Devices Site

Posted Jan 15th 2008 3:29PM by Chris Ziegler
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable VideoSo let’s just boil down the newly-available firmware 1.1.3 to the nitty gritty, shall we? Here’s what Apple’s latest juicy morsel is going to do to your iPhone (or iPod touch, if that’s how you roll and you have $19.99 to spare) once you can finally reliably get it from iTunes:

• Maps: New hybrid view, same as Google Maps. Satellite imagery and street mapping available on a single view.
• Maps: Location triangulation. Uses nearby WiFi access points and GSM towers (on the iPhone, anyway) to roughly guesstimate your current location.
• Web Clips: Web bookmarks can now be saved as home screen icons, including zoom and location information.
• Home screen: Icons on the home screen can now be rearranged.
• Home screen: Up to 9 home screens can now be created and “flicked” between.
• SMS: A single text message can now be sent to multiple recipients; groups can be recalled for future use.
• iTunes: Movie rentals are now supported.
• iTunes: Support for lyrics.

Additionally, the iPod touch now features Mail, Maps, Stocks, Weather, and Notes, all of which were previously exclusive to the iPhone. Cheers!

Now that CES 2008 has ended, it is time to look back and check the products that won awards. The Omnistat2 isn’t your normal thermostat, because it can even help you pay the energy bills.

Since it is a high-tech thermostat, the Omnistat2 can control with exaction two details of your home: temperature, and humidity. Afterwards, it is able to make adjustments in order to gain more efficiency, which in the end translates into less money for energy bills.

Sadly there is no information about the price, mostly because it is hot at CES. Expectations for the launch are on the 2Q.

PS - It was the Honoree Award for Design and Engineering in Home Appliances.

Via SlashGear

Posted Jan 13th 2008 8:36AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Wearables
On the real, spy glasses are old hat, but building a set on your own for under $40 is most definitely notable. An engineering fellow has managed to do just that by snagging a micro camera from eBay for around $18 and wiring it up to a $20 pair of Solar Shield shades. From there, he connected the camera to a pocket-friendly MiniDV camcorder — which we’re sure could be done wirelessly for those with extra time — and continued on to snag quite a few questionable reels of footage from a day at the beach. Of course, you won’t find us recommending that you let your inner voyeur loose or anything, but feel free to tag the read link for all the instructions you need (and a video to boot).

Alltel has just added the HTC Touch to their lineup. The Alltel branded Touch will be available in grey as opposed to the black version that Sprint offers, not to mention its currently $50 more with Sprint. Feature wise the Alltel branded Touch is very close to the Sprint version.

Just to review the HTC Touch features a 2-megapixel camera with video capability, Windows Media Player, an external microSD memory card slot, Bluetooth and runs Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional.

Alltel’s HTC Touch features four panels on the “cube,” including an Alltel-exclusive panel that provides customers with quick access to the latest smartphone applications to personalize their phones and help do more on the go. Customers can also customize the phone with ringtones, themes and games, in addition to pre-programmed links to shopping applications.

The HTC Touch is available at Alltel beginning today and will retail for $199 after instant and mail-in rebates along with a 2-year agreement.

Read [Alltel]

If last year Santa didn’t find your house this year your house will be the very first one to host Santa. How? All you need is to get an absolutely cool gadget called the LED roof tiles.

Made by Lambert Kamps this transparent roof tiles do have LEDs built inside. Just stick them onto your roof and let your imagination fly. Create word combinations or mosaic of texts. Draw pictures in any desirable color or graphical content you the home owner desire. Create images, even animated ones.

This gadget is powered by a series of self contained solar - photovoltaic cells. Imagine how great eve your roof would look on Christmas if there would lay a ‘Santa land here’ message surrounded by animated pictures of jolly old elf sleigh with reindeers. That will be the greatest Christmas ever and let everyone envy you.

Launch your iTunes, because the new Apple iPhone January Firmware update (aka 1.1.3) is now available. Just remember that if you have a software unlock or third-party applications installed, this update will 99.99%-probably break them, so don’t update. And yes, the video that we posted on December was spot on:

[Apple]

WirelessInfo reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, “The live preview on the Treo 755p take up about three quarter of the screen with the bottom quarter showing you the various controls available. We found the live preview did a good job showing you exactly what you’re going to get in the final photo. It also did a good job when panning, with very little blurring or pixelation. Interestingly, we found it a better live preview than on the Palm Centro or the Treo 750.”

Read more about the Palm Treo 755p.