s-class
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Imation ships new SSDs, upgrade kits
The gang at Imation have just announced two new lines of SSDs for your computing pleasure (though, sadly, we have yet to see an iCarly-branded model). Both the S-Class and the M-Class drives are available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities, and both are available in 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch form factors. For the budget-minded consumer, the M-Class boasts a 150MB/s read speed and 90MB/s write speed, and sports a black oxide finish -- starting at $189.99. For those of you with a little more cash to throw around, the S-Class reads at 130MB/s and writes 120MB/s speeds and sports a stainless steel finish. This bad boy starts at $659.99. Also available as part of a laptop upgrade kit (2.5-inch SSD drive, Acronis True Image HD imaging software, USB-to-SATA or SATA-to-SATA connector cable, power cable or power adapter) or desktop kit (3.5-inch SSD drive, Acronis True Image HD, a SATA connector and power cable or adapter), with M-Class kits starting at $299.99 and S-Class kits at $1299.99. Peep the M-Class drive after the break.[Via iTech News]
LG's Viewty II rumored for June release, all 8 megapixels of it
Looks like LG's about to treat the world to an upgrade of its popular Viewty handset. The Viewty II (aka, GC900) is rumored to be hitting Orange UK sometime in June. As a refresher, the VII (or juicy 900 if you must) is laden with impressive specs including LG's 3D S-Class UI riding a 3-inch WVGA touchscreen, accelerometer, and an 8 megapixel camera with xenon flash, manual and auto focus, image stabilization, ISO 1600 support (riiiight), A-GPS geotagging, slow motion video, and even DivX and Xvid playback. Add to that 32GB of expandable storage, WiFi, and 7.2Mbps HSDPA data and you'll understand our anticipation. [Via Pocket-lint and Electric Pig]
LG's GD900 with (multi-touch?) transparent keypad gets S-Class UI
The recent glut of telephony news can mean only one thing: CTIA Wireless 2009 is getting ready to kick off in Vegas baby, Las Vegas. In the runup we have LG upping the hype on its 13.4mm-thick GD900 handset first outed in Barcelona at February's MWC show. This time, however, the 7.2Mbps HSDPA slider with world's first transparent glass (not plastic as originally assumed) keypad will be functional, running LG's new S-Class UI on the 3-inch display. We know that the GD900 features vibrational haptic feedback and that the transparent keypad seems to double as a touch-sensitive mouse pad (like that on your laptop) when surfing the internet or navigating the UI -- it also seems to support gestures like writing "M" to launch the MP3 music player and multi-touch such as pinch to zoom on photographs. The GD900 will launch in Europe and Asia sometime in May. No US release announced so we'll have to make the most of our time with it this week in order to clear up all the mysteries presented by the Korean press release. One more pic showing an apparent finger-swipe rotating the UI after the break.[Via Akihabara News and Engadget Korea]
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LG Arena launches in Europe
Well, that didn't take too long, now did it? LG has announced that its high-end touchphone du jour, the KM900 Arena, is starting to ship in Europe after a February announcement at MWC. The 7.2Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, WVGA display, 3D UI, and 5 megapixel cam are all lustworthy specs for a device in this class, and it shows -- LG proudly proclaims that carriers around the world have already pre-ordered a million units. Americans can keep on dreaming for the time being, but Europeans should look for the Arena to start filtering into stores any day now in their choice of silver and black.[Via SlashPhone]
LG GM730 hands-on (with video!)
We had opportunity to check out one of LG's newest smartphones, the LG GM730 at MWC today. We've seen all the specs but thought knew you all needed a really good look at the new S-Class UI. This phone is not final, so our hands-on shows a few interface hiccups, but, you'll get the drift. So what's the take away here? This appears to be a darn fine overlay on Windows Mobile, access to things from the home screen are simple and quick: mail, messaging, calendar, menus to get at network settings and so forth are a welcome addition. The device feels sturdy (even without a back) and looks just fine in our sleep deprived eyes. Carry on for a video with all the action and a gallery stuffed full of MWC love.%Gallery-44877%
LG brings S-Class UI to Windows Mobile with GM730
Turns out LG's fancy new feature phone UI -- S-Class, as it's called -- isn't just for feature phones. The GM730 brings the same 3D interface into the wide world of Windows Mobile, along with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 2Mbps HSUPA, quadband EDGE, and Internet Explorer Mobile 6.0 into a package just 11.9mm thick. Sadly, LG's elected to do nothing but 900 / 2100MHz with the 3G here, so North Americans are left out of the equation at this point -- but much of the rest of the world can look into picking it up in the first half of the year.%Gallery-44724%
LG Arena KM900 hangs onto limelight, reveals multitouch capabilities
At this rate, LG isn't gonna have any secrets left about the Arena KM900 when it takes the stage for its Mobile World Congress press conference on Monday. The company's released a few more snippets via its Korean site, chief among them being multitouch capabilities for image and web page zooming. Other details include a dedicated multimedia chip and designations for each of the four sides of the interface's 3D cube: phone, widgets, shortcuts, and multimedia. One of our favorite lines, which is almost certainly made funnier by the machine translation, is that this UI is the culmination of 100 years of interface research. We'll have more on the KM900 -- assuming they don't reveal everything before then -- next week in Barcelona. [Via Unwired View]
LG Arena (KM900) pops official, brings along 3D S-Class UI
Rather than waiting for the KM900 to get lost amongst hundreds of other handsets set to vie for attention at Mobile World Congress, LG has decided it best to go ahead and make its newest touchscreen handset official a few days early. The so-called Arena, which will take the crown as LG's "flagship phone for 2009," is hoping to wow onlookers with its dynamic 3D S-Class user interface. According to Dr. Skott Ahn, president and CEO of LG Mobile: "The direct, intuitive and dynamic S-Class UI will be unlike anything that has appeared on a mobile phone before." We're not quite sure we believe all that just yet, but there's little doubt this bugger will be keen on multimedia. Other specs include integrated Dolby / DivX technology, support for HSDPA 7.2Mbps, WiFi, Assisted GPS and "far more" amenities that should be uncovered in Barcelona. Excited yet?[Via UnwiredView, thanks Staska]
Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid aims to be first to use Li-ion battery
There's a decent chance your average hybrid owner wouldn't know the difference between a lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride battery if their life depended on it, but we know you -- dear reader -- are not one of those "average" joes / janes. That being the case, you may be interested to know that the 2009-bound S400 BlueHybrid is in prime position to be the world's first production Li-ion hybrid, which will offer up "compact dimensions and far superior performance" compared to existing rivals. M-B goes on to trumpet the technology's "high ampere-hour efficiency, long service life, and great reliability, even at very low temperatures." No word on just how astronomically high this thing will be priced at, but you can expect just shy of 30 miles-per-gallon in mixed driving conditions, for what it's worth.
Luxury car manufacturers choose HDTV for their ads
High definition advertisements are going upmarket, with these separate releases regarding Mercedes-Benz and Lexus producing their new spots in HD. The first focuses on the Germans, who shot their new S-class mostly in 720p (but some 1080p, maybe for Blu-ray or HD-DVD trailer releases only) and how they used Apple software to manage all the footage. The second regards the marketing campaign for the new ES 350 and how their three commercial spots set to run on network television during prime time were all filmed in HD.Seen any other HD ads lately? The last one i noticed was the trailer for the new Mission: Impossible.
