Gadgets Mobile

Our friends from Aving have spotted a 7-inch GPS called Easycar U7 which reportedly costs only $100. It has being presented as a low-end navigation system, but it seems to have a very decent resolution (looks like 680×480, see photo gallery) and has many of the multimedia functions including digital TV , video and music playback, so it’s a really cheap portable media player (PMP) as well. The question is: where do we get them (outside of Korea)?

We know that Dell is taking another crack at the mp3 player market, but who would’ve suspected that they will release not one, but two devices in due time. The second device will fall under the $100 price point and features Wi-Fi connectivity, although it remains to be seen how this function will be utilized to the maximum. Both players will arrive sometime early next year and not September this year as certain quarters thought. It will be interesting to see the type of software platform these Dell MP3 players rely on. I’m hoping it will make a positive contribution to the overcrowded MP3/PMP market, and surely it won’t be an ipod killer, right?

I just decided the other day that I would venture forth to a nearby Apple store and buy a 3G iPhone. It would be my first non-Windows mobile phone since, hmm, 2002 and requires using AT&T Wireless instead of my current carrier. So, this is not a decision made lightly. As an ipod touch owner who upgraded to the 2.0 firmware, I am all too aware of the frequent crashes on the new iPhone and iPod touch. However, reported complaints about problems with the 3G data radio in the phone are increasing my hesitation to move ahead to buy an iPhone 3G.

AppleInsider reports that Infineon chipset used in the iphone 3G may be the cause of the problems. However, Apple is apparently trying to create a software update workaround for the hardware based problem (somewhat like fixing issues with the Mars rovers remotely, I guess).

For more details, read the AppleInsider blog item titled: iPhone 3G reception issues to be relieved by software update - report

Barcode reading handsets are usually large, ungainly devices that never leave the warehouse, for fear of being mocked. Sure, you can spot them when Wal-Mart’s stock guys are doing their job, and every once in a while, you’ll spot a cell phone sporting the ability to read certain bar codes; but they’re usually hideous.

Now, a new application aims to change all of that. What does this application do that no other one does? It works on the iPhone. Produced by a company called ScanBuy, the application can read any 2D barcode, and then launch a browser to inform you all about the product that you just scanned. In fact, if that barcode is actually a clever marketing tool that links to music or Youtube videos, the browser will take you straight there. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that these types of campaigns could become the new viral video. The app can also be used to create personal “EZcodes,” which links to blogs or networking sites. The coolest thing about the app, though? It’s free.

ScanLife isn’t just available on the iPhone, you can go to getscanlife.com to pick up the application for BREW, Java, Symbian, Palm, blackberry, and Windows Mobile. OK, so this isn’t going to single-handedly turn the iphone into a picking unit, or even a viable business phone, but it’s still a pretty neat little application.

Read more at ScanBuy, found via I4U

I don’t know about you, but sometimes there are jealous people who walk by a spanking new sports car only to vent their feelings in a negative manner by leaving a nice, long scratch on the shiny paintwork. With the Car Camera, it won’t stop this from happening but at least it is able to record the wrongdoing and used “for legal or insurance purpose” at a later point in time. The Car Camera is able to take in SD memory cards up to 2GB in size, where the recorded file will be saved into the memory card automatically. You can view the recorded video on a PC or TV through the AV cable. The camera can also be mounted inside the vehicle thanks to a couple of sticky pads, but it won’t be of much use should somebody decide to permanently borrow your car!

With its low profile design and sleek shape, Mitsubishi LT-4260 Television is a product worth buying for a fabulous entertainment experience. Mitsubishi LT-4260 Television provides an ultra- high resolution and superb clarity of images. It is a flat panel HDTV that can be setup on a tabletop or mounted on a wall.

Features

• PerfectColor
• Auto Film Mode
• 1365 x 768p Resolution
• Multi-Sync PC Monitor Input
• DefinEdge VSM

Maximize your television viewing experience with the new Mitsubishi LT-4260 Television that comes with NetCommand, CableCard Slot and FireWire. Apart from these, LT-4260 incorporates HDMI Interface and 2 Rear Component Video Inputs. It features AMVP2 and 480-Line Motion-Adaptive 3D Y/C Comb Filter.

Price and Availability

Mitsubishi LT-4260 Television is available at a price of $ 510.00.

Source: Mitsubishi

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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 14th 2008 at 10:27AMThe Tigers down at Clemson University are doing more than deciding whether an all-purple uniform really sends a sense of fear to the opponent, as they’re also crafting shock-absorbing carbon springs which could theoretically protect gadgets when they crash to the ground. In working with researchers at UC San Diego, the crew has determined that layers of tiny coiled carbon nanotubes can act as “extremely resilient shock absorbers.” The team envisions their discovery finding its way into body armor, car bumpers, bushings and even in shoe soles, but we’re hoping that cellphones and PMPs get lined with this stuff to protect from those butter-finger moments.

[Via Physorg]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

This $37 Memory Foam Neck Pillow doesn’t just provide you with a welcome place to rest your neck during the hectic work week, it even boasts integrated speakers that could help lull you to snoozeland with the right tunes. It must be plugged to an external audio source (iPod, PC, mp3 player) for optimal effect, and can conform itself to your individual needs. The speakers are located right beside your ears, helping keep sound around your area and not elsewhere. How come she is fooling around with her ipod nano instead of getting some work done?

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 14th 2008 at 11:11AM
Netbooks have come a long way since the Eee PC 701 hit the scene. Gone are the square miles of emptiness surrounding the screens and keyboards as manufacturers start to put every inch to good use, but that seems to have little impact on folks bent on hacking these mini laptops to pieces — with the Acer Aspire One the latest subject of such work. Tnkgrl has stuffed a miniscule USB Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR adapter under the palm rest and upgraded the RAM while she was in there. Next up is a hard drive upgrade and then the all-important “how to put the computer back together again.” No real show stoppers, but if you’ve been waiting for reports from the other side before you put your own Aspire One under knife, here they are.

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Filed under: Laptops

As you can see from the photo above, Verizon will be making available a bunch of new handsets from next month onwards till the holiday season, with the Motorola VU30 aka Rapture leading the charge on September 9. The LG8360 will hit the market come October while Nokia’s 7205 will be released in December. We do know that the Samsung U440 Cleo will be out too, but there is no date attached to it, unfortunately. Will these phones be successful models, or will they shake and shudder in the tussle between the G1 and iphone 3G?