Because it’s almost Christmas, the Finnish mobile giant Nokia is pulling a few surprises up its sleeve and this includes coming up with a series of slider phones to add to its arsenal of clamshells and monoblocs. The first to emerge out of this line-up is the Nokia 6111, a daintily-designed handset that possesses both the form to show off to your friends and all the features you’d want in a mid-level phone these days, like a camera that is not just V-G-A.

I’m referring to the Jabra SP500 portable Bluetooth speakerphone.

There’s a lot to look forward to in the coming months as far as ICT in the country is concerned. First there was the MOA between TESDA and the IT Foundation of the Philippines (ITFP) appointing the latter as the National Assessment Board for ICT certification.

Here’s a letter from Heather of Cebu:

To some, having their hands on a computer is an exciting moment given the things that they can do. It takes them to another world so to speak. They can assume a different identity altogether. But to those whose jobs require them to use a computer, computer burnout may just be around the corner. Have you ever had the feeling that hearing those mouse clicks and keyboard sounds are like a symphony playing a funeral song? If you're feeling irritated, fatigued and depressed and you are starting to feel unenthusiastic about your work, chances are you are suffering from an affliction most IT professionals are vulnerable to - the burnout syndrome.

If it were simply a matter of semantics, an outsider would understandably see the technology industry as a violent one. Aside from the food industry with their never-ending “cola wars” where Coke and Pepsi are continually battling it out to satisfy people’s thirsts everywhere, the tech industry has the biggest conflicts during “peacetime”.

Internet Explorer 7 is yet to be released but there are already rumors that Internet Explorer 8 is already in the development phase. The rumors stem from a photo of Microsoft developers wherein most of them are raising their seven fingers indicating that the 7th version of Internet Explorer has been completed. Interestingly, one of them, in the same photo is raising 8 fingers; so it is probably true that Internet Explorer 8 is already being developed. But unless Microsoft admits it, there’s no way that the average netizen will know the truth about the whole business.

During a Microsoft Christmas event a few years back, I remember sitting in one corner chatting with some of my friends when the host announced that they will be giving one Xbox game console as a token of appreciation to their press friends. My hopes to win the Xbox were immediately doused when the host said it would be given to print, magazines and online reporters. I was with TV then.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. introduces the SPH-S4000, a new motion-recognition phone with health monitoring and leisure functions.

Sony Philippines is coming out with the 8.1 Megapixel DSC-N1, a stylish camera with a 3-inch LCD touch-screen panel, a feature where users can navigate the digital camera’s various functions with ease and freedom. It is the first Cyber-shot to employ touch-screen panel operations through the 3-inch LCD touch panel- the largest display for a compact camera in the market. The DSC-N1 also boasts of a new feature wherein users can write texts and trace shapes into the shots using the LCD touch panel.

JVC Everio G series camcorders eliminate the need to carry tapes, discs or any media. The G series can record up to seven hours of DVD movie-quality video and can also record more than 10.5 hours at a quality level comparable to a DVD camcorder’s 30-minute mode. The new JVC Everio G Series camcorders record to a built-in hard disk drive; available in 20 and 30 gigabyte (GB) versions.

Logitech announced the availability of Harmony Advanced Universal Remote Control for Xbox 360™, providing gamers and home-entertainment enthusiasts with a single remote that can completely control their game console and any other components in their entertainment system.

If people and houses can get a makeover, so can your mobile phones! Sony Ericsson introduces an array of new fun and funky features from the Fun & Downloads section of the Sony Ericsson website. If you’re into dressing up your Sony Ericsson handset inside and out, the Fun & Downloads section has the new themes, games, images, ringtones, picture messaging, video and even new applications ready for your phone’s transformation.

Internet users and wardrivers no longer have to boot up their laptops in order to search for nearby Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) service coverage, with the IOGEAR’s Wi-Fi Finder, a Wi-Fi location device.

Genius introduces Look 312P, a stuffed canine webcam built with a 300k pixels PC camera as its nose. It features a VGA (640X480) CMOS Image Sensor and manual focus lens, 30 per second frame rate and USB 1.1/1.0 Interface (USB 2.0 compatible).

The 5th generation iPod, also known as the iPod Video is the newest addition to the numerous iPod family. It comes in 2 models the 30G which could handle around 7500 songs on 14 hours battery life or the 60G version that could handle 15000 songs on 20 hours battery life. These 2 models comes in both a white and black version to suit the taste of the buyer. It boast of a 2.5 inch colored LCD with LED Backlight, 0.5 inch bigger than the iPod Photo, to be able to view the Photos and Videos better. The only difference between the 2 models is that the 60G is about 0.12 inch thicker that the 30G version.

Ever heard of the first waterproof mp3 player? How about the world's first projection clock? Or have you encountered a wireless stereo speaker?

For people who have large files and are thru having so many blank CD-Rs and CD-RWs, it's time to switch to DVD discs.

Intel is increasing the capability and performance of its processors by adding Enhanced Memory 64 Technology (EM64T) and dual processor cores in one chip popularly known as Dual Core. A new processor, the Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840 with Hyper-Threading Technology, and a new supporting chipset, the Intel 955X Express, were launched this year. Foxconn this year launched the 955X7AA-8EKRS2 as the first motherboard to support the new Intel processor and chipset.

I have joined the video conferencing bandwagon a bit late. Well, not really since I have been doing video conferencing with a class in MIT for the past two years already - using different platforms. Let me rephrase that - I am late in investing in my personal video conferencing system. Yes, I just bought an iSight (PHP 8500 from LiteWare) last week and I am enjoying it. Check out my test blog at http://rommel.wordpress.com. (yes, testing out the free WordPress blog service) for sample photos.

Despite the current economic crunch, the spirit of Christmas should be celebrated no matter how simple it is. Christmas is the time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christmas is a time for giving; an excellent way to share the love that God displayed to us. Gifts are not measured by how expensive it is but rather the thought that comes with it.

Since 1963 when Douglas Engelbart of Stanford Research Institute invented the world’s first mouse, it has evolved to the once big, hand-size to the present palm-size cute little mousy. The mice has come a long way eversince, from the old wired ball-driven mice to the optical and cordless models. There have been lots of changes that made new mice more reliable and accurate.

Question: Hello Dr. J. I have a desktop at home and I just bought a new notebook. I want to transfer some of my folders from my desktop to my notebook. There will be times also where I will be needing some files from my desktop. Can I ask access my desktop folders/files and make it available to my notebook? Do I need to buy a hub for this? I already have network cards for both. Hope you can help me with my problem. I am using XP. Thank you. - Robert Que.

Microsoft Philippines launches three new products on the Microsoft Application Platform - SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005 and the upcoming release of BizTalk Server 2006. The three products offers new capabilities enabling people to make better decisions faster.

The DI-634M Wireless 108G MIMO Router features Double XR (2XR) Technology, a Packet Prioritization Engine, and a brand new Quick Router Setup Wizard.

The Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder is a digital VCR for the portable video, it supports direct encoding for the Sony PSP. The Recorder 2 records video content from any video source directly onto memory sticks that are playable on the Sony PSP, as well as other portable video players. The Neuros Recorder 2 works like a VCR and also supports timer controlled recording. The WQVGA (368 x 208 pixel) resolution is the one optimized for playback on Sony PSP consoles.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., announced that it has developed the world’s largest transmissive TFT LCD (thin-film transistor, liquid crystal display), with sufficiently high resolution to display digital television content.