Tech & Gadget Stream

This is what Fujitsu thinks a wooden laptop should look like. Obviously, this is a brainstorming session on "how can we jump on the Green wagon and charge a little more?" I don’t know if customers would actually pay for something like this, or for another "bamboo laptop", but I did not see something that I would buy. Would you pay for something like this? Fujitsu (in Japanese)

This seemingly toy-ish Ferrari is in fact a cellphone. The dialing pad is located underneath the car where the axle should be. The idea is interesting, but I agree with my friends from techdigest that I do not like the idea of talking where the back axle is. It’s purely psychological of course, but why do you think that the original iPod was white and shiny like a bathroom? Price: 96 British pounds. * 2.2" display (260k colors) * Music player * Video player * 1.3 Megapixel camera * Memory slot (which type?) * USB connector

The Sony Bravia E4000 has been created to look like a picture frame, so that it looks great on your wall. When guests are around, you can create a photo slideshow, turning it into the most expensive photo frame of 2008. Of course, we love the idea and we love how thin the TV seems to be. However, when watching movies, it feels like the white frame could be distracting (the aluminum frame of my current HDTV certainly is). Fortunately, several frame colors are available. Highlights * 26", 32" or 40" LCD 10-bit display * Frame colors: Midnight Sky, Aluminum, Dark walnut, Pearly White * 1080p * Analog/Digital TV Tuner * 3x HDMI ports, VGA Port * USB photo viewer

It’s never too late to talk about an interesting gadget: The Van Der Led WM2 Cellphone Watch is the first one that looks good enough to be usable. I believe that they should continue to refine the design (make it simpler, more minimalist) but it is going in the right direction. What’s in it? * 1.3” Display (260k colors) * 1GB of user storage (music, videos) * USB connection * Bluetooth It should be on the market next week, and don’t forget that a Bluetooth headset is necessary.

We’ve seen our share of Stereo TVs at CES, but most work with video games or “special” movie features that display two images, one of each eye, rendered from a slightly different point of view to reflect the distance between both eyes. This one is capable of using 3D Stereo broadcast signals directly (which are probably created by filming with two lenses…). The downside is that you have to wear polarized glasses. Usually it strains the eyes to some extent to be watching that stuff.

Micro projectors don’t yet have the image quality that one would want, but they are getting better. This one is cute and quite small, if you compare its size to the video input connectors. The bonus feature here is the SD card from which the projector can display a photo slideshow as big as 40" x 33". At $197, it is an expensive gadget that runs on four AA batteries.

Asus has worked hard to create what it believes to be the perfect home-theater PC. The design is nice, but not nice enough so that I would like to "show" the computer in the living room (How many ASUS logos can you put on a PC?). What we like: Blu-Ray, 1080p and HDMI video out. Surround sound, WiFi-N. Not so great: TV Tuner, small hard drive (250GB) Highlights: * Intel Core 2 Duo * 250GB HDD * Gigabit Ethernet, Wifi-N * Blu-Ray drive * Build-in IR Receiver * HDMI out * 200 x 290 x 80mm * 3.4Kg

Any kid who’s ever made a paper airplane has dreamed of throwing it off a tall skyscraper to see how far it can actually fly. And at least one kid who grew up to become a professor at Tokyo University’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics has held onto that dream. But why stop at tall buildings or even mountains? Shinji Suzuki currently heads up a project that wants to launch paper airplanes from space, and see how they survive the trip back to Earth. The first issue that comes to mind is that the real space shuttle requires bleeding-edge, heat-resistant tiles in order to survive the trip home. How would a paper airplane even have a chance? Well the origami paper they intend to use is made of sugar cane fibers sprayed with a special coating making them resistant to heat, wind and water. Shockingly, a 2.8 inch long prototype has survived speeds of Mach 7 and temperatures up to 446 degrees Fahrenheit in a hypersonic wind tunnel. So believe it or not, the plane could probably survi