I’m not certain if HDTV companies are just shoving this down our throats, but 3D apparently is supposed to be huge. If it isn’t now, then it will be soon. I suppose there will be great demand for those who need to sculpt virtual creations in 3D, and this is where Leonar3Do comes in.
Granted, I do not know how to pronounce it, but Leonar3Do allows the user to make a 3D object on their screen, view it in 3D, and all sorts of other features. The user will have to wear the special goggles, and use the “bird”, an air-suspended mouse. I have a video of it after the jump so you can see it in action.
According to the software developers Daniel Ratai and Zoltan Karpati: “it’s so user-friendly, an 8-year old can do it”. Okay, that isn’t a direct quote, but I was trying to imitate those Geico “Caveman” ads. I once dabbled in 3D graphics, and I found it pretty difficult. I’m sure I probably could have done better at it if I had the software and a faster computer.
As for this software, it works with Windows XP SP3, Windows Visa, and Windows 7. It is coming soon for Mac and Linux platforms, and will support 3D file formats like .obj, stl, .3ds, and others. The package is pretty expensive at $1,000.
This is the ElliptiGO, a bike that combines running and cycling, designed for low-impact but high-output workouts.
It was created by a former cyclist and Ironman triathlete who suffered hip and knee injuries. The ElliptiGO is designed to help runners avoid “beating up their bodies through repeated impact” as well as “position riders ‘out of the saddle’ and using their weight to generate torque with every stride”.
A recent video of the Early Show that you can view at my Source link shows weatherman Dave Price riding it. While he is riding, he states that “it feels so natural” despite the ElliptiGO’s spokesperson saying “that’s not proper technique”. I have another video of it that you can watch after the jump.
The ElliptiGO weighs in at 40 pounds, and is capable of speeds up to 15 to 25 miles per hour. It has eight shifting speeds, and braking is possible with hand levers. You will note how the mechanisms look like the arms of a swimmer doing freestyle.
According to my Source, the ElliptiGO costs about $2,200, and is available in blue, green, and black. I’m not certain if twenty-two hundred dollars is going to be too much. I would have to really know what kind of body I am going to get by using this product before I make a purchase that high.
You and I know what a piano is, but an Airpiano? Come on now, from its name alone, how do you think the musical instrument is able to function? Does it mean you will need to blow into some sort of tube before pressing a single key on the piano will emanate sound? Or fast forward to the 22nd century, will this piano float on air thanks to a built-in hovering mechanism? Well, it is neither of the above, although seeing the Airpiano being played in the hands of the master is truly a sight to behold as it gives you the feeling as though you were watching a graceful martial artist, musical conductor or mysterious magician at work here. Why is it called the Airpiano? The answer is simple, really, as it features an innovative interface that is activated and controlled by moving a hand in mid-air above the flat display surface – as long as you remain within range of a sensor array matrix. This is only made possible thanks to custom software, enabling one to have a huge library of tones and sounds at a one’s disposal.
There is a total of eight Infrared proximity sensors together, all of them spread horizontally across the surface of the Airpiano in order to let you play three notes depending on your vertical hand position. These sensors have the option to be specially programmed to provide up to eight control faders for altering volume, pitch, and filters among others. Custom software paves the way for MIDI mapping while Open Sound Control message assignment ensures you will be able to project a vast soundscape at your spatial command. Should there arise the need for confirmation of user action, LED lights located at the surface of the instrument comes in handy.
While it might resemble the Theremin, the Airpiano’s inventor has this to say about his pet project. “What makes it so different from a Theremin, besides the technology, is the concept of interaction. Playing a Theremin is hard to learn since every slight movement of the hand changes the pitch/volume of the generated sound. It also lacks visual feedback. The idea of the Airpiano is to keep things as simple as possible in order to achieve full control over the instrument.”
Expect a limited run of production devices to hit the market sometime in September or October for a yet undisclosed price.
Just when I thought that the New York Times interview with the Bina48 robot was the coolest thing that I was going to see today, along comes another cool video.
This video, which you can watch after the jump, contains two of the most realistic dinosaur costumes that I have ever seen. As you can see, their heads turn like real heads, and they also roar and growl as good as anything seen in Jurassic Park.
Of course, the effect isn’t perfect, as you can still see some legs clad in spandex. I am going to assume that a human leg isn’t made into the shape of a dinosaur leg, which is why they didn’t just put fake dinosaur skin on the legs. I’m wondering if the people in the dinosaur costumes are working the heads, or whether there is some weird second-party remote control going on.
My source does not say where this dinosaur video was taken, but it speculates an Australian theme park. The guy who is herding the dinosaurs sounds like he could be Steve Irwin. Let’s just hope that the Dinosaur Hunter doesn’t get killed by his “pets”.
Man, what I would give to have one of these dinosaurs as a Halloween costume. If I wore black spandex on my legs, I would camouflage with the night sky. Then no one would suspect that I wasn’t the real thing.
While digital cameras in this day and age are extremely affordable (if you’re talking about a decent entry-level model) and have no recurring costs like purchasing and developing film, it comes at a price – you will need to have a proper backup system of all your photos if you were to dive knee deep into photography. Not only that, do remember the pain of migration from one platform to another over time since formats and media types tend to change as well, alongside the risk of the magnetic bits on your hard drive platter disintegrating in time, so make sure you always have at least two backups of a single photo wherever you are. Hitachi is proud to develop what they call an evolved hard drive, bringing the Hitachi LifeStudio Drives to the market as the first and only All-in-One external drive that makes it a whole lot easier to organize, protect and relive life’s most stunning moments.
Among the highlighted features would be Automatic Organization and Easy Sharing – now who wouldn’t want that? How does Automatic Organization work, you ask? Well first of all, the drive will automatically pull together and organize your photos, videos, music and documents from your computer, a compatible connected USB device or even over your range of social media outlets, making them a whole lot easier to access as and when you want them, not to mention making the dissemination process a whole lot easier as well. You can also easily upload, view and interact with photos on Facebook, Flickr and Picasa Web Albums without once leaving the application – that is how tight the integration is.
With 3D Navigation built-in, you can relive those beautiful moments on a 3D wall, making it easier to search for an individual photo instead of going through folder after nested folder due to a failing memory. Hitachi LifeStudio drives are also big on data protection, bringing the concept to the next level by offering both local and online cloud backup in a single integrated solution. Not only that, you only need to familiarize yourself with just one interface, so there is no need to go through the hassle of downloading and installing two separate programs any more. All online content will be stored in its natural format, so you can access your files from virtually anywhere in the world as long as there is an Internet connection. Prices start from $79.99 upwards.
It’s probably a little redundant if you spend the entire day in front of your computer, but this tiny light-up mailbox will let you know when you’ve got a new email or message on a variety of social services including Facebook, Twitter and online mail services like Gmail, Windows Live Mail and Yahoo. Oh, and if you’re a laptop user, it will basically waste one of your limited USB ports. Of course given the constant flood of messages and posts on those various services, the mailbox would probably never turn off for most users, but it’s also able to change colors from red to green, visually indicating the number of unread messages that might be pending.
Features:
Classic mail box design
Support to gmail, yahoo, outlook, outlook express, Windows Live, Live Mail, POP3, Facebook and Twitter
Inform you every time you receive a personal email and even capacity of unread mail
Sound illumination reminder
Sound options for new message and flag rise for new message
A mirror-and-showerhead-in-one eliminates fog for shaving-while-bathing needs
Are you really that short of time always that you need to shave while you shower? Either that, or it is a habit of yours to do so simply because you prefer to be ruthlessly efficient. Well, for those who can’t live without hot water, you should know that it can be pretty frustrating trying to shave yourself off that five o’clock shadow with a misted up mirror no thanks to the ‘fog’ that builds up, especially so during the colder days. Reflect is the latest solution to address such a conundrum, especially when it merges both a showerhead and a non-fogging mirror. Boasting a flat, square reflective front surface, the top segment will double up as the mirror, while water will spray out continually from the five rows of holes on the bottom segment. Before getting to these holes, however, hot water has to first travel through the top section, which would warm it up to prevent the process of condensation from taking place. Pretty smart, don’t you think? Although we’re not too sure whether the $295 asking price for the Reflect is worth it after having a much cheaper solution – shaving before you shower.
Just what is the Zero Race, you ask? Well, this is a unique event that will see contestants attempt to make a dash around the globe within 80 days without an iota of emission – we’re talking about zero emission here, and that is achievable only using purebred electric powered vehicles. In this unique event, one of the most distinctive entries would be the Zerotracer. It was speically designed by a group of engineers from Winterthur, Switzerland, where this delicious looking electric motorcycle is capable of ferrying around two passengers in a Kevlar shell. To help it complete its mission faster, you definitely won’t expect it to plod around, right? Which is why it has the ability to hit a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), while achieving a maximum range of 350 km (217 miles) on a single charge.
This vehicle is built based on a MonoTracer body, although the original 4-cylinder in-line BMW K-engine has been taken out only to be replaced with a battery-powered electric motor which is capable of churning out 135 kW/183Hp to propel the Zerotracer from 0-100 km/h in a mere 4.5 seconds, a figure not to be trifled with. Should there be no passengers on it, the vehicle tips the scales at under 80kg (176-lbs) and the 18 kWh, 400V battery pack can achieve a full charged in just a couple of hours, whereas a quick charge is able to juice up the battery pack to 80 percent capacity in under 30 minutes.
As both the driver and passenger are safely enclosed in the vehicle’s Kevlar composite outer shell, neither are able to use their legs to remain upright when the Zerotracer isn’t moving. How then, does it do it? Well, a pair of retractable wheels will help the Zeroracer stabilize itself when stationary. To move, it will retract said wheels which protrude from the side of the cabin, although they will come into action to function as a “knee” of sorts to skim the road when cornering at high speeds to maintain its stability. Can’t wait for something like this to hit the mainstream market.
I did a report the other day about how some MIT students made an interesting projector/computer out of their desklamp called the LuminAR, and it just shows how much MIT creates some of the stuff that I would like to have.
It would appear that the Pranav Mistry at the MIT Media Lab has created something even cooler than the desktop laptop with the “invisible mouse”.
It uses “an infrared laser beam and infrared camera to capture hand movements and accurately translate them into computer commands”.
My source doesn’t say how the user does these invisible mouse commands. I just assume that the user moves his hand around the side of the desk within a certain area to move the cursor on their computer. I’m also going to guess that mouse clicks are done by moving a finger, and then dragging by keeping that finger down.
Mistry is not planning on mass-producing and selling this product, but he really ought to, because I could use something like it. He does say that someone could build this device for a low price of just $20. I guess I’m going to figure out if can get an IR camera and IR laser for that combination price. Now all I need is some easy-to-read instructions.
Some of you might remember when we reported on the Smart Fridge that can tally the food in your fridge, and even figure out what recipes to make from them.
This is the Oasis system, which takes essentially the same technology and puts it on the kitchen countertop. For example, slapping a side of beef on the countertop will cause the nutritional stats to be displayed next to it, thanks to the pico-projector that is mounted above the counter.
When you put the green pepper beside it, you can get a whole bunch of great recipes. I would assume that it would suggest steak fajitas. I wonder if you assemble all the ingredients, it will even show you the recipes with videos and such.
I wonder if future advancements could make it detect whether the food is good or not, and then project a red X on it or something.
My source even imagines this tech being taken out of the kitchen and into every room. For example, a bathroom counter that can identify pills, and a living room table that can detect…chip and dip combinations.
Well, I suppose some uses are better than others, but you have to admire where this technology could go.
Take a look at this person here. If you notice a certain fake quality about him, then you are not alone.
There is a person here, but it is underneath a mask. That’s right, what you are seeing here with this Stone Cold Steve Austin lookalike here is nothing more than a mask.
I have a video of this after the jump so you can see the masked person for yourself. You will notice the realistic movements of the face that include twitching, moving the forehead, and other things that you wouldn’t think a person in a mask could do. Man, that guy’s real face (assuming it is a guy) must be dipped in glue.
It makes we wonder if we can actually have that Mission Impossible technology that allows for someone covering their face with a mask in order to impersonate someone else. I think we all know that effect was just switching with another actor, with some trick photography to make it look like the MIF team was putting on masks.
I’m not certain that this mask would fool me, but that is because I know it is a mask, and I’m looking to see what makes it fake. The real trick is whether or not this would fool me if someone came up to me on the street with these. Especially if they were trying to impersonate someone that I know very well, like they did in Mission Impossible.
RoboCar from ZMP one more step for AI: Automotive Intelligence
When I saw this photo, I couldn’t help but think that it was cute. After all, it is a car with a cute little robot head on it. I started to have Speed Buggy flashbacks.
As it turns out, this car is part of a serious car robotics platform study by a Tokyo-based robotics company ZMP. Apparently, these people believe that cars of the future will be intelligent vehicles, able to move and interact with each other independently.
They may not be able to drive around on auto-pilot like Knight Rider, but they can communicate with each other, which will allow scientists of the future to figure out how to avoid traffic jams. These robot cars will probably have some other terrific features like parking automatically and such.
So, are we looking at a future where the cars are these robots? I’m not certain whether I want my next automobile to have a giant head on its hood, even if it has the CCD stereo camera, range of sensors, and infrared laser system like these Robocars from ZMP.
Still, the idea that cars can be intelligent, even semi-intelligent, fascinates me. I really don’t see how having smarter cars could prevent traffic jams. You would think that drivers would simply avoid them. That, or make the cars so they could fly.
This video DigInfoNews in Tokyo shot shows the most recent version (available for $11,300):
In case you ever wondered what practical purpose robotics as a field of science has, RoboCar [JP] might be one answer. That’s the name of a car robotics platform (and robot) currently in development at Tokyo-based robotics venture ZMP.
The goal is to anticipate functions of next-generation, “intelligent” vehicles – based on the interesting idea that those vehicles will have a lot in common with robots that can move and interact with each other autonomously.
ZMP says their mini cars (3kg, 429×195×212mm) are helpful when it comes to testing features such as automatic parking or hazard avoidance. The cars can also communicate with each other, enabling researchers to study how traffic jams can be avoided in the future, for example.
Equipped with a CCD stereo camera (30fps), a range of sensors, and an infrared laser system, the battery-powered RoboCar can drive up to one hour on a single charge.
When I was a kid, I discovered that I could brace my arms and legs against a door frame and then “climb” to the top. My family called it my “spider-man” trick for lack of a better word.
I never perfected my “spider-man” trick as good as 13-year-old Hibiki Kono. Kono has managed to take two 1,400 watt vacuum cleaners and make it so they really suck up against a wall. The end result is a super suit that is a little Iron Man and Spider-man at the same time.
Kono’s method bears a strong resemblance to these gloves that we reported on a while ago that allow the user to climb walls. It was a demonstration for a BBC science show called Bang Goes the Theory.
Yes, he can climb walls, and I’m guessing that his parents probably don’t let him climb very high ones. I suppose that he’ll probably be working on a way to make it so he can spin web-lines and swing from building to building.
I believe this boy already has a super-hero name of Spiderlad. I hope that he comes to understand that “with great power, comes great technology”. And the Spider-man jokes just keep coming.
Perhaps Kono’s apparatus should be mass produced, and made so kids can try this everywhere. Something tells me that OSHA and other parent’s groups will want there to be mattresses and harnesses so playing Spider-man will be “safe”.
Superhero ... pals look on
The lad, who attends King's College School in Cambridge, said: "I used to dress up as Spiderman when I was younger and I love all the films.
"So it's great to be able to climb walls like him. I've climbed up the school wall but I'm not allowed too high.
"It's not scary and I completely trust the machine." Spidey fan ... Hibiki
His design technology teacher Angus Gent said: "I'm hugely proud of him.
"When he came to me with the idea at the beginning I had my doubts - but once he proved it could be done I encouraged him.
"He developed it himself, which is amazing for someone of his age."
Headmaster Nick Robinson added: "We're thrilled with his hard work. He went up a wall for assembly and it was amazing."
But some walls are off bounds. Hibiki said: "My mum thinks it's brilliant. But she won't let me use it in my bedroom as she's worried I may pull down the ceiling."
My wife can tell you how much I hate to do household chores, and perhaps it is time that we got ourselves a HERB.
The Home Exploring Robot Butler is project in development by Intel, and it is able to do some basic chores like clearing the table, serving meals, and my least favorite chore: doing the dishes.
Yeah, it is too good to be true. Not only that, it is a little slow to be practical, according to my source. Apparently the best it can do is identify anything that you, the owner of HERB wants, and then bring it to you. So like if you wanted a can of soda, for example, you could ask for it, even extend your hand so it would drop it in your palm.
However, I would not mind at all if HERB stayed up all night in order to clean up for the next day. I sure that I would eventually learn to live with it moving about in the night, if I could wake up to a clean kitchen and living room the next day.
Yeah, I don’t really know when we are going to live in that age where robots do all our chores for us. I guess my dreams of having a personal Rosie from The Jetsons are far from coming true.
This is Intel's HERB, or the Home Exploring Robot Butler. It can explore our home any time, because it's got the skills to pay the bills: it'll serve dinner, clear the table and even do the dishes.
Of course, there's always a catch with robots that make these kind of promises. HERB's a little too slow for prime time, though it can visually identify things which its human masters may want. It can grab it and offer it to you, and, when you put out your hand, release it. If this thing teamed up with this beer-fetching robotic duo, we'd never have to get off the sofa again!
Imagine being out near the edge of the ocean, and you suddenly encounter a Portuguese man of war. It’s stinging tentacles paralyze the whole right side of your body, and you are unable to swim.
Suddenly, you see this red thing approaching you. Don’t worry, it isn’t a shark, but Emily, the Emergency Integrate Lifesaving Lanyard. You could call Emily your own personal lifeguard robot. Just think of it as a combination of David Haselhoff’s finest television shows: Baywatch and Knight Rider.
Emily is made to be tossed into troublesome waters from the beach, from a ship, or even from the air. It then swims away by remote control to rescue swimmers in peril at speeds of 28 miles per hour, and it has a battery life capable of 80 miles on a single charge. It even has speakers for two-way communication with a real lifeguard.
Emily measures at about 54 inches long by 16 inches wide by 8 inches tall, and weighs 25 pounds. It was developed by Hydronalix, a maker of maritime robots, based on a robotic boat they were developing for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for health checks on sea life.
It is possible that you might see an Emily patrolling the beaches of San Diego soon, and it is currently pulling a shift at Malibu’s Zuma Beach. There are reports that Hydronalix will have a fully autonomous version of Emily available by 2011.
Polaroid cameras still get a bit of love even now, despite the age of the technology. You can’t help but love instant pictures no matter where you’re at. Well this concept design taps into that just a little. It gives you instant pictures, but in a very different way. Instead of printing out pictures, it just gives you a stamp to use on random bits of paper.
With this instead of getting black and white you’ll get red and white. Now I doubt that this would ever get to the point where it has near as much of a cult following as Polaroids, but it is an interesting new idea at the very least. Stamp.y is a concept by Jinhee Kim, so it’s obviously still not up for sale.
We've seen our fair share of Samsung Galaxy S phones in the past few weeks, but the Sprint Epic 4G version (or the Galaxy S Pro, as we'd previously suspected it would be known) looks like it could take the cake. The phone has all the same specs as the others family members -- including a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, 5 megapixel cam, a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, and Android 2.1 -- but it also boasts a front facing camera and a physical keyboard. So, is the new slider as epically amazing as we've been imagining? We got to spend some time with a unit this afternoon, so hit the break for some early impressions and a quick video.
Hardware: The Epic may not have a 4.3-inch screen like the Droid X or EVO, but at 4 inches, it's close -- and for all practical purposes, it appears to be just as large. The slide-out physical keyboard doesn't add as much girth as we expected, though it still adds to the height of the phone. While the curved edges give it a similar look to the Galaxy S we've seen overseas, it has four touch sensitive buttons along the bottom instead of those physical buttons. Oh, and about that physical keyboard, it's pretty glorious -- the keys are slightly raised and there's a bit of space between each of them. We have to admit it looks a bit odd to have a keyboard with such a big screen, but if anything it's a throw back to UMPCs or MIDs.
Screen: The Epic 4G has the same 4-inch Super AMOLED display as the Galaxy S and Captivate. But we aren't letting that diminish our love of it -- every time we see it we are pretty blown away by the crispness. Yet again, we didn't get to test the display in sunlight, but indoors it was seriously bright, albeit glossy. (Oh, and if you missed it, check out our head-to-head between Samsung's Super AMOLED screen and Apple's Retina display.)
Software: The Epic 4G will run Android 2.1 at launch, but Sprint tells us it will be rolling out the 2.2 update not too long after it hits the market. Just like the Captivate, it has the latest version of Samsung's TouchWiz skin, which isn't too distracting and actually polishes up Android a bit. It's also preloaded with Swype and Qik as well as a few Sprint applications -- including the mobile hotspot app, notably. Speaking of Qik, we did confirm that the Epic 4G has a VGA front facing cam, while the one on it's backside will take 5 megapixel shots.
Performance: Unlike the early version of the Captivate that we saw, the Epic 4G's 1GHz Hummingbird CPU was zippy. As you will see in the video, scrolling was super snappy and there was no noticeable lag in opening applications like Amazon's Kindle app or firing up the camcorder. Video playback also looked super smooth. Sprint's still not giving out information on pricing or availability, though we're told the price will be aggressive and the handset will be available before the end of Summer.
The whole world seems to be obsessed with how much things cost, and the same applies to the iPhone 4. For other countries where the smartphone is not available officially yet, folks who want first mover advantage to pick up an unlocked handset will have to fork out up to $1,000 for it, which is plain insanity if you ask us. It gets worse after you realize that the iPhone 4 costs all of just $188 to build, sans marketing and promotion dollars of course. A breakdown of the components point towards the Retina Display being the most expensive component within, as it is estimated to retail for $28.50. Bear in mind that this figure is based on the $199 16GB model with a two-year service contract in the US. As for the custom-built A4 processor, this Samsung-assembled piece of silicon is estimated to go for $10.75, while its gyroscope costs less than a burger at $2.60. What do you think of forking out much more money over a 2-year contract for something which is intrinsically worth less than a couple of Benjamins?
Source: Apple Insider By Katie Marsal
Components of 16GB iPhone 4 estimated to cost Apple $188
A breakdown of the components that make up Apple's iPhone 4 has found that the most expensive item in the device is its high-resolution Retina Display, with an estimated price of $28.50.
As first reported by Businessweek, iSuppli's teardown of the iPhone 4 found that the components inside cost an estimated $187.51. Apple's latest phone starts at $199 with 16GB of internal memory and a two-year service contract in the U.S. The cost breakdown applies to the 16GB iPhone 4.
The most expensive component is the highly touted Retina Display found on the iPhone 4. Supplied by LG Display, the component costs $28.50, iSuppli said. The custom-built A4 processor, assembled by Samsung, cost an estimated $10.75.
The newly added gyroscope in the iPhone 4 was said to cost another $2.60, in addition to the 65-cent accelerometer found in the current phone as well as previous models. The new gyroscope is made by STMicroelectronics of Geneva.
Other suppliers of the internal hardware include touch-sensitive panels from Wintek and TPK, and chips from Skyworks Solutions and TriQuint Semiconductor.
Neither Apple nor its carrier partners would comment on how much is paid by wireless providers for the unsubsidized handset. Historically, the average selling price of previous model iPhones has been around $600.
The total estimated cost is slightly higher than the iPhone 3GS, first released last year. The 2009 handset cost an estimate $179 in parts for Apple.
In fact, the price of Apple's phones has been steadily increasing over the years. In 2008, iSuppli found that the iPhone 3G carried a components cost of $174.33.
TechCrunch notes in its coverage of the report that "iSuppli is well-known for low-balling these numbers in an effort to convince manufacturers to contact them in order to connect with their preferred suppliers, so grains of salt must be taken."
If you like to take a whole lot of outdoor pictures until your battery dies and your neck ends up beat red, then this is the camera strap for you. It actually uses all that power the sun usually is using just to give you a nasty sunburn and charges your camera with it. The whole strap has a large flexible solar panel on it that’s just waiting to soak up a little sun.
This design was created by Weng Jie. It could be used for those times when you need power for big events and don’t happen to have a spare battery handy. You could even just lay it out in a window when you’re not taking pictures to charge it up other times. Sadly, right now this is just a concept design, so it can’t be purchased just yet.
Sony Ericsson’s feature-packed Android device, complete with 2.55in touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard (that’s bigger than both a Palm Pre or a Blackberry), chat-style SMS messaging, support for multiple email accounts, a 5MP camera with flash and a 3.5mm headphone jack. And… breathe.
It measures 9 x 5.2 x 1.7cm, but it’s got a big-balled processor (600 MHz) to power your access to Google Maps, Search, Wisepilot turn-by-turn navigation and the burgeoning application options on Android. But they key to a smartphone living up to its name is not how clever it is, but how good it is and doing what you want it to do. To that end, the Xperia X10 Mini Pro, weighing in at 120 grams, is the Featherweight Champion of the World.
Up until know, we thought Apple’s patent on their heat-sensitive touchscreen was a bit like having a patent on a steering wheel: really unfair. But playing with the Mini Pro, it’s obvious they’ve nailed it. It’s not - as shitty touchscreens have been before - like using a rollerball mouse on a sponge. It scrolls through screens quickly and fluidly, with the nifty ability to pin your favourite apps to the four corners of the screen.
Despite its good intentions, the new feature Timescape - which aggregates all your texts, calls, Facebook alerts and Twitter updates into some swishy sliding panels – is too annoying to be of any use. Often, you can only see half of the message, and when you do see something that you’d like to respond to, it’s way too slow to get you into the program proper. Great idea, but messily executed. A bit like the first time FHM tried to poach an egg.
A magnificent effort; one that’ll make anyone looking to upgrade to a dinky, slick-looking Android phone a very happy customer.
