Dual Screen Echo Smart Phone Released On Market

Sprint Nextel Corp. this week unveiled a smart phone with two screens, one stacked on top of the other.

The top screen slides out and can be snapped into place so that the two lie side by side, producing screen space that rivals a tablet computer.

The phone, called the Echo, is made by Japanese manufacturer Kyocera Corp. and has screens that are each the size of an iPhone's display. Put together, they create a larger space for typing e-mails, playing games and watching videos.

The resulting display is still about half the size of an iPad's. But it's still a larger surface area than those found on most phones.

If people wish, they can use just one screen, or have something - say, a YouTube clip or Google Maps - stretch across both screens. But Sprint also lets people use certain applications so that different parts of the app show up on each screen.

For example, you can read e-mails on one screen and respond using an oversized onscreen keyboard on the second display.

Or, you can play a game such as "The Sims" in one window with the controls taking up the lower screen. Like many other smart phones, the Echo runs Google Inc.'s Android software. Adding an extra screen is Sprint's way of making the phone stand out from dozens of others that also run Android.

For now, Sprint has re-configured the basic e-mail, text messaging, photo, video and Web browser features, along with some games, so that you can use these apps while doing different things on each screen. That list will grow to include more specific Android apps, Sprint said.

One question that remains about the Echo is how long it's likely to last on a charge.

For now, Sprint says the phone can offer at least 5.5 hours of talk time, though the company might succeed in stretching the battery life by the time it goes on sale.

The iPhone, in contrast, claims 7 hours of talk time.

Perhaps to preempt any complaints about its endurance, Sprint will include a spare battery in the box, along with a device that can recharge both the phone and the second battery at the same time.

The phone will go on sale in the spring and cost $199 with a two-year contract.

Saat Menilai Cinta

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APAKAH progres perhubungan cinta anda tahun lalu?

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SETIAP kali menjelang tahun baru, melakukan resolusi mengenai karier, hal kewangan dan cinta sememangnya menjadi rutin bagi setiap orang.

Bagi pasangan yang sedang bercinta, kenangan yang dilalui sepanjang tahun lalu mungkin lebih mematangkan fikiran. Apatah lagi bagi pasangan yang pernah gagal dalam percintaan.

Mereka menganggap tahun yang dilalui umpama suatu pengajaran yang membawa ke arah kehidupan yang lebih bermakna.

Menyentuh soal cinta, jangan pula anda lupa melakukan perubahan kepada diri dengan meletakkan keazaman yang tinggi dalam hal-hal melibatkan dunia percintaan.

Ikuti tip-tip yang disenaraikan di bawah:

1. Lupakan masa lalu

Anda bukanlah insan yang pernah dikhianati, dibenci mahupun ditinggalkan menjelang hari pernikahan. Setiap perkara yang dilalui sepanjang kehidupan lalu harus dijadikan pengajaran. Tetapi, jangan biarkan pengalaman buruk anda pada masa lampau mempengaruhi hubungan yang sedang terjalin.

Jangan biarkan hal-hal positif dan menyenangkan anda dengan pasangan bertukar gara-gara terlalu asyik membuat perbandingan dari tahun ke tahun. Ibaratkan hubungan yang baru dijalinkan itu seperti kertas putih yang siap dicorak.

2. Temui ramai orang

Bekerja di bawah satu bumbung yang sama atau tinggal berhampiran dengan kediaman anda tidak bermakna dapat membantu anda menemui calon kekasih yang berpotensi, kecuali seorang teman yang sudah lama dikenali. Jalinkan hubungan cinta dengan seorang teman yang boleh membawa anda ke arah dunia persahabatan yang lebih bermakna.

Keluarlah dari zon selesa anda. Sekiranya selama ini anda kerap ke pusat gimnasium selepas pulang dari tempat kerja, namun pada tahun ini, bangunlah pada awal pagi dan lakukan rutin harian dengan melaksanakan segala tugasan yang lebih menyihatkan. Lebih berkesan, ikuti kursus atau motivasi yang melibatkan pesertanya terdiri di kalangan lelaki dan wanita.

3. Ubah penampilan

Sudah tiba masanya anda meninggalkan gaya penampilan lama. Tidak salah sekiranya anda mengeluarkan wang yang lebih semata-mata untuk mengubah stail rambut terkini. Kunjungi salon dan bawalah contoh model rambut daripada majalah sekiranya perlu mendapat keterangan.

Demikian pula dalam hal berkaitan pakaian dan aksesori. Pilih baju berwarna cerah dan bermotifkan corak yang menarik agar anda kelihatan menonjol pada setiap masa.

4. Jangan terburu-buru

Menemui cinta baru mungkin mendatangkan kesan positif. Tetapi, jangan pula anda terus membawanya berjumpa dengan seluruh ahli keluarga. Tunggulah sehingga waktu yang tepat dan jangan sesekali merosakkan hubungan yang baru dibina itu. Hindari berbicara tentang masa depan saat hubungan baru berumur setahun jagung. Nikmatilah waktu perkenalan ini untuk memantapkan hati anda dan pasangan.

5. Jangan terlalu memilih

Setiap orang pasti ada kekurangannya, jadi apabila anda begitu obses akan kekurangan pasangan, mungkin anda sukar untuk menemui cinta baru. Sekurang-kurangnya selidik dulu kelebihan yang ada pada dirinya.

6. Buat keputusan

Cinta kerana paksaan akan membawa duka pada kemudian hari. Jangan takut untuk meluahkan apa yang terpendam kerana ia boleh mendatangkan kesan buruk dalam perhubungan. Oleh itu, lakukan keputusan yang berpihak kepada diri dan jangan takut katakan 'tidak'.

Acer Iconia Notebook For The New Era...

Acer's Iconia notebook features two 14-inch displays - one in place of a keyboard with a multitouch virtual keyboard when needed.


Computer Maker ACER is Jumping into The Androids and Windows Tablet market with both feet, but at a press event in New York the company also took the wraps off the Acer Iconia, a futuristic new notebook computer design that opens like a traditional notebook to feature two 14-inch multi-touch displays…and no keyboard. The design enables users to spread their content across two displays and bring up a virtual keyboard when needed, in theory offering mainstream productivity with a ton of screen real estate for enjoying photos, video, and other media.

The Iconia will features two 1,366 by 768-pixel displays protected by ultra-durable Gorilla Glass—and both screens are “all-point” multitouch surfaces, enabling ten points of contact per display. The system is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor, and users can choose to either split tasks across screens—with, say, one application on one and another application on the other—or spread a window across both screens. The Iconic features HDMI output for connecting to an HDTV, and Acer says the Iconia will also be available with 3G mobile broadband options.
Acer is also developing software to support touch-based interactions with applications: a five-finger grab summons the Acer Ring, which enables users to launch applications by quickly flipping through App cards, as well as a virtual (enabling iPad-like typing), a Gesture Editor, a Window Manager, and a Device Control Console. Users can also summon the keyboard by placing both palms on the lower display, offering a full-size QWERTY layout with international keyboards. numeric keypad, a touchpad, and predictive text input. Acer also offers touch-based access to photos, music, and video, as well as a new SocialJogger (for checking Facebook,YouTube, and Flickr in the same place), MyJournal (for collecting clippings from Web sites), and a Scrapbook for screenshots, notes, photo collections, and more.
Acer hasn’t announced release dates or pricing for the Iconia, and so far response to the design seems mixed: although some applaud Acer for taking a bold direction with traditional notebook design—rather like the smaller Toshiba Libbreto—others question how productive the virtual keyboard and touch interface can really be with mainstream aplications.