Sony Ericsson W610i

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I bought the Sony Ericsson W610i on September 17 2007 from SelectGSM at a cost of around $300 including shipping. I initally had a bad experience because I found out later that they were shipping from Hong Kong without my knowledge. The good thing is, the duties on it, coming into Canada were only $18 as the list price was around $80. It arrived a week later with absolutely nothing wrong except it had a HK charger.

Below is a picture taken from my camera at Explore Design located at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. I included it because many people are picky about how good there camera phone is. Keep in mind I did have to shrink the size of this photo.

Explore Design

My experience with the phone has been great from the start. I initally charged it for 6 hours, inserted the SIM card and I was ready to go. The only disadvantage to this phone is the top right and left button that are used occassioanly and are hard to hit especially when you buy a clear case for it. Other than that, the keypad is very easy to get used to as the buttons are small rectanges that protude out compared to a soft touch keypad on most normal cell phones. The layout of everything is amazing and navigation is a breeze. I am completely happy with my purchase because the quality of the speakers is great for just one, the menu is cool (vibrates when you navigate), camera is decent, scrolling through the Walkman is easy, and there is many features including SOS. It has a nice weight and size that fits perfectly into my hand and the colour scheme is amazing. You can't get this phone in Canada but you can order it from a website including SelectGSM and PureMobile.

 

Prototypes & Products to Be: Vol 1

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Sharp Non-iPhone Imitator

Sharp has been working on a phone for 3 years to date, that is better than the iPhone which shows just how much better our Asian competitors are. Not only do they plan better but they follow through with so much better phones in Asia that would kill in North America. This phone is titled the Sharp WSO11SH and was officially announced by Microsoft June 7th 2007 but it is just getting noticed as it is being showed at CEATEC, Japans largest electronics show, this weekend. Microsoft has a stake on this phone as they are using Windows Mobile 6 Classic but it can make VOIP calls which only WM6 Pro can do. The specs of this amazing phone are a 3"WVGA TFT screen with a total phone weight of only 157g and 18mm thin. It also has a 520Mhz CPU, 128MB SDRAM with 256MB included flash memory which can be expanded by a microSD slot. As well, there is a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and is equipped with Wifi. The most important feature though on this phone is it can't recognize 2 fingers, but it can recognize all of five (four if you want to get technical) fingers and on top of that it can scan images such as a business card.
Sony OLED TV
Sony seems like a crap company now that the PS3 is a complete failure but with the continuing success of Ericsson and there TV division finally making some huge strides, they may not be out of the game yet. Sony has just announced an 11 and 27 inch OLED TV with a contrast ratio of 1 000 000:1 coupled with a 1080p resolution and 100% NTSC colour reproduction. It is a smaller package but give it a year and it should be at a reasonable price and being offered with a bigger screen size. For an 11inch OLED TV from Sony, it'll set you back $1,740.50 at the start of the holiday shopping season, permitting the release date doesn't move.
Rivals like Toshiba, Panasonic and Samsung are still in research and development stages but Samsung is a little ahead of the pack behind Sony as they released a 40-inch prototype in May of this year. Sony's version that will go on sale is an 11 inch, 3mm thick TV set. Sony is pushing this technology because they believe it is the next big thing and they don't want to be left behind like they were at the beginning of the LCD boom.
Smile Shutter by Sony
Sony has recently released a digital camera, DSC-T200, with Smile Shutter that has the basic function as Omron Okao Visions system that recognizes how much a person is smiling from 0-100% and bases that on when to take the picture. Omrons system has not yet landed any customers but they are working hard to market it as it is better than Sony's Smile Shutter.

 

MojoPac Review: A Portable PC

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Don't have a laptop but still want the option to carry around multiple applications and Operating Systems? That's where MojoPac comes in. It's a free application that you can download onto your PC and then onto a USB, iPod, or mp3 player. It's a remarkable application as you can then put applications such as Word, MSN, Firefox, and Photoshop and then move them along where you go and insert it into a new computer or laptop and launch those applications on the new computer. Not only can you put applications, but you can put Operating Systems such as XP, Mac, or Linux plus you can put games such as Halo 2 and still run it on a new computer at the same performance. The drawback though is Vista is not available for transfering or being a host PC which limits my possibility for transfering but RingCube Technologies, the maker of MojoPac, is working on producing a Vista MojoPac.

I recommend this for families who live close together and do visit each other often because you'd be able to execute files and open files on there PC that wouldn't normally be openable because bringing over a laptop was just to much trouble. The reason it is freeware is because the company charges for the business version and they will be collecting information in the future on your use of their application. Without a doubt, this application is worth downloading. Go to MojoPac to download it and transfer away. Note: There are versions that cost money but for individuals there is a free version.

 

Kung Fu & Moto Razr2?

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I've never associated a phone with kung fu before but Motorola always like to break the ice starting with the thinnest and best selling phone. Now they break onto the ad scene with an amazing commerical designed by a Chinese animator. Just a tidbit on Motorola: it was started by a man who's first and second company went bankrupt. When thinking of a third company to start and name, he was shaving. Enjoy!

 

Leopard is Wrapped Up

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Apple's long awaited new OS for its Mac computers and laptops has been finally completed and is being readied for shipment by the end of this month. There are conflicing reports on the issue though with AppleInsider saying its true and MacRumours denying but most bloggers including me are betting on the last Friday of October, October 26, to be the release date of Leopard. The reason for releasing Leopard on the last Friday of the month is because if you look at when they rolled out the iPhone and the previous OS, Tiger, they both came out on the last Friday of there respected month, June 2007, and April 2005. Supposedly, Apple is readying its technical staff and briefing them on there new OS just before they release it. Obviously Apple is keeping its mouth shut on the issue and doesn't look to drop hints any time soon. You can pre-purchase Leopard at Amazon at a list price of $129 and take note that Amazon pegs the release date as October 31.

Apple Skins

GelaSkins has also released new iPod covers available for the iPod touch, classic, and 3rd-gen Nanos. I inform you of this because when I saw these covers, they were absolutely amazing, it'd make me buy the iPod right there and then. It still amazes me to look at them today. The beautiful part about it is not only the full colour artwork, but the use of materials. The company uses a cover from 3M which stick to the iPod using an adhesive that doesn't leave a residue when removed. They are also clear and scratch proof and come with a clear display protecter except for the iPod Touch. To view the beautiful covers costing $14.95USD each go to GelaSkins.

 

2 New Ways to Accessorize Your iPod

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The iPod supports a billion dollar industry on just iPod accessories but I do wish they'd make those accessories compatible with other mp3s. These next two accessories are pretty cool and let you stay up to date with other changing technologies. First is the Hercules i-XPS 120 Outdoor Speakers that are dust and water resistant and second, iPod cables that will work with Microsofts new Sync system that are available on all new Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles in 2008.

The Hercules i-XPS 120 is a compact speaker that has been officially certified as resistant to water spray and dust particles. It does this by housing the iPod in a watertight chamber and magnetically shielded speakers with protective grilles, plus a dust evacuation system and a shock resistant rubber frame. This company should've planned for New Orleans before the Hurricane hit if you ask me.
On top of this the speaker centre has the usual power, next/previous track and play/pause buttons with an added 3d effect which does a good job. It needs alot of juice though to power this badboy with capacity for 4 C-sized batteries but luckily it can run on an electrical outlet or a vehicle cigarette lighter. Cigarette adapter included. Cigarettes not included.
Dock connector-equiped iPods are also supported as well as the iPod shuffle which has a line in connector. It was just updated though and is able to support mp3s with a line in connector.
The second iPod accessory works with Microsofts new Sync Media Center that will be available and soon to be standard on all 2008 Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles. Once plugged in, you will be able to control the iPod on the media centers controls. Another benefit is, the iPod charges as you listen to your favourite tunes in your brand new car.
The cable works with the iPod classic, iPod nano, iPod touch, iPod mini, and fourth- and fifth-generation iPods.