Archives for September 2007
Samsung's Armani phone 9.9mm or 10.5mm?
Damian Koh | Sep 27, 2007
Nothing irks us more than seeing different numbers describing the same thing. Since nobody buys a brick for a phone these days (and we don't mean the iBrick), the thickness of a handset becomes an important purchase consideration. But, hello, can Giorgio Armani or Samsung make up their minds on whether the luxury phone is 9.9mm or 10.5mm thick? On the specs, it says the latter, but in the press release it's written as "a mere 9.9mm in thickness". So which is right?
The Giorgio Armani-Samsung phone will be available at Giorgio Armani flagship stores and selected shops in major European countries from November this year. For an undetermined price, you're getting your hands on a triband handset with a full 2.6-inch QVGA touchscreen panel, a 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth stereo, microSD card support and a haptic user feedback interface like the Motorola RAZR2s. Did they just forget us in Asia again?
Update: We've just received news that the Armani phone will be available in Asia early next year and the phone is in fact 10.5mm thick.
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HTC loves Europe
John Chan | Sep 26, 2007
On the first day of October, HTC Europe will be unveiling its Q4 2007 lineup to the UK press. A similar event will follow east from there the next day for the German press.
HTC hasn't given any details about what to expect from the press event, but speculation goes that the company will be showcasing products like the Shift, TyTN II and Nike. The Nike is an upgraded version of the Touch, and has been announced in Japan as the NTT DoCoMo FOMA HT1100 (pictured right). It comes with 3G and a numeric keypad, though not Wi-Fi.
As with the Touch and TyTN II, new products from the Taiwan-based company get announced in Europe first. We will then get a picture of what to expect in Asia thereafter.
Credit: the::unwired
BenQ improves on the T700... barely
Edvarcl Heng | Sep 26, 2007
Hmm, what's this? After the torrent of camera launches in the past two months, we thought we could finally kick back a little and play around with the new cameras in the lab. But no, BenQ had to drop in with a higher-spec T800, right after the T700 made its debut a few months back.
So what's new? Well, not much. It's the same body with same dimensions. Minor differences are the higher megapixel count (8- vs 7.2-megapixels), a larger touchscreen LCD (3 inch vs 2.5 inch), more light sensitivity (ISO 6,400 to ISO 1,200) and support for SDHC in the T800.
Right after the dismal review that the T700 received for its poor low-light performance, the ISO 6,400 setting on the T800 ought to help bolster its score in the next round of reviews.
The T800 will be launched in Thailand by Q4.
Helios weds its X-Line network players with new Odyssey
Philip Wong | Sep 26, 2007
Just off the press is Hong Kong-based Helios Odyssey, a networked media hub designed to complement its existing range of X-Line media players. Similar in concept with most Network-Attached Storage, the Odyssey offers real-time music, photo and video streaming delivered via a home network. It supports hard drives of up to a massive 1TB size and is noiseless thanks to its passively cooled brushed aluminum shell.
You can even import new files through any of its three high-speed USB ports, though network communication is performed through a rather dated 100Mbps interface. Other interesting bits include Universal Plug and Play (uPnP) compatibility, Linux applications support and a configuration-free setup.
Oh! Did we also mention that the company is shipping out free evaluation units? All you need is to fill up a registration form at the company's Web site. In return, you are expected to assist Helios in carrying out a series of compatibility and performance tests.
Halo 3 fanatics threaten writer
Darius Chang | Sep 26, 2007
Just when we thought Apple fans were the most obsessive in the world, it turns out that Halo fanboys pwn them as anything to do with Halo 3 is considered a sacred object. A recent video by Gizmodo writer, Brian Lam, drew more flak than a war zone. The issue wasn't so much that Microsoft spent hundreds giving them free Halo 3 swag, but that the writer did a clip where he nonchalantly threw the freebies around.
Where is the respect? Halo 3 fanboys gave him the proverbial finger in a long list of comments (which hit 109 at last count) for not thanking Microsoft on his knees for the honor of touching Master Chief's memorabilia. One reader, Sinamos, even told Brian point-blank to be grateful or face a snowy death.
CNET Asia did not get such love from Microsoft, and hence probably avoided being lynched by hordes of angry Asian Halo fans. Nonetheless, we understand how some make gaming their lives, but to threaten a writer just for that? Time to turn off the Xbox 360 and get a real life.
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