This R2D2 droid we wrote about a few days ago had a few surprises in store once I opened the box.
galleryPost('minir2d2', 8, 'Mini R2D2');
It’s smaller than it seems in pictures. I’d say its about perfect scale to the old Star Wars action figures. I would have killed for one of these back in the day. Not sure if it’ll fit in the X Wing from Hasbro, but I’m guessing a yes. The Japanese import has an IR lightsaber remote which controls the action.
When operating, the lightsaber can make R2D2 move forward and back but when it moves back, he spins. That’s how the little guy turns. While on the move, his dome pivots a little bit side to side, and an a red LED goes off, as if he’s looking around for trouble or a terminal interface to jack into. The whistling and purring R2 does while moving is emitted from the lightsaber.
Overall, its a fine piece of gear. At $30 bucks, it might make a good gift, cat toy, or a good friend to have when you’re trying to get the Hyperdrive working. –Brian Lam
I just took this UI video of Nokia’s N95.
But, man, the wave of N95 coverage here and elsewhere, is slowing. Everyone says the beautiful phone is powerful, but too expensive for most to buy at $750. Many of you are left dreaming.
That’s why I’ve tried to show you all I can, partially to help a buying decision, but mostly to show you the ins and outs as if you owned the thing. First the hardware shots, the 50 screenshot gallery, and then the review.
That’s a lot to sort through, but then I thought about the OS lag, and the navigation, and the other interface details: that stuff you just can’t see until you see it in motion. Which is why I took a 1/2 hour long video of every single bit and piece of the damn phone’s interface so you could play some more make-believe.
This USB Memo Holder is really just a glorified USB extension cable, but who am I kidding, crazy USB peripherals will sell, including this one. It does light up when a memo is placed, which can be convenient for the forgetful types. An additional USB port is on the backside for plugging in useful gadgets. –Travis Hudson
Product Page [Via EverythingUSB]
Last week, Mossberg, Caesar of the WSJ’s Gadget Empire, declared war on PCs shipping with Craplets, the bloatware that comes with new computers. It was the most popular story on the WSJ’s website that day, and so this week Mossy followed up with a post for the people about how to smite those annoying little apps. Yes, Mossberg for the People!
He’s mentioned the crapware hunter-killer software Decrapifier. And that Dell’s XPS line can be ordered clean. Which all sounds… familiar. Very familiar. cough*backlink*cough!
He also talks about reinstalling the OS as soon as you get a new PC, which he doesn’t recommend because a) most newbs don’t know how b) install discs, if a PC comes with, often come with crapware on the install discs. And he lists buying from white box vendors and requesting a virginal OS installs, but only if they’re reputable.
Beyond that, it was interesting to see Walt mention that it was the most popular story on the WSJ that day, AND that lots of websites linked to the story. Somehow, I’m pretty sure the two are related. –Brian Lam
Ways You Can Avoid Getting Junk Programs On Your New Computer [WSJ]
This cross between a speedboat and what could be Paul LeMat’s ’32 Ford Coupe is called the Front Runner. In theory, this water speed demon designed by Joey Ruiter is made of aluminum and is powered by twin 225hp motors in the front. Don’t know how that will work out, but who cares? Being a concept, it’s just cool for the sake of it. There’s no more details available, so I have made up my own specs to post them with the extra picture of the front after the jump.
This clever little door handle glows red when the room is occupied or green when it isn’t. Perfect for rooms you need privacy in, such as bathrooms and torture dungeons, it’s powered by wiring directly through the door, so it’s not something you’ll be able to hook up all too easily on a door not wired already. If it seems like too much work for a gimmicky idea, just stick to locking your door. It’s easier. –Adam Frucci
Product Page [via Nerd Approved]
Okay, so it’s been four full weeks since I started using the HairMax laser comb to, uh, buff up my hair. Since the last video, I haven’t noticed any difference, but next week is the big week. Week 5-6 is when the manual says I will notice a difference. I’ll let you guys be the judge of that when we post our video next Friday. Meanwhile, Dan Costa over at Gear Log has put his noggin’ on the line too. He’s on week 2 of his HairMax adventure. Good luck, bro! If we both fail, we’ll duct-tape both combs and create an uber-laser comb. –Louis Ramirez
Lab Rat Week 1 [Gizmodo] Lab Rat Week 2 [Gizmodo] My Head on HairMax [Gear Log]
According to the good folks at AppleInsider, Steve & Co. plan to throw a few “top secret” features into Leopard, which may be the real cause for the operating system’s four-month delay. In the report, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu is quoted as saying that Apple will be good enough to reveal those secrets at the WWDC conference on June 11. In the meantime, we can only guess at what they might be.
iChat AV: now with Pet Tracker Keynote Steve’s “Boom!” system sound: finally replaces “Sosumi” CorePants: new API to design pants, because pants are important Three-fingered tracking on MacBooks: mmmmm, sexy TimeWarp upgrade: allows real-life time travel so OS releases always stay on scheduleJump for exclusive picture of WWDC’07 keynote taken with new version of TimeWarp…
Ricavision’s remote is the first to display Vista’s Sideshow interface on its big LCD.
If you haven’t been keeping up, SideShow is a Vista feature that when paired with the right “gadget” gives you the ability to read email, listen to music, or browse through photos from an external screen, like the 2.5 inch QVGA LCD on this remote. The advanced clicker also has the basic IR blaster and Bluetooth.
Before we tell you what we think, check the gallery below.
galleryPost('RicavisionVistaRemote', 8, 'RicavisionVistaRemote');
