DXG-018O 3D Camera and 3D Viewer

It seems that everything 3D is the rage right now. 3D movies and videos seems to have attracted more and more people today that even new portable devices seem to be adding 3D features. But they may cost a lot to have. Here’s a different alternative for those who might want to get 3D images without having to spend that much- the DXG-018O 3D Camera and 3D Viewer.
The DXG-018O 3D Camera and 3D Viewer is a dual-lens camera that takes full color still pictures side by side. The picture image can be seen through the camera’s 1.44 inch display screen. Print the picture on a 4 x 6 photo paper and you can then insert it into the 3D Viewer to look at them in their 3D glory, “Viewmaster” style. What makes it even more interesting is that the DXG-018O 3D Camera and 3D Viewer costs only US$70 at the DXG site to have. Not bad for having a 3D camera to enjoy 3D still pictures, even at its simplest form.
celebritycombo.com

Acer Introduces Aspire One Happy 2, Hopes Netbooks Still Trendy

Acer is not giving up on the netbook as it introduces the Aspire One Happy 2 for the U.S. market. The netbook, which comes in bright Skittles-like colors, features dual-core Atom N570 CPU, 250GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, WiFi, and a 10.1-inch screen.
It is strange to see that Acer is offering a “new” netbook using specs that are so two years ago and these would even be considered awful at that time. Even more strange is that the company is introducing an endangered product for $269. With that price, you could have bought yourself a pre-owned ultraportable notebook (or even theAcer AC700 , if you add about $100) and save yourself from further embarrassment as other people sees you owning a netbook, even if it is spanking new.
celebritycombo.com

Skype for Android Gets Updated, Video Calls Now Possible

Skype for Android has been updated to the relief of long-time Skype users, who can now make one-on-one video calls with fellow Skypers on both WiFi and 3G connections. Users can even make video calls from their Android phone with their Skype contacts on iPhone, Mac, Windows PC, and even on select Internet TVs.
The update also enables users to navigate more easily through contacts, access their personal Skype profile and change personal details, share via the mood message box, send SMS messages, and check the balance of their Skype Credit.
The updated Skype app can be downloaded from the Android Market or type Skype.com/m on the phone’s browser. Note that the smartphone has to be running on Android 2.3 or above and have a front-facing camera for the app to work properly. Compatible handsets include the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro, and Google Nexus S.
celebritycombo.com

Ohio Department Of Developmental Disabilities Taking Control Of Virtual Desktops

When it comes to IT, Ohio's Department of Developmental Disabilities (DoDD) wants innovation. So when the agency's IT manager went looking for a way to manage the new virtual desktop infrastructure, he looked for innovative solutions. "In our agency, we know we have to innovate. And one of the ways we work is we look for innovators in the industry," says Kipp Bertke, IT manager for the Ohio DoDD, which oversees a system of support services for 80,000 people with developmental disabilities.
It was through that lens that Bertke and his team found Unidesk, a startup launched in June 2010 that provides management software for virtual desktops. The Unidesk virtual desktop management platform, combined with VMware View, is helping the Ohio DoDD personalize the desktops, deploy applications to them, and patch and manage them as needed.
The agency's VDI is part of an overall initiative to create a private cloud that started with virtualizing nearly all--up to 98 percent--of its servers. "Our goal was to create a private cloud that was agile, in which we could turn up a server in a day or two as opposed to a week. It has been a huge success for us, particularly from an application development perspective," Bertke says. The virtual servers don't just support application development, however. They also support production apps, including SQL, email and more.
The VDI initiative began in earnest in March and will wrap up in June, with the goal of virtualizing about 1,500 desktops. The time was right to virtualize the desktops, notes Bertke, since many of the agency's PCs are at the end of their five-year lifecycle.
The Unidesk solution will bolster the aim of the VDI, which is to provide desktop capabilities to users anytime, anywhere. Overall, the solution will help the Ohio DoDD reduce desktop operational costs by providing centralized management and security, and will enable agency employees greater mobility by being able to access their virtual desktops from anywhere. And even though the Unidesk solution allows for central control and management, users will still be able to personalize and customize their desktops, with specific settings for everything from Google toolbars to storage disk drive selections and printer setups.
celebritycombo.com

Bringing Customer Experience And Business Channel Development Together With IT

As one of the largest hospitality companies in the world, Marriott has over 3,500 lodging properties in the U.S. and 69 other countries and territories, and a daily workload of over 750,000 new reservations. Transaction throughput must be rapid, unfailing and 24/7. If problems arise, failover must be swift and absolute.
Simultaneously, business intelligence systems must be able to "right fit" pricing and accommodations for customers during transactions--and the systems must have the ability to extend the "reach" of Marriott's reservation community from the company-hosted Website and systems to the Websites and systems of worldwide channel partners that sell Marriott reservations along with other services.
"One of our goals is to increase the number of distribution channels for our inventory," said Misha Kravchenko, Vice President, Global Enterprise Mainframe Systems for Marriott International. "As the Internet continues to take off, there are more and more niche players, such as travel agencies, that do the bookings. This is the "long tail" of our distribution network, and we want to be a part of this."
Marriott also wants to optimize the customer experience. This means not only instantaneous order fulfillment at any time and from any point, but also best pricing for any given location, coupled with the ability for Marriott Rewards customers to capitalize on the special qualities of that relationship. It also wants to optimize occupancy rates for its accommodations.
As part of the effort, an average of 1,500 transactions per second are processed, offering multi-lingual capability to customers in both single-byte format and the double-byte format that is used for Asian languages that employ ideographic characters. Ninety-nine percent of all transactions take less than one second, regardless of where you are in the world. "Many of these transactions come in through Internet threads that are parallel-processed," said Kravchenko. "We've seen an eighteen percent jump in Internet shopping over the past year, and we expect that trend to continue."
Here's how the parallel processing works:
At the time that the customer is shopping, the customer reservation transaction is simultaneously run on an IBM zEnterprise system with business intelligence software that looks at member status, inventory status and dynamic pricing models. Factors considered include whether the customer is staying over on a Wednesday night or through a weekend, and whether the customer is a Marriott Rewards Platinum member. On the room inventory side, systems also consider whether rooms in the area the customer is requesting lodging for are in an under- or over-sold status. All of this system intelligence comes together in a "best price, best yield" scenario for both Marriott and the customer in less than one second. "The goal is to book inventory down to the last room available to maximize yield," said Kravchenko. We can expeditiously do this from a centralized reservations system, no matter where in the world the reservation is requested."
Marriott also wants to make it simple and inexpensive for channel partners to connect with Marriott's central systems. "In the past, this process was labor-intensive and high cost, because we had to effect these connections serially, with each business partner," said Kravchenko. "We were able to drastically reduce both the costs and the timeframes for on-boarding new channel partners by migrating to an SOA (service-oriented architecture) paradigm for software and converting our application transactions into open XML (extensible markup language) components. This allows for the actual translation of in-coming channel partner transactions, which is performed in real time on IBM DataPower appliances."
Kravchenko noted that the change to a SOA-based solution wasn't easy. "It required an upfront investment in software that ported legacy application code to XML, but we also had to go through the process of parsing the original application code and then moving it to the XML format. This required intense testing, but the resulting code is fully reusable and has in fact become a key leverage point for helping us to continue to reduce our costs in the future. We also can now expedite adding new channel partners because we are no longer working with bilateral interfaces."
Marriott is continuing to expand its product offerings throughout the world, which also means continuing to add hotels, channel partners and brands on a worldwide scale. It backs this business expansion with agile, highly reliable computing constructed around rapid and intelligent transaction processing. "We plan to continue to add computing capacity as we need it, but meanwhile, we are seeing enormous efficiencies in our IT infrastructure, and we are also leveraging the 64-bit architecture," said Kravchenko. "As a global company, we have to have a 24/7 operation that not only positions us for growth, but also for the delivery of richer functionality. To be able to continue to scale out our supply chain of business channels, we must have viable platforms to do this with, combined with vendor-supplied software and hardware that enhance the IT value proposition for our business."
celebritycombo.com

LV 1871: Taking Virtualization to the Next Level

Specializing in life insurance, annuities and disability income protection products, LV 1871 (Die Lebensversicherung von 1871 a. G. Munchen) is a mid-sized, Munich-based insurer with over 8,500 independent agents throughout Germany. Fitch Ratings gives the company an A+ rating, and agents have given top marks to the quality of the company’s products. Nevertheless, LV 1871 competes with many large players in its industry and also understands that the quality of what it does must go well beyond its products.
“Ninety-eight percent of our business processes are built on IT processes,” said Alexander Triebs, LV 1871 Infrastructure Project Manager. “Processes for business and infrastructure for IT must be fast, reliable, flexible, robust, cost effective and efficient.”
That wasn’t the case seven years ago, when LV 1871 had a mix of hardware and systems in its data center, that included a classic inventory management system running on legacy hardware, a mix of Unix, Linux and Windows systems running front-end and back-end operations, and physical storage where an average of 600 new insurance policies per day were added to its existing repositories. “We wanted to grow and to separate ourselves from our competitors in our market,” said Triebs. “We also recognized that we wouldn’t be able to grow the way we wanted to if we tried to implement new sophisticated products in COBOL and ASSEMBLER, and running our systems the way we had always run them.”
Triebs and his team began talking about implementing other programming languages like Small Talk, Java and Delphi—and about a first-stage virtualization plan for the data center that would migrate LV 1871’s legacy system to an IBM System P AIX (Unix) platform, where additional data center system consolidations (through virtualization) could be performed with the System P as a target platform. At the same time, many of the data center’s services were being outsourced to contract IT providers. LV 1871 wanted to regain control over its IT processes by in-sourcing them, which would give it greater ability to reduce its IT costs.
“Moving our set of programming languages to more flexible languages was a major effort for us that took nearly seven or eight years,” said Triebs, “But we recognized that undertaking it was the only way that would assure us an IT infrastructure that would support the growth we wanted and expected in future years. We had internal expertise in Unix systems, and we knew that with rapidly changing markets with changing products and regulatory requirements, that the old code would not provide the agility. We also knew that we wanted a mid-range, industrial-strength Unix system (in this case, AIX) to take on this kind of workload.”
LV 1871 succeeded in virtualizing its servers and moving its application code base, but it felt it could take virtualization even further to benefit the business. “Our storage was principally network-attached at this point,” said Triebs. “We believed that we would improve both IT cost ratios and our computing performance for the company and its agents if we virtualized storage, and that this would also improve our capabilities of failover and data mirroring.”
One of the data center agility concerns was the time and effort it took to re-provision storage with LV 1871’s network-attached storage orientation. “With the SCSI-attached storage, we did not have a dynamic infrastructure that would allow us to quickly re-provision storage when we needed to,” said Triebs. “Instead, we had to concern ourselves with the model of the hardware, the space required, a buy decision and finally implementation. This end to end process could take as long as six to twelve weeks, and it was an expensive use of internal IT resources.”
LV 1871 made the decision to invest in an initially more expensive SAN (storage-attached network) solution that would pave the way for a virtualized storage framework, where different storage media could easily be tiered into fast access, more expensive disk and lower access, cheaper disk—with deployments and provisioning being accomplished in a matter of minutes, not weeks. “The virtual storage backbone not only reduced our internal costs and our speed of response, but it also allowed us to improve our failover and backup mechanisms for our two separate data centers,” said Triebs. “Data mirroring between the two data centers now takes minutes.” The virtual storage backbone has dramatically improved performance. Virtualization has given LV 1871 vendor independence as well, which lends more flexibility to buying decisions. Additional return on investment (ROI) is being seen in the new tiered storage strategy with its reduction of wasted storage space. “It costs us roughly $20/GB for faster access, tier one storage, while tier two, slower access storage costs around $8/GB,” said Triebs. “In our new tiered storage structure, we find that only one-third of our data is constantly accessed and needs to be on tier one, and we have organized our data this way. This is a primary area where we are realizing data center savings.”
Along the way, Triebs and his staff learned valuable lessons about working with virtualized server and storage infrastructures. “One was a simple practice to remember to delete virtual machines when they were no longer needed,” said Triebs. “On the data side, it is also imperative to think about technologies like data deduplication before doing backups, so you do not store extraneous data. Finally, when you consider going to a LAN/SAN virtual infrastructure as your backbone, you need to consider architectural concepts, such as a split fabric with the use of virtual LANs (VLANs)—and when it comes to security you want your DMZ and LAN to be separate from each other, and hosted on separate hardware.”
With the groundwork for its data center set, LV 1871 continues to move forward with IT that supports its products and services. The results so far? “We provide basic services to our customers (e.g., Storage, SAN, System p (AIX) and System x (ESX) with a 7x24 availability of six 9’s (99.999999 percent) that we are meeting for possible transaction processing uptime,” said Triebs. “Our aggregate service level uptime for over 3,000 services that we provide to over 30 separate customer service groups, and that also includes inventory management and customer relationship management (CRM), is 98.5 percent concurrent availability, which means 99.9 percent for each service group. The entire operation for basic services (Data Center Infrastructure: Storage, SAN, LAN, Server-hardware and Operating Systems) is manned by only three IT staff in our data center….We have found that by systematically virtualizing, consolidating, reworking job control and backup, and establishing metrics and performance targets - that we can economize staff and infrastructure costs.”
celebritycombo.com

Ipanema Guarantees Cloud App Performance

Paris-based Ipanema Technologies is guaranteeing application performance in the cloud with the latest release of its ANS (Autonomic Networking System). In addition to native SLA enforcement for popular SaaS applications such as Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365, IBM LotusLive and SalesForce, ANS 7.0 features enhancements to SALSA, the ANS multi-tenant management platform, including central application performance dashboards (with an iPhone/iPad version) able to monitor the performance of SaaS applications.
The company has also announced the ip|engine 20, what it calls the first appliance designed for unification of high-speed hybrid MPLS and Internet networks at branch locations. It assesses in real-time the available bandwidth and performance of each path and provides dynamic failover of application flows according to their application SLAs when deployed across hybrid Internet plus MPLS networks.
Because many business-critical and recreational applications are delivered over HTTP(S), port-level QoS isn’t adequate to guarantee appropriate performance, says Joe Skorupa, research VP, datacenter transformation, Gartner, Inc. "You really need two things – fine-grain visibility (per application signatures for hundreds of applications) combined with a policy driven dynamic QoS engine that scales to hundreds or thousands of nodes. With SaaS applications you add the complexity of not being able to place appliances at all traffic sources, so single-ended solutions are required that enable multi-point-to-point control."
"Ipanema does an excellent job delivering on all of these requirements and goes far beyond traditional approaches and is a leader among alternative solutions."
With more than 1,000 customers and 100,000 sites using its offerings to control and optimize their global networks, including public, private and hybrid clouds, Ipanema unifies performance across hybrid networks and dynamically adapts to whatever is happening in the traffic and guarantees constant control of critical applications. The company says it takes the extra step to uses the measurements the system takes to determine how to manage each application flow, combining visibility with control and WAN optimization.
The new release of ANS is part of Ipanema's Cloud-Ready Networks vision to extend end-to-end application SLAs enforcement to all cloud-based applications. The company says virtual appliances will bring ANS to hosted environments, and branch office appliances will become as easy to deploy as cable modems. Due out at the end of the year, the nano|engine, a small form factor, high-bandwidth, plug-and-play device, will automatically control the performance of the combination of cloud, in-house and peer-to-peer applications in branch offices and allow service providers to extend services to small and medium enterprises. Ipanema also plans to release in Q3 the virtual|engine, a software image it calls the first virtual appliance to integrate QoS and control, application visibility, WAN optimization and dynamic WAN selection.
celebritycombo.com

Sony Experia Active Smartphone

Smartphones are no longer known for the sensitive devices that they are. Most of today’s new smartphones now have that higher level of toughness that makes them more ideal for day to day use. Sony may have just gone the similar path by introducing its new Sony Experia Active Smartphone.
The Sony Experia Active smartphone is designed to be water and dust-resistant. Users no longer have to worry about getting their smartphones wet while answering a phone in the rain or accidentally spill water on it. It also features a unique wet-finger tracking that makes the touch screen fully functional even when your fingers are wet. Other features announced for the new Sony Experia Active is that it will be an Android smartphone running on a 1GHz processor, 5MP camera with 8x digital zoom, 720p HD Video recording, 512MB RAM with 1GB internal phone storage and support for an additional 32GB microSD card. The Sony Experia Active will be made available in the market by the 3rd quarter of this year.
celebritycombo.com

Maggie Pro 3 Inch LCD Magnifier

As people get old, they get bothered by a lot of things. One of them might probably be difficulties in reading small texts. While vision might be affected by age, the fondness of reading may not. Technology can be one way to resolve such reading difficulties with the use of the Maggie Pro 3 Inch LCD Magnifier.
The Maggie Pro 3 Inch LCD Magnifier is a digital magnifier that allows users to magnify small print into 11 times its original size. It is an electronic magnifier that may be an improvement to the ordinary magnifying glass usually preferred by most old people. Reading those fine print never have to cause seniors and those with visual problems to squint or read with wrinkled brows.


The advantage of the Maggie Pro 3 Inch LCD Magnifier is that it not only magnifies small print, it can also brighten them to make them more readable, even in dim lighting conditions. This electronic device comes with a 3 inch screen display where magnified fonts are highlighted. It also comes with a freeze function to capture an image on a printed page for closer examination. The Maggie Pro 3 Inch LCD Magnifier is available at Xtreme Geek for US$215
celebritycombo.com

Nokia CEO Says N9 is First, and Last, MeeGo Smartphone

When Nokia first unveiled its MeeGo-powered N9 recently, many believers of the Finland-based mobile brand hoped that MeeGo would be the start of its new era. Apparently, the company has other things in mind, as evident in its “super confidential” presentation about the “Sea Ray,” which runs on Windows Phone.
In an interview with Finnish periodical Helsingin Sanomat, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop confirmed that the Nokia N9 would be the first–and only–MeeGo smartphone. He even told the paper that Nokia will not be making any new MeeGo handsets, even if the N9 would turn out to be a big hit in the market, as the company is setting its focus on making more smartphones using Windows Phone.
“I have taken part in the conversations with the teleoperators and I have been part of the consumer test groups. The feedback has been extremely positive and I am sure that the Windows Phone system will be a great success”, Elop said.
While tech observers become wary whether Nokia would soon spiral down into a mere equipment manufacturer of Microsoft’s phones, Elop assures otherwise. “Nokia will continue its research and development on the software side, as well as in services and equipment design. We will build inventions for our Windows phones that will make us stand apart from our competitors and bring significant additional advantage to our application developers”, he firmly told the paper.
celebritycombo.com

Easy 2 Pick Wireless Luggage Finder

For frequent travelers, carrying around luggage is always a necessity. But the problem may sometimes come locating them in the baggage carousel along with hundreds of other luggage by other travelers. It may sometime even be unfortunate finding a similar luggage or two that can easily be mistaken for each other. In such cases, luggage problems can be prevented by using the Easy 2 Pick Wireless Luggage Finder attached to them.
The Easy 2 Pick Wireless Luggage Finder consists of a luggage tag equipped with a transmitter and a key chain receiver device. With the tag attached to the luggage, it can transmit a signal to the receiver device which then sounds, vibrates or lights up when it gets within 20 meters of the transmitter. The tag also deactivates automatically using an electric photo sensor when it is in the cargo compartment by measuring levels of light as well as altitude and noise. It then reactivates once it gets into the luggage conveyor. The Easy 2 Pick Wireless Luggage Finder is available for travelers at Xtreme Geek for US$25.
celebritycombo.com

AquaSkipper Watercraft Makes Jumping Over Water Possible

Summer is here and you defied the recession woes just to spend a day (or two) at the beach with your family. You like to have fun on the sea, but jet skis are expensive to purchase. If you have an extra $500, perhaps you should have the AquaSkipper.
This water vehicle has a patented design that uses hydrofoil wings and fiberglass spring to let you glide along the water by simply hopping onto the AquaSkipper. The hydrofoil wings have very little drag in the water, while the aircraft aluminum frame just weighs 26 pounds. The AquaSkipper can run up to 17 miles per hour and even carry a person up to 250 pounds.
The AquaSkipper can only be started from above the water’s surface, like a dock or a boat, and it moves as long as you hop on it. You can ride a wave or jump on the platform and it can glide for a while before you realize you are sinking into the water because you did not jump soon enough. Still a lot of fun, and even funnier summer memories, if you ask me.
The AquaSkipper watercraft is available at Gadgets and Gear. Some assembly required.
celebritycombo.com

Taiwan Company Claims 7-Inch HP TouchPad Coming Soon

After unveiling the 9.7-inch WiFi-only TouchPad and a 3G/ WiFi counterpart, HP is said to be building a 7-inch version of the TouchPad that will be released in August. If you are one of many who prefer a more portable tablet, this should come as good news.
The news came out from Taiwan Economic News, which reported a claim from an Inventec employee that HP ordered up to 450,000 tablets every month from their company. Among those orders, according to the source, is a 7-inch TouchPad. Whether it would be WiFi-only, with 3G, or even with 4G, remains a mystery.
We have yet to hear from HP to confirm this report.
celebritycombo.com

FastMac U-Socket USB Wallplug Adds Ports to the Wall

With a lot of gadgets requiring a USB port to charge up, imagine needing to plug a lot of them but you only have one or two ports on your computer. Sure you can have a USB hub, but it could affect the computer’s performance as you use it. There are also dongles that can be plugged from the wall, but that’s one less outlet.
Which is why it completely makes sense for someone to come up with a wall outlet with USB ports. ThinkGeek is selling the FastMac U-Socket USB Wallplug, which comes with two 110-volt sockets and two 5-volt, 2100mA USB ports. The FastMac is guaranteed to charge any device that requires USB connection, including the iPhone 4. It is availablefor only $24.99 , but remember you need to have a know-how on replacing wall outlets–which you can learn with the help of Google and YouTube–before installing the FastMac.
celebritycombo.com

Sony Ericsson Teases Xperia Ray and Xperia Active Smartphones

It seems that Sony Ericsson will be dishing out two new Xperia smartphones. Not much is known about the Xperia Ray (pictured) and Xperia Active, except that both will be Android-powered. Sources claim that the Ray could be running with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, while it is hard to tell what version of the OS is on Active.
The Xperia Ray will have a bronze-ish back panel and is just 9.4mm thick. The smartphone will come with Sony’s Bravia Engine technology, which would enhance the resolution of the screen. It can also shoot HD video from its rear-facing camera and it also has a front-facing cam as well. Like theXperia Play , the Ray will have Facebook Inside Xperia, which lets users utilize the social network from all many of the phone’s apps like the camera app, media player, and the address book.
Meanwhile, the Xperia Active appears to have a very rugged design with its curved, probably rubberized edges. It is likely that the Active is developed to withstand tough environments. The Active comes with a little loop where a key chain or wrist strap can be attach and has a much thicker form than the Ray. It also has a rear-facing camera and comes in four color schemes.
According to Steve Walker, Sony Ericsson’s chief marketing officer, the Ray and Active are expected to be launch on the third quarter of 2011 at a lower price point than the Xperia Play, currently priced at $200 with two-year contract from Verizon. Expect to hear more features about these two smartphones in the coming weeks.
celebritycombo.com

BlackBerry is Over and Done!

John Biggs of MobileCrunch has written an doomsday article about how BlackBerry’s days are numbered and will go the way of other mobile platforms that were bought by a bigger company, exist independently for a while, and then get subsumed. The author has listed a number of reasons why it’s over and done for BlackBerry.
“BlackBerries aren’t status symbols,” proclaims Biggs. “They’re the real-world equivalent of the thick, heavy IT-department-assigned business laptop. They’re staid, boring, and unwanted but people are used to them… but that’s about it.”
It won’t be too long, according to him, that people who are originally into BB would begin to support “more popular devices” such as iOS and Android phones. For Biggs, competitors of BB have become stronger and faster that its manufacturer, Research In Motion, has a hard time keeping up. He even includes BlackBerry’s tablet, thePlayBook, as part of its demise because the tablet lacked native e-mail, a feature that is expected on almost every BB device.
Wrapping up, the author describes RIM as a “slave to its own success.”
“They can’t sell anything other than a keyboard-candybar phone in an era where the keyboard is increasingly irrelevant or hidden away until needed… It’s over and now we’re just waiting forthe buy-out and inevitable disappearance of one of the greatest mobile companies in modern memory.”
What do you think about BlackBerry’s future? Do you think it is too soon to declare its downfall?
celebritycombo.com

Judge Declines Samsung’s Request to Peek into iPhone 5 and iPad 3

Judge Lucy Koh has rejected Samsung’s request to inspect Apple’s iPhone 5 and iPad 3. In an 11-page document, she explained that while Samsung is entitled to “parity,” requesting for Apple to hand over unreleased and unrevealed products was a bit overreaching.
While the decision sounds good for Apple, the rejection of Samsung’s motion is not permanent because the court may have to wait until the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 become available for inspection before deciding whether or not “consumer confusion” will exist as claimed by Apple. This also means that Apple may not get thepreliminary injunction that would have barred Samsung from selling certain products in the United States.
Although Apple may not get the injunction that it wants, it may focus its legal battles against Samsung’s unreleased and unnannounced products that could pose an infringement threat. And the cycle continues.
celebritycombo.com

The Camera Of The Future

Digital cameras of today, even the most advanced models, lets you capture a single shot of a certain image for posterity. But for the camera of the future, it may be possible to take a single shot of that same image and then change the type of focus later on. This can give photographers a means to take a multi-focused image in just a single shot. This type of futuristic camera may now be made possible by the new Lytro.
The Lytro is a camera currently in the works that may enable photographers to capture a more versatile image of sorts. It allows photographers to change the focus of the image after it is taken. The Lytro makes use of a new type of sensor that captures and records the entire light field, or all the light rays present in an entire scene. Current sensors only capture all the light as a single amount of light.
Armed with this feature, the Lytro camera can allow the focal point of a photo to be adjusted according to what a photographer needs through a computer in the same way that images can be adjusted for color, hue or contrast on Photoshop. The Lytro’s sensitive sensor also makes it possible to take photos in very low light conditions and possibly 3D-like images using a single lens. According to the company, the first Lytro camera may be available as a pocket sized device that will be available sometime at the end of the year. They also say that this revolutionary device will be “competitively priced”, whatever that means. For now, you can try and check out some of the images taken using the Lytro camera at theirwebsite to see it for yourself.
celebritycombo.com

Developments on Windows Phone Mango’s Games Hub Revealed

Microsoft has introduced the latest developments on its Windows Phone Mango, particularly with its new Games Hub. One of the biggest changes on the Hub is that it now features that were used to be relegated to a separate Xbox Live Extras app. This includes Xbox Live messaging, integrated achievements, and the ability to edit the user’s Xbox Live profile down to its fully animated 3D avatars. Players can even compare their achievements with their friends.
The 3D avatars even move depending on how the user treats the Windows Phone. Shaking the phone would make the avatar dance or even faint; abusing the phone too much and the avatar might even lash out at the user.
Another improvement is the Hub’s Collection view that lets users manage their installed Windows Phone games more easily. Games are used to be sorted alphabetically, featuring the icon on the left of the list and the name on the right. Now, if the phone has more than 20 games, the list would feature the last three titles the user has played.
Seeing these developments make me more excited about its Fall release.
celebritycombo.com

Vizio 8 Inch Tablet

While the tablet market today has become one of the more competitive markets for devices out there, that doesn’t stop many companies from trying to get their own tablet versions out there. Btu while they may have all the attractive features, it seems that their expected prices may not be something that almost anyone can afford. If tablet makers would want to attract a customer base, then having a more affordable price point would surely do that. That is what Vizio did by coming up with its own 8-inch Vizio Tablet.
Vizio is more known for its good quality yet inexpensive TV sets. It has now come up with the Vizio Tablet that was initially designed to sync up with its Vizio home theater line to function like a universal remote control. But the Vizio Tablet is an interesting piece of device in itself.
The Vizio Tablet may be comparable to features of most tablets that are currently out there- a 1GHz processor, 8-inch touchscreen display, 512MB RAM and 4GB internal storage with microSD support for up to 32GB. It also runs on the Android Gingerbread OS. But what probably may be more interesting for most people is that the Vizio Tablet will just cost around US$350. That’s quite a bargain compared to the prices of the current line of tablets out there. While most people would surely not line up at Walma
rt around next month when it comes out like the Apple crowd did with the iPad, the Vizio Tablet would at least get the attention of the would-want-a-tablet-but-can’t-afford-it crowd.
celebritycombo.com

Magellan RoadMate 5175T-LM Lets You Plan Your Day

Magellan is not gonna give up on providing a standalone GPS navigator, a category slowly being beaten by GPS apps in smartphones. It has recently introduced the Magellan RoadMate 5175T-LM, a smartphone-like device with full WVGA display, WiFi, native web browser, and AAA TourBook app complete with Diamond ratings.
The RoadMate 5175T-LM can be viewed on both portrait and landscape modes, adapting to personal viewing preference. Its 5-inch high-resolution touchscreen displays free Lifetime Map Updates, Lifetime Traffic Alerts, automatic updates, and other features. The TourDirector lets users choose attractions and plan the day’s itinerary by searching for venues of interest within the local area.
The cost: $299.99. Pretty expensive if you ask me, but I’m not gonna discourage you from buying it.
celebritycombo.com

Card.io Turns Your Smartphone Camera into a Mobile Payment Tool

Not liking how you would have to purchase a separate device to scan that credit card for your mobile payments? Does typing all the credit card information onto the phone too time consuming for you? Card.io has heard you! This SDK utilizes the smartphone cameras to accept credit cards. All you have to do is to pull out the credit card, get the Card.io running (which would automatically turns on the phone’s camera), out pop a little green rectangle, frame the card into it, and snap a photo.
The credit card info is then processed by a third-party merchant. The details are then deleted from the phone once transaction is complete.The Card.io for iOS is now available for developers who are interested in using it for their apps. An Android version of the kit will be released soon after.
celebritycombo.com

Nokia’s First Windows Phone Leaked

During an event, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop asked a crowd to “put away their cameras.” Apparently, he was about to unveil something “super confidential.” As it turns out, it is a Nokia smartphone that runs onWindows Phone 7 Mango that goes by the code name “Sea Ray.” Pinch me, I might be dreaming.
Of course, not everyone is foolish enough to follow Mr. Elop’s request. Within hours, leaked photos and videos of the secret phone were released into the blogosphere. The Sea Ray looks just like the just-unveiled Nokia N9, although the LED flash is placed differently on the back plus it has an additional hardware button on the side.
You can check out the full, sneakily-recorded video at the source link.
celebritycombo.com

Nokia N9 Smartphone Announced

Nokia, the world leader in mobile phones in terms of market share, has recently announced the new Nokia N9 smartphone. It is touted to be the world’s first pure touch smartphone. It is designed without any front-facing buttons visible on it.
The new Nokia N9 smartphone features a simple yet sleek uni body design. True enough, there’s no buttons visible, only its 3.9″ curved AMOLED touchscreen display, which is the only thing the user needs to navigate menus on the phone. The Nokia N9 also comes with an 8MP auto focus camera with Carl Zeiss optics, super wide 28mm lens and dual LED flash. It will be available in 16GB and 64GB versions. There’s no word yet on when it will be available in the market or how much it will cost. But expect this smartphone to be priced somewhere along the high-end level.
celebritycombo.com

The Case-mate iPhone Case Costs $300; Why?

Is the recession not affecting you and have $300 to spend on an iPhone 4 case? Then Case-mate is for you! But wait, why does it cost that much?
Apparently, using titanium as the main material could be costly, even for an iPhone 4 case. That metal is known for its strength, light weight, and anti-corrosive features. I should know; I have a titanium frying pan that also doubles as a wok. That thing has been with us for almost 10 years now.
But then again, for an iPhone 4 case, I think you could be better off with the aircraft aluminum-made Vapor, which is way cheaper. Still absurdly priced at $80, but at least it ain’t $300.
But if you insist, the Case-mate will be up for sale beginning June 27.
celebritycombo.com

Google Attempts to Integrate Video Chat in Chrome

Google is out to compete with Skype as the search engine giant is integrating an open-source video chat software into the Google Chrome browser. The plan would go beyond the features of Gmail and Google Voice.
The WebRTC is introduced as an open-source, royalty-free audio-and-video chat software, even promising to work with other browser developers such as Mozilla and Opera. Because it is open-source, any website can make use of the new software and create their very own program that could compete with Skype.
With these developments, you wonder whether Skype is shaking on its knees.
celebritycombo.com

Amazon to Launch Own Tablet in August?

After months of rumors and speculations, DigiTimes reports with certainty that Amazon will be coming up with its own LCD tablet. The report specifically states that Quanta Computer will be responsible for assembling the tablet, which will supposed to feature a TI processor and Wintek touch panel.
DigiTimes adds that Amazon hopes to ship around four million units of these tablets in 2011 alone. The Amazon tablet device is expected to be launched as soon as August, but we would rather hear the launch date, as well as the existence of the tablet itself, from the company itself.
celebritycombo.com

ChiliPad Bed Warmer Mattress

Getting to sleep comfortably is sometimes a matter ideal temperatures when lying on the bed. People may not be able to sleep when it is too hot or too cold. Having the means to control warmth and coolness of the bed, even for two people, is now a better option with the ChiliPad Bed Warmer Mattress.
The ChiliPad Bed Warmer Mattress is also a cooling mattress pad. It allows users to control and set sleep temperature from 46 degrees to 118 degrees. What makes it even better is that it comes with dual controls that can allow couples to set their ideal sleeping temperatures separately on their own side of the bed. The ChiliPad is available at The Sharper Image for US$600.
celebritycombo.com

Judge Wants Apple and Samsung to Settle Out of Court

A U.S. district judge has had enough of the back-and-forth accusations and legal maneuvers between Apple and Samsung that she told their lawyers to just settle the matter outside of court.
“Can’t we all just get along here,” asked Judge Lucy Koh. “I’ll send you with a box of chocolates, whatever.”
Apple’s lawyer Harold McElhinny then revealed to the judge that “executives at the highest levels” of both company are “in fact meeting and talking” about the matter. The attorney did not elaborate the details of the meeting.
It can be recalled that Apple filed a patent infringement suit against Samsung back in April for allegedly copying designs of Apple’s products into its Galaxy and Infuse devices. Samsung then struck back by asserting its own patents against Apple. The legal battle became more complex when Apple demanded to examine five Samsung devices, to whichSamsung did the same to Apple for its iPad 3 and iPhone 5. Judge Koh has already ordered Samsung to hand over its products, but has yet to decide on whether Apple should do it likewise. Last week,Apple has added more Samsung devices to its list of alleged copycats.
Despite the vitriol going on between the two companies, Apple actually buys semiconductors to Samsung for its iPad and iPad 2 products. Imagine how much Apple and Samsung going to lose after this case, whichever side would succeed.
celebritycombo.com

Orange UK’s T shirts That Charge Your Phone With Sound

With portable devices becoming a more integral part of daily life, it may be important to keep them powered up all the time. But it may be not always possible since device chargers usually require a power outlet in order to get some charging power. There are now other options available such as solar powered chargers. Orange UK is offering a unique way to charge your portable devices- using T shirts that generate electric power through sound.
Orange UK has developed the prototype Orange Sound Charge T shirt that allows users to connect their mobile phones to it and charge them using power generated from any type of sound in their immediate environment. The prototype T shirt cum charger is equipped with special piezoelectric film that absorbs sound and generate power enough to recharge a mobile phone. Since it generates power through sound, Orange UK will be testing the prototype t shirt at the Glastonbury Festival this year. There would truly be enough sound to go around and power up that phone.
celebritycombo.com

Samsung’s Solar-Powered Netbook Comes to U.S.

Solar-powered netbooks is unheard of in the United States, even if the country has been on an “eco” mood lately. Don’t worry though, becauseSamsung has announced that its NC235S solar-powered netbook will be available in the US beginning July 3.
The gadget features a 10.1-inch matte display with 1,024 x 600 resolution, 1GB of RAM, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 dual-core processor, and a bunch of solar cells built into the lid. Samsung claims the netbook gets an hours of battery life for every two hours of basking under the sun, adding that it can work for up to 14 hours straight.
The Samsung NC215S solar-powered netbook will be sold with a suggested retail price of $399. It will also be available in Africa and Russia.
celebritycombo.com

LEO Wireless Headphones

Wireless headphones are becoming more convenient to use when going around. It would even be a better deal if they are also designed for use outdoors. The Arriva LEO Headphones fir the bill when it comes to outdoor wireless headphones.
The Arriva LEO Headphones makes use of Bluetooth wireless technology to allow a wire-free listening as well as hands free communication. It can be paired up with any Bluetooth enabled device to use while listening to music or taking calls on a mobile phone. It is designed to be worn with the volume control fitting snugly at the back of the head.
What makes it even a better wireless headphone is that it is sweat and water resistant, making it an ideal headphone to use outdoors, even in the rain. It can be charged via USB where a 100 minute charge translates into 8 hours of talk time or continuous music listening and 120 hours of standby time. The Arriva LEO Headphones is available at Arriva for US$90.
celebritycombo.com

ICANN Approves a Free-For-All in Domain Names

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization that approves Web domains, has given a thumbs up on a new domain-naming system that enables anything to be accepted, and we mean everything like “www.face.book,” “www.green.eco,” or “computer.programming.”
You can sense that this new rule would be a field day for cyber squatters and phishers, but ICANN took care of that… in a way. Instead of the traditional $6.95 annual registration fee, coming up with such non-traditional domains would cost them an application fee of $185,000 plus a yearly $25,000 fee to maintain the domain.
The first batch of these “anything goes” domains are expected to go online within a year.
celebritycombo.com

PhotoFast i-FlashDrive

Some issues concerning Apple iDevices is that they need to have accessories that usually only work for them and do not offer support for other devices. That somehow may limit their use. When it comes to flash drives, there might be a few ones that is both compatible with iOS as well as non-iOS devices like the new PhotoFast i-FlashDrive.
The PhotoFast i-FlashDrive is a handy portable storage device that you can directly connect to most popular Apple iDevices like the iPhone, iPad and the iPod Touch. It offers the easiest means to transfer files from one iDevice to another without the use of a PC. It comes with a free app download for file management. The PhotoFast i-FlashDrive is also compatible with Windows and Linux-based devices and can be sued as a standard USB flash drive. It will be available at PhotoFast by July with an expected price range of between US$99 to US$192, depending on storage capacity.
celebritycombo.com

Sony Offers Additions To Its Vaio E Series Laptops

Sony has recently offered new additions to its Vaio E Series of laptops. The Sony Vaio E Series is the affordable notebook lineup for its Vaio product line. The recent additions feature new designs, colors as well as added productivity and entertainment features.
The Sony Vaio E Series laptops may now come with 14-. 15.5- and 17.3-inch models. They primarily come with the Intel Core i3-330M 2.13GHz processor with 4GB system memory and 500GB HDD. The E Series now will come with notebook options with AMD E-350 processor with AMD Mobility Radeon HD6130 graphics processor. Additional colors made available for this line of Sony Vaio notebooks with midnight blue, glacier white, charcoal black, and blush pink for the 14 and the 15.5 inch models. The 17.3 inch notebook will be available at either charcoal black or platinum white. Price for the Sony Vaio E Series laptops start at US$550.
celebritycombo.com

Polk Audio Releases Performance Line Up Headphones

Polk Audio has recently introduced a new lineup of headphones for the audio quality discerning set. The Polk Audio Performance Line Up will be coming up with several headphone models that will fall under the UltraFit and the UltraFocus banners. They aim to cater to the certain differences that different people need and look for in headphones.
The Polk Audio UltraFit headphones will come in 4 different models available in a number of different colors. They are considered as sports headphones and will come in water resistant designs, iPhone or iPod controls as well as Kevlar-reinforced hinge points for added durability on areas considered as general weak points for headphones.
The Polk Audio UltraFocus headphones with come in a pair of different models, both coming with active noise cancellation features. This is the type of headphones for people who might wish to use it on noisy environments. The Polk Audio Performance Line Up Headphones will be made available to retailers by this Fall. No pricing data has yet been provided.
celebritycombo.com

Olive Opus No.4 media server

The Olive Opus No.4 media streamer is impressively designed, simple to operate and gratifying to listen to. It's painfully expensive, but we'd happily pay a premium for the build quality and design as well as the impressive specifications.
The Olive Opus No.4 is not an impulse buy. At roughly $2200 it fits in the realm of the Logitech Transporter. It's a high-end audio device aimed squarely at audiophiles and gadget geeks. Our test unit had a 1TB hard drive installed for users to store their music collection in WAV, FLAC, MP3 or AAC formats. More niche codecs like OGG and Monkey's Audio aren't supported (since we prefer FLAC we weren't too fussed). A wired Gigabit Ethernet port and 54Mbps 802.11g wireless networking means you can stream audio from anywhere around your house.
As with the Transporter, the Olive Opus No.4 looks like a high-end product. The interface on the front of the device is simple: navigation buttons join playback and power controls next to the 4.3in high resolution colour LCD. The only other feature is a thin slot-loading CD drive, cut into the brushed aluminium fascia. Be careful, though — the slot is precisely cut and surprisingly sharp (when we were brushing down the front of the Opus No.4 we managed to get a nasty slice on a fingertip).
The interface is simple to use and easy to navigate. The colour LCD makes navigating through music stored on the player's 1TB internal hard drive a breeze — looking at the screen from a distance gives you the impression you're using an over-sizedApple iPod . You can sort through your music, change volume and adjust various settings using the Olive Opus No.4's remote control, which is as much a work of art as the player itself.
We connected the system to JVC's NX-F3 home theatre system through the Opus No.4's analog and digital optical outputs. First order of business was to try out an audio CD — interestingly enough the Opus No.4 doesn't have SACD support. We wouldn't call this a massive flaw — SACDs are light on the ground compared to regular ones — but enthusiasts might be disappointed. The player delivered a detailed and expansive range of audio — our relatively cheap speakers were the bottleneck in this situation.
The sound quality from the Opus No.4 is more than enough to put pre-built home theatre systems to shame — but unless you have a carefully selected stereo setup you won't be able to get every nuance and detail from your CDs.
At its core the Olive Opus No.4 is a simple product — an audio streamer that also has internal storage. If you're an audio lover — or a design nut — and can support it with some good quality stereo components, you'll be pleased.
celebritycombo.com

Olive 4HD

Is the CD player an endangered species? Not yet, perhaps, but it seems its hegemony is slipping: high-quality iPod docks and DACs are becoming increasingly popular, whileSqueezebox and Sonos are happily carving up the music-system middle-ground, leaving the high-end to Linn, Meridian, Naim and, as of today, Olive.
Yes, Olive. You won't have heard of the company before, but rest assured this could well be one of hi-fi's most talked-about brands in 2010.
It's California-based, founded and run by a German, and its hugely capable 4HD hard-disk music server can deliver hi-fi sound so reassuringly, familiarly British that even ardent CD aficionados will surely find it difficult to dislike.
With 2TB of storage, it's also capacious enough to satisfy the keenest digital music collector: even at best (uncompressed) quality, the Olive can accommodate up to 3000 albums, which ought to be enough for most.
Use FLAC, which sounds perfectly acceptable to most ears, and that capacity grows to an improbable 6000 discs.
Loading it with your music will take time, of course, although some dealers may offer disc-loading services (where your CD collection is ripped to the 4HD for you).

Great to use and live with
Ease of use is another major facet of Olive's mantra. The 4HD is about the same size as a regular CD player, looks a little like one as well, and, thanks to conventional control keys on its fascia, can even be used like a CD player, too.
But we think most will prefer to use its beautiful 4.3in, 480 x 272 resolution colour touchscreen, with its clear, intuitive and thoroughly attractive menus. It's fast, effective and readily visible from across a room.
And a free iPhone/iPod Touch app is available too – which is just as well, as the supplied remote control is more functional than desirable.
Internally, the Olive sports 24-bit/192kHz PCM 1792A digital-to-analogue conversion from Burr-Brown – usefully, this can be used as an offboard DAC for other digital sources too, thanks to the 4HD's inclusion of a digital input.
Alternatively, there are both coaxial and optical digital outputs, so if you'd rather connect your Olive into an offboard DAC or digital-ready amplifier, you're covered. And there's even an HDMI connector, so you can display the 4HD's album art on your TV.
Olive's silence is golden
Careful attention to detail means the Olive goes about its business in silence: the hard-drives are housed on eight layers of noise-isolating material, while the fanless configuration means your listening won't be unduly interrupted.
Connected via analogue interconnects into our reference system, the 4HD's sound is excellent.
Out of the box, the 4HD comes pre-loaded with a 12-track 24-bit Chesky audio sampler designed to illustrate its sonic potential. These are stunningly transparent and precisely imaged – a genuine leap up in quality over 16-bit CDs.
WAV and FLAC rips from 'regular' CDs are deeply impressive too, with Hans Zimmer's muscular Dark Knight soundtrack offering plenty of sonic drama.
And comparing the CD quality with that of Marantz's excellent CD6003 was interesting, too: there wasn't much in it, with the 4HD proving, at the least, an attentively rhythmic and expressive listen.
Of course, as any music server ought to be, the Olive's wi-fi-enabled (and also sports an ethernet connection if you prefer a wired link).
That means it can retrieve album art for your ripped CDs, gives it the ability to access internet radio and – most exciting of all – means it can stream music to up to 10 other Olive components.
The company makes its own 'client' players, called Olive 2: these offer a similar user interface to the 4HD, but omit the hard-disk and CD drive, and cost £650 each.
And now for the kicker. There are cheaper 500GB and 1TB versions of the Olive available, but even the most costly 2TB capacity model tested here will set you back less than half the cost of the £4500Naim HDX, and a third of the £6285 tag for the Meridian Sooloos – yet in many ways it's a solid rival to both.
So, odd as it sounds for a unit of this price, this is a genuine bargain. Now do you see what we mean about Olive?
celebritycombo.com

Arcam AVR600

The AVR600 is a consummate performer - since Arcam has sorted some early usability issues with a firmware update, this is near one-box nirvana

Make no bones about it, Arcam is pinning plenty on the AVR600. This AV receiver leads the company's freshly reinvigorated FMJ range and aims to 'represent a tour-de-force of Arcam's design skill and technical prowess'. And retailing at £3500, there's no doubt it needs to deliver.
Initial impressions are certainly favourable, with no holes in the technical specification. It's a 7.1-channel amplifier capable of belting out 120 watts per channel of continuous power as well as decoding all those lovely HD audio codecs.
There are five HDMI inputs and two HDMI outputs, with complete video upconversion to HDMI. You'll also find a set of 7.1 analogue inputs for DVD-A or SACD.
Elsewhere there are competent AM, FM and DAB receivers, an Ethernet connection, USB input and support for two further zones.
No volume control knob
It's all controlled using a smart, backlit remote control – the attractiveness of the AVR600 itself proved something of a split decision, though the lack of a volume control knob in preference for buttons wasn't popular.
Down to business and the auto-set-up proves a little off kilter in our room but once we sort things out manually it's plain-sailing all the way.
We start with some music and we're blown away listening to 'John Legend - Live at the House of Blues' on Blu-ray.
The PCM 5.1-soundtrack is brought to life; the Arcam successfully conveying the energy and raw sound of live music at the same time as delivering punch, subtlety and rhythm.
It's a similar story with two-channel music – comparable AV amplifiers simply sound lightweight and unrefined.
Fast, powerful and punchy
Dealing so proficiently with music bodes well for movies and sure enough the Arcam gives a fast, powerful and punchy rendition of the thrilling if preposterous car chase scene in Eagle Eye.
The AVR600 partners detail and authority with dynamism and weight, all the while retaining a level of control Peter Crouch could only dream of.
Fargo's more intricate, spacious soundtrack shows the Arcam equally adept when more care and attention is required, shifting surround effects around the room with precision and delivering clear, authoritative dialogue with sufficient sparkle but no hint of edge or brightness.
Have we enthused sufficiently? For this is some amplifier. Arcam may have had plenty of eggs in this basket, but happily for them, and the punter with £3500 to spend on an AV receiver, the AVR600 well and truly delivers.

Arcam AVR600 A/V Receiver

Price: $4,995 At A Glance: Beefy Class G amps deliver gushes of warm, dynamic sound • Dolby Volume enhances quality of low-level movie listening • Utilitarian front panel and basic remote
From Our Audiophile Wing
When you hear the phrase high-end home theater, what’s the first thing you think of? If you’re into home design, your mind might summon up a lavishly appointed screening room with a curtained screen, seating, and a popcorn machine. For you, it’s the wine bottle that’s high end, not necessarily the wine.

If you’re into the nuts and bolts of multichannel audio—the wine this time, not the bottle—you’ll be dreaming of fabulously powerful separates. Odds are you won’t think of an A/V receiver, despite the fact that a product like the Arcam AVR600 has a genuine high-end pedigree. A high-end British pedigree, no less.
There are always those folks who assert that the words high end and home theater don’t belong in the same sentence unless the sentence is, “There is no such thing as a high-end home theater.” Some of these folks are fascinated by $1,800 power cables. But home theater does indeed have an audiophile wing. And there are people who may be willing to invest $4,995 in a receiver that handles movies like a steroidal bar bouncer and music like a tuxedoed connoisseur. Those are the people who I address now.
Charcoal Gray, No Pinstripes
The AVR600 is not quite a black box—it’s more dark charcoal gray. Utterly innocent of knobs, it has a big bright-green display, with a dozen small buttons below it, including two for volume up and down. Good luck finding them in the dark. The input labels sound notes of both nostalgia (VCR) and trendiness (iPod). The power button is either on or hard-off, but you can go from standby to on by pressing any button on the front panel. The only front-panel connections are two mini-jacks, headphone, and auxiliary line in. At the bottom is a ventilation slot that the receiver uses for either convection or fan cooling, depending on its mood. The no-frills ethos carries through to the remote, which almost makes a fetish of it. The remote’s volume buttons are small, the same size and shape as all the other buttons, and well hidden in the layout. In a custom-install scenario, you may opt for a touchscreen remote, or at least a fancier one. But then again, you may not.

The back panel is very well organized in columns and includes five HDMI inputs and two outputs. It also has a large component video complement, with five inputs and one output. You could theoretically feed three displays with 10 high-def signal sources. Other noteworthy citizens of the connectivity village include a moving-magnet phono input, the obligatory iPod dock input, and 7.1-channel analog inputs and outputs. These are important options in a product that may someday extend its usefulness by serving as a surround processor or, more likely, a seven-channel amp. The pre-outs include threesubwoofer outputs, a new high in my experience. “The more, the merrier,” an Arcam spokesperson said, noting that the company’s reference theater in Cambridge (U.K.) uses four subs. You can connect the network input to a router for Internet radio and PC playback. It’s thrilling to find a UPnP-compliant USB input that’s compatble with FLAC, Ogg, WMA, AAC, and MP3 files. One suggestion to Arcam: Move it to the front.
When the receiver powers up, it displays a brief status stripe at the bottom of the screen. If you penetrate the onscreen menus, you’ll find a text-based menu that’s not so much monochrome as black and white and blue and gray. Although it includes an auto-setup mode—which is absent from some other small-brand audiophile receivers—Arcam also makes it easy to manually adjust the speaker type, distance, and level by placing those parameters in the menu’s top level. The basic Dolby and DTS listening modes (DPLII, Neo:6) may be individually switched on or off. So if you’re sure you’ll want DPLII Movie and Music but not the Game or other modes, you can switch the former on and the latter off. Then you won’t have to cycle through the unwanted modes later.
Arcam’s auto setup and room correction are proprietary. The company’s institutional position on room equalization bears quoting: “By default, room EQ is not applied to any of the source inputs. You should enable room EQ on inputs you think benefit from this feature, as required, by listening when playing typical source material through each input. While room equalization can help to reduce problems with listening-room acoustics, it is usually far better to try to solve these problems with the room directly. Proper loudspeaker positioning, acoustic wall treatments, and moving the listening position away from the walls should produce far better results overall. However, it may be difficult to do this in a home environment, so room EQ is your next best choice.”
This is advice worthy of an audiophile receiver manufacturer. Speaker and seat positioning are your meat and potatoes. Room EQ is gravy. Taste your food before you add the gravy. It’s better to eat fresh food than to smother rotten food with gravy.
One of the most heartening recent developments in surround is the availability of sophisticated modes for low-volume listening. The one Arcam has chosen to license is Dolby Volume. This receiver applies Dolby Volume separately to each input. Dolby Volume has two basic functions, leveling and modeling.
Leveling evens out the volume levels within content and among content sources. That makes some content (like ad-supported TV or loud action movies) easier to take. It also reduces the need for master volume adjustments when you change inputs. The modeling function compensates for the ear’s natural tendency to alter frequency perception at different volume levels.
The AVR600 has two user-adjustable Dolby Volume parameters. The default Leveling setting is 9 on a scale of 0 to 10—in other words, they want you to readily hear the effect at first, but they give you a lot of range to turn it down as needed. It also includes a calibration offset that adjusts the reference volume up or down, independently of the normal speaker setup menus, “to compensate for speaker efficiencies and listening position,” says the manual. The default setting is zero, or neutral, which maintains the reference level you presumably were careful enough to calibrate with an SPL meter at Arcam’s recommended 75 decibels when you manually set up the receiver. If you want to change the master level for each input (especially as it relates to how it is affected by Dolby Volume), here’s your chance.
celebritycombo.com

Bowers and Wilkins CM9 review

Bowers and Wilkins' CM speaker range has recently been augmented by four new models: including the CM centre 2 centre speaker, which is larger than the existing CM centre, the compact CM5 standmount and the ASW 10CM subwoofer.
The fourth model, the CM9, is the top-dog in the CM range and physically the largest model. It has the most extended bass and given a suitable amplifier, will play the loudest. This makes it perfect for those looking for good sound quality delivered at realistic sound levels.
It also boasts a level of fit and finish that is distinctly high end. To put it in context, the CM range – which slots between the 600 series and the highend 800s – started life as a single model, the CM1, an impressive quality compact which made up for its lack of cubic inches with better-than-average bass extension for the size and necessarily low sensitivity as a result. But it had limited trouser-flapping ability and needed a lot of power to have any useful output.
The CM1 was eventually expanded into a fledgling range, which has recently been expanded further with additional special-application models, both for music and for home cinema/multichannel use. Hence the range now extends to two compact two-ways, two floorstanders, two centre speakers and a subwoofer.
Design
In contrast to the CDM range that preceded the CMs, the tweeters are fully enclosed and the enclosures are rectangular boxes, which means they look somewhat simpler and cost less to make. But this doesn't mean the designers have not addressed the aesthetic issues.
The black gloss finish is first-rate, with excellent detailing and the standard of presentation really is the icing on the cake. This reviewer is not very enthusiastic about the silvery rings around the drivers, or the fact that the larger units have different colour cones for the midrange and bass (they use different materials), but the speakers are supplied with ultra-slim grills that attach magnetically to the front and effectively cover the working parts, without significantly detracting from the sound.
The designers have opted for a narrow enclosure, achieved by using two small diameter bass units in parallel instead of a single larger one. The narrow baffle has the advantage of widening the listening window, so that several people can listen at once without a noticeable loss of image focus. A single larger bass unit would have had the opposite effect, namely narrower imagery and a more restricted listening area.
To ensure stability, the speakers come with some plain rectangular plinths, which usefully extend their footprint. You also get carpetpiercing spikes and hard, round-section feet as an alternative, with enough adjustment available in each case to take care of uneven flooring.
It's a great-looking package, with the emphasis on elegance and practicality compared to the 600 series, which look superficially similar, the CM are better specified. For example, they are fitted with longer voice coils and bigger magnets which translate into greater power and less distortion.
Cabinet bracing is also improved, and the cabinet walls are covered in real wood veneers, which helps stiffen the enclosures, in much the same way that bread helps stiffen a cucumber sandwich. The veneers are also reflected in superior finish. As the biggest model in the range, the CM9 has the highest sensitivity – 89dB/watt nominally, where the cM1, for example, is rated at a lowly 84dB – so you gain at both ends of the volume spectrum.
The CM9 doesn't need to be driven hard to perform well and it will cope with more power for longer should it be required and when the amplifier allows.
Sound quality
The frequency range covered by the cM9 is 30hz – 50khz at 6dB and is more tightly specified at 56hz – 22khz +/-3dB. We haven't see the response plot, but most of it probably lies below the line, between 0 and -3dB, with the output holding within 2dB over a ten degree vertical arc and 60 degrees horizontally.
Impedance is nominally eight ohms, but dips to three ohms, which means it is best thought of as a six-ohm load, though the 89dB sensitivity means that you shouldn't need too much power to get a good result.
The main test amplifier was a Krell fBi, which can deliver 300 watts per channel without breaking a sweat, which is more than sufficient horsepower for any reasonable use. But in a brief outing with a high-quality 50-watt integrated amp, the Denon PMA-SA1, even this reduced power level was sufficient to propel the CM9 a long way, with no danger of hitting the end stops in a room which is more than eleven meters long.
celebritycombo.com

Audio-Technica AT-SPG51 Rugged Compact Speaker

Having a compact speaker to bring along should also be designed for toughness aside from good audio quality. It is common for compact speakers to go through the rough and tumble of mobility so it must be tough enough for such journeys. It is a good thing that there’s the new Audio-Technica AT-SPG51 Rugged Compact Speaker for just the thing.
The Audio-Technica AT-SPG51 Rugged Compact Speaker is designed not only to provide good audio quality for such a small speaker but also a higher level of toughness to boot. The compact speaker is designed with a black mesh grill to protect the speaker and an extra padded, hardened plastic for added protection. It also comes with a built-in amplifier for producing high quality sound and strong bass. It uses 3 AAA batteries that can last for 29 hours of continuous playback. The Audio-Technica AT-SPG51 Rugged Compact Speaker is available at AudioCubes for US$76.
celebritycombo.com

iPhone 5 to Include Edge-to-Edge Screen?

You’ve heard it right, it’s another iPhone 5 rumor. You see, speculations have been floating around whether next-gen iPhone would include 3GS connectivity and let the design as is or come up with a revolutionary hardware powered by a new OS. And judging from these recently-posted screen grabs, we may know the answer.
An app developer with connections to speech recognition company Nuance has put up a series of image of what looks like an iPhone that comes with an edge-to-edge screen. The grabs are displayed at the SpeechTrans Ultimate Powered by Nuance app in the iTunes store and it did not take too long for tech blogs to spot it. These images, however, are part of a series of screen shots for the app. Only two of the five appear with “the new iPhone,” while the rest feature a regular iPhone 4. And since the photos are obviously mock-ups, some speculate that the app screen could have been “too wide” to fit into the iPhone photo.
But what we do know is that Nuance will have a significant role in iOS 5 with its voice and speech recognition technology. And since SpeechTrans TM has ties to Nuance, it cannot be too far-fetched that the app developer has some knowledge about the upcoming iPhone. And if iPhone 5 indeed would have an edge-to-edge screen, perhaps Samsung’s argument is right, after all.
celebritycombo.com

JayBird JF3 Freedom Bluetooth Buds

Music listening would be more convenient if the headphones used are wireless. This is especially useful for those who are active and highly mobile individuals. A good example would be this JayBird JF3 Freedom Bluetooth Buds.
The JayBird JF3 Freedom Bluetooth Buds is a pair of wireless earphones designed for active and sporty types. Being wireless makes it more convenient to use even for those who are always on the move. And since it is designed for sporty types, it comes with a sweat proof feature that offers a Lifetime Warranty Against Sweat. Its honeycomb design features allow for a secure and comfortable fit. The JayBird JF3 Freedom Bluetooth Buds is available at JayBird for US$99.
celebritycombo.com

T-Mobile Announces Release Details

T-Mobile has confirmed the release of three Android-based smartphones from Samsung, consisting of the Samsung Exhibit 4G, Gravity Smart, and Dart (pictured). The entry-level Samsung Dart, which is available today for free on a two-year contract, features a 600MHz processor and 3.1-inch QVGA display. Meanwhile, the high-end Samsung Exhibit 4G has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and runs on Android 2.3; and the Gravity Smart has a QWERTY keyboard and Android 2.2. These two smartphones will be launched on June 22 at theT-Mobile online store.
In another T-Mobile update, it has also announced that HTC Sensation 4G (pictured) can now be purchased directly. It costs $200 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. Those who would purchase the smartphone online can also enjoy the additional $50 price slash, bringing the cost down to $150. The HTC Sensation has a 4.3-inch qHD touchscreen display, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, and Android 2.3 with Sense.
celebritycombo.com

Mili iPhone Projector 2

Although Apple iPhones are designed for personal use, that does not mean that people are being prevented from sharing their stored movies or photos to others. But its size would usually limit the number of people who may have the privilege of seeing the contents. If sharing is needed for a larger audience, this new Mili iPhone Projector 2 would come in handy.
The Mili iPhone Projector 2 is a portable Led driven micro projector for the iPhone. It is capable of projecting your iPhone videos or photos for up to 70 inches on any flat surface. It comes with a smart design to complement your iPhone. This projector also comes with a built-in speaker as well as an AV port if you need bigger external speakers for better audio. The Mili iPhone Projector is available at Firebox for 280 UK Pounds or around US$459.
celebritycombo.com

Getac X500 Ultra Rugged Notebook Preview

Industrial notebooks are designed to handle the rigors presented by a tough environment. They are a class above the usual notebooks in terms of ruggedness and durability. Newer models like the Getac X500 Ultra Rugged Notebook tries to set the bar higher when it comes to toughness.
The new Getac X500 Ultra Rugged Notebook combines both extremes when it comes to durability and performance. For its ultra rugged feature, this notebook is MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD 461F and IP65 compliant. After all, it was primarily designed for military applications. It comes with sealed I/O ports to prevent from moisture and particle damage.
In terms of performance the Getac X500 is just as extreme. It comes with an Intel Core i7 2.66GHz processor with Turbo Boost Technology. It also comes with a NVIDIA’s GeForce GT330M MXM GPU with 512MB VRAM for better multimedia performance. It has a 15.6 inch sunlight readable HD display which can be customized to have a glove-friendly multi-touch LCD display. Other specs include 2GB DDR3 1333MHz memory, 320GB SATA HDD, USB 3.0 support as well as WiFi and Bluetooth and 3G connectivity.
The Getac X500 Ultra Rugged notebook was recently introduced in the market for military use. But that does not mean that you can’t have one for yourself if you need this level of ruggedness for a notebook. Unfortunately, availability and pricing has not yet been provided.
celebritycombo.com

La Sardina Lomo Cameras Look Like Tin Cans

While some photographers brag about the megapixels in their DSLR cameras, others took a different rought by reviving an alternative school of photography calledLomography , which uses a specialized camera with fisheye or pinhole lens and an unadjustable 1/100 shutter speed. It is probably because of the vintage looks of Lomo photographs why its new cameras often have that vintage design.
Thankfully a new batch of Lomo cameras decide to ditch the old school to come up with quirky designs. The La Sardina series are made to look like tin cans commonly used for sardines. These plastic cameras feature a 22-millimeter plastic fisheye lens, the usual 1/100 shutter, and bulb settings that can be adjusted into three different levels of intensity. The design of clip-on flash attachment appears like the light bulb seen in old cameras; it even comes with a set of gels in four colors.
La Sardina uses a 135mm film and comes in four different designs, two of which can be sold with flash. The basic set costs $59, while the complete bundle is sold for $100
celebritycombo.com

iWallet needs your unique fingerprint to open, pairs with your cellphone to ensure you’ll never lose it

•  Share
• CevherShare

It’s a pain for having to report the loss of your credit cards, personal IDs or cash while you’ve lost your wallet. So, to avoid such a trouble in life, you shall always remember your wallet. But if you’re the kind of absent-minded person, it won’t be too easy for you to always remember your wallet. Unless you make use of a little high-tech wallet called the iWallet here.

The iWallet features biometric fingerprint security which needs your unique fingerprint to open. So, while you’ve left your wallet unattended, no one will be able to open the wallet to get the cash or credit cards in it.
What is best is it’s able to pair with your cellphone via Bluetooth, so while your iWallet is more than 10-15 feet away from your cellphone, it’ll make a loud audible alarm. It’s simply “one stone kills two birds”, as you’ll be reminded by the alarm whenever you’ve forgotten either your phone or the iWallet.
The iWallet is available in a number of versions including Polycarbonate, fiber glass and carbon fiber models which are priced at $300, $400 and $600 respectively.

Wow-Keys keyboard uses your iPhone as its number pad and multi-touch pad

Wow-Keys is a keyboard that has reserved a slot at the right hand side which lets you slot in your iPhone, allowing the iPhone to replace a regular number pad. And some more the iPhone’s touchscreen shall add the multi-touchpad capabilities to the Wow-Keys keyboard as well.

The slot or dock of this keyboard works with apps on your iPhone. It supports both the Mac and Windows platforms and has a handy switch for switching between a keyboard and an iPhone mode. The entire keyboard measures 407 x 130 x 25mm.
While it works in the iPhone mode, the text you type on the keyboard will enter directly into your iPhone or iPod Touch. It also has some hot keys for direct access to certain iPhone functions. The keyboard also charges the iPhone while the iPhone is docked on it.