Xperia Play meets shipping delays in UK, Vodafone and Three bump launch to next week

Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play isn't having the best of starts in the world, having been delayed by UK carrier O2 due to "software issues," and it's now missing its targeted launch date of April 1st with two more of the local operators, Vodafone and Three. Both have today announced that, due to shipping issues, they won't be able to meet tomorrow's launch date - leaving only Orange on track to release it on time. T-Mobile, Orange's partner in Everything Everywhere, says it'll have the Xperia Play in "mid-April." Still, the wait isn't that much longer as Three hopes to sell you a Play "early next week" and Vodafone, a bit more cautiously, is shooting for availability "as soon as possible."

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Nanogenerators produce electricity by squeezing your fingers together, while you dance

It's been a while since we last heard about nanogenerators - you know, those insanely tiny fibers that could potentially be woven into your hoodie to juice up your smartphone. Dr. Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology has reported that he and his team of Einsteins constructed nanogenerators with enough energy to potentially power LCDs, LEDs and laser diodes by moving your various limbs. These micro-powerhouses - 1x500 the width of a single hair strand - are embedded with piezoelectric zinc oxide atoms and can generate electrical charges when flexed or strained. Wang and his team of researchers shoved a collection of their nanogenerators into a chip 1x4 the size of a stamp, stacked five of them on top of one another and can pinch the stack between their fingers to generate the output of two standard AA batteries - around 1.5 volts. Although it's not much, we're super excited at this point in development - imagine how convenient to charge your phone in your pocket sans the bulky battery add-ons. And that's only one application of this technology. Yea, we know.

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HTC Desire Android 2.3 Gingerbread update will arrive in the UK in April

UK mobile network operator Three has announced earlier, via Twitter, that the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for the original HTC Desire will become available for smartphones it sold sometime near the end of April, or perhaps the beginning of May at the latest.

Judging by the fact that carriers usually release such updates for their branded smartphones after unlocked devices have already received them, it's probably safe to assume that HTC Desire handsets bought in the UK SIM-free and unlocked will notify their owners that the update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread is available sometime during the month of April.

Also, we've previously heard that the HTC Desire, Desire HD, and Desire Z would get updated to Gingerbread after the Desire S had begun shipping. With thatalready happening, these tidbits of info line up nicely. As they do with the one claiming that the Desire HD will get updated in April. No word yet on the Desire Z specifically, though it seems pretty okay to assume that it too will start receiving the update sometime around April or May.

As for owners of the original HTC Desire, in a few weeks your phones will receive a new lease of life, so rejoice.

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Rollei Sportsline 60 Camouflage

Rollei has just dropped their newest water- and shockproof digital camera into the market. Called the Sportsline 60 Camouflage, this eye-catching camera is waterproof up to a depth of three meters and shockproof up to a height of one meter. In terms of specs, it packs a 5.0-megapixel CMOS image sensor, a microSD card slot, a USB 2.0 port and 720p HD video recording capabilities. The Sportsline 60 Camouflage is available now for 79.95 Euro (about $113).

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Black & Decker PlantSmart SO Cool!

Plant Smart by Black & Decker: a whole new techie way of gardening.

Black & Decker has just found a way into my heart. I love to garden! I'm not the best at it. But I really like it. Let's face facts… when it comes to all this blather about soils and additives and enhancements to make this grow or that grow or worrying about which zones are good for this or for that… I get overwhelmed.

Well, it looks like Black & Decker is taking the guesswork out of what will grow in your soil and, frankly, what won't.

The Black & Decker PlantSmart PCS10 Digital Plant Care Sensor is the Fish Finder for Gardeners. Equipped with sensors, you place the PCS10 into your soil or plant container or what have you and the sensors read and measure sunlight, soil moisture, temperature, and soil conditions. It will make recommendations on what kind of plants will grow in that soil, health recommendations and will even tell you if the plant needs watering. After 24 hours, you remove the top part which then plugs into the USB port of your computer and you get all the data right there. There is subscription fee that will allow you to take it to the next level and give you feedback on your soil's fertility. Simply put: I have got to have one!!! $49.99 at Target and Ben's Bargains. $39.99 on Amazon.com.

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HTC Pyramid appears in SFR catalog, should be launched in late May

Just yesterday, we saw the HTC Pyramid in some live photos, which confirmed its existence.

Now the smartphone has appeared in a SFR catalogue, standing next to other new Android 2.3 Gingerbread handsets like the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, and Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.

SFR is the second-largest French mobile carrier and, if FrAndroid's source is to be believed, it plans to launch the HTC Pyramid in late May.

Of course, for this to happen, HTC must first announce the smartphone - and it could certainly do it during the April 12 event announced earlier today.

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Kinect Games By Rare Only Using 10-15% of Its Power

After winning a BAFTA award for Kinect Sports, Rare, developers of the Banjo Kazooie and and Perfect Dark video game franchises, and most recently the masterminds of the Xbox 360‘s Avatars and Kinect unveiled that they are only tapping 10-15% of Kinect's technical abilities. This is a most interesting tidbit because Kinect, although still in its infancy has yet to get any hardcore games that aren't targeted at the casual gamer. Imagine what kind of games we'd be playing if developers pushed Kinect to use 50 or even 80% of its potential. We want to see games like Call of Duty with Kinect integration while using a standard game controller pad. If Rare says the potential is “virtually limitless” then where are the games to back up that claim? Show us games that really take full advantage ofKinect. If this June's E3 comes and goes without so much as a hardcore Kinect game that really shows off what the camera sensor is capable of, we'll be greatly disappointed. Look at Sony and its Move combo in SOCOM 4 – it's not kidding around.

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Google Nexus S i9023 with S-LCD coming to India for 30,400 INR

Samsung has reportedly confirmed that it would launch the Google Nexus S in India sometime soon.

We don't know how soon, but SamsungHub has it that the smartphone - the world's first to run Android 2.3 - will retail for 30,400 INR (about $683).

Moreover, it's said that the India-bound Nexus S is the i9023 model, which has an S-LCD screen instead of a Super AMOLED one (like the i9020). Other than that, the two models are identical.

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Samsung Gem Announced for April 1st Release at US Cellular

US Cellular has just announced the availability of the Samsung Gem for their network. It will be available in stores and online beginning tomorrow, April 1st. The Android 2.2 phone isn't much to get excited about in light of the many options available on networks across the nation, but if you are on US Cellular and looking for a cheaper Android alternative, this might be worth a look.

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Harry Winston Opus Eleven Watch

If a typical wrist watch tells the time using the short and the long hands, there are now newer and more intriguing watch designs that seem to veer away from this conventional idea. While others are designed to make telling time even more difficult, there are also others that tell time in a more unique way other than using thetypical watch hands. In the case of the new Harry Winston Opus Eleven Watch, “deconstructing” time seems to be the norm.

The Harry Winston Opus Eleven watch looks just as intriguing as the way it tells the time. This complex wrist watch is comprised of 3 overlapping cylinders with a complex arrangement of gears inside. The main cylinder indicates the hour while the smaller one tells the minutes. The other cylinder houses the big titanium balance wheel that keeps the gears running.

What gives the watch an interesting allure is that the hour cylinder is a maze of interlocked but somehow chaotic arrangement of gears that seem to disassemble themselves but rearranges once again to indicate the new hour. This arrangement stays still until the next hour arrives. The Harry Winston Opus Eleven Watch will be something that everyone may not be able to have. Only 111 of them will be made. And at a cost of US$250,000, only the uber rich intrigued enough to have it may be able to afford buying one.

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Research Firm: Thunderbolt Outselling iPhone at 28% of Polled Verizon Wireless Stores

This is interesting. Research firm BTIG polled 150 different Verizon Wireless stores in 22 cities and came up with the following statistic: the HTC Thunderbolt is outselling Apple’s iPhone 4 at 28% of the locations polled. (And we’re sure they own a lot more stores than 150.)

We can’t put too much stock into their findings, though, as there are many other different ways to buy phones from Verizon Wireless. 61% of stores polled said that the two phones were neck and neck, while a measley 11 noted that the iPhone 4 was selling faster.

Even with the meager sample size, this is good news for Verizon. They’ve tested the waters and are seeing if there is room for high-end devices from these direct competitors on the same network. If these results are even a tiny bit indicative of what’s really going on then I’d immediately call the HTC Thunderbolt a success.

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Continuance Rechargeable Battery With A USB Interface

The Continuance is a set of batteries with a USB interface on the side. Designed by Haimo Bao, Hailong Piao, Yuancheng, the battery can be recharged via a USB connection. You can also use this battery to recharge your gadgets via a USB port. In addition, the Continuance battery concept is an iF concept design [...]

The Continuance is a set of batteries with a USB interface on the side. Designed by Haimo Bao, Hailong Piao, Yuancheng, the battery can be recharged via a USB connection. You can also use this battery to recharge your gadgets via a USB port. In addition, the Continuance battery concept is an iF concept design entry for 2011. [Yanko]

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Logitech LAN-WH450N/GR Wireless Router

Logitech has introduced the new LAN-WH450N/GR wireless router that has a very unique tri-tenna design. This wireless router comes with all basics features found on nowadays router with UPnP, Dynamic DNS, etc. The Logitech LAN-WH450N/GR also supports the 5GHz bandwidth on IEEE 802.11a/n, allowing you to enjoy 450Mbps speed on compatible devices. The new Logitech [...]

Logitech has introduced the new LAN-WH450N/GR wireless router that has a very unique tri-tenna design. This wireless router comes with all basics features found on nowadays router with UPnP, Dynamic DNS, etc. The Logitech LAN-WH450N/GR also supports the 5GHz bandwidth on IEEE 802.11a/n, allowing you to enjoy 450Mbps speed on compatible devices. The new Logitech LAN-WH450N/GR wireless router will start shipping in Japan in April and be available to purchase for around $230. [Akihabara]

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SUNIX VGA2788 Super-Speed USB 3.0 Graphics Adapter

The SUNIX VGA2788 Super-Speed USB 3.0 graphics adapter provides a unique solution to add extra displays to a computer without using traditional graphics card. Users can instantly mirror or extend a desktop onto another display via standard HDMI, such as LCD, CRT, projector and plasma displays. For your info, the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface is [...]

The SUNIX VGA2788 Super-Speed USB 3.0 graphics adapter provides a unique solution to add extra displays to a computer without using traditional graphics card. Users can instantly mirror or extend a desktop onto another display via standard HDMI, such as LCD, CRT, projector and plasma displays. For your info, the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface is the next revolution in I/O interconnect standards that will deliver the bandwidth and features required by PCs, consumer electronics and communications devices. With 10 times faster throughput than USB 2.0 standard, the USB 3.0 Graphic adapter enhances better VGA performance effect and reduces CPU loading substantially. [Product Page]

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Acer Aspire G3600 Predator Gaming Desktop PC To Hit Europe In Mid-April

Already available in the US, Acer’s brand new gaming desktop PC ‘Aspire G3600 Predator‘ is finally making its way to European market in mid-April. The system will be sold for a retail price of 799 Euro (about $1,131). To remind you, the Aspire G3600 Predator packs a 2nd generation Core processor, a discrete graphics card [...]

Already available in the US, Acer’s brand new gaming desktop PC ‘Aspire G3600 Predator‘ is finally making its way to European market in mid-April. The system will be sold for a retail price of 799 Euro (about $1,131). To remind you, the Aspire G3600 Predator packs a 2nd generation Core processor, a discrete graphics card from AMD or NVIDIA, up to 8GB RAM, up to 6TB of storage (via three 2TB hard drives), a DVD writer or Blu-ray drive, a multi-in-one card reader, Gigabit Ethernet, a USB 3.0 port (optional) and runs on Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS. [Softpedia]

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A New Line Of 1.8-Inch SSDs From Mach Xtreme

Mach Xtreme Technology is proud to present their newest line of 1.8-inch SSDs called the MX-MDS. Available in 40GB, 60GB and 90GB capacities, these SSDs are equipped with the latest SandForce SF-1222 controller, MLC NAND Flash memory chips, a micro-SATA interface, a MTBF of 1.5 million hours and promise to deliver read/write speeds of up [...]

Mach Xtreme Technology is proud to present their newest line of 1.8-inch SSDs called the MX-MDS. Available in 40GB, 60GB and 90GB capacities, these SSDs are equipped with the latest SandForce SF-1222 controller, MLC NAND Flash memory chips, a micro-SATA interface, a MTBF of 1.5 million hours and promise to deliver read/write speeds of up to 220/210 MB/s (40GB model) and 285/275 MB/s (60GB & 90GB models), respectively. The MX-MDS SSDs will start shipping on April 11th for 135 Euro / about $191 (40GB), 165 Euro / about $233 (60GB) and 220 Euro / about $311 (90GB), respectively. [Mach Xtreme]

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Evigroup SmartPaddle Windows-Based Tablet

Here comes another Windows-based tablet from a French-based company Evigroup, the SmartPaddle. Specs-wise, the device sports an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 LED-backlit capacitive touchscreen display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, an Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics card, a 2GB RAM, a 64GB SSD, an accelerometer sensor, 1080p Full HD video playback support, 3G, GPS, [...]

Here comes another Windows-based tablet from a French-based company Evigroup, the SmartPaddle. Specs-wise, the device sports an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 LED-backlit capacitive touchscreen display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, an Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics card, a 2GB RAM, a 64GB SSD, an accelerometer sensor, 1080p Full HD video playback support, 3G, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, a mini HDMI port, a USB port and runs on Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit OS. The SmartPaddle can be yours for 1,290 Euro (about $1,825) and comes bundled with a wireless keyboard, a docking station and a leather case. [Product Page]

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Casio G-Shock G-Aviation GW3500B-1A Watch

The Casio G-Shock G-Aviation GW3500B-1A watch combines advanced timepiece technology with high performance functionality. The watch has a meticulously styled large case analog-digital face with distinctive black and yellow accents. What makes the Casio G-Shock G-Aviation GW3500B-1A more interesting is that it also receives calibration signals from up to six transmission stations around the world. [...]

The Casio G-Shock G-Aviation GW3500B-1A watch combines advanced timepiece technology with high performance functionality. The watch has a meticulously styled large case analog-digital face with distinctive black and yellow accents. What makes the Casio G-Shock G-Aviation GW3500B-1A more interesting is that it also receives calibration signals from up to six transmission stations around the world. If you are interested, you can buy the Casio G-Shock G-Aviation GW3500B-1A for $260. [Casio].

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Xilence M608 Pro CPU Cooler

Supporting both Intel (LGA775, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366) and AMD (AM2, AM2+, AM3) processors, the M608 Pro is the latest CPU cooler from Xilence Technology. This high performance cooler is packed with four copper heatpipes, an aluminum heatsink and a 120mm fan that operates at 500 to 1500 RPM. The Xilence M608 retails for 48.90 Euro [...]

Supporting both Intel (LGA775, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366) and AMD (AM2, AM2+, AM3) processors, the M608 Pro is the latest CPU cooler from Xilence Technology. This high performance cooler is packed with four copper heatpipes, an aluminum heatsink and a 120mm fan that operates at 500 to 1500 RPM. The Xilence M608 retails for 48.90 Euro (about $69). [Softpedia]

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Royal Wedding William And Kate iPhone 3G Case From Case Mate

Royal Wedding of Prince William And Kate become hot topic recently. It could be Wedding of The Year. Since the engagement was announced, so many accesories and gift vendor release products inspired by Prince William and Kate Middleton royal wedding.
Case Mate have launched four design of Royal Wedding iPhone Case to celebrate the upcoming royal nuptials with the William and Kate Wedding. Featuring custom designs of the blissful couple, the commemorative cases embrace this historic occasion as a keepsake item that will forever be part of history. Available in the slim and minimal Barely There case, the designs are printed directly onto the case for a vivid look.

Royal Wedding iPhone 3G Case available in four design variant as follows :

• Regal Heart: A retro-style red and gold case.
• Well Wishes: A powder blue case with a subtle note of congratulations.
• Classic Monogram: A pale blue and gold case with the royal couple’s monogram.
• Modern Britannia: A combination of the Union Jack, a sketch of the royal couple, and the wedding date.

The cases are priced at $34.99 and are available for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3G/S. For this Couple Lover, buy it directly from CaseMate online store with 3-5 days for order processing.

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iPhone DJ Mixer For You That Want to Be DJ

For the users of iPhone and / or iPod, check this one, iPhone DJ Mixer. This tool combines two pieces of music from the iPhone, or iPod, or a combination  of the iPhone and iPod.
We can put two iPhones or iPod or one of two iPhones and an iPod, and we can set the music played by the second device, like a DJ.

In this tool there is a function of spin, and sound effects like reverb, flange and filter, and the ability to cross-fade slider and recording capabilities.

In addition, there are also connections to the sound system (speakers) and microphone.

The more interesting, when you play a role as a DJ, or a mixer tool you can also charge all of your iPhone or iPod. Nice gadget,right?

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LaCie 4GB Galet Luxurious Silver-Coated Flash Disk

Want to have a flash disk that is not ordinary? It seems that stuff made ? in computer equipment vendor  LaCie  This could be an option. The impression of luxury and  elegance  reflected  in the  flash  disk named Gallet.

Created in collaboration with silver design house Cristofle, Gallet has a silver lining in her body. The price is quite expensive, although the storage capacity of only 4GB a price of $ 130 or about USD 1.1 million.

Inside flash disk, is provided with password protection software for secure data. In addition, Gallet is also compatible with third USB technology . The flash disks are available at online stores LaCie and Christofle boutique property in various parts of the world.

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Fujitsu LifeBook AH572 with Sandy Bridge & 3D Technology

Fujitsu LifeBook AH572 - 3D graphics technology is being widely developed. Not only used for the benefit of the film in theaters, but this technology started to spread to even have an LCD monitor to the laptop monitor already support 3D graphics. One of them you can see from the following Fujitsu products output.

Fujitsu back to show off with the launch laptop LifeBook AH572, which is touted to have 3D graphics capabilities. With 15.6-inch screen sizes and bundled with the toughness of Sandy Bridge Core Intel second-generation i-series (I5-2410M), this laptop has a memory capacity of 4GB (Maximum 8GB), DDR3, 500GB hard drive alone and have been using Intel integrated graphics HD 3000.

3D graphics capabilities owned laptops are supported by 3D technology XPOL filter, Blu-ray drive with 3D support Blu-ray. Coupled with the existence of dual 1.3 Megapixel camera that can be used to take pictures and record videos in 3D format. To be able to see the look of 3D on the screen, the laptop is also equipped with 3D glasses.

LifeBook AH572 is equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi with Wireless Display technology (Widi). Other features in it that you can find the HDMI, USB 3.0 port and SD memory card slot. With a separate keyboard with a numeric keyboard with 10 alphabet keys, the keyboard is also anti-spill water. With 6-cell battery lithium-ion batteries, laptop Fujitsu LifeBook AAH572 is reportedly priced with the price range around $ 999 USD.

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Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus, Smartphone with Android Gingerbread

Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus - One newcomer again that reportedly able to fill the gap between the Samsung S II and Galaxy Galaxy Ace. The newcomer is also packed with special-speed single-core processor 1.4GHz-based Android operating system 2.3 (Gingerbread). His name is Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus.

As a bearer Android smartphone, the Samsung is worth pointed thumb. But that does not mean by that, a Korean manufacturer of telecommunications equipment is then satisfied with what has been achieved. To continue to increase prestige, there should continue to launch new innovations, and now turn the Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus is present in the arena of competition Android smartphone.

Unlike earlier generations of Samsung's Galaxy, Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus is wrapped with a metallic body in the back. Smartphone this one also has similarities with the Galaxy S II Mini, which is already integrated with the road map O2. Armed with 4 inch screen SuperAMOLED and 5 Megapixel camera that can record HD video and 1650 mAh battery it feels quite qualified for Samsung Galaxy class. Slightly different from the Samsung Galaxy S II Mini is the size of screen is only 3.7 inches.

There are reportedly rumors circulating again Samsung Galaxy S Plus (another name for Samsung Galaxy S 2011 Edition in Russia) are ready, the price range of about 840 USD. Regarding the more detailed specification more likely that the new will be informed on the expected launch in April 2011, which will start from the Russian state.

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LiveProfile for Blackberry Review and Download

First, let me say Social Media is overload. There are so many social media and instant messenger offered. Never mind, we live in technology era where technology flies like an arrow.

Introducing new way to stay connected and communicated with our friends, LiveProfile. What is LiveProfile? LiveProfile application on your phone keeps you connected with friends in real-time. LiveProfile is a smartphone messenger for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone.

What are the features embedded to this "claimed" a smartphone messenger? Get the real time messenger notification. You can see when messages are delivered, read, or when the other person is typing a message. OMG, everysingle step is watched :D

I have installed and tried LiveProfile app on my Blackberry device. It's easy to install and create an account using existing email. We can invite friends using LiveProfile PIN (similar with BBM PIN concept), email, or mobile phone number. When create an account, it's automatically record the phone number. It's only have common features, chat and send picture. Do not wish you can create a group like BBM group or YM conference. Use photo menu to change your profile picture. And the simple poor thing, I can't find how to send a picture.

Hard to say but, I can't find any special thing. Okey, this application runs on various mobile OS, but so do many other application such as Yahoo Messenger, Gtalk etc. This LiveProfile review based on my own experience and opinion. It could be difference with yours.

How to download LiveProfile application? For Blackberry user, find on Blackberry application world or you must go to http://www.liveprofile.com/get from your BlackBerry browser to download it directly. For Android phone user, get it from Android market. And for iPhone user, get it from App store.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo review

Sony Ericsson has been a little behind in the Android handset race. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 took a long time to get to market and was somewhat disappointing. The Xperia X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro were better, but still very niche handsets with Android 1.6 and tiny 2.5 inch screens.

In 2011 things are looking a lot rosier for the company, with the introduction of their new handsets: the Sony Ericsson Neo, Arc and Play. And in a coup for Sony Ericsson, they are the first handsets (with the exception of the Google Nexus S) to launch with Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The Sony Ericsson Neo is SE’s mid-range offering, equipped with the same camera and UI as the Arc, but with a smaller non-LED backlit screen.

With its thin, 13mm body and curved two-tone back the Neo looks the part, but aside from its slick, albeit overly plasticky looks, little has changed since the Xperia X10 and it’s certainly not as stylish as the HTC Incredible S.

On the top plate are microUSB and HDMI connections. The latter letting you play back HD movies on your flatscreen TV, pleasingly a cable is supplied. There’s a single rocker for adjusting volume levels even when the Neo is locked, a power button and shutter.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Android 2.3 Gingerbread has been overlaid with Sony Ericsson’s own skin, which isn’t as all-encompassing HTC Sense, but has some welcome additions.

Alongside solid back, home and menu Android buttons, are four touch sensitive buttons, by default these are Media, Messaging, Contacts and Phone, but you can drag them to remove them and replace them with others.

Creating folders on an Android device hasn’t been as simple as it should. Here you just drag an item on top of another one to create a folder, choosing a name and icon. It’s easy and very – dare we say - Apple-like. Pinch the screen to see an overview of open widgets. All the widgets are arranged to fit a single screen space automatically, which is a better use of the screen real estate and makes them easier to see than HTC’s Helicopter view.

Tap the menu button to view all applications. Chose to order them yourself, or alphabetically, most used or recently installed. It's good to have so many customisation options.

Social networking feature Timescape is back, but this time as a widget. It displays messages, calls, Twitter and Facebook updates as playing cards that you can flick through. Although it looks slick, it seems to be aimed at the young market because it’s not practical; flicking the cards is fiddly and after a few days we binned it, using the separate Facebook widget instead.

Despite having the same size screen as the iPhone 4, the shorter phone width means the keyboard feels cramped in portrait mode. Text correction is accurate and dedicated full stop and comma keys are welcome.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Media Player

The Media Player is also an improvement on the basic Android version. The Gallery is split into three sections: photos, images and videos, each of which is displayed as piles of cards. Click each one to view the contents as thumbnails you flick through chronologically, or choose to view them via date piles. It’s incredibly simple and quick to use, press the screen to select multiple pictures which you can quickly share via Bluetooth, Email or Facebook.

Neat touches are found in the music player. A quick-access icon links though to You Tube vdeos by the artist from within a song.

Plug in headphones via the 3.5mm and music playback is pretty good, with 10 equalizer presets. It’s also easy to create playlists within the application.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Screen

At 3.7-inches the 854x480 Reality display (as Sony Ericsson insists on calling it) screen feels a little pokey, although this is probably due to the thin bezel.

The handset is equipped with Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine, which borrows technology from Sony’s Bravia TV sets, activate this when playing back a video to improve playback. This is purely for playback, the effect can’t be saved.

HD playback is bright and sharp, with natural colours, although colours lack the punch and contrast of AMOLED rivals like the Dell Venue Pro and Nokia E7. It’s not LED backlit like the Arc or Play though. Visibility in poor light is good and off-angle viewing isn’t bad either.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Performance

Powered by a 1GHz processor, the Neo feels quick, if not as blisteringly fast as its closest rivals, the HTC Incredible S and iPhone 4. It loads T3.com (which is quite a media heavy website) in 24 seconds over Wi-Fi. It's not as quick as the iPhone 4. Multitouch is pleasingly responsive too, pinch to zoom is responsive, double tap when browsing and the text automatically wraps to fit.

With moderate browsing, some music playback and calls we got about a day from the battery, although to save power make sure you turn Mobile Bravia Engine off.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Camera

Sony Ericsson’s equipped the Neo with an 8-megapixel camera; the quick shutter captures bright, fairly sharp pictures with natural colours. The Exmor R sensor makes a big difference in low light; the screen visibility is best on test, pictures displaying detail rivals can’t.

720p footage is good rather than amazing. Examined with a critical eyes it’s not quite as sharp or detailed as the Apple or Nokia’s output, but it’s still colourful and fairly smooth and DNLA support lets you easily stream via a media server.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo: Verdict

We’re impressed with the Neo, sure the design is very last year and the screen feels a little small, but it’s well built and equipped with the latest version of Android with some user-friendly Sony Ericsson additions. It’s a well-featured handset too, with a good 8-megapixel camera, DLNA and HDMI, great features for a phone for available for £25 on contract. In the mid-tier smartphone market it deserves to do well and it has certainly whetted our appetite for the Arc and its superior screen.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo launch date: Friday, link Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo price: £370 sim free online, free on £25 a month contract

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo Specifications:
* OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
* Processor: 1GHZ
* Storage: 32Mb internal, 8GB card supplied
* Screen: 3.7nches 854x480
* Connectivity: 3.5mm, HDMI. N WiFi, aGPS, HSDPA 10.2Mbps, Bluetooth 2.1, DLNA
* Camera: 8-megapixel main, 2-megapixel secondary
* Video: 1290x720p at 30fps
* Dimensions: 116x57x13mm/126g

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Garage Band for iPad 2 review

Imagine the look on George Martin’s face if you transported back in time to the peak of 1960s Beatlemania and told him that in 2011 you’d be able to create an entire rock and roll song, without real instruments, on a touchscreen that’s almost thinner than one of the Fab Four’s best-selling LPs? He’d be a shade or two lighter than The Beatles’ White Album, we'd suspect.

The launch of the iPad 2 saw Apple unleash the ability to do just that with a tablet version of its brilliant GarageBand software. For just £2.99 you have the privilege of becoming your own record producer. T3 tested the app in a bid to become a self-built rock god.

If you’ve never used GarageBand, or even played an instrument before there’s no need to be intimidated. Apple has you covered. As well as featuring a host of completely manual, on-screen guitars, bass keyboards and drum sets for you to hammer away at, GarageBand features “Smart” versions of all of the above.

The Smart Keyboard and Guitars label out chords for you that can be played with one tap, anywhere on the scale and in any key of your choosing. So all you have to do is look up the chords to your favourite song and follow the letters. It’s like a join-the-dots version of music making. Having not played keyboards since school, we’d busted out a version of “Let It Be” that raised the bearded ghost of Lennon. It’s just so intuitive.

If that’s not easy enough for you, autoplay will allow you to just select chords and create a more intricate jam based on your one-press chord changes.

GarageBand for iPad: Drums

In a brilliantly designed interface you can easily switch between the instruments you wish to record with. Let’s start with drums. There’s a range of full drum kits on offer, from rock to hip-hop, but it can be a little hard to find a consistent beat. If you’re rhythmically handicapped and your finger-tapping doesn’t quite stay in time with your masterpiece then GarageBand can help you.

Smart Drums offers an automatic killer beat by allowing you to place the snare, high-top and cymbal wherever you like on a four-way pattern of loud, quite, simple and complex and GB will create the beat for you. It’s cheating and night on impossible to create the beat you imagined in your head this way, but it’s still fun.

GarageBand for iPad: Keyboards

If you’re already a piano maestro and want to blast out your own tunes, rather than just prodding ready-made chords, then an almost unlimited supply of piano’s, synths, keyboards and organs to choose from, including the spine-tingly accurate Grand Piano. It’s so easy to slide up and down Garage Band's keyboard octaves to get the sound of your choosing.

GarageBand for iPad: Guitars and Bass

Obviously the electric Hard Rock guitar is the most kick-ass option available, complete with a pair of pedals to produce a heavy metal sound that’d make James Hetfield blush. If you’re a guitarist you can play the notes on the screen and recreate your favourite solos complete with string bends and hammer-ons. It really is that flexible, but it takes a little while to get used to playing upside down.

GarageBand for iPad: Virtual Guitar Amp

Just like the Mac version, the app can be transformed into an amplifier and with the right adapter you can plug your guitar into the iPad and record your new riff directly into the device and then add drums and bass around that. It’s a magnificent little tool for on-the-road musicians who now have a full 8-track recording studio at their disposal. Whenever a new lick pops into their head they can get it down straight away just by plugging into an iPad with GarageBand.

GarageBand for iPad: Extras

It’s the smaller things that make GarageBand a sheer pleasure to use. Thanks to the iPad’s accelerometer, the keyboard is sensitive to your touch, so however hard you hit the keys, it’ll be reflected in the volume of sound, instantly separating With the Smart Guitar, when you apply your palm to the neck portion of the springs it will palm mute the note offering a muffled punk rock style sound. The drums will also recognise parts of the drum, so depending on what part of the cymbal you hit you get a different sound.

GarageBand for iPad: Recording

Once you’ve mastered the tune you’d like to play (either manually or with a little help from the smart instruments) and selected the key, it’s time to lay that sucker down. Just hit the red record button and the metronome will count you in. Once you’ve played the tune, it will appear in your 8-track timeline. If it’s a guitar track, you can record drums, bass and piano on top of that or even sing vocals in time with the music. As long as you start recording every track from the beginning rather than try and line it up in post-production you’ll be fine

With the right trims and cuts and slices and maybe the odd loop then you’ll have created a complete song in now time, even if it means utilising the smart instruments. Purists will be a little heartbroken as to how easy it is to cover a popular song using this app, but for the musical novices it’s hugely empowering and a whole lot of fun too.

GarageBand for iPad: Verdic

The simplicity of creating music with this app is expressed perfectly by the default message when you share your masterpiece: “I just created a song with GarageBand using my iPad and I wanted you to hear it. Take a listen…”
The best app on the iPad bar none, GarageBand brings the key functionality from the revolutionary Mac studio and makes creating a musical masterpiece easier than it has ever been.

Garage Band for iPad launch date: Out now, link Apple
Garage Band for iPad price: £2.99

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G-Shock announce the G-Aviation Multi-Mission ANA-DIGI

With its cockpit inspired display as well as being resistance to centrifugal forces, this new G-Shock G-Aviation (GW3500B-1A) is Casio's must have to any professional pilots or Pilot Wannabes!

The GW3500B-1A comes with many little G-Shock's only features like Tough Solar Power, Tough Movement as well as being always-on time thanks to its Self-adjusting Multi-Band 6 atomic Timekeeping function! Finally this new G-Shock is available nationwide since early march at around $260 USD.

"We are pleased to expand the G-Aviation collection," said Shigenori Itoh, Vice President of Casio's Timepiece Division. "The new GW3500B-1A brings together the absolute best of G-Shock. It features top of the line technology with sophisticated style."

Impeccably designed with toughness and technology as its primary attributes, the G-Aviation also features Self-Charging, Tough Solar Power & Self-Adjusting, Multi-Band 6 Atomic Timekeeping technology, Tough Movement and the hybrid case structure for the ultimate in accuracy, strength and performance.

Self-Charging, Tough Solar Power – A tiny, solar panel combined with a large-capacity rechargeable battery enables a variety of energy-hungry functions to operate smoothly. The result is an impressive solar timepiece that assures reliable timekeeping and greatly reduces the need for battery change.

Self-Adjusting Multi-Band 6 Atomic Timekeeping – Compatible with all six transmission stations worldwide, Multi-Band 6 is the world's first radio-control system built to receive time calibration signals from up to six transmission stations: two in Japan and one each in North America, the United Kingdom and Germany, plus the new station in China. Through a miniaturized, shock-resistant, highly sensitive amorphous antenna and large-capacity, power-saving LSI, stable operation of watch functions including 6-station radio wave reception is achieved. With Casio's Atomic Timekeeping Technology, you will always have ultimate precision.

Tough Movement – Auto-Hand location technology automatically checks and adjusts hand positioning at fifty-five minutes after every hour. By employing an LED to detect hand-gear positioning versus internal time counter, the watch can detect any inconsistency and correct itself even if the hands are displaced by magnetic force or shock.

Additional G-Aviation features include large side buttons for increased operability, Shock Resistance, 200M Water Resistance, Full Auto LED Light, 48 City World Time + UTC, 1x100 Second Chronograph, Countdown Timer and 4 Daily Alarms and 1 Snooze Alarm for unmatched functionality.

Available with a resin band (GW3500B-1A) for $260, the G-Aviation will be available at Tourneau, Nordstrom, select Macy's as well as discerning jewellers and fashion boutiques nationwide. For more information please visit www.gshock.com.

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Samsung Galaxy S Plus With 1.4GHz Processor

Samsung Russia's Livejournal blog has unveiled that the company will release the Galaxy S Plus (i9001). The smartphone features a metallic back cover, the Google Android 2.3 OS, a faster 1.4GHz processor, a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, an HD video support, an 8GB internal memory and a 1650mAh battery. The Samsung Galaxy S Plus (i9001) will be launched in April 2011 in Russia for 23,990 Rubles ($842).

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Samsung ST700 And ST30 Digital Cameras Announced For South Korea

Samsung hits back by announcing two new digital cameras ‘ST700 and ST30′ for the South Korean market. Let's start with the first one, the ST700 is a DualView camera that sports a 16.1-megapixel image sensor, a 26mm wide-angle Schneider lens, a 5x optical zoom lens, a 1.8-inch screen on the front, a 3.0-inch rear display, an HDMI port and 720p HD video recording capabilities. Meanwhile, the ST30 packs a 10.1-megapixel image sensor, a 28mm wide-angle lens and a 3x optical zoom lens. The ST700 and ST30 will retail for 429,000 Won (about $389) and 129,000 Won (about $117), respectively.

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Cius Android-powered tablet FCC

Cisco made an announcement of its 7″ Cius Android tablet last year, and to see it hit the FCC is encouraging since that means the Cius will be able to arrive in the market soon. Approved by the FCC for its 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, the FCC filings did not say anything about 3G support which means the Cius will more or less be Wi-Fi-only. It is interesting to note that the Cius' FCC documents were submitted by tablet manufacturer OpenPeak, which means OpenPeak will most likely be the manufacturer on Cisco's behalf. All in all, there is no release date for the Cius mentioned although the device's confidential FCC filings will be available for public consumption when June 27th rolls around later this year.

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Westcott Spiderlite TD6 And 7-inch Parabolic Umbrella

Westcott has finally launched the Spiderlite TD6 and 7-inch Parabolic Umbrella. The Spiderlite TD6 is a 1200 effective watt fluorescent light head that offers the ability to swap out lamps for daylight or tungsten (halogen) balanced options. The Westcott 7-inch Parabolic Umbrella is available in white shoot-through, silver reflective or white reflective options. The Westcott Spiderlite TD6 and 7-inch Parabolic Umbrella are priced at $1,090 and $99, respectively.

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Electronic Magic 8 Ball

Are you extremely indecisive that you cannot figure out what step to take next? This is where the Electronic Magic 8 Ball comes in, thanks to Pete Mills. Since it isn't your traditional fluid-filled ball, this electronic version is controlled by a ATMega328 and if you happen to be pretty deft with your hands, you can always make use of the code that Pete has posted, and here's what he has to say about the situation. “You can see the mercury switch in the picture below. It is hot glued to the lower left of the circuit board. The header at the top connects the LCD which is mounted in the lid of this enclosure. Space and time were limiting factors on this build so, component layout was adjusted accordingly. E.g. jamb the bits in where they fit."

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HTC Desire S now available in the UK SIM-free for £409.99

As we've heard will happen, the HTC Desire S has become available in the UK in March, earlier than previously expected and only a few days after first being spotted in Europe. Well-known third-party online retailer Expansys seems to have one-upped UK mobile network operators such as Vodafone, that has only started taking pre-orders for the device and won't ship it until April 8.

The HTC Desire S can be purchased from Expansys for £409.99 SIM-free and unlocked. They even throw in a free car charger worth £9.99. Shipping is either free, if you're willing to wait 3-4 days, or costs £6.90 for next day delivery. At the time of writing, 28 Desire S smartphones were in stock.

The HTC Desire S is the successor to the original Desire launched last year, yet unlike that device which was high-end for its time, the Desire S occupies the upper-midrange of the smartphone space, and even its price is a clear indicator of that.

The HTC Desire S has a 1 GHz single-core second-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 768 MB of RAM and 1.1 GB of ROM, a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen, a 5 MP camera with autofocus, LED flash, and 720p HD video recording, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, and a microSD card slot. The Desire S runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

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HTC Thunderbolt

HTC has recently come up with several new smartphones available for the interested masses. One of their recent offerings is the HTC Thunderbolt. It is a new Android smartphone that sports new features that include 4G support.

The HTC Thunderbolt features a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and runs on the Android 2.2 OS. It sports an 8GB RAM and with a pre-installed 32GB MicroSD card. It also features a 4.3″ WVGA TFT capacitive touch screen display. The HTC Thunderbolt also comes with an 8MP rear facing camera with auto focus and LED flash. There’s also a 1.3MP front facing camera installed, much like most smartphones today.

With these features, the HTC Thunderbolt has more than enough to even support 4G networks this time. It also offers Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity as well as provides GPS support. Other features include dual mics with noise cancellation, a G-sensor, proximity sensor, and LTE SIM slot and a Surround Sound feature. The HTC Thunderbolt is available for Verizon customers for $250 for a 2-year service plan. For those who aren’t, it is available for the full price of US$600.

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OCD Chef Cutting Board for Very Precise Slicing

When a recipe says “cut into 2-inch strips,” cooks are likely to guesstimate how long two inches are. Some would even be frustrated that the cheese cubes look more like rectangular solids than cubes.

If you are the type of cook who wants every chopped and sliced food to be precise without having to bring out a ruler, you may get excited over this OCD Chef cutting board. It is fully-gridded to enable you to measure foods as you chop. It even has an embedded protractor in case some foods have to be sliced diagonally.

The OCD Chef would remind you of that paper chopper without the chopper. That is what the knife is for. Available on The Awesomer for US$26.

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Intel Unveils Affordable SSDs

Solid-state drives (SSDs) have become an efficient storage device for heavy computer usage. However, its prices have been unreachable for the Average Joe.

Thankfully Intel introduces a new line of SSDs that not only have double the storage capacity of regular drives, but also affordable. The third-generation SSD 320 Series have impressive read and write speed performance at 270MB/s and 220MB/s respectively, mainly because of its 3Gbps SATA II interface.

The Intel SSD 320 Series start from 40GB at US$89 to $1,069 for 600GB.

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Stok Quattro 4 Burner Gas Grill

The barbecue grill has become a common fixture among many a family gathering, especially during the summer. In its own way, the barbecue grill has evolved into something unlike that good old charcoal fired type of barbecue grills. They also have been given some added enhancements such as what the new Stok Quattro Barbecue Grill has.

The Stok Quattro is a 4 burner gas-fired barbecue grill that may no longer look like an ordinary barbecue grill from the past. This is a barbecue grill that aims to provide some added convenience for avid barbecue grill fans by what it can do. It features a unique grill insert system that allows some versatility in cooking different foods. There are grill inserts available not only for grilling meat but also for cooking pizza as well as vegetables.

This grill uses an electronic ignition to begin grilling on a quick start. It also features a built-in temperature gauge to make it more convenient for barbecues and other delectable grilled stuff to come out with perfect results. Even its sleek and attractive exterior design is something that guests and visitors will talk about. The Stok Quattro 4 Burner Gas Grill is available at Home Depot for US$350.

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Edible Pens Make Pencil Chewing Sweet

It may be unsafe to chew pens to relieve stress, not to mention it does not taste good, but some people just could not help gnawing them during examinations or meetings.

Design student Dave Hakkens tries to solve the dilemma with the Edible Pen, making a pen almost completely out of candy that users can easily chew. He originally planned on creating a chewable pen that would not get dirty, but realized most parts of the pen would be discarded once the ink runs out. The Edible Pen not only make a writing tool chewy, but also minimizes wastage.

The pen consists of bite-sized candy segments that have about the same texture and consistency as a candy necklace. It will not melt in your hands, making it not sticky to hold, and even uses edible ink.

These Edible Pens are currently in prototype stage, but it looks cute and tasty enough to become a favorite school item.

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Samsung SCH LC11 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot for Verizon

Mobile broadband has developed quite a lot, now that 4G networks are now available for use. Verizon has been quite aggressive in trying to build its own 4G LTE network and now has the necessary hardware available for its customers to finally take advantage of the said network. Verizon has recently made its first 4G LTE mobile hotspot available in the Samsung SCH LC11.

The new Samsung SCH LC11 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot is a device that will allow users to bring their WiFi network wherever they go by using Verizon’s 4G LTE network. This device can allow users to share a single connection with up to 5 WiFi enabled devices. And because of the new 4G LTE network, users may be able to take advantage of a technology that is 10x faster than the current 3G mobile networks with download speeds of 5 to 12Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5Mbps in areas providing adequate 4G coverage. The new Samsung SCH LC11 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot is now available at Verizon for US$150 with a 2-year service contract. Its full retail price stands at US$270.

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