Plextor M3S SSD / (special gadgets)

Plextor M3S SSD

Plextor’s latest release, their 2.5″ SSD known as the Plextor M3S will most probably appeal to those who are looking to purchase a new SSD, but cannot really make up their mind as to which model to bring home – although they do not want to break the bank while they’re at it. Apart from that, the M3S will offer SATA III connectivity and a Marvell controller that is said to deliver speeds of up to 525MB/s and 445MB/s for sequential reads and writes, and 70,000 and 65,000 IOPS where random reads and writes are concerned.
The 128GB model will retail for a mere $200 at the end of November onwards, while doubling that amount will see you part ways with $350 for it, and for those who can afford both time and money to wait for early next year, the 512GB model can be yours for $700. Regardless of which capacity you bring home, all of them will come with a 5-year limited warranty.

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Toshiba’s latest 32-inch TV Regza 32BE3 (special gadgets)

Toshiba’s 32-inch TV Regza 32BE3

Toshiba has launched a new 32-inch TV called the Regza 32BE3, carrying a new Eco Chip that uses zero power in standby mode.
When in standby mode there is no power drawn from AC at all. Instead the Eco Chip has been combined with a large-capacity capacitor, capable of providing enough electricity to power the chip and therefore accept input from the remote. So you still get that instant-on functionality by pressing a button on the remote, but you lose the constant power draw required to make it happen.
Toshiba has also tried to make the Regza 32BE3 very low power even when in use. There are two backlight modes that not only cut the backlight by 50% and 75%, but auto-adjusts the image to cater for the lower light level. You can also set the TV up to automatically go into zero-power standby mode if no input is received for 3 hours.
Overall, using this TV should see your power use drop compared to an equivalent model not using the Eco Chip. Toshiba compares it to the previous 32-inch TV they released (the Regza 32A2) and claim a 27% power saving.

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ViewSonic's V3D231 3D LED monitor(special gadgets)

Available now for $349

ViewSonic might have just what you’re looking for in the form of the V3D231 LED monitor. The 23” monitor will sport a native display resolution of 1920×1080 Full HD, with a 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio along with a mere 2ms video response time, which looks like it should be up for the task of gaming, photo editing and watching movies.
The V3D231 will also come with VGA, DVI-D and HDMI 1.4a inputs, which means that you should not have any issues hooking up a Blu-ray 3D player or your Sony PlayStation 3 gaming console. The monitor will also come with integrated SRS Premium Sound audio speakers and will bundled with a pair of polarized 3D glasses and a TriDef 3D software suite, which basically allows the conversion of your 2D photos into 3D photos.

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Glass Multi-Touch Keyboard & Mouse(special gadgets)

This Glass Multi-Touch Keyboard & Mouse ($350) uses infrared LEDs placed at the edge of the glass — in conjunction with one or more cameras — to detect your touches on the completely clear tempered glass surface. Other features include Bluetooth support, rechargeable lithium polymer batteries, tactile sounds and lighting that can be disabled at your desire, and solid metal bases that'll look great next to your rig, be it a PC or Mac.

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A college student builds girlfriend $125 iPad

Wei Xinlong, a college student at the Northeast Normal University in Changchun, really wanted to make his girlfriend, Sun Shasha, very happy.
He knew she would love to be in possession of the world's No. 1 passion possession, the iPad. However, he didn't have the money to effect that love. So he set about building an iPad from scratch.
Like all resourceful students, he took to the Web and learned as much as he could about the way tablets are built.
Then he bought a touch screen and a battery--online, naturally--and set to work. He reportedly cobbled together parts from an old laptop he bought, also online: the motherboard, the display, and the memory, for example. Then he finished it off with some pretty little rhinestones all the way round the outside.
"One can read, download, watch movies, play games by just touching the screen," he told China Daily News.
Oddly, though the home-made creation is Windows 7 enabled, it does seem to have an Apple logo on it-- something that might amuse a few lawyers and stimulate a few counterfeiters.
The whole cost of the homemade machine was 800 Yuan, which, at today's inflated prices seems to be $125.
Sun Shasha, for her part, couldn't have been more deliriously happy. She told China Daily News: "This is the best gift I've ever had, and I will keep it forever."

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Belkin LiveAction (special gadgets)

Belkin LiveAction Camera

Price: $49.99

The Belkin LiveAction Camera Grip will be accompanied by the LiveAction Camera Remote and will feature a contoured, soft-touch design and an external shutter button, turning your iOS device into a digital camera so that you can shoot images in the traditional method – by pressing a physical button.
The Camera Grip will be connected to the charge connector of the device, where it ought to be able to fits easily over the majority of cases. As for the integrated tripod mount, it will attach itself to any standard tripod to deliver you a more stabilized control. There will be separate buttons for photo and video recording, and it will play nice with the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPod touch.

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Philips Bio-light concept uses bacteria to light homes(weird but amazing)

Philips bio-light

As one of numerous systems in its Microbial Home (MH) concept, Philips tasked itself with creating a lighting system driven by the wastes typically generated in the average home. To feed the bacteria housed in the bio-light's unusual hand-blown glass compartments, methane - which could generated by the MH kitchen's bio-digester unit from composted bathroom solids and kitchen vegetable waste - is piped in through thin silicon tubes connected to a reservoir at the base.

Light produced by bacteria, or luminescence, is heat-free in contrast to incandescence, which is light generated by objects heated to glowing. A similar form of light, chemoluminescence, is given off by the familiar snap and shake glow sticks (a mixture of phenyl oxalate, fluorescent dye and hydrogen peroxide) but those are closed one-use systems with a limited light-production period.

The bio-light's living bacteria, on the other hand (which utilize the enzyme luciferase, and its substrate, luciferin, to generate light) can be driven indefinitely, as long as key nutrients are supplied. While the light given off isn't bright enough to fully replace artificial light just yet, it's definitely a step in the right direction, especially because it gets people thinking about untapped household energy sources ripe for the plucking.
Along with providing interesting, grid-free ambient light around the home, Philips envisions numerous other uses for its bacterially-driven lights, including warning strips on curbs and steps, exit signs in low-light entertainment venues and perhaps even nighttime edge indicators for roads and highways.

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BenQ Joybee GP2 (Special Gadgets)

BenQ Joybee GP2

Tiny projectors are all the rage right now – gone are the days where projectors required a large surface area and ample distance from the wall or projector screen to function. To add to the list of such projectors, BenQ has a new model called the Joybee GP2. A successor to the GP1, it features the same black and white housing, but features enhancements such as an intuitive UI, 720p HD-video capability, short-throw projection, an integrated iPhone/iPod dock, a 3-hour battery pack and a multitude of connectivity options.

The projector has a brightness of 200 ANSI lumen and can project a 44″ image a mere 1 meter away from the surface. With the iOS dock, users can control the projector via their iOS device for easy sharing of the content on their iPhone/iPod touch. The projector has 2-W speakers  built-in though audio outputs let you connect it to something more powerful. It features a USB port, SD card viewer, mini HDMI input, and it even has 2GB of onboard storage for you to store your files.
The BenQ Joybee GP2 is available now with an MSRP of $549 and will be shown off at CES 2012.
Via UBERGIZMO

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Protexo aims to help asthma patients( special gadgets)

The Protexo is a device that blows cool air on asthma sufferers as they sleep, to keep allergens away from their 'breathing zone'

Asthmatics have it hard enough when they're awake, having to periodically use their inhalers, or remove themselves from situations that could trigger an attack. For some of them, however, their symptoms get even worse when they go to bed, preventing them from getting a good night's sleep. Airsonett, a Swedish medical tech company, is attempting make life easier for those people. It has created a device called the Protexo, which it claims should be of great assistance to night-time asthma sufferers.

According to Airsonett, the heat rising from the exposed skin of a sleeping person creates a chimney effect, drawing cooler air from the immediate vicinity towards the head, and then up. As that air travels through and across the bed sheets (which are a significant source of allergens), it picks up particles from those sheets and brings them to the person's nose, where they are inhaled.

Protexo

The Protexo works by gently blowing a stream of filtered air down onto the person, that air being slightly cooler than the air in the room. This cancels out the chimney effect, and in fact serves to move the particle-laden air away from the person's face. The device is apparently able to modulate the velocity of its air flow, in order to break the convection effect, while still creating as little draft as possible.
Known as Temperature controlled laminar airflow treatment, or TLA, the technology has reportedly been shown to result in a 3,000-fold reduction of particles measuring half a micron and larger, as measured in the breathing zone. It is also said to improve on the performance of a best-in-class air purifier by a further 99 percent.

In a recent year-long study, a group of 281 non-smoking asthma sufferers from six European countries regularly used either a Protexo, or a dummy device. At the end of the trial, the Protexo group scored 14 to 15 percent higher when evaluating their quality of life, but also showed significant decreases in nitric oxide and immunoglobulin E levels, both of which are indicators of inflammation.
There's no word on pricing or availability, but interested parties can find more information on the Airsonett website.

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Axiotron ModBook(Special Gadgets)

Axiotron ModBook

Jointly developed by OWC and Axiotron the Axiotron ModBook ($2200-$2700; Spring 2007) takes all the features of Apple's MacBook and rearranges them into tablet form, adding an AnyView 13.3" wide screen, ForceGlass screen and camera cover, WACOM Penabled Digitizer, and optional built-in GPS. Thanks to Mac OS X's built-in Inkwell handwriting recognition, the tablet is completely functional as a writing and graphic tool. 

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Mimo Magic Touch(Special Gadgets)

Mimo Magic Touch

MimoMonitors.com has announced a new addition to its secondary monitors lineup. Billed as the world's first USB-powered capacitive touchscreen display, the Mimo Magic Touch features a 10.1-inch screen running at 1024 x 600 resolution. It can be used either with its dock/base, or simply held in the hand as a sort of tethered tablet.

While the brand is not particularly well-known, it's managed to create some buzz around its offerings that provide computer users with some extra workspace. These include the 7-inch USB-powered iMo Pivot Touchscreen Monitor, and the Mimo Mini 710 USB Monitor.

The Magic Touch can be used as a touch-operated extension of a home PC. The company also states it's suitable to be utilized in business, industrial and healthcare applications. The device requires no additional power source given it's connected via USB, but alas, it operates on the 2.0 standard, which is roughly ten times slower than USB 3.0. It comes with a brightness of 200cd/m2, contrast ratio of 300:1 and 16ms responsiveness. There's also the Deluxe version, which additionally features a USB hub with a couple of ports and an AC adapter, as external USB devices require some extra power.

One major constraint of the product, however, is that the touch-operated interface works with Windows 7 only. Mac OS and Win XP/Vista/2000 are supported, but without touch capabilities, which makes the upcoming Mimo arrival an ordinary and rather pricey secondary display on these systems.
The Mimo Magic Touch retails at US$299.99, or US$329.99 for the USB hub-equipped Deluxe version. Both units are now available for pre-order, with a shipping date "before Christmas."

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New for Windows computers in 2012

The company announced today that it is preparing new Kinect hardware that is specially designed to connect with computers running Windows. While there’s nothing wrong with the current Kinect working with a PC, the new Kinect will feature optimized hardware components and firmware adjustments to make it work better with computers. Coupled up with upgrades to the Windows SDK and run time, this new Windows-optimized Kinect is said to deliver features and functionality that developers and customers have been asking for.

From changes like a shorter USB cable and a dongle to improve coexistence with other USB peripherals will help the Kinect work better with computers that have other USB devices plugged in. The new firmware will also enable the camera to see objects as close as 50cm in front of it without losing accuracy or precision, with graceful degradation down to 40 cm. This “Near Mode” is said to enable a whole new class of “close up” applications, which will make the Kinect more useful in places other than the living room.

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Spray-on Skin Kit Could Heal Wounds Faster

Recell Credit: Avita Medical

The idea of spray-on skin conjures up memories of Halloween costumes past. But in the case of ReCell, it’s actually a kit that can do a lot of good. The ReCell Kit has been developed by Avita Medical to treat burns, wounds, and hyper or hypo pigmentation caused by disease, and to improve the look of scars. It works by harvesting a patient’s keratinocytes and melanocytes, the building blocks of skin cells, and putting them in a suspension solution that allows them to multiply. Because the cells are from the same patient, there is no risk of rejection or disease.
An area about 80 times as large as the original sample can be produced in under a half hour. After that, the new cells are sprayed over the burn, where they will multiply even more. The company claims this type of application will result in less scarring (as compared with skin grafts) and make the skin look as if it were never damaged, especially in younger patients. The kit has been approved for use in Europe, Australia and Canada, but is still undergoing clinical trials in the United States.

Via: Gizmodo
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Logitech Wireless Mouse M525

Logitech Wireless Mouse M525

Most of the newer mice that are featured these days on Ubergizmo tend to be of the gaming variety, so it can be quite a pleasant and refreshing experience to read about something more ordinary that will appeal to just about any ordinary Joe who uses the computer and want a decent pointing device to help them out in their everyday work – as well as for the occasional game, of course.

Enter the Logitech Wireless Mouse M525, where Logitech calls it “the ideal solution for anyone who wants to scroll quickly and easily through the Web.” Using innovative micro-precise wheel that are said to cram in more grooves per millimetre compared to the competition, it results in a smoother navigation experience so that scrolling through spreadsheets and long Web pages a less painful experience.

Apart from that, the majority of computer systems out there will allow you to use the built-in tilt wheel by navigating backwards and forwards on the Web in a manner that is similar to a swipe. What really caught our eye is the supposed three years of battery life – no idea on the kind of metrics used to produce such a figure. Expect the Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 to hit the UK this month for £34.99 a pop.

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Special Gadgets/Nest Learning Thermostat

Nest Learning Thermostat

When we heard the iPod's creators were planning a new product, we surely weren't thinking about HVAC systems. Yet here we are, staring longingly at the Nest Learning Thermostat ($250). This gorgeous, intelligent gadget learns from your habits, programming itself in about a week and using its colorful display to help you learn more energy-efficient and money-saving habits, while sensors keep track of whether or not you're at home, and a Wi-Fi connection makes sure every Nest in your home is aware of the other and the weather outside, so it can understand how the changing temperatures affect your heating and cooling needs. You can even control it over the web via a computer or iOS device. Sure, $250 sounds like a lot for a thermostat, until you realize that it's controlling half of your heating and cooling bill. 
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Epson unveils Moverio BT-100 transparent VR glasses

Moverio BT-100

Epson Japan has announced today the Moverio BT-100, which is a head mounted VR display. What sets the Moverio BT-100 apart from its competition is that it features transparent lenses, which not only allows you to keep watching your media but keeps you aware of your surroundings at the same time.
The BT-100 features a qHD display with a screen resolution of 960×540, which apparently appears to the viewer as a gigantic 320” display that has been positioned 20 meters away. It has been designed to fit over everyday glasses, so for those who require prescription glasses, fret not as you should be able to wear it without any problems.
It will run on Android’s Froyo 2.2 and features WiFi connectivity and a proclaimed battery life of 6 hours. It will come with 1GB of internal storage and will be bundled with a 4GB SDHC memory card, with support for a 32GB card, and will sport detachable headphones. The Moverio BT-100 is expected to go on sale in Japan some time later this month for $650.

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Special Gadgets/iPhone 5 concept by Aatma Studio

iPhone 5 concept by Aatma Studio

iPhone 5 conceptThe iPhone 5 has probably seen many renderings and concepts, but we think that this one takes the cake. Created by San Francisco based 3D animation and digital content studio, Aatma Studio, it basically shows off features of a concept iPhone 5, or should we say iPhone 55?
The studio designed a concept of the iPhone 5 which gave the phone features such as an ultra-thin design, much like the current generation iPod Touch, a wider display (which may actually turn out to be true!), and here are the two features we really love – a laser keyboard and a holographic display.
The laser keyboard isn’t too far fetched as there’s a similar laser keyboard that pairs with phones via Bluetooth, but Aatma Studio has taken it one step further by making the keyboard rotational and with the ability to adjust the brightness of the keyboard.
Then there’s the holographic display which allows the iPhone to project a holographic image/video of whatever’s displayed at the moment on the device. This isn’t too far fetched either as there was a patent discovered not too long ago that suggested Apple may be looking into pico projector integration for their iOS devices.

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Special Gadgets/BenQ BL2201PTE 22″ monitor

BenQ BL2201PTE 22″ monitor

BenQ has unveiled their BL2201PTE monitor that comes with several interesting features that you may find to be rather interesting. The monitor will be 22” in size and sport a max resolution of 1650×1080 (aspect ratio of 16:10). It will also feature a 5ms response time, a dynamic contrast ratio of 12,000,000:1, a typical brightness of 250cd/m2, D-Sub, DVI and DisplayPort connectors. It will also come with a pair of 1W speakers built-in.

Some interesting features of the BenQ BL2201PTE would be the Eye-Protect Sensor and an Eco sensor. The Eye-Protect Sensor, which you might have already surmised, will automatically adjust screen brightness in order to reduce any form of eye strain, which could come in handy especially for those who may spend hours on end in front of the computer. The Eco sensor will be able to detect when the user has left their desk, thus putting the monitor into standby mode, which we guess is eco-friendly since it would consume less power in standby. The BenQ BL2201PTE monitor is expected to retail for €209.

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iPhone 4S to sell for Rs 44,500 in India

 Apple's  iphone 4S

Apple iPhone 4S prices are out: Airtel will be selling the iPhone 4S base model (16 GB) at Rs 44,500 whereas the top-end 64 GB model will cost Rs 57,500. The 32 GB model will be sold for Rs 50,900.

Apple will be launching the three models of iPhone 4S in India on November 25. The prices of existing models of iPhone 4 and 3GS too have been revised upwards.
When contacted, an Apple spokesperson refused to comment upon the pricing.

The handsets to be sold in India are, however, the fully unlocked ones. Besides, Indian operators like Airtel and Aircel are not subsidizing the handset cost through bundled offers unlike in countries where iPhone is available with much cheaper price tags.
The new, revised price for iPhone 4 (8GB) is Rs 37,900 whereas iPhone 3GS (8GB) model will be sold at Rs 20,900.
Bharti Airtel has already started taking pre-orders for the 16 and 32 GB variants of the iPhone 4S on its online store at the above mentioned prices.
Apple iPhone 4S will be launched on November 25 in India. At midnight on November 24, 2011 (12am, Nov 25), select stores in major cities will reportedly be opened to sell the first units of the iPhone 4S to waiting customers.

Anticipating a rush, both Aircel and Airtel had earlier announced they will be offering a pre-order on their website from November 18. However, Aircel is yet to start taking pre-orders.

Apple started selling iPhone 4S in US on October 14. While the phone looks similar to iPhone 4 in design and screen size (3.5 inches), the hardware inside has seen a significant upgrade.
iPhone 4S is powered by a dual-core processor, has a superior graphics chip and sports an 8 mega-pixel camera. It also has a unique feature called Siri, a voice-enabled virtual assistant, which allows users to carry out a number of functions.

Source: TOI

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How toTurn Your HDTV into a Video Phone

Biscotti TV Phone: $199

Today, a high-def video phone named after an Italian pastry -- in this case, Biscotti -- is being released to the public. The bad news is that you may have to dust, vacuum and/or wear pants the next time you make a video call. The good news is that you'll be able to video chat with folks freely -- both in the sense of not paying monthly fees and also not encroaching on each other's personal space.

Between Skype, ooVoo, Google and Apple, video calling seems pretty popular. But according to an October 2010 study, Pew Research found that only 19 percent of folks have made a video call. Texas-based Biscotti hopes to increase that figure by making it very easy. With their FCC-approved device, you only need Wi-Fi and an HDMI-enabled TV -- no computer, phone line, cable box or additional set-top device. It'll work with uplink speeds as slow as 256 Kbps and can deliver high-definition starting at 1 Mbps.
Its simple six-button remote takes you through on-screen menus as you watch TV, without interrupting or having to switch inputs. You don't have to worry about boot time, because Biscotti can automatically answer calls from select contacts and even turn on the TV when you receive a call. Although the quality is said to be best between Biscotti users, it's interoperable with any computer, tablet or smart phone running Google's Talk software or Video and voice plug-in. So, like the famous cookie, this Biscotti idea seems fully baked.
Credit: Biscotti

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