Archives for June 2007
Technocolor Sony VAIO CR laptops
Michelle Thatcher, CNET.com | Jun 14, 2007
Forget Roy G. Biv--the rainbow according to Sony includes such colors as sangria, cosmopolitan, dove, and indigo. At least, those are the shades the company offers for its new VAIO CR series laptops. (City-dwellers, take heart: They're also available in black.)
| Editors' note:
Sony Asia declined to disclose VAIO CR launch details in Asia for this story, though a Sony spokesperson revealed that it will be released in Asia eventually.
|
Sony has long led the laptop-as-fashion-accessory movement (see previous C series models and the FJ series that started it all), offering laptops in wild colors when other manufacturers were just starting to experiment with hues beyond black and gray. The CR series is no different, featuring a case that is saturated with color, right down to the touchpad. Sony's press release also touts that each CR series laptop comes with "funky VAIO branded wallpaper" as well as the option to purchase a matching carrying bag and mouse. And proving that flashing LEDs aren't just for gamers, the VAIO CR series includes a pulsating LED beneath the laptop's trim.
Those of you who still believe that it's what's inside that counts can rest assured: These thin-and-light laptops will include Intel's latest Centrino Duo platform, with Core 2 Duo processors, integrated graphics, and an 802.11n wireless card. The 14.1-inch widescreen display includes a fairly standard 1,280 x 800 native resolution, and the display bezel has room for a built-in Webcam and microphone.
The six new CR series models start at US$1,350 and will start shipping at the end of June in the US.
Via CNET Crave
More images of Sony VAIO CR:
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Digg for the iPhone
Rafe Needleman | Jun 14, 2007
What are iPhone applications going to look and feel like? We saw yesterday a simple shopping list application, and here's another one bound to be a big hit: Digg for the iPhone.
This "app," like others to come, is really just a Web site designed for the JavaScript in Safari, and for the iPhone's small screen. (It works in Firefox and IE, too). The interface employs the "fling" feature that Steve Jobs and the iPhone commercials show off: When you drag down a list with your fingertip (or mouse), and let go, it feels like the list has inertia. It keeps going for a little bit. It also "bounces" off the stops if you try to fling past the end of the list. It's very intuitive.
Wired's Cult of Mac blog says this interface is even better than the full Digg site. I think it's a little small for that, but it is a lot more fun to fling Digg than it is to just click.
The fact that iPhone apps sites can be built so fast is going to make it a great computing platform. In fact, what we thought was the product's great liability--a closed development environment that would keep the cellular network overloads happy--may turn out to be its greatest asset. By forcing development onto the browser, a million more products will bloom than if developers had to code new iPhone apps for the operating system beneath it.
Via CNET Crave
USB Paper Shredder
Juniper Foo | Jun 14, 2007
Ooooh, another lovely USB device to add to the growing pile on your desktop, right next to the USB pole dancer and USB Turntable. This lightweight paper shredder probably works better mincing up those receipts and bills rather than fat stacks of confidential documents, as this device takes on only A6 (or folded A4) sizes. The problem we see is finding enough ports for all your UBS toys. But, hey, that only gives you the opportunity to start collecting USB hubs, ranging the gamut from gold bricks to Hello Kitty ones.
More images here
Via Ubergizmo
Price: N.A.
Availability: Check it out here
Device: USB accessory
Specs: Forward/reverse switch, USB, AD/DC adapter or batteries , 25 x 7 x 5cm, 351g
The camera behind Google's Street View
Daniel Terdiman, CNET.com | Jun 13, 2007
If you've been playing with Google's new Street View feature--that US$25 billion time suck--you may well have wondered how the heck it took those 360-degree images while driving down the street.
Well, wonder no more. Thanks to our good friend Xeni Jardin at Boing Boing, we now know that many of the images, at least those shot outside the San Francisco Bay Area--were shot using this fairly disco-ball-esque device by the outside contractor, Immersive Media.
What's not clear just yet is if Google used the same kind of camera in the Bay Area, where the company shot its own, higher-resolution images. But it must have been something similar, though we know from this image that Google used a van, while Immersive Media seems to have used a Volkswagen New Beetle.
Enjoy. Oh, and did I say $25 billion time suck? By now, it's up to $26 billion. And counting.
Via CNET Crave
Nikon spins 360
Lori Grunin, CNET.com | Jun 13, 2007
Designer Ye Chen's hypothetical digital camera optimized for shooting 360-degree panoramas has the advantage of being small and cool-looking. The camera concept, posted on the Yanko Design site, incorporates a rotating camera lens, essentially turning the entire camera body into a tripod. It's a simple, relatively elegant design.
Ironically, though, the camera itself isn't the most interesting aspect of the story. What is? For one, the designer dubs the camera the "Nikon 360." Given all the attention it's getting on the Web, can you think of a better way to draw the attention (hopefully non-legal) of a potential client?
The other thing that intrigued me was the response of the blog sites that covered it. Gizmodo says: "If this were to actually be manufactured I highly doubt it could sell enough to stay afloat, but it could be a good schtick camera.". And Tech Digest comments: "I wonder how much of a selling point panoramic shots are outside people who hike up and down hills for fun". With all the Web sites and businesses reliant on practical tools for visualizing an environment--applications such as Hopstop and Google Streets, not to mention the huge potential for real estate and travel sites--relegating panoramic imaging tools to a niche market seems surprisingly short sighted.
Via CNET Crave
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