Panasonic released the new Toughbook CF-30 notebook, which features 13.3-inch XGA touchscreen, 1.66 GHz L2400 Core Duo processor and slot for extra battery or disc drive. The Toughbook family has long used anti-glare and anti-reflective screen coatings, and now it offers 1,000 Nit (candelas per square meter, a measure of brightness). Manufacturer guarantees that the new CF-30 is twice as bright as most rugged notebooks.
The laptop weighs 8.2 pounds and delivers a battery life of more than 6 hours (depending on conditions of usage). It comes with a magnesium alloy cases, sealed keyboards, ports and hard drives which make it drop-kick ready. Priced at USD 4,700.
D-Link enters the mobile phone market with a great announcement: a cell-phone that can switch between cellular and Wi-Fi networks, with a tri-band GSM and a 802.11 Wi-Fi access, that allows users to take advantage of VOiP. The new V-CLICK features Opera Mobile browser, e-mail functionality and a color screen display with 176 by 220 pixels. The phone works at 900/1800/1900 MHz bands, but not the 850 MHZ one, crucial to indoor reception in North America.
We almost forget Sony has been through hard times with all that explosives batteries stuff when we see this new all-colorful Vaio line. C series notebooks now goes on a fashion way and offers five new color: Espresso Black, Urban Gray, Blush Pink, Spring Green and Seashell White. The come with Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of DDR 2 SDRAM expandable to 2GB, memory stick card reader, a choice of 100GB or 200GB hard drive storage and a DVD±R/RW. Prices around USD 1,649.99 and USD 3,399.99
BenQ launched the Joybook A51, that features a 15.1” UltraVivid widescreen and Intel Core Duo Processor. It has a SiS Mirage Graphics M662 MXZ+966LZ chipset, 256 MB DDR2 (up to 2 GB), 60/80/100/120 GB HD 5400 RPM SATA and Bluetooth Connectivity. Weights 2.5 Kg.
Verizon Launches Motorola's KRZR K1m, a cell phone that features music player with exterior touch sensor controls, a 1.3 mega pixel camera, bluetooth connectivity and expandable microSD memory. It is available for USD 199.99 with a 2-year contract, or USD 249.99 for a single year of Verizon servitude.
Nokia announced a new version of its N91 mobile phone for music enthusiasts. Fitted with an 8GB hard drive, the new smartphone can be an alternative to Apple's iPod. Key benefits include dedicated music access keys, Nokia PC Suite and new software for synchronization and music management. Supports the formats MP3 and AAC, synchronizes with Windows Media Player and has Bluetooth connectivity. The Nokia N91 8GB is expected to go on sale by the end of the year and will be priced at around USD 700.
Nokia is introducing new Bluetooth headsets, that are expected to be available commercially during autumn 2006. The Bluetooth Headset BH-801, weighing only 11 g, provides up to six hours of talk time and up to 160 hours on standby.
The Bluetooth Headset BH-302 has an adjustable earloop and multifunction button which allows you to control call functions. It has up to 10 hours of talk time or up to 195 hours on standby.
The Bluetooth Headset BH-207 is available in black with chrome details, and handles a multifunction button for managing voice functions. Talk for up to seven and a half hours and, on standby, for up to 140 hours.
Toshiba is recalling 340,000 notebook batteries. The recall affects Satellite and Dynabook models made between March and May 2006. Sony manufactured the batteries, but this time there's no risk of them to explode. The batteries just stop charging or discharge too fast. Most of the units are in the States (around 100,000 units), 45,000 are in Japan and the rest of them are in other countries.
Microsoft revealed its Zune digital player. It will be available in three colors: black, white and brown. It features a built-in Wi-Fi connectivity for song sharing, FM tuner, a 3 inches display and 30 GB of storage. Car, home and travel accessory packs it's expected when the player ships. Microsoft didn't give pricing or a release date.
Manufacturer RIM launches a new Blackberry handheld. Called Pearl, it claims to be one of the smallest and lightest smartphones in the world. It comes with a 1.3 megapixel digital camera, multimedia capabilities (such as maps, step-by-step driving directions and a media player and stereo headset), 64 MB flash memory (with an expandable MicroSD memory slot).
BlackBerry Pearl is a quad-band GSM/GPRS and it also features a synchronized access to email accounts with attachment viewing and the ability to manage multiple accounts while on the go.
It will be available from T-Mobile USA in the United States on September 12. In Canada and Europe, it will be released in October. Price comes from USD 199.99 to USD 299.99.
iPAQ rx4000 is HP's latest Mobile Media Companion. It features a 2.8-inch wide touchscreen, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, Windows Mobile 5.0 and scroll wheel for a one-handed operation. Consumers can download VoIP software to make free PC-to-PC calls. It will be launched in October in Asian market for an estimated price of US$ 300. No word on when it will be available in other parts of the world.
Apple has announced a recall for 1.8 million lithium-ion notebook batteries due to the same overheating issues that moved Dell to recall 4.1 million units last week. In both cases the devices were manufactured by Sony. The affected batteries were sold worldwide between October 2003 and August 2006 for use in the 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15-inch PowerBook G4. Consumers are advised to remove the batteries and use the AC adapter until a replacement arrives.
Dell has announced a voluntary recall for 4.1 million batteries sold with Latitude, Inspiron, XPS and Precision Mobile Workstation notebooks between April 1, 2004 and July 18, 2006. All units were manufactured by Sony in Japan or China. The procedure is considered the largest battery recall in the consumer electronics industry. Dell has stated that “under rare conditions” the batteries can overheat and, thus, pose a risk of fire. Consumers are advised to eject positively identified batteries and to rely on the original AC power adapter until another unit is available.
Apple has initiated a recall for 15-inch MacBook Pro batteries sold between February and May 2006. Some of the units do not meet performance standards. The company stressed that the batteries do not pose a safety risk and may be used until a free replacement arrives. The affected batteries have model number A1175 and a 12-digit serial number that ends with U7SA, U7SB or U7SC.
VIA has released the VX700 chipset, a single chip solution that, according to the company, allow a 40% reduction of ultramobile PC form factors. The chipset is paired with the C7-M processor. The VX700 includes UniChrome Pro II 128-bit video (clocked at 200 MHz) and supports 533 MHz FSB, up to 4 GB of DDR2-533 memory, two Serial ATA and two Serial ATA 3 Gb/s ports, six USB 2.0 ports and eight-channel audio.
