empower
Latest
PixelOptics emPower! electronic eyeglasses hands-on
PixelOptics is demoing what it claims is the most significant development in prescription eyewear in 50 years: emPower! PixelOptics' glasses offer up better field of view and less distortion than traditional lenses by sandwiching an LCD-like layer in the glass that can be focused with an electrical charge. The set's inbuilt micro-machine accelerometer detects when you tip your head down -- when you read, for example -- and triggers the glasses' focal area for presbyopia. The emPower! lens can also be set to manual and is then activated by a swipe of your finger on the frame. The kit includes the glasses and the inductive charger that will keep the eyewear powered up and running for a couple days. We were able to get some video of the lens in action focusing on a tie -- it is impressive to say the least -- the change happens as quickly as your eye blinks and is not noticeable when not activated. We'd say PixelOptics is on to something here, and if you're the type to plonk down $1,200 for a pair of glasses, these are definitely worth a peek. The only thing missing is a micro speaker that blasts out Bionic Man sounds each time you fire them up -- but we've great hope somebody will hack that in. %Gallery-113430%
Empower debuts three new PNDs ready for re-branding
We don't often catch sight of units like these until after they've already begun the usual cycle of re-brands and ever so slight changes, but the folks at Empower apparently decided to shake things up a bit and give everyone an early peek at its latest trio of personal navigation devices, which are now available to OEM/ODM and other "private-label customers." Those devices include the P2000, P2200 and P2800, each of which boast 4.3-inch touch screens, along with built-in Bluetooth handsfree functionality and support for traffic advisory data. The P2200 ups things slightly from the base model with an integrated digital camera, while the top-end P2800 adds a wireless rear-view camera for some help backing up, as well as some added iPod connectivity. No word on any companies that have picked 'em up just yet, but Empower itself seems fairly confident in them, with it set to sell all three under its own PowerPlay brand. Look for the P2000 to be the first of those available in March for $299, with the P2200 and P2800 set to follow sometime in the second quarter of this year for $399 and $499, respectively.
MagSafe Airline Power Adapter released
As Dan mentioned it looks like Apple finally gave in to all our whining and has released an adapter which allows you to power (not charge-the seats don't provide enough juice) your MacBook on those long haul flights-that is, if you're lucky enough to be seated somewhere with access to an EmPower plug. While sixty clams is considerably steep for what is essentially a piece of wire and an adapter plug, frequent flyers will finally be able to continue their always-on existence while cramped between the fussy baby and overly-friendly guy. On a bit of a more editorial note; is this the first specialized adapter Apple has released? I can't think of any other situations in which Apple has provided anything other than the normal desktop adapters, leaving third parties to fill in the market.
