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Samsung unveils WiFi-enabled ST80 camera, swiveling-lens HMX-E10 pocket camcorder
Camera releases are somewhat a by-the-numbers thing with so many different variations being released by numerous companies throughout the year. Samsung's pair here does have some interesting standout features, but one at a time. The 14.2 megapixel ST80 point-and-shoot boasts WiFi capabilities for email / direct upload of images (DLNA supported, to boot). It's also got 3x optical zoom, a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen, 720p 30fps H.264 video recording, and Sammy's "Smart Crop" feature for taking angled shots and "straightening them up" (i.e. a banner that is fixed to look straight on). This one's due out September 2010 for a penny under $250. Then there's the HMX-E10 pocket camcorder with an impressive 270-degree swiveling lens and 1920 x 1080 30p H.264 HD video recording. That touchscreen you see is a 2.7-inch LCD, the lens has 2x digital zoom, connectivity is HDMI and USB (also used for charging), and release details are September as well, for $199.99. You know the drill: product shots are below, press releases after the break. %Gallery-98345% %Gallery-98344%
Samsung E60 e-reader coming with Barnes and Noble content this spring for $299
Samsung still hasn't committed to a formal launch date for the e-reader line it launched at CES, but the company narrowed down the launch date from "early 2010" to "this spring" this morning -- which makes sense, seeing as spring has nearly, uh, sprung. We're only hearing about the six-inch E6 at the moment, along with a new Barnes and Noble partnership -- we're not sure anyone will pick the Samsung over the popular Nook, especially at the $399 price point we heard at CES, but at least there's a built-in content ecosystem. Interestingly, we're not hearing anything about the 10-inch E10 or QWERTY-equipped E61, both of which would fill large gaps in the B&N-enabled lineup, but we're looking out for more info -- we'll let you know. In the meantime, you can watch a video of all three devices right here. Update: Samsung says the E6 will be $299 at launch, which is a nice little drop. As for the E10 and E61, all we're hearing is that they "may be coming soon," so who knows what's going on. Update 2: The model name's been changed since CES -- it's now the E60, not the E6. %Gallery-81782%
Samsung's E6, E101 and E61 e-readers shown on video
We were fortunate enough to get a quick moment with Samsung's new assortment of e-readers back at CES, but the cool kids over at Notebook Italia were able to get the E6, E101 and E61 on video. There's little doubt that these look awfully different than all of the other me-too options on the market, and the touch input seems to be extraordinarily responsive based on the demonstration. Speaking of which... hop on past the break to have a look yourself, cool?
Dead phone walking: meet the UIQ-based Motorola ROKR E10
Sony Ericsson's Paris wasn't the only perfectly good handset to go down with the sinking UIQ ship, it seems. Remember that TEXEL from back in the day? Yeah, well, it's reemerged more than a year later -- a year too late, may we add -- supposedly branded the ROKR E10, which would fall in line with the company's recent ROKR branding. Looks like the thing has undergone a bit of a metamorphosis over the course of its development (as all phones do), but let's not spend too long analyzing it -- it's based on UIQ, after all, which means that very likely been thoroughly wiped clean of Moto's launch schedule. Doesn't look half bad, but then again, what would this have that the Sony Ericsson W950 didn't have three years ago?
iRiver's E10 gets an early look
We won't deny that we're a little jealous CNET Asia got their chance to fool around with iRiver's 6GB E10, which we've been eyeing with lustful eyes for a little while now. Sounds like interfacing with the clicky buttons wasn't always expeditious in navigating the UI, so iRiver added some programmable shortcut keys; the 32 hour battery life and Flash Lite video support are also niceties. Unmentioned was codec support, PlaysForSure compatibility, etc., but what they weren't too fond of was the proprietary connector (so what else is new?), the non-user-programmable 182 TV brand IR remote function (which if you ask us kind of seems like a haphazard feature thrown in from the concept device heap), as well as the fact that while it does also support MPEG-4 video, that's about all it supports. Yeah, no device is perfect, but we're not about to give up on this thing yet, no sir.
iRiver announces E10
And here it is, everyone, iRiver's hot new hard drive-based E10 portable audio player. Unfortunately it doesn't have Bluetooth / A2DP as we might have hoped, but it does have a 1.5-inch color display, video playback, FM tuner, IR blaster (apparently it can be used as a remote), a 32 hour battery (yeah, that doesn't sound quite right), and a 3.7 x 1.7 x 0.55-inch footprint. (Our previous report also had it pinned with six gigs of storage.) MisticRiver quotes the price -- and the mentioned specs -- at about $240 US, but we'll all have to sit tight while we wait for US launch plans and a proper formal announcement.
Metareview - Kingdom Hearts II
A Final Fantasy and Disney Kingdom RPG mash-up? The idea sounded wack at first, but when the original Kingdom Hearts debuted back in 2002, it worked, proving once again that Square Enix could do no wrong (at least, in the RPG realm). Now, the motley crew is back and being heralded by critics — well, most of them... Gaming Age (100/100) - "Kingdom Hearts 2 is a shining example of the "fix what's broken and improve what isn't" mindset. And though the game still has its flaws, they're relatively minor by comparison, a drastic improvement upon its predecessor in all regards." Game Informer (90/100) - "Kingdom Hearts II is a remarkable journey and another Square-Enix masterpiece" [April 2006, p.120]. IGN (76/100) - "Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful title with a great story and fantastic presentation, but because of its major combat flaws (and that fact that it turns its back on exploration and most RPG elements), it does the game a great disservice."
