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.

Laser modules installed on Airborne Laser prototype aircraft

In another milestone for the US Missile Defense Agency’s Airborne Laser project, the six laser modules that comprise the core of the system have been successfully installed by Northrop Grumman.

The $1.1 Billion ABL project is directed at testing airborne laser battle management and beam control/fire control systems in order to destroy airborne missiles. Three private companies are contracted to the project: the Boeing Company, ABL's prime contractor, provides the modified 747-400F ABL aircraft along with the battle management system and leads overall systems integration and testing; Northrop Grumman supplies the missile-killing high-energy laser, as well as the beacon illuminator laser which is used to measure atmospheric conditions between the aircraft and the target; Lockheed Martin provides the beam control/fire control system, which incorporates the beacon illuminator laser and ABL's other illuminator, the track illuminator laser, which tracks hostile ballistic missiles.
The Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL), the ABL’s high-energy laser, links together the six laser modules to achieve megawatt-class power, which will be used to detect, track, and destroy hostile ballistic missiles.
"Completion of laser module installation means that the overall integration of the megawatt-class laser onto the prototype ABL aircraft is more than 70% percent complete after about five months of activity," said Alexis Livanos, Northrop Grumman corporate vice president and president of the company's Space Technology sector. He noted that the COIL took three years to initially assemble and activate in the Systems Integration Laboratory (SIL) at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
High-power ground tests of the ABL are scheduled to begin later this year, with flight-testing scheduled for early 2009. The ABL will be capable of destroying a ballistic missile during its boost phase, while it is still climbing in the Earth’s atmosphere and before it can deploy its warheads – all at the speed of light.

Corsair to release 16GB Flash Voyager GT high performance USB drive

Corsair has announced a new 16GB high performance USB 2.0 flash drive dubbed the “GT” which offers a significant boost to data transfer speeds.
Coming after the recent capacity boost to the standard Flash Voyager line of ruggedized USB drives - now 32GB - the improved data transfer speed of the GT model means users can transfer a 1.63GB movie in 98 seconds.

The drive’s proprietary water and shock resistant all-rubber casing is built for maximum durability while data security is provided by TrueCrypt encryption software offering AES 256-bit encryption. All drives come with a 10 year user warranty and on-demand customer support. The new Corsair 16GB GT drive will be debuted at the CeBIT 2008 Show next week in Hanover, Germany and will retail for USD$169.99.

Kiddo proximity alarm system offers parents peace of mind

Smart Target has developed a wireless proximity alarm system designed to boost child safety by helping parents quickly locate wayward young ones and keep them within a pre-set "virtual fence".
Previously we've encountered versions of this technology incorporated into specially designed kids mobile phones and even biological implants, and unfortunately in today’s world, there is a real need for this device. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in 2002 the US Department of Justice, announced that nearly 800,000 children (younger than 18) were reported missing over a period of one year, which averages at over 2,000 children being reported missing each day.
The Kiddo Kidkeeper system consists of a transmitter which is attached to the child and a receiver which is carried by the adult. The adult sets the maximum distance a child can wander to, if the child moves outside this area the Kiddo emits a warning sound and the transmitter shows a visual signal allowing the adult to retrieve the child quickly.
Smart Target is a research company which is based in Portugal and is dedicated to the development of monitoring products designed to keep children safe. It has taken just two years for them to develop the Kiddo Kidkeeper which was released in the second quarter of 2007.
To set the distance, the adult and child walk the perimeter of the area, once it is set, the Kiddo transmitter will show a blinking green light and the battery can be checked by the color of the LED. The transmitter is attached with a snap hook and should be firmly secured to the child’s clothing and the system uses a low frequency so there is no risk of interference with other electronic devices.
There are two monitoring distances to choose from, the short distance has a radius of 4 meters (approx. 13 feet) which is suitable for busy areas such as shopping centers with obstacles such as streets or stairs and also if the child is young or hyperactive. The long distance has a radius of 8 meters (approx. 26 feet) and is suited for more peaceful settings like a park or playground. The Kiddo is also capable of monitoring up to four children at once, with each child having a different beeping sound.

The Nokia Morph Concept Phone

February 28, 2008 Nanotechnology looks set yield some seemingly magical functionality in the near future, and a recent concept product from Nokia puts most of the technologies that will be viable for handhelds within the next decade into one fascinating instrument. The Morph does just that, being flexible so that it can change shape from candy bar phone to bracelet. It’s also transparent, has self-cleaning surfaces, can sense and observe and even harvest energy from the local environment.
The Morph went on display this week alongside the remarkable "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibition, on view from February 24 to May 12, 2008, at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Morph features in both the exhibition catalog and on MoMA's official website. Be sure to check out the online exhibition here – Gizmag’s readers will love the hours of brain stretching concepts to explore – heartily recommended.
Morph is a concept that demonstrates how future mobile devices might be stretchable and flexible, allowing the user to transform their mobile device into radically different shapes. It demonstrates the ultimate functionality that nanotechnology might be capable of delivering: flexible materials, transparent electronics and self-cleaning surfaces. Dr. Bob Iannucci, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia, commented: "Nokia Research Center is looking at ways to reinvent the form and function of mobile devices; the Morph concept shows what might be possible".
The Morph is a joint nanotechnology concept, developed by Nokia Research Center (NRC) and the University of Cambridge (UK) and Dr. Tapani Ryhanen, Head of the NRC Cambridge UK laboratory, Nokia, commented, "We hope that this combination of art and science will showcase the potential of nanoscience to a wider audience. The research we are carrying out is fundamental to this as we seek a safe and controlled way to develop and use new materials." Professor Mark Welland, Head of the Department of Engineering's Nanoscience Group at the University of Cambridge and University Director of Nokia-Cambridge collaboration added: "Developing the Morph concept with Nokia has provided us with a focus that is both artistically inspirational but, more importantly, sets the technology agenda for our joint nanoscience research that will stimulate our future work together." The partnership between Nokia and the University of Cambridge was announced in March, 2007 - an agreement to work together on an extensive and long term programme of joint research projects. NRC has established a research facility at the University's West Cambridge site and collaborates with several departments - initially the Nanoscience Center and Electrical Division of the Engineering Department - on projects that, to begin with, are centered on nanotechnology.
Elements of Morph might be available to integrate into handheld devices within 7 years, though initially only at the high-end. However, nanotechnology may one day lead to low cost manufacturing solutions, and offers the possibility of integrating complex functionality at a low price.
If you’re fascinated with this technology, the Guardian has a nice piece with a bit more info.

Motorola's new Z10 features on-board video editing

Billed as the complete, pocket-sized, mobile film studio, the new Motorola Z10 3G mobile handset is designed for video capture and editing on the fly, shooting at 30 frames per second via a 3.2 megapixel camera and featuring the in-built ability to splice together scenes and add commentary, titles or soundtracks.
The ergonomic "kick-slider" design (which uses spun stainless steel, polished metallic finish and soft-feel textures) houses a 2.2” QVGA screen that displays video at 30 fps and the 3.2 megapixel camera features instant launch enabling "quickdraw" photo capture in 1.5 seconds.

A Superfast burst mode takes up to three still images a second and in addition to auto focus, the camera sports an intelligent auto-save function that saves images directly to the on-board media gallery by content type.
Optimize for content sharing with sites such as YouTube, Google, Yahoo! and ShoZu, the Z10 features 3.5G HSDPA, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and Symbian/UIQ software. The external storage slot is future proofed to support an external memory card with up to 32GB of capacity (when available).
MOTO Z10 is expected to be available in Q1 2008.