swivel

Swiveling iPhone 4 case's swell design

Got an e-mail from Greg at a start-up called Mycase, which is building new protective cases for the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G.

He wrote:

Hello, David. I would like to introduce CNET with my new Swivel product line from mycase. Please visit my Web site at www.mycase.us. I believe that we have the most unique and coolest iPhone 4 protective case, and I hope you will have some interest after looking at our Web site.

Well, I went and took a look and though it may not be the coolest iPhone 4 case I've ever seen, The Swivel does have an intriguing design that allows you to swivel the retractable integrated kickstand into positions that allow you to prop your iPhone up horizontally or vertically. I would like to see something like this for the iPad 2, so get on it, Greg! (Note: An iPad 2 version is listed under the "coming soon" products on the site, along with versions for other smartphones and tablets.) … Read more

At Demo, virtual dressing rooms promise big sales

PALM DESERT, Calif.--It seems like a no-brainer, but why don't the thousands and thousands of online clothing retailers offer customers a way to stand in front of a Webcam and virtually try things on?

That's a question a couple of companies that presented at the Demo Spring 2011 conference here today were trying to answer. Both Zugara and FaceCake Marketing Technologies showed the audience here forthcoming offerings that would integrate virtual dressing rooms into e-tailers' sites.

Although Demo often showcases companies with related technologies, I don't recall a time in my many years of attending this … Read more

Renault intros front swivel seat for elderly, handicapped

As part of its "Mobility for All" campaign, Renault has introduced the first front passenger swivel seat by a European OEM. Offered as an option on the Renault Clio, the swivel seat rotates 75 degrees on its base at the pull of a lever to face outward from the cabin, offering easier entrance and egress for passengers of limited mobility--such as the elderly or the handicapped. Additionally, the seat meets all of the crash and safety requirements that the standard OEM seat does.

Compared to aftermarket solutions, Renault's MSRP of a little over $2,000 is a … Read more

New swiveling Nokia in the cards?

A tipster has apparently informed The Boy Genius Report blog that Nokia will be releasing a "swiveling E71-type handset" for Verizon some time in July or August.

Now if you would excuse the accompanying mockup image, which looks hideous unfinished, the concept is actually feasible. If the top rotates 180 degrees, the keyboard would end up below the display, similar to a conventional candy bar QWERTY phone.

It's a pity that word is the device will be running on the S40 platform instead of the more established S60. Otherwise, the Finns could have planted a touch-screen panel … Read more

Toshiba upgrades portable DVD player offerings with 9-inch screen

Toshiba just announced two new portable DVD players hitting this March. While we weren't thrilled with the SD-P71S, it seems the high-end SD-P93S has gotten quite a makeover.

The P93S will feature a 9-inch 180-degree swivel screen along with a pearl-white finish. In addition to MP3, JPEG, and DivX playback, the unit boasts a five hour battery life. We're also glad to see that Toshiba has added an SD card slot for even more playback options.

The P93S will retail for $180, while the smaller, step-down, seven-inch-screen model will go for $130. Both portables will be available in … Read more

Tablefy turns boring data into interactive charts

Are you a stats junkie? If you're like me and could make comparison charts all day long you should check out Tablefy, a simple service that lets you quickly put together large and complex tables of data. You can compare whatever you want, and there's already a handful of user-created data tables like superhero stats, sports car specifications, and even a well-done chart of several popular blogging tools going head-to-head.

The tool is set up just like any old spreadsheet, except that you can predefine any row by what you're planning to put in it. You can drop in text and numbers or insert media like a YouTube video or hosted photo. In the chart embedded below I managed to throw in two videos with just a copy and paste. You can also increase your fill-out speed using simple keyboard shortcuts that let you skip ahead either by row or column. Some of the auto-formatting is especially well done. For example, writing yes or no automatically turns the cell green or red respectively. Trying to do that in Google Spreadsheets can be a pain unless you've got a template set up or take the time to format the cells.

What makes the tool really neat is that you can grab any bit of data from another chart and add it to your "comparison basket." It will automatically link up any related data like height, weight, age, etc., and put it in the right row across all the tables you've added. This lets you come up with crazy combinations. For example, I compared the XBox 360 to Iron Man (both awesome). More beneficial creations include a presidential nominee comparison, popular water filters going sink-to-sink, and a listing of poisonous plants to avoid.

Chart creators can also declare a winner between each column of data. Likewise anyone who reads that chart can agree or disagree through the comments or with a simple radio button.

Tablefy reminds me a lot of data comparison and tracking service Swivel. The big difference between the two being Tablefy's focus on just charts, whereas Swivel branches out into scatter plots, bar graphs, and pie charts. Swivel also has a huge head start on user- and service-generated data. For use in things like term papers or business reports, users are likely to see Swivel if only for this richer mass of searchable data.

To see an introductory video of Tablefy, hit the break below.

go to the table!

… Read more

Where 2.0 under way, new geo services aplenty

I'm here at O'Reilly's Where 2.0 conference here in San Jose, which is about to kick off. At last night's Launch Pad event, four new services launched.

Fatdoor made its official alpha launch. Originally slated for a release at last month's Web 2.0 Expo, the service opened its doors for people interested in testing the service on their way to making it publicly available. The service touts itself as being a "neighborhood-based community social network," and a place to find local people or events. We'll try to get a hands-on … Read more

Swivel adds maps to data repertoire

Today, Swivel is adding a new geography view to its data-sharing service. Users will now be able to view data containing city or country information in a variety of different ways, using integrated Google Maps.

Geographic data is represented as a heat map, which will display data as darkened and lightened areas--like you'd see on a weather map. You can also turn your own data set into a one of these maps.

Like other data sets on the service, users will still be able to compare multiple sets of data at the same time, as long as the data … Read more

TiVo makes TV more searchable

TiVo introduced a new search function Tuesday, which is designed to let its subscribers perform a continuous search through a unique thread to find programming or downloadable content.

Instead of punching in a keyword to find a movie or TV episode to watch, Universal Swivel Search allows searching to begin from a particular program. If someone is watching an episode of Lost, clicking on "More Options" in the menu brings up a program synopsis and the cast. Clicking on cast names brings up the other programs each actor is in, showtimes and if any is available for download through Amazon Unbox … Read more