Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Consumers remain willing to spend money on consumer electronics — for replacing older units or buying new ones with more advanced technology — even though most homes already own those same products, according to a new report from The NPD Group.

Although 85% of consumers own DVD players and sales dropped 25% in the first half of the year, NPD reports that consumers are still interested in buying upconverter units or Blu-ray players to take advantage of HD technology, noting that sales of DVD upconverters have risen 14% in the first half of this year.

(Sounds just like what I do.)  

Get more at TWICE.

Tags: blu-ray, dvd, hd, hd upconverter, npd

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Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Original post by nafiz

There’s nothing but respect here for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organisation and its aim to bring cheap computing to the needy but, it’s fair to say that the project has been beset by problems. After so-so sales to governments, the group is hoping to boost sales by teaming up with Amazon to sell its innovative XO laptop to consumers as part of the G1G1 (Give 1 Get 1). This allows consumers to buy one for charity and another for themselves. G1G1 was originally run by OLPC itself but they made a mess of it, thanks to production problems, shortages and other issues that led many to cancel orders. With Amazon, it is hoping to take the pain out of the process for consumers. A donation of $399 [around £210] buys people one for themselves and another for someone that probably really needs it. I can’t help but think that If they opened this programme up to non-US residents, surely the whole scheme would benefit from a massive cash infusion from global consumers.-Martin Lynch laptop olpc

Original post by nafiz

When there’s not much left you can shave off the thickness or price of a laptop, what do you do next? Asus, which has already just launched a Bamboo laptop, is now hoping to appeal to your sense of smell. Asus unveiled a new twist this week at the Project 2008 event in Las Vegas with its F6V laptop, complete with a four different scents: floral, grass, ocean and cologne. At least this way if you don’t have time to shower or, you’re sweating out last night’s beer bonanza, one of you will smell OK.And the F6V is not just a concept, with Asus now offering them for pre-order. Other fashion features include glossy LCD covers in pink, blue, green and black and an ergonomic palm rest composed of white carbon fiber for greater durability. Inside, the F6V is powered by Core 2 Duo processors, with 320GB HDD, 4GB of memory and 13.3in screen. There’s also an ATI HD 3470 graphics card, fingerprint authentication reader, HDMI port and a 1.3MP webcam. Prices on the Smellaptops start at around £650 on Amazon.-Martin Lynch laptop fashion asus

Original post by nafiz

Qik, the popular live streaming mobile phone video app, is now available on a variety of new Windows Mobile enabled phones including select HTC devices.

New support includes:
• HTC Touch Dual
• HTC Touch Diamond
• HTC TyTn-II
• AT&T Tilt
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Qik added mobile video blogging to the Apple iPhone just last week. I was actually going to use Qik on my Verizon XV6700 HTC Apache Windows Mobile 6.1 device to live video blog Internet Telephony Expo in 2 weeks - but it isn’t supported. While the HTC Apache isn’t specifically listed, I’m going to try again in a few minutes to see if it works. Many HTC devices have the same core software. Will let you know how it goes. [crossing fingers]

If I can’t get Qik to work, I may just use Livecast on my Windows Mobile at ITEXPO. It works just fine. Although not as well known as Qik, the performance was surprisingly good. I’ll have to compare Livecast with Qik once I get Qik working.

Tags: Apple, AT&T Tilt, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Dual, Internet Telephony Expo, iPhone, Livecast, Qik, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, streaming, video, Windows Mobile

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Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Original post by nafiz

I wasted many a frustrating hour playing Space Invaders as a kid [ahem, and young adult], with those annoying sound effects haunting my dreams for days at a time. That’s why I’m not sure about this retro keyboard. Yes, ElectroJoe’s Bendiboard Retroboard Invaders keyboard [how many ‘boards’ was that?] is far cooler than the one I that got bundled with my new PC but I’m not sure if I could take all those little invaders on the keys, forcing me to type faster and faster, before they finally manage to escape - in ever more swiftly-moving horizontal lines - and take over my house.It is pretty darnn cool though. Those pixelated images manage to stand out but not obscure the letters on the keys and it’s bendy, so you can fold it up and bring it to the pub to impress all your mates. You can even wipe all that spilled beer off its rubber keys when you’re finished telling tall arcade games tales at the end of the evening. Yours for £20 here.-Martin Lynch [Technabob] news keyboard gadget

Original post by nafiz

Back at the tail-end of May, Michael Dell was spotted by our Gizmodo cousins walking around a US show with what looked to be a mini-Dell laptop/netbook/ Asus Eee Killer/Mobile Internet device (MID). It confirmed plans for such a device a few days later but it’s been all quiet on the netbook front since. But that will all change tomorrow as reports claim that’s when Dell’s Inspiron 910 finally arrives to give the Asus Eee 901 a run for its money. According to the Wall St. Journal, final details are being withheld but there have been so many official hints and leaks that it will most likely come with an Intel Atom processor, 80GB HDD [maybe some SSD options] an 8.9in display, a choice of Windows XP Home or Ubuntu Linux, Ethernet port, lots of wireless features, Webcam, card reader, VGA and three USB ports. Pricing is expected to be around $400 - or £200-300 here - but knowing Dell there will be plenty of options to jack that price up. Full details tomorrow.-Martin Lynch laptop dell news

Original post by nafiz

The new PSP, the PSP 3000, will arrive in the UK on October 17 and will be priced at £150. That makes Sony’s new handheld £10-20 more expensive than the PSP Slim & Lite, which seems reasonable enough considering the tweaks. However, rather than being a big overhaul - like the PSP Slim & Lite was versus the original - the new PSP is more of an Overhaul Lite. The key tweaks are a new enhanced LCD display with improved colour reproduction to reduce screen glare, thus allowing you to game in daylight - something currently not possible. That pleasure though will cost you 20-30 mins of battery life. The other key add-on is the built-in microphone, to let you make free Skype calls. A silver PSP 3000 bundled with Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters will arrive 2 days earlier for around £170 and, for the same price, there’s going to be 4GB memory entertainment pack bundled with a black PSP 3000 in early November. Sony has promised 8, different 1-game bundles for this new handheld so there should be something for everyone. -Martin Lynch [Eurogamer] PSP sony games

Original post by nafiz

As with Size 0 LCD TVs, the fad towards ever more anorexic technology has spread to the keyboard arena, with Logitech’s latest offering coming in at 9.3mm from base to frame. Not only that, but the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard even throws in a light show. Improving on existing backlight technologies, Logitech said it has combined microlens reflectors, a multilayer painting process and laser etching to create a ‘backlight experience that is brighter, sharper and easier to read’.It’s a full-size keyboard containing all the usual suspects, full-size key layout (including number pad), soft-touch palm rest, full row of F-keys and media and volume-control keys. It uses the PerfectStroke key system, which Logitech says creates longer key travel - 3.2 mm compared to 2.2 mm - making it easier for your fingers to flutter around the keyboard, while micro scissors distribute force evenly across the key meaning if you clip the edge, the key should function as normal. It goes in sale next month with price tag [US right now] of around £40. Logitech has also introduced a new addition to its luxury and arty diNovo keyboards, this time for notebooks. The diNovo Edge Keyboard for Notebooks offers a full-size layout, complete with number pad, and works with Logitech Alto Connect or Alto Express notebook stands. See a shot of its pretty black and aluminium body below. Logitech says the battery is good for 3 years. It will cost around £50 [US price] in October.-Martin Lynch news keyboard gadget

Original post by nafiz

The first thing I think off when I hear about TV in the bath tub is me screaming briefly before I turn crispy from that good old combo of electricity and water. Sony, ever thinking of its customers safety [except for that whole burning battery snafu] and how we’ll probably spend more money on their stuff if we are still alive, has just whipped out this little cutey: the Bravia XDV-W600 waterproof TV. OK, it’s not very big but it’s good to swim in up 3-feet of water for up to 30 minutes without breaking or frying you in the tub. Looking like a bar of soap, it sports a 4in screen, meets various safety standards [always a good thing for this type of product] and can even record TV onto its 2GB of internal Flash memory. It’s good for 23 hours of use thanks its own and AA batteries. Due out in Japan first at the end of October for around £180.-Martin Lynch [Akihabara] TV home gadget

Original post by nafiz

We haven’t seen any stupid inventions for oooh… at least ten minutes… so thought it important to remind you that the crackpots are still out there and still manufacturing mindless tat. This one comes courtesy of whichever overpaid weirdo sits around the house all day picking up random objects and jamming USB drives into them. The latest monstrosity comes in the form of a teddy bear, whose only redeeming feature seems to be that you get to rip its head off to reveal the USB port before you plug it in. It’s only available in 1GB capacities, which just seems to add to the pointlessness factor, though it is USB 2.0 compatible AND backward compatible to USB1.1 (woop!). If for some reason you think this would make a hilarious gift for someone special, you can order it from the aptly named USB Geek from the link below for $17 (about £9). - Paul Lester [USBGeek] USB storage novelty

Original post by nafiz

You can’t say we never educate you here at Gizmodo UK, even if what you learn may be of absolutley no use at all. After recently covering the silly, can-shaped Mini Anion Humidifier, we decided to find out what some geeky DIY ingenuity could produce instead and we are happy to present the USB Smoke Absorbing Ashtray. This DIY video above from Videojug will help you build a combo smoke extractor and odour killer - with lights - so that your room doesn’t have to smell like an ashtray as you puff on through to the Other Side. It looks reasonably straightforward to assemble but, surely, if you’re already a 20-a-day person [that’s over 7,000 a year], doesn’t it mean your room is already a giant ashtray and no amount of sucking and odorising is going to help? May also, in emergencgies, help deal with flatluence, although you might not want to be caught trying to position the device. Let me know how you get on and no, we are not responsible for you electrocuting yourselves.-Martin Lynch smoking gadget diy

Original post by nafiz

It was supposed to have been announced back in July but, we realise now, that the delay in revealing the Pay & Go pricing for the iPhone 3G was probably to allow people to prepare themselves for the shock. O2 has said that the Pay & Go 3G iPhones will start selling on September 16 at a whopping £350 for the 8GB model and £400 for the 16GB version. We knew they’d try and sting those people who didn’t want to opt for a long 18-month contract or, use it on a rival network, but I guess they decided to kick them while they were down too. Carphone Warehouse has announced the same deal.For the money, you’ll get 12 months free Wi-Fi and Web browsing but after that, it’s £10 per month. Still, it may actually prove a popular buy with those who want the iPhone but can’t afford to shell out for the long contract. At least parents shelling out for a Pay & Go iPhone for their teens will not have to worry about spanking them when a bill for thousands of pounds comes through the door. Still damned expensive though.-Martin Lynch iphone apple

Original post by nafiz

Regular Sony watchers will know that the gap between Sony announcing something new for the PS3 and actually delivering it is like watching a mirage: sometimes there’s something there but most of the time there isn’t. This week, it’s another delay for the interesting ‘Life with Playstation’ service but this one comes with a bit of good news attached: the service will be free. Life with Playstation, announced in June, shows you a very cool satellite shot of the Earth and delivers news feeds and weather reports relevant to different cities directly to your TV screen via the PS3. Sony’s Noam Rimon scribbled on the official Playstation blog: “I’ve got some good news and some okay news. We’ll start with the okay part. We’re still pushing some paperwork on Life with PlayStation — so hold tight just a bit longer. Now on to the good news, the Life with PlayStation application is looking great and to quench some of the curiosity around what it’s all about, here’s what I can share today. We’re going to offer this as a free service that will be easily accessible directly from the XMB. Life with PlayStation will feed live content to your PS3 with updates on news and weather on a visually stunning and interactive global map. Imagine being able to wake up to your PS3 to see if you need to pack an umbrella for the day. Or just relax as you listen to your favorite tunes while reading up on top news from around the world. We’re also very excited to share that Life with PlayStation will be combined with our Folding@home project. What does this mean? While you’re tuned into Life with PlayStation, you’ll also be helping Stanford researchers cure diseases like Alzheimer’s and various types of cancer while Folding@home is running in the background.” So when is it arriving? Soon-ish. Maybe.-Martin Lynch console ps3 news

Original post by nafiz

Just in case you still have any patience for junk USB peripherals, then this one could be the one to finally push you over the edge. Meet the USB-powered, fizzy drink can-shaped Miniature Anion Humidifier. Unlike the million other cans of fizz you’ve put away to create your god-like physique, this one maintains that it’ll be the healthiest can of pop on your desk. The Anion supposedly nukes all those harmful dust particles, toxic substances and lingering fart odour fallout that has helped make your room smell like a boxer’s jockstrap. The makers say: The mini is a state of the art air Anion Humidifier that combines new technology, modern design, with major health enhancement benefits. Our mini air Humidifier is small and portable, and it is convenient enough to be used at home, office. * Soda Can Humidifier is portable, the mini design is likesome, you can use it at home or in the office if you like. * USB Anion Humidifier adopts anion technology to extremely purify the air and remove toxic substances including the dust, odors and molds * Produces active oxygen molecules, which may release the negative electric charges from oxygen molecules to make them more active * Anions may improve metabolism, maintain a fresh air, relive fatigue and effectively prevent the diseases arising from the air - conditioning * Protects your eyes and refreshes yourself, negative ion connected with positive charge to reduce the static radiation and protect your eyes The ‘modern design’ would be the fizzy drink can and don’t forget, it’s ‘likesome’, ‘may improve metabolism’, ‘relieve fatigue and effectively prevent the diseases arising from the air’. Bloody hell, it’s a hospital in a can! Yours for £16 here, but only if you’re brain damaged. Which it might cure.-Martin Lynch [Engadget] gadget USB tech

Original post by nafiz

Brazilian employers beware! Having had weeks of their nation’s employees squandering valuable work time by watching Brazil scrape a bronze in Olympics football, they will have to deal with a new distraction from today as Gizmodo invades Brazil. We’d just like to say welcome to our new gadget-obsessed cousins who will no doubt do a fine job of dragging the Brazilian productivity rate into the dirt, while simultaneously showing Brazilians the fastest way of wasting their hard earned cash on the coolest gadgets out there. Makes a change from thongs and volleyballs. The new site goes live later today.-Martin Lynch [Gizmodo Brazil]

Original post by nafiz