CeBIT: More highlights from the Hannover show
The Neon 250 has 16MB of memory, a 250MHz RAMDAC, 125 MHz clock-speed, the PowerVR 250 processor and full 2X AGP support. The cards will ship in June 1999 at just under £125 ex VAT.
Sirocco woofers
Also showcased at CEBIT was the Sirocco Crossfire speaker system, compromising an amplifier, sub-woofer and four satellite speakers. The speakers will be available from May 1999 for £199 exVAT.
Philips gets Savvy
Philips showed off its GSM, dual-brand Genie mobile phone, one of the smallest and lightest on the market. It boasts an ultra compact and lightweight design -- weighing in at 99 grams -- and has a voice activated dialling feature. The phone provides up to 130 hours standby time and up to 120 minutes talk time.
For the youth market, Philips unveiled Savvy -- dubbed the 'fun phone' -- it incorporates a biorhythm calendar game that predicts love, energy and success levels. Savvy lets users send 'emotion icons', like a smiley face, frown or love hearts, and has a built-in calculator and alarm clock.
No details of availability or price are yet available.
V-mail or video-mail was another buzz word at the Hannover show. Hugh Brogan, ceo of Philips PC Peripherals, predicted that within five years, v-mail will "have replaced most personal e-mail communication". As if on cue, Philips showcased its latest PC video camera. Resembling an egg on wheels, the camera allows v-mail to be sent with a few mouse clicks. The camera comes with software for combining video, pictures and sound. However, recipients need no special kit to see and hear the message. Designed to work in low light with a zoom focus for close-up pictures, the PC video camera has USB connectivity for ease of use.
Also, debuting at CeBIT was Philips' new palm PC, the Nino 500 series. Based on Microsoft Windows CE operating system, it has a back-lit colour screen for easy viewing, 16MB of memory for web access. Size-wise it is 135 x 85 x 22mm and weighs just 230 grams.
It runs up to 8 hours on a NIMH rechargeable battery pack and also supports standard batteries. Supporting software includes NinoVoice for voice control and handwriting recognition from ParaGraph. It will be available across Europe from April at a price of approximately EUR 600.
Listen up dudes!
Aiming to promote legitimate Internet music, Diamond Multimedia launched an audio portal, www.RioPort.com, which provides links to MP3 music sites and other audio content on the Internet.
An alpha version for RioPort.com went live today wiring listeners to sites like ACME Entertainment, AudioSoft, Liquid Audio, MP3.com and Music Global Network. Diamond ceo Bill Schroeder said: "Our intent is to create an online presence that serves as a portal for the promotion of digital music on the Internet".
Diamond vice president Wade Meyercord added: "One of the most frequent questions customers ask is 'where can I go and find legitimate, working content on the web?' RioPort.com solves this problem by providing a one-stop site."
Steve Rennie, president of UBL.com, an independent Web music site, intends to work with RioPort.com to promote artists. He claims that MP3 controversy "has clouded the fact that it's a great tool for promoting Independent artists".
Diamond Multimedia also announced it will embrace formats other than MP3. The Diamond Media Device Manager, a software programming interface for the Rio PMP 300, means other formats will be supported by the Rio. First to take advantage of Diamonds new software is Liquid Audio which will incorporate it in its Liquid Music Player this spring, allowing Rio owners to download and play back Liquid tracks. Gerry Kearby, CEO of Liquid Audio said: "Our co-operative efforts will result in the delivery of hot titles to consumers while providing the copyright protection being demanded by content holders."
If it's audible, it's Audible
Audible, a company that delivers audio content for books, news programmes, radio conferences and lectures, also intends to incorporate Diamond Media Device Manager into its audio delivery system. As part of the partnership, Audible will immediately post an MP3 showcase on its Web site www.audible.com/mp3.
Take me to ZDNet's CeBIT coverage.