LED

The $100,000 Dynasty billiard table

By Mick Webb

17:04 February 2, 2010 PST

The Dynasty is a very 21st Century take on a gaming platform that's been with us for more than 500 years - the billiard table. The US$100,000 Dynasty features sculptured metal, slate pockets, and neon–look LED under lighting. Add to that a host of other top of the line fittings and you have yourself one very sharp looking centerpiece for the games room. The owner of the first known indoor billiard table - King Louis XI of France (1461–1483) - would surely approve. Read More

Wireless optical system offers one gigabit per second transmission

By Paul Ridden

19:31 January 28, 2010 PST

Sending and receiving data over a wireless network is generally undertaken via radio waves. But that's not the only method. Using the optical spectrum offers the advantage of better security and blisteringly fast transfer rates to boot. Engineers from Pennsylvania State University have now succeeded in moving data outside the usual line of sight restrictions at speeds of over one gigabit per second, more than double that achieved by Siemens recently. Read More

Wireless data transfer record smashed

By Ben Coxworth

21:41 January 25, 2010 PST

If you’re like most people, you probably think that 200 megabits per second for wireless data transfer is just too darn slow! What are we, cavemen? Not anymore, apparently, as electronic engineering company Siemens just broke their own record by achieving 500 Mbps using white LED light. Read More

Total guitar tuning with PolyTune

By Paul Ridden

17:48 January 19, 2010 PST

Denmark's audio manufacturer TC Electronic launched a new tuning pedal at this year's National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show in California. Guitarists needing to do a quick tuning tweak will be now able to strum all six strings at once and the Polytune will advise if any are in need of some attention. Read More

Dexim iPod Nano 5G Power Case

By Paul Ridden

14:23 January 16, 2010 PST

China's consumer electronics manufacturer Dexim has announced the release of a multi-functional power case to complement the new iPod Nano 5G. Coming with a powerful flashlight to help shoot video in low light conditions, a built-in speaker for desktop listening and an antenna for improved FM radio reception, the DVA004 will also gives extended play courtesy of its lithium battery pack. Read More

Kolimat Roadscan DTW 1.0 dual lens camera - watches you as well as the road

By Mick Webb

21:37 January 8, 2010 PST

What’s more frustrating than an accident with a fellow motorist? Trying to work out who is at fault. Aiming to do away with such disagreements and improve overall driver security is the Kolimat Roadscan DTW 1.0 Camera system. Equipped with a dual lens in-car camera that records up to 12 hours of audio and video onto an SD card, the unit also takes still pictures at regular intervals and features full GPS and Wi-Fi capabilities. But with a function that disables erasing of data for events that measure above a preset “G” force, you had better hope you’re not at fault… Read More

Sony BRAVIA XBR-LX900 leads the 3D charge

By Mick Webb

13:54 January 8, 2010 PST

Showing it means business in its commitment to developing 3D home entertainment, Sony has this week at CES unveiled three new 3D BRAVIA TV series, most notable of which is the behemoth XBR-60LX900. The 60” full HD 1080p Edge LED backlit unit features integrated Wi-Fi and 3D functionality, Motionflow PRO 240Hz technology along with USB and DLNA connectivity Read More

Lenovo IdeaPad U1

By Paul Ridden

13:31 January 8, 2010 PST

There has been a lot of pondering about exactly which niche the tablet PC will fit into in today's tech-centric mobile world. At this year's CES trade show in Las Vegas, Lenovo hopes to answer many of those questions by merging the familiarity of a laptop and the convenience and portability of a tablet PC into one package. The main innovation in the IdeaPad U1 is a detachable tablet PC screen which has its own operating system and processor but when docked in the laptop body shares both battery and processing power. Read More

Casio Green Slim projectors - light, bright and mercury free

By Mick Webb

13:30 January 8, 2010 PST

Up until now, for a projector to pack a decent punch it has had to incorporate a high pressure lamp using mercury, which as we all know is a dirty word environmentally.

Casio has this week at CES announced the Green Slim range of mercury-free super slim high powered projectors that use a combination of LED, laser and fluorescent illumination capable of brightness up to 3000 lumens, as well as featuring wireless and USB capability. Read More

Toshiba's ZX900 Series Cell LED TV set for the US market

By Tim Hanlon

19:35 January 7, 2010 PST

The Cell microprocessor made famous by the PlayStation 3 was developed as a joint venture between Sony, Toshiba and IBM, with Toshiba taking over the majority of manufacturing duties in 2007. Toshiba plans to make the most of the Cell with a new range of Cell-powered TVs for the US market - read on to find out what 200 gigaflops can do inside a TV. Read More

Toshiba to bring E-CORE energy efficient LED light bulbs to US market

By Mick Webb

19:11 January 7, 2010 PST

Toshiba, was waving the green flag at CES this week in announcing that its E-CORE LED lightbulbs will soon be available in the US market. An E-CORE bulb has a life expectancy of 40,000 hours, which is 40 times longer than traditional incandescant lightbulbs and at the same time it reduces CO2 emissions by 85 percent in comparison. Read More

LG claims world’s thinnest LCD TV crown with 2.6mm thin 42-inch panel

By Darren Quick

20:07 December 21, 2009 PST

LG has just fired off another salvo in the ongoing battle between Japanese and Korean LCD manufacturers to claim the title of world’s thinnest LCD TV panel. The Korean company has managed to break the 3mm barrier to produce an LCD TV panel measuring just 2.6mm (0.1-inch) thin. The 42-inch panel weighs less than 4kg (8.8lb), boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution. Read More

The Bulbdial Clock - a high-tech sundial

By Mick Webb

14:57 December 14, 2009 PST

The Bulbdial Clock is an electronic take on our oldest way of telling time - the sundial. Instead of relying on shadows cast by the sun, this timepiece features three layers of colored LEDs that rotate around the clock face, casting shadows to represent the hour, minutes and seconds. Read More

Multimedia on the move - the JVC Kenwood AVENUE MDV-313 navigation system

By Mick Webb

15:03 December 6, 2009 PST

JVC and Kenwood has produced its first in-car navigation system since last years merger and it certainly offers more than directions for getting from A to B. As well as boasting virtual 3D maps and fast response times, the AVENUE MDV-313 features a 6.1” touchscreen LED backlit display, integrated DVD player and TV tuner, as well as USB and SD card slots and optional iPod connectivity. Read More

mPower Emergency Illuminator lights up after 20 years

By Jeff Salton

22:58 November 15, 2009 PST

Perhaps the best piece of advice I never got was "leave your flashlight in an obvious, easily accessible place”, because the one time you’ll really need it will be during a power outage or a blown fuse and the last thing you want at that time is wonder where the heck you put it. Oh, and keep it fully charged (you know why). While the mPower Emergency Illuminator won’t insist you keep it close by, it does have some impressive features – battery technology that will last up to 20 years (though not if you use it continuously) and a USB outlet which lets you charge other devices. Read More

Implantable Silicon-Silk electronics could mean LED tattoos

By Darren Quick

22:52 November 11, 2009 PST

Tattooing dates back to at least Neolithic times and has experienced a resurgence in popularity in many parts of the world in recent years. Advancements in tattoo pigments and the refinement of tattooing equipment has seen an improvement in the quality of tattoos being produced. Today it’s possible to get ink that glows under UV light, but a new technology could see tattoos that emit their own light. Researchers have been able to build thin, flexible silicon electronics on silk substrates that almost completely dissolve inside the body, paving the way for embedded LED tattoos that offer much more than just aesthetic appeal. Read More

The lamp that runs on free electricity – from the phone socket

By Darren Quick

22:54 November 5, 2009 PST

If you’re looking to shave every last cent off your next electricity bill then this gooseneck lamp is for you. The lamp is so energy efficient its eight white LED lights are powered by the trickle of electricity flowing from a RJ11 socket – or garden-variety telephone socket. This means that, even if you’ve fallen behind on your electricity bill and the power has been cut off, you can still enjoy some late night reading. Read More

Dosun J-1 LED safety pedal for bicycles

By Paul Ridden

16:25 October 28, 2009 PDT

Taiwan's Dosun Solar Technology has added a flashing LED bike pedal to its range of safety lighting gadgets. As well as sporting the familiar orange reflective plastic strips on the front and back, each outer corner of the J-1 Pedal Light holds four bright LEDs which start to flash when the rider begins to pedal. Read More

Award-winning ReNu personal solar-powered storage system

By Mick Webb

20:51 October 27, 2009 PDT

Solar power is being harnessed and applied in ever more interesting and creative ways, and the ReNu personal power generation and storage system is certainly no exception. The device features a freestanding modular solar panel that, once charged, can be slotted into a number of extensions to make use of the collected energy, including an iPod dock and an LED desk lamp. Read More

Acer announces Aspire One AOD250 netbook with Android and Windows XP dual-boot option

By Mick Webb

22:41 October 19, 2009 PDT

Acer has delivered on its promise to develop a netbook incorporating the Android operating system with the release of the updated Aspire One AOD250. Featuring a dual-boot option, the model operates with both Android and Windows XP. Read More

Feature: What is an LED TV?

By Jeff Salton

04:06 October 19, 2009 PDT

Buying a TV has become as complicated as selecting the right mobile phone plan. Before large flat panel displays invaded our lives, the only real question when purchasing a CRT (cathode ray tube) TV was how big did you want it and how much space did you have in your room to house it? Sure, there were some quality issues but mostly it was dictated by how many diagonal inches you could get for your buck. While some of that justification still rings true with today’s TVs, now there’s the issue of plasma versus LCD to contend with, and just when you had that sorted out, LED TVs have entered the arena as an option. However, there still seems to be a fair bit of confusion surrounding what exactly an LED TV is. Well, basically, it’s another form of LCD TV that uses LEDs to provide its light source. Read More

Toshiba's Cell Regza 55X1 is the pinnacle of LED TVs

By Jeff Salton

21:05 October 5, 2009 PDT

Toshiba has upped the ante in TV technology by unveiling its flagship model, the Cell Regza 55X1. This new 55-inch LED unit has the TV junkie in mind with many features not seen before, including the ability to record up to eight channels at once, a 3TB hard drive (record and store up to 26 hours of HD programs), a powerful processing chip identical to the one found in the PS3, a dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1, 240Hz scanning, a display divided into 512 distinct areas (each with individually-controlled lighting and luminance that deliver an industry high 1250cd/m2 – 2.5 times higher than typical TVs, and a seven-speaker sound bar. All for a lazy ¥1 million (US$11,500 approx). Read More

New advances in excitonics promise faster computers

By Dario Borghino

16:44 October 1, 2009 PDT

Much of today's research in electronics is geared towards obtaining faster computing and higher communication speeds. Researchers at UC San Diego are no exception, and have recently announced they have made another important step towards achieving exciton-based computation at room temperatures. Excitonics exploits the unique properties of excitons instead of the usual electrons, and promises much faster performance by interfacing more naturally with optical communications such as fiber optics. Read More

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