News Flash

Future and beyond

Ever had the yearning for a mobile phone that is practically a computer? A mobile phone that does not have an asterisk on its features implying their lightweight prowess? Many of us are familiar with owning phones that provide lots of features such as a video camera, Internet connectivity, music player, etc., but we constantly are reminded that these are, after all, only phones.

The video cameras in our phones, though useful for recording small clips, are of quite low quality. The screen resolution on the phones is good for phones and not much else.

A product launch by Samsung of its two latest handsets, at Sheraton's Winter Garden hall on July 25, has changed such expectations. The configurations and features of these phones, especially that of the Galaxy S will boggle the mind of mobile phone enthusiasts.

The first bit of information about this phone that will catch eyes and ears is the processor speed, a whopping 1 GHz. To put that in perspective for the uninitiated; a Pentium 3 processor – the processors that were all the rage in computing six or seven years ago, and still enough for people to run their computers smoothly – had processor speeds of a maximum of 1.4 GHz. For a PC, that is good enough, but for a phone, it is truly the stuff of dreams.

The display is AMOLED (Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode), which is supposed to be four times clearer than an LCD screen. AMOLED screens consist of OLED pixels that have been deposited or integrated onto a thin film transistor (TFT). AMOLED screens are ultra thin, ultra bright and don't require a backlight to work.

What good is a crystal clear screen if you cannot watch movies or record videos that are worthy of the high resolution, right? On this count too the Galaxy S scores a ten. Believe it or not, the phone offers HD video recording; absolutely ludicrous when you think of what we have been using till now. The video player also plays most of the popular video formats, and on a huge 4" screen, you can really enjoy a movie or episodes of your favourite series on the go. With a built-in memory of 16 Gigabytes and the option to add 32 GB of external memory, you can store a lot of music and videos without having to worry about space problems. The operating system on this amazing phone is the Samsung Android 2.1 (updateable).

Last but not least, the touch feature is as good as you could ever hope for, with SWYPE enabled. SWYPE is a text feature that allows you to glide your fingers over the virtual keypad, touching on the letters that will form your message, and the phone recognises the pattern and forms the words for you. It is a fast and interactive way to input texts.

The launch also introduced Samsung Wave, a handset similar to Galaxy S, with most of its excellent features. The screen is a bit smaller at 3.3", but it has the HD video player and recorder, with 2GB built-in memory and external memory expandable up to 32 GB. The phone also comes with a free 2GB memory card.

The launch at the Winter Garden hall was a lavish affair, with a laser show that matches the cutting edge technologies that the event featured. Kanghyun Lee, Managing Director of Samsung Electronics Dhaka launched the phone, and Samsung Vice President for South West Asia Development Group Seungchul Choi was also present. Among the distinguished guests were Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Taiyoung Cho, and personalities from literature, education, media, technology, art and culture.

There was a live demonstration of the Galaxy S's features by Samsung Marketing Manager Muzahidul Islam and Product Manager Kamrul Huq.

When introducing the phone Lee said, "This phone promises a future beyond experience for you that empowers you to live smarter, work better and play harder."

These phones are nationally distributed through Transcom Digital and Electra Telecom (BD) Ltd., and is available at shops now. The Galaxy S weighs in at Tk46,900 and the Wave at Tk32,500.

"These prices are the same as in Dubai, because we have a very good channel through Electra BD and Transcom Digital to bring our phones to Bangladesh," added Lee.

Although you might be tempted to back away after seeing those prices, know that you will find very few phones on the market so worth their price tags.

By STS
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Check It Out

Celebrate Eid at Aranya

Aranya has revived natural dyes in Bangladesh, an important aspect of its work in the last three decades has been the incorporation of organic colourfast dyes into woven, embroidered and printed textiles of Bangladesh.

In this connection it has worked with jamdani weavers to reproduce fine traditional designs from museum and personal collections. A limited edition of these unique jamdanis are being presented in Aranya's Eid Collection. This Eid it has also introduced new colours and designs in woven and embroidered silk, crepe, tussar, endi and cotton saris, as well as a wide selection of block and hand waxed prints in original patterns and layouts.

Stylish sets and accessories for women of the younger generation and a wide selection of attractive men's wear completes Aranya's repertoire for the festive season.

Dayita

In the rampant boutique business, sometimes it is the small ventures that showcase that perfect dress or sari you were looking for. Fashionistas are well aware of the potential 'mini sales' of a relatively lesser-known enterprise as compared to the established fashion houses. From 12 to 14 August 2010, between 10am to 8 pm the Dayita Collection of Eid 2010 will be showcased at House #109, Road #17, Sector 14, Uttara.

A wide range of women's line will be available ranging from saris, shalwar kameez and other attires. The price range is well within the budget as individual attires are pricetagged between competitive to the high end, catering to the demands of a wider clientele.

'Life isn't about
how to survive the storm,
But how to dance in the rain.'

So children, please start your new year in school with a challenge and without complaints. There may be unbearable hours without electricity and countless discomforts…but you are young….you should try to defy the negative attitude.

Think only positively….feel like super beings ready to fight all the odds. You are young and so believe that you can fight the heat with your restlessness. Feeling sorry for yourself and your present condition is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have.

Help your parents by understanding a situation that cannot be solved with a magic wand. Let your cool behavior be the functioning generator and relief for your parents at home and teachers at school.

My dear children, you have a mission in life and you have to achieve it under any circumstances. The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. Your stable guide all through your life should be dedication. Make sure that you never have to blame the present power cuts (in whatever phase of your lifetime you may be now) to have overpowered you ever.

True love and the dream to reach your goal is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be. Teach the elders the greatness of accepting any situation and making the best of it. They will take lessons from you humbly.

Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results. Nothing worthwhile comes easily children. Work, continuous work and hard work, is the only way to accomplish results that last. Always make your elders proud with your clear line of thinking, because young ones, you may not realise that you have a very innocent approach to everything around you. Even when you are throwing tantrums you believe you are not wrong at all.

Students should try their best to complete their assignments while there is daylight. Revise your lessons mentally in the evenings with the radiance from your soul undermining the darkness surrounding you and go off to bed happily. Beat the adversaries of life with a smile and sooner than you can imagine, you will enjoy the success in life you so rightfully aspire for.