Ready....set...

And in one month its GO! All plans are now finalised, hotel booked, tickets paid and soon we're off to Italy. It is that time again, time to fly half-way around the world to meet family (this time it's my girlfriends family). We'll only be staying for 3 weeks (my fault as I have to back to Uni), but we will eventually wander over there permanently, but that's another story alltogether.

The journey will take us via Japan (Narita) - I know what you're thinking "why on Earth would you fly to Europe from New Zealand via Japan?", but it was a lot cheaper than any other option available. Well, apart from flying via the U.S. but I'm not too keen on all the restrictions and delays that comes with a transit through the good ol' US of A - if I were to stay a bit in the U.S. then it would be a different story. Plus this way we get to spend a night in a traditional Japanese inn in the city of Narita, which is only 10 minutes from the airport. More about that once we've been there. Then it's on to Bologna where we will land late at night to a waiting pizza. I kid you not, her parents have promised to have a couple of freshly baked pizzas at home waiting for us, how cool is that? I love her family almost as much as I do her.

In order to document the journey I have finally decided to take the plunge and buy the Chotto Shot (Go! Cam), so it should be here later next week at which time I will post my first experiences with it, and the Go! Edit software which I have already downloaded (thanks to PSPFanboy). Pictures will be taken and posted, and hopefully I can finally figure out how to upload videos to YouTube! More soon.

Come out, come out wherever you are...

The ever vigilant Gadget freaks over at Gizmodo have discovered this wicked little doohickey - the PT-9 GPS Tracker by Fontastic Telecom. This is one neat little toy, as it contains a GPS receiver and a cell phone in one little brick, and will text message you it's co-ordinates to up to 5 preset numbers.

This device would come in real handy for those who like to wander off the beaten path, with a tendency for getting lost (but still within cell-network coverage). It also has the potential to be used as a tracker for children - because we misplace them so often. There are two (currently not yet available) functions which are the Geo-fence alarm (a 'virtual' play-pen) and a speed-alarm. If your kid leaves a predefined area, or starts travelling too fast (e.g. in the back-seat of a kidnapper, or down Suicide-Hill on his BMX) this device starts firing off position SMS (Short Message Service - i.e. text messages) at you. Now if it could only be implanted in a child, that'll stop them wasting their pocket money at an arcade.

Here a list of functions that are available now (there are more to come) according to the manufacturer:

• GPS SiRF-Star III chipset fast fixing the position, even at a weak signal status
• Works worldwide, supports three frequencies GSM 900, 1,800, 1,900MHz
• Receive phone calls and SMS in two-way communications
• Monitors can track the device without interfering it, live real-time tracking
• SOS button sends out exact location for immediate rescue/action
• Independent SOS button which will send GPS information via SMS for one to five preset numbers
• The tracker can report the position under ordered-frequency and work in interval-based saving power mode
• System setting by SMS, the monitor could control the GPS function on and off, working timer and working mode at any time
• Low battery notification before the battery runs out
• Temperature abnormal alarm

Now to hide it on the motorbike/car and splice it into the alarm so that your vehicle will tell you exactly where it is once it is set into motion, without you. Oh the look of astonishment on the face of the thief when you knock on their lair to reclaim you baby, that surely has to make the (as of yet undisclosed) price tag worth it. Please note this unit does not come with the back-up of a half dozen or so burly guys for when you do recover your wheels.

Go! Cam (a.k.a. Chotto Shot) coming to rest of us!

At the beginning of this month news leaked that Sony had finally decided to give the rest of the world one of the most sought after additions for the PSP - the camera. Known in Japan as the Chotto Shot, Sony has rebranded it as the Go! Cam for its impending release in Europe which was originally scheduled for the 16 of May (Geek.com). Rumours have it at €49.99 for everyone (except the U.K., at £34.99) including the edit software. However, that date has been and gone without an appearance of the Go! Cam on store shelves - fortunately a quick look on Amazon.co.uk shows that they not only expect a May 25th release date, but they also have dropped the price to £29.99.

But, I hear you asking yourselves, what's so great about the Go! Cam? Well here's a short run-down on the specs according to Sony:

• 1.3 Mega-Pixel
• Wide angle lens (F2.8 f = 28 mm )
• Fixed focus (min. depth 40cm)
• Macro mode (distance 7cm)
• Digital zoom
• Still and motion capture
• JPEG (great format for going straight to YouTube)
• Mono-mic

On top of this, the camera comes with a UMD containing editing software which allows for many entertaining options including vfx such as speech bubbles, image warping, text and so forth. Although there will be a version of this software included in the Go! Cam, some concern has been expressed that it may not be as extensive as the Chotto Shot software - which is available only in Japanese. Ltes hope that's not the case - so keep an eye on the Go Edit website due to be up and runnning by the 23rd.

However the most exciting feature, for me at least, is the ability to rotate the camera 180 degrees so that it is looking at you whilst holding the PSP - add the fact that it has a microphone, as well as the (not so) recent dscovery of a mention of Skype in newer firmware, and we have the possibility that Sony and Skype will in the future support video telephony.

There are already several Choto Shot/Go! Cam videos creeping up on YouTube, and the quality seems quite usable. One won't be able to make a HighDef feature length film with it, but as the latest software update allows clips of greater length (apparently now only limited by the size of your memory stick), it will be a worthy substitute to the cell-phone - see below for a sample.




Now for those of you out there who are thinking "a camera is nice, but I want more", well one of the guys from AcidMods has modded his Chotto Shot for nightvision. There will hopefully be a tutorial soon, but theory is that one removes the IR filter from the camera and adds some IR LED's as an 'invisible' lighting source. Just goes to show, no matter how much money a corporation throws into R&D, some kid will always find a way to improve on it!

Looks like Sony not only have a winner accessory on their hands, but have finally heard the cries (more like deafening screams) of the PSP community to finally stop pandering only to the Japanese market.

Arigato Sony!

Welcome to Eccentric Gadgets, a blog dedicated to all those odd and interesting widgets and gizmos out there that amaze and awe, and that we just can't do without! There are so many gadgets already available, and so many more in development, one is easily overwhelmed. And that is where my blog comes into play - I have a habit of surfing publications and the web in search of the ultimate life saver (such as my beloved PSP which has saved my sanity on more than one of my girlfriends shopping trips!) and this blog will serve as an effort to share my discoveries with all of you. As I am new to this, I do apologise in advance for the inevitable teething problems!

Francis