An Armani in your hand : Mobile haute couture

If there's one thing the Samsung Armani phone has in abundance, it most definitely is style. Slim, compact and high-tech, the fully touch-operated Armani phone is not just the final touch to your look - it's the finish with a flourish. Anyway, with us the tech junky tends to get the upper hand over the fashion savvy, and we are eager to find out if there's more to it than what meets the eye. The really promising Samsung Armani phone seems the right mix between technology and looks, but we're more interested in how it fares as a gadget, not an accessory.

Samsung Armani official photos

The model designation that hides behind the Samsung Armani name is actually Samsung P520. That alone may be enough of a hint that the Armani phone is an offshoot of the Samsung P-series. The Samsung Armani has inherited the same form factor and has the same size and weight as the Samsung P310 for example.

The Samsung Armani phone comes in two retail packages - standard and extended . The difference between the two is the Bluetooth headset in the bigger one.

The standard contents of the retail box are a hard leather case, charger, data cable, memory card, a wired stereo headset, soft pouch as an alternative to the leather case and, finally, a cleaning cloth.

All the contents of the box look really classy and are all Giorgio Armani branded. The user guide has the most exquisite covers we've seen

Key features ( Click here to read more .. the content will open instantly below )

• Stylish looks and high-quality build
• Small dimensions and compact "card" form factor
• 2.6" touchscreen TFT display with QVGA resolution
• Vibrating haptic response
• microSD memory card slot
• Stereo Bluetooth
• 3 megapixel camera
• Office documents viewer
• Rich retail accessories

Main disadvantages:

• Slow interface response
• Slow memory card reading
• Awkward web browser controls
• No 3G support
• No camera auto focus

Armani adds a touch of unique style to the Samsung portfolio



The standard box contents are anything but standard

Beat this - 22 hours of MacBook battery life; 400 hours of iPod use, 2500 hours of iPhone standby time!!

All hail the nanotech battery!
Imagine… what if you could watch 70 hours of iPod video on a single charge. (OK, wait, that actually, might be a bad thing).

Instead, imagine something more useful, like getting 22+ hours of MacBook use. Or 2500 hours of iPhone standby time. Such is the promise of Stanford University researchers who claim to have found a way to use silicon nanowires to improve the way lithium-ion batteries store energy, delivering a reported 10x boost in capacity.

Creating a nano-powered iPod nano ( Click here to read more .. the content will open instantly below )

As everyone knows, nano technology will eventually cure every disease and solve every problem known to man, and then create a race of super robots that will enslave us all. But before it does, it looks like we’ll be able to benefit from extended periods of all sorts of mobile gadget use.

According to lead Stanford researcher Yi Cui, this increased storage capacity could also make Li-ion batteries an attractive option to electric car manufacturers and solar power aficionados. “It’s not a small improvement, it’s a revolutionary development.”

You bet it is. Imagine, we may finally be able to listen to all 40,000 songs Apple says the iPod can hold on a single charge! Not to mention the 100 hours+ battery life we’ll get from Apple’s super-secret, not-yet-announced, ultra-portable, ultra-hyphenated, flash-based MacBook!

From ScienceDaily.

Is it really George of the iPod jungle !!?

I've been a great fan of good home iPod speaker systems which boost the quality of music played by my iPod however, if you've been using one, you would know that one of the major drawbacks of most of them is that the remote control that comes with the unit offers only limited control of your iPod. You stick the iPod in the speaker's dock and you can do little more than skip forward and back through tracks (and possibly playlists), raise and lower the volume, and pause and play audio.

If you're lucky, the speaker has a display that's big enough for you to be able see what track is playing from more than a few feet away. Most don't, as they rely on the iPod's screen to display the relevant track and navigation info. Which brings me to George, the high-end iPod music system from start-up Chestnut Hill Sound. The George solves the interface problem in much the same way that Sonos does for media-streaming devices: it builds a remote into the system that essentially mirrors the display of the iPod. But the smart usability solution will cost you a pretty penny--the George retails for $500.

Cosmetically speaking, George's appearance is pretty polished. Weighing 10 pounds and measuring 4.5x14.1x8.6 inches (HWD), it's slightly bigger than your average table-top radio and features removable speaker grilles, as well as interchangeable side panels that allow you to customize the look of your unit. The company says it will offer different "skins" (in cherry, walnut, or black oak) for around $99 each. Colorful speaker grilles will also be available for $29. Like many iPod music systems, there's a dock built into the top of the unit that recharges your iPod when it's inserted (and George is plugged in). The system comes with the typical assortment of plastic sleeves or universal adapters that are designed to make your particular iPod model fit snugly in the dock. But what's unusual about the George is that the dock module itself is removable, and Chestnut Hill has said that it will eventually offer an optional HD Radio module that includes a new iPod dock and a small accessory that will clip onto the back of the unit.



The Good, The bad, the Bottom line and the Price ( Click here to read more .. the content will open instantly below )

The good: High-end iPod speaker system/radio; detachable front panel that doubles as an advanced iPod remote; remote has a range of 25 feet; RF Zigbee transmission eliminates line-of-sight limitations; rich, detailed sound; relatively sleek design; upgradeable firmware; AM/FM clock radio with dual alarms and 24 presets; interchangeable side panels and speaker grilles; includes separate remote charger.

The bad: It's expensive, there's no video output, and it doesn't handle heavy bass all that well.

The bottom line: In addition to its upgradeablility and customizable colors, the George sets itself apart from other upscale iPod tabletop radios with a unique and useful visual wireless remote.

Price range: $499.00 - $499.99

Samsung G800

Hey ma look - The Phone with a 5 MP camera !!

It seems Samsung are really stepping on it in the 5 megapixel cameraphone race. In a stark display of audacity, the G800 is pitched as a digicam that can make calls. We usually deal with gadgets that are the other way around but we've been eager to test the Samsung G800 ever since its official launch back in late October. As you may recall, we were lucky to be there, but rubbing shoulders is nothing like getting our hands on the handset sporting the first 5 megapixel camera with optical zoom.

So sit back and get ready for Samsung G800, one of the most hyped handsets lately.

Samsung G800 official pics



Samsung G800 lifestyle photos




Key features ( Click here to read more .. the content will open instantly below )

• megapixel auto focus camera with 3x optical zoom and xenon flash
• Large 2.4" QVGA 256K color display
• EDGE and 3G (with HSDPA)
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP support
• Comfortable keypad
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Stylish design

Main disadvantages:

• Bad display processing
• Weak sunlight legibility
• Very slow memory card reading
• No standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Volume/Zoom key is very hard to press
• Quite chubby

Nokia 5610 XpressMusic - Solid beauty at its purest

This phone is solid beauty at its purest ! We are having the pleasure of a handset that has been designed to meet the highest expectations of music fans. Its other features however are pretty interesting too and will surely appeal to a wider audience.

It seems phone manufacturers are head over heels about music in phones. Well, it seems reasonable that many users would prefer their music on their handsets instead of carrying an additional dedicated device of similar features. The first music centered phones by Nokia were labeled 5200 and 5300, and the latter is a direct forerunner of the one we're testing today - Nokia 5610.

It is a great value for money and the features it boasts can make u grab it right after the first demo ! Here is a sneek peak.

Official photos of Nokia 5610 XpressMusic

5610 XpressMusic in its red variety compared to N95 8GB

Key features ( Click here to read more .. the content will open instantly below )

• High-quality construction, steel highlights
• 3G support with video calls
• 2.2" TFT QVGA display
• 3 megapixel camera with autofocus
• UMTS, EDGE, GPRS
• Advanced music functions, radio with RDS
• Stereo Bluetooth
• Good keypad
• microSD memory card slot

Main disadvantages

• Front panel susceptible to fingerprints
• Camera LED unusable as a flashlight
• Charging through USB not possible
• Easy to scratch lens glass protector
• microUSB port is not that popular

Sony Ericsson W890 - The thin Walkman phone

Thin is in ! With 2008 around the corner, hopes are high for the coming year but the devoted fans of Sony Ericsson W880 have yet another reason to eagerly look forward. The expected release of Sony Ericsson W890 should be enough to keep them wide awake and ready for what seems a highly promising successor.

With its super slim styling and clean-cut lines, massive 2GB storage add-on and 3.2 megapixel camera, the W890 Walkman phone can hit the right notes with music lovers and design connoisseurs alike. Sony Ericsson W890 speaks the language of the young, fashion-savvy music fans, putting some of the latest Walkman features to good use.

Official photos of Sony Ericsson W890




Key features ( Click here to read more .. the content will open instantly below )

* Extra slim body with solid construction
* Quad-band GSM
* HSDPA, EDGE, HSCSD, Bluetooth (with A2DP)
* Location services, Smart search, Manage messages
* Media center, Walkman 3.0, SensMe tempo and mood detector, TrackID
* Access NetFront 3.4 with mouse pointer and in-page search
* 3.2 megapixel camera with Cyber-shot SE v2.0 UI
* Fast photo browser
* FM radio with RDS
* 2GB M2 card included
* New improved battery cover release mechanism
* Finger print resistant body panels

Main disadvantages

* Only 26 MB of user available internal memory
* No camera autofocus, no flash
* Video recording in QVGA resolution at 15fps
* No skins for the Walkman player