Jan/100
Timex Ironman Global Trainer Keeps You Fit for Life
Although the name suggests otherwise, it can be worn by ladies as well. No doubt about it, just as long as you are one of those “I should be in the kitchen” types and not an actual housewife. The Ironman is not designed to track your pace while going out to buy diapers or while grinding cheese for the children’s pizza.
Timex Ironman is the kind of watch you wear if you already have some trophies or medals in your home. You have to be devoted to sports in order to need such a device. You could use it while jogging just to impress people on the street, but you would just be fooling yourself.
You need a Timex Ironman to get very precise data about running speed, pace, and distance, which you will be running on its training software so that you can improve your performance. This way, you can learn about weaknesses you have, about where you need most improvement or if you are at the peak of your physical aptitudes.
The Timex Ironman Global Trainer Bodylink System uses the SiRFstarIII GPS technology so that you can have all the information you need. The system is built to conquer an Ironman Triathlon and athletes will be using it in their strict practices. The GPS-watch training method is very popular among professional sportsmen and women and they see these watches as tools, not as gadgets.
So that athletes can train anywhere, Timex has made the Ironman Global Trainer waterproof and given it a rechargeable battery that will “help you long time.” Its display is customizable so that it will show you up to four windows rich in precious data gathered in real time.
If there are any athletes anxious to purchase it, I will have to disappoint them because it comes out in September this year.
Jan/100
Going Hands-On with Kingston’s SSDNow V+ Solid State Drives – On Video
Remember that SSDNow V+ SSDs we were talking about yesterday that managed to find their way into a local UK shop? Well, Kingston has decided to go official with this new line of solid state drives, which come in a very large number of storage capacities and offer numerous cool features on the side.
The good thing is that Kingston organized a local event for the promotion of this new storage solution (among other things), so we’ve gotten a closer look at the device, as well as at the pretty cool system used for demoing it. While we won’t go into too many details on this issue (apart from the fact that it was based on an Intel Core i5 860 CPU running overclocked at 3.7 GHz and packed and NVIDIA GTX 275 GPU, also overclocked), we’ll also have to mention that it was used for demoing Kingston’s own HyperX memories as well (naturally, overclocked).
Anyway, coming back to the SSD in question, we’ll have to say that it will be available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities, and that it will come with a bundle including cloning software, a 2.5-inch USB enclosure, 2.5 to 3.5-inch mounting brackets and SATA data and power cables.
The addition of TRIM support helps the Kingston SSDNow V+ maintain optimal write speed throughout its lifespan. And since we’re on this issue, we’ll have to mention that the Kingston storage solution will attain a sequential read speed of around 230MB/sec., as well as a write speed of about 180MB/sec., which is way above what past SSD solutions had to offer.
“The new Kingston SSDNow V+ is an ideal solid-state drive for high-level consumers and in corporate environments where efficiency and performance are important as more system resources are in use,” said Steve Hall, European Product Development Manager for Flash, Kingston Technology. “Users will be more productive as the drive now features TRIM support, is available in higher capacities and is speedier overall with improved read/write speeds.”
P.S.: We’ve also got one of these babies up for review, so check out our review-dedicated section in the near future if you want to see just how these new SSDs manage to fare when put through their paces.
Jan/100
Jobo Introing Nano 8 and Nano 10 Pro Digital Photo Frames
Jobo Ag has just announced availability of its latest products, the new and affordable ultra-thin digital picture frames that also happen to be stylish like the company claims. These are the .37-inch thick Jobo Nano 8 Pro and the .39-inch thick Nano 10 Pro, and just as anyone could presume, they sport 8 and 10-inch high resolution TFT-Color LCD screens, respectively developed to showcase digital pictures as beautifully as possible, while the frames themselves were designed to ensure many user-friendly features, while also carrying the capability of being operated via remote control.
“Our ultra-thin and very stylish new NANO series of digital picture frames have been designed to beautifully showcase digital images whether displayed on a desk, shelf or on the wall,” said Johannes Bockemuehl-Simon, JOBO’s CEO. “With two versions available at different price points, these extremely thin and modern new JOBO Photo Displays were created specifically for budget-minded consumers looking for a high quality digital picture frame at a great price and with features that fit any of their viewing and budget needs.”
Additionally, these new Nano Pro series comes packing LED backlight technology, integrating them in the eco-friendly category, providing lower power consumption, that also enables the frames’ incredibly slim design. Another benefit of the LED backlight is the preservation in time, as in lifespan, and consistent illumination, aside from better contrast image displaying. Both of the frames pack touch-activated buttons on front of their frame, for easy and intuitive operation of most important functions, with a neat way of making the button visible, namely by touching the bottom front of the digital frames.
With an 800 x 600 pixel resolution, each model packs a 4:3 aspect ratio, the Nano Pro frames only requiring users to insert their camera’s media card into the frame for picture viewing, supporting SD, MMC, SDHC and MS memory cards, and even dual Mini-USB 2.0 high speed capability. Pricing is $159 and $189, respectively.
Jan/100
DuaLink Splitter from CableJive Is Now Available
Since we use USB ports a lot, we often run out of them. You just cannot have two many Universal Serial Bus ports. I am sure you often find yourselves running around the office looking for a spare USB that you can use when your iPod is about to discharge.
You can relax now with the duaLink Splitter from CableJive, which lets you connect two Apple devices at once via a USB port. No more stress and running around the office whenever you’re iPod is about to run out of juice and while you’re charging it, plug in the iPhone as well for a quick refill.
The duaLink is compatible only with the USB
2.0 protocol and works as a syncing device as well. Imagine now the possibilities that lay before you in iTunes with both iPod and iPhone connected to your computer. This is actually a very practical way to transfer files from one of the three to another, without the discomfort of carrying and using extra cables. Also practical for identical twins that have identical gadgets. One cable, two identically satisfied costumers.
The cable is 23 cm (9 inches) long, and the durable housing and heavy-duty wires that are used in making it are supposed to outlive you and your gadgets. While using this cable offers a few extra options and possibilities for people that own more than one Apple item, it is a more practical approach to charging/syncing. Also, you will probably be very happy to hear that the only incompatibility it has is with the iPod shuffle, the rest of the models working just fine.
CableJive offers lifetime warranty for the duaLink Splitter and the price you have to pay to own it is $25.95.
Jan/100
New Music File Format, the MusicDNA Will Embed More than Audio
Good news, I guess, along with the update of one of the oldest file formats, one of those that we use each and every day, some of us non-stop, namely the MP3. Just recently, there was a new music file format revealed by some of the people that developed the original MP3 file.
This new file format, called MusicDNA, is one that will include additional information like lyrics, videos, artwork and even blog posts, aside from the music itself. This already seems way too exaggerated, if music files are to reach sizes close to or larger than High Definition videos, which is very likely to happen as the file will include the video.
Another development in file format is its updatability, namely with real-time updates to the file itself. There’s only one thing that I can relate here, namely the file permissions, but I will comment no further on that. MusicDNA was designed by Norwegian developer Dagfinn Bach, the same man who worked on the first MP3 player back in 1993.
Among the investors, we can mention German researcher Karlheinz Brandenburg, who is credited with inventing the MP3 file. Also, the British record company Beggars Group, that has the home labels for Vampire Weekend, MIA and The Strokes, has just signed up to use the MusicDNA and so has US label Tommy Boy.
Mr. Brandenburg, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology in Germany, said, “I think it brings together a number of ideas that have been around for a long time. I remember 10 years ago, a lot of people were saying that we need to enrich the user experience, that legal access to music has to give the customers more than just music, and this is certainly one very nice way to do it.”
So far, so good, but it seems that no major labels have signed for the journey of using this new file format. Nevertheless, I can see use of this especially in PMP, supplying comprehensive information in one file, without having to browse around to read conclusive information on a blog or such.
Jan/100
IBM Estimates 35 Terabyte Capacity on Its Newly Developed Linear Magnetic Tape
Researchers at IBM have just announced that the company demoed a claimed world record in what regards areal data density on linear magnetic tape, giving a significant update to one of the computer industry’s most resilient, reliable and affordable data storage technologies.
“This exciting achievement shows that tape storage is alive and strong and will continue to provide users reliable data protection, while maintaining a cost advantage over other storage technologies, including hard disk drives and flash,” said Cindy Grossman, vice president, IBM Tape and Archive Storage Systems.
I don’t really get why this enthusiasm with magnetic tape (that can get demagnetized by accident very easily) when other researchers found a lot better solutions for long-term storage. Nevertheless, they win at IBM, especially since this breakthrough comes to prove that tape technology can increase capacity for years to come, providing some important applications, as tape storage systems are a lot more efficient in both energy and cost than hard disk storage systems.
We all know the jazz with data storage nowadays, as our physical world becomes fuller and fuller of sensors that constantly record. Maybe not all data, but definitely a significant part needs to be archived and replicated for recovery in the eventuality of worst case scenarios. What the researchers at IBM managed to do, is to squeeze 29.5 billion bits per square inch, on a prototype magnetic tape, which is about 39 times more data-dense than the current standard.
For this, the company developed several new technologies, and closely worked with FujiFilm for the paste three years, for optimizing the next generation dual-coat magnetic tape based on barium ferrite particles. Thanks to the new technology, researchers estimate that mankind could benefit from cartridges with capacities of up to 35 terabytes, of uncompressed data, namely sufficient to store text of 35 million books that would physically require around 400 kilometers of bookshelves. Also, with such a capacity, I can only think of a worst case scenario, with the possibility of losing a large amount of data over somebody accidentally enabling an electromagnet.
“This tape storage density demonstration represents a step towards developing technologies to achieve tape areal recording densities of 100 billion bits per square inch and beyond. Such technologies will be necessary to keep up with the rapid increase in digital information. IBM is in the unique position to help clients store, maintain and analyze the wealth of data accumulating, and thus help them achieve efficiencies and advantages in the way they do business,” comments Evangelos Eleftheriou, IBM Fellow.
Jan/100
Sunlinq USB Mini and USB Plus Are Out for Grabs
Every time you go hiking in the mountains, there’s always that friend that phones 
you to ask “how it is up there,” although they have seen the location many times before, or in some cases, there are more important phone calls to be received while on a trip, like that of your house being on fire. In the worse case, you forgot to recharge your MP3 Player and that is where portable solar chargers come in. I mean, you couldn’t go in the wild without your gadgets, right?
Global Solar Energy has been making such devices for some time (ten years, to be precise) and now has two models of thin film. Sunlinq Mini and Sunlinq Plus run on flexible solar cells and are compatible with any item that has a Universal Serial Bus port. Due to the thin film form factor, these chargers should be extremely easy to carry whenever, wherever, unlike chunky, plasticky types of chargers.
“The proliferation of power hungry portable electronics and our mobile society continue to drive demand for lightweight portable solar chargers to deliver power on the go, wherever you are,” says Jim Kimbrough, North American sales manager for Global Solar. “With the addition of our SUNLINQ USB Mini and Plus Global Solar, [we] can address the growing list of more than two billion electronic devices capable of charging via USB technology.”
Because of the USB connection, they had to be adapted to the 5V standard. Don’t worry about where you can use them, because Global Solar likes to build chargers that meet military standards and these two even have an SAE-2-prong trailer plug that is water-resistant. Whether you carry them on your back or in your hands, the weight of approximately 3.5 lbs should be no bother even for kids.
From charging your GPS to charging four AA batteries, the difference between the Sunlinq Mini and the Sunlinq Plus is about two hours. For instance, an iPod will be charged in two to four hours on a Mini, while the Plus will do it in one to three hours.
Jan/100
CableLabs starts testing 3D
The cable industry’s research and development arm has proudly announced that 3D testing is on. This will allow TV manufactures and cable companies to begin having their equipment tested for 3D interoperability. Along the way CableLabs has also confirmed that many of the existing set-top boxes will work with “frame-compatible” 3D formats — like side by side pictured above. This is exactly what DirecTV announced it would use and is the very same standards that HDMI added to the spec. Basically it allows providers to dedicate the same amount of bandwidth to 3D as it was to 2D. Of course this means that the resolution is cut in half (horizontally in the case of side by side) but we’re told that sharpness isn’t as perceivable in 3D as it is in 2D and after seeing the DirecTV 3D demo at CES, we believe it. Unlike the adoption of HD, it doesn’t look like the cable industry is going to let the satellite companies run away with the new technology unchallenged like last time.
Jan/100
Garmin-Asus to Launch M10 WinMo 6.5.3 Handset in February
We haven’t heard in quite a while from the rather unusual alliance between Asus and Garmin, but it seems that the two companies were quite hard at work on developing a new handset, called the M10, which will run Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.5.3 OS, as well as the usual Garmin navigation software on top (thus pretty much masking WinMo, which, as we all know only too well, it’s perhaps for the best, at least as far as the version in question is concerned).
Anyway, getting back to the device in question, M10 has just gone up for pre-order on Asus’ website, the Taiwanese company being also kind enough to release some more information on this product, as well some important pricing and availability details.
So, the Garmin-ASUS M10 will feature a 3.5-inch touchscreen display with 800 x 480 pixel resolution, as well as a serious, 5-megapixel camera module. The hardware powering the M10 is quite OK, since we’re talking about the Qualcomm 7227 600MHz processor, accompanied by 512MB of RAM memory and 512 MB of ROM. However, the actual size of the handset is pretty OK, the M10 measuring 116 x 58 x 14.3 mm and weighing around 138g.
In terms of connectivity, the M10 manages to fare pretty OK as well, featuring support for HSDPA 900/2100 networks, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. Moreover, similar to most other smartphones out there, the M10 also features a microSD memory card slot, accompanied by a 3.5-mm jack.
The Garmin-Asus M10 will be bundled either with a 1,500 mAh battery or an in-car cradle (which is really a must, given the fact that we’re talking about a navigation-centric smartphone), and will retail for 13,900 TWD (the equivalent of $435) starting with early February. The price doesn’t seem that high, but considering Nokia’s recent move, namely that of enabling free navigation on all of its compatible smartphones, the M10 will surely have a lot of competition.
Jan/100
3D at CES 2010
Not sure why we’ve been putting this off, but we’ll just come right out and say it: there’s no doubt that this was the year for 3D at CES. We walked the show floor for countless hours and can tell you that just about everyone was showing something related to 3D at their booths. Most of these demos required a bit of a wait to experience them (thanks, hype), and everywhere you went people were talking about 3D. Granted, not all of that talk was positive, but it was talk nonetheless. Whether or not the technology will be seen in history as a success in the market place is obviously still up in the air, and much like a finely crafted episode of Lost, 3D at CES this year was littered with more questions than answers.
Who will be the first, the best?
Someone has to be the first to market, and someone the best — though not necessarily the same company — but based on CES demos and announcements, that someone appears to be Panasonic. This isn’t much of a surprise since Panasonic has been doing lots of 3D demos since CES last year, and it even drove a truck around the country showing it off. But while Panasonic had the best 3D demo this year, it might not be first to market, as DLP fans will tell you they were first (and by years). That said, this new 3D technology isn’t exactly the same as what Mitsubishi and Samsung have been doing, but the new formats will be backwards compatible. Mitsubishi announced a new converter box that will allow the newer sequential 3D to checkerboard 3D that its DLP sets support, and it is assumed this same box will work on Samsung DLPs and plasmas. These aren’t the only front runners, ‘course. In fact Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba and Vizio were all talking 3D in press releases and showing live action demos. Like the rest of the HD market, most of the new 3DTVs were LCDs, and although LG did announce new plasmas, none were of the 3D variety like Samsung and Panny. Only Vizio dared to put a price on 3D, and some manufacturers wouldn’t even give model numbers, so it’s hard to tell exactly when this technology is going to come home (and how badly it’ll dent the wallet when it does). Still, we’d be shocked to see ship dates slip beyond 2010, and if we were the betting type, we’d guess that the first wave will land in the summer.
3D Blu-ray players will obviously play an important role as in-home 3D attempts to blossom, and Broadcom was on hand showing off its new chip for these very decks. We’re guessing said chip will find a home in the new players announced by Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic and Sony, though no one has yet to come clean and make that clarification. Interestingly, the maker of one of our favorite Blu-ray players didn’t announce a 3D version, and while we’re not sure what LG is waiting for (market acceptance, perhaps?), we’d be shocked if we didn’t see one at some point this year.
RealD is a winner, again
Just like in the theater, RealD seemed to have the most traction at home. What’s different is that while the RealD glasses you’ve worn at the theater were less than $1 and of the circular polarized variety, the RealD glasses that Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and Toshiba are using are active shutter glasses — only JVC is using circular polarized. There were other glasses on display though — Gunnar Optiks was showing some more stylish ones, and XpanD was showing active shutter with Bluetooth instead of IR, which is the same tactic that Vizio is using. XpanD also told us that its IR active shutter glasses would work with other 3DTVs, which makes some sense since the main 3D demo at Panasonic’s booth was using XpanD glasses, not RealDs.
What about content?
Just ask Samsung or Mitsubishi and they’ll tell you that 3DTV is nothing without content. We learned all about the 3D Blu-ray spec and that the PS3 would do 3D before CES, but during the show we were able to dig in deeper and reveal that the Blu-ray spec isn’t what it could be. Even before DirecTV had a chance to make an announcement at CES, someone let slip that the carrier would have 3D programming this year — and it brought a 3D demo (which looked great) to CES. Couple this with announcements from ESPN as well as Sony, IMAX and Discovery, and you’ve got the promise of some compelling 3D content at home very soon. ESPN has promised World Cup Soccer this year and the BCS National Championship game in 2011 with other events scattered in between, but while we expect a few IMAX movies from Sony and Discovery, so far the exact programming picture is still very cloudy. The only thing we do know is that three animated features will be out on Blu-ray starting with either Monsters vs Aliens or Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs this summer, and Disney’s A Christmas Carol in December. The one title we don’t know about is Avatar, which we just have to believe will be out on 3D Blu-ray this year. We’re sure there will be even more 3D content to scope out as the bandwagon grows, and we’ve already seen streaming services get the 3D itch.
And video games?
Besides movies and sports, games may be the biggest beneficiary of 3D displays. The video game edition of Avatar is already available (and 3D-enabled) on both Sony and Microsoft’s boxes, so the PS3 version we played is just like what’s available at home right now. While the extra dimension couldn’t raise a very average adventure game to the heights of an Assassin’s Creed II, the effect did its job of bringing us further into the world and making it seem even more realistic. While a demo run of Gran Turismo 5 was slightly less impressive (varying greatly depending on camera angle), making things blow up in our faces playing Super Stardust HD clearly showed there will be compelling reasons to upgrade with the technology in the right game maker’s hands. On the PC side, NVIDIA has been pushing 3D capabilities for quite some time, and while most of our demos consisted of Blu-ray 3D showings from Cyberlink and WinDVD, we got enough gaming in to figure out that shutter glasses will soon be as common as headsets, precision mice and customized keyboards on the desks of shooter fans — if WoW ever goes 3D, there could be serious problems.
The new “upconverting?”
Even with major content providers on board, native 3D content will be scarce for some time, just like the rollout of HDTV. That’s a gap several manufacturers are looking to fill by providing technology for converting 2D to 3D. If that sounds a lot like the scaling buzz applied to DVDs and other standard-definition video, that’s because it is, as shown by Toshiba’s decision to expand its Resolution+ branding to Cell TV hardware that upscales and can convert from 2D to 3D in realtime. It showed off a demo that did an effective job separating different planes on simulated home video footage to make it 3D. Unfortunately, that didn’t make watching someone else’s vacation tapes any less boring, and popping elements out like cardboard cutouts seemed like the cheap gimmickry we were hoping to avoid. Samsung had the most effective conversion demo, plugging a standard Xbox 360 into one of its new displays and letting us play Gears of War 2 converted to 3D. While there wasn’t any extra detail to be found, it showed a subtle amount of additional depth that brought us even further into the game, especially when launching mortar shells at far off opponents. Sony announced plans to convert significant amounts of Jimi Hendrix footage to 3D for an upcoming Blu-ray release and even demoed some concert video in its CES theater — in this case the added depth did help the “you are there” feeling of a concert experience, but it still couldn’t compare with anything created natively for the new format.
While we’re sure someone will attempt to be the “Fox Widescreen” of 3D with converted footage on their broadcasts — JVC was showing off a rack mounted unit aimed at broadcasters for just this purpose — it will probably suffer the same fate and eventually go away altogether. The good news? Nothing we saw conjured up memories of the Cowboys Stadium 2D-to-3D disaster, and in some cases it could even be a very useful feature while we wait for content to catch up with displays. But just like DVD upscaling, even if it’s a high priced feature now, it will likely spread out across all displays in the future if customers enjoy it. We’ll be keeping a careful eye to see who has the best processing technology in real world situations later this year.
The glasses-free option
Ah yes, the nirvana of glasses-free 3D. While it was on display at more than one location this year, there’s still a number of factors keeping it from coming into play in our home viewing. Consistent on all three displays was a focus on CGI animations, not any kind of live video or other TV-style content. Though advances in standard HDTVs have increased the resolution behind the lenticular film that enables this technology, most of the progress displayed by Intel and Magnetic3D was on their ability to process and render images so they’ll pop out even when viewed from multiple angles. That’s useful for their intended use in POS advertisements, slot machines and the like — and it will surely impress digital signage nuts in the crowd — but it still suffers lost resolution and requires extra processing power for each viewing angle. With most viewers unwilling to assume a Sheldon Cooper-esque couch position, it’s unlikely any content or displays based around this will be breaking into the consumer space anytime soon.
Wrap up
By all indications, 2010 is set to be a flagship year for 3D. There should be plenty of new displays, set-top boxes, glasses and content. Many will be striving to be the first to market, while others will be happy to sit on the sidelines and watch it all develop. We see many parallels between 3D and the development of HD and that combined with the fact that we find the technology very compelling, should make it clear to you that there’s going to be more 3D coverage than you could want here on Engadget HD. So regardless of how this turns out, we want to be here to watch it flourish or perish. Now, of course we aren’t going to rename the site or anything like that — some of you might think we did. Now this doesn’t mean we’re going to let up hitting the HD news, no not at all. We’re confident we are up to the challenge of covering both very comprehensively.