Archive for May, 2007

MP3 Players

MP3 players are probably one of the coolest gadgets ever to hit the music market.  Not only have they allowed the true-blue audiophiles to take their music everywhere they go, but they have also allowed casual listeners to learn to appreciate music more and expand their repertoire.

Using an mp3 player is revolutionary because mp3 players have allowed music to become more portable.  Before, if you want to be able to listen to a wide variety of music while you are traveling or moving from place to place, you have to lug around a bulky tape or CD player and bring a bunch of cassette tapes or CDs along.  The sheer volume can become a hassle when you are not really inclined to bring a lot of stuff with you.  So, if you want to listen to music, you either make do with taking a number of discs or tapes with you, or just tune in to your radio.  It does not give you much of a choice, does it?

Using an mp3 player, however, has changed it all.  MP3 is an audio file format that uses digital compression, making the music file so small that you can fit in many, many titles in a storage space that is just the size of, say, a deck of cards or a chocolate bar.  So, instead of bringing with you at least a dozen tapes or CDs in order to indulge your musical cravings when you are mobile, all you need to do is upload your music into your mp3 player.  Or, you can burn your mp3s onto a CD and just bring that CD and your CD player whenever you are moving around.

Another neat thing about using an mp3 player is that you can customize your own playlist.  If you feel like listening to a particular artist, you can program your mp3 player to play only the songs of the artist you want to listen to at that specific moment.  If you feel like listening to a particular list of songs or music titles, you can create this playlist on your mp3 player.  You no longer have to press the forward button in order to skip a track you do not wish to hear.

Most mp3 players – the mp3 CD player format specifically – are built with their own mp3 ripper or encoder, so if you want to rip the tracks from your old CDs into your mp3 player, you can do so with ease using your mp3 player.  With the right software, you can build your very own music library that you can bring with you wherever you go.

Keep in mind that mp3 players are not just for playing music.  Podcasts are now becoming popular among people using mp3 players.  A podcast is like a broadcasted talk show, only that it is recorded using the mp3 format or any similar digital audio format.  Podcasts can be uploaded on the Internet and downloaded by mp3 users, to be listened to whenever they feel like it.

For those who want to listen to the radio, mp3 players usually have a built-in radio tuner for the further enjoyment of their users.

Hybrid camcorder from Mustek

Mustek DV520T VGA Tapeless Camcorder is a small and user-friendly camcorder. It sports a 5.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, a 2″ LCD screen and 8x digital zoom. Probably not the best quality, but might be good for people who’re looking for a point and shoot camcorder.

“Video is recorded at VGA resolution (640×480) at 30 frames per second. The Mustek DV520T can be connected to your computer via USB 2.0 or to your TV for direct video playback.”

The model has a bunch of features including digital image stabilization, voice recorder, and even an MP3 player. Everything is recorded on SD cards, and the camcorder supports up to 2GB cards.

DV520T only costs $129.99, which makes it a good product if you don’t want to spend too much. It also has a pretty appealing and slim design. I like it even though the quality could have been better.

Cell phone market

When we speak of the major cellphone manufacturers in the world, only a few names come to mind. Although there are certainly a number of players in the cellphone manufacturing sector, only a few companies have come to truly dominate the market.

nokia.gifOne of the names that fall into the roster of the major cellphone manufacturers in the world is none other than Nokia Corporation. The Finland-based Nokia Corporation has always been a pioneer in the field of telecommunications. Not only has the company been at the forefront in the development of new telecommunications technology that largely affects the evolution of cellphones, it is currently the largest producer of cellphone units. One of the hallmarks in the history of telecommunications was scored by Nokia when the then Prime Minister of Finland Harri Holkeri made the first ever commercial GSM phone call in 1991, using Nokia handset and through a network powered by Nokia. Nokia handsets are widely known for their sleek design, packed features and ease of use. Nokia cellphones are very popular among users because the units themselves fit easily into the user’s hand when used.

Another major manufacturer of cellphones in the world is Siemens AG. Siemens AG is a technology conglomerate based in Germany. The company has many varied interests, such as in medicine, automation, power generation and many others. Siemens AG is another pioneering company in the mobile telephone industry, as they were the first company to produce a GSM phone with a color display. The company, however, has not released a new model since 2005. In 2006, the Siemens AG communications arm, Siemens COM, has formed a partnership with Nokia to create the Nokia Siemens Networks group.

Sony Ericsson Mobile is another major manufacturer of cellphones in the world. This company is a joint venture between the Japanese Sony Corporation and the Swedish Ericsson; the merger was created solely for the production of cellphones. Sony Ericsson is known for being the telecommunications company to come up with the first music-oriented series of cellphone units. This move opened the market for portable music players. The newer Sony Ericsson cellphone units have begun to include the Sony CyberShot camera feature, with 3.2 megapixels.

Motorola is a major cellphone manufacturer that is also definitely worth noting. This American company has long been involved in the production of radio-related products, ever since its inception in 1928. In the last decade, the company slipped a little in its hold of its share of the cellphone market, but it is recently made moves to regain it, and it has been regaining it fast with their sleek and trendy new designs such as the Motorola RAZR and the Motorola SLVR lines. The managed services arm of Motorola with regards their telecommunications equipment and mobile phone units is WMNetServ, a joint venture between Motorola and Wipro.

The Samsung Group is also a major manufacturer of cellphones through their Samsung Electronics arm. With their mobile phone products garnering a share of 12.2% of the market, Samsung Electronics is pegged as the third largest manufacturer of cellphones in the entire world.

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