Samsung’s Galaxy Tab

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is an Android-based compact tablet computer produced by Samsung that debuted on the 2nd of September at the 2010 IFA in Berlin.

It features a 7-inch (180 mm) TFT-LCD touchscreen, Wi-Fi capability, a 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 (“Hummingbird”) processor, and the Swype input system. It is equipped with a 3.2 MP rear-facing camera and a 1.3 MP front facing camera for video calls.

Lets see how it looks while comparing to its rival ‘Apple iPad‘

The Galaxy Tab, at release, was equipped with Android 2.2.  Let the fight begin… in the Tab arena. Wait and watch before you buy…

RIM Tablet

Research In Motion (RIM) announced its Tablet PC, called the BlackBerry Playbook. the device is a a “Flash-loving,” “device-pairing,” “enterprise-ready” tablet with an “uncompromised browsing experience” on a 7-inch screen. It is 9.7 millimeters thick and features a high-res wide screen display that supports 1080p with HDMI and USB ports.

The technical details from the release:

• 7″ LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
• BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 1 GB RAM
• Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
• Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
• HDMI video output
• Wi-Fi – 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
• Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
• Ultra thin and portable:
• Measures 5.1″x7.6″x0.4″ (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
• Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
• Additional features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook will be shared on or before the date this product is launched in retail outlets.
• RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.

The device is expected to be available in early 2011 in the U.S. with rollouts to international markets in the second quarter of next year.

Can it give a challenge to Apple iPad ………… stay tuned !

3 D TV : The next big move in television and 3D technology 

Want to watch a 3D movie? The first thought that comes in mind is to go to a 3D theatre. This is soon going to be a history. Come 2010 and we will see 3D televisions making its way in many of our households.  As we see, IFA 2009 in Berlin conclude on 9-Sept-09, it brought with it, the promise of a new beginning in the home entertainment in the form of 3DTV.  Big players like Sony and Panasonic have declared that most likely by next year end they will launch 3D television. 

Yoshiiku Miyata, Vice President, Panasonic declared that Panasonic will take the lead in launching the first 3D TV in market using a technology called HD frame sequential. This technology uses two image views in frame sequence managed by active shutters. 

Sony’s plan to launch 3D TV by 2010 was announced by their CEO Sir Howard Stringer and as speculated Sony might opt for “active shutter” technology with electronic glasses that have tiny shutters that flicker in accord with the on-screen image to produce 3D effect. 

An Interesting point worth noting is that the first 3D channel will be broadcasted by sky. 

But there exists a few debatable issues like one should wear glasses with polarised lenses or use the glasses that are based on active shutter technologies? Will it actually be feasible to where a glass at home every time you want to see something on TV? Has the market matured enough to accept it as a household commodity? 

With so many ifs and buts around, it will be worth keeping an eye on to see how does 3D TV become a part of our day to day life.

Keep watching for more!

Dell Streak – Compact Entertainment Gadget

“We fit the whole world into a 5-inch screen”
Dell says this to be The perfectly-sized, go-anywhere entertainment, social connection and navigation device.

• Widescreen display optimally designed for mobile web, video and movies
• Integrated social networking widgets and apps, plus tons of apps through the Android Marketplace
• Crystal-clear damage-resistant Gorilla®  glass screen
• Google MapsTM  with navigation and text-to-voice, turn-by-turn directions with Street View
• Multitasking Google Android OS that gives you the freedom to do what you want

A brilliant 5″ screen lets you surf, watch videos and stay connected1, with less squinting and pinching, plus front-and-back cameras capture photos and videos on the fly with 5MP2 resolution. Watch streaming video on YouTubeTM , then post your own movies directly from your Streak.

With compact 6″ wide x 3.1″ high x .4″ thin dimensions, there’s plenty of space to take full advantage of the multi-touch display, plus the high-quality scratch-resistant Gorilla®  glass means your view stays crystal clear.

Ultra-intelligent facial proximity and ambient light sensors automatically adjust screen brightness, optimizing your battery life. The Dell Streak ensures that you can multitask and play without delay (including music and games), with the powerful yet efficient 1GHz Qualcomm SnapdragonTM  processor speeding things along using Google’s Android-based OS with multi-touch Dell user experience.

3G mobile broadband, WiFi and Bluetooth®  mean you’ve always got an easy way to connect, while swappable microSD memory cards mean virtually limitless storage for movies, music and pictures — up to 42 movies, 32,000 photos or 16,000 songs3 on each of your individual 32GB memory cards.

Facebook® , TwitterTM , Gmail, a phone call — however you like to stay connected5, the Streak keeps the lines of communication open. The Streak is a full-function 3G phone with IM and SMS/text capabilities, plus you can take photos for sharing using the rear-facing camera with dual-LED flash. Integrated real-time Facebook and Flickr® upload abilities put your photo or video online in no time.

Now Listen to Blogs and Articles as MP3

Are you hard-pressed with time and that is the reason you find sometimes difficult to be updated with the latest articles, news snippets and blog posts? To make reading simple, here is a latest innovation that will help you to convert your text article to audio file. Amazing isn’t it? Additionally it can happen in just few simple steps. Just read on…

Carryout Text is the latest FREE web service that will help you convert your simple text file into an audio file.This software is simple to use and is available with no additional cost.

Instead of spending time by reading an article, you can convert that particular text file into a MP3 format and listen to it while working out in the treadmill.

So, the greatest advantage of Carryout Text is to get more things done in less time.

How to use this software application?

In the Carryout Text website do a copy and paste of the selected article and finally click on the submit to process button. This will help you get the MP3 file. All you need to do is download it into MP3 player or iPod and tune into the latest buzz, news and views. Remember to download the created audio MP3 files because CarryoutText does Not keep them stored for long time. Automatically these files will be removed the next day after creation.

Isn’t it cool guys !  Dont forget to CLICK HERE to get my updates….

A Digital gift in this digital age- Digital photo frame

Kodak photo films are passé and gone are the days when people took effort for developing the photos, storing them in album and taking them out to show them to friends and relatives. With the advent of digital camera, clicking photos in multitude of poses with no additional cost has transformed each individual with the ability to click to a photographer. Conventional cameras were dependent on many mechanical and chemical processes before a photograph is printed, but digital camera is entirely an electronic device and nothing can happen without electricity.

Today, things have also changed as how the photos are displayed. To relive moments digitally and emotionally, digital photo frame has taken the centre stage. It is one of the most wonderful ways to display your cherished moments in life.

With digital photo frame you need not take print out of photos to show them to your near and dear ones. Instead, you can directly transfer the selected photos from your digital camera memory card into the digital photo frame or download them via e-mail. Digital photo frame is another challenging technological innovation, a device that contains a LCD screen with high resolution picture clarity and memory cards besides add on features such as remote control, MP3 player and even light sensors. Some digital photo frames are available with touchscreen option and even built-in speakers.

In simple language, digital photo frame is nothing but a picture frame that helps to display the digital photos without a computer. It’s a portable device and the photographs can be better stored and organized. Digital photo frames are extremely simple to operate and provides with clear images. Photographs are displayed in a slide show and one can enjoy it sitting snugly in the comfort of one’s home.

This product cost anywhere between Rs3000 and Rs15000 and this price range depends on the internal memory and other add-on features.

Though it’s a great gift choice, nonetheless, digital photo frames are not being seen in large numbers at home and office. The reasons are far too many. One factor being its look and feel. Traditional photo frames seem to have a personal touch with its shape, size and color whereas as you go and buy a digital photo frame its just a box. Another thing is that people wants to keep their photos spread out in homes while digital photo frames being expensive, affordability is a major factor.

But with technology growing in leaps and bounds, digital photo frames will soon come in a big way and wider acceptance.

Some of the digital photo frames manufactured by various companies are:

• Kodak EasyShare W1020 Wireless Digital Frame:

The Kodak EasyShare has a 10-inch screen with 800×480 resolution is a perfect gift and it has 512 MB of storage. With Internet connectivity, you can receive latest weather updates and news as well.

• Sony 8-inch digital photo frame (DPF-D80):

The Sony DPF-D80 has an 800×480 screen resolution with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Its bright and vivid screen is a welcome change compared to most other digital photo frames that use the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.

• HP 8-inch Digital Picture Frame:

The HP DF820 stands out for its matte bezel frame that hides all the controls and looks like actual picture frames. It has an 8-inch LCD screen and comes with additional mattes so you can change the appearance wherever you wish.

• Pandigital Pan Touch:

Pandigital Pan Touch PAN1002W02T 10.4-Inch Digital Picture Frame gives you plenty of options such as changing the brightness, contrast and color of the images, something few others digital picture frames do. It plays AVI video and has a headphone jack for audio as well.

• Viewsonic DPG807 8-inch Digital Photo Frame:

The Viewsonic DPG807 has a black frame that makes the images stand out. It has an 800×600 screen and is both PC and Mac compatible. Relatively small but sleek and gorgeous, it makes a beautiful gift. It supports video and has calendar and date functions.

Just check on the previews and reviews before you make a purchase.

Happy viewing with a digital photo frame.

Apple iPad tablet launched to change the world of gadgets

Steve Jobs is in news and so is Apple Inc… Yes, you guessed it right, we are talking about Apple’s much awaited and much hyped iPad tablet that has been launched with an amazing price range. Apple iPad is expected to revolutionize how people read newspapers, magazines, books and even how they watch television.

Besides creating an upheaval in the gadget market, Apple’s share prices showed an upward trend. So, after iPhone and the Macbook, it is iPad tablet that is the buzzing phrase and is being considered as the third category gadget. The aim of Apple Inc is to put iPad tablet into the hands of the masses.

Let me make one thing clear and that is iPad is not a mere replacement of iPod Touch or iPhone and it is also not a device away from laptop. This iPad sits right in the middle and is not for making phone calls and it has no mouse or keyboard, but it provides with excellent web browsing experience. The iPad users will be able to send email, read e-books, create albums and enjoy videos and all that at an affordable price.

The iPad is definitely lighter and thinner than any netbook or laptop as it is just half-inch thick and weighing not more than 1.5 pounds. One can work with this device both in landscape and portrait mode. The users of iPad can definitely download to read the latest novel and book e-ticket for the forthcoming movies, but it cannot make a phone call or click a photo at least for some time now.

The first generation of Apple iPad will be available in the market by the end of March 2010. The 16 GB model is priced at $499 while 32 GB and 64 GB will be available at $599 and $699 respectively.

There are two versions of iPad. One that is available with Wi-Fi and the other supports both Wi-Fi and 3G.

Wall Street Journal says, “Apple focused on the role the gadget could play in homes and in classrooms,” the WSJ reported, envisioning “that the tablet can be shared by multiple family members to read news and check email in homes.”.

Experts put their comments about the gadget in their own way:

• TechCrunch — MG Siegler provides pictures of the tablet that are so realistic-looking that they might even be pictures of the tablet.  There’s also a commercial floating around this morning created by someone looking for a job. Eyeballs beware today.

• Circuit Breaker (CNET) — Erica Ogg collates rumors about iPod-like docking connections, 3G connections, and publisher connections.  (Yes, yes, and yes, in case you’re in a rush.)

• Gizmodo — Dan Nosowitz adds that iPhone apps will likely port to the tablet easily.

• TechCrunch — Like a Barnes & Noble bookstore app, maybe?  Maybe.

• Boy Genius Report — Speaking of 3G rumors, Verizon apparently has told its employees to expect big news Wednesday.  Of course, that could merely be an ancillary rumor about iPhones appearing on other networks soon.  Silly, forgotten iPhones… don’t confuse matters!

• TUAW — The tablet has already been tasked with saving the entertainment industry as well as publishing, but did you know it’ll also resuscitate education in America?  There’s an app for that, apparently.  Michael Grothaus wonders if we’ll see a tablet on every desk soon.

• ReadWriteWeb — Of course, that will come after it’s done reducing health care costs and improving quality, according to Mike Kirkwood.  Don’t get pushy, kids… the tablet will heal all!

With lots of promises and expectations, we will have to wait and watch to what level the Apple iPad can meet this. I will keep you posted on this !

pics credit: AP