Best Gadgets World

by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 3rd 2008 at 12:40PM
It looks like Canon’s laid claim to not one but two “world’s first” titles today, with it rolling out the world’s first WUXGA LCOS in the form of the REALiS WUX10 and the world’s first PictBridge compatible with its new REALiS SX80 (also LCOS-based). In addition to a 1920 x 1200 resolution, the REALiS WUX10 also boasts 3,200 lumens of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and some of Canon’s propriety features like its AISYS (Aspectual Illumination System) Optical Engine, which promises to maximize the performance of the LCOS panels. The REALiS SX80, on the other hand, takes things down to a still decent SXGA+ resolution, along with 3,000 lumens of brightness, a 900:1 contrast ratio, and that aforementioned USB / PictBridge connectivity. Both models also boast just about all the ports you could want, including DVI, HDMI and component, as well as that all-important built-in 1W speaker. As you might have guessed, neither of them come cheap, although at $3,999, the SX80 is a relative bargain compared to the WUX10’s $12,999 price tag.

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Filed under: Displays

Western Digital has taken the wraps off their new Scorpio Black notebook hard drive lineup. The 2.5-inch drives range from 80 up to 320GB in capacity, providing a wide variety for every type of laptop user.  The drives spin at a speedy 7,200RPM and sport 16MB of cache. Both of these things in conjunction, provide for speedy drive in just about any situation. The entire Scorpio Black lineup connects through a 3GB/s SATA connection.

This large, quick data storage device is brought to you by WD’s IntelliSeek and SecurePark Technologies. IntelliSeek uses optimal seek speeds for lower power consumption. SecurePark parks the read/write heads during low power idle mode. There are two versions of the drives; those with and those without free-fall sensors, which lock up the drive when immediate impact or a free-fall is detected in order to better protect your data. The Scorpio Black hard drives top out at $250 for the 320GB model.

Via [SlashGear]

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Xceive Corporation has just released news that their next generation of Pinnacle PCTV HD Stick and Pinnacle HD Pro Stick product families will feature the XC5000 chip inside for a higher degree of performance without burdening the consumer with a more expensive price tag. To find out more on how the XC5000 is able to offer such promise, head on after the jump.

Xceive’s industry-leading XC5000 hybrid tuner brings excellent receiver sensitivity and a superior feature set optimized for Pinnacle’s next generation of PCTV tuner applications. The XC5000 provides the ultimate viewing experience by ensuring HD-quality images via analog and digital TV reception, along with clear QAM reception for unencrypted digital cable TV broadcasts. Due to the XC5000’s robustness of reception, Pinnacle PCTV HD Stick users can tune into their favorite channels and view crisper, sharper images regardless of their location from the transmitter. In addition, the XC5000 offers stereo FM radio reception within the Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick to expand the multimedia experience.

According to Joern Lembke, Director of Product Management TV Viewing Group at Pinnacle, “With the XC5000’s performance, sensitivity, innovative features and high-performance A/V reception, our customers can simply plug the Pinnacle PCTV HD Stick into their PC and be able to experience HD quality TV reception at home or on the go. The XC5000 empowered us to enhance Pinnacle’s best-selling PCTV HD tuner line for consumers demanding the best digital TV has to offer on their PC or mobile laptops.”

You can forget about 1080p support though, as the XC5000 supports optimized reception quality for TV viewers with digital HDTV resolutions up to 1080i only. Still, that is a vast improvement compared to standard definition, so I have nothing much to complain about over here. In addition, the new line of tuners come bundled with Pinnacle TVCenter Pro software, offering PVR capabilities that make it a snap to to watch, TimeShift and record SD and HDTV programming.

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by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 3rd 2008 at 4:14PM It’s not quite shooting for the world’s smallest title, but Foxconn’s new PD-S2900 DLP projector will certainly turn quite a few heads nonetheless, with it boasting a form factor of just 4 x 3.6 x 1.4 inches and a weight just under a pound. That’ll still give you an SVGA resolution though, along with a whopping 55 lumens of brightness and an apparently decently-sized image from a few feet away. No word on a price just yet, but you can look for this one to hit Taiwan sometime in the third quarter of this year.

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Filed under: Displays

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 3rd 2008 at 11:00AM
Not like we weren’t totally expecting this or anything, but Canonical has chosen Computex as the expo where it will officially showcase Ubuntu Netbook Remix. Hailed as a “reworked desktop image of Ubuntu built specifically for a new category of portable internet-centric devices,” the operating system will probably not be too foreign for those familiar with the standard Ubuntu Desktop Edition. We are told that this flavor will feature a launcher that enables users to “get online more quickly and have faster access to their favorite applications,” and that it “leverages Moblin technologies optimized for the Intel Atom processor.” Unfortunately, devices pre-loaded with UNR aren’t apt to ship until “later in 2008,” though OEMs interested in getting in while there is still room on the bandwagon are encouraged to hit up Canonical. Full release waiting after the jump.

Gallery: Canonical makes Ubuntu Netbook Remix official at Computex

Canonical Showcases Ubuntu® Netbook Remix at Computex

Canonical Now Delivers for OEMs a Rapid Route to Market For Netbooks Powered by an Intel® Atom™ Processor

Computex, Taiwan June 3, 2008: Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu®, today announced that it will be demonstrating a reworked desktop image of Ubuntu built specifically for a new category of portable Internet-centric devices – netbooks. These affordable, power-efficient, small screen devices, based on the ground breaking low-power micro-architecture of the Intel® Atom™ processor, and Ubuntu allow consumers to enjoy email, instant messaging, Internet surfing and on-line access to photos, videos or music with an affordable, reliable device.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix is built to provide a superb user experience leveraging Ubuntu’s reputation for delivering operating systems that ‘just work’ in the desktop environment. The remix is based on the standard Ubuntu Desktop Edition but with a launcher that allows users to get on-line more quickly and have faster access to their favourite applications. Ubuntu Netbook Remix will enable device manufacturers to get to market rapidly with a compelling software solution on netbooks, as they have a standard user interface (UI) that is built on a widely used operating system underpinned by a globally recognised brand. Canonical is also working with ISVs to ensure that popular desktop applications are certified on Ubuntu, and will run on the Ubuntu Netbook Remix.

Canonical is already working with a number of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to deliver the software into the market on devices later in 2008. Demonstration versions will be available at Computex.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix leverages Moblin technologies optimized for the Intel Atom processor. Intel and Canonical are working to create a next generation computing experience across a new category of affordable Internet-centric, portable devices; including Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), netbooks, nettops and embedded devices based on Intel Atom processor technology. Canonical is a founding contributor to Moblin and will continue to work with Intel to ensure the best open source applications become available to users and OEMs through Moblin.

“Our goal is to deliver a superb user experience while making it simple and cost-effective for device manufacturers to be able to bring their devices to the consumer marketplace,” explained Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu. “Ubuntu has in a very short period transformed the perception of the Linux desktop experience. Many more people will experience Linux for the first time through these devices so working with Canonical, using our UI and leveraging software from the Moblin project is the best way to ensure the netbook experience is a success.”

“At Intel, we see netbooks as an opportunity to expand basic Internet usage throughout the world through simple and affordable devices for consumers,” said Doug Fisher, vice president, Software and Solutions Group for Intel. “The combination of Ubuntu Netbook Remix with Moblin technologies optimized for the Intel Atom processor will deliver a good Internet and media experience on Intel-based netbooks.”

Availability: OEMs looking to ship Ubuntu Netbook Remix should contact netbooks@canonical.com.

About Canonical Ltd
Canonical Ltd, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, is a global organisation headquartered in Europe, committed to the development, distribution and support of open source software products and communities. World-class 24×7 commercial support for Ubuntu is available through Canonical’s global support team and partners. Since its launch in October 2004, Ubuntu has become one of the most highly regarded Linux distributions with millions of users around the world.

Ubuntu will always be free to download, free to use and free to distribute to others. With these goals in mind, Ubuntu aims to be the most widely used Linux system, and is the centre of a global open source software ecosystem. For more information visit www.canonical.com or www.ubuntu.com.

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Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

By “Eee”, we don’t mean that this new Asus SP-BT23 Bluetooth speaker was made for the Eee PC. Of course it wouldn’t work with the Eee PC, be it the 701 or 901 models, simply because this is a wireless Bluetooth speaker. But if you are one of those tech geeks who managed to install a Bluetooth receiver in their Eee PC or if you are waiting for the Eee PC 1000 which fully supports Bluetooth connectivity, then this speaker would work with those Eee PCs.

So, why are we calling this baby the Eee speaker by the way? Because talking about its design, the SP-BT23 is stylishly designed in white and compact size which makes it, easy to carry, easy to share and has an excellent audio quality. OK, we would have to admit that the last E didn’t come out to well. But hey, this speaker should be capable of giving out excellent sound even while on the go thanks to its 2W power and a frequency response of 150Hz ~ 20KHz. In addition, the SP-BT23 speaker measures only 6.69 x 4.86 x 2.13-inches and weighs just 14.11-ounces. So, that takes care of the portability concerns.

As the SP-BT23 was just launched during Computex, Asus has not released pricing information or release date yet.

Read [Asus]

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by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 3rd 2008 at 9:59AM
Look, we’ve always been fans of these low-cost ultra-portable computers which Intel dubbed “netbooks” long after they debuted. However, we never really saw them as anything more than a niche device. A niche initially filled by the not-quite $200 Eee PC much to the delight (and surprise) of ASUS. The success was in large part driven by the price (less than $300) and network centric design (small SSD, fast boot, simple OS, and WiFi) of these 7-inch ultra-portable laptops. Today, however, everything changed. Specs are on the move upward with pricing now firmly at $500 and beyond — retail ground currently held by full-featured, 15-inch, entry-level laptops from Dell and others.

So we ask you, dear readers, do you have a fistful of Benjamins ready to throw at a new Atom-based netbook or do you see today’s flurry of announcements as a bunch of nonsense driven by manufacturers who’ve taken their eyes off the collective ball?

Netbook or Schmetbook?

Go back to the original Eee PC formula with a small SSD, Linux, sub-$300 price tag, better battery management and Atom CPU and I’m soldYou talkin’ crazy Engadget, $500 is chump change for the power and ultra-portability offered by these new netbooksNo thanks, I’m picking up a full-featured laptop for the same priceVote

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I suppose that whoever came up with the name of the Mimique was probably looking for some fancy way of saying mimic. The Mimique concept cellular phone from RKS certainly “mimics” several aspects of both old-school and contemporary cellular phones.

As far as old school goes, the Mimique phone has the distinctive shape of those ten-year-old phones, down to that side antenna that hopefully did something.

As for the newest design influences, the Mimique has full touchscreen capability. One of the reasons why RKS designers decided to go with the old-school shape was they thought the iphone and ipod touch looked too much alike. They wanted to make a touchscreen phone that actually looked like a phone, not some other mobile device.

The Mimique is also designed to be sleek, compact enough “to fit comfortably into your hand and slip easily into a pocket”.

Another outstanding feature is its open-source software that makes the Mimique easily upgradeable. Apparently, you won’t have to buy the newest version of the Mimique when a new feature comes out. You just download it onto your phone easily.

The user also has the option for downloading certain “skins” in order to personalize the graphics interface. It also comes in a variety of very cool colors.

The Mimique is still in concept phase as of now, but there has been a lot of hullabaloo about it on other blogs. It probably won’t be long before you can purchase it.

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With everyone constantly having gadgets at hand that all tell the time, mainly cellphones, it seems a bit ridiculous to wear a watch anymore.  That is unless you feel the need to make a fashion statement that says you’re so smart you can read a watch that is nothing more than scribbles.  I actually had to minimize the window with the photo of the watch because I felt hypnotized by it.  I just kept staring at it trying to see the point in a watch that would be so obnoxious to read you would end up ripping your hair out.

Jackson Pollock designed this and named it “Ora Unica” which translates into one hour.  I am assuming he gave it that name because that is how long it takes to read the thing, one hour.  From staring at it for so long I get how it works, the end of the swirly lines are the hands.  It is also fairly logical to assume that is is about 11:40 on the watch.  However, that still has to be one of the most frustrating watches to read.  Part of me enjoys the aspect that you would look brilliant just glancing at this watch and spouting off the time.  I, however, would be the genius that took ten minutes to read their own watch.

Source:  SlipperyBrick

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While it might seem like a no-brainer for every one to own a cell phone, it would be impossible for that to actually happen since cell phones aren’t exactly too friendly to those who suffer from poor eyesight, a fading memory and even those who have problems when it comes to remembering number sequences. This is where the telephone accessory known as FotoDialer comes in. The FotoDialer specifically targets senior citizens, aiming to help them regain use of their home telephone without having to know or remember the number to dial. How does it work, exactly? Well, for starters, this innovative device is able to connect to virtually any home telephone. Users will then thumb through one of a half dozen pages of photographs for the desired place to call. In order to place a call automatically courtesy of the FotoDialer, the user has but to touch a button next to the photograph of the person or place. Pretty simple, no?

Here’s a testimony on the effectiveness of the FotoDialer if you’re still a skeptic. According to Moana W., an early user of the FotoDialer, “We installed the FotoDialer for my elderly in-laws. Grandpa takes care of Grandma, who is very forgetful. When Grandpa fell, Grandma was able to get to the phone, use the FotoDialer and get help. She said if she hadn’t had the FotoDialer, she would have been unable to remember numbers and (was) too shaky to dial the phone. FotoDialer has literally been a lifesaver.”

After all, when it comes to seniors, falls are often one of the main causes that result in serious injuries, and the FotoDialer certainly takes away the stress of trying to remember just which number to call in case of an emergency. The FotoDialer is able to accommodate up to 24 wallet-sized (2″ x 3″) pictures. Thankfully, the buttons beside each picture are large enough for even Incredible Hulk to press deftly.

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