Photo: Samsung

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab is receiving favourable reviews worldwide, and is clearly more than just a mobile phone, but rather a multi-function tablet which can do so much more than simply making calls. The Galaxy Tab is connected and lightweight, with a screen designed for reading, watching videos and even playing games.

Galaxy Tab rivals the iPad

Revealed at the IFA show in Berlin earlier in the month, Samsung has now officially released the Galaxy Tab to worldwide markets and it already looks set to compete with the iPad. An attractive phone, light but more solidly built than the previous Galaxy S, the Galaxy Tab boasts an LCD screen with a high pixel density and a good capacitive touch response.

Samsung has included different applications that are specifically designed to take advantage of the large screen size, and these include an attractive calendar application and an email application that borrows from the iPad with its dual pane view in landscape. A messaging app is included, as is the Media Hub, used for playing and storing music, and an e-reading launcher application that utilizes PressDisplay to read newspapers, Kobo for ebooks and magazines are accessed using Zinio.

The custom dialer app comes with an attractive contact browsing utility with a video call button.

Get online easily

Web-browsing is a breeze on the, as is viewing all multimedia files, while email, video calling and social networking takes special advantage of the Galaxy Tab’s optimised user interface. The front-facing camera included allows for video chat, while the rear-facing camera’s 3-megapixel capacity allows still images and videos to be captured, edited, uploaded and shared.

HD video content is supported by a wide variety of multimedia formats, including DivX, Xvid, MPEG4 and many more. Samsung’s Media Hub allows the user to view videos, while the Music Hub allows access to the user’s preferred music tunes. Music purchased using Media Hub can be stored and share the content with five different devices enabled through Music Hub. The Galaxy Tab is the latest in the line of Galaxy S of Android smartphones and delivers the high-quality performance that we have come to expect.

Photo: Sony

A premier consumer electronics brand since the late 1950s, Sony has always been regarded as an industry leader, with a broad product range that caters to every aspect of modern digital life.

Now in its twelfth year, the Vaio range of personal computers extends to all consumers’ needs and desires. The range includes laptops and PCs that are perfect for business and personal use, and offer many different configurations to suit users in all industries. The clean design of the Vaio range aids in keeping each system slim and light. Available in many customizable finishes and colours, laptops in this range allow users to maximise on style while not compromising on durability.

Innovation

Sony Vaio laptops use the latest high quality Intel processors to deliver not only increased speed, but also efficient use. Intel’s latest family of Core processors uses TurboBoost technology to provide extra processing power when needed, and energy efficiency in times of low demand. These processors are designed for modern heavy duty multi-tasking and support HD video and accelerated internet connectivity.

The Vaio range leads in innovation by offering Solid-State drives (SSDs), which use non-mechanical memory chips, in addition to traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) to provide secure, long lasting storage options. Using SSDs means that Vaio laptops access data quickly and are less prone to mechanical failure.

Business time

Photo: Sony

With a number of professional-grade features, Sony Vaio laptops are ideal business companions. Models equipped with Sony’s Everywair 3G HSDPA technology use Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs) to access the Internet at speeds of up to 7.2mbps. Bluetooth 2.1+ and 801.11n wi-fi support also ensure connectivity anytime, anywhere. Integrated Motion Eye cameras and built-in microphones make video conferencing simple and easy. The ultraportable, fully featured P series fits easily in the hand and is the perfect travel companion for professionals on the go. Additionally, features like durable design, data encryption, biometric fingerprint scanning, hard drive anti-shock protection, and available privacy filter screens make Vaio business laptops key business tools.

The AV department

A leader in media production equipment, Sony has designed the Vaio range to complement all video, audio, and still imaging technology. Using LED screens, Vaio laptops offer superior brightness on slimmer screens that maximise battery life. With wider viewing angles and professional-grade colour saturation, these screens are ideal for video or still image editors.

Equipped with powerful Intel i7 processors and up to 8 GB of RAM, the F series laptops are more than capable of powering through even the most complex graphical task. The Z series offers dynamic video card switching – the standard Intel video card is perfectly suited for everyday tasks, and when extra processing power is needed, users can switch immediately to the powerful nVidia card. Other available options include HDMI output, Blu-ray DVD recorders, and eSATA ports for fast transfer of HD video and high-resolution images. For audio engineers, Dolby sound technology provides industry standard quality.

For your entertainment

Vaio laptops are perfectly suited for home and entertainment use. With included software, users can easily manage photos, music, and video. Available on most models, Sony’s Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) technology easily makes a Vaio laptop the hub of all Sony home entertainment products, including TVs, PlayStation 3s, home theatre and hi-fi systems, enabling easy sharing between devices.

Eco-friendly

Sony ensures that all Vaio laptops meet or exceed Energy Star specifications, and are designed to have minimal impact on the environment. Recycled materials are used in all possible components. Battery utility software ensures that power is used efficiently to maximise productivity time.

Photo: Sony Ericsson

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz is the latest offering in mobile phones from the Japanese-Swedish mobile phone maker. Considered by some to be a continuation of the Sony Ericsson Satio, the new mobile’s main selling point is in its ability to capture video in full HD.

Design

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz feels great to hold thanks to the phone’s hand moulding ergonomic design. And weighing only 97 grams, it feels rather light, but hasn’t lost any capabilities. The mobile device is not the widest, measuring in at 12.5mm at its widest point. The removable plastic cover at the back is rather disappointing and not expected on what is considered to be a flagship phone.

Features

The Vivaz has a rather unresponsive 3.2-inch 640×360 touch screen, although the picture quality is very high. It runs on Symbian S60 5^th Edition, which is rather basic and the only added thrill being integrated social networking. The Sony Ericsson phone is powered by a Texas Interments OMAP3630 720 MHz ARM Cortex A8 chip, which seems underused with such a basic UI.

Photo: Sony Ericsson

With a small internal memory of 75MB, the HD video camera mobile also comes with an 8GB microSD card providing more than adequate space to save all those HD videos. However, if the storage card does run out space, data can be transferred onto a PC using the microUSB port, which also charges the device when connected. The phone also has a 3.5mm audio jack and comes with in-ear headphones with microphone for use as a hands-free kit.

The selling point – HD video capture

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz comes with an 8.1megapixel camera which is not out of the ordinary, but the catch is its HD video recording capability. The Sony Ericsson phone takes good still pictures, but even more amazing videos thanks to its HD capabilities. The phone captures video at 24 frames per second, with a resolution of 1280×720p which puts the camera phone in a class of its own for now. Video recording is however quite slow, but for the end result the lag is worth it. Recording in HD does take its toll on the phone’s battery life and frequent recharging is needed for HD video capture.

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz currently retails at £334.95 and with the Vivaz Pro’s release already in the works, we’ll have to wait and see how well it does against it’s the new Vivaz and other touchscreen phones like the iPhone.