Written on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
While attempts to add feedback to touchscreen displays via vibration and audible tones are laudable, these attempts are nothing by comparison to the tactile euphoria felt at the press of a well-designed button. Still, many of us are willing to sacrifice tactility in order to maximize display sizes on our pocketable or portable devices. Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon have developed touch-sensitive displays with physical buttons that "pop-out" from the surface.
CM's prototypes pump air through geometric-shaped holes to create concave or convex "buttons" on a screen covered with a semi-transparent latex -- IR sensors and cameras detect finger placement while a projector cast images (like numbers and graphics) onto the display. It can even sense press-force by monitoring changes in air pressure. Sure it all sounds overly cumbersome until you see the technology demonstrated. For that you can travel to Pittsburgh to count the rivers or just hit the read link below for the video.
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Posted in
Software
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Written on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
If you find the idea of turntablism without the hardware intriguing, but last year's surface-based TRAKTOR Scratch DJ system was just a little too abstract for your tastes, here's a rather clever compromise from Cambridge-based designerTodd Vanderlin. Using a vinyl record equipped with an AR marker, he manipulates the music by moving in front of a video camera.
It's also got the added bonus of being able to control the beat across a three-dimensional space, and if you're viewing it through the camera's feed, the middle marker's replaced by pre-set visuals. Direct your browser to after the break for a video demonstration.
Posted in
Hardware
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Written on Monday, April 27, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
Toshiba's Dynabook UX (or NB200, if you prefer) just popped on our radar last week, and already we're seeing netbook craving individuals in Japan get their paws on 'em. The 10-inch machine ain't too different than the other alternatives out there -- save for the N280 processor, which will never show its true potential without a GN40 chipset riding shotgun.
At any rate, early impressions of the machine have been rather positive, with onlookers digging the design and the chiclet-style keyboard. Personally, we're a bit bored from afar, but hit the read link to have a look and make a judgment of your own.
Posted in
Hardware
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Written on Sunday, April 26, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
Guangzhou Skytone Transmission Technologies Company, which we will absolutely never call by its full name again, has just dropped a juicy nugget about its forthcoming netbook. If you'll recall, we recently caught wind of the ARM-based, Android-powered rig (the Alpha 680), which is expected to be a stripped down portable useful for web surfing and light duty Office use. Nixon Wu, Skytone's co-founder, recently confessed that it's aiming to sell the machine for around $250, and if all goes well, it should have prototypes ready by June and final products ready for consumption a month or two after that.
Call us crazy (or just greedy, really), but we were totally hoping for this to ring up at $199 or less.
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Posted in
Hardware
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Written on Thursday, April 23, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
Have you ever dreamed that you stared into the ineffable face of the abyss... and the abyss stared back? Well dream no more, friends, and witness the gallery of photos and video below of Probo, the Belgian, Bill Gates-backed, huggable, robotic Alf wannabe. We saw a bit of the little guy earlier today, but now we've found a treasure-trove of media and wanted to share.
One thing that's been bugging us: he's supposed to help kids who've been through traumatic experiences, and, you know... cheer people up -- but doesn't this bot look profoundly unhappy? Take a peek and judge for yourself.
Posted in
Robot
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Written on Monday, April 20, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
It's been nearly three years since the Onyx tickled our imagination, but Pilotfish is looking to completely melt our brains with its latest concept. The Munich-based industrial design firm has just introduced its Ondo music editing mobile, which is half cellphone, half music mixer and thoroughly amazing. In theory, the phone would boast a small mixing panel, three removable recording sticks with internal memory and a bendable center to give music lovers the ability to insert pitch bends and relieve stress.
Essentially, the trio of OLED-infused sticks serves two purposes: when installed, they're the main phone panel, and when removed, they can be clipped onto instruments for recording purposes. Afterwards, they can be swapped with other Ondo owners or edited on the fly right on the device itself. Needless to say, there's a better shot at you winning the lottery than seeing this thing hit mass production, but you can feel free to dream by checking the full release, Q&A and demonstration video just past the break.
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Posted in
Gadget,
Mobile
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Written on Saturday, April 18, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
AEE Wireless' new "Mini DV" camera may or may not actually be the "world's smallest" video camera (alright, it's probably not), but it certainly has a strong claim to the title of least imaginatively-named, and it is, in fact, pretty darn small. What's more, unlike some other world's smallest cameras, this one is actually a full-fledged consumer device, including some controls, a built-in lithium-ion battery, a USB connection, and a microSD card slot, which handles all of the storage duties as the company has ditched any internal memory to keep the size down.
You'll even get some full 640 x 480, 30 fps video out of the thing, plus some 2-megapixel JPEG images. Interestingly, while an official price is a bit hard to come by, a number of online retailers already seem to be offering the camera for between $85 and $159.
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Posted in
Camera
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Written on Friday, April 17, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
Before phones show up at retail, they start showing up in totally random places in China -- it's basically a law of physics. And once that happens, they almost inevitably end up posted in a forum somewhere, and... well, you can gather where that leads. Chinese firm Ludle -- which, according to its own description is in the business of "exploiting, producing and selling" -- somehow came across a Pre (or possibly just an empty shell thereof), and a staff member took the time to do a quick set of comparo shots against a Centro and iPhone 3G.
He notes that the Pre gets clogged with fingerprints as easily as the iPhone but handles scratching on the back a little better; the front is a different story, though, where the iPhone's glass display wins. He goes on to say that the phone is currently in mass production (we'd certainly hope so), but what we don't know is whether we're looking at a CDMA version for Sprint or the GSM variant destined for sundry networks around the globe. We'll take either, personally.
Posted in
Gadget,
Mobile
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Written on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
Still can't decide which of Acer's ample number of shiny new netbooks / laptops has caught your eye specifically? Here's some more details on two of those models, including availability, to help you out. First up, the 13.3-inch Aspire 3935 is available as now for just a smidgen under nine Benjamins. With that you'll get a golden brown metal chassis, one inch thick and and weighing in at 4.18 pounds with a frameless, 16:9 CineCrystal LED backlit display showing a 1366 x 768 resolution.
Other amenities include a full-size keyboard with touch-sensitive hotkeys, multi-gesture touchpad, webcam, three USB 2.0 ports, a bio-protection fingerprint reader, 802.11 a / g / draft-N, and a 4-cell Li-ion battery. Spec-wise, we've got a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7350 with 4500MHD graphics, 8x DVD writer, 3GB RAM, 250GB HDD, and Vista Home Premium SP1. If you're looking for something with a little more horsepower, the 18.4-inch Aspire 8935G Gemstone PC's rocking an Intel Core 2 Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670, 1080p resolution, 4x Blu-ray writer, a 500GB HDD upgradeable to 1TB, and most of the niceties from 3935's spec sheet. Mum's the word on price, but it's due out in June. Full press release after the break.
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Posted in
Hardware
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Written on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
After plunking down a grand for Sonos' impressive two-room bundle, it's always nice to see a freebie or two arrive via software updates. While not quite as big a release as version 2.7 was for Sonos' wireless (or wired) multi-room audio system, 2.8 does add free Deezer Radio service to Sonos users in 30 countries across Europe -- think Last.fm's artist smart lists with the ability to skip tracks only better dressed and with a knowledge of geography.
Sonos is also updating its free iPhone / iPod touch controller application by extending native language support (Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish added to English) and granting access to the sleep timers and wake-to-music alarms you've setup using the Sonos software controller running on your desktop. This update brings the features of the iPhone Controller up to par with Sonos' own dedicated controller and thus makes the €399 price for the CR100 all the more ridiculous.
Fortunately, for a limited time (until May 31st) Sonos is heavily discounting its €399 Sonos Controller as long as you buy it bundled with a ZonePlayer -- a box required for adding new speaker zones. The ZP90 and Sonos Controller combo is available for €599 (a savings of €149) while the amplified ZP120 and Controller combo is available for €699 (a savings of €199). The offer seems bent on preventing you from purchasing a relatively fragile but multi-purpose €219 iPod touch with onscreen keyboard to control your whole-house audio instead of Sonos' rugged and water-resistant CR100 Controller with scroll-wheel QWERTY. Try harder Sonos, even Apple learned to ditch the scroll-wheel. A few more interface shots after the break.
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Posted in
Internet,
Mobile
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Written on Monday, April 13, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
Do you know what the new hotness is? We'll tell you -- computers in suitcases. Big, brawny, rugged suitcases. After seeing the Poor Mans Netbook offered up to the least poor bidder on eBay, one Daniel Spalding has concocted a more powerful successor dubbed the Poor Mans Notebook.
Within the near-bulletproof suitcase, he managed to shove an 8-inch touchscreen (1,024 x 768 resolution), 2.5GHz dual-core E5200 CPU, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 64GB OCZ solid state drive, WiFi / Bluetooth 2.1+EDR modules and a GeForce 7100 graphics set. He won't deny that it purrs like a vacuum cleaner when really taxed, but c'mon, it's a computer in a suitcase -- cut the thing some slack.
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Posted in
Hardware
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Written on Sunday, April 12, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
We could have sworn that one of our commenters had already invented this, but maybe not. Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario -- led by Professor Mir Behrad Khamesee -- has developed a microbot weighing in at about three-hundredths of an ounce that hovers and moves about on a three dimensional parabolic magnetic field. Altering the flow of the electromagnetic current distorts the field and propels the robot.
Additionally, the device has pincers that open when heated by a laser, closing once they're allowed to cool. The device is monitored by laser sensors and by camera, and since the it floats free of any sort of wiring (and power is supplied from outside the robot) it is ideal for working in clean rooms or hazardous environments. Not too shabby, eh? At the very least, we got to use the word "microhoverbot."
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Posted in
Gadget
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Written on Saturday, April 11, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
In the world, certain peoples want money. Who does not know and does not want money? Many ways to get money. And one of them is through the internet. How do you earn money through internet? one way is to advertise on blogs or advertising a website. Many provide a paid review service. Payingpost.com is the best.
In paying your post given 2 options, namely register as register as a blogger or advertiser. If you register as an advertiser, you can advertise on blogs. And then, you must pay to advertise on the site in the blog that will make a review to your blog or website. And if you register as a blogger then you will get the money to create a review site or blog Advertisers. So your blog is a blog for Advertisers advertising on this site. And from where you will earn.
For Advertiser, you have to pay to the blogger website so that you can be featured. You can quote the price. From $ 5 to $ 50 per post. For bloggers you do not need to pay. Even those who will be paid. You will be given a quote by Advertiser. Bidding is you should review the advertiser's website and the advertiser is paid you. You can bid price. After you review advertiser's website you will get paid.
Payingpost.com blog marketing is a very reliable and guaranteed quality in the eyes of the Bloggers and Advertisers that there is no doubt.Here, advertising and blogs are related and can not be separated. advertising will not be there without a blog. and vice versa, blog will not be able to jobs without advertising. So here having mutually reciprocal request that can not be separated.
So, come and join payingpost!! You will get paid to post! And you won’t regret.
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Posted in
Ripiu
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Written on Thursday, April 09, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
This year's edition of the Hitachi Wooo line of flat panels look a lot like their predecessors on the outside (120Hz IPS LCDs, 250GB HDD equipped models with iVDR slots for additional hard drives and Wooonet DLNA network support) but it's what's inside that counts. The four new XP plasma models range from 42- to 50-inches and promise even better contrast ratios, as high as 40,000:1, with better color reproduction and the promise of greater energy efficiency.
The ultra-thin 35mm / 1.4-inch thick LCDs are back in four new models, with UWB wirelessly connected tuners, auto sensing/adjusting brightness and aforementioned "eco" power sipping improvements. The relatively fat XP line of LCDs consists of just three displays, but just like all the rest, buyers can still hook up to the 'net and pull down video on-demand or Yahoo! Japan's web TV portal -- features unlikely to make the jump when we see U.S. versions of these later this year. The XP plasmas and LCDs go on sale in Japan later this month or next, while the ultra-thins will be crash dieting until October.
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Posted in
Gadget,
News
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Written on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
At this point there's little doubt that a new iPhone model (possibly two) will at least be announced in June. Now the Commercial Times have chimed in with a report saying that components from Taiwan-based suppliers have begun shipments as Apple (or its China-based assemblers, rather) readies for a "June launch" pegged by said suppliers to reach about 2-3 million units per quarter.
A phone that looks to be fitted with a 3.2 megapixel still / video CMOS camera, digital compass (magnetometer), possibly 802.11n WiFi, more storage, and all the MMS, copy/paste, and push-notifications you can shake a gesticulating finger at. Assuming all the firmware sleuthing and rumors are true, of course.
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Posted in
Mobile
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Written on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
Although none too surprising, it looks like Microsoft's gearing up to release at least one new Zune model this year, according to company man Brian Seitz via his Twitter account.
Of course, with Ballmer telling an audience last month they're "sustaining our investment" on the product, we're gonna temper our excitement a bit until Redmond shows off the goods, which hopefully won't be long now that the PMP cat's out of the bag.
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Posted in
Internet,
News
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Written on Sunday, April 05, 2009 by @nadiarizqi
Well, chalk this up for out of the ordinary -- Sony's PR team just sent us a "Statement from Sony PlayStation on PSP and Competitive Landscape" that basically boils down to SCEA director of hardware marketing John Koller calling the DSi a kid's toy that "ignores significant gamer demographics" and has minimal third-party support compared to the library of "blockbuster" titles on the PSP. Seriously, it's so weird we're just going to reprint the whole thing:
If Nintendo is really committed to reaching a broader, more diverse audience of gamers beyond the "kids" market that they've always engaged, there isn't much new with the DSi to support that. Significant gamer demographic groups are being ignored, and there continues to be limited opportunities for games from external publishers to do well on the DSi. Compare that with the PSP platform, where we have many blockbuster franchises from our publishing partners launching this year, representing a wide variety of genres and targeting diverse demographics. Games such as Rock Band Unplugged from MTV Games, Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft, Dissidia Final Fantasy from Square Enix, and Hannah Montana from Disney demonstrate the commitment that publishers have to the PSP. From our own first-party studios, we're launching unique versions of LittleBigPlanet and MotorStorm, and we're also planning a steady stream of downloadable games -- both new titles and PSone classics -- to add to the content that PSP owners can already purchase wirelessly through PlayStation Store.
Pretty strong words in response to the fairly un-hyped US launch of the DSi tomorrow -- especially since Ninty's sold just about twice as many total DS units than Sony's 50m PSPs, hard numbers from which no amount of marketing bluster can really distract. In fact, if we were in charge at Sony, we'd be more worried about the emergence of the iPhone and iPod touch, which have sold over 30m units total and attracted a ton of buzz from game developers while the PSP seems to be stagnating in the face of endless rumors of a UMD-less PSP2. Harsh truth? Maybe, maybe not -- you tell us.
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Posted in
Gadget,
News,
Product
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