Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II heading to Verizon in the 'coming weeks' for $130

Verizon Wireless today announced the Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II with a full QWERTY keyboard, 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 4G LTE and Android 4.0, aims to balance business and a rich multimedia experience. Here's more info on this upcoming QWERTY Android phone:

The Stratosphere II offers a number of entertainment features. Users can rent or purchase movies from the Samsung Media Hub that they then can watch right on the Stratosphere II's 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display for high quality video entertainment. S Beam uses near-field communications (NFC) to easily share photos and videos with other compatible devices.

Stratosphere II is Global Ready with the ability to call and email from over 200 countries, has built-in Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity when on the road, and supports multi-vendor Mobile Device Management (MDM). With numerous security features like Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and on-device AES 256-bit encryption, the Stratosphere II aims to protect personal and professional information.

The Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II will be available online and in Verizon Wireless Communication Stores in the coming weeks for $129.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. 

Sony Xperia P Limited 24K Gold Edition

Sony Mobile Sweden shows a picture of a limited 24K gold edition of the Xperia P smartphone. The gold handset is the prize of Sony’s give-away competition in Nordic countries. Not sure if Sony will release this limited edition to general consumers.

In case you don’t remember, the Xperia P is a mid-range phone boosted by NOVATHOR U8500 1.5Ghz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It sports a 4.3-inch 960X540 Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA and WhiteMagic technology, and a 8 Megapixel camera with Exmor R mobile CMOS sensor, LED flash, Full HD video recording. There is also VGA front-facing camera.

Acer Introduces C7 Chromebook for $199 with Celeron Inside.

Acer Group this week introduced the world’s most affordable laptop, the C7 Chromebook. Unlike competing offerings, Acer’s Chromebook that runs Google Chrome operating system is based on Intel Corp.’s Celeron chip featuring Sandy Bridge micro-architecture. The product is designed as additional notebook for fast, easy and secure way to get online to do computing in the cloud, such as using Gmail, social networks, shopping, and paying bills.

Acer C7 Chromebook (C710-2847) is powered by Intel Celeron 847 processor (1.10GHz, 2MB L3 cache), 2GB of DDR3 memory and 320GB hard disk drive (+100GB cloud storage). The laptop features 11.6” LED-backlit LCD, 1.3MP webcam with LED indicator and microphone, three USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, SD/MMC card reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi controller and so on. Even though the Acer C7 Chromebook is supposed to be ultra-thin and light, it weighs 3.05 pounds (1.38 kg) and is about one inch thick (~2.5cm).

“The core of Google’s Chromebook vision is creating a better, more simple computing experience and making it available to everyone. We are excited about the Acer C7 Chromebook, the newest addition to the Chromebook family. The Acer C7 delivers a hassle-free computing experience with the speed, security and simplicity that users expect of Chromebooks built in,” said Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome and apps at Google.

Acer C7 it boots up in less than 18 seconds and resumes nearly instantly from sleep mode. The Acer C7 Chromebook also has automatically updated security features built in to defend against malware and viruses.

“Today’s computer users are doing more online heightening the need for enhanced security, quicker online access and an easy-to-use interface. The Acer C7 Chromebook provides all this at an affordable price, making it the right choice for families and students on a budget as well as anyone who wants a new or second mobile PC for web-based computing,” said Jim Wong, corporate president of Acer.

The Acer C710-2847 will be available starting this week on the Google Play store, at Best Buy stores and on BestBuy.com for customers in the United States for $199.

MSI GX60 Gaming Notebook packs AMD Trinity A10 amd Radeon HD7970M

Back in September, we told you about the MSI GX60, an upcoming 15.6-inch gaming notebook built around AMD’s quad-core A10 series APU and Radeon HD 7970M GPU. Although MSI had revealed pretty much everything worth revealing about the machine back then, it let the laptop’s price and release date remain a secret, leaving those interested in acquiring the GX60 on tenterhooks. The wait is now over as MSI has begun shipping the Trinity-powered laptop.

Claimed to be the “only high-end gaming laptop in the world to support three-monitor output” and touted as having “the best performance-to-cost ratio of any high-end gaming NB”, the GX60 starts at just $1,299.99.

“MSI spared no bells and whistles in creating the GX60, packing it with cutting-edge components including the latest AMD processor,” said Andy Tung, vice president of sales at MSI US, in a press release last week. “MSI is committed to the gaming community and we believe that exceptional performance leads to unparalleled gaming experience.”

The 8.6-lb GX60 1AC-021US sports a 15.6" Full HD anti-reflective display. Inside, you will find an AMD Trinity A10 quad-core processor (2.3 ~ 3.2 GHz), AMD Radeon HD 7970M GPU with GDDR5 2GB VRAM, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 750GB (7200 RPM) HDD, Blu-ray reader, SteelSeries keyboard, Killer E2200 LAN, 802.11b/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth 4.0, 720p camera, three USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, HDMI output, 2.1 speakers with THX TruStudio PRO sound, 5-in-1 memory card reader, and  a 9-cell battery. Lastly, the GX60 comes preloaded with Windows 8.

Casio Develops Pocket-Sized Transceiver for Scuba Diving

Yamagata Casio Co., Ltd., a manufacturing subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., announced on November 13 that it has applied technologies accumulated through the production of Casio products to develop an underwater transceiver that lets users enjoy spoken conversation when scuba diving. Casio will display a prototype of the new Logosease dive transceiver at the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association Show 2012 in Las Vegas, the U.S.A., from November 14.

The Logosease is a transceiver that allows users to have spoken conversations underwater, revolutionizing the diving experience by solving the problem of communication limited to written signs and basic hand signals. With the Logosease, which is small enough to fit into a pocket and attach to the strap of a diving mask, divers can converse normally with the scuba regulator in their mouths. Since a full-face mask or any other type of special equipment is unnecessary, the Logosease lets leisure divers converse with ease.

Main Features 

-- Wireless communications enabled by ultrasound and bone conduction technologies The Logosease employs an ultrasound range of 32 kilohertz to enable wireless communication between users within visual range underwater. Multiple divers can each wear a transceiver and enjoy conversing in a group. The microphone and speaker employ a bone conduction method, and the reception and transmission modes can be switched by lightly tapping the device once.

-- Built-in digital speech conversion technology The Logosease modulates garbled underwater speech and transmits it, making it easier to hear using digital speech conversion technology* jointly developed with Professor Tetsuo Kosaka of the Yamagata University Graduate School of Science and Engineering. This technology makes it easier to hear the voiced "n," "m," "b" and "p" consonants, which are difficult to pronounce when diving because the nose is blocked by the scuba mask and the air-supplying regulator is in the mouth.

-- Compact size with waterproof performance up to 180 feet Yamagata Casio has applied technologies accumulated through the production of Casio products to realize waterproof performance of up to 180 feet for this transceiver. This is more than sufficient for the basic performance needed for recreational diving, which is limited to a depth of 130 feet. Furthermore, the Logosease is compact and lightweight, measuring 3.50x1.61x1.76 inches and weighing 3.77 ounces, making it possible to attach to the strap of a diving mask.

* Underwater voiced speech varies depending on the person and/or surrounding conditions. Yamagata Casio does not guarantee that the Logosease will deliver audible and comprehensible underwater speech.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/12/4980851/casio-develops-pocket-sized-transceiver.html#storylink=cpy

iPad vs. Surface Video: Clever New Parody Shows Microsoft's First Tablet Crushing Apple's Fourth

The Surface tablet -- Microsoft's response to King of the Tablet Mountain Apple iPad -- has been released to the public, and despite mixed reviews, the Windows 8 slate appears to have won over its share of fans and fierce defenders.

Look no further than this video made by Cinesaurus (of really tall iPhone 5 fame) comparing the two tablets as proof. The video itself is a parody of Apple's iPad mini "Heart and Soul" advertisement, which shows an iPad and iPad mini duetting on the piano classic.

In the parody version, the iPad mini is replaced with a Microsoft Surface, and things get a bit messy when the Surface comes on screen to play the lyrical line.

You can watch the parody below:

The Microsoft Surface (1st generation) and Apple iPad (4th generation) are both on sale now, and both start at $499. No word yet on whether the Surface will destroy the iPad in terms of sales, though reviewers seem to prefer Apple's tablet thus far. 

Samsung is Suing Apple Over the iPhone 5

Samsung is suing Apple over claims that the iPhone 5 infringed on its patents.

The Korean electronics giant filed the lawsuit in a U.S. court Tuesday, Reuters reported.

“We have little choice but to take the steps necessary to protect our innovations and intellectual property rights,” Samsung said in a statement.

Last month, court documents filed by Samsung revealed plans to add the latest iPhone to its existing patent lawsuits against Apple.

“Samsung anticipates that it will file, in the near future, a motion to amend its infringement contentions to add the iPhone 5 as an accused product,” the company said at the time. “Based on information currently available, Samsung expects that the iPhone 5 will infringe the asserted Samsung patents-in-suit in the same way as the other accused iPhone models.”

The company previously warned in late August that it would sue Apple if the iPhone 5 was LTE-capable.
Samsung’s recent claims come after a U.S. court removed a temporary sales ban against its Galaxy Tab 10.1 on Monday, according to Reuters. Apple won the injunction in June after claiming the tablet infringes on an iPad-related patent.

“We are pleased with the court’s action today, which vindicates our position that there was no infringement of Apple’s design patent and that an injunction was not called for,” Samsung said in a statement.

Apple filed a motion last month that sought additional damages of $535 million, plus $172 million in supplemental damages, on top of its previous award — a total of $707 million. It also requested a court order for a permanent U.S. sales ban on Samsung products that allegedly violate its patents.

In August, Apple won more than $1 billion in damages after a highly-publicized court battle that found Samsung guilty of patent infringement.

What do you think of this latest development in the Apple vs. Samsung saga? Share your thoughts in the comments.