March 2009

I kick off this column looking at displays, battery, connectivity innovation and new storage and tracking devices?

First is a Sony competitor for the iPod Touch, its new Walkman NWZ-X1000 which is distinguished by the use of an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) touchscreen display. This improves battery life through lower power consumption and also displays a better colour gamut. 

The new Apple 17 inch MacBook Pro laptop has joined the smaller versions from the same stable but is different in using a new battery manufacturing facility. Its new Lithium-Polymer batteries are not user replaceable but offer eight hours continuous use and 1000 recharge cycles. 

Each cell within it has its only adaptive charge monitor sensor which optimises the charging process for individual cells not just the whole battery. The use of Li-Polymer (as in iPhones and iPods) means that in contrast to the standard cylindrical cells of Li-Ion technology, these batteries can be made into almost any shape necessary to fill the available space inside the device so producing a larger battery with a bigger capacity. 

Computer users will be familiar with the standard USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectors. This year we should begin to see USB3 devices appearing to the new standard which has been developed.  Advantages over USB2 include higher speeds (5Gbps instead of 480Mbps) and better power management. The physical cables and devices will be backwards compatible to USB2. 

Still on the topic of throughput and capacity, yet another new format of memory card should become more common soon. The SDXC format promises up to 2TB(yes Terabytes!) of storage and up to 300MBps so could hold 100 high definition (HD) movies. This is amazing considering the tiny size of the card. It will likely show up in high end digital cameras .

British firm Lok8u has launched an innovative product for parents; a watch for your child which keeps track of where they are. Lok8u have built GPS into a wristwatch for children called the nu-m8. Parents can be alerted by mobile phone or on their computer if the child leaves a particular “fenced” safe zone area and interestingly also if the watch is removed without permission or deactivated. 

The child’s location is texted or emailed. The makers say that it brings peace of mind for parents and freedom to children but I wonder how much trust it breeds. Some parents may feel it is worth the £150 plus monthly subscription charge. It is aimed at children aged 3-12 years.

Note:While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, BT accepts no responsibility for information in Jonathan’s article, nor does the company endorse any product or service mentioned.