Monday, December 31, 2007

Gadgets

Take a Peek Inside the Tokyo Traffic Center

11:44PM Addy Dugdale | CScout 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. [Kilian-Nakamura] More »
Computers

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

10:44PM Brian Lam | Come 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] More »
Gadgets

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

10:42PM Addy Dugdale | Scientists 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. More »
Gadgets

Salamander Designs’ Gaming Chair Hides in an Ottoman

10:02PM Addy Dugdale | The 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] More »
Screens

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

9:01PM Jesus Diaz | 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: More »
Peripherals

Asus Eee Gets Even Cuter With Range of Official Accessories

12:20PM Haroon Malik | 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. More »
Phones

Full Video Demo of Apple iPhone Firmware 1.1.3 Features

11:35AM Jesus Diaz | If anyone had any doubts left about the
Robots

Pleo Undergoes Intense Surgical Procedure

11:00AM Sean Fallon | 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] More »
Gadgets

My Wife’s Take After a Week With an eReader

10:50AM Mark Wilson | 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: More »

Foxtrot Comic Takes On DRM

10:15AM Mark Wilson | 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] More »