Razer brings StarCraft II Gaming Gear

Razer has teamed up with Blizzard Entertainment, creators of World of Warcraft, to bring new gaming gear. Upcoming real-time strategy game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty inspired gaming gear brings new Spectre gaming mouse, Marauder gaming keyboard and Banshee gaming headset. Do note that these are limited edition gaming peripherals. No exact dates of availability have been announced but one can expect to see them around third quarter of this year. 

The Razer Spectre StarCraft II Gaming Mouse comes with five-button control and precision. This gaming mouse features Actions-Per-Minute (APM) Lighting System with multi-color LED that gives real-time performance feedback. Spectre comes with powerful 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G laser sensor and a 1000Hz Ultrapolling 1ms response time. 

 

-Lightweight, Finger-Grip 5 Button Mouse
-5600DPI Razer Precision 3.5G laser sensor
-Backlit Mouse with APM (Actions-Per-Minute) Lighting System
-Mouse Click Button Force Adjustment
-1000Hz Ultrapolling /1ms response
-Hardware Configuration Utility

Just like the Spectre mouse, the new Marauder Gaming Keyboard features APM Lighting System with real-time performance feedback with changing color hues. The keys are a bit elevated for faster input and gaming performance. 

-Optimized Key Travel Distance
-Backlit Keyboard with APM (Actions-Per-Minute) Lighting System
-Optimized Spacing with Laser-etched Keys
-Razer Hyperesponse technology
-1000Hz Ultrapolling /1ms response

Finally, for the best gaming output while playing a real-time strategy, new Banshee Gaming Headsets that again feature the APM Lighting System for real-time performance feedback. The configuration utility allows adjusting pitch and volume in the game as per one's requirement. 

 

-Gaming-Optimized Performance & Comfort
-Backlit Headset with APM (Actions-Per-Minute) Lighting System
-Circumaural Design with 50mm Driver Units
-Built-in Volume & Mic Control Buttons
-Detachable Microphone Boom

Razer has priced the Spectre Gaming Mouse at Rs. 7,999 ($80 for U.S.), Marauder Gaming Keyboard for Rs. 11,999 ($120 for U.S.) and Banshee Gaming Headset for Rs. 11,999 ($120 for U.S.).

New Nokia QWERTY Phone Leaked

It was just yesterday that we reported about Nokia confirming the fact that the N8 will be the last phone from the N-Series brigade to come with Symbian.

Just a day later, a phone that is supposedly known as the N9 has been leaked. The phone, which is being referred to be a successor to the N900 does pose a couple of intriguing questions.

On the looks front, it looks like an N8 with a slide out keyboard which should obviously mean its a successor to the N8 and hence would be an N-Series device. The OS that appears to be running on the phone is obviously Symbian. This contradicts Nokia's own statement that the N8 was their last S60 N-Series phone. The folks who posted this image first says that this one would go by the name N9 . Apart from the slider keyboard this phone is also said to sport an 8-megapixel camera.

 

There is a C0 label at the top of the handset which according to some signifies that this one is actually headed to become a member of the new C-Series. Anyway, the folks who claim to have this one in their hands have said that they will be posting a detailed review of this one. 

 

Jobs Teaches Users How to Hold their iPhones!

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has regularly responded to several user complaints regarding Apple products in the past. However, when one of the users raised a query about iPhone 4's signal reception loss when he held the phone in a particular way (by touching two seams of the antenna band on the exterior of the phone simultaneously), Jobs plainly responded - "Just avoid holding it in that way", reported CNET. 

When Apple announced iPhone 4, the phone's aluminum rims were detailed as the one with new antenna technology that aides GSM, UMTS, Bluetooth Wi-Fi and GPS features of the phone. Basically, Apple claimed the outside rims would help in better network reception to the phone. However, many complained about signal loss while holding the iPhone 4 in their hands. One such person who bought iPhone 4 and suffered network reception issue mailed Steve Jobs. 

Apple has acknowledged the issue by releasing an official statement:

Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.

That takes care of official part but Steve Jobs responded - Just avoid holding it in that way. Right, so now Apple will teach us how we should hold our mobile phones. Also, users need to pay $29 to get a Bumper for protecting those rims. Here's the discussion thread on Apple website which focuses on what we just mentioned. 

We don't intend to criticize Apple's innovation and in fact, like the new antenna technology. However, Jobs' response looks like Apple followers need to adjust with the products the way Apple wants. 

New Belkin Routers come with built-in Apps

Belkin has announced a bunch of next generation routers under a new lineup dubbed NetNext. Belkin claims that new NetNext range of Wi-Fi routers are meant for all - from newbies to technology enthusiasts. The new 802.11n range of Wi-Fi products lineup include Basic, Surf, Share and Play Max routers, modem routers and wireless USB client adapters. 

Usually, consumers don't bother to know if it is a 802.11 a/b/g/n router that they are buying. After buying the router, hooking up correct cables and configuring them could be really frustrating. However, Belkin's new 802.11n range of NetNext routers, modems and wireless USB Client Adapters come pre-wired so you don't have to worry about which wire goes where. Also, the pre-installed utility 'Easy Start' allows a quick set up of wireless network in a matter of few minutes. Even the security of network will be taken care of with the preset security settings in it. 

Furthermore, if you wish to spend your free time watching videos online, the Video Max feature will auto-tune the Wi-Fi Settings for the hiccup-free video streaming.

The built-in apps in these four routers allow detection and solving network problems automatically. These new Wi-Fi products come with a different set of applications which serve as features to fit the user's requirement. Out of the four models, only Share and Play Max models come with apps.

List of apps:

• Print Genie: Share a USB printer with multiple PCs.
• Memory Safe: Automatically backs up files every hour to an external USB drive.
• Music Mover: Streams music from PCs and gaming consoles.
• Daily DJ: Creates a playlist based on genre, much like the iTunes Genius feature.
• Music Labeler: Labels your music using information from the Internet.
• Bit Boost: Automatically prioritizes data traffic for video, gaming and VoIP.
• Torrent Genie: Downloads torrent files to a connected external harddisk.

For security, Belkin will use random passwords and SSIDs printed on a card for the respective router. It would be the user's responsibility to store the card in safe place. With these new easy-to-use routers, you can stream MP3/videos wirelessly and even share files.

All four NetNext routers come with five Ethernet ports. Share and Play Max carry one USB port each. 

iPhone 4 gets Jailbreak

Just a week after Apple started shipping iPhone 4 to customers, iPhone Dev Team hacker Planetbeing and iPhone developer chpwn managed to jailbreak it. This was made possible with the code from previously announced Spirit jailbreak for iPad by Comex. However, there's no word on when an easy-to-use jailbreak tool would be made available to users. 

Obviously, after knowing this, hopes of iPhone 4 owners would go high and they would anticipate the release of jailbreak as well as unlock solutions soon. The freshly announced iPhone 4 uses A4 System on Chip processor which is found in iPad and a different modem software than the one in earlier iPhone models. Hence, even if the jailbreak is out, an unlock that enables using any SIM module on the phone would take a while. Also, the iPhone 4 uses micro-SIM so till then, you can practice cutting regular SIM cards into micro-SIM.

Planetbeing is the same guy who had successfully ported Android OS on iPhone. As per iPhone hacker p0sixninja, the current jailbreak for iPhone 4 comes with Apple's proprietary code which needs to be cleared out and hence the jailbreak won't be released anytime soon. 

It's quite a possibility that Apple might release iOS 4.0.1 update to tackle the recently reported reception issues. 

Huawei's New Android Handset Spotted

Huawei, the Chinese mobile equipment manufacturer who also has an interest in making mobile phones seems to have an Android based phone up its sleeve.

The Chinese version of Engadget, has posted images of what it says is Huawei's upcoming low-end Android handset. The phone, which looks like the HTC Touch of the yesteryears, supposedly comes loaded with Android 2.2 and is likely to be launched in August. 

The phone sports a 2.8-inch, QVGA touchscreen display, A 3.2 megapixel camera and dual LED flash. Other details regarding the specs are yet to be known. As of now, it is unknown if this handset will see a worldwide release or just a Chinese one.

Nokia N900 Hacked to Run Android 2.2 Froyo

We all know that the Nokia N900 packs in some potent hardware in that tiny frame. The phone, even though a generation old, is a powerhouse, thanks to the 600Mhz ARM Cortex A8 inside. Also, due to its OS being the Linux based Maemo, it is relatively easier to port another Linux based OS on the N900, rather than say doing so on a Symbian based handset.

Some geeks have ported Android on to the N900 and have posted a video showing Android working on the aging Nokia flagship. What's more intriguing is the fact that it is the latest version of Android - the Froyo that is shown to be working on the N900.

The N900 released in mid-2009 boasts of a 3.5 inch resistive touchscreen and comes loaded with the Maemo operating system. Recently, Nokia had announced that the N900 and its successors would use its upcoming MeeGo OS developed by Nokia in collaboration with Intel.

Acer refreshes Aspire Predator Gaming Desktop

While the release of Adrien Brody movie Predators is just around the corner, Acer has refreshed its Aspire Predator Gaming Desktop with high-end Intel processor. Not only that, Aspire Predator gaming desktop's graphics are powered by Nvidia GeForce GTX470 graphics to the monsterous alien PC. Currently listed only on Acer's German site, the Aspire Predator with rock solid configuration would be available for a price starting at $2,000 (Rs. 92, 400 approx.). 

Acer Aspire G7750 Predator has been updated with new quad-core Intel Core i7 930 processor featuring Turbo Boost technology. Apart from that, Acer has also added Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 graphics card with 448 CUDA cores and 1280MB GDDR5 dedicated video memory. The motherboard is capable of holding two more cards and hence one can set up a triple-SLI configuration. In short, this machine is one heck of a gaming power house capable of playing all the recent DirectX 11 based games. 

Acer has also added 12GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM along with 1.5TB 7200RPM HDD for storage. The front-side of the desktop offers access to the hard-drive bays which is covered with mechanized metal door. The exteriors are given black color which truly makes the machine in competition with Alienware's monsterous rig like Aurora. 

The exterior of the Predator desktop chasis design seems to be inspired from a hypothetical alien ship. It features new two-part liquid-cooling system. For connectivity, Aspire G7750 Predator offers 11 USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire port, two eSATA ports, two Ethernet ports, two DVI-D ports, TV out port and six audio jack ports. 

Of course one can customize the internals of the system with more hardware such as graphics card or install own custom cooling system. That way, the price will obviously shoot up. 

Dell unveils Inspiron R series laptops

Dell has introduced its new Inspiron R series laptops with a glossy look and forward-positioned hinge. These new Inspiron R series laptops come equipped with Intel Core i3 and Core i5 series processors just like the existing Inspiron models. In India, we already have Inspiron 14R and 15R laptops but with a different look and design. The freshly announced Inspiron R series laptops also offer Intel Wireless Display as an option. Dell is offering these new 14-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch Inspiron R series laptops in four colors - Mars Black, Peacock Blue, Tomato Red and Lotus Pink.

The new Inspiron R series laptops come equipped with same internal hardware as that of Inspiron series. Dell offers Intel Core i5 and i3 mobile processors in each Inspiron R series laptop and Windows 7 OS pre-loaded. One can add up to 8GB DDR3 RAM and up to 640GB HDD on select models. These laptops come in 14-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch display screens and offer ATI Mobility Radeon HD graphics card with 1GB video memory for better looking graphics. Apart from that these laptops come with built-in WiFi, Webcam and WLAN support. One can expect good quality stereo sound with SRS Premium Sound integrated. 

The Inspiron R laptops come with Intel WiDi Technology that allows connecting them to HDTVs by pairing with third party Intel Wireless Display Adapter. Now all laptops will come with chiclet style keyboard with spaced out keys along with multi-touch gestures based Trackpad.

The Inspiron R series laptops are available at a price starting $449 (Rs. 20,700 approx.) and select models could be purchased from June 25 onwards.

Sony Refreshes VAIO Z with Core i7 Chips

Sony has quietly refreshed its VAIO Z-series of notebooks yet again. The new VAIO Z series for US consumers will come with Intel Core i7 microprocessors and support  for1080p HD resolution on the displays. Back in January, Sony had refreshed the same VAIO Z series notebooks with Blu-ray optical drive option and HDMI out. This was at the Consumer Electronics Show 2010. 

Sony's VAIO Z series notebooks come with a 13.1-inch display screen and as of now, Sony offers a free upgrade to VAIO full HD premium Display (1920x1080) till the 3rd of July. In its "normal" avatar,  it would come with 1600x900 VAIO Display. Apart from these, the VAIO Z series models now get the  processor option of 2.66GHz Intel Core i7-620M with Turbo Boost technology that can make it run up to 3.33GHz. For that, all you need to add  is $150 over the base price.

God knows what's going on in Sony's mind but it indeed is beefing up the 13.1-inch ultraportable VAIO Z series notebooks. Apart from new CPU, it would be lovely if Sony would add graphics power instead of letting users depend on integrated graphics. 

iPhone Gets Windows Live Messenger

It's not like you cannot login to Windows Live Messenger on the iPhone already (using chat clients like Nimbuzz). But then, an official Windows Live Messenger app for the icon is always newsworthy, right?

That's exactly why we are talking about it too. Microsoft already had the Bing app out there for download at the Apple App Store. And now, it is the turn of Windows Live Messenger to make it there. That's right. Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger app has made an official entry into the Apple App Store and from what we see, it looks quite slick and replicates its PC version.

 

The client is now available in U.S., Canada, the UK and France and is a free download. The app is capable of updating your status message and see your friends' updates. Users will also soon be able to access other services like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn (coming soon), and more through the new Windows Live Messenger for iPhone.

 

While the messenger has gone social in its approach, the core functionality of instant messaging is still in there. Starting an IM with friends is easy. You just tap a person's name on the Friends tab, or tap their picture from anywhere in the app. So, if you're scanning through the highlights on the Social tab and you see some new pictures that a friend just uploaded, you can instantly send her compliments on her new photos. Microsoft is also working to add Facebook chat support in the app later this year. 

The app can also notify you about new e-mails in your Hotmail account. All you need to do is to tap the Hotmail icon inside the Social tab. This takes you to the mobile web version of Hotmail right inside the app.

Kinect for Xbox 360 priced at $150

After formally announcing Kinect for Xbox 360 at the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2010 last week, Microsoft has finally put a price tag on it. Now, you can find the controller free gaming device Kinect, previously codenamed as Project Natal, listed at the Microsoft Store website for pre-order. 

With the refreshed slim Xbox 360, the Kinect connects directly through a special port while other Xbox 360 console users will have to buy a special cable. In the Kinect box, you'll find Kinect Sensor, power supply cable, Wi-Fi Extension cable and a user manual.

Do note that Microsoft Store is available only in select countries and the Kinect can be pre-ordered only from those nations. 

Karbonn Mobiles K777 Launched

Karbonn Mobiles has launched its latest Dual SIM handset in India. The new Karbonn K777 phone supports two SIM cards (GSM + GSM).

Karbonn K777 has a 2.4 inch screen capable of displaying 240X320 resolution. Apart from these, the phone comes with 17MB  of memory. It supports expandable memory upto 8GB. On the connectivity front, the K777 supports USB data transfer as well as Bluetooth.

Other features include  a decent music and video player with a support for all major files. It offers support for Java applications as well and comes with Opera Mini browser pre-installed. At the back is a 3.2 megapixel camera for imaging purposes. The phone also comes with mobile tracking software that can possibly help you recover your phone in case of loss or a theft .

The K777 offers 3 to 3.5 hours talktime and standby time of 250 hours with a 1000mAh battery. The K777 is priced at Rs 4,500 and is on sale now.

 

Samsung Galaxy S Pro Specs Leaked

Specifications of Samsung's next generation Android handset - Galaxy S Pro, has been revealed by Android Central folks who claimed to have received information from reliable tipster.

The Samsung Galaxy S Pro phone, which was seen in quite a few leaked photos, had never been seen in such detail prior to this leak. The phone is apparently still in its testing phase and is visually quite similar to the existing Galaxy S. The phone is thought to have the same 4-inch Super AMOLED screen as the one on the Galaxy S. It is smaller than the 4.3 inch screen of the Evo 4G but larger than that of Nexus One.  It is thought to sport the same resolution as the Galaxy S - 480x800. The phone also has a slideout QWERTY keypad and apparently is powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 design processor.

Galaxy S Pro will also come with 512MB of RAM and over 8GB of internal memory. It supports WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) and has 5MP rear-facing camera with 1x optical zoom. That's right. Optical zoom. Yes, you can expect 720p HD video recording support that looks like slowly becoming a standard feature in high-end smartphones.

TouchWiz 3.0 was spotted running on Galaxy S Pro -although there is no conformation whether this would make it to the production variant.  As for the Android version, the one that was leaked ran Android 2.1. The Galaxy S Pro might be launched with the Froyo 2.2 update at the time of its commercial launch.

  

Toshiba Unveils New Protege, Libretto Laptops

On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, Toshiba has unveiled some new laptop models. The long-running Protege line of laptops has got a new R700 model that comes with Intel Core series mobile processor. Another interesting model is Libretto W100 that comes with dual-screen goodness. Toshiba offers R700 at a price starting from less than $1000 (Rs. 46,000 approx.), while the ultra-mobile dual-screen PC W100 hasn't got an official price yet.

Toshiba has introduced the new 13-inch R700 laptop that looks like the older brother of the 12.1-inch Protege R600. Albeit the R700 weighs as much as that of MacBook Air and is an inch thick. Toshiba boasts of thin and light profile of the laptop with Airflow Cooling Technology. Not only does the notebook weigh under three pounds but this ultra portable also carries an optical DVD drive.

Toshiba offers R700 in three configurations with different Intel Core series ultra low voltage micrprocessor and hard drive capacity configurations.

- Protege R700-S1310 features the Intel Core i3 processor7 and a 500GB8 hard drive for $999.

- Protege R700-S1320 features the Intel Core i5-520M processor and a high-speed 320GB 7200RPM for $1299

- Protege R700-S1330 features the powerful Intel Core i7-620M processor and a 128GB solid state drive $1599 

All three models have 4GB DDR3 memory and are pre-loaded with Windows 7 Professional by default. Also, a Port g R705 model will feature Intel WiDi (Wireless Display) technology that was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 in January. 

Toshiba's new Libretto W100 is not exactly a netbook or a tablet. It's an ultra-portable PC. The W100 has two 7-inch multitouch displays and runs Windows 7 operating system. Libretto W100 comes equipped with 1.2GHz Intel Pentium U5400 processor, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 62GB SSD, USB port, and a microSD slot. Toshiba calls it a concept PC and not a mainstream model. Looks like it would be a limited edition version. The dual multitouch displays can be used independently or together. Even the optical keyboard is offered with six different options and one of them includes a split solution.

The new R700 seems like a powerful ultra portable laptop that will compete with other models from rival brands. We have no information when R700 would be available in India, while Libretto W100 looks more like a limited edition package. 

G-Fone 777 Dual SIM touchscreen Launched

G-Fone has announced the launch of its latest dual-SIM touchscreen handset in India. The phone, known as the 777 comes with a largish 3.2 -inch touchscreen display capable of WQVGA resolution.

The phone can take in two cards in GSM+GSM format. It supports expandable memory using microSD cards up to 8GB. The phone supports various video and audio formats. This is apart from support for email and document viewers. This makes it a decently spec-ed office phone.

It comes preloaded with Opera Mini browser as well as Nimbuzz and Snaptu for social networking abilities.
On the multimedia front, the phone has a 3-megapixel camera  with support for video recording. The company has also thrown in an FM radio with support for recording. The 777 will retail for Rs. 5299 in India making it a decent entry-level multimedia handset.
 

The phone is on sale across the country as of now.

Four New LG Phones Leaked

Looks like 2010 is continuing to be the year of mega phone leaks - and we're just halfway through it! In the latest leak, as many as four new LG phones were seen on a Brazilian website - one of them being an Android smartphone.

The four new handsets include the C170 (The Android phone), T300, T310 and the A130 clamshell.

The C170 is a decently spec-ed Android handset complete with a 5 megapixel camera, 802.11n and a host of other features - details of which we are yet to know. It doesn' t have a QWERTY keyboard though.

The T300 is a touchscreen device that has a 2 megapixel camera and is likely to be slotted in the Cooke family of LG phones. Apparently it is known as the Cooke Light in Brazil. Next in line is the similarly spec-ed T300 which again boasts of a 2 megapixel camera and similar features as the T310. Lastly, we have the A130 clamshell phone that comes with support for EDGE and an FM radio recording. This is a very basic phone and would obviously be targeted at the high volume, low cost segment.

As of now, there is no word regarding the plausible launch dates or the price of each of these devices.