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This blog covers watches, phones, tablets, media players, GPS navigation devices, and any combination thereof. Hope you enjoy!

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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

A Swanky Screen: SmartQ TAO PMP

Improvements to SmartQ's latest PMP include a 3.3-inch 480x320 pixel touchscreen, a 500mhz Blackfin processor, 16GB of internal memory, SDHC/SD/TF/MMC memory card slot, a USB 2.0 port, and a built-in 2000mAH Li-Ion rechargeable battery that provides up to 20 hours of audio playback/6 hours of video playback.

It supports MP3, OGG, WMA, FLAC, APE, AAC, WAV (PCM, ADPCM) audio; AVI (XVID/DivX3.11), RM/RMVB, FLV, WMV, ASF, 3GP, MPEG, DAT and MP4 video.

[Today's Gadgets, Engadget]

Monday, September 29, 2008

Always Connected: ClarionMiND GPS

Clarion expects to launch its portable navigation device the ClarionMiND (Mobile Internet Navigation Device) running on Atom processor and Linux OS.

Adopting a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen, the ClarionMiND supports full browser, 4GB of flash memory, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, Google Map, YouTube, and Real Player.

From the Clarion U.S.A site: "MiND will provide an 'always connected' experience and provide users access to navigation, high-speed Internet connection, digital music and videos, hands-free phone connection (via Bluetooth), built-in camera and many other innovative entertainment features. MiND will transform the way people connect with their vehicles."

The ClarionMiND is expected to be available in North America this November and in European market in January, 2009.

[AVING]

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Holy Timepiece Batman! More Batman Watches

The DC Comics Original Collection Joker watch features silvertone accents, analog quartz movement, black strap, Joker graphic dial and maniacal laughter, silvertone indices at the quarter hours, green sweep, luminous hands, and analog quartz movement. Creepy.

New from Gotham, the Fossil Vintage Batman watch features a distressed black genuine leather strap with a silver stainless steel case, rectangular case with vintage Batman logo on the brushed silver dial, silver and blue indexes, silver hands with a blue second hand. It is packaged in a zipper tin (6.5 in x 9.5 in) with scenes from old Batman comics on both the outside and inside. It comes in a limited edition of only 2,000 pieces.

Friday, September 26, 2008

American Toy with a Korean Heart: Samsung AT&T HomeManager

Samsung developed the HomeManager system for AT&T in the USA . Simply put, this solution is a set of a wireless router, cordless phone, and a PMP all from Samsung. The PMP allows access to the Yellow pages, weather, news channels, visual mail, and syncs with some AT&T phones...

[AT&T HomeManager via akihabara]

3-In-1 Device: Griffin Simplifi iPod Dock/Card Reader/USB Hub

The Griffin Simplifi iPod Dock not only accommodates a single iPod or iPhone, but it includes a media card reader, and a pair of USB devices (the ports are on the back). It also includes an AC adapter for devices that required a powered USB port, which can be conveniently ditched if its not needed. Goodbye, clutter.

[Engadget]

Keeping It Affordable: Vio360 E-Walker GPS

The Vio360 E-Walker helps keep things affordable without breaking the $200 price point. It features 3.5-inch high-resolution touchscreen, Atlas 400MHz processor, Centrality 22-channels GPS receiver, 2D and 3D Map Display, auto day and night modes, preloaded U.S. and Canada maps with 1.6 millions POI on a 2GB SD card, voice prompts, spoken street names, and embedded GPS patch antenna.

The Vio360 supports MP3 audio; MPEG 4 video; eBook display; and photo view.

[ubergizmo]

Thursday, September 25, 2008

RCA Lyra is Back: RCA Lyra Slider PMP

As an owner of an ancient RCA Lyra mp3 player, I'm pleased that Audiovox hasn't abandoned the RCA Lyra moniker entirely. The Lyra Slider comes with 4GB or 8GB of capacity and plays back audio, video, FM radio and photo slideshows. Furthermore, it has an integrated voice/media recorder, USB 2.0 port and a rechargeable battery good for up to 50 hours of music playback or 8 hours of video playback. I'm tempted...

[Engadget]

Bluetooth Watches for Women: Sony Ericsson MBW-200 Watches

Supplementing its men’s line of MBW-150 Bluetooth watches, Sony Ericsson intoduced a women’s line called the MBW-200. Made in conjunction with watchmaker Fossil, the timepieces use Bluetooth to connect with compatible handsets and display caller ID and vibrate when the phone is ringing or a text message is received. Users can then mute or reject the call via the watch. Either of the three distinctly styled timepieces will also act as a remote control for the music playing from the handset.

The MBW-200 watches will also vibrate to let users know when they get out of Bluetooth range with their phones, which is about 30 feet.

The three designs are called Sparkling Allure (shown), Contemporary Elegance and Evening Classic. Each includes a monochrome OLED display set into a traditional analog watch face, both under a mineral crystal glass with an anti-glare coating. Each watch is water resistant up to 100 feet and comes with a rechargeable battery.

[electronista]

Linux and TV: Porient H12 UMPC

The Porient H12 umpc features a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 pixel TFT touchscreen, runs Linux, comes with a 520MHz Intel XScale PXA270 processor, SD/MMC memory expansion slot, 2GB of internal flash memory, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity. Moving away from the hardware specs, it comes with the applications you come to expect like a web browser, RSS reader, video/audio player, office software.

The Porient H12 has integrated GPS, and comes with a DAB/DBV-H/DVB-T receiver, which basically means it has a TV.

It measures 5.12 inches x 3.35 inches x 0.63 inches.

[newlaunches]

Rock On: Rockbox 3.0 Firmware Replacement

Back when mp3 players couldn't do a whole lot more than play MP3s, Rockbox was there to add Gameboy emulators, additional codecs and other homebrew features. The new version 3.0 now supports a whole lot more of them for squeezing a few more months of life out of an older player. It also now comes with a handy bundled installer.

The firmware is compatible with the following mp3 players:

  • Apple: 1st through 5.5th generation iPod, iPod Mini and 1st generation iPod Nano (not the Shuffle, 2nd/3rd gen Nano, Classic or Touch)

  • Archos: Jukebox 5000, 6000, Studio, Recorder, FM Recorder, Recorder V2 and Ondio
  • Cowon: iAudio X5, X5V, X5L, M5, and M5L

  • iriver: H100, H300 and H10 series

  • Olympus: M:Robe 100

  • SanDisk: Sansa c200, e200 and e200R series (not the v2 models)

  • Toshiba: Gigabeat X and F series (not the S series)


[Rockbox via gizmodo]

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Time to Take Over the World! Swatch 007 Villain Collection

From the Swatch site: "Like Bond himself, true villains live on forever,
remembered fondly by their fans - and now by Swatch.
Celebrating the legendary British secret agents most memorable adversaries, the 007 Villains Collection explores 22 Swatch watches inspired by the best... of the worst".

[Swatch]

Monday, September 22, 2008

Cars and Watches: Frederique Constant Austen Healey Limited Edition Watches

After having successfully sponsored the 2nd European Healey Meeting in 2004, the Dutch Healey Anniversary in 2005, the Healey Le Mans Challenge in 2006, the Healey Heidelberg Challenge in 2007, Frederique Constant,an independent family owned watch manufacturer based in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, is very proud to be the main sponsor of the Third European Healey Meeting in Sweden in 2008, a unique event reuniting over 250 Austin Healey sports cars dating from the early 1950s including an amazing 30 cars coming all the way from Australia, and 500 enthusiasts from over 18 different countries!

Frederique Constant automatic watches are Swiss Made and have a two-way winding system that is activated by movements of the wrist. The turning rotor of these wristwatches is visible through the sapphire glass on the back of the watch. A high quality miniature Austin Healey car in a luxurious wooden box will accompany each Swiss watch.

[Frederique Constant, EON businesswire]

Sunday, September 21, 2008

For Korean Market: Oracom W30 PMP

The Oracom Korea has introduced its W30 PMP that feature a haptic user interface. The W30 has a 3-inch WQVGA resolution screen, built-in radio, electronic dictionary, 4GB of memory storage and integrated DMB TV tuner. It's available for the Korea market.

[zinkalo]

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Convertible UMPC: Kaliho KU860 UMPC


Kaliho's KU860 convertible UMPC packs all the expected specs in a decent enough package. That includes a 7-inch 1024 x 600 pixel touchscreen, a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor, 1GB of RAM, up to 60GB hard drive, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and, perhaps most notably, built-in GPS, 802.11b/g, IPTV, SD/MMC card slot, 3 USB 2.0 ports, audio jack, VGA.

Linux is preloaded although it's Windows XP compatible.

Battery life is estimated at 4-hours.

[pocketables]

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

I've Travelled Each and Every Highway: My Way GPS Concept

With Signce Studio My Way GPS concept you can do it your way. This handheld device makes it possible not only to use a Get-There-Quick (Target) method, but a Smell-The-Roses (Cruise) method as well.

Signce Studio puts it like this: "Discover a new two mode navigational experience. Often you need to get from A to B as efficiently as possible. 'Target Mode' covers those situations when time is of the essence and navigation has to be unmistakable. [On the other hand,] sometimes you are lucky enough to have some unexpected spare time. You would prefer to roam around and discover new places rather than just go straight from A to B. 'Cruise Mode' helps you arrange your trip so as to make spontaneous discoveries along your way." How cool is that!

[Yanko via ubergizmo]

Classic Tokyoflash Design: Tokyoflash Negative Watch

Tokyoflash Negative watch features an LCD screen that is always displaying the time, a vertical or horizontal display option, several alarm functions, 12/24 hour mode and multi-color mode, sending all LED colors into a frenzy when the backlight is activated.

The display presents the time in negative space, the unlit squares on the screen showing digital numbers, highlighted by the bright squares around them. This creates a subtle optical illusion effect, giving the watch a unusual mystique, unlike those using standard digital displays.

[Tokyoflash]

Monday, September 15, 2008

IFA 2008: Egoman MP810RSTX PMP

Egoman unveiled a new pmp at IFA 2008. The MP810RSTX pmp features a 4.3-inch TFT touchscreen, microSD/T-Flash card slots, optional FM radio and FM transmitter, TV-Out, and G-sensor.

It supports MP3, and WMA audio; and AVI, RMVB, APE, FLAC video.

[AVING]

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Watch Movies and Look Like a Superhero: Thanko All-In-One Sunglasses

Thanko's new all-in-one sunglasses can also be used for watching movies and listening to music. The device displays content in 50-inch 432 x 240 resolution, is compatible with miniSD cards and features a USB2.0 port, four EQ presets, and a Lithium ion battery (750mAh).

The device supports MP3 and WMV audio; MP4, MPG, AVI (Divx3/4/5&xVid), and ASF video; and JPEG images.

[akihabara]

Friday, September 12, 2008

Bike for Power: OHM Personal Energy Device Concept

The OHM is a hand-held sized energy device concept for cyclists. As it’s explained below, this device uses magnets and a dynamo to collect energy which can in turn be used to power up your phone or other chargeable device.

The designer, Xaview Unwin, explains the OHM as:

"Based on electromagnetic induction, OHM harvests, stores and converts human power into usable energy.

1. The user attaches ohm magnets to bicycle wheel spokes. The N42 neodymium magnets provide the optimal balance of durability and magnet strength (current output).

2. The user fixes OHM holder to bicycle seat stays, ensuring the holder is in line with the ohm magnets. The ohm energy device is then placed inside the holder to provide protection from dirt and moisture.

3. The user begins to cycle. As the wheel spokes turn, the magnets pass the ohm internal coil of wire (dynamo) inducing a current. The current is stored in the internal 1200 mAh lithium ion battery.

4. Once the user finishes cycling, the OHM energy device can be removed and used to recharge, with suitable adapters, any portable electronic device under 5 volts. Approximately 45 minutes to an hour of cycling produces enough energy to fully recharge a mobile phone."

[Yanko]

Sony Releases Two iPod Accessories? Sony IF-CD3iP Dock and ZS-S4iP Boombox

It's kind of odd but Sony has indeed announced the ICF-CD3iP, which is a dock for the iPhone/iPod. It also features an alarm clock, a radio, and a CD player with MP3-CD playback to the device. It even has an iPod/iPhone remote. It retains both the dock as well as the device's alarm times. The line in has been included so that the odd Zune or Creative (maybe even Sony) loyalists can hook up their other players.
The Sony ZS-S4iP boombox that docks your Apple device and charges it while playing back your fav tunes. Specs reveal two 2.0 Watt speakers, FM/AM (with 30 presets), playback of regular CD's, and data CD-R/W's with MP3's, a remote, Digital Mega Bass and ID3Tag Support.

[newlaunches]

"Funnest" iPod has Bluetooth Chipset: iPod touch 2g

I posted about the new iPod touch yesterday. The curious minds at iFixit uncovered a Broadcom Bluetooth chipset inside the innards of an iPod touch 2g, something that was withheld from the general public during the device's launch. It isn't listed down on the product page. The Broadcom Bluetooth chipset supports 2.1+EDR although there is no confirmation as to whether it does A2DP as well for you to enjoy your music over a pair of wireless stereo headphones.

According to MacRumors, the Nike+ functionality on the iPod touch 2g utilizes the same 2.4GHz frequency as Bluetooth which explains the presence of this chip.

[ubergizmo]

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Bike + iPod nano: iBikeConsole Cycle Computer Docking Station

The iBike-Console iPod nano cycle computer docking station not only allows you to mount your iPod Nano securely to the handlebars of your bike courtesy of a shock absorbing, weatherproof cradle but also comes complete with dual grip mounted controls facilitating the safe control of your nano whilst you maintain complete control of your bike.

iBikeConsole puts all your nano’s functions at your fingertips and converts your nano into a cycle computer which keeps you continuously versed with your current speed and trip distance (the data being stored on an independent memory chip so it's not lost when your nano is disconnected).

[TFTS]

The Funnest iPod Ever: iPod touch 2g

The iPod touch just got updated, bringing its case design in line with the iPhone 3g's (though keeping the steel backside) and adding a couple of new features.

Available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB storage sizes, the iPod touch now has external volume controls on the side and integrated Nike+ support, which means the hardware that used to require a transmitter plugged into your iPod is now built in. It uses the accelerometer to follow your workout, playing music in time with your running and helping you keep track of your workouts over time.

The touch also gets Genius playlist support, which was announced for the new version of iTunes. You can now have your iPod Touch come up with smart playlists on the fly for you.

[DVICE]

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

GPS, Wi-Fi, and YouTube Uploadability: Sony Ericsson G705

The new Sony Ericsson G705, said to be announced within two weeks, is a slider that features Wi-Fi, a built-in GPS receiver, a 3 megapixel camera with geo-tagging, a LED flash, the ability to capture video with upload directly to YouTube under a new partnership with Google. It has 128MB of internal memory and a M2 expansion memory card slot.

[newlaunches]

More "Funner": iPod nano 4g

After weeks of rumors, the new iPod nano is out. It comes with a new aluminum body and an accelerometer, so that it can detect when you're watching a movie in landscape mode and rotate the display accordingly. Apple has also introduced "shake to shuffle", which is a convenient way for going to a random song, without having to press a button or look at the screen. It also features "Genius" or what Apple calls a "virtual DJ" - Genius will try to analyze your tastes and propose songs that you might like (that might also boost sales).

The new nano measures 3.6 x 1.5 x 0.24 inches, has a two-inch 320 x 240 pixel diagonal colour LCD with LED backlight, 8GB or 16GB of storage, and offers up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback on a single charge. It comes in nine colors.

Check out the interface:



[Apple via ubergizmo]

Sunday, September 7, 2008

For the Tub: Sony Mini Bravia XDV-W600 LCD TV

The Sony Mini Bravia XDV-W600 LCD TV with 4-inch flat panel can go where few TVs have gone before, even surviving for a half-hour submerged under three feet of water. Battery-powered for 23 hours, it can even record video clips like a TiVo, or transfer movies onto its 2GB of built-in flash memory.

Sadly it only supports the Japanese 1seg data broadcasting system that’s not available in the U.S.

[Sony via DVICE]

Friday, September 5, 2008

Defying the Laws of Physics: Parmigian Bugatti Type 370 Watch

From the Parmigian Bugatti Type 370 watch brochure:

"The 'engine' – representing the mobile skeletal frame of this new type of timepiece – reveals its gear-trains for all to admire. Defying the laws of
physics, the movement beats steadily through its open heart.

Placed on the side, directed towards the inside of the wrist, the time read-off comes naturally into view. This daring, slightly offbeat conception is characteristic of a certain attitude of casual elegance, detached from temporal constraints and entirely in keeping with the spirit of the 'gentleman driver'. Its sophisticated stature and streamlined curves evoke those of a radiator grill or the
aerodynamic wing of a racing car."

[Parmigian via DVICE]

"T" for Traffic: Navigon 2200T GPS

Navigon introduced a high-end GPS device with free-for-life live traffic info. The Navigon 2200T is the first "genuine entry-level GPS navigator" with free lifetime traffic, according to Navigon. It also has the same Reality View system with lane assistant as it's more expensive sibling, with 3D-illustrated junctions to help with traversing complex intersections, a text-to-speech function, a 3.5-inch touchscreen, SiRF GRF3i+ GPS chip with InstantFix II ability and an integrated traffic data antenna.

[gizmodo]

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

A Sense of Mystique: Tokyoflash Rogue Watch

"Bright enough to get you noticed but subtle enough to keep you looking cool, Rogue's vivid green LED light guide presents the time through a circle of connecting LCD blocks." The watch features an alarm, an LED light for illumination, and it's water resistant to 30 meters.

"The outer ring of small dots represents minutes, every fifth dot being slightly smaller to distinguish five minute groups. The ring of large blocks represents rough minutes, the position of the gap indicating approximate minutes. The inner ring of blocks represents hours, the position of the gap in the ring showing the current hour as on a clock face." So the watch on the right reads 1:18 AM.

It's available with either a polished silver or polished IP black finish.

[Tokyoflash via TFTS]

Sorry, Blackberry: Wibrain i1 UMPC

I must say I'm quite intrigued by the Wibrain i1 device. It features either a 1.1GHz or 1.3GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 30GB or 60GB hard drive or 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB SSD, and, perhaps most notably, tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band GPRS/EDGE connectivity.

Wibrain is taking a rather interesting approach to marketing the device, with one of its leaflets proclaiming, "Sorry, Blackberry. We provide you a real free mobile life – full browsing internet plus the complete functionality of Outlook, of course all MS Office documentation anytime, anywhere". Nice.

[Engadget]

Monday, September 1, 2008

With Bat Signal! Batman Alarm Clock

The Batman Clock features an adjustable snooze timer, AM/FM radio and a 180-degree rotation arm (for projection). It has a display option of either a 12 hour or a 24 hour clock and eight different tones to select from. The clock runs either with the included AC adaptor or with four AAA batteries. The projected bat signal is so cool, especially with the threat of both, the Joker and Two-Face, lurking in dark...

[newlaunches]

For the Cult iPod touch: Gorenje Made for iPod Fridge

The new Made for iPod fridge by Gorenje is designed specifically for what Gorenje describes as the "the cult iPod touch". The fridge features the usual iPod dock, as well as pair of built-in speakers of unspecified kitchen-shaking ability. Gorenje also takes things one step further with its iGorenje web portal, which is, you guessed it, optimized for the iPhone or iPod touch. It'll not only give you the usual recipes and other information, but control over other household appliances that are connected via WiFi, although Gorenje is quick to point out that's still only in a test version. No word on a price or release date just yet.

[Engadget]