Sony unveils range of VAIO laptop computers
Mobile computing in Oman is all set to rise to new levels. Sony officially unveiled a range of VAIO laptop computers for the first time in the Oman market yesterday — a range which redefines computing on the move, while creating a lifestyle statement for its users.

VAIO is an acronym for Video-Audio-Integrated-Operations, and represents the analogue and digital capabilities of the product line, as well as Sony's vision of entertainment and technology convergence.

Dharmendra Lalai, head of the IT & B2B marketing division of Sony Gulf, said: "In the Middle East, the VAIO brand has shown consistent growth of about 40 to 50 per cent every year. We closed the financial year 2007 with a growth of approximately 90 per cent over the previous year."

"Judging from the success and acceptance of VAIO in other markets we are confident that this product will do extremely well in Oman too. We are introducing five series of VAIO laptops in this market, the highlight being the VAIO CR series, which is not only competitively priced but also available in colour variations to suit the individual needs of all consumers," he added

The five series — VAIO TZ, FZ, SZ, CR and NR — are part of the new VAIO line-up launched in Oman. The VAIO TZ premium mobile laptop features an 11.1-inch LCD screen which gives the luxury of free and easy mobility with full capability in a chic design. It's the ultimate all-in-one mobile PC offering ultra-light portability in a sleek compact body built rugged with superior carbon fibre construction.

The VAIO CR series is competitively priced and is aimed at providing noticeable, entertaining and fun personal computers to style-conscious youth who love to express themselves, whether at work or play. The VAIO CR series offers seven attractive colour options (Blazing Red, Champagne Gold, Lizard Brown, Luxury Pink, Indigo Blue, Pure White and Aroma Black) to suit the user's personality.

The VAIO FZ is a premium home laptop featuring a 15.4-inch LCD screen which creates an impact with its elegant design. It brings movies to life on a high performance LCD screen. High-end models in this series feature a Blue-ray disk drive enabling High Definition content editing, burning and playback.

The VAIO SZ series makes a powerful impression with an intelligent mobile design and a 13.3-inch high performance LCD screen. This series features a next-generation Intel Centrino Duo Mobile Technology for unparalleled performance, superior efficiency and enhanced multimedia power.

This series features a 15.4-inch LCD screen and is an ideal PC for day-to-day productivity needs. Enjoy great performance and wireless access with an available Intel Core 2 Duo processor and built-in wireless LAN technology. Prices for these laptops range from RO400 to RO1,000 and differ according to features and functions.
 

Microsoft to Put Windows on OLPC Laptops
After months of dilly-dallying, Microsoft has finally given the green signal to offering its Windows operating system (OS) on One Laptop Per Child's (OLPC) XO laptops for children in developing countries. So far, XO laptops have been using the Linux operating system.

Buyers of XO laptops will now have the option to choose the OS that is best suited to their requirements. The intention is to eventually create a dual-boot version of the XO laptop that has the ability to host both Windows and Linux operating systems. The XO laptops are being sold mainly to education ministries and governments familiar with Windows-based computing, hence the reluctance to buy machines that do not run Windows that could also be the reason for slow initial sales. The general belief among buyers is that Windows-based machines will open doors for students and educators to access Windows-based educational software and tools as also a broad ecosystem providing relevant content.

Trials of Windows-based XO laptops are slated to begin next month in key markets with general availability expected by September. The OLPC Project is also planning on getting a Windows version of its 'Sugar' educational software hitherto workable only with Linux.

But as is the case with everything much else, putting windows on the XO machines will increase their price by $10:$3 in terms of licensing fees Microsoft charges in some developing nations under a program called 'Unlimited Potential' plus the cost of extra hardware required. Which means the XO laptops will now cost more than the existing price of $200 each. The OLPC claims it will eventually bring down prices to $100 as preordained at the time of launch (we sincerely hope so!).

3G iPhone is on the Way!
Any which way you look at it, Apple's iPhone does manage to get around! Rumor has it that a Gen-Next 3G iPhone is on its way. Stoking the speculation are a couple of factors.

One, as reported by a leading tech Web site, a top-brass O2 (exclusive iPhone carrier in UK and Ireland) executive vaguely said that Apple and Telefonica (of which O2 is a subsidiary) will make a joint statement in 'the coming weeks'. Two, rather uncharacteristic of Apple -- the company has let its iPhone inventory go limp in recent weeks. The public announcement came earlier this week -- that Apple online stores in the US and UK have run out of iPhones -- with no indication whatsoever about re-stocking. O2 did much the same thing last month when it slashed iPhone prices leading to an erosion of inventory, giving no indication of renewing stock. Three, the much-publicized deals Apple is getting into with carriers across the globe. Take India for instance; apparently two carriers, Vodafone and Bharti Airtel seem set to market the iPhone in the country.

Meanwhile, Apple, in characteristic fashion, continues to keep mum about any such phone. For the showman he is known to be, Steve Jobs might be leaving the best for the last, i.e. the annual developers conference scheduled for June 9 this year. All eyes already on Jobs, have we?

Touchscreen BlackBerry Thunder to launch in Q3?

If this is real, the Bold is not the biggest announcement of RIM for the year. The first information on the BlackBerry Thunder was reported by BGR, revealing the first all-touch phone of the manufacturer. This is one of its codenames and others refer to it as the BlackBerry Storm or BlackBerry 9500. As it can be seen from the illustrated picture (not real), on its front it has a huge display and only four keys: send, end, BlackBerry menu and back.

According to the source, Thunder will be a CDMA/EVDO and GSM/HSDPA hybrid that can be used all over the world. It will be exclusively available with Verizon (in the U.S.) and Vodafone (in the rest of the world). However, if they cannot meet a specific sales quota, BlackBerry may dissolve the exclusivity and bring the phone to other carriers also. A 4G (LTE) support is also mentioned, but we don't really expect to see one in a device, rumored to launch in Q3 this year.

Moto RAZR2 V9 Ferrari Edition Announced
After the Moto Z8, it's now the RAZR2 V9 getting the Ferrari brand name and design. Yes, Motorola has introduced the Ferrari edition of the RAZR2 V9 that will feature the Ferrari theme, videos, ring tones, and wallpapers.

The Ferrari edition of the RAZR2 V9 packs standard V9 features such as a 240 x 320 QVGA 262K color display, internal antenna, 2 mega pixels camera with 8x digital zoom, and touch-sensitive music keys on the external display. At the same time incorporating new features such as 45MB end-user memory, 2GB memory with an optional microSD card, support for audio and video streaming, video capture and playback, and version 2.0 wireless Bluetooth technology with support for A2DP and AVRCP profiles. Apart from Bluetooth, other connectivity options of the Ferrari edition include Micro USB, USB 2.0 full speed, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps wireless Broadband, and EDGE/GPRS. And also part of the added new features are messaging functions via MMS, email, SMS, and MotoSync.

Motorola plans to launch the V9 Ferrari edition only in Asia and Latin America. No information on the price and launch date has been made available yet.