Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD Review

Pioneer Kuro models have been the best plasma TV models on the market for quite a while. They have the deepest black levels you can see in a plasma TV or any other type of HDTV for that matter. The side effect of having such deep black levels is a positive one: you get great contrast ratio and color reproduction and that means a superb picture. However, because they are the best they cost more money than other plasma TV models. Considering the quality it is worth it though.

Without putting much weight on the price factor and focusing instead on picture quality, we pick Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD as one of the best plasma TVs of 2008. As opposed to last year’s Pioneer Plasma TVs, this year Pioneer Kuro models are not lacking just some extra fancy features. The Elite models are significantly better, but if you are not ready to pay the price for them, the regular Kuro models - as PDP-5020FD - are the next best models you can buy.

Specifications:

• Screen size: 50 inch (that’s what the “50” in PDP-5020FD stands for)
• Resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p / Full-HD – designated by “FD” in PDP-5020FD, the rule applies to all models, “HD” being used for Pioneer’s 720p displays).

For the full list of specifications see Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD product page on Pioneer site.

Pros:

• Absolutely outstanding black levels and detail in dark areas. The black levels are very good even in well lit environments.
• Very good contrast.
• Great overall picture quality (even though base colors are not absolutely perfect).
• Visible improvement in quality over its predecessor.
• Very good anti-reflective screen.
• Optimum Mode is a nice feature for the average user.
• Network connectivity and ability to play content from a computer or USB memory.

Cons:

• Fewer controls for fine tuning than its predecessor. The lack of color and temperature controls is the biggest minus for this plasma TV.
• Slightly inaccurate color reproduction for base colors. This is however very hard if not impossible to distinguish with naked eye when watching real content (movies, TV).
• Probably the price, though to be honest I think PDP-5020FD it’s worth the money. The MSRP might scare some people because it’s pretty high compared to top of the line Panasonic models but in practice the difference is not that big – you can find the PDP-5020FD at a good price if you look around.

Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD Picture Quality

Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD is one of the new models making part of Pioneer’s 2008 generation. Though the HDTV as a whole is new, the actual display (panel) isn’t. It is pretty much the same type of panel found in the older Pioneer models like PDP-5010FD. However Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD picture quality is much better than that of its older brother. This might make you raise an eyebrow but it’s true.

Five times deeper blacks

By developing better video processing and filtering electronics Pioneer managed to obtain better black levels without having to develop a new display. This is even more impressive when we take into consideration the fact that the new Pioneer Kuro HDTVs manage to produce five times (5X) deeper black levels than their predecessors. That is something pretty impressive especially that its predecessors ware the best HDTVs on the market last year.

Superb Picture Quality

Those deep black levels have the side effect to give better contrast ratio and color saturation. And like that wasn’t enough, Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD has one more ace in its sleeve: Optimum Mode – a setting that makes the Kuro dynamically adapt to the environment. More precisely, it has a built in sensor that detects the amount of ambient light in the room and automatically adapts the picture so it looks best in that environment. Same thing happens on the audio part. That is very convenient since you don’t have to manually change the setting to get the best picture. Of course, the purist among us will probably prefer to calibrate it by hand especially if they maintain a constant ambient light in the room – like it is the case with people who have a dedicated home theater room. By calibrating the plasma TV and using Movie Mode instead of Optimum Mode you can get more consistent picture quality. While Optimum Mode is a great feature for those who don’t want to bother much with calibration and the setting, it does mess up with the picture (something common to all automatic/inteligent modes of HDTVs).

SD Content

As one might expect from a top quality plasma TV as Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD, standard definition content looks good. Of course you can’t expect miracles but the video processing and filtering system of this plasma TV does a good job. In Optimum Mode it’s actually pretty good at eliminating noise and while you may prefer not to use Optimum Mode for HD content you fill find it a good choice for SD content.

Great Anti-Reflective Screen

Anti-Reflection or Anti-Glare is a characteristic of a screen that prevents it from reflecting light. This is usually achieved by coating the screen with an anti-reflective layer. Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020HD has a great anti-reflective screen – one of the best as a matter of fact. It is so good that even in a very well lit room you get minimal glare and the detail amount in dark areas is not affected. Just so you know, its predecessor has the same type of anti-reflective screen (which is natural since they share the same panel).

Keep the lights out!

If you really want to get the best from this TV you should know that you get the best picture from it in a low light room or even totally dark. As opposed to LCD TVs which look better in well lit rooms, Plasma TVs give you a better picture in a low light environment. By no means should you think that it performs badly in a well lit room because it’s not the case. Thanks to the very good anti-reflective screen it performs very well even when it is a lot of light. However if you watch it with lights turned off or with dimmed lights it’s absolutely fantastic.

Features & Connectivity

A New, Redesigned GUI

Other than the Optimum Mode, the new PDP-5020FD comes with a new GUI (graphical user interface) which Pioneer redesigned for improved ease of navigation. This is not something on which will base your buying decision but I guess it does add up to the other qualities of PDP-5020FD. Normally I would not have even discussed about this because I don’t find it important but it happens that I actually like it. Most HDTVs have a GUI consisting of an semitransparent overlay over the actual picture. Pioneer Kuro’s new GUI doesn’t have the semitransparent overlay but a filled black background which makes the text appear sharper.

Detachable Stereo Speakers & Audio Quality

Regarding audio, Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD comes with a detachable bottom speaker and integrated audio amplifier. The amplifier is a 2×18W which matches the two stereo speakers each hawing 18W. If you want to use a separate home theater audio system you can conveniently remove the bottom speakers. You can configure the sound settings per A/V mode or per input so for example you can have different settings for your Blu Ray player than the ones for TV.

The audio quality of the speakers, as you may expect, doesn’t match the one of a high-end home-theater audio system. However for watching TV is very good and if your budget doesn’t allow you to buy a separate home theater audio system I am sure you will find the audio quality good enough even for HD movies. If you’re a more serious movie enthusiast however I am sure you will want a 5.1 system or something that gives more spatiality to the sound.

Connectivity

On the connectivity part Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD has plenty. You get 4 HDMI inputs, 1 component, 3 composite, 1 S-Video, a PC connector and even USB and Ethernet (10/100 Base-T). That pretty much covers all your connectivity needs.

Home Media Gallery

Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD as I said above has an Ethernet connector. That is used in conjunction with Home Media Gallery which gives the plasma TV network compatibility (designed according to DLNA™ 1.5 guidelines). The Home Media Gallery can play some of the most popular audio, video and image formats. This feature of PDP-5020FD gives it a few of the features of a HTPC (Home Theater PC) which are quite nice to have. You will need of course a PC to which to connect it. It is not uncommon to want to watch the photos you have made in holiday on your Plasma TV and the USB support and Home Media Gallery allows you to do that very easy.

Built-in Tuner

Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD does come with an integrated NTSC (analog) & ATSC (digital) tuner with clear QAM so you can just hook up a feed and you’re ready to watch TV.

Tip:Usually if a plasma TV contains “HDTV” in its name it has a built-in tuner. For displays without a tuner, FCC requires the manufacturers to describe them as “monitors” instead of “HDTVs”.

Miscellaneous

It is thinner than it’s predecessors by about 20% - it is 3.7 inch deep. I don’t think it’s a big deal but it’s worth mentioning.

The usual anti burn-in features – pixel orbiter and white wash. Useful to keep the plasma TV burn-in free. Chances of burn-in are slim to none on such a new model. You would have to really abuse it to get burn-in. However such features are always welcome.

It also comes with a remote as you might expect. It is backlit and it has buttons on it. When you push the buttons it makes crazy animal noises like elephants, chimps, cows, etc. OK, I made that up but you have to admit it would be funny (for the first 2 minutes).

Pinnacle Systems PCTV HD mini Stick

, Brilliant HDTV and 100% DIGITAL

Pinnacle PCTV HD mini Stick is an ultra-compact, USB-powered TV tuner that’s the perfect match for super-slim laptops. The integrated signal booster improves reception sensitivity even if the signal isn’t strong. The easy-to-use TVCenter Pro software lets you watch, TimeShift and record TV. You can enjoy TV in full-screen mode or in a scalable window while using other applications. PCTV HD mini Stick comes with a mini remote control and high-gain telescopic antenna.

* Ultra-compact HDTV tuner stick with super-strong reception
* Watch free HDTV on your PC – no service fees
* Supports both digital over-the-air TV (ATSC1) and unencrypted digital cable TV (ClearQAM2)
* Includes mini-remote control and high-gain telescopic antenna
* Turns your PC into a PVR with TimeShifting: pause, rewind TV
* Stereo sound
* Electronic Program Guide (EPG3)
* Automatically record shows to your hard drive in MPEG-1/2 or DivX4 formats, or direct-to-DVD
* Compatible with Windows Media Center5 (Windows Vista™ Home Premium or Ultimate; remote kit sold separately)
* New: built-in slide-cap to protect the USB connector
* New: integrated signal booster improves sensitivity for over-the-air HDTV reception
* Bonus: VideoSpin video editing software
* Bonus: travel bag

Price
Windows Version: $119.99
Mac Version: $129.99

Check Engine Light On? CarMD May Have Your Answer

Adopted as a government mandate to lower emissions, the “Check Engine” light comes on when a vehicle’s computer detects a problem that impacts emissions output.

All 1996 and newer cars, light trucks, SUVs and minivans manufactured for use in the U.S. have this technology. It can signify anything from a loose gas cap to a major car repair expense. You can diagnose the problem yourself and more importantly with CarMD, You can receive an estimation of the cost to fix it. There is no doubt that access to this information can save you time and money, especially when reviewing your mechanic’s repair estimate.

Most mechanics charge $55-$100 to run a diagnostic on your car when a “Check Engine” light comes on. With CarMD, you can use the same basic technology to diagnose the health of your car at home, and print out an easy-to-understand PC report detailing the severity of the problem and how much it should fairly cost to fix it.

The power of the CarMD handheld tester

You can use the tester to monitor and maintain the health of your 1996 and newer car, light truck, minivan and/or SUV for the life of your vehicle.

The red, yellow and green indicator lights help you instantly diagnose the health of your, your family’s, even your neighbor’s vehicles. For example, CarMD can help you to:

	Examine a used car before buying The green, yellow and red lights on the CarMD tester can tell you if the used car you’re considering is jewel, a possible lemon, or a big red flag.
	Give your vehicle a clean bill of health before road trips Again, watch the lights. Green = go, Yellow = proceed with caution, Red = consult your mechanic.
	Pre-”smog” test your car Yellow or red lights mean you may not pass a state emissions test. Be sure to consult your mechanic.

The combined power of the handheld tester and CarMD.com

By combining the tester and website, CarMD can provide you with more specific information about what’s ailing your vehicle. Each tester you purchase lets you register up to 3 vehicles and run up to 6 diagnostic reports a month. These reports empower you to:

Know why your vehicle’s “Check Engine” light is on The handheld tester can read your vehicle’s computer and upload that information to your PC via the CarMD website, allowing you to diagnose your vehicle’s health quickly and easily. A green light means you’re good to go. Yellow light or red light? You can run a diagnostic report to find out what’s ailing your vehicle, likely repairs and estimated repair costs. To view a sample report click on What Do I Get.

Get a second opinion on your mechanic’s report Take your diagnostic report to your mechanic to help ensure they have located the source of your car’s pain and are planning to send you a fair bill.

These are just a few of the many uses for CarMD. Click to learn more about What You Get with CarMD

Available at www.carmd.com

Palm Treo Pro

Palm proves it’s still in the smartphone game with the new Treo Pro. After a trip down memory lane earlier this year with the entry-level Centro running Palm OS, Palm returns to Windows Mobile with the Treo Pro (also known as the Treo 850).

The Treo Pro runs WM 6.1 and has a 400 MHz Qualcomm processor with 256 MB of RAM. It has a 2.5-inch display, with the resolution boosted to 320×320.

The Pro also comes in 85millimetres thinner and 20grams lighter than the Treo 750. The Treo Pro is a touchscreen device but is no iPhone-killer. It’s not intended to be - it has its sights set on the BlackBerry crowd. Palm has made a few modifications to the clunky Windows Mobile interface, such as a new screen saver displaying the time, missed calls and messages. Palm has also licensed HTC’s drop-down Task Manager, which makes it easy to access advanced settings and kill applications running in the background.

The phone has Palm’s standard, five-way rocker interface surrounded by four function keys plus answer and end. There are also dedicated volume, camera, wi-fi and mute buttons as well as a stylus. The keys are slightly smaller than those on the 750 but still OK. Anyone doing a lot of text entry should consider a phone with a slide-out qwerty keyboard.

The Treo Pro’s key new features are GPS (stand-alone and assisted) plus 802.11b/g wi-fi with WPA, WPA2, and 801.1x authentication. The Pro also has a quad-band GSM, tri-band UMTS device compatible with EDGE and HSDPA networks - to be used as a wireless broadband modem “tethered” to your notebook. It also has Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR, infra-red, 256MB of onboard storage and a microSDHC card slot supporting cards up to 32GB.

Initially available only from Telstra, the Treo Pro runs on the high-speed Next G network and comes bundled with a range of Telstra services including the Whereis Navigator sat-nav software. Whereis Navigator is far more impressive than Nokia Maps on the Nokia N96, which took us on a wild goose chase last week.

The Treo Pro’s screen is difficult to read in direct sunlight, but not impossible. The phone has a 2-megapixel camera with video capture but no front camera for video calls. This is the first Treo with a 3.5-millimetre headphone jack, but the trade-off is the loss of the multi-connector in favour of microUSB for charging and synching.

Bundled software includes mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger, Windows Media Player and Adobe Reader. IE Mobile struggles with complex sites; we’d suggest downloading Mobile Opera (opera.com/products/mobile). The email, calendar, threaded SMS and contacts features are acceptable but clunky.

The mail client supports POP3, IMAP and Microsoft’s Direct Push technology. The Treo Pro is a solid business tool but Palm needs to improve its multimedia and web offerings to fend off BlackBerry and the iPhone 3G.

Palm’s Treo Pro retails for $929

Xperia X1 phone: Pricey and overloaded with options

What kind of smart phone can $800 buy?The luxe Xperia X1 from Sony Ericsson.
At this price, it probably appeals only to recession-resistant gadget lovers, but it says something about what some gadget makers think consumers would want if money were no object.

In this instance, what you get is more sleek sheath than intelligent innards. Its glut of options makes it pokey and difficult to navigate.

Out of the box, the device is pure eye candy, with a black or silver metal-and-plastic body, crisp 3-inch touch screen and slightly curved QWERTY keyboard that slides out smoothly with a satisfying click. The X1 has minimal included memory, so you’ll need a sizable microSD card if you want to access lots of songs, videos and photos on it; a 4 gigabyte card was used during testing, which was enough for plenty of content.

But even before it was turned on, the whopping number of choices to be made would make many nervous. One would be more confused about the phone’s operations than excited about the freedom to use it as one pleases.

When the phone went on sale recently at Sony Style stores and on the Sony Style Web site, it came unlocked, providing access to a variety of carriers. In the United States, you can slide in a SIM card for AT&T or T-Mobile and it should work with their 3G networks.

Then, there was the assortment of 11 buttons on the X1’s face, including a center button that can select items or work as an optical joystick, which scrolls with a finger swipe.

Beyond the button bounty, you can navigate the X1 by tapping its screen with your finger or with a stylus. The stylus was often the best way to go, as the device’s many options are often presented in small text that is difficult to accurately jab at with an index finger.

The X1 uses Windows Mobile 6.1 as its operating system, but Sony Ericsson developed a variety of customized enhancements that run on top of it. Most notable is the stylish panel interface, which consists of up to nine small rectangles you can customize and use to view different applications or media on the device in different ways.

The panel idea is cool, and it’s a nice way to differentiate the X1 from the slew of touch-screen phones that have been released this year, since each rectangle leads to a variety of options instead of just a single application. Panels were used for conducting Google searches, listening to the built-in FM radio and checking out the songs and videos that were stored on the X1.

However, the panel interface still sits atop Windows Mobile, which offers its own methods for listening to tunes or watching videos. It’s hard to understand why anyone would want so many options.

That said, the inclusion of Windows Mobile does mean that if you’re familiar with it, you won’t have much trouble navigating the X1 once you find and click the “Start” tab in the upper right corner of one of the panels. Business users can synchronize the phone with their PCs and get e-mail from their Microsoft Outlook account pushed straight to the phone - something that can make it difficult to switch to a more consumer-friendly phone like the iPhone or the G1, which uses Google Inc.’s Android operating system.

And there are several cool features on the X1. Though the iPhone has a larger screen, the X1’s touch screen sports a sharper resolution. As such, videos look quite good, and it was fun to watch some clips of “The Simpsons.” You can also stream some content from the Internet, such as videos from YouTube, and adjust video sizes to make lesser-quality clips look more palatable.

The X1 also has a standard headphone jack, which is becoming increasingly common on smart phones and makes a big difference to music fans like myself.

Surfing the Web is easy on the X1, and, as with videos, online content looks very good on the screen. The phone includes the Internet Explorer Mobile and Opera Mobile browsers, and having more than one option here is appreciated.

The built-in 3.2-megapixel camera takes good photos and can also be used for videos. Phone calls sounded impressively clear - for $800, they’d better - and if you can find a friend whose phone also supports it, there is a video calling option.

Still, some issues with the X1 often overshadowed the fun. Many times it seemed fairly slow to open applications or complete actions, displaying the multicolored Windows while it processed the request. Even without slowdowns, it usually took several steps to complete a simple action.

The X1 is a gorgeous device. But even if you can afford it, dealing with its overabundance of choices would, in the words of Dewey Finn from “School of Rock,” test your head and your mind and your brain, too.

Xperia X1 at a glance

WHAT IT IS: The $800 Xperia X1 smart phone from Sony Ericsson.

WHAT IT DOES: It has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, sharp 3-inch touch screen and a long list of features that includes Web surfing and video recording. It uses Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile 6.1 as its operating system and has customized enhancements developed by Sony Ericsson.

THE BOTTOM LINE: You may have fun watching YouTube videos, making calls and listening to music on the X1, but its steep price tag puts it out of reach for many gadget fans. And its overabundance of options makes

it somewhat slow and hard to navigate.

Intel, Micron Move into Mass Production 34nm SSD

Intel Corporation and Micron Technology Inc. today announced mass production of their jointly developed 34nm, 32 gigabit multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory device. Developed and manufactured by the companies’ NAND flash joint venture, IM Flash Technologies (IMFT), the process technology is the most advanced process available on the market and enables the industry’s only monolithic 32 Gb NAND chip that fits into a standard 48-lead thin small-outline package (TSOP). The companies are ahead of schedule with 34nm NAND production, expecting their Lehi facility to have transitioned more than 50 percent of its capacity to 34nm by year’s end.

“We have made great strides in NAND process capability and are now in a leadership role with 34nm production,” said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron’s Memory Group. “The tiny 34nm, 32 Gb chip enables our customers to easily increase their NAND storage capacity for a number of consumer and computing products.”

“The results from IMFT continue to exceed our expectations,” said Randy Wilhelm, vice president and general manager, Intel NAND Solutions Group. “With such clear leadership in NAND manufacturing, we are able to offer our customers NAND solutions with great value, performance and low power.”

The 34nm, 32 Gb chips are manufactured on 300 mm wafers. Measuring just 172mm², less than the size of a thumbnail, the 34nm, 32 Gb chip will cost-effectively enable high-density solid-state storage in small form factor applications including digital cameras, personal music players and digital camcorders. Additionally, the chip will enable more cost-effective solid-state drives, dramatically increasing their current storage capacity.

The companies also plan to begin sampling lower density multi-level cell (MLC) and single-level cell (SLC) products using the 34nm process technology in early 2009.

This follows Samsung’s announcement last week that it had begun mass-producing 256GB solid-state drives.

Future Outlook Smart Meters

Inside a white-brick house nestled in Houston’s leafy Montrose neighborhood, a gray handheld video display sits on the living room coffee table. But this is no ordinary remote control. Called the Insight and made by Tendril, a Boulder startup, the device communicates wirelessly with the home’s utility meter,

Tendril’s smart Meters are coming to your home and you may be surprised to know what it will mean for homeowners. Although seen as cutting edge in North America, Smart Meters have been in existence in Europe since 2000 (Italy). They are being installed in California, British Columbia, New Zealand, Australia, and many other countries, states and provinces.

The Smart Meter monitors the electrical energy used every minute of the day and night, reporting back to the utility companies so that electrical power generation planning can be optimized for efficiency with greater knowledge of power-use trends, and the ability to plan electrical loads more in advance than is presently possible. This implies a number of things, firstly, the utility can charge the user more accurately for the cheap and the expensive electricity, rather than charge everyone a blended average as they do right now in some jurisdictions (like British Columbia). Secondly, the electrical energy user can choose to use power hungry electrical items in peak (expensive) periods or off-peak (cheaper) times. Generally, though not always, the peak times correspond to higher greenhouse gas emissions too.

In North America, when Smart Meters are introduced, they will be part of a ‘time-of-use’ pricing structure that will reflect more closely the prices paid by the utility for electricity. The utility company has to fire-up, or ramp-up, power stations when there is peak demand and so the average price of electricity during this period is actually higher than at other times. The utility companies may also buy extra power from across the border in the US or from adjacent provinces, either way the price of electrical energy during peak times costs more.

The price is usually the lowest over night and at the weekend because the demand is lower. Prices will also change dependent upon the season, as the general demand for electricity also changes. In the Canadian province of Ontario, as an example, the summer weekdays have the highest energy prices in the afternoon, largely due to greater air-conditioning use so the on-peak rate is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. During weekends, holidays and overnight, the prices are lower. Winter weekdays have an electrical energy price peak twice, in the early morning and in the evening, mainly due to space heating, plus increased lighting and appliance use.

The Smart Meters will also show a household how much electricity each appliance is using as you switch them on or off, so the homeowner, and all the rest of the family, can make choices about how much electrical energy they want to use or conserve and at what times. Homeowners will be able to see how much electrical energy is being used by a clothes dryer, air-conditioning unit, electric heating, electric stove, water heater and all the ‘vampire’ appliances.

In some instances, with bi-directional information flow and utility control authorization, your future home may have its air conditioning and other heavy use applications tweaked by the utility company to avoid extreme high peak demand. The utility company could theoretically adjust the temperature set points of your air conditioning for example, or shut off power to some, or all appliances, in an emergency.

Rather than leave it up to the utility company to decide things, why not decide yourself. Tendril Insight is an in-home display that communicates directly with your energy provider so homeowners can see and control their home energy use in real-time. The Insight provides real-time bill information, and can tell you the impact of the various items consuming power in your home from both a financial and environmental perspective.

Smart Meters make sense, as they are the best way to be energy efficient and economical at the same time. Knowing how much energy appliance use is costing, and then knowing the financial cost and finally the green house gas cost might encourage people to be inclined to make some value–based decisions and reduce their overall energy consumption.

The Smart Meter is just the start of the merging of information technology, wireless networking of the home electrical appliances and the efficient use of electrical power, designed to save costs and the environment.

Asus’s Eee Top touch screen

Touted to be the best computer for beginners, Asus Eee Top touch screen  ET1603 has come up with a plug and play touch screen desktop – Eee Top . It features an exclusive Easy Mode within Windows that makes commonly-used applications easily accessible.
Web link: Asus

The Eee Top may have the tiny footprint of a slim LCD monitor, but it is massive in terms of features. Among its rich complement of features are Wi-Fi 802.11n connectivity for speedy and reliable Internet access, and an integrated 1.3 megapixel web camera and microphone for convenient web conferencing.

Its svelte design allows it to fit into the most space-starved of settings, and its sleek, modern looks allow it to blend in nicely with contemporary interiors. It operates at a hushed 26 dB* and yet remains extremely cool, thanks to its unique cooling system, collectively known as ASUS Tranquiller Technology.It comes with a sharp and vibrant widescreen (16:9) LCD, and the Eee Top is a full-fledged entertainment center. Splendid Video Intelligence Technology ensures that the display remains vivid and clear regardless of environmental lighting, and SRS technology works in tandem with the Eee Top´s built-in high fidelity speakers to deliver crystal clear audio. For added graphics power, the Eee Top ET1603 features a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD3450 graphics solution, enabling the system to run graphically-intensive 3D applications and games more fluidly.

Tying in all of the Eee Top´s multimedia capabilities is Eee Cinema, a rich-featured multimedia center that will enhance your enjoyment of photos, videos, music and movies. Eee Cinema puts the ability to browse, select and play all of your media at your fingertips. In idle mode. As a point of reference, Eee Top ET16 Series touchscreen computers (26 dB) are virtually as quiet as unoccupied broadcast studios (20 dB).

Logitech Squeezebox Boom

Plug it in. Turn it on. Rock the house.
Introducing Logitech Squeezebox Boom: the compact all-in-one network music player that combines award-winning Logitech Squeezebox functionality with an integrated amplifier and speakers to deliver crystal clear sound—in any room in your home.

There are no additional accessories needed, or network cables to connect. Just plug it in, follow the setup wizard, and enjoy your digital music collection.

ASUS Introduces Fastest Business PDA Phone in the World

800 MHz Processor-equipped ASUS P565 Glides through Resource-intensive Tasks with Effortless Ease and Style

Taipei, Taiwan, November 14, 2008 – ASUS today introduced the ASUS P565, a business PDA phone that boasts an 800 MHz processor—the fastest in the world at the time of this announcement. Featuring ASUS’ latest touch-driven user interface—Glide—the stylish, leather-accented P565 delivers graphics and system performance beyond anything else on the market at present, posting Vsbenchmark scores almost two times that of competing products in its class. This enables the P565 to glide through resource-intensive tasks effortlessly and to handle heavy multitasking exceptionally well—making it ideal for businesspeople who demand uncompromising performance and maximum speed from their productivity tools. Rounding off its impressive feature set is a 2.8″ touchscreen running at a high resolution of 480 x 640 pixels, delivering an unprecedented degree of clarity that does wonders for both personal photographs and spreadsheets.

Gliding to New Heights of Productivity
The ASUS P565 is geared toward the business community. The coupling of an 800 MHz processor and Glide—an innovative touch-responsive user interface exclusive to select ASUS PDA phones—makes for a powerful, productivity-boosting combination. The fast processor renders the P565 particularly amenable to multitasking, while Glide enables users to switch between tasks rapidly with their fingertips. The P565 also comes with a potent suite of business-oriented features and software, including push mail, business card recognition and Microsoft Office Mobile. Other useful applications such as Anytime Launcher and Multi-Home enable users to view their calendars, the times of local and visiting cities, weather reports, online news and much more—all with an intuitive tap, slide or flick of their fingers.

Unprecedented Clarity with High-resolution Touchscreen
The ASUS P565 is equipped with a 2.8″ VGA (480 by 640 pixels) high-resolution touchscreen that delivers unprecedented clarity and brilliance. Photographs look crisper and more true-to-life, while minute details in business documents, such as the individual cells in spreadsheets, are reproduced much more clearly—reducing eye fatigue over periods of prolonged use.

Air of Bespoke Exclusivity
The ASUS P565 is designed to leave a deep and lasting impression. Its battery lid is lined with black synthetic leather, commanding instant respect and attention. The leather contrasts nicely with the P565’s modern, high-gloss face, and lends the phone a natural tactility and evocative appeal that elevates it far above other phones on the market.

About Glide
Glide is a revolutionary touch-responsive user interface that enables users to perform a variety of navigational actions—such as selecting, zooming, scrolling and flipping—easily through simple flicks of their fingers. Incorporated into Glide are also applications that enable users to access a wide range of functions such as looking up the latest news, checking the weather forecast, viewing photo slideshows and listening to music within a few finger taps. These applications, dubbed Multi-Home, Anytime Launcher, EziPhoto, and EziMusic, give the expression “the world at your fingertips” a whole new meaning. For more information on Glide, visit http://event.asus.com/mobile/glide/.

Specifications

Networks	HSDPA 3.6Mbps, UMTS 2100, EDGE/GPRS/GSM 900/1800/1900, Class 10
Operating System	Microsoft Windows® Mobile 6.1™ Professional
Color	Black
Form factor	Bar type
Dimensions	102 mm x 60.5 mm x 16 mm
Weight	120 g (with battery)
Standby Time	250-300 hrs with 3G and 200-250 hrs with 2G**
Talk Time	3 hrs with 3G and 4 hrs with 2G**
Display	2.8″ TFT, 65K-color Touchscreen, VGA (480 x 640 pixels)
Processor	Marvell TavorP 800 MHz
Memory	256 MB Flash + 128 MB DDR SDRAM
Expansion Slot	MicroSD with SDHC support
Connectivity	WLAN 802.11b+g , USB v1.1(FS), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
WAP Browser	HTTP / WAP 1.2.1/2.0
Messaging	SMS / MMS / Email / MSN / Push E-mail
Battery	1300 mAh Li-Ion
GPS	SiRF Star III with InstantFix
Business Applications
PIM	Word (editor), Excel (editor), PowerPoint (viewer), Windows® Live, MSN, Voice Commander* and Push Email (Exchange Server).
Other Features	Anytime Launcher, ASUS Today, EziMusic, EziPhoto, Business Card Recognition and PDF viewer*.
Multimedia and Entertainment
Camera	3 M Pixel Auto Focus (Main) 300 K Pixel for Video Telephony (Sub)
Video	Record:MPEG4@QVGA 24fps / H.263@QCIF 24fps Playback:MPEG4@QVGA 30fps / H.263@QCIF 30fps Audio/Video Streaming
Picture Format	JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP
Audio Format	MP3, WMA, 3GP, AAC, and AAC+
Ringtone	MP3 / MIDI
JAVA	J2ME (CLDC 1.1 + MIDP2.0)

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