Archives for May 2008
Talk to the hand via HandTalk
Juniper Foo | May 14, 2008
There may come a day when telling someone to "Talk to the hand" won't intimate you're turning a deaf ear to what the other person has to say. Quite the contrary. Designers Bhargav Bhat, Hemant Sikaria and Priya Narasimhan have in hand a prototype gadget called HandTalk, which essentially is a phone for the hearing impaired. This wearable glove device detects the motions and gestures used in sign language, translates these into audio, then plays this back on a cell phone or mobile device.
Recently showcased at the Meeting Of The Minds expo at Carnegie Mellon University Center, the mobile software app can reportedly detect 32 words to date--a mere drop in the ocean of the hearing impaired's vocabulary. But it's a start, and one the team hopes to expand by integrating pressure sensors and accelerometers to augment the flexor strips on the glove's digits. Hopefully, too, this turns out to be more than just vaporware, unlike a certain glove camera.
Via Tech Pin | Photo credit: Carnegie Mellon University Center
JVC, Kenwood officially hook up
Erica Ogg | May 14, 2008
Victor and Kenwood said Monday that they plan to become one company by
October 1 this year.
The two Japanese audio equipment makers will combine to form JVC Kenwood Holdings, which will be based in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Victor, a subsidiary of electronics giant Matsushita, is best known for its JVC brand. Under the agreement, Kenwood Chairman Haruho Kawahara will become the holding company's chairman, while Victor President Kunihiko Sato will become the new company's president.
It came in fits and starts, but the two have finally settled on a merger agreement. It was first discussed last year, and since then the two have agreed to develop future car and home audio systems together.
The new business will focus on car electronics, home electronics, and professional wireless systems, and will also explore new product segments. The two companies are combining in hopes of reducing costs and scaling their distribution in the already-crowded Japanese consumer electronics market. For the same reason, Victor said last month it would no longer make flat-panel TVs for the Japanese market.
Via Crave CNET
The world's ugliest DS Lite
Mike Yamamoto | May 14, 2008
There's certainly no shortage of places willing to uglify the gaming handheld for a price, as even Paris Hilton has made clear. But like the aforementioned "Serendipity" phone, this one looks as if it could have been done as a pre-school art project with some plastic charms and Elmer's glue.
The name of the outfit offering its unfortunate services should have been a tipoff: King Deco.
Via Crave CNET
Rendered images of 3-inch touchscreen Xenium X-Connect surface
Damian Koh | May 13, 2008
If Philips could make the above handset happen anytime soon, it would have a hit under its belt. It's the same as if I had won last weekend's lottery grand prize. I wouldn't be sitting before my computer writing about product renderings. Still, the 3-inch touchscreen Xenium X-Connect is something worth looking forward to with purported specs such as HSDPA connectivity, Bluetooth, onboard GPS receiver, AA/AAA backup battery, microSD expansion card slot and an Intel 624MHz processor powering the WM6 software. Don't get your hopes up too high on this one, though.
Via Engadget | Picture credit: telefonino.net
44.7mm and 600,000:1 contrast LG Scarlet
Philip Wong | May 13, 2008
There're definitely more--or in this case, less--to LG's Scarlet TV than meets the eye. Just when we were lamenting on the watered-down Asian models launched in Singapore, the Korean chaebol has rolled out an even slimmer Scarlet Super Slim with a 42-inch screen and 44.7mm-thick bezel. According to AVING, this LCD TV sports an amazingly high 600,000:1 dynamic contrast and the original CES 2008 specifications. Notably, a 120Hz frame rate-doubling technology and four HDMI inputs.
This will retail for 2.5 million won or around US$2,400--sweet Korean model not included.
Via Aving.net | Photo credit: Aving.net
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)
Copyright © 2008 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.
