by Techno Witch on August 22, 2008
By Andrew Liszewski
While Romain Jerome isn’t exactly the first company that springs to mind when you think of luxury watches, they have made a name for themselves with their Titanic DNA watch that includes salvaged materials from the infamous luxury liner. Apparently the watches sold quite well, and they seemed to have inspired Romain Jerome to stick with the ‘gimmick’ approach when it comes to their designs. How else would you explain the Day & Night watch which doesn’t have any hands on the face, and is only able to tell you if it’s… well… day or night. And it’s not like the company is trying to keep the fact that the watch can’t tell time a secret.
World First ? An exceptional timepiece that does not indicate the time!
With no display for the hours, minutes or seconds the Day&Night offers a new way of measuring time, splitting the universe of time into two fundamentally opposing sections: day versus night.
A new interpretation of Time based around two Tourbillons operating sequentially. The Day Tourbillon operates during the day, defining the wearer?s period of activity, and stops after twelve hours, handing over to the Night Tourbillon dedicated to man?s own private sphere.
It kind of reminds me of P.T. Barnum’s ‘Fiji Mermaid’. A genuine fake! Anyways, apparently the Day & Night watch was an extremely limited edition of just 9 pieces that instantly sold out, even though they each had a price tag of $300,000. Sigh.
[ Romain Jerome Day & Night ] VIA [ Gizmag ]
by Techno Witch on August 22, 2008
There is nothing quite like having some cold ice cream during the sweltering summer heat, and with the Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker, you don’t have to go all out to purchase a tub since you can make your own ice cream yourself.
With the unique Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker, you can make ice cream anywhere! Simply add ice and rock salt into the outer chamber and ice cream mix into the inner, then have a ball as you shake it, pass it or roll it! Who would have thought soft serve ice cream makers could be so much fun! The ice cream forms when you roll the ball around. The consistency of your home made ice cream will depend on the ingredients, the ice and salt mix, the outside temperature and shaking frequency. If it’s not quite right, pop the lid back on and roll the Ice Cream Ball around for a few more minutes. Your ice cream mix can be as basic as cream, sugar and vanilla, or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, you can tempt your taste buds with more ambitious flavors, such as Cookies and Cream or Mint Choc Chip. So, if you’re out of ice cream when things heat up, make your own ice cream at home and serve it with your favorite toppings.
Darn it, why didn’t they have these when I was a kid? That way, I wouldn’t have to sneak behind my mom’s back to get some ice cream. You can pick up this delicious device from Gizoo for £19.95.
by Techno Witch on August 22, 2008
It has been a while since FaceBook released their client for the Apple iPhone 1.1, so in order to keep their users up-to-date, FaceBook has published some details on their upcoming version 2.0 which will be in the Apple iTunes App Store in September.
FaceBook say that version 2.0 application ?will bring the experience a lot closer to matching all the functionality of the FaceBook website.?
In FaceBook 2.0 users will have the same News Feed experience as that on the Facebook website along with being able to see friends posted items, photos, new interests, relationships, and all other stories which pass through News Feed.
Users will be able to comment on every story whilst being able to filter by application, categories, and friends lists.
Notifications will be viewable on the Home tab while new Notifications will arrive in real-time while running the FaceBook apps.
So, much the same as being on the FaceBook website itself then.
by Techno Witch on August 22, 2008
This Thursday saw the launch of Samsung?s i850 8-megapixel camera phone as it was officially launched in the UK.
The Samsung i850 which has been renamed INNOV8, is one of the best camera phones on the market it has a 8-megapixel camera, Autofocus, blink shot, smile shot, face recognition and double LED flash all at the touch of a button.
See if you can tell the difference between the photo’s above, we think very similar.
If you want to watch video on your mobile then the Samsung INNOV8 i850 could be for you, its media player can handle WMV, DivX, Real Player and Mpeg4 video; all this media can be stored on its SD expandable and 16GB models.
If you like your music the guys at Samsung have added the perfect function for you, jack your phone into your own home speakers, voila you have all your favourite MP3?s through your home speakers which has 3D surround sound.
After all this explaining and examining of the Samsung i850, we have noticed it looks exactly like the Nokia N95, if phones could be related I would put money on it that they were twins, check it out for yourself.
by Techno Witch on August 22, 2008
The Apple iPhone 3G went on sale in the Gurgaon mall in Delhi India on Thursday to a reception of crowds lining up to grab hold of Apple?s latest iconic handset.
A college student names Swati was the first owner of an Apple iPhone 3G at the Gurgaon Sahara Mall, and the first Apple iPhone 3G handset was handed to Swati by Sanjay Kapoor, the president of Bhartu Mobile Services.
The Apple iPhone 3G is being dished out on a first come first served basis and is being sold by Bharti Airtel and Vodafone for a price of Rs 31,000 for the 8GB while the 16GB costs Rs 36,100.
The Vodafone outlet in Delhi?s Connaught Place only had five people waiting to get hold of the Apple iPhone 3G, one of which was 14 year old. Rudra Khurana, who purchased the 16BG version.
Clutching his phone, Rudra, remarked: “This is the coolest and best. The best thing is that new features are added to it, and it also has a 16 GB iPod,”
by Techno Witch on August 22, 2008
The Sony PS3, just like the portable PSP, aren’t exactly too user friendly when it comes to keying in characters. After all, things have remained relatively the same as consoles of yore when it comes to entering information and messages, no thanks to a missing keyboard (QWERTY or otherwise) and the rigidity of the D-pad. All this will change with Sony announcing a new gaming peripheral known as the Wireless Keypad. This peripheral is not a standalone device that is plugged into your PS3’s USB ports – instead, it must be docked into your SIXAXIS or DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controllers in order to work. North American will receive the Wireless Keypad first this November, followed by a Japan, Europe and Asia release before 2009 rolls around.
The highly anticipated Wireless Keypad is designed to fit precisely into the unique shape of SIXAXIS and DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controllers, and can be easily attached or removed. By using the product instead of the on-screen keyboard, users will be able to enjoy text chat communication more easily and comfortably in their hands, just as they would use familiar portable communication devices. It supports text chat in PlayStation Home as well, and enables users to enjoy interactivity playing on-line titles and enjoying entertainment content more smoothly. Equipped with Bluetooth functionality, the Wireless Keypad can be paired to PS3 by simply connecting the keypad to the USB cable that comes bundled with the PS3 system. Also, two shortcut buttons, a Communication Button and a Message Box Button, are placed on the lower part of the Wireless Keypad, enabling users to jump to pre-set features on XMB (XrossMediaBar) such as Friends” and “Message Box” during game play, which help PS3 users to smoothly communicate with each other. Additionally, a Touch Pad Button allows PS3 users to use the entire surface of the keypad as a touch pad, allowing them to easily maneuver the pointer while web browsing, simply by sliding their finger on the keypad surface.
There is no word on pricing, but it ought to be revealed during the official regional launches. Would you get this to enhance your PS3 experience, or do you think that this is yet another pointless device?
by Techno Witch on August 22, 2008
There have been several small trials of mobile phone based NFC payment systems across the United States in the past but it has never been launched on a wide scale so they can actually become usable.
It now appears Canada is taking up the same trails with the help of MasterCard, with a variation of its PayPass system.
This trail in Canada will run from now until November, which also includes Bell Mobile will allow mobile handset users to pay for purchases in a wide variety of locations such as gas stations, grocery stores, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants, or any merchant that accepts the MasterCard PayPass.
And what of security? The MasterCard Canada website states: ?Thanks to special security technology, contactless payments are as safe as traditional card payment transactions. Contactless payments also provide more consumer control, since the mobile phone doesn?t have to leave your hands to be swiped by a merchant/retailer. All PayPass enabled mobile phones are protected with Zero Liability coverage for any fraudulent transactions.?
by Techno Witch on August 22, 2008
The Apple iPhone has been praised by one of Japan?s top mobile phone innovators, who say?s with all Japan?s technological prowess, it could have never produced the iPhone.
According to Takeshi Natsuno, Japan?s telecom industry stifles the type of creativity needed to product the likes of Apple?s Web-surfing iPhone.
Takeshi Natsuno back in 1999 developed Japan?s first Internet-linking mobile phone service ?i-mode? and when such systems were still considered groundbreaking.
While affectionately touching his black Apple iPhone 3G, Takeshi Natsuno said: “This is a great device. This kind of device cannot be produced by Japanese manufacturers. Never.”
Furthermore he commented that while Japanese mobile phones offer the user similar features as the Apple iPhone 3G, they lack the ?easy to use touch panel and slick design.?
The Apple iPhone 3G was launched in Japan last month, however it still only take a small bite of the 115 million mobile phone market in Japan.
by Techno Witch on August 22, 2008
Sony seems to be on a roll, what with the PSP-3000 refresh accompanied by an announcement on a brand new PS3. No, this model won’t be able to cure cancer or snag 9 gold medals in the pool at the next Olympics, but it does offer additional hard drive space, featuring the highest capacity hard drive in a PS3 to date – 160GB. This PS3 SKU will hit North America later this November in a limited edition bundle, accompanied by the highly acclaimed Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune game.
It makes me wonder whether the only way for Sony to up the ante when it comes to hardware revision is to throw in larger hard drives. Where will we see the trend stop? 250GB? 320GB? 500GB? I guess this is a logical progression, but with the PS3 being touted to have a 10 year life cycle and we’re not even halfway past that number yet, it will be interesting to see just how bloated the internal hard drive it ships with gets. Consumers who love hoarding content will be pleased with this newer SKU, while folks who want to take advantage of the PLAYSTATION Network’s video delivery service will be pleased that they have more space to store new blockbuster movies as well as popular TV shows that are downloaded.
The 160GB PS3 will arrive this November for $499.99, and in addition to the mentioned game, it will also feature a PLAYSTATION Network Voucher for PAIN and a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller. I’m not too sure about you, but if you already own a PS3, would you sell that off on eBay and pick up this new bundle? I wouldn’t do so, after all, DIY hard drive upgrades on the PS3 easily negates the need to pick a higher capacity model off-the-shelf in the first place. Still, you get double the storage space by throwing in another $100 compared to the $399.99 80GB PS3 system.
by Techno Witch on August 22, 2008
According to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon Communications Inc is very near reaching an agreement with Google Inc on what they call a wide ranging partnership which could be a much needed push for the lacklustre mobile search business that is according to people familiar to the situation of course.
The would intimate that telecom companies are now finally realising that their home grown search services have actually come to a stand still, and that it is time to seek the much needed help of the big guns in Internet search.
Mobile carriers have in the past been somewhat reluctant to team with the established long-term Internet players, obviously a little nervous at handing over what is a potentially lucrative stream of advertising revenue, revenue the carriers won?t wish part with easily.
If Verizon Communications Inc and Google Inc can reach a deal, it would see Google become the default search provider on Verizon mobile phones.