FullFatGear » Gadgets

Skiff Reader

martin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:11:27 +0000

The e-reader market is hotting up, with Amazon’s trail-blazing Kindle being challenged by e-reader after e-reader. CES this year was awash with e-readers, but only one truly stood out – the Skiff Reader. It sports the highest resolution on an e-reader yet, at a stunning 1200×1600 on a large 11.5″ screen with full touch control. As if that wasn’t enough it is based on LG’s revolutionary metal foil e-paper technology, meaning its not just less delicate than its glass screened competitors, but actually bendable.

Priced at an expected $400, supported by the Sprint network in the US and supporting both 3G and WiFi this is one e-reader I want right now. Only question is – will they be bring it to Europe anytime soon?

Bowers&Wilkins MM-1

martin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:52:08 +0000

There is a real dearth of quality audiophile hi-fi products in the desktop/multimedia/computer speaker market. I desperately cling on to my old pair of Klipsch for that very reason. One of the premier speaker companies in the world, famous for their Nautilus speakers and Zeppelin iPod docks, Bowers&Wilkins obvously agrees – they just launched their new MM-1 speakers, which must be the perfect accompaniment to today’s high end PCs.

The MM-1s are near-field monitors to ensure the listening sweet spot is where you are – sat right in front of the computer, and offer dual full range drivers featuring B&W’s lauded Nautilus tube loaded tweeter. The real killer feature is that the speakers include their own sound processing and DAC, meaning you plug them in via USB and don’t have to worry about the variable quality of computer sound output.

They also include a separate line in for other sources, a high quality headphone port using the built in DAC to isolate your headphones from the noisy sound card in your computer, and a small remote to control volume and inputs.

Olympus E-P2

martin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:31:15 +0000

Digital SLRs have been steadily improving over the last few years, but they still cling on to the form factor and designs of the 35mm camera era. Don’t get me wrong – I love the aesthetic – but if the sensor isn’t 35mm anymore, why is the body around it scaled to that dimension? The 4/3rds designs have moved this on but not felt like proper photographic tools – until Olympus released their E-P1, or E-PEN in homage to its illustrious forebear first introduced in 1959. Now Olympus have already brought out a new model in the E-Pen range – the E-P2.

The E-P2 takes the concept to a new level, with a serious sleek black look and even more pro pretensions. It continues the E-P1 successes with built-in image stabiliser, high ISO capabilities, 12 megapixel sensor, and a form factor that makes it both pocketable and useable. Add in HD movie recording, still AF tracking, and an accessory port that allows the attachment of an old school swivelling electronic viewfinder.

I rarely take my big DLSR out with me these days – and am therefore seriously tempted by a photographic tool this capable and this compact.

Dell Adamo XPS

martin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:41:54 +0000

For those who actually use their laptops on the go Dell has brought out the Adamo XPS, the world’s thinnest laptop at a papercut worthy 9.9mm thin. Yes, that’s less than a centimetre thick… The great design doesn’t just stop there – the Adamo XPS has loads of innovative design features, from the keyboard opening up at an angle – both improving cooling and putting the keyboard at a comfortable angle – to the metal keyboard and the latch mechanism which opens at the swipe of a finger.

With diminutive dimensions of just 340mm x 274mm and a lightweight 1.44kg, it’s impressive that Dell have crammed in a 1.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB memory and an SSD harddrive the specs are great too, and built in WiFi, HD display, and proper display and USB ports make this a great portable workhorse. Availability in Europe will be announced soon.

Iomega Ego Leather

martin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:41:12 +0000

Looking more like a hip flask than something from the 21st century, the Iomega Ego Leather is possibly the most stylish portable hard drive on the market. Wrapped in real leather and sporting 500GB storage and a USB 2.0 connection this is a fabulous blend of old and new.

SonyEricsson Xperia X10

martin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:57:21 +0000

The Sony Ericsson Rachael has finally been unveiled as the new Xperia X10. This sexy smartphone is the first offering from the Swedish-Japanese giant to sport Android, and it looks set to take the world with storm. It has a 4 inch touchscreen, microSD storage and a whopping 8 megapixel camera – all in a svelte form factor. But it doesn’t stop there – Sony Ericsson have taken the Android UI and added a level of polish never seen before on an Android device.

Since the Sony Ericsson P800, my first smartphone, I’ve been waiting for SonyEricsson to get their act together again and produce a phone with great hardware and software. Is this the one?

The Xperia X10 has a few more tricks up it’s sleeve too – from the expected features like activesync outlook integration, assisted GPS, and HSPA 3G for high speed data to the unexpected such as timescape to collate all your messaging in one place (much like Palm’s Pre this consolidates all your facebook, twitter, emails, texts etc in one place per contact), and automatic face recognition on your photos.

This phone will definitely move Android into new markets and to a much wider adoption.

Sony Bluray Megachanger

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:02:46 +0000

For anyone too lazy to get up and change discs – or to set up a media server and rip all your discs to it – Sony have updated the Megachanger range to include blu-ray playback. Imagine storing 400 blu-ray discs and being able to access them all with the click of a remote… But it doesn’t stop there – Sony have thrown everything at the BDP-CX7000ES (except for a simple name it would seem), including full upscaling to 1080p (if you would deign to put a regular DVD in there), a special rental slot for quick and simple playback of a single disc, a WiFi connection to take advantage of interactive blu-ray titles – and to automatically download cover art for your collection and the full complement of dolby true-HD, DTS-HD, and 7.1 sound.

Motorola Droid

martin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:26:06 +0000

Motorola are about to roll out their new pride and joy – the Droid phone based on Android. With a large 3.7″ screen, flip out keyboard and 5 megapixel camera with flash and video it is truly raising the bar - after a few false starts on the hardware side, this is finally the phone to put Android front and centre, and since it’s the first phone to feature the all new Android 2.0 it looks like it will finally deliver on its promise. Recent demos of the new OS have been seriously impressive, with the new google maps features being a true stand out. Not only is turn by turn navigation included but it features a new UI for when the phone is docked – making it much easier to use while driving.

Have Motorola got back the mojo they once had with the Razr and then squandered? We’ll find out soon – although as its only being released on the Verizon network in the US on November 6th we’ll have to wait a little longer here in Europe.

Dell Multitouch Display

martin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:02:41 +0000

With the launch of Windows 7 the multi touch wave set off by Apple’s iPhone has made it to the desktop – and now there’s a monitor to go with it. Dell has brought out the SX2210T - a new 21.5″ display with all the usual high end features – 16:9 full HD 1080p resolution, a snappy 2ms refresh rate, and 50,000:1 contrast ratio. But the real star of the show is its multi-touch support, fully compatible with Windows 7 Premium and up. This lets you flick through your photo album, tap, drag and scroll through internet explorer and as touch support spreads out into more software – much, much more.

But is this really the new way to interact with a computer? If RSI is an issue when using a mouse and keyboard, imagine the amount of injuries reaching up and touching your monitor will cause. I think Dell missed a trick in making this a desktop monitor and not a lap/tabletop device. However, there are still a whole host of applications for this technology, from secondary displays to control your home theatre PC to a simple and fun way to manage and display your home photos.

ID Titanium Mouse

martin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:26:40 +0000

Many people will balk at buying a €800 mouse, hell some even balk at the price of the new Magic Mouse from Apple, but I think it’s refreshing that designers are finally realising that those gadgets that we use every day could use a little luxury. It is depressing to buy an expensive computer only to unpack a horrible plastic mouse with no weight or quality feel to it.

The team behind Intelligent Design have decided to change all that – this mouse is made from high grade titanium, features a neodymium scroll wheel, laser tracking, and is wireless thank to bluetooth. It is a serious design statement and would fit right in next to your 30″ apple display in an ultra-modern setting.

I think I’ll stick to my trusty Logitech Revolution, but if someone came along and made a version of that excellent mouse from steel and leather I’d be the first in line to buy it.