Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Cameras
Olympus Stylus 1030SW Is Drop-, Water- and Freeze-Proof
10:19PM Gizmodo US Edition | Here’s the Jack Bauer of the new Olympus compacts: the Stylus 1030SW, drop-proof from 2 metres, waterproof to 10 metres and operates at temperatures as cold as -10 degrees Celsius. With 10.1 megapixels, a 3.6x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD, and with built-in scene modes for underwater shooting as well as beach and snow modes, it looks like we need a vacation to try it out. Available in March for around $400. AU: We get this snapper late February for the completely awesome price of $499. [New Launches] More »
Gadgets
Physical Gesture Remote Control Concept is Like Playing Cards to Change Channels
10:13PM Gizmodo US Edition | This remote control design is inspired by a deck of playing cards, with two card-shaped halves that slide in different directions. By gripping it and sliding it up and down you can change your TV’s volume, and a twisting gesture changes channels or tracks on your DVD. Designer Sungwoo Park has gone for clean white curves and minimalist control option, and I like its tactile slide design as an antidote for all the touchpad/screen action going on at the moment. [Yanko design] More »
Cameras
Olympus Says Five is the Magic Number, Extends μ, Camedia Digital Camera Lines
9:42PM Haroon Malik | The Skinny: Olympus just barfed out five new digital cameras. The fantastic five include the following fresh snappers: • The μ1020 (above): 10.1MP, 7x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, ISO1600 and 2500, as well as Olympus’s TruePic III imaging system. • The μ850SW (pink): 8MP, 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, 3-meter water resistance, 14.8MB internal memory, as well as ISO 1600 and ISO 2500 support. • The Camedia FE-350 (silver): 8MP, 4x optical zoom, 3-inch LCD, 20.5MB internal memory, 28mm wide lens, ISO 1600 and ISO 2500 support. • The Camedia FE-330 (blue): Same specifications as the FE-350, but without the wide lens and with a 5x optical zoom. • The Camedia FE-320 (silver): 8MP, 3x optical zoom, ISO 1600 maximum, TruePic III imaging system and 48MB internal memory. The Catch: If blue, silver or pink don’t match the color of your eyes, well, you’re out of luck. [Akihabara News, Lets Go Digital] More »
Computers
MacBook Air Unboxed, Compared to Sony VAIO
8:33PM Jesus Diaz | Update: Akiko has shared with us her opinions about the Air, from the perspective of a PC user experienced and obsessed with thin laptops, “like everyone in Japan,” according to her. Here you have the first MacBook Air unboxing: iPhone-styled tiny packaging, minimalist and all smooth black. What’s even more important, you’ll see it compared to a Windows laptop: a Sony VAIO (fight!). Akiko Wada, a Japanese blogger, got invited to a special event hosted by Apple Japan, and she very kindly let us use her photos in Gizmodo. Her thoughts, complete mega-gallery, video and the Air vs. VAIO side-by-side after the jump. More »
Phones
Fujitsu F705i is World’s Slimmest, Waterproof 3G Cellphone
8:02PM Haroon Malik | You may think the groovy chick in the top pic is trying to drown the new Fujitsu F705i mobile, but you would be negating the fact that the F705i is the world’s slimmest waterproof 3G cellphone. Sitting pretty at 13.7mm thick, the Fujitsu handset can handle a 1-metre water submersion for 30 minutes. Check out the rest of the mega gallery after the jump. More »
Cameras
New DZ-BD9H Blu-Ray HDD Camcorder From Hitachi Tries to Make Up For Past Mistakes
7:11PM Gizmodo US Edition | Hitachi is releasing a new Blu-ray camera after getting spanked for their first generation. The DZ-BD9H still records to Blu-ray or a 60GB hard drive, but tries to fix the poor image performance with a new 5-megapixel CMOS sensor and image processing system, dubbed Picture Master. Full specs after the jump. More »
Networks
4:10PM Nick Broughall | Well, you might not lose it, but you might learn some things. Virgin Broadband are expanding their broadband offerings into the “bush” and by “bush” we mean “Wollongong, Newcastle and Ballarat”. Sure it’s a stretch — we know — but it made for a much more exciting headline.
Both Virgin’s Broadband at home and Mobile Broadband offerings are available in these regional capitals. For those unaware, both use Virgin’s (and therefore Optus’) 3G network to connect to the we. The home broadband solution also incorporates a home phone number, without line rental or excessive charges, and a wireless router.
It’s an awesome deal if you can get it and you aren’t a gigabyte hungry power user. The extra coverage is also great for mobile broadband users who travel to these mystic cities of alternative delights cities frequently. More »
Lose Your (Broadband) Virginity In The Bush…
4:10PM Nick Broughall | Well, you might not lose it, but you might learn some things. Virgin Broadband are expanding their broadband offerings into the “bush” and by “bush” we mean “Wollongong, Newcastle and Ballarat”. Sure it’s a stretch — we know — but it made for a much more exciting headline.
Both Virgin’s Broadband at home and Mobile Broadband offerings are available in these regional capitals. For those unaware, both use Virgin’s (and therefore Optus’) 3G network to connect to the we. The home broadband solution also incorporates a home phone number, without line rental or excessive charges, and a wireless router.
It’s an awesome deal if you can get it and you aren’t a gigabyte hungry power user. The extra coverage is also great for mobile broadband users who travel to these mystic cities of alternative delights cities frequently. More »
Entertainment
3:53PM Nick Broughall | We’re not sure what to expect with TiVo when it launches in Australia. Sure, we love the idea of being to record all your favourite shows, have Season Pass do all the hard work for you and watch the latest episode of Neighbours Heroes whenever we feel like it in glorious Hi-Def. But the whole Channel 7 thing makes us concerned that we’ll just be stuck in this never-ending loop of Kochy and that O’Keefe guy telling progressively worse jokes to an audience of drugged up middle-aged housewives.
That’s why we’ve registered to become Beta testers for the service. Sure, we probably won’t be selected, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t. All you need to do is answer a bunch of questions, sign an NDA and sell your soul agree to do weekly homework assignments.
But hurry! We’ve already filled out our second survey to try and win the TiVo lottery ticket, and we don’t think this entertainment gravy train will be waiting for long.
UPDATE: Ok, so as some of the commenters have pointed out (thanks guys!), TiVo have actually stopped accepting applications for beta testers. There may be a second round though, so check back frequently for the latest updates…
[TiVo Beta testing]
More »
UPDATED: Get TiVo Early — Beta Testers Wanted
3:53PM Nick Broughall | We’re not sure what to expect with TiVo when it launches in Australia. Sure, we love the idea of being to record all your favourite shows, have Season Pass do all the hard work for you and watch the latest episode of Neighbours Heroes whenever we feel like it in glorious Hi-Def. But the whole Channel 7 thing makes us concerned that we’ll just be stuck in this never-ending loop of Kochy and that O’Keefe guy telling progressively worse jokes to an audience of drugged up middle-aged housewives.
That’s why we’ve registered to become Beta testers for the service. Sure, we probably won’t be selected, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t. All you need to do is answer a bunch of questions, sign an NDA and sell your soul agree to do weekly homework assignments.
But hurry! We’ve already filled out our second survey to try and win the TiVo lottery ticket, and we don’t think this entertainment gravy train will be waiting for long.
UPDATE: Ok, so as some of the commenters have pointed out (thanks guys!), TiVo have actually stopped accepting applications for beta testers. There may be a second round though, so check back frequently for the latest updates…
[TiVo Beta testing]
More »
Entertainment
2:34PM Nick Broughall | Sure, it’s nothing new for our US friends, but Toshiba’s Australian arm has just announced that it will be slashing the price of HD DVD players down under as well.
It’s surprising that they took this long to announce the price cuts, but hey, this is Australia. The only thing we get before the rest of the world is… well, erm… do we get anything before the rest of the world?
But in all seriousness, is there anybody out there that thinks this doesn’t sound like Toshiba’s trying to throw the women and children overboard from the sinking HD DVD ship? Just so long as they don’t decide to up and leave Australia because of the format war’s brutal toll on profits…
Hit the jump for a full press release with the new prices. It’s almost tempting… More »
Tightening the noose — Toshiba cuts HD DVD player prices in Oz
2:34PM Nick Broughall | Sure, it’s nothing new for our US friends, but Toshiba’s Australian arm has just announced that it will be slashing the price of HD DVD players down under as well.
It’s surprising that they took this long to announce the price cuts, but hey, this is Australia. The only thing we get before the rest of the world is… well, erm… do we get anything before the rest of the world?
But in all seriousness, is there anybody out there that thinks this doesn’t sound like Toshiba’s trying to throw the women and children overboard from the sinking HD DVD ship? Just so long as they don’t decide to up and leave Australia because of the format war’s brutal toll on profits…
Hit the jump for a full press release with the new prices. It’s almost tempting… More »
Cameras
