IN
THIS ISSUE
Apple
iPhone
Basic
Home Theater Set-up
Car
DVD Player Guide
Body
of the Future
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The
Apple iPhone is not just a phone - it is a phone, music
player, video player, internet device, and camera all
in one. Like its Apple iPod Nano and iPod video cousins,
the iPhone is slim and sleek at just 11.6mm thick,
2.4-inches wide, and 4.5-inches tall.
Pod
Features:
The Apple iPhone is a widescreen iPod that features
touch screen controls that allow you to enjoy all
your content, including audiobooks, music, TV shows,
and movies. It features an amazing 3.5-inch widescreen
display, and allows you to sync content from your
iTunes library on your PC or Mac, making that content
also accessible with just the touch of a finger.
iPhone users will be able to scroll through songs,
artists, albums, and playlists with just a flick
of a finger.
Phone
Features:
Using
the phone function of the Apple iPhone, you can calls
by simply pointing your finger
at a name or number in your
address book, a favorites list, or a call log. iphone.JPG
All your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet device
are also automatically synched, you can select and
listen to
voicemail messages in whatever order you want — just
like email. Calls can easily be merged together with
just the touch of a button to create a conference
call. Conference
calling has never been easier!
SMS
Text Messaging:
Using the iPhone, you can send text messages withan
SMS application with a predictive QWERTY soft keyboard
that
prevents and corrects mistakes. This makes it easier
and more efficient to use than the small plastic
keyboards
found on many smartphones.
Camera
Function:
The Apple iPhone also features an amazing 2-megapixel
camera, as well as a photo management application
unlike anything
available on a phone today. Users can sync photos
from a PC or Mac, browse or email them with just
a touch of
the screen.
Internet
Device:
The iPhone features a rich HTML email client
as well as the Safari browser, which automatically
syncs
bookmarks
from a PC or Mac. The Safari browser has
built-in Google and Yahoo! search. You can also multi-task
by reading a
web page while simultaneously downloading
your
email in the background via WiFi or EDGE.
Safari also includes
built-in
Google and Yahoo! search. You can even display
Google Maps as they were meant to be seen,
and zoom in to
view specific
points.
E-mail:
The iPhone is great for multi-tasking, so
you can read a web page while downloading
your email
in the
background
over Wi-Fi or EDGE. Its e-mail client
fetches your email in the background from most
POP3
or IMAP mail
services,
and then displays photos and graphics
along with the text.
Widgets:
Extend your iPhone with widgets, small
applications that give you helpful
information like stock
reports, weather
reports, and more in real time.
Touchscreen:
The iPhone features an amazing 3.5-inch
widescreen display, and has one
of the most revolutionary
user interfaces since
the mouse. The interface is unlike
anything you've ever experienced
on a phone, with
a large multi-touch
display
and innovate new software that
allows you to control everything with the
touch of a
finger.
Intelligent
Keyboard:
The iPhone features a full QWERTY
keyboard that allows you
to send and receive SMS
messages, email, etc.
It is predicitive, and therefore
prevents and
corrects mistakes.
Built-in
Sensors:
The iPhone incorporates an
accelerometer, which
detects when a user switches
from holding the
phone in landscape
to portrait mode, and
automatically updates the image on screen
to fit the mode.
The sensors
also detect
when you
put the iPhone near your
phone, and automatically
shuts off the
display
screen until you
move it away to save
on battery power. An ambient
light sensor automatically
adjusts
the screen's
brightness to the appropriate
level for the
current ambient light,
which enhances user experience
and also saves on
battery power.
Accessories:
As of now, Apple has
announced a Bluetooth
headset that
will work
with the iPhone,
as well as new
headphones that
incorporate a small
white box in the middle of
the cord. This
box
has a built-in
microphone
and a switch
to answer
and hang up phone
calls.
The
phone is expected to come out in June
2007 in
USA, Europe
in the
fourth
QTR and
Asia in
2008 and
it will be
available exclusively
on Cingular for
$499 on a two-year
contract
for the 4GB
version
and $599
for the 8GB
version.
iPhone
Specs:
-
Screen size: 3.5 inches
- Screen
resolution:
320x480
at 160
ppi
- Input
method:
Multi-touch
- Operating
system
- OS X
- Storage:
4GB or
8GB
- GSM:
Quad-band
(MHz: 850,
900, 1800,
1900)
- Wireless
data: WiFi
(802.11b/g)
+ EDGE
+ Bluetooth
2.0
- Camera:
2.0 megapixels
- Battery:
Up to 5
hours Talk/Video/Browsing,
.............. 16 hours
Audio Playback
- Dimensions:
4.5 x 2.4
x 0.46
inches
/ 115 x
61 x
11.6mm
....................- 4.8 ounces
/ 135 grams
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10
Basic Elements of a
Well-Balanced Home Theater
Getting
Started: The Room, The Video Display Device, Audio Reproduction
Home theater
is an exciting entertainment option that provides the consumer
with an immersive viewing and listening experience. Your home
theater can be something as simple as a 27-inch TV and a home
theater-in-a-box system, or a sophisticated custom-built system
with video projector and in-wall speakers. However, there is
a lot to consider in-between. Here are the items you need for
a well-balanced Home Theater:
1.
The Room:
The first
place to start is the room you intend to place your home theater
in. The size of the room will determine the size and type of
video display device (TV or projector) that would be best to
use. However, whether your room is large or small, additional
questions to consider include:
How much
ambient light is present?
Is the room
carpeted or not carpeted?
What type
of wall construction do you have?
Will you
be placing your components in free space, or will you be housing
your components in a cabinet or closet and installing your
speakers in the wall or ceiling?
Where will
you be sitting in relation to the screen image?
Before embarking
on buying your actual home theater components, especially for
a medium-to-high end system, it might be a good idea to consult
with a home theater installer to come onsite and assess your
room and address the above questions.
2.
The Video Display Device:
This is
the first actual component to consider. After-all, the idea
of home theater is to bring the movie theater experience home.
The most important element of this experience is the visual
experience of viewing a large image on a screen. This is where
you have a choice of:
A large
screen traditional CRT-based television.
A Rear-projection
Television
A Flat Panel
LCD or Plasma Television.
A Video
Projector/Screen Combination.
The actual
size of the room will help determine the size of screen that
can be accommodated. From there, you need to decide what type
of video display device would be most appropriate.
In addition,
at this point in time, with increase in the amount of available
HDTV programming sources, as well as HD source components,
consider HD-compatible Televisions or Video projectors instead
of a traditional analog television. HD-compatible Televisions
and video projectors will deliver the most from new HD sources,
but will also work with your older analog components, such
as a VCR.
3.
Audio Reproduction - Home Theater Receiver or Preamp/Amp
Combination:
The next
essential element of movie theater experience is sound. The
way this is implemented in the home theater environment is
with either an AV receiver or Preamplifier/Amplifier combination.
An AV Receiver
usually combines the functions of three components:
A. A radio
tuner for AM/FM and, in some cases, HD (High Definition Radio)
or XM-Satellite Radio.
B. A Preamplifier
that switches and controls which audio and video source is
selected (such as a DVD player, VCR, CD player, etc...) and
processes the incoming stereo or surround sound signals and
distributes them to the correct amplifier channels and the
subwoofer output. The preamp in an AV receiver can also route
video signals coming from source components (such as a DVD
player) and direct the video signal to the television.
C. A built-in
Multi-channel amplifier (5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 channels) that sends
the surround sound signals and power to the speaker system.
AV Receiver
or Separate Components
The AV receiver
is the heart of a home theater system and provides most, if
not all, the inputs and outputs that you connect everything,
including your television, into. An AV Receiver provides an
easy and cost-effective way of centralizing your your home
theater system.
However,
in many higher-end installations, the functions of an AV Receiver
are often provided by separate components: Preamp/Processor,
Tuner, and either a single multi-channel amplifier or even
separate amplifiers for each channel. Such a setup provides
more flexibility in switching out and/or upgrading the separate
aspects of the system as well as isolating any interference
that is caused by having all these functions combined in a
signal chassis and sharing the same power supply. For the average
consumer, however, a good AV Receiver will function just fine.
4.
Loudspeakers:
The next
element in assembling your home theater system are the loudspeakers.
Just as the size and type of room dictates the type of video
display device you need, the same factors also affect the speakers
you need for your home theater. Two key points to remember:
A. Before
you buy - listen to several types of speaker setups.
B. Consider
buying the same brand and related model speakers for your home
theater. This will insure that you will have a better acoustical
match between both the speakers and the room.
10
Basic Elements of a Well-Balanced Home Theater - continued |
