Archives for February 2008

Mobile Phone’s with Blu-Ray?

Vmedia Spice phone and discs
Just as you thought your phone had every feature crammed inside it’s little case, a company has to come along and say “hold on, there’s no Blu-Ray in that phone yet”. Vmedia have created an amazing 32mm diameter optical disc that can fit a full feature length movie on to it in 576p resolution. The tiny optical disc is to be found inside a small cartridge in a similar way to Sony’s Mini Disc (but smaller) and it uses blue laser technology. The capacity of the first single layer discs will be 1GB and this will be doubled to 2GB when the dual layer version becomes available which is expected to be in 2009.

Vmedia have made the whole system be available as a package to mobile phone manufacturers. The component is easy to integrate and is designed to be used in mobile phone, hence, it can be beaten up, dropped and should still function. Power for the device shouldn’t be a concern as it has been designed with low power consumption in mind. Later in 2008 a newer 2nd gen player will be launched which will be just 9.5mm thick.

Vmedia slim drive open

Normally I would recommend waiting for such a device to mature and iron out all the kinks. However, in the UK we generally change our contracts every 12 months which mean if we buy the first gen as soon as they are available, then by the time the 2nd gen or 3rd gen dual layer are out, we could easily pick up a new phone with that technology in.

Although this is exciting news I am still wondering how they will compete with microSD cards which are increasing in capacity and are well over the 2Gb capacity at affordable prices. The good news is that the quality stored on the disc means it can also be inserted in to a player and put on to the big screen, but will it do well? I am not too sure. For some reason the whole idea sounds cool though of having Blu-ray discs on your phone.

Press Release

Wireless Networking for Hardcore Gamers

linksys-gaming-router
Gamers hate to see lag on their networks. Lag lowers their chances of becoming champion of their chosen game. To fix this problem, Linksys have created an out of the box Wireless Gaming Router named the WRT330N which is optimised specifically for gamers. Built-in wireless runs up to IEEE 802.11n (draft) speeds and the 4 wired switch ports will allow up to Gigabit Ethernet speeds. These alone should sort out your home network problems. It doesn’t stop there though and Linksys has also added QoS (Quality of Service) which is pre configured to prioritize traffic on ports that are needed for online gaming. This setup ensures that no problems are present on your home network. All you need to then worry about is making sure you have a good enough broadband connection to not get a bottle neck as it leaves the router.

The price tag is a little higher then your average wireless router, but for $159.99 you are getting a top quality wireless gaming router which should see your online gaming experience improved.

Product Page Via: GearCrave

Perfect Rice Every Time

satake_rice_checker
For those who eat a lot of rice, it is important to get the consistency right. Nobody wants soft, squidgy rice and likewise, nobody wants hard undercooked rice. A rice maker tends to sort out most of these problems for you if you measure the right quantities. A company named Satake are still not happy that the rice is just right though and have created a rice checking gadget which rates the rice and adjusts it accordingly. Measurements taken include the aroma, flavour, firmness and viscosity. Once the data is gathered the results out of 100 are given. At a hefty 5.775 million Yen from what I understand, that is just short of $55k USD which is about 54.9K more then I would be willing to spend on perfect rice. Clearly this is aimed at large producers rather then those who eat it.

Via: kilian-nakamura

Now you can cheat at Powerball

dynaflex_dock
The Powerball is a gyroscopic exercise tool which is used to build hand and finger strength. It works by moving your wrist in a circular motion. Getting the powerball started it an art form in it’s self and then comes the harder part of keeping the motion going and speeding the thing up. If you are in the former category and struggle to even get the powerball moving right then this powerball docking station will sort you out. It’s a device which allows you to cheat as it rotates the powerball for you so you can just pick it up and get exercising. The scary part is how fast this thing can spin the ball. It actually allows for speeds up to 18000 RPM which is quite frankly a mental speed.

If you are not sure what 18K RPM feels like then this video shows a record attempt of someone hitting 16081 RPM. Check out the forces it puts on this guy holding it at that speed.

The Powerball Docking station costs $59.95 and includes a powerball with it.

Via: OhGizmo

Amazing Golf Simulator

full-swing-golf
If you have a spare $55 grand to spare as well as a 20 x 13 x 10.5 feet room spare then this golf simulator is perfect for you. It allows you to practise your golfing skills from the comfort of your own home. The large screen is powered by a windows based PC which can take you around many golf courses from around the world at the touch of a button. The large picture is projected on to screen which can take the force of a golf ball hitting it. Two 360 degrees curtains of infra-red beams emit 60000 pulses per second and can track the trajectory, speed and other details about the ball you actually just hit.

It does look seriously cool and would fit well in to my home although I do lack the space and money. Oh well! Enjoy the video below.

Via: GeekAlerts

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1
The XPERIA X1 is made by Sony Ericsson and is built in response to Apple’s iPhone. Will it be an iPhone killer though? From initial thoughts it certainly does look the part. Apple’s iPhone was criticised by some for not having a real keyboard. Rather, they opted for an on-screen keyboard which actually works quite well. The XPERIA X1 has a full QWERTY keyboard which slides out to the side in a similar way to what a HTC Tytn does. This allows it to integrate well with Windows Mobile 6 which is the OS that powers this device.

The screen is 3 inches wide and supports VGA resolution which is 800 x 480 pixels. As can be expected, the display is touchscreen. Connectivity on the device includes A2DP Bluetooth, aGPS, WiFi and it connects on quad-band (GSM/EDGE) and UMTS, HSDPA and HSUPA. The camera on the device is 3.2 megapixels and includes a flash. Memory can be expanded from it’s standard on-board 400Meg via a microSD card.

Overall a seriously nice looking phone which seems to have all the main desired features packed in to it. With it running WM6 it allows for a large variety of software to run on it which is an advantage over the iPhone. Definitely a phone to look out for.

Via: Fosfor

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

The long awaited GT5 is still in production. But, GT5 Prologue has been created and will be available soon to buy in the US. There are a number of cars to choose from in this version of the game. The Japanese version comes with 37 vehicles to choose from and the US version could have up to 60 cars in this cut down version. As well as the fancy graphics and upgraded AI, the game also has the ability to download real time weather reports of all tracks around the world so you are driving in “real time” weather conditions. A video section is also included which allows you to watch video’s of cars and the making of GT5.

Nano Bluetooth Dongle

Nano-Bluetooth-Dongle
If a bluetooth transmitter/receiver can fit in your phone then why do USB Bluetooth dongles need to stick out the side of your PC a couple of inches? The nano bluetooth dongle sorts that problem out. It is about the size of a British pound coin and only protrudes enough so it can be taken out of your PC or laptop. This means that it does not need to be removed for travel. It is dubbed as a “plug it and forget it” device. Although it’s very small it does not lack features either and has V2.0 of Bluetooth with EDR.

Via: 7Gadgets

Vie GPS Enabled Glove

Vie-GPS-Glove
This rather strange looking device is named the Vie (pronounced Vee) and was designed by Mr. Du Tran Nguyen. Although it would look weird on anyone’s hand, it does have a few cool features built in. The screen is E-Ink and you control the device by moving your fingers up and down. Small motors built in to the glove provide feed back to let you know when you have “clicked” a button.

The Vie is used as a personal guide and trainer and allows you to plan several routes with it’s built in GPS and mapping technology. If you find danger on one route you can make a movement with your finger and find a safer alternative. If you find your self in trouble then an SOS message can be sent.

The glove monitors your body too and lets you know through vibrations if you need to ease off a little or speed up. Bluetooth allows you to connect with other glove users to share details with them.

Although a bizarre idea, it could have some potential if they could make it look a tad better.

Via: Gizmowatch

Ferrari Pedal Car

ferrari-pedal-car
BergToys have created a mini Ferrari Pedal Car which takes it’s design from the limited edition Ferrari FXX. This is no normal pedal car though as it has a 7 speed transmission, disc brakes and an on-board computer. The tires are slicks on 5 spoke rims. Two of these Ferrari Pedal Car models will be available. The first costs $730 and is the standard version with the exclusive edition costing $2200.

ferrari-pedal-car2

The exclusive edition is pictured above and features a leather steering wheel, bucket seat with 4 point harness and an aero kit. It sounds great fun!

Product Page Via: GeekAlerts

PC Car Stereo

PC Car Stereo
The Navisurfer II is a complete PC which replaces your car stereo. The screen is 7 inches and runs at an 800 x 480 resolution. The screen slides out from the single DIN stereo and flips up to reveal either Windows XP or a Linux distro. The software running on Windows is configured especially for in car use which means you will see GPS navigation, media player, video player and a cool diagnostics piece of software which can show various things from your engine. Not only do you have the basics in there, you can also hook up other devices such as video cameras for reversing, controllers for playing games and it has USB connectivity too. The spec of the Navisurfer II isn’t too shabby either. A few variations are available which have from 40GB to 120GB of hard disk, 256Mb to 512MB RAM and prices are from $578 to $656.

PC Car Stereo View

Overall it’s a nice looking system and will work well in your vehicle.

Product Page Via: TechChee

Wireless Rock Speaker

Wireless Rock Speaker
The Wireless Rock Speaker is the perfect way to bring wireless audio in to your garden. The rock speaker is just what the name says… a speaker in a rock. The audio is transmitted up to 150 feet on the 900 MHz range meaning you can leave the stereo equipment inside while you party away outside.

Wireless Rock Speaker Controls

Features

* 900 MHz transmitter sends audio signals without speaker wire
* Speaker can be up to 150′ away from audio source
* Weatherproof for outdoor listening
* Compact & portable with a stylized design (13H x 10W) – 5.25 PP cone w/rubber edge Woofer2 Mylar cone Tweeter 20Watt RMS Output 15V DC Transformer
* Phase Loop Lock circuitry automatically locks in and keeps audio signal clear and strong.

Product Page Via: 7Gadgets