● Panasonic Adds HiDef Audio to Video in the GH1

Canon made headlines with the 5D Mk. II’s ability to shoot high definition video in 1080p. This was a major development as it allowed photographers the ability to get a big movie look to the videos shot. This was because it brought lenses, shutter and aperture settings and depth of field to video. And it looked like a million. Panasonic sees the handwriting on the wall that convergence is the watchword in photography. But they’ve upped the ante to the next level with the Lumix GH1, which can not only shoot 1080p video, but it also adds Dolby digital audio to the mix, meaning photographers have a serious movie studio in their camera.

But unlike the 5d Mk II, which shoots at 21mega pixels, and costs $3,000 to boot, the Lumix GH1 incorporates a standard, and economical 12.1 mp. It shoots video in AVCHD at a cinematic 24 frames per second, or at what panasonic calls “smooth HD” at 60 frames per second with auto focus. Changing to video is also one button easy as pressing the Motion Picture button instantly moves to video recording. Creative Movie mode allows for manual settings, or iA mode which gives users the point and shoot capability they are used to. And iA mode also provides facial recognition to keep subjects in proper focus and in the right light.

And what’ s great is that the camera has not one, but TWO CPUs which enables the HD Video and Dolby Audio to process far faster on the fly. It also means recording in AVCHD for as long as the camera has storage capability.

Cost is about $1500, half the cost Canon’s 5D Mk II.

Hat Tip - Trend Hunter

● Ecco GPS Keychain helps you find your car

If you have the tendency to lose major things, such as your car, you might want to consider this Ecco GPS Keychain.  It’ll make sure you never have to admit to anyone that you haven’t the faintest idea where you parked your car while you’re out and about.  Plus, if you’re someplace new, you can set the keychain to help you find your way back to someplace like your hotel.  It’d make sight seeing a lot easier if you have a device to tell you how to get back to where you came from.

The GPS device is small enough to carry on your keychain, so it’ll always be handy.  When you need it, you can program in 3 different locations to find your way back to.  It will let you know the direction you need to head by pointing the way.  It also lets you know exactly how close you are to your destination.  It’s not exactly something that you would want to use in the car, but it’d be nice while you’re out walking.  It recharges by utilizing your USB port.  You can pick it up for  £69.95 or about $113 from Firebox.

Source: CrunchGear

● Beanzawave microwave oven cooks by USB

How many times have you had to work straight through lunch, only to wonder if being lightheaded affected your job performance more than taking a half hour and eating something substantial. But sometimes you just can’t leave your desk. So does that mean being chained to cubicle and eating cold food the rest of your hectic career? Well how about a USB microwave which can heat small dishes right where are? It’ll have the ability to feed you hot food and drive workmates nuts with the wafting scents of cooked food coming from your cube. That’s where the strangely named Beanzawave comes in as the world’s smallest portable microwave oven.

About the size of a portable camping light, the Beanzawave is run by USB and can cook a tiny snack sized meal or warm a beverage. Currently in prototype, the Beanzawave is a tad over 7 inches tall by 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep. How can USB create the kind of power used to generate microwaves? Well, the reality is that it doesn’t use microwaves at all, per se. It uses the same sort of waves used for cellular telephones (which should give everyone pause considering we all have a phone next to our ears every day) to generate the heat needed to cook or warm up the food or drink. And the Beanzawave can tune those cellular wave frequencies to generate exacting head to cook a wide variety of small foods including pot pies, cups of soup, or even a hamburger.

The Beanzawave was developed by Gama Microwave Technology in association with Heinz (yes, the ketchup company) which hopes to pair it with their new snack food line known as “Snap Pots.” The current prototype also gives the option of powering it with lithium ion batteries making it completely portable for camping and outdoor sportsman activities.

Cost is projected to be about $150.

Hat Tip - Daily Mail

●The StudioDesk designed for laptop users

Despite that my computer set up is definitely complicated, I have always had more of a preference for the clean simple look when it comes to my desk.  It’s just far easier for me to concentrate when I don’t have a lot of clutter and it’s even better to have all of the cords hidden away.  So for me this desk won’t work due to the way I have things, but it’d be perfect for a student or even a home office that doesn’t require anything but your laptop.

The desk is designed specifically for laptop users.  It gives you the ability to be connected to everything you need to be, while still hiding the clutter of the cords so that they stay out of sight at all times.  To hide all of these cords is a faux leather mat that slides out of the way when you need access to the hidden cords.  You could also store things you only use occasionally underneath the mat.  For those that like to have a mouse handy, but don’t necessarily want to use it all of the time.  Sadly as simplistic as the desk is, it’s a touch on the expensive side.  It’ll cost you $599.95 from BlueLounge.

Source: OhGizmo

● The HP Pavilion dv6z Artist Edition Notebook

With summer just beginning, that’s clear indication that it’s time to torture students with the thought of going back by releasing information on back to school products.  Nothing will make a student cringe more than discussing the next school year in early June.  Well at least it’s for a decent reason this time.  HP is releasing a laptop specifically for students and they’re even giving it a slightly more artistic look.

The HP Pavilion dv6z Artist Edition notebook is likely to appeal to a great deal of students that are tired of the usual look of laptops.  Of course most just slap a skin on their laptop if they want to give it a colorful look.  It has a 16-inch LCD and comes with a software suite including Video Studio X2, Corel Painter Sketchpad and Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo x2.  It uses AMD processors with up to 500GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.  They also toss in Magix Music Maker 14.  It’d be a great machine for students into art and music.  It will be shipped as of June 10th and will start at $949.

Source: SlipperyBrick

● Jointech JE100 e-book reader

Ever since that Amazon Kindle DX came out, news of e-book readers has been spreading like weeds. I already reported on iRex’s promise of a full-color ebook reader by 2010, and Jointech, a company that I had previously never heard of, has just unveiled the JE100.

The Jointech JE100 has a 7-inch screen that uses an LCD touchscreen in lieu of e-ink. It also has a 400MHz CPU, 128MB of flash memory, and 64 MB worth of RAM. The user has the option of using Transflash cards for up to 4GB worth of extra storage.

The JE100 will also have Mobipocket Reader, as well as support for eReader and MSReader. Rumor has it that it will also have video and audio playback, with the possibility of viewing Microsoft Office documents.

Other features include an integrated speaker plus audio output socket, and the battery life is about 3-6 hours from the 1,500mAh pack. It also features two USB ports: one is for hooking up extra peripherals, and the other for hooking the e-reader to a computer, presumably.

As you can read, details are a little sketchy on the other features of this e-book reader. My sources don’t seem to know the release date or price.

Source

● Great Scott! The Back to the Future II Hat is now available!

Some of you might remember one year ago when we reported on the Nike Hyperdunks, the shoes that Marty McFly and his son wore in Back to the Future II. For those of you who are looking to complete your Future wardrobe, you might consider purchasing the Back to the Future Marty McFly hat.

Some of you might remember that weird rainbow pattern on it, and this one-size-fits-all cap has it. I was never certain if that material was popular in the future, or if only a “complete wimp” like Marty McFly Jr. would wear it. I suppose we will have to wait until the year 2015 to find out. Either way, this cap with its chromatic glory are the ultimate homage to that classic time-travel trilogy.

Now all that is missing is that odd-looking jacket that can adjust its size and dry itself at the touch of a button. I’m sure that somebody is going to make that jacket, if it hasn’t been made already. I imagine that their version of the jacket would be a mere replica, and it wouldn’t do those things. After all, the Hyperdunks failed to have the “power laces” that allowed the shoes to tie themselves.

Fortunately, this rainbow hat has no technological advancements save for a Velcro strap, so it can be purchased for a moderately small price of $20.00.

Source

● Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit: World’s Highest Tech Roller Coaster?

I remember watching some documentary special on roller coasters, and was very surprised to find that there is nothing holding the cars upside-down on the loop except centrifugal force. In other words, there is very little advanced technology involved with roller coasters, which is why I am skeptical of Universal Orlando theme park calling their Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit “the world’s highest tech roller coaster”.

The 3,800 foot long attraction is unique because it allows the user to select his or her personal soundtrack from many genres, then an individual song. I would hope that Universal would choose “Song 2” by Blur. Just listen to it, and you’ll see why it is perfect song for a roller coaster.

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit also has a various LED flashing lights, and fourteen digital video cameras to capture the experience. I can’t help but wonder if the user has the option of getting a video clip of their experience after it is over.

As for the ride itself, it begins with a 167-foot vertical lift that the coaster car climbs in 16 seconds. There are also six “near miss encounters”, where the spectator’s roller coaster car will appear to collide with other cars going around the track. There are also many “Treble Clef” curves, like the one you see in the photo here.

So, if the family is headed to Orlando for summer vacation, you might want to stop by Universal Studios Orlando and be prepared to Rip, Ride, and Rockit. The ride is due to open sometime this summer, but I don’t have the exact date.

Source

● Western Digital My Book Studio Edition II hits 4TB

Western Digital has released its latest My Book Studio Edition II that will now come with 4TB worth of data, double from the previous version which had just 2TB capacity. This new My Book Studio Edition II dual drive storage system was specially built to play nice with Mac computers, bringing together a balance of high performance as well as power conservation. It works great with the Apple Time Machine automatic backup feature is specially formatted for Mac computers, targeting creative professionals, workgroups, small offices and folks looking for superior speed in data transfer courtesy of its dual-drive RAID 0 configuration and high-speed interfaces. Regardless of any system you use, the My Book Studio Edition II is able to hook up thanks to the four interfaces it offers - eSATA and FireWire 800 for maximum performance as well as FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 for maximum flexibility.

Not only that, since hard drives tend to sip up a pretty amount of juice off the grid, Western Digital has made sure that their My Book Studio Edition II will play nice with Mother Nature, featuring an eco-friendly system that complements WD GreenPower Technology for power savings and cool and quiet operation. According to Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD’s branded products group, “The new My Book Studio Edition II is the best choice for creative professionals who require massive capacity and extra-fast performance,” said . “With 4 terabytes of capacity, photographers, graphic artists, videographers, and home video enthusiasts alike will have the space they need to store hours of high definition videos as well as the performance they need for demanding video editing applications.”

Those who are interested in upgrading their backup storage solution can look to the My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage system that will retail for $649.99 a pop.

Press Release

● Magellan RoadMate 1475T hits the streets

Magellan hasn’t exactly lit up the world with its offerings of late, but it is nice to know that they’re still in the GPS navigation system game with their latest device, the RoadMate 1475T. This model from MiTAC Digital Corp. will bring together premium features in a relatively compact body to make sure that you’ll always reach your destination using the most efficient route possible, regardless of whether this is your first time in a foreign land or not. What makes the Magellan RoadMate 1475T special is its ability to be equipped with traffic-enabled device (VPA) that offers subscription free, real-time traffic alerts, incidents and road congestion reports, letting you avoid all the potential traffic hotspots in the area..

Just like many other new models in the Magellan RoadMate series, the Magellan RoadMate 1475T will boast the revolutionary OneTouch favorites menu which will place personally selected addresses and searches within a mere click away. Once the user has identified and stored his/her preferred banks, restaurants and other destinations into the OneTouch favorites menu, they’re easily accessible regardless of where they travel, as the RoadMate 1475T dispenses with the closest preferred destinations there and then. In addition, the Magellan RoadMate series comes with searchable AAA TourBook listings that comprise of AAA Diamond Rated restaurants and lodgings, alongside attractions, events and campgrounds, making it much easier to plan your trip whenever you hit the road. You can also access AAA-Approved Auto Repair shops and businesses that offer AAA member discounts through the listings, and Magellan assures you they won’t bring you round the block like a headless chicken as all listings include the exact GPS location.

Features of the Magellan RoadMate 1475T include :-

• New 4.7-inch, WQVGA - color, anti-glare touch-screen display in an ultra-thin design
• Acclaimed easy-to-use OneTouch favorites drop-down menu with personalized search icons to easily find favorite places
• Features AAA TourBook listings and member Roadside Assistance menu
• 6 million points of interest (POI)
• Spoken street name guidance tells the user the street name and which way to turn before each maneuver
• Highway Lane Assist points the user in the right direction and ensures the correct lane will be chosen before the next interchange or exit
• Highway Exit POI search let the user find gas stations, restaurants and hotels near upcoming exits
• QuickSpell with New SmartCity Search intelligently narrows searches and checks spelling when entering addresses
• Offers multi-destination routing with route optimization lets the user plan trips with multiple stops in the order they want or optimize a trip for the most efficient route, saving them time and money
• Includes NAVTEQ maps of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico

Expect to fork out a relatively affordable $299 for this puppy.

Press Release

Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks

Logitech is an old hand when it comes to computer peripherals, and this time round they’ve released yet another model for those who do plenty of traveling and yet want something that isn’t too serious - the Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks. This new notebook mouse will come in a variety of limited-edition patterns and colors, and is based off the design of the company’s most popular mouse. Color, comfort and convenience are rolled into a single device, where you can pick it up for $29.99 a pop.