Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video
We got all down and dirty with DoCoMo and Fujitsu’s prototype “Separated phone” today at CEATEC, and we can confirm that the device does, in fact do what they say it does. As reported earlier, the device uses Bluetooth to communicate between the phone’s two magnetized halves, enabling configurations in everything from standard clamshell to gaming landscape formats. Perhaps the most compelling configuration is one that allows the phone to be held to the ear while one accesses data on the another half, complete with neck cramps. The touchscreen, Symbian S60-based UI was easy enough to use (albeit in Japanese) and features a hearty media playback element, but we were unable to squeeze any commitment to a launch date, price, or probability of seeing the unit on the market. That all said, the demo units were very much operational as you can see for yourself in the video after the break.
Continue reading DoCoMo’s separated phone hands-on and video from CEATEC
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Filed under: Digital Cameras
We’d swear this had to be some sort of spoof on the impeccable James Bond, but sadly enough, the whole thing is true. A secondhand Nikon Coolpix camera which sold on eBay for a mere £17 ($30) turned out to be a real bargain once its new 28-year old owner completed his first image dump. Along with decidedly decent snaps from his US vacation, he also found a number of “top secret” images, diagrams and sketches that have since been confirmed as MI6 material. We’re talking photos of rocket launchers, hand-drawn graphics of terrorist links and all sorts of other information not at all intended for civilian eyes. ‘Course, the whole thing could just be the act of one talented Photoshopper, but we highly doubt the agency would be so fortunate.
[Via Digg, image courtesy of WWII Airplane Model]
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Filed under: Desktops, Home Entertainment
Here’s another mouth-watering concept on display at CEATEC today: Toshiba’s Media Server — not to be confused with some kind of nefarious explosive device from an early episode of Doctor Who. It uses NFC to download files from your cell phone, which in turn can be displayed on a TV via WirelessHD. But best of all, it’s shiny and looks nothing like some of the mundane media servers we’ve seen in the past, which is reason enough for us to want one, or perhaps a pair to make 2d12. Here’s hoping it gets past the concept stage.
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Filed under: Cellphones
We got the low-down (well, at much of a low-down as one can get from thematic designers) on KDDI’s latest au concept phones here at CEATEC, and the themes are — are you sitting down? — space and soup atomic elements. No, we didn’t make that up. If you’re still with us, hit the break for some pictures and explanations.
Continue reading KDDI au concept phones explained and pictured
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Filed under: Digital Cameras
While JVC Victor hasn’t promised us a review unit just yet (cmon, we’re still begging here), we did get a chance to get up close with its SDHC concept camcorder today at CEATEC. Designed for the more sophisticated user (as opposed to family users, they tell us), the camera will shoot both high-quality HD video and stills, something they say has yet to be done in a device. The upcoming Everio is slated for release in the first half of 2009 at an undisclosed price, but JVC promises the unit is, indeed, coming. In the meantime, we’ll have to make do with these new shots in the gallery below.
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Filed under: Gaming, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Microsoft couldn’t let the gory, highly-anticipated launch of Gears of War 2 (chainsaw duels! Rhhhahaararggg!) pass without bloodying a Zune or three in the process, Halo 3-style. Specifically, Microsoft has laser-etched that pesky little “Crimson Omen” onto a glossy black Zune 120, pre-loaded the device with 244 pieces of “Gears of War” media — the soundtrack, concept art, behind-the-scenes vids and so forth, nothing you won’t be able to find elsewhere — and squeezed it all into some “collectible” Gears packaging, featuring our testosterone-addled protagonist pondering the meaning of life. The whole kit will run you $280, with pre-orders at Walmart.com and Amazon.com (and a whole mess of Canadian shops) starting at 3AM PT / 6AM ET. It’ll start shipping on November 7th. And still can’t sync to your Xbox. Close-ups after the break.
Continue reading Gears of War 2 canvasses special-edition Zune
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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
Here’s an interesting one. That red / black Xbox 360 controller that was showcased back in July is now available to any ole consumer in the US, Canada, Latin America New Zealand and Asia, and it comes bundled with a Play & Charge Kit and red rechargeable battery for $64.99. For whatever reason, Microsoft’s totally missing a golden opportunity to cash in on the holiday shopping season by reserving the green counterpart as some “promotional item.” C’mon guys, is it really that hard to understand how irresistible a red and green gamepad tandem would be in late December?
[Via IGN]
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Filed under: Cellphones
Ah yes, the natural progression of a release. First comes the hands-on at the introduction, then comes the leaked user manual, then comes the pre-order fiasco — now, it’s time for those always titillating in the wild shots. The box and handset are nothing out of the ordinary / surprising (respectively), but at least you now know that bona fide unboxing images are just around the bend.
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Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment
Now that pico projectors are actually headed to end users, we’re seeing a number of companies hop in the fast lane to production. Take Microvision for instance — these guys were taking their sweet time by introducing the PicoP beamer back at CES, and now we’re looking at a freshly revamped version that has already begun shipping to OEMs for “evaluation and end-user testing.” Reportedly, the device shown at CEATEC featured a “thinner, smaller and brighter PicoP engine and several image quality enhancements” over the unit displayed at CES, and it officially boasted a WVGA resolution that could be blown up to 100-inches in size. Unfortunately, we’re still waiting to hear how long it’ll be before this one slips into consumers’ hands, but we’ve a feeling it’ll be sooner rather than later.
[Via AboutProjectors]
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Filed under: Laptops, Wireless
Laptops with built-in WWAN modems aren’t anything new, but there’s a hodgepodge of hardware and services available — a situaton the GSM Association is trying to simplify with the new Mobile Broadband standardization initiative. Sure, it’s mostly an excuse to get another sticker on your gear, but companies like Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, Toshiba, Qualcomm and a bunch of carriers are on board to ensure that Mobile Broadband-certified machines will be ready and able to connect in some 91 countries around the world — and what’s more, they’re committed to spending a cool billion dollars in the next year promoting MB as a “compelling alternative” to WiFi and WiMAX. That should be an interesting dilemma for the carriers that also run hotspot networks, but we’ve got a feeling everyone’s happy as long as the sub fees keep rolling in.
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