Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Man, if you thought BenQ’s PE8720 was a winner, then try on the Full HD W10000 three-chip DLP projector. Just like its 720p bro, the W10000 pumps a 10:000:1 contrast ratio with TI’s DarkChip3 DLP at the guts and brings a 250W lamp capable of delivering 1,100 lumens over a life of between 2,000 hours on up to 3,000 hours in economy mode. And yeah, Benq’s calling “Full HD” on this as is the trend, so we’re talkin’ heaps of pixels in this 1080p (1920×1080) resolution projector operating at 25dB normally, or as low as 23dB in eco-mode. As for the inputs, you’ll get what you need: HDMI v1.2, S-Video, 2x component, RGB, and RS-232. Expected to start shipping first in Japan starting early November for ¥628,000 or about $5,253 — righteous pricing for that trio of DLP chips. Click-on for a pic of the backside inputs.

[Via Impress]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Tsk, tsk, BenQ. You know how we like to round up all your cookie-cutter cameras into one post, so we’re a little disappointed that you didn’t tell us about your new DC E720 at the same time you announced the other three new members of your consumer lineup yesterday. No matter, we’re still committed to bringing our readers all that is new and exciting in the world of digital photography, even if the 7 megapixel E720 doesn’t really stand out from the crowd in any discernible manner. With this model, you’re basically getting a slimmed down version of the C740 — they both sport a 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, 30fps VGA video mode, and SD card support — but at only 130 grams and 19.5 millimeters thick, the E720 definitely takes home the “most pocketable” award. No word so far on pricing and availability for this model, but judging from the sparse, negative reaction that yesterday’s releases got, we highly doubt that many of you will be seeking this one out, anyway.

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Filed under: Laptops, Portable Video

The latest from BenQ is a well-specced AMD Turion-based laptop with plenty to love. Beyond the large range of dual-core Turion 64 X2 processors, the Joybook P52 features an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 card with 512MB of memory, up to 2GB of RAM, a 120GB SATA HDD, dual-layer DVD burning and DVI-D in/out. There’s four USB 2.0 ports, Firewire, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11a/b/g WiFi for connectivity, along with a 5-in-1 card reader. The 15.4-inch screen manages a 1280 x 800 resolution and 16ms response times, and there’s an included DVB-T tuner to round it all off. The main thing the computer seems to lack is the built-in webcams of its contemporaries, but at 1.2-inches thick and 5.6 pounds, it seems BenQ did a pretty job with this one all the same. No word on price or availability, but hopefully those AMD chips point to budget-friendly leanings.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

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Filed under: Handsets, Reviews, BenQ-Siemens, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS

Suffering from one of the most excruciatingly long, drawn-out releases in smartphone history, BenQ’s, uh, Treo 600-killing P50 had already fallen behind the pack by the time it made it to the masses. That being said, it’s still a unique Windows Mobile device — albeit 2003 Second Edition — and worthy of an in-depth review, especially considering its quadband GSM capability. MobileTechReview’s done the honors for us here, noting that the P50 is bundled with an array of high-quality accessories, including a screen protector (hallelujah). Build quality was found to be impressive, as was size, though anyone migrating from a Treo will find little difference there. The P50’s 416MHz XScale satisfies the speed demon in us in ways most other Pocket PC phones have not, but the 128MB combined ROM and RAM is a disappointment — a complaint the P51 happily addresses. In the end, MobileTechReview finds the P50’s flaws too great to justify the cost of admission. With nothing but GPRS for data, we agree, especially with a successor waiting in the wings.

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Filed under: Handsets, BenQ-Siemens, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS

In the event Europeans are still unhappy with their selection of 3G-capable devices, BenQ’s trying to come to the rescue this week, showing their UMTS SL91 slider and E81 candybar — along with the more pedestrian EDGE-only E71. All three handsets share some visual cues, sporting glossy black finishes and rounded lines, though the similarities mostly end there; potentially most interesting of the three is the SL91, a Chocolate-esque, “mysteriously opaque” device featuring the LG phone’s now-trademark disappearing navigation keys. Besides UMTS, the SL91 goes big with a 3.2-megapixel camera, QVGA display, and FM radio with RDS. One notch down the food chain is the E81, giving up some screen real estate with its 220 x 176 display and trading 3.2 megapixels for the more standard 1.3, but mercifully hanging on to the microSD slot. Finally, the EDGE-only E71 steps back up to QVGA, but the real draw here should be its “innovative non-stick coating” that promises to hide fingerprints on its shiny exterior. All three phones look to drop before the year’s out, though odds are slim Americans are invited to the party. That’s alright, BenQ; we prefer our phones good and smudged with fingerprints, anyway.

[Via Reg Hardware]

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This BenQ-Siemens handset is sweet piece of kit, with its 3.2-megapixel camera, and 240 by 320 pixel screen. But it's more remarkable for its dock — a mighty throne that acts as a charger, PC sync cradle, speakerphone, and alert system that glows when you've missed a call or received a text message. Europe only, although it's tri-band GSM signal should work in the US if you can import one.

– Brian Lam

BenQ-Siemens SL91 [Slashphone]

Filed under: Desktops, HDTV, Peripherals, Storage

Watch out BenQ, because your fellow countrymen over at LG also have a 3-in-1 Blu-ray burner poised for release, and not only does it write to BD-R discs at a blistering 4x speed, it’s coming to market several weeks before you’re getting your BW1000 out the door. In fact, LG’s Taiwanese subsidiary is claiming that the GBW-H10N internal drive will hit Chinese shores in the next few days, and at only $923, it’s something of a steal compared to dedicated players going for $1000 and up. Of course the BenQ model still holds a few key advantages over this unit, most significantly its ability to burn 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray discs as well as its faster write speeds for most recordable DVD and CD formats. So for now it looks like you’ll have to decide whether speed or capacity is the more important attribute, but as HDBeat alludes to, more competition in the market means that at least a few next-generation devices will probably have all the features you’re looking for.

[Via HDBeat]

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Filed under: Desktops, HDTV, Peripherals, Storage

So we finally got some solid release deets on BenQ's anticipated BW1000 3-in-1 Blu-ray burner (also known as the "Trio): it'll be coming out in late August, and set you back 799 euros, or a little over $1,000. As you'll recall, that grand is buying you an internal drive that writes to BD-R discs at 2x speed, to DVDs between 4x and 12x, and to CDs at 32x speed, while obviously playing back Blu-ray content at full 1,920 x 1,080 resolution as well. You're also getting the usual suite of features designed to dampen vibration and ensure data integrity, which will come in especially handy for folks who can't afford to be wasting those initially-expensive next-gen discs. Keep in mind, though, that this model won't be the only option available to you by the time it hits stores, so make sure to check out the supported formats and features on competing units from Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic and Philips before you lay down all that cash.

[Via Yahoo]

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Filed under: Handsets, BenQ-Siemens, GSM, GPRS, EDGE

Apparently, the folks at BenQ are looking to make a run on Nokia’s “active lifestyle” category of phones, unleashing the shock / splash / dust-resistant M81 today in Munich. Besides the navigation (GPS module sold seperately) and weather clients, built-in flashlight, and relatively tough exterior clad in “high-quality synthetics and rubber,” not much differentiates the device from your typical midrange candybar: 900 / 1800 / 1900 GSM with EDGE data, 176 x 132 display, 1.3 megapixel camera, music player, and MicroSD slot in your choice of Graphite Black or Steel Blue. The M81 starts shipping to joggers and snowboarders in August.

[Via Slashphone]

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Filed under: Displays

You thought BenQ was done launching new digital projectors, but you thought wrong, son. Their latest for Japan is the W100, a ¥89,800 (about $800 US) device with DVI, dual component, composite, S-Video, and a 854 x 480, 1,300 lumen, 2,500:1 contrast ratio image. Just your run of the mill, but the we know what completists those whiteplasticphiles happen to be.

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Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, BenQ-Siemens, GSM, GPRS

BenQ-Siemens has been looking to jump on the “Is it a phone? Is it a music player?” bandwagon with its Q-fi series of music-oriented devices, and although the EF51 isn’t the first device announced in the series, it appears it’ll be the first to ship. The EF51 is supposedly so music-oriented, in fact, that BenQ Mobile is calling it “a music device with an integrated mobile phone.” It packs A2DP, which is all well and good, but what’s the one thing you absolutely cannot live without in a music player, folks? That’s right, memory, and BenQ has ominously left that aspect of the phone’s specification off the press release. We’ve seen reports that the phone might be shipping with a scant 20MB, and if that’s the case, the EF51 is dead in our eyes as a music device. As a phone, the EF51 holds its own on the low end with tri-band 900/1800/1900 GPRS, 1.3 megapixel camera, and a 128 x 128 display. A MiniSD slot is mercifully included, but in our opinion, a music player that can scarcely fit five MP3s without the aid of a memory card is not a music player at all. The EF51 drops this month in tri-band friendly parts of the globe.

[Via Slashphone]

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Filed under: Media PCs, Peripherals, Wireless, Networking

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Filed under: Handsets, BenQ-Siemens, T-Mobile, GSM, HSDPA, UMTS

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Filed under: HDTV, Peripherals, Storage

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Filed under: Portable Audio

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Filed under: Peripherals

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Filed under: Handsets, BenQ-Siemens, GSM

We’ve certainly seen our fair share of Hello Kitty products — heck, we’ve even gone through a few Hello Kitty cellphones — but what BenQ-Siemens’ Hello Kitty AL61 lacks in originality, it makes up in brand recognition (bear in mind the last Hello Kitty-themed handset we saw came from Taiwan’s OKWAP). The AL61 is a fairly pedestrian slider, offering a marginal 130 x 130 display with not a