Vista SP2 release candidate to ship this week

The Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista is being released this week in a candidate escrow build after Microsoft has moved up its release schedule for the software, according to a recent TechArp report. The initial wave of the software is now expected to be released a little sooner than previously expected, now at sometime late in April or early in May in its Release to Manufacturing version if no further delays are incurred. In-between, the final release candidate build is now due to be distributed on February 16th. SP2 includes support for new hardware and emerging standards. The update will allow users to record Blu-ray media natively, have an updated Bluetooth 2.1 feature pack, and add Windows Search 4.0 for faster and more efficient file finding, among others. in Windows Vista. It will also support 64-bit processors from VIA and improve Wi-Fi performance after returning from sleep mode. New capabilities will be added to DirectX, with audio and video performance enhanced to better handle high-definition content.

SP2 is believed to the last major update to the software, meant to give users incentive to upgrade the current Windows operating system before Windows 7 launches in the near term.

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Verizon ships, prices Hub touchscreen phone early

Verizon its own schedule by shipping its Hub to stores early. Originally slated for Sunday, the device is available today and is Verizon's attempt to revitalize the declining home field. The hardware uses an Ethernet VoIP connection to make calls and shares unified calendars, contacts and messaging with four cellphones along with Internet-based Verizon services like GPS mapping and V CAST news data. A touchscreen makes all the information visual, including voicemail, news widgets and a digital photo frame mode. Pricing has also been revealed for the Hub and puts the phone at $200 after a rebate and signing a special, two-year Digital Messaging plan that for $35 gives unlimited calling from the Hub within the US and Canada. While a single cordless handset is bundled with the phone, extra ones are also available for $80. A router with Wi-Fi and wired connections is also available separately for $70, though any standard third-party router should work.

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Sony: PS3 price drops hinge on manufacturing costs

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe chief David Reeves in Eurogamer interview published today has defended the absence of PlayStation 3 price cuts during the holidays as a necessary measure to protect Sony's business. The executive acknowledges that price cuts will likely be needed to spur sales but that the goal has been to turn the PlayStation group profitable and that economic conditions will likely force Sony to be defensive with pricing in the future.

Pricing may change on the PS3, which costs $399 in the US, but is only likely to happen if the cost of building the system itself allows. Sony has significantly reduced the price of making the expensive Blu-ray system since its 2006 launch but is still losing money on systems alone and so can't afford to widen the price gap.

"It is possible that as the cost [of manufacturing] comes down, we will be able to [drop the price]," Reeves says. "But we're protecting ourselves with a very hard shell to get through the next one or two years of an economic situation... I'm not going to say we're going to do anything short term or anything long term on the price. At the moment, we have a value-added strategy."

The PS3's base price has largely remained unchanged since a drop in 2007. In 2008, the company kept prices the same while upgrading the hard drives and has routinely sold fewer consoles in key areas than either Microsoft and Nintendo, whose least expensive systems were priced at $200 and $250 respectively by the end of the year.

Reeves additionally notes that there isn't any immediate talk of a PS4 in the works. "I have never even heard it mentioned," he says. "I think people are concentrating so much on what's happening now that they're not even thinking about it."

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Marantz outs reference-standard Blu-ray player

Home entertainment electronics maker Marantz has recently unveiled its first Blu-ray player, the BD8002, which is capable of 1080p video playback at 24 frames per second and will upconvert standard DVDs to near high-definition quality. What Marantz is touting as a reference-grade video player, the BD8002 sports a 12-bit/297MHz video chipset along with a 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta processor with HQV system for upconverting standard DVDs. Video connections include a single HDMI 1.3a input, along with a composite, component and S-video inputs. Up to 7.1-channel audio decoding is supported in Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats.

The BD8002 will play back VCDs, SVCDs and discs with DivX, MP3 and WMA files in addition to Blu-ray discs. An SD card slot will let users view the above formats along with any JPEG photos. The BD8002 only supports Profile 1.1, however, and will therefore can't access the Internet to take advantage of the BD-Live features offered by Profile 2.0.

The Marantz BD8002 is available now for £1799 in the UK only, which equates to about $2,565. There is no indication of when or if Marantz will bring the flagship Blu-ray player to North America.

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Samsung to intro entry-level S3500 handset

Samsung is expected to bring out an entry-level sliding handset under its Anycall brand in Asian and European markets with the S3500. The quad-band GSM phone sports a 320x240 resolution screen and a couple of other basic features such as a 2-megapixel camera, built-in FM tuner and digital audio playback capabilities. Users will be able to transfer music files to the built-in 35MB of memory via a USB connection, but more can be added to the handset via a microSD memory card. The handset will also include a built-in browser and e-mail client. Hinting at the possibility of the S3500's possible release in North America is an approval by the FCC and the handset's support of the 850MHz band, though no other detailed information is known, including pricing information or release dates for any market.
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Sony Ericsson outs Cyber-shot, Walkman KDDI phones

As part of a sweeping update to KDDI's phone lineup, Sony Ericsson has launched a pair of handsets that both have features often left out of non-Japanese cellphones. The Cyber-shot S001 has the 8-megapixel camera still rare for the company but centers on an extremely sharp, 854x480 OLED display with enough color saturation to help previewing photos or watching 1Seg digital TV. The camera itself also has features closer to dedicated cameras with shooting up to the equivalent of ISO 1,600, image stabilization and detection of both faces and smiles. A new BRAVIA Postcards feature creates TV-friendly photo postcards optimized both for widescreen sets and for more recent Japanese Sony Ericsson phones. The phone comes with a 1GB microSD card for storage and supports both GSM and 3G for use outside of its home country. Sony Ericsson promises a release on KDDI in late March.

The Premier3 (Premier Cube) is an unusual approach to Walkman phones that has an LCD with the same resolution as the S001 but in a swiveling design that converts into a notebook-like form factor for watching video. It comes with a more conventional 3.2-megapixel camera but promises better-than-average audio quality and a dedicated external remote for controlling music without reaching for the phone itself.

Like the S001, the Premier3 also has 1Seg TV tuning and world GSM/3G support but comes with a larger 2GB card to hold more music. However, the Premier3 ships much later and isn't due until September.

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British Airways permits in-flight texting on limited routes

There's a good chance that you'll be able to use your cell during a flight pretty soon. British Airways is going to let passengers on selected flights between London and New York send text messages. The flights aren't very packed — the A318s the airline is using are arranged in a 32 seat layout — and it hasn't yet been decided whether the privilege will cost more than the price of the seats.

In-flight WiFi was the first amenity to get implemented (well, and showers), and now airlines are experimenting with texts. So what's next, full calling? I for one don't want to get packed in like a sardine next to someone gabbing away, but so it goes. Then again, I've enjoyed having in-flight WiFi — is the freedom to use your phone at all times one you'd find useful even at the expense of another's (and your own) comfort?

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General Mobile preps 5MP, dual SIM Android phone

General Mobile has provided an early glance at a high-end smartphone that may be the first of its kind for Google's Android platform. The DSTL1 has cosmetic similarities to HTC's Touch Diamond but will have a 5-megapixel camera with flash as well as twin SIM card slots that will let it run on two separate providers as is often the case in Eastern Europe and Asia. The 3-inch touchscreen is lower resolution at 400x240 but is countered by a faster, 627MHz processor versus HTC's slower offering. The phone should also have 4GB of internal storage plus a microSDHC card slot and will have Wi-Fi for short range wireless; the existence of 3G is unknown but is likely to exclude the North American 850MHz band as it already lacks similar support for calls. While the presence of Android isn't yet confirmed, General Mobile acknowledges that the phone's OS is based off of a Linux kernel, similar to its counterpart.

A formal launch is planned for next month's Mobile World Congress and will have the phone shipped during the summer.

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