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Even if you are the most die hard Apple fan, still you have to agree with me and many other people that Apple products are very expensive. Of course, you can give me this logic that quality comes to a certain price and I accept your argument. However, this is the time of economic recession and most people are not looking to buy expensive things. So, Microsoft has come out with an interesting advertisement to show people that Macbooks are expensive.
Well, I think that this is a very good a strategy from Microsoft but at the same time I cannot raise them for this kind of advertisement during that time of economic recession. But most people are worried about their future and jobs and That is why it is not a good idea to play with their emotion.
Microsoft officials should remember that if the consumers really want to save some money on technology budget then they should go for linux operating system which is free. Why should they pay $300.00 or even more for windows operating system and Microsoft office when you can get open office at the free of cost.
These innovative headphones use bone conduction to let you rock out without plugging your ears, but the audio quality could be better.
If you’ve ever had to endure repeatedly removing and once again donning your earbuds whenever someone speaks to you while you’re listening to music, Audio Bone has a solution. Its $189 pair of headphones uses the science of bone conduction, which transmit audio through your skull so you’ll no longer block out surrounding sound by having earbuds planted in your ear canals. However, the audio quality is slightly muffled and not very loud, and you’ll need to tinker with how you position these headphones to get the best sound.
Design
Our gray and black Audio Bone 1.0 headphones (also available in blue, orange, and white) feature a U-shaped design that wraps around the back of the head. Although the buds aren’t nestled in your ears, the 1.3-ounce headset sits firmly against the skull and doesn’t dislodge easily, even when jumping or running, which should prove enticing for athletes or fitness buffs. The four-foot cord is just long enough to reach a pants pocket on a six-foot individual. The headphones have a waterproof rating of 1XP7 (tested at 3 meters for 30 minutes), so it can deliver audio while submerged—provided your player can get soaked, too. Audio Bone also sells the headphones in limited-edition “fashion colors”—pink, lime, taupe, and purple—for an additional $30.
Bone-Conduction Technology and Audio Quality
Bone conduction transforms sound waves into vibrations that are heard in-ear, bypassing the eardrum (Audio Bone claims that this also lowers the chance of eardrum damage). We tested the audio quality by positioning the earbuds over the bones directly in front of our ears. When we fired up Duran Duran’s “Greatest Hits” playlist, high-end sounds lacked vibrancy, and the low-end sounds were lifeless. Also, while listening to the Retronauts’ podcast, we had to push our iPod touch’s volume to its limit in order to hear the conversations or music interludes.
Since these headphones don’t cover your ears, we were not only able to hear the podcast but also ambient noise, which was useful for keeping abreast of our surroundings when walking around Manahattan. We could hear the honks of cars and people chatting on a busy midtown Manhattan street, but still enjoy our music. Initially, it was odd hearing two different sound sources, but we quickly adjusted and were able to block one out when needed.
In extremely noisy locations, such as a subway, we couldn’t hear anything unless we placed the earbuds directly over our ears, which defeats the purpose of the bone-conducting technology. When we left the Audio Bone headphones on our temples and then inserted ear plugs, the audio improved dramatically. This method could come in handy on flights or other noisy locations where you’d like to block out the surrounding din.
Verdict
The $189 Audio Bone 1.0 headset frees you from having to remove your earbuds or headphones to rejoin the rest of the world. Its a bit pricey considering the less-than-stellar sound quality, but if you’re an athlete or an outdoors type and want a pair of headphones that will stay in place during heavy activity, the Audio Bone 1.0 headset is worth considering.
The world’s smallest MP3 player has a sleek design and strong sound quality, but the inline controls take some getting used to.
With its usual mind for style and superlative thinness, Apple released the third generation of its iPod shuffle with a sleek, aluminum body—and no buttons. In addition to being the first shuffle to support multiple playlists, it’s also the world’s first MP3 player to speak the names of songs. While the sound quality and VoiceOver feature are excellent, it’s a drag having to rely on the bundled earbuds, whose inline controls are awkwardly placed.
Design
To the untrained eye, the shuffle could easily be mistaken for a Bluetooth headset. Its rectangular 1.8 x 0.7 x 0.3-inch frame is impossibly thin, even with a stainless steel clip attached. At 0.4 ounces it’s so light that we were able to clip it to our clothes and forget it was there. As thin as it is, the clip clung tightly to our clothes, making it a low-maintenance choice for exercisers in particular.
The player, which comes in either silver or a charcoal gray, has a tough anodized aluminum exterior. Unlike the previous generation shuffle, it has no buttons: just a small switch on the side to turn the power off and toggle between shuffle mode and a regular mode that plays songs in the order they’re listed on a playlist. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack, which right now only works with the included earphones (more on that later).
Inline Controls
The latest shuffle borrows a design element from the iPhone: it places the controls not on the device itself, but on the cord to the earbuds. The inline controls include a small rocker with labeled volume controls on either end (the button to increase the volume is closer to the face; the decrease button, closer to the ground).
In the center is a multi-purpose button that you can click once to pause or play music, twice to skip forward, and three times to skip backward. Holding down the button will activate VoiceOver.
The controls are intuitive: if you’re skipping you have to press the button quickly in sequence. If you’re pausing the music, just pinch it; hold it down to start VoiceOver. Although the controls were easy to master, using them felt clumsy at times, as the rocker is too close to the face.
VoiceOver Technology
The new shuffle features VoiceOver, a technology originally developed to narrate onscreen text and processes for Mac owners who were either blind or had poor vision. The voice in the shuffle speaks the names of the current song and artist, as well as playlists (this is the first shuffle that supports multiple playlists). Users can choose from 14 languages.
If you think this feature sounds annoying, rest assured that the voice only speaks when you hold down the button in the center of the control pad. You can even disable it in the iTunes software (by default, it’s not enabled; you have to check a box during installation to turn it on).
When you hold down the button, the song fades to a lower volume while the voice says the name of the song. Although the default voice has a clearly masculine sound, it’s also unmistakably robotic: its cadence is stilted, and it occasionally botches syllables (its pronunciation of the artist “Eve,” for instance, sounded like a cross between “ere” and “ewe”). Nevertheless, he’s easy to understand.
Other than the ability to clarify what playlist you’re listening to, the appeal of this technology mostly lies in its novelty. Granted, in our vast, eclectic library we have several albums by artists, such as Billie Holiday, who we enjoy but don’t listen to often; in these cases, we appreciated being able to hold down the button and learn the name of the current song. But for the most part, we activated VoiceOver because it was unique (and because hearing its deadpan pronunciation of vulgar song titles is funny).
Sound Quality
The shuffle has a 4GB capacity, which Apple says can store up to 1,000 songs. For now, users can only listen to music on the player if they wear the included headphones (replacements cost $29). Apple is working with headphone manufacturers to create compatible headphones, which contain the same authentication chip, as well as adapters for older earphones.
We found the audio quality to be balanced and full, even while listening to an eclectic playlist that included rap, alternative rock, folk, and Motown. We listened to the same Ella Fitzgerald song on both the shuffle and our last-generation MacBook; although the orchestral interludes sounded slightly distant on the shuffle, both devices managed to hit all the right notes. In short, the sound quality is more than adequate for everyday users, and particularly the workout crowd Apple is targeting.
The earbuds don’t do a great job at blocking out ambient sound. While traveling on the New York City subway on the way to work, we had to raise the volume fairly high to hear our songs over the noise of the train as it pulled into the station. Fortunately, the music didn’t sound distorted at that level.
Battery Life and Warranty
The shuffle has a rated battery life of 10 hours, and comes with a short USB cable for syncing and charging. After two hours of listening, the battery was still going strong, whereas our iPod touch would be half-dead in that time. (We’ll update this review once we have full battery test results.)
The shuffle comes with a one-year warranty including 90 days of free phone support. The AppleCare Protection Plan ($39) extends both the warranty and phone support to two years. While we might encourage you to buy the extended warranty for a MacBook, we say skip it for an MP3 player this cheap.
The Verdict
The latest shuffle offers good sound quality and a sleek design, and its support for multiple playlists makes it an improvement over the last generation model. The VoiceOver feature, which works like a charm, makes it unlike any other MP3 player on the market. Unfortunately, by removing all the buttons from the device and placing them on the earphones, Apple has designed a product that some users might find more cumbersome than intuitive. If the buttonless design doesn’t work for you, Apple is still selling the 1GB version of the last-generation shuffle for $49, which holds 250 songs.
As leaked information undoubtedly suggest AT&T will starts offering unlocked Apple iPhone 3G without any contract obligations starting from 26th March. To get one (or several), you need to be an existing AT&T customer and have 599/699 US dollars ready for the 8/16 gigs version respectively.
As of 26th March AT&T will offer its customers the special opportunity to get an unlocked iPhone 3G totally commitment-free with no in-store activation needed. The only limit is one iPhone 3G per active line per customer.
The campaign starts on March 26th and the prices are 599 US dollars for the 8 GB version and 699 dollars for the 16 gigs (presumably before state tax).
The little brother to the critically acclaimed XSi costs two hundred dollars less, but is almost identical in specs and build.
The Canon EOS Rebel XS costs $200 less than its Editors’ Choice–winning sibling, the EOS Rebel XSi, but the only real differences are in its lower resolution and smaller LCD. Indeed, the XS takes beautiful photos, works quickly, and is easy to use. Thanks to its simple interface, we particularly recommend it to DSLR newbies.
Design
The Rebel XS is almost identical in looks to the sloping-shouldered XSi. The hand groove leaves plenty of rooms for the fingers, and we like the ergonomic indentation for the thumb. The XS feels light; at the same time, though, its heavier counterparts have a more solid, professional feel.
The Rebel XS has a simple arrangement of buttons: a hot shoe on top, a mode dial, and an ISO button. On the back are Menu, Display, Exposure, White Balance, Playback, and Delete buttons, and two for zooming in playback. The five-way navigational pad’s outer buttons double as autofocus, self-timer/continuous shooting, metering, and picture style buttons. To activate the pop-up flash, press the button on the left side, next to the lens.
The big buttons (and the fairly large font below each) make the Rebel XS look like a more novice-friendly camera than the Nikon D40 or the Olympus Evolt E-520. In fact, the simple design belies some sophisticated architecture: it has an automatic sensor-cleaning system, which the D40 doesn’t.
The 2.5-inch LCD is smaller than those on the XSi and Olympus Evolt E-520, which are 2.7 inches. Nevertheless, it’s bright and sharp, and we were able to comfortably review photos on it. And given the $200 price difference between the Rebel XS and XSi, we appreciate that the small LCD is one of few trade-offs. Like the XSi, it’s available in black and silver, and takes SD and SDHC Cards up to 32GB.
User Interface
The Rebel XS has clean menus, from which users can adjust various settings. However, users can also change some settings by pressing the corresponding buttons on the back of the camera, which often made the Rebel XS more convenient to use than the D40. The Rebel XS has fewer options in its menu, even in Manual mode, which could be a bummer for nonbeginners.
Live View
As with the Rebel XSi, enabling Live View on the XS was complicated. You have to drill into the menu system, and even then you can’t use Live View in Auto, no-flash, or any of the scene modes; you have to be in Manual or Program (precisely the modes Live View shooters—namely, novices—will avoid). To activate Live View you have to half-press the shutter and then Set. We wish there were a dedicated Live View button as is there is on the E-520.
It’s just as well that Live View is difficult to access. The lens couldn’t focus on objects as far away as it could when the viewfinder was enabled. At least the on-screen action looked more fluid than it did on the E-520’s LCD.
Like other cameras in its class, the Rebel XS’ Live View created a four-second shot-to-shot lag, including a pause as the screen goes dark. Without Live View, there was virtually no shutter lag.
Image Quality
Our test shots with the Rebel XS were lovely; at times the quality was comparable to the D40’s. Particularly in no-flash mode, we enjoyed the accurate, but pleasant colors, and the natural exposure. Although the D40’s close-up shots showed a more dramatic contrast between the sharp subject and blurry background, the Macro shots we took using the Rebel XS of flowers and aging stone statues still looked gorgeous.
Although our low-light portraits showed pleasing, natural-looking light, our subjects’ faces didn’t pop, as they did in the photos we took with the D40. We were disappointed to see that the ISO only goes up to 1600, compared with 3200 on the D40.
High-Speed Shooting
Of the three cameras, the Rebel XS felt the fastest in continuous shooting mode. Yet the quality of these action shots ranked in the middle. On the whole they were sharp (the Olympus Evolt E-520’s were almost all blurry), but they lacked the artistic panache of the D40’s, which did a better job highlighting our fast-moving subjects.
For instance, in the series of shots we took of rollerbladers, the skaters didn’t look blurry, but neither did the background; it looks like a moment frozen in time, appropriately, but not a sports photograph. With the D40, we had more shots where the subject was perfectly sharp but the background was slightly blurry, which made the subject look as if they were in motion. However, the Rebel XS otherwise had the best all-around speed, in both continuous shooting and in focusing.
Startup and Battery Life
The Rebel XS was also quick to start up, although not as fast as the D40. It’s a bit slow to shut down, but that’s because the sensor-cleaning system, which uses ultrasonic vibration to remove dust from the sensor, is doing its job. (It automatically cleans the sensor when you power the camera on or off, but you can manually activate it too.) After taking well over a hundred photos, we still had three bars of battery life.
Verdict
If ever a camera could overtake the D40 in the budget DSLR category, it’s the Canon EOS Rebel XS. It offers fast speeds, an easier interface, higher resolution, an automatic sensor-cleaning system, and often-comparable (and always good) image quality. The D40 still has better all-around image quality, but the Rebel XS is nonetheless impressive, and its interface might even be better suited to DSLR novices.
Startup and Battery Life
The Rebel XS was also quick to start up, although not as fast as the D40. It’s a bit slow to shut down, but that’s because the sensor-cleaning system, which uses ultrasonic vibration to remove dust from the sensor, is doing its job. (It automatically cleans the sensor when you power the camera on or off, but you can manually activate it too.) After taking well over a hundred photos, we still had three bars of battery life.
Verdict
If ever a camera could overtake the D40 in the budget DSLR category, it’s the Canon EOS Rebel XS. It offers fast speeds, an easier interface, higher resolution, an automatic sensor-cleaning system, and often-comparable (and always good) image quality. The D40 still has better all-around image quality, but the Rebel XS is nonetheless impressive, and its interface might even be better suited to DSLR novices.
Turning their backs on the bunch of leaked touch handsets, Samsung today announced a low-end phone, which however comes as rugged as they get. Reminding of the Sonim XP3 Enduro, but prettier, the Samsung B2100 has got a whole wall covered with endurance certificates, plus it's easily submersible under water to up to a meter depth (but only up to 30 minutes - just enough for a bath).
The Samsung B2100 Xplorer follows the styling of the Samsung B2700, which we already reviewed and tortured properly (read all about it here).
The new Xplorer bloke however lacks the 3G capabilities of its elder brother plus there is no altimeter and digital compass either. What you get however is a cheap rugged little fella, which comes with shock, water, salt, fog and dust resistance compliant with both the European IP57 certification and the US Military Standard 810F (MIL-STD-810F) much like the Sonim XP3 Enduro.
The Samsung B2100 Xplorer body is made out of urethane, which is the same material they use to make roller blades. It's got noise cancellation with a dedicated microphone and a new vibration setting that makes it vibrate longer. The new lock mechanism of the battery cover has made it more secure as we personally had some issues with the locking mechanism of the Samsung B2700.
Samsung B2100 Xplorer has a flashlight on top with a dedicated button to start it, and there is also a memory card slot, which you can use to load up music or download photos from the 1.3 megapixel camera. Stereo Bluetooth A2DP support is also on board.
The Samsung B2100 Xplorer will be released in Germany and other European countries in variety of colors in April 2009. There's no word on its pricing yet, but it should be cheaper than Samsung B2700.
Samsung’s updated 10-inch netbook continues to beat the competition with an improved touchpad and more than 7 hours of battery life.
The Samsung NC10 rose to the top of our favorite-netbooks list when it first hit the market in October 2008, and despite some strong new competition, Samsung remains atop the heap with its new N110. Though this netbook's internal organs are the same as its predecessor, including a 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP Home, and a 160GB hard drive, Samsung has extended the touchpad and increased the six-cell battery’s capacity to give this $469 netbook a lengthy 7 hours of runtime. Add in a top-notch keyboard, and you have the netbook to beat.
Updated Design
When we reviewed the original Samsung NC10, we didn’t find it to be the flashiest netbook. While the N110 didn’t get a drastic remodeling, the matte lid has been replaced with a black glossy coating, and though it looks sleeker, it’s a magnet for fingerprints. The system also takes on a softer look with rounded edges around the palm rests. The burgundy trim along the bottom edge of the chassis takes styling cues from other Samsung notebooks, like the R610, and offers a professional look.
The N110 is the same weight and size as its forebear. Measuring 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches and weighing 2.8 pounds (even with the higher-capacity six-cell battery), the N110 is slightly wider and thicker than HP Mini 2140, but thinner and lighter than the 3.2-pound ASUS Eee PC 1000HE. When we popped the N110 (in its included felt case) and its AC adapter in a bag, the travel weight of 3.4 pounds didn't put any strain on our shoulder.
Large, Spacious Keyboard
Thankfully, Samsung left the keyboard on the N110 untouched. The 93 percent of full-size layout is comfortable, and the raised keys provided nice tactile feedback. The feel of the keys and the size of the keyboard isn’t all the N110 has got going for it: The right Shift key is full size and directly below the Enter key, right where it should be. While we continue to prefer the feel of the coated and durable keys on the HP Mini 2140, the Samsung N110’s comfortable keyboard will satisfy even the fastest of touch typists.
Expanded Touchpad, Ports
At 2.3 x 1.1 inches, the touchpad on the Samsung NC10 was disappointingly small and vertically very narrow. Samsung has incrementally expanded the trackpad on the N110 to 2.5 x 1.3 inches, which is now comparable to those on other netbooks, including the Acer Aspire One AOD150 and the MSI Wind U120, but it's not quite as large as that on the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE.
Also improved is the mouse button, which is slightly more raised than on the original, though it still remains a single rocker bar, and lacks a divot to separate the left and right sides. We would prefer two dedicated buttons, but this arrangement is still better than the narrow single button on the latest Aspire One and the vertically oriented touchpad buttons on the HP Mini 2140. The dedicated scrolling bar on the N110's touchpad was useful for moving through long Web pages.
The N110 houses the same netbook ports and slots as the NC10, including 3 USB ports, a 3-in-1 memory card reader, mic and headphone jacks, a VGA port, and an Ethernet jack. Unlike the HP Mini 2140, the N110 lacks an ExpressCard slot for adding a mobile broadband modem card, but you can always use a USB modem.
New Glossy Display, Decent Audio
The matte display of the NC10 has been replaced with a glossy, 10.2-inch, 1024 x 600-pixel screen on the N110. Like other netbooks with similarly sized displays, Web pages fit to size and didn’t require any horizontal scrolling. Content on the screen was bright; a downloaded episode of The Office looked clear and detailed. Though glossy, tilting the screen back to its maximum of 45 degrees didn’t produce glare, and horizontal angles were good enough to share the screen with a second person.
The speakers, positioned on the bottom front of the N110's chassis, produced decently loud sound. Kevin Rudolf’s “Let It Rock” sounded full and balanced with the Samsung Enhanced Digital Sound setting enabled; music sounded a tad flatter when we disabled the feature.
In a video call over Skype with a friend in Africa, the integrated 1.3-megapixel webcam offered good images. Our caller said we looked clear and could even make out a colleague standing behind us. The microphone, located on the top right of the keyboard, produced steady sound during a 40-minute voice call to a family member in California.
Solid Performance, Speedy Hard Drive
Configured like its predecessor, the N110’s 1.6-GHz Intel Atom CPU and 1GB of RAM running Windows XP provided good performance for a netbook. Notching 1,513 on PCMark05—155 points above the category average—the N110 was able to handle our usual mobile tasks, including simultaneously conducting video calls over Skype and surfing the Web with multiple tabs open.
The Intel GMA 945 integrated graphics chip with 128MB of shared memory delivered a score of 633 in 3DMark03, which is 30 points higher than the NC10 and 21 points higher than the category average. Its 3DMark06 score of 90 is just below the netbook average, and lower than the Mini 2140 (125) and Acer Aspire One AOD150 (123). Nevertheless, a downloaded high-definition 720p video clip played back smoothly with no hiccups or pauses. However, as with other netbooks with this chipset, the N110 could not play a 1080p clip.
The N110’s 5,400-rpm, 160GB hard drive booted Windows XP Home in a fast 37 seconds. The LAPTOP Transfer Test (copying a 4.97GB folder of mixed media) took 5 minutes and 16 seconds—a rate of 16.1 MBps, which is 2.3 MBps faster than the netbook average but not as fast as the Acer Aspire One AOD150 (17.7 MBps).
While the NC10 lasted a solid 6 hours and 34 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test (continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi), the N110 comes with an even higher-capacity six-cell battery (5900 mAh versus 5200 mAh) without adding bulk to the design. On the same test, the N110 lasted 7 hours and 24 minutes. Not only is this much higher than the six-cell mini-notebook average of 5:43, but it beats out even the six-cell HP Mini 2140 (7:19) and the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE (7:08). Though not outfitted with 802.11n, the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi card provided a strong connection to the Net. Delivering well above-average throughput of 20.7 Mbps and 18.5 Mbps from 15 and 50 feet, respectively, we were able to maintain a strong signal far from our access point; video clips streamed on Hulu.com were void of pauses or buffering delays. Samsung bundles its own utilities with the N110, including the Samsung Recovery Solution III (which creates a restore file of the operating system) and Samsung Magic Doctor (which detects problems with applications and helps to correct any issues). Other tools include an Easy Network Manager for connecting to a wireless access point. Samsung covers this netbook with a one-year warranty and 24/7 toll-free technical support. Samsung has created a near-perfect netbook in its N110. Thanks to the improved ergonomics of the touchpad, and north of 7 hours of battery life, it improves on an already stellar system and continues to beat out the competition. Though customers can get similarly configured netbooks with six-cell batteries for considerably less money—the Acer Aspire One AOD150 costs $120 less and the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE $70 less—the N110 offers a better keyboard and better endurance than both of those models and is lighter than the ASUS. Samsung’s $469 premium price tag is well worth it for those who cherish longer battery life.Superior Endurance, Wi-Fi Performance
Software and Warranty
Verdict
Tonight Apple presented the latest reincarnation of their iPhone OS, which brings new and exciting features to the already capable OS. Another significant change is that there will be 1000 new APIs that will give developers new possibilities to control the iPhone. AppStore changes and enhanced Bluetooth capabilities will also see daylight.
There are also over 100 new features directly available to the end customers including cut copy and paste. Here's a run down of the key ones.
- System-wide Cut, Copy and Paste feature
- Stereo A2DP Bluetooth streaming is on (not available to iPhone 2G)
- System-wide landscape keyboard
- A system-wide search Spotlight is added now including Mail, Calendar, Notes, iPod and web
- There's now MMS support (not available to iPhone 2G)
- Turn-by-turn navigation (but only with third-party maps)
- You can forward and delete individual messages
- Notes can now be synced with iTunes
- WiFi auto-login for hotspots
- Bluetooth peer-to-peer connection with file exchange and remote control (over Bonjour only)
- Safari gets password login manager
- Support for YouTube accounts and YouTube subscriptions
- New action button in Photos lets you choose multiple pictures to attach to a mail message
- There are Voice Memos, which can be edited, cropped and shared using email or MMS
- Calendar gets Exchange support and will be able to sync with Google and Yahoo calendar services
- Stocks app will be getting news stories and stock details
- iPod gets shake-to-shuffle function
- Anti-phishing tool in Mobile Safari
- Increased number of supported languages
- Parental Controls are extended to movies, TV shows and App Store content
- Detailed Calls Log with call durations
- iTunes store account creation
- Proxy support
- Live video and audio streaming
- Internet tethering is now supported both via Bluetooth and USB(but available optionally)
- Voice recording
- Camera displays last taken picture in lower left corner - just as in existing Snapture app
And if you are interested how copy and paste works, here's how - a double tap on text auto-selects it with grab points appearing at both ends of the selection for finer tuning it and a cut/copy/past bubble above. A second double tap elsewhere brings up the Paste bubble. It works across all applications including web content in Safari - well it was about time. You can also shake the iPhone to undo: the action brings up an "undo" and "cancel" dialog.
The universal search application Spotlight is accessible by flicking the left of the first tab of the regular homescreen.
The new AppStore changes will include optional In-App Purchases, meaning paid apps will be able to offer users optional upgrades or modules directly from the application environment. Unfortunately, free apps will not be able to offer paid upgrades.
Bluetooth enhancements will allow communication between iPhones and iPods with no pairing procedure needed over the existing Bonjour protocol. And it's not limited to games - users can exchange contact details as well.
The new APIs would allow developers to link the core Maps data to new applications thus essentially embedding maps data to them.
There is even support for turn-by-turn navigation, but due to licensing reasons, Google Maps cannot be used for the purpose. Developers would have to use other maps data.
Next developers will be able to communicate with iPhone accessories, which are currently plugged in. For example, an application can control the plugged in FM transmitter by determining and setting up the best frequency instead of putting manual controls on the transmitter itself.
Another exciting option is creating medical accessories such as Bluetooth heart rate monitors or finger pricking Bluetooth glucose testers for diabetics.
Unfortunately, apps like instant messengers are still not allowed to run in the background with the new 3.0 package. Instead the Apple's heavily overdue Push background notifications service is finally ready to launch - redesigned and upgraded to include support for various potential uses by developers.
The alerts supported by the service include changing of the app icon (addition of a counter icon badge), pop-up SMS-style reminders or sound alerts.
The Developer's beta version of iPhone OS 3.0 is available as of today and everyone that's participating in the developer's program will have access to it. End customers will get it too, but not before this summer.
In the mean time, iPhone 3G will be spreading to 15 more countries thus creating a wide users base for this upcoming free update. Original iPhone owners will also be able to get it for free and use it, but some features such as A2DP stereo Bluetooth or MMS won't work due to hardware differences.
iPod Touch owners will be able to upgrade to 3.0 for a one time fee of 9.95 US dollars. The second-gen iPod touch obviously has some Bluetooth functionality that can be unlocked with the new OS.
Unfortunately, Apple didn't make any hardware announcement at this press conference. If there is a new iPhone in the oven, we guess we won't hear about it before the end of June.
Despite the huge update, there's still no Flash support in Safari web browser, no video recording, and no real multi-tasking. What about those "little" things, Apple? Well... iPhone OS 4.0, we guess.
LG announced today the European launch of their multimedia high-end handset - LG KM900 Arena. The 3-inch touch jewel comes with full connectivity package, 5 megapixel snapper and the new S-Class interface.
LG release the awaited KM900 Arena first in Europe. The KM900 Arena is the first LG phone using the S-Class UI, which impresses with 3D effects and nice smooth transitions.
Connectivity-wise LG Arena is pretty well secured. 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, TV-out support, FM radio and FM transmitter.
The LG Arena will start shipping this month through major European retailers.
In case you've missed it, you can check our live hands-on with the thing at the MWC 2009.
Update: We recently found an online emulator of the LG Arena S-class user interface. You can check it out and see how the whole thing ticks here.
The Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH or otherwise Tocco Ultra Edition is now up for pre-order over at Vodafone UK. Vodafone promise to start shipping it by 19 March and you can get the phone for free with a 30GBP monthly plan and an 18-month contract.
Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH
The Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition, as the S8300 would be marketed in the UK, is the style-conscious tech-geek's dream - high built quality and black metallic frame give it a really sophisticated look to go with the long list of features. The 2.8 inch OLED capacitive touchscreen with WQVGA resolution and few apparent buttons do a good job at concealing that it is in fact a slider with a 3x9 keyboard.
Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH live shots
It borrows the imaging module from the Pixon but improved image processing holds promise of better photos. Video recording has also been upgraded to WVGA resolution.
Other items on the spec sheet that stand out are the 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, GPS and DivX support. You can find more details in our early preview or our live hands-on at the MWC 2009.
A word is out that Apple is now officially inviting representatives of the press to attend their next big announcement event on 17 March. The event will be dedicated to the upcoming iPhone OS 3.0. There's no word of an upcoming mobile phone, but our hopes are high as always.
Engadget.com report to have received an invitation by Apple for an upcoming event with its main theme set on iPhone OS 3.0.
Apple will display an "advance preview of what they're building", meaning that you probably won't see any working full-fledged iPhone OS 3.0 there (or iPhone 3 anyway). We really hope that at least some of the stuff on our wishlist will be answered - and maybe we will even be surprised by some new features.
The new trio by Nokia doesn't seem so groundbreaking as some of you might have hoped, but it expands the music-centric portfolio of the company with some nice new handsets with balanced functionality.
Nokia 5730 XpressMusic has already leaked in the past with quite a few details on its specifications, and now this unusual QWERTY-enabled music handset is finally officially out.
Quite similar to the Nokia E75, the new Nokia 5730 XpressMusic runs on the Symbian S60 OS and has got a 2.4-inch 16M color QVGA display, built-in GPS receiver, Wi-Fi and USB connectivity. Some of the other extras include a 3.2 Megapixel snapper with Carl Zeiss lens and 3G with video-call support.
Nokia 5730 XpressMusic
Music-centric features include the stereo speakers, the dedicated 3.5-mm audio jack, a stereo FM radio, and stereo Bluetooth support. There will also be an 8GB memory card included in the retail package.
Much like the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic that was presented at this year's MWC, the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic comes with N-gage support and the the innovative Say-and-Play feature that allows you to control the music player with your voice only. There's also the Music presence with Ovi Contacts, which shows you what music your Ovi friends are listening to right now.
Here's a quick hands-on video of Nokia 5730 XpressMusic:
The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic is expected in Q3 2009 in Red, Monochrome, Blue, and even Pink at an estimated retail price of 280 euro before taxes and subsidies.
Nokia 5330 XpressMusic
Nokia 5330 Xpressmusic is an S40 device with a 2.4-inch 16M color display and a 3 megapixel ficed focus camera. Touch-sensitive keys on the side control the music player, but there is also a standard 3.5mm jack, stereo Bluetooth, stereo FM radio. A 2GB card comes along in the retail box.
Nokia 5330 XpressMusic
You'd be also interested to know that the Nokia 5330 has a GPS receiver and comes with Nokia Maps for S40. Connectivity-wise the handset offers quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA support plus microUSB port - no Wi-Fi on this one.
Here's a quick hands-on video with the Nokia 5330 XpressMusic:
In either Black/Red or Silver/Blue color combo, the Nokia 5330 XpressMusic is expected hit it off in Q3 2009 at an estimated retail price of 160 EUR.
Nokia 5030 XpressRadio
Nokia 5030 is the Nokia's first phone with an internal FM radio antenna, which eliminates the need for a headset to be connected. The Nokia 5030 is also the first device to come out under the XpressRadio branding.
The Nokia 5030 XpressRadio has one touch FM radio and station selection keys on the side for easier control. When placed sideways on the table, the back of the handset looks just like any portable FM radio unit.
Nokia 5030
Targeted at the emerging markets, the Nokia 5030 offers some of the differentiating Nokia entry level features such as a built-in flashlight and the speaking clock and alarm. It has dual-band GSM support and runs on the entry-level S30 user interface. The 1.8-inch display has a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels.
Here's a quick hands-on video of Nokia 5030 XpressRadio:
One of Nokia's most affordable devices to offer an FM radio, the Nokia 5030 XpressRadio is expected to start shipping in red and graphite colors in Q2 2009 with an estimated retail price of less than 40 EUR, before taxes or subsidies.
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