Archive for August 29th, 2008

Samsung Ultraslim TV Looks Like Giant iPhone 3G [Ifa 2008]

Scratch one more notch for Apple design influence, because next year’s top-of-the-range Samsung Ultraslim LCD TV All-In-One 1 looks like an oversized iPhone 3G, down to the finish in black or white. The 52-inch TV—which is 1-inch at its thickest point—includes all the circuitry and ports in its ultra-slim body, with no breakout boxes or hunchbacks. The result is the slickest TV we have seen in the whole of IFA 2008, beating the Sony ZX1. And the best looking so far this year.

While the slick Sony ZX1 is only 9.9mm, it also has a box in the middle and has to be set up on a stand because of that. The Samsung Ultraslim LCD TV All-In-One 1 doesn’t, extending the circuitry across its back and tapering the glossy back cover toward the edges, in a very smooth curve. This is a design choice similar to the iPhone 3G and the MacBook Air (and before the anti-Apple fanboys protest, here’s a little tale: four days ago I asked one of the chief designers at Philips about Apple’s industrial design. “Do you think they are a big influence in consumer products?” I said. Smiling, he spent five minutes talking about the undeniable influence of the work of Ive and Co. in most of the stuff currently out there).

The Good: Amazing, beautiful design. It’s as beautiful and simple on the front as it is on the back. In fact, so nice on the back that, even while it’s perfect to be hung on the wall, I would like for it to be standing in the middle of a room. The picture quality doesn’t go far behind. Crisp image quality and very smooth motion, with an even distribution of light.

The Bad: You will have to wait until next year to get one.

Bottom line: The race toward the slimmest TVs continues, and I think Samsung has the winner so far. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]


Fujitsu announces M1010 netbook for Q4 launch

Filed under: Laptops

Fujitsu finally got official with its Amilo Mini netbook yesterday after not exactly keeping it a secret these past few months, and it’s now gone out and announced another curiously similar netbook, the M1010, which may or may not actually just be slight variation of the Amilo Mini. Like the Mini, the M1010 weighs in at 2.2 pounds and will pack an 8.9-inch display, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, plus some removable clip-on covers in an “array of delightful colors.” Fujitsu doesn’t seem to be quite ready to go any further than that, however, which could certainly suggest that it’s not one and the same as the Amilo Mini, as could the fact that Fujitsu describes the M1010 as “easy on the wallet,” which doesn’t exactly apply to the nearly $600 Amilo Mini. We should know for sure soon enough either way though, as the netbook is set to launch sometime in the fourth quarter of this year.

[Via Laptoping, thanks Danijel]

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Microsoft Working on “Vi-Fi”: Brings Seamless Internet and VoIP to Vehicles [Vi-fi]

As if you didn’t already spend enough time on the internet, Microsoft is looking to feed your addiction even further by developing a reliable “Vi-Fi” system for automobiles. The major problem that must be overcome is the fact that current Wi-Fi networks suffer hiccups in service as you pass through. This is especially true when moving out of the range of one base station and into another. To smooth the transition process, Microsoft and a team from the University of Massachusetts are working on building a network based around a base station anchor that is backed up by several auxiliary base stations in the area.

In other words, a computer or other wireless device that taps into the Vi-Fi system would select one base station at a time as an anchor. Using a complex algorithm, the system will calculate the probability that a packet received by an auxiliary base station was not received by the anchor. If the probability is high, the auxiliary will relay the packet to the anchor as a backup.

Microsoft hopes that their research will lead to the first truly reliable Wi-Fi system for vehicles, and recent tests conducted on their campus have been extremely successful. The next step is to scale up the project around the campus, but how or when a Vi-Fi system could be implemented in the real world has not been determined. Of course, one major hurdle would have to be that a serious municipal Wi-Fi infrastructure would be required to get the project off the ground. [SeattlePi via DailyTech via Newlaunches]


Dual Gooseneck Sat-Nav and Cellphone Holder: One Big Blind Spot [Two Headed]

In an effort to make driving as dangerous as possible, a UK company called Santok has developed this hideous two headed freak of a gadget holder. The dual gooseneck design makes it easy to stick your sat-nav and your cellphone to the windshield, and it seems to do a fine job of creating a massive blind spot wherever you choose to put it. Fortunately for most of us, it looks like drivers in the UK are going to be the only ones dealing with this problem in the foreseeable future. Available soon for around $37. [Santok via Geekalerts]


Hands-on with LG’s X110 netbook: HSDPA, GPS and a price to match

Filed under: Laptops

A USB shuffle here, a logo swap there and here’s what you get, the MSI, uh hem, LG X110. Sporting a fairly obvious MSI Wind base, LG’s X110 is making its first appearance in Berlin. Prices will range from €399 to €499 (about $590 to $738) which takes home an 8.9-inch display, 120GB disk (6GB SSD option), 1GB of RAM, and choice of built-in 3G HSDPA and GPS modules. Yes, XP running atop a 1.6GHz Atom processor, too. On sale in Europe at the end of September.

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PSP 3000 Might Feature DualShock 3 Support [Rumor]

A Best Buy tipster informed MaxConsole that the upcoming PSP 3000 will feature support for the PS3s DualShock 3 controller. The tipster also noted that it will use 480i composite cables to play games on the TV instead of component 480p. Obviously, this is just a rumor—but it is definitely one I want to believe. [MaxConsole]


Photosynthesis Solar Tree Concept Is the World’s Best Looking Solar Gadget Charger [Solar Chargers]

Great concept from designer Vivien Muller for a modular, Lego-like little bonsai tree with 54 mini photovoltaic panels as leaves to soak up juice from the sun and charge your gadgets. Adapters get tucked away beneath a nice little tray, and your gadgets lay on top, basking in the shade. Vivien can you make this, please? I can’t keep a real plant alive worth a damn, but this I think could place in the windowsill and be just fine with. More shots of the detachable pieces follow.



[Vivien Muller Portfolio via Behance Network]


MythBusters Claims the Moon Landings Actually Happened [Clips]

On their show last night, MythBusters sought to debunk one of the biggest myths of all, that NASA’s “moon landings” were shot on a Hollywood backlot. And, spoiler alert, it looks like all that space exploration actually happened. So I guess that’s it. Everyone can now remove their tinfoil hats and crack open a bag of freeze dried ice cream. Unless…of course…MythBusters is in on the whole thing…


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