Sony just revealed its new models for spring for VAIO’s 5 series with a total of 18 models. All are due to be released in Japan on February 9th. Laptop and desktop computers include 3 touch panel compatible models. All of these new models have Windows 8 “Office Home and Business 2013″ pre-installed. I previously wrote about the convertible laptop/tablet “VAIO Duo11″ with Windows 8 64 bit on Intel Core i5, 11.6 inch display, 4GB RAM and SSD 128GB hard drive, but …
Sony has unveiled its new 2013 Spring VAIO models. A featured new part of the line-up is an exciting model like nothing we’ve seen before – It is a hybrid PC / tablet. Literally, a PC that transforms from a PC to a tablet. You don’t close this product the same way you do your regular laptop. Just slide the screen with Sony’s innovative “Surf Slider” and then it becomes a tablet. It slides smoothly and smartly and looks very sleek. It’s a high-spec …
Despite the myriad uses an iPad can serve up, one area where it falls short is artistic creation. Sure, there are tons of sketching and painting apps, but they are hampered by one shortcoming of the iPad’s display: lack of pressure sensitivity. The Pogo Connect Stylus tries to mend this gap and open the doors to a more complete artistic experience on the iPad. More »
As you can imagine, touchscreens have a slight bias against long fingernails, and if you happen to have long fingernails, we’re sure that you’ve already developed some special techniques to effectively use your phone and tablet. However, a new product called Nano Nails aims to essentially turn those long fingernails into touchscreen stylii.
A company by the name of Tech Tips created a detachable fingernail attachment of sorts that acts as a stylus. From there, the company figured out a way to embed the technology into wearable and fashionable fingernails. Nano Nails hide a tiny capacitive tip under the index fingernail that can be detected by a touchscreen just like a fingertip would, and it’s completely invisibile unless you’re looking for it.
The stylus nails will save you from having to carry a separate stylus, and since they’re glued to your finger, they’re always at the ready. There is a slight learning curve to Nano Nails, which is mostly getting used to using the proper angle for the tip to make contact with the display, but it’s certainly better than having to blindly tap at your phone with the pad of your finger.
Nano Nails will be available in either a full press-on nail or a nail tip, and the company expects them to sell in packages of four or six for around $10. They can also be put on by either the wearer or applied professionally at a salon. Tech Tips expects to start shipping the new product sometime this May.
If you’re a fan of long fingernails you’ve probably already developed special techniques for using touchscreen devices. But Sri Vellanki, the creator of a fingertip stylus called Tech Tips, feels women shouldn’t be limited to what technology they can use because of their fashion choices. So she’s developed a touchscreen-friendly fingernail that works like a high-precision stylus. More »
Panasonic is pushing further into touchscreen technology at CES, and it’s not content with finger control alone. Thankfully, Anoto is more than willing to help with a deal to drive the pen input behind multiple Panasonic mobile devices. Its technique, which tracks a stylus’ position across a near-invisible grid of uniquely positioned dots, lets would-be artists draw on Panasonic’s 4K tablet and other hardware with higher accuracy and fewer worries about the touch surface’s size or composition. Anoto hasn’t said how long the partnership will last, but the initial scale suggests that it’s more than just a short-term union.
When you think high-tech, you don’t necessarily think kids. But as any parent who owns an iPad can tell you, that tablet is fast-becoming a pricey toy (or distraction). Which is why Fisher-Price has crafted the Create and Learn Case which, itself, is no great slice of cutting edge tech. In fact, it’s a rather dumb case, seeing as how it merely offers a kid-friendly holster for that iPad. Download the company’s free companion app and you have a recreational learning tool for children that separates its programs across three categories: create, learn and explore. Those first two offer different activities encompassing free drawing and letter learning. But the most exciting element of the case is the pack of 13 double-sided augmented reality cards tucked away in its back. Using the rear camera, kids can select cards to display 3D interactive models, obviously geared towards education. And for a more precise input option, the case also features a tethered stylus, which can be mapped to the left or right sides. The Create and Learn Case is targeted for a fall release and should hit the market at $40 in two colors.
It almost wouldn’t be a camera introduction without a couple of superzooms, would it? Appropriately, Olympus is updating its lower-cost SZ models at CES with new sensors and a handful of extras to match the long-distance optics. The 24X zoom SZ-16 iHS makes the undeniably larger leap: its 14-megapixel sensor now relies on low light-friendly CMOS (instead of the SZ-12’s CCD) and introduces a quicker TruePic VI processor. The added power leads to a multi-shot Hand-Held Starlight mode for would-be astrophotographers as well as 1080p video. Not that the very entry level isn’t getting some love, however. The SZ-15 is a meaningful upgrade in its own right, extending to the same 24X zoom as the SZ-16 while replacing the SZ-10’s 14-megapixel CCD with a 16-megapixel CMOS imager. Olympus includes a handful of options that the SZ-15’s older TruePic III engine can handle, such as a Beauty Mode and SR Zoom (read: digital zoom). Both models ship in March, although the narrow pricing spread between the $200 SZ-15 and $230 SZ-16 leaves us leaning heavily toward the higher-end camera.
Olympus knows many of us will be jonesing for a rugged camera once the weather warms up, and it’s more than happy to deliver with a trio of refreshed Stylus Tough point-and-shoots. The TG-2 iHS flagship is all about going closer and deeper than before: it preserves the 12-megapixel CMOS sensor, 25-100mm equivalent f/2.0 lens and 1080p video of its predecessor, but introduces a new Microscopic Macro mode that Olympus claims can provide extreme detail from as little as 1cm (0.4 inches) away. The body’s waterproofing is also resilient enough to survive at a deeper 50 feet, just in case the TG-1 isn’t quite a match for that upcoming reef expedition. The TG-2 will arrive in March, and it should undercut its predecessor’s original asking price at $380.
Those who aren’t quite so committed to rough-and-tumble photography still get a few updates of their own. The TG-830 iHS adds geolocation to the TG-820’s formula with both GPS and an electronic compass to show the way; its 16-megapixel CMOS sensor is also new, although we’re more interested in a newfound option to shoot stills while recording video. At the entry level, the TG-630 iHS is a close cousin of the recent TG-625, adding a front metal plate to the 12-megapixel model we know. The two will ship alongside their bigger sibling in March with respective prices of $280 for the TG-830 and $200 for the TG-630.
Styli? Boring. Sure you can draw and write with the things, but what happens when you want to rock? Reach for Dexim’s Music Talking Stylus, naturally. The pen input device communicates via Bluetooth to your smartphone or tablet, letting you use it to wirelessly listen to music or talk to your pals. The stylus has a built-in volume button and vibration functionality. There’s a headphone jack on one end and when you remove the rubber nub, you gain access to its microUSB port for charging when its five-hours of battery life run down.
If you’re so inclined to purchase such a thing, it’ll run you around $80 when it drops in Q2.
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