Genius G-Shot HD520

Over the last few years camcorders have changed drastically from devices that recorded to tapes of different types to machines that use internal flash or hard drives to store video. With the move to flash storage and HDDs the cameras were also able to shrink to more portable sizes.

Genius has announced its first camcorder called the G-Shot HD520. The little camcorder weight less than six ounces and records video in 720p resolution. Video is encoded and compressed using MPEG-4/H.264 formats. In addition to recording video the camera can also take still images at 11-megapixels.

Video is stored to 32MB of internal memory and expansion up to 8GB with SDHC cards is possible. The camera has 5x digital zoom and features face tracking and electronic image stabilization. The screen for the camera is a 2.5-inch LCD that can rotate 270-degrees. The little camera sells for $149.

Samsung SMX-C14 and SMX-C10

I for one am glad that the majority of consumer video cameras available today have left tapes behind and moved to digital storage formats. That means instead of having boxes of cassette tapes sitting around the house gathering dust I can put all my home movies onto my computer or burn the easily to DVD.

Samsung has announced a pair of new ergonomic camcorders called the SMX-C14 and the SMX-C10. The two camcorders have the Touch of Color design that Samsung pioneered with its TVs. Both of the camcorders utilize Samsungs Active Angle Lens to make shooting video more comfortable.

Other features include a 2.7-inch LCD that tilts, H.264 video compression, and a 10x optical zoom lens. Both cameras also feature Samsung video and photo editing software built-in to let users edit video on a PC without needing software. The difference between the two cameras is that the C14 has 16GB of internal storage with expansion via SD/SDHC cards while the C10 only has SD/SDHC storage. The cameras will ship in July at undisclosed pricing.

Averatec N2700 netbook

TriGem USA has just made available yet another player in the already crowded notebook market - the Averatec N2700. This new mobile computing device will not skimp when it comes to features, and TriGem USA has made an extremely attractive offer for it which we’ll look at in closer detail at the end of the post. For the moment, let’s take a look at what the Averatec N2700 has to offer, shall we? For starters, this model will feature an Intel dual-core processor running at 2GHz, a 250GB hard drive and an 8x super multi DVD optical drive, all running on Microsoft Vista Home Premium.

According to Henry Hewitt, vice president of sales at TriGem USA, “The N2700 notebook is an ideal solution for consumers looking for the sweet spot in terms of price, portability and performance. It’s larger and more powerful than a typical netbook computer and offers great portability over notebooks sporting 13-inch screens and larger.” We certainly cannot deny that, since it is much beefier compared to a standard netbook, and yet it won’t break the bank with the relatively affordable $699 price point, where we’ve seen some higher end netbooks in the past retailing for approximately that price and yet lack the processing muscle to boot up Internet Explorer 8 in a fast and seamless manner. There is one drawback that the Averatec N2700 (and any other standard notebook for that matter) is unable to compete in – the size of the netbook will always win out, at least for the moment.

Other features of the N2700 includes a whopping 4GB RAM, integrated 802.11b/g wireless connectivity along with 10/100/1000 Mb/s wired networking. You will also benefit from a trio of USB 2.0 ports, while a FireWire port is there for folks to transfer their large multimedia files from devices such as camcorders over at a much faster rate compared to USB 2.0. Don’t expect this to be a head turner though, but we do think it offers a whole lot of bang for your buck.

Samsung i7500

Today Samsung's first Android system Phone is official. The Samsung i7500 is the first Sumsung phone run on the Google phone platform, featuring a 3.2" AMOLED full touch screen, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, 5 MP Camera(Auto Focus with LED flash), 1500mAh battery and with 8GB of internal memory. And it is slim and compact design, only 11.9 mm thick. The Samsung I7500 will be available in Europe from June, 2009. There is no price info.
Specs:
Android 1.5 (Cupcake)
Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity
Tri-band UMTS/HSPA connectivity (900 / 1700 / 2100 MHz) - this allows the handset to run on T-Mobile USA's network
3.2 inch capacitive AMOLED display with HVGA (480 x 320) resolution
GPS
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
5MP camera with LED flash
3.5mm headset jack
528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU
8GB of internal memory
MicroSD card support

Mashimaro Weird Rabbit MP3 Player

This is Mashimaro. It’s supposed to be a rabbit, but it’s called Mashimaro because it looks like a marshmallow or something. It is, I guess, Korea’s defense against Hello Kitty, in that it supposedly has some kind of anime series behind it (that “puts a humorous light to toilet habits”) but it’s most often seen on products of dubious quality and usefulness. And here you go, it’s a Mashimaro MP3 player.

Measuring 54 x 38 x 38mm (about matchbox sized, just fatter), the 19 gram MP3 player comes with 2 gigs of storage. It has light-up ears that also serve as a five way controller. There’s a butt-jack for headphones as well a USB connector in there somewhere that charges an internal battery for up to 9 hours of playback. the Mashimaro MP3 player costs about $45, comes in white, sky blue, or soft pink, and you may or may not be able to get it at the partially translated website below.

Sony DR-BT100CX

The last moment announcement that the iPhone 3.0 firmware update will finally add A2DP bluetooth support means I can start looking at wireless BT headphones again. At the moment there’s a few contenders on the market, but as of today there’s now one more thanks to Sony announcing their new DR-BT100CX in-ear headphones. While the wires aren’t completely gone, you at least won’t be tethered to your cellphone while listening to music, and the small dongle hanging off the earbuds lets you control playback, volume and even answer calls. It’s also recharged via USB instead of some proprietary cable, and you can expect to get about 8 hours of use between charges.

Industrial Strength Dog Bath

Control device manufacturer IDEC has developed a high-tech dog bath system called Wan Love Yu (”Dog Love Bath”), which eliminates the need for shampoo by relying on technology typically found in industrial water treatment systems. Wan Love Yu features a special shower head that discharges water containing approximately 600,000 tiny air bubbles per cubic centimeter. At 20 microns in diameter (5 times smaller than the width of a human hair), the air bubbles are small enough to penetrate the dog’s skin and hair follicles to effectively remove dirt and odor. The high-tech jacuzzi system, which consists of a special shower head and suction hose attached to a 27.5 x 27.5 x 43 centimeter main unit, is designed for use with ordinary bathtubs. The system will go on sale June 20 at a price of between 600,000 and 700,000 yen (around $6,000 to $7,000).

Dell Studio 15 Multimedia Laptop Launches

With the sales of laptops down significantly you might think that computer makers like Dell would holding off on introducing new notebooks. Dell is still coming up with new gear for those with the money to buy and the latest new notebook is the Studio 15.

As the name implies the Studio 15 has a 15.6-inch LCD supporting 720p and full 1080p resolution. The machine can be optioned with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 discrete graphics card with 256MB of 512MB of RAM.

The machine comes in black chain link, red, blue, purple, green, and pink colors. Wi-Fi is built-in and Bluetooth and mobile Internet are optional. Connectivity features include eSATA and HDMI out. Blu-ray is optional as is a 5.1 surround sound speaker system with a 3-watt subwoofer. The keyboard also has a backlit option. Pricing for the Studio 15 starts at $649.

The NES Purse

Ladies, if you’re looking to mix your passion for gadgets with high fashion accessories, check out this cool mod known as the NES purse.

Designed by Jeri Ellsworth, this unique purse incorporates a fully functional NES console into it’s design. The purse side houses the LCD screen while velcro fasteners affix two NES controllers so that you never have to play alone.

This is an easy DIY project if you elect to undertake it yourself. All that’s required is a system-on-a chip kit, the screen from a portable DVD player and the C64 emulator.

Samsung Unveils N110 and N120 Netbooks

I am a big fan of netbooks and often use an MSI Wind U100 when I am on the go. The only thing I have really wished for that the Wind lacks is a larger keyboard, without giving up the small and compact form factor that makes the netbook so appealing.

Samsung has introduced a pair of new netbooks called the N110 and the N120 that are virtually identical. Both sport the Intel Atom N270, 1GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, and 10.1-inch LED backlit LCD. Both also run Windows XP Home and have webcams, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth built in. The N110 measures 10.27-inches W x 1.19-inches H x 7.3-inches D and has a 6-cell 5900mAh battery good for nine hours.

The N120 measures 10.71-inches W x 1.71-inches H x 7.4-inches D and has a 6-cell 5200mAh battery. The big difference between the two machines is that the N110 has a standard netbook keyboard 93% of normal size and the N120 has 97% full-size keyboard. I wonder why they didn’t just use the larger 6-cell battery from the N110 on the N120. The N110 sells for $469, the N120 sells for $459, and both are available now.

Wibrain MID M1

It’s been a while since we last heard from Wibrain, but the company has announced development of the sliding MID M1 which will be released in the Korean marketplace.

The M1 will offer a 4.8-inch touchscreen with 1024×600 screen resolution, sliding keyboard with touchpad, WiFi/HSDPA/Bluetooth connectivity and mobile TV. Buyers will have their choice of either Linux or Windows OS as the installed operating system. Other selections to be made include RAM (512MB/1GB) and SSD (8GB/16GB).

There is no official word in terms of pricing and release date at this time.

YI Zipper Earphones

I know they’re just a concept design, which I usually try to avoid like the plague, but I’m really hoping that someone makes these a reality. Instead of mashing your earbuds into a ball of tangled cable when you’re done using them, the YI Zipper earphones (designed by Ji Woong) feature a… wait for it… zipper design that you can… yep you guessed it… zip up, keeping them considerably tidier when crammed in your pocket. And as an added bonus, the zipper pull also features volume and hold controls, though I’m not going to hold my breath for that to happen.

Wi-Fi Detecing Ball Point Pen

Nothing I like more than devices that can detect Wi-Fi networks. After all, when I am on the road with my laptop, there is nothing worse than being without a WiFi hotspot. Of course, I would prefer the idea of detecting an access point before I boot up my laptop rather than finding out afterwards.

I have seen all kinds of Wi-Fi detecting devices before. In all honesty, I’m not certain I want to add another mobile device to my collection of mobile devices. Yes, this is a device that you would carry around, as it works as an ordinary pen.

All you need to do is push a tiny button on the top of the thing, and 4 LEDs light up, which indicates the signal strength (1 for weakest and 4 for strongest) of the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot. It also requires 2 cell batteries, which are actually included.

There is a limitation to this, as it only detects B/G networks. It also does not detect whether or not the network is up and running, nor if a code-key is required. So don’t get too excited about finding that access point on the Wi-Fi detecting pen until you can get it to actually work.

If you definitely want this thing, then you should be able to get it at the USBFever site for about $13.99.

Zombies Resident Evil 5 Usb Drive

Only the teeniest of zombies will fear this little USB chainsaw that normally comes packed in limited edition copies of Resident Evil 5. $23.99 is pricey for 2GB storage, but...bloody chainsaw.

Barack Obama Flash Drive

Barack Obama is the most tech savvy of presidents in the history of US politics.

Many find him charming with his million dollar smile and his speeches for hope and change. His popularity rivals that of famous Hollywood stars.

It seems many can’t get enough of him and for that reason, the Barack Obama flash drive is now available. The outer shell of this 2GB flash drives include a 3D hologram of the 44th American President while in MP3 format are his Inaugural Address and “Race Speech”.

You can buy this USB drive through Amazon for $9 USD. (Source)

Rugged and Industrial Computer Systems

Was the Zypad WR110 not quite feminine enough for your cyclopean curves and purple hair? Here’s a wrist computer that could enhance both your productivity and your mojo. The Ridgeline W200 from Glacier Computer is a wrist wearable computer does the trick, with sleek arm-hugging curves and a magnesium alloy case that’s a comfortable 10 ounces.

Now, I have to say, this thing looks an awful lot like the the . Like, an awful lot. But at least it’s got mostly up to date specs, with a 3.5″ color touchscreen, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and various wired interfaces, running either Linux or Windows CE. As you might expect from its sporty and rugged form factor, the W200 is designed for people who want to get lost in the middle of nowhere without actually getting lost in the middle of nowhere. The batteries are hot swappable so that you’ll never lose your position, and the computer uses tilt sensors to tell if you’re actually looking at it, and if not, it powers down to idle.

I could see myself using one of these, for sure. Not because it’s in any way practical or anything… No, just so that people can see me using it and say, “wow, that guy has a wrist computer, he must be awesome.”

Price not yet set. 1

Braille E-Book

The Braille E-Book is a concept, which designed to translate the book into braille. Its surface use the EAP tech that can dynamically change the surface pattern by an electromagnetic signal - simulating braille text. Designed by Seon-Keun Park, Byung-Min Woo, Sun-Hye Woo & Jin-Sun Park.