For the next few weeks in Madison, Wisconsin, Trek is testing out a new vending machine aimed a bikers, called “Trek Stop”. The vending machine sells basic bike repair parts, water bottles, and energy bars. It also has an air compressor so you can put air in your tires. People are reporting that it also has a kiosk with how-tp videos to help you fix your bike.
With the increasing number of bike riders in the America this vending machine is a no brainer. So far Trek is just testing the waters and there is no word on when we could see these in other cities. If I had to guess I would say we should see these in more places next summer.
Pioneer announced Tuesday that they plan to have a Blu-ray recorder out by the end of the year in Japan. They plan to accomplish this with help from Sharp, Pioneer’s top shareholder. This comes as no surprise since the demand for Blu-ray recorders is likely jump since the format war is over, although like the players themselves, sales will almost certainly be below expectations.
At this time there is no information on pricing or specs, but I’m sure they’re working to keep things competitive. It’s surprising they didn’t try to put these out before now — perhaps the costs were prohibitive and would reflect poorly on the Blu-Ray brand?
Sony recently announced it will release the fourth version of the PS2 in India and Russia in late October. The new model will be slimmer and have a built-in AC adapter.
Sony hopes that by continuing to support the PS2, it will help strengthen the developing gaming markets in those areas. They are still marketing the PS3 but Sony feels that most potential gamers in that market will be more likely to pick up the cheaper PS2 experience first. After all, there are still lots of games coming out for it. They can upgrade to the PS3 if they enjoyed their experience with its little brother.
“PS2 is an entry-level console, which helps first timers to enter the gaming zone,” said Atindriya Bose, SCE country manager.
This isn’t the first time Sony has tried to tap the Indian gaming market. Over the past few years they’ve opened a gaming studio and signed 13 local game developers. Their upcoming title Bollywood Hero will have players dancing with DualShocks attached to their hips, and using the EyeToy to simulate a passionate kiss in the rain.
Nintendo and Lucas Arts are releasing Lightsaber Stylus for the DS at the end of July. Star Wars fans will be able to buy a two pack featuring light up lightsapbers ($16.99) or a three pack of boring non-light up lightsabers ($7.99). One of the major downfalls of the stylus is you can not put it in the holder on the DS. That means you are most likely going to lose these things after one day. If you’re interested you can pre-order them on Amazon.com.
Supposedly there was a leak about LG developing a touchscreen camera phone named KC910 and has the potential to put competitors to shame. This will be the first LG phone to feature an 8 megapixel camera, decent flash, and image stabilization. On top of that, if the rumor is true you should be able to take 720×480 video. The phone will also feature a “new” interface and 800×480 screen resolution.
Keep in mind this rumor is far from confirmed, but this could be what LG plans to use to compete with Motorola’s new 8 megapixel phone due out this fall. A few people are speculating that this phone will be out sometime in October. We will keep you posted it more details as they become available.
The Sprint Airave is ready to launch July 15. If you’re not sure what the Airave is, think of it as a mini cell tower in your house. It routes all your cell, data, and text messages over the Internet to give you better coverage. This seems like the perfect answer for people that have Sprint but live in “dead zones”. This service will cost $30 for families and $15 for individuals.
Here is the catch, the Airave has a GPS system inside so you can only use it where Sprint normally has coverage. Also the Airave dose not save you minuets like T-Mobile’s Hotspot@home does. So if you don’t need better coverage, this thing its pretty much worthless.
Eric Lempel, Director of PlayStation Network Operations, has put up three fun-filled posts to the official PlayStation blog. The first post is about XMB access in-game and features a video of how it will look. It should make it easier to check messages from friends without having to leave the game. The second post also had a video but this one was less exciting, since it was about the Trophy system. I really don’t understand that point of showing off little icons (the trophies) to your friends. I guess the whole system really isn’t for me. The last post Eric did was a nice FAQ with some of the common questions people have been asking about the update. For example, fans of hot inter-console cybering ask:
Will voice-messaging/private chat be featured in 2.40 as well? If not, can we expect to see this feature added in the future?
We are evaluating the opportunity to offer voice chat, but for this update, we wanted to focus on text messaging as the key priority for communications that our users have asked for.
Oh baby, I love it when you blog dirty! Expect the update around July 2nd.
If you have a Mylo you will be happy to know Sony released an updated for the device. Some of the more notable features in this update are support for video recording, support for a 16GB Memory Stick, playback of WMV files, and improved playback of YouTube videos.
If you are not sure what the Mylo personal communicator is, be sure to check out Peter Ha’s review of the device. If you don’t feel like reading, it’s basically a PSP that can’t play games and has a slid out keyboard.
Sony announced that the amazing vibrating DualShock 3 controller will be released in Europe on July 2, 2008. This is a good thing since many of the new games for the PS3 will support the vibration feature.
Our good pal David Reeves, the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe says:
We are delighted to confirm that DUALSHOCK 3 will be released in SCEE territories in early July. We hope this will add to the intense gaming experience for our fans, as we continue to evolve PS3, its software and its peripherals.”
The DualShock 3 has been available here in the U.S. since April. Also worth noting: the price for the Euro version is $80 once the price is converted to dollars, even though it costs only around $60 here.
MetroPCS Communications Inc, a Dallas-based wireless carrier, is allowing customers to bring phones from other carriers to its network. Supposedly this is one of the largest carriers to do such a thing. Analysts say that this will be the trend as the US wireless market starts to open up.
That said, if you think you can activate an iPhone on MetroPCS Network, it’s not going to happen. They use CDMA, so only phones from Sprint, Verizon, and Alltel Corp will work.
SOCOM Confrontation for the PS3 will include a nice looking Bluetooth headset. From what I can see in the pictures it looks like a decent headset, but of course I’d have to hear it to say for sure. If you are not a fan of SOCOM but still want the headset, Sony also plans to sell it separately. Two big features of the headset are a Mute button and a USB charging station.
The price of the headset has not been set yet, but Sony says it will be priced “competitively.” Also worth noting is that the design is not yet set in stone, so the final product may change before it hits the market. If it’s anything major, we will be sure to keep you posted.
Sony has announced three new AV receivers to be added to its ES line-up, but it’s not giving up any details. What we do know is the new receivers are going to offer lossless audio decoding for Blu-Ray, a real GUI, and Sirius/XM compatibility. Hit the link for more info on wattage, inputs, and so on.
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If you are an avid hunter that uses hunting dogs the DC 300 GPS dog tracking Collar from Garmin might be the new toy your looking for. You simply attach the collar to your dog and it communicates with your (if you happen to have one) Astro 220.
The device tells you your dog’s position ever 5 seconds for 17 hours. You can improve the battery life by setting it to broadcast every 30 seconds, resulting in the battery lasting about 35 hours. Supposedly the DC 300 can tell you if your dog is pointing, siting, or moving (not sure how it knows). It can also tell you how fast you dog is going and how far it traveled.
I am not sure how many hunters read CrunchGear but this could still be useful if you were in to designer dogs. That way when your $1000+ dog runs away you can find the little bugger.
NTT DoCoMo, a Japanese wireless carrier, is working on what they call the “cell phone of the future“. So far they have one prototype that looks like a freaky pair of headphones with wires and doo-dads popping out everywhere. Inside it’s packed full of sensors and chips (the ones you can’t eat) that track the electrical current produced by brain when the wearer moves their eye.
In a demonstration the did for the (blogger hating) Associated Press, the device was able to make lines on a computer monitor dance around when the wearer (yes you guessed it) moved their eyes. The wearer was also able to turn the volume up on a music player and make it skip the track forward.
This all sounds well and good, but how many different eye movements are you going to have to remember to use your phone? Anyway, its still too early to tell if this technology will ever make to the market or how it will be used.
When people first saw the price of the new iPhone they thought, “Wow, how can Apple do that”?
Well, ISuppli estimates the new iPhone will be cheaper to manufacture then the first one (I knew that had to be it). The original iPhone had an estimated manufacturing cost of $265, but since component prices went down the new iPhone cost about $173 to make. Also, Apple will still get the $300 kickback from carriers (ATT in the US) that offer the iPhone. And if you figure in the cash they’re going to make on the new Application Store, its easy to see why this is going to be a big money maker.
ISuppli will do this again once the new iPhone ships, so it can report figures that include all the other costs associated with the iPhone (i.e. software dev, shipping, and packaging). Once that time comes, we will know to the penny how much money Apple stands to make.
Phantom Entertainment (formally Infinium Labs) worked so hard to create the ultimate gaming console, but after lots of false starts, the company’s console slipped into vaporware. Most companies would have given up at that point, but not Phantom Entertainment. I guess they wanted to prove to the world that they could make something useful.
After a few missed deadlines the company’s first product was finally released, the Phantom Lapboard. The lapboard features a swiveling keyboard with a little shelf under it for a mouse. If you can trust the photos it does looks like something that would be handy for surfing the internet from your couch. It retails for $129 on Phantom’s website.
At this year’s Paris GDC Chris Kline, the lead programmer at 2K who worked on BioShock, talks about how the game should have failed. As we all know the game didn’t fail, but Chris goes on to explain that the mistakes and corrections made along the way are the reason the game turned out so well in the end.
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It seems that Korean supercompany Daewoo is launching a low-cost laptop named the Lukid. The new laptop is aimed at kids going to school.
The little laptop is based on Intel’s Classmate PC, which means it’s powered by a Intel 900MHz Celeron processor with Windows XP installed. The Lukid also features a 9-inch LCD display with a resolution of 800 x 480, 512MB of memory, a li’l 30GB HDD, Wi-Fi, SD card slot, and one (thats right only one) USB port. I guess they’re not really launching this laptop so much as re-branding it, since it’s essentially the second generation Classmate.
The Daewoo Lukid will retail for $530 (KRW 549,000) and only be available in Korea. At this time there is no set release date or reported plans to release it in Europe or the US.
According to Phone Arena, Sprint will announce that the Palm Treo 800w will be released July 13th, 2008. The Treo 800w, if you don’t remember, is the successor to the 700w. An integrated antenna is the biggest change in the form-factor. The phone will also feature a 320×320 touch display, Wi-Fi, GPS and will, unfortunately, have Windows Mobile 6.1 as its OS.
Also worth noting is that Sprint will receive a red BlackBerry Curve the same day and a blue LG Rumor will hit Sprint on the 27th of next month.
It’s been reported that the highly anticipated Omnia i900 will be out in the third quarter of 2008. You might remember this phone as being the one announced on June 9th — you know, the day that other phone was coming out. MobileCrunch got their hands on it last week and it looks pretty nice.
The Omnia will run on Windows Mobile 6.1 and feature a 5 megapixel camera, 3.2″ WQVGA touch screen, Bluetooth, and either 8GB or 16GB of internal memory. It’s also reported that it will work on the EDGE network, not 3G, which is pretty disappointing. Oh well. If you love WinMo, this is probably your most luxurious option. But that’s a pretty big “if.”
If you are a lazy traveler or someone who packs everything but the kitchen sink, you are in luck. Live Luggage has created Power Assisted (PA) Luggage. It uses a little motor in the wheels to give it a little extra torque. Another added feature is something they call an Anti-Gravity handle that distributes most of the weight over the powered wheels.
When pressure is applied on the handle it triggers the wheels, which means if you let go or drop it, it will not run away from you. Another notable feature is that the handle is adjustable, so if you are tall this thing will not run into the back of your heels (hate that).
I think this product is a good start, but I really hope that Live Luggage moves in the same direction as the ride-on cooler. I’d really enjoy tooling around the airport on my carry-on.
I have seen some weird ideas before but this one takes the cake. ChengDaLi (CDL), a China tech company, is selling a heated mouse. When I read this I had just one question, “What purpose does this serve?” I guess there must be a lot of people out there that get a cold hand when using a mouse. I know some people get sweaty palms but that’s another issue — and one that’s already been addressed.
You would think most people would just wear a glove on their mouse hand if coldness was an issue. Also, what about the hand that doesn’t have a heated mouse, do you let that one get cold or do they sell a heated keyboard? Maybe there’s a demand for these in the frozen wastes of outer Mongolia.
At 5,000 lumens, the new ViewSonic PJ1173 could function as a bat signal. This high performance projector supports 1080p with a native resolution of 1024×768 (wait, what? Ask them.) and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. They say it produces large crisp visuals, even in well lit rooms.
With its picture quality and added features, the PJ1173 was developed to create an ‘experience’ for the user and audience at a competitive price,” said Jeff Volpe, vice president of Global Brand and Emerging Technologies, ViewSonic.
Bold words. If you are looking to pick up the PJ1173, it’s only available now through authorized ViewSonic professional audio-visual resellers for a street price of $3,799. So cheap!
In anticipation of the release of the Nikon D700, the rumor mills are in full swing. In April, there were rumors about the new body design. Then in May, information came out about Nikon’s possible hybrid viewfinder. It is now June and we have yet another new Nikon D700 rumor.
The fine people at Photography Bay are reporting that they have photos of promotional material for Nikon’s sexy new camera. If this is indeed real, here are some of the features to look for: FX Format, 12.1 Megapixel CMOS Sensor, EXPEED Image Processor, 14 bit A/D Conversin, and 16 bit Image Processing. Still no word on pricing or release date, though.
We’ll have to wait until Photokina 2008 to find out which rumors are true.
Back in December 2007 it was reported that Klausner Technologies was suing Apple and others for stealing its patent on visual voicemail.
Today, Reuters is reporting that Apple will finally settle and license its patents on the technology. Details of the deal were not disclosed, but I’m sure it’s less than the $360 million suit originally filed against Apple and AT&T, I think.
It was also reported that Klausner was trying to work out deals with Comcast and Cablevision to use the technology, but we’ll have to wait and see how those pan out.
