28th February 2006 Archive

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Sony Ericsson unveils Cyber-shot camera phone

Wiiiilllmmaaaaa

Sony Ericsson today unveiled a long-awaited camera phone that leverages another key Sony brand: Cyber-shot. The mobile phone maker also launched an attempt to push that other borrowing from its parent company - the Walkman brand - further down-market with the first ever clamshell version. The K800 and K790 - respectively 3G …

Phones 28 Feb 2006, 11:56
Sony Ericsson eyes up low-end camera phones

Launches three pay-as-you-goes

Sony Ericsson will next quarter round out its camera-phone line-up with a trio of low-end models pitched at the growing market for phones that offer a basic array of functions but don't sport a feature list as long as your arm. The K310, for example, is a candybar handset with a mere sub-megapixel camera, 15MB of memory - …

Phones 28 Feb 2006, 12:31
Blu-ray to hit US in May

Well, eight movies and one player...

Blu-ray Disc will go on sale in the US on 23 May, according to Sony's home video division, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, MGM Home Entertainment and Samsung. The South Korean giant will ship its BD-P1000 hardware on that date, ready to play the eight - count 'em - films the two content companies will release on the same day …

HD 28 Feb 2006, 13:08
Vodafone Japan unveils 'unprecedented' 3G handset

Crikey

The boffins at Vodafone Japan have announced a brace of whacked-out innovations for a new 3G handset, the Sharp Vodafone 904SH. First up will be the introduction of a face-recognition security function. The feature will utilise the phone's camera and middleware from Oki Electric Industry Ltd, to recognise customers by sensing …

Phones 28 Feb 2006, 13:40
Fujitsu Siemens preps 'piano lacquer' laptop

Limited edition, naturally

Fujitsu Siemens (FS) today unveiled what it claims is "the world's most desirable laptop" - so desirable, in point of fact, that the company is making the €4,000-plus ($4,743/£2,724) product available in "limited quantities only". Among its appealing features: it's 2cm thick and is decked out in a "black piano lacquer" finish …

Gadgets and Gizmos 28 Feb 2006, 13:47
Asono touts designer MP3 player

Norway's Play

Want an MP3 player that doesn't look like an MP3 player? Norway's Asono may have the answer: the Play, a low-cost version of its Mica device. iPod Shuffle-like in its simplicity, the Play has no screen and a single joystick for control. It even clips into its own design-integrated neck lanyard. According to the vendor, the …

Media players 28 Feb 2006, 14:11
Tul hints at ATI Theater TV chip upgrade

Theater 650 Pro succeed 550 Pro?

ATI appears to be preparing an update to its Theater graphics chip family, if an announcement by Taiwanese card maker Tul is anything to go by. Tul recently revealed what it would be showing at next month's CeBIT show. Among them a product based on "ATI's latest Theatre chipset". According to ATI, that's the Theater 550 Pro. …

Bits 'n' Chips 28 Feb 2006, 15:10
iLoad to link iPod Nano to mobile phone music stores

DRM difficulties to overcome first

We're not quite sure why you'd want to download tracks to your iPod Nano from an expensive mobile phone operator-run music store rather than the cheaper, iPod-friendly iTunes Music Store, but US start-up Wingspan Investment Partners says it will let you do so this Summer for a mere $199. Its iLoad-c will fit onto the back of …

Media players 28 Feb 2006, 16:10
Kensington dangles iPod Shuffle dock dongle

Access a world of accessories

Last week we told you about a neat new adaptor that allows iPod Nano users to connect a host of older iPod accessories to their slimline music player. Now, thanks to Kensington - better known for its ubiquitous notebook lock port - so too can Shuffle owners. Yes, Kensington's appropriately named Shuffle Accessory Adapter …

Media players 28 Feb 2006, 16:48
'Fun' is a warm piece of hardware for Apple

Is that an iPod Hi-Fi in your pocket...

A third Intel-powered Mac, the pint-sized Mini, and a portable sound system for iPods are apparently what passes for fun on Apple's campus these days. CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday took the wraps off two Mac Minis based, respectively, on Intel Core Solo and Duo chips, said to be four times faster than their predecessors, plus a …

Mac 28 Feb 2006, 22:02