Posts in Gadgets

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Robot roller skates less bulky than Segway

Tim Hornyak | Nov 30, 2009

(Credit: Tim Hornyak)

Researchers in Japan are developing robotic roller skates as a new form of personal mobility.

Toshinobu Takei of Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) demonstrated his "Unit-type Micro-Mobility" device at the 2009 International Robot Exhibition (iRex) in Tokyo this week.

We haven't seen too many gadgets like these, but what with the plethora of prototype personal vehicles like Honda's U3-X unicycle in Japan lately, they aren't surprising.

The prototype skates are actually mechatronic versions of "takeuma", which are old-school bamboo stilts that kids used to play with in Japan before their lives were consumed by cell phones and video games.
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WakeMate wakes you up at the right time

Matt Hickey | Nov 30, 2009

(Credit: Perfect Third)

Please forgive me if I take the easy humor route and inject a few "Twilight: New Moon" jokes into my posts over the next few days. I haven't been sleeping well and when that happens I get groggy and tend to go for the easy laugh. The problem is that some nights I just don't get enough sleep (I'm no vampire). I go to bed at different times and always try to wake up at 8am.
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Eneloopy, Sanyo's battery-checking mutt, to retail in Asia soon

Juniper Foo | Nov 27, 2009

(Credit: Sanyo)

It's a dog-eat-bot race, with Sanyo's Eneloopy mascot mutt giving Panasonic's Evolta mascot robot a run for its money. But whereas the latter risked battery life and limb to show off Panasonic's AA cells' endurance in a harrowing climb up the Grand Canyon, the Eneloopy doggie prefers to play cute and "nosey" with your AA- and AAA-sized rechargeables.

(Credit: Sanyo)

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Better battery life, native PDF support for Kindle e-book reader

David Carnoy | Nov 25, 2009

(Credit: Amazon)

Just in time for the holidays and facing heavy competition from Barnes & Noble's upcoming Nook e-book reader, Amazon has announced that it has improved the Kindle's battery life when the wireless connection is turned on and will now be offering native PDF support for its e-book reader. Both the battery-life boost and native PDF support will be available to owners of new Kindles and some older models via a firmware upgrade.

In a press release, Amazon says the Kindle now has battery life of up to seven days with wireless turned on compared with four days previously. However, battery life with wireless turned off remains the same (around two weeks).
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Ditto Book aims for niche markets

Sharon Vaknin | Nov 25, 2009

(Credit: Ditto Book)

Though Amazon and Barnes and Noble are grabbing headlines with e-readers aimed at consumers, Ditto Book--a CES 2010 exhibitor--is marketing its device for niche markets.

The US$249 e-reader doesn't compete with Nook and Kindle specifications, as it is not wireless, has a 6-inch screen in four shades of gray, and doesn't support the standard ePub format yet.

Its focus is on customization; companies interested in ordering the e-reader in bulk can add a logo, brand name, color, and welcome screen. A unique option is to load the e-readers with bundled content.
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