FLO TV turns TV into handheld wonder

Guess the TV is going to hang around for a little while longer, albeit this time it will take a much more personal route, coming in the form of the FLO TV Personal TV which will allow TV fans to view their favorite news, live telecasts of sports, children’s programming as well as wholesome entertainment on a singular, dedicated device meant specifically for mobile TV viewing. No idea on whether such a device will beat out the iPod touch and other portable media players, since you can watch what you want to on those devices as long as you have the right file loaded on them, while subjecting yourself to the rigorous setups of TV channel programming leaves your daily schedule at the mercy of the programmers. No idea on pricing, but it ought to be out later in time for the mad holiday season rush.

Elecom TK-TCT005BK is numeric keyboard and touchpad combo

For those of you who want a numeric keypad for your laptop, you have several options. You could buy the Adesso 19-key USB numeric keypad and mouse combination with a plastic cover.

Another option is this TK-TCT005BK from Elecom, which has a touchscreen with numeric keyboard. Just push the “Num” button on the top corner to get this function going on.

The TK-TCT005BK can also recognize certain gestures, like an iPhone. For example, if you want to zoom in and out, you just place your two fingers together and spread them out or in.

Not bad features for something that attaches onto a laptop. I am assuming it attaches via USB, like the Intuos4. I bring up this particular device from Wacom because I reviewed it the other day, and it has a nice zooming feature like this product from Elecom.

All in all, this TK-TCT005BK doesn’t sound so bad. It could use a shorter name, though, like the Num-Touch pad, or something. Okay, that is bad name, isn’t it? However, I couldn’t think of anything better. Let me know with a comment if you can think of something better.

Revo Domino D3 Radio with iPod and iPhone dock

More and more it seems that you can find audio devices that have a subtle retro spin. You could of course also find something that’s blatantly retro, but not everyone wants something like that. Instead you can get a mixture of the new and sleek while still getting a little bit of a vintage feel. Thankfully unlike the retro radios, this does more than pick up the local FM radio stations.

The radio comes in both satin black and pearl white. This radio comes with all of your favorite bells and whistles. It will charge and play both iPod and iPhones, as well as having multi-standard digital and internet radio. It also has an OLED display and a joystick-controlled user interface. As well as having all of that, it also of course has your standard FM radio capabilities. Right now this isn’t out just yet, you can expect to see these shipping out as of November 4th though. At that point you can pick up the Domino D3 for £169.95 or about $270.

Digital Peephole Viewer

I’m sure that most of you have received a knock at the door from an uninvited guest, and you looked through the peephole to see who it is. What you usually see is some person with an overly-sized head. Now are you going to let that person in?

At least with the Digital Peephole Viewer, you actually get to see what the person looks like. This device is designed to fit in an ordinary peephole without any external camera or fancy wiring. Chances are, it will only take about five minutes for installation. Of course, this is one of those “five minute” projects that take an hour after set up and take down.

However, it might be worth it just to get a clearer view of who’s at the door. Just between you and me, I probably wouldn’t let the guy in the photo in. He looks like some salesman or a purveyor of a religion that I don’t want.

As for operation, it is as simple as pushing a button and pushing it again for a zoom-in shot. It requires AA batteries for operation, which will be good for about 1,700 views. You can get the Digital Peephole Viewer for about $138, but it is only available in Australia, for now. At least it’s cheaper than the Digital Door Viewer.

Nokia introduces 6350 cellphone

Are you in the market for a new cellphone with a slew of basic features? Well, you won’t go too wrong with Nokia’s offerings over the years as they tend to play their cards right with the entry-level segment, and their latest addition would be the Nokia 6350 from AT&T. This handset will come in a couple of colors to get you all excited, and will be available in a clamshell form factor that was specially designed to offer optimum comfort in your hand. You can choose from two seasonal shades – red and graphite, where you will find the Nokia 6350 to be no slouch in terms of performance, capable of keeping you connected to your favorite social networking sites and basically keeping tabs of your online life thanks to 3G and HSDPA connectivity over AT&T’s wide ranging 3G network.

The Nokia 6350 will feature a smooth back design that offers a soft feel throughout for a touch of simple sophistication. You will find dedicated music playback keys on the outside, making it a snap to activate whenever you want to jive to your favorite tunes. In addition, other customary features available on handsets these days include a 2-megapixel camera, a brwoser, email support and up to 4 hours of talktime on a full battery charge.

If you have been stoked, the Nokia 6350 is available at AT&T retail stores as well as online at www.wireless.att.com from today onwards. It will particularly target those who want a decent phone and yet are living on a tight budget, since AT&T has slapped a highly affordable $29.99 price tag on the Nokia 6350, although you will need to do your part and send in a mail-in rebate as well as agree to a 2-year AT&T contract. Guess those in college who need just a phone to communicate with their family and friends without looking like a tool might just find the Nokia 6350 to be a suitable addition.

Dell Latitude Z unveiled

Dell has just announced the Latitude Z notebook, touting it to be the thinnest and lightest 16″ notebook in the market which will target those who want to make a fashion statement regardless of which station in the corporate ladder they are at at the moment. The Latitude Z is a purpose-engineered product, where it will measure less than 1″ thin while tipping the scales at 4.5 pounds, accompanied by a standard 4-cell battery. You will find the following features in the Dell Latitude Z :-

• Lean tapered design and soft-touch Black Cherry finish
• Wireless docking and inductive charging
• Dell EdgeTouch
• Spacious multi-touch touchpad and silky-touch backlit keyboard
• High-definition (1600×900) WLED display
• Two megapixel camera featuring Dell Capture technology
• Dell FaceAware Lock-Out
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity

You do have the option of throwing in a 3G mobile broadband component if your wallet permits. Expect the Dell Latitude Z to be readily available worldwide, with prices starting from $1,999 upwards. Between this and the Adamo, which model would you choose?

Solar Blinds store sunlight to use as power

One of the problems with solar power is the sun. Yeah, it’s got this thing, where it just isn’t out all day, you know?

Okay, that was a bad intro, but you know what I’m talking about. I’m sure that you have seen all those solar-powered chargers before, but they are a lot like those electric screwdrivers that take an hour to charger for only five minutes worth of use. Not only that, you have to put the charger in some place out in the sun.

It makes sense to put a solar charger on a window blind, doesn’t it? After all, it is a blind’s job to keep out the sun, and it faces the sun every day, right? This is the initial concept behind the Some Shine Solar Energy Storage System.

All you need to do is put up the blind and pull it down to plug it in to the battery pack base. As the sun beats down on the blinds during the day, all that formerly wasted energy will be stored for later use.

Then, right before the night falls, you pull up the blind and plug in your mobile devices into the battery pack base. They will be all charged by the morning, and you can pull down the blind and the process begins anew.

Sadly, this Some Shine Solar Energy Storage System is merely concept for now, but it really should be out now. Then again, what do you do if it is cloudy?