Gadgets and just Gadgets

HTC Origami Shift

The HTC Shift integrates Microsoft’s new Origami Experience 2.0, finger-friendly Web browsing, push email and wireless broadband to deliver the go anywhere mobile computer.

The HTC Shift is the first device to feature HTC’s innovative new SnapVUE™ technology. SnapVUE provides instant access to emails, calendar, SMS messages and contacts, without the need to fully boot up the device helping conserve power and extend battery life. Weighing just 800g and equipped with a 7″ touch sensitive ’slide-n-tilt’ screen, the HTC Shift is similar in size to a couple of DVD cases and comes with the Windows Vista Business edition and a 40-gigabyte hard drive. Packed with advanced connectivity, the HTC Shift features high-speed global connectivity through with Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA and, Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE as well as Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi. Also a multimedia powerhouse, the HTC Shift utilizes Windows Media Player 11 to provide easy access to music, videos and photos.

The Full product spec is as follows:

Product name HTC Advantageâ„¢ (X7510)
Size 133.5 x 98 x 16 mm (additional 4.75mm for keyboard)
Weight 290g + 85g for keyboard
Networks WCDMA/HSDPA: 850/1900/2100 MHz
GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Operating system Future Version of Windows Mobile®
Display 5-inch VGA with touch screen
Camera 3.1 megapixel with auto focus
VGA for video calling
Internal memory 256 MB + 16 GB flash; 128 MB RAM
Memory card miniSDâ„¢
WLAN 802.11b/g
Bluetooth® 2.0
GPS GPS
Interface HTC ExtUSBâ„¢ (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0
High-Speed); HTC 16 pin port (USB 1.1 host, TV/VGA out); 3.5mm audio jack with microphone
Battery 2100 mAh
Talk time WCDMA: up to 300 minutes*
GSM: up to 360 minutes*
Standby time WCDMA: up to 300 hours*
GSM: up to 300 hours*
Special feature Detachable QWERTY Keyboard with Haptic feedback; document printing; G sensor
Chipset Marvell PXA270 624 MHz; Qualcomm® MSM6275

Tags: HTC, computer, origami, mobile, mobile computer, microsoft, windows vista

Lenovo’s slim combo adapterSource

Lenovo today announced its new ThinkPad and IdeaPad 90W slim AC/DC combo adapter, the company’s first all-in-one adapter designed to charge other electronic devices such as most cell phones and PDAs; and many mobile music devices (using optional connector tips.) At about a half-inch thick and 33 percent smaller than Lenovo’s previous combo adapter, it’s roughly the size of a deck of playing cards – small enough to easily fit into a shirt pocket. This will come to be really useful, as it will spare a lot of your space.

Traditionally, the power adapter for a notebook PC has been referred to as a “brick;” a weighty, bulky necessity that is inconvenient to travel with. A further inconvenience for business travelers, particularly those who fly a lot and spend time in airport security lines, is the need for multiple adapters for multiple devices. Lenovo’s new ThinkPad and IdeaPad 90W slim AC/DC combo adapter helps business travelers cut down on the number of devices they must carry.

The ThinkPad and IdeaPad 90W slim AC/DC power adapter is priced at $119. It is available at Lenovo.com and through Lenovo business partners.Enjoy.

Tags: adapter, Lenovo, power adapter, Think Pad, Ideapad, combo adapter

Hitachi’s Smart CCTV Camera

Whatever your opinion of the ever-increasing number of surveillance cameras pointed at us, their proliferation creates a tricky logistical problem for those doing the watching – how do we make sense of the information overload of so much video?

Hitachi has come up with an answer that uses artificial intelligence to analyze what the CCTV cameras are seeing and prioritize just a handful for close human inspection.

The system takes feeds from up to 100 online cameras and passes them to a personal computer for image processing and a central server for the meatier task of searching through video archives for comparable footage.

Together, they pull out the four most important video streams and display those on a monitor at high resolution, while the remainders appear as thumbnails.

Face-recognition software is employed to see if known troublemakers appear in live video, while behavior-analysis software looks out for likely problems, such as loitering, erratic movements and unusual noise levels.

Best of all is the data load, which is kept down to around 70Mbps by selecting just four main streams. Other 100-camera systems typically consume 10 times the bandwidth and cost much more than the ¥10 million ($95,000) Hitachi is asking for.
[tags]
Hitachi, Smart CCTV Camera, CCTV, camera, CCTV camera, surveillance, [/tags]

Smartparts SP8PRT digital photo frame that prints

We all know that digital photo frames these days do not just display photos, they are more than capable of playing both video and audio as well. So what should there be left to take out on the market ,in this domain, in order to surprise the buyers?

Smartparts aims to go one up on the rest of the competition with its SP8PRT digital photo frame that is the first of its kind in the world, being equipped with an integrated photo printer. The entire printer has been incorporated into the frame’s body, concealed behind the SP8PRT’s LCD display so that the bulk can’t be seen from the front.( you can see this in the picture) You get a one dye sublimation color cartridge with ink and paper per purchase, saving you the hassle of hooking up your digital camera to a separate photo printer.

So there are stll many things to add to a plain and simple photoframe. I wonder whether this will sell like hot cakes once it hits the market…

Tags: photo, frame, photoframe, digital photoframe, SP8PRT, smartpart

Advanced Thermal Device LED Streetlight

Don’t you just hate it… driving through neighborhoods that are poorly lit at night? – it gives me the creeps. Sometimes, there are even streetlights that don’t even function, making it an even more terrifying ride especially when you know you’re in a rather rough area.

Advanced Thermal Devices (ATD), along with the KongLin Tech Group, the New Energy Center of National Taiwan University and the Russian Academy of Sciences, has developed a globally patented low-cost loop heat pipe (LHP) product and system.

Advanced Thermal Device’s LED streetlight has an expected life of over 50,000 hours. The product generates 4,000-6,000 lumens at 100W power input and its energy savings can be up to 75% compared with mercury lamps.

With its heat dissipation using advanced aerospace technology and employing an unique lightweight design, the LED streetlight satisfies the United Nation’s Environmental Protection Regulations.

The efficient and reliable heat transfer and heat dissipation capacities of the device can be used in various high-performance electronic products such as computers, high-power LED lighting systems, and many energy products in commercial, industrial and aerospace industries.

The loop heat pipe is a heat-transfer device with a flexible, bendable connecting pipe utilizing a fine porous or wick structure in micro scale to achieve remote heat transport with high power, accoring to Advanced Thermal Devices When will we see these streetlights dot the Stateside landscape?

Tags: LHP, advanced thermal device, LED, streetlight, light

The Jelly Click Blow-up MouseSource

Do you ever have issues fitting all of your gear into your gadget bag? If you’ve ever attended a trade show or, indeed, gone on holiday, you’ll know it sometimes something of a challenge to cram all your geek gear into one bag. It can be done but usually means sore shoulders and unusual bulges.I tend to carry more than I probably should, so I’m constantly searching for smaller gadgets to take with me. This inflatable mouse has to be one of the most bizarre devices made to keep your travel bag light.

The idea is that you can still have a full sized mouse when you need it, but have it only take up minimal space. When it’s deflated, you can just stick it under the lid of your laptop and you’re good to go. Of course on the flip side, you’ll be the butt of jokes everywhere as you blow up your mouse. This Jelly Click takes mouse portability to the extreme. All the electronic circuity lives on a small flexible board. The body itself is just soft plastic. Whenever you need a mouse, blow up the Jelly Click, attach the USB cable and you’re good to go. As a bonus, it’s a total floaty for you swimming challenged people.

I’m sure there are some people out there that would find this interesting to use, but I’d certainly pass.

Tags: blow up mouse, mouse, inflatable mouse, yanko design

Jobo re-announces Photo GPS camera add-on

We haven’t heard much about Jobo’s Photo GPS camera add-on since it was announced around the time of last year’s PMA show, and it now looks like that’s been for good reason, as the company’s apparently decided to have another go at this whole “product launch” thing at this year’s PMA. From the looks of it, however, not much has changed with the device itself in the ensuing months, with it still promising to attach to your camera’s flash hot shoe and record GPS information as you shoot, and squeeze all that data into your images’ EXIF metadata (or XML file in the case of RAW images) when you sync it up.

It will, however, hold plenty of photos — available in 40, 80, and 120GB versions for €249, €299, and €379, respectively (or about $330, $390, and $500). Taking a cue from some earlier, less discreet devices, the photoGPS promises to let you tag all your photos with GPS data as you take ‘em, conveniently adding the location information to the photo’s EXIF file. From the sound of it, the device (pictured after the break) will also apparently work with any digital camera, although that’ll undoubtedly be cleared up meanwhile.

Assuming things don’t change any further, you can now apparently look for the unit to hit “mid-year,” when it’ll set you back $159.
[tags]
jobo, photo gps, gps,[/tags]

The Moldable Mouse for playful PC usersSource

It’s made of “non-toxic lightweight modeling clay, covered with nylon and polyurethane blend fabric”, and can be shaped, Play-Doh style, to fit any hand. Once molded, it keeps its shape until you’re ready to play again. The Moldable Mouse is still in the concept stage, but it has already won a Red Dot design award.

The click buttons and touch-sensitive scroll pad of the mouse are stick-on parts with built-in RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device), which can be repositioned for maximum comfort.
The nylon and polyurethane blend fabric covering comes in a variety of colours. The texture of the material feels similar to silk, but is much more flexible.

Now we just sit and wait, hoping that this innovation will hit the shelves in a materialized form…There are big chances for not passing the concept step, but there is hope.

Tags: lite on, moldable mouse, red dot design award, mouse

2 in 1 keyboard and mouse.Why?

Check out this latest keyboard launched by Sanwa, from Japan.I f for some odd reason you don’t find the mouse easy to use, and actually want a 2-in-1 product.

As you can see on the image, the keyboard has a touchpad below the keys that works as the mouse – pretty similar to a laptop configuration. There are 2 versions of the Sanwa keyboard, one that has wires and works via USB, and the other version is wireless.

Maybe this keyboard was made with a specific (small) group of people in mind, because I don’t know many that would change a normal mouse with a touchpad. If you coem to think about it…they didn’t put portable mouses for the laptops for nothing , right? So why on Earth would I wanna torture my fingrs with a touchpad for my PC?

Tags: keypad, mouse, touch pad, Sanwa

 NextoDI intros Nexto Extreme storage device with eSATA support

NextoDI may not shake up the designs of its various photography-friendly storage devices very much, but it at least keeps up a steady pace with the technical upgrades, with its new Nexto Extreme ND2700 unit now adding some speedy eSATA support to the mix.

Otherwise, you can expect the usual accommodations for a 2.5-inch hard drive, along with slots for just about any memory card you’re likely to use and, of course, a USB port for times when eSATA isn’t an option.

Still no word on a price or release date, but we’re guessing you shouldn’t have to wait too much longer to get your hands on one.

Tags: esata, nexto, nexto extreme, nextodi, NextoExtreme, storage device