Archive for the ‘Electronic Gadgets’ Category
Friday, November 28th, 2008 |
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I love taking pictures and since the day I’ve bought my own camera, I enjoy every minute I get to spend in nature, capturing moments of life that most of us would love to remember over the years, but they can’t, due to the fact that the memory plays tricks on people all the time. So, no matter how hard they try to bring back images from the past, they’re sentenced to oblivion.
That’s the reason why one of the things I hate most in this world is when I run out of batteries. Another aspect that really gets on my nerves is that my camera works with four batteries, which means more money on power sources, because I wasn’t smart enough to buy two pairs of rechargeable batteries. Even so, when they are depleted, there’s nothing you can do about it.
Or maybe things aren’t as bad as they look at a first glance. Keeping in mind the fact that people are obsessed with having their batteries charged and ready to go, Eclipse Solar Gear came up with “innovative solar charging cases for all your mobile personal electronics”. Being part of a patented line, the mobile cases this company designed and developed include backpacks, messenger bags, camera bags, bicycle bags, which are all meant to charge your devices whenever you need them charges. These devices include “cell phones, PDAs, iPods, GPS units and rechargeable AA batteries”.
The Fusion Messenger Bags are the new products that you are offered and that are meant to solve one of your biggest problems. Made of durable 1680D, 800D nylons and recycled materials, these bags also feature natural heavy canvas with leather trim.
And if this weren’t enough, just wait a little bit, until you find out how the bags are divided. There is a main compartment, which is larger than the others, and then, there are different compartments for a laptop, files and pockets for organizer, accessories. We should not forget, of course, the solar charging module, which is flexible and needs no more than a 12V auto adapter.
Available in gray, black and natural canvas with leather trim, the Fusion Messenger Bag – a solar powered bag – can be purchased online from EclipseSolarGear.
(Source: coolest-gadgets.com)
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Friday, November 21st, 2008 |
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According to Wikipedia, “a fuel cell is an electrochemical conversion device. It produces electricity from fuel (on the anode side) and an oxidant (on the cathode side), which react in the presence of an electrolyte. The reactants flow into the cell, and the reaction products flow out of it, while the electrolyte remains within it. Fuel cells can operate virtually continuously as long as the necessary flows are maintained”.
A Swedish company known under the name of myFC (My Fuel Cell) has one purpose and one purpose only: to free you up from power cables with advanced micro fuel cell technology. Its prototype is a charger that is based on a compact, flat alternative to the usual fuel cell stack – it’s a passive planer fuel cell. The FuelCellSticker are the result of the remarkable effort of myFC and, being layered together to create the charger, gives the device a thin appearance.
The highly anticipated Excess Charger was unveiled back in February 2008 at the 4th International Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Expo (FC Expo 2008), which was held in Tokyo, Japan.
The Excess Charger is the pioneer product in the myFC’s Excess Line and the first product stemming from the collaboration between myFC and its Nordic Consortium. This new and improved charger incorporated fuel cell with a world leading power density, based on myFC’s patent-protected FuelCellSticker technology, powered by an integrated and easily replaceable metal-hydride cartridge. The first in the Excess line has been designed specifically to cater to portable electronics demanding power levels of up to 3W.
Adding hydrogen, you obtain a clean and seemingly effortless passive power, and the only byproduct is water vapor that dissipated into the air. Something we’re not told by the company is how you get the hydrogen into this tiny package or how the hydrogen is produced.
More than that, the company wants to go beyond the micro fuel cell tech-based charger. It hopes that someday will have its micro fuel cells incorporated inside any cell phone or laptop, eliminating the need for plugging it in at all.
I’m not sure if these devices are as easy to manufacture as myFC claims them to be, but if they will ever hit the mass production, this could be big.
(Source: Dvice)
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Monday, November 17th, 2008 |
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Remember those times when your kid was feeling a little bit under the weather and you had the least idea about what you should have done? It makes you smile right now, but back then, all you wanted to do was to just scream at the top of your lungs and solve somehow the situation, even if you lacked not only self command, but also solutions.
Duck Young Kong came up with a very ingenious device, the Lunar Baby Thermometer, a simple temperature checking device for the mother or father, grandparents, or whoever’s got the privilege to take care of the little one and to place the hand on his head. You can now check the child’s temperature without uncomfortable placing of glass sticks in places of discontent.
“The idea is based on a common and natural behavior of putting your hand on the forehead to measure internal heat of the body. Checking the temperature by scanning the forehead with this device is easier and faster, since it eliminates the need to insert an external tool while holding them in a still position. The intuitive shape of the device allows the user to easily understand how to hold and use the device. The organic and ergonomic shape provides a secure grasp in the users hand”, said the designer.
However, the most important part about this thermometer is that after simply placing the device on the forehead, there is a beeping sound which will be followed by a flashing LED. This way, the user knows that the thermometer has its job done. In addition, the user can clearly see the temperature on the LCD screen, while holding the device to their baby.
Using this temperature checking device is very easy and as you can see from the picture, rather intuitive. It’s quite interesting that such a simple yet ergonomic device wasn’t created until now, but it’s better now than never. But this is the destiny of concepts, always uncertain, as designers never know if their devices will ever hit the mass production. Let’s wait and see!
(Source: YankoDesign.com)
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Sunday, November 16th, 2008 |
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Sanyo Electric, a major Japanese electronics company that targets the middle of the market and has over 324 offices and plants worldwide, introduces the PLC-XW57, an ultra-portable 3LCD projector for the education and business presentations market.
Sanyo engineers have really outdone themselves this time as far as the PLC-XW57 is concerned and it will tip the scales at just 6.4 lbs., taking up a minimal amount of space courtesy of its tiny footprint of 13 x 3.15 x 9.3 inches.
Rated at 2000 lumens, the PLC-XW57 is outfitted with a 200-watt UHP lamp for outstanding and well-balanced color reproduction. A 3D Automatic Uniformity Control (AUCC) circuit ensures uniformity, balancing uneven color and brightness gradations for a more natural image. As far as the installation and operation are concerned, they’re quick and fast due to the 1/4x to 16x digital zoom, which makes it possible to project an image as large as 100 inches (diagonally) from a range of 11 to 14 feet. To compensate for keystone (trapezoidal) picture distortion, the PLC-XW57 provides a vertical keystone correction with a range of +/- 20-degrees. The blackboard (green color) mode allows the use of a classroom blackboard to be used as a projection screen. In this mode, the projector automatically adjusts the colors to make images look strikingly similar to those projected on a traditional white screen.
The Countdown or Immediate projection modes can be set at start-up. Take the Countdown Mode for example: it begins projecting an image only after the lamp reaches sufficient brightness. The Immediate Mode, on the other hand, starts projecting as soon as the power is turned on and it doesn’t matter that the optimal level of brightness has not been reached yet. More than that, if you have your presentation ready, you don’t have to wait for the projection lamp to cool down like conventional projectors. The only thing you have to do is to disconnect the power cord after your presentation and go.
In addition, there is a PIN code lock that prevents anyone other than the authorized owner or projector operator from using the projector. The key lock function is set in the operation menu and locks operation from the controls on top of the projector and the supplied remote control.
A full suite of inputs are provided by the PLC-WX57 and is compatible with UXGA/WXGA/SXGA+/XGA/SVGA/VGA/MAC analog computer inputs. Two D-Sub terminals for computer input are provided and one of them can be changed to a monitor output terminal. Digital Realized Interpolation Technology (DRIT) is used to support input signals with resolutions from UXGA to VGA by compressing/decompressing signals. The projector is compatible with all incoming SD and HDTV (except 1080p) signals including 480i, 480p, 575i, 575p, 720p, 1035i and 1080i.
Fan noise has been minimized in the PLC-XW57 with Sanyo’s Intelligent Fan Operation Linear Control System that reduces fan noise according to changes of the unit’s internal temperature.
“The compact and highly portable PLC-XW57 is a terrific tool for teachers and business executives”, says Mark Holt, the Vice President and General Manager for Sanyo’s Presentation Technologies Division. “This projector is flexible and simple to operate, projecting crisp and detailed images in the boardroom or classroom”.
For those who are interested in purchasing the device, they can go to Projectorpoint.co.uk and grab a projector for an amount of £316 + VAT (£371.30 with VAT).
(Source: coolest-gadgets.com)
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Thursday, October 30th, 2008 |
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Sometimes, having a wall clock may turn in a genuine burden, a very unpleasant and unbearable thing, because you have to stand excessively close to the device in order to read it properly. This happens when the placement of the hands are very difficult to see and unravel from a considerable distance. Taking this into consideration, you probably wonder why people are keen on having something like this in their houses. Well, I imagine they pick up clocks like this for one reason and one reason only: the overall look is fascinating.
Homeloo’s 16-inch large Jumbo Gear Wall Clock it’s actually a gear made clock that consists of more than 50 gears which are all running. If you think this has a decorative purpose only, I’m afraid you are wrong, because the gears are really turning, including the small-sized ones. The big centered one turns clockwise, while the other gears turn counterclockwise.
There’s no doubt about it, the device looks like a clock that has exploded with the bloating of its own horological guys: those 50 gears are all exposed on the surface of the clock and draw stares from anyone who tries to tell time with it.
If the hands of this oversized wall clock (and when I call it this way I do it due to the numerous gears which the clock is made of, as it measures 16 x 16-inches and weighs 1000 grams approximately) were multicolored, it would have helped a great deal. However, with them being one color it does simplify the look of the overall clock. On the other hand, having fifty exposed gears is plenty to clutter the clock up by themselves without adding a contrasting color to the clock hands.
The device takes 4D-cell batteries to keep the entire mechanism turning and is now available from Homeloo for $78 USD.
(Source gadgets.boingboing.net)
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