Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
A few weeks ago the XPERIA X10 was announced and at that time it was reported as being a bit sluggish in menu transitions and responsiveness in general. It seems like the new phone has had a firmware update though that has fixed all the problems.
With the phone coming in Feb 2010, there is still a bit more time for more tweaks although it seems the Android based phone is actually running ok now. [Read more…]
Nokia have announced a new phone called the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition that as the name describes, has something to do with watching TV. The 5330 TV Edition supports the DVB-H standard (digital video broadcasting handheld) that is prevalent around Europe and the adopted standard over this way.
The phone has a QVGA screen that measures 2.4 inches, a 3.5mm headphone jack that allows usage of regular headphones and can playback TV for up to 6 hours on a single charge. [Read more…]
On a recent broadcast of the Gillmor Gang videocast Mike Arrington was asked about the Crunchpad which we really haven’t heard of much recently. According to Mike, the crunchpad is steamrolling with a lot of development being done this past month on the software. When launched (no dates yet), the crunchpad is expected to cost $300 – $400 and will be supported by sponsorships. Mike was quick to point out that the sponsorships would not be intrusive perhaps just like the firefox google search sponsorships. The device is also a web browser only device that’s aimed at a market to allow users to sit in front of the TV while catching up on news and youtube, watching video etc…
The video also mentions battery power with Mike saying they expect it to be good, and as they look in to other technologies such as OLED they can make battery life better. Conversation also spoke of colour e-ink and perhaps a future in that with a particular company expecting colour e-ink to be available next year. Each of these advances should increase battery life as power consumption gets lower and lower. [Read more…]
Orange have launched a new iPhone app for Orange Wednesdays in the UK. Orange Wednesdays have been running since 2003 and allow those on the Orange network to text a number and get a free 2 for 1 voucher for use in cinemas across the UK every Wednesday of the year.
The new Orange Wednesdays app for iPhone and iPod Touch allows you to actually check cinema listings in your area, read reviews and grab a free voucher to redeem while at the cinema. Although not the most exciting of app launches this year it could be a handy app to have if you are going to pick up a new iPhone on the Orange network when launched next week. [Read more…]
When working on a netbook you often run in to the problem of not having enough screen estate. To tackle this problem a company have created a dual-screen netbook that allows you to view two 10.1 inch screens side by side that then slide one behind the other when not needed. By giving you an extra screen you get more screen estate, thus making your work on a netbook a little more productive.
Examples of usage could be putting an Excel spreadsheet on the left screen while taking notes on the right screen, or perhaps browsing on one screen while watching a video on the second.
The netbook doesn’t look as flimsy as I expected from what I see in the video and actually seems to work quite well. It is unclear what battery life will be like on a dual screen netbook but if they can get that to be an acceptable level this thing “could” sell. [Read more…]
Sony Ericsson have launched a new page on their site called “whatsnext” which says “Sometimes there’s a thin line between the extraordinary and the magical. Did we cross it? Watch this space on November 3rd.”.
The page indicates a product launch that is more than likely going to be the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 android based phone.
The X10 was previously known as the X3 or Racheal and has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor along with an 8 megapixel camera, HSPA and large touchscreen. [Read more…]
Augmented Reality has a number of uses related to vehicles such as BMW’s concept of unskilled people being able to fix car’s by wearing a headset that shows you the steps you need to take to fix a faulty part.
Another use of augmented reality I came across today was that of a car system that allows the driver to see around bends. The system uses two cameras with one recording what the driver sees and another recording what’s hidden behind a corner. By mixing the two images together the driver is able to see a transparent building that reveals what is behind allowing you to drive more safely. The images are superimposed on each other and the second remote cameras image is then adjusted to fit in to perspective with what the driver would see, should the building not be there. [Read more…]
Acer are launching what they claim to be the worlds first 3D laptop. It is named the Acer Aspire 5738PG and allows you to view both 2D movies and photos as 3D content. Also, games will have the ability to run in 3D if they support DirectX 9 and above.
The downside of all this is that you will still have to wear the funky glasses pictured above. If that isn’t a problem for you then your good to go. The 3D effect works by Acer using an in-house software application along with a special coating over the screen. By using the polarized glasses it gives a 3D effect.
Acer calls the new system “TriDef 3D Experience” and the special coating seems to be where most of the work is done. The coating attaches to the screen panel pixel by pixel and by using the filtered polarised glasses you get to see the images from a slightly different angle in each eye to give the effect. [Read more…]
Google [GOOG] have announced that their YouTube service will now be showing full length shows from Channel 4 in the UK.
The service will allow users to watch Channel 4 shows in full and free-of-charge as well as being on demand.
The service should be launching in 2010 and by that point a full catalogue of catch-up TV should be available along with a mixture of about 3000 hours of programs already broadcast. The programs include Skins, Brass Eye, Teachers and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. [Read more…]
A new video has been launched that shows a little bit more of how you will use the Microsoft Courier when it gets launched.
The video is created by the same people who made the last MS Courier video and shows more details and a more realistic presentation on how a number of the features work. The previous video showed details on various features while the video below shows an overview of the interface and how features work. [Read more…]
Although Google Earth is a fantastic program allowing you to quickly zoom in and out of most of the earth with an excellent amount of detail, what it still lacks is life as everything you look at is static.
A new system being tested brings real time events to Google Earth to make an augmented reality. Examples of this working could be zooming in to a road to see cars driving and pedestrians walking. The data used to generate this information actually captures the current live traffic and current locations of pedestrians to let you know how busy a certain area is. Another example allows you to zoom in to a football stadium and actually see a clip from several angles of people playing football. [Read more…]
Researchers at MIT are currently working on a retinal implant that can bypass damaged cells and send visual input to the brain to help restore vision.
Those who use the implant will need to wear a pair of glasses which have a built in camera embedded in them. The signal from the camera will then be sent to the microchip embedded in the eye which will then forward that visual signal on to the brain.
Although vision won’t be 100% fixed with the implant the camera and chip combination will help those to navigate around a room for example. [Read more…]
