New Home Gadgets

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 which was released earlier through AT&T now has a new network. T-Mobile is bringing in all the goodness of RIM’s multimedia phone while putting in some of its network goodness including HotSpot @Home Service, which means Wi-Fi calls while on your home network. With Wi-Fi connectivity for both voice and data, the blackberry 8120 hopes to add more functionality into T-Mobile’s phone offerings. Aside from Wi-Fi connectivity, the BlackBerry 8120 will also bring a 2.0-megapixel camera with 5x zoom, stereo Bluetooth support, a microSD/SDHC card slot, support for personal and corporate email, and web browsing at Wi-Fi speeds. (Read the full post about ‘T-Mobile announces the BlackBerry Pearl 8120′…)

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One of the plus points I think Microsoft has at the moment with its Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is the amount of classic and hardcore 2D shoot-em-ups (shmups) available to gamers. So, it was a bit perplexing to hear that Microsoft denied a series of classic shmups from legendary Japanese developer Cave appearing on the service.

The news of the denial appeared in the pages of Japanese magazine Famitsu. Developer 5pb is handling the conversion of Cave shooters Dodonpachi Dajoujou, Black Label X, and Ketsui X specifically for XBLA and gave an interview in the magazine. Masaki Sakari, of 5pb, said in the interview:

Out initial plan was to port lots of good arcade titles to XBLA.

(Read the full post about ‘Microsoft rejects Cave shmups for XBLA’…)

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Here’s the new portable media player from Mpio, called “V10″. Measures only 15.4 mm thick and weighs 108gm, the v10 features a 3-inch wide touch screen display at 480 x 272-pixel resolution, FM radio, Voice Recorder, SD/SDHC memory card slot for expansion, Electronic Dictionary, and runs on Windows CE 5.0 Core. It is supports to playback a wide range of audio/video formats, including MP3, H.264, DivX, XivD, WMV7/8/9, MPEG2/4, VOB, and TS video. The Mpio V10 will be available in 4GB and 8GB models which retail for $230 and $270, respectively. (Read the full post about ‘Mpio To Release V10 PMP’…)

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MyGuide just rolled out three GPS navigation systems - the M.i.motion3318, M.i.motion4328 and M.i.more4338. The high end M.i.more4338 boasts the following features :- Navigate from door-to-door in your region in 24 languages with the new navigation software MyGuide 8.0 Li-Ion 2200 mAH Battery (4 h navigation Lifetime) 400 MHz CPU 2GB Flash Memory, 128MB RAM Maximum 30 channel GPS Operating system: Windows CE 5.0 WiFi connectivityAll three models support Bluetooth and text-to-speech, but the M.i.motion 3318 comes up short where the audio player and picture viewer are concerned. (Read the full post about ‘MyGuide Has Trio Of GPS Systems’…)

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The RAIDFrame Backup system has been created by a company named Highly Reliable Systems and works with removable cartridges which can store 3 Terabytes of data. The 1 Bay version carries the 1 cartridge and attaches direct to your server or PC via USB or eSATA. With the device being RAID it means that no special drivers are required to read the data as the server will see the RAID array as 1 drive. RAIDPacs are made of 3 standard SATA drives which can be replaced as needed. The RAID controller is built in to the device meaning that as soon as the RAID pac is connected up, it just shows as removable storage. (Read the full post about ‘3Tb of Removable Storage’…)

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Is this one of the weirder looking desktop speakers you have ever come across? Courtesy of Sega Toys, the i-Spin Speaker Robot comes in the form factor of an egg but is much hardier than Humpty Dumpty. He is capable of dancing according to the current tune being played, featuring connectivity to audio players thanks to a connecting cable. In addition to dancing to its integrated melody, it will be able to respond to external audio and voice signals as well. Powered by a trio of AAA batteries, the Sega Toys i-Spin Speaker Robot comes in blue and pink color choices, retailing for approximately $52 each. (Read the full post about ‘Sega Toys i-Spin Speaker Robot’…)

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The Hitachi CPX3 3LCD mobile short-throw projector is the latest from Hitachi, targeting widescreen laptops and imaging applications that look their best when the 16:10 aspect ratio is used. Features include :- WXGA (1,280 x 800) resolution 2,000 lumens brightness HDMI terminal Wide-angle lens Integrated 1W speaker 3.9 poundsInterestingly enough, the CPX3 comes with security features that include My Screen PIN lock, My Text and a transition detector. (Read the full post about ‘Hitachi CPX3 3LCD Projector’…)

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Trend reviews the Nokia N82 and writes, “While the camera isn’t quite up to par with the N95, the N82 camera is still pretty darn good. They were also fairly impressed with audio quality, battery life, and GPS/FM functionality. On the downside, the keypad is “fiddly” and the lack of US-friendly 3G is a bit of a downer.” Read more about the Nokia N82. (Read the full post about ‘Nokia N82 Review - Trend’…)

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iPassConnect is a brand new service that brings together WiFi, 3G mobile, and backup dial-up Internet access in a single package for as little as $30 monthly. This service aims to fight for market share with WiFi Internet access plans from companies like Boingo, and with iPass claiming over 95,000 WiFi hotspots worldwide, the gauntlet has clearly been thrown. Service plans in North America is priced at $29.95 monthly, including 20,000 WiFi hotspots in airports, Starbucks, and McDonalds while $44.95 will open up access to WiFi locations worldwide. If you’re feeling heavy in the pockets, $69.95 monthly will see iPass throw in 3G EV-DO mobile access to the initial North America plan and $84.95 offers you the whole works - global WiFi and North American 3G services. (Read the full post about ‘iPass Launches iPassConnect’…)

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The Flower Filament concept aims to bring together nature and technology, and it certainly isn’t the first to think along this line. Inside the bulb lies a flower, enabling it to light up. Yup - no flower, no power. No idea how designer Ha-Na Yeom managed to conjure a light bulb that is able to detect whether there is a flower inside or not. I guess a little bit of magic never hurt. I don’t think this concept will ever take off since flowers wilt so fast, leaving you exasperated as the missus thinks that you have failed to pay the electricity bill yet again this month. (Read the full post about ‘Flower Filament Concept’…)

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