Droid X

To counteract iPhone’s looming dominance of the smartphone market, Motorola/Verizon decided to bulk-up and get protein-shake-drunk with Droid X. It’s a monolithic device sporting Google’s latest Android OS 2.1. Fortunately, the platform's dull interface is embellished with Motoblur’s new, sleek skin -- it’s not as deep and intuitive, however, as Motorola would have you believe. For all its focus on creating a personal online hub, it sorely lacks a cohesive solution for your social network needs -- this, to the delight of the masses, could be remedied by ignoring Blur altogether and by downloading dedicated Twitter/Facebook Android apps. And yes, these apps are free.

On to the hardware; Droid X is a massive head-turner. It’s larger than HTC EVO 4G and boasts a TFT, 4.3inch display that nearly matches iPhone 4's stunning retina display. There’s just something more elegant browsing through pages with a larger screen as you swipe your way from end to end -- far more convenient than using a 3.5 incher. The Droid X also runs a 1GHz processer from Texas Instruments for a snappier, faster user experience. A baffling lack of a front-facing cam, however, mars the phone’s impressive slate of features. For Motorola not to include a presumed smartphone standard easily makes this one of the most bizarre instances of 2010’s crowded tech lineup.

Even with such a glaring shortcoming, it's safe to say Droid X takes the crown as the finest Android phone launched thus far. It shows how far the platform and manufacturers have matured in a span of less than a year to create compelling and, most of all, tempting alternatives to the shiny, perfect world of Cupertino. Now, all Motorola needs to do is officially release it stateside.

Full list of specs:
• 4.3-inch, 854x480 display
• 8 megapixel camera
• 720p video recording
• 1GHz TI OMAP processor
• 8GB internal storage (plus 16GB microSD)
• HDMI out
• 720p video
• Multitouch keyboard, with pre-loaded Swype
• Wi-Fi hotspot powers for up to 5 devices
• 3 mics: for video and noise suppression

*Pics from Gizmodo

Lightning!

Now this is more like it, with the recent leak of Apple’s iPhone 4G followed by a pre-mature surfacing of Dell’s Lightning -- fitted by the way, with the stunning Windows Phone 7 (WP7) OS -- consumers now have a compelling selection of next-gen smartphones to splurge on. Striking as it seems, Lightning boasts a full QWERTY keyboard with a colossal 4.1 OLED screen, plus a coined ‘Lightning search’ feature -- this will be one heavy phone kids.

Engadget posted specs, including the finer details on Dell's target market and competitive advantages right here.

iPhone 4G

A disastrous leak that was months in the making, iPhone 4G’s impromptu unveiling has everyone baffled. No one would’ve dreamt of Apple easily handing-over its crown jewel to the media months before its official announcement. Even Jobs’ obsessive authoritarian control over what goes in and out of 1 Infinite Loop failed to deter the blogosphere from acquiring the revered prototype.

So what now? Well, Apple can simply opt to stay silent on the matter. Reject all inquiries from the media, however significant and substantiated they are or, they can adapt by pushing an official announcement much earlier than planned.

Bottomline: it’s a win for Apple. With the immense buzz this leak’s generating, the Cupertino giant has, without much effort, fueled hype and excitement among consumers waiting for the iPhone's next iteration.

For more on the iPhone 4G’s specs and upgrades, read Gizmodo’s exclusive take right here.

Dell's Adamo Admire Sheds In Price

Its hardly been a year since Dell introduced its delectable Adamo Admire and here we are a year later, a thunderous thousand dollars less; Indeed, Dell's Air finally deserves some consumer love. Housed in a glorious sleek, slim factor, Admire nets you a more-than-enough 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, a mighty 128GB SSD drive, 2GB of RAM, and a glistening copy of Windows 7 Home Premium.

In today's PC market, price makes all the difference. Anyone seeking a highly mobile and capable notebook, at a staggering affordable price, should definitely consider Dell's ultraportable.

You can read 3rdWorldJargon's harsh mini-review here at a time when Admire still screamed a mortifying $2,000 SRP.

iPad Unleashed

So after years of anticipation Apple finally lets loose its own overly hyped tablet to the masses -- and the initial reaction? Universally bland, and if truth be told, surprisingly disappointing. The iPad, a colossal mistake of a name, plays around with a decent 1GHz customized processer, no camera, NO flash support, and worst of all, absent of multi-tasking capabilities. Really Apple? You market iPad to consumers as a supposed alternative to the ever-versatile netbook, which, feature-wise, your device obviously can’t match.

Geekdom majority sincerely wants to ‘like’ Apple’s new product, but no matter how one twists and bends one’s desire to purchase such a sexy device, consumers can’t help but feel appalled at the idea of shelling out 500 to 800 dollars for an incomplete and ultimately confused mobile contraption.

Dell Adamo XPS

Oh Dell, you and your antics to overthrow the reigning thin and light can easily be perceived as a desperate, hopeless endeavor. The first Adamo was a futile attempt to sway buyers to sleep with an obviously underpowered notebook. Even the Air failed miserably to justify a logical purchase -- although a niche of egotistical, price-apathetic lot did embrace the Air's shortcomings (the author apparently was an advent believer of the Air’s enigmatic powers).

By releasing another Adamo in a more perplexing and bizarre chassis, made worse by a quirky and painful level of usability, Dell just created one of the ugliest, most expensive mobile devices in the market today. Harsh it may seem to discredit a notebook that hasn't seen the light of the day, but one can’t blame to question the PC giant’s sanity and overall strategy.

For what it’s worth, here are the specs: it’ll run a questionable 1.4GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a lowly GS45 integrated graphics, but with an encouraging 4GB of DDR3 RAM and 128GB SSD. It also sports an expected 13.4 inch display and your standard array of ports. And if you’re wondering how long this overpriced contraption lasts, the low end model has a measly 2 hours and a half lifespan, while the higher end extends it to a more acceptable 5 hours. Though cheaper than its predecessor, it comes at a hefty $1,799.

To Dell's credit though, the new Adamo does trump the Air's overall thickness. This fugly device measures a mind-numbing 0.39 inches -- approximately half the size of Apple's baby -- a bright spot Dell should be proud of.

Sony VAIO X

Sony’s much maligned VAIO notebooks, by virtue of its insane, elite-hugging prices, seem to find the need to innovate in design and aesthetics. Indeed, it easily matches Apple’s more minimalist and clean look, and to the chagrin of the masses, including the price.

Even with such disdain from the tech-drooling public, Sony continues to deliver with the freshly released Sony VAIO X. The svelte gadget dominates the ultraportable market with its impressive weight of 1.5 lbs as well as a crisp 1366 x 768 display, 11.1 inch screen, and a world-record-setting batt life of up to 14 hours! Under the hood you’ll find a decent 2GHZ Intel Atom Z550 processor, a disappointing GMA 500 graphics, but, breath, an acceptable 64GB to 128GB SSD. And yes, you get Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed.

It is a VAIO, so what’s the catch? This technological marvel comes at a harrowing $1,300. Ouch.

Asspeaker

Of all the aberrant gadgetry one may conjure in his sleep, why this? The Asspeaker clearly borders between technological wizardy and blatant sex novelty. Still, it does evoke a sense of guilt-stricken appreciation of how far we’ve come in terms of aesthetically pleasing concept designs.

Ok, so how does it work? Give the ‘cheeks’ a gentle tap (note: gentle) to turn the sex-plagued object on. To manipulate volume output, just fondle the smooth surface to get your desired level of ‘noise’. Amazing.

Source

Notebooks 2.0

Fresh off the pipeline: Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell, claims the anguish and self-condemnation one experiences 36 hours after a netbook purchase.

"If you take a user who's used to a 14- or 15-inch notebook and you say 'Here's a 10-inch netbook,' they're gonna say 'Hey, this is so fantastic. It's so cute. It's so light. I love it,'
"But about 36 hours later, they're saying 'The screen's gonna have to go. Give me my 15-inch screen back.'’

"We see a fair amount of customers not really being that satisfied with the smaller screen and the lower performance - unless it's like a secondary machine or it's a very first machine and the expectations are low,"

"But as a replacement machine for an experienced user, it's not what we'd recommend. It's not a good experience, and we don't see users very happy with those."

Problem is Mr. Dell, millions are happy with it. For the past two years, the industry has witnessed an explosive growth for these miniscule devices. Millions of these demure gadgets have been propping up everywhere in retail, and the masses seem to eagerly embrace them.

HP, Acer, Asus, and Toshiba have invested heavily in releasing competitively priced and well-designed netbooks to answer the rising demand. Even Dell tried it with their Mini product line, alas, a success it was not compared to it's Asian brethrens: Acer’s Aspire One and Asus’ Eee PC series.

Dell’s failure to conquer the low-end, price-conscious market puts a dent on the company’s ability to capitalize on emerging trends. It's obvious they failed to anticipate the sudden meteoric rise of the average man's laptop. The question is, why such harsh criticism from Dell's big boss?

Apparently, the all-too-consumer-friendly product ain’t too business-friendly after all – PC manufacturers know this. With rock-bottom profit margins, manufacturers will only recoup their investments after selling droves of netbooks. With such a glaring disadvantage, it should curtail them from churning out these low-profit generating pests right? On the contrary, consistent netbook releases and over-the-top marketing campaigns are but the craze nowadays.

Over the years, the PC business has shifted from desktops to notebooks as its main source of growth. During ’05 to ‘06, standard notebooks were running north of a grand, manufacturers were comfortable with the price point and decent margins. It all came downhill though the instance Asus introduced its Eee PC to the world back in ’07. The 7-inch 'companion laptop' disrupted the market dramatically. In less than a year, major PC manufacturers were planning a similar device to satiate the surprising wave of consumer demand for these types of notebooks.

Consumers loved it (they still do). Though not as powerful as other laptops in the market, netbooks were sufficient for word processing, surfing, and casual entertainment at a very low price (and still are).

Mr. Dell’s perception of the netbook doesn’t spur out of hate or disdain but rather of fear for the industry to settle with the new status quo. Perhaps the existence of the average man’s notebook is indeed beneficial to consumers, even too beneficial at times, but manufacturers are risking their financial viability to remain competitive by supporting such dirt-cheap devices.

The New Frontier

Project Natal on Vimeo.

At E3 ’09, various platform’s announced their peripherals catered to the motion-obsessed gaming populace. Sony officially announced its ‘imitation’ to the Wii’s IR sensitive wand while Microsoft, well, is entirely in a different level.

The surprisingly secretive Project Natal is finally out in the open, demonstrating to the few selected gaming journos what makes it tick. Through the vids and pics of numerous gaming sites, we can see the sheer technological brilliance Project Natal bestows upon the gaming world. It's the revolution the industry has been waiting for.

The Wii felt more of an evolutionary step on controller design rather than a revolutionary one -- a tangible barrier between the player and the game still existed.

With Microsoft’s new technology (through an Israel-based company, 3DV), we finally have the controller-less capacity to play. It pushes you to react when a ball rolls your way, when you're placed in the driver seat of a super-car, or when a technologically impressive A.I. realistically interacts with you.

The applications and possibilities of Project Natal are indeed limitless when compared to the restrictive nature of Nintendo's wand. It'd be quite intriguing how Microsoft will innovate a young gaming industry with such a technology.

Tech Feature: Zune HD

image courtesy of www.engadget.com

As expected, Microsoft has finally unveiled its answer to Apple’s iPod Touch. Slated for a late ’09 release, Zune HD brags a sizeable 3.6inch OLED touch screen, 4 to 32 GB storage options, HDMI connection, HD Radio, a web browser (let me guess, a mobile ver of IE), WiFi compatible, and powered by an NVIDIA Tegra.

Rumors abound that it’ll sport a camera plus tons of additional gaming content – this is assuming that MS understands the viability of the iphone/touch as a mobile gaming platform. Point is, MS need not release a portable gaming device other than a Zune HD. The iPhone has proven so far that casual mobile gamers do have the purchasing intent and power for games distributed online.

Faltering Privacy

Recently read a piece bout Facebook’s monumental value for online marketers. Astounding on how much personal information people freely and willfully publicize online – either due to their incessant need to get noticed or simply to feed their narcissistic fetishes. Whatever the onus for such gratuitous acts, expect online marketers to grab the opportunity by the balls.

Note that there’s completely nothing wrong (legally) with subtly peeking through private data – a trade-off for the free services Facebook provides. But if you feel violated with the quasi-questionable methods these marketers instigate and the withering essence of the word ‘private’, you always have the choice to cut ties.

Question is, can you?

Read more

Dell's Air Reviewed

As the scorching heat dries up every drop of creative fluid existent within, perhaps a short burst of a sentence or two should ward off the creative drought.

Dell recently released its bet against Apple's Macbook Air, Adamo. It packs a paltry set of specs covered in sleek aluminum and industrial style gimmickery. Unfortunately, neither design nor the common impulsive consumer can save Adamo -- the damn thing's completely overpriced and irrefutably underpowered.

See engadget's full review right here.

Tech Feature: Mac's Mini

Finally, a rumored pic of the new mac mini in the wild, an update of Apple's entry desktop has long been overdue. Since most of Apple's revenues last year came from their Macbook line, they seem to be in no hurry to 'officially' revamp their diminutive hardware... yet.

The alleged redesigned mini intriguingly has a multitude of USB ports, 5 to be exact. Ports for Mini Display, Mini DVI, and the coveted FireWire 800 seem to be likewise existent. It also runs at a cool 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo architecture with a 3MB L2 cache and a standard RAM of 2GB DDR3 at 1066MHz.

source

Tech Feature: Sony Vaio P

After the splash Sony made introducing its supposed foray into the netbook market (even if they strangely deny the intent), the Sony Vaio P has finally been released into the wild.

Reviews have trickled in and so far mediocrity has reigned. Packed with a Vista and an SRP north of a grand, it's way too expensive in terms of value to end users. However, with regard to the well-conceived design, kudos to Sony and to the anonymous Japanese dude who masterminded its aesthetics.

Check Gizmodo's review here.

Complete specs:
Intel Atom Z530 1.33GHz
8 inch (1600×768 pixels) display screen
60GB HDD, 64GB SSD or 128GB SSD Storage
2GB DDR2 RAM
2 USB ports
SD/Memory Stick slot
Ethernet
WiFi 802.11n
Bluetooth
3G (EV-DO)
Integrated GPS
Webcam
MS Windows Vista

A Fancy Purchase

Finally, I say it again, finally, got a Samsung T220. Thanks in large to my sweet and generous partner. In all its 22-inch glory, the contrast ratio has immensely improved – compared to my Dell 22-incher the colors are more vibrant, sharper, and crisper. Although a few bumps on the road, had to return it due to massive red artifacts filling up the screen which was a straight throwback to my Xbox 360 nightmare.

Guys from the store were kind enough (warranty breeds kindness from store folks) to replace the monitor with a shinier and fresh monitor. It was a painless and effortless transaction, kudos to you guys from Silicon Valley (yes, we do have a store named after the SanFo tech zone, we Asians are right brain geniuses).

The screen is just visually stunning to see in action, Samsung really is one of the best, if not the best LCD monitor manufacturer in the market. Too bad they’re caught up in a dwindling South Korean economy.

Now, if only my 360 gets repaired soon (hopefully this week). I’ll demonstrate a short vid of this baby in action, post-haste.

Apple Notebooks Refreshed!

So the next phase of Apple’s notebook has begun with the introduction of the significantly redesigned Macbook Pro and Macbook Aluminum with updates for both their 17” Macbook Pro line and Macbook Air -- the former having a stock 4G RAM and the latter having a 50% increase in HD capacity and a dedicated graphics card.

The new Macbook has an exceptional design but the MBP seems a bit forced. It would’ve been great if they redesigned the Air with the black bezel – I know, I know, Apple notebooks have an obligatory design lifespan of bout 24 months, but please, for the sake of aesthetic consistency!

When the new MBP, Macbook and Air are lined up in a row, the difference of '"The Thin One" is all too glaring for any aesthetic whore in the market.

Granted, the Air remains incredibly stunning. As a writer, I don’t see myself lunging around a 4.5 pound Macbook. I don’t need the extra weight, the extra ports and the optical drive.

The Air’s for me, as I am for the Air.

It gives me a lengthy period to save for January 2010 when the expected refresh comes along. Perhaps, it’d be lighter? Surely more powerful and possibly equipped with OSX 10.7 – who knows?

For now, the HP Mini would have to do. VISTA’s so far been stable from my vantage point and all the irate feedback have so far been baseless (benchmarked that is to my experience).

And I find it quite amusing how comfy the HP Mini is when lined up with the new Apple notebooks. It's rather at home with the new design path Apple's implementing.

Tech Feature: Samsung T220

OH Yes, once I get the mullah, this 22inch baby's mine. The new Samsung T220 with its reddish outline sparks the aesthetic whore within me. Retailing for about P14,500 or $316 this is one affordable luxury item.

Can't wait to connect to my yet to be repaired 360 and start rocking with EA's Rock Band. My girlfriend sure digs the thought.

Tech Feature: New DELL LCD

Been a fan of Dell's LCD screens since I bought their 22" incher a year back. They're at it a again by releasing this beautiful 23" monitor at 1080p. Although I still prefer the previous trendy stand.

Source

3rdworld Mini Review

Went through a voluntary MIA for the past month and a half for reasons known to any writer, the tool and medium for which this writer oh so often used was liquidated and squeezed for all its worth – yes the Macbook Air, sold to the highest bidder. In exchange, a new, smaller and a slightly lighter entity emerged from this writer’s desk of awesomeness (to remedy what is inherently boring, exaggerate).

A petite HP 2133 Mini Note was what brushed off the tears on a sour break up. Less than half the price of the Air. Its screen size dwarfed in comparison to the real estate provided by the Air. Everything the online tech gurus highlighted and emphasized whether it be the notebook’s pros or cons seems to be quite accurate.

Although the common rant regarding the performance of the VIA chip's a significant complaint amongst reviewers, the processor handles a writer’s task quite well and running VISTA with Aero on, with its fancy animations, is quite intuitive and hassle free for such a small and minimalist tech. Coming from Windows XP then OS X (from 10.3 to 10.5) then to Windows VISTA – transition has been seamless and experience, satisfying.

Overall, the HP Mini’s a winner, well, except for the charger, it’s a brick. It weighs down on your shoulder after walking a good 10mins or so. Ala X360’s power brick, the size ratio is similar – yes, gigantic.

The Mini Note's a certified road warrior, just get used to its colossal charger that adds nearly a pound to the whole package.