Google recently went through an upgrade on their maps section found at maps.google.com. If you go to one of these 5 cities (New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Denver or Miami) you can now get images at street level which you can see in a 360 degree perspective. I guess this is Googles attempt to catch up with the cool Virtual Earth by MSN who have better 3D models on their earth application. Looking around the street level images I find that they actually are very good and do add a great perspective on what you search for on the maps site.
Google Maps Upgrade – Street Level Images
May 31, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Microsoft Surface Computer
May 30, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The Microsoft Surface Computer is a pretty cool device. It allows you to interact with your phone, camera and other devices through a surface type screen mounted in a table. The screen is multi touch allowing for greater interactivity between you and the computer. Sensors under the surface can detect when a device is placed on to the screen. Once the device is detected you can drag and drop images, video or appointments on to the device and all the connectivity is taken care of through wireless signals. If you have a photo you just took at a party and someone wants a copy then just place the camera and a phone on it and drag the picture across and the rest is taken care of.
Making use of a dynamic and interactive surface has many uses. A whiteboard could be kept on the wall or work surface in the kitchen and recipes could be downloaded, transferred for example.
The device will not primarily be made available to end users though for the home. It will mainly be directed towards shops and presentations. It could allow for easier browsing of an online catalogue for example.
Palm Foleo Mobile Companion
May 30, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The Palm Foleo is a device which is Linux based. It weighs just 2.5lbs and is a mobile companion which can run features like email, web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets and more. The device does not boot and is an instant on computer which has a 10.2 inch display. The keyboard is a full QWERTY keyboard. Battery life is rated at about 5 hours on a full charge. Connectivity to the internet is done through either Wifi or through a phone.
Remote Controlled Dinosaur
May 30, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Remote control toys have entertained for years, from cars to more recently the Picoz helicopter. Now firebox has bought forward a new concept in the race to evolve RC toys – an RC dinosaur. Named the Pterosaur, it has a range of 100ft and can be used indoors and outdoors. This prehistoric reptile flies by flapping its wings and is ready to fly straight from the box. Once the original charge has depleted, it is simple to recharge – it just uses the portable quick charger. (the hand-held control) If you are afraid that a small crash may have catastrophic consequences – possible extinction – then be put at ease, the Pterosaur has a durable foam body that should withstand day to day impacts.
The Invisible PC
May 29, 2007 by Leave a Comment
If you look closely at the picture above you might spot the PC stashed away behind the flat panel. The invisible PC is built by Trident and is just 1 inch thick. It has industry standard mounting holes so that it can be put in between the screen and arm. The PC does not have or need a fan which helps to keep it quiet and out of the way. The PC is not powerful though. It has just a 1.5Ghz Via Eden processor which will do well for certain things. One of the main uses is for shop displays where the screen can be set up and a simple presentation displayed to passers by. With the option of a 40GB drive there is plenty of space to work with.
Panasonic HD Digital Camera – DMC FX100
May 28, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The latest camera from Panasonic is the Lumix FX100 which boasts a 12.2 megapixel CCD and also the ability to record high definition video. It has 27Mb of internal memory which isnt really that much considering the 12.2 megapixel capabilities. Of course you can extend the memory by the way of an SD memory card which will allow you to make full use of the HD recording capabilities. The video its self is recorded at 1280 x 720 pixels but it is only at 15fps.
The OIO Nano Projector from ExPlay
May 28, 2007 by Leave a Comment
ExPlay demonstrated the OIO Nano Projector at SID 2007. The projector is small as its name suggests. The quality of image projected is supposed to be high quality with bright images which always stay in focus. It is not intended to replace projectors used in meetings for PowerPoint, but is aimed at the market of iPod video and other PMP users. It can project a screen about the size of a large monitor on to any surface and yet is smaller then the palm of your hand and can be carried around easily.
ModBook – Not a Mac
May 28, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The ModBook is based on a MacBook running Mac OS X. The ModBook is not made by Apple though. A company named OWCT or Other World Computing Team are responsible for putting this together. The cost of the ModBook varies from $2279 for a 2GHz model with an 80GB hard drive and can be fully customised with 3GB of RAM and a second hard disk which makes it capable of storing up to 500GB.
Flexible Flat Wireless Power Source
May 28, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The flexible flat wireless power source can be placed on the floor, wall and desks and allows electronic devices to charge with out wires. The device is made of thin plastic in which electrical components are placed on to it using inkjet printing technology which uses electronic ink. It measures 21 cm squared and can provide about 40 watts of power which is enough to power light bulbs and devices such as mobile phones.
Pandora in The Home
May 28, 2007 by Leave a Comment
If you have not heard of Pandora then here is a quick rundown. Pandora.com allows you to listen to free internet radio channels. It doesnt stop there though. Pandora uses the Music Genome Project which has been analyzing music and building it in to categories for the last few years. This has allowed for a comprehensive list of music and different types of music to be grouped together. If you enjoy music from a particular artist then you type in their name and the Music Genome Project takes over and creates you your own unique radio station which streams music in the same genre and style to you. If you like a particular song then the Music Genome Project can create another radio station just for you featuring other artists you might never have heard or linked in with.
Pandora in the Home is a new device which uses the pandora.com service. It allows you to listen to your radio stations from Pandora in any room of your house. This is achieved with the wireless multi room Sonos Digital Music system. This integrated with Pandora on your PC and allows you to take control of music from the remote control any where in the house. What makes this device stand out more is its ability to work with out the use of a PC. It connects to your wireless internet connection and you can then use the screen on the remote to create your radio stations and then select where you want them to be played. The screen also allows you to see the full colour album art of each artist you are listening to.
iRiver S10 Review
May 28, 2007 by Leave a Comment
iRiver have created some nice MP3 players in the past. The next creation is the iRiver S10 which is a very small device. The screen is just 1.15 inches running at 96×128 pixels. The screen is OLED which is nice, bright and vibrant. With it being so small, iRiver have come up with a new way to control the device. Rather then put buttons all around the outside edge, the device works by tapping the top corners of the screen which reveals a menu. You can then work through this menu which has been designed very well. According to the reviewer at CoolTechZone it works flawlessly.
Extermiknit – Knitted Daleks
May 27, 2007 by Leave a Comment
If you watched Dr Who in the early days way before I was born, then you probably were among the many people who hid behind the couch in fear of the Daleks. According to older people they were scary at the time. But now they are available in a soft cuddly form by the way of using knitting needles and named Extermiknit. The pattern linked below will allow you to knit a whole army of Daleks for your bedroom to help you overcome the fears of the real ones that scared people many years back.
Links to the dalek knitting patterns are after the jump. Yes, I do know they arent really gadgets… but since Daleks are cool it was still worth a mention 🙂
