Although some fuzzy-wuzzy pictures of this cellphone have been floating around a few forums, here's the clearest one we've seen yet, this sweet Sony Ericsson Walkman slider handset that could possibly be the w999i.

Details are sketchy at this point, but rumor has this thin little handset measuring just 12.5mm thick, and it'll hook up via HSDPA, and of course, will have the obligatory 2-megapixel auto-focus camera on board. You'll be able to view all the festivities on a 2.4-inch 320x240 screen.

There's something really clean-looking about this phone, and even though we like its silver, black and green look, we're not too crazy about that semi-QWERTY keyboard. No one has any idea when this delectable bauble might surface. – Charlie White

SE Mobil? (Swedish) [MeareSuperstar, via Unwired View]

Kondo KHR-2 HV, the robot that plays soccer, fights with other bots and dances salsa, has got some new clothes. First up is a shiny polycarbonate carapace that makes him look much more studly and buff than his previous square-headed incarnation. All the pretty little Ho'Bots will be bumping up to him as much as they can, mark my words. His Robocop fabulousness costs $152.

There's also a couple of paper soccer strips for him to wear. They cost $10 each, but you'll probably have to replace them regularly as his screaming fans will rip 'em off him after he scores the winning goal in the match. You can see them in the gallery below. Plus, after the jump, a glimpse of what he was like when he was just a squarehead.

Read More »

This little bug is called the HeartLander, a tiny little caterpillar-esque robot developed by the Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh. Inserted via keyhole surgery, the HeartLander crawls across the surface of the heart to administer drugs or attach medical devices. Apparently this invention could revolutionalize the treatment of cardiac patients while making the rest of the world sick at the mere sight of it. More details and a picture of the robot itself right after the jump.

Read More »

Behold the new UMPC with Menlow, for it will "truly put the full Internet in your pocket"! According to the Intel Ultra Mobile Group Chief Evangelist, that is. And provided you have the pants of Krusty The Clown and are ready to take all kinds of "is that the full Internet in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" jokes. The most interesting bit from Mark, showing the Compal prototype in Beijing, was his mention of the Ultra Mobile Platform 2008 running Windows, Linux and Mac OS X:

"This can also run Linux. We don't care what you put on it. [Can you run OS X?] Absol... you know? I bet you could, because the iPhone is going to be running OS X."

While a fully functional PC with 45 nanometer Silverthorn processor running Mac OS X won't be a surprise, it's nice to find that 1) Intel doesn't give a damn about Windows in the brave new world of mobility computing and 2) there seems to be an absol-I-bet-you-could possibility of Apple using Menlow for their next iPhone/Mini-me MacBooks.

In any case, the Compal-who-thinks-it's-a-PSP is a nice "fully functional PC" on its own, running for 4 to 6 hours on "cellphone batteries" with a panoramic touchscreen, sliding keyboard and support for all kinds of Wi-Fi and WiMax. – Jesus Diaz

Blogging Beijing: Intel UMPC Prototype [Textura Design]

We're about to fire up the old PS3 and download the latest 1.70 firmware update, but here's what we know about it so far: The update lets you play original PS1 games that you download for your PSP on your PS3. Plus, whatever saved games you accrue when doing so can get transferred over to your PSP later. Not sure if you can transfer them back to your PS3.

Also, PS1 and PS2 games that have vibration controls can now be supported with whatever vibration accessories are available for the PS3. This is all Mike from Kotaku sees so far, but if you know something we've missed let us know in the comments. – Jason Chen

PS3 1.70 Firmware Out [Kotaku - Thanks Michael and Ahmed!]

Forget Google Reader or Feed Demon for your RSS needs, this modified telegraph sounder taps out RSS feeds using MagpieRSS PHP script to grab them and Morse2LED to make them tappable. It's a little useless if you don't know Morse Code, but it looks pretty sweet next to its steampunk keyboard counterpart. – Matt Buchanan

Telegraph Sounder clicks out RSS Feeds [Steampunk Workshop via Boing Boing]

One thing that Apple has bashed into our heads, what with all of the Mac vs. PC commercials, is that Macs aren't very accepted in the stodgy corporate world.

But don't worry Apple lovers, we found a laptop case that will disguise your trendy little MacBook so that you can fit in with all the other Dell and Lenovo laptops. Although, fitting in will run you $35 for some foam and vinyl.– Ben Longo

Product Page [Barry's Farm via Wired]

I really dig those expensive LED Faucets that glow blue and red to warn you of the temp. Here's my review of the $20 nozzle attachment version. As you'd guess, I'm giving up a thing or two by skimping:

•The LED isn't variable: Once you hit 89 degrees or greater, the red LED switches on. Before that, its blue. And when your water isn't running the circuit opens and the light goes off.
•The piece is long, so if you've got a shallow sink basin, you're going to be annoyed.
•It'll runs an unspecified number of hours with 3 easily changed small button batteries.
•Comes with two adapters for different faucet sizes.
•That's not chrome. It's silverized plastic (the kind that chips). What do you expect for $20.
•The flow is superb, but unfocused. Ultimately, I couldn't justify this without a wide spray and stream mode, and an adjustable neck. Depending on your love for LEDs, though, YMMV.

–Brian Lam

LED Faucet [Thinkgeek]

Costco's selling this Nintendo classic arcade cabinet. Since you can get Mario Bros. Donkey Kong and DK Jr variations on Game Boy, what you're actually paying $3000 for is the orange paint and amazing cabinet art. Twin joysticks, and a 19 inch monitor round out the 250-pound pre-8-bit-era game machine.–Brian Lam

Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Mario Bros. Arcade by Namco [Costco, thanks Jason]

Intel has given the world a quick glimpse at what their next-gen Penryn processors are capable of. The dual- and quad-core chips (which clock in at speeds of over 3GHz and carry up to a 12MB L2 cache) showed as much as a 22% performance boost when pitted against Intel's current king, the quad-core QX6800. Keep in mind these are Intel's numbers, so you may wanna tone your enthusiasm a bit, but until AMD's Barcelona steps up to the plate, it looks like Intel will continue wearing the heavyweight belt. – Louis Ramirez

Intel Penryn Performance Preview [Anandtech]
Intel Unveils Penryn Performance [DailyTech]
IDF: Intel Releases 45nm Penryn Benchamrk Numbers [TG Daily]
Image courtesy Anandtech

Remember that incredibly tiny Haier Black Pearl we reviewed last year? It looks like they've gone and re-dubbed it the Elegance. It still has the same features we saw in our review—OLED display, FM radio, MP3 player, and Bluetooth—but we're not sure if any of the problems we encountered were fixed.

Hop on over to our review to see what we thought of it. – Jason Chen

Miniscule MP3 phone [T3]

Mirror TVs are nothing new, but this is the first I've seen that does triple duty, playing the role of mirror, TV and PC all in one. DND Casa calls their concept mirror the ARCO, and from the looks of it, it'd make for a pretty sweet Media Center, letting lazy couch potatoes watch TV and check email in one quick swoop. Unfortunately, there's no word on what kind of components we can expect to see inside such a beast, but I wouldn't mind hanging one in my living room (right next to my mirrored radiator, of course). – Louis Ramirez

DND Casa Wall Mirror Concept with Built-in TV, PC, and LCD [Born Rich]

You know what sucks? Taking a picture and then realizing later that the autofocus screwed you over and delivered a blurry shot. There's really nothing you can do about it at that point, so you're stuck with a fuzzy picture and friends that now know how inept you are with a camera. Here's a camera that can unfuzzy photos after the fact.

Sure, you can run it through some sharpening filters in Photoshop, but that always looks pretty lousy. Luckily, there's a new piece of photographic hardware in the pipeline that'll give you the ability to unblur pictures that you've already taken. Developed by Scientists at Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs, the heterodyne light field camera uses a coded aperture mask to allow you to go back and fiddle with the depth of field in a picture after it's been taken. Have the background in focus instead of the foreground? Change the settings and your picture will look just how you want it to.

The graphic above shows an original blurry shot, one sharpened in Photoshop, and finally one fixed up with the coded aperture mask. It's pretty impressive stuff, but there's no word on how long it'll take for the tech to make it to your next Powershot. –Adam Frucci

Mitsubishi Electric Develops Camera that Refocuses Photos [Digital Camera Info]

Following up on Bengalboy's first look at the Motorola LAZR, he's finally gotten around to reviewing the unit (we think he spent the last month trying to get another unit after his model dropped the first one into that tub). So what does he think?

Well, the voice command is fantastic, as is the construction and finish. He says it's comparable to those crazy Vertu phones Nokia has. He also doesn't mind the touch-sensitive controls, but hates the battery life on these prototype units. The 2-megapixel camera is pretty decent even in low light, but for some reason (maybe because it runs Linux) it doesn't sync with Outlook. That'll probably be fixed by the time the phone's released.

All in all it sounds like the LAZR is a pretty good follow-up to all of Moto's fashionable cellphones that are so popular with the "I only care about making calls" crowd. – Jason Chen

Review [Bengal Boy]

In another shocking freezing over of hell, we have discovered an iPod case that is actually *gasp* innovative! This case for fifth generation iPods looks normal on the front, but the backside has a pretty nifty cable-management system. It has an extension that the cord can be wrapped around and the 3.5mm audio jack and earphones have their own little cutouts that they can reside in securely when not in use. It is available for $20 in clear or black. Too bad it only works with iPod headphones. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via iLounge]

Karl Rove's Last Chance to Do Right... or, Less Wrong, Anyway [This Just In - Thanks Eric!]

I know some people really enjoy their Sidekick, but the halo and golden wings are a bit much. OMFG is correct. –Travis Hudson

[Via 32 Nerdiest Tattoos on the Planet]

Whether you spell it Bulgari or Bvlgari, you have to admire the luxury designer's entrance into a market previously dominated by cheapo Japanese models. This strap is made of "supple black calf leather" and palladium, which means $3.99 this strap is not.

The other feature, if cellphone straps could have features, is that the strap detaches and separates into a pendant and that other part. The non-pendant part. We'll stick to poop. – Jason Chen

Bulgari Cell Phone Straps [Sybarites]

Ignore that rumor about Microsoft making fuel cell rechargers for the Zune. The company's just said they're only ordering these things to give away at events such as CES, CTIA and AVN. What, you didn't see Microsoft's booth at AVN? It was pure debauchery. – Jason Chen

Microsoft Denies it Will Sell Fuel Cells [PC World]

The Med-eMonitor System is an internet-enabled digital pill box that costs $60 per month to use. Sound like a waste? It shouldn't, because older folks with medical conditions can have upwards of 20 different pills to take per day and the slightest mistake could be fatal. The Med-eMonitor is fully programmable and will beep when a pill needs to be taken. It also provides all information about the medication on a digital screen and will log all pills taken and at what time.

The internet comes in if a mistake is made. If the Med-eMonitor box notices a missed dose or a wrong dose it will send a signal to a secure site via a phone line and a health official will call to check on the user. It is reported that 90% of individuals using the Med-eMonitor take their medication as prescribed compared to the 40% to 50% percent of users who don't use the Med-eMonitor. It is currently being tested out, but it should be available soon for consumers. –Travis Hudson

Web-Linked Pill Box to Hit Stores Soon [Medgadget]

When did coiling up cables go out of style? Was it when people stopped using corded landline phones in favor of cordless ones? In any case, we're pretty excited at these coiled-up USB 2.0 cables from x-tremegeek.

There are three cables, an A-B type, an A to mini B, and a male to female for extension purposes. Why do we like these so much? Because they can save space on your desk but expand when you need the distance. Plus, we're really looking forward to untangling these after a couple years of use. Oh wait, that's why nobody liked them. – Jason Chen

Product Page A to B [X-tremegeek]

Product Page A to mini B [X-tremegeek]

Product Page male to female [X-tremegeek]

We've covered Kangaroom's organizers a bit before, but for the uninitiated, they specialize in making organizers that either hide or arrange your cables and gadgets in a neat way.

We've got the Cellphone Charging Station, the Phone/PDA Charging Station, the Divided Cord Storage & Organizer, and the Travel Cord Storage & Charger Storage. If we were really anal about keeping things neat and orderly—like our friends over at lifehacker, we'd this is the type of thing we'd stock our houses with. Join us after the jump for our thoughts on each one.

Read More »

Marathon season is in session—the Boston Marathon recently finished up with many more to come, and for those aspiring marathoners there are a lot of gadgets out there that won't make your run less painful, but definitely make it more interesting. John Biggs of CrunchGear fame is running the 26 mile San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (which is ironic because Biggs is the opposite of rock 'n' roll) this summer and finally unveiled to the masses what gadgets and toys he is using to train for this event. The usual includes an iPod with the Nike+ kit, but the unusual is a unique Casio watch and a GPS tracking unit. Hit the link to see all of his goods and be sure to cheer him on this June if you are in the San Diego area. –Travis Hudson

Marathon Training for Nerds [CrunchGear]

P.S. Biggs, your iPod looks disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Saitek Obsidian mouse could be the sexiest mouse they've made as far as we can remember. Much more useful than the Easter mice, the Obsidian has a touch-sensitive scrolling pad instead of a scroll wheel, two back/forward buttons on the sides, and a 1000 DPI sensor. Oh, and it looks like an Obsidian rock. Our 5th grade teacher would be so proud we remembered.

Despite looking great (and being ambidextrous), we still have reservations about that scrolling pad. For the most part, we've always preferred a scroll wheel to touch pads, but we're willing to give Saitek the benefit of the doubt until we test it ourselves. – Jason Chen

Saitek unveils touch-scroll Obsidian mouse [Electronista]

If the USB missile launcher is a little too new-school for you, the desktop trebuchet may be the perfect addition to that arsenal of cubical warfare weapons. It is available for $30 and assembly is required. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via nerdapproved]

It was just a matter of time before another UMPC came out with a similar slide-out keyboard to the HTC Shift that debuted back at CTIA. Don't get us wrong—we don't think this is a copy—we're just pointing out that both have sliding keyboards.

The Wings has a 7-inch screen (touch or not, we're not sure), a trackpad, directional keys, and who knows what else inside. If the features rival what's in the Shift, this is possibly the second UMPC that we'd even think of using. – Jason Chen

PMPInside plays with TANGO Wings UMPC [Akihabara via Mobile Mag]

There's a new kid on the MP3 block, and just like the Zune, it's a player sporting Wi-Fi. The $250USD 4GB Sandisk Sansa Connect not only allows you to share your torrid musical preferences with dirty strangers on the subway, it also enables you to download unlimited Yahoo! music for $15 without the cords.

So what did the reviewers think? For this week's Frankenreview, we hit up a TON of sources (ok...10) and grabbed their best quips. Hit the jump to read what Wired, Gadgetaholic, ComputerWorld, LAPTOP, I4U, Yahoo! Tech, Crunchgear, Late to the Party and PCMag had to say about this quasi-wireless MP3 player.

Read More »

Too big or too small breast implants getting you down? Cheer up, Sally or Jimmy (soon to be Jane). The adjustable breast augmentation will ensure that you and your loved ones are completely satisfied with your new chest addition. These breast implants have a port where a control pump can be plugged. Pump up the breasts to your desired size or just have some fun on Halloween with mismatched breasts. The implants can be adjusted up to a few weeks after the operation, so don't wait until the last minute to make your breast-size decision. –Travis Hudson

Adjustable Breast Augmentation CIrcumvents "Implantee Remorse" [Medgadget]

Here's a guide to underclocking and overclocking your DS Lite. With this, you can set the speed anywhere from 0.66x normal to 1.8x normal, which both lets you slow down action games like the new Mario and speed up games like Phoenix Wright (which annoyingly has no setting for making the dialogue faster).

The process isn't too difficult if you're handy desoldering and soldering things, but it requires a steady hand and probably an hour or so. – Jason Chen

Project Page [modd3d via Make]

GPS is great, but it isn't always accurate. It's susceptible to interference, especially in urban settings, which is why Boeing is working on a new system to fill the holes that GPS has when it's really needed.

The objective of the Robust Surface Navigation (RSN) program is to develop technologies that can exploit various "signals of opportunity"—electronic waves emanating from satellites, cellphone towers and even television transmission towers—to provide precise location and navigation information to ground troops when GPS signals are being electronically jammed or blocked by natural or man-made obstacles, such as foliage or buildings.

Sounds pretty cool, but don't get excited for the navigation to improve in your Escalade anytime soon — this is being developed first and foremost for the military, and it won't be ready for their use for years. Patience, my pets. –Adam Frucci

Boeing [via DangerRoom]

Got the voyeur itch? Scratch it with this Sony-branded clock radio that has been modified to include a full-color camera and microphone. The camera and microphone are attached to a wireless transmitter that can shoot the information to a receiver up to 100 meters away for viewing and listening. The clock radio itself isn't too shabby, with an AM/FM, a CD player and shuffle function. Don't be too paranoid—this spy device comes with a hefty $2,000-plus price tag. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via uberreview]

These Obelisk Chairs, made of woven polyethylene with a powder-coated aluminum frame, fit together into such a perfect phallic-shaped bulbous rocket ship thing that your neighbors will wonder WTF is that? Designed by Janus et Cie, with their white cushions they look like they could actually be comfortable either inside or out.

Too bad you'll have to shell out $8,922 to find out. Maybe those badass designers at Target (c'mon Michael Graves, give it a try) will rip off this design, in the process moving that price number a couple of decimal points to the left. – Charlie White

Product Page [HGTV Marketplace, via Spluch]

Is your dog in heat and humping anything it can wrap its horny little legs around? Are you constantly having to pry your promiscuous pooch off the legs of guests, parents and members of your church? Protect your leg from a hump attack by getting Scruffy a Hotdoll. Yes, it's a sex doll for dogs. It's shaped like a dog and it'll allow your tension-filled pet to go to town as much as his little heart desires, humping away until he passes out in exhaustion, leaving a wispy coil of friction-singed dog-fur smoke wafting into the air.

God, I love the Internet. Hit the jump for more hot dog-on-doll action shots. Don't pretend like you don't want to see them.

Read More »

Toshiba has unveiled their new 16GB flash memory chips, the largest available so far. Designed for use in phones and music players, it's yet another step toward hard drive based players such as the Video iPod going bye-bye.

It's awesome to see this type of thing being developed, and I for one can't wait till they get these things up to around 64GB so I can ditch my 60GB iPod without losing 75% of the music I'm used to carrying around. That, my friends, will be a beautiful day. –Adam Frucci

Toshiba [Crave]

The Sun Pod was an invention that never quite made it past the concept stage, but we're still enjoying its conceptualization. If you can get past the alluring sunbather pictured reclining in this '80s prototype, you'll notice a fan on the side for ventilation. But on a hot summer day this Sun Pod would obviously turn into an oven, no matter how much ventilation it had.

So what was the idea, to intensify the sun's rays? Perhaps they hadn't heard of skin cancer back in the '80s. Although this kooky concept never caught on, the idea of selling products using lovely models is apparently still alive and well. – Charlie White

Inventions which never saw the light [Daily Mail, via Born Rich]

We're not sure how they got their hands on it, but the guys at Trusted Reviews were lucky enough to test out Panasonic's 103-inch plasma TV. The monster TV, which weighs in at 771 pounds with the massive stand, took about 3 hours to install (and that's with the help of professional installers). So how'd it perform? Well, according to the TR team, you haven't played Call of Duty 3 until you've played it on a 103-inch screen.

Read More »

Nanotech scientists at the University of Glasgow are figuring out how to use smart dust to explore pla