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Tonium Pacemaker V2 DJ System

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Music, Portable Audio / Video,

Tonium has released an updated version of their Pacemaker. The V2 DJ System, at a size of 164 × 69.6 × 22.8mm and weight of 200g, has 60GB of built-in memory and supports MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV and SND files. The device has a new interface that makes blending tracks and crossfading simpler, and you can save your work for later upload. A display tells you when are out of sync with the beat, although if that happens often, it may be time to find another line of work/hobby. The Pacemaker V2 comes with desktop editor software and is available for $499.99.

Nokia XpressMusic Software Updated

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Music, Software,

Nokia has improved its 5800 XpressMusic software. New is a faster user interface and download time, a built-in mobile dictionary with voice playback and support for 38 languages, and an automatic/manual Application Update that can be used directly to the phone. There is second camera support for still image capture and a burst mode for shooting pictures without hitting a button. The download is available now on their Nokia Software Update site at no charge.

Muziic Plays YouTube Tunes

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Misc. Tech, Music,

Clever 15 year-old David Nelson has devised Muziic Player, a free interface that allows you to download tunes from YouTube. With the encoder, you only need to drag and drop or browse through MP3 files and press “encode.” There is also a search bar for single or artist and other features include playback and volume control, and playlist management. You can even go as far as adding an album cover by dragging and dropping JPG, .BMP or .PNG images. Unfortunately, YouTube is not thrilled with the idea.

A YouTube spokesperson claimed, “We’re looking into it now. On a preliminary review, however, it appears that the site violates our API terms of use.”

Here’s hoping that they can work something out so that the technology and David’s hard work will not go to waste.

Transcend PF810 Digital Photo Frames

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Misc. Tech, Portable Audio / Video,

Transcend has two new digital photo frames, the PF810W (white) and PF810B (black.) While most companies offer frames that are basically similar, these have LED lit touch-sensitive interfaces built into the frames. The 810 is an 8-inch 800x600 (4:3) color TFT LCD panel with 2GB of built-in flash and can handle JPG and BMP formats. Choose from slide show or single shot mode. It also has Automatic Orientation Sensor and NaturaTone skin color processing, as well as being equipped with an MP3 player, alarm clock, calendar and an FM tuner.

Pillow Interface for NES PunchOut

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Fighting, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo,

If you dug the old NES game PunchOut, then you will surely like “kirton’s” interface. He took a foam filled bag with impact sensors then wired them to a PC game pad. This transfers the impact of the game through an NES emulator. The software also includes visual feedback as the sprite turns pink when hit and an LED indicator flashes. Eventually, he wants to include a strobe light to emulate character disorientation when punched. You can get all the details on Instructables.

Jenda Lifetime Voice Calendar

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Smart Home, Misc. Tech,

Jenda Calendar Since it is time to put up your new calendars, we were thinking how nice it would be if we could have an everlasting one. The Jenda Lifetime Voice Calendar fits that request quite nicely. Record important dates and messages to yourself or other family members with an easy interface and one-touch recording. It features a low-battery notice and runs on three AAA alkaline batteries. Best of all, order now and pay a price that was recently reduced to $39.95.

Savant Mobile ROSIE Home Automation

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds,

Savant has created ROSIE Home Automation software for mobile devices. The touchscreen application is now available for the Apple iPhone, the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet and the Samsung Q1 Ultra-mobile PC. It features RacePoint Blueprint to help you set it up and monitor your home by remote. Use the interface for appliances, lighting, gaming systems or other electronics. With a price of $199.99, you can find the Apple version at the iPhone AppStore.

BluePhoneElite 2: Your Mac and your phone, together at last

Posted by Sparky Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Internet, Misc. Tech, PC / Laptop, Software, Wireless / WiFi,

Gear Live has long been a fan of BluePhoneElite, and the new version 2.0. BluePhoneElite allows users to send and receive SMS messages via Bluetooth from the comfort of their computer, dial and receive calls, and generally provide solid integration between Apple’s iLife applications and a Bluetooth phone.

The new version fully supports Symbian and Windows Mobile devices, but sadly only supports the headset profile on the iPhone due to the closed nature of the platform. A new license BluePhoneElite 2 costs just under $25 and offers a 2 week trial so you can take it for a test spin. Current BluePhoneElite version 1 customers will get the new functionality as a free upgrade.

Shadow Comes Out of the Dark

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Microsoft,

The T-Mobile Shadow launched this week, the first in a series of mobile devices that are meant to be simplified for those who are telephonically challenged. Designed by HTC, the phone has the usual calling, image sharing, and text messaging capabilities. In addition, it features the simplicity of Windows Mobile and an updated interface. Available in copper or sage, find it online or at retail stores for $199.99 with a voice-plan or $149.99 with $20.00 per month and a 2 year contract.

iPhone crushes HTC Touch and Nokia N95 in usability tests

Posted by Sparky Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Design, Handhelds, Software,

iPhone Computerworld just published its in-depth usability test of the Apple iPhone, the HTC Touch running Windows Mobile 6 Professional, and the Nokia N95 running the Symbian operating system. The tests involved a number of participants who had never used any of the three devices, and had measurable results (i.e. the time it took to accomplish various actions). Apple’s famed information architecture and interface design skills seem to have paid off as the iPhone bested it competitors by a factor of two in some of the tests.

The study praises the iPhones information architecture and consistent user experience as a strong benefit to any user be it someone new to the iPhone or a power user. At Gear Live we have noticed several inconsistencies in the user interface, for instance, the new message button being in different locations in the mail and SMS clients for instance. We do however agree with the general consensus of the study that overall the user experience with the iPhone is far more unified that it’s competitors.

Things were not entirely positive for Apple - some users found the lack of tactile feedback a little disorienting, however all users were able to finish each of the tasks with the iPhone. The also iPhone fell behind it’s competitors in the sheer count of features. The N95 managed to edge out the iPhone in this category with GPS, voice activation and the ability to record movies with it’s camera. Considering that the Nokia is $100-300 more expensive in the United States than the iPhone many users have elected to splurge for Apple’s $400 easy to use wonder device.

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