We mentioned the Leapfrog FLY Pentop Computer before, but this time, it's finally hit shelves. As we mentioned, this is a computer built inside a special pen "computer", and works with specially made paper. For example, you've got some crazy calculator function: you draw some numbers on the paper, a plus sign, and an equal sign. Then you simply tap a number, and it'll say the number out loud. Tap 2, the plus sign, and 4, and the equal sign, and the pen will yell out 6. This also works if you draw out a musical keyboard; it'll play out a tune depending on which notes you tap. I didn't believe the hype until I actually saw a demo of this first-hand — the technology blew me away.

Targeted primarily for tweens, the FLY Pentop computer is intended as a learning device, with various educational applications and games. Some of it sounded quite cheesy (like a trading card baseball game, plus a password journal for teen girls) but maybe that's just 'cause I'm an old and jaded 26-year-old. The rest of the apps sounded actualy cool and useful: a scheduler, a Spanish language translator, etc. I actually would like to see this technology upgraded for adult-use, perhaps as a PDA, or an advanced note-taking system... I would definitely prefer using this thing to grappling with stylus Graffiti.

Suggested retail price for FLY Pentop Computer is $99, while various accessories and applications range from $5 to $35.

Fly Pentop [Leapfrog]
Highly-anticipated US$99 Pentop Computer finally hits shelves [Gizmag]

10:35:02 PM    comment   

Korea gets even more goods from Samsung today! The SPH-2300 DMB, which we talked about yesterday phone gets the satellite treatment with BIFS technology. BIFS, you ask? Who cares. It lets you interact with Spanish soap operas is all we know. You can enjoy the DMB on a QVGA screen with video-on-demand as well. Oh that's not all, it packs TV-out, so you might as well tell your Korean friends to ditch their DirecTV boxes. You get all the other expected goodies with this phone too. An MP3 player, Pictbridge for mobile printing, EV-DO for awesome speeds, IrDA, and a bag of popcorn for your viewing pleasure. Could you ask for anything more (aside from a US release)? The SPH-B2300 will be available in December for KTF subscribers in the Korean region.

Samsung introduces the SPH-B2300 DMB handset [SamsungHQ]

10:33:45 PM    comment   

As portable electronics become more accessible, prolonging battery life is the number one industry problem. Whether its cellphones, laptops or digital cameras, we've all been caught holding dead pieces of equipment, wishing we had some extra juice. To assuage this, Canon has announced that it will begin developing tiny fuel cells that will eventually replace conventional batteries for its printers and digital cameras. Canon's new system would take hydrogen straight from a refillable cartridge, making it more environmentally friendly. The company is also looking into replacing LCDs with Organic Light-Emitting Diodes that it will produce in-house. Other companies diligently working on fuel cell technology include technology include Toshiba, NEC and Hitachi.

Canon to develop fuel cells for printers, cameras [Reuters]

10:31:19 PM    comment   

Slim Devices has released its 3G music streaming device. Its nice, sleek, sexy and worth spending money on. I love all the plug-ins, and that’s the real Squeeze for me personally.

8:07:48 PM    comment   

SoonR is one of the companies I wrote about today in The Wireless Report on the Business 2.0 website. SoonR Desktop Agent is a tiny piece of software, aka one of the Google Sidebars that lets you Google your desktop from a mobile phone. You can view or share any of the results that you discover right from your phone.

With nearly 100 million potential customers on the horizon, startups like SoonR, a firm based in Menlo Park, Calif., are developing software applications for smartphone users. SoonR’s technology allows users to access their Windows PCs and run Google’s desktop search tool wirelessly. They can read documents, reply to Microsoft Outlook e-mail, look at photographs, and even share them with others. All that’s required is a phone with a built-in browser. While SoonR’s software also works on the slower 2G and 2.5G networks, it only becomes truly useful over faster 3G connections.

The company currently offers a basic plan for free (limited to 20 SMS messages), and will offer a premium version of their service once they go out of beta. The premium service will include features like caching of predetermined folders/or files you are working on in the cloud. Just in case your connection crashes, or your home machine goes kaput. (How it works!)

8:07:24 PM    comment   

I admit I have overdosed on the whole Front Row thing, but then I am often accused of pooh-poohing everything, so perhaps when I like something, well I like it. My previous two posts, I Want My Front Row-TV and Microsoft Media Center Vs Apple Front Row have generated some talk. Charlie Owen, who is part of the media center team posed a few questions as he counter-punched.

He wonders why I would pay for Front Row and not for MCE Lite. Good point! I think if priced right, I will pay for Microsoft Windows Media Center Lite the same amount of money. However, Microsoft is the one which wants to make a big splash in this space, so perhaps its good if they gave it away. Why wait till Vista when they can own the market now. Use MCE to be the razor and add-ons as “blades.”

Owen questions the problems I have had with the PVR part of the Media Center. I propose he comes over to Club Om, set it up, and I will offer him the best single malt and home cooked curry. Thomas Hawk, my favorite pro-am photographer, has a fantastic extension to my arguments.

The promise of owning the living room though is huge actually. The real payoff for Media Center comes five if not ten years down the road when that position of strength can be monetized in a whole host of ways. The important thing is to get the install base now today and to own it. Sometimes free software makes sense.

Precisely what I was thinking, if not saying. I am also amazed that how quickly the Mac-hack community has been able to find Front Row and make it work on standalone Macs. This is my weekend project. My good buddy Jonathan Greene got it running on his Mac Mini, so now when I visit NYC, we will have something else to talk about those damn Yankees.

8:06:13 PM    comment   

Status-craving consumers are hunting down the next wave in uber-exclusive goods, services and experiences that are truly out of reach for the masses, now that MASSCLUSIVITY (exclusivity for the masses) has commoditized all but the most luxurious products on earth.

7:55:08 PM    comment