Eclectic Electronics

iPod Touch being used by the US military

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 04:00 PM PDT

Apple iPhone 3G Black The Apple iPhone is not just popular to regular consumers, it is also being used by the US military.

Due to the iPod Touch’s relative low cost, it is easily considered as an alternative to expensive military devices. The $229 price of the 8GB variant may very well be considered expensive among common consumers, but we’re talking about military weaponry which cost tons more!

The iPod Touch reportedly does what the military requires plus a whole lot more. The device is capable of performing many diverse functions, it can be controlled with one hand and has its own software development kit (SDK) for making custom software.

From ZDNet:

Next Wave Systems in Indiana, is expected to release iPhone software that would enable a soldier to snap a picture of a street sign and, in a few moments, receive intelligence uploaded by other soldiers (the information would be linked by the words on the street sign). This could include information about local water quality or the name and photograph of a local insurgent sympathizer. The U.S. Marine Corps is funding an application for Apple devices that would allow soldiers to upload photographs of detained suspects, along with written reports, into a biometric database. The software could match faces, making it easier to track suspects after they're released.

From ReadWriteWeb:

Snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan now use a “ballistics calculator” called BulletFlight, made by the Florida firm Knight’s Armament for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Army researchers are developing applications to turn an iPod into a remote control for a bomb-disposal robot (tilting the iPod steers the robot). In Sudan, American military observers are using iPods to learn the appropriate etiquette for interacting with tribal leaders,

Another software includes translation capabilities:

A new program called Vcommunicator produces spoken and written translations of Arabic, Kurdish and two Afghan languages.

Time for Apple to squeeze in some additional battery life for those soldiers out there! Wouldn’t want that iPod Touch running out of juice in the middle of an important mission.

[via ReadWriteWeb and ZDNet]

Nintendo sells 435,000 DSi’s during the first week

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 03:00 PM PDT

The Nintendo DSi has only been out for 15 days and it has already reportedly sold 435,000 units during the first week alone!

300,000 units of the Nintendo DSi were sold during the first full weekend and 135,000 more units rushed out the door during the rest of the week.

Although Wii sales have dropped compared to last year, Nintendo is still king of gaming console sales figures in the US, accounting for approximately 60% of the market.

If you’re one of the very few persons who doesn’t own Nintendo’s portable gaming device yet, no doubt get the DSi because it has all the latest bells and whistles that Nintendo has to offer (sans the GBA slot, of course).

Even though you have to shell out $40 more for the DSi than the DS Lite, at least it would give you a peace of mind that you have the latest Nintendo gear.

[via Free PlayStation Three and Engadget]

HTC Magic now up for pre-order at Vodafone UK. Starts shipping on May 5th?

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT

Vodafone UK is now taking pre-orders for the HTC Magic, the 2nd HTC Google phone.

The HTC Magic sports a 3.2-inch HVGA (320 x 480) capacitive display and is based on the Android™ platform developed by Google. Other features include HSDPA connectivity, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi and a 3.2 megapixel shooter. It also has a built-in tilt sensor along with a digital compass.

While no confirmed release date has been mentioned so far for the HTC Magic, rumors are set on a May 5th shipping date.

[via TheLink and MorninPaper]

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic getting a capacitive touchscreen

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 12:00 PM PDT

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (Front) The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is set to go on a minor redesign by Nokia. Later versions will support a capacitive touchscreen instead of a resistive touchscreen.

Capacitive touchscreen has been the craze ever since the iPhone entered the mobile phone market. The main advantage of a capacitive touchscreen is the usage of your own fingers as the pointing device instead of using a stylus.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has been on the market since October 2008. Capacitive touchscreen versions will start appearing sometime in May or June 2009, if predictions are correct.

[via PhoneReport and DigiTimes]

Blu-ray set on the right path, to take over DVD? Really now?

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT

I am just surprised at some claims people make over very little statistical data. I’m not saying that having Blu-ray is not a nice thing. Sure, it has better picture (definitely noticeable to the vast majority) and better audio (noticeable depending on your hearing skills), but do people really care?

Take a look at these sales figures for DVD sales, just adding up the sales of Twilight and Marley & Me (totalling to around 11.7 million) already tramples down the 9 million units of Blu-ray for the 1st quarter of 2009.

I agree with CNET about the doubling of Blu-ray sales figures from the year 2008. But Blu-ray on track to taking over DVD? Pfft! Rubbish!

Blu-ray can very well be considered as an upgrade to standard definition DVD, but a replacement? I don’t think so. Not everything is well worth seeing on Blu-ray. Hopefully, DVD and Blu-ray will find a way to peacefully co-exist in the future to come.

[in reaction to Tech BLORGE]

No related posts.

You can use a stylus on an Apple iPhone?!

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 06:30 AM PDT

Monster iPhone: Stylus Misquote

Someone posted over at Monster iPhone that if you repeatedly input the wrong things on the onscreen keyboard, you can use a stylus! Does the person even realize that the iPhone uses a capacitive-touch display which means it will only respond to electrical current from a person’s fingertips?

From Wikipedia

It has a higher clarity than Resistive technology, but it only responds to finger contact and will not work with a gloved hand or pen stylus unless the stylus is conductive and transmits the user’s capacitance.

Don’t go whipping out those PocketPC styli and use them on the iPhone people, might just end up scratching up the screen! You need something like the Pogo Stylus, or you can DIY something like the one on the video below. But on second thought… why bother? The iPhone was designed to be used with your bare hands.

Now, I’m not entirely sure whether the poster meant a specialized stylus for the Apple iPhone, but reading something like that on the internet is sure to spark up some curiosity.

Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 to kick off on May 11 via Tech Ed, will support capacitive displays

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 05:00 AM PDT

The iPhone fever has apparently affected even Microsoft, as the company will now be reportedly be supporting capacitive-touch displays for the next iteration of its Windows Mobile operating system (OS), Windows Mobile 6.5.

Capacitive-touch displays refer to displays that are sensitive to touch. Windows Mobile/PocketPC smartphones are using resistive-touch displays until this very day.

The difference between the two is that capacitive-touch requires you to use your fingertips in order to activate the stuff on the screen, without the need for any additional pressing pressure. On the other hand, resistive-touch works with almost anything: fingers, stylus, gloved hands, etc., but requires a a bit more effort on the user’s part because of the need to press the screen a small amount, in order to register the desired action.

Microsoft kicks off the Windows Mobile 6.5 presentation on May 11th, according to the Windows Mobile Team Blog.

Stephanie Ferguson, GM of Business Experiences at Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business is going to deliver the kick off presentation of Windows Mobile 6.5 on Monday, May 11th at 1:00PM – 2:15PM. This Tech Ed 2009 session focuses on Windows Mobile 6.5 and is targeted at both IT Professionals and Developers, with a cool demo and an outline of great stuff to come. Be sure to join us as we are giving away 5 Samsung Blackjack II's!

[via MobileTopSoft, PHONE Magazine]

RadioShack now accepting trade-ins of old and working electronics

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT

Too lazy to sell something on Craiglist or eBay? Or just simply fed up with the big percentage that eBay takes away from your sales? RadioShack is now accepting trade-ins for used electronics.

RadioShack Trade-In Program RadioShack now accepts the following old and working electronic devices for trade-in with a RadioShack gift card:

MP3 players
Mobile phones
Cameras
Camcorders
GPS receivers
Gaming media
Gaming consoles
HDTVs (online only)
Car audio (online only)
Laptops (online only)

You can choose to do the trade-in at a physical store or online:

In-store:

Bring your products and accessories to your participating neighborhood RadioShack store.
A sales associate will determine the value of your products.
If you accept, you will receive a gift card for that value that you can use instantly.

Online:

Click this link and determine the value of your products.
Print out a pre-paid shipping label and ship products for free.
Your RadioShack gift card will be mailed to you. Shop in-store or online.

No mention as to how they appraise the value of your electronics but you can try it out for yourself with RadioShack’s online trade-in tool here.

Practically, every area across the whole United States has a RadioShack nearby. So it’s just a matter of justifying whether the RadioShack-appraised value for your electronics is good enough or acceptable for you.

[via CrunchGear and RadioShack]

RadioShack Sound Pressure Level (SPL) Meter 33-4050 Unboxing

Ora ilLegale daylight savings time analog clock by Denis Guidone

Posted: 20 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT

The Ora ilLegale, designed by Denis Guidone, puts a whole new twist on adjusting for daylight savings time. You just tip over the clock from one side to the other and the correct time is then reflected.

If you have tried living in the US for a full year, you’d know that adjusting your body to the one hour differential can be such a pain in the ass. While I was there, I used to adjust my clocks 8 to 12 hours before the actual daylight savings time switching.

The only downsides I can with this clock are the following:

What if you accidentally tip over the clock when you do not need to? You either move the clock forward or backward by an hour.
When you move back the clock, the hour hand will be pointing to the right hour but what happens to the minute hand? It will be late by 5 minutes.
No enclosure? If you have little tykes going around, they’d surely have fun over those clock hands!