Dell's Latest Laptop

The Precision M6300

When it comes to mobile computing systems few companies are able to claim families of products so successful as Dell which just announced the 10th anniversary of the Precision lineup and the company decided to launch a special edition laptop just for this occasion. The Precision M6300 notebook is here now to replace the older Precision M90 model and it is aimed at the business market.From the outside the new Dell laptop, the Precision M6300, features a "Road Ready" chassis design based on a magnesium alloy casing which allowed the manufacturing company to reduce the total weight of the laptop. On the hardware department, the Precision M6300 is based on Intel's mobile computing platform, the Santa Rosa. As a central processing unit the M6300 comes equipped with
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an Intel Core 2 Duo X7900 CPU which has a standard running frequency of 2.8GHz as well as a frontside bus speed of 800MHz. Just like most other notebooks based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform, the new Dell comes with a maximum of 4GB DDR2 of random access memory which is fully supported thanks to the 36-bit addressing system, even for 32-bit operating systems. The M6300 comes with a discrete graphics card based on the Nvidia Quadro FX 1600M graphics processing units which has 256MB of dedicated video memory and can additionally share 256MB because of the implemented TurboCache technology.The Precision M6300 notebook comes with two native widescreen resolutions, the WXGA+ (1440x900) and the WUXGA (1920x1200), as well as an anti-glare special coating and the TrueLife technology. While now LED backlighting is not yet available, Dell representatives are certain that this option will appear later. Storage options are rich for the Dell Precision M6300 as the laptop comes with a wide selection of hard disk drives up to 200GB and 7200rpm as well as an encrypted HDD with 120GB of storage space. As an option, a SanDisk made solid state drive of 32GB is also available as are a wide range of optical drives including DVD and Blu-ray burners.Wireless networking is of course present in the form of an 802.11a/g/n compatible chip made by either Dell or Intel; also present are six high speed USB ports as well as FireWire, Bluetooth and a multi format card reader. As the precision M6300 is intended as a business laptop, Dell also included a number of security features like an optional UPEK fingerprint reader. "Customers buy workstations because they need maximum performance to get a job done," said Dell Product Group VP Vivek Mohindra. "The M6300 is ideal for customers who want to run demanding professional applications no matter where they are."

EU Looking at Reports of Exploding iPhones and iPods

The European Commission is investigating reports of exploding iPhones and iPods, with three recent cases adding to concerns. A French teen was reportedly injured by his girlfriend's exploding iPhone. Several car fires have been blamed on the popular devices from Apple, Inc. Apple said it's waiting to receive the units from customers. The European Commission is looking into reports of overheated Apple iPhones and iPods causing damages. It has asked Apple to provide information on possible dangers from its popular products.
Three recent cases have come to the EC's attention from the 27 countries in the European Union. Two are from France and one is from the United Kingdom. Earlier reports of combustion have come from the Netherlands and Sweden.
"At the end of last week, we asked Apple and the member states where the incidents occurred to provide us with information on the matter," said European Commission spokesperson Ton Van Lierop.
The French daily Les Echols reported a French teen was injured when his girlfriend's iPhone shattered after it began to "crackle and pop like a deep fryer." Pieces of the screen reportedly hit Romain Kolega in the eye.
A similar report involved an iPod in Marseilles, and in the U.K. an overheated iPod touch reportedly jumped into the air and exploded. In addition, a Dutch iPhone owner reported that his device caught fire and damaged his car. An iPod also reportedly caused another car fire in Sweden.
While the EU investigates dangerous products, only the member states can order recalls. Apple said it will investigate.
"We are aware of these reports and we are waiting to receive the units from the customers. Until we have the full details, we don't have anything further to add," Apple said.
In January, Japan ordered Apple to investigate reports of sparks and fires from iPod nanos. In June, Apple recalled first-generation iPod nanos in South Korea after problems with the batteries.

Sony Ericsson Jalou

The Sony Ericsson Jalou is a very distinctive looking and lightweight fashion phone, due to hit the shops in time for Christmas.

Sony Ericsson describe the Jalou's shape as a "facet cut jewel form" and although the look is reminiscent of the Nokia 7070 Prism, the Jalou is a much more sophisticated handset.

The "Jalou" and "BeJoo" are two different names for the same device - the phone will be called the "Jalou" worldwide except for France where the "BeJoo" name will be used. The reason? Well, according to Sony Ericsson the "Jalou" name is too close to the French word for "Jealous", which goes to show that giving products a name rather than a number can be fraught with danger*.

In addition to the standard version of the Jalou, there is also a Dolce & Gabbana variant with gold plating, a rose colouring and exclusive D&G content. Alternatively the standard (and presumably cheaper) Jalou comes in "Deep Amethyst", "Aquamarine Blue" and "Onyx Black" colour combinations.

The diamond shape is not the only thing that gives the Jalou a distinctive look - it's also a lot less tall than most clamshell phones, measuring just 73 x 45 x 18mm when closed. Sony Ericsson have gone for this unusual size to make the phone as compact as possible, so it should fit it into the tiniest bag or jacket pocket. The Jalou is also very lightweight, coming in at just 84 grams.

So, what does the Jalou actually do from a technical perspective? Well, it's a fairly standard 3G phone with a 2" 240 x 320 pixel display, a 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD expandable memory, stereo Bluetooth and a multimedia player. There's a semi-concealed external display underneath the glossy casing, and you can also use the Jalou as a mirror to check just how gorgeous you are looking.

In Europe, the Jalou will support 2100 MHz UMTS plus HSDPA downloads, there will also be a US version which supports 900 and 1700 MHz UMTS and has the very useful addition of built-in GPS. We don't know why there's no GPS in the European version.. that would have been a pretty cool thing to have in a fashion phone. But, in other words.. the Jalou's beauty is not just skin deep.

It's an unashamedly girlie phone - some of the applications on the Jalou include a step counter, zodiac application and of course all the usual features such as a web browser and email client, plus a media player and FM radio. The display might be a little small for web browsing, but the inclusion of 3.5G data does at least mean that it will be quite fast.

There's no word on pricing, our best guess is that the standard Jalou will retail for about €400 SIM-free. Sony Ericsson say that both the standard and the D&G version should be available during Q4 2009.

Cisco Mobile Wireless Transport Manager Release 5.0.1

The Cisco Mobile Wireless Transport Manager (MWTM) is a network management software product that network administrators use to discover, manage, and troubleshoot networks that include Cisco Radio Access Network Optimization (RAN-O) devices, such as the Cisco Mobile Wireless Router (MWR).
In Release 5.0.1, MWTM provides bug fixes ("Resolved Caveats" section) and new features ("What's New in MWTM R5.0.1" section).

What's New in MWTM R5.0.1

Support for MWR mini-aggregation node for Global System for Mobile (GSM)
The initial configuration that the MWTM supports included two MWRs, one at the cell site, and one at the Base Station Controller (BSC) or Radio Network Controller (RNC) site. These MWRs were connected back to back over a Multilink Point-to-point (MLPPP) backhaul connection to support GSM and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) communications.

Support is now added for aggregating the backhaul connections from two cell-site MWRs to one MWR (called the mini-aggregation node) at the BSC site. The MWTM supports this GSM-only configuration and accurately reports on link statistics.

Support for fractional T1/E1 on shorthaul and backhaul
The MWTM provides support for fractional T1/E1 services through the allocation of time slots on shorthaul and backhaul connections.

Support for UMTS-only configuration
The UMTS-only configuration accommodates only UMTS traffic (no GSM traffic). The RAN-O device receives the UMTS traffic over Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Private Virtual Channels (PVCs) and carries that traffic over the MLPPP backhaul connection.

Support for configurations that use:
•PVC routing
•High-speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)
•Inverse Multiplexing over ATM (IMA)
The PVC routing configuration uses the MLPPP backhaul to carry GSM and UMTS traffic and a second backhaul over the Fast Ethernet (FE) interface to carry only UMTS traffic. PVC routing refers to PVCs on a single UMTS interface that are split between the two backhaul interfaces.

A second variation of the PVC topology uses HSDPA. In this UMTS-only topology, the traffic flows between the RAN-O devices over the FE backhaul connection while using the serial interface (MLPPP backhaul) only for line clocking. This topology is for those vendors who want to run only UMTS traffic in their networks.

A third variation of the PVC topology uses IMA to aggregate shorthaul ATM interfaces into a logical group or bundle. This topology is for those vendors who want to provide redundancy and load balancing for shorthaul UMTS traffic. The IMA technology can be deployed in UMTS-only or mixed GSM and UMTS configurations.

The MWTM accurately reports statistics for PVCs that are routed over the MLPPP backhaul or the FE backhaul connections.

Graphical User Interface (GUI) enhancements
Shorthaul Performance and Backhaul Performance tabs moved from the Node Details Window to the Interface Details Window. To view real-time utilization statistics for an interface, left-click the interface under a node in the MWTM tree (left pane) of the main window. Then click the appropriate tab for the statistics that you want to view.

Wireless Media Keyboard from Cideko

Last week, we reported on the E-LEAD Bluetooth Lazy Pad, a wireless device that uses Bluetooth for a combination keyboard and mouse. This year’s Computex was the stage for the unveiling of the Cideko Wireless Media Keyboard.
These two products are somewhat similar, but the Lazy Pad uses its patent dynamic mouse, while the Cideko functions as a mouse in mid-air, like that one from Logitech. I’m not certain if the one from Cideko uses Bluetooth, but there has got to be some wireless action going on with its USB key.
On the top of the Wireless Media Keyboard are two buttons that serve as the left and right mouse buttons. In addition to the full QWERTY keyboard, it has a row of keys that serve as media control keys.
Yeah, we have seen devices like the Cideko Wireless Media Keyboard before, and I would like to bring up an important issue with these mini-QWERTY keyboards: how exactly do you type on them?
I mean, I have a mobile phone with a QWERTY, and I use two thumbs to type with it: the left thumb for the left side of the keyboard, then the right thumb for the right. If there is some proper mini-QWERTY keyboard procedure, I would like to know, because my other eight fingers are going to waste.

Stealth - NW-2000 Rugged PC

Stealth Computer a leading ISO 9001 manufacturer of industrial rugged computers and peripherals has released their new hybrid Notebook Warrior series computer. The all-new Stealth Model: NW-2000 Rugged PC provides the ultimate in mobile flexibility with the ability to quickly transform from a rugged notebook PC into a rugged Tablet PC in seconds. (and vice-versa)
Stealth's versatile and full-featured ruggedized notebook/tablet computer was built to handle demanding environments in both indoor and outdoor/field applications. The NW-2000 rugged mobile machine meets Military Standard MIL-810F specifications providing for superior performance over commercial grade products. Stealth's Notebook Warrior is encapsulated in a magnesium alloy chassis with built-in weather protective doors for all I/O ports. The IP54 / NEMA13 environmental protection provides a degree of defense in adverse operating conditions with protection from lint, dust and the spraying of water.
"The Stealth NW-2000 Rugged Notebook/tablet is the ideal solution for Government; industrial/commercial customers who are interested in the ability to work in rough environments yet maintain productivity without the risk of data or performance losses" stated Ed Boutilier President & CEO of Stealth.com Inc.
Stealth's NW-2000 ships standard with a sunlight viewable 13.3" WXGA (1280 x 800) LCD screen, ideal for high ambient light conditions. The external video graphics output provides resolutions up to QXGA (2048 x 1536). A built-in touch screen sensor allows finger-touch inputs directly on the LCD or the use of a stylus pen (included) for pinpoint data input accuracy. Stealth's rugged machine is powered with the Intel Memrom ultra low voltage processor providing for efficient power and thermal management. The Stealth NW-2000 measures just 9.96"(D) x 13.54"(W) x 2.31"(H) or (253mm x 344mm x 59mm) and weighs 9.04lbs (4.1kg)
The Back-Lit 86-Key keyboard allows for easy operation in dark environments with a simple on/off brightness control. The system's standard security features include a shock mounted removable hard drive, fingerprint recognition sensor and a TPM module. Stealth understands communications on-the-go is of vital importance and has built-in a wide range of connectivity that includes 802.11a/g/n, Bluetooth V2.0, 10/100/1000Mbps LAN, RJ11 Modem and Optional WWAN HSDPA / GPRS / GSM / WCDMA connectivity.

Howlets - Optimised Audio Codecs for Soft-switches

Howler has developed a suite of codec implementations called 'Howlets', that are highly optimised fo modern processors. We've applied our knolwedge of writing and optimising software for parallel processors such as the cell, to commodity CPUs from Intel and AMD.

After successfully porting the codec used by Caraya (our Cell-based product) to these general purpose processors, we found them to be substantially more performant than competing offerings when embedded in popular spft-Switches. As well as substantially improved scalability. Our embedded and distributed license manager allows for flexible licensing options, including our unique Floating License which allow you to pool channel licenses across several servers on a network segment.

Our first release delivers a high-performance G.729A implementation targetting Asterisk(R) abd FreeSWITCH, and ships as a drop-in binary module for ease of deployment.

G.729 is an industy-standard, Low Bit-rate codec (LBR), used in the majority of popular VoIP handsets and by many VoIP providers. G.279 uses significantly less bandwidth than the industry standard G.711 audio codec but maintains a high degree of audio fidelity, being designed for imperfect networks such as the Internet and WANs.

Benefits

Add transcoding capability to your network.
Allow your business to transcode audio to and from G.729. Many business-class IP telephones and VoIP gateways include support for G.729. With our G.729 Howlet, your Asterisk and Freeswitch servers can now process G.729 calls more cost-effectively than ever before.

Increase your revenue
Adding transcoding capability to your network allows you to take on VoIP traffic from sources you previously weren’t able to. Our Howlet performance, pricing and flexible licensing means we can offer you the best possible price/performance codec product in the market.

Over 230 G.729 channels per dual-core processor
Our optimized Howlets offer over 230 channels of transcoding capability on Asterisk and FreeSwitch. This is 50% higher than the nearest competitor and 100% higher than libg729.

‘Float’ licenses across multiple servers
Our flexible licensing policy allows you float your G.729 Howlet license across multiple servers, not being fixed to one machine*. This allows you to offer transcoding capability across your entire infrastructure.

Get more traffic across your network
Because our G.729 Howlet is more performant than its competitors, you get more calls processed on the same hardware. This results in more traffic across your network.

G.729 Patent-holder royalties included
Our licenses include all sub-licensing from the codec patent owners. We manage all royalty payments to the patent holders and free you from this obligation. We’re pleased to offer the most economical per-channel price in the market.

BlackBerry Curve 8520

RIM, after launching the BlackBerry Curve 8520 in U.S. and Canada, has bought the device into India. Bolstering the Curve line-up, The 8520 is an affordable, feature packed alternative to the more expensive BlackBerry Curve 8900 that was launched not long ago.


The BlackBerry Curve 8520 is the first device to sport the new "innovative" (as RIM puts it!) touch-sensitive trackpad. Also new is the addition of a dedicated multimedia key. In fact, this phone might just go down in to the annals of history as the first device where RIM's transition from being a purely business oriented phone maker to more of a mass market player has come to light. Its multimedia intentions are evident from the presence of a 3.5mm jack and support for iTunes and Windows MediaPlayer.RIM has tied up with Airtel to offer the Curve in India. There is a new prepaid BlackBerry service plan from Airtel, for a monthly rate of Rs. 299. The device is also targeted at a virtually untapped segment of young professionals and retail consumers who have been inching to get their hands on to a BlackBerry device but were intimidated my the pricing of the earlier models. As for the features, the 8520 comes with a standard full-QWERTY and Wi-Fi support. It is quite light weight as well, tipping the scales at just 106 grams. The phone comes with 256MB Flash memory and a sports a decent 512Mhz CPU. It supports memory expansion hot swappable microSD/SDHC cards and supports cards of up to 16 GB. The screen is a 2.4 inch one with 65k colors,which certainly is a step backwards with most of its contemporaries sporting better screens. There is nothing much to talk on the camera front. The 8520 comes with a decent 2 megapixel camera with support for video recording. The battery is a decent 1150 mAhr one good for up to 4.5 hours of talk time and 17 days of standby time. Airtel customers can sms 'BB' to 543210 to register to purchase the BlackBerry Curve 8520 and to get more information about the plans offered with the smartphone.The BlackBerry Curve 8520 will be available nationally from Airtel's authorised outlets through Bharti Teletech across India from Aug. 7. It is priced at Rs.15,990, which, for a new BlackBerry, is affordable!

Virgin Mobile partners Nimbuzz for chat application

Mobile application developer Nimbuzz today announced that it has partnered with Virgin Mobile India (VMI) for its chat application ‘Vchatter’.
As a part of the agreement, Virgin mobile users will be able to access various instant messengers (IMs) like Yahoo Messenger and GTalk and social networking sites like Orkut by visiting VChatter through their mobile phone browser.
“In the first phase of the partnership, the users can access most of the IMs and social networking sites through the WAP (mobile website) site, while in the second phase, we will work with Virgin to bring out Java-enabled handsets, with an embedded Vchatter application,” Nimbuzz India Country Head Vikas Saxena. said.
The second phase is expected to begin by the end of September, he added.
The Vchatter wapsite will be hosted and maintained by Nimbuzz, while the promotion will be done by VMI.
Nimbuzz expects 10 per cent of the Virgin subscribers to begin using the application in the first year.
“In one year, we are targetting 10 per cent of the Virgin users...Virgin has about 20 lakh users currently, which is also increasing every day,” Saxena said.
Asked about revenue sharing, Saxena said, “Currently, we have a sharing agreement on the advertising revenues coming in through the application.”

IRIX 6.5.30

IRIX® 6.5.30 has been released and is shipping with all new systems from SGI worldwide manufacturing centers. The IRIX 6.5.30 release continues the focus on stability, reliability, security and compatibility required in the IRIX® 6.5.xx release process.

IRIX 6.5 Releases

In May 1998, SGI released IRIX® 6.5, its operating system based on UNIX®. SGI releases a new minor version, IRIX® 6.5.X on a regular basis. These releases are rigorously tested to ensure reliability and strict compatibility both up and down the release stream. The IRIX 6.5 release stream design allows applications to run correctly on any version of IRIX 6.5, regardless of the version on which the application was developed and tested.
For those asking about recertification of applications, please take a moment and become acquainted with the application compatibility protections offered by IRIX 6.5. This is a powerful mandate that allows an application to be developed under IRIX 6.5.X and be run on any IRIX 6.5.Y, regardless of whether Y > X, Y == X, or Y < X.
Application Compatibility in SGI IRIX 6.5This white paper describes the application compatibility protections offered by IRIX 6.5.
IRIX Release Process (PDF 53K)This document describes the IRIX release process and the engineering development methodology.
SGI Software Support PolicyThis document gives an overview of the general software support policy guidelines and defines major and minor release, standard bugfix guidelines and the support modes.

The Multi-purpose Digital Solar Mobile Charger

First of all, I must add that the Multi-purpose Digital Solar Mobile Charger is an eco-friendly power source which relies on sunlight to build up power and store it in high-efficiency Lithium-Polymer rechargeable batteries.Everything is administered via a small chip that detects power levels, charging levels and current draws, so your ensemble will deliver the best performance. Cell phones, digital cameras, PDAs, PSP, MP3 players, DV and so many more devices can be easily recharged by using this nifty gadget.The Multi-purpose Digital Solar Mobile Charger's power storage can be easily replenished in almost any condition: you don't literally need direct sun rays - daylight will also do the trick. The folding construction ensures an easy-to-carry design, without taking up too much space in your pockets or briefcase; and on the connectivity side, the Multi-purpose Digital Solar Mobile Charger is hard to beat: this neat power source comes with a heavy array of connectors that should let you link almost any portable device.We're talking about no less than eight connectors: Sony Ericsson Fast Port, Samsung, Mini USB (for Motorola/HTC/Dopod/MP3/MP4), Nokia (2mm), Nokia (3.5mm) and PSP, making sure you'll be able to use your mobile power supply with anything. The built-in battery can support more than 500 full cycles and the warranty claims it will never fully-load less than 80%. The official specs are below:

-Power of Solar Charger: 1.98W

-Solar Charger Current: 360mA

-Built-in Battery: 3.7V, 2000mAh high

-rate and high-capacity lithium polymer battery

-Input Voltage: 5V

-Input Current: 1000mA ~ 1500mA

-Output Voltage: 5.5V / 8.4V / 12V

-Output Current: 1000mA / 1300mA / 800mA

-Charging Time (AC Adapter): 2~3 hours

-Working Hours (When built-in rechargeable battery full charged): 3~5 hours

-Service lifetime: The built-in battery can be full discharged and full recharged not less than 500 times and the storage of it is not less then 80%

-Dimension: 140 x 88 x 24mm (approx.)

-Weight: 240g .