Gadgets

When Apple launched its App Store in the summer of 2008 the company of course took out a patent on the name. Microsoft – just getting started with their own equivalent of the App Store – is none-too happy about this patent and it has emerged that Microsoft has appealed to the U.S. Patent Office to reject Apple’s application.

According to Microsoft, “app store” is used by consumers when they’re talking about online stores with applications in general. Microsoft is putting forward that ‘app’ is an old acronym (which appears in blue New Oxford American Dictionary), which stands for “an application program” and has done so since 1985.

And so the eternal Mac vs. PC struggle continues.

Super Talent is a company that that almost exclusively works with storage. Now they have released a USB memory stick that might be interesting for quite a lot of people. The memory stick follows the USB 3.0 standard, which is now slowly rolled out into the PC world. The new memory devices USB 3.0 Express RAM Cache has an interesting feature that allows you to work with programs and files on a virtual desktop directly to memory and not a trace left on the used computer (a bit like old U3 ). With the new speeds of USB 3.0 it will probably be almost as working directly on the computer without any significant loss of performance. The thumbdrives from Super Talent will cost from $80 for a 16GB version to $ 229 for a version with 64GB.

As flat panel TVs become public property, growth has slowed and average prices plummeted. In order to revive the television market – where even larger and thinner lost much of its allure, producers try to get us consumers interested in new features. Thus, every television manufacturer with self-esteem both a 3D and an internet betting to show up. But even if the TV sets brought up a large part of the space from this year’s IFA will TV producers find themselves overshadowed by all the iPad-contenders on display.

French Archos unveiled its Android tablet 7 and Viewsonic boasted Viewpad 100 that can handle both Google Android and Microsoft’s Windows 7. While Samsung announced as expected their little Galaxy Tab while Toshiba showed a lot of attention with its Folio100. And those are really just four out od several promising products.

It’s like all the world’s technology companies started the process of building their iPad-contenders at the moment when Steve Jobs walked off the stage at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco where he presented the iPad the end of January. If they had not begun to knock on their own “pads” before, that is.

But even if Apple iPad is both praised and hyped and competitors almost seem to fight to get their counterparts on the market, nobody really knows what impact the type of product will have. IPad is the first of its kind and it needed a couple of generations of products for Apple and a couple from the competition before we know for sure if the flat pekdatorn is here to stay and what it will be used. For Apple, it is also a fairly unusual situation.

For the Cupertino company has built much of its innovators image to refine the existing concept. IPod was not the first MP3 player and the iPhone was far from the first mobile phone. Where could Apple studying competitors’ products and build on them. IPad is the first of its kind. The question is what competitors seemingly rushed contender will be offering the iPad has not.

How will a pulp result?

Sony now launches WE5, a new range of BRAVIA LCD televisions with more than half the energy consumption compared to previous BRAVIA models – without affecting image quality.

The new televisions are the first in the world that are equipped with microtubules HCFL backlighting (Hot Cathode Fluorescent Light), a technique that halves the LCD panel power consumption. WE5 also has a sensor that turns off the monitor when no one is watching.

The environmentally compatible BRAVIA WE5 Series is available in screen sizes 40 to 46 inches. HCFL technology more than halve the energy consumption compared to previous BRAVIA models, making them the most energy efficient flat-screen televisions on the market. Although it offers the same high picture quality with Full HD (1080p).

WE5 has also been equipped with an intelligent “motion sensor” which detects body heat and movement in front of the TV and therefore “knows” if there is anyone in the room or not. Is there no one in the room sofa that turns off the TV screen but the audio left on. The monitor turns on again only when someone comes back into the room. All of this makes it quite unlike other Sony products like the HX900 3D television.

WE5 is also the first BRAVIA television with a new type of energy park to talk, which switches off all power when pressed. All settings are saved, however, and the TV will return directly to the TV channel when turned on again.

Energy consumption is also reduced by using a light sensor that automatically adjusts the monitor’s backlight to how dark or light in the room. You can also set a subdued backlighting manually.

There is also an “off TV” feature, which allows the TV goes into sleep mode after a preset time if no one has used / modified checks. If the TV is used with a connected computer, it can go to sleep if it does not receive a computer signal for 30 seconds.

Televisions are a further developed image processor BRAVIA Engine3, which filter and optimizes the picture information. This means less image noise, better contrast and brighter colors. Motionflow 100Hz technology doubles the addition of images per second so that the image flow in eg action movies or video games will be smoother and better.

order to influence the environment as little as possible, Sony has chosen to remove the traditional manual in paper form. Instead, find all the information stored in the TV and displayed directly on the screen. The new models’ design requires less packaging, which in turn have a positive impact on the environmental impacts of transport.

Lots of households have already purchased an HD-ready television, and the number is rising constantly. Now is the time to fill them with high quality content, says Panasonic in a recent press release. “Blu-ray is not just superior picture and sound quality, there are also lots of extras and interactive services embodied in the concept” a representative from the consumer electronics manufacturer:

The high definition technology stands out with an advanced audio and image processing technology, usability, and a variety of network functions. Panasonic has a proprietary technology for the video signal, PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus, which treats each pixel of the Blu-ray disc not only vertically but also horizontally. Simply stated, this gives a picture as close to original as possible, with detailed representation and follow the same pans and motion scenes. The data from the DVD, or from recordings of standard definition 576i / p or 720p effectively scaled up to 1080p for a more intense movie experience.

Both players are armed with sound decoder that is compatible with the latest 7.1 – sound format is now standard, and the so-called “96 kHz Surround Re-master” – feature provides a more complex and realistic soundstage. DMP-BD80 is also equipped with analog output for 7.1 sound, and the new 192kHz D / A converter sends out the signal of high quality – great for non-HDMI-compatible receivers. SD-card reader is standard, and allow a playback of AVCHD material – a more appropriate standard for recording high-definition material – from HD camcorders. They are powered USB port, and with Viera Cast feature – which means access to such materials from Youtube for video clips as well from Picasa, an online image bank. Services such as stock quotes and weather reports are other examples. All players are of course also BD-Live compatible, but not 3D capable like Samsung’s 3d Blu-ray player.

world’s first portable Blu-ray player is now being launched by Panasonic. With its compact size, its stylish design and flat screen in 16:9 format – DMP-B15 is the perfect travel companion. Now you can enjoy high resolution everywhere, and of course it is possible to connect to an HD TV via HDMI. The player is equipped with memory card slot (SD) for easy playback of images from a digital camera, and a LAN port for connection to various network services such as YouTube and Picasa. BD15 is at least as skilled as their brothers and sisters, set in a portable format.

Panasonic also announced three new home theater system with Blu-ray. SC BTX70 is a 2.1-channel system in the slim vertical design, which with its two compact front speakers really come into its own with a flat-screen TV. Although the armament consists of only two speakers and a subwoofer delivered a 7.1 sound with the help of Panasonic’s unique technology and special surrondsound loudspeaker design. Besides the possibility to feed the device with various optical media, you can also connect an iPod behind the motorized front panel of glass.

are two systems with front and center speakers and subwoofer of the Kelton-type. One feature of the models is the massive soundstage as the paint for the listener, but also Panasonic’s commitment to developing more energy-efficient products. Among other things, adjust power automatically after the strength of audio signals, and this speaking is saved as many as 20 percent compared to its predecessor SC BT100.Samtliga three home theater systems, like the aforementioned products, internet access to YouTube and Picasa, via the Viera Cast, and of course BD-live – including the extras, quizzes and interactive games.