Google unveils new Nexus One smartphone

Google unveiled its new Nexus One smartphone Tuesday in a direct challenge to heavyweight Apple's iPhone handsets.

The touch-screen device was billed by Google as a "superphone" and the next step in the evolution of its Android  software.

The Internet giant worked with Taiwanese electronics titan HTC to make the Nexus One.

"I think you will see it pushes the limits of what's possible on a smart phone," HTC chief executive Peter Chou said as the smartphone debuted at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California.

 Technical specifications of Nexus One [just click]

"It is very thin and feels good in your hand," he added.

Nexus One handsets are no thicker than pencils and no heavier than keychain Swiss Army knives, Google engineer Erick Tseng said while demonstrating one of the smartphones.

"It is a great marriage of form and function," Tseng said. "It is really light."

Nexus One smartphones are built on the same Android 2.1 software that runs Droid smartphones that recently hit the market but feature innovations including 3D graphics, according to Tseng.

The handsets feature new speech command capabilities that allow users to speak e-mails, text messages, or Internet search queries.

Nexus One devices can provide turn-by-turn spoken driving directions from a Google mapping program.

Google also launched its own online store at google.com/phone at which the Nexus One will be sold.

Nexus One smartphones will be sold at the Google-hosted Web store for $529 dollars "unlocked," without ties to a telecom carrier.

Nexus One handsets will be offered at prices starting at $179 if paired with T-Mobile service contracts in the United States.

Google has made "strategic partnerships" with telecom firm Verizon in the United States and Vodafone in Europe.

Nexus One devices linked to service from Verizon in the US and Vodafone in Europe should be available by mid-year, according to Google.

Google said it will ship Nexus One devices to buyers in the Singapore, Hong Kong, Britain, and the United States.

Nexus One smartphones are designed to work with a variety of telecom carrier networks.

"You can take out your SIM card from any provider and put it in the phone," said Google vice president of product management Mario Queiroz.

The Internet search and advertising giant has already gained a foothold in the market with its Android mobile operating system, featured in more than 20 phones since starting with T-Mobile's G1 in October 2008.

Nexus One represents a significant departure in that Google is selling the Google-branded phone directly to consumers who will not be tied to any one telecom carrier.

Apple's popular iPhone, for example, is available exclusively in the United States through AT&T.

Analysts have expressed concern that Google's move could irk partners backing handsets based on the Internet firm's open-source Android software.

"I don't see it as a threat," said Sanjay Jha, chief of mobile devices at handset titan Motorola, which recently brought to market a Droid smartphone based on Android software.

"I think the Nexus One is a good phone. I think we will upgrade Droid to the software available on Nexus One."

Chou and Jha took part in the Google press conference, saying they supported the Internet firm's new phone and Web store as a "healthy" expansion of the mobile phone ecosystem.

Google executives sidestepped questions about whether the Nexus One is intended as an "iPhone killer," but did say that it should prove to be a powerful competitor.

Like iPhones, Nexus One devices feature "accelerometer" capabilities allowing images or games on handsets to be controlled with twists or turns.

"The message isn't to the iPhone specifically, it is to consumers," said Google vice president of engineering Andy Rubin. "Choice is a good thing."

Google has an online Android Marketplace stocked with about 20,000 fun, functional, or hip applications for smartphones running the software.

Apple's online App Store with a far greater stockpile of applications has been cited as among the reasons iPhones have become globally coveted devices.

Apple on Tuesday announced that more than three billion mini-applications for iPhone and iPod Touch devices have been downloaded from the App Store.

"Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months; this is like nothing we've ever seen before," Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said in a release.source inquirer.net

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Controlling TV with a wave of hand

WASHINGTON - Touch screens are so yesterday.Remote controls?So last century. The future is controlling your devices with a simple wave of the hand. A wiggle of the fingers will change television channels or turn the volume up or down. In videogames, your movements will control your onscreen digital avatar. It's called 3D gesture recognition and while it may not be in sores this Christmas, a number of technology companies are promising that it will be by next year.

Softkinetic, a Brussels-based software company, is one of the leaders in the gesture-control field and has teamed up with US semiconductor giant Texas Instruments and others to make this touch-less vision of the future a reality.Besides TI, Softkinetic has forged partnerships with France's Orange Vallee for interactive TV; another Belgian firm, Optrima, a maker of 3D cameras and sensors; and with Connecting Technology, a French home automation company.

On the consumer side you have three markets-television, videogames and personal computers,"Softkinetic chief executive Michel Tombroff told AFP in  a television phone interview.

On the gaming front, using camera in real time to capture motion and then take the representative avatar from that and play it on a screen with others elements in a virtual world is a pretty compelling experience." he said. US software giant Microsoft demonstrated a gesture recognition program called "Project Natal" for its Xbox 360 videogame console in June and has announced plans to launch it next year.

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LG New Chocolate BL40

Seoul, Korea, July 30th, 2009 - LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, officially revealed today the full image and key specifications of the new LG Chocolate phone(Model:LG-BL40).
The fourth handset of the Black Label Series boasts a distinctive 4.0-inch wide screen high-definition LCD with an 800 by 345 pixel resolution for a superb viewing quality. The wide screen breaks away from conventional screen designs with a 21:9 aspect ratio for a panoramic, cinema-like quality and optimal mobile computing experience.
With the enlarged screen, users will experience a surprisingly convenient and efficient mobile environment. Browsing the Internet is made incredibly easy because with 800 pixels at one’s disposal, there is no need to scroll horizontally to read the entire web page. The 4.0-inch display also features a Dual Screen UI that can efficiently display two different types of content simultaneously. The wide HD LCD “Real VGA” screen provides a full range of natural colors for displayed images, making photos more crisp, videos more true-to-life, games more dynamic and documents more readable.
“The initial response to the new LG Chocolate phone is exceeding our expectations by a wide margin,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications. “Although much interest seems focused on the striking shape of the handset, the real surprise will be when people discover the advantages of the 4.0-inch screen in terms of viewing pleasure and ease of use.” The new LG Chocolate’s wide screen is overlaid with curved tempered glass and is seamlessly encased in a glossy black finish and iconic red highlights. Although the screen may be much wider, the new LG Chocolate makes an incredibly slim and chic style statement that was also inherent the original Chocolate.
The new LG Chocolate will be available beginning Q3 in 54 countries. More information is available at http://newchocolate.lgmobile.com/.

Features:

Dual Screen UI 

Just like Outlook Express, Dual Screen UI splits the screen into two and shows email subject and contents in one view. Instead of searching the email subject then open a new window to view contents,subjects and contents can be quickly cross checked simultaneously.

 

Panoramic Entertainment

The New Chocolate BL40 features a wide screen 16:9 display ratio but it does not stop there. The screen can be further adjusted to 2.35:1 cinematic wide view for vivid and realistic video contents play at any time and place. The wide display ratio applied to the camera's viewfinder and photo gallery makes photo taking & image searching more dynamic and enjoyable.

 

Complete Web Display

     With the new Chocolate BL40, speed to access information and convenience to view many things at once reached a whole new level.

    The 4” wide screen of the new Chocolate BL40 is not just an original design that breaks away from the conventional display ratio, but it also provides an optimized environment for web browsing.

   The 345x800 pixel (Real WVGA) wide screen offers simple and convenient internet environment and supports multi-touch and full webpage display that does not require horizontal scrolling while providing genuine fun. The new Chocolate BL40 elegant design exhibits true value via full screen web browsing.

One Touch Copy & Paste

The New Chocolate BL40 is optimized for internet browsing and web contents that can be copied and pasted onto schedulers or text messages with a simple touch. You can search flight schedule on the web then send it to a friend via SMS or copy a meeting schedule from an email and store it onto the scheduler.

 

Gesture Shortcut

With the New Chocolate BL40's Gesture Shortcut, you can access menus by drawing simple icons on a touch pad. You can set up each of your frequently used menu items to be accessed by one of the twelve gesture icons stored in the handset.

 Follow  LG on Facebook: LG Electronics 

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'World's Thinnest' LCD TV by LG

LG Display says it has built the world's thinnest 42- and 47-inch LCD TV displays. The two new panels measure just 5.9mm (0.23 inch) thick, making them a millimeter slimmer than JVC's 7mm 32-inch TV prototype introduced last January.

While LG says it has "succeeded in developing" the ultra-slim panels, there's no word yet on when the products will ship, or what they'll cost. The picture quality will likely be good but not spectacular, although we won't know for sure until we see these panels in action.

Unlike conventional LCD TVs that use Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) backlighting, the new LG models feature LED (light emitting diode) lighting, which enables a thinner, lighter design. The new sets weigh just 6.1kg (13.45 lbs) and 7.3kg (16.1 lbs) each, making them roughly half the weight of same-sized CCFL-backlit LCD TVs.

Picture quality? The specs offer some interesting clues. The TVs will feature a 120Hz refresh rate, which improves the appearance of fast action (e.g., sports), particularly if the video was shot in HD at 60 frames per second. While 120Hz is good, it's not on par with the latest high-end displays, including faster 240MHz panels and LG's own TruMotion 480Hz LCD TV, another prototype unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show last January.

If it sounds like I'm being picky, it's because I expect the slim LG models to cost plenty. LED backlights are more expensive than their CCFL counterparts, and it's likely the new super-slim LG sets will be marketed as premium TVs. Given their thin and light attributes, however, they'll probably look fabulous when mounted on a wall.

source:www.pcworld.com

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Yahoo! Launches New Homepage

Yahoo! Inc. is launching a new homepage that brings together the best of the Web with the best of Yahoo! in a single destination across PC and Mobile Phones.

The launch represent the most significant change to the Yahoo! homepage since the company's inception. By enabling this level of personalization, Yahoo! allows people to get more done, faster, all in a single place.

Remember that new Yahoo home page we previewed waaaay back in September 2008?

New features of the Yahoo! homepage include:

•  My favorites - People can easily choose from a dashboard of more than 38 apps to add directly to their homepage, including best of sites (Facebook and dozens of others. These apps gives people the  ability to preview, interact with or navigate to thier favorite sites from one easy check-in point.
• App Maker - Using technology developed by Yahoo!, people can easily create their own app on the fly by adding virtually any URL of their choice.
• Trend Setter - A new snapshot of trends, including the most popular searches and fun facts from around the Web.
• Pc to Mobile Sync - (coming soon) - People will be able to continue their Yahoo! experience on the go with a more seamless PC to mobile integration. New apps added to Yahoo! homepage on the PC can be added to the mobile homepage.
• News, For You -  Hyper-local news and the ability to toggle the news module at the top of the page offer easier ways to access the news that matters most.
• Social Updates - People can now share their current "status" with friends directly from the homepage, get visibility into what their friends are doing across the Web, and integrate with leading social networks such as Facebook and Friendster.

" The Friendster application on the New Yahoo! homepage allow users quick access to their network     activity stream, photos, shout-outs, comments and much more", said David Jones vice president for global product Friendster.

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Teach Lola the Internet

Most grandparents long for better relationships with their apos and vice versa. But in this fast-paced world where everything happens so fast and tasks have to be juggled simultaneously, the weekend lunches with lolos and lolas seem to be happening fewer and far-between, and even the occasional phone call gets buried under a barrage of to-dos.

An informal poll, conducted by Bayan Telecommunications (Bayan) with via Plurk and Facebook social networking sites, revealed that given the chance, 87 percent of young people would want to continue communicating with their grandparents.

The same informal poll revealed that 81 percent of Filipinos are still close to their grandparents, and that 57 percent still visit from time to time. The emergence of the Internet, which ironically contributed to the fast-pace of this new age, is offering a means through which grandchildren and their grandparents can constantly keep in touch.

According to Nielsen's Net Index Topline Report, the Philippine media landscape has changed so much that internet has slowly encroached upon, and in some cases even overtaken, the popularity of traditional media such as television, radio and newspapers. The Nielsen study also predicts that the Philippines will have over 35 million internet users in 2012, from a little over 20 million this year.

Ironically, the Internet is also responsible for creating a generational gap between the old and young generation. More people, usually of the younger set, educated, single, either studying or at the prime of their careers, are using the internet as a communications tool– specifically its more cutting edge applications like instant messaging, social networking, and blogging. While the younger set is fully equipped to deal with the internet's varied tools (given that computer courses are virtually de rigeur in schools, even at the primary levels), the more mature members of society are in danger of being left behind.

Bayan Telecommunications recognizes this need and took the initiative to address it by launching its newest advocacy, Teach Lola--an initiative to bridge the communication gap between the younger and older generation.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
Follow abs-cbn on twitter: http://twitter.com/abscbn_halalan 

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MOA Globe Attraction

The Globe of MOA  is one of the latest attraction and lighting up with LED lights and now  its like a  circle Christmas tree although MOA have a christmas tree inside the mall . This landmark symbolizes the size and advancement MOA represents being the third largest shopping mall in the world.

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