Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 with new UX interface is the most powerful Android phone yet

Yesterday, we stumbled upon a new video of the Rachael UI that the upcoming Android-packing Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 was supposed to have. Well, the company launched the phone today and changed two things while at it: First, it’s now called the Xperia X10 (presumably so that it isn’t confused with the Nokia X3) and second, the Rachael UI has now been renamed the UX (short for User eXperience), due to some legal loopholes.

For more information -http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Sony-Ericsson-Xperia-X10-with-new-UX_3637.html

Samsung T190 review

e Samsung T910 seems to be influenced by the Bordeaux line. The design, especially the transparent bezel surrounding the screen, gave us this impression. The whole body is glossy, and there is a neat little touch-sensitive power button at the bottom. There is a strip of of red at the bottom and overall it is a very pretty screen to have.

As far as specifications go, there is no differentiator between this or any other 19-inch, and it has a maximum resolution of 1440 x 900.

The stand is sturdy, but offers no flexibility in terms of moving the screen about or rotating it. All the controls are mounted on the right side of the screen which makes it difficult to control the menus and features. The buttons are pretty clunky too. There are plenty of controls that allow you to alter the intensity of colours separately. Samsung has put in features such as MagicBright that allows brightness and contrast presets to be used.

With all the enhancements turned off, the usual sequences of tests were run on the screen. Colour rendition was average and banding was visible through the Displaymate test. Movies don’t look extremely good either.
The screen comes with both VGA and DVI support, and there is a panel behind to hide the mess of cables.
All in all, this screen is for those to whom great aesthetics and design are more important than performance. Since this isn’t close to the best, or worst, performer amongst the 19-inch screens we’ve seen, it isn’t all that bad. Its pricing of Rs 13,000 is a lot though, even if it’s Bordeaux-inspired, considering that you can get a much larger screen for around this price.
Specifications
Maximum resolution: 1440 x 900, TN Panel, Response time: 2 ms, Inputs: DVI, DVI-Sub (analog)
Contact
Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd
Phone: 011-41511234
E-mail: rengith.nair@samsung.com
Web site: www.samsung.com
Price: Rs 13,000

Samsung announces LED TV line-up for India

Samsung India has introduced its 8000 series of LED televisions, along with a few new models for 7000 and 6000 series, bumping up its LED catalogue in the country to seven models.

Mr J.S.Shin, President & CEO, Samsung South West Asia
at the launch of new Samsung LED TVs 8000 series

The 8000 series is the company’s premium line-up of LED TVs, with the new model – 55B8000 – sporting a 55-inch screen.

These cutting edge TVs use LEDs as their primary light source, rather than traditional Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL). Benefits of using LEDs include ultra-high contrast ratios, slim depths that allow for more artful designs, plus increased energy savings.

Samsung LED TV

Samsung NV8

The Samsung NV8 is the younger sibling of the NV10 that we tested in October 2007. This is an 8 MP camera with 3x optical zoom, and looks and feels exactly like the NV10.

The interface on the camera is simple to use, and is controlled by the touch sensitive buttons on either side of the screen. They’re easy to use, but take a little getting used to. The camera has a rough matte finish with a 2.5-inch screen.

Image quality is also very similar to the NV10. The clarity and crispness is there, and higher ISO levels give out a little grain in the image. The colours aren’t very vibrant, and have a washed look to them—especially in outdoor lighting.

How 3D TV works: Part I – With Glasses

It seems that everyone is talking about 3D television these days. A few friends and relatives who called up for advice regarding what TV to buy even asked if they should wait till next year to get a 3D TV. Given the recent interest, we thought it would be appropriate to give a brief explanation of the mechanics behind stereoscopy – any technique that creates the illusion of depth of three-dimensionality in an image.

There is one basic preface needed in understanding 3D television: understanding how our eyes work. For the sake of this example, look at your computer mouse (or if you’re on a laptop, any other object nearby). In a nutshell, your left eye and your right eye are two separate lenses, registering two differently-angled images of the mouse, which are then sent to your brain. The brain then acts as the ‘image processor’, putting the two pictures together to come up with one three-dimensional picture in your mind. It’s basically the same principle by which the new FujiFilm FinePix 3D TV camera works.

Kodak EasyShare V803

Compact, sleek, and stylish best describe the Kodak EasyShare V803. It is available in a range of eight eye-soothing colours from red to blue to pink; we received the matte-black one.

The clean layout of the keys along with a menu that is easy to navigate are plus points of the V803; the tiny zoom keys, along with the joystick, make navigation tough, though. Twenty-two different scene modes including panoramic stitching make this point-and-shoot camera novice-friendly. The range of ISO speeds is from 80 to 1600; the large 2.4-inch LCD has clear and legible icons.

New Windows updates causing BSoD

The latest round of patches seems to have brought back one of Windows' most famous guests. The BSoD, only this time it's the Black Screen of Death -- see how Microsoft strives to ensure their customers need not learn a new acronym.

Affected computers seem to start fine, however seem to halt at a blank black desktop screen without the taskbar, desktop icons etc. According to ars, this seem to stem from some of the changes that the latest update makes to the registry to modify the ACLs (Access Control Lists).

In this state the user should be able to press ctrl-alt-del to reach the task manager, to have some little functionality to their computer.

While the changes were intended to improve security -- and for those computers which are not affected, they do -- on some computers these settings might conflict with the presence of other security products and result in the BSoD.

If your computer is one of those which have been affected by these updates, Prevx has a nice guide which can help you restore the functionality of your compute

Microsoft Office 2010 confirmed for a June release

It has now been confirmed that the next version of Microsoft Office will indeed be launching in June next year.

It was expected that the shipping date announcement would have come during PDC 2009, however here it comes a couple of weeks later. The beta was made available for free for early testers -- much like what Microsoft did with Windows 7.

In an interview with Betanews, Janice Kapner a company communications senior director spilled some beans about what's to come with one of Microsoft's next most eagerly awaited products, Office Web Apps.

The Office Web Apps were never expected to carry the same functionality as the desktop applications, and from their conversation it seems that you might not get much more functionality than you get today with Google Docs and Zoho, being given just enough features so that you can write a "quick letter" and share it someone, rather than write a 50-page term paper.

Besides the free online edition of Microsoft Office, there is another free feature-limited version of Office for those on a budget. The new Starter edition of Office 2010 is to be a ad-supported version of Office which will be only come bundled with new computers.

Microsoft Releases Details About IE9

We now have a first glimpse at the direction Internet Explorer will take in its 9th iteration, and it's pretty much what you'd expect.

While Firefox, Chrome, and Safari are constantly trying to break barriers in JavaScript performance and rendering speed, and better support for standards, Microsoft is proud to say that IE9 will continue its long standing tradition of being the slowest browser around. They wouldn't want to deprive the web of a baseline for comparison, now would they?

Internet Explorer 9 will bring you improperly rendered web pages more than thrice as fast as IE8. The currently build of Internet Explorer 9 will redefine the way people measure browsers, leaving Firefox, Safari and Chrome only 2 to 4 times faster then IE instead of dozens.

Standards compliance is important for IE9, and Microsft claims work is being done. Yet it boasts an Acid3 score of 32/100, and its standards compliance is beaten down by even Mozilla Firebird -- one of the early versions of what would become Firefox -- back in 2004, 5 years ago, which has a score of 34/100.

we call Chrome OS

Chrome OS has gone through a lot of criticism, both positive and negative, even while being a mere concept. Now it has finally been unveiled by Google, and it might just be a little different from what you expected. Although it does look like Chrome Browser version which leaked earlier.

Most important things first: no, there is no beta release, and Google Chrome OS will probably not be available from Google to install on your computer, at least not any time soon.

Chrome OS is designed, as Google says, to work like a TV -- instant on and instant off, and this requires more than just operating system optimizations to pull off. A Google Chrome OS-based computer will discard most of the bloat in the boot process today and cut a system down to its essentials.

For more information log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/That-which-we-call-Chrome-OS_3721.html

Now, Windows 7 on a phone! And ViewSonic is set to launch WinXP phone

It seems like Windows XP is actually being looked at as an operating system for cell phones now. We have previously featured ITG’s xpPhone, which claims to run Microsoft’s operating system with a custom UI. Now, ViewSonic might be opting for the same to make its entry into the mobile phone market.

ClonedInChina is reporting that the renowned LCD monitor manufacturer is coming out with a new handset that runs on Windows XP. Called the VCP08, the device will be powered by an Intel ULV processor, have 8GB of memory, 512MB RAM, 4.3-inch touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard and a 2-megapixel camera. The flip phone will have a smaller 2-inch display on the top, complete with a numeric keypad for normal phone operations.

ClonedInChina is quoting the price of the phone at $800 (Rs. 37,000 approx).

Nokia N97 Mini launches in India

Nokia’s premium handset, the Nokia N97, has been the talk of the town for some time now. Following up on its success, the company has released a younger sibling to the phone, dubbed the N97 Mini.

Lifecasting will premiere on the new Nokia N97 mini, companion to the successful Nokia N97. Designed with a social and style-conscious consumer in mind, the Nokia N97 mini is a smaller mobile computer with stylish stainless steel cues, featuring a tilting 3.2-inch touch display (16 million colours, 360x640 pixels), QWERTY keyboard and fully customisable homescreen running on the Symbian S60 5th edition operating system.

In terms of features, the N97 Mini is quite similar to the N97 itself. Apart from the smaller screen, the biggest difference is that the new device does not feature a 5-way navigation pad like its predecessor. The N97 Mini also has reduced its memory capacity, carrying 8GB of onboard storage space that can be expanded by a further 16GB via a microSD card.

For more detail on Nokia N97 Mini in india log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/

Fly Mobile launches two dual-SIM touchscreen phones for under Rs. 6,000

It seems that Fly Mobile wants to take the price factor out of the equation of buying a touchscreen phone, as it has launched two new dual-SIM handsets with touch-sensitive screens for less than Rs. 6,000.

For more detail on Fly Dual SIM Mobile log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com

Amazon Kindle now Officially Available in India

Since its launch, Amazon's Kindle has been somewhat of an object of desire. The idea of having access to thousands of books over the air, all in a sleek little gadget, is quite tantalising. Amazon recently announced that the Kindle would be available globally, and officially launched it in India today at an event in Mumbai.

Kindle wirelessly downloads books, magazines, newspapers and personal documents to a crisp 6-inch electronic ink (e-ink) display that actually looks and reads like real paper. The screen has no backlight, so it doesn't give out the glare a normal screen would.

The navigation is fairly simple and all the text content is custom formatted. So the Economist will not look exactly like the magazine, but more like any other novel. User customisation is also a great tool, allowing you to change margins, increase font size and even annotate sections with notes

Read Before You Shop: Digit's PMP Mega Review

One for the Road!

We covered tiny, compact MP3 players earlier in the year, but the higher end PMPs was something we intentionally ignored. For everyone who was waiting on us we’ve delivered - some of the most feature-rich devices per cubic inch vie for a place in your pocket. And whether you’re on a tight budget or on a spending spree, you’re assured to find something suitable.

Introduction

We all but ignored the higher range of portable multimedia players this year and those who remember our ‘compact PMP test’ in March ’09 will notice the lack of anything with a display. This was because our Jedi senses bespoke change. For one, we foresaw the gradual shift from hard drives to flash-based storage. This has come to pass, a few stragglers notwithstanding. Apple challenged our powers of prediction when they just released the next generation of HDD-based iPod Classics. Not a surprise really, since Apple caters to the audiophile community and flash storage isn’t cheap enough, (as yet), to offer 120-odd gigabytes of storage – which, someone who wants to carry around lossless files, will likely need. Besides, if researchers could be forgiven not reading the signs of impending economic recession, we figure our fans would forgive us for being only ‘partially’ right. However, it is telling that many brands have dropped their HDD-based PMP product lines. Creative didn’t want to feature hard drive-based PMPs. Cowon dropped their A3 and Q5W models from the test. Of course, flash density is on the rise as Apple’s new iPod Touch 64 GB testifies.

for more detail on Digit PMP Mega log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com

Fujifilm launches a "World's first" 3D camera

Fujifilm, a relatively small competitor in India by their own admission, might be seeing a bit more recognition soon. The company has just launched its new FinePix REAL 3D W1, which is the world’s first camera to be able to capture and display images in 3D.

Capturing a 3D image is actually a simple matter of taking two different images of the same object, albeit from slightly different angles, to simulate the way our eyes capture the world around us. However displaying images in 3D is trickier.

This new camera features two lenses, placed at a distance that mimics the distance between human eyes. The best part is that the LCD panel at the back of the camera is capable of displaying 3D images, so you can actually live-preview the image you are taking in 3D without requiring any special glasses. However, unlike some most of the current LCD screens, the viewing angle is once again important here.

The camera offers point-and-shoot functionality for capturing 2D or 3D images or video, and manages everything automatically for the most part. The 3x zoom had to have been especially tricky with the dual lens system. for more detail on Fujifilm 3D camera log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/

Google gives each address its own webpage!

Google is looking to move the unique physical address of a popular location to a unique virtual address, with a new feature that the search giant likes to call 'Place Pages' for Google Maps.

One of the common use cases of a service like Google Maps is to find places you don't know much about. While it's fun to zoom in near your neighbourhood and see what your neighbours were up to when they were rudely photographed from outer space, when you really need to use it, it is usually to get to (or away from) a place you don't know much about.

This new Google maps feature will essentially create a page for "businesses, points of interest, transit stations, landmarks, and cities all over the world." This has the effect of essentially making Google maps an encyclopaedia of places, rather than just a maps service.

Visiting a page for any place (such as New Delhi) will give you a page with photos, videos and popular places along with reviews and relevant links. Pages can also be added for businesses, and business owners can add content themselves, listing working hours, services, products and even offer coupons! Users on the other hand can rate these businesses, so you can gain the benefit of others' experiences.

All this with a nice easy to remember URL like google.com/places/in/newdelhi/connaughtplace for Connaught Place, New Delhi, India (in). Best of all, this information is user editable, making this new feature almost a visual Wikipedia of locations

Chrome to Play Games via Graphics Card, Processor?

Digit by Mihir Patkar / Jul 24,2009 / Tags: Chrome O3D, Web 3D, Web gaming, Native Client
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Is Google thinking of taking high-graphics 3D video games into the realm of cloud computing? A new mailing list announcement by Chrome programmer Greg Spencer points to just that, as Google is looking to harness your computer’s hardware processor and graphics card to boost the performance of Web content.

On the Chromium development group, Spencer wrote that they have begun building a specialised O3D plug-in for hardware-accelerated 3D graphics in the Chrome browser.

“The O3D team is working on getting O3D integrated into the Chromium build, and we're close to being able to complete our first step towards integration,” he wrote.

The move comes not a month after the announcement of Google’s ‘Native Client’ program, which enables the browser to harness the power of computer’s CPU.

While the talk right now is about plug-ins, both these technologies will eventually be built into the browser itself.