Archive for October, 2008...
Filed under Gadgets
Filed under: GPS
It looks like those wanting a GPS unit that’s a bit more stylish than the usual fare now have a new option to consider from Navman, which has just introduced is IDEO-designed S100 model. In addition to being shiny, this one measures just 13.5-mm thick, and packs a 4.3-inch “super flat” touchscreen, all the usual PMP features, 3D maps, Navman’s trademark
NavPix photo navigation, and SirfStar’s InstaFix II, which promises to deliver a GPS fix five times faster than normal. It also uses Mio’s new “Spirit” software with Glide Touch, which provides “simple tap and slide functionality,” but apparently not full multi-touch. No word on a release ’round these parts, but folks in the UK will be able to pick this one up in November for $199, or roughly $340.
[Via NaviGadget]
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Filed under Gadgets
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
We all know the internet is not a big truck, and the rolling blackouts in California not that long ago showed our power grid isn’t either. Part of the solution could be a series of tubes, a new type of solar generator from a company called Solyndra that replaces the usual square solar roof panels with something that would make Senator Stevens proud. The company’s photovoltaic rods are able to catch rays from any direction, meaning they don’t need to be tilted to point at the sun. Also, since they’re not shaped like a silicon kite, they don’t need the same big, beefy installation brackets. This cuts installation costs in half and has helped to drive $1.2 billion in orders from eager would-be customers of this three-year-old startup. Want to see ‘em for yourself? Head on down to the Solar Power International Expo next week in sunny San Diego.
[Via Make]
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Filed under Gadgets
Filed under: Digital Cameras
It’s been less than a month since BenQ churned out its
E1050 camera, but it looks like it’s already deemed it fit to let loose a new similarly spec’d but differently styled model in the form of the DC C1060. Those specs include a 10-megapixel sensor, a 3x optical zoom, and a 2.7-inch LCD, plus some added features like a “Super Shake Free” system, Smile Catch, and video recording at your choice of 720 x 400 or 640 x 480. As you can see above, you’ll also get a stylish leather texture grip. No word on a price or release date just yet but, if past BenQ cameras are any indication, you can pretty safely bet that this one won’t break the bank.
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Filed under Gadgets
Filed under: Gaming
Are the blatant rockist tendencies of Guitar Hero and Rock Band ruining your enjoyment of those otherwise brilliant titles? Of course they are — we noted your b-boy flava from two blocks away. But don’t sweat it because Genius Products, 7 Studios and Quincy Jones III have your niche in their sights and will happily sell you Scratch: The Ultimate DJ when it hits the stores sometime in Spring 2009. With a game controller designed by Numark (known worldwide for its DJ controllers — there’s an example for you after the break), the game will be available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and feature tracks by “many” (as yet unnamed) hip-hop artists. Trevor Drinkwater, President and CEO of Genius Products promises all and sundry “a cutting-edge game that captures the vital energy of hip-hop culture.” And here we thought they were cynically jumping on the Guitar Hero bandwagon! We stand corrected.
Continue reading Scratch offers Numark-controlled Guitar Hero for hip-hop heads
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Filed under Gadgets
Filed under: Cellphones
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.
As Switched On exemplified in the frenzy of mobile Ts and primary Gs last week, much of the attention focused on the involvement of Google and comparisons to the iPhone. Searching Google for “‘T-Mobile G1′ Apple” yields over 6.7 million results on Google. Searching for “‘T-Mobile G1′ HTC” yields only 3.4 million.
Given that the phone is being branded “T-Mobile G1 with Google,” the temptation is to say that HTC, which has long vowed to step into the white light from behind the white label, has failed to capitalize on one of the best branding opportunities in handset history. However, there would have been limits as to how much spotlight it could have stolen in the wake of media fascination with Google and one can have only so many brands listed in the name of a phone. Wireless carriers are among the biggest television advertisers, and Google is the biggest advertising powerhouse online. Together they will fund the G1 marketing push. The stakes were just too high for HTC to significantly advance its branding status with T-Mobile, which has used its carrier brand for such HTC handsets as the Dash, Wing and Shadow.
But there are more paradoxes in HTC’s first Android handset.
Continue reading Switched On: The T-Mobile G1 — by Google and what’s-their-names
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