Gear Lover - by Craig Hill

Computers - Gear Lover

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The SkiGym simulator looks like it's going for realism rather than the silly fun offered by the Wii, but some people probably want an accurate depiction of brief exhilaration before the inevitable faceplant.

The SkiGym hooks up to a PC to use the included game Alpine Ski Racing, or it can be used as a standalone gym. The game includes 32 different courses from 18 real-world mountains, just to add to the realism. It's available for a bank account-crushing $2300, which if I'm not mistaken could purchase a pretty sweet ski trip, but if you're loaded and scared of crashing, give it a look.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Computers, Fitness, Home, Visual

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Brother Develops HD Sewing Machine

January 2nd 2009 13:51

If you're still watching TV in standard definition, think about wha Brother have developed. They have just announced the world's first sewing machine with a built-in camera to display your work on an "HD" screen.

The QuattroT 6000D seems to have some good ideas. 56 LEDs illuminate the sewing platform while its "InnovEyeT Technology" provides a bird's eye view of the needle, which can be enlarged for a better view of precision work. Plus, the camera allows the fabric to be auto-positioned (with the help of a sensor positioning sticker) for automatic embroidery.

Brother QuattroT 6000D

The screen itself, by Sharp, is a 32-(square)-inch display with 260,000 colors. It's not quite gameday ready, but we're sure that it tracks a mean cross stitch.

No word on price at the moment, but we may see more of the QuattroT 6000D at CES should we lose a button or become bored by endless rows of cameras and TVs.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Computers, Gadgets, Home, Visual

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Ten Cent Tape Fools Border Security

January 2nd 2009 13:31

So much for biometrics and immigration security. A South Korean woman managed to fool a million-dollar fingerprint reading machine in Japanese border controls using a simple piece of tape stuck to her fingers.

It happened at Tokyo airport. The woman has repeatedly entered Japan using the same trick without anybody noticing. Japanese officials say that they suspect many others have been doing the same things, demonstrating that the biometric systems they installed in 30 airports in 2007—to the tune of $45 million—are completely useless. The woman was deported in July 2007 for illegally staying in Japan as a bar hostess in Nagano, but she entered again with the system, using the tape and a fake passport allegedly provided by a South Korean broker.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Computers

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Android On An Eee PC

January 2nd 2009 12:53

Making good on Google's continued pledge to not limit Android to just phones, two guys at VentureBeat got Android up an running on their Eee PC 1000H. There was apparently no reason given as to why.

Apparently it was a piece of cake to get Android to support everything you'd need for functional computing, including sound, graphics (at the Eee's native resolution) and wireless internet. And it's not the first time this has happened; a Google developer showed off his successful Eee 701 port a few weeks ago.

But why would you want to run Android on a Netbook, when in most cases, a more traditional flavor of Linux or even Windows works just fine? The opportunity opens the door for even less powerful (and cheaper) MIDs, like Nokia's Internet Tablets. Also, the potential for a fully web-delivered OS via Chrome (which is not yet a part of the Android project, but definitely within the realm of possibility) is kind of exciting; Chrome was built primarily for web applications, after all.

Apparently the port only took around four hours, and many references to MIDs and other non-phone applications can be found in Android's source code. So whether it makes sense on an Eee PC or not, this is definitely a direction for Android we'll see more fleshed out in 2009.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Computers

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New In 2009: USB 3.0

January 2nd 2009 12:06

Now that Intel's brought together the world in a harmonious new USB standard, here's a first look at the new connectors brought to us by MaximumPC. Ten times faster than the old USB spec, the new USB can transfer a 27GB file in just 70 seconds. Plus, with more "lanes" of data within the connector, new USB will be able to simultaneously send and receive information—that might not sound like much, but the old USB couldn't do so.

The biggest benefit of USB 3.0, however, may be the new power management options. First, USB peripherals in standby will no longer be drained of their power while periodically checking in with your PC. That means less battery drain for laptop users, and to make things even better, this more efficient communication strategy will be backward compatible to USB 2.0 devices as well.

Mini USB 3.0 looks a lot like a tiny HDMI cord

The other major power upgrade is that there's a whole lot more running through the wire. The spec has been bumped from carrying 100 miliamps to 900 milliamps, meaning that we can expect faster charge times on USB devices along with less worrying about how many power-needy devices are plugged into our hubs.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Computers

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New In 2009: Windows 7

January 2nd 2009 01:54

Windows Vista was a huge disappointment in many people's eyes, but Windows 7, expected sometime before the end of the year, promises to be much better. Whether it is the new features, or the less taxing system requirements, many people will breathe a huge sigh of relief that they can finally upgrade from XP with confidence.

Windows 7 is what Windows Vista should have been, but then again, Microsoft seem to have a history of releasing "latest technology" before it actually works properly. Maybe Billy Gates has set the bar too high, or his people believe they can achieve far greater things than they are actually capable of.

Whatever, Microsoft is cheerfully explicit about 7 killing Vista. At PDC, the head of Windows performance Gabriel Aul laid it out simply in a presentation entitled "Raising the Bar":

• If an application or device runs on Vista, it should run on Win 7.
• If a system runs Windows Vista, should run Windows 7 even faster.
• Notebooks should get better battery life in Windows 7.
• Windows 7 will be more reliable than Vista SP1 from Day 1.

Windows 7 Floating Gadgets

Windows 7 is more usable thanks to snazzy elements like peek through, a whole new taskbar and just common sense simplifications. Microsoft admirably pulls an Apple here, in that ts next release of Windows will run even faster than the previous one, an unprecedented feat for Microsoft.

That's because it's a whole lot smarter about taking care of what's going on in the background while you're gaping at some new UI element that's both pretty and useful. For instance, Vista's window memory manager devotes the same amount of RAM to every window you have open: No matter how many windows are open, it acts like every one of them is visible and full screen size, even if you had them minimized or in the background. This ate up a ton of resources, especially if you're like us and leave a billion windows open. Windows 7's window memory manager doesn't do that. Only the visible windows use video resources now. That means you can actually run Windows 7 with 1GB of RAM, unlike Vista, where having anything less than 2GB is pushing the limit.

Windows 7 is also way more brainy when it comes to crashy apps and errors, in a couple of different ways. Probably the most impressive sounding, though we'll have to see how well it works in real life, is application crash resiliency. If an app crashes more than once, Windows 7 learns how it should run the app to avoid that particular train wreck. Also, error reports are actually useful. The Problem Steps Recorder watches what you do to trip an error, and it generates a useful, detailed error report in a language that actually resembles English! Device drivers are sandboxed, so nastiness from one cruddy set won't infect another. Having learned its lesson, Microsoft is working with hardware makers to deliver all updated drivers through Windows Update instead of having to go to numerous maker's websites.

None of Windows 7's awesomeness matters, though, if all that rock is too much for your notebook's battery to handle. Vista's power management was definitely better than XP's, and Windows 7's is remarkably better still. Part of it is just that whole smarter background management, which for battery life does things like dial down the processor more often, use less juice to play a standard def DVD, automatically turn off your Ethernet adapter, common sense stuff like that. But it doesn't just do all this fancy energy-saving stuff behind your back. Windows 7 is capable of delivering a battery efficiency report that breaks down in detail what's chomping on your battery—power-slurping hardware.

All of this reflects a new mindset about the overall user experience that seems like it just got left on Vista's cutting room floor, for whatever reason. Vista was just going through the motions of a new OS. If Microsoft actually delivers on what they've shown and are promising for Windows 7—and all signs seem to point that way—it'll actually have the heart and soul of one, even if it's wearing the same brand of clothes.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Computers

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New In 2009: Premium Netbooks

January 2nd 2009 00:32

The first wave of netbooks with tiny screens were almost unuseable, before upgrades to 9, 10 and even 12-inch screens. Now it's time for netbooks to get WiMax and HSDPA connections as a standard, hopefully staying half-way affordable.

MSI has outed some of their plans to Laptop before the CES 2009 info-rush. And their big news is that 3G/WiMax enabled laptops will go on sale in the US this January.

The new U120, out now overseas with HSDPA and WiMAX options, will be available for an undisclosed price next month. Simultaneously, the U110 and U115 will see a refresh with the latest Atom Z530 (still 1.6GHz) processor and a standard hard drive that can be turned off, allowing the system to run at lower power with a smaller SSD.

There will also be a touchscreen Wind on display at CES, along with a very thin and light 13.3-inch U300 that's promised to be both affordable and exciting.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Computers

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ViewSonic 22-inch N2201w 3-in-1 LCD TV

October 8th 2008 00:05

ViewSonic, the manufacturer of PC CRT and LCD monitors, projectors, LCD TV and plasma displays, etc. has just released a new 22-inch LCD HDTV/DVD combo that features an integrated ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner and DVD player.

WIth a Super-Hd 1680x1050 resolution, you can immerse yourself in a high-definition experience when watching your favourite DVDs, movies and HD TV shows. Also featuring integrated stereo speakers, HDMI 1.3, component, composite and S-video to hook up all your entertainment devices and even your PC, this TV can also double up as a PC monitor.

This multifaceted TV is great for a variety of purposes and at US$499, it won't burn a huge hole in your wallet either. [viewsonic.com]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers, Visual

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Antec Skeleton PC Case

September 19th 2008 06:15

Be the envy of your mates with the The Antec Skeleton computer case - a truly revolutionary enclosure that just looks out of this world!

Featuring a unique design that allows for unprecedented airflow including a top three speed 250mm fan and a 92mm fan at the front with multicolor LED customisation, the Skeleton goes utterly unmatched in stylish cooling. With this much airyness, I bet there won't be any overheating issues!

There's also four drive bays, a layered tray design (for greater system integration), seven expansion slots but just two USB ports which is disappointing in this day and age. Antec recommends the use of Signature or TruePower series as a power supply.

Prices and release date TBA. [antec.com]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers

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HP TouchSmart IQ800 series announced

September 16th 2008 05:49

Just three short months after the current generation HP TouchSmart IQ500 all-in-one PC was revealed, HP has launched the higher specced TouchSmart IQ800 series with a 25.5-inch, 1920 x 1200 touchscreen monitor plus various TouchSmart-specific goodies

Available in two models - IQ804 and IQ816 - the IQ804 is equipped with a 2.16GHz T5850 Core 2 Duo processor (667MHz bus with 2MB cache) while the IQ816 has a 2.10GHz T8100 Core 2 Duo (800MHz bus with a 3MB cache). Both models include a TV tuner with remote, HP Pocket Media drive bay, bluetooth, integrated webcam and WiFi.

The snazzy LED ambient light built into the underside of the bezel illuminates the keyboard in a range of user-selectable colorrs.

The range-topping IQ8016 (don't let it's slightly slower chip fool you) also comes with Blu-ray drive / dual-layer burner and GeForce 9600M GS (up from the IQ804's GeForce 9300M GS).

Prices start at US$1,899 for the IQ804 (on sale Sept 21) while the IQ816 will cost US$2,099 (on sale Oct. 12). [hp.com]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers

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Sony VAIO JS-series - All-in-One PC

September 4th 2008 06:00

All-in-one desktop PCs are getting more and more popular by the day and it's not hard to see why - they're sleek and designed to use up minimal space wherever you choose to put it. So its no surprise to see Sony looking to increase their stranglehold in this segment with a new JS-series of all-in-one VAIO desktop PCs.

Don't let its slim appearance fool you - this baby packs a 3.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 processor with an all-important 4GB of RAM, a whopping 500GB 7,200rpm hard-drive and a 20.1-inch LCD display plus the option of Blu-ray.

How did Sony manage to put all of this kit together I hear you say? Well, that's courtesy of a 45nm desktop CPU with notebook components to provide the best compromise of size and performance. Other features include a 20.1″ LCD screen with XBRITE HiColor along with 1.3 MP webcam and built-in mic. The super-thin keyboard can sit under the screen section when not in use. The Sony VAIO JS-series supports WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and includes 5 USB ports side by side with audio/mic inputs, iLink Firewire, S/PDIF output and a headphone socket.

Prices start at US$999 (with a DVD-RW drive) and moves up to US$1,449 (with a read-only Blu-ray drive). Three colour choices are available: black, silver or pink. [sony.com]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers

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Logitech's ultra-thin illuminated keyboard

September 2nd 2008 23:30

Logitech has announced three new keyboards to suit different styles and needs including an illuminated black-lit keyboard which also happens to be the company's thinnest ever at .37 inches or 9.3 mm from base to frame.

Also new to the range is the range is diNovo, a keyboard designed for laptop/notebook owners who typically use an external mouse and need a keyboard to complete the setup and last but not least is the Cordless Desktop S520 keyboard and mouse combination for a wide range of PC setups.

Obviously, the headline grabber here is the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard featuring an adjustable backlight with microlens reflectors, a multilayer painting process and laser etching to provide a keypad that is brighter, sharper and easier to read than ever before - typing in the dark has never been this easy.

Boasting a transparent and ultra-thin (.37 inches or 9.3 mm from base to frame), the keyboard adds an elegant touch to any desk while still offering a full-size key layout (including a number pad), soft-touch palm rest and a full row of F-keys, as well as media- and volume-control keys for instant command of your entertainment.

The diNovo is the first Logitech keyboard designed specifically for the notebook PC and offers a full-size layout, complete with number pad, and the optimised key feel of Logitech's PerfectStroke technology - 3.2 mm key travel for comfort and ergonomics. The diNovo is impressively thin (.87 inches or 22.10 mm from base to key caps) wiith a glossy black finish and brushed-aluminum palm rest that look great with any notebook PC.

The Cordless Desktop S520 has a matte-black and grey palette, rounded edges and gently curved palm rest is a contemporary yet compact keyboard that can complement a wide range of computers. The high-performance cordless laser mouse delivers exceptional precision and smoother tracking, compared to optical mice.

The Logitech Illuminated Keyboard is expected to be available in the US and Europe in October for a suggested retail price of US$79.99, while the Logitech diNovo Keyboard for Notebooks is expected to be available worldwide in October for a suggested retail price of US$99.99. The Logitech Cordless Desktop S520 is expected to be available worldwide in September for a suggested retail price of US$59.99. [logitech.com]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers

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Lenovo Ideapad U8 Mobile Internet Device

August 19th 2008 23:59

China's largest PC manufacturer, Lenovo, has launched their latest gadget at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The IdeaPad U8 is a Mobile Internet Device (MID) or effectively, a cross between a laptop and a mobile 'smart' phone with specifications that are obviously much more powerful than your regular phone but much smaller in size than your average laptop at a shade over 300g.

It's no wonder the launch of this device has coincided with the Olympics - it is authorised by the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee because it works with the CMMB (China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting) via a USB dongle (pictured above) to offer free, live coverage of the Olympic games in addition to other broadcast signals.

Technical specifications:

- approx. 300g
- Intel 800MHz Atom Z500 processor
- 1GB RAM (max. of 2GB)
- 4.8-inch LCD touchscreen
- 6GB SSD
- Dual cameras
- 5-hour battery life
- Support for mobile TV
- GPS support

Check out the following video of the Ideapad U8 in action.

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Cellphones, Computers

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BenQ unveils the sleek E900HD designer LCD

August 11th 2008 05:18

BenQ has unveiled a very sleek designer LCD monitor with an 18.5-inch, 1366x768 display for the Asian (including Australia), European and Latin American markets.

Not only is the E900HD stunning to look at, it features the innovative energy-saving technology by halving the number of lamps in the apparatus from four to two without any negative effect the brightness of the monitor screen. This results in a hefty reduction in power consumption by 25% and a decrease in carbon dioxide production by 25%.

Senseye Photo Image Technology Redefines Visual Enjoyment.
The BenQ E900HD features five pre-set modes for various viewing applications including:

- Standard Mode for reading such as web browsing
- Movie Mode for the best visuals
- Dynamic Mode for viewing images in well-lit environments
- Photo Mode for sharing photos from your most recent trip
- sRGB Mode for obtaining consistent, true-to-film images in all sRGB-compliant devices

The Senseye Photo Image technology also automatically sharpens images for you with by fixing blurs, getting rid of 'red eyes' etc.

Prices in Australia to be announced. [benq.com]