Eclectic Electronics

Sony Ericsson Idou 12 megapixel camera phone will officially be released as Satio
HDMI 1.4 specifications along with micro HDMI, announced by HDMI Licensing
Palm Pre reviewed by The Boy Genius Report

Sony Ericsson Idou 12 megapixel camera phone will officially be released as Satio

Posted: 31 May 2009 04:00 PM PDT

The Satio, formerly known as the Idou, has been formally announced by Sony Ericsson a couple of days ago. It is a high-end smartphone running on Symbian Foundation’s operating system. Pretty much everything has already been mentioned here, so I won’t be repeating myself. It is one of many phones that will be marketed under Sony Ericsson’s Entertainment Unlimited series.

The handset will be bundled with an 8GB microSDHC memory card, but this may vary depending on region. The Satio will come in three colors. Black, which looks sleek and classy as always. Silver, flashy yet still maintaining a certain level of prestige. Bordeaux, which is looking to be a female-targetted color.

Sony Ericsson Idou Satio is set for an October 2009 release.

[via SEMC Blog]

HDMI 1.4 specifications along with micro HDMI, announced by HDMI Licensing

Posted: 31 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT

A couple of weeks back, details regarding a new version of HDMI surfaced. A mini-sized HDMI cable has also been mentioned. On May 27th, HDMI Licensing officially announced the specifications for version 1.4 of the HDMI interface.

As far as I can tell, HDMI 1.4 cables look exactly the same as previous HDMI versions. This means that you have to look at the packaging carefully (and probably get one from a reputable brand), since that’s the only way you’ll be able to tell things apart.

HDMI 1.4 includes lots of new features including the following:

HDMI Ethernet Channel
Audio Return Channel
3D Over HDMI
4K x 2K Resolution Support
Expanded Support For Color Spaces
Micro HDMI Connector
Automotive Connection System

Another thing that’s quite surprising (or should I say confusing?) with this new version of HDMI, are the variants that will be available to the consumer:

Standard HDMI Cable – supports data rates up to 1080i/60;
High Speed HDMI Cable – supports data rates beyond 1080p, including Deep Color and all 3D formats of the new 1.4 specification;
Standard HDMI Cable with Ethernet – includes Ethernet connectivity;
High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet – includes Ethernet connectivity;
Automotive HDMI Cable – allows the connection of external HDMI-enabled devices to an in-vehicle HDMI device.

If ethernet is a new feature in HDMI 1.4, why not make it standard that all 1.4 cables allow ethernet connectivity?

For complete details regarding HDMI 1.4 specifications, head on over to the press release at the HDMI Licensing site.

Palm Pre reviewed by The Boy Genius Report

Posted: 31 May 2009 12:00 PM PDT

The BGR team has apparently gotten hold of an actual unit of the Palm Pre and are pretty much praising almost everything about it.

The OS is great. There's no ifs ands or buts; it's really refreshing to see something that's brand new with a UI unlike anything else out there. The only problem with this is, Palm's never been a hardware company that anyone's really cared about. They have been the furthest thing from innovative since circa-2003 — their hardware has always been second rate at best and it doesn't seem to be changing now. Couple that with the nation's underdog carrier at a $299 price-point (before rebate), and we're not sure how many people are going to be lined up overnight, yet we're pretty confident once people are able to play a real unit themselves, there will be more than a lot of happy Palm Pre customers.

The review commends everything from the webOS operating system, size, screen. But it has definitely been mentioned that they keyboard needs some work.

The keyboard slides out from underneath, the mechanism hasn’t been described in detail as of yet. If the slide mechanism is not spring loaded, in my experience, it will become loose when you continuously use the keyboard.

As for the feel, one person said that it feels like a Fisher Price toy. As far as I know, Fisher Price toys are built to last abuse and torture from the little ones. So, I’m not quite sure whether the guy meant that it was horrible in quality or it felt really really sturdy for a smartphone. But according to the one who reviewed the Palm Pre, he expected the device to be made of more premium materials. I actually find the piano black glossy finish to look a bit cheap, but hey, some people dig those fingerprint-magnet things.

[via The Boy Genius Report]