Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Weekly Roundup 21st Nov 2009

• Download Google Chrome OS now: Here are the links…
• TomTom sat nav app now supports iPod Touch and first gen iPhone
• Stantum Slate PC – multi-touch tablet PC based on Mini 10
• Sony Ericsson Aino reviewed
• Video: Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Android phone hands on
• Review: Xmi X-mini II Capsule and MAX II portable speakers
• ioSafe Solo external hard drives now protects up to 2 TB of your data
• Latest Packard Bell oneTwo series all in one PCs integrated with Freeview TV tuner
• Review: New LG Chocolate BL40

Hope everyone has had a good weekend so far, the above were some of the gadgets and tech we featured this week. Its not always possible to talk about them all here at GadgetLite so the list of links from our neighbouring friends’ blogs below hopefully gives you a bit more for your craving needs! If you own a tech, gadget blog yourself you can always Twitter us some links to be shared and featured in this list, for now have a good weekend everyone!

By the way, don’t mean to sound like a granny. But if you haven’t yet taken part in our free brand new 32GB iPod Touch giveaway, you should check it out as it will be ending tomorrow at midnight GMT – winner will be announced within comments and directly contacted on Monday!

• Voice to Text LED Message Board | Hack N Mod
• Google News updated for Android, iPhone, WebOS » Unwired View
• FunMail for iPhone – MMS with a twist
• High-quality Zune HD wallpaper source
• USB Alien can scare away your boss
• Orange Prepay Phones Come with a £60 Christmas Gift
• ASUS G51J-A1 – Review of the ASUS G51J-A1
• iBend iPhone Stand
• 5 Christmas Gadget / Gift Ideas For Your Boyfriend Or Husband (2009)
• Dell Studio 17 Touch Multi-Touch Laptop
• USB Heating Knee Pads | GeekAlerts
• OhGizmo! » Archive » Bamboo Pen & Touch Comic Edition Aimed At Japanese Manga Artists
• Solar Powered Robot Ball | Geeky Gadgets
• Lenovo X100e Netbook Official Details | Laptop at Hardware Sphere
• The Awesomer » Chill Pill Laptop Cooler
• H2Orb water leak or overflow detector
• Hacked Mac OS X 10.6.2 Enables Atom Processors
• Imation Pro WX Wireless USB Hard Drive

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Download Google Chrome OS now: Here are the links…

Google Chrome OS out now? No, not officially but just one day after it was announced and demoed, its apparently available as an image file for VMWare. For those not familiar, VMWare simply allows you to run different operating systems within your own Windows, Mac OS X, etc. And if you don’t like it, just click and delete, no impact on your current OS whatsoever, therefore its a great way to test new OS’s risk free.

One limitation though, VMWare isn’t free, so the solution to this is to use VirtualBox which does the exact samething and works for all three systems – Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
Here are the links you’ll be needing f you want to try out Google’s latest operating system:

• VirtualBox: http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
• Pirate Bay: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5170843/chromeos-image-999.999.32309.211410-a1.vmdk.bz2
• Or via gdgt: http://gdgt.com/google/chrome-os/download/

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Official: Google Chrome OS just a year away

Google has announced today its plans for further world wide web domination, now looking to take over your PC. Google announced that its highly anticipated Chrome OS operating system is just a year away from invasion. Aiming to keep everything as simple as possible, Google says the operating system will feature the same swift speed, simplicity and security seen in its Chrome browser. The most impressive feature so far appears to be that seven-second boot time, check out the video below…

[via TechCrunch]

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

TomTom sat nav app now supports iPod Touch and first gen iPhone

Just a few days after it was officially submitted, its now available! TomTom’s updated sat nav app is now in version 1.2 and available from the App Store. It boasts a number of much needed updates and surprisingly, TomTom has decided to support iPod Touch and the first gen GPS-less iPhone.

For those who have been waiting / undecided whether or not to get the sat nav app for your iPhone, this update is significant in that TomTom has now caught up with the others by allowing for turn-by-turn navigation. However, this still means you will need that expensive car kit to work. The Tom Tom car kit has a built-in GPS module, integrated speaker and line out. However, it’s not vital if you have the iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS.

Other improvements include improved search and route summary screens, updated maps and points of interest databases, an updated IQ Routes database, Advanced Lane Guidance in both portrait and landscape modes, Text-to-speech in English, French, and Spanish, a Help Me! emergency menu, and iPod player support. For readers in the US and Canada, the app will cost $100 while for those in the UK it will be £59.99.

[via Engadget]

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Stantum Slate PC – multi-touch tablet PC based on Mini 10

Stantum unveils the Slate PC, a multiouch tablet PC which has been based on the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook. The Slate PC has a 10.1-inch multitouch LCD panel and boasts Stantum’s PMatrix technology. The screen has 1024×600 resolution, 500:1 contrast and 200cd/m2 brightness. The device will support both finer and stylus input.

The Slate PC also gets a more compact case compared to the Mini 10. However, disappointingly webcam, Buetooth, WiFi have been removed, which seems very strange as Stantum hopes the Slate PC to be the ‘future of netbooks’. It runs Windows 7 as required for best multitouch support.

More info over at Stantum here, including the pre-order form, but no info on pricing and release date yet.

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Sony Ericsson Aino reviewed

Thanks to Tony who got in touch with us about whether we knew the Sony Ericsson Aino would be arriving the UK for this Christmas. Unfortunately having just checked, we don’t think there is any sign of this happening with any of the UK’s networks. However it does appear to be available as a sim free phone for a one-off purchase price in excess of £380 quid at a certain online shopping site which begins with “a”. Is this pricing worth it though? We think many have the misconception of considering the Aino as a potential “PlayStation phone”. The Sony Ericsson Aino as we mentioned in a previous post, it boasts a keypad with an intuitive touch UI for use with media. Its onboard intuitive media browser gives users a clear overview and one touch direct access to their content. With an 8.1-megapixel camera, automatic syncing with a home computer via MediaGo and Remote Play from a Playstation 3, the Aino should be the all-in-one multimedia hub.

Here’s a brief highlight of the Sony Ericsson Aino’s main specs:

• Network:GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• Announced:2009, May
• Size:104 x 50 x 15.5 mm
• Weight:134 g
• Display:TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 240 x 432 pixels, 3.0 inches
• Ringtones:Downloadable polyphonic, MP3, AAC ringtones
• Vibration:Yes
• Memory card:microSD (TransFlash), up to 16GB, 8GB included
• GPRS:Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 – 48 kbps
• HSCSD:Yes
• EDGE:Class 10, 236.8 kbps
• 3G:HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps
• Wi-Fi:Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
• Bluetooth:Yes
• Infrared:No
• USB:Yes
• Messaging:SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email
• Camera:8.1 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
• Battery:Standard battery, Li-Po 1000 mAh

While some (especially PlayStation fans) may be keen to see how well the Aino works in this respect. So far, we have learnt that the Aino does well and doesn’t do so well in these features:

Pros:

• Bluetooth headphone adaptor offers good sound quality
• Handy charging and syncing dock
• Packed with features
• Innovation with good-looking design

Cons:

• Terrible touchscreen user interface
• No touch control when the phone is slid open
• Poorly organised features
• Uunimpressive camera
• PlayStation 3 streaming is hard to configure

Of course, there will always be good and bad to all phones, but if you are considering the Sony Ericsson Aino as a possible Christmas gift. We would recommend you read the full review done by TechRadar just recently.

You may have already seen our gallery of the black version of Sony Ericsson Aino, here’s the white version for those interested:

[via Sogi]

Hope this helps Tony (and of course everyone else!).

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Video: Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Android phone hands on

Check out the hands on video below of Sony Ericsson’s first Android phone, the XPERIA X10. It is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, the X10 boasts a 4″ WVGA capacitive touchscreen display, an 8.1 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS with GSM/GPRS/EDGE in addition to either UMTS/HSPA. The X10 unlike Motorola’s latest Android phone, the Droid, doesn’t come with Android 2.0 but instead 1.6, though this can be upgraded.

Find out more about the new Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10…

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Review: Xmi X-mini II Capsule and MAX II portable speakers

Last week, we featured the unboxing galleries of the two XMI X-mini portable speakers which we received from Singapore. After having tried and tested its features and even used it while on the road, we were overall well impressed with the X-mini II Capsule Speaker and the X-mini MAX II portable speaker. If you haven’t yet heard about them before, we strongly advise you first read about their details and see the photos here and here…

Design

The look and presentation of both the X-mini II and MAX II were above our expectation when they turned up at our doorstep. We rarely use the word cool for describing gadgets in our review, but the two speakers are certainly worthy of this description. The reason for that is because of the excellent build quality, the matte rubber material used on its overlying external surface, and did we mention how sturdy and durable it feels? For a company that is relatively new, we believe XMI has done a brilliant job in launching such quality products from the very start. If you were to not know of its brand and just base on looking at its build quality, we would not be able to differentiate it from the likes of Logitech, Creative and Microsoft products. Except one thing though, these companies just mentioned rarely launch products with designs as fun and as innovative as this.

As you may be aware from the pictures, the X-mini MAX II consists of two speakers out of the box. The clever design in this is that they stick together due to the magnets in place at its bottom end, this obviously prevents you from losing the other one but also makes it less messy, afterall these speakers are meant to be portable and carried around.

As for the X-mini II Capsule Speaker, you only get one speaker from each purchase but as you read on, you’ll learn that you can opportunistically link an unlimited amount of X-mini speakers together should you desire. The X-mini II Capsule Speaker has an even smaller design compared to the MAX II, weighing in at approximately 83 grams and 44 mm in height compared to 89 grams and 534 mm in the latter.

Both the X-mini II Capsule Speaker and the MAX II come with their own audio cables. The MAX II has a long cable and boasts a left and a right mini USB input which acts to charge and convey audio input while the other end goes into the 3.5 mm audio jack of your music source, this cable is also unique in that it has another end for USB port acting as a power source. This means you’d only need one cable at the end of the day to achieve all possible purposes.

The same goes to the X-mini II Capsule Speaker but it has been given an extra shorter 3.5 mm audio cable which hides just underneath it, this acts to receive audio input and is not detachable, if you need to charge the speaker you would still need to have the alternative cable with you. Nevertheless this was a fantastic idea.

We reckon it is the built-in audio cable that makes the Capsule Speaker so portable, more convenient to carry and in our view is what we would prefer. There is one shortcoming to this unfortunately, we would have preferred Xmi to have had in place a retractable function to this built-in cable so that a longer cable could be used while maintaining a clean, non-cable messy design.

Technology and Sound Quality

We had no doubts that Xmi had put in a considerable effort to their speakers which enabled them to pick up two prestigious awards. But the performance of both the X-mini II Capsule Speaker and the MAX II exceeded our preconceptions. Both speakers are currently in their second generation, which means they have both had a new larger 40 mm driver update, we felt this was most welcomed. The volume capacity was absolutely inconsistent with what you would expect from something this small. And for those wondering, no they did not “crack” under pressure when we turned it up to maximum.

While both speakers do not have any subwoofer of any kind, Xmi’s new “twist and turn” Bass Xpansion System (BXS) has cleverly replaced the need for any additional components and yet still satisfied our need for the perfect balance. According to Xmi, its BXS is capable of producing explosive volume and bass over ten times its physical size – we had no doubts it could do that.

Applications for Use

We tested the speakers indoors and outdoors during the past week and have had no complaints in its ability to perform. We even took it along with us on a trip on the motorways, though we did find the need to turn up its volume, we didn’t need to turn it to the max. This just shows you how dangerously loud both the speakers can be. For those who are wondering how might you benefit from these speakers, the possibilities are literally endless. Due to the ease of compatibility of 3.5 mm audio jacks, you could use it with your iPhone (like we did) or any supporting phone, computer, laptop, camcorder, portable music player, portable dvd player, etc!

Battery Performance

With good sound quality, most portable speakers will come with a heavy price to pay – the battery life. As both the X-mini speakers come with internal rechargeable batteries, it’s not possible for you to buy your own when its battery runs out. The advantage of having such a design is that it saves you weight while of course the disadvantage is you won’t be able to have an emergency supply of battery when they run out. On paper, the X-mini II Capsule Speaker and the MAX II can provide a playback time of up to 11 hours and 12 hours respectively. Charging via USB, you’ll be looking at approximately two and a half hours for a full charge (light changes red when you’re charging). While we were not bored enough to time how long exactly it could play til it ran out, we only needed to charge twice during the time we’ve been testing it on and off. We’re confident that its not like the type of gadget you buy on eBay where the claimed battery life is just unrealistic. We’ve learnt that its estimated built-in battery will last up 1,000 charge cycles, which is very reasonable. One limitation though, is if you wanted to use these speakers for your desktop PC for example, you’d be compromising its battery should you connect it permanently via USB, as this is not what its been designed to do.

Link them together! “Buddy-Jack”

One last final feature we’d like to cover is regarding the new “Buddy-Jack” function, this is new to all second generation of X-minis. As you can see below, all the new speakers now have an extra 3.5 mm audio jack around the back which allows you to cross connect them making a chain of speakers, this gives you an overall greater music experience. So if you had mates with X-minis, you could easily create a nice “daisy chain”. In the example, below particular felt this combination gave the bass an extra boost!

Conclusion

Overall, we were extremely impressed with both the X-mini II Capsule Speaker and the MAX II portable speaker. As you can see, the design and features Xmi have incoporated into their products all support and help enable its users to bring the most out of their audio experience. There were only very few limitations which we could think of and many stunning features which we found useful. While the lack of proper subwoofers will always be a common problem encountered by portable speakers, we feel Xmi’s BXS has truly been an eye-opener and would recommend any to check them out. If we had to choose one over the other, we would go for the Capsule Speaker, purely because of its smaller size, better portability, less fuss over cables and certainly its stylish design.

So here’s a quick sum up of what we liked and didn’t like:

Pros:

• Extremely stylish, compact and portable design
• Well made, sturdy build
• Superior sound quality including volume and bass
• Innovative twist and turn, hidden BXS
• New Buddy-Jack function
• Overall well thought out designs and functions all orientated towards delivering the best audio experience while on the go

Cons:

• Relatively short cable on the X-mini Capsule Speaker

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

TomTom iPhone sat nav app update officially submitted

TomTom’s iPhone sat nav application hasn’t had the best of starts. As we mentioned a few weeks ago, an update could just be around the corner. It was anticipated at that time that an update to the application would include finally everything that disappointed users have requested, ie such as advanced lane guidance.

Well folks, its now official and the list below is the description of the TomTom application update, don’t get too excited at this point because this will still be subjected to the scrutiny of Apple’s application approval process.

• Advanced lane guidance giving drivers extra clarity when navigating difficult junctions. For the first time this is in both landscape and portrait mode.
• Text-to-speech helping motorists to keep their eyes on the road by enabling street names and places to be read aloud as part of the spoken instructions.
• “Help Me” providing direct access to emergency numbers and directions to the nearest emergency providers.
• Updated map and safety camera database (Europe only)
• Customizable audio warnings when approaching safety cameras or driving over the speed limit, increasing driver safety and saving money.
• iPod player control ensuring drivers can conveniently control their music from within the application.

The update is expected to be free to existing users who bought the first release, however when might the update emerge? Its anyone’s guess! We’ll keep everyone up to date.

[via Engadget]

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

ioSafe Solo external hard drives now protects up to 2 TB of your data

We mentioned about ioSafe’s amazing fireproof and waterproof Solo external hard drives back in September, now ioSafe has increased its maximum capacity available. Memory capacities ranging from 500 GB up to 2 TB can now be purchased, with the latter being priced at $399.

AUBURN, CA – November 12, 2009- Strengthening its portfolio of fireproof and waterproof data storage solutions for home and small businesses, ioSafe today announced the availability of a 2 TB version of the award-winning ioSafe Solo family of USB desktop external hard drives. With prices starting at $149 for the 500 GB model, the waterproof and fireproof ioSafe Solo represents one of the easiest and most economical ways for both home users and businesses to backup and protect against data loss.

“The 2 TB ioSafe Solo is a great product for anyone looking to buy a desktop external hard drive who needs the high capacity and single drive simplicity. When used as a backup device, the ioSafe can protect against data loss from primary hard drive failure, accidental deletions as well as fires, floods and other forms of physical disasters,” said ioSafe CEO, Robb Moore. “Businesses struggling with disaster recovery or regulatory compliance such as HIPAA, PCI or Sarbanes Oxley can also use ioSafe hardware to add simple and secure protection. The ioSafe Solo is one of the easiest, fastest and least expensive ways to protect your data.”

Pricing and availability

The 2 TB ioSafe Solo is available now from domestic and international resellers as well as HDDFireSafe.com, Newegg.com, Amazon.com, Buy.com and Provantage.com. Distribution for the ioSafe Solo is available through Ingram Micro, a stocking distribution partner of ioSafe. Suggested retail pricing is $399 USD.

If you’re interested, be sure to check out further details as well as the demo video here!

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Latest Packard Bell oneTwo series all in one PCs integrated with Freeview TV tuner

Packard Bell announced last week their first Freeview certified TV-ready PCs, both the oneTwo series M and L models will be integrated with Freeview certified digital TV tuner in the UK.

The latest Packard Bell oneTwo series is designed to procure a maximum amount of enjoyment with a minimal amount of effort, by bringing together the technology in a friendly interface. This all-in-one device, with its space-saving design and a single power-cord combines a PC and a TV in a 20’’ or 23’’ display. Both models will boast touchscreens, compliant and optimised for Windows 7. More info on their specs and pricing below.

Packard Bell unveils its oneTwo Series, its brand new all-in-one PC (AIO), embedded with multi-touch capabilities. Over the last years, space-saving design has become a mainstream trend and need. Building on the technology evolution that brought a decrease in the size of monitors and the capability of developing all-in-one PCs that can perform as well as traditional desktops, Packard Bell is now pleased to introduce two different All-in-One solutions addressing people looking for compact design and a new way to use technology.

The use of multi-touch technology is expected to rapidly expand because it provides a fast and intuitive interface for the user. In fact, it is not meant for computer literate or techno-maniacs, its addressing users who want easy-to-use and complete digital solutions, who love unique and expressive style. The Packard Bell oneTwo Series gathers all these needs into an all-in-one PC with easy-to-use touch-screen technology, eye-catching style, and fantastic entertainment and media sharing.

Chose your size 20 or 23” (oneTwo M and oneTwo L)

Enhance your digital life with a multi-touch screen. Experience the multiple gesture combination and improved functionalities it offers. The experience is faster, more intuitive and fun to use. You can choose between 2 screens sizes, both offering superior touch-screen functionalities compliant with Windows® 7: a mainstream 20’’ HD display (1600×900 resolution) and an advanced full HD 23’’ with a resolution of 1920×1080.

Eye-catching, space-saving design

Packard Bell oneTwo adds chic, futuristic style to your home or living room and frees up space. Slim profile, all-in-one design takes up much less space than a traditional monitor and tower PC, furthermore single power cord design simplifies setting up. Plug it in and your PC is ready. Curvy and stylish, oneTwo Series combines an attractive high-gloss black finish and a cool clear inlay.

Easy-to-use multi-touch experience

The touch-screen technology more closely replicates the familiar hands-on experience of everyday object manipulation, making touch screens easier to use and more rewarding for people with low or no computer literacy. Touch-screen technology provides a fast and intuitive interface for the user and simplifies interactions. There is no need to know how to use a computer: simply touch your monitor to make your choice.

Everything you need at your fingertips

Besides including all Windows® 7 built-in touch functionalities, Packard Bell oneTwo offers the Packard Bell TouchPortal to enrich your experience. Packard Bell TouchPortal is the starting point for managing Packard Bell TouchGadgets and Microsoft® touch applications; it is an intuitive virtual desktop for users to manage and consume favorite media contents easily and instantly and give easy access to Microsoft Touch Pack applications with simple touch.

The Packard Bell TouchPortal includes many cool gadgets to enhance digital life at your fingertips.

Share instantly: with Packard Bell TouchMediaShare, download photos from Flickr® and Facebook, and email them pictures to friends instantly!

Have fun: touching the Packard Bell TouchMusic icon launches the Media Player, allowing you to organize, browse, play and enjoy your music with drag-and-drop ease.

Play around: finger-paint on a memo, hand-write a note, or set an alarm with touch convenience using the Packard Bell TouchMemo.

Stay in touch: Packard Bell TouchFriends makes life more touching by keeping you connected to friends in your favorite social networks all day long.

Superior entertainment

Whether you want to discover the AIO and touch experience or experience a maximized performance at your fingertips, Packard Bell has a solution. oneTwo M & L are available with either integrated graphics from Intel or discrete graphics, both supporting Microsoft DirectX10. Up to 6 USB ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, an integrated webcam, jacks for audio in and out complete the picture.

For intense multimedia applications user will turn to oneTwo L with its Intel® Core™2 Quad processor, its ATI Radeon Mobility 4670 with 1GB DDR3 video memory, supporting HD decoding and an optional Blu-ray drive .

oneTwo L also offers an e-sata port, a slot in ODD, and a thrilling 5.1-channel surround sound via the integrated 5 W stereo speaker system and the additional PC speakers of your choice , as well as an optional Hybrid analog and digital TV-tuner.

oneTwo M is now available on shelves at an estimated street price starting at £599
oneTwo L is now available on shelves at an estimated street price starting at £899

Thanks to Lorna for the tip!

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Review: New LG Chocolate BL40

One of the most controversial discussions regarding LG’s new addition to Black Labels Series phones is how will the new shape of the BL40 perform? Thanks to LG who recently sent us the new Chocolate BL40 for a review, we’ve been able to test it out. For those who like a reminder of what the BL40 is technically capable of. The BL40 boasts an innovative new TFT capacitive touchscreen which supports up to 16M colours, the new design allows it to boast 345 x 800 pixels. Connectivity wise, there is quadband, HSDPA, bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and micro USB. Uncommonly found in all LG phones, the BL40 does have a good internal memory capacity of 1GB, there is also support for microSD of up to 32GB. Camera wise, the BL40 has a five megapixel camera allowing you to take photos of up to 2560 x 1920 pixels, this is equipped with Schneider-Kreuznach optics, autofocus and LED flash.

Design

The candybar shape of the new LG Chocolate BL40 will no doubt get compared to its previous generation which was a slider. At 10.9 mm thick, the BL40 isn’t the thinnest phone available however this was not an issue for us. The BL40 is a very sturdy, well made phone to hold. The weight of 129 g was very reasonable, in fact, a few grams lighter than the iPhone 3GS and alot lighter than the new HTC HD2, just some of the phones within the similar budget range. The long elegant body of the BL40 largely made up of its 4.01-inch scratch resisting, 21:9 aspect ratio touchscreen display however makes the phone look alot like a TV remote. It may in fact just be a cm or so short of being as long as one. While this intriguing design may put some people off, when the BL40’s display gets its opportunity to play videos / movies, hardly anyone would have doubts on how well it performs.

Buttons on the body of the BL40 are well organised and all placed logically along the metallic chrome line along its sides. Apart from volume keys, there is a camera key, as well as a music player launch button. The mini USB port hides elegantly behind a folding door, what we did not like though was again the location of its microSD slot, its behind the backcover! This appears to be an ongoing thing with LG, it feels as though the LG designers worry about placing the microSD slot on the outside as it would make the phone look cheap, but this was very inconvenient in our view.

The BL40 has a 3.5 mm audio jack which means you can choose to use your own headphones should you decide, it was obvious that LG had put an effort into making these as it was very high quality made. The BL40’s headphones also functions as a microphone with a button for answering calls like the iPhone’s and as a radio antenna.

S-Class User Interface

The S-Class UI on the new LG BL40 is in the best version we’ve seen thus far. When it was first launched with the LG Arena, the S-Class was functional but was not as smooth as it is now on the new Chocolate. In addition, LG has not only got the 3D cube, but has also added to every widget icon in the S-Class further 3D dimensions.

These tiny bits and bobs may just be appearance but sure does come a long way when it comes to presenting a phone that’s meant to be glamourous. Like we commented in our recent GW520 review, we enjoy the “Status Summary” function of the S-Class, its simply a quick and easily accessible menu that lets you to take control of connectivities of the phone such as WiFi, Bluetooth, change profiles or quickly take a look at the upcoming appointments you had in your calendar.

We’ve never been a huge fan of widgets on LG phones, these work in a similar fashion to those on Samsung phones as well. You simply drag an icon towards the center of the screen to activate it. Widgets available include calendar, weather, FM radio, alarm, memo, international times, calculator and “fun stuff”. It is all dependent on whether you will find these useful, it is not possible to install new widgets.

The S-Class of course boasts elastic menus, a feature that is expected in all smartphones these days. Menus also run nicely with the BL40’s accelerometer so that you can browse applications, text and surf the web in horizontal mode, making use of that panoramic screen!

Multitasking

LG has enabled the BL40 to multi-task. Its multi-task menu can be accessed by tapping on the left button at the bottom of the screen, as you’d expect this can be accessed anywhere apart from when you’re in fullscreen in the browser for example. We would say that LG has given multitasking a good try, it doesn’t work brilliantly though. We found functions / applications began to close itself on its own when we opened more than three or four in order to conserve memory. If it doesn’t manages to close in time, it would prompt us “Memory full”.

As a Phone

The LG BL40 afterall is a phone, so the most important feature in this context is its dialer and phonebook. The phone dialer works with an on-screen standard numpad. The green history shortcut is available on the dial pad and takes you to the call log. It turns into a green receiver key as soon as you punch some numbers. You can also access the call history from the main menu. The on-screen keys as you can see were nice and large, not even the largest of fingers should have problems pressing the right numbers.

LG’s phonebook feature has never been a let down for us. The contact list has tiny separators with the corresponding alphabetical letter. The phonebook displays every contact with a picture, name and a green call button for quick dial. Tapping on a contact will take you to a next screen with details and Call/Text buttons. What was rather disappointing was the BL40’s smart dial function. The smart dial implementation on the New Chocolate only searches for contacts whose numbers contain the digits you’ve typed in the dialer. In other words, this seemed pointless, as I don’t know of anyone that would remember the numbers that they want to dial and still use smart dial.

Messaging

The BL40 supports SMS, EMS, MMS, Email. Conveniently there is also Microsoft Exchange support for those who require a device that allows them to check university or work email accounts. The messages are neatly organized in a standard list view and sorted by date. You can choose a filter – SMS, MMS or notifications. Naturally, the Inbox is the default location when you enter the Messaging menu, but you can change it to Outbox, Sent, Drafts or My Folders. There is also a threaded view option. Its messaging interface has not had any major changes.

Though if you were to type texts or emails using its on screen keyboard vertically, you would need to be extra patient with its alphanumeric keypad especially because the phone is only 51 mm in width. All this changes once you turn the BL40 on to its horizontal position, as the messaging interface takes up the whole of the four inch display.

You then get a full QWERTY with large keys that are widely spaced out. Each symbol you tap is clearly marked by iPhone-style pop-ups. The huge screen has allowed for larger Favorites and Contacts shortcuts on the SMS screen, which have replaced the small square buttons from the past.

Using the Photo Gallery

With the improved, 3D S-Class UI, the BL40 also has had an upgrade to the way photos and images are browsed in its gallery. Like previous LG phones with S-Class, the gallery is highly sensitive to movements detected by its accelerometer.

You can of course, browse through items within the phone, in the external microSD card or both at the same time. In vertical mode, flickering through images is smooth, quick and elastic. If you’ve got a large image however and its in your microSD card, it may take it a tiny bit more time to generate a thumbnail.

In horizontal mode, you get a coverflow like presentation of the galleries and images available. In addition to what you would expect for those of you who have used Apple’s coverflow feature, you can also flick images up and down. This movement allows you to browse across all the galleries available but is not for browsing a particular set of pictures.

As the BL40 does support simultaneous multi-touch, it is possible to zoom in and out of photos using two fingers just like on the iPhone. However we were not convinced that this was particularly well done, it was not always responsive, laggy and when it finally manages to zoom in on a photo it would take quite awhile for its resolutions to be adjusted (especially if you used larger photos).

Watching Videos

With support for MP4/DivX/XviD/H.263, and that 21:9, four-inch widescreen, there should theoretically be no better device than the BL40 for watching movies, films or any videos while you’re on the go. From our tests, most of the DivX/XviD movies at or below D1 resolution were played just fine, no drops and lags. We particularly liked the 21:9 ones that matched the screen ratio and these looked great.

Though one problem which we repeatedly encounter again was the lag you get if your video file was in your microSD card. It seems obvious that most who will be watching videos on the BL40 will be storing their files on an external memory source as there is only 1GB available internally. This lag was particularly apparent when you want to tap the screen to reveal its menus, it would also lag behind when playing / pausing. We found that if your videos were stored internally you wouldn’t have these problems at all. Unfortunately copying a 850 MB video file into the BL40’s internal memory took well over 15 minutes.

In addition to what you’d expect from a video player, LG has also equipped with it a screen capture function which was found to be quite useful. You can also send the video to someone else as a part of a message, email, or via bluetooth or directly to YouTube. For those fascinated by the “Use as” menu, that will let you set the video as a voice ringtone or a video ringtone. The BL40 does not have separate speakers for playing music or videos, which we felt disappointed about this especially because LG has boasted this to be an all-round entertainment phone.

Internet Browsing

The internet browser on the LG phones have always been the same and lacked response and stability. For the new LG BL40, LG has given it the same browser but added more functions. Of couse, the browser has too been given a new 3D look.

In addition to basic functions such as bookmarks, rss reader, saved pages and history. The BL40’s browser has been given the ability to browse multiple tabs.

There is no doubt that the browser and web pages look great and comfortable to the eyes thanks to its four-inch bright widescreen but looks can be deceiving. We came across a minor bug in which when you are in landscape mode, the websites it suggests from your history isn’t clickable. In other words when I type in “bb” and it suggests bbc.com, I would still need to type the rest, ie “c.com” as its suggestion was unresponsive to tapping.

The BL40 ran into problems and prompted us “Memory full” when we opened the third tab. It was extremely laggy by that point, at least by four seconds between each tap before it could register the first tap. Yes, the browser will allow you to view webpages in full all the way across its widescreen unlike any LG phone in the past but the only way we could maintain smooth browsing was to use fullscreen and not use any tabs.

Camera
The BL40 sports a five-megapixel camera with a Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens and a LED flash. It’s capable of taking photos with maximum resolution 2560 x 1920 and features image stabilization, geo-tagging, face tracking, blink, smile detection and panoramic shot mode.

[photos via CNET]

The BL40 comes with a most welcomed improved camera interface, resembling that on the Viewty Smart. You can conveniently access all camera settings via the left taskbar in the viewfinder. There you get virtual buttons for scene mode, flash, focus mode (auto/macro), advanced settings and homescreen button. Because you have the benefit of such a widescreen, its probably the best interface from LG we’ve ever used. The only disappointment is that LG has decided not to equip the BL40 with an eight megapixel camera or else that would have been perfect.

Practicality
Overall, LG’s latest smartphone to be added to its Black Label series is highly appealling. There are definitely many who considers the design of the phone to be more important than its functions. If the design of a phone is what matters to you the most, then the Chocolate BL40 is worth considering. Its unique look and body length may not fit comfortably in everyone’s jeans however, it would fit elegantly in any ladies’ purse. The unique form factor may not catch on with you at first, but it definitely has an excellent design, reasonable weight and superior build quality. As highlighted, there are numerous tiny areas where the BL40 can be improved and perfected. While the BL40 is not what we would consider as the ultimate phone or entertainment device, the BL40 boasts specs and qualities that are within its price range (higher end) for most users.

Pros:

• Good quality build
• Glossy, elegant and fashionable design
• Appealling 21:9 scratch resisting touchscreen
• S-Class UI
• Neat “fluid” style gallery
• Boasts many common features that you’d expect to see from a smartphone

Cons:

• Lack of physical hardware keys for quick exit to homescreen, answering or disconnecting calls
• microSD card slot built internally, difficult to access
• Disappointing browser stability
• Camera only boasts five megapixels, however recently launched LG phones such as the Renoir and the Viewty Smart both have an eight-megapixel camera
• Laggy video player
• Speakers were not ideal, no bass, simply just volume

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Weekly Roundup 14th Nov 2009

• ASUS 23″ LCD MS236H now also available in Japan
• Gallery: 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG supercar
• Dell Mini 9 hacked: Has touchscreen and motion sensitive capability
• Gallery: Hands on Dell Adamo XPS
• Video: How to protect your iPhone and iPod Touch from RickRoll SSH hack
• Dell rolls out Inspiron Zino, now available from £299
• Amazon Kindle for PC now available – read from your computer
• Gallery: Unboxing XMI X-mini II Capsule Speaker
• Canon EOS 7D DSLR reviewed – an all-round pleaser
• Review: LG GW520 – Touch & QWERTY mobile
• Apple MacBook and iMac with touchscreen now available from Troll Touch
• Gallery: Unboxing XMI X-mini MAX II portable speakers
• Five great Palm Pre apps for sports fans

Hope everyone has had a good weekend so far, the above were some of the gadgets and tech we featured this week. Its not always possible to talk about them all here at GadgetLite so the list of links from our neighbouring friends’ blogs below hopefully gives you a bit more for your craving needs! If you own a tech, gadget blog yourself you can always Twitter us some links to be shared and featured in this list, for now have a good weekend and don’t forget to take part in our 32GB iPod Touch giveaway which will end this time next week:

• Kids building a pinhole camera no longer impressive; Columbia’s Computer Vision Lab raises the bar – Core77
• Vimeo Makes It To iPhone And Android
• YouTube to Offer 1080p Video | InventorSpot
• Steve Jobs Bowling Pin Art is Just Asking to Be Knocked Down
• cigarette pack mobile phone: smoke ‘em if you got ‘em on [technabob]
• Windows 7 starter edition with limitations, upsets netbook users
• Sony XBR11, XBR12 and OLED Screens Leaked
• Samsung P2770HD HDTV with Integrated TV tuner | HDTV at Hardware Sphere
• Dell Mini 3 Android Smartphone Heading to China an Brazil | Geeky Gadgets
• Transformers USB Flash Drive | GeekAlerts
• Another Unnecessary Luxury Phone: TAG Heuer/Lamborghini Meridiist
• OhGizmo! » Archive » Withings WiFi Body Scale Updates Twitter Every Time You Step On
• Project Natal Release Date & Price Announced
• GEARFUSE » Old Bumper Cars Modded Into Street Legal Vehicles
• Personalised and Custom Cushions

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

ASUS 23″ LCD MS236H now also available in Japan

Announced in the US earlier in September this year, the MS236H has now arrived in Japan. The MS236H is an ultrathin (16.5 mm), glossy widescreen 23-inch LCD which weighs a nice 3.9 kg. Its got HD resolution (1920×1080), has a 250 cd/m2 brightness, a 2ms (GTG) response time, a 50000:1 active contrast ratio and offers both HDMI and DVI-HDCP.

The MS236H will be hitting Japan for a nationwide launch tomorrow with a street price of 28800 Yen. For those in the UK, its already been available and you will certainly be able to find it online for approximately £239. For those in the US, unfortunately we believe it still isn’t available yet.

[via ASUS JP]

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Gallery: 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG supercar

We recently featured the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in the new Gran Turismo 6, now we’ve got more pictures of this retro-style supercar.

Underneath the bonnet is a 6.2L V8 that is capable of delivering 563 horsepower (at 6,800 RPM) and 479 pound-feet of torque (at 4,750); 0-100 kmh (62 mph) takes place in 3.8 seconds and 200 kmh (124 mph) in around 11.8 seconds.

Read more about the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG over at Autoblog…

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Dell Mini 9 hacked: Has touchscreen and motion sensitive capability

Dell’s Mini 9, one of the earliest models of netbooks available (sounds like its been ages since it launched, but actually not!) has been hacked into a tablet with a touchscreen and motion sensitive capabilities. It runs Windows 7 and not Mac OS X, sorry Mac fans as touchscreens and Leopard just don’t get along together. Check out the mod in the video below:

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Gallery: Hands on Dell Adamo XPS

Not sure what you guys think, but I personally am not a fan of the new hinge Dell has given the new Adamo XPS. It’s mounted a quarter of the way up the lid, so when it opens, the metal-tipped keys are angled to (in theory) provide a more ergonomic typing position. Engadget has taken some first hands on photos of the new Adamo, a few of them can be found in the gallery below.

The main numbers you would want to know are that the Adamo XPS is 9.9mm at its thinnest point, 340mm at its widest, and is 274mm deep, so it’s wider and deeper, but half as thick, than the 325mm by 227mm by 19mm MacBook Air is at its thinnest point. That said, it’s also heavier — 1.44kg versus the Air’s 1.36kg.

The Adamo XPS is schedule to arrive before Christmas this year and should retail for somewhere in the region of $1,800 (£1,080).

DELL ANNOUNCES ADAMO XPS, A DAZZLING GIFT IDEA FOR STYLE-MINDED THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

* World’s Thinnest Laptop is 0.4-inch thin
* Adamo XPS Reinforces Dell’s Commitment to Craftsmanship and Design
* Advanced Head-Turning Design Offers Full Feature Set for On-The-Go Computing

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Nov 5, 2009 … Last spring Dell set the computing industry abuzz with the introduction of its Adamo brand, and along with it the world’s thinnest laptop PC. Today, the world meets a new champion of thin: The Dell™ Adamo XPS™, measuring 9.99mm or just four-tenths of an inch. Both laptops set new standards for craftsmanship, design and engineering excellence.

Adamo XPS is a stunning laptop whose design provides a unique experience. With the swipe of a finger, the keyboard appears from under the display as the system is open. The feature set challenged engineers to build the latest technology into a compact space, including:

* 4GB* DDR3 800 memory;
* Intel Core 2 Duo (1.4Ghz) ultra-low voltage processor;
* Thin 128GB SSD for faster, cooler, quieter and more durable storage than traditional hard drives;
* A13.4-inch high-definition display.

The attention to detail is apparent in the black, jewelry box-like packaging that is as striking as the laptop itself. A tug on a cloth loop reveals the Adamo XPS and assorted accessories that accompany the system. The Adamo XPS was recently recognized as the hottest Windows 7 product by leading technology analyst Rob Enderle with Digital Trends.

Adamo, derived from the Latin word meaning “to fall in love,” is a flagship in a line of products created to disrupt the personal computing space with the combination of new design aesthetics, personalization choices and sought-after technologies.

The Adamo by Dell brand was launched last March with the first Adamo laptop, which combined high-performance technologies in a finely-machined aluminum case only .65-inch thick.

The pencil-thin Adamo XPS weighs just over 3 pounds** and measures 13.39 x 10.71 inches. Dell expects to begin taking orders and shipping the Adamo XPS with Microsoft® Windows® 7 pre-installed in time for the holidays. The Adamo XPS is priced starting at $1799. More information is available at www.adamobydell.com .

The News:

* Adamo XPS is the thinnest laptop PC ever, at about 0.4-inch thin.
* When opened, the body of the Adamo XPS is raised so the keyboard is angled to enhance cooling.
* Capacitive latching device – one finger swipe opens the latch.
* Built-in location awareness to provide real time local maps to show people where they are.
* Replaceable battery, with optional higher-capacity battery available.
* Full size keyboard with aluminum keycaps; touchpad with gestures.
* Built-in 802.11n wireless.
* High Definition (720p) 13.4-inch WLED display.
* I/O: display port, 2xUSB 2.0, audio, Ethernet (via included dongle).
* Operating system: Windows 7 64-bit edition.

Quotes:

“Our engineers and designers are breaking new ground and throwing away the old rules with the introduction of Adamo XPS,” said Alex Gruzen, senior vice president of Dell consumer products. “We think the Adamo XPS will inspire an emotional connection with anyone who sees it.”

Links:
www.dell.com
www.adamobydell.com
www.dell.com/home/laptops
www.Flickr.com/photos/dellphotos

*Shared Memory (SDRAM) – (under 4GB) – Significant system memory may be allocated to support graphics, depending on system memory size and other factors.
**Weights vary depending on configuration and manufacturing variability.

[via Engadget]

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Video: How to protect your iPhone and iPod Touch from RickRoll SSH hack

For iPhone and iPod Touch who jailbreak and use SSH to access their devices, the “Rickroll worm” or RickRoll SSH hack is something you definitely want to avoid if possible. The fact that attacks like these have been possible make you think that far more serious and malicious attacks can happen in the future. Check out the video below on how to take a few simple steps to protect your iPhone or iPod Touch from the RickRoll hack:

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Dell rolls out Inspiron Zino, now available from £299

Think of it as Dell’s “Mac Mini”, and what you get is the Inspiron Zino HD. Very similar in size (7.8″ x 7.8″), the Inspiron Zino has been designed to be a convenient, fashionable, entertainment PC rather than the ultimate gaming system. As Windows 7 is now available, Dell has also updated the new Inspiron Zino HD to come with the new Microsoft OS as standard. As you can see there are ten colours to choose from, at least one of them will blend in nicely with the decor of your living room / bookself!

The Dell Inspiron Zino HD comes with a range of AMD Athlon processors which include AMD Athlon Neo X2 6850e, AMD Athlon X2 3250e, AMD Athlon 2850e and the AMD Athlon 2650e, the choice of up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM and a range og SATA II hard drives from 160GB up to 1TB.

Pricing begins at £299, but can max up to £799 should you choose to upgrade its graphics card, RAM, hard drive and throw in a Blu-Ray ROM drive.

Interested in compact, mini pcs like this? Check out the Aspire Revo…

[via Geeky Gadgets]

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Amazon Kindle for PC now available – read from your computer

Not quite yet ready for Mac but for PC users, you can now download Amazon’s Kindle PC software free of charge. Though the software is free, you will of course still need to pay in order to read Amazon Kindle books on your PC.

As you can see, the software works in a very similar way to iTunes. Speaking of which, the Mac version is expected to be available very soon. The Amazon Kindle PC application is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7, Windows XP and Windows Vista. Hit the link here for the download page.

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Free gadget giveaway: Win a new 32GB iPod Touch

This has to be our best giveaway ever! We’re giving away the biggest prize we’ve ever held a contest for, a brand new third generation 32GB iPod Touch. I don’t think there needs to be much explaining about this prize. Its an iPod Touch, which means you’ll be able to get all the benefits of using iPhones such as amazing touchscreen, iPod, access to a ton of apps via the App Store, email and websurf via WiFi but without the need for a contract.

Remember this is the newest iPod Touch currently in third generation retailing for £229 on the Apple Store online. This iPod Touch has benefited from Apple’s recent update to the iPod Touch range which means it features much faster performance as well as voice control! Additionally, this version will come with earphones with remote and mic, exactly like that of the iPhones’. This contest will run for two weeks time, we’ll do our very best to get it to the winner before Christmas.

How to Enter

Anyone, anywhere worldwide can take part. Please participate only once so that everyone will have a fair chance of the random draw at the date specified below. Everyone will have an equal chance of winning no matter when your entry is placed. Late entries will not be counted and ignored. To enter into the giveaway all you need to do is:

1. Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay up to date with us!
2. Leave a comment below with a valid email address (your email won’t be given out) so that we can contact you if you’re the winner.
3. Tell us how you are going to make use of this gadget should you win!
   
4. Follow us on Twitter if you’re already a Twitter user, just in case we can’t get in touch with you through email, we will also be announcing our future contests / giveaways via our Twitter!
5. That’s it!
6. Optional – if you’re a blogger yourself and have abit of free time, do a quick post about this giveaway, it will be much appreciated!

This giveaway will end on the 23rd of November, winners will be directly contacted following random draw the next day so please remember to leave valid contact details!

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Winner of our latest free gadget giveaway

Thanks so much to everyone who recently took part in our free giveaway. Its now time to announce the winner of Free gadget giveaway: Win a mini bluetooth USB dongle! Through out last week, we’ve been holding a contest, giving away a super tiny, nano-sized bluetooth USB dongle, as pictured below. The winner has now been randomly chosen!

The winning ticket (comment entry number) is:

Comment entry number 10 – Vasudevan

Could the winner please contact us ASAP with your contact details and postal address so that we may get it into the post for you before the upcoming holidays.

We’re also in the middle of making some new changes to the way our giveaway contests are run. In future contests, we will be contacting randomly chosen winners directly following random draws. Contact with winners will be done directly via email or twitter. The reason for this is so that the winner will know sooner that they’ve won and it would save us time in terms of waiting for winners to respond. And if you’re the winner, you’ll also be more likely to receive your prize sooner. Any objections or comments, feel free to let us know below!

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Gallery: Unboxing XMI X-mini II Capsule Speaker

Here’s the second gallery following the X-mini MAX II unboxing gallery from earlier on this morning. The Capsule Speakers can probably be considered as the pride and joy of XMI as this I believe is the innovative product that allowed XMI and their X-mini products to recognised by the Red Dot Designs Awards in Germany and the Infocomm Singapore Awards.

So far, our thoughts are that its extremely lightweight and compact but surprisingly powerful! Our full review will be out later this week, meanwhile here’s the gallery of pictures we took so far.

Like all our reviews, please get in touch with us if you would like any particular aspect of this gadget to be considered in our review.

Singapore, January 15th, 2009 – Xmi Pte Ltd presents the all new second
generation X-mini™ Capsule Speaker™, an audio revolution in a box!
Retaining the best characteristics of its first generation, the 2nd generation
comes packed with vastly improved features and functions that will bring
greater audio experience to its user.

New, larger 40mm driver delivers superb sound clarity
The X-mini™ Capsule Speaker™ II introduces a larger 40mm driver to
project richer and fuller sounds resulting in superior end-user experience
from its innovative capsule design. Be it for individual or group
entertainment, the X-mini™ Capsule Speaker™ II is the perfect audio
enhancement for any music or video player of your choice.

Playback time tripled to 11 hours for longer, superior on-the-go audio
Not only does the new design deliver unsurpassed audio quality, it now
performs even longer. Three times the capacity of its predecessor, the
new X-mini™ Capsule Speaker™ II comes with a new built-in high
capacity rechargeable battery capable of sustained output for 11 hours
of nonstop audio pleasure.

Modular ‘Buddy-Jack’ design: connect a row of X-Minis II for jaw dropping audio
This all new system enables you to connect one X-mini™ Capsule
Speaker™ II to another, capable of forming an almost endless “daisy
chain” of self-powered, bass-enhanced portable speaker system. With this
new feature, you can now combine your X-mini™ Capsule Speaker™ II
together with your friends to hold a spontaneous party anywhere you go.

Built-in retractable 3.5mm audio cable offers hassle-free portability
To eliminate cumbersome audio cables dangling from the speaker, Xmi
Pte Ltd has designed a connecting audio cable that can be tucked
neatly into the base for a cleaner and sleeker look.

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Canon EOS 7D DSLR reviewed – an all-round pleaser

If you’re looking to buy a new DSLR either for yourself or a loved one this Christmas and you’re willing to empty out your wallet or spend that bonus, then this may interest you. The Canon EOS 7D may be expensive but it is certainly a proper piece of kit suitable for those who are serious about their photography.

Just recently launched, the EOS 7D has also had good reviews from a number of large review sites. Just to recap for those interested, the Canon EOS 7D’s main specs are 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with 8 frames per second continuous shooting, 1080p 24fps HD video with full manual control, a 3-inch LCD, 19-point AF system, and wireless flash control.

In the US, pricing starts at $1,699 body-only or $1,899 with an EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens. For those in the UK, you can also check out the latest price updates from Jessops…

So if you’re interested, we recommend you check out the following reviews:

Read – dpreview review

Read – Photography Blog review

Read – Tech Radar review

Read – DPhoto Journal video roundup

Read – Cameratown comparison with 5D Mark II

[via Engadget]

Readers: Win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch for free!

Review: LG GW520 – Touch & QWERTY mobile

Having spent some time using the LG GW520 recently, this review will focus on what it was like for us to use it for the past few days. The LG GW520 has been designed and aimed at social-networking fans and those who are mad about texting but does it live up to this expectation?

Design

Just looking at the GW520, one thing comes to mind, the sliver-paintwork all round its front, side and back simply doesn’t do it justice. Though there is the alternative of black with red trim or black with blue trim, there are still no metal or chrome bits anywhere on the body of the phone, this gives you and your mates the first impression that its cheap and boring. In fact, the GW520 isn’t that bad.

When you hold it in your hands, it is quite comfortable and natural. In fact, I wish my iPhone would feel like this when I pick it up, though of course the obvious compromise is a much smaller 2.8-inch TFT touchscreen display, the weight of the GW520 isn’t bad at all – around 125 g. The LG GW520 doesn’t look nor does it feel like that its got a full QWERTY, this has been well made in that it is tucked underneath that display perfectly. You’d definitely be able to surprise a few people by sliding out that full QWERTY when you start to text. The layout of the keyboard as you can see has been evenly spaced with plenty of room, there are plenty of sliders out there at the moment that don’t have a layout done as nicely as this.

One thing that LG have improved on is microSD slots, on the GW520, the slot is accessible from the outside. They have in the past required its users to open up the back in order to take out / swap memory cards, that was very annoying and clumsy in our view.

Features

For those who are not familiar with the LG GW520, here’s a quick recap on its specs. Connectivity wise, the GW520 boasts quadband, HSDPA and bluetooth. As mentioned there is a 2.8-inch TFT touchscreen display, full sliding QWERTY, the 3.2-megapixel camera is not equipped with flash or autofocus. Finally the GW520 supports up to 16GB of microSD memory capacity, however it only has 40MB of internal memory. The GW520 does not run the new S-Class “3D Cube” user interface designed by LG and is one of the few (LG Cookie also), LG phones of late which has not been given this upgrade.

The touchscreen on the GW520 isn’t one of the best we’ve seen from LG. Repeated tapping was very common for us at first. Response is satisfactory, and like all LG phones you get the option of having a vibration when you touch, this can be switched off if you prefer. Our experience with the phone is that the scratch resistive screen on the GW520 means you really need to press firmly when you want your touch to be registered. Once registered, it usually is accurate and brings you where you want to go. Having said that, once you get used to it you can easily scroll through its elastic menus. You just need to remember to press harder.

Some sites who have reviewed the LG GW520 believe that it does have an accelerometer as the menus do change to landscape view. But in fact while we were reviewing it, we found that the menus / apps only did this because the QWERTY keyboard were slid out not because the phone was being tilted to one side.

Though you don’t get the S-Class UI, what you do get with the GW520 is a feature LG calls LiveSquare. Again, this is one of those features which social-networking fans will love. LiveSquare is part of the UI and can be shown by sliding the screen towards the left when you’re in the home menu. In LiveSquare, your most contacted numbers / buddies will be shown on the screen as animated, moving cartoons, next to it will be the number of messages you have stored from that contact. Tapping on that contact will also bring you the call history.

One thing we’ve always enjoyed having on LG’s user interfaces (no matter the old one or the new S-Class) is the quick “Status Summary” you can get just by tapping the top bit of the screen when you’re in the home menu. If you’ve got the phone already or have a newish LG phone, you may not have realised that this function existed. In this Status Summary, you get access to the phone’s network info, memory info, battery info… You can also quickly change to a different profile, access music player and also quickly switch on Bluetooth. This is one function which the iPhone doesn’t officially have and would require you to jailbreak if you wanted this to be installed!

The music player on the LG GW520 is user-friendly and accessible. There is a widget configurable on the home screen which allows you to play, stop and basically control the music player quickly without going into the actual app. The music player can therefore run in the background and you will be able to see the title of the song being played also on the home menu, as pictured below.

Music file formats supported include MP3/MP4/AAC/AAC+/EAAC+/WMA. The sound quality of the speakers are satisfactory but we would reserve from using the word “stunning”. If you want to watch videos on the GW520, you would have to keep your video files on your microSD as there is only 40MB of internal memory. There is no DivX support or Dolby sound technology support. It was not in our view the best experience to watch films or movies on the GW520’s screen, firstly due to the size of the screen and secondly, you’re stuck with playing files at 240 x 400 pixels resolution. If you are planning on having videos prepared to watch on this phone just to kill time for example, we would advise you use MPEG-4 format – that should give you the best experience.

The browser on the GW520 is exactly the same as that seen on the Renoir, Arena and Viewty Smart. Its a basic internet browser but has all the features you would need, for example bookmarks, rss reader, there isn’t anything fancy like additional browser tabs and there isn’t support for flash. Unlike the phones mentioned above, the GW520 suffers from not having WiFi and relies on HSDPA. This is fine if you’ve got a good reception but if you’re restricted by your network or if you just use pay as you go, then you’re out of luck. The lack of WiFi is a major downside in our view for the GW520 especially when LG claims that it has been designed for social-networking fans.

One of the two factory-loaded applications on the LG GW520 is the Facebook featured in the picture above. Like the music player, you access the application from the home screen via its widget. The Facebook app is by no means as fully featured as that of the iPhone Facebook for example. However, you do get to change your status, see post feeds, pictures and albums, rate images and leave comments. Annoyingly, the first thing we noticed was missing was the ability to see who was online. This led to us finding out that there is no way in which you could chat with your friends while using the application. The app does not support direct uploading of pictures taken by the GW520.

The push email application is quite good, although also java based, this function is made possible because the GW520 user interface allows applications to run in the background. You can configure up to eight different email accounts, and that includes Gmail and Hotmail, etc… The app did have considerable delay when we tested it, up to four or five minutes. This would usually not happen if you compare to the gold standard ie the likes of BlackBerrys’.

Practicality

Overall, the LG GW520 is a basic phone which will suit those who have long wanted to try out a phone with a full QWERTY keyboard for the first time but do not wish to be commited to a contract. The GW520 has been claimed to be designed for social networking fans, however, we feel there are features and functions which were missing or could have been done better for this targetted consumer group. WiFi as well as limited features from its much boasted factory installed Facebook app were the major turnoff for us. The LG GW520 was overall, a practical, borderline smartphone that’ is reliable, you get the feeling “what you see is what you get” with the GW520, it doesn’t offer you any surprises and as a phone that would be satisfactory for many. One thing we need to bare in mind is that the GW520 is available for just £170 or there abouts on PAYG and free on a number of affordable contracts from Three, Orange and T-Mobile. Despite the limitations, there are only a handful of phones in this price range which can offer the spec of having both a touchscreen as well as a full sliding QWERTY which we thought was actually very well designed.

Pros:

• Comfortable to hold, not bulky, grip feels great, reasonable weight
• Well designed, nicely laid out full sliding QWERTY keyboard
• microSD slot accessible from the outside rather than inside like some LG phones in the past
• Reasonable price range

Cons:

• Some may find the look / colours less attractive
• Small screen for comfortable multimedia purposes
• Lack of WiFi
• Limited onboard factory applications preloaded (though Java apps are relatively easy to find)
• Has Google applications but no Google maps
• Camera does not have flash or autofocus