“Wayfinder’s interface remains as quirky as ever, despite the extra polish to the on-screen graphics and a few extra screen displays. The home screen, shown below-right, shows the way into the program. Just to simplify things, ‘Favourites’ is what it sounds, a list of favourite locations, while ‘Services’ is a link to a mobile-friendly web page offering currency conversion and weather reports, though curiously not of the current location – you have to type city and country in by hand. All of which leaves ‘Map’ and ‘Find’. The former is the basic Wayfinder digital map, of which more later, so ‘Find’ is the way in for almost every use.” Find out more here:
RIM and Apple Collaborating on an AppleBerry?
“Research and Motion (RIM) has been very up-front about its plans to add multimedia features to its BlackBerry line of cellular-wireless devices. What this company isn’t talking about, though, is the rumor that it is collaborating with Apple, Inc. to make this happen.In recent interviews, RIM’s Chairman James Balsillie has been promising that, in the near future, BlackBerries will be released that offer MP3 players and cameras with both image capture and video capabilities.According to rumor, at least one of these upcoming devices — nick-named the AppleBerry — will include support for Apple’s iTunes music download service. When asked about this, Balsillie declined to comment.iTunes Everywhere?The idea of Apple collaborating with another company to release a phone with iTunes support isn’t inconceivable for one simple reason: it has already done so. The Motorola ROKR has audio software that allows it to download songs from a PC running iTunes.There have also been unconfirmed reports that Apple intends to release a smartphone under its own brand name.” via brighthand.com
Motorola Launches i670
“Motorola today introduced the Motorola i670, a new multi-function mobile communications device that offers a wide range of productivity-enhancing solutions for business users at an affordable price.The new Motorola i670 is loaded with technology-rich features, including: Original Push-to-Talk (PTT) communication An integrated Assisted GPS navigation system that provides latitude and longitude coordinates to help users track fleets and obtain directions quickly and easily. JAVA Direct Talk off-network digital walkie talkie capability Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) offers users the ability to transfer messages comprising text, sounds, images and video to MMS capable handsets. Group Walkie-Talkie allowing the user to establish a private conference call, of up to 20 people, saving time and improving productivity.The Motorola i670 is available through all Sprint (NYSE:S) and Nextel distribution channels, including retail stores, at a price of $249.99, or $49.99 with a two-year service agreement, new activation and credit approval. Taxes, fees, early termination fee, phone setup fee and other charges apply” via slashphone.com
SAMSUNG Produces 60 Nanometer 8 Gigabit NAND Flash Memory
“SEOUL, Korea – July 19, 2006: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that it has begun mass producing an 8-Gigabit (Gb) NAND flash memory device, providing a much larger and more affordable storage density for consumer and mobile applications such as mobile phones, MP3 players and gaming consoles. The high-density MLC (multi-level-cell) memory is being produced with 60-nanometer (nm) process technology – the smallest used today. Samsung’s 8Gb NAND flash memory, developed in September 2004, is the fifth consecutive NAND flash memory to follow the New Memory Growth Model of double density growth every 12 months, a pattern conceived by Dr. Chang Gyu Hwang, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics Semiconductor Business.Mass production of the new 8Gb chip allows Samsung to offer an 8-Gigabyte (GB) solution by vertically stacking two 4GB packages, each package carrying a vertical stack of four 8Gb dies. The 8GB NAND which can store 2000 MP3 files or 225 minutes of DVD-quality video is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2006.Samsung plans to further utilize its 8-Gb NAND flash memory chip in Samsung’s high-density MLC NAND, called moviNAND, to produce a 2GB-level NAND market solution. The recently introduced moviNAND combines NAND flash memory and a NAND controller and can be embedded in mobile handsets to accommodate the high data storage requirements that accompany the increasing number of multimedia features on mobile phones.The newest technology advancement brings 25 percent higher manufacturing productivity over the previous 70nm design technology. It follows the introduction of 80-nm production process technology for DDR2 DRAM a little more than a year ago (March 2005).About Samsung ElectronicsSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2005 parent company sales of US$56.7 billion and net income of US$7.5 billion. Employing approximately 128,000 people in over 120 offices in 57 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones, and TFT-LCDs.”For more information, please visit www.samsung.com
Lexar Increases Performance of High Capacity CompactFlash to 133X
FREMONT, Calif., July 18, 2006 – Lexar Media, Inc., a leader in advanced digital media and accessories, today announced that it has increased the performance of its popular Professional 8GB CompactFlash memory card to 133X. This performance improves the digital imaging workflow for both professional and advanced amateur photographers working with and managing large files. Lexar’s new card is capable of a minimum sustained data write speed of 20MB per second and is currently available in CompactFlash Type I flash memory card format, the most popular format for today’s digital SLR cameras. “Lexar has encouraged photographers to ‘keep shooting’ while consistently introducing products that improve digital imaging workflow once images are stored on their flash memory cards,” said John Omvik, director of professional product marketing, Lexar. “Those who shoot in RAW format require a vast amount of storage capacity, but also need reliable high-speed performance at all steps in the digital imaging process. Our new 133X 8GB cards directly address and satisfy both needs and, as a result, are ideal for photographers shooting in all situations,” he added. Read more at photosnews.com
Enjoy PDA content with large size projector display
“Spectec Computer is presenting its new SDIO(Secure Digital Input/Output) video-out card for PDAs. With a standard cable, it supports XGA(1024×768) display and it can be used with projectors as well as other mobile devices. Remote controller with 10 buttons and adapter is provided. It supports S-video and composite video interface. The model was presented during Taipei Telecom 2006 from June 14 to June 17 and the Taiwanese Company has already shipped hundreds of item to European market according to a report in Digitimes.” via aving.net
Sony Vaio UX180P Micro PC Review at mobiletechreview
“So what is a Micro PC? It’s Sony’s latest creative venture into super-small Windows computing. It honestly makes last year’s very interesting and also ground-breaking Sony Vaio U50 / U70 / U750 look pedestrian. It fits in the palms of your hands, runs Windows XP Professional (a sticker on the box says it’s Windows Vista-ready), measures just under 6 x 3.74 x 1.27 – 1.5 inches and weighs 1.2 pounds. In the fine Sony tradition, it has everything except the kitchen sink: WiFi 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth, 10/100 Ethernet, a good selection of ports (some require the included docking station or dongle), a WSVGA touch screen XBRite display, the new Intel Core Solo processor running at 1.2GHz, 512 megs of DDR2 RAM, a fast 533MHz front side bus, an EDGE radio (built-in Sony Ericsson card) locked to Cingular (call Sony to get it unlocked if needed), a backlit thumb keyboard, biometric fingerprint scanner (a must on a device that’s small enough to easily lose but powerful enough to carry corporate data) and both front and rear facing cameras. Whew! No wonder this puppy isn’t cheap. And it has a touch screen that calibrates much more accurately than the OQO’s display (you can use your finger too). And it comes with MS Streets and Trips 2006; just add a Bluetooth GPS and go. This is the US version which started shipping at the beginning of July. It features a faster CPU than the Japanese UX50 import model and is $400 less than the similarly spec-d import UX90. An EDGE/GPRS radio replaces the UX50 and UX90’s CF slot on the UX180P, so you’ll need to use a USB card reader or (in Sony’s dreams) switch to Memory Stick Duo media. If you have a PSP, that slot is pretty handy though… or a Sony Ericsson camera phone. And it does come with Sony’s Image Converter 2.0 Plus should you wish to use the UX to convert videos for PSP playback. ” Read more here: