Now Available : Transcend JetFlash V85

One more Transcend USB flash drive has been introduced -- the 16GB JetFlash V85.
With a sleek zinc-alloy body, the JetFlash V85 measures 49.5mm by 15.8mm by 7.4mm, and can easily slide into small pockets or tightly-stacked USB ports. It stores personal and office documents, music, images, videos, movies, and more.
The V85 too bundles Transcend's JetFlash Elite software that includes seven tools to help manage mobile data. These include: Website auto-login, PC-Lock, favorites, secret-zip, e-mail, data backup, and online update.

The new JetFlash supports Windows 98SE/2000/Me/XP/Vista, Mac, and Linux, and is available in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities. It is fully hi-speed USB 2.0-compliant and compatible with USB 1.0/1.1, and comes with easy plug and play operation.
The JetFlash V85 16GB is priced at Rs 4,250, and enjoys a three-years warranty.Source

Hawking Technologies Wireless-300N USB Adapter

Hawking Technologies has released its Wireless-300N USB Adapter with Upgradeable Antennas, targeting Mac users specifically in order to provide significant range extension options. Suitable for small office/home office (SOHO) and small-to-medium business (SMB) users, the new compact 802.11n 300Mbps USB Adapter known as the HWUN1A has the distinction of being the first such adapter designed for Apple Mac users that features a couple of two removable antennas. The included external antennas are easily removed and can receive an upgrade in the form of a Hawking Hi-Gain antenna for superior improvement when it comes to its wireless range.

According to Daniel Chan, Associate Product Manager at Hawking Technologies, “The problem with wireless networks these days isn’t the speed, but the distance. If your wireless adapter does not have the wireless strength to go the distance, your network speed won’t make any difference. You’ll either end up with a weak signal or get dropped from your network entirely, and that results in slow file transfers and a lack of mobility. Like its sister product, the HWUN1 for PC users, the HWUN1A provides Mac users with the extended wireless range they need by utilizing new Wireless-N technology. The removable antennas give Mac users the ability to customize their wireless networks for their specific applications. Most importantly, the HWUN1A can resolve most WiFi trouble spot scenarios by allowing users to choose from our full line of Hi-Gain WiFi Range Extending solutions. And the best part: installing the HWUN1A is easy – just pop in the CD to install the software, plug in the adapter, and you’re connected.”

Some of the key features of the HWUN1A include :-

• Wireless networking compatibility with any Mac OS X 10.3 and up (Intel or Power PC) system
• 2 Upgradable Antennas allow for better wireless range and performance options
• Installs in seconds with intuitive, easy-to-follow Setup Wizard
• Supports WPA2, WPA, and WEP wireless security
• Plug-and-Play compatibility with all Hawking Hi-Gain WiFi Range Extending Antennas
• Latest 802.11n technology delivers wireless data transfer speeds of up to 300Mbps

Macbook Air Hacked in Under 2 Minutes

One of the things that Apple has always prided itself over and promoted in no uncertain terms, has been the so-called 'robust security' offered by its OSX operating system. However this supposition of Apple's took a huge beating on Thursday when a team of researchers from Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) managed to hack a MacBook Air in just two minutes using a previously unknown security vulnerability in Apple’s own safari browser.

The people who did the 'hack' were ISE security researchers - Charlie Miller, Jake Honoroff, and Mark Daniel – who were participating in the "PWN to OWN" competition at the CanSecWest security conference, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In this competition there were 3 laptops, with different OS’s offered for being hacked into. These included an Apple Macbook Air running OS X 10.5.2, a Sony Vaio VGN-TZ37CN running Ubuntu 7.10 and a Fujitsu U810 running Vista Ultimate SP1. Anyone who could successfully hack or exploit these machines would win a $10,000 price from famous security company Tipping Point.
The first to go was of course the Macbook, followed by Windows Vista. Ubuntu stood strong despite repeated attempts.Source

Dell Unveils Sub-$1000 Blu-ray Laptop

Dell is offering a Blu-ray laptop, the Inspiron 1525, for under $1000.Available from today on dell.com, movie buffs can pick up the laptop with optional Blu-ray disc playback starting at $879.
The Inspiron 1525 laptop features a 15.4-inch high definition wide aspect display with 720p resolution. It also includes an HDMI port for easy connectivity to high resolution displays and HDTVs.The Blu-ray player disc drive is fully backwards compatible, and will play as well as burn traditional DVDs and CDs. Consumers can also choose a Blu-ray burner drive for backing up and storing important files like digital photos, videos, financial records, etc. A Blu-ray disc can hold up to 50 GB of data, vs. 8.5 GB available on the typical DVD disc.

The Inspiron 1525 offers designs like Chill, Blossom and Commotion, in colors like Sunshine Yellow, Midnight Blue and Ruby Red.Dell Inspiron 1525 laptops with Blu-ray disc drives incorporate Broadcom Media PC technology that allows PCs with integrated graphics to play high definition video. The high-definition video playback is enabled through a built-in dedicated accelerator located in a mini-card slot.The Inspiron 1525 features Dell MediaDirect technology, which provides one button instant access to media files, even if the system is powered off or in hibernation mode. Optional accessories include a slim travel power adapter ($80), Dell travel remote control that slips into the ExpressCard slot ($22), and Creative noise-isolation earphones ($25). As of now the Inspiron 1525 laptop with Blu-ray is in the U.S., Canada and Europe, but let's hope with the tie-up with Croma we get to see this laptop here pretty soon.Source

Fujitsu Announces 7200-RPM 320 GB 2.5" HDD

Fujitsu has announced its new MHZ2 BJ series of 2.5" hard disk drives that feature a rotational speed of 7200 RPM and capacities up to 320 GB. The new series is designed for use in high-performance PCs, such as high-end notebook computers and compact desktops.

The series supports the Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s interface, which has been rapidly adopted throughout the industry, for high-speed data transfers.

The MHZ2 BJ series requires 2.3 W of power for read and write operations, ranking it among the most power-efficient drives in its class. The series is one of many new products announced as part of Fujitsu's Green Policy Innovation initiative, unveiled in December 2007 to promote energy-efficient products and services as a way to help customers lower their ecological footprint. They are manufactured in compliance with the EU's RoHS Directive(3), which limits the use of hazardous substances.
Sales of the new series will begin at the end of June 2008.Source

MOTOMING Reinvented... Again

Motorola has its issues with their whole mobile division seemingly falling apart or simply in a temporary (hopefully) state of disarray but that hasn’t stopped these guys from coming up with new handsets or at least reinventing old ones. The A1200 Ming was a great design concept as it was and Motorola’s desperately trying to make it better. A1600 was the next in line but it seems like they didn’t think that was enough, so enter the MING A1800.

From what we can see in the pictures the design seems to be more like the conventional MING was. The specs however are a different story. The A8100 will be equipped with a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, and get this... it’s a Dual Sim handset. It will support CDMA as well as GSM operators. So far that’s all that’s been revealed. Stay Tuned.Source

Thanko Develops DAP with Manual Charger

Have you ever had a problem with boredom and your only means of entertainment, your precious MP3 player, has died from sheer exhaustion? I’d consider this a crisis people, especially if there’s no way to charge it up. Thank goodness for companies like Thanko who love inventing gadgets for just such situations.

Their latest development is their Cranking MP3 player. Why ‘Cranking’? That’s because the player has a wind up lever so you can manually charge it up. One minute of a little arm exercising with the player will give you boredom relief of about 10 minutes. SO you’ll at least be able to listen to your music for a bit longer. Of course the player can also be charged normally through AC (adapter) or via USB when connected to a USB.
It comes equipped with 1GB of internal memory and should set you back about Rs. 2,416 (6000 Yen).Source

Lamborghini Launches BT Headset

t’d think it was a rather obvious tie up consider there’s a Lamborghini mobile handset. If you have a phone and a Laptop with a branding like that, why not go all the way and get some accessories as well. And what’s a better accessory for high-end mobile phone, than a customized honest-to-goodness, high-end, matching Bluetooth headset.

The son of the famous Ferruccio Lamborghini, Tonino Lamborghini has helped design the headset called the Bello. It’s a small Bluetooth headset that can apparently provide up to 6 hours of talk time and a whopping 160 hours of standby. And what would a headset like this with the Famous Bull logo on it go for? A mere Rs. 2,800 ($70). Source

Sony Unveils First BD ROM Drive

Sony Electronics has unveiled its first internal Blu-ray Disc (BD) ROM Drive, the BDU-X10S for the computer after-market. According to Sony, the BDU-X10S offers consumers an affordable option to upgrade their desktop to a Blu-ray player that can also play DVDs and CDs.

BDU-X10S comes bundled with CyberLink's PowerDVD BD Edition software for playback of commercial movie titles, recorded Blu-ray Disc home videos, DVD-ROMs, and CD-ROMs. The BD ROM Drive also supports playback of recorded Blu-ray Discs in MPEG-2 or H.264 format, standard DVD-Video discs or recorded DVDs encoded with MPEG-2 or AVCHD formats.
The internal drive allows easy transfer of data or videos through its high-speed Serial ATA (SATA) interface. Its standard 5.25-inches form factor enables easy installation in desktop PCs running Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems, and is an ideal replacement for an existing DVD-ROM drive. The BDU-X10S is capable of playing back commercial Blu-ray movies as well as personally-created Blu-ray content. Commercial Blu-ray movies can be viewed on computers that incorporate an HDCP-compliant graphics card offering DVI or HDMI connections, HDCP-compliant computer display, and software that supports BD-ROM playback.
Other technical specifications of the BDU-X10S include: 8x DVD ROM (Read Only), 24X CD-ROM (Read Only), Data Buffer size of 4MB, physical dimensions of 5.25 x 1.63 x 7.0-inches and installation angle supporting both vertical and horizontal. The BDU-X10S is available through Rashi Peripherals and its branches throughout India for a MRP of Rs 16,950. It comes with a one-year warranty.Source

Turok (PC) Dated

After stabbing the crap out of dinosaurs on the Xbox360 and the PS3, Turok, the dinosaur hunter is all set to invade PCs this April. The PC port (that by the way will be available from the 22nd of April) will be developed by Aspyr Studios (Stubbs the Zombie) and will not feature any sort of unique content except for mouse and keyboard support.

If you’ve missed this game on consoles you may want to try it out for the PC since it’s a pretty enjoyable albeit brainless shooter. Source

Free Web Version of Photoshop Launched

he maker of the popular photo-editing software Photoshop today launched a basic version available for free online.

San Jose, Calif.-based Adobe Systems Inc. says it hopes to boost its name recognition among a new generation of consumers who edit, store and share photos online.While Photoshop is designed for trained professionals, Adobe says Photoshop Express, which it launched in a ''beta'' test version, is easier to learn. User comments will be taken into account for future upgrades.Photoshop Express will be completely Web-based so consumers can use it with any type of computer, operating system and browser. And, once they register, users can get to their accounts from different computers.Web-based software is increasingly popular, and Adobe knows it's got to get on that train, said Kathleen Maher, an analyst at Jon Peddie Research.Many kinds of software are available for use online in a trend known as ''software as a service,'' or ''cloud computing.'' The earliest were e-mail programs, but they now include services to create and manage content and even whole operating systems. And they don't require time-consuming upgrades because they're maintained by the service provider.
Google Inc. provides a host of such services, as do Microsoft Corp. and others.
''This is the battlefield where Adobe and Microsoft and Google are going to fight some pretty big battles,'' Maher said.
Photoshop enters the online photo-management arena many years after such services first appeared. Some companies have already made a big name for themselves, like 9-year-old storage solution Shutterfly Inc., photo-editing service Picnik or image-sharing site Photobucket Inc.Adobe says providing Photoshop Express for free is part marketing and part a strategy to create up-sell opportunities. It hopes some customers will move from it to boxed software like its $99 Photoshop Elements or to a subscription-based version of Express that's in the works.Ron Glaz, a research analyst at IDC, says the move was necessary for Adobe to keep pace. Users are less likely to switch to a software they aren't familiar with, he said.''They have a whole market that they are missing out on, and they need to make sure that the market is aware there is a Photoshop solution for them. As that market grows and becomes more sophisticated, hopefully it will generate money,'' Glaz said.
''It's one of those things, if you can't beat them, join them,'' Glaz said. ''If they don't join them, the long run could be really painful.''Source

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Announced

Remember 50 Cent: Bulletproof? Remember how much that game sucked? Yeah well apparently it sold really well so Vivendi Universal are back with a sequel called 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand.

By Blood on the Sand they don’t mean the sand of a beach resort cos that would be way too mellow for Fiddy and his band of badass thugs AKA Gggggg G unit. This time around these player haters actually find themselves stuck in a war torn unnamed Middle Eastern country after one of their concerts gets fudged. As expected tons of F Bombs, rapping, bling and terrorist killing ensue.

The game is being developed by Swordfish Studios (Cold Winter) using the Unreal 3 engine and will include a bullet time mechanic called Gangster Fire that as the name suggests will allow Fiddy to blast fools in glorious slow motion. Also expect a cover system a la Gears of War and context sensitive games a la God of War. More details to be revealed soon.Source

Nokia Renovates the 6300, Adds Wi-Fi

Nokia’s slim and classy looking 6300 has just got an upgrade. 6300i is what it’s being called and it’s going to be loaded with features that include Wi-Fi and VoIP support. Of course you may also remember the Nokia 6301 that was launched recently that also came with Wi-Fi with the addition of UMA technology. Somehow though it didn't seem like the handset caught on too strong. Oh well, three's a charm. Apart from all that the 6300i still retains the S40 OS.

The 6300i may retain the same design as its predecessor but thankfully it’s distinguishable by its Graphite Grey color that’s quite catchy. It still has a 2-inch QVGA display with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution and 16 million colors. Like the 6300 the 6300i comes with a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth with A2DP support, miniUSB connectivity, stereo FM radio and a 2.5mm earphone socket for the headset. It also supports external memory with microSD cards. There’s another handy feature that the handset comes preinstalled with - Nokia Maps. Though don’t get your hopes up guys it doesn’t have in-built GPS, you will have to use an external adapter. Of course the 6300i also supports GPRS and EDGE.
The Nokia 6300i will be available for about Rs. 10,914 (175 Euro) and that’s before taxes. It should be released in the second quarter of 2008. Stay Tuned.Source

HTC Unveils TyTn II

HTC has unveiled the HTC TyTN II that features global high-speed HSDPA connectivity, in-built GPS for personal navigation and an adjustable screen angle.The Windows Mobile powered HTC TyTN II has a 2.8-inch color screen that slides back to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, then tilts up to position the screen perfectly for reading and creating emails, using applications, or playing videos and games.

The TyTN II has tri-band UMTS and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE that allows users to get connected in any country and boasts worldwide 3.5G high speed internet - HSDPA and WiFi 802.11b/g. HTC Home, HTC's new homescreen, offers easy access to photo, text messages, calendar entries, emails and contacts, as well as one touch access to live weather conditions plus four-day forecasts.The HTC TyTN II provides business applications including Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, contacts, calendar, push e-mail, notes, tasks, PDF viewer and more. It also includes applications such as a business card scanner and MapKing R12 to complement the in-built GPS.
"Today's launch of the HTC TyTN II, is all about fast, easy access on the move to the kind of features and connectivity previously reserved for the PC world," said Ajay Sharma, Country Manager, High Tech Computer Corp (HTC) India. "This phone is a perfect match for mobile professionals and advanced mobile consumers on the go who can now benefit from the powerful feature set that the HTC TyTN II offers and the true high-speed mobile access the mobile operators are now offering."
The HTC TyTN II from HTC India is available at all authorized resellers at a market operating price of Rs. 33, 000.Source

GoW: Coo and GT V Prologue Launched Today

At Sony’s press conference held in Mumbai today, we got word that both God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP and Gran Turismo V Prologue for the PS3 have been launched officially in India.
Chains of Olympus is by far the best PSP game we’ve played till date and it’ll set you back by Rs. 1499. In case you haven’t checked out our review yet, head right here to know why this game owns so hard.

To find out how you can score a Kratos action figure for yourself, head right here.

If hacking and slashing your way through Greek mythology isn’t your cup o' tea, you may wanna give driving photorealistic looking cars a shot with Gran Tursimo V Prologue that will set you back by Rs. 1799. Expect our review soon.Source

AW1 Wireless Adapter released by Audioengine

For all those who hate wires, Audio Engine, the new guys who really impressed us and scored high with their bookshelf speakers, have just released a wireless adapter called the W1. This basically eliminates the need for connection wires, and replaces them in any AV application. So it can be used in HT systems to make the surround speakers wireless, and other applications like that.

This works on Wi Fi, and has a data transfer rate of 340 Mbps, which is the higher end of things... and costs Rs. 7199.
We will definitely get it for review mostly by this week itself, so watch this space. For now here are the tech specs.Source

Range: 100ft (30 meters)
Wireless protocol: 802.11
Frequency band: 2.4-2.4835GHz
Latency: <20mSec
Data rate: 340Mbps
SNR: 91dB
Dimensions: 100 x 30 x 10mm (LxWxH)

Blaupunkt Releases Ultra Portable Music 'Deck'

Blaupunkt's recent innovation, the Velocity 2Go is, they claim, the world's first complete active system that combines a stereo speaker and subwoofer in a single enclosure. The image below shows a futuristic looking enclosure that has a number of features too. It accepts all the three power inputs, of a car, home utility or AA batteries.

With the Velocity 2Go, Blaupunkt has created a product that can be used virtually anywhere: as an active subwoofer in the car or at home. The Velocity 2Go is a compact line-powered hi-fi speaker system. Out and about or on holiday, the battery-operated sound machine belts out the tunes in combination with any portable music player. It can even be used in professional environments – at the office or in an auditorium.Ajay Sahney, Country Head - Car Multimedia (Blaupunkt), India, said, "Velocity 2Go redefines portability and is not only a new product from Blaupunkt but a new concept for consumers. In today's environment characterized by consumers on the move, we believe that Velocity 2Go will find ready acceptance in the country."
Both versions come complete with a power cord, a short AUX-input cable, fastening belts and a MultiPort connection for the car.
The Blaupunkt Velocity 2Go5 and Velocity 2Go6 is available at a retail price of Rs. 24,500 and Rs. 28,500 respectively. The optional QuickOut car dock is available for Rs. 5250/.Source

2 New USB Hubs by Belkin

Belkin Asia Pacific Limited has announced the launch of a new range of USB hubs designed to connect peripherals to computer systems and to remove significant cable clutter in home and business IT environments.
"USB technology provides one of the easiest, fastest, and simplest connections from peripheral to computer," says Madhu Joshi, Business Development Director, India, Belkin. "The increasing number of peripherals and the need for USB connectivity for these appliances increase cable clutter in already 'cramped for space' IT environments. Belkin’s new range of USB hubs are designed to remove and eliminate cable clutter significantly; while delivering reliable connectivity and enhanced network functionality," he added.
The Belkin USB 2.0 Plus Hub (4 Port) solves consumers connection and space management problems by adding up to 4 USB devices to the computer, with the hub’s patent-pending cable management feature. The USB plus range delivers connectivity, innovation and style to the consumer desktop while allowing them to stack hubs to add even more USB ports. Retailing in brown/beige and white/gray color options, these USB hubs come with over-current protection and are available with Belkin lifetime warranty. Two top loading ports enable consumers to easily connect and disconnect flash drives or other transportable devices while 'stay put pads' helps anchor the hub to consumer desk.

The Belkin Network USB Hub gives consumer access to all of the USB devices - including printers, all-in- one machines, external hard drives, and more - over the existing wireless network. With a Belkin Network USB Hub as a central connection point for all the USB peripherals, all users on the network can access devices wirelessly. The Belkin Network USB Hub gives consumers the freedom to print and access devices throughout their homes or home offices.

Belkin range of USB hubs are distributed in India by Cyberstar Infocom Limited and Redington India Limited. The Belkin USB 2.0 Plus Hub (4 Port) and the Network USB Hub retail at MSRP of Rs. 1,799 and Rs. 7,499 respectively.Source

LG unveils KF300 Slim Fashion Phone

Fashion phones seem to be the in thing these days. 'If it ain't flashy it's trashy' – seems to be the sort of thing making waves in the mobile phone circuit these days. With Samsung's G600 Belle that recently debuted, LG has one to show off as well, their new KF300.

The KF300, to be brutally honest, while it looks slim and sleek does give off a bit of a girls-only type vibe. And that’s not a bad thing ladies. It’s a flip phone with a 2.2-inch QVGA display on the inside and a 1.3-inch TFT screen on the outside. The external screen has a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels and the inside has a 240 x 320 pixel resolution with 256K colors. It’s quite the feature rich phone with a 2 megapixel camera with auto-focus to boot, Bluetooth, microSD card support, an FM radio as well as a media player. The KF300 will also support EDGE / GPRS. From the images you’ll also see that there are also a few shortcut keys located right under the screen. It also has a five way nav-pad and rather large keys which is surely a good thing.

The LG KF300 will be available in black and pink. Unfortunately there seems to be no price tag associated with the handset yet. Stay Tuned. Source

India to have more cell phone users than USA

India's prominence in the mobile phone sector was reconfirmed after a report by the country s telecom regulatory body suggested that its mobile subscriber base would surpass than that of the US by April 2008. According to a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report, the wireless segment had seen an addition of 8.53 million subscribers in the month of February 2008 as against 8.77 million subscribers in January 2008. India s total wireless subscribers (GSM, CDMA and WLL) base stood at 250.93 million at the end of February 2008, the report stated. Airtel added maximum new users in the month of February 2008. It enrolled 2.26 million users followed by Reliance Communications (1.6 million) and Vodafone Essar (1.4 million) in Feb 2008. Compared to the US and China, India's monthly wireless subscriber addition of 8.5 million users is the highest. Given the phenomenal growth in the wireless segment, TRAI has predicted that India would have the second largest wireless subscriber base after China in the first half of April 2008. TRAI also expects India s total subscriber base to cross the 300 million mark in April. According to CTIA (an Association of Wireless operators in US), the subscriber base of USA is 256 million at present. However, despite the phenomenal growth in numbers, the telephone density in India hovers around the 25% mark. This means that only one out of every four Indians has a telephone connection.Source

Transcend unveils 4GB aXeRam DDR2-1066

Transcend has introduced its 4GB aXeRam Extreme Performance DDR2-1066+ dual-channel memory kit designed specifically for overclocking in the Indian market. This kit includes a matching pair of 1066MHz tested and verified 2GB DDR2-1066+ modules, which provide dual-channel memory bandwidth of up to 17GB/s. The 240-pin unbuffered DIMMs included in the kit are each made of 16 high-quality 128Mx8 DDR2 DRAM chips.

This new product also includes support for Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP), which allow users to automatically configure EPP-enabled motherboards with aggressive memory settings for better memory and system performance, especially when using dual video cards. Austin Huang, Regional Head - Sales, SAARC & AP, Transcend said, "We are responsive to our customer's evolving needs. Gamers, animators, and all power users have a strong appetite for powerful memory resulting in enhanced performance. Transcend's aXeRam memory will deliver amazing overclocking performance while maintaining rock-solid system stability."
The Extreme Performance kit carries a 3 year warranty. However the price of the product is not known as of right now. We will update it as soon as we have more information.Source

Samsung's G600 is Now a Ladies Phone

It seems like there are more and more mobiles being designed for the not-so-weaker sex. And why not? I ask you. After all, without being sexist, I think that’s why the telephone was invented, for people who love to talk. Samsung's G600 with its 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with image stabilizer technology and other multimedia capabilities has now been slightly modified to suit the fairer sex. Then again, I presumed that mobile phones were unisex as it is.

The new G600 Belle will be out in Burgundy and get this – the packaging will include three bottles of nail polish by nail inc. Of course the regular features remain unchanged. They include Bluetooth with A2DP, a video and audio player, stereo FM radio, microSD memory card support and of course it still has it’s 2.2 inch, 240 x 360 pixel resolution, 16 million color TFT display. Let’s not forget, the G600 also has a TV out feature, supports and EDGE and Bluetooth printing.

The Samsung G600 will be available through phones4u.co.uk starting on April 1 and hopefully it’ll also be out here, so ladies hold on to your... well whatever it is you hold on to.Source

IBM Brings Lotus Expeditor to WinMob

IBM announced that the Lotus Expeditor software platform is extending desktop computing and Web 2.0 capabilities to mobile phones. For the first time, mobile phone users will be able to run several desktop-style applications like social networking, mashups and other consumer or business applications simultaneously on a variety of mobile phones.

"People want to be productive anywhere, anytime," said Alistair Rennie, vice president, Development, IBM Lotus Software. "IBM Lotus Expeditor enables faster delivery of a new generation of Web 2.0 applications to mobile phones. Already supporting Lotus Notes and Lotus Sametime, Expeditor has a proven track record as a platform for innovative applications."

The new version of IBM Lotus Expeditor 6.1.2 software enables mobile application developers to create new applications and services that combine information from different sources. Key to Lotus Expeditor technology is the use of the Eclipse embedded Rich Client Platform (eRCP) application model, which allows applications to be created to span desktop and mobile devices.Source

Diablo 3 Details Revealed?

According to this translation posted on Diablo3.com, French website Factornews.com has dug up some info on Diablo 3! We can't say how authentic this information is, but it's not really a surprise that the game's already in production. Blizzard usually stays quiet about their projects for a long time before revealing anything.

Here are few of the details:

The game will not be an MMO, but a classic hack'n slash.

A new class, which is kind of an evil sorcerer who can invoke control over insects and detonate them remotely - a bit like the Necro from Diablo 2, who walked around with his hordes of summoned creatures will be added... We can't wait for the first images and a nice cinematic to come out.Source

Spice Gearing up for Mobile TV Content

Mobile TV is definitely going to be the wave of the future. And it seems like India’s own, Spice Telecom is gearing up to launch content for the Mobile TV generation. What Spice is planning on doing is providing content (user-generated) for users to download onto their devices from a given portal they would create. The content according to the site - Telecom Tiger would include clippings form popular Indian TV shows, movies and possibly even music videos perhaps.

Spice has also apparently tied up with BBC World and CNN for news and hopefully we would also see content from other popular channels like Cartoon Network etc. I know I’d be looking forward to watching a few toons on my mobile.Source

Zapak Corporate Gamer Winners Announced

As most of you already (so did not) know, Zapak’s been hosting a Corporate Gaming Championship since the past couple of weeks and today were the finals held at Hard Rock Café, Mumbai. Unlike most tournaments that concentrate solely on shooters and racers, casual games such as Zuma, Bejeweled 2 and Heavy Weapon were present here as well.

Unfortunately for Zapak the turnout definitely wasn’t what they expected and for some reason, the comperes felt the need to compensate for the lack of crowd (and not to mention enthusiasm) by screaming their lungs out every few seconds giving both Nik and me a severe headache (which is a feat in itself since both of us have a high tolerance for pain). Source

Either way, here’s the list of winners in case anyone’s interested:

• Zuma: Deenu Abhishek, Bangalore
• Bejeweled Deluxe: Deenu Abhishek, Bangalore
• Heavy Weapon: Anshul Maheshwary, Delhi
• FIFA ‘07: Surendra Singh, Bangalore
• NFS – Most Wanted: Jimmy, Mumbai
• Counter Strike: Live2Own, Mumbai

X5 HairLaser

I remember seeing this ad in a newspaper that claimed: “Now there is an easy answer. Laser Hair Removal!” It showed a pretty woman with great legs, and I can only assume that her bikini wax was somehow done with lasers. Well, I have no idea how lasers can remove hair, but apparently they can restore hair. This is exactly what the X5 HairLaser is designed to do. This little gadget is designed to fit in your hand like a tiny scalp massager, and can blast “15 distinct points of coherent laser light directly to your scalp at the optimum power and wavelength”.

Somehow, all these lasers are supposed to promote hair growth. However, it doesn’t work all at once, but it is a treatment that requires 10-15 minutes, three times a week. Anyone know if that is better than Rogaine’s program?To me, this item seems like snake oil, but I have to admit that I don’t know a dang about hair restoration, and I’m not at the stage where I really need it. However, given a few more decades, and I may discover how much hair I can lose in my old age. Perhaps this technology will have greatly improved by the time I do need it.

But if you need this now, the X5 HairLaser is available for about $300, and it has a six-month return policy.Source

A 32GB Flash Drive by Transcend!!!!

Transcend has announced the availability of its latest high-capacity USB flash drive - the 32GB JetFlash V60 in India. Transcend is the first brand selling pen drives with such a large capacity in such a small device in India.

The JetFlash V60 has dimensions of 61mm x 18.6mm x 9.8mm. The JetFlash elite software suite can be installed to run directly from the JetFlash drive when plugged in. It also includes seven timesaving data management functions, including, Website AutoLogin, PC-Lock, Mobile Favorites, Secret-Zip encryption, Mobile E-mail, DataBackup and Online Update. The V60 also supports Windows 98SE / Me / 2000 / XP / Vista, Mac and Linux. Of course it’s Hi-Speed USB 2.0 compliant and also compatible with USB1.0/1.1.This high capacity pen-drive is available in an assortment of bright, pearl-accented colors. It is also now available in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities. Transcend also offers its 3 year warranty.
The JetFlash V60 is priced at Rs. 7,300 (MRP).Source

Sony's Newest PS3 to Allow Downloads

The next update of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 console, slated late this month, will include features that let users download games, video and ring tones.Sony said Thursday the system update will add Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, or BD-Live capability, to the PS3. It will also let users copy photos and music playlists on to their handheld PlayStation Portable, use the PSP as a remote control for playing music on the PS3 and stream linked video files from the Web.This will make the PS3 the first Blu-ray player with access to Internet content and downloads. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which owns the Panasonic brand, also plans to ship a BD-Live player this spring.

With the updates, Sony wants to build the gaming console's status as an entertainment hub.The downloadable content will range from bonus movie scenes and trailers to ''interactive movie-based games.''''With Blu-ray established as the high-definition optical disc standard, more consumers are ready to jump in and take advantage of everything the format offers,'' said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president of product marketing, in a statement.The free update also adds a ''resume play'' feature that enables users to restart Blu-ray discs and DVDs at the point where they stopped even if they take the disk out of the drive. According to Sony's PlayStation blog, the update is slated for the ''next few days.''Sony is planning to release a stand-alone Blu-ray player this summer that will feature an Ethernet port to download bonus materials. It won't be BD-Live capable - meaning users won't be able to access Web content - until a subsequent software update.
In this respect, Blu-ray players are playing catch up to the recently defunct HD DVD systems, which always had Internet capabilities.

The BDP-S350 player will cost about $400; a second player, shipping later this year, will cost about $500 and be able to download Web content.Source

Panasonic introduces the FX500 Digicam

Panasonic recently announced the Lumix DMC-FX500 - the company’s first digital camera with a 3-inch touch-screen LCD – also featuring a 25mm ultra-wide-angle Leica DC lens, 5x optical zoom and 10.1 megapixels.

Panasonic recently announced the Lumix DMC-FX500 — the company’s first digital camera with a 3-inch touch-screen LCD – also featuring a 25mm ultra-wide-angle Leica DC lens, 5x optical zoom and 10.1 megapixels. The FX500 features a dual control system using touch-screen and joystick operation, the ability to record high definition (HD) video and advanced intelligent auto (iAuto) technologies.

"With the FX500’s touch-screen operation, we are giving our consumers a new interface that we think will prove extremely intuitive during playback, photo organization and of course – helping to take high-quality photos," said Alex Fried, National Marketing Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "The FX500 represents a new flagship model for Panasonic, as we add brand-new capabilities to our already popular, slim and stylish FX-Series of LUMIX digital cameras and we introduce another model that features a 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens."
Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) mode is an advanced system of technologies that engage automatically, so the user does not have to change any settings. Maximizing the iA mode, users can go a step further and easily set auto focus and exposure by simply touching the screen.
The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FX500 will be available in black and silver models for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $399.95 in the US by May 2008.Source

Apple Mulling a Clamshell iPhone

Apple's iPhone launch caused a wave of excitement that even now refuses to die down. The company is now planning to ride on this with a "clamshell iPhone". Yes, "clamshell iPhone" which will be smaller -- likely half the size of the iPhone, but will take a couple of years to go to market.

A touch-screen patent first filed by Apple in the US in September 2006 has given birth to this speculation about Apple mulling a "clamshell iPhone". The patent application, which has been newly disclosed, contains illustrated features including a transparent dual-sided touch-sensitive trackpad cover; meaning the top of the iPhone is covered with a transparent touch panel which when opened reveals an also touch-sensitive inner side.

It also appears from the patent that the "clamshell iPhone" will enable users write in numbers and letters using their fingers. Meanwhile, the patent doesn't talk about any keyboard though it does imply that sensitive controls could be used to create a virtual keyboard.Source

Nokia intros The 8800 Sapphire Arte to India

Nokia, has launched its premium handset the 8800 Sapphire Arte.The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte is inspired from nature and makes a unique statement with its single Sapphire (world's most durable material) as the center-key. The handset features 3G capabilities along with 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera and boasts an OLED display.

Devinder Kishore, Director Marketing, Nokia India said,"As part of its premium range, Nokia brings yet another iconic mobile phone. Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte sets the benchmark for quality and craftsmanship. The high-end materials and seamless surfaces celebrate the art of individuality - inspired by natural light with minimalistic design."

The handset has a high-end metal and glass composition. It has a smooth slide mechanism – comprised of state-of-the art ball bearings and a unique spring mechanism. It also sports a polished steel case with a genuine sapphire gem stone and an accent of soft brown napa leather. It comes with 'tap-for-time' and 'turn-to-mute' features while living wallpapers move throughout the day to give on-screen decoration. By double-tapping the steel surface below the display, an analogue clock appears – indicating time, while incoming calls can be silenced by simply turning over the phone, screen-side down.
The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte comes at a premium price of Rs. 62, 829.Source

Sony Ericsson unveils W890 in India

Sony Ericsson launched the latest addition to its Walkman series portfolio – W890. The W890 Walkman phone offers Mega Bass and Stereo Widening speakers with 2GB of storage capacity (2GB M2 card is provided in-box) allowing storage of upto 1800 songs. It also comes equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera. The W890 also comes with a color matched stereo headset.

Speaking at the occasion, Sudhin Mathur, GM, Sony Ericsson India said, "The W890 Walkman phone is truly a small slim phone that delivers a full Walkman experience with a unique proposition of mega music in mini size. With the W890, we aim to address the needs of young music connoisseurs who demand the latest Walkman features and fast downloads.

The W890 phone incorporates the Walkman Player 3.0, the latest in Walkman technology, which offers one-click access to the player and simple, intuitive navigation and control of the music library. It also has an integrated FM radio (with RDS). The SensMe music experience that the W890 also incorporates automatically plots your music by tempo and mood – letting you select the song that matches how you feel. For connectivity the W8990 is equipped with Bluetooth (A2DP), HSDPA capabilities and Bluetooth support. It also comes with TrackID. With it’s 3.2 megapixel camera the W890 also allows users to upload photos to a personal online gallery.

The W890 will be available in three stylish colours - Espresso Black, Mocha Brown and Sparking Silver, and will be available at a price tag of Rs. 15,990 at all RPG Cellucom stores and Sony Ericsson Experience Stores.Source

Fastest Blu-ray Writer by LG

Blu-ray writers have arrived in the grey market, but not too many know about it. Now LG Electronics is officially announcing the launch of a Blu-ray writer that has BD writing speed of 6x Max.This is an IDE device that can be mounted on any existing Desktop PC. While a normal CD has a storage capacity of approximately 700 MB, a double layer BD can actually store up to 50 GB of data.

LG maintains that approximately 35 Bollywood movies can be stored in one BD Disc.R Manikandan, Business Group Head, IT Division, LGEIL said, "LG has been world's No.1 in Optical Drives for 9 continuous years by leading the technology and speed innovation. By launching this world's fastest Blu-ray writer with a 6x max write speed, LG again leads the pack. We believe in offering the best products to our consumers and this Blu-ray Writer is a step forward in the same direction."The LG Blu-ray writer is available in the market at an MRP of Rs. 29,990 inclusive of all taxes.Source

Palm Launches The Centro in India

Palm has introduced the glacier white Palm Centro smartphone in India, with voice, text, email, web, contact and calendar capabilities, a full-color touch screen and full keyboard.
"The combination of keyboard, touch screen and Palm's trademark ease of use makes Centro intuitive and easy to use for staying in touch," said Olivier Rozay, Palm's regional director for Asia Pacific. "Consumers who are thinking about stepping up to a smartphone will find Centro the perfect first choice – it's rich in features but also comes in a small, cool design."
With a new compact design, Centro is the smallest and lightest Palm phone to date, comes with Palm OS by ACCESS, and offers all the organizer functionalities that Palm offers.
The Centro features a touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard, with key features such as one-touch speakerphone, conference calling and Bluetooth connectivity. It keeps all conversations in a chat-style view, just like Instant Messaging, so users can see the entire conversation unfold. Personal email, such as Gmail and Yahoo!, is simple to access right out of the box, while Microsoft Direct Push Technology gives users access to their corporate email.



In addition to usual smartphone capabilities, Centro is highly customizable with thousands of applications available.The full keyboard and touch screen provide quick access to online information and allow users to directly feed their personal blogs. Pocket Tunes on Centro lets users "sideload" songs and manage music, audio books and videos easily. Users can also shoot pictures or videos with the built-in digital camera and share them with friends.The Palm Centro smartphone is available now at a recommended retail price of Rs. 13,990 (inclusive of tax) and will be distributed through Brightstar Telecom India Pvt Ltd., the national distributor. Centro will be available in IT retail stores in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Pune and Chandigarh.Source

Call of Duty 4 to Re-release on The XBOX 360

Activision's all set to re-release their last year’s hit – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – on the Xbox 360 in April. The 'Game of the Year' edition will include tokens to download the new upcoming Map Pack for free.

If you haven't bought the game already, I suggest you pounce on this offer as soon as its released, as CoD 4 offers great value for money with its amazing single player campaign, and ever better multiplayer modes that will keep you hooked for a long, long time. Source

Nokia showcases Black N82

Nokia has unveiled the Nokia N82 in stylish black.ThN82 enables people to "geotag" the images they capture - allowing them to not only be saved by date, but by location as well. This adds to a line-up of photography features, including a 5 megapixel camera, Carl Zeiss optics and a Xenon flash and advanced connectivity features that makes it easy for consumers to share their discoveries, journeys and locations. The Nokia N82 in black is expected to start shipping within weeks, with an estimated retail price of approximately 400 euros, before taxes and subsidies.
"The Nokia N82 is made for storytelling," says Juha Kokkonen, Director for Nokia Nseries devices. "As one of Nokia's leading-edge connected camera, the Nokia N82 in black captures people's journeys and discoveries. With built-in A-GPS it even helps people to find new places by pairing 'contextual' information with a wide array of connectivity features such as Wi-Fi and HSDPA. We make it easy for consumers to quickly share those moments as they happen."
Taking advantage of its integrated A-GPS functionality and high resolution camera, the Nokia N82 automatically tags images with capture location metadata, making it possible to view the capture location on a map either on the Internet or on the device itself. Users can upload their pictures or videos directly from their Nokia N82 to services like Share on Ovi, Flickr or YouTube. By installing Nokia's exclusive and free Sports Tracker application, consumers can share their whereabouts and travel route with others on the Sports Tracker website - including the capture locations of images. The Nokia Sports Tracker is a GPS based activity tracker that runs on Nokia smartphones. Information such as speed, distance and time are automatically stored in the application, and can be shared with others.

To showcase this application, several explorers took off across the globe, each with a GPS-enabled Nokia N82 as their travel companion. On www.nseries.com/urbanistadiaries, people around the world could follow these intrepid travelers, and share the experience in near real-time through images captured on each explorers' device. The Sports Tracker widget tracked the explorers' location and marked the spot where each image was taken on a constantly updated map. The widget has now been embedded in many blogs and social networking sites.
The Sports Tracker mobile widget will soon be made available with many new and existing S60-based converged mobile devices.Source

Kingston unveils New Colorful Data Traveler

Kingston has really been making the news that last couple of months with new Data Travelers being launched almost every second week. Their latest launch is the New the DataTraveler 110 (DT110) that provides high capacity at an economic price. This new model also comes in a capacity of up to 8GB of storage."The DT110 provides an economic way to transfer and transport data whenever and wherever you travel." Nitin Malhotra, Country Manager, India, Kingston Technology.

The DT110 features a capless, retractable USB connector that supports USB 2.0 specifications. It’s compatible with Windows Vista, Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP (SP1 and SP2), Mac OS 10.2x and higher and Linux (2.6 and higher). Available in different colors according to capacity: Purple (1 GB) priced at Rs. 625, Blue (2 GB) priced at Rs. 925, red (4 GB) that will cost Rs. 1595 and finally green (8 GB) that would set you back about Rs. 3425.
All these models come with Kingston's 5-year warranty.Source

BenQ Unveils the V2400W LCD Monitor

BenQ has unveiled its new 24-inches wide-screen premium LCD monitor, which it claims to be the world's slimmest in the 24-inches category. The LCD monitor in question -- the V2400W, is only 2.44-inches at its thickest point, which is over 21 percent slimmer than the next thinnest LCD monitor. The monitor combines asymmetry and the aerodynamic curves of the B-2 stealth bomber, and features a subtle blue LED and slick-touch controls. Sporting an overall mirror-black finish, this premium LCD has a 4000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, new RHCM injection process, and full 1080p HD support.Manfred Wang, director (Lifestyle Design Center) of BenQ, said, "The V2400W is inspired by the B2 stealth bomber, evoking a sense of mystery, awe, and the elite.
In addition, the display's asymmetry exemplifies our new design philosophy." Positioned as a premium luxury-lifestyle product, the V2400W incorporates HDMI with HDCP, DVI-D, and VGA inputs for future-proof high-definition connectivity as well as compatibility, according to BenQ. The V2400W has five preset modes including Dynamic, Photo, Standard, Movie, and sRGB -- to simplify optimized viewing at the touch of a button. It is NSTL-compliant for superior color precision consistent from monitor to printer to digital camera to any visual device. Moreover, it incorporates BenQ's Advanced Motion Accelerator technology (AMA) for super-fast 2ms GTG response time.
Benq's V2400W premium LCD monitor will be available in China and Asia at the end of March; while in Europe and North America in April. However, there is no information on the pricing yet.Source

Now Integrated Maps With Asus PDAs

ASUS today announced a tie-up with SatNav Technologies, where-in ASUS phones, model numbers P750 and P527, that have built-in GPS will now come preloaded with the One India integrated map from SatGuide. These devices will be navigation ready at the point of purchase.

Amit Kishore Prasad, CEO of SatNav Technologies said, "We are honored to be a part of the ASUS extended family of partners and are confident that this partnership will help both our companies increase our respective market share in India."

The One India Integrated Map covers 30+ cities of India with turn by turn directions and voice instructions along with a detailed National / State Highway network - all included in a single map with several thousand points of Interest. Detailed maps of all major metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolakatta and cities like Jaipur, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Nasik, Nagpur, Panaji, Patna, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, etc. are offered in the database.Source

Pentax introduces 8 Megapixel Optio V20

Pentax has announced the 8 megapixel Optio V20 compact digital camera with a 5X zoom lens and a 3-inch LCD.The highlight of the camera is that it features three ways to help users optimize portrait photographs.

The Face Recognition function automatically detects and focuses on faces, then sets the optimum exposure. The Smile Capture function detects the key facial expression of smiling people and releases the shutter automatically, while the Blink Detection function reports to the user whether any subjects closed their eyes in an image, so that the shot may be recaptured if necessary. Additional features include Auto-tracking AF for continuously focusing on a moving subject, 52MB of built-in memory, a SD/SDHC expansion slot and an Auto-Macro mode that allows close-up photography as near as 4 inches (10 cm) without changing the normal focusing mode.
The Pentax Optio V20 will ship in May 2008 for US $279.95. Source

Toshiba intros Laptop With 128 GB SSD

SSD’s are rapidly beginning to show up on mainstream laptop from virtually all manufacturers. Now looking to take this rapidly developing market a step further, Toshiba has unveiled a new 12.1 inch ultraportable that offers a 128 GB SSD as part of its specifications.

The model number of this new laptop Dynabook SS RX1 and it comes with a 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600 Processor, 2GB RAM, 2.1" widescreen LCD with 1280 × 800 (WXGA) resolution and Windows Vista.

The Toshiba Dynabook SS RX1 will be available in the local Japanese market from April for about $3,960.Source

Microsoft Denies pursuing Blu-ray!

Earlier, the London Financial Times had reported about Sony Corp being in talks with Microsoft to woo the latter to adopt the Blu-ray format for its Xbox 360 gaming console. We'd even reported Microsoft as having said that it was considering the best possible way to connect with the Blu-ray format. However, Microsoft has now done a volte-face: it has denied having any talks with Sony for incorporating Blu-ray technology in its Xbox 360. Incidentally, in the midst of all this speculation whether Microsoft was actually working out ways of going with Blu-ray or trying to go it alone, Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360, had reportedly told Reuters that Microsoft is currently not in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray high-definition (HD) DVD technology in its Xbox 360 gaming console. So what is true? Is what the London Financial Times reported simply a rumor or is Microsoft now trying to hide facts by going back on what it earlier said. When Toshiba went public with withdrawing its HD DVD format, Microsoft, till then an arch supporter of HD DVD, initially kept mum before announcing that it would stop offering HD DVD players as add-on for its Xbox 360 console. But the software giant refused to say anything on whether it would or wouldn't switch to Blu-ray. The London Financial Times report seemed to have given some closure on all the speculation doing the rounds on the Web and in other media. And now this? The company has done a complete turn-around on what it is initally believed to have announced. Guess we'll only have to wait and watch till we know what's the real truth? Source

World's Most Expensive iPod up for Sale...!!!!

Charity auctions usually imply that there’s some really cool stuff on sale and that doesn’t really mean it’s all about the arts and crafts or boats and cars, gadgets also have their merit at these functions. It would seem like the world's most popular music player the iPod was also up for grabs at a recent London Charity Auction – the model – the Apple iPod Shuffle. If you’re thinking it was something that you’d see in any store you’d be dead wrong.

What was up on sale at the auction was what they’re calling the ‘worlds most expensive iPod’ which was essentially a diamond studded, 18 karat, white and pink gold iPod Shuffle. Reportedly it has a total of 430 diamonds and was created by Thomas Heyerdahl. It wasn’t just the Shuffle that was diamond encased, the earphones were as well. The device was estimated at about 20,000 pounds that's equivalent to about Rs. 1,639,673.55. Talk about RICH sound quality.Source

Widescreen Multimedia Laptops by LG

LG has announced the launch of its new range of widescreen entertainment notebooks- the E200 (12.1") and the E300 (13.3"). These notebooks come with power saving modules which offers extended battery life.

The laptops are powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processors and have a stylish curl-fit design with LG Fine Bright LCD Technology that delivers vivid and life like images. Some of their other specifications include an ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 for their graphics, LG Smart Cam (Web Camera: 1.3 Mega Pixel), HDMI port, 5-in-1 Multimedia Card Reader (XD/SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro), Express Card Slot (34) and a Built-in DVD Writer.

"LG Electronics prides itself at being at the forefront of new technologies in terms of notebooks. Our new range of notebooks will forever change the digital entertainment experience of both the business and home users," said Mr. V Ramachandran, Director, Sales &Marketing, LGEIL.

The E200 and E300 are available in the market for the consumers at an MRP of Rs. 51,500 and Rs. 57,000 respectively.Source