Microvision unveiled an advanced prototype of a handheld, battery-powered, 'plug-and-play' projector based on а single micro-mirror laser scanning display technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas. Code-named SHOW, the new pico projector is intended for mobile devices. SHOW is said to directly connect to laptops, mobile phones, portable media players, digital cameras and other mobile devices to project high-resolution images and video onto any surface. The credit for the video clip goes to gizmodo.com The images projected can range anywhere from 12 inches (30 cm) to 100 inches (2.5 m) in size depending upon the projection distance. More importantly, the projected images are always in focus due to the specifics of the laser technology used. The retail version of the device is expected to offer approximately 2.5 hours of continuous battery life, sufficient to watch a full-length movie without a need for recharging. Microvision reports that SHOW can project a DVD quality image with up to WVGA (848 X 480 pixels) resolution. It is very important to mention that the SHOW projector technology can be embedded into mobile consumer products, which greatly facilitates watching clips and images without the need of large expansive displays. Other prototype that was showcased at CES is based on the Texas Instruments pico-projection technology, initially announced during the 2007 CTIA Wireless convention. Unlike the Microvision's device, which is almost ready to see its retail version, the TI device was exhibited to show the Texas Instruments willingness to implement the technology as soon as a major player occurs. Till now, there are no concrete plans to develop a retail TI pico-projector device. Other than Microvision and Texas instruments, 3M has also stated their plans to develop tiny projectors with the unveiling of a 0.5-inch wide projector prototype capable ot projecting a 40-inch image. The projector unit has compact-mobile-phone dimensions so it can be incorporated in mobile phones, too.
Microvision Pico projector images
Texas Instruments early conceptual pico-projector
3M prototype projector
According to Ars Technica
By Ben Kuchera
Our inside source of all things video gaming has been right almost every time it comes out of the shadows to give us information, so I'm going to dispense with the back story. Wherever his or her information is coming from, it's usually solid. After I spoke to Sony about the possible discontinuation of the 80GB PS3 model, I lit the mole-signal.
Working late into the night on Saturday, I heard a noise behind me. For both of our safety, I didn't turn around. "You've talked to Sony," the mole said in a gravelly whisper. "Tell me what they told you."
I repeated the information we reported on Friday: Sony is sticking to a two-model approach at retail, but the company won't comment on whether or not the other model would be the 80GB system. The 40GB system seems safe. I asked the mole what information he had.
"Sony is, in fact, phasing out the 80GB PS3. Sony is going to stay with the two-SKU approach though, and the prices look to stay the same," the mole told me. I heard sirens in the background, and the mole seemed nervous. "The Spiderman 3 pack-in will disappear as well once the 80GB unit is gone. In order to maintain a similar value proposition to the 80GB/Spiderman 3 bundle, I expect to see a storage increase to 120 or 160GB at the same price point, plus the new Dual-Shock 3 controller... what are you trying to accomplish with this story?"
"I'm just trying to get to the bottom of Sony's plans for their hardware so my readers can decide whether or not they should buy now, or hold off. But I'm only one man," I say.
"Now we're two," the mole whispers, and when I look around in surprise... my informant was already gone.
Lead researcher at the University of Sunderland Dr Abdel Ennaceur and Durham University s Dr Paul Chazot are pictured with Dr Gordon Dougal and a prototype cognitive helmetIt may look like something that emerged from a dorm room laboratory, but a team of apparently professional researchers say that the helmet pictured above could one day be used to treat patients with Alzheimer's, and potentially even reverse some of the effects of the disease. That's supposedly possible by bathing the individual's brain in infra-red light for about ten minutes a day, a process that has reportedly been shown to reverse memory loss in mice. Not surprisingly, however, we're still quite a ways from seeing any potential results on humans, with the first tests (which will rely solely on the natural levels of infra-red that occur in sunlight) only set to get underway this summer.
Imagine a tiny USB camera with no viewfinder, no LCD screen, no buttons except 1. Stripped down to it’s bare functions, this mini USB Digital Camera combines the feeling of not knowing how your shots turned out ala analog film with the ease of USB transfer. No cables are necessary. Just plug it straight away in your computer and always be surprised.
Designer: Sungwoo Park
source yanko design
This is an official - VMware is excited to announce the acquisition of Thinstall a complementary virtualization solution provider as press released announce yesterday. Mean that VMware would take another major step forward in effort to change the way we use and manage desktop computing.
What is Thinstall?
Thinstall is an Application Virtualization Platform that enables complex software to be delivered as self-contained EXE files which can run instantly with zero installation from any data source. The core of Thinstall VS is the Virtual Operating System, a small light-weight component which is embedded with each “Thinstalled” application.
For an example, you can easily install Microsoft Visio in one of the Windows desktop machine and run Microsoft Visio from another machine without any painful. Listen to 59 minutes Thinstall product overview for more information.
HTC has announced that it has sold 2 million HTC Touch family devices (including the H
The HTC Touch launched last year only weeks before the iPhone.
HTC also announced that it had sold 11.8 million handsets in 2008, about a 12 percent increase over 2006.
Despite fears of Qualcomm chipset shortages as well as global economic issues, Peter Chou, president and CEO of HTC, has indicated that HTC remains confident of achieving its first quarter sales goals.
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and China Mobile (0941.HK) have called off talks to launch the U.S. firm's popular iPhones in China, dashing speculation the device will hit the country's store shelves soon.
Shares in China Mobile, the world's largest cellular operator, sunk to an intraday low minutes after the news, sliding nearly 3 percent to HK$130.00 in late afternoon trade.
The iPhone, a cellphone that accesses the Internet and plays music, sells for about $500 in the United States -- about double the average monthly salary in China. News that the two telecoms giants were in talks over the device's potential launch in the world's largest telecoms arena helped Apple's stock climb more than 10 percent on November 13.
"Our parent has terminated talks with Apple over the iPhone," a spokeswoman for listed China Mobile said, confirming several unsourced Internet reports. She would not elaborate.
Experts said last year that the iPhone would have to navigate a spate of technical, content and fee issues unique to China, including a standard revenue-sharing agreement that China Mobile would be sure to dislike, before any launch could proceed.
The iPhones -- one of the hottest gadgets to hit U.S. and European stores in 2007 -- might also be incompatible with China because of their "locked" SIM cards. That meant the device would not be able to piggyback another operator's network.
It's unclear what Apple, which has declined to comment on the issue, planned now for China.
China Unicom (0762.HK) (CHU.N), the smaller of the country's only two wireless carriers, said in 2007 it had no plans to bring the device into the country but was open to the idea.
(Reporting by Vinicy Chan; writing by Edwin Chan; editing by Anne Marie Roantree)
Be.ez, a leading manufacturer of multimedia accessories in Europe and Asia, is due to launch at Macworld 2008, the LA Volute Thema, a new spin on two of its bestselling Mac sleeves and bags for the winter season.
(Photo: Business Wire)
The original iPod is displayed after its introduction by Apple Computer Inc. chief executive officer Steve Jobs during a news conference in Cupertino, Calif. in this Oct. 23, 2001 file photo. Since the iPod debuted in 2001, more than 119 million have been sold, helping to propel Apple's market capitalization from $6 billion to $155 billion.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, file)
A journalist holds the Apple iPhone in this June 29, 2007 file image. Microsoft will not launch a product that competes directly with Apple Inc's iPhone, Chairman Bill Gates said in an interview with Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
REUTERS/Mike SegaNarasu Rebbapragada, PC World Fri Jan 11, 6:00 PM ET
While the Consumer Electronics Association announced that it would go green by purchasing 20,000 tons' worth of carbon offsets, a few companies at CES 2008's Sustainable Technologies TechZone introduced new products that use fewer nonrenewable resources from the get-go. They're still a little pricey for the average consumer, but they show that both sunlight and water are viable power sources for laptops, iPods, cell phones, and other gadgets.
A lot of solar chargers work with small devices, but laptops generally have been left in the dark--until now. Voltaic Systems' Generator briefcase, scheduled for release this spring at a not-so-cheap $599, lets you plug your laptop into a rechargeable battery inside the case. A solar panel that covers one of the briefcase's sides provides the power. The battery inside is smart enough to know whether your laptop needs 12 or 20 volts, and Voltaic Systems bundles in a bunch of universal plugs that should fit many brands of products. The bag weighs 4 pounds with the battery, so it's not uber-light for a fabric bag. The fabric, by the way, is water-resistant and made of recycled PET plastic.
You need direct sunlight to get the best charge, though, and one laptop takes a day to charge. The company recommends that you charge a small amount at frequent intervals rather than letting your laptop drain and then trying to charge it up all at once. That might be hard to remember to do. As a result, the Generator--while it looks really neat--is still too expensive, heavy, and labor-intensive to use for most people.
For a little fun in the sun, Freeplay Energy's NR-2XS solar-powered radio should arrive in the United States in May for about $100. It has a line-in for playing the tunes from your music player, USB for charging up small devices, and a headphone port. It also plugs into an electrical outlet, should the sun fail you. The radio comes in white, black, red, and blue.
Just Add Water
The HydroPak is the first water-powered, fuel-cell, hydrogen-generating charger that I've ever seen. Horizon Fuel Cell Technology, which makes the fuel cell, and Millennium Cell, which makes the hydrogen generator, have teamed up to create a line of products that can charge a laptop or a smaller gadget such as a phone or iPod. It's scheduled for release in the United States in the third quarter of 2008.
The product comes in two sizes. The 600-milliliter version generates 270 watt-hours of power, has two USB ports, and can recharge items as big as laptops and power-tool batteries. It costs $400 for the fuel-cell unit and $20 for each hydrogen cartridge. The 20-milliliter size, which a spokesperson said can charge an iPod in 45 minutes, generates 15 watt-hours of power. It will cost about $50, for the initial fuel cell and cartridge.
InformationWeek
The N95, optimized for the United States, will support HSDPA cellular technology, which is capable of achieving speeds of between 8 and 10 Mbps. That means the phone will be compatible withAT&T (NYSE: T)'s high-speed network, but it won't work with Verizon (NYSE: VZ)
The 8-Gbyte version is expected to become available at Nokia retailers and the company's flagship stores in the first quarter of this year. But the phone will come with a hefty price tag of $749, likely attracting only a small group of users.
The smartphone is an upgrade to the original 120-Mbyte N95 that Nokia unveiled in 2006. Nokia is calling the new device "the memory-packed big brother" to the original phone. With expanded memory, the N95 offers up to 20 hours of video or up to 6,000 songs, according to Nokia.
It also comes with a 5-megapixel camera, built-in Wi-Fi for accessing the Internet using hotspots in public places or enterprise wireless local area networks, and built-in GPS. The GPS feature can be used with the phone's Nokia Maps application, which offers maps for more than 150 countries.
For better functionality, the N95 slides two ways. It slides to one side to reveal a keypad for dialing and typing, and to another side to reveal controls for playing music or video.
The N95 is part of Nokia's Nseries, a range of high-performance multimedia smartphones intended for entertainment, Web browsing, and messaging.
What is it?
diNovo Mini wireless keyboard.
How much will it cost me?
$150.
Who makes it?
Why should I care?
If you've got a Windows Media Center PC or a Playstation 3 in your living room, and you want to get the most out of it, this is a clever-but-somewhat-pricey solution.
How would you describe it?
Windows Media Center PCs and PS3s may not quite be brothers from another mother, but they do share a similar urge to be the all-singing, all-dancing set top box for the living room by letting you you navigate photos, listen to music, watch video and browse the Internet. To do all of those things well requires a few more buttons than your typical remote, which is where Logitech's diNovo Mini wireless keyboard comes in. It connects to your PC or PS3 via Bluetooth 2.0 wireless, with a range of roughly thirty feet. The media controls allow you to easily adjust volume or switch channels; the keypad lets you perform text searches or fill out forms more quickly than would an onscreen keyboard; and the subtle backlighting means you won't have to whip out a flashlight to see what you're doing. The ClickPad, which you can see pictured in the upper-right corner of the device, works both as a D-pad for navigating menus and as a touchpad like you'd find on a laptop, which comes in particularly handy for Web browsing.
When can I get my hands on it?
February 2008.
What's your verdict?
Try. We like it...but we're reluctant to spend more than $100 for what's essentially a remote control.
By Luke Anderson
One of my many bad habits is that I never label my CDs when I burn them. I use a Sharpie once in a while, but my handwriting is so bad that I never know what I wrote anyway. Sure, I could print out labels and affix them to the CD, but that’s a pain. That’s why I like this new Casio CW-E60 Title Printer.
This little device will use a thermal transfer ribbon to print the label onto your disc. The Title Printer comes with simple software to design your labels. You can choose from 8 different colored ribbons for your prints. The printer will set you back $60.
[Casio] VIA [EverythingUSB]
The case of the Nintendo Wii is a wet dream for any business. As the darling of the electronic entertainment industry for the second holiday season in a row, Nintendo is still selling out of every single Wii it makes.
The consumer public’s appetite for the Wii is so insatiable that Nintendo has pulled its usual advertising in the UK for its console in hopes to not “fuel demand” any further.
“We have been running the campaign all year round, but we want to take a responsible stance this Christmas and not fuel demand,” said a Nintendo UK spokesperson in a MarketingWeek story.
Instead, Nintendo will be using its ad space to promote the DS handheld instead of the Wii console.
The move by Nintendo UK runs contrary to the company’s North American branch, where it plans on pulling no punches when it comes to capturing the attention of consumers this holiday season.
“We're still expecting some shortages in December. But we're not going to be pilling back on our marketing,” explained George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s marketing chief. “So even though we'll be selling everything we can get, we'll continue full-blast with our outreach through PR, and through paid advertising and other things.”
Meanwhile, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime can’t find a Wii.
