AskDigital.info

Logitech Loud Enough Noise-Isolating Earphones

kapil — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:15:02 +0000

Mention Logitech and most people would think that you are talking about its computer speakers which offer a whole lot of bang for your buck, or even of their famous range of computer mice. Well, today we won’t be touching on either, but will still have something to do with audio – the Loud Enough Noise-Isolating Earphones. Judging by its name, you can more or less tell that it has some sort of built-in mechanism that limits the loudness of whatever music you’re playing at that point in time. Well, it works that way, but will target a market niche that most manufacturers have missed – kids. After all, there is no better time to teach your little ones something than when they’re young and still malleable, right? Might as well use the Logitech Loud Enough Noise-Isolating Earphones to make sure that they don’t pick up the bad habit of cranking up the volume beyond reasonable listening levels just because it is “cool”, only to suffer from hearing problems many years down the road in their adult life.

IT researchers weave “flexible camera” out of fiber web

kapil — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:13:09 +0000

We’ve see liquid camera lenses and cameras shaped like an eye, but a group of researchers from MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering are now taking things in yet another shape-shifting direction with a so-called “flexible camera” that uses a special fiber web instead of traditional lenses. Those fibers are each less than one millimeter in diameter, and are comprised of eight nested layers of light-detecting materials, which the researchers are able to form using an extrusion process like that used to make optical fiber for telecommunication applications. Once weaved into a fabric, the researchers say the “camera” could be anything from a foldable telescope to a soldier’s uniform that gives them greater situational awareness. Of course, they aren’t saying when that might happen, although they have apparently already been able to use the fiber web to take “a rudimentary picture of a smiley face.”

Where the U.S. government researches a nuclear future

kapil — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:50:05 +0000

tiny town, which might otherwise have forever escaped notoriety of any kind, was put on the map for a very historic reason: It became the first place in the “free world” to be powered by “electrical energy developed from the atom.”
The power was generated by the Experimental Breeder Reactor run by the nearby Nuclear Reactor Testing Station, and the flipping of the switch seemed to usher in a new era for the United States and the world: the nuclear era.
Over time, the U.S. and other countries grew more and more attracted to the idea of nuclear power as a major alternative to fossil fuel-based power. But by the 1980s and early 1990s, the country had lost its appetite for the fuel source. It was seen as dangerous, too closely related to nuclear weapons, and too productive of nuclear waste, and gradually, the number of working nuclear power plants got smaller and smaller. In many places, in fact, the mere mention of nuclear power will draw a dirty stare.
But in Arco, there is still a civic pride associated with the events of 1955, and today, there is a growing national enthusiasm for the idea that back then, in the heart of the Cold War, seemed so novel: turning to nuclear power as a major source of energy.
Photos: Inside a nuclear reactor

View the full gallery
Nowhere, perhaps, is that enthusiasm more palpable than at the Idaho National Lab (INL), the U.S. Department of Energy’s lead nuclear research institution. Located in and around Idaho Falls, Idaho, INL is at the forefront of developing the technology that could bring nuclear back to the grownups’ table, and the researchers there–and clearly, some policymakers in Washington, D.C., as well–feel that nuclear is our best bet for providing a good deal of the power needs of both the general population and industry, while at the same time keeping the carbon footprint small.
I visited INL this week as part of Road Trip 2009, and was given the lowdown on why nuclear is thought to be a better energy alternative than ever before, and why the public shouldn’t worry about the kinds of safety concerns that were so prevalent after high-profile reactor accidents at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in 1979 and in Chernobyl in the Soviet Union in 1986.

First Google Chrome OS screenshots leaked?

kapil — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:08:36 +0000

t’s not much, in fact, these screenshots are incredibly easy to fake. Still, a hastily constructed WordPress blog has been setup to host what are claimed to be the world’s first screenshots of Google’s new Chrome OS — hailed as both a Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X killer or Google FUD generator depending upon who you’re listening to. As the story is told, a Google representative demonstrated a private beta build of the OS to an anonymous Acer parts supplier yesterday, presumably somewhere in Taiwan. The picture above was grabbed breathlessly while the Google rep was distracted. Highlights of the demonstration break down as follows:-
The “elegant” install on the Acer Extensa 4620Z laptop took about 10 minutes and 1 restart
Reboots desktop-to-desktop in about 25 seconds
It was “amazingly fast” in its stripped-down beta form
The blue orb on the auto-hiding “Chrome Bar” along the bottom of the UI is essentially the start menu
Navigating the file system can be done in “exploration” (like Windows explorer) or “browser” (search based) modes
The Chrome Bar can also host a search bar if configured
Future Chrome OS netbooks will feature an iconified Chrome key on the keyboard similar to the Windows flag key
Of course, it’s a long, long time before this OS appears on next generation ARM and x86 smartnetbooks — second half of 2010 according to the Goog — so who knows what the interface will look like by then. One more image after the break.

LaCie ups the LaCinema Rugged ante with new HD version

kapil — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:06:06 +0000

At first glance, you’d be hard-pressed to notice the difference between LaCie’s LaCinema Rugged HD and last year’s model, but sure enough, the middle square of that device definitely has “HD” ingrained into its genetic code, and if you can’t guess what that means, we’ll tell ya: 1080p output. Other than that aesthetic modification and the new peak resolution, there’s not a lot that’s changed — HDMI and composite output, USB 2.0 transfer, and a sizable number of supported codecs — but that’s not exactly a bad thing here. It’s available as of this moment, and while previously we had a few variety of sizes, for now we’re only seeing 500GB at a penny under $350 before shipping.

New Sony VH310Bluetooth™ Headset VH310

kapil — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:24:16 +0000

It is a contemporary product launched by Sony ericsson .its a Bluetooth model VH310Bluetooth™ Headset VH310.In this sony gave lots of facilites.
Its main features:-
you should only talk, talk ,talk, talk & talk
• Bluetooth™ wireless technology
• Compatibility

Specifications:-
*General
*Dimensions 17.0 x 11.0 x 48.0
*Weight 10.0 g

*Power
*Talk time up to 11
*Standby time up to 500 h
*Bluetooth General
*Operating range 10 metres

LG Interduced: New LCD Jazz Model : 42LG80FR

kapil — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:21:38 +0000

LG Present new LCD JAZZ Model No : 42LG80FR
in this model LG used IPS technology. What is IPS technology?
An IPS has to go into core network choke points to be effective. While the idea of a “pure” IPS product might appeal to vendors looking to capitalize on the current mania for security. A good IPS combines the long-standing intelligence of high-speed switching and firewalling with the new thinking from the IDS world.

Many Feature used in this model Look wise so stylish.
Its sound quality is best because 500W PMPO Sound output AutoSliding Speakers
50000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
500W PMPO Sound output
AutoSliding Speakers

Jazz Model : 42LG80FR : price Rs 74000 Only

Breaking News: In the month of May trafficApple tops hardware sites

kapil — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:19:34 +0000

New iphone helps Apple is the biggest Web sites in the tops hardware sites in the month of May . there are 55.7 million unique viewers see this sites .Acc to to Nielsen.
By Lance Whitney in

Canon Launches New Powershot A480 Camera?

kapil — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:17:19 +0000

Canon launches new Powershot A480 Camera . Its looks like simple & stylish. Button has simplified layout bcoz to use each & every person easily Powershot A480 Camera entry-level compact houses a 10MP sensor& its display 2.5″ LCD, Canon’s DIGIC III processor and includes features such as Motion detection and Face Detection.The range of PowerShot A480 uses a 10 Megapixel sensor to capture every scene in detail.
Price Range :starts upto Rs. 6,995 to 9,395

Engadget’s recession antidote: win a VTech IS9181 WiFi radio

kapil — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:13:34 +0000

This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn’t want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back — so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We’ll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we’ve got a boomin’ VTech IS9181 internet radio on offer, ready to stream jams from the world wide web when not playing back your MP3 collection. Read the rules below (no skimming — we’re omniscient and can tell when you’ve skimmed) and get commenting! Check after the break for some photos of the prize!

Special thanks to VTech for providing the gear!

The rules:
Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for “fixing” the world economy, that’d be sweet too.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) VTech IS9181 WiFi radio. Approximate retail value is $199.99.
If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, July 1st, 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Full rules can be found here

HTC Hero spotted on Orange UK website

kapil — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:35:51 +0000

The HTC Hero has made its first appearance on a UK carrier’s website, but finds itself burdened with a teasing “coming soon” badge. Having talked to Orange, we can confirm previous reports that the device will be available for free on some, as yet undetermined but surely eye-gouging, price plans. The company said they are still testing the device and should have pricing information by tomorrow. Expect T-Mobile to quickly follow suit and unveil their Hero by another name (G1 Touch?), also fully subsidized. Both carriers will be offering the graphite edition of the phone, so if you have your heart set on the white Teflon-coated goodness, you may have to go the SIM-free route.

Windows Marketplace launching with 600 apps, or one bazillion times what the App Catalog has

kapil — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:16:39 +0000

So Microsoft France’s product manager for Windows Mobile, Audrey Zolghadr, is saying that the company’s upcoming Windows Marketplace launch will be accompanied by around 600 apps certified and available on day one. Depending on your perspective, that’s either ridiculously anemic — the iPhone’s App Store has a couple orders of magnitude more currently available, for example — or a veritable cornucopia. Though the Ovi Store has no shortage of “items” to buy, an overwhelming majority of those are currently wallpapers, ringtones, and the like, and Palm’s App Catalog launched with so few apps that many folks (we’re not naming names) literally had every app installed within a few minutes of buying the phone. At the end of the day, it’s all about signal-to-noise ratio; if Microsoft can deliver 600 apps and half of those are terrific, they’re on the right track — though at this point, we’re thinking the next battle in Smartphone Platform Wars doesn’t really kick off until WinMo 7 swings by anyway.

Acer Aspire One AO751h reviewed — sweet battery life, sad CPU marks

kapil — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:49:40 +0000

Acer’s 11.6-inch netbook — the Aspire One 751h — has been available Stateside since mid-May, and Laptop’s spent some quality time with it, delivering a full review. Overall, they found the nice, large screen to be welcoming, and the battery life (on their 6-cell configuration) was fantastic — clocking in at over seven hours. They were, however, pretty disappointed in the 1.22-GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU, finding it to really slow the unit down. They note that other similarly priced models boast better processors, and might be a smarter choice. The Aspire One 751h runs $399 with a 3-cell battery, and $449 for the 6-cell version. Hit up the read link for the full review. One more shot after the break.
Keyboard

Like the Aspire Timeline AS3810T, the Aspire One A0751h has raised keys, whose plastic has a slightly textured feel. The layout is close to full size, and we appreciate that the right Shift key is full size and in the proper place. Touch typists will have no problem with this netbook, but we noticed that the keyboard flexed as we pounded out responses to IMs.

Design

If you’ve seen the 10-inch Aspire One AOD250, the 11.6-inch version will look familiar. It, too, has a glossy black lid with Acer’s metal logo impressed in the lower corner; the lid picks up fingerprints fairly easily. Like the slightly more upscale Timeline series, it has a gray palm rest and keyboard deck with a black keyboard and thin bezel to match.

As with the Timeline series, the overall effect is conservative, but not cheap-looking. The real cornerstone of the Aspire One’s design is not the color scheme anyway, but its thinness. Whereas its competitors, such as the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA, can be as thick as 1.4 inches and weigh close to 3 pounds (the 1005HA weighs 2.8), the Aspire One has a minimal footprint of 11.2 x 7.8 x 1.0 inches, although it weighs 3 pounds (and 3.6 with its adapter). In the hand, it feels just slightly heavier than the Toshiba mini NB205, but that’s offset somewhat by the thinner build.

The only catch: its six-cell battery juts out the back, whereas some netbooks, such as the Eee PC 1005HA, have comparably sized batteries that are more flush with the system (and manage to deliver longer battery life, to boot. More on that later).

Touchpad and Touch Button

When we reviewed the latest 10-inch Aspire One, we complained about the tiny touchpad. With the A0751h’s slightly wider footprint, however, comes a wider touchpad (2.5 x 1.6 inches), which was a pleasant improvement over the AOD250’s 2.0 x 1.5-inch pad. It’s still fairly short, though, especially compared to the NB205’s (3.1 x 1.6 inches) enormous touchpad.

We have a bigger concern the single touch button, which we found too stiff and narrow. Aside from the stiffness, we would have preferred two buttons, as there are on the NB205 and other netbooks.

Display and Sound

One thing the AO751h offers that most of its 10-inch competitors don’t is a high-res screen. Whereas the 1005HA, NB205, and 10-inch Apsire One all have displays with 1024 x 600-pixel resolution, the AO751h’s 11.6-inch display has a resolution of 1364 x 768. Those extra vertical pixels, in particular, mean you won’t have to scroll down as often when you’re viewing pages, a common inconvenience with netbooks.

We were immediately impressed by the screen’s brightness. When we watched a Saturday Night Live sketch on Hulu.com we enjoyed pleasant colors and, moreover, good viewing angles even from oblique side angles. The glossy finish limited our viewing angles from the front, however, when we dipped the lid forward slightly we were still able to make out the clip. By the time we got to a 45-degree angle, however, the screen appeared washed out.

The volume, as you would expect with a netbook, is weak. Watching a clip in a quiet room with the netbook right in front of us, the sound was never too loud. Music, too, sounded predictably tinny, but no worse than it does on other netbooks: the bass in “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, for instance, was distant.

T-Mobile announces impending myTouch 3G

kapil — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:45:27 +0000

T-Mobile has announced that they will be offering a new Android-powered handset in due time to oust the aged G1 smartphone, and this time round it would be the T-Mobile myTouch 3G that will be taking over the baton. Just in case you were wondering the myTouch 3G is also known as the HTC Magic in other parts of the world, and the smartphone will come packaged in a sleek body alongside a contoured feel, boasting a wide range of new features which will surely make it a success compared to its rather muted predecessor. Alongside a full touchscreen display, you also get a virtual keyboard that helps you whip out text messages as well as emails in double quick time without getting bogged down by typos.
The T-Mobile myTouch 3G will empower users to create a unique, individualized wireless phone and experience, since you will be able to harness the ability to richly customize menus, wallpapers, icons and more, with over thousands of Android Market applications to take advantage of as well. Basically, the myTouch 3G will evolve to become a virtual extension of oneself. Too bad the choice of colors that the handset comes in will be limited to just three at time of publishing – and we’re looking at black, white and a distinctive merlot.
HTC is the brains behind the myTouch 3G’s design, so you can expect quality parts to be thrown into the mix. First of all we have a 3.2″ HVGA touchscreen display and virtual keyboard that is able to automatically orient itself between portrait and landscape modes, depending on how you’re holding up the myTouch 3G. Not only that, it is equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera, although one thing that has left us scratching our heads would be the lack of a flash in the camera – something that other manufacturers have managed to cram in despite releasing a slim handset. That aside, the myTouch 3G will also come with a music player, a microSD memory card slot, video playback, email, MMS, Wi-Fi connectivity and support for T-Mobile’s 3G network. You can place a pre-order for the myTouch 3G from July 8 onwards if you’re a current T-Mobile customer, where $199.99 will net you the handset with a two-year agreement. Shipping commences later this July. Do excuse the Vodafone image above

Palm says licensing webOS “not a religious issue”

kapil — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:43:49 +0000

Palm had its quarterly results conference call yesterday and although CEO Jon Rubinstein and CFO Doug Jeffries kept a pretty tight lid on the future product talk, they did say that licensing webOS to third parties isn’t “a religious issue for us.” That’s pretty vague, sure, but we can’t help but immediately think back to the golden age of Palm OS, when licensees like Sony put out amazing devices like the Clie PEG-NZ90 that we’ve lovingly mocked up with a webOS screenshot above — we’re sure Palm’s upcoming handsets will be interesting in their own right, but we’d love to see a manufacturer like HTC riff on webOS the way it’s tweaking Android. Of course, Jeffries also said Palm has “no plans at this time to even talk about” licensing, so this is all just a pipe dream for now, but let’s not ruin the moment, okay? Hit the read link for the full call transcript.

Nextar rolls out 43LT nav unit with free live traffic updates

kapil — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:23:42 +0000

It’s latest of GPS technolagyThis isn’t the first time that Nextar has offered free live traffic updates (courtesy of NAVTEQ) on one of its GPS units, but it is the first time that it’s put Nav N Go’s navigation software into use, which brings with it some easily updateable maps and, of course, some fancy 3D graphics Otherwise, the device is a fairly standard 4.3-inch number, with it packing 1.6 million points of interest, an SD card slot for expansion, text-to-speech.

Its price just $169.99 only hurry up to buy this gps gadgets

Product Specification:

● 4.3 inches touch screen display
● Built-in speaker
● Voice-guided directions
● Preloaded maps of the 50 U.S. states in SD card
● 1.6 million points of interest
● Address book can store up to 30 addresses
● Instant automatically route recalculation
● Turn by Turn voice prompts
● SD card slot for added memory
● MP3 playing & Photo viewing mode
● 2D or 3D map viewing modes with built-in compass
● Day and Night modes
(Night mode features additional light on the screen for easier viewing)
● Built-in rechargeable Li-Ion battery
● Comes with manufacturer’s 1-year limited warranty

NVIDIA pops out five new mobile GPUs to fill invisible gaps in its 200M series lineup

kapil — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:35:54 +0000

NVIDIA is filling in what it presumes to be holes in its next-generation GPU lineup, adding the 40nm G210M, GT 230M, GT 240M and GTS 250M, with GDDR3 memory ranging from 512MB to 1GB, to its existing GTX 280M, GTX 260M and GTS 160M laptop graphics cards. Apparently the new cards sport “double the performance” and “half the power consumption” over the last generation of discrete GPUs they’re replacing. The cards are SLI, HybridPower, CUDA, Windows 7 and DirectX 10.1 compatible, and all support PhysX other than the low-end G210M. Of course, with integrated graphics like the 9400M starting to obviate discrete graphics in the mid range — even including Apple’s latest low-end 15-inch MacBook Pro — we’re not sure what we’ll do with eight different GPU options, but we suppose NVIDIA’s yet-to-be-announced price sheet for these cards will make it all clear in time
Nvidia announced five new GPUs for the mobile market on Monday, which the company said rounds out its mobile GeForce lineup with up to twice the performance and half the power consumption of previous chips.

The G210M, GT 230M, GT 240M, GTS 250M and the GTS 260M will fill in the gaps between the existing GTX280M, GTX260M, and GTS160M, providing a range of Windows 7-ready graphics options for notebook PCs, according to Nvidia. All are DirectX 10.1 compatible.

Nvidia claimed it has 100 design wins for the new chips, but could not disclose any of them, as the customer products have yet to be announced.

The chipsets contain between 512MB (G210M) to 1GB (all other chipsets) of on-board GDDR3 memory and are based on a new 40-nm manufacturing process, Nvidia said.

Mobile gamers will look to the higher end of the spectrum, with the GRS260M and GTS250M providing 50 percent more power than the previous line of GPUs, according to Nvidia, as well as SLI compatibility for running multiple cards simultaneously. All are fully Windows 7 and DirectX 10.1 compatible, and every card but the G210M supports hardware accelerated physics via Nvidia’s PhysX, the technology for processing physics calculations for games and other applications on the GPU. All support HybridPower, allowing the chips to slip into a low-power mode when not needed.

In addition, the new chips support CUDA, Nvidia’s instruction set for running compute applications on top of the graphics platform. CUDA is already being taken advantage of in many multimedia applications, from DVD upscaling to H.264 video encoding and playback. The new chipsets also support Nvidia’s PureVideo HD engine, which offloads H.264, VC-1, and MPEG-2 processing onto the GPU, freeing up the CPU and promising more fluid playback of HD content.

Hillcrest Labs Loop combines Wiimote, mouse, and Ouroboros

kapil — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:33:03 +0000

Hillcrest Labs has taken a few moments away from its bitter patent dispute with Nintendo to finally release its $99 Loop controller, a Freespace mouse intended primarily for use by those with some sort of HTPC setup. It’s the latest in bangle-inspired design, sporting four buttons and a scroll wheel, compatibility with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, and lacking any sort of chunky sensor bars or the like, detecting hand movements to glide the cursor across the screen. We hear it also makes a great accessory for geek-chic parties.
Before Father’s Day, Award Winning Product Now Available to Consumers -

- Targeted to Consumers who Connect their TV to a PC or Mac(R) -

- Available for $99 via Amazon.com or www.hillcrestlabs.com/loop -

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 15 /PRNewswire/ — Today, in time for Father’s Day, Hillcrest Labs launched its award-winning Loop(TM) pointer to be sold directly to consumers. The Loop pointer is a unique Freespace(R) mouse that lets users control an on-screen cursor with the flick of wrist. The Loop pointer is designed to be used by the growing number of consumers who connect their PC or Mac(R) to a TV.

According to data derived from a recent Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)(R) report, there are now more than 7 million US households that have connected a personal computer to their home television sets(1). With the Loop pointer, these consumers now have an engaging new way to search, browse, and navigate the Web or their home media content on TV.

The Loop pointer’s distinctive design is round and ergonomic including just four buttons and a scroll wheel. Originally developed as a concept product to showcase Hillcrest Labs’ Freespace in-air pointing and motion control technology, the Loop pointer is available to consumers for the first time for just $99. Consumers can purchase the Loop pointer at www.amazon.com or www.hillcrestlabs.com/loop.

“As our flagship Freespace product design, the Loop pointer has captured the imagination and interest of most people who have used it,” said Dan Simpkins, CEO and founder of Hillcrest Labs. “Although today we are introducing our first product directly to the public, at our core, we remain a software and IP licensing company.”

“Hillcrest Labs is recognized as one of the most innovative developers of motion control technology and graphical user interfaces for television,” said Colin Dixon, principal analyst at the Diffusion Group. “Their new Loop pointer is a simple, elegant product whose unique design will make it a great conversation piece in the living room, dorm room, lecture hall, or board room.”

Examples of Applications and Uses

To use the Loop pointer, consumers simply plug a small, USB 2.0 transceiver that comes with the device into a compatible computer or device. As with a conventional mouse, no special driver software is required for use on a PC or Mac. Device applications include:

Mouse for TV: For consumers who connect a PC-to-TV or Mac-to-TV, the Loop is an in-air pointer that offers the industry’s highest performance. Users can relax comfortably on a couch, hold the Loop pointer in any position, and control their favorite online video sites, photo sites, music sites, and more. Using the standard on-screen keyboards that are included with the Windows or Mac operating systems, people can enter search terms, passwords, and more.
Presenters: Executives, professors or other PowerPoint(TM) users now have a far more useful and eye-catching tool for use with keynotes, company presentations, or lectures. The Loop pointer also makes it easy to switch between presentations, web pages and other applications, all while walking around the conference room or lecture hall.
The Loop pointer can also complement the following products:

KODAK Theatre HD Player: Owners of the highly acclaimed KODAK Theatre HD Player can use the Loop pointer as a fully functioning alternative controller to interact with pictures, videos and music, and more.
PS3(TM): The Loop pointer is not a game controller for PS3, but it can be used as a complementary device to navigate the Internet using the PS3′s web browser.
Apple TV: While Apple TV does not support mouse controllers, consumers who use aTV Flash, from Fire Core (version 3.6), will be able to use the Loop pointer to navigate content on the device and the aTV Flash web browser.
Freespace Technology

The Loop pointer incorporates Hillcrest Labs’ patented Freespace technology. Attributes of the Loop pointer that are made possible by Freespace technology include:

High Accuracy/Precision: The Loop is a highly precise pointer which allows users to point to individual pixels on a high-resolution screen.
Orientation Compensation: Regardless of the orientation of the device in space (e.g. pointing at the ground, turned sideways, etc.), Freespace generates intuitive cursor motions on the screen. MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensors combined with Hillcrest’s proprietary software enable consistent control of the device from any position – standing, sitting or reclining.
Adaptive Tremor Removal: Hillcrest’s technology can distinguish between intentional and unintentional movement, including natural hand tremors. Instead of filtering out the entire range of human tremor, which would reduce the accuracy of the pointer, the Loop pointer dynamically measures each individual user’s specific tremor and unintentional movements and removes them.
No Line-of-Site: Unlike conventional Infrared devices and optical motion-sensing devices that require “line-of-site” operation, the Loop pointer uses RF (radio frequency) technology, so users do not need to point directly at the computer or TV screen. This gives users greater freedom to move around at a range of up to 30 feet. It also means that the PC or Mac could be stored in a media cabinet while in use.
Freespace technology can also be licensed by companies as a complete hardware and software platform to create peripheral devices that accurately track motion with six degrees of freedom. Companies that have licensed Freespace for use in their products include: Eastman Kodak, Logitech, UEI, and ZillionTV. In addition, Hillcrest Labs licenses a broad set of intellectual property including more than 40 issued patents, out of more than 190 filed by the company.

Loop Pointer Specifications

Diameter: 4.8 inches (approximately the size of a CD or DVD)
Width: 1.2 inches
Weight: 4.9 ounces
Color: Black with silver buttons
Connectivity: USB 2.0 antenna with built in RF (radio frequency transceiver)
Power supply: 2 AA batteries (included)
To order the Loop pointer, consumers should visit www.amazon.com or www.hillcrestlabs.com/loop. For more details about Hillcrest Labs, visit www.hillcrestlabs.com.

Members of the press or industry analyst community can also download images of the Loop pointer from the company’s newsroom at http://www.hillcrestlabs.com/news/media-kit.php.

About Hillcrest Labs

Hillcrest Laboratories (a.k.a. Hillcrest Labs) sells an interactive media system for TV called HoME(TM), which enables consumer electronics manufacturers and service providers to create unique interactive digital media products for TV and other digital media devices. HoME Applications are controlled by pointing and provide consumers an intuitive way to browse, discover, and interact with large volumes of digital media. Hillcrest Labs’ pointing technology, called Freespace(R), can be used in a wide range of consumer devices including remote controls, PC mice, and game controllers. The company also sells the Loop(TM) pointer – an iconic mouse replacement that lets users control a standard on-screen cursor with natural hand motions. HoME and Freespace have received numerous awards including the CES Innovations Award and Popular Mechanics’ Editors Choice. Based in Rockville, Maryland, Hillcrest Labs was founded in 2001 by Dan Simpkins. The company is funded by AllianceBernstein, Columbia Capital, Grotech Ventures and NEA,. For additional information, visit www.hillcrestlabs.com.

All product and service names listed in this release remain property of their parent companies and do not indicate official support or endorsement for the Loop pointer or Hillcrest Labs. Mac(R) is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. PS3(TM) is a registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. PowerPoint is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks, product names and company names or logos herein are the property of their respective owners. Freespace is a trademark of Hillcrest Labs. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Hillcrest Labs, Freespace, and the Loop are trademarks of Hillcrest Laboratories, Inc.

Concept2 SkiErg for Nordic Ski Training

kapil — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:46:44 +0000

Are you one who loves working out every single day, regardless of what the weather is like? If you happen to love a good workout, then the Concept2 SkiErg for Nordic Ski Training ought to be your cup of tea, as it doesn’t matter what season is it out there at the moment as you are able to gain a reasonably challenging workout routine right smack in the comfort of your living room. Just like the Concept2 Indoor Rower, the Concept2 SkiErg will help athletes build strength and endurance in a sport-specific motion, and as the name suggests, the Concept2 SkiErg will offer avid skiers a method to put to test their fitness levels in a way that is not impacted by terrain or snow conditions.
An ergometer, or “erg” for short, is actually a device that has the ability to measure work (boy, won’t all bosses wish they could have this installed in every office at individual cubicles to see just how much “work” of a different nature is done compared to the amount of Facebooking and instant messaging). Each SkiErg will come with a Performance Monitor that offers skiers accurate, comparable feedback. All these information can be harnessed by skiers to assess output, monitor progress, and compare scores with others if they want to challenge themselves and always aim for a higher level of perfection. Perfect for testing fitness in a manner that won’t be impacted by terrain or snow conditions.
The SkiErg is able to offer a comprehensive exercise programs, where each pull will engage the legs, arms, shoulders and core in a downwards “crunch,” making sure your body is well oiled with sweat once you’re done with it. All pulls will finish by extending the arms down along the hips with knees partly bent. This low-impact, high calorie-burning exercise is suitable for all ages and abilities, so age is not a problem here. Interested parties will have to fork out $730 including shipping to bring the SkiErg home.

Intel Celeron, Core i7, and Atom lineup leaked?

kapil — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:31:18 +0000

The sun rises, seasons change, CPUs get faster, and Intel’s plans get leaked. That’s the way it works, so while this report from Digitimes listing out Intel’s chip releases through the beginning of next year should be taken with a grain of salt, feel free to make it a small one. Apparently there’s a new line of celery-packing Celeron processors coming in Q3 called E3000, starting with the 2.4GHz E3200 and the 2.5GHz E3300. Both feature 1MG of L2 cache, 800MHz FSB, 65W power consumption, and hardware virtualization, meaning either can take you to XP-on-Win7 nerdvana. There will also be a new Core i7 960 chip with a core frequency of 3.2GHz in the fourth quarter, which is also when the nettop-intended dual-core Atom D510 will drop, while the more portable-friendly dual-core Atom D410 won’t release until Q1 next year — bad news for those who’d been hoping for a speedier netbook under the Christmas tree.

Intel plans to launch new 45nm Celeron E3000 series CPUs targeting the entry-level market in third-quarter 2009 to replace the current Celeron E1000 series The company will also release a new Core i7 CPU in the fourth quarter, according to sources at motherboard makers.

Intel will launch two CPUs under the Celeron E3000 series initially in the third quarter – the Celeron E3200 and E3300, featuring core frequencies of 2.4GHz, and 2.5GHz, respectively, as well as the same 1MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB, and 65W TDP. Celeron E3000 series CPUs will support VT-x virtualization.

Intel will launch the Core i7 960 CPU in the fourth quarter, with a core frequency of 3.2GHz.

Intel’s dual-core Atom D510 CPU for nettops will also launch in the fourth quarter and the single-core Atom D410 CPU will follow in the first quarter of 2010.

Intel expects the proportion of Celeron E3000 CPUs out of the company’s overall entry-level CPU shipments will reach 10% in the fourth quarter, while 65nm Celeron E1000s will drop from 20% in the third quarter to 10% in the fourth.

Intel’s Celeron 400 series will account for 18% of shipments in the fourth quarter, Atom D510 around 2%, Atom 330 around 50% and Atom 230 around 10%, the sources noted.

For the first quarter of 2010, the Celeron E3000 will jump to 21%, Celeron E1000s be completely phased out of the market, and the Celeron 400 series will account for around 15%, Atom D510 25%, Atom 330 27% and both Atom D410 and Atom 230 6% each.

AskDigital.info

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