The latest project to come from the MIT Media Lab is the “Huggable” Robot Teddy. The Huggable is intended to be much more than a fun, robotic and very cute companion; its main purpose is to enhance human relationships by functioning as both a visual and sensory tool and could one day be used for healthcare, education, and social communication applications.

The Huggable features more than 1500 sensors on its skin, along with quiet actuators, video cameras in its eyes, microphones in its ears, a speaker in its mouth, and an embedded PC with 802.11g wireless networking.

“The movements, gestures and expressions of the bear convey a personality-rich character, not a robotic artefact,” the MIT Media Lab’s Web site explains. “A soft silicone-based skin covers the entire bear to give it a more lifelike feel and heft, so you do not feel the technology underneath. Holding the Huggable feels more like holding a puppy, rather than a pillow-like plush doll.”

The Huggable was originally based on the concept of therapeutic companion animals, and has important touch-based features. The robot’s neural network can recognize nine different classes of touch, such as tickling, poking, and scratching, etc., and each class is further divided into six response types, such as teasing pleasant, punishment light, etc. Based on the response type, the robot interprets the intent of the touch and how to respond. The response type defines how the Huggable interprets the intent of the touch and what behavior to perform in response. For example, a pleasant touch should signify a happy reaction while strong punishment should result in a pain response.

Currently, the MIT Media Lab is working to create a series of Huggables for real-world trials. The Huggable was created using Microsoft Robotic Studio, and the project is supported in part by a Microsoft iCampus grant.

AOL Shopping and Pricegrabber have done  a survey on the most wanted technology this Christmas.

The Top 10 searches for the most wanted technology gadget this year :

1. Sony Bravia KDL-32V4000 32" LCD TV
2. Acer Aspire One AOA110-Aw Notebook
3. Sony Bravia KDL-40W4500 40" LCD TV
4. Sony KDL-40W4000 40" LCD TV
5. Panasonic DMC-FZ28 Black Digital Camera
6. HP (Hewlett-Packard) Compaq 2133 Mini-Note Notebook
7. Samsung NC10 White Notebook
8. Asus Eee PC 901 Black Notebook
9. Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5EB-K Black Digital Camera
10. Pioneer PDP-LX5090 50" Plasma TV

They also found that Blu-Ray Players are starting to take of with the Sony BDPS350B the most popular search AJ Electronics have this blue-ray player on sale for £159.

The Sony Bravia Z4500 range of LCD TV’s are the first ever TV to come with 200Hz frame rate technology, the BRAVIA Z4500 brings you the clearest, most vibrant, fast-action shots that burst out the screen.

Sony’s latest advance in LCD TV technology Motionflow 200Hz is taking the new BRAVIA Z4500 Series to new levels of performance.

The next step up from Sony’s original Motionflow 100Hz LCD TV’s, the frame rate has been doubled again to create the first ever quadrupled speed frame rate for TV.

Now, three new scenes are intelligently created, predicting movement in all directions, to smooth out every element of the action including flicker so you never miss a single detail. Whether you’re a sports fan, movie buff or hardcore gamer, this TV will blow you away.

And there’s more to the Sony Bravia Z4500

The Sony HD Z4500 LCD TV’s Series have crystal clear clarity and larger than life colors thanks to BRAVIA ENGINE 2 technology. Working behind the scene, it uses digital signal processing to improve the picture quality of the Z4500 range  so that when it gets to you, it’s sharp, detailed and full of depth.

Additionally, the Z4500 range features intelligent noise reduction that sharpens the picture even further and Advanced Contrast Enhancer that dims the backlight to give you the best black levels and colour depth in every scene.

DLNA Certified

The Z4500 Series BRAVIA is a DLNA certified device making connecting (wired or Wireless) to other DLNA networked devices like a Sony VAIO laptop or a Play Station 3 simple.

The BRAVIA Z4500 LCD TV Series is available in the following sizes to suit every room size:

Sony KDL-52Z4500 52” (132 cm)
Sony KDL-46Z4500 46” (117 cm)
Sony KDL-40Z4500 40” (102 cm)

The long-awaited Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera has arrived. The original Canon 5D was the first full-frame 35mm DSLR available at an “affordable” price point, appealing to the enthusiast and professional user looking to maintain the true focal length of their lenses.

Now the Canon 5D Mark II is here, and it looks very similar from the outside, there have been some major improvements on the inside. The major changes are the 21.1 megapixel, full-frame CMOS sensor, and the ability to shoot video at 1080p.

Other new and improved features include an expanded ISO range of 50-25600, surpassing the original Canon 5D (50-3200) and matching the Nikon D3 and D700, a larger 3 inch LCD screen with 920k dots and Live View, built-in dust prevention system and continuous shooting at 3.9 frames per second.

Slightly cheaper than the original 5D on launch, the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a worthy successor to the best-selling original model, and is competing with its main rivals, the Nikon D700 and Sony A900 for the prosumer and professional photographer market.

The new Canon EOS 5D Mark II ultimately strikes a great balance between resolution, quality and performance, offering a fantastic all-round package.

AJ electronics have a small number of the Hotly awaited Canon D5 Mk II plus a 24-105 Lens for £2,999.00 You can also hear Leo Laporte discuss the D5 Mark II here (he Loves it BTW)

Research from Curry’s suggest a resurgence in the old skool  portable CD player this Christmases.  

45,000 players were sold in October alone, which might be something to do with the fact that they’re now much more affordable.

 
Aside from the cheapness factor, Category Manager at Currys Yvonne Ho reckons some people are still struggling with digital music, whether this be ripping and encoding it or copying it across and managing it on a player.

She says

"There is definitely still a market for portable CD players, particularly at this time of year, as they make great stocking fillers for people of all ages and are primarily bought for their ease of use and by the people yet to digitise their music collections."
We can see that there’s life left in the old CD player as there will always be people who don’t want to get involved with MP3s, don’t have the internet or aren’t confident on a computer."

AJ Electronics has a Sony DEJ021S CD Walkman for 25.99

Printing doesn’t start

1. Printer is not switched on.
2. Printer not connected properly. Please check USB cable.
3. The inktank is empty or not installed correctly.
4. The Software in your PC is set to use a different printer.
5. Ensure all covers are closed.
6. There are other print jobs still in print queue.

Orange alarm light blinks

The number of times the light blinks indicates what the error is. Please count the number of times the light blinks (Can be up to 19 times), then check the product manual (supplied on CD) for the cause of the error.

The green POWER and the orange ALARM lights flash in turn

Disconnect the printer cable from the printer, turn the printer off and then unplug the printer from the power supply. Plug the printer back in and turn the printer back on after leaving it for 15 minutes. If the symptoms persist contact the Canon technical helpline – the number can be found on the bottom of this page.

An error message is displayed on the computer screen

Please check the product manual (supplied on CD) for the error message displayed.

Printing is very slow

Your computer may not support USB 2.0. Please check your system specifications. Use a standard A to B USB cable of 5m or less.
Do not use a USB Hub, USB extension or any kind of adapter.

Paper does not feed properly

1. Paper is not loaded properly in the sheet feeder.
2. Too much paper is loaded in the sheet feeder.
3. Ensure all covers are closed.
4. Paper is too thick, or too curly.
5. Paper Feed Roller needs cleaning.
6. Please refer to the media compatibility section of the User Guide to check that the paper type you are using meets the specified requirements.

The printer doesn’t print double sided (duplex) correctly

1. The only sizes suitable for automatic duplex printing are A4, Letter, A5, and 5" x 7". Load paper of suitable size and then press the RESUME/CANCEL button.
2. Check that Duplex Printing has been selected in the Printing Preferences.

Paper does not feed from the paper source specified in the printer driver

Check that the paper size in the selected paper source matches the output size in the printer settings. Check the paper feed switch on the printer matches the paper source you have selected.

The printer moves but nothing is printed

1. Ink has run out.
2. The protective film is still present on ink cartridge.
3. Printer heads are dirty and clogged up.
   See manual for corrective action.

The printer stops before completing the print

1. Printer is out of paper.
2. Printer has worked for a long period. Your printer is protected from overheating by cutting out after long continuous work. Please switch the printer off for 15 minutes and resume printing.
3. Printing large graphics or files may cause the printer to stop periodically. It will automatically continue after it has completed processing the file from the computer.

What do I do if any parts (cables, manuals etc) are missing?

Please check the pack contents list carefully. Some accessories are available for optional purchase and may not be supplied as standard kit content. Advanced user guides are supplied as a digital document to view on a computer from one of the CD’s supplied in your kit. Missing items can be requested within 14 days of purchase from our service partner Robert Scott Associates. Telephone 01869 331741. Proof of purchase and product serial numbers will be requested.

You can call our TECHNICAL HELPLINE on: +44 (0) 8443690100

AJ Electronics trouble shooting guide for Canon Digital Video Cameras

The Video Camera will not switch on, switches off by itself or the screen switches on-off

1. The battery is empty.
   Replace or recharge the battery.
2. The battery is not connected properly.
3. Check the Power Saving options in the camcorder.

The charge indicator flashes rapidly

1. This indicates the battery is 50% full.
   This is not a malfunction.

The Video Camera is switched on but doesn’t do anything

1. The Video Camera has overheated and needs cooling down – switch it off for 10 minutes and resume recording.
2. The Video Camera is too cold and needs warming up. Please leave the camcorder switched on for 30 minutes and resume recording.

Battery pack is not charging

1. Battery packs don’t charge when their temperature is over 40 degrees. It will automatically start charging once it has cooled down.
2. The battery pack is faulty.
   Replace battery pack.

The image on the screen looks blurred

1. This can happen due to electromagnetic fields such as those from tv’s, mobile phones, electric cabling etc. Move away from areas where this occurs.

The Video Camera vibrates or makes an intermittent noise

1. This can be caused by the hard drive which will activate itself from time to time. If you are using a DVD camcorder, vibrations can be caused by the DVD spinning.
   This is not a malfunction.

The Video Camera appears very slow in deleting, pausing, reviewing a last scene or when changing between ‘camera’ mode and ‘play’ mode

1. The hard disk is nearly full. Back up your recordings and delete the recordings from your disk.

Pressing start/stop will not start recording

1. Set the camcorder in ‘camera’ mode.
2. The hard disk is full.
3. A scene is being recorded already.
4. The drop protection mechanism is activated.
5. The camcorder is too hot or too cold.

The recording stops shortly after starting

1. You are too close to loud noises or strong vibrations. Move to another location.

The Video Camera does not focus

1. Autofocus does not work on your subject. You need to focus manually.
2. The lens or Auto Focus (AF) sensor is dirty. Clean with a soft lens cleaning cloth. Never use tissue paper!

Pressing playback does not start playback

1. Set the Video Camera in ‘play’ mode.
2. The Video Camera is too hot or too cold.

Why is there background noise on my recording?

1. In quiet environments, noise from the tape mechanism or zooming mechanism can be picked up by the internal microphone.
   This is not a malfunction.

What do I do if any parts (cables, manuals etc) are missing?

1. Please check the pack contents list carefully. Some accessories are available for optional purchase and may not be supplied as standard kit content. The Digital Video Camcorder Instruction manual is supplied as a printed manual. Software manuals are provided as digital documents supplied on a CD with the camera. Missing items can be requested within 14 days of purchase from our service partner Robert Scott Associates. Telephone 01869 331741. Proof of purchase and product serial numbers will be requested.

You can call our TECHNICAL HELPLINE on: +44 (0) 8443690100