Thursday, November 15, 2007
Phones
LG Files Patent for Way-Cool Detachable Wireless Earbuds
11:55PM Charlie White | LG just figured out a way to nestle a couple of wireless earbuds into the hinge of a clamshell handset. Leave them attached to the phone, and they act like a couple of ordinary small speaker/microphones, but pop them out and stick them in your ears, and you’ve got yourself some rockin’ ‘phones without all those wires. When the phone rings, one of these acoustic transducers is used as the mike and the other as an earpiece. LG also designed a version of the tiny wireless cans for a candybar-style phone, where the two earpieces are stuck into the top and bottom of the front of the device. Neat stuff, but it looks like those small pieces would be easy to lose. [US Patent & Trademark Office, via Unwired View] More »
Vehicles
Volitan Concept Boat Uses Wind Power and Solar Energy
11:44PM Addy Dugdale | The Volitan, meaning “flying fish,” is a pretty fantastic concept boat with impeccable green credentials, using sails, wind and solar power to get around, storing energy in its batteries. The secret to the Volitan — which can operate in 60-knot winds — is the way its four wings react to weather conditions. More »
Computers
Colossus Back to Crack Codes After a 60-Year Absence
9:36PM Addy Dugdale | Colossus, the code-breaking computer used to decipher German messages during World War Two, has been put back together. Over six decades after the 10 truck-sized devices were dismantled, one has been rebuilt. Today, two teams of code-breakers, one using the Colossus, another using modern technology, are going head-to-head as they attempt to unscramble messages sent from Paderborn, in Germany. More »
Cameras
Samsung Paves the Way for the 8-Megapixel Camera Phone
8:19PM Addy Dugdale | Samsung Electro-Mechanics has developed an 8-megapixel CMOS camera module for mobile phones. It measures just 10.5 x 11.5 x 9.4mm and you should be seeing 8-megapixel camera phones by next summer, as they are going into mass production during the first two quarters of 2008. [Unwired View] More »
Announcements
CompUSA Black Friday Ad Features Computers, Video Games, and Loads More
3:33PM Adam Frucci | Here’s yet another Black Friday ad, this time from CompUSA. It’s got loads of stuff in it, including an Envision 22-inch widescreen LCD Monitor for $US150 and a HP Pavilion Notebook with a 14.1inch display for $US500. There are also boatloads of video games, digital cameras, memory, and all sorts of other tech items. Check out the full rundown after the jump More »
Computers
Dell Latitude XT Tablet PC Shown Off at Oracle OpenWorld
1:51PM Adrian Covert | Michael Dell showed off the Latitude XT tablet at Oracle OpenWorld today, and from the looks of it, they might have a winner on their hands. Aside from previous specs (12.1 inches, 1.2 GHz processor, under 1.8 kilograms, up to 3 GB RAM), the video reveals that the convertible tablet features multi-touch recognition that can detect five fingers on the screen at once. The demo shows our presenters finger painting with all five fingers and shuffling through a “pile” of photos via the touchscreen. Dell also said it’s due to hit the market in a couple of months. [jkkmobile] More »
Dixx Putter Uses an Embedded Computer to Help Your Sorry Ass Game
1:50PM Sean Fallon | Let’s face it, you are no Tiger Woods —and playing his game on the Wii isn’t going to do a damn thing to help. You need some serious technology to straighten out that train wreck you call a golf game. Dixx may have just such a high-tech solution with their new computer-aided training putter. An internal navigation system tracks impact location and a micro electro mechanical system monitors the motion of the putter—data that can be used to track swing path, impact position, face angle, swing tempo and speed balance. The user can then analyse the data on an LCD screen. Given the fact that all golf gear is expensive, it should come as no surprise that the Dixx training putter will set you back some serious bucks. $US899.99 to be exact. [Product Page via TRFJ] More »
Games
Another Nintendo DS Redesign on the Way?
1:17PM Adrian Covert | Gamespot is reporting that a redesign to the mega-popular Nintendo DS is complete and will hit the market when DS Lite sales taper off. Gamespot’s source, financial analyst Evan Wilson, claims the revamped DS will be slimmer, lose the GBA port, add on-board memory and have larger screens. While Nintendo has yet to comment on the matter, it seems about time for some sort of a Nintendo update in the portable market (the first DS hit stores in November 2004). Then again, it almost seems like it’s time for a new portable system altogether from Nintendo. While the Gameboy Advance saw two redesigns during it’s lifecycle, the Game Boy Micro its final redesign, was announced after the DS. In any case, the mention of the on-board memory is especially interesting. Could Nintendo be adding media player functions to the DS? [Gamespot via Firing Squad] More »
Software
CG Tattoo Program Allows You to Try It Before You Buy It
12:52PM Sean Fallon | For those of us who have gone into a tattoo parlor sober, the decision to be permanently inked can be a difficult one. Fortunately, computer graphics artist Loic Zimmermann has developed a program that will allow users to get a look at what a complex design might look like on a 3D figure. If this technology catches on, the possibilities for pushing the art form are obvious. Let’s just hope Zimmerman can refine his software to include a program that illustrates what that naked chick tattoo on your chest might look like 30 years and 3 cup sizes from now. [Loic Zimmerman via Needled via Cool Hunting] More »
Entertainment
