Nexto’s NVS2500

Nexto's half-terabyte NVS2500

Are you like me and always backing up your photo’s on flimsy hard-drives or DVD’s? If so Nexto’s half-terabyte NVS2500 is perfect for storing all your photos. With a 2.5-inch drive that can be as small as 160GB if you want, a 2.4-inch LCD, and of course integrated readers for just about every memory card format. It can even write simultaneously to an external USB device ensuring you never lose those precious photos. After hearing of other peoples horror stories of loosing every last photo from their hard-drive this is something I would definately consider purchasing. It’s quick, easy and you don’t even need a computer to store the photos, perfect for quick backups while your on holiday.

Medigenic Infection Control keyboard

Keyboard and Mouse

I don’t have a phobia about germs or anything, designed by Esterline Advanced Input Systems for use in hospitals, the Medigenic Infection Control keyboard boasts a couple of features that make it less likely to be infested with germs. Firstly it’s a flat surface and has no physical keys. It has a 3D-looking printed keyboard layout so that you don’t get crumbs, dirt, or anything else trapped inbetween the keys. It also has a disable key, so that you can turn off the keys for quick cleaning, and a customizable reminder system to let you know when it’s ready for a wipe down. A matching mouse is also available for roughly 60 Euro along with the keyboard for 105 Euro.

Mercedes-Benz – Splitview screen

Splitview

The 2010 S-Class from Mercedes-Benz has an abundance of displays including a Splitview screen. The Splitview display allows one person to see one image while another, looking at the display from a different angle can see a completely different image. So while the driver can be keeping an eye on a map the passenger can sit back and watch a movie. Below is an overly-dramatic promotional video for the latest S-Class, which im sure will encourage many people to go out and buy it. Personally I think i’ll wait a while untill its perfected, or at least untill I can afford one!

Psystar’s Open(3)

Despite being locked in a legal battle with Apple that could result in Psystar’s getting shut down the company recently released its latest model, called the Open(3). Psystar’s latest Mac clone has managed to ship out. Well, this one has but it may be the only one. The company has been battling with Apple for months for selling OS X-equipped machines without Cupertino’s blessing.

It has a range of processors ranging from a 2.8GHz Core2Duo E7400 up to a 2.53GHz Core2Quad Q8200, up to 4GB of memory, 1TB of storage, a 6x Blu-ray burner, and graphics from an NVIDIA GeForce 9500GT, all packaged in a slim case(above). Prices start at just $599, but with all those extras you’ll be looking at something closer to $2,000, which is still close to $1,000 less than a comparable Mac Pro.

Honda’s walking-assist devices

At the moment there are currently two models that Honda are testing, one which helps with correct stride and assistance for forward movement, which is intended to help the elderly, the disabled and those suffering from muscle or joint weakness walk more easily. The other is meant for supporting your weight while doing tasks that require lots of bending at the knee which is geared towards workers who are constantly performing leg and knee movements that can cause strain or injury.

For the first device the leg motors run on a timer, once you start moving, the computer on-board becomes aware of how quickly you’ll be walking and begins to push and pull the motor to that rhythm. As you speed up or slow down, you can feel the timer catching up. It’s obviously intended for those with some issues already, not people who are necessarily walking normally, but it does give everyone the feeling of having more power in your stride. The second unit that is made to hold your weight doesn’t have a push and pull timer so it makes it difficult to walk but its slight support could be very helpful for your joints if it was used over a long period of time.

LG’s Viewty II

LG's Viewty II - Back

LG’s Viewty II has been given a full makeover. The GC900 is just 12.4 mm thick has a 3-inch touchscreen and of course it’s most impressive quality an 8 megapixel camera able to capture video at 720 x 480, with autofocus, xenon flash, film speed up to ISO 1600, geotagging, DivX and Xvid video support, and memory expansion up to 32GB. I was able to get a few photos from PhoneArena and it looks good to me, large touch screen display and an uncluttered layout.

LG's Viewty II - Front

Ion Audio Tailgater

Ion Audio Tailgater

Those who live rock and roll lifestyles need accessories that look the part, such as the Ion Audio Tailgater. It’s a iPod docking station for roughly 150 Euro and wouldn’t look too out of place mounted on-stage at a club. It works with any iPod (first and second generation users will have to use the headphone jack) including the iPhone and Touch. But what I like about this and what makes it different is that it has inputs for mics or other instruments, and even has an integrated battery for up to eight hours.

Cut and Paste!

The Cut and Paste tournament pits digital designers against each other in a live competition. It takes place in America, around Europe and in Asia. Below are two videos of recent Cut and Paste competitions. I found this very interesting because it’s an entertaining way to promote design and allows people to express their creativity and skills in front of a live audience. It’s also interesting to see the process and how designers do their work rather then just seeing the final product.

SLAP: Silicone Illuminated Active Peripherals

Different Interaction Modes of SLAP Knob

SLAP consists of tangible widgets that can be placed anywhere on a surface computer and used for context-specific controls. The SLAP project website argue that “Physical user interface components such as buttons, sliders, knobs, and keyboards have many advantages: thanks to their haptic nature, they are easy to operate without looking, and their shape guides the user’s input gestures. Virtual controls are very flexible, easily changed dynamically – but they lack the physical, haptic texture and feedback of their real-world counterparts. SLAP widgets, are physical widgets that combine the advantages of physical and virtual devices: Our SLAP buttons, sliders, knobs and keyboards have the physical shape of real devices to provide the right haptic feedback, but are still easily relabeled using a tabletop rear projection.”

It reminds me of working in a recording studio. Most of the physical sliders and knobs on the control desk can also be changed using the recording software on the computer, the desk itself is not necessary but I still prefer to use it. Although I do agree that physical user interface has many advantages such as being easy to operate without looking and haptic texture and feedback, with regard to this particular project I think it will need a sharper, higher resolution screen that can be used in any lighting conditions. At the moment it doesn’t have any amazing purpose but I can see how there could be some very interesting future implementations.

Convergence: Internet TV

For many years there has been talk of convergence between the Internet and Television. Now that we can surf the Internet using gaming consoles and more and more people are connecting their computers to their TVs to view photos, it’s about time that it became a reality. I have my PS3 connected to my computer so I already have the capability to change from playing a game to browsing the Internet but it would be convenient if I didn’t need a PS3 to do this. Television manufacturers are beginning to build widgets to allow people to access social networks, play online games, and watch YouTube.

Not only are people watching video clips online but they are beginning to watch TV series using BBC’s iPlayer, plus the versions from ITV and Channel 4, also make full-length programming available on computers. So if we have brought TV to the Internet, why not bring the Internet to Tvs? The line between TV and the Internet is becoming thinner and thinner.

Manufacturers including Toshiba, Panasonic and Sony are releasing TVs and DVD players with Internet-compatible “widgets” built in. Once these devices are connected to an Ethernet network (they aren’t all Wi-Fi compatible) they offer a selection of services mentioned above.

Many prototypes have been demonstrated at UK trade shows but Ben Tudor, a senior analyst in consumer broadband services at Current Analysis says “Some of the operators, such as T-Home in Germany, are delivering Internet to televisions right now.” But the problems they are facing include the fact that it’s a little outside some people’s comfort zones in terms of getting it to work, and I can imagine it will be difficult to make moving pictures from sources such as YouTube acceptable on a widescreen television.