Cool tech toys to watch out for

By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

TAIPEI, Taiwan–Computex is also home to hundreds of new innovations churned out of the research and development division of many electronics firms. These innovations can either still be working prototypes, soon-to-be launched products, or already commercially available. These are just among the few that were found in Computext Taipei 2007.

Multimedia player eyewear: If users are ever bored with using their handheld multimedia players, perhaps they can try out multimedia eyewear. This product has two small LCD monitors as well as earphones. Video can be fed through a cable attached to a traditional multimedia player, such as the iPod Video. The main problem for this is that it does not have any batteries and so has to be attached to an external power supply. Perhaps it would have rechargeable batteries before it is launched in other Asian markets.

iWalk: a headphone made by Taiwanese manufacturer Lobos that has a small slot for the iPod nano. It has a small opening that allows the user to manipulate the player’s click wheel. It has a stereo attachment for other multimedia players.

USB car music transmitter: No handheld MP3 player for your car? Attach this device to your car’s power plug in the dashboard, attach any USB flash drive with some MP3s, and play any songs on your car’s stereo. This simple device transmits radio signals to your car’s audio system so you can play songs.

Portable DVD burner with card readers: Burning videos or photos on DVDs can be a major pain for ordinary users who need to switch on a PC, set the parameters for burning, and wait for the burning to finish. A company named EZPnP developed a single device that can burn multimedia files on a DVD straight from various flash devices such as USB thumb drives, memory sticks, SD cards, XD cards, and MMCs, among others. This way, the device can still be attached to a PC and used just like any external DVD drive.

Solar-powered bags: A backpack with a crystal solar panel allows a person with several devices to charge them. The sensitive solar panels are laminated in tempered glass to prevent damage and the devices can be charged using a selection of attachments. While the bags do not look as good as the more expensive counterparts, it is still expensive at almost $300 for the most basic one.

3D monitors: Ever wonder how it feels to watch IMAX films at home? Better yet, want to make your movies and video games look like IMAX? PC parts manufacturers Zalman and Chimei both are developing new monitors that are able to split ordinary images into distinct colors. When a 3D glass is put on, the images come together but the background remains flat, allowing the middle image to “float” outside of the screen. These 3D monitors will be available in the market sometime in the end of the year.

Waterproof devices: Water is the worst enemy for any electronic devices. Not anymore; I saw waterproof USB drives, water-resistant keyboards, and a monitor that doesn’t get wet. A notebook computer and personal digital assistant were even sunk entirely in water but kept running.

(Editor’s note: Check out Alex Villafania’s Tales of the Nomad blog entry for a look at some of Taiwan’s tourist attractions.)

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