Review: Sony Vaio P-Series

Source: Ian William (V3.Co.UK)



The Sony Vaio P-Series proves that dynamite really does come in small packages

Sony has a habit of differentiating itself from the competition by creating unique devices, and the Vaio P-Series is no exception. Unveiled in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the tiny but fully functional device sits somewhere between a netbook and an ultra-portable laptop.

Measuring just 245mm wide, 120mm deep and 20mm high, the P-Series can just about fit into a back pocket, and will happily live inside a handbag, briefcase or small backpack. Even the power adaptor is not much bigger than a couple of matchboxes stacked together. It also weighs next to nothing, coming in at under 700g including the power adaptor and the LAN/VGA block.

Its tiny stature means that some functionality is limited, and it's supported by a connector port for attaching peripherals such as an optical drive. Because of the lack of space along the chassis, a LAN port and VGA port are set into a separate block that connects this way as well when required.

The P-Series includes just two USB ports, one on each side, and the right slot is positioned very close to the connector port which can make plugging and unplugging devices a little tricky. On the left is a power socket and a speaker jack. There is no microphone jack, but there is a built-in microphone and a USB microphone can be added if needed. The front houses the power slider, wireless switch, and SD and Sony Memory Stick Duo slots.



Display
Sony has made sure that its leadership in display technology has been put to good use in the P-Series. Although the 8in screen is smaller than on most netbooks, the picture is crystal clear and packs in a resolution of 1,600 x 768. The downside is that this makes for a rather odd aspect ratio, and the icons are tiny. Even with perfect eyesight, you'll find yourself straining and turning the font size up a few notches when working on documents.

Communication
What the P-Series lacks in slots and sockets it makes up for in wireless connectivity, packing in the usual Wi-Fi and Bluetooth along with GPS and a 3G modem, so getting online should never be a problem. The SIM card slot lives behind the battery, which can be slightly annoying if you're using the same SIM card for different things and need to swap it out regularly.




Keyboard
As with most of Sony's Vaio laptops, the isolated keyboard is a pleasure to use. The keys are a decent size, nicely spaced and have a good tactile feel so typing at full speed is not a problem. It's a bit tricky, but you can even hold the device in your hands and type with your thumbs if you're stuck on a crowded train and need to get that all important email sent off or check directions to the meeting.

The full-sized keyboard means that there is no space left for a touchpad, so Sony has opted for a small 'joystick' nub nestled in the centre of the keyboard to handle controlling the pointer, with mouse buttons along the base. The little nub works quite nicely but can take some getting used to if you've never encountered one before. When combined with the high screen resolution, navigating can sometimes be tricky, so you'll probably want to invest in a small USB mouse if you do a lot of pointing and clicking.

Under the hood
The P-Series offers a generous 2GB of DDR2 memory, shared with the Intel graphics card, and either a 1.33GHz or 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor. Storage ranges from a traditional 60GB hard drive to a 128GB solid state drive, depending on which model you go for.

If you want to make video calls, the P-Series includes a pretty reasonable 0.3-megapixel webcam, although it is rather oddly placed to the right of the screen and not angled slightly inwards, so during calls you have to place yourself slightly off to the right of the device if you want to be in the centre of the picture. Not only does this mean you're constantly looking off to the left to see the person you're talking to, but it can be uncomfortable if you're trying to type or navigate at the same time.

AdvertisementThe built-in microphone is perfectly good for most requirements, and the speakers are clear and should manage basics like video calling.

Operating systems
Unfortunately, the P-Series runs Windows Vista by default which, considering the netbook level specs, makes it annoyingly slow sometimes. Also, as useful as some of Sony's pre-installed applications are, such as the smart network and power manager, these do add extra bloat which slows the machine down even further. Performance should be improved by upgrading to Windows 7, and Sony is already promising free upgrades to the upcoming operating system with new purchases directly from its online store.

For those desperate to avoid Vista, the P-Series can also quick boot into a slimmed down operating system based on Sony's cross media bar (XMB) interface. Anyone who has used a PlayStation Portable or a PlayStation 3 will be familiar with this. The interface is up and running in just under 20 seconds (compared to the 90 seconds or so it takes to boot into Vista) and gives access to photos, music and movies, as well as a Firefox-based web browser, Skype and Pidgin, a multi-platform instant messenger application. The XMB doesn't support the 3G modem so, if you want an internet connection, it will have to be through Wi-Fi or a wired LAN connection.

Battery
To keep the device as light as possible the P-Series ships with a small two-cell battery which lasts for a rather disappointing two or three hours, depending on how hard the machine is working. There is a larger four-cell battery available for some models in the P-Series which lasts twice as long, but it's double the thickness, alters the profile of the unit and adds around 120 grams to the weight.



Prices
Sony is not known for being cheap, generally opting for quality over price, but even with this in mind the price tag may come as something of a shock. The P-Series starts at £750 for the entry level model, and tops out at a whopping £1,370, over four times the price of a similarly specced (but much bigger and heavier) netbook from just about any of the competition.

There is no doubt that the Vaio P-Series is an impressive technical achievement and its portability is a major plus, but the display's super high resolution actually works against it because everything on the screen is so tiny that navigating through the operating system can be difficult.

Although it's got enough power for most day-to-day business applications, at this price most people are going to expect a lot more from something like the P-Series, so unless minimal size and weight is an absolute necessity, you'd probably be better off splashing out the extra for a TT-Series, or saving some cash and waiting a bit for the recently announced W-Series instead.

$2,000,000 Ultimate Speaker Set is Bigger Than Its Price Tag

Source: Rosa Golijan (Gizmodo)





$1,000,000 gets you: a complete original Transformers boxed collection, a speedy car or...one. single. speaker. At a mil per channel, these speakers are almost as big as Transformers, but I'd still rather have Soundwave in my living room.

Made by Transmission Audio, this handmade speaker system has 12 separate, open-baffle dipole panels, each nearly seven feet high. Those panels are arranged to create a 37 foot wide speaker wall, and combined they weigh just a little over four tons. So, all you really need to enjoy the best sound possible is deep pockets, high ceilings, and one very reinforced floor

Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 Packs Sony G Lens, Low-Light Extras

Source: Danny Allen (Gizmodo)

The $350 WX1 features the same Sony G Lens, low-light optimized Exmor R CMOS sensor, and Sweep Panaroma mode as Sony's $500 DSC-XH1 mega zoom.

The optically stabilized Sony G Lens (in this case, with 5x optical zoom) has only otherwise been seen in digital SLRs and high-end camcorders. But the 10.2-megapixel WX1 has some new tricks, too.

A new Twilight mode automatically combines shots at various exposures to produce more dynamic low-low photos. The WX1's Twilight mode and an Exmor R CMOS sensor can also be found on the sexy new Cyber-shot DSC-TX1.

The WX1 has a 2.7-inch LCD and can record video at 720p HD (MPEG-4 @ 30fps). It'll only come in black when it ships in October.

SONY DEBUTS WORLD'S FIRST DIGITAL STILL CAMERAS WITH
BACK-ILLUMINATED "EXMOR R" CMOS SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

New Cyber-shot® Cameras Excel in Low-Light Performance

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 5, 2009 – Sony today announced two new Cyber-shot® cameras (DSC-TX1 and DSC-WX1 models) that provide unprecedented advances in low-light performance with approximately twice the sensitivity of cameras with traditional image sensors.

These Cyber-shot cameras are the first to employ Sony's new "Exmor R" back illuminated CMOS sensor technology to improve shooting in low-light scenarios, enhancing image clarity and drastically reducing grain.

"With these new "Exmor R" CMOS sensor cameras, Sony has vastly improved the customer experience for taking pictures with digital still cameras in low-light scenarios," said Phil Lubell, director of the digital imaging business at Sony Electronics. "We've all taken pictures in dimly lit situations, like blowing out candles on a birthday cake, and the results were grainy and unclear. By redesigning the way these cameras capture light, Sony is leading the industry by creating this easy way to take amazingly clear, vibrant photos in low lighting scenarios."

"Exmor R" Sensor Optimizes Low-Light Performance
Conventional image sensor architecture has required wires and other circuit elements to be positioned above the light sensitive photo-diodes, limiting the imager's light gathering capability. Positioning these elements behind the photo-diodes, Sony's "Exmor R" image sensors can gather more light, resulting in approximately twice the sensitivity compared to conventional sensors.

To further extend low-light shooting performance, the TX1 and WX1 cameras incorporate the hand-held twilight and anti-motion blur multi-shot modes introduced in Sony's breakthrough Cyber-shot DSC-HX1. Using "Exmor R" CMOS sensor's high speed, these modes capture six separate images in less than a second and utilize Sony's BIONZ™ processor to combine the shots into a single image of extraordinary detail and low noise.
Combining the "Exmor R" technology with hand-held twilight and anti-motion blur modes delivers a breakthrough in low-light photography. Users can now capture images of stunning detail and low noise in scenes with no more than candlelight-without flash or the need of a tripod.

Innovative Sweep Panorama™ and High-Speed Shooting
In addition to their breakthrough low light performance, these new cameras also include Sony's Sweep Panorama and 10 frames per second burst shooting features, which were introduced with the Sony® DSC-HX1 camera. The TX1 and WX1 cameras offer these features in smaller, more compact bodies that match nearly any unique style.
Capturing wide landscapes is as easy as "press and sweep." Sweep Panorama mode lets you reach beyond the traditional wide-angle lens and capture breathtaking shots. Using the high-speed "Exmor R" CMOS sensor, the cameras shoot continuously while you sweep across the scene. Using the BIONZ imaging processor, they automatically stitch the pictures together to create one stunning panoramic photo.

The TX1 and WX1 Cyber-shot models can take up to 185 and 256-degree panorama shots respectively in one easy press-and-sweep motion with an image size of 7152 x 1080 (ultra wide horizontal).

Advanced Technology and Compact Design
While the HX1 camera is a well-rounded solution for customers who are looking for high-zoom and speed in a smaller size than a DSLR, the TX1 and WX1 cameras are made for an audience that wants advanced technology in an even more compact design.

With its slim profile of just 16.5mm, the 10.2 mega-pixel TX1 offers streamlined, distinguished curves for a sophisticated look appealing to the fashion-oriented who are also looking for great performance. This model features a new operation on the touch panel that lets you scroll through images with an effortless "flick" of your finger and directly access menus on the 3-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus™ display.

With a Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® lens, the TX1 camera lets you focus as little as 0.4 inches from your subject for extraordinary close-up shots. The 4x telescopic zoom is perfect for capturing far-away subjects, and Sony's Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization helps overcome camera shake.

The 10.2 mega-pixel WX1 camera has a 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus display and is just over three quarters of an inch thin-an ideal choice for DSLR owners who also want to carry a compact, high performance digital still camera. The WX1 camera features a Sony G lens with an extraordinary wide angle 24-120mm 5x optical zoom. This lens' f/2.4 maximum aperture offers nearly twice the light gathering capability of conventional lenses, and works together with the "Exmor R" imager and low-light shooting modes to provide low-light photography beyond the abilities of other compact cameras.

Tech Savvy Cameras
These cameras include the most recent Sony technology, including, Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode which, recognizes scenes, lighting conditions and faces, and adjusts settings resulting in clearer images, faces with more natural skin tone and less blur; Face Detection that detects up to eight faces and optimizes focus, flash, exposure and white balance and intelligent Scene (iSCN) that delivers nine Scene Selection modes to quickly adjust for specific shooting conditions.
Pet mode is a new Sony feature that minimizes blur when shooting moving pets. This new mode also reduces glowing pet red-eye.

Additionally, the cameras have technologies Sony Cyber-shot customers have come to expect. These include Smile Shutter™ technology that automatically captures a smile, dynamic range optimization (DRO) that improves exposure and contrast, intelligent Auto Focus that captures fleeting moments and HD video capability that records HD movies in 720p high definition MPEG4 format.

With HD video capability, these cameras record HD movies in 720p high definition MPEG4 format for stunning large-screen home movie playback. You can record up to 29 minutes (or up to 2GB file size) in 720p format.
Pricing and Availability

The TX1 camera will be available in silver, gray, pink and blue this September for about $380. The WX1 camera will be available in black this October for about $350. Pre-sales will start in August. The cameras and a range of accessories will be available online at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail), at military base exchanges and at authorized dealers nationwide.

SKYPE

Source: Huei (LOWYAT.NET)

If you’re running and trying to find your way around the law, you might bump into eBay on your way as they too are trying to find their way around their agreement with Joltid, founder of Skype and licensor of the peer-to-peer technology behind Skype to eBay. According to source, a legal dispute arouse between Skype and Joltid regarding the licensing terms earlier this year, and Joltid counter sued Skype saying that they illegally altered certain source code thus Joltid would like to terminate the agreement. While Skype’s future may be jeopardized as a result, the latest update from Skype says that they are hoping to develop an alternative technology to the one licensed through Joltid. Although the middle of 2010 may seem like a long time more to go, 10 months is certainly not enough to develop a new and reliable software to keep Skype going. It would be a shame to see such technology go to waste.

Review: Altec Lansing Expressionist PLUS FX3021

Source: Chapree (Lowyat.net)

The world famous Altec Lansing needs no introduction. Being a company with long history, majority of us had probably comes across their products at least once in our lifetime.

After being acquired by Plantronics in 2005, Altec Lansing undertook a huge corporate makeover. As a result, the company adapted a new logo and released a number of newly designed speakers to highlight their new image. One of the said speakers lineup is called the Expressionist.

The Altec Lansing Expressionist PLUS FX3021 is the latest model in the series, which includes the Expressionist BASS FX3022 that we reviewed earlier and a more back to basics, Classic FX2020. Check out how the new model performs, after the jump.


The FX3021 comes with 2 satellite speakers and 1 subwoofer, making it a traditional 2.1 configuration. Both the speakers and subwoofer are triangular shaped, similar to UFOs. The satellite speakers are mounted on a movable frame that acts as their base, together with three movable rubber feet. Five permanent rubber feet are also spotted underneath the subwoofer

Subwoofer control is located on top of the subwoofer and also acts as the power button. The volume controls and power indicator are conveniently placed on top of the right satellite speakers. No actual treble control is available though.


FEATURES

According to Altec Lansing, inside each satellite speakers is a 2" 4 Watts full-range drivers while the subwoofer contains a 5.25" 28 Watts woofer which altogether has total continuous power of 33 Watts RMS. Altec also incorporated down-firing, long-throw design as FX3021's subwoofer projection path.

Apart from the normal stereo input port, the FX3021 has one extra auxiliary input port. Both of these ports are located at the back of the subwoofer, together with satellite speaker and power adaptor port.

SOUND TEST

To test the FX3021, we plugged it to our AMD test rig that we used to review a graphic card previously. The machine is equipped with Realtek ALC889A audio codec that is built into the rig's Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H motherboard. We believe that this setup should be able to represent common application of the speaker as majority of PCs these days’ runs on built-in sound processors.

As for external media player, we use first generation Apple iPod Touch with EQ set to "OFF" and without any external audio amplifier application. We also flatten out our EQ settings on our software players which are Windows Media Player 11 and foobar2000. We also maxed out the volume level on our test rig, iPod and software players.


We run through the speaker with a lot of audio tracks across several genres from classical to electronica. Some of these tracks are in MP3 format while some are played from audio CDs. We also didn't forget to run couple of games and movie DVDs since both of them are also typical usage of a speaker.

Overall, the output from FX3021 is pretty balanced. Even with the subwoofer maxed out, the treble output is generally quite level with the bass output from the woofer. Not only that, the subwoofer is quite powerful and able to shake our table with its thumping bass output when the volume level is loud enough. That being said, we found out that we need to increase the volume a little bit higher when it comes to treble-heavy audio tracks such as classical, jazz and acoustic tracks regardless whether the tracks are being played from PC, MP3 player or CD.

Traditionally, a subwoofer is placed on the floor but we found out that FX3021's subwoofer performance is not as good as when it is placed on desktop. Hence, the "Desktop Subwoofer" label on its retail box. Potential owners of this speaker might want to consider clearing some space on their desktop for the subwoofer then.



CONCLUSION

In terms of looks, the FX3021 have a very huge aesthetic value due to its unique design. Not only it is stylish but it functions very well as a compact and powerful 2.1 sound system. But then, for it to perform optimally, the speakers need to be placed on the desktop itself.

Did we mention that FX3021 is priced just under RM 400?

Pro:
Affordable price, bass/subwoofer control knob, overall sound output is very powerful, adjustable speaker angle, dual input port, sleek and stylish design.

Cons:
No treble control, no headphone output, need to crank higher for classical music, subwoofer less performing when placed on the floor hence need some space on desktop.

Hackers expose weakness in visiting trusted sites

Source: The Star Online

LAS VEGAS (AP): A powerful new type of Internet attack works like a telephone tap, but it operates between computers and Web sites they trust.
Hackers at the Black Hat and DefCon security conferences have revealed a serious flaw in the way Web browsers weed out untrustworthy sites and block anybody from seeing them. If a criminal infiltrates a network, he can set up a secret eavesdropping post and capture credit card numbers, passwords and other sensitive data flowing between computers on that network and sites their browsers have deemed safe.

In an even more nefarious plot, an attacker could hijack the auto-update feature on a victim's computer, and trick it into automatically installing malware pulled in from a hacker's Web site. The computer would think it's an update coming from the software manufacturer.
The attack was demonstrated by three hackers. Independent security researcher Moxie Marlinspike presented alone, while Dan Kaminsky, with Seattle-based security consultancy IOActive Inc., and security and privacy researcher Len Sassaman presented together.

They reached essentially the same conclusion: There are major problems in the way browsers interact with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, which is a common technology used on banking, e-commerce and other sites handling sensitive data.

Browser makers and the companies that sell SSL certificates are working on a fix.
Microsoft Corp., whose Internet Explorer browser is the world's most popular, said it was investigating the issue. Mozilla Corp., which makes the No. 2 Firefox browser, said most of the problems being addressed were fixed in the latest version of its browser, and that the rest will be fixed in an update coming this week.

VeriSign Inc., one of the biggest SSL certificate companies, maintains that its certificates aren't vulnerable.

Tim Callan, a product marketing executive in VeriSign's SSL business unit, added that the "tap" won't work against so-called Extended Validation SSL certificates, which cost more and involve a deeper inspection of a company's application for a certificate.

The attack falls into a class of hacks known as "man-in-the-middle," in which a criminal plants himself between a victim's computer and a legitimate Web site and steals data as it moves back and forth.

Jeff Moss, founder of the Black Hat and Defcon conferences who this summer was appointed to the Homeland Security Department's advisory council, said the fact a hacker has to actually break into a victim's network for the attack to work can limit its usefulness.

"That's the nice mitigating thing," he said. But he warned that "for targeted attacks it's absolutely deadly. This is the way you can get everything. If you can get in the middle, you can get everything. It's a big, giant wake-up call for the industry."

SSL certificates are a critical technology in assigning trust on the Web.
Sites buy them to encrypt traffic and assure visitors it's OK to enter confidential information. Companies that sell SSL certificates verify that someone trying to buy a certificate actually owns the site that certificate will be attached to.
The presence of an SSL certificate on a site is designated by a padlock in the address bar. But many people don't pay attention to whether a padlock is present or not.

Browsers do care, though, which is why this week's talks were significant.
Browsers are programmed to block sites that don't have a valid SSL certificate, or have a certificate displaying a Web address that doesn't match the address a Web surfer was trying to reach (which can indicate someone has hijacked a person's Internet session).

If the sites aren't blocked, users are warned about potential danger, and have the option to click through.
The problems outlined by researchers center on a quirk in the way browsers read SSL certificates.

Many SSL certificate companies will allow people to attach a programming symbol called a "null character" into the Web address onto the certificates they receive.

Web browsers generally ignore that symbol. They stop reading at that symbol when they're checking the Web address on a certificate.
The trick in the latest type of attack is that all a criminal would need to do is put the name of a legitimate Web site before that character, and the browser will believe that the site it's visiting - which is under the criminal's control - is legitimate.

The criminal could then forward the traffic onto the legitimate site and spy on everything the victim does on that site.
It's a complicated attack, but it highlights a significant weakness in the very technology widely used to assure people it's safe to navigate sensitive sites.
Jon Miller, an SSL expert and director of Accuvant Labs, said he expects significant attacks against corporations using this technique in the coming months. Criminals who run "phishing" scams, in which people are tricked into visiting phony sites, will also likely latch on.

"What kind of makes this earth-shattering is these aren't the most sophisticated attacks in the world," he said. "This is going to become a huge problem."
There are signs it's already starting. VeriSign's Callan said within hours of the talks, his company got a number of applications for SSL certificates featuring null characters, but they were denied.

Manually-Powered Wind-up Light Is Perfect For Bed Time

Source: Jason Chen (Gizmodo)
















This wind-up light is like a kitchen timer, except it counts down the minutes to when you're not going to be able to see anything. It's great for bedtime reading, either turning itself off after you fell asleep, or before, to indicate that you should go to sleep.