Introducing Comice OS 4: The Mac-Looking Linux

We proud to introduce today, February 7th, a new Linux distribution, called Comice OS, which is actually a redesigned version of the Pear OS Linux.  Remember Pear OS? It's that Mac OS looking (see screenshots below) Ubuntu-based operating system introduced last year on our Linux section. Well, it looks like David Tavares, the developer of Pear OS, prepares these days a revamped version of his Linux operating system, under the name of Comice OS. Comice OS 4 will be built on top of the GNOME 3 interface, powered by Comice Shell, which is a modification of GNOME Shell to look exactly like a Mac OS desktop. It provides two views: Mission Control to view running apss and Launchpad to see installed apps. Wait, that's not all! Comice OS 4...

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Canon Goes Rugged with the PowerShot D20 Point-and-Shoot

After Panasonic and Nikon presented their rugged point-and-shoot cameras earlier this month, Canon follows their lead with the introduction of the PowerShot D20, a strange looking compact with underwater shooting abilities.  To make the D20 better fitted for its role, Canon used a special design which enabled it to include an easy to access switch for swapping between the regular photo mode and the special underwater of snow modes. Furthermore, the D20 has a built-in underwater macro mode, as well as a special wind reduction technology to help it capture clear audio even in breezy conditions. Moving past the rugged features of the D20, Canon’s point-and-shoot sports a 12.1MP CMOS sensor, similar to the one found in the ELPH models launched...

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Nvidia Kepler GK104 GPU Is Reportedly Smaller Than the HD 7970

Rumors regarding Nvidia’s next-gen graphics cards, code named Kepler, keep on arriving at a frantic pace, the latest of these claiming that the mid-range GK104 GPU has a smaller die than that of AMD Tahiti graphics cores. According to SemiAccurate, some unnamed sources have managed to measure Nvidia’s GPU and after some calculation they found out that the GK104 die has between 324 and 361 square millimeters. While this is a lot bigger than what most of us were expecting, the chip is actually smaller than the Tahiti GPUs used by AMD in the Radeon HD 7970 and HD 7950, which measure 365mm2. No specifications were provided together with these measurements, but a previous report that arrived just yesterday indicated that the GPU included 512...

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Maingear’s Updated Titan 17 Notebook Sports Sandy Bridge-E CPUs

Maingear has recently announced an updated version of the Titan 17 desktop replacement, which swaps the LGA 1366 processors used in the previous model with Intel’s new LGA 2011 Sandy Bridge-E CPUs. The Titan 17 notebook is based on the Clevo P270WM design, which can be configured to feature Intel’s high-performance Core i7-3930K and the Core i7-3960X desktop CPUs and up to 32GB of quad-channel DDR3 memory. In the standard configuration, Intel’s powerful processors are paired together with a GTX 580M graphics card, but for a “few dollars” more users can upgrade to an SLI setup or to Nvidia’s professional-grade Quadro 5010M GPU. The rest of the Titan 17 specifications list includes support for up to three hard drives or SSDs, a 17.3-inch glossy...

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Canon Intros New Wide Angle and Standard Zoom Lenses

Canon releases cameras on a regular basis, but this time it chose to offer a couple of lenses instead, a Standard Zoom Lens and a pair of Wide Angle Lenses. The EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM & EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM are Canon Standard Prime Lenses with Optical Image Stabilizer. Excelling at wide-angle image capture, they feature the Image Stabilization technology and Ultrasonic Motor-powered auto focus. Canon made sure to implement the Optical Image Stabilizer technology as well, which enables up to four shutter speed stops of correction. June, 2012 is when these two are set to start selling, for $849.99 / 648.59 Euro (EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM) and $799.99 / 610 Euro (EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM). The third lens that Canon introduced was the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L...

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Nokia Lumia 710 Call Disconnect Issue Confirmed, Bug Fix Coming Soon

Nokia Lumia 710 has been on the market for about two months now and owners are still complaining about an issue that apparently doesn’t allow them to end calls. Two months after the official launch of the Lumia 710, Nokia has finally admitted the existence of the “call disconnect issue” and is preparing to deploy a minor software update that is meant to fix this bug. Until today, it was believed that owners of the Nokia Lumia 710 would not be able to terminate a call even after tapping the End call touch key on the screen. According to Nokia, this is only a display software bug, as the call is in fact ended, even though it’s not obvious for the user. The folks over at The Next Web found out that Nokia had acknowledged the issue and was already...

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Canon Intros Six New PowerShot A-Series Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Alongside the new high-end ELPS and the SX260 HS, Canon has also introduced today no less than six other PowerShot A-Series point-and-shoot cameras, which will be available starting this month in a variety of colors. The most advanced of Canon’s new point-and-shoots are the A4000 IS and A3400 IS, both of them featuring image stabilization and a 3-inch rear display. In the A3400 IS however, the rear screen is touch sensitive making it the first PowerShot A-series model to offer both Touch Focus and Touch Shutter shooting modes.  To make up for this, the A4000 IS comes with an 8x zoom lens, while its smaller brother has to make do with a 5X lens. A similar lens was also installed by Canon in the PowerShot A2400 IS and the PowerShot A2300,...

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Windows Phone-Based LG Miracle Leaks

South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics is expected to bring to the market a new handset running under Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, one that will arrive on shelves under the name of LG Miracle.  The handset will be based on the newer flavors of Microsoft’s mobile OS, most probably Mango, though Tango could also be loaded on it right from the start.  The new device is said to be none other than the previously leaked LG Fantasy smartphone, that was spotted on the web at the end of the last year.  The upcoming Windows Phone device is rumored to pack hardware specifications that put it in line with the rest for the WP family. By the looks of it, it will not be able to differentiate itself too much from the...

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Nikon Outs New Firmware for V1 and J1 ILC Cameras

A new firmware update for the V1 and J1 interchangeable lens cameras just went live on Nikon’s website. This carries the v1.11 designation and according to Nikon’s change log it’s just a minor release meant to fix some issues that were affecting its 1-series snappers. The problems range from a miss-communication issue with the Speedlight SB-N5 flash, which led to some images being over-exposed by the cameras, to a bug in the previous V1 firmware. According to Nikon, this bug stopped the camera from functioning properly after switching from framing photos in the monitor to using the electronic viewfinder, or vice versa, with focus mode set to MF (manual focus) and the display zoomed in. The firmware files can be downloaded from Nikon’s website...

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Photo of Symbian-Based Nokia 801 Leaks

Nokia has been long rumored to plan the release of a successor for its high-end Nokia N8 smartphone, but specifics on the matter have been lacking until now.  Recent reports, however, suggest that the company might be nearing the release of this device, and that the company could put an end to any other Symbian plans as soon as the new phone arrives.  Rumor has it that there is a Nokia 801 smartphone in the pipeline, and that it will run under Symbian, just as N8 did.  In fact, the said device has just made an appearance online, showing an outer design strikingly resembling the Lumia 800 Windows Phone from the Finnish handset vendor.  The new device might run under the Nokia Belle OS flavor (the Symbian Belle platform...

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More Olympus OM-D Details Emerge

With just a few more hours left until the Olympus OM-D becomes official, more details about this camera have emerged. Just like before, these new specs were uncovered by 43 Rumors, which learned from a "super European source." According to this latest info, the OM-D could sport a "super fast" autofocus and 3D tracking system, an external "weather-sealed" GN10 flash and additional filters. Furthermore, Olympus’ interchangeable lens camera will also be capable of showing the effects of the image stabilization mechanism employed right through the electronic viewfinder, which definitely sounds like something that will make all of your friends jealous. All these however will come at a price, as it seems that Olympus’ interchangeable lens creation...

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MSI Win U180 Cedar Trail Netbook Up for Sale

Micro-Star International's collection of entry-level mobile personal computers has just grown by one, though we cannot really say there is anything particularly revolutionary to see here.  The company has completed the preparations for the shipping of the MSI Wind U180 Cedar Trail netbook.  There was no loud announcement or any real effort to spread word far and wide about this consumer electronics device.  Of course, with how sharply the popularity of netbooks has declined recently, this is not unexpected.  There is also the matter of MSI not having put any effort into changing much of the Wind series of netbooks, design-wise that is.  Still, the performance benefits should be visible immediately, to those who know...

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Two New Boards from Gigabyte – GA-970A-DS3 and GA-78LMT-S2P (revision 5.0)

While the planet is still waiting for the wave of new motherboards announced at the 2012 CES and centered on Intel's new chipsets, it's really nice to see Gigabyte showing new gear.  Well, maybe not all new gear, but in any case, after almost a month with no fresh products, this sounds really good. The not-that-new board is the GA-78LMT-S2P, now reaching revision 5.0. This one is a motherboard designed for the AM3+ and Phenom/ Athlon II CPUs, sporting the 760G north bridge and SB710 southbridge. GA-78LMT-S2P (rev. 5.0) can hold up to 8 GB DDR3 and comes with no USB 3.0 slots or SATA 6GB/s connectors, like the new-generation boards do. The all-new AM3+ board dubbed GA-970A-DS3 works with the same CPUs, but boasts all the new and nifty...

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Canon Selphy CP810 Compact Photo Printer Packs a Ton of Cool Features

Besides all the point-and-shoots that we took a look at earlier today, Canon has another gadget that could interest some of the amateur photographers among you, the Selphy CP810 compact photo printer. Coming as the successor of the CP800, this smallish printer brings a series of improvements over its predecessor, such as a 2.7-inch color screen, one-button printing, and the Auto Image Optimizer function. The latter addition is particularly interesting, since it automatically increases the quality of the print output compared to the quality of the original digital image, recognizing scenes and improving the subject by making specific adjustments.  Moreover, a selectable Smooth Skin effect evens out skin blemishes for more flattering...

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Galaxy S III to Be Incredibly Thin When Launched in May

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung is gearing up for the release of a new flagship device in the Galaxy S line, supposedly called Galaxy S III. The smartphone did make it to the headlines a few times before, but some more info on it is now available, complemented by details on its possible release.  Apparently, Samsung could have it launched sometime in May, and is expected to have it available on shelves soon afterwards.  Rumor has it that this device would pack a quad-core application processor, and that it will run under Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.  This device will be launched as the successor of Galaxy S II, and should be slimmer and more appealing than the current flagship Android handset.  According...

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Nokia Starts the Deployment of Nokia Belle

Nokia has just started the delivery of Nokia Belle to its users, the latest OS upgrade for its Symbian-based smartphones.  The new platform release brings along a variety of enhancements, with more personalization options than before and with a new UI for users to enjoy.  “Starting today, with Nokia Belle, you’ll be able to transform your Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia E6, Nokia X7, Nokia C6-01, Nokia C7, or Nokia Oro device, by adding a whole load of enhancements. For Nokia 500, Nokia Belle will be made available within the next few weeks,” a post on Nokia Conversations reads.  As soon as they install the new software update on their devices, users will enjoy up to six home screens to put shortcuts on, for fast access to favorite...

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$25 Raspberry Pi Credit Card-Sized PC Available by the End of February

Looks like people won't have to wait much longer for the arrival of the Raspberry Pi credit-card sized computer, in the United Kingdom at least.  The super-cheap and very small device invented by the Raspberry Pi Foundation (and bearing the same name) is almost ready to ship.  It used to be scheduled for January, 2012 (last month), but the company was unable to make enough of the things, due to shortage of certain quartz crystals.  After finally getting a supply of such crystals, which are easy to find in the UK, but not in China (where the item is made), production sped up substantially.  Now, the foundation says that it should be done building the things by February 20, at which point it will send out shipments, to...

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Canon Adds ELPH 530HS, 320HS and SX260 HS Cameras to PowerShot Lineup

Canon has just announced that it expanded its PowerShot camera lineup with three new models targeting amateur photographers everywhere, which will reach retail starting with March this year. The most advanced of the three point-and-shoot cameras are the two ELPH models (known as IXUS in Europe), which feature Canon's DIGIC 5 image processor, 1080p video recording and a 3.2-inch LCD touchscreen. WiFi connectivity is also included and this enables users to wirelessly upload their pictures to Canon's online portal from where they can be posted on Facebook, Twitter and/or YouTube. Specs wise, the ELPH 530 HS features a 12x optical zoom lens paired with a 10MP sensor, while the 320 HS has a 5x optical zoom lens and a 16.1 megapixel sensor. Pricing...

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iPhone 5 and iPad 3 to Sport "Macroscalar" CPU (Rumor)

A discovery by Patently Apple reveals that the company run by Tim Cook has recently trademarked the term “Macroscalar”, which may be related to 3D transistors as part of a new A-processor architecture, according to Extreme Tech’s Joel Hruska. Up until now, work on Apple’s “Macroscalar” Processor Architecture has been tightly kept under wraps, but as the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 draw closer, the company is required to have all of the paperwork ready to ensure smooth sailing. The respective trademark filing emerged this past weekend. It got picked up by the aforementioned patent-centric blog, as well as by Hong Kong‘s Intellectual Property Office. The trademark carries an International Class covering “microprocessors for computers.” According to...

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