SAMSUNG LAUNCHES ITS SECOND POINT-AND-SHOOT DIGITAL CAMERA FEATURING HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEO CAPABILITY

New TL34HD Stands Out With Broad Range of Impressive Features and Resolution

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., July 16, 2008 – Samsung today introduced the new TL34HD, a powerful, sleek and compact digital camera featuring high-definition video capability. TL34HD boasts an impressive resolution of 14.7 megapixels and renowned Schneider lens yielding a 28mm wide-angle focal length with 3.6x optical zoom. The most advanced point‑and-shoot digital camera in Samsung’s history, the TL34HD builds upon the success of its predecessor, the NV24HD, taking many of the camera’s advanced features to a whole new level.

Featuring an all-metal build, the TL34HD is pocket-sized with dimensions of 3.68” x 2.34” x 0.80”. Available in all-black, or silver with a red accent adding to the camera’s elegance, the TL34HD takes camera design to a new level. Although compact, a large three‑inch touch-screen hVGA LCD dominates the back of the camera and is sure to turn heads no matter where the TL34HD may be used.

The TL34HD gives shooters the ability to record video in 720p high-definition resolution, at a maximum frame rate of 30fps. Shooters can also take advantage of a movie stabilizer and optical zoom while recording video, as well as Samsung’s Successive Recording mode, which allows the user to pause and then resume filming without having to save the clips as individual files. Additionally, the TL34HD utilizes H.264 compression, a codec for high‑definition video that has become an industry standard and which yields three times the recording length than of MPEG4.

To enjoy the TL34HD’s high-definition video on an HDTV television, consumers simply dock the camera into a proprietary Samsung HDMI CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) cradle (sold separately). For added versatility, when the HDMI CEC cradle is connected to a high-definition Samsung digital television, end‑users can navigate the TL34HD’s menu using their TV’s remote control. The HDMI CEC cradle also gives shooters the ability to display their images in high-definition clarity, further enhancing the digital imaging experience. The TL34HD is also DLNA Compatible™ allowing users to maximize the way they view and share their digital content over their wireless home network.

“The TL34HD is truly a remarkable digital camera,” said Tony Sorice, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Digital Imaging, at Samsung Electronics America. “From its physical features and design, to the revolutionary technology embedded within, consumers will be impressed by how the TL34HD can enhance their own individual digital imaging experience.”

The TL34HD also pioneers Samsung’s next generation Smart Touch 2.0 user interface. With the Smart Touch 2.0 interface found on the TL34HD, Samsung further simplifies the way users navigate through the camera’s comprehensive feature set by incorporating touch-screen LCD technology. The Smart Touch interface has now been re‑engineered to be selectable options within the TL34HD’s large three-inch touch‑screen hVGA LCD. Not only does this enhance the experience for the shooter and the operation of the Smart Touch interface, but it also provides for a much sleeker and attractive design.

Besides serving as the portal to access the Smart Touch 2.0 user interface, the TL34HD’s three-inch hVGA LCD screen can be used to compose one’s shots and review images in stunning resolution with 460K pixels. To help cut down on glare and enhance viewing outdoors and in direct sunlight, Samsung has also designed the TL34HD’s hVGA LCD screen with a drastically improved anti-reflection coating.

Adding to the camera’s already impressive feature set, Samsung gives shooters the ability to capture more of a desired scene and fit it into the frame by including a high-quality 28mm wide-angle Schneider lens. Unlike a standard 35mm lens which is commonly found on compact digital cameras, the TL34HD’s 28mm wide-angle lens gives consumers the ability to expand their creativity and take even more moving and emotional images. Ideal for a variety of scenarios, users can easily leverage the increased viewing angle of the TL34HD’s wide-angle lens, especially when shooting landscapes or groups of family or friends.

Users can also utilize the 3.6x optical zoom for close up shots and the camera’s Dual Image Stabilization to reduce blur. Dual Image Stabilization combines both Samsung’s improved Optical Image Stabilization and Digital Image Stabilization which work simultaneously to provide blur-free images no matter how shaky the user’s hand may be. Along with the camera’s new DRIM Engine image processor, which yields outstanding image quality, enhanced sensitivity with the ability to shoot at ISO 4800 (at three mega-pixels), and blazing speed, the TL34HD redefines the advanced digital point-and-shoot category.

The new TL34HD also features an embedded contents management program called Digital Contents Management (DCM). DCM is a useful tool that significantly reduces the time to find a photo. The program automatically organizes photos based on the date that they were taken, their contents, color, and themes. Users can search through their images by month or by using a timeline. Based upon the theme of the image they’re looking for, users can also search by whether it’s a portrait, couple, or group photo and can even search for those images that are either city or landscape shots. Additionally, the DCM program also automatically sorts images based upon color tones as well as whether it’s a photo, video, or voice/memo note.

Shooters can also benefit from a comprehensive suite of automatic controls designed to help them capture better images, specifically portraits and group shots of family and friends. The TL34HD’s Face Detection technology makes taking pictures of family and friends a snap, as it detects up to nine faces and automatically adjusts focus and exposure to ensure better composition and image quality. Furthermore, Smile Shot automatically triggers the TL34HD to take a photo only when the camera detects smiles on the subjects’ faces, and Blink Detection will prevent a photo from being taken if the camera recognizes that a subject’s eyes are closed – a useful feature as it’s often difficult to distinguish closed eyes when composing a shot on an LCD screen. The TL34HD also offers 13 scene modes to choose from, allowing shooters the ability to effortlessly adjust the camera and capture the best image possible in any setting.

The TL34HD also puts an end to inadvertently lost images with a new feature called the Recycle Bin - a unique functionality that allows consumers to retrieve images which were deleted by mistake. When the Recycle Bin function is in use, the TL34HD automatically creates a “trash” folder on the memory card which stores any image deleted from the camera. This special feature allows users to shoot, delete and restore images without the fear that they will be lost forever.

The Price: $119.95 for a two pack (currently on sale for $99.95 ) or $69.95 in a single version (on sale for $59.95)

The Verdict: The i2i Stream works as advertised. The sound quality from the streaming music is good and it holds up well inside the range of 30 feet (even when separated by walls). Furthermore, switching between audio sources is easy with the color coded channels, and it gets a decent amount of battery life (around 6 or 7 hours). Still, I can't recommend something that seems unnecessary to me. It's not that it is huge or anything (although it could stand to be a little smaller), but when you plug in an iPod and headphones it is nothing more than another cumbersome gadget taking up space and emptying your wallet. And why? So you can share your horrible taste in music with your friends? If you want to DJ your tunes, a simple portable speaker would suffice. Besides, for the price of a single i2i Stream you could get a 2GB Shuffle and listen to your own music.[i2i Stream]

five million songs in your pocket – every one is yours to DISCOVER, play and enjoy

Verizon Wireless Teams Up with Rhapsody to Enhance the Leading Mobile Music Service with Unlimited Subscription Music for $15 a Month and the Simplicity of Digital Rights Management-Free Songs

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and SEATTLE – Mobile music enters a new era today as Verizon Wireless and Rhapsody®, the digital music service from RealNetworks® (Nasdaq:RNWK) and MTV Networks, launch V CAST Music with Rhapsody. Combining Verizon Wireless’ world-class, over-the-air mobile music service with Rhapsody’s leading desktop solution, V CAST Music with Rhapsody delivers unlimited monthly access to music on up to three Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players and online on multiple PCs and web browsers, for less than the cost of a single CD. In addition, customers who purchase music over-the-air are able to download the master copy of the songs or albums to their PCs free of digital rights management (DRM) software that restricts how and where music can be played.

With V CAST Music with Rhapsody, Verizon Wireless customers are still able to purchase songs over-the-air for $1.99 and get two copies of the song: the first for their phones, the second for their PCs in the DRM-free MP3 format. When customers download the V CAST Music with Rhapsody Software to their PCs and sign up for the monthly subscription, they have the ultimate music management service, including:

o Unlimited subscription syncing with access to more than five million songs







o Creating and accessing playlists, viewing playlists of other users, including celebrities







o Burning, importing and converting CDs to play anywhere







o Managing an existing digital music collection for free and syncing it to their mobile phones







o Buying non-protected MP3s of songs on the PC for 99 cents per song







o Buying songs on the phone, over-the-air – get two copies of the song for just $1.99 (one is over-the-air, the second master copy is the MP3 file customers download onto their PCs)

By subscribing to V CAST Music with Rhapsody, customers can discover new music from millions of songs, without breaking the bank. Whether a hard core music fan or a casual listener, customers of all music appetites will love the flexibility that 5 million songs give them to discover new music, listen to old favorites and find just the right song to suit their mood.

While Verizon Wireless customers continue to have the ability to get their favorite music while on-the-go via full song over-the-air downloads, ringtones and ringback tones, V CAST Music with Rhapsody also provides them with an award-winning desktop music application, allowing them to sync their favorite music quickly and easily, directly to their mobile phones. Now music lovers will be able to manage their collections with the most comprehensive music management tool and take their music with them anywhere.

John Harrobin, senior vice president of digital media and marketing for Verizon, said, “V CAST Music with Rhapsody fulfills Verizon’s promise to deliver the best mobile experience to our customers. Now, music fans can not only get the benefit of immediate access to music over-the-air, but also – in partnership with Rhapsody – customers can seamlessly integrate the leading mobile music service, available on a choice of devices they carry with them everyday, with the ultimate desktop experience.”

Rob Williams, senior vice president of music products for RealNetworks, noted, “Working with Verizon Wireless, we are able to extend the reach of the award-winning Rhapsody service to millions of mobile phones. V CAST Music with Rhapsody gives mobile phone users the best experience of any music service on the market while also giving them access to unlimited music, whether at home or on-the-go.”

Verizon Wireless customers who simply want to manage or buy music can download the V CAST Music with Rhapsody software for free at www.verizonwireless.com/music. Customers interested in a subscription may sign up for $14.99 monthly subscription online or by visiting a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, including those in Circuit City, or by calling Customer Service at 1-800-2-JOIN-IN.

V CAST Music with Rhapsody will be available on the marquee V CAST Music with Rhapsody device, the Chocolate 3 by LG, when the phone becomes available in July; the service is also available today on select phones, including the LG Decoy™ and LG Dare; MOTO™ W755; Samsung SCH-u550, Samsung Glyde™ and Samsung Juke. Customers using the MOTORIZR Z6tv, MOTORAZR² V9m or LG VX8700 may bring their phones into a Verizon Wireless Communications Store to receive a free software upgrade on their phones to access the service.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

According to leaked specs, the nine-point pad will offer users the option of instant messaging on Windows Live or Yahoo Messenger in a phone-style typing schema. The device will also use wireless to share media between home networked computers and access an internet-based media pool, called a Public Home Server.

The player is named after Creative's X-Fi audio technology, which restores lost data in compressed music files to create concert-like audio effects. Users can turn to two X-Fi options—Crystalizer makes audio richer and clearer, and Expand repositions the music to sound like it's coming from in front of you, simulating listening to a live performance on stage. Check out the manual:

[epiZENter]

Its Segway-esque legs dance to the beat of any MP3 player via 3.5mm jack, and its 49 LEDs stay shining like some kind of cybernetic Rhinestone Cowboy. The A.M.P. has touch-sensitive DJ scratching pads and 62 sound effects built in so you can spice up your songs with a little "wiki-wiki", and an IR sensor so he will follow you (and his remote) from room to room and keep the music playing in your direction.

Too bad the A.M.P. costs 500-f'ing-dollars, which won't even buy you a Li-ion battery, since you either plug the knee-high bot into the wall (huh?) or fill it full of D cells. What's this thing made of? SOLID GOLD? It sure dances like it. Bring the price down to $99, and I will buy it. Available in October. [A.M.P., Gearlog]

Update: The commenters pointed out that it's the alien from Stephen Chow's new movie CJ7. I personally heard the movie was pretty awful, but I haven't actually seen it yet. – JC

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I promise not to be too shocked by the results...

SanDisk itself has tried the Wi-Fi thing before with Sansa Connect (itself an acquisition), but that fell short of brilliance. We're thinking maybe this is their attempt to get it right on the second try.

We wish them luck, but since Microsoft's millions haven't been able to get the thing sorted out, and Apple's Wi-Fi Music Store has been little more than a press release, we're not certain there's a tree to bark up here. OK, that's pessimistic—the other half of me says the world is waiting for a killer app. Welcome to the... whatever. [SanDisk]

During the two decades that I've had my components, I've run the gamut from vinyl to cassette and CD, and all the way back again. The black boxes are part of my life, they've stoked parties, soaked up miserable tears, impressing and depressing the menfolk in my life. I've sawed antique walnut cabinets to pieces in order to accommodate multi-plugs, connectors and dust covers and now all I rely on is a little white fag-packet-sized box that stores more music than I could ever hope to accumulate.

How many times have you bought the same album? I've got multiple formats for quite a few, but here's a perfect example: I spent a year in France as a teenager and, having just a Walkman and portable speakers for company, bought myself Mlah by Les Negresses Vertes. A couple of years later, when I was deep into the house scene in Paris, and running a music fanzine, I persuaded their record label to give me the 12" of Zobi La Mouche. Nice buggers that they are, they threw in the album on vinyl, too. A few years later, and I went to Madrid for the first time, I found the CD on special offer in a record store and, having only my laptop for company, snapped it up.

Several years—and moves—later, I get my first iPod. Easy peasy, I think, as I sit down with a pile of CDs to rip. Mlah? Meh. According to my laptop, the disc was unreadable. It was time to open up an iTunes account. Sleazy teasy record labels, more like. Call me a fool, but I've acquired Mlah FOUR TIMES OVER. How many more formats can the record companies come up with? Hologram disco MP3s? Dubbly sound that goes to Eleven? Free horse and cart when you purchase the high-quality, 4-swazillion-kbps version? Even the tracks I've ripped may already be obsolete. To quote Johnny Rotten, "Ever get the feeling you've been had?"

It's Thursday afternoon and, as I lie on my bed and type this, one of the movers is transferring my clothes into one of those hanging boxes. I reckon I've got about 20 minutes to decide whether my boxed-up Denon tape deck, Technics amp and turntable, NAD CD player and KEF speakers make into the van marked "Blighty." It is, however, a bit of a no-brainer. How could I abandon those stalwarts of my life, passé though they may be, in favor of a simpler system whose audio quality isn't exactly fabulous?

Perhaps the clincher, though, is that my iPod is currently filed under B for busticated. Into the van my components go, then. Whether they ever come out of their boxes again is another story.

Before, according to IDG, they were using four 8.3 megapixel sensors—two for green and one each for red and blue. But that data only yielded only a black-and-white image at full resolution. Now they can shoot in full color and reproduce the picture in color too.

Needless to say, a special lens was required, as was a new cable system: instead of 16 separate coax cables, they've narrowed it down to a "single" 12-core line. One step closer to that TV wall in Total Recall, baby. [IDG]

The E020 can be found in 1GB and 2GB flavors, for $69 and $79 respectively, and comes bundled with premium earphones and a handful of faceplates to get you started. Additional faceplates will be sold separately for $12 each. [Crave Asia]

[BalBal via Gizmowatch via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Price: £299.99

The Verdict:: For a non-smartphone, I really like the W890i. I've always been a huge fan of the Sony Ericsson OS and UI on their phones, and that hasn't changed. But what makes this phone so good is that I could see myself using this as a media player if I didn't already have five other dedicated devices lying around. Like the W880i, the W890i has full media playback, a front-side camera for video conferencing, TrackID and other music-related apps. Unlike the W880i, it also has the SensMe music mood mapper, and a higher res camera (3.2 MP vs. 2.0 MP).

The Walkman 3.0 interface is well organized and easy to use, video is crisp, and everything is responsive. I really like that the home screen dedicates one of its soft keys to the Walkman player, and there is also a side hard key for the same purpose. It seems minor, but it really makes the media player accessible and eliminates the thinking process. SensMe analyzes the song's tempo and sound to determine its "mood," and then maps out the songs on a graph for you to select accordingly, and the camera takes bright, crisp photos (indoors and outside). The W890i also has the standard array of Bluetooth, games, productivity apps, and a radio to round out the features.

What I don't like about the W890i is the continued use of proprietary Sony hardware. Audio, data, and charging are still done using a proprietary data port that uses a strange and clunky connector. Buttons are a little crammed together, but this isn't as maddening as the K850i button layout. Other than that, I have no complaints. The W890i is a good, simple music-phone for people who want a good, simple music-phone. [Sony Ericsson on Giz]

SONY'S ROLLY ROLLS INTO THE U.S.

SAN DIEGO, May 20, 2008 - For those who want to experience music through movement, Sony's Rolly entertainment player, a palm-sized, egg-shaped device that rolls and spins like it's dancing to the music, is now available at Sony Style retail stores nationwide.

Spawned from Sony portable audio technology and innovations in artificial intelligence, along with the company's design and entertainment legacy, this device provides a unique combination of music, motion and fun.

"Rolly has the ability to attract your attention as soon as you turn it on," said Brennan Mullin, vice president of marketing for audio at Sony Electronics. "It's a tremendous example of what can happen when entertainment and technology merge."

Clear Sound by Sony's Audio Technologies

Made for producing superb audio quality, Rolly features 180-degree, horizontally opposed stereo speakers. As a result, listeners can enjoy high quality sound from nearly anywhere in the room.

Sound reverberates from the surface the device is placed on, whether on a desk or on the floor. With a digital amp for high sound quality and speakers with neodymium magnets, powerful audio performance is delivered from the compact unit.

Rolly Brings Music to Life

With built-in robotic technologies, the device is designed to move its small arms, shoulders and wheels—six moving parts—to the beat of the music. With about 700 colors in its repertoire, lighting adds to the impact of the motion.

The Rolly device comes with choreography for three songs: "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (theme from "2001 - A Space Odyssey"), Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" and Earth Wind and Fire's "Boogie Wonderland." It can be powered up to play music and dance immediately right out of the box. Two additional tracks have been included to demonstrate how motion can be integrated into the listening experience.

Bringing out the Inner Choreographer

To choreograph an original routine, the unit comes with Rolly Choreographer software. Motions can either be created automatically by the software for a specific song, or for a creative twist, you can create customized choreography for your favorite music. Once choreography has been created, the software simulates how the device will move so you can preview the dance moves on a PC before transferring the routine to the unit.

After creating original dance routine programs, users can share choreography with others in the Rolly Go forum. Using the choreographer software, motion files can be uploaded or downloaded online from this site. Found at www.sonystyle.com/rolly, click on the Rolly Go icon to access the community and see what others have created.

Designed for Motion

The device's simple, clean, cable-less design lets it move freely on smooth surfaces. It is easy to change songs or control the volume by turning the wheels while the unit is on a surface or holding it in your hand. Shaking the device switches its music play to shuffle mode.

The player also contains Bluetooth® technology for wirelessly streaming music from a compatible PC or mobile phone.

Tiny Flash Entertainer

With 2GB flash memory, the player can store up to 520 songs for songs of an average of four minutes in length at 128kbps in the MP3 format. The battery life allows up to five hours of music playback and up to four hours of music and motion together on a single charge. The player supports non-secure AAC and MP3 formats.

Dance Off

Sony's Rolly entertainment player and Grammy™ -nominated R&B singer/dancer, Omarion, have teamed up for a dance off between man and machine. Omarion is known for his dance style and choreography that blends popping, locking, waving and break dance movement. You will soon be able to watch a dance off between the device and Omarion at www.sony.com/rolly.

Availability

The Rolly device comes in black and white and is available online at www.sonystyle.com/rolly and at Sony Style stores for about $400.

Napster Launches World's Largest MP3 Store Featuring 6 Million Tracks

Songs Purchased at Napster Now Compatible With iPod and iPhone
LOS ANGELES —(Business Wire)— May. 20, 2008 Napster (Nasdaq:NAPS), the pioneer of digital music, today announced the launch of the world's largest and most comprehensive MP3 store at http://www.napster.com/store.

Napster's download store is more than 50% larger than any other MP3 store and boasts not only the largest major label MP3 catalog in the industry, but also the largest library of independent music available anywhere. All Napster download sales in the U.S. will now be in the user-friendly, DRM-free MP3 format, which is compatible with virtually any MP3 player or music phone including the iPod and the iPhone. Napster is the first music subscription service featuring major label content to offer 100% of its catalog in the MP3 format for download sales.

"Music fans have spoken and it's clear they need the convenience, ease of use and broad interoperability of the DRM-free MP3 format, and they want to be able to find both major label artists and independent music all in one place. Napster is delighted to deliver all of this and more with the world's largest MP3 catalog," said Napster's Chairman and CEO Chris Gorog. "Our new MP3 store, together with our award-winning 'all you can eat' music subscription service, provides the most comprehensive and exciting music experience available. Virtually any portable device in the world can now be used to enjoy tracks purchased at Napster, which is an important breakthrough for our company."

Pricing for download sales will remain at 99 cents for single MP3 tracks and $9.95 for most MP3 albums, Napster confirmed. The vast majority of the MP3 catalog, including all major label content, is available at a high-quality 256kbps bitrate, and downloaded tracks include high-resolution album art. Consumers can visit and browse the download store with no obligation or commitment, and can also choose to subscribe to Napster's on-demand streaming service, which is web-based and can be accessed from any Internet-connected computer without downloading software.

"Our goal is to enrich your life with music, in ways that are personalized to you," said Chief Operating Officer Christopher Allen. "Napster now offers a truly complete and synergistic digital music destination, where music lovers can not only discover and listen to music, but also buy and own everything they want in MP3 format, which works on any music player. The combination offers consumers the best of both worlds."

Napster gives music fans the freedom of choice to discover, experience, and buy music on their own terms. With its web-based, open, innovative products and services, Napster gives consumers the ability to enjoy music across their desktop, living room, portable music player, and mobile phone.

"Developing online music services into true go-to consumer music destinations depends in large part on reducing hurdles to adoption," said Susan Kevorkian, IDC's Consumer Markets program director, "By offering millions of high quality, MP3-encoded DRM-free tracks from all of the major labels as well as independents, this service is well-positioned to appeal to the broad spectrum of music lovers, including iPod and iPhone owners."

The woman behind the sale claims that she needed the proceeds to help her survive in a new town after moving there with the asshole man in question. However, the sale concluded with no bids—most likely because stories like this on eBay always seem phony. However, if she does decide to put it back up you can take your chances and put in a bid. The porn is included free—if you can find a way to extract it from the damaged drive, that is. [eBay via Crunchgear]

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[WET via Trendir]

That 256MB gives you about 10 hours of radio recording, or you can transfer music to it from a PC and it even functions as a voice-recorder. The radio itself has a digital alarm clock, 400 presets and can receive NOAA weather band info, and two-way marine, aviation and ham radio broadcasts. So, despite looks that may appeal more to your Dad than yourself, it's pretty feature-packed. Which might be why it's available for a seemingly-large $179.95. [Hammacher via Book of Joe]