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Golden-i Bluetooth headset with virtual PC display
By Darren Quick
23:04 May 11, 2009 PDT
Mobile phones and laptop computers have made traditional 9-to-5 workdays a thing of the past for many workers. That ability to work from any location, however, can be a double-edged sword. The flexibility to be freed from the office also means that work is increasingly encroaching on people’s recreation time, as they find they are never really off the clock. That situation looks set to worsen, or improve, depending on your perspective, with the introduction of the Golden-i from Kopin Corporation. The Golden-i is a Bluetooth headset that provides a 15-inch virtual display with a hands-free, natural-speech-recognition interface for wireless remote control over a range of devices including mobile phones, PCs, company networks and wireless systems. Read More
Seagate Replica promises simple PC backup
By Mick Webb
19:33 April 30, 2009 PDT
It is no secret that we are increasingly dependent on digital information as hard drives replace cupboards full of photo albums, racks of CD’s and boxes of files. But with this convenience comes a danger - one which an estimated one third of consumers ignore by failing to back up their files according to research cited by Seagate in releasing its new continuous backup solution - Replica. Read More
PS3 Wireless Controller Keyboard from Blaze
By Darren Quick
22:31 April 29, 2009 PDT
The PS3’s recent 2.70 firmware update saw the capability for in-game text chat for 16 people at a time added to the console, a function that can be accessed via Sony’s QWERTY Wireless Keypad. Anyone balking at Sony’s USD$50 asking price might want to check out an alternative - though not quite as slick - option from video game accessory manufacturer Blaze. Read More
Ultrasound images a snap with a smartphone
By Darren Quick
23:56 April 27, 2009 PDT
Looks like smartphones are getting even smarter. We can already access our email, GPS navigate and use a wide range of business document formats, making them an integral part of a business person’s day. Now doctors might soon be packing a smartphone alongside their stethoscopes. Computer engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have coupled a smartphone with USB-based ultrasound probe technology to produce a mobile imaging device that fits in the palm of a hand. Read More
Greener computers talk in their sleep
By Darren Quick
23:48 April 27, 2009 PDT
Computers are often left running so they stay connected to a network or the Internet – be it to ensure remote access, availability for virus scans and backup, maintaining presence on instant messaging (IM) or voice-over-IP (VoIP) networks, or for file sharing and downloading. Although such tasks mean the PCs are relatively idle, they remain in awake mode and draw more power than they really need. Now computer scientists at UC San Diego and Microsoft Research have created a plug-and-play hardware prototype for personal computers that induces a new energy saving state known as "sleep talking", which provides much of the energy savings of sleep mode and some of the network-and-Internet-connected convenience of awake mode. Read More
Bluetooth 3.0 goes to 24 Mbps via 802.11
By Darren Quick
22:25 April 21, 2009 PDT
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has officially launched the Bluetooth 3.0 + HS specification, which ups the transfer rate from a top speed of 3 Mbps for the current 2.0 + EDR standard to a rate of 24 Mbps. The SIG says latest iteration of the popular short-range wireless technology will enable the high-speed transmission of large amounts of data such as photos, music and even video between devices and has attracted interest from not only computer and mobile phone manufacturers, but also television manufacturers. The new Bluetooth 3.0 gets its speed from the 802.11 radio protocol with the inclusion of the 802.11 Protocol Adaptation Layer (PAL) providing increased throughput... Read More
The USB card reader with a twist or two
19:33 April 15, 2009 PDT
The clever folk at Brando have come up with a card reader reminiscent of Rubik's Cube. Okay, the USB 270° x 270 Cubic Card Reader doesn't offer the color or mind-addling challenge, but it does twist. And it's something novel to sit next to your computer. Read More
Gigabyte gets all touchy-feely and swively with new touchscreen netbook tablet
By Darren Quick
18:11 April 15, 2009 PDT
Gigabyte’s T1028 manages to straddle a few categories with its netbook size and specs, touchscreen capabilities and rotating screen, which gives the netbook a tablet look and feel. The new model sports a 10.1-inch WSVA 1024 x 600 display, while under the hood beats an Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, Intel 945GSE graphics chipset, 1GB RAM (expandable to 2GB) and 160GB SATA HDD. Read More
Cuman personal tracking devices for persons, pets or products
By Darren Quick
00:09 April 14, 2009 PDT
While Orwell’s 1984 suggested that human surveillance and tracking would be an integral part of a dystopian future, the reality looks to be quite different, with people quickly embracing GPS technology and the myriad of uses such technology provides. The last few years has seen a range of tracking devices that use GPS to keep track of everything from products and pets to loved ones. The latest player to enter the field is South Korea electronics company Cuman with its range of tracking devices, which picked up the Editor’s List Award recently at CeBIT 2009. Read More
New Samsung TV range promises to change the way we watch TV
By Darren Quick
23:13 April 13, 2009 PDT
Late last month Samsung announced the launch of a new LED TV category of flat-panel TVs that the company says marks a "transformative" moment in the TV industry, promising to revolutionize the way we watch TV. No, that doesn’t mean we’ll be standing on our heads or hanging from the rafters to get our TV fix. What has Samsung excited is the inclusion of a number of networking features that are designed to allow easy access to information and content either on the internet or stored on a PC. Read More
FON shares the love with the new La Fonero 2 router
By Mick Webb
21:19 April 12, 2009 PDT
FON, the world’s largest Wifi community, continue their ethos of give and take with the release of the La Fonera 2 router. The self-confessed “hippie-love-in” style products work as such – a user purchases the router and once connected to the internet, gives away a small part of their bandwidth via a second public facing connection. This network can be accessed for free by other FON owners. In return for this show of generosity the user can then access other FON hotspots anywhere in the world. This latest addition also boasts Bit Torrent and Network Storage capabilities. Read More
Flip Mino HD hits UK shores
By Jamilah Le
03:26 April 10, 2009 PDT
The HD version of the diminutive Flip Mino camcorder has reached UK shores following its release in the US last November. The three ounce Flip MinoHD happens to be the smallest and possibly the simplest high definition camcorder in the world, with one touch recording and a 4GB internal memory (upgraded from 2GB) that's good for 60 minutes of 720p video. Read More
ViBook expands screen real-estate via USB
22:27 April 5, 2009 PDT
We've previously written at length about the productivity benefits associated with multiple desktop screens and the latest offering to cross our desk in this arena is the ViBook from Village Tronic. Bundled with its exclusive desktop managing software, this device allows the user to extend their desktop onto five additional screens, utilizing the USB port instead of the DVI socket on the back of your graphics card. Read More
LG's 2009 Audio/Visual range: connectivity, convergence and clean, clear interfaces
By Loz Blain
23:16 April 2, 2009 PDT
LG's latest Audio/Visual offerings are moving down the path of connectivity and convergence, and delivering some very nice user interfaces. LG's new "Technology Design Centre" made its debut at the Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix on the weekend where the Korean company introduced its PS80 big-screen plasma "Time Machine" TV, with built-in hard drive and digital video recording, its YouTube-capable super-fast BD370 Blu-ray player, its HB954WA 1000w home theatre 5.1 system, tuned by Mark Levinson and featuring wireless rear speakers, and the LH50, an ultra-quick 200hz LED-backlit LCD TV that intelligently adjusts picture controls according to the ambient light conditions in the room. Read More
Crayola goes digital
By Darren Quick
21:04 March 30, 2009 PDT
Crayola is a name that conjures up happy childhood memories for generations of kids – or former kids. Although the Crayola brand is synonymous with crayons and other assorted ‘coloring implements’, that hasn’t stopped them embracing the digital age with a range of colorful electronic toys designed to combine learning with fun. Gizmag got the low down on the latest from the company at the recent Australian Toy Hobby and Nursery Fair. Read More
USB cup warmer a hot little number
By Mick Webb
20:48 March 29, 2009 PDT
The humble USB device has come a long way in a short time and over the years we have seen the technology used to power a growing array of peripherals from weather stations to personal aroma diffusers, now a device that will heat things up around the office - literally - the USB cup warmer. Read More
Western Digital increases MyBook HDD's capacity to 2TB
By Darren Quick
19:52 March 26, 2009 PDT
With people’s hoarding of digital media, both legal and illegal, reaching epidemic proportions, capacities of storage devices to store all this digital goodness have steadily increased. Probably the most popular means of storing large amounts of data has been external hard drives. They are portable, relatively cheap and offer a fuss free way to increase a system’s storage capacity. So in an inevitable move Western Digital has expanded its My Book family of external hard drives to include a 2 TB capacity, the largest available capacity in a single-drive system. Read More
ASUS Eee PC 1000HE boasts 9.5 hour battery life
By Darren Quick
19:57 March 25, 2009 PDT
Asus have launched the latest addition to their Eee PC line, the Eee PC 1000HE, that comes equipped with the new Intel Atom N280 processor and boasts a battery life of 9.5 hours thanks to the incorporation of Asus’ Super Hybrid Engine (S.H.E) battery conservation technology. Read More
Dell Adamo claims world's thinnest laptop crown
By Darren Quick
22:54 March 17, 2009 PDT
And the world’s thinnest laptop for this month is…. the new Dell Adamo! Yes folks we have a new claimant to the world’s thinnest laptop title with dimensions of 13.03 x 9.5 x 0.65-inches and Dell pointing out that, at its thickest point, the new Adamo is thinner than any other laptop. Taking a leaf out of Apple’s book, the new laptops are chassis milled from a single piece of aluminum featuring precision detailing and a scalloped backlit keyboard and feature a high definition edge-to-edge glass display. Of course when thin is in, traditional platter HDD’s are out, so the Adamo laptops sport a 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD) as standard, as well as Draft-Wireless N, Bluetooth 2.1m 2 USB ports, a USB/eSATA combo port, Display Port, RJ-45 port and up to 5+ hours of battery life based on preliminary lab testing. The units also feature a 13.4-inch 16:9 HD display and come with Windows Vista Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit. Read More
Innovative ‘caseless’ computer housing concept from BMW
By Darren Quick
21:43 March 15, 2009 PDT
Although obviously best known for its cars and motorbikes, BMW also creates yachts, aircraft and trains, and has now turned its design expertise to a computer gaming tower with the ‘Level 10’ concept for Thermaltake, a manufacturer of computer housings and components for individually configurable high-end computers. Read More
LaCie takes USB keys literally
By Darren Quick
00:53 March 10, 2009 PDT
As portable USB drives have gone forth and multiplied across the planet they have evolved into all sorts of different shapes and sizes. We’ve seen credit card shaped drives and even coin shaped drives and all varieties in between. Now LaCie has announced a range of USB drives designed to appear right at home on your key-ring. Read More
OWC updates Quad Interface external Blu-ray drive range to 8x
By Matt Kennedy
22:16 February 26, 2009 PST
Other World Computing (OWC), known to many of us as macsales.com, has added an 8x Blu-ray drive to the Mercury Pro external Blu-ray/SuperDrive line - currently the only “Quad Interface” (FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, & eSATA) equipped Blu-ray drives on the market. Read More
Australian telco declares world record network speed of 21Mbps
By Darren Quick
01:12 February 17, 2009 PST
Australia’s Telstra was tooting its horn last night at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with news its Telstra Next G network was declared the world’s fastest national mobile broadband network by the Guinness World Records with speeds of 21Mbps. Read More
How to install Windows 7 on an IdeaPad S10 (or other netbook) without a DVD drive
By Tim Hanlon
18:35 February 8, 2009 PST
So you want to install the Windows 7 beta on your IdeaPad S10, or another netbook without an optical drive. A Google search will turn up hundreds of guides, but we've read nearly all of them, and they either assume you have access to a Windows Vista machine, are needlessly complicated, or just plain don't work. This guide might not have pretty pictures guiding you along the way, and you'll need to deal with a command prompt, but hey - it works. Read More
iDrive portable HDD provides online backup option
By Darren Quick
21:27 February 5, 2009 PST
In the days of yore people were forced to backup their precious data on floppy disks, CDs or magnetic tape. Nowadays people looking to protect data have a much wider and more convenient range of options. The iDrive gives users that little extra bit of security by combining portable hard drive and online backup in on package. Read More
matthew.rings
- November 9, 2009 @ 01:28 UTC
