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Camera Core: A lot of people were looking forward for RIM’s newest Blackberry handset. Well, finally, the 8820 was released and proved to be one of the best smartphone’s developed by RIM. This will be the first Blackberry to offer integrated Wi-fi. The 8820 supports 802.11a/b/g standards and is compliant with Wi-Fi security protocols, giving users another avenue to connect to the Web. However, RIM still hasn’t included 3G just yet, but it does continue to offer features that have been popular from its older siblings, like Bluetooth and GPS support.

The 8820 was built with business users in mind, so the phone may not be as popular as the BlackBerry Pearl or BlackBerry Curve that has been a big hit in the consumer market. Another thing that would limit its mass appeal is its lack of camera option. That is surprising even for me, as I would have expect a built-in camera in a smartphone as advanced as this.

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Audiojunkies: Sony has released a new flagship model in their NC range of noise cancelling headphones called the MDR-NC500D. The NC500D features a new digital noise reduction engine which Sony claims is capable of up to a 99% reduction in ambient noise at 160Hz. An “artificial intelligence” ability can automatically switch between three noise cancelling modes depending on the noise environment.

Power comes from an internal Li-ION battery, rated for up to 16 hours. Two “AA” batteries can also be used to boost battery life up to a combined 28 hours. The NC500D’s 40mm drivers are rated at 5Hz – 24kHz frequency response, with 40 Ohm impedance and 102dB/mW sensitivity.

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Mobile Magazine: Everyone has surely heard about the death of HD DVD, but THX is saying that we should be quite so quick in declaring that Blu-ray is the victor. In fact, they’re saying that Blu-ray is dead too. This is according to Laurie Fincham, one of THX’s chief scientists.

When asked about the recent death of HD DVD, Laurie says that “I think it’s too late for Blu-ray. I think consumers will only be interested in replacing DVD when HD movies becomes available on flash memory. Do we really need another spinning format?”

This follows in the line of thought of some other industry analysts. More specifically, you may have heard that they’re pushing toward HD streaming content over an Internet connection. Having the HD movies on flash memory is a similar concept, but with less of a digital delivery system. Laurie goes to say that “in the future, I want to be able to carry four to five movies around with me in a wallet, or walk into a store and have someone copy me a movie to a USB device. Stores will like that idea, because it’s all about having zero inventory. I don’t want to take up shelf space with dozens of HD movies.”

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HiddenWires: Next generation DVD sales skyrocket in 2007 with strong predictions for 2008.

The UK is at the forefront of the high definition (HD) revolution and is leading the way in Europe in next generation disk sales. Based on a rapid uptake of sales in 2007, DEG Europe, a non-profit, pan-industry body to promote awareness of DVD and HD formats across Europe has high expectations for the adoption of next generation technologies throughout 2008.

According to DEG Europe and based on GfK tracking, the volume of next generation DVD’s being sold in Europe[ ] increased 85 fold between 2006 and 2007 and is expected to rise exponentially into 2008. Although consumers are continuing to purchase standard definition DVD’s, the growth curve is falling off with a marginal increase in volume sales of just 4.2%. In terms of who’s buying the most DVD’s, tech savvy Brits are leading the HD revolution with 34% of total next generation DVD sales coming out of the UK.

Yves Caillaud, senior vice president international, Warner Home Video, speaking for and on behalf of DEG Europe, said: “In 2007, we saw over 2.5 million units of high definition DVD’s sold within Europe. To put this in context, when compared to the transfer from VHS to DVD in 1998, only 1,480,000 DVDs were sold in the first year. This clearly demonstrates the rapid consumer adoption of HD technologies.”

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The Register: If the floor space around your TV and consoles is anything like ours, then it’s littered with controllers. Peripherals manufacturer Thrustmaster has created a combi cradle-cum-charger for the Wii.

Dubbed the T-Charge One NW, the unit allows gamers to simultaneously store the console’s Nunchuck, standard gamepad and Remote, helping to make your general gaming area less cluttered.

The stand also charges the Remote for you, through a USB connection into the console. Rechargeable batteries for the Remote are included.

A T-Charge Duo NW is also available that, as the name suggests, powers two Remotes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t store the Nunchuck and gamepad like the One NW does.

On the plus side, Thrustmaster will throw in two rechargeable batteries with the One NW and four batteries with Duo NW.

Both units will be available in April, with the T-Charge One NW priced at €20 and the Duo model expected to cost €22.

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Camera Core: Samsung doesn’t only do slider phones, they also do two-sided phones. With this experiment, Samsung has produced the Samsung Upstage, their latest innovation. The Upstage features a small display on the phone side and, on the back cover, a large display for entertainment.The phone in itself is a wonder. It is a combination, with one side serving as a phone and the other side looking so much like a portable media player. It is designed to offer the benefits of a large display with a large keypad without actually increasing the size of the Upstage.

However, with this design, you get a small media player, but also a less efficient one. It has good music and sound quality — a real plus in today’s phones where sound volume and quality seem to be so cruelly abandoned. But the complicated two-sided system makes it a cell phone that is really not for everybody.

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PC Advisor: Sony is launching an in-car CD tuner and MP3 player. The Sony MEX-BT3600U is designed to be a neater way of pumping music from iPod or Walkman MP3 player to car stereo speakers.

Unlike other in-car MP3 player hookups which generally involve tuning in to an available FM channel, the Sony MEX-BT3600U is essentially a car stereo and CD player with a USB port to which the portable player then attaches.
The point of both FM tuner-type devices and gadgets such as this Sony in-car player is that you can enjoy your music collection without having to lug your CD collection with you.

Sony has given its in-car player a straightforward navigation menu too: a ‘Quick-BrowZer’ lets users search and select tracks stored on their MP3 player. Track and album details are shown on the tuner’s 13-segment LCD display.

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Eurogamer: Those of you switching your PS3 on since yesterday will be able to download firmware update version 2.20.

This was promised in “late March” (we’ve just checked and it is late March right now), and brings with it BD-LIVE interactive film features as well as the ability to copy PS3 files like music and photos to your PSP.

BD-LIVE lets you download Internet content such as bonus scenes, shorts, trailers and images. You can also grab ringtones and transfer them to your phone, as well as take part in movie-based games.

Probably more important for you lot is WMV and DivX support for files over 2GB, though.

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Slashgear: Sure, they play and record on Blu-Ray discs, and that’s cool, but that’s nothing compared to the touch-screen remotes that they come with. Both units also have internal hard drives built in.

The BZ100 has a 250GB HDD with the BZ200 doubling that. The HDD combined with the Blu-Ray recording capability mean these things can simultaneously record two digital broadcast programs in HD.

They support MPEG-4 video compression, have Digital and Analog TV tuners, HDMI, and TiVo-like support and they also come with a standard remote alongside the programmable touch-screen one.

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NaviGadget: Blaupunkt renewed its range of sat nav systems with 3 new products : TravelPilot 100, 200 and 300. Blaupunkt, starting with these new models now rely on their own software for navigation. One improvement this will bring according to Blaupunkt will be the POIs and the ability to import police radar information.

TravelPilot 100 is the entry model with a standard 3.5″ screen.

Features:

• Centrality Atlas III GPS receiver
• 3.5″ TFT touch screen with 320×240 pixel resolution
• Centrality Atlas III Dual Core processor running at 400Mhz
• Integrated 1GB ROM memory
• SD/MMC HC memory card reader (upto to 16GB)
• USB 2.0
• 3 hour battery life
• Windows CE 5.0
• Blaupunkt navigation software with speed limits and radars management
• Tele Atlas map of France

TravelPilot 100 will be marketed in March for 129 €.
 

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techradar: For a bargain price, you and your iPod-toting friends can now become the most annoying people outside of any Big Brother house thanks to a breakthrough in karaoke technology from Japan.

Logitec’s LAT-PKARA01SV microphone may not even have a proper name, but don’t let that put you off sharing your vocal talents with all and sundry through the magic of FM.

The handheld mic takes audio input from any source – naturally, an iPod features heavily in Logitec’s marketing – and mixes the vocal track down to almost zero.

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Business Journal: Kenwood USA Corp. turned to Garmin International Inc. as its exclusive suppler of navigation systems for its 2008 lineup of in-dash car electronics products, the companies said Monday.

Olathe-based Garmin said units produced for Kenwood will feature built-in or optional navigation. Other optional features on the units include satellite radio, high-definition radio, Bluetooth, iPod connections and video control. The companies will work together on advertising and an Internet site to promote the units.

The units will be available through Kenwood dealers and its dealer option business.

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