Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Sony's Bravia ZX1 not US bound, possibly Amimon pre-WHDI based

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378078549/

We're got a tipster telling us that Sony's new 9.9-mm thin, wireless Bravia ZX1 is absolutely, without a doubt, based on Amimon's WHDI (pre-standard) wireless technology. Not surprising given Sony's and Amimon's collaborative effort to make WHDI a proper standard. Still, when we asked Sony, they gave us a sly grin followed by a, "no comment." Sony was willing to confirm a "guaranteed" 1080i transmission at a range of up to 20-meters. Amimon, on the other hand, can transmit 1080p / 30fps at distances up to 30-meters, you know, just as long as you're not separating devices with a wall of Kevlar and Kryptonite. Sony also told us that we can expect the thinster to land in Euroland before Xmas, but not the US where it would seem they have a different, non-integrated wireless model prepping for release. We'll see at CES in January if not earlier.

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Video: TrekStor's Wireless SoundBox is wireless sound in a box

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378107611/

Filed under: Portable Audio, Wireless

TrekStor has this interesting piece of kit on display at IFA, the Wireless SoundBox. It all starts with a USB stick attached to the computer. From there, your music is streamed wirelessly at a distance up to 25-meters to up to 20 of the boxy, 2.4GHz speakers. The 4x battery (AA, presumably) speakers feature a nice to touch, "softtouch" coating, individual volume controls, and line-in for connecting audio sources directly. The sound quality was about on par with what we'd expect from such a tiny speaker but the range was quite good considing the level of public 2.4GHz noise on the IFA show floor. €50 (about $74) takes home the stereo starter set (USB stick and 2x speakers) with each additional speaker costing €30 (about $44) starting in October. See our attempt to run away with 'em after the break.

Continue reading Video: TrekStor's Wireless SoundBox is wireless sound in a box

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Sprint's XOHM WiMax service launching next month, geobrowsing detailed

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378135481/

Filed under: Wireless

Sprint's XOHM WiMax service finally launching next month

Sprint's oft-delayed XOHM service is finally about to go live, ready to launch in Baltimore sometime next month ahead of Chicago and D.C. later this year. We already know about the potential joys of city-wide 4G access, so Sprint is taking this opportunity to talk up "geobrowsing," uLocate-based functionality that enables WiMax surfers to get location-specific info on traffic, events, and weather, provided by third-parties like Google and NAVTEQ. With Sprint offering profit sharing and a free API to partners, expect that list to grow quickly if XOHM takes off. What Sprint is not yet offering are the specific pricing details for consumers, but day passes have been confirmed along with longer-term contracts, all able to extended to include multiple devices if you're suitably endowed.

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Toshiba's Cambridge Research Lab shows off gesture-controlled TVs, image recognition

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378196695/

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays

Toshiba is pulling an EyeToy, minus a diabolical plan to actually sell the thing and make a killing off of collectable elemental decks. The company's Cambridge-based Research Lab has some new video camera-based feature they're prototyping for possible eventual TV implementation. The real highlight is a fist-based cursor control -- just stick out your hand, make a fist, and control a cursor on-screen for navigating the TV's functions. You can also put up your palm to stop the madness, and even rotate 3D images on-screen, but it's all a little shaky for now. Another thing we saw was picture recognition: hold up a cue card to the TV with an image on it and the TV recognizes it and performs a pre-assigned function. Tosh is also working on speech recognition and some other things; not really changing the world, but some fun stuff all the same.

Gallery: Toshiba's Cambridge Research Lab shows off gesture-controlled TVs, image recognition

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Panasonic's 150-inch Life Wall TV going production in 2009

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378208503/

Filed under: Displays

Although it's impossible to tell without another object in the display box, that's Panasonic's 150-inch TV up there -- here at IFA, intimidating its neighbors. Now get this: this massive plasma sporting a 2,160 X 4,096-pixel (4 times 1080p) Advanced HD display will hit the assembly lines just as soon as Panny's newest factory comes on-line in the May 2009 timeframe. At the moment, the single 150-inch sheet of glass is hand-made and fitted into four of these behemoths currently touring the world. That means 150-inches of goodness could be yours before the year is up. College shmollege, this is quad HD!

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BlackBerry Bold hitting AT&T on October 2?

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378232824/

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

With hope of a summer release fading with the passing of each and every day, Boy Genius Report cites a "pretty solid bit of info" that the BlackBerry Bold is now pegged for launch on AT&T on Thursday, October 2. So if you see a throng of three-piece suits starting to gather around your local store around September 28 or 29, yeah, that's probably why.

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Reminder: Quad HD doesn't make everything look better

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378252568/

Filed under: Displays

Look, we wouldn't want to be paused for your wicked, Quad HD amusement either. But seeing such a vivid demo on JVC's 4K2K (4,096 x 2,400), super high definition LCD as we strolled through IFA's digital playground reminded us of something: maybe not everything looks better in Quad HD. Think about it before you hustle on over to Japan for Panasonic's 150-inch Quad HD set next year.

All juvenility aside, the image above was created using JVC "soon to arrive" ultra high-definition player attached over dual-link DVI to the 4k2k display. The video uses MPEG-4AVC compression to convert the 6Gbps original 4K source into 50Mbps. More pics in the gallery below.

Gallery: Reminder: Quad HD doesn't make everything look better

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The HTC S740 gets handled

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378252567/

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC is keeping the S740 under wraps at IFA, but the crafty folks at newmobile managed to score some time with the new QWERTY slider, and it looks pretty decent. Thinner than the Touch Pro, the keyboard is basically the same, with the same sort of stealth-look backplate as the Diamond. No motion sensor, so the display only rotates when the slide is open, but that's really all we know -- the unit wasn't running a production-ready version of Windows Mobile, so impressions are a little up in the air. Hit the read link for more shots.

[Via Coolsmartphone]

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Toshiba's Resolution+ ZF LCD in the flesh

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378284550/

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

We're still pondering the difference between Toshiba's Cell-based Resolution+ technology and its "good enough for everybody else" XDE tech, but we got a look at Resolution+ today -- featured in Toshiba's new ZF575 Regza TVs -- and it seems to work well enough. Unlike XDE, which is designed with DVDs in mind to mess with contrast and colors, in addition to sharpness, Resolution+ just focuses on sharpness, for a multitude of SD inputs, and seems to do a decent job of it. Comparison shots up ahead, don't poke your eye on any jaggies!

Gallery: Toshiba's Resolution+ ZF LCD in the flesh