Cost

Netbooks are cheap. So cheap that a disproportionately large chunk of the cost is made up of a Windows license. Ever wondered why the Linux versions of netbooks cost around $50 less? Microsoft tax. Chrome OS is based on Linux and will, like most Google products, be free, bringing the price of a $500 netbook down by 10 percent.

Speed

Windows 7 runs faster than Vista on a netbook. Scratch that. Windows 7 runs on a netbook, period. But Chrome OS is designed to run on low-powered Atom and ARM processors, and web-based applications don’t require that much horsepower on the client end so it should be faster still. Better, it will be small. Google is promising boot times measured in seconds, not minutes, so battery life should also get a boost — it will be possible to cold boot instead of sleeping or hibernating the machine, saving precious juice.

Compatibility

Google says that “[Users] don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates.” One of the big problems with using anything but Windows XP on a netbook has been drivers. Try installing OS X on one if you don’t believe us, or any version of Linux not specifically designed for your model. If Google can come up with an OS that can be downloaded, dropped onto any machine and then “just works,” we might just have the ultimate portable OS.

Portability

Netbooks are meant for the road. At home, a bigger computer is almost always better but when traveling, a netbook shines. Swapping between the two is a pain, though. With Chrome, you can bet that all of Google’s service — Gmail, Google Docs, Picasa and so on — will be built-in and have offline access via Google Gears. If you are a good Google Citizen and use all these services, you’ll never have to worry about having all your latest data with you, whether you have a net connection or not.

New Applications

With its web services, Google has been slowly duplicating everything that we can do locally on our computers. Almost. There are a few things that Google doesn’t do yet, most notably a video player and a music jukebox. Sure, there’s YouTube, but what happens when you want to watch something other than a skateboarding dog in a blender? There are open-source options: The awesome VLC video player has just reached v1.0, for example, and the Songbird music player, based on Firefox, can even sync with an iPod. Both already run on some flavors of Linux.

Google may use these, buy them or even roll its own. One thing is sure, though: If Google can put out a whole OS that is as clean, fast and focused as its individual web products, the Chrome OS could be a revolution. A free revolution that could be making Microsoft extremely uncomfortable right now.

source: wired.com

The announcement of LG’s first Android-powered smartphones comes only a week after the world’s third largest mobile phone company announced that it would be introducing three new Windows Mobile smartphones in the next few weeks. These developments underscore LG’s commitment to offering greater consumer choice in the expanding smartphone category.

The new LG-GW620 features a 3-inch full touchscreen and slide out QWERTY keypad to meet the growing needs of consumers who rely on their mobile phones for more than just making calls. The LG-GW620 benefits from an operating system that was created from the ground up to take advantage of the many mobile applications and services developed by search leader Google.

In anticipation of strong demand for smartphones that support social networking functions right out-of-the-box, the LG-GW620 also lives up to LG’s consumer-friendly design philosophy by making the smartphone experience more accessible for typical users. At the same time, LG’s messaging phones have traditionally been very popular with young professionals who demand a full QWERTY keypad for a fast mobile computing experience. The LG-GW620 manages to meet the needs of both types of users simultaneously.

“The LG-GW620 will appeal to first-time smartphone customers by offering a new and different kind of user experience,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Our objective is to provide a wide selection of smartphones to satisfy the diverse preferences of today’s consumers. This Android phone is just one of many smartphone models we plan to introduce worldwide in the years ahead.”

In addition to the Android model, LG announced in early September that it will be introducing a minimum of 13 new smartphones over the next 16 months that utilize Microsoft’s Windows Mobile. The newest release, version 6.5, was announced just last week.

The LG-GW620 will be available in the fourth quarter of this year in select European markets.

Source: www.lge.com

HTC has announced the first smartphone made specially with Windows Mobile 6.5 in mind - with the HTC Touch2 smartphone carrying the new Windows Phone moniker.

The phone – described by HTC as ‘compact and stylish’ is the successor to the popular HTC Touch, and will take advantage of new Microsoft features such as MyPhone and Windows Marketplace.

“The HTC Touch2 delivers a familiar touch experience that millions of people have come to expect and rely on from HTC in their daily lives,” said Peter Chou, Chief Executive Officer, HTC Corporation.

‘In touch and in control’

“Whether it’s making a call, checking in with a friend or simply responding to an important email, the HTC Touch2 puts you in touch and in control.”

The phone, which includes HTC’s TouchFLO technology, Google Maps for Mobile, YouTube ‘and more’, will also feature the newly designed Internet Explorer for mobile and all the Exchange email goodies you would expect from a Windows Phone.

Windows Phone, starting with the eagerly anticipated Windows Mobile 6.5 software, was announced by Microsoft this week for a release date of 6 October

The HTC Touch2 will initially be available to customers on October 6 with broad availability in a variety of European and Asian markets in early Q4 2009.

Source: TechRadar ]]> http://www.gadgetinfo.net/category/gadget-news/htc-first-manufacturer-to-announce-winmo-65-handset-with-htc-touch2.html/feed http://www.gadgetinfo.net/category/gadget-news/has-nokia-fallen-out-of-lust-with-symbian.html http://www.gadgetinfo.net/category/gadget-news/has-nokia-fallen-out-of-lust-with-symbian.html#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:46:06 +0000 Yudik http://www.gadgetinfo.net/?p=77 According to Reuters, yes, and all because of some slutty-slut-slut Linux OS named Maemo, said to be the company’s new high-end handset platform. Nokia’s first Maemo indiscretion handset’s said to be landing next week.

Nokia will try again to tackle Apple Inc’s iPhone in the top-end of the handset market with a bet on Linux software, several industry sources told Reuters.
Top handset maker Nokia will show its first high-end phone running on Maemo, a version of Linux, next week at the annual Nokia World event in Stuttgart, Germany, the sources said

Come to think of it, it is pretty weird that the phone-sized, phone-shaped, phone-button-having N900 has until recently been consistently assumed to be a tablet, even though the prospect of a QWERTY Maemo handset has been openly discussed for well over a year now, and explicitly predicted as far back as October. There may still be a gutted tablet version, but this thing has the heart, soul and body of a smartphone—I’d say this is what Reuters is talking about when they say “Maemo handset”, even if they don’t know it.

Kicked out of the high end of Nokia’s product line, Symbian—which remember, they recently plunged nearly $400m into—would be relegated to the dregs of Nokia’s product line, where it would presumably, eventually, wither and die. Sad!

Anyway, Maemo: It handles great on a tablet, but nobody really knows how it’ll translate to a phone. That said, the N900 is largish and has a QWERTY-shaped crutch, so expectations, so majestically shattered last month, are back on high. [Reuters]

Source: Gizmodo

Nokia 5230

Ini adalah edisi untuk penggemar Symbian S60 5th, inilah perangkat touchscreen lainnnya dari Nokia. Nokia  5230 baru ini dibekali touchscreen 3.2-inch, dipersenjatai kemampuan layanan data HSDPA, A-GPS, kamera 2 megapiksel,  slot microSD untuk expansi, dan Bluetooth 2.0, dilengkapi dengan 3,5 mm audio jack serta klaim pemutar musik selama 33-jam. Ponsel ini akan diluncurkan dalam dua model di Q4: model dengan harga €149 dan versi musik seharga  €259.

Sumber: Engadget,  Nokia

Nokia Booklet

Setelah banyak diskusi dan desas-desus, Nokia akhirnya mengkonfirmaskan bahwa laptop milik mereka adalah laptop dengan ukuran kecil. Fasilitasnya termasuk layar HD-10-inch , prosesor Atom, A-GPS built-in (yang bekerja dengan Ovi Maps), Wi-Fi (plus pilihan 3G/HSPA), HDMI, sebuah SD card reader, dan 12 jam daya tahan baterai.

Netbook akan memiliki berat sekitar 2,75 pon, dan dengan ketebalan kurang lebih dari 2 cm. Mengenai OS, spesifikasi lengkap, dan harga serta ketersediaannya tidak akan dibahas sampai event Nokia World pada 2 September nanti.

Mini-laptop ini dilengkapi dengan port HDMI untuk video HD, di depan terdapat kamera untuk video calling, Bluetooth yang terintegrasi dan dilengkapi juga dengan pembaca kartu SD.

Fitur premium lainnya termasuk layar 10-inch HD dan A-GPS terintegrasi, dilengkapi dengan peta Ovi, dapat menunjukkan posisi Anda dalam hitungan detik.

Nokia Booklet 3G juga membawa sejumlah fitur Ovi lainnya, apakah akses jutaan lagu melalui Nokia Music Store, atau menggunakan Ovi Suite untuk sinkronisasi Nokia smartphone dengan mini laptop ini, semua masih belum terungkap jelas.

Sumber: www.gizmodo.com, Nokia

HTC Touch Diamond2

Mendengaar HTC Touch Diamond2 mugkin orang-orang cenderung memiliki pikiran bahwa ini sekuel dari successor-nya, HTC Diamond. Tapi jelas terlihat tidak banyak perubahan yang signifikan dari pendahulunya. Semua perubahan lebih kepada upgrade yang seimbang dan bijaksana.

Dapat dikatakan HTC merupakan pioneer dalam pengembangan User Interface yang lebih menarik pada Windows Mobile. Memang belum bisa sepenuhnya dibandingkan dengan iPhone, tapi setidaknya membawa perubahan dalam pandangan orang terhadap Windows Mobile yang cenderung kaku dan tidak user friendly. Dan dari segi design bentuk, dimensi, dan berat, perangkat windows mobile tidak lagi dicap sebagai perangkat batu bata yang jelek. Dan HTC adalah salah satu vendor yang mempelopori perubahan ini.

HTC Touch Diamond adalah salah satu perangkat yang paling lengkap dan dan dengan bentuk yang stylis. Dan sekarang HTC Touch Diamond2 sebagai penerusnya membawa beberapa penyempurnaan.
Diamond2 hadir dengan desain yang agak berbeda dari pendahulunya. Lekukan berlian yang menjadi ciri berlian kini tidak terlihat lagi pada Diamond2. Secara nyata perubahan terlihat pada ukuran layar WVGA dan kamera 5 Mpix pada Diamond2 sedangkan pada Diamond resolusi VGA dengan kamera 3,15 Mpix. TouchFlo3D juga mengalami penyempurnaan.

touchflo3dv2

Berikut adalah Spesifikasi HTC Touch Diamond2:

* Layar 3.2 “65K WVGA
* TouchFLO 3D
Qualcomm MSM7200A
* 528 Mhz CPU dan 288 MB RAM
* Dedicated graphics chip (64MB RAM)
* Quad-band GSM
* 3G dengan HSDPA 7.2Mbps dan HSUPA 2Mbps
* Wi-Fi dan built-in GPS receiver
* Stereo FM radio with RDS
* 5 MP auto fokus kamera dengan kualitas gambar yang sangat baik
* Slot kartu microSD
* Touch-sensitive bar zoom
* MS Office Mobile document editor
* Web browser Opera 9.5
* Standard miniUSB slot dan Bluetooth v2.0 dengan A2DP
* YouTube

Sumber: www.gsmarena.com

BenQ saat ini menjual netbooks dengan nama Joybook Lite menjalankan Microsoft Windows XP, dan produk ponsel dengan sistem operasi Symbian OS serta perangkat mobile Internet dengan sistem operasi Linux OS. Perusahaan berharap tahun depan merupakan pangsa pasar untuk smartphone berbasis Android , dalam upaya untuk membangun kembali namanya pada pasar ponsel. J netbook berabasis Android juga dalam tahap pengerjaan, namun belum mencapai tahap final.

Palm akhirnya akan merilis produk terbarunya yaitu Palm Pre pada tanggal 6 Juni 2009. Sejak diumumkan keberadaannya Consumer Electronics Show di bulan Januari, Palm Pre sudah ditunggu-tunggu para penggemar Palm.

Berbeda dengan produk Palm sebelumnya yang menggunakan Palm OS atau Windows Mobile sebagai sistem operasinya, kali ini Pam Pre hadir dengan OS baru hasil pengembangan Palm, yaitu webOS. Pada Palm Pre terdapat fitur yang dinamakan Palm® Touchstone™. Palm® Touchstone™ adalah alat pengisi batere yang unik dari Palm.

Berikut adalah spesifikasi lengkap dari Pal Pre:

• Operating system : Palm® webOS™
• Network: 3G EVDO Rev A
• Layar: 3.1-inch touch screen dengan kedalaman warna 24-bit dan resolusi 320×480 pixels (HVGA)
• Keyboard QWERTY dengan mekanisme geser
• Microsoft Outlook® email with Microsoft® Direct Push Technology, POP3/IMAP (Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, etc).
• Built-in GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication, Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
• 3 megapixel camera dengan LED flash
• Sensors Ambient light, accelerometer, dan proximity
• Support Audio Formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV, Video Formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264, Image Formats: GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP
• Memory 8GB (~7GB user available)
• MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, Headphone jack 3.5mm stereo
• Dimensi 59.5mm x 100.5mm x 16.95mm dan berat 135 grams

Samsung Omnia

OMNIA merupakan salah satu produk dari Samsung yang mengusung Windows Mobile sebagai sistem operasinya. Ponsel ini berdimensi 112 x 56 x 12,5 mm dan terlihat elegan. Dengan resolusi layar 240 x 400 pixels akan memuaskan mata penggunanya untuk browsing internet atau sekedar memutar file-file video. Produk ini dilengkapi dengan fitur yang disebut TOUCHWIZ UI untuk mengakses menu, dimana menu dapat diakses melalui Drag and Drop.

OMNIA tidak mempunyai keyboard QWERTY ataupun tombol keypad sehingga semua fungsi harus dijalankan melalui sentuhan jari ataupun menggunakn pen stylus yang ada, layaknya sebuah iPhone.

Ponsel ini menggunakan OS Windows Mobile 6.1, dilengkapi dengan kamera 5 megapixels untuk hasil jepretan foto yang maksimal.

Umtuk urusan konektifitas ponsel ini sudah mampu beroperasi pada jaringan HSDPA, juga dilengkapi dengan Bluetooth, USB 2.0, WiFi, dan built-in GPS.

Untuk masalah multimedia, OMNIA dapat memutar berbagai macam format audio dan video seperti MP3, AAC (+), WMA. ORG, AMR, DivX, Xvid, MP4, WMV, serta dilengkapi dengan FM radio.

Berikut ini adalah spesifikasi lengkap Samsung Omnia:

• 624MHz Marvell PXA312 Processor

• ROM 256 MB, RAM 128 MB, 8 GB/16 GB internal memory

• QWERTY Keyboard dengan Access buttons

• Touch Screen 240 x 400 pixels, 3.2 inches, 65K colors dengan Handwriting recognition dan Accelerometer sensor untuk auto-rotate

• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g , Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, Built-in GPS, USB

• GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 / HSDPA 3.5G 7.2 Mbps 5 MP, 2592õ1944 pixels, autofocus, image stabiliser, video, flash, secondary videocall camera
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, Pocket Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF viewer), Java MIDP 2.0, Callia Player, Callia Reader, Opera Mobile 8.65

• Dimensi 112 x 56.9 x 12.5 mm, berat 122 .