The Cheap Nokia X2 Unveiled

Nokia Keep the new devices coming! The company has just announced their latest music-centric feature phone, the cheap Nokia X2.

The X2 will be based on the S40 platform and will come with dedicated music keys, stereo speakers and an FM radio with RDS and a built-in antenna. On top of that you get support for stereo Bluetooth and a 3.5mm audio output jack. Of course, there is also a hot-swappable microSDHC card slot.

Nokia X2

The 13-mm thin Nokia X2 weighs only 81 g and packs a 2.2" screen of QVGA resolution and social network integration allowing its owners quick access to Facebook's services. The Nokia Messaging app will be preloaded as well.

On the aluminum back you'll find a 5-megapixel fixed-focus camera with video recording. That sure doesn't impress but, considering the low price tag, we're not surprised to hear that there is no autofocus.

Nokia X2 is expected to become available by the end of June at an estimated price of 85 euro before taxes and subsidies. There are two known color versions so far - Blue on Silver and Red on Black.

PENTAX Optio M90 Announced

Pentax has announced the Optio M90, a 5x zoom compact camera. The lens on the 12 megapixel camera offers a zoom range equivalent to 28mm to 140mm. Pentax says it includes improved face recognition, along with smile capture, blink detection and twenty scene modes. The M90 features a 'soft-feel' rubber finish over an aluminium body. The M90 will only be available in Europe.

5x Wide-angle Zoom, Smooth touch, Smooth price

PENTAX Imaging Systems is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX Optio M90, a standard-class, lightweight compact digital camera that is equipped with advanced basic functions.

Thanks to its ease of use, the Optio M90 is the perfect choice for a variety of photography scenes and modes. Key features include a sophisticated metal rubber coated soft-touch exterior, a high-definition sensor of approximately 12.1 megapixels, a large and easily-viewable 2.7’’ LCD monitor, as well as an upgraded optical wide-angle 5x zoom. Furthermore, the Optio M90 has been designed to produce beautiful photography with minimal effort through a variety of upgraded features including aan improved face recognition function, smile capture and blink detection modes, and further advancement of the scene modes – 20 in total, including the Auto-Panorama, Backlight and Copy modes.

The Optio M90 is also available in two colours, black and burgundy red, allowing users to select their preferred style.

Major Features

1. Wide-angle optical 5X zoom lens in a compact body
The Optio M90 features a very compact body that fits into the palm of a hand and houses an optical wide-angle 5 times zoom, where an angle of view equivalent to approximately 28mm to 140mm in 35mm format can be achieved. This angle view makes it possible to capture a full group of people or whole architecture in the frame, without needing to step backwards, and to zoom further when taking photos of landscapes, commemorative photos and portraits. The Digital Zoom of 5x extends the zoom range to enable high-magnification zoom photography equivalent to a maximum of approximately 25x.

2. New soft and sophisticated texture
The Optio M90 is stylish and detailed in design with an aluminum alloy body coated by a soft-feel rubber texture.

3. Approximately 12.1 effective megapixels for high-definition images
The effective pixel count of the Optio M90 amounts to a high definition of approximately 12.1 megapixels. In addition, clear and high-quality images can be achieved through a high-performance PENTAX lens. Clear prints of detailed areas, are possible even when photos are stretched out to large sizes.

4. Automatic functions for easy camera operation
The Optio M90 features the advanced Auto Picture mode, which automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode for a given subject or scene by detecting the subject’s lighting and other conditions. In addition, there are another 20 scene modes, which include the Auto-Panorama mode for composing photographs into one panoramic picture, a Backlight mode to capture perfect pictures even with sun in the background, a Copy mode , which acts as a mini-scanner, and a Auto-tracking mode to follow and focus on the subject even if it moves out of the centre of the frame.
The Optio M90 also features the upgraded Face Detection AF & AE function, as well as the Smile function which automatically releases the shutter the instant it detects the subject’s smile, and the Blink detection mode, which warns the photographer when the subject’s eyes close at the time of shutter release.

5. Other features
1) Large 2.7-inch colour LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 dots, treated with AR (Anti-Reflection) coating to minimise reflections
2) High-sensitivity anti-shake mode of ISO 1600, to minimise camera shake and subject shake at indoor events and for fast-moving subjects
6) Movie-clips of 640x480 pixels, 30 frames per second
7)Camera supplied with a Lithium-ion battery and a charger
8) The Multi-Burst shooting mode: takes 16 VGA-size pictures at a maximum speed of approximately 14.6 images per second and creates a contact sheet
9) Arcsoft MediaImpression 2.0 for PENTAX image viewing, editing and filing software included (compatible with latest operation systems, including Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6)

Dimensions 9.9 x 5.8 x 2.3cm
Weight (excl li-ion batt) 116g

Price
RRP £199.99

Availability
Mid June 2010

Nokia Unveiled Nokia N8 ; The First Symbian^3 and 12 Mp From Nokia

It's official - Nokia unveiled their new flagship, the Nokia N8. With 12MP camera and 720p video recording, the latest handset from the Finnish company is on track to becoming the new imaging champ in the mobile phone world.

The 28mm wide angle camera on the Nokia N8 is equipped with Carl Zeiss optics and a xenon flash. Nokia says that the image sensor "rivals those found in compact digital cameras". The camera can also capture 720p HD video at 25 frames per second and offers built-in video editing tools.

Nokia N8 official photos

The Nokia N8 also features two different TV-out interfaces - the standard 3.5mm audio jack and a mini-HDMI port (a first for the GSM world). The Nokia N8 also features Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound over the HDMI link.

The Nokia N8 offers up to 3 hours and 20 minutes of video capture or 7 hours of video playback (6 over HDMI) thanks to the 1200mAh battery. The talk time is impressive too - 12 hours, and the battery will last for 50 hours of music playback.

More Nokia N8 photos

There's plenty of storage to store the videos - the Nokia N8 has 16GB of built-in memory and supports microSD cards up to 32GB. As for viewing things on the phones itself, the N8 comes with a 3.5" capacitive touchscreen with 16:9 aspect ratio with nHD resolution (360 x 640 pixels).

The Nokia N8 is connectivity champ - it is a true globetrotter with quad-band GSM/EDGE and five-band 3G. Yep, five bands - 850/900/1700/1900/2100. It has Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS with A-GPS (plus other positioning methods), microUSB with USB On-the-go and a built-in FM transmitter. Having mentioned GPS, the N8 will of course come with Ovi Maps for free voice-guided navigation.

Nokia N8 lifestyle shots

The N8 is the first device that runs Symbian^3 and it also has support for the Qt cross-platform apps and UI framework that should allow development of apps that run on Symbian and MeeGo. It has multiple homescreens and is proficient in social networking. It also offers improved application and graphics performance.

Here's a promo video of the Nokia N8:

The Nokia N8 is expected to become available in the third quarter with an estimated retail price of 370 euro (500 US dollars or about 5 million Rupiah before taxes of course). It will be available in Dark Grey, Silver White, Green, Blue, Orange.

Nokia N8 : It's Real 12Mp

The Nokia's first Symbian^3 device and next smartphone flagship N8 just got its first short preview. The handset is now confirmed to capture 720p video and 12 megapixel stills, but apparently the new UI wasn't much to the liking of the reviewer.

Nokia N8 live shots

While there are no samples to prove it, the image quality of the still camera is said to be similar to the Sony Ericsson Satio 12 megapixel shooter. Which combined with the 720p video recording and the HDMI port doesn't sound like too bad a package to us, but apparently the author believes this is the device that might single-handedly take down Nokia.

Focusing on the HDMI port and the 12MP camera

The user interface improvements also fail to impress and Symbian^3 feels more like evolution rather than a much needed revolution for the platform's touch UI. The Nokia N8 is apparently running fast but once its memory gets filled up it starts to lag.

The camera user interface

Those are of course impressions based on an early pre-release sample of the Nokia N8 and we're likely to see improvements before the handset hits the shelves in the second half of the year.

Source

16 ribu Siswa Jatim Tidak Lulus

Tahun ini 16 ribu lebih siswa SMA, MA, SMK di Jawa Timur harus mengulang Ujian Nasional (Unas). Namun dibanding tahun lalu prestasi ini lebih baik.

Suwanto Kepala Dinas Pendidikan Pemprov Jatim mengatakan, siswa yang harus mengulang Unas pada 10 Mei mendatang di tingkat SMA sebanyak 3.700 lebih atau 2,6 persen.

Madrasah Aliyah (MA) 4,43 persen atau 2.800 lebih siswa. Sedangkan Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan (SMK) yang harus mengulang Ujian Nasional sebanyak 9.700 lebih siswa atau sekitar tujuh persen.

Dibanding tahun lalu jumlah siswa yang mengulang tahun ini lebih sedikit. Suwanto berharap siswa yang akan mengulang Unas tahun ini bisa mempersiapkan diri dengan baik.

Pengumuman Ujian Nasional sendiri akan dilaksanakan pada Senin, 26 April mendatang. Kelulusan siswa akan ditentukan hasil Ujian Nasional dan ujian sekolah

The New Ulysse Nadin Chairman Phone : The Luxury is Begun

It seems that last year's hybrid Chairman phone is now out of stock and its Swiss maker Ulysse Nardin is preparing the successor. The new Chairman has a touchscreen, 8MP camera and some good 32GB worth of storage.

The Chairman is not the usual luxury phone you are used to see. Beneath the shiny armor lies Android-driven smartphone with all the high-end features you might expect.

Besides the phone part, the Chairman has one really interesting innovation - the watch-like kinetic rotor system for passive recharging of the battery.

The new Chairman extends the specs sheet with bigger 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen (with multi-touch support) and a Freescale i.MX processor (i.MX is an entire processor family, so nothing specific here). And did we mention it runs Android?

Anyway, the rest of the specs sheet includes a juicy 8 megapixel camera, a fingerprint reader for locking the thing, 32GB internal memory and HD video playback. The connectivity is also duly covered with 3G with HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB.

As an alternative power source you can use the built-in kinetic rotor or the crown winding mechanism - both borrowed directly from wrist watches.

The Chairman

The new Chairman comes with Bluetooth stereo speakers and a fancy wood dock - you can put your phone there for recharging and it will also back-up all of your data on the supplied external USB drive.

Ulysse Nardin will manufacture the new Chairman in several color variations based either on stainless steel or pink gold. Each of those will be made in a limited series of only 1846 units (the year Ulysse Nardin was founded).

The new Chairman will ship within a month. Its price will vary from $12 800 to $49 500 in the US and may be different in other countries.

You can find more information on the official website

Chairman Smartphone specifications:

• Google Android™ mobile phone platform
• 3.2" capacitive touch screen with full on screen QWERTY keyboard and physical numeric keys
• Fingerprint reader for owner identification and phone lock
• 8 megapixel camera
• High definition video replay capability
• YouTube™, Google Maps, Gmail™, Google talk and Facebook™ preloaded
• Qualcomm 3G GSM/WCDMA - 2G Bands 850/900/1800/1900MHz 3G Bands 900/2100MHz
• Smartphone platform powered by the Freescale i.MX processor
• 32 GB internal memory
• Extensive gaming ability
• Up to 8 hours talk time and 30 days standby time
• Ulysse Nardin Rotor (kinetic power system) and Crown (for winding the phone) i.e. generating additional electrical power to the battery

V-Lux 20 From LEICA Comes with Built in GPS

Leica has unveiled its first compact superzoom, the V-Lux 20 which also features built-in GPS tagging. A near-identical twin of the Panasonic ZS7/ TZ10, but with a more expensive price tag of US $699/£495 GBP, the camera includes almost all of the features including a 12.1MP sensor, 460k dot 3" LCD and 12x optical zoom (25-300mm equiv.). Like the ZS7 it also features 720p HD video recording, however it can only shoot it in a less sophisticated Motion JPEG format than the Panasonic's AVCHD Lite format.

Capture the world with the LEICA V-LUX 20:high-performance compact digital camera with super-zoom and GPS tagging

April 20, 2010: Leica Camera AG has announced the LEICA V-LUX 20, a 12.1 effective megapixel digital compact camera with a powerful 12x optical zoom lens and built-in GPS tagging*, making it ideal for recording special memories when travelling – wherever you are in the world.

The integrated, high-performance LEICA DC-VARIO-ELMAR 4.1-49.2mm f/3.3-4.9 ASPH. zoom lens with a focal range of 25-300mm (35mm equivalent) means the V-Lux 20 is perfect for any photographic situation. Whether shooting expansive landscapes, detailed close-ups or shots of distant subjects using the super-telephoto setting, the V-Lux 20 captures them all in breath-taking quality.

The V-Lux 20 is the first Leica camera to feature GPS tagging. For anyone travelling regularly – whether on exotic safaris, family beach holidays or even those important business trips – this innovative feature allows photographers to record the exact geographical co-ordinates of their location (in the Exif data of each photo) automatically, as well as the local time for every shot, ensuring the user always has a useful and accurate record of their trip. In addition, the V-Lux 20 can display the names of interesting sightseeing locations from a total of 500,000 ‘points of interest’ across 73 countries.

The built-in GPS feature also makes archiving and organising photos quick and easy, during or after a trip. Furthermore, for photographers posting images on social networks, image portals or map sites such as Google Maps or Google Earth, the data automatically reveals exactly when and where the photos were taken.*

For those who want to make movies as well as still images, the LEICA V-LUX 20 enables movie recording in HD quality. Its intelligent automatic features, such as face recognition, automatic scene modes and smart exposure, are all available in movie mode, together with the camera’s zoom functions.

The V-Lux 20’s generous three inch LCD display has a diagonal of 7.5cm and a resolution of 460,000 pixels, and offers an extremely bright, sharp view for precise composition and framing of shots, as well as accurate quality control for captured shots in playback mode.

Beautifully styled in a matt black finish, the V-Lux 20 has been designed with simple, ergonomic controls and user-friendly menus, and offers fully automatic functions for those who prefer to ‘point and shoot’. It also provides a complete range of manual shutter speed and aperture settings for more creative freedom and image control. In addition, the integrated image stabilisation assists the photographer by reducing the chance of blurred pictures, whether due to camera shake or difficult lighting conditions. The compact dimensions and light weight of the camera also make it easy to pack into a bag or rucksack, or simply carry in a pocket, so users can ensure the LEICA V-LUX 20 is with them on every trip.

Accessories and software
The LEICA V-LUX 20 includes Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for quick and easy image editing. A high quality brown leather case for the camera is available as an optional accessory from authorised Leica dealers.

Pricing and availability
The LEICA V-LUX 20 will be available in the UK from May 2010 from authorised Leica dealers including the Leica Store Mayfair: www.leica-storemayfair.co.uk, tel: 020 7629 1351. A full list of authorised Leica dealers is available at www.leica-camera.co.uk. The suggested retail price of the LEICA V-LUX 20 is £495. The optional brown leather case has an SRP of £70.

* GPS tagging may not function in China and neighbouring regions. Strength of satellite signal reception depends on location, and when restricted, positioning data may be recorded inaccurately or not at all.

LEICA V-LUX 20 specifications

Sensor	• 1/2.33" Type CCD • 14.5 million pixels total • 12.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 4:3 Aspect Ratio: 4000 x 3000, 3264 x 2448, 2560 x 1920, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480 • 3:2 Aspect Ratio: 4176 x 2784, 3392 x 2264, 2656 x 1768, 2048 x 1360, 640 x 424 • 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 4320 x 2432, 3552 x 2000, 2784 x 1568 , 1920 x 1080, 640 x 360
Movie clips	• 1280x720 pixels @ 60fps (QuickTime Motion JPEG) • 848 x 480 pixels @ 30 fps (Motion JPEG) • 640 x 480 pixels @ 30 fps (Motion JPEG) •320 x 240 pixels @ 30 fps (Motion JPEG)
File formats	• Still Image: JPEG(DCF/Exif2.21) • Motion picture: QuickTime Motion JPEG
Lens	• 12x optical zoom • 25 - 300mm (35mm equiv.) • f=4.1-49.2mm • F3.3 - 4.9 • LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR • 10 elements in 8 groups
Image stabilization	Lens
Digital zoom	Yes, up to 4x
Focus	• Normal • Macro • Zoom Macro • Pre-focusing (On/Off) • Continuous AF On/Off • AF Tracking
Metering	• Face / AF tracking • 11-point • 1-point high speed • 1-point • Spot
Focus distance	• Normal: Wide 50cm - infinity, Tele 2m - infinity • Macro / Intelligent AUTO/ Movie: Wide 3 cm / Tele 1 m - infinity
ISO sensitivity	• Auto • 80 • 100 • 200 • 400 • 800 • 1600
Exposure compensation	± 2EV, 1/3EV steps
Shutter speed	• 60-1/2000 sec • Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec
Aperture	• F3.3 - 4.9/ Multistage Iris Diaphragm (F3.3 - 6.3 (W) / F4.9 - 6.3 (T)
Modes	• Program mode (P) • Aperture priority (A) • Shutter priority (S) • Manual setting (M) • Snapshot • Custom • Scene • Movie • Clipboard
White balance	• Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Shade • Halogen • White Set
Self timer	2, 10 sec
Continuous shooting	• Full-Resolution Image 2.3 frames/sec Max. 5 images (Standard mode), Max 3 images (Fine Mode) • High-speed Burst Mode: Approx. 6.0 frames/sec (image priority) Approx. 10 frames/sec (speed priority) (recorded in 3M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)
Image parameters	Standard, Black & White, Sepia, Cool, Warm, Happy (only in iA Mode)
Flash	• Auto, Auto with pre-flash (red-eye reduction), Auto with slower shutter speeds and pre-flash, On, Off • 0.6 - 5.3m (Wide/ISO Auto), 1.0 - 3.6m (Tele/ISO Auto)
Viewfinder	No
LCD monitor	• 3.0" TFT LCD Display • 460,800 dots • Field of View : approx. 100% • AUTO Power LCD mode, Power LCD mode
Connectivity	• USB2.0 High speed • AV Output (NTSC/PAL) • miniHDMI • DC Input
Print compliance	• PictBridge • DPOF
Storage	• SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card • 15MB internal memory
Power	• Li-ion battery • Charger included • AC adaptor (optional)
Weight (no batt)	196 g
Weight (with batt)	218g
Dimensions	103 x 62 x 33 mm

Nokia's QWERTY Time

Nokia unveiled three of new additions to their portfolio of QWERTY-equipped handsets. The Nokia C6, Nokia C3 and Nokia E5 are mid-range offerings, packing side-sliding QWERTY keyboard and great all-round connectivity.

Nokia C6

The side-slider Nokia C6 runs on Symbian S60 5th edition (a.k.a. Symbian^1) and packs quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support and quad band 3G with HSDPA. It comes with a 3.2" touchscreen of nHD resolution, capable of displaying up to 16M colors.

Nokia C6

In terms of local connectivity the Nokia C6 has Wi-Fi, USB and Bluetooth to offer and there is also an integrated GPS on board. The 5 megapixel autofocus camera relies on a LED flash to assist its low-light performance.

Nokia C6

Nokia C6 should be available before the end of the current quarter for an estimated price of 220 euro before taxes and subsides.

Nokia E5

Next comes the bar-shaped Nokia E5, previously known as Nokia Mystic. It has quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and tri-band 3G/HSDPA support and runs on the non-touch Symbian 3rd edition OS.

Nokia E5

Nokia E5 also sports a 5 megapixel fixed-focus camera with LED flash, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity as well as GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack and microUSB port. A microSD card slot completes the list of noteworthy features. That's definitely the first fixed-focus 5 megapixel camera we've seen.

Nokia E5 should be available in the third quarter of this year for about 180 euro before taxes or subsides.

Nokia C3

The final announcement for today is the bar-shaped Nokia C3, which is the most affordable of the bunch. It lacks 3G connectivity so network access is only possible via quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE. Built around a 2.4" 262K-color display of QVGA resolution and a full QWERTY keyboard, the C3 is a rare breed of S40 phones to have Wi-Fi connectivity.

Nokia C3

Nokia C3 is the only handset of the bunch running on the Series 40 feature phone platform. It will start shipping in Q2 of 2010 in Slate Grey, Golden White and Hot Pink for an estimated price of 90 euro before taxes and subsides.

Source

Fenomena Gletser Berdarah, Karena ALIEN??

Belakangan ini, panorama Gletser Darah muncul lagi di sebuah lokasi benua Antartika. Fenomena tersebut terletak di Mc Murdo Dry Valleys yang terkenal sebagai wilayah maha luas tanpa es, adalah salah satu wilayah paling unik di benua Antartika.

Lembah dimaksud meski berlokasi di Kutub Selatan, namun selamanya jarang terdapat lapisan es, karena angin yang menyapu ke arah lembah dengan kecepatan (badai) 320 km/jam mampu merenggut seluruh kelembaban.

Ketika seseorang berjalan sendiri menapaki lembah itu, setelah melalui bangkai pinguin dan hewan-hewan lainnya, akhirnya bisa menyaksikan sebuah gletser “Darah”.

Konon gletser berdarah itu ditemukan oleh team ekspedisi Robert Scott pada 1911, belakangan terbukti diakibatkan oleh pengoksidasian zat besi.

Dikabarkan, setiap jangka waktu tertentu, gletser bisa menyemburkan cairan jernih yang kaya dengan zat besi yang kemudian dengan segera terjadi oksidasi menjadi berwarna merah tua yang menggiriskan.

Discover Magazine menyebutkan, cairan tersebut bersumber dari danau air asin yang kaya kandungan garam di kedalaman lapisan es 390 meter.

Penelitian terkini sudah menemukan terdapat bakteri di dalam situasi sedemikian sulit yang hidupnya mengandalkan senyawa zat belerang dan besi.

Menurut peneliti, semenjak gletser lahir dari danau, menciptakan lingkungan ekologi yang sedemikian dingin, gelap dan tanpa oksigen. Kelompok bakteri semacam itu sudah terisolasi selama 150 juta tahun.

Selain itu para ilmuwan juga beranggapan, gletser berdarah yang dihasilkan oleh bakteri tersebut kemungkinan terdapat mahluk hidup luar angkasa yang hidup di tata surya kita, misalkan di bawah lapisan es kedua kutub planet Mars dan (sebuah bulan milik) Jupiter kemungkinan juga terdapat kehidupan.

Source : Kompas.com