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Here's one of the Village People demonstrating how to protect your digits from a good hammering, courtesy of an unwanted mouse mat. My question is: what do you use if you're a klutz to protect your fingers from the box-cutter when slicing up the mat? [MetaCafe]
After announcing their intentions and asking the community for input, the iPhone Dev Team has announced the official release of anySIM as Open Source software under the General Public License. They also have further clarified their reasons for this move, which involve the misappropriation of code by third parties.
A trio of girls has scooped the honors in Siemens' Math, Science and Technology Prize, the first time in the competition's nine-year history. According to James Whaley, President of the Siemens Foundation, the percentage of girls taking part in the competition has been steadily increasing each year -- and this year, 48% of the contestants were female. So, does this double victory dispel the theory that women just don't have it when it comes to excelling at sciences?
Good-looking mini speakers are few and far between, IMHO, but Elecom's ASP-S750 diagonal speakers have a certain je ne sais quoi. Designed to go "forward toward the sound of fire," according to the Engrish blurb, the 2.5W-per-channel speakers come in white or silver, and full specs are below the gallery.
Just in Japan for now, the NEC Lui is a system designed around a central server which will stream media to any device around the house using WiMax and Windows Vista. They showed the central server as well as a few devices based on the architecture, like a 4.1-inch Sony VAIO UX-like ultra-mobile PC. The central server is also designed to work outside the local network, allowing you to, paraphrasing Wilson, "sling your content out into the world" as soon as it's not copyright protected. [Akihabara News]
LG's XNOTE P300 -- if you discount the faux-tiger stripes, that is -- is a 13.3-inch notebook with all sorts of lovely features, including an LED-backlit screen. Specs and sex(y ladies) below.
Nokia Comes With Music is a new program that will get you a year of free "unlimited access to millions of tracks from a range of great artists - past, present and future" when you buy a new Nokia device. Yes. Free. Gratis. Apparently the stuff-your-ears-until-you-explode service is subscription-based and the first year is free with the phone but, unlike other similar offers, you keep the music after the subscription is over. Could this really be free beer?
I'm sure the editors at PC World didn't think their declaration that the fastest Vista notebook ever was a Macbook Pro would be immortalised in a Mac vs. PC Ad. Of course, PC benchmarks go stale fast. I wonder what's going to be announced at Macworld 08. [Apple via TUAW]
Only 10 of these gold-colored Zune 2s will be sold, in both 80 and 8GB sizes. Microsoft teamed up with the Goods to make these screen printed designs. I like the cross pattern. They're available next Saturday, in Seattle, if you feel the need to splurge. (No price listed but "Gold" plus "Limited Edition" plus "one of ten" plus made in collaboration with a company called "Goods" equals expensive.) Whether or not this design or Zune is something you're interested in, you have to admit Microsoft's customisation program has been destroying the iPod's offerings. [IHaveAZune via GotZune]
While it is no surprise that everyone and their mother is putting out a gift guide during the holidays, the problem is that most of these guides are basically the same. It is not that they aren't useful--many are quite comprehensive, featuring the most popular gadgets today. But what if you are not interested in picking up an iPhone this year? Watch me prove just how generic five gift guides turned out to be, then check out five alternative guides that offer a refreshing departure from the norm:
Japanese folks love the shinkansen. Like, a lot. We're not just talking the way kids love dump trucks, we're talking about the shinkansen merch business being a multi-million dollar industry, of which this groovy N700 (one of the fastest of the bunch) cell strap is a shining example. Sure, the real thing only has 16 cars per train, but with snap-on packs of middle cars (sold separately, of course), you can make your pocket N700 big enough for all your bullet-train-loving friends. And who can blame you-- what's not to love about super-fast, always-on-time, future-stylin' trains that glide across the countryside as if on rails of butter? [Strapya]
You know that game in Brain Age where you get a quick look at a batch of numbers then have to tap them in numerical order after they're hidden? In news that must please the good Dr. Kawashima to no end, scientists at Kyoto University have found that five-year-old chimps are able to perform a (very) similar feat much faster than a group of nine able-minded college students on a touchscreen test bed that resembles the best-selling DS game.
Whenever someone does a comprehensive countdown list like this, it goes without saying that they are really sticking their neck out. And Maximum PC is putting everything on the line with their list of the 100 greatest tech innovations of all-time. The title is a little misleading given the fact that the list is confined to PC innovations, but with a name like Maximum PC, what did you expect? Naturally, the top ten list will be a source of great controversy, so hit the following link and get your fingers limbered up for some heated commenting debates. [Maximum PC]
It doesn't look like it would be all that comfortable to wield, but we are talking about a Lego zapper mod here - so who really cares. It may not be as comfortable as commercial zappers, but the thing to keep in mind is that it works. And by the looks of things it probably won't be all that difficult to pull off yourself. [Neogaf Forum via GoNintendo via Kotaku]
Who has the strongest two-legged robot in the world? The Robo-One ground championships currently being held in Japan aims to find out. Twenty-five competitors are duking it out in "a spectacle strikes a close resemblance to a real boxing or mixed martial arts match as robots trade jabs, dodge punches and eventually knock out opponents with a crushing blow." Check out the bot with the floating balloon head. It is the cutest death blow ever. [Reuters via Spluch via UberReview]
EA's warranty efforts to replace broken Rock Band Guitars has been seeing some delays, and in response to the delayed replacements, EA is offering a free game for those who are affected. So, those of you who still have a bum strum button and haven't requested a replacement, you might want to do it soon, so you at-least get a free game out of the deal. [Kotaku, sorry oh long haired one.]
Comcast and Time Warner have just declared their total disinterest in the upcoming 700MHz auction. Not that they mattered anyway - the real behind-closed-doors fireworks looked to be between Google and Verizon, who've been publicly sparring over the auction rules... Read More »
You might protest you do, but the numbers tell a different story. Box office blockbusters that typically sold 20 million DVDs in the past feebly struggle to touch the 10 million mark. Films revenues are looking to drop by about a third, or $US19 million on average. So...
The iPhone's browsing marketshare stands at .09 percent five months after launch, coming close to being one out of every thousand pageviews on the internet. More interestingly, Windows CE - all Windows mobile platforms combined - has only 66 percent of that. Discuss. [CW]
These are not your ordinary frames, for hidden behind your precious 5" x 7" family photos lies a set of speakers that will add a unique musical touch to your decor. Both speakers are 4-ohm and one even features a small 5W amplifier/FM tuner so you don't always have to rely on your computer or MP3 player to supply the music. Could definitely prove useful as an alternative to the traditional desktop speaker --and at only $US29.50, the price is right. Plus watching your Grandma crank out some hardcore rap or techno would be highly amusing. [Product Page]
For those of you who thought the iPhone was too expensive, brace yourselves for the crap that turned up at Russia's Millionaire Fair. A gold and diamond-encrusted phone - possibly the customised Vertu shown above - costs a jaw-dropping $US1.2 million. (Cash only, please.) Does it do anything particularly exciting that other handsets can't, like neutralise your enemies with hot lasers? No, but its SIM card will let you make an unlimited amount of local calls from anywhere in the world, courtesy of an unnamed Russian mobile phone carrier. Other insanely unnecessary products on display for the semi-legitimate businessmen and their trophy 23-year-old wives:
Yes, the world has fallen in love with Apple's clean and sophisticated designs, but is making an Apple flashlight going too far? You bet it is. Still, designer Myoshimasato has developed a concept piece that attempts to illustrate what an iLight would look like if it actually existed. I'll admit, it does look like something Apple would design (or Nintendo for that matter), but the functionality makes what should be a simple device unnecessarily complex, and there is no real software component to speak of. Two qualities not generally associated with Apple products.
If you have been out for an evening of fine dining recently at Buffalo Wild Wings, T.G.I Fridays, Beef O' Bradys or Applebees, you may have noticed a Soundog wireless audio system in your booth. The device allows visitors to home in on a specific TV set in the restaurant and listen to the audio. In other words, no more jumbled sound from a dozen televisions playing a dozen different games, and no more closed captioning. Because God knows no one wants to read...especially in a bar.
The device allows diners to select from up to eight different FM audio channels and it is compatible with most regular or high-definition cable or satellite receivers. Naturally, the product is directed toward business owners, not private individuals - but I can definitely see how a simple device like this could make a trip to the local sports bar a lot more enjoyable. [Product Page]
Posted by Anna King at 9:54 AM on December 4, 2007
Sputnik Ceiling-Mounted Subwoofer Looks Like a Turret of Sound
Pow! Pow pow pow!
Plate Flipper Sends a Message To Cars You Just Passed
Suggestions, anyone?
Urinal Headrest Invention Would Make Thomas Edison Proud
Seriously? How long do guys spend standing at urinals anyway?
Dell Launching (iPhone Killer?) Smartphone Early Next Year
Yet another new player enters the market.
Guitar Hero III Guitar Modded with Magnetic Switch and Touchscreen
The non-believers would allege Photoshop.
Nintendo Wii Knock-Off Vii Gutted, Laughed At
Well, it is only $200...
Klausner Technologies, a patent holding firm founded by the inventor of the PDA, is suing Apple and AT&T for $US360 million for infringing on its patents with visual voicemail. Its patents cover selectively retrieving messages from a menu displaying the caller's name, number, etc. Yes, they have on patent on that entire concept. Lending credibility to their claim, the suit's filed in US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, the McDonald's of patent suits, complete with a drive-thru window.
But what makes this more legit than the average infringement suit - and scary for the big A's - is that they've successfully sued both AOL and Vonage into submission over the same patents. Better still, Apple actually licenced one of Klausner's older patents for an electronic pocket dictionary for the Newton. Takeaway: Klausner has a pretty good shot at digging some coin out of AT&T and Apple's back pockets. Any bets on how long it'll be before they settle? [Apple Insider]
Just yesterday in my hometown a police chase ended up killing two innocent motorists when the suspect's car plowed into their vehicle. The debate has always been whether or not police should put the public at risk by engaging in these types of pursuits, or back down until the suspect can be safely picked up later. There are several gadgets out there that are designed to aid police in these situations, but a device that shoots a microwave beam at a car to disable it is definitely one of the most interesting.
These Metaphys designs were shown off last month at the 100% Design Tokyo Show, but they're cool enough that we wanted to show you anyway. The Japanese brand Metaphys, which is lead by designer Chiaki Murata, puts out cool stuff like the Lunacalente CD player shown above, as well as the flip-open toothbrush and the flip-open calculator shown after the jump. Although the latter two aren't going to make us drop our Sonicares and our TI-82s, the magazine rack and the fan do look futuristically sexy. It isn't often that mundane gadgets become objects of arousal. [Dezeen]
The crackers at Dreamlab have busted open the wireless encryption on Microsoft's Optical Desktops 1000 and 2000, as well as any others using the same simplistic scheme: There's only about 256 possible encryption keys, making it like pie to crack after sniffing a few tens of keystrokes. So easy, in their demo they nail three keyboards at once.
If you don't wanna deal with the hack-speak, the bottom line is that a remotely enterprising and nosy co-worker could whip up a wireless keylogger to spy on the whole office. Then again, what office springs for wireless keyboards for everybody? [Remote-Exploit.org via Hackaday]
In a move that surprises no one, Steve Jobs will still be giving the Macworld 2008 keynote. We'll be there so you don't have to. We hope he wears that. We will. [AppleInsider]
It's easy enough to throw a few lights and a clear door on your PC or console and declare it a mod. But to make it look like this modded Wii takes an aesthetic eye. Put together by a modder who calls himself Kypes, the Wii features a black face and stand, clear sides, painted Disk Drive and LEDs that feature enough neon goodness to get a hipster excited.
What makes the LED arrangement so nice is the way the purple lights cross to highlight the disk drive and the green lights illuminate the rear fan. Kypes also included an additional SD slot in the back, a built in Game Cube memory card, and a new light for the load slot. Check out the video after the jump for a better idea. Thanks L0rdNic0 [Acid Mods]
According to Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield, Apple's just made some concessions to movie studios that will result in higher prices for iTunes movies. Each flick will supposedly go up to $US15 (compared to a $US18 DVD), and is part of the tactic to lure studios like 20th Century Fox to the movie store.
Another reason for the concession is to get studios to encode an iTunes-friendly version of their movie on the DVD so people can just directly import that onto their computers, then onto their iPods, iPhones and Apple TVs. Whether this is true or not is still up in the air, but when DVD to iPod/AppleTV conversion is essentially a one-click affair nowadays, a pre-encoded version isn't that huge of a deal. [Electronista]
• God-Cleaner foot bath claims to draw toxins out of your body through your feet. Cleanliness may be next to Godliness, but in this case it's pretty darn close to Rip-off-iness. [BBG]
• Internet Explorer has fewer security vulnerabilities than Firefox, according to security analyst Jeffery Jones. In other news, Mr. Jones probably knows your bank password. [Ars Technica]
• Microsoft buys file-sharing startup WebFives. File-sharing just got way less fun. [Infoworld]
• BMW testing iDrive, an IP-networked car computer system. Who needs to play licence plate bingo when you can have a LAN party? [Autoblog]
• Universal forces their artists to cut songs streamed on MySpace to 90 seconds. But they were just getting to the good part! [Idolator]
On Black Friday, some of you walked home with your first HDTV. Or second. Discount voodoo is understandably hard to resist. But unless you've got HD content, you've got nothin' but a pretty frame. Since it's the holidays, you probably... Read More »
We've been playing too much Mass Effect, but these Sputnik Subwoofers look like mounted turrets that shoot lasers at you. Instead of lasers, these ceiling-dangling units shoot sound; deep, deep sound. Inside is a 12-inch passive subwoofer that can handle 100