Developages - Development and Technology Blog

You can tell people are getting ready to pig out in style this Christmas when the most searched-for product on the Internet by UK surfers is Nintendo’s Wii Fit. Hitwise said that during October, the Wii Fit led the Wii, the iPhone, Nokia N96, iPod and the PS3 as the priority Christmas items for UK online shoppers. Robin Goad, research director at Hitwise commented: “Wii Fit, Nintendo’s popular video game, is currently the most searched-for product by UK Internet shoppers in the run-up to Christmas. During October there were more UK Internet searches for Wii Fit than the Nintendo Wii, the most popular product last Christmas. After Wii Fit and the Wii console, the third most searched-for gadget is the Apple iPhone.” However, buying a console has dropped in importance this year compared to last as the focus now seems to have shifted to games. After our recent coverage of the Gears Of War 2 sales success and the frenzy yesterday to get World Of Warcraft: Wrath Of The Lich King, games look set kick the recession into touch. “The popularity of Nintendo’s Wii Fit, which accounted for one in six searches for a video game during October, has helped online searches for video games overtake those for consoles in the run-up to Christmas. Judging by the search data, it looks as if the current generation of consoles - the Wii, Playstation 3 and X-Box 360 - have started to mature.” Looking in more detail at the most searched for games during October, it is multi-platform video games that are most popular; almost one in two video game searches are for titles published across more than one console. Three of the top five most searched for video games in the UK during October were multi-platform: Far Cry 2, Call of Duty: World at War (released this week) and Saints Row 2.” Sadly, it looks like hundreds of thousands of you may be out of luck as Woolworths, John Lewis, Argos and Play.com are all reporting that they’ve now sold out of Wii Fit. Don′t despair too much though because Electronic Arts (EA) is cooking up its own ’shed-the-festive-flab’ Wii Fit rival called Sports Active - more on that later this morning.-Martin Lynch [Hitwise] games wii fit console

Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Transportation

We thought we had a handle on what the next-gen Prius was going to look like when we spotted those renders back in July, and Toyota’s just confirmed that some press shots that leaked out last week are the real deal, not just photos of a super-high-tech sneaker. The company isn’t providing any more information until the official debut at January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but we’re hoping we’ll get some more details about those plug-in fleet tests, as well as those solar plans. Check a few more shots at links below.

[Thanks, Miko34]

Read - 2010 Prius photos on Prius Chat
Read - Toyota corporate blog

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Transportation

An eco-friendly future might be right around the corner, and on Peugeot’s HYmotion3 Compressor concept scooter you can take that corner with just the right balance of safety and power. At 29bhp, this new prototype gets 118 MPG thanks to its hybrid powertrain, and is quite stable with two wheels in front and one behind. In the event that you do lose control, you’ll be protected by a BMW C1-esque roll cage. That’s three techs borrowed from predecessors, plus the added benefit of three-wheel drive. Most advanced hybrid scooter yet? Maybe, but it’s just a concept, so if you’re looking to stand out like a sore but oh-so-energy-efficient thumb on the road, you’re outta luck for the time being.

[Via Digg]

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Original post by Samuel Axon

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

Altec Lansing sure came out fighting today, with it not only debuting a brand new logo, but a bundle of new speakers and iPod docks that sport the new branding. The most stand-out, by far, are the Expressionist Bass speakers pictured above, which are a full ten inches high and include built-in 4-inch subwoofers and two 1.5-inch drivers apiece. Look for them to set you back $130 when they’re released next month in both black and white versions. On the slightly less intimidating front, Altec Lansing has the $40 Orbit MP3 iM237 single-speaker unit, which runs on three AAA batteries, and a pair of new inMotion iPod speaker systems: the inMotion Moondance GLOW and the inMotion MAX, the former of which even includes a special “snooze remote.” Look for those to run you $200 and $180, respectively — pics after the break.

Continue reading Altec Lansing rolls out new look, speakers aplenty

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Set your alarms and kiss the kids goodbye, CERN will be providing a live webcast of the Large Hadron Collider’s “First Beam” maiden voyage on Wednesday. Let us know how it goes, we′ll be holed-up inside grandpa’s bombshelter with our canned turnips and 10th anniversary Heaven’s Gate Nikes — remember, two-knocks if it’s safe else we′ll assume you′re a robot.

[Thanks, Rui]

Read — Webcast starting Wed, Se⯊ at 09:00 CEST (calculated globally)
Read — Satellite broadcast

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

AOC did a stellar job of knocking off some rust and catching our eyes with the downright stylish 2230Fm, and the inclusion of a self-sustaining media player was also worthy of a closer look. Thankfully, the kind folks over at Gear Diary managed to get ahold of one such unit and put it through the paces, and in the end, it seems as if more positives were noticed than negatives. As an LCD, it was viewed as top notch; visuals were crystal clear, colors were sharp and accurate and ghosting was non-existent. The built-in audio and slideshow players were lackluster at best, but the integrated video player did a phenomenal job of handling a myriad formats and making things look right at home on the 22-inch panel. Granted, we still wonder who will actually use said media player if this gets connected to your home computer anyway, but for those who’ve conjured up a plan, hit the read link for the full review before buying blind.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Just like we said, the Zune has made its first retail appearance in Canada. Come June 13th, our friends to the north will be able to get their hands on Microsoft’s media players, starting at $139.99 (for the 4GB flash variety), up to $249.99 for the big-daddy 80GB version. Pre-orders are being taken now, but something tells us you’ll be able to get one on launch day regardless.

[Thanks, Andrew]

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

We fully expected that Ferrari logo and lacquered paint job to add a stuff premium to Meridian’s F80, but this is undeniably insane. The “transportable home entertainment system,” which has been hovering about since last March, is at long last ready to be purchased. Finding prospective buyers, however, will likely be challenging. The unit is now available in silver, yellow, white, black and the obligatory red, and each one will set you back a dumbfounding $2,995. We’re thinking the unit itself would go for around three bills sans branding, but apparently Italian ponies aren’t cheap.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

After giving the new IdeaPad 𔱶 its 15 minutes of fame in front of the camera, we got down to business. The 11.1-inch ultraportable is built like a tank — a really, really lightweight tank. The uniquely-designed lid and (overly) glossy motif is a welcome change for Lenovo, but after a good bit of use, it’s easy to see this one won’t appeal to the masses. Click on for the full rundown of impressions and notes (and a video, too).

Continue reading Lenovo IdeaPad U110 overview and video

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: GPS, Handhelds

MTI Micro is edging dangerously close to vaporware status, but until 2009 comes and goes, we suspect we still owe it the benefit of the doubt. The ever-boastful company is at it once again, this time showing off a purported fuel cell powered-GPS prototype at the International Small Fuel Cells Conference in Atlanta. The Mobion-powered device promises to provide “three times as much energy as GPS devices powered by four disposable AA batteries,” meaning that users could see up to 60-hours of continuous use on a large, full-color screen navigator. You’ll also find an integrated USB port for using it as an energy source, so you could theoretically utilize your NAV to charge your handset / PMP / ray gun. At this point, however, we wouldn′t get too excited here — it’s not like there’s any guarantee that we’ll ever see this thing in commercial form.

[Via I4U News]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Displays

If you’re vaguely remembering a mention of MLD, you’re not crazy. Around this time last year, PureDepth announced that it was teaming up with Samsung to crank out a 46-inch Multi-Layer Display LCD. Fast forward to now, and we’re hearing that the first MLD wares should be hitting the streets relatively soon. The technology itself consists of building displays that are in fact two or more layers of LCD panel that share a common back-light source, thus creating a depth effect when viewing material. As it stands, the outfit has signed agreements with Samsung (obviously) for development of displays in mobile handsets and Sanyo for mobiles, gaming solutions and automotive electronics (including in-car navigation). Interestingly enough, Q1 2008 saw quite the surge in support for the 3D sector, making the launch of MLD that much more applicable to the apparent desires of content viewers. Check out a few sample images and product prototypes in the gallery below.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Robots

Though certainly not the first gizmo designed with aerial photography in mind, the Aeryon Scout is a notch above most alternatives. The hovering platform enables users to capture still shots and log digital video from up above, and while it can be controlled remotely, we’re also hearing that autonomous navigation isn’t totally out of reach. Currently, the device is still looking to escape the prototype stage, but its creators are already eying police forces, security firms and surveying / engineering businesses in hopes of landing a few clients. Considering the stunningly high $30,000 to $50,000 price tag, we’d say they’re looking in the right (read: only) direction.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets, image courtesy of InventorSpot]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Displays

Damn, sexy huh? That’s Sony’s 0.2-mm (0.0079-inch) thin OLED display. Granted, this 3.5-inch prototype is only capable of 320 x 220 pixels, just shy of a cellphone standard QVGA resolution. However, that panel’s fracking impressive when compared to those relatively chubby 0.67-mm (and that’s a world’s slimmest), 320 x 240 pixel LCDs capable of just 2.2-inches of display. And just look at those blacks — you can barely see the bezel.

Update: Oh my… we just noticed that Sony’s also showing off an 0.3-mm thin, 11-inch OLED with 960 x 540 pixel resolution. That’s 10x slimmer than Sony’s XEL-1 OLED TV. See it pictured after the break.

Continue reading Sony’s 3.5- and 11-inch OLEDs are just 0.008- and 0.012-inches thin

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Rest assured, we’ve seen some seriously sophisticated takes on the famed Post-It Note, but Girton Labs may have the most ingenious twist of all. The Ixp-Note, which is listed as “currently in development,” is little more than a recyclable, reusable Post-It with oodles of intelligence. The device relies on low-cost electronic circuit printing technology, enabling users to select a time / date via the printed scroll in which they’d like to be reminded of whatever they just jotted down on the highlighted strip. When the time comes, an alarm similar to that found in a musical greeting card will sound, jolting the memory of the note holder and potentially saving the day. As it stands, there’s no telling how much each of these will cost, but considering that the battery should last at least a year, you won’t have to have too many spares around, anyway.

[Via Telegraph]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

On a typical day, anything shown off at CTIA with a “coming in 2010″ sticker would cause some serious unrest, but given that we’ve already found that LTE is eons (or so it feels) away, we’re just taking things in stride. The MSV prototype shown above will purportedly become a proud member of the L-Series, and its satellite / cellular hybrid system will enable it to play nice on traditional cell bands as well as snag sat coverage anywhere in North America. Apparently the firm is planning on shooting up a pair of birds in 2009 as well as landing a deal with an undisclosed US carrier, and the 0.6-inch thick unit itself should feature a 480 x 320 multi-touch screen, WiFi and an integrated camera. No word on a price just yet, but feel free to check back in a few years.

 

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Original post by Darren Murph