by Matthew on November 4, 2009
The Alex eBook Reader is an Android based device that has two screens and runs Marvell’s ARMADA 166E chip. The new chip allows frame rates of up to 3fps on the eInk screen up top that although not a huge amount of frames could give some basic animation to images/comics read on the eBook.
A high frame rate isn’t the main goal of Marvell though as it’s ARMADA 166E chip is designed to get rid of multi-chip controller boards and put everything on to a single chip that saves both space and battery usage. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on October 20, 2009
Earlier we wrote about the Barnes & Noble Nook eBook reader that suddenly was being made available today. Scanning over their website we see that the information has now been made official and that a colour eBook reader is now available for pre-order. Although the eBook reader does have some element of colour, it is important to know that the reading pane is just regular e-ink, but the device does have a seperate LCD colour navigation area below the screen that acts like a touch-pad.
The Nook measures 7.7″ x 4.9″ x 0.5″ and weighs 11.2 ounces. The main screen/reading pane uses advanced E Ink Vizplex that allows you to read eBooks like a printed page. This allows you to read in sunlight as well as clearly while used in your home. The text size can also be adjusted to suit your needs. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on October 20, 2009
TomTom have created a new satnav system that fits in the dashboard of your car. It is called the TomTom Go I-90 and is designed to fit in a standard double DIN slot completely replacing the onboard stereo that was there before.
Included in the I-90 is an FM radio along with RDS support. AM reception is also possible and the unit has a USB connector allowing MP3 players to be connected. It isn’t known if the unit has Bluetooth although the press release does refer to compatibility with an extensive list of phones for hands free calling. We assume that it will considering many TomTom units have this feature. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on October 19, 2009
The common slot cars are controlled by a single button that can variablly control the speed of the car dependend on how hard you press it. The aim is to get around the track repeatidly as fast as you can without being thrown off on a corner.
A new version of the classic slot cars have been made and it’s called The Realistic Digital Slot Car Raceway. The difference here is that you have to do more than just drive around the track repeatidly. In this version you have to drive around the track and be concious of your fuel consumption, braking responsiveness as well as pit rules. When your car is full of fuel (shown on the large digital display), your car will drive slower because of the extra weight. Drive through the pits too fast then you might get a time penalty. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on October 15, 2009
Google [GOOG] have created Google Building Maker which is a program that allows you to create 3D buildings for Google Earth.
By using this software you become part of a world wide team that is creating a virtual planet a single building at a time (although you don’t get paid, it’s all done with a passion for wanting to create something cool).
To get the software you need to load up the Google Building Maker page (link above) and click to download a 3D plugin the loads right up in your browser. After that you are presented with a map (see image above) where you can zoom right in to where you want to start designing. The problem here is that not all places have good enough imagery, so the other options you have is to find a place that does, or use one of the suggested locations that Google lists. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on October 12, 2009
This little gadget is capable of detecting cameras that can be found at red lights. The system uses GPS to track your location and with this data it is compared to a database that contains information on the whereabouts of 6,000 red light cameras as well as speed cameras located in the US and Canada.
The system provides feedback to the driver with a 1.6″ OLED display that shows where you are on a map and where the next camera can be found.
To keep the system up todate you are able to connect the device up to your computer and download the latest database which has it’s information gathered from various databases from around the US. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on October 9, 2009
Car Cam Voyager is a system that sits under the visor of your car and records whats happening while your on the road. If you are unfortunate enough to have a bump or scrape you’ll now have evidence to present to the insurers to prove you weren’t at fault.
The device is powered by the lighter socket on your car and includes a screen with a 720 x 480 resolution so you can see what is being recorded. Up to 48 hours of driving footage is stored on the 32GB SD card. Footage is stored in 15 minute increments to help you quickly reach the section of video you are wanting to find. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on October 8, 2009
When going anywhere where you’ll find a staircase next to escalators you will find that most people use the easy way where they don’t have to do much work. For this reason the Piano Stairs were trialled to see if adding a bit of fun in to a staircase could tempt more people in to using the steps.
The creators made each step play a different note on a piano so that when people walk up or down they go from the high end of the keyboard to the lower octaves or vice versa. The camera capturing people showed a 66% increase in people using the stairs once they were made a bit more fun. Check out the video below to see it in action. [click to continue…]
by Paul on September 30, 2009
ODROID is an Android OS based gaming device that has a 3.5 inch capacitive touchscreen. The Android OS running is version 1.5.
Powering the ODROID is an 833MHz CPU and 512MB of RAM is available. The developer version is available for pre-order that comes supplied with cables needed as well as a debugging board and batteries. It costs about $320 and will ship about a month before the standard models which will be priced at $250. [click to continue…]
by Paul on September 28, 2009
The V-Man Portable Power Pack is a device that can charge your mobile phone, MP3 player or Satnav device while on the go. The V-Man is pocket sized and has a storage capacity that allows it to charge a mobile phone up to 2 times and MP3 players up to 10 times before needing to be recharged it’s self.
Included in the pack are several connectors which make it compatible with a number of phones and now that mobile phones are starting to move to the micro-USB standard, it means all future phones will also be compatible. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on September 24, 2009
IREX are introducing the DR800SG e-reader to North America. The e-reader is similar to a Kindle and uses black and white e-Ink to display text on the screen. The screen is also touchscreen measuring 8.1 inches.
Controls for the IREX include a stylus and touchscreen combination as well as a bar on the right side that acts as a joystick so to speak. When reading news papers the paper is zoomed out to fill the screen in proportion and then the e-reader lets you zoom in to the parts you want to read. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on September 23, 2009
Neolux have created a new name badge for conferences that uses eInk technology that makes it possible to change the badge, or make the text blink on it. It’s the same technology that is found in eBook readers and only requires power when the image is changed on the device.
The idea isn’t hugely beneficial from what I can see, but as it uses eInk crammed on to a small surface that also includes the chip to control it and a power source then it makes it quite a cool device. I’m not 100% sure if it’s practical and if the price is cheap enough to make it worth it. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on September 16, 2009
The Battery Wizard is a gadget that can keep charge in your regular disposable batteries. It’s not all what it sounds like, but is quite an interesting gadget that will prolong the life of your batteries by up to 10 times.
The charger accepts alkaline batteries in AAA, AAA, C, D and 9 volt sizes and basically keeps batteries topped up so that you can use them a lot longer. 1 to 4 batteries can be charged allowing you to charge individual batteries if needed. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on September 16, 2009
Archos have launched the Archos 5 Internet Tablet. The tablet runs the Google Android OS making it a powerful portable media player.
The device houses a 4.8 inch touchscreen which is larger than a mobile phone, but works well on the internet tablet. It has a healthy amount of storage allowing you to upload your photos, music and videos on to the device. Five models are available which begin with the SSD models that have an 8GB, 16GB or 32GB capacity. These models also have a microSD slot to expand memory even more. The harddrive models come with capacities of 160GB and 500GB. [click to continue…]
by Matthew on September 15, 2009
The Spacebook T-Shirt makes you understand the risks of being too open on facebook about your job. It is set in the Star-Wars universe, hence the Spacebook name, and shows a storm trooper saying he is going to bunk off work for the day and that Darth Vader is a tool.
Quite a cool t-shirt if you ask me although for some reason, they aren’t printing it. [click to continue…]
