Photos of Playstation 3 Slim

Just hours into our post about a possible Playstation redesign known as the PS3 Slim, a user has now posted photos onto a Japanese message board of the slimmed down Playstation 3.You will notice that if these shots are real, Sony has decided to drop the “Playstation 3″ logo and instead replace it with PS3.

Panasonic launches latest Z1 TV series

We reported about the Panasonic one-inch thick plasma LCD Z1 last month, further details have now been officially published in the press release after the jump. However, as you will know, the Z1 wasn’t cheap at all, the official press release below still hasn’t addressed as to what the price tag on this badboy will be.

Birmingham, England (April 17, 2009)-Panasonic is pleased to announce that it is expanding its line of VIERA Series flat-panel TVs with the introduction of the new Z1 Series.

Technological advancements with NeoPDP
In 2008, Panasonic announced the development of next-generation plasma display panels (PDPs) called NeoPDP technology which used ground-breaking technologies that offered better picture quality, higher efficiency and thinner dimensions than its predecessors. After thoroughly reviewing its existing IC technology and panel structures, Panasonic developed new phosphors and cell design technology for improved discharge and new circuit and drive technology to significantly reduce power loss.

As a result, Panasonic has improved motion image performance, contrast and colour reproduction in its plasma displays to achieve a level of picture quality that is simply unprecedented. To improve motion images, the Z1 Series adopts Panasonic’s 600Hz Sub-field Drive Intelligent Frame Creation Pro, which helps achieve 1080 line motion picture resolution*1. Even fast-moving objects are clear and sharp. Users enjoy a truly stunning viewing experience, especially with ultra-dynamic action and sports scenes such as motor car racing events and car chases.

The Z1 Series also delivers a remarkable dynamic contrast of over 2,000,000:1 thanks to the increased brightness achieved by NeoPDP technology and refinements to Panasonic’s Real Black Drive System (a pre-discharge system). With these enhancements, the new models provide the kind of “infinite black” colour that pulls viewers right into the picture.

The Z1 Series will feature VIERA CAST*2, making it one of the first models in Europe to offer this service. With VIERA CAST, viewers can access certain Internet content by simply clicking a button while sitting in their living room. For example, users can view such familiar content as Eurosport, YouTube and Picasa directly on their VIERA TV. Viewers can access other information too, such as news, weather forecasts and stock market information. DLNA connection is also possible with these three series. Digital data*3 such as motion images and still images saved onto a PC can be played on VIERA through a home network. For example, DivX content on a PC in the den can be viewed on a VIERA in the living room.

Flagship model
The Z1 Series is the flagship model combining superb functionality with a slim, fully flat*4, one-inch design. Also featuring full-HD wireless transmission technology that makes flexible room layout possible, these models are perfect for users seeking the highest grade in both function and design.

The Z1 Series deliver outstanding 1080 lines moving picture resolution and a dynamic contrast of over 2,000,000:1. The THX Certified Display they incorporate has passed stringent tests, ensuring that they are ideal for viewing films. Z models also feature home networking with DLNA, which allows playback of motion images with VIERA CAST, and the VIERA Image Viewer. They can play DivX format motion images as well. The Z1 plasma series will be available as 46” (TX-P46Z1) and 54” (TX-P54Z1) models

University students design ice cream serving robot

A robot that can automatically serve ice cream with selected toppings and pass on a spoon? 26 students at Ohio Northern University under supervision of their professors have built an ice cream serving robot consisting of two Kuka industrial robots which man their stations inside a kiosk of custom-fabricated components. Check out the video after the break, what they have achieved in this project is brilliant!

Apple unveils latest updated iMacs, slightly cheaper prices too…

It’s Tuesday, Apple’s favourite and prolly only day of the week in which they tend to launch new and latest upcoming products. Today they again temporaily closed down their online store in order to update a new line up of iMacs and also the much rumored Mac Mini. So let’s first take a look at the new updated iMacs. The latest 20-inch iMac features a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (Apple previously offered both a 2.4GHz and 2.66GHz configuration), 2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory (with a new maximum of 8GB for all iMac models), a 320GB Serial ATA hard drive, and Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory (previous 20-inch models had discrete ATI Radeon graphics).


The 24-inch model comes in 2.66GHz, 2.93GHz, and 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo configurations (compared to 2.8GHz and 3.06GHz in the previous generation), and with 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory (twice the amount included before), and a 640GB or 1TB Serial ATA hard drive. The 2.66GHz model has the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics as the 20-inch model, the 2.93GHz model uses the discrete GeForce GT 120 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory, and the 3.06GHz model uses the discrete GeForce GT 130 with 512MB of GDDR3 memory (you can also configure the top two models with the ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics processor, with 512MB of memory).
All iMac models come with a glossy display with a built-in iSight video camera, a mic, and speakers. The new iMac also includes Apple’s Mini DisplayPort connector, built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, a total of six USB 2.0 ports (including two on the Apple Keyboard), and one FireWire 800 port.

The new iMacs are available immediately and cost $1,199 for the 20-inch model and starting at $1,499 for the 24-inch model.

The new iMac exceeds Energy Star 4.0 requirements and is an early adopter in the industry for Energy Star 5.0 compliance. The iMac enclosure is made of recyclable aluminum and the interior is designed to be more material-efficient. The iMac uses PVC-free internal cables and components, and contains no brominated flame retardants.

Here’s a breakdown of the main specs again…

iMac 20-inch, $1,199
2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB memory
320GB hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics

iMac 24-inch, $1,499
2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
640GB hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics

iMac 24-inch, $1,799
2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
640GB hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 256MB memory

iMac 24-inch, $2,199
3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
1TB hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 with 512MB memory

Latest LG solar phone concept from MWC

Here are pictures of LG’s latest concept phone from the MWC last week, it is equipped with solar panels allowing it to help the environment by reducing the need to use non-renewable resources. When you think of technology and gadgets that harvest solar energy I tend to think of large chunky panels but in fact the concept phone below is quite the opposite.It’s a slider phone and though its just a prototype, 10 minutes of charging under natural light could give 3 minutes of run time, that’s not bad at all considering that power has just come out of no where

OLED Blackberry concept: Blackberry 7130 meets the Optimus Keyboard

No more debate on what’s best, which type of keyboard suits who, because the Blackberry 7130 has just met the Optimus Keyboard - meet the OLED Blackberry concept…