Indian’s top auto manufacturer Maruti Suzuki is going to re-enter into “C Segment” with a new car ‘Eeco’. The Car will be on Display in the upcoming New Delhi Auto Expo 2010.

This car is believed to be a replacement of the Maruti Versa Model. Maruti Versa has been the biggest disappointment for the largest car maker of the country. Maruti Eeco is expected to have a 1,200cc petrol engine under the hood and might be priced just under Rs 3.75 lakh.

The Eeco will come with two seating arrangements – 3-row and 2-row which will support five and seven passengers, respectively.

Maruti Suzuki Managing Executive Officer (Engineering) IV Rao said: “The new car represents the growing expertise of our engineers to conceive, design and produce vehicles here. This is also in line with parent Suzuki Corp’s vision of turning India into a global hub for small car research and development.”

Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a leading manufacturer of flash memory products, has introduced two classic new ultra-compact USB flash drives – the 8GB JetFlash V90C and the 8GB JetFlash V90P in India. Inspired by the popular 4GB JetFlash V90C, winner of the prestigious Red Dot design award, the latest versions of the JetFlash V90P and V90C combine distinctive faceplate designs and ultra-portable convenience for people who need an elegant way to carry data effortlessly while on the move. The upgraded 8GB storage capacity lets users transfer, store, and share even more important files and data.

Mr. Austin Huang, Regional Head – Sales, SAARC & APAC, Transcend, said, “Transcend’s JetFlash V90C and V90P are more than ordinary flash drives. Their unique design and distinctive styling offer a remarkable expression of sophistication and style. Our commitment to constant innovation and unique designs are the reasons for Transcend successfully diversifying its product range and evolve into one of the world leading manufacturers of high quality, innovative consumer electronics that offer consumers much more value for their money”

Taking a cue from fashion accessory styling, Transcend’s V90C flash drive features distinctive spectral lines that appear to move when light catches it at different angles, creating a dazzling expression of style and sophistication. The V90P flash drive boasts an extremely slim and stylish metal body with a genuine black mother-of-pearl faceplate. As found in nature, each pearl faceplate has its own unique pattern and texture – no two are alike. The V90C and V90P both feature durable polished chrome outer cases with rotating high-strength USB connectors for long-term reliability, and come with either an attractive metal keyring (V90C) or a fashion-sensible carrying chain and necklace (V90P), making them perfect accessories for day-to-day use.
 
Transcend classic new ultra-compact USB flash drives features: 

• Fully compatible with Hi-Speed USB 2.0
• Easy Plug and Play installation
• JetFlash®elite Software pack includes:
    -PC-Lock Function: Makes JetFlash® a key to lock your computer
    -Secret-Zip Function: Compress and/or Password protect saved files using AES Encryption
    -E-Mail Function: Use your JetFlash® to Securely Send, Receive and Save e-mails
    -AutoLogin Function: Automatically login to websites where you have a password
    -Favorites Function: Store all your favorite website addresses on the JetFlashR
    -DataBackup Function: Backup, Restore and Synchronize your Data using the JetFlashR

Both the drives will sell for Rs. 1,600 each, backed by a 3-year warranty

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.

LaCie today introduced a new version of its award-winning Ethernet Disk, a network-attached storage (NAS) device featuring a capacity increase of up to 6TB in a 1U 19″ rack form factor. Designed by Neil Poulton, it is the most compact all-in-one rack-mounted backup appliance operating in heterogeneous ecosystems.

Connectivity includes gigabit ethernet for hooking the drive up to the network, together with four USB 2.0 ports for adding extra capacity or, more likely in the small to medium business applications LaCie envisage the NAS being bought for, performing secondary back-ups to external drives later taken for off-site storage.  The Ethernet Disk runs Windows XP Embedded – and has VGA monitor, keyboard and mouse ports – and has a built-in backup engine.

LaCie Ethernet Disk features:

• 1U 19″ rack-mounted backup solution for small and medium business
• Most comprehensive data backup and protection software suite in its class
• Can be used together with Apple® Time Machine™
• Powered by trusted Windows® XP Embedded
• Instantly store and share files with Mac®, PC, Linux or Unix users

Designed for small and medium business needs, the Ethernet Disk is powered by the field-proven Windows XP embedded operating system that provides all the necessary features for data backup, storage and file-sharing through its Gigabit Ethernet connection. Thanks to Active Directory compatibility, the LaCie Ethernet Disk supports a total of 100 users with customizable access rights to different shares, with up to 25 concurrent users.

“Microsoft is pleased to work with LaCie to provide the core embedded foundation for its new Ethernet Disk,” said John Doyle, Senior Product Manager for the Windows Embedded Business. “We are excited to provide customers with an innovative platform that allows them to develop a, smart, connected device that offers increased security and storage capabilities.”

Developed to provide data protection for Windows, MAC, Linux and Unix-based workstations, the LaCie Ethernet Disk ships with three licenses of both Genie Backup Manager ProTM for Windows and Intego Backup Manager ProTM for Mac, which can perform scheduled file backups for workstations. The LaCie Ethernet Disk’s ability to work together with Apple Time Machine allows Mac users to take advantage of the continuous data protection the software provides.

The included backup software protects against major disasters and natural catastrophes by offering a computer recovery function for selected workstations. Optional extra licenses are available through the LaCie online store.

The LaCie Ethernet Disk can integrate into any global disaster recovery plan, as its built-in engine can back up its volumes either onto a USB-connected DAS (direct-attached storage) to be taken off-site, or remotely onto another NAS.

“Backing up data – even mission-critical data – always boils down to making and storing copies of data, located on your primary storage device, onto a secondary device,” said Erwan Girard, LaCie Product Manager. “For this reason, the perfect backup companion for your information system should be kept simple and cost-effective. The LaCie Ethernet Disk offers computer backup and recovery, and backs itself up onto a NAS or DAS, all at the best price-per-terabyte ratio in the market. It is therefore an excellent complement to the complex and expensive technology used in front end storage servers.”

The LaCie Ethernet Disk is available immediately in capacities of 2TB, 4TB and 6TB through the LaCie Online Store or LaCie resellers at the suggested retail price starting at $749.99 (excluding VAT), which includes a three-year limited warranty.

Intex has announced Intex IN-3030 , equipped with water, sweat & dust resistant technology making it one its kind amongst the other phones available in the same price band.

Tri-band GSM 900/1800 / 1900 MHz ready Intex IN-3030 mobile phone offers 2.0-inch, 262,144 colors, 240 x 320 pixels resolution QVGA display in candy bar style design. The Intex IN-3030 mobilephone allows upto 1000 number phonebook, 300 SMS memory and 20 dialed, 20 received and 20 missed call records. Weighing just 73 grams, the new Intex IN-3030 music phone also offers support for upto 2-GB expandable memory storage via T-flash memory card.

Not only for music aficionados, the Intex IN-3030 mobile phone is ideal for users whose lifestyle involves lot of traveling, rugged & sporting activities and also for the common man which includes farmers, fishermen, factory and construction workers, etc., who are mostly likely to use the phone with sweaty and dusty hands.

Intex IN-3030 features:

• Triband GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
• 265K Colors, 2.0-inch QVGA CSTN display
• 87-MB internal Memory
• T-flash card, Upto 2-GB
• 1000 number phonebook, 100 SMS memory
• 300 SMS storage
• 20 dialed, 20 received and 20 missed call records
• GPRS Class 10
• Bluetooth v2.0 connection
• USB v1.1 port
• MP3 Audio Player, Supports MP3, AAC, AMR formats
• FM Radio Tuner, Live Recording
• Water, Sweat and Dust Resistant
• Polyphonic Ringtones
• Vibration
• Upto 5 unwanted caller block
• Java 2.0
• SMS, MMS
• Handsfree Speakphone
• Applications: Alarm, Calendar, Stop Watch, To-do-list, Calculator,Unit Converter, Currency Converter, World Clock and Biorhythms
• Voice Recording – upto 5 minutes
• Java Games
• Li-ion 1500mAh Standard Battery
• Talk time: 7.5 hrs
• Standby time: 600 Hrs

Intex IN-3030 mobile phone’s designed conforms to the Japanese JIS (IPX grade 5) standard for water resistance. The electronic circuitry is protected by a special film and all the joints are effectively sealed by rubber gaskets to prevent damages from dust, moisture and water splashes. Its even possible to give the IN-3030 a quick wash followed by some shakes to clear excess water. It is also designed to perform at very low and very high temperatures with high humidity.

The Intex IN-3030 mobile handset features integrated MP3 Audio Player which supports MP3, AAC, AMR formats. The handset supports polyphonic ringtones along with MP3 ringtones. In addition, Intex IN-3030 music mobile phone comes equipped with integrated FM Radio Tuner with option to record Live and Scheduled Recording. A unique feature of Intex IN-3030 mobile phone is its ability to block upto 5 unwanted callers simultaniously right from with in the handset software.

Mobile Tracker: The Intex IN-3030 music phone handset is armed with Mobile tracker feature that helps users track their phone in case they happen to lose it. In an event of being lost, stolen or misplaced, the Mobile Tracker feature sends an SMS prompt to a pre-determined number whenever the SIM card is changed thus improving chances of recovering the handset.

Water and Dust resistant Intex IN-3030 music mobilephone comes with several MP3 ringtones and the has ability to download other ringtones and songs. Plus, it includes popular Bollywood hits set as ringtones which includes Ek din teri raho mein, Is tarah aashiqui ka asar, Aa a aashiqui mein teri etc.

In addition, the handset allows upto 5-mins of voice recording and storage and comes with 8 games. The handset also offers Vibration alert and comes with handsfree speaker phone. The Intex IN-3030 handset only offers GPRS Class 10 connection with upto 48 kbps speed and is equipped with Bluetooth v2.0 wireless connectivity. Other features of the Intex IN-3030 includes SOS Message, applications such as PC Studio, Calendar, Calculator, and Alarm, and Java Games.

Available in Metallic black the new Intex IN-3030 music mobile phone comes with 1500mAh Li-lon battery which offers upto 7.5 hrs of talk time on full charge and upto 600 hrs of standby time.

The new Intex IN-3030 sells for INR 3,500 with one year standard warranty.

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.

The Buffalo DriveStation FlexNet is an affordable network storage solution that doubles as a standard USB external storage drive. The DriveStation FlexNet is a simple-looking black plastic enclosure that contains a standard SATA desktop hard drive designed to connect to your computer either as “Direct Attached USB Storage” or as “Network Attached Storage”.

Buffalo DriveStation FlexNet specs:

• Internal Hard Drive: One SATA
• USB Port: One USB 2.0
• LAN Port: One RJ45 10/100Mbps
• Dimensions: 6.15″ (D) x 6.89″ (H) x 1.78″ (W)
• Weight: 2.5 lbs.
• Power Consumption: 17W average
• Power Supply: AC100-240V 50/60Hz

If you’re using a desktop computer as your network drive then that desktop (and the system resources) are being shared with multiple users and the desktop being used becomes slower as a result. The DriveStation FlexNet solves this problem by giving you a completely independent network storage solution at the expense of read/write speeds.

The main feature of the DriveStation FlexNet is that this external drive works as either a standard USB external drive or as a NAS at the touch of a button. The drive comes pre-formatted for immediate use, so this is literally “plug-and-play” storage. There is no additional software to be added in order to manage the hard drive.  The FlexNet’s main NAS configurations are all accessed through a web browser by simply typing in the IP address.

Like most consumer-grade Network Attached Storage (NAS) enclosures from Buffalo, the DriveStation FlexNet makes it difficult to access the drive inside the enclosure. In fact you would need to break the enclosure to get inside, therefore voiding the warranty. This hard drive is designed for anyone who needs an independent network storage drive that can be shared by multiple computers but also wants that drive to work like a simple external hard drive at the touch of a button.

The enclosure is all black and has a very simple design with the Buffalo logo on both sides.  The top, bottom and back of the dual hard drive enclosure has vents to keep the drive from overheating.  Also, on the front there is small Function button. The back of the enclosure has a USB connection, power button, DC plug, LAN plug and reset button along with the vent.  There is one security lock slot on the bottom of the enclosure; an odd location since you would need to leave the enclosure turned over on its side in order to connect a security cable to the lock slot.

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.

Virgin Mobile, a mobile service brand, further enhanced its handset portfolio by launching vDesire. Aimed at the Indian youth, The vDesire is a slim form factor handset with a decent spec sheet aimed at the youth. At 11.5 mm, the phone is quite thin. Other notable features include a 1000 SMS storage capability, large internal phonebook with 500 X 5 entries. The screen is a 65K color affair and yes, there is FM Radio, Stereo headset and speakerphone.

The need for style and instant communication has hit the younger generation like never before and SMSing has become an integral part of their lifestyle today,” said Deval Parikh, chief officer, handsets, VAS and procurement, Virgin Mobile India.

“Keeping this in mind, we have introduced the vDesire phone that comes with a harmonious blend of style and features at a price that no other phone offers in this space”.

Value-added services like access to Vbytes, Virgin Mobile’s data portal, from where users can download wallpapers, ringtones and games are just a button away.

The phone also comes bundled with a Prepaid connection and Lifetime Validity at Rs. 1,699.

Imation India Pvt. Ltd. has announced the availability of the TDK LoR’s (Life on Record) new Blu-ray Discs capable of recording at 4x speed. The four new TDK LoR Blu-ray Discs include the BD-R25 (single-sided, single-layer, 25GB) and BD-R50 (single-sided, dual-layer, 50GB) write-once-type discs, as well as the BD-RE25 (single-sided, single-layer, 25GB) and BD-RE50 (single-sided, dual-layer, 50GB) rewritable discs.

TDK LoR Blu-ray Discs incorporate a recording layer comprised of inorganic material. The discs are further highlighted by TDK LoR’s exclusive Durabis 2 hard coating technology, an ultrasmooth cover layer created through the innovative spin-coating method and a host of other advanced TDK LoR technologies that enable the creation of high-reliability media.

A TDK LoR 4x 25GB Blu-ray Disc can be fully recorded in 22 minutes, and a TDK LoR 4x 50GB Blu-ray Disc can be fully recorded in 45 minutes, cutting the recording time in half in comparison with 2x Blu-ray Disc media, said the company.

A recording layer boasting high sensitivity is utilized for compatibility with 4x recording (144Mbit/sec. transfer rate). 4x recording halves recording time compared with the previous 2x disc. 4.7GB of data can be copied in less than five minutes, which is comparable to a DVD-R recording speed of 16x.

Since the area of the laser spot on the Blu-ray Disc is small, about one-fifth that of the DVD  scratches or dirt on the recording surface can have an especially detrimental effect, causing errors. Durabis 2 overcomes the problem by offering significantly higher resistance to scratches and exceptional resistance to dirt and grime, particularly fingerprint smudges, according to Imation.

Previous write-once optical media such as CD-R and DVD-R used organic dye for their recording layers. Write-once type BD-R media is based on a completely new concept for the recording material wherein a two-layer structure composed of silicon and copper alloy inorganic materials is utilized. When heated by the recording laser beam, these melt, and the alloy become a composite to form recording marks. Because the material is inorganic, said the company, it is not affected by light and offers superior archivability.