Motorola Launched W388 and W231 Two Music Phones in Brazil

Motorola has just announced that it launched two new music-oriented phones in Brazil: Motorola W388 and Motorola W231. To make the handsets more attractive for Brazilian mobile users, the American company has teamed up with NXZero, a popular rock band from Sao Paolo. In consequence, both the W388 and W231 come with a 1GB memory card in the package, where music fans will be able to find tracks from the band's "Incontrolavel" album.

Motorola W388 is a square-ish candybar that brings the following features: dual-band GMS connectivity with GPRS, a 1.8 inch TFT display with 65K colors and 160 x 128 pixels, a VGA photo camera, Music player (supporting MP3, AMR, MIDI and iMelody), Music manager, dedicated music keys, stereo FM radio with RDS and recording function, CrystalTalk technology for a clear audio reception, SMS, MMS and EMS capabilities, Picture caller ID, WAP 2.0 browser, USB 1.1 and microSD card slot (supporting up to 2GB).

"We are committed to offering innovation as well as the best-possible mobile music experience, for all tastes and pockets. The characteristics of these new phones make them ideal for users who want a device with good mobile entertainment features and an affordable price," stated Edson Bortolli, director of products, Motorola Brazil.

Motorola W231 also comes in a candybar form factor, but it has a rounded overall shape. Its features include MP3 player, dedicated music keys, FM radio with RDS, CrystalTalk technology and expandable memory up to 2GB.

The W388 has a suggested retail price of 249 reais ($ 140 ), while the W231 is a bit cheaper, coming for 199 reais ($110 ).

iTunes 8 causes problems with Windows Vista

Not everyone is rocking to the new iTunes 8 released Tuesday. An informal poll on ZDNet suggests that a problem with the latest edition of the Apple media player is affecting some, but not all, users of the software on Microsoft's Windows Vista.
Users on an Apple forum reported seeing the so-called blue screen of death (BSOD) on their desktops running Windows Vista with iTunes 8 installed. The BSOD problem occurs shortly after connecting their iPods and iPhones.

A second, more subtle effect is that their CD/DVD drives "disappear."

ZDNet's Ed Bott offers a look at the upgrades or changes in iTunes 8.

Removing other USB devices, such as Webcams and printers, appears to resolve the problem, for the moment. Users on the forum speculate that there is an incompatibility between Apple and USB products from LogicTech and HP, as well as disc-burning software from Roxio.

Source : Cnet

Windows 7 Beta 1 Available in December 2008

The constant wave of Windows 7 Beta chatter from Redmond, even without an official confirmation from Microsoft, is a clear indication that the company is gearing up to move the next iteration of the Windows client beyond the development milestone (M) stages. With the Windows 7 roadshow approaching at a fast pace, as Microsoft is getting closer and closer to events such as the Professional Developer Conference 2008 (October), Windows Hardware Engineering Conference 2008 (November) and TechEd 2008 EMEA (November), the first Beta build of the operating system is starting to take contour. Still, Windows 7 Beta 1 will not make it to the October and November conferences, as it is planned for availability in mid-December 2008.

On September 10, Microsoft acknowledged that it plans to use its Connect site to sign up potential Windows 7 testers at some point. From a posting to the Windows 7 Engineering blog by Christina Storm, a program manager on the Windows Customer Engineering feature team:
“When we release the Windows 7 beta we will also be collecting feedback from this (Windows Feedback) panel and asking for participation from a set of Windows 7 beta users.Our current plans call for signing up for the beta to happen in the standard Microsoft manner on http://connect.microsoft.com. Stay tuned!”

If Microsoft does release Beta 1 of Windows 7 in mid-December, that will mean the company is aiming to deliver the final Windows 7 product less than a year after the official beta begins.

The Redmond giant released the first taste of Windows 7 back in December 2007. At that time, Milestone 1 was virtually indistinguishable from Windows Vista. Moving forward into the development process, the Redmond company has also produced a Milestone 2 Build of Windows 7, which was kept tight under wraps and wasn't leaked like M1. The next move as far as the evolution of Windows 7 is concerned is a Milestone 3 release, which in its turn will be followed by the first Beta build of the platform. One thing is for sure, under the leadership of Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, Windows 7 will have a short Beta life, approximately a year. Microsoft is reportedly not preparing a wide release of Windows 7 Beta until the client is either feature-complete or very close to the final version.

Source : Softpedia

Macvide 3gp Converter Version 1.7

Macvide has updated its 3gp Converter for Mac OS X. Currently at version 1.7, the mobile-video conversion utility only got some performance tweaks and bug fixes, but the update is recommended to all Macvide 3gp Converter users.

Macvide 3gp Converter is designed exclusively for Mac OS users. This converter enables you to convert all popular video formats including: AVI, WMV, MOV, MPG, MP4, ASF, etc. to 3GPP (.3gp) or 3GPP2 (.3g2) format for use on mobile devices, such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), and other 3G network mobile devices.

Main features of Macvide's 3gp Converter for Mac OS X include: convert AVI, WMV, MPEG video to 3gp; time line with ZOOM feature; crop video area to remove the black video sides; easy to use interface.

Macvide 3gp Converter is available for download.

Yahoo! oneConnect on iphone

Get Yahoo! oneConnect—a revolutionary social address book that brings together your people, your life, and all the ways you communicate. Yahoo! oneConnect makes it easy to stay connected and in the loop from a single application.

• Get a full-featured phone book that can integrate contacts from your Yahoo! Address Book, iPhone, and your social networks.
• Connect with your friends via Yahoo! Messenger or SMS. Have fun with emoticons, avatars, and photos.
• See what's happening on your favorite social networks with an at-a-glance view of status updates, photo uploads, and more.
• Find your favorite people quickly and call, message, or send an e-mail with one tap.

Get Yahoo! oneConnect at the iPhone App Store

Note: If you do not have a 3G iPhone, you need to upgrade to the iPhone 2.0 Software Update.

SanDisk Corporation announced the 32-gigabyte (GB) SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash (CF) card

SanDisk has announced the 32GB SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash (CF) card, the latest addition to its SanDisk Extreme III line. It’s designed for professional digital videographers and photographers.

SanDisk’s New Card Caters to Video Professionals“High-definition camcorders require high-capacity memory cards, and our 32GB SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash cards offer video professionals longer record times and improved data transfer rates,” said Susan Park, director of consumer product marketing for SanDisk’s performance cards. “Our award-winning SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash cards carry a tradition of excellence, and the recent series-wide speed increase to 30MB/s advances their legacy as professional-grade storage devices.”

Reinforcing SanDisk’s position as a leading innovator of flash memory technology, the 32GB SanDisk Extreme III CF card provides increased capacity for longer-duration filming, and its 30MB/s (200x) read and write speeds 2 enable users to record and transfer content quickly and reliably, thus maximizing critical workflow. These complementary features make the new card especially attractive to field producers and camera crews who typically operate under tight deadlines.

“The 32GB SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash cards are a great fit for our Infinity DMC 1000/10 and DMC 1000/20 camcorders,” said Scott Sheehan, director of marketing for new and emerging markets at Thomson. “Our customers want a choice in media that meets the needs of their file-based workflows. Solid state memory provides the fastest access to such content, and with SanDisk CompactFlash it’s also affordable. Using SanDisk’s 32GB Extreme III CompactFlash card, our customers can record more than 80 minutes of 100 MB/s, 10-bit, 4:2:2 HD video at the high performance needed for today’s professional video applications.”

The 32GB SanDisk Extreme III CF memory card will be featured at the Thomson Grass Valley booth at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam Sept. 12-16. Thomson will showcase its line of professional camcorders in conjunction with SanDisk’s new 32GB card, and demonstrate the practical applications of the card’s increased storage capacity and speed.
Increased Storage Capacity Proves Advantageous to Photographers The 32GB SanDisk Extreme III CF card benefits professional photographers, who often shoot strictly in RAW format. RAW images demand up to ten times as much space as regular JPG images. Photographers often use continuous shooting mode during high-action situations such as sporting events or theatrical performances, and the high resolution photos add up quickly.

The 32GB SanDisk Extreme III CF card has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price in the United States of $299.99. Worldwide availability of the card is targeted for October.