By Terence Huynh / 10 January 2010 / No Comments
Apple is said to have spent a couple of years working on a multitouch version of their office suite for Mac OS X, iWork, that could be included on the much-rumoured tablet device, according to the New York Times, citing conversations with "several former Apple employees" who had a role in developing the tablet device. Like previously-rumoured, the Apple tablet will have a steep learning curve, with users having to learn new finger gestures - including those to control the multitouch version of iWork. It's expected that much of the gestures would be using technology from FingerWorks, a company Apple purchased in 2007.
The newspaper has also claimed that Apple may want to make the tablet a fully functional computer than an eBook reader or something that you can watch your movies. This move could help justify a higher price tag, with claims that the tablet could cost between US$800 to US$1000. In contrast, the tablet designs unveiled by Freescale at CES 2010 could go on sale as little as US$200.
Apple is expected to introduce their tablet later this month, with reports that the device will be available for purchase near the end of Q1 or sometime between Q2.
By Luke Chandler / 9 January 2010 / No Comments
Looking to do some motoring around the house over the summer?
Well now you can with the 4+4 Motorized Wheelbarrow!
Muck Truck 4 wheel drive wheel barrow drivin by 5.5 hp honda motor.
It has 4 forward gears and one reverse.
It can carry up to 230 kgs.
It is only 700mm wide by 900mm high.
It is about four years old but has not been used for the last two years due to change of job, it is in good condition.
(Via: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Building-renovation/Tools/Other/auction-263425461.htm)
By Terence Huynh / 9 January 2010 / No Comments

Since Skype has announced that it will support HD video during conversations, we thought it would take a year until we see a camera that would allow you to use this feature. Turns out, it wasn't that long. FaceVision has announced a brand new HD camera called the TouchCam N1 camera. Simply connect the camera with the USB cable and there you go, 720p HD resolution video. No more pixelation when we see your face, though for some of our readers, we suggest you don't get this - unless you want people to see your face, or take the time to put makeup on to cover those blemishes on your face.
Still, I don't even know why we need a HD camera or even HD video during Skype calls, but apparently it's wanted by users of Skype.
By Terence Huynh / 9 January 2010 / No Comments

We all know that typing on the iPhone is a big hassle, especially when your message is going to be very long - that, or you just felt like writing an essay on your iPhone via email. Now, there's a new keyboard without jailbreaking or hacking it. Called the iType, it's basically a QWERTY keyboard and has a dock station for your iPhone so it can connect to it. It also won't drain the iPhone's battery as it has its own.
According to the Register, ION (the makers of the device) expect this out in the first half of the year with a cost of £70 (approx. US$112.23).
By Terence Huynh / 9 January 2010 / No Comments

Intel has decided to follow in Android, Apple, Blackberry and Nokia's footsteps in opening up an app store. This endeavour, however, will not be mobile phones, nor for laptops, but for the netbook laptops. Called the Intel AppUp, it will allow users to find, download and purchase software that would run fine on the Atom processor. Applications selected will run on either Windows or Moblin-based operating systems, but will also offer applications that use Adobe Air and Microsoft Silverlight in the near future.
Intel has already signed up Acer, Asus, Dell and Samsung to bring this to their netbook range and will collaborate on the store. The program is currently in beta and can be downloaded from its website.
By Terence Huynh / 9 January 2010 / No Comments

LG is bringing out the Rumour Touch (or, the Rumor Touch if you're an American) to the US carrier Sprint, but you can also see this coming to other countries. The phone boasts a 3-inch touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera with video recording, a microSD card slot, 3.5mm standard headphone jack and a QWERTY keyboard, making it easy to type out emails or SMS messages with ease. It also has a continuous talk time of up to 7 hours.
There's not really much to say about this, mainly because the press details were vague. It will be available in the US in the first quarter. You can, however, start to preorder the device.
By Terence Huynh / 9 January 2010 / No Comments

Move over LCD, LED is starting to pick up. LG has announced that it will release the E50 Monitor series, which will become LG's flagship monitor series for LEDs. Coming in 20-inch, 21.5-inch and 23-inch sizes, it features a new technology called "Dual Screen" that automatically divide the screen to view two programs at once - though you could do the same thing by the "Show Windows Stacked" function.
The 23-inch class will be the only monitor in the line to provide 1080p resolution; but all three have a power saving of over 40 percent and a "Mega" contrast ratio. The monitors are also 0.69-inches thick (not surprising, LED monitors are slimmer than LCD).
There will also be an E40 monitor series, which will only come in a 23-inch size. This series will incorporate "the same core functionalities" of the E50, but what features that both monitors will share remain unknown.
No word on availability and pricing.
By Terence Huynh / 9 January 2010 / 1 Comment

Dr. Dre has added Sean "Diddy" Combs to his headphone line, joining Lady Gaga, as Monster announced that they will be introducing the Diddy Beats pair of earphones. Sporting what they claim a "high-tech aluminium and leather-wrapped housing and high polished enamel" in a silver chrome and black finish, they will set you back US$179.95.
It also features that little thing that control your music in your iPod and handle calls from the iPhone, though I think Apple sells headphones with that same feature with a price tag lower than that.
By Terence Huynh / 9 January 2010 / No Comments

Looks like tablets are really getting popular at the start of the decade - mainly because of the Apple rumours. Now, another company we have never heard of has decided to launch their own tablet. Called the Vega by ICD, it is a 15-inch touchscreen table that will have a T-Mobile UK SIM card inside so you can connect to their 3G network. It will also have Wi-Fi connectivity.
The Vega tablet features a NVIDIA Tegra 250 mobile web processor for "uncompromised Internet browsing" and 1080p video playback even if it is undocked from the base. It will also have a 32GB internal SD card with a microSD card slot, a 1.3 megapixel camera, 512MB of RAM, Bluetooth, FM radio, an accelerometer, dual digital microphones and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The device is being showed off by NVIDIA and is operating on the LTE network provided by Verizon Wireless. Yes, that's right. LTE. That's better than 3G - because its supposed to be better since its a 4G technology.
No word on pricing and availability. Gallery is below.
By Terence Huynh / 8 January 2010 / No Comments
Vodafone Hutchison Australia has told ZDNet that it will sell the Google Nexus One phone "sometime [in] 2010". This comes hot off the heels of Google's announcement two days ago that Vodafone will be responsible in selling the phone in Europe.
VHA has also confirmed that the Vodafone deal covers all geographies where Vodafone is covered. This means that those in New Zealand will also get it under Vodafone, though they haven't release the actual date yet either.
"Details relating to Vodafone's Australian launch of Google Nexus One will be announced in due course," a VHA statement to ZDNet writer Liam Tung said.
The UK launch is set to be within a few weeks, followed by other countries in Europe where Vodafone currently has business in. It is already on sale for T-Mobile customers in the US, and outright by Google in the US, UK, Singapore and Hong Kong.