Mag+ Prototype
With E-Readers gaining in popularity every year, it was only a matter of time before magazines got their digital treatment. Swedish technology company Bonnier has unveiled it’s prototype e-mag reader dubbed the Mag+. The Bonnier philosophy focuses on creating an authentic magazine experience. Aiming to make the digital experience as close to the real thing as possible.
The Mag+ functions mostly as you would expect, but adds some new bells and whistles. A minimalist heads up display monitors the readers progress in percent. Page changes can be achieved with a horizontal swipe while a vertical swipe will allow you to follow text down the page. Focus switches between images and words with hand gestures. Tap a photograph and the text will dissolve away allowing you unrestricted access to the image. Tap a region of text and the image will lose focus allowing the reader to concentrate on the article.
The most interesting feature to make it into the Mag+ is the context menu. Rub your finger back and forth anyplace on the screen surface and every page element will become selectable. Tap any region of text or image to reveal a radial context menu. The context menu allows for upload to the web, email, and various other internet destinations.
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Folding Roboscooter by MIT Media Lab
Looking to inspire new patterns in urban mobility MIT Media Labs created the Folding Roboscooter. The lightweight scooter collapses to save space in our increasingly crowded cities. The Roboscooter is powered by an electric motor allowing it to be both whisper quiet and free of emissions.
The folks at MIT Media Labs have two sales models in mind. Model one is typical single owner use. Model two sees the Roboscooter functioning more like a Zip Car. You will be able to rent a Roboscooter for one way travel to your destination. Upon arrival you dock the Roboscooter and there it will wait for the next available patron.
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Boxee Box
Xbox Media Center fork Boxee will soon be getting its own dedicated hardware courtesy of D-Link. Boxee serves as a media extender presenting the media on your computer to your HDTV. The software scans your media folders downloading artwork, reviews, lyrics, and more. Boxee differentiates itself from other media extender software by integrating features from social media sites such as facebook, tumblr, and friendfeed.
The Boxee Box will support a myriad of connections from HDMI and SPDIF all the way back to the RCA cables you used to hook up your NES. A pair of USB expansion ports allow for connections to an external hard drives or compatible USB device. Built-in 802.11n wireless and wired networking connect the Boxee Box to your home network and the included RF remote allows you to control all the action from the comfort of your couch. The Boxee Box will be unveiled at the January 2009 CES show in Las Vegas.
More info: Boxee
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AIAIAI Tracks Leather Headphones
Reminiscent of the iconic walkman headphones, AIAIAI’s Track Leather Headphones are an extravagant ode to the past. Featuring leather earcups, the on-ear headphones come in black, peach, and cream colorways. They are available at AIAIAI website.
SpaceShipTwo by Virgin Galactic
It’s time to sell your timeshare in the Bahamas and upgrade to something better. Billionaire commercial cosmonaut Richard Branson unveiled his company’s space tourism craft, the SpaceShipTwo. Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo will be escorted to a suborbital altitude of about ten miles by a mothership, the WhiteNightTwo; upon detaching the SST’s thrusters take over and catapult the craft 65 miles above the Earth’s surface, nestling comfortably between the outer reaches of our atmosphere and the beginning of space. During the 2.5 hour flight, passengers will be able to experience full weightlessness and see a view of Earth that only a few dozen people have been able to take in. Tickets for the voyage will fall around the $200,000 range; that’s well worth it, especially since you can begin your sentences with “When I was in space…”
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The First Else by Emblaze
You have to admire the ambition of Israeli based tech company Emblaze. Declaring current smart phone designs tired and staid, they tore down the framework and started from scratch to create their entry into the mobile phone market. Designed from the ground up the First Else sports a most unique UI. Called sPlay, the concept eschews the main menu and excessive finger taps. A fan shaped press and release menu allows complete navigation from one hand and does so with great economy. Keeping your attention squarely on the center of the screen is the Fisheye concept. The selected contact, song, email, or media item is maginified in the direct center of the screen and given a context menu which allows you to make the item actionable.
In the hardware department the First Else is no slouch either. It features the TI OMAP processor currently found in the Motorola Droid and Palm Pre. The screen is a capactive LCD with a 851 x 480 resolution. The onboard camera captures 5 megapixels worth of image and is capable of recording 480p video at 30 fps.
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Bang Olufsen BeoCom2
Danish audiophiles Bang & Olufsen are back with the BeoCom2, a telephone which bears more resemblance to a boomerang than a traditional phone. The unique design is a result of a hydroforming process that presses a single piece of aluminum into shape. The distinctive body is completely free of edges or joints with a curvature intended to match the shape of a human face.
Up to 8 handsets can communicate with a single base station in the BeoCom2 system. Features include: authentic voice reproduction, caller ID, redial of last 24 numbers, and an intelligent electronic phone book with a 200 number capacity.
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BassJump for MacBook
Created exclusively for MacBook, the Bassjump enhances your laptop audio experience. The Bassjump uses a specialized software to blend requency ranges between your laptop speakers and the Bassjump’s own subwoofer. The added mid to low frequencies provided by the Bassjump bring a fuller sound to the media files stored on your laptop. A single USB cable provides both power and audio connection while also limiting the clutter typically associated with external speakers. Available at TwelveSouth.
Revo Renaissance Radio
The Revo Heritage aims to be a contemporary interpretation of vintage 60s table radios. The walnut and alluminum body immediately set it apart from other iPod docks on the market. The classic look combined with a multitude of options for getting your audio fix set the Heritage apart.
The Heritage sports a large black and white OLED display and fourway joystick for navigation. A 3 inch neodymium speaker driven by a 7W amplifier provides the audio. Supported playback options include: DAB, DAB+, FM, and internet radio. Plug in your iPod and listen to your personal collection or use the provided free 30 day last.fm trial to stream direct from the internet.
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Alesis Protrack Recorder
Alesis’s Protrack allows you to record stereo audio directly to your iPod. The Protrack’s pair of cardioid condenser microphones captures 16-bit digital audio in either 44.1kHz or 22kHz. The built in switchable limiter ensures your recordings are distortion free. Files are automatically dated and stamped while recording ensuring accurate organization of your recordings. A pair of 1/4 XLR jacks make the Protrack studio ready by providing connections for professional mixing devices. An illuminated LED-level enables the user to keep an eye on metering even in dark surroundings. You can check out your own recordings through the 1/8 inch headphone jack.
