Skype to open Five-Way Group Video Chat

May 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Skype are adding a new feature to their VoIP video chat system that will allow up to 5 video calls to conference together.

The new group video chat system will move in to a public Beta starting next week and will allow users to more easily speak in groups over video allowing families to connect for example, or allow businesses to meet remotely.

When in beta the video group chat service will be free although when it comes out of beta in the next few months, Skype are planning on charging users to utilise the service. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tech News

ClamCase turns Apple iPad in to a Laptop

May 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

ClamCase is a device that converts your Apple iPad in to a laptop style device. The unit has a keyboard that the iPad attaches to.

To connect the keyboard to the Apple iPad, Bluetooth is used. The idea appears to be just concept at the moment although the company behind it hope to have it available to purchase in the fall of this year. Prices are not known just yet either.

As well as converting your iPad to a laptop, it also serves as a protective case when folder up. Also, the keyboard can be opened up to allow the iPad to stand on it’s side, or prop up the iPad for easier use. [Read more…]

Filed Under: iPad

LEGO Rubiks Cube Solver – Powered by Android

May 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

There have been a number of robot gadgets built of LEGO that have been capable of solving the Rubiks Cube. However, as far as I am aware, this is the first one that is built of LEGO but powered by a Google Android device.

The kit uses the Motorola DROID moile phone along with a LEGO Mindstorms NXT and a lot of LEGO technic pieces (mainly in yellow). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

Google Chrome Speed Test – Browser battles a Potato

May 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Google [GOOG] tend to be quite creative when it comes to launching new versions of products or even new products. Rather than using the traditional javascript speed tests and other various methods that we normally see to measure the speed of a browser, Google went ahead and set up a number of tests that put up a potato vs Chrome to see which of the two was the quickest.

The hardware used for the test included a MacBook Pro with Windows installed, a 24 inch ASUS monitor, a 15 MBps internet connection and a Phantom v640 high speed camera that can capture up to 2700 frames per second at a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

“Why does allrecipes.com in the potato gun sequence appear at once, and not the text first and images second? And why does it appear to render from bottom of the screen to the top?”

Chrome sends the rendered page to the video card buffer all at once, which is why allrecipes.com appears at once, and not with the text first and images second. Chrome actually paints the page from top to bottom, but to eliminate a shadow from the driver board, we had to flip the monitor upside down and set the system preferences in Windows to rotate everything 180 degrees, resulting in the page appearing to render from bottom to top.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tech News

Apple iPhone 4G to get HD Video Recording

May 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

With the launch of the latest iPhone OS 4.0 SDK Beta 3 a few days ago, a few more details of the new Apple [AAPL] device that could be called the iPhone 4G or iPhone HD are emerging. From what we are hearing now, it seems that the next-gen iPhone is set to get a 720p HD video recording option.

The information comes from some preset values found within the SDK which read as follows…

AVCaptureSessionPreset640x480
AVCaptureSessionPreset1280x720

The second option there is clearly HD. With the iPhone 4G believed to be having a rear facing 5 megapixel camera, it certainly isn’t out of the question that it could handle HD recording. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

MSI CX705MX 17.3 Inch Laptop Announced

May 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

MSI has added a new notebook computer to their classic series. This model is the MSI CX705MX that comes with a 17.3 inch screen that is powered by ATi Radeon HD 545V graphics. The screen is backlit by LED and has an aspect ratio of 16:9.

The notebook weighs less than 3Kg which isn’t the lightest notebook around, but for a device with a 17.3 inch screen it isn’t bad at all.

The laptop has a cross hatch design with a colour film print coating to protect it from scratches and general wear and tear. The keyboard on the CX705MX is a Chiclet style. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Laptops

Fujifilm FinePix F80EXR Reviewed

May 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Photography Blog has managed to do a lengthy review of the Fujifilm FinePix F80EXR point and shoot digital camera.

The F80EXR has a 12 megapixel sensor along with a 3 inch active matrix TFT colour LCD display. It is capable of zooming at 10x optical and is also capable of capturing video in HD resolutions. The camera costs just less than $280.

Surprisingly the review mentions that the F80EXR actually performs worse than it’s predecessor even though it has more megapixels. The worse performance is only classed as being “slightly worse” though. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Camera Gadgets

Android Tablet Spotted in Android Booth at Web 2.0 Expo

May 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Over at Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco, Adobe had a stand of products available that heavily pushed the Google [GOOG] Android platform. Zedomax was able to get a good look at various products including some very early tablets still in early form in that it was a circuit board with a screen attached encased in a transparent plastic.

The OS running on the tablets is believed to be Android 2.1 that ran Adobe Flash and Air apps. According to Zedomax, these ran completely flawlessly and were impressive enough to encourage the suggestion of holding off getting an Apple iPad and waiting till later this year for a slew of Android tablets to be launched.

It runs Adobe’s Flash and Air apps flawlessly. That was the first time I saw Adobe’s Air apps running on a tablet and totally impressed by how it ran. And now I can understand why Apple wants to ban Flash and other Adobe products completely from their iPhones and iPads, because it’s rather incredible technology.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Laptops

GMail for UK Users now Working

May 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment

When Google [GOOG] launched GMail in the UK a trademark was infringed forcing Google to call the service Google Mail. For those who adopted the service early in the UK, they managed to get an @gmail.com account, but since about 2005 all UK GMail addresses actually end in @googlemail.com.

After a 5 year dispute the tradmark issues are now resolved (someway or another in an undisclosed financial agreement) and users in the UK can now use @gmail.com for their email address. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tech News

Samsung 3D Glasses Need to be Worn Upside Down for Compatibility

May 5, 2010 by 1 Comment

If you have already purchased your nice big 3D TV that requires you use shutter glasses then a bit of a kick to the teeth is coming as some manufacturers glasses won’t be compatible with your TV set. However, there is a work around…. you simply need to wear the glasses upside down to make a Panasonic 3D TV set of glasses compatible with a Samsung 3D TV for example.

It’s odd that companies are trying to push 3D TV this year with broadcasters gearing up for it and then it gets let down by something so small and stupid in that manufacturers can’t even agree on a standard to prevent users needing to buy other sets of glasses (that aren’t cheap).

On a positive note, it is early days and we hear that by next year possibly, a standard will be set for active shutter glasses on TV’s.

“I think that it’s likely that the different manufacturers will come together, possibly as early as next year, to agree a common standard for Active Shutter glasses,” Lee said”which won’t thrill the early adopters who’ve already taken advantage of Samsung and Panasonic’s quick production-line-to-store-shelves moves.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Displays

HTC DROID Incredible Teardown by TechRestore

May 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment

TechRestore are getting a good name in the world of teardowns due to their different approach at presenting the details.

Rather than taking pictures along the way and posting each picture, TechRestore create short stop-motion animations around 3 minutes in length showing a device being taken apart and being quickly put back together. Previous gadgets towndown this way include the Apple iPad and PSP Go.

This time, TechRestore have taken apart a HTC DROID Incredible that launched just a few days ago. There isn’t really anything special to be found inside other than the usual camera, chips, CPU’s and a screen, but for some reason watching it in stop-motion makes it a little more entertaining. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Apple iPhone OS 4.0 Beta 3 brings iPod Controls to Dock

May 5, 2010 by 1 Comment

Engadget managed to find a few new things in the latest beta version of Apple iPhone OS 4.0 beta 3.

Included in this beta appears to be iPod controls that open up in the dock bringing a skip back, play and skip forward control to the lower portion of the screen. To access these controls it just requires a swipe left of the finger to the edge of the screen.

The icon pictured on the left isn’t clear what it actually does although Engadget do mention it could be a screen orientation lock. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones