Collaborating with FIFA, Sony has managed to make football’s governing body to allow them to capture 25 matches at South Africa 2010 in full 3D mode, allowing football fans all around the world to watch the most important matches on the planet in a 3D-perspective! Well, if you are indeed a football fan, this would interest you greatly, but if you are not, then you would do well to flip the page!

Watching a tournament as huge as the World Cup in 3D would indeed be a breathtaking experience, as it provides you with the feeling of almost being at the stadiums themselves in South Africa! Then again, you would need to have a compatible TV set to be able to obtain this viewing pleasure.

Using the world’s most watched sports as the medium to market their 3D TVs is indeed a masterful tactic by Sony, and broadcasting the matches through 3D-perspective would give viewers an absolutely amazing and different experience than ever before! And before you know it, the 3D-craze would be all over the place, with Sony leading the pack as the pioneers!

If you aren’t about to get a 3D TV set yourself, don’t you fret! Sony have confirmed that they are hosting “Fan Fests” in seven different cities across the globe to introduce to the world the ultimate experience of 3D-cameras and TVs, and the ever-popular 3D Bravia sets would be set into prominence here without a doubt! The Sony Bravia comes with the futuristic RealD 3D technology that would certainly blow you away, technology-wise! Fans could watch their favourite team play and battle in out against each other in 3D, and what better stage than the World Cup?

The 3D-mania is set to take over the globe, and is the next-big thing without a shout of a doubt! The question remains, when will you choose to be part of this craze? Why not let Sony convince you?

Recently in November 2009, Nokia released their latest Flagship model – the N900 – right after the N97 Mini. The Nokia N900 is a special phone, it’s not just a phone, it’s a mini computer or you can call it an Internet Tablet much like its ancestor, the Nokia 770, N800 and N810.

Being Nokia’s flagship model, the N900 has several unique features that most of the phone in the market doesn’t.

Nokia N900 key features,

-         ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz CPU with PowerVR SGX graphics (The one in iPhone 3GS)

-         Best web browser in the market with Full AJAX, Javascript and Flash Support!

-         Adobe Flash Player 9.4 (It’s not Flash Lite 3.0 and Flash 10.1 player is on it’s way to N900!)

-         32GB Internal Storage (27GB usable), memory card expansion slot. (You can make it up to 64GB of total storage!)

-         1GB Application RAM (256MB physical RAM, 768MB virtual RAM) Multitasking is the King!

-         Maemo 5 Operating System (Coolest OS ever!)

-         QWERTY Keyboard

-         3.5 inch resistive touchscreen at 800 x 480 pixels resolution! (iPhone has 320 x 480 pixels only)

-         Built-in FM Transmitter

-         5 Megapixels, Carl Zeiss optics camera with Auto focus and Dual LED Flash. Video recording at WVGA, 848 x 480 pixels at 25 FPS.

-         Integrated A-GPS with FREE Ovi Maps.

-         Skype and Google Talk integration

-         4 Fully customizable desktop and live widgets everywhere!

-         Push Email and SMS in Threaded View.

Something missing….

Since Nokia N900 has evolved to an Internet Tablet with Telephony Function, it lacks tons of basic telephony function that a conventional mobile phone should have.

These are the main features missing in Nokia N900 by default (at firmware PR1.1.1),

-         Portrait Mode. (Everybody is complaining about this.) Starting from firmware PR1.1, N900 allows portrait mode in web browsing. Other than that, it only allows portrait mode in photo viewing and phone calling.

-         Bluetooth is not able to send file by default. Thanks to an application called Petrovich, and now you can. J

-         No contact ringtone. You can only assign one ringtone for all calls.

-         No Pinch Zooming. N900 uses resistive touchscreen… no hope for that…

-         No MMS support.

-         No 3G video chat despite N900 featured a secondary camera and 3.5G support.

-         No Java Application support.

-         No Digital Compass

-         Network service command is not allowed.

-         No Asian language input support.

-         Current version of Ovi Maps has no voice guidance.

-         Very basic music player (No equalizer, virtual 3D and etc.)

-         No global search engine within the phone.

Nokia currently has no intention to release this monster in Asia yet. But because we’re enthusiastic, we’re actually one of the earliest N900 owners in Malaysia and we’re proud of it.

Before moving to an in-depth review of N900 functionality, let’s us tell you what we have done with our Nokia N900.

Things we’ve done with our Nokia N900,

-         Running desktop version of Facebook.

-         Playing videos and Flash game (eg. Who has the biggest brain) in Facebook directly.

-         Playing around with X-Terminal.

-         Hosting SSH server.

-         Connecting to FTP Server.

-         Remote desktop to our laptops.

-         Playing Bounce Evolution (Graphic is on par of Sony PSP!) with TV-out.

-         Running our GBA games using VGBA application.

-         Customizing N900 desktop widget with Linux command.

-         Installing applications, Facebooking and Youtubing at the same time with TV-out!

-         Multitasking, multitasking and multitasking!

Stay tuned with Kongtechnology.com for more in depth review and experiments for Nokia N900. By the way, firmware PR1.2 is coming very soon! It’ll be a major upgrade, let’s hope for more functionalities for the great N900!

1. GPS

Pai Nian (Visiting friends and relatives house) for Ang Pao is the most important activity during Chinese New Year. Without Pai Nian, the whole CNY will not be meaningful because no Ang Pao = No CNY.

With the help of GPS and Satellite software like Garmin and Tom Tom Navigator, you’re able to locate your friends and relatives house without any hassle. Especially for friends and relatives who stay far away from the city or friends that you’ve lost contact for years, you can simply request for their GPS coordinates and your GPS device will guide your Ang Pao route.

2. Facebook

If you’re wondering what Facebook can do for you during Chinese New Year, here’s a suggestion…

First, wish all your friends happy CNY regardless of race and send them a virtual gift or ang pao. Second, create a RSVP event, gather all your friends to discuss and plan for group visit. An ang pao hunting event! Third, update your status. Tell others where you are and what are you doing so that your friends are able to join you. More people = more fun! Fourth, after visiting a friend’s house, don’t forget to upload the photos you’ve taken and don’t forget to tag them! Fifth, if you hate being visited by relatives and friends (or if you’re anti social) Facebook can help. Ignore them, turn on your PC and start Facebooking (play games). Start Facebooking only after you snatch your Ang Pao.

3. Twitter

Just like what you did in Facebook, you tweet your latest location and event with your iPhone. Let your followers contact you and join for Ang Pao hunting.

4. Digital Photo Frame

Visited by relatives and friends during CNY is pretty usual. Don’t just chit chat with small talk. Share your stories and impress them with your digital photos. A physical photo album is good but not as good as a digital photos frame that can store thousands of photos and stream photos from your computer through bluetooth or WIFI. Forget about your dusty photo album, Digital Photo Frame FTW!

5. Google Latitude

Google Latitude gives you the exact location of our friends and family. With Google Latitude, we able to locate and notify friends and relatives near our place so that we can pay them a visit or visit a place together.

6. Ipod / Mp3 player / Media Player

For those who’re going back to their home town for CNY, a long and boring journey is unavoidable. If you plan to relax or sleep for the whole journey, an MP3 player like iPod or iPod Touch is your best companion.

7. PSP / NDSL

If you plan to stay awake on the way back to your hometown, a portable gaming console is a must! For serious portable gaming, there’s not much choice out there. Try PSP (normally for guys) or a casual game oriented portable gaming console such as NDSL (normally for girls). If you’re bored with your PSP, you can always transform it to a portable media player. 4.3 inch screen for movie FTW!

8. Wii / PS3 / Xbox360

If you have kids visiting you, a gaming console is a must. Keep the kids and teenagers entertained. I’m not advocating violence but fighting games like Tekken and Street Fighter are always fun. Better live with the noise than the kids breaking all your other stuff.

9. PayPal for Angpau

If you can’t visit your kids or relatives during CNY, the least you can do is transfer some money to them. Besides Western Union and Maybank2u, PayPal is simple and fast, but note there is a 3-4% charge.

10. Skype / GTalk / MSN / Yahoo Messenger

Unable to visit your friends and relatives – Fret not! Audio and Video Conference with Skype, GTalk, MSN or Yahoo Messenger…  do an online virtual Pai Nian (visit) and renew your friendships

1) The GPS Navigator! Forget about ever getting lost again! GPS-based navigators are the in-things of the moment, with plenty found either separately or incorporated with your GPS-receiving mobile phones. With the utilization of excellent navigation software such as Garmin to guide you along the paths, finding your way in a new city would be as easy as ABC! This eliminates the need for paper-maps, or you ever stopping at petrol kiosks or police stations any more, asking for directions. Find restaurants of your choice, shopping malls, or even hotels! Useful? You bet!

2) Sony’s evolutionary PSP! Handheld gaming consoles have come a long way since Nintendo’s legendary GameBoy and GameBoy Advance. Sony’s PSP is the craze of the moment, and you would not regret it one bit if you get your hands on one of these. Choose from a wide range of games such as NeedForSpeed Most Wanted, RPG selections such as Final Fantasy or for the football-crazy, FIFA 2010 is available on PSP as well! Never feel bored during short or long journey any more, simple turn your console on, and indulge in the gaming pleasure that it offers until you reach your destination! And with added-on-devices, your PSP could also function as a digital cam, GPS-navigator, media player, translator and even an internet browser! Now is that cool or what?

If PSP is too serious for you, Nintendo DSi might be your cup of tea. Nintendo DSi is the best interactive gaming console ever in human history (Aside from Nintendo Wii). Casual games like Cooking Mama, Mario Cart and Warioware will kill your boredom in no time! You can also browse the internet with Nintendo DS Opera browser just like what you do with a PSP.

3) A digital camera (better still if you have a DSLR). Travelling would always present you with opportunities of coming across beautiful sceneries as well as unforgettable moments and memories. My Nikon D3000 is a little beauty indeed. It’s a good compact DSLR that makes an amateur like me look good. But if it’s still too big, you might want to try the Panasonic Lumix FZ35.

At around RM1,599 it is slightly cheaper than the entry level DSLR yet gives you the versatility of a Leica 27mm lens with 18x Optical Zoom (equivalent to 486mm Telephoto). Power OIS Anti-shake protection means that you won’t have to worry too much about handshake even in telephoto range, while the HD video capability delivers an impressive 1280 x 720 pixel resolution.

Having a digital cam with you during these moments helps you capture and immortalize them, preserving them so that you can reflect and reminisce upon them in the future.

Ever wonder how you can take a photo of you and your girlfriend by yourself? Then check out the Samsung ST550 Dual LCD:

Now you never have to worry that there is no passer-by to help!

Ah the Digital Camera…. one of the best travel gadgets ever-created!

4) A portable storage device (options would include pendrives and external hard-disks). Although most devices such as digital cameras and mobile phones have internal memories that could go up to 8GB (some even more), but in the scenario of you losing your camera or phone, there goes all your memories too! Safe and secure, keep a portable storage device with you to backup all your important data, they also come in bigger sizes so you would never be short of space if ever you need more than what you have. A truly beneficial invention for the constant-mover!

To do instant backup to your portable storage device, a portable data transfer device just like the Sima Hitch USB Transfer Device Hub is available in the market and that allows you to backup your precious photos and videos anytime, anywhere.

5) Last but not least, having a sophisticated mobile phone would keep you entertained in more ways than one. The best smart-phones in the market today come with excellent digital cameras (forget needing a separate cam), an entertainment centre to play both audio and video files (forget MP3/ MP4 players), a gaming-console, built in GPS receiver, internet browsing capabilities, and several other useful functions. What more does one need during travels? Never forget the battery charger though, or you could end up having nothing at all within a day or two!

Forget i-Pods, get your hands on the above mentioned products, and remember NEVER to leave home without them!

HTC MAX 4G - The first 4G / Wimax enabled phone

This is an effort by Nokia to provide faster and more stable cellular data, and it expects LTE to extend all the way until 2013, while the whole 4G experience to be fully operational latest by 2020.

On the other hand, Apple Inc. is expected to unveil the new iPhone 4G sometime this year as well! The new iPhone reportedly has dual core processers with more sophisticated graphics chips to allow you to obtain pictures and videos at higher resolutions.

Verizon Wireless is currently in the midst of testing out a CDMA version of the new iPhone 4G. This awesome new device from Apple is expected to have the capabilities of video chat as well as extreme and multi-tasking downloading abilities. Sleek and elegant is the verdict, we can’t wait! Can you?

January has arrived, a time when we start implementing our new year resolutions. Keeping Fit & Losing Weight is one that pops up year after year (probably because it makes the list for most likely to be broken!) So here are a few gadgets to help you keep that promise and not have it re-appear on your list next year!

1.    Dance Dance Revolution (PS2/PS3)

Not so long ago, video arcades were swarmed with teenagers waiting for their turn on those UFO-looking dance machines. The ease at which they coordinate swift hand and leg movements just makes you want to break into a dancing fit.

For those who squirm at any thought of public display, there is always the home series option – Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) on PS2 or PS3.

The game even features a Workout Mode which tracks the number of calories you burn while dancing. Studies have shown that the energy used to play DDR is comparable to a brisk walk on the treadmill.

2.    Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii is a Godsend to sun-shy individuals who love outdoor sports. This way, they are able to get into shape playing tennis, golf, baseball and even compete in Olympic events without having to expose themselves to damaging cosmic rays.

Basically playing any game in Wii involves more than thumb and finger movement. The most popular and calorie-demanding one is Wii Sport. Imagine burning 125 calories (equivalent to a  bottle of Guinness Draught!) with just 15 mins of boxing. And this has been proven through an experiment conducted by this guy who spent 30 mins a day playing Wii Sports over 6 consecutive weeks.

A must have accessory to help you melt away fat is the Wii Balance Board, which made its first appearance alongside the game, Wii Fit. Yoga, aerobics, skiing, snowboarding and rock climbing are among the few activities supported by this versatile plastic board.

3.    Nike + iPod

With a pair of Nike shoes, one can run fast like the wind. But how about enhancing your performance with music that motivates you?

The Nike+iPod is a device consisting of a sensor which is embedded in a Nike+ compatible shoe and a receiver that links up to your iPod. The sensor tracks your speed, distance and the amount of calories burned, and then displays it on the iPod. It even stores a history of your performance so that you can monitor your progress.

4.    Mobile Phone with GPS & Motion sensor

Mobile phones manufacturers are also starting to jump on the fitness wagon. The Nokia N79 Active version features a GPS sports tracker that tracks your trip, and prompts you to record and publish your exercise details such as fitness data and favourite routes on the web. This means you can explore new courses without the fear of getting lost. On top of that, it comes with a wireless Polar Bluetooth heart monitor to let you keep a confident tab on how hard you are pushing yourself.

Sony Ericsson W710, a phone designed to support active and sporty lifestyles ships with fitness applications to measure your exercise speed, distance and time. It also has a built-in motion sensor (pedometer) that tracks the number of steps you have taken throughout the day.

5.    NSD Powerball

The NSD Powerball is a revolutionary piece of fitness equipment that is only the size of a tennis ball. But do not underestimate the potential of this little bugger. From as low as RM85, you can be on your way to flexible wrists, toned forearms and strong shoulders. All you have to do is put the Powerball in your hands and hold on to it as it spins up to a staggering speed of 15,000rpm and exerts almost 18kg of pressure on your limbs. Medically it is also recommended to rehabilitate Carpal Tunnel conditions and strengthen broken bones. Best of all, it requires no batteries or motor.

With cool fitness-inspired gadgets like that, who needs the gym to keep in shape?

From Microsoft & HP…


From Dell…

From Nvidia…

OK we know that looks alone will not win your hard-earned dollar. If that were so Apple would rule the world right? So here are some specs to look at:

Tablet PC / Slate Comparison Table

Microsoft HP Slate

Dell Mini 5: View at Vimeo

We are still lacking details on all the slates out there but at least this will give you a rough idea on what is it and how it looks like. We’ll be monitering the Apple iSlate closely for an expected announcement this month end, stay tuned.

It took about 2 years since the first iPhone was released in 2007. Now, comes the iPhone 3GS killer – Google Nexus One is born and it may take away Apple’s crown.

In our earlier article, we showed you the visuals. Now we’ll look at the stuff it’s made of.

Nexus One – The Next Jesus Phone

Basically Nexus One is equipped with more advanced features and complete hardware compared with iPhone 3GS. Let’s see why the current Jesus Phone is no longer the Jesus Phone and why Nexus One is a better phone…

iPhone 3GS and Nexus One Comparison

So on paper at least, Nexus One is superior over iPhone 3GS, especially when it comes to the telephony function.

Youtube: When the web meets phones

Nexus One features an active noise cancellation function with secondary microphone that is lacked by most of the phones available in the market. According to nexusoneblog.com review, Nexus One has louder speakerphone than iPhone 3GS… a wonderful plus for those like me who use this feature quite a lot.

Battery Life worse but it’s not a problem

However, battery life in iPhone 3GS seems to be significantly better than Nexus One. For example, surfing the net using WIFI on Nexus One will give you 6.5 hrs to 9.0 hrs on iPhone 3GS.

But Nexus One’s advantage is the removable battery which means you can bring a spare battery along. Given this, Nexus One beats iPhone 3GS again.

How about performance?

iPhone 3GS may seem to have a lower clock speed CPU (600Mhz) compared to Nexus One’s 1GHz Snapdragon. But in reality, the performance of both CPUs are comparable. Let’s take a look at the video below,

Youtube: Browser test – Nexus One vs iPhone 3GS

Suprisingly, iPhone 3GS is able to load the webpage much faster than Nexus One and its little brother Droid. Also, the smoothness in iPhone 3GS is still unbeatable even with the challenge from the powerful Snapdragon CPU.

Conclusion

Are you ready to upgrade your iPhone 3GS? Apple has played it’s cards well in recent times, leaving room for improvement between each iPhone upgrade. But this time it needs to up its game quicker. While the speed and smoothness of the iPhone 3GS is still unbeatable, Nexus One has posed a formidable challenge. It beats the iPhone 3GS in terms of multitasking ability, better camera, better telephony features, slimmer, bigger screen and higher pixel density. And best of all, it is priced at an affordable US$529.

However the excitement (as witnessed from live Twitter feeds) gradually waned as it represents no significant differences from existing Android phones, but does showcase the pinnacle of Android technology. I have no doubt that the technological crown will be snatched away from the Nexus One in the next half year, but all in all it’s still a pretty sweet smartphone.

Like all previous high-end Android devices, it will be manufactured by Taiwan’s HTC, with Google supposedly being intimately involved in the design of the phone and user experience. Its unsure just how much or important Google’s involvement is, although it does mean that the phone gets loaded with the newest Android 2.1 smartphone operating system.

It will come with only 4GB of internal storage but supports the Secure Digital expansion slot so storage is not a problem. The screen is a nice and big capacitive OLED touchscreen, so in terms of screen quality it’s expected to beat out both the Droid and Iphone 3GS. The integrated 5MP camera is also welcome and paired with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 1GHz processor it is to date the most powerful smartphone on the planet. Google’s Nexus One website also just launched with more details and videos about the phone and also with a useful link to purchase the phone directly unlocked from Google.

As for the looks factor, it is sleek and thin, which is amazing given the number of gadgets they crammed into it – digital compass, GPS, Wifi, Bluetooth, etc. Everything that’s anything can be found on the Nexus One, short of multitouch controls (due to possible patent issues with Apple).

It’s interesting to see Google’s philosophy of open standards carry forward into the Nexus One, as they are selling them unlocked for US$529, which makes it $70 cheaper than the iPhone 3GS without a contract. That’s a good price considering the number of technology that’s packed into the Nexus One.

But at the end of the day, all the hype machine ground to a halt and we are left happy with an awesome thin, voice-controlled, diminutive yet powerful gadget although it didn’t quite blow our mind. The Nexus One can be purchased directly from Google NOW if you live in the UK, US, Hong Kong or Singapore.

Apple iPhone die-hards, maybe this is a worthy alternative?

And yes, you heard that right. Trust the Italians with design, as Italian firm V12 Design has emerged with the Canova, a dual touch screen notebook with an outstanding design sure to whet your appetite!

V12 Design’s founder and managing director Valerio Cometti disclosed that the breathtaking laptop would be able to support multi-touch inputs, as well as comes with built-in voice command. The laptop is expected to be unveiled sometime in 2010, although the exact date has not been confirmed by the manufacturers.

If these visuals are anthing to go by, then Canova might well give Steve Jobs a run for his money.

Or perhaps Apple Inc is the secret company V12 Design is working with to come out with this nifty device?

When OLPC emerged with the X0-2 last year, the world sat up and took notice. Now V12 Design has gone one step further, and if the production team is able to deliver according to schedule, expect to discover the Canova as one of the most amazing products in the computing scene of 2010. Touch keyboards would eliminate the need of a conventional keyboard, how mouth-watering is that? For now, we will just have to wait and see.