2005

Nikon Coolpix P1 and Coolpix P2 Cameras Offer Wi-Fi: IFA
Although on the surface Nikon’s brand new Coolpix P1 and the Coolpix P2 cameras look like standard fare from the photo giant, they’ve got a trick up their sleeve – they both offer Wireless LAN support (IEEE802.11b/g).
In a first for compact digital cameras, Nikon’s new cameras sport a built-in 802.11b/g WiFi module which enables images to be transmitted to a Wi-Fi enabled computer or printer without the need for pesky wires and cables.
This wireless connection lets users transfer images off the camera’s storage card or transmit them ‘live’ as they’re snapped directly to Nikon’s PictureProject software.
Unfortunately, the P1 and P2 will only transmit pictures to the PictureProject application and isn’t able to directly upload images to the Internet or to FTP servers which we would have found far more useful – and much more fun.
As for the Coolpix P1 and P2 cameras, there’s nothing much to get too excited about, with the two identical cameras offering 8.0 and 5.1 Megapixels respectively with a 3.5x optical zoom (36-126mm equivalent, f2.7 – 5.2).
There’s the usual shedload of scene modes on offer (16 in total) for snapping in a wide range of common situations, with some advanced scene modes for the adventurous, and an aperture-priority auto mode with 10-step manual control over aperture settings in 1/3EV increments.
Both cameras support video and sound recording up to 30fps, with seven movie modes to choose from – including a natty time-lapse mode. We like them.
Framing and viewing images is taken care of with a sizeable 110,000 pixels 2.5″ TFT LCD screen and there’s a SD slot and USB 2.0 connectivity onboard.
Both cameras will be available at the end of the month, with the P1 priced at £294 (~$532~€429) and the P2 being knocked out for £225 (~$408~ €329).
Nikon
9 September, 2005
iPod Nano; Rollable Screen; Koran Virus: Teenage Tech News
Cool, I want one!
Apple has unveiled a new iPod. Why is this news? Because the new device is miniscule and uses flash memory as opposed to a hard drive. This confirms the rumours that Apple were buying 40% of Samsung’s flash memory.
I think that Apple has unveiled a real killer here: It has a decent capacity, is small, cute and features a colour screen. And of course, Christmas is coming up (Shouts “Dad!”).
Ooh, Shiny, new and it rolls up!
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are still in 2005 and not 2020. Even so, Phillips has managed to come up with a prototype roll-up screen. What’s special about this screen is, surprise surprise, that it is possible to roll it up as you would a sheet of paper.
At the moment, the model they have is only a prototype, and can only display four shades of grey, but when it gets better to support more colours, I’m sure it will be an instant hit with makers of Mobile Phones and other applications where a large display and a small size is an advantage.
I personally thought the fact someone had finally developed something like this was pretty neat, very futuristic, and a useful invention. I, for instance, would love to have a small phone simply because it’s, well, small. I can’t currently get one however, because the ones that are the size I would like have tiny displays and no features. Hopefully this will now change.
Allah says no
Meanwhile, there’s a new virus out (Windows only, sorry Mac and Linux users) that attempts to block people from surfing pornography Websites. If the virus finds specific sexually-orientated words in a URL, it will minimize the browser window and display a passage from the Koran.
Don’t people realise that you can’t force religion on people? When will people realise that religion is something that comes naturally? People who don’t grasp this concept make me angry, although I can see there is a vaguely humorous element to this virus too.
At least the virus doesn’t damage any of your files!
“Drop the ink cartridge and put your hands on your head!”
We’re told that Lexmark are attempting to outlaw refilling their cartridges. Apparently, as the ink cartridges are patented as one use only, Lexmark think they can enforce this on anyone running a business refilling ink tanks. Luckily, patents don’t apply to non-for profit activities yet, so it’s still safe to refill a cartridge yourself.
I think there should be bans about companies applying terms of use on something that a consumer has actually bought. If it belongs to you, you should be able to do as you wish with it!
9 September, 2005
DSC-R1 10 Mpx CMOS Cyber-shot Announced by Sony
Sony has announced the ground-breaking Cyber-shot DSC-R1, a high-end enthusiast digital camera offering a 10.3 million pixel CMOS sensor with a fast 24mm -120mm zoom lens.
Uniquely, the camera’s “professional grade” CMOS image sensor is APS-class, which makes it similar to those found in professional digital still cameras (in fact, Sony have long been selling their CMOS sensors to dSLR manufacturers, but this is the first time they’ve put them in their own cameras.)
The benefits of these larger sensors is that they offer higher sensitivity to light and lower image noise than the little pups you find in fixed lens/compact cameras.
Despite CMOS sensors being notorious power hogs, Sony has engineered the camera to provide a live image preview through its swiveling LCD monitor and EVF viewfinder – a very useful feature not available on dSLRs.
Supporting the fancy pants sensor is a high quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T 5X optical zoom lens covering 24mm to 120 mm (f/2.8 to f/4/.8.)
The 2-inch LCD is of an interesting construction, letting photographers swivel it through a range of positions or lay it flat across the top plate, in the style of a medium format camera viewfinder. Neat.
The camera offers Sony’s Advanced Gradation Control System (AGCS) which evaluates the distribution of brightness in a scene via the histogram and then applies the appropriate gamma curve to improve a scene’s contrast or to minimise saturation.
Despite the presence of the power-guzzling CMOS live preview, Sony are claiming a battery life of around 500 shots, with the camera storing files in JPEG or RAW image modes.
As has been the trend with their recent models, there’s both Memory Stick and Compact Flash memory cards onboard.
The camera’s $1000 price tag puts it in the heart of dSLR territory and we can’t help wondering how it’s going to compete.
Sure, the live preview is a very attractive and convenient option, but with its dSLR rivals offering far more flexibility through a huge array of available lens, we feel that Sony may struggle to gain a competitive edge – especially considering that the designers have bizarrely left off a movie mode.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see how it performs in the reviews before making a final judgment on this one.
The camera will be available in mid-November.
9 September, 2005
HBH-608: Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Headset For VoIP Calls
No matter how hard we try, when we see someone wandering about with a Bluetooth headset in their lughole we don’t think, “there’s a cool, go-getting professional”; we tend to have an irresistible urge to shout unprintable things in their direction.
But we understand that for some, these ear-hugging lumps of plastic have become indispensable work tools, so with a suppressed sneer of derision, let us tell you about the Sony Ericsson HBH-608 Bluetooth Headset.
Designed to be compatible with Sony VAIO BX laptops, the HBH-608 connects the computer with the headset via Bluetooth making it possible to handle calls over the Internet (VoIP) without faffing about with troublesome phone cables.
The small and light HBH-608 can apparently give you up to ten hours of re-enacting your favourite Nathan Barley scenes.
Ulf Persson, corporate VP for Sony Ericsson Accessories, extols the virtues:
“The knowledge from two strong brands in the communications industry comes together in this solution. We believe that our joint experience benefits the user, making telecommunication as smooth as possible.”
The HBH-608 connects to a VAIO using the computer’s own software, with the wireless connection allowing users to amble up 10 meters from the laptop.
Best of all, when you need to pop out for a double skinny frappuccino with Bolivian gnu’s milk, the same handset can be kept in your ear and used with your Bluetooth mobile phone on the street.
Like way, err, cool dude.
Sony Ericsson
9 September, 2005
eBay To Buy Skype? $5Bn Alleged
Rumours hotter than a double strength vindaloo are circulating major news organisations like the Wall Street Journal, Reuters and the Web that online auctioneers eBay are in talks to acquire the Internet-telephony company Skype.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting the world’s largest online auction site could be heading for a major shift in strategy in a deal involving truly stratospheric figures of $2 billion to $3 billion. If you think that’s high, the New York Post are quoting $5 Bn as the price.
The paper reports that the talks are in a “sensitive stage” and – mindful of Skype’s earlier failures to close deals with other technology companies – could “fall apart” at any given moment.
(Simon Perry – The very fact that eBay could be getting around the table with Skype either reflects the company’s quest for new product categories and international markets, or they could integrate Skype into the service, offering purchaser and seller to talk to each other. Another option could be to use Skype’s ability to host group discussions as a way of strengthening communities with the same interests.
Although they still rule the roost for online auctions, their core business is maturing, leading the company to diversify into new markets such as rental-property listings, online classified-ad listings and comparison shopping.
Despite other online leaders such as Yahoo and Google ramping up the feature set and expanding into new territories, eBay has remained focussed on the task of acting as middleman between individual buyers and sellers.
Their acquisition of the electronic-payment processing service PayPal in 2002 echoed their aim to simplify the business of buying and selling goods online, and an integrated VoIP service could provide a key element of that strategy.
Such a deal would also massively increase Skype’s presence, with eBay’s huge user base of 157 million technology-literate subscribers likely to be keen to adopt.)
Although market leader Skype currently enjoys huge popularity, their Big Cheese position is coming under considerable pressure as Google (Google Talk) and Microsoft (after recent Teleo VoIP purchase) tool up with their own VoIP offerings.
Optimistically, we gave Skype a call for their opinion (on Skype naturally) and got the expected, “Skype doesn’t comment on rumours” answer.
The ‘Skype for sale’ rumours are unlikely to go away after it was recently reported that they had hired investment banking firm Morgan Stanley & Co. to examine their options – including floating an IPO.
Back then Skype flatly denied that the company was for sale. Today, they didn’t confirm or deny this.
As Apple know, this is the best way to get written about, isn’t it?
We’ll see.
Skype
eBay
8 September, 2005
OpenTV PVR 2.0 Released
OpenTV Corp have given out a large toot on their PR trumpets and announced the availability of their “PVR 2.0” software to network operators and set-top box manufacturers worldwide.
OpenTV are big hotshots in the world of digital and interactive television technologies, and their new PVR 2.0 software is touted as an all-in platform for personal video recording, supporting standard and advanced features including push VOD and remote event booking.
The software includes support for the OpenTV streaming file system, a technology designed for PVR based usage with the aim of increasing the reliability and life span of disk drives.
PVR 2.0 is built upon OpenTV’s “Core 2.0” software, the fourth generation of set-top middleware which sports an architecture and features to support the expanding requirements of advanced digital television set-top boxes including PVR, VOD, IPTV, HDTV and home networking.
Network operators UPC Broadband, StarHub and AUSTAR have recently chosen OpenTV PVR 2.0 to integrate into their advanced digital platforms for the launch of their first PVR solutions.
OpenTV is also working to bring OpenTV PVR 2.0 to market with a wide range of set-top manufacturers including ADB, Pace, Phillips, Scientific Atlanta, Thomson and UEC, and with the leading CA vendors including Irdeto, NagraVision and Viaccess.
“Network operators increasingly understand middleware’s value in achieving their business goals, reducing operational costs and improving time to market of the services critical to the success of their businesses,” said Tim Evard, who has a very big name badge declaring him to be OpenTV’s “senior vice president and general manager of products and marketing.”
“OpenTV Core 2.0 and PVR 2.0 is quickly becoming the platform of choice for worldwide operators launching PVR solutions. We will be demonstrating the latest features of Core 2.0 and PVR 2.0 at the upcoming IBC conference in Amsterdam,” he added.
OpenTV
8 September, 2005
Nikon Coolpix S4 Swivels Out
We like swiveling cameras.
With their crafty pivoting design, they’re great for taking sneaky street candids, stealthy snaps and images taken from err, “imaginative” angles, so we were excited to hear about Nikon’s new Coolpix S4 camera.
Decked out in an attractive silver finish, Nikon’s new swiveler builds on the success of their Coolpix SQ and E9xx series cameras, boasting six million-pixels and a hefty 10x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens, covering 38-380mm.
The swivel capability lets users shoot from the eye, the waist, overhead or upside down if they so desire, with the 180 degree rotate making it easy to take self portraits.
The shirt pocket snapper comes with the usual slew of scene modes covering every climatic and lighting condition imaginable on earth, with the addition of an innovative “Face Priority AF Mode”, which claims to automatically find faces in photos and focus on their gurning mugs.
Handling’s been improved with the Coolpix S4 featuring a new grip design with a large 2.5-inch 110,000 pixel TFT monitor making it easier to compose scenes and admire captured photos.
Powered by a pair of AA-size batteries, the S4 is designed to be highly portable, boasting slimline 112 x 69 x 37 mm (4.4 x 2.7 x 1.4 in) dimensions and a light weight of 205g.
For fine tuning images, the camera offers In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, AE-BSS to select the best relative exposure from a series of shots and a “D-Lighting” function for brightening under-exposed pictures in-camera, conveniently saving a copy of the edited image rather than overwriting the original.
For punters with Spielberg aspirations, Nikon has included three Movie Modes (up to 15 frames per second) with sound and a time-lapse movie function.
The Coolpix S4 will be available at the end of this month priced €399 (£218, €320).
Nikon
Nikon Coolpix S4 specs
8 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