LG just figured out a way to nestle a couple of wireless earbuds into the hinge of a clamshell handset. Leave them attached to the phone, and they act like a couple of ordinary small speaker/microphones, but pop them out and stick them in your ears, and you've got yourself some rockin' 'phones without all those wires. When the phone rings, one of these acoustic transducers is used as the mike and the other as an earpiece. LG also designed a version of the tiny wireless cans for a candybar-style phone, where the two earpieces are stuck into the top and bottom of the front of the device. Neat stuff, but it looks like those small pieces would be easy to lose. [US Patent & Trademark Office, via Unwired View]

The Volitan, meaning "flying fish," is a pretty fantastic concept boat with impeccable green credentials, using sails, wind and solar power to get around, storing energy in its batteries. The secret to the Volitan — which can operate in 60-knot winds — is the way its four wings react to weather conditions.

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Colossus, the code-breaking computer used to decipher German messages during World War Two, has been put back together. Over six decades after the 10 truck-sized devices were dismantled, one has been rebuilt. Today, two teams of code-breakers, one using the Colossus, another using modern technology, are going head-to-head as they attempt to unscramble messages sent from Paderborn, in Germany.

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Samsung Electro-Mechanics has developed an 8-megapixel CMOS camera module for mobile phones. It measures just 10.5 x 11.5 x 9.4mm and you should be seeing 8-megapixel camera phones by next summer, as they are going into mass production during the first two quarters of 2008. [Unwired View]

Here's yet another Black Friday ad, this time from CompUSA. It's got loads of stuff in it, including an Envision 22-inch widescreen LCD Monitor for $US150 and a HP Pavilion Notebook with a 14.1inch display for $US500. There are also boatloads of video games, digital cameras, memory, and all sorts of other tech items. Check out the full rundown after the jump

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Michael Dell showed off the Latitude XT tablet at Oracle OpenWorld today, and from the looks of it, they might have a winner on their hands. Aside from previous specs (12.1 inches, 1.2 GHz processor, under 1.8 kilograms, up to 3 GB RAM), the video reveals that the convertible tablet features multi-touch recognition that can detect five fingers on the screen at once. The demo shows our presenters finger painting with all five fingers and shuffling through a "pile" of photos via the touchscreen. Dell also said it's due to hit the market in a couple of months. [jkkmobile]

Let's face it, you are no Tiger Woods —and playing his game on the Wii isn't going to do a damn thing to help. You need some serious technology to straighten out that train wreck you call a golf game. Dixx may have just such a high-tech solution with their new computer-aided training putter.

An internal navigation system tracks impact location and a micro electro mechanical system monitors the motion of the putter—data that can be used to track swing path, impact position, face angle, swing tempo and speed balance. The user can then analyse the data on an LCD screen. Given the fact that all golf gear is expensive, it should come as no surprise that the Dixx training putter will set you back some serious bucks. $US899.99 to be exact. [Product Page via TRFJ]

Gamespot is reporting that a redesign to the mega-popular Nintendo DS is complete and will hit the market when DS Lite sales taper off. Gamespot's source, financial analyst Evan Wilson, claims the revamped DS will be slimmer, lose the GBA port, add on-board memory and have larger screens.

While Nintendo has yet to comment on the matter, it seems about time for some sort of a Nintendo update in the portable market (the first DS hit stores in November 2004). Then again, it almost seems like it's time for a new portable system altogether from Nintendo. While the Gameboy Advance saw two redesigns during it's lifecycle, the Game Boy Micro its final redesign, was announced after the DS.

In any case, the mention of the on-board memory is especially interesting. Could Nintendo be adding media player functions to the DS? [Gamespot via Firing Squad]

For those of us who have gone into a tattoo parlor sober, the decision to be permanently inked can be a difficult one. Fortunately, computer graphics artist Loic Zimmermann has developed a program that will allow users to get a look at what a complex design might look like on a 3D figure. If this technology catches on, the possibilities for pushing the art form are obvious. Let's just hope Zimmerman can refine his software to include a program that illustrates what that naked chick tattoo on your chest might look like 30 years and 3 cup sizes from now. [Loic Zimmerman via Needled via Cool Hunting]

Last month we learned that online music serivce Slacker would debut its own player sometime before the holidays. Today the company made it official with the announcement of their "Portable" portable music player. The device features a 4-inch screen, 15, 20 and 40 station capacities, the ability to play your existing MP3s and WMAs, 10 hours of battery time, and it will work with Slacker Basic Radio and Premium Radio services. The Portable is now available for pre-order at $US199.99 (15 stations, 2GB), $US249.99 (25 stations, 4GB ) and $US299.99 (40 stations, 8GB) . Expect the device to ship on, or before December 13th, 2007. [Slacker via Gearlog]

Billed as a "long range" hidden camera detector, its spotting powers only work within 50 feet. It's loaded with two pulsating lasers that scan for big brother eyes, which show up as flashing red lights in the scope. Supposedly it can ferret out pinhole cameras and ones stuffed inside of pens or buttons, making it great for the tinfoil set. Except for the fact it's totally obvious you're looking for cameras when you have it bolted to your face. [Spy Gadgets via Red Ferret]

Wolfking's unnamed turntable gaming keybard, so kindly leaked by the FCC, actually has a name, and it's pretty extreme: Wolfking Warrior Xxtreme. Billed as "the world's first hybrid 2-in-1 PC game pad keyboard," you can see the thing's sexier than the FCC pics let on, which are the gadget equivalent of driver's licence headshots.

Of course, aesthetics and functionality aren't equivalent, and looking prettier probably isn't going to sew up the reader divide on how useful this thing will be. No official price or street date yet, but some Googlage pegs it as around $US60. [CES]

Seriously, if Axe was packaged in these awesome character containers I just might be tempted to ditch my Aqua Di Gio and Old Spice deodorant for one of these bad boys—even if it does smell like a steaming pile. Too bad it is only a concept. [Coroflot via IDasia]

Turns out, the FCC defines an entire zip code as served by broadband when one single household receives one single 200-kilobit trickle. The US House of Representatives voted to change that. It seems, in order to see exactly how badly... Read More »

Thanks for the great response to the Blade Runner: Final Cut competition. Thanks a lot. I've had to spend half the morning trying to find the best of the bunch, and it wasn't easy. A few common themes sprung up, so we've had to try and find those that carved out a mix of originality, cleverness, and raw poetic quality. Here's the winners list:

Richard S; Paul (Moons); Dr Jimbo; Dorina; Happy Traveller; Peter; Lisa; Ben; Jestar; John Cail

You'll all be contacted via your emails by the reps at Popcorn Taxi Melbourne, who will get your details onto their VIP door list. Congrats and enjoy the 4K gloriousnessnessness.

UPDATE: Winners' poetry after the jump!

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If you've given more than a second glance to your greasy IT guy's matted, oily hair—or just don't wash your own that often, you might pick up that our hair holds onto oil like gas'll hit $100/gallon tomorrow. Gross, yeah, but apparently useful! Some hippies are taking mats made of human hair to mop up oil on SF beaches, which are then packed with oil-eating shrooms that turn the pads into compost for lovely landscaping. See, Exxon helps the environment! [Pop Sci]

Seven months after Apple pushed its 100 millionth iPod into someone's sweaty, squeezing hands, Creative hits its own little milestone: 25 million MP3 players sold. Creative was actually first to the mass market with a hard drive-based MP3 player, the Nomad Jukebox, which hit stores in 2000, a year before the iPod graced Mac users only with its presence. My first MP3 player was actually made by Creative—a 30GB Zen, way back when they were clunky, heavy and not shiny, but I loved it anyway. So who else has rocked one of the 25 million? [Listening Post, Flickr]

Amazon is gearing up for the holidays with a special 2 for 1 offer on Blu-ray titles from the Sony and Disney libraries. If you are thinking that these titles are crap, you are only partially correct. There are definitely some gems in there including: Casino Royale, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hellboy, Talledega Nights and Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy —to name a few. Unfortunately, the promotion must be along studio lines. In other words, if you buy a Sony title, you must select another Sony title as your freebie.[Amazon via Hi-Def Digest via Electronic House]

AU: Not much use to us out here due to region control. If they do an HD DVD deal, we could go nuts. Anyone considered buying a US player just to take advantage of US pricing and/or availability? -SB

Talking to suits at the GSMA Mobile Congress this week, Warner Music CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. admitted the music industry is at least partly to blame for the woes it's been mired in for years now as well as the fact that they've been "at war" with their customers:

We expected our business would remain blissfully unaffected even as the world of interactivity, constant connection and file sharing was exploding. And of course we were wrong. How were we wrong? By standing still or moving at a glacial pace, we inadvertently went to war with consumers by denying them what they wanted and could otherwise find and as a result of course, consumers won."

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In addition to updating OS X Tiger to 10.4.11 for both Intel and PPC Macs, Apple's pulled out their software dump truck and are updating almost all their apps. iPhoto, Pro Apps, Compressor, Cinema Tools, Color, Motion, DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Soundtrack Pro are all getting updates as well. In addition, there's a security update for Panther 10.3.9, and a feature update for Safari on Windows that includes lots more shortcuts, more window resizing options, and spell/grammar check. Looks like there's stuff for everyone. [Apple]

Remember, sweaty feet equals smelly shoes. Do everyone around you a favour by drying your shoes regularly with the new Eco Shoes Dryer. Each dryer contains a silica gel material that can absorb moisture using power generated by an internal battery that can be charged from any standard wall socket. When your shoes are dry, the indicator window turns from pink to blue, letting you know that it is safe for you and your loved ones to re-enter the house. Available for 2,980 yen (or $27). [Life in Detail via Sci Fi Tech]

SanDisk Vaulter sneaks in via PCIe port
16GB SSD gives your OS somewhere speedy to call home.

Samsung creates even denser NAND, 128GB cards by 2009
Hard drives are going to have been so Noughties.

Astronauts goofing around in space makes blogging seem boring
Remember, kids, don't play with your food. Unless you're in space.

Airborne laser kicks missile ass
This looks so fake! Like its out of Thunderbirds or something!

Guy develops device to supercool beer in seconds
Esky, meet your match.

Like every other red-blooded American boy, I enjoy the notion of propelling a piece of lead at up to Mach 8 and at "extreme" ranges. That's why I was glad to hear that BAE Systems has delivered a rail gun capable of such feats, and that the US Navy signed for the package.

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With a design this unique, you know it has to be a concept. Still, Sun Kyung Kim's idea to combine a Birdbath theme with a charge status indicator comprised of radiating rings works —despite being a little out there. As the device charges, the rings expand towards the birds perched on the edge of the bath. Once fully charged, the birds will glow. I don't know if it will ever see the light of day as a commercial product, but an iPhone would look good on it. [Yanko Design]

The next presidential election is almost a year away, and already Barack Obama is outlining his plan to improve technology (if elected). In preparation for his visit to Google headquarters today, Obama released a nine-page statement including plans to provide broadband access to areas lacking it, open up the 700MHz wireless spectrum so smaller carriers can compete, and create a federally-backed, $50 billion venture capital fund for the development of more environmentally-friendly technology. However, his first order of business will be appointing a Chief Technology Officer, a new post in the government who makes sure all of these ideas are put into action.

The CTO would have a much different agenda than the head of technology under the current administration, the "cyber-security czar". While that post is concerned with preventing cyber attacks, the CTO would concentrate on critical issues facing the technology world as well as maintain an open line of communication between the government and the American citizens by using—what else?—the internet.

Obama wants a transparent government, where meetings between Cabinet officials and government executives are streamed live, and the public can comment on legislation on the White House website for five days before it is signed into law. Giving the public wide access to the policy makers is a radical step from the closed governments of the past. Though it kinda takes the term "commentard" to a new level. No word yet on Obama's banhammer, but we guess it will be as swift and merciless as ours, democracy be hanged.

Other proposals in Obama's technology manifesto include reforming the patent system to provide better security to important innovations and decreased protection for trolls, and regulations on network neutrality. Overall, Obama's plans seem very advanced, open-source and engaging to the community, things that any technology buff can appreciate. OK, Hillary: your turn to network with the nerds. [Venture Beat]

Leave it to a 22-year-old college student to develop what could be the best thing to happen to beer in centuries. The device, dubbed Huski, has a cooling capacity that is almost four times greater than regular ice. Plus, Huski won't water down your drink, and it is completely portable.

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The MC Square X1—a get-smart-quick device—is already huge in Korea. Its makers say it helps you relax and concentrate by targeting your brain's sensory preceptors with light and sound. It looks like a little MP3 player with an accompanying set of video glasses, but instead of displaying video, the glasses transmit pulsing red dots that are synchronized to music or nature sounds. The X1 also includes a voice recorder—so you can listen to your own soothing voice?— plus a miniSD slot for your photos and music.

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In my book, an outboard iPod dock shows lack of commitment. So while our own Charlie White loved the performance of the Cambridge Soundworks i745 iPod-friendly clock-radio, we are convinced that the new i765 is going to blow that old goose away. For starters, you can dock your iPod directly on top of the 14"-wide system. Better yet, it's no longer just a CD-playing clock-radio, but a DVD player too, so it's ideal for hooking up to that little LCD you've got—or plan on getting—for your bedroom. The downside is that the video drove the price up to $500, and there's still no Wi-Fi or satellite radio. Sorry Charlie! [Cambridge Soundworks]

This is the Cal band playing a halftime show from earlier this month. It's their "video game show," and it's pretty much the coolest thing ever. They run through a number of classic game songs, all while forming scenes from the games out of the band itself. It's got everything from Pong and Tetris to Zelda and Mario, and it's amazing. It makes me want to play Nintendo and join a drumline all at the same time. Well, maybe just play Nintendo, but you get the idea. [Milk and Cookies]

Now that China Unicom is heaving its 156 million subscribers into the ring across from China Mobile's 350 mil in the opening wrassle for the iPhone's Chinese distribution rights, the American market is looking pretty small. A Unicom exec said: "We're not in any discussions with Apple right now, but we're always willing to discuss a good business opportunity." Yesterday China Mobile said it was interested in the iPhone, but not the revenue-sharing scheme that cuts Apple a piece of subscriptions. Analysts say that although this could give Unicom some leverage (if they cave in to Steve), Unicom isn't any more likely to be cool with rev-share either. Oh China, don't you want to sell your soul for a pretty pretty iPhone? [NewsFactor]

Mounted on a transmogrified Boeing 747 is this airborne laser, making the otherwise graceful plane look like a clown-nosed guppy. But this big U.S. Air Force aircraft is the last thing a enemy missile commander wants to see. It can hunt down and kill evil-doer's missiles from amazing distances—the extent of which is still a deep, dark military secret—using a three-pronged spotting and kill system. And we thought that "Star Wars" laser missile defence program was dead. Not so. Check out the radical photos in the gallery below. [Tech E Blog]

What makes home theatre projectors so sexy, so compelling and so different from a regular old TV set with its LCD or plasma screen? The best news is, a ticket to your own home theatre is getting to be surprisingly affordable. We're going to break it down for you, and let you know why it just might be worth it to consider putting together a dedicated home theatre room—a temple devoted to the holy projector that makes watching a regular TV show feel just like a trip to a movie theater.

1. You get a really big picture. You get the most bang for your buck with a projector. To get the largest practical LCD display with a 65-inch screen, it'll cost you at least $7,000. On the other hand, a projector can blast out a 120-inch pic for a mere $3K. Sure, you'll need to buy a screen, but you could probably just get away with painting some $200 Screen Goo on your wall (we've used it, and it works great but is crazy-expensive compared to regular old paint), or cheaper yet, paint your wall a light grey and you'd still probably be satisfied with the picture quality.

2. It feels just like a movie theatre. There's just something about a projected image in a darkened room that elicits mystery, focuses your attention, and makes it feel like you've dedicated yourself to the content on the screen. There's nothing incidental about watching a movie in a darkened room on a projector. And even with a middle-of-the-road projector and average sound system, the end result when you watch a Blu-ray or HD DVD movie looks better than the old-timey analogue projector at your local multiplex after that piece of film has gone through it a thousand times. Which leads to our next point...

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There's a good reason that being an astronaut is one of the top jobs that little kids say they want to be when they grow up: it looks so, so fun. Just check out this video of astronauts goofin' around in space and tell me it doesn't make you wish you were a genius scientist/pilot with perfect eyesight. Oh well, you could always be a firefighter, although that seems like less fun. [Glumbert]

Walt Mossberg, the Wall Street Journal's tech gnome, got a chance to play with Microsoft's new line of Zunes, and he was pretty ambivalent about them. While he thinks they're a noticeable improvement over the first generation, that's not really saying much seeing how unimpressed he was with those. But he is a fan of the new Zune Pad controller, the updated software, and better WiFi implementation, so all is not lost.

However, despite the upgrades, ol' Walt thinks Microsoft is competing with last-gen iPods rather than the current batch. He think the Zune gets blown away by the iPod Touch (I would think they shouldn't be compared, as they're totally different, but what do I know) and is also outclassed by the Nano and Classic, which offer slimmer profiles and bigger screens (at least on the Nano).

And he still likes the iTunes Music Store over the Zune Marketplace, which is certainly understandable. A music store lives and dies by its selection, and iTunes is clearly the winner here.

And while the WiFi syncing is nice, it sucks up too much juice for Mossy's tastes. So his verdict, unsurprisingly, is to go with an iPod. What do you guys think, is he spot-on or drunk on Apple's Kool Aid? [All Things D]

Police arrested a Dutch 17-year old and questioned five other 15-year-olds for the alleged theft of over $5,000 worth of furniture from Habbo Hotel, a virtual hangout with more than 6 million visitors from 30 countries. "The six teenagers are suspected of moving the stolen furniture into their own Habbo rooms," says the BBC story. Reality just got bent.

Like in many virtual worlds, Habbo Hotel lets you buy furniture to deck out your pad. The kids apparently perpetrated the theft through a phishing scam: by creating websites that mimic the Habbo login, they could trick the victims into unknowingly surrender login IDs and passwords. The crooks could presumably just swing by their room and transfer whatever they wanted to their own accounts. Says a spokesman for Sulake, Habbo Hotel's operator:

"It is a theft because the furniture is paid for with real money. But the only way to be a thief in Habbo is to get people's usernames and passwords and then log in and take the furniture."

We usually just skip over skins and cases for iPods, but this one by Colin Thompson for Gelaskins is different. Look at the depth and realism achieved by this pair of stickers that you place on almost any iPod including the latest touch. It's $14.95, but the steampunkatude points you'll score after adorning your said music player with such things might make the expenditure worthwhile. Don't like this one? There are dozens more styles on the site. [