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This was clearly inevitable with the rise of digital technology in the late 20th century. Polaroid is closing its instant film producing factories in Massachusetts, Mexico and the Netherlands some time next year. If you own a Polaroid, you’d better enjoy it while it lasts as you won’t be able to buy any more instant films.

Polaroid now focuses on generic consumer electronics such as digital cameras, printers and scanners as it tries to survive “for the next 30 to 40 years,” Tom Beaudoin, Polaroid’s president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer, said.

Read [BusinessWeek]

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The Nikon Coolpix L18 is a brand new member of the L-series. The L-series is famed for its full-featured, easy-to-use and affordable line of digital cameras.

The L18 features an 8.0-megapixel CCD sensor, 3.0-inch LCD screen, 3x zoom Nikkor lens, and has an ISO sensitivity of up to ISO 1600. Among other features are Face-priority AF, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, and D-Lighting which are all Nikon’s proprietary technologies. The L18 will be available this March for $139.95 in navy or ruby red.

Read [DP Review]

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Seagate has recently launched its first hybrid hard drive (HHD) to OEMs. No exact pricing was given, but a spokesmen has explicitly stated that they will be charging around a 25-30% premium.

The Momentus 5400 line will ship in 80, 120, and 160-GB capacity points with the standard five-year warranty. It also boasts 8MB of cache and 256MB of flash memory to buffer cached write requests to disk.

Although the hybrid drive technology is promising reduced boot time (average boot time will be decreased from 40 seconds to 32 seconds) and reduced power consumption (average power consumption will be cut from 0.78 watts to 0.45 watts), they don’t seem to be performing as such and apparently, Vista is to be blamed: “... they don’t know how to utilize the flash,” Melissa Johnson, a product manager for the company, said.

Read [ExtremeTech] Via [Engadget]

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Toshiba recently revealed its prototype of a PMP, which utilizes fuel cells, at CEATEC Japan 2007.

The fuel used in the fuel cell is almost entirely made up by methanol and provides about 10 hours of 1seg playback. The PMP has a gauge which indicates the remaining fuel in the fuel cell. If the fuel level is low, users can refill them on the side.

At CEATEC Japan 2007, Toshiba also exhibited a fuel cartridge, a prototype notebook computer equipped with a fuel cell and other items in addition to the portable media player.

The company is aiming to launch the player around 2008.

Read [TechOn] Via [Engadget]

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Conventional camera modules manufactured today are giants compared to Tessera Technologies Inc’s lens technology. By manufacturing lenses at wafer-scale, Tessera claims that it is able to reduce optical-module size by 50 percent over today’s camera modules for cell phones. Tessera Technologies also enables up to a 30% reduction in cost for camera module manufacturers. This technology is particularly useful as while handsets keep shrinking, camera phone optics traditionally “don’t scale well,” said Mike Feldman, CTO at Tessera.

Feldman predicts that wafer-level cameras will be incorporated in handsets by the end of 2008. He also announced that the first working-prototype module will be available at the end of the next quarter.

Oh how I can’t wait for a 5+ megapixel camera to fit into a SLVR or Blackjack.

Via [EETimes.com]

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Sony has just announced 21 new VAIO notebooks across its four VAIO series in Japan. The newly announced VAIO notebooks are in the A, BX, F/FZ and G series. Most of these new Sony VAIO notebook are expected to go on sale in late June, and the rest in July.

The A series will have 6 new VAIOs, among them are the VGN-AR73DB and VGN-AR53DB and 4 models for businesses. The main specifications of them are: 240GB/200GB hard-drives, digital TV tuner, 17 inch screen, Core 2 Duo, NVidia GForce 8600M GT GPU, 1GB RAM, Bluetooth, FeliCA, and they run Windows Vista Home Premium.

The BX series now also includes the retail VGN-BX4KANB and 8 business models. The new BX VGN-BX4KANB sports a 14.1 inch screen, 120GB HDD, DVD drive and Core Duo 2 T7100 CPU.

The F/FZ series currently also includes the VGN-FZ70B and the VGN-FZ50B. Modern features include a Blu-ray drive, 15.4 inch screen, 160GB/120GB HDD, Core 2 Duo T7100 CPU, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Felica and DVD Drive.

In the G Series, the VAIO G VGN-G1KBNA runs on a Core Solo U1400 CPU and has 1GB of RAM. Screen size is a decent 12.1 inch.

Via [I4U News]

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I must admit that having to hold my camera with one hand or two hands is irritating. How about those times when we need to snap photos but are too busy doing something else? Well, here comes something new! With a strap attached to the camera, you can easily equip it to your wrist and snap photos as you like. It is even waterproof, which is definitely a feature that not many cameras possess. This particular camera holds a great winning flag over the others when it comes to taking action photos while you yourself are enjoying the action.

As you can see, the camera can be easily locked onto your wrist. Whenever in need, you can just unlock it and pivot it upwards. And there you go, as simple as that!

This multifunctional camera can be used while hiking, cycling, jogging, and even snorkeling as it is waterproof. You don’t need to worry whether it’s raining or drizzling out there because you can still snap excellent photos with this nifty camera.

Some other specifications of this camera are as follows:

• Waterproof to 100 Feet
• 4.5 Ounces
• Image Sensor -  3 Megapixel (2048 x 1536)
• Lens - Glass f2.8
• Exposure -  Auto
• 3X Sequence Photo Burst
• Lies flat on your wrist or flips up
• Dual Shutter Buttons to take photos regardless of camera orientation
• Internal Memory - 16MB expandable to 2GB with SD card
• Video - 640 x 480 with sound (54 mins from 2GB SD Card)
• Self Timer - 10s
• Connectors - USB, Composite Video Out
• Power - 2 AAA Batteries (included)
• Compatible OS - Windows ME/200/XP and Mac OS

If I were you, I would be dying to get my hands on this. With only $139.99, this item could be in your possession.

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Yup, you read it right. Mice around the globe have been putting up some serious diet lately and look what it got them into!

So small, at the size of your thumb, this mouse can really turn the whole meaning of the word “portable” into something totally different! It has a special design that allows your fingers to hold the mouse properly while the other fingers rest. It’s utterly comfortable for us to optimize, and it’s highly recommended for you teens out there!

It has some of these specifications:

• Two-button mouse
• Scroll wheel
• Optical precision
• 1” by 3” by 1/2”
• Fits equally well in right or left hands

PERFECT for those out goers! get it for only $24.99 here.

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• Nokia tries to patent writing on the back of digital pictures

Are you a computer geek? Do you keep your pc on practically 24/7? Do you worry that someday your CPU will burst and explode or turn into a living bomb? Well… if you are, worry no more! With one of these 5.25” Bay Freezers, your CPU will never get a “fever” again.

It’s basically comprised of two fans, whilst one would sack the warm air out, the other would suck cool air from the ambiance. Well, the proper words would be exhale and inhale, but who cares, both pairs rhyme! *winks* There is also a specially constructed blocker to thwart the warm air from flowing back in into the tube, thus, your CPU would stay cool at all times!

This is indeed, a cool accessory to be owned! I’ve always wanted to get some of these gadgets every now and then, well, now is my chance, but for only $11.99 worth, it could be yours too! You may proceed and get it here.

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As the name suggests, this is a multi-purpose ware. it is a water bottle (you know very well the usage of this), and at the same time, it is also a LED light source that can last for hours, and to top things off, it is 100% powered by solar energy! That means you wont have to spend a penny to buy batteries or to pay for your electric bills for charging the light!

All it needs is a 12 hour charge under direct sunlight. (Seems quite a donkey’s years, but wait till you hear how long the light can last!). The light comes with two versions, you can choose either to use the red light or bright white neon light. The red light would last up to 18 hours of continuous usage, and the white light will last up to 10 hours! So it’s totally worth a 12 hours charge! Besides, it’s not like you have to pay for the charging. It’s fully sponsored by mother nature!

So there you go! this tool is no other but perfect for those who like to travel and carry out outdoor activities such as camping and hiking, and this water bottle has a capacity of a total of 30 oz water too!
Below is some additional information:

• Handy waterproof switch on the cap that lets you change from the white LED (bright), to red (preserves your night vision), or turn it off completely
• On a full charge (12 hours in direct sun) the white LED will last 8-10 hours and the red LED will last 16-18 hours
• 3” wide mouth makes it easy to fill, mix things, clean and dry, and drink without hitting your nose
• Bottle is dishwasher safe, but cap requires light handwashing
• Uses two rechargeable AA Ni-Cad batteries (replaceable)
• Dimensions: 8.25” tall and 3.75” wide
• Weight: 10.8 oz.

You can get this item for just $24.99 here.

• Wal-Mart leaks out full Black Friday deals
• Spiff up your MySpace photo with Pixisnap mosaics and Polaroids
• Nokia tries to patent writing on the back of digital pictures