Internet World 2008
Shock Gadgets will be attending Internet World 2008 in London next week.
The show features over 200 hours of seminars from companies ranging from Microsoft to the BBC to Royal Mail, and exhibitions from over 300 companies. All discussing the latest Internet technologies.
We’ll be sure to keep you posted on everything interesting that pops up, so watch this space.
Review: Nokia E90
The Nokia E90 communicator is the eleventh-generation Communicator phone, which are all essentially large high-spec mobile phones with wide screens and qwerty keyboards inside. Unlike the previous generations however, the E90 is on a par with competitors in the field, rather than lagging a few years behind.
Launched just over a year ago, the E90 features quad-band GSM, 2100 WCDMA, UMTS, WiFi b/g, 3.6Mbps HSDPA radios, Bluetooth 2.0, A2DP for bluetooth stereo audio, a 3.2 megapixel camera (with flash), a second VGA camera inside for video calling, GPS and Nokia Maps. Inside it has an ARM11-based TI OMAP2420 processor running at 330 MHz, 128 MB of RAM (80MB available), a 800×352 screen inside and 240×320 outside. It has a full-speed USB 2.0 connector for data transfer and an SD card slot, although it also came with a MicroSD adapter… Read more
New iPods Released
There is no denying that the iPod is the most successful consumer entertainment gadget of all time. Providing an insurmountable benchmark in terms of design and technological achievement, it is always amazing to see Apple continue to improve and upgrade their range.
Today, Apple have shown off their new full suite of iPods, including the Shuffle, Nano, Classic and new ‘Touch’ which will be available this weekend; and have decreased some prices to coincide with this.
The iPod Shuffle has been refreshed with new colours, including pastel blue, green, lavender and 1GB (PRODUCT) RED edition which raises money for charity, as with the nano last year. Price stays at $79 though.
The all-new iPod nano is the same as the ‘fatty’ spied by Engadget over the past few weeks. With a bigger, brighter 2-inch 320×240 (QVGA) screen at 204ppi, video capability, an 'enhanced' UI, its own take on Cover Flow and three games, its battery has 24 hours of audio playback and 5 hours of video. The silver 4gb model is going for $149, and the more colourful 8gb for $199.
The real/main/original series of iPods has been given a real name as the iPod Classic. This new sixth-generaton version is mostly an upgrade on the previous 5.5th generation units, with a new all-metal shell and (FMJ) and improved interface, coming in two higher-capacity versions. The 80gb iPod Classic has 30 hours of audio, 6 hours of video and will retail at $249. The new 160gb version has 40 hours audio, 7 hours video for $349.
The long-awaited iPod Touch is the phone-less iPhone. Coming in at 8mm deep, this is significantly thinner than the iPhone. The Touch packs a 3.5-inch widescreen display, 22 hours audio, 5 hours video and the same multi-touch inferface with Cover Flow as the iPhone. It also has web capability through WiFi, through which you can even buy music on iTunes. Available in a few weeks, the 8gb will go for $299 and the 16gb for $399.
Apple also announced a partnership and 'feature' to be able to purchase a song playing or recently played in a Starbucks through WiFi on the Touch, and free WiFi access to the iTunes Music Store (to buy the song currently playing). Doesn't hurt I suppose.
The still-new iPhone is having a massive $200 price drop to coincide with these releases, down to $299 for the 4gb and $399 for the 8gb.
Click on for images of the new range… Read more
312-Key Chromatone Keyboard
The Chromatone CT-312 is a Wholetone sythesiser with 312 keys, instead of the standard register of 88. These are not 312 separate pitches however, but uses the Uniform keyboard paradigm to replicate notes across the board. The advantage of this is not having to stretch awkwardly to reach a key, as it will be replicated in a slightly more convenient location. It was a layout developed by Paul von Janko in 1882, called the Janko Keyboard.
This helpful chart assists in the explanation of the layout, and I've included a decipher of it below.
The video after the break shows one gentleman showing his skills with 312 keys, performing the Super Mario Bros theme with bewildering ease. Last time I saw that being played was on an 11-string bass, so it evidently has some reputation amongst extreme musicians… Read more
Ultimate Gadget Recycling
Acorn Studios have created the ultimate accessory range from old computer media and peripherals. Floppy disks, keyboard keys, circuit boards and scratched CDs have been transformed into clocks, notepads, jewellery and other gifts. Check out this pair of cufflinks available for $14.95.
Click on for some more pictures… Read more
R2-D2 Projector
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 1024×768 pixels… not that anybody buying this would particularly care about the specifications.
SOURCE: Impress
360-degree 3D display
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
Get in Shape
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
iPhone Release Date Confirmed
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.
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VIA's Miniature Motherboard
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 1024×768) 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