Gallery: new Sony VAIO ranges
Sony’s new CW series is available in several different colours including blue, red, pink and white, as well as a gloss black step up model with Blu-Ray and 500Gb hard drive. There’s a 16:9 14inch widescreen X-black LCD screen with LED backlight and an on-board NVIDIA GeForce graphics to handle HD video editing and 3D games.
Three buttons just above the keyboard give one-touch access to useful functions, including a button to start surfing in seconds without waiting for the PC’s operating system to boot up and a VAIO button which launches Media Gallery, letting you browse digital photos, videos and music tracks.
Also on board is an HDMI output which connects the VAIO to any BRAVIA for enjoying big-screen movies on your HDTV and a web cam for crisp, clear video chatting with friends and family. The CW Series is available October 22nd.
Apple updates iPhone OS – now on to OS 3.1.2
Apple has just released a new update to its iPhone OS. OS 3.1.2 is a small update, but it should address the problems that some owners have had with OS 3.1. There's also an update for Pod Touch owners too….
FourSquare iPhone app arrives in London
Well, Foursquare lets you see little comments and tips that people have left pegged to locations in London. You too can leave these tips reader, call them geo-tagged tweets if you will. Like some kind of game, you get rewarded for leaving more tips by being given badges. You set up a minimal profile, and add friends and can also contact your friends over the service.
Spotify phone its way? Will the INQ mobile end up on 3?
INQ is working with Spotify on the phone which will be available via the Swedish Telia network. If the phone is more than vapourware it is a dead cert that it will end up being sold on the 3 network too like other INQ phones.
Sony L Series offers complete home entertainment package
Following the announcement of the beautiful and sleek X Series notebook PC, Sony has added further new PC-based products to its line up.
Designed as the focal point of the digital home, the new VAIO L Series of home entertainment PC incorporates a 24inch widescreen X-black LCD display complete with touch screen for control without the need of a mouse or keyboard.The wireless design also means that the L Series avoids any unsightly cables.
Other features include a Media Gallery which enables you to browse through digital images, videos and music tracks with drag and rotate gestures on the LCD touchscreen. Photos and videos can be viewed on a timeline or as events that cluster together all your images and clips from the same day, such as a birthday or wedding. Media Gallery even remembers your preferences, suggesting other images, videos and music based on your browsing history and content metadata.
VAIO Movie Story automatically selects and splices together highlights from your HD camcorder footage, ready for burning to Blu-ray Disc or DVD for sharing with friends and family. And the new Music Player features SensMe technology that automatically analyses your music collection, sorting tracks into channels to suit any mood.
The VAIO L Series boasts two 5.5W speakes and wireless S‑Master Digital Amplifier technology deliver a richly-detailed soundstage. There’s also a wireless keyboard with a dedicated ‘VAIO’ button that instantly launches the Media Gallery application. Analogue video and HDMI inputs are provided for hooking up to a games console.
The VAIO L Series all-in-one home PC is available from 22nd October 2009.
KEY FEATURES
* VAIO L Series: premium HD home entertainment PC
* Chic, space-saving all-in-one design
* Super-size, high resolution 24″ LCD touchscreen for intuitive fingertip control
* Explore and enjoy your media collection with Media Gallery
Sony X series – a light and very sexy looking laptop
Billed as the world’s lightest notebook (until the next one comes along that is) Sony’s latest 11.1inch laptop tips the scales at just 655g and is 13.9mm slim.
Designed primarily for the business traveller, the X Series is available in three finishes: gold, black and premium carbon. Customers can choose the specifications that suit them best and create their own personal VAIO X with ‘VAIO by you’ custom ordering from Sony’s website.
Sony claims that because the chassis is sculpted in tough, light carbon fibre it is both strong and incredibly light. The aluminium palm rest is designed to provide a stable base for comfortable, error-free typing on the keyboard while a new multi-finger touchpad simplifies navigation through your files.
The 11.1inch X-black widescreen LCD with LED backlight technology offers high contrast and true-to-life colours, reckons Sony, while thanks to its extremely low voltage processor and power-efficient LCD panel, the VAIO X Series offers approximately 8 hours of charge. An optional extended X battery accessory boosts stamina further still, up to 16 hours of battery life.
When away from a Wi-Fi hotspot, the VAIO Everywair WWAN lets users stay connected with high-speed access to 3G HSPA mobile broadband networks at download speeds up to 7.2 Mbps. Two USB, Gigabit Ethernet and VGA ports are complemented by 802.11 b/g/Draft n and Bluetooth connectivity. There’s also a mic, headphone jack and card slots for Memory Stick and SD media. A 2.25mm Motion Eye camera is provided for videoconferencing with clients and colleagues.
The Vaio X series runs Genuine Windows 7 Professional while Energy Star 5.0 rating reduces your carbon footprint. Optional accessories include a luxurious slip case in genuine leather, external USB DVD drive and a wireless mouse.
The VAIO X Series notebook PC is available from November 2009.
LG launches affordable Blu-Ray home cinema system
From LG comes a Blu-Ray based home cinema system. The HB954SP offers Full HD 1080p playback, 1000W of power and 5.1 channel output with five oval satellite speakers.
LG's latest system offers one click access to YouTube and and an iPhone/iPod docking/charging station. LG Sound Gallery offers seven sound settings including a night mode to turn off the bass so you do not wake sleeping children. Connections include two HDMI inputs for hook up other devices such as a game console, DVD recorder or HD satellite box.
This system will be available from November 2009 from major retailers and independents.
Photo sharing eye-fi cards come to UK
Already popular in the US, now Eye-Fi cards are coming to these shores. Though they look like normal memory cards, they are much more clever allowing you to upload photos and videos directly to your PC or the web as soon as they come into range of a wi-fi zone.
Three Eye-Fi cards will be available in the UK with a range of features: the Eye-Fi Home Video, the Eye-Fi Share Video and the Eye-Fi Pro, offering easy uploads for every photo lover, from the simple snapper to the photography enthusiast.
Says Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi, comments: “Because Eye-Fi eliminates the time and hassle, more than half of our users upload their photos and videos within 24 hours of capturing them. So, those memories are backed up, organized and shared with friends and family while they are still fresh.”
Are RSS, Posterous/Tumblr and constant linking killing Twitter?
For me the joy of Twitter is that it is one huge personalised RSS feed. You take all the people in the world that you find cool and interesting and then you get to see what they are reading. Everyone has a point of view and a right to share their content. That's what makes it fascinating.
Apple's Tablet PC (iTablet?) coming in February?
Its sources are saying that Foxconn Electronics, makers of the iPhone and the iPod, will be the manufacturing partner for a tablet PC device and it will go on sale in the first quarter of 2010. Apparently initial shipments will be in the 300,000-400,000 range, which sounds like fairly low number to me.
