Kodak EasyShare P712

Kodak is aiming high into the “superzoom” category with its EasyShare P712, a 7.1-megapixel digital camera. It has a 12x optical zoom that gives you the equivalent of 36mm-to-432mm of long-lensed goodness. Also along for the ride is a 2.5-inch LCD screen as well as a high-rez electronic viewfinder and 30fps 640x480 video capture capability.

Kodak touts the quickness of the P712’s autofocus system, where you can focus, click and capture a frame in less .07 seconds. The f2.8 - f/3.7 Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 12x zoom lens has optical image stabilization, helping you hold it nice and still, especially when you’re shooting with a long lens.

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Dell Latitude D420 Ultraportable

Dell made an offhand comment about it last month, and now his company has officially rolled out the Dell Latitude D420, a 3-pound lightweight laptop made of magnesium alloy and packing an Intel Core Solo processor that the company claims will last seven hours on a charge.

The 12.1-inch widescreen notebook’s pricing starts at $1379, and will include wireless broadband capability from Cingular or Verizon in the US and Vodafone in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and its built-in WiFi system claims to be ready for the upcoming 802.11n spec. It also has a “WiFi catcher” switch that can serve as a hotspot sniffer without turning on the laptop. With a couple of pointing devices, plenty of USB ports plus a 1394 port, this one looks like a winner.

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Motorola Technicolor Phones

So, kind of out of the blue Motorola has launched some products at CommunicAsia2006 today. Included in the launch are the appealing W375 (pictured) and the W208. These small and low-end cameras weigh only 3 ounces and the W375 includes a VGA camera and FM radio, and the W208 has the FM radio, but no camera. Motorola is taking a page out of, uh, their own book and continuing with a smooth and slim design similar to the PEBL and RAZR. These two models of phones should be coming stateside later this year.

Motorola also unveiled quite a few other goodies, including a portable Bluetooth car kit, portable power pack, SoundPilot Bluetooth Stereo controller, more PEBL colors and some other average candybar phones. Hit the linkage for full details on all of the releases.

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Creative Zen V Plus

Creative has been pumping out lots of fruity players lately. By fruity, we mean very colorful, very well designed, and so pretty that we want to just bite it. This Creative Zen V Plus is no exception.

The Zen V Plus is a flash based player available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB sizes. The differences between the Zen V Plus and the Zen V are FM radio, video playback, and $30. That’s it. You’re better off with the Plus for that negligible price difference.

Its 1.5 inch screen is bright and colorful, but not bright enough to be visible in really bright light. The Zen V Plus is small and rounded and can fit on an armband easily—something the iPod Nano is known for in exercise circles. The player supports MP3, WAV, WMA, Audible, MPEG-4, WMV and DivX, the last two iPod Video does NOT support. The FM tuner, line in recording, and 20 hour battery life make this one a winner. The battery was actually rated at 15 hours! When was the last time you saw actual life longer than the rated life specified by the manufacturer.

Here’s the gist of it. If you’re looking for an alternative to the iPod Nano, here it is. The Zen V Plus looks great, has a bunch of features and accessories, and excellent battery life.

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Nokia opens first US cell phone Store

Nokia has plans to open a Nokia-exclusive store in Chicago soon in an attempt to improve its brand awareness. They chose Chicago to open the store because it is the home of Nokia's main competitor, Motorola. This will be the first of four stores that Nokia is planning on opening up in North America, including a store in New York later this fall. They plan to display the entire range of phones available in North America and interactive displays. So it's like an Apple Store, but for Nokia? Yeah, more or less. Just one word of advice, please hide the N-Gage in a dark closet or corner somewhere. There is a possibility of scaring away the customers if it is in the open

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Philips' S880 Clamshell Phone

The Philips' S880 a new recruit into to the latter's camp. Being touted as a music phone (since those are so great), the S880 features a number of audio-centric capabilities to please the ever-discerning ear. The 128MB of of memory make it easy to store all the MP3s and MIDIs you could ever want on a cellphone, ensuring you'll have a separate ringtone for all of your wacky friends.

Like pretty much every other cellphone out there nowadays, the S880 comes equipped with a camera of marginal quality; 128x104 pixels of VGA love await you. Feel free to transfer those photos (and ringtones while you're at it) over the USB 1.1 connection. Not USB 2.0, but then again, it probably won't take long to fill the 128MB anyway. There's the assorted odds and ends, like SMS messaging and terrible games as well. For a 2.8-ounce GSM clamshell, the Philips looks fairly solid.

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Wi-Fi Digital Hotspotter

WiFi sniffing dogs at the airport but we suspect that somewhere there is a small group of individuals dedicated to training such useful helpers. Until these canines are trained and domesticated we have a device that can assist in "sniffing out" the presence of WiFi. It's a nice unit that offers several improvements on currently available WiFi detectors.

Your typical WiFi detector will only show the presence of a signal and relative signal strength. This Wi-Fi Digital Hotspotter, from Canary Wireless, has a 12-character LCD that provides information on signal availability and strength as well as essential network information, including SSID, security status and channel. When multiple networks are present the LCD will allow you to scroll through information for each network.

Features LCD screen that shows signal strength, network ID (SSID), encryption status and channel Provides specific information about each network when multiple networks are present
Detects Encryption (WEP and WPA) Frequency Range: 2.4Ghz to 2.462Ghz Coverage: Up to 200 feet (60m) open environment Compatibility: IEEE 802.11b and 802.11g networks Dimensions: 2.5" x 2.2" x 1" thick (64mm x 55mm x 27mm) Batteries: 2 x AAA (included)

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Nokia 8801

The Nokia 8801 phone is a conversation starter with a slim stainless steel body and bright, colorful display that slides open with power and precision. Other great features include Bluetooth connectivity, an integrated SVGA camera to capture still images and video of the latest and greatest; tri-band functionality, a speakerphone, voice recognition and active slide -- allowing calls to be answered or ended with a flick of a thumb.

"The Nokia 8801 phone is certainly a well-featured mobile phone -- but it is the high level of craftsmanship and uncompromising materials that make it the ultimate object of desire," said Dirk Williamson, vice president of sales for Nokia. "The combination of the phone's award-winning design with T- Mobile's industry-recognized customer service will be an unbeatable draw for those consumers who demand the best of everything."

About T-Mobile USA Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is a member of the T-Mobile International group, the mobile telecommunications subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG. T-Mobile USA's GSM/GPRS voice and data networks in the United States (including roaming and other agreements) reach more than 268 million people. In addition, T-Mobile operates the largest carrier-grade, commercial wireless broadband network in the United States, providing Wi-Fi access at more than 7,400 public locations throughout the country, with further Wi-Fi access being made available at over 27,000 international roaming locations. For more information, visit the company Web site at http://www.t-mobile.com/. T-Mobile(R) is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG.

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Nokia 7370 and 7380

Nokia 7370 now the sensuous swiveler (pictured on the far left) is actually shipping. This is one fancy GSM/ EDGE phone for those fabulous females who simply must have it all. Part of what Nokia calls the "L'Amour Collection," the ladies will love its slim 1.5"-wide body, encased in a combination of etched filigree, shiny surfaces and leather accents. To give you an idea, it'll be selling in high-end stores such as Neiman Marcus. (Practical hint: get the plain 7370 with all the frou frou for $330 at Tiger Direct.)

Also part of that same L'Amour Collection is the 7380, a tiny $600 candybar with similar fancy schmancy design and a unique rotation scroll wheel that completely does away with the keypad. It also has those leather and mirror accents, and has a 2-megapixel camera with flash on the back. This is one tiny, thin handset, measuring just 4.5 inches tall, an inch wide and .75 inches thick. You gotta spread L'Amour for these babies, something to certainly please the ladies.

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