Yearly Archives: 2012

Garmin International Inc., announced f?nix, its first GPS wrist watch for outdoorsmen, such as mountaineers, hikers, cyclists, hunters and backpackers. f?nix provides comprehensive navigation and tracking functionalities as well as trip information to guide adventurers during their challenging activities off the beaten track. Its built-in sensors provide information on heading, elevation and weather changes. Utilizing Garmin’s leading GPS technology, f?nix can guide adventurers off the trail and back to the safety of a vehicle, trailhead or campsite. Sporting a classic round watch design in a high-strength housing with a scratch-resisting display, it is built to endure the toughest outdoor conditions and also makes a stylish day-to-day timepiece.

“f?nix packs Garmin’s leading and trusted outdoor technology into a robust, wrist-worn GPS watch that outdoorsmen can rely on,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Being able to go hands free while still having access to Garmin’s precise and accurate information on weather, elevation and position provides adventurers the confidence and peace of mind to take their outdoor activities even further off-trail.”

Plan, Navigate and Track

f?nix includes a comprehensive navigational toolset that allows users to plan trips and create routes, record waypoints, such as campsites or points of interest, and record GPS bread crumb trails on the move (tracklogs). Adventurers can navigate to coordinates, along a track or route, towards waypoints, geocaches or along any other selected bearing. A navigation arrow provides clear directional guidance and the TracBack® function can guide one back along a previously recorded tracklog. This provides adventurers peace of mind knowing they’re never “lost” and can easily find their way back in case of an emergency or bad weather conditions. Also included is a worldwide basemap displaying cities nearby. Using the BaseCampTM desktop application, f?nix users will be able to easily plan trips and share their adventures with friends and family. f?nix is equipped with both ANT capabilities and Bluetooth® to wirelessly share tracks, waypoints, routes and geocaches with other compatible Garmin devices. A Basecamp mobile app allows users to transfer waypoints and tracklogs to view them on a more detailed map and larger screen of select smartphones.

Altimeter, Barometer and Compass

f?nix is equipped with ABC sensors (altimeter, barometer and compass) to provide explorers relevant real-time information. The built-in altimeter provides elevation data to accurately monitor ascent and descent, the barometer can be used to predict weather changes by showing short-term trends in air pressure and a 3-axis electronic compass keeps the user’s bearing whether he’s moving or not. Utilizing its GPS receiver, f?nix can auto-calibrate its ABC sensors and also auto sets the time based on location. For an extremely accurate temperature reading, f?nix can be paired with tempeTM, Garmin’s new external temperature sensor.

Measure Performance

Similar to Garmin’s running watches, f?nix provides real-time performance data, such as distance, pace time and calories, helping outdoorsmen keep track of their progress during and after their adventures. This is especially useful to keep track of fitness activities off the beaten track, such as adventure or trail running. f?nix is also compatible with Garmin’s premium heart rate monitor for heart rate info and with a speed/cadence sensor for distance, speed and cadence while on a bike. The displayed data fields are fully customizable right from the watch.

Built to Endure the Roughest Conditions

f?nix is built to endure the toughest outdoor conditions, combining a high-strength housing to survive shocks with a mineral glass lens to resist scratching. It boasts a large LCD display with LED backlight and a robust polyurethane wristbands. Garmin’s outdoor watch is waterproof to 50 meters and has a battery life of up to 50 hours in GPS mode (depends on settings) and up to 6 weeks in watch mode. Basic watch functions include alarms, tones, vibration alerts, timer, stopwatch and world clock with the ability to display several times zones at once.

Garmin f?nix is expected to be available in fall 2012 and will have a suggested retail price of $399.99. tempe is an optional accessory and has a suggested retail price of $29.99. The polyurethane wristband will be available in olive or orange and an optional leather wristband can be added.

f?nix is the latest solution from Garmin’s growing outdoor segment, which focuses on developing technologies and innovations to enhance users’ outdoor experiences. Whether it’s Golfing, Hiking, Hunting or Geocaching, Garmin outdoor devices are becoming essential tools for outdoor enthusiast of all levels. For more information about Garmin’s other outdoor products and services, go to http://www.garmin.com/us/products/onthetrail/, www.garmin.blogs.com and http://twitter.com/garmin.

Corsair announced the Force Series™ GS solid-state drives (SSDs). The new SSDs, which offer the fastest overall performance in Corsair’s SandForce®-based lineup, will initially ship in capacities of 180GB and higher. As with other Force Series drives, the Force Series GS SSDs are based on the SandForce SF-2200 SSD Processor, but add toggle NAND flash memory to boost random write speeds up to an amazing 90,000 IOPs.i

The Force Series GS SSDs feature SATA 6Gb/s connectivity for compatibility and performance, TRIM support to maintain performance over time, and lower power operation for longer battery life. Their 2.5″ form factor, combined with an included 3.5″ adapter, allow easy installation into notebooks or into desktop PCs.

The solid-state design of Corsair SSDs enable them to deliver faster data read and write speeds which can reduce software load and PC startup times. And because SSDs have no moving mechanical parts, they help laptops run cooler, run longer on batteries, and resist data loss from bumps.

Availability
The Force Series GS SSDs are immediately available in capacities of 180GB, 240GB, 360GB, and 480GB. Prices (in USD) in the United States start at $189.99 for 180GB, $239.99 for 240GB, $349.99 for 340GB and $489.99 for 480GB capacities.

The Smart Wireless Headset pro is a multifunctional Bluetooth™ stereo headset. It packs four functions into one small, sleek device. Take phone calls, receive text, email, social media, and calendar alerts (1), or use as a standalone MP3 player and FM radio.

In addition to delivering stunning sound and clear call quality, the Smart Wireless Headset pro uses smart text to speech technology that reads aloud text and email messages, so you don’t miss that crucial email from your boss informing you that your meeting has been rescheduled. (1)

Smart Wireless Headset pro is part of Sony Mobile Communications’ strategy to create Smart Extras that make Android smartphones smarter.

Key features:

· Proprietary tangle-free headset with 6mm speaker drivers delivers sound richness and clarity

· 4 devices in 1: wireless headset, MP3 player, FM radio and notification hub for incoming texts, emails, social media and calendar alerts

· Basic audio and call features enabled with all Bluetooth™ 2.0 capable devices

· Use the Smart Wireless Headset pro with an Android™ smartphone to receive additional capabilities:

o Call directly from the headset’s recent call list

o Read messages into the headset with text to speech function

· Enjoy tunes anywhere with the included 2GB Micro SD memory card (ability to upgrade to 32GB)

Pricing & availability:

The Smart Wireless Headset pro is $149.99 and is now available at Sony.com/smartheadset and Sony stores.

In the box:

· Premium tangle-free headset

· Music transfer USB cable

· Micro USB charger

· 2GB Micro SD card

· USB-Micro SD Card Reader CCR-80

· Earbuds: 4 sizes

· User guide & Warranty leaflet

Virgin Media has unveiled a new range of mobile tariffs that will set a new standard in unbeatable value which will challenge the rest of the industry to keep up. The star of the show is the hero ‘Premiere’ tariff which combines all-you-can-eat data, unlimited texts, unlimited calls to UK landlines and 2,500 anytime minutes.

To make the most of the largest 3G network in the UK* as well as the hottest smartphones of the summer, Virgin Media has created some of the most competitive tariffs on the market designed to be simple, affordable and flexible, with amped up benefits for loyal Virgin Media** customers

‘Premiere’ starts at an incredible £21 per month for Virgin Media** customers as the company looks to help people to stay connected on the go and whilst making the most of the benefits and savings to be had from taking a mobile with their existing Virgin Media services.

The new tariffs include options for every mobile phone user with prices starting from as little as £18 per month for the new ‘Starter’ tariff, or £13 per month for Virgin Media customers. Not only do Virgin Media customers enjoy reduced costs, saving £5 per month on each tariff, but they also benefit from unlimited calls and texts to other Virgin Mobiles.

Jamie Heywood, director of mobile at Virgin Media said: “When we launched over ten years ago as the worlds first mobile company of its type, we revolutionised the market, and this is another such landmark. As people look for the best value, we’re rewarding loyalty with some amazing tariffs with unlimited offerings that our customers can enjoy without worrying about hidden extras, as well as helping to combat bill shock.”

In a pioneering move, all the new tariffs will include insurance*** for no extra cost for the length of the contract for new and existing Virgin Media customers. It follows a recent study by Virgin Media that found a staggering proportion of Brits (72 per cent) don’t have insurance for their mobiles, despite 70 per cent also admitting to breaking or losing up to seven phones in the last decade – often within the typical 24 month contract period****.

Smartphones can cost as much as £500 and often contain invaluable data such as contacts, texts, emails and photos, so losing one can be a costly and incredibly frustrating experience. The new insurance service (worth £7.99 per month) provides 24 hour guaranteed handset replacement in the UK if it goes missing or is stolen***** and includes Mobile Rescue which will automatically back-up all contacts as well as lock and locate the handset remotely.

Heywood added: “An overwhelming number of consumers don’t believe that mobile insurance is necessary and won’t consider taking insurance through their mobile provider because it’s too expensive. For too long mobile providers have failed to offer insurance that represents value for money. We were astounded to find so many people were prepared to gamble when it came to protecting their handsets, which is why we are now the only provider to offer inclusive insurance as standard for our loyal customers at no extra cost.”

The new range of pay monthly tariffs are subject to 24 month****** contracts and in order to help ensure they have the perfect tariff for their needs, Virgin Media will automatically text customers when they are nearing the limits of their allowances (where applicable) to help ensure manageable costs. Virgin Media’s smartphones also come preloaded with the ‘My Account’ app so customers can keep track of how much they’ve used of their monthly allowance, and if needed, customers have the flexibility to move up or down the tariffs at any point in their contract without penalty.

For customers already with their own data-hungry smartphones Virgin Media is also launching a new range of flexible ‘SIM Only’ tariffs. The ‘SIM Only’ tariffs work on a rolling monthly basis with ‘Premiere’ starting at £20 for cable and national customers who will benefit from unlimited data, text, calls to other Virgin Mobiles and UK landlines.

Virgin Media customers will also be able to take advantage of free WiFi access at up to 120 London Underground stations.

For more information on Virgin Media’s products and services, head to www.virginmedia.com