vincent nguyen

With all the news we’ve been reporting recently about UMPCs, it’s easy to forget about the devices that came before the “Origami” but still embraced many of the same design features. The Pepper Pad, a Linux-based UMPC-style device that we covered back in March, is getting a facelift in the form of a new processor, upgraded specifications, and a refined exterior. This new device is already available for preordering over an Amazon.com, and boasts a feature set the rivals most UMPCs.

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The Otterbox for the iPod is a waterproof casing that combines environmental protection for your iPod with an interactivity rarely seen with such accessories. Thanks to a rubber lining on the inside of the Otterbox, your iPod is protected from such hazards as water, dirt, and anything else that might be able to creep inside and damage the device. Otterbox also includes an interactive membrane positioned over the Click Wheel, allowing the Click Wheel to be operated while the iPod is encased in the Otterbox. Finally, a difficult-to-open latch on the bottom of the Otterbox ensures that the case won’t open inconveniently and effectively ruin the iPod contained therein.

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Every now and then someone comes up with an idea or concept that makes you go ah ha! The concept of using dual screens on a cell phone or portable gaming device is not new. So what’s the problem? Why haven’t we seen a cell phone with two large screens? Perhaps it’s because manufacturers haven’t resolved the issue with the battery, since it does take more juice to power the dual screens. There’s also the issue of price. Dual color screen on a cell phone will definitely raise the price; someone’s going to have to eat the cost whether it’s the manufacturer or consumers.
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If you’re following the exciting world of MP3 players, then you may have heard of Archos’ XS104 digital audio player. This one was supposed to hit stores sometime around May, but was apparently delayed for some reason. Well, audio lovers now have both good and bad news concerning this player. The XS104 is on sale now, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to have lived up to all the hype. It’s a decent player, but it’s priced like an excellent one, a face that will limit the consumer base of the product.

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Hot damn! The Motorola Q has arrive; and you can buy it online for only $199.99 after $100 advance device credit with a new 2-year activation on a voice and data choice bundle plan starting at $79.99 monthly access. In my opinion, two-year commitment is a long time and should you want to leave early, you’ll be charged $175 early termination fee along with other charges.
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This year’s Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) conference brought forth a flood of new information straight from the gurus at Microsoft. In addition to the information on Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007, Windows Server “Longhorn”, and a series of technical Windows-based technology briefs, Microsoft unveiled a series of UMPC conceptual designs, showing that they intend these systems to be flexible enough to fit into every facet of our lives. While these machines are simply concepts, two of the machines caught my eye as devices that might potentially find a place in the computing world. Read the rest of this entry »

Lately Sony has been showing much love for formats other than theirs. To prove that, they recently announced their D-VE7000S Walkman which amazingly enough, supports not only MPEG-4’s but also DivX which has to be a first for this company. The D-VE7000S also supports a wide variety of optical formats like DVD, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, DVD+/-R DL, CD, VCD, CD-R, and CD-RW. All this contributes to the ultimate experience when it comes to viewing movie on the go. Aside from that the player also includes a wide variety of exiting features that will make watching movies even more enjoyable.

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In keeping with our flurry of Playstation 3 updates and news, Sony’s United Kingdom branch has announced the release date and price of the new console overseas. The 60 GB Playstation 3 will be available on November 17th - the same day as the PS3’s U.S.A. launch - and will cost £425, or roughly $805.4 USD, with the lower-priced 20 GB’s release in the UK uncertain. Basically, if you live in the United Kingdom, and you really want Sony’s latest creation, be prepared to shell out almost $200 USD more than you American counterparts for the same machine.

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Ever since Microsoft announced the “Origami” ultra-portable PC this past March, everyone was talking about how cool it would be to have a fully-operating computer right in your pocket, anywhere you go. But as devices neared their release date, we began to be less and less impressed with what we saw; devices that were supposed to run all day on a single charge only lasted 2 to 3 hours; just long enough to watch one DVD. The processing speed was lower than anticipated, the 256 MB of RAM present could barely hang on, and the devices overall were a huge letdown from what we had anticipated. However, it looks like we might finally have our first UMPC worth getting excited over, thanks to Sony and their impressive VAIO computer line.

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The Palm Treo 700p, the announcement of which we covered earlier this week, is the latest in Palm’s long Treo line of smartphones. Available by the end of this month, the Treo 700p is Palm’s fastest PalmOS-based Treo yet, and brings a number of new features and benefits to the table. The Treo 700p joins it’s Windows Mobile-based cousin, the Treo 700w, the Treo 700p will be available from either Verizon Wireless or Sprint, and we here at Digital Lifestyle Magazine have been given the opportunity to take Palm’s new baby for a ride.

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