Although the Apple iPhone has not even hit the market, it has already become an industry measuring stick for any new multimedia handset being launched, with the latest comparison coming through the introduction of Samsung's Ultra Smart F700 on February 8th. Like the Apple iPhone, the F700 features a full touch screen. However, although Samsung noted that the device reflects the recent trend in the telecommunications industry by using a touch screen user interface, the F700 will still include a QWERTY key pad (unlike the iPhone) for users who are not yet familiar with a touch-screen-only user interface. The F700 also features VibeTonz technology which allows users to feel the buttons accompanied by responsive vibrations. A "Drag and drop" method of touch screen was adopted for easier menu navigation, Samsung indicated, and the device includes a music play list control. Volume, play lists, brightness of screens as well as other menu controls can be controlled utilizing the touch screen.Samsung has also touted the 3G capabilities of the Ultra Smart F700, with 3G not initially scheduled to be supported by the iPhone. Although a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network is not yet fully deployed, the handset supports the standard. Samsung pointed out that once the 7.2 Mbps HSDPA network is completely deployed, F700 users can download an 4MB MP3 song in 4.4 seconds. Samsung added that a full HTML browser along with the QWERTY key pad enables access to the Internet for e-mail and data services. The device also features a 2.78-inch TFT LCD color display, a 5 mega-pixel camera with auto focus and Bluetooth support. The company did not say when the handset will hit the market and at what price.Samsung Ultra Smart F700 Photo: Company Samsung F700 handset Feature Specification Handset HSDPA 7.2Mbps, EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz + 2.1GHz Camera 5 Megapixel with Auto-Focus Display 262744 TFT (2.78-inch, 440x240) Added features Full Touch Screen MPEG4/H.263/H.264/Real MP3/AAC(+)/eAAC+/Real QWERTY Keypad MMS / E-mail / JAVA / WAP 2.0 Bluetooth / USB Flash UI / Document Viewer Full HTML Browsing Offline Mode, BGM Memory microSD Size 104×50×16.4mm Source: Samsung, Compiled by DigiTimes.com, February 2007

The 2007 Taipei Game Show is currently running at the Taipei World Trade Center, Hall 1, from February 8-12. From the top upcoming gaming titles, to hot hardware bargains, DigiTimes Hot Systems brings you exclusive coverage of the the show's highlights.Microsoft has gone all out to make the Xbox 360 the star attraction of the show. An expansive stage in distinctive white and green colors, and a packed gaming floor gives visitors a chance to enjoy first-hand some of the games the Xbox 360 has to offer. Microsoft's partner on the games floor is BenQ, which has supplied enough LCD TVs to ensure that everyone gets to experience next-gen gaming in all its high-definition glory. Through an exclusive Taipei Game Show deal, gamers can take home an Xbox 360 Core package and a BenQ 37-inch or 42-inch HD LCD TV for NT$49,900 or NT$69.900 (US$1,210 or US$2,116).For those who just want an Xbox 360, Microsoft is also offering a bundle pack including console, hard drive, two controllers, a headset, and the top title of 2006, Gears of War, for a special-show price of NT$13,980.Though the Xbox 360 has a big presence at the show, both the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3 are conspicuously absent.On the PC side, small form factor PC maker, Shuttle has teamed up with Microsoft Games Studios to supply several XPC systems on which visitors can play Microsoft Flight Simulator X and Age of Empires III.After selling over two million copies on the first day of its release in Europe and the US, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (WoW:BC) is getting ready to launch in Taiwan in the first half of this year. As befitting a fantasy-based role-playing game, WoW:BC's presence at the show includes lots of people dressed up in costume. Also 5-on-5 player-versus-player (PvP) tournaments are being held to let gamers show off their skills.Another hot title that's coming to Taiwan this summer is post-apocalyptic RPG, Hellgate: London. Visitors brave enough to enter the darkened show area are brought face-to-face with life-size models of monsters from the game. Those with the stomach to make it through to the next area are rewarded with the opportunity to play the game thanks to the game's publishers and hardware supplied by Asus. Details for the 2007 Taipei Game Show Item Detail Venue Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1 Dates: Feb 8, 2007 (Thu) - Feb 12, 2007 (Mon) Opening Hours 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (2/10, 11 extended to 8:00 p.m.) Source: Taipei Game Show, compiled by DigiTimes.com, February 2007Experience next-gen gaming in high-definition with the Xbox 360 and BenQPhoto: Ricky Morris, DigiTimes.com, February 2007Xbox 360 and Gears of War bundle pack – cheapPhoto: Ricky Morris, DigiTimes.com, February 2007Go head to head on Project Gotham Racing with the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing WheelPhoto: Ricky Morris, DigiTimes.com, February 2007The Shuttle XPC SN27P2 and Age of Empires IIIPhoto: Ricky Morris, DigiTimes.com, February 2007World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, coming soon to TaiwanPhoto: Ricky Morris, DigiTimes.com, February 2007Get ready to enter Hellgate: London, summer of 2007Photo: Ricky Morris, DigiTimes.com, February 2007A character from Hellgate: London – Big!Photo: Ricky Morris, DigiTimes.com, February 2007

Sony Ericsson released three new Bluetooth headsets, the HBH-PV702, HBH-PV710 and HPM-75, on February 6. Lightweight, compact, and long-lasting talk and stand-by times make the HBH-PV702 a great value Bluetooth device for anyone new to handsfree devices, according to the company. The headset comes in a black or white finish.The HBH-PV710 Bluetooth headset has talk and standby times of up to 12 and 300 hours, respectively, and comes in a silver body with glittering brown or red covers, says Sony Ericsson.The stereo portable handsfree HPM-75 builds on the success of the HPM-70, delivering excellent sound with an attractive metallic finish, according to the company. Designed for the best possible fit, spare ear buds of different sizes are supplied in the box and can be easily swapped out to ensure a perfect fit that helps block out external noise and seals in the bass punch, noted the company. Call handling is also easy with a microphone and call answer button on the cord where a 3.5mm jack allows different ear phones to be used.The PV702 is available from early second quarter of 2007, the PV710 is available from late first quarter while the HPM-75 will be available from the middle of the second quarter, according to Sony Ericsson.The Sony Ericsson HBH-PV702 Bluetooth headsetPhoto: Company

The W610 Walkman phone builds on the look of earlier Walkman phones to combine mobile music with a digital camera, says Sony Ericsson. The W610 stores up to 470 full-length music tracks on the 512MB Memory Stick Micro (M2) provided in the box and also offers the TrackID music recognition application; a feature that lets you record a clip from the FM radio and quickly receive a notification of the track name, artist and album, the company adds. Additionally a 2.0 megapixel camera with auto focus makes the W610 a wonderful fusion of phone, music player and digital camera.The W610 Walkman phone is a fully specified music phone that does not compromise on its digital camera offering, claims Sony Ericsson. As well as the 2.0-megapixel camera with auto focus, video recording and playback, the W610 provides a horizontal camera menu – so you can hold it as you would a regular camera when taking a picture – and a picture blogging facility for uploading photos directly to an online blog site. The W610 includes an RDS FM radio and come in orange or black.The W610 Walkman phone is an EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 music camera phone and will be available in selected markets from the second quarter 2007.Sony Ericsson W610 Walkman phone fuses phone, music, and digital camera in onePhoto: Company

At just 9.4mm, the W880 is the slimmest Sony Ericsson phone yet and combines the full Walkman phone experience with a device that fits easily into a pocket, says Sony Ericsson. The 1GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) provided in-box gives room to store up to 900 full-length tracks, while the selection of music applications (such as Walkman Player 2.0 & Disc2Phone) make it easy to transfer and search play lists for your favorite music tracks, adds the company. All of this, plus a 2.0-megapixel camera, is packed into a UMTS phone that's as slim as a standard CD case.The W880 represents a milestone in the Walkman phone portfolio, claims Sony Ericsson. Although without doubt one of the slimmest music phones, the true beauty of its design is seen in the brushed stainless steel finish and the stand-out color variants; either Steel Silver or Flame Black, Sony Ericsson says.However, the W880 is about more than just good looks. The Disc2Phone music management software allows you to transfer your tracks easily and with no fuss from a PC straight to the phone. With Bluetooth Audio Streaming, all of that music can be enjoyed wirelessly on a stereo Bluetooth headset, or by streaming music directly to a home or car stereo. Importantly for a music phone, all of this functionality has been introduced without having to compromise on battery life. The W880 delivers up to 18 hours music listening time and features a special flight mode for switching off your phone in mobile-prohibited environments.The W880 Walkman phone is a UMTS 2100 GPRS 900/1800/1900 music phone and will be available in selected markets from the first quarter of 2007.Sony Ericsson W880 music phonePhoto: Company

Thermaltake Technology recently announced the launch of its iXoft Fanless Notebook Cooling pad, a completely fanless, passive, ultra-portable cooling device.The key to the iXoft Fanless Notebook Cooling pad is Thermaltake's patented Heat Shift Technology which consists of phase change material that exhibits cold and solid properties when not in use, but transforms into a liquid when dissipating heat away from a heat source, noted the company.Upon contact with a heat source, such as a notebook computer, iXoft quickly conducts heat away from the source and accelerates thermal dissipation by distributing the heat across all available surfaces on the iXoft and into the surrounding environment through natural convection, according to Thermaltake. All of this is done without any moving parts which guarantees iXoft can operate continuously without consuming battery power from the notebook and without producing any noise, says Thermaltake.The iXoft is one of the world's lightest notebook coolers available and can additionally be folded for easy transportation and storage, according to Thermaltake.The iXoft Fanless Notebook Cooling Pad is available in black or white. Specifications of Thermaltake's iXoft passive notebook cooling pad Item Details Product number R15ON01 R15ON02 Color Black White Weight (g) 640 Dimension (mm) 353×305×12 Material Sodium sulfate decahydrate Na2SO4.10H2O Noise level 0 dBA Thermaltake's iXoft passive notebook cooling padPhoto: Company

OCZ Technology has announced the availability of its PC2-6400 Gold Edition 4GB (2x2048MB) dual channel memory kit. These new modules are optimized for compatibility for extreme gamers transitioning their high-performance systems from Microsoft Windows XP to Vista, says the company. These new 800MHz modules are the ultimate upgrade for gamers taking advantage of the feature-rich, yet demanding operating system, according to OCZ.At 800MHz, the 2GB Gold Edition runs at 5-5-5 latency timings and offers stability on the latest AMD and Intel platforms, says OCZ, noting that as a Vista upgrader, the PC2-6400 4GB dual channel kit will provide maximum memory bandwidth and deliver the best possible gaming and productivity on Vista systems.According to Microsoft, 1GB of system RAM is recommended for PCs running premium editions of Vista. However, many in the industry are suggesting that 2GB or more should be the minimum. 2GB DIMMs, like the ones featured in this kit, are likely to become popular among enthusiasts, particularly those using 64-bit editions of Vista, which enable support for up to 16GB RAM in Vista Home Premium, and up to 128GB in the Business and Ultimate editions.OCZ 4GB memory kitPhoto: Company

Asustek has announced that its 22-inch MW221U and 20-inch MW201U LCD monitors are certified for Windows Vista, and compliment features of the new operating system, such as Windows Sidebar, and (apparently) Internet Explorer 7's tabbed browsing, says Asus.Both displays support a native resolution of 1680×1050 and have a 2ms response time thanks to Asus' Trace Free technology. A fast response time help reduce ghosting when high-motion images are displayed on-screen, making the LCDs suitable for gaming and watching video, according to Asus. Additionally, both LCDs include Asus' Splendid Video Intelligence technology to improve image quality and color reproduction to suit a variety of viewing modes.In terms of connectivity, both displays include a HDCP-enabled DVI-D port to allow the viewing of protected content such as Blu-ray and HD DVD movies, as well as a VGA D-Sub connector. The two LCDs also incorporate a pair of 1W speakers, and include a cable management system in the base.Asus's 22-inch MW221U LCD certified for Windows VistaPhoto: Company

D-Link on February 5 unveiled a family of 3G mobile broadband wireless routers designed to access and share an Internet connection virtually anywhere by blending Wi-Fi networking technology and a wireless broadband network. The D-Link 3G Mobile Wireless Routers allow users to create a 802.11b/g-compatible wireless hotspot anywhere within range of a cellular network.By plugging a compatible 3G notebook adapter into the D-Link 3G Mobile Router's built-in card bus slot, users can get immediate access to EV-DO, UMTS or HSDPA networks, according to D-Link, adding that the router can then share this signal via 802.11g/b Wi-Fi technology to notebooks, PCs or other Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The D-Link routers are available in two versions: the DIR-450 (EV-DO) and DIR-451 (UMTS/HSDPA). For security, both versions of the 3G mobile router support wireless security features to prevent unauthorized access, including WEP, WPA and WPA2 that ensure a secure Wi-Fi network regardless of the connected devices, claims D-Link. They also employ dual active firewalls (SPI and NAT) to prevent potential Internet attacks. The D-Link Mobile Wireless Routers can be installed as a wireless network in minutes, and it can easily configure the user's Internet Service Provider (ISP) settings to quickly establish high-speed Internet connectivity, according to D-Link. The built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 switch allows seamless connection of Ethernet-based devices.Advanced firewall features include Network Address Translation (NAT); Media Access Control (MAC) and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and Website filtering; scheduling and Virtual Private Network (VPN) pass-through via Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) and Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling (L2PT) and IP Security (IPSec). Other key features of the wireless routers include: Built-in 10/100Mbps switch that allows users to connect up to four wired Ethernet-enabled networking devices; integrated 802.11g access point (AP) for wireless LAN support; 16/32-bit PCMCIA slot WAN interface for mobile broadband connection; integrated 802.11b/g wireless access point with detachable antenna allows connection of booster antenna; static and dynamic routing simplifies IP addressing on local network; support for Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) for easy device discovery on local network; Integrated web interface allows configuration through PC web browser; and support for Network Time Protocol (NTP) for synchronizing with a real-time server to keep accurate time. Without a mobile broadband connection data card, the DIR-450 and DIR-451 work as standard 802.11g wireless routers, such as the D-Link RangeBooster G models, said D-Link.The DIR-450 model of the D-Link Mobile Wireless Routers is available now at a suggested retail price of US$299.99. The DIR-451 is targeted to begin shipping later in the first quarter 2007 with pricing to be announced at that time, according to D-Link.The D-Link DIR-450 wireless broadband routerPhoto: CompanyThe D-Link DIR-450 wireless broadband router (back view)Photo: Company

Shuttle has added three new options to its list of pre-configured small form factor XPCs built around Windows Vista. These latest systems bank on recent Intel processors, fast memory and are compatible with the new Windows Aero user interface thanks to support of Microsoft DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3.0. The latest Shuttle XPCs of the lineup are equipped with 32-bit editions of the new operation system.Three different pre-configured Shuttle XPCs are available with the following specifications: Shuttle XPC P2 3700GC with Windows Vista Home Premium Intel Core 2 Duo E6300, 1GB DDR2, 250GB SATA HDD, Nvidia GeForce 7600GT Graphics, Gigabit LAN, 22-in-1 Card Reader, Dual Layer DVD WriterShuttle XPC G2 3200BB with Windows Vista Business Intel Celeron D 352, 1GB DDR2, 80GB SATA HDD, Intel GMA 950 Graphics, Gigabit LAN, 22-in-1 Card Reader, DVD-ROMShuttle XPC G5 3200HC with Windows Vista Home Premium Intel Core 2 Duo E6300, 1GB DDR2, 250GB SATA HDD, Nvidia GeForce 7600GT Graphics, Gigabit LAN, 22-in-1 Card Reader, Dual Layer DVD Writer Additionally, the Shuttle Systems Configurator provides three different Shuttle XPCs that can be configured individually. Processors, memory modules, hard disks, graphics cards and accessories can be selected and compiled to meet personal requirements with the possibilities nearly endless for maximum individuality and choice, says Shuttle.Shuttle XPCs now shipping with Windows VistaPhoto: Company