Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

Samsung has unveiled yet another addition to its ever expanding fleet of tablets, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. And yes, it does manage to trump the older, popular Galaxy Tab in nearly all features.

The new Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 7″ WSVGA display (no Super AMOLED), 1GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of internal memory, a microSD slot (up to 32GB), 3-megapixel auto focus rear camera, 2-megapixel front facing camera, Android 3.2 Honeycomb (with TouchWiz), and a 4,000mAh battery.

Of course, you get the TouchWiz interface from Samsung and the usual connectivity goodies including 21 MBPS HSPA, Bluetooth 3.0, Quad band and WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n.

Its scheduled to be released by the end of next month in Austria and Indonesia, then gradually across the globe. Looks like we might have to wait a bit to see it in our region here.

 

Press Release

Samsung reloaded more possibilities on the go with GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus
Advanced 7-inch tablet experience on the go within a premium design

SEOUL, Korea – September 30, 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a leading mobile device provider, today announced the launch of the GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus. Offering a portable, rich multimedia experience on a 7-inch display, the GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus packs power and productivity into a chic lightweight design. The GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus runs Google AndroidTM Honeycomb, enabling an easy and intuitive user experience.
“Samsung pioneered the seven-inch tablet market with the launch of the GALAXY Tab, marking an innovation milestone in the mobile industry. Building on the success of the GALAXY Tab, we’re now delighted to introduce the GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus reloaded with enhanced portability, productivity and a richer multimedia experience” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business. He added “GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus is for those who want to stay productive and in touch with work, friends and content anytime, anywhere.”

Enhanced Portability
With 7-inch display, GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus provides enhanced portability, weighing just 345g and measuring at just 9.96mm thin. Enhanced portability ensures that it fits easily into an inside-jacket pocket or a handbag, making it an ideal device for those who need to stay productive and entertained while on-the-move.

Advanced Productivity
GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus delivers a smooth and intuitive user experience with powerful performance powered by 1.2GHz dual core processor. Mini Apps allows seamless multitasking by consolidating 7 applications easily accessed from a bottom-side tray on main screen. Users can launch favorite features such as music player or calendar as pop-ups over full screen applications. Not only that, users can design an individualized up-to-the-minute interface through Live Panel.

Web browsing is also enhanced by Adobe Flash and super-fast HSPA＋ connectivity, providing download speeds up to three times faster than a conventional HSPA connection. On top of that Wi-Fi Channel Bonding bonds two channels into one for improved network connection and data transfer at up to twice the speed.

Furthermore, the GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus offers voice and video call support, with no need for a headset.
Users can see friends and family from anywhere in the world in high quality thanks to the device’s larger screen.

Rich Multimedia on-the-move
Full HD videos can be enjoyed on the 7-inch WSVGA PLS display, with DivX & multi codec support ensuring the device is capable of supporting a variety of different formats. An improved virtual clipboard, which stores text and images enabling easy copy and paste, further adds to these capabilities.

Additionally, the GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus features Social Hub, Readers Hub and Music Hub services. Social Hub aggregates the user’s contacts, calendar and email along with instant messaging and social networking connections all within one easy-to-use interface. Readers Hub provides e-reading content such as e-books, newspapers and magazines. Music Hub enables access to over 13 million songs even when out and about.

GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus will be available starting in Indonesia and Austria from end-October and gradually rolled to globally including Southeast and Southwest Asia, US, Europe, CIS, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Japan and China.

Google Nexus Prime to be released next month

We’ve all been waiting for the inevitable Google Nexus phone for a while now, and this one is going to be a whopper reports say. The phone in question is to be manufactured by Samsung so naturally, the screen will be a beaut.

Rumors say it will have a Super AMOLED HD screen, with an almost unheard of 1280×720 resolution. The pixel freak in you will be happy to know it carries a conventional RGB matrix and not the controversial ‘pentile’ pattern; and will be powered by a 1.5 GHZ dual-core CPU.

Previously, all we had was a shadowy whisper about a tentative October release date. Many prominent sources on the web are now touting 11/11 as day, after Samsung began sending out invites to an ‘unpacked’ event with special guest Google. We will almost certainly see the Ice Cream Sandwich update and Google Nexus Prime unveiled at this event.

For the Ice Cream sandwich update leaked video, go here.

A Beginner’s Guide to Video Encoding

Watching movies on your computer and on your favorite portable devices has become an increasingly difficult task. Thanks to the plethora of video formats and media players found on the internet, casual computer users are completely lost as to which media player to use and what video format each of these can play.

The same thing goes for iPads, iPhones and Android handsets; each one of these devices can play only a limited range of video formats. To overcome this problem, users usually resort to video converting software to get the job done. Such software is usually costly, and even when it’s available for free, getting through the hectic interfaces can prove to be a daunting task.

Video transcoding, or converting, used to be (and still is) an extremely difficult task to accomplish, but thanks to the talented group of programmers behind Handbrake, it’s been simplified to the point where even the most casual user can convert a video from one format to another successfully and without any hassle.

In this tutorial, I will walk you through the process of transcoding a video to work on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The steps below work for pretty much all operating systems: Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.

Razer Mouse Bungee Quick Look

If there was a top ten list of the most annoying things about PC gaming, mouse cord drag would top my list. I have tried all sorts of tricks to lessen the ‘drag effect’. I have tried to tie the cord to a screw on the wall, and even have gone to the extent of making a small, smooth ‘glider base’ for the cord to move smoothly. But neither of them worked, and I have been vigilant ever since of keeping my Razer Mamba charged so that I never have to use it with the cord.

But when Razer announced its Mouse Bungee, curiosity peaked. I admit to never having heard of a mouse bungee before, and the idea of it reducing mouse drag, and knowing that I wasn’t the only one who suffered from it (to warrant a product), was like music to my ears. Razer were kind enough to pass a unit along for a trial and here is a quick look down it.

 

Razer is running the tagline “less drag, more frag” for the Bungee – which is exactly what is true. The bungee does not completely remove drag, nor does it give a “wireless-like” feel to the mouse, but it is a step ahead from homemade solutions and definitely makes using corded mouse actually useable.

The Bungee is light but has strong sticky feet so it won’t move about that easily. It has three places where the cord must be fitted, although make sure you give enough length between the mouse and the bungee before plugging the cord in, unless you like redoing things.

I believe that if you accustomed to using high DPI levels, you will actually never notice any drag, since your space for movement will be barely minimum. For those that prefer medium to low DPI settings, drag is felt when moving about the mouse pad. The cord is ‘attached’ to the bungee, so when you pull to the side, up, or down, the bungee doesn’t accommodate and slip the cord further away from the movement, hence introducing direction resistance.

 

Another thing of note is that the places where the cord must be fitted are specifically built only for Razer mices, or at least those with slimmer cords. I had to brute force, and hard, to fit the fatter cord from my Steelseries mouse, and then I could only manage to plug it into the first holder, not the rest of the two.

So, Razer Mouse Bungee does have its drawbacks, but $19.99 is a great price for those who plan to use ‘compatible’ products with the Bungee. It will not eliminate drag, but it will reduce it to a long extent.

SanDisk Memory Zone app for android

SanDisk has released an app for android that is a treat for those who want easier managment of their data on phone. This app easily lets you transfer your photos / video or other files to and fro from your phone memory to card memory. But more importantly you can configure and browse your online cloud data accounts like Picasa, Dropbox etc in it to use them as local drives, you will be able to transfer files in them with same ease as they were local drives.

The app provides additional features of setting up backups to regularly transfer your data to your online accounts. Moreover you can password protect files. This encrypts your private photos and videos to make them viewable only by you.

Get the free app @ Android Market

Nikon J1 and V1 – compact DSLR cameras revealed

Sony Nex series has enjoyed being called the compact DSLR cameras for too long, but not any more as Nikon just launched its mirrorless camera systems J1 and V1, which can turn to compact body as well as go pro with snazzy lens attachments at will. Here are the specifications at a glance:

• 10.1MP CMOS sensor
• High speed auto-focus
• HDMI out
• 1080p video recording
• 3″ LCD screen
• 10fps still shot speed
• 1200fps slow-mo capable
• Dual-core image processor
• Smart Photo Selector software, which grabs 20 pictures at 30 fps as soon as you press the button and then selects the best photo to keep.
• High quality photos generated from captured video.

Nikon J1 is camera aimed for those casual photographers who want to upgrade from their current compact cameras to improve their picture quality to DSLR quality standards. It has a built-in flash and will cost around 3200 AED when it launches.

Nikon V1 meanwhile is designed more for professionals and existing DSLR owners who want something more compact and versatile. As compared to J1 it has an electronic viewfinder, external flash, hotshoe for accessories and a plusher metal finish. This model will cost around 4800 AED.

Both these cameras launch by end of October.

HTC gets chic with HTC Rhyme

HTC Rhyme is technically a HTC Desire S but with a new look. Rhyme will be all about being “chic” with an Android OS running on the phone. It drops the standard colors to try out more hip colors called; plum (purple), clear water (silver blue) and hourglass (golden cream). We used to see lot of such fancy colors in Nokia era, but after iPhone everything has just turned into candy-bar design with white and black models only. With Rhyme, HTC probably wants to attract the ladies to Android sets by using different looks rather than by beefier specifications.

As you can see in photo above it comes with a very curious accessory: a “charm” cube, which plugs into the headphone jack and flashes for alerts. Once again the practical use of this glowing external notification-cube-LED will be lost to male users, as it is made for ladies handbags. They can throw the phone in their bags with cube sticking out of the bag, so that it can glow to indicate them of any new notifications. (Awww! what a polite way of HTC to say: “Hey lady! you cannot hear your phone ring over the loud noise of your own voice, so I am here to inform you that your phone is ringing”.)

Other accessories include: An arm band, music headphones (no Beats audio in this one though) and docking station. HTC Rhyme comes with a new version of HTC Sense as part of that facelift. This includes new widgets and HTC Watch – a streaming movies service.

Under the hood, its spec are nothing new. It has a 3.7″ screen that can display 800×480 resolution. It is powered by single core 1GHz processor and has a a 5MP camera. Yes! its an exact Desire S replica specification wise; but Rhyme is all about the skin deep beauty, so its targeted demographic will not be the male nerds who are normally associated with androids.

Toshiba unveils new glasses-free 3D laptop

Press release:
Toshiba Computer Systems Division launched its first laptop with glasses-free 3D today. The Qosmio F750 3D presents two pioneering achievements: it is the world’s first commercially available glasses-free 3D laptop that can display 2D and 3D content simultaneously in one screen. This is a totally new 3D experience as the user can, for instance, watch 3D content in one window and simultaneously browse the Web for additional information in another window. The Qosmio F750 3D, featuring high-quality DVD 2D to 3D realtime conversion, also opens up fascinating opportunities for professionals such as architects, scientists, product designers and doctors. The Qosmio F750 3D and the non-3D version Qosmio F750 will be available in two colour variations during the third quarter of 2011 in the Middle East.

3D unplugged: the most convenient way to enjoy 3D on a laptop
“The Qosmio F750 3D perfectly demonstrates how Toshiba uses its outstanding expertise in research and development to turn innovative technologies and applications into real products,” said Santosh Varghese, Regional General Manager, Toshiba Gulf. “This new showpiece model offers the cutting-edge technology that multimedia enthusiasts and early adopters are looking for.”

2D and 3D content simultaneously displayed
 The switchable active lens also enables the display to show 2D and 3D content simultaneously – a 3D experience that can only be achieved with glasses-free 3D technology. Users can now, for example, view a 3D movie whilst reading background information on a Web site in 2D.

Face-tracking avoids blind spots in 3D mode
Toshiba uses a switchable active lens to separate the two parallax images and to guide them into the left and the right eye. To allow the viewer to vary his or her position in front of the laptop’s display, the Qosmio F750 3D features an HD web camera with face tracking technology, which continualy detects the position of the viewer’s face. This provides a large 3D viewing zone without blind spots. The Qosmio F750 can easily be connected to any 3D TV via an HDMI cable, so this excellent 3D experience can be enjoyed with friends and family.

Beyond watching 3D movies and playing 3D games
With embedded harman kardon® stereo speakers and Dolby Advanced Audio users get a truly cinematic experience – in 2D and 3D mode. However, glasses-free 3D on a laptop opens up exciting new opportunities far beyond simply watching movies and playing games. Imagine innovative online services in the tourism sector such as vivid three-dimensional images of hotel rooms, museums or city views. And it can also support professionals in their daily work – architects, interior designers and product designers can bring their ideas alive and scientists can use the technology for 3D modelling. Thanks to sophisticated 2D to 3D conversion, which adds a third dimension to 2D images in realtime, surgeons can harness the power of 2D to 3D conversion to improve their use of probes and further minimise the impact of invasive surgery.

Nokia sets to “improve efficiency”, thousands of job cuts imminent

Nokia has announced it will be “improving efficiencies in manufacturing, Location & Commerce, and supporting functions.” That of course, is code for job cuts, which are expected to be around 3,500 in this casualty. The firm had already let go nearly 4,000 employees earlier this year.

The job cuts are the result of the closure of Location & Commerce businesses in Bonn, Germany and Malven, US; and the Cluj manufacturing plant in Romania. The plants are expected to be shut down by the end of 2011. Nokia said it will also review their Finland, Hungary and Mexico manufacturing plants for their potential in the “long-term”.

“We are seeing solid progress against our strategy, and with these planned changes we will emerge as a more dynamic, nimble and efficient challenger. We must take painful, yet necessary, steps to align our workforce and operations with our path forward,” said Nokia CEO Stephen Elop.

Study shows WiFi signals used to track body movements

It’s interesting when we stumble upon cool discoveries by complete chance. Something similar happened to Neal Patwari of the University of Utah, when he realized that his breathing literally affected WiFi signal strengths. To make good on this theory he basically used 20 wireless units around a bed and then powered it down to one-thousandth of the original signal strength. This resulted in the WiFi signals going over and around the person’s body, with signal deviations measured in such precision that the person’s breathing rate could be monitored accurately.

Another experiment soon followed that using a similar technique, precise body movements can be monitored through a wall. These results obviously have a big implication on invisible security measures in banks and shopping malls where there’s no way to identify if a room is being monitored or not. Similarly hospitals can use this method to monitor a patient, albeit with other instruments to measure various stats as well.

How much privacy this can breach remains to be seen and depends entirely on how and why this technology is used.

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