The iPod Touch comes in three models with the base offering 8 gb of storage, the middle model offering 16 gb and the top of the line Touch offering 32 gb.  Any model will suite most people’s tastes for storage capacity, but the higher storage models accommodate more video capacity.  You can watch and hear video very clearly without the need for earbuds.  The Touch comes with a built-in speaker.  Share music and video with a friend.

The iPod Touch holds loads of music and photos and offers a great way to enjoy your favorite tunes or share your images with others. It’s a ball to use the touch navigation, increasing size by spreading your pointing finger and thumb or changing orientation with one finger.

The Touch has a solid feel to it also, with its sturdy case and solid screen.  The weight gives it a sturdy feel also.

If you are within range of Wi-Fi, surfing the web is a ball and the results are very impressive.  Streaming audio and video work well and you can get a clear look at websites with the Touch’s Safari browser and large screen.  You can even fit 20 hours of video and 3,500 images on the 16 gb version.  Apple did it right with this device and owners will like it and use it daily. 

Apple NEW! iPod touch 16GB MP3 Player (2nd Generation) – Black Play music, watch video and surf the Internet with the touch of a finger. The revolutionary multitouch interface is easy to use and the built-in wi-fi comes with a Safari Web browser. Music, movies, games and the Internet with a built-in speaker and groundbreaking technologies such as accelerometer, and 3D graphics, iPod touch puts an amazing entertainment experience in the palm of your hand. Have questions about this product? Ask fellow shoppers and Best Buy staff. Share your answers.

Buy the Wii Remote Controller for a great price right now.

Don’t forget to pick up the Wii Nunchuk Controller along with your other goodies.

One thing that can be said about technology, with some consistency, is that it improves on the features of products continuously. The Microvision pico projector is no exception.  Instead of limiting the viewing area of the projected image to a tabletop screen, the new improved projector can project images up to 100 inches. This opens up the market and applications for this new generation of lens-less projectors.

According to Microvision, the PicoP display engine, the fundamental technology on which the company’s laser projector prototype is based, is comprised of directly modulated light sources, custom-drive electronics and software, optical combiners and Microvision’s MEMS single scanning mirror.

The tiny scanning mirror itself is less than one square millimeter in area—or about the size of the head of a pin. The single scanning mirror is designed to scan in both horizontal and vertical directions so that a single beam of light can be precisely steered, in a raster-like fashion, at very high speeds to project a complete video image.

The reason this technology is cutting-edge is because of the small size and low power requirements of the device. The new generation of micro-projector achieves efficient full-color, hi-resolution, high-contrast images without the need for a front lens; this means no focusing concerns.

The new Microvision projector prototype will be introduced at CEATEC in Tokyo, Japan (September 30-October 4, 2008).  The original projector was just introduced to the public at the CES show earlier this year.

This next generation of projector is envisioned to have any number of commercial applications. As I mentioned in May, the new technology can be used for automotive heads-up displays, cell phones and lap tops. The small pico projectors are a big improvement for outside salespeople who currently lug around data projectors.  With the new larger projected image, the market for micro-projectors should blossom.

It began with robots that would vacuum your carpet and mow you lawn. We then began to see advanced animatronics coming out of Japan that were really like the robots we saw in science fiction movies.  Now, in the fall, we will see the WALL-E robot hit the store shelves in conjunction with the release of the Disney movie of the same name. But it doesn’t end there; check out Rolly from Sony.

Your MP3’s were never like this before.  An egg-shaped robot that moves to your music.

Rolly is a more sophisticated device than one might expect upon first appearance. It is amazing to watch, with it’s moving end caps (that move like arms) and the lights and precise movements. But it allows it’s owner to program it’s choreography to exacting routines. It’s really a fully programmable music player.

Using the Rolly Choreographer software, the user can create their own choreography for their favorite songs and preview the results on their PC, or the software will create the moves automatically. The personalized routine can then be uploaded to the Rolly Go forum to share with others.  This is the creative angle that will create a niche following for Rolly.  As an example of artificial intelligence, the Rolly is an interesting advance.

Rolly became available to the buying public in Japan last Fall.  My guess is that Americans will fall into two schools of thought on this product; you love it or you hate it.   There is no doubt that the Japanese really like their robots.  Just check out Youtube. (btw, there are some good Rolly videos on Youtube as well).  Look at the Rolly ‘big brother’ , Miuro that has been available in Japan since 2006.  It doesn’t even have the flapping arms, but it moves to the music also.  Those attributes seem to make people in Japan laugh and can produce some level of amusement.

The price might take you back. The current suggested retail price is $399.00, which is what you can buy it for at SONY Style stores.  Since I see this product as being a hit with teens, I think SONY may need to rethink their pricing model. There is no doubt that some sophisticated electronics exist in the Rolly, but what’s new about that?

QPC lasers is introducing their BrightLase(R) Red-Green-Blue “RGB” laser for use in high resolution miniature projectors.  Why a miniature projector you ask?  With the tiny screens on many portable consumer devices; Internet browsing, games and video sharing can be difficult. The miniature projector solves that problem.

The new lasers are expected to find their way into PDAs, games, laptops, automobiles, and aircraft.  The RGB laser is designed to be compatible with the leading micro-display technologies.

It seems like yesterday that we were witnessing lasers used as the weapon of choice in Sci-fi flicks. Then we graduated to laser pointers. Now lasers will expand beyond CD players to yet another useful application. 

Consumer electronics, PC-accessories, display smartcards, capacity indicators, electronic shelf labels, signage and communications applications are all potential uses for the E Ink display cells, which provide visual information in a paper-thin product.

Delphi recently had a key fob designed using the E Ink technology.  The wireless, bi-directional key fob offers car-to-user and user-to-car communication over an extremely long range.

A variety of  shapes are possible, including holes, curves, and other non-standard designs. The segmented display cell provides a viewable angle of nearly 180 degrees.  It can also be viewed under a variety of lighting conditions from direct sun to low-level ambient light.  The displays can be made down to a thinness of 330 microns.  The display will withstand a wide range of temperatures also. 

Watch for these tiny displays to become more commonplace in the future.

The new technology will even update the pictures it takes that allow for face recognition.  A guy grows a beard; no problem.
Four newly designed Satellite models will include the face recognition feature.

The software references a database of stored digital images of a registered user’s face to make the match. The images are captured during the initial setup of the computer. The user is instructed to turn their head while the camera captures several angles. Sounds like a novel idea.

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