Weekly high-tech product releases: ‘Iron Man’ phone, tablet and e-reader for less than €150

High-tech product releases announced the week ending May 12 include colorful ultraportable notebooks for people that can use a PC when they walk, the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens DSLR camera, an Android-powered touchscreen tablet that costs less than €150, an e-reader that will let you read your e-books on any device, the Android-powered phone featured in Iron Man, and a point-and-shoot camera with enhanced sensitivity.

Colorful pocket-sized laptops you can use while walking
Sony's updated VAIO P Series PCs are made for the digital generation who can't be away from their social networks for more than five minutes and don't like to be confined to their desks all day. The VAIO P (VAIO P11S1E) is the first Sony-made notebook computer to come with built-in GPS, Digital Compass and accelerometer. Its unique design integrates special touchpad and mouse buttons on the edge of the screen making it possible to use the device while walking. The ultraportable weighs just over 600g and measures a tiny 120 x 19.8 x 245 mm. Additional specifications include an Intel Atom Z540 processor (1.86 GHz), an 8 inch screen with a resolution of 1600x768, Windows 7 Home Premium OS, 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 64GB SSD Flash Drive, two USB ports, one SD card slot, one Memory Stick Duo Slot, built-in 3G, Bluetooth 2.1, stereo speakers and microphone, MOTION EYE camera, and battery life of up to 5 hours. The Sony Vaio P will be available in Europe in June. No official prices have been announced however German technology site Chip.de is reporting the devices will be priced at around €900 in Europe and Engadget says it will be sold for around $800 in the US.

New compact camera fuses portability with interchangeable professional DSLR lenses
Sony's next generation of compact DSLR cameras, the NEX-5 and NEX-3, lets users select the right lens for the job - bringing the flexibility and quality of a high-priced digital SLR camera to users that don't want to lug around a big, heavy camera on their next photographic outing. The NEX-5 is the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens digital camera. Its ease of use and diminutive dimensions make it a great upgrade for mainstream point-and-shoot users. Both the NEX-5 and NEX-3 are equipped with an Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor with a resolution of 14.2 effective megapixels; a powerful BIONZ processor for quick, precise autofocus and minimal shutter lag; an ISO range of 200 - 12800; a clip-on flash for low-light shooting; a 7.5cm (3 inch) adjustable LCD display; HDMI out; USB 2.0 Hi-Speed; and both cameras are fully compatible with E-mount camera system lenses. Additional features include Sony's Sweep Panorama mode - where users ‘swing' the camera to capture photos that are stitched together to create a 23-megapixel panoramic image; face detection; smile shutter; anti-motion blur mode; and the ability to capture fast-moving action shots at up to 7fps. The NEX-5 and NEX-3 have full support for HD video recording with a dedicated Movie REC button. The NEX-5 records with a resolution of 1920 x 1080i while the NEX-3 has a video resolution of 1280 x 720p. The Sony NEX-5 and NEX-3 will be available from July 2010. Pricing will start from around $550 for the NEX-3 and at approximately $650 for the NEX-5.

Android-powered touchscreen tablet that costs less than €150
The Archos 7 home tablet is the first compact tablet device to be launched with full web browsing, high definition video, a USB port and an amazingly-low price of €149. Archos might not be a house hold name outside of its native France but the company is a firmly established player in the tablet device market. The 7" touchscreen (800x480) device is smaller than the iPad and most other tablets on the market. But it is big enough to comfortably watch a movie and at 12mm thin is also portable enough to slip in your bag or jacket pocket when you head out for the day. The Android-powered tablet comes in 2GB and 8GB versions and is equipped with WiFi, social-networking applications, email, photo browsing, and on-board MP3 and movie player. It can be customized with around 1000 compatible Android applications from Archos' own AppsLib Market. The device runs on Android version 1.5 (with no plans of a future software upgrade) and as such does not support Flash. The Archos 7 Home Tablet will arrive in stores around the world in the next week and comes with a starting price tag of €149 (£129.99, $199.99).

An e-reader that comes with 100 free books and won't break the bank
Bookstore Borders has teamed up with Kobo to release the Kobo e-reader in the USA. The low-priced device brings millions of e-books to readers with its stylized exterior and 6" e-ink screen. While missing (just) a few of the features found on more expensive e-readers like the Kindle, the device is perfect for those wanting a first e-reading device that won't cost them an arm and a leg. There is access to more than one million e-books, plus a large selection of bestsellers for $9.99. The device can store up to 1000 eBooks. Books are uploaded to the device via USB or wirelessly through Bluetooth and once purchased can be read on almost any other device. The Kobo e-Reader is priced at $149.99 and will be available on June 17 in the US.

A QWERTY-slider good enough for Iron Man
Those of you who have been to see Iron Man 2 might have caught a glimpse of LG's latest smartphone, the LG Ally, in the hands of Tony Stark. The device runs on Android 2.1, comes with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and packs in a 3.2 megapixel camera. The 600MHz LG Ally has a 3.2 inch touchscreen, which you can pack with the more than 30,000 apps available in the Android Marketplace. For social networking fans, there are Facebook and Twitter updates aggregated on your homescreen thanks to the built-in networking widget and users can upload and send their friends the photos they captured in a touch of a button. There is also WiFi, 3G, GPS, Google Maps and support for Micro SD cards. The LG Ally will be available in the US on May 20 for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

Point-and-shoot camera for enhanced images in a modern outer shell
Canon's newest edition to its PowerShot Digital ELPH range, the PowerShot SD4000 IS, is the first Canon point-and-shoot camera to come with a high-sensitivity HS SYSTEM - a system that utilizes a CMOS sensor and bright f/2.0 lens. The high-sensitivity system helps users capture sharp images in low-light conditions and reduces the effect of camera shake, and enables you to take pictures without using a flash. For those of you that like making your own home movies, the PowerShot SD4000 IS also comes with HD video recording capabilities and a new "Super Slow Motion" feature that lets you capture your movies at a rate of 240 frames-per-second. The PowerShot SD4000 IS has a 3.0 inch wide angle widescreen LCD, 3.8x optical zoom, supports high-spec SDXC memory cards (with a maximum storage of 2TB) and Eye-Fi memory cards (so you can wirelessly transfer your images and videos directly to a PC), creative new camera effects, and smart shutter technology - all wrapped up in a modern design. The Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS will start shipping at the end of May for approximately $349.99.