SawStop is a safety feature that immediately stops and retracts a spinning saw blade if it comes in contact with anything that even remotely resembles your finger. Check out the startling video above, where it practically self-destructs in order to save this innocent hot dog's life. If that were actually your finger, you would escape with just a scratch and maybe need a stitch or two rather than running around your woodshop looking for your finger. How does it work?

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HD DVD fans are getting a double helping of good news this morning thanks to Toshiba. Their SD-L912A is not only the first HD DVD-RW drive for laptops, but measuring in at half an inch thick, it's also the slimmest. Sure, it's slow (1x read/write speeds) and faster drives are bound to follow, but for now it's the only option available. It'll be out this July. – Louis Ramirez Toshiba SD-L912A [Impress]

Next time you get kicked out of the house for watching too much porn, just roll out your do-it-yourself backyard theater, an LCD projector that's completely self-contained with a DVD player on board. Just add a fancy drive-in movie screen and have a complete alfresco entertainment center. See it in action on the next page.

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Nokia keeps launching phones that nobody will really give a damn about until June 29th, when everyone realizes that they will have to wait for three more months before actually getting a Messiah-Phone. This is the 6500 classic, which comes with 3G support in a 0.37-inch aluminum "loop" structure. We will have to wait to see it in the US, but you can find more details on the classic and its 6500 slider twin after the jump now.

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Whether it is lower production costs or a new need to compete seriously with Toshiba's HD DVD camp, Sony has sliced $100 off of its original pricing for the BDP-S300 Blu-ray player, to a list price of $499. That's... Read More »

Think owning a 1080p projector is out of your budget? Think again. Today Optoma is debuting its most affordable 1080p projector, the $2,999 HD80. The new DLP-based HD80 one-ups the HD70 (720p) delivering 1,300 lumens with a 10,000:1 contrast ratio. And that's only the beginning.

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Here's the new 2.32-ounce Samsung SGH-E590. Designed by Jasper Morrison, the SGH-E590 has... hrmm... things. You know. A screen. Some buttons. A camera, too. It has panorama functions and stuff. And it comes with a special rubberized bean bag that acts as a tripod or something. And... whatever. Not even the mention of a rubberized tripod excites me after the new Messiah-Phone ads. Still, a nice minimalist cellphone that comes loaded with features. It will be out in Asia and Europe this June, but who cares: the American people will have the iPhone! Or at least, some ads. Extra pics and complete features of the Samsung SGH-E590 after the jump.

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Last week at D, Steve Jobs told Mossberg 3rd party apps would come later this year. And a lot of geeks were happy, but lots didn't believe him, either. John Markoff of the NYTimes backs up the story, and claims that some sort of SDK will be unveiled at WWDC.

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Telstra claims they're going to be ready to sell 80Mbit/s wireless broadband in 2010, if BigPond Chief Justin Milne's words are to be believed. According to our good pals at APCmag.com, in a sales roadshow video he's encouraging sales staff to start talking about these speeds to potential customers.

We launched with 3.6 megabits per second, we're now up to 7.2, we'll be 14.4 before you blink, next year up to 40, two years time after that up to 80, so this is really a paradigm shifter.

I as much as the next person, probably more, would love some stupidly high-speed ubiquitous wireless tubes to play in. But I'm prepared to eat my words printed out on dog biscuits if we have 80Mbit/s wireless access available at retail by Dec 31, 2010, 23.59.59.

I'm serious. If you're reading, Craig, I'll come down to Telstra HQ and do it for your amusement, too. Anyone over at Telstra willing to take up the other side of that bet - come to Giz HQ first business day of 2011 and eat some dog biscuits if it isn't available? Will Justin put his mouth where his mouth is? Or maybe Rod will step up?

Telstra names date for 80Mbit/s broadband [APCmag.com]

At the Google Developer Day (end of last week), a big announcement was the new Google Gears browser add-on and API (now in beta). It's set to let you run apps like GMail in an offline mode, as well as any other web app that plugs into the architecture.

This is a pretty huge step for online apps, as the elephant in the room has always been how dead they are when you are offline - and everyone is offline at one time or another.

Angus Kidman over has a good exploration of the tech over at APCmag.com. Well worth a look for anyone who is interested in reading about the future of applications. Yes, that includes you... -Seamus Byrne

Google Gears up for offline apps [APCmag.com]

Here are those Apple iPhone ads, just seen on 60 minutes just now. They all confirm the iPhone's June 29th release date, they all show lots of gorgeous video of the iPhone in use. This video is called "Never Been an iPod", talking about all the new things you can do on the iPhone, like coverflow, widescreen movies, and of course, make calls. The other two videos are great. One is a better quality version of the "Calamari" video, showing movie playback and Google maps search and call functionality. The other is called "How To", and it shows a lot of iPhone use, and how simple it is to work.

AU: Obviously this isn't our date - we're next year. But the ads and the general interest mean we're posting this. Now go cry into your pillow... or watch the ads. They're pretty cool - do a good job of overcoming how jaded I'm feeling about the non-stop speculation. -SB

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I've seen this happen over the years, and it isn't pretty if it's your own screen. But one of our readers shows us a little DIY for fixing this damage in the video above. Almost TOO easy, if you ask me... though I guess fitting a magnet to a drill isn't the simplest of hacks.

Is this fix old news, or is this one clever SOB? -Seamus Byrne

Thanks Mike.

Silly putty is pretty old school, but offering it up in an IV bag all red and blood like? That's officially cool. Now when you fake a sneeze with putty, your folks rush you off to the doctors office. They have an 'alien' version, green, but that's just cheating.

Did silly putty always have the potential to "stain wall paper, painted, wood or rubber surfaces, carpets fabrics and other absorbent materials"? Or is it just that in this day and age you have to warn of EVERY little thing that can happen lest you get sued. -Seamus Byrne

Product Page [via Nerd Approved]

This photo from Copenhagen airport reflects many scenes I've seen locally and abroad in recent times. Where once there were public phones, now there are empty shells. Here at home, Telstra has a duty to provide payphones, and amongst their many fights with regulation they want to force other companies to share the burden of maintaining such phones (will everyone get a share of the ad revenue on the back?)

I think we should get booths specifically for people on phones to use. (1) It will give people somewhere a bit quieter to talk up a storm and (2) it might remind people that they should try and be a little discreet when talking up said storm. I know I've heard of this stuff OS - anyone know where these mobile phone booths are found?

And hey, if you've spotted any really good / crazy empty phone spots in your area, why not take a snap and send it in? -Seamus Byrne

Landlines downhill [Pasta and Vinegar]

Eggs + Bread + Frypan = Awesome start to the week!

Bill Gates mentioned Roundtable - what is it?
Some archival insights into the 'Roundtable' 360 degree video conferencing system.

Rumour: New MacBook Pros this week?
Just a rumour, but with WWDC coming up next week, it's a good time to hold out on any purchases anyway.

PS3 game upscaling - any good?
480i, maybe; 480p? Maybe you should skip it...

Aliens fan makes own M-41A Pulse Rifle.
Better to nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

AYet another flash memory format: miCard!
USB and MMC compatible, 2TB max capacity - doesn't sound too shabby.

Place your bets in our first ever Battlemodo Bracket before it's too late. The reviews begin tonight and will run every other day until we are either done or lose all of our Sansa-loving readership. We will be grading primarily on sound, but form and ease of use will both play a factor. Are we testing every iPod dock in existence? No...we do have lives, be they limited. Are we testing every iPod dock we could get our hands on that didn't look to completely suck? You betcha. – Mark Wilson

The MultiMedia Card Association (who?) has approved a new "global memory card standard" developed by a Taiwanese research institute—dubbed the miCard (Multiple Interface Card)—which will work with both USB and MMC slots. Skepticism over new formats aside, the specs seem fairly impressive: initial transfer rate and storage will be around 480Mbit/sec and 8GB, respectively, with both improving over time. The expected maximum capacity? 2048GB. I can definitely get behind two terabytes in my pocket. (I'm also happy to see you.) Twelve companies are already backing the new format:

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Built at Legoland in California with over 465,000 bricks, this 94.3-foot pirate ship mast is the new tallest LEGO tower in the world, besting the Danes' meager 93.43-foot tower constructed last year by almost a foot. And I mean, pirate ship = awesome. It just needs some ninjas crawling all over it killing pirates, since that's what ninjas do. – Matt Buchanan World's tallest Lego tower built from 465,000 bricks [Daily Mail via Neatorama]

The image is too low quality to tell whether or not it was Photoshopped, but let's all assume it's real and get into a huge PC vs. Mac fight. Because I haven't seen one of those in at least 3 days. And besides, we can always end things peacefully by laughing at Linux users. Because that group gets REALLY worked up. – Mark Wilson Picture [via digg]

Aliens fans will recognize this gun. In the original movie, the M41-A fired 45 caliber bullets, 12 gauge shot gun rounds and mini grenades. Apparently the prop wasn't just the product of sci-fi movie magic, but of real, current (80s) technologies. That's why one totally enlightened loony guy spent 18 months and $1,000 building an M41 of his own.

The parts are difficult to find. Remaining true to the original prop construction, and remaining within the guidlines of the US law, I decided to go with as many real gun parts as possible.

The Vintage Game Boy iPod Case is not just another modder showing off—it's an actual, 100% purchasable product.

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Specifically why did Amp'd Mobile file for Chapter 11? They owed money to a few people: Verizon Wireless: $33 million Motorola: $16 million Vivendi: $10 million BestBuy: $8 million MTV Networks: $1.8 million When coupled with other debts, the... Read More »

Are you sick of your Staples brand "easy button"? No problem! Order one with your own logo/super hero symbol. Better yet, order 50 since that is the minimum. Buzline is producing custom simplicity devices (synonyms for corporate catchphrases are failing me) that light up through USB power and even loads a URL when pushed. Will they reboot your computer and shoot nukes? No. But they will be sure to blow your company's integrity right out of the water (zing). Now, were a philanthropic modder to get hold of such large, USB button technology, who knows the possibilities *cough* Gizmodo button *cough*? For anyone interested in the Buzline factory ad, hit the jump. It's a glorious combination of glowballs, smiling faces and 80s elevator rock.

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The new posterboys of solar power? The Amish. More from New Scientist:

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Are these the first decent cellphone accessories ever created? Yes. Yes they are. – Mark Wilson Product Page [via textually]

We love us some phone concepts around here, and Syntes Studio's Domino phone is no exception. The dialing buttons are setup with domino dots to designate value, as opposed to the primitive, fashionless numeric system. Plus, it's super sleek and thin, just like your favorite anorexic super model (but sexy). We especially like that you get five extra phones with each purchase, just so you can set them up to fall. Hit the jump for some more shots.

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