Tech'-A-Bite: The Motorola Xoom

Motorola XOOM™ − the first device on Google’s new Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system designed from the ground up for tablets. The Honeycomb user experience improves on Android favorites such as widgets, multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization and features the latest Google Mobile innovations. Boasting a dual core processor with each core running at 1 GHz, delivering up to two GHz of processing power, and 10.1-inch widescreen HD display,

Motorola XOOM redefines the tablet device category by providing more ways to have fun, connect with friends and stay productive on the go. It allows consumers to experience HD content right on the device, supports 1080p HD video and HDMI output to display content on larger HD screens, and plays video and other rich web content seamlessly with Adobe® Flash® Player. Motorola XOOM features a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chats over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G LTE, as well as a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera that captures video in 720p HD. It delivers console-like gaming performance on its 1280x800 display, and features a built-in gyroscope, barometer, e-compass, accelerometer and adaptive lighting for new types of applications. It also features Google Maps 5.0 with 3D interaction and delivers access to over 3 million Google eBooks and thousands of apps from Android Market™.

For working on the go, Motorola XOOM provides constant connectivity − including connecting to Gmail or Exchange email; opening and editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations; and viewing calendars and sending out appointments or meeting notices – with mobile broadband speeds. Its mobile hotspot capability provides an online connection for up to five other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

 The Motorola XOOM device will launch as a 3G/Wi-Fi-enabled device in Q1 2011 with an upgrade to 4G LTE in Q2.

Inspiration: The Beggar King

Once there was a time, according to legend, when Ireland was ruled by a king who had no son. The king sent out his couriers to post notices in all the towns of his realm. The notices advised that every qualified young man should apply for an interview with the king as a possible successor to the throne. However, all such candidates must have these two qualifications: They must (1) love God and (2) love their fellow human beings.

The Young man about whom this legend centers saw a notice and reflected that he loved God and, also, his neighbors. One thing stopped him, he was so poor that he had no clothes that would be presentable in the sight of the king. Nor did he have the funds to buy provisions for the long journey to the castle. So the young man begged here, and borrowed there, finally managing to scrounge enough money for the appropriate clothes and the necessary supplies.

Properly attired and well-suited, the young man set out on his quest, and had almost completed the journey when he came upon a poor beggar by the side of the road. The beggar sat trembling, clad only in tattered rags. His extended arms pleaded for help. His weak voice croaked, "I'm hungry and cold. Please help me... please?"

The young man was so moved by this beggar's need that he immediately stripped off his new clothes and put on the tattered threads of the beggar. Without a second thought he gave the beggar all his provision as well. Then, somewhat hesitantly, he continued his journey to the castle dressed in the rags of the beggar, lacking provisions for his return trek home. Upon his arrival at the castle, a king's attendant showed him in to the great hall. After a brief respite to clean off the journey's grime, he was finally admitted to the throne room of the king.

The young man bowed low before his majesty. When he raised his eyes, he gaped in astonishment. "You... it's you! You're the beggar by the side of the road."

"Yes," the king replied with a twinkle, "I was that beggar."

"But...bu...bu... you are not really a beggar. You are the king for real. Well, then, why did you do this to me?" the young man stammered after gaining more of his composure.

"Because I had to find out if you genuinely love God and your fellow human beings," said the king. "I knew that if I came to you as king, you would have been impressed by my gem-encrusted golden crown and my royal robes. You would have done anything I asked of you because of my regal character. But that way I would never have known what is truly in your heart. So I used a ruse. I came to you as a beggar with no claims on you except for the love in your hear. And I discovered that you sincerely do love God and your fellow human beings. You will be my successor," promised the king. "You will inherit my kingdom."

Source:  ‘from email forwards

Inspiration: Lines To Ponder Upon

Hello everyone,
     Hoping that all is well to all. Someone has shared me these awesome 'lines' and I would like to share them to everybody:

- Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.

- Do you know why a Car's Windshield is so large & the Rearview Mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. Look Ahead and Move on.

- Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes a few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

- All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

- Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

- Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

- When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems, HE has faith in your abilities.

- A blind person asked a wise man: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

- When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

- WORRYING does not take away tomorrow’s TROUBLES, it takes away today’s PEACE.

Source:  ‘friends email forwards

Inspiration: The Seed

A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, 'It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you.' The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. 'I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED.  I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.'

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story.

She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.

Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by - still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.  Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. 'My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,' said the CEO. 'Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!' All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the  front.  Jim was terrified. He thought, 'The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!'

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his Seed - Jim told him the story.

The  CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, 'Behold your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!'

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said?

Then the CEO said, 'One  year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today.

But, I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.

When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!'

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

Source: friends email forwards

In-Demand Gadgets: Latest Smartphones

From this day onward we’ll be posting some of the latest gadgets which are of most essentials in our daily living. Gadgets which are maybe popular or some were maybe not but they can be useful also in the performance of our day to day activities. I choose smartphones as my initial presentation to our dear friend readers and followers because of its popularity and significant prestige among today’s users. Everyone just can’t hide their obsession and fascination to own even just one of these gadgets. Obsessions that of which we all know will certainly push us all  to work harder to be able to own one or buy as a gift for our love ones. Good luck and happy shopping.

1. i-Phone 4 (16GB/32GB)

Price: N/A

The Apple iPhone 4 features like video chat, multi-tasking and extreme downloading. This Apple iPhone 4 could also have dual core processors and higher and powerful graphic chips that can deliver higher video resolutions and better images when taking pictures.

Apple iPhone 4 looks promising in terms of being sleek, packed with new hardware and multi-tasking software.

Some features of iPhone 4:

• Sleeker Body Design.
• Multi-Tasking. (use multiple functions at once without going in and out of apps)
• iChat camera
• 16G (basic) and 32G of memory.
• Hi Definition Camera.
• Hi Definition audio.
• Hi Definition Camcorder.

2. Nokia N8
Price: N/A

The Nokia N8 features an HDMI connection so we can easily show off our images, videos and music on compatible televisions and projectors. It alsofeatures premium-quality *Dolby Digital Plus technology - compatible with home theatre systems - so movies will sound as good as they look. 

The Nokia N8 brings us to our friends together by pulling feeds and updates from Facebook and Twitter to one handy application. Photos and videos can be shared the moment they're captured. Facebook events added to our calendar with just one click. Live updates are shown on our homescreens making it even easier to stay in touch. We can personalize the phone by adding our own widgets. Not one but three live home screens – make one for work, use one for fun, and have one with our favorite picture as the wallpaper. Swipe between the home screens with an easy gesture. We can turn our Nokia N8 into a tool for showing off having fun and being creative. We can find thousands of different applications at Ovi Store. The store always on hand for downloads and software updates to the unit.
The Nokia N8 with on-demand WebTV. Access our favourite TV channels like CNN and National Geographic and get them piped to our phone even when travelling 

Voice-guided navigation wherever you are in the world. Absolutely free. Simply enter where you want to go and Ovi Maps with voice guidance will tell you how to get there, turn by turn. By car or on foot.
We can browse smoothly through all our favorite albums and once again get thrilled by the album artwork. Re-experience our record collection for over 50 hours straight.

3. BlackBerry Torch 9800

Price: *SAR 2549.00 (unlocked)

BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone - Adept for socially connected consumers and packed with the tools business customers love.  This  new handset is the world's first smartphone to combine a BlackBerry keyboard with a full touch screen experience. Whether users choose to type out messages on the capacitive touch screen or easy-to-use BlackBerry keyboard, browse the Internet using pinch to zoom or fluidly navigate with the optical trackpad, the BlackBerry Torch allows them to communicate any way they want.

Features

• Elegant styling, measuring approx. 4.4" (5.8" open) x 2.4" x .57" and weighing 5.68 ounces 
• 3.2" 360x480 capacitive touch screen display 
• 35 key full QWERTY backlit slide-out keyboard, designed to feel optimally balanced when opened for typing
• Powerful 624 Mhz processor with 512 MB Flash memory 
• 4 GB built-in memory storage plus a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards; a 4 GB card is included giving users 8 GB of storage out-of-the-box
• 5 MP camera with flash, continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes, geo-tagging and zoom, as well as video recording at up to 640x480 resolution 
• Built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n); qualifying smartphone customers can enjoy seamless connectivity to over 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots at no additional cost 
• 3.5mm stereo headset jack
• Tri-band HSDPA (3G) and quad-band EDGE support for the option of voice service in more than 220 countries, data service in more than 195 countries and 3G connectivity in more than 125 countries, including Japan and South Korea 

4.  Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro

Price: *SAR 1299.00 (unlocked)

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro - compact versions of Xperia X10, which will deliver powerful and application packed mobile phone into the industry. By introducing mobile phone that is compact and clever, Sony Ericsson is challenging the norm and defining a brand new offering that combines high specification features with a version of Sony Ericsson's powerful UX platform specifically designed for smaller devices.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini pro with slide out QWERTY keyboard offer an open and intuitive communication entertainment experience and build on the human curvature design philosophy debuted by the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. Combining the Android platform with signature applications and a customizable UX platform, communication truly becomes entertainment with these new mobile phones. To enhance the experience, pick and choose from a multitude of applications at Android Market and co-create a mobile phone experience that is entirely unique. Users can go one step further and customize the home screen's four corners and widgets to access the most needed applications for limitless possibilities.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro incorporates the signature application Sony Ericsson Timescape which brings all communication together in one place so users can see at a glance text messages, missed calls, and Facebook and Twitter updates, without having to open lots of different applications. The interactive music player also uses the "infinite button" to pull together all music content from the music store and YouTube - a smart way to search for new tracks from a favorite artist.

5.  Motorola Milestone

Price: *SAR 1899.00 (unlocked)

The Motorola Milestone sets new standards for how fast and smart a modern multi-tasking smartphone should be with a rich mobile web experience, superior messaging and top-of-the-line multi-media features.

Powered by Android 2.1, it offers the ability to use multiple applications and one of theworld's thinnest QWERTY sliders (13.7mm). Motorola Milestone also boasts a hi-resolution, 3.7” widescreen pinch and zoom display with an incredible 854 pixel width and more than 400,000 total pixels.A suite of Google mobile applications including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube are also integrated to this device. 

6.  HTC Desire HD

Price: *SAR 2999.00 (unlocked)

HTC Desire HD is a handset which provides the HTC Sense user interface and all of the usual features of HTC handsets. It is quite smaller but it is equipped with advanced hardware and it contains a large display along with a 5 mega pixel camera. This handset offers  3.2 inch capacitive touch screen display with 320 by 480 resolutions (HVGA technology) and it is endowed with an ambient light sensor. It enables the user to mute the ringer of the phone whenever the user put down the screen of the phone. HTC Desire HD supports a 6.5 Professional operating system which is quite unique from the other Android based phones. Anyone  can easily work on it with ActiveSync 4.5 for Windows XP and Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 for Windows Vista and 7 respectively. As far as the music files are concerned it plays songs in window media player.

7.  Samsung Galaxy Tab

Price: *SAR 2899

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is a 3-in-one (Tablet PC + Mobile + Camera) 4G-enabled smartphone that runs on Android 2.2 and have a 1GHz processor to power it. It also has a 7 inch Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen, rear 5 megapixel camera and 1.3 megapixel front camera for video chats.

Features video & voice calls, web browsing, reader’s hub, social networking hub, full multi-tasking augmented reality and many more.

*Reference prices from Jarir Bookstore as of December 2010

Note: The author doesn’t in any way represent any of the manufacturer’s product brand  names and/or dealers  mentioned in this topic. Posted item is for information sharing and dissemination only. This is dedicated to all who are fond to modern gadgets and to my friend Paris.