Digital Tech News - Digital Technology & Consumer Electronics

Windows Vista, Office 2007 Launched for Business Customers

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer wants you to get ready for a new day, as the company launches Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Exchange Server 2007, and 30 other new products for volume licensees and corporate customers today. This is the most significant product launch in Microsoft’s history, but mainstream consumers will have to wait until January 30th, 2007 to get Windows Vista OS. InformationWeek has a great Windows Vista image gallery so you can see what all the excitement is about.

“It’s an incredible step forward for business computing in a year of unprecedented innovation from Microsoft. We expect that more than 200 million people will be using at least one of these products by the end of 2007.”  Ballmer said.

read more| Press release

Related Windows Vista news:

Windows Vista Prices and Release Date Revealed

Nokia World 2006 Coverage

At this week's Nokia World 2006 mobility event in Amsterdam, Nokia made several new product announcements and also laid out their vision for the future of converged mobile devices and Web 2.0 gone mobile. We already know that Nokia wants to replace your MP3 player, portable gaming and video player, digital camera, and cellphone with an all-in-one device in the years to come, but the company is also focusing on how we will interact with the Internet and popular online services (Flickr, MySpace, YouTube) and use location based /GPS functions on the handset.

The Nokia N95 multimedia computer is at the heart of Nokia's vision to unite multimedia and communications features in one device in 2007. It would have been nice to hear some news about how the upcoming Nokia 870 Internet Tablet will fit into all this, but the chart below clearly shows Nokia's goal for the N95 next year.

BlackBerry Pearl Phone from Cingular

The lovely BlackBerry Pearl phone is set to be released by Cingular in the U.S.beginning tomorrow at select Cingular Wireless stores, and nationwide by Monday, December 4. Users will be happy to know that the Pearl, which is the smallest and thinnest BlackBerry ever, has all the email and messaging features that Blackberry devices are known for, and they've added a 1.3 megapixel camera with built-in flash and 5x digital zoom, and a trackball instead of scroll wheel. The BlackBerry Pearl phone also includes Push-to-talk, TeleNav GPS Navigator, Bluetooth 2.0, Media player, MP3/AAC/MPEG4/H.263, 240×260 pixel display, Speakerphone, 64MB memory plus microSD slot, and EDGE high-speed data

HTC Cavalier Smartphone Spotted

OK, first there was the HTC Excalibur smartphone, that's now called the T-Mobile Dash, and now we have the HTC Cavalier smartphone, a slimmer upgrade to the Dash. Maybe this is the T-Mobile Dash 2?  Whatever.  The point is, this HTC Cavalier does have a thin smartphone design and it will probably be available mid-2007, and since we know that 2007 will be the year we finally see widespread high-speed 3G HSDPA service, it's nice to see that the HTC Cavalier smartphone will support it.

Nintendo Wii Game Console - 600,000 Sold in First Week

The Nintendo Wii game console had a great week, selling through to more than 600,000 video gamers in the Americas in the first week of availability. Nintendo says that including first-party software and accessory sales, Wii instantly has become a $190 million business in the Americas. We all knew the Wii would be a hot seller this holiday, and thanks to the decent price ($250) shoppers scooped the Wii up at retail and online. The Nintendo Wii launch had hard-core gamers waiting to be the first to try the new Wii with its unique wireless remote controller. Every Wii gaming system includes the five-game Wii Sports software, and popular video games like Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, have already sold more than 454,000 units in the Americas. Nintendo also recently announced the availability of 62 Wii game titles.

Did you purchase a Wii?  Then check-out these Nintendo Wii games

more | Videogame Blogger

Cyber Monday Digital Tech Deals

So, you were brave enough to jump into the Black Friday shopping frenzy, but were you able to buy all the hot digital technology Christmas gifts on your list?  Probably not, that's why shoppers turn to the Web on Cyber Monday for tech gadget deals and gear you might not find on the shelves at retail, or just to save some time. Well, here's a friendly reminder that we've set-up an easy place to search and shop for digital tech gifts, compare prices, find the best deals, and order online.

Remember, as you shop for consumer electronics and tech gadgets you can drill-down your search to any specific item by name, category, or manufacturer in the "Shop Cloud" above or at the Digital Tech and Gadget Shop before you buy.

LG enV Phone from Verizon Wireless Launched

The new LG enV phone (LG VX9900) is a feature rich handset that should turn heads with envy when your friends or colleagues see you with it. This smartphone is a follow-up to the LG VX9800, and offers high-speed connectivity with EV-DO (V Cast), and some cool multimedia functions as well. The LG enV phone has a QWERTY, Bluetooth with stereo support, 2-megapixel camera, Music player (MP3/WMA) plus stereo speakers, and a microSD card slot.    

Sony Announces Defect in 8 Cyber-shot digital camera models

As if Sony hasn't got enough problems with laptop battery recalls, now Sony has announced that 8 Cyber-shot digital camera models have a defect! The Sony Cyber-shot cameras affected include the DSC-F88, DSC-M1, DSC-T1, DSC-T11, DSC-T3, DSC-T33, DSC-U40, and DSC-U50 models sold between September 2003 and January 2005. The problem is, these cameras might not work in "high-temperature and humid circumstances." The affected cameras (only 4,000 Cyber-shots out of 1 million sold) are not able to display images correctly on the screen in those situations.

It must have been hard for Sony to make this announcement just when the Holiday shopping season has begun, but let's remember that Sony digital cameras are still some of the best around. And, Sony will repair any affected cameras free of charge.

Nokia N95 Review

The up-coming NSeries Nokia N95 handset was introduced last September, and its got mobile phone users excited big time! Check-out the Nokia N95 review video below to see why. The Nokia N95 phone is all-in-one multimedia powerhouse that features a 2.6-inch 24-bit color QVGA TFT display (240 x 320 pixels), a 5.0-megapixel digital camera!, 150MB built-in memory, microSD card slot, two 3D stereo speakers, GPS, 802.11g Wi-Fi, 3g HSDPA, S60 browser, ATI 3D graphics chip for gaming, video calling, mini USB, and dedicated music keys. The impressive two-way Nokia N 95 slider phone will be available in the first quarter of 2007 at an estimated retail price of 550 euros, or around $700USD.

Xbox Live Video Marketplace Launched

On November 22nd, Microsoft celebrated the Xbox 360’s first birthday by launching its Xbox Live Marketplace. Microsoft announced HD TV shows, movies, and video downloads for Xbox 360 earlier this month, but Videogamesblogger writes: "what’s newly announced is that once you’ve bought the HD version of a movie or TV show, you can download the standard definition one for free! You can now download TV series and movies at a price."

• HD TV Episodes cost 240 points ($3)

• SD TV Episodes cost 160 points ($2)

• HD Movies cost 480 points ($6)

• SD Movies cost 320 points ($4)

• Classic HD Movies cost 360 points ($4.50)

• Classic SD Movies cost 240 points ($3)