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Archive for January, 2011

The GoPro HD Camera

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 10:16 PM on January 28, 2011

GoPro HD CameraGoPro showed off their latest line of HD and 3D Cameras at CES 2011. These cameras are made specifically for filming during participation in extreme sports. They can be worn on your helmet, chest or even mounted on a vehicle. The GoPro HD has about 2 1/2 hours of battery life. The battery is a 1100 mAh Lithium-ion battery, they do offer an extended battery pack which double the battey life. There is also an separate LCD video screen attachment. The screen attaches to the camera like a building bloc. The camera can film at 780p, 960p or 1080p. The camera also shoots stills at 2/5/10/30 and 60 second intervals. The housing is tough and waterproof, it is made to take a beating. The cost for the HD camera is $299

They also showed off a “3D” camera, which is actually two HD cameras with a synchronizing port and a housing group that holds the two cameras together. The first camera controls the second camera and when finished filming. You can use the GoPro software that’s included to merge the two film together to produce a 3D film. It is set to launch on Feb 1 along with the LCD video screen attachment. They have some video on their site which is pretty amazing, if you are into filming while doing an extreme sports I recommend taking a look at this camera.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News.

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Kylo A Browser Made for TV

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 10:13 PM on January 28, 2011

The Kylo Browser was created by Hillcrest Labs. to be used specifically with large screen TV’s. One of the main problems with traditional browsers like Internet Explorer or Firefox is they are not made for a large screen where the viewer is 10 feet or more away. Their fonts are too small and the icons are hard to hit. The Kylo Browser has large fonts and icons which are easier to see from the couch. It also has an on-screen keyboard, so you don’t have to sit with a keyboard on your lap.

The home screen of the Kylo Browser reminds me of a typical cable guide. The difference is that instead of channels you get the icon for Web sites. Hillcrest Labs also developed the technology behind motion-sensing. They used this technology to create The Loop Pointer which is designed specifically to work with a browser on a TV.  The Loop Pointer has four buttons and a scroll wheel and is design to work in the air. Hillcrest Labs has license the motion-sensing technology to major entertainment manufacture, such as Sony, Kodak, Samsung and more.

Although the Loop Pointer is designed to work with the Kylo, you can use any mouse your want. As the line between the TV and the computer continues to blur, we will probably see more and more browsers and devices like Kylo and the Loop Pointer being developed and sold.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News.

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D-Link Unveils Latest Network Products

Posted by Andrew at 10:11 PM on January 28, 2011

Andy talks to Steve at D-Link’s pre-press event and gets a rapid-fire look at the latest offerings from the company, including

  • a wireless Powerline router, bundling three functions into a single device;
  • a wireless media router that will take SD cards or USB3 external drives for delivering HD content to media streamers or players;
  • a SmartBeam Wifi transmitter, a directional antenna that can focus the wireless signal to a particular device.
  • a wireless-n IP / Internet camera, integrated with the MyDLink portal, so you can view the picture from your PC, your smartphone, your tablet.

There’s further info on all these products and more at D-Link’s special CES website.

If you’ve not used Powerline (aka Homeplug), the technology converts your home’s electrical system into a data network, so it’s good for places where wireless coverage is poor. It’s very handy.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News.

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Ecovas: Window Washer of the Future?

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 10:08 PM on January 28, 2011

Almost no one likes to wash windows it is a monotonous task, but at some point in time everyone has to do it. If you own a commercial building you have to hire someone, set a schedule and then hope they do a good job, well at least until now. Now that job can be done by a robotic window washer made by Ecovacs. Ecovacs is a Chinese company that is well known for making products that help you clean. It is in over a 100 countries and serve more 25 million families.

They make vacuum cleaners both regular and robotic, along with carpet cleaners and air cleaners. Now they have produced a robotic window cleaner called Winbot. The cleaner sticks to the window by magnets and moves in a set pattern to prevent streaking. There are two halves to the robot, one half is on one side and provides the locomotion. The other half on the other side does the cleaning.  They have different models depending on the thickness of the glass. It is still in the development stage and should be available later this year for around $399.

They are looking for distributors now in the United States. There isn’t a lot of information to be found about Winbot, I was wondering how it works at different temperatures and if it uses any batteries how long they last. It does look like a promising product, it will be interesting to see if it works as advertised.

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XRocker Furniture For Gamers

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 10:03 PM on January 28, 2011

Mike from XRocker is showing Tom some new furniture that has a definite media and gaming slant towards it.  This is some pretty far out stuff that not every spouse will welcome into a home, but it’s also pretty neat – kind of a living room set meets Scott E Vest.  Of course the retail price may buy some wiggle room with a spouse though – around $200 for a 3 piece set.  It’s interesting and very bright.  VERY bright.  These items should be available this spring.

Interview by Tom Newman of Fogview Podcast.

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Snapstick moves Videos with a Snap of the Wrist!

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 9:57 PM on January 28, 2011

You have a video on your tablet, smartphone or lap top and you want to show it too everyone. However gathering everyone a 4″ screen is a little too cozy. You could get up and put the video on your computer and then stream it, but by the time you do that, your friends will have left and gone home. An answer to this is Snapstick. Snapstick moves the video from your portable device to your TV with a snap of the wrist.

They have signed an agreement with D-Link to make the hardware which will connect to the TV and receive the Snapstick signal. Once the signal is received then you can do what you want on your portable device, read email, chat, or browse the Internet. The video is not streamed from Snapstick, so you don’t have too leave the video running on the portable device. This is what makes it different from the Apple TV and Air video.

It should be available in Q2, however at this time there is no pricing on the hardware. They may charge for a premium service but no decision has been made as of yet. I admit if this works as well as the promotion video show I am going to want this device.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News.

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Green Plug Promises Smart Charging

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 9:50 PM on January 28, 2011

Graeme from Green Plug stops by to chat with Andy and Tom about Green Plug.  Green Plug is what is commonly referred to as a wall wart, but it’s really a whole lot more than that.  It can provide communication between the charger, power supply, and the unit being charged.  Individual devices can be “programmed” by their manufacturer to work with Green Plug to charge more quickly and efficiently.  This is what Green Plug referred to as a kind of “turbo mode” where you could get an 80% charge in 5 minutes – that’s just an example, not a claim.  This is promising technology if it can deliver as promised and if manufacturers are willing to adopt the technology.

The first products will begin rolling out in the second quarter of 2011.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News.

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Egypt’s Crackdown of the Net and Mobile Services

Posted by geeknews at 11:53 AM on January 28, 2011

The Internet Gives and the Internet Takes away is probably how I can sum up the situation in Egypt. What is crazy about the internet shutdown in Egypt was the absolute cut-off that has occurred. When drafting this 90% of Egypt is disconnected from the rest of the world.

Makes you want to make sure you hold on to some old school modems and hope that some ISP’s in other countries have services you can connect to with dial up have that list of ISPs handy. With the precedence the Egyptian Government has made in shutting down mobile and Internet service it really makes you think.

Not saying it could happen here in the United States, but if I was a doom and gloom type person these actions would make me want to hang on to some modems and keep a land line, things would have to get pretty bad for any government to shut down regular telephone service. Keep this in mind, if they are willing to kill the Internet I am sure it will not be long before they would kill international calling as well.

The only sure fire way to stay online would be to have a Satellite Internet connection connected to a service provider in another country.  I am sure what we see post shut down is going to shock us, as the digital age where everyone has a camera in their pocket is going to record everything that happened. The news is going to get out regardless but this crackdown is Egypt’s way of trying to prevent people from organizing.

Can you imagine this happening in America? People would be exercising their rights to carry and bear arms.

New Ford Connected Products announced at CES 2011

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 9:45 AM on January 28, 2011

Ford made some big announcements at CES 2011, the focus of this interview centered around their in-car technology, known as Sync.  One of the biggest was AppSync, which takes the UI from your mobile device and integrates it into the car.  That allows drivers to access apps on their mobile device through the Sync system via voice commands.  They also teased some apps of their own which will be coming out soon.  You will also hear a little bit about some the great safety feature that are being built into new Ford cars, the integration of extras like travel services information and even speed cameras and dangerous intersections warning.  You can even check for coupons as pull up to a store or restaurant.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Esby Larsen of MrNetCast.com

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Urban Tool – Designer Gear for your Gadgets

Posted by Andrew at 9:14 AM on January 28, 2011

Jeffrey talks to Urban Tool, Austrian designers of holsters, cases and bags for gadget-lovers. From running to golf, from iPhones to laptops, these guys have something to put your gear in whatever you’re doing.

On show in the video is a hip holster for golfers that holds tees and balls. There’s also the business holster for storing your wallet, smartphone and security pass under your coat.

Everything comes in a range of (often bright) colours and it’s all very fashionable. Prices from $10 upwards to around $160.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of The Geekazine Podcast.

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