Ballancing Touchscreen

When i hear the word touchscreen i imediately think at some nifty new gadget that has this function, but no, that not what this article is about. In fact the touch screen balancing platform was developed by the Real Time Systems Laboratory at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy. The touch screen is used as a X-Y axes sensor, and the information is than used to make adjustments with the servos.

It’s quite an original idea, and very well applied, I mean look at the video, the platform can handle quite well even when the bal is throwed at it.

Nintendo WiFi Network Adapter is actually a router

Nintendo has announced a Wi-Fi router, for use with the DS and the Wii. We, along with the majority of gaming fans, hold out our hands palm upwards, tilt our heads slightly to one side and shrug. “Why?” we ask.

The Wii and the DS handheld both have Wi-Fi already, both of which will work with any existing router. Perhaps the name will give us a clue: “Nintendo WiFi Network Adapter”. Some Nintendo users report difficulty in connecting to their wireless networks, and this box could be intended to hook up to your regular home router and provide a Nintendo-friendly signal. The three-position switch on the back adds credibility to this notion — you can select either Router, Bridge or Auto.

These same perplexed gamers are wondering why the big N’s R&D time has gone into this, rather than a hard drive for the Wii. A strange choice, to be sure, but not unprecedented. Apple has been selling Airport routers for years, and they are pretty much guaranteed to work with a Mac out of the box. For home gamers seeking an easy solution, Nintendo’s ¥5,800 (US$53) box might be just the thing.

Nintendo WiFi Network Adapter is actually a router: [via]

Tiny pocket sized projector from 3M

A few tiny pocket sized projectors have been seen around the trade shows over this last year. The latest one comes from 3M who are actually about to officially launch the product. The pocket projector is named the MPro110 mini Projector.

This mini projector will cost $359 when it is launched. It will require a fairly dark room for best quality as the power of this device isn’t the greatest which is to be expected of a projector that fits in to your pocket. Sound is also not available from the device, so external speakers will be required for watching movies.

The technology that runs this pocket projector is an LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) screen with the light being provided by LED. It is due to be launched later this month and 3M are expecting to see mobile phones with this technology built in by next year.

Tiny pocket sized projector from 3M: [via]

16GB TrekStor USB thumb drive doubles as a bottle opener

If you’re going to carry around a USB thumb drive that has a bunch of data on it, you might as well choose one that offers more in terms of functionality than mere data storage. After all, with so many brands out there putting out thumb drives and with the cost of storage dropping so low, you need to look beyond simple aesthetics.

The TrekStor USB thumb drive doubles as a bottle opener. Yep, it can store between 1GB and 16GB of data, and it can open up your frosty brews as well. Make it your keychain and you’ll always have whatever data you want with you, be it documents or media files, and you’ll never be searching for a bottle opener again. It makes regular old thumb drives look downright featureless in comparison.

16GB TrekStor USB thumb drive doubles as a bottle opener: [via]

New Leica D-Lux 4 compact camera

Leica, so swish that it could saunter into digital photography years after everyone else and still get all the gush, is to upgrade its D-Lux series with a new sub-$1,000 model. The D-Lux 4 adds a hotshoe, comes with a new lens, and upgrades the lens and image sensor.

The D-Lux 3 had a 28-112mm ƒ2.8 – 4.9 lens. The new camera has a wider and faster 24-60mm ƒ2-2.8 lens. Inside, the pixel count is actually slightly lower, at 10.1 MP (vs. 10.4) and the sensor size is almost identical, changing from 1/1.65″ to 1/1.63″. These last might just be counting differences between actual and effective pixels.

New Leica D-Lux 4 compact camera: [via]

New Webcams from Microsoft

Microsoft isn’t a famous name when it comes to hardware, but that doesn’t mean they don’t come up with anything decent. Their range of keyboards, mice and webcams are pretty good in terms of performance. Today, we’ll look at a couple of webcam releases from the software giant – the LifeCam Show and LifeCam VS-5500. Both peripherals will feature new designs that will sit down well with most people, and is versatile enough to function on both desktop and notebook platforms.
The LifeCam Show is extremely sleek, and is touted to be one of the slimmest webcams available in the market now while the LifeCam VX-5500 wears a more sassy approach, featuring switchable faceplates that come in a trio of colors and an innovative, collapsible design for easy portability. Both models will deliver high-end audio and video performance without missing a beat, and they support the Video Messages service that makes it easy to send and receive video messages to your contacts.

The LifeCam Show and LifeCam VX-5500 will be available later this October for $99.95 and $59.95,respectively.

New Webcams from Microsoft: [via]

SideWinder X8 – gaming mouse from Microsoft

A gaming mouse that does not come with wires? Well well, this is definitely going against the grain, but Microsoft doesn’t care as they forge ahead with the SideWinder X8. This wireless gaming mouse relies on a 2.4GHz connection to keep it moving, and it is capable of hitting a ridiculously high 4,000 dpi to match the Razer Lachesis. I am personally using a Lachesis, and I don’t venture anywhere near that amount since it is way too sensitive for me in the midst of a firefight. The SideWinder X8 relies on the recently unveiled BlueTrack laser technology that makes mousing possible on virtually any surface. Microsoft has also touted a 30 hour battery life for active gamers, but I would make sure the battery is fully charged if I’m going to enter any gaming competition with this. Good to know the SideWinder X8 comes with a play-and-charge cable for those emergencies. You can pick up the Microsoft SideWinder X8 for $100 next February.

SideWinder X8 – gaming mouse from Microsoft: [via]

Recharge all your phones with USB Multi-Cellular Phone Charger

I don’t think that all families use only one brand of cell phone, and this is where the USB Multi-Cellular Phone Charger comes in handy. This device is able to cater for all popular brands in the market, including Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Nokia among others. It relies on USB power to juice up your exhausted handsets, which makes it all the more convenient since you can always plug it into your laptop while you’re on a trans-Atlantic flight. Each $18 purchase comes with eight different connectors.

Recharge all your phones with USB Multi-Cellular Phone Charger: [via]

Sony Vaio NS notebook with Blu-ray

Sony’s newest model range in the school of Vaio is the NS, a 15.4″ skinny thing with Blu-Ray, 4 gigs of RAM and a “textured exterior” for your salad fingers. It’s also accompanied by the CS, a similar machine with a 14.4″ widescreen display and a 5.7lb weigh-in.

These machines have Intel Core 2 Duo processors, “ample storage,” and — as has been Sony’s thing of late — a reasonable price tag: a basic, no-frills NS will cost only $650. Vaio NS comes in blue, white and silver, while the CS comes in colors so strangely-named I can’t even discern what they really are: “Sangria, cosmopolitan, and dove.” It sounds like the weirdest legal practice this side of the Rockies.

The CS will start at $920, with BD models starting at $1,070.

“Style and function to fashionable consumers,” is the pitch, but at just a grand for a Blu-Ray laptop, frequent flyers of a staider sort might be the real market here.

Sony Vaio NS notebook with Blu-ray: [via] – [source]

Electrolux Scan Toaster

Of all the companies that make toasters, I’m pretty sure Electrolux has the biggest R&D budget. It always pops up sponsoring fancy design competitions and the like. Here’s its “Scan Toaster,” a concept by Sung Bae Chang, whose mode of operation is refreshingly obvious.

You plug it into your computer, put a slice of bread in it, and then print.

Electrolux Scan Toaster: [via]