D-Link has just introduced their newest product for the paranoid homeowner, a networked surveillance cam capable of sending video directly to compatible 3G cellphones. The Internet Camera, as it’s being called, attaches to a PC through Ethernet or WiFi and lets you view the 640 x 480 video it captures on any web-enabled device. Included software allows recording to be either scheduled or started automatically via a built-in motion detector, although unlike similar cams we saw in a recent New York Times roundup, this model has no motorized base to track the suspicious individuals rifling through your drawers.

Source: Engadget.com

Nicholas Negroponte has been promoting this idea of the $100 PC for the developing world for a while now, and he’s now showing off the proposed prototype with specs and some more details on how to implement the plan. The design calls for a laptop with 500 MHz processor, 1GB memory, four USB ports and a dual-mode display usable in full-color or in black-and-white, sunlight-readable mode. Power will be provided either via conventional electric current, batteries, or via a windup crank attached to the side of the notebook for usage in remote regions without a power grid. The systems will be WiFi-enabled and able to connect via cellular networks, as well as including built-in mesh networking allowing multiple machines to share a single internet connection. Negroponte is working with MIT and five companies (Google, AMD, News Corp., Red Hat and BrightStar) to develop an ambitious 5 to 15 million test systems within the year, to be purchased at $100 a pop by governments in Brazil, China, Thailand, Egypt and South Africa and distributed for free to students. They’re also now considering licensing the design for third parties to commercialize, with revenue cycling back into the One Laptop Per Child project.

Source: Engadget.com

We rolled by the Palm booth last night at one of the many CTIA side events, MobileFocus, and to our surprise they not only didn’t chop off our heads, but even took a moment to demo the new Palm-enabled Altec Lansing InMotion IMT1. Basically it’s your standard-fare device-centric speaker system which will play audio off any piece of Palm you’ve got with a multi-connector; if it’s a phone ye be using, it can also roll as a speakerphone. For your $179 you also get a line out and that whole regular docking/charging-by-USB thing that the kids seem to enjoy so much these days.

Source: Engadget.com

Mplat’s FlashPhone F2K isn’t the first VoIP phone on a USB flash drive, but it is the shiniest and, oddly, the wettest. Like the other devices, the FlashPhone F2K will let you make VoIP calls from any computer simply by plugging it into the USB slot and using the unit’s built-in mic. The device comes standard with Skype voicemail software but it’s also compatible with MSN, Google Talk, and other VoIP services. Prices start at about $40 for the 128MB unit and go up to $80 for the 512MB model.

Spec from: redferret.com
Compliant with USB 1.1, 2.0 full speed operations.
Embedded high performance 16 bit audio DAC with earphone phone buffer.
Compatible with Win2000 / Win XP without additional driver.
Power by USB Port without additional power.
Echo cancellation, loss noise reduction.
Include microphone and speaker.
User guide for Skype, Google Talk, MSN etc

Source: Engadget.com

Double the RAM, USB 2.0 and a 30 GB hard drive; the brand new OQO 01+ improves on its predecessor in several ways whilst maintaining its über-portable form factor.

OQO today announced the company’s second ultraportable computer, the 01+. An improvement on its existing offering, the OQO 01, the 01+ retains the exact form factor of its predecessor, improving solely in the area of specifications through the inclusion of a 30 GB hard drive; doubling the amount of RAM; and bumping USB connectivity up from 1.1 to 2.0.

Still weighing in at 14 oz and measuring 4.9″ x 3.4″ x .9″, the slider form factor ultraportable is powered by a 1 GHz processor in tandem with a shock-mounted 30 GB hard drive and 512 MB of RAM. The 5-inch WVGA display of the device retains its resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, and continues to be powered by a 3D accelerator chip with MB of dedicated video memory.

Connectivity remains broad with Wi-Fi 802.11b, Bluetooth and FireWire on the slate, whilst the 01+ has also seen its USB connector bumped from 1.1 to 2.0 for vastly improved data transfer speeds. A bundled docking cable further adds a VGA out port capable of supporting resolutions up to 1280 x 1024 pixels, as well as additional USB 2.0 and FireWire connectivity along with Ethernet 10/100 and audio out.

The QWERTY thumbboard of the unit remains unchanged with its TrackStik mouse replacement stick and mouse buttons, but more improvements are afoot in other areas; the 01+ now ships with a new universal power supply which adds support for airplane and automobile DC power outlets, and also gains an integrated speaker. Furthermore, the device now also supports screen rotation and network boot.

The OQO 01+ is now available in the US for $1,900 USD, with the original model 01 remaining available with prices starting at $1,500 USD.

Check out more details at oqo.

Source: mobileread.com and Infosyncworld.com

My shutterbug pals are always asking me to find a gadget that will let them download photos from a digital camera and replace the laptop that they have to lug on shoots. And since these folks are stationed in places like Kabul and NOLA, they usually have to carry those weighty Toughbooks around. Picture Porter might just be the answer to their prayers.

This portable media player has a 2-inch LCD screen and controls for rotating, zooming, and panning pictures, it also displays EXIF information. It grabs photos straight from the camera and has a multi-format card reader—works with CF I/II, SD Card, MMC, memory stick, MD, etc.—and USB 2.0 for transfers to the CPU. The Porter is about 5-inches by 3-inches, and comes in 20GB and 40GB sizes. The battery life is listed at 3.5 hours for video and 7.5 hours for music—that’s right, it’s a full-on multimedia player too. Finally, it’s got TV outputs for watching the photos on screen. Price is $399. This is obviously geared to consumers, but there is probably a decent pro market for the Porter as well.

From: Gizmodo.com

Epson released the EMP-TW520 this week with hardcore video enthusiasts in mind. It packs a native WXGA resolution (1280×720 pixels), HDMI input, a high contrast ratio of 4000:1 and it’s brightness is 1400 ANSI lumens. Pretty nice. It’s really versatile too. You can achieve a 60-inch display only 1.5 meters away and adjust the brightness and contrast to really work well in dark rooms and light rooms. Still want it? Better have around $2140 to score one, which isn’t bad at all.

From Bios Mag and Engadget.com