Iklangadget.com - Information about Gadget

While Namco jumped headfirst into the Android Market by giving away Pac-Man, EA Games is going to sit out for the time being, at least until there’s a billing system in place for apps in the Android Market: “EA will support the Android platform…but has elected to wait for the launch of a content billing solution to bring their premier IP to market.”

Right now, the anything-goes Android Market only supports free apps, but that should change right around the G1’s launch, at least if Google is serious about having premiere apps populate the store from the start, like high end games. There’s a lot of fantastic freeness to be had—like out of the Android Developer Challenge or as Apple’s App Store shows—but some developers want some hard coin for their code, and not just evil corporations like EA.

On the other hand, EA has experience with digital distribution and you can sideload apps without going through the Android Market, so why don’t they sell them straight through EA’s site? [Pocket Gamer via Crave]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

The quest for the ultimate artificial nose is still underway, and thanks to a major breakthrough by the folks over at MIT, it might be sooner than later that we’re all unwrapping stylish sniffers under the Christmas tree. More importantly, the fruits of MIT’s RealNose project could replace drug and explosive-sniffing dogs as well as detect certain medical conditions via the odors emitted. Up to now, the tricky part of studying the sense of smell has been in isolating proteins (olfactory receptors) to get a good look at how they work. But in this latest development, researchers are now able to produce specific receptors using wheat germ, through a process referred to as PNAS. Engineered mammalian cells can be used to the same effect. What makes this so great is, while the human nose is relatively limited in what it can detect, this discovery could unlock the potential to detect an almost infinite range of odors. G.I. Joe with “action nose” here we come.

[Via PhysOrg]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Gadget: Oncore’s 6-Bay MacBook or iBook battery charger that really only charges three batteries at one time because it’s a cluster of charging bays and not six individual chargers. Once the first battery in a single charging bay is full it will switch charging to the other battery which allows for six batteries to be fully charged over time.

galleryPost(’oncore6bay’, 3, ”);
The Price: $389 MacBook Model / $409 iBook Model—which doesn’t include any batteries

The Verdict: My first impression is that this charging bay seems cheaply made, especially with the $400 price tag. The bay is basically a hollow plastic box with battery ports indented on the top. The ports aren’t even that deep, so for MacBook batteries that are about 9″ tall they stand rather unsecured.

Then there is the issue of how it can only charge three batteries at one time and not six like you would think. At first this is kinda stupid, but in reality it’s OK. The way Oncore has managed to send power to each charging bay set is good for the batteries and your electricity bill because once all the batteries are charged it will shut off charging so the batteries aren’t constantly charging and the power isn’t always running.

Overall Oncore’s 6-bay battery charger is actually a pretty good charging bay for MacBook or iBook batteries, and it will successfully charge six different batteries like it advertises. The type of person who would actually need six different batteries all ready to go at any given time is kinda slim. I can only see it being usefully for a business or family of frequent travelers who require more than one battery on each job or trip. So for those who are just looking for an extra battery charger, there are cheaper alternatives that should do the job just as well. [Oncore]

Besides looking a lot like Vista—and we mean a lot—Microsoft has said Windows 7 uses a lot of the same foundation, too, to keep upgrade migraines to a minimum. The problem is that its core ain’t so suited to parallel computing, one of rival Snow Leopard’s few headline features. So they’re actually implementing some deep-level tweaks to bring it up to speed and make it more parallel processing friendly.

It’s actually a significant process, since as Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer, admits, “Win32 was never designed for highly concurrent, asynchronous processing” and “parallelism requires adjustments at every level of the stack.” The first steps toward the larger project of re-arranging tasks and runtimes in different layers to take advantage of multiple-core will happen in Windows 7 though, such as an updated scheduler. There will be other adjustments along these lines as well, though we probably won’t know everything until October.

So while it’s unlikely that Windows 7 be as deeply in tune with parallel processing as Snow Leopard looks to be, it’ll definitely be able to use a SWAT team of cores better than your Vista box will, and set the stage for Windows 8 to have a solid parallel processing foundation. [ZD Net]

Filed under: Cellphones

We were already warned that the megapixel race was headed to the mobile realm, and as if you needed any more proof, here we are looking down the lens of LG’s 8-megapixel Renoir. Clearly aimed at Samsung’s recently unveiled Pixon, this touchscreen-based handset found itself in the loving arms of CNET’s UK branch. During the limited time editors spent with it, they found the interface to be eerily similar to that found on the Viewty and the camera to be a real winner. As expected, the not-a-3.5mm headphone jack was none too pleasing to critics, but we did overhear the T-Mobile G1 voicing its support of the port. Anywho, tap the read link for the full preview / hands-on shots.

[Thanks, T.I.]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

If $100 is just too much for you to pay for a homemade iPhone stand, then this paperclip version might be a better option. And to anyone who has ever paid more than 50 cents to hold any pocket electronic, hopefully this fan-made pwnage will keep your money in your pocketbook/child savings accounts next time. [via Lifehacker]

newVideoPlayer(”/synaptics_gestures.flv”, 506, 306,”");
Synaptics, best known for developing the Zune Pad and Android G1 screen, have unveiled two new multitouch gestures for their PC touchpads: two-finger flick and ChiralRotate. Two-finger flick is fairly self explanatory — you swipe your finger from side to side on the trackpad and it will move through a series of files, such as photos, and initiate different app-specific “modes” with a flick up or down. ChiralRotate lets you move your finger in a circular motion on the trackpad, and it will move through a series of images in full screen or slideshow mode.

ChiralRotate is similar to the previously released ChiralMotion, but where ChiralMotion just controlled scroll functions inside a window, applications can take advantage of ChiralRotate in more specific ways, like a full screen photo viewer app where the ability to scroll is not present. These gestures must be supported by applications specifically (and not just Windows in general), but there are currently 100 applications that will work with the older gestures and Synaptics expects many more apps will work with the new ones in the near future.

Tons of computers now feature compatible Synaptics trackpads, including the Voodoo Envy 133. These gestures are available now and can be enabled with a quick update to the OEM-included software. [Synaptics]

Synaptics Adds Two Innovative Advanced Gestures to its Growing Library of TouchPad™ Gesture Recognition
Synaptics TouchPads Enabled With ChiralRotate™ and Two-Finger Flick Make Notebooks and Peripheral Keyboards More Intuitive and Easier to Use

TOKYO, Japan –Sept. 30, 2008 – Synaptics Inc. (NASDAQ: SYNA), a leading developer of human interface solutions for mobile computing, communications and entertainment devices, today announced the availability of two new advanced gestures— ChiralRotate and Two-Finger Flick. These gestures join the company’s expanding portfolio of gesture recognition capabilities for Synaptics TouchPads used in popular notebooks and peripheral keyboards.

• ChiralRotate lets users move one finger in a circular motion to rotate images and graphics within applications, quickly and easily.

• Two-Finger Flick enables users, depending on the application, to either use two fingers to flick horizontally to navigate back-and-forth through images, documents and objects, or to flick vertically to minimize and maximize an application.

Consistent with previous Synaptics gestures (ChiralMotion™, Pinch and Momentum) announced earlier this year, ChiralRotate and Two-Finger Flick are compatible with hundreds of Microsoft Windows applications and offer tremendous value and productivity to any notebook or peripheral keyboard that integrates Synaptics’ industry-leading TouchPad™ touch-sensitive interfaces. The ChiralMotion gesture has gone through multiple usability tests, which have consistently demonstrated that continuous circular movement of the finger on the TouchPad is the most desirable, natural gesture for users to perform.

“The addition of ChiralRotate and Two-Finger Flick are the most recent examples of Synaptics’ ongoing commitment to driving innovation and improved usability to all types of PC applications,” said Mark Vena, vice president of Synaptics’ PC Business Unit. “Consumer and business users alike are always looking for ways to do things faster and more intuitively on their notebook systems and PC peripherals, and these new Synaptics gestures are aimed at delivering just that.”

Working with photos and graphics becomes much more efficient when using a TouchPad enhanced with ChiralRotate or Two-Finger Flick. Users can review images quickly with Two-Finger Flick and rotate them within popular Windows applications with ChiralRotate, all without taking their fingers off the TouchPad. These gestures join other gesture options, such as Synaptics ChiralMotion™ technology - an advanced gesture that provides an innovative alternative to conventional scrolling. As an added convenience, all Synaptics TouchPad settings, including gesture functionality, can be turned on or off with the highly intuitive Synaptics Control Panel that is incorporated into most OEM notebook systems.

Availability: These new enhanced gesture options are available now on Synaptics TouchPads for PC notebook and keyboard devices. For more information on Synaptics’ ChiralRotate and Two-Finger Flick, visit www.synaptics.com/technology/chiral.cfm.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

JVC has hopped on-board the HD cam bandwagon and brought some tasty wares to the table at CEATEC today, with the next gen Everio HD Memory Camera. This SDHC based concept is expected to be AVCHD ready with an HDMI port. There wasn’t much more info to go around, but we expect full disclosure and a review unit real, real soon (you listening JVC?) — or at the very least a hands-on at the show. In the meantime, feast your eyes on the above photo.

[Via TechRadar]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

By Mark Ecko, this Stormtrooper hoodie will ensure that, at a moment’s notice, you will be ready for an impromptu Star Wars convention or back alley role-playing fest. It may sound like overkill, but to the die-hard Star Wars fan, it’s a whole lot easier than carrying around plastic armor everywhere you go. $98 through Ecko’s site, there’s a pretty great Boba Fett version as well but it’s lacking the ever-important, identity-protecting mask. [shopecko via Tcritic]

If you’re still clamoring for Adobe Flash support to get Hulu on your iPhone, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that Adobe Senior Director of Engineering Paul Betlem says that as soon as Apple approves it, it would be out “in a very short time.”

The bad news is that that’s pretty much what the situation was a few months ago, so that’s not really saying a whole lot. If it’s spiffy enough to match Steve’s criticisms, then maybe there’s some hope, but the ball is in Apple’s court, and it’s been gathering dust there for a while. [AppleInsider]