Encounter with the "Buddha phone"

Earlier when we saw pictures of the Buddha phone, we didn't actually think we'd see it for real. So when one of my colleagues said he saw the phone at Sim Lim Square (for the uninitiated, Sim Lim Square is where bargain hunters in Singapore go to buy gadgets and IT stuff), I knew I had to make a trip down to see it with my own eyes.

Unlike the Lillian Too Lucky Dragon phone which erupted in a cacophony of laughter in the office when we first clapped eyes on it, my impression of the Buddha phone was a lot more subdued. Maybe because the shopowner got a little suspicious of my close scrutiny of the phone and the rain of questions that ensued. I swear he had me in the corner of his eye even while attending to other customers.
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Some scary water stats from an expert

How much water does it take to make a pair of leather shoes? 8,000 liters.

That's from Hans Enggrob, head of innovation at the DHI Water Group, a research and consulting firm, speaking at the Nordic Green conference taking place this week at SRI International's offices.

It takes 2,000 liters to make a cotton T-shirt, 2,400 liters to make a hamburger, and 1,200 liters to produce a gallon of ethanol, he said.

But beer drinkers should rejoice. It only takes 75l for a glass of beer and 140l for a cup of coffee, he added. Much of the water in these products goes toward irrigating crops used to make these products.

Enggrob, like many others, points out that the world is facing a pending water crisis. Several startups concentrating on water purification and desalination have received funding in recent years and large giants such as General Motors have put more emphasis on water. Still, demand is growing faster than supply. China, Australia, and several African nations are already grappling with water shortages. In the US, some believe Lake Mead could run dry by 2021.
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Samsung says OLED monitors coming next year

Sony's teased us for a bit with its impossibly thin, 11-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV, and finally brought it to the US this year. Now it looks like there will be more to choose from in OLED TVs next year. Samsung SDI says that by 2009, not only will it have OLED panels for larger TVs, but also for monitors and notebook displays, according to a report in Digitimes.

The report quotes Samsung SDI's VP of mobile display marketing, Woo-Jong Lee, who says Samsung SDI will be able to produce 3 million panels in 2009, which is double what it can crank out now. Lee said the company anticipates doubling its capacity again by the close of 2010.

The liquid crystal display (LCD) industry probably doesn't have much to worry about yet. OLED panels are incredibly expensive to produce right now, and, yes, they're awfully pretty. (Sony's 11-inch display achieves a 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio, which is by far the best available for a TV.) But even as production increases from one manufacturer, it doesn't necessarily mean the prices will drop down to where flat panels have sunk. The 11-inch OLED TV from Sony costs US$2,500. For that price you could also get a 42-inch Pioneer Kuro, generally regarded as among the best plasma TVs on the market.

Though Samsung has previously discussed making OLED TVs, the company still has yet to release one. A year ago Toshiba also said it's planning on investing in OLED panels. Sony is betting on OLED's eventual domination of the display market, but it's also heavily invested in LCD.

However, Panasonic, which owns the plasma TV market, doesn't anticipate LCD or plasma TVs fading out anytime soon.

Via CNET News.com

Honda helps the elderly walk like a robot

It's nice to see Japanese scientists developing technology that can actually help the elderly help themselves for a change, rather than creating more robots that ostensibly are designed to minister to their needs but may well have ulterior motives. To wit: Honda is developing a lightweight walking assistance device that can be worn around the hip and thighs to help ease a person's gait.

The mechanism works with brushless motors that get their cues from hip angle sensors and commands from the control CPU, according to press release. Being that this is Japan, however--the land that's headed for a human-free society--a robot's influence was still key to this invention. Fareastgizmos says that the R&D that went into Asimo, Honda's celebrity "advanced humoid robot," was used in developing this automated walker.

Via Crave CNET

LaCie releases 500GB rugged harddisk

Ninjas, John Locke, and Bear Grylls take note: your active lifestyle have nothing on the LaCie Rugged Hard Disk. But even if you're not trekking through the trenches and sinister islands, you'll still appreciate LaCie's latest version of their rugged hard disk with an impressive 500GB capacity.

We loved the previous models so much that we gave them our much coveted Editors' Choice back in 2006, and we're happy to see that LaCie stepped it up to an improved Hitachi Travelstar 5K500 2.5 inch internal hard drive. Like previous models, this also connects via USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800. Anyone making good use of the ruggedized body? We want to hear about how your LaCie Rugged Hard Drive withstood beats, stompings, animal attacks, elemental anomalies, and time travel.

The 500 GB LaCie Rugged Hard Disk is available now for US$340 for the USB 2.0 model; US$400 for the FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 model.

Via Crave CNET

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