Designed for harsh field conditions where hands-free operation is desirable, the Zypad WR1100 is designed to meet MIL-STD-810F environmental and MIL-STD-461E EMI requirements, says Parvus. The GPS-enhanced device is aimed at military, homeland defense, first responder, security, and emergency service field and in-vehicle applications.

Parvus Zypad WL-1000 (Click for details)

The first Parvus Zypad, the still-supported WL-1000 (pictured at right) shipped in 2006. Later that year Frost & Sullivan awarded the device a 2006 Product Innovation Award in the field of “ambient intelligence.”

Whereas the WL-1000 offers a choice of Linux or Windows CE, the new WR1100 is offered exclusively with Linux. In place of the Raza Microelectronics 32-bit MIPS-based AU 1100, the WR100 is equipped with a Marvell PXA 270 clocked at 416MHz, and it comes with 256MB RAM, 128MB flash, and an SD card, says Parvus. The device offers a higher-resolution (640 x 480) 3.5-inch touchscreen that is said to be protected against water and dust ingress.

Zypad WR1100
(Click to enlarge)

Like its predecessor, the WR1100 is equipped with 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth, a GPS receiver, and accelerometers. In addition, it provides a ZigBee short-range wireless option in place of the Bluetooth radio, and also offers options for an electronic compass and a biometric fingerprint sensor, says the company. Other options in the modular design include hot-swapping the GPS receiver with a GPRS cellular module.

The rugged device comes in a fiberglass-reinforced nylon/magnesium alloy case, and offers a rigid wrist support system with ergonomic positioning controls, says Parvus. Like the original Zypad, the WR1100 offers an orientation sensor that detects when the user lowers the arm on which the device is strapped, and automatically places the unit in a standby mode to conserve power. A “tilt and dead reckoning system,” meanwhile, can determine if a user is motionless or has fallen down, resulting in the transmission of a locator beacon signal.

Zypad WR1100, with and without wrist-strap
(Click on either to enlarge)

Specifications listed for the WR1100 include:

• Processor — Marvell PXA 270 416MHz
• Memory — 256MB RAM; 128MB flash
• Expansion — SD memory card interface
• Display — 3.5-inch VGA (640 x 480) color touchscreen; shock-resistant; optional night-vision compliance
• Keyboard — cursor pad and virtual QWERTY onscreen keyboard
• Pen input — stylus
• LEDs — power, charge, WPAN, WLAN, alarm
• Audio — AC97 codec; integrated mic and speaker; optional 3.5mm stereo or microphone sockets
• USB — 1 x USB Device port; 1 x USB Host port
• WiFi — IEEE 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth — Class 2; optional swap-out for ZigBee
• GPS — 12-channel receiver; DGPS and SBAS (WASS, EGNOS) support; optional swap-out for GPRS cellular radio
• Other features — accelerometer; biometric fingerprint reader; optional electronic compass
• Operating temperature — -4 to 140 deg. F (-20 to 60 deg. C)
• Shock and vibration — meets MIL-STD-810F (Methods 516.5, 514.5C-17)
• Weight — 1.4 lbs (645 gr)
• Power — 3.6V Li-Ion hot-swappable battery; optional AC adapter for 100-240V AC 50-60Hz 400mA input
• Operating system — Linux, based on kernel 2.6

Availability

The Zypad WR1100 is now available “from stock to 12 weeks lead-time,” says Parvus. More information may be found here.

Parvus is showing the WR1100 at its booth 1109 at MILCOM 2008 this week at the San Diego Convention Center. Sponsored by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the MILCOM show runs from Nov. 17-19.

From LinuxDevices

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Mind you, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen garb constructed to withstand vicious knife fights, and apparently a few Japanese streets are becoming just as frightening as some in London. Reportedly created to provide protection against stabbers following an “increasing number of malicious crimes that have victimized children and late-night convenience store clerks,” Nihon Uni has developed a t-shirt crafted from “ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fiber.” Aside from rendering blades useless, the material is also completely machine washable and lightweight; still, the fabric can be penetrated by “sharp points,” so it’s up to you to steer clear of rooftop archers. Nevertheless, long-sleeved versions can be had this June for Â¥22,000 ($221) to Â¥59,000 ($593), while the way less protective short-sleeved variety will run you between Â¥19,000 ($191) and Â¥52,000 ($522).

[Via Slashgear]
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We’re all but convinced that nobody actually wears these video-playing watches out in public, but just in case there’s some otherworldly group out there that takes pride in adorning their wrists with timepieces that are utterly heinous, you’re in luck. This iteration sports a 1.8-inch 160 x 128 resolution OLED display, integrated media player that handles MP3, WMA and MP4 files, a built-in Li-ion, 4GB of internal memory, voice recording capability, USB 2.0 connectivity and an FM transmitter for good measure. All this can be yours for the above average price of $126, but if you have any respect for yourself whatsoever, you’ll glide right on past this one.

[Via The Red Ferret Journal]
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Remember that mysterious CECT cellphone watch we peeked back in July? Unless our eyes (badly) deceive us, that very piece has morphed into Hyundai’s W-100, the latest watchphone in town. Reportedly, this device sports a 1.3-megapixel camera, a 176 x 144 resolution touchscreen, Bluetooth, support for English / Chinese languages, an integrated MP3 player and a microSD slot for loading up your tunes. Regrettably, no pricing or release information was readily available, but feel free to click on through for a couple more looks.

[Via AkihabaraNews]
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Sure, you could blow a cool million on a bed you’d never sleep on, but why not grab one that actually provides some relief (and won’t run you $5k a month… forever) after a hard day in the blazing sun? Enter Kuchofuku, who certainly has the right idea with its air conditioned sleeper and clothing line. The makeshift bed, which only weighs 5.3-pounds, utilizes dual fans to pull air in and circulate it through the cushion beneath you. Of course, it’d be a modern tragedy to have to rise and leave such a pleasant scenario, but you can solve that dilemma as well care of the air conditioned shirt. The button-up garb touts an integrated fan that is purportedly powered via USB, which means that your armpits can now remain fresh regardless of how infrequent the AC kicks on at the office. A cooler night’s sleep is but $399 away, while the new threads (seen after the jump) will run you a staggering $159 apiece.

[Via CScout, thanks Mike]
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Calling all cars, calling all cars… be on the look out for the SMS M500 GSM Watchfone. That’s right, the first shipments of the M300 followup are said to be leaving Hong Kong as of tomorrow, May 30th. Now we can all get a little Dick Tracy with “the world’s smallest mobile phone” — or so says SMS Technology Australia. Unlike Dick’s 2-way Wrist Radio which emerged in 1949, this pup goes quad-band GSM while packing a 1.5-inch touchscreen with itty bitty, built-in stylus; Bluetooth 2.0; and all the 120 x 160 pixel MP4 video (or MP3/AAC audio) you can pack into its 128MB of storage. The watch weights just 60-grams and should hold-up to about 200 minutes of talk or 80 hours standby before needing a USB recharge. Now if someone could just hook us up with a jetpack we can get to living in the future promised to us by Uncle Walt (no, the other one) in those free lovin’ 70s.

Gallery: The SMS M500 GSM Watchfone: the 58 year wait is over

    

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While we’re not going to fault manufacturers for trying to innovate, previous attempts at featurewatches have been, well, less than attractive. Looks like Epoq sent some of their designers to a watch shop, because their new EMP-CVWC-2/4 “MP4″ watch finally lets you keep that mashup of your favorite Battlestar Galactica scenes at the ready and still blend into polite company. Well, maybe — that’s still a lot of chunk to wear on your wrist, but we can’t see how anything smaller than a 1.5-inch screen would be useful. We’re assuming this is just a metal-and-leather reworking of the Shenzhen piece we saw a while back, since the basic specs are the same (apart from a bump in capacities to 2 / 4GB): 128 x 128 res OLED screen, MP3 / WMA / JPG support, voice recorder, FM radio, and a 2.5mm headphone jack. As with that Shenzhen, the dealbreaker is video support, which is limited to the goofy NXV format. The six people still interested should be able to find a 2GB model a couple weeks from now for about $170.

[Via I4U]
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It’s no secret that FM transmitters are dodgy at times, but if you were wading through the endless supply of MP3 watches on the market in an effort to find one a notch below hideous, having that feature built-in certainly wouldn’t hurt. The king of all things USB has upped the collective ante once more, as its FMP3 Watch not only musters a bearable design scheme, but it also offers up a nice laundry list of specifications to boot. Aside from telling you the time and day of the week, it also boasts 512MB, 1GB, or 2GB of internal memory for MP3 / WMA playback, headphone out, an integrated voice recorder, USB connectivity, volume controls, eight-hours of battery life (three if beaming over FM), and the obligatory FM transmitter to stream your tunes to one of several FM options. If you’re anxious to get your wrist into one of these suckas, all three flavors are available right now, and can be had for Â¥12,800 ($108), Â¥16,800 ($142), and Â¥19,800 ($167) from least capacious to most.

[Via EverythingUSB]
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[Via GPSGazette, thanks Dimitris]
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Do you like USB bracelets? Would you wear when them on a train? Would you wear then in the rain? No? Try them, try them with the S10 we say, now packing Bluetooth, mkay? See… you like them, you like MP3 bracelets, eh?

[Via dapreview]
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[Via Uber-Review]
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