LG GT505 Cellphone

Low-cost touchscreen phones are fast becoming the order of the day. LG already has several options available in this line-up, such as the popular Cookie, but none of them really make you sit up and take notice. The company is now trying to up the ante with the new GT505 – priced slightly higher, but offering a lot more features.

For starters, the phone runs on the proprietary cube-like S-Class user interface, made popular by the LG Arena. With a large 3-inch touchscreen TFT (256K colours, 240x400 pixels), complete with accelerometer for auto-rotation, this promises to be a delight to use.



Speaking of auto-rotation, that feature is bound to come in handy when clicking pictures with the 5-megapixel snapper, which also offers autofocus and LED flash. What’s more, the photographs can automatically be geo-tagged as well, thanks to the onboard GPS.


Navigation and GPS is where this handset shines, as Indian audiences are warming up to the notion of urban mapping. For this purpose, LG has equipped the phone with a 30-day free trial of ‘Wisepilot for LG’ – a turn-by-turn navigation solution with voice instruction and a choice of 2D or 3D mapping to guide you.

But it’s not all fun with the GT505, as the gizmo offers enough for the business user looking to get a bit of work done. Along with a handy document viewer, it supports push email via Microsoft Exchange Active Sync, allowing users to receive their email anywhere, any time.


Connectivity options range from 3G and Wi-Fi to Bluetooth and USB 2.0. And with a card slot for microSD memory of up to 8GB, storage requirements are taken care of as well.


Boasting of a battery that lasts for up to 7 hours of continuous talk-time, the GT505 costs Rs. 14,990 and $340.

Samsung CLP-315 Printer

We have noticed a very interesting thread of making printers smaller and cheaper lately and we need to say that the Samsung CLP-315 is one unit that is breaking records at the moment. We can say that the design of the unit is very interesting and attractive. The only real problem we have with it is that it features the paper tray (capable of holding a maximum of 150 sheets) sticking out a little in the front panel.



In the back side of the Samsung CLP-315 you will find 1 USB port
, which is unfortunately the only type of connection you will get with the printer. If you need WiFi or Ethernet you will need to move your eyes towards the Samsung CLP-315W, one unit that is a lot more expensive. The model in review here only shows one optional: an extra paper tray of 150 sheets.

The only software you will get with the Samsung CLP-315 is the driver
. In the case there are problems with setup you can use a special online tool named Dr. Printer.

Computer : Laptop Skins

“Schtickers”, the company that does designer and corporate labels, now designs laptop skins, iPod and iPhone skins, and many more skins for electronics. You can either design your own for a bit of a premium price, or buy their pre-designed skins for your laptop. Specify your size, and here you go-a laptop that says more about you than what’s on the hard drive.



DJ Turntable Laptop Lime from Schtickers.com: $19.99

Sony Vaio P-Series Laptops

At Gadget Heaven, we’re quite excited about the arrival of the latest Sony Vaio laptops. The baby Vaio P-series are in fact UMPCs, not laptops. Before you ask, a UMPC is an Ultra Mobile Personal Computer, so now you know – let’s move on!



This is the full line-up of models in the new p-series range:

* Sony Vaio VGN P19WN/Q
* Sony Vaio VGN P19VN/Q
* Sony Vaio VGN P11Z/W
* Sony Vaio VGN P11Z/R
* Sony Vaio VGN P11Z/Q
* Sony Vaio VGN P11Z/G

USB Turntable: Bring Vinyl Records Into The MP3

Why would you want a USB Turntable you might asking? Well one surprising development in recent years has been the revival of vinyl records – for any younger readers: this was a forerunner of CDs, ask your dad. Although it remained popular with DJs, most music fans had long since consigned their collections to the back of a cupboard, where they remained unheard and gathering dust because there wasn’t a simple, cost effective way of transferring the material into a digital format. Fortunately, that is no longer the case; there are devices you can use to upload your record collection to your computer, or even your iPod, with ease.



1. The “Profile” is a vinyl turntable which plugs directly into a USB slot on your computer, how easy is that? Once plugged in, you simply play a disc and use the accompanying software to convert the tracks into a digital format.

2. The second version you can get is the “iProfile” which is the same turntable but with the addition of a slot for your iPod (Nano and Classic). Once again it’s very easy to use, just pop your iPod into the slot and transfer your tunes. And if you have any old cassettes lying around, you can plug a cassette player into it and transfer those tracks too, very retro!

Both USB turntables can also be used with your standard music system, and the conversion software is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux. If you decide to convert a whole album, the software will automatically divide it up into separate tracks, and search for the correct titles and artists using the Gracenote programme which comes as part of the bundle. And for anyone who thinks 45s and 33s are a blast from the past, the turntables will even convert 78s!

Evoluent Vertical Mouse

Working from home on my PC has been a pleasure & a blessing for the last few years until around June when I developed a sharp R.S.I. pain from using my mouse, the only thing I could do was take regular breaks away from the computer but I soon found this more of a hindrance than a solution and it was never long before the pain would come back. I decided upon the Evoluent 3 vertical mouse which keeps the wrist in a more natural handshake position rather than the common twisted forearm, the logic sounded good and I decided to try it out.

The Evoluent comes beautifully presented and worked straight out the box using a USB port, this worked for me as my wireless mouse was still connected and worked along side it making the transition easier for certain tasks like image manipulation which I found took a little more time with the vertical mouse, mainly due to it being a new experience. The Evoluent felt strange and almost cumbersome for the first few days and although daily tasks quickly become more natural I was still unsure as to whether it helped any with the RSI as the pain was still present, it took around 1 to 2 weeks for the mouse to fully come into its own, after 2 weeks my RSI pain has completely disappeared and using the mouse felt natural and effortless.

There are sensitivity and DPI settings for the mouse 800dpi to 2600dpi that you can adjust so this would suit gamers as well, Battlefield 2 being a favourite of mine posed no problems at all.Price of the Evoluent Vertical Mouse is $70.

ReTell 570 Digital Walky

The ReTell 570 digital answering machine is one of the best digital answer machines available today. ReTell are the leading supplier of this equipment and their products ooze quality.

The ReTell 570 is compatible with standard BT analogue lines and will also connect to a telephone system on an analogue extension, which means the Retell 570 will work in your home and at the office.

With a recording time of around 4 hours, the ReTell 570 has plenty of recording time. Messages can be limited from 1-5 minutes or if you prefer, they can be unlimited.

SanDisk Sansa Fuze MP3/4 Player

The Sansa Fuze from SanDisk, is a cool little MP3/4 player along the same vein as the iPod Nano. We’ve recently been sent one to play with so here are our thoughts and findings (or a review so to speak).

Aesthetically the Fuze is a cute little player.The physical UI consists of a rotating front dial which also acts as the 4 navigation buttons with the center button for selection. The display crisp with a resolution of 220 x 176, large enough for watching the odd music video but you wouldn’t want to watch a feature length film on it. Sound quality was good (though as with just about any MP3 player the supplied headphones aren’t the greatest). What most impressed me about the Fuze are the extra features that you don’t find on other (note iPod) players, including:

* Built in microphone
* FM radio
* microSD Slot, a really cheap way to expand the capacity
* Easy to transfer files (drag and drop) without the need of propriety software

Though there are a few downsides:

* Propriety USB connection, it obviously comes the cable but a standard mini USB connection would be much more convenient especially for charging
* You bookmark videos but not audio books.

Samsung GT-C6625v Cellphone

I was recently given one of the new Samsung GT-C6625v mobile phones to play with. It’s aimed at the office worker who needs email on the move and with the monthly tariff starting at £7.50 per user it could be a very attractive option for companies looking to reduce costs.



The phone itself is very BlackBerryish with a full QWERTY keyboard below the 2.6” screen. It runs Windows Mobile and integrates with a company’s existing Microsoft Exchange Server for email, you get the usual mobile Office applications for reading and editing document, spreadsheets, etc.

The phone feels quite light weight and comfy, fitting my hand well (even if it is pretty large (the phone, not my hand)). It was a bit confusing trying to get into different applications as you had to get to entertainment before arriving at the camera, which is not where I would normally look for it. Overall it is certainly worth checking out if you have an office full staff that need email on the move.

Sharp releases AQUOS LX series LCD

Sharp is approaching to the tenth anniversary of its AQUOS LCD flat panels. To give it a proper pump, they have prepared a new line-up for AQUOS series. The LX series is coming November 10 in Japan and only then it will spread to other markets. Sharp engineers have done a good job improving AQUOS over the years, and with the latest LX series they haven't changed their habits. As usually, there is a choice between four models with different screen sizes and other features.



Four different screen sizes for AQUOS LX are 60", 52", 46", and 40". First three of them sport cool duo bass sub-woofer ARSS 6 speakers,. The 40 inch would not be sold with them. Anyway, most of other features are common for all four of LXs. The newly developed LED backlight system provides 2,000,000 : 1 contrast ratio, but they haven't stopped with that. Sharp’s exclusive UV2A photo-alignment technology manages to improve white and black shades while keeping energy consumption in two-thirds scope of the previous GX series result. Practically almost every piece of technology was updated for LX, it hard to bring them altogether, but, from what hasn't been mentioned, I emphasize new High-Picture-Quality Master Engine and Preferred Image
Sensor.

Asus-Garmin Nuvifone G60 and M20

Asus and Garmin join hands to launch G60 and M20 phones in India




Location-based gadgets and GPS devices are just taking off in India, and leading GPS brand Garmin doesn’t want to be left behind. In a partnership with Asus, the two companies have launched the Garmin-Asus M20 and G60 phones in India.



Most of the features the phones share are common, except for the screen and operating system. Hence, they are identically priced at Rs. 30,000 and $600. incorporate top-of-the-line phone capabilities with premium features such as 3.5G data connectivity, SMS text messaging, email, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and more.



The G60 sports a 3.55-inch anti-glare resistive touchscreen (65K colours, 272x480 pixels) and runs on a custom Linux operating system. It also comes with its own HTML browser based on Webkit platform, push email and gives four hours of talk-time on a single charge of its battery.



The M20, meanwhile, comes with a 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen (65K colours, 480x640 pixels) and runs on Windows Mobile 6.1. It is pre-loaded with the Opera mobile browser, offers push email and its battery lasts for almost three hours of continuous talk-time.



Both the devices are equipped with a 3.15-megapixel camera with auto-focus and geo-tagging, and feature the Panoramio software, wherein you can view geo-tagged pictures in your area to get navigational directions to their location.



Asus-Garmin have tied up with Navteq to provide the navigable maps of India. Research indicates that when Indians ask for directions, the most commonly requested destinations are city centres and the most commonly provided cues include bank, hospitals, movie theatres and places of worship. The Navteq map of India includes a significant collection of these commonly referred to ‘Points of Interest’.

Transcend MP330 Pendrive

The MP330 is a light-weight (25gms) digital music player with support for newer file formats such as FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) as well as older formats such as MP3, WMA and WAV.




The Transcend music player also acts like a pen drive alowing users to transfer files other than music on the device. It includes an OLED screen that can be used to read lyrics while the song plays. The device also supports Line in recording, voice recording and FM radio and provides seven advanced equaliser effects to choose from, including a special user-customisable option. The MP3 player is currently available in three capacities (8GB, 4GB and 2GB), and in two colors, black and white. Prices range between Rs 2500 to Rs 4000 and $50 to $80.

Visit : www.transcendusa.com

MSI Wind U210 Laptop

Weighing in at only 1.3kilos the MSI Wind netbook sports a 12-inch widescreen LCD, a 1.6 GHz AMD processor, a maximum of 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, an ATI Radeon X1250 graphics card, built in 1.3-megapixel Web cam and built-in sound with stereo speakers. The U210 also features a six-cell battery configuration which can give a solid four hours of up time. The netbook also comes preloaded with Windows XP or Vista depending on
the configuration. For details on the MSI Wind U210 costing Rs 23,500 and $470.

Apple Magic Mouse

Recently, Apple introduced the world’s first touch-sensitive mouse, called the ‘Magic Mouse’, in the US. While it has not yet been officially released in India, GRI Mumbai the press relations firm for Apple India – has announced that the new device would be available in India within two weeks.



Putting an end to the previous Mighty Mouse, the Magic Mouse is a wireless mouse with no mechanical buttons, no scroll wheels and no scroll balls: it works purely on multi-touch interaction.





Pioneered on iPhone, iPod touch and Mac notebook trackpads, multi-touch allows customers to navigate using intuitive finger gestures. Instead of mechanical buttons, scroll wheels or scroll balls, the entire top of the Magic Mouse is a seamless multi-touch surface.



Using intuitive gestures, users can easily scroll through long documents, pan across large images or swipe to move forward or backward through a collection of web pages or photos.



However, clicking the left and right side of the Magic Mouse does trigger the familiar left and right buttons, and offers physical feedback by depressing the entire white polycarbonate surface of the mouse.



Magic Mouse works for left or right-handed users and multi-button or gesture commands can be easily configured from within System Preferences.



The gadget uses Bluetooth wireless capabilities to create a clean, cable-free desk top and its secure wireless connection works from up to 10 meters away.



To extend battery performance, Magic Mouse includes an advanced power management system that works with Mac OS X to automatically switch to low power modes during periods of inactivity. It is powered by two AA batteries, which can last for up to four months of normal usage.



Magic Mouse comes standard with new iMacs and is available at the end of October through Apple Authorised Resellers for a maximum retail price of Rs.3,890 and $80.

Sony Ericsson Satio Mobile

The much-talked about Sony Ericsson’s touchscreen phone – Satio that boosts of having a12-megapixel camera finally comes to Indian shores.

Back in February, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sony Ericsson showed off a prototype of an upcoming touchscreen phone they were working on, called the Idou. The biggest wow-factor of the phone was that it came with a 12-megapixel camera, and the world has been waiting for the company to launch it ever since. Quotes from dieticians



Now, it has finally come to Indian shores rechristened as ‘Satio’. The 12-megapixel camera is still intact, complete with autofocus, xenon flash, touch focus, geo-tagging, face and smile detection and image stabilisation. Able to shoot VGA video at 30 frames per second, the device also has a video LED flash to light up those night shots.



All of these pictures you take can be stored on the packaged 8GB microSD card (expandable up to 32GB) and enjoyed on the 3.5-inch touchscreen TFT (16 million colours, 360x640 pixels). This large screen display also means that you get to easily operate the custom user interface running on the Symbian S60 5th edition platform, powered by an a 600MHz processor and 256MB RAM.



When it comes to connectivity, the phone has it all – 3G, Wi-Fi, EDGE, Bluetooth, GPS and A-GPS (with Google Maps), stereo FM radio with RDS, etc.



What’s more, the built-in accelerometer enabled the user to active gesture control and play motion-control games.



With an impressive battery that boasts of lasting for up to 11 hours of talk-time and 360 hours of standby time, the Sony Ericsson Satio rightfully claims the high-end price of Rs. 35,950 and $720.

Sony Vaio X Laptop

When it comes to style and fashion in computer electronics, there is very little that can come close to Sony’s Vaio series of laptops. And just to see how far it can go with this, the company has released its thinnest and lightest laptop yet, the Sony Vaio X.When it comes to style and fashion in computer electronics, there is very little that can come close to Sony’s Vaio series of laptops. And just to see how far it can go with this, the company has released its thinnest and lightest laptop yet, the Sony Vaio X.

The new Vaio X Series netbook is the world's lightest notebook at a mere 655 gms, and measures just about a half-inch thin. And this slim form is packed in a hybrid carbon material that promises to be sturdy, to help endure the bumps and knocks of daily use and travel.



Running on Windows 7, the device is powered by a 1.86GHz Intel Atom SilverThorne Z540 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM and an onboard Intel Graphics Accelerator. For all your data storage, the Vaio X comes with a 64GB solid state drive (SSD) with its high read and write speeds.

As for the screen, how does an 11.1-inch widescreen LED-backlit display (1366x768 pixels native resolution) sound? And along with this great display unit, users will get an aluminium keyboard and touchpad with multi-touch functionality. So you can zoom in and out, flip through pictures, rotate items and scroll vertically and horizontally without even touching a mouse!



As for connectivity, the laptop comes with every feature you would desire. Along with the onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, the device can accept a standard Ethernet cable as well as support memory cards through its built-in reader. And for all your video chats, there’s a handy VGA Webcam flush with the screen.



The ultra-thin laptop boasts of a battery that can last for up to 3.5 hours of normal usage on a single charge. Available with a one-year warranty, the Vaio X VPCX113KG retails at Rs. 64,990.

The Vaio X VPCX117LG – a higher-end model with a 2GHz processor, 128GB SSD and 6 hours of battery life – costs Rs. 84,990 and $1700.