Sound Bomb

ViewSonic introduces new and latest devices

Let’s take a look at the Viewsonic PJD2121 first - the smallest short throw DLP pico projector from the company that tips the scales at just 2.2 pounds. This advanced device will come with integrated BrillantColor technology that is able to deliver 400 lumens of brightness, where your images are thrown at 800 x 600 SVGA native resolution, easily placing it as one of the brightest projectors available in its class. Contrast ratio for a pico projector is also pretty respectable at 1,800:1, where this combination ought to be enough to handle situations in virtually any lighting environment. It comes with a short 1:1 throw ratio that makes it perfect for tabletop personal use or for small meeting rooms, and can display images of up to 60″ from as near as just four feet away. The ‘Off to Go’ function also enables one to power the PDJ2121 automatically without having to worry about the lamp overheating due to insufficient cooling time. This filter-less design offers easy maintenance and a lower total cost of ownership, while it comes with a Kensington security lock port for added peace of mind. Each $449 purchase comes with a three-year limited parts and labor warranty, although the lamp stands at just one year.

As for the WPG-350 wireless presentation gateway, this device offers wireless capability to any compatible projector, LCD TV or large screen display without having the need to fork out a large amount of money for an embedded wireless projector. It is able to support 1,024 x 768 resolution and full-motion video up to 1080p, featuring 802.11b/g/n hi-speed wireless connectivity. Interested parties can pick up the WPG-350 wireless presentation gateway for $199.

flatbet scanner design as a book

If you are tired of the way your scanner looks, this is one way to solve the problem. Datamancer took a flatbed scanner and put it in a book that they hollowed out. Choosing the book you use could definitely change the look of the mod completely. It’d also be one way to show off your personality and the types of things you love. From the looks of things this isn’t just a book he found at your local Barnes and Nobles, but one he made himself

Sony DPF-D72N/BQ

The frame itself measures 7 inches and has a full one gigabyte of internal storage capacity. The frame can store up to 2,000 photos and features auto-resizing to make all of your photos fit. It has 800 x 480 WVGA resolution and supports JPEG and RAW (SRF, SR2, ARW) image file formats. To get your photos onto the frame, just plug the frame into your USB port on your computer. Like most photo frames like this it has various playback options and a remote control. The frame will be out this October and will cost you $150.

Nokia 5230 XpressMusic

coming with yet another model in the XpressMusic series known as Nokia 5230. TheNokia 5230 is a magnificent gadget which adds up Nokia’s touch phone profile.

The 5230 is a “teen-version” of the 5800 which comes in 6 colors (red, white, blue, green, pink and black).

HP Pavilion dv6t

A couple of days back I went with my friend for purchasing a laptop for him. We had a look at a number of laptops. But one specific laptop which caught our eye was HP Pavilion dv6t. It is my practice that I always see what the Internet has to offer regarding whatever laptop I choose in terms of the reviews, user experience and so on. I think you get my point. So in this post I would share with you what I came across during this interesting experience.

PCMag wrote quite an interesting and a detailed review discussing the pros and cons as well as recommendations for using the machine in the most efficent manner. The specifications of this machine is

• Type: General Purpose, Media, Value
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo T6400
• Processor Speed: 2 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Weight: 6 lb
• Screen Size: 16 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• Storage Capacity: 320 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW

Dual-screen laptop released this year

The world’s first laptop with twin monitors is ready to hit the stores by the end of the year. The dual-screen laptop, entitled Spacebook, was masterminded by Alaska-based technology firm gScreen.

The pioneering technology, that will let users to multi-task while on the move, will have two 15.4 in screens.

The Spacebook will run on Windows 7 and will be packed with tantalising high specs. Includes 4GB of RAM, a 7,200 RPM hard drive, DVD player and will be powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Graphics are the raison d’etre of this laptop and so the Spacebook will pack a GF900M GT graphics card from NVIDIA.

Gordon Stewart, the founder of gScreen, told US technology website, that the gadget could be expected to be on Amazon by December this year, provided final modifications had been dealt with.

Nokia N86

Since cell phones first came out, Nokia has been on the leading edge of the newest technology innovations.

The N86 isn’t the highest resolution camera phone out there but it is still far better than others. But unless you want to print your photos in sizes larger than A4, the resolution the N86 offers is more than enough.

This phone has got a pretty defined and classy look, and successfully manages to avoid looking too plastic. A two-way slider(just as of Nokia N95), the phone allows users to access its various features and functions easily.

With Carl Zeiss optics, the N86 features a wide-angle lens. This is a good choice, as most people using their camera phones are likely to capture portraits of friends and other people shots, versus images of landscapes and such.

In camera mode, the Nokia offers users several scene modes (automatic, user defined, close-up, portrait, landscape, sport and night), as well as capture modes (still, sequence, self-timer, video and panorama).

With a dedicated camera button, taking pictures is easy, but tweaking camera setting might take a little getting used to.

The N86 offers GPS features. The feature also geo-tags your shots, so you will know where you snapped them.

Translation feature in Google Docs

Google Docs is a free web-based word processor and spreadsheet, which allows you to share and collaborate online. It accepts most popular file formats, including DOC, XLS, ODT, ODS, RTF, CSV, PPT.

Most of us daily use Google docs as it is a useful application for sharing documents, but it didn’t allow for sharing across different languages.

Now instead of going to another site to translate and edit the documents, you can do it at one place in Google Docs. First type the document and then translate it easily with a click of a button.

Today Google has released a feature for Google Docs to make this kind of multi-lingual sharing easier. Now you can automatically translate documents into 42 different languages.

Google search swaps Yahoo in UK

Google search has incredibly swapped Yahoo’s web search engine in UK development for natural and sponsored results on BT Yahoo, the online portal for BT Broadband users that is run by Yahoo.

The co-branded BT Yahoo service was initially launched in Sept 2003 and provided a wide-range of Y! services to BT Broadband users, including search. The new service will continue to provide Yahoo services such as email, but the Y! search engine has now been replaced by Google’s.

Google and Yahoo in 2008, also agreed for a deal in the US to replace Yahoo sponsored listings with Google’s higher value listings, but the deal was unfortunately not succeeded and ran into the Justice Department issues. However this amazing development definitely leads in replacing not only Yahoo sponsored results, but the whole Yahoo web search engine i.e. natural results with Google’s. However the image and video results still seem to be coming from Yahoo.

The deal accelerated the market share of BT. Contrasting in the US where Microsoft and Yahoo have respectable shares of the search market. The situation in the UK is very different with Google totally dominating the UK search market with over 90% of the market.

Microsoft Bing SDK for iPhone and Mac

Microsoft has rolled out a Bing Software Development Kit (SDK) for iPhone as well asMAC. The SDK is now available for download on the Codeplex community development site. Kristin Meldahl who happens to be a product manager at Microsoft informed about the release of Bing SDK for iPhone and MAC as as an open-source project under the MS-PL (Microsoft Public License). Here is what the SDK provides:

• The ability to easily query Bing from within your Cocoa or Cocoa Touch application.
• Perform both synchronous and asynchronous queries.
• Search Bing for Web, Image, Video, News, and Phonebook results.

Facebook agres to addres concern

OTTAWA, CANADA:Facebook has agreed to add significant new privacy safeguards and make other changes in response to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's recent investigation into the popular social networking site's privacy policies and practices.

The company's decision to implement the Privacy Commissioner's recommendations is a positive step towards bringing Facebook in line with the requirements of Canada's privacy law.

"These changes mean that the privacy of 200 million Facebook users in Canada and around the world will be far better protected," says Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart.

"This is extremely important. People will be able to enjoy the benefits of social networking without giving up control of their personal information. We're very pleased Facebook has been responsive to our recommendations."

Last month, the Privacy Commissioner issued a report on an in-depth investigation triggered by a complaint from the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic.

While Facebook took some steps to resolve privacy concerns, the Commissioner remained dissatisfied by Facebook's response at the end of the investigation. She was particularly concerned about the risks posed by the over-sharing of personal information with third-party developers of Facebook applications such as games and quizzes.

Facebook was given 30 days to respond to the Commissioner's report and explain how it would address the outstanding concerns. Following a review of Facebook's formal response and discussions with company officials, the Commissioner is now satisfied Facebook is on the right path to addressing the privacy gaps on its site.

"Facebook is promising to make significant technological changes to address the issue we felt was the biggest risk for users - the relatively free flow of personal information to more than one million application developers around the world," says Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, who led the investigation on behalf of the Office.

Sony a850 full frame DSLR camera

Hand Grenade USB Drive

Hercules 720p Webcam

The Hercules Dualpix HD 720p lives up to its name as it shoots in 720p HD resolution video with 1280 x 720 resolution at 30 frames per second with 16/9 format.

As for photo resolution, it has 5 megapixels in interpolated mode, and it has a 1 megapixel CMOS sensor for quality images, even in low-light conditions. There is also a high-quality built-in microphone for good sound as well.

Speaker Bags for iPod

these speaker bags don’t just look like speakers, but they are speakers foriPods, and I would imagine iPhones. It brings out about 30 watts worth of power, which is enough to disturb the salespeople and other customers as the rich girls throw high-priced items into the bag itself.

Hangman Light

TV Alarm Clock

The TV Alarm Clock will be able to brighten up just about any bedroom, and even boasts its very own remote control that allows one to activate the mood light from afar. You can choose from a quartet of wake-up tunes - definitely infinitely less compared to what your cellphone offers, but at least they’re much easier on the ears compared to the shrill ringing of most traditional alarm clocks. The TV Alarm Clock requires three AAA batteries to run and will retail for £19.99 a pop.

Sony Reader Daily Edition

The Reader Daily Edition will enable consumers to access AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband network wirelessly, connecting to Sony’s eBook store as long as they are within a decent signal range, which would practically mean from just about anywhere in the US where AT&T are concerned. I’m sure that some readers who subscribe to AT&T’s 3G service will beg to differ, but let’s leave that in the comments, shall we? Users can browse, purchase and download books while selecting various newspapers and magazines to read on demand. You won’t have to worry about additional burdens on your finances since there are no monthly fees or transaction charges for the basic wireless connectivity option. Another feature includes the option to side load personal documents or content from other compatible sites through USB connectivity.

You will find a 7″ wide touchscreen display gracing the Reader Daily Edition which ought to be more than ample for folks who want an intuitive navigation experience. That amount of viewing space also ensures a comfortable layout of content, regardless of whether you’re reading newspapers or magazines. In portrait mode, one is able to view anywhere from 30 to 35 lines of text, making one feel as though he/she is reading a printed paperback book. Other features include a high contrast ratio with 16 levels of grayscale, sufficient internal memory to store up to 1,000 eBooks and a memory card slot. Come December, you can pick up the Sony Reader Daily Edition for approximately $399.

Google Reader

Google Reader has launched their Power Readers section, complete with suggested reading lists from journalists, tech bloggers, foodies, and more.

Google expanded from Power Readers in Politics to include journalists, techies, fashion critics, foodies, and more.

In the interest of full disclosure, people at Google were nice enough to provide a small reading list for the Power Readers’ tech and web section; recommended browsing lists from others there for a look at some really good tech reading, including lists from people like Chris Anderson from Wired, Mark Frauenfelder from Boing Boing, Jason Kottke from Kottke.org, and Annalee Newitz from our sibling blog, io9.

Facebook goes for a design tweaks

• Way of providing feedback on Ads has been changed - The Thumbs up / Thumbs down option has been replaced with Like/X. What this change does is that it allows you to provide feedback for the ads using the same language that you are used to for providing your feedback on other Facebook content such as liking a link that your friend has shared with you.

• No more rounded corners – The era of rounder corners has come to an end and square corner roots are part of the new visual style.
• Facebook Header now covers the full screen width – Yup the Facebook team has extended the blue facebook Header to fill the entire screen. Plus, the layout of the items content in the header have slightly been modified.

Contact Picker in Gmail

Finally it is here. Google has brought Contact Picker to Gmail. If you are a hotmail user, you probably might be aware of the contact picker. Yes I am talking about the list that pops out once you click on the To section. Contact picker allows you to pick the from the list of contacts the intended recepients of the composed mail. Previously this feature was missing in Gmail. To add to your surprise, Contact Picker was available to use with Google Calendar and Google Docs. But anyhow the good news is that now it is available. Google explains the distinction of Contact Picker over the AutoPicker.

ere is how to use it:

• When composing a message, click on To, select the contacts and you are on your way to sending the composed email to the intended people.

What are the other cool things that can be done with Contact Picker. A few smart things that you can do with it include:

• Select contacts from one of your groups: just use the drop-down to choose from “Friends”, “Family”, “Coworkers” and other groups.
• Easily remove the contacts you’ve picked by just clicking on them.
• Manually add email addresses by clicking on an empty space from the picker’s “to” box.
• If you’ve already typed some addresses in the “to” box, the contact picker will include them when it launches.
• Add all the results of a search by clicking on “Select all”.
• The feature also works for “cc” and “bcc”.

Telenor revisits the International Call Rates

Details of the packages that come under this scheme is given below:

• Per 30 seconds charging applies on the following price plans:
• Persona Postpaid
• Talkshawk 30 seconds
• Talkshawk Har second
• Talkshawk 63
• Djuice
• Djuice Jaagtay Raho
• Djuice Din Raat

And per minute charging applies on the following:

• Talkshawk Har Minute
• Talkshawk A1