Hardware

BRICA DIGIART 540

The details: The Brica DigiArt 540 is a colourful pocket-sized digital camera with a Thai-language menu for all you non-English readers (shame on you � what are you doing reading Student Weekly?). Of course, that�s not all. It also comes with a whopping 5.9-megapixel sensor, a 1.4-inch LCD monitor, 4X digital zoom, continuous video recording with audio, built-in Flash memory and voice recording capabilities.

The price: 5,990 baht (contact www.eastenterprise.net).

SONY ERICSSON K500i

The details: If music be the food of love, dump those flowers and splurge on the Sony Ericsson K500i music phone. As well as being able to call your friends and talk about stuff, the phone also features MP3 ringtones and a karaoke function (always popular on crowded buses) as well as pre-installed music videos and wallpapers. The phone has 12 MB of memory and a 1.9-inch 65K colour screen � enough for you to view all your digital photos and videos as well as play games. The K500i is also the     first model from Sony Ericsson to enable tunes to be downloaded from its new online PlayNow service.

The price: 10,900 baht.

PHILIPS 855

The details: Jumping onto the clamshell bandwagon (clamshell being the term used to describe phones that fold), Philips Electronics has released the Philips 855. Like 99 percent of all other phones, it�s camera-equipped and includes multimedia messaging services. Voice messages can also be attached to pictures using the 855�s Foto Talk feature, making it possible to send �talking postcards.� The 855 can also snap pictures in the dark without a flash by using the Night Mode feature, so you can capture romantic get-togethers without alerting the general public.

The price: 9,900 baht.

SAMSUNG YP-T5

The details: If the 23,000 baht price tag on the iRiver is just that little bit too pricey, you might like to consider the YP-T5. This is the smallest member of Samsung�s �Yepp� family of digital audio players and comes with functions including MP3 and Windows Media Audio playback with 12 hours of continuous play, simulated surround sound and the capability to view text files on the LCD screen. It can also be used to download song lyrics from the Internet so you can download this week�s Karaoke Korner song and learn the words as you go along.

The price: Starts at 8,000 baht.

iRIVER H300

The details: Car or media player? That�s the choice you may be facing if you fall in love with the iRiver H300 series. Probably priced way beyond the means of most of our readers, the iRiver not only supports just about every audio format known to mankind, it also has an extra-long battery life, an FM tuner, a picture viewer and up to 40 GB in which to store all your favourite songs. That�s about 1,200 hours, or 50 days, of continuous music. Ideal for manned missions to Mars.

The price: 23,000 baht for the H320 (20 GB), 28,000 baht for the H340 (40 GB).

SIEMENS SL65

The details: Looks nice, doesn�t it? The sliding Siemens SL65 is available exclusively in ivory and ebony styling with an enamel band around the front and the back to create a defined shape. Of course, it also features an integrated phone as well as video capability and game functionality because of its high-resolution screen. It�s also fully Internet-enabled through GPRS functionality.

The price: 16,900 baht.

Vocabulary

splurge (v): to spend a lot of money on something that you do not really need
megapixel (n): the resolution of a digital camera � the higher the megapixels, the better the picture
sensor (n): a device that can react to light, heat, pressure, etc. in order to make a machine, etc. do something or show something
bandwagon (n): an activity that more and more people are becoming involved in
pricey (adj): expensive
simulate (v): to create particular conditions that exist in real life using computers, models, etc.
ivory (adj): in this use, a yellowish-white colour
ebony (adj):  in this use, black in colour