Vizio to release the Via Tablet and Via Phone

Vizio, one of the biggest HDTV retailers in the world, is planning on releasing two more new products with the Via series, which include the Via Phone and Via Tablet.

These Via products are designed to be remotes for Vizio’s Google TVs. This Via experience combines “content consumption from one device and seamlessly transition the content to another device allowing entertainment to be continuously enjoyed anywhere and anyplace without interruption”.

The Via Plus Phone and Tablet will be on the Android operating system, and have a built-in IR blaster along with a universal remote control app, HD playback, with HDMI output. Both devices will feature access to the thousands of Apps in Android.

The Via Phone has a 4-inch screen, a 5 Megapixel rear facing camera, front facing camera, as well as an HDMI port. The Tablet has an 8-inch screen, front-facing camera, as well as 3 separate speakers.

The release of the Via Phone and Via Tablet comes just in time for CES 2011 in Las Vegas. It doesn’t look like Vizio has any booth on display, which is no real surprise. Their pattern is to rent out some space at the Wynn Hotel and allow people to come to them. If I have time, I’ll visit them myself.

Charles the GPS robot can read a driver’s expressions

This week, we are going to be at CES 2011 in Vegas, and we will be covering a lot of brand spanking new technology from a lot of real companies. I thought that I would get this conceptual product out of the way before I head down to Vegas tomorrow.

This is Charles, a GPS unit that is not a small box that suction cups to your dashboard. As you can see from the picture, Charles has a head along with shoulders. (He is the one on the right, by the way.)

Charles is designed from scientists at Cambridge, and it can read the user’s facial expression, voice tone, as other behavioral hints so it is “more sympathetic to your mood”.

I’m not certain what that means. Does this mean it says things like “it’s okay, you’re not lost” in a sensitive voice so I don’t feel too bad about not being there by now? By the way, my Source says that Charles is “70 percent accurate at gauging the emotional state of the driver”. I had no idea that our technology was that accurate.

I guess that I wouldn’t mind having a GPS that is a little more human, but this is a little too human. It reminds me of the Johnny Cab from Total Recall, only Charles is the passenger and not the driver.

The Scooba 230 and Roomba 700 series updates by iRobot

I’m sure a lot of you probably can’t live without those circular robot discs that clean up our floors while we sit back and do what we want to do: not clean.

You’ll be pleased to know that iRobot, the company that makes the Roomba, has come up with some upgrades to the 700 series that include the 760, 770, and 780. You can see an image of one of them on the left.

The company has also come out with the Scooba 230, which is the tiny disc that you see on the right. The 230 is 3.5 inches tall and 6.5 inches in diameter, and it is a terrific cleaner for places you don’t want to clean.

For example, it is able to squeeze between the toilet and the wall, and it is able to mop around chair legs as well. It can be filled up with water right from the faucet, and it keeps dirty water and cleaning solution separate for washing, scrubbing, and squeegee jobs. It can then beep and flash when the job is done.

I don’t have a date of their release, but I’m sure these devices will make an appearance at CES. You should be able to get the Scooba 230 for $300, the Roomba 760 for $450, the Roomba 770 for $500, and the Roomba 780 for $550.

Cool NASA Gadgets and other artifacts go up for auction

A piece of NASA's historic technology goes up for sale ...

If you’re like me, growing up, you never got the space program out of your blood. I remember watching Neil Armstrong take that one small step on a grainy black and white TV and thinking I’d graduate college on Mars. Alas, my martian education wasn’t meant to be, but if I could afford it, I’d definitely be springing for some of the coolest NASA gadgets that are currently up for auction …

Included in the auction,certified and run by RR Auctions, is the headset that astronaut and capcom Charlie Duke used to communicate with Apollo 11 when Neil and Buzz set foot on the moon. You may recall his infamous retort upon landing – “Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We’re breathing again. Thanks a lot!”. And with a few adapters, I know I could do a skypecast with it on my laptop!

Also up for grabs is an official, pre flown, Apollo command module control panel, a page torn from the original Apollo 11 flight plan and signed by Neil and Buzz, maps used by the astronauts on the lunar surface during Apollo 17, and a curiously entertaining photo of Playboy’s Playmate of the Month which was hidden inside the cockpit of the Apollo 12 command module for astronaut Richard Gordon to find.

There are also a host of autographed photographs and other artifacts which are up for bids as well. The auction begins January 13th.

Lumi Mask Sleep Goggles

Some of you might remember when we covered theSleeptracker Elite Pro watch, a watch with an alarm that works by waking the user up at an optimal time.

This reminds me of this Lumi Mask, and it is designed to wake up someone by projecting “natural” light on the face. It begins 30 minutes prior to the wake-up time, so that wake-up time is a whole lot easier.

Just think of it as one of those days where you can sleep without the burden of an alarm clock, and you wake up as the sun beams into your room.

Unfortunately, you can’t seem to purchase this right now, and I believe that this is concept work for right now. I suppose that the science of this sleep and wake-up technology is valid, but I have to admit that I’m not certain whether or not it really works. Maybe I’ve just got used to the sleep patterns that I have had.

This project is on Kickstarter, and Taylor Franklin Hide is asking for $1 minimum investments to get this thing going. It apparently takes about $10,000 to get this thing started, and he’s got about half of this already. We will see if this one makes it to the usual commercial retailers.

Samsung NX11 being prepped for release

Samsung is certainly making some headway when it comes to the world of digital cameras, and the NX11 is no exception. After all, the Samsung NX11 holds one of a feature set that is not too different from Samsung’s first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, the NX10, and to add to its advantage, it is compatible with the new i-Function lens which was rolled out to go along with the NX100, also from Samsung. As for the NX11, this puppy will come complete with an 18-55mm i-Function lens, alongside a couple of new i-Function lenses, a 20mm pancake and a 20-50mm zoom silver color lens. Now that’s a pretty strong lineup of lenses for a digital camera that is not from the DSLR stable, which is quite impressive to say the least.

Just what does the i-Function lens offer? It will deliver the perfect picture at the fingertips of all photographers by offering an exceptionally easy method of controlling the camera. For the typical camera user, they will wrap their hand around the lens when holding the camera, but the new i-Function system enables photographers to naturally use their left hand to change the camera’s advanced settings courtesy of a button built into the i-Function lens, all without having to take the camera off the target. For example, you can toggle between shutter speed, aperture, EV, WB, and ISO in a jiffy using the i-Function button or ring on the lens, translating to easier and quicker configurations while shooting.

Apart from that, the NX11 also delivers usability, with a change in the grip design that makes shooting a whole lot easier and more comfortable. With a lens priority mode dial, it will definitely simplify the search for the best mode for each lens. It doesn’t really matter if you’re going to shoot photos of large groups or panoramic pictures, it requires just one press-and-sweep motion. Other hardware specifications include a built-in flash and built-in electronic VGA (640×480) viewfinder and a 3.0” AMOLED LCD display. The price to pay? $649 which will come bundled with a zoom lens.

The LG Xnote P210

LG has been putting out a lot of interesting products just in time for CES 2011. I’ve heard in advance that they are going to unveil a lot of 3D TVs, and it looks like another grand product that will be on display is this particular notebook computer.

This is the LG Xnote P210, which has the world’s thinnest bezel. Yes, I am not certain how thin it is, but it has a 12.5 inch screen that fits in a 11.6 footprint. I still don’t have an exact number figure on the bezel.

Other features of this notebook computer include a 1.33GHz Intel Core i5 470UM processor, Intel HD integrated graphics (which I’m told is pretty weak if this user wants to play AION), 320GB hard drive, and DDR3 RAM.

Of course, I don’t think that there is any entry in Guinness Book of World Records about the thinnest bezel. I think many people are concerned about the largest or smallest screen, but the bezel tends to get avoided as far as the largest and smallest are concerned. Heh-heh. Bezel. What a funny word.

It certainly is a very pretty notebook PC, and the Xnote P210 should be available in Korea in February for about $1,135.

Samsung WB700 camera offers superb features in a small package

Samsung is really picking up the pace when it comes to the world of digital cameras, and one of their latest releases would be the WB700, a super slim model that certainly doesn’t horse around with its impressive 24X zoom function, making it more than capable of delivering superb quality images regardless of the distance of your subject. This is further enhance with the ability for the WB700 to capture 16 megapixel images with its 24mm lens with OIS and Schneider KREUZNACH 18x super-zoom. Apart from that, other features which will delight and surprise even those who are seasoned in the field of photography include new smart filters, the smart lens effect and zoom noise cancellation. Want to know more about the WB700? It is all in the extended post.

Let us get down to the nitty gritty – the Samsung WB700 will come with a 24mm ultra-wide Schneider KREUZNACH lens as mentioned, making it capable of capturing that perfect wide angle shot, in addition to an outstanding 24X zoom function, where it comprises of an 18X optical zoom and 1.3X Smart Zoom. Not only that, those who are about to take the step into DSLRs will find that the WB700’s full manual control is a good stepping board to learning the ropes, although it won’t be as efficient and fast as a DSLR. At least you can still record video in full 1080p high definition video (H.264 format), with the main strength and flexibility of the WB700 being its lens and zoom functions which enables you to shoot a broad landscape in similar detail as a bubbling brook in the distance.

From the name itself, you can tell that the WB700 will be the next logical step up from the WB600 and WB650 models, where it includes Smart Filter 2.0 – a name for artistic filters in various modes including ‘soft focus’, ‘half-tone dot’ and ‘cinema’ alongside traditional features such as ‘fish-eye’, ‘miniature’ and ‘sketch’, letting you have a much more professional finish at the touch of a button. It isn’t out just yet, but will be making headlines next April for $299.99 each. We do expect this to arrive at CES 2011 though.

The Clamcase – Bringing your iPad to the next level

Okay, I finally have it. The coolest thing to happen to your iPad since, well, the iPad. I have been enjoying all the cases and apps and keyboards entering the market, but I haven’t fallen in love… until now.

Enter the Clamcase, lightweight and completely portable, it changes your iPad into one serious machine. Send e-mails, manage data, make notes or surf the net all with the convenience of a netbook. But don’t stop there, the Clamcase can also be used as an iPad stand, perfect for movies or presentations, the keyboard folds in on itself allowing your iPad to stand alone.

Clamcase uses a patented hinge that allows your iPad to be used as a netbook, an entertainment unit, a presentation venue, an e-reader and wait for it, a plain old iPad, because the special hinge even allows the keyboard to be folded flat against the back of your device, leaving you with a simple iPad in a case.

So to recap, the Clamcase is protection, a full qwerty keyboard and a stand all in one, and it looks good too. How great is that?

Made of durable high grade PC-ABS plastic, with shock absorption pads for safety and a quick attach and release mechanism for your iPad, the Clamcase is one awesome little accessory.

Ring Socket Power Plug

I’m sure that all of us are or at least should be trying to conserve power as much as possible. I’ve discovered how easy it is to save a few bucks every month by unplugging my television and computer before I go to sleep.

This Ring Socket product is another way of conserving power by having the user set a pre-determined hour when the power goes off.

All the user needs to do is wind back a huge ring, and then the socket will shut itself off a a determined time. This will hopefully result in lower power bills.

There is an LED to form an indicator light that has an odd setup. The yellow LED means that it is in use, green is for standby, but the red is a warning as it indicates the socket is overloaded.

I got to admit, I like the way this thing is set up. Its wind-up timer is such a retro thing that really was simplified technology. After all, what is easier, setting your cellular phone for an alarm in 30 minutes or turning the crank on an egg-timer? I know which one takes less time.

Right now, this particular design is still in concept mode, but I’m sure it could easily be made into reality, as there is sure a need of such an energy saving device.