Gadgets Future

Fancy a portable Xbox? I’m sure many people have thought about it before, and it will really see Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony slug it out both in the living room as well as on the portable front. How would you like the portable Xbox to look like? There are several major pitfalls for the big M to look out for, and one of them would be the lack of connectivity. Microsoft’s Xbox Live is one of the biggest attractions to date, and has not seen any serious competition from either Sony or Nintendo, so that will be quite a problem unless WiMAX is rolled out extensively. Also, disc changing on the go just isn’t viable, so Microsoft will have to think of a way to circumvent this. Should one be able to engage in online multiplayer, there is also the issue of lag to deal with - will there be a good enough coding like Quakeworld to compensate for latency found using 56k modems? As for the number of games available, I wonder whether Microsoft has it in them to court developers over to their side in such an unchartered territory.

Well, it was a long time coming, but YouTube has finally made its localized Indian version go live. Now, YouTube users from India are given access to a highly personalized version of the site, featuring content that’s filtered through a so-called “Indian lens.” The live video charts show what videos are being watched by users in India, and the featured videos are now targeted towards an Indian audience. Literally dozens of local partners have also been signed-up by YouTube to provide home-grown content to the users. And they even launched an official Indian YouTube Blog. So if you’re looking for some original South Asian video goodness, head on over to http://in.youtube.com.

Read [YouTube India Blog]

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This wired backpack not only fashionably allows it’s wearer to enjoy their favorite MP3 tunes, but it also has a remote capture capability thanks to the onboard web camera that’s built right into the rigging.

Coming complete with a wireless 2.5GB hard drive, USB Hub, a tiny LCD screen with 4 button navigation and input, and 1 GB of flash memory, the PORTA2030 performs what its creators call “portable data sensing-storage-transmission” as it not only captures video streams in real time but also plays MP3s for its user to enjoy. Each Porta2030 is assigned a unique IP address for wireless transmission to a central hub. The idea is that multiple users can be tracked and recorded within the wireless network and shifts the signal to the stronger signal to maintain connectivity.

The idea could have some real world surveillance applications as well peaking the interest of voyeur based filmmakers who seek to archive every moment of someone’s mundane life in a very Truman Show like fashion. But it also may have military applications as units could take advantage of the hive wifi network capability to keep track of their forces and lower friend fire causalities.
Then again, people may like it because it just looks cool.

Hat Tip – MAKE BLOG

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A Japan-based designer known as Marimo-san is thinking way out of the box with his latest cellphone concept design, featuring a mechanism that allows for a detachable screen. The screen in this cellphone concept design can be removed so the user can enjoy video calls on the go. And aside from that, the slot for the screen should also accept other add-ons such as a widescreen display and a dual screen video viewer, to name a few, turning the cellphone into a number of new devices at any given time.

Here is the cellphone with detachable screen concept pictured with the add-ons I mentioned earlier (widescreen display and dual screen video viewer). With the technology that we have today, this actually seems pretty doable. Only we’d still have a problem with this cellphone’s battery life, as well as an energy-efficient way to transmit the data from the cellphone to the screens while they are detached. But that is if this design ever becomes a reality, of course. Well, we can dream, can’t we?

Via [Dvice]

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by Joshua Topolsky, posted May 9th 2008 at 11:17AM
Just like we suspected, after a short delay, the succulent and delightful Motorola Q9c is now available from Verizon. Bonus shot — instead of the $249.99 price tag we expected it to sport, it’s actually bumped down to $199.99 with a two-year contract and online discount. So… what are you waiting for?

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Filed under: cellphones

Have you jumped onto the Wii Fit bandwagon yet? If you do (and are hooked on it), I’m pretty sure you’ve experienced the sudden interruption while playing when the Wii balance board runs out of juice unexpectedly. This scenario can be disappointing, especially when you’re halfway through working up a sweat. Nyko aims to save the day with the Energy Pak which was developed specifically for the Wii balance board. It is installed at the bottom of the board, and is a snap to plug in for a recharge without having to remove the device nor turn the board over. The Nyko Energy Pak will be released this May 19th for $19.99.

by Ryan Block, posted May 9th 2008 at 1:36PM
Since about 20,000 people — the overwhelming majority of voters in yesterday’s poll — apparently want to see me in pain trying to get in shape with Wii Fit, it looks like it’s time to suck it up and do this thing. Although I’d like to start by disclaiming that I’ve never really worked out with any regularity, I’m not exactly known for my physical coordination, and in school I always came pretty close to flunking PE — so really, I’m kind of Nintendo’s ideal customer.

Methodology

• I’ll be working with Wii Fit out about 20 game-minutes a day, 7 days a week.
• My program will consist of five minutes each of routines and games from the four fitness categories: strength training, aerobics, yoga, and balance games.
• As a control, I won’t be dramatically changing up my eating habits. I’m already a reasonably healthy eater, so any physical changes will be more easily attributable to the Wii Fit regimen.
• I have about a week of travel scheduled this month, so for whatever days I miss on Wii Fit I’ll be extending the trial.
• I’ll chart my changes in weight, BMI, coordination, etc. and thoughts on the experience in a weekly update for the next five weeks.

Current stats
Height: 6-feet
Weight: 174.5 pounds
Frame: small-to-medium
BMI according to Wii Fit: 23.65 (upper cusp of normal)
Wii Fit “Body age”: 36

Wii Fit goal (you have to set a goal for yourself)
Target weight: 169.5 pounds
Target BMI: 22.96
Target date: 6/12

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Like a tracker in the wilderness, a gadget blogger needs to be able to read the tiniest signs. Instead of snapped twigs and freshly laid dung, we have premature product postings on Amazon and battery grips. Wait. What?

It turns out that Nikon is so rigid in its naming conventions that the company inadvertently reveals future camera models through the names of its battery grips. According to a posting in the DP Review Forums by Nikon DSLR Report Editor Thom Hogan, the MB-D10 battery grip means that we could be seeing an Nikon D10 sometime early next year. Nikon likes the names of the accessories to match up; for instance, the MB-D200 fits the D200. Thom:

Prior to the D300, all add-on vertical grips were named for the body on which they would mount (e.g. MB-D200 was for the D200). When Nikon announced the D300, one of my first questions was why is the vertical grip called the MB-D10? I’ve NEVER known Nikon to deviate from their naming policies, so I asked them where the D10 was. Hard to say, but I now wonder whether or not Nikon originally intended to have an FX smaller body at the D3 introduction but some problem or marketing decision made them quickly reposition the D200 instead.

So I drained my cup of tea and swirled around the leaves. They tell me that the D10 will be priced at around $3000, offer a full frame sensor and a 3″ LCD. It would be a possible competitor to Canon’s possible 5D Mk II, and fit in Nikon’s lineup between the D3 and the D300.

Forum thread [DP Review via Photography Bay]

Sendai Nikon Preparation 2 new flagship DSLRs endai Nikon Preparation 2 new flagship DSLRs [DP Review Forums]

NTT DoCoMo will go about redeveloping the LG Prada cell phone in time for a June release in Japan. You will be able to enjoy a (proclaimed) intuitive, full size touch screen display complete with haptic feedback for improved usability, a function which kicks in whenever the user touch the screen in order to perform an operation. In addition, you get a 2 megapixel German-made Schneider-Kreuznach lens and auto-focus capability which helps capture better photos than a standard camera phone ever could. Other features like a 7.2Mbps data transmission support and a full 3″ browser helps make your mobile Internet experience complete. Phones in Japan are way more advanced that what we have here Stateside, so it remains to be seen whether this will be able to make a splash in the market when released.

We were pleasantly surprised to learn that you can now get PC Magazine for free. Yup, that’s a full year of PC Mag (normally somewhere around $25/yr) courtesy of Netline Corp. Netline runs Tradepub and if you check out our GfG-branded Tradepub, you’ll find hundreds of other magazines that you can get for free.

What’s the catch? No catch for you, except you do have to fill out a little survey type info up front. The magazines make money because they get advertising, and advertisers are happy because folks (like you) are reading the zines and seeing their ads. Works out. After all, no one charges you to watch the ads you see in places like on TV, prior to movies, billboards, or sides of buses!

Subscribe to a freebie mag.

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