I don’t know how many of us would like supervised shopping, but it’s happening. MediaCart, Microsoft Corp. and Wakefern Food Corporation announced they will introduce the digitalized shopping cart in East Coast stores. At the beginning it will be a test, then the MediaCart will enter in every shop.

The MediaCart has developed an “intelligent” shopping cart, which is able to do all the shopping for you. The customers need to introduce a list with products on a website. When they get in the store they introduce a PIN on cart’s screen and it will download automatically their shopping list. Then the cart will guide them through the store to accomplish the mission. When a product is scanned, it is also deleted from the list. The intelligent cart can also calculate the total amount you need to pay, without spending additional time at the pay desk.

This new shopping cart opens new advertising possibilities. Thus, Microsoft has entered the business. On cart’s display they can deliver personalized ads for each customer. Think about! You introduce a shopping list. When you get into the store they could suggest you what to buy. That would be a great advantage for the store and for powerful trademarks. For example you need toothpaste, you want one that is well known. The cart could suggest you to try “the new Colgate SuperWhite” or “the colored Aquafresh” even you prefer “Blend-a-med”. And that is not all. In my opinion this gadget cart will invade our privacy.

Evolution, progress or is just the Big Brother?

RicaVision has announced its first SideShow remote control called VAVE100. In my opinion WAVE would sound much better, but I can live with this one too. The VAVE100 is an universal remote control which provides direct access and complete control of home entertainment devices, the Windows Vista Media Center and the Windows SideShow.

The remote control features a 2.4 inch color QVGA LCD display, Class 1 SPP/A2DP Bluetooth and a mini-USB port. It also has a docking station with a RC6 receiver, a Bluetooth transceiver and a power charger. The VAVE100 is able to control over 20 devices from a distance of over 50 feet via IR. Using its dedicated Windows button, a user can access the Windows Media Center from Windows Vista.

The most important feature is the SideShow compatibility. Windows SideShow is the new technology which allows you to view headline news, weather, email , pictures from your computer, play your favorite music or videos directly on the VAVE100. Currently the device is tested at FCC, but preorders are accepted.

via EveryThingUSB

I declared myself a fan once, and I am saying right now. I love Nintendo Wii, no matter what people are saying about the graphics. To be fair, I don’t appreciate too much their games for graphics, but I like the interactivity of the console. But let’s stay with the headline.

I have discovered a website that sells Wii accessories. You know, guns, combat kits, gloves, racer steering wheel, pool sticks. This collection is amazing and there is more to come. CTA Digital announced they began the shipments of these crazy accessories for retail stores.

However, I don’t have any idea about pricing. Obviously, if you’re a fanatic the price will be a detail.

via

I’m not sure about you but I am damn curious to know how is Panasonic going to carry a plasma if they go above the 150-inch size? Apparently a company executive was heard saying “If we get bigger than 150, we might have to go with Airbus”. I wonder what the total cost of having a 150-inch plasma in your home small palace, will be.

What are your thoughts guys?

If it goes as planned the USB 3.0 standard will be sold in 2009. I know the wait is killing but the only thing that may help right now are some pictures of an USB 3.0 connector, that the Engadget guys managed to get during CES 2008.

If you forgot or if you never knew, the USB 3.0 standard is supposed to bring speeds up to 4.8Gbps and a power efficiency technology that would cut off the power for every device that is not used. The story is going to be successful I am sure, but we have to wait and that sucks.

Why not MacWorld? I am sure you, just like me, wonder why Steve Jobs decided to release the new Mac Pro during CES 2008 these days and why not wait until next week. This is hot news because it’s the fastest Mac Pro we’ve had to deal with, so far. I guess the guy will manage to surprise us with something else next week, but I wonder what.

Meanwhile here are a few things you should know about the fastest Mac Pro:

• two Intel 45nm Quad-Core Xeon 5400 series processors from 2.8GHz to 3.2GHz with 1600 MHz FSB
• from 2GB to 32GB of RAM
• ATI RADEON HD 2600 XT with 256MB or you can choose the NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 with 1.5GB of memory
• 320GB Serial ATA at 7,200 rpm
• two PCI Express 2.0 slots
• Bluetooth
• Leopard 6 OS

The standard version with two Quad-core 2.8GHz processors and 2GB of RAM will cost you $2,799. That’s fast and pricey!

via Fosfor.se

If it wasn’t to humor the interviewer I am confident that Bill Gates said “windows vista sucks” on video. If he wasn’t joking then I think the richest man in the world needs to get a free burger or something, for being that honest. It may be easier after the bye-bye video. Here’s the guy saying it.

The long waited Mac Office 2008 was announced as available and Apple is taking pre-orders on their AppleStore. Microsoft said that it will ship next week, during MacWorld.

Exploiting the solar energy has become a aim for many companies. So, Voltaic which has a great history in producing solar powered devices, has recently released a laptop bag able to recharge your gadgets. The Generator features solar panels that produce 14.7 watts per single panel. Calculating the total amount of energy produced, they estimate it could fully charge a laptop in a sunny day.

However, the Generator has its own battery to cover the lack of solar energy for cloudy days. The bag comes with many connectors and adapters for mobiles, mp3 players and other geek gadgets. Unfortunately, its price of $599 could be too much for the average customer, but if you calculate the advantages of using the solar energy in places without electricity it would be a nice addition.

via Engadget

CES in Las Vegas is very important for so many tech companies and many of them come with products that will get a really good attention from the media and the visitor. However, today Panasonic managed to get a lot of eyes on their biggest plasma we’ve ever seen. Check out this picture below (from Gizmodo).

It’s a Panasonic 150-inch plasma display and if you expected me to say big, that’s not enough. On a 150-inch screen you can easily include an actual sized elephant so consider buying one for your home theater. It sports a 4,000 x 2,000 resolution with 4,000 on 1080p (yes it’s HD) and uses a lot less power using the double luminance efficiency.

Here is the video from Engadget.