Archives for June 2006
Musical hit and run
Edvarcl Heng | Jun 12, 2006
The Vinyl Killer has got to be the smallest record player on record. Chuck the antsy turntable already and get some groovy spin going. With a needle situated beneath the undercarriage, this beatbox baby comes with a built-in speaker and a motor to drive it on the vinyl highway. Cruising at a speed of 33rpm, this Swaroski crystal-encrusted Volkswagon certainly won't win any races. But for portable vinyl entertainment, this set of wheels is da bomb.
More info here
Don't jog with your pod
Edvarcl Heng | Jun 12, 2006
So says a professor for mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Florida. In a word of advice to owners of hard drive-based iPods, the jarring impact of concrete pounding can effectively wear down the moveable components of the iPod's hard drive mechanism. Not to mention your knees. In short, your iPod will fizzle out before its time. Take heed and get a flash-based nano. It's a gym rat's best friend.
More info here
Pantech delivers its smallest clamshell yet
Reuben Lee | Jun 12, 2006
The obsession with miniaturizing tech continues with Pantech launching what it claims is the world's smallest camera clamshell. First announced in April, the Pantech C300 is a featherweight 70.9g and petite 68 x 43 x 19mm when closed. It was recently introduced exclusively to Cingular customers in the US for US$119.99. Korean compatriot Samsung, meanwhile, claims the title for world's slimmest camera-phone with its SGH-X820.
There's, of course, a tradeoff with such diminutive dimensions. The C300 sports a VGA camera with 4x digital zoom and photolight, although Pantech has attempted to make up for the shortfall with a 1.5-inch 262K-color internal display. Also onboard are MP3 ringtones, instant messenging, email and photo caller ID. There are no indications on whether the phone will ever see light of day in Asia.
Charge it up, baby
Damian Koh | Jun 12, 2006
It could be a matter of months before we see the first prototype of a battery that could charge in a few seconds. You heard it, long gone are the days when you have to wait (for hours) for your cell to recharge.
Joel Schindall and his team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are developing a new battery that could make "long charge times and expensive replacements a thing of a past" by relying on the capacitor which was invented by Ewald Georg von Kleist of Pomerania in October 1745.
The MIT team discovered that by covering the two electrodes in the capacitor with millions of nanotubes, it would increase the surface area of the electrodes and allow the capacitor to store more energy. According to Schindall, this method would combine the strengths of today's batteries with the longevity and speed of capacitors.
If you own a hybrid car, this new battery could possibly help you save the cost of replacing expensive hybrid cells. Schindall adds that these batteries can be discharged and charged hundreds of thousands of times, essentially lasting longer than the life of the equipment it is associated with.
These cells had better be cheaper than our hybrid vehicles for we won't want to change our cars just to outlast the battery.
X1R Remote Caddie
Juniper Foo | Jun 12, 2006
Here's a caddie who'll never complain, never ask for tips, and never tire. Of course, the X1R Remote-Controlled Caddie's also not likely to hand out golfing tips, though we're not discounting a future generation that might just have that inbuilt capability. Meantime, if you have US$2,000 to spare, this electric cart not only carries a good many things--from clubs to balls, to towels--, one single charge of the 12-volt 30Ah Sonnenschein battery is apparently good for 18 to 27 holes. Works for us.
See the X1R closed and fully extended | in blue | close-up
Via Uncrate
Price: About US$2,000
Availability: At Stewart Golf
Device: Electric caddie
Basic specs: If battery runs out, five-spoke rear wheels release to engage the X1R in free-wheel mode so it can be trundled along as pull cart, integrated anti-tip wheel to negotiate hills, gimbal-mounted drink holder
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