Rumors have popped up over the last 24 hours about the Tab’s price. Some European retailer’s pricing has leaked out although Samsung is saying it’s all speculative because the official pricing hasn’t been announced just yet. But still, it makes you think. The pricing ranges from €699 ($890) to €799 ($1,020) for the 16GB and 32GB respectively. Remember, the Galaxy Tab comes with a 3G modem and there likely will not be a WiFi-only model because Google requires cellular capability for the Android Market. But for a quick minute, forget that the iPad offers a bigger screen and twice the storage for the same price. It doesn’t matter.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is something special. It might not be special enough to be called an iPad-killer, but seems to be everything we want in an Android tablet. It’s sexy, powerful, and versatile. In fact, it makes me hopefully that Android tablets have a chance to sneak some marketshare away from the iPad. It’s that nice and why Samsung can pretty much price it however the company wants. But the pricing will write the Tab’s future.

The iPad was an instant hit because of its near-impulse $500 price. Of course Samsung will move more Tabs if the price is lower, but more importantly, a higher price will push the tablet away from the mainstream crowd and into a niche market. That’s probably fine for the Tab itself as there are no doubt enough rabid Android fanboys that have waited for a proper tablet to make it ultimately successful, but the niche market isn’t where Android tablets deserve to be.

Android is finally becoming a proper mobile OS. I still feel it’s more “work” living with an Android phone than an iPhone or BlackBerry device, but the shear capabilities are being refined and better packaged as manufacturers learn the system. Eventually Android will be superior to even iOS, but consumers are fickle and for better or worse, it’s up to the Tab to show the world that an Android tablet can work.

Samsung’s been quiet about the Tab’s and launch details, but it seems that the Tab will get a world-wide launch. It’s being showcased at IFA in Europe and Samsung is a major force in Asia. Even here in the states there’s been rumors that it will launch sometime soon on CDMA carries of Verizon and Sprint. No doubt the Tab will be available for direct purchase in Europe and Asia just like most cell phones, while it seems as if it will be available via carrier subsidies in the US. It just feels as if Samsung is prepping for a multi-market launch, which is a bit different from the iPad’s slow roll-out and probably possible because of the Tab’s lower sales estimates.

Let’s not forget Samsung knows what it’s doing. High or low, the Galaxy Tab will probably be priced right. Now, this price might not be right per your expectations, but rather the bean counters at Samsung who know a little more about these things than us.

Philips and extreme lifestyle brand O'Neill have joined forces to unveil a new line of extreme headphones, including The Stretch range which are inspired by the heavy-duty materials and styling of wetsuits.

The intriguing Philips | O'Neil headphones are designed to: "to withstand the rigors of an active lifestyle."

To that end, The Stretch – the 'toughest in the new line-up'- is impact and high-stress crack resistant and made of TR55LX which is apparently 6 times harder than polycarbonate.

"The Stretch maintains its toughness and durability, whether you're in the most extreme conditions – be it the hottest place on earth or the coldest climate down to -25C temperatures," adds Philips release.

Snug, Covert and Specked

The Stretch is not the only part of the new range, with Philips also offering The Snug model – flat folding headphones "that deliver flawless fit and sound with bold graphics."

Next up is The Covert "a discreet bud with deceptively powerful sound impact and iPhone control and last but not least is The Specked, which includes a range of three striking coloured in-ear buds.

We can testify to the toughness as we've been (web) surfing with our set of The Stretch for nearly 15 minutes now and they are working fine. Radical.

Synergies

Nick Andrews, Senior Manager, Consumer Marketing at Philips, comments: "This range realises the synergies of Philips simplicity and innovation and O'Neill's set of core values based around the concept of innovation in style and technology.

"Our new headphones are totally uncompromising in their durability – because they've been tested on our test animals: the toughest O'Neill riders, the most uncompromising and daring boarders around."

Eppo van Berckelaer, Global Marketing Director at O'Neill, said: "O'Neill and Philips share a long and successful history of product innovation, working to create products that allow people to get the most out of their lives.

"Knowing how important music is to the lives of our consumers, I now encourage everyone to get out there and test the headphones for themselves."

Philips' Cinema 21:9 LCD TV was certainly unique. As it was the only telly with a 21:9 aspect ratio, for (rich) people wanting a true in-home cinema experience from a TV it has been the obvious choice.

However, it wasn't perfect. It used old-school CCFL backlighting, which meant contrast levels and the handling of motion did not match up to Panasonic's plasmas or even Philips' own 'LED Pro' Direct LED TVs.

And of course, it wasn't 3D capable.

This has all changed though, with the launch of the 58-inch Philips Cinema 21:9 Platinum Series TV. It's a couple of inches bigger than last year's 56-inch model, although due to the bezel being slimmer, the actual size of the TV has not changed.

It also incorporates full-blown 'LED Pro' Direct LED backlighting, 400Hz and Perfect Pixel HD Engine picture processing as well as top-and-sides Ambilight.

Over 1,500 LED's are used as a backlight behind the LCD panel, meaning it's much brighter than the first 21:9 model, while also massively improving the contrast ratio.

Behind the scenes it's also packing Philips' new 'Bright Pro' tech which helps to boost light output in the bright sections of the screen, while the dark areas remain dark. Combined with localised dimming, it has to be seen to be believed.

Away from the eyes of the public, Philips was showing the new 21:9 screen next to the older model and it made it look fairly ordinary in terms of motion smoothing, brightness, contrast, colour reproduction and sharpness.

We're always slightly amused by the way TV manufacturers like to talk about their new TVs being the best available, and then a year later when they have new products they start talking about the flaws in the older products and why the new ones are much better.

3D comes to Philips TVs

The Philips Cinema 21:9 Platinum Series is actually Philips' first 3D TV, and it uses the same active-shutter 3D tech as the likes of Panasonic and Sony.

The other forthcoming Philips 3D TVs will require external emitters for synchonisation with 3D glasses, but the 21:9 set, being the luxury item that it is, has four of these emitters built into its frame.

The 3D performance of the Platinum Series was excellent. Watching in the 21:9 aspect ratio seems a lot more comfortable on the eyes than traditional 16:9 sets – the added screen space really did add to the sense of depth.

However, while Philips says it has gone to great length to eliminate 3D's biggest weakness – cross-talk (where the two images bleed into each other) – we found this side of things to be a bit hit and miss.

The cross-talk seemed more pronounced than on the latest Panasonic VT20's for example. Is this down to the longer response time of LCD panels in comparison to plasma? Possibly.

All in all though, the Philips Cinema 21:9 Platinum Series is a breathtaking 2D and 3D TV. We really were impressed by it and are excited at the prospect of getting hold of a sample when we're back in the UK.

Now, if only we had a living room big enough to incorporate it and the money to buy one.

Expect a full TechRadar review to come your way in due course.

Gallery: Twitter for iPad

TUAWTUAW Review: Twitter for iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Do you like BBC iPlayer? Are you also too lazy/untech/dumb to open up your web browser and type “bbc.co.uk/iplayer”? Well, if so we’ve got some fantastic news for you: all Sony VAIO computers will now offer a desktop BBC iPlayer widget.

Dubbed iPlayer Desktop, the service allows Sony VAIO users to pre-book a series of upcoming shows to be automatically downloaded (Internet connection permitting), as well as access on demand the usual truckload of BBC TV and radio shows. Downloaded content can be watched offline, natch.

BBC iPlayer Desktop will come pre-installed on Sony VAIO laptop and desktop PCs from September (i.e. “now”). You can also download it yourself here, as long as you have a Windows or Intel-based Mac computer.

Out now | £Free | Sony

Related posts:

1. Tech week in photos: Pandora, Fable 3, Sony VAIO P series, Sony Walkman E450 and more!
2. Sony VAIO Z and Y series laptops feature MiFi-style hotspot
3. Sony Vaio M leaks: first sub £300 Sony netbook

For reasons unknown, Tokyo-based accessory maker Thanko keeps churning out “spy” gadgets. This time we get a watch [JP] that looks quite bland from the outside but features a micro camera that can shoot both pictures and video. Another selling point is that it’s Thanko’s first spy watch that’s waterproof (IPX8 certification) – isn’t that great?

Videos can be recorded in 640×480 resolution at 30fps, while the watch shoots JPEGs in up to 1,600×1,200 resolution. Other features include 4GB of internal memory, a USB port, and compatibility to computers with Windows XP / Vista / 7 / Mac OS 10.5 on board.

The watch, which weighs 86g, can be ordered over at Geek Stuff 4 U for $158.95.

Here’s a video that was shot with it:

For reasons unknown, Tokyo-based accessory maker Thanko keeps churning out “spy” gadgets. This time we get a watch [JP] that looks quite bland from the outside but features a micro camera that can shoot both pictures and video. Another selling point is that it’s Thanko’s first spy watch that’s waterproof (IPX8 certification) – isn’t that great?

Videos can be recorded in 640×480 resolution at 30fps, while the watch shoots JPEGs in up to 1,600×1,200 resolution. Other features include 4GB of internal memory, a USB port, and compatibility to computers with Windows XP / Vista / 7 / Mac OS 10.5 on board.

The watch, which weighs 86g, can be ordered over at Geek Stuff 4 U for $158.95.

Here’s a video that was shot with it: