Author: Paul Lamkin
LG announces the GC990 Louvre with 12-megapixel camera
If you’re a fan of the LG Viewty Smart then you’ll definitely be interested in the news coming out of Warsaw, yes Warsaw in Poland, regarding LG’s unveiling of their GC990 Louvre handset.
The GC990 Louvre has a 12-megapixel camera that is also capable of HD video recording – surely this makes the Louvre the best camera phone in the word ever, ever, ever.
The camera is without doubt this handsets main strength. It is capable of auto and touch focus, has a xenon flash, records 1280×720 HD video at 30fps. It has LG’s new Intellizoom feature and has ISO up to 3200. Photos are geo-tagged and there is zero shutter lag.
Moving on from the camera, the smartphone has Wi-Fi, A-GPS, Bluetooth and TV-out as well as a 3.2-inch touchscreen. It also supports DivX and Xvid.
It’s only a concept at the moment, LG state: “The GC900 or ‘Louvre’ mobile phone from LG is a great example of the type of mobile technology innovation LG is developing. There are no confirmed plans to bring it to market. As we have further details on our camera-phone portfolio or other mobiles, LG will provide information on where and when they will be available to consumers.”
When it does get released expect us to be all over it in the usual Tech Digest way.
(via GSMArena)
The LG HR400 – Blu-ray, Freeview HDD and YouTube all-in-one
LG has announced that the HR400 will be available at the end of this month. The HR400 is a Blu-ray DVD player, a Freeview receiver with recording onto a built-in HDD and it also streams YouTube videos without the need for a PC.
The Blu-ray is 1080p full HD and will also upscale your old DVDs. The Freeview element includes a 160GB HDD.
This really does do the job of two separate boxes and the YouTube feature is just a nice little bonus.
It will cost around £350 – which is fairly cheap considering the functionality. Find out more from LG.
(via T3)
Related posts: LG to launch 15-inch OLED in 2010 | REVIEW: LG 42LH5000 – 200Hz 42-inch LCD TV
RUMOUR: The Nokia 3720 Classic – a tough customer
Spec-wise the Nokia 3720 Classic is nothing to write home about – a handset with S40 OS, 2.2-inch screen, 3.2-megapixel camera, FM radio, Bluetooth and a microSD slot.
But it’s more than just another midrange Nokia release. It’s a rugged phone, designed to be both water and dust resistant. It will also withstand a bit of a bashing. The leaked photos show that it isn’t a bad looking phone either.
The following promo videos are rumoured to be of the Nokia 3720 – showing just how tough it is:
(via NokNok)
Ofcom releases 3G coverage maps
Spare a thought for people living in Scotland or Wales, or if you live in Scotland or Wales spare a thought for yourself. The 3G coverage maps released by Ofcom show a distinct lack of a 3G network in those areas. In fact there is a distinct lack of coverage in any rural area in the UK.
The maps show that 3 is the network with the most 3G coverage, closely followed by Orange. O2 comes last – supporting our theory that O2 is, in fact, a bit rubbish.
Ofcom said: “For 3G network coverage there is still a noticeable difference between rural and urban areas, and also between different parts of the UK, with coverage problems a particular issue in the devolved nations.”
3G is becoming ever more important, especially with the new generation of smartphones which rely on good coverage and fast connections in order for their features and apps to run smoothly. The maps paint a bleak picture of a network that isn’t really supporting the smart devices.
What’s the answer? Well, see these related posts for possible alternatives and solutions: Will WiMax or LTE win out? | Femtocells – much more than a signal booster
(via The Press Association)
Spammers using shortened URLs to spread their muck
Message Labs – part of internet security guru Symantec – is warning that shortened URLs are becoming an issue in terms of spam.
This graph shows how the inclusion of shortened URLs in spam email has increased from practically nothing a to almost 2% in just a few days:
Shortened URLs are perfect for spammers because not only do they mask dodgy sounding domain names that users would usually be wary of, they also help spam mail bypass anti-spam programmes. Services such as tinyurl are also free and require no registration.
Matt Sergeant from Message Labs, said: “The entire trust model of clicking on the URL is completely broken,” he said. He also said it was impossible to trust URLs on Twitter as many people retweet links, often without even clicking on them first themselves.
(via NYTimes)
Argonart unveils the Skull gaming PC
This Skull PC case is the work of Argonart – a Midlands-based company who specialise in custom built sculptures. The photo shows it in its early design stage – check out the video for a look at it in action.
The Skull is handmade out of 3mm aluminium alloy and is an example of a gaming PC casing that customers can have made to order. The spec of the PC is also up to the customer – although it would be pointless to have this scary-looking casing hosting a low-end PC. You want to be doing some serious gaming with a monster like this.
I particularly like the way the DVD drive comes out of the skull’s mouth whilst the eyes look menacingly on.
As far as customisable PC casings go – this is about the coolest I’ve seen. If you’re interested in having one made contact Argonart directly and get a quote. The skull design would set you back about £2,000 for the case.
RUMOUR: Mirco projectors coming to smartphones soon?
According to Taiwanese website DigiTimes, Foxlink – a subsidiary of Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn – is developing micro-projectors that will be integrated into smartphones, including the iPhone, in the near future.
They claim they have inside information that suggests that partners including Nokia, Samsung and Apple all plan to launch handsets with built-in micro projectors by the end of this year.
Micro-projectors would mean that a smartphones visual content such as photos and video are not confined to the small screen on the handset and can be projected onto any flat, light surface.
It’s an exciting prospect although there will be many annoyed Apple-fans out there if their iPhone 3GSs become dated within the year if Apple releases a new micro-projector iPhone.
(via DigiTimes)
Mobile marketing company want job applications via text
A Welsh mobile marketing company has advertised a job via Twitter for which it wants interested parties to apply via a single text message. That’s just 160 characters.
The job was advertised by Teimlo’s chief executive Phil Terrett like so:
Text JOB + y it should b u to 82088. 160 characters 2 make an impression! Cost 1 std rate txt, UK only. C teimlo.com
If you are comfortable with working for a company that advertises using text speak then you can reply with a standard text that should explain how you are “qualified, sassy, good with words, dynamite at events, Adobe compatible, have working knowledge of mobile and social media and are a determined multi-tasker and networker”
I’d personally go with: I’m qualified, sassy, brilliant at events, Adobe compatible, have working knowledge of mobile and social media and I am a determined multi-tasker and networker.
What I did was basically copy their requirements word for word. I changed “dynamite” for brilliant because I thought dynamite sounded a bit Alan Partridge-esque and I eliminated “good with words” because there wasn’t space. Plus, by changing “dynamite” I had already demonstrated that I was good with words.
Should applicants be successful, they will be invited to an interview where, hopefully, normal language will be used. If it isn’t, well, ROFLMAO.
(via ITPro)
Twitter enters Collins English Dictionary
The word Twitter is to appear in the forthcoming Collins English Dictionary as both a verb and a noun:
Twitter – verb: to write short messages on the Twitter website.
Twitter – noun: a website where people can post short messages about their current activities.
The word Twitterati, which refers to the elite users of Twitter, such as Stephen Fry and Ashton Kutcher who attract a large following, will also be entered as will Twitterverse which defines the whole Twitter phenomenon.
Elaine Higgleton, Collins editorial director, said: “Hardly a day goes by when you don’t see some Twitter-related article. Hence I find it entirely unsurprising that this year we have not one Twitter-related entry in the dictionary, but three.”
Every year we see these sorts of stories where the latest fad phrases are entered into the dictionary and every year I get a bit annoyed. Yogalates was added last year. Yogalates. sigh.
I suppose Twitter is a valid entry – but Twitterati and Twitterverse? What’s the point?
(via The Telegraph)
1 vs 100 on Xbox LIVE begins on Friday
Microsoft has announced that the “largest interactive gameshow in the world” – 1 vs 100 – is to launch in beta this Friday.
Xbox 360 LIVE Gold subscribers, who are aged 18 or over, will have the chance to compete against thousands of other players to win real prizes including a Fiat 500 and Samsung Q210 notebook during the two-hour show.
The game, which is based on the Endemol gameshow which airs in the UK before the National Lottery draw will have a regular schedule for gamers to tune in for. Adam Valkin, Endemol’s global head of media and new business said: “Endemol is very excited to be working with Xbox LIVE to bring the global hit TV game show 1 vs 100 to a new audience. We’re also delighted that Microsoft has chosen a flagship Endemol format to launch its groundbreaking new platform, which takes interactivity and social gaming to a new level.”
Let us know how you get on if you play 1 vs 100 this Friday.
(via CasualGaming & Microsoft)
