01.27.2010
Today was 2010's first iDay- the announcement of a new or updated Apple product, predictably following months, or in this case years of feverish speculation. Steve Jobs gave the gathered press the first glimpse of the super-tablet himself, proudly declaring the new iPad not just revolutionary, but magical. It is undeniably sleek, beautiful, and impressive to look at but is it necessary, especially for people already toting around iPhones or iPod Touches, along with a MacBook or a MacBook Air?
Here are the specs:
-9.7" LED backlit, fully multi-touch display, with IPS technology (IPS provides wide viewing angles and good color reproduction, important for a tablet that you may use both laptop-style, and as a media player). There's also a special fingerprint-resistant coating, obviously good for a screen with a touch interface.
-Up to 10 hour battery life for video, music, and wifi surfing.
-Half an inch thick, weighs 1.5 lbs, 9.5" high, 7.5" wide.
-Wifi, Bluetooth, and optional 3G through AT&T (yay, not). Assisted GPS on 3G models only.
-On-screen keyboard only- but wide enough, apparently for something approaching touch-typing. Jobs typed with all his fingers, not just thumbs during the demo. There's also an optional hardware keyboard which also charges the iPad.
-The iPad will run all current iPhone/iPod Touch applications, plus have its own iPad-only apps.
-The iPad is an advanced e-book reader, using the iBooks app for reading and the iBookstore app for browsing and buying books. iBookstore has licensing deals with some of the biggest publishers so book selection should quickly get competitive with the Amazon Kindle's, plus iBook supports the EPUB standard, which offers thousands of free books. The best part? The Amazon Kindle and BN Nook use low-powered e-ink displays which are easy on the eyes and give great battery life, but they are not backlit or in color. The iPad is both, and while battery life is sure to be less than the Kindle's, 10 hours is still really, really good.
-iWork, Apple's answer to MS Office will be available for the iPad. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote (Apple's versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) will be $9.99 each, a great price for a full featured app.
What are the advantages of the iPad over the iPhone or iPod Touch? The screen, obviously is almost three times the size, a huge improvement for web surfing, watching videos and viewing photos, email, and working on documents. The on-screen keyboard, which will surely elicit much discussion, won't please everybody, but will surely be more comfortable for typing longer docs and emails, and there is the optional hardware keyboard.
Continue reading "Is the Apple iPad "magical"?"
Posted by Mia
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01.18.2010
Any expectant mother can tell you, it's never to early to start communicating with your child. Besides having extended conversations while baby is in-utero, music has been proven to assist with positive fetal development including displaying "advanced intelligence, coordination, and learning abilities."
Nuvo Group's new device helps deliver soothing sound to your baby with the Ritmo Advanced Pregnancy Sound System. Kind of like a speaker system for your unborn bundle of joy, Ritmo is a lightweight belt that fits comfortably around mommy-to-be's tummy. The belt has four built-in speakers that utilized patented Safe&Sound Technology to make sure that the sound level is perfectly safe for baby's ears. The belt also comes with a controller used to plug in an mp3 player.
Continue reading "Ritmo Advanced Pregnancy Sound System"
Posted by sherri
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devices
Tags: music Nuvo Group pregnancy prenatal Ritmo Advanced Pregnancy Sound System
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12.30.2009
The Gravida Nurse Prenatal Education Device is a great gift for first time mothers. Instead of spending a small fortune on parenting books, expectant mothers can turn to this handy gadget. The device is a small handheld device that features helpful articles focused on providing good prenatal care for both baby and mom.
There are also voices recordings and pictures to help reinforce the information. Everything can be accessed via the large touchscreen. There's also a slot for a memory card and it can be hooked up to a computer via USB. No word on if additional information can be added to the Gravida using these means.
The Gravida Nurse is small, cute, helpful and going for $22.65
Via UberGizmo
Posted by sherri
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devices
Tags: device Gravidas Nurse Prenatal Education pregnancy prenatal
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12.29.2009
It's never easy caring for someone with Alzheimer's. It can be a devastating experiences watching a loved one slip in and out of lucidity. One can only imagine the confusion, anger, and fear a person affected by the disease experiences during these moments. A daughter of an Alzheimer's sufferer wanted to lend some comfort to her parent and created this ingenious device.
The Kind Reminder is a recorder that can be worn around the neck as a necklace or just kept close by. When the patient has a moment of disorientation, they can press the button on the recorder and the voice of their caretaker will play. The website says the product is designed for people with early to mid-stage Alzheimer's or memory loss related to age.
Continue reading "Kind Reminder Gives Comfort to Alzheimer's Patients"
Posted by sherri
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devices
Tags: Alzheimer's device Kind Reminder medical
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12.17.2009
LaCie's newest hard drive is tiny, cute, and functional just how I like it. At 4.3 x 2.9 x .5 in.the LaCie Rikiki portable hard drive is one of the smallest hard drives around. The name Rikiki is French for tiny. The diminutive drive is big on storage space however, with storage capabilities starting out at 250GB and maxing out at 640GB. Being that this is a newly released product, I wouldn't be surprised to see terabyte versions of the Rikiki in upcoming months.
The USB 2.0 device is decked out in brushed aluminum and has a transfer speed of 60MB/s. According to the website, the included USB Boost software enhances speed and performance up to 33%. Unfortunately, this is software is a Windows-only deal. Other software includes the LaCie Backup Assistant and the LaCie Setup Assistant.
The Windows and Mac-friendly Rikiki is on sale on LaCie's site starting at $74.99 for the 250GB version, $109.99 for 500GB, and $149.99 for 640GB. I wonder if they're throwing in that cute little monkey with the deal?
Posted by sherri
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| portable media
Tags: device LaCie portable hard drive Rikiki
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12. 8.2009
Okay, now that the idea of putting up an iceberg on the mantle was your battle won, all you need is to win another one and convince your family to loan you one grand. After which, you can remain assured that the Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers can grace that coveted spot you fought so hard for.
Though the only observable uniqueness of the GLA-55 seems to be the artistic cut-glass motif which gives the appearance of the speakers being embedded in ice sculpture, Harman Kardon claims that they deliver "stunning sound" as well. That too minus subwoofer, and "numerous proprietary technologies to provide the highest audio quality". Apparently, the Atlas AL woofers and CMMD tweeters that the speakers are built on, deliver a great bass response and accurate high frequencies. Add to that DSP processing and touch-sensitive volume controls, and you just heard of the most expensive speakers ever. Instinct must be given its due while it still struggles to get you away from this $999.99 eye candy.
Via Coolest Gadgets.
Posted by kanchana
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12. 7.2009
Traveling with a baby can be challenging. You need to make sure there's a solid supply of diapers and food as well as lug around that bulky stroller. Sure it comes in handy when you're transporting your little one, but it becomes the instrument of the devil when it encounters some stairs. It's even worse with the initial setup. I've seen too many parents struggle with getting the blasted thing set up while trying to comfort a crying infant. Whew!
Luggage company Samsonite, held a competition a few months back looking for designers that could design a better way for parents to transport their children. One such concept came from Iranian designer Pouyan Mokhtarani. Called the Smart Baby Case, the design is a hard case pod that borrows design cues from the humble egg, a shape already familiar to a child. The case would keep baby safe and comfortable while the parents navigate the hustle and bustle of pedestrian traffic or get to safety in the case of an emergency.
Continue reading "Smart Baby Case Diasterproof and Travel-ready"
Posted by sherri
Category:
design
| devices
Tags: baby concept design gadgets for kids Samsonite Smart Baby Case
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12. 3.2009
We have witnessed steady strides in the fight against cervical cancer. Vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix are now available for girls to protect them from the human papilloma virus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer. Unfortunately the vaccines are only given to young girls. They also don't protect women from every form of HPV which means there's still a need for Pap Smear testing to attempt to catch the disease early.
Every year, millions of women visit their gynecologists and endure the discomfort of the Pap Smear. After the test is complete, there's often weeks of waiting for the results, leaving women to wonder if they'll become part of the frightening statistics on cervical cancer. British medical diagnostic, Zilco is working to alleviate some of the stress with its new device that can conduct a relatively quick and painless pap.
Continue reading "Zlico's System Might Spell the End for Pap Smears"
Posted by sherri
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devices
| science
Tags: cervical cancer gadgets health pap smear Zilco
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11.26.2009
Sound pretty complicated? But not the principle behind this one-of-a-kind eco-friendly Water Powered Clock from Green Stamp. The idea is, simply, to use energy from water to keep the clock alive and ticking.
Judge it not yet. Because the Water Powered Clock is a small, albeit hugely significant, indicator of how modern electrochemical technology can be used to create electronics without emission or additional burden on existing "non-green" energy sources. And the clock is very conveniently designed for that very same purpose - a can into which you have to pour water once every 6 months to keep it running. A great product to introduce kids to green tech.
The can-shaped clocks are available in 4 colors at £9.99 (around US $17). And yes, the results maybe unexpected in case you decide to get creative with the choice of liquid. We guess.
Via Shiny Shiny.
Posted by kanchana
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| eco
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11.11.2009
So who isn't budget conscious in these times? Well, excluding those lucky-buckies who raised their hands, the Nokia 3711 from T-Mobile suits the more uneasy wallets to the T. By just retaining the basic functionalities - QVGA screen, 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, FM radio and microSD memory slot in a neat clamshell. Though T-Mobile’s AWS 3G comes included, features such as GPS, picture-messaging and email may cost you more than what's on the deal offered. Which happens to be a really affordable $69.99 on a basic Even More plan. Or for the more optimistic is the alternative Even More Plus plan at $159.99.
Via Newlaunches.
Posted by kanchana
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