Let's Go Digital English Edition

Olympus PEN E-PL1 photo gallery : The Olympus PEN E-PL1 is a camera that is aimed at the amateur photographer that is looking for more quality, but keeping the user-friendliness of a compact camera. That user-friendliness became obvious right away when I made the first test photos with the new Olympus PEN E-PL1. The Olympus PEN camera menu is clear and well-organized, and worth noting is that it is written in terms that are easy to understand for ‘laymen'. Away with the photographer lingo and welcome clear descriptions. Add to that the built-in photo tips with clear explanations and tips about making a certain photo, and get going with confidence with the Olympus PL1 system camera.

Samsung 3D phone : The South-Korean cell phone market is often ahead in terms of innovations. Recently we ran into a Samsung SCH-W960 smartphone. At first glance it doesn’t seem very special if it weren’t for the fact that this Samsung phone is actually the first Samsung 3D phone. Unfortunately it is only destined for South Korea right now, but 3D is being developed world-wide, so we won’t be surprised if we will soon run into a Samsung 3D phone in the rest of the world. The first information that we received seems to point to a function in the Samsung W960 smartphone that makes it possible to convert video to 3D with the push of one button.

Dell Streak smartphone tablet : Together with Amazon, Dell will soon be introducing a 5-inch Android 3G multifunctional smartphone tablet, named the Dell Streak. According to leaked information, it is a new electronic device that is able to do everything, at least if you are prepared to work with content provider Amazon. As that is where most of the content will come from. Think of Amazon video streaming, Amazon MP3 and of course the Kindle e-book reader App with which you can read books in electronic format. The Dell Streak or Dell Mini 5, it is not yet clear which will be the official name, runs on Google Android 2.1 OS is expected to be released on the U.S. market.

Samsung SHW-M120S smartphone : There is talk of a new Samsung SHW-M120S smartphone, and according to the most recent rumors on the world wide web it could very well be the first Android smartphone with Bluetooth 3.0. The Samsung M120S smartphone has a 3.3-inch AMOLED display, but this is still an uncertain specification. It could also be a Super AMOLED display, which we had seen at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Spain, in the Samsung Wave high-end phone. Bluetooth 3.0 was officially recognized by Bluetooth SIG on April 21st, 2009, and supports a theoretical data transfer speed of 24 Mbit/sec. That would make the Samsung SHW-M120S an interesting high-end Android smartphone.

BenQ C1250 digital camera : BenQ announces the release of their latest digital camera in Europe - the C1250. Equipped with a 12-megapixel sensor, smart scene detection technology, 3X optical zoom and a bright 2.7” LCD display, the BenQ C1250 combines chic design with smart technologies, making taking crisp photos with ease and style. With the bigger and brighter LCD with is equipped with 2 LED modules for backlighting, the 2.7” LCD display displays pictures clearly even in the mid afternoon sun. Moreover, with ISO up to 6400 (VGA and HD 16:9), you can be confident when shooting in low light, pictures will come out blur-free and sharp, looking natural with the mood of the scene preserved.

SK Telecom mobile in Vehicle application : Some years ago, the ‘wireless’ phenomenon came about, and nowadays people cannot go without it. Some cannot even imagine what daily life would be like without wireless communication! Wireless is continuously being developed, and companies such as SK Telecom presented applications during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, that caused amazement. According to SK Telecom, this is just a smart example of well thought-out wireless technology. The so-called Mobile in Vehicle application makes it possible to start your car with your smartphone, or even perform diagnostics or diverse functions.

Huawei SmaKit S7 Android tablet : A bit large for an Android 3G cell phone, which may be the solution for people with large hands, but the new Huawei SmaKit S7 Android tablet in any case has 3G communication functionalities. This finely designed Android tablet supports every Android software applications up to 720p High Definition. The Huawei SmaKit S7 tablet has a 7-inch widescreen display with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. Such a widescreen format for this Android tablet delivers a fine display of all the applications in a row. The Huawei S7 android tablet can additionally be connected via the home network, to other Android devices or a television. All in all, surprising. A real eye-catcher at the Mobile World Congress 2010.

Samsung Monte mobile phones : Whoever visited the Mobile World Congress themselves could not get around Samsung. With one of the largest and most colorful booths, Samsung presented itself optimally, in our opinion. Of course there already was attention for the Samsung Wave, but also the Samsung Monte S5620 received the necessary attention. Although we truly had to look for it... The Samsung Monte S5620 is a mobile phone meant for the masses, or rather, it is a mid-range handset. The 3-inch display is just a bit smaller than the remarkable high-end cell phones, but it does have a WQVGA resolution and the most recent TouchWiz interface. All in all it is a pretty interesting Smartphone from Samsung, and worth taking a look at.

Samsung Shark cell phones : Next to the Samsung Wave, there were some other new cell phones launched during the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Spain, such as the Samsung Shark mobile phones. This new series is made up out of three cell phones, including the Samsung Shark 2 S5550. Equipped with a fine AMOLED display and a 5 Megapixel auto focus camera with build-in LED flash, this model is actually a combination of the standard and the multifunctional Smartphone. The fine quality display has a bit of a small format of 2.2-inches, but due to its high contrast and clarity, is not even so quickly noticeable. The Samsung Shark phone design is nice, but not even so remarkable. In any case, you won’t be making the comparison with a shark.

Vodafone 150 cell phone : Vodafone was of course present with its complete pallet of services and hardware during the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona. And in technical terms they are not all very remarkable products, but still form the necessary impact on the mobile phone market. Take the very cheap Vodafone 150 mobile phone, aimed at a large group of potential consumers that live in countries where wealth is not present for a large part of the population. We have to think about countries such as India, but also the African countries. To be able to communicate by mobile phone can mean a new chance for people from this group.

NTT Docomo kids cell phone : NTT Docomo, the largest telecom provider on the Japanese market, is always good for some interesting and innovative mobile solutions. Take the smartphone we have previewed in of our Mobile World Congress 2010 articles that can be split into two halves and can also be used independently. The applications are unknown, but such innovations often lead to end products for consumers that are truly useful. For example the GPS solutions, often used functionally to find your way in a new city, country, etc. but there are also other applications that maybe become more interesting in the near future. For example, the locating of objects or people.

Emporia senior mobile phones : Emporia, specialized in mobile communication solutions for seniors, was present during the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona with a remarkable booth. While other manufacturers seem to be showing a minimization trend, Emporia is rather focusing on designs with large buttons and clear organization. Emporia introduced two new senior cell phones, namely the Emporia Elegance and the Emporia Solid handsets. The Emporia Solid is a senior cell phone that is especially shock resistant, a bit more robust and most likely also a bit more reliable when this cell phone is used outdoors. That is not such a bad idea, because many seniors lead active lives, maybe even more active than before.

Pentax 645D medium format SLR camera : Hoya Corporation Pentax Imaging Systems Division is pleased to announce the launch of the Pentax 645D lens-interchangeable, medium format digital SLR camera. Thanks to the incorporation of a large image sensor, equal in performance to professional-standard digital camera backs, this high-performance model delivers super-high-resolution images with approximately 40 effective megapixels. It also offers outstanding dependability and superb operability and maneuverability to make outdoor shooting effortless and comfortable for demanding photographers.

Tamron SP 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD lens : President and CEO Morio Ono of optical equipment manufacturer Tamron Co. Ltd., announced another advance in their pursuit of high resolution images in the telephoto lens category with the development of a Tamron 70-300mm F/4-5.6 telephoto zoom lens featuring image stabilization-VC (Vibration Compensation) and an ultrasonic auto-focus drive - USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive). The Tamron SP 70-300mm F4-5.6 Di VC USD high-resolution DSLR telephoto zoom lens has been produced for the Nikon mount, with the development of compatible mounts for Canon and Sony to follow.

Cricket Samsung Stunt mobile phone : Cricket Communications, provider of unlimited wireless services and subsidiary of Leap Wireless International, and Samsung Mobile announce the availability of the new Samsung Stunt (SCH-R100). A slim, sleek and stylish bar phone, the Samsung Stunt phone comes loaded with Mobile Web, Games & Apps, Bluetooth, long battery life, speakerphone and voice commands. In addition, Crickets MyBackup, which enables subscribers to automatically protect their mobile contacts without the hassle of data cables, is available on the Samsung Stunt via a link in the contact list. The Samsung Stunt mobile phone is a sophisticated evolution from its predecessor, the Samsung SCH-R211, and features a larger and more vibrant 128 x 160 color display and slimmer design.

Acer Aspire One 532G Netbook : Last year, the netbook appeared to be at the beginning of a large breakthrough. A year later, the opposite seems to be the case. The notebooks have become smaller and have actually been taking over the place that the netbooks should have been filling. Still, here and there we have seen some netbooks by manufacturers such as Samsung and in this case Acer. The Acer Aspire One 532G is the first netbook that is completely configured in order to be able to process HD multimedia content. According to an Acer spokesperson, the Acer One 532G netbook is equipped with a NVIDIA video card, namely NVIDIA's Ion 2. With this NVIDIA video card, 1080p content can be viewed without a problem.

New Alcatel Smartphones : Next to a large pile of cell phones that were already available on the market last year, we still saw a nice series of Alcatel Smartphones in a small demo space in the Mobile World Congress complex. According to a spokesperson from TCT Mobile, especially the Alcatel One Touch Tribe and the One Touch Mini were successful last year. To match this success a bit, TCT Mobile introduced a new series of Alcatel cell phones. Alcatel’s most important spearheads are an excellent price /quality ratio, user-friendliness, and a unique design. But aren’t these the features that every cell phone manufacturer aims for? You know what we mean; what is different?

Sony-Ericsson Vivaz Pro business smartphone : The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, is the moment for cell phone manufacturers to present themselves to the world press. And next to the marketing talk, which sounds nice, we of course go mostly for the products, as those are pumped up and form an important part of the manufacturer’s image. Although Sony-Ericsson seems to be focusing less on hardware, and instead teaching the consumer more to experience the different services that Sony-Ericsson has to offer, but we still need a Sony-Ericsson smartphone. The Sony-Ericsson Vivaz Pro Smartphone received an official status during the MWC 2010. It is a business version of the Sony-Ericsson Vivaz handset.

HSPA+ Android smartphone : The world’s first HSPA+ Android smartphone was claimed by Huawei and indeed during the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona we didn’t run into any more. When we arrived at the Huawei booth, we still had to search for this fine example of technology and finally we saw a glimpse of the new Huawei U8800 handset. It was presented under a bit dingy synthetic cube. But we weren’t born yesterday; what goes in can always come out is our motto. Thus lift that cube up and take a closer look at the Huawei U8800 Android Smartphone. There is of course a reason why the Huawei mobile phone cannot be seen functioning… this is a pre-production Beta sample.

Acer Liquid E quick review : Acer brought some new exciting smartphones to the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, including the “new” Acer Liquid E. “New” because it is actually a further developed version of a smartphone that was introduced last year: the Acer Liquid cell phone. It is interesting for the owners of an Acer Liquid handset to see the possibilities that the Acer Liquid e mobile phone has due to the software applications of Android 2.1. But if Acer Liquid smartphone owners still have a bit of patience, their OS can be updated to version 2.1 in the summer of 2010, at least that is the expectation that was created during our visit to the Acer booth during the MWC 2010 in Spain.