LG go 3D in Korea

LG has launched a 3D notebook – known as the catchily titled LG R590 3D - in Korea. Word has it that we won’t have to wait long for it to arrive in the rest of the world, with an international launch just weeks away.

The glasses it come with it are of the big chunky square frame variety, so they’re defiantly for functionality rather than style. It features a 15.6 inch display, a speedy Intel Core i7 2.53GHZ processor with GeForce GT  graphics and 4GB RAM. A Blu-Ray drive doesn’t come as standard, oddly. It does though have 3D sound while the already installed TriDef software will convert 2D video to 3D in real time.

LG is also gearing up to release a 3D monitor and a projector that’ll come with a rather generous six pairs of glasses.

Antennagate

Ninety journalists gathered at an Apple press conference last Friday where Apple addressed the problems with the iPhone 4’s reception. Or “Antennagate,” as the issue is now seemingly referred to.

“We’re not perfect. We know that. You know that. And (our) phones aren’t perfect either. We’ve been working our butts off to understand what the real problems are,” said Steve Jobs during the conference.

The outcome? From next week until 30^th September a free signal boosting mobile phone case will be available on Apple.com . If you’ve already purchased a case then a refund will be given.

It was also announced that the delayed white version of the iPhone 4 would be available from 30^th July in the US.

World’s lightest mobile hits UK

After first being launched in Israel, the Modu mobile is now available in the UK via the Purely Gadgets online store. It weights just 43g, making it the lightest mobile phone ever.

But an iPhone killer this isn’t – it’s a pretty basic mobile, with the only notable features being MP3 playback and 2GB internal memory. This would be fine if it were as cheap as chips, but it isn’t – it’s £130. What?

By inserting the mobile into different “jackets” its capabilities are upgraded. The night jacket adds ambient lighting and a 3.2 megapixel camera, while the sport jacket adds a pedometer display. You can also buy a digital photo frame to plug into. In theory it’s a nice idea but these jackets are also rather expensive costing between £30 and £50.

I get the impression that the Modu was released as an inexpensive mobile in other countries but over here it’s being advertised as a gadget. It would have made much more sense to advertise it as a spare phone to take on holiday or similar, especially seeing that £130 will get you a half decent phone over here.

The Pepsi Max of USB keys

I wonder how many USB keys have been destroyed over the years? If you’re rather accident prone (or Optimus Prime) then the LaCie XtremKey might be something of interest to you.

It comes in a metal casing that is watertight up to 100 meters, it’s resistant to 5-meter drops and can withstand both extreme hot and cold temperatures (+200°C / -50°). It can also withstand the pressure of a 10-ton truck.

Despite the impressive statistics, it won’t cost the earth when it’s released next month – prices start $49.99 for an 8GB model.

Bizarre LG promotional photos

It seems this is all to promote the LG Dios, a fridge. The girl painted pink is supposed to represent heat, whilst the blue girl represents cold. Hmm. That still doesn’t really explain anything.

Still, clearly LG’s Korean marketing department is staffed by horny old men, who release new fridges just to get touched by Eva Longoria. You almost have to respect that.

iPhone 4 is Apple’s Vista

At least according to Microsoft’s Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Turner. At Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference, the big COO stated; “It looks like the iPhone 4 might be their Vista, and I’m okay with that”.

While some people are up in arms over Mr Turner’s apparent blunder for insulting his own product, it does seem fairly honest and accurate. Vista and the iPhone 4 are both a bit underwhelming and bug-ridden. Fair enough really. It would be nice if Mr Jobs acknowledged that the iPhone 4 won’t make phone calls if you hold it funny.

Time warp!

What would an MP3 player or a mobile phone look like if it had been released in 1977? Probably similar to Alex Varanese’s ALT1977 artwork, which can be found on Behance.net

My favourite has to be the faux advert for a pocket HiFi, as seen above, although I’m also keen on the Atari handheld which features such games as Pung, Asterisks and Pratfall.

More stuff like this, please.

Get the mouse out of your house/office

The technology behind the humble computer mouse hasn’t evolved in the same way that, say, computers themselves have.

Soon though there could be no computer mice at all – researchers at MIT have been working on project called “Mouseless”- an inferred laser and a camera that track your hand movements. Tapping on the table activates a mouse click; everything works the same way it would with a computer mouse, only without a device actually being there.

If this technology makes it to stores then expect it to be more than affordable – a working prototype only costs $20 to make.

There’s a video of it in action on YouTube, somewhat amusingly in the style of an old Tom & Jerry cartoon. You can also view the official Mouseless website here.

Google is watching you. Well, maybe

The Google Street View cars are returning to four countries this week – Ireland, Norway, South Africa and Sweden.

Google were under fire back in May for unintentionally collecting data from unsecured wireless networks while attempting to capture the world on camera. The new cars have had their Wi-Fi data collection equipment removed in order to avoid a similar incident from recurring.

Random fact: I once saw a Google Street View car not too far from my house.

3G wizz

According to a Wall Street Journal article Sony has been in talks with Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo to provide 3G capabilities for a next generation handheld device.

“Sony is developing a portable device that shares characteristics of handheld game machines, e-book readers and netbook computers, according to people familiar with the matter. Some Sony e-book readers already come with 3G connections but it is not clear if a new wireless gadget will use carrier networks,” the article claims.

A new PSP? Or something to take on the iPad? If it’s the latter, Sony are going to have a lot of catching up to do – CNET reckons that Apple could potentially sell 25 million iPads by March 2011.

To 3D or not 3D

If you’re thinking of buying a 3D TV, a Nintendo 3DS or taking a trip to the cinema then it might be an idea to visit the opticians first. UK charity The Eyecare Trust carried out a study on people’s eyesight and discovered that over six million Brits have poor binocular vision. This mean they have difficulty or cannot see 3D effects in games and movies.

Six million is equal to 12% of the UK population; just imagine how high that figure would be if they carried out the same study in somewhere like America or China…

Be kind to Kindle

Amazon started shipping the newest version of the Kindle DX today. It features a new graphite casing and uses an improved electronic ink display with 50% better contrast and no glare. It hasn’t sold out on Amazon.com yet (the original sold out in 5 hours) but from the looks of things it’s proving popular with many websites suggesting it’s the best Kindle yet. The battery life for the does sound rather impressive – it’ll keep enough juice for 1 week’s worth of reading on a single charge with wireless on. Turn wireless off and that figure doubles.

What I do find slightly bizarre though is that places are comparing it to the iPad, pointing out that the Kindle is both cheaper and thinner than Apple’s product. That maybe so, but all you can do on a Kindle is read books and post on Twitter and Facebook. The iPad is a whole lot more powerful and versatile, so of course it’s more expensive.