Swedish Tech Report

I have been using my HP DM3 now for around a month and have been loving the experience. Compared to the Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T I used before, which broke down three times in seven months this feels like if I am using a device from another world.

One thing that I have found with the Geoforce CUDA card is that it works really well with Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2.  I have not experienced any lagging at all when playing this game; the downside would perhaps the mouse pad. The multitouch touchpad is surprisingly sensitive so I would recommend using something such as a Razer or Microsoft gaming mouse to gain a good gaming experience.   One thing that I have noticed with certain drives is that the sounds winds up like an engine turbine, but the included external DVD burner from HP is surprisingly quiet….

There is one small thing that I really like about the keyboard and is the lights that they have added when you have Caps Lock turned on and Sound turned off. When Caps Lock is turned on there is a small white light showing you it. If the sound is turned off you see a small orange light that shows you that it is turned off.

Hewlett Packard has really nice software called HP Advisor,  that runs in the background on your notebook. It checks how the computer is running and if you have any new drivers that are needed for your device. If you are not certain about how the computer works HP have added a nice introduction video that shows how you are supposed to use it.

The wireless card on this laptop holds a really good range.  The router can be in one end of the house and the DM3 can be in the other end of the house and still hold a stable connection.  I am using the Linksys WRT610n router that works really well and have been really stable for the last year and a half. Using the N card on the DM3 in conjunction with the WRT610n this has worked really well for me.

I use a lot of devices so having plenty of USB ports is a necessity for me. Even though I liked the three USB ports that my laptop had, but I could fill it up really quickly. When I needed to add a fourth device to it I had to unplug another to be able to do so.  The port configuration on my Acer was three USB ports + one HDMI and one VGA port.  An ok combination, but still felt a little too small…. My DM3 contains four USB ports + one HDMI and one VGA port.  I can finally add enough mobile devices without having to unplug another device. It may be a small thing, but that fourth USB port is a necessity for me.

On average I get around three hours of battery life on this device.  I think that this is a fairly good price since I run a lot of applications on my devices all the time. A usual day is having Outlook turned on in the background, Firefox open (around seven tabs open), Microsoft Word and Dropbox open in the background.  This is a usual day for me, you should see when I have all of my apps open during a heavy using day.

As you may notice I really do like this laptop. So far it feels like it is the best money I have ever spent on a tech purchase. How about you? What is your best tech purchase so far?

Over at Gear Diary Dan, Judie and Larry has written up an excellent piece about the Nexus One describing 10 things that they do like and five things that they do not like.

The Nexus is the first phone that Google has released themselves with their own Android operating system.  It is supposed to ship soon on Verizon in the US and later this Spring on Vodafone in Europe.

Judie: I used the Nexus One off and on for about a month, both with and without the T-Mobile SIM card that Google was kind enough to include. Since sending my review unit back, I have been splitting my time between the iPhone and the Nokia N900. I can’t say that I miss the N1.

Dan: The Nexus One is the best Android phone yet. Android is maturing and the hardware of gorgeous . That noted, I still prefer the simplicity of the iPhone. (And did I mention that I hated dealing with Google?)

Larry: Plain and simple, if there was no iPhone, the Nexus One would be my current phone of choice.

 Over at Coolsmartphone they have spent the weekend with the HTC Legend. Showing it side by side with it’s predecessor the HTC Hero. They show off both the inside and the outside of the HTC Legend:mrgreen: I have to say that I do like the shape of this phone. It comes with the latest Sense installed and the latest version of Android installed onto the device.

Yesssssss   We do not have to wait until MIX10 to see more about WP7 to see and hear more about WP7 Microsofts Eric Rudd showed it of at the Tech Middle East showing a game made in Middle East and using one of those Windows Phone Series 7 prototypes made by Asus. Having a unified gaming plattform will be awesome, or as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother says wait for it…. legendary:mrgreen:

Source: Engadget.

Xavier over at Notebooks.com has recorded a video about the new convertible tablet form HP, the 2740P. It keeps the same great form factor from the 2730 with upgraded specifications.  There is the option of  having either an i5 or i7 processor inside of it.  The retail price of the 2740 is 1.599 US Dollar.What struck me about this device personally is the 11 hour batterylife. I can only say one thing about it jummy:-)

The 2740p’s exterior is nearly identical to the 2730p, which was a relatively minor update to the 2710p. The industrial design was first introduced back in the spring of 2007. This Tablet PC can be used as a standard ultraportable notebook or can be converted into slate mode for note taking, drawing or reading. A thin extended battery can be attached to the base of the notebook. The Tablet PC, along with its extended battery, can be stowed in a docking station.

The HTC Legend, successor to the highly successfull HTC Hero is one of this years most anticpated devices. Matt over at Tracy and Matt have gotten hold of an review unit and unboxed it for our pleasure  It does not have that distinct chin that the HTC Hero has but it does look really good

This one of the Android devices to keep a lookout for this year.  Are you planning on getting one?

Larry Green over at Gear Diary have gotten ahold of the Case Mate Hugh, which allows you to wirelessly charge your iPhone at home. This is one thign that I am looking forward to trying soon Larry has recorded a Youtube video showing the ups and downs of the Hug. I think this some hing that every iPhone user should take a look at

While at CES 2010 one of the products which excited me most was the wireless charging system Case-Mate unveiled for the iPhone 3G/3Gs called The “Hug.”  We at Gear Diary are huge fans of everything Case-Mate does both from their products to their customer service.  They are one of the companies that simply get it.

I am pondering getting a new Windows Phone to start using some of the software pieces that I miss from Windows Phone. Even though I really do enjoy using the iPhone it is still not the same for me as when using a Windows Phone

The two Windows Phones that I am looking at currently is the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 and HTC HD2. I have used the Xperia X2 and played with the HD2. To be honest I thought the Xperia X2 was an ok unit, but with coming upgrades to 6.5.2 and 6.5.3 to enable features such as video calling and FM radio it sounds more favourable in my eyes. The HD2 is that Windows Phone with the huge screen (4.3 inch screen), 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, awesome camera and great connectivity options.

What do you think?  Which unit do you think that I should get? I am currently leaning to the X2 Leave your comment in the comment section below

Processor
• 1 GHz Snapdragon™-processor
Memory:
• ROM: 512 MB
• RAM: 448 MB
• Minnesexpansion: MicroSD™-minneskort (SD 2.0-kompatibelt)
Screen:
• 4,3-tums TFT-pekskärm med på 480 X 800 WVGA
Camera:
•  5 megapixel
• Autofokus
Operatingsystem:
• Windows Mobile® 6.5 Professional

.

Minne
• 110 MB Telefonminne
• Stöd för MicroSD – (upp till 16GB)

Screen:
• 3,2-tums TFT-pekskärm upplösning 800×480
Camera:
• 8.1 Megapixel camera
• Autofokus
• Geotaggning
• Digital zoom – upp till 16x
Network:
• GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

New version of HDMI is out:-) This is the sort of thing that you really like:-)  As I am connected everywhere in my home tv setup with HDMI cables this sounds particulary pleasing:-)

HDMI LICENSING, LLC RELEASES HDMI SPECIFICATION VERSION 1.4A

Latest Version Specifies Mandatory 3D Formats For Broadcast Content

SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 4, 2010 – HDMI Licensing, LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI®) specification, today announced, on behalf of the HDMI Founders, the release of HDMI Specification Version 1.4a featuring key enhancements for 3D applications including the addition of mandatory 3D formats for broadcast content as well as the addition of the 3D format referred to as Top-and-Bottom. The complete HDMI Specification Version 1.4a, along with the 1.4a version of the Compliance Test Specification (CTS), is available to Adopters on the HDMI Adopter Extranet.

An extraction of the 3D portion of Specification Version 1.4a is available for public download on the HDMI Web site at http://www.hdmi.org. The purpose of the extraction document is to provide public access to the 3D portion of the HDMI Specification for those companies and organizations that are not HDMI Adopters but require access to this portion of the Specification.

“We published these latest enhancements to support the market need for broadcast 3D content,” said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. “When we launched 1.4 in June of 2009, we deferred the selection of mandatory 3D format(s) for broadcast content until the market direction was more clearly defined. The market has spoken and the HDMI Consortium has listened and responded to accommodate those market needs.”

The latest HDMI Specification adds key enhancements to support the market requirements for bringing broadcast 3D content into the home:

1. The addition of Top-and-Bottom to the Specification.
2. The addition of two mandatory formats for broadcast content:
   • Side-by-Side Horizontal
   • Top-and-Bottom

With the addition of these two mandatory formats, the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a provides a level of interoperability for devices designed to deliver 3D content over the HDMI connection. The mandatory 3D formats are:

3D Mandatory Formats

• For movie content:
  • Frame Packing
    • 1080p @ 23.98/24Hz
• For game content:
  • Frame Packing
    • 720p @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
• For broadcast content:
  • Side-by-Side Horizontal
    • 1080i @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
  • Top-and-Bottom
    • 720p @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
    • 1080p @ 23.97/24Hz

Implementing the mandatory formats of the HDMI Specification facilitates interoperability among devices, allowing devices to speak a common 3D language when transmitting and receiving 3D content. The mandatory requirements for devices implementing 3D formats are:

• Displays – must support all mandatory formats.
• Sources – must support at least one mandatory format.
• Repeaters – must be able to pass through all mandatory formats.

HDMI Adopters will have 90 days from the publication of the Specification Version 1.4a to build and sell products that are compliant with 1.4a as well as pass the CTS Version 1.4a. This also applies to legacy set-top boxes that may have upgraded to use Specification Version 1.4 signaling.

For more information about the HDMI specification please visit http://www.hdmi.org.

About HDMI Licensing, LLC

HDMI Licensing, LLC is the agent responsible for licensing the HDMI specification, promoting the HDMI standard and providing education on the benefits of the HDMI specification to Adopters, retailers and consumers. The HDMI specification was developed by Hitachi, Ltd.; Panasonic Corporation; Philips Consumer Electronics International, B.V.; Silicon Image, Inc.; Sony Corporation; Technicolor S.A. (formerly Thomson S.A.) and Toshiba Corporation as the all-digital interface standard for the consumer electronics and personal computer markets. The HDMI specification combines uncompressed high-definition video, multi-channel audio, and data in a single digital interface to provide crystal-clear digital quality over a single cable. HDMI Licensing, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Silicon Image, Inc. For more information about the HDMI specification, please visit www.hdmi.org.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the market need for broadcast 3D content, the ability of the latest version of the HDMI specification to address this perceived market need and the current and anticipated features, functionality and benefits of the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the mandatory 3D formats included in the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a will not address the perceived market need for broadcast 3D content as well as the risks and uncertainties described from time to time in Silicon Image’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These risks and uncertainties could cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Silicon Image assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

HDMI, the HDMI logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners in the Unites States and/or other countries.

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Microsoft has released a new them for Windows 7 based on a new series that is supposed to air for the first time on the 21:th of  Mars.

I am usign it right now on my HP DM3 and it looks really nice. I really like the picture with the fish swimming around. If you want you can get it here.

A quote from the Windows Team Blog:

windowsblog

New LIFE Windows 7 Theme available for Discovery Channel’s new LIFE series Premiering Sunday, March 21 at 8 PM E/P http://bit.ly/bas4Pg