Epson has just lifted the veil on two new compact photo printers - namely the PictureMate PM260 and the PictureMate PM290.

Both devices will be able to churn out full bleed, lab-quality photos at 10 x 15cm in just 37 seconds.

Both printers target the home user who want to print the occasional photo without having to make a trip down to the local photo store.

You don't need to have a computer in the vicinity, since you can plug in your memory card directly, or use a USB cable, and with the help of a Bluetooth module, you can even transfer photos directly over, doing away with the need
for a computer.

A 9.1cm LCD display helps users choose the photos that they want to print, using basic editing options to help improve images by removing the red eye effect or cropping unwanted segments out.

They look like no frills photo printers for the average Joe, and depending on price points, look appealing for casual users.

Tags: Cameras Printers Epson Think Tank Cameras

Epson launches PictureMate PM260 and PM290 photo printers originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:09:47 +0100

Think Tank Photo has realised that pro photographers and serious shutterbugs have a need for a flexible, multi-purpose field bag, and the "Change Up" is the result of their labour.

This unique pack is capable of changing its form as a belt pack to a shoulder bag, and can even be carried on your chest when you use the enclosed harness system to support it.

A wide, supportive waist belt enables you to wear this belt pack lower or higher on front of the body, or on your hip, and can be rotated around in a snap for the most comfortable position possible while you concentrate on getting the shot.

As the sharp tacks among you may have guessed, the ability to be used for one purpose and changed easily for another is the main reason behind the "Change Up" name.

Size-wise it claims to offer more than ample space and cameras such as the Nikon D200 or the Canon 5D (without the bottom battery grips attached) can be put straight down into the bag with a lens attached.

Related links:

• Link - Think Tank Photo

Tags: Cameras Camera accessories Bags Think Tank Cameras 8 megapixels Dell Epson

Think Tank Photo announces flexible "Change Up" field bag originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:56:14 +0100

Toshiba has just dropped 11 new REGZA HDTVs in Japan for the "discerning" consumer to choose from.

Echoing Sharp's announcement yesterday, the televisions make up three seperate ranges.

No launch details for outside of Japan were announced, but it's hoped the ranges will make their way to the US and Europe eventually.

The Z3500 series takes the cake in terms of features, featuring a dedicated Linux-based PC inside that means consumers can stream media from any Digital Living Network Alliance devices or Toshiba's VARDIA recorders via Ethernet.

Two integrated USB port allows users to connect external hard drives for playback or recording.

This entire range boasts full 1080p HD resolution at either 24 or 60 frames per second, and comes in 37-, 42-, 46-, 52- and 57-inch sizes.

The REGZA RF350 series is more style-focused and comes in a "colourful canvas" to spruce up your home and is designed to fit perfectly into small living spaces, featuring full HD resolution as well.

The REGZA C3500 is a more low-end, affordable offering - it does not have full HD in its 26-inch and 32-inch models, although the 37-inch and 42-inch models do.

Related links:

• News - New Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions
• Via - Electronista

Tags: Home Cinema Televisions LCD televisions Toshiba

Toshiba unveils 11 new REGZA LCD televisions originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:42:35 +0100

"The Simpsons Movie" is definitely proving to be a success this summer, catering to fans of the long running cartoon series.

The potential popularity of the film meant that extra security measures needed to be taken when the movie was first shown to prevent piracy of any sort.

These measures were proven to be effective when a man in Australia was arrested on suspicion of filming the entire movie on his mobile phone and subsequently uploading it on the Internet.

Digital sleuthing traced the suspected offender to an address in Sydney.

The 21-year-old has been charged with copyright theft and could potentially spend up to 5 years in the slammer.

Apparently, because of times zone differences, the uploaded copy was already downloaded more than 3000 times before the official film was even released in the US.

Not only that, the movie has already undergone a re-edit with an unauthorised French language version and is currently available over Bittorrent and other P2P services.

Related links:

• Via - TheRegister

Tags: Home Cinema The Simpsons Mobile phones

Police arrest the man who pirated "The Simpsons Movie" on mobile originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:22:04 +0100

The Nintendo Wii has taken off impressively since it was released, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

But one of the gripes Wii owners have would be the inability for the Wii to play DVDs without complicated hacks.

X-OOM Software has seen to this dilemma by offering X-OOM Movies on Wii, enabling users to convert movies and TV shows for playback on the TV via their Wii.

With this software you just need to do is run the DVD on a computer, and then save the file to the appropriate format.

Transfer this saved file over to an SD memory card and you're good to go for direct movie playback on your Wii.

For the adventurous, there is always the option to tinker with the "Expert Mode" to come up with your own edited scenes.

X-OOM's very own Fit-To-Stick technology claims to ensure movies are loaded onto the memory card in a fast and efficient way.

X-OOM Movies on Wii will retail for £19.99 and is compatible with a wide range of video formats, ranging from DivX to XviD, MPEG2, MPEG4, and WMV.

Related links:

• Link - X-OOM

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Wii Nintendo DVD Software X-oom

X-OOM Movies for Wii - a workaround to watch DVDs on your Wii originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:08:46 +0100

Let's face the facts - having an ordinary laptop is not going to cut it when your job requires you to head off to a war zone or construction site.

This is where the Augmentix XTG630 comes in - boasting unprecedented toughness without sacrificing on performance.

The XTG630 has a Dell interior, featuring a pretty powerful dual core Intel 2.4GHz processor aided by an Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor, built-in 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth support, and GPS so that you don't get lost in a foreign land.

On the outside, the XTG630 packs a dense magnesium exoskeleton complete with an over-mold protection system to help protect its precious content against external forces such as dust, knocks, and drops.

Other features include Augmentix's very own QuadCool thermal management system to keep the unit running efficiently, while a 14.1-inch DirectVue LCD provides excellent viewability under direct sunlight.

No word on pricing, the XTG630 is aimed at corporate purchasers.

Related links:

• Via - DigitalTrends

Tags: Hardware Laptops Dell Augmentix

Augmentix XTG630 is one tough nut notebook originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:59:02 +0100

Samsung has brought a little bit of extra terrestrial life into the midst of Korea by offering the UFO slider handset, which is also known by model numbers SCH-W300 and SPH-W30000.

Targeting the Korean market only as at press time, the Samsung UFO features 7.2Mbps download speed that lets users download a MP3 file in just 4.4 seconds, while those who love watching video on the go can retrieve a video file in a mere 44 seconds.

Apparently, the moniker UFO was derived from abbreviation of "Unimaginable, Fast speed and Oh, 7.2Mbps" although we can't verify the truth in that.

The Samsung UFO is extremely svelte, measuring a mere 12.9mm thin and supports HSDPA/GSM global roaming.

A 2-megapixel camera is included for you to capture candid shots, while Bluetooth connectivity enables handsfree
conversations.

For interested parties, the Samsung UFO retails for under 600,000 Korean Won, where converted, will cost less than 315 quid.

You can choose from only magic silver and black pearl colors at this point in time, although violet and sapphire blue colors are in the pipeline as we speak.

Related links:

• Via - Aving

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Samsung

Samsung "UFO" mobile phone launches in Korea originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 13:22:42 +0100

Since summer is hopefully not over just yet - one of these could make for an interesting family outward-bound bonding experience.

Going out on a still lake is definitely relaxing, and the Transparent Canoe-Kayak would do a great job in instilling
a sense of wonder to whoever seats on it without regard to age.

Boasting a transparent polymer hull that was manufactured using the same durable material used in the cockpit canopies of supersonic fighter jets, this Canoe-Kayak offers more surface stability by displacing greater amounts of water.

The presence of adjustable seats allow paddlers of different
heights to go all pull their weight, so to speak.

Since the frame is made out of lightweight anodized aluminum, transporting this around shouldn't be a problem.

Each $1599.99 purchase comes with a couple of double-headed paddles and - hopefully not jinxing your outing - a water bailer and two flotation devices.

Related links:

• Shop - Hammacher

Tags: Sports Fitness Sports Fitness equipment Kayaking Hammacher Rumours Nike Running iPod

Transparent kayak canoe - it is suddenly all clear originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:03:47 +0100

What are some of the ways where you can show your love towards mother earth?

Other than use a greener vehicle (or better still an electric powered car) there are tons of other action items such as picking up goods made from recycled items, using recycled paper, reduce the use of plastics, the list
goes on.

Sending tin cans to the nearest recycling centre also works, but instead of lugging a whole bag around, why not crush and compress them into a more manageable size?

This is where the Frog Can Crusher comes in, featuring an rather cute green amphibian that comes complete with friendly eyes and a smile.

When not in use, it sits there, ready to jump. Just raise its body up and place a can underneath it, using your body weight to crush the can into a compact form factor.

If only it came with some sort of insect catching mechanism as well - now that'd truly make it one useful device to have around the home.

The Frog Can Crusher retails for around $23 after conversion and can be purchased online from Japan.

Related links:

• Shop - Japanese
• Via - UberGizmo

Tags: Gadgets Home And Kitchen Eco

Crush your cans with a frog originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 10:50:21 +0100

Canon has taken almost a year after announcing the PowerShot G7 to unveil the PowerShot G9 digital camera, featuring the highly sought after raw shooting mode (showing that Canon listens to their customers' grouses and requests), a spanking new 3-inch LCD display, and a 12.1 megapixel sensor.

Other features such as face detection, focus, and handling have also been given a boost - not to mention the inclusion of compatibility with Canon's very own ST-E2 wireless flash transmitter.

While the 6x optically-stabilized zoom has not changed, users do get 25 shooting modes including full manual control and 2 custom settings, the vaunted DIGIC III processor, and ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift among others.

Users will be able to use the hot shoe support for Canon Speedlite EX series flash units if the need arises.

Since the PowerShot G9 features PictBridge compatibility as well, you can now print directly without having a computer to act as an intermediary.

It supports SD, SDHC, and MMC cards in addition to the new MMCplus and HC MMCplus formats, bringing potential storage capacity up to a whopping 32GB. Too bad the memory card bundled with the camera is a mere 0.1% of that size.

The PowerShot G9 will be available from September 2007 priced £429.

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras Compact cameras Canon 12 megapixels Dell Online

Canon launches 12-megapixel PowerShot G9 compact camera originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 10:00:10 +0100

There are a number of people who collect bottles of vintage wine, and yet lack a cellar to store them in the correct manner.

It is somewhat akin to purchasing Ferraris without having a proper garage to store those beauties.

Spiral Cellars aim to offer a solution (for the wine, and not the Ferraris) by, crudely speaking, digging a hole directly under your floor.

This can be in the kitchen, lounge, garage, or other ground floor areas.

Each excavated hole is capable of holding up to 1600 bottles of wine inside a spiral stairway cellar system.

This stairway was specially built to prevent any water from seeping in, using a pre-cast cylindrical system that can be installed into the mentioned excavated hole.

This system uses the earth to work as a natural insulator, while the use of an air-flow system means you don't have to fork out extra to power it.

Sounds as though not every house will be able to take advantage of such services though - so don't throw away your Ikea wine rack just yet.

Related links:

• Via - CoolestGadgets

Tags: Gadgets Home And Kitchen

Downward spiral to booze wonderland originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:39:44 +0100

Corsair is famous for their line of computer and flash memory products, and this time they have a new addition to the family known as the Flash Padlock.

Unlike other USB flash drives, it uses hardware technology instead of software to secure your data within, making it harder for malicious folks who are just dying to know what you have stored inside.

Each Flash Padlock comes with an Auto-Locking feature that does not require the user to remember to enable it - helping forgetful types keep the drive's content secure.

The moment it is removed from a computer, it will automatically lock itself out, requiring one to enter the PIN number the next time it is plugged in.

The PIN number can be up to 10 digits long, but with the sheer amount of PIN numbers and passwords that we have to remember these days, most people would probably stick to the bare minimum.

It is compatible on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms and comes in 1GB and 2GB capacities which retail for $29.99 and $39.99 respectively.

Related links:

• Link - Corsair

Tags: Hardware Storage Flash drives Corsair

Corsair launches Flash Padlock for secure storage originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:24:41 +0100

The good people at Brando are offering yet another USB gadget that is set to keep you entertained - the MP4 Watch II.

This timekeeping device lets you enjoy music and video on the go thanks to its 1.8-inch LCD 65k color display, although at only 160 x 128 resolution you might have to squint after a while.

An MP4 player, MP3 music player, FM Radio, digital watch, voice recorder, photo album and e-book reader all in one product, this sure is converged.

It supports MP3, WMA and MP4, and JPEG formats, and offers up to 8 hours of music playback.

With 5-equalizer modes and super bass 3D sound effects maybe the music playback won't be as novelty as the format of the gadget might suggest.

The watch has built-in speakers and hooks up to your computer via USB 2.0 - compatible with Windows but not Vista, Mac OS X and Linux 2.4 upwards.

There are two flavors available – 2GB and 4GB, where the former retails for $92 while you can pick up the latter, with double the memory, by ponying up an additional $26.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out which offers better value for your hard earned money.

Does this mean your iPod is supplanted by the MP4 Watch II? It's a bit too novelty to seriously compete against standalone players, think of it as this complementing rather than competing with your 'pod.

Related links:

• Link - Brando

Tags: Gadgets Watches MP3 players Audio Voice recorders Brando USB gadgets

Brando offers multimedia MP4 Watch II originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:12:44 +0100