Samsung unveils WiFi-enabled ST80 camera

Camera releases are somewhat a by-the-numbers thing with so many different variations being released by numerous companies throughout the year. Samsung's pair here does have some interesting standout features, but one at a time.

The 14.2 megapixel ST80 point-and-shoot boasts WiFi capabilities for email / direct upload of images (DLNA supported, to boot). It's also got 3x optical zoom, a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen, 720p 30fps H.264 video recording, and Sammy's "Smart Crop" feature for taking angled shots and "straightening them up" (i.e. a banner that is fixed to look straight on).

This one's due out September 2010 for a penny under $250. Then there's the HMX-E10 pocket camcorder with an impressive 270-degree swiveling lens and 1920 x 1080 30p H.264 HD video recording.

That touchscreen you see is a 2.7-inch LCD, the lens has 2x digital zoom, connectivity is HDMI and USB (also used for charging), and release details are September as well, for $199.99.

Via : engadget.com

PS3 and Bravia sales boost quarterly Sony profits

Earlier this summer, Sony closed another fiscal year of being in the red, but it's starting the 2010/11 ledger with its quill dipped firmly in the black inkwell.

For the quarter ending June 30, the Japanese megacorp clocked up ¥25.7 billion ($293 million) in pure, unadulterated profit off the back of a ¥67 billion operating income.

When you compare that to the performance this time last year, a ¥37 billion loss, you have to agree that the Stringer purse-tightening program seems to have delivered the desired effect.

The primary drivers for the current resurgence are pinpointed as the PlayStation 3 and Bravia lines (frankly, we consider the two utterly inseparable), and Sony's feeling so buoyant about it all that it's revising its projection for the coming year's revenues upwards today.

The good news is tempered, however, by the threat of a rising Yen, which has already claimed Nintendo's profits as its first victim.

Via : Reuters

Samsung Intensity II u460 now available at Verizon

Verizon’s Samsung Intensity now officially has a successor: none other than the recently-seen Samsung Intensity II u460.

Aavailable online as of today (and coming to Verizon’s sores in the next few weeks), the Samsung Intensity II is – like the first Intensity – a phone with an alphanumeric keypad and a sliding QWERTY keyboard, so it should be a hit among heavy texters.

The new handset features a 2.2 inch QVGA display, a youthful UI, VZ Navigator, Social Beat app (providing access to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace), Microsoft Bing search, Bluetooth, Music player, voice commands, eco-calculator, 1.3MP camera “with night vision”, and MicroSD card support (up to 32GB).

The Intensity II’s battery cover is 35% made out of recycled plastic mainly “extracted from water bottles”. Its charger is a high-efficiency one, while the packaging is “partially made from recycled paper and partially printed with soy ink.”

Read More @ unwiredview.com

Verizon's Samsung Intensity II available online

The Samsung Intensity II is now available online, Verizon and Samsung announced Thursday. The slider phone will be available in stores in the next few weeks.

Following in the footsteps of the Samsung Intensity, the Intensity II has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, music player, and GPS

The new model also has an eco-friendly slant. It's partly made from recycled plastic, with its battery cover extracted from 35 percent post-consumer materials.

In addition, the packaging is partially made from recycled paper and partially printed with soy ink.

Inside, an eco-calculator can track your car's fuel mileage, calculate the auto's efficiency, and estimate the amount of carbon dioxide your ride gives off.

Read More @ cnet.com

Motorola beats the street

Shaumberg, Illinois electronics company Motorola Inc. on Thursday posted its earnings for the second quarter of 2010. The company's total revenue was $5.41 billion, which beat Wall Street's estimates of $5.19 billion, but was still down against last year's $5.49 billion. The company reported a strong flow of cash for the quarter, with overall earnings of $162 million, up sharply from last year's $26 million. Total sales, however, were down some $83 million against the same quarter last year.

Of Motorola's four divisions: Mobile Devices, Home, Enterprise Mobility Solutions, and Networks, the latter two divisions were the main drivers of profit for the company.

During the quarter, Motorola's Enterprise Mobility solutions scored several noteworthy government contracts, including one to build the first 700MHz LTE public safety network for the San Francisco Bay area, and several Project 25 contracts (interoperable digital two-way radio for first responders) in Georgia, Maryland, New York and Washington. The group also announced the ES400, a dual-mode GSM/CDMA Enterprise Digital Assistant touted as the smallest in its class.

Read More @ betanews.com

Samsung Confirms Release of Android Powered Tablet This Quarter

While Microsoft has proved unable to give a definitive date for any tablets bearing its software to appear, Google’s partners are having no such trouble as Samsung has confirmed that it will introduce a 7in tablet running Android this quarter.

Following a picture leaked by Samsung South Africa, some have already dubbed it the Samsung Galaxy Tablet, continuing a brand name that Samsung introduced with the Galaxy, Galaxy S, and forthcoming Galaxy Q.

The move demonstrates there will be a wide choice of tablets and OSs to choose from come the end of the year. Samsung and LG are producing tablets powered by Android, HP is going with both WebOS and Windows 7, while Acer, Dell, and Toshiba are also likely to take the Microsoft route.

If you haven’t yet succumbed to an iPad, the news means that it may well prove sensible to hold off for now.

Via: Electric Pig