New ZuneHD Pictures & Details

Some more Zune HD information has trickled into our inbox, and while we do not, in general, cover PMP’s, Zune seems inextricably linked with the future of Windows Mobile, so its probably a valid topic of conversation here.

From our limited information, it seems the Zune HD will feature a lot of what Windows Mobile owners have long been waiting for.

The Zune HD will have a capacitive, multi-touch OLED screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and TV out, from what looks to be a HDMI port on the side. The radio will now be HD and the device will support HD media playback, which will be available from the updated Zune Marketplace.

The Zune HD will also support 3D Xbox games, but it is unclear what form this will take.

The device will come in 16 and 32 GB versions, and will support wireless sync. It will also finally come with a browser that supports multi-touch.

Photo Gallery: iMageEazy.com

Samsung Reveals Huge Range of New LCD and Plasma HD Tellies

I knew that not long after reeling off LG's massive line of new HDTVs then along would come someone else with lots of TVs to brag about.

That's Samsung.

Here we go, then, with the latest high definition TVs from the South Korean technology giant.

First on the list is the new 8000, 7000, and 6000 Series of LED HDTVs which boast better environmental credentials and over 40% less energy usage to LCD TVs of a similar size. Fortunately, Dan's already done a sterling job reviewing these tellies so I'll move on to Samsung's other new displays.

Samsung has shown off two new series of plasma TVs -- the Series 8 and Series 6 -- which it claims are the world's thinnest 1080p-resolution plasma sets with built-in digital TV tuners, at just over an inch thick.

The Series 8 sets features a chrome-like translucent surface encasing the bezel that magnifies the light like a prism and causes it to reflect varying colours.

The Series 6 features a semi-transparent rose black hued frame and curved edges, plus a reinforced glass stand.

source : www.techdigest.tv

Palm Unveils 'Pre' Smartphone Device, New OS

Palm Thursday unveiled the "Pre" smartphone, more similar to an iPhone than a Treo in looks, and a new operating system called Palm webOS, with hopes that both will keep the venerable but struggling company in the smartphone race.

The Pre — rhymes with "tree" — has a 3.1-inch touchscreen but also comes with a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard.

Palm executive chairman Jon Rubinstein unveiled the device, which will be carried by Sprint, at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It should be available the first half of this year, and no price has been set yet.

source : msnbc.msn.com

Dell officially unveils Adamo, Mini 10

Dell trotted out a fashion model to show off the newest addition to its notebook lineup, but beyond explaining the name of Adamo, gave no further details.

Though rumors about Adamo circulated in December, Dell wouldn't confirm its existence. At its press conference here on the second day of CES, the PC maker did that--and only that.

Here's what we know: Adamo is sleek, thin, and black. And it's not a Netbook, meaning there's no Atom processor inside. But which processor is inside, company officials wouldn't say. And it will be for sale at retail locations sometime in the first half of the year.

Dell will say that it focused heavily on the industrial design of the notebook, using top-of-the-line materials. Based on what's outside, we can assume it's at the higher end of the spectrum, performance-wise. "It will have the better capabilities you'd expect," Senior Vice President of Consumer Products Alex Gruzen offered.

source : news.cnet.com

Panasonic Shows off Thin Plasma TV Prototype

LCD TVs aren't the only TVs that can be thin. On Wednesday, Panasonic demonstrated a plasma TV set that is one-third of an inch thin -- or 8.8 millimeters -- at the thinnest part of its profile.

The 50-inch prototype TV supports a resolution of up to 1080 lines, and can either be mounted on the wall or suspended from a ceiling.

The set also comes with support for WirelessHD, which can transmit full HD video, audio and control signals wirelessly, according to Panasonic. That means the tuner box doesn't have to be connected to the TV using wires.

But don't hold your breath for the set to show up in an electronics store near you any time soon. Plasma TVs this thin might not start shipping until 2010, at the earliest, according to Panasonic.

source : www.pcworld.com

Panasonic Introduces 3D FHD System TV

Today at Consumer Electronics Show home entertainment hardware manufacturers, Panasonic, debuted their complete full-HD 3D home theater system. The system, which is billed as the first full-HD system in the world, comprises of a 103-inch plasma display, and a specialized Blu-ray player capable of delivering two full-1080p images to each eye. The key to Panasonic’s claim of bringing the world’s 100% 3D HDTV system is the Blu-ray player, which processes both the left and right images as if they were coming from two independent players. The other major portion of the equation is a pair of active shutter glasses that synchronize with the display. The display is then capable of delivering the two dedicated images to the corresponding lenses.

source : www.hdtvnew.com

Apple iTunes goes all DRM free, with three price tiers

Apple announced today that effective immediately 8 million songs on iTunes would be DRM free, and that by the end of the quarter all 10 million songs on the popular music site would be DRM free. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management, otherwise known as copy protection. DRM-free music can be shared between all your devices without complicated registration and proprietary software.

In addition, iTunes songs will no longer cost a flat $0.99. There will be three tiers: $0.69, $0.99, and $1.29 starting on April 1st. You can expect to see older releases at the lower price point, and newer releases at the higher one. The removal of DRM and the flexibility on prices is a compromise worked out between Apple and the music industry.

source : blogs.zdnet.com

New HP Ultraportable First to Use AMD Neo Chip

Another Netbook? No, not exactly. Hewlett-Packard's new Pavilion dv2 is an ultraportable, thank you. And the new Athlon Neo silicon inside from Advanced Micro Devices will try to prove that point.

AMD is introducing new chips at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that target the no-man's land between Netbooks and notebooks. Typically, these designs are referred to as ultraportables--the most salient examples being Apple's MacBook Air, the Toshiba Portege, and the Sony Vaio TT series.

So what makes AMD's platform different? In one word, price. Ultraportables fall into the boutique category of laptops: very stylish, very slim, very light--and very expensive. Usually ranging between $1,500 and $3,000. HP's notebook with Athlon Neo silicon cuts the price in half. The Pavilion dv2 will start at $699 and top out at $899 for standard configurations.

Read more : news.cnet.com

Google launches Picasa for the Mac!

Last week I blogged about a piece of information that was handed to me:

“… A Mac version of Picasa will be launched this year at Macworld …”

It turns out that Google did indeed launch Picasa at this year’s Macworld Expo, and it looks great. I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, but I will surely be installing it on my Macbook tonight.

today, we’re releasing Picasa for Mac. While we’ve previously offered both a standalone Picasa Web Albums uploader and an iPhoto plugin for Mac users, Picasa for Mac finally brings all of the advanced sharing and sync features of Picasa to the millions of Mac OS X users who use Picasa Web Albums. Not to mention the “it-slices-and-dices” feature list that covers everything from color balance to collages.

Read more : blogs.zdnet.com

Intel & Adobe Announced Flash-Enabled HDTV

Technology providers are increasingly working to take broadband video to user TV sets. The latest evidence? A partnership announced by Intel and Adobe that will embed Flash technology into TVs and other consumer electronic devices that use Intel processors.

The companies will work on fine-tuning the “Light” version of the Flash Player for Intel’s Media Processor CE 3100.

These efforts, according to a statement from Intel, will “provide consumers with richer and more seamless Web-based and video viewing experiences through advanced Intel-based cable set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc players, digital TVs and retail connected AV devices.”

Read more : www.hdtvnew.com

Android Netbooks: Fact or Fiction?

A couple of freelance writers for the blog VentureBeat say they have ported Google's Android operating system to an Asus Eee PC. But does this constitute a new trend in Netbooks?

Matthäus Krzykowski and Daniel Hartmann said in a post Thursday that they compiled, in four hours, the open-source Android operating system for an Asus Eee PC 1000H Netbook. The two run a start-up called Mobile-facts.

In somewhat breathless prose here's what the authors conclude about Android on Netbooks: "For (a) myriad of (Silicon Valley) software companies, it means a well-backed, open operating system that is open and ripe for exploitation for building upon. Now think of Chrome, Google's Web browser, and the richness it allows developers to build into the browser's relationship with the desktop--all of this could usher in a new wave of more sophisticated Web applications, cheaper and more dynamic to use."

Read more : news.cnet.com

Samsung Launch 7 HDTV at CES Show

South Korean tech giant Samsung is expected to come out with their latest range of HD Television sets.

The company is likely to showcase several new models at the upcoming CES show.

Market sources claim that Samsung is going to introduce one new 3-series model, three new 4-series TVs, two new 4-series models and four 6-series sets.

The company is also said to be planning to launch a new 7-series model, the 7U at this upcoming event.

Read more : www.hdtvnew.com

Intel Core i7 Desktops Dominate PC Charts

Intel's new quad-core Core i7 processors were only launched in late November, but desktop systems featuring the CPUs--from the likes of Dell, Falcon Northwest, Micro Express, and others--have already made an impact on PC World's Top 10 charts.

As explained in "Getting to the Core of Intel's New Core i7 CPUs," these new processors are the company's first to be based on its long-previewed "Nehalem" architecture. The Core i7 family doesn't just mean new CPUs, they use a new chipset, a new system bus, and a new socket structure; Intel's first major technology jump since mid-2006, when Core 2 CPUs showed up on the scene.

Read more : www.pcworld.com

Windows 7 May Add Spice to CES

Software could overshadow gadgets at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show, with Microsoft expected to shed light on its upcoming Windows 7 OS.

The financial meltdown may also be lingering topic as tech vendors gather to flaunt products at the show in Las Vegas, hoping to show enough glitter and sparkle to bring them better fortunes in the new year. Attendees will pour over the latest technologies, including OLED (organic light-emitting diode) TVs, netbooks, smartphones, media players, and other entertainment devices.

Read more : www.pcworld.com

Android apps that aren't on the iPhone

Track your carbon footprint in a day or sing your own ringtone on the spot

Two months after the first Android phone was released, there are more than 400 free programs from which to choose and the promise of more handsets coming that use the open-source operating system.

The number of “apps,” or applications, is anemic compared to Apple’s App Store for the iPhone, which launched in July. It has more than 10,000 programs now, from finance to games, some paid, some free.

Read more : www.msnbc.msn.com