Palm Centro - First Clean Image

After days of looking at blurry pictures, here comes the first clean image (it’s a computer rendering) of the Palm Centro.

As we said before, the word on the street is that the Centro is a low-cost smartphone that would retail for $99 or so. It looks like a (small and) good phone for heavy SMS users and we’ll have to see what other functionalities are available before commenting further. I can’t wait for the upcoming leak of the user manual and/or the specs. I wonder if Palm organized the “leak” because they are under pressure right now…

Flexible displays created by stretching crystals

As researchers continue to forge ahead in their quest to create commercially viable flexible displays, a new team from Canada has apparently unearthed a breakthrough of sorts. Reportedly, the crew has been able to conjure up a full-color display which boasts pixels made from photonic crystals, and by "bonding them to an electroactive polymer that expands when a voltage is applied to it," the colors of the pixels change. According to André Arsenault of the University of Toronto, the newfangled devices "can be viewed just as well in bright sunlight as in indoor light," and if all goes as planned, we could be seeing a whole lot more of these promising units "in as little as two years" when the startup Opalux looks to fit these bendable creations into billboards, handheld gadgetry, and anything else it deems fit.

Netgear intros SPH200W WiFi phone with Skype

If you can reach back into the archives of your brain, you may be able to recall an elusive Netgear WiFi Skype phone that was previewed in May. Unless our eyes are seriously deceiving us, that very handset has now been launched, and it's been titled the SPH200W. Sporting 802.11b/g compatibility, around four hours of talk time (or 48 hours in standby), WEP / WPA / WPA2 support, and most importantly, the ability to take and make Skype calls wherever there's an open WiFi signal, this device also allows you to manage up to 500 contacts and touts a built-in speakerphone. Unfortunately, there's no word on how much this unit will cost you.

Sony PSP gets Go!Messenger

Sony has upped the ante when it comes to functionality of its PSP console, bringing Go!Messenger to the fore that empowers users with text, voice, and video chat capabilities. While chatting with your friends using MSN Messenger and the on-screen keyboard might be excruciatingly slow, there is always the option to use VoIP functionality over a WiFi network. After all, it sure beats navigating through the on-screen keyboard taking all 10 minutes to type out a sentence. Go!Messenger is free for all Sony PSP owners and comes with the next firmware upgrade.

Man With Titanium Heart Feels ‘Emotionless’

A man who became the first permanent recipient of the Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist device, now claims that he’s cold-hearted.

Peter Houghton, 68, got the mechanical ticker back in 2000. Inside is a titanium turbine the size of a C battery embedded in his dodgy left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber. The only moving part is the ‘impeller’ that moves his blood and sounds like mini-washing machine through a stethoscope. Even odder, is the titanium jack in his head for charging the device.

All the same, despite having a life returned to him and leading an active life these days, he feels he can no longer bond emotionally, even with his relatives.

Conceptual UNI enables compartmentalized computing

Those who find difficulty in cracking open a typical tower to replace that aging DVD writer with one that burns in high-definition should adore Richard Choi's UNI concept, which exemplifies compartmentalized computing and takes the stress out of upgrading. Apparently, the "Think" module would act as the core computer and handle the essentials, while a variety of other plug-in modules would provide additional outputs (HDMI, DVI, optical audio, USB, etc.), hard drive space, and optical drives.

Logitech announces V470 mouse

The notebook toting fraternity definitely have far more peripherals to look forward to these days compared to a few years ago, and the Logitech V470 Cordless Laser Mouse is the latest to be announced. The V470 eschews RF in favor of Bluetooth connectivity, making it a snap to hook up to MacBook or Windows-based notebooks without the need for an external receiver. It uses Bluetooth 1.2 wireless technology and features laser tracking for a higher level of accuracy. There is a battery life of 4 months, but I personally find that the figure is probably closer to 70% if you plan on using your mouse for at least 8 hours every day. Features include Side-to-Side Scrolling and an indicator light. The Logitech V470 will retail for approximately $49.99 when it is released early next month.

Asus unveils R600 GPS

Asus’ new R600 GPS navigation device just recently made it through FCC, getting one step closer to being released in the U.S. Asus is aiming at the mid-high range GPS market with this device with features like a light sensor that will automatically adjust the LCD backlight to enhance viewing, bluetooth connectivity to make and receive hands free calls, and a large 4.3″ touch screen.

Asus is also flexing their muscles with a 2200mAh Li-Ion battery and an SD slot that can support up to 4GB where as most other sat nav systems out there can only support 2GB for expansion.

Here is the full set of specs:
OS: MS Windows CE .Net 5.0
CPU:Samsung 400MHz
Display:4.3″ 65K TFT with Touchscreen 480 x 272 Pixels (WQVGA)
Memory:128MB Flash ROM, 64 MB SDRAM
GPS: Built-in SiRF starIII chip
Expansion Slots: SD Slot, up to 4 GB
Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 Handsfree
Dimensions:142 x 83 x 18mm, 260g
Battery/Working time: 2200 mAh, (6 hours working time)
MP3 player, Video player, Photo Viewer
Supports Light sensor
Optional TMC module

Crush Cans, Frogger Style

While you could accomplish the same feat by strapping on a shoe—or better yet, bracing your forehead—where's the fun in that? It supports up to 90kg (though charging Frogger leaps probably aren't a great idea) and runs a little under $23.

Make a Solar Water Heater for Less Than $5

There's nothing like soaking up some free solar energy, but the biggest barrier to entry has been the expensive devices you'll need, such as solar panels and water heaters. Now you can make your own solar water heater for less than five dollars, and the Instructables site says it's not all that difficult to do.

Just snag the coolant grill from an old refrigerator that you might have lying around, or maybe visit the local redneck section of town and there might be one sitting in the yard. It takes about three hours to construct the device after you've found all the necessary parts, and then, before you know it, the water coming out of that grill is hot enough to burn you. If that water's had time to sit in there for a while and it's a sunny day, that is.

One problem with this idea is when water is moving through that grill, it doesn't get quite as hot. Also, you'll have to take your showers and use hot water only on sunny days. The water heater's creator admits this device is probably only good for camping or for a science experiment, but it's a good demonstration of the simplicity of solar energy.[Source]

HTC Shift Gets 60 Hours of Hands-On

The dudes over at GottaBeMobile got to play with the HTC Shift, the upcoming Windows Vista-running UMPC from HTC. If you don't remember, this UMPC beats current UMPCs because it has an actual slide-out, fold-up QWERTY keyboard. What does GBM think about it? Best. UMPC. Ever. They even made a video of their experience.

Here are the specs, if you don't recall:
• Windows Vista Business (3 hrs battery)
• Intel Santa Rosa A110 Processor
• 1GB DDR2 RAM
• 40GB HDD
• HSDPA (Data only) ready
• Web Cam
• Biometrics
• Windows Pocket PC (over 5 days battery life when used exclusively)
• Qualcomm 400MHz Processor
• 64MB RAM

Yes, it has both Windows Vista and Pocket PC (PDA OS), but nobody wants to use anything but Windows Vista on this. Three hours seems pretty short for a portable device of this size, but we're still looking forward to seeing what this can do in our own hands. [Source]

Pee and Play

The Piss-Screen - a pressure-sensitive inlay set within urinals, enabling users to play while they pee. New devices were installed in male restrooms across Frankfurt, teaming up with a variety of bars, clubs and cafés. The game itself was displayed on a screen above each urinal, and would automatically start as soon as someone began to pee. The player could then control the car whilst relieving himself – if they wanted the car to go right, they simply peed to the right (and visa versa).

Sony Ericsson K850i CyberShot

The Sony Ericsson K850i is a phone that signals a new era in digital imaging. Although it is very important to have a high resolution camera like this, there are many other criteria that are important to shoot a great picture or video too.

The phones has specs that include autofocus, digital zoom, an automatic Xenon flash, three LED video light for recording at night. The BestPic feature lets you select the best out of nine stills shot in quick succession. The handset shoots videos at 30 frames per second (30fps) which is double that of normal phones. The handset also boats HSDPA technology that can achieve much higher data speed than 3G, quad band GSM mobile network connectivity to GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth and USB.

Magellan Triton

Unleash your inner explorer with the adventurous Triton handheld GPS from Magellan. There are six models in total, all sporting QVGA touch screens (2.2"or 2.7") that are waterproof up to one meter. Some feature expandable memory via an SD slot alongside a 2-megapixel digital camera and digital audio player. The top-of-the-line Triton 2000 has a 3-way electronic compass and a built in barometer. All the Triton models can be enhanced with National Geographic's own topographical maps, which have never been commercially available on a GPS unit.
   Accessed via software and transferred to the GPS unit via optional data cable, the National Geographic maps are an outdoorsman's dream.
   You can fly through virtual areas, plot routes through recreational sites and mark waypoints for your journey. When you get back from your trip, plug back in and upload your data to get a visual representation of your hike. The Triton 2000 is priced at $499, but you can strip away various features until you bottom out at the Triton 200, a $129 barebones device. Look for the Tritons next month.

First iPod Dock/Speaker With DAB

The very stylish RDI-03, which will ship in October, is the first merged product from Intempo which already builds speaker docks and decent DAB radios. The glossy piano black exterior hides 30Watts of power including a 15Watt subwoofer. It’s compatible with iPods and MP3 players and will charge all iPods, barr the Shuffle.

The DAB radio sports a alarm clock function too and everything can be controlled by the remote. You will be able to find it in Dixons, Currys.digital, Argos and Amazon.

Expect to see more clever products like this as the year rolls on, and about time too.

New CD player from YankoDesign

Sales of CDs fastly going down. All music goes to Internet.

Looks like designer Yong-Seong Kim decided to stop this process. DMP, a portable music player that supports CD and MP3 files. Use the MP3 player as you normally would, hang it around your neck, clip it on your jeans or place it in your pocket. Otherwise open both sides and insert your favorite CD and you got yourself a CD player my friend. Now that’s music to my ears.