Product News: Mobile phone, widescreen notebook and camcorder


28 Mar 2006

We preview the latest product releases: Motorola RAZR mobile phone, Lenovo widescreen laptop (pictured) and Sony camcorder.

Motorola RAZR V3
What is it? Mobile phone
Price: €29

The newest version of Motorola’s RAZR V3 phone now comes in Cosmic Blue, adding to the silver, black and pink handsets already available. It has an integrated VGA camera with full video capture and playback features, Bluetooth wireless technology, advanced messaging capabilities as well as internal and external displays.
A colour-co-ordinated mobile accessory pack to go with the phone includes a H500 Bluetooth headset, carry case, belt strap and screen cleaner, travel charger and belt clip. The Cosmic Blue phone is available exclusively through O2 Retail and is priced from €29.

Lenovo 3000 N100
What is it? Widescreen notebook computer
Price: starts at €1,070

Lenovo’s first own-branded notebook, the 3000 N100 has a widescreen display and is powered by either an Intel Core Duo or Solo processor. It automates many routine security and maintenance tasks through productivity tools including one-button system recovery to help users restore systems to a previously saved state if it becomes infected with a virus.
Available as a 14.1-inch or 15.4-inch widescreen model, the laptop also offers wired or wireless connectivity and weighs just over 2.5kg.
The N100 can be supplied with an Intel Core Duo or Solo processor for running multiple programs simultaneously.
Multimedia features include forward-facing stereo speakers, an integrated microphone for playing and recording audio and an integrated combo or DVD recordable drive.
The N100 also has a 4-in-1 multi-card reader for downloading digital pictures from different types of memory cards, four USB ports, 1394 and S-Video ports. Among the optional extras are an integrated webcam or a fingerprint reader for password management.

Sony HDR-HC3E
What is it? High-definition camcorder
Price: €1,799

Sony’s HDR-HC3E is a compact, digital high-definition camcorder that offers improved image quality in a small, light format.
The device is pitched at all user levels from beginners to experienced amateurs; it records movies and takes still photos at 4MP resolution.
The HDR-HC3E has a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens with a 10x Optical Zoom along with a 2.7-inch LCD screen.
It uses a combination of a ClearVid CMOS sensor and a Sony Enhanced Imaging Processor which it claims can capture images with both high resolution and heightened sensitivity.
The camcorder’s Enhanced Imaging Processor can process large amounts of pixel data while capturing bright and dark areas of the image for realistic effects and colour reproduction; it also improves recording at high speed.
A dual record feature lets users take high-resolution 2.3MP still pictures even while shooting movie footage.

By Gordon Smith