Brickhouse Security’s Micro Bluetooth Earpiece is so small it actually fits inside the ear canal to allow covert two-way communication via any Bluetooth mobile phone or two-way radio. Its size means that a battery is out of the question, so the tiny device is powered by magnetism, which is also used to remove the earpiece from the ear canal...
If you don’t trust that shifty-looking night supervisor at the motel or the suspicious-looking smoke detector in your room, or if you just value your privacy, help could be at hand. A quick scan of your room or surrounds with the Chinavision CVMV-J19 Spy Wi-Fi Signal and Camera Lens Detector should let you sleep easy or play hard – in privacy (I guarantee there are a few celebrities who wish they had one)...
Gizmag has featured a number of GPS based location devices and concepts that are designed to keep track of your most loved people, pets and possessions. From the Nu.M8 child watch system, to a GPS dog-collar device or a range of tracking devices capable of following just about anyone or anything. The latest in an ever expanding range of these gadgets - the Ekahau wrist-tag, is a tracking device that allows monitoring via a Wi-Fi network. When will it end? Not anytime soon - Jude Garvey checks out three different tracking systems on (or soon to be released on to) the market.
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The cost of securing large properties with physical barriers like fences or conventional electronic surveillance systems can be quite prohibitive but a new invention from Tel Aviv University promises a cheap, effective solution in the form of a network of tiny sensors as small as dewdrops. Called "Smart Dew", the devices can be scattered outdoors on rocks, fence posts and doorways, or even indoors on the floor of a bank to serve as invisible security guards with each individual "dew droplet" capable of detecting an intrusion within a parameter of 50 meters (165 feet). ..
Watching the clock gets a whole new meaning with Thanko’s MP4 Watch. Seemingly straight out of Q’s arsenal the watch that features a full color 1.8-inch LCD screen as well as a voice recorder and tiny camera that can record video at 352 x 288 resolution and take photos at 640 x 480 resolution – perfect for any aspiring James Bond wannabes. ..
December 22, 2008 Torrey Pines Logic has designed an optical system that allows people to speak to the person they’re looking at. The LightSpeed uses infrared LEDs to transmit the wearer’s voice via a secure optical beam to another LightSpeed model. The data channel used by the binoculars can accommodate Ethernet, video streaming and multi-channel audio data, and the devices transmit data at 1Mpbs, at distances exceeding 5km. ..
Designed for capturing raw, natural images without the subject being aware that they are being photographed (and ruining that elusive photo-realism), or lets face it, for just plain snooping around, the Super-Secret Spy Lens allows you to take shots at right angles to the camera lens. Working like a periscope for your SLR, the lens adaptor also rotates through 360 degrees so you can snap subjects above and below you as well as to the left or right, all while you appear to be shooting directly in front...
In some interesting news for Bond fans, the build-up to the latest film release in the long-running franchise has resulted in a photo-shoot featuring the largest number of genuine 007 cars ever captured in one location. The 19-page spread in the November issue of Octane magazine showcases nine cars that appeared in films shot between 1964 and 2008. Not surprisingly, the Aston Martin marque features heavily staring with the DB5 from 60's classics Goldfinger and Thunderball...
For those occasions when a bullet-proof gentleman’s square just won’t do, there is the bullet-proof polo shirt. The US$12,000 anti-ballistic shirt from Columbian designer Miguel Caballerois is made of ultra-lightweight, bullet-proof fabric and features removable ballistic panels designed to offer protection from weaponry ranging from a 9mm pistol to an Uzi. ..
Where would any discerning gentleman be without the humble handkerchief? They provide a fashionable place to deposit one’s nasal excretions, are a convenient place to dry one’s hands when caught without a towel, and are able to deflect bullets when one is caught in the middle of a gunfight. That’s right, the invention we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived with the release of the ‘Bullet-Proof Gentleman’s Pocket Square’. ..
It’s frustrating when sophisticated surveillance technology is circumvented by robbers who use a not-so-sophisticated baseball cap to shield their face. Retailers can reclaim the edge with StealthVue’s PennyCam, a hidden camera that provides upwardly-angled pictures of anyone who approaches the counter, delivering a clear, identifiable view of their face.
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Vavolo has released this pocket digital video recorder hidden inside a functional pen. The pen has a 1/3 inch CMOS camera that captures AVI video in 360 x 280 resolution and stores it on the built-in 2Gb flash memory. While it can record for more than six hours, the built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery limits recording to three hours per session, which is still likely to be more than adequate in most circumstances. When you’ve done your covert recording, you simply screw apart the pen and plug it into the USB port on your computer for playback. It functions in any recent Windows environment with no set up necessary, and the high fidelity microphone can capture audio from around 2-3 metres, ensuring you’ll get clear audio over a table or in near proximity to your target...
November 6, 2007 Details are still scarce on this upcoming DVR pen that crams a wireless, low-power, digital video recorder - including microphone – into a 0.55 x 5.7inch (1.4 x 14.5cm) form that also works as - yes - a pen. Although the specs are not yet finalized, the device is expected to capture real-time video at 30 fps (320x240) with the ability to activate based on a motion detection system that allows for five different sensitivity levels along with the ability to select specific areas and send an alarm wirelessly to a remote site in the event that motion is detected. There’s also an audio detection capability that triggers the sound recorder and the media is flash memory or Micro SD, with Bluetooth wireless transfer back to PDAs or PCs included...
September 19, 2007 We’ve all seen the seemingly ubiquitous eye in the sky cameras watching us from store ceilings and most of us have probably wondered if anyone actually monitors those things. In an effort to improve the efficiency of such surveillance, Intellivid has developed a Computer Aided Tracking (CAT) tool that incorporates a newly patented adjacency algorithm. The technology uses sophisticated video analytics to streamline video surveillance, giving the ability to seamlessly track in-store movements and create complete end-to-end footage. ..
Spying via mobile phone August 13, 2007 A new software technology available only to law enforcement officers allows officers to listen to room conversations even when a phone is switched off. Known as "Phone Dead", the technology requires just ten seconds physical access to the phone to configure it and subsequent management can be achieved via SMS...
How do you know when you are being bugged? Granted there is more than one reason why someone might want to see or hear what's going on in a hotel room, but according to retailers Ozspy, the majority of RF detectors are sold to travelling business people who want to ensure that they don't wind up on www.porn.....
The link between the international espionage and outlandish gadgetry that continues to inspire Mr. Bond and co. is no accident - assassination devices like this KGB issue Lipstick Pistol from the mid-60's are proof of this deadly Cold War ingenuity. Part of the new International Spy Museum collection in Washington, D.C., the 4.5mm single shot weapon disguised as a tube of lipstick was referred to as "The Kiss of Death. Used by KGB operatives during the Cold War, the existence of the weapon was first detected at a border crossing into West Berlin...
An exhibition featuring the greatest-ever collection of memorabilia from 40 years of James Bond movies was held at the British Science Museum in 2002. Rosa Klebb's Flick-Knife Shoe, Oddjob's deadly Bowler Hat and of course, Q's gadget workshop feature.....
KGB Spy Shoe with Heel Transmitter It looks like a quirky prop from Get Smart, but this 1960's KGB issue Spy Shoe with a radio transmitter concealed in the heel is also a reminder of Cold War reality and the technical innovations that were driven by the need to find new and undetectable means of espionage - in this case you could say the KGB were one step ahead. Used to monitor secret conversations, the shoe's transmitter, microphone, and batteries were imbedded in the heel of a target's shoe. A maid or valet with access to the individual's clothing would be given the job of planting the rigged shoes and activating the transmitter by pulling out a white pin from the heel. ..
June 3, 2004 There is no richer source of speculation and intrigue than the realm of international espionage. The deadly real-world ingenuity that inspired 007 and an entire genre of literature can now be seen at the International Spy Museum. The museum is the first dedicated to espionage and provides a global perspective on the craft, practice, history, and contemporary role of the espionage profession. The KGB issue Lipstick Pistol, "Through the Wall" surveillance, tracking devices concealed in shoes and overcoats equipped with button cameras form part of the the extensive collection developed over 30 years and housed at the Museum in Washington, D.C...
A jamming device that looks like a mobile phone has gone on sale via an electronics supplier in the UK. The jammer - which would be illegal in Australia - blocks signals in a range of up to 15m in optimum conditions and is being promoted for clandestine use on public transport and restaurants...
December 14, 2004 A microphone surveillance system based on brain cell research is being used to combat shootings on the streets of Chicago and Los Angeles. The SENTRI system developed by Theodore Berger, director of the University Southern California's (USC) Center for Neural Engineering, has been trained to instantly recognise the sound of a gunshot within a two-block radius with high accuracy. SENTRI can then tag where the shot was fired, zoom in and photograph the shooter with it's built in camera and even make a 911 call to the police station. Police can then remotely control the camera to track the offender and dispatch officers to the scene in an integrated human-computer crime response...
February 5, 2005 One the most significant machines in the history of computing, not to mention the world of espionage and counter-intelligence, the German Armed Forces during World War 2 relied on the Enigma machine to encrypt the most important and sensitive communications before transmitting the messages by radio. The code was cracked by the allied forces in what has become one of the most celebrated espionage stories ever documented , enabling access to much critical information and shortening the war by several years. there is one of these exceptionally rare and historically significant machines for sale...
February 5, 2005 When German company Protona announced its Minifon P51 portable dictation machine in 1951, it caught the world's imagination and was seen as a solution for myriad problems. The Minifon directly catalysed the invention of the "Black box" flight recorder, was used in countless commercial processes around the world and was a natural for the Cold War espionage activities of every intelligence agency in the world. When the upgraded P55 was realeased in 1955, it was available with a microphone designed to look like an expensive wristwatch, and was clearly designed for the clandestine recording of conversations and its use can be traced in many of the espionage trials of the late fifities and early sixties. This week Gizmag came across a complete, mint condition P55 with watch accessory - a fascinating example of just how far leading edge technology has progressed in the last half century...
April 19, 2005 There is no room for error when dealing with the night-time surveillance of large areas such as property borders at ranges 800 meters and beyond, fence lines and large public works expanding over 15 acres. Gaps or weaknesses in any security framework, especially those designed for these types of wide area applications, could result in substantially reduced protection, with the potential for costly and irreversible damage. Ensuring the optimal performance of large area security systems under low-light conditions has been both difficult and cost prohibitive, until now … the ALS-20 line of infrared illuminators deliver high power levels of invisible illumination so that near-infrared capable CCD cameras can maintain a clear, sharp view of large areas at night. ..
Italy-based technology developer Sisvel and imaging start-up 3DSwitch are promoting a device that gives your TV the brains to recognize automatically whether you’re watching 2D or 3D. The technology works by detecting if you’re wearing your 3D stereoscopic glasses. No glasses, then the TV switches to 2D...
Philips has unveiled its latest 7000, 8000 and 9000 Series TVs for 2010. Although the series offer varying degrees of technological goodness they do share some things in common. All the new sets employ LEDs for improved energy efficiency and contrast ratios, plus a version of Philips’ Ambilight Spectra that projects ambient light onto the wall behind the TV to match the dominant color onscreen. Also common across the series is Net TV for accessing Video on Demand content on the Internet...
Lacie continues to bolster the media streaming market and has recently introduced another model into its LaCinema range which, like most of its predecessors, was inspired by designer Neil Poulton. As such the new Mini HD sports a familiar sleek, piano-black design with front and rear USB ports to connect media for local playback, HDMI 1.3, RCA and optical audio along with 100Mbps Ethernet for connecting to a wired network...
Product designer Matteo Cibic has come up with a very distinctive desktop speaker in the aptly named Hi-Fido. Shaped like a headless dog wearing an Elizabethan collar, Hi-Fido sports a 150-watt speaker that “uses the acoustic properties of ceramic to diffuse the high quality sound with a bass reflex system”. ..
For home theater enthusiasts or gamers who enjoy the deep thud of a good subwoofer but want a little more “jolt” without the extra noise, Earthquake Sound Corp. has added to its range of tactile transducers with the Q10B and MQB-1 that, when fitted to a theater chair or platform, can virtually loosen your fillings. Along with visualizing and hearing, low frequency sound adds a third sense which brings people further into the realm of virtual reality of movies and games. ..
Although Sharp seems to have a slightly shaky grasp on the number of primary colors - last time we counted, there was only three - they have come up with a fairly breath-taking LCD television that made its debut at CES. The Aquos LED LCD TV series are set to revolutionize television color as we know it. They boast an industry-first four-color filter that can create brilliant blues and sparkling yellows. Called quad-pixel technology, this means that colors which were difficult to reproduce on conventional LCD screens will now be available for your viewing pleasure. And for a total home-theater experience, one of the models has an industry-first 68-inch screen...
No matter how much you spend, there just doesn't seem to be any clear way to future-proof your home theatre system. You can have the biggest HD screen on the block, but suddenly, if it can't do 3D, it's all but obsolete. With the rush of 3D content that's under development in the gaming, TV and cinema worlds, 3D is set to become the new HD within the next couple of years - and with that in mind, Optoma has pulled the covers off its HD66 digital projector at CES - a US$699 home theatre projector capable of showing 720p content in 3D with a max image size around 300"...
Get ready to ditch those bulky set-top boxes and clunky media servers. The WirelessMediaStick from HSTi is a media streamer the size of a thumb drive that shares content from any computer on your home network with any USB-enabled media playback device. Connect the WirelessMediaStick to your Blu-ray or DVD player, TV, DVR, or even a digital picture frame, and you can play movies, music, and photos over your wireless network...
If you’re a fan of movies like Poltergeist or Videodrome, in which people get really “immersed” in their television-viewing experiences, then you’ll probably like the latest news from Panasonic - it’s developed the world’s largest full-HD 3D plasma display TV. As presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the one-off behemoth sports a 152-inch, 4K x 2K (8.84 million pixel) screen, plus a host of other complicated-sounding technical marvels.
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Anyone who has ever wanted to use their TV to flick back and forth between their favourite show and their PC content should take note at this interesting innovation to surface at this weeks CES in Las Vegas. The Icron ExtremeLink PC-on-TV platform. The system features two boxes that hook up to a user’s PC and HDMI television respectively, enabling any TV in the home to act as a wireless monitor to their PC, even if they are at opposite ends of the house. ..
Showing it means business in its commitment to developing 3D home entertainment, Sony has this week at CES unveiled three new 3D BRAVIA TV series, most notable of which is the behemoth XBR-60LX900. The 60” full HD 1080p Edge LED backlit unit features integrated Wi-Fi and 3D functionality, Motionflow PRO 240Hz technology along with USB and DLNA connectivity..
Wireless media streaming seems to be one hot topic at CES this year, and Slingbox has had another feather added to its cap via DISH Networks. The broadcast-anywhere solution first surfaced in 2005 and has since been superceded with a PRO-HD model and mobile versions for the iPhone. It now seems to be working on integration with set-top boxes and other devices, and a recent partnership with DISH has resulted in its new TV Everywhere service. ..
The Cell microprocessor made famous by the PlayStation 3 was developed as a joint venture between Sony, Toshiba and IBM, with Toshiba taking over the majority of manufacturing duties in 2007. Toshiba plans to make the most of the Cell with a new range of Cell-powered TVs for the US market - read on to find out what 200 gigaflops can do inside a TV. ..
Building on the previous Popcorn Hour, the US$129 Popbox announced at CES 2010 is a first-class media hub supporting all of the common audio and video formats, that lets you stream videos off the Internet, play games and even read tweets from your friends right from your HDTV set. The already comprehensive range of video formats supported in the Popcorn Hour has been further expanded and now supports 1080p (Full HD) video up to a 100Mbps bitrate...
Sony and Panasonic have announced a new technology that would increase the capacity of a single-layer Blu-ray disc from 25GB to 33.4GB. The new technology, dubbed i-MLSE (Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation) evaluation index, is achievable using existing Blu-ray laser diodes, and can subsequently be added to existing Blu-ray players with a firmware upgrade...
Media streamers are rapidly gathering momentum as digital media collections grow, and it should come as no surprise to hear that the technology involved in streaming a collection of files to a TV is being built into more and more screens as standard. The Western Digital WDTV Live demonstrates how it’s possible to fit everything you need into an extremely small box, and such developments have encouraged VIZIO, the number one LCD HDTV company in America, to go one step further by adding lossless 1080p wireless HD support to its new screens.
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There are few technologies more hotly anticipated in the TV/display market than OLED, but sadly we’re still a way off replacing our 50” plasmas with these wafer-thin low-power alternatives. Affordability is the main issue, and so far Sony has been one of few to have an early crack at the market with its US$2500 11” XEL-1...
LG has just fired off another salvo in the ongoing battle between Japanese and Korean LCD manufacturers to claim the title of world’s thinnest LCD TV panel. The Korean company has managed to break the 3mm barrier to produce an LCD TV panel measuring just 2.6mm (0.1-inch) thin. The 42-inch panel weighs less than 4kg (8.8lb), boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution. ..
Gizmag is hardly a movie review site, but when a film comes along that advances the art form in such a revolutionary way as James Cameron's Avatar, it becomes entirely relevant to fans of emerging technology. I saw it last night in IMAX 3D - and despite ten years' worth of building expectations and a frenzied hype campaign in recent months, I was still unprepared for the enormity of the technical and artistic achievement this film represents. If you haven't seen it yet, read on, we've kept spoilers to a minimum...
The Piixl Edge EdgeCenter 3770 computer is designed for those who love their media but also treasure their minimalist lifestyle. They also need to be prepared to pay a premium for a Media Center PC that doesn’t have any visible wires – in fact, it doesn’t have any visible parts at all because it hides discreetly behind any VESA-compliant flat panel TV, 37 inches or wider...
PQ Labs showed off its G3 touchscreen technology at this year's CeBIT by installing it into a coffee table called the iTable. Sensors around the edge of the display can register up to 32 touch points and determine the different shapes created by placing fingers, hands or a multitude of other objects directly on the glass screen. ..
USB sticks are great for file sharing, apart from a couple of drawbacks. Sometimes you want to share only some content of the drive, or the drive just isn’t big enough to hold all the information you want to share. The Infinitec Infinite USB Memory (IUM) drive provides you with a way to share absolutely all, or just selected content, wirelessly to any device with a USB port. You can even use it to stream movies from your laptop to your TV. And while it is being marketed as the world's first infinite memory USB memory drive, the device doesn't actually store information, it's really a wireless network device with similar "infinite memory" functions to the Eye-fi Pro X2 we featured earlier this year...
If you're in the market for a tablet computer but don't relish parting with a significant wad of cash then the iLet Mini HAL from Haleron Technologies could just fit the bill. The budget touchscreen tablet comes with only 2Gb of internal storage but there's SD card expansion and free online storage. WiFi and 3G and support for multiple file formats also feature...
Everyone knows there’s a lot of pornographic material on the Internet. It’s easy to find if you’re looking for it but sometimes it’s just as easy when you’re not looking for it. The use of tricky or confusing URLs and other misleading descriptions can mean opening or downloading inappropriate images accidentally. And in some cases unsuspecting users may be unaware that this material exists on their computers. Paraben’s Porn Detection Stick (PDS) is a USB stick loaded with software designed to find and remove illicit images from your PC to protect your family, business or organization. ..
By definition all netbooks are pretty thin and light to begin with, so the fact that TriGem USA is laying claim to the thinnest and lightest 10.1-inch netbook on the market with its Averatec N1200 Series isn’t something to sneeze at. Weighing in at 2.2 lbs (a smidge under 1kg) and measuring less than one-inch thick the N1200 will be offered in various configurations based on either the Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter operating systems. ..
Developed in collaboration with professor Kazuo Kawasaki, Minebea's new line of input devices are some of the slickest you'll ever see. Their Cool Leaf series, which includes a keyboard, a remote control, and a calculator, features flat acrylic mirrored surfaces with a capacitive touch panel. When turned on the devices display a backlit input interface, but when turned off the surface looks just like a regular mirror...
Solid State Drives (SSD) have many advantages over more familiar Hard Disk Drives (HDD) including low power consumption, silent running and resistance to shock damage but it's when read/write speeds are compared that HDDs get blown out of the water. The Team Group has equipped its new Xtreem-S1 SSD with a SandForce processor to offer the user read speeds of 270Mb/sec and write of 260Mb/sec...
French consumer electronics company Archos has revealed two new additions to its web-enabled multimedia range which are aimed for use in the home. The Archos 7 and the Archos 8 Home Tablets both run on Android and are powered by ARM 9 processors. The former is designed to be of use when a phone's screen is too small but a laptop just too cumbersome and the latter, having a thick bezel surround, is geared towards those who want more from their digital photo frames...
The trickle down effect has hit Western Digital’s 2.5-inch Passport external drives in the form of an e-paper display. Customizable always-on e-label smart displays were already available in some of Western Digital’s 3.5-inch external drives, such as the My Book Studio, and have now appeared on the company’s new My Passport Studio portable drive that also features a sleek brushed aluminum appearance and FireWire 800 to complement the standard USB 2.0 interface...
Blisteringly fast USB 3.0 data transfer speeds are slowly becoming a reality for consumers as products supporting the specification filter into the market. Belkin is now on board with the announcement of four new SuperSpeed USB devices to help users enjoy up to ten times faster transfer rates over its older sibling USB 2.0...
There's an increasingly innovative selection when it comes to your mouse of choice and this example - the Adesso Browser Cat - takes traditional laptop touchpad configuration and puts it in a portable plug and play USB peripheral.
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Laptops might have gotten smaller and more powerful but, aside from the weight reduction, they haven’t really improved in terms of comfort while they're actually being used in one's lap. Devices like Logitech’s Comfort Lapdesk address this problem by providing a padded barrier separating a user’s legs from the often hot underside of the laptop. Now, Logitech’s new Speaker Lapdesk N700 has taken the basic Comfort Lapdesk, added a fan to keep your laptop running cool and integrated some high quality speakers to give your laptop some audio oomph...
Like the Apple Magic Mouse that came before it, the Eclipse touchmouse drops the scroll wheel in favor of an integrated track pad. While the default for the touchscroll offers four-way screen scrolling by a user moving their index finger, a host of instantly accessible commands like flicking backward and forwards through webpages can be accessed through the mouse button and finger gesture combination. ..
The new Eee PC T101MT 10.1 inch LED backlit resistive touchscreen notebook computer was first shown at this year's CES in Las Vegas and now ASUS has made things official with a product website. The notebook-tablet combo will ship with an Intel Atom N450 processor, up to 2Gb RAM and a choice of 160Gb or 320Gb hard drive. It will also come with a year's worth of online storage thrown in...
Microsoft’s Surface and Ideum’s offering might have blazed a lightly traveled trail for touch-sensitive computerized tables, but they seem to have overlooked one important factor - they are difficult to comfortably use while sitting down due to their boxy shape. German artist Janis Pönisch has solved this problem with her design for the outer shell of the Touchy Remix – a multi-touch table that people can actually sit at...
Panasonic has announced a new field-ready addition to its Toughbook range, the Toughbook H1 Field tablet computer. Built with highly mobile professionals in mind, the new weatherproof and shockproof model benefits from a dual battery setup that should help ensure power is always available, a sunlight-visible touchscreen interface, reinforced solid state storage and a molded hand grip for extra comfort...
Flash-based Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) may have stolen most of the spotlight in recent years when it comes to data storage, but the traditional HDD still has some life left in its platters. For proof of this look no further than Seagate’s new Savvio 10K.4 enterprise hard drive. Seagate bills the new drive as the world’s highest-capacity, most reliable small form factor enterprise drive with its 600GB capacity and two million hour mean time before failure (MTBF) in a 2.5-inch drive...
The ErgoMotion keyboard doesn't look that different to a few other ergonomically designed models out there, but it is. The keyboard is powered to change the angle, up and down, which prevents the user from typing at the one angle for hours on end and is designed to reduce repetition injuries to the arm, shoulder, wrist and hands. If you're one of those people who never remembers to alter their typing position, the keyboard is pre-programmed to alter its angle so you don't have to. SmartFish recently spoke to Gizmag about the powered keyboard and its other ergonomic offering - the tilting mouse.
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Wacom has set professional digital doodlers free with its updated Intuos4 professional pen tablet now featuring Bluetooth wireless technology. Wacom says removing the USB cable shackles makes the Intuos4 Wireless an ideal choice for collaborative work sessions, client presentations or use in a seminar setting such as an art class or photography seminar...
It’s no secret... Studies have shown that excessive mouse usage can cause repetitive stress injuries. Unfortunately for most of us, “excessive” can mean anything more than a few hours a day. Fortunately, however, there are alternative styles of mice out there designed to be easier on the hands and arms. One of the more interesting ones to come along in a while is the AirMouse, made by Canadian firm Deanmark Ltd. What makes it unique is the fact that you wear it like a glove...
You’re not fooling anyone with that “123456” password of yours. “Password” isn’t much better, and sorry ladies, but “princess” is also no good. These are among the findings in a report released by Imperva, a data security firm that analyzed 32 million passwords recently exposed in the Rockyou.com breach. Not only did they identify the most common, and thus easily-guessable passwords, but they also suggested some effective methods for creating secure ones...
The Video Electronics Standard Association (VESA) has unveiled the long awaited DisplayPort Version1.2 digital display interface that brings with it a host of enhanced features. Aside from a doubled data rate of 21.6Gbps and bi-directional USB data transfer of an impressive 720Mbps, the upgrade also offers multi – monitor support from a single plug, improved audio synchronization and support for Full HD 3D Stereoscopic displays...
Study the picture above – is that how you look at work or are you more like the typical computer slave – hunched forward, limbs at the wrong angles, wrists askew – just a repetitive strain injury waiting to happen? If you suddenly straightened up when you read this and felt the tension in your shoulders, neck, arms and back, is it time to invest in some ergonomic furniture to make your working or gaming life more pleasant and productive and also help justify the money you spent on your computing power? The Envelop is a design inspired by a pioneer in ergonomics, Herman Miller, and has been developed to enhance the human relationship between seated postures and computer-based technology. ..
Aleratec has released its new portable hard disk drive duplicator, the HDD Copy Cruiser Mini. Designed for the budget-conscious consumer, the Copy Cruiser Mini offers 1-to-1 copying of 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA I and II hard disk drives. Aleratec says the device is aimed at consumers who want copy their HDDs for backup or when they move to a new computer, but who don’t need the bulk and high price of an industrial model. The Copy Cruiser Mini can also be used for external storage or data backup by connecting it to a computer using its USB port...
The English language is continually evolving and thanks to the technology of the 21st century – including the media and internet - new words and phrases are being created at an unprecedented rate. Increasingly, these new words result from our love affair with the internet, online social networking sites and geek-speak. This year, the American Dialect Society (ADS) has voted “tweet” – a short message sent via Twitter – as the 2009 word of the year. But two other organizations disagreed. The Global Language Monitor nominated “Twitter” as the word of the year and the New Oxford American Dictionary claimed “unfriend” – meaning to “de-friend” someone on a social networking site such as Facebook – deserved the 2009 word of the year award. ..
Sigma Corporation, known primarily for camera lenses, has re-introduced its top-end SD15 DSLR as well as five new lenses and two new compact digital cameras. The SD15 features a 14MP Foveon X3 sensor and boasts a 21 shot RAW buffer (at 3fps). The lenses feature Sigma’s new “F” low-dispersion glass, fast speeds, and image stabilization. They will be available for Canon, Nikon, and other mounts. Sigma’s new DP1x and DP2s compact cams both feature 14MP large DSLR-size sensors and new autofocus capability...
After accidentally releasing details of its new additions to the Lumix G Micro System earlier in the week, Panasonic has now officially revealed the G2 and the G10 Micro Four Thirds cameras. The G2 features a 12.1 megapixel sensor, a rotating touchscreen display and 720p high definition AVCHD Lite video. The lightweight G10 looks almost identical but is actually a trimmed down version of the G2...
At the PMA 2010 convention Fujifilm’s theme was “Expand the World of Imaging”. The company took its theme literally, announcing 18 different camera models across their digital and film product lines. From compact digital point-and-shoot models to a folding medium-format film camera, Fujifilm unveiled a broad array of new and updated technology including Fujinon optics, HD movie capability, facial recognition (for humans and pets), and 3D imaging. ..
Over the years, we’ve profiled some pretty fancy video projectors here on Gizmag, but this one ... well, it ain’t one of them. But that's the point. The Ultraprojector has no sound, no menu or controls, and a screen resolution of just 320x240 pixels. On the plus side, though, it doesn’t need to be hooked up to a video source when projecting, it runs silently, it’s weather-resistant (not waterproof) and it’s cheap...ish...
Consumer cameras continue to shrink and now Sanyo has laid claim to the title of the world's smallest, thinnest and lightest Full HD consumer video camera with its new VPC-CS1. The camera is part of Sanyo’s Xacti line that includes a range of Dual cameras for capturing both video and still images. With its body measuring just 1.06-inches (2.7cm) thick the VPC-CS1 is slim enough to stick in your jeans pocket to ensure you’ll have a camera on hand to capture those unexpected video-worthy moments in glorious Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution...
Canon recently announced some new additions to its popular Powershot line of compact cameras. One of them boasts a respectable 12 megapixel sensor while the other three have been boosted to 14 megapixels. Optical zoom runs from 4x on the cheaper SD1300 IS and SD1400 IS models up to 14x on the SX210 IS and the SD3500 IS features a 3.5in 460,000 dot touchscreen LCD display...
Pentax has announced that the successor to last year's W80 rugged compact camera not only proudly boasts a new body design but refinements to its internal mechanisms have granted it a boost in the bravado department too. The new W90 is now waterproof to greater depths and can now withstand falls from even greater heights. At the same time, the company announced a new improved super-zoom compact camera too, the X90...
Swedish movie camera maker Ikonoskop has announced its new 3D high-def digital video camera, the A-Cam3D. So far Ikonoskop is not releasing many details about the 3D shooter, but they have released a few teaser specs including 1080p 3D video, RAW images in DNG format, choice of lens mounts, and an if-you-have-to-ask price tag...
There are plenty of great camera bags on the market, but you can often miss that perfect shot by wasting time getting out and setting up your camera. The Cloak Bag solves this by providing a discreet cover for your camera whilst allowing you to take photos - without having to remove your camera from the bag...
Sanho’s HyperDrive Album is designed for digital photographers on the move who require huge storage space or redundancy backup for their photos and the ability to view them anytime, but don’t want to lug a laptop computer around. With capacities of up to a whooping 640GB of storage the device is also capable of downloading 2GB per minute with full data verification. ..
If you’ve ever worked on a major film project, you’ll know just how complex all phases of the production can be - scripts and schedules get faxed and/or emailed back and forth, a bazillion phone calls and messages are made and left, and then whenever anything goes wrong (which is usually about once every 15 minutes) everything needs to be rejigged, and everyone needs to be notified of the changes. If only there were some way of posting that information where all the cast and crew could see it, people could make changes to it, and then everyone would be made aware of those changes. Gee, anything come to mind? Yes, it’s a new application for our friend, The Internet. scenechronize is its name, and it promises to save filmmakers a ton of confusion, frustration, time, money and paper...
Samsung has announced some interesting new additions to its camera range at this year's Photo Marketing Association trade show (PMA 2010) in California including a 12 megapixel waterproof ultra-compact. Waterproof to a depth of three meters (ten feet) and featuring underwater optimization, the AQ100 will also shoot 720p video...
Samsung has unveiled its second generation foray into the ever increasing pocket camcorder market. The follow up models to the HMX-U10 both feature 2” LCD screens and are able to capture 1920x1080 HD video at 30fps.The HMX-U20 offers the added extra of a 3x optical zoom. ..
New release prosumer level cameras of today boast features even more impressive than those found on professional cameras of just a few years ago – and at a fraction of the cost. Sony’s new HDRAX2000 prosumer video camera is a case in point, and it's one of the first professional video cameras that records using the AVCHD format. ..
Gorillapod's camera tripods have become a common sight since they were released a few years back and there's a good reason for that - it's a great idea. Now Gorillapod designer Joby has announced a new addition to the range - the Gorillapod Magnetic - which incorporates magnets into the feet of the flexible tripod allowing it to be anchored to any magnetic surface...
Video walls – a wall of monitors displaying large quantities of information at a single glance - have traditionally been the domain of air-traffic control, NASA, television stations, and big budget marketers, but no longer. Hiperwall’s high-performance, low-cost video wall system uses a software solution that is hardware agnostic (meaning it can work with any size, resolution or type of display, whether it’s LCD, plasma, CRT even rear-projection) and allows non-technical users to manage the display of video and data feeds using just a mouse. This is a killer app in that it enables complex information display at a fraction of the cost of previously!!..
3D imagery is one technology that's generating buzz in 2010, and while it has been around for decades there's now a strong push to bring it to the everyday consumer. One such company is Fujifilm, who having launched their FinePix 3D REAL W1 digital camera last summer are now poised to follow-up with a 3D printing solution as well...
Editing film footage on the go is about to become less of a physical strain thanks to a new truly portable camera-mountable recording, monitoring, playback and editing device for cinematographers. About the same size as a standard on-camera monitor, the Cinedeck offers all of the features of a full editing suite via a touchscreen user interface and can produce PC-, Mac- and Linux-friendly 1080p high definition output for storage on solid state drives...
If you’ve ever tried to get that perfect shot of a race car, athlete, wild animal, or any other fast-moving subject, you know how hard it can be - what are the odds that you’ll hit the shutter release button at just the right instant? You could try videotaping it and grabbing a still afterward, but chances are it will be grainy and blurry. It’s a common problem, but it might have just been solved. Medical researchers have developed a digital photographic technique that allows users to simultaneously shoot high-speed (slow motion) video and high-resolution stills, via the same sensor on the same camera...
Olympus is starting 2010 with a herd of first-quarter camera releases including a new PEN DSLR, the E-PL1, and two new Stylus Tough models, the 8010 and the 6020. All three models feature one-button HD video capability and image stabilization, plus additional tweaks and features. In addition, Olympus has also announced optional underwater cases for each of the cameras...
The pace of change in the last two decades is lost on no-one, but a birthday later this week might serve to remind everyone of the magnitude of the digital renaissance. On February 19, 1990, Adobe sent out its initial batch of 200 copies of Photoshop 1.0. In two decades since, it has transformed the imaging and graphics world and sits on the desktop of than 90% of creative professionals. There are 2,500 English language books with Photoshop in the title, more than 50,000 blogs with Photoshop in the name and almost every computer training facility in the world teaches courses on the subject. Photoshop 1.0 launched into and helped catalyse the DTP revolution and it’s birthday serves as a timely reminder that just word publishing meant “printing on paper” just two decades ago. Happy birthday Adobe!..
Fujifilm has announced a host of upcoming digital camera releases, the most notable among them being the FinePix HS10 which packs 30X optical zoom and HD 1080p video at 30fps. The sophisticated bridge camera features a 10MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor with Triple Image Stabilization, can capture up to 10fps at full resolution and offers an impressive choice of shooting modes. ..
Canon has turned up the heat in the "somewhere between entry level and professional photographer" market with the announcement of its new addition to the EOS family, the Rebel T2i. As well as a new 18 megapixel sensor, the feature and function heavy T2i also includes improved ISO control and better metering, the facility to shoot full HD movies, a brighter 3:2 aspect LCD display and support for SDXC cards...
Ever been too slow to capture that perfect photographic moment? Well, with the Camera Waist Block lock – you’ll have instant access to your camera, giving you ample time to make photographic history. Or … you could make like you’re the sheriff in a wild west town and spend all day telling people to “hold it or I’ll shoot!”..
Wouldn’t you love a dollar for every time you heard the phrase “paperless office” being bandied about during the 90s? Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen, did it? On the contrary - as computer and printer technology continued to evolve and printing emails or web pages became quicker and easier - paper use rapidly increased. Manufacturers are coming up with some very clever ideas to reduce ink and paper costs. We’ve seen portable printers that use zero-ink technology and now there’s PrePeat – an innovative office printer that not only uses no ink or toner, it reuses paper. ..
