Tuesday focus: Gadgets
Badminton matches look so real playing on Hyundai’s new 3-D TV that you may reflexively dodge the virtual shuttlecock. A polar bear pawing the glass of his tank may seem to be inside the TV pushing on the screen.
Hyundai is offering — in Japan only — the first product for watching 3-D programs that cable stations in Japan broadcast about four times a day.
There are a few catches:
“The 46-inch liquid-crystal display requires 3-D glasses.
“It’s expensive — $3,960, including two pairs of glasses, or about 25 percent more than a comparable regular LCD TV.
“And the only programs available so far include just a few minutes of video from the northern island of Hokkaido — shots from the zoo, motorcycle races and other short scenes.
Ryo Saito, of BS 11, the cable channel that runs the 3-D shows, says more content is needed for the technology to catch on, and other manufacturers need to start making 3-D televisions.
Samsung already sells 3-D rear projection TVs in the U.S., but there are no 3-D broadcasts in the United States. The technology is also available on desktop monitors and for video games.
LIGHT LAPTOP: Toshiba packs a lot of computing power inside the slender Portege R500-S5007V. Measuring just 0.77 inches thick and weighing 2.4 pounds, the laptop sports a hefty 128-gigabyte solid state drive, a built-in 7mm DVD SuperMulti drive and a 12.1-inch transreflective backlit display that can be viewed indoors in dim light or outside in the bright sun.
Priced at $2,999, the model includes an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, wireless connectivity, 2GB of memory, a fingerprint reader and an internal microphone. Better yet, it comes with a lithium-ion battery that can provide power for more than seven hours.
EMERGENCY HELP: If a medical emergency happens while you’re away from home, the Traveler-ER drive can help you, or your traveling companions, provide caregivers with pertinent data.
The password-protected USB drive securely stores personal information, medical history, doctors’ contact information, emergency contacts, travel history and all important health insurance data. Plus, the most vital information is packaged together in a printable Emergency Records Report. The drive costs about $30.
From wire reports