June 2007 Archives

This is an actual working R2-D2 projector and DVD player made by the guys at Nikko. Setting you back ¥388,500 ($3,000) this little robot is a 1/2 scale DLP projector with a slot-loading DVD player, 1,800:1 contrast, 1,500 lumen brightness, and resolution of 1024x768 pixels... not that anybody buying this would particularly care about the specifications.

SOURCE: Impress

The Telexistence Wide-angle Immersive STEReoscope (TWISTER) is a goggle-free panoramic display aimed to 'immerse viewers in a 3D video environment.' Developed by a team at the University of Toyko, TWISTER is being hailed as the 'world's first full-color 360-degree 3D display that does not require viewers to wear special glasses,' and it's finally coming together after a decade of work. Within the cylindrical, rotating device, you'll find some 50,000 LEDs that give off the illusion of a three-dimensional object without any ocular aids. Moreover, the team is already looking into the possibility of adding 3D videophone technology to spruce up video telephony, but we'd be totally content with a couple rounds of Halo in this thing.

SOURCE: PinkTentacle

I thought I'd point out the new Power Plate my5 fitness machine which uses so-called 'Acceleration Training' to give a full body workout in a few minutes. 10 minutes on the Power Plate is seemingly equivalent to 60 minutes' conventional exercise. As well as reducing cellulite and accellerating metabolisms, there are a number of claimed health benefits.

It works through transferring vibrations to the muscles in the body causing them to contract in a reflex action – a method used to train astronauts by developing their muscles and helping them to get used to unusual stresses and strains their bodies would be exposed to in space. Different parts of the body are put in contact with the platform in various exercise positions ranging from squats, lunges and push-ups to abdominal crunches, tricep dips or bicep curls, and a pose is held for up to 60 seconds.

The my5 comes with a remote control, is available in a few colours, and retails for £3,500. The original Power Plate my3 machine has been reduced from £2000 to £1000. Both models are available from John Lewis, Selfridges, Harrods or PowerPlate.com

The good: 2.0 megapixel camera with Autofocus function, A2DP,

The bad: Grainy digital images, uses Memory Stick Micro

Shockgadgets verdict: Putting aside the disappointing performance of the camera this neat and attractive handset is very user-friendly - packed with features it's pretty good value for money.

Full Review
Sony Ericsson launched a glut of new phones earlier in the year in an effort to appeal to a much broader audience - the result was the launch of two Cyber-shot-branded handsets - theK550i and K810i. We have the lower spec K550i to play with this time round and we are expecting a great deal from the camera totting phone even if it is the lower spec of the two...

The adequately-long-awaited Apple iPhone has had its US release date confirmed at 29th June by a TV advert shown last night. The $600 multi-touch gesture-based PDA still requires a two-year contract from Cingular. The advert featured a map search for 'seafood', resulting in ringing the Pacific Catch restaurant. Their number shows up in the advert, and many nerds viewers bombarded the restaurant with calls after the commercial aired.

The VIA EPIA PX10000 Pico-ITX motherboard standard is the smallest regular commercial motherboard available. Its obvious tiny size will allow it to fit in tiny boxes - think small SSD hard drives too. The low power requirements (max of 16-Watts) are also very attractive to manufacturers. Unfortunately, the 1GHz CPU isn't the most capable, so hi-definition video (above 1024x768) simply isn't possible - thus ruling out this motherboard for HD TV applications. There is a lack of cases for motherboards of this size, and manufacturers aren't willing to create them for the limited market (which may be limited due to the lack of cases...). There are also no central Linux drivers provided. With these issues and limitations, it is unlikely that the Pico-ITX platform will spark general market appeal, but that probably wasn't the point of it.

Read: Review