Archives for November 2007

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Samsung's 5-megapixel phone debuts in November

Reuben Lee | Nov 01, 2007

Samsung's 5-megapixel phone debuts in November The 5-megapixel camera-phone craze has finally caught on with Samsung as it prepares to launch its SGH-G600 slider for the year-end holiday season this November. While we have seen higher-resolution camera-phones such as the 10-megapixel SCH-B600 from the Korean chaebol, the G600 marks the first time the company is launching a 5-megapixel GSM cellular offering in our part of the world.

The G600 is, however, not alone in the 5-megapixel camera-phone space. Among its main competitors are the recently launched Nokia N95 (8GB) and Sony Ericsson K850i Cyber-shot. Based on the specifications given, our impression is that the G600 is possibly the least feature-rich of the trio, but it makes up with a slim 14.9mm profile and a sub-S$700 sticker price (without contract). According to Samsung Singapore, the higher-spec'd G800, which comes with Xenon flash, HSDPA and optical zoom, will be available only in 2008.

At the recent launch event held in Singapore, Samsung also showcased three music-oriented handsets. The SGH-F330 is a slim HSDPA slider expected in December. The SGH-F210 comes with 1GB onboard expandable memory and music recognition function, while the SGH-F200 offers a unique flick-and-swivel form factor. The latter two handsets are available now.

Read our full coverage here.

Filed under: Mobile Phones
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Sony gets sweet on Bio Batteries

Juniper Foo | Nov 01, 2007

Sony's biotech battery has a sweet tooth, figuratively speaking. It sups on glucose for energy, much like some of us, converting the sugar within beverages such as fruit juice and even Pocari Sweat into electricity. For a glimpse into the future of alternative power cells, check out the video of the Bio Batt seen powering a desk fan and speakers attached to a Walkman, after being juiced up on a sugar solution.

A four-cell array is reportedly capable of generating up to 50mW of power, enough for small devices at the moment.

The Bio Battery imitates real life by using enzymes to break down the glucose to generate electricity. Itself made out of a vegetable-based plastic, the worse that could happen to Sony's latest battery offering are… eeks, ants. A blessing given the rather unfortunate notebook battery recall of last year.

Via Japan Today | Photo credit: Sony

Filed under: Future Tech
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SanDisk introduces 8GB microSDHC and M2 cards

Reuben Lee | Nov 01, 2007

Imagine putting all 2,000 of your favorite MP3 songs into a memory card no larger than the size of your fingernail. Well, a few years ago, that would have been a tall order, particularly since the CompactFlash media was the only one with storage capacities above 4GB. However, today, with the launch of SanDisk's 8GB microSDHC and M2 ( a.k.a. Memory Stick Micro) cards, it's no longer an impossible task.

Widely considered as two of the world's smallest flash memory formats available today, microSD and M2 cards are most commonly used in handheld devices such as mobile and smart phones. The availability of card adapters, which convert the microSD or M2 cards into other larger flash memory formats (such as Memory Stick Duo and SD card), has also enabled the tiny cards to be used more widely in other devices as well.

According to SanDisk's press release, the 8GB M2 card is now available in stores for S$199 (US$146.32), while the 8GB microSDHC media is priced slightly more competitively at S$180 (US$132.35). But before you invest in the latest 8GB microSDHC and M2 cards, do note that not all devices will work with them. The microSDHC card, for instance, will work only in devices that support the SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) format. The M2 card, on the other hand, is expected to work with all devices, but we'd advise checking with your device manufacturer to ensure compatibility.