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Lifehacker
Epson's PowerLite Home Cinema 6500 UB projector, with a 75K:1 contrast ratio and 1,600 lumens, is a prime example of what I love about tech: Everything's cheaper even as it becomes more powerful.
Cambridge-based E Ink is turning some heads with it's AM300 Developer Kit, which promises refresh rates fast enough to support animations (think dynamic ads), interactive touch input, and 16 unadulterated, detailed shades of grey (!). Developed in conjunction with Epson, the kit uses the New York Times as an example, which makes sense, as those enamored with E Ink technology have long fantasised about its use with newspapers and magazines. In any case, the dev kit looks pretty cool and I can't wait for people to start using it in the real world. [Youtube via Engadget]
Posted by Nick Broughall at 2:30 PM on October 16, 2008
Wow. I can't believe you can still buy standalone scanners. It's not a product category I'd expect would be growing too quickly, considering the proliferation of multi-function devices these days. I guess it's probably just for those high-end users who need quality results, really.
So, if you're one of those people, Epson's latest scanner, the V300, sounds like a pretty good deal. It uses LEDs to scan, which not only has environmental benefits (like no mercury, less heat, less energy consumption), but means there's no time stuffing around waiting for the lamp to heat up.
The V300 scans up to 4800dpi (insanely detailed) with 48-bit colour depth, and will scan an image in as little as 16 seconds. It'll scan 35mm film as well, six frames at a time (or four 35mm mounted slides) too, which is quicker than scanning print after print after print.
RRP is $249, if you're interested, and it works with both Windows and Macs. It's available... Now!
The Gadget: The Epson Artisan 800 All-In-One with Wi-Fi and fax. On paper, it has all the signs of being the best AIO ever made, especially for people who want versatility but care deeply about fine photographic prints.
Last year, Epson brought the price of 1080p projectors down to US$2,700 and today it's dropping it again, to US$2,000 (officially US$1,999) for the all-new Powerlite Home Cinema 6100. We're not saying it's going to be as high-performance as Sony's or Panasonic's new US$3,500 projectors, but damn if that's not the right price to build yourself a "budget" home theatre. Epson is also launching its Pro Cinema 7100 and 7500 UB 1080p projectors with some seriously high contrast ratios, but they'll come at a much higher—and as yet unspecified—price. More info below.
The Epson Artisan 700 and 800 are new all-in-one printers featuring, well, enough goodies to make use write about a generally dull topic. In addition to the standard scanners, memory card readers and LCDs, both units feature Wi-Fi and ethernet, fancy touch panel controls, direct to CD/DVD printing, and standard printing up to 38 pages per minute. Plus, each unit is only about 6-inches tall. Available for pre-order now, the 700 will run US$200 with the 800 costing US$300. For the specific, minor differences between the models, here's the full press release:
Seiko Epson has designed a new glasses-free display that really has the potential to bring 3D-displays to mobile phones and PMPs sooner rather than later. It's a bit similar to the old kid's classic lenticular images (you know: they come with a lined plastic face, and when you twist them you see a changing picture,) and in this case a complex array of convex lenses is combined with a high-res 3-inch LCD display. An object is photographed with up to eight cameras, a compound image is created, and when displayed each lens sends a slightly different view to your eyes. Because your eyes see different views of the object, just like in real life your brain reconstructs a 3D image. Sadly, the effect can't be captured in a single image of the screen, but you won't have long to wait: Seiko plans to commercialise the tech in a few years. [FarEastGizmos]
Epson's got two LCD-based photo viewers in the P-6000 and P-7000 that don't look half bad. They have 80GB and 160GB respectively, with RAW support, 35% faster image download speed compared to old models, 640x480 resolution, and a 94% reproduction of the Adobe RB colour gamut. The price--US$599 and US$799--reflect the fact that they're more for professional photographers that need to dump their photos onto something, rather than your parents, who just want to look at the grandkids on the go. [Street Insider via Epson (7000) and Epson (6000)]
While the average home theatre in a box is a simple way of packaging complicated components, often they represent the worst of what you can buy. In response, Epson is releasing two Ensemble HD Home Cinema System(s) to combine that easy one-box purchase with a solid wallet-raping. Both systems start with an Epson PowerLite 3LCD (3-chip at 1080p or 720p) and include a 100-inch motorised screen, Atlantic Technology A/V controller with 1080p upconversion, LCD remote, 150W sub and ceiling mounted front speakers. The only catch seems to be that the system lacks a traditional full 5.1 speaker setup. The 1080p version runs US$6,999 while the 720p system comes in at US$4,999. Read on for the full deets.
We haven't been talking much about e-paper as of late, but companies are still chipping away at the technology all the same. Epson just unveiled their newest flagship demo, a 13.4-inch display with 3104 × 4128 resolution and pixel density as high as 385ppi. Contrast ratio is also quite good at 10:1 (the WSJ is somewhere around half of that) and reflectiveness is 40% (which must be good if they are promoting it, right?). Epson has no immediate plans to produce this particular model, but don't be surprised if you see its tech show up elsewhere down the line. [Fareastgizmos]
