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Okay, the flashlight machine gun was alarming enough, but now there's also the Pentagon Porcupine weaponised flashlight. A kind of all-in-one gadget for the frightened, it can help you find your car keys if you drop them in the dark, and/or blind and wound an attacker. Or victim, for that matter.
If you thought the phrase "useful phone charm" was inherently oxymoronic, please meet Plug It's phone charm offering. It looks like a hunk of plastic junk, until you split it open to reveal a complete data cable.
Wii-fit, schmii-fit: why go tromping boringly up and down on a plastic pedestal when you can use Ubisoft's new DS pedometer to help get fit with healthy outdoor exercise? It's designed to complement the cute My Weight Loss Coach DS software—simply carry it around with you all day, on your jogs and walks, then plug it in to your DS's GBA slot to download data on your fat-fighting. We guess you'll have to be pretty dedicated to getting fit though: if the system gives bad news on your performance it'd be too easy to unplug and cheer yourself up with some Mario Karting. Out in Summer, in Europe at first. [DSfanboy]
We first took notice at CES, and today Panasonic has refreshed their excellent Viera LCD range. The new flagship model goes by the sexy moniker, TX-37LZ800. The other new entrants include the LZ80 Series, TX-37LZ85 and TX-32LZ85, which will all be full HD (1080p) capable, have three HDMI inputs and boast 10,000:1 contrast ratios. Available this month, the new sets will also pack in Real Pro 3 picture technology, which is coined as a new image optimisation enhancement, allowing for "images of mesmerising beauty." Obviously, it's all very technical. Panasonic, not content with dropping all those goodies for the full HD display searching hordes, also plans an April launch of even better TV sets.
I was desperate for a product just like Belkin's mini surge protector and USB charger combo yesterday, as I struggled behind my desk with the nest of wires, power bricks and surge protection to find my phone charger. Taking the small-is-neat approach, Belkin looks to have tackled their Dual USB Power Adapter and Monster Power Outlets to Go and made them one handy package. Sure, it won't change the world, but it's a nifty product that might tidy your home up a bit. If only it came with Euro-shaped sockets, I find myself thinking. Out soon for US$25. [Belkin and CNET crave]
The everyday front-door lock has had a bit of an overhaul with Kwikset's Smartkey system. Firstly it's designed to be unbumpable, so you can feel more secure when you leave your home. What's bumping, you ask? A way for nefarious types to defeat the lock by quickly shoving in a trick key, taking just seconds to do— apparently many normal locks are easy to defeat. Secondly, by using a special adaptor, you can actually teach the lock to use a new key. Fancy using any old key, or changing keys once a week? Easypeasy, and handy for keeping unwanted mothers-in-law at bay. [Apartmenttherapy]
Posted by Nathan Taylor at 3:41 PM on March 11, 2008
Is somebody out to get Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales? Just a few weeks after being embroiled in an accounting scandal, Wales has been accused of modifying Wikipedia entries in return for donations to the site.
Jeff Merkey, a former computer scientist at Novell, has said that, in return for US$5000 in donations in 2006, Wales agreed to modify Merkey's Wikipedia entry to make it more flattering. Investigations have revelealed that Merkey did indeed make the donations and that Wales did modify the entry, but Wales is saying that the two things aren't related.
In any case, $5000 seems like a lot of money to get a Wikipedia entry modified, given that anybody (including Merkey himself) could have made those modifications. We're pretty sure we could find a few people willing to change an entry for considerably less money (we reckon $50 and a subscription to Playboy Online could probably get it done). [SMH]
Posted by Nathan Taylor at 3:02 PM on March 11, 2008
When British telcos introduced ultra-cheap text messaging, they obviously weren't considering the health implications. We're not talking about SMS thumb, RSI or getting beat up because you decided that texting during the movie was not, in fact, incredibly annoying for everybody else in the cinema. We're talking about lampposts.
Apparently the problem of people stupidly walking into lampposts while texting has become such an epidemic in London that the government there has started wrapping lamp posts in rugby-style thick padding. Ten posts in Brick Lane in East London have been wrapped in the padding, and if all goes well the plan it to add padding to posts in other "danger zones" throughout the city.
Posted by Nathan Taylor at 2:40 PM on March 11, 2008
The weirdest (and possibly coolest) accessory for the Nintendo Wii is coming to our shores on May 8.
The Wii Fit is a board that you perform exercises on: pushups, handstands, yoga, hula hoops (no, we're not joking about that last one), whatever. The Fit and the Wii keep track your weight and body mass index, maintain a database of how many exercises you have performed and provide tutorials on proper fitness. There are even a few balance games like ski jump and tightrope walk you can play on it.
The Wii Fit will set you back $149.95, and no, you probably can't claim it on your health insurance.
Posted by Nathan Taylor at 2:13 PM on March 11, 2008
One of the great things about Internet security companies is that they love to send out little factoids about which country is currently screwing over all the other countries. This week it was Sophos that sent out a release detailing the breakdown of spam-relaying countries, adjusted for population.
It turns out that on a per-capita basis, The Pitcairn Islands emits more spam than any other nation. At number two is Niue, and eight other nations that you probably couldn't find on a map round out the top ten.
Posted by Nathan Taylor at 1:44 PM on March 11, 2008
To the surprise of precisely nobody, the implementation of a new fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) broadband network in Australia is already being delayed. The Australian reported today that the project is being hit with a four month delay because of the need to confirm an expert panel and to appease telecoms providers who say they need more time.
So, as it stands, the telecoms have until the end of July to submit their bids. After that there will be a three to four month decision-making process before the winner is chosen. Then it will take up to five years to build the network, although we'd expect to see a progressive rollout over that period, so if you live in the city you'll probably get access well before rural Australians do.
The Boston Retinal Implant Project recently developed a bionic eye implant that will restore vision to those affected by degenerative blindness. The device works by being implanted into the back of the eyeball and working as a light transmitter to the brain, where the two are connected by a nerve/wire thinner than a human hair.
Lionsgate is in the midst of working out an agreement with Apple that will make it the latest movie studio to offer iTunes digital copies on select DVD and Blu-ray titles. In order to get a piece of the action you will have to redeem the copies using a code that will come packaged with the title. Then it is just a simple matter of plugging the code into iTunes and downloading. The first movies up for grabs with this addition are Rambo and The Eye, both of which will be released mid-year. Stallone and Alba kicking things off. Man, I can't wait. [Canadian Press and PC World]
Art Lebedev and his Lebedevites are hard at work designing a followup to the Optimus Mini 3, a smaller, three-buttoned version of the Maximus keyboard we saw at CES. Here's what they're thinking: wireless, possibly Bluetooth, maybe AC-powered. People use this to control Powerpoint presentations (good idea, you can see what's coming up before others do) and would like to have it not tethered to the computer. No actual renders of prototypes yet, but Art says they're coming soon. [Optimus Blog]
So a 1TB external drive is nothing new, but it is hard to deny that this thing is pretty...real pretty. LaCie has been getting heavy into the aluminum casings recently, which may play a factor in cooling, but those devices definitely did not bring this kind of sleek, cool look. Users can also expect 7200rpm spindle speeds and USB 2.0. At the moment, there is no price or release date information available. [LaCie via Gizmos.es]
Before MySong from Microsoft Research, people without musical talent had to resort to consuming music and not bothering the rest of us with their amateur stylings. No longer. All you have to be able to do is sing a short tune (provided you can sing somewhat on key) and this MySong software will dynamically generate a piano accompaniment just for you.
We already told you about Intel's new ultramobile SSDs, but their tiny size means high cost and low capacities, only up to 16GB. That's why the company promised SATA-II SSDs in the 1.8" and 2.5" sizes with capacities up to 160GB, with read and write speeds exceeding Samsung's 100MB/s and 70MB/s, respectively. Best of all, Intel says its goal is to drive down the currently exorbitant prices of solid-state storage to something less punitive, predicting two subsequent 50% drops in 2009 and 2010. [Daily Tech]
You have already seen the Swiftpoint Slider Mouse, a device that effectively makes your keyboard into one giant mousepad, and now we learn that there is a similar device made primarily for tablet PCs and multi-touch tabletop surfaces. Besides being pointier and cooler looking than the Slider, the Triped aims to "remove barriers to the growth of the Tablet PC market" by eliminating one of its major drawbacks—the pen.
We're no stranger to maid-inspired casemods and PC accessories, but this Maid PC computer case? It's the perfect PC case for the kind of guy who wants his PC to look like the belly button to upper thigh area of a maid, but doesn't want to spend the time and effort it takes to build it himself. Be aware that the thing costs an extravagant $499, but who can put a price on being able to get off with your PC when the power's not even on? [Kilian-Nakamura]
This is a Cowon Q5W PMP that's been rigged to hook up to an original Playstation controller and running a SNES emulator. One the one hand, it's sweet to see SNES games being played on a PMP. On the other hand, this is a honking $550+ PMP, so you'd probably be pretty pissed if it didn't have the juice to do this. In any case, neat! I'll take SNES emulation anywhere and everywhere. [Anything But iPod via Ubergizmo]
During my last move I took great pleasure in purging my home of items that were doing nothing but taking up space. There is something very liberating about a style that is minimalist and compact—which is why this Matroshka living concept is so interesting. Taking a page from the Casuo apartment in a box, the Matroshka packs a whole lot into a small space. In fact, you can fit an L-shaped sofa, double bed, dinner table, four stools, total seating for 12, a home office workspace, wardrobe and storage in only a 43 square foot area.
When I reviewed the Airbook, I noticed that I'd catch myself almost tossing the thing around like a magazine, which it resembled in size. Now Stephen Levy of Newsweek, one of the big four reviewers, has lost his. And he's theorizing that he might have thrown it out with a stack the stack of old newspapers he piled on top. I can see this happening to not a few Air owners. [Newsweek]
There are plenty of alarm clocks out there that attempt to "shock" you awake with loud noises or groggily impossible feats of hand-eye coordination—but I think we can all agree that waking up to that would suck really hard. The Seven Alarm clock concept takes a different approach by playing your favorite mp3 (like Shatner's "Common People"—a true classic), then gradually increases the volume if its motion sensor does not detect activity.
Posted by Nathan Taylor at 9:35 AM on March 11, 2008
Microsoft Warns Home Server Users Not to Write to Server or Use Media Managers
Seriously.
Thanko Electric Up-Down TV Stand Lets You Wii Standing Up
It's practical, and a great way to impress your friends.
LEGO Arms Dealer Sells Everything from AK47 to Uzi
Because what your kids need is authentic weapons for their LEGO figures.
Driving While Calling is the Same as Driving Drunk?
Or is it?
Posted by Angus Kidman at 9:21 AM on March 11, 2008
As Nick mentioned last week, the team from BRAN, Australia's edgiest tech podcast, are pitching in to help out at Gizmodo Australia while he's off enjoying his honeymoon. While a good chunk of our time is currently spent knee-deep in gadget galleries (and we are totally not complaining), we're also still producing our regular podcasts. In the latest episode, #83, we look at the seven greatest technology disasters of all time -- products or events that really, really sucked. We don't want to give away the whole list, but it's safe to say that Apple, Microsoft and Sony all make an appearance. Check it out online or subscribe via iTunes. [BRAN #83]
Some sharp-eyed folks over at blargKaboom analyzed last week's SDK event and noticed a search icon in Contacts. Interestingly enough, the icon appears in a screenshot about 9 min and 30 sec in, but not in the actual demo. Hopefully, this feature will be ready by the time the final version rolls out in June, because manually searching through a ton of contacts can be a real bitch. [Apple and blargKaboom via Ubergizmo]
Reports of OLPC's Negroponte looking for a replacement to fill his CEO role were a bit unfounded, as the man himself just claimed that the organisation HAS no CEO, and that whatever the replacement does, it won't be what Negroponte is doing. Negroponte says:
Boeing Phantom Works, the guys who get to do all the awesome planes and play with the alien ships at Area 51, have modified and successfully tested ScanEagle unmanned air vehicles to "intercept, detect and fly through simulated biological plumes or clouds to collect airborne agents." This means that the aircraft above will allow troops to locate biological threats faster, all without having to use trebuchets to launch goats into danger areas to test, which is the way they probably did it before (may not be as effective, but it could be a lot funnier. Fetchez la vache!) Full details after the jump.
Oh man. Apparently somebody just saw The Lawnmower Man and got inspired. This virtual reality head mount for the iPhone is designed to let you strap your favourite expensive phone to your face, blocking out everything else so there's nothing to distract you from the glow of your precious.
How thick of a hair sweater do you need to have to need something called a War Hammer to shave off your back hair? Pretty thick, which is why Razorba improved their previous release with this War Hammer version, which holds more types of razors (Gillette Fusions are the most notable) than the predecessor. It's also twice the weight of the original, has a "Super Shock Solid Core" design, and a new "Hamr Grip II". In the end though, it's still a long piece of plastic designed to hold a bladed safety razor so you can shave your own back. If that's too dangerous for you (as it might be for us, since we're fairly uncoordinated) you can always try the electric-powered Mangroomer. [Razorba]
The Wii is great and all, but I think it just slides too easily into my home theatre cabinet. I want something more awkwardly shaped and garishly colored, dammit! When will Nintendo listen to my requests? I need to go to modders to get what I want; specifically, this hand-painted Wii mod with a 3D Mario popping out of the side. A little much? Maybe, but you can't hate on this type of constructive fanboyism. I approve. [Hack n Mod]
Diving is fun until your oxygen tank runs out and you die, but this Poseidon Mk IV Discovery tank actually extends the time you can be underwater by recycling your carbon dioxide exhaust and turning it into breathable oxygen. The tank works its magic with its C02 scrubbers and oxygen cells, which is powered by a lithium-ion battery. And because it takes in the air you breathe out, you'll be able to dive stealthily without your bubbles alerting people to your presence. Community pool, watch out! [Poseidon via Pop Sci via DVice via Geekologie]
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University just confirmed two older research studies, one in 2006 and one in 2003, that says driving while talking is as bad as driving while drunk. How did they reach this conclusion? Brain imaging. Volunteers drove a simulator inside an MRI brain scanner and were asked to determine whether a sentence was true or false. We've got two problems with this study.