eK-gadgets info

Steve’s response to the lack of 3G on the iPhone — battery life is a major issue on current 3G chips — but that doesn’t mean the technology isn’t improving rapidly. According to The Street, we could see an iPhone with a 3G capable chip by the first quarter of next year. Of course, Apple declined to comment — they never talk about future products — but we wouldn’t be surprised if the company dumps a proper HSDPA / UMTS device onto the market around that time, and Steve Jobs did make it pretty clear that 3G battery life constraints should be lifted by “later next year,” and that 2nd and 3rd gen iPhones are certainly in the works. We seriously hope they come sooner than later: EDGE + WiFi is a horrible compromise these days, what with 7.2Mbps mobile connections starting to pop up around Europe.

Hasselblad’s H3D line of products achieve a new level of digital maturity and integration with the launch of the H3D-II, the fourth iteration of the camera system and one that can now justifiably lay claim to be the world’s finest digital SLR camera. Offering unsurpassed image quality delivered through an outstanding combination of hardware, software and lenses, the H3D-II is the clear leader in the high-end DSLR category, now a recognized segment of the photographic market. The H3D-II is available immediately worldwide through Hasselblad’s national subsidiaries and channel partners with a retail price of 26.500€ for the H3D-39II, 21.500€ for the H3D-31II, and 17.900€ for the H3D-22II, excluding tax.

Fujitsu attracted a fair bit of attention back in August with its $1,000 U810 convertible tablet PC, and it’s now out to prove its worth when it comes to reviews, one of the first of which looks to have come from the folks at Laptop Magazine. While it’s apparently not without its faults, they found quite a bit to like about the device, saying “you can’t beat the price for a unit with a usable built-in keyboard and tablet functionality.” They also especially dug the tablet’s sharp 5.6-inch screen, and it’s long battery life, which wound up around 5 hours and 14 minutes in their tests. On the downside, they were less impressed with the performance from the 800MHz A110 processor, and by the lack of integrated mobile broadband, not to mention the somewhat lackluster keyboard and mouse. That apparently wasn’t enough to keep it from getting a decent 3.5 out of 5 rating, however, with that $1,000 price tag working considerably in its favor.

Nokia added another handset to its Eseries portfolio with the introduction of the new Nokia E51 mobile phone. Targeted at business professionals, the Nokia E51 comes in a slim form factor. The phone offers one-touch keys for quick access to most common applications including email, contacts, calendar and the Home screen. Configuring your email accounts is easy with the E51’s wizard interface. The phone can easily be integrated into many business mail solutions including Nokia Intellisync Wireless Email and Mail for Exchange. There’s even an indicator light for new email and a preview window for the latest email on the home screen.