Gadgets, gizmos, and tools to help make you more productive in business

A practical fuel cell system that is small enough (50 x 30 mm) to fit in your palm has been built by Sony. It uses a combination of lithium-polymer battery, backup battery, and control circuit, and could be the next-level when it comes to mobile devices.

Sony presented it during Small Fuel Cells 2008 in Atlanta, Ga, and a company engineer mentioned that "We have been aiming to mount (a fuel-cell system) in mobile devices and finally reached a level of commercial design."

The new fuel cell system uses methanol as fuel and the supply is controlled with a hybrid pump that regulates the amount of power used based on the system's needs. Sony claims that with 10 ml of methanol a mobile device can play a 1 seg movie for 14 hours. That's autonomy, baby !!!

The only drawback could be that we may need to refill (methanol refilling stations???) the new cells, unless Sony comes up with an idea.

Source

 

Though it may not surprise you at a first look the new BlackBerry 9000, sure has a few aces up the sleeve. The first one is the user interface that has changed and built new from the ground, with a much professional and modern theme. Second of all, the new BlackBerry 9000 comes with WiFi and HSDPA which is a great add-on for my needs.

There is one drawback I can see. I've always thought a new RIM phone that wan'ts to make a big name on the market should come with a touchscreen display. BlackBerry 9000, failed and still offers the trackball ...

Will have to see what the customers say about it, soon.

via EngadgetMobile

It was obvious that Apple is going to release a new iPhone but we never knew when and what it will have inside. Today our buddies from Engadget talked to a highly reliable source (some sort of insider) so here is what we can expect to get:

• GPS and 3G. Believe me this shouldn't even be considered the next-gen iPhone unless it has these two features. Many voices out there commented on how great the iPhone is, but everyone wanted GPS and 3G. Well people, we're getting it this time.
• Color change. The new iPhone is going to have a glossy black case and no more metal on the back. Though it's going to be slightly thicker there's no word on a removable battery.
• Should ship from July, if the "rumors" are correct.

Apple and rumors are almost synonyms, so you'd better take with with a pinch of salt. I sure hope to see how Steve Jobs is going to present it ... because it will be a blast, I bet.

Source 

The Optimus Maximus keyboard that we've been promised to see in stores so much sooner, managed to get a clear runway and is available and shipping. The sexy keyboard with and all the 113 OLED keys included, is finally on sale for a pricey $1,589.99 so I don't know how many will afford it and how many will actually buy it.

I would be very interested to get some stats from ThinkGeek, because they are the sellers.

Here are specs of the Optimus keyboard:

• Revolutionary Keyboard Features a tiny OLED screen on each key. 113 screens total.
• Each key can be individually programmed to perform a series of functions, open an application or run an Applescript (Mac only)
• Various System Monitor functions can dynamically display on a key including CPU usage, CPU temperature, Network Speed, and Memory Usage
• Play a GIF animation or Quicktime movie on a Key
• Paint images across all keys at once in your image editor of choice
• Key sets can be linked to an application, so whenever you open that app the appropriate keys come up
• Powerful layer function allows you to combine existing key sets in different ways
• Use any language with the appropriate key images including Cyrillic, Ancient Greek, Georgian, Arabic, Quenya, and Hiragana.
• Display notes, numerals, special symbols, HTML codes, math functions or any other special symbol.
• Any key (or to be exact, a unit consisting of a cap, a microchip and a display) can be easily removed by hands to be cleaned or replaced
• Built in USB hub
• SD Card Slot for Storing keyboard Settings

Let me know if you buy one, why you did and how it works.

 

 

I remember when I was at the University and I had to photo-copy books in order to be able to learn, because they were so many and so very expensive. Boys and gals, students and so on, the need to use a copying machine are over because the DL 3000 is here.

It's a book scanner with a high tech method of reading the text using bars that raise and flip the pages. The DL 3000 is the fastest scanner in the world doign 3,000 pages an hour, but for a price. It's going to cost $250,000 and I don't think many will afford it. The target niche is probably Universities and Colleges.

via RedFeret 

Michael Dell presented yesterday, April 22, the new wooden PC the company will build to celebrate Earth Day. It was unveiled at the Fortune Green conference, it is 81-percent smaller than a standard desktop, made of bamboo and using all sorts of recycled materials from old bottles and milk jugs to detergent cases, the new PC is 70-percent more power efficient.

Though Dell wasn't very happy to answer questions related to "what's the name of the Bamboo computer" he did mention that we could find it in stores later this year for a price ranging from $500 to $700.

Good job Mr. Dell for coming up with the Ecoputer, as Earth2Tech calls it. 

Laptops may not be the best category for that article but since we don't have a "for rich people" category it will probably do. So here we are looking at a 24k gold plated MacBook Air with a polished exterior and a flat/crystallite interior. As if it wasn't enough you can customize it to include the bejeweled version of the classic rainbow Apple logo.

I'm sure there is a rich sheik out there that will probably want to see oil prices going up on a golden MacBook Air so rest assured people, the guys from Computer-Choppers are going to be able to sell at least a few "units".

The price these golden beauties are going to be available for is $5.000 and if you want it to have the rainbow (which is a 14k carat gold with 3.8 cwt sapphires) add another $3.000 for the fun.

via Gizmodo

 

I don't know if cellphones that emit fragrances are weird or not, but I do know that NTT DoCoMo is going to build them on the Japanese market. They are going to have fragrance cartridges that are accessed via IR whenever you want to download a "fragrance playlist" on your mobile phone. Yes, it beats me what a fragrance playlist is but from what I understood NTT DoCoMo will partner with mobile content providers to match the scent with your horoscope, weather or the music you listen.

These is how it's going to happen. 

Do you think the idea is going to get market share considering that it's Japan? 

via TokyoMango

 

Today is the day of the laptops with the news about the new MSI Wind in the ultra-portable world, but this isn't to be left aside, either. The new Toshiba Porteje R500-12Q has been spotted on Toshiba's European website and though we know what the Portege R500 has inside (12.1-inch LED-backlit display, Core 2 Duo ULV U7700 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM and dual-layer DVD writer) this one seems to come with an 128GB SSD drive.

Too bad we don't have a price for it yet (on the site or not), but if you need a powerful extremely light notebook and you can afford spending some, keep your eyes on it.

via Engadget 

Ladies and gents, if you were looking to buy a mini-laptop as I call them you should know the prices are falling and falling hard be it a Dell Compal, an ASUS Eee PC, HP's 2133 or an Everex. A new member to the family is ready to jump on the market. It's the new MSI Wind that will have a 8.9- to 10-inch display and should be available for less than $500. Did I mention that it's going to be available in the second quarter of 2008, rumors saying June? Probably not ...

The prices will probably start at $470 and will top at $1,099 depending on what configuration you choose. The specs include a 2.5-inch disk drive or a SSD, processors 1GHz to 1.6GHz and comes with 1GB of RAM.

So for those that need a mini laptop, wailt till July or August and when you see prices falling go grab one.

via DigiTimes