5 great gadgets you will be able to get soon
Posted on May 5, 2008
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The following gadgets aren’t available for buying yet. But you have a chance to schedule to obtain them very soon, if there is something you like.
The first gadget can be called universal, because it implements a lot of functions. The device is called Panasonic Viera P905i. It is the smallest ‘big-screen’ TV in the world. The gadget features a 3-inch screen, powerful image processing and mobile broadcasting service. The quality of the display can be compared even with a full-size TV.
On the one hand you may use it as a usual modern mobile phone, but if you turn it 90 degrees you have the possibility to watch TV or play 3D games. Finally, the device also has a 5-megapixel camera, high-speed broadband and GPS tracking. The list of the possibilities of this gadget really impresses.
Have you dreamed to have a laptop with over a pound weight? Raon Everun UMPC - is what you need. Thanks to the device’s weight and 7 inches length it is perfect for travelers. The gadget features full QWERTY keyboard, a 4.8-inch touch screen and is based on Windows XP.
Moreover, you may choose between 60 or 6 GB hard drive. The built-in Wi-Fi opens you access to the Internet. The battery life is incredible: 7-11 hours. This UMPC (ultra mobile personal computer) is the next step into our world of technologies.
At first sight Samsung ‘Soul’ SGH U900 might seem a usual mobile phone, but it has a few innovations that will make the use of this phone more comfortable. The device is very thin - just 13 mm. But its features impress.
The gadget has a 5-megapixel camera with 4X digital zoom, image stabilization, face detection and support for blazingly fast 7.2-mbps data connections. This mobile phone has both a numeric keypad and a touch screen for your choice. The touch screen vibrates when you push it. Thus, the interface shows just the icons relevant to the task at hand.
NEC ValueStar W is an entertainment PC. The name of the gadget comes from words ‘Water Silence’. The device wraps a liquid-cooled hard drive. So, it produces encompassing noise of just 25 to 30 dB that is really quite.
It means you can enjoy every movie and every song, and you won’t hear the machine working. The Vista Media Center PC is supplied with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 22-inch LCD, and a combo Blu-ray/HD DVD drive.
Toshiba ApriPoko Robot will make you either lazy or your energetic life easier. This lovely 11-inch-tall robot is a voice-activated remote control. The device features artificial intelligence.
There is an example of its work: if you press the buttons on your TV’s remote control, the robot will inquire you what you are doing. The next step is the following: it will memorize the IR codes associated with your actions. Thus, when you ask it to turn on the TV the robot will do it for you.
Courtesy: http://gadget-snipe.blogspot.com/2008/05/5-great-gadgets-you-will-be-able-to-get.html
Mobile Forecast …
Posted on May 5, 2008
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There are nearly four billion mobile phone handsets in use worldwide, roughly four times more than the number of computers. As handsets become more advanced, it seems an obvious route for operators to look at revenue streams other than voice calls.
More than mobile
Telecoms giant, Orange has recently reported a substantial fall in the demand from its UK customer base for ring tones and wallpapers, as mobile owners take advantage of the improved multimedia capabilities of their handsets. The number of ring tones being downloaded is declining as customers increasingly look to obtain full length tracks. From December to January, ring tone downloads fell by around 14 per cent - from 117,000 downloads to 100,000. This was in direct contrast with full length songs which saw a record number of downloads - 290,000 full length tracks were downloaded during the same time.
As more mobile phones become equipped with high-spec cameras, Orange is also seeing a decline in growth in the number of wallpaper downloads. Customers prefer to use personal pictures taken on their handset as the background for their screens rather than those offered by businesses.
Text messaging, seen as one the mobile industry’s most surprising success stories, is also predicted to see a marked drop in usage. Orange customers sent around 1.3 billion messages each month between November and January, up 21 per cent according to the data from the operator. However, global information group, TNS believes that as customers take advantage of more widely available new services, such as instant messaging, the use of text messaging will be affected.
Instant or short?
Research by the company found that of every text, email or picture message that was sent, 38 per cent of were SMS. However, as soon as instant messaging services became available, the percentage of texts plummeted to just 23 per cent.
In the US, there is a similar pattern of customers using more advanced services on their mobile handsets. According to Analysys Research’s Mobile Media and Entertainment in the US: Forecasts 2007-2012 report, revenue from mobile media and entertainment (MME) will more than double by 2012.
Analysys predicts that the growth will take place once the necessary technical enhancements have been made to existing network infrastructures. This will allow the general public to access high speed data connections rather than just early adopters.
Last year the US MME services, which exclude messaging and mobile browsing and data charges, generated $3.1 billion. Analysys forecasts that this will grow to $6.6 billion in the next four years, driven by advancements in the capability of devices and simplified pricing options. MME services are expected to account for 12.3 per cent of non voice services.
Make the most of mobile
With the potential of the market, it is no surprise to find that companies are looking to capitalize on this development. However, opportunity comes with its challenges.
Deepak Mehrotra, Vice President, Mobile Terminals, Aricent, believes that developers have a key role to play in the advancement of the mobile Internet.
“Operators seeking to keep apace with the mobile industry are under continuing pressure to roll-out new advanced data services, to keep their lucrative style and technology conscious subscribers happy, and create additional revenue-generating streams in the face of falling voice revenues. Software is increasingly becoming the lynchpin of delivering data services, by connecting the handset to the network, and the operator’s service to the end-user,” said Mehrotra.
“With success hinged on their ability to develop, deploy and react quickly as the data market evolves, a clear gap is forming between what the operator aspires to deliver to its users and what it has the resources to develop. In a climate driven furiously by the need for innovation and yet limited by resources, the gap is widening,” he continued.
Struggling under its own weight
With more data being communicated over the same networks, there is also the issue as to whether the existing infrastructure can cope. Already, ISPs have complained about service such as iPlayer taking up too much bandwidth - the same situation could occur in the mobile industry.
“In a recent report from the Kelsey Group and ConStat, it was revealed that while only 26 percent of US mobile users currently subscribe to a mobile Internet service, almost 45 percent cite Internet capability as a key factor when purchasing their next handset,” said Michael Flanagan, CTO of network optimization company, Arieso.
“The challenge has been laid down for wireless network operators to provide extensive data capabilities and to make them cost competitive for subscribers. This is going to put a massive strain on their network infrastructure in the coming months. The increased desire for mobile data usage combined with growing pressure to improve and clarify budget management means that a new breed of optimization tools are required to ensure a balance between data capacity and voice quality while making existing infrastructure work harder and providing justification for investment in new equipment,” he continued.
Revolutionize the web
However, Marc Davies, Yahoo’s social media guru, is convinced that the future of the web lies in mobile. Speaking to the BBC, he believes that the mobile web is more than just about the Internet on a different device - it’s about personalized services.
“The mobile web is not just about accessing the web from your phone. Mobile phones that are location aware, temporarily situated and socially connected will transform our experience of the web, the world and ourselves. The next web will be about place and time,” he said.
Courtesy: http://nmk.co.uk/2008/05/02/mobile-forecast/
Social networking and mobile entertainment
Posted on May 5, 2008
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Nokia in particular is trying to turn itself into an entertainment-friendly company, much the way Steven P. Jobs has changed Apple’s image with the iPod and iPhone.
Nokia, based in Finland, said it surveyed 9,000 consumers last year and concluded that by 2012 one out of every four consumers will create, edit or share entertainment with friends, instead of getting it from traditional media outlets like television or movie studios.
And that, Nokia executives said, led them to seek out a movie director willing to dabble in mobile video.
“This is not a marketing gimmick,” said Craig Coffey, Nokia’s vice president for North American marketing and a former PepsiCo executive. “The notion of social networking and entertainment is real.”…
This information has been taken from http://www.socialmedia.biz/2008/04/social-networki.html
Sony Ericsson to bridge Flash and Java
Posted on May 2, 2008
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Sony Ericsson is to release a new technology that it claims will bridge two major development platforms for mobile phones.
Next week at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco, the company will demonstrate Project Capuchin, which will allow software developers to create applications for mobile phones that can use pieces of both Java ME and Adobe’s Flash Lite.
The company plans to release a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) and a software-development kit (SDK) in the second half of this year to bring the two different mobile-development styles together.
For example, Java developers could decide to use the richer user interface technology found in Flash Lite, said Ulf Wretling, the head of Sony Ericsson’s developer program and communications, on Wednesday. Wretling said a developer could also use Java’s three-dimensional graphics for a mobile game while employing Flash Lite for menus.
“Adobe is pleased to support Sony Ericsson’s Project Capuchin,” said Adobe’s vice president for mobile and devices, Gary Kovacs. “Using Adobe Flash technology as one part of this new bridging technology will ensure further innovation for mobile users when Flash developers gain access to the Java applications’ functionality and intelligence, allowing them to create applications with the ultimate user experience.”
Sony Ericsson hopes that, rather than pulling developers away from the current roadmaps for both Java and Flash Lite, Capuchin will make it possible to create regular Java or Flash applications using this set of APIs, mixing and matching technology from the other camp as needed.
This technology will be used on the mass-market mobile phone, not the smartphone category with more sophisticated operating systems. Sony Ericsson phones will arrive in the second half of the year with this technology, but the company plans to release the SDK before the phones arrive.
5 Gadgets That Make You Seem Artistic
Posted on April 30, 2008
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You may have never been trained as a painter or musician, but today’s tech tools make faking it easy. Here’s our favorite gear for the creatively minded.
“Everyone is an artist.” Those are the words of the controversial German artist Joseph Beuys, and I happen to agree with him.
The statement is especially true in our modern age of techno toys. With off-the-shelf hardware and software breaking the world down into so many ones and zeroes, it’s getting a lot easier to experiment with things that used to be expensive or time-consuming (digital photography eliminates the money and time required for film and processing, for instance), or to unleash brand-new creative ideas (hello, Pikapika).
If you’re itching to create sublime, meaningful works of art — or at least something with a good beat you can dance to — consider the following five gadgets. Oh, and one disclaimer: Remember that no tool automatically makes you a good artist. Don’t blame me if none of these items gets you into MoMA.
1. Wanna See My Etchings?
It’s been said that everyone has a few thousand bad drawings in them, and that the key to becoming a good artist is to get those out of your system as fast as possible.
I know from firsthand experience that working through all that awful art can make your house a fire hazard — and while paper is cheap, buying a steady supply of pens, pencils, paints and other materials quickly adds up. Wacom’s graphic tablets handily eliminate both problems Wacom tablets range from the budget-friendly Bamboo series (starting at $79) to the more checkbook-breaking but drool-inducing Cintiq line (which tops out at $2,499).
They all operate on the same basic principle: Drawing with a stylus on the tablet translates directly to your pointer’s movements on the screen, providing the most natural way to draw on a computer. (How natural? There’s a working eraser on the end of the stylus that functions just the way you’d expect.) The stylus is pressure-sensitive, which can lead to thicker or thinner lines as you press down — or it can do whatever you customize it to do, depending on your software.
2. Move It Like Wallace and Gromit
Stop-motion animation is the art of animating using real-world objects instead of drawings. People often refer to it as claymation, but as fans of “Robot Chicken” and “Oedipus the Movie” know, anything and everything can be fair game for stop motion, from your collection of Smurfs to fresh produce.
The principle is easy: Take a picture of something, move it a little, take another picture, repeat. Play the still frames back, and your object comes to life. (Just for fun, you can use people instead of objects — the technique is called pixillation — as in the film “Neighbours”.)
That’s the idea, anyway. If you’re just starting out (or if you’re doing ambitious “Taras Bulba”-like scenes), you quickly discover how hard it is to keep track of exactly how you moved something in the previous frame.
Nikon to the rescue: Many of the company’s budget-friendly Coolpix digital cameras, as well as its feature-laden (but pricier, at $749 with lens) D60 digital SLR, have a little-heralded stop-motion feature. Once activated, the camera overlays faint versions of the previous images on your LCD preview, allowing you to line up your next shot accurately.
Once you’re done shooting your masterpiece, the camera will automatically assemble the images into a QuickTime file, but if you prefer more control over editing your shots, you can use the $29 QuickTime Pro for the task.
Are you looking to make the next indie action flick on the cheap? (Hey, don’t laugh — Robert Rodriguez’s “El Mariachi”, the prequel to “Desperado,” was made for $7,000.) Camcorders are inexpensive, but dunk one in water for your scuba-diving fight scene, and you’ll be hitting eBay for a replacement. Ditto if you try to remake the “French Connection car chase” with skateboards, or shoot during a dust storm at “Burning Man”. Face it: The most exciting films are the most punishing on the equipment used to shoot them.
Panasonic’s similar line of SD card-based cameras includes the water-resistant $249 SDR-S10P1 and the $399 SDR-SW20, which is waterproof, shockproof and dustproof. And unlike the Xactis, both are capable of shooting wide-screen video.
All of these cameras shoot only standard-definition video. For a roundup of upcoming flash-based HD camcorders, check out Ramon McLeod’s report from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.
Let the extreme cinematography begin!
The Keyboard Experience has two fewer tubes but includes a 37-key synthesizer. Both toys sport an input for an MP3 player (for playing over your favorite tracks), a recording mode and an audio-out jack.
Wannabe turntablists have had several, um, scratch-free options in the digital era, including CD turntables and an assortment of software DJ tools. MixMeister is one of the companies that makes DJ software, but MixMeister Scratch — soon available as a free download — is quite possibly the only truly portable scratching tool you’ll find.
MixMeister Scratch runs on the iPhone or the iPod Touch. Just play a song from your collection, pick a scratch type and spin your mix right on the screen. It’s quite possibly the only DJ-ing you can do during a train ride.
Mobile Phone Deals- The Best Packages for Entertainment
Posted on April 28, 2008
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Many good things come to you by chance. However, with the advancement of technology, things have become much better these days. People can opt for advanced and affordable gadgets to enhance their lifestyle. Moreover, the manufactures are undertaking innovative advertising schemes to attract the prospective customers to their products and brand. These new schemes help a consumer to purchase his or her favorite gadget at an affordable price. Moreover, these schemes are regularly updated to offer optimum satisfaction to the users.
Mobile phone deals are not uncommon to us. These deals were particularly innovated to maximise the usage of mobile phones among every segment of people. Moreover, when people get to enjoy the facilities of these deals, they indulge more people into them. As such these offers are gaining momentum among the masses.
The contract deals are one of the most well known offers among the people. These offers are preferred most by the people because of various benefits. The users can select their favorite handsets such as Nokia mobile phones by subscribing to these deals. The users can select the period of contract which may vary from 12 months to 18 months according to their priorities. However, after the expiry of the contract term the users can also switch over to other network service providers, if they prefer so.
The online mobile phone stores can further assist the consumers to select the best available schemes on multipal handsets link samsung armani and other mobiles. These online stores are updated on the regular basis to offer the latest and the best mobile phone deals to the customers. As such, the consumers can save a huge amount of their hard earned money by surfing these online stores. The users should first prioritise their requirements while indulging into any purchasing procedures to stay benefited.
The contract deals also come with various free gifts and incentives. Free gifts with contract deals may include mobile phone accessories, gaming consoles, DVD players etc. Moreover, the incentives may include free text messages, free talk time and subsidized call rates etc. These free gifts automatically drive the people crazy and incite them to indulge into certain purchasing process. These offers actually help the users to minimise their monthly rentals without any concern. Moreover if a consumer likes to have stability in his or her mobile phone service then these contract deals can prove to be the best choice.
Traveler’s Cell Phone Etiquette
Posted on April 28, 2008
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Many traveling cell phone users fail to remember to use proper cell phone etiquette while away from home. Cell phones have made it possible for people to stay in touch no matter where they happen to be in the world. While this has great advantages for cell phone users it can also be a means of irritating and annoying fellow travelers and locals. Failing to use proper cell phone etiquette may risk disclosing confidential information as well which can leave you victim to criminals.
Remember to always maintain a privacy range when using your cell phone. Step away from others so that you can have some privacy. Additionally, when someone near you answers their cell phone give them the same courtesy you would expect for yourself. Space yourself from other cell phone users during their conversations.
Keep your conversations non descriptive in means of personal matters including finance and don’t discuss matters of personal distress in public areas. You never know who is listening and a complaint of being lost or not knowing where to spend your money may alert criminals to your vulnerable situations.
Let the person you are speaking on the cell phone with know that you are on a cell phone and why the conversation must be kept at a minimal of disclosure. Better than talking at times may be to text message personal and confidential topics.
When in crowded areas always use your vibration mode as to not annoy others. What you may consider a cool ringtone might offend other people. Try being noise considerate.
Speaking of noise, try not to talk too loudly into your phone. A shouting cell phone user has got to be the number one annoyance in public. Remember if someone asks you to quiet it down, instead of arguing it is best to just wrap it up and talk later.
Keeping these practices during travel can help make cell phones not such a technology pest and possibly reduce the restrictions that more and more public places are putting on cell phone usage.
This article has been taken from http://nyreesblog3080.yorumtr.com/2008/04/28/travelers-cell-phone-etiquette/
Prison Break mobile game to be out in June
Posted on April 24, 2008
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Nowadays, a lot of games are being inspired by Movies and TV Serials. Prison Break is one of the most popular TV Shows in the world. And soon, we will have a chance to play it on our mobile. Vivendi Games mobile plans to release the game in June and considering the popularity of the show, the game is being touted as one of the most awaited titles, even if it is for mobile.
In the game you will play as Michael Scofield and the game will be based on season one. The game will feature some exciting elements such as Digging a Tunnel, dealing with Prisoners riot and so on. It will be an adventure game and will contain 36 maps from 12 environments. You will also get to interact with around 10 characters from the show. You will be moving along the prison, solving puzzles, talking to fellow prisoners, collecting/trading items and so on.
Considering the popularity of the show, it is no doubt going to be very popular. I cant wait to try it.
You can read about this article @ http://www.whoismadhur.com/2008/04/24/prison-break-mobile-game-to-be-out-in-june/
SE plans a Music Store of its own !!!
Posted on April 23, 2008
Filed Under Entertainment, Sony Ericsson | Leave a Comment
It feels like there’s a music download store on every virtual street corner. Sony Ericsson is the latest to plan an Internet music portal, striking back at rivals Apple and Nokia.
Sony Ericsson plans to release an upgraded PlayNow service next spring, The Wall Street Journal reported. The new music service will be for both computer and mobile handsets.
What’s interesting to note is that PlayNow will have the support of not only Sony BMG Music Entertainment (duh) but also the three other major music labels — the Universal Music Group, EMI Group, and Warner Music Group Corp.
“The situation today is that we have offers on the table of 5 million music tracks, as a first step, from all the majors, as well as local and independent labels,” Martin Blomkvist, Sony Ericsson’s head of content acquisition and management, told the WSJ.
PlayNow is available in 29 countries for Sony Ericsson phones. The company has 100 revenue-sharing agreements in place.
Sony Ericsson will offer different music selections in the revamped PlayNow store depending on the market and the mobile carrier. It plans to share revenue with the carriers from not only over-the-air music downloads but also the sale of computer games, ringtones, and phone wallpapers.
Sony Ericsson’s music will be “competitively priced” for each market. Consumers will be able to pay for the music via their mobile phone bill or with a payment card.
The revamped PlayNow is expected to offer music from all the labels in digital rights management-protected MP3s and Windows Media so the store will work with non-Sony Ericsson phones and computers.
Sony Ericsson, which also announced three new handsets, including two new Walkman-branded music phones, will be using the TrackID service. It will let consumers identify a piece of music off the radio and then buy it off the PlayNow service.
So Sony Ericsson will have the revamped PlayNow. Apple has iTunes. And Nokia has Ovi. That leaves Samsung and LG Electronics without announced music store plans.
Courtesy: http://www.last100.com/2007/11/07/sony-ericsson-plans-a-music-store-of-its-own/
Why Cell Phone Games are a “Failure”?
Posted on April 22, 2008
Filed Under mobile application, productivity, mobile-software | Leave a Comment
Most of us now have cell phones with us at all times, it has become a necessity. A great percentage of us that do have cell phones have phones that have all these snazzy features such as cameras, Bluetooth and the ability to play games. 5 years ago, industry experts predicted that mobile games will be the wave of the future within 5 years. It’s that time now and they are so wrong. Even with the latest innovations such as the iPhone, gaming on your cell phone sucks.
In order to have a successful gaming device, you need to have good controls. Cell phones have these tiny little buttons to make the phones smaller and slimmer. It makes it hard to control accurately and quickly if these buttons are so small and close to each other. Changing the current layout of phones will defeat the purpose of the phone. We want our phones to be small so it will fit in our pockets (for guys). Having a large cell phone is so 1980s.
Most of the games and applications are built on Java. This is a bad, bad, bad idea. I am personally not a big fan of Java. I understand that they are trying to create a universal language so that the same code can be able to run on all devices. The idea is good, but the implementation sucks. I deter away from Java applications because of that. Java is a memory resource hog and it doesn’t matter if you are on a computer or on your phone. Everything is ran through the main Java engine so there are more processing power needed. The Java app that you are trying to run needs to be converted to the machine’s code in order for your application to work. Therefore, every time the app needs to do something, it has to be translated before your machine can run it. There’s a new Google project that might be a good replacement for Java for phones called Android. I haven’t been able to play with it yet but it seems powerful.
The games for mobile phones these days aren’t that fun to play. I might occasionally start up the poker game that came with my Blackberry for a quick enjoyment. I don’t want to sit there for a long time staring at a small screen pressing small buttons. I would rather get a PSP to have a better gaming experience. Playing on your phone for a long period of time would also drain your battery quickly. If your battery runs out because you are playing games, your phone in turn becomes useless.
Playing games on your phone isn’t as enjoyable as many experts said it will be. There are so many companies out there that have invested a lot of money and time to build these games that not many people are going to play. I don’t really care for playing Metal Gear Solid or any other games that require you to be immersed in the game, I have a Playstation 3 for that.
— keep looking »