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Electronics
Time to connect with the iXP3 Internet Messaging Clock
By Mick Webb
04:15 September 24, 2009 PDT
When communicating via the typed word, sometimes a text or regular instant message just won’t do the trick. Here to take personal communication to a quirky new level is the iXP3 Instant Messaging Clock, which, through a simple Internet connection, changes from a mild-mannered clock to a personal messaging device that projects messages in the air. Read More
Nachteule makes night-time reading more 'enlightening'
By Jeff Salton
20:14 September 20, 2009 PDT
Reading at night can be problematic. Firstly, there can be arguments in bed between partners – one who wants to sleep with the light off, the other who wants to read with a light on. Then there’s the issue of inadequate bedside lighting or the shadows on your pages cast by an overhead light. Well, if you wear glasses, the Nachteule (night owl) light may help solve your night-time reading problems. Read More
Samsung releases P410M and A600 projectors
16:42 September 16, 2009 PDT
Samsung recently added two new projectors to its lineup, both featuring high image quality and a wide range of connectivity capabilities at a very interesting price. The very portable P410M is compact and lightweight, with direct USB connectivity for games and devices, while the high-end A600 offers full HD 1080p video suitable for home theater projection. Read More
A colorful way to take note - the USB Moody Card Reader with Erasable Memo Pad
By Mick Webb
21:07 September 14, 2009 PDT
Ever found yourself staring wistfully into the distance while waiting for your memory card content to upload, only be struck with an ingenious brainwave and find there’s not a pen or paper in sight to jot it down with? Well, so you're ready whenever inspiration strikes, Brando has released the USB Moody Card Reader with Erasable Memo Pad. Read More
Algae used to create a quick-charge, lightweight battery
16:21 September 13, 2009 PDT
Algae blooms are unpleasant and unpredictable phenomena that arise quickly and strike seas and oceans, often causing serious problems to local ecosystems. But, in an effort to try and find a use for such algae, a research team from Uppsala University, Sweden, has recently managed to design a record-breaking "green" lightweight battery that is incredibly easy to produce and might just even out the environmental consequences of these blooms. Read More
Close shave with Thanko USB Electric Razor
By Jeff Salton
20:04 September 10, 2009 PDT
Got a last-minute hot date? Meeting with the boss? Getting snide comments about your ‘porn star mustache’? Or just couldn’t be bothered? Whatever your reason for needing a quick shave at work, the Thanko USB Electric Razor is your savior. Just plug it into the USB port on your computer, and whiskers-be-gone. And if your monitor’s nice and shiny, who needs a mirror? Read More
USB Posture Alert Reminder will set you on the straight and narrow
By Darren Quick
01:25 September 10, 2009 PDT
As a person who isn’t getting any younger - and finds himself behind a desk for most of the day - I am starting to appreciate the advice of teachers and parents imploring me to sit up straight. Now that my school days are behind me and I live alone, my back is constantly reminding me that there’s no one left to admonish me for my terrible posture. The USB Posture Alert Reminder could be just what I need to get my spine back on the straight and narrow. Read More
Sony's ICF-CL75iP combination alarm clock, photo frame and iPod dock
By Jeff Salton
21:33 September 2, 2009 PDT
Alarm clocks (uncool), digital photo frames (ho-hum), and iPod/iPhone docks (seen ‘em all). Three pretty bland objects, right? But give them to Sony and what you get back is one smooth-looking piece of equipment. The Sony ICF-CL75iP has beautifully melded three boring CE products to deliver an item that would easily grace any horizontal surface at home or at the office. Read More
Video: Eric Giler demonstrates wireless electricity at TEDGlobal 2009
By Loz Blain
23:21 August 30, 2009 PDT
It's fascinating to think that while Edison and Tesla battled over the ascendancy of AC versus DC, most of the world didn't think this electricity thing was going to take off - I mean, who was going to spend trillions of dollars rolling out great coils of copper wire to bring this thing to the masses? Nikola Tesla was thinking along the same lines, and the Serbian genius's mysterious Wardenclyffe Tower was to be an experiment in beaming electricity wirelessly across the world, eliminating the need for a wired power grid altogether. But wireless electricity has been enjoying a cautious revival in the past decade - mainly at short distance and for reasonably trivial applications like charging cell phones and other battery-powered equipment. And as Eric Giler's great ten-minute demonstration at this year's TEDGlobal shows, wireless power seems very close to breaking through into the mainstream market. Read More
Kodak flexible OLED display gets its feet wet
By Darren Quick
20:20 August 30, 2009 PDT
Flexible Organic Light Emitting Diode (FOLED) technology has opened the door to a range of new lighting and display applications, such as roll-up displays and displays embedded in fabrics or clothing. Unfortunately OLED displays are notoriously moisture sensitive, so underwater applications haven’t really been an option – until now. Kodak has dunked their latest FOLED displays under water to provide a virtual aquarium for a group of assembled Playmobil people. Read More
Smarter touch surfaces with new pressure sensitive technology
By Darren Quick
01:43 August 28, 2009 PDT
Resistance touch technology, which generally relies on the use of a stylus or similar instrument, typically detects touch by measuring changes in electrical resistance. But it can only detect one touch at a time. Touch screen using capacitance technology can detect multiple inputs, but can’t detect pressure. Now researchers at New York University (NYU) are looking to get the best of both worlds with a new type of touch-sensitive pad that responds precisely to pressure and can detect multiple inputs at once. Read More
Tests on reducing glare and fingerprints from touch screen devices
By Jeff Salton
23:04 August 27, 2009 PDT
Big touch screens, like those used on smart phones and portable media devices, are great … unless the sun is out. Then the glare can be a killer, rendering some devices next to useless. Scientists have developed a test for analyzing reflection-resistant coatings to make using touch screen devices easier. The research also includes defining a better smudge-resistant coating to deter ugly fingerprints and scratches from screens and surfaces. Read More
Liquid-OLED design could boost lifetime for OLED displays
17:36 August 27, 2009 PDT
Researchers from the Center for Future Chemistry at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, have been exploring a new kind of organic light-emitting diodes that use a generated liquid to transfer electrical charge, addressing problems such as flexibility and quick degradation in standard OLED technology. Read More
Entertainment Weekly embeds video in print ad
By Darren Quick
22:49 August 25, 2009 PDT
The rise of the Internet has seen some pundits label print media as an increasingly obsolete medium whose death is imminent, but U.S. showbiz mag Entertainment Weekly, along with CBS, is attempting to bring magazines into the multimedia age by embedding a video player in a print ad promoting CBS’s fall TV lineup and Pepsi. Read More
Tiny lasers hold key to nano-circuitry
18:31 August 23, 2009 PDT
Researchers at Cornell, Purdue and Norfolk State University have reported the successful creation of a 'spaser', a new kind of nanoscale laser that breaks dimensional limits previously thought to be insurmountable, leading the way to significantly faster and more efficient computer processing and data transfer rates. Read More
Raytheon announces improved infrared detector
By Paul Ridden
18:41 August 17, 2009 PDT
Raytheon has announced the creation of the world's largest infra-red light wave detector, the "4K by 4K" focal plane array. Not only will it allow whole hemisphere satellite monitoring at 16 megapixel resolution but it should also make sensors less dependent on the complicated scanning mechanisms used in current systems. Read More
An enduring feat - Panasonic EVOLTA batteries set second Guinness World Record
By Mick Webb
23:08 August 16, 2009 PDT
Panasonic has put its EVOLTA line of alkaline batteries to the test and set a Guinness World Record for the second time. Its little “bot that could”, named 'Mr Evolta', has successfully completed the "24 Hours of Le Mans” endurance challenge powered on two AA EVOLTA batteries, giving Panasonic boasting rights to “the longest distance covered by a battery-operated remote–controlled model car”. Read More
WildCharge expand wireless charging options with PowerDisc
By Paul Ridden
23:04 August 13, 2009 PDT
WildCharge has introduced a new addition to its line-up of wireless charging accessories - the PowerDisc. Small enough to allow several devices to be used at the same time on one WildCharger pad, the contact module is embedded in the disc which comes supplied with seven adapters compatible with hundreds of portable gadgets from the likes of Nokia, Blackberry, HTC, LG and Samsung. Read More
Monster introduces 'Outlets To Go: USB Worldwide' adapter
By Mick Webb
07:13 August 13, 2009 PDT
Designed to ease the confusion and frustration encountered by travelers looking for a power source to charge multiple devices, the new “Outlets To Go: USB Worldwide” from Monster offers not only three universal power outlets but a handy USB port to boot. Read More
New Sony rechargeable battery charges faster and lasts longer
By Darren Quick
01:51 August 12, 2009 PDT
We cover our fair share of battery technology breakthroughs here at Gizmag, from lithium-sulfur batteries to NanoEnergy batteries. But it’s less often that we get to report on new and improved batteries actually hitting the market. So it was nice to learn that Sony has launched a new type of rechargeable Li-ion battery that promises an extended life span more than four times that of existing Li-ion batteries and can be charged to 99 percent of its full capacity in 30 minutes - approximately half the charge time of Sony’s current Li-ion battery line up. Read More
The Parasync - when syncing 19 iPods just isn’t good enough
By Darren Quick
01:57 August 7, 2009 PDT
The Parasync Charging and Synchronization Dock is perfect for any Apple fanatic who has managed to rack up a score of iPods and iPhones. The dock can charge and sync up to 20 devices via a single USB cable and, once registered, each docked device appears in iTunes for the usual dragging and dropping of content from the iTunes library. Read More
New cavity design boosts light output for OLED devices
00:35 August 7, 2009 PDT
Scientists at SRI International have found an innovative design for organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) that makes use of cavities to enhance their luminosity and energy efficiency. The device, called a COLED (where the 'c' stands for 'cavity') was designed by Dr. Yijian Shi and employs a regular pattern of cavities, implementing a structure that generates as much as five times the light output of a standard OLED per watt consumed depending on the color being displayed. Read More
Nanoscale lasers are about to get even smaller
20:48 August 4, 2009 PDT
In a collaborative effort between the Arizona State University and Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, researchers have found a way to make optical lasers much smaller than it was previously thought was possible, making dreams of speedier computers and faster Internet access closer to reality than ever before. Read More
Reconfigurable supercomputer aims for best of both worlds
17:51 July 28, 2009 PDT
Today's computers can carry on a wide range of tasks thanks to a general architecture that allows for great flexibility at the cost of a non-optimal performance; on the other end, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can carry on a very specific task with great speed and energy efficiency, but are very inflexible. Now Novo-G, a reconfigurable supercomputer developed at the University of Florida that's described as the most powerful of its kind, is attempting to take the best from both worlds by being able to effectively change its hardware configuration as needed to compute with the greatest possible speed and efficiency. Read More
Scientists stick with silicon to extend Moore's Law
By Jeff Salton
23:40 July 26, 2009 PDT
Scientists at Rice University and North Carolina State University have found a method of attaching molecules to semiconducting silicon that may help manufacturers reach past the current limits of Moore's Law as microprocessors become smaller and more powerful. Read More
Sam Munro
- November 26, 2009 @ 08:08 UTC
