ReViEw On S60v5 AnD S60v5 PhOnEs

nokia 5800 xpressmusic live hands on 10 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusicThe Symbian Smartphones Show 2008 gave us an opportunity to photograph and examine Nokia’s first S60 Touch UI device, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. Mikko Röntynen, Head of S60 Customer Spearhead Projects, Mobile Software Sales and Marketing, Nokia, gave me a hand and guided me throughout the features of their hopeful “iPhone-killer”.

Apple has surely made a breakthrough endeavour in the mobile world with their iPhone. It wasn’t long before most manufacturers stole the idea and came up with their own products. Even though there any much better devices than the iPhone, with the same exact design, being the first in the market has its benefits. Nokia is definitely the last in the market, and if it wants to take the crown home, it will need some serious candy for the consumer.

Almost 18 months have passed since the iPhone made it to the market, and now, Nokia has gathered all its technological and marketing strength, and introduced the 5800 to the public. Besides featuring a 3.2″ touchscreen with 360×640 pixels of resolution, the device has a 3.2 megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, a motion sensor which will provide much of the needed futuristic controls and fulfil the “Touch” moto, Bluetooth 2.0, WLAN, HSDPA, built-in A-GPS, a TV-out, 3.5mm audiovisual jack, and on the technical side, it will run on 128MB of RAM, incorporate a ARM 11 369 MHz CPU, and it will be based on the brand new S60 5th edition software platform.

nokia 5800 xpressmusic live hands on 9 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Although it provides a better experience than the iPhone in the specifications field, it is ranked under some of its competitors, the Samsung Omnia for example.

apple iphone samsung omnia Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The true weapon of the 5800 isn’t features. It’s marketing, just like Apple’s weapon.

Nokia will provide the Comes with Music campaign to its consumers. Whoever purchased the 5800 under this campaign, will be offered free music downloads for an entire year, and be able to keep the music forever.

nokia 5800 xpressmusic comes with music Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

As this was a live review that was conducted in less than half an hour, you won’t be provided with the same level of detail that you are used to getting from us. I will approach the hardware side, and hover over the software perspective.

The 5800 isn’t very photogenic, but at live, it’s an absolute beauty, pretty much like most touchscreen-only phones. It measures 111 x 51.7 x 15.5 mm, larger than the N95 8GB, Nokia’s flagship, which stands at 99 x 53 x 21 mm, although it is thicker and wider than the 5800.

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 2 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The 5800 does not include a keyboard of any sort, instead, it has there keys below its display, opposed to the N95 8GB’s 13 keys.

The 5800′s keyboard is on-screen, with many options, such as full QWERTY in landscape mode, Mini-QWERTY in portrait mode, alphanumeric, and handwriting recognition. The one that best suited me was the full QWERTY, due to the sheer size, which provides great usability, as I had found in the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, which provided the same functionality.

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 7 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

On top of the display, both phones have a camera intended for video calls, an ambience light sensor which regulates display backlight, and an ear speaker. The 5800 has a touch button right next to the “XpressMusic” word. The button evokes the multimedia bar.

Having a “hidden” button not only makes the user feel that it’s part of the device, but it also saves space. In this case, it fits in the concept, because it is near the touchscreen.

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 8 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

On the bottom of the 5800 there is a microphone only, while the N95 8GB has the charging point, microphone, miniUSB port, and the lanyard hole.

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 3 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Unlike the N95 8GB, the 5800 has most of its ports at the top. You can find the on/off/profile button, charging point, the 3.5mm audiovisual jack, and the microUSB port; while on the N95 8GB only the on/off/profile button is present.

The 3.5mm jack is definitely well-located, the top section of electronic devices is the favourite amongst the general public for the port, especially when the device is intended to stay inside one’s pocket, or even when one is holding the phone, so that the cable does not interfere with one’s hands. Wireless headphones, such as the ones implementing Bluetooth technology, will surely replace wired ones in the near future.

You won’t need to reach for the profile button to change the profile, such function can be executed by simply tapping on the profile name on the desktop view.

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 5 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The 5800′s microUSB port is easy to open, and does not need fingernails to help with the process.

nokia 5800 xpressmusic live hands on 6 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

nokia 5800 xpressmusic live hands on 3 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The left side of the 5800 has 2 ports: one for the SIM card, which is quite uncommon, and for the microSD slot.

The 5800 comes with an included 8GB microSD memory card. Its competitors come with 16GB of built-in memory, while Nokia’s latest flagship, the N96, comes with 16GB of built-in memory. The 5800 is definitely behind in this sense.

The N95 8GB has one of the speakers on the left side, the 3.5mm audiovisual jack, and the infrared port. I cannot argue that the 3.5mm jack is placed wrongly as I have used it for an entire year without any problems whatsoever, it does not interfere with my hands, or bother me when it is inside my pocket.

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 6 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The right side of the N95 8GB has the camera button, which has the autofocus switch as well, the “last gallery item” button, the volume rocker, and one of the speakers.

The 5800 also has the camera button with the autofocus switch, the unlock switch and the volume rocker.

Although the “last gallery item” button is pressed by mistake very often on my N95. It is nevertheless a useful key in my phone to take me directly to the latest image or video. It has been unfortunately depleted in recent S60 devices.

The material chosen for the keys on the 5800 feels cheaper than the ones on the N95 8GB. The choice was made to stay in line with the 5800′s design, it is a simple aesthetic issue that might have very small insignificant ergonomic problems.

The unlock switch is slightly different than the ones on the N91, N81, and N96. It is more comfortable due to the grip bars, and its size makes it even easier to use.

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 4 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

nokia 5800 xpressmusic live hands on 7 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The back cover has an embossed Nokia logo on it, as well as the camera and flash covers. As you remove the cover, you notice the naked LED flash and the very small camera sensor, which has a Carl Zeiss lens. You can also remove the stylus from the small opening on the left bottom corner of the phone.

The way the logo is printed, is once again, a well done aesthetic detail.

I am very curious whether the camera, being that small (focal length of only 3.7mm), will fulfil the needs of someone who is used to camera-phones such as the N82, N95, K850i, and other camera-focused devices.

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 9 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 12 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 13 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The 5800 has a 1320mAh battery, having slightly more capacity than the N95 8GB’s 1200mAh battery. The large display will eat up a large portion of the battery power, while it is known that connectivity options such as WLAN, HSDPA, and GPS are great battery drainers as well. The minimum battery a smartphone of today needs is 1500mAh, in order last an entire day with use of most of the functions.

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 14 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

nokia n95 8gb vs 5800 xpressmusic live 15 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

On the software side, I wasn’t able to take screenshots simply due to the lack of time at the event. I was able to note that the Gallery has been modified; the Maps application does not go on landscape mode unfortunately; and that image and video editing are more intuitive and attractive as an application, but there isn’t great change in the functions.

nokia 5800 xpressmusic live hands on 13 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Settings have been added and modified as well. You can now personalize with what application each filetype is opened with, for example, a landmark can be chosen to open with Maps, or any other third-party program.

nokia 5800 xpressmusic live hands on 10 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Tactile feedback is enabled through small amounts of vibration. This is obviously not localized, but while haptic localized forms of feedback do not arrive for touchscreen devices, this function actually let’s the user know whether he has pressed a key or not, and does not become annoying unlike the keypad beeps.

nokia 5800 xpressmusic live hands on 11 Live Review: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Adaptive search was perhaps the most ingenious function to be included in the Contacts application, from what I managed to find in the phone. The phone only displays the letters that are possible to be searched for. For example, let’s say you have the following two contacts “Alex Calva”, and “Edward Umana”. The application will show you a keyboard with four letters “A”, “C”, “E”, and “U”. If you press “A”, it will show you “l”, and “C”. It reduces the letters, and simplifies the method of getting to a contact. The video below, by Mikko Röntynen, Head of S60 Customer Spearhead Projects, Mobile Software Sales and Marketing, Nokia, demonstrates the use of the function:

You can expect our fully-fledged review to come soon as we will be able to get hold of the device in its commercial software version, ready for the market. For the meanwhile, delight yourself with the following image, which I was able to capture at the end of the event:

PANASONIC DSLR CAMERA

great cam

Panasonic appears to be so eager to let the world know about two more additions to their Micro Four Thirds collection, they’ve leaked photos of their own cameras to the web. Say hello to the Panasonic G2 and G10.

The photos are no longer available on Panasonic’s website. Apparently, they were accidentally published a tad to early, but someone was paying attention and now they’re everywhere. The Internet is a beautiful thing.

At first glance, I wouldn’t have guessed these cameras to be Micro Four Thirds models, as that’s the lens mount system these cameras have. They look more like DSLRs, albeit baby DSLRs, but that’s part of what makes Micro Four Thirds camera what it is: a compact body with a DSLR soul.

Their measurements also reveal a MFT frame as well. The G2 weighs 13.09-ounces (body only) and measures in at 4.88 x 3.29 x 2.91-inches. The G10 should have identical dimensions but it weighs a bit less at 11.85-ounces (body only).

There are some specs floating around the web, and since there hasn’t been an official announcement yet, they’re all debatable and some sites are now questioning their authenticity. But here’s what Photo Rumors had to say: both the G2 and the G10 will have 12.1-megapixel sensors, touchscreen displays with touch shutter options and an ISO range from 100 to 6,200.

Differences come down recording modes, as the G2 will carry AVCHD Lite, while the G10 will shoot motion JPEGs. The G2 also has a 3-inch flip-out screen, as pictured above. It also looks like the G10 will have HDMI output, as the G2 doesn’t have anything on it, but again that information could change.
Again, we won’t know anything official until March 7 probably, as that’s when Panasonic has some kind of announcement already scheduled.

Specifications of the upcoming Panasonic G2 and G10 cameras have surfaced online. Apparently the specs were revealed in an accidental leak, and the page was pulled off, but we’ve managed to find a page listing the specs of both cameras (which still works at time of writing). The common specifications for both these cameras include:

* 12 effective megapixels with 17.3×13mm sensor (in 4:3 aspect ratio)
* 3-inch LCD monitor with 460k pixels – touchscreen – free angle (rotate/twist)
* ISO 100 to 6400
* 144-zone multi-pattern metering (intelligent multiple, center weight, spot)
* metering range EV 0-18 (f2, ISO 100)
* focal-plane shutter 1/4000 to 0 seconds, and bulb up to 4 minutes
* RAW, RAW+JPEG, JPEG
* Color space: sRGB, Adobe RGB
* Contrast AF (AFS, AFC, MF)
* AF assist light
* supersonic wave filter
* color temperature 2500 to 10000K
* exposure compensation: in 1/3, +/- 3EV
* AEB (3,5 or 7 frames) in 1/2 or 2/3 EV
* monaural microphone
* speaker
* same body size (different weight)
* SilkyPix Developer Studio 3.1 SE, PhotoFunStudio 5.0 HD edition
* optional remote control with bulb function (DMW-RSL1)

35TB TAPE DEVELOPED-IBM__FUJIFILM

History of modern automobile industry teaches us that at some point there was a three-way crossroad objectifying three possible ways of further evolution. Back then it was uncertain what propelling power will by employed: petrol, steam or electricity. What’s more, all three concepts were already up and running in different regions. The reason why I bring this up is what IBM and Fujifilm
have recently unveiled. That is the next iteration of their linear magnetic tape storage device development that has been going strong since year 2006 when IBM and Fujifilm presented an 8TB magnetic tape cartridge. This time though it has 35TB of storage capacity.

Linear magnetic tape was the only storage device at its time, so having it back today is much like having an electric motor back under the hood, but only with much more promise as I see it. The secret of recording 35TB is that the latest technology used delivers unseen areal data density – 29.5 billion bits per inch squared. Achieved results lie on materials and a new recording method. Speaking of materials, it’s BaFe₂O₄ (Barium ferrite) that has been aligned by a specifically developed technology in a way to provide above named data density. The good thing about BaFe₂O₄ is that it is impact- and corrode-resistant.

Performance figures as well as approximate price and availability date are, of course, kept in secret. But the single fact that IBM and Fujifilm have been working on it for such a long time does mean that magnetic tape still has a lot of potential left in it. However, come to think of it, plenty of storage capacity and hopefully lifespan can be a trade-off affecting reading/writing speeds. That said, I imagine a future computer will still need an SSD for better operating system and games performance. In rest, the concept is very promising.

NVIDIA ION 2 tEcHnOlOgY

NVIDIA ION 2 platform is making its way to the market in recently announced ASUS and Zotac computers. Companies will adopt different GPUs but most likely same Intel Atom D510 dual-core processor. The concepts are also going to be different. ASUS puts NVIDIA ION 2 into an all-in-one known as Eee Top ET2010PNT, while Zotac engineers, as we have it, call their creation MAG HD-ND01 and it’s a PC, but probably something more nettop-like.

Graphics chips in Eee Top ET2010PNT and MAG HD-ND01, despite being different, are quite similar to each other, so after all graphics will not make a big difference in price. GeForce 210-powered Zotac will cost about 250 dollars. GeForce 310 and all the rest in ASUS’ all-in-one should not add up more than 100 or so dollars to that.

The only issue that we should address to here is that ION 2 doesn’t stack up with Intel’s 1080p enabled Pine Trail very well. At least considering price. An all-in-one might easily get away with it, but I’m no so sure notebooks.

T-Mobile myTouch 3G

This is not every day when we see a hardware update for a mobile phone. Firmware? – surely, why not. There are plenty of recent examples such as Android 2.1 for devices as old as T-Mobile G1, Windows Mobile 7 with compatibility with the current version. But hardware… It may sound strange, but it’s T-Mobile again that has designed and will start selling a new issue of myTouch 3G smartphones with a little bit of extra hardware onboard – a 3.5mm headphone jack.

And no, we are not messing it up with T-Mobile Fender myTouch 3G that is due to appear in stores today. Looks like the 3.5mm jack will finally come as standard, we only have to wait for the 10th of February. Apart from that long-awaited feature, myTouch 3G will get everything it needs to be ready for Android 2.1 update later this spring.

More news on Apple tablet

More and more news pop up as we approach to January 27th – the day of big Apple event that will bring in the world some official information on Apple tablet, widely known as iSlate, announcement of iPhone 4G and iPhone OS 4.0, plus new Mac OS X version. That said, we will now try to bind in some of the freshest leaks on basically all four products.

A trustful source close to Apple insiders stated recently that the tablet (model number K48AP) is going to be powered by an ARM architecture based processor, will be the first to feature Apple’s latest touchscreen navigation technology and will be a hyperbolized iPhone overall.

That brings up the question whether the tablet is derived from iPhone 3GS or plausibly shares the same platform with iPhone 4G. As we know, iPhone 4G will be nothing like the current version considering hardware and software. UI, I am sure, will stay pretty close to what we have now and that’s a good thing since iPhone is so popular for being extremely user friendly. Given that, I think Apple shall develop an iPhone OS 4.0-like operating system for the tablet rather than Mac OS X-like. However, some say that OS X update has been hold off because of some tablet-related bits here and there. Well, two weeks of waiting is what left.

“jaguar” Transformable pendrive

Description:

This is the coolest 8GB flash drive that money can buy. It folds flat or you can transform him into Ravage, the tiger-like creature in Transformers 2, Revenge of the Fallen. This flash drive will work with all major operating systems including Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 98/SE/ME/2000, Mac OS 8.6 and higher including Mac OS 10, Linux 2.4 and UNIX.

Specifications:

*
8 GB Memory Sitck Pen Driver
*
Host Interface: USB 2.0 Compliant (USB High Speed)
*
Hot Plug and Play instantly
*
Reliability: 100,000 Read / Write Operations Speed, Read 12MB/sec, Write 7MB/sec
*
Suspend Current: 250uA ± 20% (Compliant to USB Specification, 500uA)
*
Operating Current: 25mA ± 30% (Compliant to USB Specification, 100mA)
*
Operating Temperature: 0℃ ~ 50℃
*
Relative Humidity: 5% ~ 95%
*
Acoustic Noise: 0 dB @ one meter
*
Operating system compatibility: Windows XP Professional / Home Edition, Windows 2000 Professional / Windows Me / Windows 98, Windows Vista

THE SOLAR CHARGER

I am reviewing this solar charger which is compatible and portable. it uses solar energy to charge cell phones and other devices lets see what thinkgeek says about it.

ThinkGeek has the budget conscious in mind with the Pico Freeloader Solar Charger, a compact and lightweight wonder that according to the specs provides power of 35 hours on mobile phone, 14 hours on iPod, or 1.5 hours on GPS on a single ten hour charge. What’s particularly nice about the Pico is that you can recharge its internal lithium ion via USB in case of eternal winter (no sun). Oh, did we mention it’s only $39?

Power up your devices with the rays of the Sun

Today, there are smartphones and netbooks and laptops – oh my! And do you know what? There’s nowhere to charge your electronics in the woods.
Pico Solar

That’s right – in the wilderness, there’s nobody to hear your low battery beep.

Enter a life-changing device for the electronics-savvy yet outdoorsy monkey like yourself – the Freeloader Pico, a compact and lightweight solar charger that will charge up your most vital electronic devices while you’re far away from an outlet. That’s right, you can freeload off the Sun! The premium quality crystalline solar cells will soak in the Sun’s rays by day, and when night falls, you can plug your phone or GPS into the Freeloader Pico and charge it up in just a half hour! When you trek through the wilderness, do it with peace of mind knowing your vital devices will stay charged in case of emergency.

* Compact and lightweight solar charger for small electronic devices
* Advanced solar cell and lithium ion battery technology
* Solar panels will charge its internal battery in as little as 10 hours
* If you’re lazy or pressed for time, you can charge the Pico’s internal battery via USB
* Delivers its charge to your cell phone, iPod, or GPS in just 30 minutes
* Provides up to:
o 35 hours on mobile phone
o 14 hours on iPod
o 1.5 hours on GPS
* Master power cable and four adapters to fit the following:
o Small pin Nokia
o Sony Ericsson
o Mini USB (Motorola, Blackberry, most smart phones, Garmin and many GPS units, PDAs, etc)
o Connects to virtually any device supplied with a USB charge or sync cable
* Technical Information:
o 75mA premium quality crystalline solar cells
o 800mAh environmentally friendly Li-ion battery – typical battery life is 2 years
o Input voltage – 5v/250mA
* Size: 105 x 45 x 11.5mm
* Weight: 49g
* Detailed user manual included

Nvidia optimus review

Intriguing news from NVIDIA have appeared on their blog today. The brief announcement says NVIDIA is putting final touches on a mysterious Optimus technology. The manufacturers themselves say NVIDIA Optimus is notebook-orientated and works with platforms that carry an onboard NVIDIA graphic processor.

NVIDIA Optimus technology will debut at CES 2010 and will be released in a short while afterwards in Q1. Optimus is designed to improve graphic experience on notebook platforms whilst keeping power management efficient. That is very pleasant to hear, but what was not yet pronounced by NVIDIA is the actual architecture of Optimus. The first thing that comes to my mind is making use of the latest Intel Atom Pineview processor, probably implementing it on top of the Ion platform. I’m really afraid to make suggestions here as Optimus could really be something completely new.