We’ve been historically harsh on digital photo frames here at SlashGear, callously tossing out anything that lacks wireless connectivity. That given, we’re understandably interested in WonderMedia’s SmartFrame; while only a reference design right now, the touchscreen frame is apparently the first to carry that coveted “Compatible with Windows 7″ badge.
Western Digital have announced their newest compact media player, the WD TV Mini Media Player, which replaces last year’s unit with the same name. A palm-sized box with 1080i HD resolution support and the ability to play content both from an attached USB hard-drive including RealNetworks’ RealVideo support, the WD TV Mini offers image, audio and video playback complete with a remote control.
The push to send remote-control robots into dangerous environments in order to carry out search and rescue probably isn’t going to be helped by people titling demo videos as “Human body shredding machine in Japan”. Then again, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t feel a slight shiver of trepidation at the thought of disappearing into that conveyor-fed maw.
Video after the cut
Logitech have unveiled their latest universal remote, the Harmony 900, an RF unit that – with the three bundled IR blasters – can control devices in other rooms or enclosed in cabinets. The Harmony 900 remote has a full-color touchcreen as well as numerous backlit hardware buttons, and can be set up via an online wizard; Logitech claim battery life of up to a week.
Hot on the heals of the new Cyber-shot TX1 and WX1 comes this three-legged curiosity, Sony’s Party-shot. Intended to grab the photos you’re too busy, drunken or generally conspicuous to snap yourself, the Party-shot dock works with the two new cameras and offers automatic face-detection, 360-degree pans and button-free photos.
Logitech have announced a pair of new wireless presenter remote controls, the Presenter R400 and Presenter R800. Each offers a laser-pointer and presentation control keys; the R800 adds an LCD display with timer and a vibrating alert which can warn you when you have five, two, and zero minutes left on-stage.
It’s not, arguably, as exciting in pure A/V terms as the company’s Procise PSPHD 7.3 previewed yesterday, but Crestron’s new Prodigy Home Control System is certainly more affordable. CEPro have been behind the scenes with the new wireless automation system, which uses modular ZigBee-compatible components to manage lighting, heating, distributed A/V and more.
It’s not just their Zi8 HD camcorder that Kodak have for us today; the company has also announced a new media-adapter, the Kodak Theatre HD Player. Designed to plug directly into your HDTV together with your home network – either via WiFi or ethernet – the Theatre HD Player can show images, video, podcasts, music and web content.
Continued »
iLuv have officially announced the iEA15 iPod Remote Adapter, intended for owners of Apple's PMPs who want both to use their own headphones and control their music without whipping out the iPod itself. Contrary to some premature reports, the iEA15 does not work with the iPhone; however it will support VoiceOver on the third-gen iPod shuffle.
Zeemote have launched a version of their Bluetooth mobile gaming controller for BlackBerry smartphones. The Zeemote JS1 is compatible with all BlackBerry handsets that have a trackball, and connects wirelessly to offer over fifty hours of battery-powered gameplay.
Update: video demo after the cut
SlashGear Japan
