Bling Bluetooth headset from Motorola

by Nigel Yap

Feeling rich? Well, Motorola has teamed up with luxury custom mobile phone creator Alexander Amosu, to produce the world’s first real gold and diamond Bluetooth headset - the Diamond MOTOPURE H12. This extremely limited edition headset is the ultimate statement in luxury, made from 18K gold and featuring over 180 brilliant cut diamonds, a total of 3.47 carats. The headset is only available to custom order and comes with the choice between white or yellow 18k gold and with the added option to customise with white, pink or even black diamonds. The headset will come in a half loaded and fully loaded version priced at £4,000 (approximately RM27, 145) and £6,250 (approximately RM42, 414) respectively and will be initially available exclusively in Selfridges (London/Manchester) and Harvey Nicholls (London).

Google search on Nokias

Nokia has announced that Google's popular search engine will be integrated with the Nokia Search application. The integration will begin in select markets with the Nokia N96, Nokia N78, Nokia 6210 Navigator and Nokia 6220 classic. Google search will be extended to additional Nokia handset models in the future. Ultimately, Nokia will make Google search available to its customers in over 100 countries around the world, serving mobile owners speaking more than 40 languages.

Nokia Search, now with Google, offers fast and easy access to web information from the handset. In addition, Nokia Search also makes it possible for users to search content on their device and use local search engines for a complete search experience. Nokia Search is available on many devices and provides direct access with one click from the active standby screen, saving users time and steps in their searching. Once users have found the information they are seeking, Nokia Search enables users to act on that information by engaging device assets such as maps, messaging or the browser with just one click.

"Adding Google to Nokia Search provides mobile users with fast, relevant and comprehensive search experience that will be familiar to the people who use Google to search the web from their desktop," said Google's VP of Engineering and Products for Mobile Vic Gundotra. "Google search combined with the high quality applications on Nokia devices help make information available to Nokia device users wherever they are and provide an excellent overall experience."

New Samsung Phones Launched in WMC 2008

by Nigel Yap

Samsung has launched multiple lifestyle-focused handsets at World Mobile Congress 2008, led by the new Ultra Edition handset, “Soul”. The other phones launched include, the Samsung P960, Samsung G810, Samsung F400, Samsung F480 and the Samsung i780. Geesung Choi, President of Samsung’s Telecommunication Business, says: “Samsung has developed its mobile brand to offer consumers the best in design and quality. Now, we are ready to add wider choices of mobile phones to match every individual consumer’s need." Adds Choi: “Samsung will continue to offer consumers exciting mobile experiences through innovative technology and design. The product range at this year’s Mobile World Congress shows that we truly understand our customers and what they desire from their mobile handsets, both now and in the future. Read on for more. Meaning ‘the Sprit of Ultra', Soul is the completion of the Ultra Edition, which represents the pursuit of the perfect balance between looks and features. Slim and lightweight yet still boasting HSDPA connectivity and a 5-mega pixel camera, Soul demonstrates Samsung's leadership in both technology and design. Despite being only 12.9mm thin, it has professional photographic functions including a 5 mega-pixel camera with power LED, face detection, image stabilizer, and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) for advanced photography. 7.2 Mbps High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is supported for fast browsing and downloading. Enhanced music functions include music library navigation, and ICEpower® digital power amplifier technology by Bang & Olufsen. Magic Touch by DaCPTM enables simple and intuitive navigation of menus by changing the keypad functions depending on each user's needs. Besides Soul, Samsung G810 is the perfect device for those who want to have fully packed multimedia services without compromising mobility and portability. P960 is Samsung's latest DVB-H mobile TV phone, expected to launch around April For multimedia fans who enjoy a professional level of music and camera functionality, Samsung has following choices. F400 is the music-specialized mobile offering the best sound quality with ICEpower® digital power amplifier technology by Bang & Olufsen and a specially designed music navigation key. Beneath its unique dual-slider, there are also impressive hi-fi loud speakers. F480 is a 5 megapixel camera phone with full touch screen. Its sleek and trend-setting design is sure to give ultimate satisfaction to its users. For those who want stylish yet efficient products at work, i780 and many other smartphones based on open operating systems such as MS Windows Mobile, Linux and Symbian are ready to launch.

New Nokia phones unveiled

by Nigel Yap

Nokia has unveiled a new line up of converged devices and services that promote collaboration and sharing. The Nokia N96, Nokia N78, Nokia 6220 classic and Nokia 6210 Navigator all exhibit different location based and multimedia experiences from pedestrian navigation to geotagging and movie viewing to video and photo sharing. Nokia N96 is a multimedia computer truly optimized for video and TV. It comes with a large 2.8” screen, 16 gigabytes of internal memory and support for high-quality videos in a wide range of formats. Nokia N78 is a multimedia computer that combines music, navigation and photography with the benefits of mobility. The Nokia 6220 classic is a full-featured device that combines a 5 megapixel camera with A-GPS functionality to give new meaning to the phrase “to share”. Finally the Nokia 6210 Navigator is the company’s first GPS-enabled mobile device with an integrated compass for pedestrian guidance. The Nokia 6210 Navigator comes with Nokia Maps 2.0, also announced today, and includes full voice and visual turn by turn guidance at no extra cost. The N96, 6220 Classic and 6220 Navigator are expected to ship during the 3rd quarter of this year while the N78 is expected to ship sometime in the 2nd quarter. Stay tuned for pricing and availability once they come out.

Nvidia releases APX 2500

Nvidia has released the NVIDIA APX 2500, an applications processor that enables intuitive 3D user interfaces and engaging high-definition video on connected Windows Mobile phones. The APX 2500 applications processor delivers 10 hours of 720p HD playback—an industry first for video quality and power consumption on a mobile device, as well as stunning HD camcorder and ultra-high-resolution photo imaging capabilities.

"This is the dawn of the second personal computer revolution," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA. "Technologies are converging in amazing mobile devices, that have all of the rich, visual capabilities of a modern PC—from watching movies and making video calls to surfing the web and playing 3D games. The APX 2500 combined with Microsoft Windows Mobile, will make the next generation of smartphones our most personal computer."

NVIDIA has worked closely with Microsoft on the development of APX 2500, marking a significant milestone in a long-term relationship that has seen the companies share a passion for making interaction with technology more visual and instinctive across multiple platforms. The combined engineering efforts of the two companies will ensure that next generation versions of the Windows Mobile operating system will harness the capabilities of the APX 2500 applications processor across challenging multimedia use cases.

Read on for more info.

The NVIDIA APX 2500 applications processor, which is the culmination of 800 man years of engineering, delivers:

• The industry's first HD (720p) playback and capture capability for handheld devices.
• A new ultra-low-power (ULP) GeForce® core that is fully OpenGL ES 2.0 and Microsoft Direct3D® Mobile compliant and the lowest power 3D hardware solution available for acceleration of intuitive 3D user interfaces.
• NVIDIA nPower^TM technology, enabling over 10 hours of high-definition video playback and up to 100 hours of audio-more than four times the audio playback of the latest touch-screen phones.
• The connectivity and media acceleration technologies required to enable the latest Web 2.0 applications, from effortless web browsing and social networking to GPS and mapping applications.

The NVIDIA APX 2500 applications processor is sampling today with key customers and will enter into full production by the end of Q2 2008.

Samsung SGH-D880 Dual Sim Phone

by Terence

Samsung has a reputation for producing the most models of mobile phones out there. With over a hundred different models alone in the Korean market, it's no surprise that it has models to accommodate almost everyone’s needs. In come the SGH-D880 incorporating two separate SIM card slots and Dual Active Standby connectivity that will enable users to enjoy the functionality of two phones in one. Read on for the full review. At first glance it resembles another Samsung slider mobile, the SGH-D900 although this model seems to be slightly thicker. It has the usual must have features of all mobile phones these days: GPRS/EDGE, Tri-band support, 3 Megapixels Camera, 2.3” QVGA TFT LCD, Stereo FM and support of external flash memory (MicroSD). The main feature of the D880 however is that it can support 2 sims to be on standby at the same time. More on this feature later. Included in the box is the charger, headset, Li-ion battery, usb cable, Samsung PC Studio software and a user guide. The headset, charger and USB cable all connects to the one and only propriety connector on the bottom right side of the phone, so better not lose them. As you can see, the dual line nature is clear when u open the back of the phone which revels 2 sim card holder. It will still work if you use only one, but I’ll be using my own Maxis line and another loaned Celcom line to test the phone’s dual sim capability Installing the sim cards are pretty straight forward, just slide the sims in to place. Since it now has 2 sims, when you first turn it on, you have to key in both the PIN and since this is also the first time the phone is turned on with the new sims, you have the option to set which one is primary and which is secondary. The difference between them is all calls and SMS made will always use the primary sim, while the secondary sim is only on standby to receive any calls or SMS to it. There is a small button on the top left side of the phone to allow you quickly change which sim you want to use as primary. However when doing so, the phone will automatically reboot with the primary roles on the sims now exchanged. The whole process takes about 1 minute so it isn’t exactly a “quick” process. Such a feature would certainly make this phone a complete waste of time, if not for the ability to choose which sim to use to make a call or sent SMS. A ability I nearly missed when reviewing the phone. The keypads are decent but has a lack of quality about it. Basically it feels very plastic and the lack of depth doesn’t really help. I would assume a RM1,799 phone would at least have a proper and solid keypad. Also due to the slide nature of the phone, some important buttons are on the top part which will take some time to get use to since it’s a fair bit of travel for your fingers from the numeric keypad. And when keying in numbers, each number comes up on the screen with its own color. Seriously, is this phone for kids? Good thing the 2.3"LCD is crisp and bright to keep the adults happy. The menu system is classic Samsung, basically a love or hate affair. Current Samsung owners should have no problem mastering the menu but Motorola veteran like me needed some time to get use to the certain features. The few which stand out was for example any SMS sent out won’t automatically be saved in the sent folder. You have to select another option called sent and save if you want to save that particular SMS in the sent folder. Also the OK button in the middle of the scroll pad, in any other phone if you press it from the main screen, you expect the menu to show up, but not on any Samsung. Instead you get the browser firing up which fails to connect. The phone did came with preset accounts for Digi, Celcom and Maxis, but all failed due to some unknown reason. The settings were all correct as per my current phone. The jukebox player plays MP3, AAC+ and WMA format with relatively good quality on the stereo headsets as compared when using the onboard mono speaker. Pair this phone with a good Bluetooth headset and you have a decent portable music library what with the external MicroSD support which now comes in 4GB flavor. The 3.0 Megapixel camera that comes equipped with the D880 is great on quality. Even though it lacks a flash like most camera phone these days, night photos are of decent quality. The only gripe I have about the camera is the 1 sec delay. After the press, it takes the D880 roughly 1 sec to autofocus the subject (if it is still there) before activating the shutter to take the photo. Couldn’t find any way to fixed it. On the bright side, the camera does come with lots of interesting and funky photo templates that you can play around with. Battery life is reasonable with 2 sims on standby, the D880 manage to last for around 3 days with average use. Even when using the built-in FM radio for a few hours didn’t seem to affect the battery life much. Speaking of which requires the headset to be plugged in since it uses that as the antenna. But you don’t have to use them to listen to the radio if you don’t want to, as the D880 can also output via its mono speaker. Good thinking on this part. Overall a good phone, the D880 has its share of hiccups, but I don’t think there is any other dual sim phone which comes close to its features and design. If you carry around multiple mobiles and wish to cut down on them, you phone has arrive. But keep the 3G/HSDPA one, and replace the other since you’ll be surfing on EDGE only with the D880. Specifications: Network • Tri-band (900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz) • EDGE • GPRS Class 10 Display • 262k Colour QVGA TFT-LCD, 2.3” (320 x 240 pixels) Key Features • Dual Active Stand-by SIM Support with 2 Cores (Master & Slave) • External Memory Slot (MicroSD™ up to 2GB) Camera • 3 Megapixel CMOS AF Camera (4x Digital Zoom) • Video Recording & Play (up to 352 x 288) Music Player • Supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR formats • FM Radio with Auto Tuning Java™ • MIDP 2.0 Connectivity • Bluetooth® 2.0 (with A2DP/AVRCP) / USB2.0 Full Speed Battery(standard) • Li-Ion, 1200mAh (Up to 4hrs talk time and 360hrs standby time) Mobile Printing • BPP, PictBridge Dimensions • 104 x 51 x 18.9 mm Weight • 113g

Macbook Air is out

by Nigel Yap

Apple has announced that the MacBook Air, which is purportedly the world’s thinnest notebook, is now shipping. MacBook Air measures at 0.16-inches at its thinnest point, while its maximum height of 0.76-inches is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks. MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, a full-size and backlit keyboard, a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing, and a spacious trackpad with multi-touch gesture support so users can pinch, rotate and swipe. MacBook Air is powered by a 1.6 GHz or 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache, and includes as standard features 2GB of memory, an 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive, and the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and Bluetooth 2.1. We’ve built the world’s thinnest notebook—without sacrificing a full-size keyboard or a full-size 13-inch display,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “When you first see MacBook Air, it’s hard to believe it’s a high-performance notebook with a full-size keyboard and display. But it is.” Although the official availability of the MacBook Air in Malaysia isn't until sometime at the end of this month, that doesn't mean you can't do an early booking for it. So stay tuned for the availablity and pricing of the MacBoook air. Meanwhile you can read on for the specifications of the MacBook Air. MacBook Air delivers up to five hours of battery life for wireless productivity and includes AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, which delivers up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g. Apple’s Migration Assistant software now enables users to quickly transfer files, applications and preferences from your old Mac to MacBook Air right over your wireless network. Every MacBook Air comes with iLife ‘08, the most significant update ever to Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications, featuring a major new version of iPhoto and a completely reinvented iMovie, both seamlessly integrated with the new .Mac Web Gallery for online photo and video sharing. The new MacBook Air also comes with Leopard, the sixth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system. Leopard introduces Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac; 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; a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock; and major enhancements to Mail and iChat. .Mac members can use the new Back to My Mac feature to browse and access files on their home computer from a MacBook Air over the Internet while out on the road. MacBook Air Specifications 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with 1280x800 resolution; 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache; 800 MHz front-side bus; 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 80GB hard disk drive with Sudden Motion Sensor; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100; Micro-DVI port (includes Micro-DVI to VGA and Micro-DVI to DVI Adapters); built-in iSight video camera; built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; one USB 2.0 port; one headphone port; multi-touch TrackPad with support for advanced multi-touch gestures including tap, scroll, pinch, rotate and swipe; and 45 Watt MagSafe® Power Adapter.

Higher capacity iPod touch and iPhone out

by Nigel Yap

Apple has added new models of the iPhone and iPod touch which have double the memory, doubling the amount of music, photos and videos that customers can carry with them wherever they go. The iPhone now comes in a new 16GB model while the iPod Touch comes in a 32GB model now. “For some users, there’s never enough memory,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. “Now people can enjoy even more of their music, photos and videos on the most revolutionary mobile phone and best Wi-Fi mobile device in the world.” The Apple iPhone is still obviously not available officially here in Malaysia but you could always drop by Low Yat Plaza for the parallel imports. As for the 32GB iPod Touch, stay tuned for the local pricing.

Windows Server 2008 (RTM) released

Microsoft has made available the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Server 2008. Windows Server 2008 automates daily management tasks, tightening security, improving efficiency and increasing availability. It also offers virtualisation solutions that will enable IT professionals to reduce costs, increase hardware utilization, optimize their infrastructure, and improve server availability.

Windows Server 2008 was developed in tandem with the Windows Vista code base. As such it has most of that operating system’s advanced management and security features, such as integrated Network Access Protection (NAP) and Group Policy enforcement using Active Directory.

According to Microsoft, customers will also see system-wide performance improvements from an integrated system architecture, including network file sharing, managed quality of service and reduced power consumption. Common tools and processes across both operating systems will result in efficiencies for IT organizations.

Read on for more info.

Customers: On Your Mark...

To help IT professionals evaluate the migration-readiness of their existing networks, Microsoft has created four automated assessment tools, or "solution accelerators:"

• the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) tool, which helps evaluate installed applications on servers, performs hardware assessments and makes recommendations regarding server virtualization;

• the Infrastructure Planning and Design guides, which describe the architectural considerations involved in implementing the upgrade to Windows Server 2008;

• the Windows Server 2008 Security Guide, which provides best practices and automated tools to help strengthen the security of servers running Windows Server 2008, and

• the Microsoft Deployment tool, which decreases the cost of client and server deployments by providing detailed guidance and job aids for every organizational role involved with large-scale deployment projects.

Enterprise customers planning to upgrade should take the following steps when preparing to install Windows Server 2008:

1. Use Microsoft's free tools to assess their enterprise's current servers and determine which can be upgraded and which servers will require a "clean install. "
2. Engage with their application suppliers for prescriptive guidance.
3. Test applications they're planning to run for compatibility with Windows 2008.
4. Research certified hardware and software solutions in the Windows Server Catalog www.windowsservercatalog.com

"First Look Clinics" to Windows Server 2008 in Malaysia

As part of its commitment to customer and partner readiness to deploy the next generation of server operating systems, Microsoft is running a series of First Look Clinics on Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and soon SQL Server 2008.

These first-look hands-on labs introduces Windows Server 2008 content, such as:

• Windows Server Virtualization
• Branch Office Deployment
• Web Application Deployment
• Security and Policy controls in Windows and more

It also provides more information about the latest development tool which allows users to rapidly create web applications that provides a compelling user experience for Windows Vista and Office 2007.

"Windows Server 2008 is a key component to the next wave of hardware innovation and we anticipate that the release will be very well accepted here in Malaysia. As such, we are taking steps to ensure IT professionals, administrators, engineers and developers have the support and are prepared to make a seamless transition to Windows Server 2008 through initiatives such as the hands-on labs," said Ramesh Rajandran, Product Solutions Marketing Manager, Infrastructure Servers, Microsoft Malaysia.

Dell Launches ProSupport

Dell has launched Dell ProSupport, a global, customer-driven support offering that spans Dell’s commercial product and solutions portfolios. Dell has distilled more than 10 service offerings down to two customisable packages with flexible options for service level and proactive management. With this service, Dell customers can customize and tailor services to fit their technical expertise.

“Our customers and partners asked us to break the mold of 'one size fits all' reactive support to help them meet the needs of increasingly diverse, global, and mission critical IT operations,” said Steve Schuckenbrock, president, Global Services, and CIO, Dell. “Dell listened and acted. ProSupport delivers important new features and capabilities that make it easier to get the right support package at the right time in the right way. ProSupport is an important step forward in enabling our customers and partners to tap into a world-class service delivery capability that end-users need—and toward Dell’s broader vision to simplify IT.”

Dell ProSupport is available immediately to Dell Registered Partners, corporate and small- and medium-size businesses and public organizations. To learn more about Dell ProSupport, please visit www.dell.com/prosupport.

Read on for more info.

ProSupport offerings include:

• ProSupport for IT, an offering designed for technical experts, includes 24/7 support options such as Fast-Track Dispatch, a service that speeds resolution for certified IT professionals by quickly dispatching parts and Dell technicians to their location.

For organizations without a dedicated IT department, such as some small- to medium-sized businesses:

• ProSupport for End-Users includes how-to software and collaborative support for common applications and tasks such as Microsoft Windows Small Business Server, Intuit QuickBooks and wireless access configuration. Additionally, direct access to certified technicians in the Dell Expert Center help customers focus on their business, not their IT.

ProSupport goes beyond reactive problem resolution and hardware support to include proactive management. With the right options, customers can reduce technical incidents by as much as 37% and critical downtime by as much as 48% . As organisations increasingly rely upon standards-based equipment to empower people and processes, Dell ProSupport also delivers new levels of quality and choice by offering modular options and recommended solutions to address daily IT challenges. Options for mission critical data centers, mobile/remote sales teams and virtualised environments provide proactive support while helping to simplify everyday operations.

New Z555 from Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson has unveiled its new Z555 phone, an elegant clamshell phone which combines a rich feature set with striking good looks. It’s a perfect match of the latest feature set with an innovative diamond design, intended to make one big style statement. Together with the Z555, Sony Ericsson announced a series of stylish new accessories including a Design Collection of four leather bags all offering unique and creative carrying solutions.

“The Z555 is designed to reflect your look and attract attention,” said Sven Totte, Head of Style Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “We’ve created it for people who are looking for a beautifully designed phone that reflects their personal style and does not compromise on features or performance.”

The Sony Ericsson Z555 will be available in Malaysian sometime in March or April so stay tuned for price updates and availability.

For more info on the phone read on.

Sony Ericsson Z555

• Gesture Control - manage calls with a wave of your hand
• Hidden display - for an uninterrupted finish
• Everchanging themes to suit the season
• Sleek design accessories to complete your look

Make a statement
Whether at work or at play, you have a personal style that's all your own - a style and look that the Z555 sets off perfectly. With a unique diamond reflective finish on the front, and sophisticated details, it truly reflects your personality. Choose between Diamond Black and Dusted Rose and you will soon get noticed.

Just wave the interruptions away
The Z555 incorporates Sony Ericsson's handy Gesture Control, letting you easily mute the phone or snooze its alarm without having to interrupt what you're doing. When a call comes in, a simple movement of your hand back and forth over the phone mutes the ringtone. Similarly, sweep your hand over the phone when using it as your alarm clock to put it into ‘snooze' mode. Works like magic!

Stay informed - discreetly
The Z555's outside display shows you who is calling even without opening the clamshell. When it's in idle mode, the outside display remains discretely invisible...with no compromise to the design.

The latest look
Just like you, the Z555 changes its look to fit the suit the season. The colours and designs that appear within the phone's themes, effectively the look of the menu system and home screen, can update automatically as the year goes by. Linked to the phone's calendar, the Z555 knows when it's time for that summer look to give way to the fall. It even saves something special for big events like News Year's Eve!

Indulge your passions on the go
The Z555 allows you to grab that spare moment in a taxi to catch up with your favourite band or even book. Store your favourite music tracks or audio books on the phone and sort them by chapters, albums or artists. Tune in to FM Radio for the weather, traffic or the latest celebrity news.

Snap the action as it happens
The Z555's 1.3MP camera ensures that you're always in a position to snap the action as it happens. Take a picture of a potential new purchase and send it as a picture message to a friend or upload it directly to your ‘blogsite' so that everyone can share what you've been up to.

Accessorise to complete the look
Any stylist will tell you that no look is complete without the right accessories. The Design Collection offers four different stylish leather bags that complement
your style and protect your phone at the same time. This Collection offers creative and stylish carrying solutions that fit with your phone and your style.

The Z555 is also compatible with three sleek new Bluetooth headsets:

• The Bluetooth Headset HBH-PV708 offers the best combination of style and convenience - to keep you in touch whether you're walking the dog or buying a coffee
• The Bluetooth Headset HBH-PV770 provides an alternative in-ear wearing style so that you can still use it while wearing your glasses or sunglasses
• The Bluetooth Headset HBH-PV712 reduces background noise and maximises comfort, letting you concentrate on the person you are talking with. It also raises the style stakes thanks to the two changeable Style-up^TM covers included with it

ASUS Launches Onboard Dual RV670XT with EAH3870X2 Series

Asus has unveiled the latest generation of AMD GPUs – the world´s first on-board dual RV670XT, with the ASUS EAH3870X2/G/3DHTI/1G and EAH3870X2/G/HTDI/1G. The EAH3870X2/G/3DHTI/1G comes equipped with the fastest upgraded DRR3 0.8ns memory modules and two exclusive extra DVI outputs. It also comes specially designed with dual fansinks for both GPUs – ensuring efficient heat dissipation. On top of all this, the ASUS EAH3870X2 Series will also come bundled with the DX10 game, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts.

Local pricing and availability has yet to be made known but we will update as soon as they become available. Read on for more info.

Exclusively Designed Hardware Features
The EAH3870X2/G/3DHTI/1G comes equipped with the fastest upgraded DRR3 0.8ns memory modules, and harnesses the high speed capabilities of these super fast memory modules for the best performance. It is also exclusively equipped with two extra DVI outputs for a maximum of four-display video outputs. Additionally, the EAH3870X2/G/3DHTI/1G utilizes the specially designed dual fansink that effectively dissipates heat away from both GPUs - enabling much more stable performances in comparison to reference designed single fansinks.

The EAH3870X2 Series comes with several solutions to provide top quality graphic performance. With the EMI shield, 3~10dB EMI Interference can be reduced to provide stable signals. The temperature of the newly adopted DIP Spring Chokes is 5~10°C lower in comparison to traditional Toroidal Coil Chokes; while the Japan-made polymer capacitors lowers power loss to provide more stability.

Kodak unveils New High-Resolution CMOS Image Sensor

Yep pretty soon, your mobile phone cameras might rival that of you normal point and shoot cameras with this latest development. Kodak has combined their Color Filter Pattern technology with a new CMOS pixel to create the KODAK KAC-05020 Image Sensor, the world’s first 1.4 micron, 5 megapixel device. Designed for mass-consumer camera applications such as mobile phones, Kodak’s new sensor enables a new level of resolution in small optical formats, using significantly smaller pixels.

But unlike other small-pixel sensors which can produce poor images, especially under low light conditions, the 1.4 micron pixel used in the KAC-05020 Image Sensor changes this convention, providing image quality that can equal or surpass what is available from current devices using larger, 1.75 micron pixel CMOS designs.

“Camera phones and other small-pixel consumer imaging devices often suffer from poor performance, especially under low light conditions. To manufacture sensors that utilize these very small pixels – only two to three times the wavelength of visible light – we needed to challenge everything we knew about pixel and sensor design,” said Chris McNiffe, General Manager of Kodak’s Image Sensor Solutions business. “By completely rethinking the design of the CMOS pixel and leveraging our work with high sensitivity color filter patterns and algorithms, Kodak was able to develop this remarkable new sensor that will enable a level of imaging performance previously unavailable from CMOS devices.”

Read on for more.

Key to the performance of this new sensor is the KODAK TRUESENSE CMOS Pixel, a re-engineering of the fundamental design and architecture of traditional CMOS pixels. In a standard CMOS pixel, signal is measured by detecting electrons that are generated when light interacts with the surface of the sensor. As more light strikes the sensor, more electrons are generated, resulting in a higher signal at each pixel. In the KODAK TRUESENSE CMOS Pixel, however, the underlying “polarity” of the silicon is reversed, so that the absence of electrons is used to detect a signal. This change enabled a series of improvements to the design and structure of the pixel that ultimately results in CMOS imaging performance that rivals that available from CCD image sensors.

Light sensitivity in the new sensor is enhanced through the use of the recently announced KODAK TRUESENSE Color Filter Pattern, which adds panchromatic, or “clear,” pixels to the red, green and blue pixels already on the sensor. Since these pixels are sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light, they collect a significantly higher proportion of the light striking the sensor. This provides a 2x to 4x increase in sensitivity to light (from one to two photographic stops) compared to current sensor designs, improving performance in low light and reducing motion blur in action shots.

At 5 million pixels, the KAC-05020 provides the highest resolution available in the popular ¼” optical format, and enables imagery up to ISO 3200 and support for full 720p video at 30 fps. The sensor is also supported by the Texas Instruments’ OMAPTM and OMAP-DM solutions, enabling a host of KODAK Image Processing and Enhancement Features (such as digital image stabilization, rapid auto-focus, red-eye reduction, and facial recognition) that provide digital camera-like performance in a camera phone.

New Walkman Phones from Sony Ericsson

Recently in CES, Sony Ericsson unveiled two new Walkman phones, the W760, what they call the first truly global Walkman phone with tri-band HSDPA and built-in GPS, and the W350, a Walkman phone that Sony Ericsson says offers the perfect blend of style and function.

The W760's built-in GPS with Wayfinder Navigator1) lets you search over 20 million points of interest around the globe and talks you to your destination every turn of the way. There’s also a GPS-supported fitness application called Tracker that can tell you how fast, for how long and how far you ran.

The W350’s Walkman player can easily be accessed and operated even without opening its flip cover. With Walkman on Top, key MP3 functions including Play, Pause and Scroll are outside the phone’s flip cover so you can use it just like you would a standalone MP3 player.

The new Walkman phone have yet to arrive in Malaysia and are expected to be launched here sometime around March or April so stay tuned for more updates.

Read on for more on the phones.

The W760

Share your music with your friends
Become the focal point of a spontaneous party or gaming experience with the W760's powerful built-in stereo speakers. If outdoors, use the phone with the Active Speaker MAS-100 - a revolutionary case that not only looks fantastic but also protects your Walkman® phone at the same time as being a built-in speaker and FM radio antenna for enjoying music with friends.

Set the mood with the right music
The W760 helps select the right music for the occasion. Store up to 950 tracks2) on your phone, and use SensMe to pick the music and tracks that match your mood in an instant. Navigate through a playlist with Shake Control - shuffle and skip through tracks, or adjust the volume, with just a shake of the phone.

The TrackID functionality allows you to identify any song you are listening to on the FM Radio or at a club. And with TrackID Charts, you can also review the most searched tracks in your country or anywhere in the world.

The intuitive Media User Interface rotates depending on how you're holding the phone, so you can see everything you need at a glance. Auto rotate works for photos, videos and games3) too. Just twist the phone to change the view.

Get a piece of the gaming action
With the W760, gaming is more fun than ever. The phone allows you to play in landscape mode, with sound from stereo speakers and use of dedicated
gaming buttons like a gaming console. It is preloaded with the latest games, including Need for Speed ProStreet - where high speed and utter adrenaline
collide. The W760 is built for fast-paced action with a large 2.2" screen for great gameplay and Motion Sensor Gaming that allows you to play top games on your phone in 3D quality, using the motion of the phone to control the game.

Capture the moment
A quality 3.2 megapixel camera is built in to the phone. Just slide open the phone, press the camera button and capture the moment! Pictures can be stored on the 1GB Memory Stick or transferred to a PC using Media Manager.

The W350

The W350 makes it straightforward to transfer music onto your phone. Whether your favourite tracks are on a CD or on your computer, all you need to do with the phone's intuitive Media Manager software is drag your tracks from your computer onto your phone via a USB cable. You can store up to 470 tracks 1) or 40 entire albums1) and, once your music is onto your phone, it's also easy to navigate around it with the Walkman® player.

Never miss a beat

You're at the bar, and a song plays that you used to love... but you just can't place it! Sounds familiar? We've all experienced this, and thanks to TrackID TM, it need never happen again. Just record a few seconds of the song into the phone's microphone (or tag it from the built-in radio) and use TrackIDTM to identify it. The phone provides you with the name of the song, the artist, and even the album so that you can download it and enjoy it again and again.

Stay tuned without wires
You don't need to hold the phone in your hand to get the best out of the W350. With the Bluetooth Headset HBH-DS205, you can stream the music on your phone wirelessly to your ears! Your phone can be in your bag and you can still listen to the music, see which song is playing and take calls.

N-Gage First Access Preview Service on N81

Well the official N-Gage client hasn't been launched yet but the First Access Preview Service has. The service has a whole set of social gaming tools like chat and such (sorta like the Steam client). The only thing is the client is so far limited to the N81s only so if you're an N81 user, you'll be getting a really small social circle and limited game demos.

Of course Nokia says that the service will evolve as it draws near to the full scale release of the N-Gage client so don't fret and be happy that you get to play around with some new service from Nokia before the official launch. The data on the service will be reseted once it is officially launched so don't be attached to your high scores too much.

News via Allaboutsymbian.com

MSI launches its R3870X2, R3600 and R3400 series

MSI has unveiled its latest 55nm – ATI R3870X2, R3600, and R3400 series graphics car using the latest Radeon HD 3000 series chip.The MSI ATI R870X2 was recently launched by AMD designed for ultimate gaming while the R3600 series is a mainstream graphics card and the R3400 series is a more basic card based on the R3600's architecture.

MSI offers an exclusive image quality enhancement technology, Vivid, for MSI ATI series graphics cards products. Users can easily adjust the screen display setting. Whatever you do – browsing photos, surfing websites, or playing games, it will help you adjust to the best visual quality.

"The new ATI Radeon HD 3600 family core has 256 bit ring-bus memory control capabilities, with high-speed GDDR3 512MB, and other ultra-realistic graphics memory particles, and efficiency is superior to the same price competitors products. This mid-range product gives user adequate multilateral geometry, color rendering, and high-speed image pixels, and other computing support, it can be said that this product has all the cost-effective advantages," said Vincent Lai, MSI Global Marketing Director.

Read on for more info.

MSI ATI R3870X2

The ATI R3870X2 graphics enable you to experience the power of HD with 3D processing designed for ultimate gaming. Advance to the next generation of DirectX10.1 compatible HD game performance and life-like realism with dual ATI R3870 GPUs working in exquisite precision to produce over 1 teraFLOPS of GPU compute power. And with ATI CrossFireX™ multi-GPU upgradeability, you can scale your performance to even greater heights. Watch the latest Blu-ray and HD-DVD videos in full 1080p HD – and upscale beyond – without placing huge demands on your CPU. Enjoy break-through efficiency with more processing performance per watt and energy-saving features that can help save you money.

MSI ATI Radeon HD 3600 series
Built-in the new 55nm process, the R3600 series of mainstream-class graphics cards, internal transistor chip volume reached 378 million units, the second-generation integration built-in rendering framework, and the coloring of 120 pixels unit, game within the delicate lighting effects and the outbreak of complex threads graphics computing power.

MSI R3400 series

The MSI R3400 series graphics cards are based on ATI Radeon™ HD 3400 family. It features entirely new and power efficient 55nm processes. Based on the same architecture as the R3600 series, the R3400 series just simply scale-down the number of stream processors, texture units and ROPs. Users can play the next generation of HD games featuring life-like realism from DirectX10.1 compatibility and easy multi-GPU upgradeability with ATI Hybrid Graphics or ATI CrossFireX™. Enjoy break-through efficiency from cutting-edge technology and new energy-saving features that can help users save money and enable cool, quiet PCs.

LYN Photographers Bird Park Trip

Following the successful meet-up cum photography gathering at Zoo Negara, LYN's eager bunch of photography enthusiastically gathered again the following weekend at KL Bird Park for more pictures.A photographer at work...

Read on for more choice pictures. As always, visit the forums for information on future gatherings and to share your picture gallery!

this article create by Ryan Ratilal

Palm Treo 500v review

Remember Palm? Yeah that handheld company that used to make one of the hottest PDAs in the world. Well most of you might give Palm devices a miss this days considering that Palm OS has more or less died. However Palm has in recent times decided to use of all thing the Windows Mobile operating system, and to be honest, the Windows Mobile based Palms aren't that bad.
So when I got my hands on the Palm Treo 500v, I thought that maybe moving to Windows Mobile isn't such a bad idea for Palm at all. So read on to see what I thought about the Palm Treo 500v.

Palm Treo 500v Specifications

Platform	Windows Mobile® 6 Standard
Display	320x240-pixel Transflective colour screen; supports 16-bit colour (up to 65K colours)
Radio	GSM/GPRS/UMTS radio GSM bands: 900/1800/1900 UMTS bands: 2100
Bluetooth® Wireless Technology	Version: 2.0 + EDR Profiles: Headset, handsfree, EDR, serial and OBEX. Mono and stereo headsets are supported
Memory	256MB memory (150MB available user storage)
Camera	2.0 megapixels with 2x digital zoom and video capture support
Battery	Removable 1200mAh, lithium-ion Talk time: 10 days standby, and up to 4.5 hours of talk time
Expansion	MicroSD card
Connector	mini USB
Dimensions	16.5mm (D) x 61.5mm (W) x 110mm (H) 120 grams
System Requirements	Windows® XP, Vista™

The Palm Treo 500v is one of the thinnest and most lightweight Treo devices to date. At 110 x 62 x 17mm and weighing it at a 120g, the Treo 500v would fit nicely in almost everyone's hands without being too bulky, as usually the case with handheld devices with a full keyboard. It is a little more wider than the Treo 750 but now so wide that it won't fit into the palm of your hand nicely. Of course this would vary from individual to individual but for me the Treo 500v had a nice heft and feel to it.

The Palm Treo 500v is one of the thinnest and most lightweight Treo devices to date. At 110 x 62 x 17mm and weighing it at a 120g, the Treo 500v would fit nicely in almost everyone's hands without being too bulky, as usually the case with handheld devices with a full keyboard. It is a little more wider than the Treo 750 but now so wide that it won't fit into the palm of your hand nicely. Of course this would vary from individual to individual but for me the Treo 500v had a nice heft and feel to it.

The design of the Treo 500v is pretty simple and sleek. Its rounded shape makes it look different than most typical Palms and I actually liked its design. Build quality wise, you'll immediately notice that the Treo 500v is made of plastic though there isn't much bending or flexing from it and if feel quite solidly built.

Button placements on the Treo 500v was also pretty intuitive and simple, with the typical Treo buttons for volume and a side key on its side and a single power button that also acts as a quick list function button for setting sound settings and other frequently used phone functions (Bluetooth or flight mode). Function and call buttons are pretty generous in size while the QWERTY keyboard, while kind of small, was still pretty easy and to use even for a person with big thumbs like me. At the bottom of the phone lies the 2.5mm socket for the headset and the mini-USB for charging and syncing. And if you're one of those people you like to hang your phone around your neck or even hang those weird lanyards on your phone, Palm has included loophole to allow the use of these things though it'll require you to use the battery cover to secure the lanyards.
The Treo 500v comes loaded with Windows Mobile 6 standard edition which means unlike the past Palm devices, the Treo 500v is not touchscreen based. I found this development from Palm pretty interesting since till now, all their devices were touchscreen which made the Treo 500v unique. The device runs on a 400 MHz PXA270 processor which ought to have made the device quite responsive. Overall the responsiveness of the Treo 500v was pretty good though I believe (considering the processor) that it could have been much better. There were certain times when it became real laggy. This however I managed to fix by closing all the programs previously opened clearing up the memory thus making it respond faster in subsequent usages. As for storage, the Treo 500v comes with 256MB of memory with a 150MB of space for storage. Should you need more there is always the option of getting a bigger capacity micro-SD card.

I'm not exactly a big fan of the Windows Mobile operating system in whatever form, but I found that WM6 with the Treo 500v was pretty easy to use. Memory hogging aside, the interface of WM6 SE combined with the well planned interface buttons of the Treo 500v made the phone easy and quite enjoyable to use. Of course most normal Palm user might feel that it's a bit weird using a Palm device with no touch screen capabilities but I found that the shortcut keys available in the system more than made up for it. It also beats having an extra accessory that you have to use just to use the phone.

One complaint I have about WM6 though is it inability to copy and paste, which is pretty ridiculous for a Windows based device. I mean what is a Windows device without the ability to copy and paste. However other than that, interface wise I didn't really find much to complain about WM6 SE on the Treo 500v.

As for battery life, I was pretty impressed with the Treo 500v. With a 1200mAh battery, the phone was rated with a 10 day standby time. In my test though the phone didn't really hit the 10 day mark, it did have a pretty impressive 4 day battery life over normal usage.

Camera and Display

I've always loved the quality of the Palm cameras and the Treo 500v is no exception. It comes with a 2.0 Megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom and video capture functions. The 2.0 megapixel on the Treo 500v is a step up from the previous 1.3 and 0.3 megapixel cameras of the previous Palm devices. As such picture taken on the Treo 500v were pretty good for a camera of its level though the quality is still best for mobile phones.(refer to the sample pictures I took below). Don't expect to throw away your normal point and shoots though as the camera still has a lot of limitations like the lack of a LED flash or light source.The shutter speed of the camera is pretty slow though as I found that the camera had a 2 second delay before pictures were taken. This resulted in some pretty blurry pictures especially since I don't have very steady hands for picture taking.

Video recording is pretty good to though the video resolution are optimised for phone viewing (at 320 x 240 resolutions). Framerates were smooth and sound qualities of the videos were pretty good and clear too.

The display screen of the Treo 500v comes with up to 65000 colours and I found that the image quality on the phone was crisp and clear (well for its size). This made video watching no problem at all and the best part was when you head to the bright outdoors, the images are still visible on the phone.

One aspect of the Treo 500v that I liked was the fact that it was widescreen. Admittedly it's a pretty small widescreen but this meant I could watch my widescreen videos on the phone in full screen without having to see to big black bars on top and at the bottom of the video. As it is the screen is pretty small so if the device were to have the typical square screens of the Palms, let's just say that video watching wouldn't have been as enjoyable.

Connectivity and Audio

Of course the most important thing to a smartphone like the Treo 500v is its connectivity. So I was a bit disappointed that it didn't come with HSDPA and WiFi support. It did have a GPRS and 3G support though and tests together with our Celcom 3G line found that the Treo 500v was did pretty well with as a general data phone. I was really disappointed though with the lack of WiFi as this would have given the Treo 500v an alternative source for data connections whenever there isn't a 3G or GPRS signal available.

Palm has also upgraded the Treo 500v to Bluetooth 2.0, which was much better than the previous Palms. This made Bluetooth data transfers faster than before and also gave an added advantage of A2DP which allows the phone to be used with most Bluetooth stereo headsets. Considering that the Treo 500v can also function as a pretty decent media player, this was a pretty handy addition. And speaking of Audio, you'll find that sound quality over the mono speakers of the Treo 500v was pretty decent though I felt that it could have been a bit louder as sometimes I couldn't hear the phone ringing, especially in really noisy areas

Overall

The Treo 500v by my standards is an ok smartphone. My prejudice for Windows Mobile based devices notwithstanding, as a smartphone, the Treo 500v doesn't really crash and burn. It could be way much better though but still kudos to Palm in coming up with a phone that doesn't fit its typical device profile and doing a pretty decent job of it to. For a data phone, you'll find that the Treo 500v isn't very expensive as it retails at around RM1,588. I've seen far more expensive WM devices with the same functionalities as the Treo 500v. So if you are looking at a WM6 SE device, you can always consider the Palm Treo 500v.

this article create by Nigel Yap

Dell releases new Blade servers

Dell has released their PowerEdge M-Series blade solution which was designed from the ground up using Dell Energy Smart technologies to help customers simplify information technology and better address mounting environmental challenges in their data centres.

The PowerEdge M1000e, a 10U-sized enclosure, supports 16 blade servers. It is optimized for Dell’s PowerEdge M600 and M605 blade servers and supports up to two quad-core Intel Xeon and quad-core AMD Opteron processors, respectively. The M600 and M605 blade servers are 60 percent more dense than standard 1U servers, helping customers to better address data centre space constraints.

The new M1000e blade enclosure is now available worldwide for ordering with a starting price of USD5,999, along with blades starting at USD1,849. For more info on the serves head to Dell's site.

Microsoft offering to buy Yahoo

A screenshot of the news on Yahoo News

Yep you read right. The big M is offering to buy Yahoo in order to challenge (who else but) Google's dominance in the Internet search services and advertising. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft made a made an unsolicited USD44.6 billion offer for Yahoo! Inc and Yahoo has actually responded that they are evaluating the offer 'promptly'.

Considering that Google has dominated the Internet search and advertising market in the last few years, it isn't actually surprising that Microsoft would take action to stem their dominance. This offer for Yahoo however, is a bigger action taken than Microsoft than I expected.

We'll keep things updated here on this ongoing development so stay tuned for more.

Sourced from AFP and Bloomberg.

Lenovo sells off cellphone division

Wait a minute Lenovo sells handset??? Well some of you might have seen the parallel imported Lenovo phones and mobile devices while walking around Low Yat Plaza but if you were hoping for them to be officially brought in well you can stop waiting with this latest development.

Lenovo cellphone group is being sold to a private equity firm Hony Capital (no not Horny Capital you dirty minded fellows) for USD100million. Well that's one less Chinese handset you'll see in the market. Not that it ever reached here in the first place.

pictures and news via engadget .

by Nigel Yap

The Nokia N82 Review

The Nokia N95 by all means and purposes is one of the most full featured Nokia phone that has ever come out from Nokia’s woodwork. With GPS, a 5 megapixel camera, cool multimedia functions and even a 3.5mm jack, it had almost everything you’d look for in a phone. Well except the fact that not everyone liked the N95’s shape and design. Well with Nokia’s N82, Nokia has now given us a phone that rivals the N95 but this time in candy bar format. Well we managed to get our hands on the N82 and so read on to see what our take on the phone was like.
I'm a candy bar phone kind of a person, which made the N82's candy bar design perfect for me. Measuring at 4.4 x 2 x 0.7 inches, it fitted perfectly into the palm of my hands and had that solid feel to it. The size of the phone was neither too big or too small and was to me had the perfect width and feel. It was kind of light though not so light that you would think it was a toy phone. The N82 comes housed in a sleek, silvery chassis, which at first glance looked as if it was metal. However, after getting a feel of the phone, I was disappointed that that silvery sheen on the phone wasn't really metal but plastic. Of course that didn't mean the build quality was bad though as the N82 still felt solidly built to me, it's just that I'd like to see Nokia come up with a N-series phone with brush metal surfaces instead of being mostly made of plastic for once. Now as shiny as the front surface of the N82 was, it's bound to be a fingerprint magnet which was exactly what it became. Combined that with its generous 2.4" screen and well, you can imagine the amount of times I was wiping it down so it wouldn't look so grimy. Then again sometimes half the fun is in wiping the phone down, just so you can stare more at it.
The N82 has the hallmarks of Nokia user friendly and intuitive design. The function key placements were, what I would say, in the most logical of places, making the N82 really easy to use and didn't require you to actually take out the manual. One thing that bothered me a bit though was the size of the N82's number keypad. The other keys on the phone were generous in size from the menu button to the receive and reject call buttons. However, the number keypads were a different matter as they were quite small. Now as I said before, the N82 is not really a small phone which meant that it had ample space for bigger keys. However, I guess Nokia, for the sake of giving the N82 a creative design, gave the phone smaller keys reminiscent of the Sony Ericsson W880i keys. For a guy with big hands and thumbs like me, it took me a while to get used to the keys. Fortunately though, Nokia did space the number keys out a bit which meant I didn't really end up accidentally pressing the wrong number keys often.
The N82 of course uses Nokia's S60 operating system, which is till today, my favourite phone interface/OS. I doubt I need to describe it for all of you as you're most likely to have played around with a Nokia S60 phone or you might already own one. However I would like to mention a few "add-ons" that the phone came with like the built in accelormeter which allowed you switch the N82 interface between landspace and portrait mode just by tilting the phone (sort of like the iPhone or iPod Touch). Also added was the Nokia N-gage application which bundled in two games on a trial period FIFA 2007 and Asphalt 3 Street Rules. Now unlike the N81, the N82 is really set up for games so don't expect to play FIFA 2007 on the N82 in landscape mode.

Camera

Now, what really makes the N82 a joy to use is its camera functions. The phone comes with a 5 megapixel camera and a Xeon flash which made it one of the better camera phones I've come across. The user interface, though I have heard some people complain about it, wasn't much of an issue for me. It has an extensive range of settings that includes manual white balance, ISO sensitivity, exposure compensation, sharpness and contrast settings, as well as various effects.

The Xeon flash is no pathetic LED light either as it managed to capture pictures quite nicely in pretty dark environments like a dark room and can even be set to either Auto, red-eye reduction, always on or always off, just like normal digital cameras. Of course even if you had a doped up flash on the phone, it wouldn't really mean anything if the picture quality was crap. The N82 fortunately, did not take crap quality pictures. Like the N95, the N82 takes pretty good pictures with colour tone being pretty vivid and even skin tone coming out great not yellowish or pasty. As you can see in the sample picture I took, the N82 does take great photos, and will be a great boon especially if you're into taking food pictures.

Another similarity that the N82 has with the N95 is that it has a built in GPS. Now the built in GPS works hand in hand with Nokia Maps which is essentially a free download (in this case it's already preloaded into the N82). It work fine and is quite accurate though the major issue I had with the GPS was its slow initial satellite lock. Not to say that it is always slow but the average time for the initial satellite lock was between 2 to 3 minutes sometimes longer when you're like say in a moving vehicle. However, once your position is locked on, things go pretty smoothly from there. You might be tempted to get third party GPS software to use with the N82 but I'd recommend that you stick with Nokia Maps as it is really good and easy to use. Best of all it's free, though you do have to pay extra for the voice guidance navigation.
Another similarity that the N82 has with the N95 is that it has a built in GPS. Now the built in GPS works hand in hand with Nokia Maps which is essentially a free download (in this case it's already preloaded into the N82). It work fine and is quite accurate though the major issue I had with the GPS was its slow initial satellite lock. Not to say that it is always slow but the average time for the initial satellite lock was between 2 to 3 minutes sometimes longer when you're like say in a moving vehicle. However, once your position is locked on, things go pretty smoothly from there. You might be tempted to get third party GPS software to use with the N82 but I'd recommend that you stick with Nokia Maps as it is really good and easy to use. Best of all it's free, though you do have to pay extra for the voice guidance navigation.
Multimedia

Now although the N82 does not come with dedicated Media keys, it does pretty well for a Music/Video player. The D-pad of the N82 is more than sufficient for navigating all your music playing needs. Best of all, the N82 comes with a 3.5mm jack which rocks as you can plug in whatever l33t headphones you have, and not just stick to the standard Nokia ones. Sound wise, the N82 does ok when not plugged to any speakers. Its sound quality is pretty crisp and if you're a little hard in hearing you don't have to worry as the built in speaker are loud enough to partially wake the dead.

As for video playing, like all Nokia phones, the N82 comes with Real Player and watching videos on the 2.4" LCD screen was pretty neat. Picture quality on the screen was really clear (whenever it wasn't grimy) and although it doesn't come with a huge memory bank, at least you have the option of adding in microSD card to the phone.

Connectivity

As I mentioned before, the N82 is in all respect similar to the N95, and this includes its connectivity options. With support for HSDPA and 3G, the phone is excellent for web browsing especially when paired with the Nokia web browser. And if you do splurge on Bluetooth stereo headphones, the N82 also comes with Bluetooth A2DP support.

Conlcusion

The Nokia N82 is a great phone and comes as close to a perfect phone to me. With GPS, a great camera and a host of connectivity options, it's pretty hard to not like this phone. Even its battery life is pretty good lasting a good 3 days of normal use (this includes mucking around with the GPS and camera). At around RM2,499 it only comes off as slightly pricey but seriously the camera functions and GPS more or less makes up for that. Now if only Nokia can come up with a brush metal version of it.
article create by Nigel Yap