Wifi
The rumors of a tablet from Research In Motion (RIM) have turned out to be true with CEO Mike Lazardis announcing the company’s PlayBook tablet at its annual BlackBerry Developer Conference. Described by RIM as a “professional-grade” tablet, the 7-inch device will be running the new BlackBerry Tablet OS created by the recently acquired QNX. It boasts BlackBerry integration, out-of-the-box BlackBerry Enterprise Server compatibility and security features designed to appeal to businesses as well as true multitasking, gaming and multimedia capabilities. Read More
HP’s web-enabled printers already featured touchscreen control panels and wireless printing but now the company has gone one step further by including a detachable 7-inch Android with its new Photosmart eStation All-in-One printer. While the prospect of a printer with a free Android tablet might sound pretty tempting, there are some caveats. Although it’s possible to browse (and print) online content using the device’s web browser, there’s no access to the Android Market with apps and widgets limited to customized print-focused offerings from the likes of Yahoo, Facebook and Snapfish. Read More
Ricoh announces Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled G700SE rugged camera
It's only been a few weeks since Ricoh unveiled its G700 rugged camera and already the next phase in its evolution has been revealed. The new G700SE retains much of the feature set of the earlier model – including the 12.1 megapixel sensor, wide-angle zoom lens and 720p high definition movie capability – but adds Bluetooth and Wi-Fi functionality to the mix. It's also water and dust resistant and able to withstand the odd rough bump. The new camera also caters for the addition of optional units to provide GPS and laser barcode reader functionality. Read More
Toshiba unveils Folio 100 media tablet at IFA
Toshiba Europe has chosen the IFA consumer electronics show to unveil its 10.1-inch Android media tablet powered by NVIDIA's Tegra II processor. The Folio 100 features an onboard camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (with a 3G model in the pipeline) and a HDMI port for viewing content on a big screen television. The company has also announced the development of an one-stop portal to access and share online content over numerous device formats. We couldn't resist the opportunity to take a closer look. Read More
Somewhere between what we've come to know as a tablet computer and a smartphone sits ViewSonic's new Viewpad 7. You might already guess from the name that this portable tablet with phone functionality sports a 7-inch touchscreen display. It runs on Android 2.2, has both Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities, and cameras at the back and front. The device is currently on show at ViewSonic's stand at IFA 2010 in Berlin, but for those not lucky enough to be in Germany this week, here's a brief summary of what's on offer. Read More
Reducing your power bill with Microsoft's Hohm
For a lot of people, the electricity bill is an unwanted piece of paper printed with angular graphs and big dollar signs, but with the rising cost of power in today's energy-conscious society it's becoming more important to understand exactly what all those lines and numbers mean. Microsoft's Hohm website aims to make sense of the jargon by providing personalized data on consumers' home energy consumption, and offering recommendations on how to save energy and reduce those bills. Read More
Apple unveils new slimmed down, streaming-focused Apple TV
The “one more thing” at Apple’s September 1 event was an updated Apple TV. Apple has certainly cranked up the ol’ shrink ray for a form factor that is 80 percent smaller than the previous generation. The rumored addition of apps didn’t eventuate nor did the rebranding to “iTV” but, as predicted, the update sees the device sporting an A4 chip and it will only be able to handle a maximum resolution of 720p. Because the new Apple TV does away with local storage altogether in favor of cloud-based storage and streaming of content, Apple says the choice of 720p was more a balance between quality and bandwidth than any rumored difficulties the A4 chip may have with Full HD content. Read More
ARCHOS announces five new Android tablet computers
Apple has pretty much defined what many of us now consider to be a tablet computer. When the term is used, we automatically think of a 9.56 x 7.47-inch (242.8 x 189.7mm) iPad. Now, French consumer electronics company Archos is about to have us question that perception with the announcement of five new internet tablets with screen sizes ranging from 2.8-inches (71mm) diagonally across to 10.1-inches (257mm). The new devices will all run on Android 2.2 (Froyo) with support for Adobe's Flash 10.1 player, be powered by either 800MHz or 1GHz processors and sport built-in 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. Read More
Sony has added to its range of 3D BRAVIA HDTVs with the announcement of the availability of three new NX810 LCD models. In screen sizes of 46-, 55- and 60-inches the sets all feature Full HD (1080p) resolution and 3D capability. DynamicEdge LED Backlighting with local dimming is employed for improved contrast while Sony’s Motionflow PRO 240Hz Technology is on board to ensure smooth motion for fast moving images. Read More
The forthcoming ST80 point-and-shoot from Samsung will allow users to upload photos and videos while on the move. The 14.2 megapixel camera has built-in Wi-Fi to cater to the immediate sharing of important moments with friends and family via email, or through social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube. The slim compact also features in-camera editing and comes with technology to sync with other wireless devices such as digital photo frames. Read More