about-electronics.eu

Engadget: Before you dismiss this as just another crazy idea out of Japan, hear us out. The newly developed, crab-simulating Navi Robo is designed to give drivers visual navigating assistance as a supplement to their GPS device. Its primary benefit, aside from helping the hearing impaired, will be in conveying instructions without requiring the driver to focus on it, as its eyes light up for attention and its “claws” vibrate urgently when an upcoming turn is imminent. Frankly, it looks both cute and functional, and we think kudos are in order for both Pioneer and iXs Research for coming up with the idea. They’ll be taking their usual good time (read: a couple of years) to refine and develop the idea, but we’ve got video of the robot doing its thing right now — you know where to find it.

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Pioneer.eu: This week Pocket-Lint.com interviewed Dom Feeney, Pioneer Product Executive, resulting in a video tour of Pioneer’s new iControlAV app for iPhone & iPod Touch. The free application can be used to control Pioneer’s new AV receivers and Blu-ray Disc Players.

The iControlAV application provides iPhone and iPod touch users convenient integration of their devices with their home cinema system. The free app turns an iPhone and iPod touch into a fully functioning remote control for the VSX-920, VSX-1020, and VSX-1025 receivers. When the receivers are connected to an existing wireless router via Ethernet, the app allows wireless control of the receivers and includes graphical representations of the following controllable elements:

• Control– Allows users to adjust the main volume, mute, select and switch inputs including multi-zones and display audio/video status information with a slight touch of the screen.
• Precision – Allows users to turn on/off two of Pioneer’s proprietary sound enhancements, PQLS which achieves jitterless signal transmission via HDMI from compatible Pioneer Blu-ray Disc players, and Phase Control which permits precise phase control of multi-channel speakers.
• Balance – With a roll and hold motion users can adjust the output balance of their speakers for 360 degree sound levelling to match their present listening position.
• Emphasis – With a tilt and hold motion users can adjust dialogue and bass levels of the centre speaker and subwoofer for optimum clarity of soundtracks with dynamic vocals or video games with extra bass.

In addition the iControlAV app is a fully functioning remote control for the BDP-LX53 and BDP-330. When they are connected to an existing wireless router (via Ethernet or Wireless LAN), the application allows wireless control of playback and navigation functions.

Download iControlAV

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ipodnn: Sweden-based earphone maker Jays has introduced a new range of earbuds, with thet-JAYS. The three models, called simply One, Two and Three differ by their sound character and included accessories. All share the same 8-gram earphone that contains a dynamic speaker with a 10mm Neodymium element and a detachable 2- or 4.3-foot Kevlar cord. (more…)

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BBC News: Apple is to delay the international release of its touchscreen tablet computer, the iPad, by one month. It will now launch the device around the world, including the UK, at the end of May, and will begin accepting pre-orders on 10 May.

In a statement the company blamed demand for the device in the US, which it said had been “surprisingly strong”. When the iPad launched in the US, 300,000 units were sold on its first day. Apple claims it delivered 500,000 in the first week of its release. “Demand is far higher than we predicted and will likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks,” said Apple.

Prices for the first iPad models start at $499 (£328) in the US. They have wi-fi but not 3G connectivity. (more…)

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Dvice: Reviews from the folks who Apple sent an iPad to early are starting to come out. What did they think?

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Wired.co.uk: You’re not crazy, and neither are we: The touchscreen on the Apple iPhone really is more responsive than the screens on the BlackBerry Storm, the Motorola Droid, the Nexus One and many other phones, even though all of these devices use essentially the same touch-sensing hardware.

Though handset makers buy their touchscreens as components from the same select pool of suppliers, a good touchscreen experience requires more than just hardware. It requires a bit of design alchemy blending software, engineering and calibration for the perfect feel. Few smartphone makers have managed to get that balance right, say experts. Read more…

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Wired: Director Chris Cairns, turntablist JFB, drummer Will Clarke and prolific beatboxer Beardyman have teamed up to turn Cairns’ Neurosonics film — which features disembodied heads mounted on a selection of instruments — into a live performance that’s just as jaw-dropping as the original.

The director, who’s also behind the photomontaging Land Rover Freelander advert and Radio 1′s “infectious radio” promo, originally created the Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs film back in 2009. It’s set in a lab, and depicts three scientists mounting a number of different heads onto turntables and drum sets before playing them like real instruments.

The original video was created with plenty of CGI, so shifting it into a live setting was always going to prove troublesome. To bridge the gap between the virtual and the physical, Cairns enlisted the assistance of holographic projection experts Musion. The company set up the performance for the first Musion Academy Media Awards — which exist to recognise the most impressive holographic creations. Read more…

Neurosonics Live from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.

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What Hi-Fi: Fatman has added two new valve amps to its roster. The iTube 202 and iTube 302 will each come with a FatDock (and receiver) and will retail at £899 and £1149 respectively.

The FatDock enables wireless streaming from an iPod or iPhone to the amp, while the latter can of course also be used as part of a standard hi-fi system.

The 302′s Class AB Push Pull design releases 30 watts per channel, while the Class A Single Ended 202 (pictured) fires 20 watts per speaker.

Round the back of the FatDock you’ll find a 3.5mm input and a USB output, alongside the standard Apple docking connection, while a receiver, for connecting to your amp, and a remote are included, too.

The iTubes themselves have three pairs of RCA inputs, another 3.5mm input and a subwoofer out connection.

The Fatman iTube 202 and iTube 302 go on sale in the UK and Europe from April 2010 and will have suggested retail prices of £899 and £1149 respectively.

The above prices include the FatDock and a three year warranty.

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Bornrich.org: The sari denotes traditional Indian wear and has generated interest since it lends distinctive radiance, vigor and variety to the costume. However, the Swaramadhuri is one unique silk sari which is all set to stir lots of interest and curiosity among the sari buyers. Called a “singing” sari, the Swaramadhuri has a built-in iPod and eight microspeakers embedded in its borders, and it can play as many as 200 songs continuously for four hours. A 2GB memory chip is hidden somewhere in the sari to support the connected peripherals. Sure, in this age of wearable technology where music and rhythm get imbued with fabric, the sari is no exception.

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Engadget: LG isn’t dishing out many details about this one just yet, but company exec KW Kim (head of LG’s Middle East and Africa Operations) has told Emirates Business that LG will soon be launching a product — “maybe by April” — that “will compete with Apple and Amazon.”

And, well, that’s about it. As you may recall, however, LG has been showing off various bits of technology for e-book readers over the past little while, including a solar-powered system designed specifically for e-readers and, of course, some flexible e-paper displays that have already turned up in the Skiff Reader. In other LG news, Kim also dropped word that the company is talking with Etisalat about a new line of “notebooks” (possibly netbooks) that would use “Google’s operating system,” although it’s not clear if he was referring to Chrome or Android.

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CNet: Steve Jobs apparently laid into Google recently for entering the phone market with the Nexus One and attempting to steal the iPhone’s thunder.

As we write, the Jobsinator is setting his spleen to its maximum vent setting, because Google may be planning to release a Chrome OS-based tablet PC to take on the newly birthed iPad.

Glen Murphy, one of Google’s Chrome OS designers, has posted a concept video (below) of what a Chrome OS interface might look like on a tablet, while documents on the Chromium Projects Web site suggest such a tablet would be between 5 and 10 inches in size, support multi-touch (like the iPad), and use a tabs-based system, rather than windows.

Rumours have also been circulating for a goodly while that Google has been in talks with HTC to build a tablet PC. Check out the video below, and click ‘Continue’ to see more mock-ups of what the Gpad may look like.

Could Google’s efforts put the willies up Jobs? Will Google prove too tardy if it does decide to crash the latest tablet party? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Electronista: Amazon on Thursday released its fourth-quarter earnings report, indicating a net income increase of 75 percent to reach $9.5 billion.

CEO Jeff Bezos claims that “millions of people now own Kindles,” although the company has yet to release specific distribution numbers for the e-book reader.

The US Kindle Store now offers over 410,000 e-books, covering 100 of 112 New York Times bestsellers.

Customers can also choose from over 8,000 blogs and more than 130 domestic and international newspapers.

“When we have both editions, we sell 6 Kindle books for every 10 physical books,” said Bezos. “This is year-to-date and includes only paid books — free Kindle books would make the number even higher. It’s been an exciting 27 months.”

Amazon has reported a 28 percent increase in net sales for the full year of 2009, reaching approximately $24.5 billion. Net income rose to $902 million for the year, a 40 percent increase compared to 2008 profits.

The company recently changed its Kindle payouts to compete with Apple, now giving 70 percent of the purchase price back to the publishers. Apple has maintained its 30 percent cut, however publishers are not restricted to Amazon’s $10 price cap for e-books.

The iPad maker recommends that publishers charge $14 or $15 for hardcover bestsellers.

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