Samsung have announced the worlds smallest 8 megapixel CMOS camera module. It is little at 28mm (height) × 15.3mm (width) × 8.5mm (thickness), making it great for small phones with higher megapixel shooting (and the fast burn of memory storage).
It isn’t just a megapixel upgrade either. It features anti-shake, a 1-cm macro, and face tracking technology.
Before you get to excited, I would like to take you away from your hires image fantasies and remind you that the camera is only as good as its lens. It isn’t a liquid lens, like so many scientists have promised us (works similar to the human eye), and it still won’t feature optical zoom.
Expect to see these in your more expensive camera phones by the end of this year, and in most camera phones next year. It won’t kill the digital camera market (like it did the PDA market), but it will make those emergency shots (like when you see a yeti) look that little bit sweeter.
For more info, click over to Engadget.
Can you go past a 26-inch LCD with a 1920 x 1200 resolution, 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 5ms response time and a DTV tuner option? With the attractive look of the Samsung T260, this is one display I will keep my eyes on (literary).
The screen will also have a couple of smaller brothers (or sisters), which are a 24-incher and 19-incher. All the screen will come with DVI, HDMI and D-sub. No price as yet, but that should be available further down this month.
For more info, click over to Engadget.
I am starting to really like what Samsung are doing with the P2. I am more excited by what they will add to upcoming firmware, then I am by upcoming devices. The latest update V3.15, adds a few games, FM radio to MP3 recording, new repeat functions, playback speed control and Emoture 1.5. If that is just an update, imagine what you will get in the next full release!
For more info, click over to Engadget.
That is right, the Samsung P2 has got even better, with a new firmware upgrade. The firmware is named BlueWave 2 and adds Touch Games (PowWow, Bubble Smile, and Jigsaw Puzzle), FM Radio recording support, repeat A-B (something to do with repeat), Play Speed Control (make everyone sound like chipmunks on speed), File Deletion support (it didn’t come with it originally?) and EmoTure 1.5 (nothing to do with hating life and being hated by your father). If there is something missing don’t worry, because there is still BlueWave 3 on the roadmap, and it will surely be extra awesomer.
For more info, click over to AnythingButiPod.
Samsung have announced the 16GB P2, which is much loved by many people. The player is expected to be seen in Q1 of this year. Unfortunately, no price has been announced as yet.
For more info, duck over to AnythingButiPod.
We talked about the Hitachi 500GB 2.5-inch notebook drive a few days ago, but now Samsung have released their competitor to that drive, this time making fit inside the standard 9.5mm height. The Samsung Spinpoint M6 500GB HDD, features 5400rpm spindle speed, a 8MB cache, and 3.0Gbps SATA interface.
This drive will fit into all existing notebooks, as long as they support the SATA interface, according to Samsung. There is no price available as yet, but with the March release date a price can’t be to far away.
For more info, click over to the Laptoping Blog.
Samsung have surprised me with the recently announced docking station for there infamous P2 PMP. The little station adds 4 new abilities to the player which include Wi-Fi, MicroSD, FM transmitter, and even a built in speaker. Not much else is known, but expect more when CES comes our way. If the WiFi and MicroSD are implemented properly, this could make the P2 a very kick arse product.
More info at AnythingButiPod.
Update: The Dock is so damn fake, and people keep reminding me. It would have been nice, but it seems a no go.
I like to give you guys a heads up on reviews, especially seeing I recommend reading even the worst of reviews before buying any new toy. Below is a list of all the reviews I have stock piled this week, with a exert from each.
- First up we have the Samsung YP-T10 Review by the guys over at AnythingButiPod. They believed “the T10 is a good player with a really nice line up of features” and “may not be for everyone”. Not bad for a Nano clone.
- Mobility Site did a massive, gigantic, monstrous review of the interesting HTC Advantage X7501. There are a ton of images and the conclusion they came to was “for business users wanting a powerful mobile device for staying connected with the office and still be able to maintain phone connectivity, or mobile tech enthusiasts wanting a top-of-the-line Windows Mobile device, this would be an excellent unit”. I still prefer a true UMPC.
- Pocketables have done a great review on the new OQO Model 02, which is a tiny little UMPC. They said “the Model 02 is an amazing upgrade to previous models and definitely steps up and delivers on all of its pre-release promises” and only really didn’t like the fact that there was no stylus included in the non Windows XP Tablet edition models and the crappy battery life. The article may contain trace amounts of poetry.
- AnythingButiPod did it again with a great review of the Archos 605 Wi-Fi. They said “605 could be ‘the ultimate PMP’, but it needs a complete overhaul of the interface, making it more usable to the average consumer” and “definitely much less user friendly than what is on the market, but that said, it will make a very nice match for the portable video enthusiast”. Sounds like I’m waiting for the next generation.
- AnythingButiPod have too much time on their hands and have reviewed the SanDisk Clip, which is like a Shuffle, but with a little screen. They liked it saying “its price of $40 and $60 MSRP I can easily recommend this to beginners as well as seasoned MP3 player users as a spare” and “the Clip has found a permanent home in my gearbag”. What happened to the all rounder?
- Lastly we have a review of the Fujifilm’s FinePix S8000FD digital camera by the grand people at Photography Blog. They said “the Finepix S8000fd represents Fujifilm’s best attempt yet to fuse the advantages of compact and DSLR cameras together, rivaling the latest entry-level DSLRs” and “the Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd is therefore both our current ultra-zoom camera of choice, and a viable alternative to a DSLR camera”. Fujifilm have done it again.
Remember to thank these guys for taking their time to write these amazing reviews for you guys and girls.
They might not be an iPod, but they look damn sexy and will probably do a lot more for a lot less. The YP-P2 and YP-T10 from Samsung, are soon to be released portable media devices which have just had their pricing and release details revealed.
The YP-T10 is your Nano competitor, with a 2-inch display (240 x 320 pixels), 4 or 8 GB of flash memory, inbuilt Bluetooth and FM tuner. It can play MPEG-4, WMV and JPEG images for up to 5 Hrs in video and MP3, WMA for up to 30 Hrs in audio. The inbuilt Bluetooth will work for wireless headphones as well as giving you the ability to use the player as a mobile phone headset.
The YP-P2 (very flashy names) will compete with the new iPod Touch, with its featured touch screen display. This player will also come in 4 and 8 GB flavors, feature Bluetooth (no WiFi sorry) and a 3-inch touch screen (480 x 272 pixels). Battery life is 5 hours for video and a great 35 hours for audio.
Both players will come in an assortment of colours and should arrive in the US later this month. Pricing will start at $US149 and $US199 for the 4 and 8 GB T10 and$US199 and $US249 for the touchy 4 and 8 GB P2.
For more info, slide over to the Gizmodo Blog, and the CNet YP-P2 and YP-T10 pages.