One currently popular casemod is to add a small color LCD display to the front of a PC case. Now, one casemodder has come up with a creative way to have an LCD display and still have the use of his floppy drive. He has motorized the display to move up and down like a motorized car window.
New Palm Zire?
PalmInfocenter is reporting that a new version of the low-end Palm Zire is rumored to be on its way to store shelves. The “Zire 71” reportedly runs Palm OS 5, the same as the Tungsten T models, and will have a hi-res color screen and included 640×480 camera. Price is expected to be between $250 and $300. Check out PalmInfocenter for pics and more specs.
Obtainium Itanium on your Titanium?
RIO, other Sonicblue Hardware to Become Affordable
According to Reuters, Sonicblue is filing for bankruptcy. They’ll be selling their RIO and ReplayTV assets to a Japanese holding company, and their GoVideo line to another.
Expect clearance prices on nifty gadgets soon. They plan to have finished the sales by the end of April.
(via Slashdot)
Boingo Ground Floor Opportunity
Boingo, developer of WiFI networks for public access, has put together a HotSpot in a Box package that allows anyone with broadband access to set themselves up as a Boingo affiliate. For just $700, you get a Colubris CN3000 router/firewall that supports up to 100 simultaneous users, software and marketing materials. Every time someone logs in to your Boingo network, you get $1, and there’s a bonus $20 for every customer you sign up. For those with a little tech savvy, this offers a turnkey opportunity to set up a big WiFi network for you and your neighbors that could bring in a good income, assuming you live in a densly populated area. The cost to end-users is $50/mo. for unlimited use, but only $25/mo. for 10 days of use.
Their loss=your gain
A report from the man on the street….of Baghdad
One man’s blog from Baghdad, which appears to be free from official influence: http://www.dear_raed.blogspot.com/
Evolution Robotics Personal Robot System
The ER1 is [a very cool looking] robot for anyone interested in real robotics (not just toys). The robot platform features an industrial-strength, re-configurable aluminum chassis, plug & play, expandable electronics, a state-of-the-art computer vision system, and an open software control system with APIs and SDKs included. [Base price is $500, with expansion kits for extra power, robotic gripping arms, IR sensors, etc. costing between $100 and $200. Processing power provided by any old Pentium III 500 MHz or faster. Laptop not included.]
[Editors Note: Warning! Warning! The stench of a PR posting permeates the above. Still, the ER1 *is* an interesting approach to low-cost home robotics (for the tinkerer, anyway) and is worth checking out if you’re interested in such things.]
Low Cost PocketPC
A new PDA is on the way from Toshiba that is reportedly going to be priced around $200. The e350 (pictured right) follows the e310 and e330 line, and retains the super-thin form factor at less than .5 inches. With 64 megs of RAM, SD expansion slot, 3.5″ transflective TFT screen, and 300 MHz processor (with 200 MHz bus), it puts it squarely in competition with the Dell Axim line and HP 1910. Also introduced at the same time is the Toshiba e750, which replaces the e740. It will have dual expansion slots, 400 MHz processor, 96 megs of RAM, 3.8″ screen and on-board WiFi. Price for the e750 is expected to be around $600. Visit InfoSync for bigger pics.
Update: According to Brighthand the e350 is already selling in europe for around $300. The $200 price was based on rumors that Toshiba was going to try to have a model in that price range, but it now seems unlikely. My guess is that the e350 will be introduced at $300, with a $50 rebate immediately or soon available.
Smallest Phone from Panasonic
Let’s hope phones don’t get any smaller than this — I’ve already swallowed my current phone twice accidently, and this thing is literally half the size! The Panasonic GD-55 is about the same size as a zippo lighter, and could easily be mistaken for one of those fake toy phones sold to kids. I just played with one at a local electronics store, and I have to say I am incredibly impressed — this thing could be a keyfob! It operates on tri-band GSM signals, which means that it works wordwide. It comes in silver, pink, or red, and has limited organizer functions. It can also handle SMS or EMS messaging, and has T9 predictive text input. The downside is its limited talk-time of “1.6-7 hours” depending on backlight usage etc. Street price is around $250 available in the US right now.