Marantz have unleashed their first Blu-Ray player, the BD8002, on the world, well actually only on the UK at the moment, but hopefully the rest of the world will get a look-see soon. Marantz gear is usually pretty top-notch so we shouldn’t expect anything different from their first Blu-Ray player, and certainly Marantz are not talking down their latest puppy’s capabilities
With an unrivalled Full High Definition 1080p image, and the ability to output Blu-ray discs at true film-like 24 frames per second, your favourite movies have never looked more life-like and crystal clear.
Marketing blurb aside, here are the hard facts on the BD8002
* Universal HD player
* Profile 1.1
* Built in decoders Dolby Digital+ / Dolby TrueHD / DTS HD / Dolby Digital / DTS
* Handles CD / CD-R/RW
* Upscales DVD-V / DVD-R/RW / DVD+R / DivX Ultra to 1080p
* And of course perfectly plays back BD format
* Also handles mp3 and wmv files
* Video outputs include HMDI 1.3a, Composite Out, S-Video Out, Component Out
* Audio outputs Analogue Out, Digital Coaxial Out, Digital Optical Out
* Channels 2 / 5.1 / 7.1
* 440 x 402 x 140 mm
* 10.5 kg
* 1920 x 1080p resolution with True24FPS for a film-like experience in the home
Well it certainly looks the part doesn’t it, but it comes with a hefty price tag of GBP1800 which is around US$2500, so we’re not talking bargain basement. We’re hoping the old adage, you get what you pay for holds true though and plus Marantz’s repuatation re quality gear, the BD8002 should add up to an awesome Blu-Ray player, even if the bank manager disagrees.
T-Mobile has just unleashed the 2009 version of their WinMo smartphone, the Shadow. It actually looks kinda cool with its ‘White Mint’ body and cool looks are not normally associated with a smartphone, especially on a previous Shadow version. The unit has a slide out 20 key QWERTY keyboard and a 2.2 inch QVGA display. Here are the rest of the bells and whistles
* Wi-Fi and Mobile calling with seamless switching
* 2.0 Mp camera (video capable)
* Stereo Bluetooth connectivity
* MS Outlook synch
* Send and receive emails
* Picture and Text messaging
* Micro SD slot for memory expansion
* Yahoo, MSN and AOL Instant Messaging
* EDGE & Wi-Fi connectivity
* Music player
* 2.1 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
* 5.3 oz
* Up to 7 hours of talk time
* Up to 7 days of stand by time
* 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz quad band connectivity
The stand out feature of the Shadow has to be the price tag though. Rocking in at US$150 after auto rebate and mail-in rebate but of course with the obligatory 2 year plan. Not bad for a smartphone and a cool looking one at that. Yeah, we like the Shadow, but do you?
If you’re still having doubts, here’s a video clip of the T-Mobile Shadow at CES 2009 from MobileBurn
And just to prove it’s speed the MSI GT627 sports a red go-faster strip around its base. It also has a cunning little ‘turbo’ button on the keyboard
With MSI exclusive Turbo Drive Engine Technology, while the GT627 is in AC mode, just touch the turbo button above the keyboard and you can increase the speed of your CPU. Your computer will run smoothly to the very best of its abilities.
Almost makes you think that a pair of furry dice should be hanging from the top of the display, well, may be not. Anyway what else does this little mover sport
* Windows Vista Home Premium
* Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor
* 15.4″ TFT-LCD Display
* 4 Gb DDR2 667/800Mhz memory
* 1 GB nVIDIA Geforce 9800M GS 3D Graphic Card
* 2.0 Mp Webcam
* 802.11 n WiFi connectivity
* 10/100/1000 LAN connectivity
* HDMI output
* 4 in 1 card reader
* 3 USB 2.0 ports
* Express card slot
* 160/250/320 GB SATA HDD options
* DVD Super-Multi / Blu-Ray Optical Drive
* 6 or 9 cell battery
* 358 x 260 x 27-31 mm
* 2.7 kg
Not a bad set of specs for a gaming unit, but unfortunately we have no price tag as yet. We’re guessing not cheap but gaming enthusiasts tend not to worry about minor little details like dollars, focusing more the on unit’s specs. So the MSI GT627 may be a little winner in the making.
Nothing official yet on the much touted 8 Mp camera phone from Samsung originally named S8300, but a few more details have been leaked. The S8300 slider now has a new moniker, namely Loches plus a few bells and whistles as follows
* 2.8 inch OLED touch screen with a WQVGA resolution
* 12 key keypad
* TouchWiz interface
* accelerometer for auto screen rotation
* 3G handset with HSPDA support
* GPS
* Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity
* 60 MB memory
* microSD slot
* 8.1 megapixel camera for stills and video
* Music player
* FM radio
* 12.8 mm thick
Needless to say no pricing or release date are available yet, but everyone seems to think the Samsung Loches will be launched at the Mobile World Congress in Spain in February.
We must admit we’re not too excited about this 8 Mp camera phone – if we want a decent camera we’d, err, buy a camera. But obviously Samsung are aiming the Loches at the camera phone market, because other than the camera, the Loches is quite unremarkable. Good luck with that one Sammy.
More accustomed to manufacturing memory, Corsair have now delved into the more permanent storage arena in the way of an SSD drive, namely the S128. The unit needless to say has a 128 GB capacity and apparently is the first of many SSD from Corsair. The read and write speeds of the S128 are quoted as 90 and 70 MB/sec respectively. Whilst these speeds are pretty run of the mill the unit does boast a Samsung controller which according to Custom PC, is almost twice as fast as the more often used JMicron 602 controller.
Unfortunately the Samsung controller’s are more expensive than the JMicron counterparts and consequently the Corsair S128 is sporting a price tag of GBP326 (US$450) over at Scan. Yet again the old adage of you get what you pay for springs to mind.
US Cellular are currently offering the LG Wine (aka UX280) cellphone for a modest US$30 after mail-in rebate and with a two year shackle associated with the unit. The Wine is a snazzy little clamshell unit aimed squarely at folks who just want a straight forward cellphone but has a good look to it too. Here are the bells and whistles on the LG Wine
* CDMA dual band (800/1900 MHz)
* Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity
* 1.3 Mp camera
* Voice recognition
* Up to 4 hours of talk time
* Up to 7 days on standby
* 3.89 x 1.93 x .66 inches
* 2.2 inch 240 x 320 res internal display
* 128 x 160 res external display
* GPS Enabled
* Other features include Speakerphone, Calendar, Calculator, Alarm Clock
Nothing major in there, apart from that $30 price tag, but if a basic phone is all you’re after the Wine may be just what you’re looking for. It also comes in two snazzy colours, white and red needless to say! The Wine’s never going to be a world beater but has some good looks especially for a cellphone in this area of the cellular marketplace.
At first look the LG Lotus looks like an early design for a cellphone, a little bit hideous or a design gone horribly wrong. Yet here it is, a modern cellphone that looks, well just kinda weird. All due credit to the designer on the functionality front, QWERTY keyboard, internal and external displays, yet a square cellphone, what was he thinking or should we say drinking? But hey we’re not ones to get hung up on looks, what about the details?
* QWERTY keyboard
* Sprint One Click customised home screen
* SD slot for up to 12 GB of memory
* 2.0 Mp camera for stills and action
* NFL Mobile Live access
* Sprint Music Store
* GPS
* Web and email capable
* Speakerphone
* Blue-tooth connectivity
* Dual displays
* 3.3″ x 2.4″ x 0.7″
* 3.7 oz
* 5.5 hours of talk-time
* Text, Pic and Video Messaging
* MP3 player
All that for US$100 over at Sprint with black or purple options plus that good old two year plan. If you’re dead set on an unshackled unit, that’ll be US$300 thank you very much.
So is 2009 the year to be square? Well, obviously LG think so and we’re gonna take our hats off to them for coming up with such a unique design, but we’re just not sure if the LG Lotus is gonna sell.
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