MAC 07: GSMA Announces Award Winners

At the recent GSMA Mobile Asia Congress in Macau, the global trade association for mobile operators announced the winners of the Asia Mobile Awards 2007, as well as the category winners and the overall winner of the Asia Mobile Innovation Awards.

Hosted by Taiwanese actor, VJ and TV star, David Wu, the ceremony took place at the new Venetian Hotel in Macau. Artists like Craig David and Taiwanese 'pop princess' Elva also performed during the show.

"We're delighted with this year's Asian Mobile Awards – they recognize the sheer pace of progress that's been made right across the region's mobile communication market. Our congratulations to the winners and nominees and our thanks to everyone who participated," said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association.

The winners of the Asia Mobile Awards 2007 are:

Best Mobile Game
Gameloft - Real Football 2007

Best Mobile Music Service
PCCW Mobile HK - MOOV on Mobile

Best Mobile Advertising
Zad Mobile/Smart Communications/Pepsi - 1-IN-5 Panalo Summer Promotion

Best Mobile Social Networking Service
BuzzCity - myGamma

Best Mobile Broadband Handset / Device
- Motorola - MOTORAZR2 V9
- Highly Commended - LG Electronics for Shine

The overall Mobile Innovation Award winner was also announced at the industry Awards Gala Party held at the Venetian Hotel last night.

The four category winners for the Asia Mobile Innovation awards are:

Most Innovative Wireless Device-centric Technology
Telegent Systems, USA

Most Innovative Carrier Infrastructure or Platform
3ple-Media, Netherlands

Most Innovative Mobile Application in a Vertical Market
Integra Micro Systems, India

Most Innovative Consumer Application or Service
Consilient Technologies Corporation, Canada

And the overall winner for the Asia Mobile Innovation Awards is:
Consilient Technologies Corporation, Canada

The GSMA Mobile Asia Congress ends today.

LG.Philips Develops Dirt-Resistant LCD Panels

Tired of irritating smudges, dust and fingerprints on laptop computer screens? LG.Philips LCD Co., the world's second-largest manufacturer of liquid crystal displays, has developed a dirt-resistant easy-to-clean panel for notebook computers.

"Our new panel employs a principle similar to that used on non-stick frying pans," Ahn Byung-chul, who leads development of advanced technology at the company, said in a statement. "Dirt and oil can easily be wiped away."

TFT-LCD panels usually feature a coating on the surface of the polarizer film, designed to reduce glare and reflections. Because of their chemical properties, some of these coatings have a tendency to hold on to dirt and oil. A computer user’s fingers are a ready source of both, and people touch the hinged screens on notebook computers quite often in order to adjust them.

Generally, to make LCD panels dirt-resistant, manufacturers must add a second coating to the polarizer film in addition to the glare-reduction coating. This is a time-consuming process that adds to overheads. LG.Philips LCD has found a way to eliminate this additional step.

"Fingerprints have always been an especially big annoyance and if they're not cleaned immediately become even harder to remove from the screen. That's why we developed this new technology,” Ahn added.

The South Korean company said the panel, which even facilitates the removal of ink, would go into production in the first half of 2008. The technology will be first applied to its 15.4-inch widescreen panels for notebook computers, and later for notebook panels of all sizes by the end of next year.

Samsung India Eyes Second Spot in Sales

Samsung India Electronics Pvt Ltd is working at becoming number two in the Indian mobile phone handset market. It is currently ranked third.

According to Samsung deputy managing director Ravinder Zutshi, the company would soon come out with a range of handsets with multimedia and FM radio features.

Zutshi said the company has invested $180 million in India at its two manufacturing facilities, at Noida near New Delhi and Sriperumbudur near Chennai. It plans to spend another $70 million at the Sriperumbudur facility.

"We are focused on selling higher-end handsets," Zutshi said. He added that a customer buying a Samsung handset for the second time would always go for a model with better features and that is the market segment Samsung is targeting.

The company expects the renewed thrust would better utilise its installed capacity of producing 500,000 units a year. It presently makes around 300,000 units a year.

"Even in the consumer durables market, we're in the premium segment. We play by technology and product features; not by price," Zutshi said. He added that Samsung India would close this year with total revenues of $1.3 billion.

Epson Releases New 3LCD Projector

Epson has announced the launch of the EMP-DM1, an affordable, HD-Compatible entertainment center for instant gaming and big-screen movie applications. The device is HD compatible (720p resolution) and is easily connected to your computer, games console, digital camera, or USB memory storage.

The EMP-DM1 can be carried between rooms easily because of its integrated handle, and with just one power lead you can start watching your DVDs. The integrated stereo speakers deliver high quality sound to complete the home cinema experience. In addition to DVD viewing (with DivX compatibility), the projector can be used to display a wide choice of multimedia content on a big screen.

Graeme Davidson, Product Manager for Home Video Projectors, Epson UK, said: "The Epson EMP-DM1 brings big-screen fun to the home at an affordable price. Being simple to set up and use makes it the ideal home entertainment centre for families with children. It is the perfect way to watch films, listen to music, play computer games or enjoy a slideshow of family photos and videos."

The Epson EMP-DM1 is available in the UK for £449 RRP, including VAT.

Price Cut Boosts PlayStation 3 Sales in US

Sales of the PlayStation 3 in the US more than doubled in the weeks after the company slashed the video game console's price by $100 and launched a low-end model.

Sony said it sold more than 100,000 consoles of all types in the week ending November 11.

The price cut and new model make the PS3 more competitive against Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360 as the holiday season opens, claimed Sony Corp. CEO Howard Stringer.

Sony said it had been selling between 30,000 and 40,000 consoles per week before the October 18 price cut from $599 to $499 of the 80GB model.

Sales rose to 75,000 in the week of October 29, reflecting both the lower price of the high-end model and the introduction of a 40GB model for $399 on November 2. It was the following week that sales hit 100,000, according to Sony.

Lagging sales of the PS3, compared to sales of the Wii and XBox 360, prompted Sony to cut the price in the US as it had in Japan and Europe.

Stringer said Sony is poised to benefit from the difficulty Nintendo has had producing Wii consoles fast enough to keep up with demand.

By October, Nintendo had shipped 9.3 million units worldwide of the Wii, which went on sale late last year. By the end of this fiscal year, total global Wii shipments are expected to reach 22.3 million.

Sony had sold 5 million PS3s worldwide by October. The game console went on sale late last year in Japan and the US, and in March in Europe.

Microsoft had sold 11.6 million Xbox 360 machines in two years.

Sony executives said the rising sales also will boost the Blu-ray DVD format, as each PS3 comes with a Blu-ray drive.

Apple's Leopard is Here

Apple has announced the availability of its latest OS, Leopard for the Indian market.

This new upgrade has more than 300 new features and introduces a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to access files from the Dock; a redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; and Time Machine, an interactive way to automatically back up everything on a Mac.

Leopard’s new desktop includes the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks, which is an easier and faster way to organize files and documents of a similar variety for quick and easy access with just one click. This is especially helpful as Leopard automatically places web, email and other downloads in a Downloads stack to maintain a clutter-free desktop.

The updated Finder includes Cover Flow and a new sidebar which is a simplified way to search for, browse and copy content from any PC or Mac on a local network. Content on any computer on a local network can now be searched using Spotlight, browsed using Cover Flow or copied across the network with a simple drag.

Quick Look helps users to look inside files without launching them or even having the application that created them. With Quick Look, users can instantly view full-screen, high-resolution files including media files from any view in the Finder.

Spaces is a new way to organize their work by creating customized desktops, which can contain only those applications or documents needed for each project, with the ability to quickly switch between Spaces with the mouse or keyboard.

Time Machine lets users easily back up all of the data on their Mac, find lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, users can search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos another digital media and then instantly restore the file.

Mail has been updated in Leopard and features more than 30 stationery designs and layouts. Notes and To Dos help users stay organized by acting just like emails that can be easily created, saved as drafts, synced across multiple Macs and stored in Smart Mailboxes. Data detectors automatically sense phone numbers, addresses and events so they can be added to Address Book or iCal with just a few clicks.

iChat offers richer video chats in Leopard with iChat Theater, which makes it easy to show photos, presentations, videos or files in a video conference; screen sharing which lets users remotely view and operate another Mac

In terms of pricing Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is available now through Apple Authorized Resellers for a maximum retail price of Rs. 6,200 for a single user license. The Mac OS X Leopard Family Pack is a single-residence, five-user license that is available for a maximum retail price of Rs. 9660. The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after October 1, 2007 for a shipping and handling fee of Rs. 461.

Nokia's N82 Finally Released

After being teased with the info that the phone exists, but with no news on the release date or pricing, it’s finally here. Nokia has launched the N82. Another high end mobile from the Finnish mobile makers with a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. But this time, unlike the N95, they equipped the phone with a Xenon flash.

The N82 is also equipped with A-GPS for navigation with preinstalled Nokia maps and all the standard packages come with a free voice guided navigation trial. You can purchase additional features, such as city guides and longer subscription to the navigation. Also available in the standard pack is a 2GB micro SD card.

"The evolution of camera capabilities in mobile devices has been extremely fast over the past years. With the Nokia N82 we have reached such a superior level in image quality, speed and ease of use that not only does it outperform any other camera phone on the market, but it's also a very credible alternative for single purpose digital still cameras," said Satu Ehrnrooth, head of Nokia Nseries Cameras Category, Multimedia, Nokia. "In addition to the high-end camera, the Nokia N82 also enables you to navigate and discover new places, enjoy your music, browse the web, play games, chat online and be part of the global web 2.0 community wherever you go. Thanks to the wireless broadband connectivity, convergence and yet again increased performance, the Nokia N82 is all you need in your pocket!"
Among the other features are Wi-Fi connectivity, 3G capabilities with HSDPA for faster internet connection, Bluetooth with A2DP capabilities and miniUSB v2.0. The N82 also has an integrated Stereo FM radio, TV out, document viewer and a new auto rotate feature so if the phone is turned the display automatically switches to landscape mode. It also supports N-Gage games and has a direct upload feature for your images, so it will simultaneously upload your files while you use the phone for any other purpose.

The Nokia N82 is available now in key markets with an estimated, pre-tax, unsubsidized sales price of approximately Rs. 25,810(450 euros).

Nokia Gets Arty With the New 8800s

Nokia’s 8800 series has always embodied class, elegance and a very artful feel and has always managed to make the very traditional, simplistic design look like something that’s more of a status symbol than a mobile phone. The latest additions to the series are the Nokia 8800 Arte (art) and Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte.

Both phones are essentially the same, except for the fact that the Sapphire Arte version has a genuine sapphire gemstone embedded in the center of the 5 way nav-pad. Aside from their traditional metal and glass bodies the surfaces now have an Anti-fingerprint coating (about time guys). Both these new models have taken the series to whole new level being equipped with a 3 megapixel, auto-focus cameras, 3G capabilities and having 1GB of internal memory. They also come with 2 inch, QVGA, 240x320 pixels resolution, OLED displays with up to 16 million colors. The Arte models also use the new standardized microUSB connectors for charging and data transfer.

Apart from the physical traits that clearly make these models in the series stand out, Nokia has also incorporated some fancy new technology into these Arte pieces. First off is the "turn-to-mute" feature wherein all you need to do if you want to silence an incoming call is simply flip the phone over on it’s back. Another new feature is a Tap for Time function. By lightly tapping the metal portion under the screen an analogue clock appears on the screen.

Continuing a tradition of incorporating exclusive soundtracks in its premium handsets, Nokia has invited the internationally acclaimed master producers Kruder & Dorfmeister to add their standout musical style by creating a unique compilation for these new devices. Owners of the Nokia 8800 Arte and Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte will be able to enjoy an exclusive videotrack and soundtrack composed by Kruder & Dorfmeister with visuals by Fritz Fitzke.

Each handset comes with an assortment of mobile accessories that includes the Nokia BH-803 Bluetooth headset with Active Noise Cancellation and touch sensitive volume adjustment. Each handset also comes with a leather pouch with a linen lining and a separate matching desk stand.

The Nokia 8800 Arte will start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2007 at an estimated retail price of Rs. 57,355 (1000 EUR) before taxes and subsidies. The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte will follow in the first quarter of 2008 and retail for approximately Rs. 65,957 (1150 EUR) before taxes and subsidies.

Supreme Commander Headed for Xbox 360

Gas Powered Games’ real-time strategy Supreme Commander is all set to be ported to the Xbox 360, courtesy of publisher Aspyr Media. Here’s what the game’s lead designer Chris Taylor had to say:

"Aspyr's developer-friendly publishing environment delivers 100% on our vision for bringing Supreme Commander to the Xbox 360. We believe that we've raised the bar for RTS gaming on the PC, and now, co-developing with Hellbent Games, we know that we can do the same on consoles."

For more on the game, head over to Nikhil's seething review here.

Philips Launches New Universal Remote

Philips will extend its range of Prestigo premium universal remote controls with the launch of the new SRU8015 model. The development of the new Philips Prestigo has focused on ease-of-use, with channel icons now displayed to give access to programs coupled with the ability to control up to 15 home entertainment devices.

The device features a 2”, 176 x 220 full-color LCD screen, a rotary wheel and white key backlighting for navigation. With its advanced on-screen set-up wizard, the universal remote can be used without needing to access a PC, or a complex manual. Once set up, the SRU8015’s rotary wheel and FAV (for favorites), HOME and MORE navigation buttons provide instant selection of video and audio entertainment.

The FAV button immediately directs users to a screen where up to 100 preferred channel icons can be selected (from a total choice of 400), allowing users to select favorite programs by icon rather than needing to remember digit keys. By pressing 'MORE', users can access a page of special functions that ensure all existing remote control functionality is available in the SRU8015, while the HOME button provides an icon-based overview of devices that can be controlled or activities to be selected.

The SRU8015 universal remote supports almost any product, and can learn codes of new remotes simply by pointing the handset and the device or existing remote control at each other. The product also allows users to enter text for activities, device names and functions added to the device.

The SRU8015 is available now for an approximate high street selling price of £99.99.

Click here for more info.

Alone in the Dark Makes its Way to PS2, Wii

Atari’s latest Alone in the Dark offering will be making its way to Sony’s aging console, the PS2, as well as the Wii. While the next-gen versions of the game will be developed by Eden Games, the PS2 and Wii ports will be handled by developer Hydravision of the Obscure series.

same story as the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC version, where over the course of one apocalyptic night, hero Edward Carnby must uncover the earth-shattering secret hidden in New York’s iconic Central Park.

Hydravision has tackled the innovative and highly advanced technology driving Alone in the Dark on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC head-on, using the company’s wealth of experience and proven technology. The versions for Wii and PS2 have been developed in parallel specifically to take full advantage of each console’s capabilities.

Both games push the hardware hard, incorporating many of the gameplay features found in the Xbox 360 version. On the Wii, the control system is specially adapted to make full use of the Remote and Nunchuck to manipulate objects in real-time, a key gameplay feature of Alone in the Dark, enhancing the player’s immersion in the experience.

The PS2 just refuses to die, eh?

MAC 07: Pay-Buy-Mobile Trials Begin

Over the next several months, 12 mobile operators will run trials of contactless mobile payment services in Australia, France, Ireland, Korea, Malaysia, Norway, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey and the U.S. as a precursor to commercial launches.

The trials form part of the GSMA’s Pay-Buy-Mobile initiative, which is designed to provide a single global approach to enable contactless payments using a mobile phone. Consumers will be able to use their handsets to pay for goods and services in shops, restaurants and train stations.

The Pay-Buy-Mobile initiative supports the use of the Single Wire Protocol, which was adopted by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) as a standard in October 2007, to link the Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) contained within the mobile handset with the phone’s embedded Near Field Communications (NFC) chip. The NFC chip can communicate with existing contactless payment systems to deliver a wide range of secure, interoperable and transparent services, such as credit and debit payments. There are 35 mobile operators with 1.3 billion customers participating in the initiative.

Executives from Korean operator KTF have paid for goods by passing their NFC-equipped handsets by contactless readers in retail outlets in Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. in a trial involving real transactions facilitated by MasterCard.

For this trial, MasterCard’s Paypass application and Shinhan Bank’s credit card application were downloaded to a KTF UICC embedded in the mobile handsets, which were provided by LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics. The retail outlets at the respective locations were equipped with readers that support the NFC interface and accept MasterCard’s Paypass applications, enabling real transactions in three different countries.

“This new NFC-based KTF mobile payment phone shows innovative use of the latest technology to increase convenience by giving consumers the ability to use their mobile phones to make contactless payments anywhere around the world where PayPass is accepted", said Shuan Ghaidan, Head of Product Sales and Delivery, Asia/Pacific MasterCard Worldwide.

“Just nine months after this program was launched in Barcelona, the first pioneering mobile operators are preparing for the rollout of commercial services that have the potential to become the foundation of a global, interoperable mobile payment service,” said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSMA, the global trade association for mobile operators. “Mobile payment services, which will enable transactions to be completed faster in shops, restaurants and train stations, will also make it easier for merchants to offer their customers precisely-targeted discounts and other promotional offers.”

Both consumers and merchants see significant benefits from using the mobile phone as a payment form factor at point of sale, according to research carried out by Serrula on behalf of the GSMA. Two-thirds of the 2,574 consumers in 17 countries surveyed said that they expect to begin using their mobile phone to pay at point of sale within two years of the service becoming available. Moreover, 50% of the 240 merchants from 10 countries surveyed see promotional opportunities in using the mobile phone as a payment device.

The 12 operators running trials include AT&T, Far EasTone, Orange, KTF, Maxis, SFR, SingTel, Telstra and Turkcell. LG, Motorola, Nokia, Sagem and Samsung are among the handset makers developing phones for NFC-enabled mobile payment services.

MAC 07: LG Shows Off The Viewty and KS20

LG's 5 megapixel camera phone the KU990, called the Viewty, has made an appearance at this year's GSMA Mobile Asia Congress 2007 held in Macau. The KU990 follows in the footsteps of the popular iPhone-like LG Prada. This candy bar styled phone has a large 3-inch LCD touch screen with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels and sports 256K colors. The Viewty has a Flash UI (user interface).

The LG KU990 has an inbuilt memory of 100MB and also supports external memory through microSD cards. It’s also 3G enabled with HSDPA for faster connectivity. Speaking of connectivity it’s also Bluetooth v1.2 enabled with A2DP compatibility and USB v2.0. The main feature of course is the 5 megapixel, auto-focus camera with a Xenon flash. The KU990’s camera is also equipped with anti-shake image stabilizer and face-tracking software and even manual focus should you wish to get a bit more ‘professional’ with it. What the Viewty also incorporates is an application that allows users to upload videos to the net to sites like YouTube and there’s another photo editor application for making changes to images shot through the camera. The best part about the camera is its ability to capture 120 frames per second. There’s also a VGA camera located in the front for video calling.


LG also showed off their KS20 which seemingly appears to another Prada-style touchscreen mobile except that this one runs on Windows Mobile 6 OS. It’s equipped with a 2.8 inch TFT touchscreen, with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 256K colors, a 2 megapixel auto-focus camera and a secondary VGA camera in front. It also supports audio and video playback with DivX file support. It’s also fully equipped for all types of connectivity from EDGE, with 3G and HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP compatibility and USB v2.0.

The KS20 and the Ku990 are expected to be in stores in Europe sometime at the end of this year at undisclosed prices though.

MAC 07: GSMA Wants Integrated Mobile Broadband Connectivity

Though mobile broadband connectivity through 3G (WCDMA/UMTS) / 3G CDMA (1XEVDO) and now 3.5 (HSDPA) has been available for years in Europe and America, it has not achieved a mass market appeal. One of the primary reasons for this has been due to the fact that laptops, the main form of mobile computing do not have integrated solutions that offer connectivity to 3G networks. Though this fact has been downplayed for some time now, it is assuming center stage as more and more users start migrating to laptops. The need for integrated mobile broadband connectivity is become more acute and this was revealed in a study published by the GSM Association (GSMA), and Microsoft.

The result of this, the first-ever consumer study into mobile broadband computing, shows that there is a tremendous untapped market. The study highlights a 70 million unit opportunity, worth about $50 billion in 2008, for notebook PCs in the mass market $500 -$1000 (USD) price range with built-in mobile broadband. The research reveals a gap of potentially 46.5 million units between recent industry analyst forecasts and the new analysis, suggesting that PC manufacturers have yet to deliver the right mobile broadband PCs - bundled with pre-configured mobile connectivity - to appeal to mass market PC buyers.

“With the right form factor, price and ‘out-of-the-box’ connectivity, the research has unearthed substantial demand for mobile broadband embedded notebooks that is not yet being met,” said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSMA. “Now that we understand the market potential and consumers’ requirements, we are pleased to communicate the findings to the broader industry eco-system.”

“Microsoft is pleased to be working with the GSMA to accelerate the adoption of PCs with built-in mobile broadband”, said Will Poole, corporate vice president of the Unlimited Potential Group at Microsoft. “By quantifying and characterizing PC market demand, it is our hope that mobile operators and OEMs will collaborate to introduce compelling and affordable notebooks with innovative new services. We believe that people everywhere, in both developed and emerging segments, could benefit from access to the Internet through mobile broadband on a wider range of notebook PCs.”

Looking to accelerate growth into this field GSMA has announced a competition to identify devices and manufacturers able to serve the untapped market. Notebook manufacturers and OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) will be asked to propose new designs that can meet this currently unmet need for mass-market priced mobile broadband-ready notebooks.The winner of the new PC design will be showcased to decision makers within mobile operators that are interested in serving the unmet needs for broadband services on PCs. The winner will be announced at the the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in February 2008.

In their responses, manufacturers will be asked to provide a detailed specification, time to market information, recommended retail price-points, support services and information on how they would work with operators to promote activation, configuration and ease of use. The winning PC will be chosen by a panel of product experts from leading operators, all planning to promote mobile broadband in their own markets, who will select the device which most closely meets consumer needs.

MAC 07: Apple in Talks With China Mobile For iPhone

On the sidelines of the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress being held in Macau, China Mobile Ltd revealed positive talks in session with Apple about bringing the iPhone to China.


There hasn't been any agreement reached as yet, according to China Mobile's Chairman & CEO, Wang Jianzhou. Apple had plans to launch the device in Asia in 2008 and is currently in talks with various operators in the region.

Jianzhou also revealed that 3G (The TD-SCDMA standard) will be up and running well in time for the Beijing Olympics next summer. China Mobile, he said, was in talks with operators from around the world to figure out a way for athletes, organizers and visitors to use their existing cell phone numbers at local or at least heavily subsidized rates during the Games.

Jianzhou also told the audience that the operator's mobile phone recycling CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative was showing impressive results. While only 60,000 users turned in old handsets last year, over 2 million have already done so in the first half of 2007.

Motorola Launches FM Phone MOTOYUVA

Motorola’s latest addition to their FM radio, entry-level mobiles is the W180, that’s called the MOTOYUVA in India. This is a totally simplistic mobile with a singular feature that stands out i.e. the Stereo FM radio, much like the RADIOMOTO W209. The YUVA however, has adopted a more traditional candy bar design.

The display has a 128 x 128 pixel resolution with 65K colors. Its internal memory has a capacity to store 500 numbers which roughly equals up to around 70KB of space. The YUVA has no other mentionable features except that it has a microUSB v1.1 port that serves as a charging port as well. Thus we know know that Motorola has begun to incorporate the new standard. The W810 also employs Motorola’s CrystalTalk technology.
The MOTOYUVA is already available in stores and is priced at Rs. 1,900.

Asus Introduces New Business Laptops

Asus has introduced three new laptops, aimed at mobile professionals and for the fashion conscious in their leather range. The new models being introduced are F8P, U3S and U6S.

The F8P comes encased in white leather shell with thin silver finish. This new laptop is based on an Intel Core 2 Duo T7500processor, comes with an AMD ATI Mobility Radeon HD2400 graphics card and a 250 GB HDD.

The U3S is a direct competitor to Dell XPS M1330 and sports a 13.3 inch screen, C2D T7500 processor, Nvidia 8400M G chipset, 1.5 GB of RAM 160 GB HDD and Windows Vista Business.The U6S is the smallest release in this roundup. It features a 12.1 inch LCD panel, comes with an astonishingly powerful T7700 C2D processor, 2 GB of RAM, Nvidia 8400M G chipset which can take up to 896 MB as VRAM, 250 GB HDD and HSDPA support.

Prices and availability of these laptops is unknown as of now.

3G Finally Makes Its Way to Indian Shores

Steering India towards a new level of wireless telephony, the government on Monday announced immediate release of spectrum for 'third generation' (3G) mobile services and allowed users to switch operators while retaining the cell phone numbers.

"The government has decided to release 3G spectrum in 2.1 GHz band with immediate effect," Communications Minister A Raja told reporters in New Delhi.

Number portability, which would allow users to change their service provider while keeping the numbers, will be introduced in the four metropolitan cities at the earliest.

Department of Telecommunications Secretary D S Mathur said about 30 MHz spectrum can be released to accommodate three players in the first phase.

Asked whether only existing 2G players will be allowed to offer 3G services, Raja said, "No. I want healthy competition; I want all the players to bid for it. As far as foreign players are concerned, they will be allowed subject to security clearances by Ministry of Home Affairs.

"The 3G licenses will be granted through a controlled, simultaneous ascending e-auction, by a specialized agency to ensure transparency in selection process," the minister said.

3G services will give users a better multimedia experience, with faster data transfer rates. At present, cellular operators offer only 2G services.

Although he did not give any time frame for introduction of number portability, Raja said he would try to implement it in the four metros by this year-end.

A meeting will be held with existing operators to seek their cooperation.

On 3G spectrum, he said besides the initial one-time charge, it has been decided that the successful bidder will pay additional spectrum charge of 0.5 per cent of the total adjusted gross revenue as recurring annual fee. This additional revenue share is proposed to be doubled to on one per cent of AGR after 3 years from the date of spectrum assignment.

Laptops Exempt From Additional Customs Duty

In a judgment that could cheer the IT companies as well as the end-users, the Supreme Court has held that the government cannot levy additional seven per cent customs duty on notebook PCs (laptops) as in the case of desktop computers since the two are totally different.

While dismissing a petition filed by Commissioner of Customs, a bench headed by Justice S B Sinha said that the government cannot ask IT companies to pay seven per cent additional customs duty on notebook PCs, unlike desktops, as the two items were totally different though capable of performing same or similar functions.

"We are of the opinion that a laptop or a notebook PC being an integrated item cannot be a set of a CPU with monitor, mouse and key board," the court said.

A desktop is a combination of items -- CPU, monitor, mouse and keyboard - which when put together are capable of making a computer, the court observed, adding a notebook computer, on the other hand, comes in an integrated and inseparable form and thus cannot be said to be a set of all these parts.

Upholding the Customs, Excise and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal's judgment, the court said the interpretation by the tribunal was in consonance with the Computers (Additional Duty) Rules, 2004.

The tribunal had passed the order on an appeal filed by Bangalore-based Acer India Pvt Ltd challenging levy of additional seven per cent duty on imported laptops.

The authorities had contended that additional levy was imposed just to provide level-playing filed and protect domestic manufacturers.

According to the department, there was not much difference between a laptop PC and a desktop computer for the purposes of classification.

It further submitted that "Entry 8471 of the tariff framed in terms of the Customs Tariff Act encompasses within its fold desktops and laptops. A laptop being a computer which has all the attributes of a desktop is amenable to excise duty."

Opposing the department's plea, Acer stated that laptops were not desktop computers and were known differently in the market.

For the purposes of paying additional duty, a CPU with its accessories in a set does not fall under the description of a laptop or a notebook, the company added.

Marvel, Other Comics Go Online

Marvel is putting some of its older comics online Tuesday, hoping to reintroduce young people to the X-Men and Fantastic Four by showcasing the original issues in which such characters appeared.

It's a tentative move onto the Internet: Comics can only be viewed in a Web browser, not downloaded, and new issues will only go online at least six months after they first appear in print.

Still, it represents perhaps the comics industry's most aggressive Web push yet. Even as their creations – from Iron Man to Wonder Woman – become increasingly visible in pop culture through new movies and video games, old-school comics publishers rely primarily on specialized, out-of-the-way comic shops for distribution of their bread-and-butter product.

"You don't have that spinner rack of comic books sitting in the local five-and-dime any more," said Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Publishing. "We don't have our product intersecting kids in their lifestyle space as much as we used to."

Translate "kids' lifestyle space" into plain English and you get "the Internet". Marvel's two most prominent competitors currently offer online teasers designed to drive the sales of comics or book collections.

Dark Horse Comics now puts its monthly anthologies "Dark Horse Presents" up for free viewing on its MySpace site. The images are vibrant and large.

DC Comics has also put issues up on MySpace, and recently launched the competition-based Zuda Comics, which encourages users to rank each other's work, as a way to tap into the expanding Web comic scene. Company president Paul Levitz said he expects to put more original comics online in coming years.

"We look at anything that connects comics to people," Levitz said. "The most interesting thing about the online world to me is the opportunity for new forms of creativity... It's a question of what forms of storytelling work for the Web?"

For its mature Vertigo imprint, DC offers weekly sneak peeks at the first five or six pages of upcoming issues. The publisher also gives out downloadable PDF files of the first issues in certain series, timed to publication of the series in book or graphic novel format.

The Web release of DC's "Y the Last Man" sent sales of that book collection soaring at Bridge City Comics in Portland, Ore., the shop's owner Michael Ring said.

"They really do tend to be feeder systems," Ring said of online comics. "They give people that initial taste."

For Marvel, the general public has often already gotten its initial taste through movies like "Spider-Man" or the "Fantastic Four" franchises.

The publisher is hoping fans will be intrigued enough about the origins of those characters to shell out $9.99 a month, or $4.99 monthly with a year-long commitment. For that price, they'll be able to poke through, say, the first 100 issues of Stan Lee's 1963 creation "Amazing Spider-Man" at their leisure, along with more recent titles like "House of M" and "Young Avengers." Comics can be viewed in several different formats, including frame-by-frame navigation.

Ring expects Marvel's effort to put a slight dent in the back-issue segment of the comic shop industry, where rare, out-of-print titles sell for hundreds of dollars on eBay and at trade shows.

Though most comic fans are collectors, some simply want to catch up on the backstory of their favorite characters and would no longer have to pay top dollar to do so.

About 2,500 issues will be available at launch of Marvel Digital Comics, with 20 more being released each week.

Google Offers $10M in Software Prizes

Google Inc. is offering $10 million in prizes for people who build the best software to enhance the company's upcoming cellphone operating system.

The Mountain View-based company is developing a free cell phone software package that it says will make it easier to surf the Web over mobile devices. It also will give Google more opportunities to sell ads and services.

The operating system will be based on computer code that can be openly distributed among programmers, which Google hopes will encourage developers to create new software and improvements that could spawn new uses for smart phones.

Winning offerings could encompass simple aesthetic improvements like personalized home screens or more complicated social-networking programs that merge data from the Web – such as maps or personal Web pages – with data from users' phones – like contact information or the phones' geographic locations.

As part of the Android Developer Challenge, a panel of judges will pick 50 winners from entries received from Jan. 2 through March 3, 2008. In the first phase of the competition, those winners will each get $25,000 and be eligible for ten awards of $100,000 and another ten $275,000 awards.

The second phase of the competition will feature another $5 million in prize money.

Google did not specify how the applications will be judged. The company only said the winning programs will "provide consumers with the most compelling experiences."

Google also released a tool kit Monday for working on the new platform, which is to be released in the second half of next year.

Four cell phone manufacturers – Motorola Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., HTC and LG Electronics Inc. – have agreed to use Android in some of their phones. Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said he eventually hopes the software will be integrated into thousands of different devices.

Twenty-nine other companies have signed on as members of the alliance.

Android will compete with mobile operating systems made by Microsoft Corp., Palm Inc., Research In Motion Ltd., and Symbian, which is owned by Nokia Corp. and several other major phone makers.

Zune Trumps iPod in Customization

In a bid to one-up Apple, Microsoft said it will engrave designs by contemporary artists on the back of its Zune media players free of charge starting Tuesday, when the new line goes on sale.

Microsoft Corp.'s Zune Originals include work from 18 artists, including illustrators Catalina Estrada of Spain, Skwak of France and Nobumasa Takahashi of Japan. The intricate designs take up most of the metallic back surface of the players.

Apple Inc., the overwhelming market leader in portable music players, will engrave a line or two of small text on the back of its iPods and iPhones.

"We looked at how homogenized the category looked, everybody has the same sort of player, the same white earphones," said Chris Stephenson, general manager of global marketing for the Microsoft division responsible for the Zune. "We knew there was something interesting here that would allow us to have a slightly different position in the marketplace."

Microsoft's newest Zunes, first unveiled in October, hit store shelves Tuesday. Two smaller models have 4 gigabytes or 8 gigabytes of storage, and a larger model has an 80 GB hard drive. Prices range from $150 to $250.

Many of the artists have collaborated with sneaker companies or snowboard manufacturers on limited-edition products. Stephenson said Microsoft also took a cue from the customization craze on social networking sites like News Corp.-owned MySpace, and from limited-edition cell phones.

The company will also offer 20 smaller graphic designs inspired by classic tattoo art, leaving room for three lines of text chosen by the customer. Those who choose no design can have up to five lines of text engraved.

Stephenson would not say whether Microsoft has any specific goals for the Zune's second year on the market, other than to be "a solid No. 2" to the iPod.

Microsoft said the engraving service is free for a limited time, and is only available through its Zune site.

Asus To Introduce EEE PC Desktop Next Year

Asus who has recently tasted success with its EEE PC based small laptop, has now indicated that it will be introducing a desktop version of its small Linux-based laptop. This revelation came from Jonathan Tseng, Asus' President of Marketing who told Digitimes that the company intends to get the new mini-machine into shops by sometime next year. He went on to add that the new desktop unit will not have a viewing unit (monitor) and that price and specifications are yet to be decided.

This announcement raises a number of interesting questions. Though Asus managed to make a success of its mini laptop, the desktop market is an entirely different beast. For starters, the processing power available in comparison is far more than that available in budget laptops. Secondly this is not a new idea. Quite a few manufacturers like Shuttle and Apple itself have been retailing SFF PCs for quite a few years. Keeping these factors in mind, it’s going to be difficult for Asus to penetrate this market.

Samsung Shows Chic New Speakers

Samsung launches the first pair of tiny killers from their new range, fresh from the 2007 Korea Electronics Show.

The speakers are part of Samsung's "Chic and Smart Style" line in the Korean market. Not much is out on the specs and availability yet, we just know that they look quite intriguing to say the least. So we will wait till they sail westwards, as Samsung's stuff always does...

Intel To Launch 45nm Processors, Penryn

Intel is all set to usher in the 45nm-era of desktop and server computing processors with the launch of their "Penryn" series of processors. They will be launching 12 new quad-core versions of their Xeon server chip, which will ship as the Xeon 5400 Series products.

These chips will be available at speeds between 2GHz and 3.20GHz with FSB topping out at 1600MHz and will sport L2 cache sizes of up to 12MB. In their consumer range of processors, the first one off the block will be the enthusiast level Core 2 Extreme QX9650. This will be the only "Penryn" chip that will be available this year for end-consumers and will retail for $1000 upwards.

The launch of these new processors marks a new beginning in the war between AMD and Intel. Ever since the Core 2 Duo was launched, AMD has been playing catch-up with Intel. Though they have recently managed to migrate to the 65nm process, with Intel introducing 45nm... AMD is going to be facing an uphill task of trying to match up.

This is simply because AMD which has the price vs. performance tag will soon lose it. As the "Penryn" processors launch, Intel current C2D range will drop in prices and become competitive in the budget ranges. Though AMD has tried to offset this by looking to offer "tri-core" processors, how this situation will play out is anybody’s guess

Nokia Ties Up With Om Shanti Om

Nokia has tied up with Bollywood's multi-starrer Om Shanti Om (OSO) wherein Nokia users can watch the movie's clips, behind the scenes videos, ringtones and wallpapers on their mobile phones. The cell phone giant has created a special 'OSO Crazy mobisode', animated characters of 'OM' (played by Shah Rukh Khan) that can be downloaded on all Nokia GPRS enabled handsets by dialling 55555 or from www.nokia.co.in/oso, a website created for the Nokia and OSO association.

Nokia is also hosting a "Meet and Greet" contest for the leading star of the movie. Those purchasing a Nokia 5310, Nokia 3110 Classic, 3500 Classic, 5200, 5300, 5700, 6233, 6233 M or 6300 will get a chance to answer a question on Nokia and the film. Based on a lucky draw, 40 couples across India will get the opportunity to meet Shah Rukh Khan in Mumbai, in early December, 2007. All expenses including travel and stay for this contest will be borne by Nokia. Consumers can log on to www.nokia.co.in/oso and submit their entries.

Speaking at the occasion, Bob McDougall, director, sales, Nokia India said, "Mobile entertainment is a key pillar of our strategy and is poised to drive the mobility industry in a big way. Through this tie up, we will bring alive our vision of combining internet and mobility to provide consumers an enhanced media rich mobile experience. Bollywood is the most popular downloadable mobile content besides sports and fashion in India. We are confident that OSO Crazy and other exclusive OSO content will provide our consumers an enhanced media rich mobile experience".

Microsoft To Release Two Security Patches

"Patch Tuesday" is almost upon us and as usual brings with it, a number of security fixes.

However, this time around unlike previous occasions, there are only 2 security patches. The first security patch is marked critical and will fix a critical vulnerability that allows remote code execution. This fix is intended for the problem caused by Macrovision’s Secdrv driver, which is security software designed to prevention piracy of games.

In its Microsoft Security Advisory (944653), Microsoft has said, "We are aware of limited attacks that try to use the reported vulnerability. Microsoft is actively monitoring this situation to keep customers informed and to provide customer guidance as necessary. Upon completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to help protect our customers. This will include providing a security update through our monthly release process."

The second security patch is rated as “important” and it fixes a “spoofing” vulnerability in Windows that Microsoft planned to fix last month but however deferred.

Denon Introduces Wi-fi DAB Radio

Denon has released the SMART S-52DAB wi-fi Table Radio, calling it "the most technically advanced radio on the planet". This £500 device incorporates networking software from Denon’s AV receivers and sound quality from Denon's Hi-fi systems, and it features the ability to stream music wirelessly from Internet Radio, network attached storage and PC, Mac computers etc.

The unit also features DAB/FM Radio, a CD Player, a concealed iPod dock, full remote control and delivers crisp, clean sound with powerful bass response, made possible by Audyssey Bass-XT and Dynamic EQ software. It can decode not just popular MP3 and WMA formats but also AAC, WAV and FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec).

Online Project to Track Terrorist Websites

Tens of thousands of web pages are now devoted to terrorist propaganda designed to attract followers. On the surface, the messages and videos reveal little about their creators.

But programmers and writers leave digital clues: the greetings and other words they choose, their punctuation and syntax, and the way they code multimedia attachments and web links.

Researchers at the University of Arizona are developing a tool that uses these clues to automate the analysis of 'online jihadism'. The Dark Web project aims to scour Websites, forums and chat rooms to find the Internet's most prolific and influential jihadists and learn how they reel in adherents.

Lab director Hsinchun Chen hopes Dark Web will crimp what he calls "al-Qaida Universities on the Web", the mass of websites where potential terrorists learn their trade, from making explosives to planning attacks.

Experts said they are not aware of any comparable effort, though some said the project may have only limited applications.

The project in the university's Artificial Intelligence Lab will not identify people outside cyberspace "because that involves civil liberties," Chen said, preferring to let law enforcement and intelligence analysts take over from there.

Instead, it will help identify messages with the same author and reveal links that aren't obvious.

The bulk of a $1.3 million grant the National Science Foundation gave Chen's group will focus on who produces improvised explosives and what they talk about – such as American troop movements and terrorist tactics. Before getting the NSF funding, Chen started the project with $3 million from other Artificial Intelligence Lab programs.

Dark Web's software, which Chen calls Writeprint, samples 480 different factors to identify whether the same people are posting to multiple radical forums. It can analyze everything from a fragment of an email to videos depicting American soldiers blown up in Humvees and fuel tankers.

Writeprint is derived from a program originally used to determine the authenticity of William Shakespeare's works. It looks at writing style, word usage and frequency and greetings, and at technical elements ranging from web addresses to the coding on multimedia attachments. It also looks at linguistic features such as special characters, punctuation, word roots, font size and color.

Currently, intelligence analysts cannot effectively analyze writing style in cyberspace, particularly multilingual writings, he said.

Chen and counterterror specialists said what he termed a tenfold increase in the last two years in jihadist content appearing online has outstripped intelligence analysts' abilities.

Dark Web compares writings it finds to others in its logs of about 500 million pages of jihadist-produced documents, videos, images, e-mails and other postings, Chen said.

Most of the material is in Arabic, but as terrorist sympathizers have spawned new sites worldwide since 2005, Dark Web has expanded to look at Chinese-, Spanish- and French-language postings, and others will be added.

Enhanced Parental Controls for Xbox 360

Microsoft on Wednesday kicked off year two of the 'Safety is no game. Is your family set?' campaign by debuting a new Family Timer as an addition to the Xbox 360’s family-friendly features.

The new Family Timer feature is an addition to the Xbox 360's Family Settings that helps parents enforce rules on the amount of time their children use the gaming console, on a daily or weekly basis.

Parents can set permissions that allow family members to enjoy Xbox 360 in a user-appropriate environment. This includes not merely deciding what games and DVD movies to allow, but also controlling the ability to establish Xbox LIVE memberships and managing access to Xbox LIVE.

The news comes in light of recent research findings that reveal 62 percent of parents and caregivers would welcome a tool to limit the amount of time video game consoles are used in their homes.

Microsoft also announced a partnership with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to advocate for a balanced approach to interactive media use, encouraging families to come together to talk about how their children spend their time in front of television and computer screens.

The goal of the campaign is to provide parents with the information and tools they need to make appropriate content choices for their children for both offline enjoyment as well as on Xbox Live.

"We launched this campaign last year to address the concerns of parents about their children’s access to inappropriate content in video games and on their computers," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division. "It's designed to educate parents on the tools and resources available that can help them manage their family’s media use."
"The premise of the campaign fits naturally with our mission to be a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for the education and well-being of every child," said Warlene Gary, National PTA CEO. "This includes a safer media environment."

Sony Launches Eco-friendly VAIO Notebooks

Some months after Greenpeace put Sony at the bottom of its list in the eco-friendliness stakes, the company is trying to make amends with its line of VAIO Graphic Splash Eco Edition notebooks.

In designing these smaller and lighter limited-edition machines, Sony says that the consumption of raw materials for building and packaging is reduced significantly.

Available in four 'organically themed' lid designs – Caribbean, Bloom, Spotted Life, and Clay Earth – the Graphic Splash notebooks are claimed to be "super-powerful and incredibly thin".

According to Sony, the eco-conscious features include:
Slim design for minimum use of natural resources
Easy-to-recycle materials for resource conservation
Packaging comprised primarily of recyclable materials
RoHS compliant components free from hazardous materials

The machines feature a 2 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, a 15.4-inch display, Vista Home Premium, and the rest of the usual FZ specs. Prices start at about $1200 and vary according to the choice of specs.

In keeping with the 'green' theme, Sony will contribute 1% of net VAIO Eco Edition notebook sales to 'One Percent for the Planet', an alliance of businesses concerned about the protection of the natural environment.

Blu-ray in 'stalemate' with HD DVD: Sony CEO

The head of Sony Corp., Howard Stringer, said Thursday that the Blu-ray disc format the company has developed as the successor to the DVD is in a 'stalemate' with the competing HD DVD format, chiefly backed by Toshiba Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

"It's a difficult fight," said Stringer, speaking at the 92nd Street Y cultural center in Manhattan.

Toshiba has been selling its players for as low as $200 heading into the holiday season, while Blu-ray players cost more than twice as much. The HD DVD camp also scored a significant win in August, when it induced Paramount Pictures to drop most of its support for Blu-ray and put out high-definition movies exclusively on HD DVD.

"We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides," Stringer said.

At the same time, he played down the importance of the battle, saying it was mostly a matter of prestige whose format wins out in the end. "It doesn't mean as much as all that," Stringer said.

He added that he believed there was an opportunity of uniting the two camps under one format before he became CEO, and he wishes he could travel back in time to make that happen.

Stringer was more upbeat about the PlayStation 3, the game console that has so far had disappointing sales compared to the rival Nintendo Wii. He said the PS3 has become the best-selling console in Europe after a price cut three weeks ago. In the US, a recent price cut has doubled sales.

The company aims to sell 10 million PS3s by the end of its fiscal year in March. Nintendo has already sold 13.2 million Wiis.

Killers Go Online to Get Message Across

The posting on YouTube of a clip announcing a school shooting in Finland before it happened shows how self-shot videos have become a favored means for killers to get their message across.

The nature of 24-hour media means such videos are also likely to get worldwide attention very quickly in a way which letters never could, reports Reuters.

Seven children and the school principal were killed on Wednesday when a fellow pupil opened fire at a school in southern Finland, hours after a clip posted on video sharing Web site YouTube predicted a massacre there.

The YouTube video, set to a hard-driving song called 'Stray Bullet', shows a still photo of a low building that appears to be the Jokela High School.

Read the full story here.

iPhone Goes on Sale in Europe

Customers in Germany and Britain lined up to buy the iPhone as it debuted there on Friday, with Apple Inc. hoping to replicate the success that the combination cell phone, music player and web browser has seen in the United States.

Apple hopes to sell 10 million iPhones in 2008, helped by its launch in Asia next year.

In Germany, the phone went on sale at more than 700 T-Mobile shops, including one in Cologne that opened just after midnight with some 350 customers already waiting outside.

By 5 pm, Deutsche Telekom AG, which owns T-Mobile, said it sold more than 10,000 iPhones in Germany through its shops and online.

Johannes Krause, 32, waited for nearly four hours to get into a store, saying he had wanted to get his hands on an iPhone since June, when Apple unveiled the device in the United States.

"It's the first mobile Internet device that makes it easy to surf the Web," Krause said.

Others were drawn by the intense media coverage in the US.

"I just want to be the first to touch it, play with it and try it," said Reinhold Steinwasser, 54, likening the launch to the appearance of color televisions in Germany in the 1960s, when people would stand in front of department store windows marveling at them.

In central London, about 50 people lined up outside the Apple Store before iPhones went on sale at 6 pm.

France Telecom will sell the iPhone in France through its Orange wireless arm, starting November 29.

The iPhone's price tag drew complaints Friday. In Germany, it costs about $587, on top of a contract through T-Mobile starting at $72 a month and a $37 "installation" fee.

"It's absurdly expensive," said Christian Kiew, 20, who said the device was aimed more at professionals than young buyers.

Jonathan Arber, an analyst with London-based Ovum, said the costs could put off some would-be buyers.

"The relatively expensive contracts on offer with the iPhone will represent an attractive revenue stream over 24 months, but the high up-front and monthly cost and long lock-in could put off some users in a market where free handsets are the norm," he said.

Apple cut the price of the 8-gigabyte iPhone in the United States by $200 to $399 in September. And it apologized to those who had paid full price over the previous 10 weeks and offered them $100 in Apple Store credits.

Consumers in Britain will pay $566 for the 8-gigabyte model. Both European price tags include value-added tax.

Many iPhones found a back door into Europe before Friday, but it is unclear how many. Programmers around the globe collaborated to "unlock" iPhones to work with SIM cards tied to other carrier networks. Apple officials estimated last month that buyers of 250,000 iPhones sold by then intended to unlock them.

LG Launches KS20 in Europe

LG has officially launched the K520 in Europe.

This smartphone was showcased at the IFA 2007 held in Berlin, Germany from August 31 through September 5.

Compatible with HSDPA networks, the LG-KS20 allows users to enjoy 3.6Mbps high speed mobile internet, including downloading of music, video clips and Windows Live content, as well as push e-mail. The phone also provides Internet browsing functions such as full screen display, favorites and shortcuts and presents a PC-like Internet page.

It features a touch system for users to be able to input instructions with a stylus or pen, as well as fingertips. The phone is also equipped features like WiFi connectivity, natural handwriting recognition, 128MB internal memory, Micro SD external memory and Bluetooth 2.0, and is powered by the Windows Mobile 6.

Click here for more info.

LG-KS20 will be available for purchase from today in major retail outlets across Europe.

Phoenix Technologies Enters HyperSpace

California-based Phoenix Technologies has announced Phoenix HyperSpace, a platform that provides a computing environment that PC designers, security innovators and content providers can use to create instant-on applications that are available before, during, and after Windows boot up and shut down.

With this platform PC OEMs can offer applications to deliver new levels of security, up-time, system reliability, remote management, and ease-of-use to PC users.

Operating with Intel processors and like self-contained appliances, these purpose-built applications will be embedded into new computers by PC system vendors. Next-generation PC users will benefit from one-click remote system maintenance, repair, lower battery consumption and embedded security providing stronger protection than is currently available, along with a host of possible applications and content such as instant-on multi-media players, IP soft phones, email, instant messaging, Web 2.0 browsing, safe shopping and more.

"For most of us, today's computing experience is a lot like air travel - offering tremendous possibilities, but plagued with security issues, delays and system failures," said Woody Hobbs, president and CEO of Phoenix Technologies. "HyperSpace introduces a new framework to transform the personal computing experience through purpose-driven appliances that work within the HyperSpace environment. Working together with our partners within the PC ecosystem, we believe HyperSpace will ignite a new revolution of innovation built on the foundation of embedded simplicity."

The HyperSpace platform is enabled by a hypervisor from Phoenix called HyperCore, which is embedded within the core system firmware, or BIOS. HyperCore is a lightweight Zoned Virtual Machine Monitor (ZVMM) that runs specialized core services side-by-side with Windows.

"Intel Core 2 Duo processors and Intel vPro processor technology enable the development of more secure and better performing virtualisation infrastructure," said Gregory Bryant, Vice President and General Manager for Intel's Digital Office Platform Division. "Intel is pleased to see Phoenix embracing Intel's technologies to deliver innovative products for PC clients."

Linux Powers 2-pound Mini PC

German web retailer Manufactum has introduced a sleek, low-power mini PC that weighs just two pounds and runs on Debian Linux.

The Manuscriptum is based on a 500MHz AMD Geode LX800, equipped with an 80GB hard drive, and offers 1920 x 1400 graphics, according to the company.

The mini PC, which has four USB ports (two on the back and two on the front), runs Debian Linux with a KDE desktop environment.

It also includes preinstalled versions of the OpenOffice office suite, Firefox Web browser, and Foxit PDF reader. It is also available with Windows XP if that's what you prefer.

The Manuscriptum is currently available for the price of €450 (around $650), and can be purchased online.

Specs:
Processor – 500MHz AMD Geode LX800
Memory – 512MB DDR 400, expandable to 1024MB
Storage – 80GB hard drive (5400rpm, 12ms)
Graphics – 1920 x 1400 resolution VGA output
Ethernet – 2 x 10/100 Mbps
Other input/output ports: 4 x USB 2.0, 2 x PS/2, 1 x serial, 3 x audio
Power – about 12W, passively cooled
Dimensions – 7.1 x 4.4 x 1.9 inches (180 x 112 x 48 mm)
Weight – 32 ounces (920 gm)

Violent Video Game Pulled From Shelves

Target Corp. said Wednesday it has pulled the Manhunt 2 video game from its stores due to particularly gruesome content that can be unlocked by hackers.

In Manhunt 2, by Rockstar Games, two prisoners go on a bloody rampage after escaping from a secret asylum for the criminally insane. Players take the escapees' point of view.

The game is rated "mature" by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, whose ratings cover a series of levels from "early childhood" through "adults only". The original version of Manhunt 2 was gruesome enough to earn an "adults only" rating so Rockstar blurred out some of the nasty bits and got the rating lowered to "mature" before it went on sale on Halloween.

Like many retailers, Target sells video games and software rated "mature", which are deemed suitable for players ages 17 and older, but doesn't stock "adults only" games.

"Target strives to provide merchandise that will appeal to a wide variety of guests," the Minneapolis-based retailer said in a statement. "We also want guests to be comfortable with the purchasing decisions they make at Target."

It took hackers about 24 hours to figure out how to un-blur the imagery on the version of the game for PlayStation Portables, though only on PSPs that have been illegally modified.

Officials with Rockstar Games did not immediately return messages seeking comment Wednesday about Target's decision.

Two years ago, after hackers found a hidden sex scene in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the ratings board slapped an "adults only" rating on it.

Ratings board President Patricia Vance said the board is standing behind Manhunt 2's "mature" rating, noting the difficulty of unlocking the offending content.

Sneak a Peek at Nokia's N82

The Nokia N82 seems like it could revolutionize Nokia fans with a whole bunch of new features that also include auto screen rotation, that seems to be the ‘In’ thing these days with phones like the iPhone and Sony Ericsson’s W910i. According to Symbian-Freak.com, the auto rotation application is utilized for almost, if not all instances in the new Symbian OS.

Aside from that the N82 will be fully equipped for connectivity with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (presumably with A2DP compatibility of course), 3G, N-Gage gaming application and let's not forget the 5 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens and a xenon flash. It’s also supposed to have 132MB of internal memory with 128MB of RAM for speed.

Here’s another phone I’d love to get my greedy little hands on, unfortunately there seems to be no indication on when it’s going to be released and what the price would be.

Motorola Reveals New Bt Universal Headset

Motorola has unveiled the MOTOPURE H12 Universal Bluetooth Headset, a premiere product that helps users to better hear and be heard in dynamic noise environments. The MOTOPURE H12, is the first headset with Motorola's audio-enhancing technology, CrystalTalk for headsets.

Motorola went all out by organizing the company's first global virtual press conference from some of the world's noisiest locations, including the busy streets of New York City's Columbus Circle and one of London's most trafficked transportation hubs, Paddington Station.

"The MOTOPURE H12 provides an unmatched combination of superior sound quality with style and comfort to help today's sophisticated mobile consumer to hear and be heard as they move about their busy day in different noise environments," said Jason Few, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Companion Products, Motorola, Inc. "The H12's premiere audio technology, design and style make it a premium hands-free solution that helps 'silence the noise' for on-the-go consumers and marks Motorola's nnovation and expertise that have driven the company's growth and global leadership in the Bluetooth accessories market."

The MOTOPURE H12 uses dual microphones to separate the user's voice from background and wind noise, enhancing the user's voice and channeling pure, clear, natural sounding audio to the caller. The headset also features a flexible lightweight ear hook with the three ear cushion options and a smaller-than-standard eight millimeter external speaker. It can also be worn on either ear, and even with eyewear.

The headset comes complete with a suite of accessories to integrate the H12 into the consumer's day including a matching desktop charger, charging case and shirt clip. According to the company, the headset has a talk time of up to 5.5 hours and a wireless range of up to 10 meters.

Unfortunately there’s no price listed with the headset yet.

Photobucket Advances Tagging Concept

The media-sharing site Photobucket is introducing a search mechanism that lets users append labels to specific faces and objects in photos.

The new 'tagging' feature, expected to launch Thursday, also lets users easily link to external sites such as online references on a landmark photographed.

Tagging represents a way to organize photos, video and other information with multiple descriptive words. On Google Inc.'s YouTube, for instance, video of a python attacking rabbit gets tags that include "python, snake, rabbit, reptile, eat, devour, food, chain", helping to guide people who search the site looking for any of those things.

Until now Photobucket, a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media, enabled searches of photo headlines. But someone searching for "bridge" wouldn't find a photo called "View of Golden Gate". Tagging allows people to attach both "bridge" and "Golden Gate" to their photos.

And users will be able to specify where in the photo the bridge is located. Likewise, tags can be attached to specific faces in a group photo.

With rival Flickr from Yahoo Inc., users must list every name as a tag for the entire photo, though Photobucket's new feature is like Flickr's Notes, which lets users attach a non-searchable note to part of a photo.

Alex Welch, co-founder of Photobucket, said he had been skeptical of tagging because many users add scores of meaningless descriptors in hopes of drawing more visitors. He said Photobucket was waiting for technology that gave tags more meaning.

When users embed Photobucket photos into other sites – such as personal profile pages at its sister site MySpace – the tags and attached links will follow them there.

Nokia, Vodafone in Easy Web Access Deal

Nokia and Vodafone unveiled plans on Wednesday to give users easier and faster access to the Internet and a better choice of communications.

Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker, said it will provide some of its top-end models - with access to high speed, third-generation, or 3G, broadband networks - exclusively to Vodafone, the world's largest mobile phone company.

No financial details were disclosed.

''Vodafone and Nokia will make it easier to access the Internet quickly at the click of a button,'' Nokia said. ''Customers will get the full suite of communications, content, Internet services and browsing, through seamlessly integrated Vodafone services on Nokia handsets.''

The cooperation will enable customers to access Vodafone's music service and the Nokia music store, via the Finnish company's Ovi Web site.

Vodafone Group PLC, with more than 230 million customers worldwide, said the joint service was ''a logical step'' for Vodafone, aimed at improving existing services with leading Internet partners.

Nokia, based in Espoo, just outside the Finnish capital, has sales in 130 countries. It employs some 130,000 people worldwide.

Asus Unveils Mobos For AMD Phenom CPUs

As the date for AMD’s Phenom processor launch draws close, motherboards for this new platform are bound to show up. The first to emerge is motherboard major Asus, who has unveiled its M3A32-MVP Deluxe/ Wi-Fi-AP product. This new motherboard has full support for the Phenom quad-core CPU and the latest AMD 790FX chipset.

It also comes with support for HyperTransport 3.0 system bus with up to 5200 MT/s speed, and quad PCIe 2.0 x16 VGA slots. The M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi-AP is also equipped with the ASUS‘s memory heat pipe design – ASUS Cool Mempipe, which reduces the system temperature by up to 10°C.

Price and availability are unknown as of now.

Could This be the Google Phone?

So, the Google Phone, Gphone, GP or whatever you want to call it, at least we now know what kind of an OS it’s going to have. But what about the device itself? What is that going to be like? That’s the million-dollar question isn’t it? But here’s what we’ve heard so far through the grapevine. There are apparently five prototypes designed to house the Android OS for Google. As we heard, the models were going to be called the ‘Dream’ phones that were going to be developed by HTC. According to Peter Chou, HTC’s CEO, they plan to launch a commercial version of the phone sometime in the second quarter of next year.

Rumor has it that one of the designs could be the HTC Omni as a few of the specs that were revealed do seem to fit the bill. According to those specs the Gphone would have a 3x5 inch long display, probably a swivel or slide out QWERTY keyboard. It would also have a rather unique touch sensitive screen. According to Unwired view, the screen would actually have a time-sensitive touch screen wherein, depending on how long you keep a portion pressed it would expand. These specs already seem to be part of the Omni’s make up. Of course nothing is conclusive, so once again it’s mere speculation. I guess we’ll have to wait and watch.

Via Intomobile.

Windows Live Emerges From Beta

moniker, Microsoft Corp. is ready to start promoting its official package of free desktop programs for e-mail, instant messaging, blogging and sharing photos.

The programs are "essentially a free upgrade for Windows," said Brian Hall, general manager of Windows Live at Microsoft.

The package includes Windows Live Mail, which can grab messages from multiple free Web-based e-mail accounts, including Microsoft's Hotmail, Google Inc.'s Gmail and AOL e-mail. The new package, to launch Tuesday, allows PC users to read and respond to mail even when they're not online, just as Outlook Express, which Microsoft has phased out, did.

Its Windows Live Photo Gallery lets users manipulate and organize digital photos and upload them to Flickr, a photo-sharing site owned by Yahoo, and to Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft's own blogging and social networking site.

The package also includes Live Writer, for writing blog posts, the Live Messenger instant-messaging program and Live Family Safety, parental controls for Web surfing at home.

The applications aren't much different from test versions previously available.

What's new is the spotlight Microsoft plans to shine on the programs.

Hall said the company has planned "one of the largest online advertising campaigns at Microsoft," with plans for 10 billion Web ad impressions on Microsoft's MSN sites and third-party sites, including the social networking site Facebook, in which Microsoft bought a 1.6 percent stake last month.

Microsoft's Windows group will be marketing Windows Live alongside its latest Vista operating system during the crucial holiday shopping season.

Matt Rosoff, an analyst at the independent research group Directions on Microsoft, said this marketing push is indicative of divisions within Microsoft, between the old guard running the MSN online business and the Windows Live group.

"Windows Live is about making Windows better by tying it to online services," and thus driving more people to buy Windows computers, he said. MSN "is still the old business model," of generating revenue with Web advertising based on online applications that don't connect to Microsoft's desktop software.

The world's largest software maker also took steps to make its Web-based services, like Hotmail, more coherent, and to rein in the number of products and Web sites it tagged with the "Live" brand.

"We've made big, big steps in this release," Hall said. "But we still have an opportunity to make it simpler, and we will. We're working on it."

SE Announces 2 Walkman Models for 2008

Sony Ericsson has revealed 2 more Walkman phones - W890 (Candybar) and W380 (Flip) that will hit shelves in the first half of next year.

“With these latest phones, we address the needs of young, fashion-conscious music lovers with the W380, as well as music connoisseurs who demand the latest Walkman features and fast downloads offered by the W890,” says Ben Padley, Head of Music Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “These Walkman phones combine Sony Ericsson’s undeniable expertise in mobile communications and mobile music to stunning effect.”

The W890 comes with 2GB M2 card in-box and is equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera. It’s also prepped with Sony’s latest edition of their legendary Walkman software – V3.0. The new version allows you to sort files according to various traits of the track including Album Art. The SensMe music experience automatically plots your music by tempo and mood – letting you create a Playlist that matches how you feel. The W890 comes in 3 colors – Sparkling Silver, Mocha Brown and Espresso Black and the stereo earphones are also color coordinated to the phones. The W890 is also 3G enabled with HSDPA.



Sony Ericsson’s W380 model is a very slim clamshell phone with a new feature that allows users to have gesture control over their music playback. What that means is that the music or the alarm can be muted by a simple wave of the user's hand. The W380 also has an external display that lights up only when a call or message comes in or to display the track information. The internal display is 1.4 inches. But the phone doesn’t need to be opened in order to manage music playback as it has controls on the outside. The W380 Walkman phone comes complete with Media Manager PC software that lets you easily transfer your music, photos and videos between your computer and phone. The W380 supports external memory with M2 cards. The W380 is also equipped with a 1.3 megapixel camera. It’s available in Electric Purple and Magnetic Gray.

Both phones have Stereo in-built speakers and come equipped to handle Sony Ericsson’s TrackID feature for music recognition. They also support wireless Bluetooth connectivity with A2DP compatibility and also have FM radios.

Both models will be out in the first Quarter of 2008. No prices have been revealed yet.

Nokia Launches 8 GB N81 and N95 in India

World's top mobile handset maker Nokia on Tuesday introduced two new models in the N-series range, aiming to strengthen its position in the $15 billion mobile entertainment market in India.

The new phones, N81 and N95 (8GB), have been priced at Rs 26,249 and Rs 35,059 respectively.

"Mobile entertainment is a key growth driver for the Value Added Services (VAS) segment. Currently, it accounts for 15 billion dollars of the $63 billion Indian VAS market and constitutes 37 per cent of the $28 billion non-SMS mobile data revenue," Nokia India Business Director (Multimedia) Vineet Taneja said here.

N95 is equipped with Assisted-Global Positioning System that would help consumers to locate their destinations.

Mobile music (ringtones, ringback tones and full track) market has been growing in the country. It has been a major contributor to the growth of the non-voice mobile services revenue, accounting for $227 million in 2006 and expected to reach $476 million this year, the company said.

Prices haven't been disclosed yet.

Facebook has begun transforming itself from an online hangout into an online business district. Companies can now create their own pages on Facebook for free, under a new program announced Tuesday.

Advertisers also will be able to show users their pitches in the guise of friends' endorsements, based on what the friends buy and do online. For example, if a friend has booked a vacation on Travelocity, the online travel agency will be able to display the friend's photo as part of an ad to entice the user to buy flights and hotel stays.

The friend will have some control over whether to share that information, but the user will have fewer choices over whether to receive it.

As Web companies look to boost advertising revenue by offering to target ads based on users' hobbies, interests and behavior, Facebook's move could change the tone of the site and revive privacy complaints it faced last year.

Facebook will rely on information in users' profiles and on friends' online activity to determine what ads might appeal to users.

"Some people may find it creepy," said Deborah Pierce, executive director of the San Francisco-based Privacy Activism. "They are trying to find some ways to monetize this and keep the lights on. If the disclosure is upfront, yeah, I think this is a reasonable thing for them to do."

Facebook has long prided itself on guarding its users' privacy, but the walls have gradually lowered. A feature allowing users to track changes their friends make to profiles backfired when many users denounced it as stalking and threatened protests. Facebook quickly apologized and agreed to let users turn off the feature.

Advertisers can fine-tune their audiences – having their pitches appear only to women under 30 who attended New York University and work at Goldman Sachs, for instance.

Facebook promises no information that could identify individual will be disclosed to advertisers. And its officials said users can complain again if they find the new targeting program offensive.

"If users are displeased with this, we will hear from them," said Chris Kelly, the company's chief privacy officer.

Privacy concerns aside, many Facebook members may be reluctant to endorse an advertiser for fear of alienating friends who had bad experiences with the same company, said Chris Winfield, who runs 10e20, an online marketing specialist.

"They are relying a lot on their users to make this happen, and that's going to be tricky," Winfield said.

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, who founded the company three years ago, said marketers must respond to the changing nature of communication, driven in part by social networking sites like his.

"Pushing your message out to people is no longer good enough," Zuckerberg told about 200 advertising-industry executives, many already in New York for the ad:tech conference. "You have to get your message out to the conversations."

Facebook's usage has grown rapidly since last year, when the site opened membership to all Internet users. ComScore Media Metrix says Facebook had 30.6 million US users in September, compared with rival MySpace's 68.4 million.

Search companies like Google Inc. have generated a lot of revenue from text-based ads targeted to a user's search terms. Those have been good at fulfilling demand – users often are already looking for a car or a travel package when searching and seeing those ads.

Zuckerberg said Facebook planned to go after the bigger opportunities in generating demand; something Google and other sites are trying to do through display and other brand promotions. Seeing a friend buy a product or praise a band, he said, are good ways to generate demand.

David Hallerman, a senior analyst at the research group eMarketer, said Facebook's success would depend on how the site grows and whether users buy into the program.

It might help with movies and local restaurants, he said. But he questioned whether it would work promoting a soft drink: Coca-Cola Co. is among the early commercial participants that began launching more than 100,000 new pages Tuesday.

The key difference between companies' pages and individuals' is that businesses won't have access to individuals' profiles the same way their friends do, even when users formally declare themselves 'fans' of a company.

Among the new features Facebook announced, companies can now embed coding it calls Beacon on outside sites such as eBay Inc., enabling a Facebook user who lists an item for auction, for example, to generate alert messages for Facebook friends, who may then check out the item.

Users can similarly alert friends to their reviews of restaurants or bands they enjoyed and books or DVDs they bought online, whether through the Beacon or the Facebook page. And advertisers can have their pitches appear next to those alerts – appearing with the user's photo, though marked 'sponsored'.

"People influence people," Zuckerberg said. "Nothing influences a person more than a recommendation from a trusted friend."

Besides Coca-Cola and Travelocity, initial participants include General Motors Corp.'s Saturn, Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures and the National Basketball Association.

It's unclear whether Facebook – a three-year-old startup with about 300 employees – is mature enough to deal with the diverse demands of thousands of advertisers, said Deama Zlotin, who runs SEMDirector, which provides online marketing tools.

"The opportunity is tremendous, but I think it will take them at least six months to get it right," Zlotin said.

Social networking sites like Facebook and News Corp.'s MySpace have been trying to find the best way to profit from the trove of personal data their users put on profile pages. On Monday, MySpace announced an expansion of its targeting program to include more categories and more advertisers.

MySpace lets companies create profile pages but doesn't have Facebook's system of alerts and adjacent social ads. However, MySpace appears to be trying to analyze its users' interests based on what they write in profiles.

Zuckerberg told reporters he wasn't worried users would consider Facebook too commercial. He said regular ads would stand out more because targeted ads can be better integrated with conversations users are already having with one another.