Best Gadgets World

Posted Jan 31st 2008 5:43AM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. gadgetsCarbon nanotubes have a ton of promise, and we’ve seen a lot of prospective applications for the tech, but researchers at Stanford, working with Toshiba, have managed to demonstrate the first use of nanotubes in chips that run at commercially-viable speeds. The chip features 256 ring oscillators and packs over 11,000 transistors in just one hundredth of a square inch. When wired with the nanotubes and powered up, the chip ran at speeds between 800MHz and 1.06GHz — not desktop speeds, to be sure, but still promising. The team says that while the experiment bodes well for the future, we shouldn’t expect any direct applications yet — but you know we’re dreaming of tiny implantable supercomputers anyway.

Nowadays, every gadget is trying to be a multi-tasker. Take the iphone - it’s trying to be a portable computer, a music and video player and a phone (amongst other things). Not to be outdone, Garmin just presented the teeming throng of gadget hounds with the nuvifone, a cellphone that is also a GPS. Here is how nuvifone is being described: “[nuvifone] is the breakthrough product that cell phone and GPS users around the world have been longing for — a single device that does it all” No mention of the fact that there are many other options out there to do that, but I’ll reserve judgment on this device until it gets some use.

The nuvifone doesn’t have many details out yet, but is slated to be released in the 3rd quarter of 2008. Here’s a list of features:

• Google local search
• Garmin Online services - traffic, weather, fuel prices, hotel discounts, etc.
• n vi-like navigation on the road or in pedestrian mode
• Email, text, IM functions
• Camera, video camera, MP3 and MPEG4/AAC

However, it brings up an interesting point when it comes to GPS devices: they’re being viewed more and more as one-trick ponies or mono-tasking devices and unless they innovate (and pack in a few more features into the one package), it’s going to be really hard for any GPS maker to survive in the coming years. Chip are getting small enough that soon every phone will have a GPS – just like they (almost) all have Bluetooth. That’s just they way technology is.

But jumping on the cellphone bandwagon won’t be enough to guarantee their survival. Just look at how Motorola is struggling. There are ways to delay the point where phones will take over: larger displays, better design, faster computing. But in the end GPS makers will be squeeze from two sides: GPS car integration and GPS phone integration.

I guess we’ll see how this irons out.

[Garmin via Gizmodo] and Ubergizmo

JVC is a name often associated with consumer electronics of all shapes and sizes, and I must say that their line of camcorders have been pretty impressive to date. What does JVC has on offer this time round? For starters, you will be able to choose from the new JVC GZ-HD6 and GZ-HD5 HD camcorders which JVC claims are 45% smaller than their previous high end HD camcorder, the GZ-HD7. Not only does it come in a smaller package (that’s nearly half the original size, I can’t believe it myself!), you won’t find JVC taking the easy way out by sacrificing the image quality found on either new models - to do so would be sacrilegious.

Some of the new features found on both HD camcorders include a FUJINON HD lens, a progressive scan 3CCD imaging system and JVC’s very own HD Gigabrid engine that delivers 1920 x 1080 Full HD recording. Not only that, both purchases will come with 1080p 60 frame per second output via HDMI 1.3 with x.v.Color. All that might sound like gibberish to the average consumer, but to put it plainly in layman’s terms, these technologies, when cobbled together into a single device, results in the capture and maintenance of optimum image quality for videos and stills through every stage, from the lens on through to recording.

The JVC GZ-HD6 comes with a 120GB hard drive while its smaller sibling, the GZ-HD5 has half that storage capacity. The former will be able to hold up to 10 hours of video, so with some mental arithmetics, it makes perfect sense that the GZ-HD5 can store a maximum of 5 hours of video - you might pooh pooh at the recording time, but remember that these memories are all stored in full HD, so your grandkids will be able to laugh at all the lines you have accumulated on your face many years from now. Either one comes with a microphone input and a wide range of manual controls for easier recording. The black color JVC GZ-HD6 and silver color GZ-HD5 will be available this March for $1,399.99 and $1,199.99 respectively.

Press Release

The Helio Mysto by Samsung is a slim slider phone offering a 2 megapixel camera as well as the following features:

* CDMA 800/1900MHz
* EV-DO
* 2.2″ 262k color TFT, 240×320 pixel resolution
* Video Record/Playback
* MMS/SMS/IM
* POP/IMAP/SMTP
* Bluetooth 2.0
* 100MB Memory
* microSD card slot
* Speakerphone
* built-in GPS receiver
* HTML web browser

Via MobileBurn.

I find it amusing how our phones now have more ways of interacting with them than just buttons. Accelerometers, touchscreens, proximity sensors, all make our experience with our phones a bit more interactive. Now we see the introduction of ShakeSMS, an app developed by a keen user, that employs the accelerometer in the Nokia S60 to interact with the phone. Instead of unlocking the device, then navigating to through menus to read a new text message, the user simply has to shake the device to read the message, and shake it again to close and lock the phone. This app is still being developed and lacks a UI, and is not currently available to the public, but still an innovative way to interact with a device. Check out this video to see the application in action.

Read [Symbian-Freak]

Posted Jan 30th 2008 8:12PM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: cellphones, Features, GPS
We’re not sure it was a real great idea on Garmin’s part to put its new smartphone / GPS / iphone wannabe in a darkly lit room, on a bright pole, with a shiny globe around it… but hey, it’s not our company. Needless to say, it was pretty difficult to get a shot of this thing, and impossible to get it in our hands. Imagine if the Samsung Blackjack was all screen, and you can pretty much get an idea of what this little guy is like in person. Check the gallery below for our attempt at photos.

Gallery: Hands-off with Garmin’s nuvifone

Gateway has offered up two new computers, the GM5664 and GT5662. Both models are powered by an AMD Phenom processor with an NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE chipset and ATI Radeon HD 2400XT for graphics.

The GM5664 comes with the Hybrid-SuperMulti drive that will allow for playback of both Blu-ray and hd dvd movies along with an analog/digital TV tuner. It features 3GB RAM, 1TB of storage via two 500GB drives, 400 watt power supply, six USB ports, a 15-in-1 card reader and is running Windows Vista Home Premium. The GT5662 includes 3GB RAM, a 500GB hard drive and a 18x SuperMulti drive. Similar to the GM5664 it also has six USB ports, a 15-in-1 card reader and runs Windows Vista Home Premium. The GM5664 and GT5662 both include a Windows Elite multimedia keyboard and Windows USB optical 2-button wheel mouse, neither ship with a display.

The GM5664 will retail for $1149.99 and the GT5662 will retail for $749.99, both are currently available.

Read [Gateway]

I remember when I was in Jr. High. My PE teacher needed me to take something to the office. He didn’t have a hall pass handy, so he wrote it on the palm of my hand. How many of us have written down brief notes on our hands so as not to forget them? Now there’s a clever To-Do Tatoo which puts a to-do list where you’ll never lose it.

From a fun company called FRED, the dozen or so To-Do forms can be applied to your body anywhere you want it, and it also includes a skin-safe, washable-ink gel pen. Other cool items they sell include the “Cool Shooters Shot Glass Mold,” “Ice Kabob Swizzle Sticks,” “Chopstick Kids” (chopsticks for kids), a hub cap shaped flying disc called the Studebarker, and the “Batter Finger,” which is a handy silicone spatula in the shape of a finger so testing of the cake batter can ensue without sticking a dirty finger in the mix.

But my favorite? A watch with the face of the Almighty called “Jesus, look at the time!” Most of Fred products seem to be very kid friendly and run under $20. Many are also available at online retailers including Amazon.com

Posted Jan 30th 2008 3:01PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Transportation It’s been awhile since we heard anything about the HumanCar, but it looks like the Flintstones-inspired vehicle is now rapidly becoming a reality, with it finally getting a price, release date and a even slightly sleeker new look. Apparently now more specifically known as the Imagine LMV, the vehicle will appropriately be available this coming Earth Day (April 22nd), when it’ll set you back a hefty $15,000 for the “base” model. For that price you’ll apparently get a top speed of 30 mph from the vehicle’s dual electric motors and, most importantly, “variable human power input,” which should soon make you the most popular member of your car pool group. If that’s not enough luxury for you, you’ll also apparently be add various navigation and internet options, iPod connectivity, and various biometric devices to see just how much of a workout you’re getting.

Apple announced today that the AppleTV “take 2” update will be delayed. According to Apple the new “software will be available as a free automatic download to all Apple TV customers within two weeks.” Of course we were told two weeks during Macworld which would have meant yesterday. While its not a reason to hold off on purchasing an AppleTV, it is annoying to those of us who cannot wait to start renting HD movies.

Read [Apple]