Gadgety News

You could have a normal wireless network with the router hidden away behind the tele (like me) or stuffed behind a desk or you can show it off proudly…..

Wha?

You see, if you happened to have a D-Link Xtreme N DIR-685 you get the 802.11n Wi-Fi router but it also doubles as a digi frame and networked attached storage (NAS).

The unit sits upright, showing off digital photos, streaming video and weather on its 3.2-inch LCD screen out front while there’s a bunch of ports round back for printer sharing and the likes - to be honest, anything with a USB probably.

Those interested in networked storage can squeeze in a 2.5″ hard drive for sharing files over the network or just downloading (legal) BitTorrenty goodness.

As per - there’s no release or pricing mentioned at the moment but………..I WANT!

It’s all well and good that tele’s are getting thinner and larger but there’s only so much that your wall can take but JVC are taking this into account.

Their yet-to-be named lightweight goggle-box should be gracing the up-and-coming CES as the company attempts to sell the idea of ceiling-mounted TVs.

And when a 32-inch TV weighs just 5kg, you can see the company’s point, especially when you use “almost-invisible” cabling for support.

I can hear many a modernist apartment dweller sighing with anticipation.

And just because it’s light doesn’t mean it has lightweight specs.  It can quite happily display 1080p resolution from that 7mm thin screen and with an increase in LED backlighting, less mercury is used, boosting your green credentials.

Which is nice.

More when it appears at CES and perhaps at that point we’ll get to know when/if it will appear in the UK shops and what kinda price we’ll be looking at.

Engadget

The N7010 is pretty much a full featured laptop with its 2.26 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor, 16-inch 16:9 LCD, Blu-ray ROM drive and HDMI-out.

It also packs up to 4GB RAM, 256 MB ATI HD 3470 video card, SD card reader, 1.3 MP Camera, eSATA port, Bluetooth, 802.11N wi-fi and hard drives come as big as 320 GB.

Nice but nothing outstanding - so why have it on this wonderful blog?

Well - look at the pic a bit closer my friends…………go on - click the pic to make it easier for yourself!

The cool part about the Lifebook N7010 is the 4-inch, 480×272 pixel touchscreen integrated into the keyboard area.

It works as an application launcher, but according to Fujitsu’s Paul Moore, you can use it as a second (really teeny-small) screen, with the ability to drag whatever you want down to the second screen like any other external monitor.

Aside from the app launcher, its intended to be used as a CD/DVD control panel, or as a photo viewer.

This groovy feature is considered to be an industry first for laptops but it probably is worth noting that it isn’t connected in any way to Windows Vista Sideshow.

The N7010 will begin shipping on November 10 and will start at $1500 on the Fujitsu website.

Fujitsu

If you are a thoughtful citizen such as I am you will have noticed the lack of rubbish receptacles in the lovely London.

This is mainly due to the scare of bombing terrorists leaving their deadly trash and destroying people and places.

Well, London will be the first city to test out new bomb-proof bins.

Not only will they take your fast-food cartons but they’ll also rock LCDs that stream travel info and news.

These were developed by British company Media Metrica and weigh one ton each.

Testing took place in the deserts of New Mexico for five years to ensure they are completely, totally indestructible, can absorb heat from explosives, prevent shrapnel spread, and extinguish “fireballs.”

Surly a Friday night around Barnsley would’ve tested them better and been cheaper

Via Engadget

With the next Apple Ketnote a matter of days away Jason Calacanis apparently has it on good authority that Apple’s next big thing might be networked high-definition television sets.

Basically it’s a tele with all the Apple TV stuff already built into it.

When you take into consideration that Apple’s been pretty good at the whole digital content thing. It’s got iTunes onto most people’s computers (mine included now) and has made steady progress in hooking up with TV and movie studios, so why not expand more into hardware?

After all, getting stuff from your computer to your TV set hasn’t exactly been an easy task for non-techies. And Apple made it relatively easy for “regular” people to get music from their computers to their portable audio devices, so it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility that the company could do the same with television sets.

Let’s see on the 14th

There’s been plenty of chat about thin tele’s and most make me feel uninspired to write even the briefest of remarks on this site.

But at least this one has made me sit up and put pen-to-paper….well, finger to keyboard at any rate.

This new gogglebox from Sony is (at the moment) the thinnest LCD HDTV.

Measuring at a size 0 model-like 9.9mm thick the KDL-40ZX1 nearly halves the depth of Hitachi’s former champ (likely to be hitting the lemon-juice and two-fingers down the throat diet) and comes within a fag-papers width of Pioneer’s Kuro concept (9mm).

Into this remarkable frame it squeezes such nice things as LED backlighting, a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, 120Hz MotionFlow tech, x.v.Color and BRAVIA Engine 2 image processing (this is pretty much like having the actors perform in your living room behind a 40-inch picture frame).

Only one HDMI in is directly on the screen itself.

All of the other HDMI, USB, etc component inputs are relegated to a base station.

All this skinny lovliness can be yours for a found-underneath-your-sofa 490,000 yen ($4,474) and will be at your local Japanese (if you live in Japan) tv vendor on November 10th.

AV Watch

Fancy hooking up your iPod to your telly without the need for trailing wires and such?

Well playing iPod video content on your main gogglebox has just got even easier thanks to the new range of JVC LCD TVs.

These tv’s have a built-in iPod dock but I’m not entirely sure if the curvy new iPhone will fit or not :0/

Each of the four new models, including three full HD 1080p sets, features JVC’s new TeleDock.

Just flip-down the iPod dock at the base of the set and shazaam!

The P-Series includes the 32-inch LT-32P679, 42-inch LT-42P789, 47-inch LT-47P789 and the 52-inch LT-52P789.

The LT-32P679 is a 768p model, while the others offer 1080p resolution.

The iPod will actually charge while docked whether the TV’s power is on or off :0)

As well as the iPod connectivity mullarky there are also three HDMI inputs, two component inputs, one S-video input, SPDIF input and an analog audio output for sending sound from an iPod or the TV through a home theater system.

The 52-inch LT-52P789 JVC LCD TV will be available from August for around the £1,700 mark.

Via - Fareastgizmos

This tiny work of art is JVC’s new Direct-Drive Image Light Amplifier and it can produce images at an eye-popping 8192 x 4320 resolution—that’s 35 megapixels-or around 16 times more than full HD!

JVC are saying the little single-device reflective liquid crystal imager has the highest resolution in the World - so there!

They’ve been working on this tech since 2003, refining the pixel count and contrast upwards with each generation.

Last year JVC made a 1.27-inch 4096 x 2400 version, which went on sale in a projector in February 2008. So does that mean we’ll see the new 1.75-inch, 20,000:1 version in projectors soon? It is likely, but not neccessarily for the home set-up.

via Akihabaranews

Fed up with having to leave your beloved Wii behind when you go out?

Dry your eyes because ChinaVision have the remedy - no longer will you have to look over your shoulder as you close the door and see your console give you the puppy-dog eyes.

This LCD monitor can attach to the back of the Wii easily, and the screen has a ball and socket hinge that can be turned appropriately for whatever use. When the monitor is not in use, the screen can be folded down against the Wii, just like a laptop.

There is even a reverse/up/down picture control enabling you to mount it on the roof of your car. You can also plug in other devices such as a DVD or other media players with the extra AV outputs, as well as USB peripherals.

As for power, the Wii LCD screen is powered by the normal Wii power cable, or included cigarette lighter adapter.

You can get one for $101.45 each, or get your buddies involved and get 3 for about $97.39 each.

Here is the latest in the Bravia line - the cute and flat friendly M1 series.

The 20-inch ¥110,000 ( £550ish) and 16-inch ¥90,000 (£450ish) LCDs match 1366×768 screens with 1,200:1 or 1,800:1 (respectively) contrast ratios.

They both boast Bravia Engine 2 image processing, 24p True Cinema 1080p-compatible HDMI inputs, plus VOD and DLNA connectivity - so they say.

It represents in various combinations of bezel colors, expect these HDTVs in the background of your favorite J-pop and/or anime vids beginning March 25.

Dell’s 3007WFP is preparing to hand over its’ baton to this, the 3008WFP.  The 30″ LCD packs the much lauded DisplayPort input combined with its very lovely 2560×1600 resolution support and 10.8Gbps data rate.

The 3008WFP supports the usual suspects with a pair of DVI ports, HDMI, component vid, S-Video, composite, and VGA.

I’m trawling the interweb to see if other bits will get bumped up (contrast ratio, etc.) and to find out when this beauty will hit the UK - but, in the meantime it will give me chance to buy enough kit to try and use all the inputs!

Via The Inquirer