TechTalk: Exploring the Latest Technology News, Updates, Reviews, and Gossip

Access to product upgrades are one of the perks of being in the tech industry. If you've come across a great product, you can't wait to see what the company’s going to come up with next. For instance, Nokia's E61 and then the E62 made Symbian a force to reckon with in the business world, and the upgraded and slimmer E61i with a 2MP camera took it a step further. And now the E71 is here. This time Nokia's gone beyond a step – it's a big leap, in fact. Form Factor The design is superb.The E71 seems to be a culmination of elegance, style, and class, with functionality kept utmost in mind. I think its steel shell gives it a macho look and feel. The display may be a little smaller than the E61i at 2.36 inches, but on the whole the E71’s specs are way better. The QWERTY keypad looks rather compressed, however, and will take a bit of getting used to. But the five-way nav-pad and relevant shortcut keys are located for easy accessibility. The prominent bottom portion of the ...

The PMP is called the Creative Zen Mosaic. It has a rather chic design for a small PMP with features that include MP3/WMA playback as well as Windows Media DRM 10 support. It also allows users to view their images in JPEG format and AVI video file formats as well. It also has a voice recording feature and an integrated FM radio. Another interesting feature that Creative has included is the Microsoft Outlook 4 ToDo list and appointment calendar, address book and syncing, so users can have all their schedules stored. The Mosaic weighs in at just 43g and has dimensions of 79.5×40.0×12.8mm. It’s available in 3 capacities – 8GB, 4GB and 2GB. According to Creative the PMP can provide users with up to 32 hours of music playback. It has 8 EQ presets and a custom 5 band manually adjustable graphic EQ as well as Smart Bass Boost. It also has in-built speakers to share music. The Mosaic comes equipped with a 1.8 -nch TFT color LCD sporting a resolution of 128 × 160 pixels. The second player that ...

Since our last Wi-Fi router review, the market in India has expanded steadily and the device has today become a mainstream product. This expansion has been made possible by companies such as Netgear, D-link, and Linksys, which have gradually introduced a wide variety of products for Wi-Fi networking in virtually all categories, at prices ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 7,500. Looking to capitalize on this burgeoning market, well-known networking company Belkin recently introduced its range of Wi-Fi products in the country. We spent some time testing the N1 Vision router, which happens to be the company's flagship model. So how did it fare? Read on to find out... The N1 Vision is one of the smartest looking candidates we've got for review. Unlike other drab routers, this one has tried to set itself apart by going in for a polished smooth finish. For starters it stands upright on a nicely designed silver base, while the body on the front has a smooth glossy finish similar to that off...

Sony Computer Entertainment’s 3D puzzle game ‘Echochrome’ is now available for the PSP at almost all major retailers across India. The game’s available for Rs. 999, and here’s a little about it: It’s a simple concept: guide your walker through a series of 3D black and white mazes. At first glance, it seems impossible: the mazes contain holes, dead-ends and impossible-to-reach walkways and you find yourself walking in circles. However, by using the simple controls, you can tilt your view of the world, and before you know it, what you see is what you get. By viewing the maze from a completely new angle, you create a completely new maze. Rotate the maze to make a hole disappear behind a column, create a new walkway or join a staircase to another walkway. With a little perseverance, you can manipulate the maze to walk wherever you like.

Forget PMPs, the best thing to kill time while traveling is a handheld gaming console. Whether it's a train commute or a flight abroad, a handheld game console will make the hours fly. If you find it hard to keep up with storylines and complex move lists because of your busy lifestyle, here are some games you can simply pick up and play, without the hassle of a learning curve. Our recommendations cover the two handheld consoles popular today. Five Favorite Games for the PSP There's only so much you can do on the PSP, considering it's an all-round portable entertainment unit – but it's games we're talking about in this article. The great thing about the PSP is that you have the option to keep any game on standby if something comes up in the middle of your gameplay, and resume when you're done. This is one reason why we've featured games that have a low learning curve. Let's start with the most obvious choice... Loco Roco This is the king of all pick-up an...

Washington (ANI): Latin actress Eva Longoria is busy piling on the pounds for her role in the upcoming season of Desperate Housewives. Longoria who plays high maintenance Gabrielle Solis in the show was seen with a larger frame and two kids in the last season. "I ate everything in sight - Pasta pappardelle and pizza. Oh, Tony and I went crazy this summer," Contactmusic quoted Longoria, as saying. Longoria, 33, who will also be sporting a bob in the show said her husband gave her the first snip before the reluctant hairstylist actually cut her hair. "I had to cut my hair for the show because Gabrielle has short hair. I wore a wig in the last episode, but I didn't want to wear a wig this whole season, so I was like, "I'm going to cut it," the actress said. "Kenny said, "Tony, you're going to do the first cut, so she can't be mad at me. Tony did the first snip. He did more and then he did more and then Kenny cleaned it up," Eva add...

Microsoft Corp. will let independent developers sell video games for the Xbox 360 console - and keep most of the profits - beginning this holiday season, the company said Tuesday. In a move to "democratize game development" and broaden the range of titles available for the Xbox 360, Microsoft said it will let game makers who are members of its $99-a-year XNA Creators Club submit their games for peer review. If they pass, the game creators can sell their work on the Xbox Live Marketplace, the console's online store. Microsoft had already announced in February it will make games developed by amateurs, hobbyists and students available for download on the Xbox 360's online service. But it did not say whether, and how, developers would be able to make money off their games. The new arrangement lets game makers pick a price tag between 200 and 800 "Microsoft Points" for their titles. Eight hundred of these points are roughly worth $10. Developers will receive up ...

This August will be three years since the first Walkman phone was launched. In celebration, Sony Ericsson has unveiled three new Walkman phones - the W902, The W595 and the W302. The W902 features a scratch-resistant 2.2" QVGA display, a 5 megapixel camera and music navigation keys. It comes bundled with headphones and an 8 GB Memory Stick Micro (M2). It is a UMTS/HSDPA 2100 and GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Volcanic Black, Wine Red and Earth Green in Q4 of 2008.

BenQ has unveiled its latest offering for the Indian market - the BenQ V2400W LCD monitor. The 24" widescreen monitor has the distinction of being the world’s slimmest LCD monitor in its category with its thickest point measuring just 24 mm. It's got a cool design with unexpected asymmetry and aerodynamic curves, with an overall mirror-black finish and a subtle blue LED. It's got HDMI with HDCP, DVI-D and VGA inputs. It has BenQ's proprietary Senseye+photo Human Vision Technology that enhances colors and five preset modes – Dynamic, Photo, Standard, Movie and sRGB. The V2400W LCD monitor is also NSTL-compliant. It has a response time of 4 ms while the contrast ratio is 4000:1. BenQ V2400W LCD monitor is available at BenQ IT Zones and through BenQ dealers for Rs. 25,000. Technorati Profile

Opera has released a beta version of its latest mobile browser, Opera Mobile 9.5. Available for Windows Mobile phones and some Series 60 handsets, the beta browser was released last week. The lower-end version of Opera's mobile browser is Opera Mini which, unlike Opera Mobile, is free. Opera Mobile 9.5 uses the same zoom technology as Opera Mini, but also allows the user to save pages and images. It also has a revamped user interface and is, according to Opera, "among the fastest browsers, if not the fastest". According to the company, Opera Mobile 9.5 is the most standards-compliant mobile browser available. However, Opera has warned those intending to download Opera Mobile 9.5 beta 1 that, being a beta, the browser does contain bugs and "may cause data loss or other unintended actions".

As DPFs go, the Kodak M1020 is one of the larger ones I’ve had the opportunity to review. While that holds true, it also comes equipped with some trendy technology that is taking this industry to a new level. Here’s what I have to say about the new DPF. Form Factor The M1020 has a large 10.2 inch aSi TFT active matrix display with an 800 x 480 pixel resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. What makes this DPF stand out are the touch-sensitive controls on the bottom and side of the display that offers users a slide control option for scanning through images. Kodak calls this Quick Touch technology. It's kind of like the iPhone's but on a really large scale. Do keep in mind that the screen isn’t touch-sensitive, however. It’s a very neat and slim design with no untidy buttons and slots. On the rear, at the top, is a power button, an SD card slot, and volume controls. There are two sockets on the side of the rear panel for audio in and audio out. A CF card slot, USB, and Mini USB port ...

Panasonic has introduced the Lumix DMC-FZ28 digital still camera, featuring a 27mm wide-angle Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens with an 18x optical zoom. The FZ28 also boasts 10.1 megapixel resolution. For image processing, the FZ28 features the Venus Engine IV that can snap off consecutive shots at 13 frames per second in High Speed Burst Shooting mode. In High Sensitivity mode, the FZ28 can capture photos with sensitivity up to ISO 6400 in extremely low light situations. The engine allows the FZ28 to shoot up to 460 photos (CIPA) on a single battery charge thanks to improvements in power efficiency. Panasonic’s iA (intelligent auto) mode, which makes it easy for anyone to take photos, has been further enhanced. The newly added AF Tracking function automatically tracks the subject once the AF has been set even if the subject moves around, making it easier to capture sharp, well-focused photos of decisive moments. The FZ28 continually monitors the light source and automatically activates the...

Panasonic has introduced two new cameras - the FX150 and the DMC-LX3. FX150 The FX150 is a 14.7-megapixel model, an addition to the Lumix FX Premium range of digital cameras. It is equipped with a 28mm wide-angle lens and comes with the Venus Engine IV allowing 330 pictures (CIPA) per battery charge. The FX150 offers easy manual control, letting users adjust the shutter speed as desired. The bracketing function includes the exposure bracketing available on previous models plus a new color bracketing function that can record color, monochromatic and sepia shots of an image at the same time with a single press of the shutter button. The FX150 also introduces a new multi-exposure function that creates an interesting artistic effect by superimposing up to three consecutively shot images, while the user views the previous image on the monitor. The FX150 features a 2.7-inch large LCD and can also record original picture data in RAW file format enabling the user to develop the image with the ...

IDLDPL has launched the YES YMP-91 MP5 player in India. Users can transfer RM and RMVB format video from internet sources to their MP5 players via the built-n USB 2.0 connector. Users can also upload digital books and novels to the player. The built-in SD, MMC card slots allow users to extend the 2 GB memory capacity of the MP5 player that features a compact and slim design with a 3-inch high definition LCD display. The device supports a wide range of digital formats including MP3/WMA/AAC/FLAC/APE/RM/RMVB/JPEG/BMP etc. It also features a slide show functionality. The player comes in black and offers a playing time of 16 hours for audio and 6 hours for video. It also features FM Radio and a voice recorder and comes bundled with a manual, earphones, USB cables and installation CD. Deepakraj Singh, Product Manager, YES, IDLDPL said, "YMP-91 is just not like any other MP5 player which is build on false statements. The gizmo being pocket and user friendly satisfies everybody's dema...

CherryPal Inc, has launched its cloud computer, that is a completely new type of PC with no moving parts and containing 80 percent fewer components. It uses only two watts of power and is designed to be highly secure. The CherryPal, which is currently available for pre-orders, retails for $249 and requires no monthly subscription fee and no other hidden costs. "Today's typical PC is based on a computing model created 25 years ago, before the Internet, web browsers and global warming," said CherryPal CEO Max Seybold. "We have developed a new computing model that makes CherryPal the easiest to use, greenest, most affordable computer available today." The CherryPal desktop consumes just two watts of power, compared to the 114 watts of power used by the average desktop machine, delivering a 98 percent decrease in energy consumption. Using 80 percent fewer components dramatically reduces the amount of resources it takes to manufacture a PC. Also, since there are no ...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Videogames are getting smarter with virtual enemies improvising during battles, storylines shifting based on moral choices and in-game characters sending players text messages for help. Titles unveiled at the just-concluded Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles feature artificial intelligence (AI), making in-game worlds more realistic and less predictable. "There was a lot we had to do," Peter Hines of Bethesda Softworks said as AFP tried the studio's eagerly-awaited "Fallout 3" shooter game, set in a post nuclear war Washington, DC. AI software in "Fallout 3" lets enemies change tactics depending on what players do. "They are being smart about being in a combat situation," Hines said. The game is also designed so that players' choices effect which computer-controlled factions become their allies or enemies. A "Project Origin" action horror game built by Monolith Productions for Warner Interactive Stu...

Amidst scores of entries, choosing a winner is always a problem. But we do have a winner of our Extreme PMP contest. Shalil Gagnani from Mumbai has won himself a Cowon A3. For those who didn't participate, maybe you should take a look at what the PMP can do in our reviews section and what you are missing. For those, who participated and didn't get lucky, well there's always a next time. We will be back with more contests for you. Till then good luck!!

MOSCOW - In the Soviet days, Russians asked their American friends to bring blue jeans, rock records and other Western goods into the country. Today Russians can buy almost anything they want here — but they are still begging for one item: Apple Inc.'s slick iPhone. The new iPhone went on sale in 21 countries July 11 and will soon be released in 70 nations. Officially, Russia and China are still on hold — neither last year's original iPhone nor the updated model have been launched in those countries because Apple is still negotiating with mobile service providers. And yet analysts estimate that only the U.S. has more iPhone users than Russia and China. In both countries, the device enjoys super-exclusive status, thanks to a thriving market for "unlocked" iPhones adapted for local use. Even Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has been seen using one. Moscow and Beijing have become an iPhone trader's paradise. Russian Web sites were offering the new 3G iPhone for abou...

Samsung has revealed their M150 entry level mobile handset. This simple yet seemingly good looking handset is equipped with a 1.77-inch LCD display that sports a 128 x 160 pixel resolution. It comes with 20MB of internal memory and a VGA camera that also supports MPEG4 video recording. Other features include an integrated FM radio and a music player that supports MP3, AAC, AAC+ and WMA audio file formats. If you think that those are all the features the phone has, you’d be wrong as the M150 also supports Bluetooth v2.0 and WAP. The price and availability of the M150 has not yet been disclosed although the worldwide launch of the handset will be sometime next month.

In the Soviet days, Russians asked their American friends to bring blue jeans, rock records and other Western goods into the country. Today Russians can buy almost anything they want here - but they are still begging for one item: Apple Inc.'s slick iPhone. The new iPhone went on sale in 21 countries July 11 and will soon be released in 70 nations. Officially, Russia and China are still on hold - neither last year's original iPhone nor the updated model have been launched in those countries because Apple is still negotiating with mobile service providers. And yet analysts estimate that only the U.S. has more iPhone users than Russia and China. In both countries, the device enjoys super-exclusive status, thanks to a thriving market for "unlocked" iPhones adapted for local use. Even Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has been seen using one. Moscow and Beijing have become an iPhone trader's paradise. Russian Web sites were offering the new 3G iPhone for about $1,200...

Intel Corporation is celebrating their anniversary today by looking 40 years in the past and 40 years into the future by unveiling the World Mural Project, a digital artwork that captures the vision of young people on how computers will transform the globe over the next 40 years. "Intel has a 40-year history of serial technology breakthroughs and innovation," said Intel CEO and President Paul Otellini. "When we introduced the microprocessor no one could have predicted that the market for PCs would be greater than 350 million units a year. Over the next 40 years Intel technology will be at the heart of breakthroughs that solve the big problems of health and environment. For Intel this is just the beginning of its journey." The World Mural Project is a Web-based digital art piece that includes visual and written contents from the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network – a worldwide after-school community-based technology learning program that enables youth in underserved c...

A digital camera is a must these days. If you ask me, I would suggest some amount of discretion when it comes to limiting your resources to one device, namely a high-end mobile phone. An MP3 player , a camera and your phone are exclusive, no matter how much people try to convince that convergence is the way to go. Even the cheapest digital camera will give better results than your phone cam. Today I will help you choose a camera that will give you value for money – at an affordable price. These cameras have been selected not for their form factor or jazzed-up looks; I've been rather more practical in my approach. Let’s go! Canon Powershot A590 Apart from being a complete one-point shooting solution, this one comes with the best manual controls this side of 12K. If you are a budding photographer, you will feel right at home. It’s got a slightly smaller LCD screen at 2.5-inch , but the megapixel count is 8.0 . The A590 offers 4x optical zoom , with optical image stabilization that al...

LOS ANGELES - A tough little blob must splash color over a town wallowing in gray. Bug-eyed rabbits do a dance routine. And then there's the "perfect equine farm" of wild horses for little girls to tame and train. These video games don't sound like anything that would grab a teenage boy's attention, and that's the point. They are part of an important expansion of the video game industry as it works to pull in women, girls and other demographics and cement its place as mainstream entertainment. A year ago at the E3 Media and Business Summit here in Los Angeles, Nintendo Co. declared that anyone can be a gamer, and that the company would break down the divide between hardcore players and those just beginning to dabble in interactive entertainment. While the divide still exists, games for people who don't fit into the stalwart category of 18-to-34-year-old men are a fast-growing segment of the $18 billion U.S. video game market. Analyst Michael Pachter of Wed...

Details about the additional content PlayStation 3 owners will get in BioShock were revealed by 2K Games earlier today. It seems the game will get 'Challenge Rooms' that require players to complete specific tasks and overcome obstacles using certain (maybe specific) plasmids and abilities. There isn’t anything else revealed about it yet, so when something pops up we’ll surely keep you updated. In the meanwhile, check out our BioShock review for the Xbox 360 and PC versions if you wish to know more about the game. You can even check out some of our BioShock wallpapers if you like.

Gigbyte has announced the launch of the EP45-Extreme series of motherboards that target the extreme overclocking segment of the motherboard market. The series currently consists of the GA-EP45T-EXTREME for DDR3 users and the GA-EP45-EXTREME for those who still prefer using DDR2 memory; both motherboards are based on Intel’s latest P45 Express chipset. Designed for extreme overclocking performance, the EP45-EXTREME series of motherboards supports Intel multi-core processors up to FSB 1600MHz, including the latest Intel 45nm processors. Other high bandwidth features include support for ATI CrossFireX Technology with 2 PCI Express 2.0 x 8 interfaces and dual LAN with teaming functionality for ultra bandwidth for gaming servers. The motherboards utilize Gigabyte’s unique Hybrid Silent-Pipe slot cooling system . This utilizes the natural convection of air inside and outside the chassis to cool down the North Bridge, South Bridge and CPU MOSFETs without the use of a fan. The Gigabyte H...

I was never skeptical when I first heard that Nokia decided to compete with Apple and jumped on the i-Killer bandwagon. But the Tube or rather the 5800 XpressMedia is making its mark all over the place. From videos on YouTube showcasing Nokia’s Touch Sensitive UI in ads and new technologies coming up to blockbuster movies the Tube is making the scene. It looks like we could expect it anytime soon. My fingers are crossed. As a bit of a spoiler, which might I add, you’ll get a chance to see a live working model of the Tube in the new Batman movie the Dark Knight and believe you me, though I seriously doubt the handset is capable of what they show, it still looks quite good.

I'd love to own a player that’s versatile enough to allow me to use it for all my media purposes. But having a DAP or a PMP that provides the same is one thing and one that does it well is obviously a horse of a different color. Philips GoGear has a long list of media devices that cater to some of these needs and a few that take care of all. The SA3025 has all the right features, but let me tell you how well those features measure up... Form Factor The SA3025 is a small and neat-looking PMP. It has a 1.5 inch display with a 128 x 128 pixel resolution . The five way nav-pad is stylish, and a separate ‘Return’ key takes you back to previous menus. The volume keys are on one side and the Hold switch and Power slider are on the other. You’ll find the mini USB port and 3.5mm earphone socket at the bottom, on either side of the strap loop. Features and Performance Starting at the top, the menus are no different than what you’d find in any other GoGear PMP with similar features. It’s...

Sony India, today announced the launch of its latest W, V and S series in the BRAVIA LCD television range. The new range includes several Full High Definition (HD) models introduced for the first time in these series. The new BRAVIA V and S series models offer new and improved features such as Bravia Engine 2, Intelligent Picture and MPEG Noise Reduction . The range also allows sports, movies and games with a high backlit picture, amplified and enhanced surround sound, and the convenience of sleep timer and picture freeze. At the heart of the new television range is the Bravia Engine 2, plus important features like Bravia Theater Sync. The most important part of this release is the Full HD(1920 x 1080) screen even for 40 inchers. I can't wait to check that out. "Recent trends in the world, call for screens with a more extensive color gamut for true representation of images on screen," said Masaru Tamagawa, Managing Director, Sony India "Bravia's wide color g...

One word sums up the announcements made by the Big Three gaming companies at the E3 this week: more. During their flashy news conferences, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony all announced plans for more games, more sequels, more exclusives, more connectivity and more ways for gamers to use their systems for stuff other than gaming. Such an escalation in enhancements is undoubtedly good news for existing owners of the Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3 consoles, as well as their handheld counterparts. However, the upgrades may leave the systems feeling less distinct than ever before. Similar features and comparative accessories could confuse financially strapped consumers looking to power up this holiday season. Microsoft kicked off E3 Monday at the Los Angeles Convention Center with a ceremony pitching the Xbox 360 as family-friendly. Perhaps the biggest announcement was a redesign of the console's interface, which will allow users to create avatars that can interact with each other and pla...

Towards the end of Sony’s E3 Press Conference today, the company announced a new project Zipper Interative's working on called Massive Action Game or MAG (which is the placeholder title), that will allow up to 256 players to participate in online battles . The trailer shown seemed like it was CG (computer generated) and not in-game footage, suggesting that the game might be in very early stages of development. From what was revealed however, it seems the game will have character growth somewhat similar to MMOGs (massive multiplayer online games), while delivering “an intense and long lasting shooter experience". The game will be so intense, that it’s said to be "a workout even for the PS3 architecture", which says a lot.

Logitech has introduced a Cordless Keyboard for the Wii - an accessory for chat-oriented games and the Wii Internet Channel. With its slim design and 2.4 GHz wireless technology, Logitech's new keyboard for Wii enables a natural typing experience for easy communication, browsing and searching. "One of the big reasons Wii has been so successful is the social element of the games and applications," said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech's director of product marketing for gaming. "Our new keyboard helps families experience the Internet in the living room – and it will make chatting with online friends simple in popular games, such as Animal Crossing." The Logitech Cordless Keyboard for Wii provides special system keys – such as Zoom In/Out, Forward/Back, Quit and OK and has a polished white finish to complement the design of the Wii game console. To set up keyboard users have to just plug the mini-receiver into the console. The receiver can be snapped into the back o...

NEW YORK - In a nod to privacy complaints, Viacom Inc. won't be told the identities of individuals who watch video clips on the popular video-sharing site YouTube. Viacom and other copyright holders have agreed to let YouTube mask user IDs and Internet addresses when Google Inc.'s online video site hands over viewership records in a $1 billion lawsuit accusing YouTube of enabling copyright infringement. A federal judge ordered the database produced in a July 1 ruling widely criticized by privacy activists. "We remain committed to protecting your privacy and we'll continue to fight for your right to share and broadcast your work on YouTube," the company said in a blog posting late Monday disclosing the agreement. Viacom is seeking at least $1 billion in damages from Google, saying YouTube built its business by infringing copyrights on Viacom shows, which include Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob ...