Explay intros oio nanoprojector, plans to launch in 2008

from Engadget by Darren Murph

Explay is apparently trying to ensure that its micro-projector doesn't become just one of the crowd, as it's trying to outdo the competition by showing off its oio at SID 2007. While we'd seen offerings from Explay before and even heard whispers of a 2007 launch, it looks like it'll be next year before the oio hits the hands of the general public. Nevertheless, the firm was off parading its accomplishment in Long Beach, California, dubbing its minuscule PJ the "first truly mobile and fully operational nano-projector." Of course, we're sure more than a few outfits would love to disagree on that very point, but Explay went on to praise the oio's ability to function in a variety of locales from a "dimly lit bar to a bright office." Notably, it sounds like the company will be aiming for more dollars than those held by mere gadget freaks, as the oio marketing team will be targeting "medical, security, and even artistic" fields whenever Explay can get these things out of the door. Click on through for a closeup of the oio itself. [Photo courtesy of Explay]

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UK to get even more Big Brother with hovering drones

from Engadget by Evan Blass

With literally hundreds of thousands of cameras -- some sporting speakers and microphones -- trained on its poor citizens from the moment they step out of the house in the morning until their hasty retreat inside at night, we're not sure why the UK needs yet another set of eyes scoping out so-called 'anti-social behaviour' among the populace, but that isn't stopping the vanguard of Big Brother technology from deploying its first unmanned police drone next month. In what is being perhaps optimistically billed as just a three-month trial, Merseyside police will unleash a one-meter wide, night-vision camera-equipped mini-helicopter into the skies (up to 500-meters high) above their jurisdiction, and task it with gathering evidence for court cases as well as the less glamorous job of monitoring traffic congestion. Originally built for the military by a Germany company and called the 'hicam microdrone,' these repurposed mechanical bobbies can either be controlled by an operator via remote or set to patrol autonomously using their built-in GPS nav systems. You'll recall that a similar system being considered by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department was shot down by the FAA around this time last year, proving once again that up-and-coming British criminals could probably minimize their risks of incarceration by making the move Stateside.

[Via The Register, pic courtesy of microdrones GmbH, thanks Paul J. and rastrus]

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Ani Phyo: Ani's Raw Food Kitchen book and videos

from Boing Boing by David Pescovitz

My friend Ani Phyo is a Renaissance 2.0 woman. When I first met her in 1993, she was an economics grad creating mind-bending cyberdelic video art for raves. Then, she became immersed in information architecture and wrote an accessible and popular "howto" book on the subject, Return On Design. In recent years though, Ani has become a student (and teacher) of healthy living, eating and cooking. She co-founded Smart Monkey Foods, makers of yummy raw food snack bars and packaged foods available mainly on the West Coast. This month, Ani's first (un)cookbook was published. If you're not hip to the raw food scene, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen will surprise you with recipes that somehow seem very familiar even if you've never eaten them before. I especially like that Ani isn't a raw food fanatic. In fact, the last meal Ani cooked for me was a fantastic leek soup, grilled spicy tofu, and a superclean salad. Don't get me wrong. Ani's a health nut, but she also has her feet firmly planted on terra firma. She's ultra-busy just like the rest of us, so most of her advice is easy to implement and her recipes are often quick to prepare. For, er, a taste of Ani's style, check out her DIY series of cooking shows she's posted for free on YouTube. (A DVD compilation is also available from her Web site where you can also check out sample recipes and other news.) Congratulations, Ani! Link to buy Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, Link to Ani's site, Link to Ani on YouTube

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Foonz.com – Free group calls

from KillerStartups.com - published startups by Alexstl

Have you ever been frustrated by having to call a group of people to tell them all the same thing? Well, now there is a way you can have them all join in on the same call, free. With Foonz you can create call lists on the site, and form the list into a group. You can make as many groups as you want, and the phone charge is the same as your normal phone service. When you register with Foonz, you are given a number to call; when you call the number you can choose which group to call. All members of the group then receive a text message with a number to dial, which will then connect them all together. If you don't want to talk to them all, you can choose to just leave a message for all members of the group. In their own words: "We are a group of friends who wanted to get in touch with a bunch of people on the phone, at once, right away, to plan the night's adventure. But calling everyone separately or doing 15 IM chats was not the answer. So, we invented Foonz – the world's first easy way to call a group of people, from any phone, absolutely free! The best part is, now that we're started, we can't stop thinking of ways to use Foonz and new features to add." Why it might be a killer: Many group calls and conference calls can be expensive. This is pretty much the same thing as a basic conference call, expect it is free, and it dials all the members of the group for you. It could be a great tool for teams, businesses, and families who all want to talk to together at the same time. Some questions: Will people receiving the texts all respond? Will it always remain free?

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Samsung and PureDepth show off 46-inch Multi-Layer Display LCD

from Engadget by Darren Murph

It's been a tick since we'd heard anything out of PureDepth, but apparently, the company and its Multi-Layer Display technology are still livin' it up. Making a comeback with Samsung, the two firms are jointly debuting the "world's largest" MLD LCD TV, which rings up at 46-inches diagonally. The actual monitor is being showcased at the Society for Information Display conference in Long Beach, California, and blew past the previous champion which was holding strong at 30-inches. PureDepth is describing its technology as a "a layered, multi-dimensional (using real depth between two or more LCD panels) viewing innovation that enables users to simultaneously view two separate fields of data on one monitor," which is simply a fancy way of suggesting that users can experience "3D-like images" sans unsightly goggles. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether this unit is actually slated for commercialization, but considering the somewhat sour reputation that other 3D devices already have, it's got a rough road to hoe.

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