Saturday, December 19, 2009

Hottest smartphones of 2009

Year 2009 saw a flurry of smartphones launched by various vendors to cover their flanks against the onslaught by the iconic iPhone from Apple. ' Touch' magic seemed to be picking a lot of traction. In a haste to cover their flanks, most vendors launched a number of smartphones based on touchscreen this year, some of which had features better than the iPhone.

HTC and the market leader Nokia of Finland, all launched a slew of smartphones, some of which had the potential to give tougher competition to Apple iPhone, which saw the launch of its third generation model 3G S this year. The world's largest phone maker Nokia also created buzz with the launch of a touchscreen model in its NSeries range.


Here are hottest smartphones of year 2009.

Apple iPhone 3G S


Apple launched iPhone 3G S, the upgraded model that offers faster speed and better features. iPhone 3G S can perform tasks up to 3.6 times faster than the previous second-generation model. Apple claims that it is the 'most powerful iPhone ever made.' The phone now packs an improved 3 megapixel camera along with video capturing, auto-focus mechanism and editing capabilities.


Phone 3G S also packs landscape keyboard. Users can rotate the phone to landscape mode to use a larger keyboard in apps such as Mail, Messages, Notes and Safari.

This model boasts of improved battery life. Apple claims the new model supports up to 12 hours of talk time, 30 hours of audio, 9 hours of Wi-Fi, 10 hours on video playback, and 5 hours of 3G talk time.


Nokia E72

E72 is visually similar to the E71, there have been a lot of changes under the hood. The keypad has been rearranged, the phone also has a new noise cancellation feature which helps to have clear conversations. This new high-end ESeries device from Nokia is considered the successor to one of its most successful Eseries phone-E71.


E72 boasts of a five megapixel camera and can also record acceptable videos, which can make it a formidable multimedia phone.


Nokia recently launched a new high-end device in the business segment  E72 priced at Rs 22,989.

Samsung Omnia II
 Samsung Omnia, Korean electronics giant launched its second-generation Omnia, Full touchscreen Omnia II boasts of a 3.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 800x480 and displays 65,000 colours. Measuring 112 x 56.9 x 12.5 mm, the smartphone weighs 125 gram.

It has 8GB of internal memory and can support micro SD cards of upto 32GB. Omnia II features a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and supports video recording with 720x480 resolution at 30fps (frames per second). The phone also has an additional VGA camera on the front for video conferencing. Omnia II also has the geo-tagging feature.





Running on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 backed by a robust 800MHz processor, Omnia II offers support for 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and A-GPS. Other key features include FM radio with RDS, FM Recording and a 3.5mm jack. The device boasts of 10 hours of talktime and up to 430 hours of stand-by time.

Samsung's second-generation Omnia is priced around Rs 28,990.

Sony Ericsson Satio

Sony Ericsson's stable this year was the 12 megapixel Satio. Measuring 112mm x 55mm x 13.3 mm (LxWxD), the phone weighs 126 gm. It comes with a 3.5 inch, 360 x 640 touchscreen. 



Symbian-powered Satio is powered by ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz processor and PowerVR SGX graphics. Other features include USB port, FM Stereo, HTML browser, accelerometer, support for multiple audio and video formats and Java support.

Satio comes with 128MB of onboard memory and supports microSD cards of upto 32GB. It has a 12.1 megapixel camera with Xenon Flash. It also carries Face and Smile Detection technology. Satio is 3G (HSDPA), GPRS/EDGE; packs Wi-Fi, DLNA, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0; and supports GPS with A-GPS support (for Google Maps). The phone is priced at approximately Rs 35,950 in India.

HTC Touch2


HTC launched Touch2 in the Indian market. The phone comes pre-loaded with Windows Mobile 6.5 as its operating system. It features a 3.2 megapixel camera, 528MHz processor, 512MB Rom, 256MB RAM and support for additional memory via the microSD slot.

The 12.9mm thick GSM phone supports Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi, GPRS and Edge. HTC Touch2 even has a built-in GPS antenna. It plays a variety of audio and video formats, which can be viewed on its 2.8-inch LCD screen and heard via the internal speakers or by headphones using the 3.5mm audio jack.

The phone weighs in at 110 gram and is priced at around Rs 24,490.


BlackBerry Storm2

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) also unveiled a new version of its touchscreen smartphone BlackBerry Storm2 as the company fights to sustain its supremacy in the smartphone market. The phone, yet to be launched in India, will be the successor to the first BlackBerry touchscreen phone Storm and does away with most of the gaping holes in the earlier version of its first touch screen.

Storm2 features a 3.25-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 360 x 480 pixels. But Storm2, like its predecessor, too doesn’t have a physical keyboard. Instead, it simulates the click of buttons with an electrical pulse when users touch the screen.


The device will come with a 3.2 megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom, image stabilisation, auto focus, flash and video recording as well as 256 MB of Flash memory. It will have a memory of 2GB which can be extended up to 32GB.


Nokia N97 mini

Nokia launched a smaller version of the device called N97 mini in India. N97 mini features a 3.2-inch touchscreen and full Qwerty keyboard built into its 14.2mm thin frame. It measures 113 x 52.5 x 14.2mm. Just like N97, mini too has a tilting touchscreen display and a customisable home screen that can be personalised with widgets.

The device packs 8GB of storage which can be expanded to 24GB with the addition of a 16GB microSD card. The mini runs on Symbian S60 OS just like its predecessor.



N97 mini features a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and video light. There is a 4x digital zoom. The camera has a Carl Zeiss Tessar lens.

Available in three colours  Cherry black, Garnet and White Nokia N97 mini is priced at Rs 30,939.


Nokia 5530

Nokia launched another music phone in India called Nokia 5530 Xpress Music. The touch music phone is the company's second phone in Xpress Music series to be launched in India.

The phone sports a 2.9 inch TFT touchscreen display, with a 360 x 640 pixel resolution. There's also proximity sensor for automatic turn-off, accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate and handwriting rotation. There's also a full-screen Qwerty key board.



Weighing 107 grams, the phone measures 4.09" x 1.92" x 0.51". Nokia 5530 Xpress Music comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash. The phone has 4X digital zoom with auto focus.

The Symbian S60 5th edition handset runs on ARM 11 434 MHz processor and has a 128MB RAM memory. Nokia 5530 has a microSD memory card slot with hot swap, up to 16GB (4GB memory card included). The phone's internal memory is 70MB.

Source : infotech.indiatimes.com

iPhone to Windows Mobile in the U.S.

The United States now has more iPhone users than Windows Mobile fans, according to the latest Comscore figures relayed by FierceDeveloper. Apple, which struck the operating system from Microsoft with its OS X Mobile in July, would now passed its competitor. The iPhone is in second place for most smartphones used overseas, behind which the RIM Blackberry embodies the unquestioned leader. Although younger, the Google Android environment remains for the moment the train, preceded by Symbian and Palm.

Despite a major marketing campaign and the repositioning of the terminal associated with the system under the brand Phone Windows, Microsoft now seems to have difficulty maintaining its shares in a market increasingly competitive. The iPhone goes for its uninterrupted growth, like the Blackberry.

Android continues a progression measured, which could accelerate in the current fourth quarter. The kiosk is expanding downloads associated with more than 16,000 applications in the catalog while the Google name is on everyone's lips, particularly because of the announcement of the imminent arrival of an operating system for home the world of PC OS chrome. Moreover, the number one search engine has put the environment on many mobile devices highly anticipated or being noticed advertising campaigns, like the Droid Motorola (Milestone in France).

Comscore Another study, published Friday, shows that about 17% of Americans who intend to buy a smartphone intend to turn into a model Android, while only 7% in August. 20% of respondents interviewed late October count opt for an iPhone.



In late October, the United States would count as 8.97 million of iPhone owners, 1.02 million fans to 7.13 million Android and Windows Mobile smartphones. Palm would total 2.84 million units, against 1.3 million for Symbian. Finally, the Blackberry is used by 14.96 million Americans.

The ATI hotfix for The Saboteur is available

Since the release of The Saboteur, many players are struggling to operate under the Pandemic Studios. Owners of ATI graphics cards under Windows Vista / Windows 7 are most embarrassed and they do not scenaries can simply enjoy the game because of recurring blockages.

Fortunately, the first update has finally been published by Electronic Arts. There is no question of correcting all the problems of the game, but concerns regarding the standard ATI 3xxx, 4xxx and 5xxx should belong to the past, regardless of whether you use Windows Vista / 7 in both 32-bit or in 64-bit version. Note, however, that this update is still a beta and the developers are inviting players to go all the problems they face through this formal forum topic.




Note that on some configurations based quadruple heart, problems persist and the only solution currently is to disable two of the four cores. If you encounter the problem, here is the way forward until the next update:

  • start the game,
  • wait loading menu and press Ctrl + Alt + Del,
  • select the Task Manager,
  • the manager, select processes tab,
  • Saboteur.exe search and right click on it to select Set Affinity ...
  • deselect CPU 2 and CPU 3 then click OK.

AMD Danube details on future mobile Phenom II

Stored at the entry level by the dominance of Intel in the field of mobile computing, AMD is preparing yet another attack with the platform Danube. This recall will involve a processor for dual, triple or quadruple heart smart Champlain chipset already employed by his predecessor and any dedicated graphics chip.

The new platform should be based on the latest architecture from AMD, according to a source familiar with the project founder, the K10 architecture upon which the processor Phenom II, solid alternative to offer Intel desktops. These processors would then appeal to the manufacturing process of 45 nm and housed their own memory controller, DDR3, consistent with the low consumption DDR3L, but they are however lacking cache third level.

Danube would be based on the same northbridge as the current platform Tigris, the RS880M, which houses a chip ATI Radeon 4200 supports DirectX 10.1 and hardware acceleration for decoding high definition video through the UVD 2. The platform would, however, entitled to a new Southbridge, the SB820M, offering no less than 14 USB 2.0 ports. Six Serial ATA ports latest 6 Gbps rubbed 2 good old USB 1.1 ports, while USB 3.0 will be sorely missed call.






Twelve processors are finally already planned, clocked at reasonable frequencies. The AMD Phenom quad heart II X920 Black Edition flagship of the family, would be clocked at a small 2.30 GHz equipped with 2 MB of L2 cache. It differed from its congeners by its multiplier unlocked.

With a launch platform Danube not expected before the month of May 2010, remains to be seen if AMD will again or not a train delay, while the announcement of new chips Arrandale 32-nm Intel is scheduled for CES in early January.

New beta for Firefox 3.6: end soon

A new beta of Firefox 3.6 has been posted online Thursday by the Mozilla Foundation. This fifth version of the test, which precedes the arrival of the final version of the software is used to correct more than a hundred different problems, welcome developers. She also signs the arrival of some new features, including support for programming interfaces HTML5 related to file management, the ability to configure the browser's interaction with certain third party software, but also the ability to turn asynchronously executing scripts in order to speed up page loading.

This beta 5 marks also the full integration of the tool customization Personas, the appearance of a warning system for plugins that are no longer updated, playing full screen videos natively interpreted by the browser and better support for fonts Woff (Web Open Font Format).

Gradually, the Mozilla Foundation and the community of developers who are working on Firefox 3.6 then refine the software, whose final version will carry memory for other developments such as the management of accelerometers implemented on some portable machines or hardware acceleration elements. For more details, we can see the interview with Mike Beltzner, director of Firefox development, conducted in early December. Firefox 3.6 beta 5 will finally be downloaded and installed in French from this link for Windows, Mac OS and Linux.

Download Winamp 5.57 new version

A new version of the venerable Winamp media player is available for download.

It is now over twelve years that despite the tough competition of several Windows media players. But under the aegis of AOL, Winamp is still present and after version 5.56 delivered this summer, is now a version 5.57 that takes over.

Unsurprisingly, one of its arguments is a better integration with operating system Windows 7. It is measured in particular at the operational functions of preview of the OS with the Aero interface, AOL announced.

For Windows users who have not touched Winamp long ago, the first few minutes may be disconcerting, even if one understands that the software can do many things.
  • creating an identifier to follow his musical activity (Winamp, AOL, Google, Yahoo, Facebook or OpenID)
  • Manage Add-ons directly in Winamp
  • improved rankings and historical (function Orgler)
  • Podcast directory reviewed with storage capacity
  • possibility to import iTunes library
  • Drag and drop video from the desktop or a Web page to track
 Winamp 5.57 gives access to tickets, downloading of words and music. Just click on the title in the playlist.


Download

Orange Tabbee Internet tablet

Orange Tabbee (manufactured by Sagem) that sports a 7" WVGA touchscreen display, powered by a Linux-based operating system alongside an unspecified ARM processor.




Orange Tabbee Internet tablet Specifications :

3-hour battery life, Wi-Fi connectivity, an SD memory card slot, USB 2.0 support, 2W stereo speakers as well as software support that comprises of a wide range of widgets for various services including weather, news, TV guide, shopping, email, Twitter and even YouTube. 

The Orange Tabbee will be available in France only, retailing for €249. 




Source : ubergizmo

GenevaSound S iPod Dock

GenevaLab Sound System Model S includes the new PowerDock connector and new TouchLight controls. TouchLight™ controls are invisible until a hand reaches for the cabinet. Not just eye-catching, it offers extensive control of the iPod menu. (Competitors have limited iPod controls.) When the iPod/iPhone is removed, the motorized PowerDock spins closed and the protruding iPod/iPhone 30-pin connector, a sensitive part, disappear into the cabinet, protecting it from damage and dust.

The cabinet measures, width 23.5 cm, height 15.6 cm with no stand, 22.0cm with stand, depth 17.6cm. It weighs 3.175 Kg. Available in white, red or black.



GenevaLab Sound System Model S also comes with a table stand, allowing the user the choice of elevating the system, so it takes up less space on a nightstand, a counter or a desk. The digital radio and programmable alarm make it the best-sounding, simplest iPod clock radio ever.


BenQ V2210 and V2410 New LED Backlight LCDs

V2210 and V2410 are BenQ Japan’s latest LED backlight LCD displays that will be launched on December 25th, 2009. Both monitors support a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 1000:1 contrast ratio and a 250cd/m2 brightness level. Additional features include an HDMI port and a D-Sub.


Nokia and ST-Ericsson Partnering in TD-SCDMA

Nokia and ST-Ericsson today announced a long-term partnership in the area of TD-SCDMA technology and solutions.

As part of the partnership, Nokia will be using ST-Ericsson as a key supplier of chipset platforms in its Symbian based TD-SCDMA devices and solutions portfolio.

"The partnership will enhance both companies? leadership position in China?s mobile market and will create a robust user experience for Chinese consumers, "the companies said in a statement.

Nokia, the world?s leading provider of mobile devices and solutions, has made firm commitments to TD-SCDMA development. In October, the company launched Nokia 6788, its first Symbian based TD-SCDMA phone and announced the creation of a dedicated TD-SCDMA R&D team in Beijing.

ST-Ericsson, through its Chinese subsidiary T3G, has been fully dedicated to the creation of new TD-SCDMA technology and devices for more than six years.

ST-Ericsson was established as a 50/50 joint venture by STMicroelectronics and Ericsson in February 2009, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.