i-Mode's here, finally! After almost six years since its introduction in Japan, the much-talked-about i-mode service is being offered exclusively through local mobile service provider StarHub, which recently invited selected users to participate in the pre-launch trials. Under the DoCoMo-StarHub agreement, StarHub will offer i-mode services over both its 2.5G and 3G networks with DoCoMo providing its expertise in patents, branding, marketing, knowledge and technology. As part of the registration process, customers have to purchase a phone at a special price and sign up for a mobile plan with mobile operator. In return, they will enjoy free subscription to data services as well as other benefits up till the end of 2005. There is no information on the cost or details of the i-mode subscription plans 2006- onwards.

And if you have just returned from Mars and missed out on the whole i-Mode revolution, find out more about i-mode here.

Toshiba is rolling out 20GB and 60GB gigabeat players to keep their pretty pretty 30GB gigabeat X30 company. Predictable titled X20 and X60, the players come with pretty much standard specs of the gigabeat line (a 240 x 320, 2.4-inch screen, displays JPEG photos besides playing MP3s and WMAs) but are about 20% smaller than their F-series predecessors. The Gigabeat X20 comes in Piano Black, Pure White, and Crimson Red. The X60 comes only in black. The new models will go on sale in Japan in November.

But, in the days of iPod Video, why no video support, lah?

Like I said in some of my previous posts, this is the year of fashion phones. Nokia has introduced a collection of three trend-inspired mobile phones, the Nokia 7360, Nokia 7370 and Nokia 7380. According to a Nokia press release, "each model in the L'Amour Collection offers a beautiful mix of contrasts - infusing cultural and ethnic influences with luxurious touches of the unexpected. Hints of vintage and craftsmanship, are fused with natural materials, colors and patterns, all carefully crafted and layered with a passion for detail." Sounds like alot of fashion speak.
According to Nokia, the new phones (candy-bar 7360, swivel 7370 and thumbdrive-shaped 7380)will be available in Q1, 2006.

The Nokia 7380 features a design very similar to that of the lipstick-shaped 7280, the same scrollwheel and no keypad, and the display becomes a mirror in standby mode. New features include a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, and voice commands.

Expected Price: 500 euros.

The compact Nokia 7370 "swivels" open to reveal a hidden keypad and includes a 1.3-megapixel camera, color screen and stereo speakers. The Nokia 7370 is available in two color schemes, coffee brown and warm amber, with each model offering a distinct set of graphics, screensavers and even dedicated camera keys.
Expected Price: 300 euros.

The basic users can go for candy bar Nokia 7360 which will sport a VGA camera and stereo FM radio. 7360 will also available in the two signature L'Amour Collection color schemes, coffee brown and warm amber.

Expected Price: 200 euros.

Five years back, when I was looking to buy a new notebook, the Fujitsu's LifeBook P Series caught my attention. It was one of the smallest two-spindle notebooks and one of the first to feature the Transmeta Crusoe processor. My love affair with sub-notebooks started then and now I can not imagine lugging around a huge laptop. Thank you HP and Dell, but I prefer my tiny tech. And Fujitsu made my day by the launching the new LifeBook P7120 notebook – the new flag-bearer of the P series.

This compact personal companion retains all the multimedia features of its predecessor, except that it flaunts an even slimmer silhouette with an extensive battery life, and a weight of only 1.38kg. It features a 10.6-inch, widescreen SXGA display, a lightweight titanium and aluminum case, optical drive, and an optional extra battery pack that’ll let you squeeze nearly 10 hours out of your battery. A big plus is the biometric fingerprint sensor and Trusted Module Platform (TPM) security chip - mobile professionals will love it. Connectivity options include three conveniently placed USB 2.0 ports, an IEEE 1394 port, S-Video port, audio in and out jacks, modem access, bluetooth and networking.

Quick Specs: Pentium M ULV processor 753 1.2GHz; 512MB RAM; 60GB HDD; 10.6-inch widescreen LCD; integrated graphics; DVD DL writer; 7.8 hours battery life

Nokia announced three new smart phones squarely aimed at business users. The brand-new E series consists of the Nokia E60, the Nokia E61, and the Nokia E70. All three models run on Symbian OS 9.1 and support a number of corporate mobile e-mail solutions, including GoodLink, BlackBerry Connect, and Nokia Business Center. Plus, they feature some advanced voice services, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) and push-to-talk capabilities. The trio is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2006.

The Nokia E60 sports a classic candy bar shape and offers you a host of voice options--speakerphone, conference calling, push-to-talk, and VoIP.

The Nokia E61, branded as 'built for mobile e-mail' is armed with a full QWERTY keyboard and push e-mail clients (BlackBerry Connect, GoodLink, Nokia Business Center, Seven Mobile Mail, Seven Always-On Mail, and Visto Mobile) with support for attachments like PDF and an editing function. There's also Bluetooth, USB and Wi-fi connectivity.

Much like the Nokia 6820, the candy bar-style E70 opens up to reveal a full keyboard so that you can message till the cows come home. The smart phone features many of the same voice and productivity functions of its other two siblings. Along with the full QWERTY keyboard, these include push e-mail, a healthy 75MB internal memory, a hot-swapping miniSD slot and a 2megapixel camera.

Available in the first quarter of 2006 worldwide, these models will be priced between €350 and €450.

It was more or less expected. I dont know if this will really get you excited, but the video-playing iPod is here. At an invite-only event held at the California Theater in San Jose, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs showed off the new iPod, which will be offered as a 30GB model for $299 and a 60GB version for $399. The 30GB device will also be 30 percent thinner than Apple's current iPod models, while the 60GB version will be 12 percent thinner. Both models feature a 2.5-inch 320x240 pixel display with realtime decoding of MPEG 4 and H.264 video. It only has 260,000 colours but it does have video output to connect to TV.

Apple also announced the immediate availability of iTunes 6, only a few weeks after the arrival of iTunes 5. This version works hand in hand with the new video iPod by offering 2000 music videos ( I thought music videos were for promotion of songs, well thanks to Apple, record companies will laugh all the way to bank), 6 short films from Pixar, and popular ABC TV shows Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Night Stalker, as well as Disney Channel favorites That's So Raven and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Before you get too happy about catching up on latest episodes of Lost, television shows are available in the US only, and video availability varies by country. The iTunes new version also allows users to "gift" iTunes purchases to others, and allows customer reviews and ratings of music- Amazon-style.

So is iPod video the next best thing? I dont know. There certainly are some drawbacks.

1. The screen is too small compared to other portable video players like Archos AV 700. But then Apple is clearly not positioning it as a video player but just an iPod which can also play video. Whatever that means!
2. The 2 hour video battery on the 30GB model is poor, but again Apple says that this a player designed for short video bursts, not full movie-viewing.
3. The video content available on Apple Store can be downloaded only at a size that fits the iPod's screen. This means it will look ridiculously bad on TV. Why would anyone buy an iPod-only content and pay so much for it?

But $299 for 30GB and $399 for 60GB model, with all its flaws, is extremely good value. And then its an iPod, so its going to get sold anyway. Now all I have to do is to wait for it to hit our shores so we can experience the new iPod firsthand.

Till then, enjoy the new iPod ads.

After months of rumors, Sony Ericsson has finally announced their P990 Symbian smartphone. Packing both UMTS (3G) and WiFi in addition to a 2 megapixel digital camera and a host of other features the P990 looks like it will be a flagship phone for the Symbian camp. Web browsing is accomplished in landscape mode on the 2.8-inch QVGA screen using the new Opera 8 browser and is prepared for all major push e-mail clients. Other neat new touches include two cams for video-calling, charging via USB, an FM radio and MP3 playback. Another big change is the QWERTY keypad's new location on the main unit of the phone. On the current P910i it's on the flip and not the easiest to use. The unit ships with 80MB free memory and a 64MB Memory Stick Pro DUO card in the box. P990 is expected to be launched in Europe and Asia in Q1 2006.

What's the best colour for a girl's gadget? Most consumer electronics companies seem to think, Why, pink of course! Hello!! You may think it's cute, we think its silly. Unless its iPod we are talking about! We will forgive Apple even if they came up with a diamond-encrusted iPod. But others, who simply color their gadgets pink and put mirrors on the cellphone, for you’ll never guess which marketing segment, spare us the patronising!

I still have some energy left, so lets rip some gadgets that play on the gender sterotypes.

Samsung goes bling bling
With this new incarnation of the E800, Samsung's gone way over the top for ladies' phones. The hot pink color, the obnoxiously faux bling bling, a phone charm with crystals dangling - it has left no stone unturned to be the most annoying piece of cellphone I have ever seen! Urgh!!

Betsey Johnson Samsung E315
I may be treading on dangerous ground with this one. To break it simply, I hate this phone! I am no fan of Betsey Johnson either( Paris Hilton is her muse, so u can imagine what we are talking about here). Samsung has been trying too hard to reach out to women by getting fashion icons and designers to create fashion phones. And yes, it comes with a Matching Rose Bag, a Keepsake Box and some Betsey-designed Screensavers. But I'd give her some credit for staying away from bling bling and other excesses. And I am thankful that this pink phone is unlikely to go anywhere outside US.

Motorola V220 gets washed in pink
A well-pricd handset with very standard features and not so stellar performance gets coloured in pink. Is Motorola hoping to sell an average phone to women by just coloring it pink? Tch! Tch! We still forgive Motorola 'cause V220 is better of the pink lot with sombre appearance and an affable shade of pink.

Baby Phat i833 phone by Motorola
“I designed this phone for the woman who, like me, loves pink, loves diamonds, and wants to make a fashion statement,” said Kimora Lee Simmons, founder and creative director of Baby Phat. Kimora is the New Queen of Conspicuous Consumption and i833 is clearly something only she and her celebrity friends would be seen carrying. Sporting 0.4 karats of diamonds and a quilted pink look, it manages to look ORDINARY! And it sells for USD 700!

Hello Kitty Empire!

Despite its popularity in Japan, I think Hello Kitty is a clear example of branding gone out of control! You can even get a Hello Kitty car and Hello Kitty Fire extinguisher! Nokia clearly didnt want to be left behind! Last year they came up with a Hello Kitty cellphone. So what if Gwen Stefani bought it! That doesnt change the fact that at best, it looks like a toyphone you would see on a 7 year old girl!

Pinktooth
This one's hilarious! Motorola makes a pink colored bluetooth headset. And goes ahead and names it Pinktooth! WTF were they thinking?? And if that wasn't enough to make women buy the headset, Motorola put some fancy boho scarves in the box with the pink headset.

Archos has officially confirmed the launch of Gmini-402cc - that's the Gmini 402 media player with camcorder functionality and a 1.3MP photo camera built-inside. Take it with you to capture up to 50 hours of personal videos or enjoy your favorite songs on the go.

There are five main features that make this product standout: Video and Stills capture, video playback, photo wallet, music playback and portable gaming.

Camcorder - Record your personal videos in MPEG 4 format directly to your Gmini 402 Camcorder 20 GB capacity.With DSC function, your Gmini 402 Camcorder can be used as a still camera allowing you to take photos with maximum resolution of 1.2 mega pixels.

Video and audio playback - The Gmini 402 would let you play DivX and MPEG4 video formats and MP3, WAV, WMA and DRM WMA audio formats exclusively. The 402 deliver 80 hours of video playback time with a connectivity option to connect to the TV to view movies and music videos. Similarly, you can record and listen to nearly 10,000 songs due to the center’s onboard 20 GB storage capacity.

Photo Wallet transforms the Gmini 402cc into a portable hard drive for your digital camera; you’ll be able to directly connect the camera or your PC to the 402cc and start transferring images instantly.

Gaming - Play popular Mophun games directly on the Gmini 402 Camcorder or on a TV. Demo games are included in the Gmini 402 Camcorder and you can purchase games on the ARCHOS Web site.

No "official" price has been given yet but just a watch out. Gmimi 402 camcorder offers no video recording and no built-in speakers.

Sony has announced the Cyber-shot DSC-N1, an 8.1-megapixel ultracompact that will be the first Sony digital camera to include a touch screen. Sony is marketing the camera as one that's not just for shooting, but for sharing and showing. And though it doesn't include WiFi capabilities like recent cameras from Nikon and Kodak, it does look very easy to use, thanks to its PDA like interface.

About the size of a deck of playing cards, DSC-N1 is an 8-megapixel camera features 3X optical zoom and a whopping 3.0" LCD display thats rare for camera this size. Enabling new methods of interaction, users will be able to carry out functions such as selection the target of a spot autofocus by tapping the screen; navigating the menu of the camera; and controlling playback, forward and reverse functions by touching the screen. Also, the screen includes an anti-reflection layer for improved visibility outdoors.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N1 digital camera will cost USD 500, and availability is slated for mid-November in US. No announcements have been made about its availability in Singapore.

Microsoft and Intel last week tried to swing the computing, consumer electronics and entertainment industry toward HD-DVD in a format war. In case you're new to the whole next-generation DVD discussion, Blu-ray and HD-DVD are two competing high-capacity disc technologies backed by various consumer electronics and computer manufacturers. Leading the Blu-ray team is Sony, backed by companies like Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell, along with several movie studios: MGM, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney, and 20th Century Fox. On the HD-DVD side is Toshiba, the originator of the HD-DVD format, allied with Microsoft, Intel, and a host of movie studios including Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema,Viacom, NBC Universal, and Paramount.

What are HD-DVD and Blu-Ray disc?

Today's conventional DVDs can hold 4.7GB of information, but many want a higher-capacity successor to accommodate the larger data demands of high-definition video. Both of the new formats, HD-DVD and Blu-ray, are based on blue lasers. Blue light has a shorter wavelength than the red light used in CD and DVD systems, allowing the laser beam to make a smaller spot on the disc surface. With each bit of data taking up less space on the disc, more data can be stored on a 4.7-inch disc.

As a result, discs can hold between 15GB and 30GB of data, depending on the variant of the format used, compared to current DVDs that can hold between 4.7GB and 9.4GB of data. That extra space is important if discs of the same size as DVDs are to be used to distribute movies and other content in quality comparable to high-definition television.

What are the differences between Blu-ray and HD-DVD?

Each next-generation DVD format comes in single-layer and dual-layer formats. For HD-DVD, that means capacities of 15GB and 30GB; for Blu-ray, it's 25GB and 50GB. What Blu-ray appears to have over HD-DVD is that it offers 30 percent more capacity and is designed for recording high-def video. But it will be more costly to produce than HD-DVD media. However, Blu-ray players and discs will likely follow the traditional price curve of consumer electronics. Prices should fall rapidly if the technology is widely adopted.

Finally, who wins the format war will be determined by Hollywood movie studios--not consumers. But there's plenty of time before we see some clear picture. Till then catch hold of your good-old Star Wars DVD and pretend thats the only war worth watching!

Amid rumours that iPod Nano may be recalled, Apple Computer is acknowledging a flaw in its new iPod nano music player, offering to replace for free models that shipped with a defective screen that is prone to cracking.A company representative said that the issue was a manufacturing, rather than a design problem, and said it affected less than one-tenth of 1 percent of all the nanos that have shipped so far. So if you happen to encounter a defective nano screen, Apple will do a one-for-one replacement.