Technology Today

CES 2009: Bug Labs Shows New Pico Projector and 3G Modules

Last year at CES, Bug Labs made a splash by unveiling their build-a-gadget system, made out of programmable, separate electronic parts like a webcam, a GPS receiver, and a cellular antenna. This year, the company is adding new 'building block'... Last year at CES, Bug Labs made a splash by unveiling their build-a-gadget system, made out of programmable, separate electronic parts like a webcam, a GPS receiver, and a cellular antenna. This year, the company is adding new 'building block' modules including a Pico projector and a 3G box. Because the whole project is open-source, I'm most looking forward to seeing how the Linux ninjas will modify the Pico feature into one that improves the overall fun factor to a feature that has been underwhelming. (Yes, I've said that before.) Out of the box, the Pico is powered by a DLP (at 480 x 320 resolution), 9 lumens of brightness, and stereo sound. It was developed with Texas Instruments, which also developed a couple of the other Picos. This means the video quality should be at least as good as the others. As for the 3G module, it has a SIM card input as expected and connects to any GSM network. There are other new modules at CES 2009 that will add even more functionality to the gadget. There's BUGwifi, a module box that adds extra 802.11b/g wi-fi, Bluetooth 2.0, and EDR radio to connect the with peripherals. And there's also BUGsound, which adds omnidirectional mics and extra jacks to give the frankengadget the ability of a music player and a voice/audio recorder. None of these modules have been given a set price, but they should all run between $50 and $80, like the others available now. These will be released by March of this year. I was intrigued with this moddable gadget idea ever since I heard about it last year and these additions are interesting to me, but I’m not so sure everyone else is into it. Swapping modules is fun for a nerd like me, but keeping track of them without losing them, in addition to the high hands-on factor, is bound to turn people off. What do you guys think? Is this still interesting or have you moved on to the more expensive but fully serviced gadget like the iPhone? Source[Wired Gadget Lab]

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Dell Plans Its Own Smartphone, Analysts Say

The new Palm Pre may be the most-anticipated new phone since the iPhone 3G, but there's yet another new player on the way: PC maker Dell may be readying its own smartphone, to arrive as early as next month. Dell... The new Palm Pre may be the most-anticipated new phone since the iPhone 3G, but there's yet another new player on the way: PC maker Dell may be readying its own smartphone, to arrive as early as next month. Dell could make an announcement at 3GSM or the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona in mid-February 2009, say some analysts. "The exact timing of Dell's launch is not clear but our sources indicate it is closer to reality than before," says Shaw Wu, an analyst with Kaufman Bros. in a research note. "We believe it is likely inevitable that Dell enter the cellphone space given the cannibalization of PCs by smartphones and highly functional mobile devices." Dell has been studying the cellphone market and talking with component suppliers and manufacturers for nearly two years, says Wu. A Dell smartphone, if it arrives, will be entering an incredibly competitive market. In the past year Apple, RIM and HTC among others have launched new touchscreen devices. And there's more to come from other players, including Palm. Dell is betting there will be enough room for all. Smartphones are one of the fastest-growing consumer electronics devices. Smartphones captured 14 percent of the 2008 cellphone sales market with about 258 million devices sold last year and sales are expected to go up to 725 million this year. Dell could be fighting for a piece of that pie. "It wouldn't surprise me to see them do this," says Ryan Reith, an analyst with IDC. "This is such an enticing space that if you do it correctly you can be in a huge growth market." Speculation about Dell's move into the smartphone market has been around for a few years now. In 2007, Dell hired Ron Garriques, a former Motorola executive known as the force behind the RAZR phone, as president of its consumer business. "That's what sparked all the chatter," says Reith. But now Dell may be closer than ever to the finish line. "It's been two years since Garriques was hired which leads me to believe that Dell could be ready with something outside the PC space," says Reith. Dell did not respond to a request for comment. Despite the availability of the open source Android operating system, Dell is likely to pick the Windows Mobile platform. Dell has a strong relationship with Microsoft, stemming from their close partnership in the PC business. Microsoft has also seen Windows Mobile fade into the background with the launch of Android OS and now the new Palm WebOS, and it may be highly motivated to find a powerful partner to help shore up WinMo. Dell could help bring Windows Mobile back to the center stage, says Bonny Joy, senior analyst with research firm Strategy Analytics. Dell's greatest challenge will be in creating a cellphone that gets the right blend of design, features and functionality. That's a difficult goal to achieve, as companies such as Palm and Motorola have discovered recently. "Cellphones are really hard to make," says Julie Ask, principal analyst at Forrester Research. "It's not like a PC where it is all commodity and design doesn't really matter. Why would anyone want to buy a phone from Dell?" Design has not been a major part of the company's DNA until quite recently. Traditionally, Dell desktops and laptops were functional and competitively priced, but fugly. That has started to change, as Dell has recently poured a lot of resources into gussying up its designs. And in the smartphone business, design counts for a lot. Just ask Palm, which saw its market share erode over the last few years as consumers turned away from its bulky Treo phones. The question is can Dell make a device that competes with the Palm Pre, iPhone and G1 among others? It could be easier than many expect, says IDC's Reith. "If you see the top devices launched in the last six months, there isn't really much of a difference," he says. "So if Dell has a clever design team they can pull this off." See Also: Palm Unveils Its Long-Awaited Smartphone, the Pre Six Reasons Why the Palm Pre Is Special T-Mobile Launches G1 Android Phone Photo: HTC Kaiser (recompose/Flickr) Source[Wired Gadget Lab]

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Sony Cybershot with Built-In Wi-Fi, Web Browser

LAS VEGAS -- Sony has invented the webcam. Or at least, it has put the web into a cam. At CES 2009, the company debuted Cybershot DSC-G3, the first camera to have built in 802.11 (b,g) Wi-Fi along with a... LAS VEGAS -- Sony has invented the webcam. Or at least, it has put the web into a cam. At CES 2009, the company debuted Cybershot DSC-G3, the first camera to have built in 802.11 (b,g) Wi-Fi along with a web browser. As a camera, it's no slouch. Ten megapixels, a 10x zoom, a hi-res 921,600-dot 3.5 inch touchscreen and smile detection. There is a decent 4GB memory built in, but if you want more you will of course have to buy a Sony Memory Stick. Of course, the Wi-Fi is the interesting point here. You can hook up to any Wi-Fi point and using the browser you can also sign in to hotspots. From there, you can upload directly to Photobucket, YouTube, DailyMotion, Picasa and Shutterfly but, oddly, not Flickr. The real gimmick, though, is the browser, and it is terrible. Buttons disappear half off the screen in forms, html links are tiny and hard to click (hence the plastic stylus on the end of the strap) and if you think you'll be browsing your online photo collection you're dead wrong. This is strictly html only, Web 1.0. No Flash, no Javascript. You're never going to have an iPhone-like experience here (except for the parity in the lack of Flash). In fact, its hard to see why Sony bother putting it in. In fact, if you need the uploading functions, just grab an Eye-Fi card instead. Priced at $500, you can buy it now only at SonyStyle, coming to stores soon. Product page [SonyStyle] Source[Wired Gadget Lab]

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