Category: Hardware News

Latest news from the World of Hardware

Sony VAIO S updated with Core i5-2410M CPU and Radeon HD 6470M graphics

Sony has just refreshed its Vaio S line with newer processors and graphics modules.

Read the full specs below followed by the official press release.

London, 22nd February 2011

Power in Motion: boost your productivity with new VAIO S Series

Slim, stylish 13″ notebook PC by Sony packs greater stamina with less to carry

* Thin and light with elegant new ‘full flat’ design for enhanced mobility and superior robustness
* Work and play longer with new smart battery concept
* 13.3″ VAIO Display Plus
* Dynamic Hybrid Graphic System for balanced stamina and performance
* Fast Boot and quick web access for increased productivity
* Backlit keyboard and ambient light sensor
* VAIO “everywair” 3G WWAN (selected models)

Power, design and mobility come together beautifully with the new VAIO® S Series of 13.3″ slim notebook PCs from Sony.

The slim, light VAIO S Series features a stylish new ‘full flat’ design that’s crafted in magnesium with a wide aluminium palmrest for strength, lightness, usability and looks. There’s also a cleverly concealed hinge mechanism that doesn’t distract your view of what’s on screen. Overall thickness shrinks to less than 24mm, while weight is a travel-friendly 1.75kg (approx.).

The VAIO S Series introduces a smart new battery concept that lets you keep working day and night without a pause. The internal lithium polymer battery provides power for up to 7 hours of on-the-go computing (in Stamina mode). It’s partnered by a second thin, flat optional lithium polymer extended battery that can be charged separately from the PC and added without removing the internal battery. The second battery attaches without having to switch off the PC, boosting stamina to up to 14 hours if you’re far from mains power.

Dynamic Hybrid Graphic System switches seamlessly between the integrated GPU and high-performance AMD Radeon™ HD 6000 Series card (with either 512MB or 1GB VRAM), according to the task at hand. Whether you’re watching processor-intensive HD videos or just simply note-taking, you’ll always enjoy the optimum balance between performance and battery stamina.

The 13.3″ VAIO Display Plus screen brings all your documents to life with excellent brightness, colour contrast, clarity and detail. The LCD’s advanced low-reflection coating allows easy viewing in any lighting conditions, offering the optimum balance of suppressing reflections while maintaining clear images. With a resolution of 1366×768, the real wide aspect ratio display is perfectly proportioned for browsing dual web pages side by side.

The backlit isolation keyboard allows comfortable typing by day or night. There’s also an ambient light sensor that automatically dims brightness of the high-quality VAIO Display to conserve power when the lights are low.

The VAIO S Series is designed with day-to-day productivity firmly in mind. Fast Boot gets you up and running 50% faster than a conventional notebook when loading Genuine Windows® 7. It’s a valuable time-saver if you’re on a deadline or rushing for the airport. There’s also a conveniently-placed WEB button that powers up your PC for Internet access in seconds. It’s ideal for checking any last-minute e-mails while sitting in a café or departure lounge.

Available on selected models, embedded VAIO “everywair” 3G WWAN lets you connect on the move via your mobile broadband operator at up to 7.2Mbps.

Co-ordinated accessories include the BPSC24 external battery that’s supplied with its own charging adapter. There’s also a new flat-design port replicator that can dock with the VAIO S, allowing you to work while the attached BPSC24 battery charges.

The new VAIO S Series slim, ultra-mobile notebook PCs are available from the end of March 2011.

February 23, 2011
EcoTech : Solar Mobile network towers will save the country – 260 crore liters of Diesel

Hindustan Times reports that in a government initiative – a R 120-crore project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), will kick off in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and involve state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and tower infrastructure firm GTL and Indus Towers. Under the project the existing towers will be transformed into solar powered towers.

Of the 400 towers, installed at R30 lakh each, 100 will be of BSNL. The ministry will subsidise about 30 % of the tower costs. Usually these towers require large amounts of electricity and are connected to the National Grid

“But, in the uneven areas where the grid connectivity is erratic, ministry has planned to construct Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) plants to generate DC electricity, which in turn will be stored in the battery to get consume for transmitting signals” Said, minister for new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah.

The ministry claims that in an estimate the country will save up to 260 crore liters of Diesel annually

Multiplied by 40 = 1,040 Crore Rupees saved annually (approximate)

A little more research by iGyaan.in led to Delta Hybrid Renewable Energy Solutions (RenE), which were announced recently on 31st Jan 2011. Delta announced that their RenE solutions feature a modular power supply concept that can use any combination of solar power, wind turbines, mains power, diesel generators and fuel cells, which may reduce payback time as well as electricity bills for over 50%.

“With RenE, telecom customers can go all green using only renewable energy sources whether it’s in the heart of the city or in the remotest areas of the globe. Compared with utilizing the more expensive traditional energy sources, using renewable energy sources alone or in a hybrid solution may bring down payback time from 7 to 2 years, varying with site designs,” says Krzysztof Puczko, Product Manager, RenE-Hybrid Power Systems.

Delta Hybrid solution includes Solar panels, generator, AC/DC power system, and battery. The product is made out of state of the art facility at Rudrapur which has green building credential too. Best Suitable for Rural or Remote Sites as it offers complete integrated power system which is Simple to install and easy to maintain with added advantage of Remote Control and Monitoring including Data Logging. All in all, RenE is an energy-efficient and OPEX-optimized solution for ensuring lower CO2 emissions.

Here is to a greener India, cheaper communication and hopefully, better performance.

February 21, 2011
Apple to possibly introduce Light Peak high speed connection with the Next Macbook

CNET is reporting that Apple will introduce a new high-speed connection technology with either their upcoming MacBook Pro or another product altogether. Light Peak : a technology by intel: fits the bill, since Apple has been backing it up since the beginning. With a Macbook refresh visible at a short distance, it seems that the rumor may actually be true.

February 21, 2011
Samsung Plans to sell 10 Million 3D TVs , while LG only targets 5 in 2011

This year is the year of the gadgets and the Chinese should add another type to their calendar! While in Korea competition is heating up, where in the red corner heavyweight Samsung plans to sell 10 million of the eye hurting, brain killing 3D hdtvs this year, Lightweight LG at the blue corner will only aim to sell 5 Mill.

LG products are often considered cheap and less reliable, in India at-least, they have a shorter lifespan, But, come-on LG a low target may = lower sales. We know you want to be better! So ramp up the quality and set the bar high!

February 19, 2011
Nokia and Microsoft enter strategic alliance on Windows Phone, Bing, Xbox Live and Office

Nokia and Microsoft have finally Announced Nokia – Windows Phone 7 devices. But in this “Strategic Alliance” a lot more is going down, namely linkages in Bing, Xbox Live and Office products.

Check out the Full PR Below

Nokia and Microsoft Announce Plans for a Broad Strategic Partnership to Build a New Global Mobile Ecosystem
Companies plan to combine assets and develop innovative mobile products on an unprecedented scale.

LONDON – Feb. 11, 2011 – Nokia and Microsoft today announced plans to form a broad strategic partnership that would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global mobile ecosystem.

Nokia and Microsoft intend to jointly create market-leading mobile products and services designed to offer consumers, operators and developers unrivalled choice and opportunity. As each company would focus on its core competencies, the partnership would create the opportunity for rapid time to market execution. Additionally, Nokia and Microsoft plan to work together to integrate key assets and create completely new service offerings, while extending established products and services to new markets.

Under the proposed partnership:
•

Nokia would adopt Windows Phone as its principal smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.
•

Nokia would help drive the future of Windows Phone. Nokia would contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.
•

Nokia and Microsoft would closely collaborate on joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.
•

Bing would power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCenter would provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.
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Nokia Maps would be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience
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Nokia’s extensive operator billing agreements would make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.
•

Microsoft development tools would be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem’s global reach.
•

Nokia’s content and application store would be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.

“Today, developers, operators and consumers want compelling mobile products, which include not only the device, but the software, services, applications and customer support that make a great experience,” Stephen Elop, Nokia President and CEO, said at a joint news conference in London. “Nokia and Microsoft will combine our strengths to deliver an ecosystem with unrivalled global reach and scale. It’s now a three-horse race.”

“I am excited about this partnership with Nokia,” said Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. “Ecosystems thrive when fueled by speed, innovation and scale.The partnership announced today provides incredible scale, vast expertise in hardware and software innovation and a proven ability to execute.”

Please visit www.nokia.com/press for press materials.

February 11, 2011
TI announces OMAP 5 – two high performance and two low power cores
Before we could get our hands dirty with the Ti-OMAP 4 devices, Texas Instruments has announced the Quad core – Ti-OMAP 5. The 5 has two Cortex-A15 cores, each running at up to 2GHz (Cortex-A15 is the fastest architecture ARM has announced to date )there are another two Cortex-M4 processors along for the ride, ready to take over less intensive tasks at much lower power consumption to improve device responsiveness

Moreover there is :
- support up to four cameras operating at the same time
- 3D playback
- 3D recording
- 2D upsampling to 3D at 1080p resolution
- Upto 8GB of RAM support
Full Press Release

Not just a faster horse: TI’s OMAP™ 5 platform transforms the concept of ‘mobile’

– New OMAP 5 platform creates disruptive mobile experiences akin to Henry Ford’s transformative automobile advancements

– Mobile computing, stereoscopic 3D, gesture recognition and computational photography intensified by TI’s best-in-class applications platform

– Sophisticated multi-core processing, including ARM® Cortex™-A15 MPCore™ processors

DALLAS (Feb. 7, 2011) – Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) announced today the next generation of its popular OMAP™ family: the OMAP 5 mobile applications platform, which is positioned to transform how mobile devices, such as Smartphones, tablets and other mobile form factors are used, making them even more valuable in our daily lives. More information on the OMAP 5 platform can be found here: www.ti.com/wbu_omap5_pr_lp.

Imagine carrying only one productivity tool while in the office, on the road or at home – a single mobile device which provides PC-like computing performance with mobile power levels. Imagine using the same device to conduct a stereoscopic 3D (S3D) video conference for work. Imagine being in a meeting and projecting a document from this device, which you can edit by simply touching the projected image on a surface. Imagine going home and switching the device to your personal operating system to drive a next-generation game on your HDTV using wireless display technology. These capabilities are only highlights of what the TI OMAP 5 platform uniquely delivers. To see more experiences enabled by the OMAP 5 platform, view a video here: www.ti.com/wbu_omap5_pr_v.

Highest performance, lowest power…yet again
The 28 nanometer OMAP 5 applications processors carry on the OMAP family tradition of delivering significant increases in performance and functionality, while lowering power consumption compared to their predecessors. Specifically, they offer up to 3x processing performance and five-fold 3D graphics improvement, yet provide a nearly 60 percent average power reduction compared to a sample user experience on the OMAP 4 platform. Additionally, the OMAP 5 platform’s software is designed for maximum reuse to ease migration from the OMAP 4 platform.

“The next decade will bring a revolution in mobile computing, as devices continue to converge, attempting to become one single device that meets all of our computing, entertainment, and complex day-to-day needs and interests. However, the bridge to true mobile computing enablement was missing until today. The OMAP 5 platform will be at the heart of driving the mobile computing revolution by delivering the highest computing, graphics and multimedia performance possible within the low power budget required by mobile form factors,” said Remi El-Ouazzane, vice president, OMAP platform business unit, TI.

Sophisticated, multi-core processing: harmonized for the best possible user experience
The OMAP 5 processor leverages two ARM® Cortex™-A15 MPCores™ – the most advanced ARM architecture to date – capable of speeds of up to 2 GHz per core in the OMAP 5 implementation. With a 50 percent boost in performance over the Cortex-A9 core (at the same clock frequency), combined with up to 8GB of dynamic memory access and hardware virtualization support, the Cortex-A15 core can enable true mobile computing experiences, such as the ones referenced above.

The OMAP 5 architecture utilizes an intelligent combination of many different processing cores – each tailored and power-optimized for specific functions – and all harmonized to provide the best possible user experience. In addition to the two Cortex-A15 cores, the OMAP 5 processor includes individual, dedicated engines for: video, imaging and vision, DSP, 3D graphics, 2D graphics, display and security. The processor also includes two ARM Cortex-M4 processors for offloading real-time processing from the Cortex-A15 cores to improve low-level control and responsiveness of mobile devices.

“We continue to see high performance mobile devices, such as advanced Smartphones and tablets, requiring increased processor performance while remaining within the restricted mobile power consumption boundaries,” said Mike Inglis, EVP and general manager of the ARM Processor Division. “The OMAP 5 processor highlights the advantage of the ARM business model. The relationship enables product differentiation through the integration of low power multi-core ARM processor cores with the partners’ own system-on-chip technologies, including power management, audio and video processing. ARM is proud to have contributed to the OMAP 5 platform, which enables OEM customers to leverage the extensive ARM software ecosystem to quickly deliver innovative new mobile solutions.”

Next-generation natural user interfaces
Natural user interfaces (NUI) – how we interact with the world around us in an intuitive, natural way – are taken to the next level with the OMAP 5 platform’s advanced support for S3D, gesturing (including proximity sensing), and interactive projection.

The OMAP 5 processor can support up to four cameras in parallel, as well as record and play back S3D video in 1080p quality, and perform real-time conversion of 2D content to S3D at 1080p resolution. The new processor can also deliver advanced short- and long-range gesturing applications, as well as full-body and multi-body interactive gestures, utilizing either 2D or S3D cameras. The OMAP 5 processor, coupled with a TI DLP® Pico™ projector and a camera, can also enable interactive projection where the user can actually “touch and drag” projected images on both a table top or wall.

Additionally, the OMAP 5 processor can interface with and leverage a wide variety of sensor technologies to enable touchless sensing, such as proximity sensing, capacitive sensing and ultrasonic sensing.

Computational photography – the industry’s next frontier
Today, most mobile devices are equipped with built-in cameras; however, due to the physical limitations of the device, picture and video quality is not on par with stand-alone consumer electronic products, such as digital SLR cameras. In order to close this quality gap, computational algorithms are used to compensate for these limitations. The OMAP 5 processor includes hardware and software resources that enable the development and deployment of such algorithms, such as camera stabilization, motion blur reduction, noise reduction, high dynamic range and face-based processing. The new processor also goes a step further by using the same OMAP 5 hardware resources with vision algorithms to extract features and data from the picture, in order to implement applications such as face recognition, object recognition and text recognition. These vision capabilities can also be used as the foundation for many different and exciting augmented reality applications.

Industry’s best all-around applications processor platform
The OMAP 5 platform sports an impressive list of features and benefits supporting everything from open source platforms to complementary TI technologies, including:

Strengthening the OMAP 5 platform’s value, TI leverages its open source community involvement to benefit customer product development. Early extensive work in community projects translates to a significant quality and schedule advantage for device manufacturers, including power, memory and performance optimization. Additionally, TI’s pre-integrated software packages for popular Linux-based distributions help manufacturers achieve maximum system-level performance while driving a faster time-to-market.

Availability
TI’s OMAP 5 platform is expected to sample in the second half of 2011, with devices on the market in the second half of 2012. The OMAP5430 processor is offered in a 14x14mm Package-on-Package (PoP) with LPDDR2 memory support. The OMAP5432 processor is offered in a 17x17mm BGA package with DDR3/DDR3L memory support.

These products are intended for high-volume mobile OEMs and ODMs and are not available through distributors. TI also plans to develop compatible ARM Cortex-A15 processor-based solutions for broader market applications across TI’s product portfolio.
February 8, 2011
Razer launches Ferox portable gaming speakers

Razer has just annouced its new Ferox portable gaming speakers. Described as a “sophisticated, modern day boombox for gamers,” With 360 degree omni-directional sound, 12 hours of battery life from the built-in rechargeable batteries and a Aux in from any device with a 3.5mm jack. Priced only at 60$ or 3000 INR, Pretty impressive pair of speakers.

Product Features:

* 360 degree omni-directional sound for all round clarity
* Expanded bass resonance chamber for powerful bass
* Digital amplification for enhanced power efficiency
* Compatible with any media player with a 3.5mm jack
* 30mm drivers for exceptional audio quality
* Rechargeable non-replaceable in-built batteries
* Up to 12 hours of playback
* Play and charge simultaneously
* LED battery status indicator for easy monitoring
* Seamless switch between On/Off-mode
* Carrying pouch for maximum portability

Expect them to hit India in MARCH

PRESS RELEASE

Razer™ Packs Powerful Audio Punch With Portable Gaming Speakers

Razer Ferox Twin Speaker Set Delivers Omni-directional Sound to Everybody, Everywhere January 2011

CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Razer, the world’s leading precision gaming brand today announces the Razer Ferox – a cool, new ultraportable stereo speaker set that proves it’s not how big it is, it’s how awesome it sounds. Built to deliver 360 degrees of omni-directional sound, you’ll be amazed that something so tiny can rock so hard.

“The Razer Ferox is our sophisticated, modern day boombox for gamers,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, president, Razer USA. “Its sleek and compact structure takes up minimal space but delivers the crystal clear sound quality perfect for gaming on-the-go or for music playback wherever you’re at.”

The Razer Ferox delivers room-filling audio clarity with its 360 degree omni-directional acoustics, giving a much wider listening sweet spot than any ordinary front-facing speakers. No matter where you stand, sit, or backflip during a riotous shootout, audio from the Razer Ferox sounds just as immersive.

Featuring expandable resonance chambers that provide stronger bass and optimized digital amplifiers for a fuller sound experience, each chamber rises upon a single press to power up. You’ll have a hard time just keeping your hands off the nifty mechanism every time you switch the Razer Ferox on.

With 12 hours of rechargeable battery life and a convenient carrying case, the Razer Ferox is extremely versatile. These mobile speakers can be used for space-constrained gaming desktop setups, brought along to LAN parties for a convenient audio solution, or broadcasting your headbanging playlist whilst at the beach. Just plug it into any media player with a 3.5mm jack and you’ll realize that you’ll never want to leave home without your Razer Ferox, especially when phenomenal audio is just a plug and press away.

About the Razer Ferox

Get powerful sound in a portable form factor with the Razer Ferox, a tiny but mighty stereo speaker set. With 360-degree omni-directional acoustics that fill your surroundings evenly with sweet sound, expandable resonance chambers for thumping bass, and optimized digital amplifiers to enhance performance and power efficiency, you’ll never be left wanting more. Your multidimensional listening experience is right in the palm of your hand.

With its simple plug-and-play operation, 12-hour rechargeable battery life, and handy carrying case, the Razer Ferox is the ultimate choice for all your mobile audio needs.

Razer Ferox

Price: US $59.99; EU euro 59.99

Availability:

Razerzone.com – January 2011

Worldwide – January 2011

Product Features:

* 360 degree omni-directional sound for all round clarity
* Expanded bass resonance chamber for powerful bass
* Digital amplification for enhanced power efficiency
* Compatible with any media player with a 3.5mm jack
* 30mm drivers for exceptional audio quality
* Rechargeable non-replaceable in-built batteries
* Up to 12 hours of playback
* Play and charge simultaneously
* LED battery status indicator for easy monitoring
* Seamless switch between On/Off-mode
* Carrying pouch for maximum portability

For more information on the Razer Ferox, please visit www.razerzone.com/ferox.

Razer Ferox High Resolution Image Links

Black Background

White Background

About the Razer Group:

Razer is more than just the world’s leading brand in high-end precision gaming products, perpetually defining the gaming and technology space. Founded in 1998 in Carlsbad, California, Razer is driven by the ceaseless pursuit for absolute precision and high usability in a distinctive, aesthetic design that will give gamers the edge they demand. With labs and offices in seven cities around the world, Razer dedicates user interface research and development to bring cutting-edge technology to each and every product. We live by our motto: For Gamers. By Gamers.

For more information, please visit www.razerzone.com.

Razer – For Gamers. By Gamers.™

SOURCE Razer Group

January 26, 2011
IBM Partners with ARM to deliver next level of Mobile processors

IBM and ARM have been known to team up before, but this week both companies announced a new joint initiative to develop chips measuring 14nm. That is considerably smaller compared to the current gen 20nm chipsets. This means that in the upcoming generation, the processors will be faster smaller, yet more power efficient. Read the press release below,

IBM and ARM to Collaborate on Advanced Semiconductor Technology for Mobile Electronics

SANTA CLARA, CA – 17 Jan 2011: ARM® [(LSE: ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMH)] and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced an agreement between the two companies to extend their collaboration on advanced semiconductor technologies to enable the rapid development of next generation mobile products optimized for performance and power efficiency. The resulting technology will provide a suite of optimized physical and processor IP by ARM tuned to IBM’s advance manufacturing process down to 14nm; providing streamlined development and earlier introduction of advanced consumer electronics into the marketplace.

As the consumer’s requirements increase for high end features on mobile devices including; extended battery life, uninterrupted internet access, high end multimedia and secure transactions the chip design becomes increasingly more challenging. Designers must consider nanometer scale effects in terms of lithography, variability, and so on while simultaneously meeting performance, power and area (PPA) targets across hundreds of millions of transistors. This increased complexity potentially results in additional in-house design time.

Through this agreement ARM and IBM will collaboratively develop design platforms aligning the manufacturing process, microprocessor and physical IP design teams. This collaboration will minimize the risk and barriers to migrating to smaller geometries while enabling optimized density, performance, power and yield in advanced SoC designs; accelerating the introduction of advanced electronics into the marketplace.

“ARM’s Cortex processors have become the leadership platform for the majority of smart phones and many other emerging mobile devices,” said Michael Cadigan, general manager, IBM Microelectronics. “We plan to continue working closely with ARM and our foundry customers to speed the momentum of ARM technology by delivering highly advanced, low-power semiconductor technology for a variety of new communications and computing devices”

“IBM has a proven track record of delivering the core research and development that is relied upon by major semiconductor vendors worldwide for their advanced semiconductor devices. Their leadership of the ISDA alliance, which features a diverse set of top-tier companies as members, is growing in importance as consolidation trends in the semiconductor manufacturing industry continue” said Simon Segars, EVP and general manager, ARM physical IP division. “This agreement will ensure we are able to deliver highly tuned ARM Artisan Physical IP solutions on advanced ISDA process technologies to meet the early time-to-market our customers demand.”

Past collaboration with IBM and ARM on advanced geometries have been underway since 2008, resulting in the implementation of extensive process and physical IP refinements to improve SoC density, routability, manufacturability, power consumption, and performance. Moreover, through the previous collaboration on the 32nm and 28nm ARM has already delivered eleven test chips that provide concrete research structures and early silicon validation. In addition, ARM has developed specific optimizations targeting ARM processor cores including most recently a complete ARM Cortex-A9 processor core implemented on 32nm High-K Metal Gate technology.

Today’s agreement reinforces the aligned co-development of semiconductor process, foundation Physical IP building blocks, and microprocessor core optimization necessary to achieve market-leading system-on-chip (SoC) solutions. Furthermore, it extend access for ARM to continue this systematic test chip roadmap and assure early time-to-market readiness of the necessary platform of physical and processor IP solutions for nodes ranging from 20nm through 14nm.

For more information on IBM semiconductor technologies visit:

http://www-03.ibm.com/technology/?cm_re=masthead-_-products-_-chips

About ARM
ARM designs the technology that is at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes 32-bit RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, video engines, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies.

Source : IBM

January 20, 2011
Leaked : Tata Sky Plus HD – Coming Soon

Well like our tipster rightfully said, If you are tired of choosing between Tata Sky HD and Tata Sky Plus. This peice of information might just be a treat for you. We have a picture of the new upcoming TATA SKY PLUS HD. Thats right folks, High Definition Television along with recording.

The picture is a leaked picture of the supposed box of the new system. Looks pretty convincing,We are trying to get more info on this.

Thanks Vaibhav

January 19, 2011
Linksys intros new Dual band E4200 Router- We hope for India Release

The new Cisco- Linksys E4200 Dual band Router is pretty contemporary looking, the design is clean and futuristic. The router also packs performance with 3×3 antennas and dual-band wireless-N.

The six antenna design deliver 450Mbps at 5GHz, or 300Mbps at 2.4GHz to even the furthest corners of your home and or office. It’s priced at $180 approximately – 8000, in Indian currency.

It becomes available in a couple of months, Lets hope Linksys starts to deliver these products in India soon.

Via : Gizmodo

January 19, 2011
Sony Launches the Vaio Bluetooth Laser Mouse in India

After Apple and Microsoft, Sony now launches the new Vaio Mouse in India. The Mouse VGP-BMS20 is a Bluetooth Laser Mouse and comes in white and black color. We are trying to get a price for it.

Via Sony Twitter

January 19, 2011
Airtel DTH adds to the party brings a-la carte

Bharti Airtel’s DTH service, airtel digital TV on Tuesday said it will offer its subscribers the option to pick and choose channels they wish to watch.

“The initiative will empower the Airtel digital TV customers to create their own channel packages, with cost of individual channels starting from Rs. 3 onwards,”

“The early introduction of our a la carte offerings enhances choice and convenience for our customers who can now either go in for a la carte or choose from our wide range of monthly base packs, or have a mix of other channel packs on a base pack,” Bharti Airtel Director and CEO (DTH Services) Ajai Puri said.

Just Like TATA Sky the new service will be based on a 150 Rs Minimum charge.

January 19, 2011
The Apple iPad 2 – What we know So Far
Apple has its devices on a yearly refresh, every year around the same time, you get an upgraded version of the iPhone, the iPod, Macbooks etc. Just like that the iPad will also see a refresh. We started hearing rumors of iPad’s redesigned structure and obvious design changes in November 2010.

Now the iPad, was announced in the last week of Jan 2010, we can expect a similar time frame for a refresh of the Tablet. Something has to be new and the Rumor mill has been running haywire over it.

Here are a collection of images over the past month and our thoughts on what the new iPad may be like.

New Structure

Images like the one above are renders of the carbon fibre patent that Apple had filed on May 18, 2009. This incorporates a liquid metal structure with a carbon fibre back. This would not only make the iPad extremely nice looking, But, also give it a lighter yet solid construction, immensely improving the antenna.

The likes of this happening are however, very- very low. We still have our hopes up.

Cases

The second wave of iPad 2 rumors came with iPad 2 cases. These cases started showing up at manufacturers across the china market, showing cutouts for the back camera and an new speaker cutout.

This shows us that two things that might come are the Camera on the back and a improved speaker on the next gen iPad. We feel there is a very high chance of this happening.

Facetime and Retina Display

Since Apple has been adding front cameras and retina displays to all its products in 2010, it wouldn’t be false to guess that the iPad 2 will have at least a front facing camera and a higher res display, if not a retina display. The new iOS 4.3 beta revealed some interesting information on the next release. A bunch of people snooping around the new files found wallpapers for the iPad that have the resolution . – 1536 x 800px compared to the existing 768 x 400 px that is approximately 4x the resolution (2x both ways).

We also believe, looking at Apple’s trend that the new iPad will definitely have a front facing camera and a Higher resolution display.

Gizmodo posted a good sketch of what the iPad 2 may look like, including resolution enhancement.

Engadget got hold of a dummy of the iPad 2 during CES at one of the case manufacturers booths. this showed a new design- with a flat back and a potentially larger capacity – 128 GB to be precise. This would be just brilliant for the iPad

New Rumors

After a series of breakouts, a whole bunch of new information has come into light. There is news of a new A5 chip, this will be used in the new iPhone this year and apparently the new iPad as-well. Whats the A5 chip? well the heart of the A5 is the multi-core ARM Cortex A9. Which will also be the heart of Nvidia Tegra processors that will be in the series of Android devices slated for this year, along with the Ti-omap processor in the Blackberry Playbook.

AppleInsider claims that Apple is moving to dual-core SGX543 graphics, up from the A4’s single SGX535 GPU. This would enable it to process graphics at 4x times the capability – and the 4x resolution included. We can also expect 1080P hHD video output, and an improved experience along with higher ram and overall enhancement of hardware. But, hey that what we want anyway.

Some more interesting pictures of cases have also shown up. this ones have to new cut-out – claimed possibly for Sd-card slot and a display out. We are highly skeptical that Apple may add a memory card slot to increase memory size, may only act as a camera card reader, But, nonetheless the SD CARD slot would be a great addon. The Video out port may be a possibility, But, then again Apple can use the dock connector for that and dont really need a dedicated video out port, Unless its HDMI.

So here is a a Final List of features that may or may not come to the iPad
- Facetime Camera – High Possibility
- Rear Camera – High Possibility
- New Liquid Metal design + carbon fibre – Unlikely
- 4x Graphics – Possible
- More Ram – High Possibility (and much needed)
- New A5 Chip – High Possibility
- Sd Card Slot- Unlikely
- Mini Display Port – Unlikely
- Larger Capacity 128 gb – Possible
- Retina Display – High Res Display is more likely
- 4G – No rumors on that – our guess – Not happening
Sources : Engadget, Gizmodo, Mac-Rumors, MICGAdget, Apple- Insider , Twitter
January 19, 2011
iOS 4.3 code reveals new iPhone and iPad models, No Home Button!

Looks like folks have been poking at the new beta 4.3 for iOS, seeded to developers today and they seem to have found, As history has repeated itself, New versions of iPhone and iPad. Namely, two new-generation iPhones (4,1 and 4,2) and three iPads (2,1; 2,2; and 2,3).

Ask us and we say, it’s the GSM and CDMA variants of the next-gen models (plus a WiFi-only iPad).

BGR is claiming it’s heard from sources that the next iPhone / iPad models will eschew the physical home button altogether in lieu of the new multi-finger gestures and that employees at Cupertino are already testing such devices.

Ask us : we already hate the fact that the Desire HD does not have Physical buttons. But, an iPhone without a home button, imagine using five fingers to zoom out on the iPhone with only 3.5″ of screen-real estate, to close an app, that just seems ridiculous to us. We seriously hope that, Apple keeps the home button, But, it does need a new design.

Source BGR, ENGADGET

January 13, 2011