devices

When Winamp 5.3 came out a year ago, it impressed many who had written it off, although that may have been simply because it hadn't died a quiet death of obsolescence. Long-needed steps to improve the old-school media player were implemented, with support for AAC encoding, CD burning, and a robust file-management system.

Thirteen months on, Winamp 5.5 ups the ante again with strong support for portable devices, including iPods, the ability to sync non-DRMed files to your PC from your device, an optional new interface layout, a built-in browser for media discovery, and other nifty tricks.

… Read more

Here's some welcome news from Novell: it is paying for an engineer's time to write free (as in cost) open-source (as in transparency and freedom) Linux device drivers for those who release the hardware specs of their devices. From the developer's blog:

Yes, that's right, the Linux kernel community is offering all companies free Linux driver development. No longer do you have to suffer through all of the different examples in the Linux Device Driver Kit, or pick through the thousands of example drivers in the Linux kernel source tree trying to determine which one is the closest to what you need to do.… Read more

There are many pundits who herald Apple for its "convergence strategy:" iTunes is on more than 300 million computers, Apple TV has been launched, and the iPhone has emerged as the most talked about new consumer electronic device in history and is expected to fuel the launch of more all-in-one gadgets from competing consumer electronic makers. Convergence is -- once again -- all the rage.

But what does convergence exactly mean? Let's try a very simplified overview. First of all, there is the media convergence between the worlds of telecoms, TV, Internet, and computing, including fixed-mobile convergence, … Read more

In technology circles, hitting the quarter-century mark makes you positively ancient. That may be the impetus behind Wacom's decision to update its logo at the same time as it jettisons the Graphire brand for consumer pen tablets, redesigning and rechristening them with the trendier moniker "Bamboo."

Two models launch the series. The Bamboo Fun--doesn't it cry out for an exclamation point?--targets the popular growth segment of project-oriented imaging enthusiasts largely defined by scrapbookers. It comes in two sizes and four colors--black, white, silver, and an electric blue--and features big, friendly looking programmable buttons and a … Read more

If you haven't yet made the transition to the MP3 world, you may well need a excuse for sticking with your CDs (let alone cassettes or 8-tracks). One possible reason to give your mocking buddies: You can't bear to part with your most excellent CD player.

That might not seem plausible until they see that you have "Metaphys" player from Japan's Hers Design, as seen on Technabob. Part music appliance and part parlor trick, this prototype machine plays a CD while the disc protrudes about a quarter-inch from the bottom of the vertical drive, making … Read more

Hair plugs. It's a topic no one wants to talk about. Getting hair plugs is a sign of vanity. Besides, what if, instead of using spare arm or leg hair, they plant those crinkly, thick hairs from your big toe onto your head?

Restoration Robotics can't help with that problem, but it will help with the actual planting. The company has created a robot that assists doctors in this part of the operation. Now, doctors put in the hair plugs by hand, just like rice farmers. These robots can save time, money, etc.

The company has also just … Read more

The folks from Ambient Devices came by the office yesterday to give me a look at the company's upcoming products and also let me know that their new weather-forecasting umbrella is now on sale. The Ambient Umbrella, which automatically receives weather data from Accuweather.com via Ambient's Infocast Network, has made some appearances on blogs, but it's now an official product with an official price tag of $125--though it's selling for $139 at Hammacher Schlemmer. I saw the thing in action, and while it isn't exactly super high-tech, the handle of the umbrella has a … Read more

Toga...toga.

If you hear someone chanting that in a hospital, they probably aren't repeating dialogue from Animal House. They are asking for the latest in obesity technology.

Satiety, which has created the TOGa procedure for stapling a stomach without surgery, has raised $30 million in a fourth round of funding. Investors included Skyline Ventures, HLM Venture Partners and Venrock.

"We have been watching the obesity device space for a number of years and finally found an investment that we found compelling," said John Freund of Skyline in a prepared statement.

The TOGa procedure is intended to … Read more

Not everyone hates cellulite. Venture capitalists and medical device entrepreneurs like it.

Cellutions has raised $7 million from Versant Ventures, SV Life Sciences, Accuitive Medical Ventures and Carlyle Venture Partners to help it fund human testing for a medical device that smoothes out that lumpy cellulite skin texture that some people get, according to VentureWire.

The machine produced by Cellutions costs $69,000. Doctors buy it, and patients generally have to pay for this kind of aesthetic treatment out of pocket. Paying for treatment yourself, of course, means that if a doctor says "I have a Cellu-tion for you&… Read more