Category: Gadgets

Hexagonal interactive OLED gaming tiles

We’ve seen plenty of ways for board games to be revitalized with large touchscreens, but a new concept from the Human Media Lab at Queen’s University in Ontario puts the screens and interactivity onto the gaming pieces themselves. The idea would be to use slim, networked touchscreen hexagonal tiles with edge-to-edge OLED displays. The proximity of the tiles to one another, along with gestures performed with the tiles, provides the interactivity, and the occasional branching touchscreen menu selection keeps play humming. Unfortunately, that enabling tech isn’t all there yet (at least in university-affordable forms), but the video demo after the break is pretty convincing in its presentation of these ideas in a top-down-projection simulation. Certainly promising, but we’re sure not expecting to see this sort of gaming priced within reach of your average Sorry! board anytime soon.

source – engadget.com

Delta Electronics to ship 13.1-inch color e-readers by Q2 2010

It’s a funny thing, really. We wait years upon years for color e-ink to become a reality, and today — of all days — we finally hear that a sizable one is coming to market in just a few months. Reportedly, Taiwan’s own Delta Electronics is hoping to ship a 13.1-inch color e-reader (along with an 8.1-inch monochrome version) by the middle of this year, both of which will rely on e-paper technology from Bridgestone. If you’ll recall, we got an early glimpse of this stuff right around this time last year, but it wasn’t until today that we heard any followup whatsoever. There’s no mention of expected pricing and the like, but we’re told that the refresh rate is well faster than the black-and-white solutions out there today. Frankly, this thing better check email, play back video and wash our laundry as well — the reign of the standalone e-reader is just about over.

source – engadget.com

iPad

The Apple iPad, formerly referred to as the Apple Tablet, is a touch-pad tablet computer announced in January 2010, to be shipped in late March (for WiFi-only units) and April (for 3G units). It has internet capabilities running on either WiFi or 3G, and offers an optional dock with a full size mechanical keyboard.

The 3G is provided by AT&T, but comes unlocked with microsim cards on the GSM network. The 3G does not require a long-term contract.

Pricing scheme

WiFi Model

  • 16 GB – $499
  • 32 GB – $599
  • 64 GB – $699

3G Model

  • 16 GB – $629
  • 32 GB – $729
  • 64 GB – $829

iPad Specifications

  • 1GHz Apple A4 processor (custom)
  • 0.5″ thick
  • 1.5 pounds

Display

  • 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
  • 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
  • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
  • Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Sensors

  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Compass

Input and Output

  • Dock connector
  • 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
  • Built-in speakers
  • Microphone
  • SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)

Audio Playback

  • Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
  • Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
  • User-configurable maximum volume limit

Battery and Power

  • Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
  • Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
  • Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

Other Specs

  • 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1
  • Runs iPhone apps in window or pixel doubling
  • Hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics
  • SDK released 1/27/10
  • Syncs over USB through iTunes, just like iPhone or iPod touch, syncing photos, music, movies, tv shows, contacts, apps, etc.
  • Offers touch-ready iWork version which includes versions of the Pages, Numbers and Keynote applications at $9.99

Before announcement, the iPad was also rumored to be named the iSlate and the iTablet.

source – crunchbase.com

What makes iPad different…

What makes the iPad different
credit – theflashblog.com

Notion Ink Adam

Another tablet running Android and powered by the Tegra 2 chip is the Adam, a 10-inch tablet from Indian startup Notion Ink. It uses a screen technology from Pixel Qi that combines the best of a full color multi-touch LCD display with a low-power reflective mode that’s readable in direct sunlight.

Notion Ink says the Adam should come to market in the second quarter of this year, with a target price somewhere between $300 and $800. Slashgear got a lengthy video demo (embedded below) and oodles of pics of the device.

MSI dualscreen e-reader

The all metal device is about the size of a netbook and it actually felt quite heavy in our hand. On the inside of the dual 10-inch, capacitive multitouch screens work like extended displays and we were able to drag windows from one screen to the other. The entire thing was a bit flaky since it’s obviously running some beta software, but the digital keyboard was easy to pull up and had a haptic-like feedback when we started typing on the bottom screen. The whole thing is pretty damn awesome for a very early build, and the fact that MSI actually plans to bring it to market within the year is pretty unbelievable.


source- engadget.com

iPad от Apple – iPhone на стероиди

Никоя друга технологична компания не доминира по такъв начин света на потребителската електроника, както Apple през последните десет години. Днес нейното ръководство представи своя най-нов продукт – таблетният компютър iPad, който може да се превърне в нова глава в забележителната история на Apple.

Новият продукт разполага с голям тъч-скрийн и е предназначен за сърфиране в интернет, четене, гледане на видео и слушане на музика. Дизайнът на продукта е сходен с този на другите ключови продукти на Apple – iPhone и iPod.

Главният изпълнителен директор на Apple Стив Джобс вижда в новия проект най-важното нещо, което е правил през живота си. Таблетът ще позволи на потребителите да сърфират в интернет, да преглеждат вестниците и списанията, да гледат видео и е кръстоска между музикалния плеър на Apple iPhone и персоналния компютър Mac.

Новото устройство ще обединява всички най-важни функции на едно мобилно устройствo.

Ето малко технически характеристики на новия продукт:

– дебелина – 0,5 инча

– тегло- 700 гр.

– дисплей – 9,7 инча

– базов процесор – 1 GHz Apple A4

– хард диск – между 16 и 64 GB

По данни от представянето на продукта батерията му би трябвало да издържа 10 часа без презареждане. В режим стенд-бай пък iPad можел да изкара до един месец.

Представената информация гласи, че цената на iPad ще бъде в рамките 499-829 долара.

Според Стив Джобс iPad ще предложи на потребителите “най-добрия начин да сърфират в интернет”, предава Market Watch. “Искаме да започнем с летящ старт 2010 година, представяйки революционен и магически продукт”, посочва Стив Джобс.

За Apple с основание може да се каже, че иновативните технологии на компанията са преобразили тенденциите на четири отделни пазара през последните десет години – този на компютрите, музиката, филмите и мобилните телефони.

Въпреки огромната еуфория, с която се очакваше новият продукт, в средата на борсовата сесия акциите на Apple губят около 2,5 на сто от стойността си до около 201,5 долара за брой.

снимки-engadget.com текст-investor.bg

BeBook Neo e-reader launches with WiFi and WACOM capabilities

We’re still patiently waiting for Endless Ideas to launch a 3G-equipped e-reader to compete with the masses, but ’til then, we suppose we’ll have to be satisfied with the WiFi-toting BeBook Neo. Boasting a 532MHz Freescale CPU, Vizplex display (800 x 600 resolution), 512MB of internal storage, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB 2.0 connectivity and an SD expansion slot, the 6-inch, February-bound Neo brings to the table very little that we haven’t seen elsewhere — in fact, it’s a dead ringer for Onyx International’s Boox. Naturally, you’ll find support for a multitude of file formats (ePUB, PDF, HTML, JPG, PNG, etc.), and the internal battery is good for 7,000 page turns on a full charge. The company is also playing up the unit’s ability to access a wide variety of third-party ebook venues, which gives you the option of purchasing books from any given outlet rather than a predefined store. There’s also WACOM tech built in, which should delight those who love to annotate and add text mark-ups. We’re told that future software updates will add a multitude of new features, but it’s tough to say if that promise is enough to coax you into dropping $299 on a pre-order.

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