Posted Mar 28th 2008 4:23PM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Cellphones, GPSIt may have won approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and NAVTEQ shareholders alike, but it looks like the EU’s European Commission needs a bit more time to think over Nokia’s acquisition of the company, and it’s now launched an “in-depth” probe into the matter. According to Reuters, the Commission said that the “proposed merger raises serious doubts with regards to … competition concerns,” although it was quick to add that the decision to open the inquiry does not prejudge the result of the probe. Among other things, the probe will apparently attempt to asses whether whether the purchase would affect the cost of maps for other companies providing navigation services on cellphones. (Read the full post about ‘Nokia’s NAVTEQ acquisition draws probe from the EU’…)

Have you ever seen that Element that some people have been driving? I always thought those rectangular cars were odd, like giant shoeboxes. It appears that Toyota has rolled out an environmentally friendly box-shaped car.

The Toyota Hi-Ct concept car was first shown at the Bangkok International Motor Show, but not at the more famous New York Auto Show. This hybrid vehicle can charge from an external electric source, such as a AC100V accessory socket.

Information is pretty limited other than that, for now. Judging by the picture, it appears there is only room enough for two. So much for room for the whole family. I suppose they could hang out on that back flap of the trunk.

(Read the full post about ‘Toyota Hi-CT Concept Car’…)

iRiver of Japan has just announced the availability of its Mickey Mouse-shaped mp3 player known as Mplayer Camouflage. This new range will come with a wide variety of patterns adorning Mickey’s head, so you will be spoilt for choice if you’re trying to pick one up for that significant other in your life. They won’t come cheap though, as each 1GB black, pink and blue Mplayer Camouflage will retail for approximately $135 after conversion.

Source: AVing

Tags: TV, digital, digital, CD

Samsung has launched NV24HD, a new HD digital camera loaded with a 10.2-megapixel resolution and AM OLED display. AM OLED is an innovative display that emits light which prevents distortion of the screen when viewing angle varies from one shot to another. The AM OLED display also response 2,000 faster than most TFT LCD. Being an HD digital camera, the Samsung NV24HD is equipped with upgraded HD technology that produces high quality, clear full HD images. And with full HD capabilities, the Samsung NV24HD features enhanced video viewing by employing the next generation H.264 video standard. It supports a video resolution of 1280X720 at a fast 30fps. (Read the full post about ‘Samsung launches the NV24HD, 10.2MP camera with AM OLED Display’…)

Some people like to express their moods and convey messages by the t-shirts they wear. So, if you have a lot to say or your mood swings like a wind chime in a hurricane, then you probably have a closet full of tees to express yourself. But what if you want to change your t-shirt message during the middle of the day? Well, unless you want to run home and change your clothing, you are kinda stuck with what you have. That is, until now. Now, there is the T-Sketch T-Shirt, which features a whiteboard that will let you change the message on your chest as many times as you want. Want your message to stand out even more, no problem. The whiteboard on this tee can be fully illuminated and can even flash to really get your point across. (Read the full post about ‘T-Sketch lets you change the message on your shirt’…)

Thermaltake has a brand new notebook carrying bag in the form of the iXoft. This notebook cooling pad is integrated into the notebook carrying bag itself, and because it uses a fan-less solution, there is no worries about running out of batteries or having the incessant whir of the fan interrupt your thinking process. It helps keep your notebook cool by using a special thermal shifting chemical that will be able to spread heat out evenly across the pad, making the iXoft maintenance-free without consuming an iota of energy. Each purchase comes with a high density memory foam that surrounds the carrying bag in order to protect it from shocks and jolts. (Read the full post about ‘Thermaltake iXoft Notebook Carrying Bag’…)

While the announcement from Toshiba pulling hd dvd support essentially killed of the format, we can now officially declare it dead. The HD DVD Promotion Group has officially been closed, which removes any chance of resurgence of the format. The group, as of March 28 quietly shut themselves down, and so we have it, HD DVD is done. A quick visit to the HD DVD Promotion Group website, presents the simple message: “The HD DVD Promotion Group was dissolved as of March 28, 2008, and the website was closed accordingly.” Now lets move on to the next question; Will movie downloads begin to take shape, will we begin to see Blu-ray adoption or will most people just choose to continue with the standard DVD? (Read the full post about ‘HD DVD Promotion Group formally dissolved’…)

It is an unspoken and logical rule that one ought not take to the wheel whenever one is sleepy, but somehow or rather most people think that sleep is not a biological function but more a matter of willpower - and they learn this through disastrous results. The Anti-drowsy Alarm aims to help prevent drivers from dozing away, as it has a sensor that can detect whenever your head nods below a preset angle, kicking in a screeching alarm. I wonder how effective this is - someone who nods off only to be rudely awakened by an alarm might actually turn the steering wheel the wrong way out of shock. Well, I guess it can also be applied for other purposes, especially students who love catching a nap right behind the class. (Read the full post about ‘Anti-drowsy Alarm’…)

As someone who has uploaded a few videos in YouTube myself, I sometimes long for the ability to see more detailed information about my uploaded video’s viewers. I’d like to know where visitors came from, how much time they spent going from one of my videos to another, is there a specific time of day when they stay longer than usual watching my videos, etc. And just recently YouTube has revealed that it now lets users do exactly that, providing a Google Analytics-like service with Youtube Insight. With YouTube Insight, uploaders can now “see how often their videos are viewed in different geographic regions, as well as how popular they are relative to all videos in that market over a given period of time.” It’s really just as simple as applying the principles of regular web site tracking programs for YouTube page views. (Read the full post about ‘Google Analytics + YouTube = YouTube Insight’…)

Posted Mar 28th 2008 8:39AM by Thomas RickerFiled under: Home Entertainment Isn’t it nice to watch a sexy concept makes its first, quivering steps towards retail? You’re looking at the graduation design project of Joris van Gelder: the Remote for B&O. The idea was to create a remote control for kitchen use. As such, it’s meant to be (mostly) touchless in order to keep the remote free from bacteria or ether, depending upon your situation. The remote responds to finger gestures and lifts and falls in concert with the volume. (Read the full post about ‘Video: Touchless B&O remote control prototype’…)