For $499, you get the world’s first-ever LED-based projector with a USB reader. Specs wise, you’ll find a Texas Instruments DLP projection system outputting 858 x 600 resolution, 100 ANSI lumens, a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, a built-in 2-watt speaker and VGA / component / composite inputs. Did I mention that it’s only 1.4 pound projector?!
Flip Video carved a niche for themselves with point-and-shoot camcorders, and it’s a niche which soon got crowded as rival firms offered their own entry-level devices. The launch of the Mino HD late last year kicked things into 720p high-definition, while squeezing the camcorder down into a super-pocketable size; now the bigger Ultra model gets its own high-def upgrade, in the shape of the Flip Video Ultra HD. Is there still a place in the range for the chunkier Ultra HD? SlashGear set to finding out.
Sling Media’s much awaited SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone is finally here and available for purchase in the iTunes App Store. The price is $29.99, which is on par with SlingPlayer Mobile for Windows, Blackberry and Symbian. The only two differences between SlingPlayer for iPhone and the other platforms are all-touch navigation and the crippling of streaming over 3G and EDGE data connection. Streaming shows from a SlingBox to the iPhone anywhere and anytime is the primary reason to shell out $30 for an app. With AT&T playing the Terms and Condition card against Sling Media (see below), forcing their hands to disable 3G in order to pass through the App Store, it renders the app completely useless when you’re not in a WiFi zone.
Trying out Sony’s new OLED Walkman was a no-brainer, even if the only review unit they could provide was a Japanese model. I’ve spent a week with the NW-X1050, trying to decide whether OLED is enough to wrench the PMP crown from Apple and the iPod touch; this isn’t a review as such, as some of the functionality – notably YouTube and the Access browser – wouldn’t work, but think of it as a preview for the US model.
Talk about messaging phones and you’ll inevitably get to the Sidekick. T-Mobile’s screen-flipping feature-phone has a history of offering smartphone style push email, web access and social networking with a straightforward UI; now there’s a new addition to the family tree, in the shape of the Sidekick LX 2009. The simple name-change over last year’s model hides a number of improvements, however, not least a stunning display, 3G and GPS. Are they enough to maintain the Sidekick reputation, or has the feature-phone crown been snatched away? SlashGear set to finding out.
It’s set to be a tough year for smartphones, and there’s plenty of change afoot as companies battle amid tightening customer purse-strings. The new iPhone is set to arrive over the summer; Palm’s Pre is imminent, and Microsoft have the latest incarnation of Windows Mobile waiting in the wings. Into that fray, HTC launch the Touch Diamond2, likely one of the last smartphones to use WM6.1 and an update to what was considered, when it launched a year ago, one of the game-changing handsets of Microsoft’s platform. Can the HTC Touch Diamond2 maintain that legacy, and will TouchFLO 3D improvements sufficiently mask the aging OS? SlashGear set to finding out.
Mophie are back, with the third incarnation of their Juice Pack iPhone battery cradle. The Mophie Juice Pack Air claims to have answered most of the criticisms of the earlier models, while still offering to almost double iPhone 3G runtime. Is this a must-have cradle, or just a cradle of filth – SlashGear set to finding out.
You wait for a new high-end Bluetooth headset and along come two at the same time. If Aliph’s Jawbone PRIME is the jewelry-like fashion model, the Plantronics Voyager PRO is the suited business version. We’ve already seen the Jawbone PRIME live up to its tech-packed spec-sheet; Plantronics promise just as much noise-processing magic from the Voyager PRO. I’ve been testing it out on the busy streets of Rome.
The Samsung Tocco is a sleek slider/touchscreen combo feature phone that packs a ton of functionality into a small form factor. It’s stylish and nice to use, and the red color will draw attention from those around you (at least it did for me). The phone was enjoyable to use, and Samsung’s TouchWiz UI was implemented nicely. Most noticeable on this phone is AMOLED display, which shines beautifully in any light, even outside.
As mentioned before, the Samsung Instinct S30 is the followup to Sprint’s most popular phone from last year. Originally, the Instinct was positioned as an iPhone killer. While that never actually happened, the Instinct was a great phone in its own right; easy to use, reliable, and offering a good user experience. I mean, I use one. Sprint and Samsung released the S30 to follow up on the goodness that the first Instinct brought them. While there are only a few differences between the previous generation and the S30, the new model fills a crucial role for Sprint, especially with the imminent release of the Palm Pre.
SlashGear Japan
