We preview the latest product releases: Apple Mac Mini, Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot K800 (pictured) and K790 camera phones and Dell Inspiron 6400 notebook PC.
Apple Mac Mini
What is it? Compact computer
Price: starts at €659
Apple’s newest Mac Mini is now powered by the Intel Core Duo processor, delivering performance said to be up to four times faster than its predecessor.
The new Mac Mini is based around a completely new system architecture, including 512MB of memory expandable to up to 2GB.
It’s compact and can be controlled from across a living room, for example, via a remote control.
It’s designed to be connected to a range of peripherals and displays, including many of the latest flat-panel TVs.
Analogue and digital outputs are included so the Mac Mini can also be connected to home stereo systems.
iLife 06, Apple’s suite of digital lifestyle software, is supplied with the machine and can be used to play music, run photo slideshows, watch DVDs, iMovies, music videos and TV shows.
Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot K800 and K790
What are they? Phone handsets with powerful digital cameras
Price: €100-€200 and €100-€150 respectively
Just as Sony’s Walkman music player brand has found its way over to the mobile arena, so too has its Cyber-shot name for digital cameras.
The new K800 and K790 phones from Sony Ericsson are the company’s first handsets to carry the Cyber-shot brand in a bid to mark out their imaging features.
Both devices have integrated 3.2 megapixel digital cameras with Autofocus, Xenon flash and BestPic imaging technology which captures nine shots from a single shutter release for action photos.
K800 is a dual-mode UMTS/GPRS phone and the K790 is a tri-band phone; both are available from Q2.
The handsets have a large screen and a dual front phone design; the digital still camera function is activated by turning the phones horizontally.
The camera interface, based on that of the original Cyber-shot models, appears when the phone’s active lens cover is slid downwards.
Dell Inspiron 6400
What is it? Laptop PC
Price: €1,079
A new notebook in the Dell Inspiron range, the 6400 has multimedia and performance features suitable for small businesses or consumers.
It weighs less than 3kg and can be supplied with Windows Media Center software for watching TV or movies, listening to music or looking at digital photos.
The laptop runs an Intel Core Duo processor, allowing users to multitask so that they can watch a film or download music files while running a virus scan and editing spreadsheets.
A configuration option offers integrated graphics for general use or a separate graphics card if the laptop will be used for multimedia applications.
The Inspiron comes with a 15.4-inch widescreen display and 16:10 aspect ratio. Optional Dell TrueLife technology gives a high-contrast effect to the screen and vivid detail for viewing films or photos.
By Gordon Smith