Bluetooth enabled DVR pen

Details are still scarce on this upcoming DVR pen that crams a wireless, low-power, digital video recorder - including microphone – into a 0.55 x 5.7inch (1.4 x 14.5cm) form that also works as - yes - a pen. Capturing real-time capturing video at 30 fps (320x240), the device can be set to activate based on motion detection. Recording is to flash memory or Micro SD and Bluetooth wireless transfer back to PDAs or PCs is included.
Designed to operate in low-light, DVR pen features five different motion detection sensitivity levels along with the ability to select specific areas for motion detection and send an alarm wirelessly to a remote site in the event that motion is detected. There’s also an audio detection capability that triggers the sound recorder.
Still under development, details on the DVR Pen are limited and some specs may be altered before final release (including the color), which is expected to be around March 2008. Stay tuned as more news comes to hand or contact Pacific Defence for details.

Mini Bluetooth headset cancels background noise for clear mobile conversations

Background noise can make mobile phone conversations in bars, clubs and noisy workplaces virtually incomprehensible – which is why BlueAnt’s new Z9 Bluetooth headset features smart noise cancellation and voice boosting software. The difference is profound – with this tiny, 10-gram device you can now have natural, clear phone conversations in the noisiest environments.
Australian company BlueAnt’s Z9 headset showcases the company’s Voice Isolation Technology, which uses clever audio algorithms to separate the voice signal from all background noise, enhancing and isolating all frequencies that affect voices coming in to and out of the headset and resulting in wind noise reduction and echo cancellation.
The Z9 allows the user the choice between two modes of Voice Isolation – ‘Standard’ for normal everyday environments, such as in the home or office, or ‘Max’ which provides superior intelligible voice clarity for use in extreme noise environments. See the video on the Z9 website for a demonstration.
Weighing in at only 10 grams and measuring less than 4cm, the Z9 is also one of the smallest Bluetooth headsets on the market today. It can be clipped neatly onto a tie, shirt or jacket when not in use and comes equipped with a stylish, clear ear-hook further reducing its presence when worn. Battery life is around 5 hours of talk time or 200 hours on standby.
BlueAnt CEO, Taisen Maddern, says testing demonstrates that the Z9 is a clear winner in the stakes for sound clarity. “BlueAnt has dedicated over 2 years to the developmental and testing phases for the Z9 to ensure the highest quality noise elimination and call clarity is achieved. We’ve developed the technology and made the comparison. The Z9 has come up trumps in terms of its performance and we are expecting it to make a real splash on the competitive international market.”
The consumer and industry buzz for the Z9 began late last year when it was awarded the prestigious 2007 International Innovations Design & Engineering Award by the American Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) for ‘outstanding design and engineering in cutting edge consumer electronics products’.
The Z9 will retail from around UK£59.00 including VAT.

Panasonic to release 32GB SDHC Memory Card

The options for consumers looking to boost storage capacity for their increasingly sophisticated Camcorders just keep getting better. In the latest development, Panasonic has announced it will release a 32 Gigabyte SD High Capacity (SDHC) Memory Card with Class 6 speed specification in April 2008.
The new USD$699 RP-SDV32GU1K SDHC Memory Card can record up to 12 hours of 1440 x 1080i High Definition video (based on the use of the company's HDC-SD9 Camcorder in HE mode) and like existing Panasonic Cards, can operate in temperatures ranging from -13°F to +185°F (-25°C to +85°C).
Class 6 speed specification means that the cards have a maximum data transfer speed up to 20MB/s. The card also incorporates a new user-friendly labeling feature, which allows users to write titles or comments directly onto labels on the front and back of the card.
Specifications Memory Capacity: 32 GB Usable Capacity: 30,979 MB Physical Specification: Version 2.0 Data Transfer Rate: Up to 20MB/s Speed Class: Class 6

The first commercial Brain Computer Interface

The Computer-Human Interface has a new contender technology. Though we’d like to think we’ve come a long way with computers, the keyboard and mouse remain the predominant way we interface with them. We’ve had the unfulfilled promise of handwriting and voice recognition and hope that something better will come along sooner or later. Perhaps this is it - brain computer interface technology pioneer Emotiv Systems will have its EPOC neuroheadset to market before Christmas 2008. The lightweight US$300 EPOC is, worn on the head but does not restrict movement in any way as it is wireless. The set detects conscious thoughts, expressions and non-conscious emotions based on electrical signals around the brain. It opens up a plethora of new applications which can be controlled with our thoughts, expressions and emotions.
The Emotiv EPOC will be the first high-fidelity brain computer interface (BCI) device for the video gaming market when it becomes available to consumers via Emotiv’s Web site and through selected retailers in late 2008 for a recommended retail price of $299.
The company is also opening its Application Programming Interface (API) and providing a range of development tools to enable developers to integrate neurotechnology into their applications. The initiative will spur the adoption of brain computer interface technology in video gaming and other industries, enabling consumers to experience an entirely new form of human-machine interaction.
The Emotiv EPOC detects and processes human conscious thoughts and expressions and non-conscious emotions. By integrating the Emotiv EPOC into their games or other applications, developers can dramatically enhance interactivity, gameplay and player enjoyment by, for example, enabling characters to respond to a player’s smile, laugh or frown; by adjusting the game dynamically in response to player emotions such as frustration or excitement; and enabling players to manipulate objects in a game or even make them disappear using the power of their thoughts.
Yet another direction enabled by the EPOC is that of live animation using the unit’s facial recognition sensors to mimic the wearer’s facial expressions in an animated avatar.
We look forward to exploring this one further. Very exciting possibilities.

Sonim XP1 mobile phone - one hard nut to crack

It's quite a claim, but in the quest to prove that the XP1 is the world's toughest phone US based mobile telecom Sonim Technologies has seen its rugged handset run over by a truck, burnt, shot at, encased in concrete, used as a soccerball and even attached to fireworks.
The Sonim XP1 (the XP stands for extreme performance) is currently making its way around Europe on a so called "World's Toughest Phone Tour" with bloggers and journalists invited to "torture test" the phone. Apart from being a lot of fun, the challenge demonstrates the remarkable durability of the phone which in most cases it continues to operate (though it didn't seem to enjoy being shot with a Glock 9mm by Mobil magazine). See some of the punishment being dished out here.
The 128g military-spec GSM handset features Bluetooth and Push-To-Talk capabilities and operates in temperatures ranging from -20C to +60C. See Sonim for full tech-specs.