Technological updates, Mobile phone updates, TV updates, Digicam updates: 03/01/2008

Monday, March 31, 2008

LG Vu

LG Vu brief specifications:
- 3G
- HSDPA
- 2 mega pixel AF camera
- 3 inch WQVGA 262K color touchsreen
- 120MB of built in memory
- HTML web browser
- microSD support (up to 4GB)
- 1000mAh battery
- measures 4.25?H x 2.16?W x 0.51?D
- weighs 3.16oz

The phone will come in two versions: CU920 with mobile TV antenna and CU915 without.

Friday, March 28, 2008

VIDEO: NASA's X-48B Blended Wing Body is World's Largest Remote Controlled Plane

With a whopping 21-foot wingspan, NASA's X-48B Blended Wing Body is the world's largest remote controlled plane. In the video, you'll see "the perfect flight of Skyray 48, the Boeing-NASA prototype of what could be the future of commercial aviation." Continue reading to watch. Click here for first picture in gallery.

Thanks to its design, designs derived from the X-48B will have less power consumption and less emissions, while increasing carrying capacity and speed compared with current cargo and passenger aircraft

[via Gizmodo - NASA]

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[Source: Tech Blog]

PICTURES: Leaked Grand Theft Auto 4 Street Map

Apparently, someone has already gotten their hands on a PlayStation 3 GTA IV street map, which includes images of "city itself, complete with descriptions of various locales, the Liberty City subway map, and the controller map for the PS3." Click here for first picture in gallery.

It's about as New York as you can get without actually being in New York. Everything looks rather official, though I'm going to go ahead and rumor tag this pending some sort of official confirmation

[via Kotaku]

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[Source: Tech Blog]

Video Game Vault: Super Bonk

Super Bonk, "which was vaguely similar to Bonk 3, was released for the Super NES in 1994 or 1995." ScrewAttack takes a look back at this title after the break.

As stated on Hudson Soft's website, in their "The Definitive Bonk" article, Bonk was originally created as a comic character, PC Genjin, in a magazine for the PC Engine. So many people liked the character that there were talks held on giving him a game of his own

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[Source: Tech Blog]

Fifth Gear: The World's First Double Decker Car

In this Fifth Gear segment, "Jenny sets about making an alternative four seater - the world's first double-decker car, bolting one smart on top of another." Video after the break.

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[Source: Tech Blog]

Review of GSM/UMTS-smartphone Sony Ericsson G700

Mobile-review posted their review of the Sony Ericsson G700 smartphone. HEre is the final impression.

Impressions
Despite having only one loudspeaker onboard, the G700s ring tones are pretty loud, actually above the markets average volume level, being in line with the Sony Ericsson P1i, so it is very hard to miss a call with this phone in pocket. The G700 is a living proof that even a sole speaker can sound very well. The vibro alert isnt strong enough, though, and you might not feel it on certain occasions.

The Sony Ericsson G700 is set to hit the shelves this June, retailing for around 300 Euro, which automatically makes it the cheapest touchscreen-enabled smartphone around. It packs in a quite decent camera, fairly good sound with, however, very few settings available in the music player, and, more importantly, the paneled interface that makes moving around the G700 a snap, allowing you to control it single-handedly without having to take the stylus (even when texting with the on-screen keyboard). As for the virtual keyboard, it is bigger now, and while it doesnt seem huge, it turns out to be quite comfortable even when typing with bare hands the misclick count wont go way above that of the iPhone that boasts a substantially larger display. So chalk one up for Sony Ericsson.

On the downside, which is inevitable on any phone, the G700 has no EDGE and for many who cant benefit from 3G data this will be a critical letdown. The lack of WiFi is another feature we would like to have here, but, on the other hand, there is the G900 that gives you that plus a 5 Mpix camera for 50 Euro more, which is a reasonable tradeoff.

Does the G700 have any sort of direct competition offering the same punch for this money? I see none. As far as Windows Mobile based devices are concerned, they come with heftier price tags, plus finger-based navigation is enabled only in specific applications, whereas in the G700 you can take advantage of it throughout all menus and apps of this device. On top of that, its panels are a very compelling option in fact they can well make the phones menu pretty much useless.

However, it is worth comparing it with the Nokia N82, which will be viewed as an alternative to the Sony Ericsson G700/G900 by many? So what are its trump cards? First and foremost, imaging department, for it is a photography-centric solution. But if you take the entire package into consideration, including the ability to input data from the screen, then the G700 seems like the winner. Basically, it has adopted a lot of strengths from Sony Ericssons feature phone, like the flashlight (which many loved so much in the Sony Ericsson K750i), XPict Story feature, conventional applications and utilities, etc. So on balance, the G700 is an amazingly viable marriage between the flexibility of smartphone and straightforwardness of feature phones.

Is there any point for the owners of the Sony Ericsson P1i swap their devices for the G700? As far as I see it, they might want to take a look at the G900, but going for it wont make much sense. The thing is, they would be better off waiting a little more for the companys new flagship that will come in a superior casing (with metal accents), with better camera and sound and richer sales package (desktop cradle, memory card). Among all other things, the P1is hardware thumbboard gives it a certain edge over the G700/G900. They are different positioning-wise, thats it.

Wrapping it all up, I should note that the Sony Ericsson G700 is one of the finest offerings on the market it has no alternatives; furthermore, first counterparts to it going for the same money will only appear in a years time, which is really long while. While it has no bundled GPS, extra accessories will easily make up for this omission. The developers set off to design a straightforward device and apparently, they have succeeded. The G700 is a treat to use. So you should definitely put it on your short-list if you are keen on touch-sensitive displays in any way.

PICTURES: ZipZip Pads Combine to Form a Faux Sofa

ZipZip pads offer flexibility through a modular design. Equipped with "zips on all four sides, you can choose to make one huge floor cover." No word yet on pricing or availability. Click here for first picture in gallery.

Special pads even have a hole for a planter or a stowage pocket: handy for TV remotes, I reckon. Designed by Sternform Produktgestaltung, they're made of Loden, which is 100% new wool, and come in four colors ranging from light gray to dark sand

[via Gizmodo]

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[Source: Tech Blog]

PICTURES: Palette-Digital Artist - The Portable PC For Artists

Called the "Palette-Digital Artist", this portable PC is aimed at artists/graphic designers. This concept lets you "digitally paint your masterpiece with a special stylus while holding your digital palette in your hand." Click here for first picture in gallery.