Friday, March 14, 2008
Gadgets
Reppo 2 Boombox Backpack, Easy-Carry Portable Music Action
11:36PM Gizmodo US Edition | iPods are all very nice, except for when you want to piss-off amuse passers-by with your music, and even then your standard boombox is awkward to carry. I mean, what if you need both hands for your shopping? Enter Joonas Saaranen’s Reppo 2, a backpack boombox design, and simplicity in itself. Easy to carry, and with a built-in powered amp and loudspeakers, loud enough to make an impact. Shame its hardshell doesn’t extend down to cover your arse, as protection from all the kicking you’d earn, but never mind. Just a protoype for now, but we suspect someone’ll make it happen for real. [Squaremag via Technabob] More »
Gadgets
iPhone In Ireland and Austria Gives Us Excuse to Talk Beer
10:10PM Jesus Diaz | The iPhone is now available in Ireland and Austria, for the usual 399 (8GB) and 499 euros (16GB.) Yes, that’s US$778 for the same 16GB version that is manufactured in Asia for exactly the same price (in the US, a 16GB iPhone will cost you US$519—tax included—in New York, a whopping US$259 difference.) Apple Europe keeps milking European consumers with extremely abusive pricing, citing “marketing and importing costs.” Whatever. European Union, it’s time to bust this daylight robbery. And now I need a Guinness (hey, it’s like black breakfast cereal). [TMobile and O2] More »
Gadgets
USB Hub Photo Frame Misses Crucial Digital Parts
9:59PM Gizmodo US Edition | There are ways and means to add some interest to a USB hub, but Evergreen’s new Picture Frame Hub misses all of them. Sure, everyone could do with four extra USB ports from time to time, and having a picture of your loved one on your desk is always good. But combined? And with a light behind the photo? Nope, it just doesn’t work. All it makes you want is a real digital photo frame. But, if it still floats your boat, it’s available soon for US$24.91. [Geekstuff4u via Akihabaranews] galleryPost('USBphotohub', 3,''); More »
Gadgets
Talent Show Kit Lends Some Old-Tech Chic to Your Karaoke Warblings
8:56PM Gizmodo US Edition | I’ll admit it, some karaoke singers are worth listening to—from a distance—but even then my inner sound-technician always cries at their awkward mike-handling: and that’s where this freestanding microphone would be great. The Crosley CR25 Talent Show Kit may even add a little old-time radio show class to karaoke with its retro looks, inspired by a 1956 Sears Wishbook. It probably can’t turn you into the next Nat King Cole, but it does have microphone, amp and feedback/distortion suppression built in so at least it should sound good. Available soon for US$79.95. [Crosley radio via Red ferret] galleryPost('CrosleyTSK', 3,''); More »
Announcements
3:02PM Nathan Taylor | Apple has plans to open three Apple Stores in Australia this year. Previously, only the three-story outlet in Sydney’s CBD was confirmed, but it has now been revealed by job ads on the Apple Web site that Sydney’s Chatswood and Melbourne’s Chadstone will also have stores.
More »
Apple to Open up to Three Australian Stores
3:02PM Nathan Taylor | Apple has plans to open three Apple Stores in Australia this year. Previously, only the three-story outlet in Sydney’s CBD was confirmed, but it has now been revealed by job ads on the Apple Web site that Sydney’s Chatswood and Melbourne’s Chadstone will also have stores.
More »
Screens
2:38PM Nathan Taylor | NEC has published the results of study (funded by them and run by the University of Utah) that shows users are more efficient when working on big screens. The study apparently found that for the test subjects, moving from an 18″ to 24″ display reduced task completion time from eight hours to five and a half hours.
While this seems highly implausible to us, you can’t argue with stats, right? Anyway, you can find the full details after the fold.
More »
Bigger Screens Make You More Productive, According to NEC Study
2:38PM Nathan Taylor | NEC has published the results of study (funded by them and run by the University of Utah) that shows users are more efficient when working on big screens. The study apparently found that for the test subjects, moving from an 18″ to 24″ display reduced task completion time from eight hours to five and a half hours.
While this seems highly implausible to us, you can’t argue with stats, right? Anyway, you can find the full details after the fold.
More »
Online
2:10PM Nathan Taylor | Anne Geddes would be appalled. Photobucket has banned images of babies in nappies from its site, saying that they violate its no-nudity policy. It says the policy applies to people of any age.
This was discovered after a US diaper company running a baby photo competition using Photobucket had all of its entries deleted by the image sharing service. CNET has the full scoop, and while this policy on the surface might seem ridiculous, you can kind of see where it’s coming from. At what age, for example, should they set the nudity cutoff? I’m sure Photobucket doesn’t want to be tackling this kind of issue, so has sensibly decided that there will be zero-tolerance. [CNET]
More »
No More Nude Babies, says Photobucket
2:10PM Nathan Taylor | Anne Geddes would be appalled. Photobucket has banned images of babies in nappies from its site, saying that they violate its no-nudity policy. It says the policy applies to people of any age.
This was discovered after a US diaper company running a baby photo competition using Photobucket had all of its entries deleted by the image sharing service. CNET has the full scoop, and while this policy on the surface might seem ridiculous, you can kind of see where it’s coming from. At what age, for example, should they set the nudity cutoff? I’m sure Photobucket doesn’t want to be tackling this kind of issue, so has sensibly decided that there will be zero-tolerance. [CNET]
More »
Science
1:57PM Nathan Taylor | The MIT-published Technology Review has just released its Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2008 issue, and its list contains some seriously esoteric subjects. Of course, this annual list has always been a bit weird, often focussing not on the practical applications of technology but the (frequently obscure) scientific developments that its editors think have the most potential to change human existence in the future. More »
Technology Review’s Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2008
1:57PM Nathan Taylor | The MIT-published Technology Review has just released its Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2008 issue, and its list contains some seriously esoteric subjects. Of course, this annual list has always been a bit weird, often focussing not on the practical applications of technology but the (frequently obscure) scientific developments that its editors think have the most potential to change human existence in the future. More »
Peripherals
USBee Flash Drive has Bendable Neck, Heat Ventilation, Vague Resemblance to a Bee
1:25PM Adrian Covert | The USBee flash drive is attention-grabbing, not only because of its bee-themed appearance, but also because of bendable neck, and curvaceous shape. The USBee also features heat ventilation around the circuit board so that you don’t fry your precious content. This would be a good thumbdrive solution for the Macbook Air and its unfortunate USB situation. [Yanko Design] galleryPost('usbee', 3, ''); More »
Entertainment
