Samsung Launches New Home Theatre System

Samsung has launched the latest product in its arsenal of Blu-ray home theatre systems: the HT-D5550. This lifestyle product, built using superior quality audio components, will cater to consumers who watch 2D, 3D, HD, or streaming content.

Speaking on the occasion, Ravinder Zutshi, Deputy MD of Samsung India said, "The HT-5550 marks a significant step forward in our journey to create the 3D eco-system in the country. With the HT-5550 consumers can enjoy a fully-immersive and authentic 3D experience across new emerging content delivery platforms".

Samsung HT-D5550

The HT-D5550 is a 5.1 channel, 1000 Watt home theatre system with four stylish tallboy and a wireless rear speaker, as well as built-in Karaoke. It features Auto Sound Calibration (ASC), which automatically detects the speaker placement and makes adjustments to produce optimum surround sound. Though it is a 5.1 speaker system, it supports 7.1 as well using Virtual Surround. The system incorporates Samsung's improved Crystal Amplifier Plustechnology, which claims to filter sound distortion and noise. There is also an in-built DSP effects generator known as3D Sound Plus, which in combination with another proprietary audio technology 3D Depth Sound, promises to deliver a truly 3D immersive experience. Needless to say, there is support for Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, and DTS.

The HTS also supports multiple codec playback through USB, and can convert 2D content to 3D via its powerful video processor at the flick of a dedicated 3D button on the remote. We must also mention that it includes a Blu-ray player supporting all popular optical media formats including Blu-ray 3D. Of course, to view this content, you need a 3D-capable TV, such as the Smart TVs from Samsung, which are complemented by this system. Additionally, it supports Smart Hub, which brings online content to your living room using the built-in Wi-Fi. Additional features includeSamsung Apps, AllShare, Anynet+, iPod Dock Cradle, HDMI-CEC, and even an FM tuner.

This premium home theatre system is available at Rs 49,900, which is expected for a product in that range. Taking advantage of the Samsung promotional offer, you can save up to Rs 11,000 on the HT-D5550, along with the entire range of 13 home theatre systems.

Could This Be The Galaxy Tab 7?

According to the rumour, a new Android tablet from Samsung is on its way. The device is most likely to be called theGalaxy Tab 7. The specs revealed by the Italian website are as follows:

Thankfully, Italian isn't too hard to get. So, I'm pretty confident that the specs are: 1.2 GHz Exynos CPU, 1 GB RAM, 2 GB ROM, 16 GB internal memory, microSD slot, Tab proprietary connector with USB Host capabilities, 7" WSVGA display, ability to make voice and video calls, SMS, and Touch Wiz 4.0.

Interestingly, these specs are the same as that of the Samsung Galaxy S II, except for the display. This makes sense, considering the fact that the original Tab had specs similar to the Galaxy S. The website also claims that the Tab 7 will initially run Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) with TouchWiz 4.0. The reason for picking Gingerbread over Honeycomb (3.0) could be that Samsung has already optimized the software from its work on the Galaxy S II.
Finally, it has been reported that the device will see the light sometime in autumn.

Angry Birds Hits 250 Million Download Mark

In an interview to TechCrunch, Rovio founder Peter Vestebacka discussed the absurdly successful game. According to him, Angry Birds has been downloaded 250 million times across all platforms. Additionally, it has sold more than three million plush toys and as many as 30 million T-shirts. Later, he also talked about upcoming projects, including Angry Birds Wine & Dine, Angry Birds Magic, and a cookbook. 

The cookbook will be targeted (no pun intended) at families and include mostly egg-based recipes. The self-published title is likely to distributed by Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble, in both traditional print as well as an ebook app.
The new title Wine And Dine will be focused on pigs - they too deserve a second chance, after all. However, Peter didn't reveal the nature of the gameplay.
Angry Birds Magic will give a "social" flavour to the franchise by using location-based services built into all Angry Birds games. This means you can unlock new experiences depending on where you are playing the game. This sounds similar to the Nokia C7 version of Angry Birds, where the game encourages you to seek out strangers and talk to them. On the C7, the game lets you play the first five levels normally, but later you'll need friends with NFC enabled phones to unlock the rest of the levels. On the other hand, Angry Birds Magic will not be chip-dependant, being supported by almost all recent smartphones.


Going by the frenzy that the Angry Birds franchise has generated, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess that these new additions will also be massive hits.

Airbus Envisions See-Through Planes

Airbus has recently shared its concept plane with the world, sporting a design that puts the Enterprise (of Star Trekfame) to shame. No, it can't reach warp speeds, but it does look impressive.

According to Airbus, the concept could be built using a bionic structure that mimics the bone structure of birds. This will not only reduce the aircraft's weight and fuel burn, but also make it possible to add features such as oversized doors and panoramic windows. The cabin's bionic structure will be coated with a biopolymer membrane, which will control the amount of natural light, humidity and temperature, as well as varying the transparency. This will eliminate the need for windows. In effect, the "smarter" structure will make the aircraft lighter and more fuel-efficient, while giving passengers a 360-degree view of the skies. Imagine seeing the Pyramids or the Eiffel Tower through the transparent floor of the aircraft!

The composite materials used in the plane will be totally different from what we see today. What's more, these materials may not even be solids; they could be a composition of a fluid and gas. Sounds weird, but that's exactly what Airbus' concept details say. Morphing materials that can change shape and return to their initial form might take care of the seating arrangements. The materials will be given a certain level of "intelligence", allowing them to adapt to passengers' needs.

Some of the elements in the cabin could be created using Additive Layer Manufacturing, which is a bit like printing in 3D. The process repeatedly prints very thin layers of material on top of each other until they form a solid object. This makes it easy to produce very complex shapes, and the technique is already being tested for small aircraft parts.

Sounds great, but the fine print is that it will take a good 60+ years to actually manufacture something close to this concept plane. Airbus knows that even if it fails to pull this rabbit- er... plane out of the hat, we won't be complaining.

In any case, I sure hope they don't make the loos out of this thing.

Google Revamps Desktop Search

In a media event in San Francisco, Google announced new features including Voice Search, Search by Image, andInstant Pages. Interestingly, these features will only be available through the Chrome or Firefox browsers by using the appropriate plugin.

Voice Search
This feature, quite popular on mobile phones, has finally hit the desktop version. Currently, it is only supported byGoogle Chrome 11 or higher for obvious reason. Initially, it will only support the English language. Oh yes, it does require a mic.

Apart from the endless fun of throwing any weird question at your computer, this feature can actually be useful. Not just useful, but very useful - if you are not comfortable with hard-to-spell words (like me). It will also come handy when you can't type a query because your hands are full, say while having lunch. All this hinges on the assumption that it will actually understand what you're trying to say.



 

Search by Image
Google has been providing image results on text queries, but now it also supports the converse. If you are curious about an image you happen to have on the computer, just drag it into the search box on (http://images.google.com Alt text: Search by Image) images.google.com. Google's computer vision techniques will then match your image to other images in the index and provide a "best guess" text description of the query, as well as similar images. This can also be done by pasting the image URL in the search box.



 

Instant Pages
This feature will help users get to their desired search results faster. According to Google, when you perform a search, it will pre-render certain web pages in the search result that are most likely to be visited by you. The company is currently building this feature into Chrome. Instant Pages is expected to go beta later this week.



 

These added features are promising and look likely to be embraced by users in short order. However, Google has turned a blind eye to other popular browsers. Is it possible that these features have more to do with Chrome's market share than to providing more convenience to users?

Samsung Launches Slimmest 1 TB 2.5

Can't fit a 1 TB laptop drive in a standard 9.5 mm deep HDD bay? Samsung has answered your prayers by announcing its latest Spinpoint M8 hard drive. The M8 crams in two 500 GB platters in its diminutive 2.5" footprint, thereby delivering a capacity of 1 TB that also fits into standard portable drive bays. This areal density is achieved with the help ofAdvanced Format Technology (AFT), which uses the wonders of perpendicular recording technology to store more data per square inch.

Samsung's brand new Spinpoint is the first 2.5" drive to include two platters, which is the secret behind its slim profile. Similar capacity offerings from rivals Western Digital and Seagate cannot squeeze into the 9.5 mm limitation because they are weighed down by three bulky platters. The M8's reduced platters and the resulting increased areal density translates into improved seek times and better transfer rates. The drive is compatible with the 3 Gbps SATA interface and features a buffer of 8 MB.

The Korean electronics major claims that minimised moving parts (platters and heads) will also lead to better reliability. The HDD gets a redesigned chassis that's engineered for enhanced shock resistance. Samsung also includes its existing EcoSeek and NoiseGuard implementations for optimised power draw and silent operation. No word on the Indian availability yet, but it won't be long before it reaches your local hardware haven. The Spinpoint M8 is currently available offshore for an MRP of $129 (Rs 5,800 approx).

Sony Launches E363 Walkman

Sony has launched the NWZ-E363 series Walkman music player, which promises to deliver amazing sound quality in a very compact form factor. This sleek and light-weight music player comes with Sony's proprietary Clear Audio Technology, making it possible to offer crisper and more powerful sound.

Sony Walkman NWZ-E363

Dynamic Normaliser irons out sudden jumps in volume between tracks, protecting your ears from abrupt change in volume and ensuring a comfortable listening experience. Content can be transferred to the Walkman by using simple drag & drop, and not requiring any special software to be installed. Additionally, the Content Transfer software that comes with E363, allows you to move music files or even playlists, straight from Windows Media Player or iTuneslibrary.

The player comes with a LED-backlit 2.0" QVGA TFT colour display to view and enjoy videos, photos and album art in high clarity. Some of the additional features include an alarm/sleep timer, FM tuner, voice recorder, SensMe channel,Synchronized Lyric function (LRC) and Karaoke function. The Walkman supports multiple file formats including MP3, AAC, WMA(DRM), L-PCM, and WMV(DRM). The E363 boasts of a remarkably long battery life of up to 30 hours of audio playback and 4 hours of video playback, which basically means uninterrupted entertainment. Weighing just 55 gm, the small device has dimensions of 45x87.5x9.9 mm.

The Sony Walkman NWZ-E363 is available in black and white colours at all Sony Centers and other major electronic outlets across India at an MRP of Rs 4,990 for the 4 GB model.

Nintendo Wii U To Be 50% Faster Than PS3, X360

The recent E3 shed a lot of light on Nintendo's eighth generation console Wii U. Interestingly, after having faced a lot of grief from gamers about the Wii's lack of grunt, the Japanese videogame veteran may have been reconsidering its gameplay-over-graphics ethos. We already know that the upcoming successor to the Wii will ship with IBM's Power Architecture based 45 nm processor. IBM has also confirmed that the custom-designed CPU will be derived from its Jeopardy-acing Watson supercomputer. The multi-core processor is well complemented by AMD's 4000 series graphics chipset. While a two generation old graphics subsystem may seem outdated, the Wii U's GPU will be a derivative of the Radeon HD4890. When combined with IBM's meaty processor, this GPU will potentially make the Wii U more powerful than the PS3 or the X360.

Game developers with early access to the Wii U have unofficially confirmed this by claiming that Nintendo's upcoming platform will be 50% more powerful than the consoles from Sony and Microsoft. This has spurred analysts across the spectrum to view Nintendo's future console in a positive light. "Some of the developers we spoke to indicated to us that the console will have 50% more processing power compared to the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. This is yet to be confirmed by Nintendo," stated Arvind Bhatia, an analyst at Sterne Agee.

Despite all this, Nintendo doesn't seem too inclined to brag about the Wii U's graphical prowess. Global President, Satoru Iwata, explained in an interview with AllThingsD that the Wii U's hardware prowess is meant to bridge the HD gap that was lacking in the original Wii. "Wii has already achieved very impressive things, but there were two things we were not able to realize: We could not keep up with the hardcore gamers and the Wii original was not compatible with HDTVs. This time around, Wii U is compatible with HDTV, so we now expect the Wii console to be as powerful as any other console", explained Iwata.

Considering the impressive specs of Nintendo's Wii upgrade, Full-HD graphics through its HDMI output will be achieved with consummate ease. The inclusion of an unorthodox controller housing an independent screen is a sign that Nintendo is still committed to gameplay and design innovation over pure graphical muscle. The Japanese gaming major seems to have learnt its lesson with the Wii, which explains why it doesn't want to alienate the hardcore gamers this time around.

However, this strategy will work only if Nintendo can rope in third-party developers willing to channelise the console's grunt into games more amenable to the tastes of hardcore gamers. Read: FPS games. Does that mean we can expect flagship FPS offerings from Activision, Crytek, Epic, and their ilk on the Nintendo as well? Only time will tell.

Devil May Cry 4 to Hit iPhone This Month

The Rajnikanth of the gaming world is back - this time on a smaller screen. Slide to Play has revealed that Devil May Cry 4 will release on the iPhone. Capcom is busy fine tuning their hack & slash action caper for the iOS platform, and will be out for sale later this month for $6.99 (Rs. 320 approx). The game will be a quintessential Devil May Cry title replete with big swords, long and elaborate combos, and extreme stylistic battles albeit on a smaller screen with slightly scaled down graphics and iPhone optimized controls.

You play the role of Nero, just like in its console cousin, but Dante will be added in later as a downloadable character. The preview indicates that the game retains the same gut wrenching, hair ripping level of difficulty, so don't be surprised if you wear out your screen from all the violent strokes. iPhone 4 users just may appreciate the Gorilla Glass display when they slam it into walls in frustration. Admit it; we all have been down that road before with Devil May Cry's fiendish combat adjudicator minigames.




  

Motorola Orders 0.8mn XOOM Tablets for Q1

Motorola unveiled the highly anticipated XOOM tablet running Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS meant for tablets at CES 2011 in Las Vegas. Yes, XOOM's hardware specifications and Android Honeycomb debut did blow many of us away. DigiTimes reported that Motorola has placed orders for about 700,000-800,000 XOOM tablets with four color options for the first quarter of this year. The XOOM tablet orders from Motorola are expected to go above one million this year. 

Motorola's XOOM tablet features a 10.1-inch display supporting 1280x800 pixel resolution. Packing dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra T20 SoC processor with 1GB DDR2 RAM, XOOM runs Android 3.0 update dubbed as Honeycomb. The tablet has onboard 32GB memory and one can add up to 32GB microSD memory card for increasing the storage. This tablet has 5 megapixel camera capable of recording 720p HD, LED Flash light and 2 megapixel camera in the front.

According to DigiTimes, notebook chassis makers, such as Catcher Technology and Foxconn Techonology along with handset chassis makers such Taiwan Chi Cheng and Silitech Technology would benefit from the XOOM Tablet orders.

Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb has been optimized for the tablet and the sources noted that it indeed is suitable for 7-inch and 10-inch display bearing tablets. Motorola and Samsung are said to have received assistance from Google. Both companies are priority partners of Google, who are followed by LG Electronics and HTC.

Looks like Apple iPad 2 will have tough competition with Motorola XOOM and other Android Tablets. Components of the same would be manufactured in Taiwan, so obviously there's going to be a pull-push of production schedules. As for the consumer, we'll get to see more amazing tablets from Motorola, Samsung, LG, HTC and others to compete with the current hot favorite - the Apple iPad.