Sony Launches SmartWatch: Android-Powered Wristwatch

Today, Sony launched SmartWatch MN2: a wristwatch-like device that allows owners to read text messages, social updates and emails, manage calls, as well as control music that is on an Android smartphone. It promotes easy access to those who prefer to keep their smartphones hidden in a pocket or bag.

The SmartWatch features a 1.3-inch OLED display. It has a selection of pre-loaded apps, including Facebook and Google Maps.In order to alert users for an event or an incoming call, the device simply vibrates.

The wristwatch is made out of aluminum and polished plastic and comes in a variety of colors such as blue, pink, and white. It also comes with a rubber wrist strap that comes in a standard black color.

In order to use the SmartWatch, it must first connect via Bluetooth to a device running Android 2.1 OS or higher.  According to Sony, the product's battery life last about 3 to 4 days under typical usage, and approximately 14 days under standby. In order to charge the device, a user can simply plug it in through a USB connection.

For $150, Android users can purchase the Sony SmartWatch on the company’s store and online marketplace. The wristwatch will be available through other retailers soon. Customers can purchase separate wrist band colors for $20 each.

Dell gets its Inspiron with Mini 10

 Dell's new Inspiron Mini 10 netbook is now available in stores across the country for AED 1,299...but is it worth your time?

To be honest, most netbooks these days all tend to come with the same specs but what sets it apart is its usability, design and whether it's the right ‘fit' for all that you need. 

 The Inspiron Mini 10 has Intel's new speedy Pine Trail processor and comes with Windows 7 Starter Edition - all the latest and best. But surprisingly, it did let me down in the beginning when I found it took approximately ten minutes just to get it set up for first time use.  Still, once loaded, I forgot about that little hiccup and instead found myself admiring the Dell Dock application on the 10.1"display.

When you think of dock style panels, you invariably end up comparing it to the MacDaddy, but I honestly think this is a great addition to Windows 7. It's customisable so you can drag and drop your favourite programmes, and easily delete the ones you don't use as often.

The keyboard is comfortable to use but the trackpad can get annoying since Dell has embedded the right and left buttons directly into it, so you'll have to press down on the trackpad area for those functions.

The netbook comes in spunky colours and I love the fact that fingerprints aren't that obvious on the cover. The textured palm rest is also a nice touch but the netbook's design mainly stands out because the entire unit is sloped (the base being bigger than the front) with the screen not sitting behind the unit but instead having it fitted on top. It might look a little odd but actually comes in handy when holding the netbook (once open) with one hand. It's one of those things you don't think you need until you see it - and then it just makes SO much sense!

The battery life doesn't quite get to 10 hours but you can easily do nine with just basic applications running so it definitely earns its travel companion badge.

Overall though, the two standout features for me have to be the Dell Dock app and the Inspiron Mini 10 cover that still manages to retain its looks regardless of how many times I obsessively trace circles on it with my fingers....

Dell Tablet with Windows 8 coming soon

Dell is always keeping their reputation in electronic market by introducing envious products. This time also Dell is introducing A tablet which is expected to be a great threat to Apple. Their plan was to develop a tablet with Google's android OS but they now changed their plan and going to introduce tablet having windows 8 OS.

 

The new Dell tablet is expected to available in the market by the end of this year itself. Dell hasn't given any clue about the price details and variants till date. One thing is almost sure- we can expect a tablet that will be a perfect alternative for Apple i-pad with much less expensive.

Psychology of Technology: 5 Smartphone Rules to Live By

 The smartphone has become a ubiquitous status symbol of and tool for businesspeople doing   business. In offices, on the streets, and in airports, what self-respecting businessperson doesn’t have their smartphone, whether a Blackberry, Windows Mobile device, Palm, or iPhone, at the ready to make the deal, provide support, change the plan, or just stay up to date on their company’s latest developments at a moment’s notice. The smartphone’s ability to provide businesspeople with instant access to others through email, text messaging, and phone has, in theory, saved time and made the business world run more smoothly by keeping everyone in a company connected all day every day. It can truly be a tool for increased communication, efficiency, and productivity.

The Unintended Consequences of Smartphones

Unfortunately, the smartphone also represents a corporate culture gone mad, in which everyone feels they are so needed that they simply can’t be out of touch with work lest the company collapses without their constant input and output. The smartphone has, falling prey to the theory of unintended consequences, become a weapon against businesspeople that actually hurts corporate discipline, focus, and productivity.

It has also created an upheaval in the already fragile balance between work and life. This state of constant connectedness has blurred (or obliterated) the lines between work and life, creating marital and family conflict, and destroying any hope of peace and quiet when away from the office. Perhaps the last refuge on Earth from the imposition of the smartphone may be the airplane, though that final line of defense against the smartphone onslaught will surely fall in the next few years.

Who’s In Charge Here?

So who’s in charge here? Are you master of your smartphone or does your smartphone own you? Here are a few ways to tell:

Do you take your smartphone with you wherever you go?

Is your smartphone the last thing you look at before you go to sleep and the first thing you look at when you wake up?

Do you make or take business calls regularly when away from work?

Do your family or friends give you exasperated looks when you pull out your smartphone constantly?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, you smartphone runs your life.

Yearning For Freedom

Despite the attachment that you have to your smartphone, there is likely a part of you deep inside that resents the power that it has over you. You may feel a subtle, yet delicious, sense of relief when you “accidently” leave it at work or have guilt-laden fantasies of dropping and breaking your smartphone—by accident, of course—requiring you to be without it for a few days while it is fixed or replaced.

If you feel this way, you need to stand up to your smartphone—”I will not let you control my life!”—and choose to reject its captive power over you.

Smartphone Rules to Live By

Despite the obvious tongue-in-cheek tone so far, this unhealthy relationship with your smartphone has real consequences both at work and at home. And there are some tangible things that you can do to break the grip that your smartphone has on you. Here are five simple rules you can follow to help you regain control of your smartphone so it is once again a tool of efficiency and productivity rather than a weapon against your freedom and mental health.

Rule #1: Don’t look at your smartphone in the morning until you get to work. Peeking at your email or phone messages before you have dressed or had breakfast will create unnecessary distraction, worry, and stress. If you’re married with children, it will also prevent you from being engaged with your family during breakfast. In fact, don’t even look at your smartphone during the drive to work; again, it would serve no purpose as you can’t—or, at least, you shouldn’t—be thumb typing during your commute (unless you’re on a train or bus and you can respond to your phone and email messages).

Rule #2: Don’t look at your smartphone during the day unless you are ready to act on it. It’s not uncommon for businesspeople to look at their smartphones as they head into a meeting or just before a conference call. The primary consequence of doing this is that you will be distracted from your next task. You will be thinking about what you found on your smartphone instead of focusing on the task ahead.

Rule #3: Turn off all smartphones during meetings. In fact, every company should have a “no smartphone” rule for all meetings. There are few things more irritating, distracting, and productivity-killing than having people at a meeting looking at and typing into their smartphones. They are clearly not paying attention to the meeting and, therefore, unable to contribute in any meaningful way. It also distracts others at the meeting. It wastes time and prolongs meetings because no one is focusing on the agenda. Quality and productivity suffer too because the lack of full engagement means that effective problem solving and decision making will be nearly impossible.

Rule #4: Don’t check your smartphone less than 30 minutes before you go to bed. If there are calls or emails you think you must respond to you, you will get to bed later and you’ll get riled up, so you’ll have a harder time falling asleep. The reality is that, in most cases, they can wait until morning, so best not to look. At worst, choose a time between 30 and 60 minutes before bedtime when you take a last look at your smartphone. At best, commit to not checking your smartphone at all in the evening.

Rule #5: Don’t do your smartphone when you are doing life. In other words, don’t look at your smartphone if you are interacting with others, doing something that is supposed to clear your mind of work, such as exercise, meditation, having a meal, watching a movie, or hanging out with family or friends.. There is nothing more annoying to family and friends than to be with you when you are making business calls or responding to email—why are you even with them if you’re with them in body only? It’s okay to check your smartphone periodically, but ONLY IF you don’t interrupt more important life stuff and ONLY IF you are expecting something that you may have to act on quickly.

Letting Go

Your dependence on your smartphone is a habit that develops through repeated use. So you can think of separating from your smartphone as a habit as well; it takes commitment, discipline, and repetition to change. You will find that there are many upsides to regaining control of your smartphone. The people in your life will welcome you back from the smartphone precipice and actually want to be around you. You will be more relaxed, more engaged in life, have more fun, be a whole lot happier and, despite your great fondness for your smartphone, you will find much more interesting and enjoyable things to do with your time.