This week, Atelier reviews what is trendy on the web magazine of our great expert contributor. Ubergizmo.com is dedicated to consumer electronics news and reviews.

 

This interesting Volkswagen Beetle might look all beat up from the outside, but inside the boot you’ll find an electric engine. The entire setup costs $29,995 - but think about the amount of dough you’ll save in the long run whenever you laugh at friends who moan and groan about ever rising oil prices. It costs just two cents per mile to charge its batteries, and comes with a 120 volt built-in charger. This electrified Beetle can hit a top speed of 75 MPH with a 70 mile range, and will be able to make it from San Franciso to New York and back at the cost of a mere $112. Acceleration-wise, this car ain’t too shabby either, hitting 40 MPH from a standing stop within 6 seconds.

 

 

Duravit has unveiled its e-mood furniture range that boasts a lighting concept that comes with different programmable mood lighting. The light and color programs are controlled by touch LEDs located on the product itself, giving you the perfect ambience as you wind down after a hard day’s work. The multi-functional e-board accommodates a soap dispenser, a tissue dispenser, a cosmetics shelf and a power outlet - all without ugly looking cables sticking out. There is also a built-in light sensor that turns on the night light automatically whenever dusk falls so you won’t accidentally stub your toe against a piece of furniture in the kitchen.

 

 

Students from Blakewater College in Blackburn, England have managed to come up with blinds that not only prevent sunlight from seeping into the room, it also helps keep the earth green by absorbing sunlight and converting it into energy. The environmental impact of such an invention would be tremendous assuming it takes off on a large scale - buildings will be able to collect solar energy every single day, storing power for use at night. Hopefully some manufacturer will sit up and take notice of the potentially huge market where solar-powered products are concerned. Guess these solar-powered blinds would go down extremely well with Solar Energy curtains.

 

 

You know how cordless mice come with dongles that are attached to your mouse when not in use? Chinese company Naxin has developed a cellphone known as the NX788. This GSM dualband handset comes with a standard Bluetooth headset located behind which can be unlatched when required, and placed in position whenever you need to charge it. In addition, the NX788 boasts Bluetooth A2DP support and a dual SIM card function, a 1.3 megapixel camera, a microSD memory card slot, the ability to play MP3 and MPEG-4 files as well as a QVGA touchscreen display. It currently retails in Hong Kong for $190, so you’ll probably never see it Stateside.

 

 

What happens if you’re all cooped up in your cubicle the whole day long with no chance whatsoever to sweat it out on the basketball court? An alternative would be the USB Basketball Dunking Game, but what if you do not have a USB port in the vicinity? There is always the manual Desktop Basketball game that comes with a couple of launchers, two miniature basketballs and a single backboard. Hone your skills alone or pit your finger power with another friend to see who races to 24 points first. The Desktop Basketball retails for £4.99 a pop.

 

 

ProStreet CPU case comes covered with a whole bunch of fans - 20 on both the left and right sides, 8 fans on the rear and front sides as well as 10 located on top for a grand total of 66 fans. While it might keep everything running cool and just dandy, you will definitely agree that it is one of the ugliest casings ever to date. All those fans being stucked in places that aren’t supposed to be there in the first place do not a pretty PC case make.

 

 

We mentioned about unlocked iPhones going on sale in Germany yesterday, and here are the latest developments. It seems that T-Mobile will be offering the iPhone without any contract for an insanely high price of 999 Euros. In addition, T-Mobile has to unlock free of charge for customers who bought the iPhone since November 19th. Logically speaking, an unlocked iPhone would mean the lack of Visual Voicemail, although that remains to be confirmed. Do you think this locked iPhone issue is overblown, and Apple ought to stick to its original strategy of selling the iPhone with a plan, or to just bow to consumer and industry pressure by offering standalone units?

 

 

Mexicans can finally stop drumming their fingers in anticipation of an online Apple Store in their country as the long wait is finally over. This online store allows Mexican shoppers to take advantage of better value instead of shopping at the US store. As part of its grand opening, lucky folks will be able to pick up a MacBook each day as well as an iPod nano each hour. One down, plenty of other countries to go.

Word has it that the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and giant notebook manufacturer Quanta are currently collaborating on a "virtual computer" that can run without any hardware. Doesn’t really make any sense, eh? This virtual computer is said to require only a keyboard and a TV. No idea on how this is going to be accomplished, but my guess is it is still far off in the future until HDTV-capable TV sets in homes are affordable enough for everyone, and the thought of having my personal data stored on a remote server just doesn’t make me sleep well at night.

 

Today a gadget-shopping website is re-launching: Retrevo’s mission is to match people and electronics. Last week, we met with CEO Vipin Jain for a private demo of the website’s new version. This is a new kind of online shopping experience for consumer electronics: the key feature is the Value Map where the user can visually compare the “bang for the buck” of similar products (see picture). To test the service, I tried to find a good mid-range camcorder with a hard drive using Retrevo and competing sites. On Wize, Buzillions, ViewScore it was not possible to search by features and the Value Map does not exist. On Yahoo Product, it is possible to search the camcorders using a limited number of predefined features.

According to Vipin, “Retrevo crunches data on hundreds of thousands of products, millions of facts and millions of user and expert reviews from thousands of publisher sites, user reviews, blogs, forums across more than 40 categories, including Digital Cameras, HDTV, Camcorders, and GPS devices”.

 

HTC has decided that the Touch is getting a wee bit too old for its own good (although it was just launched like, this year) and decided to inject the equivalent of electronic Botox inside, resulting in a couple of new shades for those who find the black and green shades off-putting. These new colors include white and burgundy, and will see an increase of RAM to 128MB as well as 256MB of ROM. Best of all is, the price still remains the same - in South East Asia at least, as it retails for S$848. Does this mean current inventories of the ‘old’ HTC Touch will see a dramatic price cut? Check out our sister site Uberphones’ take on this.

Modstream aims to bring advertising to a whole new level by introducing shopping carts which come with scrolling text displays on the handles itself, allowing advertisers to beam messages to selected stores sans wires. I suppose the messages will change each time you walk through different aisles, tempting you to purchase goods that aren’t even on your shopping list to begin with. No idea on when such shopping carts will be used, but that time would require you to be more disciplined than ever when it comes to purchasing items.

The Maya Single chair looks totally out of this world, but would be great for those who find solace in the bottle, only to grapple with the worst of headaches the next monrning. This architecturally designed chair comes with specially placed 60-watt speakers, a subwoofer as well as a choice between a 32" or 26" screen that hangs off an overhead hanging metal arm that has been accented with natural wood tream. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really fully recline so you might want to sleep off the effects of a wild night out on your bed instead.

NifNaks.com is currently selling adorable USB flash drives that come in different animals such as a maggot and a strange-looking bait thingamajic. The 4GB maggot USB flash drive retails for $67, which is pretty affordable and guaranteed to make heads turn whenever you whip it out for use in the office. They’re all hand-made, so you can be assured that no two are alike in the entire world. NifNaks.com not only sells USB flash drives, of course, as artist Nifer Fahrion also has other items up available for sale.

Just when you thought the DS brought about a whole new level of interactivity, along comes students from Georgia Tech who developed an audio analysis program that allows you to blow at your computer in order to control it. All you need is a single microphone, perform a fast calibration and you’re good to go.

This is a way to support blowing at a laptop or computer screen to directly control certain interactive applications. Localization estimates are produced in real-time to determine where on the screen the person is blowing. You can do this by using a single microphone, such as those that are already embedded in a standard laptop or one placed near a computer monitor by using audio fingerprinting.

You had better have a screen cleaner handy after each use since there’ll be germs and all sorts of nasties crawling all over the place once you’re done with this interface.

DRI Energy successfully developed roofing tiles that comes with integrated solar cells which will be branded under the Lumeta name and released in the second quarter of next year. This new breakthrough ought to see sales figures pick up since they don’t look as ugly as roofs with visible panels and will go a long way in helping folks keep their electric bill down at the end of each month. There is one major drawback to placing panels flat on the roof though - these panels aren’t as efficient when compared to others which have been tilted to optimize the sun angle, and they surely heat up faster due to the lack of an air flow under them, resulting in lowered efficiency.

The RHex Robot from Boston Dynamics come with appendages that provide it with wheel-like mobility as well as leg-like traction when necessary. For those who constantly work in an aquatic environment, you can always swap its legs for paddles without worrying about the RHex fizzling out courtesy of its completely sealed body. It can be controlled from over 500 meters away with a remote control, and comes mounted with both front and rear cameras.

 

Natural Wave keeps things hot

Drive Erazer to clean a drive without a computer

Zeiss lens for infrared

Chinese Trojan on Maxtor hard drives

Cre8txt Desktop SMS Keypad

Solar Powered Bluetooth Headset

 

Find all the sources, and discover more consumer electronics news and reviews at Ubergizmo.com.

FEEDBACK
For comments on this article,
email us at editorial@atelier-us.com

This bug-eyed Owi grasshopper looks exceedingly cute, and best of all it is capable of keeping your little ones entertained all day long without worrying about forking out additional dough to keep this toy going as it draws its sustenance from the sun, just like how Kal-El does. It won’t be able to fly around though, but this $21 toy will surely go a long way in introducing alternative energy principles so that little Johnny would by a Prius instead of a Hummer when he grows up.

The Eclipse Office Partitioning System is the perfect workplace concept for those ‘hermits’ in the office, as it keeps your personal space private and far away from peering eyes. This interesting concept comes with a desk, task chair, expandable hood, integrated speakers, and power all set on casters for true mobility. I wonder whether there is such a thing as a claustrophobic hermit - now that would be truly ironic. Hopefully there is some sort of ventilation system built in as well as improved acoustics, since a cramped space such as this will surely result in lots of echo while the lack of fresh air could lead to cabin fever - whereby its updated 21st century version would be known as cubicle fever.

The way the corporate environment is structured these days, pressure is always bearing down on workers to complete never-ending tasks. This leads to a shortened lunch break, and most folks have experienced the inconvenience of snacking at the keyboard while going through long-overdue reports. Crumbs from late-nite pizzas and tea-time sandwiches are bound to drop on the keyboard and its surrounding area, which is where this USB Vacuum Cleaner comes in handy. Measuring 8″ tall, this retro-looking peripheral sucks up any offending food bits in exchange for $20. The cord measures 45″ long, so it ought to be sufficient for most cubicles.

Somebody has gone through the trouble to apply for a patent for an “energy weapon protection device”, which means you could soon see Taser-proof gear being sold at a retail store near you. Not too sure whether this patent will be approved or not, or else the peacekeeping forces in our country will have to find a different method to neutralize threats in high tension situations.

The MII Flashcam is one unique flashlight as it not only helps you see when everything around you is pitch black, it also features a built-in video camera that helps record whatever’s going on. Makes me wonder whether this was an inspired product after watching the Blair Witch Project. Encased within its matte-black aircraft-grade aluminum body is a high-resolution Sony system, a 1.5″ color LCD, and 1GB RAM (good for an hour of video and audio). It can switch between its Hi-Flux LEDs and night-vision mode at the touch of a button, making it the perfect device to record dastardly deeds done in the middle of the night. This water-resistant flashlight will set you back by $1,500.

Casio has just released a mouse that doubles up as a label printer - a first of its kind, I believe. This Casio USB Label Mouse Printer works great for those who absolutely have the need to label just about everything in sight, but do take note that the thermal roll paper isn’t exactly cheap, retailing for $14 for a pack of 3. As for the mouse itself, it will cost you $29. Truly an interesting addition to your desktop if you are trying to kill two birds with a single stone.

This Winnie The Pooh Alarm Clock Transmitting Camera is perfect for paranoid parents who have no choice but to work while leaving their child with a nanny back home. While it takes time to build trust between people, at least this nanny cam will be able to stand in at the moment just in case any untoward incidents happen to the child. Not only does it transmit full color video, it also records audio thanks to the integrated microphone. The alarm clock is powered by a couple of AA batteries, but the receiver and camera have their own separate power supply. You can pick one up for £98.99 after taxes.

Fancy an oven that uses garbage as fuel while providing power? This is what’s happening in a Kenyan slum, as a specially designed oven features a superheated steel plate within an incinerator box that vaporizes drops of water. Released oxygen from this manner helps burn up discarded oil from vehicles - one of the chief causes of pollution in the slum area, which pushes up the temperature. It is hoped that this cooker will be able consume half a ton of waste energy each day when its trial finishes in approximately a month. Sounds like something every nation could use, and not just slums.

Fisher-Price has just released its Smart Cycle, a physical learning arcade system that targets kids. We all know how tiny tots have tons of energy to burn up, and it would be better for them to spend it that way instead of getting in your hair at home. The Smart Cycle connects to a TV and supports game cartridges in order to introduce some variety, although those are sold separately. This exercising toy targets kids aged between 3 to 6 years and retails for $89.92. Would you get that or settle for the Wii Fit instead, since that title will be able to be played by the entire family?

Japanese scientists have taken a standard gas-powered car (the legendary Mazda MX-5 in this case) and converted it to rely purely on solar power to run. This was made possible by the Total Mobility Project, as the team removed the MX-5’s engine and gas tank in lieu of an electric motor and battery. Seven solar panels were also installed across the hood of the car, and this setup enabled the vehicle to run at a top speed of 100km/h with a maximum range of 30km. Conversion will hit your pocket hard though, as the entire process will cost $21,000 but for drivers who run an average of 60km a day can save up to $8,400 across the time span of five years. Guess it will take a good 15 years or so before you can start counting your ROI, which by then the car would’ve probably be sent to the junkyard.

Last night at  Ubergizmo - a major actor and world-renowned website in the industry of gadgets - presented the “Uber10”ceremony, gathering nearly a hundred of respected individuals, Journalists and Presidents of Silicon Valley companies around a glass of fine French wine.

The “Uber 10” are the 10 coolest gadgets of the year that you can actually afford (all priced under $400), and offer/receive for Christmas ‘07.

“There are many cool gadgets on the market that are so expensive, or so hard to find, most people will never have the enjoyment of owning them,”says Hubert Nguyen, Co-founder of Ubergizmo. “We intentionally chose gadgets you can actually go and buy without breaking the bank. And not only are these gadgets affordable – and perfect for holidays gifts – they are also the best of their kind.”

The “Uber 10” winners selected with care by Ubergizmo’s Co-founders Huber and Eliane (photo right) are respectively:

Gadget lovers reading Ubergizmo.com had the opportunity to vote for their favorite gizmo, and the “People’s Choice” went for the Apple iPod Touch.

Co-founder Hubert Nguyen with a Uber10 trophey.

Launched in September 2004, Ubergizmo has rapidly become a major actor and leading website on gadgets. Founded by Hubert Nguyen and Eliane Fiolet, Ubergizmo is distributed in six different languages and read in over 212 countries. Ubergizmo is parent with Uberbargain.com, Uberpulse.com, Uberphones.com.

This week, Atelier reviews what is trendy on the web magazine of our great expert contributor Ubergizmo.com, dedicated to consumer electronics news and reviews.

 

 

I’m sure many of us have forgotten our passwords once or twice before, what more with the number of accounts that we have to remember these days. Scientists have developed a new kind of software that uses pictures in place of letters and numbers for security codes, and hopes to expand this idea into other areas to prevent unauthorized entry by fraudsters. Not only that, this development could make it easier for those who experience language difficulties such as dyslexia. Such picture-passwords are drawn over a background, where the computer will remember the actual number of strokes used, the way the image was started as well as the order in which they were made. While a picture is said to be worth a thousand words, a few characters would suffice here in lieu of traditional passwords.

 

 

Posted on: October 24, 2007

BlackBerry users who already have a hard enough time trying to live without their device have just been given yet another reason not to give up their addiction - it has received Facebook for BlackBerry, a new software that brings fast, streamlined and optimized mobile access to the extremely popular Facebook social utility via any compatible BlackBerry smartphone by leveraging on the push-based system architecture and Facebook Platform. T-Mobile USA has the honor of being the first mobile operator to provide the software application to subscribers, and this software will be preloaded onto all T-Mobile BlackBerry smartphones at no cost. Several application features are available after the jump.

 

Receive notifications and messages automatically – Leveraging the BlackBerry platform’s push-based architecture, notifications and messages are automatically sent to the user; the user can also set a unique alert (vibration and/or ringtone) for Facebook related content

Quickly access essential features – Convenient onscreen icons let users quickly change their Status, upload a photo, add a friend, poke someone, write on a Wall, or send a message. Users can also quickly scroll through messages and notifications as they do with email messages

Invite friends to join Facebook and accept new friend requests

Quickly snap and post pictures along with a caption and tags – The photo upload feature is also integrated with the BlackBerry smartphone camera and photo management applications on the smartphone

View the Status of friends

Read, compose and reply to messages even while offline – If the user is out of wireless coverage, messages are queued until the user returns to an area of coverage

 

 

Story posted on: October 24, 2007

For parents who are paranoid about losing their kids in a crowded environment, perhaps this GPS tracker jacket from BladeRunner will soothe unnecessary fears.

The small rechargeable device - it has a 15-hour battery - fits neatly into a pouch inside the jacket. You switch it on when you leave the house and what you get is nothing less than the ability to know where someone is - within four square meters - anywhere in the world. You can watch them move, check where they’ve been and get updates every 10 seconds.

Even better is the fact that you do not need to be sitting in front of your computer 24/7, since you can always choose the option to have email alerts arriving in your BlackBerry or cell phone inbox. The Children’s GPS tracker jacket will retail for £250.

 

 

Story posted on: October 25, 2007

While the Laws of Robotics were designed to preserve human life at all costs, that doesn’t mean it can’t give you the one finger salute whenever you mistreat it. Researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) have successfully developed an autonomous humanoid robot which is capable of recognizing and using body language in order to get the message across. This would bode well as the robot tries to communicate with young children, the elderly as well as computer-illiterate. It is packed with technology that enables it to observe, recognize and remember human behavior, but chances are it is still a long time in coming before you can get something like the T-800’s caliber in real life.

 

 

Story posted on: October 25, 2007

This idea is so simple and practical, it is a wonder nobody thought about it before. The Fingers notebook stand is made out of clear acrylic and features laser-cut pattern of slots that act as "fingers", which are used to accommodate loose computer cables running through the back. Designed by Oof Design, it comes with a sloping position for the keyboard for improved typing comfort as well as superior processor ventilation while raising the screen closer to eye level for improved ergonomics. Best of all is, you can use it as a coaster when not in use.

 

 

Story posted on: October 24, 2007

Ladies often get the short end of the stick where remote controls are concerned, but that is no longer the case with this zapper from One for All. It comes in pink to appeal to the fairer sex and boasts curvy lines like a Formula 1 track, and was specially designed to fit in snugly into your palm. The One for All remote will feature seven basic keys such as turning the TV on/off as well as adjusting its volume. It is compatible with the majority of TVs in the market and holds the distinction of being one of the first remotes of its kind to run on energy saving AAAA batteries. The One for All remote will retail for £9.99, and should pink not be the color of your choice, there is always black to look out for.

 

 

Story posted on: October 24, 2007

iPhone users have yet another application to look forward to, and this time it is the web-based version of IM+ for Skype. It uses SkypeOut as the base, allowing you to receive and make calls at Skype rates. In addition, users will be able to take advantage of IM+ to chat with fellow Skype users while sending text messages via Skype. Needless to say, it works with the recently released iPod Touch as well. Head on to s4iphone.com and check it out.

 

 

Posted on: October 26, 2007

This sounds surreal, but in Japan everything is possible: According to Gizmodo Japan, the Osaka Police is equipping some police cars with rabbit-shaped strobe lights. Note that only the patrol cars around schools will get this. Video in the full post.

 

 

 

Story posted on: October 24, 2007

Voyeurs will definitely love the Canon Snap concept, being diminutive enough to wear on your finger and yet offering enough megapixel power that matches some of today’s better cameras. It does not have any fancy pants LCD display for you to sift through a list of option, but features a single button interface instead for easy photo snapping according to your whims and fancies. Designed by David Münscher, this is one of the more outrageous digital camera designs to be released in a long time.

 

 

Find all the sources, and discover more consumer electronics news and reviews at Ubergizmo.com.

Story posted on: October 17, 2007

Panasonic has released a new eye scanner known as the BM-ET200 that boasts voice activation (it bellows out commands like "Stand up straight!") while identifying a user in just 0.3 seconds. The BM-ET200 can be modified to handle more than 10,000 user records, and is tipped to retail for approximately $2,500 when released in the US next year. The authentication process is pretty simple - the scanner fires a laser into the eye (up to 20" away), while the user aligns the eye with the camera by directly focusing on a green light. Don’t worry, it won’t leave you blind although it does sound painful in theory. Guess bigwig corporation could certainly make do with one of these.

Story posted on: October 17, 2007

The EU has decided to allow cellphone calls to be made while you’re in the air, ten thousands of feet above the ground courtesy of a new technology that does not run the risk of interference with aircraft systems. This reservation of space for the required airwaves has already been recommended to the EU countries’ governments before the system can be fully rolled out. On-board phone calls will be redirected to a satellite, and subsequently transmitted to the carrier’s network, resulting in a sky-high price that is on par with your current lofty position. There are limitations to this system though as such phone calls are forbidden whenever the plane is less than 3,000 meters in height.

Story posted on: October 19, 2007

Audi aims to wow with their latest concept device that not only functions as a cellphone, it also doubles up as an MP3 player, a vehicle control system, and an input for the car’s navigation system. The handset itself will be able to connect to the Internet using WiFi and 3G UMTS technology depending on the situation you’re in at the moment, and it is also capable of receiving snapped images of any intruders who enter the vehicle courtesy of the integrated vehicle camera system. It is but a concept at this point in time, so it remains to be seen whether this will make its way into a production vehicle.

Story posted on: October 17, 2007

French law lets customers opt for an unlocked iPhone. The phone will obviously be more expensive than the subsidized version (399 euros), but at least users won’t have to crack it every couple of weeks.

Amusingly enough, the unlocked iPhone is called “Naked iPhone” by Orange, meaning that it comes without a service contract. Orange has declined to mention the price of the unlocked version. French laws require that any phone sold with a service plan should also be made available without the plan.

Story posted on: October 17, 2007

Stefano Casanova designed this concept phone that would run on Windows Mobile and use a swivel display with an embedded projector, making it less strenuous to read stuff or watch movies on the phone. Of course, now someone would have to pull their hair and actually implement it, using cutting-edge and consumer-priced technologies… it doesn’t cost anything to dream a little, right?

Story posted on: October 18, 2007

While Microsoft has already stopped supporting Windows 98 for quite some time already, you’ll be surprised to know that Nintendo has just pulled the plug where support for the NES, SNES, N64, Gameboy, and the Gameboy Pocket after all these decades. It is pretty interesting to note that up through last week, it is still possible to send your creaking NES system to Nintendo for a full factory repair. Talk about an amazing level of service that other companies would do well to emulate, where support for legacy devices are crucial to maintaining customer loyalty. Drats, looks like I have to take better care of my monochrome LCD Gameboy from now onwards. Source…

Story posted on: October 17, 2007

After watching Resident Evil: Extinction, it is interesting to see an office toy like these Corporate Zombies released. Retailing for £12.95 a pop, they’re pretty expensive but will surely send a message to the top management on just exactly how you’re feeling at the moment. No Umbrella Corporation shenanigans here, as GiantMegaCorp is the culprit this time round. They come complete with poseable arms and an eerie green skin which glows in the dark while remaining trapped in their respective office get-ups.

Find all the sources, and discover more consumer electronics news and reviews at Ubergizmo.com.

 

Forget about lithium-ion batteries - 2010 could be the year that heralds water-powered cellphones. Samsung has successfully developed a micro-fuel cell and hydrogen generator that is powered by just water alone. Apparently the water and metal in the handset will react whenever it is turned on, producing hydrogen gas that is then supplied to the fuel cell where another reaction with oxygen in the air will generate power. This negates the need for methanol to produce hydrogen, which is the common route other fuel cells take whereas Samsung’s version requires nothing but water. Each micro-fuel cell can generate up to three watts of electricity, making it suitable for use in small, mobile devices for up to 10 hours.

  

Nissan’s Around View Monitor creates a bird’s eye view of the car’s surrounding by analyzing images form four different 180-degrees cameras placed on all sides of the vehicle. This is really cool because it lets the driver maneuver with a lot more accuracy… and confidence. The system will debut in Japan with the Nissan Elgrand but should arrive in the USA in the Infinity EX35. There’s no doubt that eventually, such systems will be more common.

 

Where else are you going to get extremely fast download speeds but in Korea? The Korean Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute has already the fourth-generation mobile communications technology which enables you to achieve data transmission rates of up to 3.6Gbps, theoratically. At this (peak) speed, you would be able to transfer a 4.7GB DVD in less than 10.5 seconds. Korea is the first country in the world to develop this transmission technology, placing it in pole position to kick off 4G mobile communications. One thing’s for sure though - there’s a big difference between theoratical speed and actual measured and commercialized speed. I wonder if latency is going to get better on mobile devices.

 

 

Looks like there is more than one way to control your avatar in Second Life, using a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) that was developed by a research team led by professor Jun’ichi Ushiba of the Keio University Biomedical Engineering Laboratory. All the user needs to do is think about moving various body parts, where walking forward involves moving one’s feet, while turning left and right will require you to imagine moving either left and right arms. You’ll need to wear a rather funky looking headset though before you can get started. It is hoped that the BCI system will onne day help people with serious physical impairments communicate and do business in Second Life.

 

 

The Body Mouse that you see here is the stuff of nightmares, and I for one would definitely avoid it at all costs. It features a couple of thumbs as the main mouse buttons, while the bottom part of the mouse is actually composed of lips, gums, and teeth. No idea if this concept will ever hit the market, but if you’re into all macabre stuff, this could be just the ticket. The teeth and lips section are definitely gross - chances are it won’t be able to perform as well as a real world mouse since I don’t see any decent mice feet there for smooth motion.

 

 

 

After a few controversial moment in the media (feasible? too expensive? not enough software?), the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) has been fielded. In this instance it’s in Nigeria and while it is a little too early to measure the success of this initiative, it is good to see tech put to good use. Keep in mind that this story comes from the official OLPC blog and although this won’t put an end to ongoing discussions (mainly: “is it the best platform for the job”?), the controversy can probably be put to rest for today. OLPC blog

 

Apple wants to go beyond the binary touch that equips most touch screen today by not only detecting “if” the screen was touched, but also which “how much force” they were touched, opening the doors to future potential user interface improvement. It works by having a few extra layers, one of which can bend and tell how much pressure was applied to the surface. Something similar might be used in graphics tablet, but I never destroyed one to verify. If someone knows, please post a comment.

 

Here’s a glimpse into the future with the Interactive Media Wall by Perceptive Pixel. It measures 8′ x 3′ and is actually the electronic version of a canvas. It uses a touch sensitive surface to allow users to navigate, locate, and manipulate information - sounds somewhat like the scenes in the Matrix and the Minority Report. Unfortunately for many, the Interactive Media Wall retails for $100,000 from Nieman Marcus so there’s still a long road to go before you actually have the dough to bring one of these babies home. Hopefully Microsoft’s Surface technology will be much more affordable for the layman.

 

Despite rumors floating around concerning the Google Phone, word has it that this rumor is unsubstantiated as Google is just concentrating on software that has Windows Mobile in its sights, since the company wants to leverage the cellphone’s advertising potential. Google will also aim to stay true to its mantra of doing no evil by not charging phone makers with a licensing fee for the software unlike Microsoft. Guess Windows has ousted Palm’s obsolete operating system, will we see the tables turned on Microsoft with this new software from Google?

 

Starting today, Yahoo! OneSearch will feature Yahoo Answers and most importantly WikiPedia in the search results. I know a lot of people who search directly on WikiPedia, so having the results directly without having to type the site URL will probably please them (Example: search for “digital signal” and you should see links to WikiPedia). Readers who are from outside the U.S.A can check if their country is one of the 18+ where OneSeach provides local results.

That’s not all: Yahoo also added flight status information. For example, if you search for “UAL 90” or “United Airline 90” you should get the flight status of that particular flight. It’s a good idea, most flight status sites are not mobile friendly at all. Try it at us.m.yahoo.com (from your desktop or your mobile)

 

Our friends from gearfuse have alerted us that Microsoft has apparently posted Internet Explorer unintentionally on their website. Users have been able to download and install the application earlier today although the release is scheduled to be in 2008. As soon as Microsoft noticed, they’ve taken the download down and issued an apology.

Microsoft.com : “get it now” page
IE7 page in Japanese

 

 

Discover more consumer electronics news and reviews at Ubergizmo.com

 

Job interviews on Second Life

While plenty of people are immersed in the world of Second Life, this real-life simulation game ups the ante when it comes to realism by allowing job interviews to be conducted in a virtual environment. Global consultancy giant Accenture has already started doing so in Second Life after a series of job fairs in the virtual game. Well I’d be extremely wary if I were the Human Resource Manager for Accenture as it is common knowledge that someone with the handle Sexy16 normally turns out to be someone with man boobs, a big fat waist, is living on social welfare and eats nothing but pizza and drink beer all day long. If you were in charge of recruitment in your company, would you use Second Life as an interview avenue?

 

Cellphone used as electronic wallet

The wallet might soon be replaced by your cellphone as time and technology progresses. Mobile banking services are slowly but surely extending its reach into every aspect of life, turning the humble cellphone into a powerful, portable banking tool, enabling you to send and receive money, as well as purchase goods on-the-fly. Of course naysayers will have plenty of concern regarding security of the system, but it sure as heck beats carrying cash and credit cards around. The country of Philippines is making inroads where e-commerce is concerned as the two biggest mobile service subscribers (Globe Telecom and Smart Communications) have taken steps to promote e-commerce using cellphones. How do you see this development change your spending habits?

 

How to downgrade your iPhone

Very rarely will you find instructions to downgrade a device, but there are now instructions floating around the Internet, allowing you to downgrade the iPhone from 1.1.1 to 1.0.2. That won’t result in downgrading your baseband, and hence that means you won’t be able to re-unlock an iPhone which has already been upgraded to 1.1.1, but then again it is still 1.0.2 where third party applications are concerned. Currently, iPhone Dev Team is trying to find a way to downgrade the new firmware, allowing people to unlock their phones again. Well, if you’re an AT&T user, there basically isn’t anything to worry about as you did not irk Cupertino’s wrath by dealing with this shady unlocking business.

 

Mac gets new AOL Desktop

Mac users will soon be able to take advantage of the new AOL desktop that is Leopard-ready and can load within seconds, giving users a fully-integrated and customizable experience including tabbed browsing, AIM integration, planned support for multiple email accounts, and enhanced toolbar functionality. Some of the key features include:

„h Fast Load Time: AOL® Desktop for Mac launches within seconds and enables users to begin browsing immediately, without signing in to the software.

„h Tabbed Navigation: Tabbed browser and AIM® windows offer easy access to content, and an uncluttered, organized view of all open windows.

„h Additional Email Options: A streamlined AOL Mail experience allows users to send and receive messages using multiple email accounts, including Apple Mac addresses, Gmail, Verizon and more from one Inbox.

„h AIM Integration: AIM is built in to the software, so users can view Buddies online, chat, and more while checking their email or browsing the Web.

„h Customizable Toolbar: An easy-to-use customizable toolbar gives users quick access to their favorite sites.

„h Premiere Safety and Security: AOL Desktop for Mac is backed by AOL’s host safety protections, including spam filters; mail and IM blocking capabilities; and blocking of known phishing sites.

 

Aptera vehicle going into production

The Aptera might look pretty space age in terms of design, but surprisingly it will actually enter production. You can reserve yours today by dropping half a grand (refundable), and can expect to take one home within a year. The Aptera is said to seat 2 adults comfortably and can hit 60mph from a standing start in approximately 10 seconds, and features an electronically limited top speed of 95mph. Inside the car, everything looks pretty normal ranging from the airbags, rear view camera, GPS navigation, and CD/MP3/DVD player with XM. A solar assisted climate control system helps keep the Aptera’s interior cool, and you can choose from an All Electric or Plug-in Hybrid when it comes to the engine. The former will retail for $26,900 while the latter is slightly more expensive at $29,900, although it can achieve a mileage of 300 miles per gallon. Booking one today?

 

Courtesy of our expert Contributor: