MWg is back with the Atom VI

Remember MWg? That's the company that spun off from O2 Asia after the European operator decided to exit the handset business. Its last mobile phone was the Atom V back in early 2008 and all has been quiet--till now.

We recently visited the Web site and noticed a new smartphone, the Atom VI. According to MWg's homepage, this Windows Mobile (WM) device was announced on Dec 1 along with a teaser page for an upcoming product called the Electron.

The Atom VI has a 2.6-inch touchscreen as well as a numeric keypad. Here are some of its other specifications:

• WM6.1 Professional
• Tri-band HSDPA/quad-band GSM
• 128MB RAM
• 520MHz processor
• 2-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity

A quick Google search revealed that it's available for preorder from Expansys, which is unsurprising because the online retailer has a stake in MWg. It goes for US$425 unlocked and without subsidies--a price that seems rather high considering comparable devices from established players such as HTC and Samsung go for just a little bit more.

Those who have tried or used O2/MWg smartphones, would you consider buying the Atom VI? Let us know in Talkback below.

Musical liquor cabinet puts your vices in stereo

I'm surprised something like the Swig & Jig hadn't been invented yet, but so glad someone finally got around to making a liquor cabinet that throws a party every time you take out a drink.

The cabinet, a creation of Alex Vessels and Katherine Keane for the winter show at the Interactive Telecommunications Program of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, features several compartments to store your potables. Each of these is outfitted with a switch, so that when you remove a bottle, the Swig & Jig lights up and plays a song.
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11 Nikon D3s go to space with seven lenses

NASA has placed an order with Nikon for 11 units of its highest-end dSLR, the D3s, and seven AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED lens to bring to space for documentation efforts. Interestingly, none of these cameras or optics will require any modifications which attest to the ruggedness and versatility of the company's shooters.

The dSLRs will be brought to the International Space Station where it will join a host of other Nikon products such as the D2Xs, lenses and other Speedlight external flash units.

This is the second consumer camera brand we know this year to enter the vast expanse of space, with Olympus sending the E-3 beyond the stratosphere earlier this year with Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata.

Via 1001noisycameras

Prototype laser system lets users feel remote objects

Most of us are familiar with haptics on touchscreen phones. The feedback technology uses vibrating pulses to replace the tactility of, for example, pressing a physical button. At the recent computer graphics event Siggraph Asia 2009, a team of researchers from the University of Tsukuba demonstrated what they can do with haptics by letting users "feel" a remote object.

The prototype system comprises a laser range finder, computer and haptics generator. By placing the device on a glass casing (we are very familiar with this as many companies like to put their prototype devices in a see-no-touch environment) and using the laser to measure the distance from the panel to the actual object, the user can "feel" the latter via the pulses that are generated.

According to the literature, the reaction force is determined by the distance between the handheld device and the actual object. Users supposedly can feel details such as texture when the magnification factor is increased. The researchers say the system can be used for educating viewers valuable exhibits and inspection of engineering products. We just want to get one of these before we attend another mega-scale event like CES.

Asus announces Pine Trail Netbooks

CES might be just a couple of weeks off, but Intel just can't wait and has announced its second-generation Atom platform, Pine Trail. One of the first machines to come with the new chipset belong to Asus' Eee PC family.

The Pine Trail platform consists of a 45nm processor and the NM10 Express mainboard. The former might be the first Intel chips to integrate both memory controller and graphics engine together with the CPU on a single silicon.
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