LG GM730 Eigen Mobile Phone

February 23, 2010

LG GM730 Eigen Mobile Phone, released on August 2009 is one of the most sought after mobile phones in the market. The black sheen enclosure makes it an object of envy. Measuring 109.8 x 56.5 x 11.9 mm, this mobile phone of 3.0" TFT resistive touch screen of 65K colours and 240 x 400 pixels becomes easier to handle and manage. “S-Class” Touch UI is the supported display features. It supports GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 2G Networks and HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 21003, HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 3G Networks.

Downloadable polyphonic, MP3 ring tones and composer are the alert types included. Besides, it can be set on vibration mode as well. Speakerphone offers loud audio facilitating hands free calling. Phonebook with unlimited entries and fields allows you to store all contacts and numbers. Photocall is also possible in this device. Besides, you can manage all the calls with the unlimited call records.

Extra storage space is offered with microSD supporting up to 16GB capacity. Fast and effective data transference is possible with GPRS, EDGE and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g. On the connectivity side, this mobile phone features microUSB and Bluetooth. Those interested in photography will love this mobile phone for its 5 MP camera of 2592 ? 1944 pixels resolutions, Schneider-Kreuznach optics and Auto focus. Video recording is also possible in this LG GM730 Eigen 5MP Camera Mobile Phone. A secondary video call camera is included and this makes it distinctive.

Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional is the OS required. This LG mobile phone is powered with Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 MHz processor OS. Apart from benefiting from voiced communication, the user can use advanced text services such as SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email and Instant Messaging. WAP 2.0/xHTML and HTML are the supported browser. Advanced features such as FM radio and Games keeps you entertained on the move. Besides, it offers MP4/H.263/H.264 player and MP3/AAC/AAC+/WMA player for further entertainment options.

With extra features like A-GPS support, MIDP 2.0 Java, Internet Explorer 6.0, Organizer, Pocket Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, PDF viewer), Voice memo and T9 you get the best performance from this mobile phone. It takes your communication to the next level. Powered with Standard Li-Ion battery of 1000 mAh you can talk for long hours.

General Information
Brand	LG
Model	LG GM730 Eigen Mobile Phone
Colour	Black
Dimensions	109.8 x 56.5 x 11.9 mm
Display Features
Display Type	TFT resistive touch screen of 65K colours, 240 x 400 pixels
Size	3.0"
Memory
Phone Book Memory	Unlimited entries
Call Records Memory	Unlimited entries
Memory Expansion Slot	microSD up to 16GB capacity
Ringtones
Type of Ringtones	Downloadable polyphonic, MP3 ring tones and composer
Vibration Mode	Yes
Connectivity & Internet Features
USB	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes
GPRS	Yes
EDGE	Yes
WAP	Yes
Features
Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email and Instant Messaging
Games	Yes
Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML and HTML
Camera	Yes
Camera Resolution	5 MP of 2592?1944 pixels
Other supportive features	FM radio, games, A-GPS support, MIDP 2.0 Java, Internet Explorer 6.0, Organizer, Pocket Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, PDF viewer), Voice memo, T9, MP4/H.263/H.264 player and MP3/AAC/AAC+/WMA player
Battery Information
Battery Type	Li-Ion battery of 1000 mAh capacity

HTC Legend Mobile Phone

February 21, 2010

HTC Legend is one among the three Android mobile phones announced at the MWS 2010. The big brother of Hero, HTC Legend Android Mobile Phone is all about class and functionality. The phone has everything – good looks, a neat OS, interesting applications, generous memory and what not. Coming in a combination of black and aluminum, this handset is supposedly carved out of a single piece of aluminum. Cool, huh? But wait, before you wonder if the metal would obstruct the signal, let me add that all the important sections are housed inside the black plastic casing, a move that does a lot for the aesthetics as well

This latest hand set from HTC is sports the same 3.2" display that Hero had, but the trackball is a funky optical one that has a clickable surround. Furthermore, the HTC Legend 3.5G Mobile Phone supports WiFi and Bluetooth, apart from USB connectivity. The usual additions such as FM Radio, multimedia player and 3.5mm audio socket. The handset comes with a 600 MHz Qualcomm 7227 processor and has an ample internal memory of 384MB which can also be extended using MicroSD cards.

"Friend Stream" is an interesting feature that forms an assemblage of updates of friends from social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and many more. Legend is equipped with an advanced 5MP camera that comes with geo-tagging along with flash and autofocus. Can’t wait to get your hands on this phone? Well, you might have to wait for a few months, for it’s slated to be released sometime around the first quarter. And if you can’t wait that long, you can check out our mobile phone deals for something as good as Legend itself, or may be even better.

Verdict:

HTC Legend is legendary – This pretty much sums it up.

HTC Desire Mobile Phone

Desire – what a groovy name for a mobile phone, huh? Well, the name belongs to an HTC Android smartphone that was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress at Barcelona this year. To begin with, HTC Desire has all the ingredients to make it a huge success. And yes, part of it depends on the pricing, of which we don’t have information, but we’re sure it’ll be pricey. One among the three smartphones announced at the MWC, HTC Desire looks nice, with a sleek build and other HTC touches. Though pretty close to Nexus One, Desire is different in its own way.

HTC Desire Camera Mobile Phone runs on Android 2.1 OS, but makes use of HTC’s Sense user interface instead of Android’s standard one. Desire has a 3.7” 800 x 480p AMOLED multitouch display which is extremely clear, not to mention the brightness. Coupled with the powerful 1GHz Snapdragon processor, internet browsing is one heck of an experience. This smartphone houses a respectable multimedia player and a 5MP camera that comes with autofocus and flash.

This sleek HTC smartphone has quite a lot of interesting additions that are worth exploring. For example, to look up a word in the dictionary or search for a term in Wikipedia, all you have to do is long-press it to bring up the selection bar. And in case you wish to translate a chunk of lines, just select them and send them over to Google Translate. Desire has so many of these juicy little goodies. The internal memory is a more than adequate 576 MB of RAM and the memory can be further expanded using MicroSD cards. The 1400 mAh battery housed is pretty powerful as well, offering a talktime of 6.5 hours and a 15 day standby time.

Verdict:
HTC Desire has so much to offer – right from a good load of applications to a powerful processor, large bright screen and a decent 5MP camera. If priced right, it could sell like hot cakes.

Puma Phone at MWC 2010

February 19, 2010

When the world’s leading sports lifestyle company announced their decision to enter the mobile phone market, the tech buffs were anxious to know about the actions that this sports phone can perform. Is it just an athlete? Or a heavy weight champion? Or a Swimmer? The anxiety was evident, when it finally launched in the Mobile World Congress 2010, at Barcelona.

Puma Mobile Phone is one of the most popular "wanna-be" mobile phones at MWC 2010. Manufactured by Sagem, it comes with a 2.8 inches touch screen display of resolution 240 X 320 pixels. Being from a sports-goods manufacturer, it knows the value of solar energy. Perhaps, that is why it features a solar charger on its back. This latest handset is a quad-band GSM mobile phone capable for global roaming. The usual features including a 3.2 mega pixels camera, a 3G connection, an assisted GPS and a bluetooth connectivity are found in this sports mobile phone.

It is a host of sports features that differentiate Puma phone from the normal mobile handsets available in the market. There is a run and bike tracker for this handset, which uses GPS for its calculation. For entertainment, there is a media player and an FM radio. Social networking integration and video calling are the other prominent specifications.

Puma will be shipped to Europe soon, by April 2010. The phone may come as unlocked and could be priced between 400 to 450 Euros.

LG M4330 Mobile Phone

February 18, 2010

At one look itself you will fall in love with this good looking LG M4330 Mobile Phone. When you operate this mobile phone you will further love it for its exceptional sound clarity and distinctive features. Uniquely designed, this mobile phone of 110 grams weight appeals all users. It supports GSM 900 / 1800 / 19002G Networks facilitating better performance. Announced in 2005, this mobile still owns the credit of being a perfect communication device.

Easy handling of the functions is possible with the main TFT display of 256K colors and 176 x 220 pixels resolution. Besides, it features a Second external OLED display with 65K colours and 96 x 96 pixels resolution. Wallpapers can be downloaded and you can customize the looks of the display as well. You can also store and organize your contacts in the provided phonebook. Besides, it can store 10 dialled, 10 received, 10 missed calls. This LG mobile phone is equipped with powerful Li-Ion battery which offers decent battery life.

It supports Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps GPRS, Class 6 and 177.6 kbps EDGE ensuring effective and fast data transference. Infrared port is included in this device. With the availability of VGA cameras of 640 x 480 pixels you can capture high quality images. The quality of the photos is further enhanced with the LED flash. Video recording is also possible in this device. Java is supported as well.

The user can send and receive SMS, EMS and MMS making the best use of text based services. WAP 2.0/xHTML browser is included in this device. For all game lovers this mobile phone will not be disappointing as it supports exciting games. MP3 and AAC player supported by the unit offers hours of uninterrupted music playback. Remote control and Java are extra features available. LG M4330 VGA Camera Mobile Phone with its charming appearance and smart features amazes the users.

General Information
Brand	LG
Model	LG M4330 Mobile Phone
Year of Launch	2005
Weight	110 grams
Display Features
Display Type	TFT display of 256K colors and 176 x 220 pixels, OLED display, 65K colors of 96 x 96 pixels
Memory
Call Records Memory	10 dialled, 10 received, 10 missed calls
Ringtones
Type of Ringtones	Downloadable polyphonic ring tones
Vibration Mode	Yes
Connectivity & Internet Features
Infrared Port	Yes
GPRS	Yes
EDGE	Yes
WAP	Yes
Features
Messaging	SMS, EMS, MMS
Games	Yes
Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML
Camera	Yes
Camera Resolution	640×480 pixels
Other supportive features	MP3, AAC player, Java, Remote control
Battery Information
Battery Type	Li-Ion

Indie Film Makers Rejoice in Openfilm

The independent circuit in any field is risky, but moreso for the entertainment industry. Independent filmakers, like musicians, comedians, etc, all struggle to be seen, recognized, and signed eventually with some dollar signs that hopefully repay the long days of struggling. Getting yourself out there is just a little easier now that more people are able to access the web, but it’s still no guarantee, but it’s always a good start.

For indie film makers in particular I discovered Openfilm, which is an indie film site that works not just as despository for your work, but also as a sales/marketing machine for what you’ve created. The site is backed by some amazing film makers all out to help indies find their audience and hopefully find their day in the sun. Considering how many independents are out there, it’s a tough sell, but after talking with a few local short film makers, they’ve found it to be priceless.

The site focuses on high quality live action and animated films from just about everywhere. Premium content on the site allows the film makers to make a little money out of the gate, but as they grow in popularity, larger deals can be made with those that have a much greater interest in giving the film an opportunity.

Some of the benefits that Openfilm offers to viewers and content creators:

• Large, high definition video player displaying resolutions from 640×360 pixels up to full-blown HD at 1280×720;


• Prescreening, selection and custom encoding all submissions to preserve the highest possible quality;


• Submissions accepted as Internet uploads (up to 2 GB) or as mail-in DVDs. Users also have private FTP access to upload their videos to the site;


• No limitations on content duration;


• Custom-made optional subtitles in English and Spanish;


• Large variety of upload file formats, including (.swf) Flash animation;


• Transcription of cast & crew information and production photos;


• Advanced search filter through main site’s sections: Videos, Channels, People, Blogs, Reviews and Festivals;


• Custom user channel logos and flash banners for channels created by the Openfilm designers;


• Convenient features of Viewing History and Quicklist;


• All standard sharing features including Favorites and Playlists, star ratings and comments, and many others;


• Reviews, blogs, and newsletters;


• Comprehensive database of film festivals.

If you’re making a film, or know someone who is, have them take a look at Open film and see if there’s a way they can gain a wider audience on a platform that works in sync with the passions of independent film makers.

Projection Power in the Palm of Your Hand

We’ve covered some small projectors on Crenk before. One was attached to a phone, the other was a stand alone, and there just does not seem to be a lack of interest when it comes to making things smaller. Of course it’s only natural to assume that because it’s small that it’s not as good. Suffice to say what I’ve seen in some of these small projectors has amazed me, making rethink that perhaps size does not matter.

The BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini  Projector is a palm sized projector that packs a powerful display of up to 80 inches. The full color projector is perhaps the smallest stand alone yet, and from what we can see, it does not fail to deliver. Retailing for about $500, the BenQ Joybee comes in at 3.6 lbs, and offers the following benefits:

• Easy Set-Up


• VGA and Composite Video


• USB Connectivity With Wide Format Support


• LED3 Projection


• Tripod-Ready


• 100% Lamp-Free


• Wall Color Correction


• Built-in Speakers


• Keystone-Perfect Viewing


• A Delightful Sight in Black and White


• Optional iPod Dock

I’m interested to hear from those of you that have pocket projectors like this. Do you find them useful or do you miss their larger counterparts?

Windows 7 Phone Sexes Up the Market

When I saw the Windows 7 phone my jaw hit the ground like the cartoon characters of yesterday. You know, when the eyes bugged out and the jaw hot the ground with the tongue rolling out? Yes, this phone is sexy. Windows haters beware. iPhone killer? Maybe not, but this phone is sure to turn some heads as it lays out an UI unlike any other mobile phone out there. Zune owners might see some familiarities in the interface, but even those users can expect to see something new.

There was a day when Windows Smartphone would have been an oxymoron, but today, the mold is broken with this experience and it all lies in the UI. For starters, the interface is focused on dedicated “hubs” of information giving the users an interesting way to group like applications under one roof instead of being overwhelmed with information. The touch movement is fluid, the layout easy to understand, and by nature the device is social. A person’s social activity makes this phone a great pleasure to have as you are able to keep up with their status updates integrated into the UI.

You can take photos, create albums, record videos, access Xbox Live, a store to purchase your application needs, and a productivity store for those of us looking to get a little work out of it while having fun too. The phone currently has no pricing, but it’s sure to wow folks who are not familiar with Microsoft making anything this cool and sleek. I don’t necessarily think it’s an iPhone killer, but we’ll see what happens when it hits the market. Remember, Microsoft still needs to compete with Apple and Google which are the current giants in the sandbox.

Facebook, Social Sharing Central

Social sharing is what has made social media and the Web 2.0 era so successful. Rather than rely on emailing content we find interesting online, we are afforded the opportunity to share that same information with a click of a button to a global audience. It’s not uncommon for stories to gain traction extremely fast due to how widespread the social networks are. Driving traffic to your site, to a specific post, has never been easier with the access to the numbers of people we have today.

That being said, I’m sure Facebook never imagined it would be in the position it is today. Currently Facebook stands at a whopping 44% of social sharing activity. That’s almost two times more than Twitter and simply dominant over Yahoo and other sharing methods. With almost half the market, data is being shared at unimaginable rates online as people “Like” “Share” or “Comment” on content that their friends are posting.

Search engines don’t even really fall onto the radar with as much that is going on in Facebook. Some pundits are event commenting how Facebook may be where future users source their information as opposed to Google, Yahoo, or other methods. Twitter with it’s millions of users and faster response rate has nothing on Facebook.

So do you find yourself sharing more dominantly on Facebook than any of your other networks? Is this a shift in  how people are consuming content and a tell tale sign of how people are engaging online? Should be interesting to see how long this can keep up and where Facebook will go with this.

ASUS New Netbook with Multi-Touch Screen

There is no doubt that the ASUS Eee PC netbook models were some of the most important keys to get the micro computers in the daily market. Now they are innovating once more by introducing the Asus Eee PC T101MT with revolving display and multi-touch screen.

You can also be certain that the iPad impact made a few weeks ago set a new scope for computers. That's why anything that looks like a tiny tablet will have its place in the market. And what can we say about netbooks with multi-touch screen?

This piece of hardware contains also some important features:

• Multi-Touch display with a revolving 10.1" screen.


• Intel Atom N450.


• 1GB DDR2 RAM, baseline. But with the 2GB possibility.


• 160GB HD, baseline. 320GB possibility.


• Bluetooth 2.1.


• Wireless adapter b/g/n.


• Webcam.


• VGA output.


• Card reader.


• 6.5 battery autonomy.


• Weight around 1.3kgs.

There's nothing certain about neither the price nor a release date.

Here's also a video where you can see it in action:

Puma Introducing Their Own Phone

Puma, the sports brand is also taking their market a little further, by introducing their new cellphone. Wanna guess the name? Yes, as simple as Puma Phone.

This new device will be, of course, oriented to sports fans by including some applications to use it while you are exercising. But let's face it, you cannot introduce a phone in this market just by giving a few cool apps; the Puma Phone will have some interesting features:

• 2.8" touch screen with a 240×320 resolution.


• 3.2mb camera, including flash.


• GPS and compass.


• Solar cell integrated. Providing the possibility to be solar powered.

Pretty cool the last feature isn't? The device has a panel that you can use it to charge your battery just by using the sun.

The price will be around the 400 euros. Little pricy if you ask me.

For more info visit http://pumaphone.com/ you can access some videos and a PDF with the characteristics.

Steve Jobs Holding Apple Products Like iPad, iPhone and the Next Generation of Apple Products

Im a huge Apple fan and I really like what they have been able to provide with the iPhone and the iPad. Here is a breakdown of what Apple products Steve Jobs will be holding next.

via: The Escapist

Savings: Best Deal Saving Tool For The Everyday Internet User

This morning I came across a great savings site that I thought I would share will all our Crenk readers. Savings.com is a startup that provides some amazing savings across various retailers throughout the world.

On Savings.com users will have access to some of the worlds leading brands and they offer a combination of coupons and just best / reduced deals. If you are after a specific brand or after just a broad range of coupons and cheap deals, then Savings.com is for you.

For example users have access to specific brands on their own individual pages, like Southest promo codes and Travelocity promotion codes. However, if you are after a broad range of travel coupons then Savings.com also has you sorted for that.

Overall im a big fan of what Savings.com is trying to provide the average internet user. The design of the site itself is great and Im a big fan of the fact that they dont have any basic display advertising putting off users, but this could be a great revenue stream for the site in the near future. Some other great features are “you can add tips and great deals and become a Savings.com Deal Expert, earning the respect and admiration of your fellow members. Or contribute to the community by voting and commenting on deals, which also lets the deal experts know you appreciate their savings know-how”.

Savings.com is definitely worth checking out for all Crenk readers.

Wired’s iPad Application Looks Great

New Hero in Town: HTC Legend

HTC have just announced the new HTC Legend at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Features:

• Android 2.1


• 600 Mhz processor


• Optical trackpad that has replaced the trackball


• 3.2 inches at 320 x 480

It doesnt seem that this is a massive spec upgrade from the HTC Hero, but in terms of design it seems a lot better.

Unfortunately for us folks in the US, the model they're announcing today lacks support for US 3G. Expect it to launch in March throughout Europe and Asia.

Chatab: New Free Instant Messenger Aggregator Worth Using

IM clients are used a lot by nearly everyone every day on the net. There are some big players in the IM aggregation market such as Meebo and eBuddy. These aggregators bring together the most popular instant messaging clients and allows users to use one login to use all of their IM accounts.

Chatab is a new instant messaging aggregator that is aiming to grow awareness and grab some marketshare from the larger players. Unlike the major players Chatab is not jus trying to aggregator the major IM clients, Chatab is trying to add users by offering them a huge variety of IM clients. For example eBuddy looks after 7 key IM accounts (Facebook, MSN, Yahoo, GTalk and more.), Chatab has all those services and about another 7 more (such as LiveJournal, XMPP and more).

Chatab seems to have a lot of potential with its core technology, however there is still a huge amount to do in terms of user interface. The design of Chatab is still very poor and overall it just seems a little amateuristic. If Chatab is going to move forward and actually become a real quality startup then they need provide their users with a great peice of mind they are using a quality secure service.

Apple iPhone Notepad Free Wordpress Theme

Notepad WordPress Theme is a modern theme with a subtle touch of the sketchy and texturized background. The theme is widget compatible with threaded & paged comments, social media buttons, and multi-level dropdown menus.

It has been tested on WordPress 2.9 with Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and IE7+. Users with CSS3 compatible browser will see the nice visual enhancement such as drop shadow and rounded corners.

How To Download Videos from YouTube

There are a lot of sites out there that help users download videos from YouTube. Here are the best 2 sites according to Crenk.

Download YouTube videos:

Download YouTube videos is a very simple and easy site to use. All you need to do is insert the URL of the YouTube video you want to download and the site does the rest.

Keepvid:

Keepvid works in exactly the same way as the previous site, but the basic interface and speed of the site is a lot better.

Change Your Default Search Engine from Google to Another Provider

Changing the start page from Google to another provider. It happens that the start page gets changed either by installing a Google product that comes with the option to make Google the default search engine and homepage, by installing third party software that changes the homepage or by buying a computer with those default settings.

The way this can be reverted or changed depends on the web browser used. Below are some websites for the most popular web browsers:

Change default search in Internet Explorer [link]

Change default search in Firefox [link]

Set the homepage in Internet Explorer [link]

Set the homepage in Firefox [link]

Apple iPhone Notepad Free Wordpress Theme

Notepad WordPress Theme is a modern theme with a subtle touch of the sketchy and texturized background. The theme is widget compatible with threaded & paged comments, social media buttons, and multi-level dropdown menus.

It has been tested on WordPress 2.9 with Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and IE7+. Users with CSS3 compatible browser will see the nice visual enhancement such as drop shadow and rounded corners.

Mobile World Congress 2010: A quick tour of Day 1

February 18, 2010

‘Mobile World Congress‘ – The current shibboleth of most zombie-turned-technology geeks is what we’re going to look at now, or rather, the day 1 (15-0-2010 ) round up of the much-talked-about event. It was the Windows Phone 7 series, Microsoft’s operating system that could just about grab the crown from Google and Apple that hogged the lime light of day 1 at Barcelona.. The main attractions of this rather funnily named OS are the Zune PC software and Xbox Live games available for the first time on the mobile platform. Windows Phone 7 has so much more to it, and the day was indeed a good one for Microsoft, having attracted a lot of oos and ahhs.

Samsung’s booth welcomed the onlookers with a fresh breeze that emanated from it’s first mobile phone with the Bada OS, the Samsung Wave. (Some name, eh?) Sporting a 5 MP camera, the Wave sports a 1GHz processor and supports Bluetooth 3.0. Acer had quite a lot to brag about, with a few refreshing Windows Mobile 6.5 phones such as the Acer neoTouch P300 and P400.

Day 1 also had Acer hopping on board the Android ship, with the likes of the Liquid E, Ferrari and BeTouch E400 and E110. Liquid E, as the name suggests is a successor of Liquid that comes with a 5 MP camera and a 3.5" touch screen. Ferrari and the BeTouch E400 will run on Android 2.1 while the BeTouch E110 will run on Android 1.5 OS. Toshiba too was seen following suit, with Toshiba TG02 and K01 up its sleeves.

Sony Ericsson launched three new mobile phones the night before MWC started in a throbbing nightclub - the Xperia X10 Mini, Xperia X10 Mini Pro and the Vivaz Pro. The Xperia X10 Mini and Xperia X10 Mini Pro run on Android 1.6 operating system while the Vivaz Pro is a Symbian Series 60 device that has GPS and a QWERTY keyboard, apart from the 5.1 MP camera as highlights.

HTC Dazzles with Desire, Legend and HD Mini Smartphones at MWC 2010

February 18, 2010

Haven’t you heard of HTC Bravo? Innumerable online leaks outs and snaps have already made this mobile phone a popular one. It has finally got unveiled at the current Mobile World Congress 2010, happening at Barcelona, but with a new name, HTC Desire.

At a glance, HTC Desire is another Nexus One with HTC’s Sense interface. The same 3.7 inches AMOLED display with multi-touch capability, 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.1 found in Nexus One are featured in HTC Desire. There is an addition of HTC’s sense user interface that will offer you with improved widgets. Most pieces of information are displayed on the main screen and are easily accessible. Besides, there are some hidden applications on the main screen. A spotted difference in it is the inclusion of an optional joystick, instead of the traditional trackball.

Another new HTC launch at Mobile World Congress 2010 is HTC Legend. It resembles HTC Hero, by many means. The design is pretty smooth and curved, and is made with an aluminium body. Similar to Desire, the trackball is replaced by a joystick in Legend. Other notable features include a 3.2 inches AMOLED display of HVGA resolution, enhanced HTC user interface and a better processor.

The next on the dais is HTC HD Mini. This is a windows mobile phone, running 6.5.3 version. It measures to the size of HTC Touch, but offers the similar user experience as in HTC HD2.  This phone stands out in the crowd with a yellow interior once you remove the back panel (Any guess why it has featured a yellow colour inside?). Unlike the normal handsets, you can even spot four screws behind. Unique. Right? Feature-wise, it comes with a 3.2 inches capacitive display, a 600MHz processor, a 3G capability, a Wi-Fi connection and an HTC sense interface.

Regarding their availability in the market; HTC Desire will hit the stores by Q2. HTC Legend and HD Mini will be shipped in April, probably through Vodafone. However, HTC has not revealed the price details.

Netbook Shipments Skyrocket, Apple Still Missing the Boat

The Register’s Tony Smith notes in a report that the last 12 months have been good for netbook makers, who cumulatively shipped 30.2 million of the mini laptops in that period. According to market watcher Strategy Analytics, that’s 79 percent more than they moved in 2008 and amounts to 50-60 percent of total portable PCs shipped and around 17-20 percent of PCs sold overall.

The researcher also forecasts further growth this year as netbook chips deliver more performance and ARM licensees take on Intel’s dominant Atom platform.

The iPad notwithstanding, I’m still convinced that Apple has fumbled the ball in not offering a netbook. If it can sell an iPad for $500, I deduce that a netbook with a clamshell form factor, a real keyboard and trackpad, plus ideally a low-powered Intel Core CPU, decent connectivity, and capability to run the real Mac OS, should be eminently possible at an entry-level price of $600-$650 — at which I contend it would be a strong seller. It’d certainly be a machine that would appeal to me much more than the iPad does in its announced configuration.

Chinese Knockoffs

A knockoff outfit in China is showing the way, having released a tantalizing example of the potential for a truly appealing Apple netbook, if Apple were inclined to play ball. The Chinese tech industry-watching blog M.I.C (ie: "Made-In-China") has posted a review of what it calls “the ultimate MacBook Air knockoff” — the best MacBook Air wannabe ever, featuring a real glowing Apple logo and a form factor almost as thin as the real MBA — which M.I.C. thinks is possibly the most beautiful product the Chinese knockoff makers have ever copied. I’m inclined to agree.

Of course it’s not really a Mac, and OS X is not supported. It is a PC netbook in ersatz Mac clothing, powered by the latest version of the ubiquitous 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU with 1GB of RAM (upgradable to 2GB RAM at a modest additional cost of $180 RMB), a 160GB hard drive, a 13.3-inch (1280 x 800) LED-backlit display and a swappable 4-cell battery, plus 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and, get this — selling for only $1,900 RMB (about $280). To say it’s much more affordable than Apple’s real MacBook Air is an extreme understatement.

The M.I.C. reviewers say typing is a pleasure on the MBA knockoff’s full-sized keyboard, and there’s a spacious trackpad too, although it doesn’t support multitouch technology.

Connectivity-wise, the knockoff netbook is somewhat less challenged than a real MacBook Air, with two USB 2.0 ports rather than the MBA’s one, a mini-HDMI port, and one headphone jack, but you also get an Ethernet port and a SD-card slot — not bad at all for a $280 laptop. There’s also a webcam along with an infrared detector beside it.

The downside cited is noise, with the fan reportedly running almost nonstop during basic operation, which would be tiresome, especially if you’re fan noise-averse like me.

As far as I can tell, these units aren’t likely to ever make it to North America as it’s a given that Apple Legal would have a lot to say about it. But if they were available, I don’t think I could resist. It looks like a great little inexpensive solution for taking on the road, and possibly running Ubuntu or Puppy Linux on instead of Windows.

How about you? Would a machine like this appeal? More pointedly, don’t you wish Apple would build a netbook Mac like this?

Best Gadgets for Your Car

Motoring gadgets come in various shapes and sizes from sophisticated integrated technology to portable vacuum cleaners. Many of these gadgets are less useful than a paper umbrella, but some are worth their weight in gold.

One such technological marvel is night vision. The system requires the vehicle to be fitted with a front mounted infra-red camera. This monitors the view ahead and displays the image on a screen. Roads appear brighter than reality and people/animals become particularly prominent. Clearly, this is impressive technology that could significantly reduce accidents.

A lane departure warning system may also make driving safer. This device uses a camera and speed sensors to determine when the vehicle deviates from its lane. If the driver drifts without first indicating, a buzzer sounds, the seat vibrates, or a warning light appears. The aim is to minimise the effect of accidental manoeuvres caused by fatigue or lack of concentration.

These camera systems are worthwhile but let's consider something for the kids. Headrest mounted screens play DVDs, music, and Freeview television. Some also support home-made media such as DVD+/- and DivX. This technology can be specified with new vehicles and retrofitted to older models. The main advantage is the kids are occupied leaving you time to admire the night vision.

Gadgets can be expensive and it is difficult to quantify how much value (if any) they add to a vehicle. However, cars featuring rare and useful technology are arguably more appealing than standard machinery. Gadgets may therefore give your vehicle a unique selling point that marginally increases its value.

By Stephen Turvil

Windows Phone 7: The Latest Sensation

When Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer unwrapped the new operating system on Monday at the present Mobile World Congress, it not only ended a much awaited ‘wanna-hear’ rumour, but it was a real feast for the drooling mouths of tech-world. We could even say, Windows Phone 7 operating system fogged the planet’s newly landed mobile phones at the event. This is an overhauled version of the before launched operating systems, which offers a better control over the hardware, with social hubs and so on.

Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Operating System comes with a remarkable touch-friendly interface. The animated, large tiles appear pleasing to the eyes, as well as they offer short-cuts to the most used applications. Any update happening in the apps will be displayed on the screen. This is highly beneficial, especially when you use social networking apps like Facebook. You can arrange the tiles at a drag or delete them at a touch. The whole navigation through the menu has been simplified much, just a swipe will do.

“Hubs” is a another interesting concept in Windows Phone 7. This brings together all the related contents from the web and display them as a single view. There are six hubs such as people, games, pictures, marketplace, office and music. When the people hub will allow the users to interact with the people in the contact list from all apps at a single click, the picture hub will allow the user to watch the updated photographs from all app at a single place. The office hub makes Windows Phone 7 an excellent business tool. It allows several applications like presentation, synchronization of documents between mobile phones and PC, note-taking, outlook mail and so on.

Windows Phone 7 has some boastful music and video features as well. The Zune PC software for managing music and the mobile version of Xbox Live games are the two prominent ones. The ability to track the gamers’ achievement and the probability to buy more game apps from marketplace; all make Windows Phone 7 an interesting OS.

Next addition of Windows Phone 7 OS is ‘Bing Maps Beta‘. With 3D graphics, directions, live updates and street-view, it will remind you about Google maps. With hardware buttons such as home, search and back and multi-touch capability, Microsoft Windows Phone 7 takes a little control over the hardware as well. Overall, it seems to be a strong player against Apple iPhone and the mobile phones with this operating system can be expected to hit stores by the end of 2010.