Sony Ericsson C905A Mobile Phone

The Sony Ericsson C905a is a true Cyber-shot camera phone. In addition to its 8.1-megapixel sensor, it features face detection, auto-focus, a Xenon flash, PictBridge printer support, and GPS tagging—all great for snapping off important shots whenever you don't have that point-and-shoot handy. The C905a's feature array puts it in direct competition with the Motorola MotoZINE ZN5 and the Samsung Behold SGH-T919, T-Mobile's pair of heavy-hitting camera phones. In fact, the C905a fills a hole in AT&T's otherwise diverse handset lineup; none of the carrier's other devices can take pictures like this one.

The C905a is a bit bulky. It 4.1 by 1.9 by 0.7 inches and weighs 4.8 ounces. That's not terrible, but something to keep in mind when comparing it to other feature phones. My test model was nicely finished in Ice Silver plastic; you can also get the C905a in Night Black or Copper Gold. Plenty of useful, chrome-finished shortcut buttons adorn the sides, though the proprietary charger connector and lack of a standard-size 3.5mm headphone jack were disappointments.

The 2.4-inch screen features 240-by-320-pixel resolution and displays up to 262K colors. Below the LCD are a five-way control pad and six hardware buttons. Unfortunately, the Send and End buttons are in between the others, so careful aim is required. Slide the front panel up and you'll reveal a recessed, membrane keypad finished in matte black. The keys are quiet, but a little too stiff for easy dialing. The slider mechanism itself was solid, though, and snapped into place with a reassuring chuck. There's a built-in accelerometer, which was useful for navigation as well as gaming. In short, not the most ergonomic phone on the planet, but perfectly usable.
The C905a is a quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) GSM and tri-band (850/1900/2100) HSDPA handset. That means it's a true world phone with high-speed data capability both here and overseas. Voice calls sounded clear and loud in both directions, with good wind resistance, although slightly on the nasal side through the earpiece. Reception was solid, with a lock on 3G even in a rural area of Massachusetts that trips up other AT&T handsets. The speakerphone was a tad harsh but had decent volume, and the C905a sounded fine through a Plantronics Voyager Pro Bluetooth headset. Battery life was on the low side at 3 hours and 46 minutes.

The home screen features colorful, alternating wallpapers that fade in and out every few seconds. Once you dive into the user interface, it's easy enough to get around. But that's mainly due to redundancy; the C905a features the same triple-menu, jam-packed system that plagues unlocked Sony Ericsson W995a. It could use some serious editing, but at least it's responsive. There are a few nice sounding ringtones on board, and plenty of options for buying new ones or assigning your own MP3 or AAC files. The NetFront Web browser is good enough for WAP sites and offers a mouse cursor. But it made a mess of desktop sites and took forever to load them even over HSDPA.
The C905a is AT&T's only camera phone with more than 3 megapixels, so it's by far the best the carrier has to offer. The 8-megapixel camera has lots of options (including face detection) and a very powerful flash for a camera phone. It lit up simulated indoor and night shots surprisingly well. But in outdoor daylight, the default exposure metering washes out bright areas and the edges of things appear just a touch soft. Thanks to the much better low-light performance, this camera comes out ahead of the W995a, but I still prefer the Samsung Memoir's daylight photos. You can tweak your photos after the fact with Sony Ericsson's PhotoDJ software, which lets you alter levels, fix contrast, or add captions.

The C905a's autofocus comes at the cost of a painful 1.4 second shutter delay, which can be eliminated by pre-focusing—it's all the desperately slow autofocus mechanism. Sony's BestPic technology is supposed to give you the option to take photos both before and after you click the shutter, but autofocus killed that option: with BestPic and autofocus, I just ended up taking photos 1.7 to 2.8 seconds after I pressed the shutter.

The movie mode takes compressed-looking and somewhat washed out 320x240 videos at 30 frames per second, but with a bonus: the VideoDJ editing software on the phone lets you trim and paste together videos without using your PC. However, the iPhone 3GS has a much better video mode, though its still image capabilities fall far behind the C905a's.

The BlackBerry Bold is a messaging and e-mail powerhouse and also offers more screen resolution than the C905a, but it looks dowdy compared to the Sony Ericsson's sharp lines. In short, if you're tired of cell phones that take poor quality photos, the C905a should be at the top of your list.

Sony Walkman NWZ-W202

Music Rocks! Rock Music rocks the most. So its rocking time for all music lovers as Sony has launched a new walkman series, the "W-Series".

Sony is starting a new range of Walkman players, the W-series, and the first of them, the W202 has landed recently. This attractive player has been primarily designed for those who like to listen to their music while exercising, and hence features a unique wireless, behind the neck type of design that rests on your ears. This gives you the freedom of going about your activities without having to worry about the player in your pocket or wires coming in your way. It also features the new Zappin feature that lets you listen to few seconds of a song for you to identify it.

The Sony NWZ-W202 is no headset. It is a full-fledged MP3 player built-into that small frame, which is hardly bigger than the S9. On the right speaker unit are the controls for the player. This includes a jog dial for going to the next and previous track. Pressing the jog dial briefly pauses the music. A long press on the jog dial activates the Zappin feature. Beside the dial are the volume control keys and next to them is the miniUSB port for connecting to the stand.

On the back of the right speaker is the switch for Shuffle mode. There is also a small LED light for showing the player and battery status. A small reset button also resides close by.To switch off the player the two units need to be connected to each other. The speakers stick together with the help of magnets. There is a white LED that blinks when the speakers are connected. It also blinks when the player is connected to PC and charging or transferring data. One of the best parts about the W202 is that Sony has used their high quality EX Series speakers. They promise excellent audio quality and isolation from the surrounding noise. The player is very light, which is good since it will be resting on your ears. Figuring out how to wear the player is difficult at first. You have to hold them with the speakers facing you, then open the player, take it behind your neck and then slip the speakers in your ears. The design is supposed to be sweat resistant, however it is not splash or dust resistant, so you cannot wear it in the rains.
The Sony NWZ-W202 has a very simple control and navigation system. The jog dial lets you skip to the next or previous song. While running, one is not likely to be subtle with the controls, so Sony has made it such that you need to give the dial a nice strong whirl to register an input. Pressing the dial pauses or plays the music. The volume controls are next to the dial. The volume controls have raised push points, the Volume - has a small point and the Volume + has a taller point. This lets you know by touch which button you are pressing, even though you cannot see the buttons while wearing the player.

Available in a range of five different colours, the W202 doesn’t have earphone wires that tangle over each other and it is highly flexible and by that we mean that the position of its earphones are not fixed liked those of Oakley’s sunglasses, fitting heads of all shapes and sizes!
Giving the final word, the Sony NWZ-W202 is an excellent device for those who want something to accompany them on their gym sessions. It has an attractive design, simple controls, good audio quality and the battery life is superb for such a small device. The Zappin feature is good for identifying a song but it could have been far better. I hope they add playlist support in v2.0 of this feature. Priced at Rs. 4,990 (M.R.P.) the W202 is a bit on the expensive side, especially when you consider the memory capacity available. But when you consider the pros and the fact that you don't really need more than 2 GB for gym usage, then the W202 would seem as a much better buy, which it is.

LG Crystal GD900 - The Crystal Clear Transparent Mobile Phone

Technology has no bounds. Proving the saying right is the all new flashy and swanky phone from LG, the LG Crystal. This LG Crystal pertains attributes that go well with its name "CRYSTAL". The LG Crystal GD900 sports an unbelievable transparent keypad. This transparent, slide-out keypad is no gimmick. It is a true extension of a touch screen phone created by LG. LG has christened it 'Crystal'.

LG Crystal (LG-GD900) is a unique concept. It is a premium phone with a slithering glass swagger about it. The see-through tempered glass is a keypad with a cool glow to be visible in any light condition.

It is made of highly durable tempered glass and is framed and reinforced by a band of liquid-metal, a composite alloy that is ultra-strong and able to absorb shock and vibration. It is sleek, slender and has seamlessly placed volume and camera button on the sides.

But LG Crystal is not just a pretty face. Not only does it dish up the digits, the keypad also transforms itself into a laptop style mouse pad that offers easy phone browsing and navigation. With the first of its kind shortcut method, this glow-transparent-pad can create magic. Just drag your finger to write an alphabetic letter, maybe an 'M' on the keypad, and watch the music menu come alive on the screen.

Once you've reached your favourite song, you can savour it in the best audio quality. LG Crystal gives you Dolby surround sound and more options to hear your song. Crystal uses LG's signature S-Class user interface. It has a 3D cube style menu that is always a pleasure to navigate.

The menu can also be viewed in a simple format. It is laid in four categories for easy access. Contacts and music widgets can be viewed in a pretty reel format. It is no less than a smart phone. Crystal offers quick shortcut features for emails like copy and paste, you can do that with messages and notepad.
Viewing online pages is a breeze with the keypad gesture control and easy zoom in and out options. There is handwriting recognition as well. Multimedia features are aplenty.

LG Crystal has a 8 mega pixel snapper, video record with various light controlling and speed controlling options. There is Google Maps, YouTube and FM player. Fun features are quite different from other phones in the games section. There are motion sensing games and the bubble game. Blow wind on the phone to activate the bubbles.
The Salient Features Of LG Crystal Are:

* Transparent touch pad
* Gesture command on touch pad
* 3D S-Class user interface
* LCD touch screen
* 8 megapixel camera

Even a simple feature like calender and organizer, that one uses daily, is given a new design. Date, time and memo format look smart and fun to use. All in all this Crystal will creat magic in the mobile market in India when it launches in August.

A little birdie told that the LG Crystal will be priced around Rs 30,000.

LG HB954TB - The Blu-Ray Home Theater

The Silicon Valley of India brought up a new buzz today with an all new silicon wonder from LG. LG Electronics has launched HB954TB - Blu-ray home theater system and BD370 - Blu-ray player, which allows users to access internet as well. "The launch marks LG's entry into a new and developing, but promising market of Blu-ray technology enabled products. The overall Blu-ray market is growing every year, and the rising popularity of full HD TVs is also driving expansion in the market. More and more people are looking for players and content, which use the full potential of their new systems," said Amitabh Tiwari, Business Group and Marketing Head, Home Entertainment, LGEIL.

HB954TB provides clarity in audio and video as well as access to diverse content from Blu-ray discs to YouTube instant streaming. It has 5.1 channel surround sound system and is fully compatible with Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD Master Audio: Essential. It also has optimized modes for different TV program genres and a special equalizer setting for videogames. Also, through an alliance with YouTube, LG opens up even more options for streaming millions of web videos directly to the TV. Consumers can enjoy content without having to connect to a PC.

Main Features

iPod Docking System

BD Live (Profile 2.00)

2 HDMI Input

USB Directing Recording & Play

Front Subwoofer

Sound Gallery

Speacially Tuned by Mr. Mark Levinson

Pure HD Audio Dolby Digital

True HD & dts HD Master

The Design

Parabola Speaker System

Elegant Glossy Plating Features

The Sound

Total 1,000W (RMS) (155Wx5 + 255)

Total 10,000W (PMPO)

VSM (Virtual 10.1ch Sound)

LG Sound Gallery

(VSM Plus, MP3 Scaling, Bass Booster/Up, Night Mode, Clear Voice, Game Equalizer, Cinema Mode)

The Picture

HDMI 1.3 Deep Color

Full HD 1080p Up Scaling

This home theatre system allows users to even connect their ipod. It also has powerful speakers and subwoofer and one can quickly browse through the iPod music library using the home theater system's remote control. HB954TB also has the capacity to transform standard-definition DVDs to full HD 1080p resolution via HDMI up-scaling.

Priced at Rs.19,990 the Blu Ray Player BD 370 can play a variety of formats like MPEG4 video, JPEG, MP3 and WMA. HB954TB Home theatre is priced at Rs.51,990.

3D Digital Camera will now be Real - Fujifilm 3D Digital Camera To Set The Trend

A lot has changed in the world of photography over the years. I remember when the coolest camera on the market was that Polaroid that took pictures that you had to shake. Digital cameras came along not long after than with all the good that came along with it.

The arrival of digital photography over a decade ago opened up so many new ways of enjoying images, not only through capture, but also through manipulation, printing and display. Sales of digital cameras, and other devices like camera phones or webcams have raced ahead of what experts had expected because of the sheer scope of what has become possible in digital imaging. So many more consumers are enjoying photography through their cameras, PCs and prints than was the case in the heyday of film.

Fujifilm is determined to push those boundaries yet further, to produce devices which offer new ways to capture and process images, to expand consumer enjoyment of photography in ways that had hitherto only been imagined.

Fujifilm was one of the early digital camera pioneers and the company is set to launch a new camera that may well usher in the next era in digital photography. The camera is called the FinePix Real 3D System and it allows you to shoot 3D images.
The company has a strong research program currently running to improve every aspect of capture and output. This is based on the broad concept of producing images as lifelike as possible, or more simply, ‘capturing an image exactly as your eye sees it.’ The ‘Real Photo Technology’ program is determined to improve key quality metrics for each generation of camera, like ‘high resolution with low noise,’ ‘expanded wide dynamic range,’ ‘intelligent scene recognition,’ ‘intelligent flash,’ ‘face detection’ etc, culminating in the announcement this September of a new type of sensor, Fujifilm Super CCD EXR, which will take image quality to levels hitherto undreamed of.

Previous 3D systems were hampered by poor image quality, and a cumbersome user experience, which often meant the need for special 3D glasses. One major benefit of the FinePix Real 3D System is that for digital camera LCD playback, display and print, the consumer can enjoy the image just as it was originally seen with the naked eye

The same research team is determined to use these key technologies to open up a new market with 3D imaging. The new 3D image system features advanced image signal processing and micro-component technologies, and is so far able to demonstrate a camera, a viewing panel and a 3D printing system.

The camera uses dual lenses and has a 10-megapixel resolution. To view the 3D images users can put them on a special 3D enabled digital photo frame or print them with a special 3D printing process that needs no glasses to view. The downside is that the camera will cost $600 with the frame for showing the images selling for about $200 and the prints said cost under $5 each.

The Technology Behind the 3D Camera
The 3D camera depends heavily on a newly developed chip called the ‘Real Photo Processor 3D’ which synchronizes the data passed to it by both sensors, and instantaneously blends the information into a single high quality image, for both stills and movies.

‘Built-in 3D auto’ determines optimal shooting conditions from both sensors. 3D auto means that as soon as the shutter is depressed, key metrics for the image, such as focus, zoom range, exposure, etc, are synchronized. The camera is also fitted with built-in synchro control, giving 0.001-second precision for shutter control and movie synchronization.

The processor uses the very latest technologies of high sensitivity and high resolution as the newest 2D processors. Special identical high quality compact Fujinon lenses have been developed for the 3D system to ensure complete conformity between the left and right images.

Viewing with the FinePix Real 3D System
A new 8.4 inch, “FinePix Real 3D Photo Frame” with over 920,000 pixels has also been developed. The LCD monitor on the camera and the stand alone display panel share similar technologies in that the problem of screen flickering and image ghosting, which has beset earlier developments, has been solved, giving crisp, high resolution viewing of images in glorious 3D or standard 2D. A newly developed “light direction control module” in the back of the LCD controls light to right eye and left eye direction. This light direction control mechanism enables easy and high quality 3D viewing without special 3D glasses.

Printing with the FinePix Real 3D System
Using know-how gained through years of development of Fujifilm Frontier, Fujifilm have developed a 3D printing system using a fine pitch lenticular sheet giving highprecision, and fine quality multiple viewpoint 3D like never before.

New dimensions in imaging mean a wealth of new possibilities which will revolutionise the way consumers enjoy imaging. Fujifilm is determined to leverage it considerable technical resources to explore 3D in everyway possible, to produce products that expand the imaging market, while at the same time, give future generations of consumers an even richer imaging experience than was conceived at the dawn of the digital age.

The Playstation Wonder - Scribblenauts

Scribblenauts is an upcoming emergent puzzle action video game in development by 5TH Cell and conceptualized by game designer Jeremiah Slaczka for the Nintendo DS. The game is published through Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and is to be released on September 15, 2009. It is the third Nintendo DS video game made by 5TH Cell, the first two being Drawn to Life and Lock's Quest. The objective of Scribblenauts, as implied by its catchphrase "Write Anything, Solve Everything", is to complete puzzles to collect "Starites", helped by the player's ability to summon a large variety of objects by writing an object's name on the touchscreen.

Scribblenauts is a platformer-cum-puzzle game that stole the limelight at this year's E3. It made such an impression, that wit outshined heavyweights such as Splinter Cell: Conviction and God of War III. Since then, we've had a chance to spend some more time with this delightful DS game, and we're pleased to report that it's still a unique experience to savor.
If you're unfamiliar with Scribblenauts, then this isn't your typical, run-of-the-mill experience. It's a mix of platformer and puzzle game, but what makes it so special is how you actually play. You write words using the stylus on the touch screen, and then the item you've written will appear in front of you. You can then use these objects to help solve the puzzles you're presented with; in other words, it's a completely new concept in video games.

Naturally, there are a few limitations to the system. The game won't recognise names, places, shapes, root words, and mature or vulgar content, and anything that's copyrighted can't be used. There's also a limit to how many objects you can place in a level because each object takes up a certain amount of the onscreen memory bar. It's easy to delete an item and start again simply by dragging and dropping the item into a trash can on the touch screen. On one level, we tried writing "fly spray" and "repellent" on a fly, but in this case, "bug spray" and "insect spray" were the acceptable solutions. The sheer amount of objects in the database is amazing, and while you may stump it occasionally (for example, Devonshire tea appears in the form of a cup of tea), this is usually the exception to the rule.

Given that 5th Cell also developed Drawn to Life, it's not surprising that both games have a similar art style, with Scribblenauts boasting a rough, hand-drawn style that suits the game perfectly. The most impressive aspect of the game's visuals is that all of the objects we drew actually looked pretty much as we expected and could be instantly recognised despite the DS's low-resolution screen.

Scribblenauts is coming to the Nintendo DS this September! So, the wait is worth the time.

Panasonic HDC-HS350 - 240GB Camcorder

Panasonic is pushing limits of camcorders every time they are planning a new one. Here is the latest one – the deeply impressing Panasonic HDC-HS350. It has got it's first leak today so unfortunately there is not much to say about it apart from what is written on its body. It is all covered in writings like a sports car, which it actually is, but only from the world of digital cameras. No info on price or availability yet, but we expect it leak also in the closest time.

Panasonic HDC-HS350 is AVCHD capable camcorder. Mind you, that AVCHD is a recording and playback format patented by Panasonic for compressing MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 media files. In plain English it means that the record quality is same as on a Blu-Ray disk. More on recording, HDC-HS350 sports 3Mos 10.6 megapix sensor, Advanced O. I. S., Random iA and 12x optical zoom thanks to LEICA lenses.

Still, the best about HS350 is not recording quality. It is, no other word, massive amount of storage – 240GB! It means it would record HD video at 17Mbps in 1920 x 1080 resolution for whopping 31 hours 40 minutes. If it is not enough, 100 hours are also possible, but only in 1440 x 1080 at 6Mbps. It all brings to battery which should be taken from a hybrid SUV to tough out long enough. But, of course, it isn't and that's an issue. And why then not to put a smaller SSD in it?