Camera cell phone: Samsung Trill R520 with a built-in 1.3-megapixel camera

Samsung has confirmed the rumors that arose some days ago. Specifically, the company has announced that its new mobile phone, which is called “Trill R520″, will soon be available in the United States.

The technical sheet of this mobile phone indicates it includes a 1.3-megapixel camera that allows users to take pictures and record video. Besides, it has digital zoom and a night mode.

In addition, other useful features are included, for example: Built-in memory of 1 GB, a slot to insert microSD/microSDHC memory cards, USB connection, stereo Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, headphone jack (3.5mm), Global Positioning System (GPS), support to play music formats (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+ and WMA), and a 2.2-inch TFT display.

With regard to the battery, the specs indicate that the Trill R520 has a Li - Ion battery (880 mAh) and it is supposed to offer up to 270 minutes of talk time and up to 300 hours of standby time.

LCD computer monitor: DoubleSight unveils some new Smart USB screens

DoubleSight Displays has unveiled a new line of LCD display screens which are called Smart USB monitors.

They are available in several versions: 7-inch, 9-inch, and 9-inch with webcam. Each LCD monitor is designed to work with any desktop or laptop computer with an USB port (a VGA port is not needed). And, by using a software called DoubleSight’s Display Link, the user will be able to connect up to six Smart USB Monitors to his/her existing PC.

Like most of USB screens, these screens require no video chipset. Besides, they work in both landscape and portrait modes.

You can buy these monitors by using the online DoubleSigh shop. The 7-inch monitor costs $ 139, the 9-inch one costs $ 169 and the 9-inch one with webcam has a price of $ 199.

The 7-inch monitor has a maximum resolution of 800×480, while the 9-inch version supports up to 1024×600 pixels. All the versions muster a 30ms pixel response time and are compatible with Mac OS X and Windows PCs.

Headphones that are motion-activated for Sony Ericsson mobile phone

With the introduction of the MH907 headphones, Sony Ericsson has become the first company to offer motion-activated headphones.

There are built-in, capacitive motion sensors at the end of the headphones, which are able to automatically start or stop the operation of, for example, a cell phone. This is achieved by using a contact point sends a signal when a user puts or pulls the headphones in/out the ears.

When the user puts the headphones in his/her ears, the music can be listened to. On the other hand, it also allows to answer an incoming call if it is used as a handsfree with a supported cell phone. And when the user pulls the headphones out, the music will be paused or the call will be ended.

The MH907 headphones will be available in Europe first by the end of this week. They will cost 39 Euros (approximately US$ 57) and will come in two colors: black and yellow.

Notebook laptops: Samsung N130 - New netbook

As September wears on, some companies are confirming the launch of new products. And Samsung is one of them. The company has announced to the public that an interesting and tiny netbook called Samsung N130 will be launched into the market shortly. This netbook will be remarkable: it will have an internal battery for an 11 hours estimated autonomy. That is a really high battery autonomy nowadays.

The Samsung N130 has been equipped with an Intel Atom N270 processor and it will come with a 10.1-inch screen, resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam (which is perfect for those people who like or need online video communications all the time), memory cards reader, and a hard drive with a storage capacity of up to 160 GB.

In addition, this new netbook also includes a GMA 950 video card, 3-cell or 6-cell battery (it is up to the user to select the most appropriate) and 1GB of RAM.

Lastly, other features include 3 USB ports, a VGA output, an approximate weight of 1.27 kg (2.8 pounds). The dimensions are 263.8 x 185.5 x 28.5 mm (10.4 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches).

Chumby’s software could be used in other gizmos and gadgets

Chumby is a computer system designed to perform a few dedicated functions. It can provide access to Internet or an Intranet by using a Wi-Fi connection in order to run some software widgets with different purposes such as browsing pictures, playing streaming audio, working as an alarm clock, among others. Its software is a really interesting system that controls and allows to run all these functions.

Actually, this software is the component that Chumby Industries, Inc. (the company that makes the Chumby) would like to see included in other digital gadgets intended to be used in our houses.

Chumby Industries representatives are in conversations with major makers such as Samsung and Sony in order to define the terms of some agreements. Those agreements would allow to use Chumby’s software in different devices including TVs, audio systems, and portable players. In this way, the applications and features of the original Chumby would be present in those devices.

The Chumby maker have admitted that the company are not interested in developing new hardware lines. Instead, they want to be focused on making software applications, especially mini-applications and widgets, which nowadays have a growing demand from the consumer electronic industry. And honestly, Chumby Industries have demonstrated that it can be a good provider of useful and complementary applications (judging by the features and utility of its star product).

Apparently, a digital photo frame is the first product based on Chumby’s software that will be launched to the market. Some remarkable features of this new gadget would be: Data synchronization with social websites like Twitter or Facebook and an user-friendly way to access other online places (websites, directories, etc.) where the users have stored their photos. Other features include the possibility of enjoying online radio stations or getting weather and traffic reports. Definitely, it might be a very attractive photo frame! And, of course, we hope the original Chumby concept will be preserved: In that way, the users will be able to create and distribute their own applications to expand the features of the new gadgets that will be launched. That would be great! We’ll see.

Best digital camera and phone for fashionistas: Sony Ericsson Jalou

Sony Ericcson has unveiled another gadget in the mobile industry. Its most recent product is called Jalou, which is a mobile phone designed by the Italian luxury fashion house “Dolce & Gabbana” as part of an exclusive agreement.

The design of this phone is unconventional in a supreme manner. This gadget will be one of the most stylish items included in the Sony Ericsson catalog and, apparently, it is not intended to be just a simple phone: It looks like a fashion accessory.

Main features of the Sony Ericsson Jalou (clamshell) include:

* A built-in 3.2-megapixel camera
* Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
* FM radio tuner
* A multimedia player
* 2-inch screen
* Tri-band HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) capability
* Quad band GSM
* Video recorder
* And, believe it or not, a built-in mirror

The earphones that comes with the Sony Ericsson Jalou have a beautiful design. They are a sample of the great style and good taste that Dolce & Gabbana owns. No doubt, this is a cool device for fashionistas.

At this time, there is not official information about the price of this phone, or when it will be available in the stores, or what countries will be the first ones where it will be launched. So, here in MyDDNetwork, we will be alert for news related to the upcoming launch.

Plasma and LCD TV reviews: TG Sambo introduces four Full HD 16:9 monitors

From time to time, we heard about new interesting products from some not very well-known brands. Although those brands are not popular, their products are designed to please the targeted public by having a great design, or a good performance, or features that make the life easier. Besides, usually those brands offer products with affordable prices and a good quality standard.

One of those brands that are not very promoted in the media (at least in some countries) is TG Sambo. Its products catalog has been updated by adding four new Full HD 16:9 monitors. The new items of the list are:

* TG 2300A, which is a 23-inch diagonal monitor.
* TG 2400A with 24 inches.
* TG 2250A with 21.6 inches
* And TG 2000A

All these items have a built-in digital TV tuner, 20000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, HDMI connector, 2ms response time, DVI connector, VGA output, and some menu presets to use the monitors in online mode (of course, the users can modify some configurations).

So far, there is not much information except that the TG 2400A (24-inch monitor) would have a price of approximately 236.90 euros (US$ 335.60), while the other models have not an established price yet (or at least a public price). So, we have to be patient and wait until the maker (TG Sambo) reveals some additional details.

Asus review - Moblin netbooks coming soon

When Asus inaugurated the boom of the netbooks by launching the Asus Eee PC, it was made with a computer equipped with a version of a Linux distribution. Later on, this distribution was gradually replaced by Windows XP because the public preferred to have this operating system as the pre-installed option.

Now, Linux could make a strong return to this market segment with Moblin, which is a distribution developed by Intel and targeted exclusively for mobile devices (such as netbooks) in order to improve their performance and speed the start-up time of these devices. In fact, the start-up time is one of the disadvantages of netbooks.

But in the coming years, it is probable that Moblin becomes just one of the Linux-based operating systems offered with the Asus netbooks, since the computer maker could also sell some netbooks with Chrome OS, a new operating system expected to be released next year. Of course, users preferences will dictate how the market will evolve.

It is not clear yet what kind of netbooks will come with the Moblin operating system, although some people suggest it would be very appropriate for the touch netbooks or for the Asus Seashell. Anyway, we hope the company will choose Moblin 2.0 as the initial version because it has an excellent interface and it would be great for users.

Nikon digital camera lens now also works as a projector lens - CoolPix S1000PJ

Nowadays, it seems that there is a strong trend to combine multiple functions in a single device. For example, cell phones have an extensive list of functions (radio receiver, digital camera, audio and video player, clock, alarm, organiser, etc.). And that list is growing more and more.

Nikon, the multinational corporation specializing in optics and imaging, has just announced the launch of its Nikon CoolPix S1000PJ: the first camera-projector (or projector-camera) that will be available soon in the stores. This new product, as can be supposed, will be able to work as a digital camera or a projector to display images and video clips on the go.

Surely, this gadget will open the doors for more developments in the imaging industry in order to produce more and better devices.

The Nikon CoolPix S1000PJ has a 2.7-inch screen with anti-reflection coating, 1/1.23-inch 12-megapixel CCD sensor, EXPEED digital image processing, Hybrid VR Image Stabilization, 5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens, approximately 36 MB of internal memory, a built-in LED projector with a brightness of up to 10 lumens, endurance (battery life) of about 1 hour (when using the projector), and SDHC support (Secure Digital High Capacity, SD 2.0). It also includes a remote control to manage the projector in a more convenient way.

The camera-projector will be available for sale in the coming months and will cost about US$ 430, which is an affordable price if we keep in mind its versatile functions.

Harmony adapter for PlayStation 3 game

It has a compact and discreet design. The Harmony adapter can be perfectly integrated with your multimedia game console or, more exactly, with your PlayStation 3. This is a cool novelty because, until a few days ago, the Harmony remote control didn’t work for the Sony console since it was not able to “understand” the commands supported by the PlayStation 3 console. However, now it acknowledges the whole set of 51 PS3 commands. So, if you are one of the lucky gamers who are going to use this adapter, then you will be able to control DVD or Blu-Ray Disc movies, browse the XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface, and turn on / turn off the console without the need of using the switch included on it.

After connecting the Harmony device to the PlayStation 3 console, a wizard program will be started automatically. That wizard will guide users through a step-by-step process in order to configure the new element.

This device uses a Bluetooth wireless connection that allows an uninterrupted communication to be alert to and prepared for commands between the console and the remote control, even if the PS3 console is turned off. Also as an additional feature, the device can be connected with other different devices, since it has USB ports.

The retail price of the Harmony remote control is USD$ 59.99 (approximately 43 euros).

Zune MP3 player: New HD version confirmed for September 15

Today, after many rumors about the release date of Zune HD (some rumors claimed that it would be launched at the beginning of September), Microsoft stopped all these speculations. The Redmond company announced to the whole world the Zune HD would be available in United States on September 15, 2009. It is not a surprise because, anyway, September was always the expected month for this launch.

Recently, many blogs and news websites have been mentioning this interesting portable media player that has captured the interest of hundreds of people around the world, due to the expected features and design. In this way, the expectation caused a lot of rumors and even a picture of a display stand was leaked yesterday on a website without having official confirmation. So, apparently, there are a lot of potential buyers.

The cost per unit of the upcoming Zune HD will be about $220 for the version that can storage up to 16GB. On the other hand, the 32GB version will cost about $290. And some people think a 64GB version could be launched too, but there is no official word about that.

At the moment, these prices are confirmed only for United States. But, of course, there will be new announcements about the launch of this gadget (and its prices) in Europe and other regions around the world.

By the way, if you want to buy a multimedia player, then you can compare some features of different options in this Wikipedia page (it includes the upcoming Zune HD).

Mp3 players: Apple launches its new iPod Shuffle

The new iPod Shuffle has a VoiceOver feature, which gives the iPod the ability to “speak” song titles, artist names and playlists names. The device can “speak” in 14 languages, including English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

This tiny iPod has no playback controls on the player itself. Instead, the buttons of the device are positioned on the headphone wire. Those buttons allow user to play, pause, adjust the volume, open or switch playlists and hear the name of the played song or singer. The iPod Shuffle can also give information about the battery status (how much battery life remains).

According to Apple, the third generation of its low-end iPod Shuffle is significantly smaller than a AA battery and it can store up to 1,000 songs.

The new iPod Shuffle comes in black or silver. It has a thin, ultra-modern design and a stainless steel clip on the back. This device is now available for sale and costs around $79.

New Sony’s Cybershot HX1 digital camera

Sony introduced its first digital camera with sweep panorama technology. The new model Cyber-shot HX1 can take 224-degree panorama photos in a single and easy step. Also, it is the first Cyber-shot camera that uses the Exmor Cmos technology, which allows to reach burst speeds of 10 frames per second at full 9.1 megapixel resolution.

Amazon begins to sell e-books for mobiles - telephone portable

Nobody in the editorial industry knows what is the future of the digital book, but the companies that bet for its success are determined to generate its expansion by facilitating the adoption of this technology. Amazon, company that markets the Kindle (a device to read e-books that is available in USA for $359) had announced on February 9 it was looking to expand the reach of its e-book reader into the mobile phone space and yesterday this move was completed. Now, anyone with an iPhone or iTouch can download (for free) an application, which is also called Kindle, and read books on the two small Apple gadgets.

Asus reinvents the laptop by using the dual monitor concept

Asus presents a new device: laptops with two thin LCD screens. One of them can work as a conventional screen and the other one can be used as a virtual keyboard using touch input. On the other hand, this device can be flipped in an A4 orientation, so you can use it as an e-book reader, or you can use it in a traditional way as a conventional computer, but with touchscreen technology, just like the Tablet PCs that are available today.

Just Stand Up

The heart is stronger
Than you think
It's like it can go
Through anything
And even when you think
It can't it finds a way
To still push on
Though

Sometimes
You want to run away
Ain't got the patience
For the pain
And if you
Don't believe it
Look into
Your heart
The beat goes on

I'm tellin' you that

Things get better
Through whatever

If you fall
Dust it off
Don't let up

Don't you know
You can go
Be your own miracle

You need to know

Chorus:
If the mind
Keeps thinking
You've had enough
But the heart
Keeps telling you
Don't give up

Who are we to be
Questioning
Wondering what is what
Don't give up
Through it all
Just stand up

It's like
We all have better days
Problems getting all up
In your face

Just because
You go through it

Don't mean it got
To take control, no

You ain't gotta find
No hiding place

Because the heart
Can beat the hate

Don't wanna
Let your mind
Keep playin' you

And sayin' you
Can't go on

I'm tellin' you that

Things get better
Through whatever

If you fall

Dust if off
Don't let up

Don't you know you

Can go

Be your own

Miracle

You need to know

(Chorus-All)

You don't gotta be
A prisoner
In your mind

If you fall
Dust it off

You can live your life

Yeah

Let your heart
Be your guide

Yeah, yeah, yeah

And you will know
That you're good
If you trust in the good

Everything
Will be alright, yeah
Light up the dark
If you follow your heart

And it will get better

Through whatever

(Chorus All)

You got it in you
Find it within
You got in now
Find it within now
You got in you
Find it within
You got in now
Find it within now
You got in you
Find it within
Find it within you
Find it within

White Apple laptop: MacBook updated (secretly)

Apple updated its first and popular MacBook (polycarbonate white laptop). Among other changes, the white MacBook now has a Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics card, just like the other MacBook versions (Unibody).

This update for the white MacBook was made unexpectedly and also includes a processor with faster Front Side Bus (FSB) and additional RAM memory: 2 GB of the newer faster RAM. The price, on the other hand, has not been changed: this MacBook costs US$ 999 as usual.

So, now the white MacBook has an upgraded version available and the price is the same, which is good news in this bad economy. Maybe this computer doesn’t have the most advanced design but, with the update, it is now at the same level as the other aluminum MacBooks.

Here’s a list of the new features:

* Intel processor (2.0 Ghz Core 2 Duo) with a 1066MHz FSB
* 2GB DDR2 RAM Memory
* 120GB hard drive
* Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics card

T mobile phone G1 will arrive in Europe under Deutsche Telekom’s corporate umbrella

T-Mobile G1 (aka the “Google phone”), currently available only in USA and United Kingdom, is getting ready for its launch in other European countries where it will be available soon.

The mobile is manufactured by the Taiwanese company HTC and it is the first phone that makes use of the mobile operating system developed by Google: the Android platform. Its launch was not preceded by a lot of expectation when compared to the iPhone’s launch, although it was acknowledged as the main iPhone competitor. However, G1 is not as popular as iPhone, which became the best-selling phone in United States during the third quarter of 2008. Maybe, the main reason is that G1 has a very limited sales channel.

According to Hamid Akhavan, head of Deutsche Telekom’s wireless unit T-Mobile, G1 will be introduced “by 30 January in the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Austria”. Also, it will be available in Germany from 2 February and, one month later, it will be available in Poland, according to Reuters. For other countries, like Spain, the official launch date has not yet been announced.

Deutsche Telekom has sold about 400,000 phones. The company markets these phones in USA by using its subsidiary T-Mobile International AG. There, G1 costs about $179 and customers are required to sign up for a 2-year contract with T-Mobile. The price is expected to be lower in Germany than in the USA.

Asus notebook F70 and F50

It seems Asus introduces new laptops every week. Ok, maybe not every week. But this week (not including ultra-thin laptops) the company introduced Asus F70 and Asus F50. With these laptops, Asus want to offer a better performance in its portable computers.

These Asus’ computers were not designed to be the lightest laptops in the world, because they don’t have small screens: the ASUS F70 has a 17.3-inch screen and ASUS F50 has a 16-inch screen. In spite of it, the ASUS F50 has an excellent weight/size ratio: 6.28 pounds (2.85 kg). The Asus F70, on the other hand, weighs 9 pounds (4.1 kg)

The Asus F70 uses an Intel processor and you can choose between Core 2 Duet, Pentium or Celeron. It has up to 4GB of RAM and a dual-hard drive configuration which allow users to have up to 1 TB of storage space, which is a really impressive capacity.

Also, the Asus F70 has an optic drive with Blu-ray support, and 1.3M pixels CMOS webcam (dependent on model chosen), Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth and an eight cell battery. Its screen display has a 16:9 aspect ratio and a maximum resolution of 1600 by 900 pixels.

MP3 players: Sony introduces an iPod Touch rival

Taking advantage of its participation in CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, which is the world’s largest consumer electronics trade show, Sony has announced the X Series Walkman, a device that incorporates a 3-inch panoramic screen and a noise cancellation technology, which apparently is more effective than those technologies used previously in other Sony Walkman devices.

One of the most outstanding features of this device is the inclusion of wireless Internet functions, becoming the first Walkman with this feature. Sony has announced that the X Series will include a direct access to YouTube and, although the Sony’s browser doesn’t support the websites with Adobe Flash animations or applications, it will be able to display normal pages with text and images.

The X Series Walkman will be available with storage capacities of 16GB and 32GB and support for standard audio files, including MP3, WMA and AAC. Also, it supports MPEG-4, AVC and WMV for video files.

News about the price of the device are not published (yet), but Sony announced that it should be available next summer.

Sony connects its flat panel TVs (Bravia) to Internet by the Yahoo! Widget Engine

Both the Sony Bravia XBR9 series and the Z series will have access to Internet by the free application platform called “Yahoo! Widget Engine” that allows users to get information in real time, as well as to broadcast video directly to the TV screen. Sony made this announcement during the first day of The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2009 that takes place these days (in Las Vegas).

Thanks to this technology and an Ethernet port that is present in both series, it will be possible to have access to some websites like Amazon, YouTube and Yahoo, among many others.

The XBR9 series include four models of 32″ (KDL-32XBR9), 40″ (KDL-40XBR9), 46″ (KDL-46XBR9) and 52″ (KDL-52XBR9). All models (except the KDL-32XBR9) have the Bravia Engine 3 technology, the 24p True Cinema feature and the 240Hz Motionflow technology.

The smallest model (KDL-32XBR9) only has the Brave Engine 2 technology and 120Hz Motionflow technology. Nevertheless, all the four screens have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.