theVooner's weblog

A weblog for theVooner.com where the best cool gear and gadgets get reviewed.

last modified Jul 15, 2003 at 1:45

Saturday, November 26, 2005

New Nokia N-Series (N92, N91, N80, N71)

Nokia has introduced a whole host of new mobile phones in its N-series. The N92 is an update of the N90 with a weird twisting design. Incorporating the camera lens in the side of the camera, the N92 (like the N90) resembles more of a camcorder than a mobile phone. But with the ability to twist and turn the screen, Nokia is touting its ability to watch live TV on the handheld. Pretty cool.

The N91 will appeal to music users out there with up to 4GB of built-in memory. It should be interesting. Motorola's Rokr is a disaster in my opinion which is why they have resorted to giving them away here (they are now free when you sign up for certain mobile services from certain mobile carriers).

The N80 though is the most interesting and the one I like the most. 3G/2G phone with a large screen, WiFi built-in, 3 megapixel camera, hmm... I want one! Can't wait for this to come out so I can see what it looks like. The N71 is basically a clamshell version of the brick-style N70.

All in all, I like the new line-up from Nokia and I wonder if they'll be available by Christmas, because they'd be nice gifts for myself!

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 19:15 | 0 comments

Monday, November 21, 2005

Creative Prodikeys

I guess it's cool for teenagers and musicians -- Creative has a dual keyboard (computer and music) that allows users to type onto the computer as well as play musical notes (like a piano). Pretty neat. Certainly would be good for the kids. Easy to switch from blasting aliens on Doom to learning Mozart!

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 20:11 | 0 comments

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Dopod 900 and 838

Mobile phone maker Dopod has launced both the 900 dual-mode (3G/2.5G) smartphone (it's called a mini-notebook by the company, and given it's size, that's probably closer to a right description) and the 838 smartphone. The 838 in particular looks like a very interesting and compelling product given that the Mini 02 has been around for about a year now and there hasn't been a competitive product to it. The 838 is the first one to really challenge and it looks as if it is going to be a very strong competitor. The slide-out keyboard, small size and improved OS should put it high on desireability. My good friend already has one and sings nothing but praises. I'm keen to get one soon as well...

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 18:14 | 0 comments

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Toshiba Gigabeat P-series MP3 Player

Toshiba has released their P-series MP3 players which are basically upgraded, and fancier versions of the popular iPod Shuffle. I like the design a lot more than the Shuffle and the color screen looks fantastic. Unfortunately, they are pretty late to the game and I just wonder how well it will do. Still it's a nice player.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 18:01 | 0 comments

Monday, November 14, 2005

Apple iPod Video Review

Just posted, my Apple iPod Video Review. Surprisingly, I really didn't like it. A fragile finish, non-existent video software, and worse of all very poor battery life led to a not so fun player. Read more here...

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 22:05 | 0 comments

Tuesday, November 8, 2005

O2 Atom Smartphone (replacement of Mini O2)

O2 has finally put up the details of its much awaited replacement/upgrade of its Mini O2. The Atom as it is called has been seen and shown around in the past month but has only now become publicized by the company. It adds on much wanted features such as WiFi, better camera, etc. Unfortunately, I had thought this was going to be a 3G phone and looking forward to 3G features, but alas, it's a tri-band EDGE phone. Still, I had my Mini O2 longer than any other phone and have been using the O2 IIm for sometime now as well so I'm still quite interested. Expected to arrive in December but could be earlier than that...

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 20:07 | 0 comments

Monday, November 7, 2005

Panasonic S300/S100 SD Card Movie Camera

Pansonic have these video cameras which uses SD cards to record Mpeg2 videos. The S300/S100 have 3 CCD sensors which should make for very nice images. But I can't get a good sense of how big these cameras are. It looks small but fat. I still like the HD video cameras like the JVC Everio which have 30GB and 20GB models. However, the Panasonic looks smaller, lighter and with a better/higher resolution sensor.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 19:45 | 0 comments

Sunday, November 6, 2005

Sharp W-Zero 3

I alway wondered why Japanese companies took a long time to enter the PDA Smartphone market. Maybe they aren't as popular as I think, but I see plenty of people with O2 and Treo phones. In Japan though, Sharp has wthe W-Zero 3 a PDA Smartphone which looks like a cross between the upcoming iJam/MDA II and the old O2 IIs. Either way, it's big, it's clunky, but packs a lot of functionality. It's built of a Japanese version of Windows Mobile so an English version could soon be on its way.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 22:10 | 0 comments

Thursday, November 3, 2005

Sony T9 Digital Camera

Replacing the T7, Sony has introduced the T9 digital camera. Looking more like the T5 than the T7, this slightly larger digital camera has an upgraded 6 Megapixel sensor and what appears to be a better macro mode. The layout also is more reminiscent of the old T1 rather than the new T7. Already Japanese Sony website has taken down links on the main digital camera page to the T7 so it's being quickly weeded out as an old model. I still liked the T7 and I would recommend that as a good "small" camera (and all its limitations -- like weak flash) especially now if the price starts to fall.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 18:04 | 0 comments

Tuesday, November 1, 2005

Nikon D200 digital camera

Nikon announced the D200 camera as the replacement to the D100. As a previous owner of the D100, I'm surprised it took so long for the upgrade -- but am happy I sold my old camera as the new one looks impressive. In addition to the now 10.2 megapixel sensor, the camera has good image upgrades such as ISO now down to 100, 1/8000 shutter speed, 5 fps, and a 2.5" LCD to mention a few. Good all around improvements.

theVooner@yahoo.com

posted at 18:56 | 2 comments