By: Jenna Gonzalez (Editor In Chief) & Tony Novoa (Contributing Editor)

Staff Note: Oct 18, 2010 One sweet dozen Nokia N8′s just landed in our office today! So yes, the Nokia N8 giveaway is officially under way! Some of you have already commented below from when we announced the coming giveaway, which is awesome. For those who haven’t yet, we will be giving away 1 uber-sexy Nokia N8 every week starting Tuesday, Oct 19. As with all our contests, we will be using our trusty randomizer to pick one winner each week from the comments section. Only one comment per person, per IP Address will count each week but you can submit one comment every week (the counter resets and previous week’s entries will be discarded)

One Nokia N8 (color of our choosing) will be awarded each week on the following dates: Oct 19 (winner from this date will be chosen from the comments accumulated since we announced it a month ago), Oct 26, Nov 2, Nov 9, Nov 16, Nov 23, Nov 30 & Dec 7.

That’s only 8 you say. Well, if you happen to have Twitter and/or Facebook, we will be awarding the remaining 4 through that.

Twitter: You MUST be following @myrealitytech on Twitter to qualify! Simply retweet this contest as many times as you like (there’s a retweet button on top of the page) and we will pick 2 lucky people from Twitter to win their very own Nokia N8 on Nov 2 & Nov 9.

Facebook: You MUST be a Facebook fan to qualify! All you need to do (super easy) is share the contest on your Facebook page as many times as you like. On Nov 16 & 23, two very lucky people from Facebook will get their very own $550 Nokia N8!

Rules: Since these babies are Unlocked, the contest is open WORLDWIDE to persons 18 yrs of age and older! If you are under the age of 18, you must provide proof that you asked a parent/guardian to enter for you. Contestants MUST be subscribed to our e-newsletter in order to qualify. If you don’t already know how, there’s an email-subscription box on the top right-hand side of each page. Make sure to go back to your email and verify. What’s a subscription? You get an email notification of every new article and contest giveaway we have. That’s it. No spam, no sales, no nothing. It pays to know!

Each winner is responsible for providing us with their accurate shipping information & identity. We will NOT tolerate any cheating of any kind (e.g. multiple entries from different accounts on one IP Address) and as such, we reserve the absolute right to disqualify any winner who is found to to be guilty of cheating in any way. We love to give away tons of cool prizes on MRT, but we hate cheaters! So let’s be fair ok. So are you ready to play? Good luck! 

Despite the fact that Nokia isn’t as popular in North America as it is with the rest of the world, we here at MRT are definitely big fans of the bestselling mobile brand in the globe.  Since the announcement of the N8, we’ve had the opportunity to research and finally tinker with the metal clad beauty… and my goodness it is a beautiful piece of work! Which is why we have already pre-ordered a dozen of these puppies to be given away to our loyal fans!

Lately, rumors abound about when the Nokia N8 (featuring the latest Symbian OS) will actually be available.  The latest buzz is that its release, originally expected to be slated for September, is now more likely to be in October.  So what’s the real scoop anyway?  Well, Nokia seems to be holding up release of the N8 until the end of October in order to ensure a better user experience, creating a bit of discomfort on the web.  However, we understand why releases are sometimes delayed.  Besides, if a delay leads to a better working product, why not excercise a bit of patience?

Because we like to focus on the positive here at MRT, let’s take a moment to review the N8 specs and a how they compare to several competitors.

Color & Build: The Nokia N8 is housed in an anodized aluminum body.  It also comes in a variety of colors: silver white, dark grey, orange, blue and green.  While most competitors come in black, it’s always refreshing to see a phone come in a multitude of choices.  The iPhone 4 will eventually be available in white.  We’re still waiting to get our hands on that one.

Screen: The N8 sports a 3.5 inch, 640 x 360 pixel AMOLED display.  The iPhone 4 is roughly the same size as the N8 although they are dwarfed by the larger 3.7″ Motorola Droid and the 4″ Samsung Galaxy (Epic, Fascinate, Vibrant and Captivate) screens.

Camera: The N8 includes a 12 megapixel camera with xenon flash, Carl Zeiss optics as well as face recognition software.  But that’s not all… throw in 3x video zoom, 2x still picture zoom and a secondary camera for video calls and you’ve got a legitimate competitor.  The N8 also includes photo editor software and automatic photo and video Geotagging.  By comparison, Apple iPhone 4, Samsung Fascinate and Epic each have a 5-megapixel camera while Droid X comes in at 8-megapixels.  Not that megapixels really matter.  After all, it’s the photo quality that really makes a mark, and so far, tests have shown that the N8 really hits the spot on photography.

Memory: The N8 is delivered with 16GB internal memory but a hot-swappable memory card can increase capacity to a sweet 32GB.  In contrast, the iPhone 4 can be purchased with 16 or 32 GB, but it is not swappable.  Once again, not an issue but some finicky people do like their options (we geeks being part of that group).

Operating System: Symbian 3 OS features HDMI support that allows you to connect to a TV and watch 1080P, HD quality without a Blu-Ray player.  A new 2D & 3D graphics architecture for a faster and more responsive user interface.  One click connectivity, multiple homescreens, single-tap interaction, multitouch & gestures.

Other Features: Capacitive AMOLED touchscreen, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n support, DolbyDigital Plus sound, Pentaband 3.5G Radio, beautiful anodized aluminum body, Bluetooth 3.0, FM radio, Digital Compass, Proximity Sensor, ambient light detector, short range FM transmitter, high-speed micro USB connector, flash Lite 4.0, unified email client, Integrated GPS and video calling just to mention a few.

Weight: The N8 weighs in at 4.8 ounces including the battery.  In contrast, the iPhone 4 also weighs in at 4.8 ounces, Verizon’s Galaxy series Fascinate comes in at 4.1 ounces, Motorola’s Droid X is 5.5 ounces and HTC EVO 4G tips the scales at 6 ounces.

Battery: The N8 provides 720 minutes of talk time and 390 standby hours.  Quite excellent.

Network: The unlocked N8 is supported by AT&T and T-Mobile 3G in the US.

US Price: $549, without a service commitment.  Nokia phones are typically unsubsidiez by carriers, which explains the price.  Another great reason to enter our giveaway!

Availability: End of October.  Shipping is extra.

Currently, Tony & I are arguing over which color we like best.  He’s all for dark gray (such a guy) while I’m loving the spicy orange.  So are you as excited as we are?  Sound off, share your comments and tell us why this sweet phone would make a welcome addition to your communication arsenal.  After all, we’ll be giving away 12 of these!  Don’t forget to follow @MyRealityTech on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates about all our giveaways and contests since we will also be giving away a couple of Nokia N8′s through these sites only!

Want to know more? Please visit: NokiaUsa.com

By: Edward Jackson (Senior Editor)

Well as you know that back in February 8, 2010 we covered Panasonic with their new 3D TV the TC-PVT25 Series, and now Panasonic has kicked the bar into the stratosphere with the NEW TH-152UX1.

Panasonic Launches Full Suite of Large Format Full HD 3D Plasma Displays

85″, 103″ and 152” World’s Largest Plasma All Available by January 2011!

Panasonic Solutions Company, provider of collaboration, information-sharing and decision-support solutions for government and commercial enterprises, today marked the formal introduction of the highly anticipated Panasonic TH-152UX1 152-inch, 4K x 2K (4096 x 2160 OMG!) resolution Full HD 3D plasma display, the world’s largest, at InfoComm. Equivalent to nine 50-inch screens, this stunning 17:9 display will immerse spectators in life-like, three-dimensional images and can illustrate even oversized products with life-size views. Panasonic Solutions Company is also announcing the TH-103VX200U and TH-85VX200U, 3D versions of its premium 103-inch and 85-inch plasma displays. These products will ship in December 2010, at suggested list prices of $65,000 and $45,000, respectively. The TH-152UX1 is targeted to be available in January 2011.

Ideal for a broad spectrum of cutting-edge applications, the three new Full HD 3D large-format plasmas are designed for utilization in corporate environments (e.g., for 3D CAD proposals, where life-sized 3D simulations could improve design accuracy and flexibility) in commercial applications (e.g., car showrooms or real estate offices for virtual-reality customer demos) healthcare (where the ultra-large panels and Full-HD display performance could be used to supply high-level medical solutions in advanced healthcare environments and teaching hospitals) in home theatres and screening rooms, for digital signage in public facilities, in education and in entertainment staging.

Several breakthrough technologies enable the 3D displays Full-HD images and even improve 2D performance. Panasonic’s 3D ultra high-speed drive technology and new motion prediction technology eliminate crosstalk (ghosting) between left and right images to produce super fine crisp images, and facilitate an overwhelming, near-infinite contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1, around twice the tone gradation of conventional models, as well as excellent color reproduction. A 30-bit Color Processing Engine provides super-accurate color reproduction and a color management system that features high-precision pixel conversion and color signal-processing technology, high definition broadcast-compliant color reproduction, and professional picture quality adjustment that allows the displays to be set up to suit their viewing environments perfectly. The result is studio monitor-like performance with reproduction of the detail and texture of the original images with near perfection.

The three displays also incorporate video processing technology to allow for the crisp, smooth playback of images originally recorded in 24p, such as movies recorded on film. This raises the video reproduction performance of the plasma display panels allowing for true-to-life reproduction of colorful, high-precision content in either 3D or 2D. Addressing diverse customer needs, the displays have been outfitted with a SLOT 2.0 function whereby different terminal boards may be inserted, providing compatibility with interfaces such as DVI and HD-SDI, and facilitating use in a wide array of professional operating environments.

Panasonic Leadership in 3D

At the forefront of 3D technology, Panasonic markets Full HD 3D plasma televisions, Blu-ray 3D players, and is also contributing to the production and spread of 3D content. The company has launched a twin-lens professional 3D camcorder which will be available in September, and has already opened the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory Advanced Authoring Center for the authoring and recording of 3D movies onto Blu-ray Discs. On June 3, Panasonic established the Panasonic 3D Innovation Center, a contact point for customers working in the 3D business. The professional 3D business has seen growing demand for a wide range of 3D system solutions to meet the needs of the customers as fully as possible. Panasonic will use this Center to develop closer relationships with customers, and will offer total solutions with even more compelling 3D technologies and services.

Panasonic aims to accelerate 3D-based innovation within global professional markets, so that the company may lead a 3D industry revolution by creating new home viewing environments and a new video industry based around 3D plasma displays. For more information on Panasonic professional plasma displays, please visit http://www.panasonic.com/proplasma/