The DIGIC III advantage

Better zoom, faster response time and more creative options: that's what two new Canon cameras - the IXUS 950 IS and the Powershot S5 IS - offer users.

Both cameras, with features found only in Canon's professional cameras, have 4X and 12X optical zoom respectively, with Image Stabiliser (IS) to overcome blurring and also shaking when shooting pictures from a distance.


Both cameras are powered by Canon's DIGIC III processor, delivering unprecedented levels of speed, responsiveness and image quality. The processor also allows face detection which finds a suitable focus point for up to nine faces in the frame when the shutter button is pressed mid-way.

The DIGIC III also controls exposure and flash to ensure proper illumination of both overall scene and faces for sharper images, in-camera red-eye correction and elimination of darkened and overexposed faces.

The Canon IXUS 950 IS digital camera integrates an Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space (iSAPS), a scene-recognition technology to estimate the distance from the camera to the subject based on the lens focal length, zoom position and surrounding brightness, and then adds parameters based on photographs taken previously.

The iSAPS works with the fast DIGIC Image Processor to enhance focus speed, accuracy, exposure and also white balance using an internal database of thousands of different photos.

The camera features a 2.5-inch scratch-resistant PureColor LCD screen with anti-reflective coating that enhances colour tones by 30% for true-to-life playback viewing.

Eighteen shooting modes are included such as the new Creative Light Effect mode, which utilises the Image Stabiliser and a longer exposure to create user-selectable shapes, for example, stars, hearts and flowers and around points of light in the background of night scenes.

There is also the Time Lapse movie mode, which enables image capturing at one-second and two-second intervals over two hours and can be condensed, accelerated and played back to a smooth eight or four minutes, suitable for changing scenes taking place over a long duration.

The second camera, the Canon Powershot S5 IS, possesses many professional functions such as grade optics, and extensive movie and photo functions.

It features professional lenses with advanced technologies such as the f2.7 to f3.5, 36-432mm Ultra Low Dispersion lens and an Ultra Sonic Motor (USM) to ensure true colour reproduction as well as sharp definition and rapid response when zooming.

The camera even allows detailed macro photography with the Super Macro mode with 0cm shooting distance and optional Close Up Lens 500D (58mm).

To extend the camera's zoom range, the Safety zoom can be used without interpolation that can affect the image quality.

The Powershot S5 IS also offers Safety FE that automatically reduces the aperture to avoid subjects reflecting too much flash and Safety MF to perform minor adjustments when focusing manually.

It also has the new Continuous Shooting Auto Focus feature, which allows it to keep moving subjects in focus while shooting at 1.5 frames per second (fps).

As opposed to the Canon's IXUS 950 IS, the Powershot S5 IS has an expanded selection of 22 shooting modes that include Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority and user-defined Custom mode to expand users' creative options.

A dedicated movie button allows users to switch from capturing images to movies swiftly while the Long Play mode increases recording time for Video Graphics Array (VGA) quality movies at 30fps frame rate.

The Photo In Movie function enables the capture of photos during movie recording.

The Powershot S5 IS is compatible with a complete range of optional accessories.

The IXUS 950 IS retails at RM1,499 and the Powershot S5 IS at RM1,699.

Both cameras come with a one-year warranty

Read More......

Sony MP3 Player NW-A800

The new compact Sony Walkman/Video MP3 Player NW-A800 series is more than just a mere music player.

This sleek series is also a slim video MP3 player that can playback up to eight hours of video and provide stunning audio sound to boot.


The Walkman can playback videos encoded in high quality codecs like AVC (H.264/AVC) baseline profile and MPEG-4, at up to 30 frames per second (fps).

The bright two-inch QVGA (320X240 pixel) TFT LCD screen can display videos and JPEG images with high resolution, high contrast ratio and vivid colour reproduction.

With a thickness of only 8.3mm and weighing a mere 53g, it is the ideal portable MP3 player for music and video lovers.

Integrated into the player are Sony's original Clear Audio technologies that reproduce sounds to satisfy even the most demanding audiophiles.

The new player, combining superior sound quality, exceptional design and long battery life, provide an unparalleled listening experience for users on the move.

The Walkman Video MP3 Player comes with four Clear Audio technologies - the newly-developed Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), Clear Bass, Clear Stereo and bundled 13.5mm EX headphones - to generate faultless sounds.

Sony Malaysia's general manager of product marketing division Taku Taguchi said: "The Walkman brand has long been associated with the highest quality in audio playback and the two latest Walkman series continue to uphold this standard by integrating Sony's Clear Audio sound technologies.

"With the NW-A800 series, audiophiles can now own a Walkman MP3 player that not only delivers outstanding sound quality but also comes with exceptional video playback quality."

The NW-A800 series comes with several outstanding features:

Superior sound quality

Developed by Sony for MP3 Walkman players, the new series integrates Clear Audio technologies to realise superb sound quality.

The players utilises clear stereo technology to prevent the audio signal leaking from one channel to another and clear bass technology to enhance bass without any distortion.

DSEE is integrated into this series players to restore the high frequency ranges lost due to compression and to reproduce sound quality that is as close to the original source as possible.

These features are further enhanced by the addition of a five-band equaliser system and Ôvirtual phone technology', a process that converts playback music to include 3D acoustic effects.

User-friendly interface

Searching for songs in your music library has never been easier with the Walkman Video MP3 Player NW-A800.

Users can find any song easily by filtering through album, artiste or genre and also choose to display the lists of album or video with image thumbnails.

What's more, the directional control buttons will switch according to the display direction when viewing images or videos vertically or horizontally (left or right direction).

Convenient file transfer

With Image Converter 3, Sony's proprietary video conversion software bundled together with Walkman Video MP3 Player NW-A800 series, users can convert and transfer popular formats such as MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Quick Time and WMV files into MPEG-4 or AVC (H.264/AVC) baseline profile format for playback on the Walkman player.

Compatible video files can even be transferred directly through simple drag and drop interface.

Sony's Cyber-shot digital camera and Handycam camcorder users will also find it easy to transfer photos and videos through the PC.

For transferring music and album cover art, the bundled SonicStage CP software also allows users to easily manage album art and playlists.

For greater convenience, a Walkman launcher automatically starts when connecting a NW-A800 player to the PC, allowing users to simply choose from the music or photo and video applications.

The NW-A800 series now offers three models: the NW-A805 with 2GB of memory, the NW-A806 with 4GB, and the NW-A808 with 8GB.

The models also come in a variety of colours - violet or white for the NW-A805, white or pink for the NW-A806, and classic black only for the NW-A808.

Prices range from RM699 for the 2GB model, to RM899 (4GB) and RM1,099 (8GB).


The Walkman Video MP3 Player NW-A800 series is now available at all Sony outlets and stores nationwide.

For more info, log on to www.sony.com.my

Read More......

Smoother WiFi broadband services

Speed. Mobility. Unlimited boundaries. Mobile WiFi broadband service provider iZZinet promises all the above to ensure a smooth ride when it comes to wireless broadband.


With the launch of the wireless broadband with iBurst cutting edge 4G technologies, iZZi offers wireless broadband packages to folks in Kuala Lumpur and certain suburban townships in the Klang Valley with excellent plug-n-play wireless Internet access. Customers are assured of speeds up to 1Mbps at the most affordable prices available in the market.

With true mobility and constant connectivity anywhere in the city, whether on foot or driving, iZZis iBurst wireless broadband is amazingly mobile, reliable and versatile.

Imagine being caught in a massive traffic jam, and having Internet access to be able to read and reply all your emails and stay connected with the rest of the world.

“We are proud to to announce the launch of the first truly mobile wireless broadband services in KL city,” said iZZinet sales and marketing director Dennis Chan.

Users are assured of mobility and reliable Internet access once they’re connected to IZZinet. In other words, you can surf on the move, even in a car travelling at up to 100km/h through areas covered by the service.

iZZi’s iBurst is already a proven product as it is commercially available in several countries such as South Africa, Australia, Norway, Kenya.

In Malaysia, iZZi launched three types of products, namely iZZipro, iZZione and iZZiyou for both businesses and home users, offering packages with affordable prices to users who sign a one-year contract.

For those who need total mobility, the iZZione package subscription cost RM88 a month and comes with a free modem.

For home or business users who prefer versatility for both notebooks and desktops, the iZZiyou package subscription is RM98 per month, with a free USB card-sized modem.

Finally, for business users who need expandability, iZZipro’s desktop modem package subscription is RM118 a month.

iZZi will also be available in other states by the end of the year.

For more info log on to :http://www.izzi.com.my

Read More......

Nokia E90

The fifth generation of Communicators is a real step up from previous versions with its emphasis on speed – yes, the 3G-enabled E90 boasts UMTS/HSDPA connectivity and integrated GPS.

What that means is faster browsing on the go, speedy uploads and downloads, and a navigator that’ll keep you ticking along quite happily.


Ah, this Smartphone truly lives up to its name. With the exception of a fax facility, the E90 pretty much can do anything. It’s slightly bulky size (132x57x20mm) and weight (210g – can kill if thrown hard enough!) only emphasises its importance as a tool and not plaything.

This clamshell phone offers a full Qwerty keyboard which has a nice tactile feel to it. It has two screens – the 2in fully-functional exterior screen and the superbly wide 4in interior screen (800x352 pixels).

Once opened, the screen can be set to any angle – even completely flat, and you can access all the phone’s functions from both screens.

In terms of navigation, you can use the dedicated keys on the keyboard to access your contacts, messaging, web, notes, calendar, and menu.

You can also use the silver-framed rocker (far more responsive than a joystick) to access keys and functions.

How much information is displayed depends on which screen you use – call up Contacts in the exterior screen, for example, and it displays only the names, while doing so on the interior screen reveals also the number.

The new E90 also introduces a new platform to Nokia’s communicator line, Series 60 v3. Powered by the modern TI OMAP2420 processor (ARM11 architecture) running at 330MHz, this Smartphone is fast. Calling up applications is no longer followed by an agonisingly long wait.

And it can handle most anything you throw at it – spreadsheets, PDF files, PowerPoint presentations (but no editing), Word files, etc. There are also a number of free applications available for download too.

The E90 tries to offer every feature you could want, so there’s a very serviceable 3.2MP camera with LED flash and autofocus, as well as a VGA camera up front for video calls.

Photo quality for still pictures is decent, but the video quality is impressive, even in low light conditions. Only thing is, the shutter button is a bit hard to engage.

And there’s a quite useful music player included, though the supplied stereo headphones are a bit of a letdown as they are flimsy at best.

This is compensated somewhat by the built-in stereo speakers, which do a good job in playing back music or when watching videos.

There’s also A2DP profile support for high quality audio streaming over Bluetooth.

In terms of connectivity, the E90, which has 128MB of memory built in (expandable with a micro-SD card), also offers EDGE/GPRS, Bluetooth 2.0, Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g 54Mbps, infra red and USB 2.0 via USB Mini-B connector.

The built-in GPS receiver is a first for the Communicator series, though personally, I found it too tedious to use, with a none-too-helpful guide edging you along.

You can download maps quite easily via the built-in download function, but once that happened, no matter how hard I tried, I could not get a satellite lock on my position.

Still, this blip aside, the E90 more than lives up to its billing as the top communications tool for busy execs and businessmen who will appreciate this Smartphone for its great features and especially, the excellent usability.

Read More......

Free photo-editing tool chest

Buying a digital camera, photo printer, and camera accessories can leave a hole in your wallet. So why should have to splurge yet more on software? While the big-name commercial software packages such as Photoshop promise to make your life with digital images easier, there are plenty of programs available for free that do almost as much – and sometimes more.

» Downloading your images

Getting the images from your camera to the computer is the first challenge that new digital photographers face, and it’s one that the right software can automate. It’s possible that your digital camera came with all of the software necessary to download your photos, but if not, there are some good applications that will do the job at no cost.


Breeze Downloader is one of the oldest downloading automation tools on the market, and it remains one of the best. While there is a commercial "pro" version available from Breeze, the original freeware version is all that most folks will ever need. With Breeze Downloader, you can automatically download photos from anyplace on your computer, including directly from a camera itself.

You simply configure the program to look for photographs at a particular USB connection or FireWire port, tell the application where downloaded photographs should go, and click Download All. Once you set up the operation, successive downloads are automated without any intervention from you. You can download Breeze Downloader from http://www.photo-freeware.net/breeze-downloader.php.

» Editing your photos

Most digital cameras come with basic image editing tools. But you’ll quickly outgrow them. That’s normally when camera owners start looking towards commercial packages such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. While these programs can do just about everything you would want with an image, they come at a price - a high one – and there are very capable free alternatives.

Chief among them is GIMP (http://www.gimp.org), an open-source program that does most of what Photoshop can do - and even mimics Photoshop’s interface, thanks to another open source add-on called GimpShop (http://plasticbugs.com/?page_id=294). GIMP offers such sophisticated editing features as layers, channels, redeye reduction, and a host of third-party plug-ins.


There’s plenty of free software available such as GIMP
to help you get the best out of your digital photos.

There’s even a plug-in available, called UFRaw, that allows GIMP to work with the uncompressed, raw image file formats that many DSLRs offer.

» Printing photos

The challenge that digital photographers face when they want to print their photos is how difficult it can be to fit a number of differently sized pictures on a single sheet of paper. Many photo printing programs only allow you to print same-sized photographs on a single page, potentially wasting expensive photo paper.

The commercial program QImage (http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage) has long excelled at flexibility in printing photographs, but the free Google Picasa (http://picasa.google.com) has recently beefed up its photo printing abilities to the point where it rivals QImage. Picasa is also an excellent photo organiser.

» Emailing photos

E-mailing digital photographs is a lot harder than it should be. That’s primarily because you cannot simply download a picture from your photo card and then send it from an e-mail program. If you do, your recipient will receive a very large file that will take some time to download. It may even clog an e-mail inbox and cause other messages to bounce.

So you have to resize images, making them significantly smaller than the originals, before sending them in an e-mail message.

Essentially, what you want to do is create thumbnail versions of your images that you wish to e-mail.

One of the best free programs for doing this is Easy Thumbnails (http://www.fookes.com/ezthumbs). This program can take an entire folder of images and create smaller versions of them, perfect for copying over to an open e-mail messaging window.

SendPhotos (http://www.sendphotos.com/), although not free, is an upscale e-mail sending application that offers plenty of hand-holding during the process and provides lots of useful additions, including templates to make your e-mail messages stand out in the receipient’s inbox.

The programs here are all proven winners. They’ll not only save you money but are also easy enough to learn quickly, leaving you plenty of time to do what matters most: take pictures. – dpa

Read More......

Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte

THE new Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte unveiled recently by Nokia redefines style, elegance and new technology.

Capturing the essence of timeless beauty and fine craftsmanship, it will appeal to the most discerning and style-conscious of consumers.



The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte brings 3G capabilities to the Nokia 8800 series which features an elegant and sophisticated design theme inspired by nature that sets it apart from the crowd.

Appearance-wise, the Sapphire Arte is one beautiful phone, both in looks and touch, something that will be a hit with those who appreciate products with excellent finishing.

Minimalistic and elegant, the phone is made of the finest materials that include exquisite leather and precious stones. One outstanding feature is the select key which is made from sapphire, hence its name.

Even the panels are crafted from premium leather and efforts have been made to highlight the hide’s natural grain.

To enhance durability, fine layers of coating are applied to protect against everyday use and also add an extra dash of finesse to the phone.

Colour-wise, the Sapphire Arte comes in luxurious brown and coffee tones – the choice colour for most range of premium lifestyle products.

Alternatively, it is available in stylish black.

Besides its elegant appearance, Sapphire Arte is also noted for its uncompromising functionality.

On the surface, the seamless metal and glass body gives the phone an incomparable sense of style.

The easy-to-use tap-for-time feature is so cool. Just two gentle taps are all it requires to illuminate the analogue clock on the screen.

Meanwhile, the living wallpapers move organically throughout the day to provide onscreen decoration.

Incoming calls on a Sapphire Arte can be silenced gracefully using the turn-to-mute feature. The feature allows the owner to quiet the handset inconspicuously by just turning over the phone, screen-side down.

The other state-of-the-art features include:

• stunning 2.0in QVGA 240x320 pixels, OLED display with up to 16 million colours;

• 3.2-megapixel auto focus camera with 8X digital zoom;

• 3G capabilities;

• 1GB built-in memory space;

• microUSB all-in-one connector; and

• art-ball bearings and unique spring mechanism for its slide operation.

To reduce the problem of smudges on metal and glass, the Sapphire Arte comes with a layer of anti-fingerprint coating.

Ringtones take on an added dimension as the phone includes an exclusive soundtrack of graphic grooves from master producers Kruder & Dorfmeister with accompanying visuals by Fritz Fitzke.

Each Sapphire Arte phone comes with an exclusive range of accessories that include the elegantly-designed Nokia BH-803 Bluetooth headset with Active Noise Cancellation and touch-sensitive volume adjustment; a stylish desk stand; and a beautiful leather case complete with linen interior.

The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte is now available at all authorised Nokia dealers at the recommended retail price of RM5,990.

For more, log on http://www.nokia.com

Read More......

Casio EXILIM Card EX-S10

Wouldn’t it be great to have a truly slim and stylish digital camera which is brimming with features, at an affordable price? Look no further than Casio’s new EXILIM Card EX-S10, the latest in the company’s line of ‘wearable card cameras’ – digital cameras with a very slim form.

The camera has a slim, stylish body, measuring just 94.2mm wide, 54.6mm high and 15mm thin.


B illed as the world’s smallest and thinnest stylish 10.1 megapixel digital camera, the EX-S10 comes with a variety of exciting new functions to bring the fun back into picture-taking.

For instance, users are able to record images not just at the moment the shutter button is pressed, but before as well (during focusing). This allows you to select the best image available.

The camera also has a Auto Shutter function that is able to detect and record the moment the subject smiles for portrait shots, which makes taking a picture of a natural moment even easier.

The Auto Shutter also uses motion blur detection technology, allowing the camera to automatically take a photo the moment when hand shakes or subject movement ceases. And eliminating the common problem of poor framing during self-portrait shots, the camera is also programmed to automatically take a photo of the user the instant their own face fills the frame.

The EX-S10 also has a Face Detection function, where it is able to find selected faces and focus on them during group shots. Up to 10 faces can be pre-recorded and the camera can then detect them in a shot. The camera then prioritises them when determining the correct focus and exposure, bringing them into sharpest focus.

This feature is especially useful when ordinary face detection technology has trouble picking out faces properly in large group shots.

The camera also has the standard H.264 video function, which lets users record beautiful movies with the latest high compression technology. Users can enjoy wide format movies in a 16:9 aspect ratio. These cameras also feature a Movie Button for easy movie recording.

The Casio EXILIM Card EX-S10 is available in four colours – red, blue, black and silver, and is priced at RM1,099.

Read More......

Panasonic Lumix FS series

Panasonic recently unveiled the easy-to-use 10.1-mega-pixel DMC-FS20 and DMC-FS5 cameras into its Lumix FS series.

Packed in a compact, slim and stylish design, the new models in the FS series offer interesting features that would be of much help to the beginner photographer.


The cameras, equipped with a 30mm wide-angle Leica DC lens with 4x optical zoom feature the Intelligent Auto (iA) mode. This mode comprises 5 shooting-assist functions, making for simple and easy photography.

These shooting-assist functions are:

» Mega Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) which suppresses blur shots because of shaky hands.

» Intelligent ISO Control to prevent subject motion blur.

» Intelligent Scene Selector sets the appropriate scene mode by automatically selecting it from the most frequently used scene modes, such as Portrait, Scenery, Macro, Night Portrait and Night Scenery.

» Quick AF (autofocus) system allows the camera to start focusing on the subject even without pressing the shutter button halfway, minimising focusing time.

» Face Detection feature which detects a maximum of 15 human faces in a single shot.

Once in iA mode, these functions happen automatically without any adjustments, offering trouble-free shooting in any situation.

The DMC-FS20 and DMC-FS5 also incorporate a 3" and 2.5" intelligent LCD display respectively with 230,000-dot high

The intelligent LCD function detects lighting condition and controls the brightness level of the LCD in 11 fine steps, offering a display with the most appropriate clarity in any situation.

Each new FS camera is powered by the Venus Engine IV, a high-performance image-processing large scale integrated circuit to assure higher-quality pictures with an advanced signal processing system.

The Venus Engine IV also supports a High Sensitivity mode that lets the DMC-FS20 and DMC-FS5 take shots at a setting of up to ISO 6400, sensitive enough to capture subjects in near-total darkness without using a flash.

Both models also boast an internal 50 MB memory, giving users more flexibility in shooting with added memory to the SD card storage (bought separately).

All new Lumix cameras incorporate a Rec/Playback mode switch which helps the user flip between modes easily.

The DMC-FS20 (RM1,199) will be available in silver, black and pink while the DMC-FS5 (RM1,099) comes in silver, black and red.

For more, log on to www.panasonic.com.my/web/pcatId/ProdList/525.

Read More......

Multiplayer games platform

Playing computer games is more fun when your opponent is another person. Those games that allow you to pick your skills against a real other humans playing the same game, either online or on a network, are referred to as "multiplayer."

The best place to find out which games are "multiplayer enabled" is at Multiplayer Online Games Directory (http://www.mpogd.com).


Here, you can search for multiplayer games by platform, category or name. And you can use the site’s free forums to talk to other gaming enthusiasts about what’s hot and what’s not in multiplayer games.

Biggest search engine
Want one-click access to most of the biggest search engines? That’s what Search Engines of the World (http://www.escapeartist.com/Search_Engines/Search_Engines.html) aims to provide.

At this site, you can search the Internet, look for the best prices on products, look up words in over a half dozen languages, and even locate telephone numbers and addresses.

If it’s searchable online, you’ll likely find a way to get to it here.

Decent digital camera
Trying to justify the cost of a digital camera? Remember that with digital photography, there are no film development costs, and once you have a memory card, you can use the time and again.

If you have a bunch of film-based photography gear, consider selling it on an auction site such as eBay (http://www.ebay.com), which runs local auction sites around the world. Selling a few of your old lenses and a camera body may net you enough to buy a decent digital camera.

Going wireless



What’s the ugliest part of any desktop computer? The back, of course! Unfortunately, the jumble of wires that forms at the back of our PCs is often all too visible. The best way to put an end to that mess is to go wireless, when possible.

A growing number of computer peripherals these days are being offered in wireless versions. Everything from joysticks to keyboards to computer mice have gone wireless.

Wireless versions of such products generally cost a bit more than their wired counterparts, but if cleaning up the clutter is a priority, the extra expense may be worthwhile.

Spyware to the rescue
Got spyware? If you surf the Internet, you probably do. Spyware is software that can track your movements online and transmit data to advertisers about your behaviour. It can also slow down your computer by cluttering up the hard drive.

To get rid of spyware, download the free Ad- Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com), install it, and let the program scour your hard drive for those obnoxious invaders. – dpa

Read More......

Handsets with projectors

Tiny screens have been a big hindrance to the wider use of mobile phone handsets to read email, surf the Internet or watch movies.

This is set to change by next year when people will be able to use their handsets to project large, vivid colour images onto any flat surface.

For instance, two friends may lie together and watch a movie downloaded from their handset by projecting it onto the ceiling.


Two colleagues may use a handset to rehearse a Powerpoint presentation by projecting its downloaded file onto the wall of an elevator while on the way to a meeting.

This is what NASDAQ-listed Microvision is preparing to make happen in partnership with some of the unidentified top-tier mobile phone vendors.

"Some of the major handset vendors have approached us and we are working with them so that we will probably release the projector-embedded handset sometime during April to June of 2009," said Matt Nichols, director of the Washington-headquartered Microvision.

A thin module will be integrated into a handset so that it can work like a projector display.

"We face almost no competition from any other peer vendors because no one else can achieve such a thinness and such a low power consumption as ours," Nichols said.

The Pico-branded projector will run on just 1.5 Watts.

The protocol for the "PicoP-branded display" was introduced at the 2008 Electronic Summit hosted by Global Press in San Francisco recently.

He said that handset vendors will pay about US$100 (RM320) per unit of the Pico-projector, which will be produced from its own fabrication facilities.

Meanwhile, Microvision is also preparing to launch a stand-alone version of this projector that goes with mobile devices, including iPods and iPhones.

Unlike the projector that goes inside the phone, the stand-alone is attached by cable to the devices.

The Microvision director says its targeted launch is sometime around the end of this year.

How is the image created? A low-powered red, green and blue light beam is directed by the scanning MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) mirror to produce an image, the Microvision director explained.

Developed by Microvision, the MEMS scanner is a silicon-based device at the centre of which is a tiny mirror that oscillates both vertically and horizontally. – dpa

Read More......

A phone for every lifestyle

IN line with the company’s new consumer segmentation model, Samsung Electronics has introduced an all-encompassing line-up of new phones that showcase a mobile phone for every lifestyle.

"Samsung has complemented its technology and design with in-depth research into the evolving consumer needs," said Alex Wong, director of sales and marketing, Mobile Phone Marketing, Samsung Malaysia Electronics (SME) Sdn Bhd.

"We will embed ourselves into the latest consumer trends and preferences to deliver innovative products tailored for different segments, as we strive to further increase our market share and strengthen our industry position."

Samsung’s new consumer segmentation model comprises six categories – style, multimedia, infotainment, business, connected and essential.

It is devised based on extensive research into the attitudes, lifestyles and design preferences of 20,000 end-users across five continents and 25 countries.

The latest mobile phones tailored to each category are as follows:

» Style: Samsung Soul

‘The Sprit of Ultra’ and the latest and final addition to Samsung’s premium Ultra Edition line-up, the Samsung Soul represents the perfect blend of design and features, boasting HSDPA connectivity and a five-mega-pixel camera in a 12.99mm thin body.

» Multimedia: SGH-F400

Samsung’s SGH-F400 music phone offers superior sound quality with ICEpower® digital power amplifier technology by Bang & Olufsen, as well as impressive hi-fi loud speakers below its unique dual-slider.


» Infotainment: SGH-G810

Incorporating the best of performance and entertainment features, the five-mega-pixel SGH-G810 (top) with Symbian v9.2 operating system features WiFi connectivity and comes pre-loaded with GPS navigation, geotagging, Google search, Map and Gmail software.

» Business: SGH-i780

Samsung’s SGH-i780 smartphone (right) features a full QWERTY keyboard and full touch-screen, and is a Window Mobile 6.0 pocket PC device with push email and GPS capabilities, an optical joystick, two-mega-pixel camera and HSDPA technology.



» Connected: SGH-M620

Featuring a large 1.9-inch TFT LCD screen, Samsung’s SGH-M620 (right) offers camera and video recording, FM radio and music player functions. It also supports up to 2GB Micro SD.

» Essential: SGH-B200

Samsung’s SGH-B200 provides FM radio recording capability where users can set recordings as ringtones. The model also features a unique mobile tracker function that enables users to track down their phones in the event that they are lost or stolen.

Besides the SGH-i780 smartphone which is available now, all the other models will be introduced in May this year.

Samsung is also looking to penetrate the touchscreen category with a range of touchscreen phones featuring cutting-edge functionalities.

This is led by the SGH-F480, which incorporates a 2.8-inch Full Touch LCD, five-mega-pixel camera, FM radio as well as HSDPA and mobile blogging capabilities.

Read More......

LCD vs CRT monitors

One of the advantages of LCDs over cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors is lack of flicker. CRTs produced eye-fatiguing flicker if the refresh rate was set below 70 hertz (Hz).

The refresh rate that many LCD monitors use, however, are set to run at 60Hz. This is fine for flicker-free images on LCDs.

These flat-panel monitors use different technology for their display of images, so the old rules for flicker-free monitor operation no longer apply.


Anti-spyware protection
DO you need an anti-spyware program in addition to antivirus? Probably so.

While antivirus software makers have added anti-spyware protection to their packages, antivirus is still their forte, and the anti-spyware packages on the market have been protecting against spyware longer.

To get rid of spyware, download the free Windows Defender if you’re a Windows user. Also consider Ad-Aware.

External hard drive back-up
THE cheapest way to back up the data on your hard drive today is with another hard drive.

Either an external hard drive, which connects to your computer using a USB or FireWire port or an internal model will suffice.

Remember when budgeting for data storage to think about buying twice the amount you’ll need – half for your files and programs, and the other half for the backup of those files and programs.

Virtual computers cut cost
Microsoft has quietly unveiled Windows Server 2008. Intended primarily for businesses, Windows Server 2008 offers virtualisation for the first time in a Microsoft operating system.

Virtualisation, dubbed Hyper-V by Microsoft, allows one computer to act as though it is many. Each virtual computer is protected from the others on a machine.

Virtualisation helps companies save cost by reducing the number of computers they might otherwise devote to several tasks. – dpa

Read More......

Making Window Vista like XP

Windows Vista sure does look attractive. But once you get beyond the pretty face, you might find that you miss the utilitarian appeal of Windows XP.

Vista, after all, is never as fast as XP is, given the same hardware. Compatibility is sometimes still an issue, too, even though Vista’s first service pack goes some way towards remedying that situation.


Above all though, Vista still does not seem quite as stable as XP. Windows Explorer (explorer.exe) crashes far too often in Vista, and other odd system hang-ups could leave you yearning for the good old days of XP.

So what can you do if you want to go back to the future and ‘upgrade’ to XP? You cannot, unfortunately, just pop your Windows XP installation disk into a Vista computer and choose ‘upgrade’. The XP installation routine will detect an unsupported operating system and refuse to proceed.

Your first viable option, therefore, is to reinstall XP from scratch. Doing that, however, will mean that you’ll need to set aside the time to reinstall all of your applications and restore all of your data files.

If you go this route, be sure that you have a full backup or two of any important files that you’ve created with your current applications, and be sure that you have the installation disks for all programs you wish to reinstall.

The good news is that just about any program that runs on Vista will also run on Windows XP, so at least you won’t have to worry about having hardware or software that works only with Vista.

But you might not have to take this bare metal approach to reverting back to XP. Vista itself offers you several options for making the operating system look and work more like XP.

These options might not have much of an impact on compatibility, but they just may get rid of enough of Vista’s annoyances for you to consider retaining the operating system.

Ditching Aero

Vista’s Aero interface (top) gives Microsoft’s latest consumer operating system the glitz that makes it visually appealing.

Semi-transparent title bars and a more three-dimensional appearance overall are trademarks of Aero. But Aero eats up a lot of system resources – and takes a toll on performance as a result.

Microsoft makes turning off Aero pretty easy. First, right-click on any blank area of your Vista desktop, and select Personalise from the resulting pop-up menu. The Windows Control Panel opens. From there, click the Window Colour and Appearance link. Then click the Enable Transparency check box to remove the check mark.

Before leaving the Window Colour and Appearance dialog box, click the link labelled "Open classic appearance properties for more colour options." That link takes you to the Appearance Settings dialog box. In Appearance Settings, you’ll find a list of colour schemes from which you can choose.

Three of those colour schemes – Windows Vista Basic, Windows Standard, and Windows Classic – will remove the Aero interface.

Specifically, Windows Vista Basic gives you the Vista look without the transparency effects of Aero. Windows Standard revives the Windows 2000 look, and Windows Classic is a throwback to the Windows 95/98 appearance.

Switch to any one of these, and you should notice that Vista becomes a bit snappier overall.

Revamp Explorer

You can tweak more productivity and performance by changing some behaviours of the Vista version of Windows Explorer, which is heavy on the glitz but has taken a step backwards in usability.

The first sin of Vista’s Windows Explorer is that the menus are no longer visible. Get them back by opening Windows Explorer, pressing Alt-T to pull open the (hidden) Tools menu, and then selecting Folder Options.

From the resulting Folder Options dialog box, click the View tab, where you’ll see a long list of check boxes. Place a check mark in the second one, labelled "Always show menus", and you’ll get your Explorer menus back in a flash.

While there, check the first option as well, labelled "Always show icons, never thumbnails". That option tells Vista not to bother with showing thumbnails of images in a directory listing.

If you can do without thumbnails, you’ll find that Explorer works faster and crashes much less often.

Back to Start

Vista’s revamped Start menu has some nifty tricks up its sleeve. The integrated Search field, for instance, makes it easy to find programs that are nested deep within the Start menu, and the integrated scroll bar offers a solution to the monitor-hogging fly-out menus that plagued the earlier Start menu.

But if you find Vista’s Start menu to be overkill, you’re in luck. Right-click the Vista Start menu, and select Properties. The Taskbar and Start Menu dialog box opens. Select the StartMenu tab, and click the Classic Start menu option button. Click OK, and Vista will revamp your Start menu, giving you back the old-style XP Start menu.

These tricks won’t make Vista work exactly like XP does, but they go some way towards giving you back that familiar look and feel - as well as improving the performance of Vista. – dpa

Read More......

Capturing perfect photos

Tired of never getting your photos to look exactly as you see them in real life? Now with the Fujifilm FinePix S100FS you can. It’s the first digital camera to have an extended dynamic range similar to that of negative film. This is thanks to the newly-developed 2/3 inch 11.1 mega pixel 8th Generation Super CCD and Real Photo (RP) Processor III.

The Super CCD is yet another milestone capitalising on Fujifilm’s rich heritage in film and applied into digital photography. The FinePix S100FS incorporates the 8th Generation Super CCD which features a unique honeycomb pattern that captures light more efficiently per pixel ensuring high resolution and high sensitivity.


As a result, pictures are produced in stunning detail and colour and unsurpassed tonal expression with extended dynamic range. So whether your subject is a landscape, object or portrait, you’ll be able to capture all its subtle colour details and tonality with vivid brilliance and sharpness.

The 3rd Generation RP Processor ensures excellent colour reproduction and high speed processing which produces clear and smooth images.

The FinePix S100FS has an extended dynamic range similar to that of negative film which captures all the subtle colours and tonality of your subject. By doing so, it prevents under or over exposure of pictures and ensures vivid and beautiful photos always.

The FinePix S100FS’s unique film simulation (FS) mode allows you to take photos as if you were selecting the most appropriate type of film for each scene. Choose Velvia mode for vivid colours of nature, Provia for natural tones or Astia for portrait shots and soft, fine and smooth tonality.

For those interested in photographing wildlife, the FinePix S100FS features a high magnification 14.3x zoom lens which covers a broad zoom range from a wide angle of 28mm to long telephoto of 400mm and super macro for shots as close as 1cm from the subject (wide angle end).

Other features include a newly developed Fujinon Lens, advanced high speed continuous shooting, 90 degrees upwards and 45 degrees downwards, multi-angle shooting, 14 scene settings and custom settings and a 230,000 dots high-precision colour LCD.

The Fujfilm FinePix S100FS retails for RM2,499 and it comes with a free 2GB SD memory card. For more details, log onto www.fujifilm.com.my

Read More......

JVC LT-42S90

JVC recently unveiled the super-slim full HD LCD TV LT-42S90, the world’s slimmest LCD TV with built-in tuner. This super-slim TV also weighs less and offers reduced power consumption.

The LCD TV features a cabinet that measures only 39mm in depth, with a maximum thickness of just 74mm at the panel’s centre.


Complementing the super-slim design is a thin 23mm bezel, which helps to further minimise the presence of the cabinet. It weighs less than 20kg (42" LCD) and consumes 183watts, one of the lowest in the industry standard today.

Utilising environmentally-friendly Eco Mode function to further reduce power consumption by approximately 30%, it automatically adjusts screen brightness according to ambient light of the room and also helps to decrease eye fatigue.

The LT-42S90 features a full HD LCD panel (1920 x 1080 pixels) and HD ready 1080p, which allows the viewers to enjoy high-definition video sources up to 1080p.

DynaPix HD Picture Engine is a powerful picture processor capable of processing and managing image as well as reducing noise in "real-time" to ensure vivid colours and rich contrast in all conditions irrespective of signal quality.

To heighten the audio impact of movies and sports programmes, the harmonic effect of MaxxBrass ensures natural and deep bass sound without distortion.

The LT-42S90 LCD TV is available in 42-inch size and retails at RM10,999.

Read More......

NEC Powermate 3020

The all-in-one Powermate 3020 brings elegance and flexibility to your computer table

NEC calls it a hybrid computer. I call it a godsend. Several other computer manufacturers had flirted with the idea of incorporating the computer monitor and the CPU into one, seamless unit, but those were bulky (and to be fair, quite impractical) units.

With the advent of LCD monitors, the task got even more complicated as the slim design of the monitor made it a designer’s nightmare to fit all the peripherals and keep it looking cool.


NEC Powermate 5000 series, which was launched last year, cracked the design conundrum and set the bar really high in terms of melding style and functionality into a seriously sweet looking package.

And recently, they launched a new line, the P3000 series, which aims to deliver sophisticated digital home entertainment experience to the [grateful] user.

The first product out in this series is the P3020, which features a 15.4" wide Dual Lamp LCD screen coupled with NEC Super Shine View EX for bright, vibrant images.

The all-in-one computer is powered by AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor TK-57, 1.9GHz ultra high-speed computing for low power consumption.

It’s gorgeous to look at: all white and sleek, weighing in at only 3.9kg, with a bar to make it easy to carry around. The speakers are on either side – slim but boasting good sound fidelity. And there’s only one cable for the entire unit – both the keyboard and the optical mouse are wireless, so you can keep things uncluttered. And it’s slim – less than 5cm thick.

Slotted in somewhere is a DVD-RW super multi drive, 4 USB ports, 1 IEEE 1394 port, a 13-in-1 card reader, 802.1b/g Wireless LAN, Gigabits LAN 10/100/1000 mbits/sec, topped up with a 160Gb harddisk with 1Gb DDR2 RAM on board. Phew.

NEC has also thrown in two gadget pockets that clip on to the monitor to store stationeries and CD-ROMs.

The hybrid is preloaded with Windows Vista Home Basic and easy video editing software, though the review unit also had Office 2007 suite.

It’s a joy to use the Powermate P3020. It powers along quietly but with a jaunt to its stride, handling the usually sluggish OS with practised ease. The monitor displays crisp, clear images, and the wireless keyboard and mouse are a pleasure to use.

The use of dedicated buttons/shortcut keys and a built-in joystick on the keyboard take only minutes to master. Ditto the zoom function on the mouse – you can use it to blow up different parts of the webpage or document with ease.

Don’t you just hate it that your iPod needs a USB power source to charge? If you are like me, and dislike having to leave your computer on specifically for this purpose, then NEC Powermate 3020’s USB charging capability – even with the system switched off – is extremely useful.

The folks at NEC have even put in a enhanced night mode feature to lull you to sleep at night – it works a treat.

In real world use, the idea of having a separate keyboard is very practical, as a flip down model (as in laptops) can cause discomfort to users. The viewing angle and the ideal height for the keyboard may differ, and in keeping things separate, you – the user – gets to be in the ideal position.

I had no difficulty setting up the wireless keyboard and mouse connections and linking up to my wireless router. And though Windows Vista Home Basic is not my favourite OS at the moment, it was however, stable enough during the review period.

If you are keen to upgrade to Vista Ultimate (for the very cool but memory hogging Aero effect), make sure you at least double up the RAM or you could find things moving at a sluggish pace.

As a home entertainment device, the Powermate P3020 performs credibly. The DVD movie playback was smooth and stutter free, though the audio track sometimes got overwhelmed by the background sounds (a common enough problem with laptops, unless you hook it up to a 5.1. channel sound system).

In all, this is a very beautiful piece of equipment that can have pride of place on your now very empty table.

NEC Powermate P3020 series is now available at RM3,299 in all NEC authorised resellers.

Read More......

Nokia N78

NOKIA recently unveiled its much-anticipated mobile phone, the sleek Nokia N78, the successor to the popular Nokia N73.

The slim and trim N78 features high speed connectivity via WLAN and HSDPA 3.5G. It also boasts a 3.2-megapixel Carl Zeiss optical camera.

The new Nokia N78 fuses music, navigation, photography and mobility in new ways, including geo-tagging.


There’s ample memory on tap, with up to 8GB using the microSD memory card.

When it comes to navigation, the N78 knows its way with an integrated A-GPS. It also includes an integrated three-month navigation licence and free maps with up to 15 million global points of interest featuring bars, restaurant, cafes, hotels and more.

With the geotagging feature, this merges the camera functionality and A-GPS to not only share pictures but the places where they were taken.

With Internet services such as Share on Ovi, Flicker or VOX blogs, this enable users to create content right from the palm of their hand.

Another distinguishing feature of the N78 is that it is the first handphone to come with an integrated FM transmitter.

You also can connect to Nokia Internet Radio, giving instant access to thousands of radio stations around the world.

Groove to the music with the Nokia Bluetooth MD-7W speaker featuring 3D sound and the 3.5mm Nokia Stereo Headset WH-600.

The Nokia N78 also comes with widgets enabled by Web Runtime technology.

Widgets as Weatherbug and RSS feed reader allow users to get quick and easy access to their favourite web content.

The retail price for the N78 is RM1,905 and it is available in three colours – sleek black, cocoa brown and lagoon blue.

For more, log on www.nseries.com/mynokia

Read More......

Bionic eye for the blind

German scientists invent wireless electronic eyeball to cure certain blindness

German scientists have invented a wireless bionic eyeball that can restore vision in patients who have become blind due to retina damage or disease.

About 30 million people around the world are legally blind due to retinal diseases. The new prosthetic device caps 12 years of research resulting in a unique system – a fully implantable visual prosthesis – to help these patients.


The scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS in Duisburg, Germany, say that the bionic eye can bypass the damaged retina.

The system comprises the implant and an external transmitter integrated in an eyeglasses’ frame. The implant system converts the image patterns into interpretable stimulation signals, and data and energy are transferred to the implant by a telemetric link.

Nerve cells inside the eye are then stimulated according to the captured images. The intact cells are innervated by means of 3-D stimulation electrodes that rest against the retina like small studs.

As long as there is no damage to the optic nerve, the vision signals can be sent to the brain just like they are with healthy eyes. "For normally-sighted people, that may not seem much, but for the blind, it is a major step," comments Dr Hoc Khiem Trieu from the Fraunhofer Institute.

"After years of blindness, the patients were able to see spots of light or geometric patterns, depending on how the nerve cells were stimulated."

Hoc has been involved from the outset of this project, which was funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research.

Together with Dr Ingo Krisch and Dr Michael Goertz, he translated the specifications given by the medical experts and material scientists into an implant and chip design.

"A milestone was reached when the prosthetic system finally operated wirelessly and remotely controlled," explains Krisch. "A great deal of detailed work was necessary before the implant could be activated without any external cable connections."

"The designs became smaller and smaller, the materials more flexible, more robust and higher in performance, so that the implant now fits comfortably in the eye," reports Goertz.

The scientists are to receive the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize 2008 for their work. – dpa

Read More......

Nokia N82

This candy bar entry from Nokia seemlessly integrates GPS navigation, photography, video, and the Web into a device that is – wait for it – actually a phone. The N82 may not have the slimmest look (112x50.2x17.3mm, weighing in at 114g), but its pleasing heft and smart design make it a pleasure to use.

This quad-band phone with 2GB micro SD memory card (hot swappable) and 2.4in LCD QVGA TFT colour display offers up to 260 minutes talktime (GSM), and 225 hours standby! It also boasts a five-Megapixel camera (using Carl Zeiss optics) and integrated Xenon flash that offers great resolution photos even in poor light settings. The camera autofocus function is among the best I’ve seen, and the picture quality was outstanding overall.


Even in video mode, the N82 is a standout, shooting at 30fps and featuring digital video stabilisation. Video file format is .mp4 of .3gp, and the device also offers a TV-out connection (you can also utilise the wireless LAN/UPnP to link up).

A mobile phone these days is not complete without integrating some music features, and though the N82 is not a dedicated music phone, its hard to find any fault with the digital music player on board. It supports all the major formats: MP3/AAC/eAAC/eAAC+/WMA/M4A, and includes a stereo FM radio. But the best bit is the ability to use any 3.5mm stereo plug for the headphones, freeing you up to use the best in the market, if you like.

Now, for the killer aps – when it comes to getting you to where you want, the Nokia N82 means business. Thanks to the integrated Assisted Global Positioning System, and the pre-intalled Nokia Maps application and free downloadable maps (the test unit came preinstalled with maps), you will never be a stranger in any neighbourhood.

The N82 uses the Symbian S60 3rd edition OS, so the interface and applications including calendar, contacts list, etc, run smoothly. You can also check email, surf the Web, transfer data wirelessly, and play some really cool games.

For more, log on www.nokia.com

Read More......

Netgear gearing up for more action

Managing the IT network and giving centralised access to multiple network clients is pivotal in this day and age but the hardware that is needed to do this properly isn’t cheap.

However, you need these facilities to help run a business and many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often turn to companies like Netgear to fulfil their IT requirements.


Netgear (which has its headquarters in Santa Clara, California) designs technologically advanced, branded networking solutions to fulfil the specific needs of SMEs and home users.

The company’s product line enables users to share Internet access, peripherals, files, digital multimedia content and applications among multiple personal computer users and other Internet-enabled devices.

Ben Chua, the newly-appointed regional country manager for Netgear Inc, admits that the company is not the industry leader in Malaysia at the moment but it still has a strong enough presence here.

Chua’s portfolio covers the markets of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Based in Singapore, Chua has 15 years of industry experience, having previously held managerial positions at Aztech Systems, SMC Netwoks and Compex System.

His job is to increase Netgear’s market share and leading key products as well as revenue initiatives in these countries.

Chua said that Netgear provides hardware, network features, wireless access points, firewall and Internet service.

"For Network-attached Storage (NAS) products, it is technically for storage purposes. It can be for any kind of business," said Chua.

Netgear is still a relatively new player in Malaysia, having only made its presence felt around 2003. However, due to rules and regulations in Malaysia, some of their products are not available here.

"Although there are strong competitors, in terms of products and pricing, we are confident that we can overcome them," said Chua in regards to competition from the bigger players in the market.

Read More......

Gophers Tri-O GPS

Direction is very important in life, what more on the road. So let a GPS navigation system keep you on the right path.

THERE’S nothing like having a good gopher on hand to sort out the tedious details of life, for instance getting directions and sorting out your travel plans

Especially now with the rise in petrol prices, finding the shortest and fastest route to your destination is a priority. After all, no one wants to spend hours driving around, looking for an obscure address in Balakong if he/she can help it.


Well, there’s help at hand with the Gophers Tri-O GPS navigation system. This compact device is an easy-to-use 3.5-inch TFT touch screen mobile navigation system that boasts good build quality coupled with impressive features.

Like most GPS navigation systems in the market, it uses the reliable Samsung 400MHz, S3C32440A processor, and the SiRF Star III 20-channel GPS receiver.

The 65K colour display offers good resolution and contrast, and the operating system is the Microsoft WinCE.NET 5.0, with 64MB ROM on board, and 64MB RAM (with SD expansion slot – a must if you want to use the Tri-O for playing back movies, and as MP3 player and photo viewer – all features which this entry level device is more than capable of handling).

But a GPS navigation system is only as good as its interface and how up-to-date the map is. Interface-wise, the Tri-O is ready to use right out of the box, and a quick look at its quick start guide will get you off and running in no time.

You can set your destination by keying in the address (road name by area/state) or by picking the nearest points of interest (POI) – be it a bank, school, landmark, etc.

The Tri-O’s real selling point is its choice of two maps for users – Malsingmaps (East Malaysia and Peninsula) and Mapking (Peninsular Malaysia only). There’s also an option of including Singapore maps.

You can rest assured that these are the very latest maps, providing the most up-to-date information about routes and housing estates, and they are also easily updated via the company’s website.

You can select which route to take – the options include shortest, fastest, preferred motorway and avoided – as well as the type of display you want: auto scale, north up, track log and freeway info.

Once you are in navigation mode, you can see how far you’ve travelled, time lapsed, distance to destination and vehicle speed, distance to turn off, among others.

The voice navigation prompts you about any turn-offs coming up, and also – rather annoyingly – keeps reminding you to slow down. If you miss a turn-off or decide to ignore the route proposed, a little beep gives a gentle reminder before the device recalibrates your new route.

If I’ve any complaint, it’s that the time taken to recalibrate a new route is too long – in the space of 30 seconds, you would have travelled a fair distance.

Also, the satellite data restrictions on exact location means all your calibration is out by 10 to 20 metres – a problem in urban areas where multiple turns within short distances can lead you astray, if you are paying attention only to the voice navigation.

Luckily, the onscreen guide is clearer – offering the exact road name for you to match with your intended destination.

Overall, I found the Tri-O very handy, though the voice navigation did lead me astray once or twice (when I chose to ignore the proposed route).

But whenever I did stick to the selected navigation, I never got lost. The sometimes quirky interface requires a bit of getting used to, but that’s the same with most systems.

The 160g Tri-O (90x82x20mm) comes with built-in speaker, a 12V car adaptor, car windscreen mount, USB cable, Quick start guide and operation manual and an optional antenna (if your car’s windscreen is tinted).

The battery lasts slightly less than four hours on one charge, with 300 hours standby.

The Gophers Tri-O is priced at RM898 (with Malaysia map), RM998 (with Malaysia and Singapore maps). For details, call 1-300-888-GPS (477) or go to www.gophers.com.my.

Read More......

VigSys HSDPA USB Modem VM10 (model HUSBM-1)

Wireless USB broadband modems are the new "in" thing, offering truly mobile computing at decent speeds. But most devices in the market are tied to a particular service provider, which can be a hassle if you want to switch lines, find yourself in an area outside your network provider’s coverage, or even go overseas.

Which is where VigSys HSDPA USB Modem VM10 (model HUSBM-1) comes in. This handy white lil’ beauty offers true plug-and-play solutions for instant broadband access via your 3G SIM card practically anywhere, worldwide.


With a connection data rate up to 7.2.Mbps over HSDPA (3.5G), all you have to do is plug it in to your laptop or PC and you are good to go. Powered solely through the USB interface, this 60g USB modem frees you from battery worries.

The VM10 also allows connection via UMTS (3G), Edge and GPRS network (but these are at lower speeds).

Connection is fairly straightforward – just install the software provided, fill in the network details and click on Connect (or Auto Connect) once you’re done. I had some trouble with the settings, which required a quick call to my network provider to straighten out.

In real use, the download speed is far lower than what the device is capable of supporting – it really depends on your network service provider and SIM card, and mine had a maximum download rate of 384Kbps (which is the maximum uplink rate supported by the device).

Mind you, it was still faster than dial-up, with pages downloading within a reasonable timeframe. Let’s just say you won’t fall asleep waiting for the Yahoo! home page to load.

The connection stability was good, even on the move (I tried it out on a taxi ride to KLIA), though the speed tends to drop to Edge or even GPRS (pah!) levels outside the city centre.

The VigSys USB Data Gateway (VM10), which is made in Malaysia, comes with a one-year warranty and is priced at RM699.

If you need to connect several computers to one gateway, VigSys Wireless Data Gateway Model VR20 is a good bet.

This HSDPA (downlink at 7.2Mbps, uplink at 384Kbps), 3G, Edge and GPRS-supported device offers easy connection with no untidy wires in your home or office. It can link several computers to a single wireless Internet connection, in essence creating your own Hotspot, thanks to its built-in Wireless (802.11b/g) Access Point and router.

It also has a built-in 10/100 Ethernet switch to set up your own wired LAN, to share files, printers, hard drive space and other resources.

Setting up is also straightforward, especially if you’ve experience configuring your home router – slot in your data SIM card, connect the RJ45 cable from the router’s LAN port to your PC or laptop (for setup only), pop in the provided CD, plug router to your power outlet, go through the setup (there’s a step-by-step guide to help you along), save the changes and you’re about done. No phone lines needed!

Worried about your line being hijacked or someone hacking into your computer? The VR20, which is priced at RM1,250, offers both hardware and software (encryption) protection, which is pretty standard for routers.

The manufacturer is touting this WiFi gateway as a backup to your existing fixed-line connection, and it really does what it says on the box. But remember, connection speeds are subject to your mobile phone network provider, and line stability is also dependent on this regard.

For more information, go to www.vigsys.net

Read More......

Nokia E71 and Nokia E66

NOKIA recently unveiled two new stylish email-optimised devices – the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 – at Nokia Connection 2008 in Singapore.

The event offered visitors from across the region a chance to have a closer look at Nokia’s latest range of devices – from the Eseries to Nseries and Xpress Music phones, enhancements, as well as an array of services currently being offered in the market.


This year’s theme, Share More, Experience More, not only showcased Nokia services such as navigation, music, games, media sharing, video, email and more, but also highlighted Nokia’s commitment to expand its offer to include Internet services in addition to devices that bring complete experiences to consumers.

The slim, stylish Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 are the latest email-optimised devices from the Nokia Eseries product range. The sleek Nokia E71 with full QWERTY keyboard and the stylish slide-to-open Nokia E66 easily mobilise a broad range of personal or professional messaging needs, including Microsoft Exchange.

"The Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 are designed for people who lead a mobile lifestyle and want quick and easy access to their personal and work email," said Chris Carr, Nokia’s vice-president of sales, Southeast Asia and Pacific.

"With both of these devices, we have responded to consumer feedback by making calendar and contacts available at the touch of a button

"Equally important, people want well-crafted devices that are as beautiful to use as they are to behold. Stainless steel was chosen as the core material for these devices, giving them additional strength and a touch of class.

"Furthermore, the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 offer all the latest multimedia features that people desire."

Both devices come fully equipped for easy-to-install and easy-to-use professional and personal email. Those who use Microsoft Exchange at work can access their email using the Mail for Exchange mobile email client, which comes pre-loaded with the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66.

"With these Nokia Eseries devices, the users can get reliable real-time access to their email, calendar, contacts and tasks, as well as download attachments like Word, Excel, Powerpoint or PDF files directly to their devices," said Ilari Nurmi, vice-president of Eseries.

The E71 and E66 support email accounts from more than 1,000 Internet service providers (ISPs) around the world, as well as Gmail, Yahoo! mail, and Hotmail.

Additionally, they also support the Nokia Intellisync Wireless Email solution as well as third party email solutions like System Seven and Visto Mobile.

Both devices come with the new switch mode that allows people to easily switch between personal and work home screens.

The Nokia E71 bears the hallmarks of Nokia quality and craftsmanship with a stainless steel case and edged graphics.

It is available in two colours – grey steel or white steel. The cool metallic finish is complemented by the bright colour display, which showcases the Nokia E71 device’s brilliantly simple user interface.

Designed for both one-handed and two-handed use, the Nokia E71 pays special attention to ergonomics, as is evidenced by its narrow shape and specially-designed keypad.

The Nokia E66 offers a premium look and feel with its stainless steel accents and smooth sliding design.

Sharing the same key features as the Nokia E71, including an enhanced calendar, contacts and customisable home screen modes, the Nokia E66 offers unique additions, like an orientation sensor that automatically optimises itself for full-screen viewing or silences the ringer when the device is turned over.

Available in grey steel or white steel version, the device leaves a lasting impression as a sophisticated business tool in a distinct design.

"In addition to email and personal information management, the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 support the latest Ovi services including maps, music and media-sharing that power users expect from their device," added Nurmi.

"This includes fast and seamless browsing with HSDPA, wireless LAN and 3G connectivity, Assisted GPS (A-GPS) and Nokia Maps for navigation, a music player with support for up to 8GB expandable memory and a 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera.

"That way, you can use the device for both business and personal entertainment after office hours."

In addition to serving entrepreneurs and smaller businesses, the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 also come fully equipped with a robust suite of enterprise grade features, including a built-in encryption functionality for both the device memory and for the memory card.

Both devices also include integrated mobile VPN support that gives mobile professionals access to their company Intranet, and device lock and wipe to protect corporate information. Incorporating underlying technologies that allow IT departments to effectively manage security settings, corporate applications, data and advanced voice features, the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 expand the range of Nokia Eseries devices that support enterprise-specific deployment.

Read More......

Motozine ZN5

MOTOROLA and Kodak recently cooperate to come out with the Motozine ZN5, which is a high-quality phone with camera experience, to help content-craving consumers share the content they create with friends and family members.

The Motozine ZN5 is able to deliver an immersive mobile imaging experience and is the first mobile device to offer Motorola’s ModeShift and Kodak Imaging technology.


Together, they redefine the quality, convenience and connectivity of mobile imaging devices.

With Kodak Easyshare Software and easy access to KodakGallery or other Web-sharing sites, pictures are easily moved off the device, allowing consumers to print, share and enjoy their favourite photographs whenever they want.

"Today’s creative consumers not only want to be the photographer, but also the retoucher, the exhibitor and the critic," said Jeremy Dale, Motorola Inc’s corporate vice-president of Mobile Devices Marketing. "The Motozine ZN5 allows them to be all the things they want to be.".

ZN5 puts image capture first, with a high-resolution landscape screen and one of the fastest click-to-click times available.

To use the camera, simply slide open the Kodak lens cover to transform the phone into an ultra-fast five-megapixel camera with auto-focus, a Xenon flash, 4GB of optional external memory and optimised settings for low-light environments.

Built-in Kodak Imaging Technology ensures that every picture taken with ZN5 looks its best. When Kodak Imaging Technology is combined with Kodak Perfect Touch Technology, images become brighter and more vivid on the spot.

Multiple capture modes, like multi-shot and panorama, which automatically stitches together continuous shots taken on the horizon line into a single, extended image, makes taking photos fun.

With one touch, photos can be viewed right from the home screen – no menus, no searching. This multimedia device provides a fun, quick and easy way to share favourite photos.

In phone mode, Motozine ZN5 features Motorola’s patented CrystalTalkTM technology to help callers hear and be heard, even in noisy environments.

With dual compatibility for GSM and Wireless Local Area Network, users can connect in more areas around the world and enjoy high-speed wireless connections to surf the Web via a full HTML browser. To complete the communications experience, ZN5 also supports SMS, MMS, IM and personal email.

The Motorola Motozine ZN5 is expected to be available nationwide in the fourth quarter of this year.

Read More......

More options from Microsoft

MICROSOFT Online Services Group recently announced the availability of new services such as Windows Live SkyDrive, Windows Live for Mobile and Messenger TV to all Malaysian users.

This offer is for the 7.4 million-strong MSN and Windows Live community in Malaysia where they can get the software and services for free.


Enhancing the new generation of Windows Live Services, the introduction of the SkyDrive, which uses a password to protect online storage and sharing space, gives users a set of tools to access files with family members and friends.

With the service offering 5GB and a maximum upload file size of 50MB per file, you can upload up to five files at the same time.

SkyDrive comes with three different folder options – personal, shared and public folders.

"It’s a great way for people to keep information they need at their fingertips in order to access directly or share it with family, colleagues or friends," said Craig Law Smith, Southeast Asia Microsoft Online Service Group marketing director. The Windows Live SkyDrive, launched at skydrive.live.com is available in 64 countries, including Malaysia.

The Windows Live for Mobile service provides users with a one-stop access to their favourite applications such as Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Space.

This service gives a quick and easy way to find contents and services and features new technologies that customise the experience for each user device.

The smartphone version of Windows Live for Mobile is available for Windows Mobile handsets and selected Nokia Nseries and Eseries handphones. This service is also available to the new Blackberry 8 series and 7 series smartphones.

"People want to stay connected wherever they are, and we believe that your phone should bring your world with you while you’re on the move," said Chris Chandler, Southeast Asia Microsoft Online Services group’s head of mobile.

For other mobile users, a browser-based version of Windows Live for Mobile is available and can be accessed at http://mobile.live.com .

The Messenger TV, another new service for the Windows Live Messenger, allows users to choose a range of the best premium videos from the MSN Video and watch it at the same time as they chat with friends through Windows Live Messenger.

Users can now share a selection of free content and videos among friends on Windows Live Messenger.

Read More......

Compact Fujifilm J10

NOW you can snap your favourite shots effortlessly with the powerful and easy-to-use Fujifilm FinePix J10. At just 19mm thick, this super-slim and stylish digital camera is the perfect point-and-click companion, anytime, anywhere.

The camera has the following features:

» 8.2-megapixel CCD Sensor: With an impressive 8.2 megapixels of resolution, the FinePix J10 promises pictures that are sharp, clear and vivid – and perfect for enlarged printing.


» 3x Fujinon Optical Zoom Lens: Enjoy a range of picture-taking options – from spectacular wide-angle scenes to dramatic close-ups.

» High-sensitivity ISO 1600: The FinePix J10’s ISO 1600 sensitivity ensures pictures are never blurred, even in low light or with fast-moving subjects. You can also shoot without the flash for beautiful, natural-looking pictures.

» Picture stabilisation/Anti-blur Mode: This feature automatically corrects camera shake and subject blur, enabling you to capture quick, fleeting moments in crisp, sharp detail.

» Versatile Shooting Modes: Shoot your favourite pictures quickly and easily with its extensive selection of pre-programmed shooting modes that ensures great photos in various conditions, and eliminates the need to fumble with camera settings.

» 2.5in LCD screen: The FinePix J10 features a 2.5-inch LCD that is big and bright, making it easy for you to compose attractive shots and view the pictures you’ve already taken.

Other features of the FinePix J10 include movie recording with sound, an on-screen shooting guide, and an xD/SD memory card compatible slot. The camera is available in matt black or brushed silver.

Its recommended retail price is RM599 and it comes with a free 1GB SD Memory Card and Softcase.

More output options

CHERISH precious memories by putting them on paper. Fujifilm Digital Imaging (FDi) Stations across the country offer more affordable and better quality professional photography services than printouts done at home.

Just shoot your pictures with any digital camera and take it to any of the FDi Stations nationwide for printing. The FDi experts will print them on high-quality Fujicolor Crystal Laser Print paper or personalise your images as a calendar, greeting card or other creative options.

You can also print your pictures using the quick and convenient digital kiosks at selected locations. Fujifilm e-zy2print is a fast and hassle-free way to order your prints online.

Read More......