901am

New Media News Every Morning

Creative Touts Zii MediaBook eReader

By

And the latest company to join the ebook reader bandwagon happens to be Creative, more popularly known of course for their media players. In a surprising announcement during the company’s annual general meeting in Singapore, Creative showed a working model of its upcoming eReader, tentatively named the Zii MediaBook.

Specs-wise, we’re looking at a touch screen display, text-to-speech function like the Kindle perhaps, SD memory card slot, Internet connectivity – in short a multimedia device that can handle videos, pictures, text and services. [Read more…]

Originally posted on November 1, 2009 @ 8:11 am

Motorola DROID is All Geared Up to Battle the iPhone and Others

By

Screen shot 2009-11-05 at 11.02.03 PM

With several mobile phones running Google’s Android platform already out in the market or are about to be released by current popular mobile phone makers, who woud have thought that Motorola might actually come up with possibly the best Android phone of them all?

I mean, Motorola has been struggling to join the likes of Apple, Samsung,  HTC and even LG into the “smartest” phone niche but never seemed to get it right. Until now, as the Motorola DROID was finally launched. This early, Motorola DROID is gaining some accolades from industry analysts. [Read more…]

Originally posted on November 5, 2009 @ 11:04 am

Barnes & Noble introduces Nook, the advanced Kindle killer?

By

barnes-and-noble-nookAs expected, online book retailer Barnes & Noble has launched what it surely hopes will be an Amazon Kindle killer — the Nook — which it claims is the world’s most advanced eBook reader.

The device features a colour touchscreen and allows acess to over one million B&N titles, delivered via free 3G or Wi-Fi, plus memory expansion via microSD cards.

The device is Android based, and is slightly smaller but slightly heavier than the Kindle 2.

There’s a useful Nook/Kindle 2 comparison chart on B&N’s web site, though it’s worth remembering that there are plenty of other eReaders around, in a corner of the hardware market that’s sure to increase over the coming few years.

The Nook is available for pre-order now, initially in the US for $259.

Originally posted on October 21, 2009 @ 7:39 am

Are you the world’s biggest electronophiles?

By

Does your significant other wake up to find you Twittering in the middle of the night from your iPhone? Have you been caught playing your DS at the family dinner table? Have you drained your children’s college fund to pimp out the family room entertainment center? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you may be suffering from electronophilia.

Ciao.com, a multi-million-strong online community that critically reviews and rates millions of products and services for the benefit of its members and users, is looking for the world’s biggest electronophiles to win cool prizes from Apple, Nintendo and Sony.

Ciao is challenging tech lovers to prove their electronophilia by submitting video reviews (as well as original text reviews) of favorite tech gadgets – anything from video games to MP3 players and everything in between.

A committee of professional electronophiles will be monitoring the Ciao.com community for extraordinary reviews. Entrants must include the word “electronophile” in the title of their video and text reviews in order to be eligible.

Three of Ciao.com’s “Electronophile” contest winners will receive one of the following prizes: An Apple 8G iPod Touch, an approximate $299 retail value; A Nintendo DS Light handheld gaming console, an approximate $299 retail value; A Sony Cybershot DSC-W120 digital camera, an approximate $179 retail value.

Originally posted on September 16, 2008 @ 9:27 am

Logitech unveils Mac-compatible webcam… better late than never

By

To help you stay close to those who matter most, Logitech unveiled its first Mac-compatible webcam with premium autofocus technology and Carl Zeiss optics: the Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro webcam for Mac. The new Logitech webcam delivers image-perfect detail and clarity, and exceptional video calling with iChat and Skype.

To deliver image-perfect detail and clarity, the Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro webcam for Mac combines Logitech’s premium autofocus technology with Carl Zeiss optics. The new Logitech webcam uses a voice coil motor for its autofocus system, instead of a stepper motor. Focusing is fast and fluid – crisp even in extreme close-ups only 10 cm from the camera lens. Logitech’s autofocus system compensates for changes in image-edge sharpness and refocuses images in less than three seconds. And through its exclusive collaboration with Carl Zeiss, Logitech ensures that the lens meets the world-renowned Zeiss standards for design and manufacturing to achieve superior sharpness in a compact, lightweight design.

It will set you back, however, by $129.99. Also, why the need for a camera when most Mac machines have iSight included.

Originally posted on June 28, 2008 @ 1:44 pm