Friday, Mar 11, 2005
Cebit 2005: First day round-up
Cebit 2005, one of the world's most important technology fairs, has opened its doors in Hanover, Germany.
The fair showcases many of the consumer electronics and technology products that will be released to the market in the coming months.
The latest announcements and developments will be published here over the next week of events.
THURSDAY 10 MARCH
APPLE JOINS BLU RAY
Computer giant Apple has thrown its weight behind the new high-definition DVD format Blu-ray, according to backers of the format.
"Apple has joined us," said Victor Matsuda, vice president of Blu-ray disc group Sony Corporation of America, at a presentation at Cebit.
Blu-ray, backed by 100 firms including Sony, is competing against Toshiba and NEC-backed HD-DVD to be the format of choice for future films and games.
MOTOROLA iTUNES NO SHOW 
One of the early talking points of Cebit is the lack of the much heralded Motorola phone to incorporate Apple's iTunes software.
The phone firm had said the device would debut at the fair.
Volker Haebel, marketing director of Motorola's German division, said many people had been asking about the phones and a launch could come in the United States within a few weeks.
INTEL AND SAP TEAM UP US chip maker Intel and the German business software firm SAP, are teaming up in the area of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to develop applications that could eventually replace bar codes on products in shops.
RFID uses electronic labels with tiny microchips to identify individual items via radio signal and is already used in warehouse adminstration by big distribution companies such as Wal-Mart and Metro.
But the relatively high price of the chips has so far prevented their more widespread use, while consumer concerns that their shopping habits could be monitored have started to surface.
HARD DISK IN A PHONE 
Electronics giant Samsung has unveiled a mobile phone with a three gigabyte hard drive built in.
The SGH-i300 phone is designed for multimedia use, specifically music.
Mobile handset manufacturers are targeting the successful MP3 hard disk player market - which is currently dominated by the Apple iPod.
The company also unveiled a phone with a seven mega pixel digital camera - the highest resolution camera currently on the market.
PALM READER 
Fujitsu has launched a "Palm Vein" scanner which can identify people without any direct contact.
The company speculates that the scanner could be used by bank customers to withdraw funds from cash points with a single hand gesture.
The device uses infrared light to scan the palm vein, creating a map of individuals' hands to check the unique vein layout to identify users.
Data about your hand layout can be stored on a computer or on a bank card.
Thursday, Mar 10, 2005
The robot that teaches golf swings
Top Swing is a robot used to learn or perfect golf swings. Using computer controls, it allows the individual nuances of every swing to be taken into account, as well as the body height and range of motion of the player.
Top
Swing consists of six shafts controlled by a PC, and the shafts conjoin together at a point to which a golf club is fastened.
No, it's not a Japanese wacky invention. It's 100% made in Germany.
Movie.
Wednesday, Mar 9, 2005
Massaging Bed Rest with Heat
"Relieve the day's tension with a soothing, heated massage right from the comfort of your bed. Choose high or low speed or an innovative pulsating program to invigorate sore muscles. Add concentrated heat for gentle relief to your lumbar region and lower back. Flexible LED reading lamp bends into any position to properly light up reading materials or any project. Constructed of a high-density material and layered with soft, visco-elastic foam, the bed rest ergonomically contours your back for maximum comfort and
support. Bed rest folds down for easy storage during the day. Light uses 3 C batteries (not included); heat and massage use included AC adapter."
Get more Info.
More News: User Interface Design
Resources: Ergonomics, User Interface Design, Human Factors
Tuesday, Mar 8, 2005
myPower external iPod battery
I love my iPod so much that I feel a little guilty criticizing it, but I can't hide it anymore: the battery life really really disappoints me. Apple says the 4G iPods have "up to 12 hours" of playback time on one charge but I think in reality it's less than half that. You can practically see the little battery indicator slide down with each song.
myPower, an external iPod battery by Tekkeon, more than triples the battery time by adding 32 hours of playback in a 5.6 oz power dock. The myPower uses the iPod's charger cables so you don't have to carry additional adapters. When the myPower is connected to your PC for charging, the docked iPod is also connected to your PC so you can manage playlists, download or listen to music. There's also a line-out for connecting the myPower to speakers. Also a belt clip for attaching the whole nearly 10 oz. package to your pants. I don't know if I'd wear this (I'm not quite that geeky) but I'd love to have it for my car or for long plane rides.
Available now at Tekkeon for $90. Seen on Japan Today.
Monday, Mar 7, 2005
On/Off lampshades
The On/Off lampshades are printed on both sides. Switch on the light to discover what really happens in the innocent looking scene.
Eight styles available, including Bank robbery (my favourite), Birdeye and Skeletons.
US$19.99/set of 3
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