Author: Andy Merrett
Apple announces new iPod family: thinner, more storage, more colours, more "funner"
Steve Jobs has just announced an overhaul of the iPod range, with new iPod nanos, iPod classics, and iPod touches.
Here’s a quick overview of the new designs.
iPod nano
Available in nine colours (including a (PRODUCT) RED charity version), and either 8GB or 16GB storage capacity, the new design features curved aluminium and glass, and a built in accelerometer which allows you to flip viewing orientation, and even shake the device to shuffle music tracks.
It measures 3.6 x 1.5 x 0.24 inches, has a two-inch diagonal colour LCD with LED backlight (320 x 240 resolution), and offers up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback on a single charge.
8GB £109 16GB £149…
LaCie announces 700 Series of LCD monitors for creative pros
LaCie has announced its new line of LCD monitors, the 700 Series, aimed at creative professionals who need accurate on-screen colour reproduction to be confident about what will be printed.
Available in 20, 24, and 30-inch models, the monitors feature RGB LED backlighting, offering purer red, green and blue colour for a larger range of colours — up to 123% of the Adobe RGB spectrum, in fact…
Sony launches HD-friendly Vaio range, including "super notebook" and all-in-ones
Sony has introduced its new range of Vaio hardware, with a focus on high definition and Blu-ray.
Vaio AW
Sony describes its Vaio AW as a “new class” of portable, because it boasts a range of advanced features including a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution 18.4-inch widescreen using 3LED backlighting similar to that found on Sony’s high-end BRAVIA TVs, integrated Blu-ray drive, Dolby Home Theatre audio signal processing and 2.1-channel speakers with integrated subwoofer.
It features an Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, and 128GB solid state disk and 500GB hard drive working together in a RAID array. It also comes with Adobe’s Photoshop Lightroom, which should appeal to photographers and artists using the Vaio AW for image processing…
Rumour: Nokia's Tube launching in the UK next month
With Internet BS shovel at the ready, we tread tentatively towards a big flashing neon sign which announces that the Nokia Tube (Nokia 5800) could be launched in the UK in exactly a month’s time, on 8th October…
MXP4: New digital audio format packs more than just the music track
New digital music formats come along with the promise of improved audio quality and smaller file sizes, such that many portable “MP3 players” no longer use the MP3 format.
Now, though, Masinaut has come up with a music format which aims to offer an “interactive, multi-sensory experience”.
The MXP4 — Multiplied Experience Platform in 4D) — format allows musicians to include an original song but also musical variations, graphics, lyrics, trivia, and other information such as tour dates…
RealDVD: might be legal, but the movie industry suits don't like it
There’s a little buzz around Real Networks’ inspiringly-named RealDVD software, for while the company claims that it legally copies DVDs to a hard disc and adds an extra level of DRM into the mix, the movie industry may not be too happy about it.
Unlike the plethora of software that cracks standard and high definition discs so it can be played whenever and wherever (consumers are funny creatures when it comes to doing what they like with stuff they’ve bought), RealDVD keeps the disc image intact. Taking a leaf from Apple — and then charging lots of money for it — it even allows up to five computers to be registered so that ripped discs can be watched…
Intel's Xeons: faster, more eco-friendly quad core chips on the loose
Intel has announced that its Xeon 5400 processors are now ready to roll, offering up to 3.5GHz speed with reduced power consumption and temperature.
Plus, in a possible bid to keep Greenpeace a little happier, Intel no longer uses halogen as a fire retardant, but instead uses transistors made from Hafnium…
Sony intros new in-ear headphones and Bluetooth headsets
Sony has decided that it’s time to introduce some more headphones and a Bluetooth headset to the market, and while it’s hard to get excited by either Sony’s product naming convention or the actual designs, they do at least provide an alternative brand for the likes of “Which?” magazine to compare.
First up comes the MDR-EX33LP and MDR-EX35LP in-ear headphones, described as “fun” and “affordable”. The “33” series comes in five high-fashion colours, and the “55” in three colours, and both feature hybrid silicone earbuds for a secure fit, a 9mm EX driver unit for wide dynamic range and deep bass, and cord adjuster/slider to stop the wires getting caught up…
iPlayer marches on: catch-up TV service coming to Nokia N96
The seemingly relentless development of the BBC’s iPlayer service continues with the announcement that the online catchup service will be available for Nokia’s N96 multimedia phone when it launches next month.
Users will be able to download and stream programmes — a first for a mobile phone service and something that Mac and Linux users can’t even do yet. That’s thanks to a purpose-built application for the Symbian-powered phone. Any jealous iPhone users out there?…
Sennheiser intros MM 200 stereo Bluetooth headset
Sennheiser has announced its MM 200 stereo Bluetooth headset, featuring the CX 400 in-ear capsules and a high-quality Electret Condenser microphone…
