The new 2011 Audi A8 revealed

Audi has unveiled the all-new fourth generation A8 full-size luxury sedan this evening in Miami. At a glance the A8 and its aluminum body structure features an updated MMI operating system with hand writing recognition touch pad, new driver assistance systems, full LED headlights and new technologies such as night vision assist with marking of detected pedestrians and Audi pre sense safety system.

The A8's core competitors include the Mercedes-Benz S Class and BMW 7 Series with the Lexus LS and Jaguar XJ described as secondary competitors. The 2011 A8 weighs about the same as the outgoing model despite being 3 inches longer, 2 inches wider and has more standard equipment (8-speed auto transmission, pre sense basic, keyless go, power trunk, etc.) versus competitors: ~50lbs less than S Class RWD, and more than 200lbs (90.7kg) less than S Class AWD; more than 200lbs less than 7 Series RWD and more than 400lbs (181.4kg) less than 7 Series AWD.

“The new Audi A8 is the sportiest sedan in its segment,” says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. “It combines numerous functions in a new and intelligent way. And it’s unmatched in the stylistic elements and impression of the interior.”

source : worldcarfans.com

Perodua Alza launched!

Here it is – the new Perodua Alza! We’ve been following the development of this MPV ever since we first got news of its existence back in early 2008, where it was reported that Toyota and Daihatsu were going to build a new MPV and produce it in Indonesia. When the Daihatsu Luxio MPV came out we all got a shock – that more of a van so we waited patiently until Christmas last year when the Toyota Passo Sette was finally unveiled in Japan. Nearly a year later, the Perodua-badged model with a new front, rear and interior is here. Read the full details after the jump.

Alot of people that are casually (not urgent) in the market for an MPV will have probably been waiting for the D46T project to be launched for a long time now. After all, the majority of the country can only afford either a Proton or a Perodua, and you really have to wonder why it took them so long to serve this market niche when all of its competitors have been priced out of affordability.

As for the name Alza, it actually means ‘to rise’ in Spanish. Probably symbolises Perodua rising up the product segments once again – its cars are getting bigger and bigger.

source: paultan.org

Perodua Alza 1.5L Standard M/T Solid – RM55,490 Metallic – RM55,990 S. Metallic – RM56,190	Perodua Alza 1.5L Standard A/T Solid – RM58,490 Metallic – RM58,990 S. Metallic – RM59,190
Perodua Alza 1.5L Premium M/T Solid – RM60,490 Metallic – RM60,990 S. Metallic – RM61,190	Perodua Alza 1.5L Premium A/T Solid – RM63,490 Metallic – RM63,990 S. Metallic – RM64,190

Google's Chrome OS revealed

Google had a low-key event today to preview Chrome OS, its new operating system based on Linux and the Chrome browser. Things are still pretty early -- it's not even in beta yet, let alone on shipping products -- but that's the first official screen shot right there, and the big features are all roughed out. The entire system is web-based and runs in the Chrome browser -- right down to USB drive contents, which show up in a browser tab, and the notepad, which actually creates a Google Docs document. Web apps are launched from a persistent apps panel, which includes Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and Hulu, among others, and background apps like Google Talk can be minimized to "panels" that dock to the bottom of the screen. Local storage is just used to speed up the system -- everything actually lives in the cloud, so all it takes to swap or borrow machines is a login, and you're good to go. Google also said it's "very committed" to Flash, and that it's looking to hardware accelerate whatever code it can -- although Google didn't have a solid answer to give when asked about Silverlight. Overall, Google was upfront in saying that Chrome OS is focused on very clear use cases for people who primarily use the web, and that it's not trying to do everything: "If you're a lawyer, editing contracts back and forth, this will not be the right machine for you."

As far as going to market, Google's not talking details until the targeted launch at the end of next year, but Chrome OS won't run on just anything -- there'll be specific reference hardware. For example, Chrome OS won't work with standard hard drives, just SSDs, but Google is supporting both x86 and ARM CPUs.

Microsoft CEO Ballmer says Windows 7 sales are double its predecessors'

Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer was on hand for the company's annual shareholder's meeting in Washington, and news of Windows 7 sales came up right away. While delivering the opening remarks, Ballmer said that Microsoft has sold twice as many copies of Win 7 as any previous Microsoft OS in a comparable time frame. That's including both OEM sales and boxed retail copies, of course, and though no specific numbers were mentioned, the good news isn't completely unexpected as pre-orders were through the roof. High five, Microsoft.

Thor begins in Jan

Source: Twitter by: Niki Stephens

It's time for the hammer to fall. Pretty cheesy opening, huh? Anyway, some good news is coming from Production Weekly's twitter account: "Filming on Marvel's "Thor" is scheduled to begin in LA mid-January, then move to Santa Fe, New Mexico from March till late-April." Who's excited? It was sort of disappointing to hear that Alexander Skarsgard would not be the mighty God of thunder, but at least his Dad, Stellan got a part. Not sure what part it was though. I really think this is going to be insanely epic. For starters, you've got Kenneth Branagh directing. That automatically makes it worth seeing. Then there's some good names in the cast: Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. As for the casting of Chris Hemsworth as THOR, I think it's alright.

Perodua MPV to be launch on Nov 23rd

Perodua held a media test drive for the new Perodua D46T MPV this morning somewhere in Putrajaya. I’ve tried it out and will share my findings with you after the MPV’s launch (due to embargo reasons), which is expected to be on the 23rd of November 2009. Showrooms will officially start taking bookings earlier, from the 13th of November 2009 onwards.

Canon EOS 7D gets high marks all around

Canon's EOS 7D is a pretty grandiose piece of image-recording equipment, whether you're talking about its size, features or price. You're probably aware of the 18 megapixel APS-C sensor and dual DIGIC 4 processors already, but we've all had to be a bit more patient than usual in waiting for the pro reviews to come out. Dpreview doesn't disappoint though, with a thoughtful 31-page tome awaiting the keen reader, and we've also got more digestible video reviews from DPhoto Journal for the less patient among you. If you're after direct comparisons against competing models, such as the Nikon D300s, you'll find those sprinkled in among the reviews as well, with Cameratown throwing in a direct head-to-head with Canon's own 5D Mark II. The 7D was found to produce "virtually no visible noise" all the way up to ISO 1600, and scored further points for its gorgeous 100 percent frame-covering viewfinder and fast 19-point AF. With a weather-sealed, highly ergonomic body design, ridiculously fast processing and a sensor so good that "in most situations the lens, rather than the camera, is likely to be the limiting factor," the only thing reviewers could criticize was the somewhat uncompetitive pricing, but that's likely to soften with time anyway.

Blomkamp's next

After DISTRICT 9 went on to gross over $100 million, creating a new sci-fi franchise from an original concept, writer/director Neill Blomkamp had his choice of projects to work on next. Would it be a DISTRICT 10? A superhero movie? An adaptation of a once famous TV series? None of the above. Blomkamp has signed a deal to direct, get this, another original concept. Who is this guy and where is he getting all these original ideas from?!

Details on the project are being kept under wraps but Media Rights Capital has committed to finance the untitled sci-fi pic. Blomkamp will be given complete creative control over the film, which is expected to cost more than D-9's $30 million but otherwise modest by sci-fi standards. MRC will shop the project to distributors as production begins. At this point, Peter Jackson is not expected to be involved.

Said Blomkamp of the deal, "MRC is letting me make the film I want to make and that is by far the most important thing here. The film will hopefully be commercial, but it is very much a singular film, that comes directly from me." He'll immediately begin writing the project and doing early FX tests. I should note that Blomkamp WILL do a sequel to DISTRICT 9 for Sony but this untitled project will be his next effort and D-10 will have to wait.

Introducing the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV – fast, powerful, high resolution performance for professional photographers

Looks like Canon isn't skipping the number "four" after all. While initially unveiling what looked to be a half-complete website with two teaser videos, the company has now gone official with the EOS-1D Mark IV. So what's new to the table? For starter's there's a 16.1 megapixel APS-H CMOS sensor, ISO range of100 to 12,800 native, up to 102,400 (hello, Nikon), 45-point area customizable autofocus with 39 high-precision cross-type focusing points, dual Digic 4 processors, 1080p HD video, and an option WFT-E2 IIA wireless file transmitter for connectivity over 802.11a/b/g and ethernet. Launch date is sometime in December, and body-only price is estimated at about $4,999 but subject to change.

Developed incorporating feedback from professional photographers, the EOS-1D Mark IV features a new Canon 16.1MP APS-H CMOS sensor and a brand new 45-point Auto Focus (AF) system with 39 f/2.8 sensitive cross-type points, providing a wide selection of precise focus areas across the frame. Dual “DIGIC 4” processors provide the power to shoot continuous, high-resolution images at up to 10 frames per second (fps), as well as delivering the widest ISO range ever to feature in a Canon camera.

“Throughout the EOS-1D Mark IV’s development, we’ve carefully studied feedback from our photographers and developed a camera to meet their specific requirements” said Mr. Shinbori, Senior General Manager of Camera Development Center, Canon Inc. “With a brand new, high-quality CMOS sensor and Dual “DIGIC 4” processors, the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV allows photographers to be the first to get the highest quality images to picture desks in what is becoming an increasingly competitive market.”

Heroes to Kill Off a Major Character?

First there was last night's same-sex kiss and now it seems that the producers of Heroes are shaking things up some more. According to E! Online, an important character will be killed off on Heroes sometime this season. While the site wouldn't offer the exact character, a few hints were dropped, including a cryptic picture that might or might not feature the killed-off character.

However, I will tell you that this leading character is a male, and he is not necessarily pictured above. (He might be, he might not be.) And he is one of the original cast.
And you thought Hayden's same-sex kiss was surprising, eh?

Clearly the producers are pulling out all the stops this season in an effort to ramp up storylines and pull out a big watercooler-worthy surprise.

Although he isn't pictured, it seems possible that either Zachary Quinto's Sylar or Adrian Pasdar's Nathan Petrelli (even though he's technically dead...) could either meet their fate, due to the bizarre circumstances that are currently playing out this season.

Dell's $2,000 Adamo XPS launching October 22 with heat-sensing open latch

Dell has been teasing its ultrathin Adamo XPS for weeks now, but all that goofing off will come to a solemn end next Thursday. On the same day that we sit down with Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer (and a little OS by the name of Windows 7 hits store shelves), Dell will also fully reveal the planet's slimmest laptop. The 0.39-inch Adamo XPS will cost $2,000, and while the nitty-gritty details are still under wraps, a new Business Week article notes that it'll boast a "heat-sensing strip on the lip that, when swiped with a finger, glows white and automatically opens the aluminum lid." The glamorous machine is part of a larger effort within the Round Rock powerhouse to revitalize itself and get people talking once again, and while this particular slab will obviously not be a high volume product, it could very well get a few more eyes pointed in its direction

Argentina qualifies for World Cup with victory over Uruguay

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Argentina ended an embarrassing campaign by qualifying for the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Uruguay on Wednesday.

Argentina would have missed its first World Cup since 1970 if it had lost at packed Centenario Stadium.

But moments after Uruguay defender Martin Caceres was ejected for his second yellow card, substitute Mario Bolatti scored amid a goalmouth scramble in the 84th minute to send a relieved Argentina to the finals in South Africa next year.

Argentina claimed the fourth and final automatic berth in South America, while Uruguay finished fifth and earned another chance to qualify through the playoffs next month.

MELVILLE, N.Y. (Oct. 14, 2009) – Today, Nikon Inc. announced the FX-format D3S D-SLR, providing professional photographers with a powerful tool that redefines the boundaries of digital SLR versatility, while maintaining the strength of superior image quality and high speed performance inherited from the ground breaking D3. The D3S enables not only new opportunities in low-light photography, but also provides photographers with added shutter speed and aperture freedom with a base ISO sensitivity range from ISO 200 to a remarkable 12,800. Additionally, expanded ISO equivalent settings up to a staggering 102,400 are available, enabling photographers to create images previously thought impossible.


The Nikon D3S builds upon the success of the Nikon D3-the professional digital SLR that set new standards for D-SLR performance and utilizes a newly designed, Nikon original 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor that also integrates its amazing low-light ability to High Definition (HD) video, creating a uniquely capable multi-media tool to meet the needs of a changing imaging landscape.

"When the Nikon D3 was released, it ushered in a new era of professional digital imaging. Today, the D3S will further reinforce Nikon's leadership role in the photographic industry as a pioneer in performance-driven technologies that will again break once-rigid picture-taking barriers," said Edward Fasano, general manager for Marketing, SLR Systems Products at Nikon Inc. "The ruggedly constructed D3S was engineered to address the real-world needs of professional photographers and provides them with a tool that, when combined with their skills, delivers stunning images in a broad range of shooting conditions and assignment requirements."

BlackBerry Bold 2 to be announced October 21

T-Mobile and AT&T both currently plan on announcing the Bold 2 -- also known as the Onyx -- on October 21. As a refresher, this would be the touchpad-driven piece with model number 9700 that's been making the rounds on the leak circuit the past few months, a fitting successor to a device that virtually every celebrity this side of Merle Haggard has been photographed carrying at once point or another.

Heroes Will Feature Claire and Gretchen Kissing

Things will be heating up in next week's episode of Heroes, entitled Hysterical Blindness, which will air on Monday, October 12 at 8 PM ET on NBC, and we have a new image to prove it. Take a look at Hayden Panettiere's Claire and guest star Madeline Zima's Gretchen locked in their first kiss.



The episode will also feature guest-starring stints from Ernie Hudson and Oscar-winning actress Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). Take a look at the new synopsis for the episode below.

Samuel (Robert Knepper) prepares for new additions to his family, while Lydia (guest star Dawn Olivieri) warns him of the consequences. Claire (Hayden Panettiere) discovers that her roommate Gretchen (guest star Madeline Zima) may have a hidden agenda. Meanwhile, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) finds an unexpected way to connect with Emma (guest star Deanne Bray), who would prefer to stay distant. Elsewhere, a different side of Sylar (Zachary Quinto) emerges as he desperately tries to remember the person he used to be.

Michael Bay Confirms Transformers 3 for 2011

October 1st, 2009

The director of an immensely popular action franchise has confirmed we won't have to wait as long for the third film in the series. Director Michael Bay annnounced on his official website that Transformers 3 has now been confirmed for a summer 2011 release. Here's the director's statement on his website, which included a note to Megan Fox as well.

Well its official: We have a great Transformers 3 story. The release date is now July 1st 2011. Not 2012.

Today is Day One. This morning started with an ILM meeting for five hours in San Francisco. Currently I'm flying with writer Ehren Kruger to Rhode Island to talk to Hasbro about new characters.

P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture. Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you.

Pain and Gain is right after shooting of Trans 3.

Michael

It was reported earlier this year that Bay had planned to take a break in between Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers 3, originally stating that he would prep for a 2012 release of Transformers 3.

Australia’s Evans wins road world championship

MENDRISIO, Switzerland – Cadel Evans has won the men's race at cycling's road world championships.

The Australian broke clear on the final climb Sunday to finish in an unofficial time of 6 hours, 56 minutes, 26 seconds on the 162.9-mile course.

Alexandr Kolobnev of Russia crossed 27 seconds behind to take silver, beating Spain's Joaquin Rodriguez in a sprint finish.

Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara was in contention on the final lap, but finished fifth as he sought a historic gold medal double after winning the time trial on Thursday.

The riders covered 19 laps of a tight, hilly course that challenged riders with two climbs, technically demanding downhill sections and little recovery time.

Lexus LF-A Caught Undisguised in Black

These new spy photos feature yet another version of the Lexus LF-A. Now in Matte Black, we can see even more details on the car compared to the barely-camouflaged white model spied last week.

Taken on the Nurburgring, the black model shows very sharp contours at the front, almost making the vehicle look like it was already attacked by a tuner firm. Some black tape is still used to mask details around the lighting, but the three-sectioned grille, front spoiler, hood vents, and new mirrors are perfectly visible.

Steep side sills lead to air intakes, which merge well with the rear wheel wells. The back end's rear fascia is mostly complete, and shaped in a way that perfectly uses tri-exhaust pipes. A rear diffuser looks to incorporate those pipes. Also at the back, we get our clearest view of the rear LED lights, although still partially covered.

Expected to use a 600-horsepower 4.8-liter V10 engine, the Lexus LF-A should be one of the hottest debuts at next month's Tokyo Motor Show.

Pentax K-x DSLR now official: 12.4MP, 720p video, coming October for $650

Looks like we didn't have to wait long after today's leak. Pentax has made its not quite entry-level DSLR, the K-x. All the earlier specs have panned out, so we're looking at a 12.4 megapixel CMOS censor, a 200 to 6400 ISO sensitivity expandable to 100 to 12,800, 4.7 frames per second continuous shooting, and 720p HD video at 24 frames per second. Sized up to the K-7, its wider ISO range is the only improvement, otherwise on par in features or lacking, as is in the case of AF / AE, video, and continuous shooting speed. It's due out in October available in black, white, red, or navy blue, with an attractive base price of $650 that nets you a 18-55mm lens.

Heavy consequences await departed F1 chiefs

The loss of their jobs may not be the only ramifications faced by Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds after effectively admitting to race-fixing amid the 'crash-gate' scandal.

The FIA's World Motor Sport Council meets next Monday and could impose lifetime bans on the pair.

But according to the Daily Telegraph, a guilty verdict could mean even more dramatic consequences, such as possible extradition to Singapore to face criminal charges for ordering a dangerous and violent incident take place.

The British newspaper said other lawsuits are also possible, such as on behalf of Felipe Massa or Ferrari, who arguably lost the 2008 world championship because of the events at the Singapore night race.

The F1 chiefs' employer Renault SA, meanwhile, "may want to sue its former employees for allegedly bringing the company's name into disrepute", the Telegraph added.But specialist sports lawyer Stephen Hornsby said: "Renault are unlikely to want to keep the matter going for little reward."

Also in the spotlight are Briatore's separate roles as a leading driver manager with his own firm FFBB, and his co-ownership of the London football club Queens Park Rangers.

The World Motor Sport Council, meanwhile, is tipped to look closely next Monday at the role played in the scandal by Briatore's apparent conflict of interest in being both Nelson Piquet's manager and his team boss.

An insider told the Guardian: "The wider implications for Flavio and others found to have put Piquet in this position, and what sanctions can be brought to prevent this happening again, are likely to be looked at by the WMSC."

Bugatti 16 C Galibier Concept Revealed

The all-new Bugatti 16 C Galibier Concept car is not for Frankfurt consumption. Sorry. But it will be officially revealed at an exclusive event in the next few hours. Good news is that we have some details on what Bugatti CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen describes as "most exclusive, elegant and most powerful sedan in the world."

Power comes from the works 8-litre 16-cylinder motor with two-stage supercharging. It can churn out between 588kW (800hp) and 735kW (1,000hp), all of which is channeled to all four wheels using the AWD system. Standard fuel is petrol but ethanol can be used as an alternative. To stop it running away from the driver is a set of powerful carbon ceramic bThe interior is characterised by the flowing surfboard-shaped dashboard made of fine wood and leather. The centre console features a large LCD screen while the speedometer has been deliberately placed in the middle of the dash so rear passengers can see just how fast they are moving. A very stylish feature is the Parmigiani removable Reverso Tourbillon Swiss clock which can be worn on the wrist through its cleverly-designed leather strap.rakes.

2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Official Details

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing will make use of a lightweight design and front mid-engine to propel itself to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, it can be revealed. The car will feature an AMG 6.3-liter V8 engine located front-mid, and will generate 571 horsepower and up to 650 Nm of torque. Using a dry sump design, the engine pairs with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, allowing the driver to reach a top speed of 317 km/h. The upside of the power translates to a downside in fuel economy: the engine gulps down 13.2 liters for every 100km travelled.

2011 McLaren MP4-12C Officially Revealed

McLaren has officially unveiled the highly anticipated 2011 MP4-12C.

Set to become the first "modern" McLaren, the car features dynamic styling that was purposely designed to be timeless and relevant for years to come. While the end result looks kind of generic from certain angles, McLaren points out that virtually every aspect was designed to be fully functional. Obviously the car features a little McLaren magic, but that's mostly limited to the F1-inspired dihedral doors and air scoops that resemble the McLaren logo. Out back, the car features LED taillights and unique center-mounted dual exhaust tips.

Power comes from a mid-mounted 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, which produces around 600 bhp and 600 Nm of torque. Thanks to a dry sump and a flat plane crankshaft, the engine can be placed extremely low in the chassis for a low center of gravity and improved handling. Backed up by a seven-speed "Seamless Shift" dual clutch gearbox (with normal, sport and high performance modes), the MP4-12C promises to deliver "new standards for power and performance in its sector."

Dell teases new ultrathin Adamo XPS

We've seen some thin laptops in our day, but 9.99mm is pretty dang thin (thinner than an iPhone, in fact). There's no other info on this new Adamo, and Dell is calling it the "9.99mm Design Concept," which doesn't really help us know how far along it is. Let's just hope Dell didn't have to succumb to Atom to get the size down this far.

First Toshiba Blu-ray Player Coming in November

Toshiba will sell its first Blu-ray DVD player starting in November, the company announced Thursday.

The BDX2000 will retail for $249.99. It includes BD-Live, which lets users take advantage of Web-based interactive features via an Ethernet connection. The device also includes an SD card slot, which may be required to access some of the BD-Live content, Toshiba said.

Other features include 1080p/24 frames per second full HD video output, AVCHD playback, and support for enhanced audio formats. Using Regza-Link, it is also formatted to link up to Toshiba Regza LCD TVs via HDMI for full HD content with a single remote control.

The announcement comes nearly a month after Toshiba applied for membership in the Blu-ray Disc Association. Toshiba was initially a vocal supporter of the HD-DVD format, which died in February 2008 after Warner Bros. and Walmart withdrew their support for the format.

FInally...a win from the Schuderia Ferrari!!

Kimi Raikkonen won the Belgian grand prix, Giancarlo Fisichella's second place is worth "squillions" to Force India, but the big winner at Spa-Francorchamps was Sebastian Vettel.

The German driver finished third, while his fellow championship rivals struggled.

Jenson Button crashed on the first lap, but his Brawn teammate Rubens Barrichello closed the title battle to within 16 points, with Vettel leapfrogging his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber to take third place in the drivers' standings.

The big headline however is the astonishing Belgian form of Force India's Fisichella, who started from pole but was overtaken down the long Kemmel straight by the KERS-assisted Raikkonen's Ferrari.

But the Roman, whose eight points are worth "squillions" to his Silverstone-based team according to business director Ian Phillips, hung onto his Finnish rival throughout the 44 laps, and the gap at the end was less than a single second.

"I'm a little bit sad because I was quicker than Kimi but he overtook me just because of the KERS. Actually, we could have won the race," Fisichella told reporters afterwards.

What to expect from Canon EOS 7D:

• Approximately 18 Megapixel, APS-C CMOS Sensor (1.6x crop factor)
• Dual Digic 4 with 14-bit Image Processing
• Approximately 8fps (94 JPEG fine/15 RAW) burst buffer
• All-new eight-directional double cross central AF point, total 19 cross AF points
• ISO 100-6400 (Extendable to ISO 12800)
• All-new 100% 1.0X magnification Viewfinder with three-dimensional electronic level display (yes!!!)
• All-new iFCL intelligent metering system (calculates highlight & color)
• 3.0″, 920K dots, 160 degrees of viewing angle with anti-glare High Resolution LCD display type II
• Full HD capability, external stereo mic input & HDMI output
• Live View with Face Priority AF
• New Video/Live View button switch
• Aero Dynamic Body Design, metal characteristic shutter sound up to 150.000 cycle
• All-new 24mm built-in flash with EOS Intelligent Speedlite System
  
• Highlight Priority Mode
• Lens Vignette Control
• More Picture Style
• EOS Integrated Dust Reduction System

Sony debuts Alpha A850, A550 and A500 DSLRs

Sony's really hitting two sweet spots this morning with its new (or, newly confirmed) full-frame A850 (pictured) and mid-range A550 and A500 DSLR additions to the Alpha family. The rumors were basicallydead on, with the A850 offering a slight reduction to the A900's skillset while keeping on the exact same 24.6 megapixel sensor -- and nabbing a $1,000 or so price cut in the process (it's now landing at around $2,000). The A550 and A500, meanwhile, fill in any perceived gaps in the Alpha line with 14.2 and 12.3 megapixel sensors, respectively. They also both score tilt-out LCDs akin to the poorly-received A380, with the A550 sporting a much higher resolution screen than its sibling. Still, even with the other minor tweaks present, we're not sure how reasonable the $200 price difference between the two cameras is: the A550 goes for $950 ($1050 with a kit lens), while the A500 hits at $750 ($850 with a kit). The glaring omission in all of these cameras, of course, is video recording -- something that Sony's various competition is sporting in a majority of these pricepoints

Purported Canon EOS 7D poster, lenses turn up online

Well, it's nearly become an annual event at this point, but it looks like those patiently waiting for a Canon EOS 7D now have a bit more fodder to consider, with a purported new poster and some new lenses for the camera recently turning up online. As you can see above, however, that poster reveals only a few details and an even less complete look at the camera itself, which was most recently spotted in pieces. The rumored new lenses, on the other hand, are making themselves seen considerably more clearly and, if the pics (after the break) are to believed, include an EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens and a longer EF-S 18-135m f/3.5-5.6 IS.

Sony Alpha 850 full-frame DSLR given the hands-on treatment

Sony debuted three fairly high-end cameras earlier today, but there's no question that the full-frame, 24.6-megapixel Alpha 850 is the flagship of the lot, and sure to garner the most attention (if not necessarily the most purchases). Thankfully, the folks at Pocket-lint have managed to get their hands on the DSLR, and have naturally provided plenty of pics showing it off from every angle (paired with Sony's 50mm F2.8 Macro lens). Hit up the read link for the complete slide show, and a bit more time to contemplate the $2,000 price tag it'll be sporting come September.

Nokia introduces Booklet 3G 'mini laptop'

Nokia rocked the world this morning by introducing its spin on the laptop, called the Booklet 3G. If you're the rude sort (like us) you could call it a fancy netbook, what with its Atom processor and 10.1-inch display, but that screen is higher res than your average Eee, and it also sports integrated 3G wireless and a hot-swappable SIM card, so it's definitely trying to define its own niche. It looks to be running Windows 7, which isn't particularly netbooky, and also has integrated A-GPS with a copy of Ovi Maps, HDMI output, a rated 12 hour battery life, and the usual Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, all in a 2cm (.78 inch), 2.7lb aluminum body that's understated, sophisticated, and should make most Nokia fans very happy -- Nokia fans who are looking for a tiny laptop, anyway. There's a fancy promotional video after the break, and while we don't have any anticipated release date or price just yet, we'll be learning more at Nokia World 09 on September 2.

More Sony Alpha 500, 850 info

We've already seen plenty of leaked info on Sony's upcoming Alpha DSLR -- the 850 (including what is presumably its user manual). Well, now the German site DigitalKamera's got some more info on it, as well as the a500. First up, the a850 will boast a 24.6 megapixel sensor, a 35mm CMOS sensor, an ISO range of 100 to 6400, and will be capable of shooting 3 frames per second, with a 3-inch, VGA display. The a500 -- about which a lot less info has been previously leaked -- will have a 12.3-megapixel sensor, an up 12800 ISO, with two live view modes (quick autofocus and direct view). There is still absolutely no official word on either of these bad boys, though we're hearing September -- so maybe we'll catch a glimpse of them at IFA -- we'll keep our eyes peeled until then. There's a shot of the a500 after the break.