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Ainovo Novo 7 Basic review
It's a world's first coming from a company you've never heard of -- if you live outside of China, anyway. Taking Google's newly minted OS and slipping it into an affordable chassis, Ainovo's Novo 7 Basic could very well be a sleeper hit among the tech-obsessed masses. Sure, it may lack the brand equity and tidy content ecosystems that are part and parcel of Amazon and Apple's offerings, but thanks to that $99 price, users may find themselves seduced by the temptation of Ice Cream Sandwich alone. Apart from a small fraternity of devices including the Galaxy Nexus and ASUS Transformer Prime, few devices have officially played host to Android 4.0, lending this 7-inch tab a distinct advantage over the more expensive, Gingerbread-packing Kindle Fire. With a 1GHz Ingenic JZ4770 mobile applications processor based on a MIPS XBurst CPU, an 800 x 480 LED display and VGA front-facing / 2-megapixel rear cameras, this no-frills slate could blaze a bargain trail past Bezos and Co. So, does it manage to hold its own against its well-known competitors? Or will all that corner-cutting reveal this low cost tablet to be just another below-the-bar offering? Follow on past the break as we deliver the answers to these and other burning questions.
iPod touch with 2 megapixel camera leaked in Vietnam (video)
Guess who has another Apple scoop? Tinhte, the upstarts from Vietnam have first pics of the mythical iPod touch with a camera. The "DVT-1" stamp on the back makes it clear that this is an early design verification test unit in the evolution of product testing. In other words, this might not be the final design whenever Apple chooses to announce it, say, on June 7th. A check of the device's serial number identifies a late 2009 third generation iPod touch -- could be that this device was one of those eBay prototypes that never made it to production for whatever reason. The Foxconn manufactured device is also running the same base diagnostic utility that we've seen before (who could forget that "serial number" icon). The Foxconn label appears to indicate a 64GB model ("64G" using a pair of Samsung 32GB Flash modules presumably) in addition to a 2 megapixel, backside illuminated sensor manufactured by Omnivision (part OV2665-6s). Video after the break.%Gallery-93275%
Veho's Muvi adventure-oriented camcorder claims to be world's smallest, probably isn't
It's outrageous claim time again, with Veho is saying its new Muvi micro DV camcorder is "officially the smallest high resolution DV camcorder in the world." We'd have to say it looks a little bit bigger than that Wrigley's-sized model we spotted a few years back, and 640 x 480 is hardly high resolution, but let's move on. The Muvi is designed as something of an actiony cam in the vein of a Twenty20 or a ContourHD, able to clip to your jersey or stick to your helmet and record video plus two megapixel stills onto a microSD card. Voice activation means you should be able to activate it without pressing any buttons, and hopefully you can teach it to start filming whenever someone says "Hold my beer and watch this." The cam appears to be shipping to European adventure-types for a good bit less than its £79.99 ($132) MSRP, but there's no word on when thrill-seekers elsewhere can clip one on.Update: Well, it definitely isn't the smallest; as many of you pointed out this is just a re-brand of the AEE Mini DV cam that's exactly the same size... and shape... and is already widely available for under $100.[Via Crave]
Creative's Live! Cam Optia AF is the Rolls Royce of webcams
We're not too big into 'camming' or video chats -- one of the joys of working at home is a mandatory bathrobe dress code -- but had we taken another career path that involved people paying us to perform in front of the camera (you know, juggling, magic tricks, etc.), we'd want to give our customers the best show possible with Creative's new Live! Cam Optia AF. Taking a huge step up from the original VGA Optia (pictured above), the AF offers not only the auto-focus that its name suggests, but a two megapixel CCD capable of 640 x 480 video at 30fps as well. The glass-lensed cam also sports dual microphones, USB 2.0 connectivity, 270 degree swivel with auto reorientation, and a software suite that adds face tracking capabilities, auto levels, video / voice effects, remote monitoring, and background noise filters. No word yet on pricing or release for what Creative immodestly calls "the most advanced webcam on the market," so professional virtual entertainers keep your eyes peeled.Update: Now with pricing and release info --Creative says to expect the AF in April for around £80 ($155) -- and a real pic!
HP's two megapixel wide-angle webcam
Almost lost amid all the other news HP made last week was this humble little webcam, apparently known only as the HP 2-Megapixel Webcam. Though there's certainly nothing flashy about it (which we kinda dig, given some of the other webcams we've seen), it does pack a fairly decent feature set, with a 2-megapixel still resolution, 800 x 600 video at 30 frames per second, face-tracking, and an integrated microphone. Best of all, however, is the wide-angle lens, which'll give you (or the person on the other end) a spacious view of 76 degrees diagonally and 65 degrees horizontally. The cam itself measures 6.1 x 1.9 x 2.9-inches and comes with a handy stand that'll also double as a clip to attach it to a LCD monitor or laptop. No word on price, though it should be out sometime before the holiday season. [Warning: PDF link]
SK Telecom launches HSDPA network with new Samsung SCH-W200
South Korean consumers looking for some serious mobile bandwidth need not wait until June to pick up one of LG's SH100 handsets that we brought you earlier today, because SK Telecom has just announced that their HSDPA network is live in 25 cities as of today, and that a new model from Samsung is available for the rollout. Besides 2G, 3G, and 3.5G data support, the new Samsung SCH-W200 -- which is the first of five impending HSDPA phones, including the SH100, that will available by year's end -- offers both a two megapixel as well as a VGA camera, S-DMB TV capabilities, MP3/AAC playback, text-to-speech, and perhaps most importantly with all these features, multitasking. Although theoretically capable of 12Mbps downstream traffic, SKT's HSDPA network will currently only deliver a relatively pokey 1.8Mbps to the W200 -- with 3.6Mbps promised for later this year -- but claims to be the only WCDMA network in the world to offer guaranteed video conferencing performance through circuit, and not packet, switching. Read- HSDPA rollout Read- HSDPA speeds (subscription required)Read- Samsung SCH-W200
Vodafone Germany to offer Samsung's HSDPA-enabled SGH-ZV50
Slashphone's got the inside dirt on a new feature-filled Samsung clamshell coming to Vodaphone Germany, whose claim to fame is surely its ability to hop on Voda's high-speed HSDPA network. You get more than zippy web browsing with the SGH-ZV50 -- which gets its design from another Sammy handset, the V7400 -- however, as this clamshell also sports a two megapixel camera, 40MB of internal memory plus microSD slot, and a set of dedicated music controls on the front of the flip. Exclusively available to Vodafone customers, the ZV50 will probably be most popular in Hanover, Dorf, Munich, and Frankfort, which is where the company currently offers 5GB of HSDPA usage per month for what appears to be 49 euros. No pricing or launch date for the handset itself, but Slashphone tells us that it will be in stores "very soon."
Pantech and Curitel's PT-S200 multimedia slider
New to the South Korean market: the Pantech and Curitel PT-S200 handset, a multimedia slider featuring a 2 megapixel camera and all-important subway map. This 17.9-millimeter thick model also sports a QVGA display, MicroSD slot for MP3s, mobile banking capabilities, and the requisite (for Korea, at least) electronic dictionary. Available only in white, the PT-S200 seems to be on sale immediately for the Korean equivalent of $425.
Lenovo's i921 WinMo smartphone
Akihabara News has some, um, news about a new Windows Mobile-powered handset from Lenovo that is, while not the first smartphone from the PC manufacturer that we've seen, certainly the most attractive. The i921 is said to rock WM5 (no confirmation on that, apparently, but we seriously doubt that they'd go the WinMo 2003 route), a two megapixel camera, Bluetooth, QVGA touchscreen, and MiniSD slot, and work on some unknown number of GSM frequencies. Not many other deets are known, such as pricing or availability, but if we don't see WiFi or UMTS in the specs, we keep on shopping, no matter how hot the phone looks.[Via MobileMag]
