Gizmotron - Tech, Gadgets and Gizmos

Nanovision’s New Mimo 710-S LCD Offers Folding, Screen-Protecting Talents

Noel Kuhlman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:37:27 +0000

Nanovision suddenly found itself half-famous with the release of their USB-based LCD monitors that are geared towards use as a second display panel. That’s why it’s no surprise that they’re deciding to pile on to the line.

The company just announced a new model for the line. Called the Nanovision MIMO 710-S “Mobile Slider,” the monitor keeps the same 7-inch dimensions and 800 x 480 resolution, but adds a sliding function that allows it to fold easily for portable use.

A folding and twisting clamshell stand allows the MIMO 710-S to stand upright when connected to your computer, as well as fold with the screen fully-covered during transit. This makes it easy to slip the screen inside a bag to be used as a second monitor for your laptop.

Details of the device include USB connectivity, an integrated DisplayLink virtual monitor system, 350 cd/m2 brightness rating and a 500:1 contrast ratio. Like previous MIMO monitors, it can rotate 90-degrees for both portrait and landscape orientation.

The Nanovision MIMO 710-S “Mobile Slider” USB display is scheduled for release at the end of the month and will be priced at $149 (£88).

Source: Everything USB

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Sony Aggressively Pushes Two New Pocket Readers

Noel Kuhlman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:33:19 +0000

Sony is finally going full force in the e-book reader front, announcing two new devices that should put up a good fight against the Kindle’s market dominance. Called the Sony Reader Pocket (PRS-300) and the Sony Reader Touch (PRS-600), the devices come with largely standard e-reader features but separate themselves from the pack with very aggressive pricing.

The Pocket Edition is a basic e-reader, with a 5-inch display, USB connectiviry and 512MB of internal memory. Sony has stripped much of the feature set on this particular machine, as it comes with no SD card expansion and no Wi-Fi. It’s available in three colors, namely blue, rose and silver.

Designed to replace the previous PRS-700 model, the higher-end Touch Edition comes with a more sweeping set of features, including a 6-inch resistive touch display, 512MB of internal storage, Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, and dual card slots (Memory Stick Duo and microSD). Sony drops the backlighting layer, but throws in a stylus and a copy of the Oxford American English Dictionary. It will be available in red, black and silver.

Sony will be releasing both e-readers by the end of August. The Sony Reader Pocket will be available for $199, while the Sony Reader Touch is priced at $299.

Source: Gadget Lab

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HP Announces Two New Suit-Friendly Compaq Notebooks

Noel Kuhlman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:29:40 +0000

HP just announced two new laptops designed for mobile professionals. Called the Compaq 515 and the Compaq 610, the two new machines join the company’s Essential Business lineup.

The smaller of the two, the 515, boasts a 14.1-inch LCD, with the choice of an AMD Athlon X2 or AMD Turion X2 CPU at the helm. It comes with integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM, maximum 250GB of HDD storage and a DVD burner.

The 610, on the other hand, sports a 15.6-inch display and a choice of Intel Core 2 Duo or Celeron Core 2 Duo CPUs. Details include integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics, up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM and a 250GB HDD.

Both workplace-loving machines come with an integrated DVD burner, LED backlighting, Wi-Fi and VGA out. There are slots for three USB connections, ExpressCard, secure digital card and gigabit ethernet.

Shipping with either Windows Vista Business or Vista Home Basic, the Compaq 515 and Compaq 610 will be selling for $429 and $449, respectively.

Source: Laptoping

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INQ Announces Two New Twitter-Friendly Phones

Noel Kuhlman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:27:12 +0000

INQ made small waves last year with the release of their highly-acclaimed “Facebook phone,” the INQ1. Now, they’re looking to build even stronger momentum with two new releases that builds upon the original device’s strengths.

Called the INQ Chat 3G and the INQ Mini 3G, the pair of handsets still feature the same clever integration with Facebook (along with a few other online services) that marked their initial effort. Chief focus for this iteration, however, is the micro-blogging platform Twitter.

As before, the company builds the social features natively into the phone’s overall system, instead of third-party apps. This results in a faster and more natural operation for the services. Apart from the full integration with Twitter and Facebook, the phone comes fully-working with Skype, Live Messenger, Last.FM, push Gmail and a few other social sites.

Unlike their previous effort, the two new phones sport attractive design and styling, marked by a striking black and red motif, The INQ Chat 3G sport a Blackberry-style aesthetic, with a front-mounted QWERTY keypad and the same wide-bodied construction. The INQ Mini 3G, on the other hand, comes in a more traditional candybar form factor.

Features of both units include 3G connectivity, USB tethering, microSD expansion, integrated optics, downloadable apps and an onboard media player. The slightly more souped-up Chat 3G also comes with an integrated GPS module.

Both devices will debut in Europe beginning in the fourth quarter.

Source: Dvice

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Nikon Coolpix S1000pj Comes With Onboard Micro-Projector

Noel Kuhlman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Nikon recently took the pico projector to a new platform, outfitting their latest point-and-shoot with the hardware for one. Called the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj, the new compact digicam sports a functional microprojector.

While small VGA projectors have never ventured past mobile phones and standalone units, the digital camera does sound like a logical platform for it. It makes group viewing of images considerably easier, an activity that is all but impossible on the small LCD panel on your typical compact digicam.

The integrated projector has a rating of up to ten lumens of brightness, VGA output resolution and a 30:1 contrast ratio. It can display images up to 40-inches high, when placed at a 10-foot distance from a blank wall.

Apart from the microprojector, the rest of the S1000pj features rather standard point-and-shoot capabilities. Specs include a 12-megapixel sensor, 5X zoom lens and a 2.7-inch integrated display. Details include six different image stabilization talents, motion detection, 16 shooting modes and a camcorder feature with four different movie modes.

Nikon is releasing the Coolpix S1000pj in mid-November at an expected retail price of $429 (£252).

Source: PR

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M&Soft Mappy AP1 Sports Large 7-Inch PND Display With A Suite Of Other Features

Noel Kuhlman — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:40:04 +0000

Korean company M&Soft (yep, that’s like Microsoft, but mangled) made a name for themselves in the home turf with their Mappy navigation software. This time, the company is stepping up, offering their own PND hardware.

Taking the same name as the GPS software their business is based out of, the Mappy AP1 navigator sports a large 7-inch SiRF-based touchscreen display with an 800 x 480 resolution. It comes with a custom GUI for easy access to the device’s numerous features, which include local TV, a photo viewer, music playback and a video player. Media player supports a wide range of files, including MPEG4, XviD, H.264 and OGG, among others.

Software runs on a 900MHz dual-core processor inside a 185.5 x 117 x 21-mm, 400-gram frame. It includes a slot for microSDHC expansion.

According to M&Soft, the AP1 stands for “Absolute Pride 1,” which is so cheesy I have no idea how the branding guys can live with themselves. The Mappy AP1 is available for 349,000 KRW (£168) with a 4GB SD card and for 399,000 KRW (£192) with an 8GB storage.

Source: Slashgear

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Onkyo ND-S1 iPod Dock Features Great Set Of Hardware, No iPhone Support

Noel Kuhlman — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:31:00 +0000

Onkyo has never been known for their iPod-friendly products, seldom releasing devices specifically intended for the popular media player. Their new ND-S1 iPod dock, however, looks like a mighty attractive option.

Designed to make space in your home entertainment system, the ND-S1 fits in an optical/coax digital output, composite A/V outs and high-definition 16-bit audio playback up to 48kHz. It’s compatible with all iPod devices, but doesn’t support the iPhone (just the iPod Touch).

It ships with a remote control, an AC power adapter and a USB cable, that lets it connect to a PC for both syncing with iTunes and playback of media from the computer. Dimensions are 205 × 175 × 34mm, with a weight of 530 grams.

Neither release date nor price are available yet for the Onkyo ND-S1 iPod dock. Knowing the company, though, expect it to be a tad more expensive than your typical dock.

Source: Engadget

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Nikon Intros Two New DSLRs, The D300s And The D3000

Noel Kuhlman — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:31:00 +0000

Nikon recently announced a new pair of DSLRs, with each one fitting right into both extremes of the performance spectrum. The new shooters consist of the entry-level D3000 and the top-of-the-range D300s.

On the low-end of the scale is the D3000, a cheap DSLR which fits in plenty of shooting talents. Costing no more than considerably less-capable cameras, the D3000 features a 10.2-megapixel sensor, eleven point autofocus, 3D tracking and a step-by-step guide mode. Other details include an 18-55mm VR kit lens and a 3-inch LCD screen. Do note that the D3000 doesn’t bundle a camcorder function. Nikon is letting it go for $600.

The new high-end model, the D300s, looks no different from two-year-old D300 it’s replacing when looked at from the front. Similarities change around the back, which now sports looks that have more in common with the D700.

Biggest change for the D300s is video, which can now record in AVI format, along with the usual motion jpeg. It can manage 720p-quality videos at 24fps and can do auto-focus using contrast-detection. Other details include a 12.3-megapixel sensor, up to seven shots per second in succession and a silent shutter mode. The Nikon D300s will retail for $1800 for the body alone.

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MiniPC Japan Launches GF27 Nettop, Sporting Their Enduring Form Factor

Noel Kuhlman — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:10:10 +0000

MiniPC Japan has launched a new nettop, sporting the same utilitarian design they’ve been known for. Called the MiniPC GF27, it fits in pretty standard nettop specs, in line with what consumers can find in machines like MSI’s Wind Top and Asus’ Eee Top machines.

Representing the company’s first foray into Atom territory, the GF27 rocks an Intel Atom N270 (which is odd, considering they could have easily used a more suitable Atom 230 or 330), options of up to two 2.5-inch hard disk drives, up to 2GB of RAM an integrated graphics. Needless to say, based on the specs, this won’t be sporting Windows XP Home Edition for the same cheap price as regular nettops.

Other details of the machine include up to three gigabit Ethernet connections, VGA out, DVI and audio I/O. As with other MiniPCs, the I/O units are slotted in the back, which is a design issue that should have been fixed a long time ago, but persists, for some reason.

The MiniPC GF27 is available now, with prices starting at ¥52,000 (£334), which is decidedly steep for an Atom-powered machine.

Source: GadgetMix

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Onkyo Intros Expensive Blu-ray Player, DV-BD507

Noel Kuhlman — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:05:43 +0000

You have to really wonder what you’re getting with Onkyo’s latest Blu-ray player. Released at a time when a lot of Blu-ray players are going for less than $200, their new DV-BD507 is pricing itself at $449 (£275).

The full-featured BD player offers the usual set of talents you expect from a capable high-definition unit, cranking out 1080p videos and multi-channel audio over HDMI. Onkyo is touting the high-performance and quality build their products have been know for over the years, but, really, none of that can justify costing over twice what most BD machines are going for.

Details of the device includes HDMI 1.3a support, BD-Live functionality and BonusView (when used with a microSDHC card), which really doesn’t make it any different from the legions of decent players currently in store shelves. It can also upconvert DVDs and CDs, internally scaling all videos to 1080p, as well as process media on SD cards.

You can wrack your brain trying to figure it out, but there’s really nothing especially unique about Onkyo’s DV-BD507, other than the price. It’s available now, in case you want to find out.

Source: Engadget

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