Concept Sketches Future Mobile Device .

URSLA is a future pendant that emits 3D projections in the air. BERTHA is a future mobile phone that works with URSLA. 3D projections from the pendant can be 'captured' in the air with this phone to see what the notification is about in detail on the screen. The device shows notifications regarding emails, phone calls, schedule and much more, that will appear in the air for a few seconds. As far as BERTHA goes, the futuristic handset works with the 3D pendant and looks like a pretty hot transparent device. This looks like an iPhone from the future, to be honest and a very cool one for that matter, that looks like it's made from some crystal or sort of glass.

designer Mac Funamizu

    

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Eco GPS conceps

Eva is a kinetic and solar powered product to make your life easier.
How easily and quickly reach your destination, direction, which are unknown?.. For this we use the complex gadgets that give us no choice but to use them. This is especially needed for those who suffer in such general situations of persons with special needs or are physically unable to find your way out. The device, with the help of the inbuilt camera, displays the information about routes to desired destination when one points towards the particular direction. Also, the device takes in information about most popularly visited destinations by the user, and can be retrieved later if desired. To make sure the output is authentic; the device uses the platforms such as the internet and the GPS system, displaying exact details and the alternatives routes. To make the functionality more user-friendly, the device comes with built in gaming programmes which are integrated to give out information via the screen, or audio or even simply vibration signals. Also, the unique shape and styling has ensured that the Eva fits well into the palm of your hand which makes it easy to use.

The screen is made of e-paper, a low energy consuming type of screen which can easily be used outside as its doesn't reflect sunlight as common screens. Underneath is a high conversion efficiency solar panel, covered by a crystal top layer to enhance the sunlight. It has a customizable outer shell made of renewable softwood pulp. Since it?s cellulose based it can be molded, it can incorporate and retain fragrances for extended periods and it's warm to the touch. The inner components are made of high cellulose based agricultural waste (straw, reeds, flax…) which can be injected, eliminating the need of screws or glues, making it easy to disassembly and recycle.
In general, a much needed device.

     

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Super soldering pen

Look, like a thick pen. It  will be very comfortable and ergonomic. It is easy to solve the issues of security and charging. The solder pen docks into the holder for charging, which also doubles up as a smoke absorber. Moonhwan points out that the Soldering Pen helps users to feed, melt, and desolder solder in an easy and comfortable way.

 

Designer: Moonhwan Lee

 

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Concept of charging gadgets using electromagnetic waves

Generally , there are two widely used modes of charging them. One is to use an AC adapter which delivers electric power to your gadgets. The other option is to use solar power, though it can be used only for certain devices which have a necessary level of compatibility. And with solar chargers, weather fluctuations can be the spoilsport.
So –

1. Apple Examines WiTricity Wireless Charging for Use in Next iPhone.
The future generation iPhone users can use WiTricity Wireless Charging to charge their devices. Most mobile devices could be charged using this technology if they are within the one meter limit of your computer. This new method of charging will eliminate the cables and batteries. WiTricity is attracting a lot of attention from the industry and media.

2. The phone of your dreams powered by renewable energy.
Industrial designer Alexander Mukomelov has conceptualized a handset named Magic Stone. The users of this handset can recharge it using solar power during daytime. Another striking feature of this concept is that when the sun isn't available, the user will be able to continuously recharge it using ambient electromagnetic waves.

3. Powering small electronic gadgets with ambient electromagnetic energy.
It is an entirely new technology as no one has been successful at this before. A new technology draws electromagnetic energy from surrounding sources like radio transmitters and mobile phone networks in order to charge new devices. It uses an antenna to capture the electromagnetic signals from other sources, and later convert it from Direct current to Alternating current to store in batteries and capacitors. The device is capable of exploiting another sources of energy when one frequency weakens. It will soon be available for consumers and could be used at places like Airports

4. Nokia's RF charging technology:
The company Nokia Research Cente is working on a prototype device that never needs power from a wall socket. The device sources all the power it needs from ambient radio waves. The cellphone will be able to convert electromagnetic radiations emitted from Wi-Fi transmitters, cellphone antennas, TV masts and other sources into usable electricity, which can recharge the phone's onboard battery.

 

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Perfect camera experience

5th Jul 2011Posted in: Entertainment technology, Innovation technology now, Product innovation 8

Concept perfect camera Xperience!

The Xperience Camera Concept  allows users to safely click photographs in extreme situations without any risk. The concept features two camera pods that can be mounted on the helmet or any part of the sports equipment and set to take photographs automatically. A watch-like strap-on device allows users to view the images taken without worrying about additional displays. Interchangeable pods can be attached anywhere with a clip or strap and set to still or video function.

A built-in GPS and an altimeter that provides exact location and time markups on each image. This feature  allows users to be tracked down in case they go missing or are in an emergency. The watch may use to preview images or take individual images with the help of an oval button on the watch's interface. The cameras can be programmed to take multiple shots per minute and since each camera pod comes with built-in memory, images can be beamed to users' PCs via long distance Bluetooth connection.
Designer Emma Harris

 

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LG Optimus Black - A dark sense of disappointment

After reviewing a slew of high-end dual core Android smartphones recently, it was actually a relief to go back to the humble single-core Android phone category. And there seems to be quite a bit of action around the Rs. 20k price bracket. Ever since Samsung pegged the S-LCD version of the Galaxy S at Rs 19,990 in retail; it seems to have had a very successful run. Now, with the Samsung Nexus S available for the same price as well, the choice just became wider.

The LG Optimus Black surprised us with the price it has been pegged at. The box price of the phone is Rs 21k, while it is retailing for just under Rs 20k. this puts it squarely in competition with the above mentioned rivals, inlcuding the iPhone 3GS.

Look and Feel
Straight out of the box, and two things catch your eye. First, the weight, or the lack of it! At less than 110 grams, this phone glides squarely in the featherweight category. Second is the sense that despite being a 4-inch touchscreen, the phone isn't very big. It fits nicely in the hands, and can be used very comfortably with the same hand holding it, albeit in portrait mode.

The build quality is very good. No rough edges here. The top panel of the phone has the 3.5mm headphone jack, the power key and the microUSB slot. The right side panel has been left clean, while the left side panel houses the volume rocker and the G- key.

The rear panel has a metallic tinge to it, and feels pretty solid. On the top left of the panel is the camera and the flash, with "with Google" printed right next to it. You know immediately that this is an Android phone! Disappointingly, you will need long nails to open this battery cover comfortably. This sort of mechanism gives it a very cheap Chinese phone feel. Why LG, why?

Features
For a price of just under Rs 20k, the Optimus Black does come across as a pretty loaded phone, spec wise. The 4-inch IPS LCD display is touted as the "best display in the world". However, while it isn't the best, it is actually very good. We will give you the details of the performance later in the review. Below the display, four touch based keys reside- menu, home, return and search. Every time you touch them, they light up, and the one particular one that is touched glows in blue colour.

With 2GB internal storage and microSD taking it up to 32GB more, storage space shouldn't be an issue. Particularly if you are going to store a lot of music on the device. Speaking of which, the music player is integrated in the drop down notification bar. Every time you pull it down, the basic pause/play and previous/next keys are right there.

Camera wise, the 5MP clicker at the back and the 2MP camera at the front do offer potential, at least on paper. However, that doesn't really translate into performance, in reality.

The Optimus Black comes with Android 2.2 preloaded on the phone. Wrapped over that is LG's Optimus 2.0 UI. We quite liked it, since it offers a lot of HTC Sense-esque features, while not feeling sluggish or heavy like the Sense. We had seen this UI first on the Optimus 2X, and the same slickness continues here, albeit with minor tweaks. Seven screens can be seen at once with the simple pinch gesture.

The really unique feature here is the G-key, or Gesture key. The way it works is that certain gestures can be implemented to do certain tasks. For example, press the G-key and double shake the phone to open the camera. These commands/actions can be modified in the settings menu.

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Nokia X7 - Superb looks

If you have Rs 20k to spend on a touchscreen smartphone, the choices are just endless. A gamut of solid Android phones - Samsung Galaxy S (S-LCD version), Samsung Google Nexus S and the LG Optimus Black, are available. Plus, let us not forget that the ageing Apple iPhone 3GS is now available for around Rs 19k after the recent price reduction. The Nokia N8 is hovering in the vicinity, but age seems to be catching up with it. The Samsung Wave II with the updated Bada OS is yet another option. As you can see, the X7 has no dearth of competition.

However, Nokia has a lot riding on the X7, particularly after the focus on updating Symbian^3 OS.

Look and Feel

The Nokia X7 looks superb. It has edgy looks, with the corners angling inwards giving it quite a futuristic look. The sides are also at an angle – curved inwards towards the rear panel. It seems like there are speakers hidden away on all four angled corners, but actually, there are only two the other two are evidently for uniformity. The mixture of plastic and aluminum does give the phone a classy look. The 4-inch display at the front is paired up with 1 hardware key, essentially the Menu button. The area around the display, including the key is all completely glossy black. The right side panel has the volume rocker and the dedicated camera key. The left side panel is where the interesting bit is. Carrying forward from the trend set by the Nokia N8, the SIM card slot is on the left side, and so is the microSD card slot. Push them in from one side, and once the other end emerges out, immediately focus all your energy and precision on pulling out the slot. The slide out mechanism isn't very smooth either, and it tends to get slightly stuck.

Now, once the slots are outside, put the SIM card or the microSD card (depending on what slot you have just pulled out) into it, and send it back in the way it came out! The rear panel doesn't open, and just like the N8, you cannot access the battery. What we don't really understand is the point of such a design. Because Apple does it with the iPhone doesn't really mean that it is the correct thing to do, and that Nokia should copy that! In a nutshell, the X7 looks very good, and the aggressive and edgy design tones do suit it well. The build quality is excellent, and the phone feels like a lot more expensive than it actually is. However, a couple of issues with ergonomics do sully the otherwise good package.

Features

Symbian Anna is the much-awaited update to the otherwise mediocre Symbian^3 OS that we first saw with the Nokia N8 towards the end of 2010. Nokia have been quite aggressive with how they are pitching the "new" OS as a real competition for Android. We saw it first with the Nokia E6 (where it incidentally is competing with the Blackberry 6 OS), and the rejigged icon set, improved performance and the updated web browser impressed. What is missing, still, is that the ability to have widgets in different sizes. If our memory serves us correctly, Nokia had been severely criticized for the widget size limitation in Symbian 3. But that hasn't been corrected yet. While this limitation wasn't very visible on the smaller display of the E6, the 4-inch display on the X7 does bring that to the fore.

With more powerful processors powering the rivals, the 680MHz, ARM11 processor does feel a bit lightweight. 256MB of RAM isn't a lot either, making us wonder if Nokia were focusing more on specs – manufacturing price bit, rather than the actual performance. Even a year and a half old HTC Legend smartphone has 384MB of RAM. While people may argue that the OS is different, but the reality is that the difference can only take a phone so far. When multiple apps are opened in the background, the load on the system is pretty much the same.

While the E6 had 8GB of built-in storage (with a microSD slot as well), the X7 has literally no built-in storage. The microSD slot is there, and Nokia ships an 8GB card with the phone though.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

 

 

We've been waiting for the official Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Gingerbread update for a while now, and fortunately for X10 owners, it looks like the wait won't last much longer. Sony Ericsson has announced that some users, depending on their country, will be able to directly update their phone via the PC Companion software. For now, OTA updates have not begun to roll-out, but when they do so, will be operator dependant.

As for India, you can expect the update to roll out by the end of August, or download the original ROM and install it on a rooted device. Ever since Sony Ericsson released its original Android flagship, Xperia X10 last year, it has upgraded the firmware of the device several times, bringing the phone up from v1.6 Donut to v2.1 Eclair, and then a minor update later, has finally brought out the v2.3 Gingerbread update, with no intervening Froyo.

The update will bring numerous features to X10, which apart from the numerous perks that Gingerbread has over Froyo, including better Facebook integration, improved Timescape UI, an equalizer for the music player, a new app tray with sorting, and 3G tethering via USB. To be noted, several apps will be replaced by new ones, gone are Mediascape and Backup/Restore, and data stored directly on the handset might be erased.

 

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Portable GPS system and music player

Designers Jukka Roitto, Miska Vaisanen, and Jordan Siegler have seen the road map to the future, and it sits on your wrist. It has a name that's crystal clear even to the geographically challenged: Seek. This Minority Report-like wristband concept packs a portable GPS system and music player all in one–though given how power-hungry GPS units are, you might not want to drain that battery pack tuning in to Coldplay or Madonna. No idea, either, on how this juices up. But we do know the Seek offers directional guides and location-based services accessed via its interactive touch screen. Now all it needs are wireless connectivity and a cosmetic makeover, and this might well make inroads with globetrotters when and if it releases.

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Smartphone concept Philips Fluid

With modern gadgets getting smaller and better to replace the jewelry or fashion accessories, the contemporary jewelry designers may have to face a tough time in the days to come. Yesterday we covered the Bricell Jewelry Phone  in the blog, and now it's time for another stylish gadget to tickle the trendy users. Conceived by Brazilian designer Dinard da Mata, the "Fluid" is a smartphone concept that as suggested by its name features a flexible OLED display to allow better mobility and ease of use. Designed for Philips, the mobile phone wraps around the wrist to become a bracelet for the fashionable, while gives an easy access on the go.

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New multitouch screen

The University of Groningen, in the Netherlands, has converted a 3D theater into the world's largest touchscreen, used for teaching mathematics and computer science students interactivity. The screen has a curvature of 135 degrees and is transparent.

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