about-electronics.eu

Newlaunches: I’ll admit that when it comes to home theatre set ups I’m quite partial to the sound bar. It’s perfect for those who don’t have too much room for more than 2 speakers and the better the company that manufactures it, the happier you’ll be. Having said that, the SB 15 from Harman Kardon, would be at the very top of my list, if I could perceive to think that I could afford any part of it. This baby is slim, sleek and definitely a sexy piece of audio equipment. It can easily be hooked up to your television, DVD player or game console and what really does it for me is the wireless subwoofer. This makes it a seriously convenient option especially for those with more money but less living space, as contradictory as that may sound. It even offers 3D surround-sound processing. Of course the only thing Philips SoundBar has on the SB 15 is the built in Blu-ray player, but I do believe I’d go with quality over quantity on this one, sorry Phil…

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Electronista: Ford added a new feature to its MyFord Touch in-dash car system on its way to launch. A new Eco-Routes feature gives drivers an extra option for GPS navigation that picks the most fuel-efficient path: it will avoid highways but still try to use major roads where the car can keep a consistent speed and save fuel. The system looks at historical data along with live traffic conditions to gauge where stop-and-go traffic might waste gas. (more…)

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ipodnn: Sweden-based earphone maker Jays has introduced a new range of earbuds, with thet-JAYS. The three models, called simply One, Two and Three differ by their sound character and included accessories. All share the same 8-gram earphone that contains a dynamic speaker with a 10mm Neodymium element and a detachable 2- or 4.3-foot Kevlar cord. (more…)

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The Audiophiliac: I’ve reviewed many Denon receivers, but never one of the really big ones. Richard Ames, that lucky devil, had the pleasure of putting the Denon AVR-4810CI through its paces for “Home Entertainment” magazine.

Each of the receiver’s nine channels puts out 140 watts. Just about every surround format is on board, including Dolby ProLogic IIz height channel processing and Audyssey’s DSX (which adds the possibility of width channels as well). You also get Audyssey’s MultEQ XT 8-point room correction processing. (more…)

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GPS Business News: According to IMS Research, the GPS chipset market capped 300 million units in 2009. The research firm also published an optimistic outlook for the GPS chipset market in 2010 in their recently released quarterly tracker.

Tom Arran, a research analyst working on the service, explained “2009 has been a year of tremendous fluctuations. The start of the year had shipments into some verticals at record lows, for example year-on-year shipments into the PND market had fallen 41% due to inventory issues apparent in the market.” (more…)

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Pioneer.eu: This summer, Pioneer introduces a new line of AV receivers that deliver a dynamic music experience to the living room. Aside from the entry-level VSX-420-K/S, all new models, including the 5.1 channel VSX-520-K/S and VSX-820-K/S can be enhanced with wireless Bluetooth audio streaming for Bluetooth-enabled devices and are capable to provide a 3D experience with the latest HDMI version 1.4.

If you looking for the ultimate AV control centre with seamless iPhone and iPod touch integration, you’ll find it in Pioneer’s new “Works with iPhone” certified receivers: the VSX-820-K/S, VSX-920-K and VSX-1020-K/VSX-1025-K. Additionally, the company releases its iControlAV app, which turns compatible iPhone and iPod touch devices into a fully functioning remote control for our new 7.1 channel receivers.

Expanded iPhone functionality and iControlAV application

From the VSX-820-K/S onwards the new receivers deliver expanded iPhone functionality, with the VSX-920-K and VSX-1020-K/VSX-1025-K featuring Pioneer’s first home entertainment app. All new models – except for the VSX-420-K/S – offer optional Bluetooth audio streaming for wireless devices. Read more…

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Übergizmo: Fancy purchasing a TV pretty soon, but do not know where to start? Perhaps you might consider a Samsung LED or LCD TV after reading this post – after all, selected models from either line from Samsung will be incorporated with InstaPort technology from Silicon Image, where it will change HDMI input within one second – basically, this removes the time of waiting for the input to look for a source, giving you instant change in the blink of an eye. This is something nice to have but not essential, then again who are we to say in this world that has a “I want it now!” attitude? Perhaps it might end up as a common feature in all TV brands sometime down the road, who knows?

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Übergizmo: Struck the lottery and need a better subwoofer to irritate your neighbors? That’s what the upcoming BeoLab 11 from Bang & Olufsen is for. Aside from its stylish looks, it promises some awesome bass. It offers two 6.5-inch drivers facing each other in an aluminum shell, and will handle all your beats really well. It’ll be available in North America by mid-May 2010 and will set you back a good $2,000.

Press release.

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Pioneer.eu: After debuting in the iPod speaker category last year with the XW-NAS5 and XW-NAS3 systems, this summer we broaden our offerings with three new multifunctional iPod speaker systems that unite refreshing design and innovative features.

The XW-NAC3 and XW-NAC1 iPod speaker systems will be available as from June 2010, followed by the XW-NAV1 in July.

The youthful-looking XW-NAC3 and XW-NAC1 come equipped with docking stations for two iPods or iPhones at once, featuring a “SHUFFLE2” function for mixed playback from both docked devices. The third new model in the line-up, the stylishly designed XW-NAV1 AV system, opens up a world of entertainment options.

On the one hand it’s a DVD player with 1080p HDMI upscaling, on the other hand it’s a multimedia machine that fulfils virtually every wish – from iPod and iPhone compatibility to FM radio and USB connectivity.

XW-NAC3 and XW-NAC1
The XW-NAC3 and XW-NAC1 were developed to conveniently enjoy two music libraries with friends. They come with a “SHUFFLE2” function that allows tracks from both players to be shuffled and then cleverly mixed into a continuous playback.

The result is non-stop music with smooth transitions between songs for DJ-like listening. Those eager to quickly search through the tracks of one or both players simply have to push the Hi-Lite Scan button to get a 10 second preview of all tracks on either one or both docked iPods/iPhones.

With integrated Bluetooth functionality both units are ready for wireless reception of music files from Bluetooth enabled devices. Transmission-induced audio quality issues are overcome with Sound Retriever AIR, a quality improvement technology developed specifically for Bluetooth. It restores sound pressure and density that were reduced during the Bluetooth compression process and suppresses noise caused by the transmission. Read more…

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Gizmag: Anyone who has had a chance to experience 3D, whether it be at the cinema or on one of the multitude of 3D TVs hitting the market, will be aware that image brightness takes a hit thanks to the eyewear required for the 3D effect, be they passive or active shutter. Now Sharp has given its four-primary-color TVs we first saw at CES earlier this year the 3D treatment. The company says the sets not only boast the industry’s highest brightness, but also feature extremely low “crosstalk” – the undesirable double “ghost” images evident with many 3D TVs.

Sharp’s four-primary-color TVs uses four pixel colors, (red, green, blue and yellow), to produce images instead of the standard three, (red, blue and green). Sharp says adding yellow to the mix contributes to brighter, more vivid colors thanks to higher light transmission efficiency through the panel and a wider range of colors that can be reproduced. (more…)

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BBC News: Apple is to delay the international release of its touchscreen tablet computer, the iPad, by one month. It will now launch the device around the world, including the UK, at the end of May, and will begin accepting pre-orders on 10 May.

In a statement the company blamed demand for the device in the US, which it said had been “surprisingly strong”. When the iPad launched in the US, 300,000 units were sold on its first day. Apple claims it delivered 500,000 in the first week of its release. “Demand is far higher than we predicted and will likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks,” said Apple.

Prices for the first iPad models start at $499 (£328) in the US. They have wi-fi but not 3G connectivity. (more…)

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Pioneer.eu: In April and May, Pioneer will introduce six new NavGate systems, that mix unsurpassed navigation guidance with Bluetooth wireless technology and a host of multimedia capabilities.More than basic navigation units, these models enhance in-car travel with various communication and entertainment possibilities. The new NavGate line-up is easy to use, fits smoothly in all types of cars and can be customised to suit the your personal taste.

At heart, NavGate is about fast and precise in-car navigation. The new units offer a comprehensive, preinstalled map database from Tele Atlas covering 44 European countries and featuring millions of destinations and Points of Interest (POIs). Navigation is stress-free thanks to easy address input and fast route calculation.

To avoid any unwelcome surprises, all 2010 models come with a Traffic Message Channel (TMC) receiver that will inform you about traffic jams and incidents on your route.

Offering a range of interesting features, our proprietary NavGate Feeds PC and smartphone software has made navigation customisable. It enables you to find your own POIs from a range of sources, such as Google Maps mapping service, internet POI sites and geotagged images, and add them to your system’s maps using an SD card, USB device or Bluetooth.

The ECO Driving function provides driving status reports and visualises your impact on the environment.Thanks to NavGate Feeds, the units can estimate the fuel cost of trip routes as well as the vehicle’s CO2 emissions through detailed Drive Reports.

The application can also analyse driving habits over a period of time to give suggestions on how to be more economic with fuel. Read more…
 

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