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GeStream Technology's new robot challenges i-SOBOT's title
i-SOBOT, long the holder of the "world's smallest bipedal robot," finally has a proper rival, in the form of GeStream Technology's 15-centimeter-tall gold-colored bot. The latest tiny robotic overlord has 16 degrees of "freedom," which computes to something like 65,536 possible movements, and will be sold in unassembled so that owners can customize the look and functionality of the miniscule bot. With the price rumored at around $185 to $200, the company is laying claim to the "smallest, lightest, and cheapest in the world," though it wouldn't be surprising to see those titles usurped by some like-minded competitor. No word on availability, but as soon as we can get the Engadget offices crawling with a lethal army of these, we'll let you know.[Thanks, Daanish]
Sanyo's Xacti DMX-HD1000: the world's smallest 1080i camcorder
We like giving Sanyo heaps of grief over their boxy gear from time to time. But make no mistake, they've nailed it with their Xacti series of solid state camcorders. Meet the DMX-HD1000, their first to record at full, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution video using the HD/MPEG-4 AVC codec. It features the ability to shoot 8 megapixel stills via its 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor, a 10x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, HDMI-out, and the ability to record direct to SD/SDHC cards for up to 2 hours at a charge. That's plenty of juice since an 8GB SDHC card will only hold about 1 hour and 25 minutes of Full HD recordings. All this in an itty-bitty pistol grip shooter which Sanyo claims is the world's smallest at this resolution. Available in Japan starting mid September for about ¥120,000 or about $1,000. %Gallery-6571%[Via Impress]
Princeton's itty bitty USB Bluetooth 2.0+EDR module
Remember that crazy small, RF receiver used with Logitech's VX Nano? Meet the Bluetooth 2.0+EDR equiv, the Princeton's PTM-UBT3S which measures just 19-mm (0.75-inches) long. So yeah, it's small, in fact, it's claimed to be the smallest available in Japan when it ships in September. Whether or not it's the world's smallest is irrelevant as it's surely suitable for full-time laptop or handheld bunging without concern for sheering it off. Yours for ¥2,480 or $21 beans. [Via Impress]
Panasonic's HDC-SD7 dons title of world's smallest HD camcorder
You can add one more "full HD" AVCHD camcorder to that mix of Panasonics announced earlier in the week. The new HDC-SD7 is said to be the "world's smallest and lightest" camcorder to record at 1,920 x 1,080 to SDHC cards. Otherwise, the SD7 is spec-for-spec the same 3CCD camcorder as the HDC-SD5 only in a vertically-held format. Just be careful what you ask for folks: that reduced chassis size comes at the expense of a cut in sensor sizes and drop in optical zoom from 12x to 10x when compared to Panny's earlier HDC-DX3 and HDC-SD3 models. Unfortunately, the HDC-SD7 looks to be Japan-only for now with a September 8 launch for ¥140,000 or about $1,188 with tax.
World's smallest (7-inch) HDTV on display at Computex
We don't know why, but in a game where numbers are king we bring you the world's smallest HDTV. Measuring in at just 7-inches, Xceive's "Breckenridge" reference design is currently on display at Computex in Taipei. Unfortunately, Xceive is only showing off their XC5000 silicon tuner in the press release, but we've got a sneaking suspicion that they're using that SanyoSeiko-Epson 7.1-inch, 1080p-capable LCD panel (pictured) first floated back in October. Xceive's contribution to the 16:9 HDTV is the crazy small, 2.75 x 4.75-inch main board capable of receiving all 18 ATSC formats or NTSC signals via terrestrial or cable implementations. Unfortunately, you'll have to sit about 6-inches away from the display for all those pixels to matter. Still, it is just a reference design. In other words, Xceive is looking for someone with the manufacturing skills to take this to market. Sammy, Sony, Philipps... any takers? Read-on to peep the XC5000 chip just for kicks.[Via DigiTimes]
Samsung's "world's smallest" 8.4 megapixel CMOS sensor: so long CCD?
Chalk up another world's smallest title for Samsung this morning with this, their new 8.4 megapixel CMOS sensor. By implementing extended photo diode technology, Samsung has managed to squeeze higher light sensitivity and saturation levels into less space. According to Samsung, their new sensor's high signal-to-noise ratio results in the equivalent image quality found in today's CCDs while using one-tenth the power. As such, Sammy expects it to "quickly replace" the CCDs used in mobile phones, camcorders, and even digital cameras. Yeah, they wish. We'll find out soon enough as this CIS hits mass production in the second half of 2007.
Kingmax unveils "world's smallest" USB flash drive
Hmm, where have we heard this one before? Here, here, here, and oh yeah, here too, but all those "world's smallest" flash drives now have to face Kingmax's USB 2.0 Super Stick as it looks to challenge all the previous (and currently unconfirmed) claims of diminutive superiority. While it looks to be a revamped version of the company's first iteration, this uber-slim flash drive weighs in at just a single gram, and measures 34- x 12.4- x 2.2-mm, which also means this just might be the easiest possible storage medium to lose track of. Nevertheless, this Vista / OS X-friendly drive comes in 512MB ($19), 1GB ($29), 2GB ($39), and 4GB ($55) flavors, and if you're interested in picking up a thumb drive that can probably double as a toothpick, it's available as we speak.
Researchers developing ultrathin Origami lens for mini digicams
The constant battle between companies trying to shove the most megapixels into the smallest frame at all costs just might have some serious competition on the horizon, as researchers at UC San Diego have built an ultrathin, high resolution digicam by simply "folding up the telephoto lens." The aptly-named Origami lens hopes to "yield lightweight, slim, and powerful miniature cameras for unmanned surveillance aircraft, cellphones, and infrared night vision applications," and was constructed using the same basic principles found on the Cassegrain telescope that was crafted in 1672. On a disk of calcium fluoride, the engineers "cut a series of concentric, reflective surfaces that bend and focus the light as it is bounced to a facing flat reflector," creating an area where incoming light will follow a zigzag path until it reaches the CMOS light sensor. The biggest drawback, however, is the new camera's "limited depth of focus," but the folks behind the creation are already designing variable-focus folded optical systems to hopefully cure that nagging issue. Ideally, the team would like to see their work bring high resolution, respectful imagers to cellphones, doing away with the relatively antiquated sensors on most mainstream mobiles, but even under the best conditions it's probably a few years away.
Rohm unveils "world's smallest" LED: PicoLED
If you dig the nearly endless applications for jazzing up almost anything with light emitting diodes, you'll be thrilled to know that a Kyoto-based firm has now crafted an even smaller rendition of our favorite lighting gizmo to give you even more flexibility when brightening up your life. Joining the bloated list of "world's smallest" gadgets, Rohm's latest LED, dubbed the PicoLED, comes in at just 1- x 0.8- x 0.2-millimeters in size, besting the previous title holder of 1.6- x 0.8- x 0.2-millimeters. The firm purportedly aims to pump out around 10 million of these bantam diodes per month when it hits mass production in April, and if you've got some serious buying power, you can pick these up for around ¥100 ($0.83) apiece and go absolutely wild.[Via PlasticBamboo]
Pretec unveils "world's smallest" microSD reader: i-Disk Micro
Hmm, looks like we've got a bit of a conflict here, as we've now got two companies claiming that its microSD reader is indeed the world's smallest. Of course, Pretec doesn't bother giving us the dimensions, so its crown will have to remain in pending for the time being, but the i-Disk Micro Reader is ridiculously small nonetheless, Capable of holding microSD cards from 32MB all the way up to 2GB in capacity, this bantam device comes in a transparent case to give users easy access to the size of the microSD card within, sports a curvaceous design to purportedly prevent scratches when carried around with your mobile, includes a nifty keychain attachment, and connects via USB 2.0. There's no mention of pricing nor availability, but just in case this whole "world's smallest" claim doesn't pan out for ole Pretec, at least they're also releasing a SDHC-friendly 20-in-1 flash card reader which it can boast about while eating its words.[Via MobileWhack]
Epson cranks out "world's smallest" GPS module
Apparently Epson is hoping that small is in, as the firm is pumping out yet another "world's smallest" object, and this time it's a wee-sized GPS module. Crafted specifically for tiny applications like mobile handsets, the S4E19863 measures just 7- x 6- x 1.28-millimeters and purportedly holds the title for "world's smallest GPS chip." Already available in NTT DoCoMo's FOMA 903i series, Epson has begun shipping these things in bulk, hoping to add GPS functionality to other miniscule handsets as well. Built to receive even the faintest signals indoors and out, the chip also boasts "3GPP-compliant positioning modes (MS-Based, MS-Assisted and Autonomous)" to offer greater compatibility across the board. Plus, we bet it's just a matter of time before these tiny positioning modules are up and running in some streamlined dog collar for the "anxious pet owner" crowd.[Via Far East Gizmos]
Emtac's new mini-S3 Bluetooth GPS receiver is smallest yet
We're suckers for anything laying claim to the "world's smallest" title in its category, and while we can't be 100% certain Emtac's claims about its new mini-S3 Bluetooth GPS receiver are accurate, there's no denying this thing is small. You shouldn't have much trouble pocketing the 0.7-inch thick girth, and the no-slip rubber casing should make it easy to keep the widget up on your dashboard. Just like everything else GPS-related these days, the device is based on a SiRFstarIII chipset, and conveniences like a user replaceable 8 hour lithium-ion battery and a mini-USB charging plug always help. The $99.99 pricetag ain't too shabby neither. You should be able to purchase this thing as of now.[Via pocketnow]
Thuraya one-ups Globalstar, unveils new "lightest satellite phones"
We love ourselves a good back-and-forth battle between two competitors, and it looks like Thuraya is diving in the ring head first (and finally bringing the goods) to take on the highly-praised Globalstar. While the GSP-1700 sports a relatively slim, sexy design and weighs just 7.1 ounces, it has already become second place thanks to a pair of new satellite phones by Thuraya. The firm's SO-2510 (purely SAT) comes in at just 4.59 ounces, and sports a 4.66- x 2.09- x 0.74-inch enclosure, but still manages to include a 1.5-inch LCD, GPS / satellite services, USB connectivity, and a battery providing 2.4 hours of talk time (plus 40 hours in standby). The slightly larger (albeit GSM-equipped) SG-2520 rocks Tri-band capabilities, a 1.9-inch LCD, 1.3-megapixel camera, 128MB of internal memory, an SD slot, and still manages to hit the scales at just 6 ounces. Both phones are listed as "coming soon," but we're a bit more inclined to believe it this time around with all the buzz hovering over its main competitor.[Read - Thuraya SO-2510, via MobileWhack][Read - Thuraya SG-2520, via MinistryOfTech]
World's most easily misplaced cellphone?
We just sorta figured that there was some unwritten rule among cellphone manufacturers that loosely said something to the effect of "don't make a phone much smaller than a Pantech C300." Don't get us wrong, we never doubted that the wonders of modern electronic miniaturization could produce a phone the size of a Bluetooth headset, but we're figuring you're likely to mistake it for a variety of other, far more disposable objects in your pocket -- coins, lighters, and the like -- not to mention the obvious usability concerns. Nevertheless, the Xun Chi 138 forges ahead with the submicronic form factor, trading a traditional keypad for a touch sensitive display with handwriting recognition while still managing to pack in USB connectivity, an MP3 player with 121MB of storage, and what we think is a VGA cam (despite the clever "1.3 MEGA PLIXS" label). On the downside, the handset tops out with lowly GPRS, but then again, we can't imagine consuming terribly much data with a display the size of our thumbnail.[Via The Raw Feed]
Trinloc Fusion, smallest DAB radio, for real this time?
The last time we heard about the smallest portable DAB radio, it was the Roberts RD49, which claimed that it had the petite-factor all locked up. And then we came across the Trinloc Fusion, a new DAB radio shrunken down to 87.5 x 37 x 22mm (3.4 x 1.4 x 0.8-inches). It's got 1GB of storage and can play MP3, WMA, WAV, ADPCM (wow, old school), and OGG files, but if you get bored of music, it'll also display your snaps at 64 x 128. The €150 Fusion will stay juiced for up to 10 hours in DAB mode or 22 hours in playback mode, and is due to come out in November.[Via Stuff]
Roberts RD49, the smallest portable DAB radio evar?
Usually the very fact that a manufacturer claims they've got the smallest version ever of a particular device is enough to question their assertions straight up, but in the spirit of "we don't really care because it's a DAB radio" we're going to award the medal without question to Roberts for their new RD49. Along with the hardly minuscule dimensions of 8.5 x 4.6 x 1.6-inches, the "smallest portable DAB ever" has an FM tuner, 10 presets, a tiny LCD and an alarm clock function. The radio can also be plugged into the wall to top-off its rechargeable battery, and should be available now for around £60, or about $114 US.
World's smallest camera wants to meet your innards
We generally abide by a no-swallowing-cameras policy around here, but if we were to swallow a digital camera, we guess this OmniVision OV6920 CMOS would be the way to go. It's the world's first 1/18-inch camera sensor, and is therefore the world's smallest camera -- almost as thin as a Samsung phone. The camera is designed to work as part of a pill which can be swallowed and flow through your digestive system, or for firing from a rather large syringe. Did we mention our no-injecting-cameras policy? We happen to be rather strict adherents.[Via The Raw Feed]
Sanyo announces worlds smallest HD camcorder
If you've been just dying to record high definition video on the go, Sanyo has the camcorder for you. The Xacti DMX-HD1 measures at an amazingly small 80x119x36mm, and weighs only 235g, including battery and memory card. It will record 1280x720 resolution video at 30fps in MPEG-4 format.With a 2gb SD card you can expect to get about 28 minutes of recording time in high definition. JCN reports the price as $1040, but DV Guru caught a look at the camera during CES and says we can expect it in March for just $800. They've also got video of the device.
