Archive for December, 2010

A new portable iPhone charger has been released dubbed as Octopus iPhone battery charger.  It is called Octopus charger because it has eight suction cups so it could stick itself onto the back of the device you are charging. This gadget is really handy because it can give your iPhone 50% power while you are away from a power outlet. Charging the built-in battery via USB cable requires 3 hours and charging the phone requires around 3 hours. It can give our device a talk time up to 4 hours and stand-by time up to 240 hours. The Octopus portable charger priced at around £19 or $29.

French robotics company Gostai has unveiled their latest robot called Jazz. This telepresence and telesurveillance robot can be controlled using a web-based interface. Gostai Jazz can move using a pair of wheels and a head that can turn in any direction which is equipped with a camera located on its forehead. This is very helpful when you want to see all angles of the office, room, etc. without actually moving the robot. Gostai Jazz has also video recording and voice synthesis capabilities (if you’re using the Jazz at marketing events, you can prepare a text document and the robot will speak it aloud), already rely on the cloud and they plan to add more cloud-based capabilities soon. Its web-based remote control interface is really high tech because you can drive the robot just by clicking with the mouse on the video feed. Say you’re driving the robot and the video is showing a long corridor — you just click at the end of the corridor and the robot will go there. “It’s a bit like the 3D cursor of Google Street View,” is how Baillie puts it.

GenosTV, a small company from ShambroWest Corporation has announced its latest technology called Cyclops Multifunction Universal Remote Controller. The information I’ve read regarding its specification is very minimal like it has a full QWERTY keyboard, not sure if it runs Bluetooth or Infrared but it is said that it can be use on internet ready TVs that will be coming. It is also said that the company is planning to talk to additional manufacturers to try and get additional support at CES. “We are seeing escalating interest in our Cyclops Controller from entertainment electronics manufacturers, as well as a flood of excitement from consumers, due to its unique design and multifunction capability –universal remote control, keyboard and mouse functionality,” said GenosTV co-founder Mike West.

Bang & Olufsen has updated their Beo5 remote control to Beo6 version. The Beo6 is backward compatible to older versions and can now connect to wireless network to enable 2-way control with other Bang & Olufsen devices supporting a 2-way communication. The Beo6 can be used as a universal remote control for our audio and video gadgets by simply clicking its touchscreen display. It has a dimension of 82mm x 118.1mm x 36.7mm and weighs 215 grams. The Bang & Olufsen Beo6 Wi-Fi remote control price is still not available but regarding its color, it will be available in aluminum/black and golden/black colors.

Altec Lansing has announced its latest technology called M202 Octiv Duo Dual-Dock Speaker/Charger System. I’ve just observed that most of the docking station that are launched are dual purpose, a docking station and at the same time a charger. It has a full-featured remote control and access on free Music Mix App that will enable multiple device households to play and shuffles the music of both docked devices. The M202 Octiv Duo charges the docked devices and if you have another gadget that needs to be recharge, there is Built-in USB port to charge it. Using this gadget you will surely enjoy listening to your favorite music while giving you a room-filling sound with enhanced bass response. The M202 Octiv support these iPhone and iPod models (1st/2nd Gen iPod Touch, iPod Classic, iPod with Video, 1st-5th Gen iPod Nano, iPhone, iPhone 3G/3GS). We are expecting for the Altec Lansing Octiv Duo to hit the stores from October onwards for $99.95.

Want to give your iPhone a retro-style look? Then check this latest gadget called Phone X Retro Dock. It was released by Japanese home electronics company Hashy-Topin. Using this iPhone dock you can convert your iPhone into a land line phone and make calls in the old fashioned way using a handset with a cord. You just need to place your device on the docking station and it will work as a keypad for dialing the numbers at the same time it will charge automatically. The Phone X Retro Dock will be available in different colors including Blue, Black, Pink, Yellow or White and it will have a retail price of 24 USD.