Software company Sybase are planning to commission a new business program to allow emails to be securely distributed to the Apple iPhone, gaining the handset much more use in the business world.

Managing Director for Sybase- John Chen, announced at the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in New York that the software will be available sometime this year.

The new program will allow iPhone users to access their e-mail with the same security safeguards that are currently available for Treo smartphones and BlackBerry users. The software will also allow businesses to deliver data to people on the move with several different types of phones, depending on which device the user carries.

The business software maker already sells programs to numerous companies that run on the Symbian operating system, as well as one for mobile devices from Microsoft.

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Apple Mac has applied for the patent to integrate solar cells into their portable devices, adding to the speculation that solar power is being looked into for use with the Apple iPhone.

Solar power could help make the Apple iPhone become truly portable, with the touch-sensitive display screen a perfect area to integrate a solar cell. When generating electricity, the larger the solar panel the more energy created -

so what better device than the iPhone, whose display occupies almost the entire face?

The use of solar powered charging in portable devices is starting to get a lot more market attention. Vodafone recently announced its plans to also look into solar-powered phone chargers, whilst solar powered charging was a major talking point at the recent ITU Telecom conference. Interesting times look to be afoot in the world of the mobile phone…

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Dell computers latest XPS incarnation, the M1530, is a slick piece of ergonomic excellence with enough grunt under the hood to please even the toughest of competitors.

With Dell purchasing the Alienware Company, their latest laptop designs are more creatively based than previous versions. With the silky smooth finish available in Crimson Red, Midnight Blue and Tuxedo Black, even James Bond would be happy with the colour schemes on this model.

Pop the hood on the M1530 and you’ll find an Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 processor with 2GB of memory alongside 160GB hard disk. Graphically, the Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT card certainly covers the bases for serious gamers, though the glossy 15.4in display does settle for a rather modest 1,280 x 800 resolution.

It not often that practicality and fine design merge so smoothly, though with it weighing in at 2.62kg, it’s not as light on its feet as other 15.4in laptops. If portability is key then its little brother, the XPS M1330, is a better choice, but with its fine combination of power and design, the XPS M1530 is an absolute gem.

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Optus announced that they have signed an agreement with Apple to also provide the network for the iPhone Australia later this year, rubbishing rumours that Vodaphone would be the exclusive host.

The iPhone launches in both the U.K. and the U.S. were locked into only one network per country. It is still unknown if the Australian handset will be the same, making them only usable on Optus and Vodaphone. The non-exclusive approach was predicted by experts who claimed that an exclusive contract would breach local competition laws.
 
Still no launch date for the Australian iPhone has been released, but the buzz surrounding the new handset is reaching fever pitch. Apple is holding their Worldwide Developer’s Conference in June, where the company is expected to make a release announcement regarding the 3G iPhone.

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Lenovo computers latest ThinkPad, the X300, is bound to be compared to the Apple Mac Air, as both are lightweight, yet offer 13.3in displays and full size keyboards. But whilst Apple chose to make major changes to their tried and tested laptop components, Lenovo appear to have produced a far more well rounded machine.

The X300 is only 22m thick, whilst weighing in at only 1.45Kg. The LED backlit 13.3in widescreen display feature a 1,440 x 900 pixel perfect picture, delivering better contrast and colour with lower power consumption. The keyboard, as with most within the Thinkpad range, is almost full size, which is amazing on a laptop this size. The keyboard itself even features a drainages system design, incase any fluids enter the machine through spillage. The machine features both a trackpad and a trackpoint, whilst a fingerprint reading safety system should tick a few boxes for even the most security conscious consumer.

The X300 is fitted with a Core2Duo L7100 that runs at 1.2GHz. In terms of storage, Lenovo have fitted a 64GB solid state hard disk with 2GB of RAM fitted as standard. Lenovo have added three USB ports on the X300, along with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, plus a built in SIM module which allows 3G connectivity without having to use a dongle.

All in all, the X300’s lightweight slick design and usability is going to go a long way in the head to head challenge with the Macbook Air, but the fact it features a DVD writer may give it the edge.

Let battle commence!

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Dell computers decision to drop its direct-only sales approach appears to be paying off as the company looks to become the markets biggest seller this year. With the units now available at a plethora of stores including Tesco and PC World, director Michael Dell sees a rosy future for the company –

‘Let’s say you wanted to buy a Dell computer in a store nine months ago - you’d have searched a long time and not found one. Now we have over 10,000 stores that sell our products. We’re growing faster than our industry, so if we keep that up, we’ll certainly get there’

Dell is now planning to base their new emphasis on design, with more attention to colour and materials being considered to keep up to speed with other competitor’s models.

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Apple Mac computers are currently planning to re vamp their laptop design with more environmentally friendly packaging.

Insiders are speculating that the MacBook will be losing plastic casings in favour of more aluminium and steel, two far more recyclable materials. This change of material will follow the trend set by the Apple’s latest offering; the Macbook Air. The current design was unveiled in January 2006 as the first Mac to incorporate the Intel processor chip, which replaced the old Aluminium G4.

Apple is expected to release the new designs this summer, and if previous incarnations are anything to go by, expect them to be super slick.

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Rumours are afoot in the hardware market that Dell computers are about to release a micro desktop as direct competition to the Apple Mac Mini.

With a planned release later this year, the Dell micro computer is going to be 80% smaller than the average desktop, whilst also using 70% less energy. The machine itself will also be created for recyclable material and delivered in recyclable packaging.

With Dell previewing the desktop at the Earth Day conference in California, it seems the company is heading towards an environmentally friendly stance, for which they should be applauded.

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Alienware computers latest laptop, the Area-51 M15X, is a serious gamers dream come true. With all hardcore computer battle equipment, it’s all about the spec, and the Area 51 is a big enough monster to satisfy the most power-hungry of users.

Under the hood is an Intel Core Duo X9000 Extreme processor running at 2.8Ghz, with a massive 6MB L2 cache. Not only that, it also features an extra 2 GB of memory, plus an 8800M GTX graphics card, the Leonardo Da Vinci of pixel painting.

The machine itself is also as pretty as a picture. The silver chassis is super slick, with strip lights surrounding the trackpad, whilst and the Alienware logos light up in a selection of completely customisable colour schemes. It’s even possible to have a different coloured flash for when you receive a new email, or for when the battery is charged.

The M15X comes fitted with a matte panel with a 15.4 inch screen, with a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,200.  The Area-51 also comes with a 200GB hard disk, a DVD writer, 1 FireWire and 3 USB ports, plus Bluetooth, a webcam, and Windows Vista Home Premium fitted as standard.

The machine itself is slightly on the heavy side, weighing in at 3.57kg, but when you consider the punch it packs, a little extra weight is to be expected. Alienware would have managed an impressive job fitting all of theses components into a two laptops, let alone one!

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Not only does the Apple iPhone Australia appear to be launching this June, but it seems the device will also encompass the 3G wireless network.

Apple had previously announced they were holding back on 3G networking due to power consumption of battery life, but it appears the previous models criticism at lack of 3G has made the company think again. The latest iPhones will not only offer 3G networking, but also feature a GPS navigation system, plus a QWERTY keypad perfect for heavy email users.

Apple sold 350,000 iPhones in the last quarter of last year, but with initial figures down on the first quarter of this year, maybe a re think of strategy or hardware capability has occurred at Macintosh HQ. Either way, it looks like Apple are pulling out all the stops to ensure their handset is the best on the market.

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