Creative paid a visit to Gearlog HQ yesterday morning to show off the company's newest Flash-based portable media players, the Zen V and Zen V Plus. These palm-size gems are packed with features: Both play music, display photos, and have FM radios built in, and the Zen V Plus also plays video, believe it or not. The OLED screen's just 1.5 inches, but it's crisp and colors are vivid. You probably won't watch 2-hour movies on such a tiny screen, but it's fine for short clips, music videos, and so on. Both Vs support all the music subscription services and sync with Outlook, and they each have line-in recording and a voice recorder.
I charged up a sample Zen V Plus that Phil left behind; I haven't had much time to use it yet, but I like the size and shape a lot: It's small and light, but feels sturdy. I'm looking forward to trying it out on my train commute.
Each player will come in 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB versions, with different color schemes for each version. The Zen V will be available in July, at $119, $149, and $199; the Zen V Plus comes in August, at $129, $169, and $229. (At the 1GB size, the price premium for video is just $10. Why not go for it?)
Mike Kobrin, PC Magazine's audio analyst, is testing and reviewing the players right now. Watch for his review soon, at PCMag.com.
I told you I wasn't going to stop bringing you more summer gadgets!
It's so funny that I came across this product on Ubergizmo, because just the other day I was looking for a small watch I could take with me to the beach. I'm not about to bring my nice watch and chance getting it wet!
Made by Hog Wild, this Zipper Pull Watch & White Light not only displays the time, but also sports a flashlight on the end. Just twist it to turn on the white light. It comes in four colors and is waterproof! You can attach it to backpacks, zippers, purses, really anything.
According to Gizmodo, the refreshing $1,687 Lenovo F20 will feature: * Intel M778 processor, 1.66GHz * Intel 915GMS chipset with GMA900 display chip * 12.1 inch wide screen monitor * 512MB DDR2 memory * 80GB hard disk * External Combo drive * WiFi, Bluetooh, 56K modem, and 100Mbps ethernet port * Build in 1.5W stereo speaker * 3 USB ports, 1 IEEE1394 port * All-in-one memory card reader * Dual batteries for 8.5 hours usage
If you don't want to don a red laptop with a bunch of brand names, then for around the same price, you can get the Lenovo 3000 V100 with 1024MB of RAM, 100GB of hard drive space, and a DVD+R DL.
At an Asian trade show today, Motorola introduced a bunch of stylish low-end phones, two of which may be coming to the US, according to additional info Motorola representatives gave me: The W375 (pictured below) and the W208. Both phones are small, light, inexpensive and colorful, clocking in at around 3 ounces. The W375 has a VGA camera and FM radio, and the W208 has no camera but still has an FM radio. The news here is the designs; Motorola's borrowing from the success of their multicolored RAZRs and PEBLs to put brightly shining accessories in everyone's hands. Expect these phones to surface on T-Mobile or Cingular by the end of the year.
TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. recently unveiled an advanced pre-crash radar system that uses the latest-generation Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Active Control Retractor (ACR) technologies. By combining these active and passive safety systems, TRW helps vehicles avoid accidents, and protect passengers in case an accident is unavoidable.
ACC uses radar sensors to slow down the car automatically when it is moving too close to the car ahead, then accelerates back to the last cruise speed once the car is a safe distance away. TRW improved upon this detection technology with its second-generation AC20 radar, which has an enhanced range of 200 meters. When the radar detects the gap between vehicles closing too quickly, it not only signals the ACC system but also activates the ACR system. The ACR tightens seat belts to better position passengers for a potential crash and warns the driver of the impending collision. If the crash is avoided, the system reverses itself and loosens the seat belts.
The pre-crash system uses a situation-management algorithm that continuously processes signals from the vehicle's relevant dynamic systems, such as ABS (anti-lock braking systems), electronic stability control, and the TRW ACC radar. It evaluates events like braking, sliding, vehicle angle and objects detection, and determines if a critical situation has been reached that warrants the activation of the ACR system.
These pre-crash systems open many other possibilities for integrating radar detection into future vehicles. For example, ACC technology could be used to implement self-braking systems that can sense a crash and hit the brakes preemptively. The system could also be used to warn the driver of impending danger or even jolt a drowsy drive awake with a vibrating steering wheel.
I can't believe that tomorrow, June 21, is the first day of summer. My, has time gone by! But, I've enjoyed giving you this summer gadget countdown every day! Trust me, this isn't the end of summer gadgets either! As I find them, you'll know about them!
Design: Made by Oregon Scientific, the Personal UV Monitor with Exposure Timer actually monitors current UV levels to keep you safe while lying out in the sun. The exposure timer uses UV, SPF and even your skin type to calculate recommended exposure times. It measures 3.125 × 1.75 × .75 inches.
Features: Countdown timer so you don't bake in the sun for too long; Digital Clock; Wriststrap; Splash-proof case; Includes 1 battery.
How It Works: Enter your skin type and what type of sunblock you put on, and the device will rate how long it takes to give you a sunburn.
My Sidekick 3 review just hit PCMag.com, and I have mixed feelings about this sleek new handheld. First of all, it is sleek - while it turns out that it's basically just narrower than the previous model (and heavier!) it feels less clunky. It's super-easy to use, just like all Sidekicks, and various features have been bumped up a bit. But after making Sidekickers wait for 18 months, Danger and T-Mobile missed an opportunity to redefine the mobile communication space again.
When the Sidekick first came out in 2002, it was the only easy-to-use mobile e-mail gadget for non-techie consumers. Blackberries were still corporate, and smartphones at the time like the Treo 180 generally didn't have QWERTY keyboards (though I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the Kyocera 6035.) The Sidekick II kept the platform up to date and cemented its popularity with the young and the hip.
There are a lot of ways the SK3 could have made just as big a splash. For instance, the SK3's core audience is heavily into music and video, iPods and MySpace and YouTube - how about a video browser that lets you save and post viral videos easily? Or a music player that syncs with iTunes (no, you don't need Apple's permission.) The SK3 is huge in Hollywood, with people who like to make home movies on the spur of the moment - how about a terrific camcorder mode?
Or - let's stick to communication. T-Mobile has a lot of Wi-Fi hotspots out there. How about making voice calls over those hotspots, something T-Mobile has been mumbling about for at least six months? How about folding in Outlook Web Access (like Blackberry does) so hipsters with day jobs can get their work e-mail on the sly while they're at da club, without their bosses knowing it's been transferred to a Sidekick? How about voice dialing so you don't have to flip the darn thing open? Or heck, how about receiving POP3 email without a 15-minute delay?
And how about making those features as radically easy to use as the Sidekick?
I'm being too harsh, I know; and a lot of Sidekick buyers would buy a doorstop if it was emblazoned with the logo of a hip tattoo artist. The SK3 is still tremendously easy to use, cool, and a fun way to get various kinds of messages on the run. But the mobile world needs more visionaries to bring together ease-of-use brilliance and feature brilliance. Danger was (and still is) a good nominee for that task, but this device doesn't break new ground.
The Latitude X1 needed some refinement when it first came out, and Dell responds by introducing the new Latitude D420. It replaces the X1 by adding all the "Latitude-esque" features to the tiny 3 pound frame. Things like common docking solutions and peripherals, a Trusted Platform Module(TPM), biometrics, and a Smart Card reader are now all present on the D420. It still doesn't have a built-in optical drive, but you can purchase the Mediabase--- a docking solution with a built-in optical drive, similar to the X6 Ultrabase found on the Lenovo Thinkpad X60. Another attractive feature are the dual pointing devices, so now you can choose between the pointing stick or the touchpad.
Road warriors will like the wide range of broadband options available, including an integrated cellular modem, using either Cingular's EDGE/HSDPA or Verizon's EVDO service. The system is also 802.11n ready, which could take advantage of theoretical throughput speeds of up to 540Mbps. You also get the WiFi catcher to locate regular 802.11 access points, even when the system is off.
The D420 will be using the ULV Core Solo processors. According to Dell, they should have options for dual core processors by late summer. The D420 marks the completion of upgrades to Dell's Latitude line. Prices start at $1,379
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