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August 25, 2009

Sony Daily Edition Reader: 3G, 7-Inch

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

It's what we thought; The Sony Daily Edition reader is Sony's first (AT&T) 3G reader with a seven-inch touch widescreen display that you can rotate to view books in landscape. It'll be available in December for $399. Updated.
But yeah, check out how crazy wide that display is. Newspaper content announcement is coming later, unfortunately—as in weeks later, not later today. Also unfortunately, Sony only brought one model and we can't touch it. And while 3G will be free, just like the Kindle, wireless access only gets you access to Sony's book store, none of the other new partnerships announced. Boooo.

One saving grace? The electronic library program: The eBook store will now have a Library Finder page, where you type in your zip and it'll take you to local library, where you can check out books from your library electronically. Books will expire in 21 days. They're taking the "virtual library" concept fairly literally here, so libraries will have to purchase licenses for each individual copy, which is loaned and returned in the same way as a physical one would be. That means a library will have a limited stock of virtual books—weird, I know—all licensed from an outside company called Overdrive. We'll have to see what the selection is like before getting too excited about this, but it's a pretty cool concept. And hey, free books!

Also, anybody else disappointed there's no Barnes & Noble partnership to really fight the Amazon book Borg?

[gizmodo]

Philips Wake-Up Light

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia



If you hate the traditional sound of the alarm clock each morning, then the $200 Philips Wake-Up Light ought to be worth a go. This device not only lets you wake up in a gentle manner using light instead of a grating alarm sound, but it also comes with an integrated iPod dock that lets you start the day with your favorite audio tracks. Whenever you want to nod off in dreamland, you can always let the light dim off slowly until you're no longer conscious of what's happening in this world, entering REM sleep.


[ubergizmo]

iPhone Racing Wheel

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


CTA digital has launched an iPhone accessory for racing games, and has launched a new steering wheel accessory for the iPhone or iPod Touch.


The iPhone racing wheel features a suction cup on the bottom so you can stick it to your desk or a table, it comes with a bunch of adapters that make it compatible with the iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G & 3GS as well as the iPod Touch and iPod Touch 2G.

There is no word on pricing or availability as yet.

[gadgettastic]

Sony PS3 Slim

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

Sony has announced the PS3 Slim, it will come with a 120GB hard drive, it is 32% smaller than the existing PS3 and 36% lighter, the existing PS3 price has also been reduced to $300 in line with the new model.

The PS3 Slim will be available from the 1st of September, and it will use 34% less power than the existing version, it will also feature a BRAVIA Sync feature that will let you control the PS3’s XMB with your Sony TV remote, and when you turn your TV off, it will automatically shut down the PS3.

[gadgettastic]

Segway's Little Sister: The eniCycle

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


The eniCycle was designed by Aleksander Polutnik and is the lovechild of a Segway and whatever the hell this tihng is. And I, for one, would totally ride it. Without a helmet. I'm bad!

The EniCycle is powered by an electric 1000 watt hub motor that you lean forward to set into motion--just like a Segway. Measuring your vertical angle 100 times a second, the gyroscopes make adjustments to help keep you balanced.

Not only would I ride the hell out of this thing, I would do it juggling bears. And not just because I'm hardcore, but because I'm classically trained for the circus. Just sayin', I can eat fire (now booking birthday parties).

Q: What did the snail riding the turtle say?
A: WHEEEEEEEE!

See the video of the uni in action.

[geekologie]

July 20, 2009

Latest E-book FLEPIA Fujitsu Gadgets Product

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

This is latest advance luxury design based E-book FLEPIA Fujitsu gadgets product are presenting much gratefully future and whole part of body is based on latest advance concept and future. And today that we have good information for those wishing to read more of your books but have no desire to take them all and Latest gadgets product has finally launched its awaited e-book color is called FLEPIA.

And I think this is while great news and that is not all good news are given that the company has announced that the FLEPIA gadgets product that will be available at the moment only in Japan and I want to say that is interested should make a short trip or request to have your new e-book.

For those who do not know the difference between this and other models and that we say that the Fujitsu FLEPIA gadgets product has a touch screen 8-inch featuring 260,000 colors and a mini USB port. One of the interesting points of this machine is its battery and that as it offer up to 40 hours of use and that can be which results in the light of 2,400 pages are according to engineers from Fujitsu in which that can be controlled with a keyboard on the screen .

[gadgetsblog]

World’s First Liquid-Cooled LED Lightbulb

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

Eternaleds today introduced their new Hydrolux-4 LED lightbulb, which is the first LED bulb in the world to use liquid-cooling technology to give true 360 degree light like a regular light bulb. The Hydrolux-4 can lower your monthly electricity bill since it only consumes 4-Watts of electricity. Each lightbulb is rated for 35,000 hours of use, meanwhile the liquid inside is harmless paraffin oil that has been tested and certified safe to UL and ROHS standards. The Hydrolux-4 LED lightbulb is currently available in “warm white” and “daylight” flavors. Video after the jump.



[techfresh]

Cell Phone with Integrated Cigarette Lighter

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


If a regular lighter is too boring for you, check out the SB6309. This cell phone is the world's first to feature an integrated cigarette lighter. Other features include: a 2.4-inch display, 1.3-megapixel camera, and dual SIM functionality

[techeblog]

June 18, 2009

First Spaceport Ever Begins Construction this Friday

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia



This newly-released image shows the sun rising over Spaceport America. It hasn't been built yet, but construction starts this Friday. It will be the beginning of the real future, the stuff dreams are made of.*

Spaceport America Spaceport America will be the first spaceport in history, and it will host commercial operations by private space travel companies, like Virgin Galactic.

If you are around, you can attend the historic groundbreaking ceremony—the first step in its construction—on Friday, June 19, 2009. Check the link for details. [Spaceport America]

[gizmodo]

The 5.11 shines at 90 lumens for 90 minutes per charge—and the manufacturers claim that it is rated for 50,000 recharges (or once per day for the next 135 years). In other words, the flashlight is rugged and produces a bright light for a practical amount of time. But the best part is that recharging only takes 90 seconds thanks to its fancy ultracapacitor energy storage system. It even has a backup 12V DC automotive charger in case the power goes out. If it works as advertised, could very well be the last flashlight you will ever need (or, at least for the 10 year maintenance-free window). Whether it will pay for its $170 price tag in battery savings over that time remains to be seen

[gizmodo]

iWear AV310 For Cinematic Experience

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

iWear AV310 Widescreen is one of its kind creation of gadget world it is an advance technology gadget unveiled recently to enjoy videos like never before. New iWear AV310 launched by Vuzix from this wonderful innovation now it is possible to enjoy cinematic experience by connecting it to your Nokia handsets, iPhone and also with other outputs.

iWear AV310 is getting more and more popularity day by day but now one competitor of this iWear AV310 is now running successfully in the market that is the Carl Zeiss Cinemizer. It provides some ultimate features it comes with wearable video display you can wear it as normal sunglasses to enjoy unlimited features provided by , iWear AV310 Widescreen. This is excellent choice to make your boring journey full of fun so with, iWear AV310 Widescreen you never feel bored. New iWear AV310 Widescreen scores in the audio department and it creates a personal media space by just wearing it

[gadgetsblog]

If I move to Tokyo, I’m definitely getting one of these little sets, even though I doubt I’ll be having guests and I’ll probably eat every day at ramen stands. Moving on from my sad fantasy, the Offi Paket is a nicely-designed little modular system that folds and unfolds to accommodate up to four people at a little dining table, yet takes up no more space than… a little dining table. The chairs (stools with duck-butts, really) fold up and go right under there. Tiny genius!

Unfortunately, they know it’s awesome, so they’re charging $500 for the table and $250 per pair of chairs. I think I’ll wait for the Ikea knockoff.

[crunchgear]

April 27, 2009

Necktie Spy Camera

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


Here is a fun spy gadget for all the James Bond fans, the Necktie Spy Camera.

The Necktie Spy Camera is the ideal accessory for your latest spy mission, you are bound to go undetected with this covert necktie, apart from the fact that everyone will realise you don’t normally wear one.

The Necktie Spy Camera features a tiny pinhole spy camera hidden in the pattern and it can record video at a 352 x 288 resolution at 12 frames per second.

The video is recorded in AVI format, and it comes with 2GB of built in memory, transferring files to your PC is easy as the nectie can be plugged directly into a USB port, and it even comes with a remote control so that you can start and stop recordings.

[gadgettastic]

Robotic Heli-Sniper Is Sadly No ROFLCopter

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

t's called the Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System. It mounts a powerful rifle onto highly stabilized turret, and fixes the package on board a Vigilante unmanned helicopter.

The system is intended for the urban battlefield -- an eye in the sky that can stare down concrete canyons, and blink out targets with extreme precision. Attempting to return fire against the ARSS is liable to be a near-suicidal act: ARSS is described as being able to fire seven to 10 aimed shots per minute, and it's unlikely to miss.

Thankfully, the system is not autonomous (yet) and relies on a ground-based pilot with AN XBOX 360-LIKE CONTROLLER to maneuver and fire. Haha, and everyone said all those hours headshotting prepubscent boys in Halo wouldn't get you anywhere! *sniff* I'm just so proud, you little army of one, you!

[geekologie]

3...2...1...: Largest Model Rocket Blasts Off

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

This is a picture of the 36-foot tall, 1,600lb beast about to take to the skies. There's a couple more pictures and a video of the launch after the jump, so be sure to check that out. But not my girlfriend, or I'll punch you in the eyes.





[geekologie]

Magic Board 47 Interactive Whiteboard

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

Mimio Korea has released its Magic Board 47 interactive whiteboard that will be accompanied by a 47" full HD LCD panel alongside Mimio Korea's very own touch sensor. This interactive whiteboard will not only display a connected desktop/notebook's screen on its surface, you will be able to write down observations or notes using an electronic pen via the Mimio Pad, a wireless tablet that has a working range of 10 meters. Mimio Korea hopes that this technology will be applied in classrooms regardless of the current level of education. Getting one isn't cheap though as the setup will cost you a cool $1,490 although you can always think of it as getting a LCD HDTV instead.

[ubergizmo]

April 24, 2009

OLPC three-in-one screen will debut next month

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

After spinning off from the OLPC project last year with that fancy dual-mode display technology in its pocket, Pixel Qi has been pretty much talk. Now there's more talk, but at least it comes with a timeline: next month. That's when Pixel Qi founder Mary Lou Jepsen believes the much-anticipated 10-inch 3Qi display should hit the scene, combining a low-power black and white mode, e-paper mode and high-resolution color LCD mode into one glorious, sunlight-readable (and hopefully outlandishly cheap) screen. They'll just be shipping samples initially, but should have the screen producing in volume sometime this summer. Mary Lou also has some big words on the future of displays, claiming that they're working on screens that act like a chip on the motherboard, saving power and improving visuals -- we're not sure what that entails, but it sounds pretty neat. She also says that "screens shouldn't be TVs," and that touch and multitouch are key. It doesn't sound like any of that is in the 3Qi, but hopefully it's all going to be ready to go for the Nick Neg crew by the time OLPC XO-2 (pictured) rolls around.

[engadget]

Braille E-Book for Visually Challenged People

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia





Braille E-book is a conceptual design of a digital and portable e-book reader, developed by Korean industrial designers. This is quite certain that by seeing the design, everyone will admire that this gadget is really necessary for reading e-books. However, e-books of Braille compatible version are not much available in the market because of the higher price. EAP is the mother technology that can develop special patterns on the plastic surface by raising those elements with an electronic signal. This unique technology used by Braille E-Book can translate the content into Braille.

[tuvie]

Sharp’s Waterproof Phone Powered by Solar

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

Sharp and KDDI to release solar-powered and waterproof phone in June. You need to put the phone under sunlight as long as 10 minutes to power the phone for 1 minute talktime or 2hrs standby mode. Can we charge this phone under water? probably not.

[trendygadget]

Earth-like planet discovered

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


Several gigantic gaseous planets have been spotted orbiting distant stars, but Planet Gliese 581 e could be the lightest planet outside our Solar System ever detected. Located 20.5 light years away from us, it's 1.9 times the mass of Earth, indicating there are probably billions of Earth-sized planets revolving around stars throughout the universe.

The only problem with this planet is that it's so close to its star, it would be uninhabitable. However, three other planets revolve around that same star, and scientists say one of them, Gliese 581 d, could be covered by a large and deep ocean. It's situated far enough away from its star to be habitable. The catch with that one: it's seven times more massive than the earth, which would make human explorers feel awfully sluggish.

These are remarkable discoveries. Now we're getting somewhere. While none of these newly discovered planets are quite right for human habitation, this is exciting news because it shows the likelihood of spotting a planet that's very much like our own. Now all we need to do is solve that pesky problem of traveling the speed of light to get to any of these places. At the speed of today's fastest space probe, to get to Gliese 581 d would take about 350,000 years.

[dvice]

Philips OLED interactive lighting concepts

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


At the Euroluce International Lighting Fair in Milan, Philips is showing world’s first OLED lighting concepts that involves human interaction. The lights are suited for both professional as well as consumer use and feature ultra flat shape and soft light effects.

Philips has created different OLED lighting concepts like standing, wall-mounted, desk-top or ceiling luminaires that use different types of interaction. The ceiling lighting, for instance, can be brightened or dimmed with a wave of the hand. Another concept shows an OLED wall that reacts to passers-by and creates a mirrored reflection of the shadows amid the lit wall making it like a glowing mirror.



[toysgadget]

April 16, 2009

'God's Hand' Spotted Using Space Telescope

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


That's right, son, spotted for the first time since like the year -5 billion: God's hand!

The image, taken by NASA's space-based Chandra Observatory telescope, shows an X-ray nebula 150 light years across.


NASA says the display is caused by a young and powerful pulsar, known by the rather prosaic name of PSR B1509-58.The finger-like structures are apparently caused by "energizing knots of material in a neighboring gas cloud," NASA says.

DAAAAMN! But seriously, God, you might want to have that pinky looked at.

[geekologie]

April 07, 2009

Humble Telescope

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


Gazing at the heavens through most telescopes really only gives you a 2D image of what’s out there. And while you might get a good idea of just how many stars and other celestial objects are in the night sky, that 2D image just doesn’t convey the actual size and vastness of the universe in which we live. But the Humble Telescope, created by design studio ENESS, provides a different star gazing experience. While it might look and feel like a traditional telescope, inside the Humble there’s actually an interactive 3D simulation of the entire known universe that you can explore by simply pointing the telescope in any direction.



[ohgizmo]

April 06, 2009

Star Wars Force Trainer in action

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

What kid hasn’t lain in bed at night and tried to transport some object to them using just the power of their mind, just to see if maybe that Force thing was actually real? I’ll admit I did. Of course nothing happened, but a new toy is designed to give players the feeling that they do have the Force flowing through them by harnessing brainwaves to "levitate" a ball.

The Star Wars licensed Force Trainer from Uncle Milton uses a wireless headset that reads alpha and beta waves via electroencephalography (EEG) technology. Alpha and Beta waves are the names given to electrical activity in the brain between 7.5 and 30Hz - depending on which classification you read - which for the purposes of the game identifies when you are relaxed and concentrated.

When the player achieves this Jedi-like state of inner calm a fan at the bottom of the unit kicks-in and a ball rises up a clear plastic tower giving the player the sense that they are indeed manipulating the Force. With a little encouragement from Yoda players then move through different levels of difficulty to achieve Jedi Master status. Given that calmness and relaxation is the winner, this is one game you would let the kids play before bed.

Gizmag’s resident Jedi Master Loz Blain got a first hand look at the Force Trainer at the Australian Toy Hobby and Nursery Fair and put his Jedi skills to the test. Check out the vid to see him in action and learn more about how the Force Trainer works from Uncle Milton's Dodd Harris.



[gizmag]

Soyuz Replacement Spaceship

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia



The BBC reports that a long overdue replacement for the Soyuz spaceship will be announced Monday. For now dubbed PPTS—Prospective Piloted Transport System—the moon-reachable ship should look like the one above.

Commissioned by Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, this PPTS would go into duty sometime towards 2020. Instead of having a measly three seats like Soyuz, the standard Earth-orbit PPTS would be able to seat six and carry 500kg of cargo, while a moon-shooting version will seat four, with room for 100kg of cargo—even on the return flight. (So, like, lots of moonrocks. Whoopee!) There would also be an unmanned version that would be able to carry 2000kg of goodness up into orbit. The crew module will be able to be reused 10 times in 15 years.

Today, the Soyuz ship serves as lifeboat for the ISS, but apparently has to be replaced every six months (cuz they fall apart!). The to-be-named PPTS will last a year in orbit, attached to the ISS or, as the BBC ominously puts it, "to a possible future Russian space station."

What, we're not always going to be friends forever who share a nice tidy space station and get along? So they lied to me at the end of Grease? Stay tuned Monday for the big unveiling.

[gizmodo]

March 17, 2009

Lenovo Pocket Yoga

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


Woo.. what do we have here? A new model from Sony? A follow-up to the VAIO P already? Um NO.

This little device is in fact from the folks at Lenovo and is currently known as the “Lenovo Pocket Yoga” (Boy I hope they change the name!) Little is known about the device – other than it appears to have a touch-enabled display. Hopefully the “Yoga” (I really want to call it “Yoda”) won’t be priced into the stratosphere like the Lifestyle VAIO P.



Here are some tidbits from the posting for your edification:

  • Called the “Pocket Yoga” because it was an extension of their other folding concept design which was inspired by the practice of yoga. The design came from one of their New Zealand –based designers
  • Shaped liked a large wallet – the system could be placed in your pocket
  • Surfaced is covered with wallet leather which is designed to be soft and comfortable
  • 360 degree soft hinge design. Supports three modes – which each mode lockable.
  • One mode was to use it in “normal angle” similar to how you might use a laptop
  • Second mode was to open it “360 degrees” – folding the top cover back on itself thereby converting the system into a tablet PC
  • Full function keyboard
  • Elegant belt which wrapped the system AND can be used as a mouse

[krunker]

SolarCats

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


This so-called solarcat is actually a solar battery. Oh, no, it is not the traditionally solar battery; instead, it is a solar powered rechargeable battery.

In order to charge the rechargeable battery, we usually have to buy an additional charger, but this one can charge itself without any extra device. Thanks to the flexible solar panels skin, this solarcat can be recharged just by bathing in the sunglight.

[inewidea]

Escaper by Sohta Mori

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia



The born of the Skyscrapers gives us the ability to escape from the stressful situations on the ground like the heavy traffic, polluted air and the like. Designer Sohta Mori has created the Escaper as an instrument to catch the escaping from the ground. This skyscraper has a twisted body avoiding direct visual contact to the ground. In addition, it has an artificial ground and every floor has its own large floating garden that definitely produces air to every floor and of course prevents the absorption of direct heat from sunlight. In addition, its twisted body adds up the beautiful look of the building accentuated with the gardens that looks very refreshing.

[igreenspot]

The Crevasse - Making of 3D Art

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


Edgar Mueller, pavement artist extraordinary, "needed 5 days to the completion of this huge picture -- together with up to five assistant he painted all day long from sun rise to set."

..illusion is reached by applying the anamorphic technique to a huge pavement painting. Around 250 square meter large this picture part of Edgar's newest project.
[techeblog]

Sony Ericsson MS500 Bluetooth Speaker System

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


What with summer rapidly approaching, bringing (hopefully) the sun into our lives for at least a few hours this year (I reside in the UK - say no more), there’ no doubt that Sony Ericsson have timed the pending launch of their new MS500 Bluetooth Speaker System particularly well.

Aimed at those looking to add their own carefully selected playlist as a little background to the up and coming summer months, the Sony Ericsson MS500 portable Bluetooth speaker system has been designed specifically for use with Sony Ericsson’s handsets but will additionally play ball by happily pairing with ‘most’ other Bluetooth handsets from other vendors (the MS500 supports A2DP and AVRCP Bluetooth profiles) and, thanks to the MS500’s durable splash proof shell should prove resilient to any accidental knocks, scrapes and spillages.

Set to become available in black and orange and white and pink color schemes, the Sony Ericsson MS500 portable Bluetooth speaker system, which is powered by 2 x AA allowing for up to five hours of tunes, should be along reasonably soon, however, at this stage, Sony Ericsson have (helpfully) not offered any official word concerning pricing or availability.

[nexus404]

iPhone 3.0 OS Guide

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia



iPhone 3.0 OS, the next generation operating system for the iPhone, iPod touch, and whatever Apple device comes next. New features, new apps, here you will find all the information you need.

NEW IPHONE OS 3.0 FEATURES

The new iPhone OS 3.0 adds over 100 new features including—at friggin' last—cut and paste.

Copy & Paste text. When you double-tap over text, you will get a "cut, copy, and paste" bubble dialog. Double-tap again and a "paste" bubble will appear if there's anything stored in your clipboard.

[gizmodo]

USB tulip hub

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


Wanna have a shining garden on your desk? Not really a real garden, but something which looks like a garden, and which will help you to add 4 Extra USB gadgets to your computer. Here we are talking about USB tulip hub, which has four high-speed USB ports. USB tulip hub is compatible with both Windows and for Mac as well.

You can get this admirable USB gadget in 22$. You can decorate your desk with 4 nice flowers and people will think you love the nature and flowers, but in real you will have 4 new USB ports for your USB gadgets and devices. And best thing about flowers is that this “flowers” don’t need water.

[latestgadgetstobuy]

E-Pod Dock

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

Here's a conceptual iPod dock that could possible make the manufacturers a ton of money if it was ever released - the E-Pod Dock that crams in a whole bunch of functionality. For instance, it plays nice with your iPhone, iPod touch and iPod classic by functioning as a speaker, movie projector and alarm clock. Regardless of its diminutive size, it still offers powerful hi-fidelity audio. We think one major problem with this concept is it cannot be too portable and ought to be within range of a power outlet at all times if you're going to take advantage of the built-in projector.

[ubergizmo]

March 14, 2009

A Vision of the Future by Microsoft

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5&showPlaylist=true&from=shared" target="_new" title="Future Vision Montage">Video: Future Vision Montage</a>

This video, which shows what Microsoft thinks await us in the next decade, was presented a few days ago by Microsoft’s Business Division president Stephen Elop at the Wharton Business Conference.

Now a lot of you will probably think that the presentation is nothing but eye candy, but in this case, I disagree. I really do think that we will be seeing this kind of technology in the next 10 to 20 years. It may not exclusively be developed by our friends at Redmond, but I’m sure they’ll introduce several products that could fit in what you just saw. I mean, they’ve already started! Just look at what they’ve done with Surface. Everything you’ve seen in the video was based around the same concept: A miniaturized version of a multi-touch table

[geeksaresexy]

Welcome to the Solar System

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia



Why was Pluto demoted? What is the Kuiper belt? Do you know your way around our galactic neighborhood? Welcome to the Solar System: At least 7 billions miles across, home to 8 planets, 166 moons, and billions of asteroids, comets, and meteorites.

[geeksaresexy]

As you're no doubt aware, it's the cute ones that can cause the most trouble. For instance, consider Toshiba's newest: ApriAttenda, pictured here at a press event at the company's lab in Kasawaki, Kanagawa prefecture, suburban Tokyo, is one meter tall, has three fingers and small CCD cameras in the palm of each hand, and can rise an additional 0.3 meters if the need should present itself. Sure, the device's ability to open refrigerator doors and lift boxes is impressive, but can we realistically believe that things will end there? Or does the permanently astonished look on its slightly Wall-E-esque visage disguise more sinister motives? You've been warned.

[robotescape]

Brother SV-100B E-Ink Reader

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

Brother also wants in on the E-ink reader bandwagon by unveiling its first model ever - the SV-100B. Dubbed as a "Document Viewer", the SV-100B comes with a 9.7" display at 1,200 x 825 resolution, making it boast double the pixels found on the recently released Kindle 2. However, resolution count along does not win the battle, as the SV-100B was not positioned to be a Kindle-killer since it has the business user's best interests at heart. Best used with PCs or mobile devices when paired via Bluetooth for content to be transferred over frequently, the Brother SV-100B will ship early this June for a yet undisclosed price.

[ubergizmo]

I-Slate Solar Powered Classroom Aid

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


The I-Slate device looks like some kind of touchscreen-capable digital photo frame, but in reality it is a stylus-controlled classroom aid that draws power from the sun thanks to the inclusion of solar panels. Unveiled at the IEEE's 125th Anniversary event on Tuesday, this LED slate aims to replace chalk slates that are being used across the world today, enabling students to learn new math skills without requiring a literate teacher around. Dr. Krishna Palem and his team at Rice University are currently working on the final iteration of the I-Slate, where it will use a "probabilistic" computer processor that makes tiny trade offs in performance in order to reap immense energy savings. Coursework can be downloaded wirelessly, while these chips will be dirt-cheap to produce compared to today's high-powered processors, making the I-Slate suitable for third world environments.

[ubergizmo]

March 06, 2009

Friday Video: Building The Millennium Falcon

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia




This incredible stop-motion LEGO video of the construction of the Millennium Falcon was submitted by David Gunstensen to a LEGO-themed video contest organized by Gizmodo. You can view the contest winners here.

[ohgizmo]

Amazon unveils Kindle 2 e-reader

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos this morning unveiled the next-generation Kindle, the company's e-reading device that first appeared in November 2007. The new Kindle improves upon the old one by making the chassis even thinner, increasing the battery life, jacking up the memory, and adding a few extra features. As expected, the chassis is exactly what we've been seeing in leaked photos, but it's surprising just how slim it is: Kindle 2 is 0.36 inches thick, half as thick as the old one. It also has 25% more battery life, said to be good for two weeks of reading without a recharge. And the 2GB of memory is a huge improvement over the 256MB in Kindle 1, letting you store up to 1,500 books onboard.

Also new is Whispersync, which uses Amazon's 3G Whispernet wireless tech to automatically sync your content between multiple Kindles (old and new) and, in the future, other wireless reading devices (iPhone, anyone?). The built-in dictionary lookup has been improved as well, with definitions of highlighted words appearing instantly at the bottom of the screen.

Interesting upgrade: The new Kindle has built-in text-to-speech, so the device can actually read to you when you want it to (say, while you're doing dishes). Unfortunately, the voice sounds like the most awful GPS you've ever heard (think the evil computer in WarGames), so you probably wouldn't want to use it for anything but the most basic of articles.

Kindle 2 will be available Feb. 24 (but Amazon's site actually estimates a March 2 ship date) for the same price as the original: $359. If you have an old Kindle and want a new one, you should order before 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 11 so you can get to the front of the line.

See for yourself just how thin the new Kindle is in the gallery below.

[dvice]

Eye-Fi wireless SD memory cards

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


Eye-Fi announces the release of two new wireless SD memory cards which let you upload videos directly from a digital camera to the PC/Web. The cards claim to be the first ever wireless memory card for digicams. Apart from automatic photo uploads, it also lets you easily upload video clips to YouTube or Flickr.

Upload your favorite content to more than 20 social networking and online photo sharing sites with the 4GB Eye-Fi Share Video and Eye-Fi Explore Video cards. Furthermore, the Eye-Fi Explore Video card also offers hotspot access at more than 10,000 Wi-Fi locations and automatically geotags photos and videos along with location information.

The magic of Eye-Fi’s new cards is that they work with the camera you already own to capture
photos and now videos

[escapenet]

Sony's Super iPod Dock Leaked Photos

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

Sony Insider has happened upon some leaked images of the CMT-Z100iR mini-sound system, which, if real, suggest this respectable-looking system has an iPod dock, CD player and USB port to complement the 20w speakers. The device also has touch panel controls, a 3.5mm audio-in jack, bass/treble adjustments, AM/FM radio and a remote control. There is no firm release date or price, though Sony Insider seems to think it will fall in the $150-$250 range, which seems pretty decent for the feature set.

[gizmodo]

Philips' transparent OLED lighting

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia

We're still looking at another 3 to 5 years of development here, but transparent OLED lighting panels are definitely on the way. This 12-centimeter prototype panel developed by Philips Research is transparent until flipping the switch for illumination. Unfortunately, the panels are currently limited in size due to complexities in the manufacturing process that necessitate a clean-room environment. Ultimately though, larger panels will replace "dumb glass" in household windows and stall dividers in trendy Germany toilets. What, haven't been to Berlin lately?

[engadget]

New Mechanical Puzzles Available Soon

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia



A new breed of mechanical puzzle is available for all of you who are tired of your Rubik's Cube, Ball or DodecaWTF. They're called MindStart Puzzles, and they would drive me freaking crazy. Possibly to the point of punching a whole through the wall and catching the neighbor fapping away in his apartment.

A new type of mechanical puzzles has been invented (and patented) by Greek-Australian Pantazis Constantine Houlis. Unlike traditional twisty puzzles (like Rubik's cube), these are based on gravity. Pyramids are placed inside a sphere, and the sphere keeps the 3D-shape defined by the pyramids, intact. The goal is to shift around the pyramids until all the corners or the sides of the 3D-shape have the same color.
[geekologie]

February 23, 2009

Afternoon Fun: The Cellphone Reunion

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia



Have fun, enjoy that video

[geeksaresexy]

Samsung solar-powered accessories

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


The Samsung Blue Earth phone is an amazing piece of technology that brings solar charging to mobile phones. However, the Korean company has bigger plans than simply fusing solar panels to the back of a handset. It intends to create an ecosystem of "green communication" with a range of accessories.

Recognizing that not every country has ready access to sunlight, a dynamo-powered charge is available to convert kinetic energy to electricity. The popular Bluetooth headset has also been given a solar makeover, though we do not know how long it takes to charge the device using the sun. These are currently concept models whose availability remains unknown at this time.

[crave]

BenQ announces its all in a nScreen

Posted by EscapeDigitalMedia


It now appears that only for China, BenQ has introduced two new PC format all-in-one. I91 models of 18.5 inches and 21.5 inches i221. The model i91 comes with a 16:9 screen with a resolution of 1366 × 768 pixels, a 210U AMD Sempron processor, ATI Radeon x1200 graphics card, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 160GB hard drive or 4GB SSD optional disk , 8GB or 16GB. Includes webcam, WiFi, USB ports, ethernet, card reader and two 2W speakers which will not be enough for a party but to one person.

Is not bad considering that it costs $ 517, available soon in Australia, Taiwan and Japan. As the model i221 is basically the same model but with the largest “novelty” that includes a handset (cordless phone style) for use with Skype or any VoIP. Be available in spring.

[gadgetsblog]