September 2005

iPod Nano; Mot ROKR; iTunes 5 – Apple kills the competition (again)
iTunes 5.0
The iTunes software for PC and Mac has now reached v5, it’s available for immediate download from Apple’s site (and via software update for Mac users).
It features a “refined” interface with a new “search bar” making it easier for users to find what they’re looking for, playlists can be organised into folders, Smart Shuffle allows users change the randomness of their shuffled songs.
Windows users also get the added benefit of being able to sync contacts and calendars from Outlook (Mac users have had this ability through iLife for a long time).
iTunes software unsuprisingly integrates seemlessly with the iTunes music store which (in the UK) accounts for at least 80% of all downloaded music. There’s now over 1.7 million songs available, 15,000 podcasts and 10,000 audio books.
Motorola ROKR
The Motorola ROKR (pronouced rocker) is a quad band GSM phone with iTunes built-in. It can hold 100 songs and connects to a PC (or Mac) via a USB connection. Apart from the iTunes software (which can bedirectly accessed from a button on the front of the phone) it’s a normal Motorola phone. You either like them, or you don’t. It’s still encumbered with Motorola’s quirky menu system.
If you’re listening to iTunes and the phone rings etc, it will pause the song playing and you can return to it when you’ve finished the call.
The phone does have some good features with passable stereo speakers and pretty good playback through headphones. Battery life is meant to be good too, though exact figures were not quoted.
It’s available in the US now exclusively through Cingular.
iPod nano
The nano is the new iPod killer. It’s tiny, but holds up to 4GB (1000 songs, though there’s a 500 song/2GB version available too). It’s got a colour screen and a click-wheel. It comes with a USB 2.0 cable, earbud phones and a CD with iTunes, etc.
The colour screen gives it away, it’s an iPod Photo shrunk to miniscule dimensions, bigger than a Shuffle, but smaller than a mini – and thin (it hides behind a number 2 pencil). It features a standard 30pin dockconnector port, so can be used with most (if not all) mini or standard accessories. Apple have put in a couple extra bits of software like world clocks (you set your normal country, but can select as many otherclocks relating to a country as you wish, each clock shows whether it’s day or night), there’s also a screen lock – to stop others messing with your nano. It can also hold 25,000 photos (when synced through iTunes).
Apple have also released some specific nano accessories like tubes (sleeves in various colour, 5 in a pack), lanyard headphones, armbands and a dock. These should be available within 30 days.
Apple may have been losing to the competition in the lower end of the market especially in the solid state arena, however the nano changes all that (it’s got 4GB of solid-state memory in it, not a hard disc like the iPod Mini) and it’s going to knock the competion for six, it’s got all the “Designed in California” (of course by a Brit, but they keep quite about that) sex appeal and the packaging is superb. It’s smaller than almost everything out there. You’re going to want one for Xmas … actually, on reflection, you’re going to want one of these straight away.
Pricing for the nano is $249 for the 4GB (+ local taxes) or in the UK, £179 inc VAT, in Europe Eu 239. The 2GB model is $199, or GBP 139 inc VAT in the UK and is available now.
The best thing about it though, you can get it in white or black.
Apple iPod Nano
Motorola ROKR
Apple iTunes 5
8 September, 2005
Toshiba LED Pocket Projector For 3G Phones:IFA
Promptly filed under “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” at first peek, Toshiba are debuting a portable LED pocket projector at the Internationale Funkaustellung (IFA) trade show 2005 in Berlin.
Toshiba’s new bijou baby has an unusual twist -the projector can be used to connect to 3G multimedia handsets, making it ideal for execs who want to travel light (and for those who want to share their text messages with the world).
Smaller than a gnat’s undercarriage, the teensy weensy LED projector weighs a mere 565 grams, and serves up SVGA (800 x 600) resolution using a 0.55-inch digital mirror device (DMD) chip, boasting a contrast ratio of 1500:1.
The cool-running LED technology means that there’s no need to fit the thing with both a lamp and a colour wheel – and with a lot less heat generated, there’s no need for a noisy, dust generating fan.
Inside there’s a panel fitted with different coloured LEDs which serve both as the light source and the means to determine the colour of the projected images.
With portability in mind, the unit is fitted with a 250-gram battery which can run for two hours and recharge fully in three hours, according to the company’s figures.
The projector is scheduled to be available by the end of the year, with a recommended retail price of approximately 999 euros (£675, $1,250). Not likely to be a big seller at that price is it?
Toshiba
7 September, 2005
Siemens SL75 Gigaset WiFi VOIP Home Phone Announced: IFA
Siemens have announced their new Gigaset SL75 WLAN Voice-over-IP (VoIP) cordless telephone for the home.
The Gigaset SL75 WLAN is one of a new generation of cordless VoIP phones that lets users wander free from the limited range of base stations, with the phone being able to access any open Wi-Fi points.
Ideally suited for workers ambling around corporate Wi-Fi networks and cuddling sofa lovers (see photo), the SL75 will hook up to any public WLAN access point (gateways/hotspots) and store profiles of hotspots for fast retrieval when shuffling between networks.
Users will be able to make VoIP calls from any of these access points without the need to have a PC rattling away in the background.
Siemens haven’t held back on the feature set, with the Gigaset SL75 WLAN handset offering an instant messaging service and the ability to receive and send emails, complete with photo attachments.
Blurring the distinction between a mobile phone further, there’s an integrated digital camera onboard and the usual 16 polyphonic ring tones, with personalised caller tunes.
The handset can store 200 names, phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses, with the information niftily synchronised with the desktop via WLAN.
Decked out in (ahem) “the season’s high fashion colour night grey”, the Gigaset SL75 WLAN sports a colour display (128×128 pixels, 4k/65k colors) and comes with a small docking station.
Now you might be wondering, “if it’s a home phone, why haven’t they made the thing more useful by bunging in a DECT phone too – like their earlier Siemens M34 Wireless DECT Handset?
The answer is simple. This is the future and, as Siemens explains, this puppy is going to “dispense forever” with the traditional concept of a “home phone.”
So now you know.
The Gigaset SL75 WLAN will be available in Europe from November 2005 for approximately EUR 299 (~$370, ~£205).
Siemens
7 September, 2005
Airline Wi-Fi Struggling For Business Customers
Only 25% of US business travellers are using Wi-Fi hotspots in airports and on planes, despite the growing availability of high-speed, wireless connections.
A report by Gartner reveals that only a quarter of US business travellers want to log on when they’re flying off, and in the UK the percentage is even smaller, with only 17 percent of travelling Brit execs willing to whip out their Wi-Fi wotsits.
The low level of adoption is rather surprising considering the growing number of hotspots and Wi-Fi enabled devices springing up over last two years.
The study suggests that users have been shunning Wi-Fi in airports and in-flight because some are baffled by the process of using the technology.
“While Wi-Fi has come a long way, our survey shows that many business travellers remain uncertain as to why they should use Wi-Fi, what equipment they need, how they can connect and what they will be charged,” said Gartner analyst Delia MacMillan.
“If Wi-Fi providers really want to attract new customers they must convince both end users and organizations of its benefits.”
Although some airlines like Lufthansa and SAS in Europe are installing wireless Internet access in their planes, the majority of travellers (78 percent in the US, 75 in the U.K.) said they would rather stay out of contact while in the air.
Those surveyed also said that they were more interested in increased onboard personal space, bigger baggage allowances and better entertainment than blasting out emails mid-flight.
It wasn’t all bad news though, with the respondents who actually used Wi-Fi expressing satisfaction with the speed of connection, ease of use and overall value.
The report revealed that wandering Wi-Fi folks were less chuffed with the price of the services and the limited availability of hot spots in useful locations.
“Many organisations will not reimburse their personnel for Wi-Fi access charges, as these fees are often not covered by their telecom contracts,” commented MacMillan.
“If airlines can commit to lower prices then the provision of Wi-Fi access could prove a key attraction to business travellers.”
Gartner’s report predicts that broadband-speed 3G cellphone networks could put pressure on Wi-Fi providers to cut prices.
Gartner
7 September, 2005
Samsung To Produce Dual HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Player
With Sony and Toshiba still enjoying a schoolyard scrap over which of their rival formats should become the standard format for next-generation DVDs, Samsung have announced a nifty compromise that plays both formats.
With the ghost of Betamax still casting long shadows over weary consumers, Samsung have decided to soothe buyer indecision by offering a player that supports both Sony’s Blu-Ray Disc and Toshiba’s HD DVD standards.
In an interview in the Financial Times Deutschland, Samsung’s consumer electronics big cheese, Choi Gee-Sung, announced that the machine will launch sometime next year.
“We would welcome a unified standard but if this doesn’t come, which looks likely, we’ll bring a unified solution to market,” he said.
“It won’t be simple but you’ll see our solution in the coming year. Consumers will be too confused otherwise,” he added.
The bun fight between the two next-gen DVD camps has been dragging on for what feels like an eternity, with initial hopes of an agreement in April 2005 falling apart by August.
See: Unified DVD Format Trouble Confirmed
All this faffing about with different formats is sure to hold back punters who don’t fancy being lumbered with this year’s Sinclair C5, but pundits are hopeful that dual-play machines could prove the key to breaking the deadlock.
Although both Blu-Ray and HD DVD use groovy blue laser light to dramatically increase the storage capacity of a DVD-sized optical disc, they work in completely different ways.
The two formats employ different capacities, optical specifications and file structures, so Samsung’s new dual-format player will have to supplement its red laser (for current CDs/DVDs) with at least two other read heads for the blue-laser discs.
All that extra electronic wizardry suggests that their combo player is not going to be cheap, potentially putting off consumers wooed by the prospect of future-proof compatibility.
All of which adds to the industry pressure for stubborn Sony and tenacious Toshiba to sort out their differences in double quick time.
HD-DVD
Blu-Ray
7 September, 2005
VP-MS15 Miniket Digital Camera Unveiled by Samsung
Samsung have unveiled their sleek, credit-card sized Miniket VP-MS15 digital camera at the Berlin IFA show.
It may be smaller than a cold ant’s nether regions, but Samsung have managed to pack in a 5.25 mega-pixel CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom and a large 115K 2.5″ LCD display.
With the factory humming to the tune of convergence, Samsung have wedged in an MP3 player, voice recorder and a high quality video recorder capable of capturing high quality VGA clips (640 x 480 @ 30 fps) assisted by the built-in DIS (digital image stabiliser).
The camera comes with 512 MB of memory on board with a miniSD slot offering up offering up to 1GB of additional storage space – enough to store 250 songs or 17 hours of recording via the microphone.
Unlike many other digital cameras, users can zoom in and out to their heart’s desire while shooting video and Samsung’s little box of tricks is also capable of outputting video at a resolution of 720 x 576 pixels at 25fps via the AV out port.
Connecting the Miniket via USB 2.0 also lets it be used as a Webcam or a ‘portable hard drive’.
Conveniently, the VP- MS15 can also be charged via a USB connection, saving the hassle of carting along a power cable or optional charger when on the move.
“Samsung is always looking to combine stunning design with high functionality,” said Byoungyoul Yu, Senior Vice President of the Digital Video Division at Samsung Electronics.
“We are bringing to market multi-functional products that change consumers’ perceptions over the limitations of a digital device. The VP- MS15 allows consumers to carry one business card-sized device whether they wish to record high quality digital video, digital photos or MP3s.”
Samsung have also released two identical-looking smaller brothers to the MS15; the VP-MS11, with 128MB of onboard memory. and the VP-MS10 with 64MB.
The Samsung VP-MS15 digital camera will be launched in Korea on October, followed by a European debut the following month with a recommended retail price of €399 (~$500 ~£271).
Much as we love these do-it-all gadgets – especially when they’re smaller than a shy dot and kitted out in a smooth black finish – we wonder why someone looking for this kind of convergence wouldn’t just shell out for a smartphone instead….
Samsung
Photos courtesy of Let’s Go Digital
6 September, 2005
Showline MCP 9350i Media PC Announced by Philips
Philips has announced the Showline MCP 9350i, a media PC powered by Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 platform.
The result of collaboration with Intel, the Philips media centre is based around an Intel Pentium 4 processor running at 3 GHz atop an Intel 945 chipset, with support for the soon-come high definition TV (HDTV).
Philip’s media PC is aimed at the living room/lounge, allowing punters to store and share photos, music and video in a single system.
There are two integrated tuners onboard letting sofa-reclining types watch one channel while recording another on the 250 GB hard drive or to CD or DVD.
Housed in a stereo component form factor, the unit offers high-quality audio and video playback and a ton of connectivity options including a front-mounted flash memory card reader supporting SD/MMC cards, Memory Stick and CompactFlash cards, two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire connector and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g wireless connectivity.
The Philips MCP9350i (snappy name fellas!) will also come pre-installed with Windows Media Manger, which serves up an electronic program guide (EPG) providing access to one-touch recording, access to music, video, photos and games as well as Internet browsing and online services.
Philips’ Digital Natural Motion technology is employed to improve video quality and reduce stutter, with built in support for the UPnP protocol to allowing the unit to act as a media server for products in Philips’ Streamium range of media viewers.
The Philips Showline Media Center MCP9350i will be rolling out in Europe in October. Pricing is yet to be announced.
Philips
6 September, 2005
Atom Chip Corporation Reveal Ultra Fast 6.8GHz Laptop – Vapourware?
UPDATE – Thanks for the number of people who have written to us about this one, lead by Matt Lacey.
When originally checking the background for the story, we looked at the CES site finding AtomChip had a stand at CES _but_ that they were listed as a CES Innovations 2005 Awards Honorees.
The AtomChip.com domain is registered to Shimon Gendlin, who filed a patent on November 29, 1996 for ‘Non-volatile record carrier with magnetic quantum-optical reading effect and method for its manufacture‘, which was granted on November 24, 1998.
It looks like we, like many other publications, could well have been had on this one. If we have, hats off to ‘Shimon Gendlin’ who’s done everything he could have done to make it look real.
So be it as you choose … here’s the original story.
Research and development company, Atom Chip Corporation, have unveiled a beast of a laptop – the competition-frying 6.8GHz AtomChip SG220-2 sporting a TeraByte of RAM and 2 TeraBytes of storage.
With enough firepower to make the latest high-end laptops look like backfiring peashooters, this monster achieves its breakneck speeds by dispensing with hard disk drives and thus increasing system stability by generating less heat and vibration from rattling disk operations.
The laptop uses new Quantum and Quantum-Optical devices for storing and processing information, with the machine being completely based on solid state AtomChip optoelectronics (whatever they are).
These non-volatile Quantum-Optical RAM wotsits increase the speed of the system, removing the need to refresh information after every cycle of reading of information, as with regular RAM.
The 6.8GHz behemoth is powered by AtomChip’s Quantum II processor (or four 1.7GHz Intel Pentium M processors) with a terabyte of Quantum-Optical non-volatile RAM (NvIOpSRAM-SODIMM 200-pin) onboard.
The new non-volatile Quantum-Optical RAM increases the speed of the system as the need to refresh information after every cycle of reading of information (like regular RAM) doesn’t exist any more.
Even the most obsessive MP3 file collector will have serious problems filling the colossal 2TB of non-volatile Quantum RAM storage space onboard (NvIOpRAM-ATA IDE).
Compared to these eye-watering specs, it’s a surprise to see that the screen’s a bit of a squinter, offering just a 12.1″ WXGA (1280 x 800) display.
The actual laptop looks a bit rubbish too, bedecked out in a ‘High Street’ bog standard silver finish with a design that won’t be troubling Sony and Apple execs.
Despite the nation-threatening amount of power on hand, Atom Chip are claiming an impressive battery life of approximately 8 hours for the AtomChip II processor and 3 hours for the 4 x Intel Pentium M processor version.
The company will be showcasing their Billy Whizz laptop at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) held in Las Vegas in January 2006.
Pricing has yet to be announced, but I suspect we’re talking ‘re-mortgaging the house’ here.
Atom Chip
6 September, 2005
Skype Secures Deal With 3G Mobile Partner, E-Plus
Skype has slapped hands and manfully patted backs with German network operator E-Plus as the VoIP giant secures their first 3G partnership.
The exclusive offering will see Skype bundling in their Internet telephony software with E-Plus’s flat-rate data subscription.
This will let subscribers to the Skype/E-Plus deal benefit from a fixed-rate mobile Internet access, freebie Skype calling and the ability to control call costs using the E-Plus flat-rate data subscription.
Niklas Zennström, Skype CEO and Co-founder was ready with a quote: “We look forward to working with other innovative mobile operators around the world to bring the value and convenience of the Skype global Internet communications experience to their millions of mobile phone subscribers.”
The busy-bee Skypesters are said to be already hatching up schemes with a number of major handset and headset manufacturers – including Motorola – to develop a broader range of offer Skype-ready devices
“The use of Skype is growing strongly. Through our co-operation we are combining the advantages of mobile and stationary Internet access,” said Uwe Bergheim, Chief Executive Officer of E-Plus.
The flat-rate data subscription from E-Plus will be offered to its 9.8 million subscribers for €39.95 (~£27~$50) per month in October.
The company hopes to attract revenue from the fixed network and lure people off their landlines by persuading customers to make mobiles their de facto choice for making calls.
Skype currently claims more than 2.8 million Skype users in Germany.
Elsewhere, Skype has added a call forwarding function to the latest release of its VoIP software.
This lets users forward incoming Skype-to-Skype and SkypeIn calls to another Skype Name or to any landline or mobile phone.
The call forwarding is free so long as users have sufficient Skype balance available to forward the call to landline or mobile numbers.
Skype
E-Plus
6 September, 2005
Identity Theft May Increase With New Technology
In a damning blow to the UK government’s love affair with identity cards, a British criminologist has warned that the new technology could actually increase, rather than solve, the problem of identity theft and fraud.
Dr Emily Finch, of the University of East Anglia in England said that identity cards and chip and pin technology for credit cards were unlikely to alleviate the problem, as fraudsters react with more creative responses.
Finch said that a growing dependence on technology was leading to a breakdown in individual vigilance, which remains the best protection against fraud and identity theft.
“There is a worrying assumption that advances in technology will provide the solution to identity theft whereas it is possible that they may actually aggravate the problem,” she told the British Association science conference.
As part of her research, Finch interviewed thieves, vagabonds, fraudsters and ne’er do wells and asked about the impact new technology may have on their nefarious activities.
Not surprisingly, she learned that fraudsters were tenacious blighters, who were ready and willing to change their methods to elude new security measures.
“Studying the way that individuals disclose sensitive information would be far more valuable in preventing identity fraud than the evolution of technologically advanced but ultimately fallible measures to prevent misuse of personal information after it has been obtained,” she added.
As we reported last month, a survey by Gallup revealed that almost a fifth of US consumers admitted falling victim to identity theft, although Finch said that there were sometimes less dodgy reasons for fraud and identify theft – sometimes people just wanted to start again with a new identity.
Focusing on the UK government’s proposed ID card scheme for its citizens, Finch said that the cards could potentially increase fraudulent behaviour,
“What fraudsters know about is human nature,” said Finch. “And they adapt to things like the Internet which provides an absolutely fantastic base to access personal information.”
Despite ministers insisting that national identity cards would counter terrorism, crime and illegal immigration, critics like the civil rights group liberty say that the scheme won’t tackle identity fraud, crime or any of the high-profile problems the Government has claimed they will address.
Finch also expressed doubts about chip and pin technology (which enables consumers to purchase goods by punching in a personal number rather than using a signature), saying that criminals may switch from watching an individual punch in the code and stealing the card, and just nabbing credit card application forms and getting new cards and numbers instead.
5 September, 2005