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Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • HP To Target Consumer Smartphone Market


    Hewlett-Packard is seeking to capitalise on the success of the iPhone by launching a smartphone that gives it a stronger footing beyond the enterprise market.

    The new device will fall into the HP iPAQ line that has been developed around Windows Mobile for business use.

    While the new smartphone will still be marketed at corporate users, it is expected to also be targetted at the consumer market.

    Details on the consumer mobile are sketchy but reports suggest it will have a touchscreen, keypad and run Windows Mobile 6.1.

    Expected in Europe before the end of 2008 it will be be released worldwide in early 2009.

    HP is among a host of big names, including Nokia, RIM and Google with its Android platform, seeking to capitalise on the success of the iPhone in the consumer market.

  • Nokia Unveils Music-loving Touchscreen Phone


    Nokia finally unveiled its touchscreen 5800 XpressMusic.

    Dubbed the “Tube” during its development the 5800 is the first device to run the Symbian S60 5th Edition platform – S60 Touch.

    Aimed at a mainstream market, the Finnish phone giant is hoping to attract users put off by the price of Apple’s iPhone.

    To coincide with the announcement of its the mid-range music-focussed phone Nokia launched its’ free music package Comes with Music.

    This is being seen as a challenge to Apple’s dominance of the digital music market.

    The 5800 comes with a 3.2-inch, 640 x 360 touchscreen to go along with its 3.2-megapixel autofocus cam, Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash, GPS, WiFi, 3.5mm jack, and a microSD slot with support for 16GB cards.

    Nokia said it will be available in three versions – European HSDPA, North American HSDPA, and GSM only.

    The first version will be priced at just under €279 (around USD $400) and it will be followed early next year by a slightly more expensive version bundled with Comes with Music.

    The battle for mobile music is increasingly crowded, with Sony Ericsson launching its music package this month in Sweden, while South Korea’s LG Electronics plans a service similar to Nokia’s.

    Nokia’s package differs from others on the market as users can keep all the music they have downloaded during a 12- month subscription period.

    There are no charges for tracks downloaded, since the cost is bundled to the phone price.

    The music package is being heralded as a genuine tool for fighting file-sharing as research has shown most consumers would be willing to pay for a service like Comes with Music.

    It is the prospect of users accessing millions of tracks for free that poses the biggest threat to Apple.

  • Hitachi Camcorder Wirelessly Streams HD


    Hitachi have been showing off a prototype digital camcorder that can stream HD video on a TV via a wireless LAN, according to Tech-On.

    The camcorder, which was being exhibited at CEATEC JAPAN 2008, can output video recorded on its HDD or video being shot live to a Hitachi HDTV.

    Video selection, playback, stop and other operations can be done using the TV’s remote control.

    Tech-On reported that the prototyped camcorder transmits the HD video compressed in the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format through an SDIO standard IEEE802.11g module and delivers it to a TV via an access point.

    DLNA is used to deliver already recorded video.

    Video being shot live is transmitted using the camcorder’s IPTV server capability.

    No details about when the camcorder is likely to be available commercially.

  • Flash For iPhone Soon – If Apple Says Yes


    Adobe Systems is preparing a version of its Flash Player that could be used on Apple’s iPhone.

    Paul Betlem, Adobe’s senior director of engineering, told Flash Magazine that the iPhone version could be available “in a very short time”.

    Whether the software is actually accepted by Apple is another matter.

    Speaking at the Flash on the Beach (FOTB) conference in Brighton, UK, Betlem conceded that Apple has the last word on what runs on the iPhone.

    “My team is working on Flash on the iPhone, but it’s a closed platform,” he said.

    The "closed system" of MobileSafari poses difficulties in building a plug-in for a browser that doesn’t officially support plug-ins.

    But Betlem told Flash Magazine that Adobe will have the player ready for Apple’s approval.

    Would Apple really baulk at the opportunity to allow the iPhone to work on any Flash-based website?

    Wouldn’t it be good to further reduce differences between phone and laptop?

    Well, in March Sun Microsystems came off badly when it committed to a version of its Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for the new iPhone only to discover the handset’s SDK prohibited Java on the phone.

    It’s also worth remembering that earlier this year Steve Jobs said that Flash Lite for mobile was not full-featured enough, while the full version of Flash would not run well on the iPhone.

    It was reported at the time that Adobe could run into problems due to restrictions of the iPhone SDK.

    Corporate issues aside, Jens Brynildsen, of Flash Magazine and Flash Gamer, makes some strong performance-related arguments for not having Flash on the iPhone.

    He doesn’t believe it would add to the iPhone experience and argues there is no reason for Apple approve it.

    A main objection is that MobileSafari wouldn’t be able to cope if it had to deal with websites laden with Flash ads.
    But he said politics would undoubtedly play a big part in Apple’s decision.

    “Apple wants to be in control – Apple don’t want Flash on their device,” said Brynildsen.

    “They want the phone to be easy to use with a uniform user interface. They want to get more developers to their platform, not Adobe’s.”

    Brynildsen argued that if Apple opened up the device for Flash, thousands of apps and developers would be added for the platform.

    “All of these would create different looking and fancy UIs that "break" the iPhone experience,” he said.

    “Very few will have the skills required to write content that does not tax the CPU or load progressive content that is too big for memory.”

    There’s plenty of gamers out there, for instance, that would be happy to run that risk. Please let us know your view on Flash for the iPhone.

  • Sony Expands Memory Stick Line


    Sony is expanding its Memory Stick media with new products that include features such as USB connectivity and pre-bundled movie content.

    The latest addition is the HX series of Memory Stick media, which comes in either 4 or 8 GB capacities and has high transfer rates – especially for large capacity files.

    Shane Higby, director of marketing for Sony Electronics’ consumer media group, said new digital SLR cameras and HD camcorders were driving the demand for higher capacity storage with greater connectivity and faster transfer speed.

    “With the included USB adaptor, the new HX series gives users the convenience of transferring pictures and video to their PC faster and easier,” he said.

    The new HX series has a 20 MB/s read speed and 15 MB/s write speed, about three times faster than regular Memory Stick PRO-Duo media.

    Sony is also introducing a new version of its Memory Stick Entertainment Pack, which lets users choose one of four movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

    The featured titles, which have a combined box office total of more than USD $1 billion worldwide, include: Surf’s Up, The Da Vinci Code, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Benchwarmers.

    This pack includes a launcher DVD featuring the four movies, and users can unlock the title of their choice using a provided code and transfer it to the Memory Stick media.

    Each movie is optimized for playback on Sony’s PlayStation3 or PlayStation Portable systems.

    Sony is also is also releasing a new line of Memory Stick Micro media, designed for use with compatible Sony Ericsson multimedia phones.

    The new models are available in one, two, four and eight GB capacities, and come with a USB adaptor.

    This allows users to copy data to their M2 media and then transfer it to a PC with USB port.

  • SanDisk Announces 16GB Mobile Phone Memory Card


    SanDisk is to launch what it claims is the world’s largest removable storage capacity for mobile phones – a 16GB microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro mobile memory card.

    The fingernail-sized memory cards are aimed at consumers wanting to get the most out of the many storage-intensive features in today’s portable handsets.

    These include music and video playback, high-definition digital camera functions, gaming and GPS applications.

    The 16GB card can also be used in other devices, including video cameras, GPS receivers or MP3 players with microSD slots.

    MicroSD cards are designed for slot-equipped legacy mobile phones and can hold a maximum capacity of 2GB. Current MicroSDHC cards are available in 4GB and 8GB.

    Avi Greengart, research director for mobile devices at Current Analysis, said there was an acute need for more mobile storage capacity.

    He said 16GB gave consumers the ability to carry their digital content with them and still have room to do more with their mobile phones.

    “Handsets have become far more than just phones – they’ve become mobile jukeboxes, mobile offices, even mobile movie theaters,” he said.

    “Flash memory cards have increased in storage capacity, but even an 8GB card may be too small for anyone with GPS map data, a few movies, a game or two, a presentation file and other applications.”

    SanDisk’s 16GB microSDHC card will be available in the US in November.

  • WD Offers Centralised Storage To Small Networks


    WD has unveiled a high-speed network storage system intended as a cost-effective, centralised storage for small office and home networks.

    ShareSpace is a 4-bay storage system with Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) interface that provides up to 4 TB of storage capacity and multiple RAID configurations.

    Its first foray into the small-office network storage market, WD is hoping to introduce a new class of users to centralised storage systems that were once only available in large companies with big IT departments.

    For small businesses, WD ShareSpace network-attached storage systems allow storage to be centralised for easy accessibility.

    But WD is hoping to attract home users as well.

    Popularity of home networks is growing worldwide, with penetration as high as 50 per cent in some countries, according to a recent Parks Associates study.

    WD says that with the ShareSpace system it’s possible to centralise media collections and access them from anywhere in their home.

    The included iTunes server capability allows users to play their music on any Mac or PC using iTunes software.

    Jim Welsh, vice president and general manager of WD’s branded products and consumer electronics groups, said the WD ShareSpace system offered big-time storage without the need for a big-time IT department.

    "With the WD ShareSpace storage system, small offices and home network users can experience the same centralised storage and data protection often found only in big corporate data centres,” he said.

    "The set-up process is a breeze, so you can be up and running in a matter of minutes.”

  • LG Bets On Smartphone Cameras Replacing Compacts


    With 8-megapixel phone models already causing a stir LG says there’s no reason why camera phones couldn’t replace point-and-shoot cameras.

    At a briefing last week in London Jeremy Newing, LG’s UK head of marketing, made this point to Pocket-lint.

    While the topic was converging technology, the focus was on LG’s new KC910 mobile phone.

    It has an 8-megapixel camera, a host of image and video editing tools, Dolby sound and DivX compatibility.

    The megapixel race had switched from camera makers to mobile manufacturers, Pocket-lint’s Katie Scott was told.

    The launch of the Samsung i8510 in the UK earlier this month with what was claimed to be Europe’s first 8 megapixel camera phone was seen as an attempt to highlight shortcomings in the iPhone.

    A number of other handset vendors are preparing to launch similar high-end camera phones in time for the Christmas period.
    Sony Ericsson and Nokia are expected to launch big megapixel handsets in the fall.

    The fact Apple’s 3G iPhone only packs a 2 megapixel camera is regarded as one of its key weakness.

    John Barton, LG UK’s sales and marketing director, said he has already seen camera phones offering megapixel counts in the double digits.

    Among the other treats being envisioned by LG were HD video on your handset and speech recognition GPS technology.

  • Nokia Touch-screen Smartphone Expected Today


    An announcement is expected from Nokia today about the launch of a touch-screen device.

    Dubbed the “Tube”, the handset could be unveiled at a media and analyst event in London.

    It would be Nokia’s first touch-screen since Apple launched the iPhone last year.

    IMS Research recently published a report saying the current steady growth in sales of touchscreen-equipped mobile handsets will become even stronger.

    It forecasts that while fewer than 30 million touchscreen phones were sold in 2007, this will surge to over 230 million by 2012.

    Nokia wouldn’t comment on an unannounced product.

    Reports suggest the device will be closely tied to Nokia’s Comes With Music service, which will first be released in the United Kingdom and compete with iTunes and other music services.

    On September 2, Nokia announced that Carphone Warehouse will be the exclusive UK prepaid channel for the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic edition.

  • "Better-Then-Blu-ray" Movies For Select SIM2 Few

    SIM2 has teamed up with the US’s Entertainment Experience, LLC to offer just-released movie blockbusters as part of a home-cinema package.



    hdtv.biz-news.com spoke to the high-performance HD projector specialists to find out why they’ve launched what appears to be yet another HD format when the public is still wavering about Blu-ray.

    SIM2 has announced it is starting a “better-than-blu” home-theater package.

    The Italian firm has teamed up with Entertainment Experience, LLC to provide a hardware-software combination offering just-released movie blockbusters.

    Customers will get sent movies that are stored on a hard drive in a DCI format accepted by Hollywood studios.

    The HDD slots into a bespoke media server – a Digital Entertainment Center – and the movie can then be watched on SIM2’s top-selling C3X 1080 projector.

    It might seem a strange decision to launch what appears to be yet another HD format when the public is still wavering about Blu-ray.

    Especially when a huge contention with it is the high price of Blu-ray discs and players.

    But Alan Roser, managing director of SIM2 UK, said the intention was neither to challenge blu-ray nor appeal to the mass-market.

    “It’s not mainstream and it’s not intended as a replacement for Blu-ray,” he said.

    So who will buy the home-theater package?

    Roser said the high-end home theater delivery system was being aimed at its 3-chip DLC projectors rather than less expensive single-chip products.

    He said home theaters of this type were often set up in a dedicated home cinema with a curved and acoustically transparent screen.

    “We do not believe there is any value in this for budget projectors. This is really a high-end service – it take things up to the next stage.”

    With SIM2’s C3X 1080 projector costing around USD $33,000 and US sales in the “low thousands”, it’s definitely a niche market.

    But as the world’s smallest three-chip DLP projector, the C3X 1080HD projector is capable of imaging at up to 1920x1080p at 45 mbp/s.

    To complete the package, customers need to buy a USD $10,000 media server and then pay USD $40 for each movie.

    Major blockbusters will be available within a “short time” of their release – and before they are out on Blu-ray.

    Digital Entertainment, LLC has said that the solution’s movie content ultimately will encompass more than 4000 major titles from multiple studio and distribution partners.

    Commercial Digital-cinema Technologies In The Home

    Roser said while Blu-ray was “absolutely stunning” for 95 per cent of consumers, those with the means to watch HD on giant wide screens had to have the very best – even if that meant a significant investment.

    “The important thing is to get this wonderful technology within a wonderful platform,” he said.

    Roser said the movies will be encoded in a DCI-like format that gives them a higher bitrate and better depth of colour than Blu-ray Disc.

    The package will be available “soon” in the US and it will be rolled out to other markets once complications with international licence agreement schedules are resolved.

    “It’s all a question of time. It’s all about the licensing and getting studios comfortable with content because they are concerned about piracy,” said Roser. “It’s also about keeping theater owners happy.”

    As few people can afford to install this “better-than-blu” home-theater package, that shouldn’t be too difficult.