Cool GooDies

HP has unveiled the world's first web-connected home printer - The HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web.

The HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web features an entirely new web-based printing platform with HP applications(apps). Similar to other Internet-connected devices, these apps, which are viewable on a TouchSmart panel, allow people to connect instantly with fun, informative and personal content.

In addition to receiving apps preloaded on the printer, people can download new ones as they become available at the HP Apps Studio to suit their interests and needs. With the sweep of a finger, users will be able to browse and view popular web destinations and simply touch the app of their choice to launch a web page where they can customize and print content on demand in an easy-to-read format.

The world's first HP app partners will be USA TODAY, Google, Fandango, Coupons.com, DreamWorks Animation, Nickelodeon, Web Sudoku and Weather News Inc. Through these apps, people will have free access to customized daily news, maps, coupons, coloring pages, movie tickets, recipes, personal calendars and more – all at the touch of a finger.

The new printers also will connect directly to a user's Snapfish account to view, print and upload photos. People additionally can access projects from the HP Creative Studio.

People will be able to create and share their own apps to customize their printers through the HP Apps Studio starting in late 2009.

From Google Maps, consumers will be able to enter their destination and print a map; from Google Calendar, they will be able to print their weekly schedule to place on their refrigerator or bulletin board.

With Coupons.com, users can save money by printing coupons for groceries, restaurants, entertainment and more. People also can browse and print recipes for quick, easy meal planning.

Consumers will be able to search movies in their local area from any one of Fandango's 16,000 theater screens across the country. They can then buy tickets in advance and print their tickets at home or the office, helping ensure an easy and convenient movie-going experience.

Through the DreamWorks Animation app users also will be able to view movie trailers to upcoming releases without having to log on to a computer. Nickelodeon printables will include color-ins, word finds, mazes and more from top properties, including "Dora the Explorer,” "The Wonder Pets!,” "SpongeBob SquarePants” and "iCarly.”

For commuters, Weather News Inc. provides a weekly forecast to allow for informed travel planning. With Web Sudoku, people can quickly print brain teasers for light entertainment on the go.

The HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web has an extra-large 4.33-inch touchscreen and can print, faxes, copies and scans – producing laser-quality text documents and lab-quality photos. With a full range of wired and wireless connectivity options, the printer provides the flexibility to print directly from Wi-Fi-enabled PCs, Bluetooth-enabled devices, the Apple iPhone and the Apple iPod touch using HP iPrint Photo.

Expected to be available this fall, the HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web will retail in the United States for a target street price of $399. 

If you're a budding photographer moving up in life, Sony says they've got just the thing for you. Three things to be precise. They've just introduced what they claim to be three easy-to-use Alpha DSLR cameras - the DSLR-A380, DSLR-A330 and DSLR-A230 - that will come loaded with four new lenses. Senior manager for the Alpha business at Sony Electronics Inc. had this to say:

"Our new alpha cameras, lenses and accessories make it easier for new users to get the great photos they expect without the steep learning curve that DSLRs have traditionally required.

By overcoming the obstacles, we've made it much easier for newcomers to take great pictures with DSLRs."

 The way they're overcoming obstacles is via what they claim to be an extensive built-in Help Guide, that will help new photographers by showing them the ropes.

The A380 will support up to 14.2 megapixel while the other two cameras will go up to 10.2 megapixel. The camera will come equipped with Sony's Quick Autofocus (AF) Live View technology, so you can frame photos on the camera's LCD screen as well as in the optical viewfinder. In addition, they'll all feature extensive HDMI compatibility, so you'll be able to view images on any HDTV if you connect the camera via HDMI. To futher the Sony integration, you'll be able to control the camera's photo/video preview on Sony's  Bravia via the Bravia's remote. The cameras will release this July. There's no India price out yet, but here are the American prices -

The A380L, Aa330L and A230L will cost about $850, $650 and $550, respectively. The L series one-lens kit comes with the SAL-1855 standard zoom lens.

The A380Y, A330Y and A230Y will cost about $1050, $850 and $750, respectively. The Y series two-lens kit comes with both the SAL-1855 standard zoom and SAL-55200 telephoto zoom lenses.

Sony has waved its magic wand once again, and given us a sparkling new LCD TV, the 40-inch Bravia ZX1. It is touted as the world's slimmest LCD TV - 9.9mm thick and weighing in at about 15kg.

The ZX1 comes with many technologies to help contribute quality images and digital entertainment experience. At its heart is the Bravia Engine 2, surrounded by Edge LED technology, Motionflow 100Hz and Image Blur reduction. The ZX1 comes with a Full HD display resolution of 1920 X 1080 pixels, and a glossy black bezel and screen.
Apart from the usual Bravia features like Live Colour Creation, 24p Cinema, Xross media bar, Bravia Theatre Sync, the ZX1 has audio enhancement features like digital amplifier, S-Force Surround, voice zoom, dolby digital plus, etc. This screen has two integrated speakers and a woofer that delivers a net output power of 20 watts (5 Watts for each speaker + 10 Watts for woofer).

The main USP is probably Wireless HD, one of the most innovative features in the Bravia ZX that enables users to enjoy Full HD quality images without any messy wires and cables. Wireless technology allows the user to utilize the media library located anywhere in the house, via the supplied HD media receiver. Wires from the HD devices are connected to the HD media receiver and the display will receive the input signals from the media receiver wirefree, with the help of high-speed wireless connection and RF technology.The connectivity of the Bravia ZX1 is distinguished with 4 independent HDMI inputs, a PC input, composite inputs, component inputs, USB connection, and a RBG compatible SCART input.

There is no price point attached to the Bravia ZX1 as yet. You'll know as soon as we do.

Bharti Airtel has launched 16 Mbps broadband in the country.

This service, powered by Airtel's Carrier Ethernet Network, will be initially available in Delhi NCR, Chennai and Bangalore with phased roll-out in Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai and Kolkata.

K Srinivas, Joint President, Telemedia Services, Bharti Airtel said, "Airtel has constantly strived to innovate and deliver high quality products to its broadband customers. We are the leading private broadband service provider in the country and pioneered 8 Mbps broadband. It gives us great pleasure now to be able to introduce the fastest, wired broadband service on DSL. We will be able to offer 16 Mbps broadband to 70% of the households in the 3 cities of Delhi NCR, Chennai and Bangalore."

Airtel delivers its broadband service to customers through a fibre backbone of Carrier Ethernet Network with last mile delivery on copper using ADSL2+ technology. This technology enables ultra high-speed broadband which is scalable and affordable.

Customers have 2 tariff plans to choose from -

- Speed Combo 2999 - receive 16 Mbps broadband speed with monthly data transfer limit of 20 GB along with a fixed line connection at Rs. 2999 per month.

- Speed Combo 4999 - receive 16 Mbps broadband speed with monthly data transfer limit of 50 GB along with a fixed line connection at Rs. 4999 per month.

Microsoft Corp.'s next version of its Office desktop programs will reach consumers next year, though not likely in conjunction with the Windows 7 operating system


Microsoft is set to announce Wednesday that Office 2010 will be finished and ready to send to manufacturers in the first half of next year.

From there, it can take six weeks to four months or more for the programs to reach PC users, said Chris Capossela, a senior vice president in the Microsoft group that makes Office. The timing will differ for big businesses and individual consumers, and for people who buy packaged software versus those who download it.

Some industry watchers had expected a new version of Office this year, but Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer extinguished that rumor at a meeting with analysts in February.

Capossela declined to be more specific about a launch date. Windows 7, the successor to Windows Vista is scheduled to reach consumers by the end of January 2010.

Office 2010 - previously known by the code name "Office 14" - will include slimmed-down versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that let people create and edit documents in a Web browser. Consumers will have access to a free, ad-supported version, and Capossela said the company is still hammering out what to charge businesses that want a version without ads.

Microsoft plans to let hundreds of thousands of people test a technical preview of the new Office portfolio starting in the third quarter of 2009, Capossela said. The company did not say whether average PC users will have a chance to test a more polished beta version.

Microsoft also said a new version of its Exchange e-mail server will be available for purchase in the second half of 2009. When paired with the next version of Microsoft's Outlook e-mail program, Exchange 2010 aims to prevent e-mail faux pas and would warn people against trying to "reply all" to a huge distribution list. Microsoft said it can also be tweaked to stop people from sending e-mail outside the organization, helping businesses cut down on unnecessary e-mail and prevent leaks.

A beta version of Exchange 2010 was to be made available on Wednesday.

Nokia and Skype announced plans to fully integrate Skype into select Nokia devices. Kicking off with the Nokia N97, Skype will be part of the address book in the device. This will enable users to easily see when their Skype contacts are online. It’ll also enable them to use 3G and Wi-Fi to make and receive free Skype to Skype voice calls.

Scott Durchslag, Skype’s Chief Operating Officer said “Collaborating closely with Nokia to preload and integrate our software onto their devices will benefit the many Nokia customers who already use Skype, as it makes Skype easily accessible and simple to use on the go. It will also bring Skype new users who love Nokia’s Symbian Series 60 experience.”

Meanwhile Jose-Luis Martinez, Vice President, Nokia N-series said “With more than 400 million Skype users worldwide, the integration of Skype on Nokia N-series mobile computer is a significant step in bringing converged internet experiences from the desktop to the world’s most advanced mobile computer.”

Skype will be rolled out on other devices after the Nokia N97 goes live in the third quarter. New Nokia N97 devices will have it pre-installed, whilst early versions will be able to get it through a software upgrade. Other select N-series devices are also likely to come with integrated Skype functionality which includes Skype contacts, Chat, VoIP and Presence.

It could be the start of a bad year for a lot of mobile phone users. Reports are stating that within the first week of January about 25 million mobile phones could be rendered un-usable due to a security issue. The department of telecom (DoT) has told all network providers in the country to disconnect all handsets which do not have an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number.

This has been the works for awhile now due to the vast array of fakes and Chinese mobile handsets that have flooded the market in the recent months. Many of these handsets do not have IMEI numbers and considering the very recent bombings and terror attacks in the country, the government had decided that a serious clamp down is necessary.
In case you're not very sure, an IMEI number is a 15 digit code that you’ll find underneath your mobile phone battery. The number is a technically a tracking system for mobile operators to know about the calls being made from the handset. This number will flash on their systems to derive further information for billing, security etc.

The same reports also state that the date that this 'shut down' system would fall into place would be January 6th 2009, which is not too far away. So if you happen to be using a fake handset or one of the Chinese varieties, you might want to take a quick peek underneath your battery to look for the number or enter *#06# from your keypad.