First Mobile Phone With Projector Makes an Appearance

I’ve been looking forward to ’seeing’ what the first mobile phone with an integrated projector would be like ever since I first heard about this technology being in the works. Personally I didn’t expect it to be out so soon, but I’m not complaining. The handset in question is called the Epoq EGP-PP01.

This Tri-band GSM handset has the capability of projecting images as large as 30 inches (diagonal). The resolution of the projector is 640 x 480 pixels. Not only can it project images that are on the phone but DVD players or other media devices (including Laptops) with TV out features can be hooked up to the handset.

The handset comes with a 2.4-inch TFT LCD with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution. It supports GPRS and WAP, has a 1.3MP camera, supports Bluetooth with A2DP and USB and has a sound recorder. From the looks of the images floating around it seems like the handset runs on a UI similar to Apple’s iPhone.

The Epoq EGP-PP01 is priced at $549.95 on GadgetCraver. Perhaps it’ll make it here too. When… is of course the big question.

Acer Aspire One Netbook

It should come as no surprise to anyone that netbooks have suddenly become the most active segment in mobile computing over the past few months. These diminutive laptops offer excellent VFM, with their small size and excellent battery life. This has led to practically every manufacturer introducing some netbook variant or the other. It’s Acer’s turn now, with a launch under the ‘Aspire One’ brand. Let’s find out how it fares.

One thing that’s annoyed me about netbooks ever since this nascent industry launched is the design of current offerings, which embodies what the gaming industry would call ‘EPIC FAIL’. All of them look virtually the same, to the point where it looks as if there’s a single OEM that’s making tons of money by providing these companies with the same chassis and specifications.

However, Acer seems to have kept this factor in mind, and in a styling reminiscent of its Gemstone Blue range, designed the Aspire One to look more like a stylish high-end ultraportable than the budget laptop it actually is. This is a welcome move, and the Aspire One looks sleek and slim. Its lid has a mirrored finish, with a range of available colors: dark blue, green, red, black, and white. The same mirrored finish extends to the bezel of the LCD panel, but the keyboard area gets a flat matte finish in a color similar to that of the lid.

The hinges are fairly thick and though they are colored oddly, are pretty solidly made. The body of the Aspire One is quite sturdy, with no audible squeaks anywhere. The material used in its construction is pretty lightweight and this shows in the overall weight, which is just 1.26 kg for the 120GB HDD model. If you choose to opt for the SSD model, the weight drops to a mere 0.98 kg. Its overall size of 245 x 165 x 25 mm makes it among the smallest in the netbook segment.

The keyboard is very functional. Not only is it decently sized, it offers good spacing between keys, and adequate tactile feedback. This is a welcome move, as in laptops this small, keyboards tend to get too cramped and make typing a miserable experience. But on the Aspire one, I was able to comfortably type for a few hours without suffering from keyboard fatigue.

In comparison, however, the touchpad of the Aspire one suffers quite badly. Not only is it really tiny, it’s mouse buttons are not very responsive. While it’s certainly not unusable, it’s troublesome enough to get a negative mark against the Aspire One.

The LCD panel is easily the best I have seen in any netbook till now. It’s an 8.9 inch backlit LED panel with a native resolution of 1024 x 600 and offers a very good experience. Its color, contrast and blackness levels are top-notch and give a vivid viewing experience usually found in much more expensive laptops. Surprisingly, it even had decent side viewing angles.

Connectivity-wise, the Aspire One is similar to other netbooks. It has three USB ports, a 0.3 MP camera, a multi-format card reader, VGA out and the standard audio plugs for speakers/headphones.

Nokia 3600

It seems lately Nokia’s taken to rehashing its existing phone database, by simply stripping down the design and updating the software. At its price point the 3600 brings nothing new to the table, except perhaps Nokia Maps and a rather mediocre 3.2 MP camera.

The 3600 is a slider with dimensions of 97.8 x 47.2 x 14.5 mm, and weighs some 97g. I felt it was quite light, although it isn’t the slimmest phone available. As is the case with most Nokia phones, it looks good enough for the current generation. The slide action is smooth, although the spring could have been improved a bit.

The 2-inch TFT screen can display 16M colors, and is really nothing to boast about. It’s a fingerprint magnet, and not scratch-resistant in the least, so it has every chance of losing its sparkle after a while.

The keys are a wonder to use, including the 5-way nav-pad on the face of the phone as well as the keypad. The back is made of plastic, with a steel plate for the camera and the home logo.

Not having a rubberized back means it’s more susceptible to accidental falls, and the steel plate only makes matters worse. In fact, accidental drops can create dents on the plate, making it look really ugly.

Bracelet media player made of e-paper

Jewelry is created notonly to emphasize individuality of a person, but also was worn to be useful to him. Now we simply get lost among a huge variety of rings, beads, bracelets. The company Chocolate Agency has offered the optimum decision with its unusual jewelry. Their multimedia gadget is an unusual bracelet. This gadget in my opinion does not compete with earrings with camera built in but it still a very cool device.

This gadget does not have an ordinary display. Isn’t it perfect? It completely consists of e-paper. Due to its properties the display is thin enough and is also flexible. You can watch favorite movies or the video clips, the only thing you need to do is to unroll the bracelet.

One of the advantages of the submitted gadget is that it will be charged from kinetic energy of the man who carries it. Not sure where those kinetic elements are placed but the idea is pretty cool.

So, the bracelet is compact, interesting with its exceptional characteristics and much more – it looks wonderful as jewelry.

Spice X-1

Take it from a daily commuter. Quite literally it seems every second person on the train is playing some game or other, both high-end and entry-level handsets taken into account. Now Spice has launched its X1 gaming mobile in the Indian market, and this could stir things up for the avid mobile gamer. Don’t expect the games to be too high-end or flashy, but the old 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System game ROMs will give users a very nostalgic feeling, or a blast from the past if you will. But here’s the whole story…

Form Factor
Spice’s X-1 is a very stylish looking handset, at least from the front. The rather odd speaker mesh on the rear under the 2 MP camera lens is not very attractive. A 2.4 inch display makes it quite convenient for the purpose it was designed for. It has a 240 x 320 pixel resolution. The five way Nav-Pd is useful, but the keypad could have been better. The ‘2’ key, located just below the Nav-Pad, is a bit difficult to use while messaging, so words with an ‘a, b or c’ can be an issue. The shortcut keys to the browser and game section come in handy.

The handset has volume keys, dedicated camera key, and the proprietary slot for the USB, charger and gaming console connector located on one side. Three dedicated music keys are on the opposite side, above the hot-swap microSD card slot. To make certain games more accessible without the gaming console, Spice has added a couple of action keys near the front speaker. (A similar design exists in the N81 as well.)

The gaming console has a holder for the handset that can be adjusted from the rear to fit the phone. But try not to make it sit in too tight, or the buttons on the handset won’t work. The gaming console is designed to look and feel like just like any other console gaming console. Not as sophisticated as Sony’s or the XBox, but rather like in the old 16-bit game consoles. It hooks up the handset via a cable that fits into a 2.5mm socket at the bottom of the pad, and the other end goes into the propriety slot of the handset.