Gadgets Future

by Paul Miller, posted May 14th 2008 at 8:36AM
We’ve seen this attempted a few times before, but it’s hard to imagine OCZ’s entry into build-it-yourself laptops will be any more successful. The new OCZ DIY Gaming Notebook is a 7 pound 15.4-inch backbreaker, which comes standard with an NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card, Intel PM965 northbridge, SATA support for hard drives, 8x dual-layer DVD burner, four USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard and a fingerprint leader. The problem is that the “optional components” are WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and a TV tuner, with only the last of those being truly optional on a regular enthusiast laptop. It’s nice of OCZ to provide documentation and a warranty for those who really want to get under the hood of a modern laptop, but we’re guessing most gamers these days would give up a bit of a customization for a straight-up well priced performer. No word on price or availability.

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Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

by Paul Miller, posted May 14th 2008 at 9:47AM
Despite the shortcomings, it’s hard not to get excited about VIA’s Pico-ITX offerings: who cares if the capabilities are limited, they’re just so adorably small we want to pinch their cheeks. Now VIA is making things even more efficient with a 500MHz board that can be cooled solely with the heatsink — no fan required. Naturally, that step down in processor speed from the PX10000 won’t exactly be much help to the folks sticking Ubuntu on these things, but the PX5000EG should be a boon to the embedded market and reliability nuts. Video is after the break.

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Filed under: Desktops

With the launch of WiiWare in the U.S. Nintendo has delivered a truly pick up and play party experience (which is both the point of arcade services like WiiWare, and the point of the Wii in the first place) in the form of Pop, a very simple game where players are charged with popping bubbles with the Wii remote.

Much like Lumines and Rez, Pop gains much of its flair and addictiveness due to the aesthetics of its rhythms, sounds and colors and how those elements are intertwined with the gameplay. Just as with Lumines, the actions you make influence the music and tempos, albeit not to the same degree. Still, this effect in Pop comes off as a very nice touch to the gameplay.

The challenge of the gameplay comes from not simply popping bubbles, but popping like-colored bubbles in a distinct rhythm to form chains. A countdown timer that ends the game when it hits zero is refilled by popping large bubbles, a shot that hits nothing deducts 3 seconds and points are given for popping small bubbles. Power-ups are littered floating amongst the bubbles, and include effects like slow, nuke, and added accuracy for a time being when shot. Landmines in the form of bubbles with a skull on them round out the game dynamics.

Much like most games of this type, the pace starts slow and easy then ramps up the tempo quickly, and with each wave completed the color, direction and speed of the bubbles change dramatically to a somewhat dizzying and frenzied effect eventually. This isn’t the type of game I can envision anyone playing alone for long stretches at a time, but makes for a good short attention span game for quick bites between other games. It’s also well suited for a party atmosphere, with players taking turns for high score bragging rights.

Pop also sports a “badge” system akin to the 360’s achievement system, with players earning badges for completing objectives, such as number of chains in a row and time played. It’s a nice touch to give a little depth and enticement to the gameplay package. Still, this isn’t the depthiest game to be had on the service, but at $7 it doesn’t need to. For the price, developer Nnooo has provided a cool, diversionary gaming experience that can be enjoyed in small doses.

Onda has released a new mp3 player called the VX818. Looks more like one of those rubber erasers from a classroom if you ask me. The VX818 comes with a 1.1 inch OLED display, 1GB/2GB capacities, SRS sound effect and compatible with MP1, MP2, MP3, WMA, WMV, ASF, WAV, OGG formats along with 7EQ modes, multiple playback modes, E-book and U disk functions. The 1GB and 2GB versions of the VX818 are now available for $41 and $49.
[ Source ]

AsusTek (widely known as Asus) is going to release its penryn-based F8Sn laptop in Korea. This 14.1-inch wide (1440 x 900) notebook pc is powered by Core 2 Duo T9300 processor, which is clocked at 2.5GHz, featuring 6MB L2 Cache, GeForce 9500M GS graphics card 512MB of Video-RAM, 2GB DDR2 667MHz Memory, 250GB SATA 5400rpm Hard Drive, Mobile Intel 965PM Express Chipset, and dual-layer DVD burner. At a weighing 2.59kg, the F8Sn also has in-built TV Tuner, 1.3 megapixel webcam, and DVI, S-Video Output for connectivity options. It is pre-loaded with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premum OS and the battery offers up to two hours of run time.
[ Source ]

Lingerie can be used for a variety of tasks. It can improve a woman’s confidence in her body. It can spice things up in the bedroom. But one thing which lingerie isn’t particularly known for is promoting environmental awareness. At least, not yet.

The eco-friendly Solar Power Bra integrates a whole lot of green into one complete sexy package. Aptly colored with a green shade, the Solar Power Bra features a waist-mounted solar panel which powers a small, chest-mounted electronic billboard, or pretty much any other gadget you feel like modding onto the bra.

Not to be outdone in other eco-friendly categories, the bra even offers a pair of reusable drinking cups (no pun intended), which not only offers a way for the wearer to reduce the amount of aluminum cans and plastic bottles they use, but also adds to the woman’s (or man’s, if you’re into that sort of thing) bust size. These reusable containers can be hidden away in a special pocket on the bra’s cups.

The overall goal of the Solar Power Bra is to ignite a flame under environmental thought. If women were to actually wear such a contraption, you might have a few more scientists showing a new found interest in eco-friendly technology. Or at least some very happy eco-activists.

I mean, wouldn’t you take a sudden interest if your lady-friend were to strut into your room wearing something like this? I know I would. Now, if only I can convince my girlfriend to wear one of these. For strictly scientific reasons, of course.

Press Release (translated from Japanese) via Pink Tentacle

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This is great for those sleepers who hit the alarm clock over and over again. You know what I am talking, the people that are running around throwing their clothes on trying to get to work on time because they have over slept. They didn’t have time to really brush their hair or their clothes looked like they have been through the wringer a few times too many. You have seen one, you have been one, or you still are one. These are the people that need to have this creative invention.

Chasing your alarm clock around will definitely get your blood flowing early in the morning. No more worry about over-sleeping and not making it your meeting on time. This little guy will not turn off until you find it. You can not just lay there and hope that it will turn off on its own like some other alarm clocks.

In our previous article on this little gadget, we talked about where this thing originated. This other article on this invention shows an older look of the Clocky, but it now has a nice pretty and stylish chrome finish to it.

Gimme!

More info from the manufacturer

Price: $59.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Posted in Gizmo of the Day, Miscellaneous, Tools, DIY, Home, Office

From the dawn of intellectual thought, man has been contemplating the idea of independent flight, soaring through the clouds, nothing between us and the earth’s surface. What if us humans had wings?

No doubt, airplanes were a huge step towards the independent flight of man, but in order to fly a plane, you have to be a licensed pilot, and who has the time and patience for all of that mess? A Swiss man named Yves Rossy has unveiled his personal flyer, a jet-powered set of wings which allows humans to act as airplanes, even performing plane stunts such as the figure eight.

48-year-old Rossy sprang into the air at 7,500-feet, jumping from the inside of a Pilatus Porter aircraft, with nothing but a pair of eight-feed wide wings standing between himself and the unforgiving Earth below. As Rossy’s free fall slowly evolved into a steady glide, four jet-turbines were ignited, accelerating the man to speeds of 186 miles per hour, or “about 65 miles per hour faster than the typical falling skydiver.”

“I still haven’t used the full potential,” Rossy told reporters, exclaiming his hope to one day use the wings for a fly through the Grand Canyon. He explains how there is almost no stress caused to the body while using the wings, how it’s almost like “riding a motorbike.” Though he still must wear a heat-resistant suit to protect him from the heat of the jet-engines, with the air temperature also assisting in cooling him down.

Rossy and his sponsors have poured about $285,000 and countless hours of labor into producing the personal flyer, and he won’t comment on how much the device might be if it were marketed to the public. Though one thing is for sure, thrill-seekers everywhere just got a glimpse of the future. Something to really look forward too.

Project Page via Yahoo News 

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Philips has official announced the touchscreen based X800 (pictured above) and Xenium X-Connect (pictured below) handsets. The X-Connect aims a little more at the high end of the spectrum, while the X800 seems to have a nicer look than feature set.

The X800 will feature a 2.9-inch display with a 240 x 400 resolution, 2-megapixel camera, microSD card slot and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity. Sadly even with the nice look and touchscreen, the X800 is lacking some important connectivity, namely EDGE or Wi-Fi, instead it gives just 2G GSM for all your data needs. The X800 will allow you send or receive both SMS and MMS messages but the mobile web browsing is limited, not only by the previously mentioned 2G coverage, but the WAP 2.0 browsing experience.

The Xenium X-Connect on the other hand seems to be a welcomed handset. The X-Connect will feature a slightly larger 3-inch touchscreen display and have much more as far as connectivity. The X-Connect will include support for GPRS, UMTS and HSDPA, but is still lacking the Wi-Fi. In addition it will also have Bluetooth, USB, a microSD card slot, integrated GPS and is running Windows Mobile 6.

Still unclear for both the X800 and Xenium X-Connect are pricing and availability dates.

Via [Just Another mobile phone Blog] Via [GSM Arena]

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by Richard Lawler, posted May 14th 2008 at 8:11AM
Samsung’s harder better faster “blue phase” (not to copy Blu-ray, just named for the color observed during its development) LCD panel is the first to demonstrate image-driving speed of 240Hz, surpassing current twisted nematic, in-plane switching or vertical alignment technology. In the quest for smooth CRT-style motion Samsung follows DLP manufacturers that announced plans to cross the 240Hz barrier at CES by manufacturing a display that aligns its own layers, simplifying manufacturing and ensuring uniform brightness without the need for an overdrive circuit found in today’s merely expletive-inducing 120Hz LCDs. Don’t expect these to hit shelves before 2011, coming first in TVs “that require high-speed video reproduction” — like the one you’ll buy that has a much bigger number than your next door neighbor’s latest HDTV. For now, the only place to see the future is this 15-inch model at the Society for Information Display 2008 show in LA May 18.

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV