December 31, 2007

Gadgets

Take a Peek Inside the Tokyo Traffic Center

Posted by Addy Dugdale at 11:44 PM on December 31, 2007

tokyo-traffic-control-ce-2.jpgCScout Japan recently had the chance to check out Tokyo's Traffic Center, where a bunch of people work 24-hour shifts and try to stop the city from grinding to a halt. Cameras, helicopters, 17,000 vehicle detectors, as well as reports from both police and civilians, all contribute towards a harmonious transport system. For the full report, check the CScout blog.

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[Kilian-Nakamura]

Computers

Last Day for OLPC's Buy-One-Give-One Program

Posted by Brian Lam at 10:44 PM on December 31, 2007

olpclastday.pngCome on. I know the keyboard is tiny and Nicky Negroponte has been going crazy lately, but think of the kids. And a tax deductible ruggedised toy laptop. Today's the last day to buy one under the Buy One Give One program..until desperation sets in and they kick off the program extension a third time. [OLPC]

Gadgets

British Scientists Create Ion-Mask, a Waterproof Coating for Gadgets

Posted by Addy Dugdale at 10:42 PM on December 31, 2007

art2x.jpgScientists in Britain have come up with a solution for making electronic gadgets completely waterproof, using a type of coating that repels liquids. The technology has, up until now, been used for military gear, but the makers of Ion-Mask are already in discussion with three cell phone manufacturers with a view to using the coating on their products. Full story below.

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Gadgets

Salamander Designs' Gaming Chair Hides in an Ottoman

Posted by Addy Dugdale at 10:02 PM on December 31, 2007

jumpseat.jpgThe Jump Seat Ottoman was launched yesterday by Salamander Design and is the perfect gaming chair for people who don't want house guests to know their guilty secret. Close the lid, it's an ottoman chest with a compartment to store your headset and controller. Open it and there's your gaming seat. More details, including price, will be announced at CES 2008 next week, but the Jump Seat Ottoman will be available in either leather or microsuede— custom order only, so it won't be cheap. [Salamander Design via Zatz Not Funny]

Screens

LG.Philips Multi-Touch, Multi-Image Displays for Public Spaces

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 9:01 PM on December 31, 2007

LG.Philips is going to use CES2008 to unveil a barrage of new large-format spectacular displays for shopping malls, airports, public areas and mad evil scientists' underwater lairs in the South Pacific. They range from 32 to 52 inches and offer different technologies, like multitouch, handwriting recognition, transflective backlighting for outdoor use, double-sided panels and even lenticular displays, which can show three images at the same time:

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Peripherals

Asus Eee Gets Even Cuter With Range of Official Accessories

Posted by Haroon Malik at 12:20 PM on December 31, 2007

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Yup, we thought it was impossible too, but the Asus Eee has managed to become even cuter, all thanks to a slew of official accessories. The range will consist of a mouse, headset, travel adapter and battery extension pack. There are various color permutations of the mouse and headset, but the travel adapter and battery pack appear to be only available in white. Jump for images and specifications of the lot.

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Phones

Full Video Demo of Apple iPhone Firmware 1.1.3 Features

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 11:35 AM on December 31, 2007

If anyone had any doubts left about the 100% veracity of the Apple Firmware 1.1.3, Andru and Nate at Gearlive have filmed a full video demonstration of all the new features they have been able to find: from GPS-like cell-tower triangulation positioning to multiple-recipient SMS, Google Maps hybrid map view, application moving and saving web bookmarks as Springboard icons. [Gearlive]

Robots

Pleo Undergoes Intense Surgical Procedure

Posted by Sean Fallon at 11:00 AM on December 31, 2007


First our little dinosaur friend Pleo had to endure a brutal beatdown at the hands of his cruel masters, and now he is forced to undergo a gruelling (and shockingly graphic) 23 minute dissection. Poor Pleo —just remember that this abuse hurts us more than it does you. [PleoDreams]

Portable

My Wife's Take After a Week With an eReader

Posted by Mark Wilson at 10:50 AM on December 31, 2007

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I gave my wife a Sony Reader for Christmas after she'd talked about them for some time (she deemed the Kindle "ugly" btw, which is important as anything else for a gadgets that's designed to look at for hours on end, I guess). Her verdict on the experience? Good, but there's one thing she misses from real books:

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Foxtrot Comic Takes On DRM

Posted by Mark Wilson at 10:15 AM on December 31, 2007

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We've been a longtime fans of Foxtrot, if for no other reason than identifying with the comic strip as a young, extremely dorky children. Now we have another reason to enjoy Bill Amend's work, because this Sunday's Foxtrot takes a nasty swipe at the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, that law making it illegal to break DRM (even when you've paid for rights to enjoy the content). I for one would hate to see Paige go to jail, even if she can be difficult sometimes. [gocomics via boingboing]

First iTouch VoIP Call

Posted by Haroon Malik at 9:25 AM on December 31, 2007

The guys at touchmods.net have been busy readying a VoIP app for the iPod touch, and they have just released a video of the first successful call made using their software. Apparently, the app will be made available to the masses on New Year's Day, so we are holding our breath. Check out the video to see what all the fuss is about. (We've put up the second video the team released, mostly because it was more informative, but if you desperately want to see the first, hit the link after the jump).

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Retromodo: Encyclopaedia Brittanica Kid Grows Up

Posted by Mark Wilson at 8:30 AM on December 31, 2007


"Hardly any of this stuff can really help me with my schoolwork," he says, feet up on a computer desk complete with printer and VHS camcorder. Then the Encyclopaedia Brittanica kid, late 80s/early 90s geek poster boy, explains why books rule and computers drool.

In a moment of extreme nostalgia we grabbed this clip from VH1...also finding it amusing that the actor now uses computers on a daily basis, as he's a webmaster for a porn site.

Entertainment

Ziovia Announces ClearStream C615 HD Network Media Player

Posted by Haroon Malik at 7:30 AM on December 31, 2007

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We have generally been very impressed with what Ziovia has to offer in the media streaming market, and their latest effort, the CS615, seems to be no exception. The new model will be able to stream a plethora of different media formats in HD, thanks to an integrated HDMI output. The ClearStream CS615 really has lots to boast about—jump for the impressive specifications.

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Giant LEGO R2-D2 is 8 Feet Tall, Squeaks and Lights Up

Posted by Adrian Covert at 6:48 AM on December 31, 2007

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While most LEGO models are smaller than the objects they resemble, this eight foot LEGO R2-D2 Technabob found stands considerably taller than the actual Star Wars droid. The model not only looks like R2-D2, but features working red and blue LEDs and authentic sound effects as shown by the video.

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Entertainment

Gemei PMP Has Big Screen, Big Controls, Big Heart

Posted by Haroon Malik at 5:30 AM on December 31, 2007

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This Gemei PMP, with the oddly patriotic name of United States X900, thinks big. There is a 4.3-inch TFT screen (480 x 272), but by far the most interesting hardware feature is the full sized, detachable gaming pad.

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Home

$5,000 in Electricity = Lots of Christmas Lights

Posted by Mark Wilson at 4:45 AM on December 31, 2007

Over the 52 festive days that this Canadian house stays eye-blindingly lit, the owner pays about $100 a day, or about $5,000. An in addition to his large donation to the power company, the owner also pulls in over $30,000 in gifts for charity.

Hit the very end of the video for a neat comparison block shot—his poor neighbour's house, shrouded in shadow, adorns a few, pitiful icicle lights. The only thing we'd recommend for the wonderland of bulbs is a little glowing reindeer mutilation. [iflim via digg]

Software

Microsoft Leaves Comments Open on New YouTube Channel

Posted by Haroon Malik at 4:05 AM on December 31, 2007

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Microsoft's PR department are attempting new and innovative ways to get Windows products to the masses. Their latest effort involves the launch of a YouTube channel with various promotional content. Unfortunately for Microsoft, their PR team decided to leave the comments open. Bad move.

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Games

Extremely Rare SNES CD Controller on eBay

Posted by Mark Wilson at 3:20 AM on December 31, 2007

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Before Sony made the PlayStation, they tried to team up with Nintendo. Together the companies would release an SNES CD add-on to compete with companies like Sega who were releasing CD-ROM upgrades of their own.

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Gadgets

PSPs For Assholes Hold a Shocking Secret

Posted by Haroon Malik at 2:30 AM on December 31, 2007

Shock%20Shi-%20GI.jpgThe gadgets you see above may look like your average Chinese knock-offs, but they hold a most shocking secret. They don't play video games or MP3s, but you would be forgiven if you thought as much. You would not be forgiven if you picked one of these bad boys up, as they'd shock the bejeezus out of you—literally.

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