The Weekly Gadget Review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier10 Mar
The LTK-2000 Therapy Station is one device where pressured executives would welcome, be it at home or at the office. This Korean gadget not only features 24 relaxing sounds for different categories (concentration, therapy for depression, etc), it also comes with a ring of bright blue LEDs that claim to provide your tired eyes with 5,000 lux of light therapy. Just in case the audio and visual combination aren’t effective enough, there is always the option to include a herbal aroma cartridge onto the top of the unit, letting your nose breathe in a soothing scent to relax those jangled nerves. An integrated anion generator rounds off the list of features. I don’t think the price tag is very relaxing though, as it retails for $395 each.
Keeping your treasured possessions safe can be quite a challenge these days, but thankfully skillful thieves aren’t exactly that common. The Biometric Vault Security Safe helps keep your belongings secure by using fingerprints as the method of authentication. It can store up to 50 fingerprints in its integrated flash memory, and has the backup of internal batteries just in case the A/C power goes off. Other features include a soft spring-loaded door mechanism and LCD screen as well, retailing for $499 a pop. It takes less than a second to verify your identification, although I would have liked to see one that works in tandem with an iris scan.
The Talking Caller ID Announce Station is one interesting device that ensures you don’t have to rush over to your house phone from the kitchen each time it rings. After all, it actually reads out the actual name of the caller, making it the perfect device for the vision impaired. Powered by a trio of AA batteries, the Talking Caller ID Announce Station comes with volume control and a mute button, meeting both FCC and ETL requirements. It functions with both corded or cordless telephones, although you will need to ensure that subscription to name-and-number Caller ID services are offered by your local telephone company. That’s an additional fee, of course, but the Talking Caller ID Announce Station retails for $39.99 each.
I guess it makes perfect sense that nobody would want to mow the lawn when it is raining, so the premise for a solar-powered lawnmower is a no-brainer. Husqvarna has rolled out its automatic electric solar-powered hybrid robotic lawn mower that claims to be the first of its kind in the world, offering a professionally cut lawn every time at a steep price - £2,000, to be exact. Well, I guess as long as the sun shines this piece of machinery will keep on going, but just how robust and tough are the insides? This lawnmower can clear 2,300 square meters of grass and is programmable to work only at certain times or days of the week. It has a battery life of approximately 40 minutes before a 40 minute charging time juices it up, but on a sunny day, its cutting time can be extended by another 50%.
The Pleo did not really take off as intended during the holiday season last year, but if you’re one of the few who picked it up, here’s some news for you. Its Life OS has just gotten an update, bringing the version number up to 1.0.2 that enables your robotic dinosaur to explore its surroundings even more, being more alert of its surroundings, and singing whenever it is in a presence of a group of people. You can download the Pleo 1.0.2 Life OS update here.
For folks who are heading towards London for a holiday soon, Coolgorilla has a solution for tourists - the London Travel Guide that was specially designed to be used in iPods, iPhones and other cell phones. It is available as a free download and comes packed with information on London like stunning video footage, roving maps and colorful facts about each tourist attraction. Just make sure that you don’t forget to pack a universal adapter just in case your iPod runs out of juice, lest you need to disturb one of the Bobbies there in order to find your way around. Coolgorilla is currently working on similar travel guides in other cities like Paris, Barcelona, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, targeting a release date of sometime later this year.
Everyone remembers the USB Humping Dog that caused quite a fair bit of guffaws when it was released - we have something less obscene now in the form of the USB Exercise Dog. While it doesn’t do much just like its predecessor, at least this time our plastic pooch’s abs are getting some love. I can bet my bottom dollar that sooner or later, somebody with a fair bit of DIY skills will come up with a version that carries some sort of flash memory just like how the USB Humping Dog was modified before.Find all the sources, and discover more consumer electronics news and reviews at Ubergizmo.com.
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The weekly gadget review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier3 Mar
Now this is a vending machine that you don’t see every day - it dispenses medical marijuana. Located in three spots throughout Los Angeles, it was created by Vincent Mehdisadeh, the owner of the Los Angeles Herbal Nutrition Center. Needless to say, these machines have already gotten the attention of federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents who are raring to find out more about these machines as to whether they violate any law(s). These machines can be accessed 24/7, while preserving one’s anonymity when attaining medically prescribed marijuana.
Boost your home’s wireless signal with the Hi-Gain Wireless-G Dish Adapter today - this device might not be as small as you’d like it to be, but at the very least you can be sure of a strong signal no matter which part of the home you’re currently at. Of course, I don’t think this is recommended if you happen to live in one of those mansions featured on MTV’s "Cribs", but for the ordinary Joe, it ought to do more than enough to blanket your home with strong WiFi signals, allowing you to check up on the latest gadget news even if you’re in the loo. It supposedly offers a 300% increase in wireless signal and is hooked up to your desktop/notebook via USB. Are you willing to splash out $62 on this?
Those who have spent a night at the Bellagio will know that curtains in there are remote controlled, but you don’t have to travel all the way to Las Vegas in order to experience this luxury. All you need is a little DIY knowledge, a Wiimote and you’re good to go. "The curtain control system is an existing system from Goelst and is called "G-Rail 6200". Normally it is controlled by infrared or wallswitches. However, it can also be controlled with a CAN bus. I used this CAN bus to interface with an old PC." Guess the Wii has more than one use, eh?
Telling the time has gotten a technological boost with this offering from Chinavasion. It features the following specifications :- 1.8" display
- 20fps video playback
- 2.5mm headphone jack (what, no 3.5mm?)
- Audio playback support
- Tells the time (duh)
The Pet Mate Elite prevents your cat from coming in and going out as it pleases - this technologically advanced flap allows you to control just which pet is able to come in to your home, even down to the exact minute. Eight RFID chips are attached to different pets, where the Pet Mate Elite will detect the corresponding RFID tag and compare it to the permission levels set by you before it grants/deny access. I wonder whether there is a Teenager Mate Elite that lets you set down ground rules in a much stricter manner without threats of being grounded. The Pet Mate Elite can be picked up for £99.95.
Paranoid androids can pick up this Disinfecting UV Scanner that, according to the product description, "protects your family from colds, flu, and germs such as E. coli. Portable scanner instantly disinfects doorknobs, faucets, computer keyboards and mouse, phones. Just wave it over the item-kills 99.9% of germs in seconds. Great for travel and everyday use. Uses 4 AAA batteries (not included). Folds to just 4 1/2" long to fit in included carry pouch." $29.99 for your peace of mind, and unless you’re extremely subsceptible to diseases and pathogens, the Disinfecting UV Scanner sounds more like a novelty item than a necessary purchase.
Everyone knows that computer motherboards tend to generate a whole lot of heat, so why not harness all the heat generated to push coolers which will then keep the system cool for better performance? This sounds like a novel idea, where MSI has come up with the ECOlution motherboard in order to harness the power of heat, transforming it into kinetic energy that will then power the chipset’s cooler. I guess this is a pretty automatic solution, because when the motherboard is cooled down enough, the cooler won’t have any more kinetic energy from heat and stop functioning until it is hot enough inside again. Hopefully the accessory on the motherboard won’t generate too much noise.
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The weekly gadget review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier19 Feb
Each 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.
Folks who can’t get enough coffee from Starbucks will soon be able to order their favorite caffeinated beverage from the comfort of their iPhone and iPod touch without waiting in line, courtesy of a new Starbucks program that functions via WiFi at each Starbucks outlet. You’ll be able to bypass the cheery shoutouts from the barista as you choose your drink just like how you would do at an actual Starbucks cafe, save for the fact that you’d be relying on a whole lot of finger pointing instead. Skip those queues and reserve those seats before other iPod-less folk manage to even think of what they want to have for breakfast.
This cell phone is powered by a Hydrogen fuel cell that works by extracting hydrogen from water, then extracting electrons from the hydrogen. It is a water-powered phone, in a sense.
Make sure your tiny one doesn’t venture beyond his/her designated boundaries with the In-Reach Child Tracker.
Japanese engineers aren’t giving up on domestic robots. This “chef” might not be in your kitchen anytime soon, but it is capable of preparing octopus balls by itself, in four steps:
- Chop the Octopus
- Roll the pieces into balls
- Place the balls on the grill
- Serve the cooked balls in a plate
This happens in a tightly controlled environment, but I’d love to see it in action.
[GDC 2008] You might have seen the Zeemote during Mobile World Congress last week, but the company will promote the software development kit (SDK) at the Game Developers Conference being held in San Francisco.
We meet Beth Marcus, the founder and CEO of Zeemote and we had the opportunity to play with it, and to make a long story short: it’s pretty cool. To be honest there was some skepticism when we saw the device in a photo. But we also know that playing with a phone’s keyboard provides a bad experience.
The Zeemote feels good in the hand and it works well as a one-handed game controller. It is also surprisingly light (47g). The Zeemote has an analog joystick, even if most mobile games are built for a digital controller. That will give developers more options when they create their games. Developer John Chasey from Finblade told us that integrating the Zeemote code is easy. Ultimately, the Zeemote success will be measured by the number of games supporting it.
Continue Reading "Zeemote Bluetooth Mobile Game Controller Hands-On"
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The weekly gadget review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier11 Feb
Each 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.
I guess it is apparent by now to everyone that the world will soon be plunged into an energy crisis, no thanks to growing economies in the east as well as the general decadence in the west, but there are people from all walks of life who think otherwise and try to make their lives as green as possible. Relying on nuclear power alone is a wee bit too dangerous IMHO, so this plan by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to build a Space Solar Power System (SSPS) gets my thumbs-up. The end result would be to see the SSPS running by the year 2030 comes around, where huge solar collectors in geostationary orbit will convert sunlight into microwave beams that are then sent to receiving stations on earth 36,000 km downwards and subsequently converted into electricity for everyday consumption. One thing’s for sure though, while it sound much safer than having a nuclear reactor blow up, what happens if the SSPS experiences a technical breakdown? Do we need to send a rocket up into space just to fix it?
Most folks often read the morning news with a hot cup of joe in one hand, but the Yuno PC concept wants to bring both ideas together in a single device. It is a coffee mug that keeps your favorite morning beverage warm while delivering news and information such as weather, time, stocks, traffic and more wirelessly on its wraparound touch screen display. Sounds pretty difficult to read, especially with a curved surface facing you. I think I’d stick to my standard paper-and-mug combo, thank you very much.
Sonim XP1 Indestructible Phone
We’ve just got word that Sonim will be showing its Sonim XP1 “indestructible” phone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. At the show, the company will challenge the attendees and particularly attending media to hurt the phone.
”If you’ve been watching the videos on YouTube, you’ll have seen the Sonim shot with a Glock 9mm by Mobil magazine and a Remington rifle by Metro, the largest paper in Sweden” Bob Plaschke, CEO of Sonim
Anyone who refrains from using a cellphone because of a difficult environment could be interested in the Sonim XP1. Press Release
Designed by Fred de Garilhe, this phone would have a lower sliding part that contains the display and the function buttons while the upper-piece would hold the numeric pad. When not in use, all the user interface elements would disappear to reveal a pure shiny surface.
Check out the photo gallery. More concepts.
This power-generating knee has been adapted from a knee brace. Although it is said that it could power a small device like a cellphone, it is not aimed at consumers. Instead it could be used by people who don’t have an easy access to electricity, like workers in remote areas or explorers. The inventors hope to have a commercial product for field workers in five years. [more at TimesOnline]
Explay is specialized in projectors that are small enough to fit in a pocket but that can project an image that is 20 times their size. The current product is a matchbox size solution that can project images as big as 30”. One of the secret behind this prowess is the use of uber-small light sources such as lasers and LED lights.
There are no details on the actual resolution or prices at the moment.
PC Guardian Physically Locks USB Ports
It is known that USB keys can be used to steal data or install malware/spyware software on your computer. If you believe that you’re at risk, you could think that this USB port lock is what you need. After all, it’s easy to install and is a simple physical look for the USB port.
The issue is that now you also need to lock the whole case. Also, it’s not clear to me how it protects the two USB ports just underneath the locked one on the photo. Anyhow, it’s up to you to see if this is going to help, but it doesn’t seem unbreakable at all.
Wikipedia Offline for iPhone and iPod Touch
Patick Collison coded an offline Wikipedia app for the iPhone over his Christmas break because he likes “the warm fuzzy feeling of having the sum of all human knowledge in his pocket”. For the same reason that we do not own an iPhone yet, he wanted to prevent online Wikipedia users to go nuts over the slow EDGE connection.
The app takes 2.2 GB and I am not sure if iPhone users would like to spare the storage space for it. If you do, watch Patrick’s tutorial video on YouTube about the installation.
iPod theft has gotten pretty common since Apple’s portable media player took the world by storm, so what’s an iPod owner supposed to do? Well, other than make sure it remains well hidden, you can always take the ingenious route by storing it inside the shell of an unused Sony Walkman. How ironic, using the dead "body" of the 80s iconic audio player to keep the millennium’s top PMP away from the sight of many. Just make sure you don’t use the iPod’s famous white earphones with it or you’ll probably give the game away. Folks who are great with DIY jobs will be able to find this a very viable project to keep them occupied over the weekend.
Find all the sources, and discover more consumer electronics news and reviews at Ubergizmo.com.
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The weekly gadget review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier4 Feb
- Compliant: with the SD Card Association specification version 2.00
- Secure: built-in write-protect switch prevents accidental data loss
- Compatible: with SDHC host devices; not compatible with standard SD-enabled devices/readers
- File Format: FAT 32
- Reliable: lifetime warranty
- Simple: as easy as plug-and-play
- Capacities: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB
- Dimensions: 0.94" x 1.25" x 0.08" (24mm x 32 mm x 2.1mm)
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The weekly gadget review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier21 Jan
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. (click pictures to enlarge)
Apple Macbook Air
Yes, the rumors were true, Apple has launched the Macbook Air, an ultra-light 13.3” laptop that does not have an optical drive. This will give Sony much needed competition in the uber-thin laptop category. In this post, we will tell you if the SSD upgrade makes sense and we compare this laptop to the Sony Vaio TZ to see if Steve Jobs is overselling the MacBook Air, or not. Click on the title to see the full post.
Form Factor
0.16 to 0.76 x 12.8 x 8.94 inches (0.4 to 1.94 x 32.5 x 22.7 cm)
3lbs (1.36 kg)
The Specs
1.6 – 1.8Ghz Intel Core 2
1.3.3 widescreen LED 1280×800 pixel
2GB of RAM
80GB HDD or 64GB SSD
Optional external optical drive
Integrated Intel Graphics
Steve Job’s comparison with the Vaio TZ is not really fair because that one includes an optical drive. I like the better display on the Vaio, but the display size is a little detrimental to the keyboard ergonomics. It is pointless to argue on the details, both laptops will offer a similar experience, but I think that Apple wins on the cool factor and on the price. Honestly, at somewhat equal configuration, the Vaio TZ is just too expensive, by a large margin. The Macbook Air wins.
Should you get the SSD version?
Solid state drives (SSD) are cool these days, but should you get one? In theory, they do have some benefits:
Battery life improvement
Better shock resistance
Faster handling of many small files (seek time)
However, I don’t know anyone who “needs” to spend $1299 on a 64GB SSD (and a slightly faster CPU) to reach the grand price of $3100. Honestly, you won’t even feel the CPU difference. Now, I do know a lot of people who “want” an SSD. You got it: “need” and “want” are two different things. I would not recommend this upgrade.
Design Compromises
I started by writing “design flaws”, but the points below aren’t flaws, they are compromises. I’m talking about the fact that the battery is sealed and about the concealed ports (USB, micro-DVI…). The sealed battery might be an issue in the long run, when it will hold less and less power or if it dies.
Update: The MacBook Air battery costs $129 and Apple will change it for you - hopefully right away, but I don’t know for sure.
I don’t yet know what Apple’s policy about this (will they change it for you?), but this is something that buyers should look into.
Conclusion
I welcome the entry of Apple in the super-thin laptop category because it will put pressure on Sony to get their act together and stop the overpricing of their Vaio line of laptops. Even at $1800, it is difficult to find an equivalent sub-notebook that is cheaper, even from Asus (U1 Series, S6FM Series). For windows users, I bet that it’s possible to install XP or Vista, but we should see the first test pop up on the web soon. We will keep you posted.
Do you you want/need this laptop, why? What’s your take on it and what else would you like to know about it?
MacBook Air Battery Replacement A Cinch
Wile everyone thought that the MacBook Air battery replacement process would be complicated, AppleInsider thinks otherwise. They claim that there is no need for special tools or knowledge if you want to swap out the MacBook Air’s battery. All you need to do is uncover the MacBook Air’s bottom cover, unscrew the battery from the chassis and unplug it from the circuit board with a tug. It is not soldered onto the board like many believed. From the sounds of it, it will probably take less than three minutes to perform this little operation. You could, of course, settle for Apple’s $129 MacBook Air Out-of-Warranty Battery Replacement Program that requires approximately 5 days to complete.
Panasonic 103-inch HDTV: 15 units sold in 2007
Last year at CES, the top Plasma manufacturer claimed that they were selling their 103-inch “by the hundreds” … at a $80 000 to $50000 price tag since its launch in 2006, I can imagine why the real number is only 15 units for 2007. One customer from the Middle East got five of them!
In my opinion, the world’s largest commercially available TV is more of a marketing investment than a real source of revenues for Panasonic, a bit like Formula1 cars for automotive manufacturers. That’s why they did it again by releasing a 150-inch this year.
Transcend 32GB 133X CompactFlash Card
Transcend takes the spotlight again with its 32GB 133X CompactFlash Card, making it the largest ever for a device in its class. While you drool over the specifications below, there isn’t any official word with regards to the price and availability of this 32GB monster. Serious shutterbugs will definitely be aiming to lay their hands on one of these babies though.
High-speed 133X performance
Dual channel flash interface
CF Type I
Supports IDE PIO mode 6 and Ultra DMA mode 4
Read/write speeds up to 45MB/16MB per second
Fully complies with the new CF 4.1 standard Hardware ECC (Error Correction Code)
ATA interface
Low power consumption
Multi-platform compatibility
RoHS Compliant
Lifetime Warranty
iPhone Gets Diamond Case
They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, and apparently the same holds for an iPhone case with this sample from Case-Mate. Handcrafted with 42 pieces of diamonds encrusted in 18-carat gold, this Diamond Case will hit your bank account for massive damage - to the tune of $20,000 more like it. Of course, those with a whole lot less money can always settle for the limited edition $90 carbon-fiber case.
Contact Lens with Display
Who would’ve thought that the realm of science fiction has been blurred with a group of University of Washington engineers having successfully developed contact lenses that are capable of displaying various details such as the number of an incoming call on your cell phone. The display is superimposed on the outside world, and with further maturity of the technology, it can be used by drivers to view the display speed of the vehicle or even by pilots to see the plane’s condition when flying. I’m more excited about the use for this in a video game than anything else since we already have dashboards in the respective cockpits on both car and plane. Web surfing on this would be interesting too, but don’t get caught with your pants down (literally or otherwise) while surfing for off limits websites during office hours.
Lotus Notes heading for iPhone
Looks like Lotus Notes will soon hold the honor of being the first official iPhone third party application, with folks at IBM saying that "we have a lot in common [with Apple]. We’re going to cross-pollinate." The inclusion of Lotus Notes and Lotus Symphony would definitely make the Mac more of a threat to Microsoft Office, and with the iPhone picking up all this productivity software, it can finally rest easy the next time someone refers to it as being a smartphone. Word on the street has it that a formal announcement is in the works really soon.
Find all the sources, and discover more consumer electronics news and reviews at Ubergizmo.com.
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the weekly gadget review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier17 Dec
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. (click pictures to enlarge)
Christmas Tree Ball with LED messages
Now here’s a Christmas tree decoration that allows you to display a message of your choice with its integrated LEDs. Each $14.95 Christmas Tree Ball will be able to store up to 18 scrolling season greetings, ranging from the classic "Season Greetings" to "Feliz Navidad". Just in case reading this post reminds you that you have yet to set up your Christmas tree, there is always the pre-lit Christmas tree to help you get started. Alternatively, you can check out the rest of our Christmas tree posts.
Cellphone Holder
While this has been dubbed the Cellphone Holder, it is certainly capable of doing more than that. This piece of plastic helps you charge your phone while preventing it from getting stepped on should you leave your handset on the floor. I’m not sure how many people actually do that though, but by the looks of it, will you accidentally snag the charger wire and drag your cellphone onto the floor? The answer depends on the inpidual I guess, and the Cellphone Holder certainly looks capable of housing other devices like PDAs and iPods as well. If only there was some sort of fence built in to prevent accidental drops. The Cellphone Holder retails for $7.95.
Newspaper telephone launched
Dagens Nyheter from Sweden has rolled out what is known as the first "newspaper" telephone in the world, featuring a handset that provides free access to its website for daily subscribers. This sounds more like a novelty item than anything else, unless you’re a world leader who needs to know what’s happening all the time. I figure out that a RSS news feed would be much better since you get the latest headlines at the top always instead of sifting through a whole paper. Either that or you can always get a WiFi capable device (even a DS Lite or PSP will do just fine) to check out the current news as long as you’re within a WiFi hotspot. Dagens Nyheter subscribers can pick up the Nokia 6120 3G handset and fork out $33 monthly for this unique call plan. Do you think this idea will take off universally?
First solar-powered bus in the world
Australia will play host to the first solar-powered electric bus in the world, with Tindo leading the charge in Adelaide, Australia. 100% powered by solar energy thanks to a BP Solar-sourced photovoltaic station, this green ride can ferry up to 42 passengers at once - without forking out a single cent. According to the Adelaide City Council, "The solar electric bus and the recharging system at the Adelaide Central Bus Station represent a significant investment by the Adelaide City Council into a sustainable future for the City of Adelaide, while providing leadership in sustainable public transport options for cities around Australia." When will we see such buses roaming the streets of US?
Portable PC Theater concept
The Portable PC Theater concept was specially designed for your entertainment, so you don’t get a display to go along with it. Instead, it comes equipped with a built-in projector that can be removed for better positioning. Flanking the projection lens are stereo speakers to get your kicks off - too bad there is no surround sound with this. All cords can be retracted into the Portable PC Theater when not in use just like how a vacuum cleaner works, and there is even room inside to store a collapsible keyboard. The Portable PC Theater concept is but a pipe dream at this point in time, but if I could pick something that measures a mere 3 DVDs high and 2 CDs wide, I would definitely jump at the chance.
Shower heads react to temperature
These shower heads are capable of altering their color depending on the current water temperature. These colors range from white to blue, changing to pink and violet as the mercury increases and finally touching red as ample warning. While this is definitely a novel idea, I find it pretty pointless since you ought to be well versed with the temperature indicator on your own shower at home after taking a few baths. Kids ought to like this novelty though.
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The weekly gadget review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier10 Dec
A research team from Southern Taiwan University of Technology has successfully rolled out (no pun intended) the first solar powered wheelchair in the world. It will retail for less than current manual and electrical models, while another added advantage would be reducing the amount of electronic waste produced during manufacturing. In addition, solar-powered wheelchairs will be able to last far longer than a typical model since it does not need to be charged up in the same manner. A patent for this has already been applied, so one can expect to see these being mass produced in the near future. I like the fact that the responsibility of keeping the earth green can fall onto anybody’s shoulders, which is a good thing.
The AquaMaker AM10 device sounds great for areas where fresh, clean water is hard to come by. It creates water by pulling ambient humidity from the air and purifying it. It will be able to collect up to 5 gallons of water per day - that is enough to sustain approximately 10 people. Since the AM10 requires power to use, it costs $15 a day to use - pretty high considering how much a bottle of mineral water costs at the local convenience store, but then again those aren’t readily available in certain parts of the world. The AM10 retails for $1,200, but folks who find it expensive can rent it for $65 per month.
JetBlue is currently lining up plans to offer free, in-flight WiFi connectivity to its passengers, allowing them to surf the Internet using either their laptop of BlackBerry devices. In addition, passengers can also access customized Yahoo mail and Yahoo instant messenger services on their laptops, making the entire flight a little less dreary instead of sitting through movie reruns. Sounds as though businessmen will appreciate such a service as they will then be able to sent important emails without even waiting to touch down. Word has it that JetBlue will be offering this service next Tuesday on December 11th.
Word on the street has it that Dell will be launching its Latitude XT tablet PC very, very soon - in particular December 11th. Do you think this will boost Dell’s performance in the long run, and will it be a device that sells just enough to cover its costs and make a small profit while the world still tries to find the sweet spot for tablet PCs?
I am still amazed at the Segway and how it actually keeps its balance while ferrying people around. The Individual Lifting Vehicle (ILV) can be considered to be the Segway of the skies, where you pilot it by shifting your weight around while standing right above its twin propellers. This won’t get you very far in terms of distance though, as it is meant to be more of a compact levitation platform used during crop spraying, aerial movie videography, search and rescue and other short-range, low-altitude applications. The ILV comes with a theoretical maximum speed of approximately 60mph and requires a basic pilot’s license before you can even fly one. It will retail for approximately $50,000 for those who are interested.
Louis Palmer from Switzerland will be attempting to go around the globe in his solar-powered car. His long journey began last year when he set out from Lucerne, Switzerland last July, and over a year he has traversed Europe, the Middle East as well as India. This three-wheeled, two seater comes with a "Taxi" sign that offers rides to whoever is interested in his journey to create history. Louis will be in Bali, Indonesia this week. The Solar Taxi pulls a trailer along with additional solar panels, resulting in a total cell area of 65 square feet. To date, Louis has covered nearly 9,000 miles and ought to make his way to the US sometime next year before he reaches home sweet home.
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The weekly gadget review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier3 Dec
Amazon Kindle Hands-On
Yesterday, I had a chance to play with the Amazon Kindle, a connected eBook that is generating a lot of buzz. Here are my impressions:The general form factor is OK. It’s a little thick, but all in all, it’s usable and most importantly, it is *light*. The display size is “good enough” but depending on your tastes, you might want something larger (like a letter size). I’ve dropped a business card to show you how big the screen is. I don’t like the pouch/case, as it prevented me from using my left hand to type or click on the next/prev buttons. A vertical flip case would be much better.
The e-ink display is very comfortable to read on, and that’s no surprise. It feels just like the Sony reader that we tested in Tokyo a couple of years ago. The refresh rate is quite slow (visible when flipping the pages), but it’s not a problem as pages are mainly static.
I like the idea behind the Kindle: an always-connected eBook with up to 4GB of storage (via SD card) is a good thing. The choice of using a wireless carrier’s network (vs. WiFi) has some advantages, like having an always-on connection with incremental updates and access to Wikipedia.
Rapid Repair Photo gallery.
Designer Tom Kenworthy has come up with a Sustainable Flash Memory Card Holder that is made from recycled vending cups - can you believe that? A single holder requires seven plastic cups to construct, and best of all is, you will help reduce the amount of waste in our environment while holding the plethora of memory cards that are currently floating around the market. I guess it all depends on your creativity on how you want it to look like.
Building over the success of USB and USB 2.0, a new set of detailed specifications for a “USB 3.0” will be available in January. Here are the highlights:
As if a 46" full HD LCD TV sitting down in your living room isn’t enough to impress friends, there is now a TV from Hyundai that offers all that and more - specifically support for 3D digital broadcasting that will be due in Japan from December onwards. There is no word on pricing for this full HD 3D LCD TV, but you can bet your bottom dollar that it won’t be easy on your pockets. Any takers for this TV? So far, 3D TVs that I’ve seen so far aren’t suitable for long term viewing as it is easy to get all giddy after a short while of viewing. Hopefully, things will change for the better with this new 3D LCD TV.
And in a smaller form factor to boot! The designers took the original and thanks to the power of miniaturization, managed to squeeze it into a much smaller size. Unfortunately, you will lose all semblance of its big brother’s USB hub functionality. Instead, pressing the big red button in the middle will invoke an explosion sound for kicks. This cellphone charm has been slapped with a rather ridiculous €19 price tag. I suppose you’re paying for the novelty factor more than anything else.
The Potty Watch from Potty Time is one interesting device to help young parents potty train their kids without going potty themselves. This fun and flexible timer is worn by the toddler, and it will play music as well as flash lights every 30, 60 or 90 minutes and then resets itself automatically. Whenever these lights flash, that’s the signal for when they ought to spend some time away from whatever they’re doing at the moment (drooling at a mobile, or just throwing things around the house) and head towards the potty. This fun learning environment will probably make kids love their potties all the more. The Potty Time Watch will come in blue, green and pink colors, retailing for $9.99 each.
Mention supercar and you probably have the image of an exotic beast that guzzles up fuel like there’s no tomorrow. Not so with the Swedish Koenigsegg CCXR, as this beast is capable of running on just E85 ethanol fuel alone. Unfortunately, the car comes with a sticker price of $2.3 million, putting this out of reach for most folks. I strongly believe if you can afford such a car, surely the question of expensive fuel won’t matter to you? Still, here are some specs to get your pulse racing (I’m sure its stunning looks had already done so) - a 4.7 liter V8 engine that cranks out 1,018 horsepower, hitting 62 mph from standing still in just 2.9 seconds with a maximum speed of 250 mph.
HP aims to green its operations further by installing a new roof-top SPV system at the HP facility in San Diego California. This system will boast a 1 Megawatt capacity, placing it roughly 63% of the recently installed Google system. 5,000 solar-power panels have been installed, and these will cover 10% of the energy consumed by the facility, helping HP save up to $750,000 in power costs acrss 15 years. Now that amount might not be much for a company that makes millions upon millions, but any step that helps preserve our earth for the next generation gets a thumbs-up in my books.Find all the sources, and discover more consumer electronics news and reviews at Ubergizmo.com.
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The weekly gadget review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier19 Nov
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.
Virtual computer runs on no hardware
Retrevo.com new version: matching people and gadgets
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”.
Shopping carts get text displays
NifNaks creepie crawly USB flash drives
Solar roofing tiles from DRI Energy
Find all the sources, and discover more consumer electronics news and reviews at Ubergizmo.com.
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The weekly gadget review at Ubergizmo
Author: Atelier13 Nov
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.
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