Showing posts with label tech bites. Show all posts

So, now that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 1-GHz chips in some mainstream devices like the HTC HD2 and Nexus One, it’s time down the road to see what comes next। It can only go from here, eh? Right. We have just learned that Qualcomm SVP of Product Management has confirmed that not get one, but two new Snapdragons before New Year’s Eve 2010, maxing out at 1.5 GHz.

The first processor is called Snapdragon 8X50A, clocked at 1.3 GHz and is basically a 45-nm version of the current lion’s mouth. This chip will be sent to the manufacturer at the end of this month. Please note that this does not mean they are used in mobile phones that will soon be available, it just means that manufacturers design their equipment to these processors and begin construction of prototypes, so do not expect any new devices with this chip to the second half of 2010.

The follow-up of 8X50A is 8X72 and is much more exciting, because it will contain a dual-core chip with two 1.5 GHz cores Scorpion. This will see the light of day before the end of 2010, even though we did not know whether this means it is actually in cell phones or if the only means manufacturers will be at this time. Regardless, this chip is for smart phones and smart Books available, and 1080p HD resolution can. Not too shabby, we can not wait, what features devices are in store for us have CES 2011

Sold for $529

The Nexus One has got two microphones one of which is used for noise cancellation. The phone comes preloaded with five home screens to customize your interface. Photos can be viewed in 3D, and loading and uploading is made extremely easy. Shuffling around photos can be done using your hand and the acclerometer.

Other nifty features include voice enabled texting. The Nexus One automatically types in text when you speak into it. The Nexus One's interface is quite extraordinary, and the subtle touches are mouth watering. For example one of the wallpapers is a lake with leaves in it, if you touch the lake the water ripples. The phone is powered by Google's Android 2 operating system, and it runs wicker fast. You can buy the Nexus One at the Google web store. It costs $179 on T Mobile with a two-year contract. No word on when it would come to India and how much it would cost.

VIDEO OF NEXUS ONE DISASSEMBLY:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIcSQZvb6pg&feature=player_embedded

On May 26, 2009, Microsoft officially announced plans to release a touch-screen version of the Zune portable media player, intended to compete with Apple's iPod Touch. The new device is called the Zune HD, and offers several features not found on the iPod Touch, including an OLED display, HD radio, and high-definition video playback (using an optional dock accessory). Long-standing Zune features, such as a photo viewer, games, podcast management, and Zune Pass music subscription integration, will continue to be supported, as well.

The Zune HD will go on sale September 15, offered in 16GB and 32GB models, priced at $219 and $289, respectively. Both models will be available in stores with either black or platinum finishes. As with previous generations of the portable media player, additional color and customization options will be available at launch directly from Microsoft's Zune Originals online storefront.

The Zune HD will be the first Zune to include an Internet Explorer Web browser, complementing its other Wi-Fi features (song sharing, Channel streaming, and Zune Marketplace browsing). The Zune HD's browser is optimized for the touch screen with an onscreen keyboard, but there's no word on whether it will be capable of streaming Flash media (used by sites such as YouTube and Pandora), a capability that is currently lacking in the Safari browser for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The Zune HD isn't the first MP3 player to offer a 3.3-inch touch-screen OLED display or high-definition video output, but it is one of the first portable audio devices to integrate an HD radio tuner. Beyond the added fidelity of HD radio, the format also lends itself well to transmitting artist and song data, which is useful for the Zune's existing FM radio song-tagging and download feature.

Microsoft rates the Zune HD's battery life at 33 hours of music playback and 8.5 hours of video (with Wi-Fi deactivated). If these numbers are accurate, they represent a considerable improvement over previous generations of Zune hardware, which were often criticized for poor battery performance.

read the full specs

The world's top cellphone maker Nokia will start to make laptops, entering a fiercely competitive but fast-growing market with a netbook running Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Nokia had earlier this year said it was considering entering the laptop industry, crossing the border between two converging industries in the opposite direction to Apple, which entered the phone industry in 2007 with the iPhone. Nokia has seen its profit margins drop over the last quarters as handset demand has slumped, and analysts have worried that entering the PC industry, where margins are traditionally razor-thin, could hurt Nokia's profits further. "We are fully aware what has the margin level been in the PC world. We have gone into this with our eyes wide open," Kai Oistamo, the head of Nokia's phone unit, told Reuters. "There's really an opportunity to bring fresh perspective to the PC world," he said, adding that Nokia would introduce extended battery life and continuous connectivity. Nokia has produced PCs before, but divested the unit in 1991 when it started to focus on the mobile phone industry. But Nokia's first netbook, the Nokia Booklet 3G, will use Microsoft's Windows software and Intel's Atom processor to offer up to 12 hours of battery life while weighing 1.25 kilograms. Netbooks are low-cost laptops optimised for surfing the Internet and performing other basic functions. Pioneered by Asustek with the hit Eee PC in 2007, netbooks have since been rolled out by other brands such as HP and Dell. "The question is: How will Nokia differentiate? This is already a crowded market. If they manage to differentiate it's going to give them competitive advantage," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.
Research firm IDC expects netbook shipments this year to grow more than 127 percent from 2008 to over 26 million units, outperforming the overall PC market that is expected to remain flat and a phone market which is shrinking some 10 percent. "Nokia will be hoping that its brand and knowledge of cellular channels will play to its strengths as it addresses this crowded, cut-throat segment," said Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight. "At present we see Nokia's foray into the netbook market as a niche exercise in the context of its broader business." Nokia's choice of Windows software surprised some analysts who had expected the company to use Linux in its first laptop. Analyst Neil Mawston from Strategy Analytics said the technology choices were a good win for the U.S. companies. "We believe ARM and Symbian are among the main losers from the Nokia Booklet announcement," he said. Shares in ARM were 0.2 percent lower at 1400 GMT, underperforming slightly firmer DJ Stoxx European technology shares index. Shares in Nokia were 1.6 percent stronger at 8.91 euros, while Microsoft was 0.6 percent firmer. Nokia said it would unveil detailed specifications, market availability and pricing of its new device on Sept 2.

Research firm IDC expects netbook shipments this year to grow more than 127 percent from 2008 to over 26 million units, outperforming the overall PC market that is expected to remain flat and a phone market which is shrinking some 10 percent. "Nokia will be hoping that its brand and knowledge of cellular channels will play to its strengths as it addresses this crowded, cut-throat segment," said Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight. "At present we see Nokia's foray into the netbook market as a niche exercise in the context of its broader business." Nokia's choice of Windows software surprised some analysts who had expected the company to use Linux in its first laptop. Analyst Neil Mawston from Strategy Analytics said the technology choices were a good win for the U.S. companies. "We believe ARM and Symbian are among the main losers from the Nokia Booklet announcement," he said. Shares in ARM were 0.2 percent lower at 1400 GMT, underperforming slightly firmer DJ Stoxx European technology shares index. Shares in Nokia were 1.6 percent stronger at 8.91 euros, while Microsoft was 0.6 percent firmer. Nokia said it would unveil detailed specifications, market availability and pricing of its new device on Sept 2.

A source close to Nokia said the new netbook would use the upcoming Windows 7 operating system. Microsoft says a stripped-down version of Windows 7 will be introduced to netbooks the same time as its general release on Oct. 22. Local media reports in Taiwan have said that Compal, the world's No. 2 contract laptop PC maker, has pitched netbook models to Nokia, but there has been no official confirmation from either side. Nokia declined to comment on the manufacturer it uses. Most of the world's top electronics brands typically do their own design work, but outsource the manufacturing process to contract manufacturers such as Compal and its larger rival Quanta.

source: Reuters

Transcend has recently released a brand new Anti-Shock USB Flash Drive - the JetFlash V70. The drive is made out of a durable eco-friendly silicone rubber that makes it highly resistant to survive shock, splashes and dust. Created with sporty outdoor adventurers in mind, the JetFlash V70 allows users to express their individuality and unique personal style with attractive bright color schemes. While that’s great and all, the point is if you were going outdoors would you really need a pen drive? A rugged mobile phone makes sense, I’m not sure this does.

Austin Huang, Regional Head - Sales, SAARC & APAC, Transcend, said, “We are extremely proud to have introduced our new range of rugged flash drives. Combining exceptional durability with performance, stylish sporty design, and environment friendliness, the Transcend’s JetFlash V70 USB Flash Drive is a great storage device that allows users with active lifestyles to take their important files wherever they go.”
The JetFlash V70 fully meets rigorous U.S. military drop-test standards (MIL-STD-810F 516.5—Transit Drop) making it one of the most robust USB Flash Drives available. Additionally, the JetFlash V70 is equipped with a unique tethered cap holder that prevents it from getting lost when removed from the drive during file transfer; this is a smart move I have to admit, I’m just not sure that having a rugged pen drive is the way to go as most ordinary pen drives are quite capable of being “manhandled” to quite an extent without a protective case.

Currently available in 16GB (Red), 8GB (Orange) and 4GB (Purple) capacities the drives carry Transcend’s renowned lifetime warranty. Prices haven't been announced yet.

The Technology

Unlike earlier forms of music players that required moving parts to read encoded data on a tape or CD, MP3 players use solid-state memory. An MP3 player is no more than a data-storage device with an embedded software application that allows users to transfer MP3 files to the player. MP3 players also include utilities for copying music from the radio, CDs, radio or Web sites and the ability to organize and create custom lists of songs in the order you want to hear them. This list of songs is called a playlist.

The MP3 player is the convergence of many technologies. Alone, none of its components are revolutionary, but together they create an unprecedented consumer product.

Specific components may vary, but here are the basic parts of a typical MP3 player:

• Data port
• Memory
• Microprocessor
• Digital signal processor (DSP)
• Display
• Playback controls
• Audio port
• Amplifier
• Power supply

The inside of a Rio MP3 player. You can see the LCD panel, several large chips (the microprocessor, DSP chip and I/O controller), the amplifier and the buttons.

The player plugs into your computer's USB port, FireWire port or parallel port to transfer data. USB-based players transfer data many times faster than those that use the parallel port. The MP3 files are saved in the player's memory.

Memory types include:

• Internal Flash memory
• CompactFlash cards
• SmartMedia cards
• Memory Stick
• Internal microdrive

With the exception of the last one, these are all types of solid-state memory. The advantage to solid-state memory is that there are no moving parts, which means better reliability and no skips in the music. MP3 players that contain tiny hard disk drives can store 10 to 150 times more than Flash memory devices can.

The microprocessor is the brains of the player. It monitors user input through the playback controls, displays information about the current song on the LCD panel and sends directions to the DSP chip that tells it exactly how to process the audio.

In addition to storing music, the MP3 player must play music and allow the user to hear the songs played. To do this, the player:

• Pulls the song from its memory.
• Decompresses the MP3 encoding, through DPS, via an algorithm or formula.
• Runs the decompressed bytes through a digital-to-analog converter into sound waves.
• Amplifies the analog signal, allowing the song to be heard.

A touchscreen is a display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touch or contact to the display of the device by a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus. However, if the object sensed is active, as with a light pen, the term touchscreen is generally not applicable. The ability to interact directly with a display typically indicates the presence of a touchscreen.

The touchscreen has two main attributes. First, it enables one to interact with what is displayed directly on the screen, where it is displayed, rather than indirectly with a mouse or touchpad. Secondly, it lets one do so without requiring any intermediate device, again, such as a stylus that needs to be held in the hand. Such displays can be attached to computers or, as terminals, to networks. They also play a prominent role in the design of digital appliances such as the personal digital assistant (PDA), satellite navigation devices, mobile phones, and video games.

TOUCHSCREENS ARE BROADLY CLASSIFIED AS

Resistive touchscreen

Capacitive sensing

Capacitive sensing is a technology for detecting proximity, position, etc., based on capacitive coupling effects. Capacitive sensing as a human–device interface (HDI) technology, for example to replace the computer mouse, is becoming increasingly popular.^[1] Capacitive sensors can be recognized in many popular consumer products such as laptop trackpads, MP3 players, computer monitors and cell phones, but it is certainly not limited to these applications. More and more engineers choose capacitive sensors for their flexibility, unique human-device interface and cost reduction over mechanical switches. Capacitive touch sensors have become a predominant feature in a large number of mobile devices and mp3 players.

While capacitive sensing applications can replace mechanical buttons with capacitive alternatives, other technologies such as multi-touch and gesture-based touchscreens are also premised on capacitive sensing.^[2] The Apple iPod click wheel is a well known implementation of capacitive sensing.

Design

Capacitive sensors can be constructed from many different media, such as copper, Indium tin oxide (ITO) and printed ink. Copper capacitive sensors can be implemented on standard FR4 PCBs as well as on flexible material. ITO allows the capacitive sensor to be up to 90% transparent (for single layer solutions). The size and spacing of the capacitive sensor are both very important to the sensor's performance.In addition to the size of the sensor, and its spacing relative to the ground plane, the type of ground plane used is very important. Since the parasitic capacitance of the sensor is related to the E-Field's path to ground, it is important to choose a ground plane that limits the concentration of E-Field lines without a conductive object present.

Designing a capacitance sensing system requires first picking the type of sensing material (FR4, Flex, ITO, etc). One also needs to understand the environment the device will operate in, such as the full operating temperature range, what radio frequencies are present and how the user will interact with the interface.

Nokia 6790 Surge

unboxing video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es_ruXrmnys

The Nokia Surge is something of an ugly duckling among the inexpensive, full-QWERTY messaging phone set. Actually, it's not even that ugly, and with its Symbian S60 smartphone OS, it's definitely more swan than duck. If you skip the junk that AT&T has piled onto this phone, you're left with a powerful device with business-class e-mail, contacts and calendar sync, a respectable, full-HTML Web browser and suite of multimedia options that were capable of handling our basic music and video needs. We loved the keyboard. It's our new favorite among compact messaging phones, and even though the aging Symbianinterface doesn't compare to new-fangled, top-of-the-line smartphones, it still outclasses other, simpler messaging devices by a mile. We wish the phone had more built-in options for our favorite messaging addictions, like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, but that Symbian S60 OS means an intrepid user will find third-party options available. In the end, some messaging fans might prefer a friendlier QWERTY feature phone like the LG enV3 on Verizon Wireless or the LG Lotus on Sprint, but the Nokia Surge is the best compact messaging phone on AT&T's lineup, and a solid choice all around. Release: July 2009. Price: $80.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL TECH SPECS

Microsoft Corp put its new Zune HD digital music and video player on sale on Thursday, pricing it below comparable Apple Inc iPod devices, in an attempt to claw some market share away from the dominant leader.
The devices, which are available for pre-order but won't hit shelves until Sept. 15, are priced at $219.99 for the 16 gigabyte version and $289.99 for the 32 gigabyte version. Comparable iPod Touch players are priced at $299 and $399 respectively. A 16-gigabyte player typically holds about 4,000 songs. Microsoft's new Zune HD is slimmer than previous version and has a touch screen for the first time. The range comes in five colors and has a built-in radio receiver, wifi, and can display high-definition video to a big screen.

HP Touchsmart SERIES

The Hp touchsmart PC is a charm. Its multi touch technology is flawless and also, its an all-in-one desktop.It comes with two display variants:22' and 25'. Also, HP is giving a free upgrade to windows 7 to all those who purchase these now.


Multi-touch 22" display:

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Free upgrade to Windows 7
Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 processor
4GB DDR2 memory
320GB hard drive
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
5-in-1 memory card reader
802.11n Wireless LAN
ENERGY STAR® qualified


Multi-touch 25" display:

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Free upgrade to Windows 7
Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 processor
4GB DDR2 memory
500GB hard drive
256MB Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS HD graphics card
5-in-1 memory card reader
802.11n Wireless LAN
TV tuner, ATSC & NTSC with PVR, remote
Pocket media drive bay
ENERGY STAR® qualified

Internet surfers have downloaded the open source Firefox browser more than one billion times, the software's distributor, the Mozilla Foundation, said Friday.

The browser is the strongest current rival to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which once controlled over 90 percent of the browser market but has seen its dominance steadily eroded by Firefox.

Firefox now accounts for some 22.5 percent of all active browsers, compared to Microsoft's 65 per cent share, according to the tracking firm Net Applications.

Firefox, which grew out of the now defunct Netscape browser in 2004, reached the 500 million download mark just 17 months ago. Its rapid adoption since then could be further accelerated by Microsft's decision to offer users a choice of browsers on all PCs sold in the EU to avoid anti-trust problems by regulators there.

Last year, the foundation set a new world record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours when the third version of Firefox was downloaded more than 8 million times.

Microsoft Corp said it will announce an alliance with Nokia on Wednesday, likely unveiling plans to make the software company's Office suite of applications available on devices made by the world's top cellphone manufacturer.

Microsoft, the world's largest software firm, is set to bring out the latest version of its Office product next year, including an online version that will allow users to access the popular Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs over the Internet. The move counters the recent entrance of Google Inc into the software market, offering free versions of word processing, calendar and e-mail applications online. Microsoft declined comment on the nature of the alliance, set to be announced Wednesday morning, but an industry source confirmed the alliance concerned Office. A news report on technology site CNET news said a partnership bringing Office applications to Nokia's mobile phones was expected. The announcement is to be made by Stephen Elop, head of Microsoft's Business Division, which makes the Office suite of applications, and Kai Oistamo, executive vice president of Nokia Devices.

Dell's Alienware has come to India and the very first gaming notebook to be launched here is the 17-inch M17x.
The Alienware M17x comes in an anodized aluminum casing with aggressive lines and a unique chassis and features:

- Up to Dual 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M graphics processing units (GPUs)2 with SLI technology
- Configurable with Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad-core overclockable Mobile Processor
- Up to 8GB DDR32 1333MHz Memory
- 1TB3 7200RPM or 512GB of Solid State Storage Capacity (Raid 0)
- Optional Beyond HD resolution with a WUXGA 1200p (1920 x 1200) Edge-to-Edge LCD design
- Internal Wireless a/g/draft-n with MIMO (2x2) Technology
- Exclusive Alienware Command Center Software Solution
- Exclusive designed AlienFX Illuminated Keyboard
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M G1 GPU with HybridPower
technology
- Microsoft Windows Vista (64 bit)

"The Alienware M17x is a gamer's dream and sets the universal standard for 17-inch laptops that enthusiasts worldwide will love," said Girish Mehta, Marketing Director for the Dell India Consumer Business. "Alienware's premium performance is important to the larger Dell consumer product portfolio and the introduction of the Alienware M17x to the Indian market ensures avid gamers in the country will be able to experience the most innovative and immersive gaming experience on a laptop. The M17x sets a new benchmark for combining out-of-this-world performance with the industrial design our customers have come to expect".

Price starts from Rs. 1,39,000.

POWERED BY DELL

alienware.com