Canon USA Announces New Pixma and Selphy Printers

Canon USA unveils two new PIXMA All-in-one printers alongside a Selphy compact photo printer, further broadening the image and printing solutions Canon has been known to carry. The two new printers utilize Canon’s FINE print head technology enabling printing images or business documents with overall ease-of-use, innovative design and affordability.

Among the highlights for these printers include the Auto Photo Fix II feature which aims to help assure that images printed will be of superb quality while reproducing the vibrant colors on how they were taken.

All of the new PIXMA printers feature this technology along with Easy-WebPrint EX software which will make printing out documents from the web that much easier. The Auto Clip feature allows for consumers to select a specific part of a Web page that they would like to have printed rather than printing out the whole page which will help users conserve their ink supply.

Pricing details:

• Canon PIXMA MP560 Photo AIO Printer ($149.95)


• Canon PIXMA MP490 Photo AIO Printer ($99.95)


• Canon SELPHY CP790 Compact Photo Printer ($179.99)

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iiPhone 3GS Accessories: wood casing and mini microphone

We've seen a lot of activity in the iPhone 3GS accessories market that it's so hard to choose which of them is worthy of getting reported. However, thanks to our old pals at New Consumers we were able to find some of the good stuff for you!

iPhone 3GS Wooden Casing

First up is the wood casing for the iPhone 3GS. It may not appeal for the save the tree people out there, but there must be a reason why trees are there in the first place right? Yes, to serve as casing for tech items is one of their uses.

Designer handmade wooden case for the iPhone 3G(S). This box is made out of Padauk and finished with linseed oil. It is designed to add a natural aesthetic to your iPhone 3G(S), while protecting it from scratches when it is in your pocket, purse or bag. The contours are shaped and sanded to complement the curves of the iPhone and the interior is sized to hold it snugly. This one-of-a-kind case would make a wonderful gift for the iPhone user.

Prices range from Prices range form $24 to $199. Quality always comes with a price.

Flexible Mini Capsule Mic for the iPhone 3GS

Next on our list is something that most people who use their iPhones as voice recorders or for video: the Flexible Mini Capsule Microphone for the iPhone 3GS from Brando.

Try out the NEW Flexible mini capsule microphone which is especially designed for new iPhone 3.0. It enables you to record better sound quality. Instead of receiving sound from the iPhone speaker at the bottom, your iPhone can receive sound from any direction. It is especially useful while shooting video as the microphone and the camera can be pointed to the same direction. Bend and turn the microphone to the desired direction to focus sound source.

Features:

• Multi-directional adjustment
• Plug and Play.
• High Quality microphone, fine sensibility
• Small, Lightweight and Portable Design with jack cover
• No Battery is required
• Gains 25+ dB

Available at $14 starting end of July 2009. So you'd better get one soon!

Expect that as more accessories come out for the iPhone 3GS, we'll be there to cover it.

Source for Flexible Mini Capsule Microphone for the iPhone 3GS

Source for Wooden Cases for the iPhone 3GS

Netbook Previews: Acer Timeline 1810T vs. Sony Vaio W

After covering the iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre for the last few days, we would like to focus now on other gadget related news that have caught our attention today.

Sony Vaio W

The Sony Vaio has always been seen as a brand that offers excellence and quality that Sony has always been known for. It's a treat to know then that the Sony Vaio W netbook will be shipping into the US come August. However, we've also been reading quite a lot of negative statements regarding this product coming from reliable sources like Engadget.

The company stressed the hardware's build quality here, and while we'll have to wait until we get our hands on to validate, like we said before, the pics aren't exactly flattering when you look at what the competition is producing.

Video below:



Below is just a snippet of the press release from Sony:

Featuring an ultra-portable design, the W Series is perfect for using as a secondary PC, in any room of the house, for surfing the web, checking e-mail, and social networking.

The W model comes in three vibrant colors- berry pink, sugar white and cocoa brown. A more subtle shade of the exterior hue finishes the inside of the PC while the touchpad is lined with a splash of brightness.

"The W Series lets you quickly look something up online whether searching for a recipe in the kitchen or relaxing on your recliner- there's no need to trudge upstairs to your office," said Mike Abary, senior vice president of the VAIO business group at Sony. "And it's sturdy enough for the kids to use, making it perfect for every member of the family."

We'll see how it really is when it comes in on August.

Acer Timeline 1810T

On the other hand, the Acer Timeline 1810T is so far getting rave previews based on both the specs and the brand's name in the Netbook market.

The just-leaked Aspire Timeline 1810T, for example, shares the same chassis as the underpowered Aspire One 751, though the innards are similar to those found in the Timeline series. We're talking an 11.6-inch display (1,366 x 768 resolution), Intel's 1.4GHz ULV SU3500 processor, GMA 4500MHD graphics, hardware accelerated decoding of HD video, up to 4GB of RAM, an HDMI socket, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, optional 3G / Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and an 8-hour battery.

So there you have it a tale of two netbooks. Who will win? We'll bring you coverage once they actually ship in.

Source for Sony Vaio W
Source for Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T

iPhone 3GS how to: spot real earphones and solution to discolored backsides

Apple's iPhone 3G S is in the news again today (as usual). Here are just some that have piqued our interests:

iPhone 3GS earphone knockoffs: almost as good as the real thing?

We've read some reports coming from New Consumers a few days ago regarding an iPhone 3Gs knockoff, here comes another one that's connected to the aforementioned phone. This time it's the earphones.

Thing is, the $14 copycat is as almost good as the original. It’s nearly physically indistinguishable. The sound is exceptionally good. And the microphone/remote works the same as it does on the genuine article.

Even the packaging is remarkably realistic.

Except there’s a few things that are off — a few minor details that give them away as fakes. Plus, they broke down after a week.

I guess the point here is that eventhough the fake Apple earphones died in a week, it still shows that a near replica, a cheaper one at that, is possible! If Apple will bring down the price of the original earphones, then less people will resort to buying and using fake ones.

More notes and pictures on how to separate the real from the fake earphones here.

How to deal with discolorated backside of white iPhone 3GS

There were a lot of reports saying that the white iPhone 3Gs had discoloration problems after a few days of 3G usage. According to this article, it may not be the iPhone's overheating but rather it was the cover's fault.

- After numerous calls to Apple technical service and maintenance of contact with a level 3 (engineer) the problem seems to come not from a hot 3GS but contact with some covers! This was evident by ourselves on a device with a small sticker (a warning not to listen to music too loud) remained stuck, part of the hull below remained white.

- A simple solution to the problem is to clean the back of the iPhone with alcohol, tested by myself I can confirm that it works and reassure you it is safe for your precious

A simple solution is alcohol solution then. No announcement on what kind of covers do these things, but if you're one of the people who experience this, please change your covers now.

Source for iPhone 3GS Knockoffs
Source for solution to discolorated backs of iPhone 3GS

Samsung Announces Samsung SPH-W8550 Mobile in Korea

Samsung Electronics has just announced a new phone for the Korean market with the release of the Samsung SPH-W8550 Mobile. Supposedly with infrared capabilities, the Samsung SPH-W8550 is Samsung’s latest haptic phone made especially for the Korean market.

Features:

• 3.5” WVGA Amoled screen
  


• 5Mpix AF camera


• DMB
  


• GPS
  


• 3.5” Jack-in
  


• Samsung’s latest 3D UI
  


• Support DviX video
  

The Samsung SPH-W8550 will come in these colors:

• Rose Black
  


• Snow White
  


• Valentine Pink

Akihabara News

iPhone 3Gs: Counterfeits and Possible Exploit

According to our friends at the New Consumers Store, there seems to be some phony iPhone 3Gs roaming about in eBay and Craigslist. Not good news for potential iPhone 3G buyers.

It was great then that an eBay buyer went to Mac Medics, a Mac consultancy firm, and gave it to them to study it. Dana Stibolt then took a look at it and took a video of how you can spot a counterfeit iPhone 3Gs.

Here's a small list of what he found out:

• Delay in the reaction time
• Linux icon that goes nowhere
• Video icon that goes nowhere
• Add-ons that look weird: stylus for the iPhone 3Gs?
• Back of the fake is flat

After I shot the below video, I did test some of the other features on the unit. While the icons look very much like the real iPhone 3G, the features were not easy to navigate to. As you can in the video I tried to go back to the “Video” part of the iPod function, and I could not get that navigation link to work in the video. The unit also has a pretty decent FM radio in it. I was fooling around with the different functions and tried the FM radio, and it requested that I plug in headphones. It wanted the headphones in so they could act as the radio’s antenna.

For more details it's best to check out the video below:



We agree with what out friends at New Consumers Store said:

Be vigilant when buying an iPhone. It’s still better if you buy one from an Apple Store rather than from eBay or Craigslist. This way you can be positively sure that what you bought is the real McCoy.

Another piece of news that's been giving the iPhone a bad name is a suspected Short Message Service (SMS) vulnerability on the said phone. It's said that with the right SMS code sent to your iPhone hackers could literally take it over:

...the malicious code could theoretically include commands to monitor the location of the phone using GPS, turn on the phone’s microphone to eavesdrop on conversations, or make the phone join a distributed denial of service attack or a botnet...

All of us are hoping that apple provides an OS update soon and close this gaping hole.

Source for iPhone counterfeit
Source for SMS exploit on the iPhone

Sentina LED Emergency Light

Want to save money on electricity bills and help preserve the environment as well? Then you just have to try the Sentina LED-92M. It's an energy (and budget) saving emergency light from Datexx. Here's the press statement for you guys:

Available now for immediate delivery from www.datexx.com, the new Sentina LED-92M four-way emergency light is just that: four lights in one unit that has a retail price of $30.00. Fully charged to support motion, darkness, and power outage sensors, the Sentina LED-92M light simply plugs into any standard AC outlet and performs for one penny per day. The upper light activates only when approached, in darkness, or in a power outage. When disconnected from the socket, the light will also perform as an emergency flash light for up to eight hours.

The Sentina LED-92M is perfect for use in kitchens, hallways, bedrooms, and bathrooms — literally any place where emergency lighting may become necessary on a moment’s notice. No other emergency LED light comes close to delivering this level of performance reliability — and peace of mind security — at any price!

The Sentina LED-92M is part of a complete line of Green Home lighting products available at www.datexx.com. Each LED lighting solution is remarkable for its unique mix of features. Available in models for kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, bedrooms, and patios, all Sentina LED lights are designed to perform when needed in the most energy efficient ways and at retail prices under $45.00.

Imagine no longer fidgeting around for the flashlight when a blackout occurs. The kids most of all would appreciate this having in their bedrooms so they won't be afraid of the dark when the blackout happens.

It may be a bit pricey but think of all the money you can save! It only costs a penny a day and it'll help you as long as it's functional. This is such a treat for us during the hard economic trouble days we're having right now.

Totally recommended.

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