This next item reminds me of the minority report where your eye gets scanned and the store knows who you are, what you like and displays ads to suit. The eyebox2 was created by a Canadian professor who developed a system to count how many people looked at his ads. It uses infra red and recognises the familiar red-eye effect found in photos. By emitting infrared the system can track what you are looking at while walking around a store and exactly what shelf you looked at or what screens you looked at. It can scan from up to 10 meters away and about 2 – 3 meters horizontally too.
Eye-Tracking Device watching your moves
May 10, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Sinar Hy6 Digital Medium-Format Camera
May 9, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Sinar have launched a new digital camera named the Hy6. The Hy6 allows you to take both digital and convential film shots. An interesting feature of this camera is the ability to be able to change the image sensor for a larger and higher resolution sensor of sizes up to 56x56mm. The camera has the ability to be controlled remotly by computer by using Sinars CaptureShop software.
This camera might be a tad out of the average persons price range as it will set you back $32500.
New UMPC From Korea – Tango Wings
May 9, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The latest UMPC coming from Korea is the Tango Wings. This UMPC has GPS built in as well as a full keyboard. A webcam is also included and it runs the latest OS from MS named Vista. I have no clue what its called Tango Wings, but do not let the name put you off. This UMPC actually looks quite nice from the picture abobe. It features a 6.5 inch WVGA screen and a 30GB hard disk which is just 1.8 inches in size. Network connectivity is provided by wireless running at 802.11 b/g standards or via a standard RJ45 ethernet port. When running Windows Vista you need to have a decent amount of RAM and the good news is that Tango Wings doesnt lack here either. It has 768MB built in.
Creative X-Fi Soundcard
May 9, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Creative have created some great soundcards in the past, and this latest called the X-Fi Xtreme is no different. The card plugs in to the ExpressCard slot and allows you to use their Crystallizer and 3CMSS-3D technology. The unit is set to cost $106 and features a 7.1 channel speaker docking module. Making use of the ExpressCard slot is a good use as it does allow simple installation on a laptop which can be removed when not needed. Unfortunatly no tiny speakers exist yet in a 7.1 form for you to cart around with your laptop.
Use your Laptop as a Tablet PC
May 9, 2007 by Leave a Comment
If you dont have the money to buy a tablet PC but want to be able to use those features then this laptop to tablet PC conversion kit might be for you. The device works by attaching it to your laptop screen and then it senses pen movement on the surface of the screen up to a screen size of 14.3 inches. Software is included which allows you to use natural ink input so that emails can be hand written and other applications can be used. I am not fully convinced with this as a tablet PC though as the tablet PCs feature a twist and flip screen which hides the keyboard behind the screen allowing you to hold it in your arm. The only way to do this with a regular laptop would be to keep the screen and keyboard opened as normal. But, I do admit that it does have its uses for those wanting pen based input on their laptop.
Nintendo Gameboy XP PC
May 9, 2007 by Leave a Comment
If you think back a good 15 years you will remember the Nintendo Gameboy hitting the shelves. Like me, you had to get your hands on this cool handheld gaming device. Before the Gameboy was launched I was used to game and watch LCD type games. Having the ability to play different games was something that amazed me. I seem to remember the gameboy cost 69.99 pounds with Tetris although ours was free as my sister won it in a packet of crisps.
Anyway, I came across this Gameboy today which has been hacked apart and fitted with a fully fledged PC inside its case. It has a VGA port, 2 USB ports and runs from a 4GB compact flash card which can boot in to Windows XP. No screen is included, but we assume that you use the USB ports for connecting a mouse and keyboard. More pictures after the jump.
An Alarm clock that WILL get me out of bed
May 9, 2007 by Leave a Comment
I hate waking up in the morning. I hit snooze all the time until the alarm finally stops going. I wish it was a habit I could break. Well, today I think I found the answer. The SnuzNLuz alarm clock uses wifi connectivity along with your bank account log in details in which it can use to donate your money to an organisation you hate every time you push snooze. Now we are talking! I hate to see money leave my account and this looks perfect for me. The name of the device aptly reflects the saying – If you snooze you lose. Well, you actually will with this clock.
16GB SDHC Card
May 8, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Lots of storage is needed for all the photos, videos and MP3s that we cart around daily. Microdia have built a 16GB SDHC card which is capable of running at a speed of 160x. This is an incredible amount of data to be squeezed on to a card that size. As well as being an SDHC card we also know that these cards are safe from general use as it is dustproof, waterproof and can handle higher temperatures then normal.
Darth Vader Phone
May 8, 2007 by Leave a Comment
For those investigating their dark side you might want to check out the Darth Vader phone. When receiving a call the Darth Vader phone can play tunes such as the Imperial March which brings your living room to life. When in a call you can make it do the heavy breathing as well as lightsaber noises. When ringing Darths head will rotate around. If you have some visitors then you can switch it to be a normal phone so you dont scare them away.
iPod Audio Menus Researched
May 8, 2007 by Leave a Comment
One thing that has often bugged me about my iPod is that I need to take it out of my pocket to see what track I want to change to. The inline remote control is good, but it still doesnt make it clear what you are going to listen to next unless you have your play lists memorised. Engineers from the University of Toronto and Microsoft Research are devising a system which uses audio for navigating menus. It is designed for devices such as the iPod with a circular menu system. It works by giving clues to the user allowing you to switch between songs and folders by listening to where you are.
RC Spy Car with Night Vision
May 7, 2007 by 5 Comments
The Stealthy Watcher is an RC car with a night vision camera attached. Just put on the HUD (Heads Up Display) and take the remote control and drive away. The car is very quiet at running and transmits the video signal through the remote control to the HUD. It broadcasts in black and white and allows you to see in total darkness. With it being a small car you can take it most places such as under a table and chair and other various parts of the house.
Nokia 1100 – 200 Million Sold
May 7, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The Nokia 1100 was launched in 2003 and since then has sold a massive 200 million+ units. That is a lot of phones sold and beats ipod sales by double the amount. The 1100 is a simple phone which brings the mobile back to basics. Although this type of phone doesnt generally appeal to me because of my like of more fancy phones, I do actually own one I think somewhere. I purchased it in France on a cheap pay as you go offer so that I could receive calls with out paying stupid roaming charges. Although I have not used it since then, it still comes in handy for switching SIM cards around occasionally.
