the C230 can do multistop trips so you can add these POI to your route. Categories include all the basics--gas stations, ATMs, lodging, and restaurants--as well as more specialized interests, such as concert halls and amusement parks.

    Navigation guidance comes by way of text- and voice-guided turn-by-turn directions. And much to our delight, the C230 supports text-to-speech functionality. This means the system will speak actual street names, allowing you to pay more attention to the road rather than the map screen, because you get more precise audible prompts. Typically, this is a feature that's found in pricier and more advanced, systems, so it's great to find it in an entry-level device such as the C230. We hope this becomes an increasing trend.

    You can view a detailed list of instructions before you head out under Itinerary or get a running demo of the route with the Fly Over function. If you want to steer clear of a certain portion of the route because you happen to know there's road construction or it's known for heavy traffic, just hit the Avoid button and choose from a list of options. The system also supports automatic route recalculations if you get off course.

    Maps are presented in 2D or 3D mode, and a Night Mode changes the color scheme of the maps for better nighttime viewing. There is a Cockpit tool that shows you the direction of your next turn, distance to your destination, estimated time of arrival, and more. Finally, there are a number of safety options, including speeding alerts, a screen lock that prevents you from using the touch screen when the car is in motion, and safety camera information.

    Performance
    We tested the Mio DigiWalker C230 in San Francisco, and from a cold start, it took the unit about two minutes to acquire a satellite fix. Subsequent starts varied from just a few seconds to a few minutes, so the inconsistency was a bit frustrating. Once locked on, the C230 held a steady lock except when we drove through a tunnel (a normal occurrence with GPS), but it was able to immediately find our position again. We entered our standard trip from the Marina District to CNET's downtown headquarters, and the system swiftly calculated a route. A quick glance at the list of text-based directions showed that the directions were accurate, and we set off on our trip. Text-to-speech audio prompts sounded slightly robotic, but we were still able to understand them all. We also missed several turns to test the route recalculation rate, which was satisfactory as it was able to get us back on track in a timely manner.


    Read more..!

    Motorola EQ5

    Delivering wireless freedom and stereo sound in style and in the palm of your hands! The Motorola EQ5 Portable Wireless Speaker is sleek, stylish and pocket-sized, enabling consumers to play music or take calls¹ anywhere.

    Pocket Portability
    A sleek, slim design means music goes mobile, headphones-free. A metal grill protects the internal speakers and a convenient kickstand keeps the speaker at the perfect angle for an enhanced audio experience.

    Sound You Can Count On
    The EQ5 delivers impressive high-definition stereo sound, yet it’s convenient and compact in size. When paired with a phone¹, the EQ5 also doubles as a speakerphone with echo-cancellation and noise-reduction to ensure crisp call quality.

    Wireless Mobility
    Tangled wires are a thing of the past. Bluetooth® stereo connectivity2 cuts the speaker cable and the rechargeable battery unplugs consumers from the wall. Integrated music and call controls mean there’s no need to reach for the phone, and music automatically pauses with each call.

    The EQ5 is expected to become available in Q2 2008. For more information regarding pricing and product availability in your region, please contact your local Motorola representative.


    1 The use of wireless phones while driving may cause distraction. Discontinue a call if you can’t concentrate on driving. Additionally, the use of wireless devices and their accessories may be prohibited or restricted in certain areas. Always obey the laws and regulations on the use of these products.
    2 Certain Bluetooth features including those listed may not be supported by all compatible Bluetooth-enabled devices, and/or the functionality of such features may be limited in certain devices, or by certain wireless carriers. Contact your wireless carrier about feature availability and functionality.


    This device supports Bluetooth Advanced Audio Delivery, Audio Video Remote Control, Hands-free, and Headset profiles. In order for Bluetooth devices to communicate with one another, they must utilize the same Bluetooth profile. To determine the profiles supported by other Motorola devices, visit www.hellomoto.com/bluetooth. For other devices, contact their respective manufacturer.


    MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark office. All other products or service names are the property of their respective owners. ©Motorola, Inc. 2008. The Bluetooth trademarks are owned by their proprietor and used by Motorola, Inc. under license.

    EQ5 Portable Wireless Speaker

    Play Time

    Up to 8 hours

    Battery

    Rechargeable, non-replaceable

    Weight

    100g

    Dimensions

    116 x 65 x 15 mm

    Bluetooth2

    Version 2.0 +EDR, HFP1.5, A2DP1.2, AVRCP1.0

    Codec Support

    SBC, MP3

    Features

    • Bluetooth wireless technology
    • Pocket-sized, sleek form-factor
    • Speakerphone and controls for hands-free functionality
    • Noise-reduction and echo-cancellation technology for clear communication
    • Bass ports for improved sound
    • Discreet desk-stand
    • 3.5mm jack to connect to non-Bluetooth enabled music-players
    • Micro-USB connection for charging and power

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