Gizmo's and Gadgets

LaCie’s Little Disk 40GB Drives

MuZumbu — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:44:09 +0000

Samsung’s A1 drives, the 1.3-inch platter models that fit 30-40GB inside, are being shoved into these little LaCie portables, the new Little Disk and in the updated USB Key Max. With this kind of bit density and 2MB buffers, the drives should be somewhat quick despite the 3600rpm spindle speed, and 40GB is no joke, especially in these shock-resistant drives that look imminently pocketable.

[TechOn via Engadget]

Epson EMP-400W / EMP-400We Ultra-Short Projectors

MuZumbu — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:42:37 +0000

Epson is following the trend with two new projectors: the EMP-400We and the EMP-400W.The EMP-400We features an ultra-short 1.8 feet throw distance — to put that into perspective, it is capable of projecting a “sharp focused 60-inch picture from a distance of just 65 cm (about 2 feet) from the projection surface.” It also features WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution, 1800 ANSI lumens, a 16:9 native aspect ratio, a 500:1 contrast ratio, and a password feature that theoretically renders the device useless if it is stolen.

The EMP-400W is basically the same device as the 400We —sans the security features. It is also priced at £999 or around $1962 —which will certainly be more affordable than the 400We and the super beefy ultra-short throw projectors seen at CES.

[irishdev via AboutProjectors]

Sennheiser Headphone’s

MuZumbu — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:04:50 +0000

I’ve always enjoyed music and will always do. But it come a time when you can’t listen at your loud, very loud speakers and you have to put on your headphones. Good headphones are hard to come because of the big offer there is.

After searching the internet for opinions about them I found one brand that I never heard of but have a surprisingly good reputation : the sennheiser headphones. They come in a big variety of designs and prices. It’s was a little hard to decide what to get since I listen to both hard music ( rock, hard rock ) and classic music. I do like to listen to them at a high quality. Less to say that it took me a day to decide which one to order. Can’t wait untill my Sennheiser HD 600 Consumer Headphones arrive, so I can give them a try.

Simple Entertainment Gizmos

MuZumbu — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:49:17 +0000

Christmas is coming so fast that it’s almost ringing at your door. Are you prepared for it ? Have you made something to make you stand out in the crowd ? Not yet ?

Than this one simple two word solution for you : glow sticks. Ever herd of them ? It’s something pretty common these days but nobody uses them for what they are, a strange little gizmo to create effects. There are numerous ideas where you can use them or other items like them ( let’s say … a glow necklace). The thing is everybody uses plain old simple candle lights or electric bulbs in different colors. Why not make use of this idea ?

For example, you have a pool and where you live the weather allows you to have a Christmas Party outdoor. Use these sticks on the bottom of the pool or on the side and create an awesome looking party. Or maybe use them and create one awesome night golf event. Why spend your money on lights and electricity to find the hole ? Use different color glow sticks to mark the holes and a special kind of glow golf ball. I bet it will make something interesting for you and your friends.

And think about it, you will not spend much on buying them ( considering that you will need more than a couple of them and you could obtain a cool discount ) and you will be on the safe environmental side of the world.

Cheers and a Happy Christmas !

First 32 nm technology with functional SRAM by TSMC

MuZumbu — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:49:28 +0000

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has announced it has developed the first 32nm technology that supports both analog and digital functionality. The company made its announcement through a paper presented at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington, DC.

More here at Digitimes

Apple Remote: It’s Not What You Think

MuZumbu — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:26:24 +0000

At first glance an apple shaped remote may seem sort of ridiculous (and maybe it is) but there are certainly some interesting features to this concept device by Jason Roebuck. First off, the apple theme is more aesthetically pleasing than a standard remote —especially when arranged on its “bowl” recharging station. In fact, they actually add something to the decor.

The idea is that each member of the household would have their own personal remote, programmed to their tastes. The device could also respond to motion gestures like rotating it left to lower the volume, and rotating it right to raise it. When not in use, the apples can be returned to the bowl for recharging. I don’t know if Sony would actually be into something like this, but I can see how future products could incorporate some of these ideas.

VIA [ Yanko Design ]

Microsoft’s Special Windows XP for OLPC Runs Directly off of an SD Card

MuZumbu — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:21:27 +0000

Addressing one of the major reasons OLPC’s XO Laptop is being shunned by some countries—the lack of a Windows operating system—Microsoft is developing a version of Windows XP and Office that’s run directly off of a 2GB SD card. (They convinced OLPC to add an SD slot to the mobo for this very project.) It’ll be conducting “limited field trials” with OLPC next month, with a possible launch sometime after June. The catch?

It won’t be offered to anyone in the US or Canada, even quasi-philanthropists participating in the Get One, Give One program. But, we’re guessing the anti-copying measures won’t be particularly hardcore, meaning it’ll probably make its way to the internets not long after launch. Bootable Windows on an SD card would be pretty nice on our side of the world too, actually.

VIA [ CNET, CNET ]

Micron’s Future Concept of SSD is RAM-Module Like

MuZumbu — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:43:37 +0000

In addition to Micron’s traditional solid state drives announced today, they also showed off a concept for a SSD module that resembles RAM in physical design and would fit into a similarly designed port. It’s obvious but genius: while the SSD drives with SATA interfaces are terrific because they can be used in current laptops with no mods, the real performance of flash mem is only going to be unlocked when we cast aside the legacy of spinning disks and their cases and interfaces and mount SSDs on the mobo like we do RAM modules.

The design uses a SATA interface and is only 4 mm thick. Micron claims the advantages of such a design are the small size and the ability to line up multiple drives next to each other. In addition, this design requires no wires or attaching the motherboard with screws, reducing the risk of the SSD becoming disconnnected or loose inside a computer. While this product is nowhere near ready for market, Micron says they would need to work with an OEM or someone who can offer a compatible computer solution.

VIA [Micron]

Stupid Guy Sues Microsoft for $5 Million Because Halo 3 Crashed His Xbox 360

MuZumbu — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:41:29 +0000

Randy Nunez’s Xbox 360 is being beaten to death by Halo 3, so that it “routinely, consistently, and systematically ‘froze,’ ‘crashed,’ or ‘locked up.’” Naturally, this “disrupted game play.” For his pain and suffering of having to reset his console to resume getting teabagged, he wants $5 million and class action status, ’cause “many consumers” are having these issues. Sorry. My bad. I take full responsibility for shooting people in the face that hard. I thought I was just knocking them off the internet, but apparently it’s crashing their 360s too. I apologize. But seriously.

As Ars points out, Microsoft’s been pretty public and all apologetic about the rampant Red Ring plague, dumping a billion dollars into seriously (and appropriately) extended warranties for repairs multiple times, and beefing up hardware to take the heat. More importantly, the Xbox 360 was killed by Halo with the candlestick in the living room connection is a thread that hasn’t exactly lit up the internet or the media, and they (we) love jumping on that kind of stuff.

Via [ GIZMODO ]

Marine Research Facility Designed Using Star Wars Films

MuZumbu — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:38:57 +0000

Using Star Wars films as one of the inspirations for his designs, a masters student at the University of Texas named Jason Mellard developed an aquatic research and housing facility to be located 50-100 miles offshore. Scientists studying marine and bird life would stay on the platform with their families in 6-13 month shifts and work in spheres consisting of laboratories, classrooms, computer labs, viewing platforms, holding tanks, offices and storage.

The actual research facilities would be submerged below sea level to aid in marine study and the living quarters would float on the surface. Certain portions could even be detached and act as independent vessels. And the whole thing would be powered using a combination of wind energy, solar energy, water currents and electricity collected from lightning.

Whether we will ever see this concept come to fruition remains unclear. A major stumbling block would certainly be Mallard’s estimated $500 million to $1 billion price tag. So, unless there is someone out there with really deep pockets and a love for whales/the films of George Lucas, this one will probably remain on the shelf for a while.

[AIA via Inhabitat]