Geekie Gadgets

A Glance at Some of the World’s Smallest Gadgets

by mydz on 18/07/09 at 8:00 am

For certain fields of consumer gadgets, technological advancement seems to be synonymous with making gadgets smaller. Smarter, smaller electronics along with consumers’ thirst for lighter, more portable gadgets is the major driving force behind the trend for tinier technologies. We have collected a selection of the world’s smallest gadgets – for the time being. Let’s start with the smallest DV camera in the world – the Muvi Micro DV Cam.

The Muvi Micro DV Cam is just 16mm thick and not much longer than a matchbox. Its 2-megapixel lens records in 640 x 480 at 30 frames per second and it has a built-in microphone allowing you to record sound and use voice activated record – all can be saved to the included 2GB microSD card [can be upgraded to 8GB]. Powered by rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery [included], this tiny gadget requires a USB socket for charging [cable also included]. The Muvi Micro DV Cam is available here.

Next is Xun Chi 138 – the world’s smallest phone. It’s a GSM with bar form factor that’s a bit longer than the AA battery. The Xun Chi 138 is said to come with built-in 1.3-megapixel camera, a touch screen with handwriting recognition, a stylus that neatly fits at the back of the phone, an MP3 player and support for GPRS connections. Of course it’s impossible to squeeze all the bells and whistles into a device that only weighs 55 grams and measures 2.64-inches in length. So it doesn’t come with a keypad, Bluetooth, or any expansion slot. And don’t expect the phone to hit the West anytime soon because for now, it only supports Chinese character.

Now, let’s talk about the world’s smallest music player that also happens to be the world’s first talking one – the 3rd gen iPod shuffle. It’s just 1.8” tall and 0.3” thin but with 4GB of storage. Moving all buttons to the right earbud cord shrinks down the size of this new iPod shuffle. And musically speaking, the new iPod shuffle is brilliant – thanks to an exciting new feature called VoiceOver that speaks 20 different languages so it can tell you song titles and artists in the correct languages. So little and yet so much! Get it right here!

And this is TEC’s Lingo mouse that could possibly be the smallest wireless mouse in the world, or at least that’s what TEC claims it to be. I’m pretty sure you won’t be using this for a long period of time considering the 27.5mm x 60mm x 19mm form factor won’t be easy on your hand, but, you surely can’t argue with the 0.8 ounces weight if you’re a frequent traveller. This tiny pointer features 800 dpi, 2.4GHz with a range of up to 32.8 feet, and about 15 hours battery life with automatic shut off if left inactive for five minutes. Sadly, there’s no word on its Stateside release.

Recently also, CompuLab has released the smallest techie computer system in the world – the Fit-PC2 that’s based on Intel’s Atom Z530 processor and US15W chipset. It has 1GB RAM, a 2.5 SATA hard drive, a miniSD card slot, and it offers a HDMI output port. With its 4” x 4.5” x 1.05” size, it has managed to include six USB ports, Ethernet LAN port and built-in WiFi 802.11g connectivity. See also the features of the fit-PC here.

Future of Keyboards

by jennyaguilar on 02/02/09 at 10:15 pm

Welcome to the future. Here’s a toast to the new smallest usb keyboard with only three keys!
How could that work, you may ask?
First, the Optimus Mini that features three keys. These keys has their own backlit OLED screen. Each key can display a static image or full animation. Press the key and a different action occurs depending on what is assigned to it.

This new geeky device is also built in with an Optimus Mini Configurator software that allows you to assign various actions to each of the three keys. With that you can instantly switch between six different key layouts by holding down the Ctrl, Shift, Alt-Shift, or Ctrl+Shift keys on your larger keyboard. Hotkey options for Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, Outlook Express and Windows media player are also included.

The best thing about this gadget is that it can assign a different webcam image to each key and have them dynamically update. Or have a clock face with animated second hand displaying the time in Tokyo on one key while a CPU Usage graph scrolled across another key. You can of course mix and match the key functions to your desire and there is even support for portrait or landscape orientation.

Product Features

• Mini USB Keyboard with an OLED screen on each key
• Keys can be configured for the following functions:
• Start an Application
• Set as any keyboard combination
• System Status with Free Memory and CPU Usage graph
• Display webcam or other dynamic images pulled from the web
• Display the Time and Weather in any city with animated analog or digital clock face
• Control Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, Outlook Express and Windows Media Player
• Instantly switch between six different keysets by pressing a modifier key on your larger keyboard
• Keyboard images can be set for vertical or horizonal orientation
• Software updates are planned for future enhanced features.

Want to be the hippest geek in town with this futuristic device? Click here.

mp3 on the go

by jennyaguilar on 03/10/08 at 10:01 am

have you ever been holdupped?

It was just one of your usual trip on your way back home, you are aboard a public transportation with your earphones plugged in your ears until you felt a pointed object through your sides and to your surprise it’s that hoodlum forcing you to give your mp3 player!

More often, the display of earphones are usually an eye-candy for many bad guys. They are usually attracted in seeing one in a very obvious fashion.

You may think how could it be possible to have music-on-the-go without having your life in danger.

Tok Tok Tak, a company from Japan, totally understands your needs and the situation that you are in. With the most basic and smallest mp3 player that ever graced our markets, surely you can hear quality music without getting too much attention.

Looking only like a standard audio jack, the plug dangles from your earphones when used on the go. People might even think that you are crazy walking around with what looks like earbuds attached to nothing but they’d be wrong.

The Tok Tak also comes with a base station in which you can plug it in to recharge, upload new music, and act as a joystic controller to listen to your turns externally.

Point that thing

by jennyaguilar on 26/09/08 at 7:24 am

Where?

Measuring less than 10mm x 10mm x 1.4 mm, Interlink Electronics made a mark in the history for producing the world’s smallest OEM mouse.

Interlink Vice President said that this mouse will be used in next-generation cellular devices, wireless e-mail devices, PDAs, tablet PCs, GPs systemsand digital cameras.

Baptized as MicroNav, this is available in three standard configurations, Sensor-On-Board, Chip-And-Sensor and Drop-In-Module with mouse click buttons, supports solder re-flow and pick and place methods for high volume consumer electronics manufacturing.

“The ongoing wireless revolution will soon see cellular and consumer electronics industry leaders integrating Internet browsing, online gaming and a host of other new features into their next generation devices,” says Rod Vesling, Vice President of MicroNav manufacturer  Interlink Electronics, Inc.

According to the Cellular Telecommunication Association, 1.26 billion wireless phones will be in service by 2005 and 94% of these users will be connected to the Internet.

But merely being connected won’t guarantee that subscribers will actively use cell phone Web browsing services.

Adoption will largely depend upon the quality of the ‘mouse’ navigation provided on the device.  Unlike traditional cell phone functions, Web browsing, gaming and image editing require cursor control functionality that goes beyond the capabilities of directional arrow keys.  MicroNav, with its reduced form factor and 360° ‘mouse’ control, is perfectly designed for this type and class of application.

When something big could come from something small

by jennyaguilar on 25/09/08 at 7:07 am

Great things indeed come from small packages. So here in geekiegadgets, we are so hyped each time we are introduced with a new technological breakthrough that would  change our world and make it a bit better.

First in our roster is the world’s smallest projector.

At first it could be mistaken as a cellphone but if you would look closely and scrutinize it even more, you will realize that it is indeed a projector, with a size of a mobile phone.

Launched in Sydney, Australia bu Mint Trading Pty Limited, subsidiary of listed portable technology company Mint Wireless Limited is the world’s smallest commercially available pocket projector manufactured by Aiptek.

Measuring only 125 x 55 x 23mm (1cm longer than an iPhone) it projects a range of multimedia up to 50″ in size from 1.8m away, this breakthrough is said to be in the markets come September.

“There is nothing like the pocket projector on the market today – it is a true hybrid product that can be used for both business and leisure,” Alex Teoh of Mint Trading said. “Given the success of devices such as the iPhone, we expect the projector will fit well into this market.”

He added that they expect sales of the pocket projector to be high, particularly as we approach the Christmas period.

The suggested retail price was estimated at $649.

Mint Trading Pty Ltd is the exclusive distributor of Aiptek’s range of pocket projectors, DV cameras, graphics tablets and digital photo frames.