Archives for February 2008
Nokia unveils futuristic Morph concept device
Reuben Lee | Feb 26, 2008
We really have to hand it to Nokia for constantly coming up with these super-cool concept designs for mobile devices. Although these aren't likely to make it to stores anytime soon, they do nonetheless offer a sneak peek at what to expect in the years to come.
The latest of its futuristic devices come in the form of Morph, a joint project between the Nokia Research Center and the University of Cambridge. As its name suggests, Morph is a nanotechnology concept that shows how mobile devices in the future will be made of flexible materials which can be stretched and flexed to any shape the user desires. It is also used to demonstrate how nanotechnology can ultimately deliver "transparent electronics and self-cleaning surfaces".
According to the joint press release, the various technologies developed in the Morph project are expected to be integrated into handheld devices within seven years. The Morph concepts are currently showcased at the "Design and the Elestic Mind" exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
The joint research partnership between Nokia and the University of Cambridge was first announced about a year ago.
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Han Solo in Carbonite desk
Juniper Foo | Feb 25, 2008
Still, if the Force is with you, in addition to a healthy chunk of change to bribe the design house, you won't get an exact copy, but who's to say there won't be A New Hope?
However, as we reckon Solo would wryly say, "I've got a bad feeling about this" (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, before the walls of the trash compactor start to close). So best to suck it up and settle instead for this tutorial on how to make your own Han Solo in Carbonite chocolate bar.
Via BoingBoing
Hands-on with the odd Toshiba G450
Rory Reid | Feb 25, 2008
The G450 is a quirky-looking device. Its keys are spread across two separate button clusters and the screen is only big enough to accommodate three lines of text--so it's pretty difficult to use at first. That's if you use it at all--it lacks many modern phone features, such as a camera, MMS, or email, but it has plenty of other tricks that make it worthwhile.
Firstly, it's small and highly portable. It comes with 160MB of free storage to dump MP3 music on. It'll even work as a high-speed broadband modem if you connect it to your laptop--for speeds of up to 3.6mbps. Plus it'll happily send and receive calls while you're connected to the Internet.
OK, so it's not the most feature-rich handset in the world, but we reckon its quirkiness works in its favor. It's easy to imagine everyone from youngsters to fashion-conscious WAG wannabes trying to get hold of one, and come the end of March, it can be yours SIM-free for 100 of our English pounds.
Via Crave UK
Warner Bros. tests emerging tech in new facility
Greg Sandoval | Feb 25, 2008
Warner Bros. Entertainment Group is tired of guessing about how the studio's content will appear on the Web or handheld devices.
That's why the company has built a new media center designed to test how consumers respond to Web sites, consumer electronics, and video-on-demand services that feature the studio's movies and TV shows.
The company behind such films and TV shows as I am Legend, Michael Clayton, and ER, has outfitted the media center with Xboxes, PSPs, iPods, Macbooks, varying brands of PCs, DirectTV, and a plethora of cable subscription services.
The company will bring in everyday consumers and watch how they interact with Web sites, gadgets, or video-on-demand services that feature Warner content. With the help of eight pan-zoom cameras built into the ceiling, researchers will monitor the respondents, according to Bruce K. Rosenblum, the executive vice president in charge of the media center.
"We're not operating in a vacuum anymore because of this center," Rosenblum told CNET News.com on Thursday. "We want to get smarter and understand these technologies a bit better. Warner Bros can just assume about the deals we do. I think it's important that Warner knows the experience."
The studios know that they can't rely solely on the TV set or VHS recorder anymore. Fans are consuming films and shows on video-game consoles, music players like the iPod, and mobile phones. Rosenblum said Warner Bros. modeled its media center after one built in Las Vegas by CBS.
The differences between the two facilities are that Warner was designed specifically to test emerging technologies and is on-site.
Rosenblum decline to discuss costs of building the center. He did say that companies owned by Time Warner, the studio's parent company, are welcome to use the facility.
Via Crave CNET
Novint's Falcon takes second flight
Mike Yamamoto | Feb 25, 2008
That opinion is apparently shared by others in the marketplace, because Novint is introducing a new model in black and silver with an interchangeable grip for both standard and pistol versions, according to Coolest-Gadgets.
The grip is particularly important for the Falcon because, as you may recall, the 3D controller is known for allowing players to virtually sense such things as motion, weight, texture, and dimension.
Novint's CEO says the black Falcoln is an "edgier aesthetic option",which isn't exactly going out on a limb considering that the original was white. But he probably focused on the color to downplay concerns about gunplay.
Via Crave CNET
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