Personal Computing
LCD innovation benefits personal privacy
Toshiba have announced a new technology that increases privacy for the user by narrowing the viewing angle of LCD screens.
bSQUARE Power Handheld reaches UK marketplace
A new kind of "Power Handheld" that integrates a full VGA screen, retractable QWERTY thumb-operated keyboard and wireless data acces via GPRS networks has been released on the UK market after a deal between smart device specialists bSQUARE and Vodafone.
Global Internet Audience heads for maturity
The local and global internet audience is rapidly maturing according to the research figures from IDC, Gartner and Red Sherrif. Globally, industrialised nations are now heading for internet ubiquity, less than a decade after the internet was introduced to the population at large. Since the turn of the millenium, the number of internet connections in the world has nearly doubled, and by 2009/10, the number of people on the internet will exceed one billion.
Groundbreaking new Singing Synthesis software
VOCALOID is a new Singing Synthesis Software developed by YAMAHA that generates authentic singing sounds using lyrics and notes entered into a computer by the composer - meaning that full voice parts can be created without the need for a singer.
Cooling pad boosts laptop efficiency
Antec's Notebook Cooler is designed to increase system performance and stability by drawing a steady flow of cool air across the bottom of the computer. Two 70mm fans are used in conjunction with a series of ventilation holes in the aluminium surface to facilitate the cooling process.
Apple introduces 20-inch iMac
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With twice as much screen real estate as the 15-inch display model, Apple's new 20-inch iMac enables side-by-side viewing of two full web-pages and makes an impressive platform for viewing DVDs.
Tiny USB device enables TV viewing on Computer
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Saturday November 8, 2003: The USTV-1 is a windows-compatible TV tuner that connects to your PC or laptop via USB (version 2.0 or 1.1) and is bundled with "Feather-X" software to enable television playback and recording on computer.
Multi-tasking monitor uses dual flat-panels
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Friday November 7, 2003: DoubleSight is a uniquely designed dual LCD monitor that employs two 15-inch flat panels mounted side-by-side on a single base to provide 24 by 9 inches of screen real-estate despite a relatively small desktop footprint.
WACOM Graphire3 Tablet adds to interface options
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Sunday October 19, 2003: For those in some professions (dentistry, medical, video editing, 3D, special effects and almost all the graphic arts), there is now a new and viable alternative click and point tool to be used in conjunction with the mouse - the pressure-sensitive tablet.
Hand-portable fuel cell power-pack
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Monday October 20, 2003: A briefcase-sized portable fuel cell system that provides 110v or 50 Hz AC mains supply and 12v DC battery charging has been unveiled at the Grove Fuel Cell event in London.
Slimline pocket drive holds up to 60GB
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Tuesday October 14, 2003: "Size" - in terms of both data capacity and physical dimensions - is the operative word when it comes to what is now an indispensable tool for most regular computer users: the portable external hard-drive. The Gold Pockey USB 2.0 demonstrates just how far the available technology has advanced on both counts...
Internet usage reaches saturation in some population segments
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Friday October 10, 2003: The age of ubiquitous internet usage would appear to be almost upon us, just a decade after the internet was introduced to the Australian population at large. The recently-released Red Sheriff 2003 Australian Internet Report underlines the progressive change in the role of the Internet from a recreational activity to more of a functional role...
HP introduces powerful new Financial Calculator
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Tuesday October 7, 2003: With 250 built-in functions including the ability to track more than 1,000 cash flows, calculate four types of depreciation or handle complex equations provided by the user, the 17bII+ is the most powerful financial calculator in HP's current line-up.
Darth Vader meets Desktop Speaker Design
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Sunday October 5, 2003: The JBL Creature 3 piece speaker system sits squarely in the incredibly crowded desktop speaker market at AUD$267, but has managed to differentiate itself with the most amazing shape that immediately brings to mind the sleek lines of Darth Vader's helmet.
Latest Acer Notebook features Tablet PC functionality
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Monday September 29, 2003: Acer's TravelMate 250PE notebook enables the input of handwritten text and annotation of data directly on screen using an electro magnetic resonance (EMR) pen. This cross-functionality first provides the flexibility of a Tablet PC while maintaining the performance and full sized keyboard attributes of a traditional "clamshell" notebook.
USB flexibility for tight spaces
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Tuesday October 21, 2003: Making effective use of a laptop in cramped situations can be challenging enough without trying to introduce peripheral devices such as digital cameras and MP3 players into the equation. The FlexUSB adaptor is designed to minimise this juggling act by means of a two-way hinge that allows for 90' movement...
HP Labs develop ebook prototype
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Tuesday September 16, 2003: Conventional computer screens or handheld devices are certain to become obsolete as the electronic information we view increases in complexity and richness. Looking towards this next generation of leaner viewing devices, researchers at HP Labs have built a "Digital Media Viewer" to investigate how we will interact with digital information in the future.
Vibe Phone real-time video interface
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Tuesday September 2, 2003: Vibe Phone is a video communications product that allows consumers to conduct live, real-time video calls from their PC's using a webcam and broadband access via cable or DSL modem. Designed to give users the 'click-and-call' simplicity of a telephone...
Free worldwide VOIP calls on SIPhone
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Sunday September 14, 2003: SIPphone makes it possible for people to send and receive free calls worldwide over a broadband Internet connection using a technology called SIP. The phones come with a preconfigured number and by sharing this number with others SIP phone users you can communicate by phone while only paying for Internet access.
Memory-Mouse with 32 MB
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Tuesday August 12, 2003: There's a growing array of options these days when it comes to portable data storage - PDAs, MP3 players, thumb-drives, wristwatches and now even the humble mouse can perform this valuable service. Capable of storing files of up to 32MB, the Memory Mouse enables users to transfer data onto PC or Mac...
Simulating Taste - the last VR Frontier
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Saturday August 9, 2003: Taste is the last frontier of virtual reality according to the inventors of the Food Simulator- a haptic interface that mimics the taste, sound and feeling of chewing real food. Currently at demonstration stage, the project by researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan utilizes a mechanical linkage designed to fit to the mouth...
Maxell Digital Pen to use Anoto system
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Thursday August 7, 2003: Maxell have announced the introduction of a "digital pen" based on the Anoto system. The pen stores everything you write on the specially imprinted pad in digital format by sending it directly to computer via a Bluetooth link.
Powergenitalia?
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Wednesday July 23, 2003: In this global pea-soup which the internet facilitates, from time to time, as cultures and languages and societies mix, there is a disconnect - where one language or culture is not perceived by another culture as it would wish to be.
Samsung unveil 533MHz CPU for handheld devices
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Tuesday July 22, 2003: With a core speed of 533MHz, the S3C2440 is the world's fastest mobile CPU according to Samsung, which has designed its latest chip with the demands of the burgeoning PDA and multimedia phone market in mind.
In-air mouse lets you leave the desk behind
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The Ultra GT Cordless Optical Mouse features a its unique "in-air" motion-sensing capability that allows the user to accurately control the cursor with movements more akin to waving a wand than using a mouse. The Ultra GT can be used on the desk or at a distance of up to 10 metres...
ThumbDrive offers fingerprint data protection
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Tuesday July 29, 2003: ThumbDrive Touch is a plug-and-play portable USB storage device that uses fingerprint authentication to prevent unauthorised access to your data. In addition to recognising the users' fingerprint, the Thumbdrive can be configured to grant access to three other people or partitioned to reserve space for secure data and open data.
Toshiba Satellite P25 personal computing theatre
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Tuesday August 5, 2003: The Toshiba Satellite P25-S507 joins the trend towards "convergence machines" by adding a TV tuner, 17" display, high-end audio system and DVD recording to its capabilities as a desktop replacement mobile PC.
Apple introduces iSight video conferencing camera
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Friday July 4, 2003: Mac users were greeted with a flurry of product releases from Apple in June coinciding with the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) including a new video conferencing system - iChat AV software application and the iSight digital video camera.
All-in-one multimedia PC on a massive scale
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Saturday June 28, 2003: It's the type of big screen you would expect to find on the wall of an impressive home cinema, but the TEK PANEL 300 is actually and all-in-one multimedia computer that offers 76cm of screen real estate in a slim-line design just 12.5cm thick.
Apple release ground breaking Power Mac G5
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Wednesday June 25, 2003: Apple have laid claim to the title of the world's fastest personal computer with the release of the Power Mac G5, the first PC to utilise 64-bit processing technology. "The 64-bit revolution has begun" according to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO...
Rechargeable Mouse beats cordless power supply problems
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Logitech's solution is to cordless power supply problems is a rapid charge base station that both stores and keeps the mouse powered and ready for use.
Tungsten C - Palm's most powerful handheld yet gets built-in Wi-Fi
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Tuesday July 22, 2003: Packing a 400MHz Intel ARM processor and 64MB of memory and built-in wireless "Wi-Fi" capabilities, the Tungsten C is far and away Palm's most powerful handheld ever.
Wet PC underwater computing
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Originally conceived and developed at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the WetPC underwater computer combines a comprises a miniature PC with a mask-mounted virtual display and a unique 5-button chordic graphical user interface...
Kitty virtual keyboard solution
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The increasing power, efficiency and miniaturisation of personal computing devices has sparked a transformation in the way we look at inputting data - cumbersome keyboards are definitely out and speech recognition systems are not yet successful enough to offer a seamless alternative. As part of our ongoing look at new keyboard concepts, Gizmag investigates a system that combines finger-mounted input with touch-typing movements as its method of data entry.
Multimedia-ready laptop
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Designed with a focus on personal entertainment instead of data processing, BenQ's Joybook 8000 becomes a digital communications "hub" via two Firewire ports, four USB ports and S-Video output.
