First comes the FCC leak, then comes a hunch, and just as fate would have it, now it's time to celebrate the fact that Samsung's SGH-P520 is apparently a tad more than a figment of one's imagination. Reportedly, this sexy handset will indeed be making its way onto store shelves, and rather than featuring an oh-so-typical keypad, users will rely solely on a touchscreen to navigate the GUI. Specs wise, it will boast a 2.6-inch 320 x 240 resolution LCD, GSM / EDGE connectivity, a three-megapixel camera, 50MB of internal memory, Bluetooth / WiFi, and a microSD card slot to boot. No word just yet on pricing nor availability, but do click on for one last shot.
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Considering all the companies that have already (or almost) jumped on the cashless bandwagon, it follows logic that another duo of Japanese firms are bringing their own biometric payment system to the forefront. Reportedly, Hitachi and JCB Co. Ltd. are working hand in hand (ahem) to develop a system that would "identify the veins on a person's finger" in order to sync with their credit card or bank data and complete a purchase. As expected, the companies are pushing their creation as a safer and more reliable method of paying for items, and while there's no telling how quickly customers are apt to implement said technology, Hitachi has reportedly stated that it would "launch an experiment in September involving 200 of its employees to see if it is commercially viable to introduce the system in shops, banks and other businesses."
Get your software update on kids, Sony's latest firmware is available now for your Sony PS3 and PSP rigs. While the PSP pulls a minor 0.01 update offering a boost in both security and playable network titles under [Game], the real sauce comes by way of firmware 1.90 for the PS3. Custom photo wallpapers for the XMB, messaging emoticons, AVCHD video playback direct from Memory Stick or camcorder, DMB sorting of hard drive-based games, upscaled CD audio over HDMI or digital optical outs, and a new forced 1080p24 HDMI output for Blu-ray films. Best of all perhaps, is the new "eject disc" option from the controller to keep your lazy meat sack planted on the couch just that much longer.
These fanciful all-in-one devices just don't seem to come Europe or North America's way very often, and unfortunately for most, Prober's P360 doesn't seem to be breaking that mold anytime soon. Packing a respectable mix of multimedia and GPS capabilities, this pocket-friendly device packs a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, 400MHz Samsung S3C2440A processor, 64MB of NAND Flash ROM, 64MB of SDRAM, WinCE 4.2 runnin' the show, a SiRF Star III chipset, and a built-in speaker to boot. Furthermore, you'll find a dual-mode map for wrapping your brain around POI locations, voice guidance, a rechargeable five-hour Li-ion battery, SD card slot, USB 1.1, wired remote / headphones, audio out, and the ability to play back WMV, WMA, and WAV files on the AV front, while handling a bevy of snapshot formats and even boasting a text viewer. Unfortunately, we've no idea how much the P360 will run folks who are lucky enough to acquire it in four to six weeks, but just know that most of the world will probably envy you.
Oh how we wish it were all just a horrific dream, but somehow, the engineers behind Clarion's flashy new MAX9700DT in-car navigation unit still felt it necessary to include support for a format that just refuses to die. Granted, the system is loaded to the hilt with features and supported formats, but we have a hard time believing that even the Japanese really still find MiniDisc and ATRAC all that attractive. Nevertheless, the unit also boasts a seven-inch touchscreen display, built-in 1Seg TV tuner, DVD player, a 40GB hard drive, iPod compatibility, 50-watt x 4 amplifier, AM / FM radio, and support for a whole host of audio formats including WMA and MP3. Getting around shouldn't be too difficult given the expansive screen and "3D maps," and just in case that 40GB of internal storage isn't quite enough, you can cram an SD card or Memory Stick into it for a bit more space. As nice as all this sounds, few from crowds other than the elite will be pondering a purchase, as ¥341,250 ($2,868) isn't exactly bargain basement (or even "good deal") territory.
We should preface this one by pointing out the impossibly low $265 pricetag as a dead giveaway that the Brica Viewart 1000 can't possibly be as good as it sounds, but we'll humor you anyway. This palm-sized conglomerate purportedly acts as a DVR, media player, video camera, still camera (shown after the jump), a PC webcam, image viewer, MP3 player, radio tuner, audio recorder, text file viewer, and a handheld gaming system, and just in case this wasn't good enough, there's also support for a bevy of languages, a built-in calendar, seven EQ presets, PAL and NTSC compatibility, and a horde of cables are thrown in to get you connected. Oddly enough, you won't be doing a whole lot of video capturing on the meager 2.5GB (512MB of internal space plus a 2GB SD card) of included capacity, and the 2.5-inch backlit monitor could probably induce squinting, but when you're getting close to a dozen devices in a 3.5-ounce device, you should certainly expect a fair amount of shortcomings.
Mmm, there's nothing like fragmented high-resolution photos of a lust-worthy device to get us salivating, and iriver's marketing department has done an exquisite job figuring that out. Shortly after unveiling the sexiest e-dictionary known to man, the much anticipated UNIT2 conglomerate received its own teaser site, complete with photos and a few extra details you should know. While it has yet to lose its mystique, we now know (officially, at least) that the base will act as a DVD player, TV tuner, access point, charging station, hard drive, and a speaker station. Aside from sporting an SD slot and USB connectivity, this beauty will handle music, movies, photos, eBooks, and WiFi streaming without breaking a sweat. Mechanically, you can expect an automatic sliding door, detachable display, slot-loaded CD / DVD deck, and a 78-key controller to manage the fun. No word yet on the price, but be sure to peek the additional photos below.
We'll admit, odd-i's P480 has been around the proverbial block a time or two before, and while the design sure ain't changing much, the internals are yet again seeing a refresh. The latest iteration adopts a Samsung 4.8-inch WQVGA display (love the shirt, bro!), SIRFstarIII GPS receiver, DMB TV tuner, built-in extendable antenna, up to 60GB of internal hard drive space, TV in / out, USB connectivity, uPIM scheduling software, an e-dictionary, and most notably, a DaVinci chip that reportedly "enables users to enjoy a variety of video files without encoding." Slated for release this month in South Korea (where else?), interested consumers can expect it to start around ₩458,000 ($498). Peep a few more shots after the jump.
Those looking for a few more extras on their next navigation system have a growing number of choices, but Altina is upping the ante by cramming even more gadgetry than usual inside its A680. Specs wise, you'll find a 400MHz Samsung processor, a four-inch 480 x 272 resolution LCD, 64MB of NAND RAM, 128MB of SDRAM, a SIRFstarIII module, integrated stereo speakers, headphone out, and an SD expansion slot for any excess media. Additionally, there's USB connectivity, an FM transmitter, two-megapixel digital camera, AV input jack for flicks (or gaming) on the go, and a rechargeable Li-ion that should prove handy if you make your way into the wilderness. Sadly, there's no pricing information available on this do-it-all device, but we've got a hunch it won't make it outside of China anyway.
