Update: 2 Feb 2011

The new Nokia Lumia 800 is now available from Incredible Connection on Vodacom contract or prepaid:

Vodacom contract details:
R249 pm
On a Business 24 month contract
Once off SIM & Connection R202.00
*T’s&C’s apply. See below
Plus free* 100MB data for 24 months on contract

Prepaid price:
R5999.95

Watch the review below or visit Nokia.co.za/lumia for more info.

*Terms and conditions apply to all contract and prepaid offers. All contract deals are subject to signing a new 24-month or 36-month Vodacom contract and a once-off
SIM and connection fee of R202 on all new contracts, unless otherwise stipulated. Please visit www.vodacom.co.za for our full terms and conditions that always apply
or ask in store for a copy. Gift vouchers/cards are not included in prepaid deals. Gift vouchers/cards may not be redeemed for cash or as payment on installment. When
taking out a contract or making a prepaid purchase – please confi rm with salespersons. Vodacom reserves the right to alter or withdraw the deals advertised without
notice. E&OE (ERRORS AND OMISSIONS EXCEPTED).

The German car giants are touting the idea of the smart car where the car becomes a mobile communications centre, enabling drivers to access all modern media services at any given time. Uncoupling from the conventional vehicle development cycles is achieved on the one hand through secure and comfortable integration of the smartphone in the vehicle, and on the other hand through the use of a consistently Cloud-based solution. Mercedes-Benz customers consequently always have access to the latest applications for comprehensive connectivity in their automobiles.

But that’s not all the intelligent car does not simply communicates with the driver alone, but also with other transportation modes and the surrounding environment in order to be able to assess all relevant information for a trip and make practical use of it immediately.

The complete windshield becomes a brilliant head-up display; the dashboard, a display band. Digital information about the actual vehicle surroundings, points of interest, friends, pedestrians and other vehicles are all presented there.

With DICE Mercedes-Benz is giving drivers a peak in to the future of driving and even though we can’t expect to see the changes any time soon it’s still an amazing glimpse of what’s to come!

One thing that stands out about the all-in-one is its 1080p 2D / 3D display – a great option for those who want to use their all-in-one as a smaller home theater device. While we don’t have too much detail on the full specs,  we do know there’s an Intel Core i7 processor and a Radeon HD6730M graphics card with 1GB of dedicated video RAM. It also comes with a wireless mouse and keyboard.

The Series 9 display runs at 2,560 x 1,440, but doesn’t include the 3D features found in the all-in-one PC. The monitor is beautifully minimal, with controls built into the base of the monitor. With its slim aluminium build with glowing touch controls the monitor is definitely quite easy on the eyes.

The Series 9 Monitor is set to arrive in stores later this year – think March or April. No word on when it’s due in South Africa yet but keep checking the IC blog for updates.

The WB850F, WB150F, and ST200F devices feature Samsung’s innovative new SMART Wi-Fi technology that aims to change the way consumers take pictures, share and store them. The Samsung SMART range of cameras allows users to transfer images to their PC or laptop using the Auto Backup function – which means no more fussing with cables! Users also get integrated free storage space from Samsung’s AllShare Play and Microsoft Sky Drive so can store and access their photos anywhere. The Wi-Fi capability of the new Samsung SMART long-zoom cameras gives users the ability to share your photos with incredible ease. Using any Wi-Fi hotspot users can email photos or share them on social networks such as Facebook and Picasa or post videos to YouTube.

The WB850F also uses GPS features and Live Landmark to enhance the user’s journeys, enabling them to download maps and find out information on nearby locations with the touch of a button. The camera’s Digital Compass can also give users their location and tell them how far they are from certain locations, while the MapView function allows users to download maps and use their camera to help explore new cities.

The WB850F, WB150F and ST200F cameras make it easy to capture incredible detail through their zoom lenses. The WB850F features a 21x optical zoom, the WB150F features an 18x optical super zoom and the ST200F includes a 10x optical zoom lens. In order to capture the detail at its best the Samsung travel zoom models feature upwards of 12 Megapixel sensors – 16.2 Megapixels on the WB850F and 14.2 Megapixels on the WB150F. The WB850F also features pioneering BSI CMOS sensor technology to reduce image noise and distortion, even in low light conditions. This crystal-clear detail can then be experienced in all its clarity on the 3.0″ VGA AMOLED screen featured on both models.

When in speaker mode, the mRobo weighs in at 1.4KG, stands a little under eight inches tall, and boasts 2GB of internal memory. The mRobo Ultra Bass is basically a state-of-the-art portable speaker that doubles as a dancing robot. The battery powered mRobo allows users to upload about 500 songs into the device via a USB port and select which tracks to play using a provided remote. The music will play through an integrated speaker, with the ability to produce bass at 40Hz. Once the music begins playing, mRobo, which can listen to its own music, music from other devices, or music streamed via Bluetooth, will instantly transform, growing a head, legs and arms, and will groove through a series of pre-programmed dance moves to virtually any genre of music.

Its capacity to transform back into a speaker makes mRobo completely portable and ideal for the consumer on the go. It measures 4.3 inches (W) x 6.3 inches (L) x 7.9 inches (H). The battery operated mRobo uses software to analyze music for beats and rhythms to which it responds with corresponding moves.

Anyway, this phonecamera is still an interesting move for Polaroid. The camera part is a high quality 16MP point-n-shoot, with 3x optical zoom, 5x digital zoom. It shoots 720p video and has geotagging, anti-shake and face and smile detection rolled in too.

The rest of the hardware is pretty standard fare. A decent 800×400 3.2″ LCD touchscreen, 512MB RAM, 512MB builtin storage, microSD slot for upto 32GB of extra storage, Micro USB port and 2.5mm headphone jack. A Samsung 800Mhz CPU powers the Smart Camera, running an unspecified version of Android. For connectivity you have Bluetooth, WiFi and a micro SIM slot for GSM cellular data, so it really is a phone, or at least you can use it as one if you like.

Probably one of the biggest plus points for a camera running on Android is you get access to the Android Market, and a variety of apps to work with your photos. Don’t like what your camera came with? Download something different.

It’s a little heftier than what’s probably in your pocket now, and I’m not crazy about the textured faux leather plastic, but it’s got some nice metal touches and, overall, isn’t too bad looking. But you’ve got to ask yourself if you really have room in your saddle bags for another device, a device very much like the phone that already takes up most of the space?

G1 X’s 1.5-inch 14.3 megapixel CMOS sensor is what really makes it unique, offering a sensor size nearly as large as the APS-C found in larger mirror less models and many full-size DSLRs.  Ideal for photography enthusiasts looking for the highest image quality in a compact, point-and-shoot design, the Canon PowerShot G1 X camera features the largest sensor to date for a Canon point-and-shoot model.

The camera has a brand new, large 1.5-inch (18.7 x 14mm), 14.3-megapixel High-Sensitivity Canon CMOS sensor, delivering shallow depth of field, a wide dynamic range, an ISO range of up to 12800 and incredible light gathering ability helping to ensure brilliant images in even tough low-light conditions. Featuring a Canon lens with 4X Optical Zoom, an aperture of f/2.8 to f/16 along with wide-angle capabilities starting at 28mm, the PowerShot G1 X camera ensures that users will have the right optics for almost any situation.

Adding to the EOS-like feature set of this new model is 14-bit, RAW+JPEG shooting and compatibility with accessories such as Speedlite, Macro Twin Lite or the Macro Ring Light flashes. HDR Shooting has been included to ensure the best possible shot is captured as well. The PowerShot G1 X camera also shoots in Full HD 1080p video ensuring memorable moments are captured in the highest quality.

The Canon PowerShot G1 X camera has a large 3.0-inch vari-angle LCD with 922,000 dots of resolution. The inclusion of the Mode Dial on the top of the camera and the Front Dial helps provide more intuitive control of the camera.

In terms of design the handset is remarkably similar to that of its predecessor the N9 / Lumia 800. With its softly rounded sides, sternly flat top and bottom, and a single pane of glass covering the front it’s hard to spot the difference. Nokia has however moved to a 4.3-inch screen with the Lumia 900, so it’s slightly larger than the Lumia 800. To make way for this the top and bottom bezels have been considerably reduced. It’s also almost identical in thickness to the 800. All of this adds up to a handset with an uncanny natural and effortless feel.

The Nokia Lumia 900 boats a WVGA (800 x 480) resolution and a ClearBlack AMOLED display. It has a RGB subpixel arrangement and an anti-glare polarizing filter. No reports on in-depth operation of the phone but reports suggest that the Windows Phone menu interaction is as fluid and snappy as you would expect from the operating system.

If you’re a fan of the Nokia N9 you’ll no doubt be looking forward to launch of this new handset so keep your eyes open for more updates on the Lumia 900 in the coming months.

The Nikon D4 offers an impressive array of high-end features for the professional user. It’s also refreshing to see some of the basic features of video cameras that have eluded DSLRs in the past. It seems silly that even something as simple as a headphone jack to monitor incoming sound has yet to find its way into a DSLR. That is just one of the small touches Nikon has added to appeal to a growing base of professional DSLR videographers.

The D4′s most intriguing features is once the D4 is hooked up to a network via Wi-Fi or its Ethernet port, you can pull a network IP address off the screen and use that to connect to the camera with your computer. Assuming the camera and computer are on the same network, you can navigate to the camera through your browser, no apps or connections needed. Once you’re connected, you can take photos, adjust all manner of settings, switch to live view, focus by clicking on individual points, and even shoot video. You can also easily browse all the content stored on the camera’s memory cards. This feature completely eliminates the need to tether your camera with USB, opening up a lot more freedom when shooting photos and viewing them immediately on a computer. This functionality should also come to iPads and iPhones soon.

Key D4 Specifications:

•  16.2 effective megapixel, full-frame sensor (16.6MP total)
• 10fps shooting with AF and AE, 11fps with focus and exposure locked, 24fps 2.5MP grabs
• 91,000 pixel sensor for metering, white balance, flash exposure, face detection and active d-lighting
• ISO Range 100-12,800 (extendable from 50 – 204,800)
• MultiCAM 3500FX Autofocus sensor works in lower light and with smaller apertures
• Two sub-selector joystick/buttons for shooting orientation
• 1080p 30 HD video at up to 24Mbps with uncompressed video output
• New EN-EL18 battery (21.6Wh capacity, CIPA-rated at 2600 shots)
• Twin card slots – one Compact Flash and one XQD

For a full list of specifications please visit the Nikon SA page

There has been no indication on when the D4 will be available here in South Africa, the estimated price in the US is $ 6000, which is a rather large chunk of money, but i think it may just be worth it.

Here are a few highlights we should expect this year:

Phones: There is a lot of noise about Windows smartphones this year, we can expect something big out of HTC, Samsung and Nokia. This year should bring us Quad-Core processors, LTE and higher spec camera’s and screens.

Ultrabooks: Gone are the days of big bulky power hungry laptop’s, we can expect a few big names launching some sleek energy efficient machines running the latest Intel Sandy Bridge processors and I am sure all geared for Windows 8.

Home Entertainment / Automation: I don’t think we can expect any new TV technology this year but we will certainly find bigger ones.  Keep an eye on Google with their living room OS. There will be the usual household appliance guys there too with I am sure something that will connect to your home network and even the cloud.

Gaming: We will probably not hear anything major from the big three console manufacturers this year but will definitely be showing off their new toys launched at E3 last year, however keep a look out for something on the accessory side from the independents.

Cars: CES is not a car show, but more and more technology is being included in cars and year after year we have seen the car side of things growing. We won’t expect flash looking cars with the latest body kits and mags, but inside is where we can see some big things.

We are sure to see some changes in the Tablet/E-reader, Photography and Audio markets too, I will be popping in a few posts to keep you updated.