DSTL1 Android Smartphone Is Battlestar Galactica's iPhone

This is the Android-based, 3-inch Sharp touchscreen, General Mobile DSTL1. And it is everything the T-Mobile isn't: A stunning design and features combination that may convince regular consumers to choose the Android platform over iPhone.

Seriously, while the T-Mobile G1 leaves me completely in a blah state of mind, DSTL1 actually makes me horny in a "I wish this thing vibrates really hard" kind of way.

Look at it. It's like the Battlestar Galactica designers took the iPhone design and passed it through their Colony-Design-a-thon, adding angled corners to it but keeping the same black glass, chrome accents, black plastic, circular home button, ear speaker grill, and volume controls. The result is a design which looks extremely familiar to the public, yet adds enough changes to appeal to people who want something cool looking, but different. And with better specs too:

Technology
Double SIM, Linux 2.6 Kernel
Platform
Marvell PXA 310 (624MHz)+NXP 5209
Bands
900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
Screen
TFT/ WQVGA/ 260K Colors/ 3.0" Sharp Brand Touchscreen Display/ 240 x 400 pixels
Wi-fi
802.11 b/g
GPRS
Yes
EDGE
Yes
WAP
Yes, HTTP/WAP2.0 support
MMS
Yes
E-mail
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes / BT 2.0 + EDR, SPP, A2DP, AVRCP, OPP, HFP
FM Radio
Yes
TV
Java
Yes ( MIDP 2.0, CLDC 1.1 )
MP3/MPEG4
Yes/Yes
Face to Face videoconferencing
Yes

Weight
135gr
Dimensions
112 x 54 x 16 mm
Memory
4GB internal memory, 256MB flash + 128MB SDRAM ,"Up to 8GB T-flash Card Support"
Camera
5MP Auto Focus with Flash Sharp Brand Camera
Voice Recorder
Yes

Talk Time
240 minutes
Standby Time
150 hours
Battery
1200 mAh
Accessories
Extra Battery, USB Cable, Earphone, AC Charge Adaptor

Others
Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF document view MP3/ WAV/ MIDI/ AMR support 3GP, MPEG4, AVI (DIVX),QVGA recording 30fps, decoding 30 fps JPG/GIF/BMP/PNG Business card reader support Anti theft support Video chat support Impressive. Apparently the DSTL1 it will be at Barcelona's 3GSM in February and I will be there to see if all these features are the real thing and how much this beast will cost. But on paper and renderings, it may be the first phone that would make me drop my iPhone. The only "but" for me: It's 0.63 inches thick (16mm). Too much of a brick after being used to the ultra-thin iPhone.

Is The Xbox 360 in Real Trouble?

While Sony’s revenues increased this year, Microsoft’s share ended up decreasing in value likely due to decreased Xbox 360 hardware prices. This comes on the heels of Microsoft boasting and toasting themselves all over the gaming industry for their successful increase in unit sales of the 360 due to the price drop of the Arcade edition for $199.

While the 360 did gain ground on its rival Sony’s PS3. This is all attributed to the price drop. On the surface it seems like a good move, but underneath lies the truth that the current trend for Microsoft’s unit sales is; units sales up, profits down. Leaving it  up to software sales for continued economic prosperity. This is one area where Microsoft is no slouch. Gears of War 2 will easily go on to sell 5 million copies. Two new Halo games and continues high sales of third party titles almost assure success in 2009. The real question for Microsoft this year is not 09 itself, but rather can they sustain beyond.  

Competition has gotten very steep this year as Sony ups the ante with Killzone 2. From all impressions and reviews given so far, it seems as though Sony finally has an absolute powerhouse of a game on its hand. "Halo Killer" is a common statement heard in reviews and impressions. Also Sony has probably the biggest game of the year sitting in the training room brewing to what should be perfection. That’s right, God of War 3.

This year is beginning to shape up to be a very heavy hitting year in the HD console war. The stakes are higher than ever. Microsoft’s must hold of the huge onslaught of PS3 exclusive titles with its own triple A titles all while getting the next few years ready at the same time. It should be one hell of a ride.

WD finally launches 2TB drive

WD's much talked about 2TB hard drive has gone on sale in Australia, and we're expecting it to pop up in Europe and the States within days, if not hours. We were expecting it last week, but it seems WD wasn't in much of a hurry to launch it.

The cheapest listings currently stand at just under AU$400, while the WD's 1TB drive sells for under AU$180. Australians have the misfortune of paying more for their hardware than the rest of the world, and we expect prices in Europe to be slightly lower, although WD's official MSRP is €299. The company will also release a 1.5TB version of the drive, and one of the first uses of the new drives will be in WD's My Book series of external hard drives.

Seagate has recently announced its 12th generation Barracuda series, also featuring 500GB platters, so it might launch its own 2TB drive soon, this time around hopefully without messed up firmware.

Apple gets multitouch patent

Everything you touch belongs to Apple 

The glorious Apple religion has scored a key patent which now means that anyone who comes up with touch screen technology might have to pay Jobs' Mob shedloads of cash.

World of Apple spotted the patent, which was awarded to Steve Jobs, iPhone software chief Scott Forstall, and Wayne Westerman, one of the founders of a company called Fingerworks that Apple acquired in 2005.

The patent is extremely long, and covers many of the methods used by the iPhone to display data, such as pinch-to-zoom Web browsing and swipe-to-scroll. Yesterday COO Tim Cook's warned Palm that it would be getting nasty if iPhone competitors nicked its IP it would use whatever weapons that we have at our disposal.

Palm said that if Apple wanted to sue them they should “bring it on”.

Will the Google GDrive kill off the PC?

Cloud computing means stormy weather for Microsoft

That large beige box under your desk could be consigned to history if, as predicted, the Google GDrive hits the market.

It's said to be the next step in the company's 'cloud computing' strategy, with direct access to all of Google's office-based software, not to mention Gmail, Picasa photo storage, Google Maps, media files and of course, good old web searching. Ok, you'll still need a monitor, keyboard and other desktop accessories, but if this thing comes cheap, it'll fly out - and rip a large hole out of Microsoft's projected profits. After all, with no desktops, where does Microsoft stick its software?

Are there any downsides? Well, of course there are. You will have to trust all your personal data and files with a third party. If you've nothing to hide (or need to conceal), that's fair enough. But if the thought of a third party accessing your life gets you in a sweat, maybe the GDrive isn't for you.

And of course, we don't just use desktops for web browsing - if you use it for gaming or graphics, the Google box is unlikely to tick the boxes. Not much use if you rely on a laptop either.

But the pros certainly outweigh the cons. Google is refusing to confirm that the GDrive is imminent, but we suspect it is. Watch this space.

PSP to Come in New, Festive "Carnival Colors"

OK, when we werebrainstorming new functionality for the PSP, who out there requested four new "carnival colors" instead of a second analog stick?

Beginning March 5th, Japan will have access to the PSP in Radiant Red, Vibrant Blue, Bright Yellow and Spirited Green. They'll come alone for about 19800 yen (the normal PSP price) or with a matching case/wrist strap and 4GB Memory Stick for 24800 yen (that's about $280 when converted).

I don't know about you, but these new PSP colors make me crave elephants, clowns and bearded women...and definitely not in that order, if you know what I'm saying.