www.blackberry.co.za

BlackBerry has been rightly criticised for its browsers and its early attempts at touchscreen phones. But the little Canadian company that can, has quietly been working away at its new supermodel to resolve both of these issues. The Torch might be their most significant handset yet. It combines a touchscreen (with greater accuracy than either of the failed Storms) with a completely rebuilt operating system called BlackBerry 6 and a slide-out Qwerty keypad below the 3.2in/8cm touchscreen. It’s slick, it’s fast, it works and it’s awesome. The entire BlackBerry user experience is much improved, with a 5MP camera, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi thrown in. Can you say “iPhone killer”?

Sony NEX-5 The world’s smallest lens-swapper from R7 500 www.sony.co.za Is it just us or is everything getting smaller? Back in the day Easter eggs were the size of a cat’s head, a Bar One was more like a brown brick than a chocolate bar, and don’t even get us started on Monster Munch. It seems the same is now happening to our cameras. The NEX-5 is Sony’s attempt at a slimmed down, Micro Four Thirds-style, interchangeable-lens snapper. It ditches the traditional SLR prism, but adopts a 14.2MP APS-C sensor, 3in/7.6cm LCD, 1080i video shooting and an awesome Sweep Panorama mode to create super-wide images.
Nintendo 3DS 3D is in your hands Rtba (due 2011) www.nintendo.co.za If you had to put on a fake nose and a welder’s mask every time you wanted to play on your Xbox, you’d quickly find something else to do – something that didn’t require any dressing up. Ninty knows that wearing glasses to see 3D is off-putting, so its new multi-dimensional handheld doesn’t require any. Instead it uses a lenticular lens on its 3.5in/8.8cm top screen to make games jump out, plus two cameras on the back to take 3D pics. Throw in motion sensors and a catalogue of games that includes Mario Kart, DJ Hero and Metal Gear Solid and you’re holding the next gaming revolution.
Xbox 360 Slim The next-gen console Xbox 4GB R2 400 (Kinect Bundle R3 700) www.xbox.co.za You can’t get everything right first time. Microsoft learned that the hard way. With its lack of Wi-Fi, meagre hard drive and dreaded Red Ring of Death, the path of the Xbox 360 never has run smooth. But things have changed. The new Xbox has a slimmer look, built-in Wi-Fi, a quieter engine and 4GB of flash storage, with a 250GB also available. This is the Xbox 360 as it should have been from the start: capacious, quiet and connected. And considering it became the console of choice for hardcore gamers in its previous “flawed” form, this Kinect-ready console should have the PS3 petrified.
MB&F HM4 Thunderbolt JETPACK-SHAPED TIME TRACKER R1 150 000 (import only) www.mbandf.com First, rename yourself Blizzard or Thumper, then slap on some Ray-Bans and say things like, “There’s a bogey on your six!” Only then will you be pilot-y enough to strap on the unashamedly aviation-influenced Thunderbolt watch. The size and shape are a result of a unique movement that the designers amusingly call the engine. It comprises 311 parts, has taken three years to design and looks not unlike a pair of jet turbofans, with the titanium case housing a standard dial on the right and a power reserve on the left. We feel the need… the need for shorter sleeves to show off our ridiculous watch. And a cap with gold braid.

Unveiling the new iPhone 4, Jobs called the glistening glass-front-and-back device the “most precise, beautiful thing”. He’s probably right. The new iPhone has taken smartphones to a new level (as defined by Mr Jobs, of course) with “the highest-resolution display ever built into a phone,” at 960×640, which Apple is calling Retina Display; a 5MP camera with LED flash, faster Wi-Fi (802.11n) and HD video recording (720p), all in a 10mm-thin casing.

There’s also a front-facing camera, which goes hand-in-hand with a new video-calling feature called FaceTime (only for use with other iPhone 4 users, it seems).

Apple’s thrown in up to 40 percent longer talk time, renamed the operating system iOS 4 (with 100 new features), and even used the stainless steel band as its antenna. If only Steve would tell us when the iPhone 4 will be available in SA.

TomTom 750 LIVE R3 000 www.tomtom.co.za The big sat nav news isn’t the new 2010 maps, nor the new voices (Darth Vader, Victor Matfield and DJ Fresh from TomTom, versus Garmin’s wild bunch led by Minki van der Westhuizen, Os Du Randt and – presumably for the caravan community – Riaan Cruywagen.) The big news is that SA has finally joined the world, with live traffic updates launched in June from both Garmin and TomTom. TomTom’s Go 750 has long headed Stuff’s Top 10 Sat nav list. Now the 750 LIVE’s built-in SIM card offers nationwide, real-time HD Traffic and “safety camera” updates, and Google Search. These services are free for a year from purchase, R500 a year thereafter. HD Traffic works with TomTom’s IQ Routes to monitor traffic flow on your route using data from Tracker and other TomTom Live units. The system will quickly identify traffic problems, display them, and offer alternative routes and accurate journey times.
Serious 5 BMW 5 Series R485 000 to R869 200www.bmw.co.za BMW’s new 5 Series is a major step from previous models. Bigger and plusher, it’s like… well, it’s like the 7 Series with muscle definition. There are six variants – an eight-cylinder and three six-cylinder petrol engines, a six-cylinder diesel, and a four-cylinder turbodiesel, all with BMW’s new eight-speed auto transmission. The tech is great: BMW’s nifty heads-up display glows on the windscreen, and optional second-gen BMW Night Vision displays people, animals and other heat-emitting objects on the 10.4in (26cm) dashboard monitor, even when they’re beyond headlight range. Video data is analysed to warn of pedestrians and cyclists potentially on collision courses with the car. And then there’s the Parking Assistant: at low speeds, sensors in the side mirror scan for spaces at least 1.2m longer than the car. After you stop and engage reverse, the driver operates the gas and brake pedals while the Parking Assistant moves the steering wheel to reverse precisely into the space – while you’re watching a bird’s-eye view of the manoeuvre on the dashboard monitor.
shoX stealth R2 000 www.tevo.co.za No, it’s not just an iPod dock with built-in alarm clock and FM radio. That would be ordinary. The shoX stealth is compatible with pretty much anything that makes a noise: it’ll play from your cellphone, laptop, TV, digital decoder, an SD card or USB stick. And the Stealth will play it well: that interesting weaponised-looking design houses five speakers, with a four-inch subwoofer, and kicks out 23 watts of really excellent sound. The footprint? 52cm long, 16.5cm deep, 33cm high. In case your significant other gets control of the included infrared remote, there’s an optional Bluetooth adaptor for playing audio from your laptop and cellphone. So you can silence Celine Dion without even looking up from your screen.
Sony Vaio P Series Vaio con Dios from R1 2 000 www.sony.co.za The world has changed. There’s a new UK government and FIFA has hired the South African justice system. But we’re more concerned about the shifting market for portable computers. While Sony surely has a tablet brewing, right now we have an updated P Series. It has the same impossibly sharp 1600×768-pixel screen, a more potent Atom processor and 64GB solid-state drives. It’s a very eye-catching pocketbook size, thin and light, with the word ‘Vaio’ on its lid (which always adds sex appeal), but it’s the built-in accelerometer, GPS and compass that make it stand out to a wandering gadgeteer. Even if you do get stranded by an angry volcano.

]]> http://www.pushprint.co.za/hotstuff-gadgets/feed 0 http://www.pushprint.co.za/hot-stuff-gadgets-for-april-2010 http://www.pushprint.co.za/hot-stuff-gadgets-for-april-2010#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:20:37 +0000 admin http://www.pushprint.co.za/?p=3520 Every month the editors of Stuff magazine choose the latest pretty, shiny gadgets for you.

Biggie smalls
Mini Countryman
www.mini.co.za

To call the Countryman a Mini is a lie. Well, sort of. Technically this 4×4 is a Mini, it’s just that it’s not mini; it’s massive. To look at it here you’d never know, because it keeps that wheel-at-each-corner design. But put it next to one of the standard models and it’ll look like a prop from Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. A 1.6-litre petrol engine propels the top-end model, while “All4 intelligent drive” should make it easier to take a shortcut through the bushes on your way out of the Pick ‘n Pay car park.

Watch your step Samsung IceTouch www.samsung.co.za “Oh, cripes. Not again!” exclaimed Mr Samsung as he trod in a big pile of dog-doo. “Why does this happen every time I look down to switch tracks on my MP3 player? I wish someone would make one with a transparent AMOLED touchscreen so I could see through it and watch where I was walking. And if they gave it support for all the major music formats (including FLAC and OGG, but not Apple Lossless), as well as video, that’d be great. They should call it the IceTouch, I reckon. Oh, wait – I’m Mr Samsung. I’ll just do it myself!” And you know what? He did.

The best of both worlds Freescale Smartbook Tablet www.freescale.com What is it? It’s a netbook torn in half. The colourful slate comes with a removable keyboard for when the 7in (17.7cm) touchscreen just won’t cut it. Will it work? Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth make it road-ready, and the choice of form factors will pique the interest of anyone frustrated by smartphones. Build it or bin it? Build it – and can you do us a tartan one?

Parrot AR Drone iphone-controlled ’copter Rtba (due mid 2010) / www.parrot.com In the Stuff office is a cupboard filled with clapped-out radio control helicopters. We’d like to say we destroyed them in epic combat, but we just pushed them to our limits. That’s why we’re so excited about Parrot’s easy-to-fly RC chopper. It’s controlled via Wi-Fi by tilting and twisting your iPhone or iPod Touch, beaming live video back as it flies. It even switches to autopilot if it thinks it’s about to wipe out. You can download games, battle other AR.Drones or just use it to snoop on your neighbours. Which we haven’t done. Honest.

Toshiba Cell TV supercomputer super-telly Rtba (due mid 2010) / www.toshiba.co.uk When we saw the presentation for Toshiba’s new Cell TVs we were so happy we cried a little bit. The specs haven’t been finalised yet, but we could see 65in (168cm) sets with LED backlights, 1TB hard drives, Wi-Fi, video conferencing capabilities, processors 143 times faster than those in current tellies (the same chips used in the PS3, in fact) and the ability to show ropey YouTube video at full-screen in decent quality. You want more? They might even be able to convert normal 2D pictures to 3D. Now the tears are welling up again…

Plastic Logic QUE proReader e-book with brawn as well as brains from $650 / www.que.com If trees had eyes, could read and were interested in technology, they would have been delighted by this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, for among the slew of new e-readers was this: the QUE proReader. It has a massive 10.5in (26.3cm) 150ppi touchscreen, weighs just 482g, has up to 8GB of memory and packs 3G and Wi-Fi for downloading content. Impressive, nê? But what’s really cool is the TruVue format it supports, which lets you view publications in their original format, albeit in greyscale of course. Newspapers: prepare for format transmutation.

Google Nexus One The day the Androids took over $530 / www.google.com/phone The Nexus One isn’t the second coming. It’s not Google’s first phone (it’s made by HTC, like the T-Mobile G1), and it won’t do much that the iPhone can’t. So why is it such a hot property? Well, what’s underneath the 3.7in (9.3cm) AMOLED touchscreen should stimulate anyone’s gadget gland. A nippy Snapdragon chip propels the latest version of Android, and Wi-Fi, HSDPA and GPS all make an appearance. But it’s really here because it represents a change in The Big G’s attitude. It bears the company’s name. A company that stuck two fingers up at the Chinese government. And if it can do that, we think it’ll take a chunk or two out of Apple, don’t you?

Hands-on with the Google Nexus One


The Nexus One’s 1Ghz Snapdragon chip makes it extremely well-oiled and responsive in the menus. Despite the lack of a snazzy interface skin there are some nice visual touches, most notably the live, interactive wallpapers. There are also now five home screens rather than three, so that’s more screen real estate to fill with widgets. The 480×800 display is on par with Motorola’s Droid, much sharper than the iPhone’s slightly smaller screen.
If its 5MP snaps improve on those of HTC phones such as the Hero, we could be on to a winner.

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen From R2 500 / sales@circuitcity.co.za It’s mightier than the sword, and smarter, too. The Pulse Smartpen from Livescribe is actually a computer housed inside the pen, and includes a high-speed infrared camera, dual microphones for clear recording and noise cancellation, and an embedded speaker. Using special pages printed with nearly-invisible microdots, which tell the pen exactly where it’s writing or tapping, it can record what’s being said and play it back when you tap on a specific spot. The desktop software stores these complex files and hand-written notes on your computer. This is one seriously smart pen.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 Rtba / www.sonyericsson.co.za While Nokia, HTC and company swim happily in a sea of smart handsets, Sony Eric have been splashing around knee-deep in the shallows. With the X2, however, that should change. Arriving packed to the gills with the brand new Windows Mobile 6.5, it keeps the slide-out Qwerty and uses the same panel-based interface on its 8.1cm touchscreen as seen on the X1, but ups the camera to 8MP. Come on in, Sony Ericsson, the water’s lovely.

Nokia Booklet 3G Rtba / www.nokia.co.za Those crazy Finns at Nokia have insisted on calling their high-end smartphones “mobile computers” for years. We humoured them for a while, but come on, this is just ridiculous. Sure, the Booklet 3G packs the same kind of features as an N97 (Wi-Fi, GPS, HSDPA), but with a 25cm screen and at 1.25kg, there’s no way it’ll fit into even the deepest of pockets. Which means… Oh. It really is a mobile computer this time.

DJ Hero from R812 / www.edreams.co.za Are DJ’s real musicians? Of course not, but we pity the drone who isn’t excited by DJ Hero, the latest music game for PS2, PS3, Xbox and Wii. With a fully-rotating turntable controller, complete with a cross-fader and sample-triggering buttons, you’ll be able to scratch along to over 80 tunes spliced together by turntablists including DJ Shadow, DJ Z-Trip and DJ AM. On some tracks you’ll even be able to chuck in a mic or Guitar Hero axe in order to rap or riff, respectively. Proper musicianship or not, it sounds like a hoot.

 
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Apple iPod Nano 5G
Camcorder-cum-ipod
from R2 000 / www.apple.co.za

“Who wants a camera on a mobile phone?” everybody cried the first time they caught sight of a snapper-sporting blower back in the early noughties. Less than a decade later and a camera-less mobile is about as welcome as a Blu-ray player at an HD DVD fan club meeting. How times change. So who needs a Flip-style video camera on their MP3 player? Who needs a bigger 5.5cm screen, built-in speaker and a voice recorder? Who needs an FM radio (with live pausing) and a pedometer? Nobody. But in six months you might wonder how you ever managed without them.
The iPod Nano 5G doesn’t feel much different from its predecessor, but there are a lot more goodies packed inside. The tiny video camera is no match for the likes of a Vado HD, as it only grabs VGA footage, but the joy of the convergence is convenience. The lens itself is slightly awkwardly placed for portrait shots, but landscape shooting makes the most of the new bigger screen anyway. Plug the Nano 5G into your Mac or PC and you can sling your videos on to YouTube with one click. Nice.

Samsung Pixon12 12 of the best R7 500 / www.zastore.co.za The quest to cram more megapixels into mobiles has the whiff of an old-fashioned arms race. However, this is one cold war that’s rapidly hotting up. Since Sony Ericsson announced the 12MP Satio, Samsung has fired back with the Pixon12. It also packs a dozen megapixels, coupling them with a 3.1in (7.6cm) AMOLED touchscreen, a 28mm lens and a xenon flash. Video comes in a threatening 720×480, 30fps format. But, there’s no use having an evil payload of images and videos if you can’t deliver them: Samsung’s Share Pix along with Wi-Fi and HSDPA see to that, firing them straight to the likes of Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and Photobucket.

Ferrari 458 Italia The successor to a legend Rtba (due mid 2010) / www.ferrari.co.za True legends know when to call it a day. They have a built-in doomsday clock that ticks down until it’s time to jack it in and let the new breed step up to the plate. It’s a talent the wheezing dad-rock peddlers of the Rolling Stones lack, but Ferrari has in spades. This is the 458 Italia, the successor to its legendary F430. Those curves, those massive brakes – and that engine… It’s a 4.5-litre V8 that produces 562bhp, will scream its way up to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds and not stop pushing until way over 320km/h.

Nikon S1000pj World’s first Pico-packing cam R5 700 / www.nikon.co.za Is there anything more torturous than other people’s holiday snaps? Who wants to sit through endless shots of Uncle Gerry with his top off eating a Cornetto in Knysna? You will, if they’re being shown to you on a 12MP Nikon S1000pj – the first compact camera to come with a built-in pico projector. Hit the button and it’ll beam the snaps and hi-def videos held within onto a wall at a size of up to 40in. Great, unless all you’ve got to look at is Gerry.

The Beatles: Rock Band Rock on R590 / www.thebeatlesrockband.com We have been waiting for The Beatles to move into the 21st century for a while now and The Beatles: Rock Band brings them there with a vengeance. Expect a massive revival in interest in the greatest band ever from children whose parents weren’t alive when the Fab Four were together. Downloadable content means that you can add to the selection of tunes that ship with the game. If you don’t have a guitar and drums already the Limited Edition ships with some cool Beatles-themed kit. You also need to invest in some extra microphones to harmonise properly.

Batman’s other phone Nokia X6 Rtba / www.nokia.co.za Nokia’s first touchscreen phone appeared in the last Batman flick as a crime-busting accessory, but failed to live up to expectations. The X6 is a damn decent second attempt at a top-end multimedia phone to rival, dare we say it, the iPhone. If you’re going to lay claim to the multimedia crown, you’ve got to have the brawn to back it up. The X6 has boosted its built-in storage capacity to a generous 32GB, and has the all-important 3.5mm jack for your own headphones. It Comes With Music, so you can download music directly via HSDPA or Wi-Fi, has a 5MP camera and a 16:9, widescreen format 7.6 cm screen.

 
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For more information on Stuff, including upcoming features and advertising rates, click here.

 
 
For more information on Stuff, including upcoming features and advertising rates, click here.

Sony HX1
R7 800
www.sony.co.za

Panoramic photos are tricky. The end result may be an arresting, breathtaking picture, but the clumsy process required to snap a widescreen wonder can be fiddly. That’s why Sony has developed a new Sweep Panorama mode, which automatically stitches together a series of high-speed images as you pan the camera lens across a super-wide subject. And should you want to focus in on a specific detail, the 9MP HX1 has 20x optical zoom, as well as 1080p hi-def video to capture any moving subjects.

 

Acer Aspire One 751h
R6 000
www.acer.co.za

The netbook market is now as congested as the trunk of a flu-stricken elephant. They can’t get smaller without seriously compromising usability, so one way to stand out is to go bigger. Acer’s 751h comes with an Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a multi-card reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HSDPA. There’s also an 11.6in (29.5cm), 1366×768-pixel display and claimed 8-hour battery life, but the clincher could be that combo of net connectivity and a jumbo hard drive.

 

eGo Portable drive
320GB (R1 300) and 500GB (R1 800)
www.iomega.co.za

The first generation of eGo drives reminded Stuff of sophisticated hip flasks, which may say more about our drinking habits than about the eGo. Sadly, the new incarnation – though more rugged and manly – has corners too rounded to serve that purpose. But Iomega has more than made up for that with a plethora of software and services that make the actual drive just the tip of the iceberg you’re buying. The eGo ships with a six-month licence for McAfee VirusScan Plus, 2GB of free storage on the MozyHome Online Backup service, and two backup packages. Maybe the next model will ship with a shot glass.

 

TomTom Go 630
R3 200

A great little package from TomTom. With its 4.3inch (10.1cm) widescreen and handy new twist-off mount, the 630’s natural competitor is Garmin’s excellent Nuvi 205W. Both offer extra features at entry-level prices, but we think the 630 wins its class, just because it offers decent hands-free Bluetooth, the killer app. And the twist-off mount is handy for slipping the 630 into your briefcase on business trips.

 

Nokia E75
R6 000

The best Nokia Communicator yet, and a compact, powerful messaging phone that is slim enough to get lost in a pocket. It’s still all about business, but with a 3.2MP camera, VGA video now at 30fps and N-Gage gaming support, there’s just a tad of crossover appeal to the E75.
The Communicator range has always enjoyed special status as the first smartphone. This incarnation cleverly advances the combination of keypads with a conventional alphanumeric outside and a slide-out Qwerty keypad for thumbing. Arguably the best combination of both must-have interfaces. Once the keyboard slides out, the interface swings sideways. This gives you more real estate on the 2.4in (6cm) QVGA display, and the soft keys remain in place with the relevant menu shortcuts. It’s a clever use of the screen – but are we justified in asking why it couldn’t be a touchscreen? The E75 does multimedia very well, and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack is a relief. You listening, Sony Ericsson?

 
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