Hasta La Gadget!

Nokia’s latest “super” hydrophobic coating doesn’t take half-measures. This new technology binds a layer of nanotech magic to the surface of its devices that literally bounces liquids away. Although we’ve been told the nanotubes at work here are most effective with water, other liquids (and smudgy fingerprints) should also find the treated surface difficult to latch onto. Due to the thinness of this waterproofing solution, a spokesperson told us here at Nokia World that even the inner workings of a phone could be treated in the same way. No more incidents in the bathroom? Count us in. Check the video after the break for some slo-mo water slippage.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Continue reading Future Nokia phones repellent, says water (video)

Future Nokia phones repellent, says water (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll probably never match Japan’s obsession with waterproof gadgets, but anyone would appreciate how the local manufacturers also manage to keep them thin and light at the same time. The Fujitsu Arrows Tab LTE F-01D we fiddled with here at CEATEC is one such example: while it’s thicker than Samsung’s 10.1-inch counterpart by almost 3mm, we were surprised that Fujitsu’s latest Android tablet also weighs just under 600g — not bad considering it’s suitable for use in the shower.

What’s more, the F-01D comes with a rather unique feature that’s great for use in the bathroom or the kitchen: camera-based gesture control, which works in the browser (to scroll pages or go back and forth) as well as the 1seg or DLNA TV viewer (to change the channel and volume). You’ll see in our video after the break that the gestures worked liked a charm for us, though initially we had to make sure that the tablet wasn’t facing any strong light behind us (a typical problem in large conventions). Anyhow, if you’re up for grabbing an F-01D, it’ll be available on NTT DoCoMo in Japan next week.

Continue reading Fujitsu Arrows Tab LTE F-01D with gesture control hands-on (video)

Fujitsu Arrows Tab LTE F-01D with gesture control hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In addition to the already announced Fujitsu-Toshiba Arrows Z, HTC Evo 3D and Motorola Photon, Japanese carrier KDDI has now also confirmed a trio of new handsets. There’s plenty of similarities; they’re all Android, all waterproof and are each packing an eight megapixel camera. Kyocera’s Digno is a slimline offering available in three different colors, and puts some of Kyocera’s US offerings to shame looks-wise. Sharp’s AQUOS IS13SH has an IPS-rivalling ASV display, whilst the NEC’s Medias BR IS11 will arrive in a choice of pink, white and blue. Sadly, there’s still no sign of that mythical iPhone from KDDI. Check out the links below for all the full-fat details.

KDDI launches latest line of skinny big-screened smartphones for Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The ContourRoam sports cam doesn’t mind getting its feet wet

The future of underwater videos and photos is likely to be the exact same as the future or all photos and videos: they’ll be take with your phone (in a waterproof case, of course).

But until then, we have cameras like Contour’s ContourRoam, a rugged sports-cam which isn’t scared of water. Well, water shallower than a meter (three feet) that is. In addition to enjoying the occasional dip, the ContourRoam shoots 1080p video at 25 or 30 fps, and captures stills with its 5MP sensor. Images come through a fixed focal length lens with a 170˚ field of view — that’s probably wide enough to capture the teeth of the shark as it bites off your head.

Otherwise, specs are competent: three-hour battery life (longer than you can hold your breath at least), 5.1-ounce weight (145 grams) and an instant-record switch round out the features you want to know about. Unlike the other two cameras in the Contour range, it doesn’t have GPS, but I guess that doesn’t work too well underwater anyway.

ContourRoam product page [Contour via Engadget]

See Also:

• Kodak Underwater Sports-Cam Almost Cheap as a Disposable …
• Underwater Camera Is Cheap Enough to Drown
• Waterproof Wrist Camera
• Agfa Rises From the Depths with Cheap Underwater Camera …

In case you were distracted by all the Sony fuss this morning, Nikon also chose today to announce a gaggle of fresh cameras. Most of the new models are incremental updates that will demand in-depth reviews when they’re released in September. In the meantime, however, two cameras stand out as warranting a bit of quick hands-on attention. Firstly, there’s the Coolpix S1200pj priced at $430, which is the third generation of Nikon’s line of projector cameras and appears to house some significant improvements. Next up, we have the $380 AW100, which represents Nikon’s first foray into the all-weather niche since the days of celluloid. It’s a rugged Rambo of a camera that is waterproof down to ear-stinging depths and is a heck of a lot more expensive than the Fuji FinePix XP30 we just took fishing. So, it was only proper that we harpoon pre-release versions of both these cameras in order to provide you with some initial impressions and videos, which you’ll find directly after the break.

Continue reading Nikon unveils S1200pj and AW100 cameras, we go hands-on

Nikon unveils S1200pj and AW100 cameras, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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