Light Touch
Is it 2054 yet? Light Blue Optics unveiled the Light Touch at CES this week taking us one step closer to the interactive displays that wowed audiences in the Tom Cruise vehicle Minority Report.
The Light Touch essentially converts any surface into an interactive touch screen display. Light Blue Optics dubbed their method of display Holographic Laser Projection or HLP. HLP uses lasers to create a 10.1 inch WVGA image. Laser projection ensures the image is always in focus and the wide throw angle allows the Light Touch to display large images from short distances. No worries about retinal burn or shooting your eye out as the Light Touch carries a Class 1 laser safety rating.
The Light Touch features 2GB of onboard flash memory with an SD slot capable of supporting up to 32GB. Built-in wifi and bluetooth radios provide network and device connectivity. The Light Touch runs on Adobe Flash Lite 3.1 and in turn makes use of it’s developer base which should provide speedy application development.
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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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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.
Litl Webbook
Litl is looking to make PCs even more ubiqituous in your household with it’s Webbook series. The Litl Webbook’s patented hinge design brings personal computing into your livingroom, bedroom, or even onto your dinner table. The Webboook sports a 12 inch display, a 1.86Ghz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, 2GB flash memory, and is capable of HDMI output. The minimal internal storage is no hindrance to the Litl Webbook, the device was designed with cloud computing in mind. It runs a specialized Linux build that provides widgets for functionality. Included widgets allow for interaction with Facebook, flickr, shutterfly, and internet TV.
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Intelligent Design Titanium ID Mouse
Dutch company Intelligent Design has raised the bar for aesthetics in mouse design. The Titanium ID made its debut at Dutch Design Week 2009 in Eindhoven. Sporting a low profile form factor with a body composed of Grade 1 Titanium and a scroll wheel made of neodymium, the Titanium ID mouse brings cutting edge style to the world of peripherals. The Titanium ID connects via wireless blue tooth, is available in white or black, and compatible with Windows and Mac.
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Apple iPod Nano
Not only does the new iPod Nano feature an FM radio, pedometer and speaker, but it also boasts the world’s smallest camcorder. Exactly the same size as the previous Nano, 3.6 x 1.5 x 0.2 inches, it will have a video feature that allows for up to eight or sixteen hours of video and 15 different video effects. The latest Nano will also come equipped with a voice recorder and speaker and retail for $150 for the 8GB.
Sony PlayStation 3 Slim
Due out September 1st in North America and Europe, is the slimmer low-profile version of Sony’s Playstation 3. The slim PS3 will come with a 120GB hard drive, Dualschock 3 controller and HDMI port that supports 1080p high definition. Weighing in approximately four pounds less than its forerunner, it will use less power (250W vs. 280W) and feature a matte finish instead of the piano black glossy casing found on the original PS3. Like its predecessor, the slim version will also be blue-ray, DVD and CD compatible and retail for $300US.
Leica S2 DSLR Camera
Not made for the amateur photographer, Leica, a brand famous for their cameras, will release its S2 DSLR camera in October for the price tag of approximately $23,000 (just for the body). The S2 features a 37.5 megapixel, 30×45mm sensor and a sapphire glass monitor. It’s also significantly smaller than other high end camera’s in its class, which makes for better maneuverability and flexibility without sacrificing the quality of picture. To view sample pictures with the S2 DSLR by fashion photographer Robert Grischek, check out the Leica S Camera System website here.
Leica Pinmaster
Leica, the brand famous for their cameras, is introducing a new gadget to help golfers get “closest to the pin”. A staple of charity golf tournaments, corporate outings and amateur golf tourneys; “closest to the pin” is a contest that involves getting tee shots that make it on the green the closest distance to the flagstick.
The Pinmaster Rangefinder is a tool that gives golfers the upper hand by measuring the exact distance to the pin. With a range of up to 820 yards, all the user needs to do is aim the Pinmaster’s eye-safe laser beam at the pin. It also features a 7x magnification and a large field view of 347 feet at a distance of 1,000 yards (ideal for playing peeping tom).
Stelton x-92 Super Charger XL
For the last forty years Danish firm Stelton has been producing some of the purest and most elegant expressions of Scandinavian design in the form of their brushed stainless steel table and gift ware.
The new range of products for Autumn 2009 continues the calm, functionalist themes first established by Arne Jacobsen in 1967 when the firm unveiled his Cylinda-Line range of tableware, and expands the scope of the items to which it has been applied.
Amongst these, the Super Charger XL is a great example of the everyday rendered stylish, elegant and practical. The charging point is large enough to contain the bigger sorts of charger and its aluminium cover acts to conduct heat away from devices’ batteries, thus prolonging their life. The lid also falls shut naturally, thanks to the cleverly designed geometry of the x-92 leaving a ledge for devices to nestle comfortably on and all the cables out of sight. Simple, serene and sophisticated; Mr Jacobsen would surely approve. Available now at Stelton.
