If you think the current crop of netbooks and MIDs are the most compact mobile computers you’ll ever see this lifetime, you better think again. The CTD Dragonfly is a “crossfolding” MID which promises to bring portability and ease of use to a whole new level. What you’re looking at is just a mock up, but Edward Bullister, an MIT graduate with PhD, plans to make this a reality some day. Apart from its very intriguing design, he plans to use a Moorestown chip underneath the hood with Windows XP as its OS. Provided, of course, that when this finally goes it to production, XP is still around. Anyway, those two specs are the most realistic goals at the moment for this device. Bullister admits that the dual-sided LED displays will come at a later time, and we’re not too sure how he will achieve his goal of providing “all day” battery life much more incorporate it in the slim form factor of the Dragonfly. Nonetheless, despite being a little too ambitious, we like where he’s taking this. After all, every successful gadget in the market today had to start somewhere, and dreaming is a pretty good jump-off point.

[via engadget]
More pictures after the break.

Apart from 1080p video playback which we’ve seen (in video) in the past, this new Tegra also comes with GPU accelerated Adobe flash animation, video game play of up to 46fps, 3G, WiFi and WiMax support, always –on processors for instant access to network, and an astounding 25 days of music or 10 hours of HD playback on a single charge. The Nvidia Tegra is definitely light years ahead of Intel’s Atom processor. Unfortunately, it’s not readily available in the market as we speak, but you can expect the first batch of Tegra-based devices to drop before 2009 comes to a close with a very, very affordable price of $200 (even less after carrier subsidies).

On a similar note, to make things easier (or not) for the consumer, Nvidia has decided to call Tegra-based netbooks and tablets MIDs which has no relation to Intel’s handheld internet MID devices. One of the first Nvidia MIDs to be unveiled to the public is the Mobinnova elan. With such promising features, we’re certainly looking forward to more Nvidia MIDs in the not-so-distant future.

[via engadget]

What you’re looking at folks is a video of the NanoTouch screen demonstrating its gaming prowess. Developed by Microsoft and the Hasso Plattner Institute, the NanoTouch display used here is a small 2.4-inch LCD that features a capacitive sensitive touchscreen at the back as opposed to the front. This makes for an ideal interface for small portable gaming devices as it provides users with a convenient set of controls that won’t hamper their view of the game on the tiny display. We’re still not quite sure which products will feature this NanoTouch display in the near future, but with its immense potential for gaming, we’re pretty certain that there will be some takers for this new technology.

[via engadget]

The companies which will be supporting this new standard will also be announced on April 21st. This is definitely something we’re excited about, and hopefully, the major players in the industry such as Apple, Nokia and Samsung have already signed up for this technology. Stay tuned folks, this is going to be a good one!

[moconews via engadget]

“From their previous victory in the case with Synaptics, I think they should be quite confident,” she said, referring to Elan. “Elan believes they have a unique edge with this patent, and they want to send a signal to the market” and set an example for others.

If you take a look at how eFinger Transparent Touchpad works, on Android this time, it might actually make you think twice next time you get the urge to call the iPhone the multitouch king.

[via engadget]

Ultraportable laptops seem to be outpacing the smartphone market these days. This is bad news for Nokia, the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturer, but a solution may not be long. Fabien Nauroy’s E97 concept phone is a hi-tech gadget that takes it design inspiration from the lowly envelop. It’s an extremely sleek industrial design with two OLED screens, one of which is detachable, apparently, so data can be shared by two people across the table. The technology to fulfill such a design shouldn’t be too far off. Consumer may be able to enjoy a seamless marriage of ubiquitous technology and ultraportability.

[source via electricpig]

If you really can’t get over the old cassette tape, you could go for one of these once it gets manufactured. The design is called the NVDRS Tape by Stefano Pertegato, Massimiliano Rampoldi, Eloisa Tolu, Francesco Schiraldi & Giovanni Mendini. The MP3 player is powered by your fingers… Yep through one of the spools, while goinf from one track to the other requires one to finger the other spool. It’s also equipped with a USB and built-in indicator lights.

The designers really wanted a more meaningful experience when a user listens to the NVRDS Tape, which means small memory and it’s not possible to skip a song. Like the old tapes, you have to fast forward.

[yanko]

Called the Blue Earth, Samsung’s offering does more than just provide an alternative power source. It’s also made of environmentally safe material, and features an interface that promotes environmental conservation. It comes with an Eco mode which adjusts screen brightness, Bluetooth functionality and backlight duration to achieve a more efficient battery life. The LG’s solar-powered handset, on the other hand, is slightly less green. It also comes with a solar-panel, but hardware-wise, there’s nothing else green about it. They do, however, promise to use green packaging material when they ship it so at least the effort is still there.

The Samsung Blue Earth is expected to become available in the UK in the second half of this year while LG’s little offering has a yet-to-be disclosed release date. With the no. 2 and 3 mobile manufacturers in the world releasing some pretty interesting little green devices, will Nokia et al. will follow suit? I guess only time will tell.

[via unwiredview]

The name is short for “somatic sensation,” which doesn’t mean much more than “touch.” The design though brings touch not just to mean the touchscreen but the entire PMP as well. The material is customizable (see image after the break) for this 3.5-inch player. There’s a second analog LCD displaying buttons and and below are actual tactile buttons.

[core77 via dapreview]

Scientists have developed a way to manufacture large-scale, nanomaterial films that are perfect for flexible electronic devices such as those proposed by the Nokia concept phone. The process makes use of a conventional vapor deposition (CVD) technique to create graphene film with a diameter of a mere 10 cm. Graphene, in turn, is described as “a one-atom-thick, honeycomb-like nano material structure that can handle 100 times more electric current than copper and transfer electrons 100 times faster than monocrystalline silicon, used in conventional semiconductors.” This basically means that it’s one useful piece of material especially when it comes to electronics.

Samsung is already rumored to be interested in this new technology and plans to working with the guys behind it for future products. Considering that Samsung has an extensive collection of mobile phones, PMPs and other gadgetry, we could see this flexible material used in a variety of devices aside from the ubiquitous cellphone.

[yonhap news via unwiredview]