Archives for November 2005
Compaq Presario B2800 launch
Darius Chang | Nov 22, 2005
It's understandable if you get a sense of deja vu when seeing the Compaq Presario B2800 for the first time, as the white minimalist exterior is reminiscent of Apple notebooks. Targeting at students and executives, HP has kept the price low with an affordable starting price of S$2,599.
Running on the latest Centrino platform, the 533MHz mainboard can be coupled with a Pentium M 770 chip running at 2.13GHz and an ATI Mobility Radeon X600SE with 256MB video memory for an intense gaming experience on its 14.1-inch display. Standard connectivity are provided, with nice additional touches like the generous four USB 2.0 ports and optical audio output. Wireless connectivity to 802.11b, 802.11g and Bluetooth are available, though infrared is left out. This notebook comes bundled with an optical mouse and will be available across Asia-Pacific markets by end November.
INX YouSD Card with built-in USB
Juniper Foo | Nov 22, 2005
It's taken a year since we reported on the exciting SD cards with built-in USB. And now Japanese-designed YouSD is on shelves here, distributed by 01 Computer System. While we'd have preferred the hinged version of SanDisk's SD Ultra II to YouSD's removable cap, we've no complaints as it's truly very convenient. The test sample that came via courier had a speedy USB 2.0 transfer rate, with an LED on the tiny card to indicate data transfer. Everything was as simple as plug-and-play. Convenience has a price, naturally. As a general idea of the premium you can expect: An INX 256MB Secure Digital SD Card will set you back about S$81 (US$48) to S$30 (US$17.65) for a normal stick.
See the YouSD card upclose | slotted in as an SD media | slotted in via USB | packaging
Waterproof SD cards are also available. See packaging | in action
Price: From S$50 (US$29.40) for 256MB to 1GB capacities
Availability: Singapore retailers like Popular Bookstores, Harvey Norman, Boon & Co, Standard Photo outlets and East Gear
Device: Flash memory
Basic specs: N.A.
The Flite Bike
Juniper Foo | Nov 21, 2005
Hi ho, Silver, away! Now here's the kind of wacky idea you probably won't think so crazy when you're stuck in killer traffic, right behind a lorry with a leaky diesel exhaust, and suffering a full bladder. Just take off and fly over them with the Flite Bike, a kit that equips your motorbike with wings. There're just two bitsy problems. At US$19,800 for the kit, that can buy you an awful lot of choppers as gifts for your family. Plus the Flite Bike gear works on only Honda Reflex scooters. If neither is a problem, then your flying carriage can keep 113kg (250lb) of body mass airborne for up to 2.5 hours. One supposes that a status light will alert you when the fuel starts to run low, and that you will need to factor in a safe takeoff and landing distance.
Get the big picture | guy on bike (images from The Spaceship Factory)
Via Mike's List
Price: US$19,800
Availability: Read more here
Device: Motorbike flying kit
Basic specs: Custom Flite Bike airframe, ram-air powered parachute canopy wing, 65-hp Rotax 582 liqiuid-cooled 2-cycle aircraft engine, 4-blade composite prop
A paper that talks
Damian Koh | Nov 18, 2005
Fancy printing out recorded conversations you took along with your pictures? Well, now you can, almost.
According to a report by Michael Singer from CNET News.com, Italian startup Zanetti Studio is preparing a new photo printer called Speekysmart. This imprints a magnetic strip on the side of a paper and is able to capture a few seconds of audio at the moment the picture is taken. The recordable tape, known as Speakpaper, works together with a mouse-like handheld reader, also developed by the same company, and can record or replay the audio tracks.
Incidentally, HP also revealed plans to add sound to photos churned out by its printers during a September press briefing, but didn't have any product mock-ups or physical samples. Howard Taub, vice president of Imaging Research at HP Labs, mentioned the idea of bringing your cell phone up to your photo and listening to the recordings.
It would be great to see both companies race to develop this new technology.
See full report.
i-Stones
Juniper Foo | Nov 18, 2005
Meet Wabi and Sabi, two iPod accessories that might have felt right at home in a Zen rock garden. Cast in stone, literally, the duo weigh as much--at 1.7kg and 2.5kg, respectively. So you can forget about packing it along on your next road trip. And if gadget blog Fosfor.de heard right on the grapevine, there are just two such docking cradles in the world. Hence, the hefty US$2,650 sticker shock--a princely sum only eBay fanatics may be crazy enough to cough up.
Get upclose
Via Fosfor.de
Price: US$2,650
Availability: Rock on at Brand Incubator
Device: iPod accessory
Basic specs: USB 2.0, battery charging, radio connector, two-year warranty, 1.7kg for Wabi and 2.5kg for Sabi which features a 5-video connector as well
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