A POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA WRAPPED IN A SUIT OF ARMOR
Neither rain nor sleet nor controlled drops from a height of 2m shall deter the Olympus 1030 SW from taking snapshots. This 10-megapixel point-and-shoot camera is waterproof, freezeproof and, interestingly enough, crushproof.
In fact, it can withstand a 2m plunge and 100kg of pressure, which means it should generally survive being sat upon.
The camera weighs 170g and comes in silver, black and green. It has a 3.6x optical zoom lens and a 2.7-inch LCD screen, along with 29 picture modes like "cuisine" for food and "behind glass" for items that are, well, behind glass. The in-camera panorama feature lets you take multiple pictures of a scene and stitch them together to make one long shot, without using a computer.
The camera has 15 megabytes of internal storage and supports MicroSD and xD-Picture memory cards for expansion.
While you probably don't want to test all of Olympus' claims at once, it's nice to know your camera can survive a dip and a drop without turning into shrapnel.
REDFLY MOBILE COMPANION SYSTEM FOR WINDOWS MOBILE
Fans of devices running Windows Mobile just got a new sidekick. The Redfly from Celio, which looks like a mini-laptop, works with almost any Windows smartphone and provides a better look at data.
The Redfly does not store anything. It simply "mirrors" what is going on in the smartphone and adds a better interface, including a full keyboard and touchpad, much as Palm's shuttered Folio project was supposed to do.
This 907g device works with the phone to display Word documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The user can connect the smartphone over a Bluetooth wireless connection or with a USB cable. The Redfly will also charge the phone.
The device has an 800-by-480-pixel 8-inch LCD screen, and a video-out port allows the display of data on a larger monitor or projector. Files can be transferred to a smartphone by connecting a thumb drive to one of Redfly's USB ports.
THE SENSATION OF FLIGHT, WHILE ON TERRA FIRMA
Flight simulation programs can feel a little earthbound when played at a desk, but a new gaming chassis gets the whole body into the experience.
The Dreamflyer, which is billed as a "personal virtual reality flight motion simulator," responds to control-stick movement by pitching and rolling the seats of video pilots as they play.
The basic Dreamflyer rig, which sells for US$2,800 at mydreamflyer.com, comes with a replica pilot seat in an aluminum frame. A modified Saitek X52 Flight Control system throttle and joystick (along with rudder pedals) are included, as is a bracket for a single monitor; the actual monitor and flight simulation software are not part of the package. A tri-monitor bracket is available for an extra US$200.
One thing the Dreamflyer itself does not need (aside from costly jet fuel) is electricity to power its movement, as the flight motion is provided by gravity. The Dreamflyer, measuring 91cm by 183cm, is also compact enough to fly right into a closet or the garage when company comes over.
A LIGHT SHOW IN A BULB
Adding mood lighting to a space-age bachelor pad is easy with this 5-watt LED bulb from ThinkGeek (www.thinkgeek.com) that comes with its own remote control.
The 10cm-long bulb will work in a standard socket, but it uses much less power than old incandescent bulbs, because the LEDs in the lamp are much more efficient at turning electricity into visible light. This tight coupling between an embedded chip and a light source is widely considered to be the future of illumination, promising much lower electrical bills. Unfortunately this model costs US$50, but prices are expected to come down as the technology becomes more widespread.
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