Kodak Unveils Dual-lens Digicam

Eastman Kodak Company has introduced the world's first dual-lens digital still camera, the Kodak Easyshare V570 zoom digital camera.

Using proprietary Kodak Retina Dual Lens technology, the V570 wraps an ultra-wide angle lens (23 mm) and an optical zoom lens (39 - 117 mm) into a package less than an inch thick.

The innovative Easyshare V570 camera's ultra-wide angle lens coupled with its optical zoom lens produces a total 5X optical zoom range, providing more options to help today's picture takers capture the perfect shot - group photos, scenic landscapes, dramatic portraits, and close-ups.

Mary Hadley, general manager - digital cameras, Consumer Digital Imaging Group, Kodak, said, "Today's picture takers expect high-performance features in an attractive package. Kodak is first to give them a coveted, but previously unavailable ultra-wide angle lens in a pocket-size camera. Capturing high quality photos with maximum ease-of-use are at the top of people's lists when buying a new digital camera. By delivering on these needs in a completely new way, the Easyshare V570 camera pushes the boundaries of innovative design for ultra-compact cameras."

In addition to its dual lens design, the 5-megapixels V570 camera boasts a variety of features like in-camera panorama stitching, which automatically combines three pictures into a panorama photograph. Using the ultra-wide view in panorama scene mode, people can take in a 180-degree vista with just three shots - an industry exclusive.

Advanced video performance makes it easier for users to shoot all types of action with an ultra-wide angle. The Easyshare V570 camera records TV-quality video, up to 30 frames per second (fps) using advanced MPEG-4 compression. Built-in image stabilization technology reduces on-screen shaking from unintentional hand and camera movement. The camera also offers an optical zoom feature for video including auto focus.

The V570 has a 2.5-inch, high-resolution LCD screen, color science image processing chip for image quality, automatic red-eye reduction, on-camera cropping, picture blur alert and auto picture rotation.

Features also include twenty-two scene modes plus three color modes; photo frame dock 2, which provides one-touch picture transfer to a connected computer; 32 MB of internal memory; and an SD card slot for additional storage.

The Kodak Easyshare V570 zoom digital camera with Photo FrameDock 2 will be available worldwide, beginning later this month for $399.

Samsung Smell-O-Phone

Based on Smell-o-vision, a technology mainly set aside for cartoons and gags, Samsung has done the unthinkable and is actually developing a smell-o-phone. The phone is supposed to release a "smell tone" for an incoming call. According to their documentation, the type and amount of perfume can be controlled.




Now, you can smell a rat from a mile away. But I wonder what would happen if you have a cold. So don't be surprised if you get to hear conversations like:

A: Why didn't you answer my call?
B: I am sorry; I had a cold and couldn't smell it.

Samsung SCH-B500

The end of CES isn't gonna stop these guys. Their latest SCH-B500 slider offers a next-best 7.7 megapixel digital camera, second to only their own SPH-V8200's 8 megapixels. This also has a similar 3x optical zoom lens at the back. Even after having a zoom lens and a slider form factor, the phone is still just around 0.7 inches thick. Other pretty standard features now include a TransFlash slot and video out. Don't ask the price or availability.



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Sony Ericsson M600i

SonyEricsson recently launched the M600i at CeBIT'06. It's a classy business communicator with touch screen and a "dual function keypad". The phone includes 80MB of memory, a media player, Bluetooth and tons of other features. It's very small in size and looks better than other communicator series phones with a big screen and backlit keys. This is a smart phone with a beautiful finish. The price and release date are yet to be announced, but it seems that owning this beauty may burn a hole in your pocket.




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Asus Intros Centrino Duo-based NBs

ASUSTek Computer has announced a five notebook series based on the Intel Centrino Duo technology.

The W2J, A7J, W5F, A6J and V6J notebook series are said to provide increased performance for multi-tasking with longer battery supply and better power management. The company plans to launch the W5F, A6J and V6J in the market in the month of February 2006.

Equipped with new Intel Centrino Duo Mobile technology, the Asus notebook series facilitates the user to perform multiple demanding tasks simultaneously (due to dual-core performance). The series also features enhanced wireless connectivity that allows the user to enjoy true wireless freedom with the W5F and A6J notebook series. Built-in microphone and 1.3 mega-pixel 180 degree swivel webcam allow users to video-conference with family and friends, without the hassle of external connections and tangled wires.

The 15-inch V6J is, according to Asus, lighter than most of the existing 14-inch notebooks, and characterized by a refined and elegant design that represents a comprehensive solution, that not only offers functionality but also cutting edge performance.

Richard Chen, product manager - notebooks, Asus India, said, "By the end of the first half of 2006, we will switch our major product line into Intel latest Centrino mobile technology, which is code named Napa. Right now, we are one of the limited leading vendors, who can introduce the notebook product with the new technology together with Intel. We have targeted our A6J, V6J and W5F into the 'professional' and 'thin & light' segments. With these products, a user can get more mobility and connectivity convenience, and definitely more powerful computing capacity and a longer batter life. Users could enjoy their mobile life with Asus notebook products."


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LG L1980Q

Touchy and Athletic
It's been well over ten months since we last reviewed a 19" LCD monitor on Techtree. Yes, we have been testing a lot of 17-inch models and there will be more to follow but there is always something special about a 19" screen. Needless to say that when it comes to monitors, the phrase - 'bigger the better' always holds (if price is not a constraint). Today we have for you, a sleek 19" LCD from LG's Slim series that not only plots to enchant you with its looks but also enthrall you with its performance. Let's see how well things shape up for the LG L1980Q.

For starters, it is a sleek monitor with a black frame with metallic grey edges and a white piano finish at the back. An adjustable, round, lustrous stand adds to the looks. Yes, it may seem like too many shades in one piece but the eventual result is classy. The buttons that help you access the different functions of the LCD are located along the bottom edge of the monitor and respond to touch. You don't need to press them; simply touch to access that function and that applies to the power button as well which by the way is a semicircular transparent thing with a blue LED at the bottom right corner of the device. The connectors at the back include a D-Sub, a DVI input, and a power adapter input. The VGA cable, the DVI cable and the power adapter were bundled in the package.





The specifications of this display are pretty good. Other than the 19-inch screen area, this monitor has a response time of 8 ms which translates into better picture quality and minimal ghosting effect. The pixel pitch stays at 0.294 mm which is common to most 19" LCDs. It has a maximum brightness level of 250 cd/m" and a contrast ratio of 500:1. The horizontal and vertical view angles stand at 160 degrees each. It supports a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024 at 32-bit color depth.

This monitor supports an interesting feature called Auto Pivot. This isn't the first time we are seeing something like this but the way it's implemented in this model is quite interesting. Generally in monitors supporting similar feature, the screen can be tilted sideways and the matter on the screen adjusts accordingly. LG seems to have taken this a step further. This screen can flip backwards by almost 180 degrees and the matter on screen does a 180 degrees somersault too. So you wish to show something to the person sitting behind your monitor, just flip it over and the monitor adjusts automatically. Neat, isn't it? However you will need this software called LG Forte Manager installed on your PC which is bundled along with the monitor or can also be downloaded from the LG website. The Auto Pivot feature can also be disabled from the software.

Performance for a price

Now it's time for the performance. We tested this monitor using DisplayMate to get a bearing on how well it performs when put through various test patterns. DisplayMate first lets you tune a monitor to get the best possible display settings and then runs it through a series of test patterns to test everything from color, brightness and contrast to screen geometry. The test resolution was set to 1280x1024.




We used the monitor using both - the D-Sub and the DVI inputs but ran the tests using the DVI signal. The output was good on both occasions but the DVI does take the quality a notch or two up. And if a monitor supports DVI input, it is always wise to use the same for better results. Talking of results, they were fantastic for this LCD. The picture quality was sharp and the color reproduction was excellent. There was absolutely no bleeding of color when using either of the inputs and nor was there any anomaly in color shades. The screen was bright enough and the contrast was one of the best I have come across among LCDs. There were no dead pixels on the screen either. In the horizontal color registration test, there was a slight mismatch of green and red strands. That seemed like the only minor glitch in this excellent device. We tried a few games on it and thanks to its 8 ms response time, there was hardly any ghosting effect. This monitor is a very decent option for gaming too. Just make sure that you have a powerful enough graphics card to render playable FPS (frames per second) at 1280 x 1024 resolution for best results. Of course, it can support lower resolutions too.

The LG L1980Q is available for a street price of Rs. 25,000 with a 3-year warranty. 25K is a lot of money but I would still term the price as reasonable considering the quality of this display. And what more, it is more or less at par with its international price. All and all, the LG L1980Q is an excellent LCD that delivers in style as well as performance. It is highly recommended for those with fairly deep pockets, looking to buy a high quality big screen with good amount of features and style.

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Sony Ericsson Inks Deal with Google

SonyEricsson has announced a tie-up with Google, to incorporate the search giant's Web search and Blogger features in its mobile phones.

The company said that Google's search engine will become the standard search engine for all its Internet phones. Google's search feature will be tightly integrated into Sony Ericsson's phones, so as to enable consumers to directly activate a Google Web search option from whichever page they are viewing, sans the need to launch a new Web page to complete the search.

As regards Google's Blogger feature, through software preloaded on Sony Ericsson's phones, subscribers of Blogger.com will be able to update their personal blogs from their cell phones. Sony Ericsson says it is the first company to offer an integrated blogging tool on its phones.


Jan Wareby, corporate executive vice president, Sony Ericsson, said that with the phenomenal growth in blogging, the company sees working with Google as offering people a quick and easy way to blog.

Nikesh Arora, vice president, Google (European operations), said that by providing users with direct access to features like mobile search and blogging, Google will be able to create a more personalized and user-friendly experience.

Sony Ericsson has announced its first phones to offer the new features; viz the K610 UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) phone, and the K800 and K790 imaging phones.

All 3 phones feature an integrated 3.2 megapixels digital camera with Autofocus, Xenon flash, and Sony Ericsson's patented imaging technology.

While the new K800 is a dual-mode, UMTS/GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) phone; the K790 is a tri-band EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) phone.

Both K790 and K800 are slated to be available in Q2 2006.

Sony Ericsson has also announced three new camera phones - the K510, Z530 Clamshell and the K310; a new Walkmanphone - the W300; three new Bluetooth headsets - the HBH IV835, HBH GV435 and HBH PV705; and a Bluetooth car speakerphone - the HCB 100, which is said to offer up to 20 hours of talk time and around 600 hours of standby time.


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BenQ FP71E

Features And Specifications
Just over a couple of months back, we had reviewed the BenQ FP71G LCD monitor. Its excellent picture quality and vibrant color reproduction made quite an impression. Today, we have another monitor from BenQ with a similar model number except for the last letter. So let's find out if the BenQ FP71E is any different from the one we tested in the recent past.

The BenQ FP71E is a 17" LCD with a pixel pitch of 0.264 mm. It has a maximum brightness level of 300 cd/m" and a contrast ratio of 500:1. The horizontal and vertical view angles stand at 140 and 130 degrees respectively. Frequency response ranges between 31 KHz to 81 KHz (Horizontal) and 56 Hz to 76 Hz (Vertical). It supports a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024 at 32-bit color depth. Just like FP71G, it has a response time of 12 ms. Now, most of the 17" LCDs from major brands have a response time of 8 ms and given that BenQ has a 8 ms LCD internationally (FP71E+), I was surprised (and a touch disappointed) on seeing the 12 ms specification on this one. I agree that the response time would only matter in high frames per second applications like games but 8 ms is fast becoming a standard for 17" LCDs and I believe everyone should at least stick to it, if not better it.



The FP71E is an elegant looking monitor with a mix of silver and black. The buttons for accessing different features of the monitor are present along the bottom edge of the device along with a headphone jack. A pair of speakers is present on the front panel. The connectors at the back include a D-Sub, a DVI input and a standard power input. The VGA cable, the DVI cable and a standard power cable were bundled in the package along with a heavy detachable stand.

We tested this LCD with the de facto monitor benchmark, DisplayMate, to get a bearing on how well it performs when put through various test patterns. DisplayMate first lets you tune a monitor to get the best possible display settings and then runs it through a series of test patterns to test everything from color, brightness and contrast to screen geometry.


Performance and Conclusion

The display was quite bright and contrast was pretty good too. There are four brightness presets namely Standard, Movie 1, Movie 2 and Photo, of which Movie 2 is the most usable. The screen geometry was perfect like in case of most LCDs. The color reproduction was quite good except for some minor issues with the bright green shades. There was a slight bleeding of green in a few color tests. Also, certain shades of green weren't reproduced perfectly. The text wasn't very crisp either. This observation held good when using the D-Sub connector. As soon as we shifted to the DVI input, things seemed a lot better. The picture quality was a lot sharper and even the bleeding of green seemed to vanish. This is one monitor ideally suited for DVI. If you remember, the FP71G was one of the rare monitors to pass the Horizontal color registration test to perfection. Unfortunately that wasn't the case in this one. There was a slight mismatch of red and green patterns.



In the gaming tests, there weren't any serious ghosting problems, but just like in case of the FP71G, you couldn't help noticing a slight blur in games like Counter Strike. This was thanks to its 12 ms response time. Also, I noticed a couple of dead pixels on the screen. That might be a piece fault but something that should not have been there.

The BenQ FP71G is available for a street price of Rs. 14,500 with a 3-year warranty. The cost is 500-700 Rupees higher than Samsung's 713N which has similar features and an 8 ms response time. However, you get an option to use a DVI input and a pair of speakers which is missing in the Samsung. If gaming isn't one of your top priorities, and you are looking for a reasonably priced 17" LCD with a DVI input, the BenQ FP71E is not a bad option. But if you plan to plug your monitor into a standard VGA out (D-Sub), then skip this one as there are better options available.


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Canon PowerShot A400

There are tons of digicams available below 10k, but most of them are from brands that you don't know, or don't want to buy cameras from. Brands like O'Rite or Umax aren't exactly what I'd go looking for when I want to buy a camera. Most good brands were pretty expensive, and those that weren't lacked basic features like optical zoom or were simply too low in terms of megapixels. Canon's PowerShot A400 is an entry level digital camera that aims to squash those notions that there's no such thing as a "cheap good-brand digital camer" on the market. The A400 is Cannon's entry level offering and is a major upgrade to the A310, Cannon's previous entry level offering. The camera features a 2.2X optical zoom lens instead of the old fixed focal length lens that it had in its older offerings. The A400, priced at about RS. 12,995 MRP (Rs. 8,000 SRP or 9,000 with a 128MB card), is the best way that anyone can get their hands on a good, robust digital camera.





Ergonomics

The A400 is the type of camera that would come between compact and midsize. Another noteworthy feature is the build quality, which seems to be quite good. The camera is made of a combination of metal and plastic. The A400 is 10.7cm wide, 5.34cm high and 3.68cm and the camera weighs 165 grams. The controls are easily accessible. The camera comes in four colours - Silver, Sky Blue, Lime Green and Sunset Gold.





Features

The 3.2 megapixel camera has an "Auto" mode, based on Cannon's iSAPS technology. Basically, iSAPS, allows the to analyze a particular scene and automatically select the ideal camera setting to best capture a scene. It has 9 (AiAF) auto-focusing points, to ensure that your subject will always be in focus - regardless of its position in the viewfinder. An auto-assist beam is also helps in dark scenarios.

An interesting feature that must be mentioned is that when you take a picture, a histogram is nice enough to tell you if the image you just captured is over or under exposed so that a re-shoot can be done if required. It also comes with 8 special scene modes to automatically adjust the camera settings for shooting in environments like foliage, snow, beach, fireworks, indoor, night, portrait and underwater scenes. The camera is also equipped with 2.2x optical and 3.2x digital zoom so as to get detailed close up photographs. Available as an accessory, users can buy the underwater case, which will comes in very handy at those diving vacations, that you just love taking. It can go up to 40 metres deep in the sea.

Apart from plain pictures, the camera also allows you to take 3-minute movie clips, complete with sound, on the fly. A built-in editing feature helps in deleting unwanted scenes on the spot. You can print still images and scenes from the movie clip directly to Canon's direct photo printers or any brand of PictBridge printers. The camera also has a special postcard print mode, which guides you through a proper composure of your image according to the printing area (vertical/horizontal ratio of 3:2).

The PowerShot A400, like all its predecessors, comes with a DIGIC imaging-processing chip to produce sharp images. The camera uses normal AA batteries which means that you don't have to lug around a special charger, though rechargeable AAs would be your best bet (which come with their own charger).


Performance

The images turned out quite "smooth". Colors seemed both accurate and saturated. The Powershot A400 did well in the macro test as well. The A400 is not a good choice, if you intend on taking long exposures. The slowest shutter speed on the camera is one second and that just doesn't cut it for shots like this. The A400 also showed good results in the flash test, with just a bit of redeye and flash reflection.

Overall the photo quality on the PowerShot A400 is pretty good, at least I didn't have any problems with it. Color, exposure, and sharpness all earn good marks. However, one issue that must be addressed is that details can sometimes be a little fuzzy, and on some straight line photographs you may notice a little distortion around the edges. But, even with this issue, the photos look quite good for a camera with this price.

Conclusion

The CanonPowerShot A400 is available for Rs. 12,995 MRP and around Rs. 8000 SRP - which is great value for money. Its picture quality is very good, and set of features including 2.2x optical zoom and various modes along with movie capture etc. will ensure that you never feel disappointed about the money you spend on it. Buy it!




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Samsung SGH-X620

Intro and Ergonomics
After reviewing the Sony Ericsson W800i, any other phone to me seems like a compromise. But of course, not everyone can afford that expensive phone, and well, neither could I. But I was quite lucky to get to relish the W800i for sufficiently long. Now that its gone, we ve got the Samsung SGH-X620 for review today. So let's take a look at this candy bar from Samsung and see what it has to offer in today's competitive market.

At a quick glance, it does tri-band GSM/GPRS but doesn't support EDGE and also lacks Bluetooth. Thanfully, but at least it has Infrared and a USB connectivity for data transfer. But honestly speaking, its quite useless considering its limited base memory of 3 MB. But this phone has an FM radio tuner which will surely appeal to the intended audience.


The Samsung SGH-X620 is a pretty neat looking phone with smooth curvy edges that snuggles well within your palm and glides easily in and out of your pocket as well. The phone is 10.6 x 4.55 x 2.0 cm in dimensions and weighs not more than 71 grams. It features a 128x160 resolution, 65k color screen and a VGA camera, but lacks a flash.




There are the usual left and right soft keys on the upper side, the call answer key and the end keys which are right below these. A cancel/delete key and a 5-way navigation pad are located right in between these 4 keys assembly. And unlike the SGH-E630, where the 5th navigation pad (center button) was only linked to launch the WAP browser rather than functioning as a enter/ok feature, has the X620 gives it a dual mode function to work as an enter key in the menu system as required and to launch the WAP browser while on the main status screen. The up and down direction keys are a little smaller as well, and sometimes that can be a bit frustrating as you end up pressing the "C" button together with the down button, which is also small. The four directions are pre-configured shortcuts to launch the camera, messaging, FM Radio and the calendar/organizer respectively, but sadly they can't be reconfigured as per user needs. The number keypad however is quite comfortable and neatly laid out. The keys too have a soft feel and they deliver crisp tactile feedback.

As mentioned before, the center key of the navigation pad starts the WAP browser. The SGH-X620 browser is as tedious to use as any other WAP browser, but this one has a specific problem with text input. On Samsung phones, the # key is generally used to input a space. However, in this browser, the # key switches text entry modes, so there's no key to enter a space. You have to use the arrow keys to go right, adding a space after the end of the word.

The MMS composer in this phone, in contrast, is quite easy to use and straightforward in operation. T9 dictionary, organizer/scheduler, JAVA support for games, voice recorder and stopwatch are other standard features in the phone.


Features, Performance and Conclusion

The camera integrated in the X620 is of standard VGA quality (640x480 pixels). Besides the very basic features, the X620 sports the regular multi-shot, digital zoom, night mode and the brightness control features as well. But it lacks an LED flash, as mentioned before. Not that the flash makes any sense, really speaking. Otherwise, the camera quality is quite good for a VGA cam. The placement of the camera lens on the rear side is however of a little concern. The lens stays too flat, in-level with the back panel and has no cover or protection whatsoever, to avoid it from any physical damage.





The photos captured by this cam don't look that great on its relatively low res 128x160 65k color display. The display is not bad in any way - the wallpapers included in the phone look quite good - but it's just not the best for viewing digital pictures. And the X620 also lacks certain image editing features such as flipping the image up/down, left/right, and some additional effects - which is common to most of these cam enabled phones. The phone also has a low data storage space (3MB), which limits the whole imaging fun by restricting the number of photos to a very short count. Naturally it doesn't have a memory slot support to add-in an extra memory externally for more storage.

The polyphonic ringtones on this phone sound typical Samsung-ish; and they just don't match up to the fidelity of any Sony Ericsson phones - even the ones in the lower segment. In addition, the bundled ringtones are so crappy that you'll just want to stay away from them. They have Ishq Samundar in MMF format, for Christ's sake! I decided to stick to the classic phone-ringing tone or even better switch it to "vibrate only" mode to avoid embarrassment. LOL!



The phone offers good voice clarity and strong reception even in crowded or enclosed areas. Its standard Li-Ion 800 mAh battery provides a stand-by time of upto 300 hours and a non stop talk-time of upto 6 hours and 30 minutes, which is sufficient enough to go along for the entire day and half without a recharge (considering the average use, of course).

All-in-all, the Samsung SGH-X620 is a lower-mid segment model with a VGA camera and FM radio, which is being currently offered for about 7000/- with a years warranty. This however is a little expensive if you compare it with Sony Ericssion K700i, which offers much more functionality for just a little bit extra.


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Fujifilm Unveils Four Digicams

Fuji Photo Film USA is show-casing 4 new cameras - the FinePix V10, FinePix A400, FinePix A500, and FinePix F470 at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2006 in Las Vegas.

The FinePix V10, with a 5-Megapixel Super CCD HR sensor, is the first camera in the company's 2006 line-up, to incorporate Real Photo Technology which helps remove noise from digital pictures, thus allowing pictures to be taken at light sensitivities as high as 1600 ISO at full resolution.

The V10 features a 3-inch LCD, equipped with Fujifilm technology and other features ensuring peak viewing performance irrespective of scene lighting. The LCD combats glare through a special amplification layer; and automatically brightens in dimly-lit environments; and has a resolution of 230,000 pixels.

V10 includes features such as a 3.4x optical zoom lens, 30-frame playback mode, and shooting mode called "Natural Light & With Flash".

FinePix V10 is scheduled to ship in March for a price of $349.

The 4-Megapixel FinePix A400 and the 5-Megapixel FinePix A500 cameras are being touted as ideal cameras for first-time digi-cam buyers.

These Fujifilm A-Series cameras feature Super CCD sensor; new image processor for crisper pictures; 3x optical zoom lens; internal memory; and useful scene modes.

FinePix A400 will be available beginning Feb 2006 for $149, and FinePix A500 will ship for $179 around the same time.

The FinePix F470 is slim at less than 20 millimeters, which makes it no thicker than a deck of playing cards. It features a 6-Megapixel CCD sensor; finely-tuned processor for sharp pictures; 16 MB internal memory; and 2.5-inch LCD with gain-up control.

F470 is slated to ship in Mar 2006 for a price of $279.


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Apple iBook G4

Apple recently released two variations on the Apple iBook G4, the 800 MHz version with the 12.1" display and a 1 GHz machine with a 14.1" display. Since we haven't exactly reviewed a Macintosh machine till date, we at Techtree.com saw this launch as a great opportunity to change that. In this review we check out the Apple iBook G4 1 GHz.

In the Box
The iBook G4 comes neatly packed in a white cardboard box along with a charger, a cable for connecting to the phone line and a VGA connector to connect your Laptop to an external monitor.

It also comes with an elaborate software bundle, which includes Mac OS X v10.3, Mail, iChat, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iSync, iCal, DVD Player, Appleworks, Sound Studio, Quicken 2004 and World Book 2003. It also comes with three games, namely Mac OS X Chess, Deimos Rising and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.

The iBook is slim and sleek with all curved edges and a shiny white finish, which makes it look extremely classy and funky at the same time. The iBook G4 is sized at 12.7" x 10.2" x 1.35", weighs around 5.9 pounds (2.7kg) and has a 14.1" (diagonal) TFT active matrix colour display and a translucent Apple logo on the top, which lights up in white when the machine is in use.

The left of the iBook contains all the connectivity options keeping the rest of the sides clean in a minimalist way. On the left you can find a FireWire 400 port along with two USB 2.0 ports for connecting to external peripherals and gadgets. It also has a VGA output port where you can attach the included VGA connector cable. There's also a RJ-11 port for your modem and a RJ-45 port for your LAN or Internet connectivity, and finally a headphone jack for connecting to external speakers or well... headphones.





The right of the iBook contains a slot for the in-built optical device and a port to attach the charger/adapter. You can find the battery at the bottom of the laptop, which can be replaced by a simple twist method, making it quite convenient to change batteries when on the go. On the inside, towards the right side of the screen is the in-built microphone.

Under the Hood
Now for the hardware that powers up this beast. The iBook G4 (as the name suggests) is juiced up by the 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor with 256K level 2 cache. It contains 256 MB DDR SDRAM, which can be upgraded to up to 640 MB. For storage it uses a 60 GB Ultra ATA hard drive and a slot loading combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW). For display it uses an ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32 MB dedicated VRAM. The iBook has a built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet and 56K modem.

The internal keyboard can be taken off by a simple unlocking technique to reveal the slot where you can connect the airport i.e. Apple's WiFi connector. The airport antennas are built in the casing itself.

Performance
As one would expect from a Macintosh machine, the performance is stellar with very little to complain about. The keyboard is just the right size with comfortable buttons and decent spacing. The only problem is with the arrow keys, which are half the height of a standard key making it slightly difficult to get used to. There's ample space below the keyboard for hand rest with the touch pad located in the centre.

The touch pad was pretty nice for most usage but I did find it slightly less responsive than I would like it to be. Even with the mouse pointer settings set to maximum speed, the mouse pointer was not responsive enough to my liking. I would admit that my mouse speed preferences are generally faster than average so most users may not face the kind of annoyance that I did, but I still feel that the touch pad should have been quite a bit more responsive than it was.

The display of the iBook G4 was simply outstanding and better than most laptops I've come across. It's bright to the right extent and the picture quality is crisp and clear with great colours.

The overall performance of the iBook G4 was quite good with no noticeable slowdown in any application except for games. While Mac OS X Chess, Deimos Rising performed pretty well, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 suffered quite a bit with low frame rates and terrible draw distance. But rest assured I didn't face such a problem with any application. Besides, if you want to play games, the Macintosh isn't the most appropriate format to begin with.

The DVD tested on it performed perfectly, and with VGA out, it's possible to connect it to a bigger monitor or even a Plasma TV.

The battery life was quite commendable on the iBook G4. On full charge the battery lasts for almost 6 hours of regular usage, which means you can watch 2 DVD movies on it and still have a little power left in the battery before you set it back to recharge.

Conclusion
The Apple iBook G4 is a great machine and ideal for students and home users. It has the whole 'cute' thing going for it, which may be its biggest selling point besides the sturdiness factor, which is universal for all Macintosh machines.

Windows enthusiasts may still cringe at the thought of using a Mac, but if the idea of using an idiot proof solid OS on a machine that will get you noticed with its looks as well as functionality, then this is a great buy. However if you're looking at value for money then this Rs. 1,02,200 (excluding taxes) machine may not be the best option for you.



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Apple Ships Intel-based Notebook

Apple, this week, will begin shipping the new 15-inch MacBook Pro notebook computer featuring the new Intel Core Duo processor which, according to the company, delivers up to four times the performance of the PowerBook G4.

All models of the new MacBook Pro will ship with faster Intel Core Duo processors than previously announced. The $2,499 model now includes a 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from the previously announced 1.83 GHz, and will begin shipping this week. The $1,999 model that now includes a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from the previously announced 1.67 GHz, too will begin shipping next week. In addition, customers may now upgrade to a 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processor as a build-to-order option on the Apple Online Store.


"We are incredibly excited to start shipping the MacBook Pro, a groundbreaking new notebook with dual-processor desktop performance in a thin, sleek design," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "The new MacBook Pro includes even faster Intel Core Duo processors than originally announced, up to 2.16 GHz, and we think customers are going to love them."

The first Mac notebook using Intel's new Core Duo processor, the new MacBook Pro, features a one inch thick aluminum enclosure, weighs 5.6 pounds, includes a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go, the Apple Remote and Front Row software for a powerful way for users to enjoy their content wherever they go and Apple's new patent-pending MagSafe magnetic power connector, designed especially for mobile users.

Every new MacBook Pro comes with Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger" and iLife '06, the next generation of Apple's award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications, running natively on the new Intel-based MacBook Pro for maximum performance. Mac OS X also includes an innovative software translation technology called Rosetta that, according to Apple, lets customers run most Mac OS X PowerPC applications seamlessly.

The new MacBook Pro will begin shipping this week and will be available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The 1.83 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999, features a 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness; 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor; 512 MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB; 80 GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor; a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD" RW/CD-RW) optical drive; PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 memory; DVI-out port for external display; built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display; built-in iSight video camera; Gigabit Ethernet port; built-in AirPort Extreme WiFi wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR; ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot; two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port; one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog; scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard; the infrared Apple Remote; 60 Watt hour lithium polymer battery and 85W AC power adapter with MagSafe magnetic power connector.

The 2.0 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness; 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor; 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB; 100GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor; a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD" RW/CD-RW) optical drive and PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory. The other features remain the same as the 1.83 GHz MacBook Pro.

Additional build-to-order options for the 15-inch MacBook Pro now include the ability to upgrade to a 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, as well as 120 GB (5400 rpm) or 100 GB (7200 rpm) hard drive, up to 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, Apple USB Modem, and the AppleCare Protection Plan

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LG L1515S LCD

A couple of weeks back we reviewed a 15" LCD from BenQ with the best response time in that category. Today we have a look at an entry level 15-incher from LG. Can it do any better than the BenQ and its other competitors? Let's find out.

Firstly, let us have a quick look at its features and specifications. The LG L1515S has a 15" view area (diagonally) with a pixel pitch of 0.297 mm, a maximum brightness level of 250 cd/m" and a contrast ratio of 400:1. The horizontal and vertical view angles stand at 160 and 140 degrees respectively. Frequency response ranges between 31 KHz to 63 KHz (Horizontal) and 56 Hz to 75 Hz (Vertical). It supports a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 at 32-bit color depth and has a response time of 25 ms. While the whole world is aiming to reduce the response time, LG seems to have other ideas.

Connectors at the back include a D-Sub and a standard power input. The VGA cable and a power cable were bundled in the package. Just like the BenQ, even this LCD display sports a sleek and simple design with those smart corporate looks. It has a standard rectangular frame with 6 slim buttons on the bottom panel that allow you access to all the functions of this monitor through an OSD. The functions include Brightness/Contrast/Gamma controls, RGB color temperature adjustments, Display presets like Normal, Day photo, Day movie, Day text, Night photo, Night movie, Night text (of which Normal is the most feasible option) and a lot more.




Now it's time for DisplayMate. That software helps you get a bearing on how well the monitor performs when put through various test patterns. DisplayMate first lets you tune a monitor to get the best possible display settings and then runs it through a series of test patterns to test everything from color, brightness and contrast to screen geometry.

Just like most of the 15" LCDs that we have tested in recent time, this too has a very bright display. So much that once again I had to tone the brightness level down to under 25 percent. The sharpness and contrast were pretty good and at par with other renowned 15" LCDs. The screen geometry was perfect too and so was the color reproduction. There was absolutely no bleeding of colors. It performed very well in all the tests except for the horizontal color registration test, one in which almost all the LCDs fail to achieve 100 percent perfection. As is often noticed, there was a slight mismatch of green and red strands. To its credit, there were no dead pixels on screen.

I ran a few games and video clips on this monitor to check for any ghosting effect. There was no problem with the movies but a noticeable blurring in game and understandably so given its response time of 25 ms. This one is definitely not for gamers who like their textures sharp and blur-free.

The LG L1515S is available for a street price of Rs 10,700 with a 3-year warranty. I would term that as a bit expensive for a 15" LCD and especially for one with a 25 ms response time. Also, 17" LCDs with 8 ms response time are available for just over 3K more. They are certainly a better buy. Though everything about this model is fine except for the response time, I wouldn't recommend it, as I received info that this model is about to be replaced by the L1530S model that has the exact feature set but a lower response time of 16 ms. That logically makes it a better option. And there are always the BenQ and the Samsung in the same category if a 15" LCD is what you are looking to buy.



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HP Launches Home Cinema Projector

Consumer technology company Hewlett Packard launched an 'instant home cinema digital projector' with features like integrated DVD player, built-in subwoofer and 2.1 surround sound.

The three models are ep9012 Instant Cinema Digital Projector, ep7122 and ep7112 Cinema Digital Projectors. The products are priced at Rs 80,000 onwards and as an introductory offer, are available with JBL Surround Sound speakers for a special price."

Commenting on HP's entry in the home projector market, Manu Sharma, Country Category Manager - Imaging Products, HP India Sales, said, "HP has been in the imaging and printing business for over 20 years. HP's entry into home projectors is a clear indication of the company's value and commitment, to bring about convergence of technologies.

"We recognize that consumers are looking for newer and improved ways of entertainment; the launch of our new range of home projectors is proof of that," he added.

HP cited a forecast by Decision Tree Consulting, UK, which said that the projector market in India would grow at a rate of 200 percent in this year.

The ep9012 projector supports VCD, SVCD, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-audio and MP3 audio playback. It is also capable of displaying jpeg digital image files as a slideshow. It's 2.1 surround sound has 20-watt stereo speakers per channel (facing front and rear) and a 30-watt subwoofer.

HP projectors are based on Digital Light Processing technology.

The HP Instant Cinema Digital Projector range is available at select retail outlets across the country. In addition HP also has marketing tie-ups with JBL to make HP projectors available at all JBL showrooms across the country

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Neoteric Launches Buy Back Offer

Neoteric Infomatique has announced a buy back offer for the Iomega External DVDR-W. This offer is valid until 30 June, 2005 where in customers can bring in an old Optical Disk Drive (CD-ROM/CD-RW/Combo/DVD-ROM/DVD-RW) of any brand and get discounts on the purchase of Iomega 16X External DVD-RW.

Iomega s New Super DVD-RW 16x16 is faster and sleeker than ever before with a new stylish design, 16x burn speeds, 48x CD write speeds and double-capacity DVD burning.

Users can store up to 8.5 GB of data with 4x Double-Layer technology. Each 8.5 GB disc saves approximately 34,000 photos, 160 hours of music and 12 hours of video. The drive also has the Iomega Automatic Backup software for touch-free backup of important files.


The CD-RW external aftermarket volumes are expected to decline by 35% whereas the DVD-RW external aftermarket volumes are expected to grow 25% from 2004 to 2005. This scheme is to accelerate the growth rate of the DVD market and motivate channel partners to perform even better.

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Spice Launches Mobile Phones

Spice has announced the launch of four mobile phones - S-500, S-404, S-555, and S-600 - in Karnataka, after its successful launches in Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, H.P, Western and Eastern U.P, West Bengal, Assam and Tamil Nadu.

The company has introduced these entry-level phones with prices ranging from Rs 2,499 - Rs 5,799.

The compact S-500 features speaker phone, 16 chord polyphonic ringtones, white back-light, picture messaging, singtones, 200 phonebook memory and a jog-dial for easy navigation. Its dimensions are 99mm x 43 mm x 18mm, weighs 68grams, has dual band operations, The phone has talk time up to 3 hours with a 200 hour stand-by time.

The S-404 has a metallic finish, 500 phonebook memory, white backlight, Hindi language support, speaker phone and 16 chord polyphonic ringtones. Its dimensions are 105mm x 42 mm x 19mm, weighs 65 grams, has dual band operations, talk time up to 4.5 hours and a stand-by time 130 hours.

The S-555 has 65 k color display, singtones, 64 chord polyphonic ringtones, GPRS/MMS and speaker phone. Its dimensions are 99mm x 42 mm x 17.8mm, weighs 80 grams, has dual band operations, talk time of 3 hours, 180 hours stand-by time and a phonebook capacity of 300 contacts.

The dual-band S-600 is a 65000 color GPRS phone with MP3 player, 128 MB Memory, 64 chord polyphonic ringtones, speaker phone and customizable call time alert. It is 99mmx42mmx17.8 mm in dimension, weighs 70 grams, has a talk time of 3.5 hours and stand by time of 180 hours.

K Muzaffar, Head-Sales, Spice Telecom, said, "Our strength has always been our customer service and that will continue with the same. For this we have decided that there will be a service center first set up in a city before the product is launched and made available for purchase. Our service centers are called 'After Spice' and the center is already functional in Bangalore. We have identified one regional distributor per state to carry on or distribution and sales."

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