Archive for January 9th, 2008
[CES 2008] We already published about the Fujitsu PalmSecure technology in July 2006. At that time, it was meant to be an enterprise technology for ATMs. Fujitsu told us that they are showing the mouse for the first time in the USA at CES. The scanner integrated in the PalmSecure mouse captures the palm’s vein pattern image while radiating it with near infrared rays. The process allows this image to appear as a black pattern, which is then compared against a pre-registered pattern to authenticate the person. A lot of biometrics security systems are based on the fingerprints, and I always imagined that it might lead to fingers being cut by thieves… With this technology that cannot happen because the pattern is accurate only when the blood is circulating. This is currently an enterprise solution targeted to a wide range of market including security, financial/banking, healthcare, but Fujitsu plan to have a consumer product in the near future. See more photos about the technology in the full post. Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones
[CES 2008] Asus has announced that it will put its weight (alongside Intel and Sprint) behind WiMax and is committed to support WiMax by offering WiMax enabled computers at affordable price. For most Asus computers, “affordable” means “starting from $999), but Asus’ chairman declined to comment on the WiMax Eee pricing, only saying that it would be “very affordable”. Anyhow, I do not think that WiMax alone will increase the price of the Eee by $50 (a WiMax chip is not that big or expensive), but that is just my opinion. On their side, a Sprint representative said that WiMax subscriptions would surely be less expensive than a 3G one. This sounds good to us. The Asus Eee PC that was used for the demo didn’t have a super fast connection (around 700Kbps), but it was a WiMax one. I don’t know how the connection was setup, but I don’t think that this is representative of what consumers might get WiMax rools out. Take a look at the Eee WiMax photo gallery to see the Asus’ slides about the WiMax Eee, but also about their broad line of laptops. We were there so that you don’t have to be Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones
This 4.8” Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) from LG is quite interesting. It looks a little like the OQO. It connects using HSDPA (or WiFi), runs Windows Vista and it is reasonably fast for productivity apps like email and web browsing. It is built on Intel’s Menlow platform for UMPCs. There are two USB ports, so connecting an external keyboard should be easy. Why an external keyboard? Because the integrated keyboard is not comfortable. Other than that, it is a cool device and I hope that the pricing is right. LG has plans for Europe, Asia and Canada, but nothing for the U.S at this point. More specs in the full post Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones
[CES 2008] Flat TVs were –again- the star of the shows at Samsung’s CES 2008 booth. Although Pioneer also has an impressively thin display (9mm thick), Samsung’s design is simply fantastic and seems closer to be a real product. The slim TV in the photo above weighs only 25lbs! Yes, 25. We have been shown more prototype of the same caliber and believe me the photos don’t do them justice. Of course, these are prototypes and Samsung has declined to tell us when a product will come out of this design, but I bet that by CES 2009, we will see a product like this. Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones  We’ve seen a few useful improvements to air guitar over the years, but Air Guitar Rocker actually managed to snag a license from Activision. Granted, it does take your nerd level to unbelievable heights, but then again, it is slated to cost just $29.95 when it lands in March. Be sure to click on through and catch a totally unprofessional air guitarist chatting it up with Mahalo Daily’s Veronica Belmont after the jump. Continue reading Video: Air Guitar Rocker thrashes at CES
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments  We had a hunch NVIDIA was prepping Hybrid SLI technology, and although it’s taken over half a year for it to go official, we suppose now’s better than never. As we already knew, the tech’s primary purpose in life is to increase graphics performance and decrease power consumption simultaneously, and apparently, it will soon be incorporated into a “wide variety of graphics and motherboard desktop and notebook products.” In case you’ve forgotten, Hybrid SLI enables NVIDIA motherboard GPUs to work cooperatively with discrete NVIDIA GPUs when paired in the same PC platform, and only the GPU(s) needed will be called upon in order to save energy (and battery life in laptops). For more on what upcoming products will sport the technology, head on down to the read link. [Via HotHardware]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Filed under: CES, Features, Gaming, Laptops  We caught the regular Ideapad Y710 last night, but Lenovo was nice enough to stealth this hot gaming version out of its VIP press debut and let us play with it for a while. The custom arrow key and system-monitor LCD unit replaces the numeric keypad, and it’s rocking a Blu-ray drive and Dolby Home Theater certification — which involves four built-in speakers plus a bottom-mounted sub that you can shut off when you don’t feel like bumping it too hard. On top of that, it’s got a second hot-swappable hard drive that sits in a carrier with a mini-USB port, so you can yank the drive and transfer files on the go. All in all, a sweet rig — but check out how much bigger it is than the tiny U110 in the gallery. Gallery: Hands on with the Lenovo Gaming Y710
Filed under: Videos and Screenshots, Game Patches We’ve told you they’re coming and now, thanks to Game1.nl, you can check out the new Motorstorm tracks before you lay down your hard earned cash. The video can be found embedded above and consists of various swooping camera views of the new levels, Eagle’s Nest and Diamondback Speedway. Both look like great fun and seem to be pretty large, easily deserving of the £3.49 pricetag. [Via N4G] Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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Nullriver to release MediaLink Mac / PS3 media sharing app this weekPosted by: in Games newsFiled under: Desktops, Gaming, Laptops 
Details are fairly light on this one, but it looks like Mac users wanting to bring some Connect360-style media sharing to their PlayStation 3 and computer of choice will soon be able to get their fix, and from the same folks behind that well-worn app, no less. According to Nullriver, it’ll be releasing its MediaLink application later this week, which it says has been “designed from the ground up for the PS3″ and provides “true integration with the Mac.” No word on a price, though we wouldn’t expect it to be too out of line with the $20 the company currently charges for Connect360 (a free trial of which is also available).
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