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A Portugal-based company has reinvented the wheel and created fire from the sun, kind of. This solar-powered lighter doesn't actually create an open flame, but it does create a series of sparks that should be capable of lighting a BBQ grill. So in all reality, it is the environment-friendly lazy man's flint or sparker. The bottom is also a bottle opener—I'm sold! $19.
Product Page [Via uber-review]
This LED table, designed by Julian Appelius and Fabien Dumas, may look like a regular table at first, but that changes when you place something down. When an object—usually transparent—interrupts the path of the light through the table, the light gets transferred into the object and lights it up all pretty-like.
We're not sure what practical use this table has, but who can say no to LEDs?
Project Page [Too Many Designers via Core77 via Slashgear]
By upping the dpi game to 3200 (up from the previous front runner, the Raptor-Gaming M2 at 2400dpi), Saitek's giving gamers what they want—more resolution for twitchfests like Unreal Tournament. The mouse itself is lefty-friendly, has five different LED backlight colors, rubber-like coating, dpi mode switch (800, 1600, 2400 and 3200), is weight adjustable, macro programmable and feels fairly decent in the hand.
However, although it is 3200dpi, the polling rate was only 550Hz, or a 1.7ms response time. Other mice like the Microsoft Habu and Razer Copperhead had a polling rate of 1ms. All in all, it's not a bad mouse if you're into gaming, but you'd have to turn down the dpi whenever you work on the desktop unless you like cursors flying uncontrollably.
Saitek GM3200 Laser Mouse Review [Extremetech]
Black toilet paper was weird enough, but wiping your ass with green, orange, or red gets even weirder. Although you can now see whether you're "clean" with the new colors, it just feels mentally odd to us to see our poo smeared across anything but clean white sheets. Call us old-fashioned.
Product Page [Giftmonger]
Dell Home is offering up this 2,000 DPI mouse for half off. The mouse normally retails for $50, but enter coupon code TZS8CNL5SGFLW3 at checkout for $25 off. This corded mouse also includes an adjustable weight cartridge and on-the-fly... Read More »
The lads over at Laptop Mag are so tired of dealing with the phones on the market now they decided to design their own perfect imaginary phone. What does it consist of? Well, an operating system from Google, an interface by iRiver, wireless connectivity like Zing, a CPU from Qualcomm, 8GB flash, 2.8-inch LCD and camera features like a Sanyo 6-megapixel camcorder.
Besides the fact that this phone would be gigantic and cost you thousands of dollars, it's a great idea. Except for the Google part. Their UI designers are horrific.
The Perfect Frankenphone [Laptopmag]
There was a little surprise for everyone today at the Halo 3 preview in NYC: A special edition Halo 3 Zune. It's due out in mid-June. Wish I could have shown you some pictures of the box, which is emblazoned with Master Chief, but it was all hidden behind thick glass.
Thanks Carlos
HANNspree's computer display division, HANNS.G, announced five new LCD displays that are being touted as "Vista certified," whatever the hell that means. The big beauty is a 22-inch HW-223DPB that displays at 1680x1050 and has a nice 5ms response time and 1,000:1 contrast ratio. It has DVI inputs, but includes a DVI to component adapter for all of your gaming needs.
Also announced are two 17-inchers and three 19-inch models, all varying in specs and colors. Surprisingly, the prices are very reasonable. The 17-inch models are $160, the 19-inch models are between $200 and $230 and the big 22-inch beast is only $330 (!!). Too bad they aren't shaped like firetrucks or french fries.
HANNS.G ships five LCDs [Electronista]
If there was ever a product not designed for my needs, this is it. Let's see… a city-dwelling, inactive, desk-incarcerated tech blogging northeasterner? Yeah, I don't need a hard hat shaped like a cowboy hat. The closest I get to constructing anything is making myself a peanut butter and jelly in my underwear.
But hey, I'm sure someone out there is super-psyched that they can wear the same hat to the job site as they can to the rodeo. Only $17, pardners.
Product Page [via Uberreview]
We've been running up and down the stairs at the Grand Hyatt, at one point getting totally lost in some labyrinthine maintenance hall, a la Spinal Tap. The elevators are packed with the gentlemen we described in our first post talking about tube amplification, something called "ambiophonic sound" and the relative sexiness of Diana Krall in piano black or pine matte. (Elvis Costello should really say something!) As we mentioned, the draw is speakers, nerdy men's haute couture, pairs that cost more money than your car. A press release from a company called Salager Sonics states that choosing their speaker means not having to "weigh your listening pleasure and your kids' college education in the balance." They're completely serious.
So, without further ado, please enjoy the following gallery of Extra Big Ass Speakers (names and obscene prices are in the captions).
At first glance this $399 Domia X10 touchscreen control is fantastic. You get a real-picture representation of your room so you can easily select which lights you want to turn on and off. However, the Domia is actually just a fancy picture frame that you stick an actual picture of your room into before configuring the unit with buttons to turn each item on and off.
Considering the price, we're not sure that it's worth it just to have a cheap-looking picture of your room around to remember which switch turns off what. Unless you're setting this up for grandma, in which case it may be worth it just to avoid the midnight tech support calls when she can't figure out how to turn everything off to go to bed.
Product Page [Simply Automate via Automated Home via Slashgear]
You think you aren't afraid of heights? Well then, tough guy, why don't you hop on this swing and allow yourself to fly over the edge of a TV tower 1,100 feet off the ground?
It's the world's highest swing, aptly dubbed the "Game for Brave People," and just thinking about it makes my stomach shoot up into my throat. Luckily, no one will have a chance to dare me to go on it, as it's in Harbin City in the Heilongjiang province of China. Game for brave people indeed.
Remember the gigantic Apple store we told you was being constructed in Manhattan? Here's a photo. As you can see, it's still pretty early in the process, but you can get a sense of how big the store is going to be from the shot.
It's hard to say what the thing will look like after the gloss is put on, but we're sure it'll make that glass cube look like a glass cube...of lesser quality. Am I right, ladies?
Inside The MePa Apple Store Site [Racked]
The increasingly unaptly named Home Entertainment Show opened its doors today in NYC at the Grand Hyatt at Grand Central Terminal (now through Sunday, $25-$35). I say that because there are no TVs, or indeed any video technologies, on display. No projectors, no mention of DVDs, let alone HD DVD or Blu-ray. In fact, few or none of the companies you know of that build home entertainment products are here.
But it's crowded: lots of gentlemen in their post-mid-life-crisis, pre-retirement years wander the halls in search of the perfect reproduction of Norah Jones. Her voice that is, sadly, not the rest of her. See, the main reason to come to the Home Entertainment Show—besides the rare gem like the Krell iPod Dock—is to check out Extra Big Ass Speakers.
We bumped into our friend Steve Guttenberg (the audio equipment reviewer, not the savior of both Johnny Five and Sweet Chuck). Follow the jump to have a look at what he thought was the "pick of the show."
Looking for a way to pamper your iPod? Audio giant Krell showed off its first ever iPod dock at the Home Entertainment Show 2007 in New York today. The $1,200 dock (which is the most expensive iPod accessory out there) was just finished yesterday. Krell reps affectionately call it "The Kid." To serious audiophiles who scoff at the iPod, Krell has this to say: "You can ignore or you can embrace it." From the looks of the dock, we're glad they did the latter.
There are two reasons why we think this 360 degree tabletop fan is great. One is obvious: It's a 360 degree table fan that can cool everyone in the room (just about) at the same time.
The other reason is because it looks like something you could stick a bird into and torture it with. No, we're not sadistic. We were sexually abused by a parakeet when we were kids.
Product Page [Front Gate via Red Ferret via uber gizmo]
Instead of sticking your subwoofer near the rest of your speakers and rattling the whole room, why not get a SUBstage200, stick it under your couch, and make sure you feel that bass?
The SUBstage200, a follow-up to the older SUBstage100, will have a 200-watt Class D amp on board and have bass response down to 32Hz. The price? $399 when it ships in July.
Product Page for SUBstage 100 [Sound Matters via Chip Chick via Slashgear]
Yesterday, in addition of chillin' with Woz, we checked out some inventions from the Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge that he was there to judge. One of the ones that caught our eye was the AquaSkipper, a sweet, human-powered water vehicle.
Simply hop up and down and get propelled across the water like some sort of giant waterbug. It looks like a serous amount of fun, and my new goal is getting one in for review for this summer. They're available for purchase now for $500 if you feel like giving it a whirl.
IGN's taken the Nyko PS3 Intercooler out for a spin on their PS3s and came to one conclusion: It's loud. The cooler itself attaches to both the back and the side of your PS3 and has a knob to adjust fan speed depending on if you're doing some heavy duty processing (like Folding@Home).
However, beyond stating that it makes the PS3 noticeably louder and that it moves "dramatically more air" through the PS3, there's not much information. What's the temperature reading before and after you add this on? While playing a movie? While using Folding @ Home? While gaming? We'll try and get a hands on and see for ourselves.
Here is the latest addition to our ever-growing steampunk collection. This is a true, Victorian Lancaster Pocket Watch that also includes a spy camera. This spy tool has a bit of history, too. It was owned by the grandson of a cabinetmaker who worked at J. Lancaster & Son likely making wooden cameras and somehow got his hands on this spy watch. It recently sold at Bonhams auction for $36,000.
Victorian 1886 Spy Camera Pocket Watch [Watchismo]
Remember the Pantech IM-R200 double LCD phone with touchscreen keys? You know, the one that gives you tactile feedback on the touchscreen so you can actually see what's going on? AVING hassome nicer pictures of the screen, showing off various styles of keypads that you can change to.
We're hoping there's more than just keypad styles on the touchscreen—maybe some kinda QWERTY or something—but we do see that it looks different when a call is in effect. Head over to check out more pics.
Bonus shot after the jump.
Yes, we know, there have been a half dozen or more false alarms about the Beatles music finally becoming legally available online, but this time, we're hearing it from a former Beatle. Singer-songwriter Paul McCartney told Billboard in an interview that a deal to sell the Beatles catalog online is "virtually settled."
McCartney's upcoming album, perhaps presciently titled Memory Almost Full, will be his first release to be available for download, and that will be released on June 5. Keep in mind that the Beatles music deal's still not officially settled, nor did McCartney say anything specific about the iTunes Store. Yet.
Exclusive: McCartney Goes Digital, Beatles 'Virtually Settled' [Billboard]
I never really got into the whole gamer keypad thing, as I figured you'd have to be much more into PC gaming than I am to want to unhook your keyboard and hook up a tinier one so you could frag faster. If having a smaller keyboard actually provided any benefit. But hey, if you really want to get your clan to the top of that Counter-Strike tourney, perhaps this is just the boost you need to get you over the top.
It's the ErgoMedia 500, a gaming pad with what looks like a comfy wrist pad attached. It's got stuff like 11 macros, a scroll wheel, a d-pad, and lit-up buttons. Will it make you any better at your favorite games? It's debatable, but ErgoMedia hopes it's a question that's worth your $43 to answer.
Product Page [via Everything USB]
(Not our Jesus, of the Diaz variety.) The iRosary is a conceptual design by Tino Dobra that connects the iPod to headphones via a cross rosary. Traditional rosaries include beads, but for this hip iPod version the included single bead is a bit different:
The position of the bead can be measured and heard as audio beads on a sensitive range of the cable. Due to technical possibilities, the new rosary can help a person to learn the prayer; the right mysteries are inserted automatically and there are various modes for choosing the degree of difficulty.
I guess the iRosary was designed to be more attractive for the kids and their damned iPods, but the whole bead/prayer challenge seems a bit much.
iRosary [Yanko]
Garmin just revved up its Rhino series of GPS-equipped two-way radios, today introducing the 520HCx and the 530HCx (pictured here) that bring a couple of new features to their already formidable feature set. The most welcome update is a faster processor that speeds up their map drawing and route calculations. A microSD memory card slot was also added, giving Garmin and others the opportunity to sell you expensive electronic maps of lakes and roads with highly detailed topography.
The two coolest things about these walkie-talkies is that they're so waterproof you can dunk them under 3 feet of water for 30 minutes, plus they can show you the location of whomever you're talking to right there on your screen. You can also do "location polling," letting you can see the location of all other Garmin Rhinos within range. With one of these things, it's virtually impossible for outdoorsy types to get lost in the woods. Great for marauding bands of deer-slaying hunters.
See the next page for pricing and a huge pic of the 530HCx.
Here's another clip from my interview with Steve Wozniak yesterday. This time, he's talking about what about Apple makes people so fanatical. Sure, I could have asked Blam, but he looks so cute sleeping in his Apple pajamas that I couldn't bear to wake him up. Anyways, Woz is a greater authority on the subject as he receives the love of fanboys rather than just being one himself.
Check back next week for more videos, including more iPhone talk and a peek at the hardware Woz carries around on a daily basis.
Thirsty? Out of cash? Don't worry, if you're near one of these Japanese MediCafe vending machines, it'll give you a drink for free. Not because you've got a pretty face, because you don't. No, it doles out free drinks as a reward for you watching an advertisement on its built-in video screen.
Now I hate pervasive advertising as much as, if not more than, the next guy, but this is awesome. Its rare that you actually get rewarded for watching an ad, even when it's so very valuable to advertisers. I'll watch all the ads you want, just give me free stuff. I'm not a complicated man.
Here's an LED-lit keychain device that lets you project an image of the time of day. Curiously named a Laser Clock, there aren't really any lasers involved, according to a nice guy we talked to at the product's distributor, Dynamism. In fact, there's no laser inside this little device at all, and it's only able to project an image a mere 12 inches away. Just thought you'd like to know what you'd be getting for your $29.
When we saw the term "laser clock" bandied about, we had visions of projecting a super-sharp laser image of 4:20 a half a mile away, onto that big water tower way over there. Or maybe equipping the device with a Batman pattern and projecting it onto the clouds above. This is not that. Laser clock? Hardly.
Product Page [Dynamism]
Researchers in Germany have developed a software program that can re-assemble shredded documents. The software relies on special algorithms to help piece everything back together as it scans and analyses documents based on their color, shape, handwriting, texture and typeface. The software can even piece together files shredded by machines, which I find both cool and a little nerve-racking to be honest.
New Software Restores Shredded Documents [The Raw Feed]
If you're a TiVo jockey and want to get in on the TiVo hack-o-rama—but you're not a hacker—you might want to take a look at the top five TiVo hacks from our buddy Dave Zatz. Top of the list... Read More »
The sexy Zenum Opus smartphone has been making its way around the Interwebs for quite some time, and today it's finally getting a release date. According to the gang at Unwired (who checked in with Zenum), the smartphone will be out later this month. It'll come with a 2-megapixel camera, Windows Mobile 6, a 2.5-inch display and both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (sorry, no 3G). Sounds really enticing, but considering their last project never came to be, I have a sinking feeling this phone will forever be a concept too.
Zenum Opus PDA Phone in May [Unwired via Slash Gear]
Those industrious Indians are so smart. To hell with that one laptop per child (OLPC, pictured above) project whose notebook price started at $100 and now costs upwards of $175 and climbing—Indian researchers say they can bring one in for a fraction of that cost, a mere $10 for a fully-functioning laptop PC. The idea is floating around the halls of Indian government agencies, and supporting the project is state-sponsored integrated circuit design and manufacturer Semiconductor Complex.
There are a couple of design proposals on the table from engineering hopefuls, but it's just a whole lot of talk thus far, much of which is predicated on upbeat predictions of manufacturing and distribution techniques bringing costs down to that rock-bottom $10 level. Sure, the laptop will be loaded with free open-source Linux software, but unless that semiconductor manufacturer tosses in all the hardware for free, too, this $10 laptop malarkey goes directly into the "insert miracle here" file.
A $10 Laptop? [Coolest Gadgets]
