BenQ-Siemens SL91

This phone from BenQ-Siemens proves black is and always will be sexy. BenQ-Siemens SL91 has touch-sensitive controls and a smooth, gleaming surface that feels like glass. The shapely slider come with a matching and equally sexy, base station that lets you turn your mobile into a portable stereo or a handsfree speech system for telephone calls or even a video conferencing unit. The phone its self comes equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera, a second VGA camera that can be directed towards the speaker during video calls, a 2-inch QVGA LCD, integrated MP3 player, stereo FM radio, MicroSD storage, USB connectivity, Bluetooth and UMTS capabilities. SL91 will retail internationally in November, 2006.

HP Officejet Pro K850

The latest HP Officejet Pro K850 is a lot better than your ordinary run-o-the-mill colour printer. For instance, the device is capable of print resolutions of 1200x1200 dpi for black prints and 4800x1200 dpi for colour. This, besides the fast 21 pages per minute print-rate in colour. The K850, unlike regular printers, also has individual cartridges – so no more changing an entire colour cartridge just because one of the colours gets used up. The K850 is capable of printing a variety of sizes starting from 3x5-inch photos to wide format 13x19-inch posters. The printer connects to the PC via the USB or parallel port connector and has optional network compatibility. The HP Officejet Pro K850 that retails internationally at $400 (Rs 18,608 approx).

LUMIX-DMC-FX07 and DMC-FX50

Panasonic’s new ‘LUMIX’ digital still cameras DMC-FX07 and DMC-FX50 at an unveiling on July 25. Manufactured by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, the 7.2-megapixel cameras, equipped with 28mm wide-angle lens, feature Intelligent Image Stabilizers and will go on sale internationally in August with a price tag of around 48,000 yen (Rs 19,300) for DMC-FX07, and 50,000 yen (Rs 20,100 approx) for DMC-FX50.

RAZR MAXX V6

[MAY NOT BE THE EXACT IMAGE]

Cellphone giants, Motorola, just announced their new RAZR MAXX V6, and here we are with a sneak peek at what you can expect: Other than the obvious updated look, the new RAZR Maxx V6 boasts of a 2-megapixel camera, 50MB of internal memory (expandable by miniSD), music player with touch-sensitive keys on its outer face, two-way video calling and high-speed data transfer using High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and EDGE2. The price for this gadget hasn’t been announced as yet

BenQ-Siemens EF81

The sleek BenQ-Siemens phone is much tougher than it looks. The body is brushed steel while the display is made of hardened mineral glass. BenQ-Siemens EF81 isn’t all looks either; this tri-band phone features a 240X320-pixel 2.2-inch TFT screen, 64MB internal memory, Micro SD expansion up to 1GB, 2.0- Megapixel camera, music and video playback, GPRS, UMTS, Bluetooth and USB connectivity. The 110-gms EF81 can do 300 hours of stand-by time or 4.5 hours of talk time on a single charge.

Sony Ericsson J100i

Looking to buy a budget colour phone? The new dual-band Sony Ericsson J100i offers a cheap option with all the relevant features. The phone comes complete with embedded games, a calendar function, themes support and 32-voice polyphonic ringtones. The best part? The device is a powerhouse and boasts of up to 300 hours of standby time, or up to 8 hours of talk time on a single charge. The J100i that retails for Rs 2,999

Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC)

Japan’s mobile communication giant NTT DoCoMo's the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) battery, which is capable of charging a mobile phone’s lithium-ion battery to upto three times more than its normal battery life. The micro PEFC battery, which measures 24x24x70mm and weighs-in at 45g, is expected to be on sale in 2008

ASUS PG191

The ASUS PG191 monitor that’s custom-made for gamers comes with all the bells and whistles. It sports a 1.3 megapixel Web cam, a built-in 2.1 sound system (2 x 10 watt RMS speakers and 15 watt RMS bass system), 3 USB 2.0 ports as well as headphone and mic jacks. This 19-inch TFT-LCD monitor boasts of a 2-millisecond response time, resolutions of up to 1280 x 1024 and comes with five image enhancement modes and six convenient hotkeys. The ASUS PG191 also comes with bundled software that lets you record game videos and another that lets you video conference during game sessions with your team mates.

VAIO XL100 Digital Living System

The VAIO XL100 Digital Living System is designed to be compatible with your existing electronics devices. The S/PDIF output lets you hook up your stereo or surround sound system while the coaxial input increases TV tuner compatibility. Also included in this media centre is connectivity for standard, enhanced and high-definition video and multi-channel digital audio through a single cable. The XL100 features a 2.8GHz Intel Pentium D 920 processor, 1GB PC4300 DDR2 RAM, an Intel motherboard, a 250GB Seagate Barracuda 7800RPM hard drive, a Matsushita UJ-846D DVD writer, 128MB nVidia GeForce 6600 graphics card, AVerMedia AverTV Hybrid+FM PCI tuner card, 7.1 audio, modem, WiFi, wireless keyboard, remote control and Windows XP Media Centre Edition. The device weighs in at 10.5 Kgs and is decently sized at 430 x 400 x 129mm (WDH). The VAIO XL100 Digital Living System is priced at 850 pounds (Rs 72,100 approx).

BenQ-Siemens E61

The new BenQ-Siemens E61 is a feast for the eyes. The device touted as a music phone sports a 1.8-inch, 65,536 colours TFT display, a VGA camera with up to 4x zoom and a five- way navigation key. To navigate through the songs stored on this phone that’s capable of playing both MP3 and AAC+, simply use the five MP3 control keys on the top. This means you don’t have to take out your phone every time you want to change a song or adjust the volume. Besides SMS, the E61 also supports MMS and EMS messages. If that’s not enough, this WAP 2.0 phone comes complete with Basic Organiser functionality (calendar, world clock, to do list, calculator), speakerphone capability, is USB compatible and comes with a bundled headset. The phone that costs Rs 7,999.

HP OfficeJet 4355

Hewlett Packard recently announced their newest multifunction device (printer, copier and scanner), the HP OfficeJet 4355 All In One. The device boasts of print and copy speeds of 20 pages per minute (ppm) for black and white prints and up to 14 ppm for colour. As for media types consider that this printer is capable of printing on paper (plain, inkjet, photo), envelopes, transparencies, labels, cards, and even iron-on transfers with support for sizes such as legal, executive, 4 x 6 inch, 5 x 7 inch, 8 x 10 inch, 11 x 14 inch, envelopes, A2, A4, A5, B5 (JIS), C6 and even DL. When it comes to scanning the OfficeJet 4355 is capable of an optical scan resolution of up to 1,200 dpi with an enhanced resolution of up to 19,200 dpi. The device is priced at Rs 6,999.

New educational robot E-Nuvo WHEEL

Japan’s robot maker ZMP’s new educational robot e-nuvo WHEEL is displayed during news conference in Tokyo. The robot, priced at 2,94,000 yen (Rs 1,17,400 approx), will serve as an educational material for universities and institutions especially for engineers, the company said.

Epson EMP-s4

Epson has just unveiled its latest multimedia projector, the EPSON EMP-S4, for the Small Office Home Office (SOHO) segment, educational institutions and also as part of a home entertainment system. The device uses Epson’s E-TORL (Epson-Twin Optimise Reflection Lamp) technology, which enhances lamp brilliance by reducing light leakage and diffraction. The device also boasts a four-second start-up time and instant-off functions. Among the list of functions, a highlight of the EMP-S4 is its A/V mute slide which cuts out all light and reduces fan noise when projector operations need to be suspended momentarily by the user. This device retails at Rs 52,500.

LG KG-800 phone

The LG KG-800 phone has been launched in India, in New Delhi on Tuesday July 11. The phone – also known as the Chocolate Phone – is priced at Rs 16,000 and comes complete with a 1.3-megapixel camera, 128MB shared memory, GPRS and Bluetooth capability

Eye-shaped communication robot ‘MuuSocia’

An employee of Japan’s robot venture, Systec Akazawa, chats with a prototype model of the eye-shaped communication robot ‘MuuSocia’, which is capable of recognising human faces and voices and can talk back to its users. The robot was developed as a communication tool for elderly people and is expected to be put on the market in 2007.

Dlink DPH-541 WiFi Phone

With increasing number of Wi-Fi hotspots around the world, people are increasingly looking at VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) as a viable option to make voice calls. The DLink DPH-541 works by connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot and using VOIP without a computer. The clamshell phone, which features a large, bright colour display, can store up to 100 addresses, has caller ID and polyphonic ringtones. It also has support for text messaging. Users can expect about three hours of talk time and 70 hours of standby time on a single charge. For accessing secure wireless networks, the Wi-Fi Phone supports various forms of encryption. The phone retails internationally at $250 (Rs 11,500 approx).

Sony Ericsson J230

Sony Ericsson recently launched the J230 – also touted as the “Easy FM phone” due to its one-touch FM activation. The device, which boasts of a large storage capacity for phone numbers (up to 500) and SMS (up to 200) sports a 128x128 pixels, 65,536 colour display; MMS and EMS capability; polyphonic ringtones; embedded games and to-do-lists with reminder. The dual band J230 (GPRS 900/1800 and 850/1900) is also equipped with a stereo hands-free and a speakerphone. This phone that retails at Rs 4,295.

Spark technology CEllStick

With increased capacity the cellphone is fast becoming everything from your phonebook to your photo album. An unfortunate side to this trend is the risk of losing all that precious data, because of something as common as rain. This little device at the size of a USB stick is just what you need to protect all that data. All you have to do is get the model for your cellphone, stick it in and then let CellStick do the rest. Separate devices are made for a variety of cellphone manufacturers. The CellStick retails for $40 (Rs 1,850 approx).

Samsung’s SGH-i320

Samsung’s new Slim QWERTY Smartphone, the SGH-i320. The device, which is just 11.5mm thin operates on ‘Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Operating System and comes complete with a large 2.2 inches LCD screen, a 1.3-megapixel camera, along with other features such as 12MB inbuilt memory, support for microSD memory cards, Bluetooth and high-quality dual speakers

Logitech Driving Force EX wheel

Here’s a device for all you crazy PlayStation 2 driving game fans – the Logitech Driving Force EX wheel. Compatible with all PS2 driving games, the steering wheel comes with two interface plugs: the standard PS2 controller plug as well as a USB plug that allows the wheel to deliver force feedback for a more real driving experience. The Force EX features rubber grips that encircle the steering wheel rim; functional acceleration and brake pedals on a weighted base and two wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The wheel also includes the standard controller buttons and D-pad, allowing players to have easy access to in game setup and menus. For more information on this device that retails at Rs 6995

Samsung NV10

The latest 10-megapixel Samsung NV10 features an innovative touch pad Graphical User Interface (GUI) amongst its myriad features. The gadget, measuring just .7-inches thick, includes a Schneider 3x optical zoom lens, a 5x digital zoom and a large, 2.5-inch display. The NV10 can record video in VGA (640x480) at 30fps. It also includes a movie stabiliser function that automatically corrects minor camera movement. The camera boasts of 11 scene modes including a text recognition feature that allows users to shoot documents and then extract text from the image using the bundled Digimax Reader text recognition software. The NV10 is priced at $400 (Rs 18,400 approx).

Motorola C168

Motorola recently announced the launch of its budget FM radiophone – the C168. The device comes complete with a 65K colour TFT display and FM radio. It offers a storage capability of 600 phonebook entries and 250 SMS messages, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), GPRS, WAP, zoom font, polyphonic ringtones, talk time of 500 minutes, and standby time of 340 hours. It also comes with pre-loaded games. The C168 that retails at Rs 2990.

USB Mp3 Pen

Here's something that will give James Bond a complex, a USB MP3 pen. This player, designed to look like a pen, is a convenient way to carry around your music. It comes in capacities of 512 MB or 1 GB, and once charged, can sing for more than 7 hours. And if you are bored of listening to your MP3s, you can tune into the built-in FM radio. The pen also has a voice-recorder for all your evidence-gathering missions. Did I mention it has a memo function? The device weighs 50 gm and measures just 148 mm x 18 mm. The USB MP3 pen is priced at $48 and $68 (Rs 2,204 and Rs 3,122 approx) for the 512 MB and 1 GB respectively.

Explay nano-projector

How many times have you wanted to project a picture you took on your cellphone camera on say a wall so everyone could see it? With the Explay nano-projector in the future this will be possible. The matchbox sized projector made to link up with mobile devices. The projector uses a unique "laser-based diffractive optical technology" to project the images. The size of the projection can be anywhere between 7 to 35 inch when measured diagonally. The company also plans to make the smaller versions of the device too.

Sony DAV-DZ820KW

[MAY NOT BE THE EXACT IMAGE]

Sony India recently introduced its newest DAV-DZ820KW system that promises true theatre ambience in the comfort of your home. The gadget is a high-power wireless DVD home theatre that comes complete with four tall boy speakers. Amongst its unique features, the system that boasts of a power output of 1150 RMS, sports unique innovations such as ‘Digital Infrared Rays Audio Transmission’ (S-DIAT), which enables the transmission of audio signals through infrared so that the original signal integrity is maintained without distortion even in the presence of noise interference. It also features DTS Prologic and Dolby Prologic II. The DAV-DZ820KW is priced at Rs 39,990.

Mobiblu UltraSlim-2

The new mobiBLU US2 (UltraSlim-2), it seems, has positioned itself as competition to the iPod Nano. For starters, it is tinier, measuring just 80 x 40 x 7mm (height x width x thickness). Then, it boasts of a sleek Razr-like aluminium finish, complete with a simple, easy to use layout and laser-etched controls. Its features include a 1.5-inch OLED colour screen, support for audio, video, photos, recording and SRS WoW audio processing. The flash device, which will be available in capacities of 1, 2 and 4GB, can be used like a regular MP3 player, or worn around the neck with a lanyard attachment that has built-in earphones. The UltraSlim-2 is scheduled for a mid-July release.