Unusual laptops

Posted by Egyptos , , الثلاثاء، 17 مايو 2011 5:37 ص

Computex 2006 Is it a notebook or a desktop? Taiwan's Dialogue Flybook VM doesn't seem sure either, thanks to a novel screen hinge mechanism that literally lifts the machine's 12.1in, 1,280 x 768 widescreen panel up and away from the keyboard unit.
The third-generation Flybook - the first two series distinguished themselves with their tablet-style fold and rotate display - was on show at Computex this week. Like a regular laptop, the VM's screen folds back on a hinge at the rear. However, it's also mounted on a telescopic stand allowing the display to be position upward and forwards more like a desktop LCD monitor.
dialogue flybook vm
The internals are totally notebook: a 1.66GHz low-voltage Core Duo processor, Intel 945GM integrated chipset and Intel ProWireless 3945ABG Wi-Fi adaptor - this is Dialogue's first machine capable of carrying Centrino Duo branding.
dialogue flybook vm
In addition to Wi-Fi, the VM has Gigabit Ethernet and Bluetooth 2.0 but this time round Dialogue appears to have dropped the built-in GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio found on earlier models. However, there's an ExpressCard slot for when card makers get round to migrating from old-style PC Card products.
The VM will ship with at least 512MB of DDR 2 memory on board, expandable to 2GB, and a 1.8in, 30GB hard drive. There's an integrated VGA webcam, stereo speakers and multiple microphones connected in an array for superior background-noise reduction. It has a fingerprint reader, too.
dialogue flybook vm
The machine weighs 1.64kg and measures 29.2 x 22.2 x 2.6cm - so it's not very much bigger than earlier Flybooks. There's no word yet on pricing or availability

0 Comments

Windows Phone 7.5 adds Facebook,AiM chat

Posted by Egyptos , , 5:27 ص

Microsoft has officially confirmed that the Windows Phone 7 Mango update will indeed be branded as Windows Phone 7.5, and there’s plenty of buzz about a spate of new features which are due to arrive. Forget about your silly NoDo-enabled copy and paste functionality, Windows Phone 7.5 comes packing a pair of instant messaging additions and a whole lot more.
Native Windows Live Messenger support was revealed just last week, and now the Developer Podcast has revealed that Facebook and AIM chat will also be baked in. Windows Phone 7.5 is also adding two more messaging features: group messaging and visual voicemail. The group feature will allow you to choose between email and SMS, and it will tell you which group members you’ve got a valid address for should you decide to go with a mail blast. Visual voicemail will be built on  , just as it has been on iOS and Android.
SkyDrive and Office 365 will built into the Windows Phone 7.5 Office Hub, which will make accessing your Office files in the cloud an absolute breeze. There’s also improved Xbox Live integration, allowing users to automatically connect to the service and sync game data. The lockscreen will also get a little love, with a new option to display the album artwork for your currently playing audio track.
Previously announced 7.5 goodies include webOS-style multitasking, Internet Explorer Mobile 9, and Twitter integration. For developers, Windows Phone 7.5 will improve access to phone functions and adds APIs for hardware like cameras and accelerometers.
While all the new features sound great, I’m just hoping the update process goes a little bit more smoothly this time around. I still can’t get my Surround 7 to.

0 Comments

Fujifilm FinePix X100 Digital camera

Posted by Egyptos , , 4:25 ص





In amongst all the cameras announced at Photokina 2010 - including enthusiast SLRs such as the Nikon 
D7000, Canon EOS 60D, Pentax K-5 and Sigma SD1 - one utterly unexpected model stole the show. Fujifilm unveiled the FinePix X100, a compact camera with an SLR-size APS-C sensor and traditional analogue control dials, that hides ground-breaking technology inside a retro-styled body with looks to die for. It's the company's first camera with a large, APS-C sensor aimed at professionals and advanced amateurs since the S5 Pro DSLR of 2006.
Fujifilm may be a company that’s currently best-known for its prolific production of compact cameras, but in reality it has a long tradition of making somewhat left-field, unique cameras aimed at serious enthusiasts and professionals. The company regularly sought out market niches in the days of film, from its Fujica 6x9 format rangefinders, through the GA645Zi medium format ‘zoom compact’, to the TX-1 35mm panoramic rangefinder (better known in Western markets as the Hasselblad XPan), all of which still command premium prices on the used market today. In the digital era it has concentrated mainly on its innovative SuperCCD sensor technology, employing it to provide class-leading dynamic range on cameras such as the S5 Pro and the EXR series of zoom compacts. Along the way it has made some genuine cult classics, including the F30 and F31Fd compacts which earned a reputation as excellent low-light performers.
The X100, though, is something totally different. It’s a beautifully-designed rangefinder-styled camera that squeezes an SLR-size APS-C sensor into its compact body, and sports a fixed, fast F2 maximum aperture semi-wideangle lens with a classic 35mm-equivalent field of view. It uses traditional analogue control dials for shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation, alongside an electronically coupled (‘focus-by-wire’) manual focus ring. But the biggest story is its innovative and unique hybrid viewfinder, which combines a conventional direct-vision optical viewfinder with a high-resolution electronic viewfinder, offering the best of both worlds plus a few unique tricks of its own.

The large-sensor, fixed-lens compact isn’t a new idea, of course, and both Sigma’s DP series and the Leica X1 have already visited this territory. However these haven’t been entirely convincing products, plagued by slow operation, low-resolution LCDs and, in the case of the Sigmas, a somewhat quirky interface. For this reason they’ve struggled to establish a compelling raison d’etre, especially in the face of competition from the new breed of interchangeable lens mirrorless compacts typified by the Olympus Pen series and Sony NEXs. So the big question is whether Fujifilm has managed to refine the concept, and produce a camera that’s as compelling to shoot with as its specifications (and looks) suggest.

0 Comments
الاشتراك في: الرسائل (Atom)