TV’S FUTURE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE NOW IN TINY SIZE
OLED TVs are the promise of the future, offering a startlingly vivid picture while consuming little energy (but at the moment a lot of money). You can, however, have the same kind of technology (organic light-emitting diodes) in a pocket-size picture viewer right now without taking out a second mortgage. Digital Foci has produced a 2.8-inch OLED-screen photo viewer. The player uses modest power, playing for up to five hours from its built-in lithium-polymer battery, the company says.
The player holds about 4,000 pictures on its 128-megabyte memory. Pictures are resized by the included software. That software isn’t the smoothest — downloading required a few tries — but the device eventually displayed bright, colorful photos that can be set to play in a customized slide show. The OLED screen is viewable from oblique angles, so a few friends can see the show at the same time. The company says the player will be available online from Digital Foci, B&H, Amazon and Wal-Mart by the end of this month Affordable OLED TVs will take a little longer.
A REALLY BIG NOTEBOOK TO REPLACE THE DESKTOP (IT’S ALMOST TOO BIG FOR YOUR LAP)
A number of notebooks on the market style themselves as desktop replacements, but the Sony Vaio AW series is being positioned to replace the home theater — sort of.
The new Vaio starts with a mammoth 18.4-inch widescreen display, pumped up with display technology to rival many flat-panel TVs. Its resolution is 1080 dots per inch (dpi) — one of the higher high-definition standards. It is also the resolution of Sony’s Blu-ray DVD technology, and a Blu-ray drive is included. (One could ask how much resolution one really needs at 18.4 inches, but why spoil the display arms race?)
Though the emphasis is on the display, the Vaio AW is also a high-end computer aimed at those who want to edit photos and videos in HD. It has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to a terabyte of storage and 4 gigabytes of RAM memory.
The AW comes in three models. The Vaio AW can also be connected to your TV via an HDMI connection, which supports not only HD, but also 5.1 surround sound.
And at nearly 4kg, it may spend more time tethered to something at home than out on the road.
A SPARE, MORE RUGGED DESIGN FOR THE LATEST VERSION OF THE ORBIT-MP3 SPEAKER
Altec Lansing’s new Orbit-MP3 is different from many external speaker systems for portable music players: It looks as if there’s just one speaker in there, not two. But sitting next to one, you get the full stereo experience.
For a product that costs about US$40, the Orbit’s sound quality is quite good. And it runs on three AAA batteries, which the company claims will last for 24 hours of continuous play). This is important because that means the Orbit has no AC adapter, a device that adds weight when you toss the unit in a briefcase or backpack.
This second version of the Orbit comes with two big improvements: an on/off switch and a battery life indicator.
The earlier version had a clever power switch — you rotated the top of the unit to turn it on and off. While it was an interesting idea, it was easy to forget that the unit was on, meaning that the old Orbit went through batteries the way gas goes through a Hummer. Sacrificing a little form for function’s sake is a marked improvement.
A STAND-ALONE VIDEOPHONE FOR COMPUTER-FREE HOUSEHOLDS
Computer users are familiar with Web cams, but for those who are more tech-averse but still want some basic two-way video capabilities, there’s the Asus AiGuru SV1.
A stand-alone Web cam and display, the SV1 connects to an existing Wi-Fi or Ethernet network in your home, no PC required. It is also a Skype-certified videophone (it uses the free service to provide video connections) and comes equipped with a 7-inch LCD monitor that uses a large, easy-to-read icon-based interface.
The videophone has a built-in 640 by 480 pixel Web cam, an integrated speakerphone and 20 minutes of talk time and 30 standby minutes. Alternatively, the SV1 can be plugged into an outlet. Also included are a USB port and 3.5mm headphone and microphone jack.
The US$300 AiGuru is to be available next month — just in time to let grandparents check out the grandchildren’s costumes before trick-or-treating.
LASER PRECISION IN A MOUSE FOR GAMERS
A regular mouse is good for navigating Web pages and handling other document-based work. But when it comes to meeting gamers’ needs, regular specifications can fall short, especially where sensitivity is concerned (you want to make sure you hit the two-headed monster in just the right spot, after all).
Hewlett-Packard’s Laser Gaming Mouse with VooDoo DNA technology offers up to five levels of on-the-fly sensitivity, which means a gamer can adjust its settings up to a hypersensitive 3,200dpi (compared with a standard 400dpi or 800dpi mouse).
The Laser Gaming Mouse also includes a four-way scroll wheel, Teflon gaming feet for smoother movement and a laser-based sensor. The 153g right-handed model will be available in mid-next month. Somewhere, a Razer is trembling.
Sept.16 to Sept. 22 The “anti-communist train” with then-president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) face plastered on the engine puffed along the “sugar railway” (糖業鐵路) in May 1955, drawing enthusiastic crowds at 103 stops covering nearly 1,200km. An estimated 1.58 million spectators were treated to propaganda films, plays and received free sugar products. By this time, the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台糖, Taisugar) had managed to connect the previously separate east-west lines established by Japanese-era sugar factories, allowing the anti-communist train to travel easily from Taichung to Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港). Last Sunday’s feature (Taiwan in Time: The sugar express) covered the inauguration of the
The corruption cases surrounding former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) head Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are just one item in the endless cycle of noise and fuss obscuring Taiwan’s deep and urgent structural and social problems. Even the case itself, as James Baron observed in an excellent piece at the Diplomat last week, is only one manifestation of the greater problem of deep-rooted corruption in land development. Last week the government announced a program to permit 25,000 foreign university students, primarily from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, to work in Taiwan after graduation for 2-4 years. That number is a
In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses. After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure. The team is among 10 recognized in this year’s Ig Nobel awards (see below for more), the irreverent accolades given for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think.” They are not
This Qing Dynasty trail takes hikers from renowned hot springs in the East Rift Valley, up to the top of the Coastal Mountain Range, and down to the Pacific Short vacations to eastern Taiwan often require choosing between the Rift Valley with its pineapple fields, rice paddies and broader range of amenities, or the less populated coastal route for its ocean scenery. For those who can’t decide, why not try both? The Antong Traversing Trail (安通越嶺道) provides just such an opportunity. Built 149 years ago, the trail linked up these two formerly isolated parts of the island by crossing over the Coastal Mountain Range. After decades of serving as a convenient path for local Amis, Han settlers, missionaries and smugglers, the trail fell into disuse once modern roadways were built