Friday, February 29, 2008

Friday, February 29, 2008
Toys

Exercising Dog Returns Some Dignity to Animated USB Toys

11:23PM Gizmodo US Edition | Our friend the animated USB dog has returned, this time with more of a healthy G- rather than a rampant R-rating. Just plug him in, and watch him do sit-ups all day long. It may inspire you to head down to your gym, or perhaps find a bar because the sight of all that abdominal exercise has made you thirsty. Available for about US$14. [TFTS] More »
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Computers

iView Concept Gives iMac a Curvaceous Bod and Second Screen on Backside

10:56PM Addy Dugdale | Designer Nuno Teixeira has redesigned the iMac, giving it a curved screen, second display at the back (not sure what that’s good for—educating the mice who live behind the skirting board in the office, perhaps?) and a second webcam. Apparently, he was inspired by the wraparound Cinerama screens from the ’50s. [Yanko] More »
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Peripherals

Brando USB Hub has Multicolour Moodlight For Desktop Cheeriness

10:34PM Gizmodo US Edition | I nearly labelled this four-port USB hub with digital alarm and seven-colour moodlight “just another boring Brando USB gadget.” But on second thought, I decided I actually like it: if you’re going to have a USB hub on your desk, why not combine it with some multicoloured LED goodness? Brighten up your dreary cubicle with some rainbow ambience, that’s what I say! Okay, the clock part is dumb, since who has a PC that doesn’t already display the time? But we can overlook that design error, can’t we Brando-fans? This 76 x 76 x 25mm wonder is available for US$16. [Geekalerts] More »
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Home

Yamaha’s 63 Series Home Theatre Receivers iPod- and Bluetooth-Compatible

10:24PM Addy Dugdale | Yamaha has brought out its 63 Series, five receivers for Home Theatre setups ranging in price from the US$229 RX-V363 to the RX-V863, which costs just under a grand. All of them (the other three are the RX-V463, the RX-V563 and the RX-V663) are iPod- and Bluetooth-compatible, and some of them have on-screen menu display, subwoofer inputs and Yamaha’s YPAO automatic speaker setup. Full specs and prices are below the gallery. More »
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Computers

Sony Vaio Graphic Splash Expressions Collection Makes You, Your Laptop Pretty

8:50PM Haroon Malik | Have you been waiting for a Sony Vaio range that will allow custom font selection for keyboard lettering? Well, the new Graphic Splash Expressions Collection is here to answer your prayers. Yes, you can finally choose the font of the keyboard lettering when you order—we’re so excited. The lappies are available in various designs, including Leaf and Victorian Lace in either black, blue or pink colours. The entry level configuration includes Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 120GB HDD, Windows Vista OS, wireless and Bluetooth, all for US$1279. Excuse us whilst we fall asleep. [Popgadget] More »
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Gadgets

Sega Body Trainer: A Digital Excerise Coach for Your Medical Entertainment

8:32PM Gizmodo US Edition | Sega Toy’s new Body Trainer is a “medical entertainment” product, we kid you not, designed to guide you through your exercise regime. Taking account of your age, weight and so on, it advises you with spoken prompts along the lines of “Let’s start warming up.” It actually measures your heart rate with an earlobe clip, so it can tailor its advice and can even detect if you’re slacking— you wont get a crazed Army drill instructor-style insult from it though, just a wimpy “please exercise a little bit harder.” More »
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Entertainment

Iron Man New Full Trailer Shows Why It’s Going to be the Best Hi-Tech Superhero Movie Ever

8:20PM Jesus Diaz | I don’t know about you, but any trailer that starts with the greatest gadget genius of all time having a morning whiskey on the rocks, while travelling through the desert in a Humvee to the beat of AC/DC’s Back In Black, says to me: BEST SUPERHERO MOVIE EVER. Which is precisely what you can see in the new Iron Man full trailer, along with everything you would expect Robert Downey Jr’s perfect Tony Stark to do, from tinkering with his armor while mixing cocktails to playing with a multitouch holographic display to crashing through his amazing mansion on the edge of a cliff (Bruce Wayne is a wimp) to kissing the redheaded goddess that is Gwyneth Paltrow playing Virginia “Pepper” Potts, his personal assistant. Best quotes ever and poll, after the jump.
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Software

Microsoft Cuts Vista Prices, XP Still Better

7:45PM Haroon Malik | Looks like Microsoft is trying another push to get Vista Ultimate running as your OS of choice. The top-end operating system will receive a price cut from US$399 to US$319, while the upgrade version will now retail at US$219, a savings of US$40 on the original price. Vista Home Premium will also be dropped in price, from US$159 to US$129. If you were holding out, now seems like a good time as any to take the Vista plunge, or stick with XP SP3 because it kicks Vista-ass. Your call. Note: the Digg badge on this post corresponds to the original news’ Digg. [News.com] More »
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Phones

The Mobiado Stealth Mobile Phone – One Expensive Block of Aluminium

2:03PM Nick Broughall | In a world where luxury phones generally means diamond encrusted or gold plated, it’s refreshing to see a rather plain block of anodised aluminium in the form of the Mobiado Stealth. Wait a minute – what the hell are we saying? The Stealth is a Tri-band GSM phone from fashionista Mobiado. Its front is made from a single piece of aluminium with a single piece sapphire screen and sapphire crystal buttons. The design is meant to reflect that of stealth bombers – hence the black shading and radar deflection. There’s support for up to 2GB of expandable MicroSD memory, push-to-talk, Bluetooth, USB, 2-megapixel camera and stereo speakers for “surround sound” using the built-in music player. More »
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