GadgetReview

Are you still searching for that LCD screen to double as a window in your dungeon of a bedroom?  Search no more.  Samsung today announced an 40-inch LED backlit LCD TV that is just 3.3mm thick (that’s 0.12992126 inches), which is so thin you’ll barely notice it on your wall.  And amazing it produces a full HD picture, a 5000:1 contrast ratio and 120hz refresh rate.  While I’m super confident that it’s ridiculously expensive, Samsung has yet to release that info.

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Today I’m going to introduce you to a truly awesome gadget that you can’t possibly get your hands on before Christmas unless you know somebody or can shell out epic bribes.

We’re talking about the eDGe, and this little beauty is worth the $490 you’d shell out for it for one very good reason: it’s a netbook and an e-reader.  All at once.  That’s right, it’s BOTH.

It’s WiFi enabled and looks vaguely like a Nintendo DS that you hold constantly upright, like an actual book.  It runs on Google’s Android system, joining a growing family of same, and can serve all the functions of both a netbook (send email, instant messages, surf the web, run apps, write notes and so on) and an ereader (it’s got a 9.7 inch E-ink e-paper display on one side and a 10.1 inch LCD screen on the other, just so you know what side gets what)

Their creator, Virginia’s Entourage Systems, has started taking preorders for the devices, so you can sign up for them now.

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Sony kicked out the DPP-F700 today, a new LCD photo frame that has a built-in printer for producing 4×6″ 300×300 dpi glossy photos on the fly.  Front and center is a 7-inch 800×400 LCD with a 16:10 ratio, supported by 1GB of on board memory, a memory card reader and editing system that allows for small picture touch ups.  You can expect the DPP-F700 LCD Photo Frame this coming January for $200. …Continue reading: Sony’s DPP-F700 LCD Photo Frame Allows You To Print Photos On The Fly

We’ve talked about the Argus II once before back in March, so this will be an update.  Seems that a test group of thirty two blind folks got implanted with Argus IIs, got their cameras and set out to see if they could actually see anything.  The early results are actually very promising, with many of the recipients now able to see shapes and lights.

One recipient, an optical scientist turned lawyer named , who had been sightless for thirty years prior to his receiving an Argus II system, went from thirty years sightless to being able to make out a door in front of him.  Sure, the whole system is pretty low-resolution right now, but that’s how these things start out.  Got to have a cathode tube system before you can get the 1080p plasma, you know.

The company that makes them, Second Sight Medical Products, is trying to get approval to market the devices, which are slated to cost $100,000 each.  Here’s the interesting question: will any insurance plan cover this?

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Barnes and Noble came clean about their e-reader device today, and yes, it’s called the Nook.  And like the leak said the device sports a 6″ e-ink screen for actually reading the books (or magazines) as well as a 3.5″ color touchscreen for perusing Barnes’ ebook store.  If you’re game, you can preorder the device today for $259 (the same price as Amazon’s 6″ offering) and it should ship as early as 11/30, which is a bit late for the whole bum rush of holiday sales.

As for wireless delivery of books you can jack into any available WiFi connection, or suck them down over AT&T’s 3G connection.  Built-in storage caps out at 2GB, which is good for about 1,500 books, but you can expand that to a whopping 16GB via microSD card slot.  Taking a cue from Apple, it looks like the battery is non-removable and will achieve up to 10 days of page turning action before you need a recharge, which takes about 3.5 hours.

Size wise were looking at a .5″ thin, 4.9″ wide and 7.7″ long, which makes it a bit fatter than any of Amazon’s Kindles and a bit shorter and narrower than their 6″ versions.

For all you Android fans out there you’ll be glad to here the Nook has joined the ranks, the first e-reader to sport the OS.  To get another leg over Amazon they’re letting users lend e-books for up to 14 days to other Nook users and their store currently boast over 1 million titles that start at $9.99.

While my vote is still out on the Nook until I get a hands on, the color touchscreen is a huge draw, but might prove more gimmick than anything else.  Kindle does have a physical QWERTY keyboard, but since I’ve never tested one I can’t speak to its actually usability.

Video walk through after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Nook: Barnes And Noble E-Reader…Yeah It’s Official (video)

The WSJ is reporting that Barnes and Noble will officially announce their e-reader device as early as tomorrow.  Word is that the e-book reader will be called the “Nook”, let users share books with friends and cost $259.  The news comes by way of a leaked full page ad, which one has to assume isn’t going to be placed in the Wall Street Journal, at least not any more without a significant discount.

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Sony’s had their struggles with R&D, as evidenced by the failed Mini Disc and UMD formats.  Now it looks the behemoth has plans to release a prototype spherical like display that could achieve massive fanfare or be lost in the annals of obscurity.

While I’m not sure what the practical applications could be – I suppose a digital photo frame that could be viewed from 360 degrees would work – the idea of being able to view an image from any angle (yes porn), no matter where you stand is pretty captivating…and without any special glasses.

Specs include a 13×27-cm device with 24-bit color image measuring just 96×128 pixels.  Small yes, but remember that this is a prototype and supposedly they’ve got plans to show it off at the Tokyo Digital Content EXP0 2009 this coming Thursday.  I just wonder if the tech can ever be cheap enough to end up in my home’s living room (or bedrooms).

[via Engadget]

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Today we’re talking about the new gotta-have-it watch, a watch that has all the performance of an MP3 player, but also a cool blue, almost holographic, face that screams “gadget buff”.

The Tick Tack Music Watch is like a wearable MP3, complete with a headphone jack and a set of tiny earbuds included.  It’s still in the concept stages right now, so you can call this a bit of a leak, and so there’s also not a lot of details about storage capacity or battery life or even price data just yet.

While I like the thought of an MP3 player in a wristwatch, I really have to wonder if this will go over that big when put alongside the likes of an iPod.  IPods really aren’t that much bigger than a wristwatch, and they probably hold more songs and deliver better quality audio, too.  But time will tell, as it so often does, so stay tuned.

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Pictured above is supposedly Barnes and Noble’s e-reader.  While specs and a wireless carrier have yet to be announced, or leaked in this case, rumor has it that it has an e-ink display on the top 3/4 of the device for reading magazines and books, while the lower quarter is a color LCD screen that will not only be good for perusing book covers but will double as a touchscreen keyboard or mutlitouch surface.  …Continue reading: Gadget Leak: Barnes And Noble’s E-Reader Has Two Screens

Sometimes, you wish you could get access to shaky, variable quality information about just about any topic.  it’s times like these that we usually turn to the internet–but what if we’re away from the wireless internet or what have you?

That’s where the WikiReader device comes in.  It’s powered by two AAA batteries that are estimated to last a full year in this device, and comes with a monochrome touchscreen so you can scroll and track things.

I admit, it’s probably pretty cool to have access to three million articles worth of Wikipedia, especially wherever you happen to be at the time.  Updates are delivered on a quarterly basis, and you can also get a microSD card option added to your WikiReader for just an extra $29 a year.  It will probably do horrible things to barroom trivia contests–NTN is probably freaking out and wetting itself as we speak–but the idea is still plenty cool.

The base unit itself costs $99, and will be available on Amazon on the order of Real Soon Now.

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