Latest Inventions

posted by admin on Aug 30

Sony’s Playstation has a long and illustrious history. I remember buying my first Playstation 1 back in roughly 1997 and it was cutting edge at the time. The graphics and gameplay were nothing short of amazing. Anyone remember “Abe’s Oddysey”?!

Of course, since then things have moved on. Firstly the Playstation 2 and then even the Playstation 3. Of course the PS3 was a tremendously impressive piece of kit, but was hardly cheap.

Now it seems that Sony are relaunching the PS3, much like they did with the PS1 some years ago, and based on what we’ve seen it looks like the new machine is going to be a run away success.

It seems that Sony have really put some thought into making the PS3 the “must have” gadget for Christmas 2009 having expanded it from just a games console to now being your entertainment center.

Now of course it does play games. And HD games at that for an amazing gaming experience. But plug your PS3 into your broadband connection and suddenly it becomes so much more than just a games system. Thanks to Sony’s “Playstation Network” you can now access a world of new entertainment.

For example, you can play demos of new games to see what you think before actually buying them. And if you like them, you can download the game straight into your PS3 rather than having to go out and buy a disc. Cold, wet winters day? No problem! Just try out the latest games and purchase the one that looks best then get on with playing. What could be easier?

Of course it’s not just games you can access on the network. You will also be able to rent or buy movies and music too, and even surf the internet. Oh, and don’t worry about all the hard drive space because Sony have increased the drive space from 80gig to an impressive 120gig to give you plenty of space for all your media.

Games, movies, music and internet - all on one device and accessable from the comfort of your couch? Sounds pretty good to me.

And just to top it off, Sony have reduced the size of the PS3 by around a third, and have dropped the price too making this piece of kit even more affordable than ever before.

One final point worth making before you dash out for your game system is the newly released Playstation Eye, which is a motion sensitive camera that will attach to the PS3. It can act as a web cam if you desire or best of all, it will allow you to play motion sensitive games thus challenging the Nintendo Wii for functionality.

It should be interesting to see how Nintendo respond to this onslaught to their realm…

posted by admin on Jul 27

Fancy watching Internet films on your TV without all the technology?

Basically there is now a simple gadget that can bring all those Internet only channels to your everyday TV - controlled by your standard remote.  And all this in a standard freeview box.

My brother used to be able to connect up his laptop with a TV monitor and then drag files over from one to the other to increase the viewing size - and for greater comfort.

I mean just because you miss one episode in your favorite show - why should you have to sit alone at your desk, hooked up to your pc or laptop watching the tiniest screen ever with tinny sound coming through your earphones!

What Is It Then?
Well, this gadget is the Fetch TV SmartBox 8000 and so far works with only the BBC catch-up Internet channel - basically you can watch BBCi as though it was a normal TV channel so around 400 hours of ‘free’ television.

There are plans afoot to spread this to Channel 4 and Five’s catch-up services which would mean hours of fun watching comedy quizzes and reality shows!

There is no software to install for this so it’s easy for anyone to get started without calling your mates (or kids) for help!  And, unlike some cable packages that offer Internet programmes - there is no subscription charge - just the one off purchase cost of around £220 and you are away!

What Else Does It Do?
Well, as it has a computer memory - you can move all your photos and videos onto it yourself - allowing home viewing on the couch for your latest holiday snaps!  Or the kids sports day video at a party!

It also has an 80 hour capacity for taping the TV itself - so you can watch the Sunday lunch time movie with the family while recording the motor racing on the other channel for when every-one’s gone home!

I know you are thinking that all these individual services have been on offer for some years now - and you would be right!  But this is the first time that they are all in one machine - and all so easy to use!

So, as long as you have broadband - you can get the SmartBox!

posted by admin on Jul 16

Hello and welcome to another great Latest Inventions Carnival.

This month we have quite a selection of everything really - with a few odd ones in amongst them.

So to start, Margaret Garcia offers some tips for space lovers with her best 100 Amazing Online Tools to Learn About Outer Space!

Then we hop to an interview with an inventor! 00FF00 takes us off for an Interview with Tom Lawton, inventor of the Firewinder! Maybe some great tips there for budding newbies.

Rod Presnell next with his take on the Best Fishing Net Born Of Frustration - another great inventor?

A light-hearted look here at some weird takes on the standard keyboard. I’ve seen a few ‘different’ versions but switch2life goes into more detail with some great images of Strange Keyboard Designs.

GrrlScientist to follow with some amazing advances in science with an interview with a scientist - TEDTalks: Robert Full Tells Us What He Learned from the Gecko’s Tail.

Ishan @ ILoveFreeSoftware makes it all sound so easy with simple directions on How to Setup Virtual Fax Machine for Free

followed by the final entry this month from Steve Faber. He tells us all about a new remote control with his article Crestron Set to Release New Remote - the TPMC-3X

Happy reading! And see you next time.

posted by admin on May 12

My little nephew has taught me something great about his new DSi!

I recently wrote about the new Nintendo DSi and how my little nephew was addicted to the thing!  Playing Pokemon games even when he was asleep!

Anyway, I was watching him playing one game (which I couldn’t quite understand) when he suddenly started playing a completely different one with just a few bangs of his stylus! 

How on earth??

Well, it turned out he had heard about the r4i adaptor card and was taking full advantage!

So, what’s the r4i adapter card then I hear you ask?  Well, it’s a modified flash memory card that is exactly the same shape and size as a normal DSi games cartridge - but it can hold more than just the one game!

Basically you can use it as a sort of memory stick.  You can download games that you have already brought from sites on the Internet for free - this way, you are getting a ‘back-up copy’ of your favourite game.  So, if you damage your original cartridge, you don’t have to buy a whole new one - just stick in the r4i adaptor cartridge and carry on playing.

Is that all?
Well, no.  The thing is that the r4i adaptor can hold more than the one game - therefore allowing you to download copies of all the games you already own into one cartridge - and as my nephew had just done - switch from one game to the next without having to swap cartridges - or spend 20 minutes trying to wrestle the other game off of his younger brother!

The technology is so simple that my nephew was downloading files himself from his Mac - it was basically using drag-and-drop technology to move the files across!

And, further to the whole games concept - the r4i adaptor can also hold anything else you fancy from your computer.  For example, you can download movies onto it to watch on your DSi, or music to play when you are supposed to be brushing your teeth!

It also allows you to perform other simple functions from your media, including browsing through your favorite photos with family, reading e-books about tips for your new games and you can read your own downloaded computer files including birthday lists (with more games on it) or boring work documents!

The r4i cartridges can hold up to 32gb of memory - so there will be plenty of space for a bit of everything inside!

What’s the catch?
To be honest - there isn’t one!  It does exactly what it says on the packet.  It is a cartridge-shaped flash memory ’stick’ that works with the new Nintendo DSi.

There is a separate r4 adaptor you can buy that works with the original DS, as these cannot be used for the new version, and vice versa.  That way, which ever console you choose to use - you just need the one cartridge!

Both the original r4 cards and the new r4i cards are readily available from www.gamesbackup.co.uk - so you can start moving your games across and enjoy your games and personal media files in a whole new way!

But, please remember- you need to have originally brought each game before you can legally download it from the Internet to make sure you stay within the bounds of copyright law.  These files are only meant to be an online back-up for damaged cartridges or to move your favourite games into a new media format - i.e. - onto the r4 cards!

posted by admin on Jul 31

3D Movies are back again - but this time they are better…..

We all remember the old red and green 3D cardboard glasses we used to love in the 80’s - you know the one’s they gave away free for the Jaws film and every other cereal carton as well!!!

The ones where you couldn’t really see the true colours of the film or any real details at all - and if you tilted your head to one side - you would see everything in double rather than 3-dimensional!

Well, they are a thing of the past - the new 3D specs are circularly polarising and don’t create any double imaging - just great movie footage! And no more of that whole ’something jumping into your lap’ in these new movies - they are designed to be great movies with that extra depth - literally.

What’s changed?
Well, basically the whole thing. Thanks to Lenny Lipton and colleagues who invented what they are calling ‘Real D’ - there has been a revolution in filming that has allowed for this re-surge of 3D mania. By using separate cameras to film the left eye and right eye frames, the perception of depth is hugely enhanced and isn’t affect by head tilt - and they won’t make you feel sick either!!!

The resulting image is one of amazingly seamless 3-dimensional footage - allowing you to see even the very back of the screen for action. And this first action/adventure film with real people has just hit our screens - Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D with Brendan Fraser from ‘The Mummy’ fame.

In 2005 it was used in the animated ‘Chicken Little’ and in 2007 by the amazing fantasy ‘Beowulf’. Both were filmed in 3D using this new technique by Lucasfilm, but can also be viewed in the usual 2D. Basically, there are not a lot of cinemas across the states that can show this type of film, so producers want to make sure that everyone can still enjoy the movie without the special effects and enjoy it all the same.

The Future?
Apparently George Lucas is hoping to use this technology in his next Star Wars movies, and Steven Spielberg is planning to use this in his DreamWorks Animations from 2009.

It is also already being used to film further movies including ‘Avatar’ by Oscar winning James Cameron who say that this type of production can ‘immerse you in a scene’ and will greatly enhance your sense of participation.

Image using 3D technology to film a thriller - I mean we already get scared thinking there is someone around the corner - but what if they jump round it in 3D!!!!

Now that would be one scary movie……..
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