Sony Ericsson takes the high road with their latest cellphone to be announced which will be part of their GreenHeart portfolio – we’re talking about the Sony Ericsson Aspen. Sounds like some sort of high end resort, doesn’t it? That’s kind of the point. Well, this eco-minded smartphone will run on the much maligned Windows Mobile platform, but comes with an added twist – it has the latest Windows Mobile 6.5.3 version which brings a slew of improvements and updates. The Sony Ericsson Aspen is positioned as a business smartphone with green credentials, boasting multi-tasking capability with a touch experience and QWERTY keyboard which is more than handy to get those text messages and emails sent out in double quick time. Apart from that, you can organize and adapt panels to change during the day while using Slide View for quick access to common features. Viewing and editing office files is a snap thanks to its one touch operation, either that or you can always fall back on its navigation keys if you’re a sucker for something more traditional. The QWERTY keyboard supposedly allows fast and easy typing, while setting up your email account(s) is a painless affair for a portable maximized messaging experience. All your phone’s data can be secured thanks to the Microsoft MyPhone service which is capable of remotely erasing phone data when the handset is reported as lost or stolen. The latest version of Windows Mobile 6.5.3 will also see it being way more stable than its predecessors, speeding up proceedings while giving you a much more satisfactory user experience. They say that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, which is why the Aspen balances the work aspect with some fun features such as a Media Browser and PlayNow functionality, offering quick access to social networks as well as your array of media files. a-GPS support is also built in to help you find your way around, while Google Maps ensure you won’t get lost in an unfamiliar place. It also comes with a 3.2-megapixel camera that can capture impromptu moments at decent quality, boasting a self-timer, smart contrast, multishot capability and a 4x digital zoom. No word on pricing, but the Sony Ericsson Aspen come in Iconic Black and White Silver colors in selected markets from the second quarter which in layman’s terms, is just a couple months away.
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In this day and age of the ever growing technology base and a dwindling economy, it can be down right frustrating to want it all but not have enough coin to do so. But thankfully the tech giants of today are rather understanding of this and are creating more and more all in one tools and gadgets that satisfy our hunger for toys and our wallet as well. If you have been on the fence about picking up one of those handy dandy portable DVD players, but not sure how to fit it in the budget, take a look at the Coby TFDVD7008 as it offers some awesome affordability with the convenience of an all in one DVD/CD/MP3 player as well. Finally something you can sink your teeth and your tunes in when you are on the road or in the sky. The Coby TFDVD7008 comes equipped with all of the basics and then some, including a 7” widescreen TFT LCD color display, and is compatible with DVD,DVD±R/RW, CD, CD-R/RW, JPEG, and MP3. Take it on the plane or road trip and you won’t be competing with outside noise with its integrated stereo speakers and headphone jack for private listening. If you think the kiddos will like it then you will love the parental lock controls, or its multiple five language and subtitle capabilities if you are using it to entertain some out of towners. Display resolution is 480×234 which is not the greatest, but you aren’t needing anything HD or plasma capabilities so it does the trick quite nicely. The battery is nice and long lasting and fully rechargeable with its 1300 mAH. And, if you don’t want to pick it up direct from the manufacturer, you can pick it up at Amazon with all of its accessories for less than $100 bucks, or stand alone for under $50. An all in one that doesn’t break the bank, ya cant help but love it.
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Vizio knows that most home theater enthusiasts would love to accessorize their setup, which is why they have a brand new line up of accessory components that aim to further enhance the performance and installation of their HDTV and HD audio components. First off the blocks would be a wireless HDMI adapter that comes with a 4-port switch that is capable of delivering HD quality video and audio from a variety of source devices including Blu-ray players and set-top boxes to virtually any HDTV sans the need for an HDMI cable. This would come in handy where keeping a neat living room is concerned, as the lack of visible wires also makes it easier to clean the back of your TV rack/mount whenever small colonies of dust bunnies start to congregate. Apart from that, Vizio also has a new range of extremely slim wall mounts that cater for HDTVs which range from 19″ to 65″ in size, as long as they don’t tip the scales at more than 130 lbs. You get both swivel and tilt capability with these new wall mounts that provides for a more enjoyable viewing experience. To make sure that your senses receive the very best performance possible, Vizio is also offering a new range of premium HDMI cables alongside an environmentally friendly cleaning foam which is capable of keeping HDTV displays as well as other electronic components free of dust and scratches.
Last but not least would be Vizio’s two new universal remote controls, where one of them looks as though it is from the future, featuring a 3.5″ LCD touchscreen display with automatic backlight control. Known as the XRT100, it offers digital touchscreen control of VIA-enabled television sets, but also has the ability of functioning with any legacy A/V component which ought to make it all the more attractive for those who have yet to upgrade the rest of their home entertainment system. You won’t be able to enjoy multi-touch control on the 3.5″ LCD touchscreen though, but at least its one-touch controls are more than enough to handle the majority of your home theater system components without missing a beat, alongside the ability to display favorite apps grouped by user or genre.
More Universal Remote Controls
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When Palm’s Pre was announced at the last CES alongside their webOS platform, the world was abuzz at what could possibly be an iPhone killer. Unfortunately as time has proven, while the idea was great, the execution wasn’t done properly, which was why the Palm Pre (and its follow up, the Pixi) failed to make that much of an impact around the world despite it being a really great handset to use. Well, CES 2010 sees Palm coming back with a vengeance with the announcement of two more Palm handsets that are based on the webOS platform – the Palm Pre Plus and the Palm Pixi Plus, where they will be made exclusives over Verizon Wireless’ network this coming January 25th for a yet undisclosed price. At first glance, the Palm Pre Plus looks the same like the original Palm Pre, where you are greeted with a large, vivid touchscreen display, a high-performance processor and a slide-out keyboard. While the keyboard is still easy to use and makes for quick typing, the navigation button has been removed, making that the most glaring difference. You will get double the memory with 16GB of storage space, while it already comes with the Palm Touchstone Back Cover that makes it Touchstone Charging Doc-ready right from the get go. As for the Palm Pixi Plus, Palm addresses the Pixi’s greatest weakness by throwing in Wi-Fi support. Yes, at long last you are able to go online from various hotspots without suffering from such indignation amidst a slew of other smartphones that have long supported such a feature. Apart from that improvement, there is also word on the all-new Palm mobile hotspot. This webOS app allows you to create a personal Wi-Fi cloud that can support up to 5 other Wi-Fi devices, which means there no longer is any need to purchase software like Joiku and the ilk. Would all the improvements stated above make you want to open up your wallet and go all out to bring home either Palm device, or are you much more of an iPhone or Android fan?
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Virtually anyone could have seen it coming, but nobody made much mention of it. I’m talking about the progression of instant messaging. Did you notice how far Skype has come from the time of its release? First from offering IM services to VoIP, technology has finally caught up with our needs (or more like wants), with Skype continuing to lead the revolution in face-to-face online video communication by boasting support for High Definition Skype video calls on computers alongside Skype software that has already been embedded into Internet-connected widescreen TVs from an array of its consumer electronics manufacturer partners. Next thing you know, we’ll be having full High Definition video calls, followed by the next logical step – 3D (isn’t that supposed to be all the rage at CES this year?) The latest version of Skype for Windows is able to deliver up to 720p HD-quality video calling at 1,280 x 720 resolution, and at up to 30 frames per second – now how about that! You ought to be able to see your better half in greater clarity, warts and all for a smoother and richer video calling experience. Making an HD video call does require more resources though, where you are required to use a high-speed broadband connection, not to mention purchasing newer hardware in the form of an HD webcam to run with your machine that has at least a 1.8GHz dual-core processor.
Now the question is this – where the heck are you supposed to be able to purchase HD webcams? Fret not as this problem has been pre-solved for you, as CES 2010 will be the place where faceVsion and In Store Solutions will roll out new HD webcams from their stable, touting them to be optimized to play nice with Skype. Your processor need not work that hard anymore with these new Skype Certified HD webcams as they will handle the video encoding and processing onboard. The FV TouchCam N1 will be available from faceVsion from February onwards, where you can pick up a model with and without microphone for $99 and $69, respectively. In Store Solutions will release two new HD encoding webcams as well – the FREETALK HD PRO which is going for $120 and the FREETALK HD PRO PLUS that is a wee bit more expensive at $140. Both of these will hit the market in about two months’ time.
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Most notebook cooling fans look the same – they all come in a single, rectangular design that is more often than not boring to say the least. This one from UXSight, however, is slightly different, as it does bear some resemblance to shurikens from ninjas of yore, coming in the form of a mini folding fan. Yes sir, this black notebook cooling pad features an integrated fan which will help dissipate hot air away from your notebook to keep things running nice and cool. As we all know, electronics are loathe towards heat and dust, so this kills two birds with one stone. Boasting a low running noise, it requires not a power adapter since juice is provided directly via a USB port. When not in use, you can fold up the fan’s “fins”, so to speak, for easy transportation. For only about $10 bucks, this will keep your games running a nice long time.
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