I’m a gadget-oriented kind of guy, so I was looking forward to find some cool gadgets on the COMPUTEX 2010 trade show floor. Some of the techie highlights from Pixel Qi, Arctic, Choiix, Cooler Master, Add On Technology, Qualcomm, and Lenovo were very impressive. Let’s check out some of these cool gadget innovations!
Pixel Qi Display Technology
A lot of people have been comparing the Apple iPad with e-readers like the Amazon Kindle. Both types of display technology have their strengths, but they have their respective weaknesses as well. Finding some sort of middle ground between the two is Pixel Qi.
The company, to my knowledge, doesn’t produce any end products on its own, but it is the source for its unique e-paper display. What makes it different from other e-paper displays is that this one can do color and video. Dial up the brightness when you want and dial it down (or turn it off altogether) to conserve power when you want.
This kind of tech is being used in upcoming devices like the Notion Ink Adam tablet, but Pixel Qi is quick to point out that its anti-glare and high refresh rate display could just as easily be used in netbooks and other portable devices too.
Arctic Personal Breeze Products
The company once known as Arctic Cooling is now officially known simply as Arctic. That’s because they are expanding their portfolio well beyond PC coolers. You might remember the Arctic Sound headsets I reviewed a short while back.
Another line in the company’s portfolio is the Arctic Breeze, represented here by three of its products. Arctic Breeze Mobile is the most minimalist of the three, but it’s the Arctic Breeze Pro that I want. It’ll keep you cool during hot summer days and it also acts as a four-port USB hub.
Arctic Solar Power on the Go Too
Speaking of hot summer days, you may be heading out to the beach or some other sunny spot in the next couple of months. This might mean that you’ll have a hard time finding a wall outlet to juice up that iPhone or power your portable speakers. Just as the tech is great for Bluetooth speakerphones, solar panels are great for portable power too. Such is the case with the Arctic C1 Mobile.
This compact solar device is no larger than a cell phone and it comes with an internal 4400mWh lithium-ion rechargeable battery. This power can then be output to any USB-compatible device. If you can’t wait for the sun, it can be charged via USB too.
Choiix Offers Blue Trace on Cruiser Mouse
We’ve already seen a “riser” style mouse from Choiix before, but this newer version uses a Blue Trace sensor. That’s not unlike the BlueTrack technology from Microsoft, allowing for better accuracy and response on all kinds of surfaces.
The Choiix Cruiser offers two settings for height and the elevated position reveals the hidden location of the USB nano receiver. Available in five different colors, the Choiix Cruiser mouse also comes bundled with a complimentary mouse pad.
Cooler Master NotePal U3 Notebook Cooling Stand
I’ve been using the NotePal ErgoStand notebook cooler for a little while and I think the design overall is great. However, it’s not nearly as versatile as the Cooler Master NotePal U3. But, it is a natural progression from the NotePal U2 that preceded it, the NotePal U3 gives you three separate fans with adjustable locations. You simply click them off and clip them onto the mesh-like surface wherever the hottest spots on your laptop may be.
Another neat feature is that the USB connector and fan speed controller for the U3 can be clipped on either the left or right side of the cooler. This helps to better accommodate laptop designs of different kinds.
Add On Tech Puts Big Sound in the Laptop Base
Looking for a different kind of laptop stand? It wasn’t on my wish list for the perfect notebook cooler, but it seems that Add On Technology has come up with an interesting idea. The Soundbase Mobile may look like a relatively standard notebook cooling stand, but it actually hides a pair of stereo speakers for an improved aural experience on the go.
There’s still a single cooling fan in the center and a convenient handle for easy travel, but it’s the two speakers that make this unit quite different from others on the market. Most notebooks are lacking in the speaker department, so any sort of gain for your musical enjoyment is most welcome. Then again, I guess you could grab the Asus NX90 for some big sound too.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Powers Lenovo LePhone
In case you haven’t heard, Qualcomm updated its Snapdragon line of mobile processors at COMPUTEX 2010, announcing the MSM8260 and MSM8660. The 1.2GHz dual core processors are designed so that both cores are individually scalable, meaning you can have one running at 1.2GHz and the other at 900MHz, for instance. While it doesn’t make use of the new processors, the Lenovo LePhone is still quite the interesting Snapdragon smartphone to consider. It features a large AMOLED touchscreen display and it can be docked into a clamshell case to gain a hardware QWERTY keyboard. The LePhone runs on Android 2.1.
It really will be interesting to see where Snapdragon goes in the near future, having been used in everything from smartphones to smartbooks to tablets. Snapdragon competes directly with the NVIDIA Tegra and competition is a good thing for the end consumer.
More Coverage to Come
Still hungry for more coverage from COMPUTEX Taipei 2010? Fear not. We have several exclusive videos on our YouTube channel, live tweets from our Twitter account, and more articles coming soon too.
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COMPUTEX 2010 – Gadget Hunting on the Trade Show Floor – Photo Gallery
