smartech

Today, After tons of rumors, speculations and some unsuccessful mockups, Apple is finally releasing the new iPhone second generation - known as the iPhone 3G, across 22 countries, on 8:00 AM local time. The new iPhone 2 will have a 3G HSDPA connection which will allow users to surf the web, download emails, get directions, and watch videos 2.4 x times faster than previous model and 36% faster than the Nokia N95 and Palm Treo 750 devices in pageloads (according to Apple).

The second biggest thing, other than moving to 3G network, is the built-in GPS navigation system that was added to the new iPhone 3G. GPS technology and iPhone software come together to bring users mobile phone mapping, enabling fast fix on your location, track your progress as you go, help you get from point A to point B, by using GPS-based iPhone maps and A-GPS technology, which assists getting the signals from GPS satellites, Wi-Fi hot spots, and cellular towers. Once you get the signal, a GPS blue indicator will turn on, so you will be able to start using the relevant applications. However, GPS on iPhone is active only when you need it. iPhone powers the GPS unit on and off quickly and automatically, so it won’t adversely affect the battery life. With the new technology, assimilated inside the handset, you will be able to get from the App store some cool applications that will let you take a photo with the camera, for example, and iPhone will geotag it with GPS location information. Another neat application is the Loopt, that will let you use location feeds to help you find friends on the go, within your range, wherever you are. Moreover, you will be able to receive live traffic information, indicating traffic speed along your route in easy-to-read green, red, and yellow highlights.

As for look and specifications, the new iPhone 3G has a nice rounded sleeky design with a curved glossy back, coming in black or white flavors. It has the same good old 3.5-inch multi-touchscreen, identical 2 megapixel camera at the back (no front camera for video chats) and a flush 3.5mm headphone jack. Battery life presents substantial improvement, with 300 hours of standby, 5 hours of 3G talk, 8-10 hours of 2G talk, 7 hours of video and 24 hours of audio. Dimensions pretty much stay the same, although the new iPhone 3G is a little bit thicker, with 12.3 mm or 0.48 inches. However, we hear that it is hard to feel this extra inch difference and the sleeky arched design makes it much more comfortable in your hands.

You can find the complete keynote video here.

To learn more about the 22 countries to launch the new iPhone 3G and to see full specs and tips, just hit the jump and move forward, after the break.

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reative has officially unveiled the new Zen X-Fi PMP, coming out in Singapore at first mid-July, offering 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions for $149.99, $199.99, $279.99 respectively. In addition, the new Zen X-Fi boasts 802.11 b/g wifi connectivity with Yahoo and MSN built-in messaging clients, a 2.5-inch LCD screen (320 × 240), an FM tuner, SD/SDHC slot expansion, 9 EQ,  9-pad keys and a speaker onboard. It will host some PDA features, including a calendar and an alarm clock and will support WMV9, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4 / 5, XviD, MP3, WMA, AAC (. M4a), WAV (ADPCM), Audible 4, JPEG file formats. Battery will be able to play 5 hours of video or 36 hours of audio, as dimensions are 83 x 55 x 12.8 mm to 68.75 g. The bundle includes a pair of EP-830 earbuds, for maximum music quality, as you listen to your favorite melodies. Moreover, Creative plans to release various accessories for the new player, like wireless TravelSound docking speaker, Silicone / Leather cases, Armbands, and more.

But wait, there’s more, Creative will offer limited edition 8GB/16GB Red Cliff versions (pictured after the break) which will include pictures of the film cast and the movie trailer preloaded - all for the same prices.

Checkout the videos and the other pictures after the break. You can read a full review in here.

[via slashgear]

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NBC has decided to offer iphone and iPod Touch users free full streaming episodes to watch on their devices, without any disturbing ads, whenever they hit the hotspot. The content includes full episode of shows like “The Office”, “30 Rock” and “Battlestar Galactica”, all displayed in DRM-free Quicktime format. To do so, just load your Safari browser, goto NBC website and find the “Watch Video Online Now” link, to start streaming - 100% free. The only downside is once you exit the Safari, you’ll have to download the episode all over again from scratch, and these file are really big. My guess, it’s going to be very crowded, so be patient.

[via iphonealley]

Onda wants to advance to a higher league, as the company has announced the release of the new VX777 PMP, equipped with a wide 4.3-inch touchscreen (480 x 272) and WiFi capabilities, to play web-radio stations whenever you hit the hotspot (it’s not clear if there’s a built-in browser) . The player features a microphone, a speaker, an FM tuner, 7 EQ, an E-book reader, a microSD slot, a TV output and storage capacity, ranged from 2GB up to 16GB. It supports wide variety of codecs, including MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, RM / RMVB, AVI, FLV, ASF, MP4, MPG, MOV, WMA, WMV, 3GP, SWF, JPEG, BMP, GIF or PNG, and plays 30 hours of audio against 10 hours of video. No word on price, but the V777 is set to be released in China around August.

[via mp4nation]

HTC announces the release of the new Touch Diamond smartphone, at the Soho Hotel in London. This sleeky black iphone killer has a very impressive slim design, including a  click-wheel button to zoom in or out, a fantastic 2.8-inch VGA touchscreen with beautiful vivid colors, a built-in 3.2MP camera with video calling, 4 GB Internal Storage, WiFi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR connectivity. It runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and sports a great user interface, featuring animated weather application, full Opera web browser, one-touch music playback with an animated music browser, Youtube app, flicking contact-list mode and accelerometer rotation support (similar to the iphone). Sized at 102 x 51 x 11.33mm, 110 g, the new HTC Touch Diamond will be available across all major European carriers in June and later this quarter in Asia and the Middle East. The North American and Latin American versions of the Touch Diamond will be available in the second half of 2008. Checkout the videos + full specs after the break.

[via HTC]

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is a cool application that can stream all your music and media, directly to your jailbroken iphone or your iPod Touch player, via the local WiFi network. With this cool software you can listen to your home audio library over the internet wherever you are, browse and play your friends’ songs while they are online, and even invite them to join your private network, right from your very personal device. Simplify allows you to enjoy songs and playlists from remote computers, by installing itself on your Apple device from the multimedia section in the AppTap Installer. You can also download and install Simplify Media for your PC or Mac, and create one from your desktop. When you first log in, Simplify Media builds a list of remote music availabe to you. This takes several minutes, and performance may be sluggist until the full list of songs has been cached. Once it’s over, you are ready to set your own groups and share your media with the invited members. For more, checkout the video after the break.

[simplifymedia via gmp3]

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This new ClearBoost case from Griffin, has a built-in booster antenna that enhance the wireless signal and sends it to the iPhone internal antenna, so you can get a better wifi connection to enlarge service areas, surf the net and get emails via your handset. In addition, it provides hard-shell protection for the iPhone, keeping it unscratched from top to bottom. Mind you, recent reviews state that the “signal boost works only under certain conditions” and “does not appear to improve iPhone performance under weakest signal conditions“. However, in some cases, the ClearBoost “deliver—improved cellular antenna performance…” and “can help stabilize shaky data and cell phone audio conditions when iPhone is in 2-3 bar range“. In any case, the Griffin ClearBoost is a worth trying accessory, priced at merely $35.

[via iLounge]

Sling Media, the company that turns any Internet-connected PC, Mac, or smartphone into a home television, wants a foothold in the iPhone application festival. The company has downloaded the SDK package (along with other 100,000 people) and started developing a designated Sling app. (hypothetically) which means, by the time Apple officially releases the new firmware version 2.0, around June, and launches the App store, you could watch TV virtually anywhere in the world threw the iPhone, and although EDGE streaming is pretty lousy, it can really work great via WiFi connection. Stay tuned !

[via slashgear]

Another Korean portable UMPC is out, this time it’s the all-in-one wireless IP-based hybrid portable device from MIU. The new HDPC comes with tons of features and runs both Windows XP/Windows CE 5.0 or Linux Qplus. It has full QWERTY keyboard, a 4-inch display, a built-in media player, a mobile phone, a GPS navigator, a 3/5 MP camera and many many many more features. Check out the specs:

Specifications:

• OS: Windows XP/Windows CE 5.0 or Linux Qplus.
• Processor: VIA C7MULV 500MHz/1GHz
• Memory: 4GB DDR2 RAM.
• Display: 4.0″ WVGA touchscreen (800 x 480).
• Storage: 30GB / 60GB HHD or 4GB SSD.
• WiFi 802.11 b/g, GPS navigation system, DMB tuner and mobile IPTV.
• Other features: An audio recorder, a video chat function, E-book reader, electronic dictionary, a game player, 2 built in stereo speakers.
• Outputs: USB2.0 host, AV out, AV in, SD extension, PS/2, E-ant port.
• Battery life: 7 hours (high power) 90 hours (low power).
• Dimensions: 163 X 67 X 24.5, 387gm

This overloaded device is set to be released in Korea around July for merely $500 - WOW !

[via aving]

Another picture after the break.

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Myka HD multimedia player is a nice streaming box with built-in BitTorrent feature, allowing you to download and play your favorite torrents via TV. This advanced Linux-based device sports an Ethernet connection, WiFi 802.11 b/g, and internal SATA HDD, housing 80GB to 500GB. The box includes video outputs like HDMI, Composite, S-Video, and optical SPDIF audio port, for maximum sound quality. The sleek and stylish whitish design gives the Myka a nice tech look with a price range of $299 and $459, respectively, so if you consider heavy downloading device that can stream video, it might be the right solution.

[via gizmodo]

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Maxian unveils the E900W PMP at the CeBIT show in Hannover. This new advanced device sports a wide 4.3-inch WVGA touchscreen (800 x 480), 30GB storage size, SD/MMC card slot, 9 EQ and a USB 2.0 connection with ActiveSync support. It is compatible with video codecs as MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Divx3 11/4x/5x/6x, Xvid, MPEG-4, ASP, WMV 7/8/9 H.264, audio formats like MP3, WMA, OGG, PCM AAC, Dolby Digital AC3 5.1 surround and even DTS, thanks to the SPDIF output. Image formats include JPEG BMP, GIF, TIF PNG, TXT, PDF and PPT. In addition, it runs windows CE 5.0 and houses a WiFi connection to surf the net. Mind you, the E900W is equipped with a Texas Instrument Davinci chip which supports HD format and can be found in Cowon A3 and Archos 605 PMPs. Although there is no word on price or availability I’m very impressed with the E900W and hope it will hit western shores.

[via aving]

Celrun TV HD multimedia player is an all-in-one box with outstanding capabilities. This top-notch device features Ethernet, WiFi 802.11 b/g, 2 USB ports, a USB host, digital and analog TV tuners, IPTV support, and a PVR function. The box houses HDMI, RGB, S-VIDEO, component and optical audio outputs, storage size climbs up to 320GB internal HDD. The Celrun TV premium HD player can handle almost any format on earth, including H.264, WMV, AVI, Xvid, MOV, VOB, MPEG1/2/4 and many more. No word on price or availability, but I’d like to have one without a question.

[via akihabaranews]

This network media streamer can do whatever you ask for, concerning media aspects. The new Popcorn Hour A-100 can stream media via your wireless network, NAS, attached USB DOK, and internet streams. It can even house movies you download from BitTorrent. The A-100 box can handle almost any format you’d like, such as ASF, WMV, MOV, Xvid MPEG1/2/4, MP3, AVI, Matroska and more. It also sports HDMI and SPDIF coax digital audio outputs. Currently, the Popcorn Hour is lacking, so if you want to get yours, sign-in and get a number straight off their website.

[via boingboing]

If you own a wifi enabled device such as iphone, ipod touch Nokia N-Series, HTC smartphones or any other wifi media player, this is your moment to cheer up, as PacketVideo introduced its new mobile broadcasting receiver, enabling mobile TVs to be displayed wirelessed on any mobile set with wifi connectivity, so if you’re making your favorite dish in your kitchen and afraid of losing your favorite show, just connect your unit and stream the video all the way to the cooking area. The PV will support DVB-H/MediaFLO broadcasting and TDtv/WiMAX streaming. The 6.4 x 1.8 x 4-cm block is expected to go live at the end of the year and i have the feeling it might change some of our TV watching spots.

[via engadget]

Another picture after the break.

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Nokia unveils the N96 3G Quad-Band GSM and HSDPA smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new handset is replacing the N95 and has the same N81 design, including the dual-slide action. The N96 is considered as the new flagship mobile from Nokia and will be competing on the multimedia-cellular spot. The device features the following specs:

• Display: 2.8” LCD, 16M color (320 x 240).
• OS: S60 3rd edition.
• Internal Memory: 16GB flash and 128MB RAM with microSD extension.
• Camera: 5MP with dual LED flash light.
• Connectivity: WiFi, aGPS, GPS with photo tagging and Bluetooth2.0 + EDR A2DP.
• Music: MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+ and WMA support.
• Video: MPEG-4, H.264, RealVideo, WMV9 and Flash Lite 3.0 support.
• Other Features: DVB-H TV tuner, Nokia Maps, stereo speakers.
• Dimensions: 103×55×18mm, 125gm.
• Availability: Q3 2008.
• Price: $797.

[via Nokia]

Another picture after the break.

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