Nokia Bluetooth Headset

BH-803

Look stylish on the go with the premium design of the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-803. The timeless look and feel of this premium Nokia design headset is complimented by its high quality audio with Digital Signal Processing (DSP), helping to drown out background noises and echoes, even in noisy surroundings. Controlling the volume is simple with its touch sensitive volume control and mute option. The light weight 11.3g, small size and fast charging capability make the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-803 the perfect addition to your mobile lifestyle.

The headset is expected to be available commercially during the third quarter of 2007 and is compatible with devices supporting Bluetooth Specification V1.1 and higher. The estimated cost of the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-803 is 140-160 euro

BH-604

This new Nokia Bluetooth stereo headset is a trusty friend for the music lover on the go. Offering excellent Hi-Fi audio quality, Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-604 is quick to charge and comfortable to wear with its over-the-ear cup headphones. Take control of your tunes with the three media keys for play/pause/stop, fast-forward and rewind, or manage your headset with dedicated controls for power and call functions.

The Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-604 is expected to be available commercially during the third quarter of 2007 and is compatible with devices supporting Bluetooth Specification V2.0. The estimated cost of the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-604 is 120-140 euro

BH-602

Professionals who want a dependable accessory for their lives on the go should look no further than the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-602. Talk at length (up to 11 hours) and enjoy exceptional audio quality, thanks to the headset's echo cancellation and noise reduction capabilities (DSP). With only 15 minutes of charging, you can talk for up to five hours. Keeping tabs on your battery status is easy with the LED battery level indicator. The Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-602 includes convenient features like automatic volume adjustment and mute functionality, in addition to answer/end keys for redialing, call rejection, voice dial activation and hold/call swapping.

Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-602 is expected to be available commercially during the third quarter of 2007 and is compatible with devices supporting Bluetooth Specification V1.1 and higher.The estimated cost of the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-602 is 75-90 euro

Creative Live! Cam Optia AF webcam ($169)

Features

• Certified Hi-Speed USB 2.0 high bandwidth allows the transfer of raw data from the webcam to the PC without compression, achieving superior video quality at 30 frames per second.
• Creative Live! View technology encompasses all the video and imaging technologies and features that will deliver realistic or enhanced viewing experience, providing optimised light exposure, colour balance, and frame rates.
• High quality, multi-element Precision Lens offer increased video clarity and sharper images, ensuring the best image quality.
• Creative Smart Face Tracking technology automatically tracks face movements to keep the face constantly in the video frame.
• Privacy control function switches the webcam off when it is twisted 90° downwards, preventing any video feed from accidentally flowing out.
• The bundled handsfree stereo headset offers users an alternative for private conversation and can even be used for music listening.
• Multi-axis swivel lets the webcam swivel horizontally up to 270° with forward and backward tilt, giving the maximum flexibility to achieve the best possible angle for videos and photos. If rotated backwards, the webcam automatically flips the image to the correct orientation.
• Multi-usage base attaches easily to CRT monitors, LCD panels and notebook LCDs and sits comfortably on tables or other flat surfaces.
• Creative Live! Cam Suite comprising of Creative Live! Cam Center, Creative Live! Cam Manager, Creative Live! Cam Console, Creative Photo Manager and Creative Photo Calendar for performing advanced video tasks such as motion detection, remote capturing, organizing and managing of photos and videos and more.

Space is the next tourist attraction

We all know that today you don’t have to be an astronaut to get into space. All you need is a pile o cash and NASA can help you, as it is a profitable business. It’s no wonder then that space agencies are now focusing on cheaper methods to get tourists into space. One such agency is EADS, from Europe, who developed a prototype rocket plane, capable of carrying people high into space, at 100 kilometers altitude.

The space plane looks very similar to a business jet, but wings are wider that usual, as lift force is a problem in low density atmosphere. Another important change is the rocket engine, powered by liquid methane and liquid oxygen. The rocket engine ignites only after reaching a 12.000 meters altitude. Till then two conventional jet engines are generating thrust for the space plane. The plane is supposed to reach an altitude of 100 kilometers, where near zero gravity force can be experienced for a couple of minutes, probably two or three.

Now don’t imagine that you’ll be able to afford one trip in a few years, but prices might fall in a couple of decades. The problem is price, as initial calculations show that a ticket will cost around 267.000 $. This price range estimates around 4500 paying customers till 2020, so we have a multi-billion industry or 1.2 billions, to be precise. Initial plans consider building five vehicles with one week refurbish rate, than allows one trip per, you guessed, week. I can’t say that now I’m rubbing my hands with enthusiasm, as I’m pretty sure that I’ll only see the plane from outside for a looong time, but hey, I’m not giving up hope.

Holden Efijy ($1.5 million)

The Holden EFIJY is a radical custom coupe powered by a V8 Supercar engine. For those unfamiliar with the Holden Marque, Holden is the GM division for Australia and New Zealand.

The EFIJY is based on a brand new, state-of-the-art Chevrolet Corvette underbody with advanced technological components. AS such the Holden EFIJY uses a 644 hp, supercharged six-litre V8 engine, riding on air-adjustable shock absorbers, and features a touch control LCD screen and fan-cooled LED headlamps.

The ‘Soprano Purple’ dark paintwork emphasises the EFIGY's curvaceous 5.2-metre long body, the EFIJY recalls classic design cues of the iconic 1953 FJ Holden.

The EFIJY has been a long-term dream realised for Chief Holden Designer Richard Ferlazzo, the EFIJY concept was developed as a collaboration with suppliers which reduced impact on the company’s heavy work schedule and ensured the highest possible quality result for the showcar. The EFIJY is not intended for production.

Multimedia Receivers Concept

We all know what a multimedia receiver really is, as we probably have one in our homes and use it daily while watching TV, some movies or just listening to our favourite tracks. But, except the Apple TV and maybe a couple of other models that you can count on your fingers, most of these gadgets are dull looking, without any eye catching elements. I agree, what’s inside is the important part, but the aesthetics shouldn’t be neglected either.

Audi RSQ

Audi Design developed the RSQ for the futuristic film 'I, robot'. In a masterpiece of product placement the RSQ generated almost as much interest as the film itself.

The Audi RSQ sport coupe is a future interpretation of Audi’s typical design language.

For the RSQ's creators the most important aspect of the design was that despite its extreme forward thinking the car should still be firmly recognisable as an Audi.

Interestingly the RSQ concept rides on spherical wheels giving it instantaneous movement in any direction, similar the ball in a computer mouse.

Mazda Nagare

Mazda, one of the more prolific concept car producers, unveiled the Nagare concept at the 2006 LA Motor Show.

Nagare, Japanese for 'flow', was designed to create a sense of movement while stationary. The first of three concepts Mazda intend to reveal throughout the 2006-2007 motor show season, the Nagare is far from production ready, about 15 years away in total. "We're looking well down the road with Nagare. We want to suggest where Mazda design will be in 2020. To do that, we redefined basic proportions and the idea of driving without losing the emotional involvement. Mazda's driving spirit will be enhanced and intensified by Nagare." Says Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda North American Operations' (MNAO) Director of Design and lead designer of the Nagare concept.

During the design process of creating the Nagare, Mazda's designers looked at how motion can affect its surroundings: how wind shapes sand in the desert, how water moves across the ocean floor, and the look of lava flowing down a mountainside.

von Holzhausen continues, "We began by developing a surface or textural language that describes flow. The motion of the vehicle is defined by, and evident in, the texture of its interior and exterior surfaces. There is no right or wrong way to capture the impression of motion, so each of the concepts we present throughout this global show season will embody a different interpretation of our new surface language."

Inside the Mazda Nagare is a centrally mounted drivers seat and 3 passenger seats behind. Access to the interior is via forward and upward swinging butterfly doors.

Mazda envision a hydrogen fueled rotary engine for the Nagare's power source.

Microsoft Surface ($10,000)

Over the years we've seen plenty of surface and gestural interface computing systems and prototypes, but nothing mass-market -- nothing consumable, if you will. Microsoft aims to change all that with Surface, its first foray into surface / gestural interfaces ; arriving in the form of a 30-inch table-like display, Microsoft envisions its eventual uses as pervasive as imaginable, like ordering beverages from your restaurant table and silently scanning your wine bottle's RFID tag to automagically present information on the vineyard and vintage. Sure, some of it's pretty pie in the sky, but Microsoft is touting Surface's multi-touch, multi-user interface, object recognition and gestural interaction, and it's out to dispel myths of vaporware with limited 2007 rollouts in T-Mobile stores, Starwood hotels, and even Harrah's in Vegas.

As for the consumer end of things, it's estimated that we're still a number of years out on the technology (for starters these Surface units are estimated to cost up to ten thousand bucks). Pretty steep for what ultimately amounts to being an underbelly projector with digital cameras that track surface interaction (all of which running on a stock 1GHz Vista box), but the focus of any nascent technology is never price, it's function.