Cellular phone operator NTT DoCoMo has unveiled Japan's first prototype micro fuel cell for 3G handsets. This is aimed at boosting battery life for NTT DoCoMos' third-generation FOMA handsets. Battery life is expected with the micro fuel is will last four times longer than conventional lithium-ion batteries .

Micro fuel cell

- MORE via Press Release

Tivo & Netflix have officially announced their deal to create a service that will use high-speed Internet connections to pipe DVD-quality movies into the homes of their mutual subscribers. Talks of this deal was reported a few weeks ago - SEE Tivo & Netflix

Sharp has announced the introduction of a Windows-based computer that can double as a TV and a digital video recorder.

The PC-TX26GS by Sharp

The PC-TX26GS is a Windows XP based personal computer with all of the standard software and a series of applications aimed at consumer electronics-type applications which can be accessed by pressing the "IT" button on the unit's remote control. The PC-TX26GS is quipped with a wireless keyboard control and, a 26-inch monitor that looks like a television

Mamiya ZD 22 Megapixels camera

The recently announced "Mamiya ZD" and a digital back "Mamiya ZD" both come with a 36x48mm, 22 Megapixel Full Frame RGB Square-structured CCD. The 14 bit A/D (Analog to Digital) converter records information as 12-bit per colour channel. The ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), developed exclusively for the Mamiya ZD and Mamiya ZD Back, processes in real-time, optimization of image data from CCD. 1.8-inch LCD.The Mamiya ZD uses a Lithium Ion battery or an AC adapter. The dimensions are: 161.5mm (W) x 152mm (H) x 90.8mm (D) with a weight of 1,200g. - MORE via livingroom

Sony Network cameras ' SNC-M1/SNC-M1W '(The left) ' SNC-M3/SNC-M3W ' (the right

Sony JP has announced a few new webcams with JPEG system & mpeg4 capabilities . The new cams have built in microphones, Maximum frame rate ,15fps at 640x480 resolution : 1 & 30fps at 320x240 resolution . The SNC-M1W & SNC-M3W are wireless

BenQ DC E53

BenQ has announced two new cameras, the four-megapixel DC E43 and the five-megapixel DC E53 [image ]. Equipped with 3x optical zoom. Measuring 24 mm in thickness, the new compact DC E53 and E43 digital cameras have 2+ inch LCD screens - PRESS RELEASE via Gizmodo

Yesterday while listening to Burt Rutan he mentioned his best ideas come in the morning. He said that he keeps a pad & pencil on hand by the toilet. Here is a little something I am sure he could use to make that process all the more enjoyable, I call it Take a dump in comfort, A custom toilet complete with lumbar support, drink holders, multi positioned bowl adjustment and a security system. who wants a drink holder while taking a dump? - MORE via Engadget

The recently announced Sharp Actius AL27 is a full-Featured, High-Performance Notebook with Double Bright LCD. Sharp is dreaming that this will be a desktop replacement for the mobile professional who demands a full-featured, high-performance desktop replacement notebook .

I guess Sharp missed the much talked about oqo

Sharp Actius AL27

Vivisimo Inc will offically launch Clusty.com their new search engine 4 years in the making on Today . The name Clusty refers to the clustering technology that Vivisimo has refined to sort search results into different categories related to the initial search request. Eg you search for Jenna Jameson, you get the regular results then to the left you get a list of more specific categories like love, nude images etc. AskJeeves & even yahoo offers a similar cluster feature -however Clusty's approach has been hailed as the most sophisticated and user-friendly ( the hailers have not been named). One very cool thing I did like was the ability to preview webpages in the same search window. For that alone I will give clusty.com a bookmark - MORE via CLUSTY.com

Sony has announced a new walkman - the Sony NW-HD2 network walkman.
The Sony NW-HD2 is available in 3 colors Silver, Blue and Pink. Nothing new here that the Sony NW-HD1 doesn't have besides "the much need color addition" & new blue black light.
The 20GB Sony NW-HD2 will go on sale October 10th in Japan.

- PRESS RELEASE JP

Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co. has announced plans to flood the market with LCDs you can't afford produce several thousand high end 32-inch low-temperature polysilicon thin-film-transistor (TFT) LCD panels, the largest of their kind, per month. The new LCDs will use the technology called Optically Compensated Bend, which makes LCDs' viewing angles wider and response speeds faster.

- MORE via Press Release

Here is a new device to make sure you always look like the man on those really long road trips that you "have" to take against your will, in parts of the country you did not know existed.

NAV ONE

The NAV ONE unit by Cobra is a specialized, portable navigation system for use in vehicles. It provides turn-by-turn route guidance by combining:

A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to detect position
A detailed map of the 48 contiguous states, Hawaii and major metropolitan areas in Canada
"Plug and Go" functionality

- MORE via PCWORLD HATES THE NAVONE

Stormblue Xuke MP-600 OLED MP3 Player

Stormblue has introduced the Xuke MP-600 to the Korean OLED MP3 Player market.

The Xuke MP-600 comes in 128MB/256MB/512MB/1GB sizes. It uses a 4 line 2 color OLED LCD. Supports MP3 and WMA (DMR) music playback. Also includes FM Tuner, direct encoding, voice recorder, lyrics display and upgradable firmware. Measuring 76x26x16mm the Xuke MP-600 is about the size of a lighter.

- MORE via i4u
- Product Page KR

Some images of the Treo 650 for your viewing pleasure .
The Treo 650 will have built-in Bluetooth, 312MHz processor, 32MB of RAM, a higher-resolution 320x320 LCD screen, dedicated answer and disconnect buttons, and a one megapixel digital camera.

Sprint Branded Treo 650 Pictures

- MORE via Engadget
- MORE via TreoCentral

Rio Audio has announced a new OEMed MP3 Player in Japan -- The Rio Audio SU70. Don't get too excited it is basically the M-Cody MX-100 with some surgery.
RIO SU70

The Rio Audio SU70 is available in 256MB and 512MB configurations. The SU70 measures 84x34x18mm , plays MP3, WMA (DRM), ASF and WAV. Features include USB 2.0, FM-Tuner and 3D Sound and 35 hour battery life. - via i4u

IBM Corp. has unofficially started to parade with the new title the world's fastest supercomputer, taking the crown from 3 year title holder NEC's Earth Simulator in Japan.

Earth Simulator can sustain speeds of 35.86 teraflops.

While the IBM still-unfinished BlueGene/L System, named for its ability to model the folding of human proteins, can sustain speeds of 36 teraflops. A teraflop is 1 trillion calculations per second. The prototype for which IBM claimed the speed record is located in Rochester, Minn., has 16,250 processors and takes up eight racks of space. Supercomputing is significant because of its implications for national security as well as such fields as global climate modeling, astrophysics and genetic research.

Panasonic's SJ-MJ99

The SJ-MJ99 is a new portable MD player by Panasonic. The SJ-MJ99 weighs 55g & is 10.77 mm. D.sound audio system & Atrac3 compatible . Available in Japan in October in blue, lead, black & silver. - Matsushita via SoronbanGeeks

In an effort to show iPod who is boss, in October Sony will ship the Vaio-branded 20GB VGF-AP1, their new digital music player. The folks at theRegister got their hands on a preproduction 40GB model, the VGF-AP1L.

Sony Vaio Pocket VGF-AP1L

Read Review Sony Vaio Pocket VGF-AP1L digital music player

Epson JP has announced the P-2000 Photo Fine Player, a 40GB device that can be used for viewing digital photos (which you can transfer over to its hard drive via a CompactFlash/SD memory card slot, the P-2000 can also play back MPEG4, MP3,and AAC. The P-2000 has on-board CF and SD card slots.

Epson P-2000 Photo Fine Player

OS: Windows 98SE/Me/2000Professional/XP HomeEdition/XP Professional,Mac OS 9.1 - Mac OS X(Ver.10.2)

Gizmodo via SorobanGeeks

You need this in your life - The Toshiba 37LZ150 is an 37-inch LCD with the ability to record TV shows on a private newtwork. The 37LZ150 can be hooked up to your PC or network and record TV streams directly onto your HDD . When you use a network you can access the internet, and surf on the 37" screen. Also has a usb port for keyboard connection .

Toshiba's 37LZ150

Cool points - when you are not at home you can send an email to the TV to start a recording .
SD port which allows you to record MPEG4 clips for use on phone or PDA
Product Page - Toshiba via SorobanGeeks

The VPC-1000 Multimedia Hub by Asour can be described as a DVD/CD/MP3/FM-Receiver that fits into a drive bay. The VPC-1000 integrates audio/video entertainment as "home appliance computer." You insert the unit into a standard 5.25" drive bay of the regular desktop PC.

VPC-1000

Portable Innovation Technology Limited (PiTech and Qool Labs has introduced a Palm Powered smartphone from Qool Labs, the Qool QDA-700. The Qool QDA-700 is the world's first Palm OS(R) smartphone to include a 1.3-megapixel camera.

The Qool QDA-700

The Qool QDA-700 is based on the smartphone platform developed by PiTech and built on the Palm OS Garnet operating system. It is a tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900mhz) smartphone.

Samsung's YP-T6

Samsung KR has introduced a new MP3 Player -- YP-T6.
The Samsung YP-T6 features MP3, OGG, WMA and ASF playback. It comes in 128MB, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB. The YP-T6 mp3 player comes in 5 colors ( green, black, red, silver, blue) & 20 hours of battery life. The new YP-T6 connects via USB 2.0 to a PC. Features direct encoding, FM Tuner, 3D sound, lyrics display & voice recorder.
The Samsung YP-T6 measures 22x55x23mm and weighs 30g. via i4u

Seeing that the iPod is like your life, why not have it every place you can including your car, The KCA-420i will make this possible, tooted as the best in-vehicle interface adapter the KCA-420i allows you to cruise to your iTunes! (not my line I could not come up with such a genius line) Plug your *iPod or iPod mini into a compatible 2004 Alpine Ai-NET head unit using the KCA-420i and you are on your way to iPod heaven

Alpine KCA-420i iPod Interface

KCA-420i, Target Retail Price $100.00
*The KCA-420i is compatible with any iPod and iPod mini with dock connector and iPod Update 2004-04-28. Go to the iTunes site to download the latest iPod software.

- MORE

Kenwood Fineline VRS-N8100

The Kenwood Fineline VRS-N8100 networkable A/V receiver can play streaming audio and video files from the Internet, display photos stored on a PC's hard drive, and play audio over a system's main speakers while playing a different selection of music through its headphone jacks. The receiver is rated to deliver 130 watts to each of its six channels, and it provides Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES decoding. Internally the VRS-N8100 incorporates 24-bit/96kHz digital-to-analog converters, and ADI Sharc 32-bit floating point DSP chips. The receiver is networkable and is compatible with a variety of A/V files, including MPEG1, MPEG2, JPEG, BMP and GIF. Shipping of this device starts today 09/28/04

If you are in the market for a device that can record concerts that you are not supposed to be recording the R-1 recently announced by EDIROL could be the device for the job, it is lacking a little in recording time & storage department, still it would be a great buy. The R-1 is portable standalone 24-bit WAVE and MP3 Recorder/Player suitable for a wide range of sound and music applications. The R-1 mobile, high-quality recording device offering direct storage to Compact Flash (CF) memory, 24-bit effect processing, and operation from 2 AA batteries. Measures 4"x5.5" and weighs just 10 oz (including batteries and CF). The R-1 will list for $550 and be available in later November.

Eridol R-1 Digital Recorder

Avitronics,a South African defense firm & Saab has launched a smoke screen system for tanks and armored vehicles to offer additional protection against engagement by weapons like the RPG-7, anti-tank guns, missiles and artillery shells. A set of sensors, will pick up the signature of a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher. In less than a second, the Land Electronic Defence System 100 "will dispatch four smoke canisters covering the tank or vehicle and making it impossible for the attacker's missile to trace the vehicle - MORE via DefenseTech

- MORE via Grintek

An Israeli scientist has, after 20 years of work, developed a device that would get rid of the need for needles in certain cases (immunization or anesthetics). The SonoPrep is a hand-held ultrasound device that painlessly opens microscopic pores in a small area of the skin, allowing medication to pass into the bloodstream.

SonoPrep

The SonoPrep works by applying ultrasound waves to a small area of skin, about one square centimetre, for about 15 seconds. The ultrasound disrupts a protective membrane under the skin, allowing fluids to flow in or out.
- MORE

Research in Motion & O2 has announced the introduction of the BlackBerry 7290 Wireless Handheld(TM) for mobile professionals in Europe. The Java(TM)-based BlackBerry 7290(TM) new features include a quad-band phone, Bluetooth(R) support, a brighter color screen and enhanced memory.

The BlackBerry 7290 features has a compact, ergonomic handheld design, high-resolution color screen that supports over 65,000 colours, QWERTY keyboard, thumb-operated navigation trackwheel, excellent battery performance, plus integrated support for corporate and personal email, phone, SMS, organizer, Internet and intranet applications.

The Register is reporting that PalmOne is expected to release a new Tungsten handheld as early as Monday. This new machine is expected to be called the Tungsten T5. About a month ago an image of the T5 surfaced, the image was put under the microscope and pasted off as a fake, as more data started to flow about the T5, looks like this image , might just be real. The T5 will be based on a 520 MHz Intel XScale PXA270 CPU and contain 128MB of RAM. The PDA will has both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The T5 is said to feature a 320 x 480 display (switchable between landscape and portrait views). - MORE via theregister.co.uk

Wacom has announced the W8002 mixed-signal IC single chip solution, which allows the integration of Wacom's inductive pen sensing technology into mobile devices, such as Smartphones and personal digital assistants. With Wacom's cordless, battery-free pen with flight point feature (the ability to hover without touching the screen) and pressure sensing capability will accelerate the development and adoption of a range of new 'killer' mobile applications.
via Gizmodo - MORE via PRESS RELEASE

PalmSource has announced Palm OS Cobalt 6.1, an enhanced version of Palm OS Cobalt. The Cobalt 6.0 has yet to be released, but according to sources it is coming very soon, soon like in a few weeks, then you expect the 6.1 a few months down the line or maybe the 6.0 was scrapped and will never see the light of day. The Palm OS Cobalt 6.1 builds on the foundation of Palm OS Cobalt and provides integrated telephony features, support for WiFi and Bluetooth and enhancements to the user interface.

Richard Branson all things virgin-al plans to launch the first commercial space service - Virgin Galactic, which will start building its first aircraft, the VSS Enterprise, next year and could blast off from California's Mojave Desert with passengers aboard as soon as 2007. As expected Mr. Banson will the first to sign up for the inaugural flight.

Olympus has announced three new cameras , the EVOLT E-300, D-590 Zoom, and the AZ-2 Zoom.

EVOLT E-300

The 8 megapixel EVOLT E-300 digital SLR camera is compatible with Olympus's entire line of E-System lenses. Read - Olympus EVOLT E-300

D-590 Zoom

The D-590 Zoom (known as the C-470 Zoom in Europe) is a four megapixel entry-level camera which comes with a 1.8-inch anti-glare LCD screen and a 3x optical zoom lens, priced at $299.
Read - Olympus C-590 Zoom

AZ-2 Zoom

The new four megapixel AZ-2 Zoom, is eight-tenths of an inch thick with a large 2.5-inch anti-glare LCD screen and a 2.8x optical zoom lens.
Read - Olympus AZ-2 Zoom

The Cathena

The Cathena has the look and feel of a traditional ultralight notebook computer while offering all the features and benefits of a high-performance Windows CE product, such as instant-on, extended battery life, and low support costs.

Sony's PCS-TL50 video conferencing unit

Sony has a new video conferencing unit -- the PCS-TL50. The PCS-TL50 is equipped with camera, speaker, microphone & all required cables for fabulous video conferencing. This baby could be yours for 5200 Euros, this is a bargain considering that the screen can receive two video/images sources at the same time, plus, hold on to your seats for this one, you can run a PowerPoint presentation from your PC, all the while watching someone. via sorobangeeks.com

The SmartPhonemate Bluetooth keyboard

Specs for the upcoming BlueBooth keyboard from Chainpus

M-XD1GM Olympus

Olympus has announced the 1GB xD . The xD-Picture Card will be available with a capacity of 1GB before the end of this year. Photographers with xD Picture Card-compatible cameras can store up to 1GB of images and videos on the xD storage card. That equates to about 43 images in TIFF format or 660 in the highest quality setting when the card is used in the Olympus C-8080 WideZoom camera, for example. - MORE via Pocket-lint

Good news for you UK lads & gals. Gizmodo is reporting that the V3 Razr will be could be available as soon as next week for £500 from Car Phone Warehouse .

The Motoroloa V3 Razr

- MORE on V3 Razr via Gizmodo

- Photo Gallery & Review via HowardForums

Att has offically announced the OGO

Dedicated IM, e-mail, and text messaging all at once
Unlimited messaging as low as $17.99 per month
Full keyboard for easy typing

$129.99 Ogo Retail Price

According to Handtops word is that the OQO will be available in October for $1899 at www.oqo.com.

OQO

The OQO is a fully functional Windows XP computer that you can take anywhere with ease, just 4.9 inches long, 3.4 inches wide, 9 inches thin, and weighing only 14 ounces, the OQO can fit in a pocket or purse with no hassle. The OQO has a 1GHz processor, a 20GB hard drive, 256MB of RAM, a color transflective display, and integrated wireless, as well as Fire Wire and USB ports. Time to pack up the lap top & desktop, you might still need an external drive or 2 but you will have so much space on your desk that a few external drives will be a welcome addition

- MORE via OQO

MORE - What is the OQO ? by Handtops

Toshiba has announced new models of its Gigabeat series of hard disk-based MP3 players.

Toshiba F60

The recently announced F10/20/60 models come in sizes 10/20/60GB with color 2.2-inch Poly-Silicone Liquid Crystal QVGA screens. Very iPod looking but hats off to Toshiba for not naming the new series iToshiba, or TPod.

Planon DocuPen R700

In the market for an inconspicuous scanning device that you can get in and out of your office building without questions -- you know for those days when you need scans of secret documents that are never to leave the office, I have some good news Planon has announced, the DocuPen R700 (I will assume the DocuPen part comes from it's pen like appearance). The DocuPen is a portable full-page scanner with flash memory and a USB charging system, just like a pen. Scans up to 100 pages into memory, scans a FULL PAGE in 4 seconds.

MORE after the jump.

DV8 Digital Recorder/Voice Email System

Datexxs' DV8 is a cool & attractive palm size Digital Recorder/Voice Email System. The DV8 allows you to create and send Voice Email from your PC. You mouth off on the 16mb memory device, transfer to your PC and email or store it. For those times when you need to express real voice emotion the DV8 is to the rescue. E.g. you forgot your friends birthday, you are so sorry, you can voice email them that deep pain with a few tears, hopefully a future edition will allow self destruct of those voice emails after the user hears it. The DV8 is also recommended for business meetings & classes. - DV8 detailed specs

MORE after jump, including seriously high tech use of the DV8

Yes, I know this is little late, OK very late, but in my research for all things wonderful, the PSP keeps magically appearing.

Sony's PlayStationPortable

The PSP has been featured on a few of the uber blogs - Engadget , Gizmodo .

Here is a little rundown of what to expect once it hits our shores ( you probably know all this already & just want the release date )North American and Europe will get the PSP in early 2005, while Japan's launch is planned for December. The PSP promises to bring a "modern, 3D console experience to the mobile platform, it will be able to play not only games, but also music and movies. Specs after the jump .

Parrot's CK3300

Parrot has announced that the CK3300 with GPS functionality, with its built-in GPS receiver, CK3300 adds navigation functions to the benefits of the CK3100 kit.

The navigation functionality of the CK3300 is powered by the Fastrax iTrax02 OEM GPS receiver. The iTrax02 is a 12-channel GPS receiver, enabling continuous tracking down to very low signal levels, with support for assisted GPS (A-GPS).
- MORE via GeekZone

DSC-F88

Check out Anandtechs review of Sony's DSC-F88 5 megapixel, 3x optical zoom, 300 degree rotating lens digital camera. - MORE via Anandtech

MSI has announced its new MP3 Player the MEGA Player 518. MEGA Player 518 has storage capacity of 1.5/ 2/ 4 GB (1" Hard Disk). You can store music or data in the HDD via USB 2.0 transfers. Built-in SD/MMC card slot allows you to upgrade the storage capacity.