February 15, 2007, 6:17 AM CT

Trackstick Pro GPS

Katherine evaluated the original TrackStick GPS, but now the company has come out with the improved Pro, with 4 times the memory.

What is it? A tiny GPS recorder which, unlike real time tracking devices, records histories; it doesn't tell you where you are but where you've been. For example, it could tell you where your kids have been, verify employee driving routes, and watch large shipment routes.

How does it work? The Track Stick receives signals from twenty-four satellites orbiting the earth. With this information, the Track Stick can precisely calculate its own position anywhere on the planet to within fifteen meters. That's comforting.

When I asked the inventor, Richard Haberkern, why he came up with the Trackstick, he explained that he was intrigued with the new GPS systems years ago and came up with Trackstick as a low cost alternative for individuals and was surprised when it was snapped up by the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security.

Since it's designed to work with Google Earth, it ended up being a very useful tool in Katrina, used for evacuation route planning, and is now being added to most search and rescue teams for mapping purposes.

It's powered by a cigarette lighter, or hard wired, or how shall we say -- covertly installed......... Posted by: Ryan      Read more         Source

February 15, 2007, 6:10 AM CT

Turn your TV into abstract art

Don't just let your flat-panel TV just hang there, taking up precious space that could be used to brighten up your home. Affix one of TV2Art's Lightascopes over the TV screen and those electronic signals can start making art instead. The brainchild of artists Daniel Goldstein and John Kapellas, Lightascopes sample light and colour from the TV to create changing patterns and swirls, adding a modern aesthetic accent to the room.

Lightascopes are made of the same lightweight, durable plastic as a credit card and are fixed to the TV screen using micro-suction tape. This makes for easy removal when there's actually something good on TV that you might want to watch instead of your new art piece. The Lightascopes also work when the TV's off.

Lightascopes come in 3 different styles, each creating its own signature pattern. You can try out a selection of light and sound effects before you buy.

Available in sizes 32"-50" for $135-$199. There's also a deluxe version with all 3 styles combined, which goes for a hefty $480......... Posted by: Ryan      Read more         Source

February 15, 2007, 5:00 AM CT

Vibrating Alarm Watch

Vibrating accessories are all over the place. We recently had a vibrating handbag by Esquire. And now here comes another gem. This time the vibrations will set your pulse racing. Quite literally.

The new Vibrating Alarm Watch designed by Engio is actually a product for the hearing impaired people. It doesn't quite tell the time but it alerts the wearer in case of an emergency.

It has multidirectional microphones integrated into the strap that are designed to pick up any sudden or drastic changes amongst an ambient sound level. It can also detect specially-assigned frequencies besides fire and smoke alarms, burglary alarms, or other public alarms.

Once the sound has been detected as an alarm the watch goes into vibrating mode and the wearer is alerted of the situation......... Posted by: Ryan      Read more         Source

February 13, 2007, 9:33 PM CT

The second humanoid robot in France

The HOAP3 humanoid robot has just arrived at the Laboratory for Computer Science, Robotics and Microelectronics of Montpellier (LIRMM CNRS University of Montpellier 2). This platform supplements the one that was installed at the LAAS in Toulouse last June. They were both made in Japan and represent a strong robotics research potential for France.

Research activities in the field of human robotics are expanding rapidly. The establishment of the JRL (Joint Japanese-French Robotics Laboratory) based in both Japan (Tsukuba) and France (Toulouse-LAAS and Montpellier-LIRMM) contributed strongly to the realization, reinforcement and dynamization of the robotics research community in this field. The two humanoid robots are at the core of JRL's research.

The acquisition of HOAP3 by LIRMM, 50% co-financed by the CNRS, is part of this process. Within the framework of JRL-France, the LIRMM will thus offer the national community an open experimental platform for the validation of models or control methods contributing to ambulation and the handling of objects while maintaining balance.

This 8.8 kg, 60 cm tall robot has 28 motorized articulations. It has a large number of sensors including accelerometers, rate gyros, an infra-red range finder, pressure sensors and two cameras. This unit is based around a completely open software platform (RTLinux) allowing all of the scientists interested to freely evaluate and test their new theoretical developments concerning the modeling, control, vision or learning of these......... Posted by: Ryan      Read more         Source

February 1, 2007, 8:03 PM CT

SmartHome IntelliCorder

Knock knock! Who's there? Oh, never mind, I can see you through my IntelliCorder Camera System. The GE IntelliCorder is an "intelligent surveillance system" - kind of like a video peephole for your front door. The little colour screen and camera can be installed through your existing 9/16-inch peephole hole to improve the visibility of your elongated guests. What's more, the system has a motion activated recording system that captures a short video of the people/animals/robots that came to visit you while you were out. The recorder uses an SD card, which allows you to transfer the clips onto your computer for later viewing. I have no idea why you would want to do that.

The GE SmartHome IntelliCorder is available now for $299.99 + $7.50 shipping from Jasco.........

Posted by: Ryan      Read more         Source

February 1, 2007, 7:48 PM CT

Hand Warming Mouse

Winters are passing by but it's very difficult to work in this season. No matter how a number of woolen clothes you wear in order to keep yourself warm but your hands have to suffer most in winters.

While working on your computer you always take out your bare hand to click on anything. It will be best alternative for you to have a heater fixed near your hand than on the floor.

Thus, Thanko is here to provide you with the best option for warming your hands from driver-less USB mouse, which can give you warmth with maximum 45C/113F and 800dpi resolution. Its not a very expensive deal to own Hand Warming Mouse. Price: $23.........

Posted by: Ryan      Read more         Source

January 30, 2007, 6:27 PM CT

Developing Ultrathin Digital Camera

Engineers at UC San Diego have built a powerful yet ultrathin digital camera by folding up the telephoto lens. This technology may yield lightweight, ultrathin, high resolution miniature cameras for unmanned surveillance aircraft, cell phones and infrared night vision applications.

"Our imager is about seven times more powerful than a conventional lens of the same depth," said Eric Tremblay, the first author on an Applied Optics paper published February 1, 2007, and an electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. candidate at UCSD's Jacobs School of Engineering. Eric is working with Joseph Ford, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Jacobs School who leads the camera project within UCSD's Photonic Systems Integration Lab. Ford is also affiliated with the UCSD division of the California Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology, Calit2.

"This type of miniature camera is very promising for applications where you want high resolution images and a short exposure time. This describes what cell phone cameras want to be when they grow up," said Ford. "Today's cell phone cameras are pretty good for wide angle shots, but because space constraints require short focal length lenses, when you zoom them in, they're terrible. They're blurry, dark, and low contrast."........

Posted by: Ryan      Read more         Source

January 24, 2007, 5:29 PM CT

Step Toward Building Molecular Computers

A team of UCLA and California Institute of Technology chemists reports in the Jan. 25 issue of the journal Nature the successful demonstration of a large-scale, "ultra-dense" memory device that stores information using reconfigurable molecular switches. This research represents an important step toward the creation of molecular computers that are much smaller and could be more powerful than today's silicon-based computers.

The 160-kilobit memory device uses interlocked molecules manufactured in the UCLA laboratory of J. Fraser Stoddart, director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), who holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences and who was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II less than a month ago.

A bit, or binary digit, is the basic unit of information storage and communication in digital computing. A kilobit is equal to 1,000 bits and is usually used for measuring the amount of data that is transferred in one second between two telecommunication points.

The research published in Nature describes the fabrication and operation of a memory device. The memory is based on a series of perpendicular, crossing nanowires, similar to a tic-tac-toe board, with 400 bottom wires and another 400 crossing top wires. Sitting at each crossing of the tic-tac-toe structure and serving as the storage element are approximately 300 bistable rotaxane molecules. These molecules may be switched between two different states, and each junction of a crossbar can be addressed individually by controlling the voltages applied to the appropriate top and bottom crossing wires, forming a bit at each nanowire crossing.........

Posted by: Ethan      Read more         Source

January 15, 2007, 9:12 PM CT

Portable Nano-Screen with IPod

No wonder, if you find the Portable Nano-screen as an iPod accessory in the coming future, as Invisio, producer of the Nano-screen is looking forward to present it with the mighty iPod.

Featuring a 640×480 display and integrated headphones, the Portable Nano-screen will bestow you with the 3D pictures and graphics and feel the impact of big screen.

The Invisio Portable Nano-screen will be available by the middle of the year 2007 for a pricing of around $400.

Viablog.wired ........

Posted by: Ryan      Read more         Source

January 15, 2007, 8:48 PM CT

Toshiba's Regza LCD TV

At CES this year, you couldn't get away from all the new versions of what we call a "TV". Toshiba Japan has a new entry called the Regza LCD TV C2000. At their booth, I was dazzled by the picture, even while trying to remain the cynical journalist. There were a total of 13 new sets: four 720p models (HL67), two 720p with built in DVD (LV67), three 1080p models (HL167), and four Cinema Series 1080p models (LX177). I'd take any of these.

Here come the specs:

20 incher sports a resolution of 1336 x 768 pixels and a viewing angle of 178 degrees.

• It has an analog as well as digital TV tuner. The onboard digital amplifier delivers an output of 5W x 2Ch which is bought to life thanks to SRS WOW function.
• The LCD has dual HDMI ports along with S-Video, composite, Ethernet and analog audio jacks.
• For gamers, the Regza C2000 has a dedicated game mode which adjusts the picture size and quality best suited for gaming.
• It goes on sale in Japan in February for a cool 110,000 Yen ($920).

by Evan.........

Posted by: Ryan      Read more         Source