In September TechPin.com together with the LaptopsArena.com team are inviting you to take part in a giveaway that will bring some cool pocket gadgets to 6 of you who will get on the randomly chosen winners list!
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It will be fun, interesting and you won’t have to do anything complicated in order to participate. Further details will be published in the next days on TechPin.com and LaptopsArena.com, so until then you may subscribe to our newsletter and stay tuned.
Satellites most of the times feature a simple design that should serve their communication purposes. But not all satellites are built to facilitate communications around the world. Take for example the Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) that will be launched in orbit on September the 10th.
It is the result of several years of research conducted at the European Space Research Institute and it is equipped with an Electrostatic Gravity Gradiometer to measure the Earth’s gravitational fields. According to DVice, the satellite is primarily built to determine the speed and direction of ocean currents, and, as a secondary mission, investigate on Earth’s volcanic activity.
GOCE is powered by an electric motor charged up with solar panels, and will be set on course on a relatively low orbit just 167 miles above, where it will analyze the influence of gravitational fields. I order to better move through the atmospheric remnants that still exist at that altitude, the satellite has several streamlined fins that also serve to expand the are covered by the solar panels. I reckon the GOCE is probably the most aerodynamic satellite ever designed and could easily pass as a colonization spaceship. Maybe that whole gravitational field analysis is just a cover up for an interplanetary flight.
Samsung has just released its sleek 1.8†120 GB HDD. It’s roughly the size of a credit card and it is part of the SpinPoint N2 lineup. EverythingUSB informs that these HDDs will be integrated in Appple’s upcoming iPods and MacBook Air notebooks.
The small form-factor device has proven to be an incredible power saver, yet it manages to perform quite well for its size. Thus, preliminary tests conducted by Samsung pointed out that the 4200-rpm USB drive only draws less than 1.4W and needs just 300mA from a 500mA USB port. That practically means that this HDD has a power consumption level only one-fourth that of a 2.5" drive.
Samsung further claims that the 4,200-rpm HDD is capable of read speeds up to 27MB/s and writes data at 23MB/s, which are on par with high-end flash drives. Prices for the new 1.8†lineup are a bit high: the 40GB version retails for $161; 60GB for $191; 80GB for $235 and 120GB for $29. Compare that with a $120 320GB USB 2.5" drive that is prone to become even cheaper. As always, the smaller they get, the deeper you have to dig in your pockets, but hey, the 1.8-incher fits inside your wallet too.
Haven’t seen a new watch from Tokyo Flash in a while, but the Japanese aren’t the only guys to come up with weird concept watches. Quicksilver is also releasing a strange concept watch and, most importantly, it’s an eco-friendly timepiece.
Well now, how exactly does a watch pollute? The designers are actually referring to the fabrication process, which also leaves a carbon footprint. Just check out the demo clip:
I don’t know what they’re trying to prove with that eco-friendly mumbo-jumbo. Anyway, the watch is known as the Ray and it’s a pure analog breed powered by a 27-jewel movement. The display, however, would give headaches even to the Tokyo Flash guys, as it looks like a car gage that doesn’t really make sense when you’re supposed to read the time.
Gizmodo points out that the eco-friendly packaging is shipped in all corners of the Earth by ship rather than by air (saving on CO2 emissions) and is made of largely recyclable materials like wood, stainless steel, aluminum, and mineral glass.
The eco thing seems to be a good idea, but somehow Quicksilver avoids mentioning the nature of the wood. From what I can tell, that is no cheap wood and the fact that the timepiece is a limited run of 1,000 pieces may lead us to believe it costs dearly.
Want quality surround sound without buying a huge 5.1 system? Nothing simpler. Just get a pair of surround sound headphones. Well, not just any pair of headphones. I’d recommend Plantronics since this company is ready to introduce the new Gamecom 777 headset in September. The new headset is said to simulate 5.1 channel audio through just two channels, unlike everything you’ve heard up to this date from other surround sound headphones.
Plantronics intends to enable PC gamers to play games with the sound happening around them, and not directly in their ears. This is supposed to allow for longer listening time and less "listening fatigue."
According to Crave, the headset comes with a "hide-away boom," which allows the mouthpiece of the headset to be tucked away into the headphones so they can be transformed from headphones to gaming headset. This feature was actually requested by focus groups because the mic often gets in the way of eating and drinking while gaming.
Unfortunately, Plantronics didn’t care to implement any noise suppression system, si the Gamecom 777 headset is "open ear," so you can hear some ambient noise while listening through the headphones. You also have the possibility to switch off the surround-sound feature for regular listening via the line-in control, and works with any device that has a native USB port. Since it integrates a mic, the headset is compatible with Skype, Windows Live, and Yahoo Messenger for VoIP calling.
The Gamecom 777 will be available in 2 weeks for $99.
