TV Tuner cards, Tivo, DVR’s are of great convenience allowing you to record your favorite programs for later viewing. But what if you are on the move and want to watch the latest episode of Family Guy which was just shown. Sounds impossible, well not if you are in Japan and have the IO-Data GV-MVP terrestrial broadcaster installed on your PC. What installed this nifty card can record your favorite programs and using NTTDoCoMo’s FOMA service you can check whats recorded and even set the recording from your mobile phone hundreds of miles away. What’s more once you have selected the recording you can watch it on your mobile phone in real time as it is streamed from your PC. This service costs a measly 525 Yen ($ 5) per month.
There is a fun and efficient NewCar hitting the British city streets very soon. It’s called “MyCar” and it can be YourCar for a mere $18,000 USD. Nice… that’s the name of the car company putting out this hip little all-electric city run about. Designed by legendary designers Giugiaro of Italdesign and made in Hong Kong. With an estimated 40 mile range (that’s 64 kilometers to everyone else) the MyCar by NICE will sport standard equipment that includes electric windows and mirrors, Radio/MP3 player, 14” Alloy wheels, remote central locking, Hi/lo and boost button and LCD multifunction display. It also has storage space under the hood, trunk and in the glove compartment. Options include a glass roof or removable fiberglass version, 15” Alloy wheels, leather interior, cooled and heated seats and a trunk rack. Buyers can opt for the work ‘n’ play and drive ‘n’ play options. The first incorporates a forward-folding passenger seat complete with laptop dock, the latter includes bluetooth, sat-nav and upgraded audio. Looks like SMART could take a lesson on being NICE.
The keyboard has come a long way from the days of being a simple input device and much of the advancement in keyboard design has come from the needs of the gamer. Long (long, long) ago we first saw a mock up of the Optimus Maximus keyboard that used tiny little OLED screens for the keys. That keyboard taunted us with vision of sweetness for years before it finally came to market in 2007 at a price few were willing to pay despite how cool the keyboard is.
The makers of the Optimus Maximus keyboard, Art Lebedev Studio’s, have announced it is working on a new project that will go along side the Optimus Maximus and the Mini Three devices already on the market. The new device is called the Optimus Pultius and sports 15 keys. The Pultius looks like a number pad and has the same OLED keys we are familiar with. The device also has on USB port for connecting other devices as well. Pricing is unknown and availability is set for late 2008 or early 2009.
Samsung today followed up its HDTV announcements with word of its MediaLive add-on. The attachment requires one of Samsung’s sets made in 2008 with CEC automation support but mostly eliminates the need for a media hub such as the Apple TV or the Roku Netflix Player; a compatible TV has direct access to movies from MovieLink and Vongo as well as shorter-form content from Fox Sports and Showtime TV. Streaming Internet radio stations from XM are also available.
MediaLive also turns the TV into a viewing point for local content, Samsung adds. The hub acts as a media extender for Windows Vista’s Media Center and will play H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and WMV videos at up to 1080p, including with Dolby AC3 surround sound. It also handles multiple common audio formats and JPEG photo viewing. A single PC can serve as many as five Samsung TVs depending on the material.
The new network attachment connects through either its integrated Ethernet connection or else an internal 802.11n Wi-Fi receiver. Samsung ships the MediaLive in tune with its newest round of TVs in August and prices it at $200.
There are millions of children bed ridden to hospitals unable to participate in schooling and extra curricular activities. Many lack fully developed socialization skills due to isolation from their peers. Dilus, an electronic teddy bear aids in socialization, entertainment, communication, and education.
The genesis came from field research into children permanently placed in hospitals. The detachment can directly affect how well and how much they learn. Dilus uses holographic technology to help these children adapt. They can use it to follow along in class, watch educational TV, and interact with other kids equipped with the bear. Essentially it’s a tool, a portal of sorts and their best friend. It also has the added benefit of being made from an electronic polymer fully customizable to each child.
Modern browsers are designed to make Web surfing fun and easy. You can search for tunes, update your social-networking pages, and view funny videos, all with a host of handy plug-ins to make the experience even more enjoyable. But when you go online to manage your bank account or pay your bills, you want security, not jollity. That’s where Authentium’s SafeCentral comes in. For $39.95 per year or $4.95 per month, it offers a stripped-down, armored-up browser whose one goal is to keep your online transactions private and secure in every way possible.
Scrolling through piles and piles of information, I almost went past this little treasure. Board related peripherals were all over the Xbox and PS2 back in the day (or still in the day for some). The Xbox 360 and PS3 are about to get in on that action - some wireless action. They’ve finally found a way to deal with their Nintendo envy, with the whole motion sensitive gaming etc. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a skateboarding genius, or perhaps the next Tony Hawk, feast your eyes on the Qmotions wireless skateboard. 
Ricoh will release its second function-enhancing firmware update for the GR DIGITAL II digital camera. This new update will make following functional enhancements available:
1. Option to finely adjust white balance color tones
2. Specify noise reduction based on ISO sensitivity
3. Automatically shift aperture value in priority mode
4. ISO Sensitivity display by half-pressing the shutter
5. Detailed image information display in playback mode
…
Go to the Ricoh GR DIGITAL II firmware download page
If you thought controlling your MP3 player with a Bluetooth headset was high tech, you haven’t seen anything. At the Wireless Japan Expo in Tokyo, a company called NTT Docomo showed a technology called EOG (electro-oculogram) that allows the user to control electronics with their eyes, in this case an MP3 player.
In it’s current incarnation the device isn’t very practical, but in the future the technology might be integrated into headphones to allow for controlling your music. Seems rather odd, then again it’s not without it’s usefulness, at least in some circumstances.
Music fans tend to have vast libraries of digital tracks stored on their computers and PMPs like the iPod. Samson has announced a pair of new StudioDock systems that are aimed at users looking to hear their digital music from more than one device. The Samson StudioDock 3i features USB connectivity allowing users to play digital music libraries from their PCs on the speakers.
On the top of the StudioDock 3i is an iPod dock compatible with most iPod’s including the nano. The dock can sync, charge and allows for playback of music from the iPod. The StudioDock 3i has 3-inch magnetically shielded speakers with a 25mm silk dome high frequency driver. Power for the dock is 15 watts per speaker and the system features a front panel 3.5mm aux input, headphone output and volume control. The MSRP for the StudioDock 3i is $149 per pair. Samson also announced a StudioDock 4i that offers the same features but has 20W of power per speaker and larger 4.25-inch drivers.