Microsoft Readies Smartphone Assault on Apple iPhone

Microsoft is gearing up to take on rival Apple in the smartphone market.The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Microsoft is getting ready to launch an online marketplace akin to Apple’s App Store. Microsoft is also readying a more sophisticated version of its mobile operating system called Windows Mobile 6.5, the Journal reported.

Smartphones are sophisticated mobile phones that offer users access to the Web and e-mail, as well as, provide phone calling and all kinds of other messaging options. This category of device is the hottest thing going in the mobile market and is seen as the biggest growth engine for mobile devices over the next few years.

Windows Mobile 6.5 from Microsoft

Microsoft has unveiled the latest version of their mobile phone software, Windows Mobile 6.5.

Windows Mobile 6.5 has had a complete re-design over previous versions with a new interface as well as a host of new features including an iPhone style application store called Windows Marketplace.

There is also a new service called MyPhone which lets users sync their data online, including contacts, media files and sms, it does not include exchange for email.

New mobile phones featuring the new Windows Mobile 6.5 are expected to go on sale later in the year.

Source: www.geeky-gadgets.com

Nokia Announces N86: 8 MegaPixel Camera Mobile

After a long wait, Nokia has finally announced their first 8 MegaPixel phone. The phone is called N86 and it will now compete with the likes of Samsung Memoir and Samsung Omnia i8910 HD. The phone comes with a wide-angle Carl Zeiss Tessar lens and can be compared to a high quality stand alone digital camera capturing brilliant and wide angle images.
It is a slider phone and resembles the N8X series. It has a 2.6 inch QVGA , OLED screen having 240 X 320 resolution and a scratch resistant hardened glass display. It is the first mobile device that comes with variable aperture which can produce good results even in low light conditions. The Camera also has auto focus along with Dual LED flash. Connectivity options include HSDPA, Wi-Fi, EDGE, Bluetooth with A2DP and USB 2.0. The phone also has GPS and A-GPS support and comes with 8GB of memory which can be extended to 16GB using microSD cards. FM radio with FM transmitter and 3.5mm AC socket is also present.
The phone will begin shipping in the second quarter of 2009 and the expected price is Rs 23,331 (EUR 375) before taxes.

Source: http://www.techlivez.com

Retro style mini media centre PC design by Thomas Thomassen

Check out this fabulous retro PC design by Thomas who is a BA (Hons) student at the Arts Institute in Bournemouth, though this was just a one off final year project for Thomas, I certainly wouldn’t mind paying to have one of these sitting in my living room as a media centre and impressing my guests.

Source: http://blog.gadgetlite.com/

SDXC Memory Cards: Storage Space of 2TB on a single SD Card

We have seen a lot of action in memory cards development in the past year. With every passing month there was an enhancement in the storage devices making them cheaper, faster and more bigger. But CES 2009 brings an amazing surprise and a dramatic improvement in the field of portable storage. The new specification of memory cards known as SDXC eXtended Capacity) can store hundreds of gigs of data on a single card.

The SDXC cards are capable of holding a massive 2TB (2048GB) of Data on a single card and currently these cards can transfer data at 104 MB per second but the team has a roadmap to raise it to 300MB per second. This is a major step in the development of storage devices and it is irresistible to see such huge amount of data in such a tiny space.

This gives birth to unlimited possibilities in portable devices. The upcoming HD technology requires huge storage space and these SDXC card will act as a perfect combo with the HD camcorders. It will also let you store thousands of pictures, photos, etc. on your digital camera which means forget about transferring the pictures to a PC. It will also turn your mobile into your personal portable media center as you can carry huge amount of data, pictures, files, music, video, etc with you.

I am sure this technology will kick start the Tera-Byte era once this technology is fully developed. This SDXC technology is being showcased at CES 2009 and SDXC cards are expected to launch sometime later this year.

Source: http://www.techlivez.com/

Snow Leopard Mac OS X 10.6

According to the Sources are reporting that the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard documentation says Intel is the only processor type supported by Apple’s latest OS X iteration, with at least 512MB of RAM being required as well.The next version of Mac OS X is code-named “Snow Leopard,” and will indeed be Intel-only, we have learned. This info is hot on the heels of about Mac OS X 10.6 being as soon as Macworld 2009 and being Intel-only.

According to our favorite computer manufacturer in Cupertino Apple Insider is reporting that Snow Leopard is indeed aimed at Intel Macs only. Documentation revealed at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference this week proves it.

According to Apple, Snow Leopard delivers unrivaled support for multi-core processors with a new technology code-named “Grand Central.” The company claims this is its answer to the multiple-core problem developers have always stumbled upon. Grand Central is supposed to make it easier for devs to create programs that take full advantage of the power of multi-core Macs.
Open CL is based on C (programming language) and has been proposed as an open standard, according to the Cupertino-based Mac maker. Apple has made it clear that Snow Leopard raises the software limit on system memory up to a theoretical 16TB of RAM, emphasizing OS X’s focus on 64-bit technology as well.
People familiar with the situation have confirmed to us that TUAW’s details are true—Snow Leopard is currently on track to come out during next January’s Macworld, and it will not contain major OS changes. Instead, the release is heavily focused on performance and nailing down speed and stability. With Apple’s current (and future) focus on smaller, thinner, and more mobile devices, this move makes perfect sense. Things like the MacBook Air, iPhone, iPod touch, and other mysterious devices that have yet to be announced need better performance for better battery life, and that’s definitely something Apple wants to excel at in the years to come. Our sources did not note whether Apple planned to discuss Snow Leopard at this year’s WWDC.
Something else that may happen is that Apple may eventually wrap everything in Cocoa—things that are currently only Carbon accessible will be no longer. This should make many Objective-C programmers happy, although those who are married to Carbon may get a bit bristly at the news.

Intel and Ericsson Collaborating on Laptop Anti Theft Technology

If you are a laptop owner, then Laptop security is of prime concern to you as laptop stealing is becoming quite common. If your laptop is stolen, your private and confidential data also gets stolen and that is a major cause of concern. To counter Laptop theft, Ericssion and Intel are collaborating to develop a killer technology which makes use of Intel Anti Theft Technology and Ericsson WWAN modules.

Source: http://www.techlivez.com/

Sony Ericsson Ring Phone – besides communication it adorns your finger aswell

We are putting you through another wearable gadget which is launched by Sony Ericsson and it is called phone ring. This jwellery gizmo has been conceived and Designed by Tao Ma who is famous Chinese designer and lives in Nanjing. He completed his masters in industrial design from School of Design of Southern Yangtze University.He recognized behind creation of large number of concept phone designs.

New-Look Nano Highlights Apple’s iPod Changes

Apple revamped its iPod range recently, highlighted by a new version of the iPod Nano with a curved aluminum design and built-in accelerometer. Besides the Nano, Apple also introduced a single iPod classic model and changes to the iPod Touch.

During a press briefing in San Francisco Sept. 9, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the new iPod Nano, which is touted as the thinnest iPod ever built and features a taller form factor with a larger screen than the previous Nano.

Jobs said that the newly redesigned iPod Nano as more environmentally friendly than past models, because it has arsenic-free glass; no brominated flame retardant, mercury or PVC; and more recyclable materials. There’s more they’re going to do in the future, but these are the cleanest, toxic-free iPods they’ve ever built.

The revamped Nano line comes in different colors, like, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink and silver. The 8GB Nano sells for $149 while the 16GB model sells for $199; both Nanos are now shipping.

Apple also introduced the iPod classic line to just one model , a 120GB music player that costs $249. Previously, the classic line came in two versions, a $249 80GB model and a $349 160GB model.

Protect your PC from a virus

There are many ways of knowing that your PC is infected from the Internet or elsewhere.

1. An infected computer always will behave differently from its normal state, and you may not be able to boot your system, or it may slow down to a crawl.
2. There will be strange or unfamiliar messages or graphics on your screen, and you may be unable to reverse these changed display settings. The programs that you use everyday may start acting funnily.
3. There may be a sudden rise in the current data traffic going out of your PC, even when you are not actually on the Internet.
4. Files may start removing from your hard disk, and your machine may start sending out spam or other malicious emails to all your email contacts without your knowledge.
5. Viruses can be hard to detect, and are more likely to work quietly in the background rather than give you any immediate indication of their presence. Things like your system slowing down or your hard drive space being chewed up can happen for a number of other reasons as well.

When you begin to suspect that your PC is infected, you should take it off the local as well as the Internet or unplug the network cable altogether.