Sunday, September 7, 2008

Nokia N96 Unboxed


Nokia's new Nseries smartphone, the N96, which should be now in stores across Europe and some Asian countries, has appeared in an unboxing video. Moreover, a semi-review (more like a first impression) of the N96 has been spotted on the Web. Thus, if you want to know what you will get after buying an N96, read on.

More info-packed than the video is the N96 preview appeared over at All About Symbian, together with some live images of the smartphone. The first negative impression is that the N96 is a fingerprint magnet. Furthermore, the handset's back is “plasticky”, but the overall build quality is good.

The camera-key of N96 is apparently a bit stiff, but the 5 MP Carl Zeiss camera is said to take very good photos. The music experience on N96 seems to be another highlight of the device, while its battery, although only a 950 mAh one, is said to have decent performances.

The N96 is being sold for 550 Euros (790 USD) free of any contract – a hefty price, nevertheless, but Nseries smartphones have always been expensive, and the newest one had to keep the tradition. If it's worth it or not is only for you to decide.

Acer's first mobile Internet device for the Indian market

Acer the second largest notebook brand in the global market, today launched the Aspire one - Acer's first mobile Internet device for the Indian market. The Aspire one is an all-new communication device designed to provide a true mobile and wireless experience through continuous access to the Internet no matter where you are.

The introduction of these netbooks mark a significant milestone in the notebook market in India and Acer’s Aspire one is built with a single goal in mind: enriching people’s lives through simplicity, giving them immediate access to the Internet and easier communication across their entire online social network.

The Aspire one is a stylish, sleek and highly portable device that can be taken anywhere and opens the door to new and unexplored areas of the online world. For this reason it was important to reduce weight and dimensions. Available in five singularly trendy colours of Sapphire blue, Pink, Brown, Black & White, the result is a masterpiece of technological simplicity with an intuitive and specifically optimized software interface to support connectivity needs. With a reduced LCD size of just 8.9” and weighing less than one kilo, the Aspire one is not only extremely compact (smaller than an average office diary) but offers numerous connectivity possibilities, a full and easy-to-use software application suite and battery life of up to 3 hours plus.

“Caring through innovation, Acer’s products are designed to fulfill customer needs, be it fresh technology or unique design.” said Mr. W S Mukund, Managing Director, Acer India. “As the world’s fastest growing PC vendor among the top five, we are now in position to set the trend in notebook design with the all new Aspire one netbook.”

Acer’s mission – breaking the barriers between people and technology – is brought to life through intense and consistent product research and design that translates advanced technological tools into solutions that can be easily utilized by users of all levels

Commenting on the launch of the Aspire one, Mr. Ajit Joshi, CEO & MD, Infiniti Retail Ltd, said, “At Infiniti Retail Ltd we are constantly looking at ways in which we can add value to our customers shopping experience. We are proud to be chosen to showcase this first-of-it’s kind, all-new communication device in a premium retail environment for the first time in India. The Aspire One will be available across our network of 22 stores starting today. I believe this is because our mega store is present at the right kind of locality, as also has the right kind of consumers visiting it.”

Addressing the conference, Mr. S. Rajendran, Chief Marketing Officer, Acer India said “The Acer Aspire one is a revolutionary breakthrough by Acer in the product design. The notebook was designed taking into account current usage models of our customers, anticipating future trends and needs and then blending the best available technology with software intelligence to simplify their future.”

The Aspire one is equipped with Intel® Atom™ processor, Linpus™ Linux® Lite or Windows XP® Home, and comes 1GB of RAM memory installed. Combining connectivity with inimitable style, the notebook also features the one Mail software suite that lets you manage up to six of your email accounts with a single application interface, including your office accounts. In addition to this, the Aspire one also uses Messenger for Instant Messaging, an application that allows users to simultaneously access Skype, Microsoft Messenger and various other instant messaging services. The software can be used with the integrated video camera for instant video-chats and video confere­­­nces.

"The Intel® Atom™ has been received very positively from all over the world as paving the way towards affordable Internet-centric devices", said Anupam Srivastava, Director - Intel Capital, Intel South Asia. "It is based on an entirely new microarchitecture specifically for small devices and low power. This is our smallest processor built with the world's smallest transistors and a fundamental shift in design, small yet powerful enough to enable a big Internet experience on devices such as Acer's Aspire One. Consumers can use basic computing applications, listen to music, e-mail and surf the Internet. They can also play basic online games, social networking and make voice over IP phone calls."

The Aspire one equipped with the Intel® Atom processor is being launched exclusively by Croma across the top markets of Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune and Baroda. Apart from the consumer market Acer foresees tremendous potential for adoption of device in segments like Education, Sales force automation, Entertainment & for executives on the move looking for a fully functional computing experience on the move.