After a string of tired, rehashed design cues in its current range of VAIO notebooks, Sony responds with this. Very nicely-done, Sony.

The new ultraportable and ultra-pocketable Sony VAIO P is now available for pre-order in two configurations, at S$1,299 (Intel Atom 1.33GHz/60GB hard drive) or S$1,699 (Intel Atom 1.66GHz/64GB solid-state drive). Sony Singapore is running a pre-order promotion from January 9 to February 8, 2009, in which they’ll throw in an original VAIO pouch in the same color as your VAIO P.

See how beautifully it fits with the TG1E HD Handycam I have been lusting for. I so need this, don’t I?

The only truism I have ever heard about backing up data is this:

Data loss is not a matter of if; it is a matter of when.

And I can’t put it better any other way. When you are faced with a mental list of what you had just lost right after your hard disk has boarded a direct flight to hell—photographs you’d just taken on a vacation, articles and clippings you’ve gathered over the years, along with documents containing snippets of ideas—data that have become indispensible, you will quickly realize that the extra money you should have spent on getting a spare hard disk solely for backups is nothing compared to the cost on the invoice you’d just received from the data recovery company.

Cost of a new hard disk = S$500 at best.

Cost of data recovery = S$1,800.

The look on my face = Priceless.

In the wake of the latest fiasco involving yet another Hitachi hard disk drive, I sought for the services of a data recovery company. Their response was nothing short of prompt, and I was left highly impressed; of course, for the price I had to pay, I was expecting to be.

The first thing I am going to do once I have sorted out this mess is to go buy an external hard disk solely for backups. In the past, my only backup practice was to copy files I deemed important off of my laptop and into an external hard disk whenever I remembered to. I also used this external hard disk as a working disk, meaning it was also a repository for files that I simply had no space for in my laptop, stuff like video files or batches of images that easily ran in the region of 60GB or so. In this regard, to have a backup disk as a working disk I carry around on me is anything but good practice. From now on, backup is backup, and working is working. Never shall the two usage mix again.

One for working files, to be lugged around on my person.

One for the repository of the original files of all the photographs I have ever taken (some of which I had already lost, marking a data gap between March 2006 to September 2006).

And one strictly for Time Machine, OS X’s built-in backup utility that backs up a Mac hourly for the past 24 hours, daily for the past month, and weekly until a backup disk is full.

As for the dead Hitachi returned to me by the data recovery company? I will stuff it up Hitachi’s CEO, into where the sun doesn’t shine. Oh, and since I still have the dead Hitachi hard disk from my Sony VAIO (now happily running a Toshiba hard disk, I am pleased to add), I will tear him a new bunghole with that.

Oh, throw in the CEO of Samsung as well. Two faulty hard disks from them… and counting.

Introducing the Sony VAIO TT, the latest range of Sony’s ultra-portable notebooks.

Standard specs found in all TT models such as 11.1″ widescreen LCD with XBRITE-DuraView, webcam, Bluetooth, fingerprint sensor, HDMI out, and a bundled pair of noise-canceling headphones (nice touch, Sony), while the highest-end model—the VGN-TT90US—sports 4GB RAM, 256GB Solid State Drive, and Blu-ray Disc playback/recording.

The VAIO TT, an Intel Centrino 2 11.1″ ultra-portable, is also available in Premium Carbon, Burgundy Red, Grace Gold, and Silky Black.

What’s more, the Sony VAIO TT Premium Design range is really appealing to the woman in me…

There are three motifs in the Premium Design range: Royal Ornament (top), Fragrant Flower (bottom left), and Noble Textile (bottom right). These models are currently available only in Japan.

More info here on Sony Japan’s VAIO page and Sony USA’s page.

After a previous post in which I lamented about the lack of Bluetooth solutions for the iPod, I found what I needed by accident both yesterday and today.

For the informed, the back corridors of Sim Lim Square is a treasure trove for gadget freaks. The range of gadgety and electronics stuff these obscured shops tuck away is amazing, from the utterly redundant to the cleverest accessories for just able any solution you need.

So, there I was, browsing, when I saw a Bluetooth iPod dongle made by a Taiwanese manufacturer called everE. Clearly stated on its packaging was the claim that the dongle “supports A2DP and AVRCP for remote control functions”. I was in absolute bliss. More so after learning its price is merely S$39.

With one part of the puzzle solved, I picked up a SonicGear Blue2 SR300 for S$69, a Bluetooth stereo headset prettily finished in piano black and sporting an OLED display. Again, its packaging stated explicitly support for AVRCP. Now, I should be able to stream music from my iPod with the dongle to the headset and have remote control functions.

Would it work?

After stumbling over the pairing process, the strains of Chicane’s Far From The Maddening Crowds finally filled my ear canals.

Orgasm, it was.

Lately, I have been looking into Bluetooth solutions for my iPod. Quite simply, all I want is a Bluetooth transmitter to plug into the iPod, and a Bluetooth receiver with basic remote control functions that I can use with my favorite pair of earphones. Two parts to a puzzle. All you need is a transmitter and a receiver that support AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile). Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

To my surprise, there are very, very few Bluetooth remote control solutions available for the iPod. Manufacturers have either a transmitter or a receiver but not both. That, or they think users are only interested in pairing a pair of Bluetooth headphones to the iPod. I don’t get it; I can’t be the only person who’s interested in wanting to be able to play, pause and skip tracks on my iPod by Bluetooth, right?!

There’s the Jabra A125s transmitter that plugs into the iPod dock connector. It has AVRCP capabilities that you can control your iPod with, but only with a pair of Bluetooth headphones. It can probably work with any receiver that has got AVRCP, but Jabra makes no mention of this in its product literature. And no Jabra reseller here in Singapore has even heard of the damn thing.

There is also the Motorola D650 transmitter for the iPod. No mention of AVRCP, so I don’t know if I can have remote control functions if I go with this one.

Sony has a iPod Bluetooth transmitter that looks promising—the TMR-BT8IP WIreless Transmitter for iPod. At least Sony guarantees you can “operate basic functions of iPod remotely from BT headset which has AVRCP capability.” But, alas, Sony does not have a corresponding Bluetooth receiver, though Sony Ericsson has a plethora of receivers that have AVRCP capabilities.

I have a feeling I can probably remote control my iPod with a Sony Ericsson BT receiver. Sony designs its products to work across its many product categories; from BRAVIA TVs to Walkman phones and DAPs to VAIO computers, there is a high level of seamless connectivity between their products. So, theoretically, it should work. Theoretically I say, because the TMR-BT8IP has not been launched in Singapore. A trip to Sony dealers only resulted in blank looks from the salespeople. Sometimes I seriously suspect I know their product line-ups better than they do…

Apple, please give me Bluetooth in the iPod. It’s really not that difficult to make one.

Sony Japan has just announced the NW-A820 series of Walkmans. Available in black, white and pink, the NW-A828 (8GB), NW-829 (16GB) and the SonyStyle limited edition NW-A829/N (16GB, and only in champagne gold) all sport a 2.4″ 320×240 LCD display, and are capable of playing back MP3, WMA, AAC, HE-AAC, ATRAC and WAV audio files, along with MPEG-4 AVC and H.264 video files, with media management handled by either SonicStage CP (urgh) or Media Manager for WALKMAN (hopefully better like the Media Manager for the PSP). These Walkmans also come with Noise Cancellation built-in.

A first for Sony’s personal audio product line-up is the built-in Bluetooth. The NW-A820 series feature Bluetooth Ver. 2.0, and support A2DP and AVRCP profiles. AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile) support is especially important, as it means you can play, pause, skip tracks and control volume of this Walkman wirelessly with a Bluetooth remote control, and have a true wireless solution.

Early digital audio players by Sony lacked accessories to go along with, so it is nice to see that Sony has been paying attention in this area.

Accessories for the NW-A820 series include the SRS-NWT10M, a plug-on mono speaker with limiter features to prevent audio clipping …

… and the VCR-NW10, a dock that allows you to record video and audio off a computer directly to the Walkman. Interestingly, the supplied lanyard also acts as a stand so that you can prop the NW-A820 on a desk.

After months of rumors regarding Sony Ericsson’s 2008 portfolio line-up, the Japanese-Swedish cellphone manufacturer has finally announced at the Mobile World Congress seven new cellphones:

In their Walkman category, there is the W980. Pretty slick design.

In the Cyber-shot category, there are the C702 and C902, surprisingly breaking away from the regular ‘K’ designation. Ho-hum.

Seems like there are some confusion over the C phones and a unofficial K820 making the rumors circuit. The cellphone below is the C902. Splash- and dust-proof, which is sweet, and the design is reminiscent of the W880; looks to be equally as slim, too.

In a new category, ‘Productivity’—designated ‘G’—there are the G700 and G900. The unique feature of these two phones is Quick Notes jotting function, much like stickies that stay on the main screen. Ho-hum, and not for me.

In the Z category, and looking pretty sweet, there is the Z770 clamshell. Pretty, minimalist design. Rather fashionable.

But nothing is more exciting than the next cellphone that was announced. After months of rumors regarding this, the first model in Sony Ericsson’s new premium sub-brand XPERIA, the XPERIA X1, has just been announced.

Oh. My. God. Look at that!

The biggest surprise the XPERIA X1 holds is that it runs Windows Mobile 6 instead of the UIQ Symbian OS that powers all of Sony Ericsson’s current offerings. Given that the XPERIA X1 is targeted at the same user group as the P1i—smartphones for business executives—I personally feel that the switch to Windows Mobile is a very good move on Sony Ericsson’s part.

The XPERIA X1 features a big 3″ screen (at 800 x 480!), a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3.2 megapixel camera, aGPS, and a touch screen user interface comprising of a XPERIA front-end interface running above Windows Mobile; full specs can be found here. Notably, the XPERIA X1 sports a 3.5mm audio jack and a Mini-USB port.

I have been in the market for some time for a replacement to my very beaten two-year-old K750i. Since I finally decided it was time to go for a convergent device and carry one less gadget, I had been considering various Smartphones. Of course, I was leaning towards something from Sony Ericsson since they make the best in-phone cameras, bar none, and I would much prefer to reuse existing accessories.

After a month-long evaluation period, I decided to hold out simply because:

Sony Ericsson P1i: Ambivalent about both the screen size (I keep wanting a bigger screen), the weird two-way supposed QWERTY keypad, and the Symbian user interface, which felt clunky to me. Plus, having being weened from Pocket PC 3.0 to Palm OS 5 to Windows Mobile 5, I have been spoilt for choice when it came to third-party applications.

Moto Q: Love the BlackBerry-esque keyboard, not so hot about the tiny screen. No WiFi was the deal breaker. And it is rather wide, despite its thinness.

ASUS P750: Runs Windows Mobile 6—OK. No QWERTY keyboard—Not OK. Ugly as a donkey’s ass. I like masculine phone design, yes, but the industrial design of the P750 is downright uninspired.

Apple iPhone: Can’t deny that it is gorgeous eye candy. Plus, it’s an iPod, too. But no MMS + no phone camera controls (crazy to a photographer to not have been included) + no swappable battery + no memory expansion option = No thanks!

I hadn’t even considered any offerings from Nokia. Which was ironic considering I had non-disclosure access to models such as the 7900 Crystal Prism and various XpressMusic models months before their official launch while working on their respective launch videos. At present, Nokia is stuck in a rut rehashing the same old tired design over and over.

Then I heard about the rumored successor to the Sony Ericsson P1i codenamed ‘Paris’ (probably named as the P5 when it launches), and I was certain Sony Ericsson has some very good news on the horizon.

And now Sony Ericsson has gone one step ahead and announced the flagship X1 ahead of the P5.

This is so going to be my next cellphone when it arrives Q2 2008. I really think Sony Ericsson has a winner with this one, and that competing manufacturers will be watching the future of the XPERIA movement with much interest. As for those of you who are looking to purchase new cellphones, hold out a while longer, as 2008 is going to be a very interesting and competitive year; you can be sure that manufacturers left and right will be pulling all the stops and respond to the watershed that is the iPhone.

Sony Ericsson MD300 Mobile Broadband USB Modem

The Sony Ericsson MD300 Mobile Broadband USB Modem is a compact mobile broadband modem for HSDPA/UMTS (Triple band 850/1900/ 2100 MHz, up to 3.6 Mbps downlink) and EDGE/GPRS (Quad band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz).

With Microsoft Windows software and drivers built in, the USB modem installs and configures itself when plugged in. It supports Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Mac OS X. Accessories include a desk stand and USB extension cable.

The MD300 will be available in luxury black and metallic silver in selected markets from Q1 2008.

Nokia Mini Speakers MD-6

The Nokia Mini Speakers MD-6 is a cute little speakers stick that should be tiny enough to toss into a bag to bring anywhere. Powered by 4 AAA batteries, it can pump out music at 1.5W for 27 hours. The flip cover cleverly protects the speakers when closed. There is a built-in FM radio and built-in cable management for tidiness.

As Violet says, I am quite the music geek, one who gets excited about a good chord progression or who smiles in bliss at a nice set of cadences. With 3308 songs in my library, it becomes really hard to make the right playlist for the right mood. Since I do not have time to sit down and create playlists, I have to turn to software that will do exactly that.

Today, I found The Filter, a companion application to iTunes that automatically creates playlists. The process can’t be any simpler: you pick three songs in your iTunes—three songs that should encompass what you are looking for in your playlist—and The Filter will do the rest, burrowing into your iTunes library and picking similar songs for you. And what’s really cool is, when you have a song playing in iTunes, The Filter will grab artist and album information from the internet and present it. The Filter is available for both Windows and Macs.

Another notable iTunes playlist creation application is Tangerine! (for Mac only). I especially like how a playlist can be created by selecting a range of BPM or beat intensity. Tangerine might appeal more to people who regularly work out.

Lastly, there is also Moody (for Mac only). Moody works by having the user tag songs using a color palette that represents the gamut of moods. You decide what mood a particular color represents and tag a song accordingly. While the concept of using colors to represent moods is innovative, Moody requires a fair bit of time from the user who has a large song library.