LG wireless

One of the most notable fallouts of the Apple iPhone launch last year is the ever-growing trend of touch-screen phones. LG was one of the first manufacturers out of the gate with phones such as the LG Voyager and the LG Vu dazzling us with features that we couldn't get on the iPhone, like live mobile TV and 3G connectivity. Samsung then came blazing out with the Instinct, a phone that directly targets the iPhone with visual voice mail, integrated GPS, and corporate e-mail support. Yet, many of these phones still walked on familiar ground with its design and features.

LG's latest handset, however, dares to take things in a different direction. The appropriately named LG Dare presents a few tricks we haven't seen before in the touch-screen phone genre. For example, you can drag and drop icons to make your own customized shortcuts on the home screen, or you can use a drawing pad to sketch ideas or draw a map, which can then be sent via MMS to a friend. The Dare also has one of the most advanced cameras we've seen on a touch-screen phone--its 3.2-megapixel camera has settings like face detection, noise reduction, panorama photo stitching, and a SmartPic technology designed for taking photos in low light. The built-in camcorder can even record high-speed video and play it back in slow-motion, which is a first for U.S. camera phones. We certainly wouldn't want to call this an iPhone killer since it doesn't have features such as Wi-Fi, and its Web browser and media player aren't as good. However, the Dare is a very appealing alternative for Verizon customers who want a touch-screen phone with a difference. The LG Dare is priced competitively at $199 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a two-year service agreement.

Design
Like all touch-screen phones, the LG Dare's design is dominated by a large display covering almost the entirety of the phone's front surface. Indeed, the only visible keys on the front are the Call, Clear/Voice command, and End/Power keys at the very bottom. The Dare is quite a bit smaller than both the iPhone and the Samsung Instinct, measuring only 4.1 inches long by 2.2 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick. It has a stainless steel border along its sides, and a black soft touch surface on the back that gives it a nice grip in the hand. It weighs about 3.76 ounces, which gives it a light yet solid feel.

The smaller size of the Dare also results in a smaller space for the 3-inch-wide display (compared with the 4-plus-inch displays on the other two phones). Though we were fine with it for most applications, we'll admit that it deters us from enjoying the full HTML browser (which we'll get to in the Features section), since it means we have to do more scrolling than usual. The display supports 262,000 colors and a 240x400-pixel resolution, which results in a stunning and colorful screen with vibrant graphics and clean text. You can adjust the backlight time, the menu fonts, the dial fonts, the display theme, and even the image of the charging screen. You can also choose animated wallpaper if you like.

The LG Dare has an innovative drag-and-drop menu interface.

Along the bottom row of the display's home screen are five shortcut icons to the messaging in-box, the phone interface, the main menu, the phonebook, and a favorites menu (which is a customizable graphical layout of up to nine favorite contacts). There's also a small arrow icon on the far right of the display (about a third of the way down), which leads to a list of 11 shortcuts that you can select from 51 possible applications. You can drag and drop these shortcut icons to change the order in which they appear. However, the coolest thing is that you can also drag and drop them directly to the home screen. Simply tap on an icon and drag it toward the home screen, and let go. You can then arrange the icons anywhere on your home screen as well.

Going back to the Favorites menu, not only do you have a graphical layout of your favorite contacts, but you can also drag and drop them around the screen. After selecting a contact, you can either have instant access to a new text message or an immediate phone call. You can also edit that contact information on the spot.

Another innovative aspect of the Dare's touch screen is the option for a "scattered" menu interface layout. You can then drag and drop the scattered icons to new positions in the menu. We found this to be quite fun and intuitive, but can't help but think it's rather unnecessary. We would have been just as happy with the traditional grid menu layout (which is a menu style option as well). Throughout the menu interface, you will see a back arrow on the upper left, which will lead you back to the previous screen, and a Home button, which will lead you back to the home screen.

Like the Instinct, the Dare offers haptic tactile feedback, which gives tiny vibrations when tapping on the screen. It's very helpful when selecting menu options, since it provides a physical confirmation of the selection. You can go through a calibration wizard to adjust to the screen's sensitivity, and you can adjust the vibrate type (short, double, or long) and vibrate level (low, medium, high, or off altogether). You can also turn on "vibration when scrolling," which sets off tiny vibrations when scrolling up and down lists. We actually recommend this, so you know you're scrolling through a list and not accidentally selecting something.

The LG Dare has a virtual QWERTY keyboard.

This brings us to the touch interface itself. While we largely enjoyed the touch interface experience, we have to admit there is still a slight learning curve. Often we would select something without meaning to, especially when scrolling up and down lists or dragging icons around. The touch interface is certainly more sensitive than we thought it would be, even after going through the calibration wizard. After a day or two of fiddling around with it though, we learned to adjust.

We found dialing and texting to be quite easy, even with the touch-screen interface. The phone interface consists of the standard numeric keypad, a voice command button, a handwriting button that will let you "write" the numbers instead of using the keypad, plus two shortcuts to the recent calls list and the contacts list. The keypad features nice big numbers, and after you're done dialing, you can hit either the green Call button, or the physical Talk button on the lower left. There's also a Save key for storing new phone numbers. During a call, a few shortcut icons appear to activate the speakerphone, call mute, send a text message, add a note, connect to a Bluetooth headset, and even voice record.

There are several input options for texting. You can either use the virtual T9 keypad, or you can twist the phone 90 degrees in the counterclockwise direction and a QWERTY keyboard will automatically appear. We're then able to tap on each key with our thumbs. Tapping each key will magnify that key momentarily, just like on the iPhone. The keyboard has a dedicated space bar, return button, period, and alias (@) keys, plus a Shift button to switch between capital letters and other symbols. Unlike the iPhone, you can indeed copy and paste text, simply by highlighting with your fingers and hitting a Copy button. However, the Dare doesn't correct your spelling.

The LG Dare has a 3.5mm headset jack.

Samsung X460 Laptop

For years, Samsung has made laptops for pretty much every laptop-consuming corner of the globe except the U.S (an arrangement that's never particularly bothered us). The Q1 Ultra UMPC is as close as Samsung has come to selling a laptop here, but in the fall of 2008, the company decided to take on the challenging American market. One standout product from the initial lineup is the X460, a slim 14-inch laptop with a unique look.

Clearly aimed at the premium buyer, the $1,699 Samsung X460 has a similarly thin profile as the MacBook Air (albeit slightly larger to accommodate the 14-inch screen), and a distinctive chassis that mixes glossy black plastic with red brushed metal. Components are decent, with discrete Nvidia GeForce 9200 graphics and an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, but it's still overpriced for what you get--about $600 more than 14-inch systems, such as the Asus X83VM-X1 (with better graphics) or the Toshiba Satellite E105 (with only integrated graphics, but a backlit keyboard) that delivery comparable performance.

If you need the thinnest 14-inch possible, or just love the look, the Samsung X460 is an impressive piece of hardware, but others will find better value elsewhere.

Price as reviewed / Starting price	$1,699
Processor	2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400
Memory	3GB, 1066MHz DDR3
Hard drive	320GB 5,400rpm
Chipset	Intel P45
Graphics	256MB Nvidia GeForce 9200M GS
Operating system	Windows Vista Premium (64-bit)
Dimensions (WD)	13.3x9.7 inches
Height	0.83-1.25 inches
Screen size (diagonal)	14.1 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	4.2/5.0 pounds
Category	Mainstream

Less than 1 inch thick at its thinnest point, the Samsung X460 is incredibly slim, and is even lighter by a few ounces than the current 13-inch MacBook. The chassis is a mix of glossy and matte black plastic, except for the lid, two-thirds of which is covered by a panel of red-tinted brushed aluminum. It's certainly a distinctive look, but if glossy black and metallic red doesn't float your boat, there's nothing you can do about it. The X460 is a one-size-fits-all fixed configuration.

The keyboard tray has a minimalist vibe, with no media control or quick launch buttons--just a basic two-button touch pad, fingerprint reader, and power button. The keyboard has the large, flat, widely spaced keys we prefer, similar to what you'll find on Apple and Sony laptops. Our music playback experience, however, was a bust. The stereo speakers, positioned above the keyboard, seemed especially tinny, even for a laptop. Perhaps the slim design left little room for heftier drivers.

The 14.1-inch wide-screen display has a 1,280x800-pixel native resolution, which is standard for 14- and 15-inch laptops. The system's slim design and the thin bezel around the screen made the display stand out especially well, and although glossy, we weren't bothered by excessive reflections or glare.

	Samsung X460	Average for category [mainstream]
Video	VGA-out, HDMI	VGA-out, S-Video
Audio	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data	3 USB 2.0, SD card reader	4 USB 2.0, SD card reader
Expansion	ExpressCard/34	ExpressCard/54
Networking	modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth	modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN
Optical drive	DVD burner	DVD burner

The lack of FireWire doesn't bother us, but you should note that in a break from recent laptop design norms, one of the USB ports and the HDMI connection are located on the rear edge of the system, which makes them a bit harder to access. Two recent Asus laptops, the X83VB-X1 and X83VM-X1, feature a similar design. We always like seeing an ExpressCard slot, but a mainstream laptop such as this should have a full-size ExpressCard/54 slot, not the smaller (and less useful) ExpressCard/34.

The 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU is what we'd expect to see in a mid-to-high-end mainstream laptop, but the similarly configured Asus X83VM-X1 was both slightly faster and significantly cheaper. HP's 14-inch Pavilion dv4-1125nr has a slower 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 CPU, but you'd be unlikely to notice the difference in real-word use, and it's also about $600 less.

We do, however, appreciate the discrete Nvidia GeForce 9200 graphics (the Asus X83VM has a GeForce 9600M), which is useful for graphics-heavy applications and even some light gaming. We got about 20 frames per second in Unreal Tournament III at a 1,280x800-pixel resolution, so dialing the detail settings down should produce playable, if not impressive, frame rates.

The Samsung X460 impressed us with its battery life, running for 3 hours and 31 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, using the included six-cell battery. Both the Asus and HP 14-inch systems ran for a little more than 2 hours. Note that our battery drain test is tough on systems, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.

Sony Vaio..

By its updated chassis, it's tempting to think of the $1,999 Sony Vaio LV180J as a more productivity-oriented PC than Sony's previous all-in-one efforts. Supported by a pedestal stand, the LV180J no longer looks like a screen suspended in air, as was the case with the older Vaio LT19U. A raft of updated features, a larger screen, and a more accessible price tag make the new Sony all-in-one easily as home entertainment friendly as its predecessor. At 24 inches, this Vaio's LCD is probably not large enough to serve as a primary living room screen. And by offering more unique features than its competition, and at a comparable price, the LV180J makes a very strong argument for anyone looking for a digital-media-oriented computer or a secondary digital entertainment hub.

With its 24-inch LCD, the Vaio LV180J joins Apple, Dell, and HP in the large screen all-in-one club. HP's TouchSmart is the largest of the group, with a 25.5-inch display, and its touch-based input remains unique in the category. If the Vaio can't compete on screen size or touch input, we find its overall utility unmatched among its peers. Yes, the LV180J is a powerful computer, and we'd be disappointed if Sony skimped on the core hardware. It also strikes the best balance between day-to-day computing and advanced home entertainment features.

We'll deal with its computing side first. With its Blu-ray drive and desktop processor, the Product Red edition of Dell's new XPS One 24 makes the best comparison with the Vaio.

	Sony Vaio LV180J	Dell XPS One 24 Product Red
Price	$1,999	$2,199
CPU	3.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8400	2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200
Memory	4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM	4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Graphics	256MB Nvidia Geforce 9300M GS (integrated)	512MB Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT graphics card
Hard drives	320GB, 7,200 rpm	750GB, 7,200 rpm
Optical drive	Blu-ray burner	Blu-ray burner
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet; 802.11n wireless	Gigabit Ethernet; 802.11n wireless
Operating system	Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit)	Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (32-bit)

Based purely on specs, the Dell XPS One 24 looks more impressive than the Sony system. The Dell has more than twice as much hard-drive space, a more powerful graphics card, and a quad-core CPU, which pays off on multitasking and other kinds of software, even if it has a slower clock speed than the Sony's dual-core chip. That large hard drive in particular gives the Dell the edge in our minds for traditional computing capabilities. Sony lets you replace the hard drive yourself, a useful capability in case you want to replace or expand your drive storage. It's also an advantage over Dell, whose XPS One 24 case is locked down.

The Sony's user-accessible hard drive lets you upgrade or replace the drive yourself.

The Sony also has an advantage with its 64-bit version of Windows Vista, which likely works to its benefit on a few of our tests below. We don't expect you'd use either of these PCs for serious digital media editing, gaming, or other tasks that truly demand the larger amount of addressable memory afforded by a 64-bit operating system. The Sony also doesn't come with enough system memory to truly put 64-bit Vista to work.

We found during testing that even if it wouldn't make the best all-around work computer, the Vaio LV180J will provide you with some impressive single-core application performance. We include the Dell Studio XPS simply to demonstrate how these systems stack up against a traditional desktop, so don't get too caught up in those scores if you're dead set on an all-in-one. Also note that the quad-core Dell XPS One 24's multitasking edge favors how most people actually use their PCs during a workday, with lots of programs open at the same time.

psp update

Design
The PSP 3000 has the same slim dimensions (2.81 inches high by 6.63 inches wide by 0.63 inch deep) and lighter weight (just over 7 ounces--or 200 grams--with the battery, game disc, and Memory Stick on board) as its predecessor.

The 4.3-inch LCD wide screen remains, and it's been tweaked. Sony says the new screen now delivers better color reproduction, reduced glare, and reduced "ghosting" on high-motion scenes. When compared with the 2000, the PSP 3000 does, indeed, deliver better color vibrancy (you can toggle between "wide" and "standard" color in the options to see the difference). As for glare reduction: we didn't find there to be a huge difference. Don't expect to play in direct sunlight, for instance. But you might have better luck with fewer distractions from indoor light sources.

But in its effort to deal with the ghosting issue, Sony's cure may have been worse than the disease. By increasing the screen's refresh rate, the new PSP seems to introduce a variety of video artifacts onto the screen. They appear as scanlines or jaggies, as if the image is interlaced. They're more apparent in high-motion scenes in games and videos--but that's most of the content on the PSP. (We're awaiting a response from Sony on this issue.)

There are few physical differences between the PSP 2000 (top) and the PSP 3000 (bottom).

The silver version of the PSP 3000 has a matte finish, as compared with the shiny piano black finish of the black one. As a result, the silver body is immune to fingerprints and smudges that so easily show up on the black one. Unfortunately, the screen is identical on both--smooth and shiny--and it remains a magnet for fingerprints. As mentioned above, the lack of a clamshell design (as seen on the Nintendo DS) makes investing in a case as much a necessity for the PSP as it is for an iPod or iPhone.

Aside from a few very minor cosmetic differences, button layout on the PSP 3000 is basically identical to the previous PSP as well. The screen is bordered by controls on its left, right, and bottom side, plus two shoulder buttons along the top edge. The button layout is based on the classic PlayStation controller layout--the four-way directional pad on the left, square, triangle, cross, and circle keys on the right--so anyone who's used a Sony console over the last decade should be able to pick up and play. The bottom left of the front face also houses an analog thumbstick, for more precise movement. (A second thumbstick on the right, mimicking the design of the PlayStation controller, would've been a welcome addition.) More mundane media controls line the bottom of the screen: select, start, volume, brightness, and a "home" button. (Some of them are shaped a bit differently than the previous model, and the "home" button now brandishes the PlayStation emblem.)

New to the PSP 3000 is the built-in microphone, located just below the screen. It can be used for online communication, be it within a game or for the PSP's built-in Skype application. The advantage of having the mic integrated into the body is that you can use it with any standard pair of headphones. By contrast, the PSP 2000 required a special headset for communicating online.

The PSP is designed to play games and movies off something called UMDs--Universal Media Discs. We're not sure where Sony got the "universal" part of the name, because the PSP is the only device that plays them. They're sort of a cross between a mini-CD and an old MiniDisc, and they only hold about 2.2GB of data. They load into a snap-open door on the PSP's backside. Sony seems to be moving the PSP to more of a downloadable model for games and video (see the PlayStation Store section, below), so we wouldn't be surprised to see the UMD become more of a legacy medium for the PSP.

The PSP 3000 lacks built-in storage, so you'll need a Memory Stick Duo.

The Memory Stick Duo slot remains on the left edge. Like the UMD bay, it's a pry-open cover that slides on rubbery plastic rails. If you're not buying a PSP bundle that includes an MS Duo card (or don't have a spare one from a Sony camera), you'll want to invest in a decently sized one (2GB or better). They're widely available for less than $30 or so, but it's annoying--again--that Sony's gone with its own proprietary format instead of the more widely used (and cheaper) SD standard.

Rounding out the connections: the headphone/AV jack is on the bottom edge. It'll take any standard 3.5mm headphones, as well as special PSP-only AV-out cables for connecting to a TV (see "video output," below). The USB port remains centered on the top edge of the PSP. Sony doesn't include a cable, but it's a standard mini-USB connector, so it's likely that you already have one lying around. The USB connector is flanked by two screw holes that allow for accessories to be firmly attached to its frame. But most people will use the USB port for quick connections to the PC to transfer digital media--photos, music, and video, as well as games and demos available through the online PlayStation Store.

The PSP's interface is known as the Cross Media Bar, or XMB. The original PSP was the first Sony product to use it, and it's since been incorporated into the PlayStation 3 and many other Sony TVs and AV receivers. It's a pretty slick menu system that's generally pretty easy to maneuver through using the D-pad and control buttons. As you get into some of the applications, however, that simplicity can get lost. We wished the Web browser, for instance, was as well-designed as the overall XMB menu system.

If you don't want to use headphones, the PSP has external stereo speakers. They produce decent volume for games and UMD movies, but we've always found the volume on videos that we copy over to the Memory Stick to be a bit less potent.

The PSP includes a 5-volt AC power adapter. It can also be charged via USB, albeit at a slower "trickle" rate. Those interested in USB charging (from a spare iPod adapter or their PC, for instance) would be better advised to get something like the Mad Catz USB Data/Charge Cable, which is readily available for less than $10.

Multimedia and online features
The PSP is primarily a gaming device, but it's got some notable media functionality as well.

Wi-Fi: The PSP has built-in Wi-Fi capability, allowing it to connect to any wireless Internet service, including those with WEP and WPA encryption (but not WPA2). One annoyance: the 3000 continues to use the slowest 802.11b version of Wi-Fi. An upgrade to 11g or even 11n is overdue.

Who Is That Girl I See?

In the midst of the southern province of Lamitan Basilan, a baby girl was born at exactly 8 o’clock in the morning, the summer of May, day 22, year 1990. She was the youngest among seven daughters of a carpenter and a full-time mother. Although their unfortunate in their way of living in terms of financial support, her father, Mr. Andres Navalta Acosta- A native of La Union, raise and support them well with the guide of her loving and caring mother, Mrs. Carmelita Sumergido-Acosta, who used to be a vendor in the market occasionally.
She was six when she started her grade school as a visitor, fortunately she became a regular pupil when the teacher saw she has the potential to join the class at Lamitan Central Elementary School and graduated at that school after her six years of stay. For about a month, she enrolled in a public school to start her secondary education at Lamitan National High School, graduated in the year 2006, and been awarded as one of the top ten. At the same year, she decided to enroll in a competitive school and in great dame of educational institution, Western Mindanao State University, as a BS Computer Science major in Software Technology student still hoping and praying that her grades will be in good terms and to finish the said course.
Enough of the educational background!

She stays as a boarder of Jahns Dormitory just beside WMSU. She is typically a girl that you can hang on if music is the topic, because this girl loves listening to sing a lot! She is an aficionado of Amy Lee of Evanescence and cry hard enough every time she hear a single of their great songs. This gal loves listening to the radio and obviously that was her hobby. She finds writing as a tiresome work, because she’s not into writing, she’s more on reading, especially novels, more probably about love. She is naïve about gadgets and new technologies, a novice in the modern world, and that makes her utterly unique, though. Her dream was to build a new house for her parents that her sister did not able to do, thus making her carry more responsibility. Her parents expect too much from her, and she does not want to let them down.

Anyway, if you’ll ask about her inside, I mean her attitude or somewhat like that, this gal hates it when she was being stepped upon, like burying her down into the ground without her own notice! She was not a perfectionist because there is nothing perfect in this girl, maybe good or nice things. As if! She’s in total frenzy when she’s being misunderstood.
She is friendly, always find ways to tell jokes-silly, naughty, non-sense laughingstocks-and that made her the princess of their circle of friends, d’chukz. Of course, she’s lovely! (hehehe they say so). She’s not so tall but not too small, true Filipino blood runs through her, with her irresistible charm and smile, boys are lured to know her! (Yikes! Hangin man!). She’s not sophisticated, neither conceited nor liberated, she just wants to feel beautiful, for self- esteem purposes, because she’s not beautiful after all, she is just an ordinary teenager passing thru the pathway without anyone noticing that she exist. Exaggerated you might say but that’s true.


She hates:

Cockroach and Snakes Back Fighters
Foul odor Dishonest
”maarte” person “fool”-blooded

Flirtatious Household chores
Feeler Home works!
Showy 7:00 am class!
She loves/like:
GOD Life
Food Hanging out

Water Sleeping…. zZZzz
Family Colors (esp. Black Velvet)
Friends Being Late
Music… ♪ Animè -type-of-hair-fair-complexion guys!
World Karlo Marlon Miranda

I guess this girl needs a lot of understanding because she is complicated. She keeps hiding her feelings, bitter emotions, frustrations and depressions, morally, socially or spiritually. As a conclusion, you must delve deeper to know her better.

Wondering who she is?

None other than, Ms. Leah May Sumergido Acosta.