News: Octo-mother of All USB Chargers





USBFever has an odd looking charging accessory which may just make you reach for your wallet. Since the unification of charging adapters has been blessed but has yet to occur, we're required to endure cable chaos. The Super USB Mobilephone Charger has a little something for almost everyone. This octopus looking USB cable actually has 10 arms, with 10 different connection tips, for most of the popular phones on the market today. While few people will need all of them, many of us need more than a few. Nokia is well represented as is the iPhone. The 3 main flavors of USB are also present making it useful for many different devices that charge via USB.

One caveat, power is the cardinal concern of this octo-charger and not data. Only the iPhone connection will actually be able to support data over the USB mega-cable. All other devices will need to find another way to sync data with a computer. The charging cable is also only able to charge one device at a time. This is more a limit of the 500ma current supplied by most USB 2.0 ports (USB 3.0 specifications mandates 900ma). Most wall chargers provide more than 500ma and will charge your phone faster. For only $13 dollars, shipped, how much can you really ask for?

Apple iPhone is Releasing Soon in India

Apple iPhone India

According to technology sites, like tech2 and techtree, iPhone will be released on around 18th Aug in India. Vodafone will be first to launch 8GB version and Airtel will release it two weeks later.

Pricing is not clear, but It could cost around Rs. 15,000 upwards and some monthly contract plan. If there will be no monthly plans then the pricing can go Rs. 20,000+, because the price of iPhone 3G in US without any contract is around 500-600 USD.

Meanwhile to beat the iPhone rush, you can pre-register at Airtel and Vodafone online.

MOTORAZR V9 Ferrari Special Edition Released

Motorola has launched a special Ferrari edition of MOTORAZR V9 mobile phone for Indian customers. This dual screen flip phone has Ferrari mark in metallic finish with black vaccum. Aimed at Racing fans, this special edition phone will contain exclusive content like wallpapers, ringtones, games and screensavers of Ferrari racing team and racing machines.

Motorazr V9 Ferrari

The handset also comes with 2 megapixel camera with 8x zoom, 3G HSDPA, EDGE/GPRS Class 10 & 12, video streaming, video capture and playback, MOTO BACKUP, MOTO SETUP and MOTO TEXT to store your contacts and messages. Equipped with ClearTalk technology makes it suitable for noisy environments.

It is available at MotoStores and other premium stores like mobilestore across country at 21,840 bucks. Motorola is giving 2GB memory card, special leather case and headset with the phone.

Blackberry Storm 9500 Features, Reviews and Price

The BlackBerry Storm 9500 is latest gadget from Blackberry for business users as well as advanced users of mobile phones. It has all the latest features like touchscreen, GPS, latest Blackberry OS 4.7 Operating System.

Phone Memory : 1 GB storage memory
External Memory : microSD (TransFlash), up to 8GB
Photo : Yes
Pixels : 3 MP
Video Playback : Yes
Video Recording : Yes
Zoom : Digital Zoom
E-Mail : Yes
Push Mail : yes
Mp3 Player : yes
FM : No

BlackBlack Storm

BlackBerry Storm Price : Rs 26,916 Approx

Blackberry 8900 Javelin Features, Reviews and Price

The BlackBerry Storm 9500 is yet another latest and popular gadget from one of the top mobile brand in the current Mobile industry Blackberry. Blackberry design this phone for business users as well as advanced users of mobile phones. It has all the latest features like touchscreen, Wi-Fi, latest Blackberry OS 4.7 Operating System etc.

Phone Memory : 126MB
External Memory : microSD (TransFlash), up to 16GB
Colours : Black
Camera Pixels : 3 MP
Video Recording : Yes
Zoom : Digital zoom
IM : IM-GSM
E-Mail : FetchMail
Mp3 Player : Media player
FM : No
Ringtones : Polyphonic, MP3
Track id : No
Size : 109 x 60 x 13.5 mm
Weight : 110 g
Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi

BlackBerry 8900 Javelin price : Rs 26,913 Approx

Nokia 7100 supernova Features, Reviews and Price

Nokia 7100 Supernova is a stylish slide phone and the latest addition to the Nokia Supernova collection. It is designed for style and entertainment. Supernova 7100 is a iconic fold mobile device is highlighted by a large, 2.0-inch high-resolution color screen, FM radio and a 1.3-megapixel camera and support for Share on Ovi, an online photo sharing service.

1.3 megapixel camera
Full-screen viewfinder in landscape mode
Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display
Available in-box colours:
- Jelly Red
- Black
- Fresh Blue
4 MB free internal dynamic memory
JavaTM MIDP 2.0
Opera Mini 4 Browser
Email Client 4
GPRS class B
Bluetooth version 2.0
FM radio with bundled headset and recording capability

Supernova 7100

Nokia 7100 Supernova price : Rs n/a Approx

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 Features, Reviews and Price

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 is an good looking 3G Smart gadget from Sony for business users as well as advanced users of mobile phones. It has a large touch screen with Windows mobile 6.1 operating system. It has a 3.2 megapixel digital camera which records video at thirty frames per second in VGA (640×480) quality.

Phone Memory : 400 MB internal memory
Colours : Solid Black, Steel Silver
Pixels : 3 MP
E-Mail : FetchMail
Push Mail : MS Exchange Server
Mp3 Player : yes
FM : Yes-RDS
Track id : Yes
3G : HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps
Talk time : Up to 10 h
Stand by-time : Up to 833 h
OS : Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Blog : Picture editor/blogging
Browser : WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML(Net-Front), RSS feeds
Internet : 3G
Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi
Size : 110.5 x 52.6 x 17 mm
Weight : 145 g

Sony Xperia X1

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 price : Rs 35,577 Approx

Nokia N86 8MP Features, Reviews and Price

The Nokia New Camera Sensation Mobile N86 8MP features a super vibrant OLED QVGA screen With 8 mega pixel that measures in at 2.6-inches, making it an ideal window for showcasing your shots. It has all the latest features like N-Gage ready, Nokia maps 3.0, Share files on Ovi and Flickr etc.

FM radio 87.5-108 MHz with RDS support
N-Gage application included
Portrait and landscape view gaming
8 megapixel camera (3280 x 2464)
Dual LED flash
Nokia Maps application with compass
Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map
Nokia Mobile Search
Windows Live support
MicroSD memory card slot, hot swappable, max. 16 GB
Internal memory 8GB:
Size: 2.6″
Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA)
Up to 16.7 million colours
BlueTooth with GPRS

8 MP with N-gage

Nokia N86 8MP Price : N/a Approx

HP Officejet J6480

http://www.swotti.com/tmp/swotti/cacheT2ZMAWNLAMV0IEO2NDGWVGVJAG5VBG9NES1QCMLUDGVYCW==/imgOfficejet%20J64801.jpg

Product summary

The good: Loads of useful built-in hardware including autoduplexer, auto-document feeder, Optical Character Recognition scanner; painless 802.11g wireless setup; excellent quality text, graphic, and photo prints.

The bad: No PictBridge support; only three autodial fax buttons; slower than average photo prints.

The bottom line: The HP Officejet J6480 has a lot of built-in features that are rarely found included in a $200 printer. Shoppers looking for an all-inclusive multifunctional unit will be impressed with the robust hardware and rich print quality.

Specifications: Office Machine Functions: Fax , Copier , Printer , Scanner ; Printing Technology: Ink-jet ; Scanner Optical Resolution: 4800 dpi See full specs

Price range: $147.00 - $250.00

HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One

http://technogra.ph/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/hp-photosmart-premium-fax-all-in-one-300x199.jpg

The good:
Prints high-quality color photos and documents; impressive output speed; attractive design; added extras like Quick Forms, ADF, and an integrated CD drive for custom prints.

The bad: Higher than average cost for black ink cartridge; minor omissions include a hinged scanner hood and speed-dial fax buttons.

The bottom line: The HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One printer makes it easy to increase productivity thanks to its streamlined user interface. The fax, copy, print, and scanning features boast helpful extras like double-sided printing, wireless connectivity, separate photo trays, and quick-access control panel buttons, all while maintaining lab-quality photos and a low cost to print. We highly recommend this printer to anyone who can benefit from its multifunctionality.

Specifications: Office Machine Functions: Fax , Copier , Printer , Scanner ; Printing Technology: Ink-jet ; Scanner Optical Resolution: 4800 x 4800 dpi See full specs

HP LaserJet 2420DN Networked Laser Printer

Further Technical Details:


- 1200x1200dpi resolution
- 30ppm black / 8.5ppm duplex
- Cold start time less than 10 seconds
- 64MB of onboard memory, 320MB maximum
- Automatic duplex printing mode
- Weight: 36 lbs
- Dimensions: 16.7" x 15.7" x 10.2" high
- Power consumption: 625 watts printing, 11 watts idle.
- Font support: HP PCL 6, PCL 5e, PS3 emulation, direct PDF printing v 1.3 (with at least 128 MB of printer memory)
- Connectivity: USB 2.0, IEEE 1284-B parallel, 10/100 Base TX Ethernet HP Jetdirect embedded print server, EIO slot.
- Operating systems: Win9X, NT4.0, Me, 2000, XP
- Paper: 250 sheet cassette paper tray for letter to legal size, 100 sheet multi-purpose feeder for A4/letter/legal/envelope. 350 sheet total capacity (optional 500 sheet tray). Works with transparencies, bond, recycled, labels, envelopes, cardstock, etc.
Consumables:
- Starter cartridges rated for 6000 sheets at 5% coverage for ~$140CDN
- Hi-yield cartridges rated for 12000 sheets at 5% coverage for ~$230CDN


HP LaserJet 2420DN Networked Laser Printer



A good quality laser printer is still an essential for any office where printing is required. Today's inkjet printers can easily match laser printers in terms of text quality, crispness, and even speed, but no inkjet can compare to even a low-end laser printer in that most important of benchmarks, price. Laser printers have considerably lower CPP (Cost Per Page) values due to their large reservoirs of toner and more efficient printing process.

Here at PCstats, we consider business computing equipment to be as important as the latest 'enthusiast' computer gear when it comes to reviews. We work in an office ourselves, and we know how difficult it can be to find reliable unbiased information in the less-than-sexy area of reliable business equipment. We've taken a look at several laser printers over the last few months, and today we're pleased to have another one in-house.

The Hewlett-Packard Laserjet 2420dn model that we're looking at is a networked monochrome laser printer with a 1200x1200 maximum resolution, 64MB of onboard memory (expandable to 320MB), 350 sheet paper capacity, a built-in HP JetDirect Ethernet print server, automatic duplex printing and a price tag of about CAN$1049 (US$899).

For a non-home office, a networked laser printer should be considered a requirement. While technically any printer can be networked by installing it on a networked system and sharing it, the actual process of doing this can be cumbersome and inefficient for more than a few PCs.

For one thing, having a PC between the printer and the rest of the network adds an extra layer of complexity and potential hardware failure.

For another thing, unless you have a fast PC which you can afford to use as a dedicated print server, whoever uses the PC attached to the printer is going to be constantly interrupted with printer issues as well as suffering slower performance from the overhead that print serving imposes.

It is far better to pay the small premium and get a printer with networking properties. These devices have a built in network adaptor, allowing computers on your network to communicate directly with the printer and making printer sharing unnecessary. Printers like the HP 2420DN take that one step further by incorporating a full networked print server.


My Nokia N95 Review

Nokia N95

My wife really needed a new phone so I gave her my Nokia N70 and got myself a new phone. Ok, lets call it a gadget or should I say device? Anyway compared to the N70 my new phone, a Nokia N95 has a lot of new features and cannot be called a phone only. It has a 5 megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi (WLAN) and a lot of other nice features.




Operating System
The Nokia N95 runs the latest version of the Symbian OS (S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1). Compared to previous versions or editions of the Symbian OS the updates are quite small - you get a new version of S60 web browser with some new features like improved RSS and Flash Lite support. Also support for more Bluetooth profiles (A2DP stereo audio profile). The UI (user interface) has some small changes too - a notification graphic over the icons of applications that are open. Overall feeling for me is a faster and more stable device than previous Nokias I used.

N95 camera
The camera has 5 megapixels, uses Carl Zeiss optics and has a lens cover (good!). The camera has a lot of extra settings, but I have used only the standard ones. Settings include 4 ISO settings, contrast and sharpness adjustment. Look here for Nokia N95 pictures (from Flickr)



Usability
The usability of the device is ok. If you are used to a Nokia smartphone there is now big news when it comes to the operating system, desktop shortcuts etc. The device uses the Symbian OS (operating system) and technical specs are S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1. The keyboard is large enough and the five way navigation works better than on some old Nokia models.



Music
When you pull down the top of the N95 you can see the multimedia controls and as you see from the picture below these include forward, pause / play, stop and rewerse to control the Music Player. This could be handy, but I must admit that I have been using only the preinstalled music player and the default controls in that player.

The speaker output on the N95 is suprisingly good for such a small device. We used my N95 as a "jukebox" at our companys spring party when we forgot to our gettoblaster at home. The has a a 3.5mm standrad audio jack - Great! The microSD card slot takes cards up to 2GB in size.



I say: Compared to my previous phone (Nokia N70) the N95 is more future packed, but of course much more expensive. The other cons are short battery life and the FM radio quality. At least the radio on my N95 has more "channel noise" than my N70 radio.

Compared to my previous phone the pros of this device is the quality camera and video capture, GPS and WLAN (WiFi). Despite all these features the device is not as big as one could expect. Also some of the features like the GPS require a bigger display which automatically makes the device bigger.

Nokia N95 Software Update

Nokia N95 Software Update
I made the first software update for
I made the first software update for my new Nokia N95. If you are a Nokia smartphone user you might know you can update your phone software over the air or using a PC and the Nokia PC Suite. It´s very easy and I recommend doing it. Usually the updates are small bug fixes, but if you are lucky you might get a better camera by updating your phone - It´s all about software these days...

The firmware update I performed was to 11.0.0.26. This update should improve speed, imaging and more.

Nokia N95 firmware update 11.0.0.26

Improvements

# Video stabilization
# Exposure
# Video sharpness and noise
# Images visibility in browser
# General stability for browser
# Refreshing web page functionality
# WLAN stability
# Stability to BT connectivity
# USB stability
# General stability
# Maps stability
# Barcode reader icon changed

Thanks to the update I lost all my contacts and some recently installed applications :-(. I didn´t loose all the programs I installed since I got the phone. I lost Shozu and ScreenCapture, but didnt loose Opera Mini and Widsets...

Nokia firmware update for N95

In-Ear Headphones for your Nokia

In-Ear Headphones and plugins for Nokia cell phones
I use the N70 radio and my music player (OggPlay) every day and that is why I´m prepared to invest a little more in the headphones I use. You see I just lost my old headphones and decided to find out what´s available right now and could I find something outperforming my previous Koss ear plugs? It was a nice suprice when I noticed that a finnish Hi-fi magazine had a review of headphones for cell phones. The magazine tested 7 in ear plugs in the price range from 28 to 109 euros (35 - 140 $). Just what I needed.

The conclusion after reading the review is that though you are prepared to pay a little more for your headphones it´s not worth paying more if you get good or even better quality for less. According to the review the Apple iPod In-Ear Lanyard Headphones (Amazon 30$) aren´t as good as the Koss Spark Plugs (Amazon 6 $). I agree. I have been using the Apple In-Ear headphones with my iPod and the sound lacks bass and is way behind the sound that comes from the cheap, but good performing Koss plugs.

The best in-ear headphones according to the magazine were the Sony MDR-EX90LP. The Koss Plugs were the best choise - good quality at an amazingly low price. Other heaphones tested were Creative Zen Aurvana, Cresyn LMX-E630SN, Philips SHE9500 and Sennheiser CX300.

Nokia Power Pack DC-1

Nokia Power Pack DC-1
The Nokia Power Pack DC-1 has reserve power in a portable package, so you can take the equivalent of up to three batteries with you and recharge your device when you need it. Nokia Power Pack DC-1 is compatible with Nokia 2mm charging interfaces, the power pack has two charge output cables so you can charge two phones at the same time. Available globally, it will cost an estimated 105 euro, without taxes.

We Say: Well if you cannot make better batteries this is one way to tackle the problem...

New Nokia 5800 XpressMusic with touch-screen

New Nokia 5800 XpressMusic touch screen

The new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is a mid-range music-focussed mobile and it´s Nokia's first touch enabled Symbian S60 mobile. Other key features include a 3.2-inch touch-screen, 3.2-megapixel AF camera with dual-LED flash, VGA front camera, A-GPS, HDSPA, up to 16GB of storage via microSD and loud speakers. The 5800 XpressMusic price will 279 Euro, 129 UK Pounds and $227 USD. This is also Nokia’s first Comes With Music phone, a newly launched music service that offers unlimited music downloads for the first year of ownership.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic




Grado takes on the earbud with the GR8

After years of shunning that most common of headphone styles, the earbud, Grado has at last taken a break from its over-the-ear, vented diaphragm purism (if you don't count the China-built iGrado) and created an in-ear pair for the kiddies. The GR8 doesn't really look like anything special, but the couple of reviews that have trickled in sound promising. The headphones are being built in Japan, but have some proprietary Grado magic in there to at least make them interesting -- and it certainly should, at $300 a pop.

S312 – A Smart, Stylish Cameraphone From Sony Ericsson

s312_front40_dawnblue

The new Sony Ericsson S312 offers a snapshot imaging experience, featuring a 2.0 megapixel camera with horizontal UI, illuminated imaging shortcuts on the keypad, dedicated video camera key, easy picture blogging and image optimization with Photo fix. In addition to offering a media player, TrackID track recognition service and FM radio, the S312 supports 3D gaming on a two inch scratch-resistant 262,144 color TFT screen.

“Capture life’s spontaneous moments the easy way with the S312 and its instant video recording.” said Quentin Cordier, Marketing business manager at Sony Ericsson. “The S312 also allows you to get organised and keep track of your hectic lifestyle by ensuring that you never miss another birthday or appointment again – store all you important dates, add reminders – then sit back and relax.”

s312_14

The S312 phone also includes 15MB internal memory, Memory Stick Micro (M2) removable storage compatibility, Bluetooth and HTML browser. Talk time GSM/GPRS/EDGE is up 8 hrs, with standby time for GSM/GPRS/EDGE up to 400 hrs. The S312 supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE/900/1800 and will be available in selected markets from Q2 in the colors Dawn Blue and Honey Silver.

vh300_1

Sony Ericsson also introduced a Clip-on Bluetooth Handsfree VH300 – an easy to use headset with rich sound. The stylish handsfree features one-touch call handling, handy volume control and an ultra discreet reversible clip-on which will match any outfit. Talk and stand-by time for the VH300 averages 10h talk /250h standby. The Clip-on Bluetooth Handsfree VH300 will be available on selected markets from Q3 2009.

Sony Ericsson’s Twist On Google Android Looks Stunning

rachael-preview


Yesterday, Stan wrote about a new phone coming from Sony Ericsson (codename “Rachael”) that will be the first mobile device from the company to run Google’s Android operating system. Today, Boy Genius Report has posted a new picture that shows virtually every angle of the highly anticipated SE Android phone. However, many were left wondering what the actual Sony Ericsson Android experience would look like, and the Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog has delivered a stunning video demo of the general SE Android experience. Enjoy.

Sony Will Replace Certain NWZ-W202 Models Due To Moisture Issues

w202

Sony makes every effort to ensure that our products not only meet their own strict quality standards, but also support a positive customer experience. A limited number of NWZ-W202 headphone-style Walkman players may experience performance issues following exposure to sweat or other liquids. Sony Insider originally wrote about this W202 sweat issue a week ago after reading numerous comments around the Internet of users complaining about units malfunctioning during workouts.

Sony takes all customer feedback seriously, and have implemented additional safeguards to promote sweat and moisture resistance. They are confident that these measures will ensure that all NWZ-W202 Walkman players support increased customer satisfaction and meet their high quality standards.

Most customers who have purchased an NWZ-W202 Walkman player are unlikely to experience problems. We have determined that this only occurs in a limited number of NWZ-W202 players within a certain serial number range. If you have an NWZ-W202 Walkman player, and feel your player has been affected, please see Sony’s eSupport site where you can enter in your 7 digit serial number and see if your affected by this issue. Sony will replace, free of charge, Walkman players for customers who have players within the potentially affected serial number range.

Touchscreen Walkman Available In USA

walkman black ice

So, the fabled Sony X-Series Touchscreen Walkman, NWZ-X1051 (16gb) and NWZ-X1061 (32gb) has been available to US consumers for a few days now. After all of the hype, the details, and the speculation, what do you think? Can someone also comment on the Slacker radio experience? I have the application for the iPhone and it is better than Pandora in my opinion. How about the web browser? Is the noise canceling great?

Inside the Technology of the Finger Speaker

Through a new contact we’ve established, it is now possible for Sony Insider to have access to content previously unavailable. We recently covered the new Bravia X4500 and W4500 that were just released in Europe that are absolutely stunning. However, one aspect of the press release was rather uncertain – the mention of a ‘finger speaker’. The technology is rather interesting and we’ll see how much of a difference it makes to the consumer. The flat voice coil most certainly seems like a very efficient and optimal way for audio. Amusingly enough, Sony cites Fleming’s left hand rule, which is a term that one would usually hear in a scientific conversation about an electric motor. If you get a chance to sample this technology, please leave a comment.

This could be a much more suitable alternative to a hi-fi system in a small environment, such as an apartment or bedroom.

From the official press release:

The ultimate BRAVIA™ entertainment experience is completed by an innovative audio system with 6 main speakers and 2 woofer speakers on the 55X4500 and 4 main and 2 woofer speakers on 40X4500 / 46X4500. Surround effects can be optimised for sports, live music concerts or movies, or customised for maximum enjoyment of any type of programme. The combination of the ultra-thin shape with the leading technology of the finger speaker and assist woofer produces a remarkably crisp sound quality without altering the style and design of the TV1.


Can those two thin silver bars really change the world for those without a hi-fi system?

Sony Hits The Pause Button On A Larger OLED TV

A lot of times we come across a number of certain terms and marketing branding and really have no idea if there is really a meaning behind it or it is just a gimmicky fancy name.

The term Triluminos was first introduced by Sony when they released their first LED (light emitting diodes) TV under QUALIA high end brand. Qualia KDX-46Q005 was a hand assembled TV and also the first in the world to use an LED backlight, which Sony says helps the set deliver a superior picture with truer and richer colors.

qualiatv40

triluminos

After 5 years of the first LED introduction to the market Sony released Bravia XBR8 series in 2008 that sport the same Triluminos branding with improved technology (local dimming). Here are 2 great pieces of video that explain in detail how RGB (red, green and blue) LED’s work together to provide the richest colours and deepest contrast available in an LCD today.


Sony Hits The Pause Button On A Larger OLED TV

http://www.wired.com/images/productreviews/2008/10/sony_xel1_f.jpg

Sony’s XEL-1 OLED television has always been an oddity; while inherently beautiful and full to the brim of advanced technology, the small size and high cost is tough to chew on for the average consumer. Sony made a huge gamble launching the $2,000+ XEL-1 OLED TV as early as it did, but that is typical Sony style to bring something to the table far before anyone else. With OLED becoming much more prominent in today’s gadgets, it seemed likely that pricing would eventually become reasonable in the next few years and that things were somewhat on track. Sony was expected to release the bigger brother to the XEL-1 in a 20-27 inch model later this year, but the WSJ is now reporting that this move is most likely going to be delayed. It just doesn’t make sense for Sony to mass produce an expensive item that will most likely not penetrate the market in a significant way. WSJ is also speculating that it may give Samsung and LG more time to catch up and release a lower-priced competitor to the XEL-1, which is still the only OLED tv on the market.

Some other interesting quotes from the recent WSJ article about Sony delaying the release of a larger OLED tv:

Wireless Sony Reader Finally Announced

http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Reader-450x414.jpg

Congrats to Sony and its Reader community! Sony announced today Daily edition Reader with wireless 3G access provided free of charge via AT&T network. The seven-inch wide, touch screen display provides for intuitive navigation and comfortable layout of content, including newspapers and magazines, whether you’re reading in portrait or landscape orientation. In portrait mode, about 30-35 lines of text are visible, making the experience very similar to that of a printed paperback book. A high contrast ratio with 16 levels of grayscale ensures that text and images are crisp and easy to read. The Daily Edition also boasts an attractive aluminum body with an integrated cover for durability. It has enough internal memory to hold more than one thousand standard eBooks and expansion slots for memory cards to hold even more. It will sell for about $399.

There is also considerable additions to content access, including free check-outs of public library books, and updates to the Sony Reader software.

Check out the full press release below. Are you geeked yet?

The Reader Daily Edition gives consumers wireless access via AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband network to Sony’s eBook store from just about anywhere in the U.S. Book lovers will be able to browse, purchase and download books as well as select newspapers and magazines when and where they want. There are no monthly fees or transaction charges for the basic wireless connectivity and users still have the option to side load personal documents or content from other compatible sites via USB.

With more libraries signing up to distribute its content to digital readers, Sony has come up with Library Finder service that will hook you up with a library card and let you check out books for almost a month without a charge!

Delivering on its promise to give consumers a variety of choices, Sony today announced the third member of its new Reader family – the Reader Daily Edition™, a highly-anticipated wireless model with 3G connectivity. The Daily Edition caps its new line of Reader products, joining the Reader Pocket Edition™ and the Reader Touch Edition™ which were announced earlier this month.

The Reader Pocket Edition and the Reader Touch Edition are available immediately, and the Reader Daily Edition will be available this December in time for the holidays at SonyStyle stores and SonyStyle.com.

“We firmly believe consumers should have choice in every aspect of their digital reading experience,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. “Today, we take another large stride to deliver on that promise. We now have the most affordable devices on the market, the greatest access to free and affordable eBooks through The eBook Store from Sony and our affiliated ecosystem, and now round out our Reader offering with a wireless device that lets consumer purchase and download content on the go.”

Access to Even More Content at the eBook Store by Sony

In addition to announcing a new family of Readers, Sony has also made several changes and improvements to its eBook Store to provide better access to an even greater variety of ebooks. Earlier this summer Sony announced the availability of more than one million free public domain books from Google, and the company made new releases and New York Times bestseller titles available for $9.99.

Today also marks the launch of Sony’s Library Finder application. Sony, working with OverDrive (www.overdrive.com), the leading global digital distributor of eBooks and to libraries, will now offer visitors to the eBook Store by Sony easy access to their local library’s collection of eBooks. Thousands of libraries in the OverDrive network offer eBooks optimized for the Sony Reader, and visitors can now find these libraries by typing their zip code into the Library Finder. Through the selected library’s download website, visitors can check out eBooks with a valid library card, download them to a PC and transfer to their Reader. At the end of the library’s lending period, eBooks simply expire, so there are never any late fees.

The Reader Pocket and Touch Editions, as well as available accessories such as AC adapters, cases and covers with reading lights, are available now at SonyStyle.com and SonyStyle stores. Book lovers interested in trying out a Reader in person will also be able to find them for sale at Best Buy, BJs, Borders, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target, Toys”R”Us, Wal-Mart and other authorized retailers nationwide.

Some More Sony Goodies To Look Forward To

http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Sonytoys-450x238.jpg

Summers are usually not eventful with product announcements, however companies do prefer to release a few new items here and there to keep the buzz going until CEDIA Expo kicks in early September. We have mentioned previously the upcoming Blu-ray 400 and 200 disc changers coming supposedly later in July, however Sony kept mum on another Blu-ray player model BDP-N460 that has not been yet announced. That BD player has been mentioned in the Sony Blu-ray sweepstakes that are taking place if you were to register your BDP-S560 (which release date for some reason has been pushed from mid July to mid August).

Here is some info on pricing and availability for the Blu-ray players:

BDP-N460 TBD OCT
BDP-CX960 $799.99 OCT
BDP-S1000ES $699.99 SEPT – a new addition to the ES family of BD players (current reference player on the market is BDP-S5000ES)
DVP-CX7000ES $1,899.99 AUG

Another gem that is about to be unleashed soon is a “budget” Bravia W series with a 65 inch LCD model KDL-65W5100. This monster as well as upcoming XBR10 series model KDL-46XBR10 have been mentioned again by Sony at one of the sites dealing with recycling fees implemented in the State of California. Keep your ears open for more Cybershots and of course the bigger screen OLED TV to be announced later in the year!

Related posts on Sony Insider:

  1. Sony Intros New Addition to the Blu-ray Family
  2. Updated: Sony Japan Updates N Series With New Vaio NW
  3. Updated: Sony’s PSP-Go Revealed
  4. Sony Preparing To Announce DSC-TX1 and DSC-WX1 Cameras This Month
  5. Sony to Stop Making Walkmans in Japan

VAIO W Arrives…

http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/VAIOWbrown-450x251.jpg

Sony VAIO Japan (and other countries) revealed a new addition to VAIO family – VAIO W or as a new model number VPC-W11AXJ. If you noticed the prefix does not start with a regular VGN and the reason for that is Sony is finally bringing to the world its first VAIO Netbook. This netbook is going to be marketed as a home computer for quick access to the web. Comes in three colors: White, Pink and Brown. Two USB ports and DLNA compliance to get your pictures, music, and video streamed on your home network.

■ 1366X768 (16:9 10.1 inch LCD) Windows XP Home Edition 32-bit regular version (SP3)
■ Intel Atom N280 (1.66 GHz)
■ 1GB (1GB × 1)
■ 160GB
■ Intel graphics media accelerator 950 (built-in chipset)
■ Bluetooth and 802.11 b/g/n

Other goodies include a webcam, SD and Memory Stick card slots. Expect this baby to be sold in the US in August for around $500. Have you ever seen a Sony VAIO for 500 bucks?

Sony will be selling a carrying pouch and a matching mouse.

VGP-AKW1P

Here is an official press release for those who like all the hype-up:

SAN DIEGO, July 7, 2009 – Sony today took the wraps off its chic new line of mini notebooks- the VAIO® W Series.

Featuring an ultra-portable design, the W Series is perfect for using as a secondary PC, in any room of the house, for surfing the web, checking e-mail, and social networking.

The W model comes in three vibrant colors- berry pink, sugar white and cocoa brown. A more subtle shade of the exterior hue finishes the inside of the PC while the touchpad is lined with a splash of brightness.

“The W Series lets you quickly look something up online whether searching for a recipe in the kitchen or relaxing on your recliner- there’s no need to trudge upstairs to your office,” said Mike Abary, senior vice president of the VAIO business group at Sony. “And it’s sturdy enough for the kids to use, making it perfect for every member of the family.”

The W Series incorporates a high-resolution, 1366 x 768, LED backlit 10.1-inch (measured diagonally) ultra-wide display, making it easy to view two full web pages- no side-to-side scrolling necessary.

The model features an isolated keyboard with springy and responsive keys making it comfortable and easy to use. Its carefully designed touchpad and mouse keys make the PC functional and mouse movements easy to control.

The W Series unit is ENERGY STAR® 5.0 compliant, EPEAT Gold registered and incorporates eco-conscious features such as a mercury-free LED backlit LCD. Its corrugated cardboard packaging is comprised of 95 percent recycled content. Sony will also help recycle your old PC (www.sony.com/green; recycling fees may apply).

The model comes with VAIO Media plus Multimedia Streaming software, a media sharing application that lets you wirelessly stream content across DLNA®-enabled devices throughout your home network. Stream video, music and pictures from your W Series to your compatible primary PC or PLAYSTATION®3 and vice-versa and enjoy your content anywhere in the home including on your big-screen TV.

Easily transfer data, such as photos from your digital camera or music from an MP3 player, to and from the PC with the unit’s two convenient USB ports. Incorporated Bluetooth® technology enables peripherals such as a wireless mouse to be utilized without tying up the unit’s ports. A built-in webcam and microphone let you video chat with family, friends and colleagues. A third-party internet service provider is required.

A roomy 160GB hard drive has been included providing ample storage for all your photos, files and videos. It comes pre-installed with Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition operating system.

The VAIO W Series mini notebook will retail for about $500. It is available for pre-orders today online at www.sonystyle.com/pr/w. It will also be sold at Sony Style® stores and at other major retailers around the country starting next month.

What Kind Of Vaio P Can $1500 Get You In USA vs. Japan

SonyStyle USA recently put up a new maxed out Vaio P that Stan wrote about earlier today - the VGN-P698E. Coincidentally, Sonystyle Japan is finally shipping out a Vaio P only available in that country that is a total juggernaut and much more powerful – at the same price. The difference in features for the same price is pretty unbelievable. Japan Vaio P buyers can get 400mhz more processing power, 128GB more of SSD, exclusive color choices (eight, compared to four elsewhere), and a larger battery. The colors I’ve stated here are just my personal selection. Let’s take a look.

The US top of the line Vaio P (VGN-P698E) – $1,499USD:

vaiop

  • Intel Processor (Atom Z530/1.60GHz) with Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
  • 8″ XBRITE-ECO LCD
  • 2GB RAM
  • 128GB SSD
  • Verizon Mobile Broadband – Bursts to 2.0Mbps down/Bursts to 1.8Mbps up
  • 1.4 lbs
  • GPS
  • Bluetooth
  • Motion-eye Webcam
  • Standard capacity battery
  • Glossy Black

Cool VAIO Mouse.. VGP-BMS10

http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/y_VGP-BMS10_008-450x315.jpg

Sony Japan keeps updating its Summer Season with newer VAIOs and threw in a new VAIO Laser Bluetooth mouse that may turn some heads in your local Starbucks. VGP-BMS10 boasts a brushed aluminum body with a sliding mechanism that turns it on and off. Like many other VAIO mice I own, this mouse also has a PTFE layer on the bottom that gives you a sense of smooth operation, reducing the strain on the hand.

VGP-BMS10_001

VGP-BMS10_002

And if you feel like carrying it around your wrist, you are more than welcome to.

VGP-BMS10_003

KDL-65W5100 Bravia Quietly Lands at SonyStyle

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jo1N1RrIL.jpg

Well, I guess the new 65 inch Bravia did not deserve any fanfare and announcements since we already mentioned it before a couple times and since it is not an LED TV, however 65 inches of HD goodness at semi affordable price tag of $5000 can be yours compared to the 70 inch LCD model Sony showed the world at $20000 (can be piked up at select SonyStyle stores for ten grand, hey almost a Civic!)

Model features: Full HD 1080p resolution, Motionflow™ 120Hz refresh rate, BRAVIA Engine™ 3, 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, BRAVIA Internet Video/Widgets, 7 HD inputs, ENERGY STAR® 3.0 certified.

New features include:

  • Updated Bravia Internet Widgets
  • Internet Radio
  • New Theatre Mode with surround
  • Bravia Engine 3

Check out the rest of the specs on the SonyStyle site.

Related posts on Sony Insider:

  1. VAIO HS1 Home Server Lands Quietly at SonyStyle.com
  2. Confused About Bravia Engine?
  3. Internet Capable Bravia XBR9 Will Blow You Away
  4. Two We Missed From IFA: Bravia Z4500 and EX1 Series
  5. BRAVIA Accessories Surface at Sonystyle.com

Cnet Reviews Sony’s 55 inch LED TV

Just out of Cnet’s lab comes the first review of Sony’s flagship LED based TV – KDL-55XBR8. There was a lot of talk on AVS forum in regards to its release as well as its younger brother 46XBR8. These TVs use Triluminos technology first introduced in Qualia TV KDX-46Q005 (I have been a happy owner of), which uses three different colors of LEDs – two green, one each red and blue.

http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/55xbr8.gif

Cnet has given this TV a 4 star out of 5 and was pretty impressed with its enhanced picture tweaking features, its deepest blacks they have ever seen on an LCD TV and highly accurate primary color points and gray scale tracking.

Of course the down sides were also depicted and one of them is pretty obvious – this TV’s price. If 7 grand is something you want to spend on a 55 incher, than be our guest… though it is interesting to note that when the first Sony LCD hit the market – KLV-30XBR900, it was priced at $5000 and I remember going to Circuit City and drooling over that 30 inch goodness…after a couple years I picked one up for a very affordable price and hung it on my bedroom wall. The new toys will always run at its highest price and as the market grows and dictates its rules we’ll see pretty affordable LED backlit TVs.

For a full Cnet review please go here and see for yourself if this TV is droolworthy for you.

Sony’s NWZ-W202 Wearable Walkman Can’t Sweat It

http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/3407548686_373b587648_b.jpg

It appears that Sony’s unique wearable Walkman, the NWZ-W202, is not exactly the best canidate for heavy workouts. User reviews (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) from around the Internet are pegging this as a music player that simply cannot handle sweating or a heavy workout. The problem seems to reside in the fact that the W202 isn’t waterproof, or moisture resistant. Most cases seem to be the same – a person goes jogging, or does a heavy workout, and about 15-30 minutes into it, a beeping sound occurs and the W202 becomes irresponsive. Others have noticed very strange behavior, such as volume suddenly maxing out, the Zappin feature turning on by itself, or the device turning on and off on its own. Sounds frustrating. We will be requesting the W202 soon and put it through its paces and solve this mystery once and for all.

SonyStyle has some more reports of NWZ-W202 sweating issues, as well within our own comments on Stan’s W202 review at Sony Insider.

Stan’s Comment: I can attest to this known issue as I have experienced the same problem. After a few continuous uses of W202 at the gym, all of a sudden it gave up on me and kept activating the Zapping function, volume would not work properly, etc. I had sent it in and received a replacement. It looks like I am not going to be taking it to the gym anymore as it is not going to make it. It looks like Sony needs to tweak its marketing verbage, as this Walkman will fail sooner or later if it comes in contact with any kind of moisture. I am pretty sure it has something to do with a hardware design flaws and quality control on this unit did not take place in its recommended environment. Let’s hope Sony addresses this issue, as it would be sad to see this amazing Walkman have a history similar to Walkman Bean…

http://www.techfresh.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/sony-w-series-nwz-w202.jpg

P.S. I also noticed an interesting fact, my local Target put all W202 Walkman models on Clearance for a mere $32! I wonder why…..