Toshiba unveiled its new fast-charging SCiB battery in Ceatec exhibition in Chiba, Japan. The battery according to some tech enthusiasts put it is the “future of computer batteries”.

The prototype battery boasts a charging time of slightly more than 10 minutes. Tests on the SCiB, short for Super Charge Ion Batteries indicated that it can recharge 90 percent of its full capacity within 10 minutes. Compared to present lithium-ion batteries, the SCiB drains slower and has higher recharge cycle limit.

Toshiba said that their prototype battery is safer compared to lithium-ion batteries. The company claimed that it will not explode even if it is crushed. Toshiba used a unique thermal stability technology on the battery. This technology prevents the battery from short circuits and overheating, rendering it safe for the gadget and the person using it.

The new battery’s recharge cycle limit is also 10 to 12 times more than that of conventional lithium-ion batteries. Toshiba said that the SCiB can tolerate up to 5,000 to 6,000 recharge cycles. Common lithium-batteries are only good up to 500 recharge cycles.

The prototype battery was attached to a Dynabook laptop during a demo. It was used to show the battery’s fast charging capability.

However, this is not the first SCiB in the world. Last year, a similar battery was introduced for industrial use.

The new battery is still far from making its ways into your computers as Toshiba said that they have no plans of releasing the battery anytime soon.

Source: PC World

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Panasonic revealed what it considers as the most durable business notebook in the market. The ToughBook 8 is Panasonic’s latest series of tough mobile computers and it also happens to be the lightest 3G-ready computers to date.

The ToughBook 8 Series features 802.11a/b/g/draft-n and Bluetooth 2.0. These computers allow fast connection to broadband stations thru a use of an advanced embedded device. All the units in the series W8, T8 and F8 are powered by Intel’s Core2 Duo processor. They all carry a 4GB RAM and a 160GB shock resistant hard drive.

Good news for the klutziest mobile workers among us: Panasonic Friday unveiled its latest ToughBook model, one Panasonic claims is not only the most durable business notebook available, but also the lightest 3G-ready one.

Panasonic boasted that the ToughBook 8 Series survived the gruesome “Mil-spec” testing. That test is done to ensure that the notebooks are tough enough to survive an accidental fall from a table or a chair. The notebooks were dropped 12 inches and its hard drive 30 inches above the ground.

The new ToughBooks have clear 14.1 inch LCD display. The notebooks sport spill-resistant keyboard. They also have internal optical drive so if you think that this laptop is all work, you are wrong.

Panasonic is yet to announce the price of this product.

Source: CRN

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Need4Video launched a new product that is said to be the most innovative video and audio software in the market today.

Need4Video is advanced processing software that has numerous features like internet integration and audio and video conversion. To top it all, the Need4Video comes in as a package of 22 different programs, many of which are offered as individual products by other software manufacturers.

Need4Video allows users to grab movies from YouTube Google Video, Veoh, Metacafe as well as other video hosting websites and save it in their computers for future viewing. It also comes with video software that allows users to capture, convert, split and merge unprotected DVDs and videos in popular video formats. Users can then extract these videos and save it in a friendlier format.

The video converter platform of Need4Videos allows conversion of videos in over 40 formats, so video format compatibility should be the least of the user’s concern. The audio software on the other hand supports conversion audios in MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG Vorbis and ARM and other formats.

The software also allows fast and easy transfer of videos and audios in different devices such as iPod, iPhone, cell phones, PSP, Zune, BlackBerry and other mobile players.

There is a free trial available for download but if you want full featured software, you can get 1-year access license for $29.99. The time-unlimited liscense costs $39.99.

Source: PRWeb

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Adobe System unveiled Adobe Creative Suite yesterday. The CS4 boasts a complete new media capability which includes web, mobile, interactive, film as well as video production

The Adobe CS4 is the company’s largest software release. The package includes Creative Suite 4 Design editors, Creative Suite 4 Web editions, Creative Suite 4 production premium, Creative Suite 4 Master Collection. The most edgy in this release is the CS4 Master edition which the company boasted as “virtually all of Adobe’s new design and development applications, technologies and services in a single box.”

Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer at Adobe stressed CS4’s superb capabilities. According to the president, CS4 “delivers powerful cross-media technologies that have the ability to elevate products, brands and ideas above the clutter.”

One of the features of CS4 is the simplification of workflow. It now permits users to switch between mediums without needing to close a project.

Creative Suite 4 has an upgrade set of tools and design capability in 3D rendering. So don’t be surprised if you will see more functions in the IU of the software compared to CS3. CS4 now permits artists to a more flexible and creative set of functions. They can now paint composite and animate 3D models.

The Adobe Creative Suite 4 will be released in October 2008. The basic price for the CS4 is around $1,699. Adobe plans to offer a lower upgrade price to customers who currently own CS3 and below.

Source: CRN

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Every article about PC optimization almost always babbles of tips on how to tweak settings or hardware in order to inject a few liters of jet fuel in the CPU. Indeed, one optimizes his computer in order to get it to perform as fast as it possibly could. It could then be said that PC optimization is synonymous with PC speed.

Despite the very apparent similarity, PC optimization and PC speed are two different things. While PC optimization aims to put cheetah legs on your CPU, it’s also concerned with prolonging the life of your hardware.

Let me illustrate this difference through an optimization method known as overclocking. Overclocking involves shifting your CPU’s gear to its highest level. You could normally do this by changing some of the settings in the BIOS. By doing this, you’ll increase your PC’s speed by 10-20%. This is good as far as speeding up your PC is concerned. However, having your computer’s heart beat twice as fast as it normally does could have some deadly repercussions. Overclocking is synonymous to overheating. Overclocked PCs produces enough heat to make you want to take out some eggs and a frying pan.

PC speed focuses on giving you everything that your computer could produce in as little time as possible. On the other hand, while PC optimization also aims to add a few mph on your computer’s speedometer, it intends to do this with as little damage to your system as possible. In other words, PC optimization is also concerned with prolonging the life of your PC.

Hence, it could be said that underclocking is also a form of PC optimization. This may seem quite absurd considering that such method would slow down your PC. However, underclocking has a few advantages that could be beneficial to your system. For one thing, lower clock speeds mean less heat. As we all know, heat fries the life out of your PC.

PC optimization is not just about speed. Computer optimization is more about configuring your PC in such a way that it would perfectly meet your needs while preserving and prolonging the life of your hardware. PC optimization is all about efficiency. An efficient PC is one which could provide you with your needs for as long as possible.

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Google Chrome is fast becoming like Firefox and Greasemonkey with its future support for Add-ons and Plug-ins.

According to Aaron Boodman, Greasemonkey founder and a member of the Google Chrome team said that Chrome will use both add-ons that extend browser features and use scripts.

Google Chrome is the latest browser to hit the web, and within a few weeks from its release it already reached almost 2 million downloads. Many users believe that Chrome will soon be a serious competitor of Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer as it offers different features such as browser tab isolation.

Suggestions and ideas as to how Google Chrome add-ons should include are already pouring in. Experts of other browser groups are interested in the development of the open source browser made by the big G. Among most notable feature of Chrome are its tabs.

Brendan Eich, Mozilla CTO is studying the Chrome’s stability using tabs and he is very positive on the developments on the latest browser. “There are good process-isolation tricks that Chrome does that we’re looking into, so we’re simply going to look at better isolation techniques for security and integrity,” he said.

Source: InformationWeek

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HP makes its small laptop even smaller. The company overhauled its HDX 18 to make it HDX 16, equivalent to a transformation of its 18-inch display in a 16-inch LCD.

The smaller screen perhaps made it cuter and yet the metallic finish and classy chrome interior still makes this laptop gorgeous. The laptop now weighs 7.4 pounds with a 6-cell battery. Buyers have the option to upgrade its power source into either a 12 or a 16-cell battery.

The laptop suffered a slight loss in resolution quality. From 1080p it now has a 1,366-by-768 screen resolution.

The HDX 16 however packs a powerful machine inside. It is powered by Intel’s Centrino 2. It has a 2.26-GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 processor that is backed by 4GB DRR2 RAM. Its nVidia GeForce 9600M GT engine should be enough for small graphic rendering.

The HDX1 is available with 320GB storage, an optional TV tuner and a fast eSATA port.

One amazing thing about this laptop is the number keypad. HP placed a whole functional num pad on the left side of the keyboard to give you that perfect PC experience.

On related news, HP will also be releasing HP Pavilion dv6929wm-b, a special laptop that will be available exclusively in Wal-Mart. This laptop is part of HP and Wal-Mart’s green drive.

HP Pavilion dv6929wm-b runs on a 2-GHz AMD Turion X2 TL-60 processor. It has a 250GB hard drive and is bundled with a Windows Vista Home Premium OS. It is also packed with a savvy nVidia GeForce Go 7150 integrated graphics chipset inside. It is tagged at $1,049.

HP is yet to announce the price of HDX 16.

Source: PCMag

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Research and Motion hopes to steal some iPhone users with its new BlackBerry Pearl flip phone. A few minutes on the new smart phone and you will know that this is iPhone minus the Apple logo and perhaps the Apple bugs. The new phone sports connectivity with enterprise and other e-mail servers. It boasts up to 10 email account management plus text messaging and instant messaging services. The only low down perhaps is that this gorgeous flip phone is not 3G enabled.RIM is a serious dominator in the world of smart phones. According to the company, “nonenterprise” phone sales now make up 40 percent of the company’s 16 million subscribers. No doubt, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 will further increase the popularity of flip and clam shell phone types.

The new flip phone has a small exterior screen where users can preview e-mails, incoming calls, text messages and even the phone’s status. A 140 x 310 pixel LCD screen will greet you after you flip it. The screen is a good for viewing videos and mobile web surfing.

The new BlackBerry is also Wi-Fi enabled. It has support for UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) to extend the device’s wireless e-mail and data coverage capabilities.

The phone allows multimedia and music synching with iTunes. It has a microSD/SDHC memory card slot that can carry up to 16GB of storage. Its 2 MP built-in camera has a flash, zoom and video recording capability.

To further appeal to consumers, the Pearl Flip allows for syncing non-DRM music with iTunes. It also comes with a microSD/SDHC memory card slot that supports up to 16GB of storage.

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 will be released this fall and it will be under T-Mobile. The phone’s price remains undisclosed.

Source: eCanadaNow

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Panasonic unleashed the world’s smallest and lightest digital interchangeable lens camera. The mouthful title actually means that the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G1 is a hybrid between digital single lens reflex cameras and traditional point-and-shoot digital cameras.

The LUMIX DMC-G1 employs the unique Micro Four Thirds system that eliminates the internal mirror structure of the camera therefore making it lightweight and more compact without losing superb image capturing capability.

The 12.1-MP camera can render images of up to 1.44 million pixels.

Aside from being the first of its kind, the camera also showcases other amazing features. It has a Live MOS Sensor which allows it to capture images in superb brilliance and clarity.

It also has an HDMI output and Venus Engine HD system, a technology that reduces noise in pictures while allowing customization of R, G and B colors of images.

It has the Supersonic Wave Filter Dust Reduction System that prevents dust accumulation in the image sensor, thereby protecting one of the most delicate parts of the camera.

The only sad news is that you will have to wait until October if you want to grab this camera.

Source: MarketWatch

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Mobile gamers will have a new gadget of interest. This is the Asus G50V, the company’s latest gaming laptop.

G50V is a high-powered machine that wields a 15-inch screen that showcases a 1680×1050 default resolution. The gaming laptop boasts a processor of 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400. Its memory of 4GB running at 800MHz undoubtedly makes it fast. It carries one of the best Nvidia graphics engine, the GeForce 9700M GT with 512 MB of DDR3 memory. It has a hard drive of 500GB.

Asus’ new laptop is not an ordinary laptop. It has an automatic overclocking function that turns the CPU into a Turbo mode. Players only need to push a button to activate this feature. Gamers can also hold onto the headset to activate Turbo Extreme mode.

G50V also carries a 2.0 MP built in webcam. It is decorated with LEDs along side the screen.

But this laptop is not just all about gaming. G50V also sports other mobile computer functions like Express Gate button, facial recognition system, HDMI-out and an eSATA port.

G50V is out now and can be bought with a DVD burner for $1,699. A version boasting Blu-ray system with 200BG storage is sold for $1,899.

Source: News CNET

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