Archives for December 2009

Older generation iPhones get Video Recording

iPhone-camcorder-appIf you own a first or second generation Apple iPhone, your phone will now be capable of recording video without any hacking. Up until now the only way to get video recording on an iPhone or an iPhone 3G was to jailbreak the phone and install software that wasn’t approved by Apple. Thanks to Apple releasing details on the API regarding video capture, official applications can now be made that are compatible with the older phones.

Ustream is one of the first applications that allows video recording officially on older iPhones. Ustream is a video streaming application that is free to download. As well as being able to stream with the software it also has the ability to work as a video recorder too allowing you to capture movies from the camera. [Read more…]

PicoDrive Dual X gives 64GB of Fast USB Storage

green-house-picodrive-dual-x-usb-flash-driveA new USB flash drive has been created by a company called Green-House in Japan. The new drive is called the PicoDrive Dual X and comes in five capacities of 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.

The two larger capacities (32GB and 64GB) have impressive 32MB/s read speeds along with 17MB/s write speeds making them fairly quick where transfer is concerned. The lower three capacities of the PicoDrive Dual X however are a little slower.

Each of the USB flash drives support Windows 7 along with ReadyBoost to give your laptop extra memory to work with if needed. For security purposes the Dual X flash drives also have security software pre-loaded on to them that allow you to password protect stored data making your data a little safer if you accidentally leave the drive somewhere. [Read more…]

IntoDream Portable SEGA DreamCast

IntoDream-Portable-DreamCastBacteria is a SEGA fan who has spent about 4 months recently hacking a SEGA DreamCast in to a portable console. The portable SEGA DreamCast is called IntoDream and has stereo speakers, an N64 analogue stick, full rumble features and a built in VMU (visual memory unit).

The system uses a 5 inch LCD screen taken from a PSone and although a chunky portable device, it fully works as a DreamCast would. The IntoDream is powered by a six amp battery that is capable of powering the device for about two hours which isn’t too bad considering the machine it’s powering. [Read more…]

Control your Computer with the Wave of a Hand

Gesture-Based-ComputerA new gesture capture system has been created that allows you to wave your hands in front of a computer screen to control objects on the screen. This new system is still in early stages, but a big step up here is that it requires no gloves to control it.

The system works by using a Bi-Directional screen called BiDi that has a screen and behind it that shows a pinhole array pattern. The backlight is alternated with the image allowing the screen to show an image as well as capture what is in front of the screen. By using optical sensors behind the glass a hand can be captured and gestures calculated without the user needing to touch the screen. [Read more…]

Google Maps Navigation Works in Europe Again

Google-Maps-NavigationA couple of weeks ago we reported that Google Maps Navigation had been modified so that it could work in Europe as well as the rest of the world where available. Google officially have it restricted to just the USA. After just a couple of weeks Google managed to block access to Google Maps Navigation by throwing up an error… well, it’s been done again and Navigation is back.

The new update comes courtesy of the people at XDA-Developers again who have been working on this for the last few days. [Read more…]

Google Nexus One Phone gets FCC Approval

fcc_google_nexus_one_labelI’m guessing there will be quite a lot of information today about the Google Nexus One phone over the coming days and weeks. The next information to be revealed shows that the Nexus One has had approval by the FCC. In this case there is only the image above that shows what’s happening at the moment. What the image does confirm is that the phone is called the Nexus One (see NEXUSONE) and that it has a microSD slot along side the SIM card slot.

According to the FCC filing the phone has UMTS/HSDPA along with quadband GSM/EDGE and can support both AT&T and T-Mobile in the USA due to triband 850/1700/1900 radios. [Read more…]

Google Phone Called Nexus One

Google-NexusOneLate last week, Google [GOOG] handed out new phones to some employees which some are calling the official Google Phone. The phone is actually called the Nexus One and runs the Android 2.1 operating system that offers a few enhancements over what the DROID uses, ie, Android 2.0.

The phone is similar in looks to the HTC Passion although it’s a little slimmer. For now, it runs on the T-Mobile network as well as using WiFi.

In Android 2.1 there are new 3D elements to be found in the app tray along with a new grid icon that can be used to get a preview of all the home screen pages (which also have been increased in number to allow for more icons to be stored). [Read more…]

Apple Tablet Fake Spotted

apple_tablet_fake_videoAlthough we are looking at another fake here, it’s still a cool fake at that. We are not 100% sure it is fake as you never really know till the official announcement, but lets call it high 99%.

The Apple Tablet videoed below shows a sleek and slim device that has coverflow functionality along with a very fast interface. The problem with the interface is that it might be a little too smooth and perhaps not an interface at all (maybe just a video for demo).

A look at the video also shows some kind of Ikea interface where you can drag and drop new colours on to a kitchen for example. It all just seems too perfect, and at the end of the day I don’t think Ikea would be the first usage to get a demo. [Read more…]

Skype for Symbian Beta Released

product_3skypephone_screensSkype have released a beta version of Skype for Symbian based phones. The beta version is still in testing, hence the version, but still allows you to make Skype to Skype calls along with Skype Out being available too. Calls can be received to your Online number on this version and other features such as Instant Messaging and file transfer is also available.

With it being a beta version of the Skype software they are asking that you do provide feedback if you witness any problems with the software.

Right now the software is compatible with handsets running Symbian and to use it you will need either a wifi or 3G data connection (they recommend using an unlimited data plan) to make and receive calls. [Read more…]

Kohjinsha DX Dual Screen Netbook Unboxed

Dual-Screen-NetbookThe guys over at wow-pow.com managed to get hold of a Kohjinsha DX dual screen netbook for review. The full review hasn’t been completed yet although they say it will be ready in the next 24 hours or so. For now, they just go through a quick unboxing and then give a demo of how the dual screen opens up.

When opened the screens lay flush with each other giving a continuous smooth surface to work with. Also the screen is attached like a tablet PC and can be rotated around and folded back although neither of the two screens are touchscreen. For controlling the DX in tablet mode a couple of mouse buttons have been included on the edge of the screen along with an optical mouse and finger print reader. [Read more…]

Universal Apple iPod/iPhone Dock Patent Revealed

iPod-Dock-Patent-1A new patent for Apple [AAPL] has been published that gives details of a new universal docking station that is compatible with a number of devices that can be connected to it.

The system uses an elastic sponge-like material that conforms to the shape of the attached device meaning that special adapters are not needed to make the music players and phones compatible. By using this method for a dock it will allow you hassle free connections to any of your Apple devices. [Read more…]

Objet Geometries Connex RP Samples

objet_geometriesWe have received a few samples of printed objects in the past from Objet Geometries and each time we get samples we are more impressed with what they achieve. Out of the 3 or so samples we have received each one is slightly more advanced than the previous 3D print allowing for various types of plastics to be used on a single pass.

At Core77, Objet Geometries were demonstrating some printed objects which were just fantastic it has to be said. Objects ranged from a set of wheels with soft rubber tires that had working suspension and a rigid frame work. What makes it more impressive is that everything was printed with a single pass. Basically you feed the machine with a type of CAD file that contains the 3D data and plastic data and it prints the object out for you. [Read more…]