Dual SIM B5702 slider phone to arrive in May

Samsung has announced the availability of its dual SIM B5702 which was revealed at the MWC couple of months back. The phone’s USP is its dual SIM holding capability and thus Samsung has got a few good features related to the same.

The phone supports Quadband GSM networks and has a dedicated key on the side to quickly switch numbers without the need to reboot the phone. There are two LEDs placed to indicate which SIM card is active and also different wallpapers, screensavers, ringtone can be set for a quick identification of the active card.

Other noteworthy things it integrates is a 3MP camera with autofocus, FM Radio with RDS, Bluetooth 2.0 and expandable memory.

The phone will start retailing in Russia and other countries from May.

Specifications:

Network: SIM1/SIM2 - Quad band (850/900/1800/1900) EDGE Class

Display: 2.4” TFT LCD / 320 x 240 (QVGA) 262K

Camera: 3MP with Auto Focus

Video: H.263 + AMR,MPEG4

Audio: MP3/AMR/AAC/AAC+/e-AAC/WMA

FM Radio with RDS

Document viewer (MS Office, PDF, TXT, BMP, JPG, PNG)

Full web browsing / Dictionary / Background music

Connectivity” USB 2.0 high speed /Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

Talk Time: Up to 11.4 hours

Standby Time: Up to 220.9 hours

Internal Memory : 50MB

External memory : up to 8GB

Size: 106 x 52.5 x 17.5 mm

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Nintendo president squashes talk of Wii price cuts

Incredible as it sounds, it looks like Nintendo isn't planning on slashing the price of the console it can still barely keep on store shelves. That word comes straight from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who's attempting to clamp down on recent speculation that a Wii price cut could be in the offing, which seemed at least a tad more plausible considering that the manufacturing costs for the console have supposedly dropped significantly since its launch. According to Iwata, rather than trying to drive up sales numbers even further with a price cut, Nintendo will instead be putting "more energy and time into making better entertainment so that our products are going to remain in the top position in our customer's wish lists" -- and now with Disc Dog, in the top position in our hearts.

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Mitsubishi's i-MiEV electric vehicle officially headed to the US

It isn't exactly providing a whole lot of details just yet, but Mitsubishi has confirmed at the New York Auto Show today that its i-MiEV electric vehicle will indeed be making its way to the U.S., and sometime "before 2012." Interestingly, according to AutoblogGreen, that delay apparently isn't due to any hang-ups with the vehicle itself (it's hitting roads in Japan this summer), but rather whether battery-maker GS Yuasa can scrounge up enough lithium-ion batteries to keep up with demand. It also looks like the car that eventually hits the U.S. won't be exactly the same as the model bound for Japan and Europe, with the i-MiEV name likely the first thing to go. Of course, there's no official word on a U.S. price just yet, but the car, which boasts a range of around 100 miles on a single charge, should be selling for the rough local equivalent of $30,000 when it hits Europe and Japan.

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Dell adds liquid cooling option to XPS 625, 630

Dell's XPS 625 and XPS 630 gaming desktops may be known for one of the best price-to-performance ratios around, but it looks like Dell isn't ignoring those primarily concerned with performance, and it's now added a liquid cooling option to both models that should please the overclockers out there. That comes in the form of an Asetek liquid cooling system, which should be considerably more quiet than the standard fan-based system, while also keeping the system nice and chilly. Just be prepared to shell out an extra $120 on top of the $899 and $1,099 base price for the 625 and 630, respectively, and wait until late this month for the liquid-cooled systems to actually ship.

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Qualcomm's Vision of a Wireless Charging Future

"Wires, wires, wires" or possibly "a nest of vipers" could serve as a description for the space beneath my desk, where my MacBook's battery cable snakes through a spaghetti of others from my phone, my digital-picture frame keyring, my wife's phone charger, and my plug-in iPod charger. I wish that all of it were wirelessly chargeable. And it may be...soon, with Qualcomm's new eZone system.

This week at the CTIA wireless tech show Qualcomm demonstrated its eZone wireless charging technology that promises to revolutionize how we connect our gadgets. Of course we've discussed wireless power before, and the Palm Pre will come with a dedicated wire-free charger system as an option--but none of those options have been quite as elegant as what Qualcomm showcased.

A two-part system, the eZone is a charging pad that houses the main transmitting power technology, and a tiny receiver coil fitted inside portable gadgets after modification. If it takes off it will be relatively easy to incorporate the coil into future gadgets designs. In its current incarnation, the coils are housed in an external appartus, much like an external battery. The intention is for eZone to work as a universal system that can charge several items simultaneously, as it doesn't have to make direct electical contact with the device it's charing. And as an added bonus, Wi-fi and Bluetooth connections will still work while devices are charging, so there's the potential for auto-downloading photos from your camera or wirelessly adding music to your iPod.

The FCC has been involved so that the device meets safety guidelines easily, and the short-range fields from the device work well even if you pop a phone on the charger upside down, or accidentally propped up on a pair of house keys. eZone uses "near-field magnetic resonance" technology to work, according to company specs. The electrical efficiency is a tiny bit low, at around 40%--but it's currently a prototype model, the figures will rise in a marketable version and it's still likely to be much "greener" than having numerous power-sipping wall-warts dotted about your home.

Qualcomm also notes that the tech is capable of charging beefier items like cordless drills, and is flexible enough to be integrated into furniture or even laptop lids--just flip your cellphone on top of your PC to top it up.

There's just one problem, eZone is a prototype, a research project, a "technology demonstrator," and Qualcomm hasn't made any comment on when it will go to market with it. Too bad. I'd buy one right now. And, with that tangle of wires you have in your office, I know you would too.

[Via Qualcomm, Electronista ]

Scientists use virus to build a better battery

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have demonstrated how a genetically modified virus can be used to construct both the cathode and anode of a lithium-ion battery.

Virus-built rechargeable batteries would have the same power capacity as the batteries used to power hybrid cars, project leader Professor Angela Belcher said in an MIT press statement on Thursday.

In a paper published in the journal Science, the research team explained that they manipulated two genes of the M13 virus to equip the bacteriophage with peptide groups that attract single-walled carbon nanotubes at one end, while the other end of the virus was equipped with peptides that nucleate amorphous iron phosphate.

Combining the nanotubes with the iron phosphate created a highly conductive material that was used in a cathode, said the MIT statement. Battery energy was transferred in "a very short time", as electrons could travel along the carbon nanotube networks and percolate throughout the electrodes.

Three years ago, a research team led by Belcher used a similar virus-modification technique to build an anode — the genetically modified virus coated itself with cobalt oxide and gold to assemble a nanowire.

In tests, researchers found the virus-built battery could be recharged 100 times without losing capacitance. The incorporation of carbon nanotubes increased battery conductivity without adding too much weight, said the statement.

The team now plans to genetically modify microbes to assemble materials with higher voltage and capacitance, such as manganese phosphate and nickel phosphate. Once this is achieved the technology could go into commercial production, said Belcher.

These advances feed into wider cross-disciplinary investigations into energy harvesting: the technique of extracting power from the environment. Current research efforts focus on both biological and non-biological systems. Non-biological study includes research into mechanical, thermal and electromagnetic systems. Biological systems such as photosynthesis and metabolic pathways, already closely analyzed for medical and scientific purposes, are also seen as potential sources of energy for electronic systems, with a cross-over field — synthetic biology — using ideas from living systems in designed processes.

This article was originally posted on ZDNet UK.

Archos 2 and Archos 4 flash players leak out,forget iPod

We haven't heard anything official, but images of an Archos 2 flash player have turned up in a few places on the web today, along with word of an Archos 4. The 2's already listed on Amazon -- it's not going to rock worlds, but it's not bad for $60, with 8GB of storage and microSD expansion, a 1.8-inch 128 x 160 display and a voice recorder all in a .35-inch thick package. There's also a 16GB version on Amazon.de for €68 ($92), but that hasn't yet made it to the US Amazon site. The Archos 4 is a little more mysterious -- all we really know about it is that it'll have a four-inch screen and 16 to 32GB of flash. We're guessing these'll pop soon, we'll let you know.

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Mazda RX-8 controlled with iPod touch

We've seen some interesting ways people have tried to meld iPhone with car, but this one might top them all. Meet Jon's Mazda RX-8, controllable from anywhere in the world using an iPod touch over WiFi. As demonstrated on video, his custom web app can be used to lock and unlock the doors, start and stop the engine, and open the truck. A telemetry window provides data such as fuel level, battery voltage, RPM, speed, and temperatures. It's even got a GPS so you can track the car's wherabouts with Google Maps. All of this is accomplished with computer hidden in the trunk, hooked up to the on-board diagnostics, and equipped with a 3G modem to stay constantly connected to the interwebs. There's no indication on whether he plans to take the mod further, but if so, we can only hope it involves some well-placed cameras and a tilt-controlled steering mechanism. We pity the foolish thief who tries to steal this "haunted" ride. Check out the video demonstration after the break

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Samsung unveils 7 digicams for India

Samsung has announced 7 new point-and-shoot digital cameras, forming the 2009 lineup for the Indian market. The cameras launched are WB500, PL50, PL60, PL65, ST50, ES10, ES15, ES55 and are priced from Rs. 6,990 to Rs. 19,990.

WB500 Features:

10.2 megapixel

ultra-wide 24mm Schneider lens

10X optical zoom

Adjustable shutter speed, aperture, exposure and focus

Dual image stabilizer (Optical + Digital)

720p video recording at 30 fps

Perfect Portrait System including Face Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Detection and Beauty Shot

Rs. 19,990

PL60 Features:

10.2 megapixel

5X optical zoom

2.7-inch display

Dual image stabilizer (Optical + Digital)

Perfect Portrait System including Face Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Detection and Beauty Shot

Sensitivity up to ISO 3200

Rs. 12,490

PL50 Features:

10 megapixel

3X optical zoom

2.7-inch display

Digital image stabilizer

Perfect Portrait System including Face Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Detection and Beauty Shot

Rs. 9,990

PL65 Features:

12.2 megapixel

5X optical zoom

3-inch LCD

Dual image stabilizer (Optical + Digital)

Perfect Portrait System including Face Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Detection and Beauty Shot

Sensitivity up to ISO 3200

Rs. 14,490

ST50 Features:

12.2 megapixel

3X optical zoom

2.7-inch LCD

Dual image stabilizer (Optical + Digital)

Perfect Portrait System including Face Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Detection and Beauty Shot

Sensitivity up to ISO 3200

Rs. 15,900

ES10 Features:

8.1 megapixel

3X optical zoom

2.5-inch LCD

Digital image stabilizer

Face Detection

Beauty Shot

Self Portrait

Rs. 7,990

ES15 Features:

10 megapixel

3X optical zoom

2.5-inch LCD

Digital image stabilizer

Face Detection

Beauty Shot

Self Portrait

Rs. 6,990

ES55 Features:

10.2 megapixel

2.5-inch LCD

Red-eye fix

Digital image stabilizer

Face Detection

Beauty Shot

Rs. 7,900

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American bringing in-flight WiFi to over 300 planes

All hail the laggard! With pretty much every other US-based legacy carrier already on board, we were beginning to wonder if American Airlines even got the memo that in-flight WiFi was in serious demand. At long last, the company has made clear that it plans to equip more than 300 MD-80 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft used primarily in the United States with high-speed WiFi capability (over the next two years). If you'll recall, American announced early on that it was game for trialing the tech, but until today, it had yet to make a commitment large enough to make you consider signing up for its credit card and bankrolling those frequent flyer miles. We're expecting more details to emerge soon, but feel free to start pestering its agents with the whos, whats, wheres and whens.

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