Mobile Devices

Posted Feb 7th 2008 5:47PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. GadgetsWe’ve seen some pretty out there solar installations, but JAXA, the Japanese space agency, is about to get really far out with its latest project: a space-based solar array that beams power back to Earth. The agency is set to begin testing on the microwave power transmission system on February 20th, with an attempt to beam enough power over the 2.4GHz band to power a household heater at 50 meters (164 feet). That’s certainly not the sort of large-scale sci-fi power system we were hoping for, but fret not — if the tests are successful, JAXA’s plan is to eventually launch a constellation of solar satellites, each beaming power to a 1.8-mile wide receiving station that’ll produce 1 gigawatt of electricity and power 500,000 homes.

ARCHOS TV+, you might recall I named to my list of unsung heroes at CES.  Well, time to put that task and get some quality review time with the unit that could just change my life.  You can’t say I don’t have high hopes.

After spending some time with the ARCHOS US head honcho, it was clear I had to see this for myself.  The TV+ is a WiFi DVR that affords web browsing on your TV, instant downloading from ARCHOS partners like Cinema Now, file viewing from network machines, games, internet widgets and more.

The unit is good looking, comes with cables (woohoo), has a ton of ports on the rear and set up looks pretty straight forward.  The remote looks like the bottom half of any good QWERTY smartphone.  Check the picks and the full review in about one week.

Product site: [ARCHOS]

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The 3GSM event that will be held in Barcelona next Monday will see the debut of Explay’s oio companion. This nifty little device is a standalone battery operated miniature mobile projector, bringing a decent big screen experience to the smallest of devices. It combines both laser and LED light sources with a micro-display to achieve its purpose, featuring always in-focus features, low power consumption, and a speckle free image crammed into a phone-sized form factor without breaking the bank. Sounds like the perfect gadget to have if you need to do impromptu presentations all the time.

Source: Gizmag

There is a new webcam in town known as the V-Gear TalkCam CX1 that has just been released in the Korean market. It features an integrated microphone that uses ArcSoft’s Magic-i software to provide a wide range of video effects whenever you communicate with somebody else via the webcam. With a clip-type design that caters to virtually all flat panel displays, you can be assured that the V-Gear TalkCam CX1 also works just fine with notebooks that do not yet come with any sort of webcam. It supports a maximum resolution of 1,280 x 960.

Source: AVing

Designed to be compatible with the Series 1 and Series 3, the new mount will allow the Garmin Nuvi 360 to be mounted nicely on the dashboard, instead of the windshield. There are no power cables hanging around, which is nice, The Nuvi 360 can also be removed to avoid theft temptation or to be used in pedestrian mode.

Other than that, the Nuvi behaves normally and provides the Bluetooth hands-free function, has points of interest (POI) and other things that might be useful when traveling.

Posted Feb 7th 2008 10:26AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: GamingIBM might be lagging slightly behind the likes of Intel and Microsoft in the 45nm department, but rest assured that a 45nm version of Cell is in the works and most certainly headed for the PS3. Microsoft told us that 45nm for Xbox was in the works last year, and Intel is obviously churning out Penryn chips as we speak, but IBM has finally solidified its own 45nm plans for Cell, and will change over production “soon.” The chip will use about 40 percent less power and will be 34 percent smaller than the 65nm version. That means less heat and more reliability, which of course means cost savings for Sony which will (theoretically) be passed on to consumers before too terribly long.

Maker Keith Lam has recreated World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros, and he’s done it in meatspace. Instead of the level scrolling by, the TV itself moves along the background and the player has to follow. It’s superbly low tech, from the wobbling screen to the pulley-operated paper Mario (no, not that Paper Mario).

Lam gets a little caught up in the fact that video gamers don’t actually control the character, but the background. In fact, he seems to see it as a big conspiracy that has been perpetrated over the years. If you can make it through that part of the video, though, you’ll get to see some of inner workings of his Moving Mario setup.

Moving Mario [The-Demos via Make]

Occasionally an iPod or iPhone may freeze or fail to respond to your commands. This can happen for a number of reasons and does not necessarily indicate a serious problem. Sometimes they just need a restart much like the way your computer needs a reset once in a while.

Tutorial: How to reset a Frozen iPod or iPhone

Restarting an iPod/iPhone is a simple procedure that will not erase any of your music, data files, or customized preferences.

methodshop

Posted Feb 7th 2008 6:27AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: LaptopsIn the most mangled product launch in recent memory, the Everex Cloudbook has managed to sell out. This according to Zareason who claim to have sold their ‘initial allotment” — however many that might be. Of course, to the best of our knowledge the CloudBook has never actually been on sale with Everex’s own site once again showing a Feb 15th launch. So if these in fact shipped then we ask you dear readers, where are the unboxing pics, reviews, and head-to-head comparisons with the Eee for us to fawn over? Bueller?

[Thanks, Jamerican]

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Here is a sweet looking couch whether you are an Aston Martin fan or not. It looks just perfect for lounging in front of your home theater whilst sipping a vodka martini (which is of course shaken, not stirred).

Aston Martin Heritage Designs has really worked some furniture magic here, placing the rear seat of a DB6 in the back end of the car. A silver birch finish and red leather upholstery complete the picture. I have to say the silver birch and red looks very nice indeed, but it is worth noting that the company will give you any color combination you desire. You would hope that the would for the grand price of $7,300 (and that is without the headrests).

Aston Martin Heritage Designs via Winding Road, Jalopnik, Baller House