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Brando has updated the classic USB-cup warmer combo and added a clock and a four-port USB hub to it. Presumably the hub is for the USB sugar bowl, USB milk jug and USB tea spoon. Hungry office workers can presumably plug in Solid Alliance's USB biscuit. The USB Cup Warmer, Clock and Hub is available for $US24. [Brando]
Tracky software, a GPS system that lets you know where you are when you happen to be off-road, has been updated. As well as recording your route, Tracky 2.2.5 lets you use Google Maps as well as allowing GPX support and letting you follow your friends and chat to them en route.
Sony is adding to their excellent projector lineup with two new models, the VPL-FW300L and the VPL-FH300L, both of which will happily display full HD content. The VPL-FW300L will churn out 7000 lumens (WXGA+ resolution; 1366 x 800) in comparison to the VPL-FH300L, which will produce a maximum of 6000 lumens (WXGA+ resolution; 2048 x 1080). The projectors are intended for professional use, with Sony aiming the devices at the auditorium, classroom and the meeting room, but do not let that stop you going nuts and setting one of these up in your monster bachelor pad.
Orange will start selling the iPhone this Wednesday at three different price points: if you purchase it with one of the special iPhone voice and data contracts they will sell it for $US591. Then, current users of the Orange network... Read More »
Teresonic has brought out the Magus, a pair of compact, mid-range speakers, whose curved sides are a nod to classical instruments. "Have you ever wondered why there are no square violins, trumpets, or acoustic guitars?" says the president of Teresonic, Mike Zivkovic. "So why do they make square speakers?"
Soba lovers of the world rejoice, for you can now buy the Ie Soba from Takara Tomy, a machine that can make you Soba noodles at home. Traditionally rather a time-consuming process, all you need is buckwheat powder, wheat flour, water and 20 minutes. See it boxed up below.
At a cocktail-fueled event at the chic furniture store Design Within Reach in NYC, I got to play around with Geneva's trio of wood-cabinet iPod-dockable sound systems: the Model M, Model L and Model XL. The recently announced $US500 M is the most compact of the line, but still seemed a bit hefty compared with other iPod docks we've seen. (Maybe the company is leaving room for a Model S somewhere down the road.) The M's sleek Euro design and clean lines make it attractive, especially in glossy fire-engine red. Its seamlessly integrated CD player and under-grill LED display add to the smooth aesthetic. Compared with the Model L and the big, fat (expensive) Model XL, the M didn't have the same bass kick, but overall the sound was very rich and warm. [Geneva]
The Rundown: The Cowon A3 PMP looks to be a full sized PMP (5 inches across its long side) competitive in nature with its 4-inch, 800 x 480 screen and industry standard features including generous DivX support among other formats, text file viewer, photo viewer with support for huge files and USB host mode, audio recorder with built in mic and MP3/OGG/AAC music support.
The Catch: At $US350/$US400 for 30/60GB, this much PMP doesn't come cheap. [Download Spec Sheet]
Ever drove by one of those billboards on the highway advertising fireworks or a strip joint and said to yourself "I could live up there?" Well someone named Brendan O' Grady has. In fact, his idea for a billboard-like living module earned him a victory in the Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation competition, which is apparently some big-whig architectural rendering contest.
OLPC's XO Laptop and Asus's Eee PC have been bloody rivals in people's minds, whether or not the totally comparison's fair. The Eee's well-reviewed and popular, while XO's target audience has poo-pooed on it and the WSJ has laid out how it's being murdered by competition. Nonetheless, Laptop Mag aims to settle a running thread in our own comments: Which super cheap laptop reigns supreme?
There are plenty of unique looking hubs on the market, but there is something about this colorful USB Star Hub that sets it apart. And the fact that each hub can rotate 180° to adapt to your work environment is definitely a plus. The device is USB 2.0 compatible and the product site claims that it has a low power consumption, but it is only available for Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista, which is a little bit of a turnoff. Still, you can pick one up for only $US12, so there really isn't much to complain about. [Product Page via GeekAlerts]
The latest in Dell's line of Penryn-based PCs comes to us in the form of these super-beefy T5400 and T7400 Precision workstations. Both systems can hold up to two of Intel's quad-core Xeon 5200 and 5400 processors, with the T7400 topping out with the 3.2GHz chip complete with a 1.6GHz frontside bus. This is in addition to dual PCI Express 2.0 slots that can handle two Quadro FX 5600 cards with 1.5GB of memory. The base T5400 and T7400 start out at $US1,589 and $US1,839 respectively—but as always, be prepared to shell out some major bucks for a custom configuration. Both systems are available now. [Dell and Electronista]
With 3200dpi gaming mice becoming de rigeur, Razer needed to step it up to 4000 to keep the pissing match going. Even though a 3200dpi mouse is already too fast for some, I4U's reviewer says that Razer's 4000dpi Lachesis "is very accurate and tracking is great," particularly in Crysis. But, most of you probably aren't twitching around a 30-inch screen like the reviewer.
Tired of waiting two hours in the blistering heat to get on Space Mountain? If the folks at CellQ have their way, you could skip the annoying lines (friggin' Disney) and book your place. While you wait for a phone... Read More »
If an arcade system that features a 120-inch screen, 145 pre-installed classic games, a free Wii adaptor, and 2 player control panel with numerous buttons, a spinner, and a lighted trackball doesn't give you a tickle in your pants, nothing will. On the other hand, the $US4000 price tag may leave the average gamer a little unsatisfied. Additional pic and info after the jump.
For consumer electronics companies, going green (and vocally so) is the new going Apple white, though Apple's only halfway on the train. Greepeace's sixth guide to greener electronics tells us just how well they're doing. They're a bit nutty, but they are using definite criteria in this survey. Topping the list are Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Sony—not so surprising. Shocking: Nintendo's dead last, the first "global brand" to net zeros across the board. Does Greenpeace hate Nintendo more than Apple or something? No, Nintendo just gives out zero information about any of their policies or practices with toxic chemicals or green plans. Hence, FAIL.
Yes, the Segway is lame. But then, the Segway can't fly. If it could, I wouldn't judge its owners so harshly. Say hello to the VertiPod, which is basically just that. You stand on it and steer it around, and my leaning in one direction or another it'll point you in that direction. It all sounds terribly dangerous, and I want one.
The VertiPod looks a bit like a one-passenger helicopter turned upside-down. Its propeller is on the bottom and the pilot stands on a platform built around it with back support and controls at waist-level.
GSMhelpdesk.nl has some renders of what could possible be (but probably isn't) the Nokia N96. These renders show a 3.2-inch, 16 million colour touchscreen display, a dual-sliding QWERTY keyboard, and a one-way sliding dialpad keyboard. There's also a 6-megapixel camera on board, with 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth 2.0. What's really cool about this rendering is the dual-sliding keyboard—the major thing that's missing from the current Nokia N95 models. (Notice it works upside down? Guess there's theoretically an accelerometer in there for direction sensing.) [gsmhelpdesk via Esato via Mobile Mentalism via Switched]
The above clip from Bender's Big Score is just a reminder that the Futurama movie's available now! AU: Region 4 discs are not yet available for order. We've also got a list of our favourite Futurama gadgets as well, in case you're looking to kill a few minutes before getting off work (and going to buy the Futurama movie).
Maclife spent some time wondering what it would be like if Apple forayed into other gadget sectors and came up with a few concepts, including my favorite, the iEye camera. Unlike most design school renderings, this one is accompanied with a few specs: there's an imaginary but delicious HD video recording mode, 5.1MP stills, 12GB of Flash, a 3X optical zoom and most interestingly, lite versions of iPhoto and iMovie that can be used on the multitouch back. The other concept ideas include an iCar, an MP3 playing Taser (iProtection), an internet tablet for teens (Squidget). More at Maclife. [Maclife]
A Go Nintendo reader by the name of Craig has one hell of a dad. After all, it takes a great dad to build a sweet looking Wiimote cabinet like this. I'm no carpenter but it doesn't look all that difficult to make from a design perspective. You could probably find something similar in your local furniture store. However, the detail work on the front is done quite well. I would love to have one of these in my apartment. It probably won't be all that popular with the ladies, but then again nerdy stuff never is. So who really gives a damn. [Go Nintendo]
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 10:15 AM on November 28, 2007
More from Kogan's expansion project, the digital photo frame fares better than the GPS watch. It's taken the right approach to cheap gadgetry - keep the styling simple and you want show up how cheap it is. Brushed stainless finish, white trim, 7-inch screen (though it's a panoramic 480x234).
Specs are great: JPG, GIF, BMP, MP3 and WMA (yes, speakers are built-in), DivX, AVI, MP4, and WMV videos. It's got 16MB of space built in, and takes SD, MMC, MemoryStick, or USB. You can run music under a slideshow, too, which not all cheap digital frames will do. Slideshows are also easily customised to run with your own time intervals between slides and a choice of quite a few transition options. Clock, calendar and alarm functions round out the general feature set.
More details and pricing after the jump, plus my general rant on what digital frames should get rid of.
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 10:00 AM on November 28, 2007
After our recent mention of the Kogan TV action, we got word from Kogan they're spreading their wings and selling some other gadgets. The first we've had our hands on is the Bluetooth GPS watch and the first impressions point to a very Chinese, very badly designed piece of kit. But it does have everything you want in a GPS watch - GPS (duh), speedo, heart rate monitor, pedometer, altimeter, and general watch functions. It also operates over Bluetooth to give GPS data to other devices you own.
I've spent some time with Suunto and Timex GPS watches in the past, and they just sing. To step back and test out something that is boxy and tough to work with is what really hurts on this one. This is designed like a brick, just a big lump sitting on your wrist. This might be fine if you use when biking, but on foot it can be a little distracting. Some nice points are the mini USB recharge and connectivity, and the inclusion of a car adapter for charging on the road, plus a bicycle mounting bracket.
Selling for $199, it does position very well against other GPS watches on the market. But you are getting what you pay for on this one, and I think that if someone wants a GPS watch, they'd probably be willing to pay more for a better class of product. If you are on a seriously limited budget and you want a GPS watch to play with, sure, go for it. But I'll be giving this one a miss. [Kogan GPS watch with Bluetooth]
Like numerous designers before it, Vivienne Tam is attempting to break into the world of gadgets with their new TAM MP3walkman concept. What is an MP3walkman exactly? Hard to say considering that no spec information has been released. Still, it probably won't matter all that much considering that style is the main focus here—and by the looks of things, Vivienne Tam has its sights set squarely on women. Whether these women will also need to have plenty of disposable income remains to be seen. For now, this concept edition can be viewed in all its glory at the Vivienne Tam flagship store in New York. [Almost Packed]
Musician and Game Boy modding guru Joey Mariano has developed an eight headed, foot pedal monster that allows users to control the buttons of a Game Boy colour with their feet. The sequencer hack processes the whole thing into an electronic orchestra of sorts, which could be quite impressive in the hands of a skilled musician.
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 9:12 AM on November 28, 2007
This is the last in our series, and delves into a little more geeky detail. The Honda ASIMO team let me do a quick 360 degree tour of ASIMO up close, so I poked the camera around him so you can have a closer look than you've ever had before. Listen closely and you'll hear the fans running in his 'backpack', and in the final part of the clip, as he walks off into the sunset, you hear the whiz of the motors as he walks away. Domo arigato, Mr Roboto!
Hope you've enjoyed taking a look at ASIMO a quarter as much as I enjoyed getting the chance to spend this time with him.
Today the WSJ reported that Google may bring a Gdisk to the world so you can store your files in their gigantastic servers. While many people use Gmail or Google Apps without giving a second thought to their privacy, would they also move their "private" local files online? Some people say they don't trust an advertising company like Google, which may scan the contents even if only temporally. Others argue that you will be too exposed and your files could get compromised. Yet, other companies like AOL or Apple offer the same service and there are people who obviously use them. Would you?
If you think that you saw the last of Britney's finely shorn beef garage —think again. Fortunately for us, we only have to endure a tiny plastic version this time around. Indeed, someone had the good taste to develop an action figure immortalising Britney's recent underwear mishaps for posterity. If you would like to add this fine product to your collection (and I know you do), it can be had for a mere $US39.95. [Product Page]
Posted by Anna King at 9:00 AM on November 28, 2007
Google May Open Internet File Storage Device
The Google machine to offer free online file storage service.
The Smell of Fear: Blu-Ray Backs Out of Open War Format War Debate
A story about a non-story and an open invitation to diss the other side in this seemingly never-ending battle.
Homemade Aussie Hot Tub Could Kick Your Hot Tub's Ass
As does our football team, our booze...really, all the important things.
Taser Flying Saucer Drone on the Way
Nerdy solution to contend the peak hour sidewalk traffic! Oh, and bad guys.
Hackers Fox Al Gore's Website
Altruistic attempts to address the inconvenient truth about erectile dysfunction.
Five feet tall, weighing in at 211 kilograms, Twendy-One is all sensors and cybernetic muscle. Mechanical engineers at Waseda University in Japan developed the talking humanoid helper robot to be capable of lifting a handicapped person out of bed, but also handling a piece of toast or a straw without flattening them. The task took seven years, millions of dollars and, incidentally, 241 pressure sensors on each silicon (silicone?) hand. Twendy was named after his older sister Wendy, but unlike her he will likely hit the market by 2015, for $US200,000 a piece. My plan is to buy five, pile them into a spaceship and teach them to play cricket with exploding balls. Got any better ideas? [Twendy-One via Reuters]
The Dell XPS M1530 laptop that had most of its details leaked early last month was made official this morning, delivering a 15-inch version of the popular XPS M1330 to the masses. It features an LED-backlit screen, a slot-loading DVD-RW (or Blu-ray) drive, is available with a 64GB SSD and weighs in at a respectable 6 pounds or so. Prices start at $US999 and is available for order in the United States as of today. Hit the jump for an updated list of the specs.
I love this new trend of homemade videos with incredible special effects. We've seen a few of them before that deal with UFOs, and now a bunch of dudes went and made a video about attaching helium balloons to their car with predictably great results. This one used a crane as well as computer effects, so you might consider it cheating, but then again, I'd like to see you make something this cool with or without a crane. [YouTube]
Despite making a Meizu phone that looks way too close to the iPhone to be a coincidence, the latest news about Meizu ripping off an artist to pimp their work is off-base. It's true that someone placed Deviant Art artist Lithium Picnic's photo onto a Meizu M8, but it turns out that the image was actually rendered by a fan on Meizu's forums. Not that it makes things any more legit, but Meizu themselves aren't to blame for this round of appropriating someone else's work and calling it their own. [Meizu]
Mimobots, those adorable USB flash drives created to look like various characters, are about to be joined by a new set of Star Wars peeps. Sure, Darth Vader, Chewy, R2-D2 and a Stormtrooper have been out for a while, but now you can preorder Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Boba Fett. What, no Admiral Akbar? Ah well. In any case, these dudes will drop come January, but you can put your order in for them now. They'll set you back $US50 for a 1GB drive, $US70 for 2GB, and $US110 for 4GB. [Product Page via NotCot]
Our parents were too cheap to buy us one of those plasma balls that arc'ed "lightning" to your fingertips when touched, but this Plasma Bulb Night Light is a cheaper way to relive our childhood than to look on craigslist for a some lady to breast feed us. For just $US9.99, the night light keeps away demons at night while simultaneously throwing blue and purple lightning all over your room. No points for finding out what happens when you smash the glass and free all those latent electrons. [ThinkGeek via Uber Review]
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Soon-to-Be-Inter-dimensional Empire also known as Google is planning to give free online disk storage beyond the gigabytes they already allocate for GMail, Picasa or Google Apps. This space will be able to hold any kind of file, although it's not clear how would it be integrated with your desktop, if at all. The storage service, which hasn't been officially confirmed yet, brings up loads of questions and concerns:
Joy of Tech's apparently drinking the