Personal Computing
Oyster laptop docking station promotes better posture
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Given the long hours we all spend slaving over a hot keyboard, a sound ergnomic posture is becoming an increasingly important consideration, so the oyster laptop docking station really caught our eye. While traditional docks connect the laptop to peripherals (i.e. desktop monitor), Oyster repositions the laptop perpendicular to the desk's surface retaining use of the LCD screen and accommodating a full-size keyboard. Read More
First mainstream Handheld PC for the Blind
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HP and VisuAide have shown the Maestro, the first mainstream handheld PC for the blind and visually impaired. Built on the HP iPAQ Pocket PC h4150 platform, Maestro is the most affordable and compact personal digital assistant yet available to the visually impaired. Maestro features text-to-speech technology and a tactile keyboard membrane over its touch screen so the visually impaired can use essential information-access and communication applications without using a stylus. Read More
New Toshiba laptop runs DVD and TV without booting Windows
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Toshiba's new Qosmio computer is a further convergence of portable personal computing and audio-visual capabilities, and for the first time in a PC offers access to the TV, TV recording and DVD functionality without having to boot the computer. The Qosmio series will be rolled out worldwide, with the three models in the initial Qosmio E10 series scheduled for launch in Japan on August 6. All three will feature 15-inch screens, and Toshiba will expand the line-up with 15.4-inch and 17-inch wide-screen versions by the end of 2004. Read More
OQO readies its Model 1 uPC
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Dave Weinstein drops in at OQO HQ to take a sneak peak at the upcoming Model 1 Ultra, the company and the plans. The Model 1 is a full capability PC in the form factor of a PDA. Read More
Sony 8.5GB Double Layer recordable DVD launched
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Sony has announced a DVD world-first technology - Dual Layer DVD Recordable. For the first time, consumers will be able to burn full-length DVD discs. With almost twice the capacity of existing recordable media and holding up to 8.5GB, the discs can be played in the majority of existing DVD-ROM drives and DVD video players. The new disc capacity now matches what is already available with pre-recorded ROM & movie discs. Read More
Bill Gates Outlines Technology Vision to Help Stop Spam
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Microsoft Outlines Policy and Technical Proposals Aimed at Helping Contain The Spam Problem, Including the Development of Caller ID for E-Mail Read More
FlipStart - World's Smallest, Always-Connected Windows PC
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Paul Allen's Vulcan has announced the FlipStart - a miniscule fully functioning Windows XP PC with wireless connectivity to provide users with continuous access to software, email, and the Web while on the go. Read More
Computers to become more like friends
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That computer on your desk is just your helper. But soon it may become a very close friend. Now it sends your e-mails, links you to the Web, does your computations, and pays your bills. Soon it could warn you when you're talking too much at a meeting, if scientists at Sandia National Laboratories' Advanced Concepts Group have their way. Or it could alert others in your group to be attentive when you have something important to say. Read More
LCD innovation benefits personal privacy
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Toshiba have announced a new technology that increases privacy for the user by narrowing the viewing angle of LCD screens. Read More
bSQUARE Power Handheld reaches UK marketplace
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A new kind of "Power Handheld" that integrates a full VGA screen, retractable QWERTY thumb-operated keyboard and wireless data acces via GPRS networks has been released on the UK market after a deal between smart device specialists bSQUARE and Vodafone. Read More
Global Internet Audience heads for maturity
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The local and global internet audience is rapidly maturing according to the research figures from IDC, Gartner and Red Sherrif. Globally, industrialised nations are now heading for internet ubiquity, less than a decade after the internet was introduced to the population at large. Since the turn of the millenium, the number of internet connections in the world has nearly doubled, and by 2009/10, the number of people on the internet will exceed one billion. Read More
Groundbreaking new Singing Synthesis software
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VOCALOID is a new Singing Synthesis Software developed by YAMAHA that generates authentic singing sounds using lyrics and notes entered into a computer by the composer - meaning that full voice parts can be created without the need for a singer. Read More
Cooling pad boosts laptop efficiency
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Antec's Notebook Cooler is designed to increase system performance and stability by drawing a steady flow of cool air across the bottom of the computer. Two 70mm fans are used in conjunction with a series of ventilation holes in the aluminium surface to facilitate the cooling process. Read More
Apple introduces 20-inch iMac
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With twice as much screen real estate as the 15-inch display model, Apple's new 20-inch iMac enables side-by-side viewing of two full web-pages and makes an impressive platform for viewing DVDs. Read More
Tiny USB device enables TV viewing on Computer
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Saturday November 8, 2003: The USTV-1 is a windows-compatible TV tuner that connects to your PC or laptop via USB (version 2.0 or 1.1) and is bundled with "Feather-X" software to enable television playback and recording on computer. Read More
Multi-tasking monitor uses dual flat-panels
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Friday November 7, 2003: DoubleSight is a uniquely designed dual LCD monitor that employs two 15-inch flat panels mounted side-by-side on a single base to provide 24 by 9 inches of screen real-estate despite a relatively small desktop footprint. Read More
WACOM Graphire3 Tablet adds to interface options
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Sunday October 19, 2003: For those in some professions (dentistry, medical, video editing, 3D, special effects and almost all the graphic arts), there is now a new and viable alternative click and point tool to be used in conjunction with the mouse - the pressure-sensitive tablet. Read More
Hand-portable fuel cell power-pack
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Monday October 20, 2003: A briefcase-sized portable fuel cell system that provides 110v or 50 Hz AC mains supply and 12v DC battery charging has been unveiled at the Grove Fuel Cell event in London. Read More
Slimline pocket drive holds up to 60GB
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Tuesday October 14, 2003: "Size" - in terms of both data capacity and physical dimensions - is the operative word when it comes to what is now an indispensable tool for most regular computer users: the portable external hard-drive. The Gold Pockey USB 2.0 demonstrates just how far the available technology has advanced on both counts... Read More
Internet usage reaches saturation in some population segments
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Friday October 10, 2003: The age of ubiquitous internet usage would appear to be almost upon us, just a decade after the internet was introduced to the Australian population at large. The recently-released Red Sheriff 2003 Australian Internet Report underlines the progressive change in the role of the Internet from a recreational activity to more of a functional role... Read More
HP introduces powerful new Financial Calculator
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Tuesday October 7, 2003: With 250 built-in functions including the ability to track more than 1,000 cash flows, calculate four types of depreciation or handle complex equations provided by the user, the 17bII+ is the most powerful financial calculator in HP's current line-up. Read More
Darth Vader meets Desktop Speaker Design
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Sunday October 5, 2003: The JBL Creature 3 piece speaker system sits squarely in the incredibly crowded desktop speaker market at AUD$267, but has managed to differentiate itself with the most amazing shape that immediately brings to mind the sleek lines of Darth Vader's helmet. Read More
Latest Acer Notebook features Tablet PC functionality
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Monday September 29, 2003: Acer's TravelMate 250PE notebook enables the input of handwritten text and annotation of data directly on screen using an electro magnetic resonance (EMR) pen. This cross-functionality first provides the flexibility of a Tablet PC while maintaining the performance and full sized keyboard attributes of a traditional "clamshell" notebook. Read More
USB flexibility for tight spaces
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Tuesday October 21, 2003: Making effective use of a laptop in cramped situations can be challenging enough without trying to introduce peripheral devices such as digital cameras and MP3 players into the equation. The FlexUSB adaptor is designed to minimise this juggling act by means of a two-way hinge that allows for 90' movement... Read More
HP Labs develop ebook prototype
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Tuesday September 16, 2003: Conventional computer screens or handheld devices are certain to become obsolete as the electronic information we view increases in complexity and richness. Looking towards this next generation of leaner viewing devices, researchers at HP Labs have built a "Digital Media Viewer" to investigate how we will interact with digital information in the future. Read More
Vibe Phone real-time video interface
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Tuesday September 2, 2003: Vibe Phone is a video communications product that allows consumers to conduct live, real-time video calls from their PC's using a webcam and broadband access via cable or DSL modem. Designed to give users the 'click-and-call' simplicity of a telephone... Read More
Free worldwide VOIP calls on SIPhone
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Sunday September 14, 2003: SIPphone makes it possible for people to send and receive free calls worldwide over a broadband Internet connection using a technology called SIP. The phones come with a preconfigured number and by sharing this number with others SIP phone users you can communicate by phone while only paying for Internet access. Read More
Memory-Mouse with 32 MB
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Tuesday August 12, 2003: There's a growing array of options these days when it comes to portable data storage - PDAs, MP3 players, thumb-drives, wristwatches and now even the humble mouse can perform this valuable service. Capable of storing files of up to 32MB, the Memory Mouse enables users to transfer data onto PC or Mac... Read More
Simulating Taste - the last VR Frontier
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Saturday August 9, 2003: Taste is the last frontier of virtual reality according to the inventors of the Food Simulator- a haptic interface that mimics the taste, sound and feeling of chewing real food. Currently at demonstration stage, the project by researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan utilizes a mechanical linkage designed to fit to the mouth... Read More
Maxell Digital Pen to use Anoto system
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Thursday August 7, 2003: Maxell have announced the introduction of a "digital pen" based on the Anoto system. The pen stores everything you write on the specially imprinted pad in digital format by sending it directly to computer via a Bluetooth link. Read More
Powergenitalia?
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Wednesday July 23, 2003: In this global pea-soup which the internet facilitates, from time to time, as cultures and languages and societies mix, there is a disconnect - where one language or culture is not perceived by another culture as it would wish to be. Read More
Samsung unveil 533MHz CPU for handheld devices
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Tuesday July 22, 2003: With a core speed of 533MHz, the S3C2440 is the world's fastest mobile CPU according to Samsung, which has designed its latest chip with the demands of the burgeoning PDA and multimedia phone market in mind. Read More
In-air mouse lets you leave the desk behind
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The Ultra GT Cordless Optical Mouse features a its unique "in-air" motion-sensing capability that allows the user to accurately control the cursor with movements more akin to waving a wand than using a mouse. The Ultra GT can be used on the desk or at a distance of up to 10 metres... Read More
ThumbDrive offers fingerprint data protection
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Tuesday July 29, 2003: ThumbDrive Touch is a plug-and-play portable USB storage device that uses fingerprint authentication to prevent unauthorised access to your data. In addition to recognising the users' fingerprint, the Thumbdrive can be configured to grant access to three other people or partitioned to reserve space for secure data and open data. Read More
Toshiba Satellite P25 personal computing theatre
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Tuesday August 5, 2003: The Toshiba Satellite P25-S507 joins the trend towards "convergence machines" by adding a TV tuner, 17" display, high-end audio system and DVD recording to its capabilities as a desktop replacement mobile PC. Read More
