Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FX500, their first 3-inch touch-screen digital camera

Also features a 25mm ultra-wide-angle Leica DC lens, 5x optical zoom and 10.1 megapixels. The system can be control with both touch-screen and joystick. The camera can record High Definition video.

“With the FX500’s touch-screen operation, we are giving our consumers a new interface that we think will prove extremely intuitive during playback, photo organization and of course – helping to take high-quality photos,” said Alex Fried, National Marketing Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company.


In playback mode, a new Easy Organization menu allows for photos to be selected and viewed by scrolling through the thumbnails located below the main window. Then, users can edit the titles using an on-screen keyboard.

Another new feature in the FX500 is Auto Focus (AF) tracking, tracks the photo subject even if it moves after the AF is set – especially helpful for catching active children or pets.

Key Features
*Intelligent Exposure – Adjusting over/under exposure in photos

*Digital Red-eye Correction– Incorporated into the built-in flash, the camera emits a small preliminary flash before the main flash, detects red-eye and digitally corrects it.

*MEGA O.I.S. – Gyro sensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image.

*Intelligent ISO – Determines if the photo subject is moving and changes the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly.

*Intelligent Scene Selector – Senses the ambient conditions, recognizes the shooting environment and automatically selects the appropriate scene mode from: Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode.

*Face Detection – Detects faces anywhere in the frame and automatically chooses the optimal focus and exposure settings so portraits come out clear and crisp. Detecting up to 15 faces, Panasonic’s Face Detection can even track a face if the subject is moving.

*Continuous AF – Maintains focus on the subject even without the user pressing a shutter button halfway, thus minimizing the AF time.

The ability to take 1280 x 720p HD video content and still photos with a 16:9 aspect ratio, perfect for viewing on an HDTV.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FX500 will be available in black and silver models for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $399.95 in May 2008.

Via Panasonic press

Motorola to split into two companies

Motorola plans to split into two companies. Motorola's sales, who created the mobile phone market 25 years ago, are in decline for the past four quarters as Apple and Nokia are the company's main competitors.

One company will focus on handsets and the other will sell network equipment, cable TV set-top boxes and two-way radios - areas that are profitable and growing faster.

Miami Herald

Yahoo, Google, MySpace form nonprofit OpenSocial Foundation

Google, Yahoo, and News Corp.'s MySpace.com announced on teusday (March 25) that they have formed the OpenSocial Foundation, a nonprofit group to support the OpenSocial initiative that Google started last year to promote a universal standard for developer applications on social-networking sites.

The OpenSocial Foundation is supposed to be formed within 90 days with more partners about to join the three companies. The idea is to maintain a standard that will last and is neutral.


Cnet News
OpenSocial.org

Fingertip ring USB Optical Mouse

This mouse is supposed to solve the problem of space at the office or when you travel by train, bus or plane. Works by strapping to the index finger with a button operated by thumb and a scroll wheel as well.

They point out that it can get a while to get used to the idea of vertical finger operated mouse, and that it's not for applications that demand precision like photoshop or action games.

Price is $7.91

DealExtreme

EA signs with Massive to offer in-game advertising on Xbox 360 and PC games

Agreement enables integration of in-game advertising and premium video game content into long-term campaign planning and media buying processes.

Electronic Arts and Massive, a sub company of Microsoft that specializing in video game advertising, announced an expansion and two-year extension of their agreement to offer dynamic in-game advertising for EA video games. That means playing the EA titles like Madden NFL football, NBA LIVE basketball, NASCAR racing and NHL hockey and the Need for Speed series on their online network with in-game ads.

I wonder if that means cutting the prices of console and pc games, or just adding to the revenue of the companies involved?

Microsoft press release

Six-core Intel processor coming this year

The next step in processor design, according to Intel is scalable cores, from two to up to eight.

The six-core Dunnington server CPU platform using Penryn architecture , with 16 Mb of L3 cache, goes into production this summer. That will be the last of Intel x86 processor with a front side bus (CPU linked to memory on a separate circuit). After that, the Nehalem architecture, in the fourth quarter of this year, will present simultaneous multi threading: the ability for each core to process two threads at the same time. Not alternately(hyper threading), but at the same time.

Via BetaNews

Motorola presenting alternative, clean power solutions

With the demand for energy consumption growing, there is also the concern for the affect on the environment.

Motorola presents this high speed mobile broadband including HSxPA and WiMAX. Two of these alternatives are fuel cell and reflow batteries. Motorola presented, for the first time, the usage of fuel cell to operate a WiMAX base station. The company tested successfully the solar and wind powered cell sites in UK and Namibia. The demand for this solution is more apparent in developed and emerging market with a shortage of generating power or lack of power grid infrastructure, for example, rural areas.

Online video site Hulu goes live

Hulu is a joined effort of News Corporation and NBC to enter the free video sharing market. The site, completely funded by ads, launched March 15 and features 250 full-length episodes of TV series and 100 feature films and also hundreds of shorter videos.

There are content deals with Warner Bros. and Lionsgate.

The guardian article mentions that in order for this project to be a major player in online TV content they should partner with CBS and Disney/ABC. I can't see NBC joining with rival TV networks.

The Guardian

Dell offers abuse-ready rugged notebooks

Dell unveiled its first fully rugged laptop, Dell Latitude XFR D630. The company promises to deliver extreme durability without compromising on performance.
The laptop, available for government and commercial purposes is available in the US starting at $3,899.
The Latitude XFR meets the stiff standards of the department of defense for products that operate in extreme conditions (temperature, moisture and altitude for example)

The XFR features
* Five times more data durability of leading competitors with solid state drives
* Latitude ExpressCharge charges batteries at least 30 minutes faster than competitors
* Outdoor readable screen at 500 nits
* Integrated resistive touch technology to easily interface with the system
* Shock isolated mounting to help protect hard drive, LCD and core electronic elements
* Dual locking butterfly mechanisms for easy access to components
* Sealed keyboard designed to withstand driving rain and dust

Dell press release

Logitech X-240 affordable Speaker System

The Logitech X-240 speakers system is a 2.1 system with a 15 watt subwoofer and two 5 watt satellites speakers and a wired remote to cradle most MP3 players.

The sound quality - don't plan to plug it to anything other than your desktop computer, but it is good enough for the price tag - $50.

Wired

Apple reports: 100,000 developers downloaded the iPhone SDK

Apple reported that over 100,000 downloaded the iPhone software development kit.

The SDK enables third-party developers to create games, business software and other applications specifically for iPhone.

One of the games developers are hoping to build is Electronic Arts game 'Spore', the much anticipated title from Will Wright co-founder of Maxis, and the creator of Simcity and Sims.

Cnet News

Apple and Nike anounced new generation of Nike+

Next generation of of Nike+ will not only communicate with your shoes but also with other gym equipment such as stationary bikes, treadmills. All this data, like the previous versions, will be recorded and you will be able to upload to a computer or Nike site through iTunes, for process and monitoring.


NikeBiz

Philips' new wireless stereo

The Philips WAC3500D is targeted for the budget price costumers. It has 80GB hard drive, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, a CD player and it'll stream music from your PC, enable you to dock your iPod or broadcast music to Philips' capable products. The hard drive can rip your music to MP3s.

Supported codecs include WMA and MP3.
Speakers: 2x40W 5" woofer
The price is 230 pounds (around $455).

Source: Crave

Intel announces Intel Atom Brand for new family of low-power processors

Designed for New Internet Devices, Low-Cost PCs.

This new, low-powered proccesor designed specifically for mobile Internet devices, and a line of affordable Internet-centric computers arriving later this year. The company also announced the Intel Centrino Atom processor, consisting of multiple chips for optimal Internet experience in a pocketable device.



The proccesor specific design for small devices and low power, maintains the Intel Core 2 Duo instruction set consumers are used to on the standard PCs and the internet. Includes support for multiple threads and increased system responsiveness. The chip is Intel's smallest and lowest power processor, with 47 million transistors in an area the size of an American penny.

Press release

Panasonic to release in April the world's first 32GB SDHC memory card

This card is capable of storing up to 12 Hours of HD Video.

This 32GB SD High Capacity memory card, RP-SDV32GU1K, has a Class 6 speed specification.

The new card is ideal for HD video recording, with the increasing demand for High Definition Camcorders. With Toshiba's SDHC video cameras, this card can record 12 hours of 1440x1080i HD video in HE mode, and around 4 hours of 1920x1080i full HD video in HA mode. The class 6 speed allows data transfer speeds of up to 20 MB/s.

The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $699.

Press release

Apple Introduces New MacBook and MacBook Pro Models

Multi-Touch Trackpad Comes to MacBook Pro

Apple updated the line of MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo. 2 GB ram are now standard in most models. Also, the MacBook pro includes the latest NVIDIA graphics processors with up to 512MB of memory, up to 300GB of hard drive, and Apple's new Multi-Touch trackpad that was introduced in MacBook Air, with Multi-Touch gesture support for pinch, rotate and swipe - making it more intuitive and efficient to zoom and rotate photos, browse webpages etc. The entire line include a built-in iSight video camera, Apple’s MagSafe® Power Adapter that safely disconnects when under strain and built-in 802.11n wireless networking. The illuminated keyboard is ideal for dimly lit enviroments.

The new MacBook

The prices starting at $1,099, the new MacBook lineup comes in three models and includes faster processors and larger hard drives across the line; sleek white 2.1 GHz and 2.4 GHz models with 120GB or 160GB 5400 rpm hard drives and a stunning black 2.4 GHz model with a massive 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive, previously only available as an option. The 2.4 GHz MacBook models ship with 2GB of memory standard, expandable up to 4GB across the line.

The new MacBook Pro

A few configurations (more on the link):

The 2.1 GHz, 13-inch white MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,099 (US), includes:

* 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display;
* 2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
* Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Scrolling trackpad; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.4 GHz, 13-inch black MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

* 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
* Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Scrolling trackpad; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.4 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

* 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 LCD display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 200GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.


The 2.5 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:

* 17-inch widescreen 1680 x 1050 LCD display;
* 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
* 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard; and
* 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

Apple Press Release

Nokia presents: flex your Cell

The Morph phone in open mode

Nokia introduced a flexible mobile. The Morph phone has been developed by Nokia and nanotechnology experts at Cambridge University, and was recently unveiled at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

The phone can be used as keyboard when laid flat. While folded it turns into very thin mobile phone, or into a bracelet worn wirelessly connected to a headset.

The Morph phone in wrist mode

"All of the elements of the phone are reflected in real projects that are going on here," said Professor Mark Welland, head of the nanoscience group at Cambridge University and director of the Nokia collaboration.

The joined effort of Cambridge University and Nokia, which involves 10 researchers from the company and 25 Cambridge scientists, goes further than just an accessory. Manipulating materials on atomic level, create devices that never get wet - because they repel water effectively - or can sense their surroundings, being able to tell whether food is off or measure the temperature of the people wearing them.

Via: The Guardian