Gadgets Future

by Nilay Patel, posted May 15th 2008 at 11:16PM
Okay, this is pretty much for the crazy keyboard aficionados out there, but the crew over at Laptop says there’s a distinct difference between the keyboards on the black and white Eee PC laptops. They compared the ‘boards on a white 701, black 4G Surf, and white 900, and while the two white Eees had identical keys, the black unit featured different switches with deeper keypresses and more tactile feedback, smaller spaces between the keys, and rougher plastic. (Of course, if you actually use any keyboard for long enough, the plastic eventually wears smooth, so that’s probably not an issue.) We doubt the difference is going to really sway anyone’s purchasing decision — the tiny Eee keyboard isn’t exactly ideal for hardcore typists, after all — but if you’re looking for a tiebreaker between the black and white 700s, well, now you have one that will bore the pants off people at parties.

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Filed under: Laptops

by Donald Melanson, posted May 15th 2008 at 3:01PM We can’t say we’ve ever felt the need to experience an accurate sensation of drilling through bone, but if you’ve always wondered what that was like (or, you know, are actually training to become a surgeon), you may want to take Medic Visions new Mediseus Surgical Drilling Simulator for a spin, which makes use of SensAble’s PHANTOM haptic device for that added sense of realism. That’ll apparently not only give you force feedback that’s able to “distinguish between the feeling of different parts of the temporal bone drilling procedure,” but some audio cues as well to round out the entire quease-inducing process. The system also comes equipped with a telelearning system that’ll let a surgeon in one location show a trainee in another how it’s done but, unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to include an updated version of Operation to help residents put in those downtimes.

[Via Medgadget]

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets

Verizon Wireless joins the ranks of 40 other handset suppliers such as Samsung, LG Electronics, and Korea’s SK Telecom Co as the company joined a consortium working on a Linux-based mobile operating system. The company said it would take a seat on the Limo Foundation’s board and projects to have its first phones based on the LiMo operating system in the market by 2009. The decision to join LiMo follows recent indications that rival AT&T plans to support Android, the Linux operating system being developed by Google and about 30 partners. Verizon Wireless Vice President Kyle Malady said that while the company would continue to support other operating systems—such as the one used in blackberry – but the LiMo system would be its primary operating system.

Read [Reuters]

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Western Digital is giving some DISH Network subscribers an easy way to increase the storage size of their DVRs. A new 500GB external drive will be able to increase the size of DISH Network ViP Series HD DVRs by 300 hours for digital standard-definition or 60 hours of high-definition programming through a USB connection. Western Digital has kept in mind that the external hard drive will most likely be used in a living room or bedroom so the company is using GreenPower technology to keep the hard drive quiet since it does not require a fan for cooling which also makes it eco-friendly.

Though the My DVR Expander USB Edition is currently only compatible with a specific DISH Network DVR, Western Digital believes that compatibility with other cable and satellite DVRs will be possible in the future as the USB port on these receivers are enabled. The drive is currently available in the United States and will retail for US$149.99. That’s a great price to add an additional 300 hours of recording to your DVR.

Hopefully manufacturers and satellite/cable operators will get on the ball and begin to enable the USB ports on their DVR receivers. Doing so will enable a new market for third party additions like this one from Western Digital. As HD programming begins to become more prevalant people are going to need additional storage on their DVR. The My DVR Expander USB Edition is a quick and inexpensive way to do just that.

Read more from the Western Digital press release.

iPods are everywhere - you cannot deny that fact. The iPod accessory market is also a profitable one, as evident by tons of speaker docks to suit every taste and fancy. The ipod Lamp you see here offers something a little bit different - not only does it provide adequate reading light at night, there is a tiny speaker located at the base so that you will be able to enjoy your favorite tunes while catching up on your reading. The iPod Lamp retails for $150 a pop and comes in white, pink, black and brown colors.

Motorola has released its RAZR2 V9 Pink Silver in Korea, obviously targeting the female demographic although Lim Joung Ah, Marketing Director of Motorola Korea claims otherwise that is was released to “appeal to the confident young generation”. This will be a Korea-only exclusive, but I am pretty sure there will be folks with the necessary connections who will be able to import one of these no matter where you live, although be prepared to pay through the nose for it. Other than a different paint job and the ability to attract envious stares from others, this is but a vanilla RAZR2 in every sense of the word.

Eating only half an apple is easy, but eating half a banana isn’t. Well let me rephrase the statement. Preserving a left-over apple is easy, but preserving a left-over banana isn’t.

Which is why the NANA Saver Banana Holder seems like a good idea. The plastic banana holder can be clipped to the exposed end of a sliced banana to minimize air contact. So that the slice remains fresh for a longer duration – just don’t ask how long as it is not mentioned on the site. What the heck, it is definitely innovation at $2.98.

Via Random Good Stuff.

A well known online brand is going to get a new parent. It was announced on Thursday that CNET Networks will be acquired by CBS Corporation in a deal valued at US$1.8 billion. CNET shareholders will receive a cash tender offer of US$11.50 per share as a part of the deal which will make CBS Corporation a top ten Internet company with approximately 200 million users worldwide and 54 million unique visitors each month.

CBS will be acquiring a number of well known websites through their acquisition of CNET Networks. CNET Networks’ properties include such sites as CNET, ZDNet, GameSpot.com, TV.com, mp3.com, CNET News.com, UrbanBaby, CHOW, Search.com, BNET, MySimon and TechRepublic. CNET reported profits on revenue of US$406 million for 2007.

Existing CBS online properties include CBS.com, CBSSports.com, CBSCollegeSports.com, MaxPreps.com, CBSNews.com, last.fm, Wallstrip, MobLogic, CBS Radio and CBS Television Stations digital media platforms, and the distribution network of the CBS Audience Network.

It’s kind of neat to sit back and watch CBS transform itself from just a single television network into a company which has multiple television networks and an impressive online presence to boot. Clearly, increasing its online footprint was a priority for CBS this year and the company couldn’t have picked a better company to acquire than CNET to do that. Many of CNET’s networks have a very loyal following which is good for CBS to be able to attract those same visitors to other CBS online properties.

Read more from the joint press release.

Samsung has just launched its new F400 dual slider music cell phone that specially targets music lovers. Some of the features include :-

• ICEpower technology for superior audio
• Stereo speaker
• 3 megapixel camera with autofocus
• microSD memory card slot
• Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
• 3.5mm output jack
• Integrated FM radio
• 2.2″ 262k TFT LCD display
• HSDPA support

Those living in France will get this first, followed by other folks in Europe and Asia. Hey, what about folks living across the pond? Are we left out yet again?

Asus Eee PC 900

Asus’s long-awaited 9-inch (well, 8.9-inch) version of its groundbreaking Eee PC 4G arrives with all the familiar trappings installed … only this time it’s a little bigger — in more ways than one. Not only is the screen bumped up from seven inches to nine, the RAM is doubled (from 512 MB to 1 GB), the solid state storage system jumps from 4 GB to 20 GB, and, of course, the price takes a leap, too, hitting the $550 mark.

Two inches may not sound like much, but in this case, the modest increase in size makes a world of difference. The bigger screen (and larger resolution) makes web pages, documents and graphics files far more navigable and legible. The keyboard, naturally, is bigger too. Though touch-typing is still an error-prone affair, it’s at least better than it was on the 7-inch 4 G.

Though the CPU is the same as the 4 G (a 900 MHz Intel Celeron), the extra RAM is a big help. The 900 boots noticeably faster, and application lag is improved. Battery life also gets a big boost: We eked almost four hours of video playback from the device, vs. two hours, 20 minutes on the 4 G.

The 900 is not without a few hiccups: For example, the Eee didn’t remember our WEP key after a reboot, and the battery life meter was totally wrong during our testing, but those issues are probably due to some Linux drivers that can be updated. Though the price tag, now rising well past $500, might turn some buyers toward bigger notebooks at about the same price, it’s still an awfully attractive deal.  —Christopher Null

WIRED Positively pint-sized, just 3 ounces heavier (2.2 pounds) than the seven-inch model. Window XP model available (same price, but drops total storage from 20 GB to 12 GB). Excellent component upgrades over 7-inch model.

TIRED Price now flirts with full-sized notebooks. No 802.11n. Multitouch-like trackpad features are simplistic and underdeveloped. Some fan noise. Uncomfortably dim screen.

$550, usa.asus.com

Photos courtesy Jim Merithew for Wired.com