Apple faithful await Jobs' keynote at Macworld

Apple faithful await Jobs' keynote at Macworld

I've said this before, but it's my favorite week of the year.

I'll be at chief executive Steve Jobs' keynote on Tuesday, and I'll be updating our tech blog as I can during the event. I may enlist my fellow bloggers to post for me with some timely texting from the speech.

Traditionally, new Apple hardware and software is introduced by Mr. Jobs himself at a keynote or special media event.

If you follow Macintosh news at all, you've probably seen at least a snippet of a Steve Jobs keynote. It's part CEO speech and part rock concert.

People will start lining up at the Moscone West convention center the night before, and by the time breakfast rolls around the line will be around the entire building.

As for what will be introduced, there is only speculation. Last year, Mr. Jobs introduced the iPhone and AppleTV.

One of those has been a huge hit and the other (cough, cough, AppleTV) not so much.

There we were at the largest gathering of Macintosh fans in the world, and there was not one mention of any new Macintosh desktops or laptops.

It almost seems as if upgrading existing lines of computers is not important enough to merit a keynote mention.

I guess that's OK.

This year I've been reading the rumor sites along with everyone else. Here's what I think might come out of Macworld 2008.

Ultralight laptop

Since the discontinuation of the 12-inch Powerbook, Apple fans have clamored for a very small, light laptop.

Long rumored, the ultralight Macbook has appeared recently online in some spy photos that looked heavily Photoshopped.

What I really want is a 10- to 12-inch laptop about half an inch thick with an LED-backlit screen and a Flash-based hard drive. Including an optical drive would not be possible, but an external drive is an option.

A recently released Apple patent shows a docking station that looks much like the current iMac. Picture a small laptop sliding inside the screen from the right. The screen itself is the docking station.

That would be sweet.

An enhanced AppleTV and iTunes movie rentals

Critics point to lower-than- expected sales of AppleTV as the one chink in the armor in Cupertino, Calif.

Everyone seems to think if the AppleTV had recording capability like a TiVo and the ability to download content (including HD) from the iTunes Music Store, it would be a hit.

If the rumors of rentals from the iTunes Music Store are true, an enhanced AppleTV would be the perfect vehicle for getting the video to your TV.

A slightly larger box with a full-size hard drive (not a 2.5-inch laptop drive) would be nice. Incorporating an Airport Express to make the box a wireless access point or extend an Airport wireless network would be great as well.

Midsize desktop Mac

Consumers have their Macs with the iMac and Mac mini. Professionals have the Mac Pro, but it weighs 40 pounds, is almost 2 feet tall and made of metal. It's a huge machine that isn't designed for a small office.

What Apple needs is a midsize Mac with one expansion slot and perhaps room for two hard drives. Think a VCR-size Mac. It needs to be easily expandable and cost about $1,200. It needs an upgradable video card.

Some people call this a headless iMac. The Mac mini is really not expandable at all, and its video capabilities are limiting.

3G iPhone

One of the sure things in my mind is Apple introducing an updated iPhone that runs on AT&T's 3G high-speed network.

Apple wants to sell 10 million iPhones in the first year. They have until midyear to make that goal, and they're about halfway there.

Most everyone who wants an iPhone has one. What will kick-start huge sales again is a faster model.

I hope they don't change the form factor of the device. Companies have spent millions of dollars on designing cases and other accessories, and it would be a shame to make them all retool.

Mr. Jobs will probably introduce the new phone and make us wait again while the FCC does its testing. Look for a midyear release.

Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/ptech/stories/DN-p2techreview_11bus.ART.State.Edition1.2b63a82.html

Apple to cut iTunes download prices

Apple is to lower the prices it charges UK customers for iTunes downloads to bring them into line with Europe.

The technology giant currently charges 79p per download in the UK compared with 99 cents (74p) on the Continent.

Apple's pledge to cut UK prices within six months follows a European Commission probe into alleged overpricing by the company.

Source: http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iLcDog0-fdt1dZ-RddOV66ZCm1Ow

Apple to launch 200 gig video Ipod with Blue Tooth Technology

Today Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple computer announced the release of the newest update for the Video Ipod. The New Ipod has a capacity of 200 gigabytes and features high speed flash memory instead of a hard drive. The Display is also 45% larger than the current Ipod music players.200G Ipod goes on sale tomorrow, with retail price of $599.

Jobs also announced the new Ipod will support wireless music uploading with the addition of Blue Tooth technology. "The wireless capability is the key feature of this new Ipod." Jobs then went on to announce the new Video Ipod's most important new feature, wireless charging. "With the new 6.8 standard for Blue Tooth transmissions the 200G Ipod can be charged without cables." The wireless changing feature has a range of 6 meters or nearly 20 feet.

With upgrades to the airport base station and the new G5 intel powered Imac and Macbook pro all Apple computers now support wireless charging and Blue Tooth wireless updating. The connection speed is also 5 times faster than the standard USB 2.0.

Apple also continues its relationship with Motorola. The 200G video Ipod connects via Blue Tooth to the new Razr cell phone. The Blue tooth connection allows users to purchase music and then download it from the phone directly to the Ipod. Experts are not exactly sure why you would want to do this, however.

Source: http://www.unconfirmedsources.com/index.php?itemid=1494

Company unveils bed with web, iPod, DVR

You're probably used to having a big-screen TV or a cell phone charger in the bedroom, but diversified manufacturer Leggett & Platt Inc. wants to take things a step further by bringing tech gadgets right into your bed.

The company plans to sell a tricked-out place of rest it calls the Starry Night Sleep Technology Bed, mattresses included. The bed, which was on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show, incorporates features like wireless Internet connectivity, an iPod dock, a surround sound speaker system, LCD projector, dual temperature controls and DVR capability.

Leggett & Platt said the bed also comes with a vibration-detection feature that will elevate that half of the bed 7 degrees if a user is snoring and then return to the original position once the snoring stops.

The company expects the Starry Night to be available in the first half of 2009 for $20,000 to $50,000 depending on which features a buyer chooses.

"I know it sounds like a lot, but you show me somebody that sleeps in a bed with someone that snores; I will show you a person that thinks $20,000 is a very small amount to pay to solve that problem," Mark Quinn, group executive vice president for Leggett & Platt's bedding division, said Tuesday at CES.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_on_hi_te/gadget_show_bed;_ylt=Ata_6YmcHZHHJYeZPaREa3UN7YV4

Toshiba Shows Prototype TV Running on PS3 Chip

What happens when you take the powerful Cell microprocessor, the chip that sits at the heart of the PlayStation 3 games console, and put it to use inside a television? Toshiba is demonstrated just such a TV at this week's International Consumer Electronics Show and the results are impressive.

The Cell chip was developed by Toshiba along with IBM, Sony and Sony Computer Entertainment, and is dedicated to graphics processing. Each chip contains a single Power PC core and eight co-processors to make heavy-duty processing of video a breeze.

While Sony developed the chip for its PlayStation 3, Toshiba invested money in the project with an eye to using the device in consumer electronics products. Until CES, the company hadn't shown a Cell-powered consumer device, but a pair of flat-panel TVs on its booth at the trade show have changed that.

The first and perhaps most relevant benefit of putting the Cell inside a television is the ability to handle real-time upscaling of standard definition TV to high-def. With more and more HDTV channels, we get more and more used to the crisp, sharp quality offered by HD and that makes standard definition look poor. With a Cell-powered TV you'd be able to enjoy regular channels in higher quality much closer to that of HD, said Hiroaki Komaki, a specialist at Toshiba's core technology center in Tokyo.

The upscaling doesn't stop there. The same feature can be used to zoom in on an area of an HDTV picture, enlarge that single area, and then improve it's image quality. Imagine zooming in on a home movie of a sports event and getting closer to the action.

The Cell also makes it possible to easily navigate a number of video channels simultaneously. In a demo at CES, the chip was streaming 48 chapters from a standard-definition video file in real-time, with each appearing as a video thumbnail on the screen. Clicking on one of the clips would bring it up on the lower half of the screen, with 16 chapters still running in the upper half. Another push on the button would move it to full screen.

If the video streams were HD, it would be able to process six in real-time and display them on the screen, said Komaki.

Toshiba still hasn't decided exactly what features it will build into a Cell-based TV, nor has it decided when such a set will go on sale. One thing Toshiba isn't planning on doing is building a PlayStation 3 gaming system into its TVs. The chips may be the same but Komaki said such a combination isn't likely.

The company has been chasing the idea of Cell-based consumer electronics since it signed on with Sony and IBM to develop the chip in 2001.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080111/tc_pcworld/141282;_ylt=AsD8GSChpDqfuwSWU9b0r7GSxLEF

Hands-on with Altec Lansing's T612 iPhone docking speakers

Yeah, yeah, we know -- another iP** dock -- but this is actually one of the first docking audio speakers approved to work with the iPhone without either dropping into airplane mode or assaulting your ears with janky GSM signal noise (it also docks regular old iPods, of course). To boot, it charges the thing and has incoming call support -- more than slightly mitigated by the fact that you still have to actually remove the phone from the dock to take the call, a drawback the Altec Lansing rep said was because Apple neglected to include support for passing call audio across the docking interface. Still, if you happen to use your iPhone as jukebox at home or work, you can pick up this quite decent-sounding speaker system in February if it's worth $200 to you.

Google: http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/10/hands-on-with-altec-lansings-t612-iphone-docking-speakers/

Mr. Clock Robot Alarm Doesn't Take No for an Answer

If you need a little extra incentive to wake up in the morning, the Mr. Clock Radio may be just what you need. He can wake your lazy ass up in one of 30 different ways—from gentle coaxing to flat-out drill sergeant-style orders. He can even tell fortunes, read the time aloud, wink and blink, react to light or motion, and play music via AM, FM or iPod/MP3. Just remember that this little bastard costs $79.99 before you go punching him in the face.


Source: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/robots/mr-clock-robot-alarm-doesnt-take-no-for-an-answer-308432.php

Ajoka Buckle Digital Camera Records from Your Belt, Makes You Styleless James Bond

A digital video recorder with built-in micro camera and high quality recorder disguised as a belt buckle that could make Chuck Norris proud? My life is now complete. Thanks to Ajoka and their full-color, sound-enabled Buckle DVR, now you too can be an spy, a private dick and a Geek Squad technician. Yes, it looks like crap, but the specs are not bad at all.

According to Ajoka, the Buckle DVR can record 33 hours of audio and video on one 1GB microSD card, even while the rechargeable lithium battery can only last for two hours. These are the specs:

• Dimension: 2.54" (H) * 1.47" (W) * 0.60" (D)
• Video Compression︰ 3GP video format, 176x144 ,QCIF / 15fps
• Voice Recording: High quality digital voice recording.
• Internal Memory︰ No
• Micro SD card / T-Flash card support︰ 128MB to 2GB (Not included)
• Recording Mode︰ Continuous recording until memory is full or manually turned off.
• Video File Size︰ >500KB per minute

Source: http://gizmodo.com/343583/ajoka-buckle-digital-camera-records-from-your-belt-makes-you-styleless-james-bond

Extreme Tank Wheelchair Gets Upgraded: Rascal Owners...Be Very Afraid

The second generation of the Tank Chair is even bigger and badder than the original, with a 24v, 2hp, 127rpm variable speed motor powered by four Optima Deep Cycle batteries. It also has a 22:1 gear ratio and it can handle a 10% incline with no problems. The upgrade even includes a full-sized and generously cushioned chair for optimum comfort on those bumpy off road excursions or for those times when you are forced to mow down some dude on a Rascal monster truck style. Pricing and release date information have not been made available.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/343493/extreme-tank-wheelchair-gets-upgraded-rascal-ownersbe-very-afraid

Panasonic and Google to launch Internet TVs

Users will be able to directly browse and access videos from YouTube

Web giant Google Inc. is developing televisions that display Internet content such as photos and videos together with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd.'s Panasonic unit.

The TVs, to be launched this spring, will allow users to directly browse and access videos from YouTube, a video-sharing Web site owned by Google, and view Picasa Web Albums, a free online photo-sharing service from Google, Panasonic said in a statement on Monday.

"Panasonic's cooperation with YouTube and Google's Picasa Web Albums exemplifies our commitment to leading the natural evolution of the Internet and extending it to the High Definition television," Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company's Vice President Merwan Mereby said in the statement.

The news sent the shares of Matsushita higher right after the market open, but they shed 1.8 percent to 2,150 yen by 8:08 p.m. EST to underperform a 0.7 percent fall in the benchmark Nikkei average.

Late last year, Matsushita, the world's top plasma TV maker, said it would take control of a liquid crystal display joint venture and may build a new factory, marking a major shift in its strategy for the flat panel TV market.

Matsushita has until now invested aggressively in plasma displays in the belief that it was the most cost-effective technology for flat TVs bigger than 37-inches, while procuring LCD panels to make TVs for the smaller sets.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22546393/

CES could be leaving Las Vegas

Organizers blame rising cost of hotels, food and beverage

Las Vegas’ 31st International Consumer Electronics Show could be one of its last, organizers said Monday, saying they believe they can get a cheaper deal elsewhere.

CES, the largest consumer electronic trade show in America, brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in non-gaming revenue to Las Vegas each year. But CES officials told NBC affiliate KBVC of Las Vegas that the price of doing business has gone up every year, so much so that they are considering moving to another city.

“We’ve heard from our attendees, from our exhibitors ... that the rates of hotels during the International CES are increasing out of proportion from what they think it should be,” said Jason Oxman, chief spokesman for the show’s organizer, the Consumer Electronics Association.

Some hotels charge more than five times what they normally charge during the four-day event, organizers said. They also require rooms to be booked in three- or four-night blocks and add food and beverage guarantees on top.

Glenda Brungardt, trade show and event manager for HP Imaging & Printing Marketing, told the Las Vegas Sun that the company had cut 12 percent to 15 percent of its show personnel because of rising costs. Hotel costs, she said, are the top complaint.

Some of the 140,000 people attending the show are beginning to chafe.

“Compared to the facility and service, the price is too high,” Vivian Davis of Shanghai, China, told KVBC. “Others say the prices of Las Vegas hotel rooms are on par with places like Berlin or Frankfurt.”

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said in a statement that it was listening carefully “to the concerns of trade show partners.” It said it was in discussions with hotel industry leaders and CES representatives.

CES organizers said the show would be back next year but said they were planning to pursue new, less expensive arrangements.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22549735/

VTech IS6110 - not a normal phone

At CES 2008, VTech showed off an unusual (home) phone that will become available next month, during February, with a price tag of $99.

What makes it unusual are the following details: QWERTY keyboard, support for MSN and AIM, and being able to connect to a computer via USB. Which means users will have access to the internet, and can simply have AIM conversations on the VTech phone.

The IS6110 features a small and colorful LCD screen, that displays the chat convo. And to make the sound quality better when making voice calls, we’ve got the DECT 6.0 Digital technology.

Source: http://www.gadgetizer.com/2008/01/08/vtech-is6110-not-a-normal-phone/

Organic thin TVs

"It will start to grow as a market in 2015," he said during an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show taking place here this week. "You won't be able to beat the cost and price performance of LCD and plasma for a long time."

OLED TVs are thin--measuring about 3 millimeters, or the width of three credit cards--and sport contrast ratios that far exceed standard LCDs (liquid crystal displays) or plasmas. The manufacture of curved displays is also possible with OLEDs. In some senses, OLEDs are similar to LCDs. The base of the panel is the same, but the upper half of the panel consists of different chemicals that emit their own light. LCDs, in contrast, need a backlight.

Sony has captured a tremendous amount of buzz at CES this week with its OLED TV that's been on sale in Japan since October and just came to the U.S.

However, other makers are taking more time to debut OLED TVs. Both Panasonic and Samsung are showing off OLED TV prototypes this week at CES and both companies are "committed to the technology," a phrase that typically means a company plans to sink millions into research and development in hopes of bringing a product to market.

Samsung might launch OLED TVs in two or three years, said S.I. Lee, senior vice president of marketing for digital media at the company.

Hitachi is in the same boat. The company likes the technology, saying that it's the TV technology of choice for the future, but won't likely come out with OLED TVs until 2015 at the earliest. That's when it could be possible to make a 33-inch OLED TV economically, according to the company.

"The contrast and picture quality is good," said Makato Ebata, CEO of the consumer business group at Hitachi. "How can it be done economically? That is the big question. The cost competitiveness of LCD and plasma are incredible."

Sharp Electronics is in wait-and-see mode, too, a company representative said.

Why the wait? Right now, OLED TVs cost a lot--Sony's sells for $2,500--and they are far smaller than the 40-plus-inch TVs consumers are buying. Sony's TV measures 11 inches in diameter. Manufacturers also continue to find ways to drop the manufacturing cost, and hence retail price, of TVs based around the existing technologies.

"We want to make TVs for more than 0.001 percent of the market," Lee said.

Manufacturing OLEDs also remains an art more than a science. Sony execs acknowledged that the reason their initial OLED TV is so small is that it is tough to make large-screen versions. (Today, OLEDs are mostly used as screens in cell phones.)

"The difficult challenge with the larger screen sizes is improving the yields. There are a lot of complications, many more than with LCD," said Katsumi Ihara, executive deputy president and the head of Sony's Consumer Products Group. "The yields tend to be low. That is the biggest challenge."

The basic technology also needs some work, added Sakamoto. Unlike plasmas or LCDs, moisture can penetrate OLED screens, which can damage them.

"At the moment, there are also no equipment manufacturers for the upper half of the panel," Sakamoto said. "I'm very positive. It is a very promising display for post-plasma and post-LCD, but it will take time."

Durability is also an issue. No one really knows how long OLED TVs will last. Sony's Ihara, though, said his company has conquered a lot of the problems. If you watched TV for eight hours a day, Sony's OLED TV would last for ten years, Ihara said.

Still, the promise is there.

"OLED has the capability to be cost-competitive with LCD or better," Ebata said. "And the picture quality is better and the energy consumption is far lower. There are not too many people that deny the future of OLED."

Source: http://www.news.com/Picture-fuzzy-for-organic-thin-TVs/2100-7353_3-6225133.html?tag=nefd.lede

Queen Elizabeth 'hooked' on the Nintendo Wii

Elizabeth II: Queen of England. Duchess of Edinburgh. Defender of the faith. Gamer.

In what may be the worst—or best—piece of Nintendo Wii propaganda we've heard yet, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is, we understand, a red-eyed, thumb-twitching videogame fiend.

British tabloid The People gushes that the "gadget-loving Queen has become HOOKED on Prince William's new Nintendo Wii games console." Prince William's paramour, Kate Middleton, tracked down a system during the holidays and gave it to the prince for Christmas.

A loose-lipped palace spy insists the Queen Mother—81 years young—just had to jump in for a frame of Wii Bowling:

"When she saw William playing a game after lunch at Sandringham, she thought the Nintendo looked tremendous fun and begged to join in.

"She played a simple 10-pin bowling game and, by all accounts, was a natural. It was hilarious. William was in fits of laughter. He was enormously impressed at having such a cool gran.

"His only difficulty now is prying it away from the Queen's clutches. She showed all the signs of becoming a Nintendo addict."

Christmas with the Windsors. What can you do but laugh in self-defence?

God save the Wii. We mean it, man.

Source: http://communities.canada.com/montrealgazette/blogs/inthegame/archive/2008/01/07/queen-elizabeth-ii-hooked-on-the-nintendo-wii.aspx

Fenda Wii Speaker AM2101C: 2.1 speakers look like a Wii

Here's a fun gimmick for anyone that managed to get hold of a Nintendo Wii this Christmas. It's a 2.1 speaker system designed to look as much like the Wii as possible.

The subwoofer looks like a big Wii, and has a stand for you to place your beloved console on. The speakers resemble the Nunchuck controller, with the system belting out a total of 25W.

Due later this year, the Fenda Wii Speaker will cost in the region of $50 (£25). It doesn't sound half bad for the price, although we're not entirely sure the Chinese manufacturer Fenda has secured all the necessary permissions to sell it. Patent lawyers, start your engines! -Jason Jenkins


Source: http://crave.cnet.co.uk/peripherals/0,39029462,49294992,00.htm

The Mobile war is here to stay-Nokia N98 vs Apple iPhone

Nokia N98 vs Apple iPhone

The Nokia N98 and Apple iPhone are the latest gadgets that run on the latest technologies and are here to give the customers their best experience in telephony. Though the new N98 looks quite similar to the Apple iPhone, the specifications of the two phones are different.

Nokia is the reigning leader in the world cellular phone market. After the release of Apple iPhone, Nokia had to come up with an equally competitive phone which was the Nokia N98 . Apple iPhone is a complete touch based mobile phone and this counts as the USP of this device. The touch screen reflects a spectrum of 16M colours through it which makes the device all the more brilliant. The N98 on the other hand has a 3.5 inch VGA 16 million color touch screen.

Further, Apple iPhone runs on Quad-Band GSM network that allows you to take this device anywhere you wish. In addition to this the phone also comes with other connectivity features like GPRS, EDGE and Bluetooth . The integrated Wi-Fi also ensures that the device can give you a speedy Internet connectivity. The Nokia N98 comes also has an integrated GPS receiver and an integrated TNT receiver (the French call it the Télévision Numérique Terrestre used in digitally broadcast TV channels). This is quite a unique feature that N98 holds. Another unique feature is that it runs on a Symbian S70 3rd edition software platform.

The Apple iPhone also has a 2 Mega Pixels camera which gives a much decent picture quality when compared to the Nokia N98 which has a 7.2 mega pixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens with a Optical zoom x5 and digital zoom x20 . Further, the integrated iPod results in an excellent audio quality. Users can listen to the iPod quality music, capable of saving as much songs as you want with its 4/8GB memory. Users can purchase and download songs from the iTunes store directly to their iPhone over Wi-Fi but not over the cellular data network. The N98 on the other hand gives complete multimedia support .It offers a video recording at 720×576 and 30fps and comes with features like a 3D Graphics accelerator, Bluetooth/WIFI b+g+n/HSDPA. It is able to handle microSD cards and gives a battery backup that lasts 12 hours on a single charge. The distinguishing feature in Apple is a rich HTML email client and Safari . It is the most advanced web browser ever on a portable device which automatically syncs bookmarks from your PC or Mac. The Safari also includes built-in Google and Yahoo! search.

Leaving aside the comparison, the bottomline however is that the two phones are par excellence when it comes to technology and are here to allure the users in every possible way. Stay mobile!

Designer gadgets pitched at female shoppers

Consumer electronics makers need to design and market their products explicitly towards women, as they make the majority of buying decisions in households, Philips says.

Andrea Ragnetti, chief executive of Philips' new consumer lifestyle division, said women played a "very important role" in technology purchases so style was paramount when designing products.

Ragnetti made the comments at Philips's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) press conference in Las Vegas, before unveiling a range of new products he said incorporated a "smoother, more feminine approach".

He cited figures from the Consumer Electronics Association, the host of CES, which show women - wives, mothers and daughters - make 40 per cent of decisions in buying household electronics. Further, they influence an additional 21 per cent of electronics purchases.

"Women call the shots," Ragnetti said.

Ragnetti, who used to head Philips's domestic appliances and personal care items division, said that, even there, he found that women played a very influential role when buying the most masculine of products - an electric shaver.

"Today's consumers focus less on products and much more on lifestyle experiences," he said.

Philips's CES product line-up includes a range of personal storage devices and headphones that double as jewellery, such as a Swarovski-designed crystal pendant containing a USB flash drive.

The company said the range created a "fusion of fashion and function".

But Philips made the biggest splash with its "Design Collection", which includes a series of TV sets and home sound systems that Philips says will become a conversation point in the home.

Leading the collection is the 52-inch Ultimate Dream TV, which won a CES Innovations award for design and engineering.

The TV set offers rounded corners and is surrounded by an acrylic edge, while the front is clear of clutter as the speakers are mounted on the back.

Ragnetti said women cared more about looks when buying a product than men did, and therefore it was important when designing TV sets to get rid of angular designs in favour of soft, rounded edges.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/articles/designer-gadgets-pitched-at-female-shoppers/2008/01/08/1199554633917.html#

The Feminine Side of Guy Gadgets

The world of guy gadgets has gone soft. At least that's the opinion of folks at Philips, the big electronics company. Women are the focus of a raft of new softer, rounded designs for the company.

Don't be fooled by the men who dominate the giant Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas, says Andrea Ragnettis, head of the company's new Consumer Lifestyle group. He noted that women now make 40 percent of decisions in buying household electronics. Wives, mothers, daughters, and other females influence an additional 21 percent of electronics buying, bringing the total to well over half.

Ragnettis said he ran into the same thing while in charge of the company's business of selling domestic appliances and personal care items, which was his job until a week ago. "There, we found that when it comes to buying that most masculine of products—an electric shaver—women call the shots," he says.

Now Philips has added consumer electronics to his portfolio and tags the combined group Consumer Lifestyle. The idea is to get electronics past the sharp angles, chrome buttons, and nests of wires. Women simply care more about looks in buying a product than men do, Ragnettis says: "They want it to make them feel good."

Source: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/daves-download/2008/1/7/the-feminine-side-of-guy-gadgets.html

Pioneer Kuro 9mm Plasma TV Concept - Thinner Than An iPhone

We just got an exclusive look at the super-thin 9mm Kuro plasma concept from Pioneer, and frankly it's hard to believe that it's real at all. It's holy-smokes thin—yes, even thinner than an iPhone. Even at the center where it balloons out to a whopping 18mm or so, it's still, you know, Kate Moss. How soon until you get one of these in your house? Not soon enough, amigo. So for now, it's just you and these sweet sweet pics. Go ahead and drool. We'll leave the room.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/341431/pioneer-9mm+thin-concept-plasma-ogled-from-all-angles

Mylo 2... I’m BACK !

The Mylo was Sony’s attempt to make their own version of Uber AMAZING PMP with Internet browsing and Messaging abilities, YEAH right ! So you will be sure that Mylo 2, the Return (or the Sequel part 2), will be MUCH better that its previous generation, and on the paper yes this little Uber PMP is quite impressive.



3.5” Touchscreen LCD (800x480)
1.3Mpix Camera
1GB of internal memory
Support Mpeg-4, WMA, MP3, AAC, ATRAC files
Flash based video
Has Skype, Netfront, AIM, Gtlak, Yahoom IM, RSS...
You can access Google, Youtube, Facebook and so on and so one.

Now... Will I get one ? Yes for sure it is only has HSDPA and a descent PIM soft.




Source: http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news-15294-Mylo+2...+I%E2%80%99m+BACK+%21.html

Intel's Slick Mobile Internet Device Revealed

Get your Silverthorn, red hot 45-nm dual-core "Silverthorn" processor and "Poulsbo" chipsets here. For some reason, we love to look at these future Menlow-based MID devices even though we've yet to find a home for the UMPC in our cold, jaded hearts. And that shiny bar above? Don't get your hopes up kiddo. It's that same slab of non-functional (but sexy) backlit plastic we've seen before and destined for delivery sometime in the next century.




Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/07/hands-on-with-intels-mid-platform/

What's Better Than a Car With a Mac mini Up Front?

A car with a Mac in the front and a built-in Wii in the trunk. Check it...






Source: http://gizmodo.com/341916/whats-better-than-a-car-with-a-mac-mini-up-front

What's the Worst Place in a Car to Put an LCD?

What do geeks do at a car show? Check out the LCD screens, of course. We just got back from the car showroom at CES and found some pretty awful examples of "pimping your ride." Take a look at the most ridiculous places these gearheads put their screens, and let's make fun of them together.

First off, the runners-up:

#1. 2007 International CXT, tricked out by Treo Engineering. This bad boy sports 11 LCDs (four 23-inchers), including two in the wheel wells. Nothing says class like an LCD in the wheel well of your pickup.



#2. Audi A4, pimping courtesy of Oxygen Audio. True, this car sports a lady on the side (a rarity here), but the popping screen/trunk combo's a bit too phallic for our tastes.

#3. Scion, modifications by Bear Mountain Audio. With 15 LCDs this car could win on sheer volume, but the it's the angles of the in-door screens that give this one the extra push.


#4. Mini Cooper, facelift from Quantum Audio and Hypnotic. Just when we thought you put an LCD screen in your car so you can watch it, it turns out you were doing the people driving next to you a favor.

And now, the finalists...

Chrysler 300, sexified by Exonic. Between the 10 LCDs, including one in the hood, something just caught our eye.

Chrysler 300 by Exonic

Honda Civic, alterations done by RCA Mobile. RCA, even I know your name. I can't believe you'd present yourself like this, in public no less. Two LCD screens in the dash, two more that hit each other when you close the door, and one on either bumper may make this ride the Abomination of the Ball.

Honda Civic by RCA Mobile

So there you have it. Hey, meatheads: just because LCDs can fit in every inch of your ride doesn't mean you have to put them there. Leave them to geeks like us.


Source: http://gizmodo.com/341939/whats-the-worst-place-in-a-car-to-put-an-lcd-we-report-you-decide

Cell Phone Lets You "Draw it Out"

A cellphone with a touchpad used to write. The idea is to create a phone without all the bells and whistles for people who just want a basic phone to make calls and send text messages. Using hand writing recognition software, the touchpad translate your finger strokes into letters.

Other than being a concept already a reality with PDA phones, this concept seems about 5+ years behind.




Source: http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2007/08/29/draw-it-out/

Fujitsu's Fabric PC and Three Other Forward-Looking Concepts

Fujitsu just unveiled a few futuristic concept gadgets, the most interesting of which is probably a fabric laptop. Sure, there's no word on just how they'll make a computer that's "soft, pliable, and can comfortably be carried like portfolio of paper," but it sure is a neat idea. The other concepts are an electronic card viewer, a salesclerk browser, and a customer browser.

Card Viewer - An information device which consists of a main part and two or more "electronic paper" sleeves which are detachable. These can be used for sharing data, information, directions, etc... Simply detach a display and hand it to a friend or colleague. The information stays on the screen.

Clerk Browser - An information terminal which a salesclerk uses in stores, like a boutique, super store, car dealership, etc... It attaches to the wrist and is used to provide information to help customers. Product information like bridal registries, inventory levels, specifications, product locations; and customer data like buying patterns, other products customers buy, recommendations if product is out of stock.

Fabric PC - Based on the concept of electronic paper, this PC supports varying usage models due to the flexibility provided by the display. The unit is soft, pliable, and can comfortably be carried like portfolio of paper. Yet it is a fully functional PC that can be used as a notebook, notepad, address book and digital map.

Customer Browser - An information device which consists of an easy to carry store and product reference device. Maps of the store complete with product location, descriptions, detailed information, and on-line help. Customers can register products, scan devices to have alerts emailed to them for up-coming sales, register for weddings, make purchases for delivery, etc...

Source: http://gizmodo.com/341138/fujitsus-fabric-pc-and-three-other-forward+looking-concepts

Feature: "Glass" Car has Aluminum Frame, Transparent Shell

File this under: "concept cars" Designed by Rinspeed, it comes equipped with a turbocharged 750cc 2-cylinder engine that produces 150hp, with a top speed of 130mph. A lightweight aluminum frame and transparent Makrolon (ultra durable plastic) shell -- giving it a faux "glass" look -- contribute to the vehicle's 1653-pound weight.

Source: http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/feature-glass-car-has-aluminum-frame-transparent-shell-video-

LG's Watch Phone: production please?

Well would you look at that. The best gadget we've seen at CES so far: LG's watch phone. Again, no details as these shots were taken on the sly. Regardless, it appears to be a mere prototype at the moment. Hear this, however. It features the slickest three-button, watch-phone interface you've seen this side of Chester Gould. Video on the way. Till then, you'll just have to take refuge in the snaps below.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/lgs-watch-phone-production-please/

Wi-Fi Finding Laptop Bags Make Complete Sense

here are a lot of Wi-Fi finders out there, including a Wi-Fi finding shirt, but few are as practical as a finder embedded in a laptop bag. After all, not having to pull your laptop out of the bag to look for a signal is a great time saver when you are hopping around town looking for some freebie bandwidth.The "Wifinder" lineup of laptop bags from Soyntec offer four different styles to choose from, ranging from €43 (about $62) to €43 (about $101).


Source: http://gizmodo.com/341321/wi+fi-finding-laptop-bags-make-complete-sense

Autopage C3 makes you a tiny bit more like James Bond

While it can't completely control a car like James Bond's tricked out BMW-controlling phone in Tomorrow Never Dies, Autopage's new C3 system can do pretty much everything else.

The C3 system gives a car owner a link to their vehicle from anywhere they get cell phone reception, using either java-based software or a WAP interface. Our picture shows the java interface on a Nokia, but Autopage assures us that the WAP interface gives C3 iPhone compatibility as well.

Among its many features, C3 can unlock and start your car, track it via GPS, alert you to unwanted car movement, and arm your car alarm. Paranoid parents can also set a "speed alert" that will message them when the car exceeds a certain preset speed.

The price for all of this control starts at $149 for a year of "basic usage" which offers the full feature set, but is limited to 200 uses per month - unlimited use costs $249 per year. The system itself is installed as an aftermarket product and will cost around $1000 when it is released in two weeks.


Source: http://gizmodo.com/341337/autopage-c3-makes-you-a-tiny-bit-more-like-james-bond

The Terminator and Grey's Anatomy Hit Xbox Live Marketplace With ABC and MGM Content Deals

Announced during Bill Gates' keynote by the Robbie Bach, ABC, the Disney Channel and MGM are all putting content onto Xbox Live Marketplace. ABC and Disney are starting out with 500 hours of content in SD and HD, including Desperate Housewives, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, plus Disney shows including Hannah Montana. MGM's offerings are significantly more badass—the entire Rocky series, Terminator, and the Bond franchise. Not a total explosion of content yet, but the door's open now for more stuff to roll in.


Source: http://gizmodo.com/341363/the-terminator-and-greys-anatomy-hit-xbox-live-marketplace-with-abc-and-mgm-content-deals