about-electronics.eu

THR.com: A new study shows bright prospects for such high-definition media as HDTV and Blu-ray Discs, based on respondents’ familiarity with and preference for the products.

The SmithGeiger survey of 1,600 HDTV owners in the U.S., U.K. and Japan was commissioned by the home entertainment trade organization Digital Entertainment Group.

Respondents were asked to assess their overall satisfaction with HDTV, related programming services and Blu-ray.

In a key finding respondents expressed a 10-to-1 preference for Blu-ray over downloading or streaming for their home entertainment. Of those, 70% said they valued the physical portability of film and TV content on disc.

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Vnunet.com: The American Heart Association has warned that MP3 players may adversely affect some heart-monitoring electronics.

New research suggests that the neodymium magnets used in the headsets of many players can cause harmful interference to implanted pacemakers and cardioverter defibrillators.

The study found that the magnets in the headphones caused the interference when placed within 3cm of the implanted device. The magnets do not pose any risk beyond this range.

“For patients with pacemakers, exposure to the headphones can force the device to deliver signals to the heart, causing it to beat without regard to the patient’s underlying heart rhythm,” said Dr William H Maisel.

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ITProPortal: Sony has announced that it has developed a 12.25-megapixels CMOS sensor for camera phones, called the Exmor IMX060PQ.

The company also announced two other sensors capable of 5.15 and 8.11-megapixels which will be implemented next year in cheaper camera phones.

Expect the sensors to appear in Q2 2009 in Sony Ericsson cameras first.

Furthermore, Sony will start selling next year the IU060F camera module which comes with a built-in lens and an auto-focus function.

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HD News: Those of you who are in the market for a sub 21in LCD TV can now expect products which sport all of the technological wizardry with which manufacturers endow their larger premium models. Consumers should now expect more than just the one HDMI input from a small screen and should also be looking for the latest incarnation of a manufacturers picture processing engine along with an ‘HD Ready’ resolution.

Panasonic’s TX-19LXD8 is typical of a highly specified new breed of small flat panel TV’s. Although a 1680 x 1050 gives away its computer monitor heritage, this panel has 2 HDMI inputs, it can accept a 1080p source and comes equipped with Panasonic’s Viera 3 picture processing technology.

LG’s 19LG3000 also sports 2 HDMI inputs along with an HD Ready (1440 x 900) resolution. The picture processing heart of this panel is one of the latest incarnation’s of LG respected picture processing technology, XD Engine.

Samsung’s stylish LE19A656 sports the Korean manufacturer’s highly regarded DNIe picture processing technology.

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DVICE: Bang and Olufsen specializes in exquisite, expensive electronics design, and this BeoSound 5 is no exception.

You’re looking at the controller for the system, a 10.4-inch screen with an aluminum scroll wheel that commands a Windows XP-running BeoControl 5 music and video server.

The Internet-connected system shows you album covers on its big screen, which sits on the table by some cantilevered magic. Or maybe you’d like it hanging on the wall, or perched atop a radical-looking stalk.

It can analyze songs and find others like it, something that would have seemed miraculous 10 years ago, but is commonplace today.

The video section is highly capable. It hooks up via HDMI and DVI and can handle a variety of file types.

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Electricpig: We’ve heard a lot about BD-Live, or Blu-ray Profile 2.0, and how it’s revolutionising bonus content on a movie disc, but a new app demonstrates that it’s not just about downloading interviews and featurettes onto your Blu-ray player – you can also interact with it using your mobile phone.

The app is called Video Bulletin Board, and allows users to upload photos and videos shot on their mobile to the BD-Live enabled players of their Blu-ray using friends.

Once a user has received a picture on their player, they can click to call the sender back straight away.

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Techradar: Nokia has leaked information on a phone codenamed Wahoo, and anticipates it will be a market leader in the half QWERTY flip phone market.

Apart from the BlackBerry Kickstart/Pearl Flip, there really aren’t any other phones in this category, and it represents something of a departure for Nokia in terms of business design.

It has two displays, one internal and one external, and sports 3G connectivity, a 2.2-inch internal screen and a 2MP snapper for those ‘business’ shots.

Its thin form factor is sure to delight the fashion/business crossover, although doubts are still circling within the industry over Nokia’s efforts to try to topple RIM.

But, with a maximum 4GB storage through microSD to complement the 80MB already on board, as well as dedicated external music keys and a variety of supported file formats, at least the media aspect isn’t being ignored.

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iPodNN: Vers on Wednesday announced the release of its Vers 1.5R alarm clock radio with a built-in iPod dock.

Sharing many of its features with the existing Vers 2X system, the new system packages them into a smaller product. Vers will offer the 1.5R in the same wood finishes as the 2X, including Natural Bamboo, Natural Cherry, Natural Walnut and Dark Walnut as part of the company’s environmentally friendly-focus.

The new iPod clock radio from Vers includes a 15W speaker and backlit LCD display to show music info. It is compatible will all docking iPod models expect for generation 3 devices, and comes with an 18-function IR remote. Users can choose to wake up to a pre-set AM or FM radio station or music stored on their iPods. Other personal audio players can be connected via a 3.5mm auxiliary input.

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HEXUS.gaming: Jumping on the Wii Fit bandwagon and seeking to expand its audience, Electronic Arts is set to release a new fitness game aimed specifically at women.

EA Sports Active will be available exclusively for Wii and will include tiring activities such as Yoga, skiing, running, as well as simulations of some sports, including tennis.

Rumour also has it that EA Active will include balancing activities, so expect to have another use for your Wii balance board should you not already be terribly exhausted from Nintendo’s fitness game.

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NaviGadget: Blaupunkt just released the news that its new Blaupunkt TravelPilot 700 we mentioned several months ago is now shipping with VOIP support.

Before you ask ‘how’s that gonna work’ keep in mind that this GPS navigation system has a WLAN module.

The device can be configured quickly and used internationally – including unlimited surfing on the Internet, which means that the TravelPilot 700 can be used to access Internet radio and podcasts as well as e-mail.

In addition, Internet telephony (Voice over Internet Protocol) provides free telephone service to all over the world via computer networks (VoIP-to-VoIP).

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SlashGear: Vuzix have announced availability of the AV310 Widescreen Video Headset in Europe, together with the new AV230XL which uses OLED displays for brighter, better contrast images despite requiring less power.  

The AV310 produces a 16:9 image equivalent to watching a 52-inch screen, and is 3D capable; the AV230XL, meanwhile, is equivalent to watching a 44-inch screen from nine feet away. 

Both are compatible with the iPhone, iPod, the Wii, many of the latest mobile phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, Samsung and HTC, as well as other portable electronics such as DVD players and PMPs.

Power for both headsets is from a single AA battery in the in-line remote, which is capable of running the AV310 for five hours or the AV230XL for seven hours. 

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CrunchGear: The LG Prada II is coming. It’s scheduled to debut in the UK on Tuesday, November 18.

The touchscreen phone, which has a 5-megapixel camera (which was last impressive two years ago), also has a slide-out keyboard, making it more G1 than iPhone.

There’s no price just yet (though it was rumored at around €600), which is fantastic considering it comes out in just a few days.

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