LG reveals world’s brightest portable LED smart projector

Press Release: LG Electronics today announced the launch of its LED Smart Projector range in the UAE, which includes the world’s slimmest and brightest smart LED projectors.

Mr. D.Y. Kim, President of LG Electronics, Gulf FZE, said: “The new LED Smart Projectors line-up offers a record breaking technology in the form of the slimmest projector that the world is yet to see. With the launch of LED Smart Projectors, we not only bring a slim, portable product but also set a benchmark in the Projectors segment by providing the best in technology with undisrupted viewing and better quality of sound.”

“At LG, we will continue to put all of our effort and resources into developing the best possible products, meeting the evolving needs of our diverse customers while securing leadership in the projector market through technical vision and creative product design,” he added.

LG’s PA70G series feature 700 ANSI lumens, making it the world’s brightest portable LED Smart Projector. This incredible brightness is complemented by exceptional clarity and contrast – WXGA (1280*800) resolution and 15,000:1 contrast ratio. On a projected 4.1 hours/day use schedule, LG says that the PA70G is guaranteed to operate for 20 years.

Among PA70G series, PA72G includes Intel’s Wireless Display technology (WiDi), which enables wire-free connection to compatible laptops. Aside from its wireless capabilities, the rear USB ports offer another option for convenient connectivity to other devices as well as for reading content directly off a USB thumb drive.

LG’s PB60G series will be the slimmest and most compact portable LED project available within the market. The tiny projector is slightly large than a palm sized, and has an output of 500 ANSI Lumens and 1280 X 800 graphic display resolutions. It also comes with embedded HD DivX and allows for use of Office File Viewer through USB.

World’s most affordable tablet PC debuts in the Middle East

 The tablet wars are heating up with Simmtronics, one of the top five brands in the world, officially launching the world’s most affordable tablet in the UAE today. The Simmtronics XPad tablet series is aimed at consumers who seek reasonably priced products without any compromise on quality, convenience or functionality.

The most affordable tablet in the latest XPad series is the 7-inch Cortex Arm8 Multi-touch WiFi tablet priced at Dhs299. This Simmtronics tablet is the hottest selling product in the Asia-Pacific region with a current order booking of nearly half a million units.

Speaking at a press launch in Dubai, Indrajit Sabharwal, Chairman and Managing Director of Simmtronics, described the new development as result of a revolutionary leap in computing technology that enabled tablet makers to incorporate the most advanced features in their products at lower cost. He added that the company also plans to shortly launch a version exclusively for students in the Middle East, fitting their budget.

“By launching the XPad in the UAE, we believe in taking the tablet revolution to as many people as possible,” Sabharwal said “The multi-touch XPad has already been acknowledged as a formidable companion – whether for businesspersons on the go or for gamers requiring quality graphics for their entertainment or for those seeking to enjoy high-quality entertainment.”

The XPad comes in 7”, 8”, 9”, 9.7” and 10” versions and is way ahead of its competitors by incorporating both calling function as well as high-definition displays on its robust Android ICS4.0 operating system. The tablet offers maximum connectivity to the Internet, printers, high density TVs, or any number of external devices for easy and reliable on-the-go access to email, movies, videos, music and photos.

The XPad’s six-in-one architecture supports 3G connectivity, 1080p high-definition video playback, audio processor, and dual 2D/3D graphics.The tablet comes with powerful 1 GHz CPU that can handle multiple tasks at considerable speed and packs 4 GB of internal Nand Flash memory for data storage.

The tablet also features a Micro SD card that can be expanded to provide storage of up to 32 GB. Additionally, the presence of the USB and HDMI ports allows users to connect their hard-drives and other devices to offer full operating flexibility and larger viewing.

Arif Khan, Director, Simmtronics Semiconductors Limited, said that the multi-functionality and versatility of the XPad were its most attractive features. “The XPad will certainly appeal to those require high-speed Internet while on the go. Through the USB Dongle feature, the XPad puts an end to connectivity limitations. This makes it not only the most robust Tablet PC but also the ultimate productivity tool,” Khan said.

At the press conference, Simmtronics also announced that the company had appointed Sharaf Electronics as the exclusive distributor of the XPad in the UAE. The product is already available at leading electronics stores across the region, including Lulu Hypermarket, PlugIns, Ansar Mall and Sharaf DG, among others.

Simmtronics has four manufacturing facilities globally and offices in more than 21 countries around the world. At its plants in India, Simmtronics manufactures more than 300,000 tablets per month and hopes to double that capacity by the end of 2012 to meet the increasing demand globally for its products.

HP Pavillion Phoenix PC Review

I spend a great deal of my time playing video games. Not just because it’s part of my job, but because I’ve been gaming for as far back as I can remember. To this effect, I have to confess that I’m a console gamer, simply because I don’t have a rig that’s powerful enough to run the latest games with all the bells and whistles. So my colleagues take it upon themselves to regularly poke fun at my dinky 11” laptop and how great their awesome custom-built machines are at playing games. Well, this week I had the last laugh as I unboxed the HP Phoenix HPE h9 PC, HP’s foray into the world of PC gaming.

Build Quality & Design

The HP Phoenix PC comes in a rather compact case, so sized up against some of the mammoth PCs setup in our office, it looks quite diminutive. However its smaller footprint means that it’s easier to hide under your desk or out of sight, although its sleek design ensures that this is one PC you might want to keep in the spotlight.

The Phoenix PC features red lighted accents around the case, as well as a transparent window on the side to showcase the PC’s internals, also illuminated with red lighting. The front of the machine features glossy black plastic, which melds well with the overall design, but somehow makes the PC look a little bit cheap. Plus it’s a great fingerprint and dust magnet over time. In terms of ports and connectivity, you’ll find USB ports and Beats-powered headphone jack at the top of the case, however these are strangely hidden from view and are set at a bit of an incline. The bottom part of the front panel slides down to reveal more USB ports as well as slots to read various memory card formats. At the back you’ll find more USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports as well as the standards such as audio, Ethernet, and video connectivity options depending on the cable being used. The Phoenix also surprisingly ships with built in Wi-Fi, which performed with little to no lag when setup a short distance from my router.

Overall the build quality is quite good, with the metal case being fairy easy to open via one thumbscrew at the rear of the case. Removing the side cover uncovers the unique setup that HP has opted for this PC. For one thing, the motherboard has been turned around so that the video card and expansion slots are near the middle of the case, while the processor sits towards the bottom. No, this wasn’t a design hiccup but the alternative arrangement means that air can flow more freely over the processor, which is essential in keeping this PC as cool as possible. Where the case does have a hiccup is with the metal bar that runs across the length of the inside – this makes it awkward to reach the motherboard or swap around components, so although this bar was made to reinforce the case, it just gets in the way of things at times.

Ex-Firefox Developer: “Everybody Hates Firefox Updates”

Ex-Mozilla developer Jono DiCarlo has spoken out against the company’s decision to rapidfy Firefox’s development process.

In his lengthy blog post (which seems to have crashed), he argued that increasing Firefox updates has only caused frustration among users and developers due to the numerous UI changes and it breaking extensions on every small and major update.

“Ironically, by doing rapid releases poorly, we just made Firefox look like an inferior version of Chrome. And by pushing a never-ending stream of updates on people who didn’t want them, we drove a lot of those people to Chrome; exactly what we were trying to prevent,” he said.

Firefox has always been notorious for its updates. It demands user interaction, it must be restarted after every update, and if a extension developer has not future-proofed his software, the extension would break and the user would have to wait for the dev to update it. It was the number one reason why I, and many that I know, moved away from Firefox to try other browsers, Chrome being the most popular choice.

“Credit where it’s due: the way Google handled Chrome updates was very, very smart. They recognized that updates are one of the hardest things to get right, so they solved that problem first, before releasing version 1. The first release of Chrome was little more than an empty box of a browser, but it was wrapped around an excellent updating system. This let them gradually transform that empty box into a full-featured browser, without the users ever realizing they were getting updates,” DiCarlo added.

Mozilla has said it’s working on addressing some of these issues. Firefox 15 will bring background updating like Chrome, but will it be enough to bring back users who have ditched the browser? As DiCarlo says, “People who got fed up and ditched Firefox are going to be hard to win back.” Indeed.

Source: Webmonkeys.

Windows 8 allows you to store and run entire OS on USB

During their Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft demoed one of the most interesting features of the upcoming Windows 8 OS called Windows To Go. Basically, Windows To Go allows users to store the entire OS on a USB and then have it run on any PC running any version of Windows.

Not a new feature in the industry, as Linux has allowed users to run their miniscule OS off of flash drive for years, Windows To Go also allows you to copy all of your apps and user settings as part of the OS on the USB as well.

Once everything is backed up on a flash drive of your choice, your personalized Windows 8 can then be run on any PC. Both USB 2.0 and 3.0 can run this feature, and while a minimum limit wasn’t announced, a 32GB flash drive should be par for the course.

HP Pavilion Phoenix PC

Expertly engineered for incredible performance, with extreme speed, expandability and style, HPE Phoenix is a top-of-the-line Gaming PC that will set you apart from your rivals. The HP Pavilion HPE Phoenix is packed with power. Lightning-fast Intel processors, screaming graphics cards and optimized software deliver incredible performance and visual rendering for all your favorite games, HD videos and digital creations.

Housed in an armor-like casing with refined esthetics, exterior and interior illuminations and a built-in landing pad for all your digital devices, the HPE Phoenix looks as good in the living room as it feels while gaming. Hear your music exactly the way the artist intended it with HP exclusive Beats Audio™ technology. For movies and games, the incredible surround sound capability will let you hear all the highs, lows and crystal-clear mid-ranges other desktops lose.

Check out our review to see what makes the HP Pavilion Phoenix such an incredible machine.