It was yet another rip-roaring week in the tech world, with a huge batch of compelling innovations from which to choose.
Undaunted, we narrowed it down to the most enticing 10. For instance, we found one of the world’s most beautiful smartphones, we tested a camera that can almost take pictures in the dark, we reviewed a keyboard that also holds its own in the middle of the night, and we coveted coolness ranging from the tiniest guitar to an enormous blimp on which you can hang a McMansion.
As you’ve probably already guessed, it was an unusual week in tech, and we found the best of it for you right here on Top 10 Tech This Week.
1. See-Through 3D Desktop
Here's an application where a 3D screen might actually make sense. Leave it to the geniuses at MIT's Medialab to invent this brilliant display, which is partially transparent so you can manipulate objects in 3D space with your hands on the other side of it.
Its creator, Jinha Lee, explains how it works: "Windows or files are perceived to be placed in a 3D space between a screen and the input plane. The user can lift up his hands to reach the displayed windows and arrange them in this 3D space." Now this is some 3D I could get used to. To get the full effect, check out this video.
2. Logitech UE Air Speaker
Logitech sent us its latest release, the first product of its acquisition of high-end earphone maker Ultimate Ears (UE): the Logitech UE Air Speaker. This $400 dock works best with iPhones, iPads or iPods, letting you charge and play audio from those iOS devices parked in its slide-out dock.
Better yet, you can use Apple's AirPlay tech to wirelessly play audio from your iOS devices via Wi-Fi from all over your house. If you don't have an iOS device, you can plug any audio gadget into its 3.5mm auxiliary input and still get that great sound.
It's super simple to set up, and cranks out spectacular sound. We're especially fond of its natural-sounding mid-range and shimmering highs, and even though it's relatively small, its bass gets some serious thump going - even in a large room.
My favourite feature is its swept-back, gracefully curved design, making it the prettiest sound dock ever to grace these parts. It looks and sounds simply lovely.
From Logitech
3. Medisana VitaDock Scale of the Future
It would seem sinful to call this gorgeous electronic device a bathroom scale, but that's just what it is. Step on this $200 TargetScale Body Analysis Scale with Target Function, and it precisely measures your weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat and a lot of other things you might not want to know.
The kicker: It transmits all that data via Bluetooth to a VitaDock app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
4. HTC One Smartphones Coming
One of the most impressive lines of phones we saw at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona was the HTC "One" Android smartphones. Now, the HTC One X, One S and One V are headed to the real world, landing in Europe on April 2.
The best news for us Yanks is the rumour that HTC's flagship phone, the HTC One X (pictured here), is said to be heading for the U.S., landing on Sprint sometime in early June. In its U.S. trim, it'll be called the HTC Evo One. Even more exciting are rumours that HTC One S might be hitting T-Mobile as early as April 22.
Why should we be excited? My fave - the Evo One - is loaded with great tech, including a 4.7-inch HD touchscreen, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, Beats Audio, 1080p HD video recording, and just look at it. It's slim, trim and beautiful. And, it'll probably be packing the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, too. Compelling, indeed.
5. Razer Star Wars The Old Republic Gaming Keyboard
Gamers will love this new Razer keyboard with configurable buttons and an LCD touchscreen display. Those buttons above the screen change according to the game or application you're using, but when I tested it, I wished I could use our own icons for various functions.
The touchscreen has the perfect sensitivity, and you can even use it to watch YouTube videos, go to webpages with its primitive browser, or use it just as you would a laptop's touchpad. It's excellent.
This is one gorgeous keyboard, with seriously attractive lighting effects that you can adjust to the colour of your choice. But I wished it had a dedicated button to control volume. Even so, Razer has outdone itself with this beauty, particularly for those who like to play the popular game Star Wars: The Old Republic.
6. Flexible E-Paper Display Headed Into Production
We've been hearing about flexible E-paper displays for years, but now it looks like LG will be the first to release one to consumers. This 6-inch E-ink screen can bend 40 degrees, opening up myriad possibilities for crazy new gadgetry.
You won't be getting this screen in your hands just yet - it will first be released to Chinese manufacturers - but look for some gee-whiz products packing this twisty screen within a couple of months.
7. Tiny Guitar USB Drive
I'm a sucker for cuteness, in this little USB drive stole my heart. Check out its teeny strings made of copper wire, making the notion of a tiny guitar that can pack 16GB of data inside even more convincing.
The little handmade git-box is selling on Etsy for $90, and comes with its own equally precious carrying case. I'm told you can even tune up the strings with its tuning knobs. Want.
8. Blimp House
How would you like to live in a house that hangs underneath a pair of blimps? That's designer Timon Sager's outlandish idea with his Flying Home of Tomorrow: strapping a luxury home underneath a dirigible that will turn any location on the planet into your vacation wonderland.
That is, until a storm hits. But then, you might just treat your floating abode as if it were a boat, taking it the safe harbour when violent weather approaches.
Check it out - there's even a flat-screen TV inside, as if you wouldn't already have enough excitement when hanging out in your airborne McMansion.
9. Roadyacht with Crazy Convertible Top
You've got to love a car that's called a Roadyacht. The four-seat, 670 hp superconvertible was already innovative enough, but now its maker has revealed its Retractable Telescopic Multi-Panel (RTMP) Roof System, folding its top up in a most delightful way, and then packing it tightly in the trunk behind.
This delectable conveyance isn't available quite yet, but its makers plan to perfect its roof system and perhaps roll it out at an undisclosed Middle Eastern car show sometime this year.
10. Nikon D800
We could write volumes about this magnificent Nikon D800 digital SLR camera - we've been testing it all week - but what you really want to know is, why is this better than a smartphone camera? The answer: spectacular low-light performance. It has an enormous image sensor (it's full-frame, about the size of 35mm film) compared to that of smartphone cameras (slightly smaller than your pinky fingernail), giving it the ability to almost see in the dark.
Take a look at this comparison split, with the D800 shot on the top and an iPhone 4S pic on the bottom. This was shot in near-darkness. Big difference.
Even at ISO 6400, the shots still look creamy and smooth. This was taken in a dimly-lit kitchen where it was too dark for an iPhone to shoot.
Cloudy day, still shoots as if it's sunny.
Nikon brings serious video capability to this D800 at the same time, shooting super-sharp 1080p videos that also take advantage of that superior low-light performance. It also automatically grabs focus quickly while shooting video, and you can use any of Nikon's outstanding lenses to shoot movies like a pro.
Speaking of pros, that's who this 36.3-megapixel camera's intended for - with its $3000 price just for the body alone, lenses are extra. But if you're looking for one of the best image sensors in the world, nestled inside a camera that's not too big and surprisingly light for its class, this is a worthy choice.
Top image: Space Travel on Earth.
Related Post: Top 10 Technology This Week
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