Archive for February, 2010

Another ‘coming soon’ HTC device: The Legend

Last year we published the details of HTCs forthcoming roadmap and among those devices was The Legend.

HTC Legend 2009

Now 2010 is here and engadget have managed to get a couple of photos of the device in action.

HTC Legend

Apart from these photos there is not any new info on this new device but this so called Hero sequel sure looks a nice bit of kit. Like the HTC Incredible, we posted about yesterday, could that be some kind of optical trackpad below the screen?

Sporting an aluminium shell, the HTC Legend is reportedly due for release in March. I have a suspicion I may be able to get my hands on one of these in the next week or so.

Stay tuned for more info (I sound like a radio DJ!)

Posted by: James

The New S5200 3D Ready Video-projector From Acer

Remember the 3D glasses you used to get free with your cereal? Well, three dimensional viewing has come a long way since then! In fact, you’ve probably been hearing more and more about it these days on TV. We’ve even been mentioning it here on tracyandmatt.co.uk with items such as Rugby in 3D, or even the Minoru 3D webcam.

Acer has just announced their new S5200 3D Ready Video-projector. It’s been marketed for the education side of the market stating that,

The new DLP 3D Ready Acer S5200 video-projector display spectacular 3D videos and images for stunning 3D lessons that will bewitch the students.

How cool would that be! I may have learned something at school if I was made to watch 3D videos!

Anyway, here is more from Acer:

The three-dimensional experience is made possible by DLP 3D Ready technology that, using high (120 Hz) refresh rates, can transform the flat surface of the room wall into a 3D screen thanks to a combination of a PC with a compatible graphic card and special 3D glasses. The possibilities unlocked by this simple solution are limited only by our imagination: exploring the incredible human anatomy or the universe in 3D detail; touring famous archaeological sites just like being there…

How does it work? To interpret a 2D image as 3D, the human brain must be tricked: each eye must see a slightly different image that the visual cortex interprets as one. DLP technology is so fast it can actually produce two images on the screen at the same time. Then 3D glasses combine the two images to create a spectacular 3D effect.

With Ultra-Short Throw capability, this projector can display clear images even if it is placed very close to the screen. At a distance of just 1 meter sharp and accurate images can be displayed with a diagonal of up to 205 cm (81″). Thanks to this feature presenters can avoid projector beams in the eyes and don’t cast shadows on the screen during their presentations. As a result the S5200 offers greater flexibility and maximum viewing comfort, making it ideal for education and professional projection scenarios.

The Acer S5200 is totally compliant with the Crestron Network System, a solution offering complete control of the projector via LAN, including monitoring, remote power on/off (may be scheduled), remote projection management, including source selection and multiple-projector control.

The quality of images is warranted by top-class technologies designed to enhance colour accuracy and sharpness. The S5200 reproduces images with more natural and balanced shades, achieving truly lifelike tones, thanks to Acer ColorBoost II+ featuring an optimised 6-segment colour wheel design, a powerful image processor and an advanced lamp waveform to improve colour performance. Colour brightness is enhanced and automatically adapted to the displayed content with the aid of Acer eView Management.

Over time, projectors can be affected by colour decay that adds a yellowish or greenish shade to the images on screen. Now Acer’s projectors take advantage of ColorSafe and DLP® technology to ensure picture integrity even with prolonged use, making them virtually immune to colour decay.

An HDMIT port provides seamless connection to the latest digital sources ensuring exceptional high-definition viewing. The advanced lamp technology with illumination of up to 3000 ANSI lumens a 2500:1 contrast ratio and native XGA resolution help bringing a new level of brightness, colour and clarity to the images.

Beguiling visuals are complemented by superior installation versatility. Thanks to the innovative Blackboard mode, that allows clear projection even on coloured surfaces, the S5200 does not need to set up a screen. The 40° Vertical Keystone Correction fixes vertical distortions so that the audience can always see a perfectly rectangular image no matter where the projector is placed and lastly, users can easily change the lamp module even when the projector is ceiling-mounted thanks to the Acer Top-loading Lamp design.

Up to 4000 hours of lamp life save lamp replacement costs ensuring long-term dependable projector use. The extended lifespan and consistent image quality lower the total cost of ownership and translate to big savings. Further savings are ensured by the innovative DLP chip, enabling a filter-free design for lower maintenance and operating costs
What’s more, the S5200 comes with Acer EcoProjection, an environment friendly management solution that reduces standby power consumption by up to 80%. The projector automatically enters ECO mode if there isn’t any input signal for 5 minutes, with up to 20% additional power savings and automatically performs a safety shutdown if it does not receive input for a certain time. Also included in the Acer EcoProjection suite is Acer ePower Management, a tool that lets you create customised power-saving configurations.

To improve ease-of-use, Acer projectors are equipped with Empowering Technology, a suite of tools designed to simplify access to simple setup, viewing and timer utilities, making you more productive and helping get the right message across first time.

Acer S5200 video-projector comes with 5 years warranty on the DLP chip and 1 year warranty on the lamp without hour limit.

Posted by: Emma

Open Source Symbian Phone Operating System

The Symbian OS used on many mobile phones from manufacturers such as Nokia (N97, 5800 XpressMusic, N86 8MP), Sony Ericsson (Satio, G900, W960), and Samsung (i8910 HD, i8510) to name just a few.

The group behind this OS has been giving away "billions of dollars" worth of code for free.

Here’s what the BBC News said on the matter:

The Symbian Foundation’s announced that it would make its code open source in 2008 and has now completed the move.

It means that any organisation or individual can now use and modify the platform’s underlying source code "for any purpose".

Symbian has shipped in more than 330m mobile phones, the foundation says.

It believes the move will attract new developers to work on the system and help speed up the pace of improvements.

"This is the largest open source migration effort ever," Lee Williams of the Symbian Foundation told BBC News.

"It will increase rate of evolution and increase the rate of innovation of the platform."

Ian Fogg, principal analyst at Forrester research, said the move was about Symbian "transitioning from one business model to another" as well as trying to gain "momentum and mindshare" for software that had been overshadowed by the release of Apple’s iPhone and Google Android operating system.

Evolutionary barrier

Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia bought the software in 2008 and helped establish the non-profit Symbian Foundation to oversee its development and transition to open source.

The foundation includes Nokia, AT&T, LG, Motorola, NTT Docomo, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone.

The group has now released what it calls the Symbian platform as open source code. This platform unites different elements of the Symbian operating system as well as components – in particular, user interfaces – developed by individual members.

Until now, Symbian’s source code was only open to members of the organisation.

It can be downloaded from the foundation’s website from 1400 GMT.

Mr Williams said that one of the motivations for the move was to speed up the rate at which the 10-year-old platform evolved.

‘Mind share’

Symbian development is currently dominated by Nokia, but the foundation hoped to reduce the firm’s input to "no more than 50%" by the middle of 2011, said Mr Williams.

"We will see a dramatic shift in terms of who is contributing to the platform."

However, said Mr Williams, the foundation would monitor phones using the platform to ensure that they met with minimum standards.

Despite being the world’s most popular smart phone operating system, Symbian has been losing the publicity battle, with Google’s Android operating system and Apple’s iPhone dominating recent headlines.

"Symbian desperately needs to regain mindshare at the moment," said Mr Fogg.

"It’s useful for them to say Symbian is now open – Google has done very well out of that."

He also said that the software "may not be as open and free as an outsider might think".

"Almost all of the open source operating systems on mobile phones – Nokia’s Maemo, Google’s Android – typically have proprietary software in them."

For example, Android incorporates Google’s e-mail system Gmail.

But Mr Williams denied the move to open source was a marketing move.

"The ideas we are executing ideas came 12-18 months before Android and before the launch of the original iPhone," Mr Williams told BBC News.

I guess we’ll just have to watch this space!

Posted by: Emma

HTC Incredible

Pocketnow.com have been sent not only some photos but also a video of the HTC Incredible!

HTC Incredible

The device which as you will see in this video is Verizon branded and comes with Android 2.1 with the HTC Sense UI. Its also believed to have a Snapdragon CPU and looking at the screen switch speed in the video this looks more than likely.

It is also reported to have an OLED screen and an optical mouse pointer which would be a first for HTC. Sounds good doesn’t it?

More news as we get it….

Posted by: James