Brian the Brain, by Hammacher Schlemmer, is better than your average pal because he is animatronic, packed with surprisingly useful features and will not have sex in your bed while you are out, just for laughs. Hit the jump to catch a video of him in action. More »
Gidis is making a splash with their waterproof Mdrive, styled by those cool fellows at INNO Design. The flash drives will be available in 1GB and 2GB flavours, retailing at $41 and $62, respectively.
The drives look sexy in their slim line black and red cases, but what situation would ever necessitate a waterproof flash drive? Unless you are literally living in an octopus’s garden, as oppose to the metaphorical substance abused trip The Beatles were referring to, you probably will not need this. If you are actually living in an octopus’s garden, fair play. Gosh, I’d like to be under the sea, in an Octopus’ garden, in the shade…with a Gidis Mdrive. I’d ask my friends to come and see my octopu—too far, sorry. [Aving] . More »
NBC refutes Apple’s version of their spat: “We never asked to double the wholesale price for our TV shows. In fact, our negotiations were centered on our request for flexibility in wholesale pricing, including the ability to package shows together…” This is turning into a bad Aaron Sorkin script. [Mac Rumors] More »
newVideoPlayer("Tactiles_gawker.flv", 475, 376);
Tactiles is a game in which two players battle to match a color design by pressing different coloured blocks onto the correct spaces of a grid. (Sounds boring, looks neat.) Players can also create their own designs to challenge their opponent. We don’t think Philips is ready for mass production, but we love the simplicity of the design. And there are a lot of pretty colours. More »
Unlike the television show, the Simpson’s official merchandise line usually sucks big time. This USB hub is no different; the six inches of plastic will spin around and yell, “Woo-hoo!” Everytime you plug in for some juice… every damn time. Fortunately, there is an option to turn off Homer’s spinning/yelling action, for the preservation of your sanity. However, chances are, if you just dropped $50 on this you have already lost your sanity. No USB hub in the land will save you from living out the rest of your life as Jim Carrey in Me, Myself and Irene. You will of course not be as good looking, charming or funny and you’ll have an annoying USB hub. Tough break, kid. [Product Page via Uberreview] . More »
iRiver are set to launch their first DAP under the Siren brand, which they procured earlier this year. The new model, the DP250, has obviously had strong influences from the iRiver team and sports a solid feature set too.
The player will have a paltry 400mW speaker built in, (given the size we will let them off), and an FM transmitter to allow you tunes to travel through slightly better speakers. Voice, line-in and FM radio recording are all also possible. The players will debut in black and white colours, retailing at $85 (1GB), or $120 (2GB). Expect the usual plethora of iRiver file support from this player. The inclusion of the recording and broadcasting features may make this worth the extra cash, but if you are in the field for a do it all player at a dirt-cheap price, the Sansa Clip is for you. [anythingbutipod] . More »
newVideoPlayer("Starboard_gawker.flv", 475, 376);
Hitachi’s StarBoard combines your computer with a chalkboard in a seamless fashion. Controlled by an IR pen, the Starboard allows you to edit Excel spreadsheets, easily map diagrams or, as Jesus is doing here, draw Batman.
The StarBoard can integrate with any computer and projector, though Hitachi recommends their vertical projection model. Nicest bonus? You can record AV and play it back later. The StarBoard was just announced here at IFA and will run 4,600 euros. But damn does it look good—and super easy to use. More »
The Brainzord window-climbing robot with pulsating brain does exactly what it says on the packet; climbs windows and has a brain that pulsates. If only all things in life, like your girlfriend’s mood, were blister packed with an accurate description on the exterior. More »
Here’s the LG KU990 Viewty (will I ever get used to that name?) in the flesh at IFA. The camera may pack a 5 Megapixel camera punch but the phone itself leaves a lot to be desired, especially when compared to you know what. It’s got some nice ideas, like the lens rim functioning as both a manual focus and a click wheel, but after playing with it, we have to say it looks incredibly badly executed.
newVideoPlayer("ViewtyMovie_gawker.flv", 475, 376); Here’s an extensive walk-through of LG’s new KU990 Viewty. You can tell that this prototype is far from perfect as even our practiced demonstrator has issues once in a while. In my minute of allowed hands-on, I found that the back wheel doesn’t spin, but snaps back into place after rotating about 30 degrees. It feels horrible. And the touch sensitivity is fairly crappy. Good on paper, bad in person.
Something funny: I asked if we could see the Viewty make a call and unintentionally stumped them. More »
