It turns out that you and I were devastatingly wrong to think the technology to make Nokia’s Aeon concept phone does not yet exist in the real world. Because here it is, folks. The truth. Real live and in the beating Chinese flesh.
Of course, now that I’ve finally said the word “Chinese”, I’m sure you’re already getting the joke. Because let’s face it, the Chinese have a reputation to uphold. Who’s going to make all the knock-offs of the world if they don’t, right? And don’t worry about them getting in trouble for ripping off Nokia in various ways. Because out there in China, piracy “just works”.
This phone apparently is being sold in China as the ‘OEM like Nokia Aeon’ phone, which features a glossy, metallic front facade, 2.2-inch TFT screen, and a very clear and visible “invisible keyboard”. The spec sheet also gives it the power of Bluetooth, dual SIM card support, built-in music player and 3D stereo loudspeaker. And a 2 megapixel camera that can only shoot 1.3 megapixel photos is possibly also on board.
Turning the handset around, you can see that it even blatantly display’s Nokia’s logo down the back side. Definitely a Nokia? I can’t believe I missed it either.
Not sure if this phone can change shape, charge itself off the sun, clean itself and help you do your taxes, but if it does one thing, that’s prove yet again that there’s no phone, or concept, too complicated or unreal for the Chinese to copy.
Looking for an easy way to copy songs and movies from one iPod to another? Then look no further. This compact device connects two iPods and lets you easily transfer tracks without any computer required.
The $99 miShare snaps between two iPods and will copy tracks with the press of a button. A single button press copies the last song or video played or a pre-selected photo folder. A longer press duplicates any files you’ve got stored in your current On-The-Go playlist, so you can easily copy multiple files.
The device is perfect for moving non-DRMed tracks between the players, but can also copy iTunes DRM tracks with the caveat that you’ll need to authorize the device using iTunes once they’re copied.
Unfortunately, the miShare doesn’t currently work with the iPhone or iPod Touch, but should work fine with all other iPods with the standard 30-pin dock connector (Mini, Nano, 3G, 4G, Video (5G), and Classic (6G) models).
You might high-def projectors are the most exciting thing happening in the projector world but you’d be wrong. In fact, think ‘tiny’ and you’d be on the right track.
Microvision claims to have cracked the creation of a projector so small that it can be incorporated into mobile phones. The company will be showing off its PicoP projector technology – just 7mm thick - at next week’s gadget smorgasbord, CES 2008, in Vegas next week.
The prototype device – codenamed SHOW - is embedded in a PDA-sized device for use by professionals on the go, but Microvision says it can also be fitted to regular mobile phones. Texas Instruments previewed something similar a few months back - jump now to see a video of it in action.
Performance wise, the SHOW is no slouch either throwing up a 2.5 metre image with a resolution of 848×480 pixels. Battery life is rated at 2.5 hours and images are always in focus.
“Consumers want better display solutions that will enrich their experience in watching TV, videos and movies, in playing games, and in browsing the web from their cell phones and other mobile devices,”points out Alexander Tokman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Microvision. “While mobile multi-media subscription services are on the rise, handset manufacturers, content providers and service providers view tiny cell phone displays as a barrier to stronger consumer adoption of their products and services. With Microvision’s SHOW you could view and share everything ranging from YouTube videos, MSN newscasts, and Google search results to PowerPoint presentations, feature-length films, and family photos in a large, full-color, hi-resolution format instead of a 2-inch, QVGA display.”
The company has worked 10 years on this and, having inked a new deal with Motorola, let’s hope that 2008 is the year we might see a product we can actually buy.-Martin Lynch
Magic is ancient, mysterious, astounding and, with the right props and practice, capable of being pulled off by anyone. Hell, if professional crackpot Uri Geller could become a millionaire from staring at spoons so can you.
Meet the Magic Teaspoon with a handle comprised off – wait for it - Nitinol (NIckel TItanium Naval Ordnance Laboratory or shape memory metal. This means that as soon as you put it in a warm liquid it will bend. Put it back under cooler liquid to straighten it out. Reusable lots of times, or as many times as you need one decent magic trick to score with the ladies.
I could have saved myself so much time and spoon-related embarrassment in my youth if I’d had one of these. Yours for £24 here.-Martin Lynch
I thought the Wii Zapper was pretty cool when I first saw it but now the add-ons for the ridiculously popular Wii console are getting, well, pretty ridiculous.
Meet the Wiimote Weapons Kit from Dragon Electronics, an 8-in-1 selection of bladed accessories that are aiming to add a little more realism to all that arm-waving. You get a pair of throwing knives, dagger, shield, curved scimitar and even a non-PC handgun. Here’s what the marketing blurb says:
Product Features
* Nintendo Wii Weapon Kit 8in1 Bundle Set
* Ease set-up and use
* Childish soft materials manufacture, no hazaro
* Amazing, exciting, fantastic and training body reaction
* Special design for Wii action, fighting or shooting light gun games
* Physical exercise ideal Wii accessories product and good for health
‘No hazaro’, eh? Yours for less than £15.-Martin Lynch
Anyone out there who remembers surfing during the ‘The Browser Wars’ will, no doubt, feel a little twinge at AOL’s decision to pull the plug on the ailing Netscape Navigator browser.
Back in the mid-1990s, Netscape was THE browser on the market, used by nearly 90% of Internet users. These days it’s just less than 1% and it’s that ‘lack of users’ AOL is blaming for the decision to stop supporting the product after Feb 1 2008. In his blog, lead developer Tom Drapeau commented:
“While internal groups within AOL have invested a great deal of time and energy in attempting to revive Netscape Navigator, these efforts have not been successful in gaining market share from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Recently, support for the Netscape browser has been limited to a handful of engineers tasked with creating a skinned version of Firefox with a few extensions.
AOL’s focus on transitioning to an ad-supported Web business leaves little room for the size of investment needed to get the Netscape browser to a point many of its fans expect it to be. Given AOL’s current business focus and the success the Mozilla Foundation has had in developing critically-acclaimed products, we feel it’s the right time to end development of Netscape branded browsers, hand the reins fully to Mozilla and encourage Netscape users to adopt Firefox.”
Anyone else out there remember Netscape’s heyday?-Martin Lynch
The budget Venturer HD DVD player finally went on sale in the UK a few days ago on the QVC shopping channel.
It was priced at £162.92 and with it you got two movies – Troy and Hulk – thrown in for free as well as a redeemable coupon for five more free high-def flicks from the European HD DVD Promotion Group. So far, so good.
Except now it seems that the price was a one-day special on the QVC TV channel and if you want the Venturer now, you can get it from the QVC Web site for a not so attractive £206, along with £7 for P&P.
OK, £213 is still a decent price for a high-def movie spinner but it’s just not as appealing as what was originally promised. After all, you can get Toshiba HD DVD players for less and with a stack of free movies thrown in too.
Give it a few months and you’ll see that £162 price tag return.-Martin Lynch
If you thought the Optimus Maximus OLED keyboard was cool then mad Russian designer Art Lebedev has something even cooler up his sleeve.
Meet the Optimus Tactus, a whopping touch-sensor that you can program with keys or pretty much anything you like and even use it to display videos. Yes, it’s a bit barking and, yes, it’s still only a concept but so was the OLED-based Maximus.
The one thing you can be sure about is that when it does arrive [maybe], it’ll be so expensive it will make you cry.
Even the new budget Maximus is designed to incinerate your wallet. Jump for another shot.-Martin Lynch
The device is perfect for moving non-DRMed tracks between the players, but can also copy iTunes DRM tracks with the caveat that you’ll need to authorize the device using iTunes once they’re copied.
You might high-def projectors are the most exciting thing happening in the projector world but you’d be wrong. In fact, think ‘tiny’ and you’d be on the right track. 
Magic is ancient, mysterious, astounding and, with the right props and practice, capable of being pulled off by anyone. Hell, if professional crackpot Uri Geller could become a millionaire from staring at spoons so can you. 
