Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 151 of 168)

      Charging Gadgets Is A Walk In The Park

      June 4, 2009 /

      nPower PEGYou’re going green, trying to reduce your energy footprint, but that damn iPhone of yours keeps dying. Tremont Electric has your solution.

      Called the nPower PEG (Personal Energy Generator), Tremont’s newest device harnesses kinetic energy to generate electricity and power your devices. According to the company, the PEG is capable of charging an average device up to 80% capacity in just an hour of average movement, like walking. Because the PEG comes equipped with a USB 2.0 jack, it’s compatible with just about every device on the market.

      I’ve seen this type of thing before, usually in the style of a belt worn around your hips for maximum shaking on impact. The PEG, though, doesn’t need to be worn. Trow it in a backpack, a purse, even just across your passenger’s seat. Virtually any movement will start to generate the juice you need to keep your gadgets at max capacity.

      According to Tremont Electric, “If our entire target market used the PEG to recharge their cell phones for an hour each day, instead of plugging into a wall outlet, they would reduce the amount of electricity needed from the grid by 25.4 million kilowatts. That’s enough energy to power 21,000 households for an entire year.” Pretty huge change for a small device.

      The nPower PEG is just 9 inches tall with a 1.5 inch diameter and weighs 9 ounces. A release date remains to be announced, but you can sign up and be one of the first to get preorder information.

      Cameras, GPS, iPhone, Mobile

      Sprint’s Too Good For Long Lines

      June 4, 2009 /

      Sprint Store.According to Mark Elliot, a spokesperson for Sprint, the company doesn’t want long lines come launch day for the Palm Pre this Saturday. “We’re actually trying to manage the exact opposite,” Mr. Elliott said.

      It’s just like any company to spin the low hype generated by what must be terrible exclusivity negotiations into a boon for customer service. Part of Sprint’s new plan for the Pre rollout includes in-store tutorials for every Pre customer. “What we’re trying to do is not have people backed up waiting so customers feel rushed,” Mr. Elliott said. “We want each customer to get the experience.”

      I don’t know about you, but I have plenty of fond memories of waiting in long lines to get the newest gadget, game, what have you. The air reeks with anticipation, everyone’s excited to be there knowing they’ll walk out with a new toy in hand. Well, early Pre adopters, you’ll get none of that.

      Source: NY Times

      General Gadgets

      Sony Says You Still Need Buttons

      June 3, 2009 /

      The Sony Wand.Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s Project Natal announcement, Sony entered the motion capture battle with their very own…Wiimote? In fact, yes, and from the looks of their demonstration, it’s a pretty slick little device.

      The presentation wasn’t groundbreaking, and reused a lot of the “motion is the future of gaming” hype, but Sony did highlight the main difference between their wand and Project Natal: buttons. In a shot across Microsoft’s prow, Sony said, “buttons are needed for some experiences.” They followed up by showing off the motion capture games we all expect: tennis, swordplay, baseball, and painting. Control looked pretty solid, and offers some benefits (like the ability to grab) over Natal (along with the aforementioned buttons), like the ability to control your game when you’re outside Natal’s viewing area.

      According to CEO Jack Tretton, Sony’s version of the Wiimote, which seems to still be nameless, will be available in Spring of 2010. I’m surprised it’s so late. Though the tech seemed solid, and the level of control impressive, releasing it so late gives plenty of time for people to get entrenched with a Wii Motion Plus. And though it is hard to imagine a game without buttons, it was also hard to imagine a game without analog sticks, or a traditional two hand controller, and look at the device Sony’s announcing – a deviation from those conventional forms of control.

      Can Sony win the future of motion control, or will they just be a Wii with excellent graphics?

      Image: Electronista

      Gaming, microsoft

      Famed Wii Hacker Part of Project Natal

      June 2, 2009 /

      Lee.Last month we ran a highlight on Johnny Chung Lee, the notorious Wiimote hacker responsible for making things like smartboards, multi-point touchscreens, and virtual 3D environments capable of responding to a user’s location, all from a $30 Wiimote. Lee gained notoriety not only for creating complex equipment from simple parts, but because he kept his work free, available on YouTube and his own website.

      Well Lee’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed, particularly by Microsoft. Remember that little thing they debuted yesterday? Project Natal? Yeah, that little game-changer (both the development game and the game itself). As it turns out, Microsoft managed to yank Lee away from his Wiimote hacks (probably by stuffing his pockets) to work on the development team for Project Natal.

      “Now, I should preface by saying I don’t deserve credit for anything that you saw at E3,” Lee wrote in a blog post last night. “A large team of very smart, very hard-working people were involved in building the demos you saw on stage. The part I am working on has much more to do with making sure this can transition from the E3 stage to your living room – for which there is an even larger team of very smart, very hard-working people involved.”

      Hard work indeed. If you haven’t seen the demo videos, you need to, because Natal points to some really groundbreaking possibilities. As Lee puts things, “We would all love to one day have our own personal holodeck. This is a pretty measurable step in that direction.”

      I said yesterday that I was having trouble being skeptical about Natal. It is some incredible technology, but my excitement’s wearing off and I’m beginning to think my dreams are probably bigger than the device. Can it really be as great as Lee says? And when he says a step, how big is that step (and obviously it’s one of MANY before we’re anywhere close to a holodeck)? Are you bouncing-off-the-walls excited or just watching from the corner of your eye?

      I do know this, if Lee is involved, Microsoft is compiling a pretty incredible team, and it would take a load of bureaucratic problems to turn their hard work into a lackluster device.

      Gaming, microsoft

      Brando’s Slick SATA HDD Multi-Media Adapter

      June 2, 2009 /

      Brando SATA HDD multi-media adapterIn the world of SATA adapters, few are as slick (in both product and price) as Brando’s SATA HDD Multi Media Player Adapter. More than just a dock, Brando’s product allows you to stream 1080i straight to your TV.

      The unit connects to a computer via USB, allowing you to dump files straight to the HDD of your choice. There are also adapters for an SD card or flash drive, with the same streaming capability. You also don’t have to have Brando’s new toy connected to a computer to allow playback, which is ideal for folks who haven’t quite made the jump to a media center at their TV.

      If you’ve got a big digital video collection, or just like to share photos with friends and family, Brando’s $69 price tag is a sure fit for your budget.

      Source: Brando
      Image: Gizmodo

      Video

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