Epson Japan in collaboration with design firm Industrial Facility has created portable printer that features an integrated carrying handle and can run on batteries. The portable unit features striking design and features . The printers have built-in 2 or 2.5 inch LCD for previewing your pictures and an IR port for printing from compatible mobile devices. There is even a Bluetooth connectivity upgrade feature. The Epson portable printer models are available on the Epson Japan website. So, now, you will never have to run looking for a printing shop to get a quick print-out anytime anywhere!!

via Technabob
from coolbuzz

We all love Bluetooth, given that, among other things, it powers our lovely cordless headsets and nicely syncs our Treos with our laptops. But just as we were snuggling into a long-term relationship with this fantastic short-range technology, Nokia has to come out with a new wireless connectivity standard called Wibree (no, not WiBro). Nokia claims that Wibree maintains a data rate of 1Mbps (not as good as Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, which tops out at 2.1Mbps) at a range of up to 30 feet (yes, Class 1 Bluetooth can go up to 100 meters), operates in the 2.4 GHz band, but says that it’s “10 times more energy efficient than Bluetooth,” according to Bob Iannucci, head of Nokia Research Center. Nokia also said that it’s working with Broadcom, CSR, Epson, Nordic Semicondutor and other companies to further develop the standard so that Wibree products can be released by the second quarter of 2007. It seems like Nokia is gambling pretty hard on this Wibree standard, given that the industry and consumers have invested tons of cash in Bluetooth-friendly products already and will no doubt be reluctant to get a whole new set of Wibree-friendly devices. That said, Reuters reports that “Nokia expects devices currently connected by Bluetooth will get a dual Bluetooth-Wibree chip, while devices that are currently not connected will use a Wibree-only chip.” That smells like a huckster’s gambit to us — for all this hoopla about efficient power usage, that extra radio will no doubt draw additional power, which will certainly undermine some of Nokia’s claims.

Read – Nokia press release
Read – Reuters

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from engadget

It might look a little clunky, but Wolverine Data‘s new ESP PMP is all substance. Inside the 0.9-inch thick monstrosity is a 80 or 120GB HDD and a 7-in-1 card reader, making this the perfect tool for photogs looking for a good memory card backup solution. There’s JPG, BMP, TIFF and RAW support, and all main memory formats can be used by the reader. If you’d rather be entertained, the ESP can do that too, with a 3.6-inch LCD and MPEG-1, MPEG-4, WMV9 and XviD codec support, along with the usual audio suspects, including AAC and CDA. The unit also includes built-in speakers, an FM tuner, audio-in, TV-out and can record video with an optional cradle that’ll set you back $80. It seems like if you just want the entertainment factor, there are plenty of better PMP options than this thing, but for the photographer on the go, the video support couldn’t hurt, and the $400 (80GB) and $500 (120GB) pricetags aren’t too shabby at all.

[Via PVR Wire]
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from engadget

As if its insanely coordinated logistics Wal-Mart to use infrared to track shoppers / promotionssystem, biometric payment system, and (potential) RFID shelving weren’t eerie enough, America’s largest retailer is taking consumer voyeurism one step further with the use of infrared technology. In an apparent attempt to avoid the taboo “RFID” flavor of intrusion, Wal-Mart is hoping to sneak an IR system into its stores to gauge the effectiveness (and elicit more advertising dollars, of course) of its various promotions. Dubbed Prism, the arguably dodgy system was crafted by Coca-Cola, Kelloggs, Kroger, Procter & Gamble, Walgreens, and Disney in order to “track shoppers’ movements around the store” and correlate them with actual sales in order to judge display effectiveness. The consortium of firms has coaxed the corporate giant to install a trial system in ten of its SuperCenters, with a much broader rollout expected to follow soon; so when making that mad dash to the Tickle Me Elmo eXtreme (or bathroom supplies) section, just remember that Big Brother could be keenly watching.

[Via TechDirt]
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from engadget