Home AV Sony PlayStation 3

In the gaming world, being first to market has its advantages, but it also has some downsides. With its Xbox 360, Microsoft has staked itself a year's lead over arch rival Sony in the next-gen gaming wars and, just as importantly, the battle for living-room dominance--these powerful minicomputers also do double duty as digital media hubs.

The good: Swanky design; all games in HD; PSP-like user-friendly interface; plays Blu-ray and upscales DVDs to 1080p; built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; 80GB hard drive; wireless and optional force feedback controllers; backward-compatible with PS2 and PS1 titles; built-in memory card readers; online play is free; onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD decoder.

The bad: A USB port on the back would've been nice; glossy black finish is a fingerprint magnet; runs hot and noisy; power guzzler.

The bottom line: The 80GB Sony PlayStation 3 is still the most expensive next-gen game console, but its swanky design and bevy of features make it great value even at S$799.



Like the 360, the PS3 is available in two versions. Both feature the powerful Cell processor, inbuilt Blu-ray player, and HDMI video output. The baseline 40GB version retails for S$599 (US$394.08), while the step-up deluxe model boasts an 80GB hard drive, multiformat memory card reader and twice as many USB ports for S$200 (US$131.58) more.

The big question, of course, is whether the 80GB PS3 is S$100 (US$65.79) better than the flagship Xbox 360 Elite. From a pure gaming perspective, the short answer is: No, not today. The catalog of games is far from impressive with only a handful of hits such as Grand Theft Auto IV and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4. However, in terms of design and in-the-box features, the value is here: The two versions of the PS3 are well worth their respective price tags.



Editors' note:This review has been updated based on the PS3 being upgraded with firmware version 2.3 and game library as of May 2008.

Design: Back In BlackThe PS3's sexy shape and futuristic look are ample evidence that the company's renowned design standards are alive and well. One look at its glossy exterior and touch-sensitive power and eject buttons on its face, and you can see why it might cost what it does. Like the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, the PS3 can stand vertically or lie horizontally in an A/V rack, though because of its curved top, it's not meant to have any other components resting on top of it. While its 40GB sibling is available in black, white and silver, the 60GB version is shipped in the dark shade.


There's no way to customize its look, too, as you can with Xbox 360's interchangeable, if overpriced, faceplates. As with the PSP, its glossy finish is a fingerprint and smudge magnet. If you handle it at all, you'll end up having to wipe it off, so you'll probably just want to stick it in a rack and leave it there. Dimensions-wise, the PS3 measures 325 x 97 x 274mm, which is roughly in line with the overall volume of the Xbox 360. That said, the PS3 does weigh a bit more at 4.99kg to 360's 4.49kg including power supply. Most impressively, there's no external power supply for the PS3; you just plug the included power cable into the back of the unit and you're good to go.



Another obvious difference between the Xbox 360 and the PS3 is the way you load media. As opposed to the more typical tray loader, the PS3 has a front-slot-loading, Blu-ray optical disc drive, which contributes to the unit's slicker appearance. Discs slide in and eject smoothly enough, so chalk one up for the PS3 here. On the front, you'll find four USB ports for connecting (and charging) controllers and other accessories, including USB keyboards, thumbdrives, and the PSP. It also offers a built-in memory card reader behind a door that supports not only memory cards from Sony's entire Memory Stick family, but CompactFlash and SD/MMC media as well.



Around back is where you'll find ports for network, HDMI, optical digital audio and proprietary PlayStation A/V output for analog audio and video. A composite-A/V cable ships with the unit, and because it uses the same connector as the PlayStation 2, that system's S-video and component cables will work with it as well. That's all fine, but we would have liked to have seen at least one USB port on the back for peripherals such as its EyeToy camera that spoil the PS3's otherwise clean lines by sticking obtrusively out of the front. On a more positive note, the internal hard drive is said to be user-replaceable.
Familiar InterfaceIf you own a Sony PSP, you'll immediately notice the similarities between the PS3's interface and the PSP's cross media bar-style graphical user interface. You navigate horizontally through top-level selection categories such as users, system settings, and media options such as photos, music, videos, games, network, and friends. When you select a top-level category, a vertical list of sub options appears, and you can navigate down that list until you find the option you want. The interface is polished and generally user-friendly, but you do have to drill down a few levels to reach certain features, and getting to some functions isn't quite as intuitive as it should be.

Digital Media HubThe PS3's media features are extensive--enough so the console could be a worthwhile purchase even for people who never deign to ever fire up a game. For starters, the PlayStation 3 hits the shelves as the one of the more affordable Blu-ray player you can buy. Before we delve into the console's HD movie prowess (see Movie Watching), let's take a holistic look at its multimedia functionality.

In addition to the built-in memory card reader on the 80GB model, the PS3 can read digital photos from a variety of USB-attached devices, including most digital cameras, the PSP, USB thumbdrives, and home-burned CD-Rs. (One caveat: The images may need to be placed in a special directory such as DCIM or Picture) A few different slide show styles are available, including a unique "photo album" view that splays the images across a white work surface as if you'd dumped them there and spread them out.

When stored internally on the hard drive, photos appear rapidly, and in the basic slideshow mode, you can advance your slides forward by simply pressing on the top-right shoulder button (the left shoulder takes you back a slide). Most JPEG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, and PNG images should work just fine. By contrast, the Xbox 360 lacks both an internal media reader and the impressive photo album viewer, and the Wii--while including some cool and fun photo-viewing and manipulation functionality--offers only a built-in SD card reader.

As for music, the PS3 supports most of the major music file types, including MP3, ATRAC, AAC, and WAV and, like the Xbox 360, has a built-in music visualizer. As with the photos, you can import songs externally but have to create a special Music folder--or rip songs directly to the hard drive from a CD. While the PS3 even plays Sony's increasingly obscure SACD discs, it cannot playback music from attached iPods, nor can it stream from other music players that incorporate copy-protected music formats. Here, the 360 has a leg-up: It offers some iPod compatibility, and it can play back WMA music files as well.

On the video front, the PS3 plays Blu-ray at 24 frames as well as upscales DVD movies to 1080p. It also supports MPEG-1/2/4/h.264 and AVCHD and recently DivX, Xvid and WMV video files (reading from the "video" directory). If you transfer the videos to the PS3's hard drive, thumbnails on the video menu are shown as 15-second video clips, rather than just as still images of the first frame of the video. In addition, you can stream these audio-visual multimedia files from your PC over your home network or from your PS3 to your PSP using the PS3's Remote Play feature.
Sony's Version Of Web TVTaking a page out of the PSP's book, the PS3 also has a built-in Web browser, but the nice thing about the PS3 is that if you connect a USB keyboard, you don't have to type in URL addresses using the system's tedious virtual keyboard. Likewise, a USB mouse lets you point and click your way through a Web page, just as if you were on a PC. The system will eventually allow you to pair the PS3 with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, which is probably the ideal setup for living-room use.

The browser appears to be pretty robust with the requisite Flash support, and it certainly is a nice convenience for those who browse from their living-room couch. That said, the sharpness of the Web pages' appearance--and how readable they are--will depend on the quality of your TV and its size. For example, viewing Web pages on a 60-inch DLP set is going to be more of a challenge than, say, looking at those same pages over a 20-inch computer monitor. And viewing Web pages on anything less than an HDTV at full resolution (720p, 1080i or 1080p) will be decidedly eye-straining.

The PlayStation NetworkSimilar to Microsoft's Xbox Live service, the PlayStation Network or PSN includes typical online gaming along with community and messaging, as well as voice and video chat. Xbox Live Silver, Microsoft's free entry-level service, gives you access to some community options, but to play online multiplayer games you have to upgrade to Xbox Live Gold service, which comes at a premium.

The PSN's PlayStation Store also offers game demos, themes, wallpapers and other video content downloads such as movie and game trailers in HD, too. This has been remodeled in April 2008 into eight sections to further enhance browsing speed and to facilitate easier access for its library. Instead of the points-based payment system found on Microsoft and Nintendo's networks, Sony is sticking to dollars and cents--users can simply transfer cash to their PlayStation 3 Wallet via credit card or with prepaid gift cards.

While not exactly a PSN element, Sony has further rolled out Folding@Home support for PS3 in March 2007. This allows users an opportunity to contribute part of the Cell processor's powerful processing power to run a distributed computing project managed by Stanford University. For a good cause, too, for media research to better understand the development of many diseases.
Cell InsideWhile the 360 uses more off-the-shelf PC components, the PlayStation 3's 3.2GHz Cell processor was built from the ground up just for the console. It consists of a single PowerPC-based core with seven synergistic processing units and is the result of a joint effort between IBM, Sony, and Toshiba. The key about the Cell is that it has the juice to run a new class of gameplay physics that enables spectacular effects and a whole new depth of realism. Paired with its inbuilt RSX Reality Synthesizer graphics-processing unit, a gargantuan 550MHz, 300-million-transistor graphics chip, and you're looking at a mini supercomputer.

At the end of the day, as Microsoft learned, you can tout all the power you want, but if you can't keep your system cool--and fairly quiet--you're going to have some serious problems on your hands. The latter, is indeed, an issue for early batches of the consoles and their infamous irritating noise level, though there are some online reports of quiet-running units in forums, too. The low rumbling noise aside, the set also runs pretty warm but not blazingly hot and to the extent of compromising stability after long hours of operation.

Play TimeIn fact, it's very hard to tell major visual differences between titles that are already available on the 360 and its PS3 counterparts because they're ports of the same game. Where you start to see some of the promise is in Sony's in-house titles, such as Grand Turismo 5 Prologue. The game looks impressive, with crisp graphics and smooth 1080p gameplay. The older Ridge Racer 7 is another title that really jumps out at you visually with acid Dolby Digital surround dance tracks.

The long and short of it is that the PS3 clearly measures up to the Xbox in terms of its graphics prowess, and the added combination of tilt control and force feedback offers a new twist. That said, there really isn't anything available yet that's too unique or so far beyond what the Xbox 360 offers that you think "I gotta get this system to play that game". The reality is you're going to have to wait for more PS3 exclusives such as Metal Gear Solid 4 and evergreen hits.
Backward CompatibilityWhile you're waiting for more killer PS3 game, you can still fall back on hundreds, if not thousands, of PlayStation catalog titles. The 80GB PS3 is fully backward-compatible with nearly all PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 1 games. Just toss in a disc and the PS3 will create a virtual memory card on its hard drive to store saved games and preferences. We had no trouble running PS2 titles such as Final Fantasy X-2, although we expect that a handful of older titles won't run on it.

Hardware and accessory compatibility is a mixed bag. You can't connect PS2 controllers to the PS3 because the new console lacks the older controller port. But because the PS3 control design is nearly identical, your older games will play just fine. Likewise, games that utilize any unique accessories which must plug into the PS2-style control port--such as Guitar Hero's mighty ax--won't work on the PS3. But USB accessories--such as the EyeToy--should be good to go.

Movie WatchingBecause we were more familiar watching Disney's Cars on the Samsung BD-P1400, we decided to do so using that disc rather than Casino Royale. Watching on a reference 100-inch Stewart GrayHawk RS G3 projection screen, we viewed several scenes from the movie on the Samsung first, then switched over to PS3. In case you're wondering, disc load times were blazing-fast for the console compared to the standalone. As for the picture, it was quite comparable to what we saw on the Samsung, and navigating the disc was fairly zippy. In other words, at first glance, the PS3 seems to stack up fairly well against comparable or even costlier Blu-ray players which obviate the need for those kits to actually exist.

Furthermore, the PS3 is currently the only player in Asia that meets Blu-ray Profile 2.0 standard. That doesn't mean much now--there's very limited corresponding software. But expect more to be released in 2008 and beyond that should enable the PS3 advanced in-movie interactive features. Likewise, it's also the first to be upgraded with onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD surround sound decoding, outputted via uncompressed LPCM (native CD audio format) through HDMI.

As a 1080p upscaling DVD player, the console delivered pretty respectable visuals on par with just about any entry-to-midrange standalones. This gives it an edge over the 360 which plays DVD in 480p only, without any support for HD discs since dropping the now-defunct HD-DVD addon drive. Accessing Blu-ray and DVD menus with the standard PS3 controller is functional but awkward, though Sony offers a more traditional Bluetooth remote for S$49 (US$32.24) extra.
ConclusionThe PS3 is a versatile and impressive piece of home entertainment equipment that lives up to the hype. So far, the majority of the existing game titles don't do all that much to sell the system, but that should start to change soon as more impressive titles come to market. Whether you buy the PS3 today or whenever it becomes available in quantity, you can be sure you'll feel you got your money's worth--from a gaming and a multimedia perspective.
GeneralPrimary FunctionGaming console
Basic specsCell processor (3.2GHz); 256MB XDR main RAM at 3.2GHz; 256MB of GDDR VRAM at 700MHz; RSX "Reality Synthesizer" graphics engine from Nvidia with 512MB; support 720p and 1080p high-def resolution graphics; backward compatible with PS2 games
Onboard featuresOnboard Memory Stick Duo, SD, and CompactFlash media slots; supports video chat, Internet access, digital photo viewing, and digital audio and video
ConnectivitySupports up to 8 controllers via Bluetooth; sync wirelessly with the PSP; two HD outputs; six USB slots; Sound Dolby 5.1ch, DTS; HDMI out x 2; AV multi out x 1; digital out (optical) x 1
Expansion optionsBay for an optional 2.5-inch hard drive
Supported media formatsBlu-ray discs; supports CR-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R formats; PS2 games (backward compatible); Memory Stick Duo, SD, and CompactFlash flash memory media

Mobile phone first take : Sony Ericsson C702 Cyber-shot

Sony Ericsson's imaging-centric Cyber-shot phones started with the K-series back in early 2006, so imagine our surprise when the Japanese-Swedish company announced that its latest range of camera-phones would be the C702 and the C902 at this year's Mobile World Congress. Although it may take a while for consumers to start associating the Cyber-shot brand with the C-series, we think it's still a good move in the long run.



Upside
One of the main features we like about the Cyber-shot range is the alphanumeric keys pulling double duty as shortcuts to frequently used camera functions. This lets the user toggle between various modes without having to scroll through onscreen menus. We've seen these buttons in earlier models such as the K770i and K850i, so naturally we aren't surprised to see it implemented on the C702, too.

According to the literature, the C702 comes with onboard A-GPS. Our alarm bells rang when we read about the location positioning feature. It's not the first time Sony Ericsson is introducing A-GPS on its devices. The earlier Z750i had it, too, though the problem was that only Chunghwa Telecom in Taiwan had enabled the feature (as we were told by the company) at that time we were reviewing the phone.

Unlike handhelds with dedicated built-in GPS chips, an A-GPS receiver relies on an assistant server such as a cell phone tower to triangulate the user's position. The specifications of the C702 didn't mention anything about a built-in GPS chip, so we are going to take this feature with a pinch of salt for now. But if it works like it claims, the GPS feature will allow users to sort and view their images according to the place where they took them.

Geotagging features like these have been around with the help of external GPS loggers or the use of software, but it's still relatively new to see this built into mobile devices. Nokia's latest N96 and N78 also support geotagging functions, except that these handsets have a dedicated GPS chip on top of utilizing A-GPS. This should be able to help pinpoint location more accurately.

Other features on the quadband candy-bar include HSDPA, Bluetooth stereo A2DP, FM radio, 160MB onboard memory, Memory Stick Micro M2 expansion card slot and a splash/dust-resistant chassis.




Downside
One of the most disappointing points about the C702 is that it doesn't come with a Xenon flash module. Instead, it has a pair of LED lights to provide illumination for shooting in dimly lit environments. Xenon flash lights are usually much stronger compared with LEDs, so we found it strange that Sony Ericsson decided not to include it on the C702 Cyber-shot.

Although we haven't seen the actual unit yet, from the pictures, the Call/End buttons sandwiched between the softkeys and shortcut/correction functions appear to be rather small. That may affect the use of the keys slightly.

Outlook
The C702 isn't the evolution we were hoping for in camera-phones, although it should fit well within the company's lineup of Cyber-shots. It's also a good move that the maker has decided to initial its Cyber-shot models with the letter C for easy recognition. Although the handset comes with onboard A-GPS, we are a little apprehensive about it based on our previous experience with the Z750i. We'll have to wait for the actual unit due out in Q2 before passing final judgment.





http://asia.cnet.com/
By Damian Koh

New products to supplement your cell phone

Stereo and AudioIQ: New headsets from Plantronics : Huerth, Germany (dpa) - Plantronics has expanded its range of headsets for cell-phone and computer users. Among the several new models is the Voyager 855: The Bluetooth model can be used either as cell-phone headset with mono output or as a stereo headset with a second earpiece for use with a mobile phone's MP3 player. The Voyager 855 uses what Plantronics calls AudioIQ technology to automatically adjust the sound and voice volume to the ambient noise level. The device costs about 99 dollars.


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BlackBerry cell phone with integrated navigation

Eschborn, Germany (dpa) - The BlackBerry Pearl 8110, soon to be released on the German market by Vodafone and T-Mobile, will come equipped with an integrated GPS receiver and telenav software. The 8110 is once again oriented at primarily private users, with expanded multimedia capabilities. The device also includes a standard headphone output and a built-in two megapixel camera.

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MOTO U9 - New design cell from Motorola

Taunusstein, Germany (dpa) - Motorola is launching a new cell- phone model. The Moto U9 has neither corners nor edges, a move intended to make it fit comfortably in the hand. Its integrated music player can be used without opening up the cell. Music can even be broadcast by Bluetooth to wireless headphones using the A2DP stereo Bluetooth profile. A two megapixel camera is also included in the standard options. Images and music can be stored to a MicroSD card. The 249-dollar device uses GPRS and EDGE for data transfer.




www.bangkokpost.com

Virtual surround sound for the living room

Stuttgart - Tension on a TV crime show is coming to a head: On the right a gangster runs off

into the dark of night, while horrified screams are audible to the left. Behind you the sound of

police sirens are growing louder.

If you have the right equipment, watching TV can feel more like being in the middle of the

action. This used to require five speakers and a subwoofer, known as a 5.1 system. There are

now several solutions available that produce surround sound using only two, and in some

cases even one, speaker. This is known as virtual surround sound.

"Virtual surround overwhelms the brain and the laws of physics," says Georg Wilde, a press

spokesman for electronics maker Philips. Virtual surround technology takes up less space

than 5.1 systems and requires fewer cables. Yet the sound is also different from traditional

surround sound systems.

"On the whole, though, it functions astonishingly well," says Christine Tantschinez from

Stuttgart-based Audio magazine.

Virtual sound achieves the highest audio quality, if the room is square or rectangular. Too

many niches and bays can be disruptive. Wallpapered walls are also better for sound than

glass or tile.

"The idea is to let the sound waves bounce off the wall like pool balls - with surround sound

coming out of the reflections," Christine Tantschinez explains.

Many systems require an exact measurement of the room to provide optimal sound results.

Some devices must also be harmonized with the television before being turned on for the first

time.

This set-up process is generally performed using some form of an easy on-screen menu

wizard. Some televisions now even come with an integrated virtual surround sound system

instead of normal loudspeakers.

Overly large or extremely sparsely furnished spaces can also diminish the virtual surround

effect.

"There's too much reverb there," says Matthias Rose from the Fraunhofer Institute for

Integrated Circuitry in Erlangen. The systems deliver good sound quality in a living room of up

to 50 square metres.

"You don't need to start rearranging things in your living room," Tantschinez says. Yet as

with true surround sound and in the movie theatre, the virtual set-ups do have a sweet spot.

That's the location where the listener feels like he's in the middle of the action.

For 5.1 systems, the loudspeakers are organized in circular fashion at a specific distance from

the listener, with best results in the centre. This isn't necessary for virtual surround systems.

Yet only one viewer on the couch will enjoy the central sound experience.

"Whoever sits in the middle hears everything best," Tantschinez says. Everyone else hears

more from the side on which they're sitting. Then again, this works the same way for

traditional sound systems with multiple little speakers.

Yet virtual surround sound isn't just of interest for the living room or for the speakers next to

the computer.

"The goal is to bring surround sound out into the mobile world as well, such as for portable

televisions or entertainment systems on airplanes," Matthias Rose explains.

That's why the Fraunhofer Institute is currently researching how best to transmit surround

sound via headphones using similar techniques to trick the human ear into perceiving sounds

from what seems like multiple sources.

"The signal is modified so that it is repeated directly in the ear as if it were coming from six

loudspeakers," Rose says.

There are already a variety of concepts being worked on to offer surround sound from just one

speaker. Yamaha, for example, uses what it is calls a sound projector to create bound sound

waves off one another, thereby producing the effect. Philips is working on a system called

Ambisound.

"The system is decked out with a multi-channel amplifier that works with expanded digital

sound processing technology that takes advantage of psychological/acoustic factors," Wilde

says.

The systems are available - to the extent that they are not already integrated into a television -

in both stand-alone and bundled versions, such as with DVD players. Prices vary based on the

technology being used.

While a sound projector costs around 500 dollars, an AV receiver including surround sound

system will cost around 1,000 dollars, Tantschinez says. "The more technology inside, the

more expensive the devices will be - there's no ceiling."

INFO BOX: The 5.1 multi-channel sound system

Most home theatre equipment produces surround sound using a 5.1 multi-channel sound

system. This means that a film's sound is output across five primary channels as well as an

additional channel for bass sounds. 5.1 multi-channel sound systems include left and right

primary speakers, a centre speaker, surround loudspeakers to the right and left as well as a

subwoofer to produce the low frequencies. Other 6.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems are also

available.
Reviews
Digital camera first take : Fujifilm FinePix F100fd
Mobile phone first take : Samsung SGH-D880
Handheld review : HP iPaq 112 Classic Handheld
Handheld first take : HTC P3470
Mobile phone first take : Sony Ericsson C702 Cyber-shot
Home AV review : Samsung LA46F81BDX (46-inch LCD)
First take : Nokia N96
Digital camera review : Ricoh Caplio GX100
Mobile phone review : Nokia N82
Handhelds first take : MWg Atom V

News
Piracy stifles innovation in Asia
Asia to firmly embrace mobile commerce
Phishing attacks escalate sharply
Tri-partite effort can help fight burnout
With credibility comes success, says CIO
Asian open source summit moved to China
Asia to get ultra high-speed cable system
Malware in 2007 more than doubles year-on-year: McAfee
Virtual surround sound for the living room
Office or home entertainment centre: Cards let you watch TV on the PC





http://www.bangkokpost.com/gadget/gadget.php?id=411

By Verena Wolff, dpa

News Apple's latest laptop: Small is in

San Francisco - There's never been a laptop as skinny as the new MacBook Air from Apple. At its thinnest, it measures just about four millimetres.



"When you first see MacBook Air, it's hard to believe it's a high- performance notebook with a full-size keyboard and display," gushed Apple CEO Steve Jobs while presenting the new laptop at the keynote speech of the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. "But it is."

The excitement at the Moscone Centre was also sparked in typically reserved observers like Michael Gartenberg, research director at the US market research firm Jupiter Research:


"This will become the object of lust for all tech fans this year," Gartenberg told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

In advance of the MacWorld Expo, the chatter on many websites was focused on a potential combination of the iPhone and a normal laptop - more or less a retooling of the "Newton" PDA concept that Apple phased out 10 years ago. The MacBook Air is instead a full-value laptop with a robust aluminium casing with a 13-inch display and a full sized keyboard.

During his presentation, Steve Jobs compared the MacBook Air, which costs about 1,700 dollars, with the Vaio TZ series from Sony.

"The thinnest part of the Vaio is the thickest part of the MacBook Air," the Apple CEO told the cheering crowd. What he didn't mention in his comparison is that unlike the MacBook Air, the Sony laptops come with a DVD burner, a modem, and an integrated UMTS module.

With an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 1.6 or 1.8 gigahertz (GHz) of processing power, Apple has certainly sent its new laptop out into the world with a significantly stronger CPU than the Japanese devices against which it is competing.

The standard model contains a 1.8 inch hard drive offering 80 gigabytes (GB) of storage space. Users willing to hand out another 900 dollars can upgrade to a 64 GB Flash hard drive. Flash memory works more quickly than a hard drive and consumes less power. The battery in the MacBook Air lasts five hours when working with a traditional hard drive.

The second major MacWorld Expo announcement centred on a second attempt at the "digital home" market, as well as launching an online video rental service. To facilitate all of this entertainment, Apple introduced an improved version of its "Apple TV" TV set-top box. It will enable HD video films to be rented from the Internet without having to connect with a computer.

Steve Jobs gained the support of all significant Hollywood studios for the "iTunes Video Rentals" platform. In the United States, DVD- quality films will cost 3 or 4 dollars for a rental limited to 30 days. High definition (HD) films will cost 1 dollar extra.

"This is going to turn the video industry inside out the same way the iTunes store changed the music industry," says Jupiter analyst Michael Gartenberg. Ross Rubin from the market research institute NPD disagrees, seeing Sony and Microsoft as enjoying the better start position:



"Both of those Apple competitors have already placed their Trojan Horses in the living room through the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360." Each game consoles is capable of downloading HD content online.

It's unclear how the Apple movie rental model will work outside the US. Jobs indicated plans to launch the service in Europe "later this year."


By Christoph Dernbach, dpa

Handhelds review : E-Ten glofiish X800

By John Chan, CNET Asia, Jan 16, 2008



The good: VGA display; HSDPA connectivity; GPS navigation with bundled maps.

The bad: Sluggish at times; horrible video calls; poor battery life; only 64MB RAM.

The bottom line: For all its great features, the X800 could have been significantly better if it had more RAM and if its software was implemented more elegantly.

The E-Ten glofiish X800 was first unveiled at CeBIT 2007. It created quite a stir among handheld enthusiasts because of the sheer number of features it managed to pack into its compact form factor. Though there's already news of the M800 which has a slide-out QWERTY keypad, the X800 should still appeal to those who will take a smaller form factor over tactile buttons.


Design





The X800 looks as good as it does in the photos. It is predominantly black in color with silver trimmings and a dash of red. It sits comfortably in our hand, thanks to the curved edges and compact form factor. We especially like the fact that it has a soft touch feel on the sides and that the silver portions are not too glossy, so there aren't problems with fingerprint smudges. That said, we expect that those going for a more professional look may not take to the colors of the X800. And because it's no HTC or O2, we don't expect there to be many third-party accessories like clip-on leather cases to change the outward appearance.

The dimensions of the X800 are 113.5 x 60.5 x 15.8mm, which is smaller than other handhelds with VGA displays like the O2 Xda Flame and Dopod U1000. Compared with the HTC P3600i, the X800 is longer but slimmer. That is an important comparison because its features are almost identical to the HTC, and we suspect many will be making a choice between the two.

Quite a few buttons sit on the front of the X800, under the screen. These include Start and OK keys found very close to the base, which are very thin, and we found we had to use our fingernails to press them. The power button on the right side of the handheld shares the same color as the side, black. It is small and not very pronounced and may be difficult to find when in a dark location. The same applies to the volume control rocker on the left side. These side buttons could all do with a little more tactile feedback for ease of use.

The X800 uses a mini-USB port for charging and syncing. It has a separate 2.5mm audio mini-jack for connecting a headset, something that is missing in the P3600i. For memory expansion, it uses the microSD format. That slot has a plastic dust cover and is found on its base beside the mini-USB port.





FeaturesOne of this handheld's main features is its VGA-resolution display. Though it wasn't retina-burning bright, we found its backlight sufficient for normal use. Like the E-Ten X500+ before it, having more pixels has its advantages. You see more of a Web page when surfing a site on the browser, and Excel sheets certainly get a boost.



On the back is a 2-megapixel camera with an LED light and preview mirror.
There is no lack of connectivity features on the X800. First up, it's the first mass-market device from E-Ten to come with HSDPA connectivity. This works in three bands (850/1900/2100MHz), so you won't be caught out when roaming in other countries. The same goes for its GSM radio--quadband so roaming in the US isn't an issue. Aside from the cellular features, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 are available, which is pretty standard for Windows Mobile PDA-phones.
One thing you won't find lacking in an E-Ten device is GPS and the X800 is no exception. This one, like many of its other devices, comes with the SiRFstar III GPS chip. We tested this out with software from MapKing and, as usual, found it to be effective when performing in-car navigation.

Like many other device manufacturers, E-Ten threw in a bunch of addon software to make the X800 different from other WM6 PDA-phones. The most obvious of which is Spb Mobile Shell, an application that modifies the Home screen of the handhelds, so commonly used items are more easily found. It also comes with its own wireless manager, battery meter and task manager software. Ironically, though all these are supposed to help you monitor and manage the device, they are the ones that cause slowdowns in the X800. We felt that E-Ten could have done better in this respect to scale down or, better still, optimize the applications bundled with the product, so they don't cause it to be less responsive. It doesn't help that the X800 comes with only 64MB RAM, not 128MB like what's becoming common on HTC devices starting with the TyTN II.

The 2-megapixel camera found at the back of the handheld also has an LED photo light and a preview mirror for self-portraits. It has an autofocus feature as we found images to be decent for a PDA-phone. But as usual, don't expect anything even remotely close to a dedicated digital camera. One thing we could have done without was the graphical interface in the camera application. It was full of cryptic icons that confused us--another software implementation that E-Ten needs to correct in future models.


PerformanceA 500MHz Samsung processor powers the X800. As we've mentioned earlier, the overuse of addons and lack of RAM cause it to feel sluggish. This could also be partly attributed to the VGA display as the four-fold increase in pixels can be quite a load on the processor.
Voice calls worked fine on the X800, but video calls were atrocious. The video call application was extremely laggy and it was during this test that we realized the front VGA camera was hopelessly inept. We don't expect great photographic quality, but the X800's front camera gave colors that were totally off--making us look like jaundiced patients to the other party.

One full charge of the X800's 1,530mAh battery gave us under two days of use. Daily charging will be required for those purchasing one of these.

ConclusionAfter the long wait for this device, expectations are bound to be high. It does deliver if you are focused on the features. But when you consider the software tweaks and performance, it leaves much to be desired. On the bright side, a quick Google search will reveal enthusiast sites that already have instructions on how to make the device more responsive. That's entirely up to the user to do though, and it's a shame the X800 couldn't have been better out of the box.
The E-Ten glofiish X800 retails in Singapore for S$1,188 and comes with a 1GB microSD card and MapKing with Singapore maps. It will be available throughout Asia Pacific, but the release in each country depends on the E-Ten distributor there. Check with your local retailer for details.


SPECS

Physical designForm factorPad
Dimensions113.5 x 60.5 x 15.8 mm
Weight w/battery147 g
Primary display resolution640 x 480 pixels
PhoneConnectivity options3G, HSDPA, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPRS/GSM, USB
Messaging featuresSMS, MMS, Email, Instant message
MultimediaBuilt-in digital camera?Yes
Maximum camera resolution2 megapixels
Camera sensor typeCMOS
Maximum digital zoomx
Maximum optical zoomx
Audio jack type2.5mm
Video featuresVideo recording, Video playback
Additional multimedia featuresStreaming video; VoIP; second VGa camera for video calling
PDAOperating systemWindows Mobile 6
Main processor typeSamsung SC3 2442
Main processor speed500 MHz
RAM64 MB
ROM256 MB
Expansion option(s)TransFlash/microSD
PC connectivityWindows
Removable battery?Yes
Rated battery life7 hours
Installed applicationsWindows Mobile 6.0 OS; Windows Live
Additional functionsSiRF star III GPS chip
DisplayMonochrome or colorColor
Touch screenYes
Backlit displayYes
Data InputMethodPen
AudioBuilt-in speakers?Yes
Built-in mic?Yes
Desktop ConnectivityDesktop software includedYes
Synchronization with desktopYes
Power supplyBatteries rechargeable?Yes
AC adaptor included?Yes
WarrantyBase warranty1 year