Gadgets Mobile

I know it is the Chinese Year of the Rat, but generally rats aren’t too well received. The USB Mouse Hub you see here looks more like a cross between a pig and a mouse, as the limbs are swollen as though they were bitten by some unknown mosquito. This 4-port USB 2.0 hub tips the scales at 52 grams and will retail for $12 each. All legs (ports) are flexible, so you won’t have to worry about losing a USB port just because one of your connecting devices is way too fat.

Samsung’s B300 cell phone features both internal and external screens, with all the most basic information being displayed on the external screen. It is a dual-band handset that comes with a CSTN display (sucks to use this under bright light), and measures a pocket-friendly 87mm x 45mm x 18.6mm, targeting prepaid users as its main market mover. Hopefully it will be released soon in time for the summer holidays so that parents can always pick up a cheap handset for their kids who have been pestering them long enough.

The Vostro 1310 and 1510 notebooks from Dell have just received an update, shedding some weight in the process. Both models will feature built-in fingerprint readers for greater security, accompanied by the Trusted Platform Module 1.2 that helps prevent data theft, a cable lock slot and the McAfee Total Protection software. You can place your order for either machine to come with zero trialware if you like, although Dell won’t hold back on its free services like 10GB of online storage through its DataSafe Online Backup, Network Assistant and PC TuneUp. The Vostro 1310 and 1510 will retail for $749 and $599, respectively. Word has it a redesigned Vostro 1710 will be released sometime this May.

The Sony Bravia XBR6 replaces the ever popular and successful XBR4 series, and will be avaliable in a vast array of sizes. The Sony XBR6 models all feature the highest HD image format, Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels), with Sony’s Motionflow 120Hz for smooth flowing images which retail their detail.

The Sony XBR6 will be avaliable in five different sizes ranging from the 32-inch Sony KDL-32XBR6 to the 52-inch KDL-52XBR6. The other models are the 37-inch Sony KDL-37XBR6, KDL-40XBR6, KDL-46XBR6 giving a very nice selection of sizes avaliable to choose from.

Other features on the Sony Bravia XBR6 include Live Color creation with WCG-CCFL backlight technology, x.v Color for impressive colors along with a 10-bit panel and processing. New features on the Sony XBR6 models are Sony’s Bravia Engine 2 processing for enhanced image quality, a DLNA compliant Ethernet input, TV Guide IPG, an enhanced XMB user interface with 3D graphics, and Bravia Sync capabilities.

The new design on the XBR6’s look great with it’s black gloss finish and optional speaker grilles with designer colors.

Sony Bravia XBR6:

• KDL-32XBR6 (KDL32XBR6) | 32-Inch, May 08
• KDL-37XBR6 (KDL37XBR6) | 37-Inch, July 08
• KDL-40XBR6 (KDL40XBR6) | 40-Inch, September 08
• KDL-46XBR6 (KDL46XBR6) | 46-Inch, October 08
• KDL-52XBR6 (KDL52XBR6) | 52-Inch, September 08

Introduce some much needed bling to your office desk with the Diamante Mouse.

It’s time to jettison that humourless and corporate-grey mouse of yours and get some sparkle onto your desktop. Studded with a panoply of glittering fake diamonds, the Diamante Mouse is a dazzlingly different and sparklingly superior computer mouse for people wanting to be lifted from the drudgery of normal workstations.

Unfortunately, these diamonds are all fake although they do boast a rather impressive sparkle. You won’t be able to pawn it for more than £27.99 though.

CSR has demonstrated its Ultra-Low Power (ULP) Bluetooth hardware which is touted to be up to 50 times faster than what we have today. Instead of sending out more data, ULP consumes a phenomenally low amount of power during transfer - 1/50th to be exact, and takes just 1/10th the amount when making the initial connection. CSR also said that it is possible to implement ULP alongside Bluetooth 2.1 in a dual-mode radio. With such low power consumption, it is no surprise to see ULP devices achieve extreme standby times - in theory, at least. Sounds as though further research and development might even make Bluetooth connectivity in wireless heartrate monitors a possibility in the near future.

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 15th 2008 at 3:40AMCasio’s Exilim EX-Z200, which broke cover at CES earlier this year, has been taken in to review by the shutterbugs over at PhotographyBLOG. Sporting a 10-megapixel sensor, 4x optical zoom and a 28-millimeter wide-angle lens, this pocket-friendly point-and-shoot proved to be a love / hate affair in its finest form. Despite being loaded with features and relatively easy to operate, the Z200 still delivered subpar image quality; more specifically, noise and smearing of fine details were quite evident even at ISO 200, purple fringing was obvious in high-contrast scenes and the painfully slow shutter speed left critics woefully underwhelmed. Overall, the digicam seemed to stumble in the areas that matter most, and with the plethora of alternatives out there, it sounds as if your hard-earned dollars could be better used elsewhere.

[Thanks, Mark]

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

How many hi-tech watches that you see in the market these days cater for females? Chances are the answer will be none. The I/O concept aims to change that perspective (assuming it actually takes off), featuring a cuff bracelet design complete with a hidden digital clock that lights up only when you need to tell the time, making this more of a fashion accessory that tells the time instead of a good looking watch. All you need to do is touch the dot whenever you want to check on the time - works like a charm, eh?

Now this is one home-made console that will definitely blow you away - it brings the best of the past into one huge machine that will surely deserve an honorable place in your living room. After all, there are four cartridge slots to contend with, allowing you to play games from the NES, SNES, Genesis and Atari 2600 platforms. A backlit Pac-Man functions as an On/Off switch, and interestingly enough all four game cartridges will be able to run simultaneously through push-button switches. This project has been in the pipeline since 2002, so it is a good 6 long years before the fruit of Richard DaLuz’s labors start to show. I wonder how much one of this will fetch on eBay…

Mobile Burn reviews the Helio Mysto and writes, “The 2 megapixel camera on the Mysto is activated by sliding the phone open and either pressing the camera key on the right side of the device, or navigating to the camera menu. The resulting photos are very nice, and the camera application interface is robust, again with a large number of user options for fine-tuning the photo. The camera also records video clips with acceptable quality, and these clips can be set as the background for the home screen, if desired.”

Read more about the Helio Mysto.