The new Eee PC S101H netbook from Asus promises hybrid storage comprised of a standard 160GB hard drive and 10GB of file-encrypted online storage.

The S101H has a 10.2-inch screen, an Intel Atom N270 processor, and 1GB of RAM.

Connectivity includes 802.11n wi-fi and Bluetooth 2.0, and there are three USB 2.0 ports along with a wired Ethernet port.

The netbook weighs just 1.1kgs, and is available now for $1,399.

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Canon's new PowerShot D10 is the company's first waterproof compact still camera. it's waterproof to 10m, freeze-proof to -10 degrees celsius, and you can drop it from a full metre without it self-destructing.

Also included are face detection, image noise reduction and motion detection technologies to make firing in auto mode all the more accurate.

Canon says this new Scene Detection technology makes capturing stunning shots easy by automatically detecting people, distance, brightness, colour and movement information to determine the shooting scene, such as Portrait, Night, Macro, Backlit or even Sunset. The technology then carries out the optimum image processing for that scene, ensuring superior quality images.

The D10 has a 12.1-megapixel resolution, a 3x optical zoom and optical image stabilisation.

You should be able to get your hands on one in June but a price has not yet been confirmed.

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's the new user interface that comes with Windows Mobile 6.5 that has the potential to put Microsoft in closer competition with devices like the iPhone, BlackBerry Storm and the G1.

"Everything is now finger friendly," said Scott Rockfeld, group product manager for Windows Mobile. That means that with 6.5, most items are large enough to be clicked with a finger on a touch screen rather than selected with a stylus or by pushing buttons to navigate through menus. Rockfeld demonstrated the new software on an HTC phone with a large touch screen, but said that individual manufacturers would make their own announcements about phones that will run the operating system.

6.5 introduces a new Lock screen (below) so you can now respond to interactive user interface elements with a simple PIN even if the device is locked. Notifications — such as those for missed calls, voice mail, email, text and calendar items — are more intuitive and actionable on the Lock screen. Quickly select if you want to check your voicemail, read your email or text message first.

The new Start screen (below), characterised by a honeycomb interface, is designed for use with your fingers to accurately select the application, folder, game or setting quickly and easily.

6.5 also includes a powerful new Internet Explorer Mobile browser that presents desktop-quality rendering and Adobe Flash Lite to view the real web. The browser allows you to search in the address bar of the browser and now has auto-complete suggestions helping to make it quicker to get to the sites you are looking for.

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)