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Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Velocity Micro Cruz Reader, Black (R101)
An affordable touchscreen color eReader.
USB and SD slots for memory expansion.
Download remarkable content, astonishing applications, and amazing games.
Microsoft’s plan for shape-shifting touchscreens
One of the problems with touchscreens is that they are way too…flat. That, and there is often very little tactile feedback. If I want to type, I want to feel physical keys underneath me. That way, if I hit a “g” instead of an “f” key, I can feel it. I don’t want to have to look at my text to find out that I screwed up.According to my Source, Microsoft filed a patent last year that “details a light-induced shape-memory polymer display screen. In a nutshell, that means a touch screen that has a real texture and tactile feedback to it, making people feel as if they’re touching an actual object”.
This screen would be coated with certain polymers that can change and hold their shape, provided different wavelengths of ultraviolet light hit them from below.
You will note in the image this particular ripple effect at the touch of a finger, but I am looking forward to the day when the user can take the surface of a Microsoft Surface and shape it as if it were Play-Doh.
As it is, I’m not certain how physical shapes such as a keyboard could be made in this shape-shifting touchscreen. I’m going to leave that question to the experts that clearly have the know-how to make something like this, really.
Document Extractor – a monitor, printer, scanner concept we can only hope for
Every now and then something comes along that wows you with its practicality, something that just feels right. Something that makes so much sense, you have to wonder how it took so long for someone to come up with it in the first place.
The Document Extractor, brainchild of Byeong Min Choe, marries your printer, scanner and monitor into one potentially perfect device. The monitor, has a touch screen interface that allows you to select and crop the area of the page you wish to print, and the selected area will print from the back to the front of the device, dropping from your computer screen into reality.
Scanning is a similar process in which the user is able to feed the document to be scanned up into the device and Voila! It appears on your display as if you just feed it up behind the screen. The designer reminds us that the Document Extractor is not simply a space saving device, it will also save us time and resources, like ink and toner.
Whatever the benefits of such a device may be to you, we can only hope that someone will actually step up to the plate and create one of these that we can actually buy. Hello Mr. Jobs? are you listening?
Source: www.yankodesign.com
R.A.T.9 wireless professional gaming mouse from Mad Catz begins to ship
Gamers who take their hobby seriously will surely have at least one or two pieces of hardware that is of high quality in their quest to be the best, if not in the world, then at least among their clique. Of course, we know that latent ability and talent plays a very huge role here as we are pretty sure if you hand Fatal1ty a standard issue Microsoft mouse to go up against you in a game of Quake with the latest Razer, you will still have a can of whoop ass opened on you.
I have always maintained that gaming peripherals are a two-eged sword, if you win more games, you can always cite your victories to superior hardware, and if you lose despite having the best hardware, it will definitely be a big blow to your ego since you will be left wondering whether gaming is the right career path for you. Mad Catz joins the gaming fray with their latest offering, the R.A.T.9 wireless professional gaming mouse that has started to ship.
It will join the already available Cyborg R.A.T 7, 5 and 3 gaming mice, where you will be able to enjoy high performance 2.4GHz wireless technology that delivers an estimated latency of less than 1 millisecond. It will run off a unique rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack that is capable of delivering up to 9 hours of game play, where the included stylish desktop charging unit will juice up your battery pack as well as hold another 42 grams of removable weights to suit your gaming style. Each purchase will include a couple of ‘hot swappable’ battery packs, letting you get your game on for at least 18 hours straight.
Don’t worry about stuff like RSI with the Cyborg R.A.T.9 wireless gaming mouse – it was specially designed with comfort in mind, boasting similar interchangeable palm rest, adjustable pinkie grips, and adjustable length, width and height settings as with its predecessors. Compatible with Windows 7, Vista and XP machines, the R.A.T.9 wireless professional gaming mouse can be yours for $149.99
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Hands on with the Looxcie
What you are seeing to your left is not a Bluetooth headset, but a camera. This is the Looxcie (pronounced Look-See) and it made a prominent appearance last night at Pepcom’s MobileFocus, an event-within-an-event at CTIA Fall 2010.Looxcie is a wearable camcorder designed to fit on the ear, and is always gathering video footage. It is linked via Bluetooth to your smartphone, and you can use your phone as a viewfinder. I have a few pictures of it after the jump so you get an idea of what it is like.
If a user wants to “capture a moment” on Looxcie, then he or she simply presses a button on the device itself, and it saves a clip of the last thirty seconds. With the smartphone app, the user can view, edit, and even share this “Looxcie moment” on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.
I think that devices like the Looxcie could be the start of a new movement of online life in which all of our lives will be recorded and shared. It’s like Looxcie could turn everyone into a reality show where the user is the director and the star.
Looxcie should be available in the holiday catalog of Neiman Marcus and amazon.com for a suggested retail price of $199.99.
Samsung has new firmware for NX10 camera
Samsung isn’t famous yet when it comes to digital cameras, but that doesn’t mean the South Korean consumer electronics giant isn’t trying its level best to break into the market. Their NX10 mirrorless camera was a pretty good start compared to its range of entry level consumer digital cameras, and we’re stoked to see the company announce the availability of a firmware upgrade for the NX10, bumping up the version to 1.20. Just what does firmware upgrade 1.20 bring to the table? For starters, we are looking at compatibility with Samsung’s innovative new i-Function lens technology, providing photographers as well as avid shutterbugs with an avenue to control the camera easily via the lens itself. More on this magical experience in the extended post.
Basically, with firmware upgrade 1.20 installed, NX10 camera owners are able to control the camera’s settings conveniently and intuitively from the lens itself. This is definitely something new since it isn’t possible at all on other camera lines at the moment, although things might just change in the future. Conventional lenses, needless to say, are passive in controlling camera settings, but the special i-Function Lens is one proactive lens which will communicate with the camera body itself. Apart from that, the NX10 will also deliver total image control with a remarkably easy way to control camera settings, leading even beginners to obtain quick image capturing, while being provided with customized settings optimized for the lens being used.
Samsung has also taken the initiative to ensure all NX system lenses launched from now on will feature the i-Function capability. This convenient one-touch button is capable of activating common shooting controls including aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance, translating to an easier and quicker configuration whenever you’re out capturing your subject. Whenever the button is pressed, the shooting parameter will be displayed on screen via a graphical cue. Rotating the manual focus ring on the lens will change the said value. In addition, firmware upgrade 1.20 also delivers a speedier AF speed on the camera. Makes you want to run out and purchase that NX10 now, eh?
Canon Cross Media Station can charge cameras and download photos
What you are seeing here is Canon’s Cross Media Station. It is technology that is probably years before public release, but it does some pretty amazing things.To start, it is a wireless charger for a camera. I have seen wireless charging stations like the Powermat and Wildchargerbefore, and this thing has an indicator to show when your Canon camera has the correct amount of juice.Another feature is its ability to sort out pictures on an HDTV. You can see in the videoafter the jump a spokesperson placing a camera on the station itself, and getting a patchwork quilt of pictures.
I can only assume that this feature can be used for fast-loading digital image files to a computer as well. After all, the video shows certain pictures being sent to certain friends.
You will note how the spokesperson in the video has a remote control, which I can only assume is a standard feature for this Cross Media Station. I can understand this, as the unit is connected to a television via HDMI. However, if this were connected to a PC, couldn’t we use the mouse in lieu of a remote control?
As I mentioned before, this device is a prototype, but I can imagine this device taking the place of most darkrooms. Do darkrooms even exist anymore?
Panasonic announces Lumix DMC-GF2
Panasonic has announced the successor to one of the highly sought after Micro Four Thirds shooter to date known as the Lumix DMC-GF1, which is the logically named Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2. This compact mirrorless camera is also Panasonic’s smallest and lightest interchangeable lens system camera, where it will feature a built-in flash to boot.
The Lumix GF2 will play nice with lenses from the Micro Four Thirds standard, which means the system is not only small but compact, and yet will not compromise ease of operation or image quality. Not only that, the Lumix GF2 will also be able to work with Panasonic’s new 3D interchangeable lens, which is the LUMIX G 12.5mm/F12, letting you snap 3D photos without missing a beat.
Just how much more compact do you think GF2 has become? Well, its size was reduced by approximately 19% in size and approximately 7% in weight, and managed to do so while retaining its signature built-in flash. Seems to be a future-proof camera of sorts to us, considering it is able to handle 3D lens. Thanks to a newly-designed user interface, the Lumix GF2 is a snap to use, and will make room for anyone and everyone to set the focus or shutter release with but a touch of the fairly generous 3-inch LCD display.
Whenever you lock on to a subject by touch, the Lumix GF2 will go on and track the subject with the AF tracking function, never mind if the subject starts to move around, making life a whole lot easier. Of course, this doesn’t work if you’re trying to shoot a Formula 1 car in full glory, but it works great with little children running around at a party. Not only that, you can choose from a wide range of AF (Auto Focus) modes such as multiple-area AF with up to 23 focus areas, 1-area AF with a selectable focus area, Face Detection, and AF Tracking.
All of Panasonic’s Lumix G-Series DSLM cameras will be equipped with the highly-efficient Dust Reduction System, and the GF2 is no exception either. Should dust get inside the camera when you change lenses, a supersonic wave filter is located in front of the Live MOS sensor to repel dust and other particles by vibrating vertically around 50,000 times per second.
Boasting a quality and solid aluminum body, the Lumix GF2 will come in black, silver, white, and red shades alongside the following kit options: DMC-GF2C – 14mm F2.5 Lens Kit and DMC-GF2K – 14-42mm Zoom Lens Kit. No word on pricing just yet, but expect to see the LUMIX GF2 hit the market sometime next January.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Pogoplug Pro – Share what you want, with who you want. No uploading required
It should be no surprise to anyone that I send a lot of information around. I am constantly sending things via the internet. To be honest I don’t know how I got anything done before I could do it online. As a notorious over-sharer it sure would be nice if I had access to all my stuff, all the time.
Now I actually do. Enter the Pogoplug Pro, an exciting new device that comes with a free online service that allows you to remotely access and share your files through any web browser, or even on your mobile device.
Share unlimited files and folders, create slideshows, publish files to social networking sites, stream music, movies and pictures to your mobile device, from anywhere.
Pogoplug will also display PDF, Excel, Word and PowerPoint documents, enabling you to view all your productivity files on mobile devices like the iPad and iPhone. Seriously?
It does more, but then I’m over-sharing again. For $99.99 at www.amazon.com Come on, you know you want one.
DreamBots Ltd. presents the WheeMe massaging robots
So who says that you need human hands to give you a massage? Well, you do, actually.However, if you are willing to try out an acceptable substitute to fleshy human hands touching your back, you might want to consider the WheeMe from DreamBots Ltd.
The WheeMe is clearly designed to look like one of those massage wheels that a human is supposed to push across your back. Now, the creators of this massage thing could have made a robot arm to manipulate this thing, but they have made this autonomous contraption.
When I say autonomous, I mean that it has a built-in sensor that will insure that it never falls off the user’s back. I’m guessing that it probably spends a lot of time on your spine.
In case you are wondering if this spiky wheel might be slightly uncomfortable on your back, then you should know that my Source says are made of “soft fingerettes that provide a delightful sense of bodily pleasure”.
You won’t be able to get the WheeMe now, but it should be on display at CES 2011. I just learned that I am going to be attending this year, but I don’t really want to take my shirt off to try it out.
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