Gadget Reviews

New Android tablet will play DivX HD(TM) video on powerful 7-inch screen

DivX and Samsung announced at the IFA trade show that the GALAXY Tab is the world’s first DivX Certified tablet. The Android-powered GALAXY Tab will now power DivX HD(TM) video playback at home or on the go.

Available to consumers first in Europe late September 2010 and soon after in the United States and Asia, the GALAXY Tab has a large 7-inch TFT display, which delivers an unrivaled screen quality for a better viewing experience. Weighing in at only .84 pounds (380g), it includes 16 GB or 32GB of internal storage and 32 GB MicroSD expansion. The GALAXY Tab features a TouchWIZ user interface, WiFi, GPS, rear and front facing cameras and also acts as a mobile phone. In addition, as an Android-powered device, the GALAXY Tab provides access to various applications from Android Market(TM). Read the rest of this entry »

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Rydeen GCOM701 to Drive New Applications and Services in Portable Navigation Market

Marvell and Rydeen Mobile Electronics announced the introduction of Rydeen GCOM701, utilizing the Android operating system. Powered by the Marvell ARMADA 166 application processor, the GCOM701 provides a rich multimedia experience and delivers seamless connectivity, real-time content and an extended battery life. The GCOM701 is expected to ship this November and will be available in two colors, black and white.

“Consumers today expect their personal mobile connected devices to combine seamless connectivity, broad business functionality, a diverse communications suite and an enthralling multimedia experience in a convenient and elegant form factor,” said Weili Dai, Marvell’s Co-founder and Vice President and General Manager of the Consumer and Computing Business Unit of Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. “Rydeen’s GCOM701 leverages Marvell’s total silicon solution platform to deliver a robust set of capabilities for today’s always-on lifestyle that also helps people get where they need to go easily and safely.” Read the rest of this entry »

Latest Versions of Best-Selling Portable Video Game System in History to Be Priced at $149.99 and $169.99

Nintendo is dropping the suggested retail price of its Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL video game systems.

Effective Sept. 12, the new suggested retail price of the Nintendo DSi system will be $149.99, while the new suggested retail price for the Nintendo DSi XL system will be $169.99. The Nintendo DS Lite model will remain at a suggested retail price of $129.99. The Nintendo DS family of video game systems is the best-selling in the history of the U.S. and worldwide. The new prices offer consumers tremendous value for their money while providing access to the best portable video game experiences possible.

“We know shoppers want to get the maximum value out of every dollar they spend,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Our new Nintendo DSi prices make it easier than ever for consumers to access the tremendous variety of games, applications and social tools on the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL systems.” Read the rest of this entry »

OV9740 The First 720p HD SOC Camera Chip That Meets High Quality Video Criteria for MS Office Communicator and Skype

OmniVision Technologies introduced the OV9740, a 1/6.5-inch system-on-a-chip (SOC) CMOS image sensor designed for highly demanding video applications in portable media players (PMP), home entertainment devices and notebooks. Because all image quality tuning and processing is done on-chip, the OV9740 enables customers to simplify product development and accelerate time-to-market. These capabilities make the OV9740 a cost effective, one-stop-shop solution for emerging consumer applications in the home entertainment and PMP markets.

Combining OmniVision’s 1.75-micron OmniBSI(TM) backside illumination pixel architecture and OmniVision’s high-end image signal processor (ISP), the OV9740 delivers 720p native high-definition (HD) video at 30 frames per second, meeting the premium video quality criteria for Microsoft® Office Communicator and the high quality video specifications for SkypeTM. The OV9740′s small size and premium feature set make it ideal for a wide range of applications including notebooks, netbooks, webcams, gaming consoles, portable media players, mobile phones, smart phones, TVs and set-top boxes. Read the rest of this entry »

Three compilations of images from more than half a century of NASA history are available for comment on a section of the photo-sharing site Flickr known as The Commons.

Visitors to NASA on The Commons can help tell the photos’ story by adding tags, or keywords, to the images to identify objects and people. In addition, viewers can communicate with other visitors by sharing comments. These contributions will help make the images easier to find online and add insight about NASA’s history.

The capability to interact with these already-public photos is the result of a partnership between NASA, Flickr from Yahoo! in Sunnyvale, Calif., and Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library based in San Francisco.

Three sets of photos share a common theme of NASA beginnings. The “Launch and Takeoff” set captures iconic spacecraft and aircraft taking flight. “Building NASA” spotlights ground-breaking events and the construction of some of NASA’s one-of-a-kind facilities. The “Center Namesakes” set features photos of the founders and figureheads of NASA’s 10 field centers. To view NASA on The Commons images, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons

“NASA’s long-standing partnership with Internet Archive and this new one with Yahoo!’s Flickr provides an opportunity for the public to participate in the process of discovery,” said Debbie Rivera, lead for the NASA Images project at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “In addition, the public can help the agency capture historical knowledge about missions and programs through this new resource and make it available for future generations.” Read the rest of this entry »