Archives for October 2007
Bang & Olufsen Serenata in the wild
Damian Koh | Oct 23, 2007
It's an absolute beauty. And it's a little bigger than what we would have imagined it to be. But nothing beats taking a babe out to the beach on a lazy afternoon. We can totally imagine the beautiful curves and an aluminum stand. Aluminum stand? Ok wait, we kind of lost ourselves writing this while reminiscing about our date with the Serenata last week. It was the Serenata that has the aluminum stand to prop the music phone at an angle. We have a hands-on impression coming right up this week, but for now, feast your eyes on the pictures and a short video walkthrough of the Serenata.
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Tap your phone to pay for bus rides
Reuben Lee | Oct 22, 2007
These people are part of the Near-Field Communication (NFC) phone trial jointly organized by Singapore service provider StarHub and partner EZ-Link. According to the press release, the trial is the first public NFC trial in the Republic and possibly one of the largest of its kind in the world.
Since the middle of last week, 1,000 selected trialists have been given a handset from Singapore phone manufacturer iWOW and a Sony PaSoRi card reader (EZ-Link card reader) which they can use for the next six months for free.
The iWOW SZ1.0 phone contains two chips. The EZ-Link chip, which can be used for payment of rides on public buses and trains or to make purchases at selected retail outlets such as McDonald's and 7-11, works like a regular EZ-Link card. One added advantage of using an NFC handset is that users can now check the value instantly using the phone LCD display.
The second chip, which is an NFC-enabled chip, lets you download promotional materials or useful information such as bus route details via GPRS from smart tags embedded in selected posters. StarHub has tied up with several partners for this service, among them the Land transport Authority, Citibank, Golden Village and Sony retail outlets.
How it works: Paying for KFC with your NFC phone
Olympus Mju 790 SW: Tough as nails
Edvarcl Heng | Oct 22, 2007
Built like a tank, the previous 770 SW looked as if it was designed to withstand bullets. It was tough, heavy and just about as attractive as a silver-skinned ogre. Male geeks loved it. But because of its Incredible Hulk attributes, it hardly fits a too-chic Gucci clutch bag.
The new 790 SW, on the other hand, is a decidedly prettier offering. It's available in five colors and brings to mind comic book characters like Batgirl, Elektra and even Storm from the X-men series--sexier alter egos to the beefy superheroes.
The 790 SW is waterproof, shockproof and freeze-proof. You can take pictures underwater, throw it repeatedly from a height of 1.5m onto the floor (just like the 770 SW), freeze it into a block of ice, and it will still come out clicking. But compare it with the older 770 SW and you will find that, in a sexist fashion, the 790 SW's "powers" have been toned down.
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Use your hardisk raw
Darius Chang | Oct 22, 2007
By now, most of us would have multiple harddisks lying around. After all, when capacities are already pushing the 1TB envelope, who wants to put a puny 120GB notebook drive or 200GB 3.5-inch device in your PC?
Of course, the alternative is to transform them into external USB 2.0 storage using enclosures. Good idea, until you run out of USB ports keeping your archive disks plugged in. Enter 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA HDD Stage Rack. The design reminds us of the old Atari console in which you plug the game cartridges into a slot on the top. Only this time, you can use your naked harddisks directly sans enclosures (2.5-inch drives requires the use of the included adapter). The connection is via USB 2.0 only and it's compatible with Windows or Mac systems with the correct file format. GeekStuff4U ships this internationally for US$46.79 (S$68.42) excluding transport charges. Not too bad as it's around the price of three unbranded USB 2.0 enclosures.
R2-D2 speakers for moderate "Star Wars" freaks
Mike Yamamoto | Oct 21, 2007
Sure, we like R2-D2 as much as the next geeks, but only up to a point. A projector that runs US$2,500 seems a bit excessive, for instance, and even the US$350 Webcam is steep in our book. At the same time, we can do better than just a lame Mimobot.
The perfect compromise may be a pair of R2-D2 computer speakers like the cheeky duo shown in the photos here from Japan's Taito. But did they have to come up with a design that forces their decapitation to reveal the speakers? (We couldn't help but think of the final scene from Kill Bill.)
Anyway, standing at 4.72 inches tall (with head intact), the US$40 speakers are just the right size to display your allegience to The Force without reeking of date repellant. But even though Technabob says they're expected to ship in December, we don't recommend them as a holiday gift for the romance in your life.
Via CNET Crave
Picture credit: Taito
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