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Toshiba SED TVs Fail To Show - Again
The SED TV technology has been
positioned as a serious challenger to current LCD and plasma TV technology.
Toshiba has been claiming that SEDs (surface-conduction electron-emitter
displays) offer a better picture than either of its rivals and will not cost
much more. However, the first TVs, created with Canon, were due in 2005 but
have been delayed by a series of delays and legal wrangles.
The launch of the first 55in SED 
TVs
is due later next year but Toshiba was badly needed to get some major global
exposure via CES to build up some publicity and demand. This is a blow to an
otherwise interesting technology but the window for its success is now looking
smaller.
With LCD and plasma prices falling
faster than ever, the prospect of a more expensive flat-screen technology
succeeding seem slim.
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Hollywood 'Clueless' About Technology
This might comes as a shock to some of you but Hollywood knows very
little about technology.
It might be able to make great sci-fi movies but it has very little
understanding about how technology, and people using technology, should work.
Jakob Neilsen, one of the world’s leading usability experts, has decided to
highlight the shortcomings in his amusing Top 10 Bloopers.
For instance, how is that actors in movies can instantly work out how to
use any kind of computer, even alien ones in less than 60 seconds? Or, time
travelers from the past can get their head around modern technology without any
frame of reference.
Don’t forget the 3-D interfaces 
that pop up in movies like Minority
Report and others because Neilsen says movies are about the only place they
work. All that arm waving is tiring which why he says: “3D is for demos. 2D is
for work.”
And isn’t it lovely how all data and systems interoperate without seven
calls to the IT department and some special software updates? Take Jack Bauer
in 24, for instance, who can manage to have complex building schematics sent to
his PDA and they always open without a single incompatibility glitch.
Neilsen admits though that, in the end, it doesn’t really matter.
“A movie's purpose is entertainment, not task performance. So, go ahead
and employ user interfaces and interaction techniques that are entertaining and
would never work in the real world. Films are litterd with so many other
unrealistic plot details: you'd imagine, for example, that the ability to shoot
straight might actually be a primary job requirement of Imperial
Stormtroopers.”
You can read the Top 10 here.
news technology movies hollywood
Sony Promises New Kind Of PS3
This new box might look similar to your typical AV kit, like an 
AV receiver,
with a bigger power supply unit, twice as much memory, an anti-shake insulator,
and two HDMI inputs.
This move certainly supports opinion that Sony has always wanted the PS3
to be more of a living room entertainment hub than just a gaming rig. For those of
you still choking on the proposed cost of a regular PS3, then forget about this
version.
Kutaragi expects this to be a lot more expensive since they will be positioning
it as a piece of high-end AV kit. Early speculation says it could cost as much £1,300.
news technology gadgets games ps3 home
Future Home Of The 1950s
We might have all the gadgets in the world to enhance
our digital lives but our actual homes themselves have, sadly, not really
changed all that much.
Where are those dream homes from the 1940s and 50s that
promised all manner of time-saving and comfort-related changes with just the
push of a button. Over 50 years ago, one man was doing it all for himself and
here’s a taste of what he got up too.
After a youth in the 1930s building his own gadgets,
including an electric doorbell out of five cake tins and a magnetic clapper, Emil Mathias of Jackson, Micigan, moved into his own home around 1950 and set about creating that push-button
dream.
There’s 7,000 metres of electric underpinning the lot,
hooked up to motors and switches all over the place. There’s a homemade
elevator using barn door tracks and a rectangular steel platform. The curtains
in each room are switch controlled, as are the windows. The radio downstairs
can be controlled from the bedroom and set to go on or off at different times,
while the automatic alarm system he devised goes on automatically at night and
off in the morning. Remember, this is 1950, and earlier, when there was no
B&Q.
Go here to read more, and ask yourselves if the modern
homes being thrown up cheap in massive estates around the country today have anything
to do with that modern dream?
news technology home design life lifestyle
Vacuum Shoes – Dyson Beware!
Home appliance maker Electrolux has created this conceptual pair of
vacuum shoes, which it thinks could revolutionise the way we clean our homes. Along
with the water-less Washing Machine of The Future, Electrolux is on a role. However,
let’s wait and see what actually arrives in our shops before getting too excited.
No one likes vacuuming the 
house which is why Electrolux has come at the
problem from left field. They might look like the ugly offspring from the
mating of a pair of slippers with some wooden clogs but, the idea is that if
you wear them around the home, they clean as you go about your daily life.
There are no technical details about how the vacuum shoes might
actually work in terms of power or suction but it’s good to see that there’s something
out there on the horizon that may make vacuuming a little more palatable. More at T3.
news technology gadgets home fashion design
300GB notebook drive sets new record
The gap between notebooks and PCs as entertainment devices has narrowed
again today with Fujitsu’s announcement that it will launch a 300GB hard disk
drive for notebooks and TVs in February. This tops the previous biggest notebook drives
from Fujitsu and Toshiba which topped out at 200GB.
The Fujitsu 2.5in drive, called the MHX2300BT, uses second generation
perpendicular recording to boost the capacity to 300GB. 
Perpendicular recording, as opposed to the longitudinal recording in
previous HDDs, should be able to deliver 10 times the storage capacity.
There will also be a 250GB version called the MHX2250BT
and Fujitsu is confident of selling 1.5m of them next year.
Interestingly, the other key market that Fujitsu will be targeting the
drives at is the digital TV market, where it sees a lot more models coming with
integrated recorders.
For many users this will be a great thing as it will remove any complexity currently associated with hooking up DVD recorders to TVs and set-top boxes.
news technology storage TV laptop gadgets
Bling Your Gadgets For Christmas
The Dutch company specialises in phones, headsets and cameras 
but will bling anything you like with
regular or Swarovski crystals, in any pattern you wish. You can send them your
device or they will order one - wholesale - for you. The process takes around
17 hours for a headset and its gear is regularly used by leading DJs.
The cost? A crystallized headset with 3,500 crystals will cost around
£370 while a mobile phone will set you back a less challenging £190. If that’s
too much, you can get your name in crystals for under a tenner.
news technology phone fashion gadgets shopping
Turn Your Bed Into A Cinema
This is not the first, or even the second, home entertainment bed we have come across but it is certainly on one of the most striking. This is the RuF Cinema multimedia bed from furniture designers, RuF Betten, with its own built-in projection screen, all controlled with just a push of a button.
The integrated AV rack at the front is designed to house all of your best home entertainment kit, from projector and DVD player to games consoles. 
Sadly though it doesn’t come with in-built speakers but I’d imagine most enthusiasts would prefer to install their own separate speaker set-up in the bedroom for maximum effect.
There is ample room for all your cabling and a sub-woofer and the headrests can be adjusted into various positions for optimum ‘bed-potato’ comfort.
Apparently it also comes with a projector thrown in which, is just as well, since it costs around £11,000. Go here for more information and some great photos.
news technology home entertainment home movies furniture
Make Your iPod Sporty On The Cheap
Back in the summer, Apple and Nike got together to create a sporting
combo, made up of Apple’s iPod Sport Kit (£19) and special Nike trainers (£60+)
embedded with wireless sensors. You could then input and monitor your training
sessions via the menus and then download the data to compare performances on a
PC or Mac. Think of it as a virtual trainer.
The only snag was that you had to buy an expensive pair of Nike
trainers. 
Now, SwitchEasy is allowing iPod owners to do the same with its
RunAway device at a fraction of the cost, around £10 or less.
Keep your old trainers, buy the Sport Kit and attach the RunAway widget to your trainers, which will keep your sensors safe from the elements. Comes in six colours. So simple, so cheap.
news technology sport ipod music gadgets
Remote Control Gets Revolutionised
Designed by Hillcrest, The Loop could very well be the future of remote
controls. 
The bracelet-design means you won’t lose it so easily although I do
envision more heated arguments over who controls the control.
The Loop only sports two buttons and a scroll wheel. The rest is software that turns TV listings into simple-to-navigate thumbnails. Just moving your hand and pointing will allow you to quickly scroll through the thumbnails and choose your desired programme. Think of it as Nintendo Wii remote control for the TV.
The technology has attracted a lot of interest from consumer electronics companies who plan to build support for it into their products from early next year. Just who exactly will launch something first is all hush-hush for now though.
news technology software TV home gadgets
Apple To Enter Console Market?
Rumours about what Apple is going to do next are as common as bad
weather in winter and just about as accurate as the weather forecast. The
latest supposition is that Apple is planning to enter the lucrative console
games market.
According to Wall St analyst, Jesse Tortora at Prudential, there is
distinct possibility ever since Apple said that users will be able to get iPod games via iTunes, that it could combine technology from existing
products to create its own console offering. Tortora said:
“We think the videogame market represents a distinct possibility for
Apple, especially considering that it recently announced the availability of
videogames for its iPod through its iTunes store. The game console device could
be morphed out of some combination of the MacMini and iTV, while the handheld
player could be developed as an enhancement for a future version of the
widescreen iPod.”
The reason given for Apple’s supposed entry, according to Tortora, 
is that it needs to protect its position in
the home entertainment market which is currently dominated by Sony and
Microsoft. Microsoft in particular has made some aggressive moves, with the
launch of its iPod rival, Zune, and
the new offer of movie and TV downloads to Xbox
360 console owners.
“There are no technical limitations to this capability, and Microsoft is
already aggressively wooing the movie studios,” he noted. “This could adversely
impact Apple's iTunes Movie download business longer-term, along with its iTV
and video iPod sales.”
Frankly, I don’t see Apple launching its own console since most console
makers lose money on the hardware. It’s also a very crowded space. That said, the
software games side of things makes a lot more sense and wouldn’t require the
same kind of investment. Still, it is only a rumour, eh?
news technology games apple gadgets home
Old People Say ‘No’ To Downloading
The phone survey results showed that nearly half of respondents aged
55-64 years old will not be downloading content of any kind, which contrasts
with just 14 per cent of people aged 18-24.
In addition, less that 50 per cent have any intentions of opting for
digital TV, compared with three quarters of 25-34 olds.
Unsurprisingly, none of the 55-64 a
ge group have carried out any
downloading of content to mobile devices. Just 16 per cent showed any interest
in downloading tunes to an MP3 player.
I think the media has made too much out of the growing tech-savvy older
generation. A sobering survey like shows that while the older generation might
be getting left behind in the new technology/gadget-led society, there’s a lot
of them that couldn’t care less.
And where’s the surprise in that?
news technology internet life people
BT Vision Opens For Business
BT’s big drive to grab itself a piece of the broadband TV market is
finally underway. The telecoms operator has unveiled exactly what will be on
offer with BT Vision as its steps into the arena with TV heavyweights, Sky, BBC, NTL and
others. It’s unique proposition is that
it has no monthly fee, as it will be included with newer BT Total Broadband
contracts.
Yesterday BBC took the wraps off its high-definition sports line-up for
2007 and, unsurprisingly, BT Vision is making sports the key offering of its
own broadband TV line-up. From next year, BT will offer 75 per cent of all FA
Premiership games 
and some of the main Scottish Premiership games through a
deal with Setanta Sport and others. They will be made up of a mix of live and
‘near-live’ matches but, disappointingly, they will not kick off until the
summer.
You will need a new set-top box from BT called the V-Box, a digital video recorder (DVR), capable of storing up to 80 hours of content. BT will be giving the £199 box away free to new and
existing customers that sign up for an 18-month broadband contract. That said,
there is an installation fee of £60 and a connection charge of £30. Apart from
sport, BT Vision viewers will get the 40+ Freeview channels. Ian Livingston, BT
Retail chief executive claimed:
“BT Vision is all about giving control to the viewer – control over what
they watch, when they watch it and how they pay for it. We believe that
broadband can transform television and take it into a new era. BT Vision is
ideal for people who want more choice than Freeview delivers but who want that
extra choice without being tied to a pricey, long-term subscription.”
Video-on-Demand services are patchy right now but movies will cost from
£1.99-£2.99, while TV programme replays will cost 99p and live concerts £2.99.
Read more here.
news technology TV broadband BT
BBC Issues High-Def Sports Timetable
Sports in HD is one of the key selling points for the Beeb’s fledgling
high-def TV service as it goes head-to head with Sky and NTL in the next
generation TV wars. Kick-off will take place at the start of January y with the
major 
FA Cup weekend games from the third round. High def coverage will extend
for the whole competition.
Six Nations rugby will also be on show with all of the England, Wales
and Scotland games being broadcast alongside BBC One’s coverage. The fixture
list looks like this:
* Saturday February 3: 16.00pm, England vs Scotland.
* Sunday February 4: 15.00pm, Wales vs Ireland
* Saturday February 10: 13.30, England vs Italy, and 15.30pm Scotland vs
Wales
* Saturday February 24: 15.00pm, Scotland vs Italy
* March 10: 13.30pm Scotland vs Ireland
* March 11: 15.00pm England vs France
* March 17: 20.00pm Wales vs England
Even if you're not a sports fan, it's a good way to test the performance of your new HDTV and it's a welcome brreak from all that National Geographic stuff.
news technology TV sport HDTV football
