Tech Gadgets Reviews

Nokia is officially going to release the Nokia 6500 Classic in silver color. We have previously praised the company for using a micro-USB port to charge/sync (every manufacturer should do that). The new silver color looks much better than the black version, in our opinion, but if you have one, send us a real-life photo.

How do you know if your user interface and design is of an excellent standard? Why, other manufacturers start to adopt it and call it their very own. Teclast’s T50 is a portable media player that boasts a multitouch screen which supports both finger-swiping and pinching commands as found on the iphone. Other features include :-

• 16:9 super WQVGA display
• 430 x 240 resolution
• Supports RMVB, FLAC, APE formats
• Text-to-speech function

There is no word on pricing, but it sure looks sweet though.

Well the international roll-out has begun for the Eee PC 900. The new ultra-portable has already been launched in Hong Kong and the UK, with France getting theirs on April 17 and Taiwan on either April 22 or April 24. No word on release dates for other areas, hopefully they will follow shortly.

While it would be nice to have seen, or at least confirm a US release date, we can confirm that many of the expected specs held true. The Eee PC 900 features an 8.9-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution, a 900 Mhz Intel Celeron processor, 1GB of RAM, 12GB SSD, a 1.3-megapixel webcam and the multi-touch trackpad.

Overall its still a little disappointing and kind of feels like a rushed release. Hopefully the next-next generation Eee’s will offer a little more processing power. There are a few good points to mention however, the processor gives you the option in the BIOS to be run at either 900Mhz or a slower 630Mhz, this will give you some flexibility of either (albeit slightly) more power or longer battery life. Users will also be able to easily get at and upgrade the RAM, and the overall dimensions are the same as the current Eee PC 701.

Basically the Eee PC 900 offers a larger screen, bigger SSD, and comes standard with more RAM. While these are improvements I am not sure the 900 will be able to live up to the hype. Keep reading to watch the retail promo video, which shows not only the new Eee PC 900, but a comparison with the Eee PC 701.

Via [jkkmobile]

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Drives & Rides

You can have this for ?59.00

This story has been around for a while but it’s just hitting mainstream news now. Bernie Peng, a financial software programmer, altered a homebrew version of Bejeweled for DS to clear the screen and drop a ring down when his girlfriend reached a certain score. Lucky for Bernie she said yes, and it was heard by nerds everywhere, including Bejeweled maker PopCap, who is flying them to Seattle as part of their honeymoon. The company is also supplying copies of Bejeweled as gifts to wedding guests.

Bernie and his girlfriend have recreated the moment in a series of photos on his blog.

Definitely a geeky thing to do, so I applaud Bernie, but a quick search of Geek.com would have saved him some trouble since Astraware created a special edition of Bejeweled last year for just such an occasion.

Icron Technologies Corporation has announced that it will be rolling out the USB 2.0 Ranger 2101 and USB 2.0 Ranger 2104 Cat 5 extenders which are touted to feature significantly lower cost and improved distance over previous USB 2.0 extension solutions. Robert Eisses, President and CEO of Icron Technologies states, “Our customers are connecting USB enabled devices in more challenging and unique applications which demand higher performance and flexibility from our ExtremeUSB technology. “We are committed to enhancing the technology to increase the implementation options to be able to dramatically expand the market for ExtremeUSB technology. Ranger 2101 and Ranger 2104 are the initial products in a new series of solutions from Icron that include other cost down products and ultimately a family of single chip ExtremeUSB devices, ideal for embedding into a variety of applications.”

ExtremeUSB works by transparently bridging USB over a variety of media, ranging from Cat-5 and fibre optics to current and future wireless media, power line communications and coax platforms. It can even be combined with video, enabling ExtremeUSB to provide the ideal plug and play solution for remote desktop and KVM applications in a variety of markets including industrial, commercial, and medical. For the fast expanding Digital Home market, ExtremeUSB brings a cost-effective, plug and play solution for home users to extend the full PC desktop without relying on just selected media, to any TV in the home, without the need to install yet another PC by the TV (and hence saving you more dough in the long run as well).

The Ranger 2101 and Ranger 2104 launch is a step in the right direction when it comes to providing low cost, high performance solutions to the market. The Ranger 2101 comes with a single USB 2.0 remote port at 100m over CAT5 cables that results in a 100% increase in distance over previous solutions while being 45% cheaper. As for the Ranger 2104, it offers the same performance but comes with an integrated USB hub that provides four remote USB 2.0 ports. Both the Ranger 2101 and Ranger 2104 will retail for $349 and $389, respectively.

Press Release

Consumers no longer have to break the bank to receive top-rate features in the increasingly popular GPS market. NAVIGON, the fastest growing GPS brand, today announced the retail availability of the NAVIGON 2100 max and NAVIGON 2120 max personal navigation devices (PNDs) in the United States and Canada. These devices provide exceptional and affordable value with top-of-the-line features, such as NAVIGON’s new DirectHelp(TM), a feature that pinpoints a user’s location and provides instant links to nearby services such as hospitals, pharmacies and roadside assistance. The devices also include a 4.3 inch widescreen and spoken driving directions via text-to-speech.

In addition to including features typically reserved for high-end devices, the NAVIGON 2100 max and NAVIGON 2120 max devices include exclusive features that set NAVIGON apart in the GPS industry. The units include Reality View(TM), which provides photo-realistic, 3D images of confusing highway interchanges, as well as Lane Assistant, which assists drivers in making the correct lane choice for upcoming turns and off ramps. The NAVIGON 2100 max features the latest NAVIGON software, including optimizations to routing and user interface.
The NAVIGON 2100/2120 max devices are compatible with NAVIGON’s groundbreaking new FreshMaps service. FreshMaps provides up to 12 trusted, field-verified, and quality-controlled map and POI updates over a three year period to ensure accurate driving directions over time. Both the NAVIGON 2100 max and NAVIGON 2120 max are also compatible with NAVIGON’s optional Lifetime Traffic(SM) and ZAGAT(R) SURVEY Ratings and Reviews accessories.

“Providing consumers with affordable products, without sacrificing features that play a significant role in their navigation experience, is our top focus when bringing new products to market,” said Andreas Hecht, NAVIGON’s president for the Americas. “The success of the NAVIGON 2100 unit, which was the second best selling PND in February, proves that it is possible to incorporate traditional high-end features, such as text-to-speech, into an affordable device that appeals to a broad range of consumers. With the NAVIGON 2100 max, we are building on this philosophy by incorporating more features, such as a widescreen and DirectHelp, while not compromising the affordability of the product.”

The NAVIGON 2100 max and NAVIGON 2120 max feature slim, stylish piano-black casings and an anti-glare 4.3 inch touchscreen display. Easy to read 2D and 3D map views and a user friendly interface provide users with an unmatched level of detail and information, including branded points of interest, speed warnings and Lane Assistant. Predictive data entry and route planning, as well as millions of pre-loaded points of interest, help make finding a destination quick and simple.

Key features include:

• DirectHelp(TM): provides instant access to directions and phone numbers of emergency services at the touch of a button.
• Finds the nearest hospital, police station, tow truck company or pharmacy, and indicatesyour exact location to help these services locate you.
• Reality View(TM): exclusive and available only on NAVIGON devices, Reality View provides 3D, photo-realistic virtual reality views of complex interchanges, complete with road geometry and actual road sign text.
• Text-to-Speech: provides specific, clearly spoken driving directions and actual street names in a variety of languages.
• Lane Assistant: offers simple to view lane guidance to assist drivers in making the correct upcoming maneuver.
• Automatic Speed Warnings: indicates posted speed limit and notifies driver with visual and verbal warnings when speeding.
• Route Planning: allows users to plot a route with multiple waypoints — a feature found only on high-priced competitor devices.

NAVIGON’s 2100 series devices can be upgraded with accessories that include:

• NAVIGON FreshMaps: Up to 12 quarterly map updates over three years; works on all NAVIGON GPS devices and sells for MSRP $79.99.
• NAVIGON Lifetime Traffic(SM): Real-time traffic updates, including traffic flow, incidents and alternate routes for the lifetime of the product. Optional accessory with MSRP of $99.99.
• ZAGAT Survey(R) Ratings and Reviews: ZAGAT listings for U.S. hotels, resorts and spas, restaurants, golf courses, as well as attractions andnightlife in 70+ U.S. cities help users make informed destination choices. Optional accessory with MSRP of $39.99.

The NAVIGON 2100 max ships with maps of the continental U.S. and is available now with an MSRP of $299. The NAVIGON 2120 max features maps of the continental U.S. and Canada and is available now for purchase in Canada only with an MSRP of $329 CAD.

Nokia today introduced the Nokia 6212 classic featuring integrated Near Field Communication (NFC).

The Nokia 6212 classic allows you to share content, access services and information as well as conduct payments and ticketing with one tap of the device.
 
The Nokia 6212 classic can be used as a travel ticket or for mobile payments. Travel tickets can be charged over the air, so there is no need to wait at the service counter.

You can store your credit card information on the device and access your account online directly from the handset. Using the Nokia 6212 classic for payment and ticketing purposes requires a service subscription and the installation of an appropriate secure application. Security for transactions is assured as the handset can be set to allow payment only when the user expressly authorizes the transaction via an additional passcode.
 
The sales pack of the Nokia 6212 classic comes with three sticker tags, one of which opens the NFC introduction in the phone.
 
The Nokia 6212 classic comes with an extensive set of features such as a 2 megapixel camera, bright 2-inch QVGA display, stereo FM radio and music player supporting multiple formats. An optional microSD memory card of up to 4GB provides ample space for personal content such as images and songs.

The Nokia 6212 classic is expected to start shipping in the third quarter of 2008 in select markets in Europe and Asia with an estimated retail price of EUR 200 before taxes and subsidies.

Source: Nokia 6212 review

Many of us here at the Gadget Lab had a feeling about this one, but now the FDA has confirmed it: Human placentas are not nutritional supplements. That ruling is bound to upset Danny, as well as Herbal Science International, a Japanese company who must now recall a number of its dietary supplements that contain things like ephedrine alkaloids, aristolochic acid (a rodent carcinogen) and human placenta.

Says the FDA:

Finally, the company is recalling Seng Jong Tzu Tong Tan, a product that contains human placenta. Human placenta may transmit disease and dietary supplements that contain it may not be lawfully marketed in the United States.

Japanese placenta connoisseurs needn’t worry, though. The FDA’s war on placentas will not affect the popular new “health drink” we wrote about last month since it only prevents placenta-based products from being marketed here in the U.S.

So to our Japanese friends we say: Imbibe your a refreshing peach-flavored pig placenta beverages with aplomb. Just don’t expect to loose any weight.

[FDA through Medgadget]

Photo courtesy of Medgadget

The Arduino platform lies somewhere between Technic Lego and the low level geek world of circuit building. It consists of two parts; the hardware and the software, and with these you can build almost anything, from a simple flashing light to a box of tricks that sends you a Twitter message when your houseplants get thirsty.

Our home computers are great at communicating with other computers and (sometimes) with us, but they have no idea what is going on in the world around them. Arduino, on the other hand, is made to be hooked up to sensors which feed it physical information. These can be as simple as pressing a button, or as complex as using ultrasound to detect distance, or in the above example, monitoring the current flowing between two nails in soil: when the soil gets dry, the current drops and the Arduino carries out instructions: In this case it talks to a Zigbee internet-connected radio and posts a Twitter message, but you could just as easily have it talk to a robot which would water the plant for you.

So the Arduino is essentially a simple computer with eyes and ears. Why is it so popular? Because the hardware is cheap, it’s easy to program and there is a huge web community, which means that beginners can find help and download myriad programs for the board.

To start, you need to buy an Arduino. It comes pre-assembled or, for those handy with a soldering iron, in kit form. A fully assembled Diecimila board from the excellent Make costs just $35. The bare-bones, DIY kit is $20 and if you’re feeling fancy, there is a Bluetooth model, which never needs to be hooked up to a computer and can even be controlled by a cellphone.

Now it’s time to have some fun. Download the open-source software from the Arduino site. It runs in Java on Mac OS X, Windows and Linux, and comes pre-loaded with example programs, or “Sketches” . Unless you’re experienced in programming in the Wiring language, on which the Arduino language is based, you’ll want to start with the included examples, which are in the Sketchbook. Then, you simply hook up your Arduino via the USB port. Your code is compiled and sent to the board and it’s ready to go.

Once you get bored of flashing a single, lone LED, you can graduate to the community Playground, where you will find all kinds of advice and code snippets. Here is where you will learn to make the drum machine in the video below, or hook up your new toy to your computer to control it, via Flash or a handful of other software with which the Arduino will happily talk. Off you go! Build a cat feeder or a hack your coffee machine to wake you up with a hot cup of java. Me? I’m off to Ebay to bid on an old DeLorean and a Flux Capacitor.

Links:

Arduino Home

Make Arduino Projects

Where to Buy