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Macworld Expo 2011: Altigen Communications' iFusion handset
Whenever you meet up with anyone at big conventions like last week's Macworld 2011, you eventually ask what they've seen lately that's cool. Everyone wants to know what the hottest item on the floor is, the most interesting thing to see or check out at the show. Last week, more often than not, my answer was the iFusion from Altigen Communications. Like the iRetrophone, the iFusion is a full-scale handset with an iPhone dock on it, and it works via Bluetooth with your iPhone to either let you speak through the handle or have a speakerphone conversation. Altigen is a huge phone provider, and it also has an official business phone app on the App Store that allows for separate intranet extension dialing (and a bunch of other business-based features), but it decided to build and sell this handset just for the heck of it. iFusion works with any app that supports Bluetooth, including the built-in Phone app, Skype, Line2 and any others. There's even a USB cord in the back, so the phone can also sync through the handset. I got to play with it at Macworld, and iFusion is nice and strong; it's a little light, but very durable and well-made. Altigen told me that it was aiming for an Apple aesthetic with the device, and while it doesn't quite get there, it does look good. iFusion is US$169 and will be available for sale in April. I bet there will be plenty of businesses aiming to buy a bunch of these, but I wouldn't mind having one for my own home. I haven't owned a landline for years now, and it would be nice to have a handset again.
Neovision Labs rolls out iFusion 3D display for PMPs
There are a few 3D devices that somehow manage to buck the "gimmick" stereotype and show a bit of promise, but Neovision Labs' iFusion is definitely not a peripheral that we can take seriously. Doing the 3D realm more harm than good, this PMP add-on appears to be nothing more than a clear, acrylic screen protector; however, a flurry of less-than-reputable claims state that the simple LCD covering allows for "lifelike 3D images" to pop out of your handheld without the need for 3D goggles. The catch (there's always a catch) is that the media you play must be anaglyphic in nature, meaning that it's pre-encoded with 3D goodness. The "autostereoscopic" apparatus supposedly brings that atypical content to life without the need for special glasses, and doesn't affect normal (read: 99.9+ percent of your files) media whatsoever. If you're still curious, and don't have a sneaking suspicion of being duped on this, the iFusion will be available for the iubi Blue and Microsoft Zune sometime this fall for an undisclosed price.[Via DAPreview]
