2006 July - SlashGear

Archive for July, 2006

The Sony Style Camcorder Trade-Up Program

Vincent Nguyen, Jul 13th 2006 Discuss [0]

Sony is giving everyone a chance to trade up that old camcorder (can also be non-Sony brand) and receive an instant estimate. Make sure you have a little chat with your old camcorder (so that it doesn’t take it personal) to set proper expectations in the event that Sony rejects your trade up request. Offer ends July 31, 2006.

Kerry McLean’s Monowheel Rocket Roadster

Vincent Nguyen, Jul 12th 2006 Discuss [0]

No, Kerry McLean didn’t reinvent the wheel, but instead invented the monowheel. McLean describes the 225-horsepower gasoline-powered monowheel as hauling ass and floating on air. Check out the video below to get an idea of how cool this thing is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P_5PHlOdvM Read The Full Story

The Sensitive Floor

Vincent Nguyen, Jul 12th 2006 Discuss [0]

Sensitive Floor is an interactive video floor projection, which reacts to the way you walk on it. This is a new an interesting way for you to use what would normally be a dull and boring floor. There are many applications for the Sensitive Floor such as using it at exhibition, in retail stores, ad placements, or simply a welcome mate for your front door. As a business owner, I think it’s a great tool to communicate with your customers.

“We devised Sensitive Floor to be the first interactive media that makes you smile.”

Read The Full Story

TripleWatch Cellphone Concept

Benjamin Nied, Jul 12th 2006 Discuss [3]

Those crazy guys over at Yanko Design have done it again, this time showing off Manon Maneenawa's 3-in-1 cellphone, wrist watch, and alarm clock. When folded up, the clock functions can be used as either a wrist watch (by inserting it into the wrist holster seen up on top) or a standalone alarm clock. By flipping the device's two panels open, a full-sized cell phone is revealed underneath. While this is merely a conceptual design, it's still intriguing, though the tendency to throw one's alarm clock out a window would need to be curbed to keep from trashing your cell phone too. It's unlikely that we'll ever see a cell phone like this (outside of some specialty stores like The Sharper Image), but if we do, will it come with EV-DO? [via Yanko Design]

Panasonic Adds 26-inch, 32-inch Viera LCD TVs

Benjamin Nied, Jul 12th 2006 Discuss [0]

In the world of HDTV, Panasonic is looking to be king. Having just announced their massive 103-inch 1080p HDTV a few days ago, the company has just taken the wraps off their new 26-inch and 32-inch Viera LCD HDTVs, both running at 1,366 x 768 (otherwise known as 720p) resolution. The sets feature a number of Panasonic technologies, such a Active Light Control and Active Contrast/Gamma Control, allowing for better picture quality and deeper colors. Read The Full Story

Sony Pulls “Racist” White PSP Ad

Ewdison Then, Jul 12th 2006 Discuss [0]

After rounds of racism accusations and outrage among the people of the world, Sony has opted to pull its controversial "PlayStation Portable White is coming" ads from the Netherlands, issuing the following apology to try and smooth things over with the offended citizens of the world:

"We recognize that the subject matter of one specific image may have caused concern in some countries not directly affected by the advertising. As a result, we have now withdrawn the campaign."

The ad had come under fire due to its supposedly racist undertones, which (as you can see above) shows a white "PSP" holding a black "PSP" by the chin. While Sony stopped short of admitting any wrongdoing, they have pulled the ads completely. So, now that this is all settled, the Netherlands can just focus on the upcoming PSP White, rather than the silly advertising. [via Reuters]

Black DS Lites Head to Japan

Benjamin Nied, Jul 12th 2006 Discuss [0]

The black DS Lite, the awesomest-looking version of Nintendo's gem of a handheld, is finally headed to Japan, where it will join the already-available colors of Polar White (what we got in the USA), Light Blue, Enamel Blue, and Pink. This means that the Japanese have an assortment of DS Lite colors to pick from, and we still only have Polor White. Phooey. Anyway, the black DS Lite will cost 16,800 yen ($145.00 USD) and will be available on September 2nd. So, if you've been waiting for a black DS Lite because Polar White isn't leet (1337) enough for you, now you can import one from Japan starting in September. No word on a US launch for the black DS Lite. [via Newlaunches]

E-rope, Pipedream sockets

Kevin Lee, Jul 11th 2006 Discuss [0]

The E-rope is designed by Chul Min Kang and Sung Hun Lim, is a modular power strip which can be twisted about to better accommodate cable gore with large, bulky plugs. It's just more safer and definately more better in looks. Buy one for your own use. [Via inhabitat]

Eurocom’s Alternative to DELL XPS line

Kevin Lee, Jul 11th 2006 Discuss [0]

This Eurocom model spots a 17-inch monitor, performing at 1920 x 1200 resolution. It comes with a dual core AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800 processor and nVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 GTX graphics card. This helps a lot in serious 3D performance, in terms of gaming and video. It also comes with DVD burner, 802.11a/b/g, DVI out, and 4-in-1 card reader. Only drawbacks for the laptop is the 5,200 RPM hard drive and 1GB of 200MHz DDR RAM, which does not make it faster than a DELL XPS. However, if you are budget concious and wouldn't mind carrying a 15-lbs laptop, this is certainly for you. [via MobilityGuru]

New Details on the Microsoft Zune

Benjamin Nied, Jul 11th 2006 Discuss [0]

Thanks to our compatriots over at the Gizmodo, we have some new details on Microsoft's upcoming Zune media player, including what to expect and which details are really just fantasy. As you know by now (and if you don't, come out from underneath that rock of yours), Microsoft's Zune media player is looking to take the iPod head-on for music/video player supremacy. Unlike other competitors that are trying to go head-to-head with the same feature set as the iPod, Microsoft is taking their player in a completely different direction, trying to outmaneuver the iPod with features lacking from Apple's players. Read The Full Story

Gates: 80% Chance of Vista Shipping On-Time

Benjamin Nied, Jul 11th 2006 Discuss [0]

Well, it doesn't come much more "straight from the horse's mouth" than this. According to outgoing Microsoft head honcho Bill Gates, the upcoming Windows Vista operating system, Microsoft's first since 2001's Windows XP, has an 80% chance of shipping on time, but that he has no qualms about delaying the ship date if he feels that it would be best for the product. Vista has already been delayed several times, losing large numbers of features in the process (WinFS, etc.).

Read The Full Story

Datasafe oomi: World’s Smallest MP3 Player

Benjamin Nied, Jul 11th 2006 Discuss [1]

Just in case the iPod nano is too big for your hands, the Datasafe oomi is here, just small enough that you can almost guarantee that you'll lose it and never find it again. Sporting a mirrored silver surface and weighing in at an astonishing small 20 grams (roughly 0.7 ounces), the oomi features an FM radio tuner, support for WMA, MP3, and ASF, and a fairly-impressive 20mW per sound channel, totalling 40 mW of output. The built-in USB 2.0 port allows for ultra-quick transfers, and the player works seemlessly with both Windows and Mac. To top it all off, the device features circling blue LEDs to let you know that the device is in operation. Very impressive; just don't lose it to the couch cushions. Product Page