yang semula cuma ada ASUS eeepc yang diterima sangat baik di kalangan IT. para vendor notebook mulai melirik pangsa pasar yang ada di netbook ini.

dari sekian banyak produk netbook yang ada di pasaran ada 4 merk yang gw rasa saat ini yang terbaik. 4 produk tersebut adalah Acer Aspire One, Asus Eee 1000h, HP 2133 dan MSI Wind U100.

review ke 4 produk tersebut bisa dilihat di sini..

dan

dari segi harga di menangkan oleh acer dengan harga rp. 4,75 jt di ikutin dengan ASUS eee 1000h dengan harga rp. 5,15 jt. MSI Wind U100 5,8 jt dan paling mahal HP Mini Note dengan harga sekitar 6jt-an..

klo gw pribadi sih paling tertarik ama yang asus. keren abis.. prosesornya intel atom, touchpad dah kayak apple bisa double touch dan sentelic, speaker dah dolby, layar 10 inchi, batere 6-cell bisa sampe 7 jam standby ! sayangnya di indo niy barangnya indent, di bhineka.com aja csnya slalu bilang barangnya abis.. dia import barangnya gak sampe seminggu langsung ludes... :(

semoga aja dengan ketatnya persaingan netbook bisa nurunin harga2nya. hehehehe.....

As a Macbook user, you will have to sacrifice one (1) USB slot (it only has 2) and here is where a good USB Hub comes in Handy. I have been using a generic USB Hub for quite sometime but this one really took my attention as it has its own power supply. I was immediately thinking of the possibility of turning off my Mac and still have my iPod charging.

For additional information on the product, here’s it’s website.

http://www.targus.com/sg/product_details.asp?sku=ACH8102AP

Now for my review.

It is not worthless, as it is the most expensive USB Hub I have bought to date. But it is useless! It only works like your normal USB Hub, the external power is only strong enough to charge my X-Mini speakers. It cannot charge my iPod and my Seagate external hard disk does not work when connected to it.

*****in order for my Seagate Free Agent to work, the “thicker” cable will be directly connected to my Macbook’s USB, just disregard the “thinner” cable as it is only required for slower USBs*****

The thought of an Audio in and out is available is great but it does not function as a USB Soundcard, you will still need a 2^nd and 3^rd cable (1^st cable is the USB) as you will need to connect it to your PC’s (in my case, Mac) Audio in and out. This is a good feature for those old desktops whose Speaker and Microphone jacks are behind the CPU but for new Desktops and Laptops, this feature is no longer necessary.

Final Verdict on this device, with its price... its not worth it!

Targus could have done a better job if they added the following since the technology is not that expensive anyway.

1. Card Reader
2. Make the Audio in and out function like a USB Sound card (like this). 
3. Give it more power!

We got those coupons from the government, you know for people who have antennas on their tvs, for the dtv boxes when the signals move from analog to digital in February 09. The first thing that struck me was the price, which was like 60 bucks. I had heard that the coupons were supposed to cover the cost of the boxes, but ok. the second thing that struck me was the size. That thing is tiny. Maybe six inches by five inches? I was like, THIS is the thing that people need. I guess that my concept of tv contraptions IS a bit antiquated. After all, I DO remember those walnut finish cable boxes that weighted several pounds. Ok. The reception is amazing though, and several versions of our local channels are available through the digital tuner, like a DIY version of PBS and an all weather version of our NBC station. I'm half tempted to just let the satellite go in the remaining rooms and just get these.

Data Recovery Software, these are for all of us who sometimes accidentally remove the Memory Card while our gadgets/notebooks are reading them. When we accidentally format a Memory card only to realize that we have not saved the files we need. When everything else fails… This is our last option.

I have received this program on a Friday, I planned a very busy weekend and honestly had no time to play with it. Then something unusual happened, I accidentally deleted the pictures I have taken over the weekend. I was trying everything to recover it (I even used Time Machine) but nothing worked.

Then I suddenly remembered that I have this new program that I can try. Had it installed (which is always easy on a Mac) and had it running in less than a minute.

I planned NOT to read its documentation, if it was easy to use, I will find my way easily… I didn’t!

Stellar Phoenix will look like this in your Applications Folder.

Before it runs, Finder will ask for your Password which I found to be ok since I do not have a password but might be annoying to some people.

Your drives will be shown on the Left window, IT WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY REFRESH! So do not forget to hit the refresh button. It would have also helped if they had named the Icons on the tool bar as people like me (who uses a program like this for the first time) was actually waiting for the “icon name” to pop out.

When you double click your drive, you will have three options, I first tried to click the first one… it was not what I needed. I know, all I had to do was read but you must understand that I lost all my pictures and was excited to have things recovered.

The option that recovered my photos was actually the button in the middle. It will show the folders on the left window and the contents of the folder on the right.

While searching/recovering the files you cannot use any icon on the tool bar except for stop. You will also not be able to see the contents of the files while the program is retrieving it.

Once the operation is completed, you will be able to preview the file and extract them to your hard drive.

On the right window, not all files can be used. Not all files recovered/extracted (to your hard disk) will function properly but hey… it’s always better than nothing.

At this time and age when a small SD card can contain up to 16 gigs of files, it is very useful to have a Data Recovery Mac Utility. I cannot understand why deleted files in a portable drives does not get a back up in the recycle bin.

This program may not be cheap, it may even not be sufficient for the needs of other professionals, but for the average person like me. I wouldn’t mind spending US 80.00 on this software. It may not be friendly at all times but it gets the job done. Some files are too precious and there are times when we are just too excited that we forget to make sure that everything was properly transferred before deleting files.

For the times when things cannot be undone, Stellar Phoenix was the only thing I had to save my weekend.

Here are some tips for a successful data recovery:

This program is not for everyone who owns a PC. But for those of us with very important data, it is very handy to have this program installed in your PC (or Mac in my case).

You can have more information on this program here http://www.macintosh-data-recovery.com

This is a new application for your Windows Mobile Pocket PC’s.

Installation is actually easy and it perfectly worked with my Asus P525. (To avoid problems, install it in your Phone Memory, I have not tried to install it in the Memory Card)

First thing you will notice with this contact app is the speed. I have been using another program before and it was always too slow for me. I have been using Fun Contact for more than a week and it’s a very good addition to my PPC.

Sliding your finger on the left most or right most side of the screen will browse contacts faster. Sliding your finger on the center of the screen will scroll your contacts.

If you want to edit a contact using the default contacts menu of your WM Device, just tap the persons name and tap the windows symbol, you will be directed to the default contact menu.

You will be able to assign numbers as your favorites and you can also trace your call history with this app.

Another useful feature of this app are the minimize and close button. You can either close the app if you do not intend to use it for a long time or minimize it so that it can load faster the next time you need it.

You will be able to change skins and language but the latter seemed to be useless since I still believe that we all understand English and changing the language will still give you an English Manual (help).

One of my favorite features of Fun Contact is the presence of a phone dialer, you can select a contact using the dialer and call numbers not included in your contact list.

The only thing I found negative with Fun Contact is that it has an arrow on the left side of the screen.

When using Fun Contact for the first time and you scroll your finger on the left (or right) most side of the screen, it start suggesting the first letter of the contact you are looking for. Let’s just say you stop at letter P, a new user will expect that the first contact whose last name starting in P will be pointed by the arrow, but this arrow actually used to activate the phone pad. Your contact with a last name starting in P is actually on top of the screen.

This app is not free, it will cost you USD 19.95 but you can try for 14 days.

If you want to download Fun Contact:
http://iwindowsmobile.com/files/FunContact.cab
http://iwindowsmobile.com/files/FunContact.exe

Installing Fun Contact will replace your phone’s built in Contact Menu. If you do not want it replaced, just install Fun Contact then in the Programs Folder, copy the entire Fun Contact Folder and Paste it in another location. Uninstall Fun Contact and then transfer the “copied version” of Fun Contact (entire folder) to your Program Files folder. Just click the exe file if you want to use the app again.

Before the 2008 WWDC, there were a lot of rumors of what the 3G iPhone would look like, there were even pictures of it having a Front Camera. Then came two men carrying a locked case and at the end of the TV ad came the new iPhone… With no front camera!

After the launch of the iPhone, came a lot of disappointments among bloggers and developers, it still cannot record video, still no flash and still the same memory (either 8 or 16gigs).

A couple of weeks later (before the iPhone hits the retail outlets, it will be available July 2008 something) came the Samsung Omnia (a.k.a. i900). You have to say that this phone looks like an iPhone. It almost has the same size and feel (The first time I saw it, I honestly thought it was the HiPhone from China).

(had to do the oil painting effect)

I was able to play with this phone for a couple of minutes only since it was only on display in the Samsung store at Vivo City (Singapore). Here’s my mini-review…

I won’t go too much of the things we already know. Just a fast refresher, we know its Windows Mobile 6.1, its got FM, GPS, 3.5G, video call and the other stuff you expect from a WM Device.

I actually liked the fact that every time you tap an icon on the screen (or the on-screen keypad/thumb board), the phone vibrates, Samsung’s UI is clean but I have to say that its too clean making it look like an iPhone’s UI (I honestly feel they wanted to achieve that).

You can assign icons on the “today” screen and it will look like Vista’s Widgets.

One thing that surprised me with the Omnia is that the famous “stop all running programs” is not available. Yes, I pressed Start (I had to open File Manager just to see the start button on top), settings, system then memory. Inside that tab are only two memory tabs, no stop all running programs. I was actually surprised with this and I’m not sure if this option was removed only in the Omnia or in all WM6.1 devices.

Pressing start then programs does not look like the normal WM device. It will go back to the programs menu of Samsung’s UI which I found to be surprising too since my wife’s LG KS-20 will show the regular programs list of a WM Device.

As for the external buttons, you will see that it has three (3) buttons in front, call, end and the one in the center. That button in the center works like the i780’s track pad and I think this feature is a very good addition to PDAs.

There are even more buttons on the side which I did not care to press since I do not have the luxury of time.

Compared to the iPhone (which only responds to your finger), you can use a stylus with the Omnia, but the phone will not come with a Stylus. Even person selling it is not sure if the box will come with a stylus but there’s no hole in the Omnia’s body where you can have the stylus inserted.

One drawback I found with the Omnia is that it uses a “Samsung” cable to connect to a PC and Charger. The people from Samsung actually told me that I was the first person who made that comment but I explained to them that maybe I am the only person interested on their phone who travels a lot. I cannot imagine carrying an additional cable in my luggage just to be able to charge this phone. I have too many cables already and a Samsung Cable will give me enough cables to make my own Suspension Bridge.

*****the people from Samsung actually told me that I will also carry another cable for the iPhone but the thing is we will already carry an iPhone's cable since we will surely travel with our iPods. Imagine this in your bag... Cable #1. Laptop Cables, 2. USB - mini USB (it will connect to my Mobile Internet, charge my P525, Motorola Headset, Jabra BT Adaptor, 4. Nokia Chargers (company phone), 5. Digital Camera Charger, 6. iPod Cable. A Samsung Cable will required me to carry SEVEN (7) cables.*****

As a conclusion, the Omnia is a great alternative to the iPhone, LG KS-20 and HTC Diamond. Looks, Functionality and Entertainment. Each and every model has its own pros and cons. The only thing I did not like about this phone is that it looks like an iPhone! The person right beside me was holding it beside an iPod Touch and even the person from Samsung thought that he was holding two (2) Omnias side by side.

Here’s a picture of the Samsung Omnia beside my trusty old ASUS P525… look at the size of this thing!

Pros:

1. Weather proof! But I honestly have not tried to have it wet
2. Can make calls
3. You can have the headphones replaced

Cons:

Now for people looking for a good Bluetooth headset, this is one gadget that you MUST STAY AWAY FROM!

I have been using this for almost a year mainly on my Macbook when watching movies, here are a couple of reasons on why I did not pair it with my Jabra A125s (BT Adaptor for iPod).

1. Music Skips, it’s like listening to a cheap/old Discman. It’s having problems to obtain a stable connection.
2. Battery life is very bad, less than 5 hours.

There are some other complains I have like it has a three color indicator, it is red when battery is low and when turning off. Blue when paired via BT to accept calls and Purple when paired as headphones (A2DP).

When using it with my PDA (Asus P525) and iPod, all controls will work. Even with its small size, it has a button for the following:

1. Play/Pause
2. Next Song/Previous Song
3. Answer/End (Call)
4. Volume Control

Another draw back to this gadget is that the stereo headphones that comes with it sounds bad, not even at par with the original iPod headphones. You can use the original iPod headphones with this device but you need to use a cable organizer.

The last thing I hate with this gadget is that it uses a different charger! I bought this device a year ago together with the Jabra A125s and I was surprised to see that they cannot share chargers, this is a big hassle if you will travel with this headset as you will need to carry a dedicated charger for it.

As I said, I have been using it for a year before I actually wrote a review, the reason for this is that I am seeing a lot of stores carrying this model here in Singapore and I think the buying public needs a different perspective before investing in this item.

I have no complains when using it as a headset for my laptop but I will think twice before I use it for my iPod.

If there’s any consolation, you can use your x-mini speakers on it.

From the website (http://www.lge.com/products/model/detail/lg-ks20.jhtml) of LG and other gadget sites you will know that this phone has 3G and wi-fi (something the HTC Touch should have!)

The camera of this device is good (for a PPC), it can actually be compared to the camera of my Asus P525, and it also has auto focus and is capable of Macro shots. Since it has two cameras, you can switch to use the front camera with just a tap of the screen (note that the front camera does not have the focus capabilities of the main camera). The only problem I had with its camera is that when the memory in use is the memory card, it does not save the pictures in the My Documents nor the My Pictures folder.

LG also made its own UI on this device to make it "finger friendly" however; it could have been more fun if it came with the HTC Touch's UI.

Here are pictures of the phones Today Screen:

If you tap start then programs, you will then realize that this is still the same Windows PPC.

Playing with this device and comparing it with my Asus P525, you will only notice that it does not have a SIM Manager for everything else, it does the job done.

As expected, this phone not only looks good, even the packaging and the leather case (no belt clip) looks good with it. You can say that LG really made this device to look and feel good to use. The only problem you may have is that it attracts a lot of finger prints but you know that we are now able to live with that thanks to our Atom (XDA) experience.

For a guy like me, I’m going to stick with my P525 for now, but my wife really loves this new device from LG, she has been using a PPC for quite sometime (XDA mini then the Dopod 838 ) but she suddenly lost interest as she also needed something that not only works great but looks great as well. This new phone from LG really made an impact on her the first time she saw it.

For its price, when I bought my P525, I thought my phone was cheap for a PPC but when I saw the price of the KS20... I was thinking of getting one myself!

The only negative things I can say about this phone is that it uses a different USB cable, one from LG and the package came with only one stylus.

*****I have tried installing PocketCM Keyboard on this device and it worked perfectly well, I also installed some of ytsejam’s skins (http://www.airfagev.com/forum_view.asp?msg_id=187499).

*****UPDATE AS OF 22 MAY 2008*****

I forgot to tell you how good this new toy is for LEFT HANDED people as the stylus is located at the bottom left side.

Being able to spend more than 5 minutes with the unit, I will have to say that its quite slow and the screen is not responsive if you use a screen protector (had it removed already)

If you ask me now if I would want to use the device myself... I'm still sticking to my Asus P525... for now. Lets just hope LG comes up with a ROM upgrade for their KS-20.

The Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar detector is around $300 is price. Similar in price to the Beltronics Pro RX65, but in my opinion, superior to the Beltronics Pro RX65. A bit more expensive than a standard radar detector, but if it saves you a ticket or two, then it's well worth it. The Passport 8500 X50 has a far superior range than a typical radar detector, going out as far as 2-3 miles. Gone are the days when your detector will go off just as the police car is passing, giving you no time to slow down. The Passport 8500 X50 gives you ample time to slow down, and if you live in Virginia (where radar detectors are illegal) it'll give you ample time to slow down, turn it off, and take it off before they can catch you with one of their "radar detector detectors". Also, the problem with other detectors is that they produce too many false alarms. The 8500 has fixed this problem with a "AutoSensitivity Mode" that automatically reduces false alarms. Over all the device is very customizable. It is also has the ability to block the VG-2 radar "detector detector", which is really handy if you live in one of the states where you're in violation for having a Radar Detector (I believe it's only Virginia). Bottom line: It may cost a bit more than a standard radar detector, but it will save you in the long run! Some of the cool features it has includes:

• Built in Earphone Jack
• Mute and Auto-Mute modes
• 280 LEDS, with Ultra-bright Matrix display
• One year limited warranty
• The option of having a 2 year extended service plan (but these are very durable and could very easily last you for the next 20 years)

The Good: Beltronics Pro RX65

This is not your standard, bottom of the line, radar detector. It's a more expensive, more sophisticated, $330 radar scanner made by Beltronics. I have long thought of Beltronics to be the best maker of radar detectors... but they do make you pay for that quality. The set-up for the Pro RX65 is quite simple, that a novice buying his first Radar Detector should have no problem. This particular radar by Beltronics is around the same price as the Excort, but in my opinion, not quite as sleek and sexy. Don't get me wrong, the performance is great (along the lines of the Passport 8500 X50) but there are some faults in the design. It has a bright red LED warnings that go across the screen that can be a bit "round and hard to read. Holding down the volume button can also be a challenge as you need to grip the device with two fingers whilst it flips through the different volume levels, which can be difficult to do while driving. And to adjust brightness and other settings you need to flip through the same button that adjusts volume. Our advice is to have all the settings ready to go before you start driving. Also, in performance testings the Pro RX65 seemed to give off more alerts than the Passport 8500 X50. But there is a bright side to the Beltronics Pro RX65. It has an incredible range. In some cases getting up to 5 miles in range. In addition it has a ridiculously long battery life. In addition it offers X-Band alerts, which the Passport 8500 X50 does not offer. of course, with X-Band capability, comes false alarms because of things like burglar alarms. However, if you switch the radar mode to "City" these false alarms are greatly reduced. Don't take The Pro RX65's customization ability for granted. But the false alarms were minimal when compared against other radar detectors. Another cool feature is it has SWS readabilty. This means it picks up SWS messages that are sent out, which can tip you off to incidents such as roadwork, weather-related problems, and emergency vehicles. However, SWS isn't currently used that often, so Beltronics has it off by default, but it can easily be turned on. Bottom line, it may have some interface problems, but it greatly makes up for it in functionality, ease of use, and performance. We like it, but not quite as much as Escort's Passport 8500 X50.

The Ugly: Cobra ESD-700 6-Band Radar Detector

The Cobra ESD-700 6-Band. Not a 'totally' crappy radar detector, but no where near the previous two detectors. But what it lacks in quality, it makes up for in price, coming in somewhere between $40-$60. It has many flaws, such as it's "uber-sensitivity". God forbid there be a automatic garage door around. Also, it may beep, informing you that there's a police nearby, but it doesn't inform you of which direction the warning's coming from. Not to mention the beeps which are incredibly loud and annoying and may just break your ear-drums. Which brings us to the "Self Test" it has. It will periodically check for every type of radar out there, making a high-pitched loud beep for every band type. There's no way to turn off this feature, it'll just keep doing it over and over and over again whenever you turn your car on. What the hell?? You wind up being embarrassed if you actually have a friend in you car, as you feel the need to warn them not to freak out about the loud beeps that'll likely give him a heart attack. In addition, you may adjust the volume, but in seeming defiance, the system will revert back to the old volume when you start the car up again. The bottom line: It may seem like a great bargain, but don't be fooled. Don't buy this, and your ears will thank you. *BEEP* *BEEP*

Note: Special thanks to Amazon for providing the photos!

* The form factor. It's weight is half-a-pound! Anything more would make it painful especially if you want to sleep and browse the web relaxedly.
* It has WPA support so that you can connect it to the internet using my existing Wireless Lan.
* It has a built-in GPS receiver. Yes, it can serve as a GPS unit! So, if you don't have a standalone GPS unit, then you will get two things in one gadget, albeit at a bit higher price. More about GPS is mentioned below.
* It has a built-in keyboard making it possible to type text rather than using the stylus to do free-form writing or tapping the onscreen keyboard. While the keyboard is not as convenient as your typical full-size keyboard, it is reasonable enough. The keyboard is backlit so when you are typing in the night with lights off when everyone is sleeping, this option comes handy.
* It has a built-in camera and possible to do chatting using Google Talk or Skype (I didn't get it to install Skype, but it's possible). Built-in speakers and microphone are there for playing songs and chatting.
* It is based on the maemo linux distribution and comes with Mozilla browser that allows accessing any Web 2.0 websites possible. Possible to watch YouTube videos using the 4.1" screen which is a bit bigger than an iPhone (it's everything the iPhone offers less the phone but support for VOIP reduces this gap a bit).
* While the number of apps available to this are limited, if you have several Palm apps already, there is a Palm emulator that makes it possible to run all those 30K+ Palm applications on this device. Heck, it comes with an xterm and you can ssh to rest of your network as well. Depending on how geekish you are, you can run a few linux commands from the xterm and feel good about :). And there is an SDK which makes it possible to satisfy your developer desire if you so wish by writing a few apps.

GPS support with Nokia N810 By default it comes with an application called Map. This doesn't provide directions and navigation instructions but possible to buy that service for $100+/3yrs price. However, there is a "Maemo Mapper" application that provides the ability to create routes and also voice announcements. What's best, using the maemo mapper, you can overlay the map with Google Satellite images! For voice announcements to work, you need to also install a library called flite. Few issues I have with GPS are, sometimes it takes a while to get the GPS service to work (There are three options for GPS information within maemo mapper. A bluetooth option which allows to use an external GPS reciever, a /dev/gpsd internal device or a gps server on the network. I initially used the 2nd option but based on reading, it's possible to use the bluetooth option without specifying any value to it). So, perhaps it's not as fast as using a dedicated GPS unit (this is not exactly a great concern for me). Also, it tries to do what's called "Establishing gps fix" which again seems to take a lot of time but didn't interfere with the ability to start using the map while that is happening. So, overall it seems like an acceptable choice to use it as a GPS device.

Power The N810 battery is BP-4L which comes for about 7hrs of normal usage like listening to songs and web surfing. As I have been running multiple apps at the same time, I never got it to go for 7hrs. If you want to use the device as a GPS unit on a long trip, the battery life becomes critical so having a mobile charger with car adapter is an option. If you are going to the city and want to use the GPS while walking, there is an extra power pack as well.

I think overall, N810 is a good choice at about $400 for those who want a light-weight internet connectivity product which also serves as a GPS unit and is more than your typical PDA.

Pros:

1. Small
2. One Button Operation
3. Will work with any iPod (except the shuffle)
4. Uses a Motorola charger
5. Can control your iPod remotely (play, pause, next/previous song)

Cons:

1. Does not lock to the iPod (I use a rubber band to prevent it from disconnecting)
2. Charging the adapter will NOT charge the iPod
3. Battery life is around 5 hours
4. Charger was NOT included with the package.

This thing is compatible with Motorola Stereo Bluetooth headphones.

Here are some pictures of the actually unit.

Front:

Back:

Side: You will see that it uses the same charger with the newer Motorola phones, but it is 25% thicker than my iPod video (not noticeable from my camera angle)

I have been using this for a day and I must say, it’s a very good piece of gadget you can use for your iPod, I cannot say that the price is ok, but the sound quality is good. Holding this item alone has a very good solid feel and the quality of the plastic looks good!

It has the following features:

1. volume control
2. IR remote control
3. bass control
4. treble control
5. separate bass speaker (facing the ground)

All I can say is that this is just your basic iPod speakers as you may not want to wear earphones in your room.

The remote control is very small and has a sleep and mute button. The only problem I have with the sleep button is that it does not pause the iPod, your iPod will continue playing but the speakers are off. It actually felt like the mute and sleep buttons were the same. The remote control only has volume, bass and treble controls.

The unit has only one (1) blue LED which blinks when you try to change the volume.

This speaker does not have a separate control for the iPod therefore, next song and play and pause options will be pressed on the iPod’s click wheel. It also has a adapter for the iPod video and Nano only, you will need to stick some kind of a foam if you will use a Nano, the problem is that the foam has an adhesive and you may not use a Video again if the foam is already installed. You can have the adapter removed just in case you have a older iPod but the only thing holding your iPod is it’s connector, might not be a good idea since a gentle tap might destroy your iPod’s connector.

I am going to recommend this item to those looking for good iPod speakers, I know there are others out there in the market which are cheaper and maybe better but this is something you can keep as an option when looking for that additional accessory for you iPod.

 

I was able to use the le-mon M-16 iPod speakers for at least a day, why just a day? I had it returned immediately the next day in exchange for a Sansui (see separate review on the Sansui). The le-mon M-16 is everything you can ask for in an iPod speaker it has the following features: 

1. remote control
2. clock/alarm clock
3. FM tuner
4. USB slot
5. Aux in
6. Equalizer
7. Mega Bass
8. TV out (for iPod capable of Video Playback)

 I have tried using the TV out and it was great! You will only need one (1) cable to connect to your TV, sounds will come out from the speakers.  The USB slot will accept any USB drive with MP3’s loaded in it and the remote control was acceptable. It however had very bad sound problems specially when playing songs with a lot of drums/bass. This is actually the reason why I had it returned the next day. Some songs were ok but for my preference in music, it really cannot perform the task I need it to do which is play music. If I was going to rate this thing from 1-5 (3 is acceptable, 5 is highest) I will have to be subjective on the features it has. 

1. video playback – 4 I used a 7 inch screen just to test it, using a bigger screen might give a different rating
2. ease of use – 5
3. adapter available for different iPods – 5 (it has adapters for everything even the old iPods
4. remote control – 3 as usual in remote controls, the buttons will take time to get used to
5. FM sound – 5
6. iPod playback – 1 (that’s why I had it returned)

 I was having second thoughts before actually buying this product, the brand name itself le-mon didn’t look good but I still gave it a try.  Before I asked the store to actually give me a Sansui, I asked them to let me try another unit just incase I have encountered a lemon, as I tried it, it had the same bad sound so I don’t think the unit I bought was a lemon, the brand or this model (M-16) is a le-mon! I cannot recommend the brand and its definitely on my NOT TO BUY list! It can do a lot of cool stuff but it failed on the thing that really mattered the most!

Sebuah ponsel yang segera dirilis Softbank Mobile Corp ini mungkin akan membangkitkan kembali memori Anda mengenai robot-robot mainan yang bisa diubah dari bentuk pesawat tempur, tank, atau mobil menjadi robot.

Ponsel Softbank 815TB (PhoneBraver) yang dibuat di pabrik Toshiba ini bentuknya seperti ponsel pada umumnya, bentuk flip dengan layar LCD di satu sisi dan tombol di sisi lainnya. Bedanya, di sisi kanan dan kirinya dapat ditarik menjadi dua tangan dan kaki.

Ponsel robot tersebut telah dilengkapi software kecerdasan buatan untuk mempelajari kebiasaan pemiliknya. Ponsel tersebut juga seolah-olah dapat berbiacra dengan pemiliknya.

"Jika penggunanya menelepon satu nomor berulang kali, maka akan muncul suara 'Anda menelepon beberapa kali hari ini, benarkah?" kata Katsuhida Furuya, jurubicara Softphone. Pemilknya bisa berkomunikasi terbatas dengan jawaban ya dan tidak.

Ponsel tersebut belum bisa berjalan sendiri seperti robot-robot humanoid yang tekenal di Jepang. Namun, kaki dan tangannya bergoyang-goyang dan sendinya menekuk sehingga seolah-olah hidup. Ponsel tersebut baru akan dirilis April 2008.