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After using the Sony Vaio P on and off for about a week now I can say it’s a very stylish and small computer, which suffers from poor performance. The screen’s amazing resolution is just a bit too much for the small size and everything on it ends up being too small and you have to zoom in and out all the time and that gets frustrating. I guess Sony wanted to impress by putting Windows Vista on the P but it just doesn’t work. It’s substantially under powered for that, XP would have been a better choice. Personally I don’t like the little trackpoint but the keyboard is very nice to type on, on a flat and solid surface that it, the P is too small to use on your lap. As stylish and small as it is, there are better choices if you want something small and light.

You can now download version 3.0 of the operating system software for iPhone 3G, iPhone, and iPod touch (you have to pay $10 for touch). I downloaded and installed it last night on an Etisalat iPhone 3G and so far it works great. It restored all my apps and data, I had 25 apps that needed updating, and I’ve tried tethering. MMS doesn’t work for me yet but I’m waiting for Etisalat to confirm that they’ve enabled MMS service for my account.

So iPhone users, connect to iTunes and hit that update button, at least if you have an unlocked iPhone!

Today we did the Fallaj Al Mualla route from the Explorer book. Yes it was hot but we stopped frequently and rested in the shade of trees. It was a nice and easy drive but even though Explorer says it can be done without deflating I’d recommend deflating anyway. There are passages with small dunes and very soft sand, which would be tough without deflating, I think. There is a track all the way but there are also dunes for more advanced drivers to play in. At the last stage of the route we took the wrong turn so we ended up somewhere completely different than what was expected but that was okay too.

It’s sad how some people treat the desert. In spots that would be very nice camping or BBQ sites there are heaps of trash. Why can’t you pick up after yourselves? And around most of the farms in the area there is even more rubbish, most likely not from offroaders but the guys who work the farms. I think the owners of these farms should be held responsible for cleaning up and keeping it clean. If they derive money from cultivating the desert in terms of plants of camels they should be responsible for keeping it clean too.

It’s been very interesting trying some of the latest notebooks to hit the UAE, including the Dell Adamo, Acer’s Timeline, and now also HP’s Pavilion dv2. It’s a 12.1-inch notebook with a glossy, shiny black exterior (you can get it in white as well). It’s small, thin, and light enough to go with you almost anywhere. HP took out the optical drive and made it external and they’re nice enough to include it in the box. The AMD processor gives enough power for average tasks on the go and Vista runs, if not as snappy as you might want it to, with perfectly acceptable performance. Price starts at AED2599.

I might not have been quite awake yet when I saw it scrolling by in Google Reader this morning, but I thought I saw something familiar, which as it turns out was the Nabaztag, one of the items I reviewed in today’s The National newspaper.

I’m really excited about the possibilities that opens up when reaching the audience of a national newspaper. For next article I’m already working on looking at some of the recently released thin PC notebooks, including the Dell Adamo. Even though I’ve never really completely given up using Windows computers it’s nice to in a sense get back in the game again. Being a gadget lover, I like trying anything, not just Apple stuff

If you don’t have a paper copy you can read the article online.

Yes I’m a Mac-man at heart and I’m not going to give up my MacBook and Mac Pro anytime soon (unless there are new models from Apple, of course) but I do try to keep up with what’s happening in the PC world. Hopefully in a day or so I get to use the Dell Adamo and yesterday I got the Acer Aspire 3810T, one of the models in the brand new Timeline series from Acer. It’s main selling point is a battery life of 8-9 hours on one charge, thin and light design, all at an affordable price. I can tell you that their claims of battery life are about right and the speed is okay to comfortably run Windows Vista and the typical applications for most users. It runs very quiet and surprisingly cool. You can very comfortably keep it in your lap, same can’t be said for all notebooks. The 3810T is going to go into my computer backpack and will be a companion to my MacBook for the near future at least.

There are three models, 13.3, 14, or 15-inch display (I have the 13-inch version). Here are the specs:

• Processor and chipset: Intel® Centrino® 2 / Centrino® processor technology, Intel® Core™2 Duo ultra low voltage processor SU9400, Mobile Intel® GS45 Express Chipset, Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 5100 (dual-band quad-mode 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N) Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connection, Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 5150 Wi-Fi®/WiMAX™ dual-mode module
• Operating system: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
• Memory: Dual-channel DDR3 SDRAM support, Up to 4 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, upgradeable to 8 GB using two soDIMM modules (requires 64 bit Operating System)
• HDD: hard disk drive up to 320GB
• Storage: 160/250/320/500 GB or larger hard disk drive or 80 GB SSD drive, 5-in-1 card reader, supporting Secure Digital™ (SD) Card, MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick™ (MS), Memory Stick PRO™ (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card™ (xD)
• Optical Media driver: N/A
• Display: 13.3″ HD 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, high-brightness (200-nit) Acer CineCrystal™ LED-backlit TFT LCD, 16:9 aspect ratio
• Graphics: Mobile Intel® GS45 Express Chipset with integrated 3D graphics, featuring Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD (Intel® GMA 4500MHD) with up to 1759 MB of Intel® Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0 (64 MB of dedicated video memory, Microsoft® DirectX® 10
• Audio: Optimized 2nd Generation Dolby Sound Room® audio enhancement, featuring Dolby® Headphone, Dolby® Natural Bass and Dolby® Sound Space Expander, S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital speakers, MS-Sound compatible, built-in microphone
• Communication: Acer Video Conference: Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam supporting
  enhanced Acer PrimaLite™ technology; WLAN: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100 (dual-band quad-mode 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N) Wi-Fi CERTIFIED network connection, featuring MIMO technology, supporting Acer SignalUp with Nplify wireless technology or; Wi-Fi®/WiMAX™* Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 5150 Wi-Fi®/WiMAX™ dual-mode module, supporting Acer SignalUp™ with Nplify™ wireless technology * depending on network availability; WWAN GTM382E module: UMTS/HSPA at 900 MHz/2100 MHz and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) upgradeable to 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA (for 3G models); WPAN: Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate); LAN: Gigabit Ethernet, Wake-on-LAN ready
• I/O ports: 5-in-1 card reader (SD™, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD), Three (Four on AS5810T) USB 2.0 ports, HDMI™ port with HDCP support, External display (VGA) port, Headphone/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support, Microphone-in jack
• Security: BIOS user, supervisor, HDD passwords, Kensington lock slot
• Power: ACPI 3.0 CPU power management standard: supports Standby and Hibernation power-saving modes, 62.16 W 5600 mAh 6-cell Li-ion battery pack: Acer PowerSmart 3-pin 65 W AC adapter, ENERGY STAR® 5.0
• Special keys and controls: 103-/104-/107-key keyboard, with inverted “T” cursor layout (model 5810T) - 86-/87-/91-key keyboard,, with inverted “T” cursor layout (model 3810T & 4810T), Multi-gesture touchpad pointing device supporting: Circular-motion scrolling, Pinch-action zoom, Page flip; 10 function keys, four cursor keys, two Windows® keys, hotkey controls, independent standard numeric keypad (only on AS5810T) , international language support Acer PowerSmart key, Easy-launch keys: Acer Backup, Communication®, touchpad lock, Media control keys (printed on keyboard): play/pause, stop, previous, next
• Dimensions and weight: 322 (W) x 228 (D) x 23.4/28.9 (H) mm - 1.6 kg ( 3.5 lbs.) with 6-cell battery pack
• Price: AED2799

HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile phones, announced the launch of the HTC Touch Diamond2ä which is the next step in the evolution of the highly successful Touch Diamond. Integrating innovative simplicity with unique style and an intuitive interface, the device balances function, form and cutting-edge technology to personalize the communication and mobile Internet experience.

Crafted to fit perfectly into the hand, it incorporates a larger 3.2-inch high-resolution wide-screen VGA display for a greater viewing area in a design just 13.7mm thick. The phone also includes a new touch sensitive zoom bar for even faster zooming of web pages, emails, text messages, photos or documents.

The HTC Touch Diamond2ä utilizes HTC’s latest TouchFLO 3D interface. TouchFLO 3D has been more deeply integrated into a customized version of Windows Mobile 6.1 to deliver more consistency throughout Windows Mobile applications and menus. Focused on making navigation easier and more intuitive, TouchFLO 3D brings important information to the top-level user interface, including quick access to people, messaging, email, photos, music and weather. As part of this improved Windows Mobile integration the touch focus areas have been enlarged to be more finger-touch friendly.

With the HTC Touch Diamond2ä, HTC is introducing a new people-centric communication approach, providing a single contact view that displays the individual conversation history of contacts regardless of whether voice, text or email were used. This can be viewed from the contact card or the in-call screen during a phone conversation, ensuring the latest communication contact-by-contact is always at hand.

Continuing its commitment to making the mobile Internet easier and more enjoyable, the HTC Touch Diamond2 introduces HTC’s Push Internet technology. HTC Push Internet alleviates slow downloading and rendering of Web pages on a mobile phone. Users can preselect their favorite Websites to get immediate access to them when needed.

Kevin Chen, General Manager, HTC Middle East and Africa and CIS, said, “The HTC Touch Diamond2 like its predecessor the acclaimed Touch Diamond, offers a range of features to enhance the overall user experience, particularly the incorporation of the people-centric communication. HTC is delivering the latest, cutting-edge sophistication in a broad portfolio of mobile phones that improve how people live, work and communicate. The new Touch Diamond 2 clearly defines the future of mobility which is information at the tip of your fingers.”

In addition, the Touch Diamond2 is the first HTC device which can be easily upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional. With fifty-percent better battery life, faster processor, a five mega-pixel auto focus camera , expandable memory, gravity sensor and an ambient light sensor, the Touch Diamond2 brings the most sophisticated capabilities to a broad consumer audience looking for the benefits of a smartphone without sacrificing size, looks or functionality. The device also includes FM Radio and G-sensor.

The new Touch Diamond2 is distributed in the UAE by SIT Distribution, and is available through all the major retail outlets at a retail price of US$708 (AED 2599).

I went to the launch of Dell Adamo in The Dubail Mall this afternoon. Dell’s latest notebook offering is, I believe, a direct response to the success Apple has enjoyed with MacBook and MacBook Air. The Adamo is a very good looking PC, slightly thinner than a MacBook (alu) and apparently manufactured with the same technology as the Apple notebooks, what Apple calls “unibody”, where the main part of the computer is made out of one solid piece of metal.

There are two colors available, white and black, which both have a brushed metal outside, combined with a smooth and shiny finish to about half the cover of the display. For an Apple fan, one pleasant surprise is that Dell has almost completely kept the underside clean from vents, screws, stickers, etc. It’s perhaps a bit unfair to compare to Apple’s notebooks but it’s the closest thing to the Adamo in design right now, and the Adamo stands up very well in the comparison.

It comes in two configurations (both with 128GB SSD, 13.4-inch 16:9 display, 1.3 megapixel webcam): 1.2GHz/2GB for AED8999, and 1.4GHz/4GB for AED12999 (that’s compared to the US prices of $1999/$2699). The higher end model also has a slot for inserting a SIM card to do data over 3G connection.

I’ve only used the Adamo for a few minutes so I can’t say much about performance and battery life. Look out for a more detailed review in The National in the near future.

I selected CutLine recently for the site and so far I’ve done… drumroll… nothing to it. Even the pictures at the tope are the standard ones. That will change at some point, I’ll put some new graphics at the top, tweak a few things with the style, and play around with the stuff in the sidebar. Don’t expect any big changes though, I’d like to keep this very simple.

It’s funny how things work out sometimes. Little did I think that when we moved to the UAE I’d start a Mac web site, but I did (www.emiratesmac.com); little did I think I’d become editor of an Apple magazine, but I did (www.shufflegazine.com); and never did I imagine I’d be writing about tech for a daily newspaper. But now that last bit has also become true.

Shufflegazine has partnered up with The National newspaper here in UAE and we’ll write reviews of gadgets and other tech related articles for the paper. It’s a great way to get Shufflegazine’s name out there and it’s a great way for them to get content.

So look out for the first article next week. Not exactly sure when yet but Thursday through the weekend is a good bet.