Nov/090
Channel 4 showing some 3D programmes
Sony and Panasonic are both hellbent on convincing us their forthcoming super-duper 3D television sets are the future, but before we all start selling off the children and re-mortgaging our homes, how about a little taster of what it might be like? Channel 4, the British answer to a question nobody ever asked, is about to offer up a selection of 3D programming this month, which it dubs as a return to “good old fashioned fun.” The menu includes a documentary about the Queen’s coronation (in other words, ancient history), a magic show, and even a couple of goodies like Flesh for Frankenstein and Friday the 13th, Part III. If we find can remember to get down to the local Sainsbury’s and grab ourselves a free pair of those rad-looking three-dee glasses, you might even be treated to our eyes-on impressions. Watch this three-dimensional space!
Nov/090
Samsung Omnia II (I8000) Smartphone with WinMo 6.5 Gets Live Handling
Ever since we witnessed the slew of accusations and bad reviews plaguing Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5, we’ve been dying to get a chance to try it out for ourselves and see whether there was any truth to those reports or not. So, when the opportunity presented itself at a local Samsung-related event, we quickly took the smartphone the respective OS was running on, the Omnia II, for a brief spin, in order to see what the device and its integration with the Microsoft OS is all about.
First of all, we’ll have to tell you that we can’t help but analyze this device from two different points of view, namely that of the hardware itself and the user interface (TouchWiz 2.0 UI) added by Samsung, and a second one, related directly to the underlying operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5.
From the first point of view, we can say that the Omnia II has left us with a very good impression. I mean, the device has a very large AMOLED touchscreen display (3.7 inches), which is able to both render colors at a very good quality and resolution (480 x 800 pixels) and respond very fast and accurately to any commands. Plus, its external design is elegant, despite the fact that the black rear-side can be described as way too fingerprint-friendly.