Designer Shigeichiro Takeuchi from Japan has come out with the Minimalist Bin concept. It features a cylindrical body and a wooden lid, simple and lasting look. Video after the break.
[via LikeCool]
Feb 27
German company gobandit is going to release the gobandit GPS HD HD active sports camcorder. The IPX7-certified waterproof device has built-in SiRF GPS receiver to record the location as you film, calculate speed and distance in 3D ensuring every heart-thumping minute of action is captured, show you the altitude and your position on a map.
The GPS-HD is equipped with 5 Megapixel CMOS sensor supporting 720p HD or 640×480 video recording at 30fps and still images and users can choose to capture still shots at 3sec or 5sec interval. It has a 135-degree wide angle lens that can rotate up to 100-degree to each side. The camcorder has 2GB internal memory and supports SD memory card.
Feb 27
Even before you leave an event like Mobile World Congress 2010 you get used to people asking you what the most interesting or exciting thing you’ve seen at the show has been. This year, while there was no shortage of impressive hardware imminent to the market, the real promise for me was in next-gen chipsets. Texas Instruments, NVIDIA, Freescale, Marvell, Qualcomm and others had all brought their wares along to demo, and the promises – not to mention the step up from existing platforms – were flowing thick and fast. So, what sort of devices can we expect using these new chipsets?
Tablets are an obvious choice – and I’ve made no bones about my love of the platform – with NVIDIA’s second-gen Tegra already picked for Notion Ink’s slate and various other companies showing off prototypes or shipping tablets built on their offerings. Their frugality also makes them equally at home in smartphones, and of course chipsets like Snapdragon have already found their place in smartbooks such as HP Compaq’s Airlife 100.
Drilling down, though, what’s possible now that we couldn’t necessarily do before? Dual-display devices are shipping in a limited way already – Barnes & Noble’s nook is on shelves, and Entourage’s eDGe should arrive with preorder customers imminently – but the breadth of their flexibility is pared down. Most if not all of the new chipsets discussed at MWC can support high-resolution output to at least two panels simultaneously; something like TI’s OMAP4 can drive dual on-device screens while pumping out 1080p HD via an HDMI in fact.
Texas Instruments OMAP4 demo:
So, how about two displays – let’s make them low-power, using a 10-inch Pixel Qi panel or a 5.6-inch mirasol one – in a clamshell, book-style form factor, similar to what MSI and others have mocked up in recent months. Those touchscreen netbook concepts have generally run Intel’s Atom platform, but with the latest ARM chipsets they could have better multimedia prowess, longer battery life and the same sort of internet flexibility as the x86 chip. They can also be smaller; I’m picturing something similar to a paperback novel, maybe with a hinge that opens wide enough to stand the device up in landscape orientation for hands-free video watching. Given the chipsets can crunch more megapixels than mobile-sized CMOS sensors have to offer, we’ll throw a high-resolution camera with 1080p HD recording in there too; something like the OMAP4 can simultaneously encode Full HD and a lower-resolution, 3G-friendly stream for livecasting.
Since ubiquitous connectivity – kicking off from WiFi and Bluetooth, and of course migrating up through 3G and 4G technologies like WiMAX and LTE – is a given, there’d be no question about making voice-calls (either traditionally or VoIP, and perhaps using a Bluetooth headset or speakerphone) or supporting push-email and real-time social networking updates from Facebook, Twitter and others. Where the true game changer would occur is in removing the battery worry; imagine not having to ration out your usage during the day, safe in the knowledge that you have hour after hour ahead of you. I’d take some sort of inductive charging cradle, perhaps with an HDMI output, for opportune top-ups, but every chipset firm is promising more HD video playback (from a standard smartphone battery) than you could feasibly watch during a single day.
An always-on device should play nicely with the other gadgets you have around you, and that means streamlining ad-hoc pairing and cleverly managing what information gets presented at what time. We’ve seen some companies – such as Motorola with MOTOBLUR – try to do the latter already, but smartphones lack the processing grunt to bring true intelligence to the issue. In my opinion a successful mobile device doesn’t just replicate the desktop experience, mainly because it’s intended to span different contexts; instead, it translates information to suit the user’s situation. Next-gen chipsets are powerful enough to take sensor input from the real world – look, say, at TI’s gesture recognition research, which uses a basic webcam to track hand-movements – and understand the context a user is in, filtering information accordingly. If I’m driving (something that could be worked out from GPS speed, tracking my hands on the wheel, or various other sensor inputs) then the device would know to prioritise only calls and messages from the core group of contacts its seen me communicate regularly with, perhaps making an exception for those people geographically nearby just in case I’m planning on visiting them.
Texas Instruments gesture recognition:
How about gaming? The iPhone 3GS has gained quite a reputation for itself as a decent mobile gaming platform, thanks in no small part to its PowerVR SGX graphics chipset, but our imaginary dual-display device could blow it out the water. Like the Nintendo DSi – only with bigger screens than even the new DSi XL – you could have dual displays for more complex gaming setups; or, since the next-gen chipsets are happy driving different content and running various high-performance apps simultaneously, play games on one screen while monitoring email, browser and other more typical smartphone tasks on the other. Alternatively, how does plugging in an HDTV via HDMI sound, putting your gaming on a big screen? We’re talking graphics capabilities potential on a par with an Xbox 360 or PS3.
We’re approaching a tipping-point where power management, connectivity, software and – most importantly – user imagination and expectations are promising to coalesce and kick the next generation of mobile devices up another level of functionality. Of course, not everybody wants the same degree of convergence I’ve described, but the key factor is that it’s possible and with less compromise than is necessary right now. You don’t have to be an avid gamer to recognise the potential of a chipset that can crunch polygons without breaking its stride, just like you don’t have to be a heavy-duty social network addict to appreciate a device that’s intelligent enough to tailor its alerts to what’s going on around it. The sort of smarts in that sort of device will be enough to make today’s so-called smartphones look dumb indeed.
Marvell ARMADA 618 demo:
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
Feb 27
Verizon Wireless customers may have a welcome but difficult decision soon as two hot new Android handsets prepare to launch on the wireless carrier. Earlier this week, the HTC Incredible made its appearance in Verizon Wireless’ inventory system and today, another HTC handset, most likely the CDMA variant of the Nexus One, was spotted on its way out of the FCC. The EV-DO Rev. A device sported a HTC designated model number of PB99300, which is close to the PB99100 assigned to the Google Nexus One and the PB99110 assigned to the rumored AT&T 3G-capable Nexus One. This approval comes hot on the heels of another mystery CDMA device (PB31200) from HTC that received FCC approval earlier this month and is thought to be the HTC Incredible. The timing for FCC approval is about perfect for both handsets and, until additional details surface, we will assume that this one is the Verizon Wireless Nexus One, slated to be sold through Google, and the previous one is the HTC Incredible, slated to be sold through Verizon Wireless. The only lingering question is: which one do we buy?
[Via Unwired View]
Feb 27
The Xbox 360 port of Cave’s arcade shooter DeathSmiles II has been dated today at a Microsoft-hosted “Shooting Festa” event in Tokyo.
DeathSmiles II will be released on the Xbox 360 on May 27 in Japan, complete with a limited edition version. The port will run at a 16:9 aspect ratio and feature seven stages, two of which are new stages. The playable characters are Follett and Rosa from the arcade version. The HD game also allows players to select levels.
At the Shooting Festa, Cave’s Guwange was on display as well.
Also in Cave console game news, developer 5pb mentioned that Microsoft staff was working at full capacity to pinpoint the cause of the bugs in DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou Black Label and that the company would like players to wait a little longer for the patch. 5pb also is working on an original shooting game. Hopefully not a buggy one!
xbox360シューティングフェスタ情報メモ [Negative Room]
Feb 27
Ever wonder who voices your favorite animated characters? Well, here are the voices behind Mario, The Simpsons, Futurama’s Bender, Family Guy, and Pikachu. Continue reading to see them all.
[via Unrealitymag]
Feb 26
New electronic gadgets are always a fun topic as they bring up some very interesting devices which you never thought that a human mind could invent. For instance, have you ever imagines that someone could ever invent a Solar Power Electronic Calculator with 4 ports and one USB? This blue gizmo does not need batteries to run. You can attach to the calculator to your computer, laptop, keyboard and even MP3. The little gadget only costs and you can only use it with Windows operating systems.
The Bloodhound cell phone detector is one of those new electronic gadgets which is useful for companies more than it is for regular persons. This gadget is able to detect any usage of a cell phone within a certain limited area. I hear this is a great idea for the criminals inside prisons or other correctional facilities that illegally use mobiles inside bars. I’m thinking it would also be a good idea for teachers to monitor the student which are taking an exam, as copying via a handset has become quite popular.
The item below is something I would love to have around the house when I am working on my job documents. The Pure Lady massage chair has benefits and offers pleasure beyond imagination. Sit back, relax, and let your body benefit from this marvelous experience. The beauty of it is that it is easy to fold and to be stored away even if you apartment is small. I thought at first that this is a great way for relaxing and doing some work at home in the meantime but come to think of it, who can think about work when you are getting a comforting body massage?
For those people who want to keep a complete control and a non-stop monitoring of their surroundings and the temperature in their homes, one of the latest gadgets launched on the market is Multi-Room Climate Monitor. For only .95 this gadget can monitor the air moisture and temperature in several rooms and will warn you if the humidity increases over 60%. Oh yes, it also shows the 24-hour forecast and the current weather. The base station has a 4 inch LCD display which will provide you with a cool calendar and a timer (these will automatically synchronize). The display will show a flashy icon that will warn you when the humidity level is too high. This system comes with a base station and other three remote indoor sensors. This gadget is powered by an AA battery for the base station and two other AAA batteries for each sensor.
If you want to save some money by spending as little on electrical energy as possible, for only you can buy a Programmable Digital Timing Timer & AC Plug Socket. With this gadget, you can set any time value between one minute and a week helping you gain more control of your electrical appliances. If you ever leave home and forget the lights on, there is no need to worry, as this little gizmo can turn the light off automatically.
Feb 26
Philips is going to update its GoGear Muse line by adding touchscreen, HDMI and Songbird software. The new Muse will have a 3.2-inch touchscreen and a HDMI port for 720p output. It has 8GB, 16GB or 32GB storage capacities and FM tuner.
The GoGear Muse supports MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC, APE, Audible files and features the Philips Full Sound MP3 enhancing technology. It includes also the Songbird software that automatically imports song from iTunes and get information on the song you are listening to. The price will be GBP100-GBP200.
Feb 26
AMD’s hexacore “Thuban” processor range, the so-called AMD Phenom II X6, could make a surprise appearance at CeBIT 2010 next week, ahead of a full launch on April 26th. That’s the word from OCWorkbench, whose sources also go on to suggest that AMD are working on a rival system to Intel’s Turbo Boost, which will allow the CPU to disable select cores and overclock those remaining active for bursts of speed.
Three initial variants of the AMD hexacore are expected, the Phenom II X6 1035T, Phenom II X6 1055T and Phenom II X6 1075T. According to earlier rumors they will be backward compatible with AM2+ and AM3 sockets, although there may be a BIOS update required before that will be entirely possible.
[via The Tech Report]
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
Feb 26
This isn’t confirmed, but with RIM rumored to be exploring sliding-QWERTY devices for a pretty long time, one of our BlackBerry connects dropped some info on us and we wanted it to share it. Here’s what we know:
That’s all we’ve got for now, folks. What are you thinking? Does this remotely interest you, or could you care less about the hardware at this point and just hope that RIM can make some pretty big strides as far as their OS is concerned?
Feb 26
Used Macbooks
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