Creative's World of Warcraft Headset

Creative is known for it's audio technology based products and most gamers recognize the Fatal1ty Edition gaming gear from it. World of Warcraft gamers would be delighted to discover that Creative Labs will come out with planned New Creative Labs Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Wireless headset was spotted for pre-order at Amazon as well as Logic Buy for $160 (Rs. 7,700 approx.). Wired version of the same headset is available for $110 (Rs. 5,300 approx.).
Massively multiplayer online role playing game enthusiast can head to world of Azeroth wearing these new WoW-centric Blizzard Entertainment branded headsets. Creative has added THX TruStudio PC technology that enhances audio with greater surround sound effects for the best audio experience. The 40mm neodymium drivers in the headset promise to deliver higher bass impact and full-range of sound.
Boasting of 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, this headset claims to offer promising performance without compromising on the nature of connection. Its built-in lithium polymer batteries can offer up to eight hours of aural bliss with four hours of charging. To charge the headset, Creative bundles USB Power cable.

For the WoW fans, this headset's mic features VoiceFX technology that allows masking the human voice to sound like one of the characters of the game. Falling under the Sound Blaster brand, this microphone also has noise-cancellation features. During a real crucial session, the gamers can quickly access volume and mute controls directly on the headset.
Gamers can also remove and change their lenses to Horde and Alliances with a promise to make more lenses available in future. This headset also offers customizable software to adjust the audio settings in a PC. WoW Headset is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP and Mac OS X 10.5 or above. Creative offers a one-year limited hardware warranty on this headset.

Nvidia Unveils Optimus Graphics Technology

Finally, Nvidia has unveiled the Optimus Graphics technology for the mobile platform. As reported earlier, the Optimus technology automatically chooses and switches the best fit graphics chip between integrated graphics and discrete graphics. Besides that, this technology also switches back to the graphics which will help conserve battery life.
Nvidia cites the example of Hybrid car that chooses best system between electric car engine and gas-powered system on-the-fly, Optimus does the same for graphics processors on notebooks. Optimus technology for notebooks is seamless, instantaneous and most importantly - automatic. Users won't have to fiddle around any settings or buttons. Basically, this technology makes an automatic choice of using either discrete graphics or integrated graphics for running a program and also ensures better performance along with longer battery life.
Nvidia claims that battery charge on Optimus equipped notebooks can last up to two times longer than the notebooks without Optimus technology and discrete GPU.

As it is obvious, Nvidia's Optimus technology would be available only to the Nvidia GPU bearing notebooks. Asus would be the first one to roll out Optimus equipped notebooks - Asus UL50Vf, N61Jv, N71Jv, N82Jv, and U30Jc models.
Check out Nvidia's Optimus technology overview video:

NVIDIA Optimus Technology - The Best Notebook Experience from Techspot on Vimeo.

India's own Kindle Arrives

It's raining tablets and e-book readers - not only in U.S.- but also in India where a homegrown company has introduced its own e-book reader that, at least by the looks of it, has what it needs to take on the biggies in the business.
Say hello to the Infibeam "Pi". This is by far India's first attempt at making an e-book reader of our own that has actually materialized and the product is ready for "consumption". The Pi is made by shopping portal Infibeam which currently offers over one lakh books for Indian readers via its portal http://infibeam.com.
There are plans to add more books and unlike the Kindle, the Pi gives its users a cool option to upload their own content via a USB. In future, you can also expect a lot of newspaper and publications to the list of reading materials. The Pi, apart from being just an e-book reader, also happens to be a music player. It has 512MB of ROM and supports upto 4GB of memory with SD cards.
Specifications:

• Screen: 6-inch E Ink Vizplex. No backlight / glare.
• Weight: 180gm, Less than 10mm
• Formats supported: includes PDF, EPUB, HTML, TXT, MOBI, DOC
• Images: (will show in grayscale - screen is 600 800 pixels) in JPG, BMP and PNG.
• Internal Memory: 512 MB, 4GB via SD Slot

The Pi will be launched later this month and is likely to be priced at Rs. 9,999.
That said, you might be surprised by the similarity of Infibeam's website (and the logo) and that of Amazon's website. Although the Pi in itself looks like a good product, its similarity with Kindle and even the Amazon website on the whole was totally unnecessary. It could have been much more original.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Will get Android 2.1

The phone is still awaiting release but the anticipation is growing by the day. Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10, its first kicker of an Android phone is awaiting launch since time immemorial now. Also know as Rachael, this device will come with a 1 GHz snapdragon processor, a huge four-inch capacitive display and of course, the much talked about Rachael UI that seemed pretty good on the emulator videos we have seen so far. The phone is expected to be out in the next few weeks and is will come with Android 1.6 - which is the older version of the OS.
However, new reports coming in from usually reliable sources point to the possibility of the phone being easily upgradeable to newer versions of the OS, namely 2.0 and 2.1. There is, however, one major doubt looming over the ability of the X10 to support multitouch. Android 1.6 does not support multitouch and hence, there is no question of the X10 supporting multitouch in its stock form. However, if the phone is updated to Android 2.1, will the phone be able to support multitouch? That is the question. As of now, it is unclear if the hardware on the phone is capable of doing it.
The phone is expected to be super expensive with the initial price expected to hover around the $817 (Rs. 38,000 approx.) mark. Of course, the prices will vary depending on where you live.

HTC Incredible Images Leak

HTC is busy making yet another Android based phone for the future. Set to run Android 2.1 and powered by the snappy Snapdragon processor, this one goes by the name of the HTC Incredible!
Now, we're not sure why HTC chose to shower this phone with such a pompous name. That too, when we see that some of the specs ain't that great at all - especially when you compare it with the likes of the Nexus One or the HD2 - both made by HTC! Talking about specs, here's what you will see the Incredible come with. Apart from the aforementioned Android 2.1, it will also integrate HTC's SENSE UI. The RAM is an adequate 256MB - which is way lower than the Nexus One's 512. The 5 megapixel camera at the rear gets dual LED flash. The screen looks like a WVGA one and should be 3.5 inches or more. Even if its 3.7-inches, it would be same in size as that of the Nexus One.
Design wise, the phone looks quite Okay and does not seem to sport any incredible design cues. Maybe HTC has something revolutionary under the Incredible's belt ready to be showcased during the phone's launch? That's the best we can hope for.

Sony Ericsson Aspen Unveiled

Sony Ericsson has announced the launch of its latest Windows Mobile powered handset, the Aspen.
A GreenHeart labeled handset, the phone is the first Sony Ericsson Windows Mobile handset to sport a QWERTY keyboard in a non-slide out format. The phone is being targeted as a Business device and packs in the latest version of Windows Phone and comes preloaded with powerful productivity tools. It is also a strong performer on the multimedia front with support for features like PlayNow and a mediabrowser.
The Aspen shares its design and form factor with successful business handsets like the Nokia E71 and all the popular Blackberry models. It also boasts of a Human curvature design that fits into the palm of the hand. The phone supports HSPA 900/2100 and EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA 850/900/2100 and EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. For navigational purposes, there is support for a-GPS. It also comes with Google Maps preloaded.
The Aspen has a 3.2 megapixel camera that supports 4x digital zoom and features like Multishot, Self timer and Smart contrast. It also supports 3D games and has FM radio with RDS. It features a 3.5mmjack as well, that will be appreciated by the music buff in you
The Aspen features a 2.4inch screen that supports a resolution of 240x320 and can display 65,536 colours.
Specifications:
Size: 117 x 60 x 12.45 mm
Weight: 130 grams
Memory card support: SanDisk microSD, up to 16 GB
Operating system: Windows Mobile 6.5.3
Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 10 hours
Standby time: GSM/GPRS: Up to 450hrs
Talk time UMTS: Up to 8 hours
Standby time: UMTS: Up to 600 hrs
Music listening time: Up to 12hrs
The Aspen will be available in two colour options Iconic Black and White Silver starting Q2, 2010. The price is yet to be announced.
Here are some images of the phone:

  

Apple iPad Supports Windows 7

What every pro-Microsoft folk and multi-operating system user would like to see is the iPad running more than one operating system. Chris Fleck, vice president of Community and Solutions Development at Citrix, in a blog post, noted that Citrix Receiver was capable of running Windows 7 OS on Apple iPad with Citrix's XenDesktop program. We are sure this will leave a lot of Apple fans excited.
Citrix offers services in end-to-end virtualization, networking and software-as-a-service (SaaS) technologies. Fleck, in the blog post, said, "It turns out the 9.7 inch display on the iPad with a 1024x768 screen resolution works great for a full VDI XenDesktop. Windows applications run unmodified and securely in the data center, and even multiple applications at once." Running Windows 7 on the 480x320 pixel resolution bearing iPhone would have been painful.
Enterprises looking to bring iPad to their premises might want to consider this feature. The iPad can be hooked to the iPad Keyboard Dock and Windows 7 on it can be used just like it can be on iMac or MacBook Pro via Boot Camp. Citrix now waits to hear from the enterprise segment, Small Office Home Office and other business professionals if they really wish to see Citrix Receiver for the iPad to run Windows 7 on it.
Cloud computing with iPad could go big and that has already started with the operating system itself. Despite being a consumer product, iPad does manage to appeal to enterprises, thanks to software developers like Citrix.

Ultra-slim Dell Latitude 13 Unveiled

Dell had introduced an ultra-portable Vostro 13 last December. The company has now unveiled a new ultra-slim Latitude 13. With similar form factor, Latitude 13 appears to be a re-branded Vostro 13 notebook. Its close resemblance to Adamo laptop makes Latitude 13 thin and light laptop for business users. No details about the price and availability of this device are out as yet.
The new Latitude 13 will come with Enterprise features like ImageDirect Services which will allow IT users to create, update and deploy several system images on Latitude 13 models at once. Unlike Vostro 13, Dell will offer SSD option for Latitude 13 along with slew of other features like full disk encryption, Computrace recovery services and Trusted Platform Module.
Along with pre-installed Citrix client (for U.S. only), the Latitude 13 also features WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and WWAN Wireless options along with Blu-ray drive. No details about the processor, memory and storage limits were available. Dell might use Intel's low-voltage processor just like in Vostro 13.
After all, thin laptops are an "in-thing" these days. Both business professionals and consumers look forward to buy slim and light form factor laptops for average computing work. The most sought feature even in ultra-portable notebooks is the battery life. Let's hope the new fleet of ultra portable and ultra slim notebooks offer longer battery life than the previous generation bulky machines.