smartech

Yes, we all heard about it time after time on recent weeks, but now it’s for real, as Sony finally makes the PS3 Slim edition official, at GamesCom show, ending up months of rumors and speculation about the new gaming console. And speaking about the slim console, turns out it will be available in the first week of September, worldwide, priced at merely $300 (that’s 300 Euros, or 29,980 Yen) and packing a 120GB HDD along with all the good features we know from the regular PS3. In addition, the slimmer version actually have clickable buttons on front, while sized 32 percent less than previous model. Furthermore, the new edition apparently consumes 34 percent less power and the bundle includes a wireless DualShock3 controller to comfortably rock your gaming experience from your living room sofa, as vertical stand is optional for extra $24. Sony will also release Firmware version 3.0, next to the Slim debut, so you will enjoy animated themes with avatars, some cool UI changes, modified friends lists and even a new status indicator, when running your brand new matte black console for the first time. For more details about the PS3 Slim announcement, the full specs, and some video footage to watch, hit the jump or pass the break.

Update1: Apparently, you won’t be able to play any Playstation 2 games with your new PS3 Slim console, which is a bummer (!) if you think about it, since not having a PS2 backwards compatibility will force everyone get rid of their cool games collection, but this way or another, if you keep searching for some cool advantages inside the latest Slim edition, then mind you this hot box will presumably support Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bit-streaming through your fancy hi-fi receiver. Huzzah!

Update2: Looks like Sony’s new PS3 Slim console is officially up and available across US retailers like Best Buys and GameStops (earlier than expected) for $299, so you can go down to your local store and get it NOW. Meanwhile, If you happen to have it at your disposal, already, and curious to see the inside parts of the box, hit the break and take a look, both at the image (one of few) and video footage that iFixit group has recently published.

Update3: A 250GB PS3 Final Fantasy XIII edition officially announced, set to be released in Japan somewhere around December for ¥41,600 Yen. Image is right after the break.

Update4: And moments after, Amazon.co.uk has listed a 250GB version as well, but this time you’ll have to settle with the ordinary black. Pre-order price is set for £285 ($455) and delivery is scheduled to October 1st.

Update5: Apparently, the 250GB Playstation Slim version is about to hit US shelves on November 3rd for $349.99, so you have only couple of weeks to get yourself this extra capacity-size edition.

Read more…

With only hours before iPhone’s 3G S version officially goes up on sale across the world, Rapid Repair gang have managed to get their hands on one of Apple’s few available copies around, and dissected it into pieces,  letting us closely look into the main components assembled inside, including chips, amps, processors and involved manufacturing companies, who helped Cupertino building this powerful machine. From their tear-down, we learn that South Korean giant, Samsung provides the SoC S5PC100 chipset, while main processor confirmed to be ARM Cortex A8, running at 600 MHz, with 720p high-def support. PowerVR SGX graphics also integrated within the iPhone 3G S, with 256MB of RAM, instead of 128MB on previous models.  In addition, we can see the NAND Flash memory, provided by Toshiba and Infenion is there as well, providing myriad parts of the phone. Hit the jump to checkout the comparison chart of iPhone’s hardware and Palm’s Pre, as more pictures available at their website. Also, feel free to start sharing your personal reviews, once getting a brand new iPhone 3G S in the following days.

Update: iSuppli says the estimated cost of Apple’s new iPhone 3GS for the 16GB configuration, stands at $178.96 to manufacture. Mind you, this price valuation, refers to direct materials cost, with no inclusion of other essential operational expenses, such as shipping, distribution, royalty fees etc, which add some value to the overall price.Check out their components and cost drivers table, after the break.

[via RapidRepair]

Read more…

If you wanted to learn more about the main components that assemble your new iPhone 3G, the chips, the amps, the processors and the involved manufacturing companies, this is your chance to take a look at one the most detailed inside-views, as the guys from research firm Semiconductor Insights dissected the stellar handset into pieces, showing us who has done what. From the picture below, we understand that Infineon provides many of the components, including the GPS chip, the baseband chip, UMTS transceiver and the power management chip. In addition, we can see the  application processor, provided by Samsung and the power amplifiers, provided by Triquint and Skyworks, as Marvell brings the Bluetooth and the WIFI components while Toshiba is responsible for the internal flash memory of your phone. The rest stays the same as the first generation, with Samsung to supply the ARM11processor architecture, Wolfson the audio decoder chip, Broadcom the touchscreen controller, National Semiconductor’s MPL the display interface, etc. Hit the jump to checkout more pictures and to see the videos. To get a bigger view just click in here.

[via Semiconductor Insights]

Read more…

Do you love your iMac ? Do you want to control it with your fingers? Turns out there’s a pretty neat solution that will turn it into a touchscreen unit, thanks to a company named Troll Touch who’ve created a DIY SlipCOVER kit that adds a finger-sensitive layer to the screen’s front panel, turning it into a nice useful user interface machine that can be used in kiosks, exhibitions, clinics or even in school. The user-installable kit comes in two configurations, matching both 20-inch or 24-inch aluminum iMacs. Once you buy it you have to install the touchscreen drivers and calibrate the screen for maximum accuracy. Regretfully, it doesn’t support MultiTouch gestures due to OS restrictions, but it’s still very usable, as you can see in the video after the break. Priced at $699 (20″) and $899 (24″), the SlipCOVER is not a cheap solution but definitely an efficient one.

[via TUAW]

Read more…

Asus Eee PC 900 is one of the most talkative objects you can hear about on recent weeks, along with the rumored iphone 3G. Today we have a chance to take a glance into the bowels of the great Eee 900 (which was officially released today in Taiwan), thanks to the guys at bit-tech who disassembled the laptop into pieces. Surprisingly, it pretty much looks the same as the Eee PC 700, except the mobile PCI-Express socket, coming with a 16GB SSD module, expanding the drive space, and a new location for the speakers at the base of the chassis. To see more, press the link below.

[via bit-tech]

Here’s your chance to get an inside look at the Microsoft Zune 2 80GB model. Just to remind you, the player sports a 3.2″ screen, a 4-way touch pad, a built in FM radio and WiFi capabilities. Once removing the outside shell, you discover the control chip along with the Wolfson’s WM8350G DAC chip and the WiFi antenna, running in a WYSBCVSX2 70AN module.

[via imp3]

More pictures and full observation after the break.

Read more…

Onkyo unveils new PC lineup, designed as Hi-Fi stereo systems. The new APX-2 HD PC sports an advanced digital audio amplifier and Pure Direct Audio Path, allowing you to play high-quality HD Audio tunes, without any audio lost, caused by vista filtering drivers. Other features include:

• Processor: Intel 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5500.
• Memory: 1GB RAM.
• Storage Size: 500GB stored in a Super Floating HDD Unit with noise cancellation box.
• Price: Not Available

Unfortunately, the new PCs are not available outside Japan, so if you get a chance to drop by, pick one and bring it to us for a first impression.

[via akihabaranews]

Nvidia, a strong graphic cards manufacturer, wants to get a foothold in the mobile processors market with their new APX 2500 series, presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The company created the AMD11 750MHz chip with ultra-low power GeForce core, providing advanced graphic capabilities and 3D GUI rendering support. This top-notch features enabling to display up to SXGA resolution (1280 x 1024) and to embed 12MP camera sensors in cellphones, which means there’s aplenty to aspire for. The APX 2500 will be able to pack 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, quad-band GSM, WiFi, Bluetooth, composite/S-Video outputs and even HDMI. The chip is capable of running 720p HD video, smoothly, even when playing on a 60-inch LCD TV. To demonstrate this impressive capableness, Nvidia has created a reference design prototype, running a Windows CE OS and equipped with an accelerometer. The device can play more than 10 hours of HD video and a GUI coded in OpenGL ES 2.0. The chip is expected to go on full production between Q2 – Q3, and we say – WOW !!

 [via phonemag]

Check out the video after the break.

Read more…

Microsoft published the official price for the latest Xbox 360 HD DVD drive, so you can snatch one for 129.99$ though it is a  manufacturer’s suggested retail price only. Therefor, you might find it cheaper on the shelves, but i’m not sure it will hit big time in view of  the HD DVD gloomy situation.

[via engadget]

Following the tremendous success of the Asus Eee PC, we are getting more and more ultra-portable twin PCs, heading our way. One of those is the Everex Cloudbook, making its first steps toward the US market and expected to land across Walmart soon. The Cloudbook features VIA C7-M 1.2GHz processor, 7-inch LCD TFT screen, Linux OS, 512MB RAM (MAX 1GB), 30GB hard drive storage, WiFi connectivity, card reader, 1.3 MP built-in camera and scanty weight of 900gm. Price is set for 399$.

Check out the video.

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.

[via jkkmobile]

The guys in iFixit have been digging inside the new MacBook Air, revealing us its bowels. The slim Air features notable notes like the 1.8″ 80 GB 4200 RPM Parallel ATA hard disk drive, similar to the iPod Classic one and a Broadcom BCM5974 touch screen controller chip, similar to the one in the iPhone and iPod Touch. Check out the other parts in the attached link.

[iFixit via engadget]

Another picture after the break.

Read more…

Archos released the Archos TV+, a stationary version of its Archos 605 portable media player. The TV+ is the first WiFi Digital Video Recorder that comes in 80GB or 250GB storage capacities. With the Archos TV+ you can schedule, record and stream content whenever you want, through your WiFi network. You can watch your favorite stored movies, listen to your music and flip between your last vacation photos, in a simple push of a button, from the living room couch. The device comes with a cool QWERTY remote, for a full control of the UI and the web surfing (thanks to the touch pad). It supports a video on-demand service, so you can order your favorite movies from CinemaNow, or watch any video through one of the video web services such as YouTube, DailyMotion and others. The TV+ has a USB 2.0 host, for an easy and direct access to your digital camera photos or your portable media player movies. In addition, it has an HDMI output, so you can plug it to your advanced LCD TV and watch high resolution movies. You can get one for $229 (80GB) or $349 (250GB).

More pictures after the break.

Read more…

Miniaturization, is not an easy job. When Apple introduced the slim MacBook Air, last week, we noticed a slenderized design from the outside, but inside hardware had some major modifications as well. One of this interesting changes, came from the ultra mini Core 2 Duo processor figure. It is a combination of Intel 65 nanometer Merom architecture with an 800MHz bus, molded into a new, smaller chip package.

[via gizmodo]

This is not a new hardware, just a free extensive software upgrade to the Apple TV. The Take Two features AirTunes support, for a complete direct streaming, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, HD movies (4GB Size), movie preview, photo browser, computers-free usage, direct movie rental (priced 2.99$ for older versions, 3.99$ for new ones and 4.99$ for HD movies), and more.

[via engadget]

Check the video after the break.

Read more…

This wireless drive will backup all your Leopard OSX Time Machine Macs through your wireless network. The Time Capsule features a full Airport Extreme base station with 802.11n wireless and a server grade hard drives, allowing you to backup your data from anywhere, in your wireless network area. You will be able to choose two storage capacities, 500GB for $300 and 1TB for $500. The product should be available next month.

[via gizmodo]

With the growth of information movability, we all need a portable hard drive to carry with us on the go. The new Seagate D.A.V.E portable hard drives are distinguished from other similar products, by enabling wireless connection from any laptop or cell phone, through WiFi or Blootooth technologies. Despite the limited 60GB storage capacity, this is definitely a cables saver. Price and availability are unknown for the moment.

[via slashgear]

Pinnacle is about to unveil a new video transfer box, at CES 2008. This unit can transfer any analog video source directly to a USB 2.0 storage device, such as USB flash drives, iPods, PSP consoles or external hard drives with USB connectors. The box has a built in audio input, s-video/composite outs, and the transfer is recorded with H.264 video format. The device should go live somewhere around the middle of January, for 130$.

[via gmp3]

Check the video after the break.

Read more…

The new Toshiba Qosmio G40 is not just another notebook stud, it is the first laptop to include HD DVD-RW drive – pretty neat isn’t it?

Toshiba was the first company to announce on HD DVD-RW drive for notebooks, on June this year. Now they released this multimedia laptop, equipped with Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2Ghz, Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphic card, 17″ WUXGA screen, 2x 200GB HDDs, HDMI out, WiFI, Gigabit LAN, 4GB of memory, HDTV tuners and more. Price should be around $3,530.

[via engadget]

Asus Eee PC is already a huge success, it is small, attractive, very useful, and comes with a low price tag. Not only individuals are getting excited from this super mini Linux OS based device, but also educational institutes, who already ordered thousands of units.

Now Asus is telling us that the new Asus Eee PC model is going to be released in mid to late December, with even greater specs. The new Eee will have 1GB of RAM and 8GB of flash storage, with the same Intel 900MHz Celeron processor, and a 7-inch 800 x 480 LCD screen. Not to mention, this device has SD card slot, 2 USB ports, an extra USB, mic, headphone jack, a 10/100Mbps Ethernet port and supports 802.11b/g WiFi, as the previous model.

It is up to you to decide whether you want to double your storage size from 4GB to 8GB and have some extra 512MB of RAM for 499$ overall, a 100$ extra charge to the 399$ previous model price tag.

[via gizmodo]