Cell Phone Music

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

First off, the chance of this Japanese super-phone coming to the US or anywhere else outside of Nippon is slim. FCC approval or not, it's likely only being tested for global roaming. However, as slim is its chances are, they've improved dramatically now that Japan's government is behind a push to promote its twisty, folding phones abroad. This Exilim-branded Casio / Hitachi mashup sports an 8 megapixel camera and with any luck, it's using that new Omnivision sensor meant to revolutionize cameraphones. As followup to the W53CA, this 3G W63CA flip will no doubt feature the same high-resolution, 800 x 480 pixel swiveling display of its cousin. With autumn nearing, we expect to see the W63A announced any day in a typical shotgun blast of seasonal phones from KDDI.

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Filed under: Gaming, Household, Peripherals

For Roomba hacking extraordinaire longjie0723, it's just another day in the office. Grasping for one more way to control the circular vacuum with something video game-related, he keyed in on the Wii Balance Board. Granted, he's already had success controlling the Roomba with a Wiimote, so we assume that whipping this one up was a lesson in simplicity. We still can't really understand why this here hack is necessary, but unlike decisions made by publicly traded companies, independent DIYers don't need no logic to get their mod on. Video after the cut.

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

Continue reading Wii Balance Board used to control Roomba... for reasons unknown

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Filed under: Cellphones

We're not going to re-hash the details of Nokia's N79 and N85 yet again. After all, we just went through it less than 24-hours ago. We will tell you that both the N79 (tri-band GSM, 900/2100 UMTS/HSDPA) and N85 (quad-band GSM/EDGE with either 900/1900/2100 or 850/1900/2100 UMTS/HSDPA) will hit Europe in October for €350 and €450, respectively, pre-tax and pre-carrier subsidies. The N85 could also be Stateside sometime soon given those frequencies and prior FCC approval. Oh, and pictures, lots of pretty pictures.

Read -- N79
Read -- N85

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

While some outfits evidently operate with a dysfunctional Caps Lock key, projectiondesign is taking things to the opposite extreme by announcing the lower-cased spectra, optix and prisma. The aforesaid trio of DLP projectors is gearing up for a CEDIA debut, where they each will be showing off their 720p / 1080p resolutions, UHP VIDI lamp technology, RealColor management suite, 10-bit processing and HDMI 1.3 connectivity. For the full rundown of specifications (no prices, sorry), tag the read link -- and don't be shocked to hear a teaser about the helios (pictured) and two other unnamed units destined for Q4.

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Canon's clearly trying to add a certain girly appeal to some of its latest digital cameras, since compared to the gruff, black 50D the upcoming E1 is particularly curvy and comes in vanilla, powder blue and baby pink. It's no optical slouch though, despite its simple looks, with 10-megapixels, 4x optical zoom and optical image stabilization, macro mode, ISO80-1600 (with 3200 scene mode) and a 2.5-inch TFT display. It also takes AA batteries for convenience and weighs just 0.35-pounds. Available in September for around $200. [Canon]

Navigon's upcoming 7200T GPS unit has some pretty high-end features: voice destination entry, photo-realistic 3D views of roads with lane guidance icons and 3D landmarks built-in. But its niftiest feature is free real-time traffic info updates with no subscription fees, for life. That's just got to be handy, and comes over an FM receiver from Clear Channel’s Total Traffic Network. The 3D road rendering is designed to stop you making the mistake I made last night: mistranslating a GPS display onto the complicated road interchange I was trying to cross because the two looked different. The Lane Assistant feature even tries to give you advance warning of which lane you'll need to be in before a junction. It's due in October for $449. Press release below.

galleryPost('navigon7200t', 3, '');

Chicago, Illinois, AUGUST 26, 2008 — NAVIGON, one of the world's leading and fastest growing providers of navigation products and solutions, today unveiled its new, high-end NAVIGON 7200T.

A premium portable navigation device for those looking for both style and substance, the NAVIGON 7200T offers features no other GPS system has such as Reality View ProTM, Lane Assistant ProTM and Free Real-Time Traffic Updates for Life. It features a host of next generation features such as Voice Destination Entry, allowing drivers to specify their destination by simply speaking the address, and Landmark View 3D, which brings a new dimension to the map with hundreds of richly-textured 3D landmarks across the U.S. and Canada. The NAVIGON 7200T employs NAVIGON’s next generation software, on average requiring fewer clicks than any other GPS product to enter a destination.

And navigation has never looked so good. Reflecting NAVIGON’s award-winning DNA, the new premium GPS is not only slim and portable, but also elegantly and uniquely designed with its gorgeous Flat-Panel Touchscreen creating a sleek, frameless display. In a word, the NAVIGON 7200T is a stunner and sells for $449 (MSRP) in the U.S. and Canada. It hits stores shelves and online retailers in October 2008.

"The NAVIGON 7200T is for discerning users who are looking for next generation navigation features wrapped in a stunning design,” says Andreas Hecht, NAVIGON’s president for the Americas. “It embodies exactly what NAVIGON represents – smart, useful features backed by elegant design.”

Style and Substance
The NAVIGON 7200T elevates the navigation experience with hallmark features that are thoughtful, relevant, and in many instances, exclusive. It is available with NAVIGON’s breakthrough optional FreshMaps, which provides up to 12 map updates for three years for $79.99 (MSRP).

The NAVIGON 7200T features include:

• Free Real-Time Traffic Updates for Life. Real-time traffic updates allow routing around congestion by including traffic flow, incidents and alternate routes and works for the lifetime of the product out-of-the-box without any registration processes, fees or additional hardware.

• Voice Destination Entry. Advanced voice recognition allows drivers to specify their destination by simply speaking the address. NAVIGON’s distinctive iconic interface guides users through the process.

• Landmark View 3D. The NAVIGON 7200T brings a new dimension to the map with hundreds of richly-textured 3D landmarks across the U.S. and Canada like the Empire State Building and the White House.

• Reality View Pro™. Never miss an exit again with the next generation of Reality View providing more coverage in more places. Reality View Pro displays photo-realistic 3D views with actual road signs and lane guidance for virtually every highway interchange and exit drivers will encounter.

• Lane Assistant Pro™. Helps drivers prepare to make an upcoming exit or turn by providing clear visual lane guidance. NAVIGON’s second generation of Lane Assistant provides a lane map complete with arrows and actual road geometry.

• Flat-Panel Design. NAVIGON is not only committed to designing products that are appealing to the eye, but are also designed to make navigating the device simple and effortless. The NAVIGON 7200T sports an innovative, frameless touchscreen. The responsive Flat-Panel Touchscreen adds to the sleek and elegant exterior of the 7200T.

• Fewer clicks to get you there. The latest generation of NAVIGON software makes entering and finding information fast and simple with, on average, fewer clicks than any competitor product. NAVIGON’s SmartSpeller feature helps guide users through the entry process.

• Go Hands-Free. The integrated Bluetooth® feature helps keep both hands on the wheel while still staying connected. The NAVIGON 7200T acts like a Bluetooth speakerphone to hold conversations without all the distractions, plus your contacts are downloaded automatically for one-touch calling.

• Advanced Text-to-speech. Spoken Directions with Street Names lets drivers keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road with advanced phonetic text-to-speech technology to ensure proper pronunciation of streets.

• Zagat® Ratings and Reviews. Shows where to wine, dine, and unwind with a built-in ZAGAT guide for restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, attractions and golf courses. With millions of standard points-of-interest and branded icons, onboard users always have a gas station, restaurant or golf course at their finger tips.

• DirectHelp™. Help is a click away with DirectHelp, providing instant driving directions to and contact information for nearby hospitals, police stations, roadside assistance and pharmacies.

• Exit Guide. NAVIGON’s Exit Guide enables users to search upcoming exits for one of six POI categories – food, gas, lodging, rest areas, auto service or shopping. And, with one click, the NAVIGON 7200T navigates there.

• Faster. Faster. Faster. NAVIGON’s new software gets to the right route in less time. Our new platform delivers our most responsive interface to date with dramatically improved route calculation times to get directions more quickly.

• Instant Fix GPS. With NAVIGON’s new Instant Fix GPS receiver (SIRF InstantFixII Receiver), the NAVIGON 7200T triangulates global position in a matter of seconds and improves performance in urban canyons and areas with tall trees.

• Favorites as POI: Shows stored addresses with name on the map marked with flags.

Also with:
• Speed Assistant
• Multi-Destination Trip Planning
• Automatic Standby Feature
• Auto Day/Night Mode

[Navigon]

Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

Like the 1st generation Kindle unearthed by Engadget snoops way back in September of 2006, Amazon's having a tough time keeping the lid on its 2nd generation e-book reader. Seems everyone and his analyst brother is confirming a new, larger screened collegiate reader and at least one other variation, presumably the Kindle 2.0. Now BusinessWeek steps up and "confirms" the collegiate reader while claiming knowledge of a new 2.0 base model that, "is significantly thinner, has a better screen, is more stylish and includes fixes to some of the user interface annoyances," such as the placement of those massive page forward / back buttons which can trigger inadvertent page changes. In fact, their source claims that the new version is much more than an iterative evolution, "They've jumped from Generation One to Generation Four or Five. It just looks better, and feels better." BW also claims that the new model's price (currently, $359) will hit $299, "or maybe $249," and could be announced as early as September.

Interestingly, Kindle 2.0's design is being lead by a designer hired from the powerhouse shop, Frog Design. A group which just happened to give the Kindle a very public and very critical tongue lashing at its November 2007 launch. We guess this squeaky wheel received its oil in the form of a giant cash payment.

Read -- Frog's take on Kindle 1.0
Read -- BusinessWeek rumor

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Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

Like the 1st generation Kindle unearthed by Engadget snoops way back in September of 2006, Amazon's having a tough time keeping the lid on its 2nd generation e-book reader. Seems everyone and his analyst brother is confirming a new, larger screened collegiate reader and at least one other variation, presumably the Kindle 2.0. BusinessWeek "confirms" the collegiate reader the goes to say that the 2.0 base unit, "is significantly thinner, has a better screen, is more stylish and includes fixes to some of the user interface annoyances," such as the placement of those massive page forward / back buttons which can trigger inadvertent page changes. In fact, their source claims that the new version is much more than an iterative evolution, "They've jumped from Generation One to Generation Four or Five. It just looks better, and feels better." BW also claims that the new model's price (currently, $359) will hit $299, "or maybe $249," and could be announced as early as September.

Interestingly, Kindle 2.0's design is being lead by a designer hired from the powerhouse shop, Frog Design. A group which just happened to give the Kindle a very public and very critical tongue lashing at its November 2007 launch. We guess this squeaky wheel received its oil in the form of a giant cash payment.

Read -- Frog's take on Kindle 1.0
Read -- BusinessWeek rumor

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Those leaked EOS D50 specs on Canon's Chinese site? Real. The official announcement came today and everything tallies with what we saw on Friday. 15.1 megapixel CMOS sensor (with 1.6x crop factor), a big 3" LCD screen, Live View (for previewing images on the screen), ISO running up to 12800 (in a special, try-not-to-use-it hidden mode) and, possibly the most interesting, Canon's new image processing chip, the DIGIC 4.

In digicams, the two things which impact the picture quality (after the light has made it in through the lens) are the sensor and the image processor. The 50D is the first Canon camera to use the new DIGIC 4 chip, and it appears to be an incremental upgrade. If you have a fast enough memory card (Compact Flash) then you'll get a whopping 90 jpeg images in a single burst, at up to 6.3 fps. RAW shooters see a smaller improvement: you get 16 shots before the camera pauses for breath. The new DIGIC also includes face detection (up to 35 faces!) and in-camera vignetting controls with supported EF lenses. This last gets the rather fancy title of "Peripheral Illumination Correction".

There is also built-in sensor cleaning along with dust removal software which, in a fit of aliteration, Canon has named "Dust Delete Data Detection". Other goodies include HDMI out and nine-point autofocus.

The price for all these whizz-bang features? $1400

Product page [Canon US]

Filed under: Displays

NVIDIA's NVISION conference kicked off without too many announcements today, but ViewSonic was making some waves with a prototype 120Hz LCD display that it says brings HDTV-level motion and crispness to the desktop without sacrificing resolution. The 1680 x 1050 22-inch monitor will eventually hit as the VX2265wm, with dual-link DVI inputs, stereoscopic 3D support, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 3ms response time, and 4-watt speakers -- hopefully we'll get an official price and ship date soon.

[Via Electronista]

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