Gadgets and New Technologies

The HTC Manilla is but a customized interface which remains on top of its Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS. Manilla isn’t actually TouchFLO 2.0, as TouchFLO 2.0 consists of but a few updates involving the scrolling and cube sections. So what’s new with the Manilla interface? For starters, it covers way more applications compared to TouchFLO, and it seems as though all HTC-developed applications feature the new interface. Keep your fingers crossed that this will be the standard interface for the x7510, as hope springs eternal otherwise. (Read the full post about ‘HTC Manilla Customized Interface’…)

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  Glow Brick The Glow Brick has to be the next best thing to remote-controlled lighting. In fact, we’ll stick our neck out and say that it’s even better, because you don’t have to lift a finger to switch it on. A strangely lovely phosphorescent light bulb is entombed in a clear acrylic brick, which lounges about by day, quietly soaking up solar energy, then takes centre stage by night. At dusk, the light starts glowing all green and mysterious, showing an awesome staying power throughout the darkest hours. The overall effect is of a disembodied shining light bulb suspended in mid air, which, you’d have to agree, is not something you see every day. (Read the full post about ‘Glow Brick’…)

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Sony Ericsson has released its first 3G/HDSPA phone for the US market, the Z750a through AT&T. Aside from its high speed internet connection, the Z750a is also an affordable and stylish clamshell phone. However despite its sleek look, the Z750a is also packed with other useful features such as; reflective mirror clamshell casing and OLED reflective display screen that illuminates when a user is receiving calls and displaying caller identification. It also displays battery usage and life, text message alerts and other valuable information. (Read the full post about ‘Sony Ericsson, AT&T intro the 3G/HSDPA capable Z750a’…)

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Posted Mar 31st 2008 4:21PM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Displays It looks like Hitachi is aiming to give those normally confined to XGA projectors a bit of a boost, with its new CPX3 model not only boasting a slightly more home theater friendly WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution, but some short-throw capabilities as well. Exactly how short that throw is isn’t clear, however, with Hitachi only going so far as to describe the projector as boasting a wide-angle lens that’ll let you use it “close to the screen with no obstructions.” Apart from that, the 3.9-pound projector is fairly standard fare, with it packing 2,000 lumens of brightness, HDMI input, and a built-in 1 watt speaker, along with some security measures sure to please more business-minded types. (Read the full post about ‘Hitachi intros short-throw CPX3 WXGA projector’…)

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In a move that’s stunned the market, Nokia has made an agressive bid for Apple for a whopping $159 billion. Alarmed by the rise of the iPhone, which is set to net Apple $3 billion this year and up to $45 billion next year according to market analyst Piper Jaffray, the giant Finnish phone maker has decided its best option is to buy Apple outright in a deal that makes Microsoft’s bid of $44 billion for Yahoo! seem like chicken feed. According to reports, Nokia intends to spin off Apple’s existing computer business, but keep its successful music and phone divisions. (Read the full post about ‘Nokia to buy Apple for $159 billion’…)

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I knew it! I knew it was too good to be true! Plus, the presence of that little dual-LED flash alongside the rumored Xenon flash should’ve been my biggest clue. But it is only now that I realize that I’ve actually been staring at the photo of a… fake. This is not a ”leaked photo of the Nokia N96 with Xenon flash.” Indeed, it’s just a regular modified photo. A Nokia Port forum admin named ExiTuS led me to the light. In a post, he puts the original Nokia N96 “template” photo in comparison with the allegedly leaked image pictured above. Obviously, the Xenon flash was just cropped from another phone, perhaps the N82 or 6220 Classic, and then slapped onto the N96 on top of its dual-LED flash. (Read the full post about ‘Sorry, Nokia N96 with Xenon flash pic is bogus’…)

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Posted Mar 31st 2008 10:44AM by Darren MurphFiled under: HDTV, Media PCs, Storage Okoro Media Systems has been offering up well-spec’d HTPCs for quite some time, but it has finally seen fit to jump on the flash-based storage bandwagon. The firm’s new ZX series of Extreme Digital Entertainment Systems gets going with the OMS-ZX100, which comes standard with a 32GB SSD (for the OS and such) and a 1TB HDD for media storage. Moreover, you’ll find a 3.0GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6850 processor, 3GB of DDR2 RAM, NVIDIA’s 256MB GeForce 8600 GT graphics card, Blu-ray / hd dvd playback and your choice of “any automotive color” on the chassis. ‘Tis a shame it costs $5,995 to even join the ZX100 club, but look to spend even more if you’re hanke (Read the full post about ‘Okoro’s OMS-ZX100 Media PC does Blu-ray, HD DVD and SSD’…)

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I guess these have been around for quite a while now since the Spiderman 3 movie has long ended its run at the cinemas, but they’re still cool enough to warrant a mention here. Two realistic Spiderman masks with an intercom duplex system that allows you to talk and listen to your partner at the same time. Features: flexible microphone arm and adjustable intercom mask strap. Requires 2-9V batteries (not included). They won’t come cheap though, and since you’ll need at least a couple of these, the £34.99 price tag could be rather prohibitive. (Read the full post about ‘Spiderman 3 Movie Intercom Masks’…)

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Just yesterday, we mentioned that the Nokia N96 will have a Xenon flash. Unfortunately at the time is was based mostly on rumor, so what better way for us to be able to follow that up, with nothing less than a leaked picture of a Nokia N96 with a Xenon flash. While this is far from official confirmation, it certainly seems this rumor has been proven true. Looks like the Nokia N96 excites as it features a generous 2.8-inch QVGA display, impressive stereo speakers, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, and the much awaited Xenon flash, similar to what Nokia N82 currently has.  Now, I’m pretty much convinced that N96 will be worth the wait. So Nokia, when can we finally get our hands on your new baby? (Read the full post about ‘Nokia N96 with Xenon flash leaked image’…)

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If proof were needed that digital photography is hot business, Canon is seeing such demand for its digital SLR lenses that it has run out of capacity in its Japanese factories and will be starting production in Taiwan. Those of you worried that a move away from home could compromise quality: Don’t. Canon already makes lenses for film cameras in Taiwan, and these are necessarily of a higher quality (due to the larger image area of film over all but the highest end DSLRs). The first lines will be making Canon’s IS, or Image Stabilization, lenses. (Read the full post about ‘Canon Shifts Digital Lens Production to Taiwan’…)

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