Archives for April 2007
Bonus pack for Dopod U1000
John Chan | Apr 25, 2007
| Editors' note:
In addition to the items listed below, the U1000 bonus pack also includes a 2GB miniSD card and CE Star, an application to type Chinese characters on the handheld. Scroll down for an image of the contents.
27 April 2007--According to Dopod, availability of the bonus pack was not affected by shipment delay, but is intended to be available now as a premium for U1000 users. |
Users of the GPS-enabled Dopod U1000 who have been lamenting the lack of bundled maps and navigation software will be pleased to know that they will be receiving it for free now.
The Taiwanese company has announced that it will be giving out bonus packs for existing users of the U1000. Included are a car charger and car holder. It also comes with four applications: Mapking, Sprite Backup, GPRS Monitor and an application for business card information capture using the handheld's camera.
The bonus pack is available throughout the Asia-Pacific region wherever the U1000 is sold. Existing users will be contacted by their retailers as to how they can collect the goodie bag, while new buyers will receive the bonus pack upon purchase.
Dopod had meant for this bonus pack to be available at the initial launch of the U1000, but shipment delays resulted in it being available only now. It is a limited offer, and will cease once stocks are depleted. Dopod was not able to tell CNET Asia how many of these bonus packs are available.
Click here to read the review of the Dopod U1000.
Contents of the U1000 bonus pack. Click for larger image.
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iPod in gold
John Chan | Apr 25, 2007
Add a bit, no, make that a lot of bling to your iPod with 24-carat gold. Just hop over to Amouso, a site dedicated to making luxury portable devices. We are not talking about gold-plating here, but a hardened mirror gold finish for iPods which have the chrome back surface. These include the regular 30GB and 80GB iPods and the first-generation iPod nanos. The prices of these modified iPods range from £299.99 (S$908.44) to £399.99 (S$1,211.26). If you already have one of those MP3 players, you can just get the gold back plate which will set you back £149.99 (S$454.21) for the nano version or £199.99 (S$605.62) for the full iPod version.
Via Newlaunches
Wii, it's finally here 
Darius Chang | Apr 25, 2007
| Editors' note : Maxsoft has announced a trial launch of the Wii. The article has been amended to reflect the new information. |
The trial launch by Maxsoft will see US models of the Nintendo Wii appearing in Singapore stores from tomorrow, with local sets possibly coming in the next three to four months. The difference between its sets and parallel import units is that the former will include a power adapter rated for local voltage and warranty support. However, to our dismay, it would seem that the distributor may have taken a page out of Sony's PS3 launch.
According to local Maxsoft, the Nintendo console will be sold only as a bundle, which includes two games (Wii Sports and a choice of Sonic the Hedgehog: Ring of Fire or Ice Age) and dual Wii remote for S$647 (US$425.66). At this price, some might find the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, retailing at S$660 (US$434.21) and S$799 (US$525.66), respectively, a better buy as they have superior graphics, internal harddisks, and in the case of the latter a Blu-ray optical drive. According to Maxsoft, these sets will have limited warranty, but declined to specify the exact length of the coverage. After quick calls to Sim Lim Square stores on how long Wii would be covered, we received promises ranging from three months to a year.
Lenovos with Centrino Pro
Michelle Thatcher | Apr 25, 2007
| Editors' note: Lenovo Singapore declined to comment on this report. We will have more details and confirmation come May 15 when the Santa Rosa platform is officially launched. |
NotebookReview pointed us to spec lists for the refreshed ThinkPad T61 and ThinkPad R61, both of which will be built on the platform formerly known as Santa Rosa. The announcement is limited to new configurations for the Asia-Pacific region, but we don't think it much of a stretch to assume we'll see similar Centrino Pro ThinkPads in the US.
One of the most intriguing features listed on the Lenovo page is the "Intel Turbo Memory 1GB hard drive for faster performance". We assume this is the official name for the Robson caching technology Intel demoed in 2005. Essentially a quantity of NAND flash memory that's incorporated into the motherboard, Robson stores a cache of commonly accessed information, such as the operating system and software, so you can boot the computer or launch applications without spinning the hard drive. Some of the other specs on the list include:
The release lists May 2007 as the availability date, which falls nicely in the middle of Intel's window for releasing its new platform.
Fancy BlackBerry on your WM6 handheld?
John Chan | Apr 25, 2007
Research In Motion (RIM), the company that makes the BlackBerry software, has announced it will have a new application software that will recreate its handheld's interface on Windows Mobile devices.
Much like how virtualization software works on PCs, this application appears in Windows Mobile 6 as a normal application and will still give the full BlackBerry experience within the device. Aside from the standard email functions, it will also support third-party programs written for the BlackBerry.
While the BlackBerry push-email service has already been available on certain Windows Mobile devices with the BlackBerry Connect software, it gave only those compatible handhelds push email functionality and not the full interface.
The new application will be available on selected Windows Mobile 6 devices, and will not work on the older Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system. RIM plans to have it ready later this year, but was not able to confirm whether this will be rolled out in the Asia-Pacific region at the same time as in the US. The first devices to support this new application have not been announced.
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