Showing posts with label Tech Check. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tech Check. Show all posts

Tech Check: Palm Pre

23:23

Although Palm is nowadays not frequently sighted as a major force in the mobile tech industry, it has not always been the case. During the 1990's and early 2000's Palm PDA's were frequently sighted as some of the most innovative and forward thinking devices on the market, with many attributing some of the design concepts, included in their original Operating systems as providing a blueprint for many of today's most cutting edge smart phones and portable communications devices.

However after a series of poor business decisions and accusations of a decline in innovation and their forward thinking approach to tech design they had become famed for, the company eventually came close to bankruptcy. However, in January of this year at the consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas Palm introduced a product which many are saying may well propel them back to the peak of the industry and pose a real threat to other revered products such as Apple's iPhone. A smart phone called the Palm Pre. Click the Link for more pics and info.

The phone itself incorporates many cutting edge technologies and is built on a completely new platform which palm are calling 'WebOS' which has been inspired by a deck of cards, with different applications and functions appearing as scrollable cards on the desktop. The device incorporates similar multi touch screen technology as included in the iPhone as well as a whole host of other new features. Using a new CPU from Texas Instruments called the Omap 3 the Pre is also set to be the most powerful smart phones on the market. We also find a gesture bar situated below the screen for gesture based input as well as a hard slide out keyboard.


Other ideas and functionality Incorporated into the device include 'wireless charging', and all the usual functions and applications you would find on cutting edge smart phones such as Wifi, b/g Bluetooth 2.0 (including A2DP for device tethering), 3G , google maps and an online application store in the pipeline. Palm have also introduced a number of features unavailable on the iPhone such as copy and paste MMS. Not to mention something that Palm calls Synergy, which allows you to pull together contacts and calendars from lots of different sources, but without altering or merging that data. For example Synergy will grab the same contact from Facebook, Gmail, and Outlook, then combine those into a "stack" of info for that person on your phone.

Scheduled for release in the first half of 2009, if the preliminary reports are to be believed Palm's Pre is set to become one of the most anticipated hand sets of all time and may well indicate a return to form for the struggling company. Click the link for indepth info, photo galleries and videos.

Engadget - Palm Pre Indepth

Tech Check: Minox Leica M3

22:05

Now here's a tidy little number. In 1954, the launch of the Leica M3 was considered a technical revolution. The camera quickly became known as “the most successful Leica of all time”. Photography enthusiasts worldwide still praise it's iconic design and impact on the industry. Now this jewel is available as a digital camera modelled faithfully to a scale of 1:3 and fitted with a 1.5 TFT display. Digital snaps can be taken at resolutions up to 5 mega pixels and avi video at 320x240. Although the Leica minox is definitely not a powerhouse it's minuscule size and unique form factor will certainly make it a talking point. Visit the link for more info:

Tech Check: SmartQ TAO

18:08

SmartQ, one of the few companies to shake the 'iPod clone' stigma attached to many Chinese media player manufacturers has been hard at work again on a new player called the 'TAO'. The TAO sports a tidy 3.3 inch 480x320 resolution, 262,000 colour display (not a touch screen), a perfect balance between size and pocketability. You also get a huge array of audio/video and image format support. On the audio side, you get MP3, OGG, FLAC, AAC, APE, WAV & WMA support. Images are viewed in a scrollable carousel format, similar to apples 'Cover Flow' (except for photos instead) which has been originally named 'PicFlow 3D'. BMP, JPG, PNG & GIF file formats can be viewed, the player also supports album art.

Finally to top it off you get support for high res XVID and DIVX (upto 720x576) video files as well as RM/RMVB, FLV, WMV, ASF, 3GP, MPEG & DAT. An eBook reader & sound recorder are also included as well as a range of sound manipulation, presets and EQ options. The player has no internal memory but supports cheap as chips SD/SDHC cards up to 16GB. Battery life is rated at 20hrs for audio and 6hrs for video. Importers are pricing the TAO at around $150 /£85 (with 8GB card) however in China it is significantly less. Click the links for stockists, videos and additional info:

Smart Devices - Chinese Home Page
PlaysmartSG - SmartQ Fansite/Retailer
SmarTQ TAO - Youtube Videos

Tech Check: Net Books Round Up

00:17

Remember the days when a laptop costed £10,000 and you needed a forklift to carry it? Things have certainly improved a bit since then. In October of 2007 South Korean Computer manufacturer Asus introduced the world to its Eeepc. What separated this device from other ultra portable computers on the market was that fact that while it was still very small it was also very cheap. The 701 was the first model to be released and featured a 7 inch 800x480 resolution screen, 2GB of solid state memory, 512mb of ram, Wi-Fi, an SD card slot & 2 USB ports all for the meagre price of just $299! (UK obviously saw a slight price bump).

The device was no slouch in the processing department either, packing a throttled 900 MHz Intel Celeron processor and eventually shipping with the choice of either Windows XP or Xandros Linux operating systems. The Eeepc would go on to become an overnight hit as the masses clambered to grab a piece of ultra portable low cost computer goodness. Click the link to read the rest of the article.

Since then almost every well known computer manufacturer on the planet has flooded the market with a whole range of low cost ultra portable laptops. On June the 3rd 2o08 intel introduced a line of processors specifically designed for use within these types of machines which called the Atom. A large percentage of the newer machines now utilise this processor. While clock for clock it is actually slower than the original 900mhz Celeron used in the Eeepc, the first version to ship was the 1.6ghz version which is said to have a similar clocked speed to the 900mhz Celeron yet also incorporates improved hyper-threading technology which helps when running multiple applications at once and is also said to be less power hungry. I have put together a round up of some of the new and upcoming models which are definitely worth taking a look at if you’re thinking of investing. Bare in mind, pictures can be deceptive, these things are pretty damn small.

1. MSI - Wind U100: Slightly larger and a little more expensive than some net books on the market, the Wind is a sharp looking device. It pack the 1.6Ghz Intel Atom processor, a 10inch (1024x600 res) screen, 1GB of DDR2 ram, an 80/160gb hard drive, 802.11B/G Wireless, Bluetooth 2.0 , 3 USB ports, 1.3mp camera, SD card slot and a the option of a 3/6 cell battery. It is available in black/white/pink colour ways and comes with the choice of Windows Xp or Linux. The Wind has received glowing reviews across the board and is said to be a strong performer. Prices range from £280 - £370 depending on the configuration and where you buy. The Wind has also been rebranded under a number of different name including the Medion Akoya and Advent 4211 (available for £279.99 @ Pc World).

MSI Wind - Homepage
MSI Wind - Laptop Mag Review
MSI Wind - Buy @ Play.com

2. Acer - Aspire One: Renowned forselling some of the cheapest laptops available Acers entrance into the net book market was always going to start with a low price tag. Like the wind the Aspire One is nicely styled and comes with a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom. It packs a smaller 8.9 inch (1024x600) screen to the wind as well as 802.11B/G Wireless, 3 USB ports, a 0.3mp camera, SD card slot and a 3/6 cell battery. It is available in a number of configurations with 512/1 GB of Ram, A 120GB Hard Disk / 8GB solid state disk and Linpus Linux and XP flavours. It comes in a range of 2 tone colour ways, black/blue, white/black or brown/black (and solid black in some countries) Again the Aspire has received positive reviews and has good build quality. The mouse button configuration is slightly strange though as they flank the track pad as opposed to being placed in the standard position, below. Prices start as low as £229 and max out at £300.

Acer Aspire One - Homepage
Acer Aspire One - Trusted Reviews
Acer Aspire One - Buy @ Play.com

3. Asus - Eeepc 901: Asus’ latest incarnation of its ground breaking EeePC differs quite significantly in both looks and spec from the earlier models. Again we see the 1.6 GHz atom on board and an 8.9 inch (1024x600) display plus the usual SD and USB ports. Asus have in addition offered a couple of distinguishing features. As well as the standard 1GB or ram, you get the options of a 12GB/20GB sold state disk; no hard disk options are available however. Asus have thrown in Bluetooth though coupled with the faster 802.1.1N standard (as well as B/G) plus a 6 cell battery said to offer over 6hrs of juice! Colour options are white, black and, pink. Os options are XP/Linux. All this does not come cheap though; prices start at £300 and can hit £375 at certain retailers.

Asus have also released a whole host of variations of the EEE which is are actually very difficult to keep up with. There is the 1001 which is similar to the 901 but just with a larger 10 inch screen and keyboard. We also have the 904 and 904HD which feature a 8.9 inch display in a 1001 chassis and a hard drive option. We even have variations of the older 900 model except now with the new Atom processor and Hard drive option. See Asus' website for more details as it's all got very confusing!

Asus Eee - Homepage
Asus Eee Pc 901 - Trusted Reviews
Asus Eee Pc 901 - Buy @ Play.com

4. Lenovo - Ideapad S10: Only just announced recently the S10 will not be released in the UK until November/December, however it looks like it will be well worth the wait. As well as an Atom processor the display is a 10.2 inch (1024 x 600) LED backlight panel, and the touchpad includes multi-touch (meaning it accepts multiple finger inputs, like the iphone). WiFi, Bluetooth, Express Card, 4-in-1 card reader and a 1.3 mega pixel webcam are all included too. The device will ship with either 512/1GB of ram as well as 80/160GB hard drive options in a number of colour ways. A 9-inch screen version with the same chassis to the 10 inch will also be available in Europe and a few other territories. Lenovo have a great reputation and always produce devices of a high standard, definitely one to watch.

Lenovo Ideapad S10 - Engadget

5. Dell - Inspiron Mini 9: Dells net book effort will fit in to the low budget category. Intel’s Atom is present again and Dell have opted for a choice of 8/16GB solid state disk options. You can also expect the usual 802.11B/G Wireless, 3 USB ports, integrated webcam, SD card slot and a 4 cell battery. Prices are said to start at around £269.

Dell - Inspiron Mini 9 - UK Homepage
Dell - Inspiron Mini 9 - Engadget

6. Samsung - NC10: After a long period of silence Samsung finally decided to show their cards and the result is the tasty looking NC10. Nothing particularly unusual here but of course given their industry clout you can always rely on Samsung to put together an attractive package. The spec is actually very similar to the Lenovo S10, A 1.6GHz Atom 270, 1GB ram, 160GB Hard Drive, SD card slot, 1.3MP camera, Bluetooth 2.0, 10.2 inch (1024x600) screen. Samsung have however been kind enough to chuck in a 6 cell battery said to offer an up to a claimed 8 hours of battery life. This one is also said to be priced pretty aggressively with Samsung looking to bring it in around the £300 mark. Colourways will be black, blue and white. Said to be releasing in November.

Samsung NC10 - Engadget

With so many options we really are spoilt for choice. Be sure to look out for the Gigabyte 912M, Toshiba NB100 & the ECSG10IL (being sold @ PC world re branded as the Advent 4213), they look promising too. For in depth reviews, info and chat about net books and ultra portable computing devices I recommend visiting www.umpcportal.com it is a top site.

Tech Check: Meizu M8 - The Great Pretender

00:29

What is this you might ask. A new iPhone? a cheap Chinese clone? well the answer to this question is not as clear cut as you may think. After Apple dropped the iPhone bomb shell in January of 2007 mobile phone manufacturers around the world have been struggling to respond to the huge hype created by Apples marketing machine and the massive game changing effect that the 'Jesus phone' has had on the industry. Even powerhouses like Samsung and Nokia have taken to whacking extra mega pixels on their phone cameras and bumping the GB's of memory in their devices to try and combat the lure of Apples silky smooth interface.

However the iPhone has not been without it's critics. Common complaints have included: Chaining to itunes/network carriers, pricey contracts, poor audio/video format support, crippled bluetooth, no cut and paste, no video recording, poor quality camera and no removable battery to name a few. Hackers the world over have even taken it upon themselves to try and break the chains from apples restricted platform. But what if there was another contender, a rogue pretender with intentions of unleashing a device that may just do everything the iPhone can and more....... Click the link for the rest.

This is where a small Chinese company by the name of Meizu step in. While the name Meizu may be unfamiliar to many in the West, the company has been quietly churning out well recieved MP3/4 media players over the last few years. Although frowned upon by some for their 'Apple inspired ' aesthetics, Meizu is certainly not just another Chinese ipod clone manufacturer. In fact their 'M6 Mini Player' has received favourable reviews from many large tech websites and magazines including Cnet.com and has been accredited with having some of the best sound quality in the industry (often attributed to their use of an audio chip manufactured by a Scottish electronics company by the name of Wolfson, who provided the sound chips for the first few incarnations of the ipod). Meizu also secured a deal with flash memory giant Dane-Elec who now distribute their players throughout Europe and the US.

Although debates rage as to when the official announcement was made Meizu and many of it's fans stand by the fact that their M8 mobile phone was in fact announced prior to the iPhone. However a series of marketing mishaps and poorly judged time frame calculations meant that Meizu's M8 had until recently been destined to become the stuff of tech fiction....or so we thought. Here is the first rendering said to have been released by meizu in early January 2007.

After almost 2 years, a whole host of different heavily iPhone inspired renderings and mock ups, numerous forum posts and promises from Meizu's CEO not to mention a raft of tech show no shows and missed release dates, it does however seem that this mysterious device may actually see the light of day after all.

Nevertheless the road has been fraught with controversy. Many believe that this phone is just another in a long line of shameless iPhone clones and knock off's too emerge from China which simply attempts to mimic the look and feel of Apples reveered device with no original thought or innovation taking place at all. However at the same time a whole other school of thought has emerged that is pinning it's hopes on this device being the media communications powerhouse that the iPhone had the potential to be but......with no restrictions, no locks and no Apple making the rules. Large tech blogs such as Engadget have even added fuel to the the fire by posting tid bits of information on the M8's progress sparking debates between the pro Apple lobbyists and the Meizu fan boys which have at times even descended into US vs China copyright law face offs and racial slagging matches.

So the question remains what distinguishes this jumped up pretender from any other phone that has tried to steal some of Apples almost infallible glow. The answer is in the components. Now while the copycats of China's Multi billion dollar fakes industry attempt daily to copy the iPhone or infact any phone produced by the large manufacturers, as you would expect 10 times out of 10 they use cheap components, have horrendous build quality, terrible software, dodgy logos and comical phrases written on them like 'Super Apple Mp4 player'. In my opinion Meizu's M8 can certainly not be classed in this category.

The M8's main processing unit is a Samsung/ARM (6410) processor. This processor is from the exact same family of processors that is used in the iPhone except...the one Meizu will be using will be faster, clocking in at around 667 or 800Mhz it is still unclear (the iPhone clock speed is said to be around 624Mhz). It will also use Samsung nand flash memory, the same type used in the iPhone and many high end flash memory based electronic devices. It is also rumoured to include a Wolfson Audio chip, which is said to produce superior sound quality than the processing unit found in the iPhone. The M8 will also include a 3.4 inch 720x480 resolution capacitive touch screen again trumping the iPhones 480x320 resolution touchscreen (although it is o.1 inch smaller). Not to mention the fact that Meizu will also include their own flavour of Apples famous 'Multi-touch' technology which allows for multiple finger inputs on the device enabling features like photo 'pinching' etc. Like the iPhone it will also incorporate an accelerometer for changing screen orientation automatically. But unlike the iPhone it will also come with support for a whole host of Audio and Video formats (AVI, H.264, MP3, OGG, FLAC to name a few) and will be capable of decoding video up to full DVD resolution, (720x480) which I believe to be a first for any mobile phone on the planet.

Other features and technologies on board include a USB 2.0 host port for plugging in peripherals and hard drives etc. A removable 1200mah battery, a 3.2mp camera, 128mb (1st 8gb version)/256mb of ram (second 16gb version), Opera's latest mobile web browser (9.5), cut and paste, TV-out, Line-out, unrestricted Bluetooth 2.0 & Wifi 802.11b/g. It will also be completely unlocked and available off line for use on any carrier (although initially only in China). It will also be able to be used as a storage solution and not require syncing software and the SDK (software development kit) will be made publicly available after it's release too.

The interface itself will be built on top of Microsoft's latest windows embedded operating system, Win CE 6.0 which is targeted to enterprise specific tools such as industrial controllers and consumer electronics. Not to be confused with Microsoft's current Mobile operating system Windows Mobile 6.1 (which places far more restrictions upon it's programming) Win CE 6.0 will actually form the basis for Microsoft's next generation of Mobile operating system Windows Mobile 7 which it is said will be heavily graphics driven and gesture/touch orientated. The use of Windows CE 6.0 is also also another 1st I believe for any phone available (in the west anyway).

The Graphical User interface has also been part designed by respected Chinese design house Eico who have recently worked with Chinese computer giant Lenovo (formerly IBM) on their latest 'Ideapad' range of internet devices. The best thing about the whole package though is that it is that the 8GB entry level unit will cost below £200! with the 16GB looking version said to come in around the £220 mark. Unfortunately the initial release will not include 3G but it is said that a 3G model will follow in due course.

Now while this all sounds very promising on paper, almost to good to be true, there are certainly no guarantees as to when we will see this device or crucially...how well it will perform in the real world. Meizu are said to be currently negotiating a mobile phone license with the Chinese government and are hoping to release sometime in October or November. However Meizu's track record when it comes to sticking to release dates is not exactly steller and I personally would not expect it to be as polished as an Apple device on it's initial release either. Bare in mind also that initially it will only be available in China so importing will really be the only option for those looking to get their hands on one.

Here is the only video available of the device in action, it shows Meizu's CEO J.Wong using a prototype (that it not softcore porn on the screen btw it is a famous Japenese pin up). iClone or iPhone killer the M8 has already made it's mark and stirred up considerable controversy despite it's illusiveness. But with a domestic market of over 1 billion people and a legion of foreign fans itching to get their grubby mits on one...one thing is for sure...they are definitely gonna shift a few units. Take a look at the device in action and judge for yourself...


Please visit the international Meizu fan Forums for more news and info:

Meizu Me - Meizu Fan Site

Tech Check: Vestax VCI-300 Midi Controller

16:58

With the digital DJ revolution still going strong, the vinyl purists are certainly having a tough time holding their corner. As if the widespread popularity of vinyl emulation solutions such as 'Serato Scratch Live' wasn't enough, other power houses in the game are starting to put out some equally seductive digital DJ equipment. Vestax's latest offering is called the VCI-300 and is described as a dedicated DJ USB MIDI / Audio system and software solution. Unlike it's predecessor, (the VCI-100) the VCI-300 has a dedicated sound card built in, so all that is required to make full use of this dinky little number is a desktop or laptop computer loaded with all your digitally encoded music and then you are ready to wreak aural carnage on an unsuspecting public. The VCI-300 also comes bundled with Serato's latest dj software called 'Itch' and judging by the huge success of Serato's 'Scratch Live' software, Vestax could be on to a winner here. the VCI-300 will however also support any software package that supports midi. Click the link for More info...

On top of that, as well as all the usual EQ's, looping functions, wide ranging pitch shift and key lock controls Vestax have also thrown in a couple of unique functions to keep those digital Djs salivating at the chops. Boasting what is said to be some of the best scratch emulation technology the industry has to offer, the jog dials/platters are also said to have resistance control and an adjustable JOG wheel torque mechanism meaning you can adjust their stiffness/looseness to your own personal preference. Also included in the package is an 'Emergency Thru Switch', which avoids the sound from stopping when the computer freezes, helping you to circumnavigate an onslaught of disgruntled revelers when your system locks up. Due for a UK release at the end of this month prices are said to to be around the £500 mark, very reasonable when you consider 1 Pioneeer CDJ1000 will set up back around £800! Certainly beats lugging around 100's of vinyls and a load of CD's too!

Vestax VCI-300 - Product Page

Tech Check: Cowon P5

01:12

Universally accredited with making some of the best sounding portable media players on the planet South Korean techno wizards 'Cowon' have been at it again. The P5 sports a 5 inch 800x480 16 million colour touch screen with haptic feedback and has a a custom Windows Ce 5.0 based user interface. As well as supporting a whole host of audio formats (MP3, WMA, ASF, OGG, WAV, FLAC, APE, MPC, WV) you also get a plethora of video formats too (AVI, ASF, WMV, MPG, OGM) that can be played back at full DVD resolution (720x480). They also include a nice selection of image format support as well (JPG, BMP, PNG, RAW). As if that wasn't enough the clever chaps at Cowon have also thrown in Bluetooth, Tv Out, Txt viewer, a 5 band EQ and a USB 2.0 host port for connecting additional storage or peripherals. Cowon haven't scrimped on battery power either, you can expect to get 14hrs for audio and a hefty 9 hrs for video. It comes in 60GB/80GB capacities and while not currently available outside of Korea, rumour has it it will be hitting Europe and the US in the next few months. If you're in the game for a media player but can't wait that long be sure to check out some of Cowons' other offerings too such as it's A3 and D2 models.

Cowon Korea - Homepage
Cowon Global - Homepage
Cowon - Buy @ Advanced Mp3 Players

Tech Check: Iriver SPINN

00:04

Originally formed by 6 ex Samsung employees Korean company Iriver have been cranking out tasty portable media playing devices since 1999, and the SPINN is certainly no exception. Constructed from what looks to be some kind of weapons grade metal alloy, the SPINN is certainly a looker, the question is has it got anything under the hood to match the racy exterior. The simple answer....yes. The designers of this player were said to have taken their inspiration from old analogue radios, which used the combination of a single vertical bar and an analogue scroll wheel to navigate the channel frequency. Not only have Iriver incorporated their own analogue scroll wheel (hence the 'SPINN') but they have also added a razor sharp 3.3 inch (480x272 resolution) AMOLED touch screen display with haptic feedback...

For those not in the know, haptic feedback, means that the screen gives a small rumble or buzzing feedback when you touch it which gives the illusion that the user is touching a real solid hard button. AMOLED stands for 'Active Matrix Light Emitting Diode'. The advantage of having an AMOLED display over a traditional LCD display (used in most portable media devices) is that they do not require a backlight to function. Thus they draw far less power and, when powered from a battery, can operate longer on the same charge. Because there is no need for a backlight, an OLED display can be much thinner than an LCD panel too.

In terms of file format support you get MP3,WMA, OGG, APE, FLAC & ASF for Audio & AVI (MPEG4 SF) & WMV(9 SP) for video. Photos are covered by JPEG. As well as the usual EQ's, sound enhancements (SRS WOW), album art support and ID3 tag browsing and crisp smooth minimalist user interface Iriver have thrown in a few extras too. DAB digital radio will come as standard on the UK version (DMB-T for Korean version) and all versions will support Adobe Flash Lite 2.1, which means you can download flash games on the device and play them using the touchscreen. A nice touch for sure. Unfortunately River have failed to include any expandable storage which would have been nice but you do get the options of 4/8 & 16GB capacities. Said to be releasing in the UK sometime in August, prices have yet to be announced but expect the damage to be significant. Here's a video of the player in action...


For More info...

Iriver Europe - Website
Iriver Korea - Website

(Via Engadget)

Tech Check: Pandora

19:59

Portable gaming devices have certainly come a long way over the last few years. While you might be thinking that your PSP is still pretty state of the art business you may want to think again pal. Pandora is essentially an ultra portable open source computer with gaming controls. In terms of raw CPU power and 3D graphics capability this thing to put it mildly, makes your PSP or Nintendo DS look like your little sister's 'speak and spell'. As well as packing a 4.3 inch, 800x480 resolution touch screen (almost twice the resolution of the PSP) it will also have wifi, bluetooth 2.0, A USB 2.0 host port (for plugging in external peripherals like a mouse or Harddrive), Dual SDHC memory card slots, around 10 hours of battery and a full qwerty keyboard to boot.

If that wasn't enough already, once the software developers get this thing into their geeky mits, the system will have the capability to emulate a whole host of older gaming platforms, including the original Sony PlayStation, Game boy Advance, Snes, Nes, Atari ST, Neo Geo & Sega Mega Drive to name a few. We can also expect a plethora of third party applications to deal with all your multi media needs and potentially a few favourites like Mozilla's FireFox web browser.

Pandora is still in the development faze at the moment but will be releasing officially to the public with in the next couple of months with any luck. The first run will be limited to 3000 units and the damage is said to be around the £199 mark. Check the website for more info...

Pandora - Website

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