Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Compact, rugged, and with a price tag that won’t break the bank, the newest model of outdoor ready compact cameras by Olympus has a clever little feature that they invite users to tap into. Yeah, ok...so I’m sure by now you’ve figured out it has something to do with tapping, right? Well, correct you are.

Usually, one does NOT want to bump, bang, or ever tap their camera any more than necessary. In the case of the Stylus 1050 SW however, Olympus invites their users to “tap into worry-free fun”.  It means just what is sounds like. The camera uses an innovative tap interface where it registers taps on not only the screen area like some other touch screen cameras do; but also anywhere on the camera body. It uses an accelerometer so that it can read taps on different surfaces to control different functions just by tapping the appropriate area. Certain taps on the right side of the camera do one thing...taps on the left another. You can even calibrate the tap sensitivity to your liking. According to Olympus, it offers benefits in adverse conditions as well. 

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Well, there are a lot of good projectors out there, and the Panasonic PT-AE3000 is the latest to join the line.  I suppose the AE3000 could be a sequel to the PT-AE2000U which showed up a CEDIA last year. 

Features of this 1080p projector include a 60,000:1 contrast ratio and 1,600 lumens of brightness.  It also has Frame Creation Technology which is designed for large-screen viewing and a Lens Memory Load that is able to memorize and restore zoom or focus potions for “multiple aspect ratio flexibility.”

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We just have to trust Sony when it says that its new KDL-40ZX1 LCD TV is the world’s thinnest so far. Measuring a mere 9.9mm, this 40-inch LCD beauty weighs 12.2kg. Makes you wonder where it puts all that weight considering that it is so thin?

Anyway, the KDL-40ZX1 is said to feature wireless video reception which Sony has dubbed the Bravia 1080 Wireless. In addition, this LCD panel also features a 3000:1 contrast ratio, a full 1080p HD resolution, three HDMI ports, both a digital and analog tuner, as well as LAN and USB ports. 

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There have been a lot of great Scarlets in the last one hundred years.  Scarlet O’Hara, Scarlet Johansson, Miss Scarlet from Clue.  The new Scarlet from LG is the latest of fine looking Scarlets to burst onto the scene. 

LG has recently unveiled two more great Scarlets with the LG70 and LG80 LCD televisions.  I imagine that these televisions take their namesake from their red frames, and each one has full HD resolution of 1080p, as well as USB connectivity.  The LG70 has a contrast ratio of 50,000:1, while the LG80 has a 30,000:1. 

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Panasonic has really been pulling out all the stops on their HDTV department, releasing 8 new models of plasma and LCD TVs with the ZR900 and PZ800 series. 

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Sharp has released three new budget-friendly flat-panel LCD TV’s featuring full HD 1080p (1980 x 1080). Released under Sharp’s SB series, these new LCD TV’s are the 52-inch LC-52SB55U, the 46-inch LC-46SB54U and the 42-inch LC-42SB45U.

Encased in a glossy piano-black bezel, all three LCD’s feature Sharp’s Spectral Contrast Engine, have a pixel response time of 6ms (except for the LCD-42SB45U with 6.5ms), built-in ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuners and array of inputs which include four HDMITM for the LC-52SB55U, two for the LC-46SB45U and three for the LC-42SB45U. In addition, these LCD’s also come with two HD component terminals, a dedicated PC input and OPC Power Save Function which adjusts luminance to adapt to room brightness and lighting conditions.

The Sharp LC-52SB55U, LC-46SB54U and LC-42SB45U are available now and retailing for $2,299.99, $1,699.99 and $1,399.99 respectively.

Read [Business Wire] Product [Sharp]

Samsung released some new additions to their Series 6 lineup of LCD HDTVs. Last week, the company went official with the release of their 2008 Holiday Showcase. Now, counting the latest three models, plus their previously announced Series 9, Series 8 and Series 7 units, Samsung has a total of twelve new HDTV offerings for the holiday season.

Samsung’s Series 6 consists of the 52-inch LN52A630, 46-inch LN46A630, and 40-inch LN40A630. These models have a Touch of Color bezel design, 1080p panel, 120Hz technology, three HDMI 1.3 ports, and a USB socket used for uploading photos. The Series 6 lineup is meant to cater to the price-conscious, while delivering to expectations on picture performance, and style. It is predicted that the models will be priced at $2,699.99, $2,099.99, and $1,699.99 respectively, and be available sometime next month.

Via [Yahoo! News]

HP has announced the availability of a three new printers in their Photosmart series.

The first printer they announced, the A630, which comes with a record setting touch LCD screen, one that measures out at 4.8-inches. In addition, you have the option of making up to 300 edits to the picture, before printing it out. All this editing is done on the printer itself, no need for editing on the computer. In case you don’t need all these features, you can opt to get the simpler and more basic version, the A530. The A530 comes with a smaller screen, but it also is the most affordable printer that still can print 5 x 7 photos. 

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During Computex, Asus not only previewed its latest Eee PC line-up but some other forthcoming products as well. One of these products was a 42-inch Eee TV which Asus did not specifically highlight, yet it was seen by attendees on display near the Asustek booth. If you recall, this Eee TV was first seen sometime in January and rumored to be released in September.

Still, the lack of detailed information and specifications coming from Asus make us wonder whether Asus will market this TV as your usual LCD TV or something else more special. Not even the people manning the Asus booth were cooperative enough to leak out details about the Eee TV. And so we are left to ponder about it, albeit suspect other possible details until such time that Asus officially announces it.

Some observers found some USB ports and a LAN input on the TV, while others suspect that it would have web-browsing and email capability. Sadly, until the official announcement and release we can only admire this picture.

Via [Engadget]

LG has recently introduced two new LCD display monitors in the UK market. While there may already be a slew of LCD monitors available for UK consumers to choose from, LG’s monitors offer something else which makes them stand out from the LCD lot. For these two new monitors, the 29-inch M2900S-BN and the 38-inch MS3800S-BN, LG has stretched (literally) their screen resolution to 1366 x 480 and 1366 x 398 respectively. Both LCD monitors boast of a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and a response time of 9ms aside from their digital and analogue video input.

According to LG, these two LCD monitors are perfect for exhibiting information in large commercial areas, giving out high picture quality and are able to display horizontal or vertical data in large format and in their full color glory. LG is also giving consumers an easy time in controlling the monitors’ power, contrast, brightness and volume through a single computer when they connect each monitor with cables.

Release date and pricing details are not yet available but like we said, it will be made available to the UK market first.

Via [Akihabara News]