Gadgets and Tech Reviews

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Fedora 14 now available for download, complete with MeeGo trimmings

Ubuntu may be the Linux distribution of choice for many these days, but it's hardly the only game in town, and one of the other big players has now gotten an update that might just sway some folks back to its team. That comes in the form of the Red Hat sponsored Fedora 14, which is aimed specifically at "developers, system administrators and open source enthusiasts." If that includes you, you can expect to get a slew of mostly behind-the-scenes updates, including a new software framework for Spice desktop virtualization, a range of new debugging features, an updated tech preview of the GNOME shell environment that will be part of the upcoming GNOME 3.0 release and, of particular note, some software from the MeeGo community that promises an "enhanced experience on netbooks and small devices." As with previous Fedora releases, it's also available in a number of different "spins" to suit your tastes and needs and it's, of course, completely free. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the link below to download the OS.

-engadgets

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Android 2.1 Eclair Update : 720p HD Video Out! How to Get The Update?

Sony Ericsson has just rolled out the 1.6 Eclair update kit for Xperia X10's Android OS.

sony ericsson xperia x10 android 2.1

Nordic countries will be the first to get it today while more kits will come tomorrow for other territories. The roll-out will continue throughout November.

Android 2.1 Eclair update kit for Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 will bring these key changes to the device:

• HD video recording with continuous auto-focus for high quality videos
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android 2.1
• New back up and restore application, with extended content back up
• 5 homescreens for apps, widgets, shortcuts and folders
• Social phonebook which automatically syncs contact pictures from Facebook and shows when your friends are online


How to get the Android 2.1 update on you SE Xperia X10?

1. Go to Settings
2. Scroll down to About The Phone
3. Click on System Software Updates
4. Download Update if Available
5. Restart the Phone

Android : Leading Mobile Operating System in the United States, Says Canalys

Based on Q3 2010 mobile market sales data released by Canalys - a research company that specialises in delivering high quality market data, analysis and advice to the world’s leading technology vendors - Android is now the leading handset OS in the United States.

A wide gamut of smart phones running the (Google initiative) Open Handset Alliance's (OHA's) Android operating system had given the platform the top position in the US market for mobile OS with a 43.6% share;

android leading

"With Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson all delivering large numbers of Android devices, and with focused efforts from many other vendors, such as LG, Huawei and Acer, yielding promising volumes, the platform continues to gather momentum in markets around the world," shares Pete Cunningham, Canalys Senior Analyst.

"Android has been well received by the market and in some geographies it is becoming a sought-after consumer brand. It has rapidly become the platform to watch, and its growing volumes will help to entice developers, ensuring consumers have access to an increasingly rich and vibrant mobile content and application ecosystem. Vendors are now delivering Android devices across a broad range of price points, from high-end products such as the Samsung Galaxy S or HTC Desire, to aggressively priced devices such as the LG GT540 Optimus or the Huawei built Vodafone 845, ensuring that Android devices are available and affordable to consumers on almost any budget."


Amazing.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Seesmic Desktop 2: (Another) All-in-One Social Client

The only social media client I have installed in my laptop is TweetDeck (the same one I used in my iPhone and iPad) but it looks like Seesmic Desktop 2 is going to replace it already.

Seesmic D2 allows you to manage over two dozen social media accounts and web services — from Facebook and Twitter to FourSquare, LinkedIn and MySpace or Ping.fm — just one social client to rule them all.

And that’s on top of the iPhone and Android clients already available.

 

Best part of it is that developers can create their own plugins to extend compatibility to other services or sites.

Seesmic runs on Adobe Air so make sure you have it installed before downloading the desktop client {download}.

ARM announces 2.5GHz Cortex-A15 MPCore (Dual Core Chip)

If you’re familiar with the 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 that powers the Samsung Wave, Galaxy S and iPhone 4 including the new Archos Android tablets, then it’s going to be easy to imagine what a dual Cortex-A15 running up to 2.5GHz would look like.


Samsung also announced a few days ago that they’re shipping their new dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 1GHz starting 4th quarter of this year.

The Cortex A15 MPCore processor can deliver up to 5 times the performance of current smartphone processors.

ARM’s dual-core Cortex-A15 MPCore can reach clock speeds of up to 2.5GHz and should be available by 2012. For the meantime, expect a lot of new smartphones and tablet to run the top-of-the-line ARM Cortex-A8 1GHz and possibly new Android smartphones from Samsung running their dual-core Cortex-A9 that’s capable of full HD 1080p playback.

Canon EOS 60D launched, priced (Philippines)

Canon Philippines yesterday launched 7 new products in their digital imaging line. Among them is the much-anticipated Canon 60D and the new Powershot G12.

Canon EOS 60D specs:
18MP CMOS sensor
Full HD 1080p video
9 AF points
ISO 100 – 6400 (12800 via Custom Function)
1/8000 to 30 sec shutter speed
5.3fps shooting speed
SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Canon EF lenses (including EF-S lenses)

The suggested retail price of the Canon 60D is Php57,950 (body only). As for the Powershot G12, it will go for Php31,950.

Here’s the complete line of new Canon cameras and Selphy printer with their corresponding SRP:

PowerShot SX130 – Php15,950
PowerShot SX30 – Php28,950
PowerShot S95 – Php27,950
PowerShot G12 – Php31,950
IXUS 1000 HS – Php26,950
Selphy CP800 – Php7,950

Our blogger correspondent, Rommel David, was there yesterday to check out the new Canon products.

Canon Launches Seven New Products

Canon Philippines introduced seven new items in the digital imaging line yesterday, ranging from point-and-shoot cameras, a successor to the G11 and a new dSLR.

First on the list is a bunch of compact camera shooters — the Ixus 1000HS, a 10MP rangefinder with a solid, chiseled metal body, 10x optical zoom that can do full HD videos; the PowerShot S95, an upgrade to the S90 that comes with a high f/2 opening, 10MP sensor; and the PowerShot SX130 IS with a 12.1MP CCD that can do 12x optical zoom. All three can record 720p HD videos.

The Canon SX30 IS is notable for its 35x-wide angle optical zoom — starting with a wide 24mm and can go up to 840mm on the other end of the spectrum.

A new Canon G-Series camera was also introduced  — the Canon Powershot G12. Not a huge upgrade with only a few things improved — 2.0fps continuous shooting and HD recording capability (720p @ 24fps).

The event also featured the newest DSLR — the Canon EOS 60D, an upgrade to the Canon 50D from two years back. Canon included a vari-angle 3-inch LCD monitor that can be twisted and turned in almost any direction (read:swivel LCD).

The ISO level is expandable up to 12800. A few fancy effects were also added in (normally relegated to the PnS before) — a toy camera effect, soft focus, and miniature effect. Full specs and features of the Canon 60D posted here earlier.

The last item in the line is the Canon Selphy CP800, a compact photo printer. The CP800 can print up to postcard size prints and comes with an optional battery so you get that really portable benefit. The printer can grab images straight from the memory card, the camera or via a USB stick.

Nikon D7000 DSLR; Goodbye D90

16MP Nikon D7000 has landed --

What's new with Nikon D7000?

D7000 incorporates a freshly-designed 16.2-megapixel sensor coupled with Nikon's EXPEED 2 processor. With this combo, Nikon aims to up its analog-to-digital conversion to 14-bit processing, which should produce better dynamic range. Nikon D7000 also gets a new metering sensor, a viewfinder with 100% scene coverage and a more sophisticated autofocus system that's presumably better than D90 in sensitivity.

Shoots 1080p HD Videos with Continuous AutoFocus

Like previously announced Nikon D3100, D7000 records 1080p High-Definition videos with full-time autofocus (or autofocus while capturing the video). Users will have to keep in mind, however, that there's a 20 minute limit on uninterrupted video captures; While that's clear limitation in this department, Nikon tries to compensate by giving D7000 an added control dial for adjusting shooting modes and stereo mic input.

Stellar Build

Nikon D7000's body consists of a magnesium-alloy shell and a shutter system that's 150,000 cycle-rated. Additionally, D7000 is dust and moisture sealed and features Nikon's dust reduction system to keep image-degrading particles away from the image sensor.

Pricing and Availability

Nikon D7000 dSLR is slated for October 2010 release. Suggested retail price is $1,199.95 (body only) and $1,499.95 (with 18-105mm lens). No word yet on its availability in the Philippines

Specification

16.2MP CMOS sensor
3-inch TFT LCD display
39-point AF system
6fps continuous shooting
ISO 100 to 6400 (ISO 25600 extended)
Dual SD card slot
Live View
Full HD movie recording (1920×1080p @ 24 fps)
Weight: 780g w/ battery

The D7000 will replace the mid-range position of the D90 which it held for about 2 years now. The D7000 can also shoot Full HD video with continuous autofocus.