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Samsung officially launches the Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720)
Although Samsung's been busying itself lately with newfangled RAM releases, it has apparently taken the time to confirm what we already suspected. The Z720 has been officially released as part of the Ultra Edition lineup, and per usual, the 13.8 is tagging itself with a "world's slimmest" label, this time for thinnest HSDPA-equipped slider. This sexy handset weighs in at just 80-grams, and features a 3-megapixel AF camera, 2.1-inch QVGA display, WAP 2.0 / HTML browsing capabilities, an additional camera for "video telephony," document viewer, PIM, Bluetooth, USB, and even a microSD slot. Aside from the UMTS / EDGE / HSDPA / GSM / GPRS connectivity options, you'll also find Samsung's uGo system built-in, not to mention the uTrack feature that sends an SMS to a predetermined number if the SIM card is tampered with. Notably, the 13.8 is the first mobile from Samsung with Google Mobile Search and Gmail pre-installed, which certainly contradicts with the recent Samsung / Opera lovefest we've been hearing about. Nevertheless, the Z720 should start finding its way into bustling European countries soon for a yet-to-be-disclosed price, with smaller locales getting access thereafter.[Via Akihabara News]
Ultra Product's 8GB SDHC hits for $150
Ok, you've seen plenty of 8GB SDHC cards right? And this one from Ultra Products is only class 2, SDHC's rock-bottom 2MB/sec data transfer rating. But get this, it's only $150, and it hails from good ol' Fletcher Ohio! Ok, it's likely OEM'd elsewhere, but Ultra's reselling it for just a Benj-and-a-half for 8 freakin' gigabytes of waffer-thin flash storage, about half that of same-spec'd cards already announced. Just remember, it's SDHC which means it will only work in the limited number of SDHC compliant devices currently available. You're also taking your chances with Vista's ReadyBoost smart caching -- ReadyBoost does support SD just as long you slot-in natively; external, USB 2.0 card readers are not supported. Already outed and on-line, so why not take a chance?
Samsung's F300 and F500 Ultra phones
Samsung -- the company for which no phone is too thin or too small -- used ITU Telecom World 2006 in Hong Kong as an opportunity to announce (among other things) a couple new multimedia powerhouses that are both thin and small. The F300 (alias "Flipper," perhaps) is a music-oriented handset that looks like an ordinary MP3 player on one side and a diminutive phone on the other, rocking 100MB of internal storage with microSD expansion up to 2GB, a 220 x 176 display, 2 megapixel cam, FM radio, Bluetooth with A2DP, and a triband GSM radio with EDGE all crammed into a 9.4 millimeter shell. The F500 is more sufficiently equipped for the heavy lifting that comes with video duty, directly supporting DivX on its 2.4-inch QVGA display. Like its F300 little sibling, it features dual faces -- one for phone, one for fun -- but packs a more aggressive 400MB of memory (in addition to whatever you manage to add via microSD). It also adds UMTS and a nifty swivel that allows the phone to be placed upright on a surface for video use, though all the added goodies add a full 1.3 millimeters over the F300's thickness. It's not clear when either device will hit store shelves, but in light of Samsung's little "oopsie" with their CES press release, we're hoping to hear more in the next month or so.[Thanks, Jason K.]Read - F300 Ultra MusicRead - F500 Ultra Video
NHK makes a showing at NAB and brings Ultra HD
Hey! High definition is confusing enough. People are just now getting used to 720p/1080i and 1080p, so here comes NHK again with their UHDV. Ultra High Definition TV has a resolution of a measly 7,680 x 4,320 which works out to be 16 times the current 1920 x 1080 standard we have today. This is nothing new though guys. (and gals) They have been showing this off around the world for a couple of years now starting at NAB back in 2004. It is still pretty cool though and when you combine that uber-high resolution with 22.2 channels of audio...WOW. Simply wow. Don't except Circuit City or Best Buy to carry this anytime within the decade though. Or even within the next decade, as they are aiming for a 2025 launch. So if you save a dollar a day till the launch in 19 years, you will have just under $7000 to be the first kid on the block with UHDV![thanks to everyone that sent this in]
