Apple announced a new 8GB model of the iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition in response to outstanding customer demand. Apple will contribute $10 from the sale of each iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED to the Global Fund to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

The sad fact is, more than 4,400 people die each day from AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, and 2,000 children become infected with HIV each day.

Since (PRODUCT) RED was first launched, up to 50% of the gross profit has been used towards the fight of AIDS in Africa. (PRODUCT) RED has helped to generate $100 million for the Global Fund, consumers know that just by making that choice of Red, they are helping thousands of Woman and Children who have this terrible illness.

(RED) was created by U2 lead singer Bono and Bobby Shriver to engage business in the fight against AIDS in Africa by getting the world’s most iconic companies to make uniquely branded products. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was established in 2002, with the support of the world’s leaders and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the world’s most devastating diseases, and to direct those resources to areas of greatest need by supporting locally-driven strategies. To date, the Global Fund has committed $5.2 billion (US) to more than 363 programs in 131 countries. For more information about (RED) please visit www.joinred.com.

IBM researchers recently demonstrated the operation of graphene field-effect transistors (FETs) at GHz frequencies and achieved the highest frequencies reported so far using this novel non-silicon electronic material. This accomplishment is an important milestone for the Carbon Electronics for RF Applications (CERA) programme sponsored by DARPA, as part of the effort to develop the next-generation of communication devices, IBM said.  
 
Graphene is a special form of graphite, consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms packed in honeycomb lattice, similar to an atomic scale chicken wire. Graphene has attracted immense worldwide attention and activities because its unusual electronic properties may eventually lead to vastly faster transistors than any transistors achieved so far.

The work is performed by inter-disciplinary collaboration at IBM T. J. Waston Research Center. “Integrating new materials along with the miniaturisation of transistors is the driving force in improving the performance of next-generation electronic chips,” said IBM researchers involved in this project.

The operation speed of a transistor is determined by the size of the device and the speed at which electrons travel. The size dependence was one of the driving forces to pursue ever-shrinking Si transistors in semiconductor industries. A key advantage of graphene lies in the very high electron speed with which electrons propagate in it, essential for achieving high-speed, high-performance transistors.

Now, IBM scientists have fabricated nanoscale graphene field-effect transistors and demonstrated the operation of graphene transistors at the GHz frequency range. More importantly, the scaling behavior, i.e. the size dependence of the performance of the graphene transistors was established for the first time. The team found that the operation frequency increases with diminishing device dimension and achieved a cut-off frequency of 26 GHz for graphene transistors with a gate length of 150 nm, the highest frequency obtained for graphene so far.

IBM researchers expect that by improving the gate dielectric materials, the performance of these graphene transistors could be further enhanced. They expect that THz graphene transistors could be achieved in an optimised graphene transistor with a gate length of 50 nanometres.

In the next phase, the IBM researchers also plan to pursue RF circuits based on these high-performance transistors.

Zvox Z-Base 550 is the new Low-Profile Single Cabinet Surround Sound System from Zvox. The Zvox Z-Base 550 is 26 inches wide by 3.6 inches high by 14.5 deep. Its medium-density fiberboard cabinet is a good deal more solidly constructed than your average plastic single speaker system. A black perforated metal grille covers the entire front baffle, and we think the high-gloss black side “cheeks” add an upscale flair to the otherwise no-frills look of the black vinyl covered speaker.

There is one bass port on the speaker’s rear panel; blocking that port will result in less bass.  The Z-Base 550 doesn’t have any buttons or controls at all on its front or rear panels; so if you misplace the small credit card-style remote, you’re stuck. The remote is a straightforward affair, with power, volume, mute, subwoofer volume, treble, and PhaseCue controls. That last one needs some explanation: think of it as a “space” control. With the PhaseCue control turned all the way down you just hear the sound of the Z-Base 550’s three speakers without any processing, turn up the PhaseCue and the apparent soundstage width increases to create a bigger, more room-filling sound.

Also note that both inputs are active simultaneously as one mixed output–if you have your DVD player and cable box plugged in and playing concurrently, you’ll get a jumbled up version of both. What you’ll want to do is just use the TV’s audio outputs directly to the Z-Base, and then perhaps hook up an audio-only product (iPod dock, CD player, satellite radio) as well, and just be sure to only have one powered on at a time.

As mentioned, the Zvox Z-Base 550 is sturdy enough to support up to a 90-pound display. Likewise, the base of TVs sitting atop the 550 should be no larger than the unit itself–Zvox recommends avoiding TVs with bases larger than 27 inches by 13 inches. The big advantage to the 550’s design is that you don’t have to worry about wall mounting, and–the dirty secret of many other “just sit it in front of your TV” soundbars–the 550 won’t block the TV’s remote control IR receiver.

Zvox doesn’t claim the Z-Base 550 sounds like a bona-fide 5.1 channel system, but it’s a gigantic step up from the speakers built into TVs.

The Z-Base 550 is sold on Zvox’s Web site with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you don’t like it, send it back and Zvox will send a full refund–including the original UPS ground shipping fees.

The Samsung Yepp YP-P3 is set to launch and now Korea is finally getting it just before CES 2009. There are no surprises as far as technical specifications go; you will be getting the same great personal music player (PMP) with Bluetooth 2.1 support.

The 3-inch 480 x 272 touchscreen with haptic feedback is the same as you would find on the P2. The new UI is flash based with customizable wedges. You can expect to get about 30 hours of audio playback of the Samsung Yepp YP-P3. Much like we are seeing in currently iPods, the P3 will have a brushed aluminum body that feels weighted in your hand. Nothing shows off that new metal body better than that cool new silver color.

The Samsung Yepp YP-P3 even has a built-in speaker for those who do not always like to use a headset. 2009 proves to be a very exciting year for PMP and touchscreen devices of all kinds with every new device we hear about. So, one to keep on your radar is the YP-P3, which Samsung just made official. It looks to pick up right where the P2 left off, improving with a new haptic touchscreen, revamped interface, and a brushed aluminum body.

Features:

• Capacity: 4,8 and 16GB
• Display and UI: 3.0″ Haptic touchscreen (480 x 272), Flash-based UI with widget support
• Audio: MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg, and FLAC
• Video: WMV9, MPEG-4, H.264 (480 x 272)
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Built-in Speaker
• FM Tuner/recorder, Voice recorder
• Extras: Flash games, Text, and Dictionary
• Battery Life: 30 hours for audio, 5 hours for Video
• Dimensions: 52.7 x 102 x 9.9mm (96g)
• Colors: Black or Silver

The P3 will begin shipping in Korea early January at the following prices: 239,000 Korean won (USD180) for the 4GB, 279,000 won (USD211) for the 8GB, and 329,000 won (USD248) for the 16GB.

Sierra Wireless introduced the AirCard 501 and the AirCard 502 ExpressCard modems for HSPA mobile broadband networks. The AirCard 501 and AirCard 502 ExpressCards offer top download speeds of up to 7.2 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of up to 5.76 Mbps.

With a durable internal antenna design that includes no moving parts and extends a mere three centimeters (1 1/8 inches) from the ExpressCard slot. The AirCard 501 supports the 850, 1900, and 2100 MHz HSPA frequency bands that are commonly used on HSPA networks worldwide, while the AirCard 502 supports the 900, 1900, and 2100 MHz frequency bands and will be targeted toward specific markets requiring 900 MHz band support. Both modems are backward compatible with UMTS, EDGE and GSM networks around the world, providing users with the flexibility to roam.

AirCard 501 ExpressCard is slated to release later this month. While AirCard 502 ExpressCard is planned for the first quarter of 2009.

Sony India has added two new Blu-ray products to its array of Full High Definition gadgets – Blu-ray Disc Player (BDP-S350) and Blu-ray Home Theatre (HTSF2300).

With the ability to support Full HD resolution content, the BDP-S350 displays interactive features such as BD Live and easy access to the latest updates on Blu-ray. It comes in a slim design chassis, featuring an external port to enable extra storage capacity. The player can upscale standard definition DVDs to near HD quality. Sony claims that even if the DVD is old and scratched, it ensures minimal degradation in picture quality. The BDP-S350 unit consumes 21 percent less power in playback mode and 43 percent less in stand-by mode

The HTSF2300 Home Theatre system has been designed to match Sony’s range of Blu-ray Disc players with its slimline design and blue LED backlight. It offers 5.1 channel surround sound and 1,000 watts of total output. There are 3 HDMI connections to bring together all of your multimedia devices.

These feature:

• SONY HTSF2300 Blu-ray Player With 5.1ch Home Theatre System
• Blu-ray Disk player matching 5.1 ch Home Theatre Upgrade Kit
• Digital Amplifier S-Master (Total 1000W)
• 4 x Floor Standing Speakers
• HDMI Repeater (1080p, 3-In / 1-Out)
• Decoding Format: Dolby Digital / Dolby Prologic II / dts
• Multi Channel Linear PCM Digital-In
• 24p True Cinema / x.v.Colour
• Digital Media Port
• Auto Calibration
• Portable Audio Enhancer
• Digital Cinema Sound
• AV Sync

BRAVIA Sync technology is also incorporated, giving you full control over your BRAVIA LCD TV, Blu-ray player and Blu-ray Home Theatre, with one remote. In addition, Sony’s unique set-up system, D.C.A.C calibrates all speakers according to speaker placement, distance and delay.

The BDP-S350 and HTSF2300 are priced at Rs. 24,990 and Rs. 36,990 respectively. They will be available at the Sony owned store, select Sony authorized dealers, as well as national retail partners across the country.

Panasonic has been in the front-projection business for a long time, and has been aggressively pricing its home theater projectors for just as long, which has effectively driven prices down in the category as a whole. As a result it’s now more affordable than ever to get a big-screen theater experience at home. Like most offerings in its price range, it isn’t perfect, but it is better than most of its competition, such as the Sanyo PLV-Z2000. As is typical with these types of projectors, overall color fidelity is Panasonic’s biggest issue, but in other areas of picture quality it performs surprisingly well. The unit offers great connectivity and a slew of helpful setup features, and it packs a solid 1080p punch for such a compact package.

The PT-AE2000U’s external appearance won’t turn any heads. It’s a basic, rectangular-shaped box finished all in black, which means it should disappear when mounted on darker ceilings. All of the connectivity is located in the rear center of the chassis. A pull-down door on the side hides a menu button, the four-way arrows for navigation, and the focus and zoom functions.

Setup features abound on the PT-AE2000U. Vertical and horizontal lens shift are a boon during installation, adding flexibility in placement of the projector relative to the screen. Electronic zoom and focus also ease setup because you can focus the image while standing close to the screen, rather than back at the projector. A total of seven picture modes is more than any projector we’ve seen and presents a daunting number of choices for most users.

Connectivity on the PT-AE200U is superb. It includes a whopping three HDMI inputs–. Having multiple HDMI inputs is great if you’re connecting gear directly to the projector, but it’s less useful in permanent in-ceiling installations that utilize one long HDMI umbilical to the projector from an HDMI switch near the component rack. There’s also a pair of component-video inputs, one S-Video input, one composite-video input, a VGA-style PC input, and an RS-232 port for custom remote-control systems.

The PT-AE2000U is a solid performer in the entry-level 1080p projector category, delivering deep black levels and sharp video processing, but falling short of the best projectors’ color accuracy.

The PT-AE2000U would cost you around $2,500.

iLuv is back in market with its announcement that it will show off its wall-mountable i9500 audio system at the CES show in January. The system will feature a dock for Apple devices and has the ability to playback MP3 and WMA files burned onto as many as four CDs in addition to regular CD audio. Connected iPods and iPhones will be charged and can be controlled through the system itself.

Other source options include connected SD cards or properly formatted USB external storage. Setting the i9500’s clock is as simple as synchronizing an iPod or iPhone, as the time is taken from the portable device. The i9500 also has an AM/FM tuner with PLL digital tuning technology and programmable presets for 32 stations, split evenly between AM and FM stations. Alarm functionality is likewise included, with timer and snooze functions. A subwoofer output lets users connect an external subwoofer to add low frequency reproduction to the i9500. The combined i9500 speakers are rated at 45W of sustained power.

iLuv is still lip tied on the pricing but i9500 is available from may.

SageTV have unveiled the HD Theater, a relatively low-cost high-definition media streamer that puts content stored on your home network, or streamed across the internet, onto your HDTV.  As well as supporting UPnP streaming content from a computer or NAS, the SageTV also recognizes local storage via its two USB 2.0 ports.

Setup with the SageTV HD Theater is really simple, connect the HD Theater to your HDTV and connect to your home network and you’re ready to enjoy all your favorite digital entertainment. If you don’t have a home network near the TV, any USB storage will work as well. Any NAS with Windows or Mac compatible networking or UPnP can also be used with the SageTV HD Theater.

Dozens of audio and video formats are supported, and the box itself is fanless and silent.  With nothing more than an internet connection you can instantly start watching streaming video from sites like YouTube.

Connections include HDMI, component, composite, S-Video, analog stereo audio and optical S/PDIF, together with a 10/100 network port.  SageTV suggest that each HD Theater unit will use upward of 20Mbps for streaming full high-definition content; beyond that, the number of units in any one system is unlimited. 

SageTV HD Theater features:

• Search for any content from USB, home network or Internet video.
• Works with flash or hard disk drive USB storage as well as UPnP,
• Windows and Mac compatible NAS or network storage.
• Access current weather and forecast with a touch of a remote button.
• Works with virtually any non-DRM video, music or photo format.

The SageTV HD Theater is available now, priced at $199.95.

Able Planet has rolled out its new  Clear Harmony active noise-cancelling headphones, these headphines are a great choice for travelers or anyone looking to bring some more peace and quiet into their lives. It’s worth noting that Able Planet claims Clear Harmony can be worn with hearing aids without causing electromagnetic interference. The Clear Harmony offers functional improvements of increased noise reduction and the ability to operate the headphones without power.

As a competitor to a well-established luxury product (the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 and Quiet Comfort 3), Able Planet’s Clear Harmony headphones have an equally luxurious quality. At a distance, the Able Planet Clear Harmony headphones easily could be mistaken for the Bose Quiet Comfort 2. The soft, padded black leather on the headband and the earcups feels comfortable and hugs the head with an easy pressure. The cups fold down flat for storage, and the removable 5-foot cable lets you easily swap in a replacement or use the headphones strictly for shutting out noise. The included carrying case comes with a 0.25-inch jack and two-prong airplane adapters.

The case also includes a molded compartment that perfectly fits a full-size Apple iPod and would be suitable for other types of MP3 players as well. Noise cancellation is where the Able Planet’s Clear Harmony headphones really excel — reducing noise by an unprecedented 18dB. We could detect a subtle white noise created by the noise cancellation, but that’s a fine trade-off for how much background noise the headphones eliminate. The active noise cancellation can be turned on and off using a switch that can be accessed on the rear edge of the left earcup. Even with the noise cancellation switched off (or if the two AAA batteries that power it are removed), the Clear Harmony headphones still can be used to play music (unlike the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 and Quiet Comfort 3, which need to be powered to work).
 
In addition to the active noise cancellation, the Clear Harmony headphones take advantage of a patented sound enhancement technology called Linx Audio, which was developed to increase speech clarity in hearing aids but has the added advantage of enhancing musical harmonics as well. We thought the sound enhancement worked well, but with so much technology involved in active noise cancellation headphones, it’s hard for music not to sound a little tainted by the process. In spite of this, we believe the Clear Harmony headphones do a commendable job presenting a balance of rich bass and crisp highs in the face of a variety of noisy situations.

Able Planet’s Clear Harmony active noise-canceling headphones aim to compete with the well-known and expensive Bose Quiet Comfort series. The Clear Harmony headphones improve upon some of the design flaws of the Quiet Comfort (such as the inability to listen to music after the batteries have died), but the product is still pricey at just under $300.