Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
LG’s giving our Danish friends a little something to look forward to: the 3-inch 400 x 240 touchscreen T80, which has 4GB of storage, DVB-T and FM tuners, and OGG support (as well as the usual MP3, WMA, MPEG-4, etc.) in a chubby 0.5-inch thick package. We hear it’s priced at a hefty €299 (~$470 US), which might prove a tad prohibitive to sales among the intelligent.
[Via Generation MP3 and PMPtoday]
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Filed under: Wireless
For airlines and cargo handling companies, the inability to know precisely where a specific item was located on a belt could (understandably) prove to be quite the limitation. Thankfully, the gurus at Alien Technology are aiming to add more functionality to a few of its readers in order to nix said quandary. The company recently showcased its Intelligent Tag Radar reader firmware in Las Vegas, which essentially provides its ALR-9900, ALR-9800 and ALR-8800 Enterprise-Class reader platform with the ability to understand “information about the velocity and position of tags, in addition to the contents of tag memory.” Furthermore, the included ITR-Singulation features allows the reader to “easily discriminate amongst adjacent tagged objects on a conveyor such as items, cases or airline baggage.” One less excuse for lost luggage? Where do we sign?
[Via CNET]
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Filed under: Displays
Looks like Dell’s run into some issues with its highest end monitor, the droolworthy DisplayPort-packing 30-inch 3008WFP. We heard it’d mysteriously vanished from the site with nary a trace, so we pinged the folks in Round Rock. This is what they had to say:
“The Dell 3008 monitor has been well received since launch and has been very popular with customers. In February we experienced a small technical issue with the product that has been long resolved. [Um, it’s only April? -Ed.] Currently the monitors are on extended lead times and in order to manage demand, the 3008 is not available on dell.com. We are managing orders on a prioritized basis and hope to have the product available to all customers in the near future.”
So there you go, down but not out. Expect ‘em back, um, eventually.
[Thanks, Duane]
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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
It was inevitable, really. Not even two months after jolly researchers at Kansai University developed a machine to calculate the quantity of a person’s laughter comes a new method of measuring just how hard you’re cheesing. According to Omron’s Yasushi Kawamoto, the Okao Catch technology is able to closely analyze “the curves of the lips, eye movement and other facial characteristics to decide how much a person is smiling.” In a recent demonstration, it threw up percentages as people moved in front of a camcorder and began to grin, and while a somber individual did net an astounding score of zero, it doesn’t seem that negative numbers are doled out for frowners. Besides being incredibly novel, the creators are hoping that it can be used in the medical field for accurately judging the “emotional state of patients,” in robotics for helping androids “decipher human reactions” and in dressing rooms assisting B-list celebs improve their charm.
[Via Tarakash]
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Filed under: Peripherals
We’ll be honest — we weren’t exactly feeling blueLounge’s grossly overpriced SpaceStation, but its boldly-named The Sanctuary actually strikes us as quite useful. The gadget organizer allows technophiles to stuff their handhelds into this black or white container for easy carriage / storage, and moreover, it includes a built-in panel of labeled plugs in order to connect all your gizmos to power at once. The unit comes with a dozen connectors for the most popular items around, but since it’s universal, your options are bordering on limitless. Heck, there’s even a USB port thrown in to charge any oddball device you may have laying around. Yeah, $129.95 is still a touch steep, but for the avid traveler who can never find room for 12 or so AC adapters in that carry-on bag, it’s probably well worth the cost.
[Via iLounge]
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Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Sony’s do-everything-except-for-make-calls mylo has been updated to firmware version 1.100, and is now available at Sony’s support site as a 61MB download. Because you ran out of things to do with your mylo about, say, ten minutes after unboxing it, rejoice — the update adds WMV file support, SHOUTcast widget support (the widget is a separate download), a “Game” item on the HOME menu for easier access to all those games you downloaded to the COM-2 unit, and, of course, improved “system stability”.
[Via Pocketables]
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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Though not the first omni-directional treadmill we’ve ever seen, this version crafted for the EU-funded CyberWalk Project is entirely more interesting. The 6- x 6-meter device features an active walking area of 4.5- x 4.5-meters, and later this month, individuals anxious to prance through a virtual city will be able to strap on a head-mounted display, lace up their LA Lights and indulge in escapism. Aside from giving curious persons the ability to walk through a recreated version of ancient Pompeii, the device could also be used to meander through buildings not yet created or give firefighters a way to train without placing them in harm’s way. Now, if only there was an option to dissolve into pixels and teleport to locales you find particularly intriguing, we’d be sold.
[Via Slashdot]
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Filed under: Laptops
Yeah, you already knew what this 9-incher looked like from our time spent with it over in Germany, but there’s just nothing like seeing a spotless machine escape from its factory packaging and delight its new owner for the first time. Hit the read link below for more shots, and do your best to withhold that growing pang of jealously, will ya?
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Filed under: Cellphones
Trust us, this isn’t the first time LocaModa’s dabbled in the cellphone-controlled gadgetry game, but it’s never been more friendly than it’s being with the Social Jukebox. The aforesaid company has teamed up with TouchTunes in order to give patrons the ability to interact with flat-panels on TouchTunes jukeboxes. On-screen applications will include information about the song currently playing, elusive “user generated content” and even “patron photos” from their social networking profiles (scary?). For those completely absorbed in this stuff, you can even keep tabs on the interactions via data feeds from your favorite network. Twitter fights over which song ushers the drinking crowd out in a bar 1,500 miles away? What is the world coming to?
[Via textually, image courtesy of LocaModa]
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Samsung MiCoach
Like having Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in your pocket, this Samsung/Adidas hybrid won’t let you rest on your laurels. Or rest at all, in fact. Bundled with a wireless heart rate monitor and pedometer, the phone will tell you where you’re going wrong, and then let you upload your tortoise-esque stats to MiCoach.com.
Nike+ Sports Band
Branching out from its ipod flavoured beginnings, this Nike+ wrist band talks to your trainers, and continually brings you info on your speed, distance run, calories burned, criminal record, etc…
Timex Data Recorder 2
Originally designed for loons who consider triathlons fun, the Timex Data Recorder 2 breathes in info from your heart rate monitor and speed sensor at the same time. If you’re moving on up the pack, the USB connection and Timex PC suite will help you get the most out of your workout.
Active Sport Gravity Defyer Shoes
It’s important to have sneaks capable of supporting your lumbering frame - and these Gravity Defyers do just the trick. Whilst its makers mix their metaphors by describe putting them on as “slipping into the cockpit”, these are the first running shoes to have springs built into the heels, making for totally pain-free progression.
Asics Inner Muscle Clothing
Stop slouching at the back. The Asics range of figure-hugging apparel will squeeze you in tighter than Dita Von Teese’s girdle. Once your posture’s sorted, your gooey inside bits will all be working at full capacity, making for faster times and fewer coughing fits.
