Archive for September, 2011

 
30 09/11

Singapore to lauch water-saving labeling scheme for washing machines

All washing machines sold in Singapore could have for being labelled in accordance to how much water they use beginning from Saturday, according into a scheme introduced by nationwide h2o company Public Utilities Board (PUB).

The most effective devices utilizing approximately 80 liters of h2o per wash compared to the much less productive ones, will probably be labeled with 3 ticks, regional everyday Straits Occasions documented on Wednesday.

Stores mentioned the scheme would assist consumers identify far more productive washing devices, even though they can value up 50 percent more than the less productive ones.

Washing devices make up 19 % with the water usage for an regular family, and Singapore has set a goal to lessen h2o use from latest 154 liters per man or woman each day to 147 liters by 2020.

Taps, toilets and urinals have by now been labeled in Singapore and new developments or those becoming renovated ought to use no less than one-tick products.

Some retailers have already been exhibiting the labels on a voluntary basis considering that 2009. PUB said it’s got registered 310 washer models to date, with about half obtaining the utmost 3 ticks. It has no plan to ban zero-tick goods, although it did not rule out doing so in the future.

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28 09/11

Apple to introduce new iPhone on Oct. 4

Apple on Tuesday declared an invitation-only unique occasion featuring iPhone on Oct. 4, 2011.

Using a easy headline examining “Let’s speak iPhone,” the invitation mentioned that there is going to be an “executive presentation at 10 a.m..” This could be the first huge merchandise introduction from the newly installed Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook right after he took in excess of the reins of Apple from Steve Work opportunities in August.

The function, that will be held at Apple campus in Cupertino, California, has long been reported to be the introduction of iPhone 5, the following generation iPhone.

In accordance to U.S. media reviews, the iPhone 5 is expected to get revamped hardware layout having a larger display screen, a higher resolution camera and a quicker dual-core A5 chip on which the iPad 2 runs. Apple is additionally documented to launch a low-cost and contract- free of charge iPhone product bundled with its cloud computing service iCloud.

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27 09/11

Asus G74SX: A Monstrous Gaming Powerhouse

The Asus G74SX is intended for gamers. However its straightforward look might not suggestion you off, its measurement certainly will. In spite of several flaws–such being a noisy keyboard and not-noisy-enough speakers–the Asus G74SX packs exceptional functionality into a beautiful chassis. It’s value looking at if you are looking for a “mobile” gaming powerhouse.

Our review product, priced at $1979 (as of August 17 2011), passe-temps a second-generation Intel Core i7 processor (the i7-2630QM) and delivers 16GB of RAM in addition 910GB of storage area spread over a 750GB hard disk drive and a 160GB solid-state generate. The G74SX is also on the list of initial laptops to arrive preloaded with Nvidia’s new GeForce GTX 560M graphics card. Extra functions contain built-in Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth connectivity, plus a Blu-ray Disc player. The G74SX runs the 64-bit model of Windows seven Property Premium.

In PCWorld’s WorldBench 6 benchmark exams, the Asus G74SX earned an amazing score of one hundred fifty, which can be really great even for your desktop alternative laptops group. That result is just 1 stage behind the mark from the Dell XPS 17 3D. The G74SX also did effectively in our graphics tests, with body charges of 48.8 frames per 2nd and 46.3 fps on our Grime 2 and Far Cry two exams, respectively (both at large good quality configurations and 1920 by 1080 resolution). Individuals numbers surpass the XPS 17 3D’s frame charges, which ended up 32.5 fps (Filth two) and thirty.eight fps (Far Cry 2).

At virtually 10 pounds, with a 2-pound power brick, the G74SX isn’t really genuinely moveable, unless of course you outline that as just that means “possible to move.” This whopper measures 16.5 inches wide by 12.7 inches prolonged, and is also two.4 inches at its thickest (the personal computer tapers off in close proximity to the front).

The G74SX could possibly be gigantic, but its layout is elegantly straightforward. The laptop’s lid is plain and black save for the silver Asus emblem, and it has a soft, marginally rubbery feel. Inside of, the wrist relaxation features exactly the same rubbery black materials, even though the Chiclet-style keyboard is backed with slate-gray brushed aluminum. The interior is thankfully totally free of vivid, flashing lights–it passe-temps just the ability button and a few small notifiers, in addition the optionally backlit keyboard. You will locate only one dedicated button beside the power button, for switching amongst battery-saving and functionality modes.

The wedge-shaped pc is thicker at the back, which is wherever the admirer vents can be found. The G74SX’s cooling program pulls air from underneath the laptop and pushes it out the rear. This arrangement is useful, in accordance to Asus, for “keeping sizzling air away from your person and minimizing ambient sound for extended gaming.”

Regardless of currently being enormous, the G74SX is really a bit skimpy on ports. Within the left aspect, the personal computer has only two USB 2.0 ports, in addition to a Kensington lock slot, the Blu-ray generate, and headphone and microphone jacks. On the proper facet are two far more USB ports (one two.0 and the other 3.0), as well as HDMI and VGA-out ports, a gigabit ethernet port, and a multiformat card reader.

The G74SX’s keyboard is full-size and backlit, and it functions massive keys. Asus has also put the keyboard at a 5-degree incline for better ergonomics. The keyboard is usually comfortable to kind on, along with the keys give excellent tactile feedback. I’ve only a number of grievances: The keys really are a small slippery for fast typists, and also the keyboard is very loud. (The latter concern is unlucky, because the device itself is in any other case really peaceful.) The laptop incorporates a amount pad, as well, along with the machine’s generous width leaves adequate room for that quantity pad to sit about one.five inches absent from the keyboard.

Under the keyboard, and a bit off-center, is the roomy touchpad. The touchpad’s clean black surface is very responsive and supports multitouch gestures. Below the touchpad sit two rubbery soft-touch mouse buttons, that are large, easy to press, and peaceful. In case you are not a touchpad type of individual, Asus also materials an ergonomic Republic of Players gaming mouse; the USB-wired optical mouse employs the identical comfortable rubbery materials because the laptops’ cover does, and it has 6 buttons, which includes the scrollwheel.

The G74SX sports activities a glossy 17.3-inch screen using a native full High definition resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. This really is on the list of greatest laptop screens I’ve noticed within a even though: It is vivid but not too much so, it’s good off-axis viewing angles (each vertical and horizontal), and its photographs look incredibly crisp. Even so, on our test device, in specific power-saving modes (Peaceful Office environment, by way of example) a bit of shimmering appeared inside the reduced 50 percent in the screen–it looked like a faulty LED backlight. This really is regrettable, because apart from that shimmering the display screen is wonderful.

Video clip playback seems good within the G74SX’s full High definition display screen, but audio playback is actually a small disappointing. Do not get me wrong–the built-in stereo speakers found previously mentioned the keyboard create obvious, crisp audio. But keep in mind how Asus claimed that it exclusively engineered the G74SX’s cooling program to keep noise away from your person? Properly, the speakers may be found merely a minor much too close to the cooling method, due to the fact audio is significantly louder from at the rear of the screen than from in front of it. Sure, it can be somewhat troubling, except if you plan on employing the laptop computer to broadcast audio or audio to people sitting in front of you.

The G74SX comes with a bunch of preinstalled software, but most of it is beneficial; amid other objects, you obtain Asus’s 122-page eManual, Dwell Update, and Splendid Utility, along with CyberLink’s Blu-ray disc suite and Nvidia’s 3D Vision.

This “mobile” gaming device truly does have every thing you’ll need for on-the-go power-computing, though it weighs practically approximately a lightweight desktop. Asus packs a lot of power into the G74SX, along with the system includes a pretty svelte human body to boot. Now, if only we are able to obtain a review model that does not possess a faulty LED backlight.

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25 09/11

Google to face Senate antitrust grilling

Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt is to encounter a Senate hearing on regardless of whether the organization is abusing its dominance in World wide web search, according to media studies on Tuesday.

At the Wednesday’s listening to before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel, Schmidt will argue that critics are improper to say Google offers choice to its own items, as a substitute, Google is just attempting to provide the best-cultivated search outcomes for consumers.

The difficulty of search ranking is really a touchy issue with Google, which says its algorithm is devised to offer end users one of the most useful end result so they will come back.

An additional focal stage in the hearing, which Schmidt concerned most is “scrapers”, those that game its search algorithm, as an example, taking commonly searched words, merge them right into a nonsensical block of text and throw it up on the net to grab eyeballs and promoting pounds.

Google believes that, if scrapers succeed also typically, buyers will drop self-confidence in search and turn to other resources, therefore posing an existential threat towards the organization.

Regulators in the U.S. and overseas have already been searching into different facets of Google’s business practices given that the company’s 2007 purchase of ad agency DoubleClick.

At the instant, European regulators are conducting an antitrust inquiry into Google’s search business while the Federal Trade Commission is carrying out likewise.

Google relies overwhelmingly on its core item, Net search, and dominates the market for that merchandise.

It handles all around two-thirds of U.S. World wide web searches and even more than 80 percent in lots of European nations, in accordance to comScore Inc.

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24 09/11

LG Infinia 47LW6500 LED HDTV Review: Excellent All-Around 3D TV at a Reasonable Price

Using a built-in World wide web browser and a second remote that works like a wireless mouse, the LG Infinia 47LW6500–successor towards the Infinia 47LW5600 that we reviewed previously this year–rates as 1 present day better Internet-connected, 3d-supperting, LED-backlit LCD TVs. It also gives great image and audio good quality at a reasonable price tag ($1900 listing value; street costs in the selection of $1400 to $1750 as of September 20), producing it an incredibly good deal to get a 47-inch 1080p set with state-of-the-art capabilities.

We tried the Infinia 47L6500 while in the identical team as the Samsung UN46D8000, a 46-inch 1080p set that bundles related attributes. In our juried image-quality assessments; the Samsung edged out the LG overall, but it costs about $700 far more. The 47LW6500 matched the Samsung’s high marks for color/skin tones and details/sharpness. But judges discovered the LG’s images on several check clips to become oversaturated; and on our motion benchmarks, it faltered marginally in its dealing with of the diagonal panning shot and on our ?¡ãjaggies?¡À check (jagged edges have been visible on relocating bars).

To assist you regulate image quality for your liking, LG provides a very easy-to-use picture wizard–a calibration instrument that lets you choose a target image for different traits (coloration, tint, sharpness, along with the like) and make changes to match it. You receive a pleasant collection of presets, as well.

Like most other LED-backlit sets, the Infinia 47LW6500 is quite energy-efficient, consuming no visible electricity when turned off and making use of 76.eight watts per hour (on common) while turned on. Its green score is 89 out of one hundred, which we think about to be quite very good.

The LCD is incredibly thin–1.2 inches, not counting the stand. Ports are arranged in a very squarish location about the left rear, with two USB and four HDMI ports facing sideways (and for that reason quickly accessible), and ethernet, Laptop video clip (VGA) and audio inputs, optical digital audio output, a cable/antenna coax port, plus a jack for both a element video clip or possibly a composite AV adapter cable all dealing with downward (producing them tough to access but usable having a wall-mounted set). Struggling with straight outward are an RS232C service port and a single set each of typical element and composite AV inputs, which you would not be able to make use of with a wall-mounted set.

The set includes an 802.11n USB Wi-Fi adapter that operates only within the two.4GHz band, which isn’t perfect for streaming media, specifically in metropolitan areas wherever your network’s indicators should contend with people of a lot of other Wi-Fi networks. Help for your 5GHz edition of 802.11n would happen to be great, given that it can be much less subject matter to interference.

The LG 47LW6500′s long, skinny standard remote has all of the controls you’d expect on a current set, which includes the power to software controls of other units plus a Swift Menu that allows you to simply regulate facet ratio, audio, video clip, and AV presets, closed captions, the channel editor, and also other crucial functions.

The home button brings up a handsomely intended display that gives you access to all linked Tv material, including downloadable and a few preinstalled applications, the world wide web browser, and buttons for launching the setup menu, switching inputs, and accessing favorites. The current Television material is exhibited inside a window while in the higher left corner, along with a customizable perform menu while in the center of the display screen back links to top quality providers this kind of as streaming media and social networking web sites.

LG’s Sensible Television lineup consists of Amazon’s on-demand service, Facebook, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Twitter, Vudu, YouTube Leanback (an HDTV optimized model of YouTube), and a number of other content web sites. You’ll be able to stream your own personal subject material from a USB drive or from any DLNA-compatible device with your residence network; the set supports a dozen or so video clip formats, JPEG stills, and MP3 audio (as long as they aren’t copy-protected). You’ll be able to produce a slideshow with history new music and utilize some results to photographs.

If you intend to run the world wide web browser, nonetheless, you may need to put in place and utilize the Magic Motion remote that comes with the set. This wandlike 2nd remote is more compact than the regular one and employs motion-sensing technologies to manage the on-screen cursor, reminiscent of a Wii remote. You must pair the remote together with the set before you can use it.

The Magic Movement remote lets you access the set’s features via a handful of buttons: a electrical power button, a House display button, volume- and channel-changing rockers, a mute button, along with a choose clicker surrounded by a navigation wheel. It can be a welcome option for individuals who will not like sorting through every one of the buttons around the standard remote.

That said, utilizing the Magic Motion remote for Internet searching around the Infinia 47LW6500 is definitely an iffy knowledge. The absence of a hardware keyboard means that you need to use the Magic Movement on an onscreen keyboard to enter text (such URLs or login information), which is not considerably entertaining. The browser supports Flash, but only by means of edition eight (10 is latest), and unlike desktop browsers it does not assistance HTML 5.

The TV’s audio is pretty very good: The 2 10-watt speakers accomplished first rate quantity, along with the surround-sound simulation labored moderately properly. It is nevertheless no comparison to your audio from even a little home-theater setup, however it meets the challenge of delivering suitable accompaniment to 3D material.

LG gives 4 sets of passive eyeglasses together with the set; at this creating, many stores are providing free extra glasses. These are essentially precisely the same glasses that theaters hand out for 3D movies, and also the 3D good quality is fairly great. However the 3D edition of Avatar on Blu-ray failed to seem as rounded because it did on the Samsung, which makes use of active-shutter glasses.

In many other respects, the Infinia 47LW6500 is quite related to the Infinia 47LW5600. The truth is, LG gives the identical handbook (printed and on the web) for equally versions, as well as a number of dozen other LCD and plasma sets (which this tends to make pinning down some information in your specific model more hard).

Together with the Infinia 47LW6500, LG continues to build on its reputation as a maker of cost-effective sets that produce excellent image good quality and technological innovation at a really competitive value. Samsung and Sony ought to be observing their backs.

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22 09/11

Sony Vaio Goes Extreme

Sony has unveiled a brand new edition of its 505-series notebook laptop or computer the business claims will be the world’s lightest and thinnest of its form. The laptop is among two new members of Sony’s Vaio personal pc family members which will serve because the company’s flagship designs for the duration of the upcoming year-end revenue period in Japan.

The PCG-X505, also dubbed the “505 Extreme” by Sony, is the two tiny and trendy.

One of the very first points obvious in regards to the laptop or computer is its thickness, that is .4 inches at the front growing to .8 inches with the again wherever the human body and screen are hinged jointly. Sony maintained to chop down on the thickness with the machine by miniaturizing the motherboard so that it fits within a space in between the keyboard, hard disk, battery, and Personal computer Card slot, said Keiichiro Shimada, president of Sony’s Vaio products study and advancement group.
Preserving Space

Typically the motherboard is much bigger and overlaps other parts requiring the device to be thicker, but by shrinking the motherboard down in size–to roughly the size of a Mini Disc–the firm has maintained to chop the complete thickness of the device, he said.

Other space-saving measures incorporate fitting the Memory Stick slot to the computer mouse and lowering the thickness in the keyboard backplane to .01 inches, Shimada stated.

On the coronary heart in the 505 Excessive can be a 1-GHz model of Intel’s Pentium M microprocessor. Common memory is 512MB along with the laptop features a 20GB hard drive plus a 10.4-inch TFT LCD with greatest resolution of 1,024 pixels by 768 pixels (XGA). Wireless LAN assist isn’t built in to the device although Sony provides a Wi-Fi card that can be inserted into your computer’s solitary Computer Card slot.

The personal computer measures ten.two inches by eight.2 inches and weighs either one.7 pounds or 1.8 pounds dependent on whether or not a carbon fiber or nickel-strengthened carbon situation is chosen. The previous model will go on sale in Japan on November 19 and also the latter on December 6 and they will likely be priced at $3230 and $2776, respectively.
Moveable Laptop

The second device from Sony will be the Vaio PCV-P101. The device is aimed to fill a gap in the market among desktop pcs, which are gradually falling out of favor with Japanese consumers, and notebook computers, which already make up greater than 50 % of all customer Laptop purchases in Japan but which can be typically only utilized inside the house.

Sony is hoping the new personal computer will follow in the footsteps of the Vaio W, which was launched from the business in the beginning of last calendar year and swiftly became Japan’s top-selling desktop laptop or computer. Much like the Vaio W, the keyboard from the Vaio P covers the display screen and safeguards it when not in use and folds down when in use. The display screen is a 17-inch widescreen LCD panel.

Unlike the Vaio W nevertheless, which was reasonably thick, the Vaio P is thinner and flat around the rear. A metal frame runs across the watch, joined to the monitor at both sides but apparent of the keep track of in the top and bottom so that it varieties a deal with with which the personal computer could be carried, making the whole Laptop resemble some thing like a big notebook pc with metal carrying handle.

It’s been designed with house users in head, stated Hiroaki Yokota, designer with the device. Sony discovered that many notebook personal computer purchasers will not actually take their devices outside with the residence but favor notebooks simply because they are smaller sized, will not have got a mess of wires and cables at the rear, can be used anywhere in the home and might be effortlessly saved when not in use.
Differences on Display

The Vaio P attempts to match all of those anticipations but beat typical notebook personal computers with its huge LCD panel that will also double as a television, explained Yokota. Sony’s GigaPocket software can also be put in that means the Pc may be used to report and playback tv plans.

Since it’s not at all intended with all the exact same level of portability being a notebook, there are many decidedly non-notebook specifications in addition towards the significant screen. Battery existence is among thirty minutes and one hour and the device weighs a hefty 17.two kilos. The prime culprit in both circumstances is the LCD, states Sony, which can be a monitor-class screen which is about double the brightness of people usually installed on notebook pcs.

The Vaio P is determined by a 1.06-GHz version of Intel’s Cellular Celeron processor, has 256MB of memory, a 40GB hard disk drive, and CD-RW/DVD-ROM generate. There is certainly also a host of connectors, like 4 USB2.0 ports, a LAN port, and iLink S400 four-pin connector.

Sony ideas to place the Vaio P on sale in Japan on November 22 for around $1665. Sony hasn’t nevertheless made a decision on plans to promote either device outdoors of Japan.

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20 09/11

Review: Livescribe smartpen is iPad’s opposite

Here is a buyer electronics riddle: What is the opposite from the iPad?

Reply: the Livescribe Echo “smartpen.” It’s as if Livescribe and Apple equally checked out the previous pen-and-pad mixture, but entirely disagreed regarding how to just take it into your digital age.

Apple place each of the smarts into the pad. Livescribe put each of the smarts inside the pen.

I don’t must tell you which can be the better idea – iPad income have helped make Apple Inc. one of the most useful company within the world. Livescribe is little.

But the Echo is interesting enough to get value a seem, specifically with some modern software program updates. It begins at $100, rendering it cheaper compared to iPad, and it could be an excellent instrument for a student.

The Echo is actually a body fat, cigar-like pen using a little display near the leading. It performs as being a typical ball-point pen, leaving ink marks on paper. But its reason behind currently being is that it data that which you publish, and its microphone information what you’re listening to in the exact same time.

It matches up the audio recording with the recorded writing, to ensure that in the event you faucet the pen on a thing you’ve got currently published, it is going to play back the audio recording, either via its built-in speaker or by means of headphones. This is valuable in virtually any predicament in which you want to document a thing for long term reference, be it a lecture or an interview.

Definitely, you’ll be able to do the identical point around the iPad, with apps that match up audio and creating. But composing within the iPad isn’t really simple. Styluses are awkward, and typing around the screen is just not a lot much better. You are able to use a Laptop rather – Microsoft’s excellent OneNote software documents audio and typing – however you need to sit right down to use a Laptop, and their microphones could be iffy.

So, the Echo remains the top instrument for note-taking, notably when you are standing or when hammering away at a Laptop would seem rude, like inside a meeting. I utilized Livescribe’s previously design, the Pulse, quite a tad in my reporting task, and located the power to tap again right into a conversation to acquire a verbatim quote valuable on several situations. (Inside the previous days, reporters used to find out shorthand. These days, we scribble furiously.)

The Echo improves within the Pulse by changing proprietary audio and information ports having a normal headphone and micro-USB port. The USB port also expenses the pen.

On the software program facet, the pen now “talks” better to other programs. For instance, you are able to mark pages and also have them sent in an email once you connect your pen to your pc. You may also send them to Google Docs, for sharing, or to OneNote, to keep your notes tidy. You can even publish them on Facebook, maybe for sharing lecture notes with associates. The producing seems excellent on display – considerably greater than it might look in case you just wrote on a pad, then scanned or photographed it.

There’s also an “app store” in which you can buy little plans to obtain to your pen. One particular lets you measure the space amongst two details on the pad, or compute the area of an enclosed house.

The coolest app, by far, is actually a edition from the traditional text-based adventure recreation “Zork.” It is a fairly magical expertise to write down commands like “go north” and see replies like “You are inside a clearing …” scroll by about the pen’s display.

Another app lets the pen manage your PC’s cursor when related by cable. Hover over the pad, as well as the cursor moves. Press down, and you register a click, or draw around the screen. It can be equal to Wacom’s Laptop input tablets, however it won’t sign-up different degrees of stress, so it can be unlikely to be helpful to artists.

Talking of pads, you do require a special pad to work with the Echo. It operates only on paper which is preprinted using a pattern of dots that looks like a faint speckling with the page. The dots are picked up by a modest digicam inside the pen and allow it to figure out where it’s on the page. You’ll be able to buy a four-pack of further notebooks from your website for $19.95 (a single modest notebook includes the pen). It can be also feasible to print your personal dotted paper when you have a coloration laser printer.

The biggest disadvantage for the pen is its tiny display screen. It can be not that difficult to manage this “pen computer” – you compose things, and it responds. Nonetheless it features a genuinely hard time communicating nearly anything back again, because its screen exhibits less than twenty five characters at time, in monochrome. It may also speak to you by means of its tiny speaker, but that’s not a medium that could convey the complexity of a Website. Even a cellphone display screen can communicate a good deal much more.

The other massive shortcoming is that the pen needs to be bodily linked in your computer to deliver e mail, upload notes or manage your cursor. A short-range wireless hyperlink like Bluetooth can be neat, but might not be quick sufficient to transfer notes. Wi-Fi could be better, but getting a pen to operate effectively with Wi-Fi could be an enormous problem, each regarding the consumer interface and battery lifestyle.

I much like the Livescribe pens and discover them useful. But as computer systems, these are a lifeless stop. They are just not versatile plenty of for being general-purpose units, like tablets. An iPad that worked properly with pen input would make me drop the Echo. Apple’s opponents have already got rudimentary pen-based tablets out, and who understands, maybe the iPad 3 could have some surprises for us.

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15 09/11

Samsung Epic Touch 4G for Sprint: Slim and Speedy

The arrival of Samsung’s Galaxy S II phones is a long time coming. We very first noticed the following era of Samsung’s well-known line of Android phones again in February at Cellular Planet Congress. Soon after several effective months in Europe, the Galaxy S II line of phones is lastly coming to U.S. shores. The first with the phones, the Samsung Epic Touch 4G ($200 which has a two-year contract with Sprint; cost as of September twelve, 2011) will probably be offered starting up on September sixteen.

Ridiculously Thin

The Epic Touch might be a little greater compared to the previous generation of phones, but it is unbelievably thin. Measuring five.one inches by 2.seven inches by 0.38 inch, the Contact feels fairly comfy in hand–and this really is coming from somebody with little fingers! Samsung phones have a very little bit of a reputation for being plasticky, and also the Epic Contact regrettably falls beneath that descriptor. In her palms on of the Epic Contact at Samsung’s start even, my colleague Melanie Pinola remarked that it felt ?¡ãless refined?¡À than AT&T’s Galaxy S II version.

On the bottom of the phone, you’ll find the MHL port, a feature we’ve seen on several of this year’s high-end smartphones. The MHL specification, which stands for Cell High Definition Link, is a 1080p HD video and digital audio interface for connecting smartphones and other portable devices (tablets, cameras, and also the like) to HDTVs. So what’s the big deal? It simultaneously provides power to your phone–something that HDMI cables don’t do.

Super AMOLED Plus Display

The 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus display on the Epic Touch is quite nice, but text isn’t quite as sharp as what we noticed on the European Galaxy S II. The Epic Touch’s display is slightly greater compared to European version (which has a 4.3-inch display) so it seems like the text sharpness may have been compromised by bigger screen real estate. The text is still quite readable, nevertheless it is something I noticed right away upon using the phone.

Otherwise, the display’s colors looked bright, details were crisp, as well as the viewing angles were very good. Blacks were deep, and colors were richly saturated without currently being overdone. Even when held in direct sunlight, the Galaxy S II’s display remained unbelievably visible. Whites had some a bluish tint, nevertheless it wasn’t too noticeable. According to Samsung, Super AMOLED Plus displays have 50 percent more subpixels compared to the first-generation Super AMOLED displays (seen on the Vibrant, Mesmerize, and other Galaxy S phones) and perform even better than their predecessors in bright light.

Android Gingerbread With TouchWiz 4.0

The revamped TouchWiz 4.0 is fairly similar to the previous version, but it has a few aesthetic and functional enhancements here and there. For instance, the new lock screen displays missed calls and unread text messages; you can swipe these notifications rather than having to unlock your phone and then dig through menus to find the missed messages. The Galaxy S II’s keyboard isn’t the native Android one, nevertheless it retains the multitouch key-chording feature (you can simultaneously press Shift and a letter to produce a symbol or number–no need to switch between modes) as well as the ability to use your voice to correct words as you type.

Taking a page from (or directly ripping off) HTC Sense, TouchWiz lets you pinch your homescreen to see thumbnail-size versions of all of your screens. Samsung borrowed another feature from HTC Sense, too: When the phone is ringing or playing music, you can silence it by flipping it face-down on a surface.

Contacts gets some cool new gesture-based functions. Swipe right on a friend’s name, and you’ll start a call with them; swipe left on their name, and you’ll jump to the SMS composer, which you can use to send them a text message. Each of your contact’s cards comes with your communication history–for example, when you last called, texted, or emailed the person.

One funny new feature is the ability to reject a call by sending a text message. Let’s say that your brother is calling to ask when you’re going to pay him back for dinner the other night. A menu will come up giving you the option to answer the call, hang up, or reject it which has a text that says “I’ll pay you back again tomorrow!”

All of the Galaxy S II phones have six-axis motion sensing, powered by an accelerometer and a gyroscope. This feature is great for gaming, but Samsung also throws in some gesture-based phone controls. For example, you can zoom in and out of images in your gallery or in the browser by tilting the phone. This feature feels a little awkward and unnecessary, however; I can’t see myself ever using it.

TouchWiz isn’t for everyone, so be sure to spend some time with it before purchasing a Galaxy S II phone.

Multimedia and Apps

Because this really is a Sprint phone, you’ll find all from the usual bloatware: Sprint Music Plus, Sprint Radio, Sprint TV and Movies, and Sprint NASCAR. You also get a game called N.O.V.A. HD and various apps–including Samsung’s AllShare app for sharing media over DLNA servers.

Perhaps the coolest app Samsung provides on the phone (and on all Galaxy S II phones we’ve seen) is the company’s own Kies Air. The app lets you view call logs, videos, photos, bookmarks, and IMs, and send SMS messages from PC. In order for the app to work, you’ll have to install it on your PC and connect it to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone.

Like all Galaxy phones, the S II provides the Media Hub for movie and TV-watching. Video looked fantastic on the handset’s display and played back again smoothly. Even if you don’t like Samsung’s Media Hub, you’ll want to watch a lot of movies and TV shows on this phone. Unlike the European version, the Epic Contact 4G does not have the Readers or Music Hub for purchasing ebooks or MP3s, respectively.

Performance

Like the AT&T Galaxy S phone, the Epic Touch is powered by a 1.20GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor. The Epic Touch booted up in 20 seconds, which is rather fast; in contrast, the Droid Bionic took 43 seconds to turn on fully.

We also tested the phone using Qualcomm’s new benchmarking app, Vellamo, to see how a Samsung processor would fare against its competitors. The Samsung Epic Contact 4G earned a very impressive score of 914, putting it right behind the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for overall performance and ahead of two phones running Qualcomm chips–the HTC Sensation 4G and the HTC EVO 3D. You should take these results which has a grain of salt, since Qualcomm manufactures the app, but the data is interesting to compare.

I experienced reliably good Sprint WiMax 4G coverage in San Francisco. I had a strong 4G signal rather much everywhere I went in the city. Sprint’s 4G network paired with the Samsung Exynos dual-core processor makes for some excellent Web browsing, too. Over 4G, PCWorld.com (the full site) loaded in a speedy 12.one seconds. Image-heavy site TheBoldItalic.com loaded in 10.1 seconds, and media-heavy ThrasherMagazine.com loaded in 13.6 seconds.

Of course, 4G coverage and signal strength vary depending on where you live in the country and whether your city even offers 4G. We have good 4G coverage in San Francisco; but in our 4G Phone Shootout, Sprint had the poorest country-wide coverage.

Call quality over Sprint was very good overall. My friends and family said that they could hear my voice perfectly and described it as sounding natural.

Superb 8-Megapixel Camera

[Click to enlarge] When we reviewed the European version in the Galaxy S II, we were impressed by its 8-megapixel camera. Luckily, Samsung seems not to have changed the sensor for the U.S. versions. The Epic Touch took excellent photos indoors and out. My only complaint is that colors in my indoor photos looked a bit oversaturated. Details were quite sharp and I didn’t detect any graininess or pixelation. The shutter speed on the camera was fast enough to capture photos of sports, kids, and other quick-moving subjects. Again, I must lament the lack of a physical shutter [Click to enlarge] button, but the camera’s quality makes up for it.

Like the Motorola Photon 4G, HTC Sensation 4G, and the LG Optimus 3D, the Epic Contact 4G supports up to 1080p HD video capture. Video quality was good: The Epic Contact could handle fast-moving cars and slower-moving people without distortion or pixelation.

Bottom Line

We’ll be conducting formal lab testing over the next few days, but right now, it looks as though the Epic Contact 4G is the fastest Android smartphone out there. On top of its speediness, it has a superslim design, a gorgeous display, and a superb camera. My only complaint is the amount of carrier and manufacturer-added bloatware on the phone, but that’s fairly much par for the course these days.

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12 09/11

Apple closer to offering 3G iPad 2 in mainland

Apple Inc is a single action closer to starting gross sales of iPad 2 tablet computers with mobile network compatibility for that 1st time inside the Chinese mainland, wherever the consumer-electronics large is within the midst of an aggressive expansion.

In accordance to China’s Telecommunication Gear Certification Middle, a product by Apple with third-generation high-speed wireless information abilities was issued the network accessibility license needed for that organization to start official revenue in China. The device, listed under design number “A1396,” is compatible together with the 3G regular WCDMA, and would function using the cellular network operated by Apple’s nearby iPhone partner, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.

China Unicom declined to comment.

Apple already offers the 3G iPad 2 in Hong Kong via its companions, but at the moment only offers Wi-Fi variations from the gadget in the Chinese mainland. Nonetheless, consumers in China, which according to analysis firm IDC surpassed the US as the world’s largest Personal computer market place within the second quarter, happen to be purchasing 3G tablets by means of unofficial channels.

Independently, Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu mentioned Sept 6 which the company’s initial Hong Kong shop, set to open this quarter, is going to be found inside the city’s central purchasing and business district in the Global Finance Center’s upscale IFC mall, a business center and sightseeing spot along the city’s waterfront. Wu also mentioned that Apple is arranging a fresh retailer in Shanghai later this quarter, that can be its biggest shop in China. She declined to provide far more facts or to comment about the 3G iPad two.

Apple presently has 4 full-service Apple merchants in the mainland, which receive the most traffic of any Apple shops in the world. The organization or else relies on resellers to get its goods to the market place.

The new stores mirror Apple’s self-assurance in rising desire for its products these kinds of as smartphones and tablet pcs. Product sales while in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan helped enhance the company’s third-quarter benefits, recently appointed Chief Executive Tim Cook stated in July. China earnings surged six-fold to about $3.eight billion over the 3 months ended June 25.

“This has been a considerable possibility for Apple and I firmly believe that we’re just scratching the surface right now,” Cook mentioned with the time, referring to strong gross sales in China. “I see an extraordinary chance for Apple there.”

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08 09/11

New iPad to feature a thinner, lighter battery

The iPad two is already an extremely thin system – 0.34 inches, to get exact – however the next era might be even thinner and lighter, many thanks to an improved battery pack.

According to Taiwan Economic News, two suppliers of iPad and Macbook batteries, Simplo Technology Co. and Dynapack International Technologies Corp., are prepared to produce the brand new pack as early as Q4 2011, with mass production expected inside the 1st quarter of 2012.

The newest batteries can make the iPad thinner and lighter and extend its battery existence, but they will also arrive at a twenty – 30% even bigger cost position because of the sophisticated technology utilised. Ideally this may not suggest a bigger value for your stop item also.

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