Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 8 for the iDevice range

Bang & Olufsen is a name that has long been associated with superior audio quality, and if you can afford their stuff, then it is rather safe to say that you are flush with cash to spare on big boys’ toys. The latest device from Banh & Olufsen to hit the market would be the BeoSound 8, where this unique docking station will cater for the latest range of iDevices, including the iPod touch, iPad and iPhone.

This will be the first product of such of its kind from Bang & Olufsen’s stables, where the BeoSound 8 defies industry standards as it features a distinct two dimensional design, bold form, and a superior sound quality thanks to its custom-made conical speakers and high-performance amplifiers. Not only that, it will be directly compatible with the iPad, so you need not have to grapple with stuff like additional wires and adapters, resulting in a clean, minimalist design that pleases the eye.

BoxWave's Keyboard Buddy

BoxWave is stepping in to make your life complete on the iPhone. The BoxWave Keyboard Buddy Case is just what it sounds like, a Bluetooth keyboard embedded in an iPhone 4 case, only instead of flipping out like the TK-421 or slide-tilting like the ultra-bulky Nuu Mini Key, BoxWave's solution is a simple sliding affair that adds very little to the iPhone 4's profile and hardly anything to its footprint.

Also, it's your buddy. It'll start shipping next month, and it's a little spendy at $70, but can you really put a price on the flattery of imitation?

Apple's new Macbook Air

Inspired by iPad, the new MacBook Air features all-flash storage, full Multi-Touch support, a long-lasting battery, and a high-resolution display.

Since the laptop's launch back in the heady days of 2008, it has been considered a niche, high-end product and much less a mainstream system. Originally, the wafer-thin (and somewhat underpowered) laptop sold for a painful starting price of $1,799. We've come a long way from Apple's original play, with two all-new models of the Air. The first is an update to the standard 13.3-inch model priced at a significantly cheaper $1,299, while the newest entrant to the MacBook family is a tiny 11.6-inch model that's nearly the size of an iPad -- and not wildly more expensive, starting at $999.

The new MacBook Airs don't look wildly different than their predecessors, but they certainly feel more solid than previous generations. Besides having trimmed down here and there, Apple's unibody construction seems more fully realized on these laptops, and holding one in your hand (or on your lap) definitely promotes a feeling of confidence in build quality. The laptops have been trimmed down -- the 13.3-inch model measures just 12.8 inches by 8.94 inches (with a thickness of 0.68 inches tapering to 0.11 inches at its smallest point), and weighs a meager 2.9 pounds. The minuscule 11.6-inch version, meanwhile, is just 11.8 inches by 7.56 inches, and weighs 2.3 pounds. We spent a lot of our time with the junior laptop, and we can tell you that even next to its big brother, it does feel amazingly small and light. On the other hand, the new 13 is much more of an iterative refinement of the previous-gen Air -- they're virtually the same size, with the new Air just a hair thinner than the outgoing model, but its squared-off sides and sharper edges make it feel a bit more compact, and Apple's buttonless trackpad replaces the older single-button affair. It's weird, but the old 13-inch Air almost seems chubby in comparison to the new model.

Inside the 13.3, the base configuration is a 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo CPU (yes, the very same as the previous version), an NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated GPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. Those options can be changed to include a 2.13GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. The 11.6 comes in even lower, starting out with a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, the same GeForce 320M, 2GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD, and can be bumped to 1.6GHz, 4GB of RAM, and 128GBs of storage. One thing to point out -- the "SSD" chips are not enclosed in a drive housing, and Apple simply refers to them as flash storage. We tested the 11.6-inch with the base 1.4GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, and the 13.3-inch with a 1.83GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

Definitely a must have for road warriors and apple evangelists alike.

Canon EOS 7D

The EOS 7D is Canon's current semi-pro dSLR. This camera has an 18-megapixel CMOS sensor and uses dual DIGIC 4 image processors, to provide extraordinary image quality and quick rendering. The 7D also includes an advanced, high-definition movie mode that can capture 1080p video at 30, 24, or 25 frames per second. This is a body-only listing.

Specifications:

- 18-megapixel CMOS sensor
- Dual DIGIC 4 image processors
- High-definition movie mode (1080p, 720p)
- CompactFlash memory card storage

If you're planning on using it for more than just snapshots, absolutely. If you're going to take photography, maybe a film class, the 7D is outstanding for it's high resolution and 1080p HD video. But if you're looking as a camera to enter with and shoot your experience in school, it may be overkill. The XSi is a good entry level option. Spend the rest of the money you would've dropped on good fast high quality lenses and then when you're ready to upgrade to a more advanced body, you've already invested in the glass, so you're good to go.

JAMO iPod Premium Speaker System

Fact. Even though iPods and other wireless media players work with compressed formats such as MP3 and WMA, potentially they can deliver very high quality sound… but only if you know how to make the best of it.

With a properly engineered sound system the iPod can easily become either the secondary or even primary music source in a home.

That was exactly the thinking when Jamo launched the i300 iPod-compatible subwoofer/satellite system, a groundbreaking product that has gone on to win numerous accolades and awards worldwide. Point proven...

Want to mount it up and out of the way on the wall? No problem with the i200. Danish female design team Smedegaard and Weiss (who also designed Jamo’s sleek DMR60 CD/DVD receiver and the sensual A 30/ A 70 series speakers) have ensured maximum versatility when it comes to placement for the i200.

A spring-loaded docking bay takes all dock-able variants of iPod (thanks to a wide, supplied selection of inserts) and charges them automatically. Those with non dock-able 1st/2nd generation iPods (and indeed any other MP3 player/music playing mobile phone) can make use of the auxiliary audio input to get hooked up.

Supplied with an elegant wand-type remote control this system offers a frequency response of 120hz-20kHz and sounds, well, exceedingly musical.

Bass-friends who want even more slam can turn to the sub-out connection, to which they can connect an active subwoofer. The same connection can also be used to output audio to the JamoLink multi-room system and distribute your tunes around the house.

Available in black or white finishes the Jamo i200 iPod-compatible sound system brings high quality sound to kitchens, offices and bedrooms, without imposing itself on rooms. Good news, we think…

WD Elements Play 2TB Media Player

Western Digital may have gained its fortune from making and selling storage solutions, and while it definitely focuses on this business outlet, it is not limited to it. In fact, the company deals in a variety of other things, such as media players like the Elements Play line. Nevertheless, WD's strong suit remains storage, HDD in particular,, and the outfit decided it would leverage its expertise to maximize the appeal of this media player series.

The hardware and consumer electronics maker has only just unveiled the line and it did so with stealth, not issuing a press release or other form of announcement. Basically, the Elements Play is a high-capacity all-in-one media player that handles a variety of file formats in quality of up to Full HD 1080p. The list of supported video and audio codecs and formats includes RMVB, H264, MKV and Monkey's Audio, among others.

The main asset of the electronic is, predictably, its storage space. For storing files internally, Western Digital gave it a hard disk drive of no less than 2TB. Needless to say, this will allow users to load a significant number of movies or other types of videos onto it. Other specifications include camera compatibility, DVD complete menu navigation, music playlist support for PLS, M3U, WPL file types, Multi-language subtitle support and video preview. What's more, the device can play a selected media automatically, has digital optical audio and supports SPDIF and Dolby Digital native playback.

The Full HD-ready Elements Play is compatible with AAC, MP3, JPEG, USB 2.0, Energy Star, Real Media, HDMI, SimplayHD, H.264, MKV and Dolby Digital.

The WD Elements mediaplayer is currently on sale at SVP www.svp.co.uk for only GBP. 138:-

Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device

Amazon latest Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device comes with a 9.7" Display, wifi connection, 4GB internal storage and weighs in at just 18.9 ounces.

Read on a single charge for up to 1 week with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to 2 weeks. Fully charges in approximately 4 hours via the included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.

Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), PDF, TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.

iPod Touch - an iPhone experience without a SIM card

Another "got to have" gadget from Apple is the latest iPod Touch.

Apple unveiled the 4th generation iPod Touch on September 1, 2010 and comes with almost all the goodies in the new iPhone 4 apart from a SIM slot.

It features Apple's Retina display and two cameras; one for FaceTime and the other for photos and HD video recording.

It also contains Apple's A4 for faster processing, a microphone for communication and voice memos and a three-axis gyroscopic sensor which enables the device to recognize approximately how far, fast, and in which direction it has moved in space.

The device ships with iOS 4.1, which adds Game Center to iOS along with the ability to use FaceTime through Wi-Fi.

iPhone 4 vs Iphone 3GS

So you already have an iPhone 3GS but are thinking of upgrading to the new iPhone 4. So how does the iPhone 4 stand up against the iPhone 3GS when it comes to specifications?

So here’s the main differences in those specs. iPhone 3GS has a 600 MHZ processor with 256MB RAM and the iPhone 4 hits back with a 1GHZ processor and 512MB RAM. iPhone 3GS storage capacity is 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, iPhone 4 is 16GB 32GB.

iPhone 3GS gives a talk time of 5 hours while the iPhone 4 delivers 7 hours. iPhone 3GS Camera is 3 megapixels while iPhone 4 is a 5 megapixel camera. iPhone 3GS video recording is VGA with Tap to Focus while iPhone 4 has HD with Tap to Focus, LED light and backside illumination.

Resolution on the iPhone 3GS is 480 x 320 with 163 ppi while the iPhone 4 is 960 x 640 with 326 ppi…iPhone 3GS measures 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm weighing 135 grams while the iPhone 4 measures 115.5 x 58.6 x 9.3mm weighing 137 grams.

iPad - the dream Apple product...almost there

I actually sent a message to Apple's R&D department back in 2002 and 2003 which outlined my dream Apple product - a phone, e-book reader and mp3 player all in one. Since then we have had the iPod, iPhone and now iPad. Though there is a model that utilizes 3G, it is still not practical to use as a phone, but with mobile internet and wifi we are almost there. This is the closest to my dream Apple product to date.

Key features

• Magnificent 9.7” capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity
• Optional 3G connectivity (data only)
• 1 GHz Apple A4 CPU
• iPhone OS 3.2
• 16/32/64 GB of onboard storage
• Weight of 680 grams (730 grams for the 3G version)
• Very slim 12.7mm waistline
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Haptics feedback
• 10 hours battery life and 1 month of stand-by
• Accelerometer and compass
• Compatible with every iPhone app without any modifications
• The cheapest version costs less than an unlocked iPhone
• iBook application
• The keyboard dock (purchased separately) easily converts the iPad into a nettop

RIM to Sell Tablet for Less Than $500 to Take On IPad

Research In Motion Ltd., moving into the tablet-computer market for the first time, said it will begin selling its BlackBerry PlayBook for less than $500, suggesting RIM may try to undercut Apple Inc.’s iPad.

The iPad starts at $499 for a model with 32 gigabytes of storage and Wi-Fi wireless technology. The price rises to $829 for a version with more storage that can connect directly to cellular-phone networks.

Samsung Galaxy Tab

Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy Tab 7 inch Android tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab has a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, a 1024 x 600 pixel TFT touchscreen display, and it will run Google Android 2.2. It has two cameras, one facing the front and another facing the back.

Samsung will offer a series of accessories including a Bluetooth keyboard, a docking station with HDMI output, and a car dock which you can use to turn the Galaxy Tab into a 7 inch GPS and entertainment unit.