'World's sexiest hacker' to appear in court

Kristina Svechinskaya, 21, is accused of working as a "money mule" for the eastern European gang. She faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

Miss Svechinskaya, who was arrested in New York earlier this month, is one of 37 people charged over the alleged fraud, in which hackers allegedly broke into people's computers to steal their money.

It is alleged that they sent victims emails containing Trojan horses, pieces of software which, when clicked, allowed the sender access to the recipients files and passwords.

Miss Svechinskaya, who drew comparisons with the Russian spy Anna Chapman after pictures of her were found online, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and the false use of a passport. She has been dubbed the "world’s sexiest computer hacker".

She is accused of helping to provide bank accounts for the hackers, into which $35,000 was fraudulently deposited and $11,000 withdrawn, in return for a ten per cent cut of the stolen money.

It is claimed she opened at least five accounts, some in her own name and others under the aliases Anastasia Opokina and Svetlana Makarova,
She is said to have been among a group of students from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus studying in the US, who were recruited through newspaper advertisements and social networking websites.

Preet Bharara, a US Attorney in Manhattan, said: "The modern, hi-tech bank heist does not require a gun, a mask, a note, or a getaway car. It requires only the internet and ingenuity and can be accomplished in the blink of an eye, with just a click of the mouse." (www.telegraph.co.uk)
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Challenge Facebook, Twitter targeting 1 Billion Users

Twitter cofounder Evan Williams, who had just left the seat of the CEO to focus on product development, said the company’s target is able to capture 1 billion users. Through this goal, Twitter would like to challenge Facebook Inc, which is currently leading in the virtual world of social networking market.

"Twitter will attract one billion members," Williams said in San Francisco on Monday (10/11/2010). Unfortunately, Williams did not say when these targets will be achieved.

Along with the target setting, Twitter already provides a service that allows users to post photos, videos, and street maps last month. This step is done to attract more users.

Currently, Twitter, which has 165 million registered users, competes fiercely with Facebook to attract the users and advertisers. Based on ComScore Inc., Twitter is in the top three among social networking sites, beyond My Space. Facebook is in the first position and the second is Windows Live Profile.

Previously, the founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg said at the beginning of the year, the membership of the world's most popular social networking site would soon penetrate one billion users. That figure is equivalent to 14 percent of world population.(Photo: AP PHOTO)
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Android growth unstoppable

The market share of Google's smart phone platform, the Android, grew fairly rapidly than other platforms in the U.S.. This news is from the data released by comScore MobiLens, earlier this week.

For the period of three months as of August 2010, 234 million Americans are at least 13 years old to use Android-based phone.

In May to August 2010, Android market share in the U.S. grew 51 percent, from 13 percent to 19.6 percent. The growth of Android it's the only positive compared to other platforms that actually minus.
Compare with market control manufacturer of BlackBerry, RIM, which dropped from 41.7 percent in May 2010 to 37.6 percent in the same period. Meanwhile, Microsoft has also eroded the market from 13.2 percent to 10.8 percent.

Apple and Palm have fared the same, which just posted a decline in market share is slim. In May, Apple controls 24.4 percent or thin down in August 2010 to 24.2 percent. Palm also down from 4.8 percent to 4.6 percent

Image: Google
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Rumors circulating, Microsoft Acquisition Adobe

Adobe Systems Inc. stock price on Thursday (10/07/2010) as listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, had jumped 17 percent to 30 dollars per share before closing at 28.69 dollars per share. Speculation that Microsoft may acquire Adobe's stock price surge triggers to the software maker.

Earlier, The New York Times reported that privately, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been met with Adobe CEO Narayen Chantanu at Adobe offices in San Francisco recently.

Reportedly, the two talk about the dominance of Apple Inc. in the mobile phone industry and various options to deal with it. According to several employees and consultants involved in the discussion, one of the options they are talking about is the possibility of Microsoft acquiring Adobe.

Worth $15 billion!

If so happens, by referring to Adobe's stock price in the market today, the acquisition price could reach about 15 billion U.S. dollars. This action also will be one of Microsoft's most aggressive steps to master the Internet and mobile media markets platform.

With the acquisition of Adobe, Microsoft will master the Flash Player software that is very popular. Now, software has become one of the software required a website to display video and pictures.

Analysts on Wall Street rate, the news of this acquisition makes perfect sense. Because, in this way, Microsoft can integrate graphics and video capabilities in software application Adobe mobile phone or tablet computer product. In this way, the possibility of Microsoft has the opportunity to be able to offset the dominance of Apple's iPhone and iPad fib.

Not too surprising as well if Adobe accept Microsoft's proposal. Because, during Apple CEO Steve Jobs is always criticizing the quality of Flash Player. In fact, he did not recommend that software developers use Flash on the iPhone and iPad.

"It is very possibly. It could be a case of so-called enemy of my enemy is my friend. Microsoft and Adobe have a common enemy," said Toan Tran, Morningstar analyst, told Reuters.

However, until now, the good management of both Microsoft and Adobe is not willing to comment on this news.

Notes only, in fact, Microsoft already has a media player on a web platform called Silverlight that compete directly with Flash. However, this product is not too successful with users

Photograph: AFP
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Nintendo 3DS launch to miss holiday shopping season

With sales of its DS and Wii fading, Nintendo is relying on the new 3D model to revive profits and help it fend of renewed competition from Sony Corp (6758.T) and

Microsoft (MSFT.O), whose motion-gaming peripherals will be on the market in time for year-end shoppers to buy.

Nintendo also faces growing competition from smartphones and other devices that can be used to play games.

"Without doubt, it hurts to miss the year-end shopping season," said Kazutaka Oshima, president of Rakuten Investment Management and an avid gamer.

"Game-only consoles are facing an increasingly uphill battle against smartphones like iPhones and other gadgets, since more people are playing games on them. But I think the 3D DS can attract people," he added. "It should be fun to watch Mario run and jump on a 3D screen."

Nintendo's Super Mario game franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this month.

The new 3DS created buzz when it was revealed at the E3 game show in the United States earlier this year, bolstering expectations that it would be the new hit product Nintendo needs.

Iwata said at the launch event that the new games machine, which can also be used to take 3D photos and view them without special glasses, will cost 25,000 yen ($298) in Japan.

That compares with retail prices of about 12,000 to 16,000 yen for existing DS models.

The pricier model, however, will come too late to prop up this business year's sagging profits.

Nintendo, also blaming a strong yen that has trimmed the value of its overseas earnings, cut its annual operating profit forecast by one-third to 210 billion yen ($2.51 billion). For the six months ending on Sept. 30, the company now expects operating profit of 50 billion yen compared with an earlier estimate for 120 billion yen.

Shares of Nintendo dropped on the announcement of the DS release and ended trading down 3.7 percent at 23,010 yen.

Nintendo did not reveal the price or exact launch date for the 3D DS in the United States. ($1=83.80 Yen). Photograph: www.portfolio.com - (www.reuters.com)
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Blackberry launches Playbook rival to iPad

Mike Lazaridis of Research in Motion outlined some of the PlayBook's key features

The company unveiled its tablet computer to much anticipation at its developer conference, DEVCON, in San Francisco.

This is the first business-centric device in the tablet market.

It is seen as a clever move by Blackberry maker Research In Motion whose smartphone is seen as the phone of choice among this sector.

'Cutting edge'

"This is one of the most exciting times in our history," said Mike Lazaridis, RIM chief executive officer.

"RIM set out to engineer the best professional-grade tablet in the industry with cutting-edge hardware features and one of the world's most robust and flexible operating systems," added Mr Lazaridis.

Mr Lazaridis says it is an "exciting time" for RIM

Analysts have said the Playbook will give RIM an opportunity to dominate in a market it is familiar with and where it enjoys a solid reputation.

"RIM's Blackberry Playbook tablet looks to be a real challenger to Apple's iPad, playing on its business credentials, rather than being just another joy machine',"

Stuart Miles, editor of mobile technology website Pocket-Lint told BBC News.

"Whether RIM can deliver what it promises in the business environment with a selection of new apps on yet another operating system will be the real test though.

Either way, it's clear that the battle of the tablets is now full steam ahead."

QNX software

In the smartphone arena, RIM maintains a comfortable lead with a 39.3% share according to research firm ComScore.

The iPhone's share of the US market was 23.8% and Google's Android was 17% for the quarter ending in July.

The Playbook will have Bluetooth and WiFi.

The Playbook will have a 7-inch screen with front and rear facing cameras to enable video conferencing, an important feature that will appeal to the business market.

The operating system will not use the new Blackberry OS 6 but has instead opted for

QNX software, which was recently acquired by RIM and has extensive expertise in embedded systems for the car.

The new OS is designed specifically for the tablet size computer and will avoid the difficulties that come from adjusting a smartphone OS to the tablet platform.

The Playbook will have Bluetooth and WiFi. It will have no 3G capabilities but will enable 3G data connecting by tethering to a Blackberry smartphone.

'Exciting'

RIM expects to ship the device to corporate customers and developers in October.

It will become commercially available early in 2011.

RIM has yet to set an exact price but says it will fall in the lower range of prices for consumer tablets already in the suddenly congested market.

"It's by far the most exciting thing we've seen from BlackBerry for a while and for once the buzz seems to have been justified," said Kate Solomon of mobile news and views site Recombu.com.

What remains to be seen is whether RIM can keep the price realistic for everyday users - despite all the high quality features, a high price tag will put a lot of people off and convince them that a tablet is a superfluous gadget that they don't really need."

Tablet market

The launch of the Playbook comes as the tablet market becomes an increasingly competitive and crowded field, energised in no small part by the iPad.

Since its April launch, the iPad has dominated the space with research firm iSuppli predicting sales of 12 million by the end of the year.

Another research firm, UBS, put iPad sales at 28 million by 2011.
One contender looking to put a dent in the iPad's lead is HP.

At a nearby conference called TechCrunch Disrupt, Todd Bradley, the company's executive vice president for the personal systems group said tablets are going to be a huge market.

Mr Bradley told attendees that he estimates that in the next few years tablets will be a $40bn market.

Samsung recently introduced its Galaxy tablet as did Dell with the 5 inch Streak.

Other companies waiting in the wings with their versions include Lenovo, Asus, HTC, and Acer as well as Google and Microsoft.

A possible contender for the business customer is likely to come in the form of Cisco's Cius tablet.

Source: www.www.bbc.co.uk
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Apple iPhone 4 in short supply for China launch

China Unicom did not have enough supply of Apple Inc's iPhone 4 during its launch weekend for the phone, according to a Wall Street Journal Story.

Citing the Chinese telecom operator, the story said that China Unicom had received more than 200,000 pre-orders for the phone by early Saturday, when the phone went on sale.

The story said that more than 40,000 iPhone 4 buyers got the device on Saturday. This compares to Unicom's 2009 iPhone launch after which the operator sold 100,000 handsets in about six weeks after its debut of the phone.

Apple declined comment on the numbers cited in the story but spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said that more phones would be available soon. She suggested that customers check back with their local store or online for availability updates.

A China Unicom representative was not immediately available for comment.

Source: www.reuters.com Read more

Zuckerberg Gives $100 Million to Newark

The billionaire announced the grant on Friday on the Oprah Winfrey television show. He denied suggestions the timing was aimed at deflecting attention from a movie that depicts the 26-year-old in an unflattering light.

“I’ve had a lot of opportunities in my life, and a lot of that comes from … having gone to really good schools. And I just want to do what I can to make sure that everyone has those same opportunities,” Zuckerberg told Winfrey about his gift to a city once the backdrop for Philip Roth novels but more recently struggling with crime, corruption and decay.

On a conference call for reporters with Newark Mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Zuckerberg said he chose Newark — a city to which he has no tangible connection — after meeting Booker at a conference this summer.

He said he was simply impressed by the mayor’s plans.

The gift brings together two of the Garden State’s rising political stars from opposite sides of the political divide.

Youthful Democrat Booker is a former Rhodes scholar and Yale Law School graduate whose first run for mayor was shown in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Street Fight.”

In less than a year as governor, Republican Christie has earned a reputation as a tough-talking politician who will do whatever it takes to get New Jersey’s fiscal house in order, pushing through his agenda despite a Democrat-controlled legislature.

During Friday’s conference call Christie called Newark “a city in desperate need of transformation.”

Booker told Winfrey, “I think that Newark is going to change the paradigm for urban education.”

As part of the deal, Christie will cede some control of the schools to Booker, including choosing a superintendent. Christie retains the right to take back control.

“He’s investing in the vision that Cory has. I’m investing in Cory’s vision as well. And together Mark and I are going to help Cory make sure we execute and implement that vision to improve the lives of the families in the city of Newark,” Christie told reporters.

Zuckerberg’s donation funds his Startup: Education foundation, which will disburse the cash. He said he hoped to be involved in many more charity efforts in the coming years.

Newark’s 40,000-plus student school system is among the worst in New Jersey — only 40 percent of students are able to read and write by the end of third grade. The state took control of the schools in the mid 1990s but the hoped-for improvement has failed to materialize.

Zuckerberg said the gift will come from the sale of shares of privately held Facebook, the world’s No 1 Internet social network, and distributed to Newark over five years.

Facebook, one of the Web’s fastest growing companies, was valued at $23 billion in June when private equity firm Elevation Partners invested $120 million in the company, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Booker said the deal came with clear benchmarks and told Zuckerberg to halt his donation if Newark falls short.

The grant is the largest yet for Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook in his Harvard dorm room in 2004. The social networking service now boasts more than 500 million members.

Zuckerberg, who reportedly still lives in a modest rental home in Palo Alto, California, and dresses in blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, is the 36th richest American with a net worth of $6.9 billion, according to Forbes.

“The Social Network,” a movie about Facebook’s creation, based on a book by Ben Mezrich, opens nationwide on October 1.

The movie depicts Zuckerberg as a socially awkward genius who is at times arrogant and ruthless.

Source: www.reuters.com Read more

BlackBerry Tablet

Rumors about a BlackBerry tablets that are being developed by Research In Motion or RIM have been circulating since last few months. The latest information, RIM is rumored to be introduced next week at the event in San Francsisco Blackberry Devcon, USA.

Wall Street Journal is a site that spread the rumor on Tuesday (21/09/2010). Citing a source within RIM who asked not to be named, tablets may use a 7-inch touch screen and may have one or two cameras.

The device can not be connected directly via a cellular network, but have a broadband connection, possible WiFi. However, he could be connected with the BlackBerry as a modem.

The operating system used may not correspond with the BlackBerry. The tablets that was called "Blackpad" using the new operating system developed by QNX Software Systems

Photo: INTOMOBILE.COM
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iPod Touch: Following the trail of iPhone 4

Finally, the new iPod Touch model comes equipped with excellent features of iPhone 4 as predicted so far. Many are calling the iPod Touch as an iPhone without the phone.

It is recognized by CEO Steve Jobs when introduced Apple's latest products in San Francisco on Wednesday (01/09/2010) local time. For Apple, the iPod Touch also has become the main coffers and provide a significant advantage as well as the iPhone. Although without a phone, the iPod Touch could be a new trail that someday would follow the iPhone 4.

"Touch is a product that really means for us. It is the most popular iPod. People call it the iPhone without the phone. It is also the iPhone without a contract subscription. However, it has become a portable game player number 1 in the world," said Steve Jobs enthusiastically.

Steve Jobs claims, sales of the iPod Touch so far exceeded even the total sales of Nintendo's and Sony's portable device. iPod Touch, according to Jobs, controls more than 50 percent market share of portable game player in the world. Because of the popularity, more than 1.5 billion gaming applications and other entertainment content downloaded on the app store from the iPod Touch only so far.


In this fourth-generation iPod Touch, Apple also revised to be classier. "We make it better. It is thinner and prettier," said Steve Jobs.

Like the iPhone 4, iPod Touch using the latest screen Display Retina, thus showing the quality and resolution very sharp and clear images. Quality pixel LCD screen four times normal, with 326 ppi, 24 bit color, and support for LED backlit.

For the first time, A4 processor is also used in the iPod Touch. In addition, the device comes gyroskop 3 axis motion sensor to support a more refined and accurate. At the front, there is a camera for video calls via WiFi service through better FaceTime with other iPod Touch or iPhone 4.

The main camera on the back was able to record HD video and the battery power can run for 40 hours of HD video without interruption. Also the features of iMovie to do editing (trim) video.

It is very special; the latest iPod touch becomes the first product Apple released the latest version of IOS platform 4.1 that was also launched simultaneously. One new feature is the latest on Game Center platform that allows users to share games with other fellow users.

However, their physical appearance is slightly different with the iPhone 4. Rear side is not flat, but curved like the first version of the iPod Touch. There are three variants available each priced at U.S. $ 229 for 8 GB version, 299 dollars for 32 GB, and 399 U.S. dollars for 64 GB.

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Dell Tablet keyboard equipped Showcase in the IDF 2010

Dell Computer Company showcased a tablet PC that has a unique design with a screen that can be played and completed the keyboard at the Intel Developer Forum 2010, Tuesday (14/09/2010). Windows-based 10-inch tablets immediately get a warm welcome from those present at the event IDF 2010.

The interesting thing about the tablet PC is-not like tablet PCs in general, he has a keyboard. How a tablet can have a keyboard? It turned out that these tablets could be opened and the screen can be turned 180 degrees. In front of the screen, it’s located keyboard just like on the notebook.

The tablet is called Inspiron. It is equipped dual-core Atom processor and operating system Windows 7. "Any time we have to work. Tablets are interesting for entertainment, but for some people do not really support the productivity," said Intel's current representatives to demonstrate the product. "However, this one is different," he said as he opened the tablet and show a hidden keyboard.

Interested? The product will be marketed starting this year. So, be patient.
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HP Mini 5102,Touch Screen Glossy Netbook

Hewlett-Packard has released the HP Mini 5103 business netbook with optional touchscreen and the latest Intel Atom processors.

The HP Mini 5103 features a 10.1-inch 1024×600 or 1366×768 LED-backlit display with optional capacitive multitouch tehnology, the Atom N475 1.83GHz or N455 1.66GHz processor with the GMA 3150 integrated graphics, 2GB of DDR3 memory, up to 320GB of hard disk space or up to 128GB solid state drive storage, a 4- or 6-cell battery, optional Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video Accelerator for 720p and 1080p HD video playback, and Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Starter or SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 OS.

HP’s new mini-laptop also includes a 2MP web camera, stereo speakers, stereo microphones, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Bluetooth, HP Mobile Broadband powered by Gobi with GPS, three USB ports, a Secure Digital slot, VGA output, a spill-resistant keyboard, and an optional detachable handle.

The 2.64-pound non-touchscreen and the 2.86-pound touchscreen 5103 netbooks have metal cases with magnesium alloy support structure and metal alloy hinges and are available in three colors: espresso, red, and blue.

In the US, the HP Mini 5103 can be purchased via HP’s online store for a base price of $399.
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iBike: Apple's Smart Bike

The US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application Thursday for a "Smart Bicycle System" that would use an iPod or iPhone to monitor sensor data and wirelessly share information.

The patent application, discovered by Patently Apple, contains functionality similar to the Nike + iPod Sport Kit integration for runners. Using external and internal sensors, an iPhone or iPod would store and relay useful information while attached to a bicycle.

Although similar products (bicycle computers) already exist, the Cupertino, Calif., company's solution would take advantage of sensors already built into its devices, such as gyroscopes and accelerometers. Using an iPod or iPhone could potentially reduce costs, setup, and the need for complex attachments. Another added benefit would be the possibility of sharing recorded information with other cyclists.

Some examples of useful measurements are "acceleration, speed, distance, time or intervals of time between events, altitude or elevation of the bicycle, incline/decline during the ride, wind speed, location."

In the application, Apple focused specifically on the potential for wireless communication between devices and bicycles. The patent specifically lists "GPRS, CDMA, EV-DO, EDGE, 3GSM, DECT, IS-136/TDMA, iDen, LTE" as possible methods for sharing data.
External displays are also included in the patent application. In addition to listing several standard display technologies such as LCD and LED, the application lists a number of movable displays or projecting systems, such as "a video projector, head-up display, or three-dimensional (e.g., holographic) display."

Other highlighted features include mapping, automated video and audio recording, course reviews, and team data sharing. The patent application lists buttons on the bicycle or "the user's apparel (e.g., clothing or helmet)" and voice activation as potential input methods.

According to the article, Apple's innovations for cycling enthusiasts could theoretically be applied to other types of vehicles and other modes of transportation.

Jesse Dorogusker, Anthony Fadell, Andrew Hodge, Allen Haughay, Jr., Scott Krueger, James Mason, Donald Novotney, Emily Schubert Policarpo Wood and Timothy Johnston are listed as the inventors. The patent application was filed in Q1 2009.

Anthony Fadell, often referred to as "the grandfather of the iPod," served as senior vice president of Apple's iPod division before stepping down in 2008. Fadell reportedly severed all remaining ties with Apple in March of this year.

Article by Josh Ong
www.appleinsider.com
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Torch: The first BlackBerry Hybrid

Research In Motion (RIM) finally announced the official debut of its first hybrid BlackBerry, BlackBerry 9800, which was given the nickname "Torch". Called hybrid because it provides navigation smartphone with touch screen (touch screen) and a QWERTY keyboard as well.

RIM Torch may be the answer for consumers who still have not completely comfortable using the touch screen. BlackBerry products are popular because of its convenience is identical with the QWERTY keyboard.

"Torch BlackBerry is a product which is very special to our company," said RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis in a statement on Tuesday (03/08/2010). Apart from being the first hybrid product, Torch is also one of the first smartphone using BlackBerry OS 6.

BlackBerry Torch has a 3.2-inch touch screen specifications HVGA, using BlackBerry OS 6, there is a GPS application, it supports HSDPA with download speeds up to 3.6 Mbps. In addition, it is equipped with 5 MP resolution camera with flash has face recognition capabilities. Camera can also be used for the video recorder with VGA resolution.

This device runs using a 624 MHz processor and 512 MB of internal memory can be upgraded with up to 4 GB of flash storage. Other features wi-fi connection with the latest 802.11n standard.

This device will be available first in the U.S. starting on August 12, 2010 with prices starting at 200 U.S. dollars with a 2-year subscription contract.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab: The Era of Computer Tablet

The competition in tablet market is heating up. Many companies are increasingly competing in device makers to make Slate or tablets that can compete with Apple's iPad. One of them is Samsung, which plans to create a tablet-based Android operating system.

According to reports from Reuters, Samsung plans to launch the tablet PC in the third quarter of this year to compete iPad, Microsoft and other tablets. The Samsung tablet could be called "Galaxy Tab". So far, Samsung is using the brand of the Galaxy for its Android-based products.

It is a little bit unique; Galaxy Tab will use the screen 7-inch or 2 inches larger than Dell's Streak, but smaller than the iPad. There is no official information about this tablet, but the possibility the tablet using Android version 2.2 or commonly called Froyo.

However, according to Electronista site, Samsung Galaxy Tabs may use the Super AMOLED screen that will provide quality images with high resolution and contrast ratio so it can be seen in the outer room with a beam of sunlight. Moreover, this tablet uses 1.2GHz processor, has two cameras, front and back camera with VGA resolution including 3.2 MP, 16 GB of internal memory and micro SDHC external memory slot.
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Samsung Galaxy S : iPhone killer or iPhone wannabe?

The Android smartphone segment keeps getting stronger, and the Samsung Galaxy S looks set to be a key player in 2010. Not only does it get the company’s coveted Super AMOLED display, but a 1GHz processor, 720p HD video recording and plenty of wireless connectivity. Now freshly announced as incoming to Verizon as the Fascinate, T-Mobile USA as the Vibrant and of course AT&T as the Captivate, the Galaxy S is certainly spreading itself around. Is this Android’s answer to the iPhone 4?

In the time we’ve been carrying the Galaxy S, more than a few people – geeks included – have mistaken it for an iPhone 3GS. The glossy black plastic and metal-effect bezel both echo Apple’s second/third-gen smartphone; the irony, of course, is that the Cupertino company has now moved on with the almost retro lines of the iPhone 4, and the Galaxy S feels a little indistinct in comparison. It’s certainly a lightweight and slim handset, at 122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9mm and 119g, though it’s undoubtedly plasticky in its hand-feel. Still, there’s little creaking or flexing, and build quality feels decent.

Hardware controls are minimal, consisting of a volume rocker on the left hand side, the power/standby key on the right, and a home button under the screen that’s flanked by touch-sensitive menu and back buttons. Long-holding the menu key calls up search. The power button feels poorly placed, and we’d rather it were on the top edge of the Galaxy S; it’s also a little vague in its physical feel, and more than a few times we’ve accidentally hit it twice or held it too long and had to dismiss the power-off menu. The absence of a D-pad or optical joystick is generally not a problem; we only missed it when trying to precisely navigate within text to make spelling or URL corrections.

As for the rest of the hardware, keeping the whole thing moving is Samsung’s own 1GHz Hummingbird processor, paired with 8GB (or 16GB, depending on version) of internal storage. In our 8GB review unit that’s partitioned into approximately 2GB for apps and 6GB for media; there’s also a microSD slot (for up to 32GB cards). Connectivity includes triband 900/1900/2100 HSDPA/HSUPA along with WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and a microUSB 2.0 port; there’s also GPS, an accelerometer, digital compass, and both proximity and light sensors. Like the iPhone 4, the Galaxy S has two cameras: one, a 5-megapixel autofocus unit on the back, and a VGA-quality front facing camera for video calls. No flash – LED or otherwise – however, though you can record 720p HD video at 30fps.

It’s probably the display that is the Galaxy S’ crowning glory, with Samsung’s own Super AMOLED technology making a reappearance after its decent showing on the bada-powered Wave. Here, though, it’s grown to 4-inches (800 x 480 resolution) and it’s quite the eye-catcher. Colors are vivid and beautifully saturated, while the brightness is easily strong enough on the medium setting. That adds up to reasonable outdoor performance, too; unlike the Nexus One, the AMOLED display of which requires more than a cupped hand in order to make it out, the Galaxy S is visible – though not ideal, we have to say – in normal daylight conditions.

The obvious comparison is against Apple’s new Retina Display technology, and of course the Galaxy S’ resolution can’t compete with the 326dpi of the iPhone 4′s outstanding screen. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best panels we’ve seen on a mobile device of late, and certainly better than most AMOLED and LCD displays. Here, Samsung have paired it with a decent, responsive capacitive touchscreen that requires only a relatively light touch.

Software wise, the Galaxy S runs Android 2.1 partially disguised by the company’s own TouchWiz 3.0 UI. The main improvement is in the notification bar, which now gets persistent shortcuts for toggling WiFi, Bluetooth, silent and vibration modes, together with media playback controls when the MP3 app is running. Four fixed icons – Phone, Contacts, Messaging and Applications – run along the bottom of the screen and can’t be moved or replaced. [Update: only Applications is permanent; the others can be swapped out by going into the app menu and choosing Edit from the menu - thanks tnt!] Still, we’ve made our feelings clear about TouchWiz (in its various incarnations) in previous reviews; suffice to say, it lacks the appeal of HTC Sense, and most of the time we’d have preferred the basic Android 2.1 interface. More worryingly, whatever Samsung has done to the ROM has introduced numerous points of lag and even freezing.

Try to open your email inbox, or view a specific message, and the Galaxy S sometimes seizes up for a few seconds before the content is shown. There are similar pauses when deleting items or marking messages unread, with pop-up contextual menus hanging around on-screen for seconds longer than they should. Meanwhile the back control can be reluctant in its action, before suddenly catching up and slinging you to the homescreen. We’ve got two Galaxy S handsets on hand from different sources and both show the same sort of issues (more noticeable when you’ve loaded your email inbox and contacts). It’s frustrating, especially given that the 1GHz chip can otherwise feel faster than smartphones running Qualcomm’s rival 1GHz Snapdragon CPU.

Lag isn’t the only problem we’ve had, either. The Galaxy S has randomly lost our email inbox in the time we’ve been using it – requiring inputing all our Exchange settings again, and performing a full sync – and the camera app has crashed a couple of times, refusing to load until we power-cycled the phone. Elsewhere, the UI is simply frustrating. New SMS alerts, for instance, aren’t removed from the Android notification bar until you not only view the message in the bubble conversation view, but actually tap the new bubble itself and “open” it on a separate page. No new information, but an extra step all the same. We prefer the regular Android icons to those in TouchWiz, though admittedly that’s a matter of taste, but the way Samsung has managed the desktop is slightly at odds with Google’s own approach with Android. The Galaxy S has seven homescreen panes with the default “home” pane on the far left; the Android OS is more used to the “home” pane being central, and so if you choose Google Maps as your Live Wallpaper – which normally uses GPS to center the map on your current location – the maps are offset since the center point is on homescreen four. Nit-picking, yes, but it’s the sort of poor polish that undermine a successful UI.

Sadly there’s no way to easily turn off TouchWiz and return to the native Android UI, so owners unwilling to experiment with unofficial ROMs will be stuck with Samsung’s interface. Some of the company’s preloaded tools aren’t bad, however; there’s a full copy of Swype, the gesture-based keyboard (though it isn’t enabled by default) and Samsung’s multimedia player is far better than the standard Google offering. It supports MPEG4, H.264, H.263, DivX, Xvid, WMV, AVI, MKV and FLV video, among others, together with a healthy clutch of audio formats including OFF and FLAC. Paired with the 3.5mm headphones jack and onboard storage you’ve got an Android phone that could certainly give an iPod touch a run for its money.

Social networking tools are fashionable, and Samsung’s approach is a little similar to HTC’s. The Galaxy S has Samsung’s Social Hub, a combined stream of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter messages – complete with a desktop widget and the ability to send out an update to one or all services simultaneously – but there’s also a “Mini Diary” app that allows you to easily create journal entries complete with photos, stored weather information, text notes and more. Unfortunately, once created they’re basically stuck on the phone; there’s no way to remotely sync them or upload them automatically to a blog somewhere.

More useful is Samsung AllShare, which takes DLNA media sharing and puts a cellphone-friendly face on it. AllShare allows you to stream multimedia from the Galaxy S to a WiFi-connected player – whether a standalone audio system, network-connected HDTV or a computer – or vice-versa, or even to act as a remote control for your media server, selecting files to play remotely. Video, audio and images can all be streamed, and the Galaxy S simply showed up as a media source in compatible apps.
As for playback on the Galaxy S itself, understandably it’s video that shines best thanks to the Super AMOLED display. We had no problems getting various DivX and Xvid files to play, with 720p HD video looking great. Interestingly, there’s a TV Out option in the settings pages, though no sign of an adapter in the box to actually hook up a bigger screen. Audio, meanwhile, is reasonably loud and clear via the Galaxy S’ own speaker, but Samsung’s bundled earbuds are actually surprisingly good and, while still not outperforming a reasonable aftermarket set, do at least avoid the noise leakage and underwhelming bass of Apple’s standard set. There’s also an FM radio, complete with auto-scan and user presets, though it relies on the headphone wire to act as antenna.

Samsung has something of a reputation for decent cellphone cameras, and the Galaxy S generally doesn’t disappoint. At 5-megapixels with autofocus, the only thing missing from the spec sheet is a flash of some sort. What you do get are various photography modes, including blink, face and smile detection, panorama and high-speed shooting, together with a decent amount of control over manual settings. There are also multiple effects, such as vintage and cartoon, and a high-visibility mode which boosts the UI so that it’s easier to see while outdoors. The end result are bright, clear and well balanced shots, with decent colors and – as long as you don’t use the digital zoom – little noise or pixellation. Without a flash you’re obviously limited in your low-light use, with focus being a particular trouble, though we might argue that LED flash units are generally underwhelming anyway. There are samples in the gallery below, unedited aside from being resized by 50-percent.

Video, meanwhile, can be recording in one of five resolutions from 320 x 240 to 1280 x 720, with or without audio and with manual control over exposure, contrast, saturation and sharpness. However there’s no focus control. Interestingly, during recording you can choose to either pause or stop; pausing allows you to chain several segments into the same clip. A size counter shows how big the file is getting while you can also use the 4x digital zoom (which is jerky moving between levels, rather than a smooth optical zoom). Files are recorded in MPEG-4 in a 3GP container and at around 11.6Mbps, along with mono audio from the Galaxy S’ single microphone.

We weren’t disappointed on playback, either. Audio, obviously, isn’t as precise as with a stereo microphone, but video was smooth, jerk-free and on a par with a point-and-shoot camcorder such as from Flip. Fast pans showed no blurring or jerking, and despite the absence of a manual macro mode during video recording close-up text was legible. It’s disappointing Samsung don’t include either an HDMI port or a suitable adapter cable for easily playing back content on a larger display, though of course if your TV is compatible you can use AllShare.

To get to grips with what the Galaxy S’ Hummingbird CPU could really deliver, we turned to Android benchmarking tool Quadrant. This measures processor, memory, I/O and 2D/3D graphics and combines them into a single numerical score. The Galaxy S (running Android 2.1) came in at 874, while a Google Nexus One (running Android 2.2 FRF50) scored 1,390. That’s a considerable difference, but a lot could be down to the OS rather than the hardware; according to Quadrant’s figures, the Galaxy S scored approximately 50-percent more than a Nexus One running Android 2.1, suggesting that should the Samsung handset get a Froyo update then it might pull ahead of the Google-branded phone.

Updates, though, are a sore issue among Samsung owners right now. The company recently pushed out Android 1.6 to its Behold II handset – launched in November 2009 with 1.5 – but also confirmed that the smartphone wouldn’t see any further upgrades to 2.x or beyond. Opinion understandably differs: some say the Behold II simply isn’t powerful enough to handle the Live Wallpapers and other system-intensive features of newer versions of Android, while others reckon Samsung are merely looking to forget the older phone and instead push on with their newer devices.

Meanwhile, Samsung has apparently confirmed that the Galaxy S should get an Android 2.2 Froyo update later in 2010, but the exact timescale for that still isn’t definitive. As we’ve seen with other Android devices that use custom UIs, manufacturers generally struggle to adapt to newer OS versions and that delays their release. Our advice is always to pick a phone which does what you want it to do today, rather than what it might do months down the line, but we’d also add that handsets with the basic Android build rather than a manufacturer-tweaked one should inevitably be your choice if speedy upgrades are your top priority.

We can’t fault the Galaxy S on phone performance. Voice calls are clear and loud, and the speakerphone is suitably booming. Unfortunately apps aren’t quite set up to take advantage of the front-facing VGA camera yet; Qik’s video call app only works on the EVO 4G right now, while Fring are still working on an update that can use the Galaxy S’ front camera rather than the back one. Battery life, meanwhile, proved more impressive than expected. With push email turned on and regular use, we got through two days from the Galaxy S’ 1,500mAh battery, surprising indeed for a modern touchscreen smartphone.

So what about the iPhone 4? There are certainly similarities: the processors (which despite the differing names were both developed by Samsung and Apple-acquired Intrinsity) each run at 1GHz, the camera resolution is the same, both are slim and relatively lightweight. However the two platforms – iOS4 and Android – differ significantly in their approach to users, developers and openness. Apple’s by now legendary approvals process for the App Store means that only those titles that suit the company’s intent for the iPhone will get through; on the other hand, users have greater confidence that the software they download is unlikely to negatively affect their handset.

Meanwhile the Android Market does without the strict gatekeepers, meaning the breadth of apps is greater though the risk of downloading something half-baked or even malware-infected is also higher. There’s growing choice, and the Android OS as a whole is far more flexible in terms of developer tinkering. In its more recent versions it’s relatively user-friendly, too, a far cry from the early days.
Is the occasionally staccato performance enough to sour the Galaxy S altogether, however? We’re not entirely sure what’s causing the occasional lag – poor CPU throttling perhaps – but we’re hoping Samsung can address it with a minor firmware patch. As it stands, it’s a frustrating mar on what’s otherwise a very strong smartphone experience. The Galaxy S’ screen is the best this side of a Retina Display – and larger too – while the phone, albeit erring on the plastic side, is well made and has impressive multimedia skills. It’s also slim, so despite the screen size can drop into a front pocket without causing problems. The strengths outweigh the drawbacks overall, though you may find yourself explaining more then once that no, this isn’t an iPhone, it’s something arguably just as good.

Source article: www.slashgear.com
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HP's patented PalmPad Brand, to Competitor iPad?

Hewlett-Packard has patented a trademark with the name "PalmPad" . It is predicted as a tablet computer that would be it markets. Therefore, the patent for the brand category is for computer, computer hardware, computer software, computer peripherals, portable computers, handheld, mobile computers, PDAs, electronic notepad, and mobile digital electronic devices.

PalmPad is a WebOS based tablet, this is an operating system that was developed after the acquisition of Palm. HP is willing to spend $ 1.2 billion U.S. dollars to buy Palm. Shortly after the acquisition is completed, HP announced its intention to combine WebOS and its mobile devices including tablet PCs in the future. In addition HP also said that WebOS can also be used for non-computer devices and printers.

Hp initially cooperates with Microsoft to develop Windows-based tablet computers with a Slate 7. Tablet computers were first introduced by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona , Spain, earlier this year. However, once HP's acquisition of the Palm, such cooperation as just disappear. In fact, Ballmer in a recent presentation did not include a name in the list of HP's tablet computer development partners.
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Touch Screen Notebook: Fujitsu LifeBook UH900

Fujitsu is well known for making great UMPCs and netbooks. Here is another example of their superb engineering, Fujitsu Lifebook UH900. The UH900 has 5.6-inch sunlight readable display, just like earlier mini Lifebooks, U2010/U820 and U1010/U810. The display has WXGA (1280×800) display that supports multitouch. This thing is tiny, measuring just 20.4 x 10.65 x 2.4 cm.

It runs Intel’s extremely power-sipping Z530 processor that runs at a clock speed of 1.6GHz. The Atom Z530 gives almost same performance as the Intel Atom N280 CPU that runs at 1.66GHz clock speed. For storage, you 62GB SSD. It runs Windows 7 as its operating system. Available in black, red and gold colors.

On the connectivity front, you get 3.5 (WiMax), Bluetooth and WiFi built-in. display and it comes with 62GB SSD and optional integrated 3.5G WWAN. It weighs just 500gm, which makes it lighter than the SONY VAIO P as-well-as SONY VAIO X (slimmest notebook in the world). Given its small size, one would think that it would be difficult to use this micro-netbook, but that is not true. It has 5 thumb-controlled touch button on either sides of the screen. These buttons let you launch programs; rotate screen; perform page up and page down operations. There are webcam too, so that you can do video calls with ease.

To control the mouse pointer on the screen, you can use its small pointer, called the Thumb-glide point. Since, the display supports multi-touch, you can directly tap on the screen to select objects and so on. The keyboard is small and with a doubt, this is not a machine on which you can touch type. This 500gm wonder is made to get into those small pockets to let you take the whole PC-experience with you, everywhere you go.

Source: www.gadgetmix.com
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New iPod Touch: iPhone fourth grade?

Apple predicted would release a new version of iPod Touch in September 2010. Reportedly, this device sail touch music player will be added new features iPhone 4th grade? Want to know the latest rumor? Site Electricpig technology managed to sneak into a slide show of an online store in the UK, Jhon Lewis, who revealed the latest iPod Touch for the upcoming holiday season. New features were revealed in there, among others, with a resolution of 5 mega pixel camera complete with HD video recording, flash, and applications to upload to You Tube, Face Time video calling for video communication with the camera facing forward, as well as the movement accuracy of better control. These features are already there on the iPhone 4.

Slide show does not mention in detail whether the new design is also similar between iPod Touch with iPhone 4. The new iPod Touch possibilities not too experienced changes in appearance since it has been streamlined shape.

New rumor circulating in Jhon Lewis is different from the rumors circulating in the online site of Vietnam that the new iPod Touch-resolution 2-megapixel camera. However, it called latter that it was just a test product, not a manufactured product that is almost complete. The new specification of the iPod Touch posted by Electricpig is also still rumors.

iPod Touch which was issued last year make people disappointed because Apple introduced the iPod Touch without a camera. However, if you want the iPod Touch classier, you would waiting until September and see what the features occurred on the new iPod Touch. Who knew the iPod Touch will be present with features like the iPhone 4 and complete with the new packaging.(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
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Nokia N8: 12 megapixel mobile phone

This is the first Nokia mobile phone equipped with 12 megapixel camera, Carl Zeiss lenses supported and xenon flash that is very helpful when photographing at night. N8 is also the first handset using the Symbian operating system 3 that claimed more intuitive, modern, and responsive, compared to Symbian 5th Edition.

The likes of the N97 and X6 have both been trumpeted by Nokia over the last year or so, but neither has particularly won critical acclaim, mostly due to a sub-par OS when compared to the whizz-bang-iness of the iPhone and Android set, as well as taking a veritable age to start using the latest technology, like capacitive screens and slimmer lines.


The Nokia N8 is a fairly large device - but that's not to say that it's chunky. It's merely large due to having a large 3.5-inch OLED screen, and it comes in at just 12.9mm thick.Admittedly it's not the thinnest on the market, but when it's down to a matter of a few millimetres, it doesn't really matter in the pocket right?

The frame is covered in anodised aluminium, which Nokia was keen to show us was resistant to scratches. However, as you can see by the side unlock switch, this isn't always the case - some colour has been lost.
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