Thursday, January 08, 2009
New open-source hardware includes a tiny projector, audio equipment, and wireless radios.
By Kate Greene
For those who like to open their gadgets or make their own,
Bug Labs is the company to watch. It
sells an open-source minicomputer
and accompanying modules, including a touch screen, a camera, a GPS unit, and a
motion sensor that can be easily added to the base. And at the Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, the company announced five new
modules:
* BUGprojector, a mini pico-projector module,
incorporating DLP® Pico™ technology from Texas Instruments. With a native
resolution of 480x320 pixels, stereo playback and a brightness of 9 lumens,
users can project videos, photos and presentations on the go.
* BUGsound, an audio module, providing a flush-mount 20-mm
speaker and omnidirectional microphone with hardware stereo codecs and four
3.5-mm stereo jacks for third-party inputs, outputs, headphones and
microphones. Use BUG as a portable music player, speakerphone, audio processor
or more.
* BUG3g GSM, a 3G mobile radio with SIM card input,
enabling BUGs to connect to any high-speed GSM network. Users can place calls,
send and receive SMSes or transmit data, opening a world of possibilities for
mobile and telephony applications.
* BUGwifi, a dual-function 802.11b/g wi-fi and Bluetooth™
2.0 + EDR radio, offering yet another wireless data connectivity option for the
BUGbase, while providing a gateway to a variety of peripherals such as
keyboards, mice, headsets and more.
* BUGbee, a low-powered 802.15.4 radio, enabling BUG
developers to create short-range personal area network (PAN) applications for
home automation, sensor networks, automotive and more.
The company says that pricing will be available in the
coming weeks.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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