6 March 2007

FunkeeStory SMS Backup For Mac Treo Users
The Palm platform has traditionally enjoyed a lot of support from Mac users who can perhaps relate to the platform’s status as a great working product that isn’t as well known as it should be (or maybe it’s because it’s simply not Windows?!).
Anyhow, Mac based Treo users might well be interested in this lovely little app for backing up and storing text messages from a company called FunkeeMonk Technology.
Treo owners will already know that its threaded text message interface is the best in the business, but mustard keen SMS fiends often end up having to delete older conversations as the none-too voluminous memory of the Treo fills up.
The FunkeeStory application lets Mac users back up and archive SMS messages and conversations by installing a conduit and an attractive desktop viewing application.
The application retains the threaded chat views and also supports multimedia content, so photos, audio and video clips can be viewed on a Mac, or emailed out to friends.
All the messages are searchable and the program offers international language support.
Created by Mac fan Joe Goh, the program is available from the Funkeemonk website for $19.95 – FunkeeMonk Technology.
Windows backup options
We took a look around for something similar for Windows Treo users and came across the $10 Treo Desktop application which offers similar functionality but without a conduit.
Cheapskates on either platform can also use this free online converter sms2csv.php which does the job but is about as basic as it gets.
6 March, 2007
Archos 704-WiFi Portable Media Player Announced
Keen to maintain its position as the Dark Master Of All Things PMP, Archos have announced the latest addition to its Personal Media Player, the 704 Wi-Fi.
A big’n’beefy, take-no-prisoners kind of affair, the 704 Wi-Fi comes with a massive seven-inch screen, a capacious 80GB hard drive, a DVR dock for recording TV shows, remote control, Opera web browsing and – not surprisingly – a hefty price tag to boot.
The $549.99, 1.4-pound beastie comes in a natty brushed-aluminium finish, with the front dominated by an impressively high resolution 800×480 pixel touch screen display, with two wee stereo speakers underneath.
Button freaks may be found wanting as all the navigation controls are activated via the touchscreen, either by using your trusty digit, or employing one of the two included styli.
As befits its media player billing, this puppy can play a ton of video formats including MPEG-4, AVI, Divx and WMV video files, and MP3 and WMA audio files (with optional plug-ins for h.264, MPEG-2 MP@ML, and AAC support). There’s also support for PlaysForSure.
The Archos can also play back bought movies from Amazon Unbox, AOL, CinemaNow, and Wal-Mart, but – surprise surprise – iTunes’ Fairplay-protected files won’t work with the player.
Video playback battery life is claimed at ‘up to five hours’, which should be good enough for all but the most lengthy of art house films.
The combination of the large screen and bundled Opera tabbed web browser should make surfing the web a whole lot more fun than some handheld devices, although there’s no support for Flash (so YouTube’s off the menu for now).
Initial reviews say that the player can suffer from sluggish performance, with an irritating “one-to-two-second delay between an input and an action”, which may give hyperactive surfers the heebeegeebees.
Although it’s a pricey number, the Archos 704 Wi-Fi packs a ton of functionality into its slightly portly frame, and with its big screen could be the perfect partner of long journeys. But don’t try wedging it into your pocket.
Specifications: Archos 704 Wi-Fi
Capacity 40GB (80GB in US)
Display 7 inches (800 x 480 pixels, more than 16 million colours)
Audio Formats MP3, WAV, WMA, protected WMA (AAC and AC3 with optional plug-ins)
Photo Formats JPEG, BMP
Video Formats MPEG-4, WMV, protected WMV (H.264, MPEG-2, and VOB with optional plug-ins)
Wireless Wi-Fi 802.11g
Battery Life 5 hours claimed
PC Interface USB 2.0
Size 5.2 x 3 x 0.6 inches
Weight 1.4 pounds
Archos
6 March, 2007
Nikon D40x Announced
To the sound of the gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands of recent D40 purchasers, Nikon has announced an upgraded version of the camera, the Nikon D40x.
Essentially identical to the D40, the D40x comes with a much beefier ten megapixel CCD (up from 6 megapixel) and an improved ISO rating going down to ISO 100 (the D40 could only manage an ISO 200 base sensitivity).
Nikon claim that the battery life has been extended to allow up to 520 images per charge (better than the 470 images for the D40) and can rattle off more photos in continuous shooting mode (3 frames per second compared to 2.5 fps for the D40).
As with its predecessor, the D40x provides a capable and highly affordable route into the highly rated Nikon SLR system, and comes with a super fast power up time (0.18 seconds), Nikon’s 3D Colour Matrix Metering II, an improved Image Processing Engine, a bright viewfinder and a large 2.5″ LCD screen.
There’s eight ‘Digital Vari-Program modes’ on offer to help beginners get to grip with the camera’s capabilities, with the option to engage manual control and boldly go into aperture and shutter speed settings.
In-camera editing tools let snappers adjust compensation, correct red-eye or use monochrome effects to get that Ye Olde Black-and-white or Sepia tone effect.
With Clint Eastwood-esque squinting eyes, the D40x has clearly got the Canon EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XTi) in its sights, and with a highly competitive price of $799 (including the 18-55 mm kit lens), it’ll be interesting to see how Canon reacts.
The D40x will be launched worldwide at the end of March 2007
Specifications:
Price US: $ 729 (body only), with 18-55 mm lens US: $ 799
Body colour Black or Silver
Sensor 23.7 x 15.6 mm CCD sensor, Nikon DX format (1.5x FOV crop), 10.2 million effective pixels
Image sizes 3872 x 2592 (Large, 10.0 MP), 2896 x 1944 (Medium, 5.6 MP), 1936 x 1296 (Small, 2.5 MP)
Image quality NEF (12-bit compressed RAW), JPEG fine, JPEG normal, JPEG basic, NEF (RAW) + JPEG basic
Lens mount Nikon F mount (with AF coupling & AF contacts)
Lens compatibility Type G or D AF Nikkor, AF-S, AF-I, Other Type G or D AF Nikkor, PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D, Other AF Nikkor*2/AI-P Nikkor
Autofocus Three area TTL phase detection, Nikon Multi-CAM530 autofocus module, Only with AF-S or AF-I lenses, EV -1 to +19 (ISO 100 equivalent, at normal temperature)
Lens servo Single-servo AF (AF-S), Continuous-servo AF (AF-C), Automatic AF-S/AF-C (AF-A), Manual focus (M)
AF Area mode: Single Area AF, Dynamic Area AF, Closest Subject Priority Dynamic Area AF
Focus tracking Predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status in continuous-servo AF
Focus area One of three areas can be selected
Focus lock Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
AF Assist White light lamp
Exposure mode Digital Vari-program, Auto, Flash off, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close up, Night portrait, Programmed auto (P) with flexible program, Shutter-priority auto (S), Aperture priority auto (A), Manual (M)
Metering TTL full-aperture exposure metering system, 3D color matrix metering II, 420 segment RGB sensor, Center-weighted, spot
Metering range: EV 0 to 20 (3D color matrix or center-weighted metering), EV 2 to 20 (spot metering) (ISO 100 equivalent, f/1.4 lens, 20 °C)
Exposure compen. +/- 5.0 EV, 1/3 EV steps
AE Lock Exposure locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button
AE Bracketing None
Sensitivity Auto, ISO 100-1600, ISO 3200 equiv. (HI 1)
Shutter Combined mechanical and CCD electronic shutter, 30 to 1/4000 sec (1/3 EV steps), Flash X-Sync: up to 1/200 sec, Bulb
White balance Auto (TTL white-balance with 420 pixels RGB sensor), Six manual modes with fine-tuning
Image parameters: Preset modes: Normal, Softer, Vivid, More Vivid, Portrait, B&W
Color mode: Ia (sRGB), II (Adobe RGB), IIIa (sRGB)
Viewfinder Optical fixed eye-level, Penta-mirror type, Built-in diopter adjustment (-1.7 to +0.5 m-1)
Viewfinder information: Focus indications, AE/FV lock indicator, Shutter speed, Aperture value, Exposure/Exposure compensation indicator, Exposure mode, Flash output level compensation, Exposure compensation, Number of remaining exposures, Flash-ready indicator
LCD monitor 2.5″ TFT LCD, 230,000 pixel
Built-in flash: Auto pop-up in Auto, Vari-program modes, Manual pop-up in P, S, A or M modes
Guide number: approx. 17 at ISO 200
Shooting modes Single frame shooting (S) mode, Continuous shooting (C) mode: approx. 3.0 frames per second (slower with NR)
Continuous buffer: JPEG: Limited only by storage, RAW: Approx. 9 frames (shooting continues at a slower rate)
Self-timer: 2, 5, 10 or 20 sec
Storage: Secure Digital / Secure Digital HC, FAT / FAT32
Video output: NTSC or PAL selectable
Connectivity: USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed)
Dimensions 126 x 94 x 64 mm (5.0 x 3.7 x 2.5 in)
Weight: (no batt) 71 g (1.0 lb), (inc. batt) 522 g (1.2 lb)
Source
6 March, 2007
US Mobile Game Revenue Soars
Mobile games are starting to rake in big revenues in the States as perambulating punters warm to the idea of downloading games for their phones.
According to research firm Telephia, earnings from the category of games known as “on-portal” took a hefty 61 percent leap skywards in the fourth quarter of 2006 in the US.
Telephia say that over 17 million Americans downloaded a mobile game during the last three months of 2006, representing a beefy 45 percent jump from the 12 million recorded during the same time of 2005.
The US now makes up nearly a third of the worldwide mobile gaming market, which shaped up at around 38 million downloads per month in 2005, according to stats firm iSuppli.
Their figures predict that the number will hit around 134 million game downloads every month by the year 2010.
Although you might imagine that mobile gaming would be the near-exclusive preserve of socially challenged males aged 25 to 36, Telephia says that it’s the ladies who are the hottest to trot, with 65 percent of U.S. mobile game buyers being of the female persuasion.
With the U.S. mobile game revenue registering a till-straining $566 million revenue in 2006, there’s clearly big profits on the horizon.
iSuppli are predicting that the worldwide mobile gaming market will be worth $6.1 billion by 2010, up mightily from 2005’s total of $1.8 billion.
Source
6 March, 2007

6 March 2007

FunkeeStory SMS Backup For Mac Treo Users

Archos 704-WiFi Portable Media Player Announced

Nikon D40x Announced

US Mobile Game Revenue Soars