ASUS Launches P750 PDA in India

ASUS has launched their latest PDA phone, the P750 in Mumbai. The P750 is a fully loaded Tri-Band GSM PDA phone with GPS capabilities as well as Wi-Fi, 3.5G with HSDPA and Bluetooth with A2DP connectivity. This particular model is also the winner of the 2007 Japan G-Mark Award.
The P750 incorporates a host of specific business features that include Ur Time (view the time of various cities on the Today screen). It ties in with Meeting Time Planner to help facilitate business planning for meetings etc. a little easier. The Newstation provides up-to-date news and blog updates through RSS settings. Another handy feature is the Auto Cleaner function that enables operating with the best performance by cleaning up unwanted data. Since the P750 has a 3 megapixel auto-focus camera ASUS has also incorporated Business Card Recognition feature

Other features include Travelog which is a feature that allows users to record and share their traveling pictures, routes, Points of Interests (POIs) and schedules. With support for Google Earth’s satellite maps format, users can create a diary of events during their travels and put together snapshots and other interesting tidbits of their travels onto their blogs – allowing them to share with others their memorable travels as they trek across from one key point to another along their journeys. The ASUS P750’s Location Courier feature will also help prevent users from ever getting lost by accurately and periodically reporting their position to their pre-defined friends' contacts.
The device runs on Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional and supports external memory with microSD cards. It's equipped with a 2.6-inch touch screen display that supports a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 65K colors.

The ASUS P750 is priced at Rs. 28,900 and is available in stores.

MacWorld 2008: Apple Macbook Air Steals the Show!

The new Macbook Air – 'the world's thinnest notebook' – was clearly the highlight of Apple CEO Steve Jobs' keynote at MacWorld 2008 which has just kicked off in San Francisco. We're not covering it from location at Tech2.com but here's a quick summary of the major announcements from the keynote:

• Macbook Air – a super thin laptop with an 80GB hard drive or a 64 GB SSD but no inbuilt CD/DVD drive.
• Time Capsule – a 1 Terabyte hard disk which also doubles up as a Wi-Fi base station and allows Mac users to wirelessly backup all their data.
• Free software update for the iPhone – version 1.1.3
• Paid software upgrade for the iPod Touch, which includes new apps like Maps, Mail, Weather, Stocks etc.
• iTunes movie rentals, including HD movies.
• New software and lower price for Apple TV.
• Free digital copies of purchases of 20th Century Fox DVDs.

The first two in the list above should be available in India in about a month if recent Mac launches' time-to-India are anything to go by. We suspect though, that US demand for the Macbook Air will delay its availability in Asia and therefore India for longer than four weeks.

The iPhone software update will take a while to be cracked so Indians using hacked iPhones will not be able to take advantage of the update immediately. However, once it IS cracked, the much desired "SMS to multiple contacts" feature will be a welcome relief.

The fact that existing iPod Touch users will have to pay ($20 if you have an iTunes account, which itself is not possible with an Indian credit card!) for the software update is a major downer! If the iPhone update is free, why charge for iTouch? New iPod Touches though will come with the new software, so we advise you not to buy the iPod Touch in India till the new ones have hit the shelves in a few weeks.

The iTunes store is not officially accessible in India and neither is Apple TV so the last three don't really matter to Indian readers of Tech2.com but I'm sure many of our tech-savvy international readers are scoffing at the last item. Nearly everyone who legally purchases DVDs has figured out how to create digital copies of their own stuff, but then again, the movie and music industries seem to be in denial. We're surprised that Disney didn't sign up on this as well, since Steve Jobs is the company's largest shareholder.

There's some excellent coverage of MacWorld 2008 at Engadget and Gizmodo for those of you who want all the dirty details!

CES 2008: Motorola Shows Phones, Speakers and Headsets

t was Motorola’s turn to dazzle audiences CES 2008 with their latest additions in mobiles. On display were their multimedia handsets - ROKR E8 and the Z10. Motorola also had a few of their Bluetooth accessories in the form of headsets and speakers also on display at their CES 2008 booth.

Motorola ROKR E8

Making the scene at Motorola’s CES 2008 booth was the stylish and very catchy ROKR E8 music mobile. Even though you’ll compromise on screen size with just 2 inches, what makes the E8 such a unique mobile is the touch sensitive keypad. Only certain keys are illuminated depending on the application that’s running. To be more specific, special keys are highlighted if the music player is running for navigating the music player menu and the same goes for video and while viewing images. What the keypad also incorporates is vibrating haptics technology that provides tactile feedback to users.

Another unique feature in the E8 is the navigation wheel, similar to the iPods. Other features include Motorola’s Crystal Talk technology, an integrated FM radio, Windows Media Player 11 compatibility for music transfer, 2Gb of internal memory, a 3.5mm earphone socket, Bluetooth with A2DP compatibility and a 2 megapixel camera.

Samsung's F490 Specs Revealed

The specifications of Samsung’s F490 multimedia phone slash another iPhone wannabe, have been released. This 3G ready, HSDPA and EDGE enabled tri band mobile features a large 3.2 inch TFT touch screen display and sports a resolution of 240 x 432 pixels, so it still falls a bit short of Apple's created benchmark. On the plus side the display actually features a 16:9 widescreen ratio, which does have merit when it comes to videos.

Where it would do better than the iPhone would be in the camera section as the F490 features a 5 megapixel camera (no auto-focus) that runs a on the Croix UI. It also has an LED flash and is capable of recording video in MPEG4 format with QVGA resolution at 15 frames per second.

From the multimedia angle the F490 supports Bluetooth with an A2DP profile as well so it supports wireless stereo Bluetooth headsets. But in case that seems like too much for an average users it also has a 3.5mm earphone socket so you’re free to use any headset you may already own. The video player supports WMV, MPEG4, H.263, H.264 file formats in up to VGA resolution at 30fps. The F490 has a 130MB of internal space that can be extended with the support of microSD cards.

The touch screen display also supports haptic feedback. This makes using the surface a lot easier since the display actually lets the user know that selected options have been selected though the vibrating feedback.

Samsung F490 will be out sometime in February of this year and will be priced at approximately Rs. 30,600(530 Euros).

ome » News » Headphones & Headsets MP3s & Gizmos » Logitech Launches BT Necklace, Earphones

Logitech Japan has launched a new Bluetooth product, the LBT-HP210C2BK. I’m sure there must be at a least a few people out there capable of remembering such a long name if they were to go to a store to purchase this. But an easier way to describe it is Logitech’s new Bluetooth Necklace.

The LBT-HP210C2BK, with its inbuilt Bluetooth radio is capable of controlling any Bluetooth device like MP3 players or mobile phones that supports A2DP profiles. It also has a set of earphones attached that support virtual 3D sound.

There’s no price or availability details provided yet.

Logitech Launches Labtec Range in India

Swiss-based Logitech has launched its Labtec range of PC peripherals in India, with Redington being the sole distributor of the brand.

The first products to be launched under the Labtec brand will include a range of mice, Labtec Ultra-flat Wireless Desktop USB and Labtec 2.4 Ghz Notebook Presenter.

The Labtec 2.4 GHz Notebook Presenter has a range of up to 30-feet, with its intuitive controls helping users slide forward/backward and launch slideshows. It comes with a black screen and integrated laser pointer, has a 2-year warranty and is priced at Rs. 1,899.

The 1200-dpi Labtec Wireless Laser Mouse for notebooks comes with a compact USB mini-receiver and recharging cable store inside the mouse for quick portability and when stored, the mini-receiver shuts off the mouse to save power. It has a 2-year warranty and is priced at Rs. 1,399.

The Labtec Mini Optical Glow Mouse comes with seven glowing colours, has 1000-dpi optical accuracy, is compatible with Windows 2000, XP, and Windows Vista and comes with USB connection. It has a 2 year warranty and is priced at Rs. 499.

The Labtec Notebook Optical Mouse Pro is equipped with a retractable cord. The 400-dpi optical mouse comes with a 2-year warranty and is USB-compatible. It is priced at RS. 399.

Labtec Ultra-flat Wireless Desktop USB features an ultra-flat keyboard that offers one-touch controls and a matching wireless 800-dpi optical mouse. It has a 2-year warranty and is priced at Rs. 1,099.

Subrotah Biswas, Country Manager, India and SAARC, Logitech, said, "Labtec products will complement the existing Logitech portfolio and offer a broader variety of products at multiple price-performance points to the consumer. Redington is ideally suited to help us achieve our goal."

P.M Sethumadhavan, SBU head for PC components, Redington, said, "We share Logitech vision in the peripheral market. Our experience in PC and notebook distribution puts us at a unique advantage and we hope to capitalize on that."

CES 2008: Lenovo Launches IdeaPad Laptops

Looking to beef up its product portfolio, Lenovo has decided to unveil its new 'IdeaPad' range of laptops. The models being introduced are the Y510, Y710, and U110. They will be powered by Intel’s Penryn processors, come with with face recognition technology, Dolby Home Theater surround sound, dedicated gaming controls, frameless screens, touch-sensitive control surfaces, and unique textures.
The Y710, which is expected to be the high-end flagship model, comes with an Intel Penryn (2.5Ghz C2D T9300) CPU, a 17 inch panel with 1440 x 900 native screen resolution, ATI Mobility Radeon HD2600 (256MB) graphics card, 500GB hard drive, up to 4GB of system memory, Blu-ray DVD reader, 1.3 mega pixel camera, a/b/g/n wireless, four hours of battery life, and Vista Home Premium.

The budget range will be represented by the IdeaPad Y510. This model is a 15.4 inch laptop with an 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo T5550 processor, Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (up to 256 MB) graphics, 250GB HDD and 4 GB of system memory.

In contrast to the above, the U110 an ultraportable 11 inch widescreen laptop. It weighs only 2.3 pounds and is 0.7 inches deep. The specifications are unknown but it will have support for both SSD and Lenovo’s Active Protection System, an airbag-like device that parks the hard drive to help protect data in case of a fall.

The IdeaPads are expected to be available in the stores by the end of this month or in early February.

Mobile Soap Operas to Hit India Soon

If you happen to be a hardcore fan of Indian soap operas who travels a lot and doesn’t want to miss your favorite serial, here's some good news. Rajshri Productions' Rajshri Media, which was set up last year to focus on new media entertainment such as mobile phones and the Internet and claims to be "India's #1 Broadband Portal", is getting ready to launch the first ever 90-episode serial for mobile devices.
This mobile series is going to be a comedic soap opera running for 3 minutes per episode and should be out by the end of January 2008. Obviously we can't expect a Saas Bahu series just yet, but who can tell what the future holds? Such an endeavor has never been undertaken before; India is the first country to see programming of this sort.

Word has it that the company is also planning to target consumers who use PMPs. Sounds like a great idea to us. Stay tuned for more information on how to get these episodes.

LG Viewty Launched in India

LG Electronics has announced the launch of LG Viewty (LG-KU990) in India.This candy bar styled phone has a large 3-inch LCD touch screen with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels and sports 256K colors. It has an inbuilt memory of 100MB and also supports external memory through microSD cards. It's 3G enabled with HSDPA for faster connectivity, Bluetooth v1.2 enabled with A2DP compatibility and USB v2.0.

The main feature of course is the 5 megapixel, auto-focus camera with a Xenon flash. The Viewty's camera is also equipped with anti-shake image stabilizer and face-tracking software and manual focus. It incorporates an application that allows users to upload videos to the net to sites like YouTube and features a photo editor application for making changes to images shot through the camera that can capture 120 frames per second. There’s also a VGA camera located in the front for video calling.

Speaking at the launch, V. Ramachandran, Director, Sales and Marketing, LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. said, "Mobile users are aspiring for better quality images to capture life's special moments and we have responded to the market needs by launching Viewty. Following the success of Chocolate and Shine phones, we expect to have a hat trick with Viewty. In fact Viewty is seen as a much awaited product from LG and we are sure our technological edge and style factor will be taken well in the Indian market."

The LG Viewty is available in the market for Rs. 21,900

Latest iPhone Upgrade Out

Apple iPhone fans are going to flip out with the new firmware upgrade 1.1.3. The GearLive video going around will show exactly why you’ll need to wear a padded suit in case your flip flops. The new features are something we would have expected Apple to have incorporated in the iPhone in the beginning, nevertheless, they’re here now.
What the video will show us is that the menu has now become extremely customizable with icons that can be moved all over the place and even onto a new page as well. Icons and applications can also be moved to and removed from the main dock. The newer firmware will finally allow you to send multiple SMS, you won’t need to waste time with a single message that needs to reach a group of people. Hopefully creating groups will be part of the next upgrade.
Google Maps is also looking much better with the My Location addition. There is also a Hybrid Map option that will show users a Satellite view with a Map overlay. The new Google Maps on the iPhone will also allow you to plot routes and as the guys from GearLive state, it’s as close to GPS as it can get. Web page bookmarks can also be added and deleted form the home screen with the new upgrade.

This may not necessarily be the final cut of Version 1.1.3, so there are possibilities of the handset hanging wile running a few of the new upgrades, but it’s a start right. However, the bad news is, applying this upgrade to an unlocked iPhone will mean the end of your iPhone unfortunately. Don't go into your Flip routine just yet. We'll keep you updated. Have a Great New Year Techies.

Fujtisu To Launch 2 Penryn-based Laptops

Unlike Acer and Sony, Fujitsu will be launching just two new models that will run on Penryn processors. These will be the Amilo Xi 2550 and 2428 and will feature the Core 2 Duo T8300 (2.4GHz) and T9300 (2.6GHz) processors respectively.



Both of them will come with 2GB RAM, 250GB hard drive, 15.4 inch WXGA (1280 x 800) BrilliantView display, dual layer DVD burner, webcam, HDMI, and Vista Premium Edition.

For the graphics , the Amilo Xi 2428 will ship with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS 256MB while the 2550 will sport ATI Mobility Radeon HD2400 128MB. Both will retail from next month with a starting price of $1,763.

The upcoming Penryn juggernaut keeps on rolling. The latest company to join this growing list is HP, which is expected to release four new laptops. The models being released are the Pavilion HDX 9200 (20.1 inch), dv2700 (14.1 inch), dv6700 (15.4 inch), and dv9700 (17 inch).
Among these new models, the HDX 9200 will probably receive the most interest as it's one of the most powerful laptops to come out in the next quarter. It will have support for various Intel processors, including Core 2 Extreme X9000 / X7900 and Core 2 Duo T8300 / T8100. It's expected to come with 4GB RAM, 640GB storage, dedicated Nvidia or ATI graphics cards, option of HD DVD / Blu-ray drive, HDMI, 802.11n support, and multiple display connectivity options.

Sony To Launch Penryn-based Laptops In Feb

Intel’s Penryn / 45nm launch is still 4 days away and already the leaks are beginning. The first off as usual is Sony. They are planning on revamping their FZ, SZ, CR, and AR Series with the latest 45nm Intel Penryn processors.
Among the CR series, the first laptop to be released will be the the CR31S. This will be a 14.1-inch notebook with Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 (2.1 GHz), 2GB DDR2 memory, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) X3100, 160GB SATA hard drive, dual layer DVD writer, 802.11a/b/g wireless, Bluetooth, webcam, and Vista Home Premium. The SZ series will see the launch of the 13.3-inch VAIO SZ71XN / C and 15.4-inch FZ38M. Both these laptops have specs similar to the CR series, except they will also carry Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS and 200GB hard drive.

The FZ series will see the launch of the FZ31Z a with Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 (2.4GHz) processor, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 256MB memory, 300GB storage, and Blu-Ray drive. Finally the uppermost range, the AR series will be graced with 17-inch AR61Z which is a desktop replacement with the config of the FZ31Z and 500GB storage.

Prices are unknown as of right now. These laptops will be available in retail channels in early Feb.