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New York Times article on the Sound Window, a new technique from Panasonic for making LCD screens double as speakers. Probably will first appear in PDAs and cellphones that usually lack an external speaker or have one that is so small as to be virtually useless. Don’t expect stellar sound though. Read
It looks like Ogg Vorbis, that open source audio codec developed as an alternative to MP3 and all the other proprietary (and this license fee demanding) formats out there, may finally be supported by portable digital audio players. Xiph.org, the group behind Ogg Vorbis, has released Tremor, an Ogg Vorbis player that doesn’t need a…
November marks the tenth anniversary of the Sony Mini Disc, and to commemorate the event, Sony is releasing the world’s thinnest (1cm) and lightest (55g) mini disc player ever. It’s scarcely bigger than a mini disc itself. Read
New Scientist on an LCD monitor created by researchers at Japanese electronics company Iizuka Denki Kogyo which appears totally blank unless viewed with special polarized glasses. This would be great for laptops, especially if the screen could be switched back to normal when prying eyes are no longer around. Read
Pioneer’s has its own SACD/DVD-Audio combo player on the way, the NS-DV1000. Curiously it appears that it will be released only in the UK market, and consequently only plays Region 2 DVDs. Read
Steve’s Digicams on Sony’s new 5.24 megapixel prosumer digital camera, the Cyber-shot F717. Read
CNet finally gets around to reviewing the Treo 300. Read Buy
Sony’s new Linux-based digital video recorder comes with a 160GB hard drive, and a high-speed Internet connection, which I’m assuming is an Ethernet port. You can also use a cellphone to pick programs to record, which is perfect if you’re out and forgot to set it to record a particular show. The Cocoon, as it’s…
Gadgeteer review of the PEGA-KB20, Sony’s new thumb mini-keyboard for their CLIE line of PDAs. Read
FutureLooks review of the Tantus LTM1775W, Samsung’s new 17″, LCD flat-panel widescreen TV/monitor hybrid. Read
Worried about someone free-riding on your wireless access point? Black Alchemy Weapons Lab has released Fake AP, which generates thousands of decoy 802.11b access points. Sure you’ll fake out the hackers, but the most immediate result might just be thousands of warchalking symbols turning up outside your window. Read
Global Business Network-sponsored contest to “imagine and design a similar but vastly more advanced doglike entity.” The prize? A new AIBO, specifically the ERS-31L. Read
Microsoft’s new Windows XP Media Center Edition, which is designed to turn the PC into a convergence device/home entertainment hub, will have strong copy protections built-in. For instance, for Tivo-like digital video recording, users would be unable to archive the shows or copy them for a friend. Read
CNet on Microsoft’s new mice and keyboards. The big news will be later this month when the company announces its line of Bluetooth-enabled mice and keyboards. Read
Nokia D311, a hybrid GPRS/802.11b PCMCIA card. It’s been available in America for a few months now. The future of wireless is these combination cards, but the D311 is not the card you’ve been waiting for. At a maximum data rate of 14.4 kbs using GPRS (its European cousin the D211 is faster at 43.2…
Later this month Sony will introduce the PEGA-MSB1, a Memory Stick that adds Bluetooth connectivity to its CLIE line of PDAs, to the European market. I’d be surprised if Sony chose to not introduce the PEGA-MSB1 into the US market as well. Read [Translated from German by Babelfish]
CNet’s list of the Top 5 Pocket PCs. Toshiba dominates, with the e310 topping the list and the e740 coming in second. Read Buy
The new Ultra Cordless Optical Mouse from Gyration, which besides having a twenty-five foot range, also has a gyroscopic motion sensor for use in mid-air. Read
CNN on Scott Jones from Escient’s gadget filled house. Everything inside is remote controlled, including the fireplace. Read
HP’s new Photosmart 850 digital camera, the first 4 megapixel camera with an eight times optical zoom lens. Digital Photography Review has an early look at it. Read