Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
If you get fed up of apples being bruised when on your desk then a fruit stack should sort it out. You are able to stack up about 5 apples for safe keeping which prevents them from smacking in to each other like when in a bowl. I am not too convinced it will prevent bruises, but it is a different way of storing fruit I guess. According to Chiasso it allows the fruit to breath better too.
The Fruit Stack costs $28 and is available from Chiasso.
Via: PCNews
The HIPerWall pictured above is capable of displaying imagery at a 200 million pixel resolution. The display measures 23 ft wide by 9 feet tall and has 50 LCD panels which appear to be the Apple 30 inch cinema displays. To make use of such a high resolution, a software app was developed and it allows Google Earth to be used on the HIPerWall. Previously, images had to be stitched together to get the huge, high resolution versions. They were not done in real time and had to be done manually which took a long time. Calit2 worked with Google to create software which could utilise the 50 displays in real time allowing researchers to do a huge amount of work and observation in a fraction of the time.
Via: Calit2
As can be seen in the picture above, the iPhone Bluetooth Headset has been unboxed. It also looks quite cool too. On the iPhones screen you will see the charging level of both the iPhone and the bluetooth headset which is quite a handy feature. Also there is a charging cable for when traveling which uses a MagSafe connector. Apple are starting to stock the headsets around the US in their stores and they are selling for $129 with the charging base. Thats about 4 times what I would expect to pay for a bluetooth headset.
Via: TheMacWizard
After several months of waiting, the iPhone will be launching at 6pm tonight in the US. Wired put out the question today about iPhone hacks and what people want to see should they want more from their expensive iPhone. Suggestions such as Skype, MP3 ring tones, Instant Messaging, iPod and Internet without a phone plan and quite a few more have been mentioned. No doubt we will see an ongoing battle between the hackers and Apple like we do with the PSP and homebrew. Hopefully some decent apps can come out for the iPhone to make it in to an even more useful device. The collection of all programmers and Apple could make the good even better.
Rumours are floating around at the moment regarding the Apple MacBook. The rumour says that in October a new version will be released that is about half the thickness of the current model. The MacBook will also be made from new plastics and materials. If so then it would be worth waiting a few months should you be saving up for a MacBook. Just take in to consideration that this is a rumour and no guarantee that a half thickness MacBook will be available in the next few months. I do hope so though as they are nice machines!
The iPhone made by Apple, has received an upgrade already before launch. Apple have ditched the plastic display surface in favour of glass. This is great as it will mean less scratches although unfortunately that does not mean no scratches. It will add to the final weight of the phone, but I am all for a nice glass covered screen rather then having to stick a screen protector on the plastic one. As well as the nice glass screen, the iPhone is to get a better then expected battery which claims a life of 8 hours talk time, 6 hours internet use, 7 hours video playback and a hefty 24 hours of audio playback. That is quite a nice and very acceptable amount of hours for each of the uses.
From today a public beta version of Safari for Windows XP and Vista will be available for download. According to the keynote speech from Steve Jobs at WWDC 2007 earlier today the browser will be twice as fast as Internet Explorer 7 and 1.6 times faster then Firefox 2. This is something I welcome as speed of the browser is essential when on the net.
To run Safari 3 on Windows you will need XP or Vista and your system will need to have at least 256MB of ram with an Intel Pentium processor running at least 500MHz. Those specs are very low requirements to todays standards which is good news for you if you have a slower PC.
To download the Beta you need to get over to the Apple site. It is available now and was released just earlier today.
Via: Fosfor
The A800 is Sonys attempt to beat the iPod video. It is a video MP3 player which uses Sonys expertise in the audio and visual arena. The device has a 2 inch screen which from the video after the jump looks very crisp and clear. The A800 can be used in landscape or portrait mode allowing you to watch movies in widescreen. The A800s battery is quite impressive. It is a lithium-ion battery which claims to allow for 30 hours of audio and 8 hours of video playback. Sound is enhanced by DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) technology which restores frequencies lost during the compression of MP3.
The ModBook is based on a MacBook running Mac OS X. The ModBook is not made by Apple though. A company named OWCT or Other World Computing Team are responsible for putting this together. The cost of the ModBook varies from $2279 for a 2GHz model with an 80GB hard drive and can be fully customised with 3GB of RAM and a second hard disk which makes it capable of storing up to 500GB.
The guys over at Slashgear were lucky to get their hands on the LG Prada. The phone has not been reviewed by them yet, but they did show the unboxing of the Prada and I have to admit, it looks like a great device. The Prada is a touch screen device and looks very sleek. The unboxing video can be found here.
I have seen quite a few Apple patents over the last several months since gadget venue was launched. The latest patent that has been found is for a touch surface on the back of the iPod which allows you to control what is on the front of the screen by touching the back of the device. It isnt all guess work though as when you touch the back of the iPod, some controls show up on the screen so you can see what you are doing. The surface is going to be touch sensative which means that if you slide your finger across the back, it will slide the cursor on the front, and if you press harder it will make a click.
Motion sensors or accelerometers are little devices that fit inside electronic devices which allow the device to know when it is moved and which way it is tilted and at what speed it moved. With these sensors a computer or similar device can get a whole new dimension in the way it is controlled. One of the more popular devices to use this technology is the Nintendo Wii. The Wii has a controller which has accelerometers inside and this allows your actions to be converted in to movement on the screen. Take the bowling game for example, you hold down a button, pull your arm back and move your arm forwards as though you were bowling the ball. Twisting your wrist allows for spin to be added to the ball. Accelerometers are cool and becoming more popular in devices.
As well as being in gaming controllers you can find accelerometers in cameras, phones and laptop computers. The iPhone from Apple which is due out soon features a sensor which when the phone is turned on its side the image follows rotating it in to landscape mode. As well as being able to follow the movement there, the phone can also sense when it is lifted up to your ear when on a call and it then switches the screen off to save battery power.
The Apple PowerBook is also another device to feature sensors in allowing for all sorts of different applications to make use of them. Some of the more simple ideas are controls for your music. You tap the laptop to the left to skip back, tap it to the right to jump forwards and tilt it to play.
For such a tiny device the accelerometer is a great device which is appearing more in mobile phones and gaming devices. Although in some cases they do not do much they are still cool little devices which can add a new dimension to your device and well worth looking out for.
