Gadgets Control

Posted Jan 22nd 2008 8:57PM by Paul MillerFiled under: Transportation The Trev look might be a bit love-it-or-hate-it, but there’s no arguing with the specs: 0 to 60 in about 10 seconds, top speed of 75 mph, and a range of 100 miles per charge. Trev is being built by staff and students at the University of South Australia, and costs less than an Australian dollar per 100km to run — about 86 cents for every 62 miles. The car seats two comfortably in tandem, with room for a pair of overnight bags. No word on a production version. [Via TreeHugger]Tags: design, digital, hi fi, gear (Read the full post about ‘Trev the 100 mile two-seat electric car from Down Under’…)

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Apple’s famous line of iPods has received yet another addition - and this time, it is the iPod nano family to gain from the latest of Cupertino’s think tanks. No, it isn’t a major hardware revision or anything of that sort but instead will feature a brand new color. You can put all those party hats away for now I guess with this rather deflated announcement from Apple. Still, I am sure that there is a certain segment of the population that would love pink to adorn just about any gadget and gizmo that is released today, which means the pink iPod nano will probably do pretty well in terms of sales. How much does a color change cost? Nothing, apparently, as the pink 8GB iPod nano will still retail for $199. (Read the full post about ‘Apple adds pink iPod nano to lineup’…)

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It is not very often I post about a non HDTV product, but the very impressive looking Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM and the 2693HM LCD computer screens caught my eye. Not only do they look great, and have taken some styling tips from current HDTVs they have some very impressive specifications, and of course some very HD features. Looks aside, they have they have many key features which make they perfect for viewing HD content, media use and also everyday computer use. Both the 24-inch Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM, and the slightly larger 25.5-inch SyncMaster 2693HM have a high resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, which are perfect for viewing full HD content, from Blu-ray, HD DVD etc which have a 1920×1080 pixel resolution. (Read the full post about ‘Samsung 2493HM / 2693HM (SyncMaster)’…)

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In case you are a hardcore photographer that uses plenty of tools on photo sessions, check out the Shootsac - a bag made specifically for cameras. If you don’t like the normal bag color - black - there are over 10 covers which are very colorful and can be replaced with ease - prices can go from $39 to $59. As you can imagine, the Shootsac isn’t your ordinary bag, and the $180 price tag already says that. It has 6 pockets so you can keep all the lenses, and other items, safe from falling, or scratching, and also to make it easier to access them. Thanks to the design, you can easily use the Shootsac while taking photos, and it won’t become a problem, unlike with happens with other bags. (Read the full post about ‘Shootsac - A bag for your camera’…)

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I am a huge Star Wars fan (thus my palmsolo online ID from Han Solo) and am always on the lookout for Star Wars geeky stuff. Believe it or not, I am actually thinking about the Fujitsu U810 UMPC because I would like to get a mobile PC that was codenamed “Darth Vader”. Speaking of Darth Vader, I was recently sent a package from Mimoco that contained a 1GB Darth Vader USB flash drive. (Editor’s note: The Star Wars collection is not new, but a second version is available on pre-order now.) There are also a number of other Star Wars themed drives for Chewbacca, Stormtroopers, R2D2, Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. Capacities range from 1GB to 4GB with prices ranging from US$49.95 to US$124.95. (Read the full post about ‘Darth Vader wants to store your data’…)

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If you thought we were Apple fanboys, you might want to check out this video and readjust your fanboy dial. It’s a real trailer for a real movie called MacHeads the Movie, which apparently features real insane Apple users emoting for the camera about how Macs changed their lives. (Read the full post about ‘MacHeads the Movie Trailer Shocks, Revolts, Intrigues Us [Apple]’…)

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Posted Jan 22nd 2008 11:03AM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Laptops Last we heard, Apple had some 76 fixes in store for the now-imminent 10.5.2 update of Mac OS X, otherwise known as Leopard. Of course, that was more than a month ago, and Apple seems to have found plenty more room for improvement since then. According to AppleInsider, “people familiar with the software” are now saying that the update will pack “nearly 100 code corrections and enhancements,” including twenty fixes that were turned up in the short time since Mac OS X 10.5.2 build 9C16 was released to developers during Macworld. All told, that should bring the latest update in just over the 450MB mark which, as AppleInsider points out, should make it the biggest “dot release” of Mac OS X yet. (Read the full post about ‘Mac OS X 10.5.2 update now said to be packing nearly 100 fixes’…)

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Posted Jan 22nd 2008 9:45AM by Darren MurphFiled under: Gaming, Handhelds Just as expected, the former Gizmondo Europe director is free at last — well, almost. Barely a year after Stefan Eriksson was sentenced to “three years” in the slammer, he’s now been let loose from behind bars and is currently “awaiting expulsion.” Purportedly, everything was nearly in place to ship him back to Europe prior to Christmas, but apparently, the Swedish consulate has taken its sweet time in preparing a new passport. (Read the full post about ‘Stefan Eriksson released from jail, awaiting expulsion’…)

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United Keys announced today that it has formed a strategic partnership with Foxconn. As part of this partnership, Foxconn will build display-key input devices using United Keys technology. The first product, a keyboard tailored for PC gaming, will start shipping as early as summer. The company also announced new patents and patents pending in a number of countries, representing a portfolio of IP with broad application making use of display keys. Display-keys are regular key switches with small OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) displays embedded in their tops. This allows interactive and image-based communication between software and users. (Read the full post about ‘United Keys partnership with Foxconn’…)

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GM and Carnegie-Mellon’s robot driver, called "Boss," took top honors at the DARPA 2007 Urban Challenge competition last November.  The competition pitted 11 autonomous vehicles against each other and a 55-mile course filled with stop signs, human-driven cars, and other obstacles typically found in an urban environment.

The goal of the challenge is to work towards cars that will allow us to do all of the stuff we’re all doing already in the car (adjusting the stereo, drinking coffee, eating a muffin, talking on the phone), without having to worry about that other meddlesome task: driving the car.

It felt odd, letting an autonomous robot drive me around a course at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, but that’s what I did for the following Wired video segment:

(I just can’t believe I didn’t think to wear this shirt.)

Tags: mobile devices, DAB, MP3, technology

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