Technological updates, Mobile phone updates, TV updates, Digicam updates: 09/01/2008

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Feature: Company Builds Street-Legal Plane, Can Be Stored Inside Garage

Slated for release in early 2009 is the Terrafugia Transition, the world's first drivable plane and it's more than just a concept. Continue reading to see more. Click here for first picture in gallery.

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[Source: Tech Blog]

Missile Command Game

Atari has released a new Missile Command game for the iPhone, which lets "players use the multi-touch feature to launch multiple missiles simultaneously, creating a new experience for this beloved game." Video after the break.

Defend the cities and don't let the nukes take out your missile stations. Chose to listen to your tunes while playing. Two player support.

[via TouchArcade]

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[Source: Tech Blog]

WipEout HD Release

The WipEout HD release has come and gone, but the rave reviews are still rolling in. Thanks in part to "the option of steering anti-gravity ships to victory in a whole new way via the SIXAXIS Wireless Controller." Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

Along with Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty, WipeEout HD is part of a new breed of PSN titles that look, sound, and feel like large-budget retail releases.

[via Joystiq - IGN]

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[Source: Tech Blog]

LG KC550 Black and LG KC550 Pink Review: Can the LG Camera Phone compete with its 5 Megapixel rivals?

Last week the LG KC550 turned up in the Mobiles.co.uk office, and I have to say on first impression I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. Lately the market for 5.0 Megapixel camera phones has been booming as the selection seems to grow each and every day, however LG have added a little incentive along with its very impressive functionality, to put it bluntly it is dirt cheap, but in a good way. The KC550 is basically a camera phone that single handily wants to take on the credit crunch.

It doesnt exactly have bargain bin styling either. Sure, its a little chubbier than most fashion phones, but its black rubberised back, chrome frame and checkerboard keypad are charming enough along with its 2.4? 240 x 320 pixel display its quite a stylish looking mobile phone. Navigating through the phone is done with the minimum of fuss and the only worry upon looking at it, which I shortly after found to be unnecessary was texting because of the un-raised buttons however after a few attempts I was flying. The only slight issue if I had to nit-pick on the button front is the C (cancel) button is placed in a little bit of an uncomfortable position on the right, but it’s forgivable.

SoWhats the catch, you ask? Well, the most noticeable aspect is the lack of 3G technology or Wi-Fi so uploading your high-resolution images to a website, for instance, will take longer than maybe its counterpart the LG Viewty. Essentially, the LG KC550 can be thought of as a cut down version of the Viewty, retaining almost all of its camera features but scaling back elsewhere which is understandable as it is sold primarily as a camera phone.

The main selling point of the KC550 is undoubtedly its camera, complete with Schneider-Kreuznach lens (and protective slide cover), autofocus, image stabiliser and LED flash. It also comes equipped with an accelerometer, so it automatically rotates the images youve taken. The maximum video capture resolution is 720 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second, so its certainly one of the best phones on the market for video recording.

It wasnt exactly the best of weather conditions for testing the camera however I thought I better show off a few snaps so here they are. To take a photo all you have to do is slide the lens cover across and the camera will automatically load up which I thought was a nice little touch, also it felt very comfortable when in use as you can slide the phone back to its original state and use it like a small digital camera, which meant, no danger of my fingers getting in the way of the lens. The image below, to the left is a normal shot and the one to the right shows off the impressive power of the LED flash which seems to really brighten up the photo.

Another big selling point of the KC550 which I admit kept me busy for a good couple hours is the motion-sensitive games application called M-Toy which includes; Fishing, Maze, Hammer, Homerun Derby, Magic 8 ball and my personal favourite DARTS! All of which can be placed as the desktop wallpaper so you can actually just play your chosen game without even sliding the phone up. On top of that the KC550 also supports Java based games that you can download which take a little bit more notice of all round game play etc however for straight out amusement I cannot fault M-Toy. I literally would not stop till I had some respectable high scores, especially with the hammer throw in which I may of got a little carried away with due to a few timing errors, waving my arms in the air like a lunatic trying to build the mans momentum.

Other features include Bluetooth A2DP and USB connectivity. You might have expected the KC550 to of slacked off on the media front as well considering its bargain price but its no slouch in this department either. Theres an impressive MP3 player built in, an FM radio and a TV output, so video clips and photos can be displayed on your television. There is limited inbuilt memory (25MB) so I would advise getting a microSD memory card to store your music.

The LG KC550 isnt perfect then; however for the money I dont think anyone including myself can complain as to what you actually get feature wise, as this handset can compete with the best of them in terms of multi-media and certainly camera capabilities and picture quality. Click here to look at some of the amazing deals we are offering on the KC550 and here for the Pink Mobiles.co.uk exclusive!

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[Source: The UK Mobile Phone Blog]

VW Jetta TDI

The 2009 VW Jetta TDI boasts "20 percent more torque and between 20 and 40 percent more mpg than a comparable gasoline engine -- 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway." Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

We can vouch for the added torque. Just pulling into traffic for the first time, we were taken aback, literally and figuratively, as the Jetta TDI leapt forward, the dual-clutch automatic quickly shifting into 2nd to take full advantage of the power band.

[via Edmunds]

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[Source: Tech Blog]

8 Megapixel

The Samsung M8800 phone features an 8-megapixel camera, 3.2-inch touchscreen, HSDPA, accelerometer, Bluetooth, and integrated GPS. Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

In fact it looks very much like a compact camera from the rear, and its 3.2-inch screen bears the same TouchWiz interface as the Omnia.

[via Gizmodo - GSMarena]

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[Source: Tech Blog]

F18

According to the photographer, "a huge compression wave forms as the moisture is forced from the air" as this F18 nears the sound barrier. Click here for first picture in gallery.

[via Flickr]

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[Source: Tech Blog]

ASUS N10 Netbook Runs Call of Duty 4

With discrete NVIDIA GeForce 9300M graphics, the ASUS N10 is capable of running popular FPS games such as Call of Duty 4 in addition to basic applications. Video after the break.

We knew the ASUS N10 was a burly fellow when we took some street corner shots of it earlier this month, but we never even thought to toss Call of Duty 4 on there and waste away a solid 12 hours in online war zones.

[via Engadget - Mobilecomputermag]

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[Source: Tech Blog]

eBay Watch: Ultra Rare SEGA Dreamcast Development Box

That's right, a seller is offering an ultra rare SEGA Dreamcast development box on eBay for just $399.95. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with any accessories. Auction page. Click here for first picture gallery.

..rare sega dreamcast hkt-0120 developer box katana. made in japan. i have a power cord and s video cable that i am including in this auction.

[via eBay]

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[Source: Tech Blog]

Motorola Mobile solutions are deployed in 20 medical institutions

The unit of mobile enterprise applications company Motorola has announced that the company is introducing SigmaCare corporate mobile solutions Motorola in 20 hospitals for chronic patients in order to improve the efficiency of the staff and improve the quality of patient care. SigmaCare - a leading developer of technology and health care provider of professional services for medical institutions that specialize in caring for the chronically ill. This introduction was made possible by the recent grant of New York in the amount of 13.5 million dollars. Grant given for the demonstration project to improve the quality of patient care and facilitate medical facilities for the chronically ill in the transition from paper-based to electronic.

Among the institutions that will introduce the new system is the Sands Point Center for Health & Rehabilitation - a health care facility for 180 seats in the city of Port Washington (New York). Corporate wireless solution Motorola introduced it into operation in October 2007 with the aim of enhancing personal communications staff to patients. Manual Sands Point Center expects to receive 450% th return on investment (ROI) in new technology over five years by improving the quality of medical records and improve efficiency. In addition, during these five years is expected to raise revenue center for 3.9 million dollars, which should lead to an increase in the value of the Center for more than 10,8 million dollars.

To support a mobile system of electronic health records SigmaCare and constant wireless access to critical clinical applications in all institutions caring for chronically ill specialists SigmaCare installed Motorola WS5100 wireless switches and access ports AP300, providing wireless corporate level, as well as mobile computers for Motorola MC70 Mobile access to critical data. The new system enables doctors, nurses and all the members of a multidisciplinary team access to information about patients and other electronic medical data in real time directly from the patient's bed. This process enables significantly improve the quality of medical records, decision making and patient care. In addition, it reduces the amount of paperwork and transaction costs, and improve the effectiveness of Labor and profitability as a whole. In the future, Sands Point is planning to install scanners, bar codes Motorola LS4278 to leave control of drugs.