Even without any knowledge of electronics, you will be able to quickly construct devices from a kit of peripherals such as sensors, lights, switches displays and many more components.

The system hardware is composed of a mainboard, containing an embedded processor, and a separate collection of modules. Modules are connected to the mainboard using a cable to connect a socket on the module with a corresponding one on the mainboard to create your working device.

For writing software, devices are programmed in C# using the .NET Micro Framework. You can correct your programs while they are running on the device which makes debugging the device a lot quicker. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQlTLNOCl90)

The first commercially available .NET Gadgeteer compatible hardware is the FEZ Spider Starter Kit from GHI Electronics. It’s currently priced at $249.95 and available to pre-order but not due for first shipment until 30 September 2011.

References

http://netmf.com/gadgeteer/

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/gadgeteer-080111.aspx

http://www.ghielectronics.com/catalog/product/297

Related Posts:

1. Source Code for .NET will be available
2. C# and .NET Programming
3. Origami – so it’s not just Paper Folding after all
4. Microsoft Courier
5. Kinect – Sales Record

Just seems remarkably similar to the PADD – Personal Access Display Device that I’d seen in the mid 1990′s (or more accurately that hails from the year 2374) as seen on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/PADD

Different versions of the PADD were available depending on your species, Klingon and Cardassian, for example, often being more angular than the Federation ones, and consisted of a large touchscreen area for entering or reading data.

How long will it be before we see the Apple iTransporter and iReplicator ?

Footnote:

Science Fact or Fiction

Replicator ?

check out the Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication, or EBF3150, from NASA

http://www.universetoday.com/2009/09/29/nasas-version-of-star-trek-replicator-ready-for-on-orbit-test/

… creates parts for airplanes — not food and drink — and uses an environmentally-friendly construction process to manufacture layered metal objects. This technique could revolutionize the aviation industry and may have applications for the future spacecraft and the medical community as well. It can be used to make small, detailed parts or large structural pieces of airplanes.

check out the video from the NASA link at

http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/electron_beam.htm#

Transporter ?

As it happens, I noted an (old) article in the UK Newspaper – The Independent – which describes potentially the first breakthrough using the revolutionary technology of Quantum Teleportation.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/breakthrough-brings-star-trek-teleport-a-step-closer-451673.html

Related Posts:

1. NASA Image Gallery
2. Far side of the Sun
3. Pen, Keyboard or iPad?
4. iPad “clones”
5. iPad 2 on Sale Today (US)

The Gesture Cube uses 3D spacial movement tracking using underlying GestIC® technology to detect the approach and movement of your hand.

Click here to view the embedded video.

GestIC® electric field sensing technology makes 3D spatial hand or finger movement tracking possible. GestIC® detects movements and distances in 3D space and provides the technical backbone for Gesture Cube’s 3D user interface.

Gesture Cube is a joint development by three partnering companies: IDENT Technology AG delivered the underlying touch-free GestIC® technology used in Gesture Cube. User interface studio ZINOSIGN® designed Gesture Cube’s user interface and website. Design company LUNAR Europe created the overall product design.

Find out all the details at:

http://www.gesture-cube.com/

Related Posts:

1. Realtime Hand Tracking
2. INTOI
3. Bonfire
4. Gesture control using a webcam
5. Sony Autostereoscopic Display (Raymodeler)

A pre-production model was shown at the recent Macworld Conference and Expo 2009 and CES 2009.

SHOW WX Pico Projector

All specifications are “targets” and subject to change in the final production version, the resolution is aimed to be 848 x 480.

“SHOW WX is a major milestone on the transition path to product launch of our first PicoP enabled consumer product later in 2009,” said Alexander Tokman, President and CEO of Microvision.

http://www.microvision.com/showwx

Related Posts:

1. Pico Projectors
2. Worlds Smallest Projector
3. iView pico-projector
4. Worlds First PMP Projector
5. Cinemin Slice

Mindflex, one of the products shown on their booth at CES 2009, claims to make that dream a reality.

Mindflex

A lightweight headset containing sensors for the forehead and earlobes measures your brainwave activity. When you focus your concentration, a small foam ball will rise on a gentle stream of air. Relax your thoughts and the ball will descend. By using a combination of physical and mental coordination, you must then guide the ball through a customizable obstacle course – the various obstacles can be repositioned into many different configurations. Mindflex^TM combines advanced technology with the power of thought to create an interactive experience unlike any other – a game where players compete in the ultimate mental marathon! 

I wonder if it comes with an application developers kit?

In another report they announced a transformation of their online strategy to create the Mattel Digital Network, a portal providing access to their powerhouse brands and a central point of access.

Phase one for the Mattel Digital Network will:

• Discern the age of a child and provide a different experience depending on gender, interests, and level of active participation.
• Be a kid-safe environment with content that is screened, approved and appropriate for children at each age.
• Provide tools to harness the creativity of brand fans to make it not just a place to consume content, but also to provide content.
• Deliver on being a site “for the kid in all of us” – from ensuring our channels will support the personality of each to providing a shopping solution for gift givers.

Related Posts:

1. New Year, New Stuff
2. Pico Projectors
3. Open University joins iTunes U
4. Patent – 3D Texture Mapping for Point Clouds
5. SHOW WX

The models on display include the Cinemin Swivel – offering 3 hours of battery life and a resolution of 480 x 360 and can be bent in the middle to provide ceiling projection.

WowWee Cinemin

The Cinemin Stick incorporates an SD card slot and provides a resolution of 800×480 as does the Cinemin Station which incorporates an iPod Docking Station.

More pictures of these devices can be seen on Engadget at

http://www.engadget.com/photos/wowwee-cinemin-swivel-stick-and-station-pico-pjs-hands-on/1262278/

Other manufacturers devices in this category include: the BUG Labs BUGprojector DLP Projector and the Optoma Pico DLP Projector.

Related Posts:

1. Cinemin Slice
2. iView pico-projector
3. SHOW WX
4. New Year, New Stuff
5. Worlds First PMP Projector

The VAVE100 Universal remote control has a 2.4 inch color QVGA LCD display, features Class 1 SPP/A2DP Bluetooth and is upgradable through the built-in mini USB. It is combined with Microsoft SideShow to deliver digital information to your fingertips, and is due to be available in Summer 2008. The remote will control up to 20 different devices and has a built-in database of over 1500 brand names to simplify setting up the device.

The device has a dedicated button to activate and control Windows Media Center from Windows Vista.

Windows SideShow is technology from Microsoft that uses gadgets to extend information from your computer to other devices. Gadgets can run on a Windows SideShow compatible device (such as the VAVE100 ) and update that device with information from your computer. This enables you to view News Headlines, Weather details, email etc. directly on the VAVE100.

A white paper document introducing the Windows SideShow technology and the specification of the Windows SideShow module produced by Ricavision International Inc. is available at: WhitePaper.pdf

References

• http://www.ricavision.com/vave100.html
• http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/sideshow.mspx

Related Posts:

1. Windows SideShow Technology
2. Windows Vista
3. Microsoft Windows XP – Service Pack 3
4. Windows Mobile 7
5. Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7

Then why not try out this electronic version.

From Japanese toymaker Bandai, Puchi-Puchi (which is the Japanese for the sound of a little pop as well as for bubble-wrap) is a hand-held keyring attachment designed to simulate the look, feel and sound of popping bubblewrap.

After every 100 "pops" it will make a different sound such as a barking dog or door chime.

Available from a number of suppliers, I noticed it’s priced from around $15.

Related Posts:

1. Vuzix iWear – Wrap 920AR
2. Electronic Paper
3. Flexible Electronic Paper Display
4. Re-cycling waste electronic and electrical equipment

Now you can using the Eye-Fi Card. This is a wireless SD memory card which stores images like a standard SD card but can also use your home wi-fi network to upload the images directly from inside the camera to your PC or Mac.

Once you install the Eye-Fi Manager on your PC and set up an account, images will upload to your hard drive and optionally to a specified photo-sharing website like Flickr or Picasa.

So just go out, take your pictures and switch the camera on when you’ve returned home, the Eye-Fi card will automatically start uploading the images to your computer and/or your web based photo album.

All the details are available at:

http://www.eye.fi/

Related Posts:

1. Vuzix iWear – Wrap 920AR
2. Panasonic at CES
3. Windows Live – Photo Gallery
4. Perspecta Spatial 3D Display
5. Strata Foto 3D

I’ll note some of those that catch my eye while browsing around.

Fujitsu -  A Fabric PC, based on ideas around electronic paper, is literally a PC made out of fabric …

… reports Engadget at

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/fujitsu-intros-a-handful-of-concept-designs-at-ces-2008/

and a report from Gizmodo at

http://gizmodo.com/341138/fujitsus-fabric-pc-and-three-other-forward+looking-concepts

Further pictures and comment from Wired at
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/01/fujitsus-future.html

Talking about Gizmodo, check out their frequently updated reports on all things happening at CES from

http://gizmodo.com/tag/ces-2008/

Sony has an interesting site specifically for Sony at CES where, amongst other things, you can see some of the first pictures of their OLED television (which has an ultra slim (3mm) 11 inch screen for $2500). They’re also showing a larger 27inch version at the show

The site is worth a browse at

http://www.sony.com/ces/index.html

Related Posts:

1. Panasonic at CES
2. Autodesk Inventor 2008
3. Microsoft Courier
4. Silverlight Tools – Beta 1 for VS 2008
5. Watch out for … the Wireless Monitor