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In the world of snow fun, there are sleds, there are tea-trays and there are even plastic bin bags (if you are a suicidal sledger, as I was in my teenage years). And then there is this, the Alu sled. Built from aluminum, the shock-absorbent silver slider has plastic runners, a handbrake, and packs up into a sexy little carry case when you're done tobogganing.
Oh dear, poor The Al Gore. The Nobel Prize Laureate, Internet inventor and husband of Tipper has had his website hacked. His blog for An Inconvenient Truth is now selling Viagra, Valium, Zovirax and Xanax.
Floating keychains are common, but this is the first time we have seen something like the Waterbuoy: you chain it to whatever valuable object and, if it falls into the water, the contact will fire up a gas valve that will instantly fill a balloon capable of lifting 1kg. The water will also activate a high-intensity LED so you can see it at night. Warning note: never store a keychain in your swimming trunks' pocket. Or else. [Besportier]
The winner of Electrolux's Design Lab 2007 competition will be announced tomorrow in Paris, and these are the final eight products hoping to win their creator €5,000 ($8,450). The brief was to design something eco-friendly and sustainable for 2020, and sexiest is the Fog Shower by Joo Diego Schlmansky from Brazil, which consumes just two litres of water during a five-minute shower. It's all to do with the mist of microscopic water droplets, rather than a traditional shower, which uses around 20 liters for the same amount of scrub-up time.
First they wowed us with their treadmill love, and now OK Go are looking to light up fans' lives with the costumes for their upcoming tour. Designed by Moritz Waldemeyer (standing on the right in the fifth gallery picture), who has collaborated with London-based fashion designer Hussein Chalayan, as well as architect Zaha Hadid and Philippe Starck, the suits were inspired by Las Vegas slot machines. More info below.
We love technological advancement, but there is something that just feels wrong about TAB Austria's Virtual Pinball machine. Sure, the six different animated games offer more variety than your conventional machine, and the 42" plasma display looks a damn site sexier than the usual mechanized pinball floor, but these things were never meant to be altered. No, not even the promise of online tournaments and user upgradeable games can sway us.
Here's our one and only Wilson Rothman getting all Tom-Cruise-eyed with the weekend Today Show presenter. In theory he's showing what's hot for purchase in the gadget world these Holidays, which looks like last year's options. He says something about the Wii, then something about the DS, then some more about the Sling ("Sling takes your TV and slings it out into the world"??? —he's so going to pay for that) but in reality, you can see he's all like "Oh you Ms. Weekend Today Show Hostess, you look so makey-outy today. Rowr!" And he's oh-so-right. [Today Show]
Looks like the Wibrain B1 has finally made it Stateside, just in time for the holidays. There are two models: the B1E, with 512MB of RAM and costs $US699; and the 1MB B1H, which costs $US849. The Wibrain B1,... Read More »
Just looking at Nyko's Perfect Shot controller shell brings back childhood memories spent playing Namco Arcade Shooters. Now a bit of that nostalgia is coming to the Wii. I like Nintendo's zapper attachment is nice, but the plain white design was a bit generic for my tastes. This, however, is a whole other story. The shape of the gun, the colours used, all have a throwback feel – and I like it. A tactile trigger controls the B button, and apass through port allows the nunchuck or other future add-on to be used. With light gun games starting to arrive on Wii, I may have to pick this up, just to relive some of my nerd glory days. The Perfect Shot should be available on December 24 for $US12.99. [Amazon]
We weren't too disappointed when we heard that the Zune 80 almost matched the 80GB iPod classic in terms of battery life, but CNET's hands-on testing has determined that the Zune's actual battery life is quite a bit shorter than its stated battery life.
Your hard drive is seriously f*cked, and you have some big shiny balls (or you're dumb as hell), you might be interested in how a fellow from Mandible Games claims that he recovered data from his drive. According to the article, he noticed that his drive would spin, but it would not show up in BIOS and there was a distinct and repetitive clicking noise.
The MousEX Glider pad is weird in the sense that most people wouldn't come up with a pad you rest your mouse on that you slide around with your hand. Why would anybody do this?
Because that same pad holds different add-ons like a navigational wheel, a giant button, or an 18-button pad that you can program macros onto. We're not sold on the concept, especially since placing your hand flat on a pad and sliding it around is way less ergonomic than using a mouse. However, we love programmable macro buttons dogs love peeing in the grass, so we're willing to give this a shot. [MousEX]
Gamersweb stumbled upon this set of gadget bondage pictures on 2chan, the anonymous Japanese internet forum that wrought the nerdling train romance onto the world. We're not sure what exactly traditional Japanese bondage rope has to do with Game Boy Colour, computer speakers, or a roll of toilet paper, but it looks like somebody's getting some practice in before working the real thing (if that time ever comes). [Gamersweb]
After the thrill of unboxing your new iPod nano is over, you are left with a clear plastic case that will undoubtedly take millennia to biodegrade. Thanks to the folks at Bird Electron, turning your case into a fully functioning speaker kit takes all of five seconds, a boon for the environmentally conscious yet lazy and unskilled person. The kit works with 3rd generation nano cases, and the speaker fits neatly inside. After that, all you need to do is plug and play. 2100 yen ($22). [Product Page via Trends in Japan]
Displaytech announced they will be supplying 13 companies with micro displays to be used for the upcoming Pico Projector technology. The Pico Projector, which will be rolled out at CES 2008, will be featured in Motorola handsets and project video onto any surface. It's Not the most exciting news, because it's just a component, but it excites me because it means the ball is rolling on theoft-discussed Pico Projector. One of my biggest worries is that the Pico Projector will disappear into obscurity, never to be touched by consumer hand. And it would ruin my dream of entering large public spaces and projecting incriminating videos of Chen with various gadgets. [Display Tech]
TiVo and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) have announced a new external adaptor that will bring switched video capabilities to CableCARD devices, such as series 3 TiVos. Due in the second quarter of 2008, this adaptor will finally... Read More »
Whatever Dell's planning with the zingspot.com website, it's got something to do with being an "online consumer portal for digital entertainment content acquisition and distribution," which was the description for Zingspot in the recently filed trademark papers. It all stems from Dell's acquisition of Zing, the people that power Wi-Fi music players. What that above sentence actually means is anyone's guess, but our money's on it being some kind of "portal" for "digital entertainment content" where you can acquire or distribute said content. Call it a hunch. [Trademork]
If you picked up Nine Inch Nails'Year Zero remix album, 1337-ly titled Y34RZ3r0r3m1x3d, you probably noticed the second disc "halo 25 data," containing the multitrack master files for every song from Year Zero. Some of them had already been posted online not long after its initial release, and that experiment's success led to the full-blown version. It's obviously meant to spur fan remixes, with the last piece in the puzzle being an official site to organise and distribute them all. Thanks to Universal's legal wrangling with YouTube, it's not going to happen.
I'm usually turned off by video transfer/burner devices like this Canon DW-100 because of how unrefined DVD burning still is. The DW-100 takes high-def AVCHD video from your camcorder and burns it to DVD without a computer. It's hard to argue with that.
It can also function as an external burner for any PC or Mac computer. If this works like it should, and Canon markets it properly, a device like this could do well in the current home movie market. It is expected to release in March 2008, but no price has been set. [Akihabara News via Geek Sugar via Crunch Gear]
In case you haven't heard, a rumour has been floating around today stating that AT&T may recall certain BlackJacks due to an antenna issue that could result in poor reception and dropped calls. Reaction to the story by the Samsung... Read More »
The MPAA is such a kind and giving organization. After compiling a list of the top 25 schools for piracy, it sent them a letter last month offering the free, super-helpful University Toolkit to track naughty file-sharing on their networks. It "can produce a report that is strictly internal and therefore confidential to illustrate the level of file sharing on [your school's] network. In addition, we will send a hard copy in the near future to your university's Chief Information Officer." Of course, the first thing it does is call home. That's before the security holes.
That's a pretty cool photo, eh? There's a lot going on at once, it must have taken a lot of takes to get right, and that dude's face must have been destroyed at the end of the day. Well, sort of. It did take lots of takes, but it involved all sorts of photo and Photoshop magic. Hit the jump for a video showing just how the whiz kids at Bruton Stroube Studios put this piece of photo magic together. It's awesome, and it makes me want to go out and do some trick photography.
The little portable media player that could: According to PriceGrabber, Shopping.com and eBay, the fattie Zunes (30 and 80) were the second-most bought product online during Black Friday, right behind the Wii. The snag in the numbers is that it... Read More »
According to the folks at Electronista, fancy-pants watchmaker TAG Heuer will team up with the French designers at Modelabs to develop a new line of luxury mobile phones. The news follows closely on the heels of other fashion icons like Armani and Prada entering the phone biz, but there is no word yet on how the Tag Heuer phone would compare to those offerings in terms of specifications.
As for the design, the mobile phones are expected to be as as "contemporary," "technological" and "timeless" as their watches. Naturally, there is no word yet on any type of advertising campaign, but my guess is that somehow Tiger Woods will find a way to make even more money whoring it out to the masses. [TagHeuer and Electronista]
Forget strollers and RF monitors: the first thing expectant parents can now buy is the AngelSounds Fetal Doppler System, which tracks down prenatal junior's heartbeat and plays it through a standard pair of headphones. The monitor will also make a recording, giving you one more annoying memento to email to friends and family. Fetal Doppler systems aren't exactly new technology, but AngelSounds is the first one offered commercially—at the ridiculously low price of $US27. [Shiny Shiny]
We already know that the fall Dashboard update for Xbox 360 will bring expanded friends list viewing, parental timers, and original Xbox game downloads, but what else will it bring? There's got to be a reason why the fall update has dragged on past autumn into winter (last year's update came in October), but what is it exactly? We really hope it's the rumoured DivX compatibility, what with the PS3 and Microsoft's own 3rd Gen Media Center Extenders getting in on the DivX and XviD action as well. What do you think is coming? What else could possibly be added to the Xbox experience to make it better? A friend in his PJs to play with you with every purchase?
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 9:56 AM on November 27, 2007
Break it down for me, ASIMO! In this clip, my new BFF ASIMO leads the way on the dance floor. Anyone 'doing the robot' better smooth up those pop locks, because ASIMO is certainly showing some sleek styles. Sure, the dance moves look like they're programmed by a bunch of dudes with two left feet, but it's still smooth like butter. And shut up about the quality of my smooth moves. I thought he'd be easier to keep up with!
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 9:54 AM on November 27, 2007
The last of our batch o' Plantronics headsets, the 365 is all about teh gamerz. Two things strike me pretty - the auto fit headband which sits very comfortably, and the deep cans. For good audio, particularly spatial gaming audio, it's all about the deep cans. Semi-open backs are also a personal favourite too, but that side can come down to personal preference.
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 9:51 AM on November 27, 2007
I know plenty of people either love or hate the behind the head styled headphones/headsets, but for me I think this Plantronics headset really sits nicely. The 645 USB is also one of the smarter USB headsets I've seen, with the USB acting as a dongle rather than an integrated element. This means you can opt to go analogue or digital, depending on what suits the machine you're on. The cable has in-line controls for volume and mic sensitivity (high, low, and mute).
Why USB? Maybe you've never encountered a computer with terrible on-board audio, but sometimes it is great to control the audio as a digital process rather than accept whatever the machine can handle. The best example on this front is gaming, where pro gamers will always use USB headsets. No matter what machine they sit down at, they know the audio I/O will be managed by their own drivers. The 645 USB is both PC and Mac compat, so no dramas there. At $59.95, I'd say they're a pretty good deal. [Plantronics]
If those 1TB Greenpower eco-friendly low-powered hard drives from Western Digital were too much space for you, they're now shipping 500GB models that conform to their Greenpower standards. At $US149, they're not all that much more expensive compared with regular drives, either. [WD]
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 9:02 AM on November 27, 2007
Here's my first mano et mano encounter with ASIMO. Naturally, he has to make a grand entrance. This was also a lesson in just how far things still have to go. There is a very specific procedure one must follow to shake hands, and as you'll see I was off sequence for a moment and an ASIMO handler was quick to put me right.
This is the simpler, less exciting part of the encounter. The dance routine is still to come...
Posted by Anna King at 9:00 AM on November 27, 2007
Futurama and the Gadgets of Tomorrow We Love and Fear
What if the What If machine was real? Go on, try and get your head around that one and check out Giz's verdict on the futuristic playthings of Futurama.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Posters, Trailer Are Mildly Sexy
Completely SFW propaganda featuring the new Terminator babe, for those with a fembot fetish.
World's Most Effective Speed Bump
Oh, those crazy Germans.
Koenigsegg CCXR Biofuel Car Breaks 1000HP
The hottest wheels for rich treehuggers the socially conscious.
Real-Life 40-Year-Old Virgin Selling $35k Worth of Star Wars Action Figures on eBay
One man, 1,160 Star Wars figures and yet nothing particularly drool-worthy.
Here's the Star NX788, a mobile phone with dual SIM card slots and matching dual dial keys. Brian says that the best feature, however, is the secret compartment which can hold a Bluetooth headset and charge it at the same time—hopefully only when the phone is connected to a power source. I say that the best feature is that it is manufactured in China and it will probably never leave that country. More images after the jump:
Just about everyone has a soft spot for Legos, which is why someone needs to make this BLOC MP3 player concept a reality. Not satisfied with simply looking like a Lego, the BLOC would actually feature Lego-like snap together functionality.
Many stylish watches are fantastic looking but more difficult to read than Clint Eastwood's leathery mug. This Past, Present Future watch, however, tells you exactly what time it is now, but omits everything else we've come to expect on a watch—namely, the rest of the watch. It's conceptual yet friendly, exactly like our imaginary girlfriends. $100 gets you one in black leather or stainless steel. Oh, and the watch is $100 as well. [Projects US]
Not only does the upcoming Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update bring parental timers and downloadable original Xbox games, it's going to allow you to peep in on your buddies' friends list as well. As long as your friends set their list visibility to "Everyone" or "Friends only" (and not "Blocked"), you can see who your friend friended and send a friend request to them of your own. Think of it as looking through your buddies' cell phone when he's not looking, jotting down numbers, then calling people up and asking if they'll be your friend. [Xbox via Friends of Friends]