Samsung reached another milestone in camera phones by launching 10 megapixel camera phone, which was unveiled at CeBIT in March this year. Samsung has been the first to introduce mobile phone with embedded camera in 2000. Samsung has also launched the world’s first 5 megapixel camera phone in October 2004 ; the world’s first 7 megapixel camera phone in July 2005.
Samsung’s 10 megapixel camera phone (SCH-B600) is 6mm thinner and 10g lighter than the 7 megapixel camera phone (SCH-V770) and sets itself apart from its previous megapixel camera phones by combining mobile TV capability in Satellite standard.
The B600 offers the same level of picture-taking sophistication that a 10 megapixel digital camera offers. The camera function includes 3x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom. It also has auto focus and a flash unit that performs optimally for 10 megapixel photographs.
Also, the B600 comes fitted with a LED autofocus feature which assists users to capture clear, crisp photos even in dark settings. Located next to the lens, the LED autofocus automatically determines the distance and utilizes the appropriate focus setting for optimal photo shooting.
The B600 also supports white balance, manual focus, continuous picture-taking, and interval picture-taking functions.
It also supports Bluetooth which enables users to send pictures wirelessly to other mobile phones, printers or to Bluetooth headsets.
The high color Reproduction TFT-LCD produces the highest possible display for its size. The photo-fine chromic LCD can reproduce 16 million colors, virtually any color found in nature, earning it the “True Color” appellation. Moving pictures can be recorded in QVGA resolution at 15-30 frames per second. Users can watch live TV in crisp picture through Satellite DMB function.
It also supports external memory (MMCmicro) in addition to its internal memory. The mobile phone supports a TV-out function where users can connect their phones to view still or motion pictures.
The B600 comes with a design reminiscent of a real digital camera. The front is designed as a bar-type mobile phone, while the back side is used as the digital camera.
Other advanced functions in the B600 include an MP3 player, business card reader, and 128 polyphonic sounds.
The price of B600 is around 900,000 won (about $ 900) in Korea.
October 11th, 2006
Thomson has announced retail availability in the U.S. of the LYRA X3030 by RCA, a pocket-sized 30GB Personal Multimedia Recorder that enables direct recording of audio and video content from multiple sources and is capable of storing dozens of movies, hundreds of hours of music and thousands of photos, all in the palm of your hand.Because the new LYRA unit utilizes secure Windows Media (WM10), video-hungry consumers can easily access purchased content from ZVUE.com, the video download store from HandHeld Entertainment, to download more than 120 hours of DVD-quality music videos, TV shows and movies onto the LYRA X3030. The unit also works with other Microsoft PlaysForSure subscription and download stores such as Amazon’s newly launched Unbox service.
ZVUE.com offers more than 3,000 digital music videos, cartoons, independent films, documentaries, news, entertainment, and sports programs for download and HandHeld Entertainment has more than 10,000 video selections under contract. To assist LYRA X3030 owners in starting their download library, three free downloads are available at www.zvue.com/lyra. Amazon offers video content from more than 30 Hollywood studios and network partners.
Perfect for watching TV shows and movies right in the palm of your hand, the LYRA X3030 has a vibrant 3.6-inch color LCD screen with 320 x 240 resolution for brilliant color reproduction. Consumers will enjoy versatility and flexibility with the array of recording options. Using an included home theater docking base, consumers can easily record audio/video directly from an external source, such as analog TV, CD player, or camcorder. Video and audio recording can even be time shifted when using the docking base in conjunction with the included infrared Blaster. When transferring video, the included DivX transcoder software enables conversion of video files to DivX format for playback of any video. Using a removable lithium ion battery, the LYRA X3030 provides up to four hours of constant video playback, enabling consumers to watch multiple video files on a single charge.
“This player brings together numerous popular entertainment products into one portable, high quality device,” said Dan Collishaw, chief operating officer of Thomson’s Americas Audio/Video and Accessory business. “The LYRA X3030 also adds great value to the booming portable video player market through its ability to record directly from any video source and its compatibility with a wide range of audio and video download services, including Amazon Unbox and ZVUE.com.”
“We have taken a completely open approach with the ZVUE.com video download store so that all video content is compatible with any Windows Media Video portable video player on the market, including the RCA LYRA X3030 from Thomson,” said Jeff Oscodar, chief executive office and president of HandHeld Entertainment. “That is why we are happy to have Thomson join us as the first company for delivering great video content to LYRA users throughout the country.”
Not Just Video
The LYRA X3030, suggested retail price $399, is compatible with both pay-per-song and subscription music services, as well as audio book files from Audible.com. Ready to entertain right out of the box, the LYRA X3030 comes with a free 7-day trial to Yahoo! Music Unlimited and 100 free music downloads from emusic.com. ID3 tag song data with artist, album, song title and genre is displayed on the viewing screen. Music buffs can listen to their collection of mp3 files using one of nine playback modes, including normal play, shuffle and repeat. The included free Yahoo! Music Engine enables creation of playlists and facilitates management of personal digital music catalogs.
In addition to its video and audio capabilities, this versatile jukebox also offers the ability to create image slide shows with zoom and photo rotation, as well as music accompaniment. Up to 15,000 JPEG photos are easily transferred from an SD memory card or compatible camera without a computer. Image files, along with audio and video files, can also be moved from a PC to the device using the high speed USB connection. Further, a built-in microphone located on the top of the unit lets consumers record voice notes describing individual photo slides, and also lets the LYRA X3030 function as a voice recorder.
The LYRA X3030 is packaged with a full accessory kit, including:
- Sliding cover case to protect the X3030’s display from scratching and denting
- Two RCA input/output cables for recording in near DVD quality and playing back video with 480 lines of resolution.
- Home theater docking station for easy re-charging and transfer of content from a video source
- AC adapter and DC adapter for charging in the car
- Earbud style headphones
- 3- Device Universal Remote Control for recording from or playing content on the TV set
This lightweight portable entertainment device weighs less than eight ounces and is only 3/4 of an inch thick.
October 11th, 2006
Logitech today announced the Logitech X-540 speaker system, an affordable surround-sound system designed for gamers, which solves two distinct problems: The X-540 system enables people to enjoy the experience of
surround sound even with two-channel audio sources, by including matrix surround-sound technology. And for those playing games using a flat-panel display with no convenient place to set a center-channel speaker, Logitech’s patent-pending integrated center-channel clip gracefully and securely attaches the speaker atop the monitor, saving desk space.
With a dedicated center channel and acoustically matched front and rear satellites, the Logitech X-540 system produces balanced surround sound. The X-540 speakers use Logitech’s Frequency Directed Dual Driver technology.
This technology helps the speaker system produce richer sounds by having two drivers in each satellite speaker. It also overcomes high-frequency overlap that leads to uneven sound.
Pricing and Availability
The Logitech X-540 speaker system is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in November. Its suggested retail price in the U.S. is $99.99.
October 11th, 2006