Archives for November 2006
Interchangeable footwear
Juniper Foo | Nov 02, 2006
Now here's an idea that seems to have planted its foot on the behind of stodgy old shoe designs, and taken a step towards a direction that we see and like. We're not, ah, too sole on its rather awkward-sounding Ein Oxalis name, though. That aside, this pair of sneakers is designed not only to be easy to slip on, requiring no hands or shoelaces, it works like those faceplates that Nokia phones used to have. In short, you can change the top cover (via a coupling system) to suit any occasion. Want more formal footwear? Just replace the top display layer. Need fun shoes? Easily done. Because it's all based on one pair of footwear, you won't ever need to lug along several heavy clumpers in your suitcase on your next work trip. Cue Boy George: Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon, you come and go, you come and go...
Three possible designs
Price: N.A.
Availability: More info at the Web site
Device: Interchangeable fashion footwear
Basic specs: N.A.
Dopod plans Excalibur rollout in Asia
Reuben Lee | Nov 01, 2006
The much talked-about slim smart phone from HTC, the Excalibur, will finally make its debut in Asia. According to Dopod, the mobile device, which will be marketed under the model name C720W, is expected in Singapore stores before the end of November. It will be gradually introduced throughout the Asia region over the next few weeks.
Many industry observers believe the C720W will pose a strong challenge to the recently launched Samsung SGH-i320N and the soon-to-be-released (hopefully!) Moto Q, as the Excalibur is the only one among the three to offer onboard 802.11g wireless LAN. It will also support both Windows Mobile DirectPush and BlackBerry Connect services. Priced at S$898 (US$590.79), the C720W comes standard with a 1.3-megapixel camera, microSD slot, 2.4-inch QVGA display and Bluetooth stereo (A2DP) compatibility.
Read more about Dopod's other recently launched handhelds here.
1,000ppm: You're kidding me!
Damian Koh | Nov 01, 2006
Well, we're not and neither are the folks from Flamingo Electronics. At Global Entrepolis @ Singapore, the company showed off its second prototype of a new printing technology that could blow away the competition.
Codenamed JeTrix, the new concept purportedly delivers a print speed of 1,000 pages per minute (ppm) compared with current inkjet speeds of approximately 30ppm. No, we didn't make a typo error here. Unlike conventional printheads that have to move back and forth across a page, this new printhead can be enlarged to the size of a sheet of paper, as CNET Asia learned from Moshe Einat, founder of Flamingo Electronics. Think of the printhead as an LCD monitor--instead of emitting pixels of light, the printhead gives out pixels of ink via 56,000 nozzles.
Einat sees many potential applications for this new printing technology but it would be targeted mainly at industries which require high-speed printing. But who's to stop them from dreaming? The animated duo, Einat and Nimrod Rospsha, CEO for Flamingo Electronics, see a day when laptops double as printers so you can print on-the-fly. Camera-phones are not spared, either. Shrink the printhead to the size of your handheld, take a picture, then print it out. Sweet.
It's not a bed of roses. For instance while it's good that the printhead can print so fast, there would be mechanical issues of how to move the media. Unlike offset printing which can output large volumes of a single page, this new technology can print large volumes of different pages, but this would require a new data protocol for sending the sheer amount of data. However, Einat and Rospsha are unfazed since there are current technologies that can address these issues and it is only a matter of integrating them.
The JeTrix project is currently still in the seeding stage, but with additional funding and product engineering, a first commercial printer employing this new printhead could see the light in two years. More information can be found on the company's Web site here.
)
)
)
Eye-Fi goes beta, like finally
Damian Koh | Nov 01, 2006
Remember the 1GB Wi-Fi flash media we wrote about in May? It's coming. But if you can't wait, join the Eye-Fi beta program.
In a nutshell, the Eye-Fi is a 802.11g/b wireless SD card that you can fit into your digicam and turn it instantly into a Wi-Fi-enabled shooter. Sounds cool? That's not all. The Eye-Film Beta will also copy photos from your camera to a PC, Mac or even to an online destination.
You can request for a Type II adapter if your camera accepts only CompactFlash cards. No support for RAW images or video files yet, as the Eye-Film Beta does only JPEGs. We can almost hear Palm OS and Windows Mobile users cry foul because there's no support for smart phones currently, though we're quite sure that would change if all the beta testers do something about it.
Beta testing began in late October and successful applicants are required to help evaluate the product via surveys and by filing support cases, etc. Participants also have to sign a confidentiality agreement that forbids them to discuss their findings and experiences openly.
Of course, a US$99 fee applies. This would include a no-cost upgrade to a 1GB card once it's available (512MB for beta test only), necessary software, online support and services and, of course, the card itself. If you're not satisfied in any way, you can reportedly request for a refund.
For more details, click here.
ASUS S6F gets a pink dress
Darius Chang | Nov 01, 2006
The ASUS S6F has gone from corporate brown to a pretty shade of pink. Under the hood, however, the only discernible difference is the larger 120GB harddisk (up from the previous 100GB offering).
According to ASUS, each piece of leather was handpicked and took over a year of research before the bond between the organic material and aluminum chassis was deemed fit for production. The good news is the pink S6F does not cost more than the brown version, though it's still priced at a high of S$3,888 (US$2,557.89). The bad news is only 50 units will be available in Singapore from ASUS distributors in December. Be prepared to camp outside the stores if your better half demands one this Christmas.
Crave is...
The name says it all. Crave is our new blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.
Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.
Crave for...
» Mobile Phones (575)
» Digital Cameras (356)
» Notebooks (367)
» PC & Peripherals (372)
» Handhelds (213)
» Printers (37)
» Home AV (394)
» Music & Play (358)
» Gadgets (844)
» Future Tech (124)
){kind=link}
Copyright © 2008 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.
