Offering a top speed of 60mph, the Martin Jetpack, which is made from Carbon fibre composite and which is powered by dual propeller packs driven by a Martin Aircraft 2.0 L V4 2 stroke engine rated at 200 hp, runs using standard gasoline (so can be topped up at gas stations) and can fly at attitudes of up to 8,000 feet – and, just to reassure you, it even comes with an integrated low altitude ballistic parachute should you find yourself running out of juice somewhat unexpectedly. Oh, and as mentioned above, you’ won’t need a pilots license to fly the Martin Jetpack as the machine is classed as an ultralight.

Martin Aircraft Company have not acted to confirm who their partner is, except to say that they are ‘an international aircraft company’ but they have confirmed that, thanks to the investment the unnamed partner has brought on board, they are now looking to produce 500 Martin Jetpacks a year with each jetpack set to retail at around £50,000 a pop (circa $75,000 as at today’s crazy exchange rate).

Hell, if I had that sort of money laying around, my order would be going in right about now, how about you?

I can never get enough of those super outrageous stereo systems priced out of the reach of almost everyone in the world. They may have amazing sound quality (although that’s debatable and completely subjective) and unusual materials of construction, I hardly think that paying tens of thousands of dollars for any stereo system is a reasonable exercise. Actually, it should qualify one as certifiable. But, that doesn’t stop the fun of writing about systems like the Sound Carrier 300B, tapestry-lined hardwood case and all.

Audiophiles are a strange group. They are willing to spend ridiculous amounts of money on anything that will guarantee them the purest form of musical reproduction known to man. The Sound Carrier 300B is definitely a stereo system that was designed with this group in mind. The Sound Carrier 300B is part of the exclusive Aurum series from Tehnicki Centar Krklec of Croatia that promises to fulfill any audiophile’s quest for auditory perfection. Built on a gold plated copper chassis, this music system is loaded with high-end components.

The Sound Carrier 300B features transformers built on double C-cores and Mundorf Silver Gold Oil coupling capacitors. It sports 2W tantalum Audionote resistors, Cardas speakers and RCA terminals, together with 300 B Western Electric tubes and Mundorf and Audionote wiring. And if all of that gets you excited, you’d better get out your wallet. The Sound Carrier 300B will cost you 12,000EUR (about $17,200). You can enjoy your ubersound on the deck of your $100,000,000 yacht.

If you’re anything like me you really love your music. The thought of pumping your tunes through anything but the best when it comes to hardware sends chills up and down your spine. The market for high-end speaker systems has certainly not been slowed by the dragging economy and Slovenian speaker manufacturers Acoustic Preference are here to showcase their latest and greatest, the Gracioso line of luxury speakers.

Crafted of your choice of either solid European or American walnut, the Gracioso line of luxury speakers is a sight to behold. The product line consists of both the Gracioso 1.0 and 2.0 series with the latter being the floor-standing models. They are constructed with very smooth and rounded lines and are a definite showcase for both the wood grain structure and the acoustic technology they embody. Each speaker is individually hand made so it should come as no surprise that you have to email the company and request pricing information.

According to the product website the Gracioso loudspeaker housings are made by assembling multiple solid-wood horizontal segments that are preliminarily controlled, measured and assembled for optimal self-cancellation of resonances. Doesn’t that just sound like good stuff?

Each speaker features a 2-way/bass reflex system, a frequency response of 35 Hz – 20 kHz, a 6.5-inch woofer and a 28-mm silk dome tweeter. You can get more information and request your own outrageously expensive quote at www.acoustic-preference.com.

The world of the ultra-high end speakers has seemingly made it through the economic douwnturn nearly unscathed. There is apparently still a market for ridiculously expensive electronics and the folks at Australia’s SGR Audio are thumbing their noses at convention with their latest product offering, the Illuminator floor speakers.

The company’s Illuminator Series floor-based speakers feature their latest marvel with 4-Way Active Floorstanders. The flagship speakers tout 22 drivers and an output of 8000W. And with a design that could make just about any audiophile drool with anticipation, they are sure to fit in just about any mansion’s decor. According to SGR, “From 60Hz to 40Khz, we’ve used the impressive flagship Illuminator range of drivers from ScanSpeak. These are then augmented down low by our own SGR ultra-low distortion 12? woofers built with a Linear Symmetrical Gap (LSG) motor structure. To dramatically reduce box vibration, a self-canceling mounting structure has been implemented with the front woofers internally attached to the rear woofers.”

Talk about your insane specs. That works out to four 12-in woofers per speaker for a total of eight per system. Each of the 12-in woofers is capable of 40mm linear movement. The 4-way design is composed of five mechanically isolated modular enclosures which are individually shipped and assembled on site. The Illuminators are still in development and since they are expected to fetch about $68,500 a pair, you had better dig into that trust fund now.

Are you saddled with both a tremendous amount of disposable income and a need to play your video games outside? If this describes you, we have just the thing. Pantel, one of the world’s leading authorities on outdoor, weatherproof HDTVs, now offers gamers an exciting alternative to being indoors all summer. The super-huge 65-in HDTV offers a 5ms refresh rate and a protective anti-glare glass screen. The Pantel outdoor LCD HDTVs can be used inside or outside and are designed specifically for easy outside viewing in the mid-day sun.

Given the super-price that these HDTVs sport, it’s no surprise that you would normally only find them in commercial settings like theme parks and resorts. According to Pantel, this latest HDTV offering will give gamers the option to plug the set into the house electrical system or take advantage of an industry-leading 802.11a wireless package that will broadcast audio and video wirelessly up to 150-ft (about 46-m). Here’s what else you get;

• Contrast ratio varies by size from: 700:1 to 2000:1
• Remote: waterproof (it floats!)
• HDMI input
• Weatherproof: rain/snow shielded, wind/dust shielded
• Operable Temp: -32 degrees to +145 degrees Fahrenheit
• Storage Temp: -40 degrees F to +160 degrees F (when left plugged in)
• Wide 85/85-Degree (H/V) viewing angle
• Anti-glare/anti-reflective/anti-UV screen coating

There are five models available in the Pantel outdoor, weatherproof HDTV line and pricing ranges from $2,999 for the 20-inch to $25,999 for the 65-inch HDTV. Yeah, that’s almost $26,000 for a TV. Head on over to www.pantel.com for more info and to locate an authorized dealer.

Watches are definitely a fashion statement. Just like you can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear, a watch can certainly be an indicator of cool as well. When I laid eyes upon the latest creation of hyper-chic watchmakers, URWERK, I was floored. The URWERK UR-CCI, or King Cobra as it’s known in the timepiece trade, is every bit the head turner. It was supposedly inspired by some kind of 1960s speedometer and it is the perfect combination of technology and testosterone laden design elements.

URWERK are known for their cutting-edge and in your face designs. They won’t shy away from a challenge and if bucking trends were a hobby they’d certainly be the fan club presidents. The UR-CC1 is certainly playing to their strengths. The UR-CC1 makes use of two horizontal indicators displayed by two retrograde cylinders: one for the hour, the other for the minutes. And like you had any question about the complexity of its inner-workings…the UR-CC1 is the result of more than three years of research, development, production and testing. Most of the time was spent making sure that the rotation and instant fly-back of the large hour and minute cylinders was achieved without screwing with the watch’s accuracy.

For those of you that speak watch – a vertical triple-cam operating a rack (visible through a window in the side of the case) rotates the minute cylinder. From zero to 60 minutes, the minute cylinder rotates through 300-degrees. Upon arriving at the 60-minute mark the cylinder instantly (1/10th of a second) reverses back to its original position thanks to an extra-flat linear spring. The retrograde movement of the minute cylinder triggers the hour cylinder to advance (jump) one complete hour. The triple-cam is crafted from bronze beryllium, a metal selected for its inherently self-lubricating properties and low co-efficient of friction, and takes the form of three small inclines.

Now doesn’t all that watch talk just have you ready to run to the store to pick one up? Just by looking at this thing I’m pretty sure that only sultans and Hollywood celebrities can afford the UR-CC1 so I won’t bother going into details about how I don’t have any information on how much it costs. If you want more you can visit www.URWERK.com. Oh yeah, and if you can afford one, can I be your friend?

Skyworks have just introduced their new 2-Stage ultra low noise amplifiers (LNA) with high linearity performance and advanced pHEMT technology. Small and cost-effective solutions meant for GPS systems, satellite digital audio radio services, WCDMA and LTE infrastructure platforms, the amplifiers offer “high performance under 0.7 dB while providing high linearity amplification with OIP3 up to 35 dBm”.

Already available for purchase, the new Skyworks 2-StageLow Noise Amplifiers are available in two models. First one is the SKY65037-360LF which operates from 0.7 to 1.2GHz, while the other one is the SKY65040-360LF that operates from 1.5 to 2.4 GHz. Both of them offer external tuning flexibility to set gain up to 25 dB and to supply current adjustment of 30 to 100 mA.

[via BusinessWire]

Norwegian jewellers Thomas Heyerdahl have unveiled their latest creation, following on in the footsteps of previous creations such as their diamond encrusted iPod Shuffle, in the form of the Nokia N8800 Diamond which serves to transform a standard Nokia N8800 Arte into a strictly limited edition handset with serious bling appeal and, accordingly, a somewhat substantial price tag.

Available in a strictly limited edition run of a mere 100 units, with each being provided with engraved numbering on the reverse, the Nokia N8800 Diamond sports no less than 112 diamonds totalling 0.7 carats arranged on the phone’s casing and, whilst we’re not particularly enamoured with such ‘blinged out’ gadgets (in the main, they tend to look overtly brash) we have to say that Heyerdahl have realised the N8800 Diamond beautifully.

Due to retail for around $6000 each on a strictly first come first served bases when they become available in selected Norwegian outlets, the first numbered edition is reserved for sale by auction should you wish to put in your bid.

Thomas Heyerdahl [via]

Regular readers of TFTS will know that we have a great deal of respect for iRiver, primarily due to the fact that, whilst so many of its rivals are so busy clambering to mimic Sony’s dictum on style (often merely producing pale, lacklustre imitations), iRiver are not afraid to create a style that is undoubtedly and unequivocally their very own.

And if anyone needed convincing, iRiver have now announced its Life Unit Multi Media Hub and, as we are sure you’ll agree, it’s nothing short of breathtaking.

Styled by the much acclaimed Japanese designer Nakamichi, the Life Unit offers everything you would expect from a central multi media hub such as a DVD player, a full spec Hi-Fi complete with speakers and mid-woofer, a TV, wireless connectivity and PMP functionality complete with a detachable touch screen display that folds out to become a luscious 78 key QWERTY keyboard. And, as if that’s not enough, it also serves as an e-book reader as well as a charging station for iRiver’s range of MP3 players.

Still not convinced? You can see further jaw dropping imagery of the Life Unit via the iRiver Website (we decided not to reproduce it here as we felt that it needed to be seen in context in the manner iRiver intended).

Now tell me, do gadgets come any more desirable than this?

When it comes to television sets, big is good, bigger is best and absolutely colossal means that you can just about get it through the front door of your house. And colossal is certainly an apt word to use to describe this monstrously large television set just unveiled by JVC.

Boasting a 110 inch diagonal screen, the HD110-MH80 is so large that the device even comes with onboard technology known as D-ILA (which is used alongside a Genessa processor) that scales the devices native 1080p resolution HD signals so as to ensure optimum, 14-bit picture quality when viewed on the 5000:1 contrast rear projection screen – which is powered by a 110W lamp.

The HD110-MH80 comes with dual HDMI and VGA connections as well as S-Video and four (yes, four) RCA inputs, inbuilt analogue and digital tuners and dual i.Link ports to facilitate direct connections with suitably equipped video cameras and camcorders and, as you’d expect, the HD110-MH80 weighs a little more than your average television, to the tune of some 728lbs – which is heavy enough to require floor reinforcement if your existing floor is not up to the task.

JVC will begin to accept pre-orders for the HD110-MH80 in July with availability cited as being around October.

The cost? A cool $52,787.

[Source | Electronista]

We’ve previously featured various USB memory sticks on Thoughts from the Sidelines, all of which have been fairly wacky in design and none of which can even be vaguely compared to the Ice USB fob produced by the UK based company Mii Stor. But this is by no means any ordinary device.

So, what sets this memory stick apart from the crowd? Could it be the 4GB capacity or perhaps it’s the fact that comes with a chain long enough to allow it to be worn around the neck like an item of jewellery? No, I think not. Could it be the fact that the aforementioned chain is crafted from solid platinum whereas the drive itself is not only fashioned from platinum but is also encrusted with 350 finely cut white diamonds, weighing in at a combined total of 5.8 carats?

Yes, I think that might be it.

No word on pricing, but does Sir need to ask?

[Source]

Whilst desktop PC’s seem to be undergoing somewhat of an image overhaul of late, on the whole it would be true to say that the design of laptop computers can be fairly dull, however this is certainly not the case as far as the Ego Diamond is concerned.

That said, design like this comes at a premium and with the renowned Dutch jewellery maker Rodrigo Otazu (who has designed jewellery for the likes of Britney Spears and Kelis) being directly involved in the Ego Diamond’s design, you just know that the premium is going to be nothing short of rather spectacular.

The Otazu Ego Diamond by Ego Lifestyle certainly doesn’t pull any punches as far as announcing itself is concerned. Featuring no less than 470 separate, highly sought after Wesselton V.S. Diamonds set in 18 carat white gold and a handmade back leather finished casing (with a chrome handle just for good measure) this is surely the ultimate bling as far as laptops are concerned.

The Otazu Ego Diamond also features a 12.1 inch WXGA LCD widescreen with anti-glare coating – and with all those diamonds I should think that rather than being a bonus, an anti-glare screen is a positive necessity.

Other features include three USB 2.0 connections, a 4-in-1 card reader and Ethernet. Details concerning components such as the processor, memory, graphics and hard disk appear to be curiously lacking from the product’s specifications, however – so it’s very much a case of what you see is what you get (such is life).
Let’s just hope that $355,000 gets you a little more than a Celeron chip, 16MB of RAM and a 30 day trail of Microsoft’s Office suite.

You can visit Ego Lifestyle’s official website via this direct link. Personally, I’ll continue to save for an Alienware machine.

On the other hand, the Luxor from Di Vapor must surely be considered to be the Rolls Royce of the bath world – luxurious, capacious (those who enter without a GPS device may never be seen again) and obscenely expensive.

Let’s start with the Luxor’s most striking feature – its inbuilt 14” LCD TV, complete with remote control and all manner of video inputs allowing you to watch the latest news headlines, your favourite series or even a DVD of your choosing as you lay back and relax.

Then there’s the fully adjustable air massage to soothe your muscles, with directional nozzles and varying pressure settings. Or there are the massaging water jets which, of course, are also fully adjustable and which pulsate to give you a slightly more energetic once over.

Fluorescent underwater lighting? That’s also covered so that as you lay back with your head against the inbuilt headrests, of which there are two in case you wish to invite a guest, you can see the water (the temperature of which, incidentally, can be set precisely via a thermostatic control) and air bubbles dancing around you.

Naturally, there is also a three way hand shower with not only jet and spray functions by also an intriguingly titled champagne function (whatever that may be) and, so as to assist you in keeping your Luxor as clutter free as possible, it also comes with built in shampoo and body wash dispensers.

The price? A snip at £3995 inclusive of delivery from this site (an inflatable life raft and a flare gun in case you’re lost at sea really ought to be optional extras).

Created by the Italian company Keymat Industrie with input from Japanese designer Takahide Sano, this seriously bling 40 inch LCD TV boasts no less than a full 20 carats worth of diamonds embedded in white gold on the screen’s tempered crystal surround as well as two tuners and is, of course, is fully HDTV compliant.

However, as you would expect, it carries a serious price tag.

Further interesting features of the Yalos “Diamonds” LCD TV are that there are no visible screws or joins which affords this TV is incredibly sleek and refined appearance. The official site even mentions that the TV’s logo has “been screen-printed backwards and changes colour depending on whether the set is on or off”.

The set has provision for 1080i and 720p high definition picture formats and utilises Pixelworks technology so as to further unsure that the television’s picture is as clean and sharp as the sets overall design.

Further features include one HDMI, VGA, DVI, 2 x YPbPr, 2 x Scart, 2 x S-Video, 2 x CVBS connections, a resolution of 1366 x 768, a double RF tuner and a picture contrast ratio of 1200:1.

The price? A staggering £67,500.00.

You can link to the official site via this link – the site is available in both English and Italian.

If you have this sort of disposable income, perhaps you may also find these posts of interest.

The Worlds Most Expensive Cell Phone
(A seriously expensive phone)

]]> http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/10/24/yalos-lcdtv/feed/ 0 http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/10/08/blackbox-mobile/ http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/10/08/blackbox-mobile/#comments Sun, 08 Oct 2006 22:52:18 +0000 Andrew Tingle http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/10/08/blackbox-mobile/ Although we have featured a few mobile phones on Thoughts from the Sidelines which have boasted particularly stunning designs, this phone, which is presently only a concept, is a definite head-turner in its own right. And, personally, if this was available on the high street I would be certainly one of the first in the queue.

Referred to as the Black Box, the entire front surface of the phone comprises of a touchscreen that dynamically adapts to the mode required. If you want to make a call, a keypad is displayed, if you want to take a photograph the entire face of the phone becomes a viewfinder.

One of the problems associated with mobile phones as they develop further to take on a host to supplemental roles – how many mobiles merely offer just a phone facility these days? – is how to offer a simple means of navigating the wealth of functions available to the user in a fashion that is not only simple but also intuitive whilst minimising the level of clutter on the phone itself.

The Black Box concept phone – a proof of concept developed by BenQ-Siemens – is an elegant solution to the problem in that the phone is able to adapt fully to the task in hand and therefore offers complete versatility without needless over-complication – and in that, the Black Box touchscreen concept is sure to serve as trailblazer in future phone design.

Glossy Goodness – Sample Black Box Touchscreen Modes
(Calculator, radio, phone and camera)

Of course one of the byproducts of using a touchscreen for user input is that the phone will offer little in the way of tactile response to keystrokes – after all, there are no actual keys. One obvious method to get round this would be to offer a brief audible response to such inputs but, either way, I can’t envisage the lack of tactile response as being something that would keep potential customers at bay – not when the phone looks this good.

If this is the future of cell phone design – and it is virtually impossible to genuinely believe that it isn’t – then the future looks extremely promising.

The Samsung P310, in becoming one of the world’s thinnest mobiles (the X828 is actually the thinnest phone in the world – see below), certainly falls into the latter category though not at the expense of an impressive range of features.

Due to be released to the European market in late September, although the P310 measures a mere 8.5mm in thickness (with the same length and width of a credit card) it still manages to feature a 2 megapixel camera and a healthy eighty megabytes of on-board memory in which to store not only pictures but MP3s, whilst navigation around the generously proportioned 262K 1.9 inch QVGA screen is facilitated by a touch sensitive soft key.

Naturally, the phone also boasts full GPRS and Bluetooth connectivity.

The Full Specifications are as follows:

• Standard: EDGE, GPRS Class 10 (900 / 1800/ 1900 MHz)
• Camera: 2.0 Megapixel Camera (Flash, 4x Zoom)
• Display: 1.9-inch 262K-Color QVGA TFT LCD
• Features: Video Recording and Messaging (MPEG4, H.263)
• MP3 / AAC / AAC+
• Bluetooth 1.2 / USB 1.1
• BT Printing / PictBridge / Stereo BT Headset
• TV out / Email Sync (Outlook)
• Memory: 80MB internal / External: MicroSD
• Size: 86 x 54 x 8.5 mm
• Weight: 75 g

Whilst undeniably thin, the P310 is not actually the thinnest mobile in the world. That prestigious accolade is currently held by the Samsung X828, which is only 6.9mm thick.

The Samsung X828
Officially the thinnest phone in the world

The Black Box Concept Phone

Linked Externally? Click here to return to main site or click here to go directly to the post archive – see what you’ve been missing.

]]> http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/09/24/slimmest-mobile/feed/ 2 http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/09/16/goldvish-phone/ http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/09/16/goldvish-phone/#comments Sat, 16 Sep 2006 18:36:39 +0000 Andrew Tingle http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/09/16/goldvish-phone/ Previously we have featured the Black Diamond in this TechnoLust section which, though far from cheap at £160,000 ($300,000 USD), frankly looks like a cheap giveaway in comparison to the Goldvish Piece Unique. In fact, this phone is so expensive that the manufactures even go so far as to recommend a particular car that, they feel, would compliment the most expensive phone in the world admirably.

If I tell you that the car they name is none other than the Bugatti Veyron, then perhaps you’ll get the picture.

The Piece Unique Vertu, whilst having been named with the aplomb of a road-kill, boasts a casing exquisitely manufactured from 18 carat white gold, 120 carets of diamonds encrusted across almost its entire surface and a little platinum just for good measure.

I have searched for a feature list concerning this phone but I am yet to find one. Certainly the company’s website feels that such details are obviously of little concern – even if the phone costs a staggering $1.2 Million USD (€1 Million).

Then again, I suppose if you have to ask you probably can’t afford it.

Goldvish’s site can be accessed via this link.

Lets say its the Veyron or the phone – I know which I’d go for.

You can link to the post concerning the aforementioned Black Diamond mobile phone by clicking this link. Alternatively you can view all entries in the TechnoLust category by using the categories menu on the right, or directly by clicking here.

Linked Externally? Click here to return to main site or click here to go directly to the post archive – see what you’ve been missing..

If you want your digital pictures displayed in your house, this digital picture frame is ideal, though a slight drawback is that, rather than look at and comment on the pictures it happens to be showing, people have a tendency to look at the frame itself and comment on the gadget itself. This can be annoying if you have tried to display photos that you consider to be, well, rather good. Such is life.

For maximum versatility, the frame can be stood in either portrait or landscape with dependant on the types of pictures you are displaying, and it must be said that the quality of the TFT screen behind the technology is faultless. There is no noticeable pixilation and the colours are both bright and well saturated. In fact, the pixel resolution of the screen is so good that it boasts 88% more pixels per inch than any 17 inch monitor. The screen is also bright enough to still show pictures in even the brightest of light.

The onboard memory is enough to hold a fair few pictures, but the true flexibility of this device shines through in its ability to accept and read from numerous types of memory card. I am presently running it with a 1GB SD card with no problems at all on a moderately timed picture rotation and I am yet to see the same picture twice (and the card is by no means full).

If you are looking for a new conversation piece in your front room, or you consider yourself to be a gadget connoisseur, then you should really not be without one.

Prices are presently sitting at around the £159 (USD $298) though, if you shop around, you can get them a little cheaper.

The full specifications are as follows:

Picture / Display

• Effective viewing area: 137 x 91 mm (5.39 x 3.58 inches)
• Dot Pitch (vertical): 0.1905 mm
• Dot Pitch (horizontal): 0.1905 mm
• Resolution: 720 x 480 pixels
• Brightness (nits): 200 nits
• Viewing angle: – C/R > 5
• Viewing Angle (H / V): 170 / 170 degree
• Lifetime, to 50% brightness: 20000 hr

Connectivity

• USB: To digital camera, To PC

Storage Media

• Memory card types: Secure Digital™, Multimedia Card™, Memory Stick™, Memory Stick Pro™, Compact Flash™ type I

Convenience

• Card Reader: Built-in
• Photo format supported: Up to 12 Mega pixels, JPEG photo (in DCF structure)
• Photo storage size: 50 photos or more
• Placement supported: Landscape, Portrait
• Buttons and controls: 6 buttons
• Playback mode: Browse, Slideshow, Thumbnail
• Setup menu: Slideshow, Language, Brightness, Time functions, Status
• Photo menu: Show in slideshow, Rotate, Delete, Copy
• OSD languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Japanese
• Regulatory approvals: CE, FCC, VCCI, CCC, GOST, C-Tick, BSMI, PSB, UL
• Plug & Play compatibility: Windows 2000/XP or later, Mac OS X or later, Linux

Accessories

• Included accessories: AC-DC Adapter, USB cable, Quick start guide, Stand
• User Guide on CD-ROM

Dimensions

• Set depth (with stand): 105 mm
• Set height (with stand): 164 mm
• Set width (with stand): 212 mm
• Weight: 0.73 kg
• Temperature range (Operation): 0° C to 45° C
• Temperature range (Storage): -20°C to 60° C

Power

• Operating time on battery: 0.8 hr
• Power consumption: (System on and battery charging) 12 W
• Power LED indicator: Operation, green
• Battery LED indicator: Charging – Amber, Not charging – Off
• Power mode supported: Battery powered, AC powered

Linked Externally? Click here to return to main site or click here to go directly to the post archive – see what you’ve been missing :-).

Presently only at the concept stage – so pricing is unknown, this DVD player offers the ultimate in portable DVD systems. Encased in a small metal container that is barely larger than a DVD disk, the Origami DVD player snaps open to reveal a fold out screen based on e-paper technologies, as developed by Mag-Ink – a technology company based in Israel.

Little by the way of further information is available concerning the possible development of this concept design but there can be little doubt that the principle of folding, flexible screens based on electronic paper technologies could prove extremely versatile. Already a concept mobile phone is on the drawing board featuring a screen based on the same technologies.

You can read more concerning the development of e-paper, which has its originals back in the 70’s believe it or not, via this link.

Linked Externally? Click here to return to main site or click here to go directly to the post archive.

The Black Diamond from VIPN is a mobile phone with a style that can’t fail to impress, but such jaw-dropping style invariably never comes at anything other than a jaw-dropping price and, in that respect also, the Black Diamond fails to disappoint.

A quad-band smart phone based on the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, featuring Wi-Fi, a four mega-pixel camera and a full colour 262K TFT 2” touch sensitive screen, it is constructed from titanium with a polycarbonate mirror finish and a three caret diamond set in the back of the casing, just below the camera lens. By way of good measure, another 0.25 caret diamond is also set into the phone’s navigation joystick.

Due to be launched in early 2007, further details concerning the phone’s full specification continue to be rather sketchy, but VIPN has stated that it intends to make only five uniquely numbered limited edition phones with the full “bling”, though it appears that a somewhat cheaper model, with less sparkle, based on the Black Diamond’s sleek styling will soon follow – however these will be white.

For those considering placing an order for one of the five limited editions it is reassuring to know that the company will also etch your name onto the device’s shell, courtesy of a precision laser. And, at a cool £160,000 ($300,000 USD) each, who could say fairer than that.

The VIPN website can be visited via this link.

]]> http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/08/30/black-diamond/feed/ 0 http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/08/28/technolust/ http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/08/28/technolust/#comments Mon, 28 Aug 2006 12:23:09 +0000 Andrew Tingle http://nexus404.com/Blog/2006/08/28/technolust/

The first entry in Thoughts from the Sidelines’ TechnoLust section is the world’s most expensive MP3 player – the i.Beat Organix Gold by TrekStor. Costing a cool £13,600, its shell is composed of 18-carat gold set with a total of 63 one caret diamonds (taking the jewellers over 100 man hours to construct).

Initially designed following a personal commission from the Russian-Canadian billionaire, Alex Shnaider – who also happens to be the owner of the Midland Formula One team – the player offers one gigabyte of memory, which is roughly equivalent to 240 tracks, as well as a host of other high-level features.

Feature List:

• Playable file formats: MP3, WMA, WAV, ASF, OGG
• Integrated stereo FM radio
• 2 headphone jacks
• Integrated voice recorder (MP3)
• Folder navigation
• Extremely sharp 2-colour OLED display
• Direct recording from the radio (as an MP3 file) (optional)
• Line-in recording (MP3)
• Supports WMA-DRM9 (supports DRM-protected files)
• 16 station presets / automatic station search
• ID3 tag display
• Maximum operating time of 25 hours
• Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (downward-compatible to USB 1.1)
• Lithium-polymer battery (charged via the USB)
• Equalizer visualization
• SRS WOW – Surround Sound
• 11 equalizers + user equalizer
• Digital clock, alarm function, stopwatch
• Mobile data storage device (“USB Mass Storage Device”)
• German and English user guide
• Firmware update possible

Personally, though I can certainly appreciate the craftsmanship required to produce this player, I have to be honest and say that it really doesn’t float my boat (so I’ll be sticking with my Samsung player in the meantime). Besides, I can imagine what would happen it I flashed this on the packed commuter train on my way into work and I can also envisage leaving the train some minutes later, heavily concussed and with it no longer in my possession.

Top points for quality, undoubtedly, but for us mere mortals could such a device even be considered remotely practical? (Out of interest, at 1 gigabytes of memory, the price per megabyte equates to £1,360 per MB storage – ouch!)

Nevertheless, if you have that sort of money burning a hole in your wallet, and you are in the market for a new MP3 player, you can visit Treksor’s site here.

(And if you have that sort of money spare and don’t know what to do with it the following applies to you…..Hi, how are you, great to meet you, you’re looking well….what a present? For me? Cash? Oh, I couldn’t – oh on second thoughts, it would be rude to say no….:-)).

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