by Techno Witch on December 20, 2008
Looking for that ultra special mobile phone Christmas present for your girl? Not too hard up for a few quid in the credit crunch, maybe have a spare £20,000 to shell out?
Well if you are one of the filthy rich you may consider the diamond encrusted Apple iPhone 3G that?s just been launched by Amosu.
Amosu has followed up their first gen £20,000 iPhone by adding a few extra features like you can choose the back colour and the diamonds, although Amosu are a tad vague on what colours are available.
One would have thought however, at £20,000 the buyer could have any damn colour Apple iPhone they want.
by Techno Witch on December 20, 2008
The Apple iPhone 3G is a great mobile device, but the main problem with it is the battery life, same goes for BlackBerry models and even other mobile handsets; most users want longer battery life.
Well maybe they just might get it as a PhD student at Canada?s Carleton University may have just come up with an answer to the problem.
The student, Atif Shamim, hacked such mobile handsets and ripped out all the wiring connecting the electrical circuits to the antenna and developed a module so the connection can operate wirelessly, which he says results in almost twelve times less power consumption than normal, which undoubtedly means longer battery life.
Not indication if this tech will be used in mobile handsets, but I?m sure there will be several companies wanting to grab hold of this tech.
by Techno Witch on December 20, 2008
No doubt eventually Apple will introduce their Apple iPhone 3G with incorporated solar cells to power the Apple iPhone, but until then probably a cool option is the Solar Arcadia solar powered iPhone case.
There are two versions available, a SideFlip case and a Leather Flip case. Both version offer sturdy protection for your beloved Apple iPhone along with a solar panel enabling some extra life for the iPhone while you?re out and about.
Both cases are constructed in ABS sheepskin, the SideFlip is available in red, black, and white, while the Leather Flip is only available in black, and carries a not too bad price of $45.95.
by Techno Witch on December 20, 2008
More news on the Android front, this time it?s the Google Android T-Mobile G1 successor the T-Mobile G2, as word has it along with a leaked doc sent to Cellphone Signal which outlines the T-Mobile G2?s features that there is a launch window set for January 26th 09.
There?s no mention on just who will or is building the alleged T-Mobile G2, however, one would assume given HTC made such a good job on the G1 it?s fairly likely HTC will get the G2.
The usual rumours on features include?the Android OS of course, 3G/EDGE data, 5 megapixel camera including flash, front facing VGA camera, GPS, WiFi, microSD slot, music and video player, myFaves capable and T-Zones, but no mention of a physical QWERTY.
So there it is, now we just have to wait and see on Jan 26th as to what actually happens with the T-Mobile G2.
by Techno Witch on December 20, 2008
The word is Samsung is to roll out their first Google Android mobile phone next year, which apparently will be based on a variation of the Samsung Omnia and Samsung Instinct.
Which probably means the Samsung Gphone will undoubtedly be an all touchscreen mobile phone with very few buttons, and hopefully maybe a full QWERTY keyboard, one can always hope, but whatever Samsung push out as their first Android we?ll give it the cover it deserves.
The word is that Samsung?s Android will be hanging with T-Mobile and Sprint come next June by which time I?m quite sure most will already have the low down on just what to expect.
by Techno Witch on December 20, 2008
Samsung has always been known for their low end mobile phones and now they?re added a couple more candy-bar handsets to their low end portfolio in the form of the Samsung E1410 and the Samsung E1117.
The Samsung E1410 is dual-band GSM/GPRS 900/1800MHz, and features a 1.63 inch CSTN display, 4GB of memory, measures 108 x 46 x 15.3m and packs a 1000mAh battery which should offer 11.5 hours of talk time and 546 hours standby.
The Samsung E1117 is dual-band GSM/EDGE 900/1800MHz, with 1.63 inch CSTN display, FM radio, 900kb memory, measures 106.4 x 45 x 15.4mm and a 1000mAh battery.
As yet, Samsung hasn?t released any details on availability or price for either the E1410 or E1117.
Source ? unwiredview
by Techno Witch on December 19, 2008
It?s Canon?s latest high end SLR, and it makes some seriously stunning high definition videos. But Houston, we have a problem. It seems that users are complaining about a phantom ?black dot? that appears in images taken with the $2500 digital SLR. The dot, usually hovering around strong light sources, is very prevalent and Canon has issued a statement that an investigation is under way as to the culprit. In addition, there seems to be an additional flaw of vertical banding noise in certain conditions.
According to the press release, the black dot phenomenon can occur while shooting night scenes, and appear on the right side of point light. Apparently, the dots aren?t as noticeable in snapshots, but become very pronounced as images are either enlarged on a monitor or, when enlargement prints are made. The vertical banding issue apparently only rears its ugly head when the image quality is set to ?sRAW1.? ?RAW,? ?sRAW2? and ?JPEG? images are not affected. Meanwhile, 5D Mk. II owners can reduce the noise by adjusting the C.Fn II-3 and setting the highlight tone priority to 0: Disable.
Both Black Dot and vertical banding do not appear to affect the high definition video function.
This may lead to the conclusion that a bug in the firmware which handles metering and capture may be the culprit and hopefully, a quick fix will be released in an update.
$2500 is a lot to spend for a black meatball in the middle of your Kodak moment.
Hat Tip ? C’Net
by Techno Witch on December 19, 2008
I?m not certain if there is a huge market for personal breathalyzer tests, but I definitely think the iBreath is on the right track.
For starters, it is designed to plug right into your iPhone or iPod, which serves as the power source for this electronic breathalyzer. All the inebriated needs to do is blow into the whistle-shaped end there, and he or she will get an automatic readout of his or her Blood Alcohol Level, without an officer ever being present.
There is no doubt that the iBreath could easily save lives, and the life that it saves could be the driver?s. Yet this main feature is not enough for designer David Steele, who took it a step further at put an FM transmitter on it. This will enable the driver to listen to some music off their iPod/iPhone from their car radio. Maybe that will sober him or her up.
Of course, you have to wonder if a person that is too drunk to drive would have enough precautionary sense to use the iBreath. Even if they did use this device, would the potentially drunk driver believe the results? ?Hey, I can drive, I know I can. This thing is whack, man.?
According to WikiAnswers, 185,000 people are killed by drunk driving each year. I think that figure might be inaccurately large, but even if the iBreath could save a fraction of those victims, it would be worthwhile. The iBreath?s $80 price tag is a small price to pay for that.
Source
by Techno Witch on December 19, 2008
We all go through those periods when it’s a nightmare trying to drag ourselves out of bed in the morning. Be it because the bed is far warmer than the room, or you’re having a particularly good dream, either way you still have to make yourself get up. When you’re desperate to find a way to drag yourself out of bed, you might look into this quirky alarm clock. It’s sure to keep your mornings interesting.
When it’s time to wake up you’ll hear a count down and then the rocket will shoot into the air. In order to make the alarm stop going off, you have to grab the rocket and put it back. After rushing around to grab it, you’ll likely be wide awake and ready to get ready for work or school. Luckily these are available in the UK as well as the US from two different vendors. You can get it for the UK from DrinkStuff for £14.67 and the US can get it on Perpetual Kid for $24.99.
Source: Technabob
by Techno Witch on December 19, 2008
Now that the weather is getting progressively colder where I live, I?m starting to have bad memories of waiting in the cold for the school bus. Back then, I prayed for some sort of electric coat that could keep me warm while I was waiting for that big yellow monster to pick me up.
It appears that someone has answered my prayers twenty years later as Rossingnol, a company most famous for its skiing products, has invented the Hit Jacket to beat the cold. Rossingol owes its adjustable heating system to a German company called NOVONIC, who put 4 heating panels into the lining of this coat. There are two of these panels in the back of the Hit Jacket, and two in the front.
Of course, this leads to the question as to what powers said panels: a removable rechargeable battery that can plug into the wall. Once it is fully charged, it can provide 20 minute warming cycles at six times per day. Those 120 minutes might not be too long, but if something can give you even just a little bit more warmth, then it is worth it.
Of course, you should probably ask if it is worth the price of the Hit Jacket, as it costs about $700.
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