Sun
VAIO W Series netbook, Sony
HTC Touch Pro2
SureFire portable hard drive
1. VAOI NW Notebook, Sony, starting at $1,200 for Blu-ray Disc model
Sony’s new VAIO NW notebook line starts at $900 for the standard model with the Blu-ray disc version at $1,200. The notebooks have a 15.5-inch widescreen and an HDMI output connector so they can be linked to a television for bigger-screen high-def viewing. It has a power-conserving “display off” button to turn off the screen while the computer continues to run, saving your battery while at the same time saving you the bother of booting up. SD card and Memory Stick Pro slots, along with three USB ports make transferring music, photos or videos pretty much seamless. www.sony.ca.
2. VAIO W Series netbook, Sony, $600
Sony has also been busy lining up its new offerings in the smaller size range. It’s an area PC makers are jumping into — Display Search is reporting shipments of mini notebooks are expected to double this year to 33 million worldwide, accounting for 20 per cent of the notebook PC market. Sony’s new mini notebooks come with the built-in webcam, a 160-GB hard drive and Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. The price puts it at the high end of the mini notebook range. www.sony.ca.
3. HTC Touch Pro2, available through Telus, price not announced
I’ve heard tales from travellers who carefully arranged for international roaming on their cellphone plans before they head off on holiday — only to find when they reach their destination that their phones don’t work. There are different versions of global phones, and Telus has announced two smartphones from HTC to its international offerings: The HTC Touch Pro2 and the HTC Snap. The Touch Pro2 has a sliding 3.6-inch touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard and runs on Windows Mobile 6.1. The Snap also has a QWERTY keyboard. Both billed as working almost anywhere around the world with Telus international roaming. International roaming, both wireless and voice, can run up breathtaking bills so don’t leave home before you check with your carrier to find out just how much your travel talk and data will cost you. www.telusmobility.com.
4. SureFire portable hard drive, starting at $110 US. Verbatim
Palm-sized drives that come in three sizes — 250 GB, 320 GB and 500 GB — these plug into any Windows or Mac computer for an instant mega-storage option. They have one USB 2.0 port on one FireWire 800 port delivering transfer rates of up to 800 MB per second, with the FireWire connection and 480 MB per second via USB. Ranging from $110 US for the smallest version up to $180 for the 500 GB drive. www.verbatim.com
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