Shrinking the laptop
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As phones and computers converge, it's getting harder to tell them apart. Take the AT&T Tilt, for example. This phone, sold as the HTC TyTN II outside the United States, has a sliding keyboard, 7.1-centimeter, or 2.8-inch, touchscreen and a processor running at about 400 megahertz - the speed at which many PCs were running just a few years ago.
The Tilt's screen pops out at an angle, allowing it to sit on a desk like a laptop. It includes Wi-Fi and cellular wireless networking and synchronizes data with Microsoft's Outlook. The device also has GPS navigation built in and can view Microsoft Office documents. It runs Windows Mobile 6, the latest version of Microsoft's miniature operating system, and includes Bluetooth and a 2.8-megapixel camera.
Unlike most laptops, however, the Tilt weighs about 200 grams, or about 7 ounces. It also lasts about eight days in standby mode on one charge. It supports AT&T's Push-to-Talk walkie-talkie service and can run many Windows Mobile third-party programs, including games and productivity software.
While some people will probably always have to carry around a laptop, devices like the Tilt are breaking down the wall between luggable and pocketable.
Speakers for iPod tip the scales
Today in Business with Reuters
A new iPod amplifier and speaker system from Bowers & Wilkins may have the airy name of Zeppelin, but at 7 kilograms, or 15.4 pounds, it seems lead-like. The weight of this 60-centimeter-long, or 24-inch-long, ovoid comes from five speakers and an amp that the company says puts out an average of 100 watts of power. An iPod Nano, Classic or Touch clips into a chrome mount at the center of the unit.
The back panel has ports for S-Video, USB and mini-phone jack connections, so that it can play sound from a TV, computer or CD player as well as from an iPod. The five speakers produce impressive sound, but they do not work well in the middle of a room, because the rear-firing subwoofer assaults anyone standing behind it. The Zeppelin comes with a compact remote that looks like a polished river stone, except for the minuscule buttons that control most of the iPod's functions, including volume. It has a suggested retail price of $600.
Spying with robots
Ideal for reconnaissance on a moody big sister, the VEXplorer Robotics System is a durable six-wheeled vehicle that can be safely controlled from the next room with a wireless remote. An onboard camera can transmit live video and audio to your TV, and an adjustable gripping claw makes it possible to grab items as large as a soda can.
The kit, released last month by Revell-Monogram, comes mostly preassembled with parts compatible with the larger VEX Robotics Design System, which was bought last year by Innovation First.
Unlike the Lego Mindstorms snap-together approach, the VEX system resembles a serious Erector set, with real nuts and bolts and strong servo motors. But these robots are harder to assemble and modify, making them better suited for older children. VEXplorer requires 11 batteries, and includes 24 gears, four motors, a camera and a six-channel remote, plus a trial version of SolidWorks, a professional computer-aided design program.
The VEXplorer could come in handy for simple spying or trickier jobs like retrieving a stolen sweater from behind enemy lines.
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