Motorola shows off X24 WiMAX concept module for cars

From Engadget -

Leading into the WiMAX World Conference next week, Motorola has unveiled its X24 concept module for cars. While the device is designed specifically with advanced automotive telemetry in mind, there are possibilities for in-car entertainment and other applications. The chipset at the heart of the X24, the WTM1000, will be marketed for use in a broad range of consumer devices.

Is No Desktop Syncing Good or Bad For Android?

From Gizmodo -

One of the most puzzling things with the T-Mobile G1 is the fact that there would be no desktop app to sync your data. While you will be able to sync you contacts and calendar info remotely out of the box, you need to store all of the data on your Google account. That means letting Google have copies of your personal info. But the good news is that third party developers will undoubtedly solve this problem very quickly.

HTC T-Mobile Google Android - Video 1

Google Android demo

Uploaded by scottlet -

Google Android demo at Google Developers Day, 16th September 2008

New York offers RFID-embedded driver's licenses

From Crave -

New York has started offering enhanced driver's licenses (EDLs) embedded with RFID. New York is also the second state to offer IDs that can be shown at the border in lieu of a U.S. passport. The RF identification chip in the EDL will be able to be scanned by authorities to identify citizens entering the state from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. Intercontinental travelers will still need to produce a passport to enter the country. The new EDLs will be available at a $30 premium over the standard $50 licensing fee.

Compulab's Fit-PC Slim

From Linux Devices -

CompuLab has introduced a tiny fanless PC using 4-6 Watts of power. The Linux-ready "Fit-PC Slim" measures 4.3 x 3.9 x 1.2 inches (110 x 100 x 30mm), but includes a 500MHz AMD Geode LX800, Ethernet, VGA output, WiFi, and a 2.5-inch HD option.

3M Announces MPro110 Micro Projector

From AboutProjectors -

3M has announced its micro projector MPro110, weighing just 0.3 lbs and less than an inch high, will be released at the end of September. The MPro110 uses LCoS display technology to display VGA (640 x 480) resolution. It also uses an LED lamp, which means no fan noise and images up to 50 inches diagonally will be bright enough to be seen in a well lit room. Connections include VGA and composite, meaning you can connect it to media players as well. The MPro110 is expected to retail for about $359.

Hitachi Launches a Trial of GazoPa

Hitachi Launches a Trial of GazoPa, a Similar Image Search Service

GazoPa Selected As TechCrunch50 Venture Project

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT)(TOKYO:6501)(hereafter “Hitachi”), announced today that it has launched a trial of a similar image search service called GazoPa as an invitation-only beta at TechCrunch50 conference in San Francisco. GazoPa was selected as a finalist at the conference.

GazoPa is a web image search service that uses features from an image to search for and identify similar images. In conventional image search, users do not find results of image searches to be as accurate as those of web page searches. This is often because some images do not have metadata, some have incorrect metadata, and some are difficult to describe with words. Therefore, keywords are not sufficient as the only conditions for image searches.

With GazoPa, users can overcome the limitations of metadata, and word descriptions. GazoPa enables users to search for similar images using characteristics such as a color or a shape extracted from the image itself. GazoPa even enables the use of users’ own photos, drawings, and images found on the web, as search keys to locate similar images from the GazoPa database. Not only does GazoPa support photos but also searches video thumbnails. Unlike video sharing websites that use keywords to search, users can search for videos using images.

GazoPa enables searches at high speed even for large quantities of image data. GazoPa currently searches 50 million images crawled from the web within one second. Since GazoPa crawls the web continuously, it will soon be capable of searching more than 100 million images.

As the number of digital camera and camera phones increases steadily to exceed 1 billion worldwide, the number of digital images that are captured by digital devices also increases dramatically. It therefore becomes more and more important to search for a needed image from a large quantity of images in a short time. GazoPa overcomes the limits of keyword searches and introduces a new world to image searches.

For detailed information about GazoPa, please visit its website at http://www.gazopa.com

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TOKYO: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 390,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2007 (ended March 31, 2008) consolidated revenues totaled 11,226 billion yen ($112.2 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials, logistics and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

About TechCrunch50

Founded in 2007 by leading technology blog TechCrunch and entrepreneur Jason Calacanis, the TechCrunch50 conference provides a platform for early-stage, and frequently unfunded, companies to launch for the first time to the technology industry's most influential venture capitalists, corporations, angel investors, fellow entrepreneurs and the international media. Companies are selected to participate exclusively on merit. TechCrunch50 is supported by corporate sponsors Google, Microsoft, MySpace, Salesforce, MSN Money, Symantec, Thomson Reuters and Yahoo!, as well as venture capital firms including Sequoia Capital , Mayfield Fund , Clearstone Venture Partners , Charles River Ventures , Founders Fund, Perkins Coie and Fenwick & West .

Solar-powered E-book Reader

From Ubergizmo -

Snippy is an ebook reader which uses solar energy and also transparently links to other Snippys in the area via Bluetooth to share content. The 800×600 6" diagonal high reflectivity screen used in the device offers 166ppi resolution at 16 gray levels.

Ghostbusters is first film to be released on USB stick

From Custom PC -

While the entertainment (music/movie) industries have been considering USB flash drives as a distribution medium for a long time now, PNY and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment went ahead with a deal that enables PNY’s new 2GB USB flashdrive to have Ghostbusters pre-loaded.

The movie comes with a form of DRM that allows users to download it to their computer but will require the USB drive plugged in for playback.

Google co-founder expects Chrome for Android

From CNET -

Google co-founder Sergey Brin expects the company's new browser Chrome will make its way to Android, the company's mobile phone operating system and software suite. While the two were developed largely separately, Brin said a subsequent version of Android will probably pick up a lot of the Chrome stack.

Chrome and Android's current browser both already employ WebKit, an open-source project for the process of interpreting the HTML code.

Google Chrome, Google’s Browser Project

Google Blogoscoped has spilled the beans on Google's open source browser, Google Chrome.

The browser project is based on the existing rendering engine Webkit It will include Google’s Gears project and a JavaScript Virtual Machine called V8.

Other features include special tabs on the upper side of the window; an address bar with auto-completion features; some kind of “speed dial” feature similar to the one of Opera; and a privacy mode.