Latest Gear Live Videos
OSP Robots Clean Up Oil Spills
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science
It looks like SOTAB 1 isn’t the only bot that will soon be attacking oil spills. Designer Ji-hoon Kim’s OSP robots may look like Roombas but love the water. Each has a computer system that plans and controls its motions, a GPS system and radio antenna to communicate with its fellow modules, boom connectors for hooking up to others, a solar panel to collect energy, and an inflatable boom that rolls out for protection. With their small size, they can be moved quickly to the site by boat or helicopter. We hope this is one prototype that becomes real before the next large oil spill.
Read More 
| Yanko
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Sprint Offers More Than Just Talk for Less
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cell Phones, Corporate News, GPS, Hot Deals, Movies, Music
Sprint has joined some of the other major mobile companies in offering a $99.99 unlimited calling plan. Referred to as “Simply Everything,” it not only includes talk, but gives you Web browsing, Sprint TV and Music, GPS navigation, text, video, and picture messaging, and push-to-talk. Existing customers can switch without a fee charge and newbies can sign up for the rate with a two year contract. While we are in no hurry to run to the company to get in on the hot deal, we hope their competitors will find this a fine time to vie for our dollars.
Read More | Sprint
SOTAB Assists in Oil Spills
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation
Researchers from Osaka University have developed SOTAB 1 (Spilled Oil Tracking Autonomous Buoy 1) with imaging sensors that can spot globs from a distance. The GPS bot dives down and when it senses something that resembles oil, floats back to the surface and “swims” towards the oil spill. SOTAB then helps cleanup crews by providing data on wind speed, and depth and temperature of the water. Still in the developmental stage, head researcher Naomi Kato hopes the 243 lb. robot will be available commercially in a couple of years.
Read More | Pink Tentacle
Panasonic P905i for TV Junkees
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Cell Phones, GPS, Handhelds, Music
For those of you that need your TV fix no matter where you are, Panasonic has created the 3G/GSM/GPS P905i for DoCoMo with a 1seg TV tuner. The device features Panasonic’s Viera image processing on a 3.5-inch screen with a 854 x 480 resolution. It holds up to 1GB of memory and has a 2MPx sensor and auto-focus cam, as well as DCMXiD. Due out February 29, contact Panasonic or DoCoMo for price and availability and never worry about trying to catch up with the latest twist or turn of “Lost” again.
Read More | Akihabara News
Hyundai to Feature Dual In-Dash Monitor
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, GPS, Movies, Music, Transportation
It isn’t enough that you are fighting with traffic, your cell phone, and GPS while driving, not to mention the dreaded back seat driver hammering in your ear. Hyundai will soon be releasing an in-dash dual monitor into the company’s Grandeur. So while you watch the road, the map, and listen to your missed messages, you can also be distracted by your passenger watching a DVD. We think we would rather sit that one out, thank you very much.
Read More | Aving
HTC Debuts New Shift
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, GPS, PC / Laptop, Wireless / WiFi
HTC has unveiled its new Shift mobile computer at the 2008 GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Equipped with Windows Vista and Microsoft’s Origami Experience 2.0, it also features an RSS reader, media player, and one-touch to e-mail, weather, and more. At a weight of only 800g and a size of 207 x 129 x 25mm, it has a 7-inch slide and tilt touchscreen with 800 x 480 resolution, QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth 2.0 and WiFi capability, and GPS. Toss in a fingerprint sensor, a CMOS VGA cam, and a built-in mic and dual speakers, and you have a product for €1199 (~$1,750.00.) Now available in Spain and the UK, it is next traveling to Italy and other parts of Europe. Maybe it will find its way stateside this holiday season.
Bleeding Edge TV 248: Zoombak GPS family, vehicle, and pet locator
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Features, GPS, Household, Podcasts, Transportation, Videocasts
It’s 10:00. Do you know where your dog is? Or your car, or the loved one who is responsible for the car? Zoombak is aiming to make sure you never have to look far to get the answer to that question. Their advanced GPS locators come in two sizes, one perfect for placing in an auto and one made to clip on to the collar of a dog weighing 12 pounds or more.
Both versions of Zoombak offer the ability to set up “safety zones,” via the Zoombak website. When the auto or dog that is wearing the Zoombak GPS unit leaves the safety zone, Zoombak will send a text message or an email with the location of the unit, and the location can be tracked live on Zoombak’s website.
Dog and Auto units retail for $200 and $250 respectively, and Zoombak’s monthly service starts at $9.99 a month.
nüvifone Gives Great Direction
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cell Phones, GPS, Handhelds, Music, Transportation
Garmin’s nüvifone should give the iPhone a run for its money. After all, Garmin is all about the GPS. The all touchscreen (3.5-inch) phone also features a web browser, IM, e-mail, and music capability, and Google search complete with ratings for businesses and restaurants. When you dock it in its vehicle mount, it automatically activates the GPS and menu, and will allow hands-free conversations. The nüvifone comes with pre-loaded maps of North America, and/or both Eastern and Western Europe with voice-prompted directions. To find out more and get info on Garmin Online, the elite service with traffic, stock prices, news, and weather, head for their site. Expect availability in the 3rd quarter of this year.
Read More | Garmin nüvifone Product Page
CES 2008 Video: Bug Labs on the Bug Base and Bug Platform
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Hack Attack, Cameras, CES, CES 2008, Design, Features, GPS, Handhelds, Internet, PC / Laptop, Podcasts, Videocasts
Think Lego Mindstorms meets Radio Shack. Bug Labs has been working on their Bug Base—a fully modifiable, open-source gadget building block system. The base itself includes specs similar to “a three-year-old laptop” but includes WiFi and Ethernet, USB and more. Once you have the base, you can add additional “modules,” including LCD displays, GPS, cameras, motion sensors and tons more. Each of the modules will require you to program them using a software package similar to VisualStudio in appearance, but everything is open source. Bug Labs has about 80 different sensors on the roadmap right now and they’re constantly interfacing with the community to come up with new ideas.
The concept has a lot of promise and some great tinkering cred. For the first 60 days, they’re offering an early-adopter special with the base costing just $299 (down from $349) and modules ranging from $49-$119. Pre-orders began on January 21st and will ship by March.
Take a look at our video to see us get our hands on the base and its modules and to talk to Jeremy from Bug Labs about what’s coming down the road and what’s in store for Bug Labs.
CES 2008 Video: Garmin Nuvi 880 GPS
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, CES, CES 2008, Features, GPS, Handhelds, Microsoft, Podcasts, Portable Audio / Video, Videocasts
Garmin continues to impress with their latest GPS devices. Our favorite is the Nuvi 880, with speech recognition. Speak your orders into the 880—say Grandma’s address—and you’re off. The 880 can also help you find what you’re looking for, whether your hungry, need to find a movie theater, or any other myriad of things. For example, just tell the 880 you need a Chinese restaurant and the device will offer a huge list of eateries within the area. Choose the one you want and the 880 guides you there.
Our favorite feature is that the 880 also offers real-time traffic info, news, stocks, current events and more via MSN Direct, making it the perfect traveling companion. The service is free the first 3 months, and will then cost $50/year.
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