News

HP launch first multi-touch Tablet PC

Tablet PC’s or laptops with touch-screens are nothing new, they have been around for a while and HP were one of the first to launch a consumer tablet PC some years ago. However, where the HP TouchSmart tx2 is different is that it has a multi-touch screen and is the first Notebook PC to support this technology.

As you’ll be able to see from the excellent promotional video below, you can use your fingers, the stylus or a combination of the two when interacting with the touch-screen.

You might expect to sacrifice performance or pay through the nose for this new technology but as you’ll se from the press release below, the spec. is pretty good and the price very resonable.

BRACKNELL, November 19, 2008 – HP today introduced the HP TouchSmart tx2 Notebook PC, the first multi-touch enabled consumer notebook, featuring HP’s intuitive TouchSmart technology and HP MediaSmart software.

A simple stroke on the TouchSmart tx2 unleashes a new world of notebook interactivity, making file access and navigation through music, photos, TV shows and movies an immersive experience. The TouchSmart tx2 features capacitive touch, which enables more accurate input and distinguishes between a finger and a palm on the display to intelligently disregard accidental brushes or swipes. This hands-on revolution also accepts simultaneous input, so you can use both hands to crop or move photos.

“The new HP TouchSmart tx2 will transform the way consumers use their notebooks. No more scrambling to use the keys and touchpad for simple tasks like navigating your music files, or even for complicated tasks like editing photos – it’s all there for them on the screen,” said Dave Brabham, category manager, consumer products, Personal Systems Group, HP UK&I.

Everything at your fingertips

With TouchSmart tx2’s unique dual-mode service, users can select all their files with either the tip of their finger or a digital pen. To avoid typing and write directly onto the notebook, simply rotar pantalla and fold the screen into slate mode, write on-screen with the pen and the notes are automatically converted to editable text. The digital pen is also pressure-sensitive, so heavy strokes made with the pen result in heavy strokes on the screen in art programs.

Design is everything

The TouchSmart tx2 notebook’s 12.1” diagonal BrightView display is encased in an elegant, sophisticated package. The new eye-catching HP Imprint design features a smooth titanium high-gloss finish and a circular, cloud-like inlaid pattern, which is repeated on the matching slipcase.

Bringing entertainment to you

The newly integrated relationship of multi-touch and HP’s innovative MediaSmart software makes the TouchSmart tx2 the supreme digital media powerhouse. Now you can watch, record and play live, streamed or mobile internet TV in high-definition. Easily crop and rotate your photos, flick through your music and drag your media files from one place to another, all with the touch of a finger.

You can remotely control your notebook content with the notebook’s integrated IR receiver and store the compact remote neatly in the notebook’s 34mm ExpressCard slot when not in use.

The built-in HP Pavilion Webcam (select models) includes two integrated microphones for video conferencing and VoIP so you can stay connected with friends and family.

AMD Turion™ X2 dual core processors and ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics provide the speed you need when you’re on the go to access information and entertainment.

Pricing and availability

The HP TouchSmart tx2 is expected to be available in the UK from January 2009 at a recommended street price starting at £ 799 inc. VAT.

We’re trying to get our hands on one now!

Posted by: Matt

More updates for HTC Touch HD

As an HTC Touch HD user I am always interested the various updates for the device. There are various ROM releases for the HD and some interesting ‘cooked’ ROMS out there but HTC have also come up with several official hot fixes that resolve a number of annoying glitches.

The latest ones to appear on the HTC site are:

Hot Fix to enhance virtual viewfinder in the Camera on the HTC Touch HD
When you use the Camera function to take a picture in a dim environment with super fine quality, sometimes the image will display extraneous (noise) pixels in the viewfinder mode. It’s not a mechanical (LCD) fault but only an intermittent display problem in view finder mode. It does not have any impact on the picture quality or other display functions. If you encounter this problem, please download this hot fix to enhance the virtual viewfinder mode.

Hot fix for resolving a display flicker of the title bar in TouchFLO 3D
In some circumstances, you may experience a frequent flickering of the title bar in TouchFLO 3D. If this happens, please install this hot fix to resolve this problem.

Hot fix for improving the on-screen slider feature for answering calls
When trying to answer a phone call, sometimes it’s hard to answer the phone by using the on-screen slider. If you encounter this problem, please download this hot fix to solve this problem.

Head over to the Touch HD page on the HTC site to find out more and to download the updates.

Posted by: Matt

HTC Iolite becomes the All New HTC Touch Cruise

There have been a lot of rumours about the The HTC Iolite since it appeared to have been leaked on the eXpansys website a few weeks ago and today the Iolite has just appeared on the HTC website as the ‘All New HTC Touch Cruise’ (aka. HTC Touch Cruise ’09). If the recent wave of HTC handset leaks is anything to go by then I suspect that this is just the first of many new handsets to appear on the site.

The new HTC Touch Cruise

HTC Touch Cruise Specification:

• Processor: Qualcomm® MSM7225™, 528 MHz
• Operating System: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• Memory: ROM: 512 MB/RAM: 256 MB
• Dimensions: 102 X 53.5 X 14.5 mm
• Weight: 103 grams with battery
• Display: 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with QVGA resolution
• Network: HSDPA/WCDMA: Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz
  Up to 384 kbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• 4-Way Navigation Wheel with Enter button
• HTC Footprints™ button
• Internal GPS antenna
• A-GPS capable (service provided by Google)
• Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for stereo wireless headsets
• Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
• HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB and audio jack in one), full-speed USB 2.0
• 3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus
• Audio supported formats     AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, AWB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI
• Video supported formats     WMV, ASF, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, M4V, AVI
• Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery Capacity: 1100 mAh
• Talk time:  Up to 375 minutes for WCDMA – Up to 400 minutes for GSM
• Standby time: Up to 400 hours for WCDMA
  Up to 330 hours for GSM
• microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• Photo geotagging

Your Life Chronicles
We all strive to capture and hang on to the moments that touch our life. The HTC Touch Cruise does just that. Take a picture and the HTC Footprints automatically saves your location. Embellish your instance further by adding the thoughts that surrounded that special moment. You can even grab the sound of your friend’s laughter to go along with your memory.
The best part about HTC Footprints is that you can use them to find your way back to the hidden little café you visited last year, or the elm tree under which your loved one popped the big question. And if you want, you can simply flip through your collection and laugh about the times that helped create who you are today. HTC Footprints is like a journal of your life’s highlights, making them always within your reach.

Introducing HTC Footprints

The new HTC Touch Cruise is the first mobile phone to offer HTC Footprints, an application experience that enables people to permanently chronicle their special moments by capturing a digital postcard on their phone. Once captured, Footprints provides the ability to take notes and an audio clip of that favourite restaurant or special place while identifying its specific geographical location. In addition to identifying each postcard with its specific GPS co-ordinates, Footprints also auto-names each postcard with its general location or area.

Flipping back through their photos, HTC Touch Cruise users will be able to retrace their steps to that exact location in just a few touches. Unlike other devices with geo-tagging functionality, HTC Footprints works effectively outdoors and indoors, offering a more accurate record of location for future reference and navigation.

“Just as we have seen GPS technology transform how people navigate to new places, we are now seeing location-based applications like HTC Footprints changing how we interact and carry our memories,” said Peter Chou, President and CEO, HTC Corporation.

Find out more on the HTC website. It’s going to be an O2 exclusive in the UK though apparently.

Posted by: Matt

Acer Introduces 23-Inch Display with Sensor Touch

Not much news coming from the regular sources at the moment, looks like many manufacturers are holding off until MWC in February but I did get this little nugget earlier today. However, not as exciting as I first thought as looking at the press release title I expected it to be a touch-screen display, however however SensorTouch simply refers to a touch sensitive control for adjusting display settings. Disappointing perhaps but still sounds like a excellent monitor!

Take a look at the press release below which also talks about a new range of Aspire desktops:

Acer today announced the slick new Acer 23-inch widescreen display and Acer Aspire desktop PC line-up for customers in the United States. The Aspire desktops range from several compact models to an aggressively designed, power-packed gaming system.

Featuring a new form factor, the Acer H233H bmid 23-inch display offers cinematic quality with sleek styling. This new display provides excellent picture quality, boasting a 16:9 aspect ratio for maximum HD support, a high contrast ratio and fast response time. The glossy black bezel adds an extra design element that looks attractive in any home or office.

The desktop PC line features the compact, yet powerful Acer® Aspire X3200, X1700 and X1200 small form factor (SFF) PCs outfitted with 3 to 4GB of memory. The newest member is the Aspire X1700, which boasts an Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core processor and 4GB DDR2 memory, for extremely fast system response.

“The new 23-inch display offers users the best HD support available with a sleek new form factor and advanced features, making it ideal for a variety of viewing needs,” said Stephanie Eggert, Senior Manager, Retail Desktop Product Planning for Acer America. “Boasting NVIDIA® GeForce® G100 graphics with DirectX 10 support, the new Aspire X1700 delivers stunning performance in a compact chassis. The powerful processor and graphics combination on our SFF desktops and Predator gaming PCs infuse games, movies and photos with rich, lifelike images.”

Sleek Display Provides Cinematic Quality for Entertaining and Productivity

Combining form and function, the Acer H233H bmid 23-inch widescreen high-definition LCD display offers consumers superb high-definition picture quality in a sleek design. The display also features SensorTouch technology, a touch-sensing solution with effortless settings for one-touch convenience. The LED illuminated controls replace the buttons that are standard on many displays. These intuitive controls maintain the product’s streamlined look, while automatically sensing contact with the lightest touch.

Whether playing games, watching movies, creating digital content or working, the Acer H233H bmid provides excellent visual quality. It delivers the maximum level of HD support with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1920×1080 resolution, making it ideal for viewing the latest high-definition video, movies and digital content.

To further enhance visual performance, the Acer H233H features a 40,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness and a 5ms response time. It also offers 160-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles for an improved viewing experience. Additionally, the display supports VGA and HDMI as well as DVI (with High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) for viewing digital movies, digital photos, PC files and copy protected content.

To boost the visual experience of movies and games, the Acer H233H bmid also comes with two premium speakers for high-performance sound.

Feature Rich, Compact Desktops

For ease and practicality, the Aspire X1200, X1700 and X3200 SFF desktops as well as the Aspire Predator gaming PC are designed with the card reader, audio jacks and ports located conveniently on the front of the chassis to provide easy access. The Aspire X1200, X1700 and X3200 towers measure just 10.4-inches (H) x 4-inches (W) x 14.4-inches (L).

Newest Model: Aspire X1700 – Power-Packed SFF

Packed with power and performance, the newest model in the line, the Aspire X1700 features an Intel® Pentium® Dual Core Processor E2200, which enables users to enjoy crystal-clear digital media, create advanced graphics, and handle productivity tasks with ease and speed. The 4GB DDR2 memory provides ultra-fast system response, critical for multitasking and power hungry applications. Integrated NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics enhance multimedia performance with support for the latest DirectX games. Connect directly to an external LCD or flat-screen TV with HDMI for crisp, high-quality visuals and high-fidelity audio using only one cable.

With nine USB 2.0 ports and a multi-in-one card reader, users can easily bring multimedia devices together. The huge 640GB SATA II hard drive (2) provides enough room to store a vast library of music, movies and games. Watch movies and burn DVDs and CDs with the SuperMulti Drive. With Labelflash™ technology, personalize CDs by laser burning unique, high-resolution transparent images directly on the label side of discs right after they’re burned.

Gaming PC: Radical Design, Ready for Combat

The Aspire Predator G7710 desktop PC series was designed to fire up gamers with its aggressive design, performance and price. This striking gaming rig pushes performance limits. It boasts a very powerful Intel i7-940 processor, a whopping 6GB DDR3 memory and an entire terabyte of storage for housing even the most graphic intensive games and movies. It’s also outfitted with a cutting-edge cooling system and RAID 0, 1, 5, 1+0 modes for keeping data secure. Action packed, this feature-rich machine comes armed with accessories, including a specially designed gaming mouse and a multimedia keyboard with keys that light up for play in the dark.

Posted by: Matt

HTC’s 2009 lineup leaked

There has been a rather interesting leak this afternoon, and I don’t mean the onion kind! The folks over at DIYPDA.com (via PPCGeeks via wmpoweruser and thanks to Edwardo for the heads-up!) has posted extensive photos of HTC’s handset lineup for 2009!

Looks like HTC are continuing to name their newer models after precious stones and metals with an excellent looking Diamond replacement in the Topaz and what looks like the rumoured QWERTY keyboarded version of the Touch HD in HTC Rhodium. I particularly like the look of the new HTC Athena (HTC Advantage) based device the HTC Athena 2 or HTC Thoth as it’s called here. There are even a couple of Android units in there if that tickles your fancy!

Naturally I’ll post more news as I get it but if you see anything that you want to share then please drop us a line!

The 2009 device names include: HTC Rhodium, Touch HD, HTC Topaz, HTC Memphis, HTC Iolite, HTC Twin, HTC Citrine, HTC Barium, HTC Tungsten, HTC Willow, HTC Cedar, HTC Firestone, HTC Whitestone, HTC Magnet, HTC Sapphire, HTC Jasper, HTC Hero and HTC Beryl.

Posted by: Matt

SanDisk announce new range of USB flash drives

Lots of news and announcements come out of CES and today SanDisk sent us over some of their latest news.

One-click backup devices themselves are not terribly new, however, as USB flash drive capacities continue to double every few months it’s now become possible to backup vast amounts of data and a USB key that’ll fit in your pocket. SanDisk aim to exploit this with their new Cruzer USB Flash Drive which will feature software that’ll back up your system at the press of a button and will, furthermore, AES encrypt that data.

SanDisk today introduced an innovative new family of SanDisk USB flash drives, including the world’s first backup USB flash drive with simple backup software activation at the touch of a button. The SanDisk Ultra Backup USB portable flash drive is the first offering of the company’s new SanDisk Ultra USB product line. With capacities up to 64GB the SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive is designed to protect computer users’ photos, music, videos, personal and business documents, and other types of digital files, with the simple touch of a button. No software installation is needed. The drive protects onboard digital content with a dual layer of security, including password-protected access control and ultra-secure AES hardware-based encryption.

The new SanDisk USB product family includes three different product lines:

1. The popular SanDisk Cruzer USB flash drive which provides simple, reliable and portable storage, plus access to a variety of U3 applications.
2. The SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive offers the added protection and peace of mind that consumers expect from the minds behind flash memory.
3. The SanDisk Extreme Contour provides increased security protection and higher performance levels, enclosed in a sleek, elegant industrial design.

SanDisk Ultra Backup USB Flash Drive: Back up critical files with the simple touch of a button

With no cables required, or any complicated software to install, the new SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive is a complete backup solution that provides an incredibly easy way to protect digital files. It uses patent-pending backup technology with capacities up to 64GB, large enough to back up average consumer requirements, as well as critical small business files and documents. In addition to one’s digital personal life, these products protect critical work files with a dual layer of both password protection and AES hardware encryption. This ensures content stays private and secure (via data scrambling at the flash controller level) when the drives are either physically removed for portability, or stored away for safe keeping.

The explosion in global sales of laptops and mobile devices has exponentially increased the vulnerability of digital files. Computer users can quickly lose precious photos, music, videos and professional work files due to drops, spills, theft, viruses and other incidents. PC Magazine (www.pcmag.com) conducted a research study on annualized notebook failure rates published in July 2008 which found that more than 24 percent of business notebooks need repair each year due to failures.

“Like flossing our teeth or balancing our checkbooks, when it comes to backing up our digital files, even though people know they should do it, they simply don’t – and that behavior is putting many consumers’ precious digital content at serious risk,” said Kent Perry, director of USB product marketing, SanDisk. “We’re delivering incredibly simple backup to protect people’s most valuable digital content at Main Street prices. With our wide array of capacities and price points, consumers can even choose to store particular file types like digital music or photos on different USB flash drives.”

 

A 2008 Consumer Electronics Association market research report, titled “Amassing Digital Fortunes: A Digital Storage Study,” found the average U.S. online adult has nearly 1,800 files stored, and plans to store another 1,060 digital files during the next year. This amounts to approximately 30GB³ of content that needs to be backed up. The study found that digital photos are considered to be the most valuable because of their irreplaceable natures.

 

SanDisk Cruzer USB Flash Drive: Reliable storage with a new contemporary look

The SanDisk Cruzer has been redesigned with a contemporary look as part of the new SanDisk USB family of flash drives. These portable, reliable drives are designed to share consumers’ digital world with ease, with up to 32GB of storage for simple sharing of photos, videos and other files.

The entire new SanDisk USB family introduces an iconic new design language developed by global innovation firm frog design. Signature design elements include juxtaposed L shapes that create a dynamic, yet balanced, composition, a bright red USB connector and a simple cap-less design, which exposes the USB connector for use via a dynamic sliding mechanism. When plugged in to a host device, a glowing, amber-colored LED light alerts users that the drives are ready for reading or writing data.

The new SanDisk USB family will continue to have U3™ Smart technology, developed by SanDisk, which allows applications to run from a SanDisk USB flash drive without having to be installed on a computer.⁴ PC-users can download a variety of both free and paid software, games and content by visiting www.u3.com, or by accessing the SanDisk USB Program Wizard in the U3 Launchpad. Among other bonus applications available for download is the Veoh^™ Web Player for SanDisk, which enables users to watch, download and share Internet video content.

The various product lines of SanDisk USB flash drives will continue to include the sleek and high-performance SanDisk Extreme Contour as its high-end storage solution for maximum security and speed. This showpiece of innovative design sports super-fast data transfer speeds at 25MB/second read and 18MB/second write.⁵ It also includes superior security with 256-bit AES USB hardware encryption and password-protected access control.

 

Pricing and Availability

The new SanDisk USB flash drives will first become available in April 2009.⁶ The SanDisk Cruzer drive will be available in capacities of 4GB-32GB with MSRPs ranging between $24.99 and $99.99. The SanDisk Ultra Backup drive will be available in capacities of 8GB-64GB with MSRPs ranging between $39.99 and $199.99. The SanDisk Extreme Contour USB flash drive is available in major retailers today.

Posted by: Matt

Samsung to release SMX-F34 YouTube friendly camcorder

It’s actually a question that we get asked frequently about Camcorders here at tracyandmatt; "Does this camcorder work properly with YouTube?".

While the answer to that question is invariably ‘yes’, it normally depends on the software that you use to process video but Samsung aim to simplify the process and are releasing the SMX-F34 which has a YouTube optimised recording mode.

Samsung, leaders in innovation and digital imaging, is pleased to announce the launch of the SMX-F34 digital camcorder – the successor to the company’s popular VP-MX20 compact edition – offering users substantial battery life of up to three hours, world-class Schneider optics, as well as added features and functionality, including built-in memory, digital still photo capability, and Samsung’s 42x Intelli-Zoom.

Image Processor

Featuring a high-performance 680K pixel CCD sensor, the SMX-F34 delivers a resolution of 720×480 and also incorporates Samsung’s new image processor which drastically enhances the overall digital imaging experience for the end user. Samsung’s new image processor yields higher-quality video, 3-D Noise Reduction, Face Detection for up to five subjects, a brighter 2.7 inch LCD display, as well as H.264 compression. It also reduces power consumption, which translates to longer battery life. On a single charge, consumers can record up to three hours of uninterrupted video – a beneficial feature for those who wish to shoot for extended periods of time.

Web & Mobile shooting mode

The SMX-F34 is also the ideal camcorder for the YouTube™ videographer who shares their content with friends and family by uploading video to the Web. Featuring a Web & Mobile shooting mode, users can set the SMX-F34 to record in the exact format and resolution required by YouTube™, resulting in faster upload times. By selecting the Web & Mobile mode, the camcorder’s resolution is automatically adjusted to 640×480 (H.264 / AAC / MP4) and optimized for use on Web sites. Furthermore, unlike other camcorders, users can easily import video from the SMX-F34 and play it on MP3 players and other portable multimedia players supporting H.264, without having to convert the files.

Still Photos

An additional feature that separates the SMX-F34 from its VP-MX20 sibling is its ability to capture digital still photos. A dedicated Photo mode allows consumers to use the SMX-F34 camcorder as a digital camera, snapping 800×600 resolution images. When coupled with the camcorder’s high-quality, Schneider lens, and improved Advanced Image Stabilization, users can rest assured that they’ll be able to capture life the way they see it, with stunning colour and clarity

On-board Memory

The SMX-F34 features a memory card slot for SD/SDHC and MMC+ and also offers 16GB of internal flash memory. Samsung is the first digital imaging company to apply H.264 compression to standard definition video, which considerably extends record times. Thanks to H.264 compression, users can record up to eight hours of standard definition video directly to the camcorder’s internal 16GB flash memory without having to rely on a memory card.

“With the SMX-F34, Samsung has given consumers of any skill level the ability to incorporate digital video into their everyday lives with style,” said Steve Mitchell, General Manager Marketing, Samsung Digital Imaging Division.

“This is a camcorder that anyone can pick up and use without feeling intimidated, and which offers a full suite of features that would typically demand a higher price tag. Without breaking the bank, Samsung gives consumers the ability to leverage high-performance optics and imaging technologies that will enhance their overall digital imaging experience and encourage them to explore digital video for all that it has to offer.”

The SMX-F34 will feature Samsung’s exclusive swivel hand-grip, which effortlessly adjusts for regular and low angle shooting. The SMX-F34 will be available from leading high street and online retailers from March 2009. Customers requiring further information should call 0845 726 7864 or visit samsungcamera.co.uk

Posted by: Matt

Sony enters Digital Photo Frame market

In their press announcement at CES, Sony have announced that they are entering the digital photo frame market with a range of models from 7" up to 10". Sony have even taken the technology from their Bravia HD LCD televisions in order to include advanced image processing as well as some cool features such as red-eye reduction and soft filter to give your photos a more professional look.

New photo frames by Sony: pretty as a picture

Beautiful images, great design, fun features… and so easy to use

• New-generation Super Photo LCD panel (up to 10-inch) for unmatched detail, contrast and brightness
• Biggest-ever 2GB capacity stores up to 4,000 images
• Expanded choice of Auto Touch-up functions corrects common picture problems
• Friendly user interface & easy-to-use new picture search finds stored photos in moments
• Creative & wide range of slideshow, calendar, clock and fun viewing modes

Now there are even more reasons to show off your treasured memories. The new range of ‘S-Frame’ digital photo frames by Sony boasts best-ever HD picture quality plus a wide range of fun, easy-to-use viewing features.

With luxurious styling and a choice of screen sizes – from 7 inches up to a massive 10 inches – you’ll find the perfect photo frame to flatter any interior.

Just slip in the media card from virtually any digital camera or connect a PC to transfer your photo collection. X-Series frames include an extra-large 2GB memory, capable of storing up to 4,000 photos (NB: images are saved at 2 megapixel resolution to increase effective capacity).

Range-topping X-Series models feature a Super Photo LCD panel. This newly-developed LCD displays incredibly natural, detail-packed images with extremely high contrast and reduced glare. You’ll see the difference with deep, rich, blacks and opulent shadow tones, even in bright viewing conditions thanks to the Jet black feature.

Featured on all X- and V-Series models, the BIONZ imaging processor brings your pictures to life with exquisite detail, vivid colour and natural tones. This powerful image processing engine also accommodates large image files with ease, displaying the highest-resolution photos in moments when other photo frames struggle to keep up.

Powered by the BIONZ processor, Auto Touch-Up (X- and V-Series) now fixes an even wider range of common image problems. Red-eye, soft focus, skin blemishes and other faults can be fixed instantly to give your pictures even more sparkle, with no PC needed thanks to the Exposure correction.

Viewing options are wider and more accessible than ever before. There’s a huge range of new slideshow modes, including clock, calendar, ‘time machine’ (slideshow with date of photo), scrapbook and creative view modes to show off your images. You can even create your own calendar with the desired picture for each month and add a reminder (for example birthday or anniversary) via icons or directly add text

Easy-to-use new picture search functions (X- and V-Series) make it easy to track down your favourite photo from hundreds or thousands. Stored images can be browsed by events, markers or folders, helping you pinpoint the right picture in moments. If you copy a folder from your PC it will keep the name making it much easier to find the picture of your holiday in the Caribbean.

All S-Frame models feature an auto-orientation sensor. This intelligently ‘flips’ images so they’re always displayed with correct orientation, whether the frame is placed in portrait or landscape positions.

A new alarm clock function lets you wake up to your favourite pictures. There’s also a new auto-dimmer (X- and V-Series) that reduces panel brightness when room lighting levels are reduced so no waste of energy, in term of eco friendly as well you can choose the time when you want it on or off.

X- and V-Series models can be connected to any HD Ready television, letting you enjoy big-screen slideshows with musical accompaniment.

The new range of S-Frame digital photo frames by Sony is available from April 2009.

Naturally, we’ll be trying to get our hands some of these photo frames to review.

Posted by: Matt

T-Mobile Dash Now Back in Black

A slightly revamped version of the T-Mobile Dash is now available. This includes a new look and an upgrade to the latest version of Windows Mobile.

The new Dash drops the black-and-silver casing of the original in exchange for one that is a very dark grey, but T-Mobile insists in actually black. Nothing else about the actual design of this model has changed.

T-Mobile Dash

On the inside, this model sports Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, the most recent edition of Microsoft’s operating system for smartphones without touchscreens.

It is available now on T-Mobile’s website for $100 with a qualifying service contract and mail-in rebate.

The T-Mobile Dash isn’t a new model as it debuted over two years ago but it has been T-Mobile’s most popular Windows Mobile device, and a jump to the latest version of this operating system breathes new life into it.

It uses a popular design for smartphones a slim tablet shape with a QWERTY keyboard below the screen. This model includes a 320-by-240-pixel display that is in landscape mode by default.

The Dash is a quad-band GSM phone that has Wi-Fi b/g and Stereo Bluetooth, but does not support T-Mobile’s 3G network.

It also has a microSD memory card slot and a 1.3 MPx camera.

Like all Windows Mobile devices, it offers Push corporate email and a suite of productivity and entertainment software.

Overall, this model is 2.5 by 4.4 by 0.5 inches, and it weighs 4.2 ounces.

Posted by: John

LG announces dual SIM KS660 and 3G wristwatch GD910

LG have announced two new mobiles for the Asian and Eastern European markets which will come in the shape of the new touchscreen based LG KS660 which will support two SIM cards simultaneously (a first for LG) and the extravagant GD910 mobile phone which will take the shape of a wristwatch.

The LG KS660 is a dual-SIM phone supporting tri-band GSM connectivity. It has a 3-inch TFT touchscreen display with WQVGA resolution (400×240), 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and video recording at 720×480@15fps. Additional specs include 50MB internal storage, microSD expansion slot (up to 4GB), Bluetooth and USB capabilities. Unfortunately the phone lacks in 3G and Wi-Fi which could prove to be an awful mistake from the LG camp.

LG KS660

The second mobile phone is LG GD910 and it comes in the unusual wristwatch form factor.

LG GD910

You may remember the wristwatch prototype by LG that was displayed at the MWC 2008. Well, they’ve made it real this time and it would be first showcased at the CES 2009 next month.

The LG GD910 is 13.9 mm thick and sports a 1.43-inch touch LCD screen. The main selling point of the device is 3G video calls thanks to the front-facing camera.

Behind the watch disguise you will also find HSDPA and Bluetooth connectivity, voice dialling and speech recognition, text-to-speech feature and a music player.

Currently, we don’t have any information about pricing or availability of either device but we will do our upmost to bring you that information ASAP.

Posted by: John