Smart Rewards you rebates, discounts and free SMS

While Globe may have managed to snag some precious air time on television with their Watyawannawin campaign, Smart was apparently the first to offer such a service for their subscribers.

So what’s unique in Smart Rewards? Well, for starter, once you register, you automatically get free 500 points instantly. Smart also provides you with a convenient way of checking your earned points online with a dedicated website just for this service. There’s also no indication of how long it will run which more or less means that it’s here to stay unlike Globe’s offer which will end next year. No grand raffles here, though, but you can, however, use your earned points to get free text messages, bill rebates or handset discounts.

For more information, you can check out the Smart Rewards website. Register now so you can earn back every peso you’ve spend on your Smart subscription.

Earn points on your Globe subscription

If you’re on Globe, regardless if you’re on postpaid or prepaid, you can make every peso you consume work for you.

Globe has an ongoing promo called Watyawannawin where every P5 you use, whether it be on a prepaid load or your postpaid monthly bill, you earn 1 point, and after accumulating a certain amount of points, you can then either redeem it as a rebate or use it as raffle entries to win great prizes such as iPods, Macbooks, and even P1 Million cash. This promo will run until February 28, 2009. So better register now, so that you can do more with the money you spend on your Globe subscription than just calling and texting. For more details, head on over to Globe’s site.

With the heated rivalry between Globe and Smart, I won’t be surprised if the latter comes out with a similar promo of their own for their loyal subscribers.

Cellphone with 10Megapixel Digital Camera at the Back!!

As I said before Cellphone with 10Megapixel DIGITAL CAMERA (LG PHONES)

10 megapixel camera phones, or more, HD video on your mobi and even speech recognition GPS technology... these were amongst the bold promises being made by LG at a London gathering this week.

The phone manufacturer invited a select few journalists to have a chat about converging technology – focusing on its new KC-910 mobile phone – which, as well as having an 8 megapixel camera, also offers a whole host of image and video editing tools, Dolby sound and DivX compatibility.

But the roundtable event also gave Pocket-lint a chance to quiz execs from LG, Dolby and DivX as to what we can expect in the phones of the future, and it seems next year could see a whole host of developments.

On the camera phone front – the emergence of three 8 megapixel models has caused all kinds of excitement amongst phone fans, and doom and gloom amongst digital compact camera manufacturers.

And quite rightly so, said Jeremy Newing, LG’s UK head of marketing who claimed that there is no reason why camera phones could not take over from point and shoot cameras.

Indeed – the megapixel race that we saw amongst camera makers is now being battled out between mobile manufacturers, and, said John Barton, LG UK’s sales and marketing director, he’s already seen camera phone offering megapixel counts in the double digits.

The KC-910 also has up to 16x digital zoom, provided by Schneider Kreuznach, but no optical zoom however, there were hints that this might change.

The new relationship with DivX, which sees the Renoir bundled with software for converting files into DivX files for viewing on the phone, could also be a sign of things to come.
When we asked about the possibility of HD video recording in mobile phones – after all this seems to be the next big thing in digital cameras – again – it was a case of watch this space.

Andy Glasson from DivX explained that the company is already working on the H264 encoding and decoding technology that could make this possible.

Moving onto music, the KC-910 is the first global launch to feature special dedicated technology from Dolby to make the sound better from the phone, whether from its speaker or when you are listening through headphones.

Jonathan Jowitt from Dolby told us that this is the first device of many: “This is the start of many products we hope, and we also hope to be working with LG for a long time to come”.

Sticking with music – way back in February, with not many fireworks, LG announced its own mobile music downloads service called MusicStation Max.

It’s all been a bit quiet since, even as both Nokia and Sony Ericsson have launched Comes With Music and PlayNow, but LG may be up to something.

John Barton said that the time was not yet right for the company: “You can’t go to each individual label and do a deal, and then only offer your customers the music of the labels that sign up. You need an aggregator. For the KF700, we created MusicStation Max with Omnifone, which we can see being popular in the Scandinavian markets.” He added, however: “For the rest of the world – watch this space.”

And so what else can we expect from LG? Developers may finally see LG opening up its software for third party applications, and the clever bods in the R&D department are also, apparently, working on technology to stop us getting smeary fingers prints over our nice, shiny, LG touchscreens.

Let’s hope it’s not just a cloth in the box.

Apple sells unlocked iPhones in Hong Kong

Apple has started selling unlocked models of its popular iPhone 3G in Hong Kong which allow users the freedom to choose the telecoms provider of their choice.

The eight gigabyte version was on sale Saturday at Apple's online store for 5,400 Hong Kong dollars (about 700 US dollars), while the 16 gigabyte model was 6,200 dollars.

Apple said the phone can be activated with any wireless carrier," the company's website said.

The move is a shift from the US technology firm's previous strategy of tying the phone exclusively to a single mobile operator in each country or territory.

The iPhone 3G was previously only officially available in Hong Kong bundled with a two-year contract with tycoon Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Telecom on tariff plans ranging from 188 to 498 dollars a month.

The gadget latest offers a touch screen, high-speed Internet browsing with third generation networks, WiFi, e-mail, GPS and an integrated music and video player.

Apple sold a millions 3G models in the first weekend after its July 11 launch in 21 countries and territories around the world.

Nokia 7210 Supernova, 2680 Slide: It’s who you are

Nokia Philippines has just recently launched two new handset models that will surely give you your money’s worth, the 7210 Supernova and the 2680 Slide

The 7210 Supernova is part of the Supernova collection which is likewise available locally. It features a 2-megapixel camera, 2-inch QCGA display, Bluetooth, FM radio, 30MB internal memory and microSD card support up to 2GB all housed in an ultra slim form factor measuring in just 10.6mm in thickness. Sure, it doesn’t have 3G or WiFi, but for a SRP of P7500, it’s a well featured mobile device that provides you with all of the basic functionality of a phone with a host of entertainment features on the side.

The 2680 slide, on the other hand, is another compact phone that proves that good quality products need not come with a hefty price tag. Priced at only P4990, this clamshell gives you Bluetooth capabilities, VGA camera, FM radio and GPRS connectivity. It cuts back on the camera, but it still provides you with all the essential functions you’ll ever need in a phone without putting too much strain on your wallet.

Both phones are already available in your local Nokia stores.

Smartphone Showdown: 3 QWERTYs and a Touchscreen

As a response to one of my readers’ request, I'm pitting the latest smartphones in the market against each other to see which one really stands out in this elite group. Actually, I'm also quite curious ourselves to find out which is the best among the bunch as each one has a unique feature to offer that the others don’t have.

As you can see in the table, there isn’t one phone that clearly dominated in all the categories. Take for example the Nokia E71. It does win in the camera, size and weight divisions, but it has the smallest display in the group with the best one goint to the 3G iPhone. While the iPhone may also be considered a winner in terms of internal memory, all the others support memory expansion which makes their total memory flexible although I doubt there’s an SD card available now that’ll match the iPhone’s 16GB capacity. On the user interface side, QWERTY is still the most efficient way of entering long messages and composing e-mail, which makes the iPhone the blacksheep of the group albeit its highly advanced touchscreen. However, the Palm Treo Pro manages to incorporate both a touch screen interface and a QWERTY keypad into its design offering users a taste of both worlds.

As far as the OS is concerned, that is a matter of preference. While the Mac OS X mobile version is relatively new in the market, it is fast gaining popularity and many developers are now releasing apps for the iPhone. Both Windows Mobile and S60 have been around for sometime now and they have their own respective community of developers. The Blackberry, on the other hand, also has its share of software developers though they’re quite limited and not so visible as opposed to the others. Nonetheless, all of their respective mobile OS are equally capable and can get the job done at hand. It all boils down to how much you would like to expand its capabilities through 3rd party applications and additional software.

Clearly, there’s no one way to call this competition and it will all rely on what you need. If it’s a simple internet mobile device, the 3G iPhone is what we would recommend simply because the mobile Safari is unmatched in terms of performance. If it’s a serious business phone you’re after, you can’t go wrong with the Blackberry Bold, but considering its limited availability worldwide, I’d say its better to get the Nokia E71 or Palm Treo Pro instead though the latter is yet to be released. If you want an all-around performing device, the Nokia E71 gets my vote. However, if availability is a major concern, you’ll narrow down the playing field to the iPhone and the Nokia E71 as both the BlackBerry Bold and Palm Treo Pro are not yet out in the local Philippine market.

But hey, this is just my opinion, how about you guys; which one’s the best smartphone among the group for you?

Silly Sites

The world loves Wikipedia, flocks to Flickr, and checks in Facebook or surfs into Nokia’s Ovi.

And why not? Sites like them harness collective knowledge, promote interaction and communication, and improve the more you use them.

Unfortunately, not every website is a winner. A lot are vague, pointless, or just plain silly. How do you identify a dumb site? First, the site’s mission statement must be impenetrable. Second, the site must solve a problem that has been solved a million times already or didn’t need solving in the first place. Third, its name must love the letter "r" but eschew vowels (Drivl, Grazr, Hngry).

Here are some of the silliest sites I’ve seen so far:

Blabberize (www.blabberize.com)

If you were a venture capitalist and some supposed Web visionaries came to you with a home page dominated by an animated picture of a talking alpaca, wouldn’t that in itself be enough to make you say "No thanks"? Apparently not in the case of Blabberize, which lets users add audio and animate the mouths in pictures. At least it’s entertaining, right?

BillMonk (www.billmonk.com)

Let’s say you owe a friend some money and you ask him for the money but friend says that the debt has been paid. How embarrassing! If you were using BillMonk -- "a free service that makes it easy to track expenses between friends, and to settle them up instantly online" -- you wouldn’t be in this fix. According to its creators, BillMonk is particularly popular with roommates, college students, and other folks who can’t communicate via vocal cords or post its.

Blippr (www.blippr.com)

The Short Attention Span Theater isn’t gone -- it just moved to the Web. I Blippr, for example, lets you review movies, books, games, and so on, in 160 characters or less. This setup results in such trenchant appraisals as "Some dude eats this fast food joint every single day until he gets fat and becomes really sick" ("Super Size Me") and "this is a fine specimen of bookage" ("The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy").

FoodFeed (www.foodfeed.us)

"Had donuts for the past week and now I even see them in my dreams." Don’t keep such morsels to yourself. Thanks to FoodFeed, you can share your eating habits with the world! Mike in Utah hoovered 2 footlongs ten minutes ago. Ryan in Canada just wolfed down a huge bowl of ice cream and Tonito in Makati just ate something complicated. Bon Apetit!

Predictify (www.predictify.com)

Exercise your inner Nostradamus. At Predictify, you don’t just read the news -- you predict it! If you’re accurate, you can earn real money. But who’s coughing up the dough? "Premium question-askers" who could be vendors, marketing firms, pollsters, or individuals who truly want to know "Will Paris Hilton’s energy plan be adopted wholly or partially by Congress this year?" In typical Web 2.0 fashion, you can connect with other members, compare rankings, challenge their predictions, and so on. The convoluted rules, however, may send you running back to Greedy or Needy.

Savvy Auntie (www.savvyauntie.com)

There’s a first for everything - eating frog’s legs, jumping off the cliff at Tali, being an Aunt. Enter Savvy Auntie, a network for women who desperately need tips on being an aunt or grandmother. Just incase you don’t trust your relatives who help you along the way, in the site you learn how to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or how to throw a "High School Musical" theme party. You can also tap into Auntiepedia, a wiki that boasted two postings when I checked. Uncles need not apply, as they are superfluous.

BarbieGirls (www.barbiegirls.com)

Want to raise a good little consumer? BarbieGirls.com is the place for your princess to log in and get down. With the free account, she can design her virtual character, decorate her room, chat with new friends, and visit their rooms. But step up to VIP membership ($ 6 per month), and we’re into amassing virtual purses and jewelry, sending gifts, staging a fashion show, getting a special tiara and hairstyle, and, of course, earning Barbie-bucks. Paris Hilton in the making? Loves it.

Survey indicates gaming has beneficial effects

ne of the major obstacles for us young kids and gamers are our Parents.

Not that they don’t want us to play games, but they want us to put more focus on our studies and perhaps do some little responsibilities around the house, which is fine with me at least.

We often hear parents saying "During our time, we don’t play those games. We study, we help clean the house, we help do the laundry, we help do a lot of things." My answer is simple "Mom / Dad, you don’t have xBox 360 before, you don’t PSP, PS3, Wii, DS before, so why complain?"

But no amount of explanation will convince them otherwise. Fortunately I came across a survey indicating that games that simulate aspects of civic and political life may well promote civic skills and civic engagement. Youth, parents, teachers, and others who work with youth should know about the wide diversity of video games – so they can take full advantage of games and their civic potential.

The survey was conducted by Pew Internet & American Life Project, an initiative of the Pew Research Center and was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The primary findings in the survey of 1,102 youth ages 12-17 include:

- Game playing is universal, with almost all teens playing games and at least half playing games on a given day.

- 97% of American teens ages 12-17 play some kind of video game.

- 99% of boys say they are gamers and 94% of girls report that they play games.

Game playing is social:

- 76% of gaming teens play games with others at least some of the time.

- 82% play games alone at least occasionally, though 71% of this group also plays games with others.

- 65% of gaming teens play with others in the same room.

Game playing can incorporate many aspects of civic and political life:

- 76% of youth report helping others while gaming.

- 44% report playing games where they learn about a problem in society.

Game playing sometimes involves exposure to mature content, with almost a third of teens playing games that are listed as appropriate only for people older than they are:

- 32% of youth 12-16 in this sample play games that are listed as appropriate only for people older than they are.

- 32% of gaming teens report that at least one of their favorite games is rated Mature or Adults Only.

- 12-14 year olds are equally as likely to play Mature and Adults Only rated games as their 15-17 year old counterparts.

Not only do many teens help others or learn about a problem in society during their game playing, they also encounter other social and civic experiences:

- 52% of gamers report playing games where they think about moral and ethical issues.

- 43% report playing games where they help make decisions about how a community, city or nation should be run.

- 40% report playing games where they learn about a social issue.

Even if the survey was conducted with American kids, I am pretty certain the result will somehow be the same if the same survey will be conducted here in the Philippines.

I hope this study will convince our parents that playing games is not that bad and has good benefits for us gamers. So have a heart, extend our playing time for three hours? Two hours? An hour? Please... No matter what, I love you so much Dad and Mom.

Picture-taking made hip, fun and easy

There was a time that photo ops were only reserved for special moments.

Those that we would all want to look back to. Nowadays, everybody can aspire to be a shutterbug. With the digital camera, every moment can be a special moment. Even simple things like going to the mall are treated with pomp and circumstance, oftentimes preserved by the click of a digital camera. It is now one of the must-haves, a staple item found in most handbags.

Digital cameras of today now combine innovative functions and handsome styling so apt for the people who covet it so much: the young. Nikon’s Coolpix digital camera series promises to be a must-have digital camera for people who are happiest clicking away.

Coolpix features the innovative VR Image Stabilization technologies on selected models that produce blur-free images when shooting in unstable conditions or at slower shutter speeds. It also has ISO capabilities that go beyond the range of other conventional digital cameras, delivering excellent light exposure, broadens the scope of possible subjects, and allows scenes to be captures beautifully without compromising natural light.

Coolpix also features the face-priority AF, ensuring crisp portraits at all times. It automatically detects the people’s faces in the frame, allowing the photographer the freedom to press the shutter for sharp portraits for definite focus.

The Coolpix also has the Pictmotion that sets the slideshow to music which makes viewing the shots taken more fun and interesting. Some new models feature smile detection.

And because Nikon is in the forefront of changing the face of the digital camera, it created the Coolpix with the built-in WiFi capability on selected models to allow you to download your pictures not needing any cable or wire connection.

Each Nikon Coolpix digital camera comes in varying pixels ranging from 7.1 million pixel-capable L16 model to the 10 million pixel-capable S600, P80 and S550 models and the 12.1 million pixel-capable P5100 model. This means there is a Coolpix camera that meets every personal preference. Nikon Coolpix pays the same importance to styling as well as function so each model comes in elegant and chic design and styling. This is one camera that really knows its customers.

Why use tempered glass on a mobile phone?

For its clarity and strength, tempered glass is the choice material for timeless style

When visitors at the Grand Canyon Skywalk step out over the canyon rim, the only thing between them and bottom of the canyon 4,000 feet below is four inches of tempered glass. It was used for a reason, and the reason is that it’s the toughest glass around.

Once thought of as material used to fulfill building code safety requirements and auto industry crash test experiments, tempered glass is playing a larger role in everyday life for its incredible strength, durability and sleek transparency.

A typical household has more items made of tempered glass than one might think. In the kitchen, coffee carafes and glassware baking dishes are made of tempered glass because of its durable properties. In the living room, you’ll find tempered glass used on the television LCD screen and it is the main material for aquariums. You will also find it as the key material for the fireplace cover and the room’s skylight.

In the garage, tempered glass is found in the car windows where it has been used for years as the benchmark material for automobile safety. In the home office, one might work at a desktop made of tempered glass, and on the desk is a pair of fashionable eyeglasses and a luxury brand watch, both of which, use tempered glass for its scratch resistant qualities.

Recently tempered glass has been adopted for use in handsets which keeps the exterior always looking new and stylish thanks to its sleek and scratch resistant qualities.

Keen to consumer needs and desires, who want a look of timeless elegance for their  handset, LG Electronics, a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, introduced its Secret an element of timelessness with its third handset of the successful Black Label Series, the LG Secret.

The tempered glass on the front panel of LG Secret is composed through chemical strengthening and is by far the strongest type of glass available to be implemented on mobile phones today.

"When we were designing the LG Secret our goal was to create a phone that never goes out of style, and things quickly go out of style when they start looking old. Everyone has seen scratched-up, paint-worn phones before and they get that way from heavy use. We wanted a handset that would always look new and tempered glass is the main material that achieves that goal." said Jon Santico, mobile division head of LG Electronics.

The strong and scratch resistant glass of LG Secret completes the luxurious exterior by keeping the whole body of the handset seek and also allows style-conscious consumers to be worry-free about making scratches on the screen. Also, the scratch-resistant tempered glass on the wide LCD screen provides totally clear multimedia experience.

Mobile computing: N95 + 1 + 16GB + 5MP = N96

I (or most of us) want for this coming Christmas is a brand new... gadget!

A digital audio player? A laptop maybe? A new portable media player? Or a new digital camera?

What if you can get them all in just one device? You might be thinking "yeah, it’s gotta be the N95. And you can have it on the 8GB version if you want more storage space."

I'm suggesting this one - the N96.

At a glance...

"First impressions last" on N96. Compared to the N95, holding the N96 feels sturdier or tougher in terms of the materials used. It is a little heavier. The corners of the N96 are curved which is appealing in today’s trend. Its black motiff and metallic gray accent is a complementing combination. The battery cover has a wave-like imprint

As with the N95, the N96 comes in a two-way slider form factor. Its users will surely notice the phone has a seamless, glossy, black finish. Slide it up to reveal the alphanumeric keypad and you’ll notice that its already leveled flat, with only the "5" key having two small bumps. Slide it down and you see the multimedia buttons for use in playing music and videos.

The volume keys (also the zoom in and out in camera mode) and shutter button are still located on the right side. On the corners of this side is where the two stereo speakers are located. The left side is where the microSD card slot is placed, as well as a small hole for wrist strap at the lower corner. There is a keyguard switch on top that replaces the lock/unlock shortcut in the N95.

Turn it over and you will see the same 5-megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus camera, but there are now two flash lamps(which I assume to be Xenon). Take notice of the small gap underneath the camera - it’s what Nokia calls a "kickstand" and it functions as a support when viewing the N96 in portrait mode (like a picture frame).

What’s inside...

Nokia NSeries users won‘t be alienated with the grid menu. The photos, music, and video center icons are out of the media sub-menu. This, along with the Web and games, is what an NSeries phone is all about.

Don’t fear that you will have to look for the other features because they are now in the Apps or Tools sub-menu. The new feature here is the MobileTV Xtra. The N96 has a DVB-H TV broadcast receiver feature allowing users to watch TV shows wirelessly (this is network-dependent).

You might have to get used to the keypad, when composing text messages, if youre fingers can’t feel the buttons immediately.

Using the camera might be a bit frustrating at first because the shutter button needs to be pressed deeper - either on the half-press to use the auto focus or the full press for the photo capture itself. A noticeable improvement here is that photos and videos are saved faster.

Going deeper...

Perhaps the most impressive internal part of the N96, for most consumers is the phones storage capacity. It has three separate drives - the phone memory, mass memory, and memory card. Approximately, the phone memory has about 256Mb while the mass memory at 16GB.

I’m pretty sure those who just bought an 8GB version of the N95 and N81 phones will be pretty upset when the N96 gets released in the local market. So far, this is what mobile computing has become...and what we would all love for the Yultide season.

LG KC910 Renoir - Viewty’s successor

Still remember that LG Viewty 5-megapixel camera touchscreen phone? Well, here’s the follow up to it, the LG KC910 or otherwise known as LG Renoir.

It features a large 3-inch WQVGA 240×400 touchscreen display, an 8-megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens and Xenon flash, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, and 3G/HSDPA. The specs are undeniably impressive, but unfortunately, there’s no mention about its OS and from the looks of it, it doesn’t appear to be Windows Mobile 6.1. While we’re not exactly thrilled at the performance of the mobile Windows OS, it’s the most decent mobile OS out there that’s available for touchscreen devices aside from the Mac OS X mobile. The LG Renoir is expected to be released in October with specific availability dates, region and price yet to be known.

Sure, the specs are good and all, but its similarity to the iPhone in terms of design is really a big turn off for me personally. Sure, it’s a touchscreen phone just like the iPhone, but does it have to looks so much alike Apple’s mobile phone? It would have been better if LG came out with a more original design so that the Renoir will truly stand out and be recognized as a unique product in the market.

Toshiba pushes out stylish 400GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

Nothing too special about Tosh's latest USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive -- just a good lookin' 400GB unit that should slide into most average sized cargo pockets on the market today. The 6-ounce drive is available in "Electric Blue and Black" (pictured) as well as Carbon Grey, Hot Rod Red and Gecko Green, and while pricing has yet to be revealed, those looking to size it up can chew on these dimensions: 0.65- x 3.19- x 5.0-inches. Not too shabby, huh?

HTC Touch HD vs iPhone 3G

Even though the unit you see in the picture is still just a pre-release model, it’s hard to deny that the HTC Touch HD does look better than the iPhone 3G thanks to its bigger and brighter display.

As for the lack of flash, an interesting side-by-side comparison of the same photo taken indoors reveals that the Touch HD does quite a remarkable job in ambient lighting as opposed to the iPhone.

However, the iPhone still has a slight advantage in terms of thickness ergonomic design although it looks a bit longer and wider than the Touch HD.

So, aside from visual comparison of the two, how does HTC’s latest device stack up to Apple’s mobile phone? Shown in the table below are the major areas where the two are completely different aside from the OS, of course.

So which is better? While the HTC Touch HD does get my vote this early on, it’s still hard to say which one is exactly better due to how different Windows Mobile 6.1 is from Mac OS X mobile OS. The HTC Touch HD does have a bigger and better display and camera, but there’s more to a mobile smartphone than just those two features combined.

I will wait for the final product to come out before I make any final decision on this face-off, but I must admit, the HTC Touch HD does look quite impressive.

visit my blogspot at http://gadgetechreviews.blogspot.com

Canon unleashes EOS 5D Mark II (21.1 Mega pixel)

Nikon may have been the first to offer an HD video-capturing DSLR, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be the only ones to do that.

As a matter of fact, Canon’s brand new EOS 5D Mark II also offers that same feature but does it much better with full HD 1,920×1,080 video recording capability. Video recording files size caps off at 4GB per clip, and is saved in .MOV format. Another neat feature is that you can likewise connect external stereo mics to the camera making it a very capable DSLR video recorder.

On its SLR attributes, it features a 24×36mm 21.1-megapixel CMOS sensor coupled with a DIGIC 4 image processor. It’s not as massive as the Sony Alpha A900, but it’s pretty close and is definitely more featured-packed. Other specs include a 3-inch Live View LCD, 15-point AF with 9 selectable AF points, 3.9fps burst rate for unlimited JPEG images and up to 14 RAW files.

Those looking to upgrade to the EOS 5D Mark II better start saving up as this one sure won’t come cheap. It’s expected to come out at the end of November with a body-only price of $2,699 (P125,368). The one bundled with a Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens will sell for $3,499 (P162,528). I guess HD video is the in thing for SLRs these days.

Sony Alpha A900 a 24.6-megapixel is ready for pre-order

Well, it’s now up for pre-order in the US. For those not familiar with it, this is Sony’s latest digital SLR which showcases a massive 24.6-megapixel 35mm full frame Exmor CMOS imaging sensor. Yup, it’s not holding back on the megapixels, but unfortunately (or not) everything else looks pretty much standard fare. There’s not even a mention of Live View or a sensor cleaning mechanism built into it which has become almost a standard feature in most of the new DSLR releases. They must have decided to skip out on those features since it’ll just add to its already hefty price tag of $2,999.00, (P141,027) and that’s just for the body only.

However, if money isn’t an issue for you and you’ve been dying to get a DSLR with 20+ megapixels for whatever reason, then treat yourself to the Sony Alpha A900. It’s expensive, but it’s definitely cheaper than a Hassleblad.

Google Chrome Beta

I’ve heard about it, downloaded it, installed it, and used to our heart’s content.

I'm a bit amazed but not totally surprised and this is what i’ve seen on Google Chrome so far.

Go to www.google.com/chrome and from there, you can download an installation file but not exactly the whole program (or read more info about the application.)

Run the installation file and from there it’ll automatically download the Beta version and you’re done. Chrome will also ask if you want to import bookmarks and other stuff from your default browser.

Shimmering simple

No menu bar, no big icons, and no status bar. Those who are used to using IE or Firefox may be surprised with the Chrome’s uncommon appearance.

All you get are small icons, the address bar, and a default bookmark folder located on the upper right side of the window. These aren’t really new and works fairly the same with most tabbed browsers, but where do you access its other features?

On the upper right corner, just above the bookmarks folder, you’ll see a paper-like icon and a wrench icon. When your mouse pointer hovers above the former and it displays "Control the current page," click and you see similar controls like "New tab" (Ctrl+T), "New window" (Ctrl-N), "Cut" (Ctrl+X), "Copy" (Ctrl+C), and so on. You’ll also notice that most keyboard shortcuts have more or less the same commands.

What’s new? Well, "Create application shortcuts" is one feature new to us as this lets you create a shortcut for a specific web page. This is an alternative to using the bookmark, and the shortcut can be placed on either your desktop, Start menu, or Quick launch bar, or on all three locations.

You haven’t heard of a browser that has its own task manager have you? Chrome has one for the reason that each tab opened is a separate process by itself. Go run your operating system’s own task manager and you will see for yourself.

Why is this so? Perhaps to prevent work interruptions if you happen to work online most of the time. And it’s pretty annoying when your OS suddenly tells you that you browser is "not responding" and needs to be closed. In Firefox or Seamonkey, running the application again would ask you if you want to "restore your last session."

No matter how many tabs you have opened, they will be opened on the last known page you’ve been to. Of course, with emails, you have to re-log-in (and there might not be any assurance that composed messages are saved unless you’re used to pressing Ctrl+S every now and then).

Now, if you want to control or tweak Chrome’s behavior as an application, this is where you have to click on the wrench icon ("Customize and control Google Chrome"). Choose "Options" from here and a window opens up, showing you three tabs - "Basic," "Minor Tweaks," and "Under the hood."

You can let Chrome automatically open the pages you’ve visited on your last session once you run it (and it will do it all the time unless you change it in the options to either open the home page or specify certain URLs to be opened).

Let’s say you often check you mail, visit a forum site, and read sources Wikipedia on a daily basis, you don’t have to open three tabs and type in their URLs or open them from your bookmarks. All you have to do is log in and wait.

The standard home page for Google Chrome shows you a history of recently-viewed pages in a thumbnail-like manner. And its interactive, meaning it’s already a link to those pages. Click the "show full history" and you have a track record of your internet activities for the past several days.

And the usual stuff here allows you to control settings on downloads, passwords, fonts and languages. For nerds, check "under the hood" because this is where the network, web content and security settings can be changed.

So far, the Beta version of Chrome is quite impressive in terms of performance. Although it may show signs of lag on old PCs (like on one unit we installed), it hasn’t crash yet. And there’s still more to expect from Chrome in the coming months so this isn’t the end of the road yet.

Click here for the battle of the 3 BIG WEB BROWSERS (Firefox 3, Internet Explorer 8 Beta, Google Chrome)

visit my blogspot at http://gadgetechreviews.blogspot.com/

Which Internet Brower Is Best?

Things are really heating up when it comes to the way we surf the Internet. In the past couple of weeks, we've seen a new version of Firefox and Internet Explorer out as well as an entirely new browser by Google called Chrome.

So which one shines above the others? What new features are in these new browsers?

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8

This is version 8.0 and it's still in beta. Upon opening you'll see it looks pretty much the same as other versions. There's a lot done under the hood to improve safety and privacy on the web and developers will be happy about that one.

Some cool consumer features include web accelerators. Highlight anything on a Web page and you can instantly receive a definition or live map for instance.

Find yourself wanting to keep watch on an eBay item but want to keep browsing elsewhere? You can with Web Slices. Simply mouse over an item at eBay or a number of sites and if it's Web Slices compatible, a green icon will appear. The item then appears in your favorites area and when the bid is updated, for instance, you'll notice the page listing gets bolded.

Ever tried to buy a gift for a significant other only to have them stumble across it in your Internet history? Well with "inprivate" mode you won't have to worry. Just launch inprivate and there will not be any record kept of the sites you've visited.

Overall, if you're an IE lover this one is worth a download.

Firefox 3

Firefox is great, and the new Firefox 3 browser is a must-have. It's sleek, easy to use and you'll notice it's much faster than even the new Internet Explorer browser.

I'm a big fan of its built in spell-checker, the smooth scrolling and the fact you get the same browsing experience in Windows XP as you would on a Mac or on Linux.

Tabbed browsing is very easy with this browser. If you accidentally close a tab, just go to the recently closed tabs area and you can reopen. Should the browser crash, all your tabs will be reopened and even the email you were typing out will be saved down to the last word you typed!

The download manager is also really nice. Click to download something, and it will pop up showing you the status and how long is left. You can even pause the download to minimize bandwidth usage should you need to.

One other cool feature is that the browser learns your surfing style. It remembers and indexes sites you've visited. Just type in a keyword and off you go.

While it doesn't have a privacy mode currently, it will by the release of version 3.1 later this month.

All in all, a very strong choice for a browser.

Google Chrome

This shiny new browser is worth keeping an eye on. Within 24 hours of launching, it was able to garner 1 percent of the total browser share worldwide, beating out Opera, which is impressive for a first-time release.

When you use Chrome you'll notice instantly how fast it is. Opening up the browser takes 1/3 the time of the other two and you'll really notice a speed difference as you go between pages. Google is big on being lean and speedy and that's what you get with its browser.

Open it up and rather than a homepage you get a snapshot of the sites you visit most. Click on one and you're taken to the page.

Besides speed, Chrome's claim to fame is the Omnibar -- an address bar and search all in one.

While you're typing search terms into it, bits and pieces are being sent to Google so you are getting partial search returns as you type. It's similar to Google Suggestions where you receive suggestions on search terms as you're typing into the search engine.

It also has a privacy browsing mode called Incognito, and when you're browsing in this mode you'll notice the spy in the upper left hand corner. Again, any site you visit here is not stored in your history or temporary Internet files.

It also uses tabbed browsing and, unlike Internet Explorer, each tab is loaded independently in the background, so if one tab crashes only that one is closed -- lessening your chances of accidentally losing all of them.

Also, pull out any of the tabs and they become their own windows.

In the end, while there are some compatibility issues with certain plug-ins and Web sites, for a speedy experience it's worth an install.

Speaking of speed, here's how the browsers did in my test:

Startup Times

Chrome: 2s

IE 8: 8.5s

Firefox: 6s

Loading Channel3000.com

Chrome: 2.5s

IE 8: 6s

Firefox: 3s

Loading C3ktogo.com

Chrome: 7.5s

IE 8: 9s

Firefox: 8s

Download the browsers here:

Google Chrome: http://tools.google.com/chrome/?hl=en-US

Internet Explorer 8: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/beta/default.aspx

Firefox 3: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Sony Ericsson to offer Unlimited Music Download

It looks like Nokia-rival Sony Ericsson is going to battle it out with the Finnish company in the realm of the music download scene. While Nokia may have struck the first blow with their Comes with Music service, Sony Ericsson has been reported to be considering going the same route.

If Nokia has chosen to bundle their servic with their Nokia 5310 XpressMusic phone, word is that Sony Ericsson is planning to offer theirs with their Walkman series of phones. No word though if it’ll be available for the entire line or specific models only, but we’ll probably hear an official announcement within the month. If everything goes accordingly, it might be offered in Europe before the year ends. The rest of the world will probably have to wait until next year for the service to roll out in their region.

As for the here and now, Sony Ericsson currently has an existing mobile download service with around 5 million DRM-free songs at their disposal. With that massive collection at their beck and call, Nokia might be in for some stiff competition as far as the music download scene is concerned.

HP intros HDX16 / HDX18 entertainment notebooks

Whoa, boy -- HP just went loony on us tonight, and in the midst of everything else, we found a new pair of HDX notebooks. Kicking things off is the X16, which boasts a woefully under-pixelated 16-inch 1,366 x 768 resolution display, a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU, NVIDIA's 512MB GeForce 9600 GT, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 320GB 5,400RPM hard drive, dual-layer SuperMulti optical drive and built-in WiFi / Bluetooth. As for the beastly X18, you'll find a lot of the same kit internally, but the 18-inch 1,920 x 1,080 display is one we can really salivate over; additionally, this one ups the ante with twin 250GB HDDs and a Blu-ray reader. Each unit includes the essentials: an Ethernet port, multicard reader, integrated Altec Lansing speakers, ExpressCard slot, four USB 2.0 sockets, audio in / out, HDMI / VGA and a 4-pin FireWire connector. Both units should ship later this month starting at $1,249 and $1549, respectively.

HTC Touch HD: The Real i-Phone Contender

HTC is probably one of the first to release a salvo of iPhone contenders into the market, and while most of them have failed to put up a decent battle with Apple’s premier mobile phone, it looks like they’ve kept their secret weapon hidden from the public eye for the past couple of months just waiting to be unveiled at the proper time.

The HTC Touch HD is not your typical HTC Touch. It’s actually the granddaddy of the entire line boasting of features that will put to shame every little model they’ve already unleashed to the public. First of is its huge and brilliant 3.8-inch WVGA widescreen display. It’s the biggest so far in the HTC Touch line and beats the iPhone which only comes with a 3.5-inch screen.

Other notable specs include a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, a secondary camera in the front, 3G/HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, AGPS, 288MB RAM, 3.5mm headphone jack, Google Maps, and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS with HTC TouchFLO 3D. All of this combine for the speediest and most feature-packed Touch to date.

It’s expected to hit the European market in the last quarter of this year and other global markets thereafter. Unfortunately, no pricing was mentioned. Hopefully, it’ll reach our shores before the year ends and I highly doubt it’ll be more expensive than the current price of the iPhone.

Is ASUS prepping a 5-megapixel Omnia challenger?

It looks like ASUS has more in store when it comes to touchscreen phones than that P552w we saw the other day. According to pictures leaked to the Mobile01 forums, the company is planning an Omnia-esque device that will feature a large (WQVGA or WVGA) touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera, a trackball for non-touch navigation, and the predictable 3G radios / WiFi. Not much is known about the device at this point, though speculation is running rampant on the forum as to CPU specs and on-board memory. It's likely this will be at least competitive in comparison to recent Window Mobile devices we've seen of this variety, though nothing's certain till we get word from ASUS... which we're waiting patiently for, fellas.

Zune 80GB price cuts, Zune 120GB and 16GB hitting shelves early

As the story goes, Mr. Blurry Cam walks into a Harborcreek, PA Wal-mart and spots this, the Zune 80GB on rollback ($50 off list) and new $250 Zune 120GB. The blue Zune 16GB (not pictured) was said to be in stock as well. So while the 3.0 firmware won't be official until the 16th, some of you might be lucky enough to stumble upon the new Microsoft gear just a bit early.

Vertu's Signature S Design is real, hits FCC

Yes its the World Most Expensive Cellphone the Nokia Vertu

Tycoons of the world, get out your pocketbooks. Actually, wait, scratch that -- kick back, relax, and let your butler do it for you, because Vertu has a new multi-thousand dollar toy for your enjoyment. The FCC has revealed that Nokia's ultra-luxe division has finally updated its flagship Signature model to include 3G, and they've taken the opportunity to completely redesign it to make it slimmer, hotter, and presumably, pricier than ever before. The all-new Signature features quadband EDGE, HSDPA on the 850 and 2100MHz bands, and WiFi -- a Vertu first -- which means we should probably expect a fabulous browser to go with that generously-proportioned OLED display. Well, we can't, since we'll never get closer than a thick sheet of security glass to this thing -- but someone can.

Update: The phone's officially been unveiled on Vertu's site as the Signature S Design, hitting a boutique you can't get into unless you're dressed to impress near you come next month.

Groovy, baby! It’s the Supernova 7210

Simple and chic monoblock design, with really slim size. Check.

Two inches QVGA 240x320, 262K color display. Check.

Two-megapixel camera with autofocus and dual-LED flash and 4 times digital zoom. Check.

Stereo music player supporting MP3, AAC, AAC+ and WMA, and RDS stereo FM Radio. Check.

QCIF video recording at 10fps and XHTML browser. Check. Check.

Phone specialized themes and music tracks. Check.

Now here’s a question, and be honest – does the Nokia 7210 Supernova makes you randy, baby, yeah, does it?

Well, pardon us, but you can shag later with the 7210 Supernova after reading what we’ve got to say.

The 7210 is just one of the Nokia treats from the Supernova range that, we believe, is meant for those who, like Austin Powers, love to groove.

It wasn’t the International Man of Mystery but we’re sure it’s somebody from Nokia who said: "As we rely more heavily on mobile phones to stay connected, they increasingly know everything about us and have become a window into our worlds.

"With the new Nokia 7210 Supernova, we set out to give people the ability to set themselves apart in the same way that they would with a traditional statement accessory."

The 7210 Supernova is actually about simplicity with style. It has a chic, slim design which, depending on your taste, can be availed in a choice of "bubble gum pink" and "vivid blue" – both in gloss finish.

The 7210 Supernova’s sleek design and comfortable shape, we must stress, fits so well in almost any pants style.

To be specific, the dimension measured 106 x 45 x 10.6 mm so yeah, baby, even when you go for the skin-tight ones, the bulge in your pocket won’t show ugly.

Nor is it heavy, hardly tipping the scales at 90 gms., battery included. But we must also add, the 7210 Supernova is packing.

Wanna’ stay connected with music, Nokia 7210 Supernova is just a bit of alright as a mobile phone.

It provides access to Flickr, one-click photo sharing, supports GPRS of Class 32, 88 kbps and EDGE of Class 32, 296 kbits. Oh, and the microSD card slot lets you store music of up to 2 GB.

You also get Bluetooth (v2.0 with A2DP), Macromedia Flash Lite 2.1, Adobe Flash 3.0 and Widsets with Standard Li-Ion 860 mAh (BL-4CT) battery, talktime of 2 hrs and standby of 259 hrs.

With the Nokia 7210 Supernova, you get a lot without spending too much (go check the Nokia Store nearest you for the prices). The first thing you get, of course, is it’s very shaggadelic design. So, shall we shag now?

Altec Lansing rolls out new look, speakers aplenty

Altec Lansing sure came out fighting today, with it not only debuting a brand new logo, but a bundle of new speakers and iPod docks that sport the new branding. The most stand-out, by far, are the Expressionist Bass speakers pictured above, which are a full ten inches high and include built-in 4-inch subwoofers and two 1.5-inch drivers apiece. Look for them to set you back $130 when they're released next month in both black and white versions. On the slightly less intimidating front, Altec Lansing has the $40 Orbit MP3 iM237 single-speaker unit, which runs on three AAA batteries, and a pair of new inMotion iPod speaker systems: the inMotion Moondance GLOW and the inMotion MAX, the former of which even includes a special "snooze remote." Look for those to run you $200 and $180, respectively -- pics after the break.

     

                                    inMotion Moondance GLOW iM402

                                      inMotion Moondance MAX iMT702

Music (and more) for the masses

Nokia 5220 XpressMusic

First, there was the Nokia 5200 and the 5300 XpressMusic - two slider phones targeted to audiophiles who consider a mobile phone with above-average music capabilities.

And with many people who bought it made it a huge success that lead to the creation of the 5310 XpressMusic.

Giving a new face to the XpressMusic series, the 5310 had a monoblock (or candybar) form factor that was exceptionally thin but with a loud voice. The music playing capability was near superbness by itself, and more superb if paired with a decent speaker system.

Nokia even held an event wherein several well-respected DJs from all over the country were showcased in one night, using the 5310 along with their turntables. Thus, proving the versatility of the phone as an audio device.

From there, Nokia continued on with the series and came up with the 5320 that carried a brand new look (a little thicker) but still an XpressMusic purebred. And it didn’t stop there. There also this one, the 5220. Both phones officially came out simultaneously but they’re not exactly twins.

Comparing the specs of the 5320 and 5220, it turns out that the latter is inferior to the former. The 5220 is not a 3G-capable phone; you can’t make video calls with it and the wireless data transfer is only via 2G networks.

With regards to the design, it still falls within the slimline bracket since it’s as thick as seven CD discs stacked together. But the shape looks a little bit like a letter "D." The shape is not really a big issue since it’s still comfortable to hold on to, and even the keys felt easy to press.

There’s no dedicated cancel button for this model but there three multimedia buttons on the left side typical of XpressMusic phones. On the right side are the volume keys and on the top is the 3.5mm audio output jack and the microUSB port. The other button beside the earphone jack is simply the eject button for the battery cover.

The battery cover is not just plain plastic but with a rubberized coating with thin grooves which may have been intentionally done to give users more grip. Besides, you might shake your hand and head to the beat as you hold the 5220 in your hand while listening to music.

Using an earphone or other audio output accessory is the strength of the music player, especially if it were of high quality. Audio output is crisp and with the adjustable equalizer, you can choose from the several pre-configured presets or customize your own.

Yes it has built-in speakers located at the back but even so, it may (still) not be enough to impress audiophiles if the volume level is set to maximum... but can attract their attention from afar.

As the music plays, your need for digital audio files grows and the 30MB built-in user memory may not be enough. Good thing, Nokia decided to design the 5220 with a microSD card slot and include a 512MB card in the package.

If you find storing MP3 files in your phone restricting, you can always tune in to the radio. Nokia also claims that a fully-charged battery can last you a day of continuous music time.

Not just for music... the 5220 is also equipped with a 2-Megapixel camera that captures photos with a 1600x1200 pixels resolution. On video capture, the maximum resolution can be set to 176x144. Since there’s no dedicated shutter button, you will have to make do with the center button of the navigation key on either portrait or landscape mode.

Good thing that you can use the volume keys for zooming in and out on camera mode. Several effects can be chosen and white balance can be adjusted to your preferences.

Other useful features of the phone are the voice recorder, alarm clock, notes and calculator. There’s also the Yahoo! Go application and Maps which is must for those who need a navigation companion. But take note, though, that both features need Internet access in order for it to work.

Perhaps the best part of the 5220 XpressMusic is that it is more affordable than the 5320.

Oh, and it also has four games for you to enjoy once you’ve exploited all of its features.

Sony Ericsson W980 wins Best European Music Phone award

The Sony Ericsson W980 Walkman phone, a mobile phone designed to give a clear audio experience, has been recognized at the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) as Best Product in the European Music Phone category.

The EISA Awards are handed out by panels from over 50 prominent photo, video, audio, home theater and mobile electronics magazines from across 20 European countries. All panels work separately, citing new products for the most advanced technology, desirable features, design expression, satisfying ergonomics and value for money. As EISA puts it, the association "recognizes the features most likely to be appreciated by an enthusiast public seeking high quality and creative facilities."

For the Sony Ericsson W980, the association found the ultimate mobile music phone featuring Sony’s pioneering audio enhancing technology. Clear audio experience with Clear Stereo enhances the music listening experience, enabling music to sound like the original recording. Clear Bass delivers distortion free sound even at higher volumes. These features combined with the premium headphones, the Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-77, deliver an incredible clear audio experience and music that sounds as true as possible to the original recording.

In its statement, the EISA Awards described the W980: "Who could resist this piano-black Walkman-series phone? It’s a quad-band handset loaded with 8 GB of internal memory, a 3.2 megapixel camera, an FM tuner, Bluetooth stereo, and a music player that operates even with the phone flip-lid closed. Opened out, the handset reveals its 2.2-inch QVGA display with 262k colors and stunning picture quality. One incredibly valuable innovation is the built-in FM radio transmitter. This broadcasts phone-based music playback to a standard car radio, even transferring artist and track details via RDS. The music player handles a wide variety of audio file formats, and automatically sorts tracks according to a range of criteria. Finally, two excellent features are the SensMe and Shake control. These group tracks by mood, enabling track changes and entire playlist shuffling with just a simple flick of the hand."

In addition, the W980 was rated "best audio experience," in a research conducted in Germany by TESTfactory. With its huge memory, you can store up to 8,000 songs and listen to them the way they were meant to be heard.

This Walkman phone also boasts of eight equalizer presets, each of which contains a distinct profile that is suitable to a range of music. So whether you’re listening to jazz, pop or heavy metal, you can always choose the best sound for the song.

The W980 has the Walkman on Top design, giving the full functionality of a Walkman player. This lets a user navigate the music library without having to open the clamshell.

Bringing music pleasure to a new level, the W980 is now available in Sony Ericsson dealers nationwide.

New iPods vs. new Zunes, what're you buying?

It would have been juicier if Microsoft hadn't announced the fall Zune lineup a day early and gone directly head-to-head with Apple's newly refreshed iPod lineup, but the fact is that if you're in the market for a new player the past 48 hours have delivered a slew of new options. Microsoft concentrated on the software side of the equation with Zune 3.0, but Redmond's players themselves got a WiFi music store, some new games, and Buy From FM, while Apple added in new Genius playlists across the board and updated the iPod nano's form factor and UI. At the high end of the capacity scale, the Zune seems to have the win on paper -- both the Zune 120 and the iPod classic frustratingly top out at 120GB, but the classic's stagnated essentially at the level of the 5.5G video iPod while the Zune 120 carries all the features of its smaller siblings. On top of all that, you have the newly-thinner iPod touch, with all of its browsing, media, gaming, and third-party application features -- and the lost purity of purpose adding all features those entails. That's a ton of choices -- so c'mon, kids, what's it going to be?

HP 2133 Mini-Note

HP's 8.9-inch 2133 Mini-Note is apparently a raging success, so it makes sense that the company would want to expand the line, and it looks like we might be getting a preview of what's in store with the Digital Clutch, a bright red 10-inch netbook that debuted last night during designer Vivienne Tam's fashion week show in NYC. Not much is known about the internals, but the case sports an Asian-inspired peony flower design, and the screen fills the entire lid with very little bezel. If we had to guess, we'd say that it's more likely that there's a VIA Isaiah chip in there instead of an Atom, given the C7M found in the current Mini-Note, but we'll see -- and hopefully soon, since at least one HP rep apparently confirmed that the machine is the next generation Mini-Note.

Nokia Comes-with-Music kicks off in October

Nokia has announced that they will start offering their Comes with Music service next month in the UK and will have an official launching on October 2. After the debut in the UK, the rest of Europe and Asia will follow thereafter.

If you still remember this service we reported a while back, the Comes with Music gives Nokia users free music downloads along with their phone. Now, it’s more concrete and specific. UK Carphone Warehouse will sell Comes with Music Nokia 5310 XpressMusic phones that include a year of unlimited music downloads.

Too good to be true? Well, sort of.

The service isn’t actually free and the cost is already included in the price of the phone which makes it more expensive than an ordinary Nokia 5310. As for the music downloads, yeah, it’s unlimited alright, but the DRM limits playback to the phone only so say goodbye to music sharing. However, once your subscription expires, you’ll still be able to play the tracks you’ve downloaded to your phone.

Locally, the new Nokia 5320 and 5220 XpressMusic phones come bundled with vouchers that allow you to download 100 free music tracks from a Nokia website. I don’t know if its also comes with DRM, but it’s a nice inclusion nonetheless. It could be a prelude to the whole service before it’s launched in the Philippines, or it could be its local counterpart.

Whichever the case maybe, it’s a nice way of marketing a particular product to a target audience. I’m not happy with the DRM, but hey, if that’s as good as it gets, I’ll take it.

Media Sync: Use iTunes for your Mobile Phone

You’ve got iTunes for your iPod, but why not use it also to transfer music to for your mobile phone or other mp3 players as well? With Media Sync by Salling Software, you can now do just that.

Media Sync currently supports a variety of Nokia, Sony Ericsson phones and the HTC Diamond as well as several Sony Walkman products too. If you’re not sure if you’re gadget is supported, check out the list of compatible devices here. I am optimistic, though, that more devices will be supported in the near future. The basic product is free to download and there’s a version available for both Windows and Mac. The fast sync version, however, will set you back $22. It’s expensive for a piece of software, but I guess if you like how the Media Sync app works, then I guess its worth it in the end.

Try it out for yourself and share with us your experience while you’re at it.

Apple launches iTunes 8, NBC comes back, TV shows at $1.99, Genius in the house

Just in time for couch season, Apple has busted out iTunes 8 with a slew of new features, like the Genius sidebar. Also, NBC is back on board with its lineup of TV shows. According to Jobs, "The Office is coming back, Monk, Battlestar Galactica, 30 Rock... and they're coming back in HD." HD versions of shows will run you $2.99 while SD versions run a reasonable $1.99 (when compared to, say, a full month's cable access). Meanwhile, "Genius" is a new feature that Apple says will change the way you browse your media. "Old browsing wasn't efficient," said Jobs. "in iTunes 8 you can look by album cover, and this new bar at the top let's you look at anything graphically in little tiles." Basically, Genius is a contextual iTunes store recommendation tool that will, in essence, make it easier for you to spend money. It also makes custom playlists on the fly based on your habits, and shares them (anonymously, they promise) with other users. So what's missing so far? None of the rumored subscription services, for one, and any mention of new hardware or iPhone functions, like, say disk mode. We'll keep wishing. Apple says it is making iTunes 8 available immediately (which, to them, may mean "some time later"), so let the download races begin!

iPod classic refreshed, only comes in 120GB flavor now

Steve Jobs just announced that the iPod classic will only come in a single $249 120GB config from now on. Seriously, that's the only model of classic available now, storage junkies -- better snap up those outgoing 160GB models while you can.