December 12, 2007

Gadgets

Homemade Optimus Prime Costume Doesn't Quite Capture the Autobot's Masterful Walk

Posted by Addy Dugdale at 9:43 PM on December 12, 2007

homemadeoptimusprime.pngIt's long and a bit ponderous, but it's worth it when you get to the end of sister site Jalopnik's video of a guy struggling into a ten-foot tall Optimus Prime costume. Firstly, you get to see the bossman of the Autobots getting his gear on. A couple of minutes later, he's ready to move—and move he does, wreaking terror to the suburban streets. Er, heavy night, Optimus? [Jalopnik]

Random Stuff

W00t Wins Webster's Word of the Year, Just Edges Out the Verb Facebook

Posted by Addy Dugdale at 8:53 PM on December 12, 2007

w00t-yellowblue.jpgW00t, that expression of joy invented by gamers way back when Sonic and Tails were special friends, has been given the accolade of word of the year by Webster's dictionary. The word, which beat the verb "to facebook" has an uncertain providence: while some people think it is an acronym for "We own the other team", others believe it is a mere exhortation of joy, like "Yippee" or, as we say in my crib, "Huzzarahrah." My reaction is after the jump.

Read More »

Software

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate Now Available, World Rejoices

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 6:59 PM on December 12, 2007

vistasp2rc.jpgLooks like Vista Service Pack 1 is on its way to meet its target release date: the Release Candidate—which should be really close to final— is now available with tons of bug fixes and improvements for all of you brave people willing to risk your systems installing it. [Microsoft]

Software

Office 2007 SP1 Available For Download

Posted by Jason Chen at 6:49 PM on December 12, 2007

office2007.jpgIt's no Vista Service Pack 1, but Microsoft's got some bug fixes, improvements, and a new feature that automatically scans Wikipedia and plagiarises pastes in relevant info for your midterm paper. Get yours now wherever internetterwebs are sold. [Microsoft]

Gadgets

Extension Cord Extreme Concept: Would this Even Work?

Posted by Sean Fallon at 12:35 PM on December 12, 2007

extension_cord_extreme.jpgPlacing multiple outlets along the entire length of an extension cord seems like a good idea, but like the folks at Yanko Design, I wonder whether the concept would actually be feasible. Conventional wisdom suggests that there would be a problem distributing power to all of the gadgets that are plugged in —but that's probably why I'm writing about gadgets, not designing them. At any rate, if the device were possible, a cord that would accommodate 3 prong plugs would be necessary. [Yanko Design]

Gadgets

Question of the Day: How Many PMPs Do You Own?

Posted by Jason Chen at 12:15 PM on December 12, 2007

We've been buying digital portable MP3 players since they only hold about one album (or read MP3s off burned CDs), but we're flying high with our Zunes and iPods now. So here's a question for you: how many PMPs do you own? List them all in the comments and say which ones you currently use. We're loving our iPhones, iPods and Zunes, but we're also rocking out to the Cowon Q5Ws for long road trips and aeroplane rides.

Games

Greenpeace Clash of the Consoles: Corny, Vaguely Informative and Pointless

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 12:00 PM on December 12, 2007

cotc.jpgNever one to take a PR opportunity lying down, Greenpeace is fashioning the hooplah over its goose-eggs for Nintendo on its green company survey into even more media fodder. (And we're covering it!) Its latest gamer attention-grabber is Clash of the Consoles, a site that ranks the big three on their greenness with hokey, popcorn-y copy ("Master Chief won't be winning any green battles with lame recycling and big power use sucking down his energy score") and pretty much rehashed info from the green company survey. But, they've got fun form letters for you to send your company of choice begging them to go green!

Read More »

Games

Every Five Seconds, Nintendo Sells a DS

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 11:40 AM on December 12, 2007

dssly.jpgNot content to let Sony ride high on the good news the PS3's finally moving along at a pretty brisk pace, Nintendo came out with its own crowing announcement: Having sold more 6 million DSes this year through Nov. 30 in the US, it's the top-selling system of the year, landing in greasy, undeserving hands at a rate of more than one every 5 seconds. And that's not counting December. So, uh, who doesn't have one yet? [Kotaku]

Gadgets

M++CARD Combines a Business Card With USB Storage

Posted by Sean Fallon at 11:22 AM on December 12, 2007

M%2B%2BCARD-USB-business-card.jpgThe benefits of combining USB storage with a business card are obvious. For one thing, it will get you noticed and make your card less dispensable. Second, it is a convenient and logical means to deliver important information to prospective employers and clients. Unfortunately, no one has truly succeeded in this endeavor (and simply printing your information on a thumb drive doesn't count). At the very least, this concept piece from designer Abhinav Dapke offers something approaching a solution.

Read More »

Gadgets

Sega and NeuroSky Working Together on Mind-Controlled Toys

Posted by Sean Fallon at 10:50 AM on December 12, 2007

neurosky.jpgApparently a second coming of the Dreamcast was a little too much for Sega to handle, but getting into the mind-controlled toy business is right up their alley. According to a recent announcement, Sega will be teaming up with NeuroSky —a company that specialises in bio-sensor and signal processing systems, to develop toys that "take play to the next level" by allowing players to use brainwaves and other bio-signals as a means of control.

Unfortunately, neither company was in the mood to elaborate on the subject, so the exact nature of the device(s) are unknown. In the end, this tatic may backfire given the fact that the final product will most likely fall well short of what our imaginations can conjure up. Feel free to speculate...wildly. [Wired]

Gadgets

Spy Camera Hidden in a Book Could Use a Better Book to Hide In

Posted by Adam Frucci at 10:30 AM on December 12, 2007

PDLBOOKCAM.jpgAs if you needed yet another household object to hide a spy cam in, here's a book camera. It hides a pinhole camera and microphone and can record video for you to check out from afar. The only problem? It'll cost you over $1,500, which is more than some therapy to get you over your addiction to peeping would set you back. Oh, another problem would be trying to sneak that Marcia Clark book into someone's shelf without them noticing. I mean, really, is that the most subtle book they could find? Were they out of copies of I Might Be Wrong, But I Doubt It by Charles Barkley? [Product Page via Red Ferret]

Gadgets

PHOSPHOR Ana-Digi Watch Features E-Ink Display

Posted by Sean Fallon at 10:15 AM on December 12, 2007

e-ink_watch.jpgI suppose it was only a matter of time before a company decided to use the same E-Ink technology found in the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader on a watch. Now that someone has, the result is interesting but slightly underwhelming. At the push of a button, users can change the watch face design —unfortunately, these changes are confined to a black and white face and various digital and analogue configurations. It is a decent first try, but the technology probably won't be truly useful in this capacity until colour E-ink displays become available. Available for $250. [Product Page via Wrist Dreams via OhGizmo]

Gadgets

Geeky, Gadgety Replicas From Movies, Games and TV: (Some) Priced to Own!

Posted by Sean Fallon at 9:50 AM on December 12, 2007

michaelknight2.jpgIf you are a collector, chances are that you wouldn't mind having one of these replica gadgets from your favourite game, TV show, or movie show up under the tree (or in the driveway) this holiday. Unfortunately, getting your hands on one is easier said than done. Limited availability and obscene price tags are going to be major obstacles in scoring these geeky holy grails, but not to worry, once you're done drooling, there's another gallery of more affordable replicas after the break.

Stormtrooper HelmetAirwolf HelmetOptimus Prime ReplicaKitt Car ReplicaSamus CostumeMaster Chief SuitGhostbusters Proton PackM41-A Pulse RifleDalek ReplicaB9 Robot ReplicaBatman Forever BatmobileBack to the Future DeloreanA-Team Limo

Read More »

Announcements

Breakfast Wrap: Best of Tuesday Night

Australian Post Posted by Anna King at 9:41 AM on December 12, 2007

Scones.jpgNext-Generation Nintendo DS Mock-Up
Another Giz want.

RIAA Argues Songs Ripped to Your Computer for Personal Use Are "Unauthorised Copies"
First they're awarded with $250,000 for 24 pirated songs and now this. Seriously?!

Microsoft Offers Free Software in Exchange for Your Privacy
Unfortunately, big brother Microsoft is only tracking US residents.

BusinessWeek Says Blu-ray Ahead; Analysts Predict HD DVD FTW
Hmmm...anyone else remember the time when "analysts" were "predicting" Blu-ray FTW?

Smarter Honda ASIMO Can Self-Charge, Avoid People, Work In Groups
It still walks funny though.

Dell Latitude XT Tablet PC Gets Official At Under 1.8kg With Capacitive Touch
Portable, affordable but no word yet on Australian release.

Gadgets

New Material Provides Constant Light For 12 Years Without a Power Source

Posted by Sean Fallon at 9:00 AM on December 12, 2007

bike_litroenergy.jpgMPK, a company that has made a name producing glow-in-the-dark paint, has developed self-luminous micro particles called Litrospheres. The new material is said to be inexpensive (40 cents to light up a 8 ½ x 11 piece of plastic that is 1/8" thick), non-toxic, and capable of staying constantly lit for over 12 years thanks to a betavoltaic technology that uses a radioactive gas.

Read More »

Gadgets

H2O Audio's iPhone Case Saves Your Phone From Toilet Blunders

Posted by Jason Chen at 8:40 AM on December 12, 2007

h2oiphone.jpgIt's rare that people are clumsy enough to take their phones close enough to a pool to drop it in, but accidentally slipping it into the toilet is another matter. If these people are iPhone owners, then they need the H2O Audio iFR Ruggedized Case, which wraps the phone in a water-resistant seal that protects against drops, shocks, and scratching. Even though their previous products have been waterproof, we're not sure if this particular one is completely sealed or just water resistant. Either way, it beats having to fake-cry to the Apple Genius for them to fix your phone. [PRNewswire]

Gadgets

Street Lights in India Powered By Poop

Posted by Benny Goldman at 8:20 AM on December 12, 2007

Yes, you read it correctly: The street lights in the Indian town of Thiruneermalai are run on digested curry. As National Geographic describes it, the human waste from an area housing complex collects in a sump, where the methane gas produced by the "sludge" is used to operate a generator. This biogas produces 3,000 watts of electricity daily, enough to keep the town bright at night. And you thought ovens running on garbage were gross. A friend who lived there this past spring tells me it never smelled bad, but then again, he's been known to generate a fair share of biogas himself. (Just kidding, Gelf!) [National Geographic]

Gadgets

Amazon Kindle Gets Third-Party Support From Fictionwise

Amazon's Kindle e-Book device gets its first third-party content provider support in the form of Fictionwise, who adds over 15k books to Amazon's already extensive library. Unlike first-party books, you can't directly download the books via the Kindle. You have... Read More »

Gadgets

News Round-up: I Hate Vivid, I Like BudCase, Facebook Allegedly Breakin' the Law and More

Posted by Benny Goldman at 7:59 AM on December 12, 2007

novivid21.jpg• Vivid Video is suing PornoTube over copyright infringement. I never thought I'd say this, but I hate you, Vivid Video. [Ars Technica]
• Facebook Beacon isn't only invasive and potentially embarassing, it may also be illegal. [Boing Boing]
• The BudCase stores your ear buds on your keychain. I need this, and for $17, I may just get it. I can't count the number of times I've forgotten mine and had to talk to people on the subway when I could be listening to my tunes. [product page via Red Ferret]

Games

iPhone/iTouch Gets PlayStation Emulator

Posted by Jason Chen at 7:30 AM on December 12, 2007

iphonetactics.jpgThe NES emulator for the iPhone was hard enough to control with the touchscreen that we can't imagine how frustrating it would be to try and play a PlayStation 1 game on the iPhone or iTouch. Luckily for us this is still a work in progress and these screens (bonus one after the jump) that show button placement aren't quite final. What we do know is that screen scaling will be improved, sound will be supported, there will be four face buttons and 75% of games will be compatible. It would be 1000% better if someone could hook up a wireless Bluetooth controller to the iPhone/iTouch to play this instead of smashing the screen with your fingers, covering up parts of the action. [Zodttd]

Read More »

Gadgets

Aquavision Bathroom TV With Heating Rack Keeps Towels Toasty

Posted by Jason Chen at 7:10 AM on December 12, 2007

bathroomtv.pngThere are two things we really like about this Towel Rail TV. The first is, of course, the fact that it puts a television in your bathroom (newspapers and magazines are for chumps and literates). The second is the heated towel rack that's attached to the TV. Why would you wipe yourself off with a cold towel? What are we, animals? Do we live in zoos? Does it say "Ape Habitat" our door? C'mon people, this is the 21st century. Bathroom tvs and heated towels are the least we can do to differentiate ourselves from our parents. [Aquavision via Uber Gizmo via DVice]

Gadgets

Lightning Round: Plastic Surgeon Package Opener

Posted by Jason Chen at 6:50 AM on December 12, 2007

plasticsurgeon.jpgThe Gadget: The Plastic Surgeon, a cutting tool to open those plastic blister packs that dominate retail packaging. It's shaped sort of like an old-school can opener (the non-turning kind), and is designed to rip the tip off of clamshell packs by slicing all the way around.

The Price: $US8.95

The Verdict: Fantastic.

Read More »

Games

Next-Generation Nintendo DS Mock-Up

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 6:30 AM on December 12, 2007

giz-wants-ds-open-small.jpgHere's our vision of the next Nintendo DS, compiled from rumours, logic and (wet) dreams. It's got a slimmer profile and a seamless shell thanks to a MacBook-style hinge. Inside: more power, larger screens—the top one being a 3.5-inch widescreen to play downloaded movies—a flash card slot for media and continuation of that amazing sleeker look. Hit the jump for our high-definition mock-up with full specs.

Read More »

Gadgets

Keyport Slide Update: $60 Version Coming 2008

Posted by Jason Chen at 6:00 AM on December 12, 2007

keyportslide.pngNot to inundate you with endless updates about the keyport key device, but we've got some news that you'll be glad to hear. After the limited edition $US300 run is done, there's going to be a cheaper $US50 edition of the Keyport slide some time in 2008.

Hopefully the keyport people don't take a page from the Optimus' book and gimp the lower-end version so hard that it's essentially worthless. Adding on keys to a keyboard is pretty lame, but adding on keys to a keychain is, well, just as lame. Most of you wouldn't pay $345 for something that consolidates six of your keys into one gadget, but would you pay $60? We would. We'd probably pay even more if they could make one of the keys a knife. Stabby stabby. [Key-Port]

Phones

Samsung Sammy and the BlackJack II Unboxing

Posted by Jason Chen at 5:45 AM on December 12, 2007

Can't get enough Samsung BlackJack II coverage? Check out this unboxing by Sammy, the internal Samsung mascot. We can't disclose who's actually inside the costume, but we can say it's someone familiar to Giz. Watch it. Watch it now!

Entertainment

RIAA Argues Songs Ripped to Your Computer for Personal Use Are "Unauthorised Copies"

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 5:30 AM on December 12, 2007

riaapaper.jpgThis is so mind-blowingly ridiculous I'll leave all of the smarminess to you guys to wipe up in the comments. In the case Atlantic vs. Howell—the couple's being sued for sharing songs over KaZaA—the RIAA filed a supplemental brief. On page 15, they repeatedly call ripped MP3s "unauthorised copies," basically arguing that ripping songs from a CD to your computer for personal use is making an "unauthorised" copy. And the money quote so you don't have to pore over the whole document:

Read More »

Gadgets

D-Link Drops N Routers to $50, Undercuts Competition by 35%

Posted by Jason Chen at 5:04 AM on December 12, 2007

If you're looking for an entry-level 802.11n router to go with that new laptop, check out D-Link. They've lowered their "unit prices" to below $US50, which is more than 35% lower than comparable routers from Linksys and Netgear. On the other hand, instead of lowering prices, Linksys has focused on dual-band 802.11n routers to pump up their sales. So it's up to you: cheap Wi-Fi or slightly more expensive Wi-Fi that may give you slightly better performance. We'd choose whichever one worked better, since we deal with mission critical wireless apps every day—if you consider making poop jokes online "mission critical". [Digitimes via TGDaily]

Online

Xbox Live Marketplace Comes to Europe + Canada

Posted by Jason Chen at 4:58 AM on December 12, 2007

Just like we said it would, the Xbox Live Marketplace has come to four parts of Europe: the UK, France, Germany and Ireland. It's also in Canada.

Phones

Industrial Designer Gives Old Soviet-Era Handset Just What It Was Missing—Bluetooth

Posted by Addy Dugdale at 3:43 AM on December 12, 2007

bme_bluetooth_phone.jpgIndustrial designer Brano Meres updated an old telephone handset dating from the Soviet era and brought it into the Noughties as a headset to use with his mobiles. As well as an on/off button, the Cold War-era monstrosity rocks a pair of LED indicator lights and a connector for charging the battery. There was one surprising item used in the mod, however:Titanium wires taken from Scud missiles (I can't work out if he's joking or not, but he's got a very stern face and, frankly, I'm scared.) [BME - Brano Meres via SOURCE]

Gadgets

Shot Caller Times Your Drinking Games to the Last Second

Posted by Addy Dugdale at 3:22 AM on December 12, 2007

shotcaller.pngIf ever a gadget is going to promote responsible drinking, then the Shot Caller is it. And let's face it, when you're playing drinking games with your buddies, it is all about being responsible and drinking up when you are told to drink up. Made for the Power Hour and Century Club drinking games, the Shot Caller prepares you for when it is time to drink, with red, amber and green lights. You can set it for either an hour or 100 minutes, and it comes with four regulation-sized shot glasses. The financial cost is $US14.99. [The Shot Caller via DVice]

Software

Microsoft Offers Free Software in Exchange for Your Privacy

Posted by Adam Frucci at 3:20 AM on December 12, 2007

freevista.jpgWant a free copy of Windows Vista Ultimate direct from Microsoft, no piracy required? Don't care about your privacy? Have I got a deal for you! Microsoft is offering up free copies of Vista Ultimate, Office Ultimate, Money Plus Premium, Student with Encarta Premium and Streets and Trips, all for free. All you've gotta do is allow them to track your every move for a few months.

Read More »

Online

Vudu Adds Fox TV Shows to its VOD Lineup, Kicks off HD Downloading

Posted by Wilson Rothman at 3:17 AM on December 12, 2007

Vudu_Peter_Griffin.jpgStarting today in beta, Vudu owners can pay $US1.99 a piece for episodes of 24, Family Guy, Firefly and other Fox-produced shows in standard-def video. Today also marks the availability of the Bourne Ultimatum for purchase in high-def. Though the $US399 Vudu's signature attribute is immediate viewing of movies, we're told HD downloads won't be ready pronto, but will take a buffering period that could be long if your network isn't hot. In other words, if you do plan to buy it—for $25—buy it early. [Crave and Vudu]

Gadgets

$125 iPod Touch Clone on Sale Now

Posted by Mark Wilson at 3:09 AM on December 12, 2007

touch.jpgFor those who prefer "non-aspirin pain reliever" to Tylenol, this $US109 Optimus Touch is the perfect Apple remedy. Strikingly similar to Apple's iPod Touch, the 4GB Optimus Touch sports similar menus and lots of enhancements, including a 1.3MP camera, FM tuner, miniSD slot, and support of your DivX and XviD movies. Of course, there are a few catches as well, as you will see in the video after the jump:Aside from assuredly lower build quality, you lose Wi-Fi and the screen size takes a hit to 2.8-inches (down from ?) along with a resolution hit to 320x240 (down from 480x320). Plus, we worry that since it includes a stylus, the device really isn't meant for a finger.

Read More »