1200
Latest
Magellan pumps out eight new GPS devices, openly targets rich people
Magellan's brought a small army of GPS units to CES this year, dropping eight new units on us, including the new Maestro 5340+GPRS, which features Google Local Search and the ability to send addresses and notes to the unit from a PC. Magellan is also bolstering the low-end RoadMate 1200 series with the new $299 RoadMate 1212 and $329 traffic-enabled 1230, and introducing the similar 1400 series (pictured), which mirrors the 1200 series but ups the screen size to 4.3 inches. The Maestro 3200 series is joined by the Maestro Elite 3270, which completely eliminates the plastic border around the 3.5-inch screen and delivers about what you'd expect for 499: text-to-speech, voice control, Bluetooth, and three month traffic data subscription. The real action, though, is the new Maestro 5300 series, which debuts with two models: the absurdly-priced $699 5-inch 5310, which Magellan's press release openly targets at flush baby boomers (over $2 trillion in annual spending power!), and features a three-month traffic sub and text-to-speech, as well as built-in AAA TourBook travel guide info. The 5310 is joined by the somewhat less crassly-opportunistic 5340+GPRS, which adds in a GPRS cradle for all that live data action. It's not clear what service all those bits are coming down over or how much it'll cost, but we'll hit up the Magellan booth and get some hard answers soon.
More info on the Dell Vostro 1200
We've gotten some more info on the little Dell Vostro 1200 we mentioned earlier this month sans specs and price, and we thought we'd share our good fortune with you. The 12.1-inch laptop appears to be outfitted with the popular (some might say ubiquitous) Santa Rosa GM965 chipset, will sport a Celeron or Core 2 Duo processor, the Intel GMA X3100 GPU, up to 4GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and all kinds of other useful items like a DVD burner, 802.11a/b/g/n, optional Bluetooth module, and an ExpressCard slot. The innocuous black system is available right now in Japan, and will run you an import price tag of roughly ¥103,300 (or around $912), though these guys are rumored to be making their way Stateside any day now.[Via Laptoping]
Olympus' semi-rugged Stylus series bumped to 12 megapixels
If ruggedness is your primary consideration when buying a camera then by all means, look no further than Olympus' latest lineup of Stylus (AKA, Mju outside the US) shooters. The $300 Stylus 790SW is the most like, totally extreme of the bunch dude, offering waterproofing up to 3-meters and shockproofiness from a height of 5 feet. Oh, and it also just happens to include a 7.1 megapixel sensor, 3x non-protruding zoom lens, 2.5-inch LCD, a 30fps VGA video mode, and ISO sensitivity up to 1600. Olympus also rolled out a trio of less rugged, "weatherproof" cameras: the 12 megapixel Stylus 1200 ($350); the 8 megapixel, image-stabilized Stylus 830 ($350), and 8 megapixel Stylus 820 ($300) with 5x zoom. All loose on the mean retail streets starting in September and October. %Gallery-6282%Read -- 790 SW Read -- 1200, 830, 820
Nokia busts out new low-end fleet
Avert your eyes if you're married to S60 -- you'll find nary a smartphone here -- but Nokia's mustered a new slew of devices for emerging markets today that cover the full spectrum of form factors and radio technologies. Starting from the upper left, the lowly 1200 keeps things about as simple as they possibly could be with a throwback monochrome display, 32-chord ringtones, a "dust-resistant" keypad, and an integrated flashlight. The 1208 takes a small step up, swapping out the monochrome screen for a color one but otherwise keeping specs the same. The 1650 moves yet a little more upmarket with a considerably larger screen, though the keypad apparently loses dust resistance in the process. The 2505 is a CDMA (!) flip that maintains the integrated flashlight and rocks downloadable ringtones and wallpapers, a speakerphone, and a handful of integrated games and tools. Onto the second row starting at the left, the 2630 re-ups the 1650's formula and adds Bluetooth, GPRS data, and a VGA cam (heck, this seems like a perfectly decent handset for... uh, emerged markets, let alone emerging ones) -- and get this -- it becomes Nokia's thinnest phone, period, at 9.9 millimeters. The 2660 does the 2630's features in flip form, but loses the cam in the conversion -- but no worries, you can get it back with the 2760. Did ya get all that? Look for all of 'em to launch in the middle of this year in "select markets" for between €35 and €90 ($48 and $123) -- not bad at all, considering those are unsubsidized prices.
Sony's Jack Tretton and the $1200 quote
Jack Tretton, Sony Computer Entertainment America president and CEO, has always been good for some mind-blowing quotes begging to be written down by any journalist within earshot. However, nothing, and we mean nothing, can compare to the latest one in EGM's March issue: "If you can find a PS3 anywhere in North America that's been on shelves for more than five minutes, I'll give you 1200 bucks for it." And every reader collectively gasps.The guys at Penny Arcade wrapped themselves in the gooey goodness of that quote already and we'd certainly like to point out our photos from January (there's about $24,000 in that photo alone). The reason we're showing January images is becase an editor's note on the EGM piece says the interview took place in early Jan. 2007. Seriously though, even the EGM guys in the same interview say, "But we called 18 random retailers, including Best Buy and EB Games, and half of them had PS3s in stock ... some had as many as 20 in the store." Come on kids, everyone in the pool, Uncle Jack is giving out free money.
LG's BH100 hybrid Blu-ray & HD DVD player: $1,199
LG has set the price for its BH100 combination Blu-ray and HD DVD player at $1,199. Available in the first quarter of this year, the company thinks it can resolve buyer confusion and push both high-def formats using Broadcom's chipset. 1080p and DTS-HD audio support are present and accounted for, but no word yet on other features, like 1080p24 or HDMI 1.3, but for more information check our live coverage of LG's press event and demonstration.Update: Home Theater Blog found official pics of the unit already on Best Buy's website. Continue on for shots of the back and remote.
