Massachusetts based startup, ZeeVee Inc, is getting ready to launch their new ZvBox which simplifies the process of streaming media content from your PC to your television.
The company demonstrated its innovative product at CONNECTIONS 2008, where the guys over at eHomeUpgrade were able to capture some demonstration videos (see below).
The device connects your computer (via VGA) with every TV in your house over existing coaxial cabling. It creates its own RF channel which is picked up by the built-in tuner in your television(s).
The included remote control gives you full access to your computer from your sofa with a built-in trackpad and mouse buttons just like on a notebook computer.
The ZvBox should be available July 31st and is available for pre-order at Amazon for $499.
Suzuki has announced the development of its SX4-FCV fuel-cell vehicle which will soon begin road tests as it progresses towards commercialization. It can reportedly run for 250km per hydrogen charge at speeds of up to 150km/h.
The vehicle has just been certified by Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
The SX4-FCV features a General Motors (GM) fuel cell module, a downsized light capacitor and a 70MPa high-pressure hydrogen tank. The body is the same as that on Suzuki’s SX4 compact car.
The fuel-cell vehicle will be on show at the G8 (Hokkaido Toyako) summit alongside Japan’s Zero Emission House.
Sony updated its media center lineup today with two new models, the VGX-TP1D and VGX-TP1DQ/B. Both will feature major improvements including a 2 Ground Digital TV Tuner and better video recording capabilities.
Both models come with updated hardware including an Intel Core 2 Duo T8100, 2GB RAM, a GeForce Digital 8400M GT graphics card, integrated WiFi, four USB ports, 4-pin FireWire, TV tuner, HDMI / VGA outputs, multi-card reader and a wireless keyboard.
The VGX-TP1D comes with a 320GB hard drive and a dual-layer DVD writer while the more expensive VGX-TP1DQ/B beefs up that spec with a 500GB hard drive and a Blu-ray burner.
Both of these new media centers will be available in Japan in about two weeks for an asking price of ¥150,000 ($1,392) and ¥200,000 ($1,856), respectively.
Not to be outdone by Mitsubishi, JVC has announced that next month will see the release of their 42-inch LT-421L89 and 46-inch LT-46SL89 models which they claim to be the world’s slimmest tuner-equipped LCD HDTVs.
The sets are only 39mm (1.5-inches) deep with a maximum depth of 74mm (2.9-inches) at the center. Both models consume less power and weigh less than typical LCD TVs.
The two new sets will have 1920 x 1080p resolution, an HDMI interface with three inputs, S-Video / VGA port and a TV tuner.
The 42-inch LT-421L89 and 46-inch LT-46SL89 will cost around $1,899.99 and $2,399.99 respectively.
Mitsubishi has announced an autumn / fall launch for its new laser TV technology called LaserVue. The sets will be available in 65-inch and 73-inch models and could prove to be the most energy efficient displays on the market.
Mitsubishi is being very quiet about how the technology works but have been quick to point out its advantages over competing technologies.
The displays run at 120Hz with 500cd/m² of brightness and have a 200 percent color gamut which is more than double that of traditional HDTVs.
Another plus is that these Laser TVs draw less than 200 watts which is a third of that used by plasma sets and half that used by LCD displays.
Pricing is expected to be similar to that of Plasma and LCD sets so keep an eye out.
Plans are being made between Sharp, Kansai Electric Power Co and Sakai City to construct 10MW-class solar power generation plants on the waterfront in Sakai City, Japan.
The news follows reports just last week of Japan’s Zero Emission House, exhibiting Japan’s skillful innovation and development in green technology.
There are two plants scheduled for construction. The first will be built on an industrial waste dump and will output 10MW (10,000kW).
The second will have a maximum output of 18MW (18,000kW) and will be installed on roofs of factories in the area.
Sharp will manufacture the Si solar modules for the plants in its new solar cell plant which will ready for production in March 2010.
The world’s first flight to the moon by a privately funded team has been announced as the Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Romanian Association submits a due date for their launch in the hope of grabbing $30 million in prize money.
Google put up the money just under a year ago and within three months from now we will see the first attempt.
In order to qualify for the prize money the team must be privately funded, land a robot on the moon which must travel 500 meters and transmit 1GB of images and video back to Earth. The deadline is 31st December 2012 for the full prize and the same date in 2014 will fetch half that at $15 million.
ARCA (should really be ACRA) will make their launch from sea using a balloon to lift their European Lunar Lander (ELL) to an altitude of 18km. Its Stabilo booster rocket will then propel the lander into space and to the moon. The spent rocket will detach and land in the ocean.
If ARCA’s mission succeeds, there are still plenty of prizes for other competitors such as $5 million for second place. $5 million will also go to the team whose lander is operational on the moon the longest and another $5 million will be awarded to the team who discovers traces of earlier USSR or Apollo missions or finds signs of frozen water on the moon.
Israeli scientists recently demonstrated a method for storing images in a warm atomic vapor. The method will help open the doors to quantum communication and image processing.
Every time you look at text on a page, you witness just how tightly constrained atoms are in solids. In gases, however, they are much more fluid and physicists from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology are working to constrain these atoms in order to store images.
They have demonstrated how rubidium vapor can store complex images for up to 30 microseconds. Once the technology is mastered, scientists believe it may be possible to store elaborate images or even entire movies.
The technology will also be very useful for the future of quantum computing. “The most ‘straight-forward’ application is a ‘memory device’ for the basic information unit of quantum information – the qubit,” said Moshe Shuker from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
Nokia seems to have taken a leaf out of Samsung’s book, with its assembly of a ‘Re-made’ phone constructed largely from trash.
The phone was made using old PET bottles, soda cans and car tires to show how the process of Upcycling can be used to create new, environmentally-friendly products.
Nokia commented that “many small actions when multiplied by large numbers, can indeed change the world. We can see the result of the many small actions here.”
Apparently, 44 of the 112 known elements are used in each typical mobile phone. Nokia is seeking to reduce the number and the toxicity of the materials to produce more sustainable handsets.
The ‘Remade’ has a metal casing made from soda cans, gaskets and keypad backing made from car tires and plastic components made from reused PET bottles.
Hopefully we’ll see something like this reach production soon.
LiveLuggage has come up with a suitcase that can turn a 65-pound load into something that feels like only 6.5-pounds – just a tenth of the weight.
It achieves this though a combination of far-forward power-assisted wheels, an anti-gravity handle and force-sensors which work together to reduce the strain on your arms or back.
The “pan-cake” wheels are motorized and are triggered by the force-sensors when you pull on the handle, leaving you to guide your luggage along instead of hauling it behind you.
The power is supplied by a 12V NiMH battery that will give you around two hours of wheeling, plus the case has built-in security features which makes it almost hack proof.
The LiveLuggage PA series suitcase will set you back $1300, but may just save you some expensive medical bills.
Mark's Technology News: Reports on the latest and greatest achievements in the world of technology. Featuring everything from gadgets and electronics to communications and internet developments, scientific and environmental breakthroughs to advancements in design, lifestyle, transportation and renewable energies.
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