Mobile Technology
Samsung Unveils Its New Satellite DMB Phone
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August 26, 2005 Samsung continues to drive the DMB phone market using its base in high-tech Korea as a testing ground for its products which are then aggressively marketed to the rest of the world – exactly the same way the Japanese did bfore them and the rest of the world is hoping it might be able to do at some point in the future. In this particular case, it’s the launch of its fourth satellite DMB phone (model: SCH-B250) following the release of the B100, B130 and B200 we wrote up a month ago. Samsung's new B250 boasts a more compact design and improved features while maintaining the basic product concept of previous DMB phones, which supports horizontal viewing. The B250 is also the smallest Samsung DMB handset yet. The B250 is a folder type with pivotal LCD screen which rotates 90 degrees into landscape mode. Read More
Ambulance of the future Concept
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August 26, 2005 An ambulance of the future concept vehicle was unveiled at EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Expo in New Orleans yesterday. American Medical Response (AMR) and American Emergency Vehicles (AEV) showed their second-generation prototype which was jointly developed as part of research on providing advanced care to patients and improving safety in the ambulance industry. The first prototype debuted last year and travelled coast-to-coast, with hundreds of paramedics and EMTs inspecting the vehicle and providing detailed feedback for the development of a second model. The vehicle on display this weekend at EMS Expo is the result of the research undertaken with the first vehicle. Read More
SIRIUS Wearable Satellite Radio with MP3 announced
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August 25, 2005 SIRIUS Satellite Radio has announced the debut of its first wearable satellite radio, the SIRIUS S50, which allows users to capture and store up to 50 hours of SIRIUS content, or a mix of SIRIUS programming and MP3/WMA files, enabling listening on the go. The SIRIUS S50 measures a diminutive 48 x 99 x 12 mm (1.9 x 3.9 x 0.7 inches), and includes a full colour display, sleek black exterior and voice-assisted channel navigation. When attached to a home dock, car dock or executive docking station, the SIRIUS S50 provides easy access to live content, and captures and stores both scheduled and unscheduled SIRIUS programming. This feature allows users to listen to SIRIUS' unique programming anywhere.The SIRIUS S50 is scheduled to be available at retail in October for a suggested retail price of US$359.99. Read More
Palm and Audi collaborate on automotive communications tools
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August 23, 2005 Palm and Audi have announced their collaboration in a new generation of communications solutions designed to improve safety and convenience for drivers: easy and totally integrated hands-free calling inside the car. Using built-in Bluetooth short-range wireless technology and the Palm Treo 650 smartphone, drivers of 2006 Audi A6 and A8 vehicles can make and receive calls totally hands-free using the car's MMI (Multi Media Interface) console, voice-recognition interface or steering-wheel controls. Read More
iPorter xSD offers a secure key-ring flash memory card holder
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August 21, 2005 The iPorter xSD offers a new way to store and manage your Flash Memory Cards with two significant distinguishing features over other card holders - the diminutive size and the simple fact that it works as a keyring, meaning that it’s convenient and close-at-hand at all times. As well as being more mobile and smaller than the competition, it can fit more styles of cards than most other cases. Anything from SD, xD, miniSD, Mem-Stick Duo, MMC, RS-MMC, trasflash, and even phone sim cards. A lot of Sony PSP users are apparently getting interested in the case, because their PSP games come on memory stick duo's, which fit very nicely in the iPorter xSD case where it can be attached directly to their PSP, Camera, Phone, MP3 player, keys, bag, back pack, etc. Read More
The Boston Audissey: The MP3/iPod Walking Tour of Boston
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August 21, 2005 The MP3 player began its surge of global popularity based on its ability to play high quality music in a portable form factor and we estimate 20 million MP3 players will be sold globally in 2005. Interestingly, the rise of the MP3 player has also caused the birth of podcasting and now we’re seeing peripheral and associated markets dependent on the MP3 player begin to emerge – such as downloadable personal trainers and now downloadable audio tours. Last week Audissey Guides announced the release of The Boston Audissey, an MP3/iPod compatible walking tour through one of America's most legendary cities. Combining a downloadable and printable on-line map, the tour combines haunting sound effects and musical scores with fourteen different Bostonians narrating the tour through 27 sites with vivid accounts of historical events that happened at each spot. No doubt there'll be more interesting uses of the MP3 player but we like this idea and the implementation. Read More
Sony's Latest Flash-Based Walkman 'Bean' Players
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August 19, 2005 Expanding on its line of Walkman digital music players, Sony Electronics has announced a new series of flash-based devices. Bright and colourful, the compact NW-E300 Beans sport a sassy design and are available in 512 MB and 1 GB capacities with a built-in FM tuner. They also feature the long battery life, quick-charge function and brilliant displays people have come to expect from Sony Walkman digital audio players. Read More
The intelligent coffee drinker's mug
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August 17, 2005 Have you ever wondered what possesses human beings to heat liquids to boiling point and then systematically pour them on the second-most-sensitive area of their body? It’s what Jolex, the inventors of the Brugo travel mug calls the “perfect temperature zone” for drinking coffee, soup, tea – the most common liquids we use in a travel mug – and it’s estimated to be between 150 degrees and 170 degrees Fahrenheit (65-75 degrees Celsius). It’s the point at which the aroma and flavour are greatest, but it’s an elusive zone and one that heated liquids are only in for a short time. By using a simple “tip and sip” motion, BRUGO transfers sip-sized amounts (one fluid ounce) of the hot beverage to the temperature control chamber, where it immediately reaches this “perfect temperature zone.” Only the liquid in the chamber is cooled and only this liquid exits the sip opening. A seal keeps the remaining coffee at its hottest and most aromatic. This inventive system eliminates the need for coffee drinkers to blow on their beverage, add ice to it, or wait for it to cool. Instead, they have immediate access to their hot beverage, and they can enjoy it longer at its peak freshness and flavour. Read More
Tiny device combines Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder with access point
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August 14, 2005 With its ease of use and full featured capability, the ZyXEL AG-225H Wi-Fi Finder is an ideal tool for consumers to detect hotspots, provide a secure wireless connection and share wireless access with others. The AG-225H gives users detailed information about security, SSID and signal strength, and it detects all 802.11a and 802.11b/g access points, including 802.11-compatible MIMO and Pre-N networks on both 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands. By displaying detailed information about the access points it locates, the US$99 AG-225 provides a great tool for security professionals to monitor the environment for any unsecured access points.
GN Mobile Qualifies World's First Bluetooth 2.0 Headset
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August 11, 2005 GN Mobile, a division in GN Store Nord and the global leader of hands-free communication products for the mobile consumer market, today announced that the company has qualified the world's first Bluetooth headset to Bluetooth version 2.0. This achievement marks the fourth consecutive time for GN to qualify a Bluetooth headset to the latest version of the Bluetooth standard. GN was also first to qualify a Bluetooth headset to versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2. The qualification confirms GN's leadership in Bluetooth technology development and widely recognized Bluetooth technology expertise. Read More
Innovative new traffic visualisation tool to debut in Northern California
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August 11, 2005 Northern California (USA) news service News10 Sacramento is about to debut the most innovative traffic tool the market has yet seen called “Beat the Traffic”. “Beat the Traffic” is cutting edge 3-D traffic displays that offer the viewer a look at traffic from a completely different angle. One of the most exciting things “Beat the Traffic” will provide is travel forecasting. The system computes historical traffic information and will predict how long it will take to arrive at a destination. Travel forecasting can tell you what time on a Friday before a major holiday that traffic will start backing up! This will help viewers save time when planning events and trips. Read More
The $20 cell phone is on the horizon
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August 10, 2005 Approximately 80 percent of the world's population has wireless coverage, though, only about 25 percent subscribe to wireless services due largely to the cost of mobile phones. This represents a huge opportunity for delivering mobile services to large sections of the world's population. In India alone, roughly 11 percent of its total population has telecom connectivity with a mobile subscriber base of 58 million. All of which makes Texas instruments latest cost-effective single-chip cell phone solution very significant – available in less than 12 months time, the chip will reduce the cost of manufacturing cell phones by around 30% and as Texas Instruments (TI) Chairman Tom Engibous announced, “the $20 cell phone is on the horizon.” Read More
Creative's Magnesium 30GB Zen Vision MP3 Player with 3.7 inch Hi-Res Colour Screen
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August 5, 2005 Another MP3 player? Well yes, but the Zen Vision has a magnesium casing and comes with a 3.7-inch SharpPix high-resolution 640x480 262,144-colour screen for photo viewing and digital video playback. Featuring a transflective screen that provides excellent image and video quality even in bright sunlit conditions, the 30GB Zen Vision is "the business", at least for the next week or two. Available in either pearl white or black, the diminutive Zen Vision measures 4.9 by 2.9 by .8 inches and weighs 8.4 ounces and will cost US$399.99 which makes it good value compared with an iPod, heh! Read More
Popkomm’s annual ‘Innovation in Music and Entertainment Awards’
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August 4, 2005 With a goal of providing a global showcase for the best new business ideas, the brightest entrepreneurs and the hottest startups in the music, media and entertainment technology sectors, the ‘Innovation in Music and Entertainment ’ (IMEA Awards) held at international music and entertainment business show Popkomm have never been more interesting or relevant. The fourteen finalists for the Popkomm-IMEA Awards, which will be conducted on the first day of Popkomm 2005 in Berlin on September 14th, include a stunning array of digital entertainment ideas and initiatives. Our article is hyperlinked to all 14 of them. Read More
Lightweight fold-up solar charger for AA Batteries
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August 3, 2005 Thanks to the proliferation of handheld devices, the population’s battery addiction is growing at an alarming rate while we await fuel cells or some other way of keeping our MP3s, handhelds and PVRs working within our lifestyle needs. Rechargeable batteries make a lot of sense in the meantime, and now a new fold-up solar charger might make life a little easier for at least some of us. The PowerFilm AA Foldable solar charger is ultra lightweight, thin, and recharges batteries in a highly effective manner in varying sunlight conditions while optimising charging time and protecting batteries from over-charging. It recharges 2 AA rechargeable (NiMH or NiCad) batteries in four hours or four batteries in eight hours, weighs less than 4 extra batteries and folds to pocket size. The military version is already on the market and reportedly a big favourite with soldiers in remote locations. Read More
Wireless Traffic Report Application from Palm
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July 29, 2005 While there is more information readily available than at any other point in history, there is not much information that is really need-to-know-NOW. Sitcom TV, indeed 95% of the entertainment delivered by real-time wireless audio and video services (formerly known as television and radio) can be painlessly time-shifted, even archived , until a convenient slot in your schedule appears. In the grand scheme of information that is time-critical, there’s news, sport, weather and traffic reports with the latter two high on the list of things you don’t know that can hurt you. In 2003, 51 US urban areas experienced more than 20 hours of delay per rush-hour traveler – 20 hours of wasted existence. Traffic reports have traditionally been one of the stronger drawcards of morning television and rush-hour radio but as wireless information services become more sophisticated, we’ll be able to see exactly what the situation is on the roads between here and there on our handheld. Which is why Palm’s announcement of Traffic for Treo Smartphones is important – it’s a glimpse of the wireless connected future – and it’s available in ten cities now: Atlanta, Baltimore/DC, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Read More
Laptop harness holds any laptop in perfect position to entertain passengers in the rear seat
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July 30, 2005 Now here's a fabulous idea - a harness that holds any laptop in a near perfect position to entertain children in the rear seat of ANY vehicle. If you have a laptop with a DVD player, buying one of these US$24.99 harnesses means you now have a back seat entertainment system. The CradleVue laptop computer travel harness suspends any laptop between the two front seats of nearly any vehicle, installs in about one minute and is fully adjustable to accommodate nearly any size or make of notebook computer in sport utility vehicles (SUVs), mini vans, cars, and trucks with integrated or adjustable headrests. The product is made of nylon webbing, tent-quality bungee-like shock cord, hook and loop fastening, and is sewn to rigid quality standards. Read More
Mobile phone reliability survey names the most reliable mobile phone
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July 28, 2005 While the mobile phone manufacturers continue to upgrade functionality and our phones have a shorter and shorter lifespan, one of the issues which never seems to get much attention from the media are the defect rates of mobile phones – the frequency that mobile phones need repair. Obviously, this is a jealously guarded secret amongst manufacturers but one of the world’s most respected telecommunications magazines recently did some research on the subject, polling 12,000 people who reviewed 38 models of mobile phone. Sagem turned out to be the most reliable brand with NEC and Samsung filling the placings. And the most reliable individual model of mobile telephone on the market is … Read More
Samsung Launches Satellite DMB Phone that Slides and Rotates
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July 27, 2005 Samsung Electronics is the world’s most valuable consumer electronics brand and the future looks incredibly bright for the Korean manufacturer, having recently overtaken Sony as the number one consumer electronics brand in the prestigious Business Week/Interbrand “Best Global Brands” report. In the five years since the annual ranking of the 100 largest global brands was first produced five years ago, no other global brand has risen as much in brand value -- 186%, to $14.9 billion, by the end of 2004. What’s this got to do with a new mobile phone? Everything! Samsung has recognised the opportunity to leverage off the universal recognition offered by being a leading player in handset production as the world adopts the mobile phone and it has hitched its star to the inevitable rise of the convergence device. Samsung’s latest offering which went on sale in Korea yesterday is arguably the most advanced phone in the world at this point in time, and the world’s 14th largest company is posturing quite clearly that it will continue at the forefront. This latest satellite DMB phone with a unique “slide and rotate” form factor. Samsung’s B200, which was first unveiled at MIPTV/MILIA in Cannes, France last April, is the most recent addition to its growing line-up of satellite DMB phones. Read More
Archos AV700 18cm Personal Video Recorder
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July 15, 2005 Personal Video Recorders have not exactly set the world on fire at the rate everyone expected given the public’s acceptance and indeed embrace of the MP3 player. Indeed, one could be excused for wondering why PVR sales are sluggish. Is it the inability of the retailers and manufacturers to communicate the killer functionality, the high pricing of most PVRs or that the general public is having trouble wrapping its collective brain cells around the personal entertainment centre concept, time-shifting ad infinitum. Accordingly, it will be interesting to see how well Archos’ new AV700 fares with its release this week in the company’s home market of France, and availability over the coming fortnight in most foreign markets (United States, United Kingdom and Australia). The AV700’s biggest selling feature is the 18cm (7 inch) wide screen and the 100 Gigabyte drive capable of storing 400 hours of video and/or your entire MP3 collection. It isn't cheap, but you want one .... don't you! Read More
Ten years old today - a revolution in a decade!
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July 14, 2005 Today is the tenth birthday of the MP3 – the file format that has reached ubiquitous usage in every language on the planet was named on this day, July 14th, 1995 by researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS. The audio team at Fraunhofer decided to use “.mp3” as the file name extension for their new audio coding technology (replacing “.bit”) following an internal poll and soon MP3 became the generally accepted acronym for the ISO standard IS 11172-3 “MPEG Audio Layer 3.“ And the result is now history - over 80 million MP3 players will be sold worldwide next year.
France Telecom offers ''Big Screen'' Video EyeWear to Mobile Phone Users
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July 10, 2005 France Telecom's wireless unit, Orange SA, will soon roll out a new mobile video service that will let cellular phone subscribers view TV, movies, photos and broadband Internet content with a big screen viewing effect using video eyewear from MicroOptical. MicroOptical's video eyewear contains two Kopin full-colour, QVGA-resolution (320 x 240) CyberDisplay 230K microdisplays. The sleek eyewear allows users to privately view large-size video or pictures equivalent to a 12-inch screen as seen from three feet away, yet simultaneously view their surroundings thanks to the small size of the frame and MicroOptical's patented optics which allow the user to see around the screen. Read More
iRiver's miniscule U10 PVR and multimedia player
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July 8, 2005 Iriver has shown its latest range of flash-memory based audio and multimedia players in Korea and one of the more interesting amongst the expected bunch of smaller, larger capacity devices was the U10, a tiny flash-memory based multimedia player which appears to be all screen when it’s not in its TV connectivity cradle. Now it may be all screen, but there’s still not much to the device – the 2.2-inch QVGA landscape screen is only 320 x 240 pixels, so you’ll still need a vivid imagination even if you have recorded your favourite TV show. Read More
Fujitsu Triples Charging Capacity of Fuel Cells for Mobile Phones
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Tokyo, July 6, 2005 Fujitsu today announced its co-development with NTT DoCoMo of a prototype high-capacity micro fuel cell and the prototype development of an external recharger for FOMA handsets. For the prototype micro fuel cell device, the concentration of the methanol fuel used was raised from 30%, the concentration used for the companies' previous fuel cells, to a remarkably higher concentration of over 99%. This enables the prototype device to charge up to three FOMA handset batteries with just 18 cc of methanol. Read More
The first self-playing digital audio book
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July 2, 2005 The first self-playing digital audio book was announced this week, and although there was no huge fanfare, the moment was a significant one as it’s the first time that electronic media of any form has been sold complete with the player. FindawayWorld is developing a range of digital audio consumer products and the first product to market is the Playawaywhich will be sold pre-loaded with premier content from leading publishers and authors. Designed in conjunction with IDEO, one of the industry's leading product innovation and design firms, Playaway can be expected to take an immediate chunk of the audio book market as it offers the ability to go straight from the shelves to your ears without the need for downloading or another audio player as it is entirely self-contained. Playaway is expected to announce an array of licensing deals with content creators, publishers and authors in the near future. Read More
Appliance ''Placeshifts'' the Living Room TV
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July 1, 2005 Sling Media yesterday announced the US availability of the much-anticipated Slingbox. Transforming Windows XP based PCs and laptops into personal on-the-go digital TVs, the Slingbox allows individuals anywhere-anytime access to their own living room television experience with no additional monthly service fees. In a concept quite similar to Sony's LocationFree TV which enables you to watch your home TV in almost real time from anywhere via the internet, the Slingbox is an appliance which when used in conjunction with broadband turns any Internet-connected laptop or desktop PC into a personal TV, enabling consumers to watch their cable, satellite, or personal video recorder (PVR) programming from wherever they are in the world. If the Slingbox is coupled with a broadband Internet connection, the viewer's live TV stream can be "placeshifted" via the Internet to a PC located anywhere in the world. Read More
The Cableyoyo - instant hit product!
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June 30, 2005 Some products appear very cool from the get-go and with a name like cableyoyo, this was a contender before we even knew what it did. Cableyoyo suits everyone with fixed & mobile electronic devices. It is stylish, blends seamlessly with any electronic device and so discreet it can disappear in-between products. Oh, and we almost forgot to mention what it does – it is an elegant solution to the excessive number of small chords we all seem to gather, which clutter our desks and tangle in our bags. It also protects the chords from damage due to twisting and tangling. Read More
TAG Heuer’s “Diamond Fiction” watch bracelet
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June 27, 2005 TAG Heuer’s latest creation, the Diamond Fiction watch bracelet was recently shown for the first time by the elite brand’s latest Ambassador, Hollywood star Uma Therman. With TAG Heuer’s 2005/2006 Year of Diamonds theme, a stunning ladies watches collection was shown but the Diamond Fiction stole the show. It looks like a bracelet of red satin positively dripping with Top Wesselton diamonds (879 to be exact) but when you press a button on the side, some of the diamonds change colour to red offering the time in a digital display. Only three single and exclusive timepieces will be created at the TAG Heuer workshop at the Chaux-de-Fonds with a value of EU100 000 euro each. Read More
Samsung shows 7 megapixel camera phone outside Korea
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June 17, 2005 Samsung Electronics took its “mine’s-bigger-than-yours” game outside Korea this week when it showed its seven-megapixel camera phone, the SCH-V770 at CommunicAsia in Singapore. Perhaps the most encouraging sign was that Samsung has released official “portrait shots” of the SCH-V770 which we first wrote up from Korea in March. It’s an indication that we may soon see the awesome converged device in other markets, and Samsung's Kitae Lee concurred when he said, "We are focusing on our latest technology that demonstrates the innovation of Samsung, and gives visitors a crystal-ball industry view of what they can expect in the future from the world's leading telecommunications company.” Read More
Mobility Electronics patents programmable power adapters
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June 17, 2005 Mobility Electronics has announced that it has obtaining a new U.S. patent covering programmable power adapters. Programmable power adapters have an advantage in that a single adapter can be configured to power a range of mobile electronic devices with differing power requirements. The new patent, U.S. Patent 6,903,950, extends Mobility's power converter technology to cover next generation power supply architectures that will utilise intelligent digital configuration and control methods for programming the output power of its adapters.
The World's First Windows Mobile 5.0 Based 3G Device
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June 16, 2005 High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) has announced plans to release the world's first 3G Windows Mobile 5.0-based device, the HTC Universal. The Universal will enable customers to be more productive while having powerful multimedia and internet browsing capabilities. Global distribution plans for the device are expected in the second half of 2005 with mobile operators in Europe, North America, and Asia. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, unveiled Windows Mobile 5.0 during his keynote at Microsoft Mobile & Embedded DevCon 2005 in Las Vegas and displayed its versatility on the HTC Universal. Read More
The Superstar Earphone: Retail Versions of Musicians' In-Ear Monitors
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June 14, 2005 When we wrote up UltimateEars last October, we explained how the company specialises in making custom deluxe “ear gear’ for rock’s royalty and basically ooohed and aaahed at the price (US$900) and quality of the custom- moulded Ultimate Ears in-ear monitors that have been worn by just about all of rock’s superstars for the last decade so they can ensure the best possible sound on stage. Now consumers can get the same first-class audio with a new range of Ultimate Ears Super.fi earphones -- premium universal-fit earbuds designed for use with personal devices. The Super.fi 5EB (US$199.99) and Super.fi 5Pro (US$249.99) incorporate the company's proprietary technology to make music from U2 to Kelly Clarkson, Eminem, Ray Charles and even Rachmaninoff sound crisper and fuller than ever before. Read More
Mobile Phone Thigh Holster
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UPDATED - NEW IMAGES & INFO - June 15, 2005 Now this is a clever idea. The Tsaya is a thigh cell phone holster for women but the really clever idea is the menage-a- trois viral-marketing scheme. Firstly, don’t get excited – the menage-a- trois is just a sexy name for tell-a-friend scheme where they get a US$10 discount, making the Tsaya US$69.99 and you get a US$10 referral fee. The sales pitch? It’s in “delectable black patent leather” so it will be “smooth against your clothes”, fits any mobile phone, has a separate pocket for your credit card and cash so you can travel sleek without a handbag, and you can wear it concealed or show it off with a short dress.
Hard disk versus Flash MP3 players
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June 10, 2005 The global love affair with the portable digital music (aka MP3) player continues to flourish with more players, larger capacities and cheaper prices, all the while fueled by more of the population exploring digital music and podcasts, and encouraging and showing their friends to try them. If you’ve noticed a proliferation of smaller, cheaper flash memory-based MP3 player siblings of larger Hard Disk Drive (HDD) MP3 players (usually with a mini or junior added to the name), it’s because flash memory has in recent times got MUCH cheaper. But while HDD MP3 players are now approaching 100GB, it’s the flash players that are emerging as the stronger growth segment. Read More
USB ShareDrive: the thumbdrive with a brain
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June 8, 2005 The FlashPoint ShareDrive is a new type of USB thumb drive that allows users to copy data stored in the FlashPoint flash memory to another flash drive or a USB device such as an MP3 player or digial camera WITHOUT a computer. The new FlashPoint ShareDrives have an integrated female USB connector so users can plug a cable or another device into the same USB port in which the FlashPoint ShareDrive is attached, chaining devices. Computerless copying to another sharedrive is compelling functionality and , arguably well worth the US$200 price for a 1GB drive – more than double that of a standard 1GB thumb drive. Read More
