Olympus - Mju 770 SW
Compact digital cameras vary a bit in design, but generally look and behave in similar ways. The Olympus μ (greek letter Mu) 770 SW is a bit different, though, as it’s designed to be waterproof to a depth of 10m. This means you could drop it in a swimming pool without having to claim on insurance, or even take it snorkelling.
Tagged Under : Camera, Digital Camera, LCD, Mju 770 SW, Olympus
BenQ - DC X725
It was only a couple of months ago that we were admiring the slimness of BenQ’s T700 digital camera, which was a shade under 15mm thick. Like the X725, the T700 was about the dimensions of a credit card, boasted 7 megapixels and had a display screen resolution of 232,000 pixels.
The other parallel was that both cameras were geared towards the style conscious, as the X725 - like its predecessor - comes in four stainless steel colours (stern black, pearl white, dramatic red and cool silver) and because of its dimensions (officially 91 x 60 x 14.7mm), slips handily into a pocket or handbag.
However, it’s not just in price that the X725 falls below the T700, as there’s a mixture of missing elements as well as an unusual array of controls that makes this model inferior to its more impressive brother. For instance, the T700 had a 3-inch touch screen display and the X725 dispenses with the touch system and opts for a 2.5-inch LCD screen. (more…)
Tagged Under : Benq, Camera, Digital Camera, LCD
Sony - NW-A806
Where other companies have attempted to usurp Apple’s dominance of the MP3 player market by offering alternative features such as video playback, higher capacities and cheaper prices, Sony is the closest yet to taking it on at its own game.
Traditionally Sony’s players are solidly built, stylish and make no compromises over audio, both in terms of quality and control. The new A800 range is Nano-esque in shape and design, and retains the same control system as the popular A1000 series. A directional pad, menu buttons and side-mounted volume control make it as easy to operate as they come, which is a good thing considering the wealth of options available to control your media. (more…)
Tagged Under : mp3 player, mp4 player, Sonicstage, Sony
HTC - S730
HTC’s S730 updates an older device, the S710. It is a funny thing about hardware updates: when the original is groundbreaking, the update can sometimes appear a let-down. There is an analogy with bands who amaze and astound with their first album and then have trouble with the tricky second one.
Despite the fact that HTC is prolific in the field of Windows Mobile devices, this is the case with the S730.
The original S710 was a Windows Mobile Smartphone which, for the first time ever, had a slide-out keyboard. (more…)
Tagged Under : HTC, microSD, mobile, mobile phone, Smartphone, TouchFLO
Creative - Zen Stone Plus
Earlier this year Creative released a simple music player called the Zen Stone, as an obvious rival to Apple’s iPod Shuffle. The big advantage of the Zen Stone was its price, but it was quite basic. Now the company has released the Zen Stone Plus, which adds a number of extras including a display, FM radio, voice recording, a watch/stopwatch and twice the memory.
The most obvious addition is the display, and the 64 x 64 pixel, blue OLED screen has enough room to show the current track title, battery status, graphic equaliser (which includes four presets) and time, but disappointingly, it doesn’t show album or artist. (more…)