Sony, Discovery (Channel) and IMAX are teaming up [press release] to launch a 3D TV network in the US, but not until 2011.
It remains to be seen whether the actual 3D programming will be limited or not. After all, it’s not like IMAX productions number in the thousands. On the other hand, we’re suprised at how quickly home 3D technology and content seems to be taking off.
Dell is following through with their earlier announcement of an Android handset, and will be joining the ranks of the other AT&T Android smartphones.
The Dell Mini 3 smartphone [press release] is an iPhone/Droid/Nexus styled touchscreen phone that sports a 3.5″ 540×360 display, 3 Megapixel camera with flash, microSD slot, GPS and Bluetooth.
Expect availability in the 1st half of 2010.
Remember Eye-Fi, the maker of those SD cards for your digital camera that WiFi-enabled your camera so you could instantly upload your photos somewhere without having to plug in your camera to your computer? (Sorry, that was a mouthful!) Well, they’re still around and cranking out products.
Our prediction that camera manufacturers would get clued in and just start including WiFi into their products didn’t pan out, even given 2+ years.
Eye-Fi has a new 8GB card with 802.11n support, as well as updated software and cloud storage services.
Lenovo is showing off their intriguing new tablet, the U1 Hybrid, that also doubles as a netbook. By itself, it is a 1.5lb, 8h4 multi-touch tablet running Linux, but dock it in its clamshell with keyboard and it instantly becomes a Windows 7 netbook.
Has a Snapdragon CPU, and 3g and WiFi for Net access. Available in the 2nd half of this year.
Uh-oh Apple, you’re getting pipped in the tablet department – you better have something amazing to show off.
Skype is partnering with TV makers to include their telephony service into TVs in 2010. So far, Panasonic and LG are signed up: LG Electronics will add Skype to its NetCast enabled displays, while Panasonic will add it to select sets equipped with its VieraCast services.
Of course, you will still need an active Internet connection in order to make use of this service, but it’ll certainly make it more convenient and comfortable to make calls from your sofa. It will be interesting to see how well this actually works.
In what is probably a growing field (example: take a look at nio), ZOMM, just announced their forthcoming Bluetooth leash with alarm for your mobile/cell phone. This personal security device that you keep in your pocket or attach to your keychain that will sound an alarm if you walk away from your phone.
ZOMM also functions as a speakerphone so you don’t even need to get to your phone. It has LED lights for visual notifications, a microphone for two-way communications and a speaker for audible alerts including full speakerphone functionality.
Update: A variety of ZOMM devices are now available starting around $50.
Turn that food you eat into energy and then convert that to power for your gadgets using Easy Energy’s YoGen ripcord-pulling charger. Just pull the cord a few times repeatedly to build up enough power to get your device running for a few minutes. Watch the video to quickly get the idea.
Power is pushed out via the built-in mini-USB connector. You can get it directly from Easy Energy for $40.
Spring Design jumps into the e-book market with its Alex which is another dual-screen reader. It is yet another product running on Google’s Android OS, and features mobile browsing via WiFi and via 3G, EVDO/CDMA and GSM.
The top screen is a 6″ monochrome e-paper (e-Ink) screen while the smaller lower screen is a 3.5″ color LCD. Also included is an SD card slot, earphones and speakers.
One notable and useful feature is the ability to conserve battery life by displaying content on the EPD screen that was originally captured while surfing on the LCD screen with a simple toggle.
Update: Alex now has a release date of Feb 22, 2010 and a price of $399. [press release]
TabSafe is a new ‘medication assurance device’ made by its namesake company, TabSafe. In everyday terms, it’s a consumer gadget that helps people monitor multiple medications, monitor vital signs and inform caregivers if pills have not been taken or needs refills.
The TabSafe hooks up to the Internet to keep it and the patient’s doctors up to date.
As we predicted, here’s another eBook reader. The eDGe from enTourage is not just an e-reader, but a netbook, notepad and A/V recorder/player. It is also unique in that it is a dual-screen device.
Includes a SD card, USB flash drive and WiFi. The eReader screen is a 9.7″ diagonal with a resolution of 1200 x 825 pixels, while the color touchscreen for the netbook is a 10.1″ diagonal 1024×600 pixel screen.
The netbook includes an audio recorder to capture lectures for later playback or sharing. It also has a video camera to record still images or movies as MP4s or 3GP files. You can plug in headphones or a microphone or use the built in speaker and recorder.
eDGe™ runs the Google Android OS with 3GB of memory and has future support for 3G using an EVDO or HSDPA mobile modem.
Available in Feb 2010 for $490.
