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Lifehacker
Here's a design concept that's long overdue: it's a vibrating alarm that you wear on your finger, bypassing all that morning racket for a gentle jostling. Each of the two rings can have its own separate wake-up time, designed for comfort with an elastic band so you'll hardly know you're wearing it.
Living up to Amazon Unbox's name and TiVo's reputation, the two finally ditched the requirement of a PC to browse and select titles, and introduced a video-download service that exists entirely on the TiVo itself. And don't worry about storing too many of your purchases on your TiVo's hard drive: like the Xbox video service, Amazon keeps your purchases on record, and lets you download them whenever you want from its server. [TechWhack]
We like our MP3 players small and wafer-thin, and this TEAC MP-600 qualifies as both because it's about the size of a Triscuit. Even though it's just 3 inches wide and 9mm thin, it still shows off a 3.5-inch touchscreen up front, and packs an FM tuner along with digital voice recording inside. Take the jump for a big pic, and you'll see just how sharp this baby's screen really is.
The Hands Hands Soap is not just creepy and scares the bejeezus out of me. This soap shaped as baby hands to wash your hands is just wrong at the cosmological level, as cleaning your hands with hands will also clean the hands that cleaned your hands while cleaning your own hands, incurring in a time-space Chen-Diaz Loop Paradox that may break the space-time continuum, starting a chain reaction that will annihilate the Universe faster than you can say "Galactus!" I, for one, I'm glad I don't have a clue about where to buy them.
Belkin has just released a way to add 802.11n connectivity to your laptop with Express Card or PC Card slot, so you could easily get all those streaming porn HD clips where it really matters: in the bathroom. Destined to become obsolete as soon as you change your notebook, the Belkin N1 Wireless goes for $120 for the Express Card flavor and $100 for the regular. [Belkin via Krunker]
Maybe it's not the simplest, but apart from running on top of a sequoia log, I can't think of any simpler unicycle than this. $74 will get you the Nimbus Ultimate Wheel with no seat and no chain. However, it comes with lots of free stuff, plus a demo video after the jump.
Orvis Stainless Steel Huge Flask. One. Entire. Gallon. Bourbon. Rum. Tequila. Whatever. It won't even fit into André the Giant pants but if you ask me, it's totally worth the $200. [Product Page via Oh Gizmo]
The Phonofonics II pumps out sound at 55 decibels, directly from your iPod and without using any external power whatsoever, just with its white ceramic horn. How this hornstastic magic happens? Quite simple: this thing has ears.
More than just a glorified tin can on wheels, the Teardrop trailer from Sundance is a little pocket of retro heaven - provided your pockets are deep enough to afford the wonga needed to snap one of these up. With an aluminum exterior and maple interior, the 1,000-lb trailer has a whole heap of things inside - including a double bed.
Back in April we warned you about the M500 phone-wristwatch. Well, now you can see it in action with this cheese-mungous video. The M500 was given the thumbs-up by the FCC at the end of May and it's on sale for around $820. Pretending you are Secret Squirrel doesn't come cheap, it seems. [Mobile Mentalism]
It's official: You should keep your PS2 around for Guitar Hero III since it picks up the most badass guitar of the bunch, a black Kramer. The PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 all get boring white Gibson Les Pauls. But at least now you can swap the faceplate out for something that shreds a bit harder, like My Little Pony (of Doom). [Gaming-Age via Kotaku]
Taser just introduced this multiple projectile taser cannon as part of its 2007 Tactical Conference, appropriately named the Shockwave. Each one of those little green boxes can light up an assailant's ass like any particular day happens to be the fourth of July.
The official website for OpenMoko, the open source Linux-based phone dubbed the "hacker's dream," went live today. We groped an early base model back in February and had a righteously detailed breakdown of the latest details last week. Now that the site is live, you can order a developer preview phone kit from their store for the expected price of $300 for the base model or $450 for the advanced kit. Product Page [OpenMoko]
Thanks to Stephen for pointing out the dud site link...
When a cooler full of ice can't handle your mobile refrigeration needs, reach for the CarryCool refrigerated tote. The bag's adapter plugs into a standard car lighter and draws enough power to keep everything inside nice and cool. When would you actually use this thing? Perhaps you're in the business of smuggling dinosaur DNA samples across secluded islands in your Jeep. You can improve upon one of the world's oldest (and cheapest) cooling methods for a mere $155. [CarryCool via Red Ferret]
Fresh from the design room comes Musipen, a cylindrical MP3 concept with a curved glowing screen, twisty-knob controls, and a pretty power button. If that doesn't have you excited, glance to the left and feast your eyes on that lithe form factor. There's a play/pause/off button up top, knobs to control everything else, and a screen with plenty of space to display song info.
Who but the greatest public-restroom aficionados knew that the "final touchless restroom frontier" was the electronic toilet-paper dispenser? I for one am surprised that no one has tried to market this already. But sure enough, I just heard from public-restroom mainstay Kimberly-Clark, who announced the JRT* Electronic Coreless, the world's first touchless electronic bath-tissue dispenser. As Richard Thorne, director of Kimberly-Clark's North American washroom business put it: "The electronic revolution has entered the bathroom stall." The following is all true.
Did you ever wonder who covered the damage when Optimus and Megatron face off? McSweeney's intercepted this letter from Optimus Prime's insurance agent notifying him of his policy increase to $235,567.50.
Since becoming a GEICO customer in January of this year, you have reported 131 accidents, requesting reimbursement for repairs necessitated by each one. You have claimed not to be responsible in any of them, usually listing the cause of the accident as either "Sneak attack by Decepticons" or "Unavoidable damage caused by protecting freedom for all sentient beings."[McSweeney's via Danny D.]
Today, ATI announced the 600 USB and 650 PCIe cards, one for USB one for PCIe. The USB is a single tuner HDTV device for laptops, like the Pinnacle. The 650 PCIe is a desktop card with two tuners (that's new) that records and plays an analog and digital source simultaneously. Both cards have Orb DVR software which allows other PCs on the network to stream shows from the host PC.
What do you get when you combine a Taser with a shotgun shell? Something you really, really don't want to get hit with. The new Taser XREP is a tiny wireless Taser that can be fired from a standard issue 12 gauge, taking down perps from up to 100 feet away. And hey, if you're worried that there's just no way that they can cram all the pants-pooping power of a full Taser into a bullet, don't sweat it!The video puts things in perspective, too.
This 71-year-old Chinese man goes by "Electric Man" to his friends and neighbors. Why? Because he routinely has 220V of electricity flowing through his body for "exercise." While he's charged up, he can do a number of things, such as light lightbulbs and cook a fish in a mere two minutes. He also uses his powers to treat locals for such diseases as rheumatism, arthritis and lumbago, which confirms my wish to never be treated at a rural Chinese hospital for anything, ever. • [Spulch]
Looking for a comic- book style hotel to stay in on your next trip to China? Then check out the Songjiang Hotel. It's being built within a quarry. A quarry! Why not just call it a layer. The Songjiang, scheduled to be completed in 2009, not only has your traditional spas and conference facilities, but also features bungee jumping off of the top of the quarry, a few underwater guest rooms, a grass-covered roof, several waterfalls (one of which flows down the front of the hotel) and even geo-thermal energy extraction that should be able to power most of the hotel's needs.
Come on US, where are our geo-thermal quarry hotels? All we have are the dancing fountains outside the Bellagio in Las Vegas. [EcoGeek]
e-Revolution wants to change the way you think about lighting—and how the area around that light, uh, smells? The Deodolight is a cupholder-sized lamp with color-changing LEDs and a built-in deodorizer, available in refillable grapefruit, forest and unscented. The transitions between colors are subtle and slow, designed to be soothing. Because of its small, handy size, you could actually find quite a few places for the Deodolight.
Recommended placements for the Deodolight include the front-seat cupholder, so you'll look really creepy to other commuters as your face changes color, though not threatening—those gentle colors and scents should put you right to sleep. It's not the first time e-Revolution has come out with a "soothing" product, but the Deodolight is arguably one of its more useful creations. This product is pretty much Japan-only, but you should click through to the product page anyway, if only for the adorable Google translation.
Product page [Deodolight via Technabob]
Why eat in the dark when you can shove a bunch of LEDs on a picnic blanket and call it a day? We can't come up with a reason, so head on over to Instructables to see how you can build your own.
All you need is a string of 64 LEDs, a bunch of PVC sheeting, plastic buckles, 5 AA batteries, a 6 AA battery holder, and...jeez, this list is long. Are they building a picnic blanket or hatching a plot to blow up CTU?
Instructions Page [Instructables via Craftzine]
The Mecca for all things USB, Brando, has brought out a digital microscope that is also a webcam and a USB hub. Good for science lessons, I suppose. And anyone who brought a pole dancer home, put her in the wash and accidentally shrunk her.
It's got a cracking pair of USB ports and works with Windows 98, 2000 and XP. There's a built-in microphone and it magnifies up to 600 times. Cost is $199, and here's a picture of what it can do.
Sheesh, guys, a leaf. Couldn't you have scraped off some toe jam and blown that up for us instead? [Product Page via UberGizmo]
2007 marks the 15th anniversary of the release of Microsoft Windows 3.1, so it seems like an apt time to look back on some of the somewhat confused marketing from that early era of computing. While operating systems may have changed quite a bit since 1992, the general craziness of Japan has not, as demonstrated by this Japanese Windows 3.1 ad. It which kind of puts me off on both Windows 3.1 and Japan at the same time, which says a lot, as I'm posting this from my Windows 3.1 box. 3.1 fanboys, represent! • [TokyoMango]
Seeing as eBuddy and Meebo either only kinda work or support only AIM, and Trillian Astra isn't actually available yet, JiveTalk looks like the only good solution for mobile IMing on the iPhone. Not only does it support AIM, there's MSN, Yahoo, GoogleTalk, ICQ, and Jabber support as well. And it's FAST. In our own tests, the IMs came in super speedy and in iChat-esque bubbles (like the SMS app). There's even chat icons on the top to represent tabs, so you can cycle between different conversations. It's still in alpha, which explains why there aren't any options for, say, hiding offline contacts, but it's still good enough to earn our recommendation as the best chat app so far. [BeeJive]
You think your 30-inch cinema display is big? Shut up. This GPNC 70-inch LCD PC is big. It's like an iMac, in that the computer is built into the screen, except it's way too big to sit anywhere near and probably isn't built quite as solidly as an iMac.
And I'm not saying that just because it's made by a no-name Korean company. I'm saying it because there's an error message on the screen in the official product shot. Not exactly the sign of a reputable company, no? I'll pass, thanks. • [Geekologie]
If you thought only Richard Branson and other well-off BoatCar enthusiasts were the only ones interested in being active on both land and sea, well, you'd be wrong. The Navy's eyeballing this as well. The Naval Surface Warfare Center is looking at high-speed amphibian (HSA) craft, like this BoatCar, to quickly go from land to sea to land and possibly some air too (if they get some kinda ramp going).
N'Gai from Newsweek spotted a reason for that seemingly useless PS3 upgrade to 80GB: a new high-def TV and movie download service that they'll announce at E3. But not really in any detail.
...also an in-the-works video download service that will let PS3 owners download high-definition movies and TV shows, just as Xbox 360 owners have been able to do since November 2006. The frustration comes from the fact that while Sony will signal its intentions for the service during its E3 press conference, it won't go into any more details than that. We hear that it's because SCE Japan is still furiously beavering away at the guts of the service, and in keeping with the lips-sealed-until-it's all-shiny-and-ready-for-primetime culture of Sony's engineers that we discussed earlier this year with Playstation game software boss Phil Harrison, SCE will be, well, keeping its lips sealed until it's all shiny and ready for primetime. Bummer.Great, but you know what? Sony has had a terrible record of doing video downloads. We love their TVs, but that expensive Internet Video Link has yet to show anything worthwhile in terms of content. [Newsweek via Kotaku]
Remember that remote control iPhone to Mac app we showed you last week? Someone's used that to get World of freaking Warcraft working on the iPhone. It's not exactly "desktop quality," but he does get the ability to chat and execute some basic commands. You won't see another Jenkins episode reproduced on the iPhone though, since it looks like it takes forever to do anything. [Everything Digital via Kotaku]
You know those redesigned iMacs that are rumored to be showing up in the next couple of weeks? Well it may be that Apple is going to introduce a new MacBook-style keyboard along with them, says Apple Insider. Personally, we love it, so we're not worried, but we also know some people aren't so cool with the wider spacing. [AppleInsider]
We all knew the European PS3s use software emulation to play PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 games, but all our US PS3s were doing much better hardware "emotion engine" emulation. But if you want one of the fancy new 80GB PS3s, featuring twenty—count'em, twenty—more jiggabytes than the 60GB model, you'll have to deal with software emulation for your old titles. We recommend you get the 60GB now, and make do with a little less space for better compatibility.
New 80GB PS3 eliminates "emotion engine" chip [Gamesindustry]
All you BlackBerry lovers envious of other people's smartphone's Wi-Fi capabilities can stop pining—the FedComCom's got you covered. Late last week, the FCC just approved what looks like a 8800 series BlackBerry with 802.11a, b and g. It's GSM,... Read More »
Okay, before you get too confused, understand that this 16" Seeing Double Wall Clock is too weird, but unique. This $103 clock can (almost) show you both minutes and hour readings with either of its hands, as long as they're over the LEDs. Why? Let's figure this out together.
This is just one of those weird gadgets that people will ask you, WTF? Why make this? Because they can, that's why. So let's figure this out. If the minute hand in this illustration reaches the 10:15 point, the LED underneath that green film will read 10. And then, the LED under the hour hand, under the red film, will read 15.
And we're guessing that when both hands are on top of each other, the green and red filters will make the wrong number invisible underneath, because there are both green and red LEDs. Or something. But what's wrong with just a regular clock with a minute and hour hand? Or a digital clock?
Product Page [Revivehome, via Coolest Gadgets]
Designer James Dunlop hopes his myhab disposable habitats will help curb the huge number of tents left behind at crowded functions, such as music festivals. At a glance, myhab might look like a glorified cardboard box, but check this out: Your very own myhab with room for two will be erected as well as dismantled for you, and contains a cushioned pad to sleep on, a locker secured by a PIN, lighting and the option to personalize your myhab with your name. The myhab hasn't hit the campgrounds yet, but the company hopes for 2008 to be its big release year.
Myhab Limited is based in London, and was formed when its founders saw a business opportunity in the increasing number of ditched tents after popular events, such as a the Glastonbury Festivals. Back in 2005, organizers reported 10,000 abandoned tents. In 2007, that figure jumped by half again to 15,000. While booking a myhab through the company individually looks like it will be an option, we think it'll be more common for events to sponsor the service if the eco-friendly alternative catches up. Seems a hell of a lot better than the discarded mess of plastic poles, mesh, muddy tarp, construction paper, Popsicle sticks and other materials drugged-out festival-goers cobble their temporary homes together with these days.
Product page [MyHab via Pocket-lint]
Greetings irrational fanboys and Apple haters! Ten days and 12,000 words later, our stone-cold look at what it means to own an iPhone is done. Before we get to the in depth hands-on, here's the verdict I'd give any good friend: Wait to buy the iPhone.
We've already had some paper synthesizers today to get us in the mood for wonderfully useless products (Gizmodo, not just here for the shiny things in life) and now there's a paper T-Rex. Crank the handle and T-Rex munches on Captain Caveman—or whatever object you place in his path.
Flying Pig is the company behind this paper wizardry, and they have all sorts of objects for you to make, from drumming fingers and rowing sheep (Ewe-Boat, geddit?) to grumpy gorillas and broom-stuck witches—but no Transformers, alas.
The paper T-Rex costs $7.50, and comes as a flatpack.
Product Page [Flying Pig via Boing Boing]
If you ever have that sinking feeling that your tires are running out of air, this Seetron TP2 Tire Pressure Monitoring System gives you a real-time readout of the psi (pounds per square inch) present in each tire. Once you've placed a sensor in each tire, the data is transmitted to this dashboard-mounted readout, giving you peace of mind without even getting up off your ass.
Heck, you don't even need to look at your tires anymore—you can just glance over at this device while sitting in the driver's seat, and it'll take care of that for you. But we have a suggestion or two for you. You could save yourself $325 and get yourself a pressure gauge, keep it in your glove compartment, and then use it when it looks like your tires might be getting a bit flat. That would do exactly the same thing. Or here's another suggestion: If it sounds like your tires are screeching even when you're not going very fast around corners, that's another indication that a tire or two may be a little low on air.
Seetron TP2 system for cars [Gadgets Technology Blog]
Xbox's cooler running chips, which we would have liked to have seen in the Xbox 360 Elite, were rumored for Fall. Now Dean Takahashi, the journalist with the best Microsoft Xbox access around, is lending credibility to that unconfirmed fact and reporting on the internal codename: Falcon. Kind of sexy. [mercurynews]
From the beginning, the iPhone could read Microsoft Word documents, but now you'll be able to do basic word processing on it with gOffice for iPhone. Developer Kevin Warnock created this mini application, which he calls the world's first working word processor for the Apple iPhone. What's the catch?
The iPhone's lack of copy, cut and paste capabilities is enough to cripple any word processor, but even without that, gOffice still creates documents that can be opened and edited in Microsoft Word. A complaint some users have expressed is that gOffice's file sizes are way too big, nearly a deal killer, especially for those with 4GB iPods. We'll test out the app, and tell you how it goes.
iPhone gets a (basic) word-processor [My iTablet]
What to do with an old PowerBook when you replace it with a shiny new Santa Rosa MacBook Pro? Make jewelry out of the power buttons, of course. While these are of the dangly, girly variety, they would make a pretty killer pair of gauges, too. [