Gadgets and Tech Reviews

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Sony Vaio P unveiled locally, Price starts at P49,999($1080)

Along with other media folks, we got to witness first hand the unveiling of the Sony Vaio P here in the Philippines. It lives up to the Vaio brand name and is definitely a thing of beauty. There are basically two models to choose from: the VGN-P15G and the VGN-P13H.

Sony Vaio P

Both models come in at a mere 19.8mm in thickness which makes it probably the thinnest and lightest ultraportable in the market today (not counting the Macbook Air, of course). 2GB of RAM, an 8-inch wide UWXGA 1600×768 TFT display, Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11 b/g/draft N, MS Duo and SD Memory card slot, 2 USB ports, headphone jack, IO connector, motion eye webcam and an Intel GMA 500 graphics chip are the other specs that are common to both models.

Acer Aspire One now Ready for Pre-order

Even though we have yet to see an actual 10-inch Acer Aspire One being sold in the local stores, that doesn’t mean you can’t reserve one for yourself right now. As a matter of fact, PC Corner is already accepting pre-orders for the Acer Aspire One 103 with the first batch expected to arrive on March 15, 2009.

Acer Aspire One 103 now availabel for pre-order

This bit of news is courtesy of Yugatech and will certainly delight netbook aficionados waiting for this highly-anticipated upgrade to the Aspire One. Aside from the newly designed body and bigger display, the Acer Aspire One 103 comes with the 1GB RAM, 320GB SATA HDD, Acer CyrstalEye webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth, 6-cell battery, multitouch-enabled trackpad, and is the first netbook to feature Intel’s latest Atom N280 processor that’s slightly faster at 1.66GHz.



with Acer ODD:
PhP 26,500.00 cash price
PhP 27,500.00 0% DP / 06-mos to pay... BPI, BDO and CiTi
PhP 28,500.00 0% DP / 12-mos to pay... BPI, BDO and CiTi



without Acer ODD:
PhP 25,500.00 cash price
PhP 26,500.00 0% DP / 06-mos to pay... BPI, BDO and CiTi
PhP 27,500.00 0% DP / 12-mos to pay... BPI, BDO and CiTi

Nokia sells 1 million 5800 XpressMusic phones

Over the weekend, Nokia announced that they have just shipped the 1 million Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phones making it one of their more successful phones to date.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic: 1 Million customers served and counting

Even though it hasn’t been released all over the globe, impressive sales in particular regions like Hong Kong, Moscow and no doubt, the Philippines as well has helped the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic attain this feat at such a short amount of time. This, in turn, will no doubt raise even more comparison to Apple’s equally successful mobile phone, the iPhone. So, is the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone the real iPhone-killer?

Friday, January 23, 2009

iPhone 3rd party Internet Browser now Available at App Store


iPhone users will now have an option as to what browser to use when surfing the web as Apple has approved 3rd party internet browsers to be featured on the App Store. Among the first batch of approved internet browsers, the Edge Browser (shown in the picture) stands out as it provides full screen browsing and, more importantly, is free. If anonymous surfing is your thing, the Incognito browser will come in handy, but it’ll set you back $1.99 to use it. The Webmate browser, meanwhile, provides tabbed browsing and costs less than the Incognito at just $0.99 to download.

With this latest turn of events, we’re now a bit more optimistic of the chances that we will one day see Mobile FireFox and Opera Mini become available on the iPhone.

Sony Ericsson announces C510 Cybershot, W508 Walkman phones

Sony Ericsson fans will be happy to know that a new Cybershot phone as well as a Walkman phone are confirmed to debut this year.

Sony Ericsson C510The Sony Ericsson C510 is a 3.2-megapixel Cybershot phone that comes with a 2.2-inch TFT scratch-resistant display, Bluetooth, Google Maps, direct YouTube upload, slide-in lens cover, and 100MB internal memory. It likewise features Smile Shutter, Face Detection and Photo Fix. It’ll be available in the 1Q of this year in two color options: Radiation Silver and Future Black. Price is yet to be known, but it expected to be more on the affordable side.

Sony Ericsson W508Meanwhile, the W508 is the new Walkman phone to watch out for. It’s a clamshell that features a 2.2-inch internal scratch-resistant display, a 1.1-inch monochromatic OLED external scratch-resistant display, 3.2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, NetFront browser, 100MB internal memory and a 1GB Memory Stick Micro as part of the package. Of course, since this is a Walkman phone, you can expect TrackID, Mega Bass, Shake Control and SensMe to be present as well. It’ll be available in Q2 of this year with a yet to be known price.

While these two may offer very little in terms of groundbreaking features, they certainly have the looks and styling to succeed in the market.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10: Average Display Size, Above Average Features

Dell has unveiled their latest addition to their netbook line, the Inspiron Mini 10.

Inspiron Mini 10

While it does offer a smaller screen size as opposed to the Inspiron Mini 12, it does, however, offer more features. The Inspiron Mini 10 comes with a 10.1-inch 16:9 HD 720p display, Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G WWAN, webcam, multi-touch trackpad and a TV-tuner USB accessory. No word though on what the RAM, storage and OS options will be made available for this new netbook, but we’re guessing that 1GB/2GB RAM, 80GB/160GB HDD and SSD storage as well as Win XP/Linux options are a sound choice.

Likewise, an exact release date and price are yet to be known. Considering that the Inspiron Mini 10 comes with more than you’re average feature set, it wiill most likely be more expensive than any Inspiron Mini we’ve seen to date. Nevertheless, we’re pretty excited about this one as it looks to be a pretty handy netbook to lug around while on the road.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Microsoft expected to cut 8,000 jobs as profit weakens

Microsoft Corp is expected to post a quarterly profit that misses its own target and announce thousands of job cuts this week as the global economic slump hurts even the technology industry's biggest players.

When the leading software maker reports fiscal second quarter results on Thursday, investors are likely to press for comments on its outlook and on Yahoo Inc, whose search business has been the object of Microsoft's desires.

The report comes against a backdrop of a wounded global economy that has stifled demand for everything from personal computers to business software and video games, all markets in which Microsoft is a significant player.

"All eyes are on the forecast," said Jefferies & Co analyst Katherine Egbert. "Expectations for the guidance are pretty low."

Analysts on average put Microsoft's profit at 49 cents a share for the quarter ended December 31, which includes a U.S. holiday shopping season that has been called the worst in at least four decades. The Redmond, Washington-based company had forecast a per-share profit of 51 cents to 53 cents for the quarter.

Wall Street is looking for quarterly revenue of $17.1 billion, according to Reuters Estimates, also short of Microsoft's own target of $17.3 billion to $17.8 billion.

Egbert says she expects Microsoft to report sales of its Windows software for PCs and laptops to drop 3 percent from a year earlier, making it the toughest quarter in eight years. She blames the shortfall on weak consumer sales, noting that businesses have yet to cut back as much as retail shoppers.

Wall Street's expectations for Microsoft's performance for its fiscal year ending in June 2009 have declined since it last reported results three months ago.

Analyst forecasts for full-year net income have dropped 10 percent to $17.77 billion, while revenue projections are down 4.4 percent at $63.68 billion, according to Reuters Estimates.

POSSIBLE JOB CUTS

With an eye on reducing costs, Microsoft is widely expected to announce that it will cut jobs, following similar moves by other tech firms, including AT&T Inc, Dell Inc, Motorola Inc and Advance Micro Devices Inc.

"Checks indicate that Microsoft is likely to engage in headcount reductions to the tune of 6,000 to 8,000 employees or 6 percent to 8 percent of its 95,000 workforce," said McAdams Wright Ragen analyst Sid Parakh. "Our checks also revealed some speculation over the potential for a second round of cuts in some groups sometime later in the year."

Other analysts suggest the cost reductions may occur in the next few weeks and could also include more targeted cutbacks and attrition, rather than the big number of layoffs that some have speculated.

Microsoft has declined to comment on any likelihood of job cuts. Its shares have dropped 41 percent over the past year, while shares in another technology bellwether, IBM, have lost 16 percent. The S&P 500 Index has dropped 38 percent during the same period.

Analysts are also expected to pepper Chief Executive Steve Ballmer with questions about the status of the company's relationship with Yahoo, now that the Internet company has named Carol Bartz as its new CEO.

Bartz told employees earlier this week that she had a phone conversation with Ballmer, who has repeatedly said he remains interested in pursuing a search partnership with Yahoo but does not intend to renew an offer for the whole company.

Microsoft made a bid for Yahoo last year, but walked away after they disagreed on price. Investors have been skeptical about whether the software company can win online advertising revenue away from Google and Yahoo, which are both stronger than Microsoft in the Internet search market.

Intel to shut facilities in Malaysia, Philippines, US

Intel Corp., the world's biggest computer chip maker, announced plans on Wednesday to close facilities in Malaysia, the Philippines and the United States.

The Santa Clara, California-based company said the moves were expected to affect between 5,000 and 6,000 employees worldwide.

"However, not all employees will leave Intel," the company said in a statement. "Some may be offered positions at other facilities."

Intel said it will close two assembly test facilities in Penang, Malaysia, and one in Cavite, Philippines, in addition to wafer production facilities in Santa Clara and Hillsboro, Oregon.

The closures, Intel said, will take place between now and the end of 2009.

The moves were designed to "align its manufacturing capacity to current market conditions," the company added.

Intel reported last week that the economic slowdown and slumping demand for personal computers sent net profit sharply lower in the fourth quarter of the year.

It said net profit in the last three months of the year plunged to 234 million dollars, down 90 percent from a year ago.

Intel has also warned that it expects even worse results this quarter than the previous three months, with an expected revenue of seven billion dollars.




Apple: Jobs-less until June

In what could be a preview of the not-so-distant future of Apple, Steve Jobs has stepped down as Apple CEO in order to take a medical leave until June of this year.

Steve Jobs, Apple, and the iPhone

Here’s a copy of the letter he sent to Apple employees explaining his decision:

“Team,

I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.

In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.

I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.

Steve”

Even though the people behind the technology and success of Apple’s products are still there, the absence of Steve Jobs will surely raise some concern especially from an investor’s standpoint. Nevertheless, it’s business as usual over at the Cupertino-based company, and to be quite honest, I don’t see this latest development having any immediate effect at the consumer level. However, we cannot discount the fact that people will react to this news. As to what extent Steve Jobs’ medical leave will affect Apple as a company, we’ll just have to wait and see how things will turn out in the next couple of months.

Get well soon, Steve, as I’m sure everyone will rest more easy when you’re back at the helm at Apple.

Palm debuts Palm Pre, WebOS platform

During the recently concluded CES in Las Vega, Palm finally unveiled their latest smartphone, the Palm Pre.

Palm Pre with WebOS

Taking a new approach in designing this smartphone, the Palm Pre integrates a slide-out QWERTY keypad to complement its 3.1-inch touchscreen display which is not usually common in Palm devices. It likewise features a 3-megapixel camera with flash, HSDPA connectivity, Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and EDR, proximity and light sensor, accelerometer, 8GB internal memory, and runs on their latest mobile operating system, the WebOS.

Palm Pre

Palm’s new OS is a huge improvement in terms of visual appeal when compared to their earlier applications, but the jury is still out as to how successful as a platform it will be especially when compared to the iPhone and Android. The WebOS makes use of CSS, XHTML and JavaScript making it compatible with a wide variety of applications, and will likewise be able to connect directly to an app store that Palm will be launching soon dubbed as the App Catalog.

Sadly though, only US residents will get a chance to own one during the early part of this year. The Palm Pre will become available sometime during the first half of 2009 exclusively on Sprint. A Palm Pre GSM version for other market is expected to be released once it makes its debut in the US. Hopefully, that will happen sooner than later because the last thing Palm needs is to follow in the footsteps of the XPERIA X1 and lose whatever interest and fan base it has gained during its announcement due to a delayed release.

Windows 7 Beta now Ready for Download

If you’ve been out of the loop for the past couple of days, it might interest you to know that Microsoft has made available a public beta version of their upcoming operating system, Windows 7. You can download a copy by clicking here and installation is pretty easy. Just burn the Windows 7 image to a DVD, boot up from the DVD discand run the installation .

Image courtesy of Gizmodo

However, if you’re planning to dual boot Windows 7 on your Win XP/Vista machine, want to run it on a Mac, or on a netbook, Gizmodo has come out with a step-by-step guide on how to accomplish this with Windows 7. Just remember, the minimum system requirements include a 1GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB HDD space, support for DirectX9 wih 128MB memory for Aero features, DVD-RW/W drive and internet access. This beta trial version which will expire on August 1, 2009. Likewise, the Windows 7 beta version is only available for download until January 24th unless they decide to extend it.

So, if you’re already raring to give Microsoft’s latest OS a try, then by all means download it now and tell us how it goes for you.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Are you ready for Tablet Netbooks?

Asus can be credited for the huge success of netbooks in the market today thanks to their groundbreaking Eee PC laptop, and it seems that they’re once again poised to set a new trend this year with the unveiling of the Eee PC T91 and T101H.

Asus Eee PC T91

As their name implies, both new netbooks belong to the continuously growing Eee PC family, but unlike previous releases, these two feature a touchscreen display allowing it to function as a tablet PC as well. The T91 comes with an 8.9-inch display and an Intel Atom Z520 processor.

Asus Eee PC T101H

The Eee PC T101H, on the other hand, comes with a bigger 10-inch screen and a new keyboard design that greatly resembles that of Apple’s Macbook laptops.

Aside from the details mentioned above, further information regarding specifications and more importantly, price and availability were not disclosed just yet. Considering that Asus has decided to out not just one but two tablet netbooks this early on in the year, the question on my mind is; will tablet netbooks be the next big thing as far as netbooks are concerned? If these two pioneering models become successful when they’re released, I have no doubt that tablet netbooks will indeed be the next phase in the continuing evolution of the netbook.

Sony joins Netbook party with Vaio P

Sony has officially joined the netbook bandwagon with the announcement of the new Vaio P laptop.

Sony Vaio P

It sports an 8-inch display, Intel Atom Z530 1.33GHz processor, 2GB RAM, WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth, 3G WWAN, GPS, webcam, Windows Vista OS, and 60GB HDD, 64GB SSD and 128GB SSD storage options. It also does away with the usual trackpad and features a pointer instead to save up on space. The Sony Vaio P also boasts of being the lightest netbook weighing only 1.4 lbs and has enough juice in its battery to last up to 4 hours which is still unheard of as far as 3-cell battery-running netbooks go. It’s expected to start shipping in February in 5 colored variants (garnet red, emerald green, onyx black, crystal white and classic black) with a starting price of $900.

Here’s a hands-on video showcasing the Sony Vaio P courtesy of Engadget.

With such a steep price and awkward design, I doubt the Sony Vaio P will actually draw much attention from the usual netbook-buying public. I personally find an 8.9-inch display already too small, and I can’t even begin to image how people will get their work done on a smaller 8-inch display.




Anyway, for what it’s worth, the Sony Vaio P is indeed a technological wonder cramming in all those features in an ultra-small form factor, but as far as practicality and functionality are concerned, it’s still got a lot of room for improvement.

HP Mini 2140: The Mini Note 2133, Mini 1000 rolled into one Netbook

I've got good news for those who love the HP Mini Note 2133 for its design and form factor but hate its processor and Vista OS. HP has decided to continue their first netbook’s legacy with the Mini 2140.

HP Mini 2140

The HP Mini 2140 comes with an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, 10.1-inch LED display, 1GB (max 2GB) RAM, 80GB or 160GB HDD options, WiFi, Bluetooth, Express Card slot, and a ton of OS options that include Windows XP Home/Pro, Vista Basic/Premium, SuSe Linux and FreeDOS. The starting price for the HP Mini 240 is pegged at $499 which is exactly the same price of the Mini Note 2133 when it first debuted a while back. This, likewise, means that the Mini 2140 won’t be cheap at all.

However, with the best features of both the Mini Note 2133 and Mini 1000 all packaged in one stellar looking device, I certainly wouldn’t mind paying extra for it. While this is certainly good news for those holding out on buying a netbook, this latest announcement will definitely disappoint those who have already bought an HP Mini 1000 thinking that they were already getting the best of what HP has to offer as far as netbooks are concerned.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Nokia 8800 Gold Arte for the Opulent Crowd

Nokia’s got a new 8800 iteration on their hands, and this time, it’s clad in 18-carat gold and white leather.

Nokia 8800 Gold Arte

Dubbed the Nokia 8800 Gold Arte, this fine-looking piece of mobile telecommunications equipment comes with brilliant 2-inch OLED display (think N85), 3.2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900MHz), WCDMA 2100MHz, 4GB internal memory, and runs on the S40 5th edition FP 1 platform.

Those interested in getting this luxurious phone will have to wait a little longer, though, as price and availability info is yet to be announced.

Flash for iPhone/iPod Touch now (sort of) Available

It seems that the prayers of all those who are hoping for Flash support to become available for the iPhone/iPod Touch may have just been finally answered, and no, it’s not coming from Apple.

iMobileCinema for iPhone/iPod Touch

It’s courtesy of the iMobileCinema app which is designed for the jailbroken iPhone and iPod Touch. Even though it promises to provide Flash support on the Safari browser, it’s not a completely perfect solution as users have reported that some Flash-based sites still don’t work. Nevertheless, this is probably as close as you’re going to get to having Flash work on the iPhone/iPod Touch at the moment.

If you want to try it out, just add d.mobilecinema.com to the sources in Cyda and install the iMobileCinema app. While you’re at it, tell us what you think about it in the comments section below as we certainly want to hear your take on this ambitious application.