There’s no doubt that technology and gadgets can be smart and logical, but sometimes they can be whimsical, traditional, even a bit creepy. The PlantBot seems to fit into all these descriptions, and best yet you can put in a different plant every fortnight or so and change its character every time! The PlanBot is robot that mimics a piece of furniture’s overall aesthetic with its wooden legs and body and a woven-basket holder for your chosen plant.

Hardwarezone had a double treat waiting for them last October 24 at the Mall of Asia’s SMX Convention center. We received an invitation from Sony for their launch of the α (pronounced alpha) 900 DSLR top of the line model, and a whole set of Vaio models specially designed for the local market. At the same venue was the CEL or Consumer Electronics Live Manila, an interpretation of the long-established CES (Consumer Electronics Show) held in Las Vegas yearly.

Gardening and computing have not been good bed-fellows before, but that’s changing with the introduction of the USB-based EasyBloom “stake sensor”, a device that will be able to tell you in plain English why your prized pumpkins or extraordinary orchids aren’t growing as they’re supposed to. Well, maybe not orchids, as many of these are not actually grown directly from the soil, but certainly a wide range of plants and trees.

SSD hard drives have caused a storm of interest in recent months, what with its application of new technology to an old requirement, advertised improvements in speed and power consumption, and premium cachet due to its price and exclusivity. At the same time, this same application of technology results in new considerations that must be put to rest before an SSD can favorably compare to the old standard on most fronts. We explore these in this article with the help of the Patriot Warp 64GB SSD.

                                             The Patriot Warp SSD - a 2.5" bundle of robust memory chips.

In a unique mixture of “enclosure” and “test-bed”, the Antec Skeleton casing confounded the reviewers here at HWM with its zany design and unique take on the vagaries of computer component – housing. The “Skeleton” name is a perfect fit for this “enclosure” as it seems as if it lost its skin somewhere along the production process – not having any side, top, front or even rear panels in the traditional sense. Instead, Antec has put in its own spin on the open “test bed” structure and come up with this very individual casing.

                                             An open-air extravaganza!

HP held their Business Technology @ Work press briefing this October 21, 2008, and while it had no large number of hardware products that we in HWM loves so much, it had the most interesting combination of products and services to meet the increasing acceptance and utilization of virtualization in business computing. Join us as we work our way through an amazing collection of HP innovations.

The enthusiast’s graphics cards market isn’t the only area that’s been heating up the past months, integrated graphics are making giant strides towards increased relevance towards the mid-range markets, instead of simply making its presence known in the lowest-end, integrated functionality – obsessed budget buyers. The latest of these giant strides is represented here by two boards using the same brand-new Nvidia chipset: The Asus P5N7A-VM and the Zotac GeForce 9300, both using the single-chip Nvidia 9300 “chipset”.

                                              These two 9300 representatives face off.

As with all great concepts, this one is followed by an exclamation of “why didn’t I think of that?” Or perhaps you have, but only lacked in the execution. In this case, the Inamo restaurant in the West side of London has nailed both the concept and the execution in melding (presumably) snooty dining with cutting edge stuff that will appeal to both sides of the social divide.

                                             The restaurant and bar looks utterly normal from the outside.

Gaming isn’t what it used to be. Putting aside the obvious advances on the hardware technology side (faster processors, better GPUs), you once only needed a board and a rodent to get up and going with your favorite RTS, FPS, or simulation. Now things are a bit more specialized, and niche markets have sprung up everywhere, for everything. This SteelSeries WoW Gaming Mouse illustrates this trend perfectly.

                                              This mouse will surely attract many buyers if SteeSeries offers other logos and ingrained designs.

Sony has come a long way with their Bravia line – starting with just five models introduced into the local market during 2005, Sony now has an extensive lineup consisting of 38 models spanning 9 different series of models. October 13 marks the day when the Bravia lineup was bolstered by some significant new additions to the X and W series of Bravia LCDs. 40”, 46”, 52”, and the largest full-HD screen by Sony – a full 70 inches of viewable area, as well as 40”, 46”, and 52” W-Series Bravia LCDs were all part of the launch event held at the Ayala Museum lobby in Makati.

                                             The Ayala Museum served as the perfect backdrop for Sony's new additions to the Bravia line-up.

The first thing that greets you upon opening the Epson EMP-400W Projector’s bag is a lens cover that looks disproportionately large – it looks as if it can serve comfortably as a dinner plate. No wonder, as this lens cover protects one of the biggest (and most unique-looking) lenses to grace a projector – a fish-eye type, bulbous bowl of glass that seems all curves.

                                            Hiding behind dinner plate number one is....

It’s happened a few times before: a product that’s supposed to be easy to understand and review turns into the subject of a marathon research session aimed at making head and tails of its specs and features. In the case of Asus’ Xonar HDAV 1.3, it is not only a case of unfamiliarity; it is also a case of a sheer multitude of features that literally swamps the senses of the reviewer – in more ways than one.

                                            You wouldn't expect this fabulous-looking piece of kit to be a soundcard would you?

While all of us geeks entertain notions of “someday” having some of the technologies found in the oft-watched series of our youths, a lot of companies and individuals have gotten down to it and started creating amazing technological realities far and away from the imagined high-tech roots that it came from. Take robots. Robots have once been a dream of science fiction writers like Asimov, and more recently has been confined to places like an automated manufacturing plant. The HAL however, is a real robot designed for commercial use – and uses brain waves to boot.

                                              Pose? Check. Cool blue lights? Check. Disability/old age? Uhh, no check, but I still want one.

In keeping with copycat tradition, a company that will remain unnamed has outdone itself by aping a nearly iconic device and making it (seem to) do something else. Supposedly a Sony T700 digital point-and-shoot camera, this little beauty looks just like the real thing – until you notice what looks like a pinhole/webcam lens behind the main glass protector of the camera.(All pictures courtesy of eprice.com.tw)

It’s one thing to declare a company’s readiness to adhere to the “green” convention while describing a program being implemented in a manufacturing plant thousands of kilometers away, and it’s a totally different matter again when you have actual products and concrete plans to show the audience while declaring your company’s “green” mission and credentials. Sharp knows this well and takes the exact line in presenting their company strengths and the programs that support this strength.