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Mobile Technology
Toshiba announces the TG01 smartphone
By Tim Hanlon
22:38 February 3, 2009 PST
Toshiba plans to take on the smartphone market with their TG01, based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform running Windows Mobile 6.1. The 9.9mm thick device sports a 4.1-inch widescreen VGA (800x480) touchscreen, a GUI designed specifically for easy one-handed navigation, and the standard HSDPA 3G, WiFi, and GPS/aGPS connectivity options. Read More
Blind and illiterate users can outsource reading and translation with Kurzweil's kReader
By Loz Blain
00:57 January 29, 2009 PST
Ray Kurzweil is one of the most amazing intellectuals and inventors of our time. From his teenage years he's been building a long list of extraordinary achievements, from his early work teaching computers to compose music, to his world-first font-independent optical character recognition system, to his pioneering electric synthesizers that are so accurate that even musicians can't discern them from a real piano in listening tests. In 1976, blind music legend Stevie Wonder bought the first production model of the Kurzweil Reading Machine, a tabletop-sized device that was able to scan text documents and read them out using a text-to-speech engine. Last year, Kurzweil teamed up with Nokia to integrate the reading machine and its synthetic voice into the N82 mobile phone, letting blind or illiterate users read documents, menus, bills, and anything else they could capture on the phone's inbuilt camera. Now, Kurzweil has announced that the kReader phone can translate text it captures that's in another language and read it out to you in your language. It also has new text-tracking abilities to make it even easier to capture all the text on a page. Read More
Major iPhone hardware revision in the works?
By Tim Hanlon
22:55 January 28, 2009 PST
MacRumors has found a reference to "iPhone2,1" in the iPhone's 2.x Firmware. What makes this special? The original iPhone is "iPhone1,1" while the iPhone 3G is "iPhone1,2" - which points to a major hardware revision in the works. Read More
Wi-Fi printing app for iPhone
By Darren Quick
19:12 January 26, 2009 PST
Air Photo is a new iPhone app that is sure to be handy for the multitude of iPhone users who use their device for taking photos. The app lets users browse through their photos and cuts out the Mac or PC middleman, enabling printing of photos directly from the iPhone. Simply install the Air Photo Server app onto your Mac or PC and the Air Photo app onto your iPhone and you’re ready to go. Read More
Acer shows new 10 inch Aspire One Netbook
By Mike Hanlon
03:54 January 24, 2009 PST
Acer has announced an all-new 10” Aspire One netbook, complete with Windows XP, integrated Bluetooth , 802.11b/g, Acer Signal Up technology and it can also be specified with a choice of WiMAX or 3G wireless technologies. Weighing 1.18 kg, the new netbook includes a 10.1 inch WSVGA LED backlit display with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels, a 160 GB drive and a multi-in-one card reader. Read More
HTC boosts GPS credentials on updated Touch Cruise smartphone
By Darren Quick
19:09 January 22, 2009 PST
HTC has announced an updated version of its HTC Touch Cruise smartphone that was released in January 2008. The new model Touch Cruise features a new look and expands on the GPS capabilities of its predecessor with the inclusion of HTC Footprints – geotagging software that not only allows users to geotag photos taken on the unit’s 3.2 MP fixed focus camera, but also lets them take notes and an audio clip related to that image to form a “digital postcard”. In addition to identifying each postcard with its specific GPS co-ordinates, Footprints also auto-names each postcard with its general location or area. Read More
Powcell's green smartphone-charging solution
20:56 January 21, 2009 PST
We live in an era where pocket-sized mobile devices can keep us in touch with almost every corner of the globe, but this golden age of communication can quickly turn sour when your battery dies, and it usually happens when you most need it. To combat this issue there are a smorgasbord of mobile recharging devices now on the market, with our favorites being those that use alternative energy to get the job done like the Solio or HYmini solar/wind charger. Now there's a new kid on the block in the form of Powcell, a charging sleeve for iPhone, iPod Touch and Blackberry Curve that draws on almost any light source to provide a power top-up on the go and reduce your dependence on wall sockets. Read More
Bullet Flight 1.0.0 – the US$15 iPhone app for snipers
By Mike Hanlon
00:51 January 21, 2009 PST
The rapid advancement of technology on all fronts has yielded some fascinating mash-ups to make life easier for small groups of people with specific needs and the US$15 KAC Bullet Flight 1.0.0 iPhone app and rifle iPhone mount are a case in point – they are just perfect for the sniper/hunter. One of the many skills of the modern day marksman is mathematics – to measure or estimate the range, cross winds, and calculate the allowances needed for one shot to hit its target after travelling up to 2000 yards. Bullet Flight turns the iPhone into a handy, touch screen, ballistics computer using the iPhone’s accelerometer to calculate angles, providing highly detailed, very quick solutions out to 2000 metres. The KAC mounting attaches an off-the-shelf Otterbox ruggedising case. You can also download different weapon and ammunition profiles (it comes with three) and even subscribe to highly detailed weather and forecast information, not to mention listen to music whilst you await your quarry. BTW – this scares us to death! Read More
The Schlage LiNK remotely-controllable door lock (and the demise of the key)
By Mike Hanlon
12:25 January 19, 2009 PST
January 20, 2009 Locksmithing, one of man’s oldest and most venerable professions, appears set to join the digital convergence mix with the first wirelessly-controlled door lock now on the market. It's also further proof that the device formerly known as the mobile phone will one day become the remote control for much of our lives. Schlage LiNK deadbolts and locks offer consumers the ability to remotely control and monitor access to their home 24/7 with any web-enabled mobile phone or computer. The locks provide keyless entry through 4-digit access codes that can be entered, activated, deleted or disabled on the lock's 11-digit push button keypad or via the Schlage LiNK web portal. This means never having to circulate multiple sets of keys, never needing to stay home to meet the handyman, and the peace of mind of having a listing of which codes (i.e. who?) opened each lock and when for the last 90 days. The $300 starter kits (and subsequently $200 locks) might also be suitable for real estate agents wishing to streamline their ability to show properties. Read More
The first modern diver’s watch
By Mike Hanlon
04:21 January 19, 2009 PST
One of the most desirable technological boys toys throughout the last 50 years has been the Blancpain 50 fathoms watch. The Fifty Fathoms watch was born in the 1950s when Blancpain was asked by the French Ministry of Defence to create an elite “Combat Divers” watch that was reliable and readable to a depth of 50 fathoms (91.45 metres). Blancpain delivered, and the hardcore military kit was subsequently commercialised in 1953 with the first modern diver’s watch - that's an original 1954 advert at right. A new exhibition opens tomorrow in Geneva, the Cité du Temps, tracing the history of the watch with all the models and variations of the collection assembled under a single roof. Read More
The VAIO P: Sony's answer to the netbook
By Tim Hanlon
17:26 January 15, 2009 PST
Sony has set out to prove that form and function aren't mutually exclusive with their answer to the netbook, the VAIO P series. Starting with a tiny form factor and a 1.33GHz Intel Atom CPU, and adding a 128GB SSD, built-in 3G connectivity, 802.11n wireless, and a GPS that doesn't require an active Internet connection (among other things) this is one seriously portable, connected device. Just don't expect an Eee PC price point... Read More
Victorinox announces Presentation Pro business tool
18:25 January 14, 2009 PST
Victorinox used the 2009 CES as the platform for the launch of their new Presentation Pro, a compact Swiss Army Knife that includes a laser pointer, Bluetooth remote control and USB storage of up to 32GB which, in a first for the company, integrates biometric fingerprint security. Read More
It's here! The Pico Projector mobile phone
16:34 January 14, 2009 PST
The advent of handheld Pico Projectors created a buzz throughout 2008 and although they make very useful stand alone devices, we've been eagerly awaiting their integration into mobile phones. We wait no longer. Samsung has produced the first cell phone featuring Texas Instrument's DLP Pico chipset and like the mobile phone camera - which not so long ago was seen as the "latest thing" - we expect to see tiny projectors quickly become a standard addition to mobile phone features. Read More
Scoshe passPORT solves iPhone / iPod charging needs
By Mike Hanlon
11:32 January 12, 2009 PST
The iPhone 3G and latest iPod models have created problems for Apple fans because their old docking accessories are not able to charge their new purchases. Scosche has a solution which will be on sale this month - the US$40 passPORT has a female pass-through connector that can snap into any iPod universal dock or in-car iPod integration system to support charging for the iPhone 3G, iPod nano 4th generation and iPod touch 2nd generation. Read More
iGo begins process of turning their product line green
18:43 January 11, 2009 PST
iGo has refined its product line with their upcoming "green" charger and their everywhereMAX travel charger, an improved 90W AC/auto/air power adapter that can be used to simultaneously charge your laptop and handheld mobile devices. Read More
Sandisk offers next generation of SSD drives without bulkly enclosures
16:42 January 11, 2009 PST
During CES 2009 SanDisk Corporation unveiled its next-generation of flash memory-based solid-state drives (SSD) to support the netbook market - SanDisk pSSD. The new SanDisk pSSD-P2 and SanDisk pSSD-S2 SSDs have the same interface and functionality of traditional SSDs, but without the bulky packaging that's used to emulate 1.8" and 2.5" magnetic drives. Read More
Callpod unveils version 2 of the Chargepod product
16:38 January 11, 2009 PST
Version 2 of Callpod's ChargePod product is still a few months away, but we can't wait to get hold of the product already. The 2nd Generation ChargePod is a 120W AC/auto/air adapter that can power a laptop, 3 small devices, and 3 USB devices all simultaneously. Read More
More MiFi: Interview with Novatel's Jon Driscoll
10:01 January 11, 2009 PST
Novatel's clever, compact and compelling MiFi device combines a wireless access point, an internet router, and a 3G modem card into a package that's the size of a business card. Dave Weinstein spoke to Jon Driscoll, Novatel Wireless' VP of Global Product Managment, to learn more. See the video after the jump. Read More
World’s first portable Blu-ray player
By Mike Hanlon
15:38 January 10, 2009 PST
Panasonic introduced the world’s first portable Blu-ray Disc player at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show and it’s not as lame as you might at first think. It’s already copped criticism for being pointless , but there’s more to it than being able to watch Blu-ray disks on an 8.9 inch WSVGA screen for three hours. Plug it into an Ethernet connection and you have movies on demand via VIERA CAST and BD-Live, plug it into a HDTV and you have a standalone Blu-ray Disc player, and if connected to an HD-Audio compatible AV receiver with a home theater speaker system it delivers outstanding surround sound too. As it has an SD Memory Card slot it becomes a convenient reviewer of digital photos, as well as a player for HD video recorded on an SD card. There’s even an optional headrest mounting bracket for in-car use, which makes this a mighty useful tool whether you have children or not. Read More
SDXC Memory Cards to provide 2TB storage in defacto standard format
By Mike Hanlon
01:17 January 8, 2009 PST
January 8, 2009 The next-generation SDXC (eXtended Capacity) memory card specification was announced today and while it promises the inevitable seemingly limitless capacities we always knew would arrive eventually, it certainly paints a picture of digital life being quite different in the future. The new SDXC specification provides up to 2 terabytes storage capacity and accelerates SD interface read/write speeds to 104 megabytes per second this year, with a road map to 300 megabytes per second. The day is not far away when a single chip can store weeks of high-definition video, a lifetime photo collection, and months of music. Enough to store your entire life and its soundtrack in your mobile phone. Professional hi-def video equipment form factors will become incredibly small. Read More
LG 3G Touch wristwatch video phone on sale this year
By Mike Hanlon
00:41 January 8, 2009 PST
January 8, 2009 The wristwatch video phone we’ve been waiting for nearly half a century thanks to the broadly syndicated Dick Tracy cartoon strips, is finally about to arrive. LG Electronicshas unveiled the world’s first Touch Watch Phone and it appears to be the hamburger with the lot – camera, Flash Interface, MP3 player, Voice Calling, Text messaging, 3.63cm (1.43-inch) touchscreen, voice recognition, text-to-speech, a 3G Video Telephony (VT) service and GSM Quadband Network capabilities. Shown in prototype form at last year’s CES, the phone (designated LG-GD910) will be available in Europe this year. Read More
Novatel Invents New Class of Mobile Connectivity: The MiFi Hotspot
18:46 January 7, 2009 PST
Novatel has built an innovative product that combines a wireless access point, an internet router, and a 3G modem card into a package that's the size of a business card, half the thickness of your Blackberry and weights less than 80g. Today Noel McKeegan and I had a chance to sit down with Jon Driscoll, Novatel Wireless' VP of Global Product Managment, and talk about their upcoming line of MiFi Hotspots. Read More
Fuji’s new eco-friendly, long-lasting, guilt-free EnviroMAX batteries
By Mike Hanlon
19:34 January 5, 2009 PST
Despite promises of portable alternative power sources, batteries still rule the roost and apart from being a costly form of energy, we all know that we’re contributing a little bit more to the planet’s indigestible waste with each one we purchase – until now! Fuji is announcing a new line of eco-friendly, high performance consumer batteries at CES. EnviroMAX batteries do not contain cadmium or mercury or any ingredients harmful to the environment, are packaged with recycled paper and fully recyclable PET plastic and can be disposed of through normal waste systems or in landfills as they degrade. Fuji is claiming equal or better performance/longevity to the major equivalent brands, and an affordable price. They’re due in stores in April. Stay tuned for more info when we get our hands on a set. Read More
The Magpul FMG9 Netbook-sized Folding Machine Gun
By Mike Hanlon
18:41 January 5, 2009 PST
You can’t always judge a book by its cover and the Netbook-sized Magpul FMG9 is about as deceptive as they come. It looks like an industrial torch or a portable radio, and will fit in a girl’s handbag or the back pocket of a pair of jeans. One click later, the spring-assisted deployment mechanism snaps and you have a sub machine gun ready to fire. The innocuous FMG acronym stands for Folding Machine Gun and its small size and lightweight polymer casing belie its firepower - folded it holds 31 9x19 mm NATO rounds in a Glock magazine and although the prototype was only semi-automatic, a fully automatic version will almost certainly be available if production goes ahead. What’s the bet Q hands one of these to 007 in the next movie? Read More
A nine inch iPod Touch?
By Mike Hanlon
00:05 January 2, 2009 PST
Rumours surrounding Apple’s plans are in abundance right now, but what awaits us at the last Apple MacWorld keynote address next Tuesday is still no certainty. There’s a lot of speculation about the possibility of an iPhone Nano being announced, and a more recent rumour has been kickstarted by TechCrunch (which it reports to have substantiated from three sources), suggests there’s a much larger iPod Touch in the works, with a seven inch or even a nine inch screen (up from the current 3.5 inches). Ironically, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who recently joined the board of Axiotron, producers of the only existing Mac tablet, the 13.3-inch Modbook, will be presenting new hardware for the company at Macworld too. Could a nine inch upspecced iPod Touch with its multitouch interface become the weapon with which Apple finally goes to battle in the low priced netbook market? Read More
Gary Noel
- November 22, 2009 @ 06:20 UTC
