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Along with last year’s release of their zero-watt monitor, Fujitsu Seimens also has a line of Esprimo Green PCs, which use less than a watt while in standby mode. Added to this line is the Esprimo 7935 PC, the zero-watt model. So how does the zero-watt standby work? Traditional computers use a small electrical current when in standby to catch the power signal quickly and come back to full power. At Fujitsu Seimen’s however, their standby mode uses a switch that allows the monitor to completely shut down when not in use and to come back on when a signal from the computer instructs it to. At least, this is how the zero-watt monitor works.
LEDs are very well known for their recent use in Christmas lighting, but OLEDs are a little different. OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode and is praised mainly for its properties concerning energy usage. Because the diodes can emit light without a backlight they can be used in much thinner devices and can run for longer on the same charge as a traditional LCD screen. OLED screens also be produced at a fraction of the cost of LCD screens because the diode printing process can be performed on a variety of surfaces even with household inkjet printers. In addition if the diodes are printed onto a flexible surface this creates the possibility of flexible screens of light, a method that is key to the future of roll-up and fabric displays.
Intelligent furniture, that is furniture with built-in electronics capabilities, is becoming more and more popular as home electronics become sleeker, smaller, and easier to integrate. One of these is the MECO, or MediaCore, a home entertainment mecca of sorts, consolidating your PC, DVD player, TiVo, digital television and any other home entertainment equipment you use. Encased in MECO’s sturdy wooden frame is hidden a PC running Windows Vista Ultimate, a quad-core Intel processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 4TB hard drive, WiFi connectivity, 8-channel HD audio, and room for more.
The MECO also featured a state-of-the-art cooling system to keep all your gear running, as well as allowing accessibility from the front and back of the unit for use and maintenance. So what makes the MECO different from other home entertainment systems? The truth is at first glance, not much, but it’s the look of the piece that is its real selling point.
U.S. patent application number 20080319910. Behind those digits lies a potential future of owning a Personal Computer. A patent applied for by the Microsoft Corporation, published on Christmas Day, reveals the details for a pay as you go-approach to owning a computer with the the initial unit coming at little to no cost to the consumer. But in the world of uber-affordable Netbooks and the growing popularity of ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ smartphones, is the idea of quasi-coin-operated computer going to fly?
In its most rudimentary form, the patent outlines a subsidized or free computer that then charges a fee based on usage. The criteria for the cost is a combination of time spent and level of performance demanded.
“A computer with scalable performance level components and selectable software and service options has a user interface that allows individual performance levels to be selected,” reads the patent abstract. The application goes on to state that “The scalable performance level components may include a processor, memory, graphics controller, etc. Software and services may include word processing, email, browsing, database access, etc. To support a pay-per-use business model, each selectable item may have a cost associated with it, allowing a user to pay for the services actually selected and that presumably correspond to the task or tasks being performed.” The application was filed back in June of 2007.
At this year's DEMO conference on emerging technology, Plastic Logic introduced what TGDaily.com called "Plastic Logic's Kindle killer." Called, by Plastic Logic employees, "The Plastic Logic Reader," the device, on its surface, does indeed seem to be a destroyer of Amazon.com-created, handheld, e-book readers.
First things, first. The device itself, is much bigger than the Kindle. The screen is the same size as a sheet of printer paper--8.5 inches wide by 11 inches tall. Said screen is also a touchscreen for easier use than the Kindle, as well. The Plastic Logic Reader's official product page at PlasticLogic.com describes the device as being "thinner than a pad of paper."
The page also describes it as supporting Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint formatted documents (one assumes this would include plain text and rich text files as well, since Word can handle them, too). The Reader can also display PDFs, which is really the answer to the first question you want to ask when considering an e-book reader. The second question is how you you get all of those documents onto it.
Nokia's new Jeppe teleconferencing device meets requirements you probably didn't even know you had. What can Jeppe do? Jeppe covers all of your basic tele-conferencing needs--it allows people in two locations to talk, hands-free. But here is where it gets interesting...
What happens if one person in one of those locations needs to get up to, say, wash the dishes in the middle of the conference?
Don't laugh! In the video after the jump, you'll see that such a scenario is demonstrated (despite being highly unlikely)! So, let's say you have to get up from the table while having that incredibly important tele-conferencing session and need to make sure your voice is still heard, and preferably, your face still seen.
What do you do?
The answer is simple, apparently. You use Jeppe's ability to follow you to the sink so you can do those dishes while carrying on that important meeting.
See, Jeppe is a little robot with wheels, a camera and microphone that is controlled by a Nokia Internet tablet. It can follow you around as you talk to the person on the other end. Nokia says that he's supposed to be a sort of robotic pet allowing families to keep in touch with relatives. However, thanks to a number of free alternatives, like Skype, Gizmo Project and basically any video-enabled instant messaging service, one wonders just who the heck would spend any money on this thing.
As of July 2008, Jeppe's features are a bit on the limited side. For now, that tablet has to be on the same WLAN as the Jeppe in order to connect to the rolling robot. Obviously, the plan will be to have this work over the Internet in the future.
Also, Jeppe only has one-way video (it has the camera, the user with the tablet can see what Jeppe sees), and two-way audio, hence the
What could be better than a USB hub? How about a composite-RCA, component-RCA, S-video output and media-playing capabilities? Brando now has available a new version of it's old HD dock that allows you to play your favorite media directly into your favorite TV (assuming your favorite TV has some sort of RCA or S-Video inputs, that is). Brando's "SATA HDD Multimedia Dock" also has a SD-slot and can support 2.5 inch SATA drives as well as 3.5 inch variety.
However, there's even a bit more to this seemingly miraculous gadget...
you had some spare oxygen in a bag? Perhaps you found yourself in a room of smokers or at the top of a tall mountain (or both?) and thought to yourself: "Gosh, my brain cells sure could use some of the good stuff!"
Well, Ymup, a Japanese company has developed technology that will allow you to have just that, in the form of the oxygen-generating (oxygenerating?) Oxycool 32--a somewhat diminutive little box that can sit on a desk, countertop, or just about anywhere else.
The device, itself, is small enough to fit on a desk or in a backpack.
There have been reports that Ymup plans a battery operated version that will put this device inside a backpack, allowing you to get 30% oxygenated air flowing into your nose on-the-go. This version comes with a remote so you don't have to take the pack off to control what you're breathing.
The idea of the e-book is similar to that of an mp3, in the reduction of the physical packaging of the material into a stream of data, making it cheaper to produce and easier to sell. It is easy to say the Kindle is the iPod of literature. However, like to iPod or iPhone in its early stages, the Kindle sells for roughly $360, making the initial purchase a little pricey.
Rivals have already sprung up, including the
