When Should You Buy Your Next Gadget? 
Aussie IT Pricing Inquiry Now Taking Submissions 
What Are The Most Stylish Laptops And Ultrabooks? 
Laptop Buying Guide 2012: How To Find The Right Laptop For You 
Spotify Finally Makes Its Australian Debut 
Top 10 Pervasive Tech Myths That Are Only Wasting Your Time Panasonic announces 4x Blu-Ray write-once discs in 25GB and 50GB flavors coming in July and September. [Gearlog]
newVideoPlayer("crazy_bird_girl_gawker.flv", 475, 376);While wading through saturated pools of awesomeness at the 2007 Transformers Botcon, I stumbled upon a girl who gave me the inside scoop on the new Michael Bay film…with the help of her puppatron best friend. Max, a sparrow/ferret/fraggle-looking creature, remained stalwartly perched upon his lovely master’s right shoulder, only to gnaw at her glasses and spastically twitch while she mused about the highs and lows of the new bot flick. How does Max function? What did the two think of the movie? Watch the video to be frightened, I mean, to find out. While you’re jonesin’ for more Transformer freaks, be sure to check out my extensive coverage of the 2007 Botcon. Video by Jack Ventura.
Almost every website you visit these days lets you create an account of some sort to personalize your experience. Remembering all those username/password combos can get tedious and lead to weak, reused passwords that jeopardize your security. Enter Dynahand, a new form of online authentication that requires you to identify your own handwriting from a group instead of typing in a password. But is it worth it? I don’t buy it.
Since the iPhone’s headphones jack is leaving us all with precious few options, it’s not surprising to see headphones made specifically with the gadget in mind. The V-MODA’s Vibe Duo headphones deliver the same quality sound V-MODA earbuds are known for, and act as a headset to boot. That means you don’t need to whip out the iPhone to answer calls—just trigger it on the headset. While not as colorful as previous designs, these sleek, high-end earbuds will fit any standard jack, as well as the iPhone’s mysteriously recessed jack.
The Vibe Duo earbuds feature the same technology V-MODA puts into all their high end headphones, so you’ll get plenty of bass, less spillover, and black fabric cables ending in durable, metal enclosures. They cost $99, but are well worth it as they won’t get in the way of your calling, either. It’s also worth noting that they’re the only third party headphones in the Apple Store. The quality might make you want to chuck the iPhone earbuds anyway.
Oddly, there isn’t much else that sets them apart from previous V-MODA headphones, save their “DUAL compatibility,” which is just a fancy way of saying it fits everything you should expect and then the iPhone as well. Still, buying a fresh set is lot faster than waiting for Apple to issue a redesign. But if you’ve got an iPhone, these are definitely the way to go if you’re looking for a V-Moda set, thanks to its dual mic/headphone capability.
Some kids grow up wanting to be firefighters and ballerinas, but most grow up wanting to pilot giant robotic killing machines. Since we aren’t living in the future just yet, you’ll have to satisfy your fantasies with this Gundam IP phone. The headset and software are pretty standard fare, but it also comes with a GUI that puts you in the cockpit of an armored suit while you’re making calls. If that doesn’t give you the confidence you need to tackle those sales calls, nothing will. Available August 31 for about $45. [Gundam IP Phone via Akihabara News]
Most of the chairs we see around these parts are office or gaming related, but this gal is definitely too hot for your living room. Seriously, the Cleopatra Hotstone Chaise Lounge is a solid slab of carved rock that heats up to slow-roast you all the way through. Why you would want to pay $15,000 for a 107°F slab of rock when you could just go lay on your driveway is beyond me, but apparently this “luxury” product is more relaxing than your average rock chair. [Cleopatra Heated Lounge Chair via Luxury Launches]
Fans of the popular HTC Excalibur (T-Mobile Dash) should be excited to hear that the smartphone’s anticipated successor, the HTC Cavalier, has been approved by the FCC. We already saw the thing get unboxed months ago, but for those of you with short memories, the Cavalier has 3G connectivity—a make-or-break feature for most people looking at smartphones these days—Windows Mobile 6, a 400MHz processor, and a 2-megapixel camera.
Now all the Cavalier needs is a US carrier and we’ll finally be able to get our eager hands on it. With the presence of GSM support, we wouldn’t be surprised to see T-Mobile pick it up. Given AT&T’s lackluster handling of the iPhone release, we’re hoping their hands are too tightly tied to grab hold of the Cavalier. [FCC]
While it seems that the HD DVD gang has been on a wobbly tightrope for years, surrounded by jeering Blu-ray supporters like Sony, Samsung and Panasonic, it sometimes feels like HD DVD could stay on that tightrope for a very long time. Last week we reported that it’s finally rolling out the long promised support for downloaded content; this week, two more announcements made the underdog seem good and spunky.
I’m in Paris, and I’m online, but the hotel ‘broadband’ is struggling under the weight of my Undefeated Seven-Windows Browser Technique. I crave sleep like a zombie craves brains, but I’ll tough it out for my Giz crew. Just a little slow is all. I’ll start earlier to compensate tomorrow, so just a heads up for today. Feed is coming down the tubes SSLLOOWW… -Seamus Byrne
If you’ve got the schematics for the next big gadget saved on your thumb drive, one of Rehoboth Tech’s Irikon flash memory sticks might be as secure as it gets. Touted as the world’s first iris-scanning USB drive, the Irikon can remember up to 20 different eyes as authorized users and comes in sizes of 1GB to 4GB.
Not much at all, but secure drives tend to run smaller. The Rehoboth site is a little vague as to how the scan works, but with a rechargeable battery built in, as well as a 6cm scan range, we’re guessing you give the drive a look at your eyes before you plug it into the port. It would be horribly awkward to always have to lean down for the scan—especially if the drive was plugged into a desktop.
