GADGETS I Nintendo and Sony should deliver by Christmas, and there’ll be a new BlackBerry, too
Gillian Shaw
Sun
A model displays the new Sharp Corp.’s Aquos liquid-crystal display TV during a news conference in Tokyo Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2006. The new flat-panel TV is called “Kameyama model,” made at a newly built 150 billion yen (US$1.3 billion; euro1 billion) plant in Kameyama, central Japan. Manufacturers making flat panels are tackling a supply problem, but what kind of problem depends on where the company stands on the electronics-brand totem pole. (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara) Photograph by : Katsumi Kasahara, Associated Press
Every year at this time the back-to-school frenzy barely gives way before it is replaced by another kind of frenzy, the fall parade of the latest in techno-gadgets and electronics.
This year is proving no exception and electronics aficionados can look forward to a lineup stretching over the coming months that will cover everything from gaming consoles to do-everything cellphones and communications devices, the latest in HD TVs and finally, even Microsoft’s long-awaited new Vista operating system, although it’s not expected until late January, along with Microsoft’s new Office 2007.
“This time period basically from September to December is the hot time in the consumer electronics market,” said John Challinor, general manager of advertising and corporate communications at Sony Canada. “It is a great time for seeing new things.”
Uncertainty over the eventual release date of Microsoft’s new operating system could put a wrinkle in computer sales, but with Amazon.com now taking orders for the end of January and the expectation that there will be some kind of discounted upgrades made available, buyers may decide it’s safe to buy a new computer ahead of the Vista release.
“In terms of preparation for the Christmas season, there is a lot coming down the pipe in the next two or three months,” said Cedric Tetzel, merchandising manager of computers for London Drugs. “The unusual part this year is because of the computer side, because of Vista’s infamous delay, certain things are held back on the computer side.”
However, Tetzel said, the new operating system (which he rates as the most significant upgrade since Windows 95), combined with Microsoft’s release of Office 2007 expected at the same time, offers a real advance for computer users.
“There is quite a lot, especially if you combine Vista with Office,” he said. “There are some huge advances, it’s mind-boggling.”
Mike Bulmer, senior product manager Microsoft Office System for Microsoft Canada, said that in Canada 100,000 computer users have tried the beta version of Office 2007, about two-and-a-half times the number of people who have done that for earlier upgrades.
“People are very excited about it,” he said. “It’s fun — not like go to the patio and drink beer kind of fun, but fun.”
On the entertainment side among the most eagerly awaited new items will be Sony and Nintendo’s next-generation video game consoles with Sony’s PlayStation 3 debuting in Canada Nov. 17 in time to compete with Nintendo’s Wii for a spot on Christmas lists.
The two cover a wide range in the market, with the Wii an Internet-connected game machine featuring 512 MB of internal flash memory, wireless controllers, a slot for SD (Secure Digital) memory expansion, built-in Wi-Fi and a fairly modest price tag not yet set but expected at under $250 US.
At $499 Cdn for the 20 GB version and $659 for 60 GB, Sony’s PlayStation 3 is definitely the console for gamers with deeper pockets. It delivers high-definition, powered by the Blu-Ray disc media format, which can hold six times as much data as traditional DVDs, and that combined with its powerful processor and graphics card delivers a gaming experience of virtual real-life action.
While consumers want to play, they’re also keen on communications, and the range of devices they have to choose from is only growing. Most recently, an anonymous blogger released photos and specifications for Research in Motion’s soon-to-be released new BlackBerry multimedia smart phone, a device with music and photo-taking capabilities and the usual offerings of e-mail, phone, Web browsing, text messaging and other functions.
Engadget.com posted information from the anonymous Boy Genius who delivered what purported to be an embargoed press release from T-Mobile USA. RIM has declined to comment on speculation about the device, which is said to be launching on the T-Mobile network with a price tag of $199 US.
Canadians can’t always count on getting their hands on the new gadgets as quickly as their U.S. neighbours. Among cell phones you won’t see here probably until next year are Nokia’s N series Internet phones. In its latest offering, Nokia is releasing the N80 Internet Edition cell phone in September with WLAN, a Web browser and VoIP-based calling support along with a three-megapixel camera.
VoIP phones are gaining popularity as users turn to Voice over Internet Protocol to save money on their long distance chats. The Vancouver-based Ascalade Communications Inc. is showing off its newest Skype-certified VoIP phone at the upcoming VoIP gathering, the fall VON conference and expo in Boston, Mass.
The phone enables Skype users to make and receive both Skype calls over the Internet and traditional landline calls without a computer.
Apple still dominates the MP3 player market by a huge margin but talk of a new device incorporating a phone has not gone beyond that — simply talk. Apple is expected to make an announcement on Sept. 12 when Apple Expo 2006 opens in Paris. That could be anything from computer upgrades to a computer download service, so while analysts say it’s not too late for Apple to make a product announcement in time to reach store shelves for Christmas, for now consumers are left guessing.
Televisions no doubt will be on a lot of holiday wish lists and the choice is only getting richer, with Sharp and Sony this week announcing new LCD TVs, including 52-inch models, set to launch in October.
Sharp Corp. announced Thursday a lineup of full-spec high-definition Aquos LCD TVs ranging from 42 to 52 inches.
Sharp’s announcement came shortly after Sony announced the launch of nine new LCD TV models to be introduced in Japan in October, including a 52-inch high-definition model, with the company promising that most of the new models will be available in overseas markets in time for Christmas shopping.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
