11 - 2012 | Lcolm Net

Samsung Galaxy Camera Announced

Technology

Samsung Electronics has announced the Galaxy Camera will be available across the UK from November 8th. Samsung brand store customers will get the opportunity to buy it earlier, from 5pm on November 7th. First seen in Berlin at IFA 2012 in August, the new connected camera combines high performance photography with the cutting-edge design of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone range.

Galaxy Camera

Simon Stanford, Vice President, Telecommunications & Networks Division, Samsung UK and Ireland said: “The initial response to the Galaxy Camera has been amazing and we are really looking forward to offering our customers a completely new type of digital photography device. The Galaxy Camera is a fantastic example of our continued passion for innovation and we are excited to be evolving our Galaxy range even further.”

The Samsung Galaxy Camera features a 21x optical zoom lens, the latest Android OS (4.1 Jelly Bean) and 3G connectivity so it’s possible to go online and share photos with friends and family anytime anywhere. Plus photographs and videos can be edited and shared easily and spontaneously wherever you are.

A 21x optical touch zoom lens and super-bright 16M BSI CMOS sensor means it’s possible to take high quality pictures with the Galaxy Camera and its ‘Smart Pro’ technology guarantees the end result is a professional-looking, stunning shot every time. The Galaxy Camera’s 16-Megapixel 1/2.3″ BSI CMOS sensor makes sure that every image is captured in brilliant colour and resolution, and even wide-angle shots are possible thanks to the 23mm aperture lens. With the world’s largest and most vivid camera display – a 121.2mm HD Super Clear Touch Display – photographs are always crystal clear.

The Galaxy Camera will be available exclusively at the Samsung Brand Store with champagne and canapés on offer from 5pm on November 7th and it will then hit a range of high street stores and online retailers including Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4u and Jessops on November 8th.

Skype launches prepaid cards in UK

News

Skype announced the availability of Skype Prepaid Cards, a new way for users in the UK to purchase Skype Credit and add premium features to the free software they already use. Skype is joined in this initiative by five of the UK’s leading high street names, with Asda, Currys, PC World, Sainsburys’ and WHSmith offering Skype Prepaid Cards in the gift card sections of their stores.

Now available at more than 1,400 stores throughout the UK, with more to follow, users are able to purchase Skype Credit at their preferred retail outlet to top up their Skype account online or to offer to friends and family as a gift. Skype Prepaid Cards will be available in £10 and £20 denominations and can be easily redeemed online at skype.com against Skype paid features – all designed to provide additional possibilities to share more with loved ones and to keep in touch easily.

Skype Prepaid Cards are the way to get access to a whole set of Skype paid features, such as:
· Making affordable calls to mobiles and landlines around the world
· Sending low cost text messages
· Holding video calls with multiple people
· Unlimited calls to a country of your choice
· Connection to over one million global WiFi hotspots

Katie Walley, Head of Cards and Lending at Asda Money, said: “At Asda we are committed to helping our customers save money every day. We see Skype as an ideal way to make communicating more affordable, and the Skype Prepaid Cards will be available in over 200 stores over the coming months.”

Shelly Roberts, Buyer at Sainsbury’s, said: “We’re always looking for ways to help our customers save money so it’s great news that our partnership with Skype means that these cards, which will be available in over 400 Sainsbury’s stores, will allow our customers to remain in contact with their friends and family cost effectively.”

This is a significant new direction in Skype’s retail strategy, according to Enrico Noseda, Head of Market Development for the EMEA region at Skype: “We see Skype Prepaid Cards as yet another option for users to get more out of the Skype experience, either as a way to add Skype Credit to their account or as a perfect gift for friends and family to allow them to keep in touch more easily. The Skype Credit can be used in whichever way and on whichever device best suits the user, making it as easy as possible to be together whenever we are apart.”

Redeeming Skype Prepaid Cards is easy, whether the recipient already has a Skype account or is a brand new user. After revealing the PIN under the scratch panel on the back of the card, this can then be entered via a password protected website for activation.

With calling rates to mobiles and landlines starting from 1.6p/minute (incl. VAT) Skype Credit makes for the perfect present for anyone who is planning international travel as well as for small and medium sized businesses. Skype PrePaid Cards are also redeemable against different Skype subscription calling packages, including:
• Unlimited Europe landlines – £4.99/month (£5.74 including VAT)
• Unlimited World – £8.49/month (£9.76 including VAT)
• Unlimited World including China – £13.49/month (£15.51 including VAT)

To find out more about Skype Prepaid Cards and links to store locations, go to the Skype Prepaid Cards’ page at http://www.skype.com/go/prepaidcardUK for more details.

NASA releases ISS web app

Technology

On the 12th anniversary of crews continuously living and working aboard the International Space Station, NASA announced Friday a new service to help people see the orbiting laboratory when it passes overhead. “Spot the Station” will send an email or text message to those who sign up for the service a few hours before they will be able to see the space station.

“It’s really remarkable to see the space station fly overhead and to realize humans built an orbital complex that can be spotted from Earth by almost anyone looking up at just the right moment,” said William Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for human exploration and operations. “We’re accomplishing science on the space station that is helping to improve life on Earth and paving the way for future exploration of deep space.”

When the space station is visible — typically at dawn and dusk — it is the brightest object in the night sky, other than the moon. On a clear night, the station is visible as a fast moving point of light, similar in size and brightness to the planet Venus. “Spot the Station” users will have the options to receive alerts about morning, evening or both types of sightings.

The International Space Station’s trajectory passes over more than 90 percent of Earth’s population. The service is designed to only notify users of passes that are high enough in the sky to be easily visible over trees, buildings and other objects on the horizon. NASA’s Johnson Space Center calculates the sighting information several times a week for more than 4,600 locations worldwide, all of which are available on “Spot the Station.”

Nov. 2 marks 12 years of continuous human habitation of the space station.

To sign up for “Spot the Station,” visit: http://spotthestation.nasa.gov