Archive for the ‘General’ Category
The Mecanum is a unique little robot from Segway that gets its name from 4 special “Mecanum” wheels affixed to its chassis. These wheels, invented by a Swedish company, enable the RMP-400 to glide across the floor sideways, diagonally and rotate itself in place. This is known as holonomic movement, and is possible as the surface of each Mecanum wheel is covered by rollers.
Having the ability to haul up to 400 pounds, the RMP-400′s most likely function would be to move crates and other large objects in a warehouse. (more…)
The buzz these days is about the new WiMax technology being included in a rash of gadgets.
Why this rash of WiMax goodies? How about WiMAX having download speeds of up to 2-4 Mbps, and a radius of up to 2-3 miles(WiFi’s radius is just a few hundred feet.) It could also be because of the deal announced last wednesday that brings together Sprint, Clearwire, Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House for WiMax services to millions of people.
One of these WiMax enabled gadgets is the Cloudbook MAX UMPC. This beautiful laptop boasts an 8.9-inch WVGA (1,024 x 600) display and it is running Windows Vista. It has 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 2 Megapixel webcam and a battery good for four hours. It also features an 80GB HD, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV processor with the VX800 digital media IGP chipset, which touts full DirectX 9 support and video acceleration for MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV9, VC1 and DivX video formats. …Of course it also has WiMAX. This currently unpriced UMPC will be available in the latter half of this year in North America.
Next up, the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet – WiMAX Edition. It’s pocket-sized but it still gives you the full Internet without barriers, while on the go. (more…)
Psystar, the maker of the Mac clones, and other ‘Open Computers’ has announced a fresh new look for their machines with the V2 computer case. The new mid tower allows for access without any tools.
It features a stylish mesh front and the cases are made to be much sturdier.
They also feature a quieter 90 mm low-rpm cooling fan for super quiet operation and lower operating temperatures.
They have replaced the old Open Computer cases with this new V2 case. It is now their default case when you order your own Open Computer from their website. (more…)
The “Pulse” is a new smartpen by LiveScribe intended for students, reporters and anyone else who has to take down written notes.
Its key feature is its ability to simultaneously record audio as you’re writing and synchronises that audio to your writing. This allows you to playback audio recorded during the writing of a particular word, and you wont miss any part of a conference or lecture again. (more…)
Intel is preparing to launch its latest processor, the Atom. The key attraction of the Atom is it’s price.
Rumors circulating on the internet put the cheapest Atom CPU between $29 and $49.
The hope is that Intel’s latest chip will allow PC makers to produce Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) and Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) at sub $200 prices. (more…)
The new Wind by Micro-Star International (MSI) is slated to compete with the ASUS Eee PC 900 and a slew of other UMPC’s.
The Wind features a 10″ display at 1024 x 768 pixels and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor. It has 1GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, Bluetooth, WiFi, and a 1.3 Megapixel camera.
It is available in your choice of black, white or pink.
The feature packed Wind is pretty competitively priced at just $560 for the Linux version, and you can get it with Windows XP installed for $604. It is currently available for pre-order from the Expansys website. (more…)
James Bond never had it so good. Neither did we, until Chinavision showed us what we were missing. This actual pen has a a 15 FPS video camera hidden within it’s barrel complete with audio recorder and a 352X288 resolution.
The USB becomes visible when you pull the pen apart, but you’ll need to look quite a bit closer to spot the lens. You can transfer your recordings to your PC via USB, or store up to 1GB worth of files on the pen iteself.
In case you are wondering, the pen can actually be used to write with too. (more…)
Let me introduce you to the Performance Water Cycle. Sold only at Hammacher Schlemmer, this single seat, recumbent bike has taken to the water and is breaking speed records doing it.
It’s faster than an Olympic swimmer and more powerful than a traditional paddle boat. (more…)
At about the size of a double shot of the old Mac Cube, this tiny form factor, light weight computer is the first of the Linux boxes sold by Shuttle. Inside that brushed aluminum case you can find either a stripped down, inexpensive Linux computer or a 
high tech, not-so-inexpensive Linux computer. Your choice.
It’s technical name is the SD3002Q but you can call it openSuse.
The stripped down model is a Celeron S420 (1.8GHz) Intel CPU with a mere 512MB DDR2-667 RAM, an SATA 80GB Hard Drive, and a DVD reader.
Also included is a 24 month warranty on all Shuttle systems with Pick-up-and-return service. (more…)
Ultra Mobile Personal Computers (UMPC’s) can be thought of as mini laptops aimed at the more mobile segments of today’s consumer market. If you are a casual computer user, traveling salesman or a student, carrying around a heavy full-sized notebook is probably daunting and unnecessary.
That’s where the UMPC comes in: It’s slim form factor, light weight and low voltage processor make it ideal for those who need a thin and light road warrior.
While not all UMPCs have a long 3+ hour battery life, manufacturers are certainly getting there this year with Intel’s new Atom Processors which promise lower power consumption at the same clock cycles.
Scroll down to see 14 of the hottest UMPC models under 10 inches!
- Asus Eee PC 900 (Available):
The Eee PC 900 is a larger screen version of the Eee PC 701. It is available in stores as of now. It runs Windows XP Home or Linux and features a 900Mhz Celeron-M Processor, 8.9″ Display at 1024×600, 1GB RAM, 12GB SSD (Solid State Hard-Drive), 802.11g WLAN, 1.3MP Webcam and a 37Watt/hour battery. It weighs 940grams and has dimensions of 225 x 165 x 35 mm.
- Medion Akoya (Expected):
The Medion looks similar in design to the MSI Wind, however little else besides its specifications are known. It features a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom Processor, 8.9″ 1024×600 display, 80GB hard drive, 802.11b/g and option Bluetooth 2.0. It weighs 1.2kilograms and has a built-in webcam.
- MSI Wind U100 (Upcoming):
Not much is known about the MSI Wind, but its rumored to a Windows XP UMPC that will cost between 450 and 1000USD. An official MSI press release indicates a Summer 2008 availability. It’s features are a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom Processor, 1GB RAM, Intel GMA 950 Graphics, an 8″ or 10″ display at 1024×600, 80GB Hard disk, 802.11b/g and a built-in camera. The unit may also come with an optional bluetooth module. It weighs 1.2kilograms and has dimensions of 260 x 180 x 31 mm.
- Everex Cloudbook Max (Upcoming):
The Cloudbook Max is a Windows Vista UMPC that was announced at CTIA in April 2008 and will be part of the Sprint Xohm product range in the US. The Cloudbook will utilise the latest VX800 integrated chipset that supports DirectX 9 graphics and hardware decoding of common video formats. It’s specs are: 1.6Ghz VIA C7-M Processor, VIA Chrome 9 Graphics, 2GB RAM, 8.9″ display at 1024×600, 80GB Harddisk, 802.11b/g, bluetooth and possibly WiMax. The unit may also feature integrated GPS and front as well as rear cameras. The Cloudbook weighs 1kilogram and has dimensions of 240 x 175 x 27 mm.
- HP 2133 MiniNote (Available):
The HP Mininote comes with Windows Vista Business or Linux pre-installed. Specs include: A VIA C7-M 1.2Ghz Processor, a VIA Chrome 9 Graphics Chipset, an 8.9″ display at 1280×768, 2GB of RAM, a 120GB Hard Drive, 56Watt/hour Battery and a built-in webcam. The device weighs 1.2kilograms and has dimensions of 256 x 165 x 33 mm.
(more…)
