Most smartphone talk of late has concerned Android or Apple’s soon to be released iPhone 3Gs. So what happened to Windows Mobile (WM)?
The HTC Touch Pro2, the Touch Diamond2 and the Snap were unveiled last night at a function held in Fourways, Johannesburg. The devices represent a high-end, mid-range and entry level WM smartphone offering respectively and are Microsoft’s answer to the Android phones, Nokia’s N97 and Apple’s iPhone.
The Touch Pro2 is HTC’s WM flagship business device. HTC have dubbed the device “the world’s only mobile conferencing phone”, and it comes with one touch conferencing straight from your contacts list, and noise cancelling on the device’s speaker and microphone.
The Touch Diamond2, like the Touch Pro2, features an enhanced TouchFLO 3D interface that really improves the usability of the WM platform. It also features “Push Internet” and “People Centric” communications which basically means that it automatically updates your favourite web pages and offers enhanced communications threading for contacts.
While the Touch Pro2 and the Touch Diamond2 represent evolutionary developments on two of HTC’s most popular WM phones to date, the Snap represents an all new type of WM device. The Snap is probably best described as an entry level smartphone; featuring a streamlined design, a full QWERTY keyboard and a novel “Inner Circle” function that allows you to prioritise communications for a select group of contacts.
While all the devices currently run WM 6.1, you will be able to upgrade to WM 6.5 in October when the upgrade is officially launched. The most exciting news about the firmware update is the launch of Windows Marketplace for Mobile, Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s App store and the Android Market. Tools for developing applications for Windows phones are available online.
The Touch Pro2, Touch Diamond2 and Snap are all network agnostic and price at R9781, R6498 and R5347 respectively.
Source: www.techsmart.co.za
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Biz Stone, Twitter co-founder, announced in a blog post last week that a location based API will soon be made available to Twitter apps developers. In addition geolocation functionality will be made available on the platform itself in the future which means that tweets can then be geo-tagged.
Location based tweets could prove a very valuable addition to the service adding a very interesting dynamic. “For example, with accurate, tweet-level location data you could switch from reading the tweets of accounts you follow to reading tweets from anyone in your neighborhood or city—whether you follow them or not. It's easy to imagine how this might be interesting at an event like a concert or even something more dramatic like an earthquake. There will likely be many use cases we haven't even thought of yet which is part of what makes this so exciting,” said Stone.
Who knows we may even see a location column on TweetDeck in the near future. The big issue however is what a location aware Twitter means for other location based services.
From a privacy perspective the functionality will be disabled by default on the Twitter platform. Further the company has assured users that it won’t hold onto location data for extended periods, whatever that means.
Source: TechSmart.co.za Techsmart Magazine is one of our www.MyByte.co.za Media Partners. To subscribe to the www.MyByte.co.za posts RSS feed click here http://snurl.com/qtkxd if you are still not registered on www.Mybyte.co.za and would like to join the online network that connects the entire ICT industry in one room virtually click here http://www.mybyte.co.za/signup.php.
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Google announced earlier in the week that it has started imagery collection in South Africa for the Street View feature in Google Maps.
A popular Google Maps feature Street View allows users to explore and navigate locations through panoramic street-level photographs. Motivated partly by the FIFA 2010 World Cup, Google plans to have Street View for South Africa operational before the start of the tournament, starting with image collection in places like Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Durban.
Toyota is partnering with the search giant on the project by supplying an undisclosed number of Prius hybrids that will be used to travel the country collecting imagery. Toyota’s Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Andrew Kirby, said: "We are thrilled to be partnering with Google and supplying our fuel efficient and environmental friendly Prius for this groundbreaking project in South Africa. South Africans and international visitors alike will benefit tremendously from Street View, which is both fun and practical. We hope that people across South Africa's major cities keep their eyes peeled for the Street View cars, and feel part of a major new initiative.” Source: TechSmart.co.za Techsmart Magazine is one of our www.MyByte.co.za Media Partners. To subscribe to the Mybyte Posts RSS feed click here http://snurl.com/hxhhj. Still not registered on www.MyByte.co.za ? Join the online network that connects the entire ICT industry in one room –virtually. Simply click here http://www.mybyte.co.za/signup.php its simple and it’s free! Follow us on twitter @mybyte and @TechSmartMag
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According to AndroLib.com, an Android apps directory, the Android Market now offers more than 10 000 apps to users. The figure represents more than 100% growth for the apps market in just four months, although no official figures have been released by Google.
The other interesting figure is that approximately 64% of all apps in the Android Market are free. Seeing as we can only download free apps in South Africa on the market, at the moment, this is pretty good news. Coincidently, or otherwise, AndroLib’s statistics reflect that approximately 64% of apps on the market have received “satisfactory” ratings by users.
You can download the market for your HTC Android device on the Leaf website. The other good news is that more Android devices will soon be available in SA from manufacturers such as HTC, Motorola and Samsung. Source: TechSmart.co.za
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 The iPhone 3GS has landed in South Africa.
Apple’s latest iPhone, what it describes as the “the fastest most powerful iPhone yet,” is set for official launch today, 31 July 2009. You heard right: it's already available.
With its iPhone 3.0 OS, featuring video capturing and editing, Voice Control and a digital Compass, the 3GS is apparently twice as fast at rendering web pages, opening email attachments and launching applications as it predecessor.
All this iPhone magic will come at a price however. We just got a look at the official pricing sheet and contract pay ins vary between R1999 for an iPhone 500S (R925pm subscription) and R5199 for a basic iPhone WeekenderS (R249pm subscription 32GB) contract. There are also financing options available. Visit Vodacom for more info on pricing.
Source: www.techsmart.co.za
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Amazon announced today that its Kindle ebook reader will be made available to consumers around the world, including South Africa.
The Kindle with its 6" display, 3G wireless technology and abundance of features is a great platform for downloading books, magazines, newspapers and personal documents and reading them in a digital format. The Kindle Store also features more than 200 000 English-language titles, making the platform very appealing indeed.
“We have millions of customers in countries all over the world who read English-language books,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “Kindle enables these customers to think of a book and download it wirelessly in less than 60 seconds.”
The news that Amazon has also cut the price of the reader should be well received as well. Consumers can now buy the device for $279. Amazon is already accepting international pre-orders and will begin shipping units from 19 October 2009.
Some things to bear in mind:
You will still have to pay customs duties, import taxes and other fees levied by SARS.
The Kindle ships with a U.S. power adapter and a micro-USB cable for charging.
All books and newspapers are priced in US Dollars.
Access to Amazon’s experimental web browser for the Kindle will not be available in South Africa to begin with.
For more information browse to www.amazon.com/kindle. Techsmart Magazine is one of our www.MyByte.co.za Media Partners. To subscribe to the Mybyte Posts RSS feed click here http://snurl.com/hxhhj. Still not registered on www.MyByte.co.za ? Join the online network that connects the entire ICT industry in one room –virtually. Simply click here http://www.mybyte.co.za/signup.php its simple and it’s free! Follow us on twitter @mybyte
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Netbooks the new smartphones?
Publish date: 24 August 2009 by Michael Joubert
As if the world of cellphones wasn’t enough, Nokia is now branching off into the murky world of PCs. The Finnish company today launched the Nokia Booklet 3G, a sweet looking aluminium netbook with a 10” HD ready display. Weighing in at 1.25 kg and boasting impressive connectivity options including Wi-Fi and 3G/ HSDPA, the Booklet seems to be no small-fry. What impressed us though is the inclusion an HDMI port for connecting it to HD devices, while A-GPS can assist in location based services and navigation.
"A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility," said Kai Oistamo, Nokia's Executive Vice President for Devices. "We are in the business of connecting people and the Nokia Booklet 3G is a natural evolution for us.”
Not a lot more is known about the device since a full announcement will only be made at Nokia World on 2 September 2009. Nokia SA could not provide pricing or a SA release date. .jpg)
Techsmart is one of our www.MyByte.co.za Media Partners. You can find Techsmart magazine on www.techsmart.co.za . To subscribe to the Mybyte Posts RSS feed click here http://snurl.com/hxhhj. Still not registered on www.MyByte.co.za ? Join the online network that connects the entire ICT industry in one room –virtually. Simply click here http://www.mybyte.co.za/signup.php its simple and it’s free!
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In 2002 the legendary David Bowie said: “Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity.” He showed great insight into the fact that, with the coming of the digital age, music is everywhere. Nokia is going out of their way to prove the Thin White Duke right with yesterday’s launch of “Comes with Music” in Sandton, Johannesburg.
It’s a crazy offer and the break down is: buy any of the “Comes with Music” phones and you get free music for a year. Really. Unlimited downloads from the Nokia Music Store with its selection of over 5 million tracks, for one year, yours to keep on your phone and one dedicated PC.
The Comes with Music range of phones include the Nokia 5130 XpressMusic Comes with Music edition (exclusive to MTN), the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic and the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic, and are available from MTN, Cell C, Nashua Mobile and Autopage cellular.
The catch? Well, we’re not quite sure, there doesn't seem to be one. Obviously strict DRM is in place since you are able to store music only on your phone and one PC, but that is expected. All that we know is that customers will use a lot of bandwidth, and we think the cellular service providers that signed up for Comes with Music knows that too.
Jake Larsen, Nokia’s head of music for Middle East and Africa, say, "This is the most compelling digital music offer ever introduced in South Africa and around the world.” We tend to agree.
Nokia FAQ about Comes with Music
1. What is Comes with Music?
Comes with Music is a revolutionary way for people to discover and enjoy music. When you buy a Comes with Music device from Nokia, you can download as many songs as you like from the millions available on the Nokia Music Store, for 12 or 18 months.
2. How much does it cost?
It depends on what handset you buy and whether there are operator fees attached. Visit your local Nokia Music Store at http://www.music.nokia.com for more information on Comes with Music and supported devices.
3. Can I get Comes with Music on my existing Nokia device?
Comes with Music is not sold separately – simply buy a new Comes with Music device and you’ll be able to access as much music as you like, wherever you are, whenever you want.
4. What content can I download from the Nokia Music Store?
Nokia Music Store has over 5 million tracks and is growing every day. You can find international household names as well as more obscure artists and bands from all four major labels and a wealth of independent labels.
5. Are the songs I download mine to keep?
Absolutely. Once the 12 or 18 month access has ended, you can keep all the music you’ve downloaded for your registered devices. You can also purchase new music to add to your collection. The ‘Music Vault’ in your Nokia Music Store account contains all the tracks you’ve ever downloaded – and, for up to two years after your subscription has expired, you can download them all over again if you lose your phone or your PC.
6. Can I play the music I download on more than one device?
Downloaded tracks will only play on the mobile device and personal computer that are registered to your Comes with Music account. Comes With Music tracks cannot be transferred to non-Comes With Music devices, but you can change the registered PC once every three months during your 12 or 18 months access period, and for two years after the subscription ends.
7. Can I share my music with my friends?
Yes, tracks and playlists can be shared between other registered Comes with Music subscribers (subject to confirmation that the user holds an active Comes with Music subscription. If the receiving user does not have a subscription, they can easily purchase rights to play tracks they have received).
8. Are the tracks DRM-free?
The tracks available on the Nokia Music Store currently have Windows Media DRM in place. Comes with Music offers tremendous value and great appeal due to the volume of music people can download and keep forever. That said, we are constantly discussing with the music industry about how to evolve Comes with Music and further enrich the proposition we currently have, including offering DRM-free music.
9. How does the music industry and artists make money from the service?
Nokia have developed a truly innovative business model in collaboration with the music industry that allows everyone involved to make a profit. The scale of the Nokia Comes with Music service is sufficient to generate significant additional revenue for the music industry, artists, labels and other stakeholders.
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Gmail Labs have been busy creating some really cool features for Gmail, with a lot of them meant to spare you embarrassment down the line. These "embarrassment-reducers" include:
Undo Send which lets you retract a message up to 10 seconds after you’ve sent it. Perfect for those moments when you realise that you maybe shouldn’t say that to your boss, or that maybe you haven’t given him your whole mind and want to write some more.
Mail Goggles kicks in when you’ve had a few too many and want to start emailing your ex. So if you want to send an email between 10 pm and 4 am on a weekend, Gmail will send you some maths problems to solve before you can blast off those Jägermeister soaked love letters.
The latest of these features is what Google Labs is calling “Got the wrong Bob?” This is for those mails you wanted to send to Bob Geldof, but accidentally mailed to Bob Mugabe instead. After activating it from the Labs tab under Gmail Settings, Gmail will ask you if you meant to mail another person with the same name as the person listed in your email. The suggestions are based on persons you email the most often.
Go here for more info on what’s on offer at Gmail Labs. Techsmart Magazine is one of our www.MyByte.co.za Media Partners. To subscribe to the Mybyte Posts RSS feed click here http://snurl.com/hxhhj. Still not registered on www.MyByte.co.za ? Still not registered on www.MyByte.co.za ? Join the online network that connects the entire ICT industry in one room –virtually. Simply click here http://www.mybyte.co.za/signup.php its simple and it’s free! Register on mybyte and stand in line to win an Acer Aspire Netbook in October
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TS 70 July 2009: The Danger of Complacency If Google is worried about cyber attacks, shouldn't you be? When news first broke about the MJ ’s death the BBC reported that Google thought it was under attack due to the sudden spike in “Michael Jackson” searches. Admittedly MJ’s death affected many people’s sense of security in varying ways. But a “professional” cyber criminal would have to be short a few straws if he / she (to be PC) didn't exploit such a major web event by sending spam or setting up malicious sites designed to steal your personal info. The thing is, conmen never rest. So while you may heed the barrage of warnings security companies release in the aftermath of these media feeding frenzies you should be wary at all times. The news of police uncovering a major SMS banking fraud syndicate right here in SA serving as a bold reminder. The ways these baddies are out to get you are as sinister online as off, check out our Digital Hustle feature on some of the imaginative scams conmen are using of late, and not just the regular phising or 419 scams. We also put together a little guide on life threatening situations online, aptly titled “ How not to die online”. Remember- constant vigilance. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. Enjoy the online spread we've laid out this month. Thomas McKinnon <thomas@techsmart.co.za > Thanks to the PC and the Net many people are turning their backs on the old “all rights reserved” paradigm and embracing Creative Commons. Is CC the futre of online publishing? The E75 is Nokia's latest ESeries offering. It features a slide-out QWERTY and excellent email support options. With its superb build quality and document support it is a strong business device. So what's our problem with it? HP's Pavilion notebook features not only eye-catching design, but a very impressive line-up of features. We put it through its paces. TW10 is one of the best sports games we've ever played. The Wii MotionPlus controller adds a genuine simulation component and the game is loaded with
content. What makes it the king of swing? Leaving your child in the hands of a stranger can be disconcerting. Here’s how to make a Teddy Bear Nanny-Cam that will keep an eye on out on your behalf. Victor Dronov is the Product Manager for Kaspersky Lab’s Mobile Solutions Unit. We chatted to him about the mobile threats users face and the launch of Kaspersky’s Mobile Security 8.0. Also check out the full review. In this new segment our Photoshop Teacher will help you improve your Photoshop skills. First lesson: Selective Desaturation. Overcome your Photoshop fears . Red Faction PS3 and Xbox games with collectable figurine, Kaspersky Mobile Security 8.0, Hacking for Dummies books and Encyclopedia Britannica 2009 software. More prizes up for grabs than ever before. Register as a member:
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 The first thing you notice about the HP DV3 is its eye catching design. Gone is the plain black body found on so many notebooks. Instead you have a design minded motif, not only spicing up the outer lid but also the space below the keyboard.
What’s on offer?
So what does the DV3 have on offer? First off, it carries a very decent 320GB of hard disk space, enough to store a number of series, movies and music onboard, without having to worry about hooking up your portable hard drive. Add to this an Intel Core 2 Duo processor T6400 (2.0 GHz) and a very decent 3072MB RAM and you have a PC not only able to handle your entertainment requirements, but also pulling its weight in the work department. Speaking of weight, the DV3 is a little bit smaller than standard laptop size. It weighs about 2.2 kg, so it’s not a bother to carry around. The 13.4" screen is decent, although with a resolution of 1366 x 768, it doesn’t qualify as full HD.
Connectivity
The DV3 is tops with connectivity, and includes an HDMI port to hook it up to an HD screen, as well as an eSATA connection for faster data transfer. You’ll also find a PC Express Slot, a data card reader, as well as Wi-Fi onboard. HP includes a stock standard webcam and a fingerprint reader for biometric security. Finally your DVD requirements are fulfilled by a LightScribe Super Multi 8x DVD optical drive. The power cord is a little bit longer than the standard length,but one minor niggle is that the power cord plugs in at the side, and not the back, which means having to deal with a protruding cable all the time.
Remote Control
We really enjoyed the included mini remote. It’s just a shame that some functions only works with Windows Media Player (WMP), as WMP doesn’t support some video codecs. Add to this the Altec-Lansing speakers,which at least make listening to movies possible without having to call on external speakers, and you have a very respectable multimedia set-up.
The glossy keyboard you’ll either love or hate. Personally we did not like the feel and the tactile feedback, although we’re sure we could have gotten used to it in time. The touchpad left us unimpressed and made an accompanying mouse a must.
As a multimedia notebook, the DV3 sure looks the part. It's a decent size with excellent specs, and retails for R12 999 from www.hpshop.co.za.
Source: TechSmart.co.za
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 The Nokia N97 is one of the Finnish company’s most highly anticipated handsets yet. It’s been described as “the best Nokia ever”, and been dubbed (like many others before it) an “iPhone killer”. On the flip side there has been some criticism, from the Yanks mainly, that it isn't exactly a showstopper. After spending a bit of time with it we have a few opinions of our own.
Okay, the N97 doesn’t have a capacitive touch screen, scrolling while browsing is a bit of a nuisance and it could have done with a more powerful processor. The iPhone and HTC Magic beat it on all these fronts and a few more besides.
But the N97 has so many multimedia and connectivity features your head will spin. Included is Wi-Fi, AGPS, RealPlayer, TV-out, podcasting functionality, a digital compass and geo-tagging apart for all the regular stuff you expect from an Nseries device. Its QWERTY keypad is one of the best we’ve ever used (apart from the stupid placement of the space bar), and its 5 megapixel camera knocks out the 3 megapixel smartphone competition.
The N97 just feels like a sophisticated, Internet savvy phone, especially with its widget based home screen. The screen is completely customisable with a maximum of eight widgets that constantly display live news feeds such as News24, Facebook status updates or other web based events.
So if you’re a Symbian lover that wants a phone that has it all, and aren’t too bothered about a lightning quick interface, the N97 will be your “best phone ever.”
For the full review, technical specifications and price visit TechSmart.co.za.
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 A new iPhone 3G S or Nokia N97 is nice; but let’s face it these phones are in a specific price bracket, one that isn't exactly budget friendly. HTC’s new Snap is their new entry level Windows Mobile based smartphone, and as far as we’re concerned it’s a pretty decent piece of work. Not only does it have a quality build and excellent battery life, but it also includes Wi-Fi, a feature some pricier phones don't even include.
Design and layout The Snap looks pretty decent with its 2.4” LCD and QWERTY keyboard. The plastic casing does not feel cheap and it seems as if HTC took a bit of inspiration from the BlackBerry Curve. At about 12 mm it is slim and also quite light at 120 g. For us the QWERTY keyboard was spaced just a little too tightly to be really comfortable. The positioning of the TAB button directly next to the A sometimes results in a miss-press that sees you irritatingly having to delete four times to get back to where you want to be. It is not the best QWERTY we’ve come across, but it’s still preferable to any touch-screen. The trackball that helps with navigation is ok, but might take some getting use to. Email Setting up Gmail on the phone wasn’t a problem, although the Snap can’t set up all addresses straight from the web, so you might need your email settings. HTC included a nice little shortcut key named “Inner Circle”. It’s an easy way to group messages from certain people you mark as important, but hardly the key selling point that HTC wants you to believe it is. There is also a direct button to Windows Live Messenger which is nice if you are signed up to this service. Connectivity As far as connectivity goes the Snap delivers both HSDPA and Wi-Fi. A-GPS is included, but there is unfortunately no navigation software loaded except for Google Maps. If you want to edit documents Office Mobile allows you to, but you can’t create documents from scratch. There wasn't anything else on the application side that really caught our eye. The Windows home screen interface is customizable but HTC didn’t opt for a grand interface like they did on the HTC Diamond, rather things are kept pretty low key. Camera Don’t expect too much from the Snap on the imaging side since it only includes a 2 megapixel camera. When it comes to listening to music it does not perform much betters, since you can only use the provided headset as the Snap does not include a 3.5 mm jack. There isn't really storage space to load music or video on the device itself either. It does have a MicroSD card slot, but the phone we received for review didn't come with bundled memory. Conclusion Compared to another recently tested Windows Mobile 6.1 phone, the Samsung C6625, we enjoyed the HTC Snap a lot more. Firstly because of its excellent battery life, but it’s also a smarter looking phone and includes Wi-Fi. One thing though remains the same- the Windows 6.1 backend, which we just can’t get a liking for. Personally we can’t wait for Windows Mobile 6.5, which with a bit of luck will be here in October according to the folks at Leaf, and better still with a Windows Mobile app market in tow.
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 Most computers you buy these days will come with some kind of burning software, which might be adequate for writing the odd CD here and there, but if you really want to organise your media files you might want a suite of software that does more than just copy from one place to another.
Roxio has long been a Mac fan's product of choice for burning software and is also available on PC. We tried out the top of the heap, Titanium Pro, that is armed to the teeth with features and functionality. Roxio brands this package as "Burn, Copy, Listen, Watch" and Pro lets you do that and far more. We found the interface to be intuitive and quite easy to use. It seems software developers have moved away from thousands of buttons to a simpler, "doing things well" approach.
Toast Pro includes all the features that the standard versions do, but you can also create soundtracks for your movies, remove unwanted noise, burn Blu-ray discs and create HD slideshows. R1799 incl VAT.
Source: TechSmart.co.za
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The Acer Veriton N260G ultra light PC is what some are calling a nettop, basically a small form factor desktop doing for PCs what the netbook did for notebooks, well sort of. With dimensions of just 192 x 192 x 36 mm the N260G is a revelation in desktop computing.
The N260G has an Intel N280 1.66 GHz Atom processor, an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M, 1 GB of RAM and a 160 GB hard drive. This is on par with what is currently being fitted in netbooks, so stating the obvious you’re basically getting the same processing power as a netbook, complete with Atom processor.
Notably the machine does offer an HDMI output which you won’t find on many netbooks or desktop PC’s for that matter. Over and above all the regular interfaces you also get six USB 2.0 ports and a 4-in-1 multi-card reader.
The one feature that Acer is pushing is the N260G’s VESA Mounting Interface Standard (MIS) which basically allows you to snap the neat diamond shaped case onto the back of an LCD display. This makes it ideal when desktop space is at a premium. Otherwise it does come packaged with a retractable stand that allows you to stand it upright, but be warned the stand does feel a little flimsy. 
While all this may sound a little underwhelming, it isn’t. Put all of those specs together and you have yourself a rather versatile machine. The fact that it has an HDMI output and can be neatly hidden behind your LCD TV makes it an ideal media PC. We hooked it up to an HD TV via HDMI and it worked well enough for watching high-quality video, though it did struggle a little with full HD video. A 160 GB hard drive is nothing to turn your nose up at either, but you’ll probably want an external hard drive for storing most of your media files.
As an office machine it is equally impressive. It can save a ton of office space and save a company bucket loads on hardware costs. We used the machine to do some photo editing, email checking, spreadsheet construction and all sorts of other low-resource activities that the vast majority of office workers engage in, including checking Facebook and playing Solitaire. It performed these tasks with few, if any, hiccups.
While we were surprised by the N260G’s versatility, it does have its shortcomings. The model we looked at lacked Wi-Fi capabilities. While Acer does have a Wi-Fi capable model it isn’t currently available in South Africa. Wi-Fi would have made it that much more desirable as a media PC and an office machine, especially when clipping it to an LCD display.
Our other niggle was the lack of an optical drive. This one is excusable however due to the machine’s size. It would have been great but we can live with purchasing an external drive. What we would like to know though, is why they box machines that lack an optical drive with recovery CDs? Could we not get a flash disk or some other, more practical option?
The Veriton N260G has an RRP of R4999 incl. VAT. The unit we received also came packaged with a wired Acer mouse and keyboard. This is rather pricey though considering that you’ve essentially sacrificed performance for form factor. For the same sacrifice in a netbook you get mobility thrown into the equation. Call Tarsus on 011 531 1000 for more information. Source: TechSmart.co.za
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Since their inception tablet PCs have been given a bit of a bad wrap. Can HP change their fortune with the multi-touch capable tx2?
The concept behind tablet PCs is very noble. Take a regular notebook and enable the screen to turn and fold onto the keyboard. Ta Da- now you can write and work on a portable tablet. The reality is that up until now tablets have had a very limited appeal in the marketplace.
Multi-touch
HP is trying to change all this with their TouchSmart tx2 notebook (yes they call it a notebook, but trust us it’s a tablet).
The ace up their sleeve is the 12.1" TouchSmart multi-touch screen. In fact, HP is marketing the tx2 as the world’s first multi-touch consumer notebook. What HP’s multi-touch allows you to do is use two fingers when interacting with the screen to, for example stretch a photo, turn it around and zoom into it.
We’ve seen this technology before on the iPhone, BlackBerry Storm and MacBook, and it was excellent experiencing it on a Windows based notebook. It really shines in MediaSmart Photo and MediaSmart World, two exclusive HP creations where you can play around with your pics in a Google World like globe. Apart from this though the practical use of multi-touch is still very limited.
Specs
The tx2 isn’t cheap, it retails at a hefty R14 999, so we were glad to see HP didn’t skimp on specs and added extras. Ours came with a spacious 320 GB hard disk, a solid 3072 MB of DDR2 RAM, and ran on the commendable AMD Turion X2 2.2 GHz dual-core processor. Of course it has Wi-Fi and a bunch of multimedia extras such as a webcam, a mini remote and 5-in-1 media reader. We appreciated the inclusion of an extra 4-cell battery with the regular 8-cell one, and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 graphics card came in very handy. What we missed though is an HDMI port to connect it to HD equipment.
The machine HP sent us came with Windows 7 nogal, but it is expected that it will run on Vista Home Premium.
Battery
The tx2’s build quality is really solid and it comes across as a very robust machine with a nicely designed skin. Some might complain about the battery that is not flush, but we actually liked the elevation that the protrusion gave the machine when flat, and it added extra grip when holding it as a tablet. The tx2 though is not a netbook in weight, and at more than 2 kg it gets a bit hefty carrying around.
Overall
If rumours of an Apple tablet are true we can expect a rise in popularity of tablets. When this happens the HP is set up nicely to become the leader of the Windows tablet pack. With the tx2’s multi-touch HP is allowing us a glimpse into the future and we suspect that this technology will become ubiquitous on tablets. The tx2 is a very good notebook , but if you buy it only for the multi-touch you will be left disappointed.
R14 999.00 at the HP Experience Store in Sandton. Source: TechSmart.co.za
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 More than five years ago Nokia released the amazing 5140. It was rugged, had a small flashlight and was built to handle the hard knocks. Even today people swear by it.
Leap forward to 2009 and the outdoor phone market is more than ready for an upgrade.
Samsung’s B2100 is both dust and shock resistant, contains a flashlight, has good noise cancellation, and is submersible up to 1 m for 30 minutes. So it ticks all the correct boxes for outdoor usage, but what else?
Well not much unfortunately, not even GPS. At least the old Nokia had a digital compass, a small spirit level, thermometer and a sound meter, and that was 5 years ago. The Samsung contains none of these nifty little features. In its defence it does offer excellent battery life, an MP3 player with good external speakers (although no 3.5 mm jack for your own earphones), a microSD card expansion slot, and voice recorder. The 1.3 megapixel camera is nothing to write home about, and that doubles for the small, pixelated TFT screen.
If we were given a choice between the five year old Nokia 5140 and the new Samsung B2100, we might just stick with the Nokia. That said the B2100 does exactly what is was designed to do and it does it well. Source: TechSmart.co.za
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The Nok ia 5630 Xpressmusic is one of three devices given “Comes with Music” status by Nokia, which basically allows you unrestricted access to the Nokia Music Store for a year. But that’s not the only reason we would recommend the device.
Look past the cover
The look of the device isn’t particularly inspiring, although we must say it is rather slim at just 12 mm thick. Its classic design, plain styling and slim profile make it rather comfortable in hand or in pocket.
As an Xpressmusic device its music controls, located on the left side of its display, are easy to use and always within reach of either your right forefinger or your left thumb. Its camera button is a little discreet though, on the bottom right side of the case. Removing a microSD card, the port located just above the camera button, is also bit of a pain in the backside.
While music is one of the phone’s strongpoints, its screen isn’t. At 2.2" this 240 x 320 QVGA screen is just too small to browse the web or watch video comfortably. It is worth noting that the display does its job though, visible in even the brightest conditions.
Despite its rather ordinary looks and disappointing display the 5630 is a powerful smartphone. It supports HSDPA 3G, Wi-Fi connectivity and N-Gage gaming. It also comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera, runs on Symbian S60 v9.3 and has an impressive ARM 11 600 MHz processor putting it right up there with some of the most powerful processors currently available in smartphones.
Music
While the music player is the standard one you find in all S60 devices it’s more than competent for the job and incredibly easy to use. As you’d expect on a music device, you get a 3.5 mm jack, to go with your hardware controls, so you can plug in your own headphones. Beyond the music player, music applications available on the handset include an FM radio, a music search function, a recorder and of course Nokia Music Store access.
What really impressed us was the device’s audio quality. You expect good quality in a music-centric device but the 5630 really delivered with a decent onboard speaker too. We could happily listen to music using just the onboard speaker.
Usability
As the 5630 runs on Symbian S60 v9.3, you will notice a few changes to the Nokia standby screen and UI in general. You now get a favourite Contacts list complete with the contact’s name and photo. One-touch access to emails, the web, music and other multimedia applications is also present on the standby screen.
The device’s menu layout was logical and finding applications or folders was uncomplicated, that’s if you’re used to using a Nokia device. You’ll also notice that moving through applications and menus is lightening quick due to the Symbian OS and powerful processor. This is especially noticeable when scrolling through your pictures.
One thing that we really enjoyed about the interface was the ability to manage connections as you open apps that require a data connection. With so many connectivity options available to you on the device, this makes it a lot easier to control your data usage, either through the 3G connection or on your local WLAN.
Other features
Despite its entertainment focus the 5630 also offers a number of business applications. A calendar, Zip application, notes, converter, Adobe PDF reader, calculator, a dictionary and an office docs viewer are all there.
On the gaming side we were a little disappointed that Nokia neglected to preinstall a single game. The device does support N-Gage though, which means you’ll have to pay for your games. On the positive side there was an activation code for a game in the box which means you do at least get one freebie. We were left wondering when “Comes With Games” would be released though.
While the 5630 offers a decent 3.2 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, we were a little perturbed by the lack of an auto-focus feature. This makes taking pics a real hassle and really affects the quality of the pictures you can take on the go.
Another thing we found rather confusing was the packaged USB cable. As you can sync your downloaded music with a single PC, under the “Comes With Music” DRMs, and seeing as the handset can be charged via USB, we assumed that a decent data cable would come standard with the device. Instead we got a ridiculously short (12 cm long) data cable packaged with the phone.
Final word
Nokia’s “Comes With Music” is such a ridiculously good offer that it is difficult to pay much attention to the hardware that comes with the package. The 5630 stands out as a smartphone however. It looks plain, has a gimmick free interface and could have been better on a number of fronts but it works well because of all this simplicity. Its price can’t be faulted either.
Source: www.techsmart.co.za
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 If you’ve ever tried to read a PDF novel on your PC, you’ll know it can be a frustrating experience. Not only is it a strain on the eyes, but a PC isn’t necessarily as comfy as a book to snuggle up with in bed. Actually it’s downright horrible, and an ebook reader is much more preferable.
One of the first ebook readers to be locally available in SA is Foxit’s eSlick. This device makes reading PDFs a far more relaxing and entertaining experience. It works as follows: you download PDFs on the provided 2 GB SD card (or save them to the 512 MB internal memory), stick it in the eSlick and then open your book of choice up on screen. The actually size of the device is no more than a very thin paperback, and at 180 g it also doesn’t weigh much more either. When inserted in the synthetic leather cover, a must-have protection for the eSlick, it is a bit heavier, but we never felt strained using it.
E Ink Screen
The 6"screen is not a regular LCD and doesn’t emit any light of its own. Instead it’s made up of what is called E Ink. The interesting thing about this is that it doesn’t use electricity when displaying PDFs, rather it uses up charge when you “turn” a page. That’s why its battery life is measured in page turns, and in the eSlick’s case it takes in excess of 8000 of these before recharge is necessary. The screen is readable in the same amount of light as regular paper and doesn’t strain your eyes. In fact we actually preferred the eSlick for reading outside in the sun.
The E Ink screen doesn’t display in colour, but rather in four level gray-scale. This is the case with all the ebook readers currently available, including the Kindle (16 levels) and the Sony Reader (also 16 levels). Getting the PDF to display in the correct reading size was never a problem since you do have zoom capabilities, font resizing, and also “reflow” which changes the layout to fit the screen. These settings are saved so when you start reading your book again, not only will it open to the last page you were on, but with all the correct display settings. This is done for the last five books you’ve accessed.
Downside
So what’s there not to like about the eSlick? Well not a lot really. It takes its time to start-up, and this is also the case when accessing the menu and scrolling through the options. We would have preferred if it opened up directly to the novel that was last read when switched on, instead it opts for a start-up screen and then the main menu.
It doesn’t include 3G wireless to connect to online bookstores for direct downloads, which is the case with the Kindle. It does include an MP3 player so you’re able to listen to music while reading. At this stage the eSlick can only read PDF and .txt files and not the EPUB standard. This will supposedly be added by a future firmware upgrade.
Versus a real book
Does it beat a real book though? Not in the romantic sense, no. There is not distinct paper smell when opening up a PDF, while you also don’t have a full colour cover to judge the book by. You won’t find yourself all excited in a second hand book store after finding a rare first edition of a long out-of-print PDF. But it’s damn convenient, and the fact that you can store a whole library on this portable device makes it a joy for traveling.
That said, we would not particularly feel comfortable taking the eSlick to the beach. It doesn’t seem immune to drops, and definitely not to an absent minded bottom sitting on it. At R2999 the convenience definitely doesn’t come cheap.
The Foxit eSlick comes with earphones and Foxit Reader Pro Pack and PDF creator software. For more info call 083-702-8991or visit www.eslick.co.za.
Source: www.techsmart.co.za
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 Thin-and-light notebooks were a trend many manufactures latched onto this year. With ultra-low voltage processors (CULV) and low consumption batteries these notebooks offer a middle ground between desktop replacements and netbooks.
Acer’s new business centric Travelmate Timeline series is one of the best examples of the thin-and-light segment we’ve seen thus far. The 14" Timeline 8471 in particular caught our attention with its reasonably sized display, truly amazing battery life claims and slight profile. It even includes an 8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive a rarity in the thin-and-light segment.
Innovation
The Timeline 8471 is a great example of a thin-and-light notebook because it offers the perfect blend of mobility without too great a sacrifice on the processing front. It sports a uniform black magnesium alloy chassis which simultaneously makes it durable and light.
The 8471 also boasts some impressive innovations including Intel’s Laminar Wall Jet technology, an Intel Core 2 Duo Su7300 1.3 GHz CULV and a 62.16 W 5600 mAh 6-cell Li-ion battery. This means that you get hours of normal use battery life. Acer claim 8 hours, but we got something closer to 5 hours.
The other impressive innovation the Timeline 8471 offers is a multi-gesture trackpad. This multi-touch functionality lets you scroll up and down pages by performing a circular finger swirl, zoom in and out of pages with a pinch gesture and flick through media by swiping two fingers horizontally across the trackpad. While not as impressive as Apple's implantation of multi-touch on the MacBook it’s a very nifty feature indeed.
More conventionally
On the more conventional side the Acer Timeline 8471 offers up to 3 GB of RAM, a maximum of 250 GB of hard drive space and an Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics accelerator. Decent specs for a device offering such mobility.
The Timeline 8471 is a remarkable business notebook. The only thing that doesn’t make sense on the device is the addition of independent $ and € keys, but not independent volume controls. It retails at a recommended R12 999 which is a chunk of change but well worth it if you’re in the market of a thin-and-light notebook.
For more on the Acer Travelmate Timline 8471 visit TechSmart.co.za.
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