At the 2011 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Toshiba demonstrated an Android waterproof phone with a 12.2-megapixel camera. Now you can talk and take pictures in the shower!
We love the “Really?” series of commercials for the Windows 7 phone, which poke fun at phone-obsessed people. This phone brings to mind a whole new series of mishaps that can occur with an underwater phone.
If you really must know more about the Toshiba Regza IS04 waterproof phone, you can see a demonstration of its underwater operation in this YouTube video:
Openaire Designs by Nick and Beau Trincia has come up with a concept for a laptop case that transforms in a desk and chair, allowing you to use your laptop in comfort when there’s nowhere to sit. The case is made from hinged pieces of wood and fabric that fold out to create a legless backrest and a lapdesk with folding side-panels. There’s room to use a mouse if you prefer it to a touchpad.
The pieces are modular, so you can pack up just the chair or just the desk. Whether you’re at a busy conference or just want to enjoy the sun at your local park, this transforming laptop bag will let you work on your laptop in comfort. Read more about Openaire’s laptop case design in Wired’s Gadget Lab or visit the Openaire website.
This week the popular “Jeopardy!” quiz show will feature a match between two of the show’s top contestants from the past and an IBM-designed supercomputer named Watson. Researchers at IBM have spent four years programming and scanning information into the computer, which is the size of 10 refrigerators and has 15 trillion-bytes of memory. The three will be competing for a $1 million grand prize which will be awarded on Feb. 16. If Watson wins, IBM will be donating the prize to charity.
Watson represents a milestone in the field of artificial intelligence. IBM has been secretive about the cost of developing Watson, but Carnegie Mellon computer science professor Eric Nyberg estimates the cost as at least $100 million. IBM is already looking into practical applications for Watson after its run on “Jeopardy!” is complete.
Now that many businesses have gone global, communication is more important than ever. For many international business travelers, a handheld translation device is an indispensable gadget. Franklin has been a leader in this area, and their 12-Language Speaking Global Translator is one of their newest offerings. Simply type a word into the pull-out QWERTY keyboard, choose from a list of suggested words and phrases, then hear a recorded human voice say the word in the selected language. This translation gadget comes with 450,000 words, of which 115,000 have pre-recorded spoken versions.
The Franklin 12-Language Speaking Global Translator also includes a voice-recording features that letw you record and then store additional words and phrases. The supported languages include Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Find out more about the Franklin 12-Language Speaking Global Translator on the Franklin website.
MysteryGuitarMan is actually Joe Penna, an animator, guitarist and filmmaker from Brazil. Penna has gained fame by maintaining a viral channel on YouTube where he uploads original videos twice weekly. MysteryGuitarMan is the most subscribed YouTube video in Brazil as well as being ranked 7th in number of YouTube subscribers (over 1.6 million).
To see what everyone’s been watching, check out MysterGuitarMan’s Root Beer Mozart video on YouTube:
Cell phones, cameras, MP3 players – many of us can’t live without our gadgets and unfortunately we also can’t live without their chargers.
The Joy Factory Touch-n-Go charger is a new gadget that promises to simplify your life by eliminating the need for a plethora of gadget chargers. Now you can charge multiple devices, using only one wall-socket plug. The short wires eliminate the threat of tangles. The Touch-N-Go is not yet for sale, but The Joy Factory is taking advance orders on their website.
Time Magazine has just released its list of the Top 10 Gadgets of 2010. For those who follow tech news, it should come as no surprise that Apple dominated the list. A total of 4 Apple products made it to the list, including the iPad (number 1 on the list), the MacBook Air (number 3), the iPhone 4 (number 6) and the second-generation Apple TV (number 7).
The iPad was the big story in tech news in 2010. It sold 3 million units in its first month on sale and is one of the most-wanted gifts for the 2010 holiday season. Read how the iPad impacted 2010 on CNN Tech.
Locks with keys may soon be a thing of the past. The SmartScan Keyless Lock from Brick House Security is a next-generation lock that provides access to your home with a single scan of your fingerprint. The SmartScan lock uses a dermal scanner to determine who will be admitted. Smart technology allows you to set different levels of access – continuous or temporary. Continuous access allwow 24/7 entry. Temporary access is allowed for a limited period that you specify. Use it for guests, house cleaners and contractors. With SmartScan’s flexible security system, you’ll never need to worry about who has a key to your house.
A couple of years ago, the Flip Slide seemed to have cornered the market for small, inexpensive video cameras. Now Sony has jumped in with its Bloggie Touch HD camera. The Bloggie is loaded with features – image stabilization, auto focus, face detection, low-light shooting and 4x digital zoom. You can take either HD video or 12.8-megapixel photos.
Like the Flip, the Bloggie has a slim design and a pop-out USB arm for video transfer and power charging. Sony also provides Bloggie software to help upload and manage videos. The software makes it easy to post videos on YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and Picassa.
The Bloggie retails for about $200 for the 8GB model. Find out more about Bloggie Touch HD on the Sony website. You can see it in action in this YouTube video:
The holidays will be here before you know it, so it’s time to start thinking about holiday gifts. If you’ve got an engineer or architect on your shopping list, Lego has a new line of Architecture model sets that are sure to be a winner. Some of the landmark buildings available include the Empire State Building, the John Hancock Tower, the Seattle Space Needle and the White House. The latest additions are models of distinctive Frank Lloyd Wright designs, including Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum.
This is the perfect gift for the young and the young at heart who have an interest in building design and construction. Find out more on the Lego Architecture website.
