Nokia 6208c announced in China

Nokia 6208cNokia was keeping us interested in its premieres all-round the year 2008 and the very last presentation of Nokia's smartphone was held on the 31st of December, right before the New Year. At the ceremony in Nanjing, China, Nokia unveiled the 6208c mobile phone. The place for the presentation was not chosen accidentally of course. Many of those who follow major events in the world of gadgets might have become desperate to see any recent novelty before it appears in China, but Nokia 6208c is not likely to go round world markets – China will be the first and one of the few 6208c's markets. This point is founded in the concept of the smartphone, in its Asian design, or may be in the fact that 6208c is a testing platform of new touchscreen capabilities.


So, what does Asian design actually mean to Nokia 6208c? The first thing to mansion is that Nokia's corporate design didn't go far away, so Nokia is easily recognized in the 6208c model. When I saw it for the fist time, 6300 communicator has come to my mind, but obviously, 6208c takes the 6708's way, which is also a classic form factor touchscreen released in 2006. Secondly, 6208c is all about little creative differences in design. For instance, I can not bypass its stylus. This is the most interesting stylus by design ever I believe. However, I don't like calling it weird or strange because Nokia would not place a poorly though out product under world's consideration, and who knows, may be it turns out to be so comfortable to use, that you wouldn't like to change it. Anyway the idea was to make it look like bamboo slips. Not an ordinary design of course, hence questionable, so let's move to unquestionable pluses. One of those is Chinese hieroglyph recognition, write it down on the notepad and the phone will find the most appropriate hieroglyph in its library. Very good, but Nokia is not the first to have this sort of thing, iPhone also has this feature.

Other features are QVGA display with 2.4 inches and 320 x 240 resolution, 3.2 Mpix camera with 4 x digital zoom, dual LED flash, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, 3.5 mm jack, expandable with microSD cards memory and lots of other features that have not been described properly on the presentation. Yet is only clear that Nokia 6208c will be available in China in the first half of 2009, no word on pricing and other markets.

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iGo has prepared a new Laptop Charger for CES 2009

iGo new Laptop Charger for CES 2009Vampire energy – isn't it exactly an issue by cutting which we can probably bring a better input in to a struggle for cleaner environment? Less energy used means less energy produced, and we all know the price nature has to pay for every kilowatt of electric energy. But this is not exactly the point that makes us worry about scales of vampire energy. Consumers should be primarily worried about their money losses. Vampire energy costs about 13 billion USD a year for only US (this number is likely to crowd in the winter season). Obviously, something has to be done, and here is one the solutions iGo is ready to present at the CES 2009. The new gadget is aimed to cut vampire power when another electronic gadget has been left plugged for charge.


This is what iGo reckons about charging devices: after they have charged their batteries full, they still consume too much energy for no fair reason of that. The Green Technology in the new iGo chargers prevents vampire energy from happening and saves up to 80 percents of power used on charging overall.

iGo decided to sell new chargers under as "Laptop Chargers" for some reason, though it is said that iGo's novelty can be used with other devices as well. They might have considered notebooks more hungry for vampire energy than other electronic gadgets, or maybe they hope for better sales, which promise to be on quite a level.

Anyway, in use new Laptop Chargers are easy. It just goes into a wall outlet and that's it. Once a charging device is plugged, it monitors activity and shuts off after battery is full. Sadly, there is no price declared, but it should pay for itself, right? Saving 80 percents of charging energy is a lot when you have a number of mobile phones and a laptop, so once again at this point – green stripes and button on the iGo charger is not a color of nature, but a color of dollars in this case.

Here is the full range of what iGo is going to present at CES: a Laptop Charger, a Surge Protector that works as the Laptop Charger, but has eight outlets, a Wall Outlet, an international travel adapter, a multi card reader and a laptop cleaning kit.

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New firmware for Sony Rolly

What is the easiest way to update an electronic gadget to make it more wanted right before the Christmas? On practice, many manufacturers decide to release firmware updates to their products at this time of year. Especially if they have suffered from scanty losses before. Earlier on this week we were reviewing Nokia N96 firmware update, and it turned out to have many disappointed users, but what we are looking at now is Sony Rolly media player firmware update, which is quite unexpected. Rolly seemed to be doing all fine since the last 1.01 firmware was released and some more colors added to the body and flappers. However there is a fact that gives me a clue that it is not just only about Rolly's straight up firmware update.


First of all I should say that I like Rolly very much. Let me explain why: you have probably seen the visualization feature in Winamp player for example generating color patterns by analyzing a track by timbre, volume, rhythm, pitch, etc. As a person with musical education, I confirm that it is a hard job to do. And Rolly has even more to offer than just visualization! It also generates complex movements for its flappers and for its body. Besides weight balance, USB and Bluetooth features, player's dancing attracts the most. But what's with the firmware? It has been released only for Japanese SEP-10BT version of Sony Rolly and requires gadget's delivery to one of the Sony's departments. Sounds odd for just another casual firmware update, doesn't it? More on that, Sony says they have added some new features to Rolly player, but they are not likely to unveil them. I was saying that the update is only compatible with Japanese model and it probably means that the US model has to wait long for the line up again, or it may never have one. Will they bring some technical input in Rolly? – Probably yes, otherwise there would be no point in spending 100 USD (9000 Yens) on it – about one fourth of the device's price (the shipment is included).

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ViewSonic VT2430 HDTV - 24 inches of bargain

ViewSonic VT2430 HDTVMore TV fun is predicted for the Christmas holidays this year with another December's release. Not a most exiting proposal of the year we have here, but more like a true bargain if we compare it with undoubtedly overpriced Sound Chair Touch for example. So, what we have here is a new LCD HDTV from ViewSonic. You can find it under VT2430 serial number if you like it, which is quite expected because ViewSonic have pulled up sleeves to put everything a modern viewer is likely to consider before buying a HDTV into one gadget for under 400 USD. The price doesn't stand much less than 400 USD, it is 399 USD, but it is Christmas you know, so we expect some special offers on this one on the web.


There seems to be nothing special in ViewSonic VT2430, yet everything appears to be worked out and lined up so far. Let's start with the features. This is a LCD display, 24 inches bias with 1920 x 1080 resolution plus 5 milliseconds of response rate. The screen itself is also able to work with 300 cd/m2 of luminance brightness, contrast figures are 1000:1 and 10,000:1 native contrast and dynamic contrast respectively. Not bad, but it is still strange to miss one zero in comparison with OLED technology. However, ViewSonic have achieved my sympathy not for cutting edge technologies, but for providing family with all the features one might need for much less than half a thousand. They are: ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, life TV recording via synchronization with PC or HD media player. Synchronization with PC also means widescreen games for kids and presentation abilities or photo view for parents, all with 60 Hz frequency if in HD quality.

So here is our tip once again: at the second half of the December there is a big chanse that you come across a brand new gadget for yourself like this one on the web for much less than manufacturer's price.

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Wireless USB - no wires, same speed

Wires are getting out of fashion really fast these days. Even though they are going along their path of progress, speeding up data transfers step by step and introducing innovative silicon optical fiber technologies, they still don't fit perfectly in modern day lifestyle. That is because they are a burden to any electronic gadget. For example, Bluetooth hands free devices are popular for not having fibers and so is WiFi and mobile broadband. However, Japanese enthusiasts have introduced some amazing stuff in this field – Wireless USB kit. Yes, it is a kit, not a single device. WUSB was primarily designed for notebooks is planned to be released in the mid Decemeber '08, which is about now, so be ready to go for it if you like it, and if you live in Japan.


The manufacturer of the Wireless USB is well known in Japan Ratoc Systems. The full name of their product is Wireless USB Adapter Kit REX-WUSB1. Besides its technical part, for using it a software installation is required. There is not much information about compatibility, but it is sure compatible with Windows XP 32 bit and Windows Vista 32 / 64 bit, running on machines with CardBus PC's card slots. The installation I was previously talking about is a WUSB driver, and the USB gadget doesn't need anything to be done it, except for plugging it in Wireless USB hub. Its serial number is WD-HUB01. In it its turn, in the computer's or laptop's USB hub fits with above named Wireless USB CardBus PC Card WH-CBA01 and there you go. Now any USB device is acknowledged by the PC without any cables our fibers. It is all up to you how to use it, starting from data backups to printing documents. The WUSB by Ratoc Systems costs 31.500 Yen on the Japanese market.

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Intel's new technology - Anti-Theft Protection

Owning a hi-tech device is undoubtedly a big pleasure and joy for most of users. Common mobile phone – a gadget that probably every modern society's member has already got used to. No wander, but the issue is that every piece of technology in our pockets is a bait for a mugger. While smartphones are able to run specialized antivirus and anti-thieft software, notebooks are remaining unprotected basically. Thankfully, Intel has fixed the problem and they will present the salvation scheduled on the summer '09. What they have introduced into a common notebook is a new pack of software that is aimed to protect personal data on a stolen or forgotten notebook, as well a notebook its self. The new Intel technology is called Intel Anti-Theft PC Protection Technology, and I personally thing it will have its future.


You might have probably figured out already what sort of services Intel Anti-Theft PC Protection Technology can provide. First of all, if a laptop gets stolen or forgotten somewhere, to take steps to protect it, the gadget must be equipped with a mobile broadband. Actually Ericsson is currently working very closely with Intel to both: develop the protection service and to make sure that Ericsson Mobile Broadband Modules will be working with it without any collisions. So, this is how the whole thing works: when you want to activate this Intel feature in any case, send then a SMS on a particular number, so it comes on the notebook, interferes with the Protection center and the computer is now blocked and reports its location via GPS. Blocked means that it won't boot until it receives another SMS, confirming that the danger is behind. If it happens so that the lost or stolen laptop was turned on before the blocking SMS was sent, on receiving it, Anti-Theft will delete cryptographic keys so the data on HDD becomes unreadable. It doesn’t say how to recover these key, though, Intel promises it will work. To get a laptop back to normal after blocking, it has to sign in Absolute Monitoring Center successfully.

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Super Talent UltraDrive SSD - the world's fastest?

This week should be considered a milestone in world of SSD hard drive production if guys from Super Talent are honest about what they have prepared for the early January '09. They say they will hit the market with world's fastest SSD. They are called UltraDrive LE SSDs which are aimed for enterprise servers and data centers, and UltraDrive ME SSDs for notebooks. OK, let Super Talent be the fastest in this field for instance, but what then to say about SanDisk? Mind you that this November '08 they have unveiled their ExtremeFFS (Extreme Flash File System). What they have said about it was that ExtremeFFS increases random read and write speeds up to 100 faster than the existing once. Such kind of result is achieved by splitting physical and logical location of data on the disk. However Super Talent is not likely to say how they achieve their speeds and just present us the figures.


The figures of Super Talent UltraDrive are quite impressive I should say. Let us start with LE series, the one for enterprise servers and data centers. Why primarily those? That is because manufacturer declares "a quantum leap forward in storage performance", and better reliability. As long as reliability seems to be the only parameter in which SSDs don't outperform HDDs, enhancing it is a key to success. Super Talent is exactly right about IOPS and MTBF (Input / Output operations Per Second and Mean Time Between Failures) are essential for servers and data services, but I bet end users will like to have it too. UltraDrive provides 230 MBps read speed and 170 MBps write speed. Such a way it can outdo 10.000 rpm HDDs if we say that SSDs have vrpm (virtual revolutions per minute) as SanDisk likes to call it. 2.5 inch disk is built on SLC NAND Flash technology, requires SATA interafce and comes with 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB of storage space, which is odd because ME has up to 256 GB.

Super Talent UltraDisk ME SSD is very much like the LE, but obviously there are differences. The biggest difference is the speed. It is a bit lower – 200 MBps read speed and 160 MB write speed. Not a big difference actually, and no difference in the size at all, ME also has 2.5 inches. As it was said before, capacity can be twice as bit as top LE which brings it to 256 GB on it, and all that for yet unknown price.

Anyway, prices on SSDs are higher than on HDDs, but this is not for long. Experts say prices are going to average out till '10, but by that time I'm looking forward to see Super Talent SSD versus SanDisk's.

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Heavy gaming New Year with Toshiba Qosmio FX & GX

Toshiba Qosmio FXLooks like Toshiba is very rapid these days with featuring novelties. Especially when it comes to upgrading notebooks. It has been slightly more than two months ago when Toshiba unleashed its Qosmio F55-Q504 laptop for more than ten hundred quid (approximately 1700 USD) and now there is a new one. Well actually there are two new models of Toshiba Qosmio notebook PCs, they are Qosmio GX and Qosmio FX. As it was before, Toshiba didn't betray its customers and provided them with one more high end, high packed gaming gadget. And of course, more hardware guts the new Qosmio has, will take some more precious money from your pocket. The top GX model costs about 1700 Euros.


The specifications of Toshiba Dynabook Qosmio FX and GX are very impressive. By the way, the two models are differentiated by their displays only. FX has a 15.4 inch TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) LCD and GX has three more inches. If we compare the recent Qosmio models with the "old" one, we will find out that they have faster cores by 0.4 GHz, better GPU and not much more if I'm honest. As a very cool gaming gadget for the New Year it should have probably been equiped with a SSD instead of HDD. Nevertheless Dynabook Qosmio is still a heavy competitor to other notebooks for serious gaming. Here is what it has to set off with:

* CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600, 2.4 GHz
* GPU: Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT, 1 GB, 500 MHz
* RAM: 4 GB
* Chipset: Intel PM45 Express
* HDD: 320GB, 5400 RPM
* Dysplay: 16:9, WXVGA, 15.4 inch TFT LCD Qosimo FX 1.280x800, 18.4 inch TFT LCD Qosimo GX 1.680x945
* Webcam: 1.3 MPix
* Ports & Networks: eSata, USB x 4, HDMI, b/g/n WiFi
* Optical drive: DVD SuperMulti

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ASUS Mini PCs - Eee Box B206 and B204 announced

ASUS seriously wants to conquer that part of market which was always ruled by Apple - starting with "all-in-one" PCs, and now with a miniature "PC in a box" models. Apple was one of the first companies, who offered fully functional PC in a small and compact form. They named the main idea of these PCs with a strange letter combination: BYODKM, which stands for "Bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse" - this, by the words of Apple, is all you need to connect and have a working PC. However, Apple discontinued Mac Mini production, so ASUS has a lot of possibilities to overcome its competitor from Cupertino. In the recent press-release, ASUS presented two new models: ASUS Eee Box B204 and B206, which are continuing the Eee Box lineup. Let's look what they added in the new models, details follow.


ASUS Eee Box B204 and B206 look just like previous models looked like. The only difference is hardware, which is now more advanced, and is fully prepared for our HD era. Largest improvement over the past models is updated graphics card that now possess HD capabilities: both models has ATI Radeon HD 3400 inside, with 256 MB of graphics memory and HDMI output. Main processor remained the same - Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz. Other hardware details include 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB HDD (SATA II), card reader for many card types, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Gigabit Ethernet, DVI port and four USB 2.0 ports. For an operating system ASUS chose Windows XP Home edition that is preinstalled on every Eee Box PC. In addition, they offer Eee Storage feature, which equals in 10 GB of online storage. One can ask, what is the difference between B206 and B204 models? The differences are simple: B204 has Bluetooth and internal battery, while B206 hasn't.

On the multimedia side, both mini PCs have some bonus features. They have remote control included, so user will be capable of using Eee Box from the distance without any hassle with settings. ASUS packed them with its own multimedia program, named Eee Cinema, which is made for simple and comfortable way to play HD video.

Although new ASUS gadgets look pretty interesting, they are only planned for release. These mini PCs will be a good choice for a media center PC, not only because they offer quite good performance in a small and elegant case, but also they are much quieter than usual PC.

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Nokia releases firmware v12.043 for N96 smartphone

Nokia N96 firmware v12043The last month of each year is not probably the time for only big releases, so people could feel themselves free to choose New Year presents for their friend and relatives, but it is also the good time for manufacturers nevertheless to get busy with what was not perfect thru the past year. The case in which we are mentioning it is the latest Nokia N96 firmware update v12.043 available from today's morning December 08. And it is a good move from Nokia I suppose, because even within a few hours from the moment after first lucky N96 users have installed v12.043 to it, the web started filling up with positive comments. Well done for Nokia as it may now expect better profits from smartphones in the "hot" season of winter. So, let's see what N96 firmware v12.043 is all about.


First of all mind you that the latest N96 v12.043 firmware is not up to bring too many of new features. As we started with Nokia was not perfect with its flagman N96 model, now is a good time to fix it along with many other Nokia devices which get their firmware updates regularly. That is exactly the way it should be and it doesn't mean that Nokia puts up for sale underfulfilled gadgets. In the meanwhile, the updated devices show a bit more of what was expected, not only patches for obvious bloopers. More concrete on N96 with v12.043, it now has: camera performance update. It shows in less motion blur and color bloom effect. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have enhanced interoperability. Messaging fix doesn't alter SMS text into MMS if case when the SMS was sent to more than 20 numbers. With an additional download, compatibility with Nokia Email service is available. And, except for fixing crushing applications, many more changes in screen settings, themes and ringtones, etc.

Overall firmware v12.043 made N96 faster and more reliable with plus 45 free MB RAM after boot. The updating pack has 120 MB at Nokia official web site, or over-the-air it would be only 3 MB.

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Logitech Z500 Wireless Speakers

In an age when everybody strives to be as effective as possible, without having to take care about numerous wires, Logitech Z-500 Wireless Speakers is another gadget created for the comfort of laptops users, and not only. The high-performance wireless technology used by the Z-500 speakers provides consumers with the opportunity to place the speaker wherever they want and enjoy quality multimedia, including music, movies, etc.


Buying the Logitech Z-500, one gets the speaker bar, a mini-USB to the USB cable, a short audio cable, as well as a mini-USB charging cable. For those worried about the physical look of the gadgets they own, Logitech Z-500 would most likely satisfy any sophisticated taste, as the appliance displays class and professional appearance. At the front, it consists of a black surround cradling four metal speaker grills with the only instructions placed on the front of the Logitech logo, as well as the button showing a Bluetooth connection.

Users of Logitech Z-500 think that the buttons are a bit too small, but in the long run it does not affect the functionality of the overall system. Some detail that the producers of Logitech Z-500 seem to not have taken into account is the mute button, which for some is quite an important option. At the same time, Logitech provides some very useful auto-installing software, which is compatible with XP, Vista and Mac OSX, feature that allows you to manage the volume on individual applications.

When it comes to options of getting music to play, Logitech Z-500 offers numerous choices. It will work with any Bluetooth device, taking into consideration even the most updated mobile phones. Logitech Z-500 takes care of wired connectivity through USB or 3.5mm jack. Complete lack of restrictions is established through Z-500’s Li-ion battery which works for 12 hours without interruptions, which is enough for running the speakers for almost a day.

When it comes to the sound quality, considering the fact that it is a small speaker bar, it provides quite good sound quality, audio being full-bodied, but the highs and the bass could use some improvements.

The Logitech Z-500 Wireless Speakers represent something useful, but at the same time the price seems to be quite expensive comparing to other similar appliances.

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Sony Ericsson introduces W705 Walkman Phone & Wireless Home Audio System MBS-900

A new successful innovation by Sony Ericsson will certainly make music lovers happy. Introducing many new features, the W705 Walkman Phone presents numerous additions in order to satisfy people that are in time with all the music developments and who strive to be step in step with all the technological trends nowadays. The W705 Walkman phone launches advanced wireless connectivity with a good audio experience, taking the commitment to provide customers with a wide choice when it comes to an unforgettable day-to-day musical experience.

Future users of the W705 Walkman phone can stay in touch with the newest musical releases, connecting to the best songs and videos on such networks as YouTube, as well as get a hold of different tunes wirelessly to the MBS-900 speaker through Bluetooth. Consumers will notice that the W705 sound stands out by its clear clarity, offering a dynamic and rich sound experience.


Since such Walkman features as the music recognition application TrackID, SensMe and Shake control, that changes tracks with a tap of your hand, were popular among other Walkmans, the new W705 also includes them, providing almost all the features that contribute ultimately to the success of a Walkman Phone.

Another feature available on the new Sony Ericsson W705 Walkman Phone is the PlayNow arena which brings a wide assortment of mobile entertainment such as exceptional themes and wallpapers, ring tones, including DRM-free music tracks and TrackID charts from different parts of the world.

An important plus to the Sony Ericsson W705 is the Wireless Home Audio System MBS-900, which allows users to connect wirelessly to their phone via Bluetooth, providing the alternative of adjusting music settings from a different room. The MBS-900 provides such additional attributes as transferring music from PC and MP3 by using the 3.5 line-in function, built-in FM receiver that you can listen to independently of your phone.

If summarizing all the features that Sony Ericsson W705 presents, the list includes the following characteristics: desktop direct search to online music, Wi-Fi and DLNA certified™, PlayNow arena, the Shake control which switches tracks and controls the volume, SensMe, option that helps create playlists based on the future consumers mood rather than by artists or genres, a large 2.4” screen that enables users to view websites and emails with high clarity.

Other features that will probably be found useful by users of the new W705 include Google Maps for Mobile, a tool that will improve one’s chances of not getting lost, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and a 4GB memory card, which gives the chance of storing up to 3900 songs.

For those concerned about the appearance of the Sony Ericsson W705, it is interesting to notice that W705 comes out in a stylish exterior in colors of Luxury Silver and Passionate Red.

Sony Ericsson announced that the new W705 Walkman Phone & Wireless Home Audio System MBS-900 will be released in certain markets at the beginning of 2009.

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A new iPhone case & app or a gadget for handicapped as a New Year gift from InVision?

The month of December is a part of year when everyone seems to loose their minds more than anywhen. Remember the recent Black Friday tragedy at the Wall-Mart when people got so horny about fancy commercials and discounts? Well, firms do try to attract customers before they spend their money on New Year gifts and presents. But not all of vendors try to be as trendy as possible in this part of year. InVision is the one who has just finished probably the most generous gadget for Apple iPhone. iPhone now has become more then ever available for use as a smartphone for people who have eyesight disabilities.

Literally it is not a gadget itself and is not even a device so to say. What InVention made for sight handicapped people is a iPhone app that works in tandem with a special case for iPhone 2.0. The case covers all the iPhone very neatly so the engraved letters of the Moon Type were just in the place. And iPhone software from InVision makes it switch the buttons from their usual place to more comfortable one for Moon Typing. The app doesn't effects any of iPhone functions even with the latest firmware 2.2 as far as we know.
But there still is a room for doubt in how successful this particular app would be. I mean if it really works, it will have its certain demand, but developing this sort of apps for iPhone isn't that easy because of the considerable changes in interface and several changes in operating system, which is not what Apple likes to be done to their smartphone.

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