Mobile Technology
i-mate Announces Four New Wireless Hand-Held Range.
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i-mate has recently announced the release in Australia next month of a new range of wireless hand held devices that add both sophistication and functionality to the standard mobile phone. The new phone devices are aimed at the consumer market for users in need of a varying range of wireless services from gaming to email.
Each new i-mate is powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile software. Striking in design the range is stylish and compact and were designed to be easily incorporated in to everyday lives. The range includes the i-mate SP3, the PDA2k, the SP3i and the JAM.
JumpGear-MP3 uses flashdrive storage for flexibility
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Digital Media manufacturer and marketer Lexar has released the JumpGear-MP3, a digital audio player that uses Lexar's JumpDrive Sport USB flash drive as its storage medium. Priced at AUD$99 including a 64MB flash drive, the player can be used with any of the JumpDrive Sport USB flash drive, and the drives can be used as data storage and transfer mediums, making it an ideal and flexible solution for both music and data.
Two new products modelled to teen lifestyle
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An interesting trend as the post-computer era emerges is the emergence of smartphones and computers aimed speciifally at teenage market, hoping to develop consumer allegiance to last a lifetime - two such products aimed squarely at the teenage market are the Hip-e, an all-in-one digital lifestyle platform and the SideKick II, the first smartphone designed for a market other than professionals. The Sidekick promotional campaign involves celebrity endorsement by the likes of Skateboard legend Tony Hawk, and the omni-present Paris Hilton.
Siemens develops mobile phones with alcohol sensor
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There seems no end to the number of diverse and clever technologies destined to find their way into the handheld device formerly known as the mobile phone. In recent times we've seen voice and lie detection analysis, projection keyboards, terrestrial television reception, health heart-rate and diet monitoring, location tracking, and this week there's a holographic projection screen and a breath analyser. One that can not only tell you when you're over the blood alcohol limit, but also tell you when you've got bad breath. Indeed, we could easily use this device to measure the efficiency of our breathing and track it alongside the heart rate, calorific input and output and location to micromanage our health from a body server.
Holographic projection coming to laptops, PDAs and mobile phones
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A new ground-breaking holographic 2D projection technology could result in a new generation of pocket-sized digital video projectors and miniature projection displays incorporated into other handheld devices. Digital video projectors produce large, high quality images are becoming increasingly popular as they grow cheaper with mass production, but the technology is limited in its miniaturisation, preventing projectors from being incorporated mobile device markets. Holographic projection of 2D (rather than 3D) images represents a compelling alternative to conventional image projection. Video projectors based on this holographic technology can be made very small so a projector could be integrated into a laptop, a PDA, or even a mobile phone.
1 in 5 Australians would save money ditching their fixed line
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According to a new study, one in five Australian households would be financially better off if they ditched their landline and switched to mobile.The findings, released by independent research company PhoneChoice, show that the average household currently spends significantly more on a landline than they would on some of the latest pricecapped mobile offers available in the market.
Nokia adds a new capability to the mobile phone - LIGHTWAVE
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There seems no end to the creative endeavour being focused internationally at present on the device formerly known as the mobile phone. Nokia, the company that pioneered text messaging, picture messaging and multimedia messaging has released another compelling form of messaging that will no doubt become popular in clubs, concerts and parties - Light Messaging.
Garmin Adds iQue 3200 Palm-powered GPS Unit
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Garmin International has announced the iQue 3200, which joins the iQue 3600 as the only Palm Powered personal digital assistants (PDAs) that offer fully integrated Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. These products combine the portability of a PDA and the utility of an automotive navigation system in a sleek, lightweight design.
Sanyo's new W21SA Camera Phone has it all
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One of the most complete mobile phones yet to reach market has surfaced in Japan from Sanyo. The W21SA has a 2 megapixel camera and shoots QVGA video, has an FM radio inbuilt and can record from the FM radio or use the facility for voice recording too. It also has a TV output so you can show your video and still images on the family teev, and it has an optical character reader which works through the camera and recognises 20,000 words in English and 30,000 Japanese words.
Pocket Video Recorder - TV, VCR, Movies, Music
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ARCHOS has released a pocket-sized Digital Video Recorder that enables TV to be recorded and played back on the handheld unit. Also usable as an MP3 player, photo album and mass data storage device, the AV400 can also be scheduled to record as required directly from a TV, VCR, or cable/satellite receiver with a convenient one-time set-up TV Cradle. The AV400 features a high-res, colour LCD screen or its contents can be viewed on a TV, PC or other video output device.
4th Gen iPod Features Click Wheel & 12 Hour Battery Life
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Apple has unveiled the new iPod, the fourth generation of the world's number one portable digital music player, featuring Apple's Click Wheel, which combines the smooth and continuous scrolling of a touch-sensitive wheel with five push buttons for superior one-handed navigation. The new iPod also features up to 12 hours battery life and Shuffle Songs, a new command in the main menu.
Wearable miniscule MP3 player has a colour screen
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Korean electronics company Eratech has begun showing a miniscule wearable MP3 player known as the EMP-Z II, which weighs just 24 grams including the battery and includes a 4096 pixel full colour display. The flattened-egg-shaped Eratech marvel measures just 45x53x17mm and comes in 128mb or 256 mb capacities. Read a review of the Eratech EMP-Z II at i4u.
Batmobile for sale – ideal second car for superheros
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Yes folks, if you’re in the market for truly unique roadgoing vehicle, this may be just the thing you need. One of the world’s most elite automotive marketplaces is the Barrett-Jackson Los Angeles Collector Car Auction which this year numbers amongst its offerings the Batmobile used by Batman (Michael Keaton) in the 1992 filming of Batman Returns.
MTI demonstrates integrated PDA and Smartphone fuel cells
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A new cord-free rechargeable methanol fuel cell for handheld devices has been demonstrated which is expected become available later this year heralding the arrival of the first viable alternative to batteries for powering handheld devices. inevitable move from battery to fuel cell technology. The company expects that the fuel cell will offer ten times the power from an equivalent sized battery and make a significant impact on the military and commercial portable electronics markets.
Ultra-exclusive Chronograph by TAG Heuer and Mercedes-Benz
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One of the most exclusive commemorative timepieces in the world has been created to celebrate the launch of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren super sports car. To be eligible to buy the as-yet unpriced TAG Heuer SLR Chronograph, you must OWN a US$400,000 McLaren SLR. Only 3500 McLarens will be made over the seven year production run.
LPG-powered Portable fuel cell system is 25% smaller
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Voller Energy, the world’s first developer of fuel cell technology portable generators, has launched an updated version of its VE100. The VE100 v2 is smaller and lighter than the VE100 and delivers more power output. The VE100 v2 will be unveiled at the Fuel Cell Forum in Lucerne, Switzerland on 30 June 2004. Advance orders for the VE100 v2 can be taken immediately.
Sony's ultra-portable fully functional PC - the type U
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The recent announcements of the OQO and Flipstart ultra compact PCs saw the beginning of an entirely new market for fully functional PCs with PDA form factors. Both have been sighted at major trade shows, and Gizmo’s Dave Weinstein has even visited OQO, but neither machine has yet been sold across the counter. Then Sony quietly gazumped both of them by releasing an equally small, equally capable handheld onto the Japanese market, then putting functioning versions in the hands of the technology press during the global Vaio roadshow which has taken in every major IT-purchasing nation on the planet. Sony never gives a whiff of vapourware and the entry of such a major player into this market must surely give it some serious momentum
MindBall: an arcade game played with brainwave power
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Sportspersons often talk of the “power of the mind”, so it will be interesting to see who eventually becomes the world’s best player of a new game called MINDBALL. Mindball is a tabletop soccer game where the ball is controlled by the brainwaves of the players.Both players wear biosensor headbands which use embedded electrodes to monitor the electrical activity in the brain of each player and the game rewards the player producing the most Alpha and Theta brainwaves, portrayed by the game’s inventors as “being the most relaxed”.
The coming of the World's largest automotive market
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The lure of the fast growing Chinese economy to foreign companies was never more evident than the June 2004 Auto China Show held in Beijing. Just 14 years after its inception, the show drew almost half a million visitors, and every credible auto company in the world. The reason for this heightened attention is the rapid growth of the Chinese car market over the last few years. Automotive production grew 68% in 2002 and a further 35% in 2003, topping 4.4 million vehicles and passing Germany as the third largest auto market in the world.
Virtual keyboard could revolutionise telephone usage
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The Virtual Keyboard (VKB) has reached market in the UK and the world will be watching over the coming months to see how this new and potentially very important device is adopted. The VKB could revolutionise the way that PDAs and Smartphones are used, exploiting much of the unused computing power of such mobile devices, thus helping users to work more effectively on the move.
Gibson Audio delivers the Wurlitzer Digital Jukebox
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Gibson, a name indelibly associated with the beginning of rock and roll and a massive influence on the sound of contemporary music through its guitar range, is moving into the consumer electronics business with the release of the Wurlitzer Digital Jukebox. Available in three models, the jukebox uses cutting edge technologies, an extremely simple user interface and a comprehensive feature set.
Matsushita Electric releases A4-sized Wireless LCD Projector
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Portable projection technology is advancing rapidly as evidenced by the release this week (April 20) of the Sirius Jr. TH-LB10NT from Matsushita Electric. The device is a compact, A4-sized portable LCD data projector and supports up to four simultaneous IEEE802.11b wireless PC connections to enable users to display one or more PC images on a single screen, making it an ideal projector for team-building and encouraging and facilitating collaboration.
Weather Station on your wrist
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The Weather Watch Pro is a complete weather station on your wrist! Containing a wealth of environmental information, the Weather Watch Pro offers readings on windspeed, wind chill, height above sea level, temperature, barometric pressure and direction, not to mention normal watch functions.
Toshiba showcases cutting-edge mobile technologies
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Toshiba Corporation produced a special Innovation Corner at CEBIT to showcase its mobile and display technologies. The technologies and systems on display demonstrated a compelling array of new functionality which will bring consumers enjoyment, comfort, convenience and quality of life.
Nokia Lifeblog is an automated multimedia diary.
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Nokia's Lifeblog creates a multimedia diary of your life through images, messages, and videos you collect with your phone. Similar in concept to Microsoft's Sensecam (see below), the two projects offer an interesting future for the way we manage our lives.
Simple, low-cost PDA watch
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American online store Zyonshop has a range of cool gadgets, some of which we've never seen before. One of them is a US$79 PDA watch which synchronises with Microsoft Outlook, will store 500 emails, and is water resistant to 100 metres.
Wristwatch CDMA telephone weighs 98 grams
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Korean electronics manufacturer Telson will release its new TWC 1150 wrist-wearable mobile phone into the Indian, Korean and US markets this month. The wristwatch phone is the world's lightest CDMA phone, and comes with a full range of features including a detachable camera, voice and call recording, answering machine, voice recognition, voice dial, a hands-free (loudspeaker) facility and predictive text input available for SMS. It was conceived and is being marketed as an exclusive, high-priced item and it certainly looks VERY space age!!!
Sony Ericsson unveils the S700 1.3 megapixel camera phone
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Sony Ericsson has unveiled the S700 camera phone with QuickShare and innovative swivel-opening design. It offers a stylish and unique three way communication style; photo shoot, browse and talk, or text and e-mail. The S700 also takes mobile imaging to the next level, featuring an integrated 1.3 megapixel CCD digital camera for taking high quality photos and a 2.3 inch 262K TFT colour screen to display digital quality images. Compatibility with Memory Stick Duo extends the memory capacity of the S700 to fully support this new style of mobile imaging.
New Motorola MPx Delivers Convergence
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Motorola has announced the Motorola MPx - a mobile device combining always-on connectivity with a new form factor. Part of the Motorola MOTOPro series of handsets featuring Microsoft Windows Mobile software, the MPx delivers a new approach to communications for the mobile professional. The dual-hinge device opens both lengthways as a clamshell phone and in landscape mode as an email device with a wide screen and full QWERTY keyboard. The model MPx accomplishes this with the same familiar Windows interface.
World's first disposable paperboard computer
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Swedish technology company Cypak has created the world's first disposable paperboard computer by integrating innovative microelectronics and printable sensors into paperboard. The paperboard computer will be seen for the first time in the form of intelligent pharmaceutical packaging and secure courier packaging at CeBIT 2004 in Germany (18-24 March, 2004).
TiVo-style Device for AM/FM Radio
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'Radio YourWay' is a handheld AM/FM Digital Recorder designed to do for radio what TiVo has done for television Radio YourWay enables users to set a timer or record real-time AM/FM radio as well as listen to their favourite shows at convenient times and locations of their choice. Recording is as simple as pressing a button to record a particular broadcast totally unattended or set it up to record daily or weekly programs. Radio YourWay can also be used as a voice-recorder or to listen to skip-free MP3 music.
Vertu Launches The Ascent Collection
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In January 2002, Nokia launched an independent subsidiary named Vertu to create the world's first luxury personal communication company. The first collection of phones, the Signature, was made of platinum, and cost AUD$40,000 for the flagship model.
Nokia launches new enterprise-class Communicator 9500
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Nokia introduced the new Nokia 9500 Communicator in Cannes on February 23, the first in a series of new enterprise-grade mobile devices designed for corporate customers. The Nokia 9500 Communicator is one of the first cellular devices on the market designed to meet the demands of corporate IT departments for customisation, manageability and security.
PenPhone enables handwriting input while writing on anything
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The unusually-shaped Siemens mobile PenPhone concept is unique in the way it incorporates handwriting recognition. The PenPhone will let users write on anything and enter text in that form via the integrated handwriting recognition.
Mobile Lifestyle differs dramatically between countries and cultures
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A new mobile lifestyle survey released by Siemens shows the quite remarkable differences between countries and the way their population has embraced the mobile phone as an important conduit in their lifestyle.The report was completed in December 2003 from 3000 interviews conducted in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand regarding the way different countries use their mobile telephones.
