The "KumoTek-X" (KT-X) bipedal robot is the latest robot to emerge from the creative labs of KumoTek Robotics and Vstone Corporation. The robot was designed to offer an entertaining, low-cost alternative to high-end robotics, while stylishly combining the latest in sleek design and cutting-edge robotics engineering.
Much like its Vstone counterpart Robovie-X, the KT-X measures 13.5 inches tall. It comes completely loaded with action with over 75 reprogrammed motions and weighs 2.9lbs.
Unlike the robots in Hollywood movies, who are most of the time the bad-guys, the bipedals in the KT series are here for a good cause. The series is a good-guys-gang of KumoTek’s Robot P.E.T.S. (Robots Promoting Education Through Science) educational system, imparting knowledge to the kids eternally stuck to their video-games. Now with a life-size robot right in your house, who wouldn’t like to learn? What if it just gets angry and gives an electrical shock!? Well, but that is unlikely to happen as the robot can be controlled with a standard PS2 wireless controller.
This amazing robot is capable walking, running, somersaulting and standing up from a face-up or face-down lying position. It can even be programmed to pull itself up autonomously after it has fallen over.
It stands 13 inches tall, has 17 servo actuated joints (i.e., 17 degrees of freedom), a powerful 60MHz HV processor with 512kB ROM / 64kB RAM and comes fully loaded with over 75 preprogrammed motions.
The KT-X currently comes in 3 configurations:
KT-X Lite: 13 motors
KT-X: 17 motors
KT-X Gladiator: (w/ rotating hips and torso): 20 motors 
Saturday, May 31, 2008
KumoTek-X Robotics
Friday, May 30, 2008
APPLE'S 3G IPHONE
The upcoming 3G version of the iPhone, has improved security features and new iPhone apps, will keep customers salivating, but that international expansion is the primary reason Apple will hit the 10 million mark
This mobile platform will be a hot gaming machine.
New iPhone with 3G and GPS features in Q1 of 2008. This prediction is based on some facts: “Apple has tapped Broadcom’s Global Locate unit to supply assisted GPS chips for the phone, the chips able to pin point location based on combination of satellite and cellular antenna signals.
Camera: the iPhone 3G will have a 5 megapixel camera.
Push Email: the next generation iPhone will support Microsoft’s business e-mail server software Microsoft Exchange and a “push” email functionality similar to BlackBerry.
Capacity & Price: 32GB , 16GB and perhaps 8GB.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Floating Speaker - For Pool, Hot Tub Or Jacuzzi !
Enjoy fully submersible speakers in your hot tub, pool or Jacuzzi and enjoy music for hours in and out of the water! Durable weatherproofing ensures year round water time fun. Every speaker has two Ultra Bright LED Mood lights for added night time ambiance.
It’s that time of the year where thoughts of hitting the pool come to mind and images of pool parties follow shortly thereafter. Of course you are the type of person that likes to be close to their music while relaxing in the water.
Features :
Now you can toss the floating speaker directly in the pool.
The music going up to 10 hours.
Wireless transmitter for upto a 150 foot range.
Add up to 10 speakers for music in every corner of your house.
At night, the speakers will light up your pool with 2 Ultra Bright LED Mood lights on each side.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The AT&T Tilt™ Mobile
The AT&T Tilt™ is a 3G Windows Mobile device with a large touch screen and a spacious keyboard. The AT&T Tilt™ is the most comprehensive wireless device on the market today. This device keeps you connected with email, text and instant messaging, Internet access, personal organizer, video, satellite radio, and more all at broadband speeds. Wi-Fi, GPS navigation and Push-to-Talk round out the robust features on the newest device from AT&T making the Tilt your ultimate mobile companion.
The AT&T Tilt is the first AT&T-enabled Windows Mobile 6 smart device and features an innovative slide-out keypad design, a 3-megapixel camera, 3G data speeds from AT&T's BroadbandConnect network and complete global connectivity.
AT&T Tilt features a 2.8-inch color screen that slides back to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, then tilts up to position the screen perfectly for reading and creating e-mail, browsing online, using applications or just playing videos and games. The AT&T Tilt supports Bluetooth® 2.0, which allows for up to six Bluetooth devices to be wirelessly connected simultaneously to the device and also supports Bluetooth Stereo.
The AT&T Tilt features the latest version of TeleNav GPS NavigatorTM which provides GPS-enabled turn-by-turn voice and on-screen driving or walking directions, colorful 3D moving maps and traffic delay alerts with one-click rerouting. New features debuting with AT&T on the Tilt include address sharing, which allows users to share their current locations or the location of their favorite businesses with other mobile users. The new version also includes reviews and ratings for nearby restaurants and allows customers to rate them directly from their AT&T mobile phone. Business users also can use TeleNav Track™, a mobile workforce management solution that includes GPS-enabled tracking, timesheets, wireless forms, navigation, job dispatching and bar code scanning.
Inside the AT&T Tilt, users will have a wireless powerhouse at their disposal., With 3G broadband speed connectivity across the globe and tri-band capabilities that allow the Tilt to operate in Japan and Korea, customers have access to the more than 135 countries in which AT&T offers GPRS international data roaming. Customers also can use AT&T's industry-leading international wireless roaming coverage to make or receive a phone call in more than 190 countries
AT&T Tilt provides access to AT&T's BroadbandConnect network in more than 170 major metropolitan areas across the U.S., and coverage outside of 3G service areas is available via AT&T's nationwide* EDGE network, the largest national high-speed wireless data network in the U.S. AT&T's EDGE network is available in more than 13,000 cities and towns, and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Users can also connect for an additional charge to Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the U.S. — including any of the more than 10,000 AT&T-owned or branded hotspot locations in the U.S. and tens of thousands more abroad — through the built-in Wi-Fi functionality, supporting the 802.11b and g frequencies. They also can use the AT&T Tilt to link to corporate wireless local area networks or home Wi-Fi networks.
Multimedia Features-
Beyond enterprise functionality, the AT&T Tilt is made for fun and games as well. The device is preloaded with free and premium games and applications including Ms. PAC-MAN, Brain Challenge, Bubble Breaker, Midnight Pool, Solitaire (MS), Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, MobiTV, and MyCast.
The Tilt provides access to AT&T Mobile Music, including XM Radio Mobile, which comes pre-loaded on the device. The AT&T Tilt will also feature AT&T's CV streaming video service. Customers can watch a large selection of video clips of their favorite television shows, sports, news and weather, entertainment and premium content, including hit HBO programs and exclusive mobile content from World Wrestling Entertainment.
Pros :-
The AT&T Tilt features a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard and a tilting screen. The Windows Mobile 6 smart phone also offers the full gamut of wireless options, including 3G and GPS, push e-mail, a 3-megapixel camera, and support for AT&TMusic and Video.
CONS :-
Speakerphone quality wasn't the greatest, and talk-time battery life was on the shorter side. The Tilt was sluggish at times, and picture quality was subpar. We also had problems acquiring a GPS fix.
The AT&T Tilt promises to be the carrier's most powerful smart phone for business users with its full range of wireless options, Windows Mobile 6, and innovative tilt screen.
PANASONIC Blu Ray DMP-BD30K
Blu-ray with a Difference -
Blu-ray means incredible full-HD images, breathtaking sound and 5x the data capacity of DVDs. Now Blu-ray means something else too: an entirely new movie-viewing experience, made possible by Final Standard Profile, which adds features never seen before, like four Picture-in-Picture modes including Enhanced Commentary (from directors and actors), Backstage Pass, Peek Behind the Animation and Audio Mixing.
Images So Real, You Feel Like You're in the Picture -
Combining a PHL Reference Chroma Processor with advanced P4HD (Pixel Precision Progressive Processing) imaging technology, UniPhier® — the Precise Digital Video processor — reproduces crisp, natural colors that are extremely faithful to the original movie. It does this by up-sampling the color information in decoded video signals, while the super high-speed P4HD up-converts content recorded in 480i/p, 720p or 1080i format to 1080p by correctly generating each pixel according to information drawn from up to 60 surrounding pixels. The image motion of each pixel is then categorized into one of 16 levels, from stationary to super fast. Image quality is further enhanced by Diagonal Processing, which creates smooth, sharp diagonal lines, and 3:2 Pull-Down, which optimizes the processing accordingly for film or video making the images look natural and lifelike. In addition, the DMP-BD30's HDMI output is Deep Color compatible, with 4,096 steps of gradation for even smoother, finer-quality images that meet Hollywood's stringent demands, so you can experience movies just the way they were meant to be experienced.
Incredible Sound Completes the Hi-Def Experience -
With Precise Digital Audio, Blu-ray's beautiful images are complemented by exceptionally pure, accurate sound thanks to Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD™. UniPhier®'s advanced processing capability decodes these audio signals with high precision and outputs them in bitstream form with no degradation. It also brings re-mastering to Blu-ray for the first time, which compensates for data lost during the compression process creating a fuller, richer sound.
HD Networking with SD Card -
The convenient SD card slot on the DMP-BD30 allows easy viewing of hi-def videos and photos on your HDTV. Videos shot with a Panasonic HD camcorder are output in their original 1920x1080 resolution, while still images taken with a Panasonic Lumix® digital camera are up-converted and output in 1920x1080 resolution1.
One-Touch Control from Your TV's Remote -
With EZ Sync™ HDAVI Control, you can control your Blu-ray Disc™ player — and all your home theater components — with your TV's remote2. Simply press the EZ Sync™ button and select "BD Player" on the menu screen; the BD player's menu will be displayed and you can begin playback.
Product Summary
PROS:-
Excellent picture quality on Blu-ray discs; 1080p output at 24 frames per second; DVD upconversion up to 1080p; HDMI 1.3b output; can output Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bitstream format; first Blu-ray Profile 1.1 player; SD card slot can play high-def video from AVCHD camcorders.
CONS:-
No built-in decoding for high-resolution audio formats; no Ethernet jack for firmware upgrades or future interactive content.
Best Blu-Ray Players
Now that HD DVD is dead, home theater fans have only one choice for high-def movie discs: Blu-ray. Blu-ray players can deliver outstanding image quality, with movies encoded in 1080p resolution and rich colors that put DVD to shame.
While the majority of home movie watchers avoids Blu-ray because of the ongoing format war and high costs, AV enthusiasts lately have been hesitant to pick up a new Blu-ray player for another reason: They've been waiting for the impending Blu-ray Profile 1.1. All Blu-ray players certified to bear that magic logo after October 31 must meet the more-stringent hardware requirements of Blu-ray Profile 1.1, which should allow players to take advantage of special features, like picture-in-picture commentary. Incidentally, the rival HD DVD format has had these features from the start. While some manufacturers have rushed to get their players out before the deadline, Panasonic has taken a different approach by releasing the first Blu-ray Profile 1.1 player, the DMP-BD30, before October 31 even hits. And while the price of the player is still high overall--$500 list--that's about the cheapest you can get a standalone Blu-ray these days. The DMP-BD30 certainly doesn't beat the value proposition of the PlayStation 3, but if you insist on getting a standalone Blu-ray player as opposed to Sony's console, it's one of the top contenders.
Air Conditioned Seat Cushion
Kuchofuku has just announced its Suzukaze air conditioned seat cushion, tipping the scales at a mere 261 grams, making this the perfect traveling companion as you will be able to take it with you virtually everywhere you go. It also doesn't take up much juice, making the total operation cost negligible at the end of the month as using it for 8 hours daily will cost less than 5 cents monthly.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sony’s new BRAVIA LCD TV factory
In order to meet the rapidly increasing demand for LCD TVs in Europe, last November Sony commenced construction of its new factory in Nitra, Slovakia, located 40 km east of Trnava, where Sony has been producing LCD TVs since February 2006. In August 2007, the Nitra site began producing a limited number of BRAVIA LCD TVs. It was completed in this month and started mass production. Production lines that currently operate in the Trnava factory are scheduled to be relocated to the Nitra site early next year. By the end of 2008, the Nitra factory will have a production capacity of 3 million LCD TV sets per year and around 3,000 employees. After the transfer of the LCD TV production lines from Trnava to Nitra, Sony will run two factories in Europe producing LCD TVs - in Nitra and in Barcelona, Spain. The Nitra factory will make a full use of its state-of-the-art equipment to focus mainly on large-size, high-end Bravia LCD TV sets. Meanwhile, following the transition of the LCD TV production lines to Nitra, the Trnava factory will continue producing tuners for the BRAVIA LCD TVs and providing technical support for the PlayStation products.
"The European LCD TV market is the largest of its kind and has a significant growth trend. To be successful for us means to be really flexible and fast. Sony’s factory in Nitra is the first new production site since the emergence of the LCD TV era. It plays a strategic role with regard to our production capacity, but also acts as a supply base with innovative operations," said Takeshi Fukuda, the Corporate Executive of the TV Group. ”Our target is to achieve the leading and stable position on the LCD TVs market. In addition to our production plans, we take effort to be a responsible and reliable partner to our employees, as well as to the entire Nitra region. That is why we improve the work conditions and protect the environment at all times,” stated Hajime Ushida, the managing director of Sony Slovakia. “Apart from regular projects aimed at energy savings, such as using motion sensors for lights, we also use free cooling system, a highly efficient cooler and compressor, or reuse waste heat from boiler economizer. Moreover, in the entire production we also utilize many environmentally friendly machines and work on several green projects,” added Hajime Ushida.
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Sony to double production capacity of BRAVIA™ LCD TVs
To meet growing demand in Europe -
Sony Corporation ("Sony") today announced plans to double the annual production capacity of BRAVIA™ LCD TVs in Slovakia, up from two million sets in fiscal year 2007 to four million sets by the end of December 2008. The Slovak factory is set to become Sony's largest producer of LCD TVs worldwide. In accordance with this expansion plan, the number of employees is also planned to increase about 50% from 2,300 to 3,500 by the end of December 2008.
Sony first began production of BRAVIA™ LCD TVs in Trnava, Slovakia in April 2006. Upon rapidly reaching full production capacity at the facility with no possibility for further expansion, Sony built 'Nitra Technology Centre' in Nitra, 40km east of Trnava and relocated its production function, in order to meet rapidly increasing demand for LCD TVs in Europe. 'Nitra Technology Centre' started production of BRAVIA™ LCD TVs in August 2007, along with Sony's TV manufacturing facility in Barcelona, Spain.
In fiscal year 2007, annual production capacity of BRAVIA™ LCD TVs manufactured in Slovakia - both in Trnava and Nitra - amounted to two million sets. In order to meet increasing demand for LCD TVs in Europe, Sony doubled production capacity to four million sets by expanding the production capability in the 'Nitra Technology Centre'.
"BRAVIA™ holds the key for further growth of Sony's electronics business," says Ryoji Chubachi, President and Electronics CEO of Sony Corporation. "The expansion of our production capacity in Nitra is a clear sign of our determination to expand our TV business across Europe, the world's largest market for BRAVIA™."
'Nitra Technology Centre' will produce all main BRAVIA™ LCD TV line-ups from high-end to standard, including the latest BRAVIA™ E4000 series with its unique 'picture frame' design, which is initially targeted at the European market.
"Sales of BRAVIA™ are continuing to grow in double-digits in many countries across Europe. It is crucial to strengthen our supply chain from engineering and production to distribution within Europe in order to meet growing demand," says Fujio Nishida, President of Sony Europe. "The expansion in Nitra clearly demonstrates our determination to ensure that BRAVIA's excellent viewing experience is available to all our customers across Europe - East and West," he added.
In order to efficiently manage the distribution of BRAVIA™ LCD TVs in increasing quantities, Sony is building a logistics centre adjacent to the production site at 'Nitra Technology Centre'. With addition of the logistics centre due to start operating this autumn, Sony is positioning 'Nitra Technology Centre' as the main hub for Sony's pan-European TV business covering engineering, production to distribution across Europe. 
Saturday, May 24, 2008
New Sony Bravia V4500
Integrated MPEG-4 AVC HD tuner for enjoying compatible HD broadcasts¹
Picture Frame Mode displays your favorite images in HD
Innovative styling inspired by the new draw the LINE design concept
BRAVIA™ ENGINE 2 for superb image detail and color
Whether you're into movies on Blu-ray Disc™, enjoying the latest PLAYSTATION®3 games or watching HD broadcasts, the BRAVIA™ V4500 series matches superb picture quality with smart features for a home entertainment experience like no other.
The V4500 series showcases Sony's innovative new draw the LINE design concept. This beautifully inspired, pared-down styling philosophy enhances the total TV viewing experience without distracting from what's on the screen. Accented by a dark silver speaker, the set's deep piano black finish creates an effortlessly contemporary look to flatter any living space. 26-inch, 32-inch and 37-inch models all feature a swiveling stand for comfortable viewing from wherever you're sitting in the room.
All screen size models feature an integrated MPEG-4 AVC HD tuner, allowing you to enjoy terrestrial HDTV programmes where compatible DVB-T/DVB-C services are available.
HD picture quality is superb thanks to latest-generation BRAVIA™ ENGINE 2 technology that gives images an unmatched richness and depth. The WXGA (1360×768 Resolution) LCD panel offers a very high dynamic contrast ratio of 33000:1 (26-inch and 32-inch models), ensuring deep, cinema-like blacks plus sparkling highlights. For an even more authentic home theatre experience, 24p True Cinema technology guarantees that movies on Blu-ray Disc™ are presented at the correct frame rate.
When you're not watching television, Picture Frame Mode makes it easy to enjoy favourite images from your digital picture collection. Rich, detail-packed still images can be displayed by connecting any compatible USB flash memory device. Six pre-installed gallery pictures are also included, featuring a range of contemporary art images from van Gogh² to Pop Art. In Picture Frame Mode, image brightness is reduced to mimic the appearance of a photographic print or painting. Power consumption can be reduced by up to 35% compared with watching regular TV³.
Operation is satisfyingly intuitive, thanks to Sony's XMB™ (Xross Media Bar™) on-screen interface that simplifies browsing TV channels, selecting inputs, Picture Frame Mode and other functions.
BRAVIA™ Sync controls your complete home theatre system from the TV remote. At the touch of a button, everything's powered up and ready to play, with no need to juggle several different remotes to switch on other devices, select inputs and adjust levels. BRAVIA™ Sync also allows simple operation of a connected compatible Handycam® camcorder from the television's remote.
Three HDMI sockets are provided for one-cable connection of other devices including PlayStation®3, Blu-ray Disc™ players and Handycam® HD camcorders.
“The superbly styled, easy to use BRAVIA™ V4500 series gives everyone a more satisfying home entertainment experience, whether they're into TV, movies or games“, comments Hiroshi Sakamoto, Marketing and Product Planning Vice President, TV Operations Europe, Sony Europe. “And now with the inclusion of an HD tuner, there are even more options for enjoying great-looking HD images with breathtaking quality.”
¹ Where DVB-T/DVB-C compatible services are available
² Wheatfield with Cypresses, 1889, Vincent van Gogh / National Gallery, London UK / The Bridgeman Art Library
³ In Vivid Mode