Notebook
GADGETS
The iPhone
has company…
Bang & Olufsen and Samsung
enter the music-phone market
Danish sound specialist Bang & Olufsen and its
partner Samsung have unveiled Serenata, their
answer to Apple’s iPhone.
The beautifully designed hand-held boasts
a dedicated key for the music player and an
iPod-like touch-sensitive scroll wheel to pick
tracks as well as place calls. The phone stores
4GB of music through built-in Flash and plays
AAC, MP3 and the rare WMA Lossless format.
Even headphones or speakers are largely
unnecessary: a Bang & Olufsen-made
loudspeaker not only produces
distortion-free sound but also creates
a psycho-acoustic effect that adds
to the perceived bass level without
the need for a subwoofer.
When private listening is necessary,
a pair of EarSet 3 earbuds from B&O
provide high-end audio quality.
The Serenata is also bundled
with a dock that charges the phone,
provides line-out audio for
speakers and a USB connection
that syncs files and music with
both Macs and PCs. Extra
software will transfer music
from iTunes.
Although currently
limited to the US, the
handset should ship
worldwide soon.
Pricing has not been
made available.
bang-olufsen.com
8 / www.ShortList.com
The Serenata: more style
than the iPhone?
hot spots
Bars and restaurants that
demand your attendance
The Only Running Footman
This fully refurbished four-floor
pub and restaurant just off
Mayfair’s Berkeley Square
offers breakfast from 7.30am
and a menu of upmarket
traditional English food and ales
(5 Charles St, London W1J,
020-7499 2988).
Monboddo Bar Edinburgh’s
boutique hotel Point has given
its popular Monboddo a
makeover. It now serves up a
Spanish-influenced menu and
a cocktail list personalised by
the bar staff. Try the Jade:
exquisitely boozy (34 Bread St,
Edinburgh, 0131-221 5555).
Kombu Sharply designed
Japanese restaurant in London’s
Docklands that serves
contemporary Asian cuisine
with a modern twist. The
separate bar serves sparkling
sake (Excel West, 2 Western
Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock,
London E16, 020-7474 1459).
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