Archive for the ‘Gadgets’ Category

Microsoft Corp. today raised the style stakes with the unveiling of a revolutionary crescent-moon-shaped mouse designed to be just as fashionable as it is functional — the Arc Mouse. With its unique foldable design, Arc reduces by almost half for portability when it is snapped shut, but provides complete comfort when opened to its full size.

Microsoft today also introduced the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000, a notebook mouse with stunning color offerings at an affordable price, based on the design of the No. 1 best-selling notebook mouse in the U.S.

Fashion Meets PC — What to Wear

The Arc Mouse allows consumers to flaunt their personal style with its sleek, thin crescent shape and two color options — black and red. It is truly an accessory, adding to the fashion PC trend that is taking the technology industry by storm. In a June 2007 report, “The Age of Style in Consumer PCs,” Forrester Research Inc. predicted that between now and 2012 will be the “age of style” with consumer choice and personalization becoming an important factor in a purchase decision. With a high demand for style, consumers value look and feel more than any other product features.²

“Style isn’t just about the clothes you put on your back,” said Clinton Kelly, fashion expert and host of TLC’s hit show “What Not to Wear.” “You have the option to express your personal sense of style in practically every aspect of your life, from home décor to your tech accessories. The Arc Mouse definitely tells the world you’re ahead of the curve, so to speak, and that you want to be surrounded by beautiful things all the time.”

High Performance and Style in a Snap

The Arc Mouse’s elegant, foldable shape allows it to easily slip into any bag while on the go, and expand to a comfortable full size while in use. Its micro transceiver quickly snaps into the bottom of the mouse using a magnet, and is so small it sticks out less than 1 centimeter while plugged in — there is no need to remove it from a laptop while traveling.

The Arc Mouse features high-end details in every aspect of its design — its strong metal hinge can be opened and closed with confidence, and testing shows that its sturdy shape can hold more than 25 pounds. With the following performance features, Arc Mouse is top in its class:

•	Battery life indicator shows two colors: green when the batteries have sufficient power and red when the batteries are running low.
•	2.4GHz wireless technology gives consumers a confident wireless connection and a range of up to 30 feet, even in crowded wireless environments.
•	Carrying case is included and uses a magnetic flap to easily snap shut and protect the mouse while on the go.
•	High-performance laser tracking offers smooth tracking and excellent responsiveness and precision.

“Arc is clean and modern, and what is even more exciting is the way it addresses real needs. It’s very comfortable while open, and when you snap it shut you are reassured that it’s off. If you need to make a quick exit, the collapsed form is a natural,” said Monique Chatterjee, user experience designer at Microsoft. “Everyone loves to play with Arc. They snap it open and closed, and even spin it on its back. As a designer, it’s really inspiring to make that kind of emotional connection with people.”

The No. 1 Best-Selling Notebook Mouse Gets a Face-Lift

The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 delivers comfort on the go with an ambidextrous shape designed by Microsoft’s in-house ergonomist for comfort in either hand, and a snap-in receiver so consumers can take the mouse anywhere. This modern mouse is based on the design of the No. 1 best-selling notebook mouse in the U.S.¹ and includes stylish color offerings so consumers can pick their favorite between black and white, or choose from sophisticated special edition colors:

•	Blue sapphire
•	Red garnet
•	Pink topaz
•	Purple amethyst
•	Green emerald

These glimmering mice also come equipped with High Definition Optical Technology and a snap-in receiver that helps conserve battery life as it turns off the power when snapped into the bottom of the mouse. Delivering an average of more than six months of battery life³ with one AA battery, this mouse reduces inconvenient work stoppages required to replace batteries or recharge. In addition, the mouse features a two-color battery life indicator: green when the batteries have sufficient power and red when the batteries are running low — all this and no software needed. With all these features wrapped into a sleek design with fun color choices, who knew productivity could look so good?

Pricing and Availability

The Arc Mouse in black and red and the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 in black and white will be widely available in September 2008 for an estimated retail price of $59.95 (U.S) and $29.95 (U.S), respectively.⁴ The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 in the following special edition colors will be available in September 2008 at Target stores: blue sapphire, red garnet, pink topaz and purple amethyst. All colors will be available later this fall. The Arc Mouse and the black and white Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 are available now for pre-sale on Amazon.com and will ship later this month when they are widely released. The products will be backed by a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty from Microsoft Corp.

More information about these and other Microsoft Hardware products can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.

The Razer Megalodon is powered by the Razer Maelstrom Audio Engine, which has the ability to process audio algorithms up to 800% faster than traditional HRTF virtual surround sound technologies. The Razer Megalodon is thus able to offer a convincing and realistic positional sound stage.

Gamers looking for an in-game advantage will be able to listen to the positional cues emitted by the Razer Megalodon and hear incoming threats before the threat can actually be seen onscreen. Coupled with an amplified microphone with adjustable sensitivity and leveling, the Razer Megalodon is a complete audio communications package.

The Razer Maelstrom Audio Engine originated as a military grade audio technology developed for fighter pilots who needed precise audio warnings for incoming missiles. The Razer Megalodon is based on this same platform, but developed specifically for gaming.

The Razer Megalodon encompasses a circum-aural headset with replaceable ear-pad cushions, a cushioned headband and an adjustable boom mic. The control pod is connected to the headset via a braided cable and comes in a glossy piano black finish with a rotating dial adjustment for volume, mic, bass and positional sound. Meant as desk controller, the control pod allows gamers to switch effortlessly between 2.0 stereo and 7.1 surround sound, even controlling which speakers gamers prefer to use in the 7.1 environment.

For more information: http://www2.razerzone.com/Megalodon/.

Creative Technology Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products, today introduced the Creative ZEN® Mozaic portable media player for music, photos and video. Inspired by the artistic expressions of mosaic art, the Creative ZEN Mozaic, available in vivid pink, chic black or cool silver colour, is a bold design statement that reflects the user’s sense of fashion and individual style. Attractively priced at S$99.00 for a 2GB model (for up to 1,000 songs*) and S$129.00 for a 4GB model (for up to 2,000 songs*), the Creative ZEN Mozaic lets users flaunt their style, while grooving to their favourite tunes, or enjoying their photos and music videos anytime, anywhere.

The Creative ZEN Mozaic comes complete with an impressive built-in speaker, vibrant 1.8-inch LCD colour screen, FM radio and voice recorder. Weighing just 43g and measuring 79.5mm x 40mm x 12.8mm, the super compact Creative ZEN Mozaic provides up to 32 hours of audio playback with a single charge of the battery. Also available at a later date are 8GB and 16GB models.

“We want to give our latest portable media player a brand new look by going bold with the design of the Creative ZEN Mozaic. The built-in speaker allows you to enjoy your music or videos together with your friends without the use of headphones. This refreshingly unique design concept, together with the superb audio performance that is synonymous with our ZEN series of players, makes the Creative ZEN Mozaic a must-have fashion accessory for music, photos and video on the go!” said Joseph Liow, Vice President, Personal Digital Entertainment Products of Creative Technology Ltd. and General Manager of Creative Labs Asia.

Key Features of the Creative ZEN Mozaic:

• Built-in speaker turns player into a mini boombox so that music can be shared out loud
• Vibrant 1.8-inch TFT LCD colour display shows off details and clarity of photos and video
• Built-in FM radio with up to 32 preset stations
• Built-in microphone for voice recording
• Dimensions: 79.5mm (height) x 40mm (width) x 12.8mm (thickness)
• Bundled with the new Creative Centrale application, a one-stop media management software that organizes and intelligently tags not just music but also photos and video, creates playlists and transcodes video** to the proprietary video format
• Supports audio formats such as MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM 10 and Audible (Format 4) and JPEG format for photos

Creative ZEN Mozaic Accessories

• The Creative TravelSound ZEN Mozaic speaker system docks and charges the player via USB or adapter and comes with a built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery for longer playback and a built-in FM radio antenna, available for S$79.00
• A stylish carabiner case to hold the player, available for S$24.00
• A functional armband and skin with clip for a hands-free workout, available for S$29.00
• Silicone skin pack (3 colour choices in a single value pack) to protect the player, available for S$24.00

Pricing and Availability
The Creative ZEN Mozaic is available in black or pink for the 2GB model at S$99.00 and in black, pink or silver for the 4GB model at S$129.00. Available later in August 2008 will be the 8GB model at S$169.00 and the 16GB model at S$249.00 in black colour. The Creative ZEN Mozaic and accessories will be available in Singapore in August 2008 at The CREATIVE Stores at Marina Square, Plaza Singapura and International Business Park, the online store at sg.store.creative.com and authorised dealers.

For more information about the Creative ZEN Mozaic, please visit www.creative.com/zenmozaic.