PANASONIC LAUNCHES BRAND-NEW Lumix FS20 and Lumix FS5 SERIES

New LUMIX DMC-FS20 and DMC-FS5 Feature Intelligent Auto Technologies, 10.1-Megapixels, and 30mm Wide-Angle, 4x Optical Zoom Leica DC Lens Panasonic just announced the launch of the new LUMIX FS-Series of digital cameras, debuting a pair of 10.1-megapixel models, the DMC-FS20 and DMC-FS5, both which feature 30mm wide-angle Leica DC lens with 4x optical zoom. The FS models, a stylish sister-line of the highly-acclaimed LUMIX FX-Series, combines easy operation with a slim and sleek look, enabling both beginner and advanced users to take beautiful digital photos with a model they can slip in their pocket. Both cameras also have Intelligent Auto Mode, an advanced intuitive system of technologies that help users take better photos more easily.  “Panasonic added the FS-Series to our LUMIX line of digital cameras to address the needs of consumers who want a point-and-shoot camera that is not only affordable, intuitive and easy-to-use, but also stylish and small enough that they slip it in their pocket or into a small purse,” said Alex Fried, National Marketing Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “The FS-line packages Leica lenses, Intelligent Auto Mode, powerful image processing and superior memory power in a small, sleek design. We want our LUMIX digital cameras to have features that enable great digital photos regardless of the level of the photographer.”  The FS20 and FS5 feature Intelligent Auto Mode, comprised of five functions: Mega O.I.S., Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection and Quick AF (auto focus).  ·         MEGA O.I.S. – Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image.·         Intelligent ISO – With Intelligent ISO, the FS20 and FS5 can determine if the photo subject is moving and change the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly, thus giving a blur-free photo.  ·         Intelligent Scene Selector – Intelligent Scene Selector senses the ambient conditions, recognizes the shooting environment and will automatically select the appropriate scene mode from: Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode.  This intuitive technology, helps the consumer use the most common scene modes that are built into the camera, but often go unused, without making any manual adjustments.·         Face Detection – Panasonic’s Face Detection detects faces anywhere in the frame and automatically chooses the optimal focus and exposure settings so portraits come out clear and crisp.  Detecting up to 15 faces, Panasonic’s Face Detection can even track a face if the subject is moving.  ·         Quick AF – The Quick AF (auto focus) system starts focus on the subject by just pointing the camera to the subject, thus minimizing the AF time. In addition to powerful the Intelligent Auto Mode, the fourth generation high-performance image-processing Venus Engine IV LSI helps produce higher-quality pictures with an advanced signal processing system. It adds a new high-performance noise reduction system that helps reproduce even the most delicate parts of images naturally and without color bleeding. The Venus Engine IV reduces shutter release time lag while still enabling high-resolution picture taking, making it easier to capture spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities.  Other features of the DMC-FS20 and the DMC-FS5 include approximately 50 MB of internal memory and a 3.0-inch LCD for the FS20 and a 2.5-inch LCD for the FS5 – perfect for easy-to-see viewing of images.  Furthermore, these models feature Intelligent LCD, which detects the lighting condition and controls the brightness level of the LCD to offer optimal clarity in any situation, whether dark or light; indoors or outdoors.   The LUMIX DMC-FS20, with a manufacturer’s retail price (MSRP) of: $299.95 will be available in pink, black and silver models, and the DMC-FS5 (MSRP: $249.95) will be available in red, black and silver models.   Both will be available in February 2008.

Apple is shipping MacBook Air now.

Apple today announced that MacBook Air, the world’s thinnest notebook, is now shipping. MacBook Air measures an unprecedented 0.16-inches at its thinnest point, while its maximum height of 0.76-inches is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks. Apple also announced that the new Apple TV software update, which allows users to rent high definition movies directly from their widescreen TVs, is not quite finished. Apple now plans to make the free software download available to existing Apple TV customers in another week or two.

MacBook Air has a stunning 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, a full-size and backlit keyboard, a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing, and a spacious trackpad with multi-touch gesture support so users can pinch, rotate and swipe. MacBook Air is powered by a 1.6 GHz or 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache, and includes as standard features 2GB of memory, an 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive, and the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and Bluetooth 2.1.

Apple TV’s software update will allow movie fans to rent movies on the iTunes Store directly from their widescreen TV. With iTunes Movie Rentals and Apple TV, users can just click a button on their remote to effortlessly rent movies from a catalog of over 1,000 titles by the end of February, including over 100 titles in stunning high definition video with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, with no computer required. DVD-quality iTunes Movie Rentals are $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases, and high definition versions are just one dollar more with library titles at $3.99 and new releases at $4.99. Purchases downloaded to Apple TV are automatically synced back to iTunes on the user’s computer for enjoyment on their computer, all current generation iPods* or iPhone™. Apple TV easily connects to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports.

Pricing & Availability
The new MacBook Air is now shipping and will be available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), and includes:

• 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with 1280×800 resolution;
• 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache;
• 800 MHz front-side bus;
• 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM;
• 80GB hard disk drive with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
• Micro-DVI port (includes Micro-DVI to VGA and Micro-DVI to DVI Adapters);
• built-in iSight video camera;
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• one USB 2.0 port;
• one headphone port;
• multi-touch TrackPad with support for advanced multi-touch gestures including tap, scroll, pinch, rotate and swipe; and
• 45 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options and accessories for MacBook Air include the ability to upgrade to a 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor; 64GB solid state drive, MacBook Air SuperDrive, Apple USB Ethernet Adapter, Apple USB Modem, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter, Apple Remote and the AppleCare Protection Plan. Additional build-to-order options also include pre-installed copies of iWork™ ‘08, Logic Express 8, Final Cut Express 4 and Aperture 1.5.

The new Apple TV software will be available as a free automatic download to all Apple TV customers within two weeks. Apple TV, which includes the Apple Remote, is available from the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $229 (US) for the 40GB model and $329 (US) for the 160GB model (US and Canada). Apple TV requires an 802.11g/n wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet networking, a broadband Internet connection and a high definition widescreen TV. iPod games will not play on Apple TV. iTunes Movie Rentals are available in the US only.

Microsoft reaches 100 million Windows Vista licenses after one year

Since the worldwide release of Windows Vista one year ago today, people are doing more and getting more out of their Windows experience. From pictures and videos, to games and family safety settings, users are finding out that they can do more with Windows Vista. We just wonder how many of the sold licenses are actually installed and running on computers! See you at the 200 mill. mark.

Dell Focuses on Direct and Retail Business, Closes Kiosks in U.S.

As Dell’s Global Consumer business continues to evolve, the company today announced that it will close its 140 kiosks in the United States.

The Dell Direct Store model, which began in 2002, enabled customers to touch and feel Dell products before purchasing systems direct from the company. In the past six months the company has adopted a retail strategy that enables Dell to connect with customers it has not necessarily reached in the past. Dell is applying the advantages of its direct business model into retail where customers can purchase laptop and desktop computers in more than 10,000 retail outlets worldwide.

“Moving into retail is a prime example of Dell listening to its customers,” said Tony Weiss, vice president for Dell’s Global Consumer business. “Ever since we began our journey into retail, we wanted to give customers the opportunity to call, click, or visit Dell and have access to our award-winning products. This move fits in with how our broad global retail strategy is evolving.”

In addition to its global retail business, Dell is committed to its direct business, where a majority of customers choose to shop on the phone and via the Internet to buy laptops, desktops and associated products. The kiosks outside the U.S. are not affected with the changes the company is making today.

New desktops from Gateway comes with both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD

With the introduction of two new powerful desktop PCs available at retail partners nationwide, Gateway makes it easier than ever to afford and enjoy quad-core fueled gaming, entertainment and productivity based tasks.

Both the new Gateway GM5664 and Gateway GT5662 bring the AMD Phenom™ Processor and DirectX 10 Technology to the GM and GT Series of desktops, turning up the performance and entertainment capabilities of each line. In addition, Gateway is introducing a new Hybrid-SuperMulti drive on the GM5664, enabling customers to watch both Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs.

“Gateway’s new retail line up marries high-performance with affordability,” said Glenn Jystad, Gateway’s senior manager of consumer desktops. “These new systems offer just about everything one could ask for in a powerful PC, delivering a great combination of features that are sure to please.”

The AMD Phenom Processor features extreme quad-core power for dominating the latest games, blazing through processor-intensive programs and delivering unparalleled AMD system performance, while 3GB memory delivers fast system response for effortless multitasking.

The overall system performance of both new PCs is enhanced with the addition of DirectX 10 support with ATI Radeon HD 2400XT graphics featuring 256MB video memory and HDMI output. Even the most advanced gamers and digital enthusiasts will be amazed by the next-generation of graphics performance with DirectX 10 technology. Rendering hyper-detail, shadows, texture and film-quality images, it brings a new level of realism to the most advanced games and digital video, with more detail per frame than ever before.

		GM5664 Specifications		GT5662 Specifications
Processor		AMD Phenom™ 9600 Processor (AMD LIVE!™)		AMD Phenom™ 9500 Processor (AMD LIVE!™)
System Bus		Operates at 2.3GHz | 2MB L3 cache | 3600MHz system bus		Operates at 2.2GHz | 2MB L3 cache | 3600MHz system bus
Chipset		NVIDIA® GeForce® 6150 SE chipset		NVIDIA® GeForce® 6150 SE chipset
Graphics		ATI Radeon™ HD 2400XT		ATI Radeon™ HD 2400XT
Memory		3072MB DDR2 memory, dual channel		3072MB DDR2 memory, dual channel
Hard Drive(2)		1TB (2 x 500GB) SATA II (7200RPM, 16MB cache)		500GB SATA II (7200RPM, 8MB cache)
Additional Drive Bay		Gateway Portable Media Drive Bay		Gateway Portable Media Drive Bay
Optical Drive		Hybrid Blu-Ray / HD DVD player and SuperMulti format DVD-RW DL drive		18x DVD±R/RW SuperMulti drive featuring Labelflash™ technology
Media Reader		High-performance 15-in-1 digital media card reader with Smart Copy button and integrated IR receiver		High-performance 15-in-1 digital media card reader
TV Tuner		Analog/digital TV tuner w/ 3-D comb		Not included
Expansion slots		6 - USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 4 rear)		6 - USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 4 rear)
Audio		8-channel (7.1) high-definition audio		8-channel (7.1) high-definition audio
Speakers		Amplified stereo speakers (USB powered)		Amplified stereo speakers (USB powered)
Keyboard		Windows Elite multimedia keyboard		Windows Elite multimedia keyboard
Mouse		Windows USB optical 2-button wheel mouse		Windows USB optical 2-button wheel mouse
Operating System		Windows Vista® Home Premium		Windows Vista® Home Premium

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