Best Gadgets World

Samsung has made available two new ultra mobile PCs, the Q1U-CMXP and Q1UP-V. Joining the ranks of Samsung UMPCs, the Q1U-CMXP boasts of an integrated HSDPA 3G cellular modem, while the Q1UP-V is offering an ultra premium UMPC powered by Microsoft Vista Business Edition. The Q1U-CMXP and Q1UP-V are both available retailing for $1,499 and $1,449 respectively. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect to get.

The Q1U-CMXP aside from its 3G feature, also boasts of an 810MHz Intel Ultra Mobile Processor, Windows XP Tablet Edition OS, 1GB RAM, a 7-inch WSVGA touchscreen LCD with a 1024 x 600 resolution, LED backlit, HD audio, front facing video chat camera and rear facing video/still camera, an 80GB hard drive, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and a split QWERTY keyboard.

The Q1UP-V aside from its Vista Business Edition OS, also features a 1.3GHz Intel Pentium ULV U1500 processor, 2GB RAM, a 7-inch WSVGA display with a 1024 x 600 backlit LCD , HD audio, 1.3-megapixel camera, an 80GB hard drive, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a QWERTY keyboard.

Read [Business Wire] Product [Q1UP-V] Product [Q1U-CMXP]

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Pantech has released a new Windows mobile phone called the C810 Duo. Unfortunately, it was released only in Mexico and no words yet as to whether this phone will be released internationally. Just in case Pantech decides to bring the C810 Duo to the US market, here’s what you can expect from its features.

This dual-slider is a Windows Mobile 6.0 phone featuring quad-band GSM frequency (850/900/1800/1900 Mhz), EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, a 2.2-inch QVGA LCD, 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth as well as an mp3 player and a micro SD card slot for additional storage.

Via [Akihabara News] Product [Pantech]

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Sharp has launched two new electronic dictionaries in Japan called the Brain PW-AC880 and Brain PW-AC830. Boasting 80-hours of battery life which is enough to last quite a few school days for students, both of these electronic dictionaries feature a 5-inch LCD screen with HVGA (480 x 320) resolution with just 5 colors to save on battery life.These two dictionaries also feature 100MB onboard memory, an SD card slot, photo viewer and handwriting pad. Both measure only 5.71 x 4.25 x 0.85-inches.

In addition, these electronic devices are pre-loaded with dictionaries including Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary English, Encyclopedia Britannica, some Japanese local travel guides and Japanese to English dictionaries and many more.

The PW-AC880 will be available in silver, black and red design, while the PW-AC-830 will be available in white and aqua blue. Pricing and release dates for these Sharp dictionaries are not yet available though.

Product [Sharp] Via [I4U News]

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T-Mobile has pushed up the general release date for the Sunset colored BlackBerry Curve till August 4.

The Curve which features the same specs as the current pale gold or titanium models will be nothing more than an additional color.

If you are a T-Mobile blackberry user who simply wants a new color, then check back on the 4th, as it will be available in both retail stores and also online.

Via [cell phone Signal]

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More and more products seem to be going green now-a-days, the latest comes in the form of a 500GB external hard drive from SimpleTech. The new drive is called the [re]drive and is being touted as the “World’s Most Eco Friendly External Drive.”

The [re]drive’s outer casing is made from aluminum and bamboo and features a low-powered hard drive and an Energy Star power adapter. In addition, SimpleTech has also opted to offer the [re]drive as a fanless drive, having the aluminum on the case act as a heat sink instead. And further helping with power management, the [re]drive also has a feature that will automatically turn the drive on and off with your computer.

The [re]drive, which has Turbo USB 2.0 connectivity and 500GB of storage space is going to retail for $160.

SimpleTech is also offering a nice way to back up your external drive with the Fabrik Ultimate Backup which includes 2GB of online storage for free, and if needed you also have the option to upgrade that to an unlimited option for 5GB a month.

Product [Fabrik]

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Every time I go to a city by a bay, like San Francisco or Seattle, I am completely saturated by an array of scents. They wash over me like multiple waves from the high-priced restaurants with views of the water, and I am compelled to shell out my money for expensive food.

A Japanese company known as Recruit Co Ltd. has found a way to follow their nose to make people some money by using special displays. These unique advertising devices, developed by NTT Communications Corporation, have a 42-inch LCD display that not only show food, but emit mouth-watering aromas.

I’m sure you see the idea. Potential customers are baited by the smells, they approach the display, and they are hooked. Restaurants can even sweeten the deal by including a coupon that will really reel them in.

Of course, I’m not certain how the smell is emitted. What is this, a scratch n’ sniff sticker that doesn’t need any scratching? Maybe the restaurant actually prepares one of its dishes, and then just puts a fan behind it.

Whatever the technology, low-tech or high, I think it is about time the nose got its share of advertising. Scent is a far better lure than anything we can see or hear by far.

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Every time I go to a city by a bay, like San Francisco or Seattle, I am completely saturated by an array of scents. They wash over me like multiple waves from the high-priced restaurants with views of the water, and I am compelled to shell out my money for expensive food.

A Japanese company known as Recruit Co Ltd. has found a way to follow their nose to make people some money by using special displays. These unique advertising devices, developed by NTT Communications Corporation, have a 42-inch LCD display that not only show food, but emit mouth-watering aromas.

I’m sure you see the idea. Potential customers are baited by the smells, they approach the display, and they are hooked. Restaurants can even sweeten the deal by including a coupon that will really reel them in.

Of course, I’m not certain how the smell is emitted. What is this, a scratch n’ sniff sticker that doesn’t need any scratching? Maybe the restaurant actually prepares one of its dishes, and then just puts a fan behind it.

Whatever the technology, low-tech or high, I think it is about time the nose got its share of advertising. Scent is a far better lure than anything we can see or hear by far.

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Yahoo! has announced that it will be shutting down it’s DRM (Digital Rights Management) servers on September 30.  As a result, all music purchased from Yahoo! Music will no longer be able to transfer to computers or devices they are currently on.  This all goes with Yahoo’s migration of services to the Rhapsody music service.

The move isn’t all that bad, however.  Yahoo has announced that it will “compensate” anyone who has bought DRM music files though Yahoo! Music.  The company will give reimbursements on a case-by-case basis.  These reimbursements can either be through repayment of the money spent for the files, or through MP3 files without DRM that will play on any computer or device.  It’d be nice if the customer can choose on a file-by-file basis, so you can be refunded for the album you thought you’d like, but hated after finally listening to the full thing a few times.

For customers of Yahoo! Music, the service will be transferred over to Rhapsody which offers “the same service at a similar price.”

Read [Information Week]

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The Sansa Fuze from SanDisk, is a cool little MP3/4 player along the same vein as the ipod Nano. We’ve recently been sent one to play with so here are our thoughts and findings (or a review so to speak).

Aesthetically the Fuze is a cute little player.The physical UI consists of a rotating front dial which also acts as the 4 navigation buttons with the center button for selection. The display crisp with a resolution of 220 x 176, large enough for watching the odd music video but you wouldn’t want to watch a feature length film on it. Sound quality was good (though as with just about any mp3 player the supplied headphones aren’t the greatest). What most impressed me about the Fuze are the extra features that you don’t find on other (note iPod) players, including:

• Built in micrphone
• FM radio
• microSD Slot, a really cheap way to expand the capacity
• Easy to transfer files (drag and drop) without the need of propriety software

Though there are a few downsides:

• Propriety USB connection, it obviously comes the cable but a standard mini USB connection would be much more convenient especially for charging
• You bookmark videos but not audio books

The Fuze comes 2, 4 and GB versions with prices starting from ~$70 at Amazon.

If you fancy winning our review unit be sure to check out our next coolest gadget of the week (don’t want to miss it, sign up for our free daily email digest).

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by Darren Murph, posted Jul 28th 2008 at 6:25AM
Maybe it’s the 16.4-inch panel, or maybe it’s the built-in Blu-ray drive. Whatever it is, Sony’s VAIO FW has garnered quite a bit of attention. Just a fortnight after getting (extra) official, this nimble monster made its way into the loving arms of NotebookReview, where critics couldn’t resist giving us a sneak peek before penning the fleshed-out review. We’ll just get it out there — initial impressions are really positive. Fit, finish and build quality were all deemed “excellent,” and the overall design was dubbed “beautiful.” Performance seemed to be above par during limited testing, though the screen is apt to be one of those love it or hate it ordeals. Check out the read link if for nothing more than a couple more shots.

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