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Nokia Philippines is giving you more reasons to get their latest Eseries phones. Aside from featuring all the modern connectivity features and a bundle of productivity tools housed in a very compact and elegantly designed body, buying either a Nokia E71 or E66 phone will entitle you to two months free WiFi usage in Airborne Access hotspots. Not good enough for you? Well, there's more. Users with the most number of login times for the week will win an additional 6 months of free WiFi access. Now if that doesn’t win you over, I don’t know what will. For more details, check out Nokia Philippines’ website. Both the Nokia E71 and E66 are available now with a suggested retail price of P23,690 and P22,890 respectively. This is one offer that will surely bring out the best in these new Eseries phone at no added cost.

With the exception of Apple's AirPort Express, we have yet to see the 802.11n WiFi standard implemented into mobile devices and here comes a new standard that has recently been approved by the IEEE. WiFi 802.11r is the latest wireless standard to join the like of 802.11a/b/g and n and it looks pretty promising as it's expected  to provide less than 50ms of downtime when switching from one access point to another. That makes it a pretty ideal wireless solution for mobile devices that used for VoIP as it will ensure zero dropped calls on it as a result of downtime. So, what will happen now to 802.11n with the approval of 802.11r? Well,  we could still expect a number of products that support the standard to come out as it does take time for manufacturers to fully implement new technology into their products. However, I do hope that 802.11r support will be available already as early as 2009 primarily because of its superior features over the 802.11n standard. This is one technology we should all watch out.

It looks like Nokia’s at it again. They’re giving away 60 hours of free Airborne Access Wi-Fi usage time for every purchase of a new phone before August 31, 2008. However, do take not that this does not apply to all units. This is a limited offer only that’s applicable to the following Wi-fi capable handset models: E51, E61i, E65, E90, N78, N81, N81 8GB, N82, N95 and N95 8GB. Among these units, I recommend the E51 being the best value for your money with a price that’s roughly around P12,000.00 only. Nokia had already previously offered a similar promo last year with their N-series phones. It probably made a lot of consumers happy as they’ve decided to bring it back once again. Just remember to purchase your new Nokia phone from authorized dealers so that you can avail of this latest offering as well have peace of mind that you're getting the genuine article.

Without a doubt, Apple has found the winning formula in the all-in-one desktop solution market with a couple a wannabes falling desperately short of the high standard it has set. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that the PC empire will just surrender the battle. As a matter of fact, HP has a decent looking candidate in their hands. The TouchSmart 2 not only provides consumers with a space-saving computer that’s equipped with a more-than-adequate 22-inch widescreen display, but it also comes with a touch screen interface rarely found in a desktop. No, it’s not multi-touch like the iPhone or other popular mobile devices, but the UI, nonetheless, looks impressive. This actually isn’t the first time HP has come up with such a product, and we have to say, this new iteration is a great improvement from its predecessor. This TouchSmart 2 PC is only 2.6-inches thick and will come in two variant: the IQ504 (PC) and the IQ506 (PC with TV-tuner). Basic specs include an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB SATA HDD, Intel GMA X3100 with 128MB dedicated memory, gigabit LAN, Wifi (b/g/n), integrated webcam, card-reader, FireWire port, and a slot-load SuperMulti DVD burner to name a few. It’s accompanied with an equally beautiful wireless keyboard and mouse. It’s set to launch in 17 countries next month, but unfortunately, the Philippines isn’t one of them. Combining innovative technology with superb design, the HP TouchSmart 2 may have just what it takes to battle it out with the iMac giants. If there's such a thing as a mobile desktop computer, this is probably it.

The name Polaroid used to be synonymous with pictures developed in an instant, but that was back in the day way before the digital scene. However, Polaroid isn’t about to let that distinction just slip away. Enter into the picture the PoGo. This ultra-compact portable photo printer is probably one of the smallest we’ve ever seen since the portable photo printer was introduced by Canon way back in the day. It’s capable of printing 2”x3” pictures by connecting mobile devices via USB or wirelessly through Bluetooth. What’s even more intriguing about this device is that it’s completely inkless. Gizmodo even has a quick review of this latest mobile printer. How does it work? It makes use of a special paper which contains colorless dye crystals in CMY layer that will only be activated by heat. So in essence, the printer is like a blow dryer that heats the paper at various levels to produce the image, which in turn means you’ll never have to worry about replacing the ink cartridge because there is none. The printed picture is also waterproof, tear and fade resistant and comes with an adhesive backing so you can turn them into stickers for your friends or young relatives. While the technology and size is indeed appealing, its usability in real world application is quite limited. Add the fact that it makes use of a new technology; it makes it less practical since availability of such photo paper is quite limited. However, the idea of an inkless printer is nevertheless good news, but I’m willing to wait until the next variation comes out in the market (and becomes locally available).

Technology these days is simply amazing once you stop and just think how things were a couple of years back. Who knew that eventually almost anyone can easily set-up a wireless network at home and enjoy broadband connections to surf the net. Thanks to technological wonders such as these, and the Eye-Fi SD card, Reuters reports how a tourist was able to recover her stolen camera and nab the culprits as well. While enjoying her vacation in Florida,  Alison DeLauzon suddenly realized that her camera was missing and along with it, all the snapshots and videos of her son. Fortunately for her, she was using the Eye-Fi SD card as storage on her Canon camera; and to her surprise, once she got home, all the pictures from her vacation were sent to her computer including snap shots of the thieves. Apparently, there was an unsecure network that matched the settings of her home network which the Eye-Fi card detected. The card then sent all the content to her computer via the internet. It not only managed to salvage all her vacation pictures, but also helped catch those guilty of the crime. This is just another example of how technology can work for you. Of course, taking extra care of your belongings is always a better and safer route because luck won't always be on your side. The Eye-Fi SD card is avialable locally at Ynzal.

Microsoft came up with the Zune to battle it out with the iPod for supremacy in the DAP arena, and while it is yet to make headway in this regard, the Gates team is showing off a new aspect to their player which might make it more appealing to a different set of buyers. This video by Gizmodo is a preview of what we can expect in the continuing evolution of the Zune. There's no denying that one of the more outstanding features the Zune has over the iPod is the built-in Wi-fi, and it seems that they’re taking advantage of it to the hilt. The Zune XNA games allows up to 8 players to compete via an ad-hoc wireless set-up which takes gaming on the Zune to a whole new level. The player itself doesn't come with 3D accelerated hardware, but 3D-enhacning software can be provided. The official announcement can be found at the XNA Team Blog. However, don’t expect it to compete with the likes of the PSP because quite frankly, the Zune still isn’t a gaming console. It is, at the end of the day, a portable media player with extended gaming capabilities which, in the context of things, doesn’t hurt at all especially if it helps boost sales. This is just a demo of the things to come from the Zune. It isn’t commercially available yet, but if you want to try it out for yourself right now, head on over to the Zune Boards for the instructions in doing so (not advised for newbies). The question on my mind now is, with this new feature on Microsoft’s player, will the Zune be able to take a bigger bite out of Apple’s share of the market or will this all end up in vain? Only time will tell...

While Sharp is proudly touting the world’s thinnest LCD HDTV thanks to its X-Series, that’s not the big news as of the moment. What’s even better than those huge ultra thin LCD TV sets is the new partnership with AMIMON. Their new tandem is set to offer a new way of enjoying HDTV: wirelessly. Yup, that’s right. AMIMON has developed a technology that will allow video to be transmitted wirelessly up to 100-feet away. That’s great news for neat-freaks and obsessive-compulsive video fanatics who don’t want those cable-management nightmares. Since this is a new technology, the big question now is: will others follow suit and go wireless as well? I guess only time will tell, but this is nevertheless great news in the realm of wireless technology.   I’m not sure if the technolgy will be available locally, but if the Sharp X-Series LCD makes it to the Philippines, check if it’s wireless HDTV ready. If so, it’ll be compatible with the wireless transmitters that will be sold in US and Japan.

It’s finally hear, Apple has quietly released the new AirPort Express which is now 802.11n capable. This means faster transfer rates with up to twice the range of its predecessor. With the introduction of this latest model, all of Apple’s networking products are now running on this faster protocol, but the obvious advantage of the AirPort Express is its size and simplicity. It’s so portable and easy to use that you won't have to trouble yourself with those cable-management nightmares. You can likewise hook up a USB printer to it for network-sharing or a home-entertainment system if you want to wirelessly transmit your music collection via AirTunes (and iTunes) which is one of its more unique features. While its over-all design, look and feel is undoubtedly Apple, it is compatible with PC systems as well. So for those looking for a simple wireless solution to spruce up your home network, this might just be the one you're looking for.  It’s retailing for $ 99 in the US.  

Despite the growing number of free Wi-Fi hotspots around the country, there are still areas that don’t offer them for free much less have them (especially in the provinces). One thing that is a bit more reliable is a 3G signal which most phones are well equipped to handle nowadays. Thanks to Joiku, you can now share the 3G love and turn your Nokia phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot. Of course, it will cost a rather substantial amount depending on your network, but if you’re in dire need of a data connection and want a no-hassle means of achieving it in the absence of true Wi-Fi, then this is the thing for you. Just download JoikuSpot, install it on your compatible Nokia handset and you’re good to go. It’s like having your own portable Hotspot in your pocket. As good as it seems, it's not perfect. For now, it only supports HTTP and HTTPS so other protocols might not work, but it's still an on-going project so do look out for futher innovations in the future. Considering how some DSL service are beginning to suck these days, this might even be a faster alternative though a bit more costly.