Hasta La Gadget!

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about the NaviSurfer II, but for those patiently awaiting the update of this commuter computer, VIC Ltd. has just given the thing a pretty hefty overhaul. The new NaviSurfer II UBU-3G runs on an auto-specific Ubuntu 10.10 and sports a 7-inch touchscreen, 250GB hard drive, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 3G HSDPA modem, and three USB 2.0 ports. Possibly the most useful upgrade of all, however, is the inclusion of a built-in GPS receiver, rocking a Navit navigation system. Unfortunately for those lacking in the dashboard department, this sucker’s Double DIN, or about twice the size of the standard car radio, but if you’ve got room for the thing, the NaviSurfer runs €300 (about $400).

Update: The VIC Ltd website is currently down — looks like someone might be throwing a little too much traffic their way.

VIC Ltd NaviSurfer II UBU-3G in-car PC gets built-in GPS — finally originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the grand scheme of things, one millimeter may not seem like a lot, but in the smartphone arms race toward ever-slimmer devices, measurements like that matter. Synaptics, best known for building laptop touchpads, has ventured into the capacitive touchscreen realm with a new panel that promises to save exactly that much space: 1mm. But that’s only the start. You see, the thinner display profile is the result of Synaptics melding the touch-sensing layer and the display into one, using what it calls in-cell technology, with the result being something roughly comparable to Samsung’s Super AMOLED implementation. The benefit of going with Synaptics, however, is that the company’s tech is compatible with all display types, meaning that everything from garden variety LCDs to high-density IPS panels can be infused with a bit of touch sensitivity. Additional benefits include extra brightness, as there is one fewer layer for light to get through, and significantly higher sensitivity than on most current generation touch panels. You can see a pretty compelling demo of that on video just past the break. The ClearPad 3250 should find its way to shipping devices over the next nine months, with its current iteration capable of being fitted to screens up to five inches in size and a subsequent model scaling all the way out to eight inches.

Continue reading Synaptics ClearPad 3250 capacitive touchscreen hands-on (video)

Synaptics ClearPad 3250 capacitive touchscreen hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3M this week shared a new kind of touchscreen that merges the processor and screen almost into one. The new touchscreen will make the newer tablets, and, smartphones thinner than ever before. 3M did not give an expected release date for when these new screens will come out.

Typical touchscreens work with a conducting mesh that transmits your movements to the processor via circuits. 3M claims that it has found a way to shrink the mesh, as well as the circuits. Thus making the devices much thinner than they are today.

This sounds great, but I have to wonder about how much more easy these new touchscreens can break. That needs to be addressed by 3M, or at least considered. Many young kids play with devices that use touchscreens, so a thinner one could present more danger to them.

Via Extreme Tech

Still looking for a Valentine’s gift for that lucky lady? If you can’t afford a silver necklace from Tiffany’s, check out this bundle we found from Agloves. Made of silver-coated nylon, Agloves allow you to use capacitive touchscreens while keeping your hands nice and toasty. Normally $17.99 a pair, the company is offering its limited edition Valentine’s Twice the Love Bundle for only $24.99.

The bundle includes one pair of Agloves, one Chocolove dark chocolate/cherry/almond flavor 1.3-ounce bar, and one “I (g)love you” Valentine’s mini card with a poem. It’s all wrapped in a red organza bag with satin drawstrings. Ooh la la.

Unlike other touchscreen gloves we’ve seen, the Agloves’ silver-coated nylon is intertwined throughout the entire glove, so it’s not just your two pointer fingers that can use the touchscreen — the entire glove is a conductor. 

Hurry and get this deal before Valentine’s Day!

[Originally posted to TechSaver]

Is it spring already? Nikon has just assaulted us with no less than nine new Coolpix models, freshening up its consumer offering with a litany of hot new shades, touchscreens and hardware updates. We’ll let you dig into the press releases after the break for the full details, but the two new Performance range cameras, the P500 and P300, are worth discussing in more detail. The P500 improves on Nikon’s P100 by a few orders of magnification, touting a voyeur-friendly 36x optical zoom, while also offering a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 1080 / 30p video plus stereo sound recording, max ISO of 3200, and an 1100mAh battery. The back is also adorned with a tiltable display, sized at 3 inches diagonally and fitting 920k dots. Yours on March 3rd for $400, €464 or £400, depending on your local currency.

The P300 is cheaper at $330 / €348 / £300, however it might well be the more appealing option for image quality obsessives as it boasts a lens with an aggressive F1.8 aperture and 4.2x optical zoom. It shares the same backside-illuminated sensor as you’ll find in the P500, but benevolently permits its user full manual control to let him or her capture that perfect shot. Rapid-fire shooting at 8fps for up to seven frames is available, but we’re loving the fact it can also do 1080 / 30p with continuous autofocus and the ability to both capture images and use its optical zoom while recording. If Nikon is to be believed, the P300 is basically the P7000 that came out last year, but shrunken down to the size of a compact. It really is a very diminutive and attractive — it has that intentionally understated matte black finish that huskily whispers the word “prosumer” in your ear — compact camera. It lands on March 17th.

Continue reading Nikon crams 36x zoom in P500, full manual controls in P300, refreshes Coolpix range with tons of color

Nikon crams 36x zoom in P500, full manual controls in P300, refreshes Coolpix range with tons of color originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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