by Techno Witch on January 23, 2009
According to Strategy Analytics, the global mobile phone market will shrink 9% during 2009, and will be the firs decline in the market since 2001, and expectations are that the 1st half of 09 will be especially grim.
Strategy Analytics said they expect the 1st half of 09 to be weak as the mobile phone industry is not only hit by the slow post holiday shipments in developed markets but also subdued demand during the Chinese New Year in Asia.
Strategy Analytics predicts 1.08 billion mobile phones will be sold in 09, a drop from the 1.18 billion in 08. The economic slowdown brought the mobile industries weakest showing in the 4th quarter of 08 since October to December of 01.
by Techno Witch on January 23, 2009
If you are one of those who enjoy finding out about obscure and often rare mobile phones then you?ll probably like this one. A fellow over at Mobile Crunch managed to get hold of a mobile handset that isn?t supposed to exist, the Helio A533.
The Helio A533 is actually a Helio branded modified Samsung F400 which for some reason never made it to release, but this guy grabbed one when it hit that site of the wondrous magic?eBay.
Turns out the A533 has now received a good review which lets us know it has a 2 megapixel camera, a dual portrait slider, slide up for keyboard and down for speakers, and 3.5mm headphone jack. Also it appears that the A533 would have been called the Helio Opus had it made it, still a few images and a rundown can be found at the source.
by Techno Witch on January 22, 2009
by Techno Witch on January 22, 2009
If you’re constantly traveling, you have to have tech devices that can handle the constant packing and unpacking. As well as being able to deal with any jostling of the bag it’s stowed within. This USB hub was designed for Mac users and is designed to put up with a decent amount of abuse. It not only features nice clean lines and a great look overall, but also has ways to make sure that the USB ports stay clean and don’t accumulate any dirt or crumbs.
The cord to hook the hub up to your Mac can be wrapped around the hub for storage. When you wrap the cord around it, it also covers up the ports to keep them clean. Which is what makes this USB hub so much better for travel. You can toss it in a bag and know that it’ll be perfectly fine when you take it back out again. You can pick this up for fairly cheap on Amazon for $23.99.
Source: CraziestGadgets
by Techno Witch on January 22, 2009
There’s no reason that all robots should be created the same size. Now you can pick up these tiny little battery bots, that although may not do much, they’re still cute. If your desk needs a touch more charm, just pick up a couple of these in the different forms they come in and you won’t be able to help but smile at the sight of them. Although, it might cause you to get distracted from work when you start assembling them into strange formations and flip on whichever function the robot you chose happens to have.
These are designed by Wayne Poulton who created both Machine bOb who is shown here, as well as his protector Machine PP3. Machine bOb is said to be a skittery little guy, who can wheel his way across your desk. All the while lighting the way with his bright eyes. To keep him out of trouble though you’ll want PP3, which was the first of the designer’s creations. You can pick them both up for the same price on Anti-Gravity. They’re sold for £9.99 each.
Source: Technabob
by Techno Witch on January 22, 2009
Mention Sanyo when you talk about camcorders with the rest of your mates, and chances are the Xacti line will be a name that pops up often. The Japanese company is back again, this time round releasing a new range of Dual Camera Xacti cameras which ought to cater for just about any and every active lifestyle, offering options for those looking for high-definition video and photo capability in a single, easy-to-use compact camera. The mixed form factor involves both horizontal and vertical designs, and we are privy to half a dozen Sanyo Dual Camera Xactis. Without much further ado, they consist of the new Full HD 60fps units (VPC-FH1, VPC-HD2000), waterproof HD models (VPC-WH1, VPC-CA9) and Compact HD cameras (VPC-TH1, VPC-CG10), where all six will target a March 2009 release date.
Main Features: VPC-FH1 (Horizontal; $499.99 MSRP) and VPC-HD2000 (Vertical; $599.99)
- Full 1080p HD Video (60fps)
- 8-Megapixel Digital Photos and High-Speed Sequential Shooting (12fps)
- High Speed Recording/Super Slow Motion Playback (240/600fps for 1/4 or 1/10 playback)
- 3-inch wide LCD Monitor (FH1), 2.7-inch wide LCD monitor (HD2000) for HD Playback
- 10x Optical Zoom for photos
- 16x advanced zoom (more area included than standard zooming, 160x digital zoom) for video
- Digital Image Stabilizer (Movies & Stills)
- ‘Face Chaser’ technology (up to 12 faces) for photos/videos
- HDMI Output (FH1); HDMI Digital Interface via Cradle (HD2000)
- Optional lenses: Tele, Wide, Semi-Fisheye
- External microphone input (HD2000)
- VPC-FH1 and VPC-HD200 are available in Black
Main Features: VPC-TH1 (Horizontal; $299.99 MSRP)
- HD Digital Video (720p, 30fps)
- 30x Optical Zoom
- 2-Megapixel sequential shooting (13fps)
- 3-inch LCD (TFT) Widescreen Display
- Long 3-hour 20-minute continuous recording battery life
- Digital Image Stabilizer (video and stills)
- ‘Face Chaser’ technology can detect up to 12 faces for photos and videos
- HDMI Output
- 3D DNR digital noise reduction for clearer images
- Available in Silver and Blue
Main Features: VPC-CG10 (Vertical; $199.99 MSRP)
- 10-Megapixel photos and 720p HD video
- 5x optical zoom
- 3-inch Widescreen LCD
- Digital Image Stabilizer (video and stills)
- ‘Face Chaser’/Detection Technology (up to 12 faces)
- High-Speed Sequential Shooting 7fps
- 3D DNR digital noise reduction for clearer images
- Available in Black and Pink
Main Features: VPC-WH1 (Horizontal; $399.99 MSRP)
- Waterproof up to 3 meters (10 feet) for one hour
- Exceptional 30x optical zoom
- 2.5-inch LCD Display
- 2-megapixel photos and 720p high-definition video
- 2-megapixel sequential shooting (13fps)
- ‘Face Chaser’ face detecting technology for both photos and videos (12 faces)
- 3-hour 20-minute recording time; long battery life
- HDMI Output
- Available in Blue and Yellow
Main Features: VPC-CA9 (Vertical; $349.99 MSRP)
- Waterproof up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) for one hour
- 9-megapixel photos and 720p high-definition video
- High Speed Sequential shooting (7fps)
- 5x Optical Zoom
- 2.5″ LCD monitor
- ‘Face Chaser’ face detection technology
- Available in Black, Red and Green
That about sums it all up. What do you think of Sanyo’s latest effort? Is it worth every penny you fork out? Which among the above-mentioned is your most likely purchase?
Press Release
by Techno Witch on January 22, 2009
Truphone has just let the cat out of the bag – proud owners of Android-powered cell phones will be able to take advantage of the TruPhone Anywhere application for free. Yes, free – something which is pretty scarce to come by these days considering the current economic outlook that shows no sign of good news in the forseeable future. This generous move by Truphone is now available on the Android Market in the UK and the US. The release of Truphone Anywhere for Android also marks another watershed moment – T-Mobile will be making available the G1 cell phone in March this year. Just to get the ball running, Truphone Anywhere for Android will be the first native language multi-communications application in the Android Market in Germany and Austria as it is launched at CeBIT 2009.
What does Truphone Anywhere for Android do, you ask? For starters, it is able to deliver an all-in-one conversations hub which enables customers to take advantage of Truphone?s low international call rates – that on top of the cost of a local call. Needless to say, operator roaming chargers still apply if you happen to be abroad, so make sure you don’t go nuts chatting while overseas lest you get a heart attack when the bill arrives next month. Truphone customers are also able to send instant messages to their friends across a wide range of networks which comprise of MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk and Twitter among others – all from within a solitary Android application. Not only that, users can also chat up their friends over Google Talk for the price of a local call, and there are future plans to enable instant messaging and phone call support to friends on Skype.
With this release, Truphone has clearly broken all boundaries as it is available on Android, Apple iPhone, Apple iPod touch, Blackberry and Nokia devices.
Press Release
by Techno Witch on January 22, 2009
Not so long ago word got out that the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 was going to Canada, well we are now hearing that Fido employees are being briefed and trained on the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 for a February 4th release date.
Along with this Fido release news there are a few Fido BlackBerry pearl 8100 price specs and should be available for $25.00 with a three year agreement with data and voice, $350.00 on a two year agreement, and $400.00 without agreement.
Also plans that may be offered are…$15.00 unlimited personal email and IM?$25.00 for 500MB?$30.00 for 1GB?and $60.00 for 3GB, however BES will not be offered, but it does seem Fido is gearing to a 3 year agreement with that price.
by Techno Witch on January 22, 2009
by Techno Witch on January 22, 2009
The Apple iPhone is still on a high roll as it barely lands in Taiwan and retailers are already proclaiming the Apple iPhone a success in the Taiwan mobile market as according to sales reports Apple has now taken 2.2 percent of Taiwan?s mobile market.
This 2.2% now makes the Apple iPhone the sixth most popular mobile phone in Taiwan, but it isn?t sure as to if the Apple iPhone store percentage from the likes of Samsung, Motorola or Sony Ericsson, but the Apple iPhone 3G did knock HTC out of the top six list.
So it does seem that the Apple iPhone 3G is doing quite well over in Taiwan, and to be honest will probably do well no matter where it goes in the world.
